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Wii drops to $150 on May 15, bundled with Mario Kart and wheel
Nintendo has officially announced an impending price drop for the Wii. As of May 15 (confirming our earlier report), the Wii will be sold at a suggested retail price of $149.99, and will come bundled with Mario Kart Wii and the Wii Wheel accessory. The new price applies to both black and white system models. Now that Mario and his comical transportation have been crammed into the box, Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort are out. On May 15, the original sports collection will join the "Nintendo Selects" line of budget-priced software, alongside The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing: City Folk and Mario Super Sluggers. Expect to pay $19.99 for each of those (and accept the obligatory punishment of polluted box art). %Gallery-122793%
Rumor: 'Wii Select' budget line launching this month
After only four and a half years, it looks like Nintendo is finally ready to introduce a line of budget titles in North America. Kotaku reports that the "Wii Select" line will launch alongside the newly discounted Wii, which is rumored to drop to $150 two weeks from now. The first titles reported to be part of the $20 lineup include The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Super Sluggers and Wii Sports. Yes, Wii Sports is supposedly being removed from its position as the longstanding pack-in for Wii console bundles. Taking the bundle's place will be a Mario Kart Wii bundle, which will be sold at the rumored $150 price point.
Fanswag winners: MLB Power Pros and Mario Super Sluggers
When we were going to pick the winner of our latest giveaway, we completely realized that we forgot to announce the winner for our previous giveaway. Also, we received quite a few emails from you all. So, without further delay, here's our winners: Chris Luebe won our copy of MLB Power Pros 2008 NickBeamin won our copy of Mario Super Sluggers Congrats to all of our winners and better luck next time to the rest of you!
Reminder: Last day for Mario Super Sluggers giveaway
Well folks, if you've been living under a rock for the past week, you should really try harder to read Wii Fanboy. You see, we've been holding a giveaway for one copy of Mario Super Sluggers this week and you could have been entering every day. If you missed out, today is your last chance to enter, so head on over to the original contest post here.Good luck!%Gallery-24326%
Fanswag: Mario Super Sluggers
It's another week, so we're giving away another game. This time, we're giving away one copy of Mario Super Sluggers (retails for $50), which we were quite fond of, we should say. What do you need to do to win this copy of Mario Super Sluggers?To enter, simply leave a comment between now and Wednesday, September 17th at 11:59PM ET, telling us what your favorite Nintendo sports game is. You can leave one comment per day.There are a few things you should know before entering. Entrants must be current and legal residents of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec) and at least 18 years of age or older. Read up on the rest of the official rules right here.%Gallery-24326%
Nintendo to promote Mario Super Sluggers at Safeco
Seattle residents, Nintendo is going to be promoting Mario Super Sluggers this Friday at Safeco Field, where the Mariners will be taking on the New York Yankees. There, Mario will throw out the opening pitch, as well as kiosks to demo the game. What's even better, though, is that Nintendo will be randomly giving away a Wii console and copy of Mario Super Sluggers during each inning. For those of you unfamiliar with the sport, that's nine consoles and copies of the game. That is, if the Mariners and Yankees don't go into extra innings.%Gallery-24326%
Wii Fanboy Review: Mario Super Sluggers
Mario Super Sluggers very much feels like a first-party game, despite being developed by Namco. It's got a plethora of Nintendo characters, wonderful bits of fan service and quite the bit of polish. There aren't that many flaws in the game, and the single biggest is only the lack of a label on the game's case.%Gallery-24326%
It's-a Mario World: In the Batter's Box
In case you are a newcomer to the unchecked exuberance characteristic of It's-a Mario World, you should know that we are obsessed with the thematic nuances of the Mushroom Kingdom. From the trivial to the crucial, we like to keep up on what's happening in the Mario universe, particularly since much if its mythology is further developed with each new release. That said, we should no doubt acknowledge the most recent entry into the Mario canon, Mario Super Sluggers.Because we are incapable of making any objective evaluations of Mario-related content in this feature, this is not our review for Sluggers. Instead, think of this as unwrapping the cellophane. Well, tearing it off. Then rolling around in it just shouting, "Let's-a play ball, woo-hoo!!!" If you're not into that kind of thing, or prefer reading a critical analysis, refer to our official game review (I'm assured it will be up on the site on Monday). Otherwise, spread out your capes and fly to our new gallery, in which we highlight nine characters who make one hell of a batting lineup. *Note that this gallery features some unlockable content, and therefore possible spoilers. Now, go read it anyway. It's-a Mario World is a weekly feature in which the ubiquity of Nintendo's flagship character is celebrated: We'll incessantly ruminate about mustache wax, debate the curious whereabouts of the princess and covet the luminous power stars strewn about the galaxy. Check back here every Friday to find out what strange and wonderful thing has got us tipping our caps. Is your rabid lust for Mario yet to be satiated? Check out this week's new Virtually Overlooked for more Mario goodness.
