Amazon.com has compiled a list which represents what sold best during the year of 2009 in their videogame category. The big winner would have to be Nintendo — nine of the top ten things sold last year, were a Nintendo product. We should note that it is not just a game title that Amazon considered, but they also took in account accessories as well, and we all know the Wii has a ton of those.
The top three were not even a game; the Wii system, a Wiimote controller and the Wii MotionPlus accessory are listed respectively. The first game to be on the list is Nintendo’s New Super Mario Bros. Wii at number four, followed by the Wii Nunchuck controller, and the expansion pack Wii Fit Plus with the Balance Board chimed, in at number six. The heavily marketed Wii Sports Resort stands at number seven, with the original Wii Fit right behind it. The first non-Nintendo product to be included on the list is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for the Xbox 360 at number nine, but than amazingly Mario Kart for the Wii is next to that.
The first time Sony even has something on the list, is at number 11, which is nothing more than the Dualshock 3 controller. The first game by Sony was Modern Warfare 2, but sadly is listed at number 13.
Obviously these numbers are only for the online retailer Amazon.com and does not actually speak for the industry as a whole in 2009. But this list does prove Nintendo has experienced another great year, while their competitors are still playing catchup and last year might have proven to be the final nail in the coffin.
Tonight is one of the biggest nights in the videogame industry because Spike TV is broadcasting the seventh annual Video Game Awards. While it pales in comparison to such conventions as the Electronic Entertainment Expo; it does give us a glimpse into what games we should expect in 2010 — thanks to the world premier trailers, announcements and surprises during the show. Not only that, it will honor the very best of what 2009 had to offer, by handing out select VMA awards to the outstanding titles of this past year.
After the jump, we will live blog the award ceremony. If all you want to see is the latest trailer, just refresh our homepage, and it will be below this live blog — as we are making this a sticky post until the show ends.(more…)
Ubisoft has just confirmed a new Prince of Persia game, subtitled “The Forgotten Sands,” is going to be available for next-generation consoles and handhelds. According to the small official press release, the next installment of the highly-praised series is expected to launch sometime in May of 2010. What is probably not a coincidence is the fact that Disney is set to release the film adaption of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time the same month and year.
Not only that, Ubisoft revealed this next PoP game is going to “feature many of the fan-favorite elements from the original series as well as new gameplay innovations.” Is it sounding like a sequel to the 2004 critically-acclaimed The Sands of Time to you? Well of course it does and the company confirmed it will be returning to the storyline of the Sands of Time. Although, I’m not convinced it’ll follow the game — but rather the film.
All and all, the publisher looks as though they’re trying to capitalize as much as they can when the film hits theaters, as they obviously should. Every time a new Prince of Persia hits stores the game does very well with the critics; however, they don’t seem to sell like they should — hopefully the film will help this next version become a blockbuster.
I should also note that the “Prince” has had a different look in every game he had starred in. It will be interesting to see if this time around he’ll look more like Jake Gyllenhaa from the Prince in the film, or be more like the videogame character of The Sands of Time.
During the E3 press conference, Nintendo revealed a new Metroid game called Metroid: The Other M. Many wonder with the announcement what will happen with the beloved Prime series because it was evident that this new introduction to the famous series has nothing to do with the past three Metroids released.
While speaking with ONM, Nintendo’s Kensuke Tanabe teased the magazine that the Prime series could be making a return, but not for the Wii. “We are always planning to make new games in the Metroid Prime series,” said Tanabe. “Depending on the timing and the situation, we cannot deny the possibility of realizing it on DS or DSi.”
Is it me, or did he just confirm a new Metroid Prime has been greenlit for the popular handheld?It’s not to big of a surprise to hear that, considering an ‘installment’ of the Prime games was already released for the DS. If you remember, Metroid Prime: Hunters was launched back in 2006 and was heavily inspired as an online multiplayer shooter. While getting decent reviews from various outlets, we haven’t seen a DS sequel since then — so this could finally be just that.
Will keep you updated, but for now — expect to see a new Metroid Prime game for the DS sometime in the future.
With Midway Games going bankrupt earlier this year, the Chicago based-company has been looking for ways to sell the rest of their assets that Warner Bros. was unable to own after their takeover bid. The professional wrestling organization TNA, signed with Midway a few years for the company to develop a titles based of the semi-popular wrestling league, which when it came out had subpar reviews. TNA happens to be one of these ‘assets’ that Warner Bros. couldn’t own when they took-over Midway.
The publisher SouthPeak Games, has announced that they have acquired the TNA license for TNA and are underway developing two games for the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP, called TNA Impact: Cross the Line. No word if this was a title already being developed by Midway, or if SouthPeak has decided on their own on what ‘consoles’ the future game should be available for.
Have any of you ever taken a controller and threw it up against a wall, due to a fit of anger? I know I’ve been guilty of doing just that because of an intense online battle? Do I have anger issues? Probably, but hey — sometimes you can’t stop the rage. One thing I didn’t know, is I was one photo shot away from capturing something beautiful.
French gaming publication Amazement did something similar with their sixth issue and took a snapshot of the action. They grabbed a camera and caught a red DS blasting through a wall (picture above). It’s pretty freaking cool if you ask me, and makes me wish someone would try the exact same thing but use a video camera that can record at 1000 frames-per-second. How cool would it be too see a DS break into small pieces because of the impact?
Have any of you ever taken a controller and threw it up against a wall, due to a fit of anger? I know I’ve been guilty of doing just that because of an intense online battle? Do I have anger issues? Probably, but hey — sometimes you can’t stop the rage. One thing I didn’t know, is I was one photo shot away from capturing something beautiful.
French gaming publication Amazement did something similar with their sixth issue and took a snapshot of the action. They grabbed a camera and caught a red DS blasting through a wall (picture above). It’s pretty freaking cool if you ask me, and makes me wish someone would try the exact same thing but use a video camera that can record at 1000 frames-per-second. How cool would it be too see a DS break into small pieces because of the impact?
The day after Thanksgiving, otherwise known as Black Friday, is a few weeks away and most retailers cut the price of their products to lure people into the store. Every year, these sales are leaked onto the Internet and websites report the deals and share it with their readers. Today, Gamerdeals is reporting what Sears plans which videogames will be a ‘doorbuster’ on November 27, 2009.
We should note this has not be confirmed by Sears, nor have we actually seen the flyer — so take it what it’s worth. The games that are on sale for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are pretty decent, most are only about $20 less than the original price of $59.99. And the Wii titles are only about ten-bucks off. That said, I don’t think it would even be worth heading down to the retailer and wait in a line that could honestly take hours just to checkout. If the titles were only $20 each, than maybe — but I don’t need to save $20 on Halo: ODST and loose two hours of my life either.
After the jump check out the supposed list at Sears.
Xbox 360
•Brutal Legend – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Dragon Age: Origins – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Need for Speed: Shift – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Halo 3 ODST – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Left 4 Dead – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Forza 3 Motorsport – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Kit – $49.99 (Save $20) Doorbuster
PS3
•Brutal Legend – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Dragon Age: Origins – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Need for Speed: Shift – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Kit – $49.99 (Save $20) Doorbuster
The day after Thanksgiving, otherwise known as Black Friday, is a few weeks away and most retailers cut the price of their products to lure people into the store. Every year, these sales are leaked onto the Internet and websites report the deals and share it with their readers. Today, Gamerdeals is reporting what Sears plans which videogames will be a ‘doorbuster’ on November 27, 2009.
We should note this has not be confirmed by Sears, nor have we actually seen the flyer — so take it what it’s worth. The games that are on sale for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are pretty decent, most are only about $20 less than the original price of $59.99. And the Wii titles are only about ten to twenty bucks off. That said, I don’t think it would even be worth heading down to the retailer and wait in a line that could honestly take hours just to checkout. If the titles were only $20 each, than maybe I would deal with the crowds– but I don’t need to save $20 on Halo: ODST and loose two hours of my life either.
After the jump check out the suppose list from Sears.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has told the Financial Times that his company is “interested” in what Amazon has done with allowing customers who bought the Kindle, the digital E-book unit, have access to the internet without having them have to pay for a service. Amazon allows Kindle users to download books and access the Internet using Whispernet, which is done by communicating with the Sprint EVDO network. Meaning, if someone buys the Kindle, they can download a book for a price from anywhere, without paying for an ISP. “I’m interested because it’s a new business model in which the user doesn’t bear the communications cost,” he told the Times.
People who already own the PSP and/or the DSi and want to download a game instead of purchasing one in a actual store, needs to be connected to a WiFi service. What’s intriguing to Nintendo and other companies (I assume) about the Kindle, is the ability to download a title from anywhere. People who don’t have a WiFi setup, would be able to take advantage of a digital only world and not have to worry about any extra cost.
