At one time or another we have all wondered what Nintendo’s next step in the industry will be. Whether it be unrevealed games, ideas, or possible hardware revisions it’s always exciting. Using all of my combined Nintendo knowledge and examining past patterns, I’ve constructed a small list of predictions that I believe the company will make. This list covers major games, new peripherals, hardware, etc… Here we go!

(Note: In case you skipped the paragraph above, the list below are complete speculations, predictions, and guesses. They could be completely wrong, but I do believe I’m not far off.)

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In response to today’s announcement that MTV Games will sell Rock Band expansion discs in lieu of downloadable Wii songs, Harmonix has confirmed to Game|Life that gamers need only buy the expansion pack if they just want to play the 20 included songs and have the means to acquire at least one supported instrument. Assuming Rock Band works with the excellent $50 Front Man controller (Circuit City has ‘em), Wii owners could sample the action for as little as $80 before upgrading to the full 4-piece instrument set and/or game. Penance perhaps for the lack of online multiplayer and DLC.

Welcome to Infendo Radio’s first annual donation drive (because the show doesn’t have any sponsors)! In an effort to subsidize our podcast costs, reach episode 200+, and compensate (more like financial encourage) the deft production work of Scott Johnson, Kyle Crane, David Cole and my soothing verboseness, generous podcast listeners are asked to…

DONATE NOW!

We’re hoping to raise $1 million dollars by week’s end, or whatever we can get (wink, wink). Skeptics are encouraged to read how the money is used and to think of the drive as PBS-like fundraising and/or a really big tip jar (but not like those Nigerian email scams). Thanks, everyone!

[Many thanks to Dustin Rue, Infendo’s first generous donor!]

While cruising around the internet today, I happened to stumble upon something that would be of great interest to a lot of people. Apparently a group of Pokémon fans have been working on an MMO version of what seems to be Pokémon Emerald. Although it is still in the beta phases, when it is complete you are apparently supposed to be able to battle anyone and chat with other trainers. As well as see many other trainers on the world map in real time. It also is supposed to support both the lands of Kanto and Hoenn, and all the Pocket Monsters that have appeared in those lands. If you want to see some screen shots, and hear about what they are including in this little project, take the jump into the world of Pokémon.
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The headline says it all, but here are the details:

Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a division of MTV Networks, which is a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with distribution partner Electronic Arts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced plans to release Rock Band™ Track Pack Volume 1 for the Wii™ home video game console from Nintendo and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The 20-Track Pack features an electrifying mix of classic hits and current favorites, including songs by Boston, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, and All American Rejects. The Rock Band™ Track Pack Volume 1 will be available on July 15th, 2008 for a MSRP of $29.99. Complete details are as follows:
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It’s been over a months since a new N64 game has been released for the Virtual Console and this week we get one.

Pokemon Puzzle League - N64 - 2000 - 1000 Wii Points

Get ready for a new kind of Pokémon battle where the power and speed of your brain are just as important as the strength of your Pokémon. Join Ash, Brock, Misty and many more characters from the Pokémon animated series as they gather in Puzzle Village to compete for the title of Pokémon Puzzle Master. [Originally published by Nintendo]

Renegade - NES - 1988 - 500 Wii Points

Renegade follows the story of a vigilante who fights his way through countless gangs in order to bring peace back to his city. Battle your way through subways, parks, alleyways and parking lots. [Originally published by Taito]

Because it’s always encouraging to see another N64 title for the VC, our pick this week is Pokemon Puzzle League. What’s your pick?

When Capcom released Mega Man in 1987, I can only imagine what some of those kids (and the parents buying their games) were thinking when they saw the box art. I myself didn’t discover the series until Mega Man II was released on the old black and white Game Boy in 1992. By that time, he already had the more standard look and feel that we all know and love. When I first saw the original NES game cover about 6 years ago, I didn’t want to believe that the first American interpretation of the “Blue Bomber” looked so…awkward! The blue and yellow outfit, that pistol he was holding, and worst of all, that uncomfortably stiff, action figure-like pose was god awful in my eyes. I could clearly see that the game’s cover was a far cry from the actual game itself. I’m sure that many folks back in the day didn’t expect Mega Man to become one of Capcom’s longest running series to date. Capcom themselves didn’t realize just how much of a gem existed beneath the game’s surface at the time. So with that, let’s look a little beyond the bad artwork for a few moments, shall we?

