Sandy Beach (Konami, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone—Comic Mischief, 500 Wii Points): Enjoy a fun day at Sandy Beach as you build elaborate sand castles. You can work peacefully on your sand castle or enter into a battle with invading crabs in Crab Battle mode. Players will strategically build their sand castle and use cannons to defend it against an army of destructive crabs. After successfully defending your sand castle, discover beach treasures and additional cannons with your metal detector to customize your castle even more.
Virtual Console
Kirby’s Dream Land 3 (Super NES™, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Kirby, Dream Land’s resident hero (and everyone’s favorite puffball), must once again save the day when the mischievous King Dedede starts causing trouble. Kirby must travel through an assortment of levels, battling an exotic array of enemies (both new and familiar) determined to stop him from completing his mission. Always armed with his trusty ability to swallow enemies and gain special attacks, Kirby can also unite with some of his animal friends and make use of their particular talents. Featuring detailed graphics, challenging boss battles and the distinct charm of a Kirby game, it’s no wonder this title is considered a classic.
It’s cliche’ to say that ‘records are made to be broken’. When they do get broken, there isn’t much more to say other than that though. Unless an asterisk should accompany the new record holder. Just like Barry Bonds’ home run title in baseball, I believe that an asterisk should be placed next to Wii Sports.
I should preface the rest of this story by stating that the statistics for the current best selling game ever record was compiled by VGChartz. They might not provide “official” numbers, but it’s hard to argue that Wii Sports wouldn’t be the best selling game at the moment. The reason for putting an asterisk next to Wii Sports’ title is that it’s a game that comes bundled with the Nintendo Wii.
People aren’t going out to pick up Wii Sports because it’s a ‘must have’ game. Super Mario Bros. was #1 on the list, which came bundled with the NES later in the console’s life. The game was a stand-alone product for sometime before the bundle though. In most of the major territories, Wii Sports hasn’t been available to purchase through retail.
Super Mario Bros. was easily sitting at its #1 spot, with 40.24 million units sold. Wii Sports has now sold 40.54 million. I think the most impressive game in the Top 5, is the Pokemon Red / Green / Blue sitting at #3. All the other games in the Top 5 were console launch titles, or bundled with hardware. The Pokemon titles weren’t released until later in the Gameboy’s life span, and during its heyday wasn’t bundled.
Here’s the full Top 10 according to VGChartz:
1. Wii Sports 40.52 (million units sold)
2. Super Mario Bros. 40.24
3. Pokemon Red/Blue/Green 31.38
4. Tetris 30.26
5. Duck Hunt 28.31
6. Pokemon Gold/Silver 23.11
7. Nintendogs 21.37
8. Super Mario World 20.61
9. Wii Play 19.68
10. Super Mario Land 18.14
Nintendo holds the entire Top 10 to themselves. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is the first game to appear on the list that isn’t a Nintendo game, which is at #11 with 17.61 million sold.
At this point of the year most sites have already conducted their “Top Games Of The Year” lists. I figured that creating another list of ‘Top 5 Games Of The Year’ that would undoubtedly feature Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and World of Goo would just be white noise. So, instead we’re going to have an awards ceremony this New Years Eve to commemorate different aspects of gaming throughout 2008.
Forewarning, the WiiBlog Gaming Awards will feature negative awards along with the positive. Because both aspects of the Wii need to be heard, for no other reason than I like to make up goofy sounding award names.
Best Video Game Character Newcomer - Travis Touchdown
No More Heroes wasn’t a perfect game by any means. In fact I’m still debating as to whether I liked it or not. What is definite is that No More Heroes has a unique style, and distinct sense of humor. The heart of the game’s style is undoubtedly found in its protagonist, Travis Touchdown. This manga loving, wrasslin’ watching, beam katana wielding assassin is one of the most refreshing characters in gaming this year, not just the Nintendo Wii. Needless to say we need more characters like Travis Touchdown in the video game world.
