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Wii doubles December sales, breaks PS2's all-time record? [update]
[Update: Sorry, but it looks like I got this one horribly wrong, folks -- the WSJ was in fact referring to November sales. Thanks, Jay!]
Big surprise: early reports from the NPD indicate that the Wii utterly owned December, "doubling" its sales from December 2007. As it shifted 1.35 million units a year ago, that means this December saw approximately 2.7 million Wiis sold. For those who care, PS3 December sales dipped 19% from 2007, while the Xbox 360 got an 8% year-on-year lift.
More precise data concerning the Wii won't be released until the middle of January, but this could mean the Wii breaks the all-time record for U.S. hardware sales in a single month. Currently, the PlayStation 2 holds that honor, with -- aha! -- 2.7 million sales in December 2002. It's going to be close, in other words.
[Via SlipperyBrick]
Couple come to blows over Wii gift
Man, some people's kids. A couple from Portsmouth, New Hampshire got themselves arrested on Christmas Day for exchanging punches over an unwanted gift -- a Wii, of all things. Heath Blom and Randi Young , aged 8 26 and 6 24 respectively, repeatedly punched one another, pulled hair, and ended up tumbling down two flights of stairs together. Joys be thine!
Things started turning sour when poor Heathy-Weathy didn't get the $1,000 RC airplane he had asked his grandparents for. When his girlfriend produced a Wii, he "got really upset," Young told The Boston Herald. Blom admitted he had "disparaged" the Wii (and somehow we don't think he was offering a sober criticism of third-party support), which understandably peeved Young.
The argument mushroomed from there, with Young packing her bags and some punches being thrown, mainly in the direction of the deserving Blom. It all finished with the pair falling down the stairs together, and the police arresting the loons shortly thereafter.
Gallery: Wii and friends: A Great Match
[Via Shacknews]
Steam's holiday sale boasts 10-75% off everything
Amazon's weekend game deals; all-PS3 Goldbox next Thursday
- Saturday, 13 Dec: World of Warcraft Battlechest is the headliner. If the past days are any indication, the other deals for Saturday will be somewhat related.
- Sunday, 14 Dec: Kickoff of a special deal on Ubisoft's successful (no, really) Petz, Imagine and Ener-G titles.
- Monday, 15 Dec: Saints Row 2 is the headliner.
Joyswag Holidaze: Wii Glow Saber Duo & Precision Pack + three games
Update: We've selected a winner! Congratulations to Russ Holland of San Marcos, CA.
We don't want to leave the Wii out of our Holidaze Schwagalong, so Wii-lovers, this is your chance to get in on the action. What says Holidaze and the Wii more than a snap-on plastic lightsaber attachment? Nothing that we can think of. You'll also get to cram your Wiimote into a handgun attachment and use a semi-clone of the Xbox 360 controller to put your games through their paces.
The Glow Saber Duo Pack and T-Wireless Precision Pack not enough for you? Fine. We're tossing in three Wii titles for you to huddle your family around over the next couple of weeks. Included is a copy of Death Jr.: Root of Evil, Wacky Races: Crash and Dash, and Family Party: 30 Great Games. It's more Wii-action that you can shake a saber at, and it could be yours if you enter our Joyswag contest:
We don't want to leave the Wii out of our Holidaze Schwagalong, so Wii-lovers, this is your chance to get in on the action. What says Holidaze and the Wii more than a snap-on plastic lightsaber attachment? Nothing that we can think of. You'll also get to cram your Wiimote into a handgun attachment and use a semi-clone of the Xbox 360 controller to put your games through their paces.
