Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel and two games to the WiiWare Channel. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare™

Dr. Mario® Online Rx (Nintendo, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): The doctor is in! Mario™ takes a break from his adventuring ways and once again dons his stethoscope for a new generation of germ-battling mayhem. In addition to the classic mode of using vitamins to exterminate viruses, you’ll find two battle modes and an online multiplayer mode where you can hone your skills against players from around the world. Feel like challenging a friend who doesn’t have Dr. Mario Online Rx? Then the WiiWare-exclusive Friend Battle Demo is just what the doctor ordered. Or maybe you’d like some help taking on those nasty viruses? Try out Virus Buster, where four players can simultaneously move capsules simply by pointing at them with a Wii Remote™ controller. Any way you look at it, Dr. Mario Online Rx is a prescription for fun that everyone can enjoy.

Family Table Tennis (Aksys Games, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): It’s time for some good old family fun, and what’s more fun than table tennis? Just like a real family, choose your character from a cast of four, which includes Daddy, Mommy, Sarah and Billy. There are four table tennis-tastic stages where it doesn’t matter if you’re an indoors or outdoors table-tennis player. Pick your poison from a gymnasium, a forest park, a beach or even an amusement park. Choose from Single or Versus mode, or select a minigame to play. In Versus mode, you and a friend can play against each other to see who is the better table-tennis player. And if Single and Versus modes aren’t enough, select between three minigames, which include Target Table Tennis, Thrilling Table Tennis and Matching Table Tennis. The appealing cell-shaded graphics and endearing music, on top of the super-fun game play, will have you and your family playing from morning till night. Get your paddles ready.

Virtual Console™

City Connection™ (NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone - Comic Mischief, Tobacco Reference, 500 Wii Points): Based on the arcade hit, a young man born in California sets out to tour famous sites and cities around the world. As he drives the highways surrounding these locations, the road is painted white as proof of his visit. Only once all sections of the road have been painted will he move on to the next location in his world tour. Not surprisingly, the local police will chase the driver and do their best to stop him from completing his goal. In addition, cats roam the highways and spikes lie in wait for unsuspecting drivers. To combat these dangers, the driver’s customized car can jump, fire cans of oil and collect balloons to warp to a new stage. It’s the ultimate road trip.

Metal Slug (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen - Blood, Violence, 900 Wii Points): Released in 1996 by SNK, Metal Slug is a side-scrolling military-action game. Players control Marco and Tarma, both members of the special-ops force Team Peregrine Falcon (commonly known as Team PF), and battle their way through stage after stage of intense action. The goal is to try to overthrow General Morden and win back the stolen weapon, the Metal Slug. Players must blast through waves of enemies and machines (while also jumping over any obstacles in the way) to advance through the stages. It’s not as hopeless as it might sound, though—weapons such as heavy machine guns, shotguns, rocket launchers and flamethrowers, as well as the Metal Slug itself (which appears frequently in the game), will make the battle easier. Take on General Morden with a friend to lighten your load and ramp up the excitement even more.

Nintendo announces news that reinforces its commitment to provide entertaining and enriching experiences for veteran and new gamers alike. WiiWare™, Nintendo’s new downloadable game service, launches May 12 and expands development opportunities for developers the same way Wii™ expanded the world of video game players.

WiiWare: Nintendo’s upcoming WiiWare changes the way both developers create and consumers access video games. Through WiiWare, Nintendo hopes to offer developers a virtual laboratory that serves as a breeding ground for new games, which encourages great ideas that creators always wanted to develop. The combination of low development barriers and unique game experiences found only on Wii should enable developers to try new ideas with lower risk in a quicker, more creative and affordable way.

Meanwhile Wii owners can download a multitude of cool new games from different genres, including some that are unprecedented, which can be purchased from home at a dynamic price range. WiiWare also empowers consumers to determine with their Wii Points which games have the right stuff to become the next big thing.

WiiWare will be a repository for all types of experiences – literally, something for everyone. Early WiiWare games will come from celebrated developers like Square Enix, which is creating FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King, a simulation game for all ages. Also watch for games from up-and-coming developers like Frontier with its fresh, enchanting platform adventure LostWinds and a new episodic game series from Telltale. The first U.S. WiiWare games will be available on May 12.

More About: WiiWare, Nintendo

THQ Announces Plans to Launch Disney/Pixar’s WALL-E Across All Major Gaming Systems

Gamers Will Bring Humanity Back to Earth in Summer 2008

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These are some new images of the Nintendo Wii game Super Smash Bros Brawl

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More About: Nintendo, Wii, Super Smash Bros Brawl

Official US press release - Turbo CD to be added as a “Virtual Console™” platform on Wii™

September 17, 2007– Hudson Soft Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Hidetoshi Endo) is pleased to announce that Turbo CD and Super CD game software will be available for download via the Virtual Console™ feature on Nintendo’s Wii™. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download these classic games through the Wii Shop Channel. Soon, Wii™ owners will be able to enjoy even more software titles previously released on other platforms. These titles will be available for download beginning in October of this year in Japan, and thereafter will extend to North America, Europe and Australia. Now Wii™ gamers will be able to play games originally created specifically for CD-ROM media, in addition to TurboGrafx-16 game titles already available via Virtual Console™.

Players will simply select their favorite games in the Wii Shop Channel to download the software via the Internet. Each Turbo CD and Super CD download will be priced at 800 Wii Points, which can be purchased either by credit card or through a Wii Points Card which are available at various retail locations.

*1 Wii Point = JPY1 = USD0.01 = EURO0.01 = AUD0.01

In November 2006, Hudson Soft launched its Virtual Console™ business in North America, extending the service to Japan and Europe in December and to Australia in July of this year. As of the end of August 2007, 49 titles were available in Japan, and an impressive amount of titles were being distributed outside Japan (including third-party software). Hudson Soft will continue adding to the lineup of popular games for Virtual Console™.

About the download service for Turbo CD and Super CD games

Price per download: 800 Wii Points per title

Projected distribution: over 5 games in 2007, over 10 games in 2008

Source: Press release email

THQ announced  Worms: A Space Oddity for wii, It in the works at Team17 Software Ltd and scheduled for release in spring 2008. This is the Press Release: (more…)

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We just got a press release in from Oxygen Interactive with the announcement of a PDC World Championship Darts sequel for Nintendo’s Wii, Sony’s PlayStation 2 and PC. From those three platforms the Wii-version will be the coolest one because you’ll be using the WiiRemote to throw your darts. The game will also use the WiiRemote for playing the darts partygames. The game is scheduled for Christmas 2007 and is the sequel on PDC World Championship Darts. Check out the press release after the break.

DARTS’ DECEMBER DEBUT ON WiiTM!
PDC World Championship Darts sequel launches Christmas 2007 and debuts on the WiiTM

For more information check out: www.dartsthegame.com

TNA iMPACT! confirmed for Wii

CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, today announced its product portfolio to be shown at the E3 Business & Media Summit, July 11-13 in Los Angeles. This year’s lineup showcases exciting new properties such as Stranglehold™, highly anticipated next generation games such as BlackSite: Area 51™, developed by Midway Studios - Austin, proven brands such as Unreal Tournament® 3 from world renowned developer Epic Games and Ultimate Mortal Kombat®, Midway’s top-selling fighting franchise’s debut on Nintendo DS™; and kid’s games like Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, based on the top-rated Cartoon Network series.

“Our 2007 E3 lineup truly reflects our product strategy to develop top quality titles in a wide range of genres across all major platforms,” said David F. Zucker, president and CEO, Midway. “With exciting next generation games such as Stranglehold and proven brands like Mortal Kombat, along with games for the younger market and handhelds, this is Midway’s most diverse and strongest line up yet.”

Midway’s E3 line up with expected ship dates include:

Stranglehold (PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox 360™, PC; August) – Experience exhilarating, next-gen action for the PS3, Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC, as you continue the story of Inspector Tequila created by John Woo for his influential action film, “Hard Boiled” starring Chow Yun-Fat. Run into danger with both fists full of lead and take down the organized crime bosses who stepped over the line when they took your family. Stop at nothing as you destroy the entire world around you to get them back. You are a desperate man following your own rules; honor thy family; do what’s right; fear no man.

BlackSite: Area 51 (PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox 360™, PC; September) - Featuring a powerful single-player campaign, along with multiple online multiplayer modes, BlackSite: Area 51 delivers vicious combat action, next generation graphics and A.I., and a plethora of powerful weapons and vehicles. Set in present day, players take the role of a decorated military veteran charged by the government to lead a squadron of “secret soldiers,” each with his/her own specialty skill set, into the Rachel, Nevada area to fight off the invasion of unidentified enemy races.

Unreal Tournament 3 (PC; Fall) - Unreal Tournament 3 marks the return of the industry’s premiere first-person shooter franchise. In the latest installment of the award-winning Unreal® franchise, players assume the role of a futuristic warrior engaged in contests of intense warfare against dedicated and skilled opponents, controlled either by human contestants online or by A.I. These brutal contests are fought with the most powerful military weapons and vehicles known to man. In Unreal Tournament 3, players can go face-to-face with devastating close quarters weapons like the flak cannon and rocket launcher, or pick off their enemies from a distance with a high-caliber sniper rifle. Players will also be able to fully access the universe’s most capable and advanced set of vehicles in his quest to dominate and overwhelm opponents.

Ultimate Mortal Kombat (Nintendo DS, November) — Ultimate Mortal Kombat combines the visceral thrills of the classic Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and the addictive puzzle action of the Puzzle Kombat component of Midway’s best-selling Mortal Kombat: Deception® in a single DS-friendly package. With unlockable content, new record-keeping capability, and Wi-Fi-connected multiplayer, players will be able take UMK anywhere for fighting action on the go.

Cruis’n™ (Wii™, November) — An all new version of the classic Midway arcade racer, Cruis’n is coming exclusively to the Nintendo Wii. Choose your ride from an impressive lineup of licensed cars and experience a rush of adrenaline as you race opponents through twelve different street circuits using the Wii remote to steer and perform outrageous stunts. Win races and earn upgrades including: turbos, body kits, neon and nitrous, allowing you to create the ultimate ride.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am (PlayStation 2, October) - Jealousy smolders inside Master Shake like chocolate in a fondue pot. Frylock has been admitted into Jersey Pines, South Jersey’s most prestigious and exclusive public golf course. And Shake was rejected. Actually, he didn’t apply. He doesn’t know how to play golf. But what does that matter? He’s mad and must defeat Frylock at his own game. With Meatwad as his caddy, Shake aims to crack some heads and sink some putts. Do battle against Carl, the Mooninites, MC Pee Pants, the Plutonians and other classic villains. Drive your electric golf cart like a real jerk, with complete disregard for your own life. Race against the Frat Aliens in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Hear the actual voices of your favorite cartoon characters, recorded in incredible digital quality. Learn how to finally hit a sand wedge properly. Only you can ensure that Master Shake is triumphant over evil, and the mandatory dress code regarding collared shirts.

Game Party (Wii, November) — Game Party for the Nintendo Wii is a collection of classic skill games from around the world, from American sports venues to European gathering spots. Using the Wii’s unique control interface, you can play classics such as darts; modern favorites such as table hockey and hoop shoot, or participate in multiplayer trivia contests. More than a half dozen games are available. It’s the ultimate party game.

Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends: Imagination Invaders (Nintendo DS, November) — For the first time on the Nintendo DS experience the fun of Cartoon Network’s hit show in Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends: Imagination Invaders, playing as head mischief-maker Blooregard Q. Kazoo. Goo has done it again…her overactive imagination has conjured up a group of diabolical cosmic invaders, the Space Nut Boogies. They’ve raided Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and taken Madame Foster hostage in search of The Greatest Thing in the Universe, and it’s up to you to stop them! Play as Bloo as you explore the Foster’s house, sneak past the Space Nut Boogie guards, and gather Mac, Coco, Eduardo and the rest of the gang to rescue Madame Foster!

The Wheelman™ (PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox 360™, PC; Winter) - Starring Vin Diesel in The Wheelman, you’re on the run from the mafia in the U.S. and returning to Barcelona, a place where you have a dark past and criminal gangs infest the city. It’s your job to set the factions against each other to cover a daring heist. With a focus on over-the-top, intense vehicle combat, build your reputation by undertaking missions, taking part in challenging events, all the while looking to pull off stylish, extreme driving stunts.

