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European Square Enix store now open
The official online Square Enix store has finally opened its doors to Europeans. Fancy grabbing some figurines of your favorite Final Fantasy characters? How about cell phone charms or weapon replicas? The store has all these things and more. At the moment it's only open to people residing in the United Kingdom, Germany and France though there are plans to expand it further.Sure, it's all pretty expensive and comes with some arbitrary rules, such as "all orders must exceed £23/€29 to be processed," but that won't hold back the fanboys. So if you're a European who has been wondering how to get your hands on some Final Fantasy jewellery or a scarily detailed figure of Cloud, you know where to go.
iPhone 3G breaks cover, shows up in Swiss store display
You probably saw this one coming, but with that massive slew of countries and partners Apple has wrangled for the new iPhone launch, that July 11th street date was bound to be neglected. So here you have it, courtesy of the french blog Gadget O'Mac, an iPhone 3G on display in a shop in Switzerland. While the shots may be blurry, we at least get to see this thing in the hands of someone other than an Apple employee, and coupled with that Portuguese leak, this should thoroughly whet your appetite for Friday. Check out a few more shots after the break.[Thanks, Florence]
Alchemist's shop training
Remuooru no Alchemist DS is a remake of a PC strategy game about running an alchemy shop to get out of debt. It's a pretty specific situation, and one you're probably not likely to run into -- although debt is certainly prevalent enough. Alchemist involves securing stock from farmers and wandering adventurers, then filling your shelves with a combination of unaltered materials and alchemically-combined products. You can use your profits to pay off your debts and also to expand your shop.The cute graphics and rather bizarre subject matter lift Remuooru no Alchemist above more mundane simulators. We're a lot more likely to want to run a fake shop to get out of fake debt if it's a magical fake shop.
Blizzard store relaunched with digital downloads
Blizzard has launched a new online store, selling games (both digital and off the grid), books, collectibles, limited apparel and more. The store is now also offering titles for digital download -- right now only Starcraft and Warcraft III (as well as their respective expansion packs) are available, but according to this handy F.A.Q., more will be made available later. As noted by WoW Insider, registering for the store enters you into a lottery to partake in an upcoming beta such as Wrath of the Lich King, Starcraft II or the as-of-yet unannounced (but we dream so very much) Rock and Roll Racing MMO.[Via WoW Insider]
Wii Shop Channel down for maintenance [update]
Update: Looks like the Wii Shop Channel is back up and running fine. Imagine our surprise when going online to check out this week's Virtual Console releases, anxious to try the game you all are undoubtedly looking forward to, when we see this screen. For shame, Nintendo, to play with our emotions and expectations. We need this game, so let us have it already!No word on when the maintenance will be over, but we'll keep checking it. If you notice before us, be sure to toss us a tip.
Get ready to gift: Wii Shop Channel down for maintenance
Sure enough, we got online to do our usual video wrap-up post when we discovered that the Shop was down. We tried our best to beat the buzzer, but sure enough, our luck is lacking. So, we're going to keep an eye on the store and when it goes back up, we'll do the feature, so be sure to keep an eye out tonight. If you aren't able to hang about late, then be sure to check in the morning.
VC gift-giving feature coming tonight!
