Game News: November 27, 2006

Nintendo Wii sales top 600,000 in U.S. (AP)
   AP - Nintendo Co. said consumers in the Americas snapped up more than 600,000 of its Wii video game systems in eight days, totaling about $190 million in sales, as it competes with Sony Corp.'s new PlayStation 3.

New Smash Bros. Wii trailer
   Fresh trailer reveals Yoshi's Island battle arena.
As discussed earlier last month, a new Smash Bros. Brawl trailer debuted at the Nintendo World Tour in Japan - and thanks to an update on the official Smash Bros. website you can now watch it for yourself.



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Downloadable chapters for Killzone PS3?
   Guerrilla Games is to release downloadable chapters for its action sequel Killzone on PS3, internet reports are claiming.
Details are sketchy, but it looks like the content will be appear post release of the full game and comprise of new levels or chapters, potentially continuing the single-player storyline.

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A Good Weekend for Nintendo's Wii (NewsFactor)
   NewsFactor - Yes, it was a good weekend for the Wii, though not so joyous for some shoppers. Reports from around the U.S. indicate that Nintendo's new game console, which competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3, sold out quickly. Many would-be buyers went home empty-handed, in spite of braving long lines and cold weather to purchase the much coveted game console.

Flat-screen TVs, game consoles top holiday list (Reuters)
   

Reuters - What's hot this holiday season in consumer electronics are big-screen televisions, new video gaming consoles, digital cameras and notebook PCs.

Bach talks Xbox 720, PS3
   "The engineering team is always thinking about the future" says Microsoft's Robbie Bach.
Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, has said that Microsoft is already thinking about the Xbox 360's succesor, in an interview with the San Jose Mercury News.

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Game Console Prices Fall Online (PC World)
   PC World - You'll still find PlayStation 3, Wii in auctions, but with smaller price tags and fewer bids.

The Academic Word: 'Saving the Planet through Gaming'
   

This week's The Academic Word column from educational site Game Career Guide sees Thunderbird Robotics developer and former DigiPen teacher Tyler Folsom discussing why we need games that "get the message across" on climate education and education.

Microsoft Announces Xbox Live Movie Download Prices (PC Magazine)
   PC Magazine - November 22nd marks five years since the release of the original Xbox and to celebrate the anniversary, Microsoft's officially launched their downloadable television and film content on Xbox Live. We knew that was coming -- but now we know how much it actually costs.

IGDA Education SIG Announces GDC Workshop
   

The International Game Developers Association Game Education Special Interest Group is putting on a 2-day intensive workshop at the Game Developers Conference taking place March 5-9, 2007 in San Francisco.

Rise of Witch-king: New units in the frame
   Producer Amir Rahimi fills us in on the new units being added to existing Battle for Middle-earth II factions.
Next month, PC Battle for Middle-earth II expansion Rise of the Witch-king will be hoisting its RTS banner in your local games emporium. A new single-player campaign and new faction are waiting to be unpacked, and the expansion additionally heralds the arrival of new units for the game's existing factions - it's these units that are the focus of a new Witch-king video diary viewable on this here page.

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Wii elbow, aching backs and sore shoulders
   Playing Wii adds up to fairly intense exertion? "If people are finding themselves sore, they may need to exercise more," says Nintendo.
"It's harder than playing basketball," says a 12-year-old American girl after a session on the Wii in a Wall Street Journal report.

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Microsoft says "Gears" sells 1 million copies (Reuters)
   Reuters - Microsoft Corp. said on Wednesday it had sold 1 million copies of its game "Gears of War" in two weeks, making it the fastest-selling title for its Xbox 360 video game console.