Nintendo of Europe issued a release Thursday morning that trumpeted the subsidiary's regional success with the Wii and DS platforms. According to NOE, more than eight million Wii systems sold to consumers in the region last year alone, which raises the console's installed base in Europe to 14.2 million.

Meanwhile, in its third year in Europe, DS shows no signs of slowing down. In 2008, 11.2 million consumers purchased Nintendo's handheld, "the largest ever annual sales of a gaming console in European history," according to the company. More than 31 million DS handhelds have been sold total in Europe.

"The sales trend on both Wii and Nintendo DS, hardware and software during 2008 shows that more and more people in Europe are enjoying video games as part of their daily lives. This proves that Nintendo's wish to expand the gaming population has strong potential in Europe," said Laurent Fischer, managing director, marketing and public relations, Nintendo of Europe.

http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/945/945262p1.html ...

Nintendo of Europe issued a release Thursday morning that trumpeted the subsidiary's regional success with the Wii and DS platforms. According to NOE, more than eight million Wii systems sold to consumers in the region last year alone, which raises the console's installed base in Europe to 14.2 million.

Meanwhile, in its third year in Europe, DS shows no signs of slowing down. In 2008, 11.2 million consumers purchased Nintendo's handheld, "the largest ever annual sales of a gaming console in European history," according to the company. More than 31 million DS handhelds have been sold total in Europe.

"The sales trend on both Wii and Nintendo DS, hardware and software during 2008 shows that more and more people in Europe are enjoying video games as part of their daily lives. This proves that Nintendo's wish to expand the gaming population has strong potential in Europe," said Laurent Fischer, managing director, marketing and public relations, Nintendo of Europe.

http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/945/945262p1.html ...

Marcan posted this :


http://hackmii.com/2009/01/the-argon-resolution/ ...

I just got done fixing up a laundry list of bugs for the new release of vlc4iphone v1.8.0. This release is mainly a bugfix release so you’ll have to wait a bit longer for a more proper user interface, playlist, and control scheme. Those additions will be coming though! Many formats and protocols are now working again, including but not limited to OGG, FLAC, MMS, RTSP. If you want to play back videos, it is still highly recommended that you use a less cpu-intensive format such as FLV (Flash Video), 3GP, or perhaps MPEG2. Also keep in mind the lower the resolution, the faster the playback will generally be.

If you have any recommendations as to how to improve vlc4iphone let me know. I’m also very interested in what vlc4iphone is being used for. From what I’m aware of, it is used for streaming audio/video for the most part. Perhaps a guide for setting up a PCTV (TV on the PC) to iPhone stream is needed. Anyone able to do one?

You can find vlc4iphone v1.8.0 on Cydia under Multimedia. If you have Cydia, it comes with my public ZodTTD source/repo built-in.

http://www.zodttd.com/blog/2009/01/1...dated-to-v180/ ...

In 1989 Square kicked off the SaGa series on the monochrome Game Boy. The game came out over here as Final Fantasy Legend. Since that already got a 2D remake on the Wonderswan Square Enix is skipping it and remaking SaGa 2 (aka Final Fantasy Legend II) for the Nintendo DS in full 3D. SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu (temporary title) is on track to hit stores in Japan sometime in 2009.

Without spoiling too much of Final Fantasy Legend II players go on a quest to search for their father and collection MAGI. There are a few plot twists which were pretty good considering the time the game was released. However, SaGa 2 was a tough game to beat since your human characters leveled up in a pretty random way. If you used a strength weapon like a Long Sword your character might get a strength boost. Whacking goblins with a whip might lead to an agility boost. Espers or Mutants as they were called in the US version switched spells after battles and sometimes that meant resetting the game if you lost a good ability. The system was kind of neat, but also frustrating. I believe Square Enix will modify this system for the SaGa 2 remake. After all they fixed some of the issues with Final Fantasy II and the remakes ended up being more playable than the unreleased NES version.

While the SaGa 2 remake has only been announced in Japan ask yourself what Square Enix 3D DS remake have we missed out on.

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/01/14...saga-2-remake/ ...

Joining Mario and Luigi on their latest RPG adventure is their nemesis and occasional ally in the Mario RPG series, Bowser. King Koopa brings his fiery breath and brute strength to the team. The screenshots show another detail, players will have multiple field abilities. You can see a small menu on the bottom right where pressing Y makes Bowser breath fire and pressing X makes him do something else.

Like the other Mario RPG games timing is important in battle. Well timed presses do more damage when you’re fighting against goombas, bloopers, and walking pot roasts.

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/01/14...ser-in-action/ ...

As a lot of you know, Capcom’s message boards have recently become one of the most active developer/publisher fan communities. Not only is it a great place to hang out and shoot the you-know-what, it’s also very informative and a great source of news at times.

Unfortunately, this time the news is of the bad variety. Capcom’s (here we go) Corporate Officer/VP of Strategic Planning & Business Development, Christian Svensson clearly ruled out any possibility of a Monster Hunter G release in the U.S. or the awesome themed Classic Controller that comes with it. Says Svensson, “You’ll have to get it from an import shop. Neither MHG or that controller is coming to the US. Sorry. ”. Sympathy appreciated Sven.

No news is available yet as to whether the controller will also be sold separately in Japan for us import-crazy types to buy at high prices. We’ll keep you updated, so prepare your best Merchant imitation and cross your fingers.

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/01/15...me-controller/ ...

How soon? Not sure, but the first batch the episode with Edie is coming “soon”. The first downloadble episode came out in Japan four months after the game released. If Sega sticks to the same schedule we’re talking February/March-ish “soon”.

