The OFLC revamped its classification system at the start of new year, and created an R18+ rating. Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, a Nintendo-published game, is the first title to fall under the category.
Because Razor’s Edge is rated R18+, only adults can purchase the title. These titles “will have a high impact and it is for this reason that these games are not suitable for under 18s”, according to Classification Board director Lesley O’Brien.
O’Brien noted of Razor’s Edge’s rating:
“Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge contains violence that is high in impact because of its frequency, high definition graphics and emphasis on bloody effects.”
Nintendo’s response to the 2012 NPD report is in. The company sold 460,000 consoles in the US last month and a total of 890,000 units after 41 days. Wii U has generated over $300 million in the US, according to Nintendo and NPD.
Below you’ll find Nintendo’s complete response, which contains data for New Super Mario Bros. U, and numerous data for the 3DS, Wii, and DS.
With more than 460,000 units sold in December, Wii U has now sold nearly 890,000 units in the United States after only 41 days on the market, according to the NPD Group. To date, Wii U hardware sales have generated more than $300 million in the U.S. alone; Wii hardware had generated just more than $270 million at the same point in its lifecycle.
“While the Wii launch established new benchmarks in the United States, Wii U has surpassed its predecessor in perhaps the most important category: revenue generation,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “The demand for the Deluxe SKU, which was essentially sold out at retail this holiday, and the strong attach rate of New Super Mario Bros. U, shows that we have the value and the games to drive momentum in 2013. We look forward to offering great new experiences and bringing smiles to millions of new faces throughout the year.”
NPD Group has released a listing of the top ten best-selling games in the U.S. for the month of December. The results can be found below. Data is also available for the top ten games of 2012.
It appears that Nintendo will be releasing a Fire Emblem: Awakening bundle in North America next month. If the image above can be trusted, the package will include a specially-designed system (original, not XL) and a copy of the game. I’m guessing it’ll be like the Japanese 3DS bundle released in Japan last year.
We’re not quite sure about the original source, but it looks like the photo was taken from some sort of ad. Keep those fingers crossed until an official announcement is made.
Fans were not pleased with the first footage shown from The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct. One video in particular caught the attention of gamers. The footage was from an official IGN interview, but the video itself was fan-made.
Terminal Reality’s principle effects artist Glenn Gamble hopes that fans won’t be too critical and judgmental of Survival Instinct, as the first footage shown is “old”. Since then, Gamble says the team has “made big strides”.
“It’s old footage. That’s the short answer of it. Hopefully what you saw today proves testament to that. It caught us off guard. It was a fan trailer cut together from another interview I had done. Hopefully you saw the differences between the two. The game looks incredible. It was old footage. It’s what we had at the time. We’ve made big strides since then. That’s the thing about a game. It’s constantly evolving and getting better. Time is the ultimate enemy of any game. If everybody had four years and an infinite budget every game would probably be infinitely better than they are. But eventually you run out of time and the date gets cut off and you just have to make the game at that point.”
The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct releases on March 26 in North America and March 29 in Europe.
Chasing Aurora has been out since the Wii U’s launch, but Broken Rules isn’t done with the game. The studio is now working on a first update and demo. No word yet on when either of these will be made available.
Broken Rules tweeted today:
Most of us are back at the office and working on the first update, and demo!
— Chasing Aurora (@Chasing_Aurora) January 8, 2013
Famitsu is looking ahead to the future in this week’s issue. The magazine collected a number of responses from Japanese developers regarding their plans for 2013.
You can find comments from the likes of Konami, SEGA, Atlus, Platinum Games, and more below.
Company: Konami
Keyword/phrase: “Continuous, New Enjoyment.”
Look To 2013: It’s top secret, so we can’t disclose it now. It’s a secret.
“I posted today that we are working on the next patch, which should include any updates/fixes made to the other platforms up to this point.” – A_Trey_U, via the Call of Duty Community Forums
This response was posted in a thread about whether or not DLC will be coming to the Wii U… and the developer just skipped right over talking about that! Somewhat frustrating as someone who really wants to give them my money for the next zombies map, but what can ya do!?
