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New Wii Sports Resort bundle packs two MotionPlus add-ons, coming Oct. 12
Nintendo has a steady stream of announcements flowing forth during Tokyo Game Show week, this time involving a new, limited release of Wii Sports Resort which will include two Wii MotionPlus remote add-ons. Set to arrive at retail on October 12 -- and coexist with the current single MotionPlus SKU -- this set will be available "while supplies last" and carry a price tag of $59.99 ($10 more than the "basic" Wii Sports Resort).It's definitely a good deal for all two of the Wii owners who haven't already picked up the game, considering that they'll be getting an extra MotionPlus for 10 bucks, instead of the usual $19.99. We somehow get the feeling that if this bundle does well -- which we can't see it doing anything but -- it'll be the $49.99 SKU that eventually vanishes.
Rumor: No Euro Wii price cut, new bundle to include both Wii Sports games, MotionPlus
Just like we saw earlier this year with the PlayStation 3 Slim, the rumor mill is churning at breakneck pace -- though this time around a possible Nintendo Wii price cut rather than a slimmer console. Aside from multiple retailer listings and today's alleged internal Best Buy memo, MCV reports that a "retail source" told it the UK won't be receiving the same price cut that North America and Japan are expected to receive. Instead, the current model will be given the bundle treatment.GamesIndustry.biz spotted the new bundle on ShopTo.net -- it has since been removed, though an image and a shell of the page still exist -- which includes both Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort as well as a MotionPlus attachment, for the same £199.99 ($326.76) the system is priced at now. If it is true, at least UK Wii buyers will be getting a bit more for their pounds. It's not quite the Duck Hunt/Super Mario Bros. with a Zapper combo of yore, but it'll have to do.Source -- No Wii price cut for UK [GamesIndustry.biz]Source -- New UK Wii bundle leaked [MCV]
The Batman remains atop UK sales charts
For a second consecutive week, Batman: Arkham Asylum has countered the incoming blows of Wii Sports Resort, leaving the brooding hero perched at the very top spot of the UK sales charts. Chart Track notes the Dark Knight's sales are down 27 percent in the second week, a slide softened by Sony's PlayStation 3 price drop.The real beneficiary of Sony's slim console is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which shot up seven spots on the charts with a 128-percent increase in sales. The PS3 versions of COD: World at War and Fight Night Round 4 also got a bump after the drop.Source -- Batman hangs on to No1 (Chart Track)Source -- All formats chart (Chart Track)
Wii Sports Resort: The lost games
In an email interview with Wired, Wii Sports Resort producer Katsuya Eguchi revealed that, beyond the twelve events included in the final game, even more were planned that didn't quite make it in the game."We considered fishing and a water slide activity before deciding on the final twelve events," Eguchi said. We're having a hard time imagining a controllable, skill-based water slide game, which may have been one reason it didn't end up in Resort. "As for more unconventional concepts, we created a pretty fun prototype of kendama, a traditional Japanese toy, that just didn't fit the game's theme." So, a toy didn't fit the "resort" theme, but fighting with fake swords was completely appropriate? Working at Nintendo is complicated.
Wii Sports Resort lands in one million US homes
Nintendo's tropical minigame getaway, Wii Sports Resort, has managed to entice one million gamers in the US, the publisher has announced. Debuting July 26, it didn't take the game long to reach that number (it sold 508,000 in July), and we're sure that we'll be writing another post like this one in a month or so when the game reaches two million in sales. Anyone taking bets?
Wii Sports Resort barely bests Wolfenstein in the UK
We're not sure what's more impressive: That a cricket game was actually outselling Wii Sports Resort for two weeks in the UK, or that Nintendo's latest minigame melange only outsold Wolfenstein by 2,000 copies for the week of August 16 to 22. That's what the latest numbers and report from Chart Track show, placing the id Software / Raven shooter at the top of the PS3, 360 and PC charts for its first week on sale.We'll have to wait for NPD's numbers to see how the FPS fared on this side of the pond, but it's pretty obvious that -- the world over -- everybody loves killing some Nazis. Take a peek after the break to see what else the Brits have been buying up lately.Source -- Chart Trak, week ending 8/22Source -- Wii Sports Resort keeps Wolfenstein at bay
Papercraft recreates Wii Sports Resort's Wuhu Island
You know, we often wonder why we don't have a large, flammable recreation of Wii Sports Resort's Wuhu Island sitting on our desk, but then we remember most of our work is done while being chained to a laptop in some random dungeon in Philadelphia. While we may be starved for sunlight (not to mention just plain starving), seeing things like this piece of papercraft gives us hope. Hope that we can make cheap pieces of art when we're finally so malnourished that we can slip out of our shackles. Hit up the gallery below for more Nintendo-inspired papercraft, including this awesome Wolf Link.%Gallery-22769%
Analyst: July Wii hardware sales lowest since launch
According to Broadpoint AmTech analyst Ben Schachter, the Wii hardware sales numbers that NPD reported yesterday were the lowest since the November 2006 launch of the system. "Although Wii Sports Resort sold well," he commented to IndustryGamers, "it appears to have offered little lift to Wii hardware sales, increasing the probability in our view that Nintendo must lower the price soon (we expect a September cut)."Of course, Schachter didn't mention the Wii's position relative to its competitors. Considering that the Wii's worst month ever meant that it plummeted into the #1 position among home consoles, and #2 overall behind the DS, it's possible that Nintendo could see this a bit differently from analysts and ... price drop enthusiasts.
