Wii Fit Plus claims top spot in UK sales chart, Dragon Age debuts in fifth
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ 1 day ago } 
Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time premiered at the 22nd spot, which is a weaker debut than we had anticipated for the titular duo's final(ish) outing. It'll likely have a stronger showing in the US, though we'll have to wait for the NPD results to see if it lands in the top ten.
Source -- A fitting No1 [Chart Track]
Source -- All formats chart [Chart Track]
Nintendo 'hasn't committed' to new Zelda for Wii in 2010
by Griffin McElroy { 2 days ago }
So, feel free to keep that hope in your heart that you'll be Ganon-thwarting once more within the next 365 days -- but don't get too upset if it doesn't happen. Much like a college-aged Lothario, Nintendo's remaining non-committal. You might say the company's as free as a bird, darling -- and this bird, you cannot change.
Tales of Vesperia voice actor says game is coming to Wii [update: Oops! He meant Tales of Graces!]
by Griffin McElroy { 3 days ago }
Lock the doors and board up the windows, folks. Considering the seismic backlash to the announcement that the (formerly) 360-exclusive Tales of Vesperia would be coming to the PS3, we fear for what might happen when this story gets out. Japanese voice actor Rikiya Koyama, who provided the voice for Vesperia's pseudo-antagonist Duke, recently mentioned on his blog that, "Tales of Vesperia is coming out on one thing after another: Xbox 360, then PS3, and now upcoming, goes on sale even on the Wii."
While this may deeply excite RPG-loving Wii owners, keep in mind that it's entirely possible Koyama meant to say Tales of Graces, the franchise's next installment which is, in fact, coming to the Wii. Just think about that before you start snapping the pieces of your already-snapped 360 Vesperia disc in protest. Those edges can get pretty sharp.
[Via Kotaku]
Square Enix summons Earnings Report; Final Fantasy XIII Sales Projections evade attacks
by David Hinkle { 3 days ago } 
The statement also talks about the acquisition and assimilation of Eidos in direct proportion to Square Enix's games group division -- which includes video games across all platforms and online games for personal computers. Through the aid of titles like Batman: Arkham Asylum, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days and the aforementioned Dragon Quest IX, the games division rose its net sales and operating income by 117 percent and 63 percent to 4.8 billion yen ($53 million) and 1.0 billion yen ($11 million), respectively.
As for the company's upcoming darling, Final Fantasy XIII, Square Enix prez Yoichi Wada spoke about concern regarding the title's projected domestic sales. Basically, he's not concerned at all! "PS3 sales continue to increase. We're bundling PS3 and FFXIII, and can expect even further sales increases. Orders for FFXIII are definitely not bad," he said. While he didn't reiterate anything as bold as six million, Wada did claim that the game is expected to sell in the millions.
Source - Square Enix earnings (PDF) [Via andriasang]
Source - Wada comments on FFXIII sales
Tony Hawk: Ride videos are in-game and out-of-game
by Griffin McElroy { 4 days ago }
We debated which of the two video assets Activision recently sent us for Tony Hawk: Ride should go a the top of the post, and which should be relegated to the unfavorable, post-jump real estate. The in-game trailer is pretty slick, and features that super catchy We Are Scientists jam. (You know the one, you hip guy, you.) However, the gameplay demonstration actually shows the peripheral being used to go on a "sick run," apparently part of a long-standing feud between Activision and Robomodo.
We decided to put the "sick run" at the top of the post, if only because we want you to know that this is exactly how we looked the first time we played the game at E3. Only we didn't crash quite so much, and also, when we finished playing, Tony Hawk himself came up and gave us a high-five with one of his giant hands. Check out the video above, then click past the jump to check out its neglected (but catchy!) brother.
We decided to put the "sick run" at the top of the post, if only because we want you to know that this is exactly how we looked the first time we played the game at E3. Only we didn't crash quite so much, and also, when we finished playing, Tony Hawk himself came up and gave us a high-five with one of his giant hands. Check out the video above, then click past the jump to check out its neglected (but catchy!) brother.
Lego NES really undersells system's graphics
by David Hinkle { 4 days ago }
Not only does it come with two controllers and a Lego cartridge, but the builder even went so far as to create a TV and mock gameplay. But, that's not even the kicker: the thing even has a working cartridge slot and power and reset buttons! Head on over to MOCpages to check it out.
[Via Gizmodo]
DSi LL is too big for its own box art
by JC Fletcher { 4 days ago }
We're childish enough to be amused by the fact that the whole DSi LL doesn't fit on the box. You know, because it's so big. Look how much room is on the DSi box! Somehow, despite not fitting on the box, the DSi LL fits in the box -- we can only assume it's in there disassembled like an IKEA desk.