Makin’ Copies…Nintendonator…Nintendomestier…Makin’ Copies Award - Animal Crossing: City Folk
I wish I could have sat in the developer studio for Animal Crossing: City Folk and kept pulling off the ‘makin’ copies’ line Rob Schneider made famous on SNL. In a year when we saw so many long standing Nintendo franchises see releases on the Wii, this award is being given to the game that changed the least. Animal Crossing: City Folk had many things going for it before its release. First, there is a massive AC following; some who are rabid and will rip into you if you disturb their shirt pattern making, town visiting society.
With the release of Wii Speak, and the idea of visiting other people’s towns online I was hoping for a re-imagining of the AC series. What I got instead, was the same ol’ Animal Crossing with new features that you can tell the developers never really tapped into. The city aspect of the game is nothing more than a change of setting when you need to buy things. The online portion of the game is quite stripped down, and really is only fun if you’re into doing the same ol’ Animal Crossing activities only with someone online.
I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a huge Animal Crossing fan. I was hoping for so much more with City Folk; it was a let down but atleast it had Wii Speak packaged with it.
Third Party Go-Getter Award - de Blob
It’s no secret that the Nintendo Wii has been dominated by quality first-party titles. There have been a decent spread of third-party titles as well, but a lot are just cashing in on the huge hardware sales. When a great third-party title does come along, it continues to renew the love of my white wii remote. This year the third-party game that rolled along and really impressed me was de Blob.
There’s not much to dislike about de Blob, and his fight against the colorless corporation, I.N.K.T. As you roll de Blob around, and watch the city come to life with color it’s one of the most pleasing moments in gaming this year. There were problems just like with any game. The lack of an in-level save made for some long sessions, especially if you were going for 100% on the stages. Although you had to play for awhile to get anywhere, the music made the trip an absolute treat. Each track that accompanies a certain “mood”, has a distinct melody with all of them pleasing to the ear. The gameplay is simple, but with the way the levels are laid out it makes for an overall satisfying experience.
Indie, Shroom Trippin’, How Did I End Up With A Goat Wife? Award - World Of Goo Story, and Levels
It would be easy to just make a “Creative Game” award, and call it a day. World Of Goo would undoubtedly win this award, but I want to talk about certain aspects of the game that earned it what I consider the most prestigious award given.
If you’ve played World Of Goo, then you know that this 2D Boy developed game is unlike anything you’ve ever played. Whether that’s a good thing all depends on what kind of mindset you have.
First, the story that your goo balls go through is about as abstract as a story can get. I’m still not quite sure what the plot is about, even playing through it three times. Are the goo balls representative of us? Are they a commentary about our reliance on material things, such as oil which most of the goo balls look like? Depending on my mood I either love World Of Goo’s story, or absolutely hate it. If I’m in a mood to take something psychedelic and contemplate the meaning of life I love it. If you’re wanting to just sit down and play a game without thinking too much, then you might just want to ignore the overtones.
The story might have a love/hate relationship, but the level design in World Of Goo gets nothing but hugs and kisses from me. The levels are no less weird than the story, but instead of thinking about morals you’re just trying to get your goo balls to the pipe to be sucked through. I’ve been sitting here trying to think of another puzzle game, or any other game that has such an extraordinary level design than World Of Goo. So far it’s been fruitless, as I can’t think of a game that can compare to World of Goo’s stage designs. There’s no wasted levels, or parts of the game. You can tell that 2D Boy took extra special care of every puzzle ridden crevice of the game.
I Broke My Controller/TV Because Of This Cheap Ass Gameplay Element Award - Mario Kart: Wii Items
No, that hole wasn’t put in my TV because of over exaggerating my Wii Tennis stroke. It’s there because I just got hit with the freakin’ blue spiky shell for a third time in this damned Mario Kart race. Not to mention the thunderbolt that hit me as I was going off a ramp, that dropped me in a lava pit.
I’d go on further but I can already feel my heart rate rise thinking about getting item pounded in an online race.
As Retro As Gen 1 Transformer Action Figures With Oven Burnt Marks Award - 20 Deaths In Concrete Man Stage (Mega Man 9)
Just like the previous award, Mega Man 9 could be responsible for broken Wii remotes around the world. Instead of the remotes being broke because of cheap elements, Mega Man 9’s retro-style difficulty is the culprit. When I first booted up Mega Man 9, I was on cloud nine. It had been along time since I had played a game that challenged me like the WiiWare Blue Bomber download.