I also feel this wouldn’t be just limited to a handheld. A big argument some analysts make about videogames or other forms of media being distributed by digital means, is the fact some people don’t have broadband access, especially in rural parts of the country. By having some kind of free ISP or cellular network that the company provides, would solve this glaring problem. Of course for that to happen, the technology needs to become cheaper and more advance because unlike books, the size of the download for a game is considerably larger, although, more so with a home console.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has told the Financial Times that he is “interested” in what Amazon has done with allowing customers who bought the Kindle, the digital E-book unit, have access to the internet without having them have to pay for a service. Amazon allows Kindle users to download books and access the Internet using Whispernet, which is done by communicating with the Sprint EVDO network. Meaning, if someone buys the Kindle, they can download a book for a price from anywhere, without paying for an ISP. “I’m interested because it’s a new business model in which the user doesn’t bear the communications cost,” he told the Times.
People who already own the PSP and/or the DSi and want to download a game instead of purchasing one in a actual store, needs to be connected to a WiFi service. What’s intriguing to Nintendo and other companies (I assume) about the Kindle, is the ability to download a title from anywhere. People who don’t have a WiFi setup, would be able to take advantage of a digital only world and not have to worry about any extra cost.
I also feel this wouldn’t be just limited to a handheld. A big argument some analysts make about videogames or other forms of media being distributed by digital means, is the fact some people don’t have broadband access, especially in rural parts of the country. By having some kind of free ISP or cellular network that the company provides, would solve this glaring problem. Of course for that to happen, the technology needs to become cheaper and more advance because unlike books, the size of the download for a game is considerably larger, although, more so with a home console.
Update: Nintendo has just announced the DSi XL (LL) is coming to Europe; however, no date has been set. Hopefully we’ll get more details, as well as a North American launch date.
Hey, it has almost been a year since Nintendo launched a new updated handheld– so it’s about the time Nintendo releases another DS. The Japanese company has officially announced a new version of the DSi, heavily rumored over the last few days, the updated handheld is essentially the same as the older version, but with one added bonus — a much bigger screen.
Officially called the DSi LL, the system has a 4.2″ screen, which is about 93% larger than the original units. It’ll also include two separate touch-screen pens. One will be considerably larger than the previous one, it almost reminds me of a jumbo sized pen when compared to the original ones. The second pen is closer to the first DSi pens, so Nintendo is giving the player the option of which they would prefer.
Obviously, playing on a larger screen is more attractive to gamers everywhere, but it’ll make it ‘less’ portable. So Nintendo is hoping customers will see the positive in not just playing on a large screen, but also see it as a MP3 player and an “on-the-go” Internet machine.
The DSi LL comes in three colors: “WineRed,” “DarkBrown” and “NaturalWhite.” The system is going to have a price-tag of 20,000 Yen ($222), and has yet to be announced for other markets, including the US.
When Sony revealed to the world the PlayStation 3 Slim model, it was big news. Sure, the Internet already had an idea that the unit was going to eventually be released in 2009 because of leaked leaked photos that were previously online. When it was finally announced at the Tokyo Game Show, people were excited and for the first time, Sony had a fighting chance to outsell its competitors. And in September, they did just that.
Last month the Playstation 3 had sold 491,800 units, making it the highest selling home console. It beat out the Nintendo Wii; which moved 462,800 and the Xbox 360; which stood at 352,600. Like always, the Nintendo DS was the big winner once again, selling about 524,200. While the PSP lagged way behind in sales and moved about 190,400. I hope Sony isn’t betting the PSP GO will dramatically increase its sales for the four-year old portable system because I don’t see that happening at all.
Now, back to the PlayStation 3 really quickly. Don’t think for a minute the PS3 numbers skyrocketed due to the slimming down of the console. While it sure didn’t hurt a customer deciding to buy the Sony product, that wasn’t the reason. The price is what became the selling point. For the first time this generation, Sony is able to market the system to people who wouldn’t spend $400 on a console. With the $100 price cut and having the customer own a system that comes with a Blu-ray player, is became more attractive than the other options.
The question is, can Sony keep the momentum into the holidays? I think they can and will, especially with titles like Uncharted 2. After the jump, check out the NDP reports of both hardware and games for the month of September. (more…)
Charles Martient isn’t necessarily a household name, but his voice which represents a videogame character, is. Since 1994, Martient has lent his vocals to the gaming world, most notably Nintendo’s red plumber Mario. So when he speaks of rumors, people will listen. And guess what? He also has his own Twitter account.
Earlier today, Martient decided to tweet something rather interesting. According to him, Nintendo is underway developing an unannounced new Mario project, which isn’t either Super Mario Galaxynor The New Super Mario Bros. Wii. “Awesome new Mario Game! And it’s not NSMB Wii, and it’s not Galaxy 2, but it’s going to be crazy fun,” he wrote on the social community website.