[Via GoNintendo]
Namco Bandai posts $66.7 million loss for first half of year
by Alexander Sliwinski { 4 days ago }
Namco Bandai has reported a net loss of ¥6.04 billion ($66.7 million) for the first half of its fiscal year, which began in April. During the same period last year, the company posted a net income of ¥1.28 billion ($14.14 million). Despite this year's first-half hiccup, the publisher still expects to earn ¥8.5 billion ($93.6 million) in net income by the end of its fiscal year (ending March 31, 2010). After all, there are those 2.5 million copies of Tekken 6 waiting to be sold.
Namco Bandai's software sales for the period were led by the Ben 10 franchise, as Alien Force and Protector of the Earth combined to sell approximately 810,000 units (not exactly Guitar Hero numbers, eh?). Even with Tekken 6 in its second-half roster, Namco must be pulling for a miracle. But then, the holidays are a magical time.
Source – Financial Highlights [PDF]
Source – Consolidated Financial Report [PDF]
Namco Bandai's software sales for the period were led by the Ben 10 franchise, as Alien Force and Protector of the Earth combined to sell approximately 810,000 units (not exactly Guitar Hero numbers, eh?). Even with Tekken 6 in its second-half roster, Namco must be pulling for a miracle. But then, the holidays are a magical time.
Source – Financial Highlights [PDF]
Source – Consolidated Financial Report [PDF]
European Nintendo downloads: Banana fighting street
by JC Fletcher { 4 days ago }
Manic Monkey Mayhem on WiiWare sounds like it could be great (monkeys throw bananas to knock each other off of platforms), with online play -- but, of course, we always feel guarded about unknown WiiWare games. But monkeys! We look forward to hearing impressions.
As for the rest, Uno sounds like Uno and SUDOKU sounds like sudoku, but louder.
- Fighting Street (Turbografx-16 CD-ROM, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
- Manic Monkey Mayhem (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
- Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 3: Lair of the Leviathan (WiiWare, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points)
- Uno (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Points)
- A Little Bit of ... All Time Classics: Family Favorites (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
- Bomberman Blitz (DSiWare, 1-8 players, 500 DSi Points)
- SUDOKU (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Modern Warfare: Reflex footage inspires passionate comment
by Griffin McElroy { 4 days ago }
No insight from us relating to the recently leaked footage of the training mission from Modern Warfare: Reflex (and, prior to that, the original Modern Warfare) is required. Mr. natevberg seems to sum up the raw emotion of the video beautifully. To see the modern waggle controls in action, check out the video after the jump.
Rock Band Weekly: The White Stripes, The Damned, Kasabian
by Alexander Sliwinski { 4 days ago }
.
Forget that Jack White finds it "depressing" that kids are learning about music through rhythm games -- there's gold in them thar virtual hills! Next week's Rock Band DLC adds a pack of songs from The White Stripes, with tracks off of three different albums.We've also added this little guy to Rock Band Weekly:
. He indicates tracks that are considered "family-friendly" enough for Lego Rock Band. Such marked songs will be available in LRB's music store, as well as appearing in the regular Rock Band music store. [Thanks to our friend Dustin Burg for the Lego head!]Check out the update after the break, along with what Rock Band Unplugged players can expect for DLC next week.
Select a platform below to view complete DLC listing:
 |
 |
 |
 |
Zelda: Spirit Tracks trailer, now with more Zelda
by JC Fletcher { 4 days ago }
In one of the craziest Zelda trailers we've ever seen, some wizard shows up and turns Zelda into a ghost, and then she sort of mopes around as an apparition until some guy with wheels suggests that she go on a road trip with Link. If you were wondering how Link could gain control of the Phantoms in this upcoming DS game, it's not through a musical instrument he finds in a treasure chest (the usual Zelda route), but rather it's because Princess Zelda possesses them.
Gallery: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Reggie denies the existence of Wii HD
by Justin McElroy { 4 days ago }
It certainly sounds like a firm refusal, but let's all try to remember that the shelf life of a Nintendo denial is exactly 10 days.
Game Boy inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame
by Xav de Matos { 4 days ago }
Yes, the ball is just now being inducted into the hall of fame, meaning Nintendo's handheld made the cut in two decades, while the ball had been clawing for a spot since the days of Ancient Egypt. In your face, Ozymandias.
[Via Go Nintendo]
Woman creates massive Lego Zelda mosaic, takes longer to finish than most Zelda games
by David Hinkle { 4 days ago }
Head on over to her Flickr account for shots of the impressive feat throughout its development (the above shot is of her husband, Remi, and the Lego computer case he built), something Alyse documented because she "was inspired by many of the stained glass artwork from Wind Waker." If we had enough patience to do something like this, we probably wouldn't have jobs on the internet.
[Via The Tanooki]
