Nintendo dismisses accusations of failing to deliver Wii units

Nintendo has refuted claims that it failed to deliver the number of Wii units promised to Virgin Megastores for the console's launch on December 8.

The claims emerged after Virgin began taking pre-orders for PlayStation 3 last week. As GamesIndustry.biz discovered after contacting stores across the country, customers enquiring about the pre-order system are told that they can secure a console for GBP 50 - but are warned that they won't neccessarily receive their machine on March 23.



They're told that they may have to wait days or even weeks for their machine to arrive, with one customer service representative stating, "We can't make a commitment to the 23rd because Sony hasn't made a commitment to us."

All the representatives GI.biz spoke to said that Virgin was keen to avoid a repeat of the situation which occurred with the launch of the Wii, claiming that Nintendo failed to deliver the number of consoles promised for day one.

"It's because there was an issue with the Wii. Some stores didn't get the allocation they were promised until the next day after launch," one representative said.

Another claimed, "The full amount of stock we were promised never turned up," while other representatives said that the total launch allocation wasn't received until several weeks after launch.

Nintendo has disputed the claims with a spokesperson telling GI.biz, "All UK retailers were notified of their initial day one Wii allocations in October 2006, some six to eight weeks before launch.

"Nintendo delivered exactly what we said we would to retailers for day one and in many instances over delivered against the initial numbers retailers were expecting."

In addition, the spokesperson said, "Nintendo made multiple and regular deliveries to retailers across the UK in the days following launch to try and meet the huge demand for Wii as much as possible."

Virgin Megastores has yet to respond to requests for comment.

HMV refuses PS3 pre-orders unless consumers agree to buy PSP too

HMV's online store is now taking pre-orders for PlayStation 3 - providing consumers are also willing to purchase a 4GB PSP pack for a total price of £675.

An email sent out to customers today says the deal will enable them to become one of the "lucky few" who will be able to pick up a PS3 at launch. It reads: "At HMV.co.uk, we've been working with Sony to offer up to 5000 customers an incredible deal when you buy the new Sony 4GB PSP.

"Anyone who takes advantage of this offer will get priority over other HMV.co.uk customers for the PlayStation 3." The deal also includes two PSP games - Killzone Liberation and Gangs of London - and the price for the bundle is listed as £674.99.



According to the terms and conditions of the promotion, all consumers who buy the bundle "will take precedence over any other online HMV customers".

However, it's difficult to see who these other customers might be as a paragraph at the end of the email states, "PlayStation 3 solus console is currently unavailable to order from HMV.co.uk by itself, and we kindly ask customers not to contact us with regards to this." HMV's high street stores are not currently accepting PS3 pre-orders either.

There's no assurance that customers who sign up for the bundle will get their PS3 when the console launches on March 23. The terms and conditions of the offer state: "Delivery of any PS3 is subject to Sony's delivery to HMV Guernsey. Accordingly, HMV cannot guarantee that registration on the Priority List means that you will receive your PS3 on the estimated release date, nor that your order will be fulfilled within any given time frame."

The offer is not likely to be well received by those consumers who feel that the price of the PlayStation 3 alone is already too high at £425 - or by those who want to purchase a PS3, but already own a PSP.

A Sony spokesperson told GamesIndustry.biz, "This is just one of a number of value added incentives that retailers will be offering to mark the launch of PS3.

"Consumers are free to shop around to find a package that best suits their own needs, and offers the greatest value for money."

Microsoft reveals 10 new Arcade titles for 360

Retro favourites and board games lined up for download

Microsoft has revealed ten new titles for the Xbox Live Arcade service, all of which are due this year.

The Behemoth's popular side-scrolling title Alien Hominid HD, Sierra Online's 3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures, Band of Bugs from NinjaBee and Konami's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night are all due for release over the coming months.

Also joining the service is Big Huge Games' Catan, Eets: Chowdown from Klei Entertainment, MumboJumbo's Luxor 2, Midway's Paperboy and Root Beer Tapper and Team 17's Worms.

Downloads on the Xbox Live Arcade service have surpassed 20 million games, with Microsoft promising more content throughout 2007.

Ubisoft's Blazing Angels Secret Missions takes to the skies on Xbox 360 and Games 4 windows

Blazing Angels Secret Missions shows World War II from a different perspective – that of an elite pilot who is part of a secret team. In the game, the player will undertake some of the most dangerous missions in exotic locations all over the globe. As an elite pilot, the player goes from one great adventure to another, while battling the most lethal experimental weapons of the Third Reich. The squad’s mission is to prevent the ultimate weapon from being built. To help players in this quest, they have at their disposal an assortment of highly experimental aircraft and weaponry. Blazing Angels® Secret Missions comes straight out of the history books of World War II’s most top secret projects.



Key features of Blazing Angels Secret Missions include:

Living, Breathing World – Built on all-new, cutting-edge visual technology, the world of Secret Missions is more believable and involving than ever. Fly above hills and mountains, navigate through treacherous mountain passes and dogfight in the clouds with enemies. Take part in large-scale battles through various conditions: darkness, rain, snow, and air turbulence.


Diverse and Unusual Scenarios – Secret Missions takes players around the world, from Paris, Rome and Moscow to exotic locations like Rangoon and Cairo and the highest mountain ranges of the Himalayas. Each mission will bring its own surprises, twists and unique challenges.


Prototype Technology – Players will have access to some of the most advanced and unusual aircraft and weapons of WWII, as well as access to a huge assortment of weapons, including high-velocity cannons and early guided missiles.


Fast Paced Multiplayer Action – Multiplayer features free-for-all, co-op and squad-based play, including the brand new Capture the Flag and Epic Battle modes, the latter pitting two teams of players against each other in a large-scale battle with conquerable bases and objectives that can be destroyed in order to gain the upper hand on the opponent.

Crash Bandicoot Party

Vivendi Games Mobile announces the launch of a new title in the Crash world-known franchise: Crash Bandicoot Party.

Crash Bandicoot is a global brand icon, generating revenue in excess of US$ 800 millions. The franchise has sold more than 35 millions units since its launch and the mobile versions have generated more than 2 millions downloads worldwide.

Crash Bandicoot Party is the mobile related game to the recently released DS game: Crash Boom Bang (Vivendi Games)

The mobile game Crash Bandicoot Party features 14 hilarious mini-games in which you can play as Crash Bandicoot or one of his friends!

Choose to play the Cow Shoot as Doctor Cortex, the Infernal Tower as Nina Cortex, the Survivor as Coco or Crash Baseball as Crunch and much more!

The game is really intuitive to play due to a one-thumb gameplay: no matter which mini-game you’re playing, you know which button to use.

Enjoy also the first ever multi-player party mobile game featuring a new way of playing on a single mobile:
The particularity of the game is that you are playing with your friends on the same mobile. This totally new gameplay allows you to disturb your opponents and literally play with the handset itself, which becomes a component of the game!

The games are quick and the pace is fast! Players are able to set the game duration in order to fit their free-time. You can also enjoy solo sessions with an exciting challenge.

Key features:

- 14 unique multiplayer action mini-games
Crash Bandicoot Party offers a large range of different games to discover

- One-thumb gameplay
Whatever game you’re playing, you know which button to press

- “Out of the phone” gameplay
Put the pressure on your opponents and play literally with your phone!

- Fast games!
Players can adapt the time of their games to suit their available time

- Multiplayer mode on a single mobile
Take your board game everywhere