*Now that we have your attention, JB HiFi is running a deal which allows Wii owners to get their hands on Mario Kart Wii without forking out any cash at all. Nothing in this world that is worth having is free though, and as such you are required to trade in two of your old Wii games.

Be sure to check the list of games that don’t count as a trade-in for this offer before you head to the store.

The Nintendo Wi-Fi connection which allows Wii users to play multiplayer online games has been completely free to use since it’s launch. That is soon to change however with the announcement that Nintendo plans to introduce charges in order to make use of the online play capabilities of some games. By introducing this cost, Nintendo believes they can make full use of the online play option and offer features that were previously impossible.

Our guess is that this decision will have been made hand in hand with the upcoming Animal Crossing game. In order to have a fully thriving online community and perhaps even economy within the game, it might be necessary for Nintendo to charge a nominal fee to the user.

It’s been revealed today that games originally developed for the Sega Master System will soon be ported to and available on the Wii’s Virtual Console. Game prices are set to be around 500 points and the releases are set to begin in February, with Fist of the North Star and Fantasy Zone finding their way onto the virtual console. It might be a while longer before we see them here though, with these initially touted dates expected only to be Japanese release dates.

A member on tehskeen.com, a lesser known tech community, has released a small piece of software which enables users to decode the ISO’s from which Wii games are run. They essentially store all the info about that game and by being able to see this info, it’s thought that we are now only a whisker away from seeing the Wii fully open up to homebrew software.

Yes Mario, you have every right to be angry and confused as Nintendo having already delayed the North American release date of the Wii version of Super Smash Bros, will still not give us a release date for PAL regions Europe and Australia. At least we have one bit of info which is that the Sheikh, a character in the Zelda series will be making their fighting debut in Brawl.

Nintendo has released a statement responding to reports of their annual and seasonal sales totals. Not only were the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii the top sellers over the christmas period, they were top sellers for the entire of 2007. Although the statistics quoted are from a US report, it can be expected that similar results will be announced here in Australia. After the comparitive flop that was the Gamecube, it seems Nintendo has pulled out of the rut and our on the up and up.

Just 4 days now until the 29th November release date for the highly anticipated Super Mario Galaxy game. The game has received rave reviews thus far and it appears as though it is going to be a game that defines the Wii in the industry. In it’s US release earlier this month, Galaxy became the fastest selling Wii game yet, shifting 500,000 copies in just a single week. I hope everyone has their money saved up as this game seems as though it will be a must buy for any and every Wii owner.

The Nintendo Wii has raced to another record in the Australian game industry by shifting 200,000 consoles in just 50 weeks since launch. The previous record holder was the Playstation 2 which reached the landmark in 55 weeks. This record is on top of the one held for the 100,000 threshold, which the Wii holds having taken the crown from Microsofts Xbox 360.

Nintendo has just announced the release of a new silicon covering for the Wiimote to aid in gripping it. With all the reports about flying Wiimotes it’s about time they released something to combat it.

Late 2006, EA announced its plans to bring out a version of the popular gaming series ‘The Sims’ for the Wii, and possibly for the DS. But it is only recently they have published a statmennt on it:

CHERTSEY, Surrey- (February 26, 2007) Electronic Arts announced today that the company is developing MySims™, the first game in a revolutionary new line from the developers of the blockbuster franchise The Sims, designed especially for the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ platforms.

MySims introduces a charming cast of whimsical characters while delivering the creativity, customization and classic open-ended gameplay that has enchanted Sims players worldwide. Players begin by creating their own toy-like Sim that reflects their personal style and attitudes. From pig-tails and baseball caps to dreadlocks and Mohawks, the options are endless and the style is unlike any Sims game to date. By unlocking cool new clothing, hairstyles and accessories, players explore the game’s incredible depth of customization and expression… and the characters are just the beginning!

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