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Nintendo: WiiWare demo program was 'always' limited-time offer
All WiiWare demos were removed from the Wii Shop Channel on January 31. Nintendo of America has confirmed with Joystiq that the WiiWare demo "experiment," which offered a set of five free downloadable demos through the Wii Shop Channel, officially ended on that date. When asked for an explanation, a Nintendo representative told Joystiq, "From the start, the demo program was always planned to be available for a limited time on a trial basis." While the demo program was expressly announced as a limited-time deal in Japan, no mention of any cutoff date was made in the original announcement for North America. So, will we ever get to try before we buy again? "We're looking at our results and deciding our next steps," the Nintendo rep told us. Those results, according to a November analysis of WiiWare demos by Nintendo Life, look promising.
Phoenix Wright demo added to Japanese Wii Shop
Here's a good sign that Nintendo may continue supporting the WiiWare demo program, which, honestly, we were skeptical about. Two more demos have been added in Japan: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Aim! Light Adventure Team and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. A demo for Phoenix Wright is a great idea -- some people just need to try the game before they realize how much fun they could have arguing murder cases. But Mystery Dungeon? There's already a demo for one of the three WiiWare Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games. Does the other one play differently enough to require a different sample? [Via GoNintendo]
Jurassic: The Hunted demo now on Xbox Live
As a child, we were really into dinosaurs. Jurassic Park was our favorite movie, Dinosaucers was our favorite TV show and Yummy Mummy was our favorite cereal (that's not dinosaur-related, but we didn't want to lie to make the story better). So as we played the new demo for Jurassic: The Hunted, we couldn't help but feel that, with every shot, we were blowing away some small part of our innocence. But then we pretended that each dinosaur was the one that ate Robert Muldoon, and we felt loads better. If you download the sample, which features a taste of the 'Survivor' arena mode, we'd recommend doing the same.
Japanese Nintendo downloads: Trial edition
The WiiWare demo program arrives in Japan today, offering many of the same demos found in North America. Bit.Trip Beat and NyxQuest are out, and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is in. Oddly, the Japanese site for the demo program mentions a January 31 end date, which the North American page doesn't. We don't know if that's the end of the whole demo thing or just the expiration date for this set of demos. Also on the Wii today in Japan: two Namco arcade games which are personal favorites: free-scrolling shooter Bosconian (with fantastic "ALART" voice samples), and Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani's weird Libble Rabble. Genterprise continues its budget series on DSiWare, with a top-down racer and a VR-looking action game: Bosconian (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Libble Rabble (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) G.G. Series Tetsubou (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) G.G. Series Drift Circuit (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Art Academy (First and Second Semester) (DSiWare, 1 player, 800 DSi Points each) Demos: Pokemon Rumble, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord & World of Goo
NintendoWare Weekly: WiiWare demos, Pokemon Rumble, Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures
This week, we get our first taste of Nintendo's new WiiWare demos. Surprisingly, it didn't take Nintendo that long to flip the switch for North America, considering the company revealed the long-overdue feature -- and day-one annoyance -- only earlier this month. And on top of the free trial versions of select WiiWare titles (five total this week!), there are also two new Virtual Console titles to enjoy, as well as three new DSiWare games. Hit the break for the full list.
Nintendo planning to offer WiiWare demos
During the recent investor Q&A session, Satoru Iwata announced plans to begin rolling out demos for a small selection of WiiWare games this month. He didn't say which region or regions would receive this service, so let's assume it's just Japan. The pilot program is intended to bring more attention to the Wii Shop Channel, which, Iwata said, is currently only used by people who already know what they want. He expressed some doubt as to the effectiveness of demos as a promotional tool, but the (test) market will decide that! There was no word on whether Nintendo would also try the controversial "advertising" method of promotion, wherein a company tells its customers about its games.
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast demo now on Xbox Live
You know what? We're done making fun of Dragon Ball Z on Joystiq. We always end up doing so much research just to pull a joke off that the only ones who get it are the ones whose feelings we hurt. It's a sucker's game and besides that, it's just mean. So we're just going to tell you, without judgment, that Dragon Ball: Raging Blast has a demo that's now available on Xbox Live, and that it's a perfect way to kill time until the babysitter finishes heating up your Pizza Rolls. ... Shit.
