Miyamoto has expressed an interest in returning to development, working on “smaller projects with even younger developers.”

The man behind Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda plans to retire from his current position at Nintendo.

Legendary game creator Shigeru Miyamoto plans to stay with the company, but will take on a smaller roll in the development department. “I’m not saying that I’m going to retire from game development altogether. What I mean by retiring is, retiring from my current position,” said Miyamoto.

Miyamoto then expressed an interest in returning to development, working on “smaller projects with even younger developers.” The legendary designer even suggested he might work on projects entirely on his own, which will be the first in years.

Basically, for the last several years, Miyamoto has been able to train many younger teams and developers; one of the reasons he’s comfortable resigning from his current post. ”After all, if I’m there in my position as it is, then there’s always kind of a relationship. And the young guys are always kind of in a situation where they have to listen to my ideas. But I need some people who are growing up much more than today.”

The specification are still being formulated but, according to Develop, Nintendo engineers are working to incorporate duel tablet control for the upcoming, motion controlled console, the Nintendo Wii U.

A trusted development executive has revealed that there are numerous indications, within the Wii U code, pointing to the console being operate with two tablets. However, Nintendo had previously indicated that the Wii U could only operate with one control because of the “technical limitations.” But, it also stated that nothing was finalized at the time.

Mario Kart producer Hideki Konno has shown an interest in bringing the popular franchise to the Wii U. In a recent interview with Nintendo Power, Konno expressed that he’d love to expand the franchise onto Nintendo’s new platform.

“I can’t get into the specifics, but I do want to create a new and enjoyable Mario Kart that uses the unique functions of the Wii U,” Konno said. “Anything beyond that I have to keep secret. Please bear with me for now!” He also debunked featuring other franchises characters in the game, stating that they’ve “never seriously considered that.”

With the current state of Nintendo’s stock and the somewhat successful launch of the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo investors are pushing for the video game firm to develop a Mario title for the iOS.

According to Bloomberg, the rift was caused by consumers “shunning” Nintendo’s devices to play on Apple’s handheld platforms instead. However, President Satoru Iwata has stated that the company will only make titles for its own products as long as he’s in charge. But, with the recent flop of the 3DS, his business position may need to be changed.

“Smartphones are the new battlefield for the gaming industry,” added Masamitsu Ohki, a fund manager at Tokyo-based Stats Investment Management Co. “Nintendo should try to either buy its way into this platform or develop something totally new.” However, Nintendo has declined to comment to the reports.

But, Ohki isn’t alone in when it comes to stating that Nintendo should reconsider his business strategy. When The Pokemon Company announced that it was developing a title for iPhone and other handhelds running on Mountain View, it’s stock increased.

Update – It seems that GameStop won’t be accepting trade-ins of The Mercenaries 3D because of the irremovable saves situation. According to different sources, it seems that the conduction will be a company wide policy. In addition, Gamefly won’t be pushing the title for rent.

The used game debates have generated a certain amount of heat throughout the industry, especially in the retail sector. However, throughout these disputes, commercial stores worldwide have continued business as usual.

Now, according to undisclosed sources, the Australian division of EB Games are refusing to sell Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D because of the irremovable saves situation, which makes the title “useless” for the second hand trades.

Capcom have yet to comment on the current situation. However, the publisher have revealed in a public statement that the used games market was “not a factor” in introducing the feature.

The graphical capabilities of the hardware is something that’s been “hard to explain” — even developers have struggled when explaining it. However, Shigeru Miyamoto was a little more specific in his explanation.

In an interview with Gamespot, Miyamoto said that the Wii U may not “necessarily dramatically outperform the systems that are out now.” The reason behind this decision seems to be pricing concerns, and that parents may not purchase the console after a certain price limit.

“We’re very sensitive to pricing because people have generally only a certain amount of their spending that they’ll devote to entertainment,” said Miyamoto, indicating that the touchscreen controller might be “somewhat reckless” from a pricing standpoint. But, the idea for the tablet style touch screen controller isn’t a late addition, Miyamoto added.

Here’s something. According to IBM, Nintendo’s newly unveiled console, the Nintendo Wii U,  is packing the same processing technologies found in Watson, the artificially intelligent, supercomputer that dominates at Jeopardy.

The microprocessor is a 45nm custom chip with “a lot” of embedded DRAM. The custom chip takes advantage of a silicon-on-insulator design, so it’s capable of feeding the multi-core processor “large chunks” of data making for a “smooth” entertainment experience.

During it’s press conference, Nintendo teased multiple titles, but Luigi’s Mansion being teased for 3DS was a surprise. Anyway, Nintendo said that there will be more that one mansion this time around, however no other details where given about the title.

The anticipation all comes down to this announcement. Nintendo has unveiled its next platform, the Nintendo Wii U, the successors to the acclaimed motion-based platform.

The announcement came during this morning’s press conference, along with confirmation of the innovative table-based controller, which features both thumbstricks and touchscreen aspects.

During a financial forecast meeting, Nintendo Japan confirmed its plans to release a brand new home console in 2012. The console is rumored to be more powerful than either of its competitors current consoles.

The still-unnamed system will be announced and playable at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles this June. According to Nintendo, there will also be more details available at that time.

There are reports circling that Nintendo’s next console will be debuting at E3, introducing the maker of Mario and Zelda into the high-definition console era. These reports will confirm rumors that have been swirling for months about the decline in its home console.

Furthermore, its rumored that the console will be “more powerful” than current-gen systems. Nintendo has commented on the reports stating that they don’t “comment on rumor or speculation.” But, we all know better then that.

Throughout this console generation, Nintendo has been criticized for its focus on the casual market — something that has distance the console manufacture form its hardcore market. However, at its recent E3 press conference, the console manufacture proved to everyone that it can deliver to both its hardcore and casual markets.

That said, in an interview with Japanese business magazine Nikkei, president Satoru Iwata said that the company is working closely with developers to “expand into elaborate games targeting serious gamers” for the Nintendo 3DS.

Iwata then went on to state that most of the software of the current DS caters more for non-game players, and he believes that advances in graphics and gameplay on the new handheld will help rectify this. “These partnerships are good for both Nintendo and the software developers,” Iwata added.

[Nintendo to make 'serious' 3DS titles via GameSpot]

Kirby makes a return in Kirby’s Epic Yarn, a two-dimensional platformer in which Kirby manipulates the world with yarn. Epic Yarn features an all-new art style in which the characters, including Kirby, are drawn from yarn and thread, the backgrounds are also created from some-kind of sewn fabric — leaving room for environmental manipulation with the thread.

There’s no doubt that the 3DS is a capable piece of hardware. It’s a device jam-packed with many impressive current-gen technologies, including a high-resolution top screen, a motion sensor and a gyroscope. However, Nintendo didn’t stop there: they also included software installs.

According to Nikkei, a Japanese business magazine — because of the inclusions of software installs — gamers will be able to install multiple full games onto the handheld’s internal memory unit. Installed games can then be selected from a menu screen.

Nikkei notes that due to this feature, there’ll be no need to swap cartridges; when outside of the home, you won’t need to carry game cartridges with you. However, Nikkei didn’t detail the number of games that could be installed, or the process of installing these games.

[3DS Features Software Install via Andriasang]

Nintendo has revealed their highly anticipated Kid Icarus title, Kid Icarus Uprising. However, though it isn’t on Nintendo’s home console, Uprising is a title “designed specifically” for the new Nintendo 3DS; it uses the handheld platform’s features in-dept.

There’s hasn’t been any solid information given about Nintendo’s upcoming handheld device, the 3DS. And, though Nintendo hasn’t revealed anything, according to a group of developers, in order to produce the stereoscopic 3D effects needed for the device, the system must have the graphical “horsepower” of current generation consoles.

“Several developers that have experienced 3DS in its current form have reported, off the record, that it has processing capabilities that far exceed the Nintendo Wii and bring the device with abilities that are close to HD consoles such as PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360,” reveals an the article on IGN.

If this is the case, it’s possible Nintendo is looking to surpass the visual power of PSP and iPad. But, on the other hard, there’s another strong rumor suggesting that Sony’s to take a significant leap forward with the next PSP.

Nintendo has delivered alot of flagship titles. However, Nintendo hasn’t been able to “captivate” its online portion with these titles — much like its competitors. When speaking on the matter, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto said that he believes that Nintendo isn’t “proactive” enough with its online portion.

“It is true, though, that Nintendo hasn’t been very proactive in developing such online activities as an MMOG,” Miyamoto told Edge. “But when it comes to our endeavors that try to take advantage of internet technology, where we can provide our customers with more fun and entertainment, then I think we can say we have been very, very proactive and well-received. And that attitude won’t be changed at all in the future.”

