'Skyward Sword' Trailer Hides Beautiful Nostalgia

Nintendo has no doubt been tirelessly crunching away to complete The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but we haven't heard much since the Game Developer's Conference in the first week of March, where Nintendo released the most recent trailer.  It took 2 months, though, to find out that the trailer seems to be hiding one hell of an Easter egg.

GDC 2011 Trailer

In a random perusal of that GDC trailer while toying with an app on his iPod Touch, FPawesome discovered something amazingly familiar hidden within the notes of the seemingly new orchestral score of Link's next adventure.  If you listen to the score in reverse, you can hear the now famous "Zelda's Lullaby" [<^> <^>] from Ocarina of Time, clear as day!

I would be hard-pressed to think that this is some coincidence (see Gibbs' Rule #39), but it remains to be seen if this "Zelda reversal" is somehow tied to the game's story or if this is simply a thematic homage in Skyward Sword's compositions.

No doubt, we'll hear more about this next installment of the franchise at E3 next month.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is currently slated for release sometime this year on the Nintendo Wii.

Wii Successor Coming in 2012

In a brief statement earlier today, Nintendo will reveal its next home console this June at E3 Expo and release in 2012.

No further details of the Wii's successor was released, save to say that "more specifications" would be unveiled at the professional-only conference in June.

While there are still no direct signs of a successor to the Xbox or PS3, Nintendo could definitely use a shot in the arm to boost their home console sales.  Despite being wildly successful at its initial release in 2006, Wii sales has steadily declined, ultimately dropping Nintendo's profit margin by 52% this fiscal year.  For those who have stock in Nintendo, the release of the 3DS, however, would presumably slow that profit margin from declining much further this year.

With console cycles extending to 10 years, here's hoping the next Wii has some more longevity in the next round.

Native Netflix Channel in Wii Shop

Not to be outdone by its Xbox and PS3 counterparts, Nintendo is bringing disc-less Netflix streaming to its console as of today.  The new Netflix channel is available to download right now from the Wii Shop Channel, meaning Netflix subscribers in the US and in Canada can now stream content across all three major gaming consoles without the hassle of a disc.

"At this time of year, consumers have a near-insatiable demand for family entertainment, and this simplified Netflix access will help bring families together more quickly, more easily, and in more ways than ever before," said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America president.

"The availability of Netflix right on Wii Menu adds signifcantly to the ease and convenience that attracts our members to the Netflix streaming experience, " Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix, added.

Of course, because of the Wii's general lack of high-def capabilities, the Netflix channel will not support HD streaming or 5.1 digital audio, but if that hasn't bothered you before, it's certainly not going to give you much trouble now.  So go the Wii Shop Channel now, and get your streaming on!

Next Zelda Easing Up, Series Has Become "Too Complicated"

Please make her more accessible, Nintendo.

Nintendo's big man on campus, Shigeru Miyamoto, has previously spoken of the benefits of an easier and more accessible game, going so far as to implement the auto-solving "Super Guide" in recent Mario games.  In a statement with German site GamingMedia.de (as translated and reported by CVG), Miyamoto stated that the Zelda series has become "complicated," saying that the game needs to be more "player friendly."

While I can certainly appreciate the reach toward accessibility, I can't imagine what that exactly means for the next Zelda game other than "make Zelda easier."  I never found the controls to be all that complicated, even as a child (Ocarina of Time came out not long after I started 8th grade.)  Rather, I found it challenging in a way that catered to my intelligence, as opposed to pandering to my youth.

Still, if it's one series that has never disappointed me, it's Zelda.  I look forward to seeing what Nintendo has up its sleeves for the next game in the fan-favorite series when Nintendo's E3 press conference goes live at 9:00 AM PST on June 15th.

(Speaking of which, Nintendo's presser will be available to live stream from Nintendo's E3 website!  See the big news as it happens!)

It Don't Matter if You're Black or White: The Wii Goes Shiny Black Next Week

Although other parts of the world have been enjoying multiple flavors of their Wii systems already, the US contingent can finally get their hands on the silky black Wii (sans import) to match the likely color scheme of the rest of their entertainment products.

Releasing on May 9th at the current market price of $199.99, the Wii bundles (both black and white) will include:

• Console
• Wii Remote
• Nunchuck
• Wii Sports
•  Wii Sports Resort
•  Wii MotionPlus

Ostensibly, you can look at this as a price cut of sorts, as the Wii Sports Resort bundle goes for about $40.  If you've waited this long to go without a Wii, you can wait another week to get the newly minted bundle.

Go on, find out what the fuss is all about!

Press release after the break.

Click to read more ...

"Metroid: Other M" Pushed to Late Summer

When was the last time you turned on the Wii?  If you said "within the past month," you're a liar.

That isn't to say we've written the system off, but there just hasn't been anything really worth playing in such. a long. time.  Super Mario Galaxy 2 will finally give some gamers a reason to dust off the home of waggle next month, but those of us looking for a little more pew-pew in our diet will have to wait.

Metroid: Other M isn't coming out until the last day of August.

Delayed from an original ship date of June 27, Metroid: Other M bridges the story gap between the SNES's Super Metroid and the GBA's Metroid Fusion.

Much more palatable by comparison, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor has also been delayed from its original ship date of June 7 to June 27.  If you want to get your run-and-gun a little early, that'll be the game to get to tide you over until August 31.

Boom-Shaka-Laka! "NBA Jam" sets fire to the Wii

EA Sports is reviving the quintessential basketball arcade game, NBA Jam, and bringing it to the Wii.  Announced earlier this year, we finally have a trailer from the good people at GameTrailers.com.

He's heating up...

Formerly developed by the recently defunct Midway Games, the original NBA Jam was the very first licensed sports, coin-op video game, and, to this day, remains highly regarded as one of the most popular and culturally influential arcade basketball games ever made by those old enough to remember it.

Is it the shoes?!

Announced in a press release from January, EA Sports NBA Jam is going to keep "gameplay true to the original," and, based on the trailer, it seems it has - two players per team, turbo meters, a distinct lack of technical fouls, and more catchphrases than you can shake a stick at.  Not going totally old school, though, the game is also going to "introduce new game modes, characters, and gameplay depth."  Here's hoping Bill Clinton and big head mode are still somewhere in the mix.

From downtown!

EA has currently only announced this for the Wii, which might actually make me spend some money for the first time in a year on the system. I would love to see this on the Xbox Live Arcade or on the PlayStation Network, though. Do you hear me, EA?

He's on fire!

Free Wii Sports Resort in Walmart-exclusive Wii Bundle

According to a report for the good folks at Destructoid, a Walmart has an great deal on an exclusive Wii bundle.  If you're one of the four people who don't own a Wii in North America (or if you sold yours and suddenly feel a need to play Wii Sports again), then you might be interested in this rather amazing deal.

For the regular retail price of $199.99, you can get your hands on a console, Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, and a Wii MotionPlus.  That's a deal if I've ever heard one.  If you're interested, then head on over to Walmart either digitally or IRL, but be quick about it - the bundle's only available whilst supplies last.