Alec Baldwin and His Wii

I think Alec Baldwin is one of the funniest people on the planet. If you haven’t seen 30 Rock, you really need to go check it out, as it’s maybe the best sitcom on TV at the moment. He appeared last night in a Wii-related skit on Saturday Night Live last night that is crude, possibly NSFW, and also awesome.

Try not to laugh during it. Go ahead. I dare you.

January Sales Figures Show Nintendo’s Pwnage

nintendoReally, Nintendo? I’m starting to get suspicious. Either you’re lacing your consoles with crack, or it’s full of hidden money, or maybe the Wii really is more than a fad. Whatever the case, the Big N is still smoking the competition month after month, and at this point it’s just getting shameful.

So how did Nintendo do in January? Well, here’s the list:

* Wii – 679,200
* Nintendo DS – 510,800
* Xbox 360 – 309,000
* PlayStation 3 – 203,200
* PSP – 172,300
* PlayStation 2 – 101,200

Nintendo needs to tell me the secrets of how to take millions of dollars from people. I need that info.

Source- Kotaku

Retro Nintendo Customer Service Training Video

I love when all things retro surface again on the Internet, rising from their graves like some unholy zombie minion, ready to slay us with laughter and tales of times gone by. Today’s particularly retro minion comes courtesy of a 1991 Nintendo training video that helps people deal with customers with defective (or supposedly defective) products. Ah, remember back when that Nintendo seal meant something? Good times.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYjgHLFZMa0[/youtube]

Nintendo Games Take Half the Software Pie in 2008

nintendoYikes. We all know that the Nintendo Wii and DS are literally just shredding the competition. To pieces. Dominating all challengers. Nintendo, were it a man, would be kicking other companies, were they men, in their nuts, if they had them. And then there would be tears, and possibly gloating.

So, what else can Nintendo tack to its 2008 accomplishments to contribute to the “don’t-mess-with-us-bitch-we-are-Nintendo” swagger? Well, possibly this: Nintendo games made up almost half of all software sales last year. Forty-nine percent of all game sales.

Yes, really. I guess people love that Wii more than that PS Triple and XBox 360 after all. Basically, they sold 132 million games, with 70 million being Wii games.

All I have to say is this: Damn, that’s a lot of games.

Source- Gamasutra

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings Trailer

While the latest Indiana Jones movie wasn’t so hot (wtf aliens), there’s always been a lot of potential to extend the life of the franchise through the medium of video games. Here’s a new trailer for Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, coming to the Wii. Even though it doesn’t show any actual gameplay, I have to say, it definitely has the right feel. I’m actually a little excited.

Wind Waker Dude Has Talent, Free Time

Ok, so the other day we showed you the one man Zelda theme band. This is possibly even better. One dude with a stupid amount of talent plays a variety of instruments to create the Wind Waker theme by himself. And when I say a variety, I mean a variety. Watch out for the chorus. It rules.

Thanks for the link, Smarty.

Today’s WTF: Dog Killed by Wii-Mote, Rez’d

wii-moteYikes. Be careful with those Wii-motes, kiddies. Not only do they cause all kinds of personal injury as well as property damage, but they are a damage to our cute and cuddly pets. Especially if you are bowling like a maniac and smack your new puppy in the noggin.

A family in Marquette, Michigan learned this the hard way because it is exactly what happened to Ozzie, their brand new miniature Sheltie. Apparently, the dog’s owner was playing Wii Sports when she swung her Wii-mote at the precise moment the dog jumped up towards her. She hit it in the head and killed it.

Fortunately for them, their neighbors came over and did doggy CPR (wtf) to bring the little guy back. They took him to the vet where he was treated for brain swelling, etc and now the dude is ok.

So, lesson learned. Be careful with your Wii-motes, people. For the love of all things furry.

