eXophase.com, the Gamer's PhaseWii

Academy of Champions Contest Winners

x3sphere — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:38:03 +0000

Our contest to win a copy of Ubisoft’s fantasy soccer title Academy of Champions and an autographed soccer ball by Mia Hamm has concluded and the winners are: Jerry W., Nick O., Jeremy K., and Shawn W.

We’ve sent over an email to all those who won. Congrats! Thanks to all those who entered and be sure to stay on the lookout for future contests.

Academy of Champions Contest Winners - [eXophase.com]

Miyamoto Considering Wii Music Sequel

x3sphere — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:14:58 +0000

The first Wii Music wasn’t quite the runaway success Nintendo expected it to be, but that doesn’t mean they’ve bailed out of the genre entirely. Speaking in a recent interview with Official Nintendo Magazine UK, producer Shigeru Miyamoto has hinted that a follow-up is not out of the question.

“[Wii Music] was a really unique game, and even today, we are receiving several different offers from people in the field of music education… I think it still has great potential.

Unique, yes, but lacking in fun factor. The concepts within Wii Music definitely have potential but were hampered by poor execution. A complete revamp is in order if Nintendo has any hope of selling a sequel. Tacking “Plus” onto the title isn’t going to work in this case.

Miyamoto drops ‘Wii Music Plus’ hints [CVG]

Miyamoto Considering Wii Music Sequel - [eXophase.com]

Academy of Champions: Soccer Kickoff Contest

x3sphere — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:15:40 +0000

Update: The contest has now ended and all winners have been notified. Thanks to all those who entered! View the results here.

With the launch of Wii fantasy sports title Academy of Champions: Soccer approaching next month on November 3, we’ve teamed up with publisher Ubisoft to give away four copies of the game plus four soccer balls autographed by Mia Hamm. To enter, simply point your browsers to our contest page and fill out the required information, specifically your name and email address.

Please note that eligibility is limited to those residing in the United States and Canada. Entries will be accepted from now until November 13. All unique entries will be considered and we will randomly draw from the pool of contestants to determine winners, whom will be notified by email and announced publicly on eXophase shortly after the contest end date. Good luck and be sure to tell your friends!

Academy of Champions: Soccer Kickoff Contest

Academy of Champions: Soccer Kickoff Contest - [eXophase.com]

Reggie: New Super Mario Bros. Wii Will Outsell Modern Warfare 2 On A Single Platform

x3sphere — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:18:51 +0000

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime isn’t breaking a sweat over the immient release of Modern Warfare 2 on competing platforms. In fact, he feels Nintendo has an answer, which is none other than New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Speaking in a GTTV interview, Reggie noted his belief that the retro styled gameplay will make it a bit hit among the Wii crowd this holiday season. While admitting it will be close, he feels confident that our favorite Italian plumber will edge past MW2 sales, at least on a singe platform.

We’re sure Activision is quaking in its boots. Watch for yourself in the clip above.

Reggie: New Super Mario Bros. Wii Will Outsell Modern Warfare 2 On A Single Platform - [eXophase.com]

Iwata Believes Digital Distribution Not Overtaking Retail for At Least 20 Years

x3sphere — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:05:57 +0000

While many industry pioneers share the belief that digital distribution is the future, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata believes this method of selling product will not even come close to overtaking retail until 20 years at least. Here’s an excerpt from the latest Iwata Asks column:

Most radical people even dare to say that retailers will be replaced by digital distribution in no time. But personally, I think it will still require a significant amount of time. In other words, it will require many years and months for the majority of video game purchase to become digital. In short, in 20 years or so I might say it will have probably changed. But in 5 years or so, I do not totally agree with opinions that no one will purchase titles at retailers by then. Habits of life do not change such radically and quickly. Especially for the expanded audience of various people, to whom we are and will be trying to appeal, I believe their habits will change more slowly.

Iwata prefaced this statement by saying that only around 35 percent of the current Japanese Wii user base actively connects to the shop channel. That said, it seems Nintendo still has more of a conservative view of the online space. With all the strides Sony and Microsoft have made towards a digital future in such a short time span, it’s not unrealistic to think it could reign as the primary method of distribution in much sooner than 20 years. Ten years seems more realistic at the current pace. Of course, an opinion is just an opinion, so we’ll see.

Iwata Believes Digital Distribution Not Overtaking Retail for At Least 20 Years - [eXophase.com]

Iwata Concerned Over Wii Performance In Japan, Hopes To Turn Things Around This Holiday Season

x3sphere — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:37:47 +0000

The Wii is no longer the object of desire that it once was in Japan, with sales tipping below the 50K mark each week despite a recent price cut. This dip in sales hasn’t gone unnoticed over at Nintendo HQ, of course, leading to performance concerns by company president Satoru Iwata.

Speaking to investors in the company’s latest financial results briefing, he noted that the “the current situation of Wii cannot be defined as healthy.” While the price cut has seen moderate success in other regions, it’s interesting that it has done little to boost sales in Nintendo’s homeland. Could the Wii be hitting a point of market saturation? Perhaps.

As you’d expect, Iwata says that Nintendo’s main strategy for this holiday is to bring back a constant uptick in Wii sales. While it remains to be seen how such a feat will be accomplished, we have a feeling that simply spending more marketing dollars isn’t going to fix things in the long run.

Iwata Concerned Over Wii Performance In Japan, Hopes To Turn Things Around This Holiday Season - [eXophase.com]

Man Blames Silent Hill for Cutting Hospital Power

x3sphere — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:49:06 +0000

It’s one thing to have dreams about assuming the life of a video game character, but taking those actions into reality is another, and is telling of when you’ve overstepped your bounds. That’s what Jan H. did when he shut off the main power switch at Sophia Hospital in the Netherlands last April, blaming his actions on Silent Hill, Konami’s hit survival horror franchise.

A court ruling that wrapped up last Tuesday concluded that the man was not guilty but did suffer from psychosis, which led to the subconscious belief that he was solving a puzzle from the game. As a consequence, he will now undergo psychiatric treatment in order to combat this condition. Luckily patients in the hospital remained unharmed throughout this whole ordeal, which resulted in a 45-minute blackout.

Insane. That’s all we can say.

Man found not guilty after blacking out hospital [24 oranges]

Man Blames Silent Hill for Cutting Hospital Power - [eXophase.com]

Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth In Action

x3sphere — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:21:02 +0000

WiiWare effort Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, a remake of the 1989 Game Boy original is out in Japan and one avid fan has recorded a playthrough of the first stage for your enjoyment. Visually, it’s looking nothing like the original, which in all respects is a good thing. Expect a healthy dose of nostalgia as far as gameplay goes, however. Still no word from Konami on a US release date, but it’s expected to hit before this year’s end.

Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth In Action - [eXophase.com]

Excitebike WiiWare Bound, Coming November 9

x3sphere — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:34:13 +0000

As part of a hidden surprise prepped for this week’s Nintendo Week segment, Nintendo revealed that Excitebike: World Rally is WiiWare bound, a re-imagining of the original NES motorcycle racing classic.

It’s due out November 9 and will feature several modern enhancements, including the option to play with the Wiimote’s motion sensor and online multiplayer support. Those who prefer using only buttons can opt for the standard control scheme. Additionally, the game will feature a track editor component.

More details are being promised for next week’s Nintendo Week episode.

