While it's true that about 100 million people watch the Super Bowl every year, soccer is easily the world's most beloved and most watched sport. Madden might be tops in America, but EA Sports' FIFA series far outstrips it in overall sales -- because people outside of this country buy it. The latest iteration in the franchise was FIFA 10, which launched in early October everywhere except for North America.

In the four months since its release, FIFA 10 has sold an astounding 9.7 million copies worldwide across all platforms. Let me break that down for you: on average, that comes out to more than 75,000 sales per day. That's a hell of a lot of folks in their living rooms yelling "GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!"

FIFA 10 received high praise from critics -- it holds Metascores of 91 and 90 on PS3 and 360, respectively. And obviously, that has translated into a boatload of units moved, so while EA might be conservative in their forecasts for the rest of their 2010 fiscal year, they've at least got something to be ecstatic about.

While it's true that about 100 million people watch the Super Bowl every year, soccer is easily the world's most beloved and most watched sport. Madden might be tops in America, but EA Sports' FIFA series far outstrips it in overall sales -- because people outside of this country buy it. The latest iteration in the franchise was FIFA 10, which launched in early October everywhere except for North America.

In the four months since its release, FIFA 10 has sold an astounding 9.7 million copies worldwide across all platforms. Let me break that down for you: on average, that comes out to more than 75,000 sales per day. That's a hell of a lot of folks in their living rooms yelling "GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!"

FIFA 10 received high praise from critics -- it holds Metascores of 91 and 90 on PS3 and 360, respectively. And obviously, that has translated into a boatload of units moved, so while EA might be conservative in their forecasts for the rest of their 2010 fiscal year, they've at least got something to be ecstatic about.

From website 4Gamer.net comes the news that Nintendo is developing new hardware, and Shigeru Miyamoto is working on a new Wii Motion Plus game.

The news is a recent symposium in which Miyamoto discussed things like hamsters. 4Gamer does not quote him directly, but does state that Miyamoto revealed he is working on a game that uses Wii Motion Plus. This game is not the upcoming Legend of Zelda title.

At the 2008 E3 gaming expo in Los Angeles, Miyamoto announced that Nintendo was making a new Pikmin game.

What's more, 4Gamer reports that if Nintendo is working on new hardware that will be announced officially at a later date.

Here is a translation of the 4Gamer piece:

Regarding the next title everyone is interested in, there were some vague comments [from Miyamoto] that said the full body experience of Motion Plus will be used in Wii Legend of Zelda and another title. Since they are developing new hardware again, it seems like they would like to wait as an official announcement could be made shortly/afterward/later on.

The lack of direct quotes regarding both these issues are somewhat disconcerting with the recent he-said-she-said about things a Nintendo exec may or may not have said. 4Gamer did note that Miyamoto's remarks were "vague". The 4Gamer remarks are also vague, and what's more, peppered with speculation.

When contacted about Miyamoto's remarks, Nintendo of America replied, "Our development teams are always working on new possibilities for future hardware and software, but we have nothing to announce at this time."

Likewise, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata stated in a recent investors meeting, "Naturally, we are always developing new hardware."

Of course, Nintendo is working on new hardware and new games. The same is true for Sony and Microsoft. But is Nintendo announcing any of that new hardware in the new future? Nintendo does have a press conference later this month.

4Gamer.net - ?????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????13??????????????????????????????New ???????????? Wii? [4Gamer]

Nintendo sent out a press release today triumphantly boasting of victory in an Australian court over a man accused of pirating New Super Mario Bros. Wii. And how this single man now owes the mega-rich company $1.5 million.

Last November, Nintendo says it was able to "employ the use of sophisticated technological forensics" to catch the man, James Burt, who has been convicted of uploading the word's first pirated copy of New Super Mario Bros. Wii onto the internet.

Burt - a single man, not a company or group - now must pay the Japanese publisher and platform holder AUD$1.5 million (USD$1.3 million), "to compensate Nintendo for the loss of sales revenue caused by the individual's actions."