Uncharted 2 multiplayer demo coming next week
We had a lot of fun playing in the Uncharted 2 multiplayer beta, but it was sullied somewhat by how exclusive it was. With every gunshot, we were reminded of a friend who couldn't get in on the festivities, and it just made it a little tough to enjoy. Luckily, we'll be able to fire away with a clear conscience when the public multiplayer demo drops on Sept. 15. Our hope is that you'll be having so much fun you won't realize that the first two sentences of this post were bald-faced lies.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: If you haven't played it, it's new to you
Don't have the whole Labor Day holiday off to play games? Why not take a tiny break from your work to play a tiny portion of a video game -- provided you're within distance of a Wii? There are some new demos up on the Nintendo Channel if you haven't bothered to download any DS demos in the last couple of months. (That's our polite way of saying the demos are old. And that is our extremely rude way of explaining an obvious statement.)Video-wise, more real people are getting their Layt on, and another Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story video is available. We don't remember there ever being an announcement per se, but that's coming out next week. Amazing! Check the list after the break.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: A director and his boy and his blob
This week, WayForward's Sean Velasco offers Nintendo Channel viewers a look at the delightful-looking A Boy and His Blob, describing the colorful sidescrolling adventure as "a sincere game in a cynical time." We suppose that the level of interest the game inspires could be related to your own cynicism. In short, if the look of this game does nothing for you, you're either too cynical or you've spent too much time playing the NES game. FInd the video, as well as the list of DS demos and other new videos, after the break. [Via GoNintendo]
Demos for NHL 10 and DiRT 2 join Lost Planet 2 and Mini Ninjas on Live
Need something to chew up your free time between constant attempts to sequence break Shadow Complex? Xbox Live Marketplace has been invaded by a slew of new game demos -- currently available to Gold members -- to help combat your boredom. With four demos hitting the Marketplace in the last two days, Xbox users are treated to a collection of completely different gaming experiences. Strap into the Mitsubishi Eclipse GT and race the Trailblazer event in DiRT 2, lace up your skates and hit the ice in the NHL 10 demo, show off your ninja skills in Mini Ninjas or jump online with up to four players and attack the evil Akrid in the Lost Planet 2 Co-op demo. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call a diverse selection of video game demos. Queue up the DiRT 2 demo Queue up the NHL 10 demo (and check out Xbox Canada's exclusive Q&A) Queue up the Mini Ninjas demo Queue up the Lost Planet 2 Co-op demo
Blizzard headed back to PAX this year
Can't make it to BlizzCon but still want to check out Blizzard's latest offerings? Blizzard has appeared on the list of sponsors for Penny Arcade's PAX convention, which takes place later this year on September 4-6, 2009 in Seattle, Washington. PAX is a great time and a ton of fun -- I went a few years ago, and really enjoyed it. In addition to a terrific lineup of geeky musicians and demo panels from game developers, they always have a nice open floor full of the latest games to check out and play. And since PAX will be going down after BlizzCon (which takes place in two weeks), if you go, you'll likely have a chance to check out whatever Blizzard wants to put on display, be that Starcraft II or Diablo 3, or, you know... anything else they might announce.Plus, tickets to PAX are cheaper and even easier to get than BlizzCon tickets anyway, not to mention that you'll be seeing way more games and companies than just Blizzard. In fact, why am I going to BlizzCon again? I'd almost rather go to PAX this year. I'd love to see Freezepop!Oh, right, I can't miss our legendary meetup (wait until you guys see the giveaways we have planned!). But even if you're going to Penny Arcade's show because you can't make it to Blizzard's convention, stay tuned here to WoW.com -- we'll make you feel like you're there anyway.
iSimulate brings iPhone apps to the big screen
Apple's iPhone simulator built into Xcode is nice, but it doesn't completely replicate the actual feel of playing with an iPhone (not to mention that things like multitouch and accelerometer info can't be tested on screen). Enter iSimulate, a new app from a company called vimov. In conjunction with a program on your Mac, it allows you to take the input (including multitouch and accelerometer) of an iPhone, and wirelessly connect it to an app running on your monitor. The effect, as you can see above, is basically an iPhone controlling a big-screen app.Which has all sorts of possibilities. Developers can use it to both test and show off their apps, which is nice. But perhaps more importantly, (assuming it works smoothly -- we haven't tested it yet) it will let people use apps on their big screen monitors. Playing on the iPhone's screen is fun and all, but wouldn't it be nicer to play on two big screens at the same time?The app might not quite be ready for that use quite yet -- not only is the app for your Mac called an "SDK" (which definitely means it's meant for developers, not gamers), but the price might be prohibitive as well. They launched it at $2, and the price is going up exponentially (it's now $8) until it arrives at its final price of $32. But this is definitely a great idea. And it if happens to be popular even at that price (for consumers and developers), we wouldn't be surprised to see Apple finally "get it" in terms of bringing some of the App Store's offerings to their own big screen.
