Friday, December 31, 2010

Music to Nintendo's Ears - Wii Music

Coffee Beans:
     Wii Music was developed and published by Nintendo, and released on October 20, 2008, with an MSRP of $49.99.  Wii Music was rated "E" for "Everyone" by the ESRB, and it has no "content" listed for parents to be aware of.
     The game features sixty-six playable instruments, ranging from instruments like the violin and maracas, to a cowbell.

     The game-play hours for this report were recorded from October 20, 2008 through December 27, 2010; a total of 799 days.
     How many game-play hours have Wii owners reported playing Wii Music since its release more than 2 years ago?  Let's take a look!

Hours shown are for the United States of America, not world-wide.

Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data:
     Wii Music has 316,551 Wii owners reporting their game-play hours through the Wii's Nintendo Channel.

Reporting Players Increase Since December 20:
     Wii Music has seen an increase of about 2,755 Wii owners reporting play-time data, since I recorded the game-play hours last week on December 20.

Average & Total Game-Play Hours Reported:
     Wii Music has 3,704,331 Total Hours of game-play reported, an increase of 39,753 Total Hours since last week.
     The average play-time for Wii Music is 13 Hours 48 Minutes "Per person" reporting data, and the average play-time per session for Wii Music is just over 1 Hour 14 Minutes.

Sale Rank & Advertised Price:
     Wii Music's Amazon.com sale rank is #980, and it is currently selling for $40.99.

     Sale rank and advertised price recorded on December 31, 2010 around 2:30AM.

Review Score Averages:
     Wii Music's review score average is 64.07%, based on 37 "professional" reviews on GameRankings.com.

     Wii Music has a 3.5 out of 5 Stars rating based on 199 customer reviews on Amazon.com.  You can see the customer review scores breakdown pictured below:
What would you rate it?
     Review score averages recorded on December 31, 2010 around 2:30AM.

Filtered Thoughts:
     I haven't played Wii Music, and I don't really plan on it.  I have a friend, that played Wii Music at his parents' house, and I remember him saying he did enjoy playing it, though it was only for a few hours.
     Considering that Wii Music has been out for more than 2 years now, I think it's interesting how low the reported average play-time "Per person" is, especially when compared to other music games like The Beatles: Rock Band or Guitar Hero 5(20 Hours 4 Minutes, and 18 Hours 48 Minutes respectively).
     Perhaps it's because Wii Music is a different type of music game, and as some have said, it's a music game that takes a more realistic approach to music as a game.
     Seeing Wii Music's Amazon.com sale rank was surprising, as I really thought the game would be ranked at least in the "Top 500", just because of it's one of the "Wii" games.
     The review scores seem pretty mixed on Wii Music overall.  Some people seem to really love it, and others seem to really hate it.

     If you aren't familiar with what Wii Music is, here is an informational video Nintendo produced to introduce some concepts of Wii Music:


Questions:
     Have any of you played Wii Music?  If so, what do you think about the game?
     Do you think some reviewers were being overly critical of Wii Music, because they were expecting something like Guitar Hero or Rock Band, or do you agree and think the game deserves a 60-70% overall review score?

If you are interested in Wii Music, you can see prices on Amazon.com linked below:
  

To Party or Not To Party - Wii Party's Hours

Coffee Beans:
     Wii Party was released on October 3 this year, with a MSRP of $49.99.  It was developed by Nd Cube and Nintendo EAD, and published by Nintendo.  Wii Party was rated "E" for "Everyone" by the ESRB, and the only "Content" listed for parents to be aware of is "Mild Cartoon Violence".
     We last looked at Wii Party's game-play hours on November 4, as they had debuted on the Wii's Nintendo Channel on November 1.

     How many hours have gamers reported partying with Wii Party since the data reported on November 1?  Let's take a look!

Hours shown are for the United States of America, not world-wide.

Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data:
     Wii Party now has 17,662 Wii owners reporting their game-play hours through the Wii's Nintendo Channel.

