Nintendo:The Kingdom Enquirer

Welcome to the Kingdom Enquirer, a column that focuses on the news of Nintendo - from their games, their consoles and their supporters (i.e. third parties). If you find any news that's worth posting, then please do so! But if this is the case, remember to sign your post, add a possible link and of course a title! Images are welcome - but it's suggested that you just have one if any. And for those wondering, the name originates from a Nintendo Valiant comic way back in which there was a newspaper that reported on the happenings of the Mushroom Kingdom. Also note that this will replace separate news pages.

News archive

 * Nintendo: The Kingdom Enquirer/May-November 2008
 * Nintendo: The Kingdom Enquirer/November-December 2008
 * Nintendo: The Kingdom Enquirer/January-March 2009

Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 (June 2nd-4th)
May 7th-June 6th, 2009 by

Well, as E3 inches closer to opening its doors, we here at the Nintendo Wiki start a new section on the news page devoted entirely to the event. Keep your eyes peeled on the screen and your rear end locked in place. Grab a bag of baked cheddar cheese chips, a fruit smoothie and of course your Nintendo DS in case for a minute during E3 there just happens to be a boring moment (I'm looking at you, Ubisoft press conference). All news leading up to the event and during the event will be posted here. If something HUGE is announced, then it'll have it's separate section under this main one. So, get a-ready, buckle up, and use the restroom before hand CAUSE HERE WE GOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Nintendo press conference
Press conference starts at 9:00PST on June 2nd

Other first party news
Other first party information not revealed at the show, but rather on the showfloor, through demos or via interviews.

Third party news
Third party news from developers like Square Enix, SEGA, Capcom, Electronic Arts, Activsion, Ubisoft, and many more.

Other tidbits
Anything else that may be worth noting, but wouldn't exactly fit in the above categories.

News leading up to the event

 * May 8th - Nintendo has confirmed Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver for the Nintendo DS! While Nintendo hasn't said anything, you should probably expect the game to be present at the show.
 * May 7th - The Soup host Joel McHale has been confirmed to host this year's Ubisoft conference. At least there's going to be one good thing at the show! But, who knows, maybe we'll get something new regarding No More Heroes 2 or Rabbids go Home.
 * May 7th - Majesco has confirmed that A Boy and his Blob will make a showing at E3.
 * May 7th - Some major games that have been confirmed to make a showing include: Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, Spyborgs, Dead Space Extraction, FIFA 10, Grand Slam Tennis, Madden NFL 10, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Nostalgia, A Boy and His Blob, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, The Conduit, Rabbids Go Home, and Red Steel 2. Note that these are just games that have been officially confirmed. For a full list of games that will be at the show, check out our E3 2009 center here on the Nintendo Wiki.

Intelligent Systems and Square Enix team up for... SIX DSiWare games!
May 18th, 2009 by:

Square Enix has just announced that they are teaming up with Intelligent Systems of Nintendo to create six new DSiWare games. Only one has been announced so far, but if the others are of this caliber we may be in for quite a ride. Naturally the game is a tactical title! But the interesting thing is... well... just look at the name: Dragon Quest Wars!!!!!! Yes, Intelligent Systems is developing the first ever Dragon Quest tactical role-playing game. And who better to do it than the creators of Fire Emblem and Nintendo Wars? The game will cost 500 Nintendo Points, and will have four player multiplayer both locally and online. The game will be released in June (in Japan at least). The other six games are unknown.

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver announced!
May 8th, 2009 by:

Nintendo has announced through their official website and through Yahoo! Japan that Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver is official. The game is a remake of Pokémon Gold and Silver, and should be released by the end of the year in Japan. I expect that everyone else will get it about a year from now. Nothing much is known about the remakes now, but on Sunday you should expect to get some more news from a television show which is supposed to reveal some new information. Also expect to get some revelations at E3 this year.

DJ Hero controller revealed
May 7th, 2009 by: Right off the heals of the lawsuit that Activision came out victorious on, they've released an image of the upcomming DJ Hero controller. I guess I shouldn't be surprised of how it looks, because it looks like something you'd expect it to look like (wut), but I'm still confused as to how it'll work. Since there's only three buttons I'm assuming you'll be doing some turning as well, but that seems complicated. Anyway, the game, along with Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero are scheduled to be released this fall.

The Conduit developer to helm new Astro Boy game
May 7th, 2009 by:

High Voltage Studios just confirmed today that they are going to be developing an Astro Boy game based off of the upcoming movie. At first I was a bit disappointed that Treasure wouldn't be making the game after their fantastic Astro Boy: Omega Factor, though I'm sure HVS will do fine. It should also be noted that they're doing the Wii version of the game. The DS version? Well, it's being headed by Arts Co., Ltd... the company behind the Coraline video game... which is supposedly terrible. So, don't have high hopes for the DS outing, but who knows - maybe the Wii game will be good.