Miyamoto then talked about the companies online future, revealing that “[they're] desperate to realize is the core [online] business structure.”

“Do we need to demand customers pay monthly fees to enjoy online activities? Or give an online subscription that is free of charge, but then offer something extra for people that pay, so that they get some extra value? With these core business strategies, I think we are less active than we should be,” continued Miyamoto.

On being sent Monster Hunter Tri, I was slightly chagrined to discover just how little I knew about the franchise – it is, after all, nothing short of a national sensation in Japan, where Tri has already been declared the country’s highest-selling third-party Wii game to date. Given the title (and the enormous aquatic dragon on the cover), it seemed a fairly safe assumption that I’d be hunting monsters at some point, but the specifics eluded me. Once I’d actually immersed myself in Tri, however, I soon discovered just how much I’d been missing.

The game begins in Moga, a sunny little fishing village whose tranquility is shattered by sudden earthquakes and coastal storms. The culprit is Lagiacrus, the aforementioned aquatic dragon; he seems to have found a new home in the region, terrorising local waters and roiling up the sea. To whom do good dragon-fearing folk turn in such a crisis? Why, you of course, a freelance hunter who (despite being an apparently reputable slayer of beasties) arrives in only his underwear, carrying a cheap sword and very little else. You’ll need legendary arms and armour to defeat your foe – to forge these, you’ll need the necessary parts, and to obtain the necessary parts, you’ll have to hack them off the necessary monsters.

My initial assumption was correct – in Monster Hunter Tri, you hunt monsters. You hunt an awful lot of them, in fact, from the humblest insectoids to the mightiest stone-plated, razor-taloned, fire-breathing behemoths. It’s a simple premise that’s remarkably addictive; kill monsters, strip their carcasses for parts, bring the parts to a Smithy, forge them into stronger weapons and armor, kill stronger monsters, get stronger parts, and so on. While this might seem like just another form of grinding, it never feels laborious, due in no small part to the enormous array of armaments that can be crafted. Whether you prefer your quarry slashed, cleaved, bludgeoned, skewered or shot from afar, there’s a suitable weapon for you to brandish and an armour set to make you look hardcore while brandishing it.

You’re also saved from aimlessness by a basic quest system, which is included essentially to provide context and give a sense of purpose to each of your wilderness excursions. You’ll be contracted by “The Guild” on behalf of various townspeople to complete increasingly difficult tasks – these involve anything from fishing and gathering to killing a particular monster, or even capturing it alive. They all invariably fall into the same basic categories, but each offers a bag of goodies for your trouble while moving the narrative forward.

In spite of all these features, the offline single-player is a somewhat limited affair; once you’ve completed all the quests, there’s very little else you can do on your lonesome. Tri is, however, a game clearly designed with multiplayer in mind, as it features one of the most robust and carefully considered online components I’ve ever encountered in a Wii title. Once you select a server, you’re dropped straight into Loc Lac City, a bustling trade hub where you can meet other hunters and embark on various quests for up to four players. In lieu of narrative, there are numerous new quests on offer, new locations to explore and new epic monster encounters, all geared towards teamwork. These will provide you with rare, otherwise unobtainable components from which to forge some of the sexiest gear in the game. Don’t worry if you’ve spent a lot of time learning the ropes offline – you’re able to use the same character for both offline and online play, so your efforts aren’t wasted.

Communication with other players is understandably vital, and Capcom has gone the extra mile to include support for Wii Speak. Unfortunately, my bundle of the game did not include Wii Speak (though some apparently do); instead, I was forced to write out messages letter by letter with the D-pad, a truly barbaric act that no civilised person should ever be forced to perform. There are a series of “gestures” available to your character, but these aren’t especially helpful, and I certainly wouldn’t advise you to attempt them while you’re in any sort of real danger. You can, at the very least, ‘ping’ your location on the map if you need assistance.

In terms of presentation, the game maintains a colourful, reasonably detailed aesthetic reminiscent of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. NPC models are kept relatively simple, while greater attention is given to your character, whose appearance you can customise upon creation. It’s nothing spectacular; you’re given a level of control comparable to World of Warcraft, selecting from preset faces, clothes, hairstyles and colours to create someone reasonably unique. Weapons and armour are again more detailed – it’s these that you’ll be showing off to other players, after all.

The environments are deceptively beautiful. As you explore them, you’re really only moving through a series of small ‘enclosures’ – you’re kept from wandering by conveniently placed boulders, inclines or ravines. Beyond these, however, you’re offered a spectacular view of the horizon, as the landmass stretches towards a vast sea and skyline. A slightly contrived illusion perhaps, but it works; the levels appear genuinely expansive, and you don’t feel nearly so confined. The lighting and environment effects are much the same, economical but pretty, and you’ll see them in play across all manner of settings: volcanoes, icy tundra, desert plains, marshland and forest. The monsters themselves are similarly diverse, although earlier creatures such as the Aptonoth and Jaggi bear a striking resemblance to dinosaurs (on my first hunting trip, I felt as if I’d been let loose on an indiscriminate killing spree through Jurassic Park).

There are, in spite of its merits, a couple of annoying faults in the game. The first is the lack of a lock-on system – regardless of the reason, it’s an appalling oversight. I very quickly lost count of the times I lashed out at a monster only to go hurtling past its shoulder, slashing stupidly at thin air as if I were concussed. Such clumsy combat is rendered all the worse by the game’s camera system, which seems determined to face away from your enemy at all times. You’ll spend most of your time manoeuvring it manually while fighting, or hammering the C button to keep it locked behind your back. The camera is also solely responsible for directing your character underwater, which makes marine combat an absolute nightmare. It’s a real shame that these issues weren’t addressed; they’re a blemish on an otherwise enjoyable experience.

Closing Statement:

There are two fundamental demands we make of a Role-Playing Game – epic boss battles and epic loot. Monster Hunter Tri doesn’t disappoint in either regard, and yet it never gets mired in the tedious number crunching that so often afflicts the genre. It’s not a perfect game by any means; there are only so many monsters to kill and items to craft, particularly if you only play offline. The game’s online replay value ultimately depends on Capcom, who have already started posting temporary “Event Quests” with the promise of further downloadable content in the future. In any case, it’s an extremely solid title that you can and will get lost in for some time to come. If, like me, you’re new to the franchise, don’t overlook this one.

Final Score: 8.6

A few months back, I got an e-mail from Netflix stating that in the near future they will be offering their wonderful service on the Nintendo Wii. I signed up, thinking “why not. It’s free after all”. Fast-forward to the present, and I received a disc from Netflix in one of their famous red envelopes. So I pop the sucker in, register it, and away I went.

First thing I notice is the interface. To say the least, it’s great. You simply press left, or right, on the d-pad or drag the scroll bar with the Wiimote. Up or down arrow changes the criteria. One negative is that there is no search button. I guess they left that out to make the presentation smoother.

I first tested out ‘24‘ to see how the conversion from HD was. The loading time was 19 seconds, by my count. The video quality was just on par with a DVD. My connection isn’t all that great, but Netflix Wii made it shine.

Next, I tested an old cartoon series, The Super Mario Brothers Show. The loading time was about 15 seconds. The video quality, obviously, wasn’t all that great, because the source material wasn’t that great. Lastly, I tested Beetlejuice, and the loading time was 24 seconds. Not that bad at all, for a full length movie. The video quality was DVD quality, also.

One thing users maybe disheartened about is the lack of HD support. First of all, the Wii cannot even output video in HD, secondly, for the majority of us, it won’t matter. I certainly don’t mind DVD quality video from streaming from the Wii. If I wanted to watch it in HD, I would buy an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, but then  you’ll would lose the point-and-click interface.

Overall, I can fully recommend Netflix Wii. It’s easy, it’s free, and it got me using my Netflix account a lot more than before.

Netflix plans to continue its domination of the video streaming market with its newest partnership, introducing its steaming service onto the Wii. According to Netflix, the program is scheduled to release onto Nintendo’s platform this spring, and it will require consumers to reserve a disc in-order to participate (they also must have an account, of course).

“Our research shows that 86 percent of all U.S. Wii consoles are located in the living room,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “The Wii console is the social hub around which friends and family members gather to play games and have fun. Soon both new and longtime Wii owners will enjoy the benefits of Netflix – and a variety of informational and entertainment options – by being Netflix members and connecting their consoles to the Internet.”

The partnership between the two companies will extend the reach of Netflix, thanks in-part to the mainstream popularity of the Wii. The Netflx program will be available on the platform this spring and, to enable the streaming, consumers will need an instant-streaming disc, which is currently available at no additional cost to subscribers via the Netflix’s website.

