News Archives for: March 2004

Paper Mario on GameCube?
Posted on March 31, 2004 @ 12:00 AM EST by: Hairball
Announced in this week's Famitsu is the latest game in the Mario franchise, "Mario Story 2". A sequel to the N64 title, known as "Paper Mario" in the west, this action RPG is developed by Intelligent Systems and is due out this year in Japan. Like the previous game, the graphics comprise three dimensional backgrounds with two dimensional "paper" characters. Battles are similar to previous Mario RPGs, with a selection of commands that can be carried out, such as "Hammer", "Jump", etc. Unique to this title is the ability for Mario to fold into a paper aeroplane, as well as some unique minigames, including a quiz with Dossun, Peach's Adventure and Super Koopa Brothers!

Source: http://game-science.com/news/000528.html

Nintendo Launches Classic NES Games For Game Boy Advance SP
Posted on March 29, 2004 @ 9:10 PM EST by: Hairball
The Games are, Like, Way Awesome, and the New Game Boy Advance SP is Bitchin'

REDMOND, Wash., March 29, 2004 - Wait 'til you hear! On June 7, Nintendo is going totally retro with a classic collection of eight Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)® games for the Game Boy® Advance and a tubular new Game Boy® Advance SP that looks like an itty bitty NES console. The '80s were, like, a long time ago. But everything from then is way cool again. Back then, games went from blocky bleeps and bloops to sweet side-scrollers like Super Mario Bros.® And the most excellent NES saved the day for the video game industry. Bonus!

"I mean, Donkey Kong and Pac-Man? These are, like, the best games ever," says Perrin "Mallrat" Kaplan, Nintendo of America's vice president, marketing and corporate affairs. "And if you aren't just dying to get your hands on the gnarly new Classic NES Limited Edition GBA SP, you're a total dweeb."

OK, so let's break it down: The bodacious new Game Boy Advance SP has the same guts and everything as a regular one, but its casing looks just like the NES. And it's still at an MSRP of $99.99. Be sure to get to the mall, like, really early, because it's a "limited edition."

The Classic NES Series, which you totally have to get, includes all the hottest retro games, each one at an MSRP of $19.99. Check it out:

  • Donkey Kong: The best game featuring a plumber rescuing a princess from a big ape pretty much ever.
  • Pac-Man: Hel-lo? If you don't know this game then where have you been?
  • The Legend of Zelda: Dude! How classic can you get? The righteous Link whips Ganon and saves Zelda. Link rules!
  • Super Mario Bros.: There are pipes and coins and these grody goombas and you just stomp away.
  • Excitebike: It's a rad motocross racing game that lets you rip around a track and kick up dirt and stuff.
  • Ice Climber: Like, duh. You climb the ice and whack monsters.
    Xevious: Go to space and shoot stuff with your wicked spaceship.
  • Bomberman: Drop bombs on the baddies.

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    Source: Nintendo Press Release

    Nintendo Slashes GCN Game Prices
    Posted on March 18, 2004 @ 6:07 PM EST by: Hairball
    A golf date with Mario is about to get a lot more affordable, as Nintendo announces a new MSRP for four popular Nintendo GameCube™ games, including Mario Golf™: Toadstool Tour. The games will join more than 35 other titles in Player's Choice library, a selection of Nintendo video games offered at reduced rates. The addition of these four games will continue to drive record sales. In December alone, Nintendo sold more than 1.5 million titles from the Player's Choice collection.

    On April 29, the MSRPs for both Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Wario World™ will be reduced from $49.99 to $29.99, while the MSRP for the wild racing game F-Zero® GX will be $19.99. The fourth game, the extremely successful Metroid® Prime, already in the Player's Choice library, will be available at a new MSRP of $19.99.

    Source: Nintendo

    Nintendo Continues to Drive Industry Growth
    Posted on March 18, 2004 @ 12:00 AM EST by: Hairball
    What's driving the video game industry? Three words: games, games and games!

    And who's driving the growth in the games market? Nintendo!

    According to the independent sales data just released by the NPD Group, in February:

  • Two new exclusive Nintendo titles captured the No. 1 and No. 3 spots on the best-seller list. Final Fantasy®: Crystal Chronicles™, made exclusively for Nintendo GameCube™, was the month's top-selling game, followed closely in the No. 3 spot by Metroid®: Zero Mission, exclusively for Game Boy® Advance (the No. 2 title, Electronic Arts' NFL Street, is also available on Nintendo GameCube).
  • The top platform for game growth is Nintendo GameCube, with total game sales up 46 percent over the same period last year.
  • When games for Game Boy Advance are included, Nintendo added two software market share points from the competitors from January.
  • On the hardware side, U.S. lifetime sales for Nintendo GameCube have now surpassed 7 million systems, while Game Boy Advance has flown past the 20 million unit mark.
  • Nintendo is also working overtime to meet the overwhelming demand for its highly sought Nintendo GameCube. By February, nearly half of all U.S. retail locations were out of stock…and Nintendo's North American warehouse was empty. Since cutting the suggested retail price of Nintendo GameCube to $99.99 in September 2003, unit sales between October and February are up over 50 percent from the same period a year ago.

    Source: Nintendo