Nintendo threw us a curve ball when it announced Super Mario Sluggers for the Nintendo Wii at the San Francisco media summit a few days back. It's been confirmed that the U.S. will be getting the game, prompted perhaps by the blockbuster success of Super Smash Bros. Brawl there. However, the European Wii community is still left in the dark. More details after the jump.

Not enough new info out there regarding Nintendo's Wii Chess? Perhaps this may help: Nintendo UK has recently the Wii Chess website with more information and other new goodies. Check them out after the jump!

If you're a Star Wars fan and a Nintendo Wii owner at the same time, then this little peripheral may interest you: the Nintendo Wii Light Sword is now available.  Reminiscent of a Jedi's lightsaber, the Wii Light Sword plugs directly onto the front end of your Wiimote, which becomes part of the sword's hilt. Read full article for more details on this.

When your company is doing well, what better way to show your appreciation for your employees than by promoting them? That is exactly what Nintendo UK did recently as the company handed out a string of promotions across the organization. Two of Nintendo UK's product managers, a PR manager, and several others have now assumed senior positions within Nintendo UK.

To find out exactly who were promoted, read the full article after the jump!

It looks like Nintendo's European branch has started taking notice of the folks who are out to mod or alter their Wiis. A new post on the Nintendo U.K. website warns against the use of modchips to circumvent copy protection.

While we all can probably guess what it says, they didn't hesitate to point out the illegality of using modchips as well as the warranty-voiding properties of using one. Said Nintendo of the unauthorized modding of Wiis for this purpose,

The use of mod chips voids the manufacturer's warranty. In addition, the installation of a mod chip can damage the functionality of a Nintendo console, sometimes rendering it incapable of repair. Mod chips have been adjudicated to be illegal in various countries around the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. Most European countries have also already adopted laws prohibiting the circumvention of technological measures for copyright protection. People caught installing or selling mod chips may be subject to criminal charges.

It's probably obvious to anyone who uses modchips, but let this be a warning to you. Nintendo's got their eyes on the modding community, for both good applications of their Wii technology and bad.

  

Unfortunately, while American gamers will be getting a shot at replacement discs for buggy copies of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, there's currently no word on whether or not a replacement option will also be available for U.K. Wii owners.

According to CVG's report, Nintendo U.K. told CVG that it has "not had official confirmation" of any service similar to the one being offered in the United States. At the same time, Nintendo UK has also refused to acknowledge the glitch itself, which begs the question, "Why not?"

For new owners of the game, the aforementioned glitch occurs when you're in the sky cannon room. Saving there will basically disable your ability to warp out of the room, leaving you stuck inside. As with most RPGs, it's also suggested that you actually create two save slots for that purpose, just so you have a backup area, in case you also get the glitch.

It may have made some people angry, and it may not be for kids, but don't say that Nintendo isn't being conscientious about Manhunt 2. The console giant is apparently taking steps to ensure that parents know Rockstar's upcoming game isn't meant for the young ones.

A spokesperson from Nintendo U.K., while supporting the decision to release Manhunt 2, has also made it clear that Nintendo wants parents to watch over what their kids play. He said,

All games for the Nintendo platforms are rated by the responsible authorities to ensure that minors are not exposed to games that are unsuitable for their particular age group and we want to emphasise the need for all users, especially parents and retailers, to be aware of the appropriate age rating before selling or buying a game.

He also reminded people of the Wii's parental controls, and that this would be a good time for their use. Nintendo definitely wants to expand the current market of the Wii to envelop the gaming populace who's somewhat more enamored to adult fare, and this is a definitive step in that direction. All we can say is, if their plan pans out, we can thank Nintendo for some responsible PR with this delicate subject.

While yesterday's Zelda-post had two "mini" vids that show the combat (btw, the MIA Read link is back up, for those who've been looking for it), today we've got something that's way bigger in scope. We're surely not going to pass up this chance to post these beefy scans from the official "Nintendo U.K." magazine. These are four full pages that act like a primer to introduce you to the bare essentials of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

A bit of a warning though: these scans might reveal possible spoilers for some of you. However, nothing really major is revealed. No big plot twists are given, and (if you've been following our coverage) nothing we haven't known before. As we said, it just introduces you to the world that you're about to embark on.

Of course, no one's forcing you to read these scans. We know that some of you really want to play the game without any prior knowledge of the story whatsoever. So, if you're that kind of person, you still might find it useful to click on the third page of the scan which reveals detailed info on the full set of controls. We promise you, there's no spoilers in that page.

Without further ado, enter Hyrule and click the pics to enlarge them: