Video Games

If you take a look at the new concept art and screenshots for the next Zelda game for the Wii, you’ll be sure to be impressed:

You can check out the rest of the photos at IGN.

Saturo Iwata, the president of Nintendo, made it clear in a Japanese marketing event that the next-gen Wii (codename: Nintendo Revolution) would have a “virtual console” service via the internet.  This “virtual console” he speaks of is essentially an online method of browsing and downloading retro Nintendo hits (think of all those old Zelda, FF, Mario, and Metroid games) for the reasonable price of $4.50 to $8.99 USD.  Contrast that with the outrageous sale prices of retro games for the GameBoy, which sold anywhere from $20 to $40 a piece!  With great anticipation, ArsTechnica adds that “[u]nfortunately, we still don’t know when the Wii will launch or how much it will cost. Iwata said the launch date and final pricing for the Wii will not be announced until September.”

Like a child’s nightmare gone wrong, Nintendo has issued a release on their Nintendo Revolution subdomain declaring that their new next-generation console will in fact be named Wii, pronounced “Whee.” Unprofessionally, http://wii.nintendo.com/ doesn’t work yet. The press release reads:

Introducing … Wii. As in “we.”

While the code-name “Revolution” expressed our direction, Wii represents the answer. Wii will break down that wall that separates video game players from everybody else. Wii will put people more in touch with their games … and each other.

But you’re probably asking: What does the name mean? Wii sounds like “we,” which emphasizes this console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii. Wii has a distinctive “ii” spelling that symbolizes both the unique controllers and the image of people gathering to play. And Wii, as a name and a console, brings something revolutionary to the world of video games that sets it apart from the crowd.

So that’s Wii. But now Nintendo needs you. Because, it’s really not about you or me. It’s about Wii. And together, Wii will change everything.

Nintendo’s clever attempts to rebrand the first-person plural pronoun “we” have failed, for a number of reasons:

1. The word “Wii” looks close to “WWII.” Subconscious connotations with World War II will not sell video games to families. Heil Nintendo?
2. Using “Wii” with the verb “play” presents problems. Imagine children asking, “Want to come over and play with my wii?” The sexual connotations will become confused.

Their temporary logo, for those interested, looks like this:

As it’s completely lame–just a sans-serif font with “wii” on it–Nintendo will hopefully come out with something more colorful.

Joystiq previews Red Steel for the Nintendo Revolution and reports that “Ubisoft has officially announced Red Steel for the Nintendo Revolution. The game’s existence was leaked late last week from the unpublished pages of Game Informer. As reported then, Red Steel will feature motion-controlled sword- and gunplay utilizing the Revolution controller’s unique functionality. Ubisoft’s chief creative officer Serge Hascoet confirmed that the title would be exclusive to Nintendo’s next-gen platform, stating, “We have been working closely with Nintendo to take full advantage of the innovative controller to create a thrilling experience that can only exist on the Revolution.” Today, Ubisoft revealed its intention to turn Red Steel into an ongoing franchise, with the first title joining the Revolution’s launch lineup. The game is set in contemporary Japan where players must master both “the ancient art of the katana” and modern firearms. Ubisoft also confirmed that Red Steel would be on display at E3 next month.”

Kotaku recently recieved an anonymous email with information about a possible Nintendo Revolution game called Sunder: Land Of Divide. This shooter might be a fake, but even if it is, someone clearly went to a lot of work to con Kotaku.

Here are a few more guns and blades from Sunder: LoD:

Now that we’ve covered the guns and blades, here come the bombs and decoys. The next set of pictures will all deal with something call Nanon weapons, which is explained in the image below.

Considering that this Revolution title has not been announced, it’s really hard to speculate on its credibility. Only time will tell.