Nintendo’s DSiWare downloadable game service is quickly filling with cheap, quick-to-play games, and this week, two more are added to the burgeoning list. Clubhouse Games Express: Card Classics, published by Nintendo, offers five different games for 500 DSi points ($5). Included in the package are Blackjack, Five Card Draw, Last Card, Last Card Plus, and President. For 200 points ($2), DSi owners can download Paper Airplane Chase, where up to two players can guide their aerodynamic origami through obstacle courses.

On the Wii, gamers can pick up one original game and one hit from days gone by this week. New to WiiWare is Neko Entertainment’s Cocoto Platform Jumper, a vertically oriented action platformer in which a small demon attempts to find his friends in a very large cauldron. The game is available for 700 Wii points ($7). Nobunaga’s Ambition, originally released for the SNES in 1991, has been added to the Wii’s Virtual Console for 800 Wii points, or $8.

View both WiiWare game videos below…

(more…)

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata’s GDC keynote reveals Link’s new portable adventure, Wii sales stats, console’s “complete storage solution” SD-card compatibility; Full Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks trailer inside.

SAN FRANCISCO–Three years ago at the 2006 Game Developers Conference, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata urged developers to “think differently” and disrupt the status quo. In November of that year, his firm did just that with the launch of the Wii. Insanely popular from the get-go, the console was nearly impossible to find at retailers during its first year on the market.

(more…)

Nintendo is presenting us with two underwhelming titles this week. WiiWare is getting “Family & Friends Party”, which is basically a board game played on the Wii. It was developed by Gammick Entertainment for 1-8 players and can be yours for 1000 points. The VC is getting “Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen”, an original SNES title. The strategy game was originally developed by Enix of America and had a very limited release making it a highly sought after game. Ogre Battle is a one player game and can be purchased today for 800 points. See the full press release from Nintendo below.

(more…)

Nintendo plans to add brilliant Square Enix Super Nintendo action role-player Secret of Mana to the Wii Virtual Console on Boxing Day.

This is one of our all-time SNES favorites, and at 800 Wii Points (GBP 6 / EUR 8 approx) we’ve no need to be asked twice. Consider the three-player co-op, upgradable weapons, ridable dragon and epic plot and you shouldn’t need much prompting either. Punchable rabbit-things, too. Even now the words “ring menu system” give us chills.

The same day also hails the arrival of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 from the days of the Master System. Sonic was good back then, and at 500 Points (GBP 3.50 / EUR 5 approx) it’s a cheap trip down memory lane, where Tails is invited to cross the road without looking. Splat.

Source: eurogamer

I still remember when I got my first Nintendo. It was either in 1991 or 1992. I vividly remember opening the box, unwrapping the controllers and accessories and hooking everything up. Okay, well maybe my parents hooked it up since I was only 6 years old at the time, but still. Those memories will last forever.

At the time the original Nintendo Entertainment System was the best new video game console to hit the market. It had 8 bit graphics with stereo quality sound. In fact, I own a Nintendo NES to this day and will hold onto it forever. Those old games never truly get “old.”

I particularly like the Mario Bros. series games as well as Duck Hunt. You gotta love Duck Hunt! A true first-person shooter that makes use of a gun that you can point and aim at the  screen, and then at the right moment, pull the trigger for the perfect shot.

A few years later, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was born. Of course, I had to have one of those as well. Around this time the Sega Genesis came on the scene as Nintendo’s biggest competitor. I owned an SNES, and my friends owned a Sega. I never could get used to the Sega, but it was fun nonetheless.

Video game consoles have evolved a lot over the past 20 years. Some consoles have come and gone, while new companies joined in on the video gaming world. As technology becomes better and better, so do the video game systems.

Right now the major players in the video game industry are Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. There’s no d0ubt some stiff competition between the three. I have to admit that all three are top notch and provide their own unique value to users.

I believe what makes Nintendo stand out from the crowd is the longevity that it’s been around. The Nintendo NES was first launched in 1985. It’s now 2009, 24 years later! That really says something about Nintendo.

What’s more impressive is the now popular Wii gaming system that has boosted Nintendo past Sony and Microsoft. The Wii is truly unique and one of a kind. It provides interaction to video games that no other console can provide.

The funny thing is that the same technology used in the Wii was used with the NES. The technology is just now more refined. Back then you had the infrared gun for Duck Hunt as I mentioned. You also had a glove with motion sensing technology, similar to that of the Wii. There was also another accessory that made use of motion.

The fact that Nintendo keeps improving its technology and is looking after the video game enthusiasts who want to dive into the action and be a part of the game says a lot.

I believe that Nintendo still stands as the King of video gaming and will continue to provide the latest and best video game experience that no other console can provide.

That’s not to say they have the most popular or best games by any means, but Nintendo has gained respect with many video gamers due to their seniority in the industry and the value that they provide.