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'80s Track Pack available now for Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero
As expected, the '80s Track Pack for Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero is now available for download on all the various consoles, featuring three respectable songs from the decade of New Wave and hair bands. Well, two or three, depending on how you like The Go-Gos. The entire thing is available for 440 on Xbox Live, $5.49 on PSN, or 550 Wii Points, and the individual songs are as follows: "Girls, Girls, Girls" by Motley Crue (160/ $1.99 / 200 Wii Points) "We Got the Beat" by The Go-Go's (160 / $1.99 / 200 Wii Points) "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger (160/ $1.99 / 200 Wii Points) Say what you want about "We Got the Beat," but we won't tolerate hating on the Crue or Night Ranger and, from the looks of those hairstyles above, they won't either. These songs are available now for both games, so get yourself mo-tor-in' on over to the store if you want 'em.
Euro Wii 'Ambassadors' to receive keys to the Virtual Console
Eager to show its disconnected patrons that their Wiis can do more than Wii Sports -- you don't even have to eject the disc! -- Nintendo has appointed pretty much anyone in Europe savvy enough to visit Wii's Connection Settings menu an "Ambassador." Here's how the "Connection Ambassador Promotion" works: Beginning in October (as seen in Japan), if you help another Wii owner establish an online connection, you and your incompetent friend will both receive five Nintendo bucks (500 Wii Points). (Presumably, when connecting for the first time, there will be an option to credit an Ambassador.)And if you extend your services to the maximum of twenty previously offline console owners? You're looking at a 10,000-point payout ($100 worth of old games you probably have tucked away in cart form, plus all those WiiWare options) -- not bad, eh?But wait! There's a more tempting perk to this promotion. As Ambassador, once you connect ten users, you'll achieve "gold status" and be free to download all first-party NES titles on Virtual Console. Oh, but it gets far better: Hit your twenty connections and -- you guessed it -- you've attained "platinum status," essentially granting you the keys to Nintendo's Virtual Console catalog. That's right, all first- and third-party NES, SNES and N64 games -- for free.Quick! Google map the twenty nearest old folks homes and get ambassadoring!
Ask Joystiq Nintendo: Exchange Rate Edition
Just one question this week on Ask Joystiq Nintendo, and we, uh, don't really definitively answer it. But it's a weird enough topic that we felt it was worthwhile to talk about it and tell you what we know. If you'd like us to feebly attempt to answer a question, send an email to asknintendo AT joystiq DOT com!
Ask Joystiq Nintendo: Smurftastic Edition
Welcome to another Smurfy week of Smurf Joystiq Nintendo! This week, a reader smurfed a question about a classic Smurf game, and I think I smurfed it appropriately, though the answer may not be as smurfy as Smurf fans may have smurfed.Do you want to smurf us a question about the Wii, DS, or anysmurf else related to Nintendo? Smurf us an email at asknintendo AT joystiq DOT com!
Wii Warm Up: Start all the downloadin'
We suspect that plenty of Wii fans received Wii Points during the recent Holiday Gift-Giving Occasion -- they're relatively cheap, and safe in the same way that gift cards are. If you were among the lucky recipients of some wrapped Points, what did you do with them, or what do you plan to do with them?Is your sudden windfall going to be shelved for future releases, either known or unknown, or are you taking the opportunity to go through the back catalogue and pick up some VC or WiiWare games you missed? Are you finally getting the rest of Space Invaders Get Even?
Wii Points up for grabs in Tetris Party tournaments
Those online Tetris Party tournaments won't just enhance your fearsome internet reputation -- they'll also offer Wii Points as prizes, a pretty awesome way of keeping player interest high. The first tournament kicks off December 1st, and contains four rounds, each featuring one of Tetris Party's eighteen variations. After you complete a round, the game will give you a rank and confirmation code, which you can register at the official Tetris Party tournament site. Perform strongly over all four rounds, and you could win!Five hundred prizes are up for grabs (though how many points will be given away isn't known), and we're fairly sure this is a global contest -- there's no mention of regional restrictions in the press release. Skip past the break for start dates, end dates, and other details of the first tournament, then get practicing!%Gallery-18122%
Toys R Us having big games sale starting Sunday
Toys R Us is having one huge sale, starting this Sunday. How huge of a sale? Buy two, get one huge. On top of the prospect at getting a free game, there's also some deals specific to Wii owners.On Sunday and Monday, Toys R Us will offer 30% off Wii accessories. Now, this doesn't extend to Nunchuks and Wiimotes, but it works for other accessories and ... Wii Points cards! 30% off some Wii Points means you can nab a stellar WiiWare title or two, like, say, Mega Man 9. Or any one of the other games already available. Or even a Virtual Console game![Via Joystiq]
Nintendo Points won't make the leap between Wii and DSi
While it's not exactly a huge surprise given that Nintendo doesn't have an overarching account system for the Wii and DS, plenty of folks will no doubt still be disappointed to learn that the company's new Nintendo Points won't be transferable between the two consoles. Instead, when you buy a points card (available in 1000, 3000 and 5000 points versions), you'll have to pick a console and spend all the points in that one place. Not exactly an ideal option, to be sure, but it seems like it's one that we'll be stuck with -- unless Nintendo has some plans to make some major changes to the way the Wii and DSi do business.[Via gamesindustry.biz]
Nintendo Points non-transferable between Wii, DSi
