OMG Nintendo

This rumor would usually strike me as slightly dubious, but it comes from the solid source Go Nintendo and is in some respects plausible. Basically, the word from particular anonymous GameStop insiders is that the store is going to be offering a special promotional DS Lite bundle this Mother's Day. Yeah, you read that right-- DS Lite, not DSi.

The exclusive bundle packages a copy of Nintendo's Personal Trainer: Cooking with a Nintendo DS Lite in the new, long-awaited Lime Green color. This is where the rumor really kind of falls apart for me-- why release a new DS Lite color after the DSi is on the market? Most of all, why tie the release of the Lime Green DS Lite to a Mother's Day promotion when basically nobody's mom is going to want neon electronics? 

So, keep an eye out for some ad circulars if you're interested in seeing this bundle become reality, but don't hold your breath. While Nintendo does do exclusive seasonal bundles through GameStop on a regular basis, marketing a Lime Green DS Lite for Mother's Day just strikes me as too tone deaf on Nintendo's part.

EDIT: Moved this out of Speculation and into Nintendo News because I just got confirmation from my local GameStop's manager that this is definitely happening and the bundle is already in their ordering systems. 

Even though we're well into 2009 now, premier Japanese game mag Famitsu has seen fit to issue the results of their 2008 awards. The outcome of the awards are determined by reader vote, with any of the 1,115 games release in Japan during the 2008 calendar year eligible. I'm going to run the entire list of the award results (thanks, 1up!) but with the Nintendo victories in bold to make for easier reading.

• Person of the Year: Hideo Kojima
• Character of the Year: Solid Snake
• Company of the Year: Capcom
• Rookie Title Prize: The Last Remnant
• Innovation Prize: Wii Music
• High Quality Prize: Metal Gear Solid 4
• Racing Prize: Mario Kart Wii
• Multiplayer Prize: Super Smash Bros. Brawl
• All Generation Prize: Pokemon Platinum
• Communication Prize: Animal Crossing: City Folk
• Adventure Puzzle Prize: Professor Layton and the Final Journey Through Time
• Masterpiece Prize: Dragon Quest V
• Character Action Prize: Dissidia Final Fantasy
• Role Playing Prize: Tales of Vesperia
• Dramatic Prize: 428
• PlayStation 2 Prize: Persona 4
• Worldwide Prize: Grand Theft Auto IV

The Layton game in question is the third title in the series, by the by. Given the glacial rate at which the second is being localized, I can only assume we'll be playing it sometime in 2012. 

A little coda to Nintendo's big DS bragfest from yesterday. Not only have 83 DS titles sold over a million copies each, but seven of those games have managed to sell over ten million copies each. At this point you'd be hard-pressed to find many current console games with lifetime sales that monstrously huge.

The 10 million titles are all Nintendo first-party games, and none of them are games where their popularity should come as a surprise. The mega-sellers are Nintendogs, New Super Mario Bros., Brain Age, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, Mario Kart DS, Brain Age 2, and Animal Crossing: Wild World. All defining DS titles, all strong contenders for "best of system" awards in their respective genres, too.

Still, I wonder which one of them our readers think is the best game? Feel free to sound off in the comments, too. My bet is that New Super Mario Bros. will win the day, but I could see a Poke-upset happening...

Yesterday Nintendo issued a press release trumpeting a major milestone for the Nintendo DS: the shipment of the 100 millionth DS unit to retailers. The 100 million sales count includes all original model DS units, DS Lites, and DSis shipped to date. The DS launched in late 2004, so the 100 million sales have happened in a window of just a little over four years. In addition 83 separate Nintendo DS titles have managed to sell over 1 million copies each.

Short version: even by the standards of Nintendo's ridiculously successful portables, the DS is ridiculously successful. The DS has surpassed the Game Boy Advance's lifetime sales of 81 million units worldwide and is rapidly catching up to the lifetime sales of the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color, 118 million units worldwide combined. In fact, at current sales rates, the DS will probably surpass the Game Boy in 2010 or so to become the best-selling portable system ever. 

