The Tendo Project – Daily Nintendo News

The Australian price of the Nintendo DSi XL has today been announced. Unlike the rest of the world the Nintendo DSi XL will be the same price as the normal sized DSi at $299.95. New Zealand too get a price of NZ$385.95, which is just a direct currency conversion. This proves earlier rumours of a higher price erroneous and were glad that this is the case. The DSi XL is out on the previously announced release date of April 15th.

Everywhere else in the world the DSi XL is a little bit more expensive than a normal DSi, usually by about $20 - $30. This now begs the question, is the DSi getting a price drop?

The handheld with more to love will be available in two elegant shades: burgundy (Wine Red) and bronze.

DSi XL is the fourth addition to Nintendo DS family and owners will benefit from playing on the two 4.2-inch screens, which are 93% larger than those on a DS Lite. The screens also have an improved wider viewing angle so that your family and friends will be able to watch you play games more easily.

Nintendo is also pre-installing Clubhouse Games Express Card Classics, A Little Bit of... Dr Kawashimas Brain Training: Arts Edition and the Photo Clock DSi Ware on all consoles.

If you havent noticed Nintendo is getting behind Capcoms rather good Monster Hunter Tri in a big way, and today theyve revealed all the details for a launch event at the Nintendo Experience store in EB Games Swanston Street Melbourne.

Nintendo promises tournaments, give aways, prizes and heads of fun so get down there for some monster hunting goodness.

Full details for times and dates are yet to be announced. Well keep you updated.

Nintendo has let it been known that Super Mario Kart (that’s the SNES one folks) will be heading to the Australian and European Virtual Console this Friday, 2nd April. This one has taken four months to reach our fair shores, translation these days takes forever. For only 800 points you get 20 classic tracks, mode 7 graphics and of course revolutionary splitscreen.

Now all that’s left is to bicker over which Mario Kart game is best.

There isn't another game quite like Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon on the market. Recently published by XSEED here in the States, it's a blend of adventure, role-playing, and survival horror genres that is simultaneously fascinating and tedious. It's a title with stellar production values, an excellent story, and play mechanics that hover somewhere between solid and tedious. As a result, this is a game that—if nothing else—is truly a unique experience.

The game's story stars a young man named Seto, one of a small group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world. As opposed to other post-apocalyptic settings, the game's world is mostly abandoned; humans still exist, but they're few and far between. After the old man Seto was living with dies, the boy sets off to find other people living amongst the ruins of civilization. Along the way, Seto begins to learn the story of what caused humanity to disappear and why this ruined world is populated by ghosts and demons. It's a slow-paced plot, but it is smart, interesting, and engaging.

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With the DSi XL out next month and the 3DS already on the horizon, should you really bother picking up the XL? Reggie Fils-Aime thinks so, but even though its his job to support Nintendos products, he doesnt feel the need to sensationalise the handheld.

"The DSi XL is a form factor addition to our line up," he says. "We are not representing it as a revolution. Having said that, once you use the DSi XL you wont go back. I havent gone back. For me to give up those big beautiful screens is not going to happen."

Fils-Aime adds that its not just the big-arse screens that are worth your back pocket. "In our mind, the big advance with the DSi XL, besides the obvious - the larger screens, is actually the wider view angle," he said. "We think making portable gaming more social is a big opportunity and I say this from experience. When you are working on a Zelda puzzle and your spouse, your significant other, son, daughter, want to see whats going, thats awfully tough, versus now with this wider viewing angle sitting literally side-by-side on a couch, it is a great experience."

When you think about it, there arent really any DS games that encourage shared viewing on the one device. "The game that will tap into that will be Photo Dojo," reassures Fils-Aime. Photo Dojo, released just last week on DSiWare, uses the DSi cameras and microphone to create your own fighters, sound effects and moves and then battle one another on the device.

And when it comes to playing regular DS games on the DSi XL, the console only enhances the experience, according to Fils-Aime. Take 100 Classic Book Collection for instance. The bigger screens certainly make for more comfortable reading.

"Absolutely consumers are going to upgrade," Fils-Aime concludes. "I think predominantly if there are still consumers with the DS fat that will upgrade to this, consumers with the DS Lite will upgrade into this. Brand new consumers will opt for this whether they are new youth consumers, whether they are older consumers.

"We see the potential consumer as being a very wide very diverse audience opting into the DSi XL."

The DSi XL is out on April 15, in Burgundy and Bronze colours. So will you be picking one up or holding out for the 3DS?

Source: Kotaku

If you want to try your hand at designing a game, you live in a very good time. You can always download the Unreal Engine 3 to play with for free if you want to take a crack at PC gaming. but if your goals are slightly less ambitions, Nintendo has your back. The company is giving you the reins with Wario Ware D.I.Y., the latest game in the now venerable series of microgames. Each release in the series features short games that can be completed in a matter of seconds by the player, and this newest release allows you to make those games yourself.

Don't expect to just jump in and start creating, however. The game begins with a lengthy and somewhat tiresome tutorial, but there is nothing simple about creating a simple game. Stick with it, and the game will hold your hand through the basic concepts of game creation, including artwork and music. You can import assets from any of the existing games on the cart, or make your own. The game will teach you basic scripting language in order to give your creations the ability to interact and respond to the player.

When you're finished, games can be shared with other players either using direct connections or online using Friend Codes. The games can be played on the Wii with the optional WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase for that system. Nintendo will also be releasing games designed by some of the industry's top talent, including the minds behind Metroid: the Other M and Scribblenauts. The games on the cart, and the games released by the pros later, have all been made with the tools you have been given. It's empowering to be able to look at what others are able to do with what you have ready at your fingertips.

There are limits to how many objects you can put into your game, and you can only control the game by tapping the screen, but those limits will stretch your creativity. Take a look at what others have created with those parameters in order to see just how far creativity can take you. The game also includes a four-panel comic designer, and the ability to upload and download new games means the experience can be fresh for pretty much... well, forever.

If you've ever had the itch to create your own Nintendo title, this could be as close as many of us get. WarioWare D.I.Y. comes to the Nintendo DS this Sunday.

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Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto holds the games industry responsible for the downturn in game sales in 2009. According to him, there just werent enough exciting games. "I think any entertainment products are less susceptible to changes in the economy," Miyamoto says. "The fact that in 2009 we were not able to sell more than we did in 2008 was simply that in comparison, we were not able to produce fun-enough products."

But Miyamoto isnt convinced that the video game market is becoming saturated. "There are always ups and downs in this business. As long as we create unique and unprecedented experiences with video games, there should be nothing to worry about."

As Sony and Microsoft jump onto the motion control bandwagon, we look to the future and wonder where the next wave of innovation will come from. To Miyamoto, one things for certain, there is an increasing potential for video games, but not so much in the area of hardware technologies. "Today we are seeing the competition from a different perspective. People are asking what kind of gameplay experience particular hardware can generate," Miyamoto continues. "At Nintendo we are trying to see video-game technology from the perspective of how we can integrate some of these technologies into daily life, like the Wii Fit."

He believes that as long as software developers can "create something new, which can offer some unprecedented experience, there is always demand" that can be created.

From Nintendos perspective, 2010 is definitely looking to be better than 2009 as new Mario, Metroid and Zelda games are all on the way. We couldnt ask for anything more.

Source: The Economist

Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto holds the games industry responsible for the downturn in game sales in 2009. According to him, there just werent enough exciting games. "I think any entertainment products are less susceptible to changes in the economy," Miyamoto says. "The fact that in 2009 we were not able to sell more than we did in 2008 was simply that in comparison, we were not able to produce fun-enough products."

But Miyamoto isnt convinced that the video game market is becoming saturated. "There are always ups and downs in this business. As long as we create unique and unprecedented experiences with video games, there should be nothing to worry about."

As Sony and Microsoft jump onto the motion control bandwagon, we look to the future and wonder where the next wave of innovation will come from. To Miyamoto, one things for certain, there is an increasing potential for video games, but not so much in the area of hardware technologies. "Today we are seeing the competition from a different perspective. People are asking what kind of gameplay experience particular hardware can generate," Miyamoto continues. "At Nintendo we are trying to see video-game technology from the perspective of how we can integrate some of these technologies into daily life, like the Wii Fit."

He believes that as long as software developers can "create something new, which can offer some unprecedented experience, there is always demand" that can be created.

From Nintendos perspective, 2010 is definitely looking to be better than 2009 as new Mario, Metroid and Zelda games are all on the way. We couldnt ask for anything more.

Source: The Economist

The cover features Mario riding Yoshi as they narrowly avoid colliding into the games logo, and Toad, whos swearing at Mario for hogging Yoshi all day. Speaking of the logo, Nintendo recently added a Luma to it. The cute little creatures played a key role in the original game, and its good to see them back in their thousands in the sequel. FEEEEED MEEEEE!

Slap on an OFLC logo et violà, this is pretty much what well see on shelves in June.