TNA iMPACT!™ (PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox 360™, Wii, PlayStation 2; Spring) - TNA iMPACT! is set to be the most complete wrestling videogame to date. Featuring top talent such as Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, Rhino, Christopher Daniels, Jeff Jarret, AJ Styles and more, TNA iMPACT! will deliver all of the excitement and action of the top-rated weekly television show.

The Bee Game™ (Nintendo DS & Game Boy® Advance, November) — The Bee Game for Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance lets players experience the adventures of Maya the Bee and her friend Willie as they search for their friends. A strong storm has blown through corn poppy meadow and some of the residents of the hive are now missing! Help Maya and Willie by taking on challenges and completing mini-games to find clues in the meadow, dark forest, blue pond, deep caverns and the garden to locate the other bees.

The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ (PC, Available Now) — The Lord of the Rings Online is the world’s first and only massively multiplayer online (MMO) role playing game based upon the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Gamers of all levels will establish their unique reputations, explore incredibly detailed realms and join familiar Tolkien characters, while adventuring solo or in fellowships within an evolving and persistent re-creation of Middle-earth. The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ is developed by Turbine, Inc. and co-published by Midway in North America.

Hour of Victory™ (PC, Fall) - Hour of Victory allows you to play a key role in the pivotal and cinematic battles from the European and North African theaters of World War II, using the skills and gameplay style you choose. Built with Unreal Engine 3.0, Hour of Victory allows you to sneak into enemy territory as a covert operative, storm the gates as a British Commando, or snipe from afar as an Army Ranger – each character’s unique attributes will be needed for the fulfillment of the overall objective. Only with all these skill working closely together will you be able to say that you helped define the Hour of Victory.

More About: TNA iMPACT, Wii

Thrillville: Off the Rails heads to Wii, DS

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – July 3, 2007 – LucasArts today announced that Thrillville, the videogame where players create and experience the theme park of their dreams, will open its gates for a whole new season in Thrillville: Off the Rails. Featuring some of the most outlandish roller-coaster concepts ever imagined, as well as new ways to talk to park guests and a wider array of carnival games, this October release amps up the family-friendly mix of gameplay that made the original Thrillville such a hit. Frontier Developments returns to create Off the Rails, which will scream onto the Xbox 360™ videogame system from Microsoft, Wii™ home videogame system from Nintendo, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Games for Windows and, with the help of developer DC Studios, Nintendo DS™.

Off the Rails lives up to its name with 20 death-defying rides so outrageous, they inspire the same word from every park visitor who sees them: “WHOA!” Players build these incredible “WHOA Coasters” to leap from one track to another, launch through the air like cannonballs, blast through burning rings of fire and more.

A new lighthearted story ties together more than 100 missions, complete with 34 playable multiplayer theme-park games and improved social interaction with park guests. The in-depth conversations both advance the plot and suggest better ways to manage the park. But is every guest to be trusted? One never knows when a rival from the nefarious Globo-Joy might attempt to sabotage Thrillville parks with deceptive information…

“Between its amazing new WHOA Coasters, improved socialization, and a huge selection of minigames, Thrillville: Off the Rails is practically three great games in one, and it offers a fantastic bang for the buck,” said Jim Ward, president of LucasArts. “We’re also excited to introduce the franchise to four new platforms so that even more families can enjoy the Thrillville experience together.”

“Together, LucasArts and Frontier challenged ourselves to improve upon everything that made the original Thrillville such a success,” said David Braben, chairman and founder of Frontier. “I believe that we have more than met this challenge, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Thrillville achieves some ‘record attendance’ with Off the Rails.”

Meanwhile, “attendance” of the original Thrillville should soon rise even higher, as it has achieved Greatest Hits status for the PlayStation 2 and PSP systems, as well as joined the new Platinum Family Hits line for the Xbox® videogame system from Microsoft. Now, families can experience the No. 1 original children’s franchise of 2006 for only $19.99 at participating locations.

For more information on Thrillville: Off the Rails, please visit the official website at www.lucasarts.com.

More About: Thrillville: Off the Rails, Wii