All Articles: Wii

2K fills out “NBA’s Greatest” roster in NBA 2K12

Posted on August 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

After teasing NBA 2K12‘s new “NBA’s Greatest” mode at the beginning of the month, 2K Sports is ready to announce the full roster of 15 basketball greats:

  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1986-87 Lakers vs. 1986-87 Celtics)
  • Larry Bird (1985-86 Celtics vs. The 1985-86 Hawks)
  • Wilt Chamberlain (1971-72 Lakers vs. 1971-72 Knicks)
  • Julius Erving (1984-85 76ers vs. 1984-85 Bucks
  • Patrick Ewing (1994-95 Knicks vs. 1994-95 Magic)
  • Magic Johnson (1990-91 Lakers vs. 1990-91 Blazers)
  • Michael Jordan (1992-93 Bulls vs. 1992-93 Hornets)
  • Karl Malone (1997-98 Jazz vs. 1997-98 Spurs)
  • Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-94 Rockets vs. 1993-94 Nuggets)
  • Scottie Pippen (1995-96 Bulls vs. 1995-96 Sonics)
  • Oscar Robertson (1970-71 Bucks vs. 1970-71 Lakers)
  • Bill Russell (1964-65 Celtics vs. 1964-65 Lakers)
  • John Stockton (1997-98 Jazz vs. 1997-98 Lakers)
  • Isiah Thomas (1988-89 Pistons vs. 1988-89 Bulls)
  • Jerry West (1970-71 Lakers vs. 1970-71 Hawks)

“Fans across the country were ecstatic to see Jordan, Bird, and Magic on the cover of NBA 2K12, and have speculated for weeks about who would fill out the rest of the ‘NBA’s Greatest’ roster,” said Jason Argent, Vice President of Marketing for 2K Sports. “These 15 legendary athletes will allow sports fanatics to create the NBA’s most storied matchups – and lock in bragging rights for their favorite teams in NBA 2K12.”

Players who pre-order NBA 2K12 for the PS3 or Xbox 360 will receive access to two additional teams/players in NBA’s Greatest mode. The bonus babies include the 1990-91 Golden State Warriors (with Chris Mullin) and the 2001-02 Sacramento Kings (with Chris “Timeout!” Webber). According to 2K, these teams will only be available to those who pre-order NBA 2K12.

NBA 2K12 will be released for the PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 on October 4.

[Source: ESPN]

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , ,

The Last Story, Pandora’s Tower coming to Europe in 2012

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Nintendo of Europe has revealed their latest release schedule, and at the very, very bottom, there are two names we’ve all been hoping to see: The Last Story and Pandora’s Tower. The release date just says “Coming to Europe in 2012.”

I know it’s too soon to crack out the champagne bottle, and that we can’t consider Operation Rainfall a success just yet, but I have to admit, I let out a whoop of joy when I saw this. I understand that Nintendo doesn’t have to cater to us, but in the end, we are the hardcore gamers Nintendo keeps saying they want to please, the ones who have been desperately importing games and playing ROMs for years. Why not give in to the untapped potential that is our undying love for your quirky JRPGs… not to mention our wallets, which have Zelda maps on them? (No, seriously. My wallet really does.)

Posted in News | Tagged , ,

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword flies home on November 20

Posted on August 17, 2011 by John Scalzo

After teasing the game at two straight E3s, Nintendo is ready to say “we’re gonna fly now” and tagged The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword with a November 20 release date.

While Nintendo has always maintained that Skyward Sword would be the first chronological Zelda game, they’re now saying it “sets the foundation” for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Is it possible we’ll finally get the unified Zelda timeline we’ve been waiting for?

“The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the biggest game in the series yet,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “We’ve just scratched the surface of this massive experience, and we look forward to sharing additional details with fans as we approach the November 20 launch.”

Skyward Sword will require the Wii Remote Plus (or a regular Wii Remote with a MotionPlus dongle attached) to move Link through a cloud city, a vast overworld and dark dungeons. Link will also pilot a massive bird to traverse this new world, surely making Avatar fans everywhere insanely jealous.

Posted in News | Tagged ,

Nintendo adds Punch-Out!!, Mario Galaxy, more to Wii budget line

Posted on August 16, 2011 by John Scalzo

Beginning August 28, Nintendo will expand their “Nintendo Selects” line on the Wii with four new games. Three games starring Mario and one featuring a pint-sized pugilist will be re-released for the budget-friendly price of $19.99. The newly discounted games are the criminally underrated Punch-Out!!, Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Strikers Charged and Super Paper Mario.

