As many of you know the Wii and DS Shop Channels were down for maintainence today.  The Wii Shop Channel appears to be back up and if you connect it will ask you to perform a system update. 

After performing that update, which does not seem to be very big as it did not take a minute to download, you can now access the Wii Shop Channel.  It does not look, as of yet, that anything has been done to the shop.  I would imagine that this is in preparation for another big update coming very soon.  If you remember Denise Kaigler a few days ago was promising Wii owners that were connected to the internet would be receiving a big surprise and the evidence points to some kind of update to the Shop Channel. 

I’ve put in word to Nintendo to find out what’s going on and as soon as I hear back from them I’ll let you know.

Update:  There should now be a message on your Wii Menu saying that if you were one of the people that spent 500 points to download the Internet Channel you now have the opportunity to buy “One Free Title” by clicking the appropriate button on the top screen of the Wii Shop Channel.  The offer expires at 11:59 pm PST on December 31st, so act now.  You’ve got just over two months to redeem your free game from the Wii Shop Channel.

CNET reports:

Nintendo Wii owners who wanted to browse the Web from their consoles have previously been forced to purchase the Wii Internet Channel application from the Wii Shop Channel for 500 Wii Points (that’s $5.00 to the rest of us). Nintendo has now made the app free for all Wii users, saying, “Effective immediately, people who want to browse the Internet using their Wii consoles will be able to do so at no added cost.”

More important, Internet Channel now supports Flash Lite 3.1.

WII-KLY UPDATE: ONE WIIWARE GAME AND THREE VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

Feb. 23, 2009

Hang onto your hats – and your Wii Remote™ controllers – as we unveil a set of exciting firsts for the Wii™ Shop Channel this week. For starters, the new Onslaught™ marks the first-ever first-person shooter to be released via the WiiWare™ service. Using the intuitive wireless controls Wii is known for, the game puts players at the center of a pulse-pounding adventure that fans of futuristic sci-fi and multiplayer action will love. 

The other big news this week is the hotly anticipated launch of Commodore® 64 game titles on Virtual Console™. Starting with two classic martial arts games and an awesome car racing title, we’re thrilled to add yet another old-school gaming platform to the mix. Virtual Console already offers classic games that originally appeared on a variety of platforms, and with the addition of Commodore 64, Wii owners can expect even more vintage games to rediscover and enjoy. (Congratulations to those of you who deciphered our hidden hints in last week’s Wii-kly Update – you’ll find a key to all the clues at the end of this installment.)

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare

Onslaught (Hudson Entertainment, 1-4 players, Rated T for Teen—Animated Blood, Violence, 1,000 Wii Points): Onslaught is an FPS that puts you in the middle of a futuristic war between humans and insectoid aliens. Become part of the Elite Interstellar Strike Force and fight against an overwhelming onslaught of alien life forms. Enjoy the rush of mowing down wave after wave of aliens with machine guns, grenades and more. Feel your heart pound as you battle gigantic boss aliens. Beyond the normal game, Onslaught includes additional modes that let you play with rivals from around the world using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Team up with as many as three other players in Free Battle mode, or compete on special maps to see who can get the most points by killing enemies before time runs out in Ranking Battle mode. (Router and broadband access required for online play. For more info, go to www.nintendo.com.)

Virtual Console

The Last Ninja™ (Commodore 64, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older—Animated Blood, Mild Violence, 500 Wii Points): The evil Shogun Kunitoki has long envied the powers of the Ninja brotherhood and would do anything to acquire their knowledge. To this end, he has sworn an oath to their total destruction. Once every decade, all Ninja must travel to the Island of Lin Fen, where they pay homage to the Shrine of the White Ninja and receive further teachings from the Koga Scrolls. Seizing the opportunity, Kunitoki summoned forth all the spirits from the depths of the Nether World and flung their full force against the amassed Ninja. None escaped the wrath of Kunitoki. Word of this unnatural disaster soon reached Armakuni, the last Ninja. Gathering all his courage, he has sworn to wreak a terrible revenge on the Shogun and all his followers. What unforeseen hazards await him?

