Wii Update 3.4 Removes 'Unauthorised' Save or Program Files

No hacking says Nintendo as the latest Wii Update 3.4 removes any save or program files detected as being unauthorised.

read more | digg story

The Killers to Rock World Tour

Downloadable content from rock band The Killers will keep all you humans Mr.Brightside.

read more | digg story

New Resident Evil 5 Screens

Eye candyalicious, heads up if your craving RE5 these probably won't make it easier...

read more | digg story

GTA: Chinatown Wars Delayed to Between Feb - April

After stating we'd see GTA: Chinatown Wars before February 1st 2009 the Take-Two CEO has stated he now expects the title to fall between February and April.

read more | digg story

Resident Evil 2 Remake a Possibility

Many Wiimakes have been successful, especially those from the Resident Evil series, so it makes sense right?

read more | digg story

Australian Virtual Console / WiiWare Releases - 14/11/2008

Get your Phantasy Star Mega Man on Australia!

read more | digg story

Gears of War 2 Sells Two Million Copies Over Launch Weekend

Gears of War 2 has sold over two million copies over it's launch weekend and broken Xbox Live records, are you surprised? Probably not...

read more | digg story

Australian & US Virtual Console / WiiWare Games - 07/11/2008

Take me to your leader because it Alien WiiWare Week!

read more | digg story

Grand Theft Auto Series History

One of the most controversial and popular gaming series of the current and past generations, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto is one of the most talked about and played games of all time. The sandbox open-ended game features a mix of violence, action, adventure and driving and has gained a reputation for it's violent undertones and mature content. Beginning in 1997, nine games later in March 2008 the series has sold over 70 million copies worldwide.

---

Gameplay

---

The aim of the top down perspective Grand Theft Auto games was to complete a number of levels by accumulating a certain number of points. This could be achieved through a number of events such as destroying the city, and causing general mayhem. The points earned could be multiplied if a mission such as taxing people around was completed. The game featured a mix of driving and shooting in an open-ended world giving the player freedom to do as they wish.

The core gameplay of the 3D GTA games involves shooting and driving elements presented in an open-ended world in third person. When on foot the character is able to walk, run and jump, with climbing and swimming being included in some of the more recent titles. As well as using different firearms the player is able of fighting in hand to hand combat as well as with a variety of general objects such as a baseball bat. Different vehicles including cars, boats, helicopters, planes and motorcycles are available throughout the games all of which can be stolen. The open ended gameplay allows the player to do as they wish, while the main story missions are required to be completed in order to advance to new areas, they are not required and can be played through at the gamers leisure. The player can participate in various side missions, such as playing the role of a taxi or ambulance driver as well as finding hidden packages scattered around the city. If too much mayhem is caused you'll attracted attention from the authorities and get yourself involved in a good old fashion police chase.

---

The Games

---

Grand Theft Auto

Platform / Release
Dos 1997
PlayStation / PC 1998
Gameboy Color: 1999

The original Grand Theft Auto was released on the PlayStation and PC in 1998. The top down 2D graphics were primitive even at that time as the world of 3D gaming was growing on the PC, Nintendo 64 and the PlayStation. The animations of walking appeared glitchy and the firing of bullets looked as if they had been ripped directly from an 8-bit console. These games featured no speech, instead they included gibberish found in games such as The Sims as text flashed across the screen.

The original game took place in three familiar cities, Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas, which played host to a variety of different levels. During these levels the player had a target number of points which they had to achieve and 5 lives to do so. There were 2 levels available in each of the three cities, players were directed to a pay phone were they would receive the first of a series of criminal missions which would aid in accumulating the required points but were not compulsory. Many players found this a frustrating and challenging task as there was no save system and after 5 lives it was game over. Players are free to do as they like to gain the required points, this could be through causing death and destruction or stealing cars to sell. To finish the levels faster it was possible to gain multipliers by completing specific missions, this would increase the score given for anything that the player achieved. These missions were scatter across the city and activated via a payphone. They varied from taxi jobs, to assassinations, car theft and getaways after bank heists.

A large part of the game, and why it gained many followers, was the ability to explore the city and do as you please. This involved stealing cars, acts of violence, finding hidden missions and causing general mayhem while trying to evade police. Many players chose to run amuck through the city with an arsenal of weapons including riffles, rocket launchers and flamethrowers rather than complete the designated missions.

GTA suffered average success critically due to the poor animations and the glitchy nature of the game. Many players still found enjoyment in it, enjoying the detail of different cars providing different speeds and handling and the music played on the radio that varied depending on type of car that you were using. Those who played GTA and enjoyed it did so not because of the large production value but for the games free roaming nature, the beginning of one of the biggest series in gaming was here.

Grand Theft Auto: Mission Packs (Expansion)

Platform / Release
Windows PC March 31, 1999
Dos March 31, 1999
PlayStation April 29, 1999

Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969
The first of 2 expansion packs to be released GTA: Mission Pact #1: London, 1969 was released in 1999. The expansion played very much like the original GTA with the exception of that it was based in London during 1969 as the title implies, rather than the fiction cities of GTA. If the player ran over a group of "soap dodging hippies" without slowing down they were rewarded with a cash bonus followed by a message saying "KEEP LONDON TIDY!" Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969 was the first ever expansion pack to be released on the PlayStation.

Platform / Release
Windows PC: June 1, 1999

Grand Theft Auto: London, 1961
The second expansion pack in the Grand Theft Auto series was set 8 years prior to the first in 1961 making it the earliest GTA game chronologically. The expansion featured new missions, 22 new vehicles and a multiplayer deathmatch map based on Manchester. The game was only available on PC and was free to download, although it required GTA: London 1969, which required the original Grand Theft Auto.

Grand Theft Auto 2

Platform / Release
PlayStation October 22, 1999
Windows PC: October 27, 1999
Dreamcast: May 2, 2000
Gameboy Color: Dec 25, 2000

The sequel appropriately named Grand Theft Auto 2 made some minor attempts to advance the series. GTA2 is not set in any specific time or city, and is only ever referred to as 'Anywhere City', although a radio presenter refers to the millennium coming suggesting the setting is 1999. The city is made up of the The Downtown Area, The Residential District and The Industrial District each with their own unique buildings.