Metareview - Mario Super Sluggers (Wii)
Mario steps up to bat on the Wii and ... well, doesn't strike out, but doesn't hit a home run, either. That's the consensus (minus the baseball terminology) on the latest mascot-ified sports title from Nintendo, Mario Super Sluggers. Mario Strikers Charged was the last, and scored (both a gaming and sports term) a bit better overall. We're just excited to finally see the Wii Sports baseball mini-game fleshed out into something that will (we'd hope) have us playing for more than, oh, two minutes. 1UP (B): "Super Sluggers succeeds and fails as most Mario sports games do. Its quick, arcade-style action is easy to get into and plenty fun, coming at the expense of the nuances – and balance – you'll find in a sim." GameDaily (80/100): "What it lacks in innovation and online play, Mario Super Sluggers makes up for with its robust modes, fun controls and multiplayer options. If you're a fan of either the characters or the sport, you owe it to yourself to round these bases." Game Informer (55/100): "Multiplayer is amusing in that hanging out with your friends is fun anyway, but the single-player content is truly terrible. A series of boring one-off challenges punctuated by simplistic exploration and the occasional full game makes up Mario's quest to foil Bowser Jr. via baseball. Yes, it's as insipid as it sounds." IGN (74/100): "We wouldn't go as far as to say this is Nintendo-made shovelware, but there's very little that has changed in the three years between Mario Superstar Baseball on GCN, and Mario Super Sluggers on Wii.
Metareview: Mario Super Sluggers
The follow-up to previous baseball title on the GameCube, Mario Superstar Baseball, Namco and Nintendo's next title, Mario Super Sluggers, has finally hit North American shores. Is it worth your time? Well, let's see what the critics have to say. GameDaily (80/100) thinks the positives outweigh the negatives: "Overall, the game plays great. The controls work perfectly, whether you're an avid baseball fan or a newcomer picking up the game for the first time. And if you're a n00b, several tutorials are available to help you out. Only two things hold Mario Super Sluggers back from diamond domination. First, despite having a terrific control scheme and lots of options, it's really just another Mario-licensed sports game. If you're looking for something past that, try MLB Power Pros 2008 instead. Second, there are no online options. It would've been great to form a league with your friends through the Wi-Fi Connection, but you'll have to settle for offline play." Nintendo Power (75/100) says it can be a bit clunky: "This baseball diamond loses some of its luster with occasionally confusing or clunky play (it's too easy to accidentally pitch or swing prematurely), but the game's simplified approach is great for sports-curious gamers looking to avoid the complexities of a real simulation." [Oct 2008, p.87] 1UP (B) found the game to be easy to pick up and play: "Super Sluggers succeeds and fails as most Mario sports games do. Its quick, arcade-style action is easy to get into and plenty fun, coming at the expense of the nuances -- and balance -- you'll find in a sim." IGN (74/100) thought Nintendo and Namco cut too many corners: "It's a shame Nintendo and Namco didn't go farther with this one overall, though. No online play? No major gameplay renovations, new modes, or improved style over three year old Superstar Baseball? With only Animal Crossing as current first party online offerings in the near future, it really doesn't make a lot of sense to cut corners with Sluggers." GameInformer (55/100) was quick to trash the game: "Go do something fun with your buddies rather than wasting an afternoon with this crap." %Gallery-24326%
Nintendo Channel update: Helix, baseball, and an old friend
A second Mario Super Sluggers video has hit the Nintendo Channel today, proving that Nintendo does mention the game ... occasionally. Good thing, since if they're going to promote the game at all, now would be the time! Other new(ish) videos include the official Helix trailer, designed to entice WiiWare fans into shaking along with a skeletal, metallic homunculus, and ... a Defend Your Castle video? Can't forget about "classic" WiiWare, we suppose. Here's the full list of new, very slowly streaming videos: Mario Super Sluggers Info Video 2 Helix Info Video Defend Your Castle Info Video 2 Mario Kart Wii: Who's playing Wii today? 4 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 All-Play TV Spot Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Video 2 MySims Kingdom Info Video High School Musical 3: Senior Year! Video Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia Info Video Imagine: Rock Star TV Spot
Retail and download releases for the week of August 25th
There's plenty of content releasing on the Wii this week. Whether you're a fan of retail games or looking to download some content on the Virtual Console or WiiWare, your gaming needs should be taken care of this week. Head on past the break for the details and let us know what you'll be playing!%Gallery-24326%
Nintendo Channel video update shows off Mario Super Sluggers