Source- 9 News

Hilarious Super Mario Bros Show

If you are at all familiar with the Matrix ping-pong video that circulated a million years ago in Internet time, then you should recognize the same style that’s going on in this awesome Super Mario Bros video. I love that this is all done on a stage, it’s terribly creative and executed so well, to boot. Watch!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJMepmfOgU0[/youtube]

2009’s Hottest Portable Games

psp_v_ds2MTV, while not really having a damn thing to do with music anymore, has a surprisingly decent gaming news section on their website. They have compiled a top 5 list of portable games to watch for on MTV.com. I don’t know about you guys, but I love my DS just as much as my PS3 and I am always excited for new games coming out on it.

List after the jump:
Continue reading 2009’s Hottest Portable Games

Today’s WTF: Nintendo’s “Kind Code”

nintendo-kind-codeLots of people crack on Nintendo for not making hardcore games anymore. Today, a patent went public that may confirm this suspicion for many people: Nintendo’s Kind Code. What is it, exactly, you ask?

Though there is a lot of techno mumbo-jumbo to the patent and not many specifics are known yet, basically, the Kind Code allows you, if you get stuck at a point in a game, to become “unstuck”. This works by choosing a hint in a menu, or selecting an option that lets the game take control. If you’d like, you can also just load up a developer’s saved game with full stats/health/etc, and jump into any point of the game you want.

The idea is that this will turn more casual people on to hardcore games, so they don’t have to worry about getting stumped, or they can start the game from where ever they want, or they can just watch the game play itself.
Continue reading Today’s WTF: Nintendo’s “Kind Code”

Hottest Wii Games of 2009

nintendo_wii_1With what seems to be just a so-so year for the XBox 360 and a stellar year for the PS3 coming up, one wonders what Nintendo is up to for the future. So far, there are many that feel that Nintendo has left the hardcore gamers behind, but the overwhelmingly huge sales that they’ve been raking in deserve lots of praise.

Well it was only a matter of time before someone put together a list of the most anticipated Wii games of 2009, and Gamasutra delivered. I actually have to say that I’m pleasantly surprised by the list, as there are a couple of more interesting and normal games (rather than Wii Ware) that will be hitting. Apparently, the new Tenchu is actually showing lots of promise, Sin and Punishment 2 looks great and some of the other exclusives look rather unique.

Another interesting thing about the list? Most of the games on it are coming before the summer. So what’s Nintendo got up its sleeve? Thoughts?

Source- Gamasutra

Who’s Got The Best Exclusives?

console-warsIn the epic fanboy debates of ages past and present, the ultimate factor always turns out to be console exclusives. Being able to tout a game that the other console doesn’t have wins major points, even if the other side pretends that they wouldn’t touch Halo or Metal Gear Solid if it was on their console of choice. Yeah. Right.

However, these days, console exclusives are light. Since games cost more to make, it’s just not financially reasonable to make an exclusive for one console when you can make more money by spreading the love and your game around.

Unigamesity has put together a list of the pure console exclusives from 2008, and compares their Metacritic ratings. Who wins? You might be surprised. For the record, I think Left 4 Dead should have been included on the 360 list. Sure, you can play it on the PC. But console-wise, you can only play it on the 360, which is what matters for the purposes of this argument.

Source- Unigamesity

Gamepocalypse: Wii Sports is the Best-Selling Game, Ever.

wii-sportsSeriously. Kick me right in the nuts, because I must be dreaming. I’m not really sure how this hasn’t gathered more attention recently, but it’s true- Wii Sports is the best-selling game of all time, now at over 40 million copies sold, putting it past Super Mario Bros., the previous title holder.

Granted, these numbers are a bit skewed, as both of these games were bundled titles with their systems (a PS2 bundled game would have sold 100 million plus copies), but it’s still significant, as no game has ever sold more than the original SMB until now. And it’s Wii. Freaking. Sports.

Curious about the other top 10 best-selling games of all time?
Continue reading Gamepocalypse: Wii Sports is the Best-Selling Game, Ever.