Reported Player Increase Since November 1:
     Wii Party has seen an increase of about 12,187 gamers reporting play-time data, since the game-play data recorded on November 1.

Average & Total Game-Play Hours Reported:
     Wii Party now has 243,791 Total Hours of game-play reported, an increase of 189,745 Total Hours since the last report.
     The average play-time for Wii Party is now 13 Hours 48 Minutes "Per person"(or console) reporting data, an increase of 3 Hours 55 Minutes on the average reported "Per person".
     The average play-time per session for Wii Party is now just over 2 Hours 8 Minutes.

Sale Rank & Advertised Price:
     Wii Party's Amazon.com sale rank is currently #74, and is selling for $44.99.
    
     Sale rank and advertised price recorded on December 30, 2010 around 9:45PM.

Review Score Averages:
     Wii Party's review score average is now 71.78%, based on 23 "professional" reviews on GameRankings.com.

     Wii Party still has a 4 out of 5 Stars rating on Amazon.com, and now the rating is based on 86 customer reviews, an increase of 63 customer reviews since the first report.

     Review score averages recorded on December 30, 2010 around 9:45PM.

Filtered Thoughts:
     To party, or not to party?  That is the question!
     I still haven't played Wii Party, but if we were to get the game, our son would probably love playing the "hide-and-seek" game...with him hiding the Wii remotes and us never finding them.  He just turned 20 months, and loves controllers and remotes, so as his Mii in the data picture said, he would say yes to "party".
     I think the reported game-play hours for Wii Party are good, but not great, especially for a Nintendo published Wii title.  Wii Party is performing better compared to some other Nintendo published games, like Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, but with the word "Wii" in the title, I really expected the game to be performing better than it is.
     While we are just coming out of the holidays season, and perhaps Wii Party was under a lot of Christmas trees, seeing the game's sales rank out of Amazon.com's "Top 50" games overall, and not in the Wii's "Top 10" games ranked, is pretty surprising.
     I don't know if Nintendo is still running commercials for Wii Party, but if you haven't seen how Nintendo was advertising Wii Party, here's one commercial for the game:


Questions:
     Did any of you receive Wii Party for Christmas, or another holiday this year?  If so, and you have had a chance to play it, what do you think about it?
     Is Wii Party a game you would recommend to other Wii owners, or would you suggest they look for another Wii "party" type game that 

If you are interested in Wii Party, you can see prices for it on Amazon.com linked below:
 

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Red Steel 2's Game-Play Hours

Coffee Beans:
     Red Steel 2 was released on March 23 this year.  We last looked at Red Steel 2's reported game-play hours on September 24.  The game-play hours in that report were recorded on September 20, and I compared them with two other FPS Wii games.  You can read the last report HERE!
     It has been 99 days between the data reported from September 20 and the data reported on December 27.

     How many hours have Wii owners reported playing Red Steel 2 in the last 3 months?  Let's take a look!

Hours shown are for the United States of America, not world-wide.

Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data:
     Red Steel 2 now has 34,509 Wii owners reporting their game-play hours through the Wii's Nintendo Channel.

Reported Player Increase Since September 20:
     Red Steel 2 has seen an increase of about 9,577 gamers reporting play-time data, since the data recorded on September 20.

Average & Total Game-Play Hours Reported:
     Red Steel 2 now has 339,871 Total Hours of game-play reported, an increase of 98,535 Total Hours since the last report.
     The average play-time for Red Steel 2 is 9 Hours 51 Minutes "Per person" reporting data, and the average play-time per session for Red Steel 2 is just over 1 Hour 51 Minutes.

Sale Rank & Advertised Price:
     Red Steel 2's Amazon.com sale rank is #782, and the current advertised selling price is $17.94.
     The Red Steel 2 Wii MotionPlus bundle's rank is #1,964, and is currently selling for $39.23.
  
