Nintendo Announce A Combined 1.5 Million Wii's And DS's Were Sold From 21st-27th November

Nintendo have announced that in the USA, from 21st November to 27th November, 900,000 Nintendo DS and 600,000 Wii's were sold. that makes it around 9,000 units of Nintendo Hardware were sold every hour during the "Black Friday" week.

Press Release

REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 29, 2010 – When confronted with a wide range of Black Friday retail options, U.S. holiday shoppers again turned to Nintendo. Nintendo sold 900,000 combined units in the Nintendo DS™ family of systems and 600,000 Wii™ consoles between Sunday, Nov. 21, and Saturday, Nov. 27, according to the company's internal sales estimates.

“U.S. shoppers bought about 9,000 Nintendo hardware systems nonstop for every hour of every day during the week of Black Friday,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “For the past several years, consumers have decided that Nintendo defined both top value and all-inclusive entertainment, and that sentiment continues again at the start of this shopping season.”

Nintendo's Black Friday surge was fueled by multiple new hardware colors, each of which comes bundled with games. The bundles provide a great value for shoppers who are looking to get the biggest bang for their video game bucks. These bundles, all of which are available while supplies last, include:

Limited-edition Mario red Wii hardware in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros.™ game on the NES™. It includes a new red Wii system, a red Wii Remote™ Plus controller, a red Nunchuk™ controller, and games New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii andWii Sports™ at a suggested retail price of $199.99.

A limited-edition red Nintendo DSi XL™ bundle in honor of the 25th anniversary of theSuper Mario Bros. game on the NES. It features a Mario red Nintendo DSi XL system with three iconic Super Mario Bros.-themed graphics, the Mario Kart™ DS game and preloaded software, including Brain Age™ Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Math andPhoto Clock. It is available at a suggested retail price of $179.99.

Orange and green Nintendo DSi™ systems, which are bundled with the Mario Party™ DSgame. They are available at a suggested retail price of $149.99.

In addition to the great hardware bundles, shoppers have dozens of great video game options for everyone on their shopping lists. Some exclusive games for the Wii console includeSuper Mario Galaxy™ 2, Metroid™: Other M, Wii Party™, Kirby's Epic Yarn™, PokéPark™ Wii: Pikachu's Adventure, FlingSmash™ (which comes bundled with the new Wii Remote Plus) andDonkey Kong Country™ Returns. Third-party Wii games include New Carnival Games® from 2K Play, NBA JAM from EA Sports, Just Dance® 2 from Ubisoft, Sonic Colors™ from SEGA, GoldenEye 007™ from Activision Publishing Inc. and Disney Epic Mickey from Disney Interactive Studios.

On the portable Nintendo DS family of systems, shoppers can choose games like DRAGON QUEST® IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies™, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future™,Pokémon Ranger™: Guardian Signs, Art Academy™, Mario vs. Donkey Kong™: Mini-Land Mayhem!and Golden Sun™: Dark Dawn. Some key third-party Nintendo DS games include Super Scribblenauts™ from WB Games, Rock Band® 3 from MTV Games, GoldenEye 007 from Activision Publishing Inc. and Sonic Colors from SEGA.

About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.5 billion video games and more than 577 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company's website at http://www.nintendo.com.

This Weeks WiiWare, DSiWare, And Virtual Console Releases

Nintendo have revealed the games coming out today in the USA on the Virtual Console, WiiWare and DSiWare stores. there is also a new demo this week for Cave Story.

Virtual Console

MAGICAL DROP II
This is a 1-2 player game that costs 900 Wii Points. this game originally came out on the NEOGEO back in 1996. in this game you need to match 3 balloons to remove them from the screen. some balloons are special and have powers or characteristics.


WiiWare

Airport Mania: First Flight
This is a 1-4 player game that costs 500 Wii Points. this game comes with 8 airports which you have to land planes, purchase upgrades, and avoid delays.


