Source: videogamesblogger.com

One of the coolest features of Animal Crossing: City Folk for Wii (the newest game in the Animal Crossing series) is the fact that the game supports Nintendo’s new microphone accessory, the Wii Speak, which allows for voice chat when playing City Folk online with friends.

The microphone can either be bought bundled with the game (at an American msrp of $70 or just the game for $50) or separately (just the microphone) for $30. And eventually other games should support voice chat while playing online, but right now it’s just City Folk.

When you buy the microphone, packed inside the box is a 16-digit “Wii Download Ticket” code that allows you to download the “Wii Speak Channel” to your Wii Channels menu. The channel allows you to simply chat with an unlimited amount of friends in one of four available chat rooms. Each user is represented by their Mii who will lip-synch what they are saying. In addition the Wii Speak Channel allows you to leave friends audio messages as well as attach audio clips to stored photos. You can also share photo slid shows and comment on them with the Wii Speak Channel.

Give a look at how the channel works and how to download it in this video.

Via GoNintendo

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Animal Crossing: City Folk releases tomorrow for Wii in North America. It will be released in Japan on November 20th, in Europe on December 5th and in Australia on December 13th.

City Folk is the first game in the series, as well as the first Wii game, to include voice chat via the new Wii Speak Microphone accessory that you can either buy separately or bundled with Animal Crossing: City Folk.

So what are the differences between City Folk and Animal Crossing: Wild World for the DS or the original Animal Crossing game for the GameCube?

Find out in this preview what some of the differences are and what new things you can expect in the first next-gen entry in the Animal Crossing series, Animal Crossing: City Folk.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Wii Speak is Nintendo’s upcoming microphone accessory that will be available either bundled with Animal Crossing: City Folk (which releases on November 16th, 2008) or purchased separately.

The microphone will allow you to chat with up to four other “rooms” of people (the microphone is built to pick-up voices in the entire room) in games like Animal Crossing, as well as via the new “Wii Speak Channel“, which is essentially a vocal chat room channel that allows friends to talk with each other over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

However, MTV Multiplayer has reported that the Wii Speak Channel will only be available to those who purchase a brand new Wii Speak microphone. The reason for this is due to a code that comes packed in with the device. It is that code that allows you to download the Wii Speak Channel. The channel won’t be available to download or purchase from the Wii Shop. Therefore, if you buy the Wii Speak microphone used, then you will not get the code, and thus also won’t have access to the channel.

As of this time Nintendo has not responded as to whether they will offer a solution for gamers who buy the peripheral used. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Personally I think that this is a mistake, once again Nintendo seems to be making things more difficult than they need to be by not simply having the Wii Speak Channel up for download on the Wii Shop like they do with all their other channels.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Nintendo just announced a number of surprises, including new games (see the list below), the ability to use the Wii console to chat with friends near and far come November 16th 2008, and the expansion of the popular Club Nintendo rewards program to North America in holiday 2008.

Continuing its commitment to supply new game experiences for every level of player, Nintendo revealed a wide range of games for the 2008 holiday season and beyond. A number of games are slated for 2009, including a new Punch-Out!! and Sin & Punishment 2 for Wii, and Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and Mario & Luigi RPG 3 for Nintendo DS. Consumers also can expect a new “Personal Trainer” series of titles designed to help users enrich their lives and learn new skills in fun and interesting ways.

Nintendo also announced that North American supplies of the Wii video game console between October and December will see a significant increase from 2007’s levels, and that Nintendo DS will also be available in greater abundance than ever before.

The new Wii Speak Channel arrives on November 16 and uses the Wii Speak, a microphone that sits on top of your television. This accessory is sold separately at a price of $29.99. People who buy the microphone are given a code that allows them to download the Wii Speak Channel from the Wii Shop Channel at no charge. The Wii Speak lets people in up to four locations who have traded Friend Codes chat with one another at no extra cost. When you use Wii Speak in real time, your Mii appears on your TV screen and mimics your chat. You also can leave audio messages for your friends and family members or use Wii Speak to narrate captions for your photos. Keep in mind that Wii Speak comes packed in with Animal Crossing: City Folk on the Wii.

Gamers have longed for the expansion of Club Nintendo to North America for years, and now Nintendo is making it a reality for everyone. Club Nintendo rewards Nintendo loyalists who complete surveys and register Nintendo products with loyalty coins that can be redeemed for exclusive items available only to Club Nintendo members. Club Nintendo is set to debut in North America this holiday season.

