Wii Virtual Console releases for December 03, 2007

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

ZANAC (NES®, 1 player, rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): ZANAC is a vertically scrolling shoot-’em-up game that was released in November 1986. Take control of the state-of-the-art fighter, ZANAC, with the objective of destroying the bases of the mechanized enemy forces. Use your full array of regular weapons as well as eight special weapons to clear the 12 intense areas of the game. Be careful, though, as the game changes the degree of difficulty in real time based on how well you play. This ensures that it feels like you’re experiencing a new game every time you play.

Eternal Championsâ„¢ (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, rated T for Teen - Animated Blood, Animated Violence, 800 Wii Points): This 2-D fighting game introduces a cast of different characters that met untimely deaths in their lives on Earth. Now they have been given a chance to compete against each other, with the winner taking on the Eternal Champion, the ultimate fighter in the universe. The reward for defeating the Eternal Champion is a return to Earth for the opportunity to avenge death and restore balance to the universe. Choose from nine unique characters with a variety of fighting styles, and bring your best moves to defeat all comers in your quest to topple the Eternal Champion.

The Dynastic Hero (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1 player, rated E for Everyone - Comic Mischief, 800 Wii Points): The Dynastic Hero is an action RPG featuring a cast of insect characters. The story begins with the invasion of their peaceful homeland of Tarron by the evil Drilkor Empire. Rushing to the insects’ aid is Dyna, the prince of Beetras. Take control of Dyna as he battles through action-filled stages. Equip weapons and items to vanquish the relentless foes, and acquire special items that enable you to brave the journey across the perilous desert or open sea. But it’s not just all action. Correctly answer multiple-choice quizzes, and play the ocarina to find the right melody to open doors. Plus, there are countless traps and other puzzles packed into this fun game to keep you entertained and ensure you continue coming back for more.

Activision-Vivendi Games To Merge and Renamed Activision Blizzard

Game publishers Activision and Vivendi Games will merge their companies into one and be renamed Activision Blizzard. The result will create a company with revenues of $3.8 billion in 2007. The deal is expected to be made official in the first half of 2008. What does this say for Sierra only time will tell, but I am here to say I don’t think sierra will be around much longer.

Activision, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) and Vivendi (Paris: VIV) today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to combine Vivendi Games, Vivendi’s interactive entertainment business — which includes Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft®, the world’s #1 multi-player online role-playing game franchise — with Activision, creating the world’s largest pure-play online and console game publisher. The new company, Activision Blizzard, is expected to have approximately $3.8 billion in pro forma combined calendar 2007 revenues and the highest operating margins of any major third-party video game publisher. On closing of the transaction, Activision will be renamed Activision Blizzard and will continue to operate as a public company traded on NASDAQ under the ticker ATVI. Activision, one of the world’s leading independent publishers of interactive entertainment, is best known for its top- selling franchises, including Guitar Hero®, Call of Duty® and the Tony Hawk series, as well as Spider-Manâ„¢, X-Menâ„¢, Shrek®, James Bondâ„¢ and TRANSFORMERSâ„¢. Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, has projected calendar 2007 revenues of $1.1 billion, operating margins of over 40% and approximately $520 million of operating profit. Blizzard owns the #1 multi-player online role-playing game franchise, World of Warcraft, which currently has over 9.3 million subscribers worldwide. Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, Warcraft®, StarCraft® and Diablo® games account for four of the top-five best-selling PC game titles of all time. Vivendi Games also owns popular franchises, including Crash Bandicootâ„¢ and Spyroâ„¢. Pro forma for calendar 2007, Activision Blizzard expects to generate approximately 70% of its revenues from owned franchises. As a result of the business combination, Activision Blizzard expects to have the most diversified and broadest portfolio of interactive entertainment assets in its industry, positioning the combined company to capitalize on the continued worldwide growth in interactive entertainment.

