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Amazon gives reasons to buy Brawl and Guitar Hero if you don't own them yet
It's not often that we find great deals on big-name titles, especially two on the same day, but perhaps you were feeling lucky, punk, and the fickle game deal gods decided to reign their glory upon you.Behind door number one, we have Super Smash Bros. Brawl for $48.99! Okay, we're just joshing you (not about the price, since it is marked down a dollar, but that's not what we're excited about). Rather, with a purchase of Brawl, Amazon is offering a $10 gift card. Around these parts, an Amazon gift card is as good as cash, so those of you who are Brawl-less (in North America) should consider getting your rumble on.The other deal is for Guitar Hero III, which has been on sale before, but usually as a "Deal of the Day." We're not sure how long this particular sale will last, but if you want $20 off your Guitar Hero purchase, you can get it for $69.99 (also at Amazon).Of course, there is one bad thing about popular games getting deals; the chances are high that everyone already has them.[Via CAG]Source: Super Smash Bros. Brawl with $10 gift cardSource: Guitar Hero Wii for $69.99
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/26-6/1
Wii Fit gained some competition last week, as Family Trainer finally made its debut in Japan. Even so, Namco Bandai's game couldn't overtake Nintendo's six-month-old fitness title. Many Wii games were also pushed to the bottom of the top thirty in this week's chart, with Smash Bros. Brawl in danger of falling off completely. Despite less than stellar software sales, Wii hardware performed well. Yet, once again, the Wii fell behind the currently dominating PSP:The software figures are located after the break, so click on.
Brawl Stage of the Week: Spear TWMX
If you've been completing your events like a good little boy or girl, you've probably unlocked the Spear Pillar stage. The layout in this stage is simple, but effective, and it stands out as one of our favorites. Yet, there are just a few, teeny obstacles that may get in your way -- like, say, some badass, legendary pokémon.Do you love Spear Pillar, but are tired of getting your butt kicked by Dialga, Palkia, or Cresselia? Would you rather the stage be about straight-up brawling? Then you should check out McBey's Spear TWMX after the break.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/19-5/25
No new Wii games debuted last week; at least, none that ended up in the top thirty. There was one teensy weensy title that was introduced into the Japanese market, though. You may have heard of it: Guitar Hero III.To put it bluntly, sales for the game were low. In fact, it didn't even make the top fifty in Media Create's charts, and Famitsu reports that the title only sold 1,300 copies. Compared to sales in other regions (like North America and Europe, for example), where Guitar Hero III performed fiercely, you can see that tastes often differ between western and eastern gamers.Other than that, there's not to much to report about the software charts. Battalion Wars 2 managed to hang in the top ten, while Mario Kart Wii slipped into third place. Meanwhile, Smash Bros. Brawl might be in danger of falling out of the top thirty soon.In hardware, the gap between the Wii and the PSP lessened as sales for Nintendo's console rose, while sales for Sony's handheld fell. Still, the PSP had a lead of about 15,000 units last week, keeping the Wii locked in its second place spot:The software numbers are located after the break, so go on and take a look.
Brawl Stage of the Week: Classic DK
This week we're featuring another classically themed stage, as the thought of creating retro levels on Brawl seems to fuel stage submissions. This one in particular is an interpretation of the original Donkey Kong arcade game, in which Mario made his first appearance as Jumpman.Unfortunately, Donkey Kong won't be throwing barrels at you and there are no princesses that need saving. However, if you want a fun brawl on a nostalgia-inducing stage, check out "Classic DK" by blu_j.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/12-5/18
The new kid on the Japanese Wii software block last week was Battalion Wars 2, which faired well enough in its debut to hit the top ten. Will it stay there? Our guess is no, sadly. Still, it's nice to see the game get some recognition in Japan.Once again, the only non-Nintendo title for the Wii that made the top thirty was Deca Sports, which dropped thirteen spots from the week before. Ouch. We're not sure what made Japan fall so out of love with Deca Sports in one week, but the game seems to have lost some of its legs. Smash Bros. Brawl also took a spill, falling from tenth place to nineteenth.The other noticeable drop was Mario Kart Wii, which only fell one spot, but an important spot -- from first to second -- and finally succumbed to the frightening power of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G. Hardware was also a PSP victory, as the handheld beat all other systems by a convincing margin. Now that you've seen the hardware numbers, check past the break for the software sales.