Just in time for you to buy everyone you know a copy of Gunstar Heroes for Christmas! Nintendo announced that it will be enabling its Virtual Console gifting feature for the US later today, enabling Wii owners in the states to purchase classic games and send them to people they've traded Friend Codes with. We've already spent way too much money buying games for ourselves; we shudder to think how many Wii Points we're going to spend now forcing all of our friends to download Devil's Crush. [Via Press Release]
Japanese Wii owners can give the gift of VC on the 11th
The new gift-giving feature of the Wii Shop Channel will be available in Japan starting December 11th, according to Nintendo's demonstration video of the service. And, for those of you new to Nintendo, the service is quite easy to use. You just select a game from the shop as normal, at which point you're given the option to buy it yourself or give it. Then you select the recipient from a list (complete with Mii representations!) and send it away! An error message will tell you if they already have the game, or (we think) if parental controls prevent them from playing it. And then your friend gets a festively wrapped note on their Wii Message Board!The service is supposed to be available worldwide in time for the holidays, so expect a similar announcement for other regions soon! Then we can all start forcing our preferences on each other.[Via NeoGAF]
Save your gil for the Square Enix online shop
If there's one defining characteristic of the Square Enix fanbase, it's that they love buyin' stuff. How else would you explain the myriad re-releases of Final Fantasy games? Square Enix hopes to facilitate these fans' insatiable need to fill their inventories. They've set up a website that will, in the near future, be the home of an official Square Enix shop. Will they have lots of expensive figurines? No doubt! Will you be able to buy the Potion drink there? Possibly! How about Tidus's pants, as seen above? Why, there's no end to the kinds of pants they could sell!Not literally. If they never ended, there'd be no holes to put your feet through. [Via 1up]
HP's Retail Store Assistant: a wallet's worst enemy
Fellas, if you thought Ralph Lauren's literal window shopping contraption was your wallet's arch-rival, we've got some unfortunate news, and for the ladies (or guys) who just love to spend it up, HP's about to become your very best friend. The clever gurus at HP Labs have developed a marketer's dream tool that enables customers to enter a retail store, swipe a card, and instantly receive a printout (shown after the jump) that includes "a personalized shopping list, relevant coupons, notice of associated store discounts or sales, and even a map to where the items can be found in the store." The inaccurately named Retail Store Assistant (we were thinking more along the lines of Wallet Depleter) is currently in the "experimental" stage, and would include an in-store kiosk which customers could access via a loyalty card or by inputting their phone number. Of course, this isn't the first stab we've seen at retailers using previous history to target consumers, but the team behind this apparatus insists that it will be much more effective than the typical junk mail that barely graces our eyes before hitting the trash. Best Worst of all, the system will reportedly be available even on the web, meaning that those with an urge to shop can log on during the waning hours of the workday and plan out their shopping spree for maximum efficiency. Oh, the humanity.
Rumor: Impossible Mission remake going to Wii Shop?
Oh, good, another one of those vague, confusing rumors we love so well! Infendo is reporting that the latest issue of Nintendo Power reveals a downloadable Wii Shop version of the Commodore 64 classic Impossible Mission. Infendo seemed to think that the Wii Shop version would be the same as the DS remake. However, the resulting NeoGAF thread made the situation seem a lot less clear.Apparently, publisher System 3 also plans to release a retail disc of Impossible Mission. It would be kind of weird to release the same game on disc and the Wii Shop, right? But it would also be weird to release the exact same game for Wii and DS. After all, the DS is not the PSP. So, with no real information to go on, let's do some speculatin'! Here are all the possibilities we can think of: The same game is coming out for both the Wii and DS. Unlikely. The DS game will be downloadable on the Wii, and will release concurrently with a separate Wii version. The DS and Wii remakes will be separate and accompanied by a Virtual Console release of the C64 original. This seems more plausible. LIES!
DS kiosks brighten up Korean mall
These photos from a Korean mall's Nintendo DS kiosks are from a month ago, but it's interesting to see how the handheld is being promoted in the East Asian country. The showroom's walls are lined with posters of celebrities playing with DS Lites, stylish-looking chairs and tables are available for idlers, and a glass divider separates the area from the rest of the shopping center while still attracting passer-bys with gaming treats. It isn't clear if this is a permanent setup or if the kiosks are only there for the interim to accompany the DS' recent launch in Korea. The way Nintendo has put its games on display, encouraging people to try out titles like New Super Mario Bros., Brain Training, and English Training in an attractive space, reminds us a lot of Apple's brick and mortar stores and the old Xbox 360 Lounge in Japan. Do we have anything like this to advocate the Nintendo DS in the states? Check for more photos after the jump.[Via Insert Credit]
Wii shirts rounded up
Keeping track of all the Wii t-shirts being sold on the internet can be tough. Whenever we try to wade through our bookmarks to pick one out, it feels like we're drowning in a sea of outdated pages and bad puns.OMG Tees has listed over a dozen of the best Wii-related apparel, providing photos, descriptions, and information on where to buy them. We've featured the Beatles and custom Mii designs before, but some of collected shirts (like the Bruce Wii one shown above) have managed to escape our attention until now. Would you actually dole out cash for any of these shirts? Or are you more like us, always putting it off and telling yourself that you'll buy one as soon as you have a little more extra cash laying around?
Circuit City guarantees Super Paper Mario, puts money where mouth is
Of the many scandalous practices that game shops often subject us to without fear of reprisal, pre-order harassment is one of the worst. Not only will you be sneered at and interrogated for not reserving a new release, you'll be castigated in front of your friends and family, your manhood and the chasteness of your mother called into question. We are told that someone will also sneak under you and tie your shoelaces together so that you'll trip when you try to walk away. This is the reality of video game retailers around the country.Buying from electronics superstores like Best Buy or Fry's cuts down on the unchecked tomfoolery that governs mall-based game shops, but Circuit City is taking an extra step to satisfy its customers. As marked in last Sunday's advertisements, if you're not able to find a copy of Super Paper Mario at Circuit City tomorrow after 2 PM, the store will compensate you with a $20 gift card.A guarantee and good will gesture like that puts Circuit City at the top of our list of places to buy Super Paper Mario and other games from. We'll just have to make sure that we wear our velcro strap shoes when we go to cancel our pre-orders. [Via Opposable Thumbs]
Wii Warm Up: Where do you shop?
