Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver begin their re-imagined DS walking tours tomorrow, so why not kick back today with some custom made Pikachu Peeps. All you need is yellow bunny Peeps, some edible ink pens, and a little pixie dust (as per this 2009 post from Bakerella.com!)

I don’t know how Style Savvy works, but I do know that Nintendo has figured out a way to get actual real-world fashions into the game as DLC. A few weeks ago, Alison from “Nintendo Week” debuted her in-game shop – predictably called “Alison’s.” Now Style Savvy players can shop at Beyonce’s designer label, “Dereon.” A few screens are after the jump.

The Dereon offerings are based on Beyonce’s real-life designs, so you could buy her outfit in the game and also go buy it in real life. And then go as your Style Savvy avatar for Halloween.

One time I got a black shirt with “BB” on it and went as my Animal Crossing character. Not really.

Nintendo News: Beyoncé’s Deréon Downloads Now Available to Style Savvy Owners

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Starting today, fashion mavens who own Nintendo’s Style Savvy™ game for the Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems and have broadband Internet access will be able to download some bonus fashions from Deréon, a clothing line co-created by entertainment icon Beyoncé and her mother, designer Tina Knowles. Style Savvy players can now choose from five real-life Deréon designs to outfit their character. These new fashions include:

Deréon Pop Polo
“D’s Studded” Skinny Jeans
Sasha Fierce Short Shorts
D’s Ruffle Cropped Jacket
“All Zipped Up” Dress

Beyoncé’s partnership with Nintendo goes beyond these downloads. She will also be featured in Style Savvy commercials, which will begin airing on Nickelodeon the week prior to this year’s Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards and during the event on March 27. Beyoncé previously starred in commercials for Nintendo’s Rhythm Heaven™ game.

The new Deréon downloads mark the second time real-life fashions have made their way into the game. Players have also had access to Charlotte Ronson Designer Downloads, which lets players download items from Ronson’s fall 2009 line directly into the game.

Style Savvy invites players of any age to express their individual sense of style by managing a virtual clothing boutique. Choosing from more than 10,000 items in a wide variety of styles, designer labels and price points, players can create distinctive looks to satisfy customers with various tastes and budget constraints. Using the simple controls of a Nintendo DS system, players can enjoy Style Savvy anytime, anywhere.

For more information about Style Savvy, please visit www.stylesavvyds.com

March 1
WiiWare: Mega Man 10 makes its bow on Wii. One gets the feeling Capcom plans on making a lot of these.

March 2
DS: Sonic Classic Collection puts the first four classic Sonic Genesis games on the DS, with a save-anywhere feature. Huh.

March 9
Wii: Calling could be a nice grab for the Wii fan who is into Japanese horror and clever logo designs.

March 14
DS: Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver will make all other DS games step aside. Get it? Because of that pedometer thing.

March 16
Wii: Racquet Sports bounds onto the market by cloning Wii Sports to run off Ubisoft’s USB camera accessory, shades of Natal. The game even shamelessly apes Wii Sports Resort’s box art.

Wii: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon’s lead character is voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch… who has a nice voiceover resume but might be best known as Adam the Black Ranger on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

DS: Infinite Space sounds like a cool space-themed JRPG.

March 22
WiiWare: Cave Story finally arrives, despite being on Nintendo Power’s Game of the Year nominations for 2009. I wonder how many people voted for it.

March 23
Wii: Red Steel 2 has me worried, ever since Nintendo Power seemed down on the sword controls. I dig the Wild West look, though.

Wii: Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love provides the oft-hoped combo between opera singers and mech combat.

DS: Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey sounds like a cool space-themed JRPG.

March 28
DS: WarioWare DIY arrives; is filled with penis-tapping games one day later.

March 29
WiiWare: WarioWare DIY Showcase will provide plenty of microgame fun, plus let you play games created by owners of the DS version.

March 30
DS: Again is another crime mystery by the makers of Hotel Dusk.

Seems like a nice variety of options this month. JRPGs, nouveau-retro, horror, action and a couple of first-party releases. What will you pick up to while away the Ides?

Because today’s Nintendo Summit just laid down some big name releases for the summer.

The big surprise is that both Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M are booked for May 23 and June 27, respectively. That’s some serious momentum for the summer! Galaxy in particular could have been a holiday 2010 tentpole release… so what do you suppose is on the docket for Christmas? Will Nintendo make with that new Zelda? Or will it go all 2008 and field Wii Music 2? Or can we expect something as-yet-unannounced, like a new Starfox or Pikmin or Paper Mario?

The physically big announcement is that the DSi XL will be available March 28 for the XL price of $190. You’d think we would be immune to DS-pricing sticker shock by this point, but… wow. The XL will come preloaded with some Brain Age games and have two color options: burgundy and bronze. The stat that the screens are 93% larger than the DSi is mind-blowing, although as we have noted before, that just means the pixels are bigger and therefore potentially uglier. Still, we’re not exactly the target audience for this device.

Sin and Punishment has a subtitle, Star Successor, and is due June 7, smack between the two higher profile Wii games. Cave Story, long delayed on WiiWare (Nintendo Power had it in their 2009 awards nominations because it was expected to come out last year!), finally sees release March 22. Here’s the full list of the games and products mentioned today, in chronoawesomical order:

March 1 – Mega Man 10 (WiiWare)
March 8 – Max & the Magic Marker (WiiWare)
March 22 – Cave Story (WiiWare)
March 28 – DSi XL
March 29 – WarioWare: DIY Showcase (WiiWare) (is the DS version same date?)
April 20 – Monster Hunter Tri (Wii)
May 3 – Picross 3D (DS)
May 18 – Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Wii)
May 23 – Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
Spring 2010 – Art Style: light trax (WiiWare)
Spring 2010 – Art Style: Rotozoa (WiiWare)
Spring 2010 – Rage of the Gladiator (WiiWare)
Spring 2010 – And Yet It Moves (WiiWare)
Spring 2010 – Photo Dojo (DSiWare)
Spring 2010 – Metal Torrent (DSiWare)
Spring 2010 – X-Scape (DSiWare)
June 7 – Sin and Punishment: Star Successor (Wii)
June 14 – 100 Classic Books (DS)
June 27 – Metroid: Other M (Wii)
Summer 2010 – Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (DS)
Summer 2010 – FlingSmash (Wii)
Summer 2010 – Super Meat Boy (WiiWare)
October 2010 – Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal (DSi)
Fall/Winter 2010 – Disney Guilty Party (Wii)

I’m kinda bummed that Disney Guilty Party doesn’t actually have Disney characters in it.

Nintendo released a press statement today that states they sold 465,000 Wii consoles for the month of January, followed up by the many flavors of DS, coming in at 422,000.

Yes, while this is a significant drop in sales, it is still a huge number for January, which is normally a slow month.  Another thing to look at is how the Nintendo DS came damn close to becoming the number one console seller for for the first month of the year.  I am not sure how they do it, but Nintendo keeps pulling out surprise after surprise when it comes to these hardware numbers.

Now I should also say that these numbers are coming from Nintendo, and do not represent the NPD January hardware numbers, although, I feel the numbers should be right there in that range.

Nintendo Systems Retain Top Positions in January Sales

Despite inventory shortages of the Wii hardware, Nintendo systems came out on top at the beginning of 2010. Nintendo’s Wii™ home console and the family of hand-held Nintendo DS™ systems finished No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, for the month of January, according to data from the independent NPD Group that tracks video game sales in the United States.

During January, U.S. consumers purchased more than 465,000 Wii systems and more than 422,000 systems in the Nintendo DS franchise, which includes Nintendo DS™ Lite and Nintendo DSi™.

“Holiday shoppers depleted our supplies even after our fourth holiday season,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “We appreciate the nearly 900,000 consumers who turned to Nintendo to get a great value for their entertainment dollars.”

Six of the top 10 best-selling games of January play on Nintendo systems. These include New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii at No. 1 with more than 656,000 sold, Wii Fit™ Plus with the Wii Balance Board™ accessory at No. 3 with more than 368,000 sold, Mario Kart™ Wii with the Wii Wheel™ accessory at No. 5 with more than 310,000 sold, Wii Sports Resort™ with the Wii MotionPlus™ accessory at No. 6 with more than 294,000 sold, Just Dance by Ubisoft at No. 9 with more than 191,000 sold and the Wii Fit Plus disc at No. 10 with more than 186,000 sold.

February 2
DS – Imagine: Reporter may be one of the best Imagine games yet. I hope it teaches kids how to talk with a fake inflection and pretend to be confused at modern day technologies like “My Space.”

February 9
Wii – Shiren the Wanderer is a roguelike series that dates back to the SNES. This is the third in the series; the gameplay style was borrowed by the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series.

Wii – Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll makes use of the Balance Board, but you can default to the Remote+Nunchuk if you’d rather.

February 10
Wii – Sam & Max: Season Two – Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space might arrive on this date and it might not. IGN has it slotted here, but Telltale’s website still says Coming Soon.

February 16
DS – Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth features Edgy-baby’s return, in a different sort of Ace Attorney game. You actually walk.

DS – Ragnanok is the DS version of a PC MMORPG. In fact, if you pre-order the DS game, you get stuff for the PC version.

DS – KORG DS-10 Plus had its release date plussed a couple weeks from the January date we reported last month.

February 23
Wii – Endless Ocean: Blue World will bring fish-petting to a whole new level (voice chat!)

Wii – Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing will arrive on multiple platforms, but lately Sonic has most firmly allied himself with Nintendo. Seems fair to assume his kart racer will do well on the Wii.

Still, event pokemon are considered highly prized by collectors. Even when the event is held at a ubiquitous location like GameStop. I still get random emails by poke-fans desperate for me to trade them the not-otherwise-interesting pokemon I grabbed at a 2004 Toys R Us event.

More interesting than a yellow Pichu is that the little guy can be traded forward into the upcoming Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver. With Pikachu-colored Pichu in tow, you can encounter the rare Spiky-eared Pichu.

Issue #251, February 2010
featuring NBA Jam (Wii), Ghost Trick (DS), Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest (Wii), Epic Mickey (Wii), Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (DS)

I’m sorry, but the new NBA Jam looks ridiculous. The visual gimmick involves pasting real life basketball star head 2D cut-outs over 3D bodies. Yes, I fully understand that the goofy style is intentional, even appropriate given the series’ pedigree of outlandish arcade action, but that still doesn’t help these screenshots from looking like a bunch of lousy Photoshops. We’re really going to need to see this one in motion to get it.

The article says each player will have seven faces, clipped out of actual court action shots. Doesn’t seem like enough to me. Every dunk replay is going to look like this:

Kobe! Eyes on the ball, not the cheerleaders!

Why NBA Jam in 2010? Creative Director Trey Smith puts points on the board when he says “We know people aren’t going to Wii for their simulation sports titles.” Even as a non-sports fan, I made an “ooooh” face when I read that one.

NP pulls their usual bit where they pretend to be skeptical about the game’s motion controls, delineate every possible gesture map in painful detail, and then announce at the end that the waggle is “extremely responsive and intuitive.” I bet I can find the exact same story arc during their Avatar preview.

There are very strong hints that the new NBA Jam with uphold the series tradition of including hidden (often political) playable team members. And yes, we are all expected to start saying “boomshakalaka” again, as if we never stopped.

Like I said, this is one game where a bunch of static screenshots are not going to sell it. I can hear mouthbreathing HD fanboys copy/pasting these screens into their WII SUX forum posts right now. We’re going to need to see movement and gameplay to determine if the hokey charm comes off in the final product. EA Sports has the game booked for a fall 2010 release.

