Play It On Wii Series Announced for Japan

The "Play it on Wii" series of games will be an excuse for Nintendo to re-release and add Wii controls to its existing lineup of Gamecube games. So far the series of games is only in Japan but will hopefully make it into the states next year. The only two games shown that will release next month in Japan are the original Pikmin (I guess Miyamoto was right when he said there would be a Pikmin game on Wii) and Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat. Famitsu also reports that Chibi-Robo, Mario Power Tennis, and Metroid Prime 1 and 2 will be getting a "Play it on Wii" makeover in Japan. I am hoping Nintendo sees games like Super Mario Sunshine and Luigi's Mansion really take advantage of Wii's controls and will re-release those on Wii as well. Lets hope this along with Disaster: Day of Crisis make it to the states real soon.


Get the GamersCast Newsletter! All of the quality news you would find here can be sent directly to your e-mail's inbox or Wii's Message Board the instant news is posted here! Simply send an e-mail to GCnewsletter@gmail.com or register GCnewsletter@gmail.com into your Nintendo Wii's Address Book to subscribe!

Gamecube Controller Re-Born!

It is no secret that nearly everyone who owns Super Smash Brothers Brawl prefers the Gamecube controller. In fact, the demand for the dead controllers is so outrageously high, that Nintendo is going to be manufacturing them again! That's right a controller has been brought back from the dead thanks to Super Smash Brothers!

However, to match the Wii, along of these new Gamecube controllers will come in one color: White. The new controller takes the design of the wired controllers, but is completely wireless and has a rumble feature, unlike the Wavebird controllers. These controllers will be priced at $20 (the original price of the wired Gamecube Controllers) and are now becoming available in Japan. However, there's no word yet on when we'll see them come out on our side of the world.

You know, it probably wasn't just Smash Brothers that made them do this, consdering how many upcoming Wii games are also using the Gamecube controller, like Mario Kart Wii. I think it was just Brawl that gave them the push to do it.




Get the GamersCast Newsletter! All of the quality news you would find here can be sent directly to your e-mail's inbox or Wii's Message Board the instant news is posted here! Simply send an e-mail to GCnewsletter@gmail.com or register GCnewsletter@gmail.com into your Nintendo Wii's Address Book to subscribe!

Brawl News!

Well, there's loads of Super Smash Brothers Brawl news, so I thought I might as well put it all in one convenient post!

First off, the Japanese 24-hour sales record was broken by Super Smash Brothers Brawl selling over 500,000 copies! Now this may not sound like a lot compared to America's record set by Halo 3, but considering Japan is 26 times smaller than the US, and the only reason that many were sold was because most gamers couldn't find a copy... It's A LOT! In fact, over 80% of copies shipped were sold, which is quite insane. It's also notable to mention that many stores sold out of Gamecube controllers as well. So, you might want to buy some before it goes on sale near you!

Actually, the game is so hard to find, that many gamers have no problem spending over $300 for the game on eBay. Of course, some of the bidders in these auctions are Americans, since import sites like Play-Asia, can't even get there hands on a copy, which is charging quite a bit for a copy of Brawl as well, not to mention the shipping rate for the US. Actually, if you order one from Play-Asia now, it would already be released in the States before you got it.

And if you were lucky enough to have both a Japanese Wii and Brawl, then you may still be out of luck. As many Japanese gamers were enraged to find the game didn't work on the their console. Nintendo says because the game is dual-layered, even the least bit of dirt on the drive could cause the game not to function properly. And so Nintendo is now cleaning Wiis for free and paying for shipping. People getting their consoles cleaned should get it back in a week, but they're only doing it for regions Brawl was released in, so importers may be disappointed to find they have a dirty little Wii!

And of course, those who did get Brawl are sacrificing play time to gloat across YouTube, and take a closer look into the game. A nice quick (well, actually not quick at all) file dump shows that eight characters originally intended for the game were scrapped at the last second. The dump also revealed 582 Trophies, 27 assist trophies, and LOADS AND LOADS of music. So much music, in fact, that nobody wants to take the time to count. And with 36 composers and developers they admit they went a bit overboard, we're all in for a hell of a game, once it releases on March 9th in the US!

PS: I'm still trying to get an American copy in advance, but it's proving to be quite the challenge. I'll let you all know how my quest for Brawl goes, as it progresses.