Excitebike WiiWare Bound, Coming November 9 - [eXophase.com]

September NPD: PS3 Leads Console Hardware Sales

x3sphere — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:35:11 +0000

The NPD numbers for September are in and for the first time ever, PS3 is leading the pack in console hardware sales. This is no doubt thanks to the price cut and introduction of a slim model. While the Nintendo DS took reign as the top selling platform, this is still a significant victory for Sony, having outsold both the Xbox 360 and Wii by a fairly large margin.

See it all after the break.

Hardware Units

PlayStation 2 146.0K
PlayStation 3 491.8K
PSP 190.4K
Xbox 360 352.6K
Wii 462.8K
Nintendo DS 524.2K

Top 10 VG Console/Portable SKU’s September 2009
Title Platform Publisher Release Date Units Rank
HALO 3:ODST 360 MICROSOFT (CORP) Sep-09 1.52M 1
WII SPORTS RESORT W/ WII MOTION PLUS WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA Jul-09 442.9K 2
MADDEN NFL 10 360 ELECTRONIC ARTS Aug-09 289.6K 3
MARIO & LUIGI:BOWSER’S INSIDE STORY NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA Sep-09 258.1K 4
THE BEATLES:ROCK BAND* 360 MTV GAMES/ELECTRONIC ARTS Sep-09 254.0K 5
MADDEN NFL 10 PS3 ELECTRONIC ARTS Aug-09 246.5K 6
MARVEL:ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 2 360 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD (CORP) Sep-09 236.0K 7
BATMAN:ARKHAM ASYLUM* PS3 SQUARE ENIX INC (CORP) Aug-09 212.5K 8
GUITAR HERO 5* 360 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD (CORP) Sep-09 210.8K 9
THE BEATLES:ROCK BAND* WII MTV GAMES/ELECTRONIC ARTS Sep-09 208.6K 10

September NPD: PS3 Leads Console Hardware Sales - [eXophase.com]

Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth Unveiled In Scans

x3sphere — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:06:12 +0000

Despite the fact that Konami has yet to officially announce Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, a full-on WiiWare remake of the Game Boy title of the same name, images showing off the second take of this whip-slinging entry have surfaced courtesy of Famitsu.

Not your typical remake, Konami went the extra mile with this one, giving it a modern look. Which by all accounts is a good thing, considering the original looks horrendously dated by today’s standards. In addition to introducing new foes, level designs have been given a facelift in tune with the traditional Castlevania look, notably replacing those out-of-place ropes from the original with actual stairs.

Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth is slated for an October 27 release in Japan. Nintendo has stamped a vague Q3 2009 date in North America, meaning there is a chance it could make it its way here before Halloween as well.

Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth Unveiled In Scans - [eXophase.com]

Retailers Hint At Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Delay

x3sphere — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:00:49 +0000

It appears Konami’s survival horror title Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, a reboot of the first SH entry, will drop outside the Halloween release window.

Numerous retailers are now hinting at a holiday release, with GameStop pegging down a December 8 date. Online outlet GameFly is listing an even further out December 31 date for the PSP and PS2 versions. Oddly enough, according to their site, the Wii version is still on track for November 26. In all likelihood that’s probably an error. If history is any indication, we’d side with GameStop’s dates as they seem to be the most accurate. Take it as pure speculation for now though, as Konami has yet to officially confirm a delay.

Retailers Hint At Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Delay - [eXophase.com]

Moonshot Games Has Liftoff, Comprised Of Ex-Bungie Staff

x3sphere — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:06:29 +0000

Former Bungie staffers Michel Bastien, Damián Isla, and Rob Stokes have announced the formation of Moonshot Games, a new development outfit based in Seattle and Boston.

Straying away from multi-million big-budget efforts, the studio will primarily focus on “high-quality downloadable games,” bringing years of experience with high quality AAA experiences to the table. Managing director Michel Bastien previous served as project lead of Halo 2 and Halo 3 while Director of Technology Damián Isla headed up AI and gameplay engineering duties back at Bungie. Rounding out the team is Rob Stokes, who led mission design duties on the Halo franchise.

Taking the studio’s prestigious origins into account, we’re anxiously looking forward to see what materializes from Moonshot.

Moonshot Games Has Liftoff, Comprised Of Ex-Bungie Staff - [eXophase.com]

Activision Was Opposed To Taking Call of Duty Outside World War II

x3sphere — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:12:33 +0000

In what we can only call shocking, Infinity Ward head Vince Zampella revealed to the Official PlayStation Magazine that publisher Activision was originally opposed to the idea of moving the Call of Duty outside World War II. For its part, the mighty Acti thought such a move was a huge creative risk at the time, going by internal marketing research, and instead wanted to play it safe by taking the rehash route and churn out more of the same.

In what we can only call shocking, Infinity Ward head Vince Zampella revealed to the Official PlayStation Magazine that publisher Activision was originally opposed to the idea of moving the Call of Duty outside World War II. For its part, the mighty Acti thought such a move was a huge risk at the time, going by internal marketing research, and instead wanted to play it safe by taking the rehash route and churn out more of the same.

Wow. It goes without saying, sometimes risks pay off big, and this is undeniable proof. Good thing Infinity Ward stuck to its guns.

Activision “didn’t want Modern Warfare” [CVG]

Activision Was Opposed To Taking Call of Duty Outside World War II - [eXophase.com]

Wii Firmware 4.2 Out Now, Once Again Targets Homebrew Users

x3sphere — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:55:29 +0000

Nintendo rolled out System Update 4.2 for Wii owners in the states today, with the official changelog vaguely dropping word of “behind-the-scenes fixes” and performance improvements. The ho-hum level is high.

These so-called fixes reinforce Nintendo’s anti-homebrew stance, deleting the homebrew channel, BootMii and related cIOS files. While it almost goes without saying, if that concerns you, then passing on this one until a workaround is found may be the best course of action. If history is any indication, it’ll only be a matter of time, once again making this attempt at defeating the homebrew crowd futile.

Wii Firmware 4.2 Out Now, Once Again Targets Homebrew Users - [eXophase.com]

New Wii Sports Resort Bundle Includes Two MotionPlus Units for $60

x3sphere — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:42:01 +0000

Nintendo announced today that it will release a “limited edition” Wii Sports Resort bundle that doubles the value proposition with not one, but two MotionPlus accessories for $60. Factoring in the numbers, that’s $10 more than the standard bundle but with a savings of $40 overall. Not too shabby.

Shoppers are looking for value as we head into the holiday season, and this Wii Sports Resort bundle is a gift that players of all ages and experience levels can enjoy,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Best of all, it instantly gets multiple members of the household engaged in playing as soon as the package is opened.

Nintendo says the bundle will be available “while supplies last” at most major retail outlets in North America. No word on if a similar promotion is planned for other regions.

New Wii Sports Resort Bundle Includes Two MotionPlus Units for $60 - [eXophase.com]

Nintendo Makes Wii Price Cut Official, Drops To $199 September 27

x3sphere — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:22:00 +0000

Although it is still the top selling console in North America, Wii sales have taken a hit as of late and Nintendo is responding by cutting the price down to $199 from $249, the company announced today. While not as significant as the recent price reductions on Xbox 360 and PS3 hardware, it brings Wii down to the extremely competitive sub $200 mark. This will no doubt make the prospect of purchasing one much more affordable in the eyes of many, especially those on a tight budget.

With high-profile software like Wii Plus and New Super Mario Bros. Wii right around the corner, it’s safe to say sales of the hardware will surge as a result. October should prove to be an interesting month.

