Nintendophiles 05.08.08

Posted by Theo Fraser on 05.08.2008

The Nintendo Channel launches in the US, Harmonix make up for no Wii DLC with Rock Band Track Pack, Iwata addresses Wii storage space issues, and a new Prince of Persia DS title is on its way, with a possible Wii offering to go alongside it. All that and more awaits you inside this week’s edition of Nintendophiles!




Hello and welcome to another action-packed instalment (can a piece of journalism really be action-packed?) of Nintendophiles!

Before we begin, I'd like to announce that due to some reshuffling around the 411 Games Zone, from next week onwards, Nintendophiles will be appearing on the site every Wednesday, as opposed to its usual Thursday slot that I've held since the column's inception. So yes, that means you only have to wait SIX DAYS until the next edition! I can feel your excitement from here!

OK, with the ‘housekeeping' out of the way, we're free to get down to business.



Making up for lack of DLC: The Rock Band Track Pack
Credit: MTV

Since the minor outrage that occurred when it was revealed that the Wii edition of Rock Band would miss out on downloadable content, developer Harmonix must have gone back to the drawing board to discuss what could be done to remedy the matter. The result- Rock Band Track Pack Volume 1, a 20-track expansion pack of sorts, as was reported on 411mania earlier this week.

Track Pack Volume 1 will come on a disc and will be available in stores from July 15th for an estimated retail price of $29.99. At first, I looked at that figure a little aghast, as $30 seemed extortionate for just a few extra tracks to play along to. However, if you compare it to the cost of downloading every track on the 360/PS3, it actually works out as being very reasonable. On XBLA and the PSN, each track costs $2, which works out at $40 if you wanted the whole bunch. It doesn't take a mathematician to see that Wii (and PS2) users are saving $10. Good to see Harmonix aren't neglecting their Nintendo fans, and the ‘discounted' price seems like an attempt at an apology for not being able to include downloadable content.

The songs on offer in Track Pack Volume 1 are all available for download on other platforms, but as a quick reminder, you'll get:

• 30 Seconds to Mars - The Kill


• All American Rejects - Move Along


• Blink 182 - All the Small Things


• Boston - More Than a Feeling


• David Bowie - Moonage Daydream


• Faith No More - We Care A Lot


• Grateful Dead - Truckin'


• The Hives - Die, All Right!


• KISS - Calling Dr. Love


• Lynyrd Skynyrd - Gimme' Three Steps


• Nine Inch Nails - March of the Pigs


• Oasis - Live Forever


• Paramore - Crushcrushcrush


• The Police - Synchronicity II


• Queens of the Stone Age - Little Sister


• Ramones - Teenage Lobotomy


• Smashing Pumpkins - Siva


• Stone Temple Pilots - Interstate Love Song


• Weezer - Buddy Holly


• Wolfmother - Joker & the Thief

Obviously this sort of thing depends entirely upon your taste in music, but in my opinion that's a solid mix of styles there and some real gems. Yes, despite how utterly camp "More Than A Feeling" is, you've gotta admit it's a bit of a classic!




Iwata addresses Wii storage issues... sort of
Credit: IGN, Cubed3, CVG

A common theme from recent editions of Nintendophiles has been the steadily increasing difficulties facing Wii users and developers alike in regards to the Wii's on-board storage system. At 512MB, it's pretty small, and this long into the Wii's life, it's filling up fast. Nintendo have been hounded for months about a possible solution to this matter, but our cries have gone largely unheard up until now. Whilst a solution itself has not been given, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has finally acknowledged the problem and looks to be properly addressing the situation in the near future.


Iwata: Statistically speaking, it is true that there are a small number of customers who feel that the flash memory is too small, while many others find that they have plenty of memory. However, because this small number of people are none other than the most avid players, we know we have to review the best possible solution to eliminate their inconvenience.


Perhaps it was a slight understatement to say that it only affects a "small number" of Wii users, and also a little naive, what with the launch of WiiWare in the US this coming Monday. Still, it's hard to complain; Iwata-san didn't outright shrug it off, pretending that nothing was wrong. He clearly admits that the problem exists and confirms that it's being looked into. At this rate, the rumors of something official being announced at E3 are looking pretty likely indeed. An official Nintendo-endorsed external hard-drive perhaps? It's in Nintendo's hands now.




Nintendo Channel launches in US
Credit: Kotaku

Japanese Wiis have played host to it for some months now, but finally the Nintendo Channel has launched across North America, and by following the simple download process, you'll be enjoying its various treats it has to offer in no time.

