In what could be a job for Captain Obvious, a new Screen Digest report reveals that the Wii has more original IP than its competitors. According to the report, 40 games based on original IP are headed our way in the third quarter and of that number, over half will be Wii games.

The report theorizes that low development costs, motion-controls and the target audience are all factors for this slew of original content. That can be translated as this — developers know they can sh*t out a half-baked, waggle-based sack of crap on a shoestring budget and a bunch of dribbling nincompoops will snap it up. I should be a market analyst.

The Wii apparently has expanded its original IP base — to which Carnival Games and Escape From Bug Island belong — to more than double that of the PlayStation 3. It also has a third more than the Xbox 360. Again, Carnival Games is part of that equation. The report also warned that the Wii could become the most competitive market this holiday season, as the library becomes congested and publishers compete for space.

Aah, good old market saturation. Good for any industry, and with no obvious side effects. Just ask Atari!

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Sega has released the first of its gameplay trailers showing off the new Wii version of Samba De Amigo in action. As you can see, the company is continuing to mash up its IPs, Superstar Tennis style. First we found out that Ulala was going to be in the new Samba, and how Sonic’s been dragged out to shamelessly parade himself in front of the masses … again.

Sonic aside, Samba De Amigo looks as bright and creepy as always. You can hit the jump for another trailer as well, but I must ask — who is looking forward to this? The Dreamcast original was something of a cult classic but there doesn’t seem to be as much hype for the Wii remake as I would have expected. Is it the platform it’s on, or are people just that cynical about Sega these days? Curiosity must be sated!

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Until now, we hadn’t been given a look at the upcoming Wii version of NHL 2K9, the first hockey sim on the console, in motion. Screenshots from NHL 2K9 Wii (see latter 17 images) failed to impress most Dtoiders, but perhaps some video of the game will change your mind.

It’s a typical trailer for a Wii title — there’s game footage interspersed with shots of people making idiots of themselves with vastly exaggerated motions to demonstrate that, yes, there are motion controls. Shooting appears to be controlled with a flick of the Wii Remote, while checking will need a simultaneous forward push with the Wiimote and Nunchuk. Is it bad that I’m watching this trailer and just thinking, “I’m way too lazy for this sh*t,” along with picturing myself getting tired of making a cross-checking motion after three or four checks? Is that just me? Dammit.

As far as 2K Sports is concerned, though, waggle is serious business — motion controls are pervasive in the Wii version of NHL 2K9. The Zamboni minigame that the PS3/360 trailer introduced is present here, and players will have to turn their surfacing vehicles by twisting the Wiimote. The only motion-controlled part of the game I’m interested in is the Wii Boxing-like fighting mechanic, which looks like a good amount of fun. Finally, the trailer closes with shots of a four-player game, which I imagine would require a relatively large living room with a lack of valuable objects that can be knocked over by overzealous wagglers.

Either way, you’ll be able to pick up NHL 2K9 for the Wii, as well as the PS3, 360, and PS2, on September 8th.

[Editor’s note: Visual Concepts must not employ many Rangers fans, since my boy Henrik Lundqvist gets repeatedly embarrassed in this trailer. Ouch. -Samit]

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Since being announced some time ago, things have been quiet on the Sin City videogame adaptation front. GameSpot is now reporting that development duties for the title have changed hands.

Red Mile Entertainment has confirmed that Transmission Games — currently also working on flight combat sim Heroes Over Europe for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC — will not longer be developing the game. While Sin City’s new developer is unknown, a Red Mile rep says that the change happened “quite a long time ago,” which would theoretically indicate that the project’s quality is not in jeopardy.

Not much is known about the game, other than the fact that it will be powered by Unreal Engine 3.0 and that creator Frank Miller is heavily involved in its production. Sin City was originally on track to drop on Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii by Holiday of 2009; no word on if the developer change-over will impact the game’s release.

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My mother’s epic search for Wii Fit finally ended a few days ago, but according to a statement from Nintendo given to MTVMultiplayer, she should have already have been able to get her hands on the game months ago.

Nintendo had a substantial supply nationwide for launch, though some stores saw spot shortages due to unprecedented demand for this unique product. The consumer response to ‘Wii Fit’ at launch was historically exceptional when compared with peripheral-based video game products. We are providing retailers with a constant supply of ‘Wii Fit,’ so you should see a regular supply of ‘Wii Fit’ on store shelves as we move through the summer and into the holidays.

Of course by “spot shortages” Nintendo must mean each store on the planet. My mother scoured the Internet and each retailer within a hour radius since the release of Wii Fit to find the game at retail price with zero luck. It wasn’t until my hometown’s Wal-Mart randomly got two duplicates in on Tuesday that she was finally able to experience how poorly the game tries to execute physical fitness.

Have you guys seen the game around reliably? Is there some secret coffer of Wii Fit that I’ve missed?

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According Gamepro (via Only The Games) players could be jumping into Treyarch’s Call of Duty: World at War as early as this November. This possible date puts a nail in the tentative “autumn” date that the game has been slated for.

While it’s only a rumor, my excitement over destroying the Pacific theatre with a flamethrower in November simply can’t be contained. Space Cat told me that November 11th looks like a really good day to release World at War considering that it’s Veteran’s Day, which means only 75 more days to go before maximum fire satisfaction can be reached. If only Space Cat would let me borrow its time machine.

The consensus is that World War II games are becoming stagnant and boring. Is November too early for you guys to return to a world of Nazis and grenade traps?

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The Penny Arcade Expo is nearly upon us! While we’re frantically packing our bags and getting our chemical peels to look our best, Hudson has announced their PAX game line-up! Surprise — it’s all Wii games!

The publisher will be publicly revealing Bomberman Blast and Alien Crush Returns for the first time to North American gamers. Additionally, the highly-anticipated Fishing Master World Tour for the Wii will be on hand; the game has over 200 different fish to catch, guys! For some reason, Hudson will be bringing along Deca Sports which is, well … Deca Sports. The best you can hope for on that one is that they have attractive booth babes/dudes doing demos.

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There’s International music sensations and then there’s Natasha Bedingfield, who has taken “International music sensation” to the next level as the face up Electronic Arts’ upcoming Boogie SuperStar.

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If you’re looking for the most authentic rock experience this fall, you’ll need look no further than Activision’s Guitar Hero World Tour. And by “most authentic rock experience” we mean a lot of real world logos and branding. Lots and lots of it.

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Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

Although Microsoft has hinted at an autumn arrival for the 360’s long-awaited, exclusive GTA IV downloadable content, a “source close to Rockstar” has told VG247 “nuh-uh.” The quote the site actually got was, “It’ll be in January or February.”

For those keeping record, the GTA DLC was originally supposed to hit in Q4 2008 (so, before this November), but was delayed due to some corporate numbers mumbo jumbo that we couldn’t care less about … except that it resulted in having to wait longer for more frolicking fun in Liberty City.

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