Top 20 WiiWare Games in USA (15th July)

1st. Surprised My Pokemon ranch is still very high.

That's shocking that fish are number one again. I am sure with the success of Reel Fishing and My Aquarium developers are scrambling to add fish to all of there games now.

better not shock the water. or the fishies will drop

wow, i guess that bad word of mouth really killed Bit Boy!

Not necessarily. Most games don't show up in their first week of release.

Hey, Bit Boy has only been out for a couple of days, so wait and see the chart next week to be sure.

Here's the awesomest charts in the world, from Japan, natch:

1 (1) Pokemon Scramble
2 (2) FFCC My Life as a Darklord
3 (3) Asobu Made in Ore
4 (6) My Pokemon Ranch Platinum
5 (7) Pole's Big Adventure
6 (5) Order!
7 (8) Bomberman Blast
8 (9) Game of Life
9 (4) Bang Bang Kids (Water Warfare) -- Looks like the Japanese FPS love affair is short-lived!
10 (15) Licca-Chan Oshare House
11 (13) Minna no Theatre Wii
12 (11) Rockman 9
13 (10) Muscle March
14 (12) FFCC My Life as a King
15 (N) Unou Kids Okigaru Unou Toreeningu
16 (17) Dr. Mario & Germ Buster
17 (16) Blue Oasis (My Aquarium)
18 (14) Okiraku Daifugoo Wii: Honkaku Wi-Fi Net Taisen
19 (18) Shika Gari
20 (19) World of Goo

Incredibly Tetris Party has dropped off the list to make room for the kids brain training game that came out on the 30th of June -- guess everyone got their copy!

VC:

1 (1) Super Mario Bros. (FC)
2 (2) SMB3 (FC)
3 (3) Downtown Special Kunio-Kun no Jidaigeki dayo Zenin Shuugoo (FC)
4 (4) Final Fantasy II (FC)
5 (6) Super Mario World (SFC)
6 (5) Super Mario Kart (SFC)
7 (7) Puyo Puyo 2 (MD)
8 (8) Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask (N64)
9 (9) SMB2 (FC)
10 (N) Volfied (PCE) -- This new entry is due no doubt to last week's Game Center CX Challenge on the Nintendo Channel where the goal was to get %99 clear on one of the boards. A fun take on Qix from Taito; I bought my copy Tuesday night!
11(10) Final Fantasy (FC)
12 (15) Downtown Nekketsu Kooshinkyoku Soreyuku Daiundookai (FC)
13 (12) Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time (N64)
14 (11) Ice Climber (FC)
15 (14) Super Mario RPG (SFC)
16 (N) Super Punch Out!! (SFC)
17 (13) Twinbee (FC)
18 (16) Kirby's Dream Land 3 (SFC)
19 (N) Super Mario 64 (N64)
20 (20) Kirby's Adventure (FC)

Off the chart: Splatterhouse (ARC), Golden Axe (ARC), Super Smash Bros. (N64) As can be seen the VC top 20 changes little, but it is interesting to see what breaks in there and how things shuffle about.

Say hello to Finnish WiiWare TOP20 chart for the first time ever (if anyone hasn't done it before )!!

1. World of Goo
2. Water Warfare
3. Gradius Rebirth
4. NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits
5. PUZZLE BOBBLE Plus!
6. FINAL FANTASY IV THE AFTER YEARS
7. FUN! FUN! Minigolf
8. Bit Boy!!
9. Onslaught
10. Bubble Bobble Plus!
11. Texas Hold'em Tournament
12. My Pokémon Ranch
13. Bomberman Blast
14. My Aquarium
15. BIT.TRIP BEAT
16. Brain Challenge
17. Defend your Castle
18. Swords & Soldiers
19. Tetris Party
20. Dr. Mario & Germ Buster

And because this is the first time, you can't see where the games were last week so I'm just going to compare it to the US list this week and throw some random comments:

Unlike in the US, World of Goo is still high at #1. Water Warfare is high here too, actually one place higher compared to the #3 in the US. Last update's two newcomers Karate Phants and 5 spots party didn't make it to the list, but Bit Boy and Gradius Rebirth, games from the update before are both pretty high on the list, at #8 and #3. From the first games on WiiWare, one is on the list: Dr. Mario & Germ Buster, but on the last place. Will it drop completely off next week? Will some other game from the start of the WiiWare come back? Will World of Goo continue on top? Will the list change at all? We'll see next week...

