Thursday, 10/09/03
Viewtiful Joe
The game is out. Go buy Viewtiful Joe. Early reports suggest that it is selling out
in most locations, although we're not sure if this is because of great demand or just a
limited shipment. Even Capcom's on-line store sold out.
Mario Kart: Double Dash Preorder Disc Site
Not only does Nintendo now have a Mario Kart: Double Dash
page up, they have a subpage dedicated just to
the bonus disc you get if you preorder it. In other MK:DD news, Nintendo plans to
spend $10 million advertising the game, featuring it prominently in the upcoming "Who Are You?"
mall tours.
Mini Nintendo Conference in Japan
Between October 15th and 17th, Nintendo will be having some kind of mini conference to show its
upcoming titles off to retailers in Japan. Nothing new is expected to be revealed, but there is
always the chance of some new information coming out.
GC and the UK
It seems that U.K. retailer Argos is selling the GC again. Earlier this year they had cleared
out the system and ended sales.
Tuesday, 10/07/03
Zelda Compilation Coming
It seems that the rumor of a Zelda compilation disc is true after all. According to IGN
and others, retailers have received promotional art for a Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition
disc, to be packed with GC systems. The disc label states that it contains The Legend of Zelda,
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask, along
with a Wind Waker demo. The disc is labeled "Not For Resale", much like those Nintendo
promotional discs from earlier this year. At this point, very little is known about the disc,
but it might only be released as a new GC unit pack in.
GC Outselling PS2 and Xbox?
Since the GC price drop, the little system has seen a surge in sales. According to NOA,
last week's system sales show the GC with 64,000 sales, the PS2 with 53,000, and the
Xbox with a mere 26,000. It seems that a $50 price drop does push systems. How long it
will last is another question, of course.
Nintendo Posts Half Year Loss
While the fiscal year isn't over yet, Nintendo has announced to its shareholders that they
have had a net loss of about $27 million. While this isn't all that bad or unusual for
a company to announce these days, it is the first time Nintendo has ever posted a loss.
The losses are primarily blamed on the yen rising in value,
deflating Nintendo's foreign earnings. Nintendo has announced that they do expect to turn a tidy
profit by the end of the fiscal year (in March).
In a related story, Nintendo's stock fell nearly 3% in value, although analysts belive it
will be a short term price drop.
Nintendo of Europe Enjoys Failure
It seems that the former Director of Sales and Marketing for Nintendo Australia is becoming
General Manager of Nintendo UK. David Yarnton's career at Nintendo Australia is interesting,
if for little other reason than the fact that the GC has failed utterly in Australia. Let's
hope he manages not to mess things up in the UK all that badly.
Mario Kart: Double Dash Bonus Disc Contents
The MK:DD bonus disc, currently scheduled to be given away when you pick up Mario Kart
in November, is supposed to be packed with demos and GBA freebies. At this point, demos planned
for the disc include Sonic Heroes, Rebel Strike, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, F-Zero,
and Mario Party 5. There is also supposed to be some kind of downloadable bonus data
for the GBA game Fire Emblem. This list has been culled from various online game stores,
so take it with a grain of salt, just in case.
Donkey Konga Tidbit
Some sites are now reporting that Donkey Konga features a remake of Donkey Kong Jr.. It
seems more likely that one of the game modes is fashioned after the DK Jr. gameplay, but not much
is known at this time. Aren't you happier for reading this?