Now, is best-selling the same as best portable system ever? I know I love playing my Nintendo DS more than just about any other system I own right now, and possibly any other portable system I've ever owned. Is the DS moving on quality, or just having oodles of cheap games to offer? 

Offering a preview of this month's issue, Nintendo Power posted a several pages from its latest edition, including screenshots and details for Excitebots: Trick Racing, due April 20th.

Developed by Monster Games, the studio behind 2006's Excite Truck, Excitebots will again allow players to boost through off-road courses and morph the track with ramps, except with more emphasis on executing stunts and with robotic critters instead of trucks.

Some of the racing insects and critters, all of which drive or fly differently, include a ladybug, a beetle (which looks like it's on rollerskates!), a grasshopper, a bat, a frog, a turtle, a mouse, and a mantis. Furthermore, the game will feature minigames, poker games, pie throwing, and uh, a tambourine. Fantastic.

As revealed previously, Nintendo is again re-imagining its Excite franchise, foregoing familiar trails already well-treaded by bikes and trucks, choosing instead the road less traveled by, that being the road of bots.

"What exactly are ExciteBots?" I asked myself, shortly after the title was announced without any accompanying media. "Robots are rad, that's a given, but what is it about these particular bots that Nintendo finds exciting?"

According to this boxart, the trick racing ExciteBots consist of wheeled turtles, geckos, and beetles, as well as flying ladybugs and crickets. Oh, and there's also a purple thing with a soccer ball. Mock it if you want, but that turtle looks overjoyed to be in the game. He is all like, "Life as a robot turtle is not bad at all; I can get used to this."

Another interesting detail -- initial reports indicate that the title will allow online races for up to six players, a vast improvement over ExciteTruck's online support for zero players. Expect Excitebots: Trick Racing to ship on April 20, 2009 with options for a bundle with a wheel peripheral and for a cheaper standalone release.

There were rumors a few weeks back about Nintendo forming a new studio, but this is bigger than anyone was expecting. Today Nintendo announced that Super Smash Bros. creator and Brawl director Masahiro Sakurai would be heading up a new internal development studio at Nintendo called Sora Project. No word on what Sora Project is going to work on, but it sounds like something pretty huge is in the making.

"The thoughts of game designer Masahiro Sakurai and Nintendo have become one, and a new project has started," reads the new studio's site. "In order to expand what can be offered to the world through games, we will have Nintendo's full cooperation and make something that Nintendo could not do on its own."

If it's even half the game that Brawl was, it'll be one of the greatest Wii-or-DS games to grace whatever year it eventually comes out in. Nintendo and Sakurai are describing the title as an "experiment" and a "whole new experience", which means it could involve basically anything at this point.

Nintendo systems are tough, but as the picture above demonstrates, they're not invulnerable.

GoNintendo reader Psyduck Warrior may have an awesome internet handle, but he was still unlucky enough to lose his family's house and all his belongings in an accidental fire. He submitted pictures of his fire-damaged Wii and GBA SP to Nintendo when he was trying to find out what to do about data attached to his original Wii's user account.

Nintendo called him about two weeks later asking him how his family was, and informed him they'd just replace the Wii and GBA SP, free of charge. All he had to do was send in the old fire-damaged ones to Nintendo. It's not quite a happy ending, but it's a lot less depressing than it could've been.

It would be impossible to let November 18th pass without noting that today is a very special day: it's the Wii's birthday! Today Nintendo's Wii has turned two years old, and I'm realizing I've had mine nearly that long (mine showed up as a Christmas present, but got bought during the launch wave).

This seems like as good a time as any to ask people: how do you feel about the Wii right now? Are you happy with it, or have you long since sold off your console because you weren't using it? Do you have one that collects dust, or do you still play your Wii every day? Are you still a fan of the Virtual Console and WiiWare, or are you bitter and angry about floods of low-quality titles?

Basically, what I want to hear is everyone who reads this post sounding off with their opinions of the Wii on its anniversary. No real reason besides me being curious. I'm still pretty happy with my Wii, all things considered, but I think there are a few things Nintendo could be doing a lot better. I wonder if you guys are noticing the same stuff...?