Those who purchase Luigi’s Mansion 2 in Europe will receive a special bonus. Nintendo will be providing a glow-in-the-dark cover to consumers while supplies last.
Additionally, select retailers will be handing out a limited edition Boo Anti-Stress Ball – for those who pre-order, that is. A photo of the item can be found here.
Fire Emblem: Awakening has been a smashing success thus far. In February, the game’s first month at retail in the US, Awakening moved over 180,000 units. 117,000 copies were sold at retail with another 63,000 coming from the eShop.
Awakening has seen the best first month for a Fire Emblem game by far. Life-to-date sales of Shadow Dragon, the last Fire Emblem title to be released in North America, stand at just over 250,000 units. According to Nintendo, Fire Emblem’s 3DS outing “sold 70 percent of that figure in just 28 days.”
“Building off its 92 Metacritic score, Fire Emblem Awakening for Nintendo 3DS had the best first month sales in franchise history, selling more than 180,000 units (more than 117,000 at retail + more than 63,000 digital units). By comparison, the previous hand-held entrant in the franchise – Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon – has sold a little more than 250,000 units life to date in the U.S. Fire Emblem Awakening sold 70 percent of that figure in just 28 days.”
Source: Nintendo PR
Following the lead of several other UK retailers, Amazon.co.uk has taken £50 off of the price of the Wii U Basic Set and the Deluxe Set, pricing them at £199 and £249 respectively. More than likely this is in response to slow sales, and the product providers simply want to free up shelf space that’s being used up by Wii Us that aren’t selling. It’s unclear whether this price cut will be permanent or temporary, or whether more shops will follow suit.
According to CVG, the trade price (that is, the “wholesale” price) of a Wii U is roughly £205, which means these folks are all selling the system at a loss.
NPD Group has released a listing of the top ten best-selling games in the U.S. for the month of February. The results can be found below.
- Dead Space 3 (360, PS3, PC)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops II (360, PS3, Wii U PC)
- Crysis 3 (360, PS3, PC)
- NBA 2K13 (360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, PSP, PC)
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PS3, 360)
- Aliens: Colonial Marines 2013 (360, PS3, PC)
- Just Dance 4 (Wii, 360, PS3, Wii U)
- Far Cry 3 (360, PS3, PC)
- Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (PS3, PSV)
- Madden NFL 13 (360, PS3, Wii, PSV, Wii U)
If you plan on purchasing LEGO City: Undercover from the Wii U eShop, keep in mind that a separate hard drive is required. Today’s “Nintendo Download” report contains a side-blurb listing the necessity. No word yet on why such a requirement is in place, but it’s something to consider when buying the game on Monday.
There are lots of references to find in LEGO City: Undercover, including ones that pay home to Nintendo.
Kotaku has a look at one such reference in a video today. You’ll need to head over to the site for the clip, but it basically involves the appearance of a Mario star power-up – music and all. It’s pretty neat.
Nintendo is confident that the result will be set aside. The jury’s verdict will not impact Nintendo’s continued sales in the United States of its highly acclaimed line of video game hardware, software and accessories, including the Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo has a long history of developing innovative products while respecting the intellectual property rights of others.”
– Nintendo Statement
As expected, Nintendo will be appealing the decision and trying to get it reversed. None of us are law professors or lawyers (probably– maybe one of you will surprise me), so it would be hard for us to comment on exactly whether this is a fair decision or not. If they are guilty, it’ll be the first time in quite a while that Nintendo will have lost a lawsuit!
