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Passion For Games - March 2007

Wii Shortages Not Intentional, Says Nintendo



We see a lot of back-and-forth between the hardware execs., but it's not often one of them butts heads with a major retailer. Nevertheless, you'd expect Nintendo to respond to accusations from GameStop COO Dan DeMatteo that their shortage of Wii systems was an intentional move. Next Generation pulled a counter from Nintendo senior VP of marketing and corporate communication, George Harrison.


Harrison explained Wii shortages were due to the need to spread available units out amongst all three major video game markets -- North America, Europe and Japan. It doesn't help that the Wii happens to be performing very well in each of these areas: "We have worldwide territories that are all competing over the available production. The Japan and European markets are doing extremely well with the Wii. People in Japan at NCL [Nintendo Co. Ltd.] are making the best decisions that they can about which products get shipped to which market and when."

Is Harrison angry at DeMatteo for the false accusations? Nah. He chalks it up to GameStop's way of asking for more units.
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March 31st 2007 @ 14:38

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New Halo 2 maps ready

Remember that 2am Bungie announcement where they promised new Halo 2 multiplayer maps but only if you promised to play them on an Xbox 360? They stuck to their word with the maps -- Halo 2 renditions of Hang 'Em High and Derelict, two of Halo: Combat Evolved's most popular multiplayer maps -- but have broken their promise on the console requirements. See, now they're saying these things will work on both Xbox and Xbox 360 platforms. Who's saying that? Bungie's own Frankie, that's who!

For the reasonable price of $4 (wow, no MS Points?), you'll be able to download both maps -- now redubbed Tombstone and Desolation respectively -- on April 17. Because the original Xbox doesn't use Billy Bucks, they've foregone the confusing currency conversion and settled on good old money. Similarly, because the old Xbox doesn't distinguish between Gold and Silver accounts, you'll need to be a Gold member to download and play. Hurrah for coming through for the old school Halo gamers: letting them play some heretofore offline-only Halo maps in Halo 2 on their aging Xboxen.



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March 31st 2007 @ 11:10

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What If?

What if!!!!

Mario and Sonic could team up in a game together? What will you like to see? Well if you ever dream of this happening and if it is not a April Fools joke. Then here you go a picture of Mario and Sonic in a game together and it looks like they will be going head to head in Olympics events. When more details leak out and if it is not a April Fools joke then I will be letting you all know. My eyes open wide when I read this story. So I'm hoping it is no joke and it is real.

Here is a image of Sonic and Mario together

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March 31st 2007 @ 11:08

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Pre-April Fools advice

As you wander unsuspecting into your weekend, don't forget that the craziest game news day outside of E3 (well, maybe not anymore) is coming up. That's right, Sunday is April Fools Day, the one day a year where newsmakers and gamemakers everywhere stop making unintentional jokes and try to intentionally make up the most ludicrously believable fake stories that they can.

From BurgerCraft to real 1up mushrooms to cheat site shutdowns, no topic is safe. Heck, in the case of magazines, the actual joke can come in early March. Here are few tips to keep your coming weekend fool free.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is: We'd all love for Nintendo to suddenly give everyone who clicks a link a free Wii, but face it, it doesn't seem too likely.
Sourcing is important: If a blockbuster April 1 story comes from unnamed sources or a mysteriously dead web site, remain skeptical. The least they could do is forge some documentation for their joke; make them work for it.

It's Sunday: Big gaming news never comes out on Sunday. Then again, don't be surprised if some sites wait till Monday to spring their foolishness this year.

Sega is not re-entering the hardware business. Nintendo is not leaving it: Actually, this is good advice to remember year round.
Your favorite classic Sega franchise from yesteryear is not going to suddenly reappear as a Wii-exclusive title: Oh, wait....
When in doubt, don't believe it: If the story pops up again in a week, you're probably in the clear.
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March 31st 2007 @ 11:04

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Toys R' Us will have Wii in stock



If you're looking for the Wii, and we know a lot of you out there still are, you'll be happy to know this Sunday Toys "R" Us will have them in stock. Get there early, the announcement will be in this Sunday's flyers and you'll want to beat the rush of moms to the store after they drop their coffee, shove the bagel in their mouth and bolt out the door.