You play as a man named Claude Speed, who has been released from prison but has amnesia, his goal is to become king of the city, using any means necessary. The game introduced gangs to the series, by completing missions for one gang you increased your reputation with them but at the same time lost favour with rival gangs. Heading into the territory of a hostile gang would see them open fire on you, your standing with each of the different gangs could be viewed by a series of information bars on screen.

As you progressed through the game your were able to purchase new weapons and improve your cars. Apart from this the game played and looked similar to the original, the primitive top down 2D graphics were still in use as was the system of accumulating points to progress to the next level. Grand Theft Auto 2 improved the saving feature from the original which only allowed you to save when finishing a city. Now if Claude entered a church with $50,000 a voice announced "Hallelujah! Another soul saved!" notifying the player the game had been saved. If Claude did not have enough money the voice would say "Eternal Damnation! No donation, no salvation!". Besides some minor upgrades GTA2 was very similar to its predecessor.

Grand Theft Auto III

Platform / Release
PlayStation 2: October 22, 2001
Windows PC May 20, 2002
Xbox October 31, 2003

In 2001 Grand Theft Auto III made it debut, not only did it revolutionise the Grand Theft Auto series, it revolutionised gaming. GTA III took the series into 3D with the move into the new generation and the hardware of the PS2. Gone were the days of the detached 2D top down perspective, GTA III allowed you to explore the city in full 3D from a third person perspective. The new view brought you much closer to the action, now you could see the people you were shooting or running over, it gave the game a more realistic feel.

You take the role of a nameless criminal who was betrayed by his girlfriend, now you must climb up the criminal ladder in order to confront her. The game is set in Liberty City, in the autumn of 2001. The new perspective gave players added incentive to explore the city as everything appeared much more realistic than the previous games with names on storefronts, buildings to visit and signs to read. The game implemented the day/night system adding more realism to the series as well as licensed music which rotated through different radio stations.

The style of the game had not changed from the first two instalments, you were still able to explore the city as you wished, shoot people, steal cars, cause general mayhem and get involved in a police dispute. Not only was this now in full 3D, it was also supported with a well written plot and thought out missions. In your rise to power you must complete missions for gangs, corrupt police and the media while becoming close to the mafia bosses wife Maria.

I'm not too worried about it

For those not interested in the main story of GTA III there was plenty of other tasks to keep you occupied. Half the fun was committing various crimes to raise your 'wanted level', the more crimes that were committed the higher this would be raised and higher authority would come to aid the police persuing you. You could also participate in side missions by stealing emergency vehicles or taxies, which included going on vigilante missions in police cars chasing down criminals in an ironic twist.

Upon it's release GTA III receive very positive reviews, consistently ranking above 90%. Many review publications labelled it as 'revolutionary' and deservingly awarded it game of the year for 2001. The first two games in the series had received underground success but GTA III was the first title to gain mainstream success along with very positive reviews. Many 'GTA Clones' have emerged singe the release of GTA III which base themselves on the same sandbox open-ended style of play as the GTA games. As of March 2008 it has sold 14.5 million copies worldwide.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Platform / Release
PlayStation 2 October 27, 2002
Windows PC: May 13, 2003
Xbox October 31, 2003

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was released a year after the series third instalment and had an expectation to live up to following the revolutionary ways of its predecessor. The game built on what was established in GTA III, adding more style to the game by including an amazing soundtrack full of life with signature tracts from some of the hottest bands of the 1980's. The Miami like Vice City allowed you to steal boats, motorcycles, and helicopters as well as cars to joy ride in the large city.

Set in the 1980's you take the role of Tommy Vercetti, a member of the mafia who has recently been released from prison. You had been double crossed in a drug deal and now have to set out to find who had betrayed you, as you climbed up the criminal ladder of Vice City. As in GTA III you had to search for missions from a variety of sources, and could also participate in different side missions such as finding hidden packages and robbing shops in malls.

Vice City added more features and style through both visual and audio aspects to the winning formula of GTAIII. It received extremely positive reviews from the media receiving above 95% from a range of gaming publications. It was highly praised for its open ended gameplay and re-created 1980’s atmosphere. As of March 2008, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City has sold over 17.5 million copies worldwide.

Grand Theft Auto Advance

Platform / Release


Gameboy Advance October 24, 2004

Prior to the release of San Andreas GTA made its way to Nintendo's Gameboy Advance in Grand Theft Auto Advance, GTA had previously been ported to the Gameboy Color. The game went back to the top down perspective of the first 2 titles, but introduced some new features such as the ability to roll cars.

Set in Liberty City during 2000 the game acted as a prequel to 2001's GTA III, although it was initially planned to be a port of the third game redesigned into the top down perspective, however this was ultimately rejected due to hardware limitations. You play as Mike, a small time criminal working for Vinnie. The two planning to retire from the crime game decide to go out on a high note, in which Vinnie is killed. Mike then swears to avenge the death of his friend, and without his connections he must now work for various gangs to climb to the top. GTA Advance received average reviews and being released so close to the superior San Andreas was over looked by many.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Platform / Release
PlayStation 2: October 26, 2004
Windows PC: June 7, 2005
Xbox: June 7, 2005

In 2004 GTA: San Andreas thought bigger and better as it increased the playable location from a single city to an entire state comprised of 3 different cities. Players start off in Los Santos and move their way up to San Fiero and Las Venturas all of which include landmarks recognisable from the real-life cities that they were based on. As in Vice City the game was packed with music from the era as well as voice acting from celebrities such as Samuel L. Jackson. Nearly 200 vehicles were available in the game including some new additions such as bikes and a variety of different planes.