Nintendo fans left out of the Dark Void foray, rejoice! Because Capcom hasn’t forgotten about us. Capcom has revealed its plans for a downloadable prequel, that’s before the events of Dark Void, exclusively on DSiWare entitled Dark Void Zero. And, much like Mega Man 9, Dark Void Zero is being made with an 8-bit aesthetic in mind.

Feeding on the 8-bit nostalgia, Dark Void Zero will feature an original soundtrack, and evokes players to “blow” into the DSi microphone before playing the game – this will happen every time the player boots-up the game. Expected to release in January, Dark Void Zero will cost 500 DSi points and requires a DSi to play.

This holiday season is a huge one for video games; with games selling a number of millions within weeks or, even, a day. However, there are a good number of “underdogs” within this holiday season, who sadly have little public awareness – therefore, they’re producers of low sales. But, it seems that these two underdogs (Brutal Legend and DJ Hero) are, actually, doing very will for their first month on the market.

Released on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Brutal Legend sold over 215,000 units in the month of October, compared with DJ Hero‘s 122,300 units on the 360, PS3, Wii, and PlayStation 2 within the same month. Which is, somewhat, a surprise seeing that, one, they’re both holiday underdogs and, two, DJ Hero’s prices range from $100-$200, $200 being the games “Renegade Edition” – the highest edition.

OCTOBER US SALES:

1. Brutal Legend (360) – 150,000 units
2. Brutal Legend (PS3) – 66,000 units
3. DJ Hero (360) – 62,000 units
4. DJ Hero (PS3) – 39,000 units
5. DJ Hero (Wii) – 19,000 units
6. DJ Hero (PS2) – 3,300 units

[Thanks to GameSpot]

Let’s skip the small talk, shall we? Epic Mickey is a tale about the ‘forgotten’ Disney stars: the rides, the characters, the lesser-known cartoons, a source close to EuroGamer reveals. When no one no longer cares about them, they’re cast into a dark void; a forgotten world of broken machines and bitter personalities.

This void is run by Oswald the Rabbit – Walt Disney‘s first creation – and Oswald’s jealousy of Mickey Mouse has tormented him for years. Now, Oswald is ready for revenge. To help him with this task, Oswald unleashes The Phantom Blot to wipe out Mickey and his cartoon world. The Blot pollutes the Disney universe with sticky black ink that makes colors run and fade, so it’s up to Mickey to restore peace and order.

This is where Mickey’s new tools – paintbrushes, erasers, thinner, pencils and other artist tools – come in. Mickey has to draw and scribble his way through levels, mending broken bridges by applying the right color paint or peering through walls after applying thinner. He can even clear rubble from his path by erasing parts of the world, which all can be down with the Wii Motion Control.

The source tells EuroGamer that Epic Mickey is a game about thinking and artwork – laterally considering your environment in order to overcome puzzles. Also that, Mickey will be getting “his first makeover in years”. “That’s why no one’s seen his face yet,” their source explains. “But he’s far more retro than you’ve seen him for years.”

Prepare for the ultimate invasion! The most anticipated game of the year and the sequel to the best-selling first-person action game of all time, Infinity Ward‘s Modern Warfare 2 will strike worldwide on November 10, 2009. And, MAN!, November 10th can’t come soon enough.

Today, Nintendo confirmed that the Nintendo Wii, “the world’s most popular home video game system”, will receive a price cut. The price cut will take effect on September 27 in the United States, and, as advertised, the console will drop down to $199.99 – which is exactly $50 less then the current price of $249.99.

“Wii has reached more video game players than any game system before because it attracts everyone—both men and women, and people of all ages,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. ”Our research shows there are 50 million Americans thinking about becoming gamers, and this more affordable price point and our vast array of new software mean many of them can now make the leap and find experiences that appeal to them, whatever their tastes or level of gaming experience.”

In an interview with 1UP, Jun Takeuchi, Resident Evil 5 producer, stated that other developers are happy about Sony’s wand motion controller technology because it’s now possible for Wii games to be ported onto the PlayStation 3.

“Speaking to other developers in Japan, I’ve heard a few of them say they were delighted by the Sony motion controller because they can just port over their Wii titles to the PS3,” Takeuchi told 1UP. However, this doesn’t confirmed that Capcom’s working on a Wii-to-PS3 port, but this opens the room for a No More Heroes port on PlayStation 3.

EA CEO John Riccitiello is known for his opinions, which are often controversial, and in his latest outburst, it’s no different. During EA’s Q1 conference call, Riccitiello stated that a price cut will move more hardware, and that they’ll like to see a cut later this year.

“We think pricing will move hardware,” he said. “We anticipate price cuts at some point and we’d like to see them later in the year.” However, so far, the Xbox 360 is the only system to see major price cuts. But, Nintendo hasn’t hinted at a price drop since the sales of its consoles have been going strong, and, recently, Sony has been in the spotlight about thier comments of a price drop for the PlayStation 3. We cant help, but think the comment may have been a clue to Sony to drop the price of its console soon.

Anyway, EA is a big player in the gaming industry and are convinicing enough to change minds of a console manufacturer like Sony. However, if you don’t remember. A few months back, Activision threatened Sony about the price of the PS3, and the lack of a price cut.

Namco Bandai has announced that its secured exclusive North American rights to publish all future Dragon Ball titles “across all major consoles and handhelds” for the next five years, beginning in January 2010.

Along with this, Namco Bandai has secured the right to initially publish three Dragon Ball titles in 2009, Dragon Ball: Raging Blast for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo exclusively for Wii, and Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans exclusively for Nintendo DS.

“We are very excited to have signed this long term agreement with Toei Animation Co., Ltd and FUNimation Entertainment, which grants Namco Bandai Games North American multi-platform rights to the testosterone-driven, action-packed world of Dragon Ball,”said Makoto Iwai, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Namco Bandai Games America Inc..

“This move reunites Namco Bandai Games with the Dragon Ball series in North America which will considerably increase our ability to develop titles that perfectly capture every nuance of what makes the Dragon Ball world exciting to the consumer.”

Grease gets summer loving from 505 Games and Paramount Digital Entertainment with the announcement that 505 Games has secured the global publishing rights for a video game based on the original high school musical. The game will be will oversee and publish for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

The Grease video game will allow players to sing and dance alongside Danny, Sandy, The Pink Ladies and the T-Birds. The game will take full advantage of the Nintendo Wii’s motion-sensing controls and microphone, and the DS’s touch screen to create exciting gameplay for casual and family gamers eager to experience Grease in a new medium.

“We are really excited about working with Paramount Digital Entertainment to turn this world famous film into a video game for the very first time. Working with such a well known and much loved brand is a great opportunity and we believe the collaboration further strengthens 505 Games’ entertainment portfolio,” commented Ian Howe, Managing Director 505 Games.

“Paramount Digital Entertainment is pleased to be working with 505 Games to develop Grease,” said John Kavanagh, Senior Vice President of Video Games for Paramount Digital Entertainment. “Grease is the ideal opportunity to reach a broad gaming audience who love to sing, dance and have fun with a party-style game.”

FreeStyleGames studio, the developers behind the upcoming DJ Hero title, have been hinting at the possibility all of E3, but the developers over at Neversoft, known for the Guitar Hero series, haven’t put their two cents into the equation, until now.

“We’ve worked with [DJ Hero creator FreeStyleGames], talked to them about the game for a couple of years now, looked at different builds and played it,” GH director Brian Bright told Eurogamer TV. “We would love to integrate in the future.”

However, Bright went on to say that the games release dates did not allow the team to include the option in the latest major Guitar Hero installment.

“Unfortunately for Guitar Hero 5, we ship a few months before they do. [But] we’d love to explore instrument compatibility in the future; we’ll see where it goes.”

The sales reports are in, making it clear that UFC 2009 Undisputed is May’s undisputed champion selling a total of 1,014,000 within May alone.

The title moved in 679,600 copies on the Xbox 360, 334,400 on the PlayStation 3, meaning that it overcame Nintendo’s donating Wii Fit by almost tripling its score putting it in second place. It also pwned EA’s, EA Sports Active putting it in third place.

