Cammie Dunaway frustrated!... with sales

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was released on DS around 8 months ago. In that time, sales figures have unfortunately been a disappointment. Speaking with MTV, Nintendo spokeswoman Cammie Dunaway commented:

" It's frustrating, quite frankly. Certainly there have been mature titles like Resident Evil, the first Call of Duty, that have sold over a million units. With something like GTA, there's great content there. We do think it'll have a long tail and we've seen that with a lot of titles across all genres on the DS platform that consumers continue to discover them. Part of what's needed is you have to continue to put marketing support behind these titles. It's one of the things we've learned over the past few years. The old dynamic of throw it on TV for a few weeks and forget it isn't going to work, because new consumers are coming in all the time ".

Did you pick up Chinatown Wars? How come it didn't grab the public's imagination and cash?

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WiiWare & VC Friday (PAL)

Three new WiiWare games have been released in the PAL regions of the world today, as well as a lone title for Virtual Console.

Tales of Monkey Island 4: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood (WiiWare)Pallurikio (WiiWare)Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH (WiiWare)Alex Kidd in Shinobi World (Master System)

The fine people at Playstos are apparently going to gift me a copy of Pallurikio, so I might have a review of that up sometime soon.

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NMH Desperate Struggle 8-bit jobs video

One of the main criticisms aimed at the first No More Heroes game was the repetitive nature of Travis' jobs/chores, which were necessary to make money. In the sequel "Desperate Struggle", Ubisoft hope to make these a lot more entertaining and have given them an 8-bit feel.

Looking forward to this one much?

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Classic Rayman and Street Fighter Games Lead a Luminous December Lineup

Maybe the holiday season has you grinning from ear to ear, or maybe you're already stressing out about choosing the right gifts for everyone on your list. Either way, you'd be wise to take a look at this week's new downloadable games from Nintendo. The latest Nintendo DSiWare releases include the original Rayman - perfect for prolonging your jubilant mood or providing a respite from the season's hustle and bustle. Speaking of stress relief, this week's new WiiWare games include Stop Stress: A Day of Fury, which offers a truly unusual way for players to unwind. And Virtual Console fans now have two more classic titles to liven up their game libraries: the Super NES gem Street Fighter Alpha 2 and the legendary SEGA arcade title Shinobi. All told, you'll find 11 new games added to the already stellar selection on the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop. Whether you're browsing for yourself or a loved one, don't forget that you can also use the Wii Shop Channel to download five free game demos and try before you buy.

Nintendo DSiWare
Rayman
Publisher: Ubisoft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: The legendary first Rayman adventure is now available from the Nintendo DSiWare service. Play as Rayman and try to save his amazing world from the evil Mr. Dark. Discover a charming universe with colorful landscapes and meet funny characters who'll help Rayman through his quest. Experiment with his abilities as you punch, hang or fly in the air and choose between two difficulty levels. Take advantage of new features in the Nintendo DSi version, such as the Nintendo DSi Camera, map selection on the touch screen and the ability to play against time to win bonuses.

Ball Fighter
Publisher: Teyon
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Ball Fighter is a puzzle game in which you take aim and blast groups of dropping spheres to create matches and clear the board. You can make chains to earn additional points or to make the game more difficult for an opponent. When you destroy spheres in a multiplayer mode, they will be added to the opponent's board, making his or her task more difficult. You can find special bonuses like a Brush, a Rocket Launcher or a Bomb, which can be used to destroy spheres or to paint a line of them with the same color. You'll find a variety of single-player modes, including Arcade, Survival, Brain Breaker and Player vs CPU, plus the unique multiplayer mode, all playable on one Nintendo DSi system.

Pop Island
Publisher: odenis studio
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Discover a joyful universe where playing is always a pleasure with Pop Island. Colorful and fun, Pop Island is an action-packed capture-the-flag game. Pick a team to join, then run, jump and spin your way around the island in an attempt to collect the priceless flags hidden throughout it. Become a surfing penguin, a flying fish or a waterskiing crocodile as you go all out for victory, unlocking 12 more joyful animals as you rack up points across eight different planets. You might even end up competing as a skateboarding mammoth. Playing alone is plenty of fun, but the madcap action reaches a new level when your friends get involved. By sharing the demo of the game via DS Download Play, up to seven more people with their own Nintendo DSi systems can use a local wireless connection to join you for some head-to-head or cooperative action. With plenty of power-ups, you'll need to concentrate on capturing more than just the rival team's flag to claim victory.

