Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Just in case you didn't hear him the first time he said it, Kaufman Bros. analyst Todd Mitchell has reiterated his belief that the Wii only truly benefits Nintendo, and that third-party developers have only seen "isolated successes" on the console.

Mitchell's argument may have been aired before, but it's also tricky to dismiss, especially as only two third-party titles have so far broken the one million sales barrier (launch twosome Red Steel and Rayman Raving Rabbids). Then again, when it comes to top-drawer, original Wii software, Nintendo has delivered on a fairly regular basis. With the odd exception or two, can the same really be said of other publishers?

[Via Go Nintendo]

Some would argue that Far Cry Vengeance was beyond help, though we maintain to this day that the Ubiport would have been vastly improved with added Rabbids. Clearly, some swashbuckling young designer at Ubisoft shares our thoughts on this crucial issue.

The image above is one of nine spoofs to appear recently on the game's official site, all of which feature Rabbids invading a variety of Ubi's more well-known games. Sadly, none of them come in wallpaper size, which is precisely what these would be ideal for. Oh well.

Hop past the break for images of "Bunny Steel," "Bunnies' Creed," and "Rainbow Six Bunnies."

Those poor Rabbids. Looks like they may need a testosterone infusion before taking the field against these guys. The latest in the long-running and hilarious promotional campaign for Rayman Raving Rabbids and its sequel couldn't be much more masculine if it tried -- it even features the obligatory fellas-in-a-locker-room bit. Nothing like a bunch of guys in towels to inspire consumer loyalty, right?

Our only disappointment thus far is that this time around, the campaign isn't nearly as pervasive. Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 is slated for release next month, and we have only a few Rabbid videos. How can we live in such a world?

For how much we complain about minigame compilations on the Wii, Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 looks to be quite the treat. We generally enjoy all of the entries in the Rayman series and found the first title to not only be fun, but also funny. The inclusion of the new real life locales spices things up a bit, as well.

Any of you looking forward to those crazy rabbids' second outing on the Wii?

"The best-laid plans of Rabbids and men gang aft agley."

Ubisoft's rascally rabbit mascots are at it again, hoping to disguise themselves and sneak into Germany's Leipzig Games Convention. Last year's attempt to infiltrate the event was a failure of monumental proportions; will this year's caper pay off? No matter the outcome, we're looking forward to receiving a lot more of these offbeat ads before Rayman Raving Rabbids 2's November 15 release.

[Via NeoGAF]

Ubisoft announced that a sequel is coming for Rayman Raving Rabbids, confirming rumors that a sequel for the game was inbound. Well, now that Ubidays has hit, Jeux-France has posted some video (which we've embedded past the break), as well as new images, to gawk at. And, if you're looking for even more to look at, here you can find a screen-by-screen breakdown of the announcement trailer.

Rumor has it that a sequel to Rayman Raving Rabbids is in the works. This rumor is being based on an image at the back of a bundled art booklet for the Xbox 360 version of the game (yes, the image above), hinting that we may have all not seen the last of these psychotic bunnies. The teaser image lends a bit of credibility to the rumor, given that no other console's version has held the same image, but might also mean that said sequel is set to grace Microsoft's system and not the one we hold dear. We'll just have to wait and see, it seems.

Bunnies probably don't like to be eaten, but that didn't stop Flickr user protozoider from making these Rayman Raving Rabbids cupcakes. Some of them look like they're going to eat you! The set includes instructions on making your very own (somewhat creepy) rabbid cupcakes, and features pictures of the best efforts, and some of the not-so-successful. The secret? Bunny-themed cake pans for Easter cakes. Creative, we must admit ....

See also:

• Metareview: Raving Rabbids
• Bunnies can't stand Christmas
• Bunnies do not value privacy
• Bunny tries to milk prancing cow

Young reader Preston was doing his body good one day by drinking milk. While his bones were thanking him for the generous amount of calcium (as his sweet tooth was for the chocolate), little did he know that Rabbids had invaded his lunchtime beverage. Ubisoft has found yet another way to get into the minds of gamers by placing advertisements on everyday items like this. We wonder how many other companies have used this same technique to grab our attention. In fact, if you, loyal reader, see an ad similar to this for a Wii game, take a pic and send it in!

[Thanks Preston!]

In honor of Thanksgiving yesterday, these quirky little rabbids sent out a video to show that they have the holiday spirit too. While we could have told you that a turkey doesn't exactly cook well in a clothes dryer, they're a bit new to this whole thing; it was a good attempt on their part. Next year, they'll know better ... maybe.

Catch the video after the break!

[Thanks JC!]

Honestly, we wouldn't want this near us. It creeps us out. Those huge, staring eyes, emotionless face and bewitched posture gives us the jitters. We used to like the Raving Rabbids but now, we aren't too sure we could become friends with something that looks as though it would torture us in our sleep.

Then again, maybe it's just this rabbid. He could be the black sheep of the bunch. Still, those ... eyes. We swear they follow you wherever you go, plotting your demise.

[Via Go Nintendo]

When a game like Rayman Raving Rabbids has this much hype, the rumors go flying. It turns into a he said, she said ordeal and 1up has put that to an end.

For those of you thinking that this is strictly a platformer, you are wrong friend. This, as Nintendo cleared up, is a mini-game collection. As 1up tells us:

The single-player story mode does feature Rayman running around in third-person along the lines of a platformer in places, but these places are limited to the game's overworld hub set in a gladiator arena. There is no "gameplay" connected to these scenes -- they simply involve moving Rayman from one challenge to another, without camera control, watching cinema sequences and earning prizes like costumes.

Next, the rumor going around that the FPS mini-game has the player changing directions with the analog stick is false. The game automatically moves you and you aim with the Wiimote.

Lastly, Rayman Raving Rabbids has not been moved to release in 2007. It is considered a launch title and looks like it will be one of the best (right after Zelda, of course).

[Update: Fixed a typo.]

Those silly rabbids! Baths are for kids! These quarky scientific facts about rabbids always make us smile. Yet, with this video and the next, we find ourselves missing the old music. One of the main reasons we loved watching these 30 seconds of joy had a lot to do with the crazy rabbid screaming. Now, you can't really hear it all that well. It is drained out by rather annoying music.

Annoying music doesn't mean we are done watching them. In fact, we have another Raving Rabbid scientific fact for you!