To allow for the fact that the DSi will feature an online store, Wii Points were recently renamed to Nintendo Points.Despite this rebranding exercise, Nintendo has revealed that you won't be able to transfer points between its new handheld and the Wii. In other words, if you buy a Nintendo Points card and use it to purchase (say) DSWare, you'll have to spend any remaining Points from the card on DSi downloads (and vice versa). This also means you won't be able to transfer any 'spare change' Points from the Wii to your DSi, meaning you're stuck with the 100 Points that have been on your Wii account since about March 2007. THERE'S ALWAYS A SPARE 100 POINTS ON OUR WII. They sit there, silently mocking us.Anyway, the above slide, dug up by Siliconera from Nintendo's Media Summit presentation, highlights the point emphatically enough: you won't be able to transfer Nintendo Points. Gallery: Nintendo DSi
Wii Points officially being renamed to 'Nintendo Points'
With the new DSi just being announced, it'll allow people to download titles direct to their handheld, kind of like Apple's little doodad, the iPhone. So, in order to share the Point system between the Wii and the handheld, Nintendo will go ahead and rename "Wii Points" to "Nintendo Points," said Satoru Iwata at the Japanese fall press conference.Will you be able to transfer Points purchased through your Wii to your DSi? We would assume so. We'll update you all as soon as more information is provided.
Japan's Legendary Virtual Console
There's a certain feeling of envy emanating from non-Japanese Wii owners right about now, because the big release on Japan's Virtual Console calendar in June is not to be sneezed at. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is known to some intellectually superior gamers as one of the greatest SNES games ever made, and a catalyst for the entire range of righteous Mario titles we enjoy today -- Super Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi, and many others.Kudos, Japan. While we may be disappointed, it gives us a bright shiny ray of hope that maybe, just maybe, we'll be rocking out with this classic sometime in the future. However, Nintendo are tacking on an extra 100 Wii Points to the price tag, making the download a still-reasonable nine bucks. There's an extra dollar that will be lost forever, never to be spent on that bus fare to Grandma's house.Check in after the break for the full list of Japan's June Virtual Console releases.
Cheap accessories may await you at Wal-Mart
A GoNintendo reader snapped this amazingly tantalizing picture of $10 Wii accessory bundles at his local Wal-Mart. For half the price of just the accessory, shoppers at this particular store can get a bundle containing a Nunchuk, 2000 Wii Points card, or a Classic Controller, along with a controller cover. So that's more than you usually get, for much less than it normally costs.No doubt these are holiday bundles being clearanced out simply because it's not the holidays anymore, but Wal-Mart's poor judgment can definitely be to your benefit. Be warned that Wal-Mart deals vary from store to store, and there's a fairly high probability that your store will either have a different price on these or won't carry them at all. But if you happen to be going to Wal-Mart anyway, which we hear happens occasionally with a lot of people, it may be worth your time to check out the electronics section!
Nintendo now accepting stars for Wii Points
It's taken some time, but Nintendo Europe is finally rewarding its 'star' collectors with an opportunity to exchange celestial tokens for Wii Points, at a rate of 4 stars to 1 point. If you've been a diligent Club Nintendo member (200 stars), registering codes packaged in first-party games and hardware (250-1,000 stars), recommending aliases "friends" (250 stars), and of course, hitting the website each and every day (5 stars), why not save the 8 euros and treat yourself to that Wonder Boy in Monster World download you've been pining after for all these months? Take it from us: you've earned it.
Europeans to get Wii Points in exchange for loyalty
Here in Europe, we have our own version of Japan's Club Nintendo loyalty scheme, with one critical difference: while Japanese gamers are routinely given access to completely rad bonuses, the past few years have thrown up few treats for those in Euroland. Nothing but a natty selection of wallpapers, ringtones, and stationary templates.Happily, that just changed for the better. From today, European Wii owners will be able to exchange their Star Points for Wii Points, giving themselves access to a whole world of nutritious, retro-flavored goodness, via the Virtual Console.Four Star Points will apparently be worth one Wii Point, but what does that mean in monetary terms? Well, each Wii game is worth 250 Star Points, the equivalent of 62.5 Wii Points. Hence, buying eight Wii games will net you 500 Wii Points, the cost of a NES game on the Virtual Console.That's a fair number of Wii games just to download a single NES title, but we still embrace this development whole-heartedly. Some of us have been saving Star Points for years, patiently waiting for the day that Nintendo of Europe would make collecting the things worth our time and effort. Today, we got our reward. Read how to convert your Points at the link below.[Via Eurogamer]
Reminder: Wii Opera browser grace period ends tomorrow
The best things in life are free. The Wii's internet channel isn't one of them, but it's free, and time is running out on that part. Wii owners have been able to download the final version of the browser for their Wii free since April 11; however, beginning July 1, the application will cost 500 Wii points ($5) to download. Wii owners who download the Opera powered browser before the July 1 deadline will "retain the application at no cost for the life of the system." So even if you aren't going to use it -- get it. When a global corporation gives you an item for free, even if you're just going to pocket it, unless it's some vast conspiracy to take over our minds, we aren't going to say no. Who knows, we fear we may be stuck in bed some day soon and not be able to make it to our computers with a desperate need to watch a YouTube video or something else important. When that time comes -- if it comes -- we'll be happy to have our free Wii browser.[Via Press Release]
Wii Warm Up: But what about five dollars?