July NPD: Hardware sales slide, Wii Sports Resort soars
By now, you're already aware that Wii Sports Resort sold more than 500k copies in the US alone during July. Who would ever have thought that a Wii Sports sequel would do so well? Despite the game's success, the platform it calls home saw a 30% drop-off in sales for the month. In fact, see all that red down there? Sales of every console were down.-DS: 539K227K (-29%) -Wii: 253K108K (-30%) -Xbox 360: 203K37K (-15%)-PSP: 123K41K (-25%) -PS3: 122K42K (-25%) -PS2: 108K45K (-29%Check out the software sales chart after the break.
Nintendo: No plans for Wii Sports Resort bundle
Having released a new (and popular) Wii Sports, it seems fairly obvious that Nintendo would start bundling that with Wii hardware, right? Well, Nintendo rarely does the obvious. In an interview with Toronto Thumbs, Nintendo of Canada's Matt Ryan dismissed the idea of a new bundle in the near future. "The long-term plan is difficult to say, but I can tell you that there are no plans to make Wii Sports Resort what is packed in with the Wii purchase," Ryan said, adding "What is in the Wii box will remain the same." In case you couldn't pick up the subtext, he reiterated "Wii Sports Resort will not replace Wii Sports."Why not? Ryan described Resort as "more full-on software that you're used to purchasing at retail at that price point," while the original Wii Sports is "designed to show off what the Wii Remote can do." Although Japanese consumers have had no issues with buying separate copies of Wii Sports.Normally, we'd just assume that there is a plan for a bundle, but Nintendo doesn't want to talk about it -- except that there haven't been official bundles for Wii Fit or Mario Kart Wii. Like we said, Nintendo avoids the obvious.%Gallery-27741%
Wii Sports Resort puts MotionPlus in over 600,000 European homes
We knew that Wii Sports Resort was selling well in Europe. Today, Nintendo told GamesIndustry.biz just how well: over 600,000 copies in its two weeks of release, even more than have sold in North America. That's not only good news for the game, but also for the prospects for future MotionPlus use -- the more the game sells, the more of the Wii audience has the device, and the more likely developers are to support it. Who knew that a sequel to a ridiculously popular game could also be popular? Somebody should tell all the struggling publishers like EA and Activision about this. %Gallery-68619%
Wii Sports Resort sells over 500K in US
Even Miss Cleo could've predicted this one. Nintendo's follow-up to console pack-in Wii Sports has done exceedingly well, as Nintendo has revealed Wii Sports Resort has managed to sell over 500,000 copies in the US since its July 26 release. Combined with the game's strong sales in the UK, it's safe to say Nintendo has a bona fide hit on its hands. Waitaminute, did we just type that? A Nintendo game managed to make money? We must be stuck in the Twilight Zone again.
Iwata continues to deny Wii price drop
Following its quarterly financial report, Nintendo released an investor Q&A with president Satoru Iwata. It has yet to be released in English, but Andriasang translated a few key excerpts. Most notably, Iwata's continued denial of any plans for a Wii price drop. "At present, we're not thinking of doing anything with the price," he said. Not that he'd announce it beforehand. Iwata didn't mention it, but we suspect the black Wii will reinvigorate sales in Japan, even at the original price.Iwata also admitted that last holiday's Wii lineup, specifically Wii Music and Animal Crossing: City Folk, didn't have the long-term sales Nintendo expects from its big titles. He has high hopes for this year's big three games: Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. In fact, he expects all three of these to break ten million sold by March 2010, the end of Nintendo's fiscal year.
