Chris@ONM from Official Nintendo Magazine (UK) played the demo version of  Super Mario Galaxy. He has answered a ton of questions posted on the magazine’s online forums. These this are some of them : (more…)

Namco’s Beautiful Katamari is officially headed to both the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox 360

In the past, Katamari was a Sony title, but apparently the abject failure of the PS3 bummed Namco out enough that they had to take their big rolling ball elsewhere

More About: Beautiful Katamari, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360

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

World’s Best Selling Off-Road Racing Franchise from THQ to Conquer Xbox 360™, PLAYSTATION® 3 System and Wii™ in MX vs ATV Untamed

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) today announced MX vs ATV™ Untamed, the world’s best selling off-road racing franchise, is scheduled to debut on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo, and Nintendo DS™ in January 2008. In addition, the game will release simultaneously across the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. The largest cross-platform launch in the franchise’s history includes its Nintendo debut and will feature bigger, more populated outdoor open-world environments, an X-cross career mode showcasing all eight vehicles and the all-new EnduroCross™ mode. EnduroCross™ will pit gamers against logs, rocks, mud-pits and more, illustrating the full potential of the franchise’s cutting-edge Rhythm Racing® physics engine.

“The MX vs ATV franchise is the entrenched off-road leader and has evolved into one of the top racing properties,” said Bob Aniello, senior vice president of worldwide marketing, THQ. ”The expansion to the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system, and innovative game-play made possible with the franchise’s debut on Wii and Nintendo DS, position MX vs ATV Untamed to significantly grow our global share of the racing market.”

“We’ve taken the core MX vs ATV racing experience and tailored game-play to match the strengths of each individual gaming machine,” said Jack Sorenson, executive vice president of worldwide studios, THQ. “The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, Wii and PlayStation 2 system versions, the PSP system version, and the DS version will all deliver unique experiences that capture the franchise’s strengths and maximize the fun gamers have on their system of choice.”

source

Amazon Listed Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords for Wii and this is the Boxart:

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords Wii

This is the Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground Fact Sheet

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
In the largest and deepest Tony Hawk game yet, gamers are now in total control of their skating destiny in Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground. Set in the streets of Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., the title empowers players with the freedom to define their character, story and style based on the choices they make, the paths they select and the style of skating they want. The game delivers deeper customization than ever before, including a full-featured video editor to create epic skate videos and a completely customizable online Skate Lounge, where players can skate with friends in the ultimate pad. Gamers also have the freedom to skate from single player to online seamlessly. Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground also features an arsenal of amazingly detailed Nail the Trick™ moves, and new gameplay mechanics like skateable terrain building and Bowl Carving to deliver the most personalized and immersive skating experience ever.

KEY FEATURES:

• Freedom to Play Your Way: Players are now given unprecedented control of their skating experience. They can mold and shape their character however they choose – the choices they make and the paths they travel determine how they evolve as a skater. As gamers progress, they develop into any combination of three skater classes, acquiring attributes and skills of a contest-winning Career Athlete, a fast and furious Hardcore Skater or a creative maverick Rigger, who alters and modifies the world as a giant skatepark.

• Create Epic Skate Videos with the Full-Featured Video Editor: Players can capture all of their sickest tricks and bails with Neversoft’s new video editor to make their very own skate videos. Command the footage using a full-suite of video editing tools, lens modes, camera angles and effects to cut clips and combine clips, add a personal soundtrack and even showcase online to share with others or simply move up the leaderboard rankings.

• Seamless Integration Between Online Multiplayer and Single Player Experience: Gamers can join online multiplayer action anytime directly from the single player story mode and take all of their character’s skills, attributes and stats online. Additionally, they can create their own personal Skate Lounge and invite others to view their winnings or join them for an online skate session.

• Expanded Gameplay Mechanics Deliver Unprecedented Control: Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground introduces eight all new gameplay mechanics empowering players to play the way they want: Expanded Nail-the-Trick™ moves such as Nail-the-Grab and Nail-the Manual, Bowl Carving, Aggro Push, Skate Checking, Climbing/Exploration, Environment Altering and Rig-a-Kit.

• Guidance From Skateboarding Pros to Create Your Legacy: As they define their character, players will learn new tricks and mechanics from their favorite skateboarding stars. Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground features a diverse roster of the sport’s hottest athletes, including Tony Hawk, Ryan Sheckler, Arto Saari, Jereme Rogers, Daewon Song, Jeff King and more.

• Greater Variety of Customization: At any time they want, players have the ability to use the Rig-a-Kit and Environment Altering mechanics to transform any locale into their own personal skate park. They can even personalize their Skate Lounge with items such as furniture, plasma TV’s and more. Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground also delivers a full, ambient world from real-time weather effects to random world events for the most empowered and dynamic experience ever.

Publisher: Activision Publishing, Inc.

Developer: Neversoft Entertainment (Xbox 360, PS3)
Page 44 Studios (Wii, PS2 – NOTE: gameplay/content may vary)
Vicarious Visions (NDS – NOTE: gameplay/content may vary)

More About: Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground

June 4 (Bloomberg) — Nintendo Co., the world’s third- biggest maker of video-game players, widened its lead in Japan last month after its Wii consoles and DS portable players outsold products from Sony Corp., a research firm said.

