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Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia Tops NY Times Charts

I was surprised and thrilled to see that The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia topped The NY Times best-seller list for “hardcover advice & misc.” The book is a collaboration between Nintendo and Dark Horse Books. It tells the history of The Legend of Zelda franchise, outlines the official canon, and is illustrated by tons of fantastic concept art. Hyrule Historia features contributions from Shigeru Miyamoto, Eiji Aonuma, and Akira Himekawa. Here’s the Amazon.com description:

Dark Horse Books and Nintendo team up to bring you The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, containing an unparalleled collection of historical information on The Legend of Zelda franchise. This handsome hardcover contains never-before-seen concept art, the full history of Hyrule, the official chronology of the games, and much more! Starting with an insightful introduction by the legendary producer and video-game designer of Donkey Kong, Mario, and The Legend of Zelda, Shigeru Miyamoto, this book is crammed full of information about the storied history of Link’s adventures from the creators themselves!

For gamers — especially longtime Nintendo fans — this is pretty much the best coffee-table book ever made. While I knew it would be popular with videogame aficionados (duh), I was still surprised to see it top a NY Times best-seller list…but perhaps I shouldn’t have been. A lot of people that grew up with Zelda are at an age where they’re buying fancy coffee tables and need fancy books to put on top of them. Hell, Robin Williams named his hot daughter — Zelda Williams costar of Noobz — after the game.

It’s fantastic seeing how mainstream gaming has become. If you had asked Fledgling Gamer Me if a videogame book would be at the top of the NY Times best-seller list, well…I probably wouldn’t have paid any attention to you because I was glued to my Fairchild Channel F. However, if you asked me that question when I first started writing about games for Happy Puppy, I would have said not for a very, very long time. Yet it hasn’t been all that long (humor me) and Hyrule Historia reigns supreme!

Any of you surprised by the book’s success? Any of you have it or plan on getting it (through the nifty Amazon link above, please)? Now please excuse me, as I need to order the book for my (totally cheap Ikea) coffee table.

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

There are a bunch of videogame goodies available for your consumption this week. Sly Cooper makes his long-awaited return in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. As a mark for the series and the character, I’m really looking forward to that one. Dead Space 3 has some fans excited, though others are concerned about the latest installment being more about action than survival-horror. 3DS fans looking for a good RPG should be pleased as punch with Fire Emblem Awakening. Last, but not least, is a game that’s perfect for fans of fighting and manga: Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

NPD Group’s Top 10 Games of 2012

After 12 months of heated battle, the results are in! Here are the 10 best-selling videogames according to the NPD Group. This list counts for console games sold at retail in the United States.

There are several fascinating takeaways here. First, it’s awfully impressive that there are two Call of Duty games on the list, which is a testament to the franchise’s immense and enduring popularity. LEGO Batman 2 is one of the few videogames that stars Hawkgirl, proving once again that Hawkgirl equals mad sales. I was happy to see Borderlands 2 on the list. Remember when a prominent videogame analyst said the original was “sent to die”? If videogame series could talk, Borderlands would be saying, “How do you like dem apples, Pachter!!!” (Just kidding, Michael.)

Did America’s most popular videogames pan out the way you thought they would? Please leave a comment with your thoughts on NPD’s top 10 of 2012.

Pokemon X and Y: At Last, 3D Pokemon!

The Pokemon Company and Nintendo have released the first trailer for Pokemon X and Y for Nintendo 3DS. These will be the first fully 3D portable games in the insanely popular and awesome series. In addition to the new graphics, Pokemon X and Y will feature over 700 Pokemon. The trailer shows the three new starters (Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie), as well as two new legendary types (Xerneas and Yveltal).

When I first saw the game’s name, I mistook it for Pokemon X/Y and feared that it was a Pokemon/Coldplay crossover. Thankfully, that’s not the case. As an ardent Pokemon fan, I can’t wait to play this game when it’s released in October 2013. I’m sure it will be another excellent installment of the Pokemon series with new twists on the deep battle system.

For the record, I choose Chespin. I’ve always been partial to grass Pokemon…though Fennekin looks pretty cool too. Any of you excited for the game? Which starter looks best to you?

Super Mario Bros. vs X-Men

Artist Casey Edwards is selling prints of Super Mario Bros. characters decked out like X-Men. The complete set runs $30 and consists of four prints that feature two characters each. Here’s the lineup:

Mario as Wolverine
Princess Peach as Phoenix
Luigi as Cyclops
Yoshi as Rogue
Donkey Kong as Colossus
Diddy Kong as Nightcrawler
Blue Toad as Angel
Yellow Toad as Jubilee

The art is…more

Mario as Wolverine
Princess Peach as Phoenix
Luigi as Cyclops
Yoshi as Rogue
Donkey Kong as Colossus
Diddy Kong as Nightcrawler
Blue Toad as Angel
Yellow Toad as Jubilee

The art is adorable and I hope Edwards does well with these. Check out the image below and let me know what you think (please!).

