Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime isn’t breaking a sweat over the immient release of Modern Warfare 2 on competing platforms. In fact, he feels Nintendo has an answer, which is none other than New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Speaking in a GTTV interview, Reggie noted his belief that the retro styled gameplay will make it a bit hit among the Wii crowd this holiday season. While admitting it will be close, he feels confident that our favorite Italian plumber will edge past MW2 sales, at least on a singe platform.

We’re sure Activision is quaking in its boots. Watch for yourself in the clip above.

While many industry pioneers share the belief that digital distribution is the future, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata believes this method of selling product will not even come close to overtaking retail until 20 years at least. Here’s an excerpt from the latest Iwata Asks column: more »

The Wii is no longer the object of desire that it once was in Japan, with sales tipping below the 50K mark each week despite a recent price cut. This dip in sales hasn’t gone unnoticed over at Nintendo HQ, of course, leading to performance concerns by company president Satoru Iwata.

Speaking to investors in the company’s latest financial results briefing, he noted that the “the current situation of Wii cannot be defined as healthy.” more »

It’s one thing to have dreams about assuming the life of a video game character, but taking those actions into reality is another, and is telling of when you’ve overstepped your bounds. That’s what Jan H. did when he shut off the main power switch at Sophia Hospital in the Netherlands last April, blaming his actions on Silent Hill, Konami’s hit survival horror franchise.

A court ruling that wrapped up last Tuesday concluded that the man was not guilty but did suffer from psychosis, which led to the subconscious belief that he was solving a puzzle from the game. As a consequence, he will now undergo psychiatric treatment in order to combat this condition. Luckily patients in the hospital remained unharmed throughout this whole ordeal, which resulted in a 45-minute blackout.

Insane. That’s all we can say. more »

WiiWare effort Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, a remake of the 1989 Game Boy original is out in Japan and one avid fan has recorded a playthrough of the first stage for your enjoyment. Visually, it’s looking nothing like the original, which in all respects is a good thing. Expect a healthy dose of nostalgia as far as gameplay goes, however. Still no word from Konami on a US release date, but it’s expected to hit before this year’s end.

As part of a hidden surprise prepped for this week’s Nintendo Week segment, Nintendo revealed that Excitebike: World Rally is WiiWare bound, a re-imagining of the original NES motorcycle racing classic.

It’s due out November 9 and will feature several modern enhancements, including the option to play with the Wiimote’s motion sensor and online multiplayer support. Those who prefer using only buttons can opt for the standard control scheme. Additionally, the game will feature a track editor component.

More details are being promised for next week’s Nintendo Week episode.

With the launch of Wii fantasy sports title Academy of Champions: Soccer approaching next month on November 3, we’ve teamed up with publisher Ubisoft to give away four copies of the game plus four soccer balls autographed by Mia Hamm. To enter, simply point your browsers to our contest page and fill out the required information, specifically your name and email address.

Please note that eligibility is limited to those residing in the United States and Canada. Entries will be accepted from now until November 6. All unique entries will be considered and we will randomly draw from the pool of contestants to determine winners, whom will be notified by email and announced publicly on eXophase shortly after the contest end date. Good luck and be sure to tell your friends!

Academy of Champions: Soccer Kickoff Contest

The NPD numbers for September are in and for the first time ever, PS3 is leading the pack in console hardware sales. This is no doubt thanks to the price cut and introduction of a slim model. While the Nintendo DS took reign as the top selling platform, this is still a significant victory for Sony, having outsold both the Xbox 360 and Wii by a fairly large margin.

See it all after the break. more »

Despite the fact that Konami has yet to officially announce Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, a full-on WiiWare remake of the Game Boy title of the same name, images showing off the second take of this whip-slinging entry have surfaced courtesy of Famitsu.

Not your typical remake, Konami went the extra mile with this one, giving it a modern look. Which by all accounts is a good thing, considering the original looks horrendously dated by today’s standards. In addition to introducing new foes, level designs have been given a facelift in tune with the traditional Castlevania look, notably replacing those out-of-place ropes from the original with actual stairs.

Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth is slated for an October 27 release in Japan. Nintendo has stamped a vague Q3 2009 date in North America, meaning there is a chance it could make it its way here before Halloween as well.

It appears Konami’s survival horror title Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, a reboot of the first SH entry, will drop outside the Halloween release window.

Numerous retailers are now hinting at a holiday release, with GameStop pegging down a December 8 date. Online outlet GameFly is listing an even further out December 31 date for the PSP and PS2 versions. Oddly enough, according to their site, the Wii version is still on track for November 26. In all likelihood that’s probably an error. If history is any indication, we’d side with GameStop’s dates as they seem to be the most accurate. Take it as pure speculation for now though, as Konami has yet to officially confirm a delay.