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103 - The Cast of Characters

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!

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

Yup. :)

Third parties. Or one at least. Midway Arcade Treasures 2 was the first sign, but this is better... :)

But don't worry, we still get the worst version! One guess as to what we don't get that the PS2 and X-Box version do... shouldn't be hard.

http://cube.ign.com/articles/540/540717p1.html

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.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/19/...ne_gaming/

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.

Quote:In just the first 15 days of August, hungry Pokemon fans have already reserved more than 150,000 copies of Pokemon® FireRed or Pokemon® LeafGreen for Game Boy® Advance - a rate more than 200 percent ahead of the 2003 Pokemon® Ruby and Pokemon® Sapphire pre-sell. Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire went on to rank No. 2 and No. 3 in video games sold in the United States that year.

Pokemon FireRed and Pokemon LeafGreen will be available Sept. 7 at an MSRP of $39.99 each. The games will come bundled with the new Game Boy® Advance Wireless Adapter, which will let players trade, battle and chat with one another with no connecting cords. Those reserving copies in advance at participating retailers also receive a copy of the Pokemon Pocket Trainer's Guide.

"The advance sales on the Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire versions last year were phenomenal - combined, they sold through more than 4 million games in America alone," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "This pre-sell indicates more than twice the player interest!"

http://cube.ign.com/articles/540/540272p1.html

Quote:
August 19, 2004 - In an interview with Play Magazine, outspoken Team Ninja head Tomonobu Itagaki said that while he played and liked Pikmin 2, he could make a better sequel than Nintendo.

"Of course, there are other games I like to play, but I would not say I could not do a better job, because I know I could do a better job of making any game that is out there," he told the magazine. "I like Pikmin 2. Again, if I were asked to do a Pikmin 3, I could do a better job than Nintendo. But then if I do that, I can't just play for my personal enjoyment."
Team Ninja is best known for its Xbox fighter Dead or Alive 3, and Ninja Gaiden, both of which earned high scores by our sister site. The developer also created the initially popular sports game Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball, which was panned by most critics.

The Nintendo-developed Pikmin 2 released for GameCube in Japan to critical acclaim. The title, a sequel to the lovable real-time strategy/puzzle game of the same franchise, features more environmental-based challenges, new characters, new cave exploration, and a multiplayer mode to boot. A US release is scheduled for the end of the month.