Nintendo’s Rhythm Tengoku Gold for the DS tops the Japanese software chart for the week ending 17/8, selling 137 000 units to move up from last week’s number 3 and bring the title just shy of half a million sales at 480 000 copies.

Sega’s Phantasy Star Portable for the PSP drops to number 2 after topping the chart for the previous two weeks. It sells 74 000 copies, bringing its life-to-date sales to 564 000. Square Enix’s Dragon Quest V for the DS climbs two places to number 3 with 74 000 copies.

Nintendo’s Wii Fit moves up from last week’s number 8 to fourth with 47 000 copies while Mario Kart Wii races up four places to fifth with 36 000 copies. Both titles increased by roughly 20 000 sales this week, pointing towards a possible hardware spike. Also interesting to note is that Mario Kart Wii has passed Super Smash Bros. Brawl in terms of life-to-date sales, Mario Kart Wii stands at 1.69 million while SSBB is roughly 1.66 million.

Nintendo’s Fire Emblem: New Shadow Dragons and the Blade of Light for the DS drops to number 6 after debuting at number 2 last week. It sells 35 000 copies while Nintendo’s Daigasso! Band Brothers DX re-enters the Top 10 at number 7 with 24 000 copies.

Namco Bandai’s Taiko Drum Master 2 for the DS is another new re-entry, finishing eighth with 20 000 copies, while Konami’s Powerful Pro Baseball 15 for the PS2 moves up two places to number 9 with 19 000 copies. Nintendo’s Wario Land: Shake It! for the Wii re-enters the Top 10 at number 10 with 18 000 copies.

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Last week reports surfaced that Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara, a large electronics store in Tokyo, had sold out of all the versions of the Xbox 360 console. Amazon of Japan was also sold out of two of the three versions of the 360. Clearly most retail outlets and Microsoft themselves did not anticipate the increased demand for the 360.

Microsoft of Japan has now announced that the Xbox 360 has sold out across Japan and that no new stock will be available until September.

This news comes after the 360 outsold the PS3 in the land of the rising sun last week, thanks largely to the release of Namco Bandai’s Tales of Vesperia. The hardware sales showed that the title was definitely a system seller, increasing Xbox 360 hardware sales from 5 359 units to 24 962 for the week ending the 10th of August.

Tales of Vesperia sold 108 328 copies in its opening week, earning the 360 a rare appearance in the Top 10 at number 4 as well as the title of biggest first week for an Xbox 360 game in Japan. Media Create data shows that the previous best first week of software for the Xbox 360 was Blue Dragon with 80 000.

The Microsoft Japan press release (translated by Kotaku) reads “We truly thank you for all your patronage in the past. Currently, the Xbox 360 is sold out, and retailers are unable to restock their supply. This is a result of our own sales targets being exceeded by the actual customer sales. We deeply apologize for this inconvenience to our customers, retailers and business partners.”

“Here at Microsoft, we are moving forward quickly with console production, and plan to ship the standard Xbox 360 model out this September. Furthermore, we will sequentially be shipping out the Elite and the Arcade models. We ask that you please patiently wait until the console is shipped.”

“We truly thank you for your patronage hereafter,” added the company before signing off as Microsoft Home and Entertainment HQ.

The iMP PowerFit Battery is the answer to your Wii Fit woes! It is a replacement rechargeable battery for the Wii Balance Board that increases your playing time and, because it is able to be charged over 500 times, cuts out your need to buy replacement batteries.

With more games on the horizon that will make use of the Wii Balance Board (such as Family Ski), its clear that the Balance Board is here to stay. The iMP PowerFit Battery conveniently replaces the four batteries that are required for the Balance Board with just one, meaning you have less time to worry about replacing batteries and more time to play.

Simply plug the battery into the USB port on your Wii using the included cable to charge it – you can even play and recharge the battery at the same time.

The iMP PowerFit Battery costs R199 and is available at ToyZone, AnimeWorx, Kalahari, Take 2 and BT Games.

If you want to store game cartridges and protect your DS at the same time, the iMP Play and Store case is a handy solution. It enables you to store 3 DS game cartridges and your stylus in a tray that pulls out below the bottom of the DS.

The iMP PowerFit Battery is a rechargeable battery for your Wii Balance Board. It can be recharged up to 500 times, is simple to connect and conveniently allows you to play and recharge at the same time.

