Nintendo have officially confirmed that its forthcoming Super Mario Galaxy 2 will come bundled with a free bonus DVD.
The bonus DVD for Super Mario Galaxy 2 will contain a plethora of tip and tricks for beginners to the series, and will also showcase how to use Mario’s newly acquired skills and power-ups effectively.
Major US video gaming retailer Gamestop has written a lengthy email to its North American stores after a legitimate promotional display of the Black Nintendo Wii was leaked by one of its staff onto the Internet.
As you know, there is a lot of rumor and speculation about various new products and titles launching this year. One of these is the Black Wii. Various blogs and internet sites are raising awareness about this product. Gamestop stores and associates should not proliferate these rumors. Today, you received POP for your windows regarding the Black Wii. Somehow, a picture of this appeared on the internet. It may seem cool to be in the know and feel compelled to share something like this. Nothing can be further from the truth. All activity like this does is hurt our reputation with publishers and manufacturers and potentially hurts our company. Until Nintendo decides to announce THEIR product, there should be no discussion of it with customers, period. If they ask, “It’s not appropriate to comment on speculation and rumor” should be the answer. The POP should be secured in the back room and left there until further notice. ANY violation of these will be treated with the most aggressive consequences. I believe strongly in the field organization, but I am as disappointed as I have been in my tenure here in how we are handling this. I am trusting that your professionalism will result in no further issues.
- Gamestop email
Nintendo of America have announced that they’re holding their E3 media briefing presentation on June 15th.
The key date was revealed when Nintendo announced it was running a WarioWare D.I.Y themed competition, with the winner being given access to the highly anticipated Nintendo media presentation on June 15th.
Numerous gaming emporiums in the United States have told online gaming publication Kotaku that the black version of the Nintendo Wii is due to be released in North America in May.
The long-awaited black Nintendo Wii bundle for North America apparently includes a copy of Wii Sports Resort and the Wii MotionPlus accessory, and is currently listed by the retailers at $199.99.
Matt Casamassina the legendary Nintendo journalist for IGN has accepted the position of ‘app store games manager’ with Apple.
Casamassina specialised in Nintendo game reviews and news related segments for IGN and has subsequently been a central figure at the online gaming publication and a major force within the Nintendo community for many years.
“Anybody who has read my work through the years will know that I’ve long been a huge Nintendo fan, but if there is one company that could entice me away from covering Mario and Zelda it’s the one owned by Steve Jobs.”
- Matt Casamassina
Nintendo have released yet another wonderful trailer for the forthcoming Super Mario Galaxy 2 with the action this time around showcasing classic side-scrolling Mario.
Yoshio Sakamoto, creator of the Metroid franchise has told online gaming publication Gamestutra that he’s extremely pleased with the work that Team Ninja have done in collaboration with Retro Studios on Metroid: Other M.
“I’d have to say that, if you wanted to maintain some sort of unilateral, top-down control over every aspect of the project, that’s probably easier to do in the long run, but that’s not something that I’ve ever wanted.”
He added: “I don’t feel like that’s something that yields the best results.”
“The best way to accomplish that, to find that sort of firmament that you can then put different arranged elements into, is to find the things that you can’t budge on – find the things that are essential, important, and you don’t want to change,” Sakamoto continued.
“Once you’ve got that established, you can bring in all sorts of talented people and let them collaborate and contribute to what you have there.”
Sakamoto had kind words for the Metroid: Other M’s director, Yosuke Hayashi, who works for Tecmo’s Team Ninja and who first came into the public eye due to his work on Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Said Sakamoto, “When we first brought him on, I didn’t just hand him a pile of documents and say, ‘Here you go. Please make this game.’”“Rather, we talked about what was essential and what was good in the Metroid series and tried to figure out how best to use his arts background and know-how to really push those goals forward.”
He concluded: “One thing that I really appreciate about him is he can really say some unexpected things every once in awhile that seem to come out of left field, but, since I know that we have the same end-goal in mind, even if we occasionally disagree or are surprised by each other’s means or routes of getting there, we know we’re going to end up in a good place. It’s the right kind of conflict, and our individuality comes out in the best way possible.”
- Metroid creator, Yoshio Sakamoto
Nintendo of America have today confirmed that Metroid: Other M and Sin & Punishment 2 have been officially delayed.
Metroid: Other M is now scheduled for release August 31st, instead of the rumoured ‘to be determined’ date, whilst Sin & Punishment 2 also comes away relatively unscathed with the release date slipping from the 6th June to June 27th.
A poster over at popular online gaming forum Neogaf has stated that both Metroid: Other M and Sin & Punishment 2 have been delayed.
Metroid: Other M’s original North American release date of 27th of June has been changed to “To Be Determined”, whilst Sin and Punishment 2 has been put back three weeks from the 6th to the 27th of June.
Nintendo have released another sublime looking Super Mario Galaxy 2 video showcasing a plethora of new levels and also showing off Mario’s ‘cloud suit’ power-up and the games new multiplayer mode.