Source via Geeky Tyrant

Today’s Poll: Predict the 2013 Console Business

2012 was a rough year for the console gaming business. A lot of people believe that mobile devices and the vast improvement in the quality of mobile games are the key reasons for the decline in console game sales. Others believe that the current generation is simply long in the tooth and new hardware is needed to kickstart the console business. Some believe that the three major console companies haven’t done enough with digital distribution and relying on the boxed-disc model has hurt sales. Whatever the reason, sales figures are down and there are a lot of questions about console gaming heading into 2013.

How do you think things will pan out? Will console game sales roar back? Will sales continue to decline? Or will things remain about the same. Please vote in today’s poll and expand on your answer in the comments section.

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This Week’s Video Game Releases

It’s a huge week for the gaming business with the release of the Wii U and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. In addition to Activision’s monster release and all the Wii U launch titles, a number of notable games hit store shelves this week. Disney’s Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two continues Warren Spector’s awesome take on the world’s most famous mouse. LEGO Lord of the Rings brings a tried-and-true gameplay formula to Middle-earth. Scribblenauts Unlimited takes one of the most inventive games released in the last decade to a new level. Lastly, if you’re looking for classic arcade action then Midway Arcade Origins will do you good.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

This Week’s Videogame Releases

It’s a huge week for the gaming business with Microsoft’s launch of Halo 4 leading the way. It will surely be one of the biggest releases of 2012. Are you buying it? Racing fans get a pair of goodies with LittleBigPlanet Karting and NASCAR The Game: Inside Line. Do you miss fighting alongside Goku and the gang? Then pick up Dragon Ball Z Budokai HD Collection and raise your power level to over 9,000. Not into shooting, racing, or fighting? How about some farming with Harvest Moon: A New Beginning? As a tactical-RPG mark, I have high hopes for Ragnarok Tactics (hopefully I can find my PSP). Lastly, if you’re looking for the most bang for your buck then you should consider Mass Effect Trilogy and Saints Row The Third: The Full Package.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

This Week’s Videogame Releases

It’s an absolutely loaded week for game releases, with heavy hitters like WWE 13 and Assassin’s Creed III hitting store shelves. The latter is accompanied by Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, which serves as a companion quest for the PlayStation Vita. But wait, there’s more! Need For Speed: Most Wanted might have a recycled name, but it (allegedly) brings all-new racing-action to the table. Ragnarok Odyssey brings the world of the hugely popular Ragnarok Online to the Vita. A group of Konami classics gets the compilation treatment in Zone of the Enders: HD Collection, while Sony’s venerable Killzone series gets bundled up as the Killzone Trilogy Collection. Lastly, if you’re looking for a game about a bunch of guys (made up of blocks) walking to a volcano (also made of blocks) then LEGO Lord of the Rings will be right up your alley (portable versions hit first).

Any of you picking up new games this week?

PETA vs. Pokemon: The Idiocy Continues

Remember last year when PETA went after Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. franchise, pointing out the “animal cruelty” involved with Mario’s Tanooki suit? The idiocy continues with PETA going after Nintendo’s popular Pokemon franchise in a parody game called Pokemon Black and Blue. Here’s an excerpt from the game page:

The amount of time that Pokémon spend stuffed in pokéballs is akin to how elephants are chained up in train carts, waiting to be let out to “perform” in circuses. But the difference between real life and this fictional world full of organized animal fighting is that Pokémon games paint rosy pictures of things that are actually horrible.

What’s up with PETA’s hate for Nintendo? Out of all the game publishers in the world, Nintendo is one of the most family-friendly. Furthermore, PETA’s premise is stupid. The Pokemon games are about cooperation and they encourage players to take care of their animal companions. As far as videogames go, they’re pretty innocent. The series has sold hundreds of millions of copies and it hasn’t resulted in hundreds of millions of animal abusers. I’m all for treating animals with care, but PETA’s campaigns against Nintendo are amazingly misguided. It’s hard to respect an organization that does so many stupid things.

What do you think of PETA’s stance against Pokemon? Does the organization have a legitimate point? Do you think there’s a high-ranking PETA official that sucked at Nintendo games as a kid and is trying to get revenge through these moronic campaigns?

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