Nintendo Wii in Stock

The Japanese version of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time is giving a bonus for those picking up its copy. The bonus is a trailer for the over discussed, much delayed but not cancelled The Crystal Bearers which was under prolonged examination by Square Enix as to whether to release the game or not. Final Fantasy also allows DS and Wii gamers to play alongside each other at the same time online.

It even allows transferring the Mii from the Wii version of the game to the DS version. The Crystal Bearers could also be said to be a special trailer but we should not forget the fact that Square Enix is still reassuring of the release of the game with all new trailers and footage. It is expected to be released by the end of January when Echoes of Time will also be released.

Nintendo’s Wii hardware’s average resale value has gone down to $250 in comparison to the resale price in the same period in 2007 which was $469. This is a dramatic drop in the price level. The console’s resale price has gradually gone down since last year’s holiday season. However, there was a slight rise in June 2008 in price level. According to pricing data site, Game Price Charts, the system is reselling on sites such as eBay and Amazon for $250 or else known as the Wii’s list price. Still the price of the Wii Fit is quite high on the site than what it is in the stores.

There have been predictions in the drop in the resale price which is presumably due to an increase in supply. Nintendo has made an increased production more than last year’s production to meet the demands but ahead of the holiday season.

Sega’s Sonic Unleashed was an entertaining as well as a dull game but they were not ready to accept. However, this time Nintendo Power magazine was not that critical about Sonic and the Black Knight and tried to maintain some optimism for the game.

 Nintendo Power’s Sonic and the Black Knight preview has spilled a lot about the game. The news that there will be two interweaving paths throughout the title sounds good. The path starts from Misty Lake, then progressing to Camelot Castle, Molten Mine and Titanic Plain. Here, there’s a nice touch given where you can cut the grass with a sword, Caliburn. There will be different fighting styles in the combat where the skill changes with whatever level is chosen. Characters can be customized and given certain abilities like immunity form elemental status ailments. There are other characters common to Sonic like Knuckles, Tails, Blaze and Shadow.

Sega has announced of having a booth at New York Comic Con, official website is nycomicon.com. This New York Comic Con will have demos of The Conduit, Mad World, The House of the Dead: Overkill for everyone to experience before their release. It is taking place on February 6-8, 2009 at the Jacob Javits Centre in New York City.

 The development teams from Platinum Games and High Voltage Software will also be there at the Sega event. Sega also promises some ‘zombie surprises’ to add more fun to the event. There would be Kellie and Aaron from the Sega Community Team to take photos and videos.

Wii shortages during holiday season are nothing new. The same story is being repeated for the past two years. Last month when spoke to CFO of GameStop, David Carlson, we were told that retailers are not expecting Nintendo Wii in stock by Christmas. Not just shortage but completely gone out. This news completely contradicted the commitment made by Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aime. "With Wii hardware, I think we've got a good shot at meeting demand during the holidays," Fils-Aime reported. "With Wii Fit, I know we'll fall short."

On contrary to GameStop, WalMart says it sold out thousands of Wii console online. Retailers have huge Wii in stock at their stores which was first taken out after Thanksgiving Day and the remaining are kept for Christmas. Even after selling huge number of units the company has Nintendo Wii in stock to hit market anytime. The best way to find out Nintendo Wii in stock at your nearest store is to wait for the Sunday circulars distributed by them. Whosoever promotes Wii has Nintendo Wii in stock and the moment it runs out of stock the other retailer will be ready with their circulars. That’s the way competitors work.

Whatever Nintendo assures about the availability, one thing the Reggie keeps repeating is that they are not sure till when they will be able to keep Nintendo Wii in stock at market. Finding a Wii console this holiday may not be difficult but for how long will it stay available is not answered.

Wii has become very popular and a big hit in the love hotels of Japan and also among the establishments occupied by couples interested in booking a little business time. All this have been reported straight from the streets of Shibuya by reporter Anoop Gantayat. All these hotels promises free Wii rentals and the sign outside the premises of the hotel also promises free cos-play rentals too. If a person stays over then the hotel even provides a free drink. The only limitation in these hotels is that only group of girls are allowed and group of guys are not permitted.

Some more examples of such hotels contain expensive ceiling mirrors, rotating beds, S&M gear and to include now is the Wii Sports! The earlier signs were on PlayStation 2 which was preferred by the love hotels but Wii has usurped PS2 giving a blow to the latter.

Dragon Quest X has been announced for Wii. This was the latest news in the Square Enix Dragon Quest press event. Not all of the Wiis in demand can be officially declared. At the event there was a slight humorous pun and teasing remarks between Dragn Quest creator Yuji Horii and Nintendo President, Satoru Iwata. During the announcement, Yuji Horii accidentally said that they are developing Dragon Quest X on the Wii.

Satoru Iawata then went on the stage to say thanks for developing Dragon Quest X on the Wii! Hori protested and said something to the effect of “Let’s introduce Dragon Quest IX first!” Well, it was a real banter at the internet level. Further on, Reuters has also confirmed the announcement.

Amazon is again back with another pack of Wii discounts just after the Black Friday deals were over. This time it’s the retailer’s Gold Box will feature Wii deals exclusively. Like the previous Gold Box Wii deals the first deal of the day will be the Deal of the Day.

 This deal will last throughout the day or till the stocks last. Then, in every couple of hours the additional discounts will be announced. Discounts prevail with a one hour limit or till the stock will last. This gives us a chance to still continue with the Wii purchases if we are left with some money from the Black Friday deals!

Atari has announced the release of Namco Bandai’s Family Ski: World Ski & Snowboard in Europe in February 2009. The Wii game, We Ski & Snowboard will be released one month early in the US. The sequel will be released under the title Family Ski & Snowboard. This game supports both Wiimote and Nunchuk controls along with the Wii Fit accessory to carry out the Balance Board concept.

Family Ski & Snowboard takes players on a wintry thrill ride through a multitude of different environments on Mt. Angrio and Jamboree Snow Resort. It also adds new features like half pipes, animal search and rescue tasks and snowboarding too.

Its Wii part time for Sega as their dreamcast game Samba de Amigo is turning form a classic to a contest theme. This contest is to mark the Wii game’s exciting release. There would be 11 winners and the judges of this contest are looking for the most creative, entertaining, whacky poses.

The winner will receive a pair of maraca peripherals along with the copy of the game and a special edition iPod Nano. All you have to do is to send a picture of yourself in the best Samba pose in the contest and grab the prize pack. Sega has also published an obligatory fine-print which gives the details of how to participate and send the picture in the contest.