Full PR after the break.

WII AT $199.99 BEGINNING SEPT. 27

World of Nintendo Events, Key Software Releases Further Demonstrate System’s Incomparable Value

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 23, 2009 – Beginning Sunday, Sept. 27, the world’s most popular home video game system gets even more appealing. On that day, Nintendo’s suggested retail price for its record-setting Wii™ drops by $50 to $199.99. The new $199.99 Wii price point delivers the full iconic Wii gaming experience, including the motion-sensing Wii Remote™ controller, Nunchuk™ controller and Wii Sports™ software, and furthers Nintendo’s mission to expand the gaming universe by making video games accessible to more and more consumers.

Wii ownership also opens an avenue for players to the industry’s most diverse and unique collection of home console games. Key upcoming releases include Wii Fit™ Plus, launching on Oct. 4, and the first truly multiplayer Mario™ title ever, New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii.

Both new and veteran players in America can jump into this new Mario action when it arrives on Nov. 15.

And beginning Oct. 2, consumers in select cities will have a new, convenient way to decide which Nintendo adventure to tackle next. On that day, a novel series of sampling events called “World of Nintendo” kicks off in Long Beach, Calif.

“Wii has reached more video game players than any game system before because it attracts everyone—both men and women, and people of all ages,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Our research shows there are 50 million Americans thinking about becoming gamers, and this more affordable price point and our vast array of new software mean many of them can now make the leap and find experiences that appeal to them, whatever their tastes or level of gaming experience.”

The inherent social nature of Wii is fully demonstrated in a groundbreaking way with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the first Mario game ever to allow four players to take part in the action at the same time. That same dynamic is propelling the enthusiastic response for Wii Sports Resort™, while the release of Wii Fit Plus includes everything you love about Wii Fit™, along with new multiplayer elements and the ability to customize workouts to fit individual needs.

Nintendo Makes Wii Price Cut Official, Drops To $199 September 27 - [eXophase.com]

Capcom’s Jun Takeuchi Says Wii To PS3 Ports Now Being Considered

x3sphere — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:30:10 +0000

With a motion control solution slated to hit the PS3 next year, Capcom staffer and Resident Evil 5 director Jun Takeuchi says this could signal the arrival of PS3 to Wii ports, as developers are no longer bound by the restrictions of a control pad. While Capcom itself has yet to make a clear cut decision on this, Takeuchi remarks that “other developers” are considering it, but refrained from dropping any specific names:

However, speaking to other developers in Japan, I’ve heard a few of them say they were delighted by the Sony motion controller because they can just port over their Wii titles to the PS3.

Elsewhere, Takeeuchi noted that Capcom was impressed by Microsoft’s Natal tech and has been actively exploring solutions in that space.

Pre-TGS: Five Questions With Capcom’s Jun Takeuchi [1UP]

Capcom’s Jun Takeuchi Says Wii To PS3 Ports Now Being Considered - [eXophase.com]

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks On Track for December 7

x3sphere — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:51:05 +0000

In a press release detailing its holiday lineup, Nintendo revealed that DS title The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is on track for a December 7 release in North America.

While story details are still shrouded in mystery, the title features an cel-shaded art style fondly reminiscent of Phantom Hourglass. Apart from the added element of stylus driven controls, gameplay is largely akin to traditional Zelda efforts, this time with an added emphasis on exploration as Link guides a cannon-wielding steam engine.

See Nintendo’s mammoth release schedule from first-party and third-party publishers after the break.

Wii

Publisher
Game Available
2K Sports NHL® 2K10 Sept. 15
Baseball Blast! Sept. 28
NBA 2K10 Oct. 6
2K Play Dora the Explorer™: Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom™ Fall
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Super Game Day Fall
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey™ Circus Fall
505 Games My Ballet Studio November
Baby and Me November
Activision Publishing, Inc. Animal Planet Vet Life Sept. 15
Marvel™: Ultimate Alliance 2™ Sept. 15
Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2010 Sept. 22
Rapala We Fish Sept. 22
Bakugan® Battle Brawlers ™ Oct. 20
iCarly™ Oct. 20
Madagascar Kartz Oct. 20
Mountain Sports Oct. 20
Hidden Mysteries Titanic Oct. 27
Barbie™ and the Three Musketeers Oct. 27
Jurassic Hunter Oct. 27
DJ Hero™ Oct. 27
Chaotic™: Shadow Warriors Nov. 10
Hot Wheels™ Battle Force 5™ Nov. 10
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®: Reflex Nov. 10
Tony Hawk®: RIDE™ Nov. 17
Band Hero™ November
Guitar Hero® Van Halen® Dec. 22
Aspyr Media My Baby and Me Nov. 17
Atlus U.S.A., Inc. 101-in-1 Party Megamix™ Oct. 27
Trauma Team™ Spring
Shiren the Wanderer™ Spring
Capcom® Entertainment, Inc. Spyborgs™ Sept. 22
Resident Evil®: The Darkside Chronicles Nov. 17
City Interactive USA, Inc. Chicken Riot November
Combat Wings: The Great Battles of WWII January
Art of Murder March
D3Publisher Family Party: 30 Great Games™ Outdoor Fun Sept. 22
Astro Boy®: The Video Game Oct. 20
THE SECRET SATURDAYS™: BEASTS OF THE 5TH SUN Oct. 20
BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE™: Vilgax Attacks Oct. 27
Kamen Rider Dragon Knight Winter
Destineer We Wish You A Merry Christmas Oct. 13
Buck Fever Oct. 20
Alien Monster Bowling League Oct. 27
Marines: Modern Urban Combat Nov. 3
Satisfashion Nov. 17
Rec Room Nov. 17
Disney Interactive Studios Disney Sing It: Pop Hits October
Princess and the Frog November
Electronic Arts MySims™ Agents Sept. 22
Dead Space™ Extraction Sept. 29
Spore™ Hero Oct. 6
CHARM GIRLS CLUB™ Pajama Party Oct. 20
SimAnimals™ Africa Oct. 26
LITTLEST PET SHOP™ FRIENDS October
NERF 2: “N-Strike”™ Elite October
HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT 2 October
FIFA 10 October
Need for Speed™ Nitro Nov. 17
EA SPORTS Active™ More Workouts November
Knowledge Adventure JumpStart® Escape from Adventure Island Nov. 1
Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. Walk It Out! October
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories November
Storybook Workshop November
Karaoke Revolution November
Ultimate Party Challenge November
DanceDanceRevolution Hottest Party 3 November
pop’n music November
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 Q4
LucasArts Star Wars® The Clone Wars™: Republic Heroes™ Oct. 6
LEGO® Indiana Jones 2™: The Adventure Continues Fall
Majesco Entertainment Our House: Party! Sept. 22
A Boy and His Blob Oct. 13
Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 Oct. 20
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Dec. 1
The Daring Game for Girls Holiday
Mastiff Shimano Xtreme Fishing Sept. 29
Remington Great American Bird Hunt Oct. 27
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc Dragon Ball®: Revenge of King Piccolo October
Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked November
We Cheer™ 2 November
Nintendo Wii Fit Plus Oct. 4
New Super Mario Bros. Wii Holiday
Playlogic Sudoku Ball Detective Sept. 22
SEGA® Wacky World of Sports™ Sept. 22
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games™ Oct. 13
Planet 51 Nov. 17
Jambo! Safari:™ Animal Rescue Q4
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing™ Feb. 10
Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll™ Early 2010
SouthPeak Games My Baby First Steps™ Holiday
Sushi Go Round™ Holiday
Square Enix FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: THE CRYSTAL BEARERS® Dec. 26
Storm City Games The Island of Dr. Frankenstein Oct. 6
Vegas Party Oct. 27
Bermuda Triangle: Saving the Coral Nov. 9
Tecmo Family Fun Football™ Sept. 29
THQ The Biggest Loser Oct. 6
Cars Race O Rama Oct. 13
Marvel® Super Hero Squad™ Oct. 20
WWE® SmackDown® vs. Raw® 2010 Oct. 20
SpongeBob Truth or Square Oct. 26
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader: Game Time Oct. 26
World of Zoo™ Oct. 26
All Star Cheer Squad™ 2 Oct. 27
Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Oct. 27
Daniel X Jan. 12
World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars Feb. 2
TOMY Corporation NARUTO™ Shippuden: Clash of Ninja® Revolution 3 Nov. 17
Ubisoft Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs™ Sept. 15
Where’s Waldo®: The Fantastic Journey Sept. 22
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™: Smash-up Sept. 22
The Price is Right ® 2010 Edition Sept. 22
Family Feud® 2010 Edition Sept. 29
CSI™: Deadly Intent Oct. 20
Monster 4×4™ Stunt Racer Oct. 27
Rabbids Go Home™ Nov. 3
Academy of Champions™ Nov. 3
Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage Nov. 8
Just Dance™ Nov. 17
James Cameron’s Avatar™ The Game Nov. 24
Your Shape™ Featuring Jenny McCarthy Nov. 24
UFO Interactive Games, Inc. Army Rescue™ Sept. 29
Rock Blast ™ Oct. 20
Arcade Shooter: Ilvelo Oct. 27
Geon Cube Oct. 27
Smart Series Presents: JaJa’ Adventure Nov. 10
Vir2L® Studios Medieval Games™ Oct. 20
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Scooby-Doo™! First Frights Sept. 22
Where the Wild Things Are Oct. 13
Game Party® 3 October
LEGO® Rock Band™ Holiday
SCENE IT?® BRIGHT LIGHTS! BIG SCREEN!™ Holiday
XSEED Games JU-ON: The Grudge Oct. 13
Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga Fall

WiiWare

Publisher Game Available
Aksys Games BIT.TRIP VOID Q3
BIT.TRIP series (3 additional titles) Q4, Q1
Broken Rules And Yet It Moves Q4
Frontier LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias Q4
Gameloft Ghost Mansion Party Q3
The Oregon Trail Q4
Ghostfire Games Rage of the Gladiator Q1
Incredible Technologies Carnival King Q3
Konami Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth Q3
Frogger Returns Q4
Nabi Studios Toribash Q4
Natsume Moki Moki Q3
Harvest Moon: My Little Shop Q4
Nicalis Cave Story Q3
Night Game Q1
La Mulana Q1
NinjaBee The Amazing Brain Train Q4
Nintendo You, Me, and the Cubes™ Q3
Eco Shooter: Plant 530™ Q4
Nintendo/TPC Pokémon™ Rumble Q4
Press Play Max & the Magic Marker Q4
React Games Archon: Classic Q1
Taito Arkanoid Plus! Q3
Team Meat Super Meat Boy Q1
Telltale Games Tales of Monkey Island™: Lair of the Leviathan Q3
Tales of Monkey Island™: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood Q4
Tales of Monkey Island™: Rise of the Pirate God Q4

Nintendo DS/Nintendo DSi

Publisher Game Available
2K Play Dora the Explorer: Dora Puppy Oct. 26
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: New Year’s Celebration Oct. 26
The Backyardigans Oct. 26
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Fall
505 Games My Ballet Studio November
Discovery Kids SpiderQuest November
Dream Diary November
Picture Perfect Hair Salon November
505 Games IL2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey Sept. 15
Activision Publishing, Inc. Marvel™: Ultimate Alliance 2™ Sept. 15
Animal Planet Vet Life Sept. 15
Bakugan ® Battle Brawlers ™ Oct. 20
iCarly™ Oct. 20
Madagascar Kartz Oct. 20
Barbie™ and the Three Musketeers Oct. 27
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®: Mobilized Nov. 10
Chaotic™: Shadow Warriors Nov. 10
Hot Wheels™ Battle Force 5™ Nov. 10
Band Hero™ November
Aspyr Media Fighting Fantasy™: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain Oct. 26
City Interactive USA, Inc. Sushi Academy Oct. 13
Chronicles of Mystery: Curse of the Ancient Temple Oct. 27
Animal Country: Life on the Farm November
Party Designer November
Art of Murder February
Jewels of Sahara March
D3Publisher Astro Boy®: The Video Game Oct. 20
THE SECRET SATURDAYS™: BEASTS OF THE 5TH SUN Oct. 20
BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE™: Vilgax Attacks Oct. 27
Kamen Rider Dragon Knight Winter
Destineer Satisfashion Nov. 17
Disney Interactive Studios Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure October
Disney’s A Christmas Carol November
JONAS November
Princess and the Frog November
Electronic Arts MySims™ Agents Sept. 22
Spore™ Hero Arena Oct. 6
CHARM GIRLS CLUB™ My Fashion Show Oct. 20
CHARM GIRLS CLUB™ My Fashion Mall Oct. 20
CHARM GIRLS CLUB™ My Perfect Prom Oct. 20
SimAnimals™ Africa Oct. 26
LITTLEST PET SHOP™ CITY FRIENDS October
LITTLEST PET SHOP™ COUNTRY FRIENDS October
LITTLEST PET SHOP™ BEACH FRIENDS October
HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT 2 October
FIFA 10 October
Ignition Entertainment Nostalgia Oct. 20
Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. WireWay November
LucasArts Star Wars® The Clone Wars™: Republic Heroes™ Oct. 6
Star Wars Battlefront™: Elite Squadron™ Nov. 3
LEGO® Indiana Jones 2™: The Adventure Continues Fall
Majesco Entertainment Our House Sept. 22
Sideswiped Sept. 29
Cake Mania® 3 Oct. 13
Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 Oct. 20
Cooking Mama 3: Shop and Chop Oct. 27
My Hero: Astronaut Nov. 3
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Dec. 1
Dawn of Heroes Dec. 1
My Hero: Firefighter December
The Daring Game for Girls Holiday
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc Dragon Ball® Z: Attack of the Saiyans November
Nintendo Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky Oct. 12
Style Savvy Nov. 2
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Dec. 7
NIS America A Witch’s Tale Oct. 6
Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island Oct. 27
PopCap Games, Inc. Bookworm™ Dec. 1
SEGA® Bleach:™ The 3rd Phantom Sept. 15
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games™ Oct. 13
Phantasy Star™ Zero Nov. 10
Planet 51 Nov. 17
Jambo! Safari:™ Animal Rescue Q4
Sands of Destruction™ January
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing™ February
Infinite Space™ Spring
SouthPeak Games Montessori Music™ Oct. 20
My Baby First Steps™ Holiday
Sushi Go Round™ Holiday
Crime Scene™ Holiday
Square Enix KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 DAYS Sept. 29
SPACE INVADERS EXTREME™ 2 Oct. 20
Storm City Games Hands On! Tangrams Oct. 13
Jewel Master Egypt Oct. 20
Flaw Oct. 27
Foto Frenzy Nov. 2
Bermuda Triangle: Saving the Coral Nov. 9
THQ James Patterson Women’s Murder Club: Games of Passion Sept. 15
Fabulous Finds Sept. 21
Just in Time Translations Sept. 21
The Biggest Loser Oct. 6
Cars Race O Rama Oct. 13
Marvel® Super Hero Squad™ Oct. 20
WWE® SmackDown® vs. Raw® 2010 Oct. 20
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader: Game Time Oct. 26
World of Zoo™ Oct. 26
SpongeBob Truth or Square Oct. 26
Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter Oct. 27
MX vs. ATV™ Reflex™ Holiday
TOMY Corporation NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 Sept. 15