Wherever people fall on the Wii shortage being intentional or unintentional, not to mention the controversy among Wii owners about the gaming drought, that little console made from two duct taped Gamecubes is selling like sellin' is going out of style. It still looks like Nintendo won't back up these amazing sales figures with some real, original Wii titles for quite some time. We'll just have to enjoy this constant string of Gamecube ports and mini-game based Wii titles apparently.
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March 31st 2007 @ 11:02

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Nights 2 coming to Wii

French gaming site Jeux France has what it claims is the first images of the new NiGHTS title for Wii, from magazine scans of Portuguese magazine Maxi Consola. (We're so multicultural.) So far, NiGHTS has been an extremely persistent rumor; this is the either the first concrete evidence of the title's existence or the cleverest Photoshop effort to date.

The magazine scans feature an interview with Takashi Iizuka (here written Takeshi), a Sega developer who's had a hand or two in every Sonic game since 1994 as well as the original NiGHTS Into Dreams. Our Portuguese is a bit pathetic, but Play Nintendo has translated the interview. The game is purported to have a two player mode and some online capabilities. Jeux France purports that Sega will make an announcement early April


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March 31st 2007 @ 11:00

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Checking out

Being that the Video Game Industry has been very busy these past couple of days. Now that we know Microsoft is releasing this new Xbox 360 console.

I'm working on a write up on where as the consumer will look both at the Xbox 360 and PS3 and say to themselves which one should I choose


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March 29th 2007 @ 10:55

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Xbox 360 Elite

So yes the Rumors are true and No this is no April Fools Joke, It is true. Microsoft is releasing a new Xbox 360 console, Which is called the Elite. It will be a added SKU with the Core and Premium systems.


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March 29th 2007 @ 10:52

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Work in progress

I have been working on a forum to put together with my blog.

I have it up and added some entries. So let your voice be heard. I'm working on a banner and trying to dress it up better


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March 25th 2007 @ 12:42

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Games in Spring 2007

You bought your Xbox 360 for 2007. Last year may have brought some fantastic games like Gears of War and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, but this year will make 2007 look like chump change. The juggernaut that is Halo 3 is on the horizon. But we're not quite there yet. Lost Planet and Crackdown have already brought joy to hundreds of thousands of gamers. But that is in the past. This is the Spring and unlike most years, it has a steady stream of games that scream to be played. Now this is the year where we could play the Nintendo Wii and the Sony Playstation 3 instead of just watching trailers and reading about it. Now that the Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 have been for about 5 months now. We could start looking forward to this xmas but before we do that we have a heck of a Spring and Summer to look forward to. So I'm working on a article where I will have a preview of what to look forward to on the Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and the Sony Playstation 3 it is going to be in three different articles. So look forward to that. Also let me know what you are looking forward to.

I will like to hear your comments


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March 25th 2007 @ 12:10

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PS3 or Beer? Microsoft poses the ultimate question

image from engadget


While we might've put down a few of Microsoft's last night Europe exploits as a tad immature, we aren't going to deny the genius here: Microsoft's message to gamers is that the PS3 = the Xbox 360 £146 in beer money. Of course, such a mental exercise is nothing without a bit of illustration, so Microsoft carted in just that much beer to the offices of the UK's CVG magazine (above) and Auckland, NZ's GamePlanet store (pictured after the break).
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March 25th 2007 @ 12:03

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Playstation 3 motherboard on display

Playstation 3 motherboard


Typically, we don't single out just one aspect of an entire console or gizmo, as it's always a beautiful sight to see a perfectly assembled console do its thang in reverse, but Sony's European PlayStation 3 is a different animal. If you'll recall, the American PS3 features a neatly attached PS2 chipset to make sure that backwards compatibility was all but a minor issue, but even after countless delays and a staggeringly high price point, Europe's unit was hamstringed still. While we'd heard that the late-coming PS3 would sport limited abilities in the PS2 department, it still made us cringe when those whispers were proved true, and now its time to witness just how bare this motherboard looks as it uses emulation to crank up a few (literally) PS2 titles
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March 25th 2007 @ 11:57

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Time to pick-up!

I will be picking up a game today. I think I'm going with a PS3 game being that I have all the latest games on the 360. As for the Nintendo Wii I have Zelda, Wario Ware and God Father Backhand.
I rented last night MLB 2K7 and I'm a little upset. Thank God I did not purchase this game. Baseball games have really struggle lately with making a great game. MLB 2k7 is trying to but they seem to find more issues with fielding the ball.