Nintendo's press release breaks down the main features of the channel:

Nintendo Channel is an interactive guide to what's new in the world of Nintendo - now available for easy download from the Wii Shop Channel. Watch trailers, mini-documentaries, product demonstrations, and gameplay videos. Browse the game guide pages to get information about your favorite games on Wii and Nintendo DS. You can even click to order games straight from your Wii, if you have the Internet Channel installed. Make sure your Wii is connected to the internet, and get started!

The area that has everyone excited about is the DS Download Service portion of the channel, where you'll be able to wirelessly link up with your DS in order to download demos onto the handheld, just as you would at a Download Station in nationwide stores. In Japan, the Ninja Gaiden DS demo was available, which is all kinds of awesome, but I haven't heard just yet what demos are available in the US from the get-go. Nevertheless, you'll want to keep checking this portion of the channel out from time to time, as it is expected to be updated on a reasonably regular basis.

For more information, visit the official Nintendo subsite for the channel at http://www.nintendo.com/wii/channels/nintendochannel, which includes a handy video demonstration to show you all the ins and outs of the new channel.




New Prince of Persia DS title in the works, Wii version to follow?
Credit: Edge, Cubed3

Some weeks ago now, it was announced that a brand new Prince of Persia title was in development for next-generation consoles (barring the Wii), PC and Nintendo DS. Ubisoft's Ben Mattes recently opened up on the project, and briefly spoke more about what we can expect from the DS iteration.


Mattes: It's connected to the game in a very interesting way, but it's not a port. A complementary experience, shall we say?


Having the DS version connected to the console version (which, at present, only appears on 360, PS3 and PC) seems odd; obviously it can only be connected from a storyline perspective, but even so, surely they should be made as standalone titles? I'm all for connectivity, but when you cut across brands (i.e. assuming 360/PS3 owners also have a DS, or vice versa), you run the risk of being counter-productive. It's far too early to be jumping to conclusions like this, and at least it's got my interest; I'm eager to find out exactly what Ubisoft have in store here.

And what of the Wii? By the sounds of it, the potential is there, despite nothing being announced right now.


Mattes: We ported Two Thrones to the Wii. It was a quick and dirty port, i can say. With that we saw a lot of potential. The controls were not fully optimised, did not take full advantage of the Wii, but a lot of people saw the POP universe could certainly have a home on Wii. Since then people have been looking into that, but there's no formal announcement. We are investigating it very seriously. You would never see a port of the game we're making however. That'll never, never happen.


Rival Swords (the Wii port of Two Thrones) was quite awful, but at least Ubisoft can admit their mistakes. Their whole first batch of Wii titles were thrown together pretty hastily, and most came off as cheap ports, made to give the company a quick buck and cash in off of the Wii's success. It sucks, but that's business I guess. Now, however, is the time for Ubisoft to show what they can really do with the hardware. The Prince of Persia franchise lends itself incredibly well to the Wii, and if they could get something more along the lines of Tomb Raider: Anniversary (which had some great Wii-mote usages), they'll be headed in the right direction.

The DS title is currently set for release in the Fall, and if a Wii version really is in the works, I'd expect to see or hear something soon. Keep an eye on the Ubisoft camp, for sure.




Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – Duel Mode explored!

LucasArts are hoping to really push the envelope with The Force Unleashed on other platforms in terms of technology, especially the physics engine, and they've got some really big ideas. Naturally, not all of these translate to our Tiny White Box of Wonder, the Nintendo Wii, due to hardware limitations. Not wanting to give us a completely half-assed attempt, Wii users have the added exclusive of Duel Mode, pitting two combatants against each other to do battle using lightsabers and all the Force Powers at your disposal. The following video details the mode, and whilst it's not going to be the next Goldeneye 007 in terms of stealing all your lunch hours away from you, it has the potential to be a solid multiplayer sidetrack from the main adventure. Check it out...







The 411 Games Crew

Vincent Chiucchi's Select and Start News Report features the story on Activision pulling out of E3, Earthbound on the Virtual Console and more.

John Curry runs down the Top 10 Movie-based Games in this week's edition of The Checkpoint.

Achievement Unlocked by Rod Oracheski looks at Jack Thompson's latest tirade against Grand Theft Auto IV.

Jordan Williams presents Working Title, this week focusing on all those video game myths that have arisen over the past few decades.

B3yond the Report has Mark Salmela's impressions of GTA IV, plus big news on a remastered MGS1 being included in MGS4, the possibility of online God of War and much more!



Just to remind you again, Nintendophiles is moving to Wednesdays here at 411 Games, so be on the lookout for that next week, 24 hours earlier than usual. In the meantime, enjoy the launch of the WiiWare service on Monday! LostWinds is looking really promising, so that's definitely one to check out first.

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