Grand Theft Auto breaks all records

Folks - Here are some stats

6million copies sold globally
Around $500M in revenues for the first week.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Software publisher Take-Two Interactive Software Inc (TTWO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said it sold some 6 million units of its criminal action game “Grand Theft Auto 4″ in its first week, with estimated retail sales exceeding $500 million.

Gaming 2nd most popular in facebook

Well, there it goes. We have known this all along - facebook and banality go hand in hand. Gaming is second most popular. So what beats it? Just for fun folks, just for fun. A 15Billion valuation for just for fun. 

BOOM BLOX™

Boom Blox - the next block buster on wii?

This high profile production from EA and Spielberg releases on May 6th 2008. Spielberg is an avid gamer who has overseen Boom Blox’s development from start to finish. “I am a gamer myself, and I really wanted to create a video game that I could play with my kids,” said Steven Spielberg. “BOOM BLOX features an enormous amount of fun challenges and cool scenarios for your kids to solve or for you to master together.”

Boom Blox features multiple levels ( over 300) and is the first of 3 games being launched by Spielberg and EA. It can be played in single player, co-op, and versus gameplay.

They can interact with entertaining characters such as the Blox-laying chickens or the baseball throwing monkeys, who bring personality to the Tiki, Medieval, Frontier, and Haunted themed environments. Additionally, players can remix any level of the game in Create Mode using props, blocks, or characters that have been unlocked during the game. Players can also virtually build anything they can dream up. Plus, their designs can then be shared with friends or used to challenge others to solve their newly created puzzle via WiiConnect24™.

Speaking to VideoGamer.com Amir Rahimi, senior producer on Boom Blox, said that once the Wii version of the game is finished “there’s definitely the possibility of going to other consoles”.

BOOM BLOX is also in production for mobile phones. In the mobile game, players will be able to create custom levels and share them with their friends directly from the phone enjoying an interactive community experience.

Whats the number for GTA IV folks?

Take Two shares are up. Here are the predicted sales for GTA IV….

Wedbush Morgan - predicts 6m units the first week

“We think that GTA IV will generate around $450 million of the company’s expected $1,073 million publishing revenue this year, and will generate an operating profit of around 30 percent, or $135 million. At the high end of company guidance, Take-Two will generate operating income of around $130 million, meaning that the game is responsible for 103 percent of overall company operating profit.”

UBS - 10.5m worldwide - end of 2008

On a worldwide basis, UBS’s Schachter believes the game could reach about 10.5 million unit sales by the end of this year. “At 6mm units in the U.S., the game would generate ~$360 million in total retail sales (assuming a $60 retail price), at 8mm units, the game would generate $480 million of sales in the U.S., or about 33% upside from current expectations”. “Additionally, we expect the game could do similar numbers in Europe, almost doubling our U.S. totals.”

Post your comments on what you think sales would be.

Will you get fit with wii fit?

A nightmare or a blessing? A game that keeps tabs on your weight day by day, compares you with your family and throws jabs when you fall behind…

Would you rather work “out” instead of a work “in” in your living room in front of your TV?

Shigeru Miyamoto, the father of Super Mario, Donkey Kong, the legend of Zelda and many more Nintendo games, has now made wii the fastest growing console of all time. Now he has added wii fit to his collection of hits.

The market for video games is far beyond the traditional action/adventure genre’s that the industry always talks about. The wii has brought gaming to the masses and everyone is lapping it up.

The fastest growing game in Japan, the game had sold over a 1M copies in 5 weeks, with over 50% buying wii and wii fit as their first video game ever!! And this in the land of video games.

The British are crazed about the wii almost as much as the Japanese. The game has brought in more than £16.3m at a £70 price point per game.

Miyamoto in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Times in New York says “Spending too long, staying in and playing any video game is not good,” said Miyamoto. “I always tell my children to get out on a sunny day and I, myself, went jogging in Central Park yesterday. But I do my stretching on Wii Fit. They work together.”

There is no doubt that Nintendo and Miyamoto have transformed the definition of a video game. “We want to broaden the definition of what a video game is, to create games for people whether they are five or 95, whether they are men or women.”

Well it seems like the world is embracing that and even beyond the wii, hordes of women and men are taking to online games, easy to play and quick to learn.

Wii fit sells every 4 seconds

Since its launch in Japan on 1 December 2007, Wii Fit has already sold in excess of 1.4 million units to date, making it one of the fastest selling Wii titles in Japan. In the UK, it has already outstripped all previous records on Play.com by selling out the entire pre-order allocation in one day leaving the online retailer “overwhelmed” by demand.

More wii enjoy

The best xbox games ever ( from down under)

• Beyond Good and Evil - An outstanding adventure from start to finish, with warm and engaging characters, a rich alternate world, enjoyable puzzles and wonderful flair and energy.
• Forza Motorsport - While arguably made redundant by its excellent sequel, Forza still deserves recognition for its terrific variety and challenge, flexible car customisation and outstanding online options.
• Full Spectrum Warrior - Unique, highly tactical urban warfare that is very satisfying to master.
• Grand Theft Auto III/Vice City - Whether bundled together or separated, these wonderful romps for fun loving criminals cannot be missed.
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - An epic and hugely ambitious game whose scale is still staggering almost four years on, San Andreas offers countless hours of rewarding entertainment and surprises.
• Halo 2 - The system’s best online multiplayer game. The solo campaign also is a lot of fun, even if it did get hammered by critics for its brevity and abrupt ending. Microsoft should obviously throw in the Multiplayer Map pack, too.
• Jade Empire - Underappreciated at launch, this stylish oriental role-playing adventure offers a fascinating plot and engaging battles with scope for flair and experimentation.
• Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - A charming, hilarious and hugely entertaining romp that anyone can enjoy with a friend.
• Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath - Few games are this fresh or entertaining, yet this puzzling departure was all but ignored on release, despite being the best in the once-popular Oddworld series. The gripping story is often hilarious and features clever twists, and players have wonderful freedom to use stealth to outwit opponents or overwhelm them with firepower from amusingly exotic weapons.
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - Offers invigorating freedom to explore stunning environments with spectacular gymnastics, and the acrobatics are interspersed with traps, dramatic swordplay and interesting logic puzzles. Royally grand.

Grand Launch

Fans gear up for “Grand Theft Auto IV” launch. Record sales expected for the newest game in the series.

The insanely popular video game franchise has become more popular with each new edition of the series. According to NPD Group, the original, which came out in 1997, and newer versions of the game, sold 1 million and 1.2 million copies, respectively. “GTA 3″ went on to sell 6.2 million units, “GTA: Vice City” sold 7.2 million and “GTA: San Andreas” sold 9.2 million. Compilation packs alone racked up another 7 million in sales.

An addictive helicopter game

Use your mouse and navigate your chopper….i found my self going back again and again.

Top 10 casual games

GameSeekr has over 40,000 games. These are the top searched for casual games.

1. Mario Kart wii
2. Flower Stand Tycoon
3. Diner Dash Flo on the go
4. Dream Chronicles 2 The eternal maze
5. JoJo’s fashion show
6. Sally’s Salon
7. Bejeweled Deluxe
8. Big City Adventure San Francisco - Free download
9. Westward( and Westward II )
10. Go Go Gourmet