Late Night Consoling

Speaking to Game Informer, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime responded to inquiries regarding Nintendo's upcoming online service for its Wii console. Though he unsurprisingly declined to get too specific, he did indicate that microtransactions, a large part of Microsoft's Xbox Live strategy and known to be supported by PS3's service, are an option for publishers on Wii as well. "All of that is possible with what it is we are trying to do," he said after being questioned if players will be able to buy content for games. "If our license partners want to go in that direction, it's certainly possible in our system." The interviewer clarified, asking "They could add cars to a racing game as a microtransaction, and you would be okay with that?" to which Fils-Aime responded, "Exactly."

Fils-Aime also commented on the always-on WiiConnect24 service, though his examples were fairly conservative: receiving new weapons or being able to fight new enemies. As to whether Nintendo will be making use of such features or microtransactions in first party productions, Fils-Aime stated that more details would come at a later date.

Nintendo hopes to see significantly improvement over its home console results in this past generation. "Our focus is on a substantially higher base than we achieved with GameCube," said Fils-Aime. "With stellar third-party support we're getting, really, right at launch, that's another major difference from what we did with GameCube."

According to the SOCOMBLOG run by SOCOM series developer Zipper Interactive, Map Pack #1 for SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs (PS2) is now available for download.

The pack contains three 16-player multiplayer maps: After Hours, Liberation, and Last Bastion. Each is an update of popular levels from SOCOM II.

Somewhat oddly, the pack is currently free of charge, but as of July 12 it will go for $5.99. Those who have already download the pack at that time will be required to purchase it in order to continue using it. Further map packs are planned for the future.

Capcom's Xbox Live-enabled Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting (X360) has seen numerous delays with little explanation, having originally been slated for release early this year, but it looks like it may be out relatively soon. Recently, the game's official page on Microsoft's Australian Xbox.com site was updated with a release date for the game: July 30, 2006. However, not long after, the date was removed, and now currently reads simply "2006." Complete goof or accidental leak? Neither Microsoft nor Capcom has commented, so we'll have to wait and see.

Atlus today announced that its well received Nintendo DS surgical sim Trauma Center: Under the Knife is undergoing a reissue, and should be widely available at retail by the end of July. Like its fellow DS reprintee Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, the game has been notoriously difficult to find due to initial low-volume distribution. "The continued demand for Trauma Center: Under the Knife is both gratifying and overwhelming," said Atlus sales and marketing VP Jim Ireton. "We apologize to Nintendo fans who've had a tough time finding the game, and we hope this scratches their surgical itch until we ship Trauma Center: Second Opinion for the Wii later this year."

Speaking of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (NDS) reprints, Capcom shot over a note today informing us that a new shipment of the elusive title has been received at the Capcom online store. Capcom will be selling the game for $29.95 until current supplies are exhausted, at which point prices will likely once again balloon to double MSRP on eBay.

Relic's WWII action title The Outfit (X360) received an Xbox Live title update this week. There's no new content, but a slew of fixes and improvements have been made with regard to matchmaking, multiplayer tuning, and various gameplay issues. Check out the full list for more.