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NintendoWare Weekly: Resident Evil Revelations demo, Stonekeep

3DS demos have finally arrived in North America! Or, at least, they will in a couple of hours when the eShop updates. You'll have the opportunity to check out Capcom's classic-style Resident Evil Revelations at no risk -- other than the usual risk of terror-soaked pants, we suppose.

In WiiWare news, remember when Interplay was going to revive Stonekeep for WiiWare? Well, that's happened. You can see the results above.

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VideoGamesPlus.ca investigating 'security issue,' recommends password change

Earlier today it was reported that VideoGamesPlus.ca had been hacked and 21,000 customers' account details were posted for all to see. Eurogamer obtained an email from the company to customers saying the site is "currently investigating a security issue" and is recommending folks to change their passwords.

The problems started when a hacker claimed he had the account details and posted them (since removed) on a file-sharing site. The details included customer names, dates of birth, email addresses, phone numbers and encrypted passwords.

Short version: If you're a VGP customer, change the password for any accounts that shared the same password.

[Pavel Ignatov via Shutterstock]

Zumba Fitness franchise sells 6M units, Majesco profits

Majesco continues to stave off oblivion, getting lucky with Cooking Mama a couple years back and now living off the sweat equity of Zumba Fitness. The company announced the Zumba Fitness franchise has sold more than 6 million units worldwide, with Zumba Fitness 2 surpassing 1 million sales.

"In 2011, we experienced the successful launch of a brand new franchise for Majesco; Zumba Fitness has quickly become the fastest selling title in the company's history and the world's number one fitness title of 2011," Majesco CEO Jesse Sutton said. "We grew revenues over 65 percent in 2011 ... Zumba Fitness has taken the fitness category by storm, selling over four million units worldwide in its first 12 months, and topping the charts as the number one fitness title of the year in the US and UK."

For the fourth quarter, ending October 31, 2011, Majesco experienced a net loss of $3.9 million, versus a loss of $1.5 million in 2010. For the year, however, Majesco's revenue increased 66 percent to $125.3 million, ending with an operating income of $11.4 million, compared to the $2.1 million loss the prior year.

Majesco could always combine its top franchises for mega profits: Cooking Mama's Zumba Fitness: Work Out & Eat Well.

Ubisoft shutters Vancouver studio

Ubisoft's studio in Vancouver, previously known as Action Pants, has been shut down by the publisher. The Vancouver studio was responsible for the publisher's Pure Futbol and Academy of Champions: Soccer. Don't feel bad if you've never heard of either before -- we had to dig deep to find a mention.

"Unfortunately, we haven't found the right formula for success for the talented team there," Ubi told Game Informer. "We thank our Vancouver team for their hard work and the projects that they have delivered."

Ubi said team members will have the opportunity to consider positions at other Ubisoft studios. We're sure Toronto, Quebec or Montreal could always use the help pushing out this year's Assassin's Creed (with soccer-based tower defense minigame).

Super Mario Bros. Crossover gets a makeover in Version 2.0


The 2.0 update for Super Mario Bros. Crossover, coming in Q1 2012, gives the homemade blend-em-up a bit more flash and a wider spectrum of nostalgia. And the new SNES and Gameboy visuals don't detract from the game's real purpose, which is to destroy that aloof minion Lakitu in new and interesting ways.

3DS, Nintendo lead Japan's 30 best-selling games of 2011

The top two spots in Japan's 2011 list of best-selling games are taken by a pair of Nintendo 3DS games: Mario Kart 7, with more than 1.6 million sold, and Super Mario 3D Land with more than 1.08 million sold. In third is Capcom's Monster Hunter Tri-G for 3DS, followed by 27 more titles for 3DS, DS PSP, Wii and PS3. These include From Software's Dark Souls and Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII-2.

Check out the entire list, provided by Media Create of Japanese Hardware Sales fame, below!

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FIFA spends fourth week atop UK charts, exercise games perform well

FIFA 12 remains at the top of the UK chart for a fourth straight week, despite a 54 percent drop in sales. Nearly all the games on this week's top ten saw double-digit percentage drops in sales, as consumers adjust to the post-holiday rhythm. For example, Just Dance 3 had a 21 percent reduction, but moved up two spots into second. Skyrim had similar falling upwards, as it moved up two spots into third, with a 23 percent sales drop. It's currently a race of stamina on the charts.

And very few top ten contenders have stamina quite like Zumba Fitness. The continued desire to work off Christmas pounds kept the original game in sixth place, as Zumba Fitness 2 moved into seventh.

Other fitness games are also doing well, as Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012 for Kinect is up 173 percent, and so is Wii Fit Plus, holding spots at 12 and 27, respectively. Do some step exercises and walk on past the break for the UK top ten.

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Now Playing: January 16-22, 2012


Saints Row: The Third fans can put their lives at risk for fun, excitement and entertainment this week with the Genkibowl VII DLC...

Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:

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The origin of the Konami code, as told by its inventor

The legendary Konami code came about because Gradius was too hard for one of the guys making it. Katsuhisa Hashimoto was on the team of four responsible for the NES port of Gradius, and he recalled adding the code in a 2003 interview just translated by GlitterBerri. "I had one guy under me, and he played through the coin-op version," Hashimoto said. "That one's really tough. I hadn't played that much and obviously couldn't beat it myself, so I put in the Konami Code."

The code uses its familiar, now-iconic pattern for ... convenience. "Because I was the one who was going to be using it," Hashimoto said, "I made sure it was easy to remember. The game took around half a year to develop, and, at the time, putting the code together was like an entertaining puzzle. 'How on earth am I going to be able to fit these passwords into the program?' I'd ask myself." The solution to that puzzle may have led to your successful completion of Gradius, Contra, or countless other Konami games.

[Image: DefunctGames]

THQ denies rumors about cancellation of its 2014 lineup

Yesterday, a series of tweets by IGDA Mobile SIG chair Kevin Dent alleged that THQ was in financial trouble, and that it was canceling its 2014 game lineup (most notably Warhammer 40k: Dark Millenium Online) and shopping itself out to potential buyers.

This evening, THQ's Australian PR department issued a statement to the contrary, as posted by VG247. "THQ has not cancelled its 2014 line-up, and has not made any decisions regarding the planned MMO," THQ said. According to the statement, the only reduction to THQ's lineup has been to move focus away from the "kids' boxed games sector" following poor performance of the most recent version of the uDraw. " Our slate for calendar 2012 and beyond is focused on high-quality core games and continues to build our digital platform and business," the statement said. "We are excited for our pipeline of original and high-quality content along with our relationships with some of the best talent in the industry."

Note that THQ said it "has not made any decisions" about Warhammer 40k: DMO -- that's hardly a statement of unwavering support. Regardless, the statement is clear about the rest of the 2014 lineup.

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