After the news earlier this week that Mario would be shooting hoops in NBA Street, I decided that Nintendo had reached the end of its tie-in rope with Mario. I was wrong. The newest Dance Dance Revolution title for the Gamecube will be called Dance Dance Revolution with Mario. From the article: "As the title suggests, Dance Dance Revolution with Mario is a new installment in Konami's DDR dancing game series, featuring characters from the Mushroom Kingdom. Details on the game haven't been disclosed yet, but from the released images, DDR with Mario seems to play similarly to DDR, with familiar backdrops featured in the 3D installments of the Super Mario series." Ow.

MikeT writes "FileFront is reporting that Nintendo's GameCube underperformed in 2004 and this holiday season by almost half! While Nintendo's spokespeople remain mum, the reporter from FileFront claims that Nintendo's beloved console's numbers are dwindling, quoting industry professionals and reputed sales figures. Clip: "The early word hardly looks promising. Market information group NPD Funworld put GameCube console sales at 350,000 for November 2004, far behind Xbox's 708,000 and PS2's 694,000."" We ran a related story recently discussing the possibility of UK retailers dumping the system.

GameCube Europe is carrying a story stating that major United Kingdom retailers are dropping the Gamecube from their stock. From the article: Argos [has] reduced the GameCube from the RRP of £79.99 to only £39.99 and have also reduced the cost of games and accessories by a drastic amount.

Drakken writes "GamesAreFun.com is reporting that Chunsoft has updated their Homeland website with three new movies, two of them showing off online play. For awhile, Homeland (a GameCube MMORPG) was thought to be cancelled, but it seems it's alive again. This is significant because Homeland will be only the second-ever online GameCube game, making use of the GC's broadband adapter." Probably a JP only release.

An anonymous reader writes "This morning, Jeff Minter officially announced the end of development on his game "Unity", which was to be published by Lionhead Studios. The post included a press release which claimed that Minter "would not be able to finish Unity in an acceptable time frame". Minter is well known as the mad genius behind Llamasoft and creator of such games as Attack of the Mutant Camels, Llamatron, and Tempest 2000. Unity was to be an "abstract shooter" based on Minter's research into lightsynths and interactive graphic musical accompaniment. Did the fact that the GameCube is nearing the end of its lifecycle contribute to the cancellation of the game, or are trippy music/shooters (ala REZ) just too weird to attain mainstream success?"

GamesIndustry.biz has an article up about the Big N's future plans. Shigeru Miyamoto stated recently that Nintendo plans to be fully supporting online play within a few years, with the DS leading the way. From the article: "Miyamoto, credited as the design genius behind key Nintendo franchises including Zelda and Mario, told the magazine that online gaming will reach the mainstream within three to four years, and that Nintendo will be moving in that direction as a result." Gamespot also has details on upcoming Gamecube games, including another Mario, the next Legend of Zelda, Donkey Konga 3, Mario Baseball, and a new Kirby game.

Cuber writes "The first modification chip for Nintendo's GameCube console has been announced. It will allow users to boot homebrew applications, loaders and BIOS'. Until now hackers where using an exploit in the game Phantasy Star Online and a broadband adapter to be able to load homebrew software like GC-Linux over a network connection but now they'll be able to run code directly from flash memory. The mod chip will require to solder only 4 wires and while the device comes empty it's not impossible to think 3rd party loaders will come that allow you to boot copied games."

The sequel to Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes has been released to consumers. Details on the sequel can be found via a Gamespy hands on look or a Gamespot review. A snip from the review: "If you've played Metroid Prime, you've essentially played Metroid Prime 2. Retro hasn't mucked with the original, winning formula, so veterans of the first game will feel quite at home resuming their position behind Samus' computer-enhanced visor."

slumpy writes "An article Gamespot is running states that Resident Evil 4, the highly anticipated exclusive from Capcom, will no longer be for Gamecube only, breaking the deal they had with Nintendo. Does this show Nintendo's third-party support dwindling even more?"

Bruno_me writes "Some of the folks at the GameCube Linux project have gotten KDE to run on a GameCube. There's a screenshot of what it actually looks like and what it should look like. This is the first real 'GameKube.' And of course, here is the original frame buffer (dd if=/dev/fb0 of=./kde.fbdump)."

