The Wii might be in unfamiliar territory, facing decline for the first time and all, but that doesn't mean that the console is down for the count. A survey from the gifting service, Lottay, reveals that there is twice more demand for the Wii than both its rival consoles combined. The DS, too, is making its own presence felt, pulling a certain blue hedgehog into its lineup. There's more where that came from, so let's get the rundown going.

Nintendo's Kensuke Tanabe has intimated that Metroid Prime 3: Corruption may not be the last we'll see of the Prime series. Another handheld iteration may even be in the cards.

It's been a head-on collision between Sony and Microsoft the past week with their own respective price cut announcements. Oddly enough, Nintendo remains sitting prettily and quietly. Have they got no plans to launch their defenses in light of the current happenings? Apparently, no, they don't.

With Sony and Microsoft making such big headliners back in E3, the aftermath has left Nintendo a bit unsung. Worry not though, that's what the Weekend Warrior is for, so you can get a quick recap of all things Nintendo that hit the scene this week. Hardware is the name of the game for the past few days, and so we have a one for a pedometer, motion-sensors, and a lie detector.

This week is heavy on the Wii. We've got publishers and first party devs all looking to pack more games for the Wii. There's Bethesda and their big plan, XSEED and their Ju-on game, some from Capcom, and even a dead rumor rises from the grave to come to the Wii. To cut a long story short, the Nintendo Wii is gonna get swarmed by new games in 2009. There's some good news for the DS and the homebrew side too, so be sure to read up on the recap, brought to you by the Nintendo Weekend Warrior.

Ever wondered what a Guitar Hero title would be like if Video Games Live had their own version too? That's where VideoGamesHero for the DS comes in - and it's actually homebrew! You get to play songs from Ocarina, Final Fantasy, Metroid, R-Type... There's over 60 songs to choose from! More details and a video demo in the full article!

Download: VideoGamesHero Update 1 (Full Version)
Download: VideoGamesHero Update 1 (Patch)

What enters your mind when you hear the word "gamer"? Chances are you're a gamer yourself, so your answer's pretty different compared to a non-gamer's. According to Dawn Paine, Nintendo UK Head of Marketing, a non-gamer's definition of a "typical" gamer is a "long haired nerd, screaming as he gripped a control pad."

To address this, Paine aims to bring in a new type of gamer, one that would stand for "self development, health, beauty and fitness" with their Touch! Generation software. More in the full article.

Penny Arcade's Child's Play, a five-year-old fundraising outfit that started out dedicated only to the Seattle Children's Hospital, has now evolved into a full-time charity drive.

Child's Play is now extending its reach throughout North America and five countries. Major online retailer Amazon is also giving Child's Play a boost-up by letting participating hospitals create wishlists of items to give to children.

Read more about Child's Play at the full article link below!

 

If you've been playing Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and have been scanning and tinkering with everything in sight, you must have noticed a cryptic little hint about the highly-speculated Super Metroid sequel for the Nintendo DS, namely Metroid Dread. Many others have picked up on that, blowing the rumor completely up into the air - and it's not exactly hard to see why. After all, with twice the screens and touch-screen capability, wouldn't it be logical of Nintendo to make one?

Unfortunately for us, Nintendo's released a statement that pretty much dashes any hope of portable Metroid happy. Yes, they've come out with it:

Nintendo is not making the 2D Metroid at this point in time.

Short, blunt, and heart-breakingly direct to the point. Although, it's to note that they said "at this point in time." So it means that they're not making it yet, which presents the possibility of them making it in the near future. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week - maybe even this week. But definitely not today. Who knows? One thing's for sure, though, a Super Metroid sequel on the DS would be totally awesome.

Nintendo is aiming for all walks of life with innovative gaming machines that are easy to pick up and play. The number of casual gamers are multiplying at an unprecedented rate, and even your grandma who thought a joystick was a demonic object is probably now interested in training her brain or cooking with a Stylus.

Expanding the user base isn't a bad thing at all, and today is a lot better than before when gamers were rare, but what of the hardcore who would frown at digital crossword puzzles or next-gen tamagotchi?

"The hardcore gamers will always be important to Nintendo," said Nintendo Australia Marketing Manager Greg Arthurton to IGN. While Ninty is dishing out countless of light-hearted titles to attract the non-gamer, Arthurton stressed out that the big N won't turn tails on loyalists that followed Nintendo since the early days.

He expressed disappointment after hearing that some hardcore fans feel they're being left behind since all the buzz is on casuals. Arthurton reassured that "there is no way we're taking our eye off the core gamer unit." Fingers were pointed at Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Mario Kart Wii, and other upcoming titles as peace offerings for the core gamer.

Arthurton went on saying there is no fear for the hardcore market to shrink with such games coming soon. One would notice that all the games he mentioned were spin-offs from franchises of old, but he named Animal Crossing, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, and Hotel Dusk: Room 215 as relatively new brands that will cater to both core and casual gamer alike.

Anyway, if you want to know how the entire interview with Greg Arthurton went, feel free to click the Read link below.