Nintendo: The World’s Best Company

October 7, 2009

For a while, it seemed like Nintendo was about to drop out of the race. Sony’s Playstation was bringing a new maturity and exciting action to gamers everywhere, drawing in older players with epic games that boasted cinematic storylines, brilliant voice acting and memorable characters more layered and complex than Nintendo’s crew of Mario and company. It even seemed possible that Nintendo would abandon the console market and focus on selling games bearing their classic license.

And then it happened.

The Wii was announced to mockery from Microsoft and Sony and hesitation from an audience who needed take only a single glance at the Wiimote and nunchuck to know they were dealing with something different. But when it hit shelves, they came in droves. The Wii outsold the competition by a wide margin and even helped sales of Nintendo’s portable DS system. And now, over a year later, they’re still going strong.

Strong enough, in fact, to have garnered the title of The World’s Best Company. Check out this article from Gamespot.

Nintendo started its fiscal 2010 year off on a sour note, reporting in July that profits plummeted 60 percent on revenues down 40 percent during its April-June quarter. Still, it’s hard to argue with earnings of $2.66 billion and income of $442 million during a three-month stretch, not to mention the publisher’s skyward trajectory since 2004, when it launched the 100-million-unit-plus selling Nintendo DS.

In recognition of Nintendo’s performance, BusinessWeek has placed the publisher at the top of its World’s Best Companies 2009 list. BusinessWeek’s rankings are compiled by management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, who sifted through the 2,500 largest publicly traded companies with a minimum of $10 billion in sales during 2008, 25 percent of which came from outside the home market. Companies were then ranked according to sales growth and value creation over the past five years.

A.T. Kearney valued Nintendo’s 2008 annual sales at $16.8 billon, up 35.7 percent since 2004, when the publisher’s GameCube struggled against Sony’s best-selling PlayStation 2. As for value creation, which BusinessWeek defined as “the rise of market capitalization after subtracting any increase in capital,” Nintendo has seen growth of 38.1 percent over the past five years.

“With visionary leadership and a three-tiered product development process that brings together top management, development staff, and marketing and administrative teams, the Japanese game maker been able to create new hardware without sticking to conventional notions in the video game industry,” BusinessWeek wrote of the company.

Nintendo outpaced a number of other notable companies to secure the top spot in BusinessWeek’s rankings. Google and Apple placed a respective second and third behind Nintendo, with South Korean construction products & services and shipbuilder Doosan Heavy Industries and Hyundai Heavy Industries placing a respective fourth and fifth.

We have all the Nintendo toys available on our website….cmdstore.com

Super Mario Toys, Action Figures and Collectibles

Want to get your hands on a Wii or DS?  Buy it on Amazon.com without leaving your home!


The Nintendo Wii console
Wii Fit Plus
Wii Remote ControllerWii Nunchuk Controller
Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board
Nintendo DSi Matte – Black


10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Sims 3!

October 7, 2009

Over at About.com’s Computer Sim section, Courtney Marchelletta has sorted out 10 fun facts about the EA Games’ hit and shares them with Sims 3 fans worldwide! Have a read: you might learn something!


I admit. I am a geek. I love it when I’m playing “The Sims” and something out of the blue happens. Like the time Aunt Matilda showed up at a wedding in a bathing suit. Gotta love those inappropriate Sims.

Below are a few tidbits you may not have discovered. It’s incredible the details the developers think of adding.

1. Teddy bears can be put into cribs in buy mode.

2. Pregnant sims who eat apples or foods made with apples tend to have boys. Same goes for watermelons and girl babies.

3. A baby’s sex can be determined before birth by a Sim in the medical career in at least the fifth level. This is found under the friendly interactions menu.

4. Click on your lights to change the color of lights and their intensity.

5. Sims can age anytime not just at the end of the age stage. Buy a birthday cake and pick the Sim you want to age to blow out the candles.

6. Childish sims can fish in pools.

7. Good sims can donate to charity. Click on a mailbox with a good Sim selected.

8. Rock stars will be cheered or booed when seen in public.

9. Handy sims can wire speakers so the whole house hears music when radio is on.

10. Sims in the Criminal career cannot be robbed.


Fans can grab The Sims 3 or its new expansion at Amazon.com!
The Sims 3 for the PC
The Sims 3: World Adventures Expansion Pack
The Sims 3: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides)


G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra – A Guide to the Toys!

September 28, 2009

We’ve just gotten a new series of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra action figures in-stock and ready to be shipped. The first collection of the 4th wave includes favourites like Kamakura, Night Adder, Nano-Viper and more! They join the awesome characters already released in conjunction with the hit summer flick. You can check out the whole collection here or by clicking the pic above!

But if you’re a discerning fan or collector, you might be wondering whether to get into the new line or, more specifically, which figures are are the best of the best! Well, wonder no more.
SoHood.com presents their Ultimate G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Toy Guide that helps you sift through the figures and figure out which ones to snag.

