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As one of the few M-rated games on Nintendo’s DS platform, and the only Grand Theft Auto game, you can bet that game industry insiders are keeping an eye on sales of the recently released Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Alas, NPD numbers won’t be available until later this week, so we’ll have to leave it to the analysts to predict the Chinatown Wars sales trajectory. But what are we to do if, as MTV reports, even the analysts can’t agree?

According to MTV, Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter is predicting that the title sold a whopping 450,000 copies. Meanwhile, Jesse Divinich of EEDAR expects less than half of that figure, predicting around 200,000 copies. It’s chaos out there, folks, and proof that people just don’t know what to make of a high profile, M-rated game on Nintendo’s cash machine. We suggest you get inside, lock the doors and board up the windows until we have official March NPD numbers to quell this storm.

Analysts can’t agree on predicted Chinatown Wars sales originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Analyst Dough Creutz of Cowen Group believes GTA: Chinatown Wars is as much a test for Take-Two as it is for Nintendo. Gamasutra reports on Creutz’s bullish investor note, where he expresses that the title will reveal Take-Two’s “ability to make inroads” on Nintendo’s platforms.

On the flip side, he expresses that Nintendo wants Chinatown Wars to succeed because it appeals to core gamers, whom Creutz apparently thinks Nintendo still gives a Yoshi’s turd about.

Analyst: Chinatown Wars a test for both Take-Two, Nintendo originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Video

2K Sports just dished out a new trailer for their upcoming game, MLB Superstars, and it’s pretty much like the other updates we’ve had on the game. Instead of looking at ridiculous screens, you get to look at ridiculous screens in motion. This trailer focuses on the ‘Whack a Wall’ minigame.

What do you all think? Still just a bunch of minigames thrown together, or do you see something you like here?

[Via press release]

Get your first glimpse of MLB Superstars originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Contests / Giveaways

Sorry it took so long to announce the winners of our latest giveaway, but it’s better to be late than never, right? No? Well, while we get our twenty lashes from our bosses, we’ll leave you to congratulate the winners. So let’s get to it!

Our Top Spin 3 winners are:

• Greg
• mrshl

Better luck next time to those of you who didn’t get a copy and thanks for reading Wii Fanboy!

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Filed under: News

Over the years, the games industry has developed the irritating habit of cramming all of its best software into the last three months of the calendar year. The inevitable result of this is the dreaded post-Christmas lull, whereby the first quarter of the following year is severely lacking in noteworthy titles.

Despite this trend, Q1 2008 content on the Wii looks good. Like, really good. And as if No More Heroes, SEGA Superstar Tennis, The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return, Harvest Moon Heroes, SEGA Bass Fishing, and some Nintendo fighting game you may have heard something about weren’t enough to placate the Wiimote-wielding masses, now GameStop has Rockstar’s Bully: Scholarship Edition listed for a U.S. release on March 3rd.

Which is awesome news, if it turns out to be true. Now all we need to do is convince Take-Two that the Wii is worthy of receiving some GTA lovin’.

[Via Go Nintendo]

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Filed under: News

Some high-profile U.S. Senators, including Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Joe Lieberman (ID-CT), have made attacking the ESRB their new pet project. The cause of this controversy is, of course, Manhunt 2. You may recall that Rockstar was forced to revise the game in order to remove the "Adults Only" rating given to it by the ESRB. These tactics may have worked in the U.S., but the British Board of Film Classification was unimpressed and still refused to issue a rating for the title.

The Senators are pretty ticked off at the ESRB for not being as censor vicious as the BBFC. But the ramifications of the Senators' attack on the ESRB go deeper than Manhunt 2, and may affect the video game industry in general if the ESRB is put under the "thorough review" that they are demanding.

Even worse, the Senators are calling for more extreme ratings on the Wii, due to the console's motion-sensitive controller. They argue that the Wiimote "permits children to act out each of the many graphic torture scenes and murders."

Of course, they don't acknowledge the fact that children shouldn't be playing Manhunt 2 at all, since the game was given a "Mature" rating by the ESRB, and one of the few ways they can even play the game is with parental permission. If children playing mature games is really their concern, perhaps the Senators should be putting parents under review, and not the ESRB. Those old enough to play violent games can differentiate between using waggle and using real weapons, making separate Wii ratings unnecessary.

At times like these, we really yearn for Stephen Colbert to make a political comeback.