HB Arcade Disc Golf
This is a 1-4 player game that costs 1,000 Wii Points. this is a disc golf that has 3 different discs to choose as well as 3 different ways to throw it.


WiiWare Demo's

Cave Story


DSiWare

Cave Story
This is a 1 player only game that costs 1,000 DSi Points. this is the DSiWare version of the the game that is also available on WiiWare.


Frenzic
This is a 1 player only game that costs 200 DSi Points. this is a puzzle game.


Spot It! Challenge
This is a 1-4 player game that costs 200 DSi Points. this is a hidden object game where you have to find objects before the time runs out.


Press Release

While the rest of your home might be cluttered with leftovers from a weekend of Thanksgiving revelry, this week's downloadable games from Nintendo provide a palate-cleansing mix of fun puzzles and challenges to start your week off right. The popular Cave Story™ makes its debut on the Nintendo DSiWare™ service, while a demo version of the game becomes available for the WiiWare™ service. Other Nintendo DSiWare games include the frenzied Frenzic puzzler and Spot It! Challenge, which tests players' ability to locate various objects. On the WiiWare service, travelers this holiday season will want to check out Airport Mania®: First Flight for a different perspective on the travel industry, while HB Arcade Disc Golf brings the popular outdoor sport into your living room. Finally, the classic 1996 NEOGEO game MAGICAL DROP IIbrings its balloon-bursting action to the Virtual Console™ service.

Nintendo DSiWare

Cave Story
Publisher: Nicalis
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Language
Price: 1,000 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Cave Story takes you into a rare world where a curious race of innocent rabbit-like creatures, called Mimiga, run free. You wake up in a dark cave with no memory of who you are, where you came from or why you're in such a place. Uncovering Mimiga Village you discover that the once-carefree Mimiga are in danger at the hands of a maniacal scientist. Their only hope rests squarely on the shoulders of a quiet, amnesiac boy who can't remember his own name. Take control and learn the origins of this world's power, stop the delusional villain and save the Mimiga.

Frenzic
Publisher: Two Tribes
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Frenzic is a unique puzzle game that dazzles the eye, teases the brain and keeps you coming back for more. It takes only minutes to learn, but months to master as you devise new, impressive play strategies to push your brain to its limit. Compete against your personal best and climb through seven levels of Devotion from Newbie all the way to Frenzic Master. Frenzic is a must-have for puzzle enthusiasts of all ages.

Spot It! Challenge
Publisher: Big John Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: In Spot It! Challenge, players race the clock to find the hidden objects in cleverly arranged scenes. The puzzles are based on the popular Spot-It book series published by Capstone Press. See how many objects you can spot in 10 different puzzles. Vibrant graphics make spotting objects fun and challenging. Players use the stylus to tap on the hidden objects and also to navigate the extra-large play areas. Spot hundreds of hidden objects in 10 themed puzzles, including Outdoor Sports, Board Games and Fun with Food. Players can compete against their friends using the "Pass Around Play" feature. Up to four players can race to find 10 objects hidden within a puzzle. Each player has to spot the objects and then pass it on to the next player. See who can get the best score! Find objects fast to score the most points. Three levels of difficulty (Easy, Medium and Insane) provide lots of replay value.

WiiWare

Airport Mania: First Flight
Publisher: Lemon Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points™
Description: Pack your bags for a trip through the skies in Airport Mania. Travel through eight amusing airports while you land a variety of planes, purchase upgrades and avoid delays. Stay on your toes, as some planes carry precious cargo and will need to land in a hurry, while others might need a trip to the repair shop. But, with good planning, you're sure to make it to the gate on time. With unique challenges, whimsical characters and fun that'll put a smile on your face, Airport Mania is one flight you can't miss.

