Via Insert credit

Whilst From Software are often known to produce games involving wave after wave of killbots, they do have other works within their portfolio. One of these is the Kuri Kuri series.

The original game, on the PlayStation 2, was a moderately endearing puzzle platformer set over nine worlds with requisite boss battles. It didn't do that great and From Software shelved it as a consequence. Now in the clear and present glare of the DS Lite's omnipotence in Japan, Kuri Kuri has been jolted back into action.

Bear in mind though that their last DS game, Tenchu Dark Shadow, was akin to having nutty fecal matter ground into your cornea, here's hoping that Kuri Kuri DS is a departure from that hellish experience. The word "kuri", in case anyone is wondering, means "chestnut" in Japanese but the doubling up of the word has rather amusing ramifications; in that manga artists use "kuri kuri" to denote the sound of breast fondling.

Definitely a game for the kids then. ...

On an Ebay Auction theres a Chocalate Bar in the shape of a Nes Game cartridge.



More info at Auction ...

Via Gamespot

The final game sales numbers for 2006 have been released by industry-trackers NPD Group, and a familiar face has risen to the top. Electronic Arts' most valuable player, the PlayStation 2 version of the Madden NFL franchise, was declared the top-selling game of the year in the US.

Madden NFL 07 for Sony's current-generation system, which debuted in August, sold 2.8 million copies (the figure includes the game's deluxe Hall of Fame edition). Last year's version of the series, Madden NFL 06, beat that number slightly, tallying 2.9 million units sold.

From overgrown linemen to stubby plumbers, second place for US game sales in 2006 went to Nintendo's mustachioed mascot. New Super Mario Bros. for the DS mustered 2 million units sold. The DS, which has sold 9.2 million units in the US to date, was also represented on the charts by Mario's chart mate, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day. The brainteaser sold 1.1 million units in 2006.

New Super Mario Bros. sold well all year.
Just over one year old, the Xbox 360 had three of its games in the top 10. Madden NFL 07 took eighth with 1.1 million sold and Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter was just behind it in ninth, with 1 million rung up. But the most impressive Xbox 360 game was Epic Games' Gears of War, which sold 1.8 million copies despite only being released in November.

Even with all the hoopla surrounding the next-gen wars, Sony's iron horse, the PS2, was still the story for software. The system held five of the top 10 spots in 2006 thanks to Kingdom Hearts II, Guitar Hero 2, Final Fantasy XII, and NCAA Football 07.

The list of top 10 selling games for 2006 (with figures) is listed below.

Gears of War pwned December.
Sales figures for the last month of 2006 were also released today, and Gears of War came out on top...barely. The Xbox 360 shooter sold 815,700 units, just edging out the PS2 version of Guitar Hero 2, which racked up 805,200 sales. While both of those games were holiday releases, third place went to Madden NFL 07 for the PS2 (737,100 units sold in December), despite being a summer release.

While much attention was focused on Wii owners scooping up that system's version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess in droves, it was actually outperformed in December by its GameCube counterpart. Twilight Princess for the GameCube landed in fourth (532,900 sold) just ahead of the Wii version, which took fifth (519,200 sold).

The list of top 10 selling games for December 2006 (with figures) is listed below.

Across all platforms, Madden once again took the December crown, scrambling ahead to 1.9 million games sold. Behind it were Call of Duty 3 (1.1 million), Cars (874,000), Need for Speed: Carbon (871,600), the Xbox-360-exclusive Gears of War, and the PS2-exclusive Guitar Hero 2.

As far as sales of accessories in December go, the top slot went to the Xbox 360 wireless controller with 823,800 units sold. Nintendo had a one-two punch in second and third, with the Wii Remote (646,700) and Wii Nunchuk (497,100), respectively.

