Vases, television sets and even pets have been sent flying by the high kicks and hula hoop motions of increasingly vigorous home exercise routines, a study has found.

And with the credit crunch forcing households to tighten their belt on luxuries such as exclusive gym memberships, this wake of destruction on Britain’s living rooms is only expected to rise.

Nearly a fifth of women interviewed admitted having accidents after getting carried away in the living room - bumping into furniture, banging their head or pulling a muscle, the research carried out for women-only insurer Sheila’s Wheels found.

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London — October 17, 2007 It’s finally time to experience the magic of Ōkami™ as it was always meant to be played. Capcom’s award winning game — hailed as “Game of the Year”for 2006 by multiple magazines and websites including Associated Press, PSM, Village Voice, IGN.com, Game Revolution and more — is set for release on the Wii™ home video game system in Spring 2008. Featuring a re-imagined control scheme built around the intuitive Wii Remote™, Ōkami offers players an unparalleled level of control and an opportunity to rediscover a critically-acclaimed and beautifully crafted adventure.

Ōkami tells the story of a mythical sun god who sets out to restore a dismal world, decimating the forces of evil who stand in the way by commanding the elements and mythical abilities the deity possesses. Mixing Japanese folklore and a stunning traditional Japanese art style, players must utilize an inventive control scheme to overcome the challenges and evil that await. By enhancing the unique gameplay, visual style and story line of Ōkami with the control of the Wii Remote, it is sure to be the ultimate version of the game.

Originally designed for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and released in 2006, Ōkami now comes alive in an entirely new way on the Wii with its visually stunning art style and beautiful scenic 3D levels that have the appearance and texture of paper scrolls brushed with watercolor-like calligraphy art. Throughout the vibrant and distinctive surroundings, players must use the Wii remote to interact with a dynamic world and cast of characters. The blend of stylized graphics, movements and unique gameplay will result in a rich and dynamic experience never seen before.

Ōkami includes the following features:
• Innovative gameplay and control scheme optimized for the Wii - Defeating monsters requires both motion-controlled physical attacks, but also use of the Wii Remote as Amaterasu’s ‘Celestial Brush’ to paint the desired powers for decimating enemies and solving puzzles.
• Create and destroy at will - Play as a god to re-establish order and beauty to a world laid barren by evil.
• Intense action-packed battles – Rooted in Japanese folklore, fight against a diverse line-up of demons and monsters.
• Utilize various gameplay styles – In addition to the Celestial Brush, Amaterasu can wield three types of offensive weaponry, each with their own unique abilities and effects.

Depending on how a weapon is equipped, it can be used as the main or sub weapon:

o Reflectors – These well-balanced weapons are suited for close range combat
o Rosaries– Sacred magatama beads are great for quick long range attacks
o Glaives – These can be charged up to unleash powerful close range attacks

• Intriguing main character – Assume the role of the sun god, Amaterasu, who descends upon the earth in the form of a wolf. The Japanese translation of the word wolf is “Ōkami”.
• Original visuals and revolutionary design– Vibrant and inspiring graphics, reminiscent of traditional Japanese art created on paper scrolls, produce a large variety of stages with a watercolour-esque appearance.
• Interact with a unique and dynamic cast of characters.

Check out the video of ŌKAMI™ here below:

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This is the Wii-exclusive title that comes with its own dance mat for “total body gameplay”, according to this press release. It’s called Active Life: Athletic World in the US.

Family Trainer has you doing all sorts of things like rafting on the river, racing mine carts, jumping over logs or just skipping ropes. You can do it on your own because you’d rather no one watch, or with and against friends because you are drunk and have given up caring. All on one mat.

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Nintendo sold about 3.63 million Wii consoles in its home market in 2007 while Sony sold 1.21 million PS3s, according to magazine publisher Enterbrain.

The Wii also trounced the PS3 more than three-fold in the key year-end sales period between November 25 and December 30, selling 774,123 Wii consoles against Sony’s sales of 232,421 PS3s, the survey showed.

Nintendo won back its lead after the two rivals briefly traded places in November, when the PS3 outsold the Wii in Japan for the first time, helped by a price cut and a stronger line-up of games, according to Enterbrain.

Sony’s game unit said Monday that it had sold 1.2 million PS3s in North America during the holiday shopping period after a hefty price cut.

“The PlayStation brand ended the year in a very strong position and clearly indicates more positive momentum going into 2008,” Jack Tretton, head of Sony Computer Entertainment in the US, said in a statement.

Analysts said that although PS3 sales appear to be improving after a tough first year, in terms of sales it is still far behind the Wii.

