Nightly News Roundup: 2010.12.15

Nintendo funds terrorism, Sega happy with Sonic Colors, Time’s top ten games of the year, and Epic (Yarn) goodies on Club Nintendo!

By Kevin Knezevic. Posted 12/15/2010 22:30 2 Comments     ShareThis

Nightly News Roundup

Nintendo Products Contain “Conflict Minerals”

According to the Enough Project, Nintendo, among other big-name companies like Panasonic and Canon, has failed to ensure its products are free of “conflict minerals.” As part of a campaign to end support for militant groups in Central Africa, the Washington-based group ranks technology companies on their efforts to certify their mineral purchases do not finance terrorist activity. Gold, tungsten, and coltan are among the many minerals produced in the Congo, and the illicit trade of these has helped fund “more than 15 years of conflict” in the region.

Nintendo issued a response to the group, saying it outsources the assembly of all of its hardware products and “therefore is not directly involved in the sourcing of raw materials.”

Source: Bloomberg


Sega Touts Sales, Teases Announcements

Sega seems to be quite pleased with the market’s acceptance of Sonic Colors, calling the game the “highest pre-selling pure Sonic title” the company has ever had. Alan Pritchard, Sega’s vice president of sales and marketing, views this favorable reaction as a telling indication the company’s strategy of releasing fewer but higher quality Sonic games is working. Colors and its downloadable sibling Sonic 4 represent the company’s first attempts to right its wayward franchise, and the two have been met more favorably by critics and consumers alike as a result.

In addition, Pritchard hints at the company’s plans for the hedgehog in the near future: “We have some announcements in the early part of next year that will further support and add to this strategy. There will be two of three big Sonic announcements in the early part of next calendar year.”

Source: CVG


Time’s Top Ten of 2010

The video game connoisseurs at Time have revealed their top ten list of 2010, and among their favorites is a certain little adventure starring everyone’s favorite space-faring plumber. The full list, ranked in order, is as follows:

  1. Alan Wake
  2. Angry Birds
  3. Red Dead Redemption
  4. Halo: Reach
  5. Super Mario Galaxy 2
  6. Limbo
  7. Super Meat Boy
  8. Super Street Fighter IV
  9. Starcraft II
  10. Mass Effect 2

Source: Time


Kirby Patches on Club Nintendo

In an altogether appropriate move, Nintendo has added patches inspired by Kirby’s Epic Yarn to the list of rewards available on Club Nintendo. The patches come in sets of two, and each costs 350 coins to purchase.

Source: Kotaku, Club Nintendo

2 Responses to “Nightly News Roundup: 2010.12.15”