Multiplatform
North America:
1. Michael Jackson: The Experience (Ubisoft, Wii)
2. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft, Wii)
3. Killzone 3 (SCEA, PS3)
4. Bulletstorm (EA Games, X360)
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision, X360)
Japan:
1. Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity (Sega, PSP)
2. SD Gundam G Generation World – Collector’s Pack (Bandai, PSP)
3. Catherine (Atlus, PS3)
4. The Idolm@ster 2 (Namco, X360)
5. Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (Capcom, PSP)
UK:
1. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft, Wii)
2. Killzone 3 (SCEE, PS3)
3. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (EA Games, X360)
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision, X360)
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision, PS3)
Nintendo Wii
North America:
1. Michael Jackson: The Experience (Ubisoft)
2. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft)
3. Dance Dance Revolution Bundle (Konami)
4. Nerf N-Strike Double Blast Bundle (EA Games)
5. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board (Nintendo)
Japan:
1. Shape Boxing 2 Wii de Enjoy Diet (Rocket Company)
2. Donkey Kong Returns (Nintendo)
3. Rune Factory: Oceans (Marvelous)
4. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board (Nintendo)
5. SD Gundam G Generation World (Bandai)
UK:
1. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft)
2. Just Dance (Ubisoft)
3. Wii Party (Nintendo)
4. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board (Nintendo)
5. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
Nintendo DS
North America:
1. Radiant Historia (Atlus)
2. Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation (Nintendo)
3. Kingdom Hearts Re:coded (Square Enix)
4. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)
5. Plants vs. Zombies (PopCap)
Japan:
1. Pocket Monsters Black (Nintendo)
2. Ninokuni: Shikkoku no Madoushi (Level 5)
3. Eigo de Tabisuru: Little Charo (Nintendo)
4. Gyakuten Kenji 2 (Capcom)
5. Pocket Monsters White (Nintendo)
UK:
1. Art Academy (Nintendo)
2. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)
3. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo)
4. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem (Nintendo)
5. Professor Layton and the Lost Future (Nintendo)
I’m an English kind of guy. I know my grammar, I know my punctuation, I know my spelling, and I use it all to the best of my ability, but no matter how many English classes you take, there’s one lesson you can only learn from experience: Beauty lies in simplicity. When you’re writing an essay, for instance, you will have the greatest chance at a quality piece by combing out every single unnecessary word that’s stowed around in all the nooks and crannies of the paper and leaving your reader with the simplest, most concise and effective iteration of your thoughts possible. After writing countless articles both for NE and other outlets, I can tell you with certainty that this advice holds true for any writing you will do.
Recently, I’ve found that this rule applies not only to my writing, but to the games I play as well. In playing Mario Sports Mix the past couple of days (review forthcoming!), I’ve noticed how much it has helped my enjoyment of the game that it is controlled in traditional “2-button” fashion, Wiimote held sideways. Likewise, New Super Mario Bros. is a game I just love to play, in part because of how simple it is to control. It’s not just Nintendo, though; Team-17’s Worms: Battle Islands is a two-button game, and I love that game as well. The more I think about it, the more I see a correlation. I don’t think I can think of a single Wiimote-held-sideways game that I don’t enjoy!
Thanks to Jared for the tip!
Once again, this information comes from the latest Iwata Asks…
Miyamoto: Yes. Simply put, I want to spread Mii characters all around the world.
Iwata: Right. (laughs)
Miyamoto: Exchanging it with people close to you is a given. Whether you use StreetPass or through the network, I want to implement Mii characters in all sorts of ways. Ultimately, I want Mii characters to be the world standard for avatars.
Iwata: That’s your ambition. (laughs)
This information comes from the latest Iwata Asks with Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata…
Miyamoto: Well, basically speaking, over half of the built-in software was not planned by me from the beginning. Many people within the company suggested and researched many things, which made it happen in its current form.
Iwata: Oh, right. For example, in AR Games, you can add various objects to the real scenery seen through the camera. This will allow you to mix the virtual world with reality. And this is something members of the Entertainment Analysis & Development Department (EAD) have been working on for some time.
Miyamoto: Yes. It started off like their science fair project, for which we did not have any specific hardware to run. (laughs)
