Over the past two years the Wii, and by extension Nintendo, has enjoyed immense success. Massive sales, new avenues of consumer adoption, grannies boxing grannies, and soccer moms getting fit on a video game controller–it’s all here, and the impact is undeniable.

Why then, I ask, am I still so annoyed with this amazing machine?

Before I jump headfirst into flame land, however, here’s a brief explainer about what’s NOT on the list, and why.

First, shovelware. Like the PS2 and DS before it, the Wii is seemingly inundated with crappy titles, but that’s not going to be in this top 10. Why? Because no one is forced to buy shovelware. However, you are forced to endure the Wii Home screen load animation, and so it is on the list. Ditto for HD graphics, because I play the Wii for games, not movie experiences. Besides, Nintendo never advertised the system as an HD machine, so it would be selfish and exceedingly stupid to be annoyed about something that was never promised to me in the first place.

But enough about me, let’s bash the Wii, shall we? (more…)

The curious-sounding Kombo has the scoop:

During Ubidays 2008, Ubisoft revealed that its upcoming snowboarder, Shaun White Snowboarding, will be coming to Nintendo Wii. More exciting, the publisher revealed that the game will support Nintendo’s Wii Balance Board. Although members of the press were not allowed to play the game at the event, an Ubisoft representative was on hand to demo the setup. The game is played with both the Balance Board and Wii-mote, using the latter to control tricks.

Foot controllers, here we come?

Bob was a big guy. Manly. Six foot four and full of muscles, or so the song goes. He doesn’t really “get” what Nintendo is trying to do with the whole “Blue Ocean” strategy. He owns a Wii, though, and has enjoyed it so far. When he saw the shrinking stack of WiiFit boxes at a local retailer Wednesday, he plunked down some money to buy one.

Bob and I got to talking at a pub last night before a screening of the atrociously, almost offensively awful Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and eventually the conversation drifted away from local microbrews and onto WiiFit.

“You know what? It kinda just works,” he told me. He said the line like he was shocked his mouth uttered the words so openly. He and his wife, both mid to late 20’s, had spent the previous evening going through the initial set up of Wii Fit, and ended up “playing” the title well past whatever hour they had arbitrarily deemed acceptable for a video game.

I’ve also spent the last 48 hours “playing” and dissecting WiiFit. Amazon dropped it off on Wednesday, and being the geek that I am I had it torn open and battery-packed before I got through the door. I did some yoga. I balanced myself *almost* perfectly. I noticed a little sweat starting to form on my brow.

And you know what? I was also surprised. WiiFit and the Balance Board works, it turns out, just fine indeed. (more…)

Before you jump on my back, know that this post is speaking more to the power of WiiFit than it is demeaning the PS3. Believe me, the system doesn’t need my help in that department.

As you can see from this screengrab of Malstrom’s Hardcore Gamer Suicide Watch page, WiiFit surpassed the PS3 in Japan. Not the Wii, mind you, but a Wii peripheral. Oh, and I still vehemently maintain that the WiiFit is no ordinary accessory. It’s still more of a console or platform in my book, and I’m sticking to it.

I’ve been balancing and lightly exercising on my copy of Wiii Fit for the past day and a half. I’ll have my thoughts on it later today. Initial impression/tease: “Hey, you know what? This thing actually works.”

This info comes directly from the statistic geniuses at VGchartz. Their reports clock Nintendo’s new Wii Fit software selling 650,000 units on day one in the United States. Selling for $89.99, Nintendo brought in over 60 million dollars to go straight to the bank. VGchartz states this week’s total sales prediction…

Since Wii Fit is more expensive than Mario Kart or Super Smash Brothers Brawl, but appeals to a wider audience than those titles do, it is difficult to estimate whether it will follow a similar pattern. At a Mario Kart/Smash Brothers week one to day one ratio, the game could end up selling as much as ~1.2 million units in the Americas by May 24th if the current shortages are alleviated by the end of the week. At $90, the game likely will top out at $75 million to $100 million in revenue depending on how severe shortages are during week one.

Though VGchartz has had outstanding real-time accurate source records I’m still labeling these numbers under rumor. Expect an official press release soon.

Either way one thing’s for sure. Wii Fit is truly it. $$$

Have you gotten your “fit” on?

How do you even begin to review a device like Wii Fit?  Jack will hopefully answer that question for us soon, but until then we’ll have to look at Metacritic and GameRankings.  They give us an average ranking of 80% based on over 30 reviews.  Anyone pick it up today?  What do you think about it?

Well, in case David’s New Game Get for this week was somehow missed by your prying eyes, Nintendo wants you to know that this week is Wii Fit week (and maybe Star Soldier R, I’m not sure yet).

I’ll be stepping up to do a little review of this game changer a little bit later, so watch out for that (sorry, I don’t do before and after’s because perfection can’t be captured in a 40-day fitness diary).

