Hours Played - WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 and WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010

Coffee Beans
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 (WWE '09) was released on the Wii on November 9, 2008; and WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010 (WWE '10) was released on October 20, 2009.  Just this past Tuesday, October 26, WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011 was released.

WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 has had 716 days of game-play data reported, while WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010 has had 371 days of game-play data reported, through the Wii's Nintendo Channel.

Do the reported game-play hours for these two WWE wrestling games show some Wii owners enjoy wrestling games?  Let's take a look...

How much has Star Wars: The Force Unleashed been played?

Coffee Beans
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (SW:TFU) was released on all the home consoles on September 16, 2008.  The Wii version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was developed by KROME Studios, and published by LucasArts.

The Wii version originally released with a MSRP of $49.99, while the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions I believe released with a MSRP of $59.99; but all have since seen price drops, as just yesterday Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 was released on the current generation consoles.

The play-time data shown below is only for the Wii version of SW:TFU, and it reflects play-time reported for the United States of America, not all of North America.

With 770 days of game-play data reported for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, how many hours have Wii owners reportedly used their digital force powers?  Let's take a look...

Click image to enlarge

Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data:
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has 347,477 players reporting their play-time data, through the Wii's Nintendo Channel.

Average Hours & Total Game-Play Hours Reported:
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has 6,000,364 Total Hours of game-play reported.
The average play session for SW:TFU is right over 1 Hour 57 Minutes per session.

Sale Rank & Advertised Price:
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed appears to be selling pretty well still, considering it was released more than 2 years ago.  Currently, its Amazon.com sale rank is #436, and is selling for $19.20 directly from Amazon.com.

Review Score Averages:
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Wii version has a review score average of 73.56%, based on 16 "professional" reviews on GameRankings.com.

I find it odd that the Wii version has only 16 reviews for its average, when compared to 67 reviews for the Xbox 360 version and 36 reviews for the PS3 version; but this seems to be the way most multi-console releases are reviewed now, with the emphasis on the "HD" consoles.

SW:TFU's Amazon.com customer review score average is a 3.5 out of 5 Star rating based on 171 reviews, putting it basically at the same percentage as the "professional" average.

Thoughts:
I am a Star Wars nerd.  I enjoy the movies, I have read some books, and I have played many hours of Star Wars video games.

I purchased SW:TFU on the Wii, within a week of its release in 2008.  I have played through the game four complete times, and I thought KROME did an excellent job with implementing motion controls into the game.

My reported play-time on the original Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is just over 70 hours, which is right in line with how long completing the game four times would take, plus I played the local multi-player the original game had a few times as well.

If you are a Star Wars fan, and have not played the original SW:TFU, I definitely suggest you give it a try now that you find it for under $20.

I have not purchased Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 yet, though it is on my "to buy" radar.  A friend purchased the PS3 version yesterday, and he sent me a text message this morning about it.  In the message, he said he would give the game a 7 out of 10, because of annoying mobs AND it's a short game...he beat it in under 6 hours!

I haven't read any reviews for the Wii version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, but I really hope the Wii version's single-player campaign is longer than 10 hours, as the original's was.

Questions:
Did any of you play the original Star Wars: The Force Unleashed?  If so, which system did you play it on and did you enjoy it?  If you are a Star Wars "nerd" like myself, do you plan on picking up Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, or have you already done so?


You can see the Wii versions of SW:TFU and SW:TFU2 priced on Amazon.com linked below:

Wii's Netflix Channel Hours Debut

Coffee Beans:
     Last Monday, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said that "...more than 3 million Wii systems have already connected to Netflix...".
     The 3 million Wii systems, that had connected to Netflix at that time, were using a Netflix disc, that had to be in the Wii's game disc slot.  Last Monday, a brand new Netflix Channel became available for download through the Wii's Shop Channel, for free, as long as you have a monthly Netflix membership.

     According to the Nintendo Channel data, how many Wii owners ditched the Netflix disc, for the new Netflix Channel since last week; and how much has the channel been used?  Let's take a look...

