What are the best-selling games in America, Japan, and Europe (UK) this week? Thanks to Amazon online sales data here are the games that are the most popular now.

Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 2. Wii Play (Nintendo), 3. We Ski (Namco Bandai), 4. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision), 5. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo).

Japan: 1. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 2. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 3. Totsugeki!! Famicom Wars VS (Nintendo), 4. Link no Bowgun Training + Wii Zapper (Nintendo), 5. Dairantou Smash Brothers X (Nintendo).

Europe: 1. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 2. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 3. Wii Play (Nintendo), 4. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (LucasArts), 5. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega).

Xbox 360
North America: 1. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar), 2. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 3. Rock Band Special Edition (EA Games), 4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 5. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft).

Japan: 1. The Darkness (Spike), 2. The Idolm@ster: Live for You! (Namco), 3. The Idolm@ster — Xbox 360 Platinum Collection (Namco), 4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 5. Turok (Touchstone).

Europe: 1. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar), 2. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 3. The Orange Box (EA Games), 4. Viking: Battle for Asgard (Sega), 5. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft).

PlayStation 3
North America: 1. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar), 2. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (SCEA), 3. Rock Band Special Edition (EA Games), 4. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision), 5. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft).

Japan: 1. Senjou no Valkyria (Sega), 2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 3. Makai Senki Disgaea 3 — First Print Limited Edition (Nippon Ichi), 4. Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! (Sega), 5. Armored Core: For Answer (From Software).

Europe: 1. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar), 2. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (SCEE), 3. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft), 4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 5. Burnout Paradise (EA Games).

PlayStation 2 Read more…

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Iron Man, one of Marvel’s most indestructible Super Heroes, blast onto videogame platforms with this adaptation of the big screen movie. This third-person action game immerses players in the world of Tony Stark — the brilliant industrialist and inventor who both created and became the world’s toughest hero - Iron Man. By customizing the advanced technology in Iron Man’s suits, gamers can take advantage of a wide array of high-impact weapons to strategically blow-up and destroy any enemy force and fight to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction.

Drawing from both the movie and comic book storylines, Iron Man features the voice talent of the stars from the major motion picture — Robert Downey Jr, Terrence Howard, and Shawn Toub. Utilizing the power of next-gen gaming consoles, Iron Man offers photo-realistic graphics, non-linear gameplay and huge open worlds in which gamers can travel as far as the eye can see.

Is the billionaire hero’s game shiny and polished or covered in a thick layer of tarnish? Find out in this Iron Man game video review:

Read more…

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Konami announced Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia exclusively for Nintendo DS due Fall 2008. Introducing the all-new Glyph attack system, players will be able to use special attack combinations as they attempt to defeat Dracula and his horde. Also introduced to the series are new outdoor locales ranging from forests to the ocean, giving players the chance to explore outside of Dracula’s Castle. Developed by legendary Castlevania producer Koji “Iga” Igarashi, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is poised to set a new standard for side scrolling action on DS.

In Order of Ecclesia players take the role of a member of the Ecclesia, an organization that has sworn to defeat the evil forces of Dracula. By using the new Glyph attack system, players can unleash more than 100 different combinations to battle Dracula’s minions throughout 20 explorable areas. Utilizing the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, players can choose to compete head-to-head, or trade items and equipment they have found while exploring the environments. Multiple endings that can be unlocked depending on how they player completes the game adds even more replay value to the game with plenty of addictive exploration, combat and items to discover.

“We have always felt that the Castlevania franchise has been an excellent fit on Nintendo DS, and based on the popularity of the DS classics, Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin, our fans agree,” said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “We fully expect Order of Ecclesia to ignite the fan base once again as it combines the classic Castlevania gameplay with an all-new combat system and outdoor environments.”

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The Game Factory announced it has signed a licensing agreement with Seven Towns Limited to publish Rubik’s Puzzle World, a 3D puzzle game experience for the Nintendo Wii and DS systems, both inspired by the Rubik’s Cube.

For those who have always wondered what the inside of a Rubik’s Cube looks like, developer Two Tribes will have Rubik’s Puzzle World out due Autumn 2008. Designed for players aged eight and older, this otherworldly game will look and play like no other game on the market. A collection of extremely addictive, easy-to-play puzzle games will increase in difficulty as the player delves deeper into this 3D world.

Each version of Rubik’s Puzzle World will host its own unique and original series of games. Players will test their brainpower by constructing 3D shapes and objects, navigating through mazes and even creating their own soundtracks. The DS version will allow players to connect to a community of Rubik’s Puzzle World enthusiasts through the platform’s wireless connection. The Wii version accommodates up to four players and will feature an online message board.

Key features include: Read more…

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April’s American video game sales data from the NPD is in, and like almost any month past year, it shows an unchanged result: The Nintendo Wii outsold all other systems, and this time it’s extra suprising that eventhough Grand Theft Auto IV was out for five days after launch on Xbox 360 and PS3, it didn’t move any extra consoles. Total hardware sales were up 27% to over $426.2 million compared to the same month last year.