The Nintendo Wii: Abandon Ship?

wii-abandon-shipYou all know that I’m not a huge fan of Nintendo these days. I won’t hide it, and very often (too often, I know) I like to prod Nintendo where I can, dishing out death by papercut through my snide remarks and witty criticisms. Most of that is due to the Wii, which I feel is a colossal stab in the back to the Nintendo hardcore, but unfortunately, the machine is a ludicrous success, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

Slapstic just recently posted an article titled Why NOW Is The Time To Abandon Ship On The Wii, discussing how 2009’s Wii prospects don’t look too promising. Mad World? Sin and Punishment 2? Wii Sports Resort? Apparently, that’s all we’re getting unless Nintendo has some tricks up their sleeves.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about joining this fellow writer and selling my Nintendo Wii as well. Still not sure if that is foolish or not. What do you guys think? Agree or disagree with the article?

Source- Slapstic

Today’s WTF: Lady Puts Credit Card in Wii

credit-card-wiiWow, starting the new year off with a bang, eh kids? Already we’ve got a pretty epic fail/wtf-inducing moment to talk about. And this one just takes many a cake.

Apparently, a poster over at NeoGAF has informed the gaming community this his neighbor broke her Wii by putting a credit card in it. The defense? She was trying to buy VC games and she took “put in your credit card” a bit too literally. Now her Wii is broken.

Funny thing is, there are just as many games to play on it… Ok, I kid. I bash on the Wii too much, but let’s transfer that negative energy into making fun of this silly lady. How’s that for an epic fail? View some pics of the ordeal here.

Source- Kombo

Kid Gets a Wii, Needs a Slap

Just a warning: watch this at your own risk. You thought the music in that WoW video was bad? Wait til you get a load of this ADHD freak’s screaming about his new Nintendo Wii. I’m not trying to be a grinch, I mean it’s cool that he’s excited. But still.

Major props to Nintendo for keeping the excitement for this going 2 years later. Seriously, I thought it would fade by last Christmas, but I was dead, dead wrong.

New Zelda in 2009?

zeldaAt least, that’s what analyst Colin Sebastian is predicting with his apparently magnificent prophesying abilities. In a report to investors, this dude listed a bunch of games up for release this year, and included the mention of a new Zelda title.

Seeing as how the last game released with the Wii in November 2006, this doesn’t seem to be too far off the mark. Given Nintendo’s track record in the last two years, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them bust out some crazy release dates on people part of the way through 2009. They did the same thing just this year with Mario Kart Wii, a flagship title for the console.

So what do you guys think? Excited at the potential of a new Zelda game dropping this year? What improvements or features do you hope Nintendo’s added to the mix? To think, you could have two games to play on your Wii instead of just the one. I kid. But really, share your thoughts.

Source- GameSpot

GamerSushi Asks: Best Gaming Gift?

sm64It’s finally the week of Christmas, and I’m really not sure how that happened. Last I checked, it was like November or something, but here we are, and I’ve now time traveled into the future. Seeing as how it’s that time of the year, I’m almost certain that by the end of the week I’m going to have added some games to my collection, as I’m sure is the case for many of you.

Which begs the question: what is the best game you’ve ever received for the holidays? Not one that you bought yourself, but one that was given to you during the holiday season.

For me, it was probably Mario 64, which came packaged with my Nintendo 64 the year that it came out. I remember ripping that thing open on Christmas Day, and being so saddened that we had to go to my grandma’s, because all I wanted to do was play more of it. Call of Duty 4 last year would be a close second. That is one of the games that shocks you with just how good it is.

What about you guys? What’s the best gaming gift you’ve ever received? Go!

Nintendo Bitch Slaps the Competition in November Sales

Ouch. I mean, so far this generation we know that Nintendo is first, Microsoft is second and Sony is third. That just seems to be the way of things, even though I think that order should be completely swapped up, with the Wii at a dead last place because of its atrocious games.

So while it’s not shocking that Nintendo came in first yet again in November, the truly shocking thing is the margin of consoles. Nintendo sold 2 million Wiis last month. That’s right. 2 freaking mil. I can’t even fathom how these things are still flying off the shelves that quickly.

Official numbers after the jump!
Continue reading Nintendo Bitch Slaps the Competition in November Sales