Activision has announced yet another accomplishment for its lucrative Skylanders franchise.
According to the company, Skylanders figures have outsold all action-figure properties in the US and Europe in 2013 thus far. Additionally, Skylanders outpaced all toy properties in the U.K. year-to-date as of June 30, 2013.
Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said:
“We began something very special with Skylanders, and the magic of bringing toys to life through a video game. But it’s not just about the game. We know the toys have to be just as creative and imaginative as the kids that play with them, and that’s why we’re so excited to bring even more innovations to this genre when Skylanders SWAP Force comes out in October.”
The Skylanders franchise has managed to generate over $1.5 billion in global retail sales as of July 31. Skylanders Giants has been the top-selling console and handheld game overall in dollars this year in North America and Europe.
Source: Activision PR
Numerous Japanese pre-orders are centered around offers at the Pokemon Center.
Regular reservations for Pokemon X come with an exclusive clear file folders, including one with an image of Xerneas as well as a mini-Xerneas figure. The same bonuses are included with Pokemon Y pre-orders, but with different artwork and Yveltal figure.
Both games can be pre-ordered for extra items: a CD with three tracks and an exclusive Pokemon X/Y A4-sized “World Art” book, which contains lots of exclusive features and artwork, including a cover image specifically designed by Game Freak.
All toys are priced at £3.99. You’ll receive a Gacha Ball pack with your purchase, meaning you won’t know which figure you’re getting until it’s been opened. Along with “standard” figures, consumers will be able to find “shiny” versions of certain creatures as well as legendary monsters.
If buying games digitally isn’t your kind of thing, you can choose to purchase the Pokemon Rumble U Special Edition. It comes with a Limited Edition Black Kyurem or White Kyurem NFC Figure, additional mystery NFC Figure, double-sided Collector’s Poster, and a code to download the game from the eShop.
Project Phoenix is heading to the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita, but it won’t be on any of Nintendo’s platforms. Given how pleased indies have been with the company, you have to wonder why this is so.
Director and producer Hiroaki Yura did provide an explanation when asked about the situation. Most of Yura’s words were very much critical – he said “not a lot of people” purchase Nintendo systems, indicated that there are “so many restrictions” in place, and stated that the company doesn’t accept indie games in Japan.
Yura ultimately said that even though Nintendo may have “interesting” hardware, is isn’t “exciting”.
This week’s North American Nintendo Downloads are as follows:
Wii U retail
Splinter Cell: Blacklist (available 8/20) – $59.99
Wii U VC
Galaga – $4.99
eShop sales
Runner2 – $11.25 until 9 AM PT on Aug. 29
Trine 2: Director’s Cut – $7.99 until 9 AM PT on Sept. 5
3DS VC
Donkey Kong – $4.99
3DS download
10-in-1: Arcade Collection – $2.99
Heavy Fire: Black Arms 3D – $4.99
3DS retail
My Western Horse 3D – $29.99
Barbie: Glam and Groom Pups – $29.99
Source: Nintendo PR
Earlier today, Dengeki published its own chart covering Japanese sales for the previous the week. Yakuza 1 & 2 HD made its Wii U debut in the most-recent period covered, but didn’t manage to reach the top 50.
What does that mean? Well, the game that did place 50th on the list sold 1,878 copies. That means Yakuza 1 & 2 sold less than that – a monstrous disappointment, but not a surprising result.
Nintendo has continued to track the coin count for New Super Mario Bros. 2. Just recently, the worldwide total surpassed one trillion.
New Super Mario Bros. 2’s last milestone was 100 billion coins collected. That occurred in September of last year.
Famitsu has details on two of the stages included in the 3DS version of Sonic Lost World.
First, let’s talk about Desert Ruins Zone 1, which was shown briefly in the latest Nintendo Direct. This is a huge, spreadout desert with tons of quicksand. Sonic will encounter sand worms, large cacti, and creatures of the desert – all of which will be in the way. Famitsu wonders what caused the decay in the ruins since everything is so scattered.
Frozen Factory Zone 1 was also covered in the Famitsu’s latest report. Sonic will slide his way down the snowy mountains on his snowboard, making this stage fast-paced. On frozen ground and dealing with heavy bursts of cold air, snowballs are another addition to this stage. You won’t be seeing objects like the factory switches or gears here, as the real gimmick is “listening”. Expect to solve puzzles with the listening gimmick and the power of electricity.
Famitsu also goes over elements like the parkour system which plays similarly to the Wii U version. Players can run on the walls and ceilings, jump from wall to wall, and make their way through the stages in a variety of ways. There’s also the somersault move – enemies who are hit by the attack, whether they’re in motion or still, will have their weaknesses exposed and make it easier for you to attack them.
