A list of top ten selling titles in Europe during 2007 reveals that Europeans prefer smart play over violence.

The IDG (International Development Group) values the European market at $17.9 billion in 2007, compared to $18.8 billion for the US. Forbes Online states that the European market is “dominated” by casual games and shows an “aversion to excessive violence”. Gaming news site Gamasutra adds “The number one selling title, actually released in 2006, is Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training (aka Brain Age) for the Nintendo DS. The only single format titles in the top ten are for the Nintendo DS and Wii, with the Nintendo DS described as controlling 26 percent of the European market. ”

Europe has twice the population of the U.S. the fragmented market - divided by different languages, cultures and laws - has often seen publishers concentrating on the North American and Japanese markets.

Euro Top Ten 2007:

1. Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training (Nintendo)
2. FIFA 2008 (Electronic Arts)
3. Wii Play (Nintendo)
4. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami)
5. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)
6. Need for Speed: ProStreet (Electronic Arts)
7. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft)
8. Call of Duty 4: Mordern Warfare (Activision)
9. Big Brain Academy (Nintendo)
10. The Simpsons Game (Electronic Arts)

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Online entertainment company KingsIsle Entertainment, Inc announced today the beta launch of Wizard101, a virtual world designed for tween and teen audiences. In the expansive virtual world, beta testers will find themselves exploring a magical world in the role of apprentice wizard at the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts.

Prospective game testers are invited to sign up for the beta at www.wizard101.com. Wizard101 was designed to fill the void between online play sites for the very young and massively multiplayer online games with mature ratings. The first beta testers have now joined the large cast of fantastical in-game characters for adventure and magic spell-collecting fun. Over the coming weeks, beta testers are invited to play the game (more…)

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Capcom and Nickelodeon today announced that they are working together to create a new Neopets title. Called Neopets Puzzle Adventure, this game will have 150 different quests across vast Neopian lands. Players will also be able to unlock codes that will allow players to unlock items in the virtual world on neopets.com.

“As part of Neopets’ strategy to extend the property into a multiplatform brand, we are continuously giving our audiences new ways to play on and off of the site,” said Kyra Reppen, Senior vice president and general manager for Neopets. “Our partnership with Capcom provides a new form of game play for Neopets that is relevant to the platforms our audience is using, and that complements the game play on the site.”

“Capcom is working to expand the breadth of our catalog to gamers of all ages in North America and Neopets is a perfect brand for us to bring to casual and family gamers,” said Germaine Gioia, senior vice president, licensing for Capcom Entertainment. “Combining Capcom’s experience, the rich world of Neopets, and Infinite Interactive’s skills in the puzzle/adventure genre makes a perfect match.”

Neopets Puzzle Adventure will release on PC, DS and Wii in late 2008

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License-based titles and film tie-ins make up the bulk of this week’s U.S. releases, with The Incredible Hulk, Kung Fu Panda, and Lego Indiana Jones finding their way to a majority of platforms in the coming days. PS3 and Xbox 360 owners will additionally see The Bourne Conspiracy and Codemasters’ racer GRID.

A select few platform exclusives round out North America’s release lineup. Ninja Gaiden II is set to debut on the Xbox 360, arriving as what could be this week’s most anticipated multiplatform release. On portables, SCEA’s golf sequel Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 seeks to fill the void left by conspicuously absent PSP ports of Kung Fu Panda and The Incredible Hulk, while Atlus provides Nintendo DS owners with a new localized RPG in Summon Night: Twin Age.

Nintendo Wii:
- The Incredible Hulk
- Kung Fu Panda
- Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

Xbox 360:
- GRID
- The Incredible Hulk
- Kung Fu Panda
- Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
- Ninja Gaiden II
- Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy

PlayStation 3: (more…)

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A new battle arena has been released for Wii title Mario Kart Wii, becoming one of the first ever pieces of downloadable content for an existing title on a Nintendo home console.

The small arena has been released as part of an online tournament for the game and features a simple circular design where players are challenged to knock four “Spikey Topmen” (spinning top-like enemies first featured in Super Mario Galaxy) off the edge in as short at time as possible.

The challenge can only be played in tournament mode, not in the standard multiplayer modes, and is available alongside downloadable “ghost” time trial cars for users to compete against.

Extra downloadable content of a type now commonplace on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are an atypical addition for the Wii, likely due to its limited internal storage space. MTV Games and Harmonix have chosen, for instance, to release new tracks for Rock Band in the form of new retail ‘track pack’ discs.

Nintendo has hinted of a “solution” to this issue for (more…)

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