Set in the early 90’s you play as Carl "CJ" Johnson, who’s returned from Liberty City due to his mothers death to his home town of Los Santos. Not long after arriving in the rough city CJ is confronted by crooked cops who force him back into gang activity. Similar to the previous titles you earned respect in your gang by completing different missions, San Andreas offered even more variety to what you could do including drive-by shootings allowing you to take out an enemy gang with the aid of others in your vehicle. Surprising San Andreas introduced some role-playing elements to the series, CJ could level up his fitness in the gym, eating too much food made him fat and his skills increased in combat and driving with practice.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas met all of its expectations and was received extremely well, receiving scores even higher than those obtained by the previous 2 titles, including multiple scores over 98% from leading gaming publications. The game was praised for the open-ended play, the storyline, incredible voice acting and the sheer size of San Andreas. It did receive some criticism for poor character models and glitchy graphics as well as some control issues especially with aiming. Some reviews noted that it included a lot of new content and features, but the gameplay itself had not been redefined. Overall GTA: San Andreas was considered the game of the year for 2004 by many and has gone on to sell over 21.5 million copies as of March 2008.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

Platform / Release
PlayStaion Portable: October 25, 2005
PlayStation 2: June 6, 2006

GTA made it’s way to the PSP in 2005 in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and was later ported to the PS2. It is the first game in the series to include a serious type of multiplayer allowing up to 6 players to partake in 7 different games modes wirelessly

Set in 1998 Liberty City you play as Toni Cipriani, who has just emerged after lying low for the past few years. As with the previous games in the serious you must complete a variety of different missions for your contacts to increase your social standing. The city was tweaked to meet the PSP's needs and also reveals that motorcycles were banned in the 21st centaury to explain their absence in GTA III. As of March 2008, Liberty City Stories has sold 8 Million copies world wide.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

Platform / Release
PlayStation Portable: October 31, 2006
PlayStation 2: March 6, 2007

In 2006 GTA continued its handheld run on the PSP with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories which would later be ported to the PS2. The game played similar to Liberty City Stories with some new weapons and vehicles thrown into the mix. It also acted as a prequel for GTA: Vice City as Liberty City Stories did with GTA III.

Vice City Stories sees Victor Vance dishonourably discharged from the US Army for drug use and bringing prostitutes into the barracks. Taking place during the 80's 2 years before Vice City, Vic is caught up in a web of lies, drugs and betrayal. The game received generally positive reviews averaging in the 80% bracket and was considered to be the PSP game of the year for 2006 by many. The game did not fair as well on the PS2 as the port to the superior hardware had less features, with the custom sound track and multiplayer player modes being omitted for the home console version.

Grand Theft Auto IV

Platform / Release
Xbox 360: April 29, 2008
PlayStation 3: April 29, 2009

April 29 saw the worldwide release of GTA IV on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. The improved graphics and presentation gave the game a more life like feel taking full advantage of the new generation of consoles. The combat system in GTA IV has been redefined to control better from a third person perspective. Players can now take cover, blind fire, and free aim using an over the shoulder camera system to assist in targeting individual body parts in the remastered targeting system. Wanted level operates differently from the previous games, when wanted by police a radius appears on the map in which the police will search for you in, the more wanted stars that have been obtained the larger this radius will be.

You play as Niko Bellic an immigrant who has come to Liberty City to live the American Dream. The game takes place in a redesigned Liberty City, designed to be closer to the real life New York City. The civilian characters walking along the streets have been made more life like and with the detailed graphics produced by the RAGE and Euphoria engines GTA IV has been made to feel more alive than any of its counterparts. When stealing a locked car Niko must first break the window and hotwire it before he can go anywhere, no longer does everyone conveniently leave their car open with the keys ready to go in the ignition. Vehicle control has been made more realistic to match the level of detail present in car damage. GTA III saw the series go 3D and brought the player closer to the action, GTA IV brings that action to life.

First I get the money, then I get the power, then I get the women

GTA IV is the first game in the series to enter the realm of online gaming and does so with 15 available modes of play. These modes include death matches, team based missions, and all against all. While waiting for other players the city becomes the lobby, giving you full access to explore and cause mayhem in Liberty City before the game has even started. The game features no LAN or split screen multiplayer modes, although these were hardly required with the unexpected depth of the online multiplayer mode.

GTA IV received extremely positive reviews with many reviews rating it over 98% and many of the leading gaming publications awarding it a 9.9 or a perfect 10/10. It was praised for the realistic open ended world, the entertaining storyline and the engaging multiplayer. Grand Theft Auto IV holds the Guinness World Record for the "Highest grossing video game in 24 hours" after selling 3.6 million copies on its first day on sale. As of May 31 2008 (one month after the games release) GTA IV has sold 8.5 million copies worldwide.

---

Points of Interest

• GTA was originally titled "Race N Chase"



• Jack Thompson has filed a number of lawsuits against the GTA series, he is now facing permanent disbarment.



• GTA IV holds the record for "Highest grossing video game in 24 hours"



• GTA IV - 6 Million sales on its first week available



• The Hot Coffee mod in San Andreas allowed a sexual mini game to be unlocked, consequently the game was banned in Australia.



• The Xbox 360 Version of GTA IV will receive 2 downloadable episodic pack, starting later this year costing Microsoft US$50 Million.



• GTA III was banned in Australia after it's initial release with the OFLC feeling it was unacceptable for a MA rating, a censored version took its place.



• GTA Vice City was altered for Australia to avoid being banned, the ability to pick-up prostitutes was disabled.



• Rockstar were known as DMA Design until the success of Grand Theft Auto III



• Released by DMA Design in 1998 for the N64 the open-ended Body Harvest allowed players to do as they wished and is believed to the straight-forward predecessor to GTA III

---

Videos

---

Grand Theft Auto III Commercial

GTA IV Trailers 1 and 2

Super Smash Brothers Series History

Super Smash Bros. is a series of fighting games involving characters from Nintendo’s established franchises battling it out. The original game was developed on a very low budget expected to go nowhere and yet has become one of Nintendo’s best selling series. It was Super Smash Bros. Melee not The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker or Super Mario Sunshine that was the most successful game on the Gamecube. Now, just days away from the third installment in the series, and arguably the most anticipated Wii game touching down in Australia it looks as if it’s dominance will continue.

---

Creation

---

Titled ”Dragon King: The Fighting Game” Super Smash Bros. began as a prototype created by Masahiro Sakurai and Satoru Iwata during their spare time in 1998 and did not include any Nintendo characters. Deciding that the game needed a new ‘atmosphere’ in order to be a successful fighter on home consoles, Sakurai had the idea of including Nintendo characters from various franchises. The game was granted a very small budget and was released in Japan only, where it sold several million copies. After this unexpected but much welcomed success the game was released worldwide and spawned two sequels. Super Smash Bros. Melee was given a much larger budget and development team which showed in the high levels of critical acclaim the title received for addressing the issued raised in the first title.