Ubisoft
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs™ Sept. 15
Where’s Waldo®: The Fantastic Journey Sept. 22
The Price is Right® 2010 Edition Sept. 22
Family Feud® 2010 Edition Sept. 29
Battle of Giants™: Dragons Sept. 29
Imagine® Salon Stylist Sept. 29
Imagine® Sweet 16 Oct. 4
Imagine® Zookeeper Oct. 6
PETZ® PONY BEAUTY PAGEANT™ Oct. 13
Imagine® Fashion Designer World Tour Oct. 20
CSI™: Deadly Intent – The Hidden Cases Oct. 20
Jam Sessions 2 Oct. 20
PETZ® DOLPHINZ ENCOUNTER Oct. 27
Might and Magic® Clash of Heroes® Oct. 27
Imagine® Artist Oct. 27
C.O.P. The Recruit™ Nov. 3
Rabbids Go Home™ Nov. 3
Imagine® Babyz Fashion Nov. 3
Fairyland Melody Magic™ Nov. 8
Style Lab™ Jewelry Design Nov. 10
Style Lab™ Makeover Nov. 10
PETZ® NURSERY Nov. 10
PETZ® DOGZ® TALENT SHOW Nov. 17
PETZ® HAMSTERZ® SUPERSTARZ Nov. 24
James Cameron’s Avatar™ The Game Nov. 24
Virtual Play Games Junior Brain Trainer Nov. 10
Junior Classic Games Nov. 10
UFO Interactive Games, Inc. Smart Boy’s Gameroom 2® Sept. 29
Smart Girl’s Playhouse 2® Sept. 29
Smart Kid’s Mega Game Mix™ Sept. 29
Reversal Challenge Oct. 13
Balloon Pop Nov. 12
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Scribblenauts™ Sept. 15
Scooby-Doo™! First Frights Sept. 22
LEGO® Rock Band™ Holiday
Where the Wild Things Are Oct. 13
TouchMaster® 3 Oct. 27
XSEED Games THE WIZARD OF OZ™: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road Sept. 29

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks On Track for December 7 - [eXophase.com]

Pachter: Wii September Performance Not Looking Up, Price Cut Needed To Stay Competitive

x3sphere — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:51:56 +0000

Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has already voiced his concerns over the need of a Wii price cut, and there’s good reason to believe that Nintendo will be taking that advice to heart if U.S. sales predictions for September are on the mark.

With total unit sales 50 percent lower than last year, Pachter expects Wii sales to take another hit in September, which would translate to a sixth consecutive month of decline. How significant of a dropoff that may be is anyone’s guess – and it may not happen in the unlikely event that sales pick up. However, with August NPD figures inching closer to the sub-250K mark, Nintendo may want to take proactive action on this one.

US Wii sales set for sixth month of decline [GI.biz]

Pachter: Wii September Performance Not Looking Up, Price Cut Needed To Stay Competitive - [eXophase.com]

Pachter Says Wii Need A Price Cut

x3sphere — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:48:17 +0000

Nintendo has been sitting pretty with a $250 price point on the Wii for awhile now, but as recent NPD figures have revealed, sales are taking a hit. While the market is still far from saturation, there’s only one way Ninty can boost unit sales back to 500K and above levels, and that’s with a price cut. Or so says Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter:

Until the late August PS3 price cut, the Xbox 360 appealed to consumers, likely due to a higher perceived value proposition (the Xbox 360 ‘core’ model was priced $100 lower than the PS3),” he wrote. “With the core PS3 and Xbox 360 models priced only $50 higher than the Wii, we expect year-over-year sales of Wii hardware to continue their annual declines until the company either changes its bundle or lowers price.

From looking at the slow yet steady decline of Wii sales, I’d have come to the same conclusion. Consumers are realizing that other platforms offer better value for the money. And with motion control hitting the PS3 and Xbox 360 in the near future, Nintendo needs to make a move now to one-up the competition before it is too late.

Wii Sales Down 50% Over Last 5 Months [IndustryGamers]

Pachter Says Wii Need A Price Cut - [eXophase.com]

August NPD: PS3 Gains Momentum, Revenue Declines For Sixth Consecutive Month

x3sphere — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:07:46 +0000

NPD numbers for August are in and there’s no real surprises here. Overall revenue took a significant dip from last year’s results — down from $1.09 billion to $908 million — marking the sixth consecutive month in sales decline.

No real shakeups in the hardware sector came about in August, aside from the fact that PS3 sales climbed to 210,000, likely due to the $100 price cut that went into effect during the latter half of the month. Despite this, Microsoft still edged past Sony, selling 215,400 Xbox 360 units. It’s safe to say we won’t see the true impact of this price cut until September data is released, seeing as that’s when the PS3 Slim model officially hit retail channels, alongside marketing campaigns aimed heavily at the mainstream consumer.

See the complete breakdown of software and hardware sales past the jump.

Hardware Units

PlayStation 2 105.9K
PlayStation 3 210.0K
PSP 140.3K
Xbox 360 215.4K
Wii 277.4K
Nintendo DS 552.9K

Top 10 VG Console/Portable SKU’s August 2009

Title Platform Publisher Release Date Units Rank
MADDEN NFL 10 360 ELECTRONIC ARTS Aug-09 928,000 1
WII SPORTS RESORT W/ WII MOTION PLUS WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA Jul-09 754,000 2
MADDEN NFL 10 PS3 ELECTRONIC ARTS Aug-09 665,000 3
BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM* 360 SQUARE ENIX INC Aug-09 303,000 4
BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM* PS3 SQUARE ENIX INC Aug-09 290,000 5
MADDEN NFL 10 PS2 ELECTRONIC ARTS Aug-09 160,000 6
DISSIDIA: FINAL FANTASY PSP SQUARE ENIX INC Aug-09 130,000 7
WII FIT* WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA May-08 128,000 8
MARIO KART W/WHEEL WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA Apr-08 120,000 9
FOSSIL FIGHTERS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA Aug-09 92,000 10

August NPD: PS3 Gains Momentum, Revenue Declines For Sixth Consecutive Month - [eXophase.com]

Metroid Prime Trilogy Is A Graphical Downgrade

x3sphere — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:08:51 +0000

When a previous generation title is ported over to the current, you’d expect the developers to improve graphics, or at least keep them the same. That’s not what happened with Metroid Prime Trilogy. Reports have surfaced that the Wii re-release “features” downgraded particle effects, the differences of which are showcased in the video clip below. Sure, it’s not a huge issue and definitely won’t impair your enjoyment by any significant amount, but it is still distressing that something like this would go overlooked.

While Nintendo has yet to weigh in on the matter, here’s hoping an update may be able to fix things up.