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Filed under: News

You may already know that Rockstar's Bully is going to be ported to the Wii (and Xbox 360), but aside from it being a "port-plus," the game is now also boasting an award winning script. It seems that Bully (the original, that is) managed to win the "Best Videogame Script" title at the Writer's Guild of Great Britain Awards 2007.

We're not going to argue over the prestige of such an award, but keep in mind that since it's for the Writer's Guild of Great Britain, only writers from the UK can be nominated. Bully faced off against another Rockstar game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, as well as Charles Cecil's Broken Sword: Angel of Death.

For those of you who have already played Bully, you probably know whether or not you're interested in this Wii port. Yet, for those of you who haven't, this may (or may not) be a reason to put Bully: Scholarship Edition on your radar.

[Via GoNintendo]

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Filed under: Rumors

This has yet to be confirmed, but some Target insiders are claiming that the retailer will not be selling copies of Manhunt 2, the controversial Rockstar game. The rumor was started by a Target employee at the Evil Avatar forums, and was later supported at GoNintendo by an electronics specialist at the retail chain.

Adding further basis to the rumor, Target's website states that the PSP version of Manhunt 2 is not available in stores, although it can be purchased online. The PS2 and Wii versions are not even listed on the site.

If this rumor turns out to be true, it won't be good news for Rockstar, especially if other retailers follow suit. As of now, though, these rumblings apply to Target stores only.

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Filed under: News

With the recent release of Manhunt 2, and all the controversy surrounding it, the Rockstar Vienna studios that had to close their doors while working on the title (which you may remember was downgraded from AO to M) is a bit ticked off right now. Turns out, Rockstar omitted the entire team of over 50 folks who worked hard on the game from its end credits.

And now, ex-producer Jurie Horneman is fuming. He has a plan to fix the situation, however, and "intends to correct an inaccuracy in the game's credits, namely the over 55 missing Rockstar Vienna employees who worked on the game from January 2004 until the studio was closed down on May 11th 2006." He further documents his disdain for Rockstar by adding "I am disappointed and outraged that Rockstar Games tries to pretend that Rockstar Vienna and the work we did on Manhunt 2 never happened - the work of over 50 people, who put years of their lives into the project, trying to make the best game they could. I am proud to have been a part of that team."

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Filed under: Metareview

Those of you with a taste for the violent and gruesome have likely already given Manhunt 2 a lengthy play session or two, perhaps even gone so far as to finish the game. Well, some of the critics have, as well, and what they've come away from the experience with is nothing but a bad taste in their mouth, apparently. Most have found the game competent, at best, while others have found the game to be average or less.

Let's see what the critics said, before we get into what you think, shall we?

• IGN (77/100) says it isn't as good as the first game: "The AI doesn't feel as good as the first game, the setting and environments don't feel as menacing, and the story is definitely weaker. That isn't to say that Manhunt 2 isn't a good game, because it is - Danny and Leo's adventure is enjoyable, especially if you've played the first title and have been waiting to eliminate enemies with plastic bags, crowbars or other household items. But as a whole, Manhunt 2 isn't the tour de force title that will grab your attention and keep you there like the first one did."

• Games Radar (70/100) thinks it's just a dumbed-down stealth game: "It's hardly the pinnacle of stealth games - the enemies are dumb, and there's not much to do aside from sneaking and killing - but if you're in the mood for something creepy and horrific that'll leave you feeling a little dirty, Manhunt 2's still-shocking murders and eerie, is-it-real-or-am-I-just-insane storyline won't disappoint."

• GameSpy (50/100) is of the mind that the game could've been something much better: "It's difficult to recommend Manhunt 2 in its current M-rated form to anyone. This material isn't just inappropriate for children, it's not appropriate for most of the people you know. The background material behind the storyline is well developed enough, and those with considerable tolerance for over-the-top gore and violence may derive some pleasure from it. But the game's execution as a bland third-person stealth adventure with sub-par combat and annoyingly stylized death sequences hamstrings what could have been a sleeper hit for mature audiences. It's hard to completely blame Rockstar for all the failings of Manhunt 2, considering the ESRB's hand in crippling the developer's vision."

• 1UP (40/100) trashes it: "Really, the game warrants a 4 because it's technically playable and, despite its best efforts, probably won't plunge the industry into a period of navel-gazing and political sanction. Everything else about it is largely forgettable."

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