Nintendo News

In this thread, I will announce anything that made news at Nintendo. There will be one story per post. Please do not post here. Thanks!


REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 17, 2002 –The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is set to launch for Nintendo GameCube on March 24, 2003. But in North America, consumers already are pushing for an early pre-sell effort so they can be guaranteed a copy of the game.

Starting Feb. 16, 2003, Nintendo fans can get a double-hit of Zelda. When a customer places a deposit for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker at a participating retailer, they’ll receive a special, limited-edition playable disk featuring two games: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest -- an updated version of the game which was never released outside of Japan.

Nintendo Co., Ltd. in Japan introduced a similar pre-sell program last month. Nearly 500 consumers called Nintendo’s North American consumer service line asking for the same program here.

"We were surprised consumers tracked the program in Japan and were begging us to do it here," explains Peter MacDougall, executive vice president, sales and marketing, Nintendo of America Inc. "We decided it was a great idea and one we know consumers really want.

"The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker game raises the bar on digital entertainment with a unique and technologically advanced graphic style and compelling story," continues MacDougall. "Making this pre-sell program available to the fans, it solidifies Nintendo's commitment to the hardcore gamer, while introducing the series to a whole new generation of gamers."

Originally released for the Nintendo 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was honored as the 1999 Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences "Game of the Year" and also named "Game of the Century" by Next Generation magazine.

To date, worldwide sales of The Legend of Zelda series have surpassed 36 million software units. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker will retail for a suggested price of $49.95.

For more information about The Legend of Zelda series, visit www.zelda.com, or search for Zelda on www.nintendo.com.

NEW YORK, Jan. 7, 2003 – The biggest star in the history of video games is getting even brighter. Nintendo of America Inc. today announces the introduction of Game Boy Advance SP, a redesigned version of the wildly popular Game Boy Advance. The system has a new illumination feature and sleek flip-screen design making it the most distinctively stylish, compact and portable Game Boy system ever.

The Game Boy Advance SP will become an instant "must-have" gadget when it launches in North America March 23, 2003, for an estimated retail price of $99.95. It will launch in two colors: cobalt (metallic) and platinum.

Building on the significant improvements and refinements already introduced in the current Game Boy Advance, the new Game Boy Advance SP features a revolutionary Front Light Screen making game play easy in any lighting condition. The system is powered by a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery good for about 10 hours of game play and takes only three hours to recharge. Amazingly, the battery life increases to approximately 18 hours of continuous play when the Front Light Screen is turned off.

All current and future Game Boy Advance games are compatible with the new system. And, similarly, Game Boy Advance SP is backward compatible, allowing use with virtually all games and accessories previously released in the Game Boy line.

"Both Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Advance SP reflect the best the video game market has ever seen in hand-held gaming," says Peter MacDougall, executive vice president, sales and marketing, Nintendo of America Inc. "For those who must have the latest in technology and edgy design, Game Boy Advance SP delivers the ultimate in portable gaming."

Nintendo will continue to manufacture and market its current, successful Game Boy Advance system, which has now sold-through more than 11.5 million units in North America alone since its launch a little more than a year ago.

Since its introduction in 1989, Nintendo’s portable Game Boy line has sold more than one-half billion games worldwide, delivering a depth and quality of game play far beyond that offered by any other portable electronics device, such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDA’s) or mobile phones.

San Francisco, CA - January 7, 2003 - Ubi Soft Entertainment, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced today that it will release Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell for Nintendo's GameCube and Game Boy Advance by spring 2003.

By expanding the game's release, Ubi Soft confirms its commitment to offer outstanding moments of entertainment to all players as well as its long-term ambition for the Splinter Cell brand.

"With its all-around stupendous reviews and now its record sales, Splinter Cell is blazing a trail the likes of which the industry has rarely seen. We are eager to take the run-away success of this game to an even wider audience," said Yves Guillemot, President and CEO of Ubi Soft Entertainment.(YAY!!!! - Picard)

[Oddball]

By: Ravi Hiranand January 10, 2003 12:51 PM PST

Satoru Iwata, President of Nintendo Co. Ltd, admitted in an interview with Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun that GameCube sales will struggle to reach their initial targets, but pointed to the Game Boy Advance as a possible solution for the GameCube's retail woes.
Iwata told the newspaper that GameCube sales fell below expectations in Japan and failed to significantly increase market share in the US and Europe. He scoffed at suggestions that pressure from Microsoft and Sony is holding GameCube back, noting that the whole industry is in a slump.

However, there is an exception. Iwata said that Game Boy Advance is well on track to reaching its target of 15 million units, thanks to the continuing popularity of Pokemon. With that in mind, Nintendo plans to "piggyback" GameCube on to GBA and exploit the popularity of the handheld (GBA Player and a GBA-dependent Pokemon for GameCube, anyone?).

"We are the only company in the world to produce both portable and nonportable game machines," said Iwata. "By using this advantage, we will release many software products that would link these two types of machines."

Another way for Nintendo to avoid the effects of the slump is cracking the potentially huge Chinese market. Nintendo plans to begin sales in China within the next two years, but Iwata added that they were unsure exactly how to avoid the problem of piracy, suggesting that they might sell older products in China -- so don't expect to see GameCubes on sale in Shanghai just yet (not officially, anyway...).

And Iwata again poured scorn on the suggestion that this generation is Nintendo's last as a hardware manufacturer. The mushroom-coiffured one revealed that Nintendo is currently developing GameCube's successor, adding that, "We are focusing on devising new ways to play games, rather than pursuing new functions." Interesting.