We have two iMP Play and Store Cases as well as one iMP PowerFit Battery up for grabs. You can find out more details on our competitions page…and don’t forget to tell us if you want a red case or a pink one!

Check out our mini reviews of the Play and Store Case and the iMP PowerFit Battery for more information.

Thanks to MobileG for sponsoring these terrific prizes.

Xbox has sent us some 360 goodies to giveaway so listen up.

First prize is a Play and Charge Kit bundled with Ninja Gaiden II while scoring second place will earn you a copy of Vampire Rain as well as an Xbox cap and lanyard.

Head over to our competitions page, answer a simple question and voila you could be a winner!

Thanks Xbox!

Tucked away in a press release detailing SCEE’s PS3 line-up was the release date of Media Molecule’s highly anticipated LittleBigPlanet.

LittleBigPlanet will be released across PAL territories on the 29th of October. Earlier in the month the community-based game’s Japanese website revealed that it would be released on the 30th of October in Japan.

Starring Sackboy, LittleBigPlanet gives players the power to move anything in the landscape. Players can design, shape and build objects and locations as well as share these with other players via PlayStation Network.

Apart from the new 160GB PS3 and updated PSP, Sony also revealed a new Wireless Keypad for the PS3. The Keypad will launch across North America in late November and will be introduced in Japan, Europe and Asia by the end of the year.

The price has yet to be announced but keep a look out because Sony promise that the release date and price will be announced later in each region.

Designed to make text communications and web browsing easier, the Wireless Keypad is a new peripheral that snaps on to the top of a SIXAXIS or DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller. It can be easily attached or removed and allows for easier text communication than the on-screen keyboard.

In addition it supports text chat in PlayStation Home and enables gamers to enjoy interactivity playing online titles and enjoying entertainment content more smoothly. The Keypad includes a Touch Pad Button mode that turns the main key area into a touch pad where players simply slide their finger on this area to move the cursor on the screen and tap to enter.

PS3 owners will also be able to jump directly to pre-set features on XMB such as the “Friends” icon and the “Message Box” during game play thanks to two short cut buttons (a Communication Button and a Message Box button) on the Keypad. The Keypad features Bluetooth functionality and can be paired to the PS3 by connecting the keypad to the USB cable that is bundled with the PS3.

With games such as LittleBigPlanet featuring support text chat, PS3 owners will no doubt find the Wireless Keypad useful when it launches.

The new 160GB PS3 unveiled at Leipzig will be available across North America as part of a new limited edition Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune bundle. The bundle will be available in November for $499.99.

The bundle will include a copy of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, a PSN voucher for PAIN and a Dualshock 3 Wireless Controller. SCEA also confirmed that the previously announced 80GB PS3 has started shipping to retailers. It will be available for $399.99.

According to SCEA, PS3 momentum has soared in 2008 thanks to Blu-ray becoming the HD standard and the launch of key franchises including Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Grand Theft Auto IV and Metal Gear Solid 4. Sony anticipate that this momentum will continue into the holidays and beyond with their line-up including PS3 exclusives such as Buzz! Quiz TV, LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2, MotorStorm Pacific Rift and Killzone 2.

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SCEE has unveiled a new PSP that will become available in Japan, Asia, North America and Europe this October. The PSP-3000 will be available in Piano Black, Pearl White and Mystic Silver.

The PSP-3000 features an advanced LCD screen supporting higher image quality as well as a built-in microphone and will hit shelves across the PAL territories (Europe, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand) on the 15th of October. The new PSP will be available as a bundle including one software title for 199 Euros.

The PSP-3000 will be available across North America on the 14th of October in the previously announced Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters PSP Entertainment Pack as well as a new PSP 4GB Memory Entertainment Pack. The PSP Entertainment Packs will be available across the US for $199.99 this October while a standalone updated PSP in Piano Black will become available later this year as part of the PSP Core Pack for $169.99.

The PSP 40GB Memory Entertainment Pack will be the first bundle to feature the 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo and will be available in November. It will include a Piano Black PSP-3000, 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo and a PSN voucher to download Everyday Shooter.

The Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters PSP Entertainment Pack will include the Mystic Silver PSP-3000 (the first updated PSP to be available), a copy of Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, a National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets UMD video, a PSN voucher to download echochrome and a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo.

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SCEE today announced that the 160GB PS3 will launch across PAL territories on the 31st of October. It will retail for 449 Euros in a bundle including additional PlayStation Network content.

The 160GB PS3 boasts twice the storage capacity of current models, enabling gamers to download more games, demos and trailers from the PlayStation Network as well as store more videos, music and photos. With more games such as SingStar, Buzz! and LittleBigPlanet allowing gamers to download additional content, it looks like the extra storage space will be needed.

The iMP Pro Store Case is a great option if you want to protect your DS from scratches but don’t really want an extra bag to have to carry. The case acts as a shell around your DS that you never have to take off; you can play games while its on without much more than a slightly heavier weight to hold - which isn’t a problem unless you’re playing stylus based games where you don’t hold the DS vertically like The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass or Geometry Wars: Galaxies. Some might even find the added layer of polycarbonate makes the DS Lite easier to hold as it may fit their hands better.

In addition to the protection the case provides, there is also some storage space - below the bottom half of the DS the case has a little tray that pops out when you pull on it. This tray is able to hold 3 DS game cartridges and a stylus - in fact you have to store your stylus here as the case covers over the original stylus cavity. The tray is both fun and functional, and the whole package, including a stylus, comes in red, pink and black for just R99. The iMP Pro Store Case is available at ToyZone, AnimeWorx, Kalahari and Take 2.

Hot on the heels of Sony announcing that all instruments for the PS3 versions of three upcoming music games (Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Revolution) will be compatible, Microsoft has announced that all instruments for upcoming Xbox 360 rhythm games will be compatible too.

In a post on the Gamerscoreblog, Microsoft stated “All the instruments from Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, and Rock Revolution will be cross-compatible. In other words, welcome to the party.”

A game notably absent from the list was Lips, a game from developer iNis that features motion-sensitive microphones and appears to be Microsoft’s answer to Sony’s SingStar series.

Microsoft has announced that Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts will be released across North America on the 14th of November.

Not only will the game be priced at a budget $39.99, but if you pre-order the game you will receive a code to download the original Banjo Kazooie for free from Xbox Live Arcade. Gamers will be able to use this code to download the Xbox Live Arcade title two weeks before its official launch, that is before the general public have a crack at it.

Microsoft’s Gamerscoreblog also revealed the “Stop ‘N’ Swop” feature - if you complete certain challenges in Nuts & Bolts, you can unlock extra content in the Arcade version which is scheduled to be released a couple of weeks after the retail game ships.

Although Banjo Kazooie has yet to be dated for XBLA, the press release seems to have revealed that it may be released on Xbox Live Arcade on the 26th of November, or thereabouts.

Nuts & Bolts will also include the Jiggoseum (previously known as the World of Sports) where players can compete in sports events using the contraptions they create.

Last year EA announced that it would be developing various Hasbro games for consoles. Nerf N-Strike was one of those games, and caught gamers’ attention because it also happened to be the first NERF blaster action game.

The Wii game features a new custom NERF blaster that allows players to fire actual NERF darts with the controller outside the game (three foam darts are bundled with the blaster). If you want to use it in the traditional sense, that is, for actually playing a video game, you simply slide the Wii Remote into the NERF blaster and voila!

The game features single and multiplayer modes so players can blast away alone or challenge friends. Although the game’s target market is kids between the ages of 8 and 12, the NERF blaster makes sure that gamers a bit older than that will also enjoy the title.

Developed by EA’s Salt Lake Studio, Nerf N-Strike is scheduled to be available for the Wii and DS this fall. You will be able to pick up a copy of Nerf N-Strike, bundled with one gun, for $59.99 or buy the NERF add-on without the game for $14.99.

Source: Multiplayerblog

Two or three hours into Ninja Gaiden II, you will come to a very important realisation. It’s the kind of realisation that one sometimes gets in a game; that ‘Aha!’ moment when some characteristic or design principle is suddenly made clear as daylight and your perceptions of said game are shifted, redefined and solidified. This particular moment in Ninja Gaiden II happens during a boss fight – one of the earliest in the game – and the realisation is this: you are not having fun.

Continue reading El33tonline’s review of Ninja Gaiden II.