McDonalds/Nintendo partnership goes nationwide in Japan with new services
Last year, Nintendo and McDonald's introduced the "Nintendo Spot" service, through which special downloadable content and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection access was made available at a few Tokyo-area McDonalds locations. This week, Nintendo and McDonalds announced that they will offer the service nationwide, with new exclusive content. Train stations on Tokyo's Tsukuba Express line will also have the service, with different exclusive content.The Mac de DS service allows users to access DSiWare, to play online using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and to download special demos and other content. Current material includes a Pokemon stamp rally in which you unlock coupons for McDonalds products by visiting stores and "collecting" Pokemon. There are also quiz games and downloadable comics.We'd say this kind of commercial cross-promotion is despicable, but, really, this has to be designed more with Nintendo's context-sensitive DS download initiative than with marketing -- because neither Mickey D's nor Nintendo really needs to do anything to become more popular. [Via Famitsu]
Ask Joystiq Nintendo: Demonstrative Edition
This week on Ask Joystiq Nintendo, we have just one question to answer as we prepare for E3. Next week, we'll be at E3, so we're taking a brief one-week hiatus from your questions. Hopefully E3 will answer every possible question you could come up with... right? Right?We didn't think the subject of this week's question was confusing until we started to answer it, and then it got kind of confusing. If you have a question for two weeks from now, send it into asknintendo AT joystiq DOT com. On to the question of the week!
Red Faction: Guerrilla MP demo now available for everyone
Our mother always used to tell us that "destroying something beautiful is always better if you do it with friends." She was, of course, a known anarchist and generally untrustworthy. You can imagine, then, how interested we are to test her words in the destructive Red Faction: Guerrilla MP demo, which is now available to all 360 and PS3 owners (or at least it will be available when the PSN update drops).If our mom was on the level (it would be quite the anomaly) and you have a blast, you'll be able to pick up the full game on June 2.
Fight Night Round 4 demo tied to pre-order in UK
Those who pre-order Fight Night Round 4 at UK retailer GameStation will get to bone up on the sweet science a bit early when they're exclusively admitted to the demo on May 14. We're not sure when commoners will get their hands on it, but the game launches in the UK on Xbox 360 and PS3 on June 26, so let's hope it's before that.What we don't know is if a similar program will be implemented stateside. Last we heard the demo was due in mid-May, but now we're unsure if that means with or without a pre-order. We've put a line in to EA and will let you know what we hear.
Demos: Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, Up
Demos for Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection and Up are now available on the marketplace. Coincidentally, the Sonic demo downloads ultra fast. However, the Up demo, which is over a gigglebyte, downloads about as slow as its protaganist can walk with that tennis ball cane. Actually, the Up demo is quite enjoyable -- in a Lego Star Wars kind of way.The Sonic demo includes trials of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Streets of Rage 3 and Space Harrier. Playing the demos reminds us that nostalgia isn't all it's cracked up to be.Update: In case it was missed, Wolverine went live last night. Thanks for the backup, B1ggrandall.[Add the Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection demo to your download queue][Add the UP Demo to your download queue ]
Bionic Commando demo due tomorrow on Xbox Live
Lube up your arm, because ... eww, that didn't sound great, did it? Well then, open your claw and swing from a pipe, because ... yikes, that's not much better. OK, listen, the Bionic Commando demo is coming out tomorrow on Xbox Live, and we can't think of a cute way to lead into that information that doesn't sound dirty. Sorry, it's early.Just as a reminder, if this multiplayer demo is eventually coming to PSN, it hasn't been announced. We'll let you know if we hear anything.%Gallery-24249%
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Every Week on the Nintendo Channel
Last week, we were surprised to see that the new demo offerings for the Nintendo Channel were exactly the same as those the previous week -- most of which were repeats to start with. This week, it's two of the same demos, plus one that is a rerun from previous weeks. And this is how we've managed to feel surprised and bored at the same time.At least there are videos about Cursed Mountain and Night Game to watch. The full list of videos and demos is available after the break.