We know lots of gamers who have pretty adamant stances either for or against certain retail outlets, so we thought it might be an appropriate bone upon which we could throw down this fine morning. Let's not pull any punches. Where do you shop -- and what stores will you avoid unless there is absolutely no alternative? Share your experiences, the good and the bad, and hey ... you can throw in some ugly if you feel so inclined.
Get a job as VC coordinator, become our best friend
Nintendo has a job listing on their web site for what seems like one of the coolest jobs ever: Wii Shop Channel Coordinator. You'd be in charge of, among other things, "Coordinat(ing) the production of Wii Shop Channel content, including Virtual Console and other digitally distributed titles." Naturally, we want one of our readers to get this job. Specifically, we want a Virtually Overlooked fan to get this job. We'd apply ourselves, but we have a Sacred Duty to keep our faithful audience informed. Plus, you know, qualifications.[Via Game|Life]
Puzzle Quest loved by Penny Arcade, tossed aside by game shops?
Ever since Infinite Interactive released a PC demo for Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, gamers have been scrambling to find a DS or PSP copy of the title. The addictiveness of its Puzzle/RPG blend is matched only by its apparent rarity in stores. NeoGAF forumer Eric P aptly described the game and its limited distribution when he posted, "If Bejeweled is crack, then this is Space Crack that you can only buy from Space Crips in Space Angeles's space ghettos."Don't expect those Space Crips or your local shop to hang onto unsold copies for too long, though. According to Penny Arcade, Electronics Boutique stores in Canada might already be taking the game off their shelves due to disappointing sales. Considering that this much sought-after title was released only a week ago, ousting it this early in its lifetime seems downright unconscionable. We really hope this isn't a trend that other North American retailers will follow.Meanwhile, both the DS Fanboy and Penny Arcade offices have been caught by Puzzle Quest's steely grip, rendering us incapable of focusing our thoughts on anything else. Tycho and Gabe have drawn up two comics about the title in just the past week, dedicating several posts to their adventures obtaining and playing the game.Infinite Interactive's Steve Fawkner published a short comic of his own, explaining Puzzle Quest's shipment shortage. Check it out past the post break.
Europe: WELCOME TO WARP ZONE!
European Wii Shop users got a pleasant surprise: a secret area inside the Virtual Console section! To access it, follow these simple steps: Be European (depending on your circumstances, this is either the easiest or hardest step). Download the latest update. Click on the little smiley emoticon. So far, there's not much other than a blurb about Kirby (a "blurby"), but it's going to be a trivia channel about Nintendo characters! An encyclopedia of gaming! Between this and the Virtual Console, the Wii is on the way to becoming the premiere console for librarians.Jump over the post break to enter GERMAN YOUTUBE DEMONSTRATION ZONE![Via GayGamer]
Today's hottest game video: Wii browser shop "hack"
Today's top slot on the hottest gaming video charts is occupied by the vomiting Wii that we showed you earlier (we're convinced it's another new Nintendo game innovation called Chase the Disc, making the gamer get even more active), so we're moving down to number two -- a way to hack your Wii and surf the web before the browser comes out.The Wii won't officially have it's Opera 9 browser until later, but clever individuals have figured out how to "hack" the settings on the Shop Channel (which is basically a stripped-down browser), and venture out onto the web. It's not the prettiest solution, but it'll get you surfing until the real thing finally drops.The first person to browse Joystiq using this method on their Wii and post a screenshot (preferably of this post) in the comments will receive our praise and holiday cheer. Check out the video after the jump, then fire up your Wii and make us proud.
Fresh screens for Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2
Releasing this week, Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 2 features many a Tamagotchi, as well as 12 different shops. As you progress through the game, and subsequently earn "Gotchi" points, you'll upgrade and open new shops, as well as purchase a plethora of decorations and clothes for your Tamagotchi. Favorite venues return, such as the Flower Shop and Concert Hall, as well as some new ones in the Bowling Alley and Sushi Bar.GameSpot has posted 8 new screens of the game depicting many of the Tamagotchi, as well as some of the shops.