Yes, he broke the law. And as a pirate, should be punished. But this is a game that's sold over 10 million copies in just three months.

Nothing like a little disproportionate punishment to maintain that lovable image, eh Nintendo?

While it's true that about 100 million people watch the Super Bowl every year, soccer is easily the world's most beloved and most watched sport. Madden might be tops in America, but EA Sports' FIFA series far outstrips it in overall sales -- because people outside of this country buy it. The latest iteration in the franchise was FIFA 10, which launched in early October everywhere except for North America.

In the four months since its release, FIFA 10 has sold an astounding 9.7 million copies worldwide across all platforms. Let me break that down for you: on average, that comes out to more than 75,000 sales per day. That's a hell of a lot of folks in their living rooms yelling "GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!"

FIFA 10 received high praise from critics -- it holds Metascores of 91 and 90 on PS3 and 360, respectively. And obviously, that has translated into a boatload of units moved, so while EA might be conservative in their forecasts for the rest of their 2010 fiscal year, they've at least got something to be ecstatic about.

Introversion Software's port of the award-winning Darwinia comes to Xbox Live Marketplace this week for 1200 Microsoft Points. The abstract strategy game may not be the most graphically impressive of XBLA offerings, but its gameplay is rock solid. [Xbox.com]

With all the talk about Sonic 4, it's easy to forget that Konami is gearing its own downloadable retro reboot with Rocket Knight. Of course, that's also partially thanks to the fact that Konami's barely mentioned the bloody thing since its announcement. 

Fortunately, we've been given a healthy reminder today thanks to some new art assets that have dropped. It's not much to go on, but it's certainly something at the very least. Make sure you check out the pictures. Or don't, if you don't want to. We're not really telling you what to do.

With all the talk about Sonic 4, it's easy to forget that Konami is gearing its own downloadable retro reboot with Rocket Knight. Of course, that's also partially thanks to the fact that Konami's barely mentioned the bloody thing since its announcement. 

Fortunately, we've been given a healthy reminder today thanks to some new art assets that have dropped. It's not much to go on, but it's certainly something at the very least. Make sure you check out the pictures. Or don't, if you don't want to. We're not really telling you what to do.

With all the talk about Sonic 4, it's easy to forget that Konami is gearing its own downloadable retro reboot with Rocket Knight. Of course, that's also partially thanks to the fact that Konami's barely mentioned the bloody thing since its announcement. 

Fortunately, we've been given a healthy reminder today thanks to some new art assets that have dropped. It's not much to go on, but it's certainly something at the very least. Make sure you check out the pictures. Or don't, if you don't want to. We're not really telling you what to do.

Press Play's puzzle-style platformer Max & the Magic Marker has been out in Europe for weeks now, and we don't even have a release date for North America. What gives? The latest update on this front is that we'll be getting it in March. Yeah, just "March."

For the time being, the PC and Mac versions are now available digitally. The game is $19.99, sure, but there's a demo; no need to blind buy or outright pass on Max & the Magic Marker. Although, if you're willing to wait it out a tad bit longer, the WiiWare version will cost half as much.

I'm probably going to regret saying this in the near future, but for now, I feel like I'll never grow tired of these games that involve you actively drawing to solve puzzles. You know, stuff like Crayon Physics and, uh, something else that doesn't immediately come to mind.

It wouldn't be a modern-day racing game without downloadable cars, right? Ferrari lovers will be pleased to know that Need for Speed SHIFT is about to get an all-Ferrari add-on soon. Exclusively hitting Xbox LIVE on February 16 for $10, the "Ferrari Racing Series" DLC contains the following cars:

• 1996 Ferrari F50 GT
• 2005 Ferrari F430 Spider
• 2005 Ferrari FXX
• 2005 Ferrari Superamerica
• 2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
• 2006 Ferrari F430 Challenge (Online/Quick event only)
• 2006 Ferrari F430 GTC (Online/Quick event only)
• 2007 Ferrari 430 Scuderia
• 2008 Ferrari California
• 2008 Ferrari 16M Scuderia Spider

But wait, there's more! 46 new career mode challenges and 125 Gamerpoints are also included in this fine digital package. It's been quite some time since Ferrari has been involved with the Need for Speed brand, so this is cool to see.

