Wii Virtual Console releases for November 12, 2007

Nintendo has announced the latest additions coming to the Wii Shop’s Virtual Console today at 9am PST.
Volleyball (NES®, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Step onto the court in one of the first volleyball games ever made. Select either the men’s or women’s competition, choose from one of eight available countries to represent, and prepare for some intensely fun game play. The straightforward controls include all the moves you’ll need to effectively direct your six-person team. Take some time mastering them in the training mode, though, because you’ll need all the practice you can get when competing against challenging computer opponents. If you feel like some multiplayer action, take on a friend in the two-player mode and see whose skills are more polished. Block, set and spike your way to victory.

AXELAY (Super NES®, 1 player, rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): Mysterious aliens have invaded the Earth-like planet of Corliss, slowly draining the planet’s resources. Take control of the prototype Axelay ship and use its wide range of advanced weaponry to battle enemy forces. Play through multiple stages of action —from other planets to space stations — all on your way to destroying the alien headquarters. You are Corliss’ last line of defense, so be careful not to be too distracted by the excellent graphics (including great scrolling effects) and rocking music. Pilot the Axelay using Konami’s famously tight play control and experience what many consider to be a classic of the shooter genre.

BLUE’S JOURNEY (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone – Comic Mischief, 900 Wii Points): The planet of Raguy has been invaded by the Daruma tribe, changing it from a beautiful and peaceful place into one filled with pollution. Released in 1991, this horizontally scrolling action game tells the story of an insectarian named Blue and his quest to save the planet and keep its inhabitants from being turned into slaves. Use Blue’s main weapon, a leaf, to flip enemies onto their heads and then throw them at other members of the Daruma tribe, defeating anyone in your way. Additional weapons, such as bombs and boomerangs, are also available, or you can collect flowers to purchase other special items like honey or swim fins. Blue also has the special ability to change his size at will — if he’s too big to fit in a particular area, then shrink him. The bright, colorful graphics, combined with lots of hidden items to find, ensure an enjoyable experience with plenty of replay value. Help Blue muster all his strength and eliminate the Daruma tribe.

Mario left me a voicemail

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(Video found through Kotaku)

Those who pre-ordered Super Mario Galaxy got a nice surprise tonight. Instead of the usual message saying that your pre-order would be available the next day, some got a message from Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario! Martinet quickly starts talking as Mario and confirms the availability of your pre-order. He also describes how awesome the game is and the general synopsis of the story. I think my favorite part is when he says Princess Peach makes his heart go “badda bing badda boom.”

What an awesome little treat for loyal Nintendo fans to get a message from Mario. Whoever thought of this is definitely going to get a hefty bonus.

Bringing the arcade Joystick to the Wii console

The Shaft, an arcade-fighter style joystick complete with turbo for the Wii’s virtual console, is currently available for pre-orders. The site says you can customize it so only some of the buttons are turbo and a “Full 360 Degree range of motion that works with both digital and analog stick games,” though I would honestly be kind of worried if it didn’t. It comes in white, pink, and black and has a 10-year warranty, though no word on whether it’s limited or unlimited.

They’re only taking pre-orders at the moment, and plan to ship in mid-December, just in time for Christmas. If you want to get one you should probably jump on it now, as they say it will normally retail for $79.95, but they’re selling right now for $39.95 for one and $69.95 for two.

I’m not sure how much use gamers could get out of this, considering the primary game most people would use it for is Street Fighter II and the HD version isn’t coming out for the Wii, but I suppose for those who don’t have a Xbox 360 or a PS3 this could be a good option to bring the arcade home. There’s always Virtua Fighter 2…

Update: I talked with a representative of Overline Gaming, the company selling The Shaft, via e-mail.

If you look in the picture above you can’t see it, but in some of the other pictures on their Web site you can see a wire sticking out of the back. The Shaft is wired, but apparently this works better for fighting games.

