The game was highly expected ever since it was announced, analysts predict it will be a smash hit (which is not such a strange thing to believe in the first place), it is featured on our own N+ design, and pretty much everyone who owns a Wii should get this game according to multiple reviews (and if you don't own a Wii, it is a pretty good reason to go out and get one) even if it does lack online multiplayer. As of yesterday, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is officially out in the US and most of America (yeah, America is a continent, NOT a single country ¬.¬).
How many of you already got a copy? How many are eagerly awaiting to get one? I, for one, can't wait to get it. All the friends I know who own a Wii want it badly. But will it really be the hit analysts predict? I think so.
It doesn't exactly take a genius to realize that New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be a hit... but apparently it does take a savvy market analyst to predict its supremacy and get people stirred up about it. According to Jesse Divnich at Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, Nintendo's upcoming (and greatly anticipated) title will be the greatest hit of the year and will outsell the competition, including Activition's X-Box 360 version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 by the end of the year.
He also predicts that, although the PS3 outsold the Wii during September, October will see a turn of events and the Wii will be on top again.(UPDATE: He was right on this one... NPD confirmed) He also expects the Wii to retain supremacy during November and December as well.
However, he does expect the PS3 to be the only console to show gains during October in comparison to the past year, thanks to the PS3 slim (which I'm not so sure if that's fair, taking into account it's not exactly the same console...it's like taking the DS and DSi as the same console; that would make the numbers shockingly high ).
Well, this is why shows must always be taped before airing... Head to minute 4:55 to see the 'good stuff' and skip ahead to where this embarrassed dude breaks a brand new LCD he is still trying to sell you (alongside a Wii and a ton of accessories, proven deadly with his moves).
Or if you want to go ahead to said moment, click here.
Ready to get your black WiiMote and MotionPlus? Are you going to add a black Nunchuck to the mix? Well, it turns out that you'll be able to do this very soon. Nintendo announced today that they'll be releasing a black WiiMote + MotionPlus bundle and a black Nunchuck by November 16th.
The WiiMote/MotionPlus bundle will be sold at US$50, while the Nunchuck will go for US$20. Get your wallets ready.
The Wii Remote revolutionized not only how people play games, but also who plays them. The new color lets people customize their setup, and the controllers make great stocking stuffers for players of any age. - Cammie Dunaway
Rejoice, Europe! You're getting shiny, new colors for your DSi! If the rumors are true, of course... According to reports from a Nintendo distributor, three new colors will be available for DSi shoppers by the end of October (on the 23rd to be exact if the report is accurate). Now Euro gamers will have blue, navy, and red on their DSi to choose from.
While the fact that around this time Sony will be releasing the PSPgo and would make it look as a move for Nintendo to boost DSi sales and beat the PSPgo, reports that the aforementioned handheld is dead before it even arrives (retailers refusing to stock Sony's new mini-wonder, pre-orders not even being touched, distributors refusing to give publicity, mixed reviews, and insanely high pricing) make it look as if this was not the true reason why the colors would be released.
Bear in mind that Nintendo has NOT made an official announcement yet, so take this as is: RUMOR.
First it was Toys R Us, then it was Target... This time, it's Best Buy who comes into the Wii price-drop rumor confirmation with this leaked BestBuy printed ad, apparently coming from an inside source.
Everything points towards a new US$200 price point for the Wii, in what would be an obvious response to Sony's lower PS3 price tag and subsequent Microsoft's XBox 360 reaction to match it. Is this lower price a permanent thing? Is it just a seasonal promotion? Are these VERY early Thanksgiving offers? Is Santa Claus waking up early this year? You be the judge...
Nintendo has just released its Holiday Lineup with a very extensive game list. Unfortunately, only a few notable items are there, and most of it is sure to be shovelware... alas, to the brightside.
New Super Mario Bros. hits shelves this Holiday season, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Dead Space: Extraction, Wii Fit Plus, a new Monkey Ball, another Final Fantasy game, and Drawn to Life are all included in the Wii lineup. Also, some interesting WiiWare titles are revealed, such as THREE new BitTrips and a Castlevania Remake as a part of the ReBirth series.
The DS has also some interesting entries, such as The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, set to be released on December 7th. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, Phantasy Star Zero, Infinite Space, Drawn to Life, and Kindom Hearts are all there, too. The impressive thing about this list is that it finally shows some DSiWare titles, including Fieldrunners and UNO.
Those Japs sure love their Pokémon. Being just released in Japan on September 12th, Pokémon Soul Silver and Heart Gold are already sold out in many many stores. Reportedly, sales for the first two days have been close to one and a half million copies.
According to the first reports, both DS games have sold 1,408,980 copies and stores nation-wide are claiming to be out of stock (which only makes us assume that the actual demand is even higher). Well, it IS a couple of Pokémon games, right? Well, what makes these numbers even more impressive is that these two are REMAKES of old GameBoy games! That just goes to show that some titles are timeless... or that Japanese gamers REALLY love all things Pokémon.
