X-Play Holiday Buyer’s Guide 2009: Wii

The accessible and fun Nintendo Wii has invaded jillions of households all over the world. On the forefront of the motion control wave, Nintendo already has people shaking their Wiimotes and their wallets.

Consider putting some Nintendo exclusive under the tree for you loved ones as Adam Sessler runs you through the top Wii games this holiday season, including Metroid Prime Trilogy, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, MadWorld, Boom Blox: Bash Party, and New Super Mario Bros.

 

 

For more holiday buying awesomeness, check out X-Play’s metric crap-ton of Holiday Buyers’ Guide videos!

Amazon.com’s Cyber Monday deals available now

In the market for Nathan Drake’s latest adventure but not trying to spend a hidden fortune on it? Amazon.com’s Cyber Monday deals are here to help, offering Uncharted 2 for only $40, among other great deals. How about Left 4 Dead 2 for $40? Or maybe you’d prefer a 60-hour-long fantasy RPG for the same price? Amazon has you covered.

Look, we’d keep listing deals here, but there’s kind of a lot. So pick your console of choice (Nintendo Wii / DS, PlayStation 3, or Xbox 360) and check out all the savings for yourself. While it’s not quite Steam levels of insane price drops, we’re quite partial to games for a third or more off normal retail price. Aren’t you?

Amazon.com’s Cyber Monday deals available now originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Japanese hardware sales, Nov. 16 - Nov. 22: Rapid expansion edition

This is just getting ridiculous. It seems like every week now we see a new contender added to the Japanese sales chart. Remember? Remember the beginning of the month, how simple everything was? Seven platforms. Seven arrows. Seven percentile figures. With today’s addition of the super-magnified DSi LL, we’re now up to nine platforms. In addition to being a much less appealing number (unless you’re a Beatle), it’s incrementally increased the amount of time we have to spend compiling each chart . That’s twenty precious, valuable seconds we’ll never see again.

To compensate for the increased labor that goes into making the charts, we guess we’ll subtract some of the usual work ethic that goes into the text of these posts. Hope you don’t mind. Man, that DSi LL sold a bunch, didn’t it? Man. Sure sold real good. PS2 didn’t, though. Too bad about that.

- DSi LL: 100,553 (New Entry!)
- PS3: 34,752 3,746 (9.73%)
- Wii: 32,844 6,080 (22.72%)
- PSP: 32,752 6,018 (15.52%)
- DSi: 32,070 1,679 (4.97%)
- DS Lite: 5,051 15 (0.30%)
- PSP Go: 4,574 1,853 (28.83%)
- Xbox 360: 4,085 39 (0.95%)
- PS2: 2,024 7 (0.34%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The super-magnified archives

Japanese hardware sales, Nov. 16 - Nov. 22: Rapid expansion edition originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BBC iPlayer for 360 indefinitely postponed due to disagreement with Microsoft

Though the BBC iPlayer is already available on the Wii and PS3 overseas, it seems a disagreement between the television corporation and Microsoft will keep the platform off of the Xbox 360 for the time being. According to a recent Telegraph article, sources close to the BBC’s Future Media and Technology department claim that Microsoft’s desire to make the iPlayer a Gold Subscriber-exclusive feature is “incompatible with the BBC’s public service remit.”

An unnamed BBC representative reportedly explained, “this does not fit with the BBC’s model and Microsoft will not budge at the moment. It is really frustrating for those involved on the BBC side who want to make sure iPlayer is rolled out on as many popular entertainment platforms as possible.” We’ve contacted Microsoft to hear the other half of the story.

BBC iPlayer for 360 indefinitely postponed due to disagreement with Microsoft originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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My Games This Weekend - 11.27.09 - Mario, Metroid, Turtles, and WWE

I always tend to overestimate how much gaming I can get done in a given amount of time. As such, I didn’t get to play much of what I had planned for yesterday. I did get to beat the 3 main cups in Super Mario Kart, though.

This weekend, I’ll be playing more WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010, might manage to get some fun with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* IV: Turtles in Time in there, and I’d like to sit down with Metroid Prime Trilogy for a bit. And around all that, I wouldn’t be surprised if the wife and I take up New Super Mario Bros. Wii and grab some more Star Coins and find some more exits.

