“When we heard during development that Shigeru Miyamoto was making a new DS version of Super Mario Bros., we were really happy that our vision [for Street Fighter IV] and [Shigeru Miyamoto’s] vision were the same. [Lost Planet and Dead Rising producer] Keiji Inafune said to me, ‘If you’re doing the same thing as the giants of gaming, surely it’s bound to go well?’” – Street Fighter IV producer, Yoshinori Ono
Shigeru Miyamoto always seems to influence all types of members of the video game industry. I really suppose he earned that most influential TIME magazine award!
Laurent Fischer has responded to the controversial statement about geeks and otaku being the only ones who are interested in a Wii hard drive.
“I have huge respect for those who, like me, share a common passion for Nintendo and want to make it clear that I would never use and I didn’t use this terminology in such a context or way to cause offense. I regret that this misunderstanding has created such offense and disappointment within the community.” – senior marketing director of NoE, Laurent Fischer
It seems as though Mr. Fischer did use the terminology of geeks and otaku, but he was either misquoted or was taken out of context.
– when Wario is near an exclamation mark, shake the controller to send him into a tizzy
– when Wario is infuriated after a good shake, his surroundings will crumble to reveal new paths
– Wiimote shaking also launches Wario out of cannons,
– There will be an ‘angry snowball’ Wario, as well as Wario on a unicycle
– Goal of each level is to collection 3 treasures
Super Mario RPG – Legend of the Seven Stars (G)
My Aquarium (G)
Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3 (G)
New International Track and Field (G)
Imagine Teacher (G)
Imagine Fashion Model (G)
Drawn to Life Spongebob Edition (G)
“Currently, demand is higher than supply, but we believe we’ll soon get back to a more balanced situation.” Reggie Fils-Aime
Honestly, this situation seems all too familiar to the demand of the Wii itself. Are all Nintendo products going to end up being in such high demand?
Two Nintendo video games designed to appeal to both novice and expert gamers posted healthy numbers in the May sales charts, according to the independent NPD Group, which tracks sales of video game products in the United States. Mario Kart® Wii and Wii Fit™ finished No. 2 and No. 3 for the month, demonstrating continued consumer response to new controls and experiences.
“The Wii Wheel and Wii Balance Board accessories make game play fun for new gamers while presenting new challenges for those who have been playing a long time,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “The diversity of the seven Nintendo games represented in NPD’s top 10 for May demonstrates how Nintendo has something for everyone.”
Other highlights from NPD’s May U.S. sales report include:
- Wii™ (675,089 sold) and Nintendo DS™ (452,608 sold) again emerged as the two top-selling video game systems.
- Wii represented 63 percent of all current-generation consoles sold in May, while Nintendo DS had a 71 percent share of the portable market.
- Lifetime sales of Wii now stand at nearly 10.2 million.
- Lifetime sales of Nintendo DS are now at more than 20 million.
- Wii Play™ sold more than 295,000 in May, bringing its lifetime sales to more than 5.8 million.
- Of the top 30 best-selling games of May, 19 are made for Nintendo systems, including third-party hits like Guitar Hero™ III: Legends of Rock from Activision, We Ski™ from Namco Bandai, Game Party™ from Midway and Boom Blox™ from Electronic Arts.
- Pokémon® Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Pokémon® Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness combined to sell more than 208,000 in May, with lifetime sales of more than 613,000.
Source: Nintendo PR email
Hardware
Wii – 675.1K
DS – 452.6K
PS3 – 208.7K
Xbox 360 – 186.6K
PSP – 182.3K
Software
1. GTA IV – Xbox 360 – Take-Two – 871.3K
2. Mario Kart Wii (w/ wheel) – Wii – Nintendo – 787.4K
3. Wii Fit (w/ Balance Board) – Wii – Nintendo – 687.7K
4. GTA IV – PS3 – Take-Two – 442.9K
5. Wii Play (w/ remote) – Wii – Nintendo – 294.6K
6. Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Wii – Nintendo – 171.1K
7. Iron Man – PS2 – Sega – 130.6K
8. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock – Wii – Activision – 116.8K
9. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness – DS – Nintendo – 107K
10. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time – DS – Nintendo – 102K
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO – News), today announced that the next iteration of the popular hockey franchise, NHL 2K9, will be coming to the Wii™ console from Nintendo this fall. As the first and only officially licensed NHL and NHLPA video game for Wii, NHL 2K9 will offer fans the fun opportunity to play like the pros using the Wii Remote™ controller as a hockey stick, and enjoy playing hockey in a wholly unique and entertaining experience like never before.
“Nintendo is thrilled to have 2K Sports’ NHL 2K9 on the Wii platform this season,” said Steve Singer, VP of Licensing at Nintendo of America Inc. “This title has been highly anticipated by our Wii consumers who will now be able to use the Wii Remote to face-off, play hockey, and fire a slap shot in their living rooms.”
In celebration of NHL 2K9 for Wii, Nintendo’s most iconic video game character, Mario™, will be walking down the red carpet during the 2008 NHL Awards tonight at the Elgin Theatre, 6:15 p.m. ET in Toronto. Fans in attendance will also have the special opportunity to meet and greet Mario and have their picture taken with him.
