On Wednesday, Nintendo had a press-only event in San Francisco, similar in nature to Microsoft’s X10 shindig a couple of weeks ago. Unlike X10, I didn’t manage to make this event, but here’s a quick rundown of some of the announcements we saw.
The new DSi XL, which has a larger screen and beefier stylus than the current model, will hit stores on March 28: One of the biggest factors preventing me from playing my DS Lite more, aside from the frustrating lack of frequent bus, train or plane riding, is the fact that I feel like Gulliver when I play it. In short, the DSi and DS Lite need to be small enough that kids will still feel comfortable using them. Not so with the DSi XL. It is a little ridiculous that it’ll cost $190, though. The DS line, currently represented by the DS Lite and DSi, has been on the market since 2004, yet the DSi XL will actually cost $40 more than the original DS’s launch-day price and $60 more than the DS Lite, which also plays Gameboy Advance titles. What gives?
“Super Mario Galaxy 2” will be out May 23 and “Metroid: Other M” will be out on June 27: I figured these two games would be the linchpin of Nintendo’s fall (or at least late summer) lineup. Now, it turns out we’ll get our hands on them around the time school lets out for the summer. Genius move, Nintendo. I’ve long though the summer months, when idle kids are often sitting at home playing video games, are too often underserved by hot new game releases. No more. The MTV Multiplayer blog’s Russ Frushtick did a nice job with his writeups of both “Super Mario Galaxy 2” and “Metroid: Other M.”
“Sin and Punishment: Star Shooter” will be out June 7: The first “S&P” is a cult classic, on-rails shooter that I haven’t played, but the curious can check it out by downloading it from the Wii’s Virtual Console. (For the uninitiated, on-rails shooters are games in which your movement and path are predetermined. You just move through the level and shoot stuff.) Here’s a look at IGN’s impressions of the title.
Other stuff: Ubisoft showed off the new “Prince of Persia” game for the Wii, and it looks like it’s more than a shoddy port of the upcoming PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 titles. Plus, Nintendo executive vice president Cammie Dunaway told GameSpot that a successor to the Wii won’t be coming any time soon.