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Latest Ocarina of Time 3DS trailer plays the Song of Nostalgia
We're not above admitting that the latest trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (ripped from the Japanese Nintendo Channel) got us a lot more excited than we thought we'd be getting for a nearly 15-year-old game. Head past the break to check it out ... and do try to contain yourself.
Monster Hunter Tri players have spent millions of hours hunting monsters
Gaming and caffeinated beverage-centric news site Coffee With Games has once again compiled a number of statistics for Monster Hunter Tri, Capcom's Wii-based online action-RPG -- which celebrated its first birthday last week. The results are, well, startling: Out of nearly 70,000 players who have reported playing the game through Wii's Nintendo Channel, an astonishing 6,313,120 total hours of play time have been logged. That's an average of 90 hours and 25 minutes for each reported player. Of course, that figure's predicated on the idea that those 6.3 million hours are spread evenly among the player base. There's a good chance that a majority of the crowd played the game for a much more modest amount of time, while about 500 people have played the game unceasingly for the 8,800 or so hours that the game's been out. Oh, man. We accidentally bummed ourselves out, there.
Okamiden demo lets you adopt Chibiterasu today
It's time once again for us to remind you that the Wii's Nintendo Channel exists and is occasionally useful. This week, Capcom is distributing an Okamiden demo through the channel's DS download service in North America. Just select the demo on the Wii, load up Download Play on your DS, and you'll summon an adorable puppy god for a playdate. DS demos are only guaranteed to be available for a week -- they might show up on the list again the next week, or they might not. What we're saying is that if you want to try Okamiden now, you should try it now.
Ghost Trick demo now downloadable through Nintendo Channel
We aren't sure why Capcom waited until last night to announce the availability of a Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective demo on the Nintendo Channel in North America -- maybe they, and we, missed the release because it was just too spectral. As the book says, "the living usually won't see the dead." In any case, it's been there since Monday, and all you have to do to play this trial scenario is load up the Nintendo Channel on your Wii, turn on Download Play on your DS, and beam the demo over like a dead person jumping from your TV into your DS. It's new content, exclusive to the DS demo -- not the same thing you played in that Flash demo.
Okamiden demo graces Japan's Nintendo Channel next month
In a move that is entirely too rare, Capcom will distribute a demo of its DS adventure Okamiden via the Wii Nintendo Channel in Japan. The demo will be available through Wiis from September 8 through October 5. It will also be distributed via "DS Station" download kiosks throughout Japan from September 9 through October 6, and through Nintendo Zone connections (found in McDonalds) from September 10 through October 7. The game is out in Japan on September 30. We're checking with Capcom to find out if there are any plans to distribute a demo in North America before the game's 2011 release.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Just Dance 2
This week's Nintendo Channel update is slathered in Just Dance 2, giving those with an active palette a tasty serving of Ubisoft's follow-up. Not only is there a fun vignette on dancer auditions, but there's also a more filling video showcasing on-going development, behind-the-scenes at Ubisoft. For the rest of this week's content, hit the jump.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Yuji Horii on Dragon Quest IX
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies was just released on the DS -- if you've yet to check out our review, then here's the pertinent linkage. So, considering how much Square Enix has invested in the title, it's no surprise the brunt of producer Horii's chat (which you can see for yourself past the break) largely revolves around his hopes for the game. Basically, he wants everyone to play it. What a surprise!%Gallery-95770%
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Sin & Punishment tips
The Nintendo Channel doesn't have much for us this week. There is a new episode of Nintendo Week and some Sin & Punishment: Star Successor tips, but you've seen the latter already. Head past the break for the list of this week's content.