     Both versions of the game are selling from third party vendors on Amazon.com, and the sales ranks and advertised prices were recorded on December 29, 2010 around 11:55PM.

Review Score Averages:
     Red Steel 2's review score average is still 80.85%, based on 46 "professional" reviews on GameRankings.com.

     Red Steel 2's Amazon.com customer review score average is a 4.5 out of 5 Stars rating, based on a total of 49 customer reviews between both versions, with and without Wii MotionPlus.

     Review score averages recorded on December 29, 2010 around 11:55PM.

Filtered Thoughts:
     I still haven't played Red Steel 2, but seeing the game's lower sales prices now, is really an encouragement for me to buy it and try it.
     I think seeing almost another 10,000 Wii owners reporting their game-play data, in the 99 days between reported data, is really good for Red Steel 2; especially when considering the game doesn't have any online multi-player or leaderboards.
     If you received a Wii for Christmas this year, or perhaps another holiday, and you are looking for some new Wii MotionPlus games to try, Red Steel 2 is one you may be interested in.  If you haven't see much on the game, here's a trailer showing off the idea behind it:


Questions:
     Did any of you receive Red Steel 2 for Christmas this year, or purchase it with some Christmas money?  If so, and you have had a chance to play it, what do you think of it?
     If you haven't played Red Steel 2, are you interested in playing it?  If you have played it, would you recommend the game now with its lower prices?


If you are interested in Red Steel 2, you can see prices for it on Amazon.com linked below:
  

Monday, December 27, 2010

Disney Epic Mickey's Debut Game-Play Hours

Coffee Beans:
     Disney Epic Mickey was released on November 30, 2010, in North America with a MSRP of $49.99.  Disney Epic Mickey was developed by Junction Point Studios, and published by Disney Interactive Studios.  The game has an ESRB game rating of "E" for "Everyone", with the only content listed for parents to be aware of being "Cartoon Violence".

     It has taken Disney Epic Mickey 28 days for its game-play hours to appear on the Nintendo Channel since it released.
     How many hours have Wii owners reported spending in Mickey Mouse's new adventure in those 28 days?  Let's take a look!

Does Mickey drink coffee?  I have no idea!
Hours shown above are for the United States only, not world-wide.
Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data:
     Disney Epic Mickey has 9,640 Wii owners reporting their game-play hours on its debut, on the Nintendo Channel.

Average & Total Game-Play Hours Reported:
     Disney Epic Mickey has 78,084 Total Hours of game-play hours reported on its debut, with an average of 8 Hours 7 Minutes "Per person" reporting data.
     Disney Epic Mickey's average reported play-time per session is just over 2 Hour 24 Minutes.

Sale Rank & Advertised Price:
     Disney Epic Mickey's Amazon.com sale rank is #22, and it is currently selling for $39.99.
     (Sale rank and advertised price recorded around 9:15PM on 12-27-10)

Review Score Averages:
     Disney Epic Mickey's review score average is 71.83%, based on 40 "professional" reviews on GameRankings.com.
     (Review score averages recorded around 9:15PM on 12-27-10)

     Disney Epic Mickey has a 3.5 out of 5 Stars rating on Amazon.com, based on 75 customer reviews.
     You can see the customer review score breakdown in the picture below:
What would you rate it?
Filtered Thoughts:
     I haven't played Disney Epic Mickey, and I didn't receive it for Christmas, but I really do want to play it.
     I read and watched many of Warren Spector's interviews on Disney Epic Mickey, and he always seemed to really be enjoying the development of the game and talking about it.
     A lot of the "negatives" on the game seem to be issues with the game's camera controls, but it does seem some players can adjust to them, and still find Disney Epic Mickey very enjoyable.
     I was honestly surprised to see Disney Epic Mickey have so many varying "professional" review scores, especially considering how open Warren Spector seemed to be talking about the game.
     I have a few games I'm going to try to get caught up on from my backlog, but hopefully I'll give Disney Epic Mickey a try sometime in 2011.
     If any of you haven't seen any videos on Disney Epic Mickey, here's a trailer for the game:


Questions:
     Have any of you played and completed Disney Epic Mickey?  If so, about how many hours of game-play did it take you to complete Disney Epic Mickey's story mode?
     If you have played it, but even perhaps not completed it, do you think the camera controls in the game are a big issue that should be fixed for any possible sequel?