SoHood’s Edwin Diaz sorts through every single figure and rates them based on five points: Articulation and Pose ability, Durability, Color scheme paint job, G.I. Joe accessories, and Overall Design. He also includes the character descriptions from the toys themselves, meaning that even those a little rusty on their G.I. Joe Who’s Who can sift through the guide. Of Baronness, it is written:

Anastasia Decobray is as dangerous as she is beautiful. A master spy for COBRA and a powerful, high-ranking figure at M.A.R.S. Industries, she carries out her plans with icy efficiency.

So far, Night Adder and Pit Commander seem to be your best bets, both scoring perfect marks in every category! But if you really want to dare to compare, just head on over to SoHood.com!


Isaac Clarke Arrives!

September 28, 2009

In our last Video game figure post, we mentioned the pre-order available for the Dead Space Isaac Clarke figure from Player’s Select.

Well, good news! The figure and its bloody (literally) variant have now arrived, so you can snag ‘em now. They’re available individually, or in a 2-pack. Check ‘em out!

And there’s even more to smile about if you’re a fan of Dead Space: the new Wii prequel, Dead Space: Extraction! Not only is it getting great reviews, but it has now officially shipped! Check out the review from The New York Daily News and then get ready to play!

You can buy both Dead Space and Dead Space Extraction at Amazon.com!
Dead Space Extraction for the Wii
Dead Space for the XBox
Dead Space for the PS3


The Hero Initiative

August 18, 2009

Comic book fans might not realize that the artists and writers they love aren’t always making the kind of money or living the kind of life their talent might deserve. It’s a tough industry out there and even some of the best and brightest creators need more help than their comic sales can provide.

That’s where the Hero Initiative comes in:

The Hero Initiative creates a financial safety net for comic creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. Since inception, the Hero Initiative has been fortunate enough to benefit over 40 creators and their families with over $400,000 worth of much-needed aid, fueled by your contributions! It’s a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much enjoyment.

But it’s not just about donating: fans get to spend money on things they love and know that it’s going to the best possible cause through Hero Initiative events, auctions and online sales. If you love comics, this is truly a great way to give something back to the people who have helped create and, in a way, become your heroes.


Super Smashup Bros. and Donkey Business: VG Mashups!

August 18, 2009

Today, video game music is much like a movie score, featuring real orchestration, hours of tracks and sometimes composed by the very same men and women writing for film. Gone are the days of midis or 100% computer-generated, simple tunes, which some would say is a very good thing.

Some, but not all. There are those like myself who miss a lot of the video game music we grew up with and enjoy the sounds of all the games we used to love. I remember Donkey Kong Country and its beats, unique at the time and a blast to listen to as you explored the jungles. Then there was Super Mario RPG, which brought the drama and triumph of Squaresoft’s usual tracks to Mario’s usual sound. And, of course, one can never forget Sephiroth’s theme from the epic Final Fantasy VII.

Now, thanks to a few DJs and mashup geniuses, though, the songs you know and love are back with a modern pop or hip-hop twist. Here are two awesome mashup albums you can download for free that bring the VG past into the music of today!

First up, here’s Valley of Walls’ Super Smashup Bros, a compilation of various hits from video games like Sonic the Hedgehog and FF7 mashed up with songs from the likes of Lady Gaga and Beyonce.

The track-listing includes songs like “Crank Dat One Winged Angel”, “I Know You Want Wario Stadium”, “Smithy Puts a Ring on it” and “99 Problems Zone”. It’s definitely worth a listen, so you can click the pic above or just click here to check out Valley of Walls’ site.

And for something more specific, check out Norweigan Recycling’s DONKEY BUSINESS!

Featuring music from the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, this album boasts some pretty impressive tracks from the likes of Michael Jackson, Timbaland and Usher. Songs like “The Way Blast Barrels Are”, “I Wish I had Life Balloons” or “Billie Jean Kong” aren’t just cute mashups, they’re quality on their own. If you were a fan of the game or if you’re just seeking a neat addition to your iPod, look no further! You can download it right here. Plus, check out some of his other musical works on the main page.


Celebrity Gossip Goes Back in Time. . .

June 23, 2009

Celebrity gossip seems to be bigger than ever: all of a sudden, the whole world cares about the actions of a few, no matter how inane. Some celebrities are obviously incredibly talented and deserve all their success, but it seems that Warhol’s prediction of 15 minutes of fame for all has really come true and that a person needs to do less and less to become famous.

Which is why industrious Livejournal user Telegram_ has decided that Livejournal’s largest community, OhNoTheyDidn’t, a celeb gossip blog, needed a touch of class. No more Miley Cyrus or Kim Kardashian, Speidi or Megan Fox. Instead, Vivien Leigh, Errol Flynn, Marilyn Monroe and the rest of Old Hollywood are the subjects of a new community: the classily-named ONTD Classique. So for those who prefer to live in the past, check it out!