Playing games this day and age always makes me wonder if the games back on the NES really were that hard, or I was just too young to be any good. After playing Mega Man 9 it’s obvious that the difficulty has simply decreased over the years. I’ve died in Mega Man 9 more than any game I’ve played this year. I started keeping count on the number of deaths I accrued in each stage before finally beating it. My record is 20 deaths in the Concrete Man stage; before finally beating it on my 21st attempt.
Although there were times I was ready to throw my Wii remote against the wall, or give up, the feeling of gratification was well worth it. Beating a stage of Mega Man 9 will give you warm and fuzzy feelings greater than any game out this year.
The Essence Of The Wii Game Award - LostWinds
If you blinked this year, you might have missed LostWinds. One of the WiiWare launch games, LostWinds may have been a short title. What it lacked in length, it more than made up for with fun, clever gameplay.
The game reminded me of Metroid in the way that the game world was laid out. There were no load screens, and the entire game world was accessible from the beginning. Of course you had to obtain power-ups to enter certain areas.
LostWinds greatest strength came by way of its control layout. Every action in the game besides walking is coordinated with a Wii remote motion. If you want to jump, you better be good at flicking your Wii remote up and down. Games that rely heavily on motion control usually feel tacked on. LostWinds’ motion controls add to the experience more so than detract it though. I think that when Nintendo was creating the Nintendo Wii, they had games like LostWinds in mind when developing the Wii Remote.
Ok, that’s it for this year’s crop of awards. 2008 was one of the best years that video gamers have had in quite some time. The Nintendo Wii might have peaked early in 08, but we still had a large selection of games to waggle through. Here’s hoping that 2009 is going to blow 2008 out of the water. I’ll be back next week, when the New Year is underway. Everyone be safe, and be sure to use the wrist strap if you do some drunken Wii bowling for New Years.
I can’t read a word of Japanese, or have any knowledge of yen-dollar conversion. That really doesn’t matter because no price can keep me away from this awesome Punch-Out! Hoodie. If you have read WiiBlog in the past, then you know of my love for Punch-Out! It’s easily the game I’m anticipating most in 2009, and I’m assuming is the reason for the release of this Hoodie.
TheKingOfGames are the makers behind the Punch-Out! hoodies. I was worried after clicking on Kotaku’s link because it went to TheKingOfGames’ Japanese site. Luckily, they have an English site but they still have their products listed by Yen price. After running a quick conversion, I was able to find out that the hoodie costs $138.40. I wish I could say my Punch-Out! fanboy love has no price, but $138 is steep for any piece of clothing.
If you’re rolling in cash like Scrooge McDuck then I highly recommend a purchase. It comes with vintage, fingerless gloves to do your boxing workout right. How can you turn that down?
My first day back to WiiBlog has been met with good news. One of my favorite, and I’m sure others favorite Nintendo 64 game is coming to the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console. Superman 64? No, Super Smash Bros. is prepped and ready to be coming to Japan’s Virtual Console in January 09.
The game will sell for 1200 Wii Points in the land of the rising sun. Of course the question is when will it be coming to the US? That’s a tough question to answer, as some games have taken longer than others to release stateside. Needless to say though, it is definitely coming.
I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas, and all the things you wanted were waiting for you under the Christmas tree, or by the Menorah, or next to the Kwanza whatever. I made out pretty well, listening to mine right now (iPod Touch). Even if you didn’t get everything you wanted, you still had a better holiday then a certain Portsmouth, New Hampshire couple.
Randi Young (24), and Heath Blom (26) were arrested for misdemeanor charges of “domestic-related” simple assault on the holiest of days, Christmas. What could have started such a fight that the police would need to be called? Was Heath stuffing the stocking of another? Perhaps Randi had the chestnuts of another roasting on her fire? Ok, I’m done with the Christmas innuendos.
I Have A Feeling They’re Going To Be Fine, And Later On In Life Have A Laugh About The Wii Incident Of 2008
Unfortunately, the story is even more sad as the fight erupted over Heath receiving a Nintendo Wii for Christmas. Most would be excited for receiving the apparently still hard to find Nintendo console. Heath had a different reaction according to the police. He exploded that he didn’t receive a remote-controlled airplane he had asked for, and he didn’t want a Nintendo Wii. I promise, I’m not making any of this up.
