The latest figures have been released, which show that Nintendo has been way out in front of Microsoft and Sony in the games market for the past 12 months. While Playstation 2 suffered a decrease in hardware sales in the UK, the DS continued to shine and even broke records by becoming the first console to sell over 10 million units, suggesting that over 15% of the population owns one.

All other games, however, were trounced by the much-hyped release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, with the US contributing to 70% of global sales. Super Mario Brothers Wii, despite only being released in December, also features in the top 5 games. Globally, Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit sold over 7 million and 5 million units respectively, and bear in mind that these games are specific to one platform!

You can check out the top 5 here and see some further details on US and global sales in comparison to those in the UK.

A reminder to all those who have yet to download their WiiWare demos - you have only to the end of the month to get your free minigames. Among the highlights available are Final Fantasy's latest WiiWare game, Pokemon Rumble and World of Goo. Final Fantasy: My Life as a Dark Lord, however, does not seem to compare (from the demo at least) to its predecessor My Life as a King, so its worth a miss.

While Red Steel has often been slated as one of the worst shooter games for the latest generation of consoles (despite being highly enjoyable despite the many glitches which came from being one of the first releases for the brave release of the Wii) we are all in states of high anticipation awaiting the sequel. Look here to watch a trailer, and there'll be more to follow on its progress at the House of Nintendo.

Also, for any Zelda fan this is worth a look. It's an interesting insight into the world of Zelda when it was just a mere concept on graph paper. Little did they know it was a loved classic in the making.

Despite having two cameras and digital music applications, one of the best features of the new Nintendo DSi is the DSiWare store. It's like the WiiWare store, and with a wifi connection you are able to, at the minute, download around 100 software-based games and applications. The prices are often less than those of cartridge-based games, and with releases being as regular as a new addition every week, we at the House are going to keep you posted on the best of the bunch.

There are three new releases from the store this week, but the best, we think, is Trajectile. It costs 500 Nintendo points and currently has a user-rating of 3.5 out of 4. It's quite primitive in style and graphics, but the classics never get old! The idea is this; with a limited number of missiles you must adjust your trajectory and clear your way through the level by blasting through the targets. It really is quite addictive...

Yet again going against the trends and doing something truly original, the Nintendo DS team have told us that in March they will release the DSi XL in Europe. It is our version of Japan's DSi LL, release in November last year, and, as opposed to the current trend of trying to make everything smaller and sleeker, it is a bigger version of the handheld console.

The DS has gone through makeovers before. In 2006 the DS Lite was released, making it one of the thinnest pieces of hardware on the market, while in 2008 the DSi was released. This brought the Nintendo "Ware" store's downloadable material to the handheld market and also included two low res cameras.

While the PSP went through some changes last year as well, rather predictably becoming smaller and thinner and also more fragile, the DSi XL will more than likely be on the market for those of us who found the DS Lite a little too fiddly. Expected retail price is an impressive £130, or there abouts.

It's 2010 and many will find it hard to believe that the Pokemon craze began over a decade ago. The millions-selling Gold and Silver versions of the Gameboy's most successful franchise are, according the Nintendo, to be remade this year.

Called HeartGold and SoulSilver, these are going to be DS exclusives for release at the end of March. The developers are keeping the cards close to their chest, but when we hear more news we'll let you know. If you know anything more yourselves, let the world know here.

One thing we do know, though, is that Nintendo's innovation just never seems to die. Included in the package will be what they are calling the 'pokewalker". It is a pedometer accessory, proving that once again, defying the critics of gaming, health and fitness is paramount to those at Nintendo!