Jean-Bernard Lévy, Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of Vivendi stated: “This alliance is a major strategic step for Vivendi and is another illustration of our drive to extend our presence in the entertainment sector. By combining Vivendi’s games business with Activision, we are creating a worldwide leader in a high-growth industry. We are excited about the opportunities for Activision Blizzard as a broader entertainment software platform. We believe this transaction will create significant value for Activision Blizzard and Vivendi stockholders. In Activision, we have found a partner with a highly complementary business and strong operating team. Bobby Kotick and Brian Kelly are industry pioneers, well known for creating shareholder value. The combined strength of the existing management teams at both companies will set the stage for further profitable growth of Activision Blizzard. We look forward to being an active and supportive majority stockholder in a company that is poised to lead the worldwide interactive entertainment industry in the years ahead.”

René Penisson, Member of the Management Board of Vivendi and current Chairman of Vivendi Games, added: “We are very confident that by combining forces, Activision Blizzard will set the highest standards in quality, reputation and profitability, and will bring together the best creative teams in the industry. The combination of this unique product portfolio with highly professional employees gives us great confidence in the growth prospects for Activision Blizzard.”

Said Robert Kotick, Activision’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer: “This is an outstanding transaction for Activision and our stockholders, as well as a pivotal event in the continuing transformation of the interactive entertainment industry. By combining leaders in mass-market entertainment and subscription-based online games, Activision Blizzard will be the only publisher with leading market positions across all categories of the rapidly growing interactive entertainment software industry and reach the broadest possible audiences. By joining forces with Vivendi Games, we will become the immediate leader in the highly profitable online games business and gain a large footprint in the rapidly growing Asian markets, including China and Korea, while maintaining our leading operating performance across North America and Europe. Activision stockholders will benefit from significantly increased earnings power and the recurring nature and predictability of subscription-based revenues, while also having the opportunity, if they choose, to receive $27.50 per share for a portion of their shares in the post-closing tender offer.”

Kotick continued: “Vivendi Games provides Activision with unique strategic and financial benefits and will allow us to leverage our franchises into emerging online opportunities as Blizzard has done so successfully. Activision has been very focused on margin expansion, and this transaction will meaningfully increase our overall operating margins as we expand our franchises online and in new geographies. Diversifying our revenue base among subscription-based online, console and PC formats, as well as wireless and casual emerging opportunities, gives us the broadest platform to capitalize on industry growth. With Blizzard’s successful franchises, such as World of Warcraft, StarCraft and an exciting pipeline of yet-to-be announced titles, Vivendi Games’ and Blizzard’s management team will join with Activision’s strong and experienced leaders to become an even more powerful force for innovation in online and offline interactive entertainment across a wide range of platforms. This transaction also provides a unique relationship with Universal Music Group – the world’s largest music company – which will benefit Guitar Hero and further extend our sizable leadership position in music-based games.”

Mike Morhaime, President and Chief Executive Officer of Blizzard, added: “Blizzard’s industry-leading PC games business, with a track record of nine consecutive bestsellers and a global subscriber base of more than 9.3 million World of Warcraft players, is an exceptional fit for Activision’s highly profitable console games business. From our interactions with the Activision team, it is clear we have much in common in terms of our approaches to game development and publishing. Above all, we are looking forward to continue creating great games for Blizzard gamers around the world, and we believe this new partnership will help us to do that even better than before.”

Nintendo sells 7.8 mil Virtual Console downloads, shrugs

The Wii’s Virtual Console has sold 7.8 million downloads so far, totaling 3.5 billion yen, which is about $33 million, according to a post by IGN quoting Nintendo executive Shinji Hatano. With 175 games available, according to that most trusted of sources Wikipedia, that comes out to about $188,500 per game and about 44,500 downloads per game.

Apparently, Nintendo doesn’t know whether that’s good or not.

“We’re currently unsure if this is a lot or low,” Hatano said. “They’re not bad figures.”

The costs for maintaining the Virtual Console service can’t be very high, so I would guess that they’re at least making a tidy amount. Then again, when you’ve sold over 1 million consoles and grossed $172 million in one week, $33 million in about a year can’t be terribly exciting.

Xbox 360 Free With Your Pizza Order

As if Pizza and Video games did not go hand in hand, here comes Dominos and a new Xbox promo. I have never been a fan of any enter a code and win product tie-ins that most companies like to do, But this one really does not sound bad at all.

