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Canadian video game sales dip for first time since 2002

by Jason Dobson { May 5th 2009 at 1:00AM }

According to number crunchers at NPD, game industry sales have given Canadian retail outlets the cold shoulder so far in 2009. Much like the region's warmer cousin to the south, sales have slowed through the first quarter, with NPD reporting an 8.5 percent decline in overall sales compared to the same period last year. Interestingly, it isn't games that shoulder the biggest burden of this hit, but hardware, with sales of portables plummeting a dramatic 21 percent during the period. Console sales fared little better, dropping 14.5 percent in sales year-over-year.

The dip represents a first for the market since NPD began tracking Canadian sales in 2002. The group points to an overall lack of "blockbuster titles" so far compared to 2008 as a driving reason for the ongoing slump, with the same period in 2007 buffeted on sales of games like Guitar Hero III and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. As games like Resident Evil 5 and Halo Wars are not enough to get more Canadians checking out new platforms, clearly the time is right for a new hockey or moose hunting game to ski in and save the day.

Report: Wii games dominate top 5 US sellers in '08 (so far)

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Nov 17th 2008 at 7:00PM }

Still obsessing over sales statistics, Gamasutra has crafted a report on 2008's five top-selling games in the US -- so far. Though some figures are approximated, there's assurance that "the maximum possible error in each figure should not affect the rankings." All consoles considered, the rankings are as follows:

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (3.5 million, estimated)
Mario Kart (3.4 million)
Grand Theft Auto IV (3.2 million, estimated)
Wii Play (3 million)
Wii Fit (2.8 million)

Be sure to check out the report for further details, several of which are likely to fuel the fanboy fires for, oh, the next fifteen minutes at least. We look forward to entertaining your "Wii games don't sell," "GTA IV is overrated" and "Wii Play is just a controller in disguise" arguments. We do not, however, want anything to do with your "Why isn't Golden Axe: Beast Rider on there?" madness.

Dirty disc drive lens? Nintendo has your back

by Chris Greenhough { Oct 14th 2008 at 7:14PM }

Reasons not to smoke:

Increased risk of lung cancer, high blood pressure, bronchitis, emphysema.
It smells.
Wii lens damage!!1!

Rather than lecture you on the first two (because hey, they're your lungs, bucko), we want to concentrate on the latter. Back in February, Japanese gamers reported that Wiis were having trouble reading newly purchased copies of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Nintendo's intervention was swift, with the company blaming dirty console lenses -- Brawl was the first Wii game to release on a dual-layered DVD, and therefore especially sensitive to this issue.

Nintendo's first practical solution was ... not so swift. As in, it just came out now. The Wii Lens Cleaner Set is available to order on Nintendo's Japanese site for ¥800 (around $8) or Play-Asia for a tenner. It should leave your console lens sparkling and your Brawl career resurgent. Whadd'ya mean everyone plays Mario Kart now? Hush!

Gallery: Smash Bros. Brawl Snapshots

[Via Kotaku]

NPD reveals Top 5 console games of '08 ... so far

by Alexander Sliwinski { Sep 23rd 2008 at 1:00PM }

As we head into the last stretch of the year, which is synonymous with a glut of titles flooding the market, it's worth seeing what the top titles in 2008 were up to this point. Gamasutra, using data from NPD, has posted the Top 5 titles for consoles up until August. Don't expect any surprises: Grand Theft Auto IV is in the top spot for PS3 and Xbox 360, while Super Smash Bros. Brawl is champion on the Wii.

The Wii certainly is the most interesting of the lists, with four out of the five SKUs belonging to games with included with some sort of peripheral (Mario Kart, Wii Fit, Wii Play and Guitar Hero III). Gamasutra also estimates that the software sales of the top five Wii titles combined is about 12 million units, nearly double that of the top five on the other consoles (separately). Of course, the year isn't over yet.

Brawl Stage of the Week: Galaxy Arena

by Candace Savino { Jul 15th 2008 at 5:30PM }

We wanted something pure today, something easy -- a stage that's just meant for brawling. We didn't need any gimmicks, or any crazy architecture and stage design. Our one prerequisite for this week was to find a stage that was fun to fight on, period.

When we came across Galaxy Arena by TwilightRaver, we knew we had found exactly what we were looking for.

Continued →

Brawl Stage of the Week: Freezer Room

by Candace Savino { Jul 8th 2008 at 2:00PM }

It may not be the prettiest stage we've ever seen, but we found ourselves having a great time while playing in Matt M.'s Freezer Room. We didn't really understand the title at first, as we originally only noticed the little ice platform up top in this very tall stage -- one ice platform does not a "freezer room" make! Once we started brawling, though, we saw the little enclosed area at the bottom with an ice floor, and everything made much more sense.

Yet that's only one element of the stage that we enjoyed -- click past the break to see more!

Continued →

Brawl Stage of the Week: Airborne Arena

by Candace Savino { Jul 1st 2008 at 3:30PM }

Airborne Arena? More like "Sadistic Arena."

This stage was submitted by Wii Fanboy reader K2J, who's been busy making lots and lots of Brawl stages. He let us know his favorites, which were the ones we tested out for ourselves. So, why did we end up choosing to feature Airborne Arena? Well, to put it in gamer terms, the stage completely owned us.

Continued →

Dojo update: Wait, what?

by Candace Savino { Jun 27th 2008 at 9:00PM }

We buried our friend, the Smash Bros. Brawl Dojo, many months ago. Then, like a zombie, the beast rose from its grave to honor today's European Brawl release.

