Team Ninja has revealed, through the Famitsu magazine, that they are working on a new Ninja Gaiden game for the DS. Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword is a new 3D action game, which supposedly has players holding the DS sideways and tapping the touch screen to control character movement. A few screens revealing the game are below. Hopefully we’ll get some more new info on the game soon!

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GWN

Insomniac Games’ Brian Hasting recently posted on his blog that while he enjoys the Wii, it should probably be considered a temporary fad.

“I’m exaggerating, but the Wii does have many characteristics of popular mainstream fads. It’s instantaneously accessible, it’s unlike anything you’ve tried before, and it’s great fun to share with friends,”

“In short, it’s everything Nintendo said it would be and it has captured the world’s imagination. The only downside is that the world is easily distracted. Tickle Me Elmo captured the world’s attention at one point, as did Furbies. They were both instantly accessible, were unlike anything people had seen before, and were fun to share with friends. But a year later, after everyone had seen them and tried them out, their popularity waned.”

In addition, Hastings expects the PS3 to be in the lead by 2010.

WiiNetwork

Bill Kreher, from A.G. Edwards, says that he expects the Xbox 360 to maintain the lead in the video game console race through 2009 with 38% of the market. He predicted the Wii to be in second place by then, but had good words to say about the system’s future.

And then there’s the Wii, which Kreher expects to fall between the Xbox 360 and PS3 through 2009 with 34 percent market share, despite doubters who say that the Wii is simply a fad or novelty. He expects the younger crowd will have a big say in the console’s success.

Kreher stated, “Speaking in terms of a holiday, if mom and dad are looking to buy a system for their kids, first of all they’ll see the $250 price tag versus $400 or $600. Then they’ll see those familiar titles like Mario, Mario Kart and even the licensed games from THQ, whether it’s Disney Pixar or Nickelodeon, those are the type of games that are going to sell well on that system.

“Long term, I think the Wii is very viable,” he said.

I wonder if this considers the fact that, worldwide, the Wii has sold 2/3rds as many Xbox 360s in about 1/4th the time…

Next-Gen

Following Dan DeMatteo’s speculation that Nintendo was holding back Wii supplies, Nintendo’s Senior VP, George Harrison, gave his response:

“No, that’s not at all the case. 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.”

Next-Gen

In speaking about the newly announced Xbox 360 Elite, John Rodman, a group product manager for the Xbox division of Microsoft, briefly talked about the Wii. Here’s what he had to say:

“We don’t feel like the Wii customer and the Xbox customer are the same thing,” he said. “We think that as soon as the Wii customer turns 14 they want something else.”

Oh, no he didn’t…

New York Times

Looking back, I don’t really consider the Game Boy Color an “established” system… there was the Game Boy, and the Game Boy Advance. The Game Boy Color was more of a bridge - a Game Boy with, well, color. But was the Game Boy Advance really “established” either? The Game Boy Color enjoyed a lifespan of less than 3 years before it was replaced by the Game Boy Advance in June of 2001. A little more than 3 years later, the Nintendo DS landed on November 21, 2004. Was the Game Boy Advance’s life cut way too short? Was it deprived of a chance to ripen into a legendary platform?

AMN’s Michael Kelly has an article up looking at the decline of the Game Boy Advance, which may have come too soon for the system. Definitely a good read, especially if you were one of those people that really cherished your GBA collections. Some of my favorite games were on the Game Boy Advance, and its probably one of my larger game libraries. Head on over to read the eye-opening article.

Advanced Media Network

Here’s a short blurb from the latest Nintendo Power. Looks like Big Brain Academy will make use of the Wii’s online capabilities.

“When you create a student profile, you can choose any one of your Miis to represent you in the game. Additionally, WiiConnect24 works with Big Brain Academy, allowing Miis based on student-profile data from other players to appear in your game. You can then compete against those Miis in any of he multiplayer modes, so you probably won’t have trouble finding other brains to compete against.”

Codename Revolution

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport has declared that wireless gaming will no longer be allowed at all on plane flights. They fear that the wireless signals can interfere with the plane’s instruments. However, passengers will still be allowed to play games on their Nintendo DS as long as the wireless mode is turned off.

Go Nintendo

Related Link: Search for cheap flights One search to find cheap flights from over 40 airlines.

Quite the surprising announcement to wake up to this morning! Here is the official Nintendo press release:

SEGA AND NINTENDO JOIN FORCES FOR MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Legendary Icons Appear Together for the First Time in Video Game History

TOKYO (March 28, 2007) - SEGA® Corporation and Nintendo Co. Ltd. today made a historical announcement that two of the biggest icons in the entertainment industry, Mario™ and Sonic™, are joining forces to star in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Developed for the Wii™ video game system and the Nintendo DS™ system, this momentous agreement marks the first time these two renowned stars have appeared together in a game.

Published by SEGA across Europe and North America, and published by Nintendo in the Japanese market, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will be available for Holiday 2007 and is licensed through a worldwide partnership with International Sports Multimedia (ISM), the exclusive interactive entertainment software licensee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, players will compete in events that take place in environments based on the official venues of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Using a supporting cast of characters from the amazing worlds of both Mario and Sonic, gamers will be able to compete as or against a range of lovable personalities including Mario, Sonic, Luigi™, Knuckles™, Yoshi®, Tails™ and more. Innovative usage of the Wii and DS control systems to maneuver a favorite character will allow players to race the likes of Mario and Sonic down the 100m track, engage in exhilarating rallies in table tennis and churn water in a swimming heat, all while competing for the much sought after gold medal.

“We are thrilled to partner with Nintendo and ISM on this groundbreaking title,” said Hisao Oguchi, President and Chief Operating Officer, SEGA Corporation. “For the first time, two of the world’s greatest games’ characters come together to compete in the world’s greatest sporting event and we couldn’t be more excited.”

“Mario and Sonic have been respectful rivals since the early days of video games,” says Shigeru Miyamoto, Senior Managing Director and General Manager, Entertainment Analysis and Development Division, Nintendo Co., Ltd.. “In fact, for a long time they have been discussing the possibility of one day competing against each other. Now that they have been given the perfect opportunity to meet at the Olympic Games, we may finally learn who is actually faster, Mario or Sonic?”

“The Olympic Games represent the true spirit of competition and passion,” said Raymond Goldsmith, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ISM. “Bringing together intensely competitive and fun characters like Mario and Sonic in an Olympic setting helps showcase the sports of the Olympic Games in a new and compelling way for all generations.”

For further information on this title please visit www.sega-press.com for Europe and the SEGA FTP for America at: http://segapr.segaamerica.com.

Learn who is actually faster? That’s funny. Sorry Mario, but an Italian plumber doesn’t seem to match up well against a hedgehog that was built around speed…

At least Mario has some mad hops. Either way, I’m sure Luigi will finally have his chance to shine!

Li Shih-hui of the Taipei Times has written a nice article about the Wii and the praise it’s received around the world. It’s no secret that Nintendo has a phenomenon on its hands. Check out the excerpt below:

Wii fever has spread rapidly around the world, with many gamers hoping the console will be launched in their countries. Although Taiwan has an official Nintendo agent, a long wait is expected here since the company has made sales in the Japanese and US markets a priority. Hence, Taiwanese who bring the consoles back to Taiwan after traveling abroad find it difficult, if not impossible, to obtain warranty service and repairs.

Hit the link below for the full article. It’s storming ouside right now, so I’m going to leave you all for the night, run around in the rain, and then go to bed. Catch ya tomorrow!

Taipei Times