WiiNintendo

GoNintendo found images of what appears to be a Chinese knockoff of Nintendo’s Wii, brilliantly name the “Vii”. It looks like the creators of this system put the absolute minimum amount of work into the Vii, obviously copying the Wii’s design and control . They didn’t even put effort into the name — they cut off half of the first letter.

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Anyone that plays the Metal Gear Solid games knows that Snake has quite a distinct voice. The man behind that voice is David Hayter. Mr. Hayter has been providing the voice of Snake for years now, and the character just wouldn’t be the same without him.

On Mr. Hayter’s website, he links to his YouTube account where he has done a little promo piece for Metal Gear Solid. Reader DH noticed that Mr. Hayter was actually answering viewer comments through his YouTube account. Below you can see a question/answer that confirms Mr. Hayter’s involvement in Brawl.

Q: Hello David Hayter! I have to say that you are one of the greatest voice actors ever, and you do a great job as snake. I was wondering, are you going to voice Snake in Super smash bros. brawl?

A: I am indeed voicing Snake in “Smash Bros.” I’ve recorded it already, and I believe that fans of both games are going to be extremely happy. It’s very cool. That’s all I can say.

The cool part is that we are getting fresh audio instead of rehashed recordings from previous MGS titles.

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NiGHTS was due to hit the Wii this October, but now it looks like the game won’t make it out until December. All major game retailers have moved the game’s release back all the way to December 18th, 2007, not exactly the best time for the holiday rush. While Sega hasn’t outright confirmed the date, expect them to do so soon.

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This will be the second change that Amazon has made to Wii Fit preorders. This one is a bit strange though, and I am guessing it is a screwup. Just recently Nintendo updated their press room, and Wii Fit isn’t due to hit until early 2008. Reggie has said the exact same thing as well. In steps Amazon, which has changed their February 2008 date to December 2007 now. I always thought it would be great to release Wii Fit and Smash Bros. in the same month, a little something for both crowds. I seriously doubt this date correction is fact, but you never know.

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  Reggie on Halo 3 and Wii supply and successor

Nintendo’s American president, Reggie Fils-Aime, has gone on the record to declare that Nintendo won’t be able to meet the demand of its Wii console this holiday season, insisting that “The issue is not a lack of production.” He’s also spoken again about the longevity of the console following harsh comments from Microsoft reported earlier this week.

First, Fils-Aime was asked about the buzz surrounding Microsoft’s Halo 3, and said, “Will they sell a lot of software? Certainly. Will [Halo 3] sell hardware? I think it’s an open question. Why? Because I think that the Halo 3 consumer already has the hardware, because they’re playing Bioshock and Crackdown and a variety of games that are, in the end, quite similar: first-person shooter experience, multiplayer capable online. Tell me what’s new?”  (Which was niceley pointed out by one of our posters earlier this month)

So, does that mean Fils-Aime feels Nintendo has to counter Halo 3? “No,” the name-taker sternly and simply responded. “I am fortunate to have a series of [games] that are all going to drive substantial sales for me and are all targeted to different parts of the consumer mix.”

Ever since launching Wii late last year, Nintendo has been plagued by shortages stopping it from meeting demand across all corners of the world. Asked how many the company could be selling, Fils-Aime said, “We don’t know. What I can tell you is that typically, our inventory is lasting a day … I don’t think we will know when supply crosses with demand till after the holiday season.

“The issue is not a lack of production,” Fils-Aime insisted. “The issue is we went in with a curve that was aggressive, but the demand has been substantially more than that. And the ability to ramp up production and to sustain it is not a switch that you flick on. We’re working very hard to make sure that consumers are satisfied this holiday, but I can’t guarantee that we’re going to meet demand. As a matter of fact, I can tell you on the record we won’t.”

If anyone wants more consoles in the supply chain, it’s Fils-Aime though. “Believe me, I’m constantly pushing for more capacity and more volume,” he stated.

Asked about the longevity of Wii following the comments of Microsoft’s Neil Thompson, Fils-Aime said, “The best way to answer that question is that in our view, we’re just getting started … We’re looking at our business and constantly looking for … how do we continue driving the business forward? And I believe because of that relentless pursuit for more, that this platform is going to be vibrant for quite some time.”

And finally, Fils-Aime said that Nintendo is - as per usual - at work on the successor to its latest console. “You know, our hardware group, literally as soon as the system’s out the door, they’re already thinking about what’s next. That’s true for any of our platforms.”

Nintendo Australia has today confirmed for the upcoming Big Brain Academy Big Value Pack. It contains a Wii Remote and a copy of the long awaited Big Brain Academy for Wii. The pack is great value, as a separate controller costs $69.95, as does the game by itself. So if you want a new controller, pick up this pack and get a full blown game for free. The pack however, is only available for a limited time and is not replacing the Wii Play bundle.

What is Tourney mode?!

This is a mode that determines which player stands victorious on the summit after winning many battles against many foes!

I won’t go into much detail, so just try it out for yourself. Take advantage of its robust tourney-generating functions!

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A portion of a GameZone interview with Donny Clay, Producer of DBZ…

GZ: Without an online infrastructure along the lines of Xbox Live, were there any challenges in getting DBZ: BT3 playable on Wii?

Donny Clay: With any new technology, there are always going to be challenges. Fortunately we have an extremely innovative team behind DBZ and a lot of support, so we were able to arrange the online capabilities without too much drama.

GZ: What options will be available for online and offline multiplayer?

DC: For online battles you can select Normal: Using Default fighters, Custom: Can use custom characters here, Friend: Normal or Custom Characters and finally the Ranking Battle: Put your reputation on the line and see where you rank.

Offline Multiplayer mode has tournaments you can enter or of course there are the regular Vs. matches. For the Vs. matches you can choose single or team battles plus DP battles in which you can spend your DP points to make up your team. Some characters cost more than others so you have to balance the team carefully.

GZ: Another interesting development for the Wii version is that the “pointer” aspect of the last game has been replaced by true motion controls. Tell us all about this development and how it has changed and enhanced the gameplay.

Interview here

Reggie…are you there big guy? Remember when you said that there was a surprise coming from you guys in September. Well, things are winding down, and there is still nothing going on. Where is that big oll secret? Are you really going to make us wait until thelast day of September, or are we waiting for no reason? A bunch of rumors are circulating, and now people are trying to figure out what’s going on. Click over and have a peek.

Take a look Here for a few things people think might happen.