If anybody is interested in Disney Epic Mickey, you can see prices for the game and Collector's Edition on Amazon.com linked below:
    

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Call of Duty: Black Ops versus GoldenEye 007 - Hours Played Before Christmas

Coffee Beans:
     We last looked at Call of Duty: Black Ops' and GoldenEye 007's game-play hours from the data reported on November 29.  You can read the report, HERE, in which I compared both games' debut game-play hours, and showed which game had a higher play-time after the first 21 days each released.

     Do the reported game-play hours for Call of Duty: Black Ops and GoldenEye 007 from November 29, 2010 to December 20, 2010, appear to show one of these Wii FPS games is clearly pulling ahead of the other?  Let's take a look!

Hours for the United States of America, not world-wide.

Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data:
     GoldenEye 007 now has 15,051 Wii owners reporting their game-play hours.
     Call of Duty: Black Ops now has 12,310 Wii owners reporting their play-time data, through the Wii's Nintendo Channel.

Number of Players Increased Since November 29:
     GoldenEye 007 has seen an increase of about 5,887 gamers reporting play-time data, since the game-play data recorded on November 29 to December 20.
     Call of Duty: Black Ops has seen an increase of about 6,129 gamers reporting their game-play hours, since November 29.

Average & Total Game-Play Hours Reported:
     GoldenEye 007 now has 236,998 Total Hours of game-play reported, an increase of 118,920 Total Hours since the last report.
     The average play-time for GoldenEye 007 Wii is 15 Hours 45 Minutes "Per person" reporting data, and the average play-time per session for GoldenEye is 2 Hours 21 Minutes.

     Call of Duty: Black Ops now has 340,349 Total Hours of game-play reported, an increase of 219,741 Total Hours also since the last report.
     The average play-time for Black Ops Wii is 27 Hours 39 Minutes "Per person" reporting data, and the average play-time per session for Black Ops is now 3 Hours 6 Minutes.

Sale Ranks & Advertised Prices:
     GoldenEye 007's, software only, Amazon.com sale rank is #105, and is currently selling for $43.99.
     GoldenEye 007's Golden Classic Controller Pro bundle Amazon.com sale rank is #331, and is currently selling for $70.00 from a third party vendor.

     Call of Duty: Black Ops' Amazon.com sale rank is #44, and is currently selling for $39.54.
     (Sale ranks and prices recorded around 12:30am on 12-25-10)

Review Score Averages:
     GoldenEye 007's review score average is 84.00%, now based on 54 "professional" reviews on GameRankings.com.
     Call of Duty: Black Ops' review score average is 82.21%, now based on 14 "professional" reviews on GameRankings.com.

     GoldenEye 007 has seven more review scores in its average, and Black Ops has an additional five review scores in its average.  The increase of review scores, has caused both games to decrease in their overall "professional" review score average.  Call of Duty: Black Ops has seen a 2.01% drop to its review score since December 6, while GoldenEye 007 has only dropped .11%.

Filtered Thoughts:
     I think it will be interesting to see if one, or both, of these games get a significant increase in players reporting game-play hours in the next 2 weeks.  I really wonder how many copies of GoldenEye 007, and Call of Duty: Black Ops are sitting under Christmas trees as I'm typing this, waiting to be opened in a few short hours.
    I would say based on the game-play hours reported so far before Christmas, Call of Duty: Black Ops will continue to be the "most played" Wii FPS game released in 2010.  It may not have the most number of players reporting data, but Black Ops players are clearly playing it more often and for longer periods of time according to the reported data, than GoldenEye 007 players.
     I'll be watching them both in the coming weeks, but I hope all of you have a merry Christmas, and get to spend time with friends and family...perhaps even drinking some coffee and playing video games with them!