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March 24th 2007 @ 11:47

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Xbox 360 Elite



Tech blog Engadget is claiming to have confirmed that there is indeed a new version of the Xbox 360. There has been speculation for weeks, including this very morning, but Engadget seems to be the only one to get "actual" details. So allow me to introduce the Xbox 360 Elite


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March 21st 2007 @ 11:49

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Devil May Cry 4 Trailer

After a full day of the hole gaming world knowing that Sony has lost another big title exclusive to the Microsoft Xbox 360. Capcom has release some teaser trailer gameplay of the game running on PS3 hardware. Looks more and more of being done.

Check it out here


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March 21st 2007 @ 10:40

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PS3 Faces Oblivion

Released one year ago this week for Xbox 360 and PC, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has finally made its way to the PlayStation 3. Bethesda announced today that Oblivion has shipped for PS3 and should be in stores not later than Wednesday.

The PS3 version of Oblivion, which retails for $59.99, includes the full version of the original game plus the entire Knights of the Nine expansion. Plus, it's the first version of Oblivion that plays on a PS3 -- so if you haven't played it yet, now's your chance


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March 20th 2007 @ 11:30

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Devil May Cry 4 Heads to Xbox 360 and PC

Well it is true! The Rumors are true!

In a press announcement from Japan today, Microsoft revealed that Devil May Cry 4 -- formerly only announced for PlayStation 3 -- is headed to Xbox 360 and PC as well, following games like Virtua Fighter 5 and Assassin's Creed by being announced for PS3 first, then moving towards Microsoft's machine later


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March 20th 2007 @ 10:17

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Take Two Sues Jack Thompson

GamePolitics is reporting that the hunted has now become the hunter, as Take-Two has filed a lawsuit to prevent ol' JT from meddling with and potential blocking the sale of Grand Theft Auto IV and Manhunt 2 when they release later this year.

Take-Two outlines in the suit (PDF) that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has a history of blatantly threatening legal action (and also, losing) against publishers, developers, and retailers in the past. The legal document also goes on to state that JT is almost "a private attorney general on behalf of the State of Florida" given his attempts to censor Take-Two and Rockstar by having the games declared public nuisances


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March 19th 2007 @ 10:27

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Best-Selling Games in February 2007

Playstation 3 games slipping off the list?

The NPD Group released its report on the top-selling software for the month of February, and there were a number of big winners spread out across multiple platforms, although the Xbox 360 had more games in the top ten than any other system


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March 18th 2007 @ 13:17

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Crackdown Cleans up February

Microsoft's new IP tops NPD sales chart.


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March 18th 2007 @ 13:10

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Halo 3 Legendary Edition to command a legendary $130 pricetag



Originally rumored to cost a measly $99 US dollars, Microsoft has reevaluated the pricing for the Legendary Edition of Halo 3 putting it more in line with its namesake. The new "estimated" retail price is a legendary one hundred and thirty dollars. Ah, that's better. So, what does the dedicated Halo nerd get for his $130? First, the luxury of owning an item that is promised to be released in "limited quantities" only. Next, two supplemental discs with a "Making of Halo 3" documentary, featurettes, and an AV calibration tool on the first and remastered "cinematic material" from Halo 1 and Halo 2 (a refresher course, if you will) and exclusive Red vs. Blue and This Spartan Life content on the second. Deep breath ... and you get a collection of Halo 3 storyboard art


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March 18th 2007 @ 12:17

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360:Eternal Sonata Trailer and Videos

Microsoft has made some changes with the Xbox 360 that they had to change from the Xbox 1 and it does not take a rocket science to know what I mean and it is RPGs. Something that Microsoft really LACK of in there first console. Which don't get me wrong they had some great FPS's and Action games, but you will not survive in the console race without mixing it up. Especially if you want a little piece of the cake in the Japan. Which is very hard to do with Sony and Nintendo just dominates that area of the world. So Microsoft has done a lot of changes around and bringing in RPGs to extract other gamers into there console. Like for one, I really enjoy RPGs and that somethings I look forward to on the Sony console poping in Final Fantasy or any other Role Playing Games that Sony has coming out. Well Eternal Sonata is a game that I seen and I put in my radar for the 360. Looks nice and looks different.