For now, you can enjoy this press release; but not Wii Fit if you didn’t pre-order, because no store has any in stock. Wii Fit hits stores on the day of my birth, May 21.

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This really shouldn’t surprise anyone, but the Wii Fit is selling 90 units per minute in the UK store Woolworth’s.

“This is a revolution in computer gaming. For a game not targeted at gamers to sell in numbers like this is unheard of and is genuinely changing the market,” said Woolworths games trading manager Gerry Berkley.

I’ve got mine pre-ordered, and from the sounds of it several Infendo readers do as well. I see no reason why this peripheral won’t explode onto the scene in North America just has it done in the UK and Japan. A caveat, however, if I may. It will be interesting to see what happens with Wii Fit after the initial sales die down. Reggie vaguely promised that 10 games were in development for Wii Fit the Wii Balance Board. We’ll see if that’s true, and when.

Incase you forgot (I did) the annual, Nintendo Media Summit ran all day yesterday and today showing off select first, and third party titles to release for Q2-Q3. No megatons this year besides an “official” press release for, Mario Super Sluggers, and in-depth details on Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness. Nintendo’s main purpose this year is getting the press to play some upcoming “bridge” software, and to push Wiiware toward more big name developers. Many details concerning gameplay impressions are still under embargoed until next week, so look forward to some new media then.

List of titles on show floor…

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Wii Fit is big in Japan (1.5 million sold in three months) and arguably will be as big if not bigger in the US when it goes live in a month or so (more people, more people who subscribe to new “weight loss” gimmicks, Wii’s existing momentum among people outside the now incorrectly described “core” or “traditional gamer”). But, just in case, Nintendo is allegedly preparing a massive marketing push to ensure the peripheral is seen and experienced by as many people as possible. I’m talking Oprah here people, Oprah. (more…)

From the hilariously entitled It’s Shocking, We’re Pissed, Wii Fit Sorta Works by Brian Ashcraft of Kotaku:

The Balance Board games on Wii Fit actually are pretty great. If you can still stomach mini-games (ungh), then these games are entertaining and, in a way, more fulfilling than Wii Sports… When I saw Wii Fit at E3 last year, I hated it. Really, really hated it. And when I bought it for this feature, I still hated it. Then I started using it, and the hate started dissipating. Nintendo’s doing its own thing now, for better or worse. And taking Wii Fit for what it is, the game works. My wife and my kid really enjoy it, and it’s a horrible cliche, but playing it with them has been good fun.

Glad to hear it. You guys know I’ve been itching to play the ski jumping mini-game since E3 last year, as well as reanimate my interest in fitness. [FIXED HEADLINE]

Thanks to the one-two punch of titles like Super Smash Bros. Brawl and the quirky Wii Fit balance board, Nintendo has widened its lead in Japan over Sony’s PlayStation 3.

According to an article from Reuters today, Nintendo’s Wii game console outsold the PlayStation 3 nearly 4-to-1 in Japan in February despite Sony’s console beginning to narrow the gap last autumn. In addition to strong hardware sales, Wii software titles also dominated the best seller list. Super Smash Bros. Brawl led the software sales with 1.33 million units, followed by Wii Fit which sold 309,311 units in the four weeks.

According to Reuters, Enterbrain and the Japanese gaming mag Famistsu, the Wii’s lead on the PS3 appears to be widening. In February it was 4:1; in January, the Wii outsold the PS3 by almost 3-to-1. Nintendo sold 331,627 units of the Wii in the four weeks to Feb. 24, compared with 89,131 units of the PS3, market research firm Enterbrain said.

Microsoft, content to sell to that lucrative “niche collector’s market” in Japan, sold 14,079 Xbox 360 units in the February reporting period.

Namco is showing off a new balance board game this week behind closed doors to various gaming media, says an industry contact of mine, who will be previewing the title this Friday. I have no idea what type of game it is, but at least we know the name of one publisher making games for the new peripheral.

Last week at the Game Developers Conference, Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime said, “There are over 10 games in development that take advantage of the Balance Board.” Let the speculation continue.

In Japan, Wii Fit has sold over a million units.  But are you excited for it to come out in your country?  While it seems like fun, Wii seems to be getting a lot of peripherals without a lot of additional software for them.  Reggie seems to think Wii Fit is it, but do you?  This week we ask:

[For last week's poll results, click here.]

Confession: I’ve been anticipating the release of Wii Fit since first experimenting with the title at E3 last year, for two reasons: I’m chunky, and the Ski Jump mini game was a blast. I’m hopeful other unannounced games will be just as enjoyable.

The health/mini-game software launched in Japan on Dec. 1 for $75 (including the balance board) and has sold more than 1 million copies to date, easily becoming a hit in its homeland. But is the product, like so many fitness wares before it, a fad? Will Americans buy it? Perhaps more importantly, does it matter to Wii’s continued success?

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