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    UK charts: Wii Fit, Call of Duty still on top, Professor Layton climbing

    February 3, 2009 - 12:52pm


    The week ending January 31st saw no movement at all in the top two spots on the UK sales charts. Wii Fit maintains its top spot on the UK sales charts for a third week, followed by previous champ Call of Duty: World at War. Skate 2, which debuted last week at #3, has dropped to #5 behind FIFA '09 and Professor Layton and the Curious Village, which, like Wii Fit, is experiencing increased sales due to long-awaited replenishment of stock. Mario Kart Wii rose two positions to #6, leading us to wonder if, over the course of 2009, the top half of the charts will steadily fill with Nintendo hits from 2008.[Via Edge]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    VC Tuesday: Super Pole 'n Ghosts

    February 3, 2009 - 10:00am


    Though we aren't monitoring an actual Japanese Wii to be sure, we're quite confident that the SuperGrafx version of Ghouls 'n Ghosts, originally slated for October, will actually be available today on the Virtual Console in Japan. Hudson is totally not making much of a big deal about it, labeling it as a plain PC Engine game and selling it for 600 Points -- not the 800 that CD-ROM titles command! But we think it's really cool to see a representative from such a rare and obscure system on the Virtual Console.It's joined by some shmups: L-Dis, a cute-em-up from Cho Aniki developer NCS, Formation Z, a Famicom shooter from the late Jaleco, and Galaxy Force II, which might as well not exist without the super-fun arcade machine.

    The one WiiWare game this week is the fantastic-looking retro-parody game from Sega, Pole's Big Adventure.

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    VC Tuesday: Super Pole 'n Ghosts

    February 3, 2009 - 10:00am


    Though we aren't monitoring an actual Japanese Wii to be sure, we're quite confident that the SuperGrafx version of Ghouls 'n Ghosts, originally slated for October, will actually be available today on the Virtual Console in Japan. Hudson is totally not making much of a big deal about it, labeling it as a plain PC Engine game and selling it for 600 Points -- not the 800 that CD-ROM titles command! But we think it's really cool to see a representative from such a rare and obscure system on the Virtual Console.It's joined by some shmups: L-Dis, a cute-em-up from Cho Aniki developer NCS, Formation Z, a Famicom shooter from the late Jaleco, and Galaxy Force II, which might as well not exist without the super-fun arcade machine.

    The one WiiWare game this week is the fantastic-looking retro-parody game from Sega, Pole's Big Adventure.

    Sega: Let's confirm Let's Tap for Europe, North America

    February 3, 2009 - 8:20am


    Let's consider, for a moment, the immense and stalwart dedication exhibited by one Jem Alexander, our man at an ongoing Sega event in a snow-encased London. Despite being in the magnificent company of games featuring a certain sword-wielding hedgehog, this blogger deliberately looked away from the screen (reminder: featuring a hedgehog wielding a sword!) to send us an important email from his iPhone. Which he briefly confused with his iPod Touch -- a notable hazard for those eccentric and loaded enough to own both. What's up with that, Jem?Anyway, he says Sega's rhythmic finger bash, Let's Tap, has been announced for European release. With the party game's undoubtedly arduous localization confirmed, it probably won't take too long for Sega of America to drum up a press release of its own. We'll point out (and at) any updates as we receive them.Update: Sega has confirmed a North American Summer release.
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    MTV teams up with Mega Man to compare console download speeds

    February 3, 2009 - 6:00am


    Since the beginning of this console generation, one question has been on the minds of ... probably a few people, at some point: which home console is the fastest downloader? To answer that question, the staff of MTV Multiplayer engaged in an informal experiment using the one game shared by PSN, XBLA, and WiiWare: Mega Man 9. The winner? It's kind of complicated! For one thing, it turns out that the Wii version of the game is much smaller: just 8.3 MB versus 63 MB on PSN and 88.7 on XBLA, necessitating a MB/sec measurement. In addition, the download speeds varied for the three members of the Multiplayer team, preventing a definitive answer. They tested the download speeds of various other (non-shared) games and got the same all-over-the-place results.In the end, they were able to come to a useful conclusion: the PlayStation 3 downloaded games more quickly over a wireless connection, and the Xbox 360 downloaded games more quickly overall (because of its use of a wired connection). You guys can probably get some kind of fanboy boast out of that if you really want to.
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    Let's Tap on tap for North America this summer [update]

    February 3, 2009 - 3:45am


    We don't think 61FPS's John Constantine would lie about Sega planning to release Let's Tap in North America, but, well, there hasn't been an announcement yet, so we're going to label this a rumor for now. Sega has previously shown definite interest in localizing the title, for what it's worth. According to Constantine, Sega is indeed taking the risk and localizing Prope's bizarre minigame collection, which is controlled by tapping a box onto which a Wii Remote has been placed. The North American version will contain the same four modes found in Japan: Tap Runner, a multiplayer race across an obstacle course; Bubble Voyager, an abstract sidescrolling shooter; Silent Blocks, a tap-controlled Jenga-type game; Visualizer, which displays imagery that responds to your tapping; and Rhythm Tap, a rhythm game similar to Taiko Drum Master or Donkey Konga.It may be another minigame collection on the Wii, but, well, we've been humming the theme music for months. Add the unique hands-off controls and the involvement of Yuji Naka, and we are thrilled to have a chance to play this. If this announcement is real.Update: Sega sent out a press release confirming the game for this summer!
    [Via NeoGAF]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    New Games This Month: February 2009

    February 2, 2009 - 10:58pm


    After a few false alarms, we think it's safe to say that video game releases are finally, blessedly back in full force. Sure, February 2009 may not have the bombast of a November or December 2008, but there are some perfectly respectable releases here.Enjoy clicking through all the month's delights, and be sure to let us know in the comments which ones you're looking forward to the most.
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    VC in Brief: Sonic Chaos

    February 2, 2009 - 9:00pm

    Sonic Chaos (SEGA MASTER SYSTEM, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points)We say: do not downloadWe're back doing videos for you, under a new site and a new name. But all of this new stuff won't get in the way of the tried-and-true flavor that has permeated these videos in the past, we assure you. This week, we've got Sonic Chaos available for download on the Virtual Console, so hit up the video above and see if it's worth your time (and money!).It feels good to be back.
    Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks.Permalink | Email this | Comments

    VC in Brief: Sonic Chaos

    February 2, 2009 - 9:00pm

    Sonic Chaos (SEGA MASTER SYSTEM, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points)We say: do not downloadWe're back doing videos for you, under a new site and a new name. But, all of this new stuff won't get in the way of the tried-and-true flavor that has permeated these videos in the past, we assure you. This week, we've got Sonic Chaos available for download on the Virtual Console, so hit up the video above and see if it's worth your time (and money!).It feels good to be back.
    Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks.

    Rating suggests that Bubble Bobble Wii will make a journey out of Japan

    February 2, 2009 - 8:00pm


    We knew if we believed hard enough (and probably also if we didn't), Square Enix would bring Bubble Bobble Wii to the world. Now it is the beginning of a fantastic story! The first evidence of SE's plans to release the WiiWare game outside Japan has appeared in the form of a rating on the German USK database.The game, which we had no idea used 3D character models until just now, is listed under the new title Bubble Bobble Plus!, with that very appropriate exclamation point. Of course, this rating is no guarantee that the game will be released in Germany, nor is a German release firm confirmation of a release anywhere else, but it certainly seems likely! Besides, those "world rankings" work a lot better if the "world" isn't limited only to the area within Japan.