INTERNATIONAL KARATE™ (Commodore 64, 1-2 players, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older—Mild Violence, 500 Wii Points):INTERNATIONAL KARATE is a simulation of a karate tournament in which one person can play against the computer or two players can compete against each other. During the game, you’ll fly to various locations around the world. In all stages of the game, a wise old judge will watch over you and award you either a half-point or a full point, depending on how successful a hit has been.

Pitstop II™ (Commodore 64, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Pitstop II was the first game that brought serious auto racing action to the computer screen—the thrill of battling an opponent, the excitement of fighting for the lead out on the track, and the suspense of struggling to be the first out of the pits. Third-person graphics and a split-screen display allow one or two players to experience the challenge of car racing head-to-head. Six of the world’s toughest tracks are waiting, from Brands Hatch and its hairpin turns to the mile-long straight of Vallelunga. You can practice against the computer, but nothing will compare to the fun of racing against another person. Indeed, Pitstop II proves that car racing was never meant to be a solo sport.

As promised, here’s a list of the Commodore 64-related clues that were embedded in last week’s newsletter:

• In the second paragraph, each sentence contains exactly 64 letters and numbers (not counting spaces or punctuation).
• U.S. Route 64 runs from Arizona to North Carolina.
• The third sentence ends with a comma and the word “door,” hinting at the name Commodore.
• “Brick House” was a hit for R&B group The Commodores.
• The athletic teams of Vanderbilt University are known as the Commodores.
• Pennsylvania’s Route 286 passes through a town called Commodore.
• The phrases “birthday greetings” and “who could ask for more?” are found in the classic Beatles tune “When I’m 64.”

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.

Are you ready to rock? Or, more specifically, will you be ready to rock on December 18? That’s the day (a Thursday, in fact) that Wii and PS2 owners will finally be able to call friends over for a Rock Band 2 party. That’s right – before the weekend. Crazy, huh? RB2 for Wii supports the download (and storage on SD card) of tracks via the in-game music store only; you’ll have to add Wii Points through the Wii Shop Channel, per usual. PS2 owners … sorry, but your DLC is in another castle. Here’s the package / pricing breakdown. Note that peripherals for the PS2 version are already on sale.

• Special Edition Bundle (Wii) – $189.99
• Standalone Software (Wii) – $49.99
• Standalone Drums (Wii) – $89.99
• Standalone Guitar (Wii) – $69.99
• Standalone Software (PS2) – $49.99

Pues este lunes como ya es costumbre para todos los usuarios del Wii, nos llegan nuevos juegos para el WiiWare™ y para la Wii Shop Channel™.

Pues bien, en el WiiWare™ esta semana nos llega World of Goo que nos invita a construir infinidades de estructuras fascinantes fuera de Goo y a descubrir el misterio detras de la Corporación del mundo de Goo.

Las novedades para la Wii Shop Channel™ esta semana incluyen Art Style™: CUBELLO™, la segunda entrega en la serie Art Style de Nintendo. Además un par de clásicos para la Virtual Console™, SECRET OF MANA™ y STREET FIGHTER™ II’: SPECIAL CHAMPION EDITION. Con este tipo de lanzamientos, creo que las otras consolas podrían envidiar al Wii (a parte de sus ventas).

GAMING

Can’t afford a ticket to China to go visit the Forbidden City? Well, now all you need is your computer. IBM, which is a big believer in virtual worlds, and China’s Palace Museum have created an exact replica of the 178-acre Forbidden City. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/10/real-world-got-you-down-ibm-invites-you-to-a-virtual-forbidden-city 10/10)

The one segment of the industry that may fare well during the downturn is gaming, based on recent trends:

• Nintendo continues to lead among 3rd generation consoles approaching 30 million global units sold. The company’s Wii Shop Channel is gaining popularity, offering downloads of classic games for points that can be purchased online or at a retail outlet. The platform also offers an increasing selection of WiiWare – games built by independent developers
• Microsoft says sales are picking up steam since it lowered the price on the entry level Xbox 360, even in Japan where the company has struggled to gain market share. Microsoft raised its forecast for sales in Japan, emboldened when publisher Square Enix said the latest Final Fantasy edition would launch for the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3. (FF has quite a cult following it Japan)
• Sony is so confident that it is refusing to lower the price of the PS3 for the holiday season according to Edge magazine, which at $399 is the priciest console on the market. Sony said it’s on track to meet its goal of selling 10 million units of the PS3 and 15 million units of the PSP in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009 (Cynopsis 10/10)

Nintendo have announced a new model of DS, the DSi.