Here is some info and write up about the Japan Version of Eternal Sonata


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March 18th 2007 @ 12:10

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Week in Review

Well this week has been a busy week for Gaming. More people have been seeing the Sony Playstation Home Network. Where it has been a BIG week for Playstation fans, also where Europe very soon will be getting there hands on the PS3 console. Can it be a riot of similar to what happen here in the states? Well it will be interesting I will be sure to find any videos of the Europe Launch. I will tell you this though the Police is getting ready for the launch. So lets see what will be happening.

Also we have the numbers in for the month of Feb and we all know how it turned out, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and then the PS3. So it is going to be interesting that still to this day and we are in March where it is hard to find a Nintendo Wii console or a extra controller. Why Nintendo??? Why is it so hard? Guess it is selling. Being I have all three consoles right now I have been playing the PS3 WHY you may ask? Because God of War 2 what a great game and this game just shows why the Sony Brand is so popular around the world. Cannot wait for the next God of War on a next-gen PS3, I did a little write up of the God of War 2 launch party where it will run a 1080p and maybe and I mean maybe have rumble. So it is going to be interesting. I just cannot wait


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March 16th 2007 @ 11:01

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PS3 Fights Disease This Month

The previously reported Folding@home disease research project from Stanford University is set to expand on PlayStation 3 this month with the arrival of the console's next update in late March.


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March 16th 2007 @ 10:53

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NPD: February Software Sales Up 28%



The NPD Group has announced that US game console software sales were $441 million in February, up 28 percent from the same month a year prior, thanks in large part to Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 software.
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March 16th 2007 @ 10:50

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Two-Player Possibility for Super Mario Galaxy

Luigi may be set to tag along once again in new Wii platformer


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March 16th 2007 @ 10:45

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Def Jam Demo on Thursday

- Several new goodies become available on the PlayStation Store this Thursday. Chief among the additions is the release of a Def Jam: Icon demo. Icon, which shipped recently and is available in stores for $59.99, continues the legacy of EA's successful street brawler franchise. Though IGN wasn't too hot on Icon, you can test the demo for yourself tomorrow.

Check out the Video Review of what IGN.com had to say about the game


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March 15th 2007 @ 23:36

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Final Fantasy Tactics PSP to Feature Multiplayer Battles

What could possibly make Final Fantasy Tactics fans more excited than their 100 hour game du jour going portable? How about the chance to test their skills against other players? Oh yes. IGN has revealed that Square Enix is adding multiplayer to the upcoming PSP remake of Final Fantasy Tactics.

The new player vs. player battles will mark one team as red and one as blue and then set them against each other on one of the game's playing fields. Square Enix has also said there will be limit on the number of turns in place to prevent players from constantly running away. Sadly they didn't let us in on whether or not the multiplayer will be possible over the Internet or only with those who have PSPs and a copy of the game in the same room as you


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March 15th 2007 @ 23:32

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Playing Wii on PSP

Pretty cool setup. When watching the video it is true. He is using the Wii remote on the PSP. He shows Warioware. The video is about 3 minutes long. Hey man! Good Job! 16 years old!
Wow!!!

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March 15th 2007 @ 23:16

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European PS3 Launch Event Worries Police

After numerous random acts of violence enacted at the launch of the PlayStation 3 in North America, can you blame European police for being a little jittery at the thought of the impending European launch of Sony's new system? Speaking to a spokesperson for the Marylebone Police, GamesIndustry.biz found out just what is making them so nervous. The spokesperson says the problem lies with midnight launches themselves: "There are inherent problems we can't deal with easily."

There's a specific launch event that has police fretting: a midnight celebration at the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street. What inherent problems was the spokesperson referring to? Here's a slice from the original article


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March 15th 2007 @ 23:12

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Nintendo DS Opera Browser coming to US in June



Word from Opera arrived today that on June 4, the DS Opera browser would finally arrive in the United States. At this time no pricing has been announced for the browser, but the European browser (released late last year) retails for 40 Euro ($53 here in the U.S.).
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March 15th 2007 @ 23:10

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Darkness new video story trailer

1up.com has a exclusive information on the latest title called Darkness. Now this game is on my radar, So far the images and videos I have seen got me waiting. WoW! This game I know for a fact is going to be a big hit.

Well head over 1up.com site to read the latest on Darkness and check out the Story Trailer with new Gameplay Footage. WoW


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