As for the Xbox 360 exclusivity, yeah, I don't know. Seems like business as usual, though.

This latest trailer explains the close combat in Aliens vs. Predator. Ironically, the video only tells you the Xbox 360 controls, which already has a control layout in the demo. The demo that really needs help with the controls, the PC version, has been left high and dry. You're just going to have to guess the keys for that one. 

Anyway, if you've been getting hacked to pieces too many times, this video will show you how to deal with a close encounter. It's all about the block button. Yes, we didn't know there was one either until someone outside of the demo pointed it out to us. 

People are starting to get the hang of counters and blocking in the demo, which is starting to annoy me as it's getting harder to win matches. I don't like being challenged, least of all by smartass Predators who think they're cool just because they look like insectoid Bob Marleys.

White Knight Chronicles: International Edition presents the classic coming-of-age tale of a teenager learning what it truly means to be a thirty foot-tall killer robot.

Dark Cloud developer Level-5's first foray onto the PlayStation 3, White Knight Chronicles tells the tale of a teenaged orphan named Leonard, who through a series of unfortunate circumstances makes a pact with the White Knight, a powerful weapon of war from the distant past. Using his newfound ability to transform into a gigantic armored behemoth, Leonard sets out on an epic quest to rescue a kidnapped princess and solve the mystery of the Knights.

It's a relatively straightforward role-playing game, only made less so by the inclusion of Geonet, an online community feature where players can join up with up to three others to participate in challenging optional quests, earning fame, fortune, and materials to help you create and maintain your own online town.

Could this be a wholly original role-playing game, despite starring an orphan with strange powers and a mysterious past? Probably not, but read the review anyway.

Loved
What A Wonderful World: White Knight Chronicles takes place in a large, expansive, and vibrant world that teems with life, from the bustling towns to the arid deserts. The art design is a pleasant melding of several disparate elements and influences, from the hint of Persona-esque oddity in certain creature designs to the giant knights, the look of which hints at a possible Gundam inspiration. The familiar feel is counterbalanced by some truly unique settings. The walking city of Gried is completely breathtaking, but not nearly as impressive as one of the environments you'll find yourself clinging to later in the game. I won't spoil it.

Building A Better Adventurer: Creating your custom character is just the beginning. I can't recall a semi-traditional role-playing game that gave you anywhere near the level of control over your characters statistics as White Knight Chronicles does. Every level you are given skill points, which can be doled out in any of eight different skill sets, including six weapons and two types of magic. You can pour all of your points into one specialty, or scatter them about, picking up statistic bonuses from others to bolster your character's statistics. Once you've got some skills lined up, you can create custom combo attacks, stringing together weapon attacks (and a little elemental magic, if you're feeling fancy), to create devastating sequences limited only by the amount of Action Chips you've accrued through using normal attacks.

It can get a bit complicated and time consuming. Characters have a limited amount of skills available at any one time, so a player could spend a good twenty minutes just making sure they have the right abilities on hand for any given quest. Still, it's a system that rewards the patient and calculating, while not crippling those who'd rather simply hit the enemy again and again until they die.

Quests, Quests, and More Quests: If playing through the main storyline is too easy for you, then you need to give the quest system a try. While the named player characters are off adventuring, your personal avatar can slip off to perform a large number of increasingly difficult quests. While they start off simply enough, requiring you to kill X number of monsters in X minutes, the goals and enemies you face will become more powerful as your guild rank increases and you unlock tougher challenges.

