Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter has once again whipped out his crystal ball and claimed that the DS (hand-in-hand with the Brawl-fuelled Wii) romped to victory in the U.S. during March.
Pachty estimates that the handheld shifted 700,000 units, more than double the number of PSPs sold, which he places at 300,000. An impressive margin to be sure, particularly after the DS coughed and wheezed its way to a narrow 21,000-unit sales victory in January.
Will Pachter's predictions be proven correct? We'll know very shortly, as soon as NPD coughs up our monthly data!
Perhaps we're just cynics, but we're not at all surprised that this list of the 100 top-selling games in the U.S. and Europe isn't filled with more good games. We understand that not everyone has the tastes of the DS Fanboy staff (as much as we try toramitdownyourthroat), but some of these are just crazy.
Of course, some easy picks like Pokemon Diamond & Pearl and Brain Age 2 populate the list, but where is the love for some other great DS games? Phantom Hourglass at the 23rd spot? For shame. 1.2 million copies of High School Musical: Makin' the Cut sold and Drawn to Life only selling 820,000 copies? For shame.
In all, it's an interesting list that you should take a look at.
Nintendo's stocks have taken a small hit today, as a strong yen pulls in to take a portion of the blame for itself. As Nintendo raised profit forecasts and promised an increase in manufacturing and shipping, last week saw a rise in the video game company's stock. Investors, who fear the strength of the yen and the decline of the dollar, note the large portion of business that comes from exporting product for Nintendo. As such, today saw the stock price fall 5,000 yen to 46,800 yen.
Of course, shortages in the U.S. and Europe aren't helping things. Both of Nintendo's products are almost impossible to find, giving investors that much more reason to want to sell shares.
Well, not all of it. This is more about the highlights, the big news of the year. The kind of stuff that we should look back to and highlight as being memorable in 2007. It's been one hell of a year; a roller coaster ride of hits and misses. So, grab your admission ticket, buckle yourself in and join us for this look back at the news of 2007.
With the news -- following long-discussed rumors of a non-Japanese release -- that Freshly Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland is on its way to a European release, we figured it might be a good time to resurrect discussion of a US release. Of course, that probably hinges on whether or not NoA believes it would sell. So -- would you pick up a copy of Tingle's RPG? It's freshly picked ... how could you ever resist? Frankly, we'd be all over that like flies on things that are smelly.
This week's game releases are reminiscent of the philosophies of Sartre's Being and Nothingness. If our consciousness and awareness is marked by that which is outside us -- objects and people and more -- then what are we in a void of nothingness?
There are no game releases, therefore we are not. We have no tangible foundation for our intangible selves. Oh well. Those of you in Europe and Japan, take heart! You can find some way to define yourselves via the games found on store shelves, and we Americans and Australians burn with jealousy.
American hardware sales from October from the NPD group indicate that the trend continues -- video game sales are up, revenue is up, and if this continues, it's going to be a banner year for game sales. With two console launches less than a week away, we're pretty sure the industry will hit that grace note that triggers the confetti, but the victory can't be hung on just the release of the next gen systems. No, shocking as it may be to some, the Nintendo DS is at the heart of this year's rocketing game sales. And for October, we're even happy to share the love with the guys who are usually our mortal enemies -- the PSP fanboys. Last month, a full quarter of the top one hundred games in the U.S. were portable games.
When it came to systems, the show was all the DS, with 360,000 units sold in the U.S. for the month. The PS2 pulled out a strong second with 235,000, and oh! Look! Even the GBA moved more than the poor ol' PSP: 169,000 to 130,000. That was a short-lived sense of camaraderie, but that's okay. We're pretty sure they're going to tell us that we're only on top because of Pokemon anyway ....
One of our fine readers sent us in a scan from Nintendo Power that tells of yet another promotional team-up with toys conglomerate Toys 'R Us. This time around, rather than handing out gifts for your virtual town, DS Fanboys may hit up their local chain for a free Pokemon. While the news that this Pokemon is not in fact a real living, breathing, lightning-shooting creature upsets us, we'll still take it.
So those of you who decide to brave the elements and arrive at a Toys 'R Us on the 30th of September will be rewarded with a free download of the pokemon Mew. Arming yourself with a Pokemon game of choice (as long as that choice is either Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, or LeafGreen), you'll be free to get with the downloading come the 30th.
We just can't stop covering this game! We love it and we aren't afraid to admit it. Our parents forbade that love, but we eloped and now they're forced to accept it.
With the recent partnership between Toys 'R Us and Nintendo, there has been plenty of reason to keep plugging away in our towns (well, maybe not for some).
In an effort to save you time and some of your life span as sunlight undoubtedly causes you pain, Nintendo of America employee Chloe felt she should document what exactly the 6 free gifts available are at your local Toys 'R Us. So maybe you've been holding back, thinking that dangerous star in the sky is not worth enduring for fabulous free gifts to place in a virtual home. Well, maybe this list of available gifts will change your mind:
Charlie Staats, one of our most handsome readers, recently sent in a sorrowful tale of loss and regret. It also involved a talking dog obsessed with produce. To say the least, we thought it was a magnificent read.
Aside from his included tale, Charlie spoke of things grounded a bit more in reality, namely arriving at a local Toys 'R Us to acquire one of the free goodies that are available via download. Instead, when following the steps on the sheet while in the store, he received a bottle sans item. When asking an employee "Hey, what's the haps, man?" he was greeted with a response that informed him another store in the local area was also reporting the same issue of bottle sans item.
Any of you have the same trouble as our handsome hero Charlie? Completed the steps with ease and find the possibility of anything otherwise remote?
Nintendo and Toys 'R Us are teaming up to hand out some virtual gifts through Animal Crossing: Wild World. The gifts available, which are implied to include Mario in one way or another, number six, however only one will be available to download per town. You'll have to trade for the others. The process with which to acquire one of said six items goes:
Insert your Animal Crossing: Wild World Game Card into your Nintendo DS. Power up.
Purchase Bottle Mail at Tom Nook's Shop.
Write a message and release your Bottle Mail into the river or at the beach. Save and end your game.
Visit the specially marked Animal Crossing: Wild Word promotion in the video-game section of your nearest Toys 'R Us July 23-30. At the main menu, tap Tag Mode.
Watch and wait for something to arrive in your town!
Restart your game and comb the beach for Bottle Mail containing a special rare item!
Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter has once again whipped out his crystal ball and claimed that the DS (hand-in-hand with the Brawl-fuelled Wii) romped to victory in the U.S. during March.
With the news -- following long-discussed 
This week's game releases are reminiscent of the philosophies of Sartre's Being and Nothingness. If our consciousness and awareness is marked by that which is outside us -- objects and people and more -- then what are we in a void of nothingness?
American hardware sales from October from the NPD group indicate that the trend continues -- video game sales are up, revenue is up, and if this continues, it's going to be a banner year for game sales. With two console launches less than a week away, we're pretty sure the industry will hit that grace note that triggers the confetti, but the victory can't be hung on just the release of the next gen systems. No, shocking as it may be to some, the Nintendo DS is at the heart of this year's rocketing game sales. And for October, we're even happy to share the love with the guys who are usually our mortal enemies -- the PSP fanboys. Last month, a full quarter of the top one hundred games in the U.S. were portable games.
One of our fine readers sent us in a scan from Nintendo Power that tells of yet another promotional team-up with toys conglomerate Toys 'R Us. This time around, rather than handing out gifts for your virtual town, DS Fanboys may hit up their local chain for a free Pokemon. While the news that this Pokemon is not in fact a real living, breathing, lightning-shooting creature upsets us, we'll still take it.
We just can't stop covering this game! We love it and we aren't afraid to admit it. Our parents forbade that love, but we eloped and now they're forced to accept it.
Charlie Staats, one of our most handsome readers, recently sent in a sorrowful tale of loss and regret. It also involved a talking dog obsessed with produce. To say the least, we thought it was a magnificent read.
Nintendo and Toys 'R Us are teaming up to hand out some virtual gifts through Animal Crossing: Wild World. The gifts available, which are implied to include Mario in one way or another, number six, however only one will be available to download per town. You'll have to trade for the others. The process with which to acquire one of said six items goes:
