supermariogalaxy
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Super Mario Galaxy glitch forces you to reload game
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/videos/gaming/Super_Mario_Galaxy_glitch_forces_you_to_reload_game'; Turns out, there might be a glitch in that copy of Super Mario Galaxy you've been playing. During an encounter with Bowser in the game, one person found that they could knock Bowser off of the planet they were engaging him on, freaking out the camera and causing the game to halt all progress. Hopefully, this won't happen to us, because reloading the game during a fight with Bowser would be all kinds of annoying.Has anyone else encountered this problem?[Thanks, Martin B!]
Do complex games face an uncertain future on the Wii?
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Do_complex_games_face_an_uncertain_future_on_the_Wii'; During its first four days on sale in the US, Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure sold approximately 30,000 copies. A week later, it had added 15,000 to that total. Hardly breathtaking figures in a nation with over 3.7 million Wiis in its bedrooms and living rooms, and the game also struggled to leave a mark in its homeland, where it is known as Takarajima Z: Barbaros no Hihou. There's no doubt about it: Capcom's splendid piratey adventure has, as much as it saddens us, flopped. On the face of it, the game's commercial failure might seem odd. After all, Zack & Wiki earned eye-catching scores from a number of reviewers, while IGN's Matt Casamassina loved it so much, he frothed and raved about it non-stop for four months, before slapping a 90% on it come review time. Its bright, attractive visuals, cute character design, and puzzley action were seemingly the perfect ingredients for massmarket appeal. Ultimately however, it sank faster than a holed galleon. %Gallery-3283%
No Super Mario Galaxy 'R' Us
Yes, we made the trek to Toys "R" Us yesterday to purchase Super Mario Galaxy and take advantage of the "Free $25 Gift Card" offer, only to come out empty-handed. We haven't been this depressed since James died in Good Times.We weren't the only ones who found ourselves sans Super Mario Galaxy, as many are reporting similar experiences with the toy superstore. Some locations only received enough copies to cover preorders, while others quickly sold out of their limited stock. In our case, as well as many of our reader's, we waited around for an hour with several dozen anxious customers before a manager announced that DHL hadn't made its delivery to the store. Hell was raised and magazine racks were knocked over, but to no avail.How did your Toys "R" Us experience go? Were you able to acquire Super Mario Galaxy, the free gift card, and the preorder bonus coin without any problems? Or did you mope around all night like we did, walking aimlessly from room to room, head hanging dejectedly while the sad music from A Charlie Brown Christmas played.
Mario brings his sexy back at 'Galaxy' launch party
"That's a real nice ass," blurted the DJ as Mario jiggled his backside in front of a Super Mario Galaxy backdrop. The scene was something out of "Mario's Bar Mitzvah," CAG's Wombat observed inside a crowded lot adjacent to New York's Nintendo World Store where an awkward clash of tweens, performing impromptu dance routines to yesterday's Top 40, and bundled-up twenty-somethings merged in the dwindling hours of a chilly Sunday night. Despite a Velcro wall and bungee run, some laser lights, and an abundance of Mario-equipped Wii kiosks, the Galaxy launch party never escalated into the full-on carnival that Nintendo had envisioned -- next time, don't forget the funnel cake.The ringleader was too disoriented to command the crowd, perhaps punchy (it gets hot in those suits) as he latched on to an attractive mom. Urged by the DJ to bring his sexy back, we couldn't fault Mario for his diverted interest. But is it really cougar hunting season already?%Gallery-10130%
Wii releases for the week of November 12th
Wow, that's a lot of games releasing this week. And they all look like they're going to be good games, as well. Not to mention that we finally get our hands on Super Mario Galaxy, which we've been been anxiously awaiting. For all of you who lucked out at your local Best Buy, we're glad to say we're finally joining the ranks of those who've been enjoying the game.This week's releases are: Super Mario Galaxy Geometry Wars: Galaxies Cars: Mater National Spongebob: Atlantis Squarepantis Medal of Honor Heroes 2 Need for Speed Pro Street Petz Catz 2 Petz Horsez 2 Petz Dogz 2 Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles Tomb Raider Anniversary Smarty Pants WWE Smackdown Vs. RAW 2008
Fanswag: Win a copy of Super Mario Galaxy
Wait, did you read that post title? It implies that we have just about the greatest game ever to give away. Oh, wait ... what is this? We do?! Why, yes we do! We have one copy of Super Mario Galaxy to give away to one lucky reader. Holy cow, that is a sweet giveaway, if we may say so ourselves.So, what do you need to do to get your hands on our game? Well, first of all, you have to tell us what your favorite stage is from any of the Super Mario games. It can be from Super Mario 64, Super Mario Bros. 2, or any of the other games starring the Italian plumber. Tell us what your favorite is and why.Of course, you have to be 18 years of age or older and live in the United States. Also, you'll have to check out the rules page. Finally, you'll have to cross your fingers and get your entry in before Thursday, November 15th at 11:59PM EST. We'll let you know who wins come Friday.Good luck!
New games this week: Super Mario Galaxy edition
See, now this is where it gets punishing. Kiss your poor wallet "Adios!" friends, because we're staring down the barrel of a really tough week. Sure, there's Super Mario Galaxy, and it's an easy choice for the featured pick (much like Baby, nobody puts the plumber in the corner). But he's also got an insane lineup of hot titles on his heels, including Crysis, Assassin's Creed, BlackSite: Area 51, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. And there's ... more. You can check out the full list after the break, you poor, soon-to-be-broke sap -- it may just be the last time you can do so before your computer gets repossessed.
Miyamoto talks Super Mario Galaxy co-op
Nintendo's corporate Wii site has an "interview" between Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and Nintendo guru Shigeru Miyamoto, meaning it's not exactly the most authentic conversation you'll read this decade. There is, however, something interesting about Miyamoto's ideas on co-op in Super Mario Galaxy.Now, if you read it on the American Wii site the headline is "Cooperative Game Play, a Secular Challenge," while on the British site it's "The Old Issue of Two-Player Play." Either way, Miyamoto explains that Galaxy was originally going to have more cooperative elements (like the second person might have controlled jumping, for instance), but a player would only end up getting in the other's way. By having the second player collecting things on screen and being able to point at objects, Miyamoto envisions parents being able to play with their children and the generations assisting each other in the experience. Considering Mario has always been a solo experience (or a player-at-bat concept), it'll be nice to have a friend or significant other be able to do something other than watch. It's a subtle co-op design choice, but one we can see other games picking up if it works.
Meta(video)review: Super Mario Galaxy [update]
Update: IGN has finally gotten around to their video review, so we added it. Thanks to SuperDave for the heads up, yet again!A couple of outlets have already tossed up video reviews for the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy. What we've done is collected them all past the break for a special video version of our Metareview feature. Past the break is three different video reviews for the game, neatly situated for your viewing pleasure. If you want to go into the game pure, however, then you might not want to check them out.
Super Mario Galaxy party at NYC Nintendo World Store this Sunday
Hey New Yorkers, what'cha doing this Sunday evening? Watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? Oh, you're watching "football"? Wait, is that the same thing as Madden? Nevertheless, you'll want to ask the TiVo to take care of your teevee and instead head over to the Nintendo World Store at 10 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City (yes, the same place that had the Phantom Hourglass event about a month ago) for a special Super Mario Galaxy launch event. Here's the details, as just shared with us by the Big N: Festivities include a DJ, dancers, a Velcro wall, a bungee run, a trivia contest, a laser light show inside the building (we imagine it will be preceded by a Nintendo safety warning, so epileptics, stay at home), Mario himself (no word on Dr. Buzz Aldrin), and 250 Wii systems for the chronically Wii-less masses out there. The shindig starts at 8pm, but that don't mean you shouldn't get there earlier; they'll close at 10pm and reopen again at midnight when the game officially goes on sale (for those of you who don't already have it). The 'stiq oughta be there, what about you?
Super Mario Galaxy sells 251k its first week
We're not the type to equate a game's sales with its quality or our enjoyment of the title, but we're still a little disappointed with these low numbers for Super Mario Galaxy. Media Create, Japan's digital entertainment tracking service, reported that only 251,000 copies of Nintendo's high-profile platformer were sold in its first week of release.While selling a quarter-million of anything seems impressive, let's, once again, compare that number with first-week sales data for previous Mario games and recent blockbusters: New Super Mario Bros. - 900,000 Super Mario Sunshine - 280,000 Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core - 486,659 Mario Party 8 - 265,000 Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen And The Tower Of Mirrors - 263,000 We expect Super Mario Galaxy to stay near the top of the sales chart until, at least, the end of the year, offering itself up to shoppers as the perfect holiday gaming gift. We fear, however, that Super Mario Galaxy's low numbers -- as well as Metroid Prime 3's and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess', for that matter -- may point towards a negative sales trend for epic/hardcore titles that Nintendo won't be able to ignore. Peek past the post break to see how other games fared in Japan this past week.
Super Mario Galaxy sells 250K first week in Japan
Super Mario Galaxy, also known as the game Wii owners have been waiting for, is #1 on the Japanese sales charts. Galaxy sold a quarter million units its first week of release. But, but, but "Teh Haloz" sold much more than that the fanboys will scream. Yes, but that's a launch in the US and we're talking about one island in the Pacific currently. A quarter million units in the first week is a good start.The Galaxy sales were equal to the rest of the top ten selling games combined. The full top ten list by Media Create can be found after the break. November will certainly be an interesting month to see the NPD numbers in the States ... oh right, that might not happen.
Metareview: Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Super Mario Galaxy might not be out until next week but all the reviews are pretty much in. It's a hit with the critics! According to almost every review it is the game Wii owners have been waiting for (but please don't forget about Zack and Wiki, if only for the sake of third-party support). Galaxy is apparently the evolution of the platformer and Wii owners will only need to wait a little bit longer -- unless they get lucky. Game Informer (98/100): "Galaxy also makes great use of the Wii's motion-sensing controls. While Mario's general movement is handled beautifully on the nunchuk's analog stick, many feats require a shake of the remote or a steady pointing hand. If you have a second Wii remote, you can also experience one of the coolest and most inventive non-traditional co-op modes in any game. The second player doesn't control a character, but rather a star. This player can pick up collectible items, and can also freeze enemies or projectiles in their tracks, which can be a great aid." GameSpot (95/100): "You could probably swap in just about any other characters from practically any other franchise, and this would still be a phenomenally fun game. That it layers all these memorable characters and components on top of that phenomenal design just makes it all the sweeter. If ever there were a must-own Wii game, Super Mario Galaxy is it." 1UP (95/100): "Galaxy is one of the most impressive, engrossing games in recent memory -- and quite the contrast to the rest of this year's triple-A gaming crop, which tends toward the dark, the M-rated, and the first-person perspective. Gaming may be growing up (per se), but gamers will always appreciate beautifully polished gameplay and inventive design...even if it's sugarcoated with squeaky baby stars and a goofy cartoon of a hero. Galaxy proves that Mario matters just as much today as he did 25 years ago, and that makes him one of a kind in this medium. But don't play Galaxy simply because Mario is the timeless godfather of gaming. No, play Galaxy because it's fantastic.."
Rumor: Some Best Buys selling Super Mario Galaxy early
You know we love it when stores break street dates, so we're sort of hoping the (so far unsubstantiated) rumors that some Best Buys are selling Super Mario Galaxy early are true. According to this GameFAQs forum thread (yeah, we know, just stick with us, okay?) some Best Buys have received copies of Super Mario Galaxy and, since there's no official release date, they're selling them as they come in. Now, if you're like us, something about that rings false. That's right: Reggie announced the game's release date as November 12 at E3 earlier this year. Normally, we'd shrug it off and hit the bars early, but we spotted a purported pic (with obligatory receipt) of the game over at Go Nintendo that once again imbued us with rays of cosmic hope. We'll leave it at that and pass the whole thing off to you for further inquiry. So, readers, anyone happen to score a copy of Super Mario Galaxy early and, if so, what say you share a little pic of your plunder with good ol' Joystiq? [Via Wii Fanboy] Read – I went to Best Buy Today.... And They HAD it!Ogle – Best Buy locations breaking Super Mario Galaxy street date
The best thing you'll see today: Mario vs. Buzz Aldrin
So what's more disturbing to you personally? Is it that this video of Mario wrestling with Buzz Aldrin in zero gravity exists? Or is it that at the Super Mario Galaxy marketing meeting someone stood up and said "I have the perfect idea..." and followed it up with this?We're still deciding if we're more in love with the most erotic zero G scene since Barbarella or the part where Buzz Aldrin, Dr. Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon Dr. Buzz Aldrin is forced to talk about what a great job "Super Duper Mario" did during his flight. Just to reiterate: Someone suggested this. And they weren't shot with a tranquilizer dart. Hell, they may have been promoted. At least now we know how Nintendo's spending all that Wii money: On hallucinogenic mushrooms big enough to choke Mr. Snuffleupagus.
A video where Buzz Aldrin doesn't punch someone
You know, maybe we shouldn't make light of an incident where someone accused a national hero of faking one of the United States' most historic events, but we can't help it. If we remember Buzz Aldrin for one thing, it's punching someone in the face. Oh, and his moon landing thing.Anyway, the above video comes from the meeting between Buzz and Mario we talked about a few days ago. So, if you, like us, were left kind of confused about the whole thing, then check out the video above.
Check your local Best Buy, they could be selling Super Mario Galaxy right now
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo_wii/Best_Buy_breaking_street_date_on_Super_Mario_Galaxy'; Several of the folks frequenting the message boards over at GameFAQS are reporting that several Best Buy locations have broken the street date for Super Mario Galaxy. These lucky folk who were able to walk into their local Best Buy and walk out with a wrapped copy of Super Mario Galaxy not only win what is sure to be the best Wii game of the year (Sorry, Metroid Prime 3. We still BFF?), but also our unadulterated hate. Why? Because our local Best Buy is closed at the time of this report.Now, before you get all up in arms that this is only the crazed ramblings of a GameFAQS forum poster, know that several in the lengthy thread have come out of the woodwork to confirm this. Know, also, that some have claimed to be managers at other retail locations and Best Buy itself, stating that it isn't normal to receive product a week before release. So, take it as you will, but you can bet when morning hits, we'll be heading over to our local Best Buy to try our luck.%Gallery-4735%[Thanks, Ben C!]
Let's promote our game by hanging out with an old dude
When Nintendo sent us an email this weekend, we had some trouble making it out. We found images of Mario and Buzz Aldrin hanging out in a zero gravity environment, but we failed to see just how this coming together of the two celebrates the release of the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy. Seriously, it was just a press release of a couple of images depicting the two hanging out.As responsible bloggers, we felt obligated to present them. But, we're sure that after this little photo shoot, the inside of that Mario suit must smell something awful. And, we hope the person inside remembered the cardinal rule of being around Buzz: don't ever say he faked the moon landing.See what we mean past the post break.
Buy Super Mario Galaxy at Toys 'R' Us, get a $25 gift card
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/nintendo_wii/Buy_Super_Mario_Galaxy_at_TRU_Get_25_Gift_Card'; If you had plans to buy Super Mario Galaxy at any other store besides Toys "R" Us, it looks like you're going to have to change them; this deal is too good to pass up. An upcoming weekly circular (11/11-11-17) reveals that the giraffe-fronted retailer will be rewarding anyone who makes an in-store purchase of Super Mario Galaxy with a $25 gift card. Here's a quick list of possible things you can buy at Toys "R" Us with the free $25, according to their online shop: 2000 Nintendo Wii Points Card Wii Classic Controller or Nunchuck Controller Nyko Nintendo Wii Charge Station Picross DS Bratz Talk Back Alarm Clock [Via CAG]
Rumor: Super Mario Galaxy sells 130k first day
Despite the weak crowds queuing outside of game shops yesterday in Japan, an estimated 130,000 people opened their wallets for Super Mario Galaxy's first day of sales, according to Japanese blogger and ninja sales reporter Sinobi. That seems like a lot, right? Well, while that's an excellent figure for most other titles and publishers, many were expecting much higher numbers for this major release. Let's compare that 130,000 with some first-week sales data for past entries to the series and recent games. New Super Mario Bros. - 900,000 Super Mario Sunshine - 280,000 Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core - 486,659 Mario Party 8 - 265,000 Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen And The Tower Of Mirrors - 263,000 Of course, Super Mario Galaxy still has a lot of months ahead to pick up sales, as the moustachioed plumber has proven many times in the past that his releases have legs. Also, it's not as if the numbers are any indication of the game's quality. Still, it's a bit distressing to think of such a high-profile release from Nintendo generating so-so sales.
