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Pre-order The Conduit's 'Exclusive Limited Edition Special Upgrade with Bonus' at GameStop!
Boy, that GameStop sure has a way with words, huh? The retailer's game page for The Conduit declares an "Exclusive Limited Edition -- with Bonus!" It's the usual: Pre-order the game with a down payment and secure your "Special Edition upgrade." But just how limited/special/upgraded, you ask? Well, you're looking at it. Don't see it? Look harder: That's a custom-detailed A.S.E., pal, and a not-so-secret-looking "Secret Agent" multiplayer skin. Oh, and there's an art book. But, honestly, are you really ever gonna open that?See, around here, we believe the best art is art with no strings attached. And to prove it, we're opening up our vault of non-exclusive and unlimited [go on, keep clicking] multiplayer screens! But that's not all ... We've got the first online multiplayer trailer too! Continue on after the break to watch it, again and again, until your eyes bleed.%Gallery-50178%
New Mario Kart and Wii Wheel revealed
New. Mario. Kart.And it's online.At the Nintendo press conference, Reggie hinted at the possibility of massive online races. "More racers means more fun. How many more? Stay tuned." In addition to online races, Nintendo revealed an official steering wheel accessory, not too different from the ones used by Ubisoft at the system launch. The cleverly named Wii Wheel will come packaged with the upcoming Mario Kart, to be released in the beginning of 2008.
They're not showing up for the "food"
Upon a recent inspection of who is using their free Wi-Fi, McDonald's discovered that it isn't the business-on-the-go crowd or even the casual web-surfer looking for some hotcakes to chow down while they browse the morning's news. Oh no, in fact the answer might surprise you: it's the gamer. You read that right, apparently gamers (most importantly, DS enthusiasts) account for 25% of the Wi-Fi traffic in their establishments.As you all know, over 8,000 McDonald's restaurants offer the free Wi-Fi service, but it isn't really even aimed at the customer. David Grooms, vice president of IT at McDonald's USA, says "It gives us a platform to use wireless applications within the restaurant," pointing out wireless headsets and other technology used by the employees of each establishment. Grooms says this will change, though, stating that "getting the word out that we are a secured wireless haven is really big for us this year."Personally, we're not big fans of McDonald's and usually fight tooth and nail before being dragged into the place, unconscious. But, what about you guys? Do you use their free Wi-Fi for your DS needs?
Voice chat in the works for Phantom Hourglass?
Last week's issue of Famitsu hid more in its Japanese text than just the June 23rd release date for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Zelda Universe's novice translation of the scanned pages indicates that the title might support online voice chat. Though this feature doesn't seem useful beyond setting up matches and trash-talking with your friends, it's a nice addition to the meager multiplayer mode.With upcoming games like Pokemon Diamond/Pearl and Panel de Pon also planning to use the Nintendo DS' VoIP capabilities, purchasing the uncomfortable-looking, official headset is beginning to make a lot more sense to us. Of all the titles we expected to eventually include voice communication, Phantom Hourglass was definitely not one of them. Update: Having a bit more experience with the Japanese language, The Hylia translated the Famitsu scans in an effort to confirm this news. Much to our dismay, The Hylia found that there is no voice chat support planned for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.[Via Digg]
More deets on Super Mario Strikers: Charged
Eurogamer recently got some more explainin' out of a Nintendo UK spokesperson, beating out of them politely asking for some more detail on the latest news that Mario Strikers: Charged would feature online play. And, the online play, it seems will be fun, for the most part. Two players, on the same console, will apparently be able to take on another pair on another console through Wi-Fi Connect, as the UK spokesperson explained to Eurogamer. This made us very excited, of course.The bad news, though, is that the game will support game-specific Friend Codes, adding more credibility to a future online experience on the Wii that is as cumbersome and difficult as that of the DS. As said before, the game will feature ranked and unranked matches, however when jumping into a quick ranked match against random opponent, you'll be region-locked, preventing you from taking on some competition from another country. Perhaps it'll cause less lag that way, but variety is the spice of life.
Aussie gamers get big boost in Wi-Fi hotspots
Nintendo, in cooperation with Telstra, have decided they'd like to increase the number of hotspots you fine Aussies have available to utilize the handheld's Wi-Fi Connect service. This will allow gamers to connect at a variety of new places, which include McDonald's, Starbucks, hotels, airports and various city areas. All in all, the team-up brings over 1,000 more spots where you fine Aussie gamers can connect. An official list of the new places where you'll be able to utilize free Wi-Fi will soon be available here.Rejoice Australians, for you now have more places to access Nintendo's crummy Wi-Fi Connect service!
Online details revealed for Mario Strikers Charged
Add another game to the short list of upcoming Wii titles with WiFi Connection support. Mario Strikers Charged will feature both Ranked and Unranked matches for players all over the world to compete in. Ranked games track your wins and losses, calculating your standing on leaderboards (We can already imagine the problems with early disconnecters.). The Unranked mode allows you to set up a quick round with your friends. Nintendo hasn't announced a date for the US release yet, but Mario Strikers Charged will hit UK shelves on May 25th. Having previewed the wacky soccer title at GDC, we can't wait to see how well the Wii remote has been integrated and how fleshed out the game's online support will be. [Via Joystiq]
Wii goes online with Mario Strikers Charged
Move over, Pokemon. Another Wii game is receiving the Wi-Fi Connection treatment: Mario Strikers Charged. The world's favorite sport can now be played virtually by players all over the globe. A Mario-themed World Cup now seems inevitable.According to the UK official site, "Players can also utilise Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to take on players from across the globe! Multiplayer modes include Ranked mode where players can compete to climb up leaderboards and Unranked mode where they can quickly select and play friends."Charged hits UK Wii systems on May 25th. Unfortunately, a US release hasn't been announced yet.
Custom Robo Arena goes gold
Nintendo sent us a press release today, informing that Custom Robo Arena has gone gold and is on track to meet its expected release date of March 19th in the United States. Nintendo is quick to point out that in this future of theirs, all disputes are settled via robots fighting on holographic battlefields, reminding us that we have a long ways to go before achieving this Utopian society of theirs. Not only that, but the Wi-Fi Connect possibilities make us anxious to get our hands on this game for some Game Night action.See also: Custom Robo Arena website launches[Via press release]
Custom Robo Arena website launches
The official website for Custom Robo Arena has gone live, featuring screenshots, video and some downloadable wallpapers. Other than that, there isn't really much else to the site. The video, however, is fairly long and depicts a lot of the combat and customization promised by the Wi-Fi Connect compatible title. Personally, we can't wait for the game as it's almost sure to be added to our Game Night games roster.You can check out the website here.
