I received my email alert from Amazon.co.uk informing me I could pre-order a WiiFit and it would be available for release starting 25 April,2008. It will be interesting to see how well the sales numbers for the first week in the UK and Europe will be.
To most of us, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is old news. The U.S. has had it since last summer, and even Europe has been enjoying the game for a few months now. It only debuted in Japan last week, though, and we were happily surprised to see it make the top five. It only sold 32,000 copies in its first week, but that’s still not too shabby for a Metroid game in Japan. Hopefully, the game will have some legs and not plunge off the charts after its first week, like many other first-person shooters tend to do.
As for other software, the Wii didn’t have too many games in the top thirty — only eight, in fact — yet it was still the second most represented gaming system on the charts. With the exception of the aforementioned Metroid and Everyone’s General Knowledge Training TV, all the Wii’s top games have consistently stuck around for (at least) a few weeks.
In other news, Smash Bros. once again failed to take the first place spot. The game beat out last week’s chart champ, the new Gundam for the PS2, but fell behind the newly released Yakuza 3.
In hardware, the Wii claimed the top spot once again as Japan is clearly so over the Mint Green PSP (that was so five minutes ago). You can check out the hardware and software numbers for last week in Japan.
Hardware:
* Wii: 57,068
* PSP: 53,924
* Nintendo DS: 48,658
* PlayStation 3: 21,008
* PlayStation 2: 10,429
* Xbox 360: 2,891
Software:
01. (__) Yakuza 3: Kenzan! [PS3] — 181,189 (New)
02. (02) Super Smash Bros. Brawl [Wii] — 50,401 (1,408,000)
03. (03) WiiFit [Wii] — 48,984 (1,659,000)
04. (__) Gundam Musou Special [PS2] — 39,119 (189,000)
05. (__) Metroid Prime 3: Corruption [Wii] — 32,388 (New)
06. (09) Wii Sports [Wii] — 18,765 (2,838,000)
07. (04) Soma Bringer [DS] — 17,276 (68,000)
08. (__) Doraemon: Nobita and the Green Giant DS [DS] — 16,997 (New)
09. (07) Musou Orochi [PSP] — 15,902 (87,000)
10. (__) Everyone’s General Knowledge Training TV [Wii] — 14,454 (New)
11. (08) Harvest Moon: Shining Sun and Friends [DS]
12. (13) Wii Play [Wii]
13. (06) Etrian Odyssey II: The Royal Grail [DS]
14. (16) Monster Hunter Portable 2nd [PSP]
15. (12) Family Ski [Wii]
16. (__) Nobunaga’s Ambition: Kakushin w/ Power Up Kit [PS2]
17. (18) Mario Party DS [DS]
18. (14) Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games [DS]
19. (10) Winning Eleven: Play Maker 2008 [Wii]
20. (15) Jirou Akagawa Mystery: Nocturne: The Invited Killer [DS]
21. (11) Keroro Gunsou 3: Adventure in the Sky! [DS]
22. (19) Mario Kart DS [DS]
23. (20) Taiko Drum Master DS [DS]
24. (21) New Super Mario Bros. [DS]
25. (28) Animal Crossing: Wild World [DS]
26. (25) Winning Eleven: Ubiquitous Evolution 2008 [PSP]
27. (17) Lost Planet: Extreme Condition [PS3]
28. (39) Yakuza 2 [PS2]
29. (35) Kanji Brain Test 2.5M [DS]
30. (26) Tokimeki Memorial: Girl’s Side 2nd Season [DS]
courtesy of nintendowiifanboy.com
Another week with WiiFit has come to an end. It has now become a normal part of my evening routine. At this point I can compare it to brushing my teeth. Like dental hygiene it is something I do every night at around the same time and something that I feel I should do. Sure I could always skip it, but I would feel weird for doing so.
When I started this experiment I did WiiFit everyday because it was something I had to do for my report. It was also something I felt I should force myself to do because I wanted to have a healthier lifestyle. But somewhere along the line, I stopped feeling like it was an obligation to do exercise. Now WiiFit is something I want to do, something I look forward to. The fact that it seems to be actually making me thinner is a bonus at this point. How much thinner? Read on for the details.
courtesy of 4 color rebellion
by Vinnk
Starting on May 8, 2008, Nintendo wants Australians to start fighting the battle of the bulge with the WiiFit exercise platform. While not your traditional gaming experience, Nintendo hopes to capture the ever-popular casual gamer market (like
your Luddite mum or grandparents) with a device that gets you off the couch and into your non-impact exercises instead.
Nintendo is distancing itself from gaming with the WiiFit pack, describing it in its release as ‘a health and lifestyle product’. WiiFit also comes with the WiiFit Channel,
which gives you quick access to your daily progress.
There are more than 40 included exercises divided into four categories: balance games, yoga, muscle workouts and aerobic exercises.
WiiFit will retail for AU$149.95.
courtesy IGN.com
by Patrick Kolan,IGN AU
People interested in Japanese game sales probably have one question on their minds: Did Super Smash Bros. Brawl hold onto the top spot last week?
Well, the answer is, no. The new Gundam game for the PS2 managed to end Brawl’s reign, and end it convincingly. In fact, Smash barely stayed in second, with WiiFit being right up the fighter’s grill.
The Wii itself also lost the top spot last week, overtaken by the PSP in hardware for the first time since Brawl’s release. Aside from those major changes, though, everything looks to be what we’d expect, with Winning Eleven and Family Ski continuing to champion the cause for third parties.
Go on and take a look at the numbers after the break … or else.
Hardware:
* PSP: 73,706
* Wii: 64,535
* Nintendo DS: 51,922
* PlayStation 3: 13,520
* PlayStation 2: 10,986
* Xbox 360: 2,282
Software:
1. Gundam Musou Special (PS2) — 149,846 (New)
2. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) — 67,007 (1,358,000)
3. WiiFit (Wii) — 64,429 (1,610,000)
4. Soma Bringer (DS) — 50,844 (New)
5. The Idolm@ster: Live for You! (Xbox 360) — 43,697 (New)
6. Etrian Odyssey II: The Royal Grail (DS) — 24,664 (94,000)
7. Musou Orochi (PSP) — 24,350 (71,000)
8. Harvest Moon: Shining Sun and Friends (DS) — 22,213 (67,000)
9. Wii Sports (Wii) — 21,140 (2,820,000)
10. Winning Eleven: Play Maker 2008 (Wii) — 16,918 (53,000)
11. Keroro Gunsou 3: Adventure in theSky! (DS)
12. Family Ski (Wii)
13. Wii Play (Wii)
14. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS)
15. Jirou Akagawa Mystery: Nocturne: The Invited Killer (DS)
16. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (PSP)
17. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (PS3)
18. Mario Party DS (DS)
19. Mario Kart DS (DS)
20. Taiko Drum Master DS (DS)
21. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
22. Final Approach 2: 1st Priority (PS2)
23. Devil May Cry 4 (PS3)
24. Mobile Suit Gundam: Gihren’s Ambition, the Axis’ Threat (PSP)
25. Winning Eleven: Ubiquitous Evolution 2008 (PSP)
26. Tokimeki Memorial: Girl’s Side 2nd Season (DS)
27. Poison Pink (PS2)
28. Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS)
29. Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box (DS)
30. Naruto: Shippuuden Dairansen! Kage Bunshin Emaki (DS)
courtesy of nintendowiifanboy.com
Namco Bandai Games of America has announced that they will be releasing We Ski (otherwise known as Family Ski in Japan) for the Nintendo Wii this
Spring of 2008. This skiing game has multiplayer support for up to four players and even has support for the Wii Balance Board.
We Ski will be offering a variety of gameplay options including a ski school, freestyle skiing, moguls and slaloms, photography, and more. Adventurous gamers can can even try night skiing while enjoying a nice fireworks display. The game will have over a dozen runs for users of all skill levels from bunny slopes to the challenging Black Diamonds.
Players can ski using their own Mii as their avatar or create a new character with various customization options including changeable faces and body types. In addition, players can also unlock various features such as additional skis, poles, goggles, and costumes to make their character even more unique.
Since We Ski is still a few months away, we’re pretty sure Namco Bandai will be announcing even more information about this game in the near future.
courtesy of qj.net
I’m more than half finished with my experiment at this point (the last post will be on March 25th) and so far I have been very pleased with the results. For the last two weeks my weight decreased and my enthusiasm went up. WiiFit is as much a part of my day now as breakfast. Sure I could get through the day without it, but I’d feel like I was missing something. I am sure the same feeling could be felt with any exercise program but for me if it’s not a video game it’s not going to hold my interest long enough for me to discover that.
Again this week, I increased the amount of time I spent with WiiFit. My workout itself has also continued to evolve. You can read about it in my journal entries below. Of course like every week these are followed by the actual weigh-in. I am no longer as concerned about my actual weight, but more interested in the changes of my body shape and my overall fitness level. Still, for those watching numbers, they are found at the end.
courtesy of 4 color rebellion
by Vinnk
The Wii’s first third-party balance board game couldn’t have a more obvious title: We Ski. Well, you know what publishers? We get it — punny titles were fun…two years ago. Annoying name aside, Namco Bandai’s cutesy ski game seems to do a decent job of making you feel like a semi-talented slope rider.
Though using the newfangled balance board with this game is the big sell, it’s also possible to use the typical Nunchuck and Remote combo. The traditional setup works rather intuitively — you start moving by, yep, flinging both the Nunchuck and Remote downwards. Once you get going, you steer yourself by moving both controllers together left or right. And because this is a skiing game on Wii, you will perform the typical ski squat maneuver to gain speed. You actually do this by turning both the Nunchuck and Remote inwards 90 degrees. It feels a little silly at first, but mimicking this well-known motion did put a goofy grin on our faces during our hands-on time with the game.
SCREENS: Click the image above to check out all We Ski screens.
Using the balance board is even easier…once you get the hang it. The same standard control scheme applies, except you steer using your feet instead of your hands. Once you grasp the notion of shifting your body weight to control your character, flying down the slopes is a cinch. Though we definitely dug playing with the balance board, it doesn’t feel necessary, mainly because the standard control scheme works so well. Since the game offers four-player multiplayer, odds are the
balance board will be sitting on the sidelines most of the time. In fact, it will — the multiplayer sadly doesn’t include balance board support.
The single-player, however, offers enough variety to keep your feet bound to the gimmicky board. Before you even hit the slopes, you get to create your own cutesy skier using the game’s 220 body types. And if you’re not down with putting a mohawk on a grandpa (we were), you can even chuck some skis on your own Mii. Once you doll yourself up, you make off to the Happy Ski Resort to, well, ski, of course. Because the game lets you leisurely ski around the resort, you will only start
events (race, slalom, mogul, etc.) if you talk to other skiers. You’ll want to initiate these events (70 in all), as completing them will net you star points. Collect enough of these and you’ll unlock more garb and gear for your skiers.
We Ski proved to us the Wii’s balance board can be used for more than just trimming the fat. Its casual nature may appeal more to Ma and Pops than hardcore gamers, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. Snow-lovers should take note when We Ski hits stores this May.
courtesy of 1UP.com
Nintendo has said that WiiFit will retail for GBP 69.99 in the UK and EUR 89.99 in the rest of Europe. Which makes sense - why would they charge Europeans in pounds?
Anyway, WiiFit is due out on 25th April, so now you have all the information you need to go and camp outside and find out if you’re fat.
WiiFit, of course, is Nintendo’s first game for the unique balance board peripheral, which helps calculate your body mass index and plays an active role in all sorts of exercises.
The idea is to drill you into fitness and fun on a daily basis in much the same way that Brain Training sharpens your mental reflexes by having you do sums every morning on the loo.
courtesy of Eurogamer.com
News by Tom Bramwell
Last week I lost weight with WiiFit. But like most weight loss programs, the real challenge is keeping it off. As you burn off fat and build muscle it is even possible to gain weight while still getting healthy. I knew all of these things before going into week 3 and I was prepared for the fact that the first weight loss might have been too good to be true.
Still, I trained longer this week than either of the first two weeks and I met some personal goals. But I can’t chart feelings, only numbers. So did the weight go up or down? Read on to check out my daily journal entries and find out what the scale told me this week.
courtesy of 4 color rebellion
by Vinnk
