SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 11 /PRNewswire/ — Consumers take note: Cancel your vacations, postpone your weddings and skip your class reunions. New games for the record-selling Wii(TM) video game system continue to set new industry standards for fun and adventure, even as they draw new players into the ever-expanding world of Wii. Nintendo announced these new offerings for Wii today during its media briefing at the E3 Media & Business Summit in Santa Monica, Calif.
“In less than eight months Wii has proved itself the video game system for everyone, and we’re not letting up,” says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “We’re producing hit after hit after hit, supported by a long line of third-party publishers who have shifted their resources to help make Wii the most distinctive video game system in history.”
Counting downloadable Virtual Console(TM) titles, Wii already boasts more than 150 games. By the end of the year, that number will climb to about 350 in the United States alone. Just check out what Wii has to offer:
Wii Fit(TM): The active-play phenomenon started by Wii Sports(TM) now spreads to your whole body thanks to the pressure-sensitive Wii Balance Board (name not final), which comes packed with Wii Fit. The board is used for an extensive array of fun and dynamic activities, including aerobics, yoga, muscle stretches and games. Many of these activities provide a “core” workout, a popular exercise method that emphasizes slower, controlled motions. Family members will have fun staying active and talking about and comparing their results and progress on a new channel on the Wii Menu.
Mario Kart® Wii (name not final): The new version of Mario Kart, due in early 2008, features new vehicles and lets players near and far compete using Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo’s wireless gaming service. Mario Kart launches with the Wii Wheel(TM) (name not final), a steering wheel housing for the Wii Remote(TM) that brings new controls and challenges for veteran gamers, while making getting into a race easy and intuitive for newcomers.
Super Mario Galaxy(TM): The latest masterpiece by legendary video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto puts a smile on the face of everyone who plays it. Until now, no game has matched the sheer fun and sense of delightful awe produced by the groundbreaking Super Mario® 64. Using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk(TM), players navigate iconic hero Mario(TM) through a series of planets, each with its own gravity, chaotic challenges and power-ups. The game bursts through the screen in vivid artistic detail, and a second player can even provide some assistance along the way. It blasts off Nov. 12.
Super Smash Bros.® Brawl: Nintendo’s all-out smash-or-be-smashed franchise remains one of the most highly anticipated games of the year. Its predecessor became the No. 1 selling game of all time on Nintendo’s previous console. Super Smash Bros. Brawl ups the ante with new characters, new moves and new arenas. The game smashes into North American stores Dec. 3.
Wii Zapper(TM) (name not final): This new accessory combines the accuracy of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in a single housing for a new experience for first-person shooters and targeting games. Players can hear the sounds of battle through the Wii Remote speaker when it is incorporated into the Wii Zapper. It arrives on store shelves later this year, packaged with Nintendo-developed software that shows off its versatility. The Wii Zapper also will be used with a host of third-party games, including Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles from Capcom, Ghost Squad from Sega and Medal of Honor from Electronic Arts.
Check Mii Out Channel (name not final): Launching in 2007, this free new channel builds on the huge phenomenon of Wii owners creating fun caricatures of themselves, their friends and celebrities. The two main components of the free channel include an area where users can post Miis they have created to let others vote on their artistic abilities, and a competition element that lets users test their skills to create the most accurate likeness of individuals or other themes suggested by Nintendo. The Check Mii Out Channel joins the lineup of cool channels on the Wii Menu, which includes the Internet Channel, the Everybody Votes Channel and the Forecast Channel, among others.
Metroid® Prime 3: Corruption: This final chapter of the Metroid Prime trilogy introduces unmatched first-person controls by letting players use the Wii Remote as an arm cannon for a feeling of complete immersion. Heroine Samus travels between planets to stop her nemesis, Dark Samus, from corrupting them. All the while Samus fights the spreading Phazon that is taking over her body while giving her incredible powers. It launches Aug. 27.
More to Come: Other Nintendo titles launching this year for Wii include Mario Strikers(TM) Charged (July 30), Donkey Kong® Barrel Blast (Oct. 8), Battalion Wars(TM) 2 (Oct. 29), Endless Ocean(TM) (Oct. 29) and Fire Emblem(TM) (Nov. 5).
