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New Mario Kart tournament debuts for Wii Wheel racers
A fresh tournament is about to spring on Mario Kart Wii fans. Starting September 1st and concluding on September 10th, this latest tourney is only for those that rock the Wii Wheel and will take place on the N64 Skyscraper Battle Stage. It's a straight up race, so you've got to bring your best time to the course, all the while dodging the explosive Bob-omb cars that are racing towards you. Sounds like a tense race!%Gallery-19823%[Via WiiFolder] A fan of Mario and the gang? You should check out our weekly feature, It's-a Mario World, in which we discuss Nintendo's portly plumber and the world he calls home. Or, if Mario Kart is your only reason for loving the guy, check out our week of features celebrating the franchise leading up to the release of the latest game right here.
So apparently this Wii thing is popular?
Pow! Blam! Thwack! That's the sound of the Wii's biggest software performers in 2008 so far. The likes of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wii Fit, and Mario Kart Wii have taken some of the the top places in a new Top Global Markets Report, as calculated by chart specialists Enterbrain (Japan), NPD (the U.S.) and Gfk Chart-Track (the UK).Although top spot goes to Grand Theft Auto IV (6.29 million copies sold in 2008 so far), the next four places feature Wii games, three of which are exclusives. Brawl (5.4 million) was runner-up, while Mario Kart Wii (4.6 million) and Wii Fit (3.6 million) reached third and fourth respectively. Guitar Hero III (just under 3.4 million) was fifth; obviously, the Wii also had a hand in that.What does this prove? Well, little that we didn't already know: that Nintendo's console and games are obscenely popular -- even when said games cost way more than regular titles. With four months of the year still to go, we wouldn't rule out one or more of those Nintendo exclusives overhauling that insolent Russian Niko. Commence yaaaaying.
Wii's first force feedback wheel looks great, seems pointless
Yes, pointless.As much as we love our Wii, it's not exactly creaking under the weight of great racing titles. There's Game Night favorite Mario Kart Wii, which is really fun, but that already comes with its own wheel, which works surprisingly well. And after that, we have (in order of GameRankings.com score) Excite Truck, MX vs. ATV Untamed, Speed Racer, and Cars, followed by fourteen other depressing drives.None of which is intended as a slur on Logitech's new force feedback wheel for the Wii, which actually looks and sounds excellent. Releasing in November for $99.99 (!), the Logitech Speed Force Wireless features built-in gas and brake controls, a comfy-looking expandable lap rest, a wireless USB receiver and, naturally, full force feedback.It is almost certainly the best possible way to play Cruis'n, GT Pro Series, and Wacky Races: Crash & Dash.%Gallery-30186%[Via press release]
New Mario Kart tourney focuses on rings (and driving through them)
A new Mario Kart Wii tournament has gone live. It takes place between August 15th (hey, that's today!) and August 25th. You'll have to race on Koopa Cape, one lap, through 25 different rings scattered around the course. For some video footage of the tournament track, head past the break.%Gallery-4772%
July NPD: Hardware sales take a dip, Nintendo still wins
July was a good month for Nintendo. Not only did the Wii do well, but the DS also managed to sell a lot. In fact, the Wii took up 49% of console shares in July, with the DS snagging 73% of handheld sales for that month, despite hardware sales taking a dip for all. If you're looking for more exact sales data, head past the break.
DS Fanboy presents: Game Night [update 2]
Update 2: The staff has left the Game Night chat. Plenty of folks are still in there, gaming as you read this. So head on into the chat already!With the return of our weekly sessions last week, we decided a reminder was needed. So, we whipped up the above video, which shows Dave enjoying some Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, along with some Mario Kart Wii. If you look closely, you can even see Chris ram Dave underneath a car. How cruel!Hijinks like the above, and more, are commonplace at Game Night. So, for the full details on what Game Night is all about, head past the break.