BTW, about World of Goo: I bought it at the start of summer, in June and now I have completed the story and it totally deserves the first place on the list, it really is worth the points! I still have to do the OCD things and my Tower of Goo isn't really high. Does something happen when you have every OCD and is there something when you build the tower high enough?

The Dutch list from 15-7:
1 (1) - Texas Hold'em Tournament
2 (2) - My Aquarium
3 (4) - Water Warfare
4 (3) - Swords & Soldiers
5 (6) - TV Show King
6 (5) - My Pokémon Ranch
7 (7) - NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits
8 (-) - 5 Spots Party NEW
9 (8) - World of Goo
10 (9) - Onslaught
11 (14) - Gradius Rebirth
12 (13) - Tetris Party
13 (12) - Brain Challenge
14 (19) - Bomberman Blast
15 (15) - Bit Boy!!
16 (17) - The Incredible Maze
17 (11) - Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
18 (10) - Puzzle Bobble Plus
19 (-) - Defend your Castle
20 (18) - Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King

We welcome 5 Spots Party which came out last week. We also see the return (again) of Defend your Castle that dropped of the list last week.

We also see Puzzle Bobble Plus and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years dropping down the list. The real big climber is Bomberman Blast and Gradius Rebirth.

With only two new titles, we say goodbye to:

• Mega Man 9 (16 last week)
• Snowboard Riot (20 last week)

UK charts ahoy...

1 (1) - My Aquarium
2 (7) - Gradius Rebirth
3 (6) - World of Goo
4 (5) - Texas Hold'em Tournament
5 (2) - Water Warfare
6 (8) - My Pokemon Ranch
7 (12) - Bit Boy!!
8 (9) - Onslaught
9 (4) - NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits
10 (10) - Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
11 (11) - Pop-Up Pirate!
12 (3) - Puzzle Bobble Plus!
13 (13) - Swords & Soldiers
14 (14) - Defend Your Castle
15 (N) - 5 Spots Party
16 (15) - Bomberman Blast
17 (18) - BIT.TRIP BEAT
18 (17) - Tetris Party
19 (16) - Snowboard Riot
20 (19) - LostWinds

Up: Gradius and Bit Boy both climb 5 spots. World of Goo's back to 3.
Down: NyxQuest is down 5, Puzzle Bobble down 9. Oof! Harsh.
Hello: 5 Spots Party at 15. No Karate Phants. Phew.
Goodbye: My Life As A King... Or should that be au revoir?

Yeeeaah Water Warfare!

Awesome debut for Core. I hope it hangs in there longer than Beat did. (Though I imagine Beat is probably still selling pretty steadily.)

I do get the feeling that Bit Boy will chart next week. It's got a retro style that is likely to win people over by default, especially those who don't follow the reviews online.

If Incoming debuts higher than Core, I will drown myself.

"If Incoming debuts higher than Core, I will drown myself."

Not such a bad idea! Incoming seems to be a good fun party game to me, and the simplicity of control feels fine as a casual game. Why such passion to torpedo JV Games, Philip? Were you beaten with a plastic tank when you were a child? Your review seems needlessly harsh, far beyond the civil discussion that Nintendo Life enforces in this blog. Can anyone say, "Double Standard?"

I'm sure a lot of us can say "double standard," yes. What are you attempting to apply it to?