Square Enix now owns Eidos
April 22nd, 2009 by:

Well, it's been a long time since Square Enix announced its plan to purchase European giant Eidos, and today Square Enix officially owns the company. There's not much else you could say about it, and unlike many people I highly doubt that the buyout will effect Edios' games. I simply just don't think Square Enix will get too involved with Eidos video game development.

New Fire Emblem announcement next month???
April 22nd, 2009 by:

In this month's Nintendo Dream (Japanese magazine), they state that next month, Fire Emblem fans will have something to look forward to. Now, lest this be some cruel joke I'd say that we'll get a new Fire Emblem announcement soon. Don't let the fact that Shadow Dragon just came out a couple of months ago fool you - it was initially released in Japan over 8 months ago, and it's 'bout time for a new one to be announced. And as Fire Emblem Planet brings up, the series' 20th anniversary is coming up, and just as they did with the series' fifteenth anniversary (Path of Radiance) they may release a new game on the 20th. I'm just hoping that they add something new, it just seems that the past couple of games are just soo similar to the ones released before it. And to tell the truth - I liked Sacred Stones a lot better than Shadow Dragon.

Lego Rock Band announced for Wii and DS
April 22nd, 2009 by:

Back at GDC Harmonix accidentally announced that Lego Rock Band was in the works through a chart showing off the upcoming Rock Band games in comparison to the outrageous amount of Guitar Hero titles. Well, now the companies involved (there's a lot) have confirmed the title, and it looks like it'll be in development by Telltale Games (creator of, you guessed it, the Lego movie titles like Lego Star Wars). The game will, according to Harmonix, have the DNA of their studio in it, but it'll just be infused with Legos. It's geared toward the tween and teen crowds, and thus unsurprisingly has songs that are most appropriate for them, such as:

Blur: “Song 2” Carl Douglas: “Kung Fu Fighting” Europe: “The Final Countdown” Good Charlotte: “Boys and Girls” Pink: “So What”

Because of this, I highly doubt that the game will be rated T like its predecessors were. And yes - the game is entirely Lego based - so you'll have characters and stadiums made out of the building blocks. How this will benefit the game I have no idea, but it'd be cool to make your own stadiums.

Game Boy turns 20!
April 21st, 2009 by:

20 years ago, a momentous occasion occurred. Just as Nintendo left their Color TV format for a more accessible cartridge based console, Nintendo abandoned their Game & Watch concept for the entirely appropriate cartridge based handheld. The Game Boy was released, and it remains one of the most important dates in video game history. Handhelds became a powerful opponent to consoles, and in fact would surpass the sales by the tens of millions. The Game Boy introduced to the world Pokémon, popularized Tetris, and gave many of Nintendo and third party franchises the handheld treatment so that they could play their favorite games, whether it be Mario, Zelda, Metroid, or Final Fantasy, on the go. Gunpei Yokoi, the creator of the Game Boy at Nintendo, remains today a legend. He suffered a terrible fate in a car accident, though his franchises and hardware remain as some of the best the industry has and had to offer. The Game Boy brand may no longer be around, though its legacy does.

American/European release date announced for Wii MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort
April 13th, 2009 by:

Nintendo has today announced the price and release date for Wii MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort in America and Europe. In America Wii MotionPlus will hit the market on June 8th this year at a suggested retail price of $19.99. Surprisingly, Wii Sports Resort will come out more than a month layer on July 26th. Wii Sports Resort will cost $49.99 and will come packaged with Wii MotionPlus.

For Europe, the accessory will come out on June 12th while the game will be released on July 24th. The price was not given.

One more tibit announced today: the accessory will be attached to a sleeve, and cannot be detached. This will probably tick a lot of people who don't like the sleeve off, myself included.

Tales of Graces announced for Wii
April 6th, 2009 by

One of Namco Bandai's biggest series is set to appear on the Wii again with the game Tales of Graces, which was officially announced in the latest issue of... some Japanese magazine (probably Famitsu). The game's main theme is, according to the creators, protection. Protecting what? That's not entirely clear at the moment. This isn't exactly a surprising announcement because a trademark of the game popped up last month sometime. Still, if you enjoyed a New World then check this game out, though take note that the game will feature a different battle system.

Nintendo of America announces DSiWare launch list
April 2nd, 2009 by

Nintendo has announced their launch lineup for DSiWare come the sixth. While not as exciting as the WiiWare launch, the DSiWare launch does still have some appealing looking titles in the bunch. They include:


 * WarioWare Snapped!
 * Bird & Beans
 * Brain Age Express: Math
 * Master of Illusion Express: Funny Face
 * Art Style: AQUIA

DS games featuring exclusive features on DSi, DSi exclusive carts
Alright, the guy behind the Nintendo DSi, Masato Kuwahara, has confirmed at GDC that some games that can be played on both DSi and Nintendo DS will feature some things that can only be accessed on the Nintendo DSi. He didn't delve too much into this, though basically what this means is that if they were to make a game where you could draw an icon, you could probably take a picture of yourself and have it as the icon if you're using a DSi. They also confirmed that if the developers wishes, he can make a game playable exclusively on the Nintendo DSi if it makes extensive use of its features. I highly doubt we'll see many games go this route. And by the way: Spirit Tracks will be playable on all three DS models currently available, so no worries!