ARMY DEFENDER
Publisher: MINDSCAPE
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Cartoon Violence
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Army Defender is an action shooter in which players must defend their base against enemy attacks by controlling a machine gun tower designed to eradicate enemy waves. As the player levels up, the enemy becomes more and more numerous and well-equipped. Attackers include soldiers, tanks, paratroopers, helicopters, jet fighters, bombers and elite commandos. Depending on the enemy type (red or green), players must switch between ammunition colors. The machine gun tower will fire where the player taps the touch screen. Power-ups are made available on a regular basis when a super bomber delivers them onto the base. When a power-up is retrieved, players will be able to upgrade their tower for a limited amount of time. Upgrades include flamethrowers, rocket launchers or concussion grenades that will help contain enemy progression.

myNotebook: Red
Publisher: Nnooo
Players: 1
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: myNotebook allows you to take notes wherever you are. Just pop open your Nintendo DSi system and jot down your thoughts. Make a list and cross it off, or even play your favorite pen-and-paper games (games not included). You can even personalize your notebook by drawing on the cover and changing the paper type with 18 unlockable squared and lined paper styles. Use the pen or pencil to make your notes or doodles, then erase the bits you don't like. With five ink colors, you'll always be able to make your notes and doodles look stylish.

WiiWare
My Dolphin
Publisher: T&S Ltd.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: You are a dolphin trainer. Use the magical stick (Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers) to perform in lifelike dolphin shows. Teach your dolphin tricks and have fun watching your dolphin swim and play elegantly with different scenes, music and angles. This game lets you train your dolphin, compete in dolphin shows and watch your dolphin swim freely. Using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play, you can become friends with other dolphins that have different colors and personalities. You can also buy new toys such as rings and balls for your dolphin to play with.

MAGNETIS
Publisher: YULLABY
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: MAGNETIS is all about attraction. Connect the magnets to create electric explosions. Solving this frantic puzzle will require quick thinking and foresight. Anticipate connections in order to generate massive chain reactions to win the highest number of points. To get rid of blocks and score points, you must create lines by connecting left and right magnets of the same color by using conductor blocks. The longer the line, the more points you'll get. Team up with as many as three friends in cooperative mode or play against them in battle mode and compete for the highest score.

Stop Stress: A Day of Fury
Publisher: Abylight
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Animated Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Jack's dreams have become a nightmare, and only you can help him to get out. Climb into the skin of the most stressed-out man in the world, grab the baseball bat and prepare to let off more steam than ever before. Destroy everything around you, beat a path through traffic or at the office, and face off against incredible hallucinations. How far will a day of fury take you?

Flowerworks
Publisher: Nocturnal Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: While our heroine Follie is traveling to meet her auntie with a cargo of mystical Flowerworks seeds, her ship is pulled off course and crash-lands in a particularly dull area of the planet Elilia. Explore with Follie and help her recover her seeds to transform the world from drab to fab. You'll encounter strange inhabitants, some of whom will help Follie in her quest. Others, such as naughty garden gnomes, will hinder it. Flowerworks is a single-player adventure which combines blooming flowers, colorful fireworks, exploration and a whole lot of fun. The game will have the whole family immersed in no time, but be warned: Becoming a Flowerworks master is not for the faint of heart. Flowerworks includes Adventure, FreePlay and Tutorial game modes, with three difficulty settings in a 20-hour adventure.

Virtual Console
Street Fighter Alpha 2
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Capcom USA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Animated Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Street Fighter Alpha 2 explodes with lightning-fast game play and amazing innovations. Quick Move Reversals, Alpha Counters and the incredible Custom Combo System create a new standard for all games to fight by. Push your talents to the limit as you discover new hidden moves and reversals for every character. Neutralize opponents' attacks with high and low Alpha Counters and execute incredible Custom Combos to create your own rapid-fire assaults. All your favorite warriors are back for more. Previously hidden characters Dan, Akuma and Bison are joined by five new fighters: Rolento, Gen and Sakura, plus classic favorites Dhalsim and Zangief.