This message was tucked away in a Sega Blog post where they also announced a Valkyria Chronicles Cosplay at NYC Comic Con. If you dress up as one of Gallia’s finest or a member of the Imperial Alliance and show up at Sega’s booth you’ll get a limited edition Valkyria Chronicles art book. Sega plans to hold books for Friday and Saturday, but it’s still first come first serve. As of now Sega looks to have the strongest gaming presence at the event with games like MadWorld, the Conduit, Sonic and the Black Knight, and House of the Dead: Overkill on display.

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/01/15...c-coming-soon/ ...

Welcome to this week's Games Update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.

As the developers, game designers and programmers get back to work, the game releases started to pick up speed, although its still relatively calm compared to the Christmas months, the products that came out this week include some of the most popular party games and highly acclaimed RPGs.

Nothing rolls a party along as smoothly as singing. Lips, the Asian version is out, carry on your fun and throw weekend singing parties. Discover the hidden musical talent amongst your friends and family and step into your favourite singer's shoes for a night.

Movies and parties goes well together. Prided yourself as a walking encyclopedia on the film industry? Take the challenge in Scene It?. Watch scenes, jog your memory and guess which film those scenes come from. With clips from a wide range of films, fans of cinema blockbusters and art films are going to have a field day.

Coming a few days after the party games is Lord of the Rings: Conquest. You've seen the hardship the hobbits has gone through to return the ring, what about the minions of Sauron? The characters you simply labelled as "villains" and watched as they get killed off gets their spotlight this time.

After pulling away from the evil side's camp, come to modern Tokyo to sign a contract with demons. Scoring impressive marks from Famitsu, Demon Survivor from Shin Megami Tensei is a must-play for the series fans and a good starting point for the newbies of this game franchise.

Besides new games, some previously released games such as Elebits: Kai and Zero's Adventure is localized for US audiences while Castlevania: Judgement is made available to people with an NTSCJ Nintendo Wii console. Naruto Narutimate Storm is also released in Japanese and Asian versions.

Releases are gaining momentum, expect even more hot games are coming next week.

Xbox360™
GRID JPN US$ 68.90
Lord of the Rings: Conquest ASIA US$ 49.90
Virtua Fighter 5 Live Arena (Platinum Collection) JPN US$ 34.90

PlayStation3™
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness 3 (PlayStation3 the Best) JPN US$ 44.90
Fallout 3 JPN US$ 78.90
GRID JPN US$ 68.90
Lord of the Rings: Conquest ASIA US$ 49.90
Naruto Narutimate Storm ASIA US$ 69.90
Naruto Narutimate Storm JPN US$ 74.90
SEGA Rally Revo (Sega the Best) JPN US$ 34.90

Nintendo Wii™
Akumajou Dracula Judgment / Castlevania: Judgment JPN US$ 68.90
Fishing Master World Tour US US$ 34.90
Mario Tennis GC (Wii de Asobu) JPN US$ 39.90
Nintendo Wii (for Japanese games only) ASIA US$ 329.00

PlayStation2™
Shinkyouku Soukai Polyphonica: The Black JPN US$ 34.90

Nintendo DS™
Akumajou Dracula: Gallery of Labyrinth / Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (Konami the Best) JPN US$ 34.90
Bigfoot: Collision Course US US$ 24.90
DS Uranai Seikatsu JPN US$ 39.90
Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero US US$ 34.90
Imi Gawakaru Otona no Jukugo Renshuu: Kadokawa Ruigo Shinjiten Kara 5-Man Mon JPN US$ 39.90
Lord of the Rings: Conquest US US$ 34.90
Mainichi Shinbunsha Kyouruoku: Saikyou no Kanji Drill 5-Man Mon JPN US$ 43.90
Megami Ibunroku: Devil Survivor JPN US$ 54.90
Moon US US$ 34.90

Nintendo DSi™
Headphone DSi (Black) JPN US$ 9.90
Inner Ear Earphone DSi (Black) JPN US$ 12.90
Protect Case DSi (Clear Blue) JPN US$ 9.90
Protect Case DSi (Clear Pink) JPN US$ 9.90
Touch Pen Long DSi (Black) JPN US$ 3.99

Sony PSP™
SEGA Rally Revo (Sega the Best) JPN US$ 29.90

Game Guides and Magazines
Biohazard Wii Guide Book JPN US$ 26.90
Derby Owners Club 2008 Feel The Rush 2008 Ver.2.0 Guide Book JPN US$ 26.90
Megami Ibunroku: Devil Survivor Official Guide Book JPN US$ 21.90
Weekly Famitsu No. 1048 (2009 01/23) JPN US$ 8.90
World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 Players Guide JPN US$ 29.90

Video Game related Soundtracks
Distant Worlds Music From Final Fantasy JPN US$ 31.90
Original Voice Drama True Fortune Vol.3 JPN US$ 31.90

Here's a preview of hot games that are expected to come next week:

Xbox360™
Skate 2 ASIA US$ 49.90

PlayStation3™
Skate 2 ASIA US$ 49.90

Nintendo Wii™
Fragile: Sayonara Tsuki no Haikyo JPN US$ 68.90
Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekidou JPN US$ 68.90
Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekidou [DX Pack] JPN US$ 95.00

Sony PSP™
Hokuto no Ken: Raoh Gaiden - Ten no Haoh JPN US$ 48.90
Zill O'll Infinite Plus JPN US$ 48.90

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...-1xi-84-n.html ...