Randi Young, commented about the events that took place, “He said he hated it. It hurt her (grandmother) feelings…When he didn’t get the plane, he got really upset. He acted like a 10-year-old kid”
The initial reaction then led to a fight between Randi and Heath. Then when Randi tried to leave the house, Heath thought she was trying to take the Nintendo Wii with her. That’s when the brawl that had the police called broke out.
I won’t go into too many details, but let’s just say that punches were thrown and someone was dragged down the stairs by their hair.
If you want to read the full story, click the link below.
So, coming off this story how was everyone’s holiday? What Nintendo Wii games did you get, or did you perhaps get a Nintendo Wii? If you did get a Nintendo Wii, did you have the same reaction as Heath?
Today’s WiiBlog Top 5 list could be considered conceited, and you’d probably be right. I’ve had such a blast writing for WiiBlog since I took over the reins back in March. There have been some up and down moments to be sure. I like to think there has been more good then bad to write about though. So, in that spirit, let’s take a look at the Top 5 WiiBlog Posts Of 2008.
Excerpt From The Post:: “With this change in landscape; it’s good for us gamers as well. If there’s one thing that’s been constant in the video game world, it’s repetitiveness. The larger publishers, and developers don’t like to take very many risks. If there’s anything that’s risky in the video game world, it’s a new title. Back in the early days of video gaming, everything was new. So when something was released, the anticipation of delving into a new world was exciting and fresh. Nowadays it seems everything just keeps being rehashed and re-packaged, and a lot of times just a direct sequel is given.”
Why I Liked This Post: For me the release of WiiWare was one of my favorite announcements in 2008. I knew that if pulled off correctly, that it would be a great service. Getting to try out games from smaller, independent companies is a real treat. With the release of Lost Winds, and World Of Goo it’s easy to say that WiiWare definitely hasn’t disappointed.
Excerpt From The Post:: “The word “port” can be a very risky thing to say around gamers. There’s always this thought in the back of the mind, “Oh no, Oh no, Oh no”. There are definitely games out there that get ported over that become successful. Probably one of the greatest examples is Resident Evil 4 for the Nintendo Wii. This game had absolutely everything you wanted from a port. It looked as good if not better than the original, it had great additional content, and wonderfully fresh motion controls.”
Why I Liked This Post: Making my Top 5 lists on Fridays is one of my favorite things to do during the work week. It’s generally when I get to be at my most creative, and can at times bring up some good discussion. This particular post, “Top 5 Nintendo Wii Game Port Ideas” gets a spot on today’s Top 5 because it was featured on N4G. Not only did it get posted there, it moved all the way up to the featured section of the site. Hopefully it’s the one of many to be submitted to N4G in the future.
Excerpt From The Post:“If you have 1000 Wii points, then you’ll be hard pressed to find a better way to spend it on than LostWinds. While it’s short, and takes a patient mind to appreciate, there’s just so much fun to be found here. The intuitive controls alone are worth the purchase. Not to mention the amazing artistic style, and amazing puzzle platforming gameplay. It’s my hope that games take some kind of inspiration from LostWinds, as this is a game that shows the true spirit of the the Nintendo Wii.”
Why I Liked This Post: Even more so than making Top 5 Lists, I love to write game reviews. The main reason being is that it means that I’ve fully accomplished everything I set out to do with the game. That means that I got through the game to the very end.
I’ve written a few reviews this year, but for me LostWinds was by far my favorite to write. I absolutely adored this game, and to me is one of the greatest games of the year. This is the kind of game that makes writing reviews fun, and engaging. I can’t wait to write the review for the sequel.
I like to think of reviews as a means to share what makes a game great or doesn’t. I’m not too big on adding numeric values to things, but since some people do like that I try and oblige them. It has been along while since I’ve written a review for WiiBlog, which will hopefully change over Christmas break.