Approx. Number of Users Reporting Data:
     The new Netflix Channel has 19,628 Wii owners that downloaded it AND are sharing their Netflix Channel usage through the Nintendo Channel.


Thoughts:
     I received an email from Netflix about 2 weeks ago, letting me know I could try the service out for a free 30-day trial.  I knew we had family coming to visit, so I signed up for the trial, and requested to receive the Netflix discs for my Wii and PS3.  On Thursday, October 14, I received my discs in the mail, and installed the Wii disc first.  I was hoping the Netflix service would work well, and that we would get some good use out of it when our family was visiting.
     Well, the first night we used the Netflix service on the Wii, I was really impressed with it.  The Wii pointer functionality works really well, and the use of the d-pad is nice as well.  However, the one odd thing I found about the Netflix disc service on the Wii, was there was no "search" function for movies or shows.  I even hopped on a message board, and saw somebody had mentioned a new Netflix disc was going to be released with a "search" function, so that had me hopeful.
     I had no idea that just 4 days after receiving our Netflix discs, the Netflix Channel was going to be available for download.  The new Netflix Channel not only eliminates the need for the disc, but it also added the "search" function I was hoping for.

     If you haven't seen the new Netflix Channel in action on the Wii, here's a video I just recorded of it, and of my attempt to use the "search" function to find Saved by the Bell episodes:


     The Netflix Channel had data usage debut only one week after it was available for download, which is really well for something off of the Wii's Shop Channel.
     While the total of Wii owners reporting the Netflix Channel data is just a little over half of one percent of the overall Wii Netflix users, I expect to see that number increase steadily over the next few months.

Questions:
     Are any of you using Netflix on the Wii?  If so, have you downloaded the new Netflix Channel, and what do you think about it?

Amazon.com Deals - 20% Off or More

Coffee Beans:
     Here are some quick Amazon.com video game deals I just found while browsing the site:

Nintendo DS:
Mega Man Zero Collection for $19.99, save 33%
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for $18.00, save 55%

Nintendo Wii:
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games for $31.86, save 36%
Wii Fit Plus w/ Balance Board for $79.99, save 20%
Mario Kart w/ Wii Wheel for $32.99, save 34%
Resident Evil 4 for $12.59, save 37%
Okami for $13.42, save 33%

Xbox 360:
Lost Planet 2 for $19.99, save 50%
Super Street Fighter IV for $24.36, save 39%
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller - White for $36.54, save 27%
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller - Black for $39.96, save 20%

PS3:
Lost Planet 2 for $19.99, save 50%
DualShock 3 Wireless Controller - Silver for $42.96, save 22%
Super Street Fighter IV for $25.00, save 35%

Pre-Order Now Available - New Red Wii Bundle

Coffee Beans:
     Nintendo of America finally announced this morning, when they will be releasing the Red Wii Bundle in North America.
     If you are interested in the 25th Anniversary Edition Red Wii bundlethat Nintendo is releasing on November 7, in North America; now you can pre-order it HERE, to make sure you aren't rushing out with the crowds to find one.

     Amazon.com is taking pre-orders on the Red Wii Bundle, and it will include the original Wii Sports and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, as well as the new red Wii Remote Plus and red Nunchuk, all for $199.99.
Red Wii Hardware Bundle for $199.99 Pre-Order Page

     Interestingly enough, Amazon.com appears to have confirmed also that there will be new packaged White and Black Wii console bundles, including the Wii Remote Plus, along with the usual Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort games:
Wii Hardware Bundle - Black for $199.99
Wii Hardware Bundle - White for $199.99


If you are interested in any of the new Wii bundles, you can see them on Amazon.com linked below for pre-order:
 

DJ Hero - How Much Have the Turntables Been Spun

Coffee Beans
DJ Hero was released on the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the PlayStation 2, on October 27, 2009.  The game and turntable unit was developed/published by FreeStyleGames and Activision, and I believe the basic DJ Hero Turntable bundle released with a MSRP/List Price of $119.99.  The game has seen a price-drop from its originally MSRP, and now has a list price of $69.99 at most retailers.

While DJ Hero released with the main bundle around $119.99, Activision did offer a "Renegade Edition" for $199.99.

DJ Hero 2 was released yesterday, and the sequel was released on just the PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 this year.  If you already own the turntable from the original game, you can purchase just the software for DJ Hero 2 for $59.99.  Or, if you purchase DJ Hero 2, you can purchase just the software for the original DJ Hero.

The play-time data shown below, is only for the Wii version of DJ Hero, and it reflects play-time reported in the United States of America, not all of North America.

So, with 357 days of game-play data reported since DJ Hero released, how much have Wii owners been spinning and scratching their DJ Hero turntables?  Let's take a look!

Click image to enlarge

Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data
DJ Hero has 35,156 Wii owners reporting play-time data, through the Wii's Nintendo Channel.


Average Hours & Total Game-Play Hours Reported
DJ Hero has 513,243 Total Hours of game-play reported. Its average play-time per session is just over 1 Hour 37 Minutes.


Sale Rank & Advertised Price
The original DJ Hero Turntable bundle's Amazon.com sale rank is #845, and is selling for $66.98.


Review Score Averages
The Wii version of DJ Hero has a review score average of 85.94%, based on 18 "professional" reviews.

DJ Hero has a 4.5 out of 5 Star rating on Amazon.com, based on 35 customer reviews.

Thoughts

I did not purchase the originally DJ Hero, but I did briefly play a demo Best Buy had setup.  Mrs. Coffee and I had gone to Best Buy, looking for a CD.  We saw the DJ Hero demo setup, and she actually gave it a spin(haha!).  It took her about one round to get used to the controls, and she did pretty well in her second round.

I played one or two rounds after she did, but that has been the extent of my DJ Hero play-time.

I think DJ Hero is a game that shows Activision was willing to gamble with something new.  While the original DJ Hero got off to a slow sales start, the game has since sold 1.2 million copies (I thought it was 1.6 million now, but couldn't find the article!).

I tried to see how much a DJ charges per hour, and the average amount seems to be right around $200/hour.  If Activision were making $200/hour off of Wii owners' DJ Hero game-play hours, they would have made $102,648,600 so far...I can see Bobby Kotick's eyes glazing over, if he reads that!

As for the game-play data in general though, it's definitely not as high some Wii games released around the same time last year, but I think it's encouraging for a new IP.  I think it will be interesting to see if DJ Hero 2 performs as well as the original.

Questions

Did any of you purchase the original DJ Hero?  If so, is it a game you would recommend to others?  If you didn't purchase the original, do any of you plan on picking up DJ Hero 2?

I have been tempted a few times to purchase the original when I have seen it go on sale, but I haven't done so yet.

If you are interested in the original DJ Hero, you can see the main bundle listed on Amazon.com below:

   

Greg Hastings Paintball 2 - 4 vs 4 Online Point Capture Round

Coffee Beans:

     Here is a video showing off another online match in Greg Hastings Paintball 2 for the Nintendo Wii.  The details for this match were:

• Map: National Paintball Fields - Trenches
• Match Type - Point Capture.  Reinsertion - Yes. 5 Seconds
• Best 2 of 3.  5 minute rounds.

Coffee Cup:

     This game-play video was a 4 versus 4 round, not an entire match.  

If you're wondering what equipment/gear I was using in the round, here is what I know from what's listed in the game:

Gun - Tiberius T4 with First Strike

Mask - V-Force Profiler

Tank - Crossfire 45/4500

Barrel - Stiffi MF

Pods - R7 Titan

The teams for this match were:
Red Team -
Coffee Beans! (this is me)
liz
rt
critical


Blue Team -
FIRECRACKERS
spesel teme
Unnamed Team
THESCKULLES


     The Tiberius T4 with First Strike seems to be an extremely accurate paintball gun in Greg Hastings Paintball 2, and also in real life.  I watched a video showing how accurate the gun is, and it appears to be  incredibly accurate, at some long distances.
     Anyway, I really liked this level design, and you may see in a future game-play video that the trenches do help provide cover and a good way to move around the field.


