Its been just about about 5 years since the Xbox 360 was released and 4 years since Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii have been on store shelves. Some are already talking about the announcement of the eighth generation console(s) coming as soon as this E3; some say it’ll happen next year and few say it might not even happen anytime soon. Either way — new consoles or not — change is always coming. With Sony repeating the idea that they are “future proof”, and as expensive as their console is (or ‘was’ depending on your preference) you can count on it lasting you for at least a decade. I think it’s safe to say there won’t be an announcement from Sony anytime soon for a Playstation 4 and Nintendo seems to be content with their stance in the market at the moment. So if there was an announcement of a new console coming soon most will suspect it will be Microsoft; while many beg to differ with the approach of the “Natal” release and some speculate that it wouldn’t be that far-fetched of an idea if Microsoft was already planning on a next-gen console to release as soon as 2011 or 2012 with Natal compatibility.
When February’s NPD numbers released, Nintendo was in for a treat when the Nintendo DS claimed more than 613,000 sales beating out last year’s record of… itself. Yes, the Nintendo DS last February, that’s after the holiday rush where millions were selling every month, took the record from itself which was originally set at 597,000. The Wii didn’t do half bad either selling around 397,000 which actually put it in second place to the Xbox 360 WHOA. So far this year, Nintendo has sold more than 1.9 million pieces of hardware in 2010 alone… in two months! They even have a new console coming out soon with the DSi XL which will be wrapped up in that DS number stated above. Technically, some people might look at that number and realize that it is two different types of DS hardware (Lite, DSi) and will be adding another to help it claim record breaking sales with the XL.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii still holds the top spot at 555,000 followed by Ubisoft’s Just Dance at No. 4 with 275,000 and Wii Sports Resort bundled with Wii MotionPlus at No.5 with 272,000 sold. It seems like everyone by now should have two DS systems and are already reserving their very own XL. Congratulations Nintendo on completely dominating the video game hardware market.
WiiWare to myself turned into this weekly game I play where I check the press release and hope to see the most obscure game name I’ve ever heard; most of the time they are laughable but there are a couple hidden gems. Nintendo is getting the last laugh though where in 2009, WiiWare grew over 30% almost hitting $60 million. Forecasting and Analyzing Digital Entertainment (FADE) released its annual report detailing that combined WiiWare and Virtual Console made over $125 million but separately, WiiWare barely nudged out Virtual Console by beating it by only $7 million (VC was $59 million and WiiWare topped out at $66.) +Continue Reading
Often considered “the father of modern video games” Shigeru Miyamoto is one of the most influential people in the world of gaming with his largely successful games including the Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong series. Through his accomplishments, this year’s GAME British Academy Video Games Awards is inducting Miyamoto into this BAFTA on March 19 of this year at the London Hilton on Park Lane. You will be able to watch this which will be streamed live at www.bafta.org. I hope he comes out with that famous shield and sword he used promoting the latest Zelda game.
Remember back when we weren’t even sure what Nintendo’s next console was going to be named. All we knew was it would be something totally new, it would make use of motion control, and its code name: The Revolution. The first title to really interest me (other than the Zelda port from GameCube, Twilight Princess) was Red Steel from Ubisoft. When the game came out I went over to a friends house and played it — I beat the whole game within a week, and you know what? It wasn’t that great at all. That being said when I heard that there would be a sequel I wasn’t as pessimistic as some would be after having my experience with the first game, but I found myself more optimistic and sure that they’ll see through their flaws of the first game and fix it for the second. We’ve seen Ubisoft do this with Assassin’s Creed and I think they might just have to do it again for Red Steel 2.
We all gotta admit the Wii had a great year in hardware and first party sales, but a fairly slow year for anyone that is not named Nintendo. The consoles future seems to have a much larger array of games coming out that could appeal to anyone casual or hardcore. Hit the jump for ten games I have on my watch list in which you might consider to put on yours. +Continue Reading
Wrestling games have been an integral part of video gaming. They’ve just always been there. I remember feeling the breakthrough in WWF/WCW games back when Nitro was released on PC, and when World Tour came out on N64. After playing World Tour, I was still craving that little bit more. I wanted behind the scenes fights, I wanted trash talk, and I wanted more characters. Of course this may have been a lot ot expect in 1997, but in 1998 THQ must have thought the same thing when they released what is known to a lot of people as the best wrestling game of all time. +Continue Reading
Polish developer Nibris announced their working title horror for the Nintendo Wii back before the console was even released. In fact the game was announced back when little was known about “The Nintendo Revolution” in March of 2006. The last bit of news the public received from this mysterious game was the developers choice for a game engine; Gamebryo. The title is set in the pre-WWI era of Eastern Europe where you play as an aristocrat, Maria who is to protect her blind son after a train accident. The horrific adventure is supposed to be based on old Slavic legends. Their mini-site states the trailer is “coming soon” and that the title is slated to release in fall of 2009 — which obviously hasn’t happened. For more about the game click on the picture above, and make sure to stay tuned when more information is revealed to the public.
Another year in gaming has finally come to pass, and I”m not sure that I could really ask for a better one. The year started out with fantastic releases, continued to shovel them out through the summer, and ended the year with a crucial big-bang of best-sellers to knock us all on our butts. I can safetly say that this has been one of the best (and most anticipated) years in gaming to hit us in a long time. I purchased so many games that I’ve yet to complete them all. However, the main answer to the question we all want to ask remains to be seen. In a year chock-full of amazing games, which one reigns supreme above the rest? Here are the top three picks from some of Resume Play’s staff for 2009’s Game of the Year award +Continue Reading
In 2003, Nintendo unleashed a new face of our beloved hero Link (or was it?) to the world with Wind Waker. With great reviews of the game, and mixed critics on Link’s new look, Nintendo decided to take a chance and bank on the fact that every Zelda game has been a best-seller. In 2005, Nintendo kept the new Link getup, and teamed with Capcom to create the next installment in the Zelda series. Releasing it for only the Game-boy Advance, the game was greeted with amazing reviews but passed through the gaming world swiftly and quietly. Click below to see my retro review on probably the most underrated Zelda game up-to-date. +Continue Reading
In order to celebrate Halloween this week, we have asked our staff to pick one game that really gets them in the Halloween spirit. My personal pick was Silent Hill, because Pyramid Head is one of the scariest, terrifying creatures I have ever seen. He is that one character that kept me leaning around while playing through, just waiting for him to come out of the shadows. I would have to say the Silent Hill games are the ones that creeped me out the most. Read on to find out what the rest of the staff choose for their favorite Halloween related or scary game. That one game that just screams Halloween, or gives them the creeps. You know… those games that make you glance over your shoulder late at night to make sure Pyramid Head isn’t lurking in the darkest corners of your home waiting to drag you away…
In 2003, Nintendo unleashed a new face of our beloved hero Link (or was it?) to the world with Wind Waker. With great reviews of the game, and mixed critics on Link’s new look, Nintendo decided to take a chance and bank on the fact that every Zelda game has been a best-seller. In 2005, Nintendo kept the new Link getup, and teamed with Capcom to create the next installment in the Zelda series. Releasing it for only the Game-boy Advance, the game was greeted with amazing reviews but passed through the gaming world swiftly and quietly. Click below to see my retro review on probably the most underrated Zelda game up-to-date. 
