"What Bobby, perhaps unhelpfully said, was that those games were franchises which wouldn't make $100m of revenue and generate sequels," Harrison said of Blizzivision's choice to offload Ghostbusters. "If that's his benchmark, then fine – and we'd love to aspire to the same benchmarks. But you know what? I would love to turn Ghostbusters into a $100m franchise, just to prove him wrong."
That may not happen, but given the hype and fan following – not to mention the fact that it's coming out on at least five platforms – Activision might yet kick itself when the sales numbers are tallied.
First of all, check out some giveaways currently going down at DS Fanboy and Wii Fanboy. Here is your chance at a pair of Tecmo titles, and here is your chance at Animal Crossing: City Folk. Hit up those posts to find out how to enter.
Now that we have that out of the way, have you seen the news on next year's releases yet? Check out the DS list here and the Wii list here. Then, be sure to check out our links below.
After what we imagine was a fairly one-sided legal battle (considering one of the parties has enough cash to resurrect Clarence Darrow), Nintendo has settled its lawsuit with Nyko over the wireless Kama nunchuk controller. No further details were provided, except to say Nyko would be allowed to continue to sell "a redesigned version" of the Kama.
When asked why the suit was dropped, Nintendo spokesman Mario Mario said, "Well, we just didn't know where we were going to put any more money. ... I'm not joking. Look at my giant belly. I'm actually slim now, but the company makes me carry about a hundred grand in rolled-up 20s in my overalls. It's perverse."
Alright everyone, brace for surprise! Nintendo revealed its release calendar for the first quarter of 2009, and it includes: A game that teaches math; several remakes and rehashes; and, the big surprise, a Pokémon game! No, seriously.
So look for Personal Trainer: Math on Jan. 12, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, Feb. 16 and Pokémon Platinumon March 22. Big N's only Wii releases for the quarter will be New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis and New Play Control! Pikmin, both in March.
Looks like the third parties are the ones bringing the heat this quarter. Square drops Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time in the spring, Sega's stepping up with The House of The Dead: Overkill in February and Madworld in March. February also marks the release of Onechanbara Bikini Zombie Slayers. We didn't think it possible, but we now have yet another reason to be thankful for swimwear-clad girls defending us from the undead. We've got the full list for you after the jump.
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has told EA to stop broadcasting a misleading ad for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09. In the commercial, Woods is swinging a Wii controller, but a complaint to the agency accused the ad of using footage from the Xbox 360 version of the game. Which it did, as confirmed by EA. The publisher's excuse for switching the footage: the Wii images wouldn't be of "broadcast quality."
EA's ad agency stated that, in the future, it would make sure that the images and format being promoted match.
As revealed late last week, Rock Band 2will be making its Wii debut on December 18 – two months after the Xbox 360 version. In a post to the official Rock Band forums, series creator Harmonix has openly apologized for the delay, while saying that the extra development time has made possible "the definitive full band experience on that platform."
"We want to apologize for the delay in getting RB2 onto the Wii," the company said. "We believe that Wii is an amazing and unique fit for Rock Band 2, and one that we care deeply about getting right." Part of getting it right has to do with instrument compatibility, with Harmonix confirming that developer Pi Studios has ensured all Wii music controllers will work with the game out of the box. (Something we've already reported.)
"We can confirm that this game is compatible with other existing instrument controllers available for Wii for both guitar and drums," the post reads. "Even if you've picked up another full band game, you can grab Rock Band 2 in its standalone software format, buying individual instruments and the disc itself to customize your band." In other words, your Guitar Hero guitars? They'll work, and so will the Guitar Hero World Tourdrum kit – should you have bought another full band game while waiting for RB2.
After years of chanting "Let us in, let us in!," the doors to Club Nintendo have finally been opened to those living in North America. The service, which was announced this summer, takes the place of NOA's previous My Nintendo site. Nice to join you, Japan and Europe.
Already have your Nintendo gear and games registered on My Nintendo? Not to worry. Logging into the Club Nintendo site automagically converts your old account and – most importantly – makes sure Club Nintendo knows about all the stuff you've bought. So you can, y'know, start saving up for exclusive merchandise and other rewards, including the (now official) US version of Game & Watch Collection.
There's just one problem – after seeing the site with our very own eyes (!) it ... disappeared, and was replaced with placeholder art assuring us that Club Nintendo was "Coming Soon!" Lucky for us then that one NeoGAF user thought to grab a screenshot (seen above). Don't worry, you take the night off. We've got our clicking finger on the Reload button and we'll let you know when everything's back up. Now go have a drink, you look tired.
[Update: It seems – seems – that Club Nintendo is now live for good and all. Yep, it's up.]
Those looking to attend next year's New York Comic Con have more to look forward to than hygiene experiments and booth babes: Sega has confirmed that it will bring demos of MadWorld, The Conduitand The House of the Dead: Overkill to the event, which takes place February 6-8 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. Special "zombie surprises" are also promised, so come prepared.