The ugly truth: The PS3 slim launch in Japan was a success. A huge one. And Nintendo is taking the toll, seeing the Wii fall down to the fourth position, below the PS3 Slim, their own DSi, and the PSP.
What do you think? Will this trend continue? Is it just the 'novelty' of a thinner PS3? Or does Nintendo REALLY have something to worry about? Let us hear (or rather read) your thoughts. In the meantime, this week's numbers after the break.
Toys R Us is taking on the used game market (again), and in what way. Game Stop did it, Best Buy did it, but they were lacking something the toy store thought important: OLD games. (And we mean REALLY old). The now nation-wide trade-in program at Toys R Us gives you store credit for any game you trade in...all the way back to the Intellivision.
That's right. As long as you provide the original, working game in its original packaging, it doesn't matter how old it is. You can trade-in games all the way back to Atari's consoles up to current gen ones. Either Toys R Us is looking up to becoming a 'rare' game store, or the owners are looking at some interesting eBay bids. In any case, if you feel like you wanna trade some old games for new ones, here's yet another choice.
Although rumors about the pricing had already surfaced before, it is now official, alongside a release date. Wii Fit Plus is set to hit shelves in the US on October 4th at US$99 if you buy it with a Balance Board, and at US$20 if you buy just the game.
It is also worth noting that, with this Wii Fit 'update', the original Wii Fit game (and bundle) is now being phased out, so Nintendo is no longer re-stocking the game to retailers. It is unclear if the original Wii Fit game will ever be released as a stand-alone version.
Although we won't be delighted with Black Wiis or blue remotes, Nintendo of America is giving us a treat: Black Wii Remotes and Nunchucks (alongside matching jackets and Motion Plusses).
NoA has announced that they will be selling a WiiMote + Motion Plus bundle this Holiday season (jacket included), alongside a stand alone nunchuck. According to the press release, this is the first new color for the Wii Remote and accessories, so hopefully that means we'll be seeing more colors in the near future.
They also announced two new colors for the DSi as of September 13th: white and pink. With this, we now have four color choices for Nintendo's new handheld and...one color for the home console. Well, at least we get black remotes.
It's now official. Capcom has announced the official release date for Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles: November 17. The Wii-exclusive title will set you back US$50 in case you buy it.
Remember, the price is set just for the game. There's a Zapper bundle around, but that will obviously cost you more (UK). And if you're in the US and you pre-order, you can still get the infamous 'Let your Darkside out' T-Shirt (just, please, DON'T try to walk while letting your Darkside out, OK?). You can also buy the shirt from Capcom's online store.
According to Nintendo's internal tracking, it has now been announced that Wii Sports Resort, the sequel to the game mostly responsible for putting the Wii on the 'commodities with a waiting list' list, Wii Sports, has surpassed the one-million-units-sold mark, just one month after it was released in the US.
Such mark was also surpassed on both Japan and Europe, and according to Nintendo, part of the success has been the Motion Plus bundle. For this add-on, too, it was revealed that it has sold two million units already, since it is bundled with some other popular games as well, such as Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10.
Millions of consumers worldwide have demonstrated that they want their summer vacations to keep going. Wii Sports Resort provides both novice and veteran players a fun, virtual escape to a resort island with their friends and family; something that will be even more appealing as the weather turns cooler this fall and winter. - Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing
What? This is a Nintendo blog, you say? How is this Nintendo-relevant, you ask? Well, before you get your knickers in a knot, allow me to explain. Yesterday, Sony announced what we all knew: The PS3 Slim was real, and what's more, it would be cutting the 80GB current model by US$100 (to US$299) until stock runs out. Now, this may be good news to Sony lovers...but for the rest of us, it means a GREAT re-thinking of things.
Microsoft, for instance, will have to match the US$299 price on its premium SKU and eventually phase out the 60GB model to match Sony's newest default. Analysts predict US$299 will become the new industry standard, so finnancially-troubled Sony and Microsoft will have to struggle to keep profits while maintaining the price. The problem for Nintendo is, of course, this new pricing. For 50 extra bucks you get a high-def console, BluRay player, superior multimedia-and-PC connectivity, and a much bigger hard drive than that of a Wii. Wanna bet how many players are willing to wait a few more days to save those 50 dollars and buy a US$299 PS3 instead of a US$250 Wii?
Let's wait and see how Nintendo reacts. But more importantly, how will YOU, our readers, react?
UPDATE (08/22/2009): X-Box 360 Elite now drops US$100 and sells for US$299. And so it begins. Also, the new PS3 Slim will be US$299 as well, with a 120GB hard drive.
Well my main complaint i have with Opera Mini 4.5 5.0 & Opera Mobile on my E51 smartphone its not accessing the prective text funtion of my phone while there are other 3rd party apps there where it uses the good ol Tegic T9
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