Excerpt & Comments From The Post:“I won’t even get into the ludicrousness of the ad (apparently we need to take off an entire day to go vote). My big question is, why do you need to put a Wii Remote in your video to prove your point? Does Obama really not give the American people enough credit, that he thinks they’ll be playing video games all day and not exercise their right to vote? Are we led to believe that people have really gotten that addicted to electronic media?”
Comment - Teddy:“OK, first of all, it’s an ad to get out the vote… how is that a bad thing? Voting IS important, and this ad is just part of what both candidates are doing to get their supporters to the voting booths. The point is, a lot of people mean to vote and just don’t bother… or they use having to work as an excuse.
This ad is great in my opinion; it’s clean, polished and goes right to the point. And although it’s an Obama ad, it’s about going to vote, not why you should vote for him.
I like the use of the Wii Remote in the ad…. what do people do all day? They sit on the couch, they work, they play with their Wii. I know I do.
I don’t understand why you think that this ad has anything to do with his spending of advertising space in video games (which, in my opinion, is a very clever and progressive idea considering America’s youth are far more likely to vote for Obama). I also don’t see what it has to do with Nintendo employees donating “significant funds” to the Obama campaign (your link to that story, whatever it is, is broken or down).
The message from Obama is simple: just take a small part of your day and go vote. Our voting system is archaic; we have to go on a random Tuesday, perhaps in lousy weather, and have only a small window to vote? Most states don’t have early voting.
The ad isn’t telling us to play less games (or do less work, or not sit on a couch). It’s just saying that voting is simple…. you just need to get off your ass and do it…”
Comment - Step:“Wow. Most commented post ever on Wiiblog.net is about …. Politics? Where are all you commenters the rest of the time?!”
Why I Liked This Post: I’ve mentioned about how I love to be creative, and how I love to write reviews. What I like even better than those two things is to get a reaction out of people with my writing. I don’t like to write for the sole purpose of garnering a reaction, but when people do voice their opinion it really makes me happy.
During the heated Presidential campaign, I wrote this post as a reaction to Obama’s commercial about people needing to get out and vote. When I wrote it, I didn’t really think that people would have such a strong opinion towards the post. I guess I underestimated the power of people’s political beliefs.
I’ve never taken politics personally, so I didn’t really understand why people were becoming so heated in the debate over the advertisement. The discussion never got out of hand though, and I like to think we’re all better people because of it (might be taking it a bit far).
Excerpts From The Post:“Personally, I’ve been an avid gamer since around the late 1980’s. I received a NES for my 5th Christmas, and haven’t looked back since. I’ve put more hours into gaming then probably any other electronic media, or hobby. I’ve either owned, or played on every console that’s been released. Now that I have enough of my own money to spend, I have all three of the current gen consoles.”
“Most people that have been venting about Nintendo’s lack of “hardcore releases” has stemmed from Nintendo’s lack of presence at E3. To these people I say that I was disappointed myself when I saw no Punch Out, Kid Icarus or any other first party announcement besides Wii Music, and Animal Crossing. But I blame E3 for this, not Nintendo. E3 is but a shadow of what it used to be, and Nintendo knows that most hardcore gamers will be keeping an eye on the other gaming conferences. Perhaps Nintendo decided it was best to save some of their bigger news for a later time. I mean just look at what Nintendo has released in the past 8-9 months, what else could they be working on that would be near ready for a conference display? For gamers out there disgruntled by E3, I say be patient and wait for a more valid conference to surface.
I went on a rant today, but I just wanted to put my two cents out there on this whole “hardcore vs. casual” dichotomy that has sprouted its ugly head of late. I hate to get nostalgic, but I miss the good ol’ days when the separation was between ‘fun and not fun’. It’s like the gaming world has gotten so in love with itself that someone won’t give a game a chance because it doesn’t give into their “hardcore” image, which is pretty sad.”
Why I Liked This Post: My #1 WiiBlog post for this year is on the list for a few reasons. First, I got opportunity to rant which is always fun. I was able to be creative, at least in my mind for presenting an argument against something that I really disagree with. Just like my #2 spot on today’s list it received great reactions from other people. The post being strictly about video games, and not about politics was a factor for it being #1 as well.