While some quests are doable alone, Level-5 and Sony have created a strong community backbone for online questing in Geonet, encouraging players to play together by maintaining online adventurer logs, friends lists, and lists of folks you might have just run with once or twice along the way. It's a whole other side of the game, and with a little more polish it could have very well been a game unto itself, perhaps even challenging Capcom's Monster Hunter series for online adventuring dominance. Okay, a lot more polish.

Level 5 Knows Town Building: Straddling the gap between the questing system and the main story is your Georama, a town you create with materials you find in game then populate with characters recruited in game, but dependent on developing a high guild level through questing in order to grow to any great size. Creating your own town can be quite complicated, from gathering the right ingredients to craft the building you want, to pairing up resident in homes in order to raise the statistics needed to generate rare raw materials, which can then be crafted into rare equipment. This game-within-a-game can function as the ultimate reward for those conquering both the online and offline aspects of White Knight Chronicles, as it takes elements of both for your city to thrive.

Or a hefty wallet. The PlayStation Store is crammed with town enhancements, available for purchase to players too impatient to hunt for the right materials.

Your Style Shows: I don't know about your role-playing game preferences, but I like to see my equipment choices reflected on my characters immediately, and White Knight Chronicles does just that, maintaining the appearance you give both your custom creation and the story characters throughout the game's cut scenes. It may not be a big deal to some of you, but it means the world to me.

Hated
Some Closure Please?: It's hard to talk about White Knight Chronicles' story critically without spoiling major plot points, but I'm tempted, especially considering how predictable the game's major plot points are. When someone watching me play the game for all of thirty minutes determines the true identity of one of the game's main villains without possessing any foreknowledge of that game whatsoever, then you've got a predictable game, but that's not my main issue with the plot of White Knight Chronicles. My main problem is that Level-5 built this game with the sequel in mind, so when you reach the end, don't expect any big revelations or any real closure whatsoever.

One particular story arc, important enough for a series of cut scenes that interrupts the main story sporadically, goes absolutely nowhere. A group sets off on a journey, they continue the journey, stop for a beer, and then continue the journey. Maybe they'll make the game a trilogy, and they can walk throughout the second one as well.

So Big, So Expansive, So Lost: The large, gorgeous landscapes and dungeons of White Knight Chronicles do have one drawback: it's incredibly easy to get lost. I'm sure several hours of my 35-hour-plus play through were spent trying to find my way from point A to point B. The maps do contain helpful stars telling you where your next goal is, but when you're in a multi-level area and not on the level your goal is, those stars disappear. I'm almost get the feeling Level-5 was trying to get the player lost on purpose, as even when you're traveling with a guest character who should know the area you are in like the back of his hand, he provides no assistance whatsoever in navigating your maze-like surroundings.

The Waiting Game: For all of the flexibility you have in managing your characters' battle skills, the fighting itself is a major let-down. It's essentially a turn-based system with an element of positioning that really doesn't matter all that much. You've got a circle meter that fills with varying degrees of slowness according to the armor your character is wearing. Once the circle is complete you can execute a command, and then wait again. Combos briefly turn the gauge into a sequence of timed button presses, but the meter is always there. You can maneuver yourself around the enemy, but it doesn't seem to help you avoid attacks one way or the other. Call it Final Fantasy XI, or Final Fantasy XII without the benefit of highly customizable AI actions; either way it's not the way I want to fight in a RPG.

Easy Like Sunday Morning: My first death in White Knight Chronicles came about twenty hours into the game, and that was only because my healer got stuck trying to jump off of a ledge and wasn't actually doing any healing. With such an intricate skills and combo creation system in place, one would expect the game to be a bit more challenging in order to reward those that master it. Instead, I spent most of the game using my character's low-end attack, building up so I can transform into the White Knight and wipe the field with my enemies. Later in the game I stopped using the White Knight altogether outside of boss fights, in order to ensure I had points available to transform when needed.

The one-handed sword skillset has something like thirty different usable skills. I made it through the game (outside of some experimentation) using one or two of them. That doesn't seem right to me.

