Thinking back to the days of my youth, one memory stands out above all else: The summers. School was out, the air was fresh, and all the kids got together to play baseball and Frisbee in the park. All of them except me, because summers to me were filled with nothing but a constant fascination with the Nintendo 64. First it started with FIFA (which version it was eludes me at the moment) but as the summer went on I got more games, from Mario 64 to my personal favorite, Star Fox 64. Then, at the end of the summer, it all went away once again, leaving me dreaming of games throughout the fall, winter and spring until the cycle repeated itself.

Though, you’re probably wondering, “Why such an odd cycle of gaming, Austin?”, and I’m about to tell you.

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First day sales from 11/19 were conspicuously absent last week. However, the numbers have finally been reported and show sell-through rates. We’ve posted the figures below.

Left 4 Dead 2 (360) – 18,000 (65%)
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS3) – 10,000 (32%)
Taiko no Tatsujin Wii 2 (Wii) – SA 9,800 (8%) / BE 4,200 (3%)
Dorabase 2 (DS) – 8,000 (12%)
Armored Core Silent Line Portable (PSP) – 7,900 (26%)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (DS) – 7,400 (6%)
Metal Fight Beyblade (DS) – 2,400 (9%)
Calling (Wii) – 1,100 (23%)
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier (PSP) – 1,100 (14%)

Source

SpongeBob’s Boating Bash (DS/Wii) – E
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (Wii) – M
Discovery Kids Snake Safari (DS) – E10+
How to Train Your Dragon (DS) – E10+
5 in 1 Solitaire (DSi/Wii) – E
Manic Monkey Mayhem (Wii) – E
Jazzy Billiards (DSi) – E
Tales of Monkey Island – Chapter 4 – The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood (Wii) – E10+
Pizza Delivery Boy (Wii) – E
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game (DS) – E10+
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game (Wii) – T

Small update: Added in the teaser page

It’s been more than 20 years since the first Nintendo Power was published. And next month, the magazine will be reaching a milestone – It’s 250th issue. To celebrate,  it looks like Nintendo Power has “a surprise or two” in store. It’s unclear if there will be any actual game announcements, but the magazine has been pretty good with nabbing exclusives in the past. Here’s what the teaser from the latest Nintendo Power actually says:

“In just 30 short days we’ll mark our 250th issue with a celebration of all things Nintendo, plus big year-end reviews and even a surprise or two. It’s sure to be one for the history books, so don’t miss the party!”

Best Buy

Buy 1, Get 1 50% off the following games:

– Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack
– Spongebob: Truth or Square
– World of Zoo
– Chaotic: Shadow Warriors
– Hello Kitty Party
– Jonas
– A Christmas Carol
– Battle of Giants: Dragons
– Imagine: Babyz Fashion
– Marvel Super Hero Squad
– Scrabble
– Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes
– Scribblenauts
– Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized
– Imagine: Fashion Designer: World Tour
– Spore Hero Arena
– TouchMaster 3
– Cars: Race O Rama
– The Legendary Starfy
– Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
– Petz: Nursery
– MySims Agents
– Hasbro Family Game Night
– Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter
– Style Savvy
– Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
– Petz: Hamsterz Superstarz
– Gardening Mama
– Dora Puppy
– WireWay
– Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
– Bakugan: Battle Brawlers: Collector’s Edition
– Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story

Target

Scribblenauts (DS) – $19
LEGO: Battles (DS) – $19
Kiby Super Star Ultra (DS) – $19
Imagine: Fashion Designer World tour (DS) – $19
Petz Nursery (DS) – $19
Style Lab: Jewelry Design (DS) – $19
Magagascar Kartz (Wii) – $29
EA Sports Active: More Workouts (Wii) – $29
Super Hero Squad (Wii) – $29
Just Dance (Wii) – $29
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (Wii) – $29
Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii) – $29

Being able to see Wii games displayed in 720p isn’t exactly a new idea thanks to the Dolphin emulator. Previously, we’ve shared screenshots of Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition and Dead Space Extraction in the different video resolution. Yet, even though Wii titles have been presented in 720p in the past, these shots of New Super Mario Bros. Wii look fantastic. You can check them out below.

“To my knowledge there’s no plans to bring 7th Dragon westward at this present time I’m afraid. But never say never.” – SEGA’s official Twitter

It’d be a shame if 7th Dragon never made it outside of Japan. Although the DS has a number of RPGs, I really like the style of the game. Hopefully it’ll release in other territories sometime in the future.

Small update for you guys regarding the status of Nintendo Everything. Our tech guy has been working over the past two days to change the way the site is presented. There are some modifications that you guys will be able to see upfront, such as how links are handled (old links will still work and redirect you to the correct page, by the way), but there are other benefits as well.

The site has experienced some technical difficulties over the past few days, although now I believe that we have corrected them. Because of our new caching system, the site should load faster and errors should be less of a problem. Of course, things are still being tested. However, you should notice an advancement from here on out. There are some behind-the-scenes changes as well (in relation to site speed/loading), and we’re continuing to work on a few things (in addition to the tests I mentioned), but just know that we are constantly trying to improve the experience you all have when you visit NE!

We posted a piece of information from this interview yesterday, but now you can check out the full version…

Source

These scores come from the latest edition of Game Informer (December 2009/issue 200)…

Modern Warfare 2 (PS3/360) – 9.75
Borderlands (PS3/360) – 9.25/9.5
Left 4 Dead 2 (360/PC) – 9.5
DJ Hero (PS3/360/Wii/PS2) – 9, 8.75
GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (360) – 9.25
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (PS3/360) – 7
Dragon Age: Origins (PS3/360) – 8
Tekken 6 (PS3/360) – 8.75
LEGO Rock Band (PS3/360/Wii) – 8
LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (PS3/360/Wii/PC) – 6.5
Tornado Outbreak (PS3/360/Wii) – 6.75
Demon’s Souls (PS3) – 9
Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS3) – 9.25, 9.25
Risen (PC) – 8.5
Rabbids Go Home (Wii) – 7.5
Wii Fit Plus (Wii) – 8
Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii) – 5.75
Half-Minute Hero (PSP) – 8
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (PSP) – 6.75