I’ve been against the hardcore vs. casual idea ever since I first heard of it. I’ve never been a huge fan classification, and I really don’t want to see it coming to my beloved media of video games. I guess you can call me a simple person, but with video games they’ll always be either ‘fun’ or ‘not fun’. If I’m decapitating zombie heads with a chainsaw, or gyrating my hips on balance board to hula-hoop it doesn’t matter. All that truly matters is that gamers are receiving a truly engaging experience.
Being able to voice my opinion on the matter was a treat, and was easily my favorite post to write this year.
I want to take time to say thank you to everyone that has made WiiBlog so fun to write for this year. Thanks to the developers who’ve made some awesome titles to waggle my way through. I want to thank the readers, and commenters that have made it such a treat to come on here and write up posts. Even if you haven’t joined in on the discussion, thanks for reading and taking some time out of your day to check-in. Here’s hoping that WiiBlog can keep going strong into 2009.
It’s been along while since there’s been any news to report on Peekaboo Pole Dancing’s idea to bring a Nintendo Wii pole dancing game into fruition. The last time I heard anything about the game was back in May, when for some reason I talked about becoming a pole dancer myself.
I like to think I’ve grown up since then, and have moved on from my pole dancing aspirations. I still hold a special place in my heart for the art form known as pole dancing. Which is why I’m saddened by the latest reports from Peekaboo.
According to a MTV Multiplayer report, Peekaboo is having trouble finding someone to develop and publish the game. I know that you’re as shocked, and flabbergasted as I am.
Simon Kay, a rep for Peekaboo had this to say about their search for a developer and publisher, “We have not managed to tie up a deal for this yet but we still remain hopeful…We have, however, connected with a company that is manufacturing a peripheral product and we are investigating mutual publishing opportunities. Please feel free to give a shout out to any developers or publishers who want to give this a crack. [The game] just needs someone with a little nerve.”
It’s time that the Nintendo Wii crowd step up and help Peekaboo Pole Dancing find itself a home. All of you whiners out there complaining that the Nintendo Wii isn’t mature enough have found your game. Because there’s nothing more mature than some well crafted pole dancing.
So, I caught wind yesterday that the Club Nintendo service had finally launched for North America. I mentioned Club Nintendo in a ‘Top 5 Reasons For Wii Owners To Smile’ post earlier in the year. After my experience with Club Nintendo last night, I might list it as a reason to throw something breakable against the wall.
For those who aren’t sure of what Club Nintendo is, I’ll break it down for you. It’s a service in which Nintendo allows you register games onto a website, and will give you a survey about said game. The surveys are only 5 questions long, so it won’t take to long to complete them. The more games that you register the more coins you accrue. Once you’ve earned enough coins, you then are able to order some free Nintendo swag from Club Nintendo. The prizes range anywhere from Nintendo DS stylus kits, all the way up to a free video game.
To say that the site launched with a few problems is an understatement. My experience last night with Club Nintendo was full of slow load times. Bizarre instances that the site would log me out when I clicked on certain links. There were a couple of error messages when I tried to register some of my games.
I was able to get four of my 8 games registered, before going to bed. Which leaves me with 140 Coins at the moment. Unfortunately that’s not quite enough, as 300 Coins is the minimum prize for now.
So far the reward list is quite small, but that’s forgivable seeing as the site just launched this week. The prizes range in cost anywhere from 300 coins - 800 coins. The largest reward right now is the Game & Watch Collection for the Nintendo DS.
I logged on to Club Nintendo just before writing this article, and everything appears to be running a bit more smooth. I don’t have any games here to register, so not sure if that’s running better or not.
I highly recommend that you sign up for Club Nintendo. There’s really no reason not to sign up for something that’s only going to give you free stuff in the future. I’m saving my coins for now, until the reward catalog grows a bit.
Has anyone else signed up for Club Nintendo yet? Have you had any problems logging on, or have you been able to load it at all?
Nothing screams “Nerd!”, “Fanboy!”, or another derogatory term quite like wearing a video game t-shirt. Of course, if you’re like me you have a whole collection of them in your closet. Because who cares if someone yells senseless words at you, they’re the ones with self esteem issues.
Here are a few of my favorite shirts, all of which you can find on Wearyourbeer.com.