This week, there's plenty of new videos to watch on the Nintendo Channel. Above, you'll see a pretty lengthy video on how to play the upcoming Mario Super Sluggers. We apologize for the audio, but the guy really does talk that low. It was hard to get the audio as clear as it is.For a breakdown on what's in store for you this week on the Nintendo Channel, head past the break.%Gallery-24326%
E308: Wii Fanboy's E3 Endgame Evaluation
In the second year of the newly revamped show, Nintendo released a few much-desired games, as well as a pair of incredible peripherals, and yet, there seemed to be something missing. Much of the show's excitement came from third parties (on my Nintendo Wii?), and some found Nintendo's announcements disappointing. Whatever your reaction, we're sure we can all agree on one thing: there was a ton of news and a flood of media. Luckily, you can revisit it all right here (even the week's most outrageous story, which wasn't even from E3).We've listed a few of the show's highlights below, but for the full index of all our 2008 E3 coverage, hit the break. We still have a few items rolling in, and we'll be updating the index as that happens. Check back with us over the next few days by clicking the E3 sidebar graphic. A new Pikmin sprouts! Animal Crossing: City Folk confirmed The Conduit will use WiiSpeak Wii Sports Resort announced (and Wii MotionPlus!) Mega Man 9 feels more like a 10 Wii Fanboy bats-on with Mario Super Sluggers Animal Crossing to support keyboards, save fruit-picking time Wii Fanboy hands-on with Wii Sports Resort
E308: Wii Fanboy bats-on with Mario Super Sluggers
Seeing as how the game has been out in Japan for quite some time now (and releasing here in little over a month), you've probably seen and heard all their is to Mario Super Sluggers. But, we'd be remiss if we didn't do our duty and sit down with the game and enjoy some time at the ballpark.%Gallery-24326%
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 7/7-7/13
We're kind of glad to see Persona 4 blow away the competition in software, even if it's not a Wii game (cough -- it should be). Nothing else really sold all that well, not even the games in the top ten. Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii keep piling on copies to their ever-growing mountains, though, and remain snug in the top ten.The other big news in terms of Japanese software is the release of Resident Evil 0. Capcom's port did debut at spot six, but only sold 20k copies in its first week. This game won't come even close to being the cash cow that Resident Evil 4 was, but we're sure Capcom will still make a pretty ported penny.Hardware sales show that the Wii was stuck in third, again:You can check out Japan's software sales and rankings from last week after the break.
Nintendo Wii E3 2008 screenshot roundup
Well, at least grammy's pleased with Nintendo's first party lineup... (Plus: If you've got a longer attention span than Nintendo, we've got shots of two overlooked titles after the break!) %Gallery-27738% %Gallery-27739% %Gallery-27741%
E308: Mario Super Sluggers in fine form
Mario Super Sluggers is right on track to becoming a must-have game when it's released on August 25. The trailer above is quite similar to the original trailer we saw ages ago, but this time a few reaction shots of trendy young people playing in their lounge rooms have been spliced in. Now we know the game is fun, because the internet tells us it is.In addition to the cinematic masterpiece, a hefty chunk of new screens have been released, including heaps of high-quality character artwork. For a sports game, Mario Super Sluggers has plenty of content and massive amounts of preview material available. Now we just want to play the damn thing.%Gallery-24326%
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/30-7/6
The first thing we noticed upon scanning through last week's top thirty games was that Shiren the Wanderer 3 was missing, to our disappointment. The second thing we noticed was that Tales of Symphonia dropped 100,000 copies from its debut week's sales. While the top thirty software chart definitely looks promising for the Wii at a glance, we can't really feel good about placements in light of such details. As for what Wii game topped the rest? Look up and take a guess.On the hardware front, the Wii stayed put in third behind the handhelds:Since hardware is only half the fun, though, check out the software numbers too after the break.
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Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/23-6/29
This Wii had a lot of software representation in the top ten this week, with a third-party game taking the highest honors -- Namco Bandai's Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Japan's Wii RPG love wasn't enough to put the newest Tales game into first place, though; a DS title about horse racing, Derby Stallion, took that coveted position. Yet, Symphonia's first week sales are pretty impressive.The other Wii games that found themselves in the top ten were Mario Super Sluggers, and of course Wii Fit and Mario Kart. As for hardware, the Wii dropped to third place, falling behind the DS by a minuscule margin:To see the top ten software sales numbers and rankings, just clicky clicky on the "continue reading" link below.