Key software available for Wii this holiday season includes:

* Wii Music: It’s a new Wii experience that launches on Oct. 20 and gives you the ability to play a wide variety of musical instruments by using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers to mimic the motions used to play real instruments. Everyone in the family will enjoy jamming together, while music fans will enjoy creating their own fresh, stylized takes on a variety of songs. Songs range from classical favorites like Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” to pop hits like “Material Girl” or “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” to Nintendo standards like the Super Mario Bros. theme.

* Animal Crossing: City Folk: This game lets you live your life in a virtual community that’s all your own. You can interact with the fun characters in your town, customize everything from your house to your clothing and even chat with other friends in the game using the Wii Speak. Animal Crossing: City Folk launches on November 16.

WiiWare delivers great new games directly to Wii consoles that are connected to the Internet. Nintendo’s downloadable game service will see games like:

* Tetris Party: This game will feature 18 game modes, including 10 never-before-seen single-player and multiplayer variations of Tetris. Some modes will use the unique capabilities of the Wii Remote and the Wii Balance Board.

* Strong Bad Episode 3: This third episode in the series features humorous story-driven game play, music-themed collectibles and achievements and an old-school side scrolling shoot ‘em up mini-game, as well as a special celebrity guest appearance by rock gods Limozeen!

* World of Goo: This title is an award-winning, physics-based puzzle/construction game. Grab living, squirming, talking globs of goo to build structures, bridges, cannonballs, zeppelins and giant tongues.

* Cave Story: This title is an action-adventure game with new, exclusive content and features created only for the WiiWare version.

* Boingz: Developed by the award-winning studio NinjaBee and published by RealNetworks®, Inc., Boingz introduces players to bendy, stretchy little critters who’ve found themselves scattered about an alien world. Using the Wii Remote, players can grab, stretch and fling the rubber-band bodies of the Boingz to bounce them around the environments and help them find their way home.

Key games planned for Wii in 2009 include:

* Punch-Out!!: Nintendo is reviving one of its most storied and popular franchises with the first new Punch-Out!! boxing game in 15 years. Players will once again follow the exploits of the up-and-coming challenger, Little Mac, and take on a series of opponents, including favorites from the past like Glass Joe and King Hippo.

* Sin & Punishment 2: The announcement of a sequel to one of the most popular Japanese import titles ever is a dream come true for avid Nintendo fans. This new sequel blends intuitive Wii Remote pointing controls with the shooting and sword-swinging game play that made the original an instant classic and fan favorite.

Some Nintendo products available this fall for Nintendo DS include:

* Personal Trainer: Cooking: This title launches on Nov. 24 as the first in Nintendo’s new Personal Trainer series. Personal Trainer: Cooking includes more than 200 recipes from around the world and transforms the Nintendo DS into an electronic, interactive cookbook, complete with a glossary of terms and even instructional videos. In 2009, the Personal Trainer series will expand with Personal Trainer: Math, a collection of basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division drills based on the Kageyama method. Meanwhile, Personal Trainer: Walking will introduce a wireless pedometer, letting consumers not only track every step they take, but also turn walking into interactive entertainment.

* Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia: On Nov. 10, this new installment in the Pokémon Ranger series allows you to use the power of Pokémon to protect nature and help people in need as you strive to become a Top Ranger. Use the DS stylus to encircle and capture Pokémon with the “Capture Styler” as you explore the vast new Almia region.

Key games planned for Nintendo DS in 2009 include:

* Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon: A reinvention of the original NES titles with revamped graphics and intuitive touch control, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon will finally introduce longtime fans to the stories that gave birth to the series nearly 20 years ago in Japan, while introducing the Fire Emblem franchise to a broader audience of strategy and chess fans. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon also reveals the back story of Marth, the original lead character in the Fire Emblem series introduced and made popular in North America by the Super Smash Bros. series of fighting games.

* Mario & Luigi RPG 3: The acclaimed Mario & Luigi series returns with another hilarious action role-playing game. Join the Mario Bros. as their travels take them far and wide.

* Rhythm Heaven: If you can snap your fingers in time to music, you’re ready to play this simple but infectious rhythm game. Just tap your stylus on the touch screen to the beat of the music.