World of Nintendo Tour

World of Nintendo Tour Brings Top Games and Systems Directly to Consumers

As the hustle and bustle of the holiday season draws near, Nintendo is making it easier for consumers to sample and experience some of the year’s most talked-about games and game systems. This past weekend, Oct. 2-4, the new World of Nintendo sampling tour kicked off with an appearance at the annual Long Beach Comic Con in Long Beach, Calif., treating attendees to a firsthand look at a variety of recent and forthcoming games for the Wii™, Nintendo DS™ and Nintendo DSi™ systems.

Less than a week after consumers discovered a new suggested retail price of $199.99 for Wii, World of Nintendo participants in Long Beach gathered for hands-on demonstrations of games like Wii Sports Resort™, Wii Fit™ Plus and Punch-Out!! ™, as well as the upcoming New Super Mario Bros. ™ Wii. The event also highlighted new hand-held games such as Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box™ and the highly anticipated The Legend of Zelda™: Spirit Tracks, both playable on Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems. World of Nintendo visitors also enjoyed a glimpse into a selection of downloadable game titles on the WiiWare™ and Nintendo DSiWare™ services.

Upcoming World of Nintendo tour stops include America’s VideoGame Expo in Philadelphia (Oct. 9-11) and the Big Apple Comic Con in New York City (Oct. 16-18). Like this year’s traveling Nintendo DSi Mobile Tour and Wii Sports Resort Mobile Tour, World of Nintendo reflects Nintendo’s ongoing commitment to actively expanding the audience for video games, attracting new and veteran players with a lineup of inclusive game titles, innovative motion controls and console features that allow players to stay connected with family and friends.

For more information about World of Nintendo, please visit http://www.nintendo.com/.

Source: Nintendo Press Release

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Dated

Zelda fans can rejoice as the next installment of the series finally has a release date. In Nintendo's press release today regarding their fall lineup it was confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks has been confirmed for release on December 7th, just in time for the holidays. Spirit Tracks, for those who don't yet know, is the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. It will use the same touch based mechanics of the previous title, but has replaced the boat on the ocean with a train over the land.

This makes two high profile games for the Wii, along with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, that will be coming out in December rather than the customary November time frame for holiday releases. Is this going to have any impact on their sales or will they be successful based on the franchises alone?