Hardware

• PlayStation 2 117K
• PlayStation 3 131K
• PSP 100.4K
• Xbox 360 175K
• Wii 289.5K
• Nintendo DS 633.5K

Software

• 01. UFC 2009 Undisputed (Xbox 360) – 679,600
• 02. Wii Fit (Wii) – 352,800
• 03. EA Sports Active (Wii) – 345,800
• 04. UFC 2009 Undisputed (PS3) – 334,400
• 05. inFamous (PS3) – 175,900
• 06. Pokemon Platinum (DS) – 168,900
• 07. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) – 158,300
• 08. Punch-Out!! (Wii) – 156,900
• 09. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Xbox 360) – 120,700
• 10. Wii Play (Wii) – 109,800

In May hardware sales, revenue came in at $302.5 million, a 30 percent decline while software was off 17 percent at $448.9 million. “This is the first month that industry sales have dipped below $1 billion since August 2007,” NPD analyst Anita Frazier said in an email.

“May is typically one of the lowest revenue-generating months in any given year for the industry in general,” she added.

Even though we have to wait until next years E3 to see the next Zelda Wii project in action, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto showed a select group of people at E3 the concept art for the newest Zelda Wii game, which is currently in production. And thanks to the guys over at Kotaku, here it is:

[nggallery id=22]

It seems that Nintendo has teamed up with the developers over at Team Ninja to produce the upcoming Metroid title, Metroid: Other M – otherwise know as Project M.

With the game Nintendo plans to ”reveal a Metroid game unlike any you’ve experienced before.”

The title is a third person title, much like the original Metroid, and its said to release in 2010.

Nintendo really didn’t forget about us this time. During the finally minutes of the Nintendo Press Conference, Nintendo announced the sequel the the hit 3D Mario title, Super Mario Galaxy 2 coming exclusively to the Wii.

From the trailer, you can tell that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the same deal as its predecessor. Also, it looks like the graphics have gone through some improvement. The game is said to release in 2010.

Note: Updated with press information via http://www.wiinintendo.net/.

Finally. During the Nintendo keynote, Nintendo announced that it’s busy working on a new Super Mario Bros. title, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, coming exclusive to the Wii.

In the game players can jump on each other, shoot each other with fireballs and other attacks. Item boxes generally produce one item per character. Killed players reappear in bubbles and players can free them, or leave them stuck for a while. One of the new powerups is the Propeller Suit, a jump suit that has a helmet with a propeller. Shaking the Wii-remote will let players fly in the air.

When a player goes into a warp pipe the game forces the other players to follow in, where they fight over the coins in the secret room.

At the end of the level, as soon as one player grabs the flag pole, the other players have about three seconds to grab it for bonus points. The points are tallied up and the players are ranked.

According to Cammie from Nintendo, the game will release Holiday 2009.

That’s right. According to a twitter post made by Tony Hawk himself, he’ll be showing of Tony Hawk Ride, the newest installment in to the Tony Hawk frachise, at the Microsoft E3 Keynote in LA tomorrow.

“Just practiced my part for Microsoft’s E3 keynote tomorrow (introducing #thride),” said Hawk. “First time I’ve ever had to wear make-up for a rehearsal.”

Well, it looks like someone on the Xbox Team is going to be humiliated during the MS keynote, much like what happened at the Nintendo Keynote last year – but not you Tony, we’ll be fine.

Tony Hawk: Ride features a wireless skateboard controller designed in conjunction with the game to offer a dynamic gaming experience built from the ground up. Using a combination of accelerometers and motion sensors, the intuitive controller allows players to physically control the action by performing various movements and gestures on the board that directly translate into amazing tricks in the game.

You know what’s amazing? A one hundred percent hand drawn proof video game (you know like alcohol?) such as King of Fighters XII and the way its online features work.

King of Fighters XII’s online play is run through a lobby system. Two players will fight it out while up to six other players wait in line for their turn. While they’re waiting, they can chat via voice or text. Depending on the lobby’s settings, the winner or loser of the match will continue playing. You can also randomize the match-ups if you wish.

Including: Winner Stays: Winner fights the next opponent in line; Loser Stays: Loser stays and gets to fight the next opponent in line; Sparring – The players that are to fight are randomized after each match.

The game also features a online ranking system and leaderboard system, which grades each player’s performances and keeps track of their best Time Attack times. Along with a public leaderboard. Due out this July for Xbox360 and PlayStation3, KOFXII offers exclusive online features for each system;

PS3: Exclusive Clan Mode that allows players to create clans, recruit clan members, blacklist players and compete against other clans. Xbox 360: Exclusive Truskill online ranking lets players record, replay and share matches.

Really? How come we haven’t heard anything on the game yet? Nintendo you sly dog you. According to an interview posted by 1UP with Suda51, the sequel to No More Heroes, No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle is towards “the very end of production”.

“It’s the very end. If I had to say one word, I’d say it’s at the very end of production,” stated Suda51 when asked about its progress. Also, when asked if it would be playable at E3, he said that, “No, [it's] not playable.”

In addition, when asked about the game reaching out and heading onto other platforms he said that if that were to happen they would fix it from that platform(s).

“Actually, a lot of the fans were dying to play the game on other consoles, so I think it’d be great if I could do it, but there’s no plan yet. [If so,] I would match the content to [fit] the other consoles. No More Heroes could be a big title, like a big IP, so it’d be good to have a chance to release the game on other consoles, and that would maybe maximize the market.”

Yeah. Wait should I really be yeah-ing about this? The developer behind hit games such as Fallout, Bethesda Softworks has revealed their plans to announce a Wii project later this year.

In an interview with industry site GamesIndustry, Bethesda Europe’s Sean Brennan questioned whether there’s a market for 18-year-old-and-up Wii titles.

“Is there space in the Wii market for that? I think there is, but again, it’ all about finding out how big that is,” said Brennan. “Is it 5 percent? If it’s five per cent of the market and you can own that space it’s worth doing because you can achieve volume.”

With that being said, it was revealed by the developer/publisher that they are planning a really big Wii game to this year. According to Brennan, “We are going to make an announcement on a really big Wii game this year, we’ve got a couple of other things in the pipeline, and it’s a format we’re really looking at with the right approach.”

“We’re not going to establish a new range and call if ‘My Girly Game Range’ or whatever these other companies are doing, it’s so me-too and boring,” Brennan added.

A first look at Home Run Pinball and other mini-games featured within The Bigs 2. Get ready for some dimonds madness on July 7 on the Wii, DS, PSP, PS2, PS3 and Xbox 360.

“Fans have been clamoring for a follow-up to The Bigs since it launched two years ago, so we’re excited to now deliver The Bigs 2,” said Greg Thomas, senior vice president of development, 2K Sports. “In the spirit of celebrating the most epic moments in Major League Baseball, The Bigs 2 offers a refreshingly fun and unique experience of dramatic walk-off homeruns, miraculous wall catches, acrobatic diving grabs, and many more incredible plays you’d usually see only in a highlight reel.”

The first major trailer for Activision’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen literally transforms half way through to reveal both sides of the robotic conflict. Only slightly meta. Expect a blockbuster launch via the PS3, PSP, PS2, Wii, DS, Xbox 360 and PC alongside the Michael Bay film which hits June 23.

As it was revealed in last weeks episode of the Japanese Pokémon television show, it seems that Pokémon Gold and Silver will be remade for the Nintendo DS.

The tenth anniversary remakes will be called Pokémon Heart Gold and Poké Soul Silver – much like Fire Red and Leaf Green Gameboy Advance remakes of Pokémon Redand Pokémon Green.

Originally released on the Gameboy system in November of 1999, expect the DS remakes this autumn in Japan with new elements added.

So what’s Capcom planning for this years E3? Well, that’s a question you don’t need to ask anymore.

Capcom has announced which games they will be showcasing at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) on June 2-4. This list shows the two unnamed unannounced titles, which was reported going to surprise you, and the other we’ll see coming. The list also shows all of their high anticipated upcoming games. 

Here’s the list; Bionic Commando (PC); Dark Void (PC, PS3, X360); Dead Rising 2 (PC, PS3, X360); Fate/Unlimited Codes (PSP); Lost Planet 2 (PC, X360); Marvel vs Capcom 2 (PSN, XBL); Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace (DS); Mega Man Star Force 3: Red Joker (DS); Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (PSP); Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil (Wii); Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles (Wii); Spyborgs (Wii); Street Fighter IV (PC); Untitled Mystery Game #1; Untitled Mystery Game #2.

According to GameSpot, in a post-earnings conference call with investors, UbiSoft offered more detail as to how well Shaun White Snowboarding is performing in the market.

Anyway, in the call, CEO Yves Guillemot revealed that the title has achieved sales of 3 million units sold. Later on in the conference, it was revealed by Guillemot, which came as no surprise, that Ubisoft intends to release new installments in the franchise.

“You can expect more Shaun White in the future,” Guillemot plainly told investors. Unfortunately, he didn’t provide a time frame in which the next installment in the Shaun White franchise would release. Currently, the publisher does not have it penciled in for release during its current fiscal year -  runs through March 31, 2010. 

Yesterday, it was revealed that the sequel to UbiSoft’s gun-slingin’ sword-slashin’ Wii launch title, Red Steel 2 will be releasing this Holiday season. 

In addition, it was revealed by UbiSoft that the title would feature Wii MotionPlus, which adds 1:1 position sensing to the Wiimote.  This will mean that the game can “sense the strength of a swing”, reading the “power and precision” of a player’s sword strikes.

Red Steel 2 is in development at Ubisoft’s Paris studio, and will take place in a “desert-bound, high-tech metropolis.” The next issue of Nintendo Power magazine will feature more information the game – even more images are available on the magazine’s website.

[Red Steel 2 This Year, Built For Wii MotionPlus via Game/Life]

After multiple weeks of speculation, we have finally learned that Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals will be sharing the cover of the Madden NFL 2010.

It’s the first time in 21 years that EA has decided on two athletes for the Madden cover. However, Grand Slam Tennis and Fight Night Round 4 -  which are both releasing this year - also feature multiple athletes on their respective covers.

Wait!?!? These are the same two players from the same two teams that were in this year’s Super Bowl. What are the chances?

It was a recipe for success: one of the biggest franchises in gaming, on the most popular platform available, leaving rest to positive reviews.

Well, that wasn’t the case with Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars because the other day reports started coming in that the title is under has sold 100,000 units in the U.S. – a total of about 89,000 units. That compares to 805,000 units of “Pokémon Platinum” sold on the DS by Nintendo from its March 22 launch through April 4.

But, however, GameStop says that the game is ‘exceeding [their] expectations’.

“‘GTA: Chinatown Wars’ is exceeding our expectations and illustrating the power of the franchise on a new platform,” GameStop spokesman Chris Olivera said in an e-mail to MTV News. “We’ve seen a solid lift in sales of ‘Chinatown Wars’ following the launch of the DSi and believe that the product will continue to enjoy a long life at our stores as the buzz around the new handheld gaming experience continues to grow.”

In last weeks episode of Invisible Walls, they covered all the big announcements at the Game Developers Conference.

And in the episode, which is by the way was their 51 episode, they covered one of the biggest games at the show, Punch-Out!. Within their discussion it was revealed that there were only 13 characters within the title and somewhere within their discussion the word “DLC” poped up.

However, according to one of the cast members, when asking a rep from Nintendo about them bring in more character via Downloadable Content they were told that they weren’t going to do DLC for the title.

A couple of months ago, it was rumored on GoNintendo that Brütal Legend – Double Fine’s 360/PS3 heavy metal action game – was also headed to Wii. But, at the time, there was no confirmation of the rumor and now it seems that it has returned.

When being interviewed, Tim Schafer, who is the lead behind the game, asked a PR person how to respond to a question about Brütal Legend coming to the Wii and he came up with this answer,  “We are making an Xbox 360 and a PS3 version of Brütal Legend.”

Which lead 1Up, who conducted the interview, to think that they were hinding something about there being a Wii version of the game.

A Wii version would make sense in the context of recent EA comments about the importance of Wii development, and we’ve seen a precedent set for EA PS3/360-to-Wii projects in Dead Space Extraction, but for now we’ll have to wait to find out what if any specific plans EA has for Brütal Legend on Nintendo’s system.

[Is Brütal Legend Coming to Wii? via 1UP]

Yeah, we know its not their newest Zelda Wii project, but it still awesome. Today, at Nintendo’s keynote at the Game Developers Conference, they revealed there newest Zelda project for the Nintendo DS entitled, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

The game looks to play alot like The Phantom Hourglass featuring dungeon maps on the top screen, gameplay on the bottom screen, and a fascination with trains.

In the trailer that was revealed at the keynote, Link seems to be a engineer for a train with a cannon mounted on it, which is viewable on the bottom. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks will be available this year for the Nintendo DS.

You’ll never have to purchase another video card again, because it now seems that PC gaming has changed for the better with OnLive. I know, it sounds kind of corny, but don’t let that fool you it really is something unique.

This device this the brainchild of Rearden Studios’ founder Steve Perlman, and Mike McGarve, who worked at Eidos. It is a device that gives players the ability to play there favorite PC games on their televisions, and it is also is self proclaimed “micro console” with a price lower then the Nintendo Wii.

Here’s how it works; you control the game where every you are, as long as you have a strong internet connection near by that you can access, but instead of the game being read from a disc, it reads it via “cloud gaming” technology – which is basically the device reading something sent by signals in the atmosphere, right to your OnLive console.

Here’s the good part, it delivers video at up to 720p resolution at frame rates up to 60 frames per second, and of course the quality depends on you connection – because the servers. These servers will be located in Santa Clara, Texas, Virginia and elsewhere, in which they are hoping to deliver a seemingly lag-free experience to OnLive subscribers within 1,000 miles.

There are even talks of there being a monthly subscription at about the same price as Xbox Live. The device it said to hit this winter.

“OnLive is games on demand. What we do is make available the top, high-end titles at the same window they’re released at retail – so the same time they’re on the store shelves you have access to them – and you can play all these high-end titles on any entry level PC or Mac just through a plug-in that’s just one megabyte in size in your browser, or using this OnLive micro-console,” said Steve Perelman told GTTV.

The first BioShock title was all about single player even with the latest re-boot on the PS3 stayed within those factors.

In the latest issue of Game Informer, which included some very in-dept info on the upcoming game, Bioshock 2, it revealed plans for a multi player mode and co-op component.

Detailed for the multi player modes aren’t thin on the ice right now, but we believe they will revealed the modes soon.

While many of us are making our way through Resident Evil 5, Capcom has announced – at RE5 launch party – that the Nintendo Wii  will be getting two ’Resident Evil classics’.

The collaboration will be feature the first Resident Evil remake and series prequel Resident Evil Zero with added motion control, according to N-Europe. While it is still unknown whether the games will be released in one package,  similar to the Japanese versions that released early last year.

“Capcom’s new Resident Evil ‘Classics’ line will allow the new audience who has embraced the Wii to experience some of the greatest games in the Resident Evil franchise for the value price of $29.99. Both set to launch this year, the remake of Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero have been refitted to support the Wii Remote, giving the Wii audience easy access to the rich characters and in-depth storylines of the series and the chance to experience both games on a new platform,” read the Press Release.

When an artist produces enough hit songs they combined them into a ‘Greatest Hits’ collection, or collaboration. Now, it seems that Activision, along with the guys at Beenox, have plans to produce a ‘Greatest Hits’ collaboration of Guitar Hero.

In an interview with IGN, Paul Gadbois, a producer at Beenox, revealed their plans for Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits. According to Gadbois, the game is scheduled to launch on all major consoles this June; it will also be for the ‘super’ official price of $60 on all nex-gen consoles – expect for the Wii – and for the PS2 and Wii it will go for the price of $40.

And the game will also feature a 48 master tracks featuring songs like;

• “Barracuda” by Heart
• “I Love Rock N Roll” by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
• “I Wanna Rock” by Twisted Sister
• “Killer Queen” by Queen
• “Killing in the Name” by Rage Against The Machine
• “Nothin’ But A Good Time” by Poison
• “Them Bones” by Alice in Chains
• “Through the Fire and Flames” by Dragonforce

I really don’t know why they’re doing this again, but it seems that the games director, Tetsu Katano, isn’t finished with the ‘Wherehog’ just yet because in an recent interview, when being asked about the things he’ll like to see return, he split his like-ables.

 Katano was quoted saying that ‘you will see the Werehog again.’ Along with the return of the ‘Wherehog’, the developer as would love to keep the Secret Rings, which will be making a return in Sonic and the Black Knight and were also in Sonic Unleashed.

Anyway, in the interview he said that these as just ideas for the ‘Sonic Unleashed sequel.’

Ending with that, I don’t know why they don’t do the some thing that they are doing for ‘Modern Warfare 2′? Atleast it will be what the fans like.

When releasing a new Tony Hawk title nine years in a row, Activision took 2008 off to institute calling it a part of their ‘innovation plan’ for there Tony Hawk series. But, ever since then they have been very ‘no talk’ on the title, but, boy, does time pass and now it seems that we finally get new – rumored – details on the next Tony Hawk title.

When speaking to Variety’s The Cut Scene blog, two anonymous sources, who have reportedly have seen the game first-hand, said that the next Tony Hawk title will abandon controllers altogether, but instead it will be using ‘board-like’ peripheral, which sounds alot like what the Wii’s Balance Board did in Skate it for the Wii.

These sources say that the game will not be so much about requiring precise balancing, but the focus will be more on “grabbing and manipulating the board” to perform tricks. They also say that the Wii version will be getting a Board also, instead of the the Wii’s Balance Board.

