via Computer and Video Games


Square Enix has officially revealed a sequel to Super NES classic Final Fantasy IV... but it's for mobile phones. Pitch forks at the ready.

Final Fantasy IV The After - Return to the Moon will release on Japanese FOMA 903i model mobile phones in February, with support for other mobiles coming later.

According to the latest issue of Famitsu, the game has you playing as Theodore, a young boy who is descended from the SNES original's hero Cecil, though Final Fantasy fans are probably too busy cursing into their handhelds to care.

The 1991 original was later ported to PlayStation and remade on the Nintendo DS, and is largely regarded as one of the best entries in the massive RPG series. Its hugely disappointing then that the follow up is coming to a watered down format only properly available in Japan. But we're not bitter at all, no.

We'll let you know if its any good. Y' know, if we ever get our hands on it. ...

via Kotaku


Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed today what we first broke earlier this week, Best Buy and six other national retailers will be stocking Wii this weekend. And by stocking I mean they will be advertising the console in their weekly circulars (except Wal-Mart) and then throwing the consoles up on the shelves come the weekend and then running away.

Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, Kmart, Toys R Us and Circuit City are all stocking the Wii this weekend for those still on the hunt. We had several tips after our rumor story ran about the stock issue.

According to Best Buy tipsters it sounds like all stores will have at least 21 of the consoles with some carrying as many as 100. I've also heard that Best Buy is expecting a second shipment next week which is supposed to go straight to shelves. Most stores will get them sometimes before noon. The bad news is that rumor has it that that will be the last pre-Christmas shipment for Best Buy, though they expect more in early January.

Target, another tipster tells me, has a big stockpile as well, some stores have more than 100. So this weekend sounds like your best chance to pick up a Wii, unless you don't mind buying a raincheck. ...

A number of analysts suggest that Nintendo's inability to meet Wii demand is set to cost the platform holder in excess of $1 billion [£495.66m] this holiday, while Nintendo's marketing VP admits supply shortages are a "worry".

It's no secret that Nintendo is failing to adequately stock retail channels with enough Wii units despite pumping out 1.8 million systems on a monthly basis, but as the New York Times reports, shortages mean Nintendo is set to lose more than just face.

While Nintendo's Wii has been the bestselling home console in the US every month this year, except during September when a Halo 3-driven Xbox 360 narrowly edged it out, the Kyoto-based company is failing to fully capitalize on the system's popularity.

Nintendo sold 981,000 Wii units in the US during November according to the NPD Group, but according to James Lin, senior analyst at the MDB Capital Group in Santa Monica, Calif., "they could easily sell double what they're selling." Along with other industry analysts and retailers, Lin believes Nintendo could be set to lose out on more than $1billion this holiday, not including missed revenue opportunies from associated software sales that won't materialize.

While Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing says he doesn't believe Nintendo's "made any mistakes" when it comes to gauging demand, he admits consumers may turn their heads towards other systems if they can't get hold of a Wii.


Sony CEO Howard Stringer is one interested observer who's pleased with the Wii shortages. "I'm happy that the Wii seems to be running out of hardware," he noted earlier this week. During November Sony's PS3 outsold the Wii in Japan over a four week period for the first time since the systems launched late last year.

As previously reported, Nintendo shares have dropped by eight percent since November, having risen five-fold during the two years prior. Wii shortages and a resurgent PS3 are two factors that leave the immediate future of Nintendo's stock hanging in the balance. ...

via Eurogamer


It's Friday, and that means Nintendo has lined up another pair of ageing beauties to glide Sophia Loren-like across your router's DMZ into the beckoning, slightly sweaty arms of your Wii's onboard flash memory. This week it's Mega Man 2 and the amazingly brilliantly named Top Hunter.

Nintendo has also chucked N64 title Pokemon Snap onto Virtual Console, although that's been there since Tuesday when the last patch was released. Like other N64 titles, it costs 1000 Wii Points.

Mega Man 2, of course, needs no introduction.

Top Hunter is a NeoGeo game from the mid-'90s, which Wikipedia suggests was originally even more amazingly brilliantly named Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy, and which is - you will probably want to sit down for this one - a side-scrolling platform game that pits you against forest, ice, wind and fire planets in a battle to kill lots of enemies and bosses. It costs 900 Wii Points.

In that, Mega Man 2 (which I have recently been informed does need introduction) has little in common with it, seeing as it costs 500 Wii Points, although on the other counts they're quite similar: Mega Man wanders around 2D platform levels until he reaches the eight robot bosses and kills them, or doesn't and then has to do the level again. He is blue and fires stuff out of his arm.

However he doesn't look much like Top Hunter, as you will see from our Top Hunter screenshot gallery. We don't have any shots for Mega Man 2, but if you imagine a Mega Man game it looks like that. Dan Whitehead will be here tomorrow with verdicts rather than waffle. Er, probably.


Top Hunter screenshots here ...

via Eurogamer


Agetec has announced plans to publish the excellently named "Puzzle Guzzle" for PSP from Irem next spring.

In it, players race to assemble triangles and other shapes by rotating marked squares pieces (it says here).

"It may sound simple," apparently, "but winning at Puzzle Guzzle requires that players think in multiple dimensions to succeed."

There are competitive modes to play against friends, and, er, that appears to be your lot in terms of description.

Fortunately there's a bit more on the Agetec website, including a firm 26th February release date (is February in spring?) and box artwork.

We're told there to expect three puzzle modes - Quiz, Drop and Stuffit - with hundreds of puzzles, scope for chain reactions and downloadable content via Wi-Fi Internet connection.

Check out this Puzzle Guzzle PSP screenshot gallery for more. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Despite winning an appeal to have Manhunt 2 classified, Rockstar's game won't be making its way to UK retail any time soon if the British Board of Film Classification decides to take the case to the High Court, the ratings body has warned.

While the Video Appeals Committee voted in favour of Rockstar's bid to get the controversial Manhunt 2 classified in the UK, the BBFC has told MCV it will need to study the report of the VAC proceedings before deciding whether to grant the game a rating.

...

via Games Industry


Although Nintendo has not made any official announcement, the Wii has now passed the total cumulative sales of the GameCube in Japan according to sales data released by Famitsu.

Famitsu reports that the Wii has now sold 4,025,356 units in Japan.

According to the most recent data released by Nintendo, the GameCube has sold 21.66 million units worldwide as of September 30, 2007. 12.88 million units were sold in the Americas, 4.02 million in Japan, and 4.76 in other regions.

MediaCreate's sales data differs from Famitsu, but still puts the Wii within 100,000 units of the GameCube. At the rate that the Wii has been selling in Japan, it should take only a few more weeks to surpass total GameCube sales.

The Wii was launched in Japan in 2006; The GameCube was launched in Japan in 2001. ...

via Games Industry


In a conference call, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime announced a new program addressing the shortage of its Wii console.

Under terms of the program, consumers who purchase a Wii console through GameStop in December will be guaranteed delivery of the system by the end of January.

A year after its launch, the console remains in short supply.

Jim Silver, editor in chief of Toy Wishes magazine and an industry analyst, said it was unusual for an in-demand product to remain so hard to find for so long.

"It's pretty amazing," Silver told The New York Times. "By a year later with hot items, inventory usually catches up."

James Lin, a senior analyst at the MDB Capital Group in Santa Monica, California, estimates that Nintendo is leaving USD 1.3 billion on the table by not having enough supply to meet the demand.

"They could easily sell double what they're selling," he said. ...

The console hardware sales situation in Japan are as follows:


Ninteno DS Lite: 168,255
Nintendo Wii: 115,057
Playstation Portable: 91,481
Playstation 3: 38,123
Playstation 2: 11,987
Xbox 360: 8,876
Game Boy Advance SP: 94
Gamecube: 46
Game Boy Micro: 20
Nintendo DS original: 12


Nindendo DS Lite, Wii, PSP, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Gamecube and GBA SP get increases, the first the mentioned a big upwards surge in sales. Game Boy Micro stays exactly the same. All the others experience a drop. ...