I am looking for some one who would like to take over this blog. You can email me at tutran4[at]gmail.com for more info.

Popularity: 3% [?]

According to Nintendo Power magazine, a sequel to the quirky, imaginitive title Elebits is in the works. in this game you play Kai, someone who has lost his “Elebits” who are responsible for powering his home.  You maneuver around trying to find hiding Elebits.  Nintendo Power stated that Konami is working on the game and should be released by the end of the year. No other details about the game were mentioned.

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Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Wii has become the fastest-selling video game in Nintendo of America’s history. Just a little over a week ago, the feature-packed fighting action game has sold more than 1.4 million units in the United States, saw SSBB (Super Smash Bros. Brawl) sell more than 874,000 on launch alone. It has sold at a rate of more than 120 units per minute between launch and March 20. If this selling trend continues the units sold will reach over 3 million before the end of march.

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Virtual Console just released two new games for us but in 16-bit.

• DoReMi Fantasy: Milon’s DokiDoki Adventure (Super NES, 900 Wii Points)
• Puyo Puyo 2: Tsuu (Sega Genesis, 900 Wii Points)

WII-KLY UPDATE: TWO NEW CLASSIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

March 10, 2008

Got enough challenge in your daily routine? Chances are that basic everyday tasks - getting to work or school on time, walking the dog, taking out the trash - aren’t enough to keep you firing on all cylinders. Luckily, Virtual Console™ is close at hand to help you test your mettle in fresh and unusual ways. Whether you’re rescuing a kidnapped pal or mastering a set of mind-bending grid puzzles, this week’s new arrivals, imported from Japan, offer a refreshing break from the late-winter blahs.

Nintendo adds new games to the Wii™ Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

DoReMi Fantasy: Milon’s DokiDoki Adventure (Super NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Alcohol Reference and Comic Mischief, 900 Wii Points): This is an action game where an energetic boy named Milon sets off on a great adventure in a cute fairy-tale world. Piccolo is a village in the country of Fantasia. One day, they hear from the fairy Alis that songs and music have disappeared from the forest. Suddenly, the wizard Amon appears, grabs Alis and vanishes with her. The brave Milon must now go on a journey to rescue his kidnapped friend, with his bubble shooter as his only weapon. Along the way, he’ll need to retrieve five legendary instruments and stars by defeating Amon’s minions. Get ready to enjoy the fun and comical action of this charming game.

Puyo Puyo 2: Tsuu (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 900 Wii Points): The object of this head-to-head puzzle game is to clear your grid of falling patterns called puyos by forming chains of four or more same-colored puyos in a straight line or one of several geometric patterns. What makes this a challenging two-player contest is the fact that when you clear a chain of puyos from your grid, it drops a random piece of filler onto your opponent’s grid. The more puyos you clear, the more you fill your opponent’s grid, and if you can clutter up his grid enough to fill it to the top, you’ve won the game. An intriguing backstory makes this an amusing experience for one or two players.

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.

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SEGA today announced that it has broke the 5 million mark on the sales of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games for DS and Wii.

MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES™ HITS 5 million in Global Sales
Founding Fathers of Video Games, SEGA and Nintendo, Find Winning Formula with First-Ever Pairing of Famous Mascots.

TOKYO (March 5, 2008) – SEGA® Corporation today announced that its history-making video game title, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games™, has sold five million copies worldwide in just over three months. Developed by SEGA for the Wii™ video game system and the Nintendo DS™ system, with creative input and executive milestone approvals by Nintendo’s developers, the title brought together for the first time the two most beloved icons in the entertainment industry. In the spirit of the Olympic Games, the legendary mascots also brought friends from their storied franchises along, including Luigi™, Knuckles™, Yoshi® and Tails™, to compete in a variety of Olympic events.

“Since the moment we knew this game could happen, all at SEGA Europe have been tremendously excited. We felt that this game could be popular with all audiences, and appeal to both gamers and newcomers to gaming alike – but sales to date have surpassed our expectations! Mario and Sonic have once again proved that in this high tech next gen market, fun and hilarity will always have a place in everybody’s hearts.” said Mike Hayes, President and COO, SEGA Europe.