Top-selling games for 2006

PS2--Madden NFL 07, Electronic Arts--2.8 M
NDS--New Super Mario Bros., Nintendo--2.0 M
360--Gears of War, Microsoft--1.8 M
PS2--Kingdom Hearts II, Square Enix--1.7 M
PS2--Guitar Hero II, Activision--1.3 M
PS2--Final Fantasy XII, Square Enix--1.3 M
NDS--Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, Nintendo--1.1 M
360--Madden NFL 07, Electronic Arts--1.1 M
360--Tom Clancy's GRAW, Ubisoft--1.0 M
PS2--NCAA Football 07, Electronic Arts--1.0 M

Top-selling games for December 2006

360--Gears of War, Microsoft--815.7 K
PS2--Guitar Hero II, Activision--805.2 K
PS2--Madden NFL 07, Electronic Arts--737.1 K
GC--Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Nintendo--532.9 K
Wii--Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Nintendo--519.2 K
PS2--WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007, THQ--484.5 K
NDS--New Super Mario Bros., Nintendo--427.5 K
360--Call of Duty 3, Activision--410.8 K
NDS--Yoshi's Island 2, Nintendo--407.2 K
PS2--Call of Duty 3, Activision--365.3 K

Top-selling games for December 2006 across all platforms
Madden NFL 07, Electronic Arts--1.9 M
Call of Duty 3, Activision--1.1 M
Cars, THQ--874.0 K
Need For Speed: Carbon, Electronic Arts--871.6 K
Gears of War, Microsoft--815.7 K
Guitar Hero 2, Activision--805.2 K
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, LucasArts--792.3 K
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007, THQ--731.6 K
Tony Hawk's Project 8, Activision--713.9 K
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Activision--642.9 K

Top selling accessories in December 2006

360 Wireless Controller--823.8 K
Wii Remote Controller--646.7 K
Wii Nunchuk Controller--497.1 K
PS2 8MB Memory Card--474.8 K
PS3 Sixaxis Wireless Controller--336.0 K ...

Via Gamespot

With the shift to the new generation of consoles finally complete, there's little left to discuss about the transitional year aside from how well the industry weathered it. The industry-tracking NPD Group today released its US retail gaming sales results for December and for the entirety of 2006, and the figures showed a record sales year and growth almost across the board.

When hardware, software, and accessories sales are combined, the total US gaming market for the year amounted to $12.5 billion, a 19 percent jump over 2005's $10.5 billion, which was the previous highest grossing year in US gaming. December alone saw the industry bring in $3.7 billion, 27.8 percent more than the $2.9 billion it brought in for December 2005. The figures did not include sales of PC games, PC game subscriptions, or downloaded content.

Last month, retailers racked up $1.7 billion in game sales, a 5.4 percent increase over December 2005. While sales of games for the recently released Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation 3 added to the tally, console software sales overall were virtually unchanged, up only about .5 percent. However, last month's portable game sales showed significantly more growth over December 2005, as they cumulatively jumped 18.8 percent to $521.6 million.

The numbers were reversed on the hardware side of the equation. While portable systems showed the strongest growth as far as software went, sales of the hardware were actually down for the month, slipping 5.7 percent from the year before to $488.7 million. It was the Wii and PS3 driving hardware growth last month, as December's $1.1 billion take for console hardware was double December 2005's tally and then some, up 131.2 percent from the year before. Combining the portable and console markets, hardware sales for the month were up 59.2 percent to $1.6 billion.

As for which piece of hardware proved to be the most popular for the month, the Nintendo DS led all systems with 1.6 million units sold, trailed by the PlayStation 2 (1.4 million units sold) and the Xbox 360 (1.1 million units sold).

The newcomers to the mix fell a little short of analysts' projections, as the Wii sold 604,200 units in December, while the PS3 managed to move 490,700 system sales. Combined with their November hardware sales tallies, the Wii sold 1.1 million systems in the US through the end of the year, while Sony managed to move 687,300 PS3s.

According to NPD's figures, the growth of game sales in December was very much in line with game sales growth for the whole year. The US game industry's total 2006 game sales take came in at $6.5 billion, a 6.4 percent increase over 2005, with portable game sales experiencing pronounced growth of 18.8 percent to $1.7 billion and console game sales up a more modest 2.6 percent to $4.8 billion.

Similarly, hardware sales for the full year mirrored the December trend. Console hardware sales were up 87.5 percent to $2.9 billion, while portable hardware sales actually slipped .3 percent, racking up $1.6 billion. Combined hardware for the year was up 42.8 percent to $4.6 billion.

For the month, EA's Madden NFL 07 was the best-selling game, managing sales of 1.9 million units across all platforms. Call of Duty 3 took the second spot as the only other million-unit seller for the month, with 1.1 million copies sold. Trailing those two were Cars, Need for Speed Carbon, and Gears of War.

The single best-selling game for the year was the PlayStation 2 edition of Madden NFL 07, which garnered sales of 2.8 million units (Hall of Fame edition included). New Super Mario Bros. for the DS came in second with 2 million units sold in 2006, followed by Gears of War (1.8 million units sold, including collector's edition), Kingdom Hearts II (1.7 million units sold), and Guitar Hero 2 (1.3 million units sold, with or without guitar).

"We were expecting it to be a great year, with two new consoles being introduced," NPD senior marketing manager David Riley told GameSpot. "Also, there were tons of great new games for existing platforms, including Final Fantasy XII, [The Legend of Zelda] Twilight Princess for GameCube, and Guitar Hero II for PS2. There were also holdover hits like New Super Mario Bros. for the DS."

Despite the flat numbers posted for portable hardware sales, Riley wasn't too concerned.

"I would prefer to see they're flat," he said of the figures. "It's a transition year for the console market, so there's a sector that's bound to suffer. The DS had a great year." ...

via gamespot

With the release of NPD Funworld's 2006 numbers today, one big question was answered. Namely, the figures revealed which of the three formerly next-generation consoles sold the most at launch.



"...It smells like Wiictory."
To those following the industry, the winner should come as no surprise. From its release on November 19 until December 31, more than 1.1 million "new-gen" Wiis were sold in the US. That was nearly double the approximately 687,300 PlayStation 3s sold following its November 17 launch until the end of the year. By comparison, the just over 607,000 Xbox 360s were sold in 2005 following its November 22 launch.

During December 2006, the 360 sold more than 1.1 million units, no doubt benefiting from scant supplies of the PS3 and the popularity of Gears of War. As of the end of 2006, Microsoft's console had sold just over 4.5 million units in the US and more than 10.4 million worldwide.

But before the Nintendo faithful begin writing epitaphs for Sony and Microsoft, NPD senior marketing manager David Riley said the only thing holding back the 360 and PS3 was production capacity. "Comparing the three consoles is like apples and oranges," he told GameSpot. "It was all about availability. Microsoft and Sony were moving them as fast as they could put them out. [But] Nintendo was on the ball."

Riley also thought the PS3's high price--$499 for the 20GB model, $599 for the 60GB--wasn't as large a factor as many have made it out to be. "I think price plays a role there, but remember during the holiday season people have deep pockets," he said. "Kids know what they want, and if they tell mom to go buy a PS3 and she comes home with a Wii, they won't be happy."

Fundamentally, though, Riley thinks that there are no losers in the next-gen console war--only winners. "I know plenty of gamers who own multiple platforms. That's why I despise the term console wars," he said. "I have all three, and I buy the software I want for each one."

[UPDATE] Within an hour of the NPD numbers' release, the spin doctors were out in force. Dave Karraker, Sony Computer Entertainment America's director of corporate communications, said that his company did indeed ship 1 million PS3s in North America in 2006. "NPD doesn't account for Canada... [and] doesn't cover all of our USA retailers," he told GameSpot. "We sold-in more than 150,000 systems the last week of December, so there were many units in transit or at retailer's backrooms waiting to be put out [by year's end]."

For its part, Microsoft claimed outright victory over the holidays. "The Xbox 360 garnered a 51 percent market share in the United States for December 2006...outselling the PlayStation 3 and Wii combined in December and outselling all next-generation consoles in November and December," the company said in a statement.

Analysts were also skeptical, with some believing that the Wii sold more than NPD reported. "I don't understand how US Wii sell-through could be 1.1 million cumulatively, with Nintendo saying that they shipped half of their 4 million here and zero inventory on retail shelves at year end," said Wedbush Morgan Securities' Michael Pachter. "Where are the other 900,000 units? I assume 200,000 are in transit, but this number makes no sense to me at all." ...

via gibiz

The Japanese software market rose 125 per cent in 2006, to 363.89 billion yen (EUR 2.33bn), with Nintendo the most successful company in the market.