The Glow Saber Duo Pack and T-Wireless Precision Pack not enough for you? Fine. We're tossing in three Wii titles for you to huddle your family around over the next couple of weeks. Included is a copy of Death Jr.: Root of Evil, Wacky Races: Crash and Dash, and Family Party: 30 Great Games. It's more Wii-action that you can shake a saber at, and it could be yours if you enter our Joyswag contest:
- Leave a comment telling us how you'd weaponize your Wii
- You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec)
- Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day
- This entry period ends at 12:00pm ET on Thursday, December 18th. We'll randomly select 1 winner at that time to receive one Glow Saber Duo Pack (ARV $34.99), one T-Wireless Precision Pack (ARV: $29.99), one copy of Death Jr.: Root of Evil for Wii (ARV: $39.99), one copy of Wacky Races: Crash and Dash for Wii (ARV: $39.99), and one copy of Family Party: 30 Great Games for Wii (ARV: $19.99)
- For a list of complete rules, click here
Holiday profiling: Xbox 360 is perfect gift for Hispanics, Microsoft survey finds
- More Hispanics want a gift that brings their family together (89% vs. 64% of general population)
- More Hispanics are looking for gifts that people can enjoy throughout the year (95% vs. 85% of general population)
- More Hispanics are looking for affordable ways to entertain their family over the holidays (85% vs. 81% of general population)
- Many more Hispanics would rather buy one gift for their whole family than spend money on lots of individual gifts (83 % vs. 52% of general population)
- Lips en Español features 17 songs in Spanish by artists such as Alejandro Sanz, Belanova, Fanny Lu, La Factoria, Luis Miguel, Pimpinela and Selena (42.5% less songs than the all-English version!)
Black Friday: Wii crowned, economy still down
Meanwhile, a stack of Xbox 360s caused a brawl at Walmart, and, in a macabre turn of events, an employee was trampled to death by a frenzied mob at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, New York. In California, two men killed each other in a gunfight that erupted at the Palm Desert Toys R Us. All convincing examples of why we prefer to pay it safe from our keyboards: Hellooo Cyber Monday!
[Image credit: Bruce On Games, Dec. 2007 -- same tune again this year, eh?]
Holidaze 2008: The Best of Cyber Monday
| Amazon |
Toys 'R' Us | GameStop |
Wal-Mart |
| Best Buy |
Newegg | Target | Dell |
| Sears | Buy.com |
Amazon's 2008 Cyber Monday deals
We've posted the full list after the break. Be sure to also keep an eye on GameStop, who has its own specials starting at midnight ET tonight.
Holiday Game and Rating Guide: Rated M for Mature
Today marks the final day of our four-part Holiday Game and Rating Guide, co-developed by parent-focused site What They Play. In today's list we recommend five must own titles rated "M" for "Mature." Jump in for chainsaws and zombies and find out what you should be asking for this holiday season.
Developed by X3F and What They Play president John Davison -- you may also know him from the 1UP Yours Podcast -- the Holiday Game and Rating Guide hopes to showcase the best of each rating while helping to inform your loved ones what kind of content each game includes. It isn't meant to scare them away, in fact think of it as a walk through of what's really found in each game to help everyone make an intelligent decision this holiday season.
Developed by X3F and What They Play president John Davison -- you may also know him from the 1UP Yours Podcast -- the Holiday Game and Rating Guide hopes to showcase the best of each rating while helping to inform your loved ones what kind of content each game includes. It isn't meant to scare them away, in fact think of it as a walk through of what's really found in each game to help everyone make an intelligent decision this holiday season.
Click the banner below to check out our picks for titles rated "M" for "Mature."
Stay at home: Amazon's incredible Black Friday deals (and Newegg, too)
Amazon's deals, however, are absolutely irresistible. Far Cry 2 for $38? Dead Space for $30? Left 4 Dead PC for $20?! There are plenty more; we suggest you get cozy and have your credit card handy tonight.
Full list after the break. Amazon's deals begin Friday, November 28 at 3:00AM ET. The Friday Only deals (designated as such) end 2:59AM ET Saturday morning (or until supplies run out, natch), while the remaining discounts end 2:59AM ET Sunday morning.
Holiday Game and Rating Guide: Rated T for Teen
As many of you loosen your belts after a superb Thanksgiving feast we present part three of the X3F and What They Play joint holiday game and rating guide. Today we feature five titles rated "T" for "Teen" with games ranging in genre from trivia to fighting. Jump in and check out what's available and recommended for this holiday season.
Developed by X3F and What They Play president John Davison -- you may also know him from the 1UP Yours Podcast -- the Holiday Game and Rating Guide hopes to showcase the best of each rating while helping to inform your loved ones what kind of content each game includes. It isn't meant to scare them away, in fact think of it as a walk through of what's really found in each game to help everyone make an intelligent decision this holiday season.
Developed by X3F and What They Play president John Davison -- you may also know him from the 1UP Yours Podcast -- the Holiday Game and Rating Guide hopes to showcase the best of each rating while helping to inform your loved ones what kind of content each game includes. It isn't meant to scare them away, in fact think of it as a walk through of what's really found in each game to help everyone make an intelligent decision this holiday season.
Click the banner below to check out our picks for titles rated "T" for "Teen."
Meta-Metareview: The best reviewed games of 2008
With almost all of the big games of '08 now on shelves (we're looking at you, Prince of Persia) or available via Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, you're left with a lot of choices. Some of them you've already bought; others you've been on the fence over; others you didn't realize were "supposed to be" any good – but, if you're anything like us, you don't want to miss any of the must-plays this year has to offer.
Enter our "meta-metareview," a list of every game released this year that's scored above 85% on average from reviewers around the world. You won't be surprised by the games that made the list; you will be surprised that some of your (and our) favorites didn't make it. Check out the full list after the break and please, before you send us a nasty email because Castle Crashers didn't make it on, remember that them's the (sometimes painful) breaks with aggregate scoring.
Some fun facts:
Enter our "meta-metareview," a list of every game released this year that's scored above 85% on average from reviewers around the world. You won't be surprised by the games that made the list; you will be surprised that some of your (and our) favorites didn't make it. Check out the full list after the break and please, before you send us a nasty email because Castle Crashers didn't make it on, remember that them's the (sometimes painful) breaks with aggregate scoring.
Some fun facts:
- October was the most crowded month for quality titles with 12 released, followed by November (8), September (7) and April (6).
- Breaking it down by console, PlayStation 3 has the most presence on the list with 22 titles, followed by Xbox 360 (20), PC (15), Wii (8), DS (7), PSP (2) and PS2 (1).
- The best-reviewed game this year? April's Grand Theft Auto IV (98%), followed by a three-way tie between LittleBigPlanet, BioShock (PS3) and World of Goo (95%) -- all three of which were released in October. Metal Gear Solid 4 and Wrath of the Lich King are the next tier below at 94%.
- Of the 55 titles listed, 12 (or approximately 22%) were not based on an existing franchise: Sins of a Solar Empire, Patapon, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Braid, The World Ends with You, Boom Blox, World of Goo, GRID, Pure, LittleBigPlanet, Dead Space and Valkyria Chronicles.
Holiday Game and Rating Guide: Rated E10+
Continuing our Holiday Game and Rating Guide, today we present titles rated E10+. The newest rating from the ESRB, this list features five must own titles for gamers aged 10 and older. Lace on the skates and prepare to get strategic because these recommendations cover a wide range of genres.
Developed by X3F and What They Play president John Davison -- you may also know him from the 1UP Yours Podcast -- the Holiday Game and Rating Guide hopes to showcase the best of each rating while helping to inform your loved ones what kind of content each game includes. It isn't meant to scare them away, in fact think of it as a walk through of what's really found in each game to help everyone make an intelligent decision this holiday season.
Developed by X3F and What They Play president John Davison -- you may also know him from the 1UP Yours Podcast -- the Holiday Game and Rating Guide hopes to showcase the best of each rating while helping to inform your loved ones what kind of content each game includes. It isn't meant to scare them away, in fact think of it as a walk through of what's really found in each game to help everyone make an intelligent decision this holiday season.
Click the banner below to check out our picks for titles rated "E10+ for Everyone Age 10 and older."
Be a Guitar Hero for $59 this Black Friday
If you're still deciding where to take your sleeping bag and flask of cocoa for this Black Friday's queues, Target's deal on the Guitar Hero: World Tour Guitar Kit may sway you. The store will be offering the SKU, which includes the game and a wireless guitar, for a mouth-watering $59, a generous saving on the original MSRP of $99.99. It certainly beats paying close to three hundred big ones for the full band experience.
