So, another week has passed, and I once again don't have anything to review. However, never let it be said that a lack of things to say will keep me from saying things! So, I decided that this week I'd try something new; I'm going to be going over a few gaming-type news stories from this week. Odds are, if you're reading this, there's a decent chance you already know this stuff, but I'll just talk about it anyway.
'Wii Mini' Announced for Sale in Canada
Nintendo announced on the 27th that, starting on December 7th, the Wii mini will be available for sale in Canada. The system will be more compact than the original Wii, and will be priced at only $99, making it the cheapest Wii unit yet. However, this comes with some disadvantages. First off, the unit will be unable to play Gamecube games. This is due to the fact that Nintendo decided to remove the Gamecube controller ports from the unit, which also means that any Virtual Console/Wiiware titles that require wired controllers will also not be playable. However, this latter fact shouldn't be too big a problem, as the Wii mini will also not be able to connect to the internet, and will not be able to use SD cards as storage space.. This leaves you with a cheap console, yes, but one that is only able to play Wii games, a somewhat limiting experience*.
On the plus side of things, I think it is a nice-looking console. I like the red-and-black coloring, it looks pretty cool, but I just don't see the point of it.
Honestly, this seems to me to be kinda like what happened with the Game Boy Micro. Nintendo releases their new console/handheld, and THEN go back and release a smaller version of their previous console/handheld. And, memory serving, the Game Boy Micro didn't sell very well, sleek-looking though it may have been. This all just leaves me wondering what Nintendo's thinking with this idea. Also, why are they just selling it in Canada? That just confuses me.
Source: http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2012/11/wii-mini/
Black Friday Console Sales Announced
With Black Friday come and gone, thank God, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have all released their sales numbers for the week. Microsoft announced the sale of 750,000 Xbox 360s between November 18th and 23rd, a number that seems ridiculously high, given how long the 360 has been out for, but there you go.
Nintendo says that 400,000 Wii Us were sold during its first week, from the 18th to 24th, putting it well above the Wii, which only sold 200k during its first week, and sold 300k units this Black Friday week. In addition, the 3DS sold 250k units.
Sony finally released their sales numbers on the 29th, with a time frame matching that used by Nintendo. 525k PS3s were sold during that time, in addition to 160k PS Vitas and a 259% increase in Playstation Plus subscriptions over last year.
All in all, all three companies appear to have done well, at least as best as I can tell. The Wii U did sell the weakest out of the consoles, not counting its predecessor, but from what I have heard, there were some shortages in some places, which, if true, could explain the weaker sales.
Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/11/29/comparing-nintendo-sony-and-microsoft-black-friday-sales
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition Released
The original Baldur's Gate was released just over 14 years ago, and has gone on to be recognized as one of the best RPGs ever made. To this day, Baldur's Gate II retains an active community, and the series has held up remarkably well. So, when the Enhanced Edition, developed by Overhaul Games, was announced earlier this year, fans got excited. In fact, when the option for people who had pre-ordered it to pre-load the game, the site was actually shut down when I went to download it, presumably from the number of people trying to get the game.
And then, this week, the game is finally released, to cheers of the fans**. Finally, after over 11 years, the series gets something new, with word of Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition down the road, and the possibility of Baldur's Gate III if sales of the first two go well enough.
What I'm saying is, go get Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. No, really, go. This article's over, go to www.baldursgate.com, and buy the game, and then play the game, as it is awesome***.
*Note: I'm not saying Wii games are bad, just that I enjoyed having a wider catalog with a basic Wii.
**Or at least mine.
***Not gonna lie, this last section might've just been me plugging the game.
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