EL33TONLINE: News archive for November, 2006

Shimpinomori.net, a Tokyo-based hosting network, is running a competition which might just land gamers a PlayStation 3 for Christmas. They installed Linux on a PS3, hooked it up to the internet with a website running on it (http://ps3.shimpinomori.net/index_en.html) and thrown the gauntlet down - the first to hack it will win it!

The contest runs until the end of January and is open to all. However, no “dirty” attacks will be tolerated and only the PlayStation 3 can be hacked into. They have hidden photos inside the machine and the first person to replace the photo of the child shown on the site with a hidden photo will win the PlayStation 3.

The PS3 has been modded to include a 160 GB SATA drive and will also come with a HMDI cable, the game Resistance as well as Linux pre-installed.

This is a privately run competition and is not in any way affiliated to Sony.

Chart Track, UK’s leading independent sales tracking company, have released figures showing that Nintendo UK is now the 2006 UK market leader in video games hardware. They have surpassed all competition in both the home and handheld console markets. Chart Track have confirmed that over two million people in the UK now own a DS.

Nintendo also revealed its success with the DS with over one million people across Europe owning copies of Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How old is your brain? Animal Crossing: Wild World and New Super Mario Bros.

Ahead of the pack

The success of Nintendo’s DS Lite combined with the popularity of their range of Touch! Generations games have meant Nintendo has secured its lead in the UK handheld market. Just five months after the DS Lite launched combined weekly sales of the DS Phat and DS Lite in UK continue to cumulatively outsell handheld rivals by a rate of over 2.5:1. Meaning that for every one non-DS unit sold, 2.5 DS units are being sold.

Lisa Morgan, CEO of GAME Group PLC said, “Nintendo DS has played an increasingly important part of our business in 2006. Not only has the DS performed really well, but Nintendo are following through on their promise of expanding the gaming audience, which is key to GAME too. This is evident in the broad range of people coming into our stores to purchase both DS hardware and software.”

Appealing to gamers and non-gamers alike

General Manager of Nintendo UK, David Yarnton, commented “The ability of Nintendo DS to appeal to both gamers and non-gamers alike through an exciting, fun and innovative portfolio of software has been instrumental in its succeess in the UK, with many more Touch! Generations games launching this year and into 2007, Nintendo DS will continue to be the main driving force behind the expansion of the video game market this year.”

The fact that 600 000 Wii consoles sold in the US during the first eight days of its availability seems to indicate that there is a massive rush for consumers to get their hands on this next-gen console. Nintendo is shipping huge numbers of the Wii globally in an attempt to keep up with the record demand.

The Wii is set to launch in Europe on the 8th of December and, in anticipation thereof, a huge shipment of Wiis has just arrived in Europe ahead of this launch. A high demand for the Wii is anticipated, with an unprecedented number of pre-orders have already having been taken.

Nintendo want everyone who wants to get their hands on a Wii to be able to do so and so are doing their best to replenish their stocks. But they have warned that due to demand you will have to be quick if you want one. Laurent Fischer, Marketing Director of Nintendo, Europe commented, “we’re launching a great product and we knew that demand would be high. Nintendo’s expansion of the gaming market is paying dividends and Wii really is the ‘must have’ item for Christmas. Obviously, we’re doing everything we can to make sure that everyone who wants one, gets one.”

Nintendo is shipping 4 million consoles globally by the end of 2006. This is the largest ever shipment for a Nintendo console launch. The Wii was launched in the US on the 19th of November, with Japan to follow on the 2nd of December, Australia on the 7th of December and finally Europe on the 8th of December.

The surge in demand can be attributed to the much wider audience which Nintendo has successfully aimed this console at through its intuitive controller. Nintendo has reached an installed base of 7 million with the DS in Europe this year, success which Wii aims to replicate in the home.

SCEE have developed a Christmas gift for LocoRoco fans. A free Christmas download will be available for PSP owners on the 11th of December. Simply go to the downloads section at www.yourpsp.com to access new characters, levels and songs.

According to Sony “gone are the pumpkins, bats and scary things that arrived in time for Halloween. Now the snow is falling, the trees are singing and the jelly-like choir is singing.” PSP owners can explore a new snow covered level, complete with sleighs, reindeer and Christmassy characters.

Looks like it’s time for PSP fans to have some holiday cheer!

Best selling fantasy author Darren Reid recently announced the release of a free ebook library for the Nintendo Wii, DS and Sony PS3. Reid is well known for his best selling novel The Lord of Darkness and Shadow: The Chronicles of the Shadow Book One.

The free ebook library is set to contain a collection of short stories, novels and novellas. These titles have all been optimised for use with the Nintendo Wii and DS browsers. The first title to be released is the prequel to The Lord of Darkness and Shadow, titled The Genesis of the Shadow.

A number of titles will be launched during December and throughout 2007. These will include Two Wizards: A Chronicles of the Shadow Prequel and Xevicom Forever (a graphic novel).

Reid commented “I am delighted to share my free stories and allow next-gen console owners the chance to read them as well.” Good on you mate, let’s hope other authors follow suit.

The numbers are in, and Nintendo’s new Wii has sold through to more than 600 000 consumers in America in the first eight days of its availability. For those of you who are not mathematically minded, let me work out an interesting stat for you, these figures mean that nearly every second since the launch of the Wii in the US, a Wii has sold. The Wii has become the cash cow that most predicted, becoming a $190 million business (including just first party software and accessories). Over Thanksgiving there was an unspoken consensus in the US, if you see a Wii, you had better buy it!

You just gotta-have it!

“Even with sales already in excess of 600 000 units, demand continues to exceed supply, as it’s clear this is one of the ‘gotta-have’ products for the holiday season,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, President of Nintendo America. “We’ve shipped retailers several times the amount of hardware the other company was able to deliver for its launch around the same time - and we still sold out. Given the inclusive nature of Wii game play, we’re seeing this new form of video gaming is already a huge hit with gamers and newcomers alike. It continues to be a phenomenal launch.”

Attracting both new and hardcore gamers

Nintendo’s plan was to appeal to non-traditional as well as current gamers, and it seems they are doing just that - and more! The Wii includes Wii Sports, which features five games on one disk, and reports on the internet indicate how many non-gamers have been attracted to the wonderful world of gaming after having experienced the unique Wii controller. It also helps when one of your launch titles happens to be none other than epic The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. It seems the game has lived up to the hype, with more than 454 000 units being sold in the US, a hardy 75% of all hardware purchases.

Licensees happy with sales

Licensees are pleased with how well the Wii has sold, but also had a bit to add about its creative development capabilities. EA Studio President Paul Lee commented “Madden NFL 07 is a great example of how the Wii gives players a whole new experience on their favourite games. EA’s creative teams are working to build more Wii features into some of our most popular franchises.”

Ubisoft President Laurent Detoc said, “The creativity we’ve been able to unleash on the Wii system with our game Red Steel has been eye-opening for our development teams. Having the opportunity to design and develop entirely new game play experiences using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck is both exciting and rewarding.”

Blast from the past

The Wii also features downloadable Virtual Console titles, and these older, classic games are also proving to be a hit. Featuring the best of Nintendo, Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx 16, did anyone expect any less?

The Nintendo Wii launched in the US at a midnight store opening at New York’s Toys “R” Us in Times Square and Gamestop at Universal Citywalk this past Sunday. Fans turned out in droves, each wanting to get their hands on Nintendo’s hot new console.

Top of the Christmas list

The Wii launches in the UK on the 8th of December. Dawn Paine, Marketing Director of Nintendo UK commented, “the success of the Wii launch in the US this weekend was phenomenal and is very encouraging. Hundreds of people queued up to purchase a Wii and fans weren’t disappointed by the atmosphere at New York’s Times Square Toys “R” Us and Universal Citywalk’s Gamestop. With just over three weeks until launch, we are very excited about Wii arriving in the UK and look forward to a really successful launch. Whether you’re a non-gamer or an avid gamer, Wii looks set to be top of all the Christmas lists this year, following in the footsteps of Nintendo DS as a groundbreaking market leader.”

Hudson Entertainment recently announced that two of its classic TurboGrafx games are available for download in North America using the Virtual Console feature on the Wii. The two games are Bomberman 93 and Bonk’s Adventures.

Hudson announced the games release after the release of the games was initially delayed. The release was supposed to coincide with the launch of the Wii. Super Star Soldier, Victory Run and Dungeon Explorer are expected to become available over the next few weeks.