Metroid Prime Trilogy Is A Graphical Downgrade - [eXophase.com]

Capcom Inks Deal With Havok To Use Middleware In Lost Planet 2, Resident Evil

x3sphere — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:38:04 +0000

After being successfully deployed in titles like Dead Rising and Resident Evil 5, Capcom is once again turning to Havok’s widely used physics engine in several of its upcoming titles.

The company announced today that it has inked a deal with the middleware provider, making Havok’s multiplatform solution its “development tool of choice.”

We’re proud to be a part of Capcom’s development strategy. Havok Physics was easily integrated into Capcom’s existing game development pipeline and we believe these triple-A projects will showcase the unparalleled flexibility and robustness of Havok Physics.

Look to see Havok-powered physics being used in Lost Planet 2 and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles.

Capcom Inks Deal With Havok To Use Middleware In Lost Planet 2, Resident Evil - [eXophase.com]

Crytek: Current Gen To Last Until 2013

x3sphere — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:19:12 +0000

Speaking in a keynote at GDC Europe, Crytek co-founder Cevat Yerli said that he expects the next-generation of consoles to hit in 2013 at the latest. However, Yerli is not standing by his statement entirely, noting that “there’s a big debate about whether there will be a next generation at all.”

With both Sony and Microsoft taking bold initiatives towards introducing motion-sensing peripherals, it’s quite plausible that this generation could carry on for another three years. After all, there’s not much point in coming out with new tech if the current crop of consoles are soon to be phased out. It’s very possible we may see a “refresh” of this gen, similar to what Nintendo and Sony have done in the portable sector with the DSi and now PSPgo.

Crytek is working on CryEngine 3-powered Crysis 2, scheduled to hit PS3, Xbox 360, and PC at a yet-unspecified date.

GDC Europe: Crytek’s Yerli On The Future Of Gaming Graphics [Gamasutra]

Crytek: Current Gen To Last Until 2013 - [eXophase.com]

Gameloft Teams With Interplay To Release Earthworm Jim Digitally

x3sphere — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:04:07 +0000

So much for Sega’s poll apparently, as Gameloft today announced that it has a inked a multi-year license agreement with Interplay to publish beloved 2D side-scroller Earthworm Jim across all current digital distribution platforms. That includes WiiWare, Xbox Live Arcade, and PlayStation Network.

“We are delighted to partner with Interplay to bring Earthworm Jim to multiple downloadable platforms,” said Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice president, Gameloft. “The game, with its humorous and edgy style, is a great fit for today’s gamer who craves a fully immersive experience that is fun and easily accessible. We look forward to delivering a fantastic game.”

Additionally, the title will be made available on mobile devices. Slated for a fourth quarter 2009 release, the Xbox 360 version of the title will receive a one-month exclusive lead time, per an agreement with Microsoft.

Gameloft Teams With Interplay To Release Earthworm Jim Digitally - [eXophase.com]

July NPD: Industry Sales Remain Sluggish, Wii Sports Resort Leads Software Sales

x3sphere — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 22:42:48 +0000

The NPD figures for July are in and for the fifth consecutive month, once again show a year-over-year decline in industry sales. The results are far from uplifting, as total dollars generated throughout last month missed the $1 billion mark, clocking at a $848,000, a 29 percent decline.

The PS3 barely edged pasted its last-generation counterpart in sales, with both platforms shifting 121,800 and 108,000 units respectively. It’s safe to say that Sony needs that price cut, pronto. Xbox 360 sales weren’t as bleak, but still took a dive compared to last month with 202,900 units sold.

Wii Sports Resort, perhaps unsurprisingly, took the crown for July’s best-selling title. Released near the tail end of the month, it sold 508,200 copies.

See the full breakdown of July figures past the break, courtesy of NPD.

Hardware Units

Jul-09
PlayStation 2 108K
PlayStation 3 121.8K
PSP 122.8K
Xbox 360 202.9K
Wii 252.5K
Nintendo DS 538.9K

Top 10 VG Console/Portable SKU’s July 2009

Title Platform Publisher Release Date Units Rank

Wii SPORTS RESORT W/ WII MOTION PLUS WII* NINTENDO OF AMERICA July-09 508.2K 1
NCAA FOOTBALL 10 360* ELECTRONIC ARTS July-09 376.5K 2
NCAA FOOTBALL 10 PS3* ELECTRONIC ARTS July-09 237.4K 3
WII FIT W/ BALANCE BOARD* WII* NINTENDO OF AMERICA May-08 164.3K 4
MARIO KART W/ WHEEL WII* NINTENDO OF AMERICA April-08 156.6K 5
MARIO KART DS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA November-05 132.2K 6
POKEMON PLATINUM VERSION NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA March-09 116.4K 7
FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 4 360 ELECTRONIC ARTS June-09 116.4K 8
NEW SUPER MARIO BROS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA May-06 101.8K 9
EA SPORTS ACTIVE BUNDLE WII* ELECTRONIC ARTS May-09 96.8K 10

July NPD: Industry Sales Remain Sluggish, Wii Sports Resort Leads Software Sales - [eXophase.com]

Carmack: Sony Will Enter Next-Gen Market First With PS4

x3sphere — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:41:56 +0000

id Software technical director and Doom creator John Carmack believes Sony will be the first to kick off the next wave of consoles with a successor to PS3, tentatively referred to as PS4.

Whether Sony wants to jump the gun to prevent the same sort of 360 lag from happening to them again seems likely.

As developers, we would really like to see this generation stretch as long as possible. We’d like to see it be quite a few more years before the next-gen consoles comes out, but I suspect one will end up shipping something earlier rather than later.

Further to this, Carmack mentioned there is a “decent” chance that one of the next-generation platforms will ship without support for optical media, as Sony has already done with the UMD-less PSPgo. Three years ago, such a scenario would be viewed as unrealistic, but today it’s not exactly far-fetched when taking the rapid growth of digital-based distribution services into account.

Carmack: PS4 will be first to market [MCVUK]

Carmack: Sony Will Enter Next-Gen Market First With PS4 - [eXophase.com]

Iwata: A Trio Of Wii Titles Have Potential To Sell 10 Million This Year

x3sphere — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:55:45 +0000

Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata feels confident his company will lay the smackdown on the competition for fiscal 2009-2010, projecting an upwards of 10 million in unit sales for Wii titles Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros Wii and Wii Fit Plus.

A realistic expectation? If it were anyone else we’d say no, but taking the sheer popularity of Mario coupled with a booming fitness genre, as evidenced by sales of the original Wii Sports, it seems very possible that each of these titles will hit the 10 million mark sometime in 2010.

Speaking in regards to the forecasted numbers, Iwata said, “We recognise this Q1 result is not the strongest and closer to the lower parameters of our expectations, but we expect we can reverse the situation through the full-fiscal year and therefore did not revise out forecast.”

Nintendo clearly isn’t letting the slow economy get in their way.

Iwata: A Trio Of Wii Titles Have Potential To Sell 10 Million This Year - [eXophase.com]

Gallery: Academy of Champions

x3sphere — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:51:53 +0000

Ubisoft has released a selection of new screenshots from its Pelé and Mia Hamm-starring Wii soccer title Academy of Champions. Showing off a variety of intimidating super moves that can surprise even the most prepared goalies, these screens highlight the game’s lush, colorful visuals.

Featuring mini-games and gameplay mechanics that take advantage of the Wii Balance Board and MotionPlus attachment, Academy of Champions is scheduled for a September release exclusively on Wii.

