1P Start

Nintendo are having a good year. That’s a slight understatement but it’s the main thrust of the latest press release to come from the company’s headquarters, as it reports a massive surge in profits for the last twelve months.

Net profit rose 47.7% to a record high over the last fiscal year, after the phenomenal success of the Wii and DS, both of which have exceeded expectations, and beaten all rivals in their field.

The net profit for the Nintendo group as a whole was ¥257.34 billion, or $2.5 billion. So just a slightly successful year for the Kyoto, Japan based company then.

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The Wii version of Rock Band has finally been confirmed as well as given a release date of June 22nd. The game will feature five more tracks than the current Rock Band, however the fact that Wii does not currently have downloadable content as of now should be enough to persuade buyers into rethinking their purchase or at least hold it off until the inclusion of this feature. Those five unannounced tracks have not been specified and I would not be surprised if they are songs already offered as DLC for the PS3 and Xbox 360 version of the game.

In an interesting twist, the Rock Band guitar will be a stand alone controller and not using the Wiimote to be plugged in it to work. Having played the Wii version of Guitar Hero III for almost a full day, the small details like hearing the guitar strings pluck when hitting a wrong note and being wireless right off the bat seemed like something EA/Harmonix would take advantage of on the Wii.

On top of the lack of downloadable content, other disadvantages include a lack of online play. The game is being ported by the same group that ported the Playstation 2 version of the game, so one can easily speculate that the game will also feature gimped versions of the world tour mode and character customizations.

I have no doubts that Rock Band on Wii will sell well, but had this version come along at the same time the 360 and PS3 versions of the game were out, I think it would have been a million times easier to look past the flaws that will come with the Wii edition and gobble this baby up (keeping in mind it would have been holiday season as well). I wish I knew who to blame for this lack of DLC and online play, but I hate EA way more than Nintendo, so I’ll say EA for now (as Smash Bros does have online play, so at the least Rock Band should of had that).

[Shacknews]

Full press release after the break:

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A couple of weeks ago, rumours were abound of a version of Guitar Hero being made for the Nintendo DS. They came about after Australia’s Office of Film & Literature Classification, gave Guitar Hero: On Tour a ‘G’ rating on March 4th, effectively letting the cat out of the bag.

Now, we have proof of the existence of the game after Activision officially announced the game through a press release.

The game is scheduled for release this summer, and will work by way of a new peripheral, called the Guitar Hero Guitar Grip, which slips over the back of your DS (as seen in the picture above) to turn it in to an electric guitar, as well as top selling portable games machine.

The game will also come with a Guitar Hero pick stylus enabling DS owners to strum their way to fame and fortune, at least in terms of a Guitar Hero career.

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Ladies and Gents it pains me to say my farewells to 1PStart. I’ve been here only a short time, though I’ve been at Xbox 360 Rally (another 451 site) for just under a year. I will miss you guys, though you’re probably throwing a party, chanting “he’s leaving! Huzzah! Huzzah!”. If you do miss me, though, you can find me at my new home BingeGamer.net.

It’s been fun, and I hope to see y’all around.

P.S.: Qbix — E-mail me, dude. I’m still gonna get your GTA IV to ya.

When news broke of Street Fighter IV, the entire gaming world collectively went mad with joy. Ever since the debut video, showing a highly-styled fight between Street Fighter mainstays Ryu and Ken (aka blonde Ryu), information on the game has been very limited. By “very limited”, I mean we haven’t heard a damn thing.

Until now.

In a press release issued by Capcom, it’s been revealed that four classic Street Fighter characters will be returning for chapter four. In addition to Ryu and Ken, Chun-Li (sexual fantasy #6) and Dhalism (sexual fantasy #17,914) have been confirmed to be in SF4.

The biggest news, however, is not in who is in the game. It’s been revealed that Street Fighter IV will have characters and environments rendered in 3D, while the gameplay will remain 2D. In other words — everybody will be happy.

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Nintendo has formally announced two new holiday bundles for their highly successful Nintendo DS handheld. The “Gold” bundle includes The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and a custom gold DS with the triforce on the front right corner of the flip-open top, and the “Metallic Rose” bundle comes with a copy of the ultra cute Nintendogs and a pink DS handheld with a puppy’s pawprint in the lower right corner.

These new bundles go on sale on November 23rd, and will cost you $150.

Full Press Release after the break.

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Blazing Lizard has revealed the third team that will be featured in their debut title, Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball, will in fact be zombies. Spooky. If you aren’t aware of what PvND is, I’ll summarize for you: Take the evernal struggle between the noble ninja and the scurvy-ridden pirate, and settle the long-standing fued on the fields of battle.

With dodgeballs.

And now, zombies. (I still want my lumberjack team, Stockman! You hear me?!)

Pictures and the press release after the break.

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Since February, Xbox360rally has had one post that has received more replies over a longer period of time than any other post on the internet, the post that would never die was known as “KotOR 3 in Development? *Schwing!*“. Just last night, user “Miguel” has given us a link that has not completely confirmed Knights of the Old Republic 3, but very much helped fan those Star Wars fanboys fires in a very very big way. I will say, after reading the short press release, I am leaning toward the fanboy side of this all, by reading carefully and noticing no mention of “New IP/New Franchise,” which nearly always means it is a continuation of something they have done.

On top of the press release, there is also a forum set up on Bioware.com specifically discussing this, it came as a shock to me that the first reply didn’t mention KoToR3, however, it was alluded to, so I guess that should count. Check the full press release after the break:
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In a move that sent teary-eyed women running into the arms of their man, Konami announced today that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots has been delayed. While this news is indeed most unfortunate, what this will spawn is even more disheartening.

Namely, the “MGS4 coming to Xbox 360” rumors will almost assuredly be revived, as fanboys pick apart the press release looking for hidden messages. I swear, when you fanboys want something to hang your hat on, you’ll pick apart a press release with the bravado and thoroughness of a Nostradamous follower. It’s almost a shame that you’re wasting this gift on video games.

That press release can be read after the break. MGS4, however, won’t be here until Q2 2008.

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Ubisoft today announced that Assassin’s Creed, or as it has become known ’round these parts, “That game with the hot chick pushing it”, has gone gold, all but sealing its November 13th release. Assassin’s Creed, if you don’t know, is stealth/action game set in 1191 AD Jerusalem.

Read the full press release after the break.

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We reported over the weekend, when speculation was wild of Mass Effect’s soon-to-be gold status, that we could expect an announcement from BioWare in the next few days. Turns out, we didn’t have to wait long as BioWare today has announced that Mass Effect, the already critically acclaimed RPG from BioWare, has gone gold.

I can imagine many are psyched over this. As for me… well, I reserved this game last month, and already have a weekend set aside to hunker down and play from start to finish, only stopping to eat, utilize and shower.

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Gamers of the world, today marks a dark, sad day. Through a press release issued today, publishing juggernaut Electronic Arts has announced that it has purchased both BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios. Considering the lackluster quality of titles to come from EA in recent years, this is heartbreaking news.

By the way, this officially strikes the KotOR 3 rumors dead.

Full press release after the break.

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You know, it’s always nice to see video games become an accepted form of storytelling, so seeing this story really does make me happy. The Writers Guild of America has announced the creation of a new award to recognize excellence in video game writing.

The award was created in an attempt to encourage excellence in storytelling, in addition to improving the status of writers and to begin to encourage uniform standards.

“Videogames are written and many are written very well.” commented WGAW President Partic M. Verrone. “By recognizing the skill and craft of videogame writing, the Writers Guilds intend to raise the profile of these writers so that they can get WGA contracts and benefits for this work. We aim, we shoot, we score.”

You can read the full press release after the break, but on a personal note… now that we have a writing award for gaming, we better get Max Payne 3, dammit. Those were brilliantly written.

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Now, I had the same thoughts you probably did: “Prince is a gamer?” But, I feel that I should assure you that this is NOT from Prince, but rather a tennis company that shares its name with the Artist Formerly Known as Symbol. So, now that we have that cleared up, let’s get to it.

Odds are, if you own a Wii, you’re playing a lot of Wii Sports (and keeping healthy). Lord knows that, outside of Metroid and the rehashed Resident Evil 4, it’s the only thing on the system with any real lasting power. If you ARE a Wii fanatic, and find that the standard Wii Tennis attachment isn’t enough to whet your appetite, don’t fret — Prince has you covered.

Prince has announced a partnership with Qualtech Global to design, manufacture and sell the first “proper” tennis racquet for the Wii. The racquets will be for sale at your local Circuit City for $14.99, and will go on sale on November 15th, 2007.

Press Release after the break.

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IDG World Expo and Major League Gaming have announced the creation of a gaming tournament to be held at the E for All expo this October. The tournament will feature both MLG-sponsored Professional Gamers, as well as aspiring amateurs battling both against each other, and side-by-side for thousands of dollars in prizes.

If you have been one of the many who have either wanted to, or have actually tried to break into professional gaming, this may be your chance. I would do it, myself — but alas, I have a self-loathing issues.

Press Release after the break.

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