We haven't had a pointless countdown for a long time now, so I figured it was time to start one again, so I'll pick a random number and we can start counting down from there
Quote:Rumour 1:
We kick off this rumour report with news on Nintendo's Camp Hyrule online event. The camp turned into a rumour fest when a mystery NOA representative may have accidentally revealed a secret Nintendo DS title...
The following comes from a chat session at Nintendo's Camp Hyrule featruing the Nintendo of America representative:
CHEEBO: Whats your favorite DS game Mysterious?
NOA_MYSTERIOUS: I can't wait until Zelda DS and Smash Brothers DS!
_KIRBY_MASTER_: SMASH BROTHERS DS?
BARK_N-MOO: WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?!?!?!
_KIRBY_MASTER_: NEVER HEARD OF THAT
WINGS19: Is Smash Bros DS in development? o.0
NOA_MYSTERIOUS: I said nothing....
NOA_MYSTERIOUS: : )
We know it is not just a silly prank because only Nintendo of America representatives were able to choose the prefix 'NOA' in their nickname. Let the speculation begin!
Rumour 2:
The second rumour found its origin in an adjusted trademark for the upcoming Nintendo DS chat feature, PictoChat. The change led believe that PictoChat is to feature a web browser. The trademark update reads:
"providing on-line information and news in the field of entertainment; providing online news, hints and other computer/electronic/video game information through a global computer etwork"
This trademark dates from August 9th, which makes it possible even Nintendo didn't plan this option while it showed us the E3 version. Speculate all you want, but we will not believe it until we see it!
Yeah yeah, I know it's Cube-Europe and that means that most things they post as NEWS turn out to be baseless rumors and all their actual RUMORS have a 99.9% chance of being completely false, but I'm going to post it anyway and let you decide wether or not there's any validity to them.
Quote:1. Game Boy Advance SP 67,091 1,640,172
2. PlayStation 2 47,263 1,661,065
3. GameCube 11,558 446,065
4. Game Boy Advance 3,708 171,371
5. Xbox 429 23,512
6. Swan Crystal 121 6,484
7. PSOne 120 12,790
Japanese hardware charts thanks to Media Create.
World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 remains number one this week, but the sales are not quite so extreme as last week. The batch of new Famicom Mini titles have entered the charts.
1. - World Soccer Winning Eleven 8
PS2- 153,940
Konami
2. NEW Famicom Mini: Super Mario Brothers 2
GBA- 56,531
Nintendo
3. NEW Famicom Mini: Zelda II: Link no Buoken
GBA- 56,531
Nintendo
4. NEW KOF: Maximum Impact
PS2- 48,108
Playmore
5. V Paper Mario RPG
Gamecube- 45,332
Nintendo
6. V Legend of Stafi 3
GBA- 44,573
Nintendo
7. NEW Famicom Mini: Famicom Detective Club
GBA- 34,433
Nintendo
7. NEW Famicom Mini: Famicom Detective Club Part II
GBA- 31,051
Nintendo
9. V Final Fantasy I + II Advance
GBA- 28,494
Square Enix
10. NEW Famicom Mini: Shin Onigashima
GBA- 27,058
Nintendo
Nintendo really sold big this week with 7 of their games in the top 10 although soccer is still the big winner.
Quote:August 20, 2004 - Midway Games will next week announce that it is in development with a GameCube version of Mortal Kombat: Deception. The title is slated to hit Nintendo's console in the first half of next year, according to company executives.
Mortal Kombat: Deception, the sixth console installment in Midway's fast-paced, gory fighting franchise, takes the series to new heights thanks to an impressive new game engine that enables more realistic graphics, hand-to-hand combat and weapons, four unique gameplay modes and more. Deception is also set to be the goriest sequel in Mortal Kombat history, in part due to interactive environments that can literally slice and dice opponents to pieces.
The GameCube version of Deception will be a perfect port of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions, which are scheduled to release this October. However, it will not feature online play, as the other builds will. A Midway spokesperson revealed to IGN that the company will add two new, exclusive features to the GCN incarnation in place of online play.
Wondering why Midway finally decided to bring Mortal Kombat: Deception to GameCube? Click here to get all the answers in our exclusive interview with company marketing executive Steve Allison.
And when you're done with that, see exclusive new screenshots of the game in motion.
Quote:Nintendo patents key console online gaming features
By Tony Smith
Published Thursday 19th August 2004 10:06 GMT
Nintendo has been granted a US patent that yields it the ownership of key online multi-player gaming facilities, including player league tables, voice communications and online gaming host services.
The patent, number 6,769,989, was granted on 3 August this year, but is essentially a continuation of another Nintendo patent, 6,599,194, which was filed in April 1999.
The two patents detail a "home video game system with hard disk drive and Internet access capability", but the second filing adds provision for "substantially real-time" online multi-player gaming, connection via an online gaming service, support for online "player performance data", using the connection to download information and do so securely through an authentication process, and the communication across the Net of "audio input signals".
All of these components are well-established elements of modern online gaming, and have been available for PCs for some time. Nintendo's patents focus on "home game video systems", so it's more of an issue for rival console vendors than PC gamers. The PC world might provide the basis for a prior art claim, but it would arguably be negated by Nintendo's specific console-oriented implementation of the broader concepts.
Patents can be modified to add new elements, and technology companies frequently amend existing intellectual property with new, related ideas - which then apply from the first filing date, in this case April 1999, long before last year's introduction by Microsoft of Xbox Live, its console-oriented online gaming and information service, and which also offers voice chat facilities.
How Nintendo will make use of its new intellectual property remains to be seen, but it does appear at first sight to give it some weight over rival console vendor Microsoft and, indeed, any moves Sony or other console vendors offer in that direction. It certainly strikes us that Nokia's online N-Gage Arena service may fall within the terms of Nintendo's patent, as might the upcoming Internet-enabled (via GPRS) Gizmondo handheld console. ®
Quote:Nintendo are enjoying good sales in Germany at the moment. With an increase in market share for June of over 4% compared to the average market share. This means that for June Nintendo had a 26% market share. As well as this 52% of video games sold in Germany during the first half of 2004 were Nintendo products.
Since the GameCube launched Nintendo have sold 600,000 units in Germany, however during the first half of this year they have already sold 100,000. This means Nintendo sold four times as much compared to the same period last year.
Dr. Bernd Fakesch, general manager of Nintendo Germany stated that Nintendo is doing well because gamers enjoy characters and franchises they are familiar with, and franchises like Mario and Zelda ensure large sales.