Published by SEGA across Europe and North America, and by Nintendo in Japan, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games made its worldwide debut on November 6, 2007, when the Wii version hit store shelves in the United States. According to the NPD Group, which tracks sales data in the United States, the game was one of the top-ten best-sellers in the United States – across all platforms – in the critical holiday sales month of December.

When Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games launched in Europe just days later, it was an immediate hit, rising rapidly to the top of sales charts and becoming the best-ever performing Wii game over the seven-day period, ending on December 11, 2007. In January, Mario & Sonic hit the top of the charts again and became the best-selling videogame in the UK and Benelux markets across all formats.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is licensed through a worldwide partnership with International Sports Multimedia (ISM), the exclusive Interactive Entertainment Software licensee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

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Disney announced it will be releasing a rock genre game for the Wii/DS, Ultimate Band. You can sing, play guitar,bass, or drums. You will be able to play everything from 60’s classic rock to todays pop hits.

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DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS INTRODUCES ULTIMATE BAND - THE ONLY ALL-INCLUSIVE MUSIC VIDEO GAME EXPERIENCE FOR ALL AGES
No Peripherals Required, Ultimate Band Makes the Power to Rock Truly Accessible

BURBANK, Calif. - (February 27, 2008) - Disney Interactive Studios announced today, Ultimate Band, an all new music experience for fans of the Wii™ home video game system and Nintendo DS™. Gamers and music lovers of all ages will realize their dream of becoming a rock legend when they build their own band or jam alone, all fueled only by the power of the Wii controllers and the DS stylus. Disney is working with some of the very biggest names in rock, alternative, popular, emo and indie rock music, allowing band mates to play sets from a broad selection of current hits and all-time rock favorites. Friends and families can rock out on guitar, bass, drums or as the front man.

“Ultimate Band invites kids, tweens and teens to join in the jam session,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president, global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “And whether they choose guitar, drums, bass or front man, members don’t need to buy costly, single-function peripherals to play their way through Ultimate Band’s deep song list, dynamic venues, and customizable characters. The Wii Remote™ and DS stylus are the only tools they’ll need to reach rock stardom in Ultimate Band.”

Working with leading London-based music consultants, Radial Music, Disney has chosen to combine familiar classics with today’s hottest songs in creating Ultimate Band - a product with global appeal across all age groups. Instantly-recognizable songs from classic rock to current hit singles will bring players together for endless hours of entertainment.

“Radial worked closely with Disney to compile the perfect song list for Ultimate Band,” said David Hill of Radial Music. “With iconic songs from every decade since the 60s, these games feature music for everyone.”

Ultimate Band, being developed by Fall Line Studio in Salt Lake City, UT, is slated for release during the 2008 holiday season. When Disney formed Fall Line Studio in November, 2006, Ultimate Band was the first project the team began building. Fall Line Studio’s focus is to develop Wii and Nintendo DS games based on new intellectual property, Disney brands (with Disney/Walden Media’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian on the Nintendo DS being its first release), and innovative new technologies such as DGamer which will provide a fun, connected game community for Disney video game fans.

Ultimate Band for Wii allows players to live the life of a rock star, by advancing their music careers and popularity from playing in a neighborhood garage to performing in front of an international audience at a world famous venue. Ultimate Band utilizes the innovative Wii Remote and Nunchuk™ to give fans the ability to play the drums, bass guitar, lead guitar, or take on the role of the front man. Players can also create and customize characters that reflect their own unique personalities and attributes. Along the way, players will unlock new songs, venues, and accessories that can be used to customize their band members.

Ultimate Band for Nintendo DS is a rhythm-based music game with a built-in recording studio. Players can jam to current and classic songs using the drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, or rhythm guitar. Players can also create their own original songs using the DS touchscreen and stylus to lay down tracks for each instrument and apply creative mixing effects. Ultimate Band for Nintendo DS will also include DGamer functionality which will allow players to engage with others in a secure online community via their DS (Wi-Fi or ad hoc) or computer.

Ultimate Band will be rated E10+ (anticipated) and available this holiday season for Wii and Nintendo DS.”

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Sakurai the director of Super Smash Bros. Brawl

“No. There are no characters that can be unlocked via connecting to WiiConnect24 or interacting in that fashion. And I may be mistaken here, but the Wii doesn’t have a hard drive - it’s a disc-based system - so I don’t think we’ll be doing that, I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

More information can be found here.

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Heres the logo for the “make-shift” game case for the new Guitar Hero: Aerosmith from gamestop. It will be releasing in June 2008.

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EA announced today that they will be releasing NCAA football 09 for the Wii.  It will come with Sports Family Play. You will also have a chance to vote for the cover mascot for the game case exclusively for the Wii. You are able to vote for the mascot by visiting www.ncaafootball09.com.

Popularity: 5% [?]

With only two seasons left in the original agreement, EA and the NFL have extended their agreement to the 2012 season. The new agreement will end after the 2012 season (February of 2013).

EA EXTENDS INTERACTIVE VIDEOGAME AGREEMENTS WITH NFL AND NFL PLAYERS
Exclusive Agreements Renewed Through 2012 Season

Chertsey, UK. – February 12, 2008 – Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) today announced an extension of its exclusive licensing relationships with the National Football League and NFL PLAYERS to develop, publish and distribute interactive football video games. These agreements – which were negotiated separately and are extensions of contracts originally signed in December 2004 – provide EA continued rights to NFL teams, stadiums and players for its critically-acclaimed and best-selling football videogames through the end of the 2012 season, which culminates in February 2013.

Both agreements include all aspects of the interactive experience, including console and handheld games as well as console-based online features. The agreements also provide EA access to both NFL Films and the NFL Network to enrich its game experiences. Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed.

“This is all about bringing authenticity and realism to NFL videogames,” said Eric Grubman, President of NFL Ventures. “EA SPORTS continually works to maintain the cutting edge for NFL products across a variety of gaming platforms. We like the fact that they never rest.”

“This is great news and it means we can continue to produce the best interactive experience possible. It also allows NFL PLAYERS, the NFL and EA to continue to build our brands,” said Gene Upshaw, Chairman of NFL PLAYERS and Executive Director of the National Football League Players Association. “We offer a very unique experience. “

“We are excited about the opportunity to extend and expand our relationships with the NFL and NFL PLAYERS,” said Peter Moore, President of EA SPORTS™. “For nearly two decades, EA SPORTS has been bringing sports fans closer to the great game of football through the breakthrough interactive experiences of our videogames. Game quality is our top priority, and we’re committed to pushing our gameplay innovation, connecting football fans via rich online experiences and delivering the most visually stunning sports games on the market.”

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2008, EA’s Madden NFL franchise has consistently been one of the videogame industry’s best-selling and top-rated products, generating more than $2 billion in retail sales. Madden NFL 08 earned awards from the 2007 Game Critics Awards at the E3 Media and Business Summit, The SpikeTV Video Game Awards, and the GameSpot Readers Choice Awards last year. The game is available on the PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems, Xbox 360™ and Xbox® videogame and entertainment systems from Microsoft, Nintendo DS™, Wii™, PC, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, mobile handsets and Mac. EA also produces the arcade-football game NFL Tour which hit stores in January 2008, and NFL Head Coach, which was released in 2006. EA SPORTS recently hosted Madden Bowl XIV in Scottsdale, Ariz., as part of Super Bowl XLII festivities.

Both agreements grant exclusive rights for action simulation, arcade-style and manager games on the PC, handheld game devices and consoles.
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About EA SPORTS
EA SPORTS™ is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world, with top-selling titles and franchises including Madden NFL football, FIFA , NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® and NASCAR® racing.

EA SPORTS is the center of the interactive sports experience and its immersion into the sports world extends beyond games into a rich portfolio of marketing programs and activities, including: the EA SPORTS Challenge Series competitive gaming circuit; the EA SPORTS High School All-American program for football, basketball, soccer, golf, softball and baseball; the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational men’s college basketball tournament, NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS and more.

EA SPORTS videogames are developed and produced for videogame systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. For more information about EA SPORTS, including newsletters, podcasts, and fantasy football action please visit www.easports.com.

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