Aside from an apology (and the promise that you can play Brawl in five different languages), the Dojo doesn't offer much in terms of words. Yet, it does feature a snapshot gallery with some super silly Brawl images worth looking at. "Snapshots Galore" has been around the Dojo two times before, but since we happened to be around those parts today anyway, we decided to put the most recent ones in a gallery for your viewing pleasure (below).

We're really proud of what the Smash Bros. community has done, regarding these snapshots (which are filled with ridiculousness, awesomeness, and "huh?") and other creations, too. Now it's your turn to take the Brawl torch, Europe. Let's see what types of goodies you can come up with.

Warning: The pictures in the gallery below reveal spoilers! Only view the gallery if you're man (or woman!) enough to handle it.

Gallery: Smash Bros. Brawl Snapshots

[Thanks RupeeClock!]

Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/16-6/22

by Candace Savino { Jun 27th 2008 at 11:00AM }

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Well, except for the PSP, that is. Sony's handheld is still as mighty as ever. Even so, the Wii toppled all the other home consoles once again last week, reclaiming its second-place spot:

The new Wii kid ~~on the block~~ in the charts is Mario Super Sluggers, which didn't sell as well as we thought it would, considering that it's a baseball game -- one published by Nintendo, no less. That's why we love Japanese sales so much, though. Just when we think we have the country all figured out, it goes and surprises us again.

Everything else Wii related is pretty much just business as usual, but check past the break to see where the games ranked in the top thirty and how much the top tenners sold.

Continued →

On sale at Amazon -- Nine cheap games for Nintendo lovers [update 5]

by Candace Savino { Jun 27th 2008 at 9:30AM }

The "Nintendo Icon" Amazon Gold Box has gone live, so it's time for those of you who can shop at Amazon.com to get your credit cards at the ready. With nine different deals on the table today, you might just find something that appeals to you.

The "Deal of the Day" is Super Smash Bros. Brawl for $25.99, which really leaves you with no excuse not to buy it. The lightning deals are where the excitement is always at, though, and there are eight of them that will cycle throughout the day.

Before we get into what's on the list, we must say that the sales are slightly disappointing. Maybe it's just us, but we wish Amazon had included more second-party titles. After all, such games are considered "Nintendo Icons," too. There's one title in particular that we feel is sorely missing -- but we digress.

To see Amazon's hints for the eight lightning deals, just click past the break.

Continued →

Brawl Stage of the Week: Hueco Mundo

by Candace Savino { Jun 24th 2008 at 3:30PM }

This week's stage is by IGN user Tabris_Arkangel, who had a lot of custom levels to choose from. We ended up picking "Heco Mundo" [sic] because 1) it rocks, and 2) when do you ever see a Bleach stage, really? We've featured a lot of stages here, many of them themed. But Bleach? That's not a concept we often come across.

Continued →

Tallyho, guv'na -- UK Smash Showdown at Gamestation

by Phil Larsen { Jun 17th 2008 at 5:00PM }

If you like Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and you happen to live in the UK, then this announcement might have some kind of connection with you. Twenty Gamestation stores across the nation will each be hosting a 64-person Super Smash Bros. Showdown on June 28. This is no slouchy, bored-marketing-guy tournament either. Every winner from every store will take home a 40" Samsung LCD TV and a Samsung Home Theater System, with all the DVD and surround sound trimmings.

Tournaments are great and all, but this one is really something else. The prizes are actually extremely good, and you only need to win six matches to take home the grand prize. Only one Fanboy blogger lives in the UK, but fortunately he is awful at Brawl. In fact, he doesn't even own the game. Or pants.

Register for your local tournament at the official website -- it's probably going to fill up fast, so make like a tree and hurry.

Gallery: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

[Via press release]

Brawl Stage of the Week: Shy Guy

by Candace Savino { Jun 17th 2008 at 2:00PM }

Any Nintendo fan worth his or her salt should recognize this character. Love him or hate him, we've been seeing Shy Guy make many Mario-related appearances ever since Super Mario Bros. 2. Ironically, he started out as a non-Mario character in Doki Doki Panic, but the conversion of the game in the West was enough to solidify his place as a popular enemy (or sports player) in many a Mario title.

But, that's enough Shy Guy history for now. Check past the break to download this stage by TheDarkPlumber2.0.

Continued →

Circuit City offering up Wii bundles as you read this

by Chris Greenhough { Jun 16th 2008 at 3:00PM }

Still hunting for a Wii? If so, Circuit City's online store has them in around about ... now.

Think supplies are going to last long? Hell no! Even though Circuit City is selling the things with an extra Wiimote, nunchuk and two of the titles listed below, we estimate these puppies will be gone soon. We'd usually criticize the practice of forcing customers to buy bundles, but we estimate that at least three or four of the six games being offered are must-haves:

You're still here!? Go! Go! Go!

[Via Go Nintendo]

Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 6/2-6/8

by Candace Savino { Jun 13th 2008 at 11:45AM }

The top Wii game last week wasn't Mario Kart, or even Wii Fit. Rather, beloved roguelike Shiren got the coveted title, as Shiren the Wanderer 3 debuted in second behind the PS3's new Dragon Ball Z. The previously mentioned Nintendo games did show up in the top ten, though, along with Family Trainer.

We're happy to see both Smash Bros. Brawl and Battalion Wars 2 hanging tough in the top thirty; the previous week had us a bit worried. In hardware, though, the Wii remains sandwiched between the PSP and the DS: