This week’s video game news…

Wii Play Sells 10 Million In US!
Wii Play has now sold over 10 million copies in the US.
Wii Play, launched back in 2007 has been a constant in the all formats game charts since its release, despite it being considered, critically at least, a poor collection of mini-games.
Retailing at roughly 30 bucks, the game comes bundled in with a Wii-mote and an argument could be made that the game would not have sold have as many copies had it been a stand-alone game.
Still, which ever way you look at it, 10 million units in a single territory is impressive by anyones standards.
It seems that the Nintendo Juggernaut just keeps on rolling…

Sony Excited About Credit Crunch!
Sony America marketeer Peter Dille is of the firm belief that the worldwide economic crises is good for the PS3 and plays right into the strength of the console because the of the great value the machine represents to the consumers.
“I think that when people start doing the apples-apples comparison, and see what PS3 can do, and see the value of Blu-ray, and what free online and free Wi-Fi with a hard drive in every box really means, it resonates. I think people are gravitating to it and we’ve got a lot of momentum with the launch of Killzone 2 – we’re seeing a nice upsurge in our business. We also have to work hard to gain our consumers’ trust and make them comfortable that when they buy a PS3, it’s going to stand the test of time. The fact of the matter is we’re the only console manufacturer that’s ever launched a product that’s had a 10-year life-cycle. And we’ve done that now not once, but twice.”
He’s got a point I suppose, if I didn’t own a console and was thinking about buying one, it would have to be a PS3 for the very reasons he stated above.

Uncharted 2 Gets Gameplay Affecting Weather!
Naughty Dog’s Richard Lemerchand has been explaining how the ice and snow featured in his upcoming sequel to the PS3 exclusive will have the same impact that the water did in the original game.
“We’ve spent a lot of time focused on the distinctive look that snow has as it falls and is blown by the wet, and of course on the way in which Drake leaves footprints as he trudges through the snowdrifts in the Himalayan mountains that he ventures to. When he’s out in the snow he’ll accumulate a layer of snowflakes on his clothes and in his hair, which will slowly thaw when he gets back inside, under cover. Ice reflects light in a way that cleverly mimics the sub-surface scattering that goes on inside a chunk of frozen water, and gives it a look of incredible volume and density.”
“We have a few more tricks up our sleeves too, we don’t want to give away all our secrets – you’ll have to use your imagination to figure out all the way in which we might use sub-zero temperatures in the service of the gameplay. One thing I will say is that if you’ve ever tried to battle against a vicious enemy in the middle of a force ten snowstorm, then you’ll appreciate how complicated the reduced visibility can make things for combatants on both sides.”
No word yet on whether the cold weather will harden Nate’s nipples…
Anyway, love the look of this game!

New Console Alert! Onlive!
Warner Bros. is among the financial backers of a new video game console called Onlive.
The new console will be unveiled today at the Game Developer Conference in San Francisco and is the brainchild of WebTV founder Steve Perlman.
Perlman describes Onlive as a revolutionary, on demand gaming platform that will deliver the most advanced games on any TV via an inexpensive Microconsole and will also be available on almost any PC or Mac.
“You just click on it and it goes.”
The console will launch this winter.
We’ll have more details after the press conference later today.

Max Payne 3 Out This Year!
Take-Two have announced that Max Payne 3 will be released for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC this winter.
I didn’t even know it was in development, anyway…
Rockstar Vancouver have promised us that Max Payne 3 will have “more of the classic elements and hyper-intense action that fans have come to love. We are moving the story of Max in a new direction”.
Sam Houser, Rockstar Games founder, went on to say, “We’re starting a new chapter of Max’s life with this game. This is Max as we’ve never seen him before, a few years older, more world-weary and cynical than ever. We experience the downward spiral of his life after the events of Max Payne 2 and witness his last chance for salvation.”
I think I’ll wait a little longer before I allow myself to have any feelings over this game. I’m a bit worried that we’re only now hearing about this, I mean, the game is out in a couple of months, like I said, don’t know what to make of it yet.