Question:
     Are any of you expecting to get, or did any of you already get, either Call of Duty: Black Ops or GoldenEye 007 for Christmas this year?
     If any of you do get GoldenEye 007, and you plan on playing the game's online multi-player, please add my friend code to your list: 2043-7355-3797


If you have Christmas money to spend, and are interested in Call of Duty: Black Ops or GoldenEye 007, you can see prices for both on Amazon.com linked below:
   

Thursday, December 23, 2010

The Wii's Most Played Game - Total Hours

Coffee Beans
Is the Wii's most played game a release title game?  Or, is the Wii's most played game one released later, and perhaps one with online multi-player? Take a guess before looking at the answer, and see if you're right!

When the Wii was released 4 years ago, games like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Excite Truck, Red Steel, Rayman Raving Rabbids and several more were available for purchase.  In North America, Wii Sports was bundled with every Wii console, and not available for purchase separate from the console.

Every Wii release title mentioned above has seen some form of a sequel, except one:

The one title mentioned above that has not seen a true sequel, is The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.  While The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has been announced and is in development, it won't be released until sometime in 2011(it's just been reported that Skyward Sword is more than 50% finished, thanks to reader Nicodemus_at_Nite for the heads-up on that).

The one feature all Wii release titles lacked was any direct form of online connectivity or play.  Rayman Raving Rabbids had online leaderboards, but required writing down codes, and entering them through a separate website.

Two other big Nintendo Wii games released within the first year of the console's life that didn't feature online multi-player, were Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Super Mario Galaxy; released on August 27, 2007 and on November 12, 2007, respectively.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption did have an online function, but it wasn't online multi-player of any sort.  The online function was used to exchange tokens in the game, with other Metroid Prime 3 players so you could unlock everything in the game.

The first Wii game to feature online play was Pokemon Battle Revolution, which was released on June 25, 2007.  While Pokemon Battle Revolution was the first Wii game with online play, other games like Battalion Wars II and Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 were released soon after, and included online play.

Nintendo released other big titles like Mario Kart Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Animal Crossing: City Folk in 2008, all featuring online play in some form. What is the Wii's most played game according to "Total Hours" reported through the Nintendo Channel, for the 1,493 days from November 19, 2006 to December 20, 2010?  Let's take a look!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II's Debut Game-Play Hours

Coffee Beans:
     Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II released on October 26, 2010, in North America; with a MSRP of $49.99 for the Wii version.  SW:TFU2, for the Wii,  was developed by Red Fly Studio, and published by LucasArts.

     It has taken The Force Unleashed II 56 days for its game-play hours to appear on the Nintendo Channel, since its release.
     Do the reported game-play hours for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II show, "The Force is strong with this one"?  Let's take a look!

How do you think Darth Vader would drink his coffee?

Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data:
     Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II has 5,056 Wii owners reporting their play-time hours on its debut, on the Nintendo Channel.

Average & Total Game-Play Hours Reported:
     Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 has 51,093 Total Hours of game-play reported on its debut, with an average play-time of 10 Hours 6 Minutes "Per person" reporting data.
     The average play-time per session for The Force Unleashed 2 is just over 2 Hours 22 Minutes.

Sale Rank & Advertised Price:
     Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II's Amazon.com sale rank is #269, and it is currently selling for $49.99.
     (Sale rank and price recorded around 6PM on 12-20-10)

Review Score Averages:
     Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2's review score average is 69.17%, based on 6 "professional" reviews on GameRankings.com.

     Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II has a 3 out of 5 Stars rating, basically a 60%, based on 16 customer reviews on Amazon.com.(review scores recorded around 6PM on 12-20-10)
     Here's the Amazon.com customer review scores breakdown:

Thoughts:
501st Stormtroopers that didn't want to have a cup of coffee with me!
     I'm a huge Star Wars fan, but I have not played Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II.  I really enjoyed the original Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, but after hearing how short SW:TFU2 is, I decided to hold off on purchasing it for now.
     I think considering the lower review scores, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II has performed pretty well.  The reported average hours "Per person" are higher than I expected them to be, and I don't know if perhaps the Wii version's local multi-player mode is helping that average.

     As for the picture above, I'm in the Jedi robe, and the story behind it is this(as I posted on NinTemple.com):
"My wife and I went out this year with our son.

Saturday night, we dressed our son up in his dragon costume, but before leaving I snuck my old Jedi robe into my backpack, and strangely enough...it came to excellent use.

We went to one of our malls, for a trick-or-treat event Saturday night with some other friends. We had gone into a store, and as we were leaving in our normal clothes...I saw two guys walk by in Stormtrooper armor. They didn't see us, so I called out, "Are y'all part of the 501st?"
The guy replied, "Yea. How did you know?"

I'm a huge Star Wars nerd, and know about the fans and the 501st Legion; so anywho, we chatted for a bit, and I ended up getting a picture with them while I was wearing the Jedi robe."

Questions:
     Have any of you played and beaten Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II; and if so, how many hours did it take you to complete?  If you played the original, how do you think Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II compares to it?


     If anybody is interested in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, you can see the PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 versions on Amazon.com linked below:
      

Friday, December 17, 2010

Donkey Kong Country Returns' Hours Played


Coffee Beans:
Last week, we looked at Donkey Kong Country Returns' debut game-play hours, as reported on the Nintendo Channel.  Wii owners in the United States had reported more than 80,000 Total Hours of game-play, with an average "Per person" play-time of 8 Hours 6 Minutes.  You can see the full debut data report for Donkey Kong Country Returns HERE!

How many more hours of game-play have Wii owners reported for Donkey Kong Country Returns, from December 6 to December 13?  Let's take a look!

Game-Play hours shown are for the United States of America Wii owners, not world-wide.
Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data:
Donkey Kong Country Returns now has 14,644 Wii owners reporting their play-time data, through the Wii's Nintendo Channel.

Reported Player Increase:
Donkey Kong Country Returns saw an increase of 4,141 gamers reporting game-play data, since the report last week.

Average & Total Game-Play Hours Reported:
Donkey Kong Country Returns now has 140,574 Total Hours of game-play reported, an increase of 55,575 Total Hours of game-play since last week.
The average play-time for DKCR is 9 Hours 36 Minutes "Per person" reporting data, and the average play-time per session for Donkey Kong Country Returns is just over 2 Hours 16 Minutes.

Sale Rank & Advertised Price:
Donkey Kong Country Returns' Amazon.com sale rank is #3, and is currently selling for $39.54.
(Sale rank and price recorded around 10:00AM on 12-17-10)

Review Score Averages:
Donkey Kong Country Returns' review score average is now 88.05%, based on 38 "professional" reviews on GameRankings.com.
(Review score averages recorded around 10:00am on 12-17-10)

Amazon.com shows DKCR still with a 4.5 out of 5 Stars rating, still a 90%, but now based on 57 customer reviews.


Filtered Thoughts:
I still haven't played it, but Donkey Kong Country Returns is on my Christmas list.  The few people I have talked to that have played DKCR, really enjoyed it and found it challenging(in a good way).

When I posted the debut hours last week, the NPD numbers for November had not been released yet.  On December 9, reports started filtering out that Donkey Kong Country Returns sold 430.5K units during November.

While the number is pretty good, I think it will be interesting to see how DKCR performs in December, and if it turns into another New Super Mario Bros. Wii type game, that is repeatedly in the NPD's "Top 10" games list for several months.