Sega hasn't revealed if any or all of these titles will be playable or merely shown off to those who happen to stroll by its booth. Not that it matters, as you'll likely go blind well before the show after meticulously gluing down individual scales in the name of Aquaman cosplay.
Before we get to the actual information, we have to take a moment to give Curtis his promised momentary fame for coming up with the name for this weekly feature. So without further ado:
CURTIS!
Now, with that behind us:
Strong Bad Episode 5: 8-Bit Is Enough (Telltale Games, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points): In this final (for this season, at least) installment, Strong Bad does battle with Trogdor. Our money's on the dragon with a man's arm.
Big Kahuna Party (Reflexive Entertainment Inc., 1-4 players, 700 Wii Points): "So, it's a match three game with a few bells and whistles, how much do we think we can get away with charging? Pearson?"
"Umm, how about eight dollars?"
"Well, let's not go crazy."
Enduro Racer (Sega Master System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points): We like Enduro Racer, if for no other reason than the title espousing the value of endurance over speed. "Just hang in there," Enduro Racer says, "just hang in there and you'll eventually finish the race." That's the kind of tortoise-beats-hare logic we can get behind.
The only reason we have hesitation about this week's biggest release, Rise of the Argonauts, is its relatively deep placement in the holiday season. But that's not right, is it? After all, we've been asking publishers to spread the games out, why should we discount one because it's late to the party?
Let's all keep our fingers crossed and hope that RotA's release date was a crafty strategy (or a fluke) more than an intentional burial. See all the new releases after the break.
If you've seen the Schwarzenegger-infused holiday classic Jingle All The Way, then you're already aware of the fact that the amount you love your kids is solely measured by whether or not you can secure the items on their holiday shopping lists. We know that the Wii is probably going to be in ridiculously high demand this holiday season (again), so we direct your attention to Amazon, where a representative has informed us that supplies of the elusive console "will be available all day" -- though due to demand, she suggests picking one up early, lest you be forced to participate in comical battles with Sinbad in various locales around your hometown.
Alright, we'll be straight with you -- we know that parents aren't the only people who will be interested in purchasing Wiis this holiday season, but we've been trying to make a Jingle All The Way reference for months now, and this is the first time its even been remotely applicable. Forgive us.
Are you ready to rock? Or, more specifically, will you be ready to rock on December 18? That's the day (a Thursday, in fact) that Wii and PS2 owners will finally be able to call friends over for a Rock Band 2 party. That's right – before the weekend. Crazy, huh?
RB2 for Wii supports the download (and storage on SD card) of tracks via the in-game music store only; you'll have to add Wii Points through the Wii Shop Channel, per usual. PS2 owners ... sorry, but your DLC is in another castle.
Here's the package / pricing breakdown. Note that peripherals for the PS2 version are already on sale.
The stand-alone game is said to support GH World Tour's drum kit, including dual kick pedals, which will come into play for a new "expert plus" difficulty. Other features are said to include DVD-style bonus videos and extras; a "drum fill" mode for free-styling with Metallica drum sounds; factoid-laden, Pop-up Video style performance footage; and guitar effects for the included Guitar Hero Tunes mode based on James Hetfield's ESP Truckster guitar and Tom Araya of Slayer's ESP bass. Check out the rumored (incomplete) track listing after the break.
Players in Japan already lining up for the next installment in Capcom's hugely popular Monster Hunter franchise can do so with a measure of confidence that Monster Hunter 3 tri~ will remain exclusive to the Wii. 1UP reports that Capcom has come forward to dispel rumors that the title would make its way to the PSP as well, writing on the game's official website that despite comments made in "a certain magazine," the hotly anticipated 2009 release "utilizes the unique features of the Wii to their fullest, and development continues with the intention of creating a Monster Hunter never before seen."
While not exactly a ringing endorsement for multiplatform support, you can blame the doubting looks on our faces on Capcom's track record with platform exclusivity. After all, we eventually played Resident Evil 4 on the PS2 and Monster Hunter 3 itself was at one time announced for the PlayStation 3. Clearly, the only thing for certain here is that Capcom likes money.
Despite all the talk of recessions and global economic crises (crisises?), the video game industry once again seems unfazed. According to the NPD Group, North American industry sales totaled $2.91 billion for November, approximately 10% higher than the same month last year. Of that, $1.45b came from software while hardware took in $1.21b and accessories $255.4 million. As you can see below, the big winners of the month were the Wii (average to 68K sold per day!) followed by the DS (avg. 52K daily). For the fourth month in a row, the Xbox 360 has outsold the PlayStation 3, and has sold double that of Sony's console for the eighth month in the two-year battle.
On the software side of things, Gears of War 2 must be very pleased with itself, with Marcus Fenix and the gang selling 1.56 million units – that's four times as many copies as Nathan Hale's Resistance 2 – securing the top spot for November. But not so fast, Delta Squad! Factoring in both "next-gen" platforms, Call of Duty: World at War sold an incredible 2 million units, with the Xbox 360 release commanding an impressive 70% of those numbers. Check full software sales numbers after the break.
1.237m (154%)