These sources also corroborated the rumor that Robomodo – a new development studio primarily formed by ex-members of EA Chicago – are developing both the game and making the new peripheral.

Well, Well, Well… What do we have here? I don’t know if you missed this when SEGA released there latest trailer for MadWorld, but when we re-watched the trailer, which was the ‘Black Baron Announcement Trailer’, we saw a little co-op multiplayer action going on, but if you didn’t notice it here’s the trailer, it should be in there some were.

After John Riccitiello revealed the games extents, it looks like EA is finally ready to reveal the game. Today,  Electronic Arts have announced  Dead Space Extraction, an all-new chapter from the studio that delivered the award-winning action-horror Dead Space game.

Built from the ground up and developed exclusively for the Wii, Dead Space Extraction is a prequel that reveals the events leading up to Isaac Clarke’s mission on the USG Ishimura in the original Dead Space game released in 2008.  Dead Space Extraction will marry the innovative motion controls of the Wii Remote with a frenetic first person perspective to create a new action-packed horror experience.

The game tells the story of a handful of space colonists desperately struggling to escape from a horrific infection on the Aegis VII mining colony deep in the furthest regions of space. The game introduces a new heroine to the fiction and as the crew fall victim to a mysterious contagion aboard the ship, it becomes clear that protecting her may be their only hope for survival. Dead Space Extraction introduces all new characters, weapons, enemies, puzzles and co-operative multiplayer gameplay.

“We could not be more excited to extend Dead Space into an experience exclusive to the Wii. Nintendo has a wonderful history in the horror genre and we are thrilled to build on that tradition with Dead Space Extraction,” said Glen Schofield, VP and General Manager of EA Redwood Shores studio.“As we were developing Dead Space, we realized that there was so much of the story going untold. Dead Space Extraction tells that story with all of the intensity, blood and gore that fans would expect.”

The day that we’ve been waiting for is finally upon us. Today, Nintendo confirmed that the DSi will be in U.S. markets on April 5, 2009  and that it will be launching in black and BLUE - blue being a new color – for the price of $169.99.

The DSi, which has been on sale in Japan since November 2008, has only been available in black and white. And it features two 0.3 megapixel cameras, larger screens, a new SD card slot and better speakers, but, sadly, there isn’t a Game Boy Advance cartridge like the others.

“Ever since the arrival of the first Game Boy, consumers worldwide have turned to Nintendo for their portable gaming,” said NoA sales boss Cammie Dunaway. “Nintendo DSi builds on Nintendo’s commitment to bringing fun and creative entertainment to everyone, and will allow consumers to personalize and share their very own experiences.”

The details that were released last week where very vague as SEGA gears up to to release Alien vs. Predator across all platforms. But, somehow they are now able to reveal to us the release target on when we will be able to see Alien vs. Predator along without other upcoming titles.

The title is being developed by Rebellion Developments , who worked on a Alien vs. Predator game back in 1999. The press release also stated release plans for other SEGA titles coming in the future.

-Wii – Sonic and the Black Knight – 13th March 2009
-PS3/ X360 – Virtual Tennis 2009 – May 2009
-Wii – Let’s Tap – Summer 2009
-Wii/ DS – Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games – Late 2009
-DS – Phantasy Star Zero – Added to 2009
-Aliens Vs Predator – Added to Early 2010

Winners: Hi guys, just so that you know the winners have been picked and packages have been sent. 

Contest: Here’s the deal people, we are holding a contest in were you can win a Wii. So… all you have to do is just click – they have to be legitimate clicks - on the boxing glove at the end of this post and post a comment telling us you did. And yes, if you tell a friend about this contest, and they click on the boxing glove, your chances will go up, but you’ll have to leave a comment telling us you did. By the way, the contest ends on March 10 so act fast, we will announced the winner via e-mail and that persons name will appear on this website. Also, all pre-orders of R2R from Amazon and GameSpot are $10 off.

For a game that has so little hype, it seems that Ready 2 Rumble Revolution has the chance to be one of the greatest Wii titles of this year. I know, I know. It isn’t as good looking as MadWorld, but if they don’t mess it up it can, at least, be good. And just so that we have a solid back story here’s a list of reasons why.

The family element: Okay, we all know that people in your family don’t know alot about video games, or atleast not as much as you do, and knowing them they will buy the game for you.

Larger list of playable characters: Being the third game in the series you know there isn’t going to be a short list of characters.

Funny looking people: I don’t mean to be mean, but who doesn’t want to mess up the face’s of funny looking characters? Let’s face it, you all want to pick on these characters because they look funny, just look at the picture I used for this article, doesn’t it make you want to beat him up?

The BIG Las Vegas Showdown: Personally, I have never been to Las Vegas so I’m thinking that when this game comes out I can make a character and take him, or her, all the way to ‘the BIG Las Vegas showdown’.

Controls: Being, what is one of the key parts of the game, this game can really be very strong on the controls area mainly because it uses the Wii control system from it’s a boxing game.

I know this list isn’t going to win you over, but if it doesn’t do good in all these areas along with the family fun factor it can’t be the on of the best Wii titles this year. So please don’t suck Ready 2 Rumble Revolution.

A YouTube video has hit the web proclaiming that it’s the Dead Rising 2 trailer and guys close to Capcom have confirmed that is this the real deal.

I had a chance to contact a rep from Capcom and nothing can be ‘officially said’ because they cannot confirmed anything just yet. But, from this video we can find out some  information about Dead Rising 2.

The video has a reference to a drug that turns out ‘to almost be complete effective’ against the outbreak. Anyway, the video then moves to a casino it shows Isabella Keyes from the first game pushing a giant hamster ball, which they say is a new weapon from in the game.

However, if the video is true, it appears to confirm that Dead Rising 2 will be set in Las Vegas because of the casino parts of the trailer, but as of now, one can only wait and see.

Lets get Ready 2 Rumble!!! This was just one of the many lasting impressions that the game left on us from our last fight vs. Michel Jackson. But, that was a long time ago and it now seems that the title is ready for another championship battle.

Retaining much of the same elements that gave the original game its luster, Ready 2 Rumble Revolution will not be featuring Afro Thunder – sorry fans. But, the game will retain its RUMBLE feature, which is a round determining feature that turns the fight around.

On the Wii the game looses its original button controls and now it will take advantage of the motion-controlled realism of Wii in a Wii Remote and Nunchuk combination, so expect controls like the Wii-Boxing. And what kinda ‘new’ this game will be nothing  if it didn’t have new locations. Well, we should be happy it does.

The game runs at about 60 frames per second, and the game even has a more advanced Artificial Intelligence program. Speaking of, you will get the chance to test the Artificial Intelligence in the Championship Mode in were you create a player and go trough rankings on your way, once again, to the big Las Vegas showdown. With also have a wide variety of characters fitting for almost every player type.

And that’s it, but you can check out more information by clicking the boxing glove below.

In now what is the shadow of the announcement of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up announcement, the gang has seemed, once again, to reveal itself in the form of new images. The images show the titles many protagonists in action positions, and we all know their names by heart. Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo and the same master Splinter, and all these characters you will be able to play this year exclusively on the Wii.

In past years, the ‘Need of Speed’ series hasn’t really been to up to speed because, really, after Pro-Street no one was willing to take another chance with a game from the ‘Need for Speed’ series. Which had led to the problematic sales of the recently released Need for Speed title, Undercover, getting some negative scores from many publications.

But, today, Electronic Arts has announced that’s plans to steer the popular ‘Need for Speed’ series in a new direction. But, not by only announcing one new Need for Speed title, but by announcing three new games.

And they are, ‘Need for Speed Shift,’ a first-person racing simulation for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360; ‘Need for Speed World Online,’ a multiplayer action-driving game for the PC; and ‘Need for Speed Nitro,’ an arcade-style racing game developed by EA Montreal for both the Nintendo system.

“It’s all about crafting different games for different audiences,” said Keith Munro, EA marketing vice president. “The ‘Need for Speed’ brand is quite powerful. It has great recognition, even outside of gaming. When we talked to consumers about what the brand meant to them, we realized that it could be stretched to new limits on different platforms.”

['Need for Speed' franchise is shifting gears via AP]

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the sewer surfing turtles, UbiSoft has announced their return to video land in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up on Wii – the first TMNT game that is not tied to a movie, TV show, or comic.

Along with the announcement they also revealed that the game is being developed by Game Arts, which you may know from the critically acclaimed Super Smash Bros. Brawl title, and that the games gameplay is just like Brawls.

“We’re really excited to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first TMNT comic and we have a number of radical ‘Shell-ebration’ events planned for 2009,” said Gary Richardson, CEO of Mirage Studios. “The awesome new video game that Ubisoft will release in 2009 is an important part of celebrating this Turtles milestone with fans around the world.”

Also, in the Nintendo Power magizine, were the game was first revealed, it slated the game for a ‘September 09′ release. And just to get off up topic, they also say that ‘the visuals may even surpass the bar set by Brawl.’ They also revealed that the game will have interactive levels, which they had demoed to the magazine.

They also revealed that every character has different moves sets, like regular moves, special moves, trows and combos. And just like Brawl, the game uses multiple control options and taunts will be indexed into the game.

When you think of Mario & Sonic what comes to your mind? Well, I know what comes to my mind, and that is two characters that have too many games. But, none the less, it sells that why Nintendo is, maybe, planning a second Mario & Sonic at the Olympic title.

According to Nintendo Action (Acción), a Spanish gaming magazine, Nintendo is maybe planning another title in the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Sega.

And in order to avoid repetition they will be sticking to the Winter Games in Vancouver, but instead of being in the same year they will be moving into next winter. They also say that the game will focus more on ‘appropriate tests’, which was revealed by an Spanish/English Google translation.

Sometime back, we had confirmation that UbiSoft were “working hard on the product”, but with the confirmation they didn’t give a release target for the game. Now, an industry analyst, Michael Pachter, thinks that he has the prefect release target for the game.

In a note to investors today in anticipation of Ubisoft’s third-quarter earnings report, Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities predicted that Assassin’s Creed 2 will be out before the end of the company’s 2010 Fiscal Year.

“We believe investors should focus on Ubisoft’s prospects for FY:10, particularly as its products continue to sell well on the strong Wii and DS platforms, and as it rolls out a suberb [sic] lineup. We expect solid year-over-year growth from the casual (Nintendo) games lineup, with the introduction of two new brands next fall, and expect strong revenue contribution from Assassin’s Creed 2, Splinter Cell Conviction and Avatar next fiscal year.”

[Analyst: ‘Assassin’s Creed 2′ Coming Before April 2010 via MTV Multiplayer]

After Australia banned such  games as Manhunt 2 and Dark Sector, it caused fear by SEGA that they would also be banning their game, MadWorld. But, that doesn’t seem to be the case because they have allowed the game into the country.

Today, we learned that the sale of Platinum Games ultra bloody MadWorld will be allowed into Australia.

This is great news for the publisher of the game, SEGA, because they feared that they wouldn’t be able to sell the game in the country, or worst they would have the developer censor the game.

But, talking on that note, this news does come with some bad because SEGA didn’t give any details on if the game would be censored in the country.

I can say it many times over, “when will we be getting a chance to play this game?” But, none the less, it looks like it’s going to be happening a bit soon then many of us have problemly though. And, lucky, we be able to rock harder then ever, because it’s Metallica baby!

According to the band’s website, Guitar Hero: Metallica will be heading to North America on March 29, both on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but other then that, the rest of the world with have to wait until sometime in May. And for the PS2 and Wii versions they’ll “also most likely in early May.”

The game is set to improve the ‘plastic guitarists with a challenging experience that will push even veterans of the Guitar Hero franchise.’

But, one can only wait and see what they have to show from this very impressive, but yet to be shown, title.

Earlier this week, Sony planted the latest bomb in the console war, which was sent out via a media bulletin, with claims that Nintendo and Microsoft are ‘peddling add-ons’ onto there console. But, it looks like Microsoft has something to say about that.

“First, I would say we absolutely would not want to trade places with Sony,” said Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360 to Kotaku. “We feel like being half the price of the PS3 served us quite well this holiday.”

“The fact that we’re doing this at half the price of their platform, we feel confident that we’re delivering great value,” he added. “I believe that we deliver more value for games and entertainment than any other platform on the market.”

“At the end of the day, consumers vote with their dollar,” Greenberg said with anticipation that the sub-$200 price point will give the Xbox 360 the majority of its sales. “I don’t think people take comparison grids into retail stores.”

“I would rather talk about why you should buy our console than why you shouldn’t buy the competitor’s system.” Well, there you go. Microsoft has once again put a close on another ‘claim’ from the people at Sony, but what does Nintendo have to say about it?

In past years, super hero movies have made many leaps and bounds pasting for some very interest showings in the video game market. But, they also have been know to be less then entertaining when it comes down to fact, but let’s hope that this isn’t the case with X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Today, X-Men Origins: Wolverine has dipped its nails into the Internet leaving a teaser site in its wake, Uncaged.com. The teaser site reveals an exclusive 3D screen-shot that has been seen before, until now.

And, sadly, that’s all the teaser site had to reveal, but it does display that the full site will be launching soon.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is set to release on the PC, X360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP and DS around May 1, which is the movie release date.

The Nintendo Wii is the fastest selling video game console ever made and still is continuing to grow, sale-wise, but it looks like the Nintendo Wii, itself, isn’t finished growing. As you may already know, Nintendo’s plan for its console is to generate more revenue from content.

And to help it’s reach its goal, Nintendo is planning to launch a TV program on its console called Wiinoma in Japan by the end of this year. Along with it, comes plans for an international expansion.

The program will be available to those with both a Wii console and an internet connection, and will feature cartoons, cookery programs, brain-training quizzes and lifestyle shows. The company has plans to make most of the content free, but there will also be some pay-per-view content via Wii Points.

As you can probably see, this is going to cause some worries between Japanese television executives because this is just a next step in the Wii becoming, “the centre-piece of the living room”.

Announced back at E3 for the PlayStation Portable, Resistance Retribution looks to bring life on the PlayStation Portable with the style of Resistance. Lucky, for the fans of the ground smashing title Resistance: Fall of Man, and 2, and the upcoming title Resistance Retribution, they will get to sample the game very soon.

When you pre-order Resistance Retribution through Amazon US before January 12th, you will receive an unique code which allows you to download and play, with early access to it, the Resistance Retribution demo.

The full game will support Resistance 2, similar to what is between the Wii and Nintendo DS. Only here it’s different. Once you hook up your PSP to your PS3, you will be able to play an alternate story through the special ‘Infected Mode’.

But, sadly, the demo does count for people in North America, mainly because restrictions to regions where the Amazon US ships to.

We have all seen some people do some very “not smart” things over the holidays, but this is one story that takes the cake.

Apparently, NeoGAF member, HUELEN10, convinced some neighbors, of whom he is casually with, to buy a Nintedo Wii for there kids for Christmas, but what they didn’t know was how to buy things off the systems Virtual Market.

The parents that are unfamiliar with consoles were given a suggestion of a few retail games as well as the Sega Master System version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. And when asked how to buy the game off the system HUELEN10 said, “put in [the] credit card when prompted on the Shop Channel, and get the amount of points [you need]”

And sadly she did. Right into the disc slot. And when one didn’t work, she went ahead and jammed two more credit cards into the console. Seems logical right.

Sometime later, the mother called her neighbor, furious that their new Wii had been broken by following his advice.

Many of us already know the true power of Nintendo in the gaming market, but what was a real shocker, was the amount that Nintendo DSi, the newest model of the Nintendo DS, sold by in Japan. So this news should come as no shocker.

Today, in the pages of Enterbrain, the publisher of Famitsu, we learn that the Nintendo DSi has already passed more than a million units in Japan, after making it market debut on November 1.

The company, Nintendo, reveals the numbers to the point, according to them the DSi has sold about 1,062,416 units so far, compared to the DS Lite which has sold about 17,348,252 and the DS which sold 6,449,206 to date.

Well, isn’t this something. Most of us already know that the 360 outsold the PS3 3-to-1 this past Thanksgiving holiday, but this is a whole other story. Today, Reuters has reported that the Nintendo Wii has meet the demand for this past Thanksgiving week and the sale have increased since last year.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told Reuters in an interview that more than 800,000 Wii systems were sold in the US during the week of the Thanksgiving holiday, more than double the 350,000 units it sold in the same period a year earlier.

“When the economy is strong, people tend to buy three things from the top of their wish list. But when things are bad, people often buy only the first thing on their list,” Iwata said. “Fortunately for us a lot of shoppers put our products at the top of their list.”

Iwata also said sales of its DS handheld were up about 20 percent during the Thanksgiving holiday week in the U.S. compared with a year earlier.

Midway have not released one in years, but that doesn’t mean that the franchise is dead. After all, German publisher 10tacle Studios did confirmed that it would be continuing the series in partnership with Japanese developer, Aki.

