ExciteBots: Trick Racing! Hours spent playing the Wii's most bizarre racer! Official U.S. Nintendo Channel data report.

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Can you imagine a video game sales pitch to a publisher which mentions, "Sandwiches: Drive through the ingredients in the proper order to make a delicious sandwich.", as a mini-game feature? Probably not? Yeah, I couldn't either until I saw it in motion and did just that in ExciteBots: Trick Racing on the Wii!

ExciteBots: Trick Racing released for the Wii in the U.S. on April 20, 2009, with two SKUs available for purchase. One SKU included the game with the Wii Wheel peripheral, the other SKU was just the game only.

ExciteBots was developed by Monster Games, the same developer behind the Wii launch title Excite Truck and the 3DS launch title PilotWings Resort. The game was published by Nintendo, and received an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE" with "Mild Fantasy Violence" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

How many hours have U.S. Wii owners spent making sandwiches, playing darts, bowling, and throwing pies at clowns during races in ExciteBots: Trick Racing, since the game released just over 4 years ago? If you own a Wii, or even a Wii U, how many hours might you expect from ExciteBots: Trick Racing should you buy it? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

Coffee Shop! Kirby deals, 50% off used games, and Wii U deals!

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If you didn't see it, I posted up the official Nintendo Channel data for Kirby's Adventure, here! While putting that report together, I was looking at Kirby games on Amazon.com, and found a few that were discounted pretty significantly.

I also received an email reminder this morning about a 50% off used video games sale that is still happening, and will be through this Sunday.

If you're interested in a few Kirby game deals, a 50% off used games sale, and some Wii U game deals, hit the jump to see what the deals are!

Kirby's Adventure! How much has it been played? Official U.S. Nintendo Channel data report. (Wii Virtual Console)

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Kirby's Adventure was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System on May 1, 1993 (almost 20 years ago!). The game was re-released through the Wii's Virtual Console service on February 12, 2007 for 500 Wii Points ($5), and just last week Kirby's Adventure was released for the Wii U's Virtual Console service on April 17th. You can currently buy Kirby's Adventure on the Wii U's Virtual Console, at an incredible introductory price of only 30 cents!

For parents (and gamers) wondering if Kirby's Adventure is appropriate for younger ages, the game has an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE" with "Comic Mischief" listed as content to be aware of.

If you own a Wii or Wii U and haven't played Kirby's Adventure, how many hours can you expect from the game? How many U.S. Wii owners have game-play data reported for the game through the Nintendo Channel? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look at the official U.S. Nintendo Channel data for the game!

Wii U update(s). Five things to be fixed, or improved, but not yet mentioned by Nintendo.

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Nintendo is set to release the first big Wii U system update next week, with a second big system update planned for the summer.

What will this first Wii U system update fix? Well, Nintendo released a video in March showing the update should improve loading times when exiting from Wii U games to the system's main menu.

Other than improving Wii U loading times though, Mr. Iwata just addressed some other features that the Wii U's "Spring System Update" will address when it releases next week. In a Nintendo Direct this morning (April 17th), these are some of the features said to be addressed with the update:
1) Adds ability to copy/move data between two USB HDDs.
2) Download and install software in the background, while playing games.
3) Download and install updates, even when the system is off.
4) Software updates can automatically start downloading, without having to start the game.
5) Holding the B button when turning the system on, will jump you straight to the Wii U's Wii Mode channel.

Also, Mr. Iwata said the Wii U's Virtual Console service will become available next week, the day after the system update. (I'm guessing next Thursday, April 18th for the Virtual Console, April 17th for the system update?)

While these five updates are nice, what are some things that I think should be patched to make the Wii U a better system overall? What are (at least) five things that Nintendo hasn't mentioned the Wii U patch(es) will address, that I think could/should be? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

FPS Friday! How much has Red Steel 2 been played? Official U.S. Nintendo Channel data report.

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Last May, we looked at how many hours had been reported playing Red Steel 2 by U.S. Wii owners, with more than 2 years' worth of data reported.

Red Steel 2 was released as a Wii exclusive on March 23, 2010 in the U.S., and can still be found to buy, new or used, on many different sites. If you own a Wii, or even Wii U, and are interested in Red Steel 2, you should know the game requires a Wii MotionPlus accessory to play though. As for content to be aware of, Red Steel 2 received an ESRB rating of "TEEN" for "Animated Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence".

