Next gen console, a sequel, new fantasy and still remaining on top in this week’s Nintendo News roundup.

Nintendo’s Third-Generation DSi Is Expected in April
Nintendo DSi will be going to North America this April. Finally, they can experience what the fuzz is all about.

Nintendo’s Wii Getting Robocalypse Sequel
The surprise TS hit for the DS will be going to the Wii. The sequel has been in the works since December of last year.

FF Echoes of Time Wii/DS in EU March
The latest addition to the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles franchise will finally be made available for the European market this March. DS and Wii gamers in Europe would be happy to know that the game has a feature that lets DS players connect with the Wii.

Nintendo Rules Across the Gaming Board: NPD January Data
This has been the news since last year. There are no signs that the other consoles can catch up with the Wii any time soon.

Same old Wii news, SK console wars, SA market, Yo Joe, and the biggest slacker in this week’s Nintendo news roundup.

Nintendo Wii Continues to Dominate Console Market, Xbox 360 Stagnates, PlayStation 3 Becomes Victim of Economic Recession
The Wii still dominates while the other consoles are experiencing hardships due to the global recession. What’s surprising is that the Wii enjoyed record sales even when the other consoles introduced price cuts.

C3 Special: South Korean Wii Update
Koreans have embraced the DS but it looks like the Wii will have a hard time penetrating the PC gaming crazy South Korean market.

Nu Metro Interactive Distributes Capcom Catalogue in South Africa
Capcom announced that Nu Metro Interactive has exclusive right for the South African market. That means it will be responsible for the release of MotoGP and Neopets in the region later this year.

EA Developing GI JOE
The real American heroes will hit the DS and Wii just in time for the movie’s release date. The GI Joe game will not be based on the movie but there will be elements to be taken from it.

The Game Factory Selects “Protector” as Biggest Slacker for Job with No Responsibility
Game Factory gave the King of Cubicles position to a guy whose job is to do nothing. He was also given a monthly salary, electric car, business cards, a Wii and various Game Factory games. I want his job!

While other companies are cutting down on their expenses, Nintendo is doing the opposite when it plans to spend around $141 million on a research and development building to be built near its Kyoto headquarters. It is said that the building would be for both software and hardware research but there are still no date as to when the construction will start.

In contrast to that, Sega has announced that it would lay off people and cutting on expenses. Sega used to be on top of the console wars during the Nintendo Gamecube era. Nintendo has got over it and today it has the number one console with the Wii.

With the new R&D facility being planned, it looks like Nintendo is set to develop the next generation Wii. Will we be seeing a new console in 2010? What do you think will Nintendo come up next?

There were lots of cosplayers at last week’s Ohayocon but one stood out among the crowd. A guy came as a life-sized Gameboy console. Although his cardboard Gameboy costume is not that polished, what separated him from the rest is he has a fully playable Tetris game with him. Here’s a video of the guy in action.

I just got one comment about the guy playing Tetris in the video. Learn to rotate!

EA disclosed their third quarter earnings and announced that they will be focusing on the Wii this year. Half of the companies releases would be or the Wii console while the other half would be shared by the Xbox 360 and the PS3.

One of the games that would be released later this year would be Dead Space. I’m having mixed feelings about this. I’ve played this action game on the PC and I think that its video requirements could not be met by the Wii. Plus the game’s controls are too complex for the Wiimote and Nunchuks.

By the looks of things, Dead Space for the Wii will be just that, lots of dead spaces. I do think that the dynamic lighting and other visual effects found in the Xbox 360, PC and PS3 games would not be ported to the Wii.

Dead Space could draw the hardcore gamers to the Wii but they might be disappointed with the watered down version. I hope that this would not be the case. I also hope that EA would try their hardest in bringing a good Wii version of the game.

Racing game, retro games, still dominating, restocking, and yetis in this week’s Nintendo News Roundup.

Need for Speed Nitro Announced for Wii and DS
The NFS franchise would be going to the Nintendo consoles with the Nitro title that’s unique for the DS and Wii. As a racing game fan, I like this one.

Virtual Console on DSi?
IGN discusses how the DSi would be perfect for virtual console but the current DSi release doesn’t support it yet. I hope in the future Nintendo does update its firmware to include it.

Your 2008 Japan Software/Hardware Sales Report
This comes as no surprise when the 2008 Japanese sales report shows that Nintendo dominates the market in the software department.

Amazon restocks Wii; discounts MySims Kingdom
Amazon finally got more Wii. This is good news for online buyers who are lazy to go to an actual store. In its Deal of the Day, it discounted MySims Kingdom to $19.98.

Hands On: Roogoo on Wii, Now With More Yetis
Roogoo will be going to the Wii by the end of March. It will feature more yetis and a mode where DS users can link with the Wii game.

Lawl Mart must not have heard of infringement laws when it released a carbon copy of Duck Hunt, a classic NES game on the iPhone App Store. And they can’t deny it. Every detail of the game was duplicated, from the ducks being shot at, to the sound, and even the taunting dog. They didn’t even change the game’s name.

This might bring nostalgia to gamers but Nintendo didn’t think that it was funny in any way and requested for its removal from the shop. The company takes copyright infringement seriously and stated that it would do all the necessary actions to stop it.

But that doesn’t stop other developers in making their own version of the classic hunting game. There are still two Duck Hunt-like games in the iPhone App Store. Deek’s Duck Hunt and Duck Hunting are available for 99cents each. The games made some tweaks in the game to avoid the legal aspects.

Next Monday will see the debut of WayForward Technologies’ Lit on the Wii Shop Channel. This Wiiware would be available for 800 Wii Points. The game is about an emo boy named Jake as he searched through the school grounds for his kidnapped girlfriend.

Lit has 30 classrooms in which Jake must solve a puzzle in order to move to the next one. He must use light sources to fend off the attacks of his enemies. As you could imagine, the game itself would be dark. Puzzles would be complex and could mean lots of gaming time before you could rescue the girlfriend.

WayForward Technologies is the company responsible for the Contra 4 title on the DS. I’m expecting that this game would be challenging as well.

Like what I said in my previous post, Don King Boxing will be released this coming March but what I’m waiting for is the new Punch Out! Nintendo has scheduled the launch for the game in July. Nintendo disclosed their game release schedule with other financial documents.

Notable titles for the Wii in the list include Sin & Punishment and Wii Sports Resort. These are scheduled for released within the first half of 2009. As for the DS, DSi is said to be out in April while the Mario & Luigi RPG 3 that will be out before the year’s end.

Good news is that Kirby Wii that was supposed to be launched in 2008 will be released in Japan this year. Nintendo is mum about the game’s details yet. I expect this to be a big hit for 2009. Watch out for it.

2K Sports is said to be making a Don King Boxing game for the Wii and DS. It will feature a story mode, precise controls and a multiplayer mode. It would also incorporate the Wii Balance Board into its gameplay.

Don King said this about the game:
We’ve created our best set of real-life boxing exercises ever for Don King Boxing. It wouldn’t surprise me if a future world champion was introduced to the sport through this game. This is where you can get the skills that make for thrills.

I know the reason why Don King wants to make a boxing game for the Wii and DS. It’s all about the money folks. I do think that he is irrelevant to the sport at the present. Maybe it would be nice to see how the balance board will be used for the game. But aside from that, if I could choose the boxing game to get this year, it would be Punch Out!