UK chart get: Wii Sports Resort soars
Nintendo's latest flagship title continues to dominate the UK sales charts. According to Chart Track, Wii Sports Resort is the top-selling title for the second week in a row. After two weeks at fourth place, Wii Fit returns to second -- we guess people were just in a mood to buy things with Wii in the title last week. We suspect the top two will look much like this for a while -- Resort may just be starting an extended period of Wii Fit-like success.If they weren't buying games labeled Wii, they were buying things with the EA logo. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 is at the number three spot, followed by Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince and Fight Night Round 4.
Metareview: Wii Sports Resort
OK, so maybe high quality from a first-party Nintendo title isn't surprising necessarily, but we can't help but be a little shocked at how much we and the rest of the enthusiast press have been enjoying it. But, in the inimitable words of LeVar Burton, it's not necessary for you to take our word for it. Giant Bomb (100/100): "Unless you're the kind of sullen misanthrope who can only feel at peace when getting headshots with some kind of virtual scope, you'll surely find something about Wii Sports Resort that keeps both you and your non-gaming friends or family coming back for more." 1UP (A-): "Like Wii Sports, not every minigame in Resort is worth your time, but almost every one is unlocked right from the start, so you're free to ignore whatever parts you don't like and focus on the events you have the most fun with." Joystiq: "Wii Sports Resort deserves to be in every Wii owner's library, whether you're a hardcore gamer or someone who only occasionally picks up the Wiimote and Nunchuk. It has every sport unlocked out of the box, but for those that want to spend the time, there are plenty of variations to unlock in the long run. Some of the games are tiring (looking at you, Canoeing!), but overall Wuhu Island has plenty to enjoy and is a necessary destination for anyone that enjoyed Wii Sports." PGNX Media (93/100): "Even though Nintendo didn't hit 12/12 I'd say that four of the games (Swordplay, Archery, Table Tennis and Power Cruising) are amazing, must-play experiences, another four (Basketball, Canoeing, Air Sports and Wake Boarding) are fantastic, and the rest (excluding Cycling) are worth a few play throughs."
Joyswag: Wii Sports Resort + 2 MotionPlus adapters [update]
Update: Thanks for playing, folks! The giveaway has come to a close and we'll be selecting our winner via email, so keep an eye on your inbox!That's right, folks! Joyswag coming your way again, this time with some Wuhu Island action. One lucky winner will walk away with Wii Sports Resort (including MotionPlus) ($50 ARV) and one additional MotionPlus controller ($30ARV). So, let's get down to it! Leave a comment telling us where your best vacation was and why You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day This entry period ends at 11:59 am ET on Wednesday, August 5 At that time, we'll randomly select one grand-prize winner to receive Wii Sports Resort (including MotionPlus) ($50 ARV) and one additional MotionPlus controller ($30ARV) For a list of complete rules, click here Good luck!
Video interview: Nintendo of America's Bill Trinen
Last week, we visited Nintendo's impressive display at Times Square. The company gathered a few tons of sand and recreated a tropical getaway in the middle of NYC's busiest intersection. We caught up with Nintendo of America's Bill Trinen to chat about Wii MotionPlus, Wii Sports Resort, Pikmin 3, Wii Speak, and a few other things. Trinen explained Nintendo's future plans for MotionPlus, and explained why Nintendo isn't afraid of Sony and Microsoft's upcoming plans to add motion controls to their systems.Catch the full video interview above.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: More Wii Sports Resort
Nintendo's marketing train keeps chugging along, as Wii Sports Resort once again takes over the Nintendo Channel. This week's highlight is a pretty slick commercial for the game that, while nice, fails to really highlight some of the best parts of the game. Where's the wakeboarding? Where's the cycling?
UK chart get: Tourists flock to Wii Sports Resort
Now that Nintendo has finally started chartering some flights to lovely Wuhu Island, folks have been eager to snap up Wii Sports Resort for their very own ticket. In the UK, Chart Track data shows the follow-up to 2006's console pack-in is quite the popular little piece of software, as the sequel earned the top spot on last week's All Formats chart. Strong start, but will it have the staying power of Wii Fit?Last week's winner, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, has thus been bumped down to the second spot, with EA's other darling, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, snagging bronze.%Gallery-27709%
This is how you build a tropical island in Times Square
Nintendo's conversion of Times Square into a tropical island getaway for Wii Sports Resort was nothing short of astounding. Imagine having to set up an area with tons of sand poured into the middle of one of NYC's busiest intersections, a makeshift wading pool, and nearly a dozen Wii systems available for demos. It's a huge effort, as you can see by this impressive timelapse video of the setup.%Gallery-68619%