Get this, this is not the first time he had mentioned a new Mario game was in the works. Earlier in the month, he tweetedtwice that he would be flying up to Seattle to do some voice work for a new “Mario game.” This probably fell under the radar because most people thought he was just talking about already announced titles. But given what he wrote today, we have to wonder if he was talking about this mysterious Mario project.
The question is now, what does Nintendo have up it’s sleeve? I hardly doubt Martient just figured he could talk about this unannounced Mario game on his Twitter and not have Nintendo banging on his door. Nintendo is obviously a secretive company. In fact I think Nintendo could be the best in the industry to keep something they don’t want the public to know about, ‘hush-hush’. With that said, I believe Nintendo gave Martient the okay to speak about the ‘new’ Mario game. Whatever game this is, I get the impression that it won’t be for the Wii. The console already has two Mario games coming out within the next year. So I’m figuring this new project is going to be for a handheld.
It would be a safe bet to conclude that this Mario game is going to be released for the Nintendo DS. Although, that would be too easy. There is another scenario. For a little while now, rumors around the net have been pointing to a possible new successor to the DS and we should see it towards the end of 2010, just in time for the holidays. I might be reaching, but if these rumors are correct about a new portable system from Nintendo, then what better way to celebrate its launch than with a new Mario title.
By: Nick Collins on October 12th, 2009 pm31 12:56 pm
It seems as if LEGO Rock Band will be available in time for the Jolly old Fat Guy to bring the kiddie’s this holiday season. Harmonix has released the track list for LEGO Rock Band, and it is (as expected) pretty solid! (except for the fact they brought in the Rascal Flatts version of “Life is a Highway” instead of the superior Tom Cochrane version from)
From the list of 40+ tracks, Harmonixalso is saying that 90%+ of the tracks will be exportable. (only 90%+ due to the fact that some licensing details are still being worked out at this time)
What are your thoughts on this track list? (See list after the jump)
After the break is the current track listing for consoles, as well as what tracks should be on the Nintendo DS version. (more…)
There are some questionable conspiracy theories about the dollar bill. Some people believe the symbols on the currency is actually from Freemasons, who are/were an occult. While people have been debating if the Freemasons are actually on the dollar, they might have missed something bigger.
There is a symbol on the paper that resembles an artifact that has the power to grant a wish to whomever touches it, and the world will then reflect to that person’s heart. Of course I’m talking about the Triforce, from the Legend of Zelda. Check out the photo above, once you do, you can’t deny that US Treasury knows a thing or two about the Triforce’s power.
We thought Google was the first to hide the Triforce in their images, but it looks like the United States Government has been doing a lot longer.
Jamie Margary has a talented, yet horrifying imagination. He somehow took a simple character from the cute Mushroom Kingdom and made it as evil as he could. Up top is his vision of what a Piranha Plant would look like in real life and is made out of acrylics, clay and some wire. Sure, the carnivorous plant is only included in the game to kill our beloved plumber(s), and it is not some attractive videogame star. But why does it have to be so scary?
Destructoid were the guys who found the frighting images of the 80s icon, but they told their readers it wouldn’t give them nightmares. I for one can’t lie, and I’m pretty sure you’re gonna have a hard time sleeping the next time you lay down on your bed. With all that said, I really love the uvula is in a position like the plant is screaming, it gives it a much more terrifying look.
After the jump, check out the rest of the pictures and a quick movie on how Jamie made the plant.
Okamiden is officially the sequel to the cult hit Okami, which came out first for the PlayStation 2 in 2006 and later for the Wii in 2008. The first game was met with unbelievable reviews, but failed to be the blockbuster Capcom hoped for. That didn’t stop the publisher to greenlight its predecessor, but they went with the safer route and are releasing the title on Nintendo DS.
A few days ago, we first heard about Okamiden coming to the DS when Famitsu released a few screenshots in their magazine. While it looked great, considering the limitations of the handheld, it was hard to grasp to see how it would ultimately play without seeing it in action. But thanks to the Internet, Capcom has released a quick teaser which features gameplay.
Graphically speaking, the title looks similar to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Although, I don’t think the company was going for that specifically, it seems as though they are trying to recreate the original game’s visuals on the DS. And so what if it looks kind of like Zelda, I for one thought Zelda was one of the better looking titles on the limited portable device.
The only major complaint I have after watching the :27 clip is the characters seem to close to the actual camera. To me, it looks like it could be hard to navigate the game because of this. More details are expected to be revealed during the Toyko Game Show, which starts September 24, 2009.