Dragon King: The Fighting Game initial concept

The first title was developed by Hal Laboratory, under former director Satoru Iwata and published by Nintendo. Iwata then went on to become president of Nintendo (Japan) and continued to have a strong involvement with the series. Melee was once again developed by Hal Laboratory and published by Nintendo. Brawl however was developed by a collaboration of second and third party developers including Sora, a company created by Smash Bros founder and former Hal Laboratory employee Masahiro Sakurai, this kept the original designers Sakurai and Iwata together for the third installment in the series. Nintendo opened a new office in Tokyo just for it's production so the developers could work together under direction from Sakurai.

---

Gameplay

---

The Super Smash Bros. series is unlike a conventional fighting game where players must diminish their opponents life bar. In Smash Bros. inflicting maximum damage does not guarantee victory, rather players must attempt to knock their foes off the stage, as they take damage from being hit they will become more likely to fly off the stage. Once knocked out of the open arena, players may have the opportunity to recover, by jumping back onto the platform. Some characters, such as the lighter fighters, have a longer jump and therefore a higher chance of recovering, while the heavier characters may have lower chance of making the jump they are harder to knock off of the stage.

Watch out or I'll fisticuffs you!

Multiplayer

Perhaps the greatest feature of the Smash Bros games is not only being able to battle it out against other Nintendo characters but to do so in intense 4 player action packed battles with friends for ultimate bragging rights. The specific rules are determined prior to the start of the match and the game can be set up to determine a winner in variety of different ways, the most popular being those introduced in the original title as a stock or timed battles. Stock gives players a certain amount of 'lives', the last standing player after all other contestants lose their stock is declared the winner. Players can choose any of the Nintendo Characters or stages available as long as they have been unlocked. To unlock these players must accomplish many different tasks within the game, much of which must be done through completing the single player quest.

Single Player

The first two titles are considered to be 'multiplayer' games due to the extremely strong multiplayer compared to the rather poor single player. The N64 title offered 'classic mode' as it would become known in sequels. Players choose a character and fight a series of opponents which would always be in the same order. Two single player mini-games, "Break the Targets" and "Board the Platforms" are including where you must break the targets and board the platforms respectively within a time limit. Melee saw the return of 'classic mode' but also introduced 'adventure mode' allowing players to move along in a side-scrolling world in between battles. While the series will never been known for it's single player, Nintendo attempted to give a meaningful solo experience in SSBB. Including all the past game modes with extra mini games, Brawl also includes a single player adventure, with a plot!

All you need is love, love, love

Online

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the first title in the series to take advantage of the world of online gaming using Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection service. Players can play one of Nintendo's finest multiplayer games with distant opponents, no longer are gamers restricted to playing against the same family members or AI you can play anyone worldwide. Online games can be played with registered friends, through the exchange of friendcodes or against any randomly selected opponents. Against friends players nicknames are displayed above their character, they are also able to communicate with up to four different preset phrases on screen which will appear above the fighter in speech bubbles. If 'Allow Spectators" has been enabled the match can be viewed by an audience who are able to bet on the outcome with coins that they have earned. Snapshots and video footage can be taken in some game modes and sent to friends via Wi-Fi Connection.

---

The Games

---

Super Smash Bros. – N64 (1999)

Release:
Jap: January 21, 1999
US: April 26, 1999
AUS/EU: November 19, 1999

Super Smash Bros. was introduced on the Nintendo 64 in 1999, originally planned exclusively for a Japanese release, but was released worldwide after millions of Japanese sales. 8 characters were available from the get go, with 4 more available to be unlocked, all of which were created by Nintendo or one of it's second party developers. The original playable characters were Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, Samus Aran, Kirby, Fox McCloud, Pikachu and Yoshi. Luigi, Captain Falcon, Jigglypuff and Ness could all be unlocked to round out the list, King Dedede, Bowser and Princess Peach were originally intended to be playable characters but were removed due to time constraints.

Super Smash Bros. received mostly positive reviews with much praise for the multiplayer, although many gamers felt let down by the limited single player mode. The title sold over 3.7 million copies worldwide, 2.9 million of those coming from the US where the game was never intended to see the light of day.

Super Smash Bros. Melee - GCN (2001)

Release:
Jap: November 21, 2001
US: December 3, 2001
EU: May 24, 2002
Aus: May 31, 2002

Super Smash Bros. Melee was released on the Nintendo Gamecube in late 2001 in Japan and America but did not make it's way to Australia until May 2002. After the unexpected success of the Nintendo 64 Super Smash Bros, the title was granted a much larger budget, development team and advertising. The extra development showed with many fans agreeing that many of the mistakes in the first game had been amended as well as over twice the number of characters, stages and items being included in the Gamecube launch title.

Super Smash Bros. Melee features 26 characters, 15 of which are available out of the box which has more than doubled that of the original title, as the 12 veteran fighters return and are joined by 14 others. The initial fighters available are Mario, Pikachu, Bowser, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Captain Falcon, Fox McCloud, Ness, Ice Climbers, Kirby, Samus Aran, Link, Princess Zelda and her alternate form Shiek. Unlockable characters include Luigi, Jigglypuff, Mr. Game and Watch, Prince Marth, Mewtwo. The remaining 6 characters are considered 'clone' characters as they mimic the moves of their counterparts, they are Dr. Mario, Falco, Ganondorf, Pichu, Roy and Young Link.

Melee introduced Tournament Mode to the series, this allowed up to 64 people to participate although only 4 players could battle simultaneously. Human or AI characters could take part in the knock out tournament which would result in the last fighter standing taking home the (virtual) silverware. Melee also introduced 'trophies' 293 were available, 3 for each playable character, with one being unlocked in each single player mode. These were discovered throughout the single player journey or won by betting coins earned in the lottery. Trophies ranged from big name Nintendo Characters to rare obscure characters or elements that are less known.