Nintendo sold 251,794 of its newest game machines in May, outselling Sony’s PlayStation 3 consoles five to one, Tokyo- based research firm Enterbrain Inc. said today in a faxed statement. The PS3 trailed the Wii by four to one in April.

The PS3, equipped with the industry’s most powerful gaming chip, is falling further behind the cheaper Wii, undermining Sony’s ability to recoup investments into the machine. Kyoto, Japan-based Nintendo has forecast sales of the new consoles, where gamers swing motion-sensor controllers to play games such as bowling and tennis, will triple this fiscal year.

Microsoft Corp.’s game-player sales trailed Sony’s in Japan last month, with the U.S. company selling 11,082 of its Xbox 360 machines, the Enterbrain report said.

Nintendo’s handheld DS player outsold Sony’s PlayStation Portable five to one in May, Enterbrain said. The company sold 620,670 of the touch-screen players, compared with 123,673 PSPs.

Source

More About: Nintendo, Wi, PlayStation 3, PS3

Key Points:

- Wii is really popular and is sold out a lot (even at NOA Company store)

- Wii Remote is cheap to make
Accelerometer: $2.50
Basic Memory Chip: $0.25
Audio Amplifier: $0.50
Data Converter: $0.50
Rumble Pack: $2.50
Bluetooth Chip: $2.00
Audio Translator: $2.00
Plastic Casing: Unknown
Wrist Strap: Unkown

- $50 profit per Wii

- $5 Million to develop Wii game vs $20 Million for PS3 game

-Ubisoft says Nintendo is best console maker to work with

- EA says Nintendo is a pioneer

- Wii’s success has done little to convince Microsoft execs that they’rs on the wrong course (Peter Moore: “I love the experience, the price point and Nintendo content of the Wii, but Microsoft provides experiences that Nintendo cannot provide”)

- CEO of SCE America says give credit to Nintendo but points out that Sony have a innovative controller as well, technology doesnt go backwards and the Wii is a re purposed gamecube

- Sony views the world through the eyes of an engineer while Nintendo takes its cues from the outside world (eg. Pikmin from Miyamoto’s garden)

FUTURE
- Nintendo could stick with the current tech for a few years and then introduce a Wii 2.0 with PS3 tech but cheap

- cut $50 of Wii price to compete with future price cuts for MS and Sony

- relationship between Mac/PC - iTune - iPod could be like Wii - DS

- needs more stock, did not expect Wii to be so popular….currently making 1M a month but want 1.5M - 2M but its difficult

QUOTES
We were losing to the TV remote. So we thought what kind of controller can we create that wont make people afraid to touch it? - Miyamoto

We are not competing against Sony or Microsoft. We are battling the indifference of people who have no interest in video games - Iwata

My name is Reggie. I’m about kickin’ ass, I’m about takin’ names, and we’re about makin’ games” - you know who

This is an excerpt from a Gamasutra interview with Christian Svensson, Sr. Director of Strategic Planning & Research for Capcom:

GS: Resident Evil seems very Wii-focused right now.

CS: It is in the near term. Resident Evil 4 has been very well received and has gotten good feedback from retail, in response to our pricing strategy [of $29.99 in North America].

GS: Some people said that it was under-served by being on the GameCube, in terms of the market that it could reach. Do you think that that’s going to finally be realized now?

CS: I think that anytime you can sell another copy to another new user, it expands the brand. A lot of people knock the decision to put it on GameCube, but at the same time, Resident Evil 4 was the number-one selling title for the GameCube in 2005, which is hard for a third-party. So it’s hard to say that that was really a bad decision. It’s gone on to sell very, very well on PS2.

On PC, when it gets released by Ubisoft a little later this month, I’m sure it will do well. It’s already out in Europe and Asia, and a new patch fixes a lot of the criticisms that people had. I’m glad that it’s coming at a time when it’s a bit more polished than it was initially for some of the other territory releases. And I think the Wii version is going to be the best version of the four.

GS: Do you know anything yet about downloadable original content on the Wii?

CS: We know a lot about that. There are some file size limitations that don’t dovetail well with what we’ve currently got on PS3 and Xbox 360. I would love to put the content that we have on the Wii, and I think it’s a great audience for the type of content, especially for Street Fighter and Puzzle Fighter. We’re still thinking about ways that we can get that content to them, perhaps not downloaded, but perhaps with a consolidated retail SKU. We’re still just tossing around ideas in our head.

GS: But downloadable original content is possible? It’s been hinted that it’s possible, but it’s still not coming yet.

CS: It’s possible. I think you’ll have to talk more to Nintendo about that. It’s not a technical limitation thing, though. We’re certainly going to be able to deliver. It’s really more of them getting their process in place for approvals and their pipeline in place.

I know they have loads of people who want to make content, but I think it’s a matter of some people turning on the spigot. We’ve been asked about bringing our stuff over. It’s going to happen. Once that spigot is opened and the floodgates are unleashed, I’m sure you’ll see loads of it.

Full Interview 

Sony announced its very own High Velocity Bowling game that utilizes the Sixaxis’ motion controls. You literally flip the controller on its side, hold it with your thumb between the analog sticks, and then sweep your arm gracefully along an arc while holding and releasing one of the buttons to send your ball down the alley. (more…)

More About: Sony, High Velocity Bowling