SuperStar writes "XLink Kai, the only global gaming network that allows you to tunnel all link-compatible games for Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube, launched their new client. As almost all 'Online-enabled' games also allow 'link/network play', this makes Kai a free and legal alternative for Microsoft's Xbox LIVE and Sony's online PS2 service. Using psSDK (instead of WinPCAP) and a new MAC caching subsystem allows them to become the fastest frame tunnel available. They not only offer a win32 binary, but also one for Mac OS X and Linux. A hands on of this release is available."

dark_requiem asks: "I've just built a new system based on a Shuttle SN45GV2 XPC, and it's a great little system. However, I'd like to make it more portable by attaching a flip-up LCD display (preferably with speakers) to the top of the case. My video card has TV Out, so connecting via composite or s-video is no problem. The case is just under 8" wide, so the width of the LCD cannot greatly exceed this (it wouldn't fit in my carrying bag then). Thus far, I have been looking at the various 5.4" displays for console systems like the Gamecube, but all of these connect to the systems via proprietary connectors that stick out of the front of the displays and would interfere with mounting it to my case. Has anyone from Slashdot ever attempted a mod like this, or does anyone know of an LCD display that would suit this purpose well?"

SamusFan writes "Nintendo Gamer Summit is currently underway in Seattle, where Nintendo is showing off its lineup of DS launch games as well as its big holiday releases on GameCube."

Thanks to GameSpy for the news that former Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi is planning to present a plan to the Board detailing Nintendo made anime series. The move is intended to provide diversification and increase earnings by linking their characters more closely with the anime market. The company also pleased investors by adjusting higher their profit forecast by almost 20 percent for the year. Nintendo now expects to report almost US$758.9 million for the year.

An anonymous reader writes "Nintendo will release the new Donkey Konga Ultimate Bongo Bundle Pack to the European market on the 15th October for a reported £89.99. The bundle includes a black Gamecube, controller , a copy of Donkey Konga and a bongo drum controller." No word yet on a US release.

An anonymous reader writes "Game Informer has broken the news that there will be four new NES Classic titles released for Game Boy Advancein the States this October 25th: 'The four titles will include Dr. Mario, Metroid, Castlevania, and Zelda 2: The Adventure Of Link. Each title will retail for a suggested price of $19.99.' [We've previously covered the Japanese re-release of some of these.] Also, Game Informer has put up 15 movies from the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes demo disc that ships with the new Metroid Prime GameCube bundle. The movies cover every single second of the disc, from beginning to end."

StrikerObi writes "Over at Planet GameCube, we've posted an expanded list of Japanese-announced Nintendo DS titles currently in development for their new dual-screened handheld system. Highlights include a new 'Mana' game from Square-Enix and a new RPG from Game Arts, the makers of the Grandia series." GameSpot's Japanese correspondent provides the full list of games, including the games "previously announced at E3", and also comments: "Among the more interesting developments, Konami Japan will release a Boktai game, while Konami Tokyo will release a Castlevania game for the DS."

Thanks to GameSpot for its first look at GameCube/PS2 side-scrolling 2D shooter Alien Hominid, an interesting-looking title that had its genesis after "a rough prototype for the game was uploaded in 2002" to the Newgrounds Flash movie/game website. The article notes: "The core [game] mechanics are clearly inspired by classic 2D shooters such as Contra and Metal Slug. However, while Alien Hominid has obviously been influenced by those games, it doesn't end up being derivative", and concludes of the The Behemoth-developed, American-created title, due out this October: "The straightforward, accessible gameplay found in the various game modes is rock solid and a blast to play. The multiplayer modes are an awesome addition to the mix, and the level editor in the PDA [sub-game] is icing on the cake."

Thanks to Fortune.com for its article exploring the apparent success of often 'budget' publisher Majesco, which allegedly "scores extra points (and stays alive) by going where other publishers won't: the discount bin." The article explains: "Because the average value game costs a mere $250,000 to produce, Majesco needs to sell only 15,000 to 50,000 copies to break even, vs. anywhere from 200,000 to one million for more expensive titles." It also points to other, bigger-budget Majesco titles such as Bloodrayne and the forthcoming Advent Rising, noting: "While big publishers have the deep pockets to ride out a flop, virtually every one of Majesco's major titles - which can cost $5 million to $10 million each - had to hit big", though these larger development costs are somewhat offset by the value titles, of which it's suggested: "Those cheap games may not have flashy, big-budget effects, but parents are often more than willing to snatch one up for their kids on an impulse."

Thanks to IOL.ie for its article discussing actress Kirsten Dunst's issues in approving her videogame likeness for Activision's Spider-Man 2 game. According to the lengthy news story, "The actress was asked to give her approval for the sequel's new merchandise and had to chastise the game's saucy creators." Although the Treyarch-developed Xbox/PS2/GameCube game has been well-received, certain dimensional inaccuracies were less appreciated by Ms.Dunst, as she explains, regarding her character Mary Jane Watson: "I got to approve the video game, the way she looks. They made her boobs gigantic. I was like, 'Tone down the boobs, please!' It was a little ridiculous."