All Articles: Wii

Mortal Kombat decapitates the competition in April NPD report

Posted on May 13, 2011 by John Scalzo

It’s no secret that the video game community has responded to NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat reboot with a resounding “I love it.” But like Shao Kahn taunting a clearly inferior kombatant, the game also emerged on top of The NPD Group’s April 2011 sales report. And according to a tweet from Kombat creator Ed Boon, the game sold over 1,000,000 copies during the month. Flawless victory indeed.

April 19’s other big release, Portal 2, teleported its way to the top of the list with a strong #2 showing. Of course, it’s important to point out that a good portion of Portal 2’s sales were digital downloads through Steam, which isn’t counted by the NPD.

But the biggest surprise from last month’s top ten might be the absence of Sony’s SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs. The online shooter was also released on April 19th, one day before hackers took down the PSN. The service has yet to return and its offline status definitely contributed to SOCOM 4’s lackluster sales.

Hit the jump for the complete top ten of April’s bestselling games. (more…)

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dragon Quest Collection bringing DQ I, II, & III to Wii in Japan (both NES & SNES versions)

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

To celebrate 25 years of series that would become the architect of console RPGs, Square Enix has announced Dragon Quest Collection for the Nintendo Wii. Only confirmed for Japan so far, this very special bundle will include the original NES versions of Dragon Quest I, Dragon Quest II, and Dragon Quest III. For players needing a little more graphical fidelity, the collection will also boast the SNES remakes Dragon Quest I & II and Dragon Quest III. All games will be compatible with the Wiimote, Classic controller, and GameCube controller.

The first three games comprise what fans have dubbed “The Erdrick Trilogy” (or “Loto Trilogy” for the GBC remakes) of the franchise.

As of December 2010, Dragon Quest has sold over 57 million copies, defining a genre and becoming truly embedded in Japanese culture. Forget Xenoblade and The Last Story. For me, this is the one Wii RPG I desperately want to be translated for the US. Since publishing and localizing Dragon Quest IX and Dragon Quest VI, I can only hope Nintendo will take an even firmer affinity with the series and bring this over. Let’s at least hope a translation of Dragon Quest X is in the cards when more details emerge later this year.

Posted in News | Tagged , , ,

MDK 2 blasts onto Wii Shop today

Posted on May 9, 2011 by John Scalzo

One of the greatest action games of all-time, MDK 2, will be blasting its way onto the Wii Shop Channel today. More than a simple Virtual Console re-release, the game has been rebuilt for the Wii and Interplay has released the game as a full WiiWare title.

The DSiWare Shop will receive a trio of new games today, but none as cool as MDK 2. They include Mighty Milky Way, a puzzler from WayForward; GO Series: Tower of Deus, a dark and atmospheric 2D platformer; and Whack-A-Friend, a whack-a-mole game that uses the faces of your friends.

More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News | Tagged , ,

Wii drops to $150; budget Nintendo Selects lineup revealed

Posted on May 4, 2011 by John Scalzo

As expected, Nintendo officially dropped the price of the Wii to $149.99 today. With the new price comes a new bundle. The $149.99 package will include the console (available in black or white), a matching Wii Remote Plus/Nunchuk, a copy of Mario Kart Wii and a Wii Wheel. The bundle will go on sale in two weeks, on May 15th.

With Wii Sports pulled out of the Wii system box for the first time since the console’s launch, the groundbreaking game will lead the new Nintendo Selects line. Retailing for $19.99, the first wave of Nintendo Selects will also include Animal Crossing: City Folk, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Mario Super Sluggers.

“From the day it launched, Wii has let players of all ages and experience levels have fun with one another,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “The new suggested retail pricing for both the hardware and select games will help create more of these magical moments for even greater numbers of people.”

In other words, the Wii still prints money.

Posted in News | Tagged , , , ,

Your Madden NFL 12 Cover Athlete: Peyton Hillis

Posted on April 27, 2011 by John Scalzo

Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis didn’t just win the Madden NFL 12 Cover Vote, he demolished his competition, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. The Madden NFL 2004 coverboy only managed to capture 34% of the vote to Hillis’ 66%. Hillis had an impressive 2010-2011 season, but this vote was clearly a huge upset.

All told, more than 12,000,000 votes were cast throughout the entire tournament and Hillis steamrolled some pretty hefty competition (including head-to-head victories over Ray Rice, Matt Ryan, Jamaal Charles and Aaron Rodgers).

Madden NFL 12 (with Peyton Hillis on the cover) will be released for the PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 on August 30.

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , ,

Nintendo Download: 4/25/11

Posted on April 25, 2011 by John Scalzo

Did the Easter Bunny hippity hop his way to your house yesterday? It may be a day later, but Reggie Fils-Aime has donned his bunny ears and added three new games to the DSiWare Shop and one game to the WiiWare shop.

Hit the jump to learn more about Airport Mania: First Flight, Inchworm Animation, Ubongo and Word Searcher Deluxe. (more…)

Posted in News | Tagged ,

Mario & Sonic officially going to the London 2012 Olympic Games

Posted on April 21, 2011 by John Scalzo

When the first two games in a series sell nearly 20 million copies worldwide, a third is almost inevitable. And when said game involves Mario and Sonic, you can probably forget about the “almost.” A leaked logo for Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games appeared last week, and today, Sega and Nintendo made it official.

In development at Sega for the 3DS and Wii, the acronym-tastic MASATL2012OG will feature over 50 Olympic events including new sports such as soccer and equestrian competitions.

“These games bring together two of the most beloved characters in the history of the video game industry in Mario and Sonic. As veterans of both video games and Olympic games, they will arrive in London as a formidable team to provide fun, competitive sporting activities that friends and family members can enjoy together,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime.

A release date wasn’t revealed, but Nintendo and Sega promised they’ll announce one later this year.

Posted in News | Tagged , ,

MDK 2 priced and dated for WiiWare

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

A gem from the Interplay vaults and one of Bioware’s earlier works will be joining the WiiWare library soon. While the PC will be getting an HD version, MDK 2 has been remade for Nintendo’s console with a little motion control thrown in. It will land digitally on May 9 for 1000 Wii Points ($10). Play as Kurt Hectic, Dr. Hawkings, and their six-legged dog Max as they fight to save the universe.

You can watch a fantastic trailer for the game on its official page at Nintendo.com.

Posted in News | Tagged ,