- Early last year, the Wii officially surpassed the NES as the best-selling Nintendo console in history. Now, according to a new press release, the Wii claims another milestone as it has sold 35 million consoles in the US faster than any other console in history. The sales figures of recent releases such as Donkey Kong Country Returns aren’t doing too shabby, either.

Check out the full report from Nintendo:

(more…)

In case you missed it — some interesting stories from Nintendo that made the headlines this week. Also, whatever you do, don’t look directly at the Kirbémons over there. Their Cuteness Overload is super effective!

- Donkey Kong Country Returns sold over 4.21 million copies, joining the ranks of the top 9 best-selling Wii games of all time (a list that Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition has also managed to elbow its way into already). Here’s how DK stacked up against Nintendo’s heavy  hitters:

Mario Kart Wii – 26,500,000 units
Wii Sports Resort – 26,350,000 units
New Super Mario Bros Wii – 21,280,000 units
Wii Fit Plus – 17,740,000 units
Super Mario Galaxy 2 – 6,150,000 units
Wii Party – 5,070,000 units
Donkey Kong Country Returns – 4,210,000 units
Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition – 1,950,000 units
Kirby’s Epic Yarn – 1,380,000 units

See the article for a list of top-selling DS games as well. ( MCV UK )

- Nintendo of Japan is releasing a wireless Bluetooth keyboard for use with the Nintendo DS. It’ll be bundled with Battle & Get! Pokemon Typing DS, will be compatible with other Bluetooth-enabled platforms such as iOS and Android, and may or may not end up in the corner with the Wii Zapper, balance board, Wii Speak, and Wii Wheel. Will the keyboard create more one-use plastic clutter? Pictures in link. ( Electronista )

- The 3DS eShop, DSiWare transfer ability from DSi to 3DS, and 3DS Internet browser will launch in late May via a system update. I imagine this announcement will infuriate a small subset of readers and come as a general relief to the rest. How do you feel about the delayed availability of these updates? ( USA Today )

It’s been 14 long years since the last DKC sidescrolling platformer on a console. Those of us who were fortunate enough to enjoy gaming during Rare’s heyday witnessed their successful resurrection of a dwindling franchise, breathing new life into the Donkey Kong series. Retro Studios, a second-party developer that achieved uncannily similar success with their modern take on the Metroid series, has now been entrusted with DK’s future. Does Retro’s new offering stand up under the unforgiving glare of nostalgia goggles, or will it leave you pulling a Cranky Kong, grouchily reminiscing about how great things were “back in my day”?
(more…)

For all the bravado and maturity put forth by “hardcore” games like Call of Duty: Black Ops, Red Dead Redemption and the like, they aren’t very, well, they aren’t very hard, are they?

Enjoyable to a lot of people, yes, and certainly pretty to look at, but the scripted events, single button press “quick time actions,” linear “you shall go from point A to point B and like it” progressions and bloody headshots have beguiled us into thinking that these are the truly badass games. They aren’t. They coddle us with their invisible walls and staged “ah ha” moments. More often than not they trade true difficulty for “how many hours is it?” That’s sad.

Enter a goofy gorilla, who has so far managed to kick more than a few asses into true fighting shape.
(more…)

(more…)