Do you ever get the urge to put, say, just outright buy an NES game on the Virtual Console without leaving extra money lying around on your Wii in the form of points? If so, too bad. Suffer.There's a lot to love about the Virtual Console (we've downloaded several of the reasons), but the system for adding points is not one of them. Does it bother you that you must add funds in set increments? Is it time for everyone to get away from these point systems and buying blocks and just let us perform direct dollar-for-dollar transactions? It's not like they're fooling us. Even if converting points-to-dollars required a complex mathematical formula, we'd be able to perform it lightning fast. After all, we're serious fans here. Or do you feel it's a non-issue? It's likely that we'll spend the points anyway. We did mention that we're serious fans, right?
Sony to offer pre-paid PSN vouchers in Japan
Those dying to download Marl Oukoku no Ningyou Hime (and who isn't?) from the Japanese PlayStation Network will now find another payment option nestled in the aisles of the nearest convenience store. IGN reports that PlayStation Network Tickets will soon be procurable from convenience stores and post office ATMs across Japan, allowing those without a means of direct electronic payment to enjoy and more importantly, pay for the wares of the PS3's virtual marketplace. The tickets will function in a similar fashion to Nintendo Wii Point cards and Xbox Live MS Point vouchers, with the exception that they'll be grouped in a non-bogus currency. Available in units of ¥1,000, ¥3,000, ¥5,000 and ¥10,000, the cards will contain a 12-digit code recognized by the PSN as a command to fill up your virtual wallet with the corresponding amount. As for the possibility of PSN Tickets becoming available elsewhere, Sony offers, "We have no announcement regarding any changes to the electronic payment options on the PlayStation Store in North America at this time."
Wii Warm Up: Costs of the Virtual Console
Prices for games vary on the Virtual Console, with many games available for as few as 500 Wii points, or a measly five bucks, up to twice that ... and it's rumored that some games may be even more expensive than that. Sure, five or ten dollars doesn't sound like that much, but considering your other Wii costs, which we discussed over the weekend, many gamers are more frugal when it comes to choosing their Virtual Console purchases. After all, most of us have played these games before. Still, when it comes to reliving a beloved game experience, what's a few dollars?Today's question is how you really feel about Virtual Console pricing, and what's driven you to start spending Wii points. What's been released that you just couldn't go without? How many games have you purchased so far?
Exchange 'Stars' for Wii points in UK
UK Nintendo membership holders will finally be able to put their 'Stars' to good use. Earned via codes packaged with Nintendo hardware and software sold in the UK, Stars have been useless (redeemed for wallpaper) until now. Nintendo has announced it will be adding Wii points to the Stars Catalogue.By linking a Wii Shop Channel account to an online Nintendo membership, Wii owners will soon be able to put their Stars toward Virtual Console purchases (by way of Wii points). But it gets better: completing a survey upon purchasing a VC title will transfer some new Stars back to your membership. It's almost like the VC games are paying for themselves -- but not quite. We're willing to bet the 'Stars to Wii points' exchange rate ain't so hot.
Extra points leak out of Wii Shop Channel (Wii annoyance #006)
OK, we understand that using a universal Wii Points system is simpler than adjusting individual virtual console prices for different regions and currencies. What we don't understand is why we have to buy these points in increments of 1,000, even if all we want is just one game. Once we buy Bonk's Adventure for 600 points, what are we supposed to do with the 400 remaining points stuck in our account? Buy four-fifths of an NES game?The pat, fanboy response will likely be to buy more points and find more games to download, but we're not too excited about the prospect of spending more money just to get our change. Even worse, those without a credit card are thus far stuck laying out $20 for a 2000 point card at retail. That's a lot of mark up if all you want is a single $5 NES download.We know Xbox Live has a similar system in place for their Microsoft Points, but their minimum purchase price is only $5 and there are small, 100 point items available to soak up your leftovers in a pinch. Sony has them both beat, though, letting you deposit exactly the amount you need when making an online purchase instead of grubbing for a few extra bucks with every transaction.The whole point of digital distribution is to make buying games and content simpler. Forcing us to buy extra digital money we might not want does not serve that goal.PS3 delights vs. PS3 annoyancesWii delights vs. Wii annoyancesXbox 360 delights vs. Xbox 360 annoyances