Minor news day two

 * Suda51, acclaimed creator of No More Heroes, Killer7, and Contact said.... at a game developer conference mind you, which is supposed to be at least a little bit serious, that he gets all of his fantastic game ideas while taking a dump in the toilet. No joke, he said that he gets his best ideas while, and I'm quoting here, "pooping". Great insight there, I'll remember that if I ever venture into game design.


 * New art and images for Nintendo published games have been released. I'm too lazy to upload them myself, so I'll just give you the link: Excitebots: Trick Racing (check page 2 for more art), Punch-Out!! (these aren't exactly new), WarioWare Snapped, and Rhythm Heaven. Yes, I hear your pleas for official Spirit Tracks images, but Nintendo is stubborn and doesn't like to offer such media to the press.

Iwata's Keynote
RECAP: A new Zelda game was announced for DS titled The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Wii has shipped 50 million units worldwide. Wii's Storage Solution announced. New WiiWare sequel to My Life as a King announced, along with the confirmation of The After Years. Final Fantasy games (NES through SNES) coming to Virtual Console. Virtual Console Arcade announced, will include popular arcade games of old including Space Harrier, Mappy, Druaga, Gapius, Star Force, and others. Taito will release Space Invaders later in the year. So far no Nintendo published titles announced for Virtual Console Arcade, which shows their support for third party success on their consoles. Both Storage Solution and Virtual Console Arcade can be downloaded today! 90% of WiiWare sales are from third parties. Rock 'n' Roll Climber is not a sequel to Ice Climbers, but is a realistic rock climbing simulator for WiiWare that will make use of the Balance Board, whose userbase is creeping up to that of the PS3's!


 * Pre-conference: It starts in an hour. Be sure to find a good live blog. I'll update the page here if anything big is announced, but I still suggest that you head to Kotaku, 1up, IGN or any other site that has live blogs so that you can see it the moment it happens.


 * Pre-conference: Nintendo has shut down the Wii Shop Channel for the moment. Maybe they'll update it after something big is announced during the conference? Don't get your hopes up though, it's probably nothing too big.


 * Pre-conference (47 minutes till): The shop channel thing may be bigger than we think. While here in America we don't know when it'll be back up and running, the Japanese Shop Channel notes that it'll be back at 2:00AM (Japan time), which is the moment that Iwata's keynote ends. Coincidence? I THINK NOT! Who knows, maybe it's the big storage solution that Nintendo promised in the Spring... and would you look at that - where just a few days into Spring!!!


 * Pre-conference: Here's some links to some live blogs: Joystiq, Eurogamer, VG247, 1up, IGN, and Kotaku.


 * Pre-conference: Another bit of fuel to add to the Shop Channel fire: Today is the first year anniversary since WiiWare launched in Japan!


 * Conference has begun: Wii has shipped over 50 million units, making it the fastest selling hardware yet.


 * FYI: This conference may not reveal anything. So far it's really disappointing, and there's only 20 minutes left. Everyone at the show gets a free copy of Rhythm Heaven.


 * Rock 'n' Roll Climber being shown. Will use Balance Board. Supposed to be very realistic. WiiWare game (sigh).


 * Once you reach the top of the mountain, you start rocking out on a guitar... wat...


 * Wii's Storage Solution announced: New firmware update. Wii Menu 4.0 will include SD Card support. Direct all of your games right to the SD Card and play them in a new menu. Up to 240 games can be stored. You can download it now.


 * My Life As a Darklord: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is announced for WiiWare, sequel to My Life as a King. Final Fantasy IV: The After Years also coming to WiiWare, which we already reported. The Final Fantasy franchise is making its way to the Virtual Console! YAY!


 * Arcade games confirmed for Virtual Console. Some supporters include the likes of Sega, Namco, and Taito, along with Nintendo of course.


 * NEW ZELDA!!!!!!!! It's for DS and will involve.... TRAINS? Well, that's new! Visually it apparently looks like Phantom Hourglass. I'm stoked! The name is The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. The system is a lot like driving a boat around, but this time you create tracks and such. Of course there will be dungeons and enemies. Don't be fooled by the trains - this is a hardcore Zelda title, and it'll be available by the end of the year.

Minor news

 * An astounding 60% of World of Goo sales were from WiiWare. To compare with other outlets, 25% came from website downloads on the computer, and a mere 3% came from the retail version. According to 2D Boy, the game cost them around $116,000 to create.
 * The new Harry Potter game for Wii will NOT include MotionPlus support.
 * Punch-Out!! will be playable on Wednesday according to IGN. They expect big things from the Iwata speach too. But in this writers' opinion I doubt they'll announce anything that will make you squeal, but there have been some pretty big announcements in the past such as Phantom Hourglass, trailers for Galaxy and Twilight Princess, Pay to Play, and the announcement of a sequel to Wind Waker.

New sales information
March 14th By

I feel like giving some new sales info for the week since there's really nothing else to report at the moment.


 * Guitar Hero: On Tour almost reaches 2 million units sold, will probably do so quite soon.
 * A big shock: Spore Creatures on DS almost tops 1 million units, as is DDR: Hottest Party for Wii.
 * Sonic and the Black Knight debuts on the American charts at number 4, behind Wii Fit, Wii Play and Mario Kart Wii.
 * de Blob might pass one million mark, might not.

Rock N' Roll Climber, a new game by Nintendo, announced by the ESRB
March 12th, 2009 By

Well, this is certainly interesting: ESRB has gone and done it again by announcing a game before the publisher probably wanted them to. This time they did a doozie by announcing a Nintendo published title, but one that will probably be met with mixed reactions. The game, titled Rock N' Roll Climber, is, you guessed it, a rock climbing game. Not much else is known about it - though apparently you must climb the rock formations within the given time, "grabbing onto divots and edges and positioning themselves to ensure they do not fall off." The game, rated E for Everyone (what a shock) might even be the spiritual successor to Ice Climber, or possibly a WiiWare game. Well, whatever it is, more info is sure to be released in the next couple of months, maybe at Nintendo's spring conference.

Two more Resident Evil games announced, plus Pikmin 2 and Jungle Beat
March 12th, 2009 By:

Resident Evil: DarkSide Chronicles was announced yesterday, and we, yet again, get two more Resident Evil titles to look forward to. Unfortunately, and quite frankly this was expected, these two games aren't exactly new, but rather remakes of previously released games. In fact, one of the games announced is a remake of a remake! Exciting, isn't it? When the 360 and PS3 fans get a new entry in the series, we get a light gun sequel and two remakes. At least we get two more games then them, though its still disappointing that we don't get a new entry in the main series. It's also disappointing that we don't get a remake of Resident Evil 2. But I digress, the two new games are remakes of the GameCube games Resident Evil Zero and Resident Evil (the GameCube version mind you), both with upgraded controls. So basically they're like New Play Control! titles that aren't published by Nintendo. Which brings me to two other games. Nintendo has confirmed that Pikmin 2 is coming to America under the New Play Control! brand, and that the previously confirmed Donkey Kong Junble Beat is as well. While Pikmin 2 isn't bringing anything really new to the table other than enhanced controls, Jungle Beat will be giving us two new stages, new enemies, weapons and bonuses. Not surprising coming from the developers of Super Mario Galaxy, amiright?

Nintendo ships 100 millionth Nintendo DS
March 11th, 2009 By:

Mark this day, March 11th, 2009. Nintendo for the first time since the Game Boy has managed to ship over 100 million units of a video game system. The Nintendo DS, the fourth best selling video game system of all time, just behind the PS2, Game Boy, and PS1 in that order (and by just behind the PS2, I mean it still has about, say, a measly 50 million more units to go!).

New Professor Layton and Resident Evil announced
March 11th, 2009 By:

Famitsu has revealed two new games, one for the DS and one for the Wii. For the DS we get a new Professor Layton game called Professor Layton and Devil's Flute. The game is a prequel to the original and will be the beginning of a whole new series. Next we get a new Resident Evil for Wii, and it seems to be a sequel to Umbrella Chronicles titled DarkSide Chronicles. I would state my opinions on making a sequel of that game, though I'll keep them to myself. The game will be easier than the original (oh boy) and will support two players. So THIS is what Capcom was talking about, huh?

A Boy and His Blob announced for Wii
March 5th, 2009 By:

You may or may not know the name of the game I just mentioned. It was a classic title released long ago that had the player control a boy who fed his pet blob jellybeans that would cause him to transform into an object like a ladder. Well, the game was thought to have been in development for the GBA, but was canceled, then the DS, but was canceled, and now its on its way to Wii, and by the looks of it this one will make it to retail and won't face the unfortunate fate that the previous games did.

Nintendo Power revealed it in their latest issue in a full fledged sequel. Its being made by the guys at WayForward, the peeps behind games like Shante and Contra 4. The game holds exciting promise due to its unique graphics that resemble Wario Land: Shake It, its return of the interesting gameplay mechanics, and the fact that it has an all-star team. Once more info is released, I'll report it.