Monster Hunter Tri has occupied over 50 hours per player on average
Monster Hunter Tri has already sucked away over a million hours of gameplay time from users, according to stats from the Nintendo Channel. In just 63 days from release, the monster hunting epic stole a full million hours from users who reported logging in to the game over 330,000 times. The high number isn't necessarily a record breaker (Super Smash Bros. has garnered 100 times that, and players have spent 17 billion hours on Xbox Live), but where Monster Hunter Tri stands out is the per player duration: players of the game have spent an average of 52 hours in the game so far. By comparison, Super Mario Galaxy 2 has eaten up 1.8 million hours of free time over 710k times, but the average time played there is about 20 hours -- more players, less time each. There are only four games ahead of Monster Hunter Tri in terms of played-per-person time, and all of them have been out for much longer. In other words, monsters aren't the only thing being hunted in this game -- free time had better watch its back as well.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Slim pickings
If you're looking for a Nintendo Channel update akin to the onslaught of media our eyeballs were privy to last week, then think again -- Nintendo's only uploaded a handful of new videos this week. There isn't even a new Nintendo Week episode to watch! Instead, the highlight this week is an info video for Arc Rise Fantasia, the latest Marvelous RPG set to grace the Wii next month in North America. For the full list of this week's content, head past the break. %Gallery-86696%
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: E3 wrap-up
If you weren't able to get to E3 this year, you've likely kept up through our E3 page -- if not, now's the time to check it out. But perhaps you like to digest your E3 media through the television? Nothing wrong with that. This week, the Nintendo Channel is offering up all kinds of Nintendo-focused videos, including Iwata Asks segments on Donkey Kong Country Returns, the 3DS and even one with Warren Specter on Disney Epic Mickey. Then there are a flood of game-specific trailers to get through and an exclusive Nintendo roundtable on E3, plus several show floor tours of games on Nintendo platforms. Really, it's an onslaught of media -- head past the break for the full list of this week's content.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Super Mario Galaxy 2 tips
Having trouble getting those stars from the Cosmic Cove Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2? Then you'll want to boot up your Wii and check out the latest episode of Nintendo Week on the Nintendo Channel. There are even a few tips on how to make Mario a more stylish skater, if you like to kick shell and look good while doing it. Head past the break for the full list of this week's content.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Dragon Ball: Origins 2 demo
Just as expected, the highlight of this week's Nintendo Channel update is undoubtedly the demo for Dragon Ball: Origins 2. If you're looking for anything beyond that, you'll likely be disappointed. Aside from a new episode of Nintendo Week, it's slim pickings on the Nintendo Channel this week. Head past the break for the full list of this week's content. %Gallery-85949%
See the Super Mario Galaxy 2 orchestra live (on video)
For Super Mario Galaxy 2's soundtrack, Nintendo went all-out, recording the main theme with a 70-person orchestra. Footage of the assembled musicians playing the sweeping opening music has been released via the Japanese Nintendo Channel (watch it after the break), allowing us to see just how much more epic a piece of music is when you see it played by a room full of people. If you're wondering why Shigeru Miyamoto looks so bored, it's because there was no room in the orchestra for his banjo. Fans of Galaxy 2's music will be crushed to learn that Japan's Club Nintendo is offering a two-disc soundtrack for just 300 points with the registration of a copy of the game. It's possible for this bonus to make its way to other regions' Club Nintendos, as the first Galaxy soundtrack did in Europe, but we'd rather take such anomalies as delightful surprises, rather than disappoint ourselves by expecting them. [Via ONM]
Dragon Ball Origins 2 demo on Nintendo Channel next week
For all the time we spent expressing our admiration of Game Republic's Dragon Ball: Origins (admiration that will probably also apply to the sequel, though we don't really know yet), Namco Bandai's latest effort will be a lot more effective in convincing people to try it out before its June 22 release. On Monday, May 31, a downloadable demo for the DS action-adventure will be available through the Wii's Nintendo Channel. In this slice of gameplay, you'll get to gather up Goku's lost belongings, after he is knocked off of his Flying Nimbus cloud. Mostly, you'll get to fight a bunch of stuff, including a boss. And if you hate it, you've just lost a few minutes of your time and added an infinitesimal amount of wear to your DS. %Gallery-85949%
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Sin & Punishment - Developer's Voice
Treasure knows its shmups, and this week's Nintendo Channel content you just have to see is none other than a Developer's Voice for Sin & Punishment: Star Successor. It's full of interesting behind-the-scenes stuff, like weighing the pros and cons of different control schemes and highlighting some multiplayer stuff. Seriously, if you're going to watch one thing, boot up your Wii and watch this. For the rest of this week's content, head past the break.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Super Mario Galaxy 2 TV spots
Look -- the above TV spots for Super Mario Galaxy 2 are really slick and all, but now we've got one thing on our mind: pancakes. Now that we know there's a stack of flapjacks out there with its own gravitational pull, we just can't wait to dig in. Thankfully, we won't have to wait too long to satiate our need for edible planetary bodies. For the rest of this week's Nintendo Channel content, head past the break.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Picross 3D on TV
It's slim pickings this week on the Nintendo Channel. Aside from the TV spot for Picross 3D above, there's only a handful of info videos for this week's downloads and a video of people reminiscing about Pokemon. There aren't even any new DS demos to check out. Come on, Nintendo -- throw us a bone! Preferably a DS demo-shaped bone ... Head past the break for the full list of this week's content.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: The new black Wii
Hot on the heels of this morning's announcement, Nintendo Week -- the weekly show documenting the content available on the DSi and Wii on the Nintendo Channel -- gets its hands on the new black Wii console. You know, the one coming May 9? They don't show it off for long but, as you can see in the image above, we now know this: it's extremely glossy. Head past the break for the rest of this week's content.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Monster Hunter Tri launch
This week on the Nintendo Channel, the usual Nintendo Week program does something a bit different and covers the Monster Hunter Tri launch at New York City's Nintendo World Store. Director Kaname Fujioka and producer Ryozo Tsujimoto were on hand to chat and sign posters and attendees could even throw down in a tournament. If the video on the Nintendo Channel is any indication, the event was a great success. Head past the break for the full list of this week's content.