With last week's hours report, I posted the Donkey Kong Country Returns commercials that Nintendo has been running for the game; and with this week's report, I'm including a video compilation of four different trailers showing off footage from Donkey Kong Country Returns.


Questions:
If you have played it, about how many hours did it take you to complete the main story mode for Donkey Kong Country Returns?  Last week reader Jonath said, "I actually beat the final boss...after playing for 8 hours."  Is that about how many hours the average player should take to complete Donkey Kong Country Returns?  If you have finished the game, and the bonus areas, how many extra hours of game-play do the bonus areas provide?


If anybody is interested in Donkey Kong Country Returns, and you haven't purchased it yet; Amazon.com now has the game on sale for $39.54, as shown and linked below:
  

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Rage of the Gladiator: News and Nagano Battle

I wonder if he uses those to stir his coffee?
Coffee Beans:
     First, the news!  I contacted Ed Roman, the CEO of Ghostfire Games, last week, and asked if Rage of the Gladiator was going to be getting a WiiWare demo.  Ed replied they had just submitted the Rage of the Gladiator demo to Nintendo for approval, and it should be out, "in the next couple of months".
     Ed said the WiiWare demo will feature the first three bosses from Rage of the Gladiator(Tagon, Horlan the Crusher, and the Sea Witch), and I'm assuming they will be from the game's normal mode.  When I asked if any offense/defense/magic attacks would be unlocked for players to try, Ed replied, "Users will be able to use the tech tree up until that point."
     I think this will give players interested in the game, a very good idea of what they can expect and look forward to with the full version of Rage of the Gladiator.  If the demo plays like the regular version, players should be able to access at least fifteen different "skills" with a few play-throughs, including five "special attacks".

     Nagano - I've recorded and uploaded several videos of boss battles from Rage of the Gladiator, even one trailer that shows all the bosses in the game very briefly.  However, I have not shown a full battle against Nagano, until today!  Nagano is a masked mercenary, trained in martial arts.  He brings several varying attacks to the arena, and like the other bosses in Rage of the Gladiator, you must be quick on your toes(coffee helps!) when fighting him.
     Here's a video of me battling Nagano in Rage of the Gladiator's "Normal mode" using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls...SPOILER Warning - This is a FULL battle against Nagano with special attacks, if you don't want to see an entire battle from Rage of the Gladiator, don't watch the full video!


     If you are interested in Rage of the Gladiator, you can purchase it directly off the Wii's Shop Channel, or by purchasing and using points off of a Nintendo Wii/DSi Points Card(shown below):
 

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

30+ Xbox 360 Games & Accessories on Sale - Save 20% or More

  
     Last week I posted up Wii and PlayStation 3 video games and accessories on sale.  Today, I'm covering Xbox 360 accessories and video games that are currently 20% off, or more; from their MSRP.
     These are just junk video games, that you would expect to find in the bargain bin, the list below includes games like: Alan Wake, Blur, Halo Reach, and many more.

     The list of Xbox 360 games and accessories is separated alphabetically, and each accessory or game is linked directly to its sale page.

Alan Wake for $19.96, save 43%

Bayonetta for $15.99, save 20%
Blur for $25.28, save 49%(Fulfilled by Amazon)
Borderlands - Game of the Year Edition for $39.99, save 33%

Dance Central for $39.99, save 20%
DJ Hero 2 Turntable Bundle for $59.99, save 25%
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 for $34.99, save 42%

Fable III for $39.99, save 33%
FIFA Soccer 11 for $39.95, save 33%
Final Fantasy XIII for $31.29, save 22%

Gears of War 2 - Game of the Year Edition for $18.99, save 37%

Halo Reach Legendary Edition for $69.99, save 53%
Halo 3: ODST for $19.99, save 33%

Halo Reach for $39.99, save 33%
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 for $39.95, save 20%

Madden NFL 11 for $37.99, save 37%

NBA 2K11 for $39.99, save 33%
NCAA Football 11 for $39.95, save 33%
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit for $39.99, save 33%

