Nintendo of America has announced a new Wii bundle, and hardware revision, to be available starting October 23, 2011. Nintendo has removed the top backwards compatible GameCube accessory ports and will no longer be compatible with GameCube software. Also notable is the new horizontal only orientation, forgoing the previous vertical orientation (so, no more Wii stand). The bundle will include the New Super Mario Bros. Wii game, a Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack CD (only available in this bundle), a black Wii Remote Plus controller and a black Nunchuk controller for $149.99 MSRP. This latest Wii bundle will be available in black or white.
Ubisoft’s iconic and wacky Rabbids are breaking out of video games and into their very own Nickelodeon animated TV series. Estimated for a spring 2013 release, the new Rabbids television series will bring 26 half-hour computer animated episodes to Nickelodeon. Ubisoft, the company that created the Raving Rabbids games, will also be creating the CG shows.
“Nickelodeon is one of the world’s leading entertainment brands for children and families, and Ubisoft is thrilled to be partnering with Nickelodeon to deliver unique television programming to its viewers,” said Jean-Julien Baronnet, chief executive officer of Ubisoft Motion Pictures. “As the world’s most recognized entertainment brand for children and families, Nickelodeon is the perfect vehicle to share the zany Rabbids characters and their crazy adventures with television audiences around the globe. This partnership represents a major milestone in Ubisoft’s strategy to expand its brands to new media, thereby attracting new audiences to its games.”
Nintendo is giving gamers a preview of their most anticipated games for the Nintendo 3DS, Wii and DS family. At the New York Comic Con (NYCC), Nintendo will be hosting hands-on previews of upcoming games for the holidays like Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7 and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
Games that are scheduled to be playable at Nintendo’s New York Comic Con booth (#1538) include:
Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario 3D Land
Mario Kart 7
The Legend of Zelda™: Ocarina of Time™ 3D
Star Fox 64™ 3D
Tetris: Axis
Pokémon Rumble Blast
Shinobi™ by SEGA®
Sonic Generations™ by SEGA
Wii
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Fortune Street
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land
Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure™ by Activision Publishing Inc.
Nintendo DS
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker™ 2
Professor Layton and the Last Specter
Here are additional details on a couple of special events happening for Pokémon Rumble Blast and the animated film, Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva.
From Nintendo America:
“Pokémonfans can participate in an expanded interactive experience at the nearby PokémonGaming Lounge on Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., located at Stage37 at 508 West 37th Street (one block from the Javits Center). Pokémon Gaming Lounge visitors will enjoy hands-on game play with the Pokémon Rumble Blast game prior to its Oct. 24 launch and participate in a wide array of activities highlighting the imaginative fun of the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon Rumble Blast is an action-packed Pokémon adventure and the first Pokémon game for Nintendo 3DS. The game lets players battle against more than 600 Toy Pokémon in full 3D without the need for special glasses. Planned activities include a Pokémon photo booth, oversized Pokémon AR Markers for the Pokédex™ 3D application, special appearances by Pikachu, Pokémon giveaways while supplies last and other fun Pokémon activities. The PokémonGaming Lounge will be free and open to the public.
On Oct. 14, Nintendo will host an exclusive screening of Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, an animated feature film based on the fan-favorite series of puzzle-based mystery games and distributed by VIZ Media. Beginning at 8 p.m. in Room 1B01 of the Javits Center, the event will include appearances by costumed characters, trivia contests and a chance for fans to play the Professor Layton and the Last Specter game, the fourth installment in the Professor Layton puzzle adventure series. This game is the earliest story in the series and tells the tale of the case that made Layton famous. Nintendo will also give special recognition to the winner of the Professor Layton and the Last Specter Quiz Challenge, a contest that was recently conducted via Twitter. The screening event will be open exclusively to registered New York Comic Con attendees with a valid conference pass.”
The New York Comic Con will be happening from October 13-16 at the Javits Center in Manhattan.
Today’s newest downloadable game and video additions for the Nintendo 3DS, Wii and DSi have been announced by Nintendo of America. See the list below for details on the complete lineup of Nintendo Download releases available starting at Noon EST today.
August 4, 2011 Nintendo Download releases:
Nintendo eShop (3DS) & DSiWare B Team – Episode 2: Ice & Venom – Multiple weapons, upgradeable equipment, challenging boss battles and destructible environments bring this action-packed shooter to life.
Go Fetch! 2 - Go Fetch 2, is the sequel to the popular game with enhanced graphics, improved controls, and features a new battle mode.
Play & Learn Spanish – Play & Learn Spanish is the fast, fun, and friendly way to learn to speak Spanish! Get ready for an exciting and entertaining challenge as you match the pictures to the words you hear, and see how high you can score.
Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console Mario’s Picross (Game Boy) – Help Mario unlock the mystery of Picross. The secrets lie in the numeric codes at the top and on the left side of each window. Decipher these numbers and uncover hidden pictures.
Nintendo Video (3DS) Pizza Quest (free) – Join Scott on his epic quest for the world’s best pizza ingredients. This video from CollegeHumor becomes available today at 3 p.m. Pacific time.
WiiWare Monochrome Racing- Screeching tires, the smell of burned rubber, the rush of adrenaline, enemies left in the dust – immerse yourself in a mysterious monochrome world where color is your fuel.
Playing as Michael Jordan was a huge feature of last year’s NBA2K11. For the 2012 version, 2K Sports has further expanded the lineup of NBA greats you can channel. Over fifteen “Classic” teams have been added for NBA 2K12, which will allow you to play out your debates in-game. Just think about the arguments that could be tested, Larry Bird vs. Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson vs. Lebron James, etc.
NBA 2K12 does not feature every single team from the NBA’s past, but does have some of our favorites. This news does show that the inclusion of Michael Jordan in last year’s game was a success. Further broadening that scope will help the new title become even better, we hope. Again, 2K Sports will be unmatched in the NBA “sim” genre by EA in fall 2011, but that has not stopped them for continuing to improve an already stellar offering. With the NBA lockout looming, this may be the only way to get your NBA fix this fall.
NBA 2K12 is available for pre-order on all major console and will be released on October 4th. Watch a trailer for NBA 2K12‘s “NBA’s Greatest” mode below.
