April NDP's: Lesson 2

As we previously mentioned, the April sales numbers for the gaming industry have massive implications for where things are headed in this GTA IV-centric gaming quarter. Though impressive sales of the game weren't exactly a major blow to the Nintendo Wii, the game's impact on this month's sales numbers are inarguable (thanks mainstream media, for your lack of investigation!)

In case you missed it, the system sales for April were:

1. Wii: 714,200
2. Nintendo DS: 414,800
3. PSP: 192,700
   
4. Xbox 360: 188,000
5. PlayStation 3: 187,100
6. PlayStation 2: 124,400

Despite the release of the best-selling media in history, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 had relatively poor sales figures in April. Playstation 3 barely outsold Playstation 2 (that's two-- the old one). Meanwhile, the Wii continued it's rampage of domination, boosted by the release of Mario Kart Wii.

Next Generation has a pretty in-depth analysis of what the GTA IV release means to the console-war.

Arguably, Liberty City is more fun on a 360 than it is on a PS3 (though we couldn't tell you the difference.) And though the gaming public at large is spending their time arguing about native resolutions and pop-in, the poor sales figures for both consoles proves that not all consumers are looking for an expansive, in-depth gaming experience. Most just want to go curling, man.

Wii Tart... I Mean Kart

What if I told you there was a brand new five minute Mario Kart Wii trailer? Now what if I told you it wasn't exactly so much a trailer as a leaked gameplay video? And what if I replaced five minutes with two hours? What if you hadn't already seen this via Wii Fanboy?

OH THE IMPLICATIONS!

Mario Kart Wii -- Embargo Lifted

You have to wonder what happened when suddenly multiple gaming websites drop the same metric ton of information regarding Mario Kart Wii at exactly the same time. The answer we're betting on: the embargo suddenly disappeared. Though GameSpot and 1UP offer nearly identical coverage on the subject, we're more than likely to suggest 1UP's.

Writing aside (though we kind of think 1UP writers have the advantage here given the best writers from GameSpot have left or simply been sacked), what GameSpot owner's CNet did was basically inexcusable. But me, well, I hold grudges. Enjoy the glut of Mario Kart info! (And hey, you know, it's ok if you go to the GameSpot bump, we understand.)

(via 1UP)

Mario Kart Wii Sooner Than Wii Thought?

The blokes at Eurogamer go about their writing in a different way than us folks here in the colonies. Instead of being a bunch of louts, they embed their rumors in verse -- mocking those who've not been privy to all the Fawlty Towers episodes.

Aha!, but they do not know us here at QPHQ are impervious to their Europeanery. Seems they've heard a juicy little bit of information regarding a "10 April" Japanese release of Mario Kart Wii from an, "inside source." Considering the window between release of Brawl in Japan and the U.S. is roughly five weeks, sounds like we might have some kart racing to catch up on before summer is in full swing. The real question: Will we all be able to put down our controllers from Brawl for long enough to get to Best Buy, none the less the kitchen, or the bathroom?!

Mario Kart Wii Detailed, Release Date Still Hazy

Apparently Nintendo is finally catching on when it comes to Western gamers. With the Nintendo DS, we've found a surprising glut of excellent online play and soon we'll have Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii, in addition to the few online enabled games already available. Now you can add one more to the list: Mario Kart Wii.

Famitsu reportedly got the inside story from Nintendo about Mario Kart Wii in the latest issue. Here's the deal....

Online Situation: "[Nintendo] would attempt to streamline the matchmaking process in Mario Kart Wii." (says Satoru Iwata)
Gameplay: New mid-air tricks as well as a landing boost if timed correctly
Modes: 16-player online matches, 4-player local split-screen and downloadable ghost race history.

Even furthermore, there are purportedly 32 tracks, 16 of which are brand new. We here at QPHQ don't speak much Japanese, so luckily our friends at IGN went through the translating for us. What the translation did not find, however, is an exact release date for this side of the Pacific. Looks like Spring '08 will have to do for now. But hey, we have Brawl in March! Woo!