Wii Fanboy presents: Game Night [update 2]
Update 2: The staff has left the Game Night chat. Plenty of folks are still in there, gaming as you read this. So head on into the chat already!With the return of our weekly sessions last week, we decided a reminder was needed. So, we whipped up the above video, which shows Dave enjoying some Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, along with some Mario Kart Wii. If you look closely, you can even see Chris ram Dave underneath a car. How cruel!Hijinks like the above, and more, are commonplace at Game Night. So, for the full details on what Game Night is all about, head past the break.
Nintendo Channel video updates take a look at Madden NFL 09
We're excited about Madden NFL 09. Oh no, sports on a game blog, run! But, in all seriousness, this year's Madden NFL 09 looks like it's going to be a solid title and unique from the other versions available. Plus, the All-Play stuff looks fun. If the video up top tickles your fancy, then the one past the break is going to blow you away.Also, check out the latest video updates to the Nintendo Channel tucked away back there as well.
New Mario Kart tournament tasks you with avoiding the bananas [update]
This latest tournament (check out previous tournaments here) for Mario Kart Wii focuses on Diddy and Donkey Kong. And, as you might have guess from the images above, will take place on the track DK64 Jungle Park. There, you must avoid the bananas that both Donkey and Diddy Kong drop from atop their motorcycles. Sadly, there isn't any other info, so we assume you can use any control method you'd like for this one.The tournament starts today and ends on the 10th. Good luck!Update: Courtesy of WiiFolder, a video has been embedded past the break, to give you all a better idea of what to expect.%Gallery-20815%
Nintendo makes boatloads of money during fiscal Q1 [update]
To the surprise of, well, no one, Nintendo had a pretty stellar first fiscal quarter of 2008, raking in a net profit of nearly 1 billion dollars (107.2 billion yen). Wii hardware was responsible for $5.17 million of that profit, which is an increase of almost $1.75 million from last year's fiscal Q1. Meanwhile, Wii software raked in $40.41 million (up $24.42 million).Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit were part of the reason for this software success, since in the quarter Wii Fit sold 3.42 million copies and Mario Kart sold a whopping 6.42 million units. And, if you weren't yet convinced that Nintendo deserves the "printing money" meme, the company is projected to bring in a net profit of about $3 billion dollars for the year. We don't know about you, but our own wallets and bank accounts are growling with envy.Update: Fixed some typos. Thanks for the heads up, Sonic_13![Via NeoGAF]
June NPD: Snake can't break Nintendo hegemony
Solid Snake, schmolid shnake. Try as the PlayStation 3 might, even the North American debut of Konami's most famous son and a drop in Wii sales couldn't prevent a Nintendo one-two for the fifth month running. DS: 783K 368.2K (+88.7%) Wii: 666.7K 47.5K (-6.6%) PS3: 405.5K 218.4K (+116.7%) PSP: 337.4K 144.7K (+75%) 360: 219.8K 31.8K (+16.9%) PS2: 188.8K 64.4K (+51.7%) Peer down your sight to scope out June's software sales past the break.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 7/7-7/13
We're kind of glad to see Persona 4 blow away the competition in software, even if it's not a Wii game (cough -- it should be). Nothing else really sold all that well, not even the games in the top ten. Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii keep piling on copies to their ever-growing mountains, though, and remain snug in the top ten.The other big news in terms of Japanese software is the release of Resident Evil 0. Capcom's port did debut at spot six, but only sold 20k copies in its first week. This game won't come even close to being the cash cow that Resident Evil 4 was, but we're sure Capcom will still make a pretty ported penny.Hardware sales show that the Wii was stuck in third, again:You can check out Japan's software sales and rankings from last week after the break.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/30-7/6
The first thing we noticed upon scanning through last week's top thirty games was that Shiren the Wanderer 3 was missing, to our disappointment. The second thing we noticed was that Tales of Symphonia dropped 100,000 copies from its debut week's sales. While the top thirty software chart definitely looks promising for the Wii at a glance, we can't really feel good about placements in light of such details. As for what Wii game topped the rest? Look up and take a guess.On the hardware front, the Wii stayed put in third behind the handhelds:Since hardware is only half the fun, though, check out the software numbers too after the break.