If you’re a gamer you most likely already eat your share of pizza like I do and you have a internet connection. So all you have to do wo win a Xbox 360 is order your pizza from Domino’s pizza on line.

Starting December 1st and running through the 12th, Domino’s Pizza is giving away Xbox 360 prizes to every customer who orders online. When your online order is placed during these “XII Days of Xbox” you will receive a free 48 hour Xbox Live Gold subscription automatically. Also every day, 10 random orders will win an Xbox 360 and a copy of Project Gotham Racing 4. Once your order is placed a window will pop up, telling you if you’ve won a console or a piece of crap subscription, with prizes shipping within two days of winning to arrive in time for Christmas.

I have already bookmarked the order page and I know what’s for dinner the first 12 days in December.

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Domino’s Pizza (NYSE:DPZ) and Xbox(R) are teaming up this holiday season to deliver the “XII Days of Xbox.” Every day, beginning Dec. 1 through Dec. 12, customers who place their order online at www.dominos.com will instantly receive Xbox prizes, and some entrants will win Xbox 360(R) consoles.

Every order placed online during the “XII Days of Xbox” will receive a gift with purchase -a 48-hour trial of Xbox LIVE(R) Gold, Xbox’s premier online multiplayer gaming and entertainment service that lets players connect their gaming consoles to the Internet and play games online. Best of all, every day during the “XII Days of Xbox,” 10 lucky customers will win an Xbox 360 gaming console and a Project Gotham Racing(R) 4 video game.

“We’re giving our customers some of the hottest gifts this season along with a hot, delicious meal when they place their order online,” said Ken Calwell, Domino’s Pizza chief marketing officer. “We’re delivering the convenience of online ordering and pairing it with the excitement of instantly getting great prizes from Xbox.”

Customers can order online Dec. 1 through Dec. 12 for more chances to play. Once an order is placed, a pop-up window will appear to confirm the order and announce instantly what prize will be received and if the customer has won the Xbox 360 console and Project Gotham Racing 4 video game. Prizes will be shipped within two days of winning to arrive in time for the holidays. Customers can visit www.dominos.com for automatic entry into the “XII Days of Xbox and for the official “XII Days of Xbox” contest rules. No purchase necessary to enter or win. Void where prohibited. Must be at least 13 years of age to enter. Contest ends Dec. 12, 2007.

Nintendo setting company sales records, but what does that mean?

Nintendo had it’s biggest week ever, selling 653,000 DS Lites, the all-time high for any console from the company, and 350,000 Wiis, second only to the week of launch.

My response is what did you expect? Of course it’s going to be more than they have ever sold for previous consoles. Video games, especially consoles, have only exploded into a multi-billion dollar industry since then, so it’s not like there’s a smaller pool of people to buy the things.

It’s like when movie companies break opening weekend records. Movies break these records because it costs twice as much to go to the movies as it did even 10 years ago, let alone the 50 years since some of the greatest movies have been released. In a similar, though admittedly slightly different way, video games are going to continuously break these records because they’re only going to get more popular. Of course, when they reach a certain point of saturation the record-breakings will come slower, but they will still happen for the same reason.

What’s more interesting are the relative records. What precentage of the population that plays video games bought a DS in this one week? If it’s more than the percentage of gamers that bought a NES when it was 3 years from it’s U.S. launch, then that’s something impressive and would certainly make me say it had broken some records.

Now That’s a Home Arcade You Can Be Proud Of

Do you always have to have the Biggest and best toys and show them off to your friends? If yes, the “Dreamcade Vision 120” is the must have game system gift for you this Christmas.

The “Dreamcade Vision 120″ isn’t just a game system; it’s an arcade center. In fact, the Vision 120 comes complete and ready to play with more than 145 classic arcade games, including all of your favorite classic games from Atari, Midway, Namco, Digital Leisure, and Capcom as well more than 7,000 classic console games. What did you just say; you already have a Next-Gen game system? The Vision 120 also comes with Component and HDMI video inputs for your Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or Nintendo’s Wii console with a wireless sensor bar built right in. Play all of this in high definition with a 120-inch portable screen.