Shinobi
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Here's a bit of helpful advice to all you criminal organizations out there: If you're going to hatch an elaborate plot that involves kidnapping children, don't kidnap children who have ninjas for parents. That was the big mistake that a group called Zeed made when it went after the offspring of the Oboro clan. Now Joe Musashi is on the hunt to rescue the young hostages and take out Zeed's leaders, the Ring of Five. As you scour each stage, leave no children behind - Joe can't proceed to the next level without freeing them all. With an unlimited supply of shuriken, his sharpened katana and his deadly fists and feet, Joe will show Zeed why you don't mess with family.

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, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com. For the latest WiiWare games, click here. Click here for a list of games available on Virtual Console.

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Nintendo Delivers a Hand-Held Epic with The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

With Seamless Touch-Screen Controls, a Massive World to Explore and an Unprecedented Storyline.
One of the year's biggest adventures is fired up and heading down the tracks. Today's launch of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for the hand-held Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi video game systems marks a fun new chapter in the historic franchise. For the first time, heroic Link teams with Princess Zelda, who accompanies him on an original quest to save Hyrule from ruin. This unforgettable saga has Link navigating perilous dungeons and commanding a customizable train. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks features challenging puzzles, wide-ranging exploration and a deep storyline.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks builds upon the dynamic touch-screen control interface established in 2007's The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass , making it easier for players to perform advanced maneuvers and guide Link through an engaging series of adventures and challenges. An active participant throughout the entire game, Princess Zelda can take control of powerful Phantom characters to help Link make his way through obstacle-filled dungeons. New items include the Whirlwind and the Spirit Flute, which allows players to perform music that has magical effects on objects and events in the game by blowing into the built-in microphone of the Nintendo DS or Nintendo DSi.

While controlling Link's customizable train, players can take on special missions in which he transports people and valuable cargo across the game world. The train offers players the opportunity to explore the world of Hyrule, taking more challenging routes to reach new areas as they acquire new parts and equipment.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks includes a new head-to-head multiplayer mode that lets up to four players compete via a local wireless connection with one game card. In this mode, players explore six unique areas in search of valuable Force Gems. Traversing these areas and attempting to possess the most Force Gems at the end of each session, players must also avoid patrolling Phantoms, while setting off traps and using hidden abilities to foil their opponents.

"During the holidays, people are striving to find entertainment options that offer hours of fun, and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks delivers," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "For more than 20 years, audiences have been captivated by the storyline and sense of exploration offered by these beloved games. The plot twists and seamless controls of this latest installment will engage existing fans of The Legend of Zelda series while introducing new players to the series' magic."

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is the 15th game in this internationally renowned series. Since its inception in 1986, more than 59 million games in The Legend of Zelda series have been sold worldwide.

For more information about The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks , visit www.zelda.com/spirittracks.

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Wii breaks UK records

The Nintendo Wii console crossed another milestone in the UK market last week, as it passed over 6 million units sold in less than three years.

Wii is the fastest selling console in UK history, it launched on December 8th 2006 and crossed the 6 million figure on November 28th 2009, faster than any other previous console has managed.

In other good news for Wii in the UK, NSMBW has taken the top spot in the games chart:

New Super Mario Bros Wii (Wii) - NintendoCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360) - ActivisionWii Fit Plus (Wii) - NintendoWii Sports Resort (Wii) - NintendoAssassin's Creed 2 (360) - UbisoftCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3) - ActivisionAssassin's Creed 2 (PS3) - UbisoftMario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii) - SegaFIFA 10 (360) - EAFIFA 10 (PS3) - EAForza Motorsport 3 (360) - MicrosoftMario Kart Wii (Wii) - NintendoLeft 4 Dead 2 (360) - EAProfessor Layton & Pandora's Box (DS) - NintendoF1 2009 (Wii) - Codemasters

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The dark side of Wii

Nintendo of Europe has been sending out this email promoting their black console and the "chilling world of Wii".

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