Brawl Stage of the Week: Metroid revisited
This week we were feeling nostalgic, and nobody's stages sate such cravings as well as Anthony's do. Therefore, we decided to go with another one of his creations. Simply titled "Metroid," this level recreates the look and feel of one our favorite NES classics. In this side-by-side comparison, you can see how well Anthony captured the essence of the original Metroid.
Remember that character? Smash Bros. Rejects
It's quite surprising that a new Super Smash Bros. doesn't come out twice a year, considering how much money Nintendo could make off the franchise (not that the company needs the cash). However, as the video above shows, eventually Smash Bros. would start scraping the bottom of the nostalgia barrel for characters.Some forgettable characters are mentioned like Bayou Billy and the Noid ... actually, the Noid was awesome! Anyway, we actually wouldn't mind seeing one of the Battletoads in a Super Smash Bros. game. Can you think of any characters who'd be perfect for Super Smash Bros. Rejects? Dig deep into the recesses of your memory and check the periphery for games you barely remember.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/5-5/11
The gap between Wii and PSP sales is slowly but surely decreasing, making us wonder if the Wii might be able to overtake Sony's handheld once the Monster Hunter hype dies down: PSP: 89,884 Wii: 67,308 Nintendo DS: 51,228 PlayStation 3: 8,054 PlayStation 2: 7,464 Xbox 360: 1,298 Yet, the true triumph for the Wii last week was in software. Nintendo scored big all-around, but the Wii claimed six of the top ten spots in the chart. Keep in mind, though, that all the Wii games that made it to the top thirty are first-party titles, with the exception of Deca Sports.In other news, Smash Bros. Brawl managed to hop up five spots, showing us that it won't be disappearing any time soon. Meanwhile, Mario Kart is inching nearer to Brawl's total sales, making it a close race between the two games. To see how they're currently fairing against each other, just click past the break.
Brawl Stage of the Week: Another Castle
The stage we picked this week is called "Another Castle," made by Wii Fanboy reader Logan C. Oldschool Mario fans, take note of the stage's name -- it's a reference. But even if you don't find any princesses here, you can at least find a fun Brawl experience. Just read on past the break to download the castle and learn more about it.
Sakurai to spill beans on what makes games fun
The obvious choice aside, we can't think of many game designers who are better qualified than Masahiro Sakurai to discuss how to make fun videogames. Which is a good job, really, because the Smash Bros. and Kirby creator has been booked by DiGRA, Japan's Digital Games Research Association, to deliver a talk on what makes games enjoyable.Don't go getting excited, though. Sakurai's speech, entitled 'Game-ness,' will be delivered at the Fukutake Hall Running Theatre at Tokyo University's Hongo campus, and to an audience of only 150 people. If by some chance you are located near to the venue, know that DiGRA members get in free, while student non-members pay ¥500 (roughly $5) and all other non-members ¥1000 (approx $10).We wonder what games he'll use to convey his message? Bringing up Brawl or Kirby might seem a little conceited, but those are two of the titles we would use.[Via Develop]
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/28-5/4
Ah, remember Link's Crossbow Training? The game that was bundled with the Wii Zapper last November (December, for PALs)? It was only released in Japan last week. If sales are any indication, though, Japanese gamers were clamoring for the goron-junk shooter rail shooter, as it claimed the third place spot.Even so, Link had to hail to the king (baby), as Mario Kart Wii still dominated the charts. The other big news for Mario Kart Wii? It passed one million sales in the Far East, denoting its success. Meanwhile, Deca Sports clamored back into the top ten, but Brawl only slipped further downward, thus answering our question from last week. Also proving that the Japanese love their sports games for the Wii, Bandai Namco's Pro Baseball Family Stadium debuted at spot twenty.The Wii triumphed in hardware last week as well. While the console continues to trail behind Sony's handheld, Wii sales went up almost 30,000 units from last week -- perhaps from the Link's Crossbow boost. Go on and check things out for yourself after the break, if you feel so inclined.
Zero Punctuation reviews fanboys
Were you one of the easily offended, outraged souls who took umbrage with Zero Punctuation's more-than-scathing review of Super Smash Bros. Brawl? If so, then Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw has some feedback to your feedback. That's right: rather than dedicating this week's Zero Punctuation to the usual misanthropic, ranting reviews that we love so much, Yahtzee has answered the numerous critics of his Brawl review, which attracted over a thousand comments on the Escapist's site (and quite a few on here).Hit the break for the full, NSFW version, and prepare yourself for a chilling insight into the minds of the most irrational fanboys.
