Update: Netflix has made it official. It’ll bring instant streaming to the Wii this spring. Details here.
We’ve already heard rumors that streaming Netflix will come to the Wii, following its inclusion on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, but now Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings is weighing in, coy as ever. In a public interview with All Things Digital’s Peter Kafka at the Consumer Electronics Show last week, reported by Engadget, Hastings fielded a question about the prospects of Netflix working with Nintendo. “What about getting on Nintendo? What are your chances?” Kafka asked, to which Hastings replied, “Our chances are excellent.”
Because no story on NBA Jam being remake for the Wii would be complete without recounting all those classic comments from the announcer, let’s get them all out of the way: “He’s heating up!” “He’s on fire!” “Boomshakalaka!” “Oooh Myyy!” “Is it the shoes?” “Razzle dazzle!” “From downtown!” “Jams it in!” “Can’t buy a bucket!” “Kaboom!” “Ugly shot!” “The nail in the coffin!”
Phew, now for the story: Electronic Arts confirmed that its EA Canada studio will attempt to revive the classic two-on-two basketball game in a Wii exclusive.
An interview in the Asahi Simbun with Nintendo President Satoru Iwata unveiled some interesting bits of information regarding the next Legend of Zelda title on the Wii and a successor to the Nintendo DS handheld.
Sega Studio Director Constantine Hantzopoulos stated in a recent 1Up podcast that mature games for the Wii didn’t quite work out. According to Hantzopoulos, the company moved to develop mature titles for the notoriously minigame and kid-friendly platform because market research showed that there was a ready audience for it.
Speculation has been rampant since EA Canada Community Manager Alain Quinto tweeted that EA Sports would announce an entirely new game in January. Some guessed that the new title would be a WWE or baseball game. The current rumor is that the game in question is much more novel than previously suspected.
Thursday, December 17, 2009 5:56PM - By Jared Newman
Hey you, Carnival Games. We see you over there, with your kind. What do you mean, “your kind?” What do you mean, “What do you mean, ‘your kind?’” I’m talking about shovelware. The cheap stuff. The chaff. You’re it, and you know it. But there you go, selling 5 million copies worldwide. It wasn’t enough to come out for the Wii, with your half-hearted attempts at motion control, with your reliance on the on the infrared pointer where a cleverer game might’ve done something unique with that revolutionary controller. No, you had to spread your seed to the Nintendo DS, flying even faster off store shelves to the dismay of little kids and baby boomers who suffered a temporary lapse in judgement, failing to realize that the very essence of carnival games is that they are a scam.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 5:35PM - By Benjamin Opal
No need for alarm, Nintendo’s next console is most likely not called the Nintendo Zii, and hasn’t been trademarked as such. SiliconEra, which loves to dig up this stuff, found a Nintendo trademark for “Zii” in Japan, and speculated that this was perhaps the name for a high-definition Nintendo Wii, noting that three years is a bit late for something as simple as name protection. But after doing some digging, Engadget found that this is likely just a renewal of a trademark request from 2006. Also, trademarks from Nintendo were found for Bii, Cii, Oii and Yii. Why the Big N didn’t go the extra mile and trademark Xii, Uii, Iii and Nii is beyond me, and my Mii.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 6:44PM - By Jared Newman
Nintendo Power pulled the lid off Mega Man 10, and, well, it looks like every other Mega Man you remember from childhood. Purists won’t like some of the features Capcom has lined up for this WiiWare release, such as the ability to select other characters (Protoman is mentioned, and a third character is being kept secret for now) and a story that requires Mega Man to assemble a vaccine-making device that cures robots of Robotenza. It’s not said whether Dr. Wily is involved, but come on.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 10:19AM - By Jared Newman
Okay, so there isn’t much new stuff in this trailer for No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, but I dare you not to crack a smile while watching it. While the last trailer we posted gives a more general overview of the game, which again stars Travis Touchdown in his quest to fell the world’s greatest and wackiest assassins, this one, courtesy of GoNintendo, focuses solely on the 8-bit parts of No More Heroes 2.