Academy of Champions Screenshots

Gallery: Academy of Champions - [eXophase.com]

High Voltage Expresses Interest In The Conduit Sequel

x3sphere — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:59:29 +0000

Wii shooter The Conduit and fans are already wondering if a sequel is planned. Of course, it’s a bit early to say, but developer High Voltage is already expressing interest.

In a podcast interview on Radio-Blodec, producer Joshua Olsen explicitly stated that a sequel was not in the works at this time but on a more positive note, further mentioned that the company would like to expand on the ideas and storyline presented in The Conduit. Naturally, the prospect of a sequel is resting on sales and general interest among fans.

It all depends on the fans and sales but it’s a little early for now to assume anything. Anyway, we are very interested to make a sequel to The Conduit, it’s quite a robust world and there are more stories we want to tell. The Conduit is the first part for our hero and we want to make more parts to tell more things about him. We have not started to work on a sequel.

In other words, those lauding for a sequel should show their support. If it does happen, we’d sure like to see MotionPlus support for part deux.

High Voltage wants to make a sequel to The Conduit [GoNintendo]

High Voltage Expresses Interest In The Conduit Sequel - [eXophase.com]

Capcom Prepares for Immense Monster Hunter Tri Demand, Ships 1 Million Units

x3sphere — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:26:16 +0000

Purely judging from its wildly successful stint on PSP, Japanese folks love their Monster Hunter. Which is why it makes perfect sense for Capcom to take preparatory measures for the franchise’s Wii debut, ensuring that there is no shortage of copies to pass around.

The company announced today that 1 million units of Monster Hunter Tri have been shipped to retailers across Japan, ahead of its August 1 street date. Capcom calls it a record-breaking feat, an accomplishment that no other third-party Wii effort can claim to its name. Overall, sales of the franchise are 10 million strong.

No word on a stateside release for Tri as of yet.

Capcom Prepares for Immense Monster Hunter Tri Demand, Ships 1 Million Units - [eXophase.com]

Sega Taking Its Sweet Time With Fixing Sonic

x3sphere — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:06:00 +0000

While the many of the modern Sonic games aren’t bad per se, they certainly lack the charm and longevity of the original Genesis installments. Back in the day, Sonic titles went head to head with Mario. Now, there’s no comparison between the two in terms of quality. Relatively speaking, of course. There has been subpar Mario titles before, but nearly all the main entries are considered AAA-worthy.

Sega is looking to fix that and in turn hopefully win back core gamers who were previously fans of the franchise, but company VP of Marketing Sean Ratcliffe says doing so will take time. A significant amount of time, apparently:

Interestingly, I think Sonic Unleashed was very well received by the kids. There was some talk about the werehog aspect, the slower pacing and more combat-oriented gameplay, but when we go out and test this stuff and sit down with the consumers, kids actually like that. I think older, die-hard Sega fans who grew up with the franchise and the first Sonic the Hedgehog associate Sonic more with 2-D side-scrolling super fast, and they liked the daytime gameplay, but when it came to the slower paced gameplay they were fairly critical of that, and that’s fine – they have their opinions.

Gee, at least the kids like it. I actually skipped Unleashed, partially due to a lack of interest, but from what I saw through media trailers, it feels like Sega is headed in the right direction. Perhaps one day Sonic will return to his former glory.

Sega: Sonic Quality to Be ‘Fixed Over Time’ [IG]

Sega Taking Its Sweet Time With Fixing Sonic - [eXophase.com]

Digital Distribution Sales Surge Despite Retail Decline

x3sphere — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:58:15 +0000

While the retail end of the gaming industry is suffering from a decline in sales, as latest by the latest batch of NPD figures, the digital market is booming. Valve says Steam sales went up 97 percent on a year-over-year basis. Direct2Drive, which is run by IGN Entertainment, has also seen a boost in sales, recording a 56 percent increase over the same timeframe. Meanwhile, Microsoft says paid downloads on Xbox Live have netted a 73 percent increase over the past six months.

No yearly figures were obtained by IGN for Sony’s PSN service, but from what we’ve heard from official channels, sales are on the up. And with over 9.8 million PSN users accounted for, it’s no surprise. Nintendo, on the other hand, has been extremely coy in releasing sales data for its WiiWare and VC service, so it is anyone’s guess as to what the numbers are like on that front. We’d assume they’re doing alright, though.

Despite this impressive surge in sales, analyst Michael Pachter believes the day when digital sales begin to overtake retail is still far off, with current figures only representing 5 percent of the overall market.

Online Sales Surge During Industry Downturn [IGN]

Digital Distribution Sales Surge Despite Retail Decline - [eXophase.com]

Splinter Cell Conviction, Red Steel 2 Delayed

x3sphere — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:41:28 +0000

As part of its fourth quarter financial documents, Ubisoft revealed that the oft-delayed stealth action title Splinter Cell Conviction has once again been pushed back, this time to 2010. The MotionPlus-exclusive samurai romp Red Steel 2 has also been rescheduled for 2010, dashing hopes for a fall or winter debut.

Both titles are now slated for a release in the company’s fourth fiscal quarter, which could mean anywhere between January 1 and March 31, 2010. Additionally, to accommodate these changes, the new Ghost Recon installment and I am Alive have been pushed out of fourth quarter release window to fiscal 2010-2011.

In a conference call held earlier today, Ubi CEO Yves Guillemot mentioned that the Red Steel 2 development team requested additional time to polish maps, ensuring that the level of quality is consistent throughout.

Splinter Cell Conviction, Red Steel 2 Delayed - [eXophase.com]

Nintendo: Gaming Industry Still Has Ample Room for Growth, Up To 50 Percent

x3sphere — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:02:00 +0000

According to internal research conducted by Tom Prata, Nintendo of America’s senior director of product development, the gaming industry is still ripe for growth. With an estimated worldwide player count of 295 million, Prata believes the industry could grow by as much as 50 percent “if the right game came along,” dismissing previous claims by analysts that the Wii and DS market is saturated.

At face value, that sure sounds like a lofty goal to place on a single game. Then again, when you consider that Wii Sports alone brought millions upon millions of people to the Wii, many who have never picked up a game before their life, perhaps it’s not such an unrealistic prospect.

With more of a focus being placed on creative innovation in today’s market, the day when such a title comes to realization may not be far off, relatively speaking.

Nintendo: Gaming Industry Still Has Ample Room for Growth, Up To 50 Percent - [eXophase.com]

June NPD: Yearly Sales Decline By 31 Percent, Economy Likely To Blame

x3sphere — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:37:12 +0000

NPD numbers for June are in, painting a somber picture. Although up from the always-sluggish month of May, sales were down 31 percent compared to last year’s figures.

On a year-over-year basis, all platforms incurred a hit in unit sales over last June with the exception of Xbox 360. Despite this, Nintendo still dominated the charts, shifting a combined total of 766,500 DS and DSi systems, in addition to a respectable 361,700 Wii units.

While sales took a considerable dive over the previous year, by and large the hardware landscape remained the same as previous months, with Nintendo leading and Sony still riding in the backseat at third place.

On the software side of the spectrum, Prototype on Xbox 360 shifted 419,000 units in June, pulling ahead of both UFC 2009 and EA Sports Active. Interestingly, the PS3 edition of Prototype fell short of making the top ten. See the full breakdown of numbers after the break.

Is the dismal economic climate to blame for a significant dip in industry sales? NPD analyst Anita Frazier believes so, noting that consumers may be holding off on big-ticket items, such as hardware purchases, until a must-have title launches.