Since its launch in March 2005 the Nintendo DS has sold over seven million consoles across Europe. In addition Nintendo has just announced that six Nintendo DS games have broken the one million sales mark in Europe. Nintendo’s Touch! Generations range has proved its popularity with the imaginative Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How old is your brain and Animal Crossing: Wild World both shattering the one million mark in Europe. However, it is Nintendo’s puppy phenomenon Nintendogs which has attracted the most fans in Europe, selling over four million copies.

It’s a me, Mario!

Not to be left out of the groundbreaking action, everyone’s favourite plumber Mario has secured huge success with New Super Mario Bros and Super Mario 64 both breaking the one million sales mark, while Mario Kart DS has sold over 1.5 million copies.

European Marketing Director for Nintendo, Laurent Fischer commented, “we are delighted by the success of the Nintendo DS and DS Lite and especially pleased to see that we have exceeded the one million mark with games that appeal to both non-gamers and traditional gamers. Nintendo is proud of its role in expanding the gaming market and we hope to continue this success with the launch of Wii in Europe in December.”

Reaching new audiences

Nintendo has seen sales to non-traditional markets increase dramatically since titles such as Nintendogs and Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How old is your brain. Nintendo can now boast that 44% of DS owners are female. Pretty impressive. Nintendo hopes to continue to reach new audiences with the launch of new Touch! Generations titles in the future.

Nintendo’s success is not only limited to first party games with third party games also enjoying phenomenal success. EMEA Marketing Director of Ubisoft, John Parkes had this to say, “the Nintendo DS has opened up a wealth of opportunities for us this year and we are thrilled with the sales performances of our key games. We look forward to publishing a whole host of new and exciting software for the Nintendo DS as we move into 2007.”

The thinking behind Nintendo’s Touch! Generations

In developing the Touch! Generations range, Nintendo has sought to recognize that people are different and require different things from games. They developed this range to appeal to people of all ages, groups, irrespective of ability or experience. The Touch! Generations titles for the Nintendo DS include Nintendogs, Electoplankton, Big Brain Academy, Tetris DS, 42 All Time Classics, English Training: Have fun improving your skills, Sudoku Master and Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How old is your brain.

Nintendo’s advertising seems to be spot on for its new Wii™ video game system, with its recent television commercial quickly becoming one of YouTube.com’s most viewed videos. The commercial does a brilliant job of capturing the essence of the Wii™ video game system, namely innovative, fun and accessible game play for everyone.

Viewing stats

The Nintendo television commercial has become so popular that it was viewed more the 800 000 times a mere 36 hours after it was posted. It has received 39 YouTube honours so far and it already has the title of the 14th “most linked” video in YouTube history.

Click here if you are interested to see what all the hype is about.

Release dates

Interestingly the Nintendo Wii™ video game system went on sale in the US on the 19th of November, with Japan following on the 2nd of December. Australia and Europe follow on the 7th and 8th of December respectively.

Our Japanese correspondent just sent us some pics from Japan which we thought we would share with you…enjoy!

Mario Kart Arcade GP 2

A short while ago Namco Bandai announced that it would be releasing an updated version of its Mario Kart arcade racer, Mario Kart Arcade GP. The new release is titled Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 and features new characters such as Tamagotchi, as well as new courses and new items to be unlocked and discovered. Other new features include a voice commentary which narrates the happenings of the race, which should make four player races even more exciting. The Namcam system also features new frames and by making use of the built in camera, players can now create an avatar.

Sounds interesting huh? EL33TONLINE can now confirm the release of Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 in Japanese arcades. Here is a picture of the actual arcade game in a Japanese arcade.

Wii games on sale (in Japan)

And, to wet your appetite further, here is a picture of some Wii games on sale in Japan. Even though the Wii is only being launched on the 2nd of December in Japan, Wii fans can already stock up on the latest Nintendo has to offer. Check it out, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is on the left. How many more sleeps until us lowly South Africans can get our hands on one of these babies? Sigh.

Wii love the Wii!

Gears of War hit the shelves in Europe on the 17th of November. Microsoft has forecast that this Xbox 360 exclusive will sell more than one million copies worldwide this Christmas, and set a new record for the fastest-selling original game for the Xbox 360.

With incredible demand from gamers, Gears of War has been hailed as the most anticipated video game launch of 2006. Gamers can look forward to indulging in singleplayer mode on their own Xbox 360 or multiplayer via Xbox Live. Developed by Epic Games Inc. and published by Microsoft Game Studios, it was first revealed at E3 in 2005. This third person tactical action/horror game centres around mankind’s battle against a race of creatures known as the Locust Horde, featuring intense action and dramatic storytelling.