“Consumers both in Japan and overseas are still attracted by the Wii, which remains a fresh concept,” said Hiroshi Kamide, a game analyst at KBC Securities.

The Wii also retains a three-fold sales advantage over the PS3 in North America, where Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is also posing competition for Sony, he said.

Sony “either has to slash the price further or increase the number of games available, which is something software makers are reluctant to do” because there are too few owners in the US to make it worthwhile, he added.

Microsoft sold 257,841 Xbox 360s last year in Japan, continuing to struggle on its rivals’ home turf two years after the console’s launch, the survey showed.

Japan’s total computer game market was worth a record 687.7 billion yen (6.37 billion dollars) in 2007, up 9.9 percent from the previous year, Enterbrain said.

The market was buoyed by robust sales of Nintendo’s DS and the Lite version handheld consoles, which have sold a total of just over 21 million units since the initial launch three years ago, it added.

Software sales were also strong, with games for Nintendo consoles making up four of the five top-selling games, the survey showed.

Tags: nintendo, nintendo wii, wii, wii news,wii games, wii advice, wii nintendo

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Kristie Lauborough spent the better part of this year hunting the elusive Nintendo Wii. After months of frustration, she finally got her hands on a video game console in autumn - the Xbox 360.

Lauborough’s unsuccessful quest for the popular Wii has been repeated throughout the land in what has become an unprecedented distinction for Nintendo. The Japanese gamemaker has had the hottest toy gift two holiday seasons in a row, a title that brings bragging rights, but also stokes criticism and frustration from those unable to find the console.

Count Lauborough among them.

“I went from looking to just looking around casually, and now we’ve just stopped looking altogether. I don’t even ask anymore,” said Lauborough, a 30-year-old technical support engineer from Larkspur. “It’s disappointing, especially for someone like me. I was weaned on the Super NES (Nintendo game console). I’m a longtime gamer.”

Nintendo officials said they are making 1.8 million consoles a month after boosting production earlier this year from 1.4 million a month. Still, the company has been surprised by the continued demand for the console.

“We expected the Wii to perform extremely well within the historic launch parameters of the video game industry,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “What we didn’t expect was to write an entirely new chapter in that history and have that happen so fast.”

In an effort to satisfy demand, Fils-Aime announced Friday that Nintendo is guaranteeing people a Wii by the end of January. Customers who visit a GameStop store on Dec. 20 or 21 and pay $249 will get a voucher for a Wii when it arrives sometime in January.

“We expect this is going to be a great way for consumers who desperately want a Wii to put something under the tree,” Fils-Aime said.

The Wii, with its innovative motion-sensing controls, has sold more than 6 million units in the United States since it premiered a little more than a year ago, making it the fastest-selling console ever. Nintendo reported sales of 350,000 units during Thanksgiving week and is predicting worldwide sales of 17.5 million by the end of its 2008 fiscal year March 31. The Wii’s appeal has pulled in gamers young and old, male and female.

Analysts said Nintendo’s conservative nature has led to the shortages. The company traditionally has erred on the side of low supply to ensure it doesn’t get saddled with unsold products. That approach has helped Nintendo remain consistently profitable, while rivals such as Sony and Microsoft often take losses early in hardware cycles, while making up profit through licensing and later sales.

“This is unprecedented and a surprise,” Ben Schacter, an analyst with UBS, said of the shortage. “At the end of the day, this is not good for anyone. The publishers want to sell as much software as they can. Retailers would like to sell more and consumers would like to buy more. But it does keep up the hype.”

The reality is that with the factories in China pumping out 1.8 million consoles a week and the shopping seasons in Europe and Japan getting into full swing now, there is little hope that the crunch will abate anytime soon. If anything, it could get worse in the coming weeks as Nintendo tries to please all of its international markets.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said in September that the company will continue its production rate indefinitely through the beginning of next year instead of cutting back after the holidays as it has with previous products. That should open up the possibility that Wiis will be available in larger numbers by January or February.

But the danger for Nintendo is in turning off consumers who see something insidious or at least uncaring in the short supply, said Britt Beamer, chairman of America’s Research Group, a consumer behavior marketing firm. He said he’s never seen a popular product in such short supply two years in a row. He said some shoppers may not take kindly to that precedent.

“People who are waiting in disgust may move on to something else,” Beamer said. “Nintendo may win in the short term, but it can leave a lot of people upset about it.”

Nintendo officials suggested that people stay in touch with retailers to keep track of incoming supply, especially for Wii events. Best Buy, for example, has held a series of Sunday promotions to sell the Wii. The Best Buy store in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood sold 149 Wiis in less than an hour during its November promotion.

