11/28/2002

Metroid Prime is selling well, Nintendo pats itself on the back. Here is the press release:

After waiting eight years for a return visit from their favorite video game heroine, a quarter million Nintendo GameCube(TM) owners in North America purchased the hit title Metroid(R) Prime in its first week of availability. Coupled with the concurrent launch of Capcom's Resident Evil Zero, also a Nintendo GameCube exclusive, well over half a million teen and older gamers will have purchased the two new games by the end of Thanksgiving weekend. The appeal of these and other popular Nintendo GameCube titles has boosted Nintendo GameCube into second place in total system sales so far in November, according to a number of retailers.

"While Nintendo retains its legacy as the destination of choice for family gamers, we're also making substantial inroads with more mature players," says Peter MacDougall, executive vice president, sales and marketing, Nintendo of America Inc. "Both of these games are selling through at rates well beyond any game launched this year for Microsoft Xbox, which is skewed almost exclusively at older players."

In addition, Metroid Prime is selling through at a unit rate approximately 50 percent higher than Microsoft's Xbox Live online service. Both products retail at an identical MSRP ($49.95), and debuted simultaneously in the market.

Meanwhile, sales of the Game Boy(R) Advance title Metroid(R) Fusion, which is designed to interact with its Nintendo GameCube counterpart, have exceeded 100,000 units in the same period of time. Both games feature the eerie solitude and claustrophobic first person exploration that the original Metroid(R) games first demonstrated in the '80s.

11/19/2002

Nintendo has announced that they will be releasing a device that allows people to play GameBoy, GameBoy Color and GameBoy Advance games on their television. Here is the press release:

19 November 2002 - The most successful video game system in history is finally ready for its debut on the big screen. Nintendo today announced it will introduce the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Player in Europe in 2003, allowing a library of more than 1,000 games designed for the original Game Boy, Game Boy Color and the current Game Boy Advance to be displayed on home televisions through the Nintendo GameCube console.

The Game Boy Player, a one-inch platform connecting to the bottom of the Nintendo GameCube, will match the Nintendo GameCube footprint and allow players to use either their console controller or Game Boy Advance to direct action on screen.

"Game Boy Player means that you can now see your favourite Game Boy games larger than life. With over 1000 portable games to choose from, for the first time you can play classic titles like Tetris, or the brand new Metroid Fusion at home on your TV screen" said David Gosen, Managing Director, Nintendo of Europe GmbH.

Since its introduction in 1989, Nintendo's portable Game Boy line has been responsible for sales of more than half a billion games worldwide. And that total stands to jump substantially with the introduction of Metroid Fusion this week in Europe and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past launching next year.

Indirectly, the Game Boy Player will also boost the game library for: Nintendo GameCube from 180 by year-end to well over 1,000 with the inclusion of hundreds of Game Boy titles. Plus, with the ability to play all of your favorite Game Boy games on the road and on a big screen at home, it is even more reason to own both Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance.

The Game Boy Player accommodates several novel forms of game play. With the Game Boy or Game Boy Advance game cartridge inserted in the Game Boy Player, a regular Nintendo GameCube controller or WaveBird wireless controller can direct the action. Or, using the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance link cable (sold separately), the Game Boy Advance becomes the controller. The Game Boy Player also supports multiplayer action via Game Boy Advance Link Cables. Player one sees the action on the TV screen while other players view the screens on their linked Game Boy Advance systems.

The Game Boy Player will launch in Japan in March 2003 and in the US in May 2003.

11/19/2002

Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion for the Nintendo GameCube and GameBoy Advance respectively will be available in stores this Wednesday. Here is the press release:

REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 14, 2002 – For eight years, her disciples around the globe have waited. In four days, Samus Aran returns: leaping forward to explore a foreboding, sci-fi future . . . tilting backwards in tribute to past days of pure video game adventure. With not one, but two brand new games—Metroid Prime for Nintendo GameCube and Metroid Fusion for Game Boy Advance—this intergalactic bounty hunter expands her exploits from the comfort of your couch to anywhere a portable Game Boy Advance can be carried. Both games land on Nov. 18.

"There are few fans in the world of video games more zealous than Metroid fans," says Peter MacDougall, executive vice president, sales and marketing, Nintendo of America Inc. "But despite their enthusiasm, we know some feared Metroid wouldn’t be the same in 3-D as it was in 2-D. They were right-— it's better. And some thought the Game Boy Advance version could never match its Super NES predecessor. Well, it’s surpassed it."

Both games feature the eerie solitude and claustrophobic exploration that the original Metroid games demonstrated in the '80s. Nintendo GameCube owners will confront the varied landscapes of the planet Tallon IV through a novel, first-person visor perspective. Metroid Fusion players must 'fuse' with alien enemies in order to save Samus from a parasite destroying her from within.

Owing to the unique connectivity between the two systems, players can receive two outstanding bonuses by linking their hardware. By successfully completing the Nintendo GameCube version, Samus can be equipped with the new armored spacesuit featured in Metroid Fusion. Plus, those who successfully complete the Game Boy Advance adventure can unlock an embedded version of the original Nintendo Entertainment System Metroid for play on their Nintendo GameCube systems.

Developed by Retro Studios and Nintendo, Metroid Prime is an intense exercise in strategy, exploration and survival.

Metroid Prime is rated T (Teen) and will be available at a suggested retail price of $49.95. Metroid Fusion is rated E (Everyone) and carries a suggested retail price of $34.95.

11/19/2002

Nintendo has announced that Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire for the GameBoy Advance will ship on March 17th, 2003 in North America.

11/13/2002

Various Japanese news sources have indicated that those who pre-order the next Zelda game for the GameCube will receive a bonus disk that includes the Nintendo 64 classic The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time and the never before released expansion to The Ocarina of Time, Ura-Zelda. This promotional disk has not been announced for the North American market

11/13/2002

On Monday, another five classic NES games for the e-Reader where shipped. The games released include: Baseball-e, Donkey Kong-e, Ice Climber-e, Mario Bros.-e and Urban Champion-e. The cards should be in stores today.

Source - Planet GameCube