Star Fox 64
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Nintendo to release Flame Red 3DS console next month, sunglasses not included
Better dust off your finest pair of shades, because this Flame Red Nintendo 3DS is on its way to the States. The console, which launched earlier this summer in Japan as the Red Flare, will hit stores next month (alongside the new Star Fox 64 3D game), joining a 3DS lineup that already features Cosmo Black and Aqua Blue. The company will also be releasing two new games this winter -- Super Mario 3D Land in November and Mario Kart 7 in December -- in the hopes of rectifying its disappointing Q2 earnings report with a strong holiday campaign. Only time will tell whether or not it has any effect on Nintendo's bottom line, but if you're interested in adding a touch of Santa-like cheer to your yuletide gaming season, you can grab a Flame Red console on September 9th, for $170. Find more information in the full PR, after the break.
Star Fox 64 3D preview: Something old, something new
Remember how fun Star Fox 64 was? And remember how fun the multiplayer was, with the tanks and the Arwings? If you were looking for a more portable version of that multiplayer experience ... well, you won't find it in Star Fox 64 3D. Oddly enough, the original multiplayer mode has been scrapped in favor of something different. There are three different multiplayer modes: Survival, Score Attack and Time Attack. Survival is an elimination-based mode, while the latter two task players with scoring the most points overall in a match and in a set amount of time, respectively. Each of these game types modify the formula slightly, but overall the goal is the same: shoot everyone else and don't get shot yourself. It's basic stuff. %Gallery-128694%
Star Fox 64 3D does a barrel roll to retail on September 9
Forgoing its usual Sunday release strategy, Nintendo has announced that Star Fox 64 3D will launch in North America on a Friday -- September 9, to be exact. That's only a week before the annual family trip to Canada for the Vintage Wings air show! Your family traditions aside, Star Fox 64 3D adds improved graphics, gyroscopic controls and an overhauled multiplayer experience to the N64 classic. Oh, and it's on the 3DS, so you know what that entails. You'll be able to read our preview of the multiplayer mode soon. %Gallery-128694%
Nintendo bringing 'Red Flare' 3DS, new Wii package to Japan this summer
Now that we're all sitting on summer's doorstep, Nintendo has decided to add a little heat to its 3DS lineup, with a new 'Red Flare' handheld, coming to Japan next month. Offering a sanguine alternative to the Aqua Blue and Cosmo Black variants, this little fireball will retail for ¥25,000 (about $312) when it hits Japanese stores on July 14th -- just in time for the release of Star Fox 64 3D. The company is also planning to unleash a new Wii bundle on June 23rd, which will package two Wii Remote Plus controllers (one in black or white, one in blue) with Wii Sports Resort software, for ¥20,000 (around $250). No word yet on whether these offers will be coming Westward anytime soon, but you can find more information in the translated press release, after the break.
Nintendo dominates list of most annoying game characters
Nintendo might well have created some of the most enduring characters of all time, but it's more than capable of concocting annoying ones. At least, that's the message we drew from Cracked.com's list of video game characters that inspire rage -- of the fifteen personalities listed, around half appear in Nintendo games.While we wouldn't normally post about such lists, there's very little room for complaining about many of these choices. Time and again, Slippy's utter ineptitude has seen us launching spittle-flecked rants at our screens, Waluigi possesses a voice akin to nails on a blackboard (though this blogger will admit to finding him useful in Mario Kart DS), and Tingle is annoying for reasons that should need no explaining whatsoever.The only unfair inclusions we can see? The Dog from Duck Hunt, and Animal Crossing: Wild World's Mr. Resetti, whose bluster we actually find entertaining. Not that we're cheats.[Via Digg]
Dojo update: Masterpieces
Do not adjust your monitor. This is still the Nintendo Wii Fanboy Dojo update you know and love, even if today's dojo announcement falls squarely in the region of "Dubya. Tee. Eff."Basically, Brawl will be shipping to stores with several "Masterpieces," disc-based trial versions of Virtual Console games. There's nothing too obscure in the selection revealed so far (Super Mario Bros., Ice Climber, The Legend of Zelda, Kid Icarus, Kirby's Adventure, Super Metroid, and Star Fox 64), but Sakurai has promised that more titles are on the way. Obviously, because they're trial versions, you can only play them for a limited time (though that may not deter some people).You can view this feature in two ways, we suppose. Some will see it as a fitting tribute to the greatest videogame company of all time. Others might decipher this as a cynical piece of free advertising for the Virtual Console. As for us, we're just happy that new or younger players will be getting an insight into Nintendo's outstanding body of work. Just don't look at the games Japan is getting. That would make you angry.%Gallery-10206%%Gallery-6869%
Star Fox 64 arrives, Virtual Console does barrel roll
After last week's serious focus on kingdoms waging war, it comes as a relief to see Nintendo's Virtual Console service returning to its former status, namely that of an anarchic menagerie of anthropomorphic troublemakers. This week, we have foxes recklessly piloting spaceships, dragon's uttering foul words and mutated turtles kicking people in the face. Just who's in charge here? As you might have surmised (admittedly, the headline is a big help), Star Fox 64 (N64) tops the list of retro goodies arriving on the Wii today: Star Fox 64 - N64 - 1,000 points ($10) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - NES - 600 points ($6) Dragon's Curse - TurboGrafx 16 - 600 points ($6) All three titles are available for download now. What isn't available for download at this time, however, is an explanation as to why we're expected to shell out 100 points ($1) above the NES norm for Konami's turtle brawler. Perhaps we're being fined for that terrible pun in the last sentence.