Third-Party Support: Third-party publishers are racing to see who can put the most resources behind Wii. By the end of the year, about 100 new Wii games will hit stores. EA brings Boogie and EA Playground, as well as online action for its Madden NFL and FIFA Soccer franchises; Mario and Sonic team up for the first time ever in Sega’s Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games; Sega shows off dreamy aerial acrobatics with NiGHTS Journey of Dreams; Activision jams with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock; Namco Bandai puts the battle blade into players’ hands with SoulCalibur Legends; Disney Interactive belts out High School Musical: Sing It!; Square Enix brings Dragon Quest Swords in early 2008 — and that’s just a taste of what’s to come.
Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.
The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii(TM), Nintendo DS(TM), Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube(TM) systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.4 billion video games and more than 409 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario(TM), Donkey Kong, Metroid, Zelda(TM) and Pokemon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at http://www.nintendo.com.
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This thing is AWESOME!
Loaded with nearly 200 video games, the Katana will make anyone feel like they’re in an authentic arcade from the 80’s and its compact design fits easily on a table top or bar top. The Katana, like all DreamAuthentics products, is built for individual customers’ specifications. You just use DreamAuthentics’ unique online configurator to customize your personal gaming cabinet, from the color of the buttons to the size of the joystick. Want to play Ms. Pac Man under the glow of your name in lights? With a custom marquee above the monitor, it’s no problem.
The Katana doesn’t skimp on audio features either—it comes standard with DreamAuthentics’ exclusive jukebox feature which includes classic jukebox style buttons on the front of the cabinet. This replicates the look and feel of a commercial music jukebox with its 2-speaker system and subwoofer, while incorporating current MP3 technology. The Katana comes with 160-200 GB of storage space for at least 40,000 songs. And if you have that many songs, the Katana’s search function will let you find precisely what you want to hear. Also unique to the Katana are the capabilities to display album covers or song lyrics on its 17″ or 19″ flat panel screen. The Katana features a PC-based game engine so you can play any off-the-shelf PC game. In addition, you can surf the net or watch a DVD. This is the ultimate entertainment system—everyone from the video game guru to the music enthusiast will be entertained!
Check it out online at: http://www.dreamauthentics.com/
Magic: The Gathering® Trading Card Game’s Tenth Edition is the “greatest hits” of Magic™, featuring some of the best and most popular cards of all time. As with each core set, Tenth Edition is an excellent entry point for imaginative strategy gamers who want to give Magic a try, while offering the classic cards and depth of strategy that long-time players have come to expect. Fans will also be excited to see that every card in the set is black bordered – a first for a core set since Beta’s release in 1993. With powerful cycles, incredible combo cards, and a few surprise reprints, Tenth Edition is the most exciting core set since Alpha.
Along side the release of Magic: The Gathering’s 10th Edition Core Set, Wizards of the Coast invites Magic players to participate in Worldwide Magic Game Day on July 14; a celebration of Magic: The Gathering for its fans, both old and new.
Magic Game Day will have something for everyone, including learn to play demos, league play, tournaments, contests, prizes and promo cards for those in attendance. Bring a friend and come hang out with other Magic fans to be among the first to play Magic: The Gathering Tenth Edition.
More than 1,000 hobby shops across the country will be participating in the celebration. Check out where Magic Game Day will be celebrated in your area at: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/events/07gameday,,en
Promotional Clips:
http://web7.m80im.com/m80/magic/Magic_Segment_1.wmv
http://web7.m80im.com/m80/magic/Magic_Segment_2.wmv
http://web7.m80im.com/m80/magic/Magic_Segment_3.wmv
Product Features:
The set contains 383 cards (121 rare, 121 uncommon, 121 common, 20 basic lands
All cards are black bordered
Legendary creatures are included for the first time in a core set
The set will debut Tips and Tricks cards, a 16th card in booster packs which will feature gameplay rules, card combos, organized play information and even creature tokens
Several aspects of 10th Edition were selected by players voting on magicthegathering.com including cards, art, flavor text and the expansion symbol
Old favorites such as Incinerate, Lord of the Pit and Howling Mine will feature incredible
new artwork from some of the best fantasy artists in the business
Many other cards, such as Glorious Anthem, will also include updated flavor text
The redesigned Two Player Starter featuring Tenth Edition booster packs was designed to introduce new players to Magic: the Gathering and includes previews of land cards from the upcoming Lorwyn set which releases in October
For more info visit: www.playmagic.com
