Nintendo Wii Fanboy

We kid, Canada! We've always loved your quirky country, and our admiration is only stronger for your recent Wii-purchasing exploits. Nintendo's console is all set to burst through the million mark in Canada, after shifting 318,000 units in the opening six months of 2008 and doubling sales of its closest rival.

NPD confirmed the figures, also revealing that total Wii unit sales in the country now stand at 986,200, with an NPD spokesman stating the obvious: he expected Wii to surpass the big one-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh at some point during July. Welcome to the millionaires' club, Canada! Grab a seat, quick -- it's getting crowded.

Collectors with deep pockets, take note: Nintendo of Canada is selling a great deal of sealed Nintendo titles. No, they're not broke, it's all in the name of charity! That makes us all warm and fuzzy inside.

The total goodies available are:

• 70 NES games over 4 lots
• 169 SNES games over 13 lots
• 182 GameBoy games over 7 lots

There isn't much time for you to get in on this, either. All of the auctions close on June 5th, so if you're interested, get to pouncing.

[Via Joystiq]

If you're Canadian and your BMI is coming out all wacky in Wii Fit, one of two things could be responsible:

1. Tim Hortons
2. You've made some kind of error due to a potentially unfamiliar measurement system.

Wii Fit, it turns out, continues to use the imperial measurements more common in the U.S. even if you've set your Wii's location to Canada. This could cause some confusion to those who didn't notice, and annoyance to those who did and have been forced to convert their familiar height and weight measurements to the crazy moon system we use. Setting your language to Spanish or French ameliorates this issue, but adds the obvious complication.

If you're Canadian and have yet to own Super Smash Bros. Brawl, we're here to help. Amazon.ca is selling the title for a discounted price of $34.99. That's in Canadian dollars, but it comes out to about the same thing in U.S. dollars, meaning that it's cheap. Why are you still reading this? Why aren't you buying the game right now?

If you're on the fence, still clutching your wallet tightly and refusing to give up the money, may we present a few reasons why you should buy?

• It's an awesome game
• You could totally take us on at Game Night
• User-created stages means the game will never get boring
• It's full to the brim with awesome stuff
  
• That's really cheap for such an awesome game

Good enough for you?


[Thanks, Maria!]

Oh, great! Another series of Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournaments -- even farther away from Texas! Even so, many of you will be happy about this: Nintendo is holding Brawl tournaments in Canadian EB Games stores, located in multiple stores in Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Halifax.

Qualifying rounds will be held April 4th-6th, 11th-13th, and 18th-20th in each of these locations, followed by regional semi-finals. Nintendo will fly the finalists to Toronto for the final round and a shot at a trip for 2 to New York City (and the Nintendo World Store). It's a shame that these tournaments won't be pre-launch like the U.S. ones, but that just means more time to practice!

We've all worked up a sweat while playing the Wii, whether it be during sessions of WarioWare: Smooth Moves or Wii Sports (or any of the other numerous titles that ask you to get physical). We figured we were just unhealthy and that any normal person with any kind of regular physical activity in their life would just laugh as our doughy physique cried "mercy" after just minutes of throwing down in Wii Sports: Boxing.

Canadian students from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia decided that they wanted to see how a workout with the Wii compares to more conventional exercises. These students could care less about scientific research apparently (or don't read Wii Fanboy, either of which being a crime against humanity), as took matters into their own hands and came up with an exercise scheme. Their conclusion, much like that of the scientists mentioned previously, was that although the Wii certainly did increase cardiovascular activity, it in no way was intense enough for them.

Hopefully, whenever Wii Fit releases, the Wii will be a more viable solution for serious health nuts. Until that day, we'll just keep having fun with our low impact sessions of Wii Sports.

[Thanks, gusto! Do you so happen to be an emcee?]

Aside from the occasional oddity, it's not commonplace for video games to actually involve, well, getting up off the couch. With Wii Fit and Wii Sports in Nintendo's entourage, however, the company seems determined to develop games that involve physical activity.

Nintendo of Canada decided to go a step farther with this approach by creating a website called "Get Up and Play." Not only is the site designed to inspire movement, but also a thing you may have heard of called family togetherness.

The site boasts weekly challenges on the weekends, with printable "Victory Certificates" (um, yay?). Things at stake include taking out the garbage, or setting the table for the week. Oh, and don't forget to "eat healthy snacks like dried fruit and granola bars" while you play.

We're completely in support of healthy lifestyles, but we don't need "Family Challenge Badges" and other crappy things for inspiration. That kind of stuff is just scary. In fact, we're very, very afraid. Please hold us.