Check out this great gag:

Now you’re leveraging the inherent advantages of print media with power.

I present to you the next ten mature-themed Wii games that will be overlooked, undersold and outright ignored in 2010.

• No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle (January)
• Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (March)
• Red Steel 2 (March)
• Calling (Spring)
• Trauma Team (Spring)
• Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love (Spring)
• Lost in Shadow (Summer)
• The Grinder (TBD)
• Sin and Punishment 2 (TBD)
• Monado: Beginning of the World (TBD)

I’m not saying these are bad games. I’m not saying these are good games. I’m saying that, for better or for worse, New Super Mario Bros Wii will outsell all of them combined. Lately it seems like the vast majority of Wii owners show up for one, maybe two games a year… and those titles above have no chance of being on that sales receipt. Even those that deserve it.

And by the way, every fiber in my body is telling me to add Metroid: Other M to that list. Nintendo has a long hard road to elevate Metroid Anything into the top sellers category.

Shadow the Hedgehog fan is into Shadow the Hedgehog

In case you think I’ve been too hard on Nintendo lately, with all my complaints about a lackluster first-party lineup since Fall 2008, here it is in Nintendo Power’s own words:

Boomshakalaka.

Download Staff Picks: Tales of Monkey Island 4 (WiiWare), Cave Story (WiiWare), Blaster Master (NES), Super Mario Kart (SNES)

Top scoring Wii review: Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, 9.0 (all scores out of 10)
Top scoring DS review: Bejeweled Twist, 8.5
Lowest rated Wii review: Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection, 6.5
Lowest rated DS review: Glory of Heracles, 7.0

There was only four reviews this month!

I am THIS CLOSE to being interested – Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing will feature kart tracks based on Sonic, Billy Hatcher, House of the Dead and Super Monkey Ball (among others, I’m sure.) The game will support multiple controller schemes, but NP does not mention if that includes the GameCube controller.

You’re confusing popularity with relative rarity – Reader Cynthia sent in a picture of her husband in a Mario costume at Disney World, claiming he was “more popular than the Disney characters.” As soon as people start paying this couple $100+ to hang out for a day, I’ll believe it.

Factory surplus passes the savings on to you – Nintendo releases pink and blue Wii Remotes on February 14. Just like last fall’s black Remote, these pastel beauts will come with the MotionPlus plug. Unlike the black bundle, the MotionPlus will be white and the controller jacket will be transparent. Which makes the whole assembly look more like a condom than ever.

And I thought the Great Fairy was creepy before – NP profiles Jennifer Howard, a cosplayer with some great Nintendo-themed costumes in her arsenal. She doesn’t own a sewing machine!

So it begins – The Artoon-developed, Nintendo-published Span Smasher will REQUIRE MotionPlus. It also includes an “adorable piece of living fruit.”

Collector alert – This issue includes a trading card for Tatsunoko vs Capcom, attached to an ad that promises more cards available at GameStop with your preorder.

Me too! – Warren Spector, despite being well into Epic Mickey, says his favorite Disney character is Scrooge McDuck.

The Professor would be sorely disappointed – Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest will allow two player co-op by way of jumping Gandalf in for P2, regardless of whether Gandalf was involved in that part of the story or not.

I love interview tidbits like this – Shu Takumi, of Ace Attorney and the upcoming Ghost Trick, on the spirit world: “Actually, I don’t have any real interest in the occult or in supernatural phenomenon, nor do I really know much about those types of things.”

Next month in Nintendo Power… one big headline feature: Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver!

Consumers who pre-order Pokémon HeartGold Version will receive a figure of Ho-Oh™, a Legendary Pokémon that circles the skies of the Johto region on rainbow-colored wings. Those who pre-order Pokémon SoulSilver Version will get a figure of Lugia™, a Legendary Pokémon that dwells deep in the seas and has the power to create massive storms. Ho-Oh and Lugia are featured on the packages of the Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Version games, and these premiums will be offered at participating retailers nationwide while supplies last.

