Nintendo Connect 24 http://mrnintendo.freephpnuke.org Mr Nintendo 2006 en-uk Not long to go now!!! http://mrnintendo.freephpnuke.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=340
The wait has been worth it!
Just a few hours seperate us from the marvel that is the Wii, and I know that I can't wait, and I expect you are the same!
I will be down at GAME tomorrow morning, picking up my Wii with Zelda and Wii Play, so if there are no updates tomorrow, you can guess what I'm doing - playing on the Wii!
I'll try and do an update, but can you really expect me to not be on the Wii all the time? And I don't really expect you lot to have time to be on here!
So get ready. The Wii is about to dominate your life!
 Retailers warn of shortages tomorrow http://mrnintendo.freephpnuke.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=339
As the European launch draws closer (yay!), retailers have publically said that consumers who have NOT ordered their Wii, will be unlikely to get it before the NEW YEAR.
"We're expecting to fulfil all pre-orders on the day," said Hamish Thompson of retail conglomerate DSG. "We're continuing to take pre-orders but informing consumers that they probably won't be able to be fulfilled until after Christmas."
They also said that some pre-orders MAY not be completed on launch day if they haven't been confirmed.
"We're expecting four deliveries between now and Christmas and we expect them all to go to pre-orders. If customers haven't already pre-ordered then they've probably missed the boat," said Thompson.
However, Nintendo UK countered this by saying that they are doing everything possible to meet the demand for the Wii. They said:
"There are many hundreds of retailers across the UK who do not take pre-orders and as such will have stock available from launch. We are pulling out all the stops to replenish stock in the run up to Christmas."
1 MILLION Wiis sold already! http://mrnintendo.freephpnuke.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=338
The Wii isn't even out in Europe yet, and things are looking good for Nintendo, with news that the 1 million mark has been smashed!
Apparently, the USA accounted for 60% of the sales, with Japan claiming the other 40% (Australian figures are not yet included)
President Satoru Iwata said one of the most famous line in gaming today, saying;
"We aren't planning on competing with the PS3, but we'd like it to be said that in the end, Nintendo sold more."
 AUSTRALIAN Wii LAUNCH: IGN Coverage http://mrnintendo.freephpnuke.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=337 For our last part of our Australian Wii Coverage, we have a look at IGN's review!

Sydney might have had an understated launch, but Melbournians were able to welcome in the age of Wii in grand form. On the stroke of midnight, last night, hundreds of retailers opened their doors and thousands of fans across Australia got their hands on Wii.

The event had DJs, costume competitions and a pumping atmosphere that helped pass the hours for hundreds of eager fans.

According to Vispi Bhopti of Nintendo Australia, all indications seem to suggest that the record for the biggest week one launch of a new console is within sight. Initial feedback from retailers has confirmed that a number of stores are already sold-out.

Neil Merola, Business Manager, Myer Electrical, has described this mornings consumer response to the Wii launch as "unprecedented and unbelievable". Confirming that "hundreds of people queued outside our stores across Australia before doors even opened, to be amongst the first to purchase Wii".


Kirsten Leiminger, who was first in line at EB Games Chadstone.



Kirsten gets the goods.



Getting ready to descend on the registers like a Mongol invasion.



The devoted, most of whom likely preordered their Wiis.



Erm, classy ad in the foreground.
AUSTRALIAN Wii LAUNCH: Gamespot Coverage http://mrnintendo.freephpnuke.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=336
Well it took a day to get through, but the reviews of the Australian Wii launch are here! And apprently it was a relatively quiet launch...
We start with Gamespot's review...

The Nintendo Wii landed in Australia last night with more of a restrained cheer than a bang, with only a few hundred Australian gamers lining up at midnight launches held in retail stores across the country.

The largest group of Nintendo fans was the 200-strong crowd that gathered at EB Games at Chadstone, Melbourne, Victoria. In Sydney, New South Wales, the largest turnout was at EB Games in Chatswood, where more than 60 gamers attended the store's midnight launch.



More than 60 people gathered outside EB Games at Chatswood, Sydney.

The Wii's sedate launch was in stark contrast to the Xbox 360's Australian launch in March this year. Microsoft organised a massive street party for its next-generation console, with Sydney's main shopping mall closed to all but the thousands of customers who came to get their hands on the 360.