Super Smash Bros. Melee received positive reviews, with many critics agreeing that it went a long way in improving Super Smash Bros. The visuals and music were praised for as one of the best sounding and looking games on the Gamecube(at it's time). Melee has sold over 7 million copies worldwide and as of the 10th of March 2008 it is the best selling Gamecube game of all time.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Wii (2008)

Release:
Jap: January 31, 2008
US: March 9, 2008
Aus: June 26, 2008
EU: June 27, 2008

At the 2005 pre-E3 press conference, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, announced that the next installment in the Super Smash Bros series was in development and planned to be an online launch title for the Wii. The game was officially revealed at E3 2006 and titled Brawl, a year later at E3 2007 it was announced that the title would launch in the Americas on the 3rd of December 2007, the game was then pushed back to February 10 and finally to March 9, although Aussies were made to wait until June 26 for their fix of Smash Fever.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the first game in the series to go online, a feature many fans had been eagerly awaiting. Brawl attempts to give a meaningful single player experience by adding a plot to the adventure mode. "The Subspace Emissary" as the Adventure is known as feature unique characters stories as part of a side-scrolling adventure. The story begins with a limited choice of characters with more joining and others leaving your team as you progress. The plot begins with Mario and Kirby fighting on a stadium, Peach & Zelda watch nearby & Pit enjoys the action from the sky. A cloud forms over the stadium as Ancient Minister and his Subspace Army appear and detonate a Subspace Bomb in order to transport the stadium into Subspace. Heroic characters must team up to rebel the evil of the Ancient Minister which is revealed to be a subordinate to Ganondorf, who is under control from the Master Hand. Ancient Minister is revealed to be R.O.B. who rebels against his evil masters and joins the allies. The allied characters must now work together to save the Smash Bros. universe!

Not Pictured: The Brawling

Players have the option of controlling the game with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck together, the Wii Remote on its side, the Gamecube Controller or the Classic Controller. The series signature mutliplayer mode returns, redefined with the inclusion of "Final Smash" moves, these are much more powerful than regular attacks and are available due to temporary transformations. Other forms of multiplayer are available in 'group mode', Special Melee returns as Special Brawl, while the previous title only allowed for one customization such as 'giant' mode or 'invisible' mode Brawl allows a combination of these. Tourney mode returns to allow tournaments between human and AI fighters, while 'rotation' has also been included and allows up to 16 players to compete by switching out winners and losers after each round.

Brawl ups the the ante once again with 35 characters, the veterans fighters returning from the previous game are Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Kirby, Fox, Pikachu, Zelda/Sheik, Peach, Yoshi, Ice Climbers and Boswer. The new comers are Diddy Kong, Pit, Meta Knight, Pokemon Trainer, Ike, Snake, King Dedede, Sonic, Wario, Captain Olimar and Lucas, while the unlockable characters consists of Marth, Game and Watch, Luigi, Falco, Ganondorf, Star Wolf, Lucario, Ness, Toon Link, ROB, Captain Falcon and Jigglypuff. Unlike Melee some characters did not return from the previous game, Brawl is also the first game in the series to include third party characters.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl received critical acclaim, including a perfect score from Japanese game magazine Famitsu. The unexpected depth of the single player and the unpredictability of the final smash were praised as well as the online component of the game. Brawl has sold 4.85 million copies worldwide as of March 31 2008, 500,000 units were sold in Japan on it's first day on sale.

---

Characters

---

42 Characters have taken to the area in the 3 Super Smash Bros games to date, 12 in the original, raised to 26 in Melee and then went up to 35 in Super Smash Bros Brawl. All playable characters that have appeared in a Super Smash Bros. game are listed below, in alphabetical order. The list details the series that the character originates from and which of the 3 games the are featured in.

Character	Game Series	Super Smash Bros.	Super Smash Bros. Melee	Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Bowser	Mario Bros.	NO	YES	YES
Captain Falcon	F-Zero	YES	YES	YES
Diddy Kong	Donkey Kong	NO	NO	YES
Donkey Kong	Donkey Kong	YES	YES	YES
Dr.Mario	Mario Bros.	NO	YES	NO
Falco	Star Fox	NO	YES	YES
Fox	Star Fox	YES	YES	YES
Ganondorf	Zelda	NO	YES	YES
Ice Climbers	Ice Climbers	NO	YES	YES
Ike	Fire Emblem	NO	NO	YES
Jigglypuff	Pokemon	YES	YES	YES
King Dedude	Kirby	NO	NO	YES
Kirby	Kirby	YES	YES	YES
Link	Zelda	YES	YES	YES
Lacario	Pokemon	NO	NO	YES
Lucas	Earthbound	NO	NO	YES
Luigi	Mario Bros.	YES	YES	YES
Mario	Mario Bros.	YES	YES	YES
Marth	Fire Emblem	NO	YES	YES
Meta Knight	Kirby	NO	NO	YES
Mewtwo	Pokemon	NO	YES	NO
Mr.Game & Watch	Game & Watch	NO	YES	YES
Ness	Earthbound	YES	YES	YES
Olimar	Pikmin	NO	NO	YES
Peach	Mario Bros.	NO	YES	YES
Pichu	Pokemon	NO	YES	NO
Pikachu	Pokemon	YES	YES	YES
Pit	Kid Icaris	NO	NO	YES
Pokemon Trainer	Pokemon	NO	NO	YES
R.O.B.	R.O.B.	NO	NO	YES
Roy	Fire Emblem	NO	YES	NO
Samus	Metroid	YES	YES	YES
Shiek	Legend of Zelda	NO	YES	YES
Snake	Metal Gear	NO	NO	YES
Sonic	Sonic the Hedgehog	NO	NO	YES
Toon Link	Zelda	NO	NO	YES
Wario	Wario	NO	NO	YES
Wolf	Star Fox	NO	NO	YES
Yoshi	Mario / Yoshi	YES	YES	YES
Young Link	Zelda	NO	YES	NO
Zelda	Zelda	NO	YES	YES
Zero Suit Samus	Metroid	NO	NO	YES

---

Points of Interest

---

• Famitsu Magazine: Super Smash Bros. Brawl - perfect 40/40


• Super Smash Brothers Melee Best Selling Gamecube Game - 7 Million Copies WorldWide


• Super Smash Bros. Brawl fastest selling Nintendo game


• Super Smash Bros. Brawl - 1.4 Million US sales in first week


• Famitsu Magazine: Super Smash Bros. Melee - 37/40


• 2000 AIAS - Game Design - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask


• 36 Composers provided music for Brawl

---

Videos

---

Nintendo 64 Smash Bros Commercial

People dressing up as Nintendo Characters and beating each other up with some shocking acting = genius

Gamecube Smash Bros Melee Commercial

Feeling a little boxed it

Wii Lifestyle Smash Bros Brawl Commercial

Nintendo insist of life style advertising

Metroid Series History

Article by Ben Salter

Metroid has been a servant of Nintendo, selling over 21 million copies worldwide. Described as a mixture of a platform, shooter, action and adventure game Metroid is one of Nintendo’s darker series, aimed at a more mature audience, a game craved by those looking for an adult experience on a Nintendo platform. The series is popular for its female lead character, one of the first when the game made its debut on the NES in 1986.

Creation

During the 1980's Nintendo created two titles for the Famicom Disk System simultaneously in Kid Icarus and Metroid. These companion games were released side by side on the same day in 1986 and introduced the password save feature in the North American release. Metroid was designed to combine the successful platforming of the Super Mario series with the free-roaming exploration gameplay of The Legend of Zelda along with shooting elements thrown into the mix. Halfway through the development of the debut title it was suggested that the character inside the suit be revealed to be a woman, the idea was accepted and remains one of the series signature features. While never officially admitted it is believed that the Alien films played a large role in the inspiration for the Metroid series.

The main figures involved in the Metroid development are Yoshio Sakamoto, who has directed every game in the series with the exception of Metroid II and Gunpei Yokoi who was in charge of Nintendo’s Research & Development 1 team before he passed away in 1997. Shigeru Miyamoto has rarely been involved with Metroid as his only involvement has been acting as a producer for Metroid Prime 1 & 2.

Gameplay

The Metroid series revolves around female bounty hunter Samus Aran. The games are noted for their non-linear progression and solitary exploration as Samus rarely comes into contact with any other characters. Taking inspiration from the Platforming of Super Mario Bros. and the exploration of The Legend of Zelda the games consist of shooting, platform and adventure elements conveyed in a darker mood than a majority of Nintendo’s titles. The series began in a 2D format but made the extremely successful transition into the 3D arena with Metroid Prime and its subsequent sequels. The games moved into first-person, taking strong first-person shooter elements but retaining the exploration and puzzles from the previous games to become labelled by Nintendo as a "First-Person-Adventure" game.

Samus generally begins with limited features available on her powersuit which she can upgrade along her adventure. These upgrades including missiles and the morphball, which allows the bounty hunter to roll into a small deadly ball, are often required to move into a new area. Metroid was one of the first games to allow the player explore to the left as well as to the right of screen. Players were often forced to backtrack and take a new path which has been unlocked due to Samus acquiring a new upgrade to her suit.

The Games

Metroid

Platform: NES

Release:Jap 1986
USA 1987
AUS/EU 1988

The first game in the Metroid series was released in Japan for the Famicom Disk System on August 6, 1986 and in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. Metroid was one of the first non-linear games to make its way to the home console. It was a mix of an action/adventure, shooting and platforming, it also granted the player the freedom to explore in both directions, considered revolutionary at the time. Players acquired power-ups which would allow access to a previously unavaliable areas, introducing an element of backtracking.

The year is 2003 on the Cosmic Calendar, Earth has come into contact with life from another planet who share their superior levels of technology with the humans. This rapid advancement in technology leads to the invention of spacecraft which are encountered by an alien group known as the Space Pirates, striking fear into the hearts of humankind. In the year 20X5 C.C a spacecraft travelling with an unknown life-form is attacked by the Space Pirates, and the life-form dubbed ‘Metroid’ is stolen. Desperate to stop the creation of a biological weapon the Galactic Federation send the best space-hunter available, Samus Aran, to defeat the Space Pirate Leader on the Planet Zebes and destroy the Metroids. At the time of the release Metroid was critically received well for its non-linear gameplay. However it has not received as much praise as subsequent sequels and the Virtual Console and Gameboy Advance versions were criticised for unfixed glitches and flickering graphics.

Metroid II: Return of Samus

Platform: Gameboy
Release:Jap 1992
USA 1991
AUS/EU 1992

Metroid II: Return of Samus is the second installement in the series, appearing on the Gameboy 5-years after the original. The gameplay remained similar to that of the Metroid but was less restrictive in terms of being able to advance without having to acquire every power-up. All of the items in the debut title made a return along side the inclusion of some of the series essential power-ups such as the space jump, plasma beam and the spiderball. This is the only game to include the Metroids in all of their incarnations evolving in the order of Metroid, Alpha Metroid, Gamma Metroid, Zeta Metroid, and Omega Metroid. Metroid II was the first title to introduce save models into the series with locations scattered throughout the planet.

Metroid II takes place in an undetermined time frame after Metroid Prime 3, Samus has defeated the Space Pirates on several occasions at this point in time. The Galactic Federation sends teams to the home planet of the Metroids, SR388, to ensure they cannot be used for evil purposes. Metroid II: Return of Samus DX was announced in 1999 as a coloured remake for the Gameboy Color but the title never saw the light of day.

Super Metroid

Platform: SNES
Release:Jap 1994
USA 1994
AUS/EU 1994

Super Metroid was released for the Super Nintendo in 1994 and was the biggest game on the console at the time of release in terms of file size. The game takes place on Planet Zebes in a large open-world with different areas connected by a series of doors and elevators. New concepts were introduced including the ability to disable/enable items, combining beams and the ‘moon walk’ named after Michael Jackson’s signature dance move allowing Samus to move backwards while firing. Super Metroid allowed players to resume progress from any save point around the planet and restock ammunition via the Gunship.

A Metroid Larva has imprinted itself on Samus, believing her to be its mother. Bringing the creature to the Ceres Space Colony it becomes apparent that Metroids can aid mankind as well as being harnessed for evil. Ridley invades the colony killing the scientists and stealing the Metroid, the last of its kind. While searching the rebuilt Planet Zenes Samus is confronted by the giant “Super Metroid”, she then must go on to defeat the Mother Brain, with the aid of the Metroid Larva.

Super Metroid is universally praised by fans and critics alike and to this day remains one of the most popular games on the Super Nintendo. 1.4 million units have since been sold as the title constantly remains in ‘best games of all time’ lists. Super Metroid was the last Metroid game to be released in series creator Gunpei Yokoi's lifetime.