The Shaft is a wired controller. In our experience, wireless controlles don’t give adequate response in fighting games, so we chose to make it wired.

Also, on the 10-year warranty:

Our 10-year warranty will cover anything except intentional damage (like stomping on it). We will replace any defective units with a new one for 10-years of the purchase date.

EA Confirms EA Chicago is Closing

EA Chicago has closed! Shacknews.com has confirmation from EA that they are indeed closing their Windy City studio, which employed some 150 people. This comes as part of a planned restructuring by the publisher.

“Within the EA Games Label, we are committed to running each franchise and facility as a city/state, teams with unique creative identities as well as responsibility for product quality, ship dates and profitability….Unfortunately, EA Chicago hasn’t been able to meet that standard….Closing EA Chicago is the toughest decision I’ve made in my career - one that in no way reflects on the talent and dedication of the people who work there.”

EA Chicago was responsible for titles like Def Jam, Fight Night, and the Marvel fighting game. No big loss when it comes to game titles, but wow EA should really look at its CEO bonus structure to cut before slashing the people that can make the games.

Guitar Hero III Generates $115 Million In First Week

Activision announces that the release of Guitar Hero III has generated over $115 million in revenue in the game’s first week in stores, making it the fastest selling game in Activision’s history. Specific unit sales for each version have not been revealed. This month, Xbox 360 and PS3 owners of the game will get three downloadable song packs for Guitar Hero III, each pack featuring three songs.

Activision, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI) announced today that consumer sell through for Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock™ exceeded $115 million within seven days of the game’s North American release, making it the largest single product launch in the company’s history. The game was released on October 28, 2007, and will launch in Europe on November 23, 2007.

The Guitar Hero franchise has remained the #1 best-selling franchise in the U.S. through September, according to the NPD Group. The franchise has sold more than six million units worldwide to date, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and Gfk.

Wii Virtual Console releases for November 5th, 2007

Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES(R), 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points):
Remember when no one had ever heard of a Tanooki Suit or knew that Bowser(TM) had a clan of Koopalings? The game that made these things common knowledge is also considered by many to be one of the best ever made. Bowser and the Koopalings are causing chaos yet again, but this time they’re going beyond the Mushroom Kingdom into the seven worlds that neighbor it. Now Mario and Luigi(TM) must battle new enemies, returning favorites and a new Koopaling in each unique and distinctive world on their way to ultimately taking on Bowser himself. Luckily for the brothers, they have more power-ups available than ever before. Fly above the action using the Super Leaf, swim faster by donning the Frog Suit or defeat enemies using the Hammer Bros. Suit. Use the brand-new overworld map to take the chance to play a minigame in hopes of gaining extra lives or to find a Toad’s House where you can pick up additional items. All this (and more) combines into one of gaming’s most well-known and beloved titles-are you ready to experience gaming bliss?

Alien Soldier(TM) (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and
Older -Fantasy Violence, 900 Wii Points):
As Epsilon-Eagle, you are an alien soldier who has been genetically engineered to produce maximum intelligence and strength. You were once a member of the criminal organization Scarlet, but when you decided to break from the group, you were forced into a showdown with Scarlet’s new leader Xi-Tiger, who kills a hostage in his attempt to destroy you. Now it’s up to you to take revenge against the bad guys in this side-scrolling action game! Choose from six different weapons and battle the bosses of Scarlet until you reach the final confrontation with the ultimate secret weapon!

Power Golf (TurboGrafx16, 1-3 players, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points):
Power Golf sports a perfect combination of simple-yet-realistic controls and beautiful graphics. Swing away on 18 lush holes in one of three different game modes: the single-player STROKE PLAY mode and the multiplayer MATCH PLAY and COMPETITION modes. Enter tournaments as one of three different characters-beginner, intermediate and advanced. Wind strength and the slope of the green add extra challenges to each hole. Compete against other players in thestandard NORMAL MATCH or ante up one of your clubs in the unique CLUB MATCH. Up to three players can play in COMPETITION mode, and a handicap feature is included to help novice players pull off breathtaking shots just like their
advanced rivals.