All this for the small retail price of $3,999, but can you really put a price on playing 145 classic arcade games on one system with a 120-inch screen?

Dreamcade Vision 120 Features:

• High powered projector - Bright enough for daytime use!
• 120-inch Portable projection screen - makes it simple to set up, move, and store
• Dreamcade 2.0 Gaming PC - modern PC games can be played using authentic arcade controls
• More than 145 classic arcade games including Ms. Pac-man, Centipede, Dig Dug, and many more.
• Free year’s subscription to more than 7,000 classic console games via Console Classix, including games for Atari, ColecoVision, NES, SuperNES, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, Sega GameGear, and GameBoy.
• Component and HDMI video inputs for your Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii for the ultimate in modern gaming as well as classic arcade games.
• Arcade Control Panel Features:
• Lighted trackball - For authentic gaming action on games like Centipede and Missile Command
• Spinner - To play retro classics like Warlords, Breakout and Pong
• Full arcade control panel with additional side buttons allows playing nearly any game from Street fighter to MAME pinball as well as modern games and classic console games through Console Classix
• Removable control panel - Gives you the ultimate versatility

Wii And DS Setting Nintendo Sales Records

Nintendo of America has set a new sales record by selling more products during the Thanksgiving week than at any other time in the company’s history.

During the period November 18 to November 24, over 653,000 DS units were sold, smashing the previous record of 600,000 Game Boy Advance consoles sold in 2005.

A further 350,000 Wii home systems were also snapped up by Christmas shoppers, along with “millions of games and accessories”. Here is the full release:

In the first week of the 2007 holiday shopping season, Nintendo of America has sold more Nintendo products than at any other time in its history. This includes more than 653,000 Nintendo DSâ„¢ portable video game systems, 350,000 Wiiâ„¢ home systems and millions of games and accessories throughout the United States - and the season is just getting started.

Nintendo DS set a new all-time sales record for Thanksgiving week, eclipsing the previous mark of 600,000 Game Boy® Advance systems sold during the same period in the United States in 2005. Nintendo DS remains on track to be the top-selling video game system of 2007.

Nintendo’s 350,000 Wii systems represent the highest one-week U.S. sales total outside of its launch week one year ago. Wii has been dubbed the must-have gift of the 2007 holiday season and has been placed at the top of numerous gift lists. Nintendo has repeatedly increased its shipments and its fiscal-year sales forecast for Wii in an attempt to meet soaring demand. Wii reached 5 million sold in the United States faster than any video game system in history, after only 12 months of availability there.

Both Wii and Nintendo DS have continued their yearlong momentum into the holidays without altering their prices. And both remain attractive values for shoppers: Wii has an MSRP of $249.99, while Nintendo DS has an MSRP of $129.99.

“As shoppers look for ways to maximize their limited holiday spending money, they turn to gifts that can be used by the entire family,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “Wii and Nintendo DS offer something for every member of the family. They’re the most fun video game experiences at the most affordable price.”

With higher gas prices and fuel costs, and the lukewarm expectations for the 2007 holiday shopping season, Wii and Nintendo DS might be just what Santa ordered: Thirty-five percent of consumers said they plan to spend less than they did last year, according to a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corp. for the Consumer Federation of America and the Credit Union National Association. Similarly, a USA Today/Gallup Poll showed that 25 percent of Americans expect to spend less on gifts this year than they did in 2006.

Note that the internal Nintendo of America numbers referenced in this release represent sales from Sunday, Nov. 18, through Saturday, Nov. 24.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

Wii Virtual Console releases for November 26th, 2007

Let’s hope you all survived the long and food filled holiday weekend. Can’t get off the couch after eating leftover turkey for 3 days, do a little shopping from the comfort of your couch.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

DOUBLE DRIBBLE™ (NES®, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points):

DOUBLE DRIBBLE, the first 5-on-5, full-court home basketball game, is pure hoops action at its finest. While still a surprisingly accurate basketball game for its time, the frantic action keeps you on your toes as your players run from one end of the court to the other. Choose from a handful of teams and multiple levels of difficulty as you take on the computer alone or challenge a friend and see who has the better skills. Take the ball and sink shots from locations all over the court, or get in your opponent’s face and do your best to block the shot. Better yet, drive the lane and rock the rim to see one of the game’s trademark slam-dunk cut scenes. He shoots, he scores!