You're Just There: I spent a good half-hour to an hour creating the perfect digital representation of myself using White Knight Chronicles' robust character creation tools. I launched the game, excited about seeing how my character fit into the story. Aside from a few references to the "new guy" within the first hour of play and the odd exchanged glance, he didn't. Outside of fighting, my character might as well have been a cardboard cutout, placed in the background of scenes of great import. In fact, I would have enjoyed the inclusion of my character in the story more had he been a cardboard cutout. At least then I would have gotten a giggle or two out of it.

I realize that your character is mainly in the game to represent you when playing the game online, but that almost makes it worse. Here I am, running off to do all of these quests in the middle of our grand adventure, and no one even acknowledges that I exist, much less my great accomplishments. Level-5 might have been better off making the online game and the offline game two different titles.

What do you look for in a role-playing game? The role-playing genre means different things to every player, so it's important to know the answer to that question before reading too much into this review. In my case, I want a solid adventure with compelling characters, a solid plot, and a resolution that makes me feel like I've accomplished something. I also enjoy managing the minutiae, assigning skill points, maxing out my armor and weapon enhancements, and seeing real results of my toil on the field of battle. Going by those guidelines, White Knight Chronicles is, at best, inconsistent. The characters are compelling, but the story falls short, leaving me feeling unfulfilled. The micromanagement I crave is there, but the fruits of my labor are wasted in the single-player story, only ripening once I delve deeper into the optional quest system. Ultimately it doesn't quite live up to my expectations.

White Knight Chronicles certainly has its fair share of brilliant moments. Creating a devastating combo, harvesting rare components from your Georama, or taking on a particularly difficult quest by yourself - these are the moments when the game truly shines. It also has its share of low points - realizing just hitting the enemy repeatedly with the same attack works just as well, catching a glimpse of your wooden character creation in the background of an important scene, or the ending of the story as a whole - which nullify the game's brilliance, leaving us with a title that's simply average.

White Knight Chronicles: International Edition was developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment on February 2nd for the PlayStation 3. Retails for $59.99 USD. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played through the main story completely. Testing online multiplayer questing and extensively explored the Geonet town-building mechanic.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

This latest trailer explains the close combat in Aliens vs. Predator. Ironically, the video only tells you the Xbox 360 controls, which already has a control layout in the demo. The demo that really needs help with the controls, the PC version, has been left high and dry. You're just going to have to guess the keys for that one. 

Anyway, if you've been getting hacked to pieces too many times, this video will show you how to deal with a close encounter. It's all about the block button. Yes, we didn't know there was one either until someone outside of the demo pointed it out to us. 

People are starting to get the hang of counters and blocking in the demo, which is starting to annoy me as it's getting harder to win matches. I don't like being challenged, least of all by smartass Predators who think they're cool just because they look like insectoid Bob Marleys.

Owners of the Xbox 360 version of EA's Need For Speed Shift will get a chance to get behind the wheel of 10 new Ferraris next week thanks to the Ferrari Racing Pack.

The Xbox 360 exclusive, 800 Microsoft Points download also adds, in addition to the cars listed below, 46 new Ferrari-specific challenges including hot laps, eliminators, endurance races and a world tour, plus 125 new Gamerscore points.

Some of the cheapest Ferraris you can buy (starting February 16) include:

1. 1996 Ferrari F50 GT
2. 2005 Ferrari F430 Spider
3. 2005 Ferrari FXX
4. 2005 Ferrari Superamerica
5. 2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
6. 2006 Ferrari F430 Challenge (Online/Quick event only)
7. 2006 Ferrari F430 GTC (Online/Quick event only)
8. 2007 Ferrari 430 Scuderia
9. 2008 Ferrari California
10. 2008 Ferrari 16M Scuderia Spider

This latest trailer explains the close combat in Aliens vs. Predator. Ironically, the video only tells you the Xbox 360 controls, which already has a control layout in the demo. The demo that really needs help with the controls, the PC version, has been left high and dry. You're just going to have to guess the keys for that one. 

