Wii in Stock

Guitar Hero: Metallica is coming as informed in the latest issue of Game Informer which has the fresh details and the first tracks. The tracks are from Metallica themselves and the other acts that will feature.
The game will be released along with the full suite of World Tour instruments.

There are plans of adding “Metallica Drum sounds” and a selection of guitar and bass “tones.” These tones will be used by Metallica’s James Hetfield and Tom Araya of Slayer to the GH Tunes music studio. All these have been planned by Vicarious Visions. There will also be an extra hard-drum difficulty for those with a splitter and two-kick pedals.

Harmonix has confirmed to Game life that Rock Band2 will work with all other Wii instruments. However, the title might miss Christmas. Few weeks back, Harmonix had announced that Rock Band 2 will be released on December 18th but Game Life’s Chris Kohler found the news that December 18th will be the date when Harmonix will start shipping the game and the game would not reach the stores for another 5-7 days. This is a clear indication that the game would miss the release on Christmas.

According to Harmonix, it “cares deeply” about having the game on the Wii. They’ve promised downloadable content that will work consistently with an SD card, “tons of online support”, and a fully functional online support tour. The statement also has Harmonix’s pledge to release the Wii versions of games simultaneously with other platforms.

The Wii in stock situation is better than last year. However the offers are decreasing after the Thanksgiving Sales weekend. The parents are still ready with a question on their lips for their children about the Wii in stock. However to our surprise WalMart in the US has announced to offer many Wiis with bargain bundle and deals this month. WalMart also plans to offer certain games at a price of $30 and accessories like Wii Racing Wheel for $10.

A sales representative at a store told us that they expect sufficient Wii in stock this Christmas. Moreover we know that too since Reggie has promised the same to us. Nintendo Wii sales reached upto two million units during November this year. Last year in November the company sold out 981,000 units which mean Nintendo sol out more than double the number this year.

Finding the Wii consol this holiday will not be as difficult as it was last few years. Reggie Fils-Aime promised that with the continuous increase in demand they are getting more Wii in stock at retail stores. Nintendo is continuously expanding its market for video games as they know that it’s Wii and Wii Fit continues to impress a lot many people. Even WalMart boosted its Wii in stock with thousands of units. Despite of increase in production Nintendo still warned that it might be unable to keep up with customer demand. WalMart ahs assured that t will keep Wii in stock throughout the holidays.

It’s still not yet time to pick Rygar: The Battle of Argus as it has been delayed further till February next year. However, in a press release the date has been announced as February 3rd, 2009. It seems that the publisher Tecmo has got into the habit of delaying the remake but they are not ready to say goodbye as yet.1up editor, Sam Kennedy suggests that maybe, Tecmo is trying to avoid the busy holiday season before the release.

 There would not be any changes in the game but it is just being held for two months. This is not the first time that the game has been delayed, either, it was originally supposed to ship earlier this fall.

According to a Square Enix press release, The North American release of Final Fantansy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time will finally be out in Europe this spring of 2009, exclusively both on Nintendo DS and Wii systems. This game introduces the World’s first cross-platform multiplayer adventure for both Nintendo DS and Wii systems. It has both online and local wireless multiplayer through which up to four DSes can play together with one hosting, or one DS can host three DS players.

With truly advanced 3D graphics and up to four-player multiplayer gameplay, it delivers a unique and innovative experience where both Nintendo platforms come together. The European release features English, Spanish, French and German language modes. To support communication, it has a selection of fixed macros and customized ones for the users.

Nintendo more than rocked the gaming world when it came out with the Wii gaming console three years back by turning an entirely new demography of gamers on to gaming. Till date, Nintendo has sold nearly 35 million consoles, including 12.6 million in the U.S., Nintendo's biggest market. That's lower than Sony's PlayStation 2, which has sold 43 million units since 2000. But it's still pretty high for a console that, at launch, was technologically a generation behind its chief competitors, Sony's PlayStation 3, with 13 million units in users' living rooms, and Microsoft's Xbox 360, with 23 million units.

Another factor in enticing those casual users is keeping its console cheap. "The key thing about Nintendo is they want their things to be at price points that anyone can respond to," says Hiroshi Kamide, director of research at KBC Securities Japan. Nintendo's strategy is to buy inexpensive components instead of making them in-house; allowing the Wii to sell for $260 while the PS3 costs $300. Nintendo also sells 60% of Wii games itself, compared with 30% for Microsoft and 15% for Sony. Wii users are expected to buy the most games this year, 220 million, compared with 120 million PS3 games and 125 million for the Xbox 360.

Nintendo sure has its way at breaking sales records, and does so with a couple of loyal friends by its side. Let’s take a look at 3 of its babies, which drive it home.

No More Heroes
Swinging a knockoff lightsaber, assassinating a crew of wacky killers, and schlepping coconuts around a park for spare change? This isn't just what Wii needs more of  it's what gaming needs more of. No More Heroes wasn't produced on the biggest of budgets, and is a bit rough around the edges. But the hilarious story, go-for-broke style, and satisfying action make it a must-play.

Boom Box
Steven Spielberg's name on the box couldn't save Boom Box from being largely ignored by the majority of Wii owners. Those who did take a chance on the movie director's first crack at spearheading a puzzle game were rewarded with innovative game play concepts that match up to Nintendo's best.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Leave it to Nintendo to craft an adorably addictive hard-core brawler that's also attractive to the casual gamer. This third iteration of the popular all-star fighting game continues the tradition of burying deep game play underneath simple jump-and-punch mechanics. New additions include a level editor and online fights.

Nintendo has changed its logo from the famous red color to business-like serious grey color. This has been announced in a press release by Nintendo Europe. The press release which was in German and then translated in English had no specific reason for this change in logo. There was merely a request to all those who in the event have not done this so far, to change to Nintendo grey logo.

 This change had been officially made some two years ago which went unnoticed, as confirmed by CasualGaming.biz who contacted Nintendo UK. However, it is sad for those who have grown up seeing Nintendo as red and Sega as always blue.

Eiji Aunoma as a co-director of a game was always considered to be the greatest of all times as nobody can be as equal to him in creating an awe-inspiring game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. When Nintendo Power spoke to Aunoma about his past work on most of the Zeldas since Ocarina of Time, he says that he can’t stop making games as he is yet to make something better that can beat his earlier work. He is happy that a title on which he worked on some time ago is still highly praised which shows that none of the subsequent games have surpassed it. Maybe this is what is motivating him to make more Zelda as he feels so.

Nintendo has been pretty quiet in the matter of community, so far, looking at number of Wii’s larger base of customers. They tried launching their Check Mii Out Channel and Everybody Votes Channel but they turned to be real flops. However it was but a relief that atleast there was an effort from Nintendo to break this silence, hints Nintendo of America President, Reggie Fils-Aime.

According to Reggie, Nintendo always had a vision on community and it is going to deliver it to its customers which are unique to Nintendo. This slow move towards community will not have any dramatic impact on Wii sales. Still it is good to know that Nintendo is thinking about it. Stacked up against Xbox Live and PSN, Nintendo is certainly lacking some community features.