A description for the game on the Nintendo Channel says, "Embody a lonesome fighter, a man of few words with a shaded past full of mystery. Face various, and increasingly strong, enemies and defeat challenging bosses in epic and intense fights. Visit a remote mixed metropolis in the middle of the American desert, where Eastern and Western culture have been smashed together: Caldera."

About how many U.S. Wii owners have game-play data reported for Red Steel 2 through the Nintendo Channel, and how many hours have they reported playing the game since it released over 3 years ago? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

How much has Xenoblade Chronicles been played? Official U.S. Nintendo Channel data report.

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Xenoblade Chronicles released last year in the U.S. on April 6th. The game was sold exclusively at GameStop (stores and online) and had a MSRP of $49.99.

The game was developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo, and received an ESRB rating of "TEEN" with "Blood, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

How many hours have U.S. Wii owners reported playing the Xenoblade Chronicles since it released last year, and about how many U.S. Wii owners now have data reported for the game? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look at the official U.S. Nintendo Channel data, as well as other information about Xenoblade Chronicles!

Fishing Resort's official Nintendo Channel debut data. Hours spent fishing in a virtual paradise...

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Do you like fishing, virtually or in real life?

Fishing Resort was released for the Wii in the U.S. on November 22, 2011, with two SKUs available for purchase. There was a standalone software version with a MSRP of $19.99, or Wii owners could also buy the game bundled with a fishing rod accessory for $29.99.

Fishing Resort was developed by PROPE, which is the studio formed by Yuji Naka (previous head of Sonic Team) and who is also said to be "The Creator of Sonic" in a portion of the game's description on Amazon.com. The game was published by XSEED Games for its U.S. release, and received an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE" with no content listed for parents or gamers to be aware of.

The Nintendo Channel description for the game reads, "Fishing Resort is a fishing game that takes place on a large tropical paradise and uses the Wii Remote to mimic the action of casting and the Nunchuk for reeling. This paradise offers lakes, streams, and even ice fishing in addition to the deep and shallow sea fishing with more than 200 varieties of fish available."

About how many U.S. Wii owners have reported fishing in the virtual paradise found in Fishing Resort since it released? Grab your fishing gear, grab your coffee, and let's take a look!

Dart Rage official Nintendo Channel data report! How many hours/years spent throwing darts?

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Do you enjoy playing darts? Well, U.S. Wii owners have apparently enjoyed playing virtual darts these last few years, in at least one game.

Dart Rage released for the WiiWare service on March 1, 2010 in the U.S., at a $6.00 price point (600 Wii Points). The game was developed and published by JV Games, and received an ESRB rating of "EVERYONE" with "Alcohol Reference" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

The description for the game on the Nintendo Channel reads, "Dart Rage puts you in the spot light as you compete against friends, the computer, or both. Dart Rage features pixel perfect accuracy and has 4 freat games to choose from including: 301-901, Cricket, Poker, & American darts. Change the game play with plenty of options like VS. Mode; where you compete at the same time in a race to the finish."

About how many U.S. Wii owners have reported playing Dart Rage since it released, and what's at least one Nintendo published Wii retail game that Dart Rage has a higher reported average "Per person" than? Also, if you own a Wii U and have some extra Wii Remotes around, would this be a good virtual dart game to grab, based on the average reported "Per person"? Brew yourself a cup (or two) of coffee, and let's take a look!

March Brewed - Coffees Consumed & Games Played!

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March saw several new Wii U releases, the most in quite a while actually. I mentioned some of the new Wii U games that released in March, HERE. While I ended up not buying any of those, yet, all of them have landed in my current "Wish List".

If you only skimmed posts or stopped by only occasionally in March, here's what you might have missed:
1) One reason I find Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's multiplayer addictive, HERE.
2) What is the most played Mega Man game on the Wii, based on Total Hours reported? You can read that report, HERE.
3) Why you should never give up in a Black Ops 2 online multiplayer match, HERE.
4) What is the Wii's most played Need for Speed game, based on Total Hours reported? Find out HERE.
5) What are current Wii U trade-in values, for both the Basic Set and Deluxe Set? Find out HERE.
6) A new feature, done twice in the month, Movie Magic Monday! If you like dragons, you might like this one. If you're a fan of Alice in Wonderland, you might find this one interesting.
7) ZombiU has been patched! You can see the full patch notes and details I gathered on the ZombiU patch, HERE.

Now, what games did I get around to playing in March, and what coffees helped me make it through the month? Start brewing yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!