Very simple. The purpose of a game review is to discuss the pros and cons, and help readers form an opinion. And potentially to save them money by possibly avoiding games that you personally find unworthy of the price. That's it. Aggressively trashing a developer is totally out of line, in my opinion, and the Community Rules of Nintendo Life are clear about "flaming" others and do on. And yet, you seem to be free to do so in your review - therefore the "Double Standard."

I meant "and so on," typo!

Thanks for your reply, though, to be honest, it'd be better suited to the discussion page for the review itself.

The purpose of a game review is indeed to discuss the pros and cons, and also to justify the ultimate score it is awarded. I do feel that I discussed the positive aspects of the game as well as the negative...it's just that I didn't find there to BE many positive aspects. I went into detail about what I felt were the negative aspects of the game, and I hope that I provided enough detail about what the game was that readers here would be able to come to their own conclusions.

As far as "aggressively trashing a developer," I'm not sure what you're referring to at all. My comments were all directed toward the game, not the developer, apart from one sentence in the conclusion that pointed out that their other games were not well-received either. Which isn't even a matter of opinion; it's fact that their other games were not well-received.

If you disagree with my ultimate assessment, that's okay, and that's respectable. But if you feel I've violated some kind of community guideline, be aware that every review posted here is subject to approval by the administrators, and they are no more keen on letting flaming and abuse through than you are.

I appreciate your comments.

@3DPro
By that logic we could never give a game a bad review

I cannot see any "trashing a developer" happening in the review. He does slate the game though, but that seems fair if it's that rubbish!

I'm pleased to see Bit Boy in the charts as I do enjoy it. Shame Fish 'Em All! had no staying power...

Reel Fishing Challenge... number ONE? Just... no.

And when, oh WHEN is My Shovelware Ranch getting off the list? It angers me to no end when people buy cheap cash-ins like this over actual GAMES. Nintendo can sell retarded crap to retarded people and stupid 4-year-olds... it's so sad.

Though it's pleasing to see that Water Warfare is #3. Great game!

poor ff4 been beaten down by fish, and on monday it was in 3rd spot for a while as waterwarfare was 2

Early today eh? Well, alright then...

Swedish top 20:
(2) 1 - Gradius Rebirth
(3) 2 - Water Warfare
(1) 3 - Icarian: Kindred Spirits
(4) 4 - World Of Goo
(10) 5 - Bit Boy!!
(8) 6 - Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
(7) 7 - Swords & Soldiers
(6) 8 - Mega Man 9
(15) 9 - Fun! Fun! Minigolf
(9) 10 - Texas Hold'em Tournament
(12) 11 - Bubble Bobble Plus!
(5) 12 - Puzzle Bobble Plus!
(11) 13 - Onslaught
(14) 14 - My Pokémon Ranch*
(16) 15 - Bomberman Blast
(13) 16 - My Aquarium
(18) 17 - Tetris Party
(19) 18 - Snowboard Riot
(20) 19 - Bit.Trip: Beat
(17) 20 - LostWinds*

I've got the distinct feeling they've changed the formula for calculating popular games. Gut feeling tells me that it's the last 14 days that matters these days. Would explain why no game has dropped in its second week in forever aswell the notable increase in 3rd week free falls...

@Sneaker13:
Aaaah! Dutch chart never fails to entertain!
5 Spots? In 8th?! That's hilarious!

@Ratengo: Well, I saw the master get the %99, so I don't have to! Seriously I have managed a %94 on the first level without going to the lengths that he did. It is a nice game though -- is it an arcade port?

**** man, Goo can't fall off the chart! Who knows what would happen!

I guess maybe everyone already owns Goo though......

@Bahamut ZERO:
I wouldn't worry quite yet... It's in 7th... Last year in mid August FFCC dropped to 7th for the first time... And the damn thing is still charting! So yeah, 7th place does not mark the inevitable end of WoG...