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Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/23-6/29
This Wii had a lot of software representation in the top ten this week, with a third-party game taking the highest honors -- Namco Bandai's Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Japan's Wii RPG love wasn't enough to put the newest Tales game into first place, though; a DS title about horse racing, Derby Stallion, took that coveted position. Yet, Symphonia's first week sales are pretty impressive.The other Wii games that found themselves in the top ten were Mario Super Sluggers, and of course Wii Fit and Mario Kart. As for hardware, the Wii dropped to third place, falling behind the DS by a minuscule margin:To see the top ten software sales numbers and rankings, just clicky clicky on the "continue reading" link below.
Promotional Consideration: Nester's return
This month's 20th anniversary issue of Nintendo Power seemed to leave everyone's head spinning with its exclusive Wii news, Mega Man 9 and Castlevania Judgment, so much so, that hardly anyone noticed the magazine's other big item: a new Nester comic!A lot has happened since we last saw him over a decade ago -- apparently, he now has a Wii, a wife, and ... a son?! Bring your memories of the smart aleck character past the post break for Nester's return!
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/16-6/22
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Well, except for the PSP, that is. Sony's handheld is still as mighty as ever. Even so, the Wii toppled all the other home consoles once again last week, reclaiming its second-place spot: The new Wii kid on the block in the charts is Mario Super Sluggers, which didn't sell as well as we thought it would, considering that it's a baseball game -- one published by Nintendo, no less. That's why we love Japanese sales so much, though. Just when we think we have the country all figured out, it goes and surprises us again.Everything else Wii related is pretty much just business as usual, but check past the break to see where the games ranked in the top thirty and how much the top tenners sold.
New Mario Kart Wii tournament focuses on coin collecting in the Coconut Mall
Fans of those Mario Kart Wii tournaments that have been popping up, you'll be happy to know a new tournament will be taking place next month. Starting on July 1st, anybody who heads on over to the Coconut Mall and collects some coins (you have to play Coin Collector) will be entered in the new tourney. With Coconut Mall being one of our favorite tracks in Mario Kart Wii, we're anxious to check this one out.%Gallery-4772%[Via WiiFolder]
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/9-6/15
Last week in Japan was all about Sony dominance, as Metal Gear Solid 4 rocketed the PS3 into first. The Wii still did pretty well for itself, though, nabbing the third spot in hardware and nine of the top thirty in software:Shiren the Wanderer 3 managed to remain in the top ten despite the Metal Gear bullying, but everything else was as we expected. Just click past the break if you want to check out the software rankings and sales numbers.
MGS4 runs 12 circles around closest competitor first week in Japan
We already knew sales of Metal Gear Solid 4 were good for Japan, with Famitsu reporting earlier that 476,000 copies had been sold in the first few days of release. According to Media Create, that figure sneaks in an extra 11,000, as they're only tracking 465,000 in sales for the first week (via Gamasutra).Despite the missing units, the launch provides some interesting statistics. MGS4 moved over 12 times as many units as its closest competitor, Mario Kart Wii (38,000), and more than double that of the non-Metal Gear top 10 combined. Sorry, Snake, there's no place to hide in Japan. Snake? Snaaaake? SNAAAAAAKE! Check out our Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots page for all things Metal Gear. While you're at it, enter for your chance to win a copy of MGS4 signed by Hideo Kojima!
Friday Video: Taking some short cuts in Mario Kart Wii
This week, in our Friday Video feature, we figured we'd check out some Mario Kart Wii shortcuts, since you all seemed to enjoy the video that helped you tackle Grumble Volcano. So, in the video above, short cuts are shown for five stages in the game. We hope this helps you become a more effective Mario Karter. Somebody has to give the folks at Game Night some competition!%Gallery-4772% Each week, our Friday Video segment takes a look at the gaming landscape online and brings forth an interesting video that (hopefully) gets the dialog started. Past highlights include a look at character glitching in Mario Kart Wii, as well as turning a spare GameCube into a clock.