HB Arcade Disc Golf
Publisher: HB Studios Multimedia
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Comic Mischief
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: HB Arcade Disc Golf re-creates the popular disc-flinging sport in the comfort of your own living room. Playing the game is as easy as tossing a disc around on a beautiful day. The goal of the game is to put the disc in the basket in the fewest throws possible. Disc golfers have three different types of discs at their disposal when out on the course: a driver, a mid-range disc and a putter. Also, there are three different types of throws available: forehand, backhand and the hammer throw. The forehand and backhand throws change based on the handedness of the player, and can be used to draw or fade a shot, while the hammer throw is less about distance and more about height. At the end of the round, scores are tallied and the player with the lowest score is the winner.

Cave Story (demo version)
Publisher: Nicalis
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Language
Price: 0 Wii Points; full version available for 1,200 Wii Points
Description: Cave Story takes you into a rare world where a curious race of innocent rabbit-like creatures, called Mimiga, run free. You wake up in a dark cave with no memory of who you are, where you came from or why you're in such a place. Uncovering Mimiga Village you discover that the once-carefree Mimiga are in danger at the hands of a maniacal scientist. Their only hope rests squarely on the shoulders of a quiet, amnesiac boy who can't remember his own name. Take control and learn the origins of this world's power, stop the delusional villain and save the Mimiga.

Virtual Console

MAGICAL DROP II
Original platform: NEOGEO
Publisher: D4 Enterprise
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 900 Wii Points
Description: MAGICAL DROP II is a puzzle action game released by Data East in 1996. The rules are simple. Control the clown to pull in and throw back the balloons that appear on the screen. If you line up three or more balloons of the same color in a row vertically, they will burst. Some balloons feature unique characteristics. Special balloons, which come in all four colors, pop every balloon of the same color. Arrow balloons burst everything in the direction the arrow is facing. Rainbow balloons have the same effect as special balloons, but can be thrown against a balloon of any color. And then there are bubble balloons, which simply get in your way. Together, these provide you with great chains and combos that make a puzzle game so much fun. Choose between VS CPU Mode, full of battles with a host of comical characters, and Puzzle Mode, where you'll enjoy a one-player challenge. Both modes support player-versus-player action, meaning you can have a great time together with friends.

Note: Some demo versions do not support all game features, and players cannot save their in-game progress in demo versions.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visithttp://wii.com or http://www.nintendodsi.com.

Hit X Podcast: All The News From QTE Gamers From The Weekend of Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th November

This is all the news from the weekend of Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th November.

You can subscribe to the Hit X: The News Recapping Podcast on iTunes and if you do or are already a subscriber, it would be very helpful for me if you can rate and review the podcast.

A podcast is available on iTunes from:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=328547861

A RSS Feed from Podbean:
http://qtegamers.podbean.com/feed

And on qtegamers.blogspot.com:
http://qtegamers.blogspot.com/search/label/Audio Re-Cap

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Namco Bandai Announce Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 Has Shipped Over 1 Million Units Worldwide

Namco Bandai have announced that Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, from developers CyerConnect2, has now shipped over 1 Million units worldwide since its release back in October.

Press Release

CERGY-PONTOISE, FRANCE – 29 November 2010 – NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe S.A.S. today announced that NARUTO Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 has passed 1 million copies shipped worldwide following its launch in October.
Available now at retailers across Europe and beyond, both the standard and content-packed Limited editions of NARUTO shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 bring a host of characters from the anime, brand new online mode, and new battle system delivering the best gameplay yet for the series.

Developed by acclaimed studio CyberConnect2,NARUTO Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 is a tour de force of Naruto thrills and spills, and the first game based on the global hit Naruto Shippuden manga and anime to appear on both consoles. Impressively faithfully to the universe of the anime, the game takes players through the Naruto Shippuden story arc with new battle systems enhancing the gameplay.

Players must choose the right companions to fight alongside for a greater chance of winning, and together unleash explosive Team Special Techniques to lay waste to opponents.  The brand new online mode, a first for the Ultimate Ninja series, takes the full force of the fight to opponents around the world.

Players will meet a host of criminal Akatsuki characters in the game, and in an astonishing story twist even see Sasuke wearing an Akatsuki costume.  Lars Alexandersson, of TEKKEN™ 6 fame, will also make a playable appearance wearing hisTEKKEN 6 costume designed by Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto. As an unlockable guest character, Lars brings his explosive signature moves to the game’s versus mode adding a ferocious new dimension to the experience.

