The GameFly rental chart encompassing last week's temporary gaming action has been released and shows a rather shocking trend amongst DS gamers. Actually, no. That's a lie. The most popular DS game on the service was Animal Crossing: Wild World, followed closely by Mario Kart DS and Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time. Whilst the latter title is firmly stuck in the offline realm, the eagerness of gamers to try out the other two bodes well for Nintendo's Wi-Fi service. Hopefully most of the people that rented those fine games will end up buying them and putting some more money in the developers' pockets (at least those developers that choose to wear pants at all).
GameFly users choose Crossing, Kart and comedy
The GameFly rental chart encompassing last week's temporary gaming action has been released and shows a rather shocking trend amongst DS gamers. Actually, no. That's a lie. The most popular DS game on the service was Animal Crossing: Wild World, followed closely by Mario Kart DS and Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time. Whilst the latter title is firmly stuck in the offline realm, the eagerness of gamers to try out the other two bodes well for Nintendo's Wi-Fi service. Hopefully most of the people that rented those fine games will end up buying them and putting some more money in the developers' pockets (at least those developers that choose to wear pants at all).
Race against Hot Mario Bros
The Japanese comedic duo featured on Japanese advertising for Mario Kart DS also play the racer. Gamers in Japan will be able to play the two via kiosk downloaded ghost data, the same data used for time trials in the game. From the article: "Starting 12/27 gamers in Japan will be able to download Hot Mario Bros ghost data from Nintendo Wifi kiosks throughout Japan. This is actual ghost data recorded by the Hot Mario Bros themselves."It's kinda like downloading your favorite celebrity iTunes playlist, only better. Celebrity ghost data could be a fun way of adding functionality to wi-fi games.
[Thanks, Timmeh. via GameBrink]
Reggie and Major Nelson - when worlds collide
More fallout from the Reggie Event hits us now, with a surprise guest appearing at the Mario Kart DS gathering. Why, it's none other than Major Nelson, whom you may have seen in such popular productions as the Xbox and the Xbox 360. Was he spying on Nintendo's marketing mastermind? Planning a daring assassination? Or...maybe he just wanted to play some Mario Kart."I wanted to see how they did it…and it was a pretty underwhelming event. It was not able to connect via the wireless connection, or play as my nickname ‘Xbox Live.’ On the upside I was able to get my DS signed by Reggie (to “Major” none the less.)"
Perhaps the reason he couldn't connect was because his nickname was Xbox Live, thus breaking an invisible rule set by Nintendo to prevent you from advertising naughty things. Or not. The DS and the Xbox 360 may not be competing directly, but the online service models they implement certainly are (especially since the Revolution is likely to have a similar one). That only adds to the amusement of Reggie signing the Major's DS, possibly completely unaware of who it really belonged to. This is most likely due to the Major's inability to connect via Wi-Fi, have his ass kicked and his name taken.
[Via Joystiq]
Exchanging friend codes made easier
How long before the act of exchanging friend codes becomes geeky sexual innuendo? Probably not long at all, now that the full power of the internet can be used to spread your unique set of DS numbers to the world. We now know of two websites that can ease the pain of reciting a bunch of numbers into your friend's ear, a process which has to be repeated for each different game you play. Oh, if only someone could have thought up a centralized network populated with universal "Gamertags"...oh well, maybe someday.First up, we have a site called DS-Play. They allow you to sign on and create a little virtual business card for yourself, proudly displaying your screen identity and your frighteningly complex friend code. It's a place where you can log on "any time of day or night and always find REAL people to play against or trade items and facts with." Good, because I just hate losing to those damn synthetic humans all the time. Them and their mad nanoskillz.
Another site that does more or less the same thing but promises to keep account info more private (though this protects the identities of filthy synthetic humans), is DSconnect. It'll send you an e-mail whenever your friends are going online with a specific game and the site's creator was even nice enough to add a team page for Joystiq readers, accessible after you sign in.
So, which site should you use? We'd tell you, but our feelings towards synthetic humans would cloud our judgment and so we'll just wait for you guys to try both out and deliver a shocking verdict.
[Via Joystiq. Thanks Kyle!]
The Reggie event is over
In case you didn't make it all the way to Bellevue, Washington for the legendary Reggie Mario Kart DS meeting, you might be interested in checking out coverage of the event over at the Nintendo forums. Though most of the forum posters seemed to have gotten a kick out of openly worshipping their ass-kicking, name-taking god and running into each other in "real life", not many have given feedback regarding the one question that truly deserves asking.Just how good is Reggie at Mario Kart? If you were there, let us know what you thought of the event and whether or not it altered your outlook on life in any way. Use the tips form to speak to us (about this or any of our other posts), since our comments system is still wallowing in self-despair in her room and says she hates us.
[Via Joystiq]
Challenge Reggie in Mario Kart DS
Think you've got the Mario Kart skills necessary to school Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo's Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing? Well, the Regginator will be playing the seminal DS racer this Monday from 4:00pm to 5:30pm PST at the Bellevue Square McDonald's in Bellevue, Washington. If you don't live in that area or just don't want to set foot underneath the golden arches (we don't blame you), you can also attempt to get in on the racing via Nintendo's Wi-Fi service. Just select "Worldwide" mode on your DS and be on the lookout for "NOA_Reggie".If you don't have a DS yet, Nintendo will have some available for you to use, as well as a coupon for a free psychiatric evaluation. Seriously, you don't have a DS yet? And now you hope to challenge the Reggie? Prepare to have your ass kicked and your friend code taken.
[Via Joystiq]
Mario Kart DS battle mode blowin' up da spot
Jonchan from Flickr provides the following caption for the above image: "Happy: playing Mario Kart DS battle mode. Sad: Seeing grown men blowing into the mic to blow up balloons. Another example of the Nintendo DS making people look like happy fools."
Any instances of you making a fool out of yourself in public while playing the DS? Public Nintendogs is just a social disaster waiting to happen.
[via Infendo]
Nintendo tours down under
When they're not busy putting shrimp on barbeques or recoiling in anger at stereotypes propogated in gaming blogs, Australians are just as enamored with games as the rest of us. Nintendo of Australia has realized this and is currently taking the DS on tour, holding tournaments and demonstrations all over the world's smallest continent. If you're a resident, you'd be particularly interested in the Mario Kart DS championship Ninty is organizing, as well as the prize - a year's worth of Nintendo DS products.It's good to see that Nintendo's taking a very active stance in their DS marketing campaign. Flashy television commercial advertisements and glossy one-sheets may be effective, but nothing beats trying out the little dual screen beast for yourself and engaging in some competitive Mario Karting. Just be sure to keep out of throwing distance from Russel Crowe.
DS soars online but games aren't coming
The Nintendo DS handheld currently has three games that utilize the free 
service: Mario Kart DS, Tony Hawk's American Sk8land, and Animal Crossing: Wild World. The next game set to use the network is Metroid Prime Hunters due in late March of 2006.
From the article: "Outside of Nintendo's in-house games, though, there's little to keep DS owners online. Activision has scored a hit with Tony Hawk's American Sk8land, but apart from that there are no confirmed third-party games from that let DS owners go online."
With such recent success of the free service, why would developers outside of Nintendo be hesitant to use the connection?
Nintendo: 200,000 unique Wi-Fi users
Nintendo has announced that 200,000 unique users have signed onto their Wi-Fi Connection worldwide. In addition, almost 3 million connections have occurred globally, thanks mostly to the stellar Mario Kart DS and newly released Animal Crossing: Wild World.
The 45% adoption rate of the company's online network should only get higher when Metroid Prime Hunters the next wi-fi compatible game is released next March 20 in the US.
Now find DS hotspots with ease
Nintendo has partnered with JiWire to help Nintendo DS users quickly find and Wi-Fi Hotspots for online play. From the press release: "Nintendo DS users can search for public hotspot locations by country, state, region, street address or zip code at the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection website. This service is available for users in the U.S., as well as Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Panama, and Chile."
The already easy Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection just got a whole lot easier.
Animal Crossing fanfiction...sort of
While gamers in the US are just starting to enjoy living out their little virtual lives through Animal Crossing: Wild World, those in the UK are still pining away for Nintendo's second Wi-Fi game. In an effort to pass the time, some have even assembled an impressive collection of Animal Crossing toys and created visually stunning and emotionally gripping stories. Is the romance between Pinny and James doomed? Will poor Snowman suffer a fate worse than death as he slowly melts away, both physically and mentally? Will all the characters suddenly become aware that they're plastic toys on a stage set by someone who has an abundant amount of time? And what about that Wolfie the wolf character? Can he truly be trusted? These mysteries are killing me.** Not really.
[Via Silicon Era]
New DS demo kiosks in Japan
In a their continuing effort to get people to touch in public places, Nintendo has set up several new "Touch! Try! DS!" kiosks in the bustling streets of Japan. They've previously set up ones that allowed users to download trial games via Wi-Fi, but these kiosks actually have DS demo units attached to them and offer 30 different games for the uninitiated to try out. Hang on....you mean there's still people in Japan that don't have a DS yet? Isn't that some kind of law violation?The Strategy Behind Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection
Take great games, unique gameplay, and add in the easiest form of online play and you've got yourself one fine portable. Seattle Times writes: "The Wi-Fi service is a good move for Nintendo, though the company is still playing catch-up to Sony's PSP, which was wireless out of the box, said Mike Goodman, an analyst covering the industry for the Yankee Group."
How important is Nintendo's wi-fi to the portable's continued success?
[via Joystiq]
