We’re back and I have to apologize for not posting the list last week. I completely spaced Thursday night and didn’t pull the list off the Wii Shop Channel. I’ll do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen in the future. Let’s take a look at this week’s list and see what’s new in the Top 20 WiiWare Titles. Publishers are listed in parentheses after the games title. Number in parentheses is the previous ranking. All information taken from the Wii Shop Channel on April 16th, 2010.
There was one newcomer to the list this week, Diner Dash. This game has been around for years on the PC, but it made it’s WiiWare debut recently and it appears people are flocking to it here just like they do on the PC. Of course, if there’s a new title on the list that means that another title had to fall off of the list and this week that unfortunate title is Max and the Magic Marker.
The biggest movers of the week were My Pokemon Ranch moving up five spots and Rage of the Gladiator moving down 7 spots. The top five saw all five titles remain, they’ve just shuffled themselves around a bit. Cave Story was displaced from the top spot by the king of flatulence himself, Wario. The prospect of loads of new content every week must have gotten people excited about that game. It’ll be interesting to see if it can hold that spot now that it’s there.
No titles are in real danger of falling off this week as the bottom two remained the same, but they may not fare so well next week. We’ll have to come back again next Friday to see just what happens.
Manchester, England native Amanda Flowers is saying that an accident recently has caused her to have an unusual health issue. She says that because of a fall that occured while playing Wii Fit has caused her to have the urge for sex 10 or more times a day.
“It began as a twinge down below, before surging through my body. Sometimes it built up into a trembling orgasm.”
This is called persistant genital arousal disorder and many people who have been diagnosed with the condition say that at times it can last hours or days and that, despite what many men would think, it can be very intrusive and destructive to everyday life.
Well, only the second player will have that ability. We’ve known that there would be some form of 2 player mode in Super Mario Galaxy 2, but we weren’t sure how that would shape up. I don’t read Japanese, but the Japanese site for the game confirms that the second player will be able to play as a Luma. There aren’t any details as to what that would be.
I can only assume that it will be in some form of support role. The second player may have some abilities that will make things a bit easier for Mario. In the original game the second player could freeze enemies and objects in place to help Mario get around and collect Star Bits that were scattered throughout the levels. Just what powers this new Luma character will have remain to be seen.
Nintendo was very recently vindicated in their patent infringement case against some of their controllers. That means it’s time for a new challenger to step up to the plate. This time it’s IA Labs with a patent infringement lawsuit that covers the Nintendo Wii, Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus, the Wii Balance Board, Wii Remote, Wii Wheel, Wii MotionPlus, Wii Nunchuck and Wii Zapper.
The patents in question are “Computer interactive isometric exercise system and method for operatively interconnecting the exercise system to a computer system for use as a peripheral” and “Force measurement system for an isometric exercise device.”
The company says they’ve been in contact with Nintendo and that they wanted to license the technology to them sometime between 2007 and 2008. They were also talking to Nintendo about a product called Sqweeze that is designed to get people more active while they’re playing video games. The device was to have worked with both the Wii console and the PC. They’re seeking an injunction against Nintendo and that a judge declares that they are in fact infringing on their patents.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this one turns out. It’s also curious to know why, since the system has been out for almost four years, that people are just now coming out claiming that they’ve been damaged by the system. You never pick on the little guys. It’s always the ones that have money that you can take.
REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Today the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that none of Nintendo’s video game controllers infringe on a patent asserted by Anascape, Ltd.
Nintendo had been accused by Anascape, Ltd., of infringing on U.S. Patent No. 6,906,700. The case was tried before a jury in the Eastern District of Texas in May 2008. The jury found that neither the motion-sensing Wii Remote™ controller, nor the Nunchuk™ controller, infringes on the patent. However, the jury found that the Classic Controller™ for the Wii™ console, and the WaveBird™ and standard controllers for Nintendo GameCube™ did infringe on the patent. Today’s decision, however, completely reversed the jury’s findings of infringement.