Video game hardware overview:
1. Nintendo Wii — 714,200
2. Nintendo DS — 414,800
3. PlayStation Portable — 192,700
4. Xbox 360 — 188,000
5. PlayStation 3 — 187,100
6. PlayStation 2 — 124,400

Video game sales totals for the month were $654.7 million. That’s an increase of 68% over last years already historic number! Most notable were Grand Theft Auto IV’s launch in America with 1.85 million sales on Xbox 360 and 1 million sales on PS3! Mario Kart Wii also launched in America with 1.12 million sales.

Video game software overview top 10:
1. Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360) — 1.85 million
2. Mario Kart Wii with wheel (Wii) — 1.12 million
3. Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3) — 1 milion
4. Wii Play w/ Remote (Wii) — 360,000
5. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) — 326,000
6. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (PS3) — 224,000
7. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness (DS) — 202,000
8. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time (DS) — 202,000
9. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Wii) — 152,000
10. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) — 141,000

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The first Pokemon Platinum screenshots of the upcoming Nintendo DS RPG have been revealed. The third game in the Diamond and Pearl series will be released in Japan in fall 2008, with worldwide releases following in 2009. According to Impress, various new elements will be added to the story over Pokemon Diamond and Pearl such as a “power raise” and appearances. That’s likely referring to the Pokemon Platinum new forms and such that were confirmed earlier.

As you can see from the evil shadow appearance of the Giratina origin form (above) in Pokemon Platinum, it replaces Dialga and Palkia as the main Pokemon that’ll be hunted by Team Galactic.

Legendary Pokemon Giratina origin form details.
Type: Ghost, Dragon
Height: 6.9m (22 feet)
Weight: 650kg (1,433 pound)
Appearance: Long, gray, segmented body, but with short spikes as legs.

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The development team including Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil creator), Atsushi Inaba (Okami producer) and Hideki Kamiya (Devil May Cry creator) from Capcom’s Clover Studios has gone through quite a few name changes, from Capcom to SEEDS to now PlatinumGames.

These are the 3 PlatinumGames they are working on:

1. Bayonetta for PS3 and Xbox 360, directed by Hideki Kamiya, and is described by the site’s correspondent as a “stylish action game” with “a witch battling angels”. Apparently she has guns on her feet.

2. A science-fiction RPG for the DS called Infinite Line, where you play as a starship captain, customizing your ship and crew.

3. A Wii game called MadWorld. …it’s, “Black and white Sin City graphics, with red blood. Ultra ultra violent. Fatality moves like shoving a post through someone’s head. Chainsaw on your right arm.”

1UP reports that Sega will be publishing.

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Activision has launched 007thevideogame.com to tease their first James Bond videogame based on the 007 movie: Quantum of Solace. The official website shows locations from both the new movie Quantum of Solace as well as the previous Bond movie Casino Royale, hinting that the game’s plot includes the story of both films.

The James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace videogame runs on the Call of Duty 4 game engine and will be released alongside the movie on November 7th, 2008.

The game is being developed by Eurocom, Treyarch, Beenox and Vicarious Visions and will be released on next-generation consoles, Windows PC and hand-held platforms, reports Commanderbond.

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In Drawn to Life: Spongebob Squarepants Edition, SpongeBob and Patrick stumble upon a magical pencil that brings whatever it draws to life. Unfortunately, the evil SpongeBob drawing ‘DoodleBob’ gets a magic pencil of his own which he uses to cause havoc all over Bikini Bottom. Players will draw their own unique hero that has the power to defeat DoodleBob’s rogue drawings and rescue SpongeBob and his friends.

Just like in the original Drawn to Life game, players can create characters and objects through the power of doodling on the touchscreen. Create your own character and populate the world with your creativity!

The Spongebob DS game is due in Q3 2008.

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Here’s a list of this weeks U.S. game releases. Downloadable games include today’s WiiWare titles Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, LostWinds, Defend your Castle, Pop, V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack and TV Show King on the Wii Virtual Console, as well as Assault Heroes 2 on the Xbox Live Arcade (updates Wednesday). No word yet on any PlayStation Store games (updates Thursday).

Monday:
Defend your Castle - $5 (WiiWare)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King - $15 (WiiWare)
LostWinds - $10 (WiiWare)
Pop - $7 (WiiWare)
TV Show King - $10 (WiiWare)
V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack - $7 (WiiWare)

Tuesday:
ATV Thunder/Monster Trucks (DS)
Castle of Shikigami III (Wii)
Deca Sports (Wii)
Drone Tactics (DS)
Myst (DS)
We Ski (Wii)

Wednesday:
Assault Heroes 2 - $10 (Xbox Live Arcade)

Thursday:
Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm (PC, Xbox 360)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS)

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