Some absolutely amazing shots from the Wii showcase in Spain this past week!

Source: Gamefront.de

The latest sales figures are in.

- DS Lite: 157,022
- PS2: 25,467
- PSP: 24,737
- DS Phat: 10,132
- GBA SP: 3,784
- Game Boy Micro: 1,502
- Gamecube: 1,197
- Xbox 360: 1,169
- GBA: 25
- Xbox: 10

Source: Media Create

Here it is folks! The infamous front cover to Wii in all its glory. :)

Rumors are flying around the web today of the possibility that publisher Take Two, and developer Rockstar might be making games for Nintendo's Wii. NGC France is where this rumor is coming from. They mention that Take Two's president Paul Eibeler made mention of Wii development. Games that were mentioned were all of the 2K sports games, and Rockstar's Table Tennis.

This is very interesting news indeed, especially since the Table Tennis game makes so much sense when used with the Wiimote. I'm hoping this comes true, because more support is always a good thing for Nintendo as it releases its very revolutionary console.

Source: Wii-x2

The latest issue of Game Informer magazine has an interview with Nintendo of America's President, Reggie Fils-Aime. In this interview, the Regginator dropped a couple bombs. He talked about ways the WiiConnect24 feature would work in certain games. He also had this to say about the mystery of the front cover on Wii:

What is the little door on the front of the unit?

Fils-Aime: That is where an SD card goes. That’s storable media. And on top, are the attachments for the GameCube controllers.

So will SD cards be the primary storage medium?

Fils-Aime: It will be one of the memory mediums, and it’s the only one that we’ve announced.

Reggie has confirmed what a lot of people expected, that the front slot would indeed be used for SD cards. He also says that this will not be the only method of storage on the system. We already know the Wii will hold 512MB of onboard flash memory. And we also know that the Wii has two USB ports on the back of the console.

Sounds to me like Nintendo is covering its bases when it comes to having plenty of storage for their games and their Virtual Console service.

Source: Game Informer

Here is the latest sales data straight from Japan to your computer screen:

Hardware Sales:

DS Lite - 141,487
PSP - 24,653
DS - 22,748
PS2 - 20,737
GBA SP - 4,642
Xbox 360 - 1,407
GB Micro - 1,294
Gamecube - 1,002
GBA - 20
Xbox - 15


DS Lite continues its dominance in the East

Source: Media Create

New details were revealed recently about Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. The following list contains the major additions/updates to the game:

• "Hyper Mode" is back


• Huge environments, bloom lighting, and improved animations


• WiiConnect24 will be used, though specifics were not mentioned


• Corruption will be last Metroid game in "Prime" series, though the Metroid series itself will expand for later games

*looks in wallet, realizes he needs more money because so many launch games are getting better by the day* - justin

Source: Cubed3

Electronic Arts has announced that Need for Speed: Carbon will be coming to all systems this fall. Wii will be host to this next outing as well as the DS. The game promises more intense racing by way of "canyon racing". The game will still incorporate a lot of the features from previous iterations in the franchise's history such as customization and huge environments.

I'll definitely be looking forward to this one when the Wii launches this Winter. Here's hoping we get treated to some wifi multiplayer as well :D

Source: The Wiire

The following list is of Wii titles that have been CONFIRMED for launch. Nintendo has already gone on record saying they are planning on having close to 20 titles at launch. That is still the plan but for now, these are the confirmed titles:

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Red Steel
Rayman Raving Rabbits

Source: AMN

Word has it that the latest playable incarnation of Red Steel for Wii is shaping up rather nicely. The reviewers describe how the controls have been tightened up considerably. Most notable is the improvement to the sword-fighting sequences. Now the animations are more fluid and follow your actual movements.

This is very exciting news to see the developers fine-tuning these first-gen Wii titles.

Source: IGN Wii

Joystiq has compiled a very comprehensize photo gallery of the Wii hardware compared to almost anything under the sun. They have pictures comparing the Wii to the Gamecube, PS2, N64, DS, DS Lite, and more. Check out the link for some crazy pics :)

Source: Joystiq

Some juicy tidbits crept out of the Nintendo media briefing this past weekend. Here are some of the key notes from their presentation:

- Pricing details for Wii will be announced during or before September 2006
- Nintendo plans on shipping 6 million Wii systems by the end of March 2007
- Software needs to provide value both price-wise and content-wise
- Now that the DS production period is over, Nintendo is focusing on where to take their handheld ventures next

You can look at the full details by clicking the source link. Most of it is business jargon, but there are some nice news gems mixed in.

Source: Cubed3

IGN has breaking news coming from rumors surrounding the new Final Fantasy III game for Nintendo DS. The rumors started when Nintendo Power subscribers noticed a Nintendo WiFi Connection logo on the FFIII game article. IGN spoke with Square-Enix about this and they have confirmed that FFIII will utilize the wifi connection in some way. They left it at that.

So will FFIII have online co-op play? Online battles? Downloadable content? Time will tell. I can't wait for this game.

Source: IGN

Chrono Trigger is an amazing achievement in the wide spectrum of RPG games throughout the years. Released on August 22, 1995, Chrono Trigger redefined the way we played RPGs. It's "free-form, dynamic, turn/time based" fighting system is one that has inspired many a game since its release. I've recently played through this game and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute. The storyline provides a wide gamut of experiences.

The game revolves around the main character: Crono (or whatever you happen to call him). Through certain events he encounters a great adventure that spans time itself. Travelling through various time periods to stop a threat to the planet is not an easy task. The game can start off kinda slow, but one can eventually become entranced with the many quests throughout each time period. This game is not for the faint of heart. There is a bit of a learning curve, but the controls are very intuitive and can be easily mastered in the first hour of encountering battles.

Speaking of which, the battles are not encountered randomly. Once you enter an area, you are subject to various enemies, but they will not return to those spots unless you leave and come back. This helps a lot when you are leveling your characters up. All you need to do is go into an area (cave, dungeon, or mountain) and fight some enemies and easily escape the way you came in without having to fight the same baddies again.

The feature that makes Chrono Trigger so unique is how it ends..or ends (plural). Since there are multiple time periods, bosses have to be defeated in all periods. The final boss is in many different forms throughout these time periods thus resulting in 13 different endings to the game. It can definitely add to the replay value for sure, and the added challenge to the game.

Overall, Chrono Trigger went above and beyond my expectations of an RPG. It was an excellent game to have towards the end of the SNES' lifecycle. If you have an SNES, play this game. If you don't have an SNES, go buy one off eBay.

It is definitely worth it.

This is great news for anyone eagerly anticipating the Wii launch. Ubisoft has sent word to American retailers that they will be releasing 5, count 'em FIVE, games in addition to Red Steel. The games mentioned were: "Blazing Angels"--WWII air combat game, "GT"--racing game, "Monster Trucks"--kinda generic i know, but the most exciting announcements by far were of a new Prince of Persia game and FarCry.

Sounds like Ubisoft has officially jumped on the Wii bandwagon. With all this news of developer support for Wii, who do you think will be next to confirm major support for the up-and-coming console? LucasArts? Factor5? Time will tell. I'm excited every time I hear more games are announced for Wii.

Keep 'em coming.

Source: Cubed3.com