How much of this actually gets done remains to be seen.

So, those are my games this weekend; what are yours?

* Oh, and a quick reminder to those interested: CW4Kids had Turtles Forever on last week, but if you missed it, they’re airing it in parts over the next three Saturdays, starting tomorrow. Everyone’s been raving about it, so if you’re a fan (even a former fan) of the TMNT, be sure not to miss it!

LEGO Halo is "Built for Combat"

We’ve seen LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Indiana Jones, LEGO Batman, and we’ve even seen LEGO Rock Band (what has been seen cannot be unseen). In at least three out of four cases (feel free to chime in on the last one), LEGO has been proven to make anything better, and one would believe that Halo is no exception.

Which is why it’s kind of a pity that rival building block company Mega Bloks beat them to the punch. Oh well.

Nonetheless, Kooberz Studios has said “nuts to licensing” and worked for six long years on a 25-minute short that will arrive in early 2010 called “Battle of the Brick: Built for Combat.” Check out the preview trailer:

Video Games | Battle of the Brick: Built for Combat | Exclusive Extended Reveal TrailerXBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Given that the Halo Wars Mega Bloks sets only came out this year and they say this took six to make, I’m assuming they customized their own Spartans and such.

Regardless, it looks to be fun. Expect us to keep you abreast of when it comes out.

Media: Mass Effect 2 - Adept Combat Class Reveal and Tali Trailer

“Thanksgiving weekend?” Hah! Canada laughs at your “Thanksgiving weekend,” with work continuing as usual up here. That’s why the Edmonton-based BioWare is able to provide us with two brand-spanking new Mass Effect 2 trailers this cold November’s day.

The first one reveals a new combat class, the “Adept,” which is capable of killing without firing a single shot:

Video Games | Mass Effect 2 | Adept Combat Class RevealXBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Great for parties and spaceport security, I’m sure.

Exploring the Legend of the Master Sword

“The Heroes triumph on Cataclysm’s eve wins three symbols of virtue. The Master Sword he shall then receive, keeping the Knights line true.”

These are the words engraved in ancient Hylian on the pedestal holding the Master Sword in A Link to the Past, the first appearance of the blade in The Legend of Zelda series. It has gone on to become something of an icon of not only the series, but in video gaming itself.

A new article at Zelda Informer explores the legacy of the mystic blade in great detail, examining its role throughout the Zelda series and its abilities and powers. There is a little bit of timeline talk, though it sits more as an aside than a major part of the article’s theme, for those who get headaches at such prospects.

That said, it’s a fun read for fans of the series as we wonder what role the blade of evil’s bane will play in the upcoming Zelda title for Wii. There has been much speculation based on the one image we have seen thus far, and Aonuma recently stated, “some of it is right.”

OFLC rating reveals Q-Games’ Reflect Missile, Nintendo publishing

Q-Games and Nintendo had a recent partnership in the release of Digidrive, but it doesn’t seem like they’re letting their relationship cool off any time soon. According to a new OFLC rating, Q-Games is developing — and Nintendo is publishing — a game called Reflect Missile. No platform was announced, but the safe money’s on either a DSiWare or WiiWare release.

Now, let’s get to determining exactly what a “Reflect Missile” is. Is is just, like, a really shiny missile, in which one might see themselves? Or is “Reflect Missile” a command in weird, broken English? For instance, “Captain Douglass, reflect [that] missile?” Or is the command being issued directly to the missile itself — “Reflect, Missile!” The possibilities are as endless as they are nonsensical.

[Via GamerBytes]

OFLC rating reveals Q-Games’ Reflect Missile, Nintendo publishing originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Random Video of the Day 2: Modern Warfare 2 Rick-Roll

This is why it’s a bad idea to have your games shipped to a friend’s house… or an excellent idea to have your friends ship their games to your house, take your pick.

Warning, non-worksafe language is employed here, as one might imagine:

Video Games | | Modern warfare 2 - Rick rollXBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

I must admit, all said, he took it better than I probably would have.

I’ll also admit that with all the hamming for the camera– and the presence of the camera itself– I have to question the legitimacy of it. Still, it’s a fun diversion to watch, either way.

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