They join a Nintendo Selects line that was previously established with the inclusion of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Mario Super Sluggers and Wii Sports.

Posted in News | Tagged , , ,

Operation Rainfall enters Phase Two

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Nicole Kline

O Ep Operation Rainfall, the passionate, fan-driven campaign to have Wii JRPGs Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower released in North America, has now entered phase two. Since Nintendo of America announced that they would be watching Xenoblade’s reception in Europe, this is a crucial time for fans of the game.

“As part of Phase Two of Operation Rainfall, we very much want to see Xenoblade Chronicles sell exceptionally well in PAL regions,” the press release stated. “To all residents in the regions of Europe and Oceania, we encourage you to pre-order and purchase it at your earliest convenience. In the Americas, we encourage you to promote awareness of these titles. Good sales abroad will be a strong indicator for the title making it to American shores.”

More details about the letter-writing campaign can also be found in the press release. The group also encourages everyone to purchase Final Fantasy on the Virtual Console on August 19th, and reminds everyone that piracy is neither condoned nor cool. They also explain the perils of purchasing a Wii and games from another region – both for your own sake (Nintendo of America will not fix your Wii if it’s been modified) and for their own (it won’t help sales figures if you’re off importing the games, kids).

Whether it’s futile, ludicrous, heroic, or some mixture of all three, Operation Rainfall is definitely determined.

Posted in News | Tagged ,

NBA 2K12 soundtrack revealed

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Nicole Kline

NBA 2K12‘s soundtrack was released today by 2K Sports, featuring tracks and collaborations by Eminem, Cee-Lo Green, Busta Rhymes, and many more. Alex K. and D.J.I.G. made the soundtrack through a contest called “Duck Down,” giving them the opportunity to collaborate and create the track “Now’s My Time.”

2K Sports’ Vice President of Marketing, Jason Argent, emphasized how important music is to the series. “Music has always been an integral part of our NBA 2K video games, as it further immerses players into the world of basketball and enhances their gaming experience,” he said. “It was important to us that the NBA 2K12 soundtrack was not only what you hear while navigating the menus, but also in real-life situations like pre-game highlight introductions and during timeouts, just as you would hear a song while at a game or watching on TV.”

NBA 2K12 will be available October 4 for the PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, and Xbox 360. Hit the jump for the full track list. (more…)

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , ,

NCAA Football 12 is the valedictorian of July’s NPD chart

Posted on August 12, 2011 by John Scalzo

The NPD Group has revealed the top ten bestselling games for the month of July and NCAA Football 12 jumped to the head of the class. None of the rest of the month’s new releases managed to crack the list (including the awesome Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon or the alluring Catherine). Even the heavily-hyped Duke Nukem Forever was unable to maintain its place in the top ten.

With few new releases, only 17 titles were released during the month, gamers spent their money on other things in July. According to The NPD Group’s Anita Frazier, July was the “lowest month [for game sales] since October 2006.”

Maybe that’ll show publishers that the gaming community is pretty desperate for new games in the Summer. So maybe they shouldn’t backload every worthwhile game into the September-November period. In the meantime, check out the full top ten after the break. (more…)

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Kareem, Dr. J say “I am the greatest” in NBA 2K12’s NBA’s Greatest mode

Posted on August 4, 2011 by John Scalzo

What do you do for an encore after you add His Airness to NBA 2K11? You throw the ball back onto the court and see who else wants to play.

2K Sports plans to make NBA 2K12 legendary with the new NBA’s Greatest mode. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and ten more basketball legends will relive their greatest game and then match up against current NBA stars like Lebron James and Dirk Nowitski.

“One of the things we’re really proud of as a franchise is that we’ve transcended video games and have become part of the talk about basketball and the NBA,” says Jason Argent, 2K’s Vice President of Marketing. “So we’re going to leverage that with NBA 2K12 as every person who loves to debate sports, every person in every barber shop and bar and everywhere else always wonders: What would happen if today’s Lakers played one of the Jordan teams?”

With ten spots remaining, I hope there’s room for The Round Mound of Rebound, Sir Charles Barkley himself!

[Source: ESPN]

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , ,