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Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver reaches 8.4m sold; other Nintendo million-sellers revealed from last fiscal year
As an addition to its overall earnings report, Nintendo has released a list of first-party million-sellers from its last fiscal year (ending March 31). Many of these games, including Wii Sports and Wii Fit, have been out for years, but still managed to sell more than a million units over the last four quarters! On DS, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver have sold an astonishing 8.4 million copies -- 3.78 million in Japan, where the game's been out since September, and 4.62 million outside of Japan in just a few short weeks of availability before the close of the fiscal year. Nintendo's Japan-only Tomodachi Collection sold 3.2 million copies, and Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box moved a respectable 2.43 million copies outside of Japan. Even Style Savvy, which has a somewhat low profile in North America and Europe, sold 1.21 million copies in those territories. As for two perennial bestsellers, Mario Kart DS and New Super Mario Bros. each sold over three million copies outside of Japan in the last fiscal year. Nintendo's marquee 2009 Wii titles, Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, sold more than 10 million units each in North America and Europe alone; and worldwide, those titles sold 16.14 million, 12.65 million, and 14.7 million copies, respectively, through the fiscal year. But if you think those are big numbers, think again. Thanks to Wii Sports being bundled with the Wii system outside of Japan, the game now totals 63.46 million units sold. Heck, even Link's Crossbow Training (bundled with the Wii Zapper) broke a million sold in the last fiscal year. Head past the break for the complete list of million-sellers from Nintendo's fiscal year ending March 31, 2010. Source [PDF] - Supplementary information about earnings release [Nintendo]
Nintendo's Aonuma pitched Link's Crossbow Training 2
Aside from efforts like The Conduit and Call of Duty: World at War, Nintendo's Wii hasn't exactly enjoyed a glut of capable FPS titles. According to a recent interview with games™ (via NowGamer), Zelda director Eiji Aonuma recognizes this -- and sees great potential for fixing that problem in Link's Crossbow Training, the pack-in minigame included with the Wii Zapper. "To tell you the truth, I actually wanted to create Link's Crossbow Training 2 ... I thought that we should do something more and better in the field of the first-person shooter." Wait, haven't we heard this before? Unfortunately for Aonuma, the execs above him at Nintendo didn't think much of the idea, nixing it in favor of a completely new entry in the Zelda series. "I was thinking that maybe we could intensify the multiplayer mode ... [but] a lot of people inside Nintendo insisted that I should work on a new Legend of Zelda title." We're sorry about that, Mr. Aonuma! And to the Nintendo executives who killed a sequel to Link's Crossbow Training, we'd like to personally thank you.
CES 2009: Zapper crossbow lets you shoot Gorons in style
We were impressed by the "WeeP 5" Zapper mod, but did have one reservation: Link would never use an MP5 to mow down a herd of Stalfoses (Stalfi?). Enter CTA Digital, who were displaying this Zapper crossbow shell at the recently finished CES 2009 (which is strange, because apparently this has been around for a while, but it's the first we've seen of it). This bad boy comes equipped with a laser sight (we seriously question the historical accuracy of this) and, as you can see, a fetching "woodgrain" finish. It looks way, way nicer than the fugly crossbow peripheral we previously covered, and is roughly the same price: a rather eye-watering $29.99. %Gallery-42051%
Realistic Zapper mod is impressive, also sort of scary
Say hello to your new little friend, the "WeeP 5 Advanced Zapper," a mash-up of a toy MP5 gun and Wiimote innards (you can see the painted IR sensor just below the muzzle). The WeeP 5 is the work of Instructables user THeOReos, who was left disappointed by the range of gun shells available for the Wii (WHAAAT?!). It's just the ticket if you want your Zapper-compatible games to feel extra authentic, and we'd rather enjoy using it to drop bad dudes in Ghost Squad (though it may not suit Link's Crossbow Training).THeOReos is confident this works well, and has posted a full step-by-step of the building process here. We lack the patience or skillz to make our own, but don't let that put you off building one and sending it to us!%Gallery-35024%[Via Hack A Day]
Link's Price Slashing
We thought that when the Wii Zapper bundle was released, Nintendo fans would hang on to Link's Crossbow Training and dump the included plastic handle, but it appears that the opposite is true. GameStop has just dropped the price of used copies of Link's Crossbow Training from five bucks to a ridiculous $2.99. The retailer is not currently offering used Zappers on their online store. At the amazingly low (seriously, like last year's Madden low) $2.99, Link's Crossbow Training is officially Worth It for pretty much everybody, provided they have even a passing interest in the Zelda series or in shooting at stuff. And with no Zapper, it's so much more compact! If you're planning to grab this from the online store, use coupon code CAG16 (for Cheap Ass Gamers) to get an additional 16% off the price.
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.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/2-6/8
The top Wii game last week wasn't Mario Kart, or even Wii Fit. Rather, beloved roguelike Shiren got the coveted title, as Shiren the Wanderer 3 debuted in second behind the PS3's new Dragon Ball Z. The previously mentioned Nintendo games did show up in the top ten, though, along with Family Trainer. We're happy to see both Smash Bros. Brawl and Battalion Wars 2 hanging tough in the top thirty; the previous week had us a bit worried. In hardware, though, the Wii remains sandwiched between the PSP and the DS:Just click on past the break if you'd like to see how Wii software fared.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Used and Zapper-less: Link's Crossbow Savings
Even without any discount, the Link's Crossbow Training and Zapper bundle is already cheap at $20, but if you're looking for a way to pick up the pack-in game without being taxed for the extra plastic, Game Deal Daily has just what you need! The Woot-styled online shop is offering used, standalone copies of Link's Crossbow Training for only $4.95 (plus shipping and handling.) Really, for a minigame collection with only an hour or two worth of content, that price sounds on target. Buy it now before the sale ends! You can finally find out what we were talking about when we said the game reminds us of your mother! [Via CAG]
You can now buy an ugly crossbow peripheral for your Wii
What's the key word in the title Link's Crossbow Training? Many Zelda fans might say that it's "Link," but we're going to say "Crossbow," so let's go with that. At least we can all agree that it's not "Training."Tangent aside, it's possible that you were disappointed by the Wii Zapper bundle. After all, the Zapper is a gun. What kind of crossbow training is that?It was only a matter of time, then, before we saw an actual crossbow peripheral on the market. If you were considering buying this, though, we're sure the plastic ball replacing the arrowhead immediately turned you off. Unless the gun actually lets you shoot arrows (which we doubt), there's really no excuse for that.It's also one of the more expensive Wii "guns" that we've seen, costing a ridiculous $28 dollars. We'll just stick to our Cooking Mama frying pans while playing Link's Crossbow, thank you very much.Wait, um, did we saying frying pan? What we meant to say was Wii Zapper ... oh, damn.[Via Technabob]
Best of 2007: Games that remind me of your mother
I have fond memories of your mother -- yes, all of your mothers. Up until now, I've kept those memories separate from Wii Fanboy, mostly out of professional courtesy. After seeing how most of you ignored Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, however, I have thrown civility out the window. The gloves are off now, and good riddance, as it'd be difficult to type about the games that remind me of your mom while wearing those restrictive mittens.
WRUP: Pew pew edition
Many of you are probably rocking your Wii Zapper (hopefully gunning down some zombies), but there are also other releases to be considered this week. There's just so much to play right now! So, you can imagine our weekend is going to be chock full of game time. What about you? What game (or games) will you be rocking? Did you get a Zapper?
Metareview: Link's Crossbow Training
Four quick explanations for why we're using this lounging lizard for the metareview's post image: Uh, he's green. Just like Link. As you can tell from his pose, he's not too impressed with Link's Crossbow Training. Look at the damn guy. Do we really need to explain ourselves? We wish we could do a metareview on the lizard instead. Consider the lizard a bonus that we're throwing in with this metareview bundle. Priced ridiculously low at $20, Nintendo's Zapper bundle seems like an easy buy for most gamers, but for those of you who're waiting for impressions on its pack-in game, Link's Crossbow Training, we've got you covered. GameDaily -- 80%: While GameDaily feels there's enough in there to keep you playing longer than just an hour or two, the reviewer still wishes there was more to the game: "Although it doesn't have as many options (Practice, four person multiplayer) as Nintendo's famous pack-in, Wii Sports, Crossbow Training will keep you entertained for hours, especially if you love Zelda. And yet, it could have been so much better. Had the developers programmed online leader boards, millions of trigger happy gamers could compete with each other for the best scores." IGN -- 70%: IGN disagrees and says there's less than an hour's worth of content, but is willing to forgive the game due to its cheap price: "Lasting Appeal: Over in less than an hour. A two-player mode cannot be played simultaneously. Even getting all platinums in levels is not overly difficult. But again, it's only $19.99." NintendoWorldReport -- 60%: NWR also has some complaints with Link's Crossbow Training's "multiplayer" support: "The game also features a multiplayer mode that misses on almost every level. Up to four players can be chosen, and then any one level can be chosen. Players then pass the Zapper around as they each play the stage alone. This passive multiplayer would make sense if they were doing it to maintain the integrity of high scores, but high scores aren't even recorded when playing in this mode. Overall, just don't expect the game to be a huge party hit, as most of the people will be sitting and watching, awaiting their turns."
Wii Zapper gets unboxed
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo_wii/Pictures_of_the_Wii_Zapper_and_Link_s_Crossbow_Training_getting_unboxed'; For those of you who've been dying to get your hands on the real new Wii Zapper, feast you eyes on these lovely unboxing pictures. Uploaded by flickr user Marvie_3, we get some nice shots of the Wii Zapper itself, as well as the bundled Link's Crossbow Training. So, put your bib on, grab a tasty beverage and get comfortable, because you've got some drooling to do.Who plans on picking this thing up next week?[Via Go Nintendo]
New Link's Crossbow Training screens show us old haunts
Those of you salivating for a quick dose of Link's Crossbow Training, fret no more! New screens have arrived, for your viewing pleasure. The quality of these shots aren't as nice as the ones we previously showed you, but you can get the gist of the game. For the most part, you're put in Twilight Princess environments (like the Snowpeak Ruins, shown above). This makes sense, considering the game is only a pack-in using the Twilight Princess engine, but it might not be enough to inspire Europeans to shell out the extra cash for a zapper. We suppose only time will tell.
Europeans to pay double for Zapper this December
Though some would argue that €30 (approximately $43, thanks to the devalued US dollar) isn't much to ask for Nintendo's official Wii Zapper and Link's Crossbow Training, when the same bundle will be selling for less than half that in North America, Nintendo of Europe's price point starts to sound like a rip-off.But that's how much Europeans can expect to pay if they hope to pick up the Wii Zapper set. According to NintendojoFR, the overpriced accessory ships out this December 8th, just in time to rob you before the holiday season. For those of you in the US and planning to pick it up for $20 this November 19th, would you spend $43 on the bundle?
