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Nintendogs + Cats is Nintendo's first 3DS million seller
As it does after every earnings report, Nintendo sent out a "supplementary" release featuring all of the first-party games that sold a million copies or more in the last fiscal year. One 3DS game made the cut: Nintendogs + Cats, which sold 460,000 units in Japan and 1.25 million in the West. The odds were kind of stacked in favor of this game -- it was released in three different versions, it was the only first-party game at launch, and puppies are cute. On Wii, Mario Sports Mix made it into the million-seller category, with a worldwide 1.54 million copies. And Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition proved the viability (unfortunately) of selling an SNES game in a $30 box, by shifting 2.24 million units. On DS, Pokémon Black and White are up to a combined 11.51 million units, which, in our professional estimation, is an uncomfortably large number.
February NPD: Total sales up, new games come out swinging
Here's something we didn't expect to say in a non-holiday month or one without the launch of a new DS or something: Total US game revenue is up year-over-year, from $1.3 billion to $1.6 billion. Hardware and accessories both saw gains, while software dipped a bit between February 2010 and 2011. There's also good news in software top ten chart -- at least, good news for people who like the charts to look different every month, with top-ten debuts for Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Killzone 3, Bulletstorm, and Mario Sports Mix, all of which launched in the month of February. The dance genre continued to dominate, with Just Dance 2, Michael Jackson, and Zumba Fitness holding on.
Mario Sports Mix 'press conference' reveals Mario's dreams and aspirations
Mario can be quite the stoic character. So, this 10 minute interview with the Italian plumber to promote Mario Sports Mix is a bit ... jarring. In fact, the iconic Nintendo mascot sometimes comes across as a jerk.
A mix of new Mario Sports Mix media
This month, a rather unusual confluence of games will occur. Two Square Enix-developed games featuring Dragon Quest characters will be released in North America, a week apart -- neither of which will be published by Square Enix. One, of course, is Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation, arriving on DS this Valentine's Day. The other ... is Mario Sports Mix, out this Monday, which totally has Slimes in it. Check out a few screens of that wonderful little gumdrop playing sports against Mario in our gallery, and check out a new, non-Slime-focused trailer after the break. You know, if you want to see that whole "Mario characters playing sports" thing instead of just staring at the Slimes.%Gallery-115759%
Mario Sports Mix shoots for Feb. 7 debut in North America
Nintendo is publishing two Dragon Quest games this February: Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation on February 14 ... and Mario Sports Mix on February 7. It's got Slimes in it, so it's a Dragon Quest game. That's how it works. Even if Nintendo of America hasn't shown any of the Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest characters, we know they're there. In addition to crossover content, Mario Sports Mix features Mario-style hockey, dodgeball, volleyball, and basketball games for up to four players, with familiar Mushroom Kingdom items altering the gameplay, and each character possessing an outrageous special move. Check out the full box art after the break.
Mario Sports Mix features one behemoth of a boss battle
Well, here's a ... weird ... thing. We knew that Mario Sports Mix would feature characters from the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises, but we weren't aware of the other aspects the athletic Wii title would borrow from those two RPG franchises. TheBitBlock recently uncovered a bizarre gameplay clip from Mix -- apparently, at one point, you have to face off against one of Final Fantasy's Behemoths, using your epic volleyball skills. Yes, really. Check out a video of a Final Fantasy Moogle and a Super Mario Toad going two-on-one against the boss monster posted after the jump. We wonder if he drops any good loot -- like coins, or a mushroom, or a Masamune. [Thanks, Franco!]
Mario Sports Mix hits Europe in early 2011
Mario Sports Mix, the Square Enix-developed Wii sports collection that pits a Dragon Quest Slime against who cares who else, will be released in the UK on February 4, 2011, and on January 28, 2011 in other PAL territories. It came out yesterday in Japan. So far, all we know about North America is what was announced during E3: that it would be out sometime in 2011. Nintendo's latest earnings report reiterated the same, nonspecific release date. However, if the localization for the UK version will be complete by early February, we can probably expect to see it here around the same time. We're looking forward to trying the Slime's "tricky" play style against ... "Mario," or whoever that is.
Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest heroes get into Mario Sports Mix
Unsatisfied by their stellar performance in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, a number of characters from the Final Fantasy universe will once again show their athletic prowess in Square Enix's Mario Sports Mix. Gaming news site The Bit Block recently compiled a bunch of gameplay clips from the title's official website, featuring the special moves of the White Mage, Black Mage, Cactuar, Moogle and Ninja. The Mario Sports Mix website also references some Dragon Quest cameos -- though none of those appear in the aforementioned reel, which is posted after the jump. Once again, the Final Fantasy characters appear to be really sportsmanlike about the whole thing. For instance, that Black Mage would have a much easier time of making a three pointer if he took out all his defenders with a well-timed Ultima, yet he takes his knocks like everyone else. Good form, Mr. Black Mage.
Visual overload: Nintendo's E3 Wii lineup
Nintendo brought most of its franchises back into active duty this year (sorry, Clu Clu Land!), flooding its upcoming Wii lineup with new games starring familiar characters. We've collected all the screenshots and trailers we had yet to post from Nintendo's crowded slate of Wii releases, along with ones you may have missed during our E3 coverage earlier this week. Clear your cache in anticipation of some serious video streaming, and join us after the break to see footage and screens of Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby's Epic Yarn, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and more.
Mario Sports Mix announced for Wii
During Nintendo's E3 keynote, Reggie Fils-Aime introduced a new sports collection for Wii, dubbed Mario Sports Mix. Featuring a slew of Nintendo icons (Mario, Peach, Bowser), this 2011-bound title features sports such as volleyball, dodgeball, hockey and basketball. Nintendo did not confirm whether or not it'd be on the show floor.