Jenn Metzger, a spokeswoman for Best Buy, said consumers should keep their eyes out for advertisements touting future promotions. She said it’s been the fairest and most organized way to distribute large numbers of Wiis.

Outside of that, Metzger said, just keep dropping by the stores to see if they have anything. Calling ahead does almost no good because even if the store has them, the consoles probably will be sold in the time it takes to get there, Metzger said.

“These things sell in minutes,” she said. “There’s not a speck of dust that collects on these boxes.”

Metzger said it has been frustrating for Best Buy not to be able to please its Wii-seeking customers. She said she expects shortages to continue well into next year based on the number of consumers who will get shut out this holiday season.

For those who don’t want to go the retail store route, there is always the Internet. Sites like eBay offer the chance to snag a Wii, although at inflated prices. The normally $250 Wii is selling with at least a $200 markup on eBay Express and is now the third-most-searched item on eBay.

“The Wii’s staying power is pretty remarkable,” eBay spokeswoman Kim Rubey said.

For those hoping to avoid a markup, the best chance is to use Internet tracking services that keep tabs on supplies at various online retail sites. Ben’s Bargains is a popular destination for Wii shoppers because it lists availability of Wiis on its wiitracker.com site. Most Wiis stick around for less than an hour before being scooped up.

Rob Kim, a 23-year-old research associate at Children’s Hospital in Oakland, found his Wii last month through Ben’s Bargains, which alerted him to a few consoles at Walmart.com. Instead of enjoying his Wii, Kim said he’s going to try to sell it and make a little money this holiday season. For prospectors or Wii enthusiasts, he said, the key is persistence.

“You’ve just got to be on your toes and constantly checking the trackers,” Kim said. “I noticed the bundle I got sold out in a couple of hours.”

How to bag a Wii

– Check Wii tracking sites like www.wiitracker.com and www.nowinstock.net/wii.

– Watch for advertisements for Wii promotions. Stores often hold back supply to distribute consoles for sales events.

– Keep checking retail stores and try to see what day shipments are expected.

– EBay and other online auction and retail sites have a number of Wiis - but expect at least a $200 markup. Often, consoles are bundled with games, which makes them even pricier.

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Nintendo sold 350,000 Wii systems in the US during Thanksgiving week, along with 653,000 DS portables and a further 300,000 Wii consoles the week before.

But the consoles are reaching double the normal retail price on eBay.

Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo America, told Associated Press: “I could not find a single Wii on the shelves. Literally as I was walking into a Wal-Mart at 11am someone was walking out with the last one.”

Fils-Aime said that Nintendo had reached its production limit of 1.8 million consoles a month, and denied that the company is deliberately restricting supply.

“A shortage benefits no one,” he said. “We are disappointed because we did not accurately estimate demand. We need to be more bullish about the potential for the Wii.”

Amazon sold out of one batch of 1,400 units in just 10 minutes of trading, the retailer reported.

Nintendo has sold over 5.5 million Wii consoles worldwide, nearly half in North America.

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Take the stage as Hannah Montana while continuing to develop your musical and fashion skills. By using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk you and Hannah will dance together in order to gain more fans. Off stage, you can create concert wardrobes by shopping all over the world. You aren’t alone as Lilly, Oliver, Jackson and Robbie give you help where they can! Tour the world as the pop princess herself and live the dream of rock stardom Practice and perform Hannah’s hit songs using the Wii controller Earn new fans by interacting with your dancers and the crowd Plan out your tour schedule and head to places like London, Paris, and Tokyo Shop for clothes and accessories to create a great image for Hannah Control lighting and stage effects for an unforgettable concert Share photos of fashion designs and record dances to share with friends.

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In The Simpsons Game, Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa use exciting, all-new powers to save Springfield from rising chaos. To help the Simpsons, gamers must journey through their home town (as well as vast worlds beyond!), vanquish an amazing array of villains, and fight their way through parodies of multiple popular games.