Metroid Fusion

Platform: GBA

Release:Jap 2003
USA 2002
AUS/EU 2002

After the death of Metroid series creator Gunpei Yokoi it was 8 years before the sequel to Super Metroid appeared. Metroid Fusion was originally believed to be a remake of its predecessor, but the dark, muddy graphics shown at E3 2001 disproved this rumour and resulted in disappointment among fans due to the outdated Gameboy Color style apparence. Metroid Fusion was officially revealed at E3 2002 and received a much more positive reception. The game introduced connectivity with Metorid Prime and Metroid Zero Mission allowing new features to be unlocked for those owning other games in the series. Fusion was more linear than previous titles due to its storyline focus. Samus encounters "Navigation Rooms" along her journey where she receives valuable information on how to proceed from her commander.

Taking place after the events of Super Metroid Samus returns to SR-388 where the eradication of Metroids has overwhelmed the planet's ecosystem as parasitoids, known as "X" have become the dominate species. The species X have the ability to replicate their host creature's physical appearance and possess their memories while at the same time slowly killing them. While searching the planet SR-388 Samus is infected by the X parasites affecting her central nervous system on her return to the Galactic Federation. Using the cells of the Metroid Samus had previously saved the parasite is countered resulting in Samus taking on Metroid-like characteristics. Samus takes it upon herself to destroy the X including the SA-X, a parasite mimicking her, aboard the B.S.L. station.

Metroid Fusion initially received some criticism for moving away from the open-ended gameplay that the series was known for and adopting a more linear storyline focus. Overall Fusion received generally positive reviews for being an "outstanding achievement on the Game Boy Advance". Fusion sold over 100,000 copies in the US on its first week of release and has gone on to sell over 1.25 million copies.

Metroid Prime

Platform: Gamecube
Release:Jap 2003
USA 2002
AUS/EU 2003

In 2002 Metroid successfully made the transition from a 2D platformer to the 3D arena. After Super Metroid fans were awaiting a sequel on the Nintendo 64 DD, although it never eventuated which Nintendo later stated was due to a "lack of concrete ideas." Prime takes place in a large open-ended world, from the first person perspective. Introduced to aid the evolution to 3D was the lock-on targeting system, allowing Samus to circle an enemy while keeping a steady aim on them. The HUD is presented on the insides of Samus’ helmet, it displays health, ammo and a radar as well as the ability to change beam or visor. Making use of the ‘scan visor’ Samus is able to obtain valuable information about the environment and creatures surrounding her.

Metroid Prime is the first installement in the ‘Prime trilogy’. Receiving a distress call from the Space Pirate Frigate Orpheon, Samus boards the ship to investigate where she defeats the Parasite Queen, who falls into the ships reactor upon her demise. The Orpheon self destructs destroying Samus’ Varia suit in the process. She then encounters Ridley who she follows to Tallon IV where she discovers the Chozo Ruins, the remains of an ancient society destroyed by a corrupting substance known as Phazon. During her exploration of Tallon IV Samus must recover the 12 artifacts, scattered across the planet before she can encounter the phazon-mutated beast Metroid Prime.

Prime was critically acclaimed for taking the exceptional 2D series and improving on it with the move into the 3rd dimension. It received many game of the year awards for 2002 and was praised for its detailed graphics, with special effects and varied environments, immersive atmosphere, excellent level design as well as its moody soundtrack and sound effects while staying true to the Metroid formula. Prime did receive some criticisms for unusual controls and lack of focus on what could have been a decent storyline, but generally faired extremely well. The game has gone on to sell over 1.5 million copies in the US along with 250,000 in Europe and 78,000 in Japan. Prime was the second best selling US game of 2002 and the 8th best selling Players Choice game in Australia.

Metroid Zero Mission

Platform: GBA
Release:Jap 2004
USA 2004
AUS/EU 2004

Metroid Zero is a remake of the original title designed to retell the story. As is the nature with remakes the game is very similar to the original Metroid with improvements to items, the introduction of a mini-map and an entirely new area to explore called Chozodia. Zero Mission includes a new feature in which the player must control Samus without the aid of her Power Suit. During this period she is more susceptible to damage and only has a stun gun to defend herself with.

The game’s background is presented to resemble a hand-drawn comic which is carried on throughout the cut-scenes. Samus is presented in more detailed than her rendition in Metroid Fusion as the game makes the most out of the Gameboy Advance's technology. By linking Zero Mission to Metroid Fusion players were able to unlock various extras depending on the percentage of game finished. The game received critical acclaim, including multiple review scores over 90%.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Platform: GameCube

Release:Jap 2005
USA 2004
AUS/EU 2004

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes continued the Prime trilogy in 2004 and was the first Metroid game to include a multiplayer feature. Echoes features 2 parallel dimensions, Light and Dark Aether, changes in one dimension are reflected on the other. Samus obtains the Dark, Light, and Annihilator beams all of which have a limited ammunition, resulting in the power beam becoming the only unlimited weapon. Prime 2 allowed for up to 4 players to duke it out in either the Deathmatch, or Bounty mode. The multiplayer featured the same control system as the single player mode, to the disappointment of some fans as it retained the lock-on system.

Taking place 6 months after the events of Metroid Prime an advanced race known as the Luminoth are protecting the energy of a planet called the Light of Aether. The planet is split into 2 dimensions with the opposite known as the Dark Aether, home to the Ing, a race of dark who are locked in a fierce battle for survival with the Luminoth. The Ing lead the race to survive by taking the energy from three of Aether's four temples, as the energy cannot support both worlds the first to gain access to all 4 temple's energy will be the victor. Samus must assist by returning all energy to their rightful place and restore peace to the Luminoth. Travelling between dimensions Samus must face-off against her mysterious counterpart Dark Samus and return the energy to the Light of Aether.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes received positive reviews receiving many scores upward of 85%. Although it received positive scores the multiplayer was criticised and subsequently omitted for the next title. It was also noted that there was too much back-tracking required once a new item was acquired and that the save stations were too infrequent.

Metroid Prime Pinball

Platform: Nintendo DS
Release:Jap 2006
USA 2005
AUS/EU 2005

Straying from the tradition roots of the series in 2005 Metroid Prime Pinball was released, using graphical styles and story elements from Metroid. Prime Pinball came bundled with the Nintendo DS rumble pack accessory, one of the few games supporting rumble play. The game played like a traditional Pinball game with the ball being replaced by Samus in her Morphball form and the table representing Metroid locations such as The Pirate Frigate and Tallon Overworld. The Chozo Artifacts act as prizes and bosses must be defeated at the end of every second stage in order to progress to the next table. The multiplayer option requires only one copy of the game for download play and allows for up to 8 players to compete in a race to reach a target score. While there is no plot in the traditional sense events are loosely based on those of Metroid Prime with the goal to acquire 12 Chozo Artifacts, gain access to the Impact Crater, and defeat Metroid Prime in both its forms. The game faired above average in positive light although was often overlooked in favour of the upcoming Metroid Prime Hunters, also to be released on the Nintendo DS.

Metroid Prime Hunters

Platform: Nintendo DS

Release:Jap 2006
USA 2006
AUS/EU 2006

Arriving on the Nintendo DS in 2004 Metorid Prime Hunters: First Hunt was initially offered as a demo for those who pre-ordered the Nintendo DS before the full version, Metroid Prime Hunters, was released in 2006. The game removed the lock-on aiming of the console games and replaced it with touch screen controls, although the option to use only buttons is included. While the single player is impressive it’s the multiplayer where Hunters really shines, allowing 4 player single card, multi-card and online play. Gamers can play as Samus or any of the bounty hunters she encounters in the single player journey including Kanden, Spire, Trace, Noxus, Sylux and Weavel.

Metroid Prime Hunters takes place after the events of Metroid Prime but before those of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. The Galactic Federation receives a message stating "ultimate power" resides in the Alimbic solar system. Bounty hunter Samus Aran is sent to investigate and destroy any possible threats. Samus discovers the Alimbic a highly advanced society has died out many years ago, but just prior to this they formed a seal around a monstrous creature named Gorea and placed it on a spaceship called Oubliett. The ship was sent to a dimensional rift called the Infinity Void, only to be opened when eight keys known as the "Octoliths" were collected. Competing with rival bounty hunters Samus must be the first to collect the 8 pieces of the Octolith.

Metroid Prime Hunter’s received high reviews and was praised for its mutliplayer modes, becoming one of the most played game on Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The customisable rooms, rankings and being one of the only DS games to support online chat earned it acclaim. The game was criticised for having a very linear and easy single player with very little variety between levels and bosses in the single player mode. It was noted as being different than any other Metroid game in that it was a lot simpler and focused more on combat than puzzles.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Release:Jap 2008
USA 2007
AUS/EU 2007

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption was originally planned to be a Wii launch title in 2006 but was delayed several times for a variety of reasons, including the perfecting of the control scheme. After the game was delayed after its revised release date of June 2007 Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime stated "when we release it, it will be perfect. And if that's a little later than folks would have liked, I'm hoping they're going to be happy. " The controls alone, making use of the Nintendo Wii’s Wii Remote and Nunchuck, took over a year to develop, causing many frustrating but worthwhile delays. The Wii Remote and Nunchuck allow for precision aiming and showed off what the Wii is capable of in the first person genre if implemented to it's potential. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is the first game in the Metroid series in which the game characters use full voice acting, although Samus still remains tight lipped.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption takes place 6 months after the events of it’s predecessor Metroid Prime 2: Echoes rounding out a time frame of 1 year for the Metroid Prime trilogy. Samus and three other bounty hunters of the Galactic Federation are deployed to the planet Norion, where the Space Pirates are concentrating an attack on a nearby Federation base. A Phazon asteroid, called a Leviathan Seed, is on a collusion course with Norion, after being severally wounded by her nemesis Dark Samus the game's protagonist manages to activate the planet's defense systems.

This is even more painful that it looks

Samus later learns that the Phazon-based attacks of Dark Samus have corrupted her, as a result the Federation equips her with a "Phazon Enhancement Device", allowing her to harness the Phazon energy. Samus discovers other planets and their inhabitants are slowly being corrupted by the Leviathan seeds and it becomes her task to save them by destroying the seeds. As she progresses Samus is slowly corrupted further by the Phazon inside her despite the aid of the PED. Along with the Galactic Federation she travels to the planet Phaaze, the source of all Phazon in the galaxy. Samus must travel to its core, where she will finally confront Dark Samus once and for all. Metroid Prime 3 concludes the Prime trilogy although at the end of the game a mysterious spaceship is seen following Samus flying into hyperspace.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption received extremely positive review scores, including a 10/10 from Nintendo Power, making it the first game to receive a perfect score with the introduction of their new scoring system. Many reviews praised the motion controls saying "After playing Metroid Prime 3 you'll never want to play a shooter with dual analog controls again" as well as the quality of the graphics using the Wii hardware. As of March 31 2008 Metroid Prime 3: Corruption has sold over 1.31 million copies worldwide and remains one of the Wii’s best selling titles.

Points of Interest

• Metroid was one of the first games to use the password save system
• A Metroid title for the Nintendo 64 making use of the 64DD accessory was planned but never eventuated.
• In 2003, the live action movie rights were acquired but expired, they were re-acquired for a release in 2006 but the film is yet to see the light of day.
• It is possible to finish Metroid Zero Mission with a completion level of 9%
• Gunpei Yokoi’s last title was Super Metroid, the series would not see another entry for 8 years.
• Rumors circulated in 2005 about the development of a title called Metroid Dread, supposedly a 2D side-scroller for the Nintendo DS. A message in Prime 3 said "Experiment status report update: Metroid project 'Dread'
• The composer of the NES Metroid, Hirokazu Tanaka, stated that he wanted to make a musical score that made players feel as if they were encountering a "living organism" and had no distinction between music and sound effects. The Metroid theme was heard only when Mother Brain was defeated at the end of the game. No melodies are present at any other time.
• Kenji Yamamoto, Super Metroid composer, came up with some of the game’s themes by singing them while riding his motorcycle.
• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption was intended to be a Wii launch title in 2006 but was delayed multiple times finally seeing a release in August 2007.
• Nintendo released the Metroid Prime 3 Preview Channel as a free download from the Wii Shop Channel showing off gameplay videos in a new marketing attempt by Nintendo.

Videos

Super Metroid Japanese Commercial

As always old Nintendo commercials ensure hilarity