Hardware sales for the market as a whole also climbed to 261.9 billion yen (EUR 1.68bn), a 160 per cent increase for the last twelve months, according to data from Enterbrain.

The Nintendo DS was the best-selling hardware in the region, clocking up 7.5 million units sold, leaps ahead of its closest rival, the PSP, which sold 1.9 million units. The PS2 managed 1.5 million units sold.

Nintendo also sold 24.2 million units of software in 2006, which rises to 29.8 million when including sales from affiliate, The Pokemon Company.

The second highest-selling publisher was Square Enix, which managed sales of 6.8 million units.

The top ten best-selling games for 2006 also included eight Nintendo titles - all for the DS - with only appearances from Square Enix (Final Fantasy XII, PS2) and Konami (World Soccer Winning Eleven 10, PS2) breaking up the pack.

Pokemon Diamond/Peal was the number one selling game with 4.3 million units sold in the region, while New Super Mario Bros. was in second place with 3.8 million units by the end of the year. ...

via gibiz

A buoyant Nintendo has pledged to continue to manufacture the Wii console at "full bore," in order to satisfy customer demand, after the release of independent sales data from NPD.

The figures revealed that the Nintendo Wii has sold 1.1 million units in the 44 days since launch in North America, supported by software releases such as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which totalled 1.5 million sales though Wii and GameCube SKUs combined.

"Millions of players, both hardcore and brand new, are already enjoying the unique entertainment provided by Wii, but demand for the system remains incredibly high," said NoA president Reggie Fils-Aime.

"Our work is just beginning. We're dedicating ourselves to maximising both manufacturing and distribution full bore throughout 2007, to make sure everyone who wants to experience the future of videogaming can do so just as soon as possible."

It wasn't just Nintendo's home console that performed well in 2006. The DS managed to sell 1.6 million units in December alone, bringing total sales in the region to 5.3 million.

Top-selling software for the DS included New Super Mario Bros. which shifted 2 million units in 2006, while Brain Age: Train Your Brain, sold 1.1 million copies. ...

via gibiz

A buoyant Nintendo has pledged to continue to manufacture the Wii console at "full bore," in order to satisfy customer demand, after the release of independent sales data from NPD.

The figures revealed that the Nintendo Wii has sold 1.1 million units in the 44 days since launch in North America, supported by software releases such as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which totalled 1.5 million sales though Wii and GameCube SKUs combined.

"Millions of players, both hardcore and brand new, are already enjoying the unique entertainment provided by Wii, but demand for the system remains incredibly high," said NoA president Reggie Fils-Aime.

"Our work is just beginning. We're dedicating ourselves to maximising both manufacturing and distribution full bore throughout 2007, to make sure everyone who wants to experience the future of videogaming can do so just as soon as possible."

It wasn't just Nintendo's home console that performed well in 2006. The DS managed to sell 1.6 million units in December alone, bringing total sales in the region to 5.3 million.

Top-selling software for the DS included New Super Mario Bros. which shifted 2 million units in 2006, while Brain Age: Train Your Brain, sold 1.1 million copies. ...

via gibiz

Sony's recent sales figures in North America are proof of the company's brand power in the territory, according to US CEO Jack Tretton.

The best-selling Sony system was the six-year old PlayStation 2, which moved 1.4 million units in December - outselling rival next-gen consoles from Microsoft and Nintendo.

"If there was ever any doubt about the power of the PlayStation brand in the US, the December NPD data should quickly quell it," said Tretton.

Although PSP sales rose by 130 per cent from the previous month, it was still out-sold by the DS, with Sony's handheld selling 953,200 compared to Nintendo's 1.6 million units.

Sony managed to sell 497,000 PlayStation 3s in December, bringing the total to 687,000 of the reported one million units it has shipped so far.

Tretton is still upbeat when it comes to PS3's performance, despite the low sales of the console compared to the figures for Wii and Xbox 360.

"Not only did consumers drive records for PlayStation 3, they also validated the excellent value represented by PlayStation 2 and the entertainment versatility of PSP. These sales figures bode very well for the company heading into 2007," he said. ...