     If anybody has any questions about Greg Hastings Paintball 2 on the Wii, you can leave the question(s) in the comment section, or send me an email to Scott@CoffeewithGames.com.


     If you are interested in Greg Hastings Paintball 2 for either the Wii or Xbox 360, you can see prices for both versions on Amazon.com linked below.  I am also including a link to the Tiberius T4 with First Strike if you want to see how much it is in real-life!
  















My copy of Greg Hastings Paintball 2 was provided by Majesco.

Best Buy Ripoff Alert & Monster Hunter Tri's Game-Play Hours

Coffee Beans:

     As for the "Best Buy Ripoff Alert" in the title, I stopped by Best Buy on my way home today(Monday), and I thought it was interesting to see what they had the Monster Hunter Tri - Classic Controller Pro Bundle listed for.  Take a look:

     When Capcom announced the Monster Hunter Tri bundle was back at retail, this is what they said in the announcement, "So for $49.99(and if you look around, a few retailers are being even more aggressive than that), you can get your hands on one of the best/most addicting games for Wii and the perfect controller for it and any other pad appropriate games."

     That's right, Best Buy isn't living up to its name!  So, if you or somebody you know is looking to pick up the Monster Hunter Tri bundle, you may want to make sure you(or them) price-match if you go to Best Buy, and get the Monster Hunter Tri bundle for $49.99.

     Anyway, it has been a while since we looked at Monster Hunter Tri's game-play data in back-to-back weeks, so to see how it appears to be performing on a weekly basis again, we are taking another look at it this week.

     If you don't know, Monster Hunter Tri became the Wii's most played game according to the Nintendo Channel data, in the "per person" category, a few weeks back.

     How many hours have Wii owners monster hunted in the last week?  Let's take a look!

Click image to enlarge

Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data:

     Monster Hunter Tri now has 44,086 players reporting game-play data, through the Wii's Nintendo Channel.

Player Increase Since Last Week:

     Monster Hunter 3 has seen an increase of 795 more monster hunters reporting their play-time data, since last week.

Average Hours & Total Game-Play Hours Reported:

     Monster Hunter Tri now has 3,633,528 Total Hours reported, an increase of 107,116 monster hunting hours since last week.

     Monster Hunter Tri's average play-time per person has increased by 57 minutes, now sitting at 82 Hours 26 Minutes per person.

     The average Monster Hunter Tri play session is still just over 3 hours 37 minutes, like last week.

Sales Rank & Advertised Prices:

     Monster Hunter Tri's, the software only, Amazon.com sale rank is #827, and the current selling price is $39.96.

     Monster Hunter Tri - Classic Controller Pro Bundle's Amazon.com sale rank is #1,065, and the current sale price is $49.96.

Thoughts:

     I think the increase, of over 100,000 game-play hours since last week, is extremely well for Monster Hunter Tri.  The game is seeing game-play hours being reported on a weekly basis, that many third party games won't see reported during the Wii's life cycle.

     I haven't monster hunted any in the last week, as we had family in visiting; but that did result in me drinking lots of coffee!

     Here's a video from another monster hunt I went on with Apoc, Maxi, and Seph.  You may remember from last week, Maxi and Seph run their own gaming site, NinTemple.com.  Here's the hunt:

Questions:

     Do any of you think Best Buy is ripping consumers off with the list price on the Monster Hunter Tri bundle being at $59.99, when Capcom specifically mentioned its new price was going to be $49.99?  As for monster hunting specifically, have any of you been monster hunting since last week?

     I think it's Best Buy being Best Buy, but hopefully consumers and Wii owners will be made aware of the price they can get the MH Tri bundle for other places.

If you are interested in Monster Hunter Tri, you can see both versions on Amazon.com linked below:
  

Metroid: Other M's Game-Play Hours

Coffee Beans:
     It's been about a month since we last looked at Metroid: Other M's game-play hours, and other data.  The last time we looked at the data was on September 24, but the game-play hours were captured on September 20 for that report.  Metroid: Other M's game-play debuted on the Wii's Nintendo Channel on September 13, if you missed the debut report, you can see it HERE.