For more information about NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe and its entire line up of games please visitwww.namcobandaigames.eu.

About NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe
NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe S.A.S. is a leading software publisher producing a broad catalogue of high quality interactive entertainment for console and PC gaming platforms and online which is marketed and sold in 50 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australasia.  The company is a part of the NAMCO BANDAI group of companies known for creating and publishing many of the industry's top video game franchises including Tekken™, Dragon Ball®, Naruto™, SOULCALIBUR™, One Piece™, RidgeRacer™, Ace Combat™ and Tamagotchi™.

TEKKEN™6&©1994-2009 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.

© 2002 MASASHI KISHIMOTO / 2007 SHIPPUDEN   All Rights Reserved.
Game © 2010 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.
Published by NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe SAS

“PlayStation”, the “PS” Family logo and “PSP” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Memory Stick Duo™ may be required (sold separately).

Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox Live are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Press Release © 2010 NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe S.A.S. All rights reserved.

The Re-Cap: News From QTE Gamers From The Weekend Of Saturday 27th And Sunday 28th November

• QTE Blog: The Re-Cap: News From QTE Gamers From Friday 26th November http://ht.ly/1abAh6
• QTE Blog: Hit X Podcast: All The News From QTE Gamers From Friday 26th November http://ht.ly/1abC0T
• Jade Raymond has confirmed that she and Ubisoft Toronto are working on Splinter Cell 6 http://ht.ly/3g4xs
• Ubisoft are selling a t-shirt with concept art for an unannounced game/thing, offer a cryptic clue as to what it is http://ht.ly/3g4yB
• Call Of Duty Black Ops comes in at 1&7 in Japan game charts. PS3 version sells 128.922, 360 version sells 30.729 http://ht.ly/3g4ze
• PC: Markus Persson says the reason for publishing sales figures for Minecraft is to help users see it as "genuine" http://ht.ly/3g4A1
• PC: Swords And Soldiers HD is coming to PC on 1st December http://ht.ly/3g4AB
• PS3: Gran Turismo 5 update 1.02 is out now, comes in at 133MB http://ht.ly/3gibP
• PS3: Estimates put the first 2 day world wide sales of Gran Turismo 5 at 1.8M, expect 2.4-2.5M units sold in first week http://ht.ly/3gic3
• PS3: Mass Effect 2 has around 20 hours of additional play, benefits from patches and engine improvements http://ht.ly/3gid4
• Sega have reset the Sonic 4 Episode 1 leaderboards due to a couple of cheaters/hackers posting impossible times http://ht.ly/3gie5
• Square Enix have trademarked "A Survivor Is Born", the words from GameInformers December cover art http://ht.ly/3gieF
• PS3: Sony reveals they can improve the accuracy of Move via Firmware updates, may not as no studio has requested it http://ht.ly/3gif6
• The ESRB has rated Front Mission 3, speculation its coming to USA PSN as a PS1 Classic http://ht.ly/3gifG
• NIS America announce they are bringing Imageepoch games to the USA and EU. Imageepoch trust NIS America's track record http://ht.ly/3gigG
• Janco Partners' Mike Hickey predict Grand Theft Auto V will come out between April 2012-March 2013, sell 16M units http://ht.ly/3gihr
• QTE Blog: What Have You Played This Week? http://ht.ly/1aczLg
• QTE Blog: QTE Tweets Of The Week http://ht.ly/1acCOH

QTE Tweets Of The Week

This top 10 shows the most clicked tweets from my News in brief Twitter stream. It was a good week for news from the site with 4 stories making it into the top 10. the top news story is not surprising, they were the first big site to release a review for Gran Turismo 5 and with a “low” score they spark controversy. The number 2 story is also expected as any big news about iPod/iPad always chart well.