No specific stores were named, but one imagines the usual suspects will apply. Nintendo says the pre-order program will formally kick off on February 1. For Ruby/Sapphire, they did pre-order coins… and for Diamond/Pearl we received pre-order stylii… so at the least we’re moving up the pre-order coolness chain with these figures.

Nintendo also included the suggested price for these games, $39.99 each. A little pricy for a DS game, but remember that the pack includes the Pokewalker accessory. The pair of enhanced Poke-remakes arrives March 14.

If you think back to the original 2000 release of Pokemon Gold and Silver, you may recall how the games used the Game Boy’s infrared port to hook up with the Tamagotchi-esque toy, Pokemon Pikachu GS. A pedometer as well as a virtual pet, Pokemon Pikachu let you store up your steps and then beam the count (“Watts”) into Gold/Silver to buy in-game items. It was one of many unique features that Gold/Silver brought to the table, only to be unceremoniously discarded for the Game Boy Advance generation of Pokemon games.

The Pokewalker updates the pedometer concept by allowing you to transfer ANY one of your pokemon to the device. Then hook the Pokewalker to your belt and Get To Steppin’.

“By walking, players earn Watts, which are used within the Pokéwalker to encounter and catch wild Pokémon or search for hidden items, and can be transferred into Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions to unlock new routes. There are even special versions of certain Pokémon that can only be found within routes on the Pokéwalker, giving players added incentive to keep their Pokémon with them wherever they go. The Pokémon in the Pokéwalker will gain experience points as the player walks, and can even go up one level when they are transferred back into the game.”

I am chuffed as chips to know I’ll be leveling up my team all damn day.

HeartGold and SoulSilver will also allow a single pokemon to follow your onscreen character around, just as Pikachu did back in 1999’s Pokemon Yellow.

2010 is the Year of Walking Pokemon, believe it. The games are scheduled to launch March 14. My new in-office exercise regime begins March 15.

NEW POKÉWALKER ACCESSORY LETS PLAYERS BRING THE FUN OF POKÉMON WHEREVER THEY GO

Jan. 11, 2010

For more than a decade, millions of Pokémon™ fans around the world have enjoyed training their Pokémon within their video games. The March 14 release of the Pokémon™ HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version games lets players continue to enjoy the world of Pokémon away from their Nintendo DS™ or Nintendo DSi™ systems, taking their favorite Pokémon with them wherever they go with the new Pokéwalker™ accessory. This new accessory will come included with each copy of these games.

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions, players can wirelessly transfer any one of their Pokémon from one of the two games to the Pokéwalker and walk them through virtual routes as the player walks around in real life. By walking, players earn Watts, which are used within the Pokéwalker to encounter and catch wild Pokémon or search for hidden items, and can be transferred into Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions to unlock new routes. There are even special versions of certain Pokémon that can only be found within routes on the Pokéwalker, giving players added incentive to keep their Pokémon with them wherever they go. The Pokémon in the Pokéwalker will gain experience points as the player walks, and can even go up one level when they are transferred back into the game. Players also can wirelessly connect two Pokéwalkers to trade items.

Letting players return to the beloved Johto region first introduced in Pokémon Gold Version and Silver Version for the portable Game Boy™ system, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions introduce several new enhancements for the series that enrich these timeless adventures. Created exclusively for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems, the games feature detailed graphics that spotlight the unique environments and hundreds of Pokémon that players can encounter and catch. Players can even see and interact with their favorite Pokémon outside of battle, selecting one from their team to follow behind their Trainer as they travel through the Johto region. The games also include robust touch-screen functionality, allowing for smoother control and seamless navigation by the player.

For more information about Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions, please visit www.pokemon.com. For more information about Nintendo, please visit www.nintendo.com.