2007 Game of the Year Awards Results!

GamersCast's 1st ever live podcast has just ended and I am happy to report it was quite the success! The unedited version can be heard streaming on http://www.Ustream.tv while I am will be editing the file to sound better as all of our other podcasts traditionally do. We have learned quite a bit from this experience and from it, we now know how to make it even better in the future! Anyway, for those for are interested, here are the winners of the 2007 GamersCast Awards!

Best Xbox Live Arcade Game
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords

Best Wii Virtual Console Game
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Best Xbox Game
Madden NFL '08

Best Gamecube Game
Ratatouille

Best PlayStation 2 Game
God of War II

Best PlayStation 3 Game
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Best Wii Game
Super Mario Galaxy

Best Xbox Original Download
Fable

Best Nintendo DS Game
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Best Xbox 360 Game
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Best PC Game
BioShock

Best First Person Shooter
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Best Soundtrack
TIE!
Guitar Hero III
Rockband

Best Action Game
Super Mario Galaxy

Best PSP Game
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions

Best Sports Game
Madden NFL '08

Worst Game of 2007
Tamagotchi: Party On! (Wii)

Best Upcoming Game of 2008
Super Smash Brothers Brawl

2007 GAME OF THE YEAR...
Super Mario Galaxy


You can hear the full debating and voting process in our live show, which is going to be added to our podcast feed over the weekend, or you can listen to the unedited version on http://ustream.tv though I wouldn't recommend it, because then you will see why editing is so important! :-P

GamersCast's 2007 Game of The Year Award Nominees!

UPDATE: The LIVE episode of GamersCast will broadcasted on December 27, 2007 at 6:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time - EST; -500 GMT). Details on where to go to listen in will be posted on the GamersCast homepage on December 27.



Well, it's that time of year again....
It's time for GamersCast's Annual Game of The Year Awards Show! Last year the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess took top honors, who will win this year?

This time we have a number of different categories for you guys to vote in! To vote, listen to the special and brief GamersCast 2007 Game of The Year Awards Episode! It's only a few minutes long and lists all the candidates for the awards!

The winners will be announced during a LIVE episode of GamersCast being broadcasted over the internet later this month!

To hear the list of nominees click here.

Manhunt 2 gets AO Rating and Banned in Two Countries (3 Updates Below)

Manhunt 2 from Rockstar games went from being an anticipated game to being one of the most violent games ever. If you have never heard of this game, Manhunt 2 from Rockstar games, masterminds behind the Grand Theft Auto series, was supposed to redefine the horror genre just like the first one on PS2 and Xbox. It is supposed to come out in July 2007 for Wii, Playstation 2, and PSP. The game has been looked at by game raters in the US and Europe. The game was immediately banned in the United Kingdom for extreme violence. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which rates games in North America has given the game an AO rating which is the highest rating they can give and has only has been given to about 25 games out of the thousands of games rated by them. Then, the game was banned in Ireland. Nintendo of America and Sony said that they do not allow AO games to be on their systems and retailers like Blockbuster, Wal-Mart, and Gamestop refuse to sell AO rated games. Rockstar is furious and upset. Right now their options are:
1. Talk to the rating companies and convince them to give the game a lower rating and get it unbanned
2. Edit the game so it is less gory and send it back to the rating companies
3. Cancel the game entierly

UPDATE: Here is the official statement released by Nintendo of America upon hearing the news of Manhunt 2's AO rating:

"Games made for Nintendo systems enjoy a broad variety of styles, genres and ratings. These are some of the reasons our Wii and Nintendo DS systems appeal to such a broad range of people. But as with books, television and movies, different content is meant for different audiences. That's why the ESRB provides ratings to help consumers understand the content of a game before they purchase it."
"As stated on Nintendo.com, Nintendo does not allow any AO-rated content on its systems."

UPDATE 2: After hearing the news of the AO rating to Manhunt 2, Rockstar Games had this to say:

"While we respect the authority of the classification board and will abide by the rules, we emphatically disagree with this particular decision. Manhunt 2 is an entertainment experience for fans of psychological thrillers and horror. The subject matter of this game is in line with other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers.

"We respect those who have different opinions about the horror genre and video games as a whole, but we hope they will also consider the opinions of the adult gamers for whom this product is intended. We believe all products should be rated to allow the public to make informed choices about the media and art they wish to consume. The stories in modern video games are as diverse as the stories in books, film and television. The adult consumers who would play this game fully understand that it is fictional interactive entertainment and nothing more."

UPDATE 3: Figures, after all the updates we have been doing on this game lately, it isn't surprising that Manhunt 2 has been delayed. No doubt, it's being delayed give it a more friendly M rating from ESRB so that its release will be permitted by Sony and Nintendo. No official release date has yet to have been announced.

Smash Brothers Brawl Control Revealed

Yeah, in one of the daily updates at SmashBros.com they announced what controller will be used in Super Smash Brothers Brawl. I personally thought either Gamecube Controller or a sideways Wii Remote. Well, my prediction was right, sorta.
Super Smash Brothers Brawl will use every possible control layout during play.


It uses the Classic Style Wii Remote, Wii Classic Controller, Wii Remote + Nunchuck, and the Gamecube Controller. And while, Nintendo said Gamecube controller would be the easiest to know, they also said using the 3 other control options would provide a much fresher feeling to the game.

So, despite the console is no longer being shipped, my guess is that Nintendo Gamecube controllers will still be around for quite some time to come. However, no control scheme has yet been announced, though we can assume that the Gamecube control scheme is almost identical to Super Smash Brothers Melee. They did also say, that the control scheme would be posted on the site, in due time. But they did miss one control layout. Couldn't the Nintendo DS act as a controller? :P

Blast from the Past: Mario 128 Technical Demo

Not too many people seemed to have ever seen the technical demo that is so often referred to by the gaming media, at Spaceworld 2000. But of course, almost everyone now-a-days has heard of it. Now that we know exactly what happened to Mario 128, here's a little blast from the past! This video is going to be exclusively available to the podcast feed, so here's the link:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=79240767&s=143441&i=14691338

Gamecube Officially Dead

Nintendo has offically announced that they will no longer be manufacturing Nintendo Gamecubes anymore, as of last weekend, that they will no longer be manufacturing Nintendo Gamecube consoles, so the stores will now be getting their last shipments of Gamecubes, for sale at retail value of $99.99 This is most likely done in response to their Nintendo Wii console dominating January's sales charts with an impressive 450,000+ units sold, while the Gamecube got the lowest sales of a mere 40,000- units sold.

The Nintendo Gamecube launched on November 17, 2001 on the night of a meteor shower (just like the Wii launch!). It was victim to the one-year headstart established by Sony's already successful PlayStation 2 (kinda like Xbox 360). Then, it quickly became a contender in the 128-bit console wars, with launch titles of Luigi's Mansion and Super Smash Brothers Melee. Then, after a long drought of 1st party games, the Gamecube quickly lost momentum and fell victim to Microsoft's first step into the gaming world with the Xbox, carrying titles such as Halo: Combat Evoloved and Halo 2 in its onslaught. In 2003, they did manage to pull off Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker which was welcomed with mixed feelings by the new style of playful cell-shaded graphics, and they also pulled out what was yet another sequal to Super Mario 64, entitled Super Mario Sunshine.
2004 was Nintendo's last true year of success with their cute little purple console. It had titles like Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure and the title widely proclaimed as the scariest and arguably greatest game of all-time, which was surprisingly released by a 3rd party company, it was Resident Evil 4!
2005 the Gamecube began to die down, as Nintendo began to focus its efforts in the Nintendo DS. 2005 began the longest drought of games that the system endured, especially for a console that had A LOT of droughts.
Finally, on December 12, 2006 the Gamecube went out with a bang, releasing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. However, it was overshadowed by the Wii's port of the game. Every other game that was planned for released by Nintendo was quickly, yet quietly ported over to the Wii. And now, the console has seen the light at the end of the tunnel.

But now that Nintendo is no longer producing Gamecubes they now have even more machines capable of building Wiis to satisfy the high demand. Nintendo's Gamecube finished last in the 128-bit console war, and Nintendo's president, Reggie-Anim-Fils says that the Gamecubes greatest flaw was the long drought of games (NO KIDDING!), and they say they will try to prevent this from happening with the Wii. So far Nintendo has been true to their word by releasing 1st party titles every month, weekly updates to the Wii Shop Channel, and having strengthening 3rd party support. But how long will they be able to keep it up? Is Nintendo putting out too many high-end titles for download all at once? Will the 3rd party give the Wii a chance? Being so early on in the HD Console Wars its hard to say, but we'll have to wait and see.


R.I.P.
Nintendo Gamecube
November 17, 2001 - February 23, 2007