“In 2008, the jury determined that the Wii Remote and Nunchuk did not infringe,” said Nintendo of America General Counsel Rick Flamm. “Today the Federal Circuit’s ruling confirmed that none of Nintendo’s controllers infringe. We appreciate that our position has been vindicated.”
For reference, the case is Anascape, Ltd. v. Nintendo of America Inc. and the citation is 2008-1500.
If you’re interested in seeing what’s going on with Conduit 2 from High Voltage Software you’ll be able to find out at this years E3 Conference. Josh Olson, producer of the new title confirmed, during an interview with RoboAwesome that the game will be playable at E3 this year.
During the interview he also talks about some of the things they didn’t like about The Conduit and what they have planned for the sprawling environments of Conduit 2.
GiFTPiA is a game developed by Skip ltd. and published by Nintendo in Japan for the GameCube. It was shown in English at E3 2003 and was scheduled for localization in North America. Ultimately, though, that project was cancelled and the game only saw release in Japan. If you don’t know what GiFTPiA is, you’re in the same boat as me, but it’s an adventure game that many fans have compared to another very famous Nintendo franchise, Animal Crossing. It was directed by a former employee of Squaresoft, Kenichi Nishi, and look like an interesting game.
Some fans of the Japanese version of the game are interested in bringing the title back and getting it released in America, one of them is a fan of Nintendo Okie, Link6694. To help that effort they’ve put together an online petition to help spread the word.
While I’m not sure how effective online petitions are, there is one thing that publishers really take into consideration and that’s fan outcry. If enough people express their interest in the game they’ll take note and things just might happen. If you’re interested in seeing this title come to America sign the petition and let people know you’re interested. Head over here if you want to add your name to the effort.
Back before the Super Bowl we told you that EA Sports had predicted the Saints to win the Super Bowl. That prediction ultimately came true a few days later when the New Orleans Saints did, in fact, beat the Indianapolis Colts to win Super Bowl XLIV. The fictional version of the game had them winning 35-31, while the actual final score was 31-17.
EA Sports is at it again, this time with NHL 10 and their attempt to predict the results of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While the actual playoffs don’t begin until April 14th, the gang at EA are predicting that the Blackhawks will defeat the Pittsburg Penguins in 7 games to claim this years crown. Other highlights from this pre-played playoff scenario:
The Vancouver Canucks will reach the conference finals for the first time since their improbable Cup run in 1993-1994 NHL playoffs, but are eliminated by the Chicago Blackhawks for the second consecutive post-season.
The Phoenix Coyotes make the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season, but are eliminated in their first round match-up against the Detroit Red Wings.
The 2009 Stanley Cup Finalist, Detroit Red Wings are handed an early exit by the Vancouver Canucks in the conference semi-finals.
Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin face off in the Eastern Conference Final. Crosby’s Penguins walk away with the victory in this high scoring seven game series.
EA Sports has been right many times and they called it earlier this year. So what do you think? Will the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup this year or do you see the tournament playing out differently. Leave us a comment and let us know what you think, or head on over to the forums and discuss your thoughts there.
Just in case you needed more proof, aside from an official press release, that the 3DS is the next generation of handhelds for Nintendo, NOA President Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed this to be the case. During an interview with Business Week he had the following to say:
“We have ideas of what we want to bring to the consumer that we can’t do with the current (DS doesn’t allow). The Nintendo 3DS for us is our next handheld platform. Fundamentally, this business is about software, not hardware. Software is what drives engagement by the consume. For us technology is not the end, it’s the means to an end, which is around a great consumer experience.” – Reggie Fils-Aime
Apparently Nintendo has done everything they can do with the system and it’s time to move on to bigger and better things. I’m really excited to see what’s going on with the new platform and exactly what Nintendo has in mind. There weren’t any other details concerning the system, but he did reiterate that it will be on display during this year’s E3 Press Conference. There’s not long until that event happens and we’ll finally be able to see just what Nintendo has up their sleeve.
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