“Gears of War is a title we know will deliver on all of its promise, and we expect the game to reach 1 million copies faster than any new titles for Xbox,” said Chris Lewis, Regional VP Entertainment and Devices Division (E & D) EMEA. “This Christmas is an extremely important one for the entire industry, and Xbox 360 will offer the world unparalleled experiences available only on this console. We’ve put an enormous emphasis on bringing new and exciting titles to market, and Gears of War is a key example of Microsoft’s commitment to developing original and immersive titles for gamers everywhere.”

Gears of War received the Game Critics Awards’ Best Console Game and Best Action Game of E3 2006. It has also earned a rating of 9/10 from the official Xbox magazine in the UK. Cliff Bleszinski, Lead Designer for Gears of War at Epic Games, had this to say about the game: “the reception that Gears of War has received has been tremendous. Designing Gears of War has been a labour of love, and we’ve poured everything we have into the title. We expect this game to be huge, and it’s exhilarating to see that people are as excited about Gears of War as we are.”

SCEA recently unveiled its revamped website, www.us.playstation.com. The site was unveiled just before the PS3 launch in the US on the 17th of November. Consumers will be able to browse for information on the entire PlayStation family (the PS3, PS2 and the PSP) as well as all PlayStation software titles.

“The re-designed PlayStation.com site will better serve our customer’s needs in terms of content and accessibility,” said Peter Dille, Senior Vice President of Marketing, SCEA. “The heavily visited site will be our calling card for introducing consumers to the PS3, and will continue to be the premier destination for information on all experiences found only in our PlayStation portfolio of products.”

Features of the revamped site

The site enables consumers to easily access each PlayStation system’s dedicated section. Other features include more multimedia content, including content typically found only on magazine pack-in discs ranging from trailers to demos and system updates. Visitors can look forward to logging into their free PlayStation Underground account. This enables members to mark content as their favourite and revisit it in the “my media” section. SCEA have aimed to “increase overall awareness of the PlayStation products,” but also to provide “easy access to information about the entire PlayStation family of products.”

JOYTECH Europe Ltd last week announced a new line of peripherals designed for use with the Nintendo Wii console. The initial line of Wii compatible accessories included the following products:

Sports Pack

To enhance the realism of Wii sporting software, this pack features three separate accessories: A Racing Grip, Golf Grip and Racket Grip. These attach to the Wii Remote to transform the game play experience.

Power Station

The Power Station comprises of two high quality rechargeable Battery-Packs, designed for use in up to two Wii remotes, to remove the need for replacement batteries. When finished gaming, the Docking Station charges up to two Wii Remotes and provides a retractable cradle to store the Wii Nunchuk controller.

Controller Grip

Designed for use with software that requires holding the Wii Remote in a horizontal position, the Controller Grip attaches offering a set of comfortable grips mimicking a traditional style game controller.

Silicon Gloves

To protect and customise your Wii Remote, look no further than the Silicon Gloves accessories. There are four differently colored gloves that will protect and enable easy identification of Wii Remotes amongst gamers.

Glove Pack

Two complete sets of Silicon Gloves for the Wii Remote and Wii Nunchuk, one coloured blue and the other pink.

Racing Grip

Transforming your Wii Remote into an ‘arcade style’ racing wheel, is quick and easy with the Racing Grip, to gain that authentic racing feel.

The range will be available in North America and Europe this Winter.

SCEA and Ziff Davis Game Group announced last week that the companies have mutually agreed to discontinue the production on the official US PlayStation magazine in North America. The final issue will be dated January 2007.

“A key element of the OPM magazine was the playable PlayStation disc packed in with every magazine. With the launch of the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and its full network and web capabilities, we are focused on delivering content via the PlayStation network and PlayStation.com website, not discs,” said Peter Dille, Senior Vice President of Marketing, SCEA. “While we have enjoyed a very good run with the printed version of the Official US PlayStation magazine, we feel that it is very important to shift assets online to meet the needs of today’s PlayStation consumer. This is a natural evolution of our content delivery strategy.”

The entertainment concept which was previously found only on the DVD disc packed in with each magazine, including game trailers and demos, will now be available to everyone on the PlayStation.com site and on the PlayStation network, accessible through the PS3 only.