“This is one of the first months where I think the impact of the economy is clearly reflected in the sales numbers. While the aggregate of content may not be as strong as what we saw in the first half of last year, and while the consumer base willing to spend dollars on hardware at the current price points may be thinning, the size of the decliine could also point to consumers deferring limited discretionary spending until a big event (must-have new title, hardware price cut) compels them to spend.”

Hardware Units

PlayStation 2 152.7K
PlayStation 3 164.7K
PSP 163.5K
Xbox 360 240.6K
Wii 361.7K
Nintendo DS 766.5K

Top 10 VG Console/Portable SKU’s June 2009

Title Platform Publisher Release Date Units Rank
PROTOTYPE 360* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD* June-09 419.9K 1
UFC 2009:UNDISPUTED 360* THQ* May-09 338.3K 2
EA SPORTS ACTIVE BUNDLE WII* ELECTRONIC ARTS May-09 289.1K 3
TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 10* WII* ELECTRONIC ARTS June-09 272.4K 4
WII FIT WII* NINTENDO OF AMERICA May-08 271.6K 5
FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 4 360* ELECTRONIC ARTS June-09 260.8K 6
FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 4 PS3* ELECTRONIC ARTS June-09 210.3K 7
MARIO KART W/WHEEL WII* NINTENDO OF AMERICA April-08 202.1K 8
RED FACTION:GUERRILLA 360* THQ* June-09 199.4K 9
INFAMOUS PS3* SONY* May-09 192.7K 10

June NPD: Yearly Sales Decline By 31 Percent, Economy Likely To Blame - [eXophase.com]

Wii Firmware 4.1 Hits Rest Of The World

x3sphere — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:53:12 +0000

Earlier this month, Nintendo stealthily issued a Wii firmware update in Japan — version 4.1 — designed to fix an unidentified issue in Wii Sports Resort. The supplied changelog is rather vague, mentioning only that this update includes “behind-the-scenes fixes” designed to improve system performance.

If the same Wii Sports bug exists in overseas copies of the title, rest assured it is fixed with firmware 4.1. On another note, Nintendo warns that 4.1 will check for modified save files and automatically remove them. Avid users of homebrew beware and update with caution.

Wii Firmware 4.1 Hits Rest Of The World - [eXophase.com]

UbiNintendo 09: Red Steel 2 Hands-On: A Blissful Excerise In Samurai Technique

x3sphere — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:02:35 +0000

Last week Ubisoft invited a group of journalists, including myself, to its San Francisco-based studio to check out the company’s upcoming slate of titles on Nintendo platforms. One such title was the MotionPlus-exclusive Red Steel 2, the in-name sequel to 2006’s Wii launch effort. Does the title break new ground in an oft-attempted and admittedly crowded genre? Read on for thoughts.

Controls

In terms of pure mechanics, Red Steel 2 plays completely different than its predecessor. This particular attribute is perhaps one of its most redeeming qualities and is what drew even cynical types to the sequel in the first place. The enhanced motion-sensing precision offered by the MotionPlus attachment is used to accurately gauge the sheer amount of force that a player puts into their sword swing, determining the final impact and damage dealt by a blow.

Suffice to say, it works well: the combat is incredibly satisfying, requiring players to put in a considerable amount of force to pull off a hard-hitting blow that can damage foes donning steel armor suits. If I had to pick a single title to show off the potential of MotionPlus to core gamers, Red Steel 2 would be it.

Beyond slicing and dicing foes, the control setup is rather simplistic, with the Wiimote handling crosshair movement, allowing players to simply aim and shoot at surrounding enemies. The Nunchuck analog is used to move your character in a specific direction. I personally found aiming to be overly sensitive, especially if standing in close proximity to the TV being played on. Granted, this is more of a subjective matter, so including options to adjust sensitivity in the final product would be an elegant way of appeasing all preferences.

The inclusion of MotionPlus also adds a blocking mechanic to combat situations. By holding the Wiimote in a defensive stance, it is possible to deflect bullets and enemy sword strikes at will. This is a neat little addition that further elevates the sheer intensity of combat situations.

While the controls in Red Steel 2 are admittedly great, that’s not to say everything is without quirks. In the level we tested, when met with a sliding closed steel door, players were forced to go straight up to the door and press Z to enter a brief sequence in which an on-screen indicator instructs you to hit the door handle with your sword, as shown above. I found this to serve as an unnecessary break in the flow of action. The doors can stay, but having to press Z seems to be an unneeded extra step. Just being able to walk up to these doors and start whacking at the handle to open them would suffice. Again, it’s a minor nuisance, one that I would like to see rectified, but if not, no biggie.

Graphics

Taking place in an arid desert setting, graphics in Red Steel 2 are equally as impressive. Sporting cel-shaded environments, it forgoes the industrialized look of the original. At the same time, however, it balances the line between cartoony and realistic. This type of art style lends well to the graphical capabilities of Wii.

Pacing

My time with Red Steel 2 was limited, with only the E3 demo level being available, which clocks in at around 20 minutes on a initial play-through. On a second run, this same level can be completed in around half that time. While this particular level was linear in scope, creative director Jason Vandenberghe assured that the actual game will offer more in the way of freedom. Rather than being forced to play level by level in a sequential manner, the aim is to let players select between missions at various points in the story. He likened the world outside of missions as a sort of hub, in which players are given the choice of choosing their next move.

Final Thoughts

Due out this fall, Red Steel 2 is shaping up to be one of Ubi’s star titles, next to Splinter Cell: Conviction and Assassin’s Creed 2. It takes the ultra cool but not-very-well executed premise of the original and molds it into satisfying and highly stylized experience. For those that walked away disappointed from the original, it’s recommended to play Red Steel 2 in a fresh mindset, as for all intents and purposes, the sequel has no real connection to its predecessor apart from copious amounts of sword and gunplay.

From an interactive standpoint, I feel as if Red Steel 2 redefines the genre of traditional hack n’ slash samurai titles. The level of interaction and player-character connection that it brings to the table is an attribute that no other title in the action space can match at this point. If what I experienced in the first 20 or so minutes of this demo is an indicator of how the rest of the game will play out, Wii owners are in for a real treat come later this fall.

UbiNintendo 09: Red Steel 2 Hands-On: A Blissful Excerise In Samurai Technique - [eXophase.com]

Clip: Super Mario Galaxy In 720p HD

x3sphere — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 05:47:42 +0000

By default, the Wii can only output a video signal as high as 480p. Ever wonder what your favorite Wii titles would look like when rendered at the HD resolution of 720p? Thanks to the latest build of Dolphin, it is possible to emulate Wii titles at a higher resolution. The results are rather pleasing to the eye, especially in the case of Super Mario Galaxy.

Above is a video clip showcasing Mario’s latest Wii adventure in splendid 720p glory. Apart from blurry HUD items, missing shaders and a few geometry glitches, the graphics look impressively sharp, void of any jaggies. Unfortunately, it’s not running at full speed and we’re told that this was tested on a moderately equipped PC rig donning a Core 2 Duo. Regardless, still very impressive.

Could a future Wii revision upscale old titles on the fly to achieve this level of visual fidelity? It’s certainly possible, but the real question is, would Nintendo consider it? We can only hope so, especially with HDTVs becoming increasingly more commonplace in households.

Clip: Super Mario Galaxy In 720p HD - [eXophase.com]