Left 4 Dead Survival Pack Dated!
Microsoft have confirmed that the Left 4 Dead Survival Pack DLC will be released on Xbox Live on April 21.
The pack is set to include a new survival mode which sees players try to survive against a never ending wave of infected for as long as possible.
Also included are the Dead Air and Death Toll campaigns in Versus mode.
This is going to be awesome!

Need For Speed: Shift Dated!
EA have announced that Need For Speed Shift will be released for the Xbox 360, PS3, PSP and PC on September 22 in North America.
EA also said that Need For Speed: Shift will feature more vehicles than any previous installment of the franchise and will also feature real-world tracks, including the UK’s Brands Hatch.
They also name-dropped some cars that would be available i.e; Pagani Zonda F, Porsche 911 GT2 and the Lotus Elise.

Will GBA Games Be Downloadable For New DSi?
Nintendo have been quick to deny that the new DSi will be able to download GBA games direct to the handheld through a Virtua Console Internet service.
Website, Kombo, reported earlier in the week that Nintendo were planning an online service for the DSi which would allow gamers to download first-party Game Boy and GBA games onto the handheld.
Nintendo have told the website that although the service has been announced for Japanese gamers, it has yet to be announced for any other territory.

Wii Sells 50 Million Consoles!
Despite only being available for two years and four months, Nintendo’s Wii console has sold an amazing 50 million units worldwide, making it the fastest selling console in history.
Will anything stop the Wii?
Despite the Wii being the least powerful console of the current generation, it has continued to sell in record numbers.
Nintendo must be very pleased with themselves, only last week was it announced that the DS had shipped over a 100 million units and now this.
Impressive.

New Zelda Game On The DS!
Nintendo have unveiled Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for the DS.
The new game will feature Link driving a train much like he did with a boat in The Phantom Hourglass.
Other than the fact that the game will be released sometime this year, nothing much else is known about the title.

Bionic Commando Release Date Confirmed!
Capcom’s Bionic Commando will be released for PS3 and Xbox 360 on 22nd May with the PC version following a couple of months later.
I’m quite suprised at the lack of coverage for this game. Bionic Commando was a classic game in every sense of the word and it’s transition to the current gen of consoles should be a massive event, but, for some reason, no one is really talking about this game.
For me personally, Bionic Commando is one of my most anticipated game releases of the year.

Disney To Make Toy Story For The Wii!
Disney has announced a Wii-exclusive Toy Story will be released for the platform this Autumn.
Titled Toy Story Mania! the game will be compilation of party games much like the Mario Party series of games and will also feature stages that require you to wear 3D glasses.
Expect plenty of Wii-mote wiggle action action then…

New Star Trek Game Announced For XBLA and PSN!
Paramount have announced a video game tie-in for the upcoming Star Trek movie.
The game will be a top-down 3D space shooter will be “focused on fun, not a retelling of the movie’s story”
Star Trek: DAC (Don’t ask what the subtitle means coz no one is telling…) will feature multiplayer bouts for two teams of six.
DLC in the form of extra ships and levels have been promised.

Call Of Duty Headed For XBLA and PSN?
It seems that a Call of Duty game is headed for the XBLA and PSN.
Some sites have picked up on a listing by the European ratings body PEGI which lists Call of Duty.
No one is quite sure if it’s a full game or merely a demo of the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 but rest assured we’ll give you more details when they arise.

Announced! Ratchet And Clank: A Crack In Time!
Sony have revealed that we will be getting a new Ratchet and Clank game this year.
Subtitled; A Crack In Time, it will be a direct sequel to last years DLC – The Quest For Booty.
We’ll have more on this as it happens, expect screenshots soon!

Related posts:

1. Griff’s Nerdles Blog – TV And Movie Omnibus Edition – 28th March, 2009
2. Griff’s Nerdles Blog – Saturday February 7th, 2009
3. B-Minor’s Nerdles Blog – Sunday March 1st, 2009
4. B-Minor’s Nerdles Blog – Sunday March 8th, 2009
5. Griff’s Nerdles Blog – Saturday February 14th, 2009