10 Finnish TV station's website released a screenshot confirming Angry Birds Christmas, Coming early December http://ht.ly/3eCU2

9 DS: Ball Origins 2 and Cooking Mama World Hobbies Demo's are available to download from Nintendo Channel http://ht.ly/3eCWB

8 QTE Blog: The Re-Cap: News From QTE Gamers From Thursday 25th November http://ht.ly/1aaHxU

7 QTE Blog: UK PSN Update 24/11/10 http://ht.ly/1a9cBX

6 Nintendo's appearance at CES 2011 won't be public, its conducting meetings behind closed doors http://ht.ly/3fqdl

5 QTE Blog: Slang Announce They Are Lowring The Price Of Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring To $39.99 http://ht.ly/1a8TvX

4 QTE Blog: Hello Games Announce New Characters Are Coming To Joe Danger http://ht.ly/1a8WuA

3 360: Someone has hacked a Kinect to track someone with a wooden stick and turn it into a light sabre http://ht.ly/3dAqL

2 iOS update 4.2 is out now, across The EU and USA, for iPad and iPhone, its 624.3MB http://ht.ly/3dUNF

1 PS3: Jeuxvideo break Gran Turismo 5 review embargo, give the game 7/10. criticise graphics, traditional playstyle + more http://ht.ly/3exAa

What Have You Played This Week?

For the second week running I managed to put some good gaming hours in. some games I only played an hour or two, whilst others I put in several hours.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 – PS3 – I've finally completed all the challenges and requests. The hardest of them has to be winning 10 fights, the last of which has your team facing off against Jiraiya, Naruto, and Pain. It took me a while to win, but when I did it was a rout. My team, if your stuck like I was, was Naruto, Neji, And Kakashi (Neji was defense and Kakashi was attack). I'm also at a point where i'm 7 trophies away from platinuming the game so i'm thinking about trying to get it.

Star Trek Online – Demo – PC – I completed the demo. Its a shame its soo short, more so when compared to how long a MMO should in theory be. I'm still undecided whether to play again. I'll take my time and have a think about it.

Darksiders – PS3 - this is my newest rented game. I'm only a few hours in but i'm enjoying myself a lot. The gameplay is nice and simple, the graphics look great, and the story is interesting and I want to see what happens. I have only 1 complaint so far in the game and that's blocking and rushing are the same button and i'm finding that blocking isn't working great, but that could be down to my skill.

S'plosion Man – Xbox 360 – this game was 160 MS Points here in the UK and I couldn't let such a deal pass me by. I've played a couple of levels so far and its fun. The character animations are great and the gameplay is simple, and even in this early part of the game its clear how complicated it can get.

Puzzle Quest 2 – Xbox 360 – I was a huge fan of the first game, owning it and completing it on both the PSP and Xbox 360. I would've preferred to play it on the PSP, but as it seems unlikely to happen I decided to get the Xbox 360 version instead. Some of the changes are taking time to get used to, but the basic gameplay mechanic is still there and solid as ever.

Gran Turismo 5 – PS3 – how could I not get this game. I like my racing games and few have a bigger name than Gran Turismo. Once you get past the 35 minute install...then the next couple of patches you are presented with a great experience. The menus are presented cleanly and smoothly and its easier to get into a race than ever before in Gran Turismo. I've not played online yet, I decided to start with the licenses as its been a while since I last played a Gran Turismo. The game looks great, loading times are not too long, and whilst there may seem to be an overload of options/menus...its surprisingly easy and simple. You are constantly awarded with cars as you play and try out modes. Trophies so far haven't been too easy to earn.

Football Manager 2010 – PC – I got back in to the game after a few weeks away. I've decided to start again with a new team, mostly cause I didn't get an achievement for taking Havant & Waterlooville to the premiership. I'm now in the Italian leagues managing Juve Stabia. I'm not far in but i'm hoping to take them all the way from the lowest league to Serie A.

Did you manage to play more games than I have over the week, or do you have any comments on my experiences or questions about the games i've played? If you do, feel free to add them in the comments section.