Video Games

CoroCoro Mag recently revealed that the latest Poké-craze, Pokémon Platinum, would be released in the near future–a story that Nintendo Japan jumped on to confirm. But what will this mean for the Poké-fanatics? Apparently Pokémon Platinum will “serve as a companion to the two current-generation titles, Diamond and Pearl — much like Yellow, Crystal, and Emerald did for their respective generations.”

Kotaku quips that “we’ll likely be treated to new sprites for many the monsters, and a few tweaks to the story, but not many new entries into the ol’ Pokédex. Perhaps that expansion will come in the franchise’s next generation, Pokémon Ununbium and Cadmium.”

Check out this graph of Nintendo Gamecube sales versus Sony PS3 sales from the NPD, a firm that tracks North American console sales:

In the first 10 months, the PS3 sold 1,742,000 units compared with the Gamecub, which sold 2,120,000 in the same period. This means that the more expensive and less profitable PS3 might signal Sony’s final attempt at making console video games…. or so we hope!

The Wii port of the Gamecube version of Resident Evil IV, which consists of modification of the game to fit the new console, has arrived in stores.  This means that the controls have been remade to fit the demands of a wiimote, and that the game now features widescreen support.  However, the most interesting thing about Resident Evil 4 for the Wii is that the graphics are almost exactly identical to those of the Gamecube edition.  Take a look at this screenshot:

Anyways, the Wii version of the game is only $30 (read: cheap), so you might want to check it out, just to see how it feels to go on a zombie-killing rampage with your wiimote in hand.  Here’s the official press release.

Sometime next month in Japan, SimCity for the DS will be released!  However, there is no listed release date for the American version, which is a little dissappointing.  Even if all they told us was that they would begin development on such-and-such a date, or were ever planning it in the future, I would be content.  Let’s hope this one isn’t just a Japan-exclusive for the Nintendo DS.  Check out the exquisite screens below:

What could possibly make Wii a more appealing next-gen console?  Perhaps the fact that Opera is being thrown in as a downloadable freebie at no additional cost until June 2007!  After that date, however, you will have to spend Wii points to obtain it, so take advantage of this deal sooner than later.  Also, the Opera browser features AJAX and Flash support and will be available on launch day.