Brawl Stage of the Week: It's Tetris time
Last week we mentioned that we wanted to feature a DS-related stage. Reader Chris stepped up and sent us two Tetris levels, one of which we chose to feature.Called "Sziltoj 2," this stage is meant to represent "a Tetris game in progress," according to Chris. Considering the limited amount of tools that you're given in the stage builder, we think he pulled this off pretty well. Come check out how after the break!
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/21-4/27
Mario Kart Wii continues to top the charts in Japan, but a lot of movement happened with the Wii's other software. Because a bunch of new games came out last week, Wii Sports, Deca Sports, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl were all knocked out of the top ten. We know that Wii Sports will return to top ten fame soon enough, since it always does, but we'll be interested to see whether the other two titles can pull that off as well.On the hardware side of things, the Wii got sandwiched by the two portables as it jumped up into second place: PSP: 92,411 Wii: 48,796 Nintendo DS: 42,435 PlayStation 3: 9,107 PlayStation 2: 7,108 Xbox 360: 1,283 To see the software sales, just bring your super smooth moves past the break.
Brawl Stage of the Week: The Web
Welcome to Nintendo Wii Fanboy's Brawl Stage of the Week feature, in which we showcase some of our favorite Smash Bros. Brawl stages. We'll have some themed weeks, some contest weeks, and some "whatever we damn well please" weeks to help you keep your Brawl experience fresh. This week we're featuring a completely original stage, made by SoshiKitai. Called "The Web," Soshi considers this one his masterpiece -- and we can see why. The picture doesn't really translate how fun and crazy this stage actually is. In fact, "The Web" is so massive that not even the warp star trick can fully capture it. Luckily, you can experience it for yourself by downloading it here, but check on after the break for some more details on the stage and instructions on how to play it.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 4/14-4/20
The Wii had a good week in Japan, as far as sales are concerned. With Mario Kart Wii continuing to champion the cause, the little white console almost nabbed second place in hardware: PSP: 85,421 Nintendo DS: 44,551 Wii: 44,241 PlayStation 3: 7,438 PlayStation 2: 6,545 Xbox 360: 1,076 Even in software, five of the top ten games were Wii titles. Wii Sports found its way back into the coveted ten once again, managing to coexist peacefully with Hudson's Deca Sports. Wii Play, meanwhile, performed the worst in relation to the rest of the Wii games in the top thirty, but still ended up in spot twelve.Check after the break to see just how well Mario Kart Wii did last week in Japan.
Brawl, WiiWare and Nintendo Channel dated in Europe
The latest Nintendo of Europe release schedule contains fairly awesome news for the neglected continent, as there's finally a concrete release date for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Nintendo's wildly popular fighter is hitting stores in the region on June 27th, and there's more happy tidings, with WiiWare and Nintendo Channel set to launch on May 20th and May 30th respectively.There's little else in the list that both interests us and has a specific date (de Blob and Blast Works have both had a vague "Q2 2008" slapped next to them, though it appears that Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors will be out on May 9th), but heck, why are we yammering to you about this? Check out the latest European dates for yourself past the break![Update -- Corrected date for Nintendo Channel]%Gallery-16727%
Smash Bros. Brawl finally hits Europe June 27, WiiWare on May 20
It's about time. Nintendo Europe has released its second fiscal quarter release schedule and finally pinpointed a release date for Smash Bros. Brawl: Friday, June 27. By then, US gamers will have enjoyed the game for over three months, and Japanese gamers for six months. At least you got Mario Kart Wii first, right?Nintendo also announced that WiiWare will launch May 20, just 8 days behind the US. The Nintendo Channel, which will allow you to download DS demos and game trailers, is coming May 30. Mark your calendars, Smash Bros. Brawl is now only 64 days away.
Zero Punctuation beats up Smash Bros. Brawl ... you're surprised?
This is the Zero Punctuation that'll make the Nintendo Defense Force mobilize and threaten nuclear annihilation. This week Yahtzee takes on one of the Wii's golden cows with his review wholesale bludgeoning of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For those just joining the ZP party, Yahtzee doesn't like Nintendo very much. If you love SSBB, great. If you don't like it, that's great too. Just sit back and enjoy the review for the spectacle in hatred it is.Fanboys, prepare for masochism after the break with this week's NSFW review of Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