     So, in the last 29 days, how much have Wii owners been playing Metroid: Other M, and has the game's average play-time per person seen an increase or decrease?  Let's take a look...

Click image to enlarge

Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data:
     Metroid: Other M now has 25,726 players reporting their play-time data through the Wii's Nintendo Channel.

Player Increase Since Last Report:
     Metroid: Other M has seen an increase of about 9,990 more players reporting play-time data, since the September 24 report.

Average Hours & Total Game-Play Hours Reported:
     Metroid: Other M now has 367,598 Total Hours reported, an increase of 183,896 game-play hours since the last report.
     Metroid: Other M's average play-time, per person, is now 14 Hours 17 Minutes.  This means the game's average play-time per person has increased by 2 Hours 36 Minutes.
     The average Metroid: Other M play session is now just over 2 Hours 26 Minutes, which is a decrease of about 14 minutes per session compared to the September 20 data.

Sales Rank & Advertised Price:
     Metroid: Other M's Amazon.com sale rank is listed at #310, and is currently selling for $45.44.

Review Score Averages:
     Metroid: Other M's review score average is now 79.78%, based on 47 "professional" reviews, according to GameRankings.com.  This is only a marginal increase since the last report, which had 43 reviews reported for an average of 79.38%.

     Amazon.com's customer review score average has stayed at basically the same average, 3.5 out of 5 Stars; but Metroid: Other M has gained 44 more customer reviews, since the last report.

A lot of varying opinions on this game.

Thoughts:

     As of this report, Metroid: Other M has averaged about 61,000 game-play hours each week, since it released.  The continuing increase in the game's average hours "Per person" category is definitely encouraging, as it seems to show gamers are playing the game to completion.

     The NPD data was released for the month of September last week, and Metroid: Other M has been reported to have sold 173,000 units.

     While I don't consider 173,000 amazing for a Nintendo title, I think it was a decent month for Samus' new adventure, and I think it will be interesting to see how this one continues to perform going forward.

     I still have not played Metroid: Other M at any length, and I don't think playing 30 seconds at Best Buy really counts.  Last week, Redbox announced it will start renting video games through its kiosks, and I really hope that Metroid: Other M is one of the games they start renting.  I would like to play the game, but don't see it happening soon with my gaming budget.

Questions:

     Have any of you purchased/rented Metroid: Other M since the last report in September?  If so, have you had a chance to complete the game?

If you are interested in Metroid: Other M, you can see prices for it listed on Amazon.com linked below:

Monster Hunter Tri - Hours Played

Coffee Beans

The last time we looked at the play-time data for Monster Hunter Tri was on September 20.  It was on September 20, that Monster Hunter Tri's reported play-time data passed Super Smash Bros. Brawl's in the average hours played, "Per person", category.  When it passed Super Smash Bros. Brawl's "per person" average, Monster Hunter Tri became the Wii's most played game, per person, at that time.

Since the last report, Capcom announced that the Monster Hunter Tri with Classic Controller Pro bundle is being produced again, and now you can purchase it for under $50, on Amazon.com.  If you have been wanting the Classic Controller Pro and Monster Hunter Tri, now is a good time to get them both.

Also, Monster Hunter Tri, the game only, has seen a price drop since the last report; and now has a MSRP/List Price of just $39.99.

So, is Monster Hunter Tri still the "most played" Wii game, per person?  Let's take a look at how much Wii owners have been monster hunting in the last 3 weeks...

Click image to enlarge

Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data

Monster Hunter 3 has 43,291 players reporting their game-play data through the Wii's Nintendo Channel, that's an increase of 2,279 more players reporting data than were 3 weeks ago.

Total Hours & Average Hours Per Person Reported

Monster Hunter Tri now has 3,526,412 Total Hours reported for its game-play, an increase of 301,140 game-play hours in the last 3 weeks. Monster Hunter 3's average play-time, of 81 Hours 29 Minutes per person, increased by 2 Hours 51 Minutes. The average Monster Hunter 3 play session is lasting just over 3 Hours 37 Minutes, a slight decrease by about 2 minutes since the last report.

Sales Ranks & Advertised Prices

Monster Hunter Tri's, the software only, Amazon.com sale rank is #706, and the current selling price is $39.99. Monster Hunter Tri - Classic Controller Pro Bundle's Amazon.com sale rank is #758, and the current sale price is $47.91.

Caffeinated Thoughts

If you're wondering, Monster Hunter Tri is still the most played Wii game, per person.  Monster Hunter Tri's average play-time per person is currently 2 Hours 59 Minutes more than Super Smash Bros. Brawl's.

My average play-time is still below the reported average, but I did have an opportunity this past Saturday night to do some monster hunting, with a few fellow monster hunters!  

I hunted with three other monster hunters, Apoc, Maxi, and Seph.  Maxi and Seph run their own gaming site, NinTemple.com, and both are avid monster hunters.  We hunted several monsters, and here is a video from one of our monster hunts:

Ahhh, the Gobul, not really the bane of my existence anymore!  When we started out on our monster hunts, I went and quickly brewed me a cup of Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend, and it seemed to have helped me; as you may have noticed(or not), I didn't get incapacitated!

Anyway, a big thanks to Apoc, Maxi, and Seph, for helping me hunt some monsters and get leveled up this past Saturday night!

Side thought: I'm glad to see Capcom continuing to support the game, even bringing back the Classic Controller Pro bundle before the holidays.  Considering how quickly the first CCP bundle sold out, I'm surprised they waited this long to re-introduce it.

I still have a long way to go, as the basic monsters I have hunted are the Barroth, Gobul, Great Baggi, Great Jaggi, and Rathian.  Lagiacrus can also be added to the list, as of this last Saturday night.

Question

If you have been playing Monster Hunter Tri for a while now, have you hunted and beaten every monster in the game?

If you want to join in the monster hunting, you can see Monster Hunter Tri's sales prices on Amazon.com, linked below:

  

Greg Hastings Paintball 2 - 4 vs 4 Online CTF Matches

Coffee Beans:
     This post includes a video showing off game-play footage from online matches in Greg Hastings Paintball 2, for the Wii.  The matches shown were played on Skirmish USA's Tunnel Town map.  I checked Skirmish.com, to look for real-life photos of the field, and the only one I found was:

     Skirmish.com has the field titled, "The Tunnels", so I'm not 100% positive it's the same one, but I think it is.
     The rounds, "Best 2 of 3", were Single Capture-the-Flag(CTF).  If you were marked or "eliminated", you were reinserted into the map after about a 5 second spawn time.
     I believe the players I played the matches with were:

• Unnamed Team
• liz
• spesel teme
• critical
• rt
• FIRECRACKERS
• destroyers

     I don't know any of them in real-life, but perhaps I'll end up playing with them again in the future.  Here are two of the rounds we played:

     Saturday was the first day I was able to get into an online match, that had 4 players on each team.  If you play online, you may notice when you shoot somebody sometimes it can take a few seconds after you shoot them, for the "elimination" to be confirmed.  I can't tell if it is latency/hit-detection issues, or if the players I shoot sometimes are using the "wipe" function to try and stay in the match longer.
     Around 1:38 in the video, you can see an instance where I was shot, and it takes about 5 seconds for me to be "eliminated", because I didn't call myself out and I didn't try to "wipe" the hit off.  I just kept advancing away from where I had been hit, getting the flag further toward our goal.  When I watched that again, it makes me want to think the delay in eliminations is not hit-detection or latency issues, but actually the way it is designed.
     The matches themselves seemed to run pretty smoothly on my end, and I really like the level designs for some of the fields.
     If anybody has any specific questions about Greg Hastings Paintball 2 on the Wii, let me know!

     If you are interested in Greg Hastings Paintball 2 for the Wii or Xbox 360, you can see prices on Amazon.com linked below for both games:
 













My copy of Greg Hastings Paintball 2 was provided by Majesco.