NHL 11 for $39.95, save 33%

Red Dead Redemption for $44.99, save 25%
Resident Evil 5 for $18.98, save 37%(Fulfilled by Amazon)

Sniper: Ghost Warrior for $25.99, save 35%
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Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction for $21.59, save 28%

Xbox 360 Wireless Controller - Glossy Black for $36.99, save 26%
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Xbox 360 Wireless Controller - White for $39.99, save 20%
Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter for $79.54, save 20%

Your Shape Fitness Evolved for $39.99, save 20%

Walk It Out's Debut - The Game, Not Unk's Song

Coffee Beans:
     Walk It Out was released on January 12, 2010.  It was developed by Hudson Soft, and published by Konami; and Walk It Out currently has a MSRP of $29.99.
     The description for Walk It Out reads, "Experience a revolutionary and unique workout where walking to the beat of great music unlocks an exciting in-game world.  Keep movin' to the beat of all your favorite in-game tracks as you extend your workout in bonus minigames.  Compatible with the Wii Balance Board and the Wii DanceDanceRevolution Controller, Walk It Out will have you groovin' your way to a healthier you!"

     It has taken Walk It Out 336 days for its game-play hours to appear on the Nintendo Channel, since it released on January 12.  In those 336 days, how many hours have Wii owners reported using Walk It Out to walk for a healthier life?  Let's take a look!

Debut game-play hours shown are for the United States of America Wii owners, not world-wide.
Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data:
     Walk It Out has 3,377 Wii owners reporting play-time hours on its debut, on the Nintendo Channel.

Average & Total Game-Play Hours Reported:
     Walk It Out has 50,582 Total Hours of game-play reported on its debut, with an average of 14 Hours 58 Minutes "Per person" reporting data.
     The average play-time per session for Walk It Out is just over 1 Hour 19 Minutes.

Sale Rank & Advertised Price:
     Walk It Out's Amazon.com sale rank is #397, and is currently selling for $29.99.
     (Sale rank and advertised price recorded around 12:30AM on 12-14-10)

Review Score Averages:
     Walk It Out's review score average is 58.33%, based on just three "professional" review scores on GameRankings.com.

     Walk It Out has a 4.5 out of 5 Star rating, basically a 90%, based on 279 customer reviews on Amazon.com. (recorded around 12:30AM on 12-14-10)
     Take a look at the Amazon.com customer review scores breakdown:

Thoughts:
     First, if you wondering about the title, I didn't know until doing research for this post, that there is a song by the rapper Unk with the same name of the game.  His song was out first though, so I guess the ! at the end of Walk It Out's box title is the difference.
     Walk It Out's customer review score average is noticeably higher in the overall percentage and number of reviews, than the "professional" review score average.  I would say Walk It Out falls into the category of Wii games where most "reviewers" just weren't the target audience for the game; which could explain the low "professional" review score average, and the low number of "professional" reviews averaged.
     Trying to get more than one decent "professional" review for Walk It Out with today's video game "reviewers", would probably be like trying to sell a steak to a vegetarian...or, getting me to switch to decaf coffee on a regular basis; it just likely wouldn't happen.
     If you don't know what Walk It Out is even about, here is a trailer showing some of the game-play:


     Considering Walk It Out has had its game-play hours debut in under a year, and it was designed to get players active; I would say it's another game to add to the list that is helping gamers and families become active.
     Just based on the 50,582 "Total Hours" reported, that would be equivalent to about 5.77 years(rounded down) of walking non-stop 24/7.
     I haven't played Walk It Out, and I don't think I will; but I'm glad to see another game with a focus on helping gamers/families get fit, having data reported showing its use.

Questions:
     Have any of you played Walk It Out?  If so, what did you think about it?  Is it a game you find yourself using on a regular basis?

If anybody is interested in purchasing Walk It Out, you can see sale prices listed on Amazon.com linked below:
 

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