Nintendo Australia has yet to release sales estimates for the Wii launch. However, GameSpot AU spoke to several retailers who said that while preorders were strong, plenty of units were still available for walk-in customers over the next few days. The Wii retails for AU$399.95 ($314) down under.

The Nintendo Wii and the Xbox 360 will have the next-generation console field to themselves for the next few months in Australia. Sony's PlayStation 3 is not slated for release down under until March 2007.

FIRST NEWS: SSX Blur coming to Wii http://mrnintendo.freephpnuke.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=335
EA have today announced that their Wii SSX game will be called SSX Blur. Apparently, the Wiimote will act as your board, which is a pretty neat addition.
"We wanted to take the soul of the franchise - the air, the speed, the tricks, the fun - and Wii-ify it," said Alex Hyder (producer). "You're going to see that reflected in the on-the-ground and in-the-air controls, the characters, the user interface, and every other aspect of this game."
It is expected to release next March.
 AUSTRALIAN Wii LAUNCH: Last minute delays! http://mrnintendo.freephpnuke.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=334
You would think that with only hours left until launch, all the games would be done and ready. But it seems they aren't, with a few games getting last minute delays.
Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam will now appear on the 13th, whereas Marvel: Ultimate Alliance will appear on the 20th.
Other affected titles include Splinter Cell, Far Cry and GT Pro Series. Apprently all but Far Cry will release next week.
Apparently this is due to a lack of disks from Nintendo, so hopefully this won't happen here!
 AUSTRALIAN Wii LAUNCH: No official launch event http://mrnintendo.freephpnuke.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=333
Yes you read right people. Although it's still the 6th of December here, it is already 7 am on the 7th in Australia, which means that the Wii has hit the streets alive and well. So yet again, let NC24 take you through the events as they happen!
We kick off with news that there won't be an official launch event in Australia, as seen everywhere else.
Instead, numerous retail outlets held their own smaller events, which mimcked those of the USA, but where obviously smaller.
 Wii sales not harming DS - Iwata http://mrnintendo.freephpnuke.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=332
One of the biggest problems Nintendo faced with the Wii, was the fact that it may slow DS sales. But president Satoru Iwata believes otherwise.
"Some analysts say the largest rival of the Wii is the DS," ha said. "But if you take a look at DS sales in the United States in the Thanksgiving week or DS sales in Japan in the week of the Wii launch, there has been little impact."

By the end of the fiscal year, Nintendo now hopes to sell 6 million Wiis and 20 million DSes.
Iwata believes that Nintendo could even top this outlook.
"'Confidence' could be too strong a word, but there is an emerging possibility," he said. "We had come up with the current earnings forecasts before we sold even a single unit of the Wii and when we were not so sure about the cannibalization effect between the Wii and the DS."

16 Virtual Console games for launch! http://mrnintendo.freephpnuke.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=331
Nintendo today revealed the 16 Virtual Console games which will be available from launch, and promised that more would be added over time.
So here they are, the 16 Virtual Console games you'll be downloading on Day 1!!!

Game (Format) (Cost) (Compatible Controllers)
Altered Beast (MD) (800pts) (Classic/Gamecube)
Bomberman 93 (TG16) (600pts) (Classic/Gamecube/Wii Remote)
Bonk's Adventure (TG16) (600pts) (Classic/Gamecube/Wii Remote)
Donkey Kong (NES) (500pts) (Classic/Gamecube/Wii Remote)
Donkey Kong Country (SNES) (800pts) (Classic/Gamecube)
Dungeon Explorer (TG16) (600pts) (Classic/Gamecube/Wii Remote)
Ecco The Dolphin (MD) (800pts) (Classic/Gamecube)
F-Zero (SNES) (800pts) (Classic/Gamecube)
Golden Axe (MD) (800pts) (Classic/Gamecube)
Mario Bros (NES) (500pts) (Classic/Gamecube/Wii Remote)
Sonic The Hedgehog (MD) (800pts) (Classic/Gamecube/Wii Remote)
Super Mario 64 (N64) (1000pts) (Classic/Gamecube)
Super Star Soldier (TG16) (600pts) (Classic/Gamecube/Wii Remote)
The Legend Of Zelda (NES) (500pts) (Classic/Gamecube/Wii Remote)
Victory Run (TG16) (600pts) (Classic/Gamecube/Wii Remote)
Wario's Woods (NES) (500pts) (Classic/Gamecube/Wii Remote)