@Djungelurban:
Glad someone is amusing him (or her)self . It could be worse though. I'm glad to see Swords & Soldiers and NyxQuest still in the top 10. And thankfully nobody bought Karate Phants: Gloves of Glory.

Bit Boy!! will in the top 20 next week

@ Chicken Brutus: "it's fact that their other games were not well-received."

Excuse me? Pong Toss sold a ton of units... and I know plenty of people who still play it, despite many negative reviews like the one that you just gave "Incoming." Go Figure! Maybe you have actually done them a favor here. And you don't think a comment like "an all-time low for JV Games" is deliberate developer trashing? I'm glad that Wiiware game players have enough sense to draw their own conclusions, as they clearly did with Pong Toss - instead of blindly following reviewers. Have a nice day.

@Gabbo: If you read my first post, you will notice that I say "Pros and Cons"... Cons meaning Bad.

@3DPro: Wow, I guess there is one person on this earth who actually enjoyed Incoming after all!

@WolfRamHeart - Considering that he joined 5 hours ago for the apparent purpose of "trashing the reviewer", I'm suspecting a shill. Especially given the weak language he uses in promoting the game. e.g. "seems to be a good fun party game" is an extremely odd statement.

Wow. Congrats to Reel Fishing Challenge for overtaking not only World of Goo but FFIV:TAY as well!

@3DPro:
" And you don't think a comment like "an all-time low for JV Games" is deliberate developer trashing?"

No more than saying "The Legend of Zelda 2 was pretty bad" is deliberate Nintendo bashing. The product is the low-point, and the comment is about the product, not the company.

And I'm glad people bought and enjoyed Pong Toss. That's fine; I wish them well in their lives, and with future purchases. That doesn't change the fact that it got a bad criticial reception; if anything, it just proves that not everybody lives and dies by reviews.

You disagreed with mine, just as everybody else has every right to do. But going out of your way to seek spite and aggression where there is none is not helpful to anybody.

Thanks for reading, though.

@3DPro - I have a hunch that you have some affiliation with JVgames, nobody in their right mind would defend this company that in my opinion are releasing games without really caring about the quality just to make a quick buck. Think about the poor naive youngsters that are possibly spending a weeks worth of their pocket money only to be disappointed by some half-assed attempt at a game.

My family and I thought Pong Toss was great fun. We still play it from time to time.
Out of shear curiosity now, im going to d/l Incoming. Not really sure if it's my type of game but I did enjoy Defend your Castle, it seems like the same kind of twitch game.

Oh dear, it looks like people like fish. First My Aquarium, now this?
@3DPro-Go, take a good look at yourself. You are enjoying two bad games. If you just came here to bash Chicken Brutus, you will be very unpopular here quickly, my friend.

The return of the canadian list:

1-Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
2-Bust-a-move Plus
3-Reel Fishing Challenge
4-Water Warfare
5-World of Goo
6-Tetris Party
7-Texas Hold'en Tournament
8-My Aquarium
9-Bit. Trip Core
10-Family Mini Golf
11-My Pokemon Ranch
12-Bubble Bobble Plus
13-Dr.Mario Online RX
14-Swords and Soldiers
15- Defend your Castle
16-Bomberman Blast
17-Mega Man 9
18-Brain Challenge
19-FFCC: My Life as a King
20-Adventure Island The Beginning

What about the top 20 for Canada?
And was Harvest Moon: Ranch Store ever in the top 20 in Japan?

Wow, those darn fish.

@Hero of legend
I put it.

Wow, I fail.

@Ratengo: Wow, who knew? I definitely would also get the arcade or Megadrive version, whichever comes first as it's pretty different to the PC Engine one.

There's some interesting stuff in Sean Aaron's Japanese list. Really hope, in a pervy kind of way, that Pole's Big Adventure and Muscle March get released outside Japan. Can't see it happening though.

I'm glad to see Onslaught holding it's own internationally. It's a fun title and the online play is a blast.

Oh no, World of Goo is almost off the list in Japan