You Cant Buy Manhunt 2 At Target So Dont Try

More trouble for Rockstar Games Manhunt 2, it looks like Target will refuse shipments at the store level and only sell the game online. Gee I bet they will still sell unrated edition DVD’s along side the ultra gory horror movies, BUT OMG we can’t sell manhunt 2 to people 18 and over in the store.

I just spoke to a contact at my local Target store, who informed me of an interesting internal memo. Apparently all Target stores are to stop selling Manhunt 2, going so far as to tell managers to refuse shipments of the title for all systems, with Take 2 agreeing to take back all unopened copies of the game.

Why is this action being taken? The extreme violence in the game is the given reason, but my contact (an employee but not a manager) was told that it was due in greater part to the unfavorable coverage the game got in the national press the last several days. Target stores had been selling the game since it’s launch, but it was only today that they were told to pull the product and refuse further shipments.

The listing for Manhunt 2 on the Target website shows that the item is “not available in stores.”

I’ve spoken to employees of several other large retailers (Best Buy, Gamestop and Circuit City) and none of them are, at this time, taking similar actions.

[Source Evil Avatar]

ESRB Response On Keeping Manhunt 2’s M Rating

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board now has the full statement from its president Patricia Vance on keeping the M rating for Manhunt 2 even with the hacked code on the PSP version:

Manhunt 2 was rated Mature by the ESRB for ages 17 and older for Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Drugs.

Earlier this week we learned about a hack into the code of the PSP and PS2 versions of the game that removes special effects filters that were put in place to obscure certain violent depictions. We have investigated the matter and concluded that unauthorized versions of the game have been released on the Internet along with instructions on how to modify the code to remove the special effects. Once numerous changes to the game’s code have been made and other unauthorized software programs have been downloaded to the hardware device which circumvent security controls that prevent unauthorized games from being played on that hardware, a player can view unobscured versions of certain violent acts in the game. Contrary to some reports, however, we do not believe these modifications fully restore the product to the version that originally received an AO rating, nor is this a matter of unlocking content.

Our investigation indicates that the game’s publisher disclosed to the ESRB all pertinent content in the authorized Mature-rated version of Manhunt 2 now available in stores, and complied with our guidelines on full disclosure of content.

What parents, and indeed all consumers, need to be aware of is that computer software and hardware devices are susceptible to unauthorized modification. Parents should be cognizant of whether or not their children are engaging in unauthorized modification of their games, consoles or handhelds, as those modifications can change game content in ways that may be inconsistent with the assigned ESRB rating. That being said, the vast majority of consumers have not made the unauthorized modifications to their hardware necessary to view the content at issue.

Rockstar and ESRB In Trouble In California Over Manhunt 2 PSP Hack

California State Senator and noted anti-video game critic Leland Yee has slammed both Rockstar Games and the ESRB ratings system after it was revealed that the PSP “M” rated version of Manhunt 2 could have some of the “AO” content of the game unlocked:

Not only should the AO rating immediately be reinstated on this game, the Federal Trade Commission should investigate Rockstar and the ESRB to determine how this was allowed to happen again, said Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo), the author of California’s law attempting to prohibit the sale of extremely violent video games to minors.

This does not even mention that the procedure to unlock the “AO” content in the PSP version of Manhunt 2 is extremely complicated and it requires making hacks in a moded PSP system. The content is not accessible when people just play the game with a normal PSP.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl To Include Level Editor

The latest addition to the official Super Smash Bros. Brawl web site announces that the upcoming Nintendo Wii fighting game will include a level editor for the first time in the history of the series.

Unlike the Forge editor in Halo 3, the Super Smash Bros. Brawl editor will allow people to make new levels for the game from stratch and allow you to send the new levels to your Wii friends.