If you were Nintendo, and you were just now starting to match the supply of your hit console to the ravenous demand (meaning that you were still selling as many as you could produce), what would you do to ensure bigger console sales this holiday season? Would you drop the price of the console that is selling out worldwide?

Neither would Nintendo. The rumors of a price drop turned out to be bunk, or even bunkum if you prefer. George Harrison told Reuters that "We'll stay at $249 for the foreseeable future. We are still selling everything we can make."

The situation may be slightly different up in Canada, where the Wii seems to be dropping in price to $269 because of the rising Canadian dollar. We have yet to see confirmation on that, so into the rumor bin it goes.

This season, the Canadian version of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader, cleverly titled Are You Smarter than a Canadian 5th Grader, will feature something extra for players to determine whether they are smarter than: Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree. Not only will demo stations be set up at the casting calls, the game will actually be highlighted in the show itself.

The $25,000 question is being renamed the "Big Brain Academy Question," for example. In addition, the press release mentions that "the show will include other exciting hallmark features of the game." That probably means that some of the minigames from the Wii game will make their way into TV game show format, with the added component of being tested against the equivalent (due to exchange rate) of an American 4.724th grader.

Vancouver's Studeo 55 is the latest to see the benefits of Wii Sports in action and they've decided to dedicate some space to the game -- and when we say space here, we mean it. They've set up a console in a 400 square foot theater-style room with a huge projection screen. The upscale gym, which caters to wealthier patrons willing to pay sizable membership fees each month, has been encouraging members to use Wii Sports as a warm-up or cooldown exercise, or as part of a circuit training regimen.

Former Olympic swimmer Kim Bey gave the title a try despite some early reservations. "I'm not a video game person ... So at first, it was like, 'I don't get it,'" she said. But after playing with her personal trainer, she started to understand the benefits of a game as part of an exercise regimen.

Not everyone was such an easy sell, however. Video games aren't very popular among most workout aficionados; in fact, owner Nathan Mellalieu reportedly faced a lot of criticism over the decision to include Wii Sports at first. Once patrons can be convinced to give it a try, however, reactions seem to change. Mellalieu cautions those who need to lose a lot of weight against depending solely on their Wiis, however -- a few games of Wii Sports is not enough for an overall lifestyle change, but the title can certainly be a part of that. We can't help but wonder if the addition of Wii Fit will spread the console's reputation as an exercise-helper even further. Maybe we'll start to see Wiis in gyms everywhere!

[Thanks, Alex!]

Turns out, Nintendo's marketing machine has its sights set on Canada as its latest effort will bring the Wii to the people in the region. Using those little cars we've all seen in the "Wii would like to play" commercials (you know, the image above), they've been fitted with a television display and Wii console in the back of each, preparing them for the long journey to you up there so that you may enjoy what the console has to offer (which is only Wii Sports, we're hearing).

No word on where or when these cars may be spotted, but keep an eye on WIi Fanboy for that news as it develops.

These ex-EA employees have quite the resume, being apart of five Need for Speed games, five FIFA titles and three James Bond games. Now that they've left, they have gone ahead and formed a new studio, called Jet Black Games, solely to create titles for Nintendo's DS and Wii platforms. In partnering with Flashman Studios, Jet Black Games has gotten itself an ally and representative in the industry.

No news on any games they're working on just yet, but a project should be starting soon as the company just recently wrapped up work on an as-of-yet unannounced Xbox Live shooter. We can't wait to see what it is.

[Via Joystiq; Thanks, Hai!]

Canadian citizens are in for a treat as Nintendo has teamed up with Magic Pony and Udon Entertainment to bring six different Wiis to some lucky entrants. These Wiis are one of a kind, individually painted by six different Canadian artists, allowing the winner of one of these Wiis to either lord their deluxe, super unique edition over their friends and family for the rest of their lives, or to sell it on eBay. We're hoping its the former.

Just follow the read link, if you're Canadian, to Nintendo's official site and get to the entering.

[Thanks, Ry C; via BlogTo]

We're not really sure what those wacky Canadians are going to do with a Wii in their igloos, but hey! Zellers has the system available for preorder (though we couldn't find reference online), and one ecstatic reader even sent us his receipt to prove it. The Zellers bundle includes the system and two games: Rayman Raviing Rabbids and Excite Truck. The total, with tax included, tops out at $455 and change. Tell us, our Canadian friends, how's that for a deal? Have you found something better? Worse? Let us know if they decide to offer more choices on the bundled games.

And fun fact of the day for those who don't know -- Zellers is a part of the Hudson's Bay Company. Yeah, the one you learned about in history class that has been around since the 17th century.

Just kidding about the igloos, Canadians. We know you don't all live in igloos. Only half.

[Thanks, Drew!]