Courtsy of gamers.com

[CenturionZ_1]

...I can English PAL Gamecubes and English PAL games from Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

[Oddball]

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2/4/2003 8:10:40 PM | Industry |
NEC Gets Back Into the Game Business


NEC Interchannel, Ltd., a subsidiary of NEC Corporation, today announced its plans to enter the gaming industry as a third-party publisher for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance handheld systems, and the Xbox video game system from Microsoft.
Headed by former senior vice-president of Capcom Entertainment, Inc., Clint Kurahashi, NEC Interchannel expects to release its first product in February 2003, a futuristic racing title for the Nintendo GameCube entitled Tube Slider.

In 1989, NEC launched the TurboGrafx-16, the first videogame console in the US market to feature 16 bit processing power and six-channel sound. The TurboGrafx-16 featured several popular games such as Bonk's Adventure, Shinobi, and Military Madness. The company also released the TurboExpress system, the first 16 bit handheld. The TurboExpress was highly acclaimed for its active matrix color screen and its ability to play TurboGrafx-16 cartridges.

"With the wealth of video gaming experience and resources here at NEC, we hope to make an impact in the coming years," said Clint Kurahashi, executive vice-president, NEC Interchannel, Ltd.

REDMOND, Wash., May 1, 2003 – Continuing to broaden the Nintendo GameCube library, Konami and Nintendo today announced Konami will publish a new Metal Gear adventure exclusive for Nintendo GameCube. Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes combines the thrilling story of the original Metal Gear Solid game with the jaw-dropping graphics and unparalleled gameplay found in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The game is scheduled to ship later this year in North America and Europe, followed by the Japanese launch in early 2004.



Bringing heart-pounding espionage action home to gamers, Metal Gear Solid is one of the most highly-regarded action series ever created. Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes for Nintendo GameCube will combine stunning next generation graphics and gameplay, an epic storyline and unmatched content designed specifically for mature gamers.

Under the guidance of Konami’s Hideo Kojima and Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s exclusive second-party developer, Silicon Knights, is working with Konami to develop the game. Silicon Knights previously developed last year’s award-winning Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem for Nintendo GameCube.

“I am tremendously excited to introduce a unique Metal Gear Solid experience to a new audience of gamers as well as collaborate with my mentor in game design, Mr. Miyamoto, on Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes for Nintendo GameCube,” says Hideo Kojima, vice president, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan, Inc.

“Mr. Kojima and I have spoken about this project for some time, and I’m excited our ideas have matched so perfectly,” adds Shigeru Miyamoto, senior managing director of Entertainment ****ysis and Development Division, Nintendo Co., Ltd. “It’s this shared passion for game creation that has allowed us to collaborate to bring a special Metal Gear project exclusively for Nintendo GameCube.”

Metal Gear Solid The Twin Snakes will be featured at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) on May 14 – 16 in the South Hall at Konami Booth 900 and in the West Hall at Nintendo Booth 2816.

METAL GEAR®, METAL GEAR SOLID®, SONS OF LIBERTY™ and METAL GEAR SOLID THE TWIN SNAKES™ are either registered trademarks or trademarks of KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN, INC. © 1987 2003 KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT JAPAN. KONAMI® is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

[Some1]

ya type too much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This year Nintendo of America Inc. celebrates the fifth anniversary of the Pokémon franchise by bouncing off the bumpers in Pokémon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire for Game Boy Advance, the sequel to the million-selling Pokémon Pinball for Game Boy Color. Pokémon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire is the newest installment in the video game franchise that already has sold a staggering 38 million games in North America and 110 million games worldwide.

To further commemorate the greatest kids' entertainment phenomenon of the last decade, Nintendo has partnered with Toys R Us to return to Topeka, Kansas on September 1 for the close of the EON Ticket Summer Tour, which has already visited more than 125 Toys "R" Us stores in 25 major markets. Better known as ToPikachu, Kansas to the locals and millions of Pokémon fans nationwide, the town hosted the introduction of Pokémon to the United States nearly five years ago.

"The return to Topeka celebrates the wildly popular games that started it all: Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue," says George Harrison, senior vice president, marketing and corporate communications, Nintendo of America Inc. "Five years later, those precious gems have evolved into Ruby and Sapphire. The release of Pokémon Pinball kicks off a line of great new Pokémon adventures that will be introduced in the coming months."

Pokémon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire features more than 200 Pokémon, most of which appear in Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire for Game Boy Advance. Released last March, those games have sold nearly 2.5 million copies combined nationwide. In Pokémon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire, players capture wild Pokémon while playing a classic pinball game with authentic ball physics. Rounding out the game with special Pokémon power-ups and bonus areas, the franchise jumps to life in entirely new ways. Launched in North America on Aug. 25, Pokémon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire is available now at a suggested price of $34.99.

Pokémon USA, Inc., the New York-based subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages and oversees the Pokémon franchise in North and Latin America, which includes licensing, merchandising, TV animation, theatrical releases, home video entertainment, the official Pokémon Web site, the Pokémon Center NY in Rockefeller Center and www.pokemoncenter.com, an e-commerce site.

Pokémon first launched for the world's best-selling Game Boy video game system in Japan in 1996 and has since evolved into a global cultural phenomenon. Since bringing the franchise to North America in September 1998, Nintendo has sold more than 110 million Pokémon games worldwide. Pokémon merchandise has generated over $15 billion in worldwide retail sales since 1998. The trading card game, fueled by organized play programs in 47 countries, has spurred global sales of more than 10 billion cards to date. For more information on Pokémon games, go to www.pokemon-games.com, www.pokemon-tcg.com or www.pokemon.com.

[Binaric Snake]

In sad news, the Nintendo Corporation has been bought in a hostile takeover by Sony. Plans for Mario will be describes in the new Metal Gear named Plumbers of LIberty. Yoshi will be relocated to the next Final Fantasy, and Princess Peach will be on the next Beach Volleyball game.