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This week, Steven Spielberg is all up in your Wii with Boom Blox. Also, Crosswords DS is a new 1st-party Nintendo title that might be fun. New releases for the week ending May 10th:

DS
Crosswords DS
Speed Racer

Wii
Boom Blox
Speed Racer
The Dog Island

Anything tickle your fancy?

Infendo reader/listener, CaliHurBoy is at it again. Today he brings you a whopping 7,000 Mii parade! Talk about a lot of friend codes. Great job, CaliHurBoy!  Here’s to 10,000!

Infendo reader, Platinum has tipped us with a juicy little rumor that holds hope of Earthbound heading to the VC soon. Looking under “Wii” titles on the ESRB site gives you a list of rated and pending titles that includes both the disk format and VC/Wiiware. Search closely and you can spot the one and only Earthbound accompanied with an “E” rating. Could this be what Mother fans have been waiting for? Looks like it to me, though you have to take into consideration the fact that other titles listed have been “pending” for months on end. Maybe an E3 launch? Who knows! 

Looks like Nintendo is listening to what VC players are requesting. Now how about some Super Mario RPG? Eh?

Any big Earthbound freaks out there?

After a near-miss last year (what is a “near-miss” anyway?), Nintendo savant Shigeru Miyamoto has topped the TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World list.

TIME asked who you thought should be on the list of the 100 most influential people of the year. Over 200 candidates were given a rating of 1 to 100. And your #1 choice? Shigeru Miyamoto! The video game designer had almost 2 million votes, over 300,000 more than runner-up, Rain. After a tight race at the top, Stephen Colbert came in third place with close to 900,000 votes.

Here’s the winning profile, and here’s to Miyamoto! Omedetou gozaimasu!

[Thanks, Ken!]

We’ve discussed it on Infendo and analyzed the situation from almost every possible angle, but aside from some sporadic gems and surprises, the state of third-party Wii software remains, well…quite regrettable.

Which makes the recently unveiled Wii projects from Illinois-based High Voltage Software, the development studio behind licensed Wii detritus like Ben 10: Protector of Earth and Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, even more surprising. Only an optimistic few expected such promising third-party Wii software in 2008, and given its mediocre Wii track record, even fewer expected these unlikely games to come from High Voltage Software.

I speak for all of the pessimists; we stand corrected.

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Game Funk reports:

The Wii, released alongside the PS3 in November 2006, has seen a considerable 189 games released. Of these titles, a whoping 69, or 37% are complete trash. On the flipside, there are only 20 good games, making up a minuscule 11% - and of those 20, 4 of them are ports of last generation PS2/Gamecube games!

Nintendo Seal of Quality, GET!

Nintendo has thrown down the gauntlet for Mario Kart® Wii racers worldwide. Now it’s time to see who’s up to the challenge, as players take on the world in Mario Kart Wii Tournaments.

Every few weeks, a new tournament will appear on the Mario Kart Channel, an online feature that not only allows players to compete in tournaments, but also exchange race data with friends. Tournaments might take the form of a challenge for players to race a certain course as fast as they can with specific characters, or to collect a number of coins on a course using the Wii Wheel™ accessory or another control setup. They can feature unique rules or obstacles on the course.

The first tournament, which appears today, directs racers to compete for the fastest time on the Mario Circuit. Look closely though – something may be different. Players can attempt the challenge as often as they like during the duration of the tournament. Their best time will be recorded and added to the worldwide rankings, allowing players to see how they stack up against the best racers from around the world.

Join the staff and readers tonight at 9PM EDT for some online Brawl action and take a spin with our newest entry to Wifi nights, Mario Kart Wii! Be sure to login to the Infendo IRC, and forum to exchange your brand spankin’ new MK Friend codes. So turn up Episode 101, and kick back for some fun.

Just take it easy on Rainbow Road!