• Play Your Favorite Characters – Battle enemies and save Springfield while playing as your favorite dysfunctional TV family; Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge and even Maggie Simpson.
• The Real Simpsons – With the actual voice actors from the TV show and movie reprising their roles; characters from The Simpsons Game sound exactly as they should.
• Unique Character Abilities – While The Simpsons family have general abilities that can be used to fight opponents, interact with environments, and finish puzzles; each one has been imbued with special abilities that are unique to their personalities. These abilities grow and change as they progress through the story to battle tougher and tougher enemies in their quest to save Springfield!
• Looks Like The Simpsons – Using innovative 3D into 2D technology, the developers have been able to recreate Springfield and the entire cast of The Simpsons as the most visually authentic Simpsons game to date.
• Featuring Favorite and Original Springfieldeans! – The Simpsons Game features over 100 of your favorite Simpsons characters from the show along with 50+ new characters that were inspired by the fiction.
• An Original Episodic Adventure – The Simpsons Game features a 100% original script from the writers of the show with 4 distinct acts divided into 16 episodes and over 8,000 lines of dialogue.
• Springfield Hub – The open-world Springfield was designed as a central locale to jump into episodes with iconic locations to visit, characters to be visited and interact with, and hundreds of collectibles to be found.
• Parodies and Satire – With parodies of the video game industry, pop culture and current events, the game has the same gut wrenching hilarity as the show.
• Co-op Play – With two members of The Simpsons family involved in each episode, all episodes can be played cooperatively in addition to being played in single-player mode. Play by yourself and switch between characters to solve the various puzzles or have a friend come over, pick up a controller and drop-in drop-out of any episode they choose.
• Collectibles – Roam throughout the episodes and Springfield itself to discover custom video game clichés, and unique collectibles for each member of The Simpsons family. Collectibles lead to trophies that increase your family’s powers, and can be viewed in your trophy rooms back at home on Evergreen Terrace.
• Time Challenges – Every episode can be replayed, and each unlocks a unique Time Challenge. Use the skills you’ve learned throughout the game to beat target times over 16 individual Time Challenges.
• Enjoy more than 6,000 lines of dialogue and 16 chapters of hilarity in these popular platforms. Jump directly from The Simpsons House from one episode to the next, or into your saved game. On Nintendo Wii, use gestures with the Wii Remote to unleash the Simpsons video game powers or play addictive mini-games such as Bite Night and Bart Wings.

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Nintendo President Satoru Iwata also unveiled a gift-giving feature that will allow users to send each other games over the Internet, boosting the Wii’s network offerings.

Profits at Nintendo have surged on the runaway success of the Wii and the portable Nintendo DS machine in North America, Europe and Japan, forcing Sony and Microsoft to slash console prices in a desperate catch-up bid ahead of the holiday season.

Iwata said the company was struggling to meet demand of the Wii and a price cut was out of the question. The Wii sells for $249.99 in North America, 249.00 euros in Europe and 25,000 yen in Japan — all less than Sony’s PlayStation 3 or Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

“We’re still focusing on how to meet booming demand,” Iwata said Friday. “We’re absolutely not considering a price cut.” He said Nintendo was producing 1.8 million Wii consoles per month but that a supply crunch was inevitable during the holiday gift-buying season.

Nintendo’s confidence ahead of the critical Christmas shopping season reflects the Wii’s strength in a three-way battle of current generation video game consoles against the PS3 and Xbox 360, as well as the continued popularity of the handheld DS console.

The maker of Pokemon and Super Mario games has chosen a different strategy from Sony and Microsoft, wooing novices with low-cost and user-friendly machines unlike the more expensive consoles of its rivals.

With its wandlike remote control for fishing, golfing, tennis and other video games, Nintendo’s Wii console has won over fans from young children to rehab patients.

Sony’s top-line PlayStation model, with an 80 gigabyte hard drive, now costs $499 in the U.S., down from $599. A new low-end model with a 40-gigabyte drive will go on sale Nov. 2 for $399.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 costs $350 in the U.S.

The company has also won a following for the DS console — which stands for “dual screen” — with a lineup of low-cost, casual software like “Nintendogs,” “Brain Age” and “Nintendo Cooking.”

Nintendo shipped about 3.9 million Wii units around the world in the last three months, bringing the total since its launch last year to 13.2 million units. The company has sold 53.6 million DS consoles.

Iwata said it was banking on the “Wii Fit” game due out later this year in Japan to buoy future sales. The game allows players to weigh themselves, check their balance and do yoga and play fitness games like hula hoops and ski jumping.

Nintendo also unveiled a function Friday that allows users to send each other games over the Internet using the Wii’s shopping channel.

With a few clicks, a user will be able to select a game to send as a gift to another user online, Iwata said. When the recipient accepts, the Wii automatically launches the shopping channel and begins the download.

“We think this will be a breakthrough in encouraging customers to spread news of fun games word of mouth,” Iwata said. “We also hope to spur more users to connect their Wiis to the Internet,” he said.

Looking ahead, Iwata said the company would start selling Wiis in China next year, opening up a previously untapped market for the Kyoto-based company.

“We barely have enough Wiis to meet global demand this year. But next year, we can bring the Wii to China,” Iwata said.

Nintendo still needed to work with Chinese games developers to craft games suited to the market there, Iwata said.

He declined to give a sales target, but said Nintendo’s “future potential there is huge.”

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