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News broke recently out of the latest Nintendo Power, and has been confirmed officially by Ubisoft, that a new TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) fighter is currently underway for Wii, and that it’s slated for a September 2009 release.

Without being based on any specific release (movie, television show, or otherwise) the game will need to stand on its own merits, so Ubisoft has built a team up of ex-Smash Bros. and Team Ninja developers to tackle the task, with the team starting concept work in October of 2007, and full-on development in January of this year.

Very little is known so far, but confirmed already is the game’s 2.5D design (Smash-inspired, obviously), a glow effect color system so players can keep track of their fighter mid-battle, four-player fighting, unlockable characters and stages, and a few specific modes. Ubisoft didn’t say much on that front, adding only that there will be Story Mode, Battle Royal, Tournament, Practice, and two Winner/Loser Stays modes. In addition, the online aspects are said to have better implementation than Nintendo’s own Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which would certainly make this one a real contender against Wii’s top mascot fighter. If, of course, they can pull it off.

While news is still slim, an Ubisoft producer was quoted stating that “While this is a licensed game, it’s not tied to any movie or TV show. For this game to succeed on its own it needs to be a great game.”

That got us wondering. What style will we see for the TMNT fighter? We’d assume with 2.5D and the recent success of the TMNT movie (2007) that it’d be a hybrid of that design, mixed with their own artistic style thrown in. With that being said, the inner Turtles fan in us would love to see a game based on the classic comics that got the whole franchise started back in 1984.

As long as the game doesn’t have Genghis Frog in it though, we’re happy.

With November 2008 US sales figures from industry-research firm the NPD Group expected later this week, the top game-industry analysts have released their own estimates for the month. The consensus is that the traditionally frantic holiday season was subdued somewhat by the surging recession, with game sales enjoying only a modest year-over-year increase. Though he believes all three consoles sold in record numbers, Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter thinks that overall, domestic game revenue was $1.4 billion, up just 7 percent from $1.31 billion in 2007.

While cautiously optimistic about the industry as a whole, analysts gave unusually downbeat assessments of two pillars of the game industry. First, Pachter estimates that Electronic Arts will see a 16 percent year-over-year decline in revenue, thanks to poor showings of the new property Mirror’s Edge (300,000 units for the month) and Need for Speed Undercover (350,000 units). Though it enjoyed better reviews, Rock Band 2 also sold a disappointing 350,000 units during the month on two platforms–the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. (PlayStation 2 and Wii versions are due out next week.)

Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Group, the firm helping Midway stave off bankruptcy, went one step further. He thinks the underperformance of Mirror’s Edge, Rock Band 2, and Need for Speed Undercover might lead to more layoffs and Tiberium-esque cancellations. “We believe EA is continuing to review its cost structure and franchise base, and it is possible that management will announce further cuts in headcount and the development pipeline (including existing franchises) over the coming quarters,” he summarized.

While EA’s woes are likely pure schadenfreude to Activision Blizzard executives’ ears, this week also saw Pachter predict its sales would slip 14 percent year on year. This slide is in large part due to one of the megapublisher’s top franchises hitting market saturation. “Probably the most talked about issue this month is the lack of sales for Guitar Hero: World Tour,” declared Jesse Divnich of Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR). “Currently, we expect unit sales to decline by more than 50 percent series-over-series for November. This is coming off the October month where series-over-series units declined by more than 60 percent.”

Divnich also pointed out that, rather than command a premium like Wii Fit, Guitar Hero World Tour is beginning to sell under its suggested retail price on the eBay auction service. “It is pretty clear that the series has already reached its peak among the mass-market audience,” he explained with the following caveat. “Of course, we are not suggesting that the Guitar Hero (or Rock Band) franchise will be disappearing anytime soon.”

SOURCE: Gamespot

A recent article from digital spy (via videogaming247) cites a study from The Diffusion Group (TDG) estimating that “190 million households worldwide will own a next-generation console by 2012.” Of those 190 million households, TDG believes 110 million next-generation consoles will be signed up for Xbox Live, the PlayStation Network, or Nintendo’s Wii Online. Of course, these figures could change if industry sales numbers surpass expectations in 2009, 2010, and/or 2011 like they did in 2006 and 2007.

SOURCE: 1Up.com

The Nintendo Wii is the top selling video game console of this new generation, but gamers complain that quality games for the Wii are hard to find. Sure, you already have Nintendo Wii must-have games that came out this year like Super Smash Bros Brawl, Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii (if you don’t have them, get them now!), so what else is there? Well, to help you out we selected five games that are also must-have games that can only be found on Nintendo Wii:

5. Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party

The Rabbids are chasing after Rayman when they get struck by lightning and somehow get stuck in Rayman’s TV.  TV Party is a series of mini-games that ranges to everything from snowboarding and wrestling to dancing and racing. The game makes use of both the Wii Remote and the Wii Balance Board for what looks like endless fun.

4. Animal Crossing: City Folk

The game was announced over the summer and Nintendo were excited. If you’ve never played an Animal Crossing game before, it’s basically a life simulation similar to The Sims or Sim City, and is one of the most popular Nintendo franchises. One of the big things about the game is the introduction of WiiSpeak, a microphone that enables voice chat over the Wii’s wi-fi connection.

3. Shaun White Snowboarding Road Trip

Yes, Shaun White Snowboarding is available for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, but Road Trip is a totally different experience specifically made for the Nintendo Wii. From the graphics to the game play, the Wii version of the game is the best, hands down. While the game can be played using the Wii Remote, it’s best to be played with the Wii Balance Board where you can actually mimic snowboarding movements. The game’s design is drastically different than the PS3 and Xbox 360 version, with a more animated look, fitting for the Wii gamer.

To find out what the final two are, please click here.

National Geographic Games will operate within their extended platforms group, headed up by senior VP, Paul Levine. The unit will publish and develop games across all the major platforms – Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360, as well as hand-held portables like PSP and the Nintendo DS and online and mobile platforms.

The announcement of the new group coincides with the release of National Geographic Panda – a virtual pet simulation game developed and published by Namco Bandai.