Vegas Stakes™ (Super NES®, 1-4 players, rated E for Everyone – Simulated Gambling, 800 Wii Points):

Feel like taking a road trip to Las Vegas? Let your inner high roller go wild as you try your luck at five different games-blackjack, slots, poker, craps and roulette. Start with only $1,000 in your pocket and play your way through five casinos, each with a different theme and varying limits. But no one wants to gamble alone, right? Not a problem, as you’ll be able to choose one of four friends to tag along and offer advice when you need it. Further enhancing the experience is the fact that you’ll be presented with a slew of interactions with random casino patrons. Best be careful, though-your choices in these situations could either get you closer to the millions of dollars you’re after or cost you a pile of that hard-earned cash. Roll the dice, spin the wheel, hit or stand-do whatever it takes to stake your claim in Vegas and beat the house!

Ecco Jr.â„¢ (Sega Genesis, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points):

The aquatic adventures of Ecco come to life for a younger generation of gamers. Perfect for kids, Ecco Jr. finds our young hero heading out to sea with a variety of tasks he must perform in order to get there. Along with his friends Tara the baby orca and Kitnee the young Atlantic dolphin, Ecco Jr. will interact with sea lions, sea horses and other aquatic life as he makes his journey to the Big Blue. Introduce your kids to the classic series of Ecco the Dolphin titles by downloading Ecco Jr. today.

Look Cool With Some Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Cheats

Guitar Hero 3 brings out the rocker in all of us. Well ok, some of us just plain suck at it. So for the people like me, that no matter how hard we try, the song always sounds like a cat is stuck in a blender. I have decided to post the cheat codes for the game. My favorite one is the No Failure cheat. Now you too can feel less like a dork and more like a real fake Guitar Hero. The codes will work for PS3, Xbox 360 and the Wii.

[Codes after the jump] Full Story »

Mario Galaxy Sells 500K In A Week

Yesterday Nintendo revealed that Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii sold over 500,000 units in its first week of sale in the US.

REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 20, 2007 - Could Super Mario Galaxyâ„¢ be the best video game of all time?

If you ask critics and consumers, the answer is a resounding yes. Reviewers for video game and mainstream media alike are responding with high marks to the boundless sense of wonder and fun the game brings to both experienced and novice players.

Independent review-tracking site GameRankings.com now lists Super Mario Galaxy for Nintendo’s Wiiâ„¢ system as the best-reviewed game of all time, and another review-tracking site, Metacritic.com, lists Super Mario Galaxy as having “Universal Acclaim,” with a score of 98 out of 100.

More on what reviewers are saying:

• GameSpot.com: Super Mario Galaxy “has tons of appeal for both the less experienced player and the longtime gamer. … If ever there were a must-own Wii game, Super Mario Galaxy is it.”
• Yahoo!: “… you’d be hard pressed to find (a game) as genuinely enjoyable as Mario’s latest. If you own a Wii, you should own this, too.”
• 1UP.com - “Galaxy proves that Mario matters just as much today as he did 25 years ago, and that makes him one of a kind in this medium. But don’t play Galaxy simply because Mario is the timeless godfather of gaming. No, play Galaxy because it’s fantastic.”

“Super Mario Galaxy had the strongest one-week debut of any Wii game to date and has also become the best-selling Mario title ever in its first week, with U.S. sales of more than 500,000, based on internal sales figures,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “It makes an easy gift choice as the holiday shopping season kicks off.”

Consumers can try Super Mario Galaxy before they buy it at one of 25 malls across the country during Nintendo’s Mall Experience, showcasing all the best video games for the holidays. Nintendo’s Mall Experience runs through Jan. 8. To find a mall near you, visit http://wii.nintendo.com/malltour_07.jsp.

For more information about Super Mario Galaxy, please visit www.SuperMarioGalaxy.com. Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.