In January Europe got a first look at Wii Chess when it was sold in stores for £19.99 or around USD $37. Virtual marble floors and online play didn’t make Wii Chess memorable so it was forgotten in a sea of other generic Wii games. However, Wii Chess will have a place in history as being the first retail Wii game to get a WiiWare version. Nintendo will release Wii Chess as World Chess in Japan on September 30. Both games are compatible over Nintendo Wi-Fi so there is cross region play. It wouldn’t be World Chess if it only worked in Japan. The main difference between the two versions is the price. World Chess only costs 1,000 Wii Points or $10 real dollars which makes it less than a third of what Europe paid for the game. Ouch.
No release date has been announced for North America at this time, but since an English version is already done chances are good World Chess will come out some Monday in the not to distant future.
Images courtesy of Nintendo.
Published: Sep 24, 2008 06:15 am