It has afew good sides and afew bad sites.

Most notably, the dissapearance of the GBA slot and the appearence of an SD card slot.

The power lights are now on the left and there are 3 instead of 2.

The power button is under the D pad instead of next to the Start/Select buttons or on the side.

There may be a DS virtual console, with GBA games availlable on there, (that is just specuation however)., however the DSi can connect to the Wii shop channel.

Ill keep you posted for any updates

Real will Ride Boingz to Enter WiiWare World
Digital entertainment services provider RealNetworks has announced Boingz, its first WiiWare game for the Wii. Designed specifically for the Wii platform and its unique motion controls, Boingz will be available exclusively on WiiWare soon. The move will mark Real’s entry into the console market. Boingz will be available for download via WiiWare. WiiWare games can be found in the Wii Shop Channel…Full Article

The WiiWare game is a pool tournament that will allow you to travel all around the world until you become the champion. It is called Midnight Pool.

Here is Midnight Pool.

The first Virtual Console game is an old favorite of many people through the years where you play as a blue robot created by a scientist named Dr. Light with a blue helmet and a blaster on his arm. In the game you must save the world by defeating an evil scientist named Dr. Wily and his robotic army including six robot masters. The game is called Mega Man.

Here is Mega Man. He looked a lot diferent back then.

In the second Virtual Console game you must pick one of six available golfers, and just like Midnight Pool, travel all around the world in a golf tournament until you become the champion. The game is called NEO TURF MASTERS.

Here is NEO TURF MASTERS.

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The following games have been added to the Wii Shop Channel this week:

Gyrostarr

Rated: E for Everyone

700 Points

In Gyrostarr, you are responsible for navigating your ship through several environments, while combating aliens and collecting energy.  In order to activate warpgates to go the next level, you must have collected enough energy.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World

Rating: E for Everyone

500 points

Sixteen levels of fun and adventure await for you on Alex Kidd.  The goal is to find your lost brother while dealing with Janken the Great and his minions.  Janken the Great will try everything to prevent you from continuing the search for your brother.

Burning Fight

Rated: E for Everyone

900 points

Duke, Ryu, and Billy are three detectives that must fight their way to locate Casterora.  Casteora is the evil leader who has created a world-wide criminal organization.  Casterora must be stopped.

Trivia note: One of the detectives, Duke Edwards also made several notable appearances in the following games:

The King of Fighters 2000

Neo Geo Battle Coliseum

For more detailed information on the above games, visit your Wii Shop Channel today.

I had $2 in my online Wii Shop Channel account. I uploaded the minimum amount of money ($10), bought Samurai Showdown ($9), and now I have $3 in my account.

This, is bullshit.

I understand that Nintendo is trying to keep the credit card charges down by limiting cash upload transactions, but they aren’t exactly making it easy for us to even out our accounts either. The smallest price on that thing is $5. It’s like they are trying to keep us on a the hook, always buying more games to cash in on that spare few dollars laying around.

Oh well, I’m a patient man. I only buy what I really want and haven’t already stolen. It’ll even out…eventually.

Well I hope everyone had a happy new year, mine was decent although grandpa did manage to beat me in 12 games of pool. “But I did manage to win one!” Which really shocked me because I hardly ever win a game. I think it was a smell of lasagna that gave me that little extra boost of energy. My wife and grandma have been in the kitchen pretty much all day, preparing the sauce, desserts and some of my wife’s favorite and “mine” thumb print cookies with just a little sprinkle of powdered sugar. Oh yeah can forget about Frankie… grandma and grandpa always spoil him. The only question is? Where are we going to find the room for his payload. My wife and I got another hummingbird for our collection and a real nice rotisserie, “we love our rotisserie chicken!” That was the perfect gift!

I did manage to jump online today, and do a bitter research. And found out, Nintendo plans DS game downloads through our wii systems. I guess you will be able to download games to an online to wii shop channel. And from what I understand you will then be able transfer those files to your DS portable via a wireless capabilities of both systems “pretty cool.”

I guess it really doesn’t come as any surprise, considering the number of DS download stations located at many retailers already allow such functionality and Nintendo previously announced they would come to do wii system someday — the inclusion of full games is quite a bit more surprising.

Still unknown if full games bit refers to digitally distributed versions of existing games, compatibility with downloaded we virtual console titles, or wiiware software specifically designed for portable.

As of right now, the DS system can only hold one demo at a time in its internal memory. Once you have downloaded, users cannot power off the system or run any other software without losing the demo.

It could get better… Nintendo I’m sure will release some type of storage device for the system — like a blank DS card, a blank Game Boy advance cartridge — to increase his capacity at later date. Some Nintendo DS games, such as Jupiter’s already — released Picross and level — 5’s upcoming Professor Layton and the Curious Village, already allow owners to hop online with a portable and download new content.

Personally I can’t see why these blank cards are not already out. Considering, wireless capabilities and the route that they planned on taking. “But who am I to question Nintendo and their main game plan” I am sure they have their reasons.

My family and I want to wish you a very happy new year!! And hope that all of the resolutions that you set for yourselves for this upcoming year are achieved! As for myself, my resolutions are to spend more time with my family, get my old 68 cougar up and running “still have a lot of work to do on that baby” oh, and to do a little bit better on my “honey to do” lists. I have been slacking lately… Wish you guys the best!!

Let’s hope you all survived the long holiday weekend. With all the eating, traveling and family fun, isn’t it time to do something just for you? So take a few minutes and do a little shopping from the comfort of your couch, away from the chaos of the malls. This week you can get into a game of hoops, do a little faux gambling or head out to sea with your favorite dolphin friend.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

DOUBLE DRIBBLE (NES, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): DOUBLE DRIBBLE, the first 5-on-5, full-court home basketball game, is pure hoops action at its finest. While still a surprisingly accurate basketball game for its time, the frantic action keeps you on your toes as your players run from one end of the court to the other. Choose from a handful of teams and multiple levels of difficulty as you take on the computer alone or challenge a friend and see who has the better skills. Take the ball and sink shots from locations all over the court, or get in your opponent’s face and do your best to block the shot. Better yet, drive the lane and rock the rim to see one of the game’s trademark slam-dunk cut scenes. He shoots, he scores!

Vegas Stakes (Super NES, 1-4 players, rated E for Everyone – Simulated Gambling, 800 Wii Points): Feel like taking a road trip to Las Vegas? Let your inner high roller go wild as you try your luck at five different games-blackjack, slots, poker, craps and roulette. Start with only $1,000 in your pocket and play your way through five casinos, each with a different theme and varying limits. But no one wants to gamble alone, right? Not a problem, as you’ll be able to choose one of four friends to tag along and offer advice when you need it. Further enhancing the experience is the fact that you’ll be presented with a slew of interactions with random casino patrons. Best be careful, though-your choices in these situations could either get you closer to the millions of dollars you’re after or cost you a pile of that hard-earned cash. Roll the dice, spin the wheel, hit or stand-do whatever it takes to stake your claim in Vegas and beat the house!

Ecco Jr. (Sega Genesis, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): The aquatic adventures of Ecco come to life for a younger generation of gamers. Perfect for kids, Ecco Jr. finds our young hero heading out to sea with a variety of tasks he must perform in order to get there. Along with his friends Tara the baby orca and Kitnee the young Atlantic dolphin, Ecco Jr. will interact with sea lions, sea horses and other aquatic life as he makes his journey to the Big Blue. Introduce your kids to the classic series of Ecco the Dolphin titles by downloading Ecco Jr. today.

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.