Anyway, if you've been getting hacked to pieces too many times, this video will show you how to deal with a close encounter. It's all about the block button. Yes, we didn't know there was one either until someone outside of the demo pointed it out to us. 

People are starting to get the hang of counters and blocking in the demo, which is starting to annoy me as it's getting harder to win matches. I don't like being challenged, least of all by smartass Predators who think they're cool just because they look like insectoid Bob Marleys.

Assuming you're still hooked into the Cerberus Network, you can look forward to some free downloadable content for Mass Effect 2 tomorrow. Both the Xbox 360 and PC versions are getting "Cerberus Assault Armor" and the "M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun."

As far as stats are concerned, the armor increases heavy weapon ammo capacity, shields, and health by ten percent. As is the case with all of Shepard's outfits, I'm going to pass so long as the helmet stays on at all times. I'd never want to miss seeing his wide range of facial expressions.

The shotgun is supposed to pierce armor and be effective even at longer ranges. What else can be said? It's a gun; you point it at people that you aren't particularly fond of. Personally, I'd rather do one-hit kills from far away with a sniper rifle than risk running up close with a shotgun for a similar effect.

Still, free content is free!

Assuming you're still hooked into the Cerberus Network, you can look forward to some free downloadable content for Mass Effect 2 tomorrow. Both the Xbox 360 and PC versions are getting "Cerberus Assault Armor" and the "M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun."

As far as stats are concerned, the armor increases heavy weapon ammo capacity, shields, and health by ten percent. As is the case with all of Shepard's outfits, I'm going to pass so long as the helmet stays on at all times. I'd never want to miss seeing his wide range of facial expressions.

The shotgun is supposed to pierce armor and be effective even at longer ranges. What else can be said? It's a gun; you point it at people that you aren't particularly fond of. Personally, I'd rather do one-hit kills from far away with a sniper rifle than risk running up close with a shotgun for a similar effect.

Still, free content is free!

It's already been confirmed that Burnout developer Criterion has its hands in the Need for Speed franchise. But if Burnout's fast pace and twisted steel isn't your thing, don't worry -- Electronic Arts has confirmed that it has not one but two Need for Speed titles in the works. 

Holiday of 2010 will see the release of Criterion's Need for Speed title, referred to by EA Chief Operating Officer John Schappert on today's financial call as an action title. Early 2011 (January-March) will see the release of a second Need for Speed title, this one a simulation title, possibly a follow up to last year's Need for Speed: SHIFT.

You can can play both titles, no one's stopping you. But if you had to choose, what would you prefer? A Need for Speed simulation title or a Need for Speed action title?

Registered Cerberus Network members will be receiving a special treat tomorrow, when the Cerberus Assault Armor and M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun become available for free download.

According to a post in the BioWare community forums, the two new pieces of equipment will be available to download free for Xbox 360 and PC players tomorrow at noon Mountain time. All that's required is an active membership in the Cerberus Network, which you should have, unless you somehow picked up a copy used, in which case you are made of magic.

Here are the stats for the new equipment:

Cerberus Assault Armor
Cerberus assault armor is designed for shock troops, turn the tide of battle against creatures or forces that would decimate normal soldiers.
Increases heavy weapon ammo capacity by +10%
Increases shields by +10%
Increases health by +10%

M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun
The M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun is a longer-range shotgun with armor-piercing loads. This design also violates several intergalactic weapons treaties, so the M-22a is not distributed to militaries.

Being a firm believer in the power of longer range shotguns, I approve wholeheartedly.

You can see more shots of the Cerberus Assault Armor in action at the Mass Effect 2 arsenal page. I wonder if the helment comes off?

Cerberus Armor and Eviscerator Shotgun DLC Available Tomorrow Feb 9 [BioWare Community Forums - Thanks Luke!]