Now, Atari has announced its official plans for the return of Ready 2 Rumble on the Wii. The game is entitled Ready 2 Rumble Revolution and it will feature a list of about 18 “wildly caricatured cartoony boxers” based on celebrities from movies, music, and sports.

As of gameplay, Revolution will make full use of the Wii control system, meaning it’s most likely going to play exactly like every other boxing game that’s been attempted on the Wii, like Wii Boxing.

The developer also promises more realization on elastic and particularly sharp AI. There was also some talk about a long list of game modes, like championship and etc., and the possibility to use of Mii Avatar in the game. There is no doubt that the first trailer should arrive shortly.

After six months on the market, Wii’s Boom Blox is still selling well and pleasing gamers. Boom Blox came onto the market in early May 2008. Even today sales continue to grow and this Steven Spielberg inspired game shows no sign of slowing down as word spreads about this fun, interactive, group-friendly game.

Based on principles of physics, there is a seemingly unending variety of outcomes, especially in the multi-player mode. The game itself is a result of director Steven Spielberg’s desire to create a game that he would be able to play with his children. Not only was this goal met, but the game attracts players of all ages to join in the fun.

Boom Blox has many options for players, including game play between 1 & 4 players, depending on which gaming mode is selected. One player mode includes practice and adventure mode, with up to 300 levels of game play for individual players. Multi-player options are either competitive or cooperative, and 100 levels of game play can be explored. Players who are really serious about the game can create their own levels in editor mode and can open up many possibilities when playing in adventure mode.

The game itself plays  very well and fluidly, and the ability to accommodate multiple players simultaneously is one of its many attributes. A great family or party game, Wii Boom Blox can surely satisfy the needs of any gamer for fun times all around.

By Line: This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of the top online colleges. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com.

Yes, I know it’s kind of childish but I love this show and for some reason I can’t get Ben “10″ Tennyson out of my mind, not in that way. But it looks like children all over the world have been hell bent on getting there hands on his latest game because the same guys that published Dark Sector have revealed that Ben 10: Protector of Earth has sold 2.5 million copy worldwide.

According to Edge, D3Publisher said Wednesday that its Cartoon Network licensed title Ben 10: Protector of Earth has sold 2.5 million units worldwide. The multiplatform game, now selling for $19, launched just over a year ago on October 30, 2007. It was the first Ben 10 interactive game, and is available for Wii, PS2, DS and PSP.

“We look forward to even greater success with the recently released sequel,” said Yoji Takenaka, president and CEO, North America and Europe at D3P.

D3P released a follow-up on October 28 this year, titled Ben 10: Alien Force The Game. The new title retails for $39 on Wii and PS2, and for $29 on DS and PSP.The Ben 10 Cartoon Network series revolves around a 10-year-old boy who finds an alien device that grants him superpowers.

[Ben 10 Game Sells 2.5m via Edge]

The series has hit some speed bump over the last two or three years, we’ve seen a strong revival in the last game Legend. But lately the game has been hitting some very had speed bumps, thanks to the recent review push back order by a member of the Eidos UK PR team. Sadly the news doesn’t end there because it seems that the Wii version of the game has stepped into a big mess. Now, we only had the chance to play the 360 version of the game (review on the way), but according to one of the fans that brought the Wii version of the game there’s a game stopping glitch in the Wii version of the game.

“The glitch apparently appears in the Coastal Thailand area, depending on how you attack that area. One member of the Eidos forums claims to have found a solution to the problem and provides a way to proceed through the level, but one must wonder why this issue was never discovered before the game released.”

There are still many reports going around reporting the same problem but we will be contacting Eidos about the problem. The Wii version of the game was released the same time as the nex-gen version of the game. Lucky there was no reports of this glitch in the other versions.

[Tomb Raider Underworld’ Wii Version Has Game Ending Glitch via Gamer Investments]

Okay. It’s not really ready yet, but it will be making its way onto a console near you very soon, Nov. 19. As of right now, the update is sitting in a sever farm at Microsoft Headquarters just waiting to make its way down your Ethernet cable straight into your 360, but from this video, after the update is complete, you’ll be truly into a the New Xbox Experience. That’s geared to any genre that makes you a gamer. The update is set to bring a profound change that will bring a new ever lasting appeal to a bigger audience.

Rumors have been circling around as of late that Nintendo has a WiiHD system in development and has been showing it off to a few select people. After all the speculation recently increased when analyst Michael Pachter said that he is “absolutely convinced” that the system is out there. Shigeru Miyamoto was recently interviewed by 3sat and the topic of discussion was about the rumored Wii HD console. Here’s his comments on the rumored Wii HD console:

“…I’m afraid we cannot confirm what we are doing today. But the fact of the matter is that technology is evolving all the time and in Japan, for example…All the analog broadcast will be stopped and shifted into the digital broadcasting. So many things are taking place and we are working in terms of the changes of the technologies all the time.” said Miyamoto.

[Miyamoto comments on Wii HD rumors via Nintendo Everything]

While Nintendo is still leading the pack, if you ask Activision Blizzard for their input on the out growth of a system they seem to think that the PS3 will see more growth than the Xbox 360 by the end of ’08. According to GameDaily, in a conference call Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith provided the company’s expectations for console hardware growth in North America and Europe combined.

Griffith said that while the Xbox 360 is expected to grow by an additional six to seven million units for this calendar year, Sony’s PS3 should grow by eight million units. But, anyway if you were to point to fact neither the PS3 nor the 360 can stack up against the Wii, but it depends on which continues to sell at a torrid pace. But, he does expect the Nintendo Wii to sell by another 15 million units this year.

He also mentioned that Activision believes handhelds will grow by 24 million units, but he did not break that down into DS vs. PSP sales, go figure.

[Activision Expects PS3 Growth to Outpace Xbox 360 This Year via GameDaily]

The system many not be that popular in the eye’s of some North America people, but in Japan it just shows how key Nintendo is to them. Today, according to the popular Japanese gaming website, Famitsu, Nintendo DSi sold over 170,779 in about two days of the system being released in Japan. They go on to report that the first shipment sold in just a number of minutes. And that by comparison Nintendo DS and lite sold in total domestic sales 23,624,419 units and by the introduction of Nintendo DSi, Nintendo looks to add to that munber.

[ニンテンドーDSiが発売2日間で17万779台を販売（エンターブレイン調べ） via Famitsu]

As many of us may know, it’s a holiday in Japan and Capcom as held a little gathering for their fans for a big fighting event in Tokyo’s Shinagawa area. At the event the company revealed the return and embodiment of Viewtiful Joe. According to them, the classic GameCube hero will return as a playable as a Wii character in Tatsunoko VS. Capcom. Well, that’s what Capcom confirmed during a special stage event for the title, which was stated in a report from Dengeki Online. Capcom also announced two other newcomers for the Wii version Saki from Quiz Nanairo Dreams and Ippatsuman.

[ビューティフルジョーやイッパツマンも参戦決定！ 『タツカプ』SPステージレポ via Dengeki Online]

Update: Here’s something that I would hope would keep you happy (click on text).

Wii owners may not be able to play Stake 2 to on the Wii, but yet the more they can still Skate it up with skill. Today, in a press release EA Montreal released the North American and European release dates for both Skate It on the Wii and DS. The press release revealed that Skate It will be hitting retail stores on November 19th in North America and November 20th in Europe. The game was recently announced to integrate the optional use of the Wii Balance Boardand, which adds to the realism, go figure.

Last year, many of us were very shocked by the low supply of Wii’s, mainly because every kid and parent wanted to have it. This low stock was caused by the Wii’s, then, very low price and fun factor, but by the looks of things we maybe in for it again this Holiday season. When interviewed by the Los Angeles Times, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime hinted of the fact that there could be a chance that the Nintendo Wii may not be able to meet the demand this Holiday season.

In fact the Wii is still very hard to get your hands on today, Reggie even stated that, “one of our competitors’ projects,” he said (we’re thinking he meant Sony), “they will sell 10 million consoles worldwide this year. For us, that’s three months of production.” And if you add it all up this number doesn’t add up this will mean that they aren’t meeting production standards. Here’s why: the Wii production is suppose to be up 33% over last year, from 1.6 million consoles per month to 2.4 million. That’s why they aren’t meeting the standard.

[Wii production up; holiday supply might not meet demand ... again via Joystiq]

Microsoft has shipped 22.5m Xbox 360s through September 2008 and should pass the totals of the original Xbox, which shipped 24.7m worldwide, next quarter. This was revealed in Microsoft’s updated system results earlier today for the Xbox 360, the company is reporting that they shipped 2.2m consoles from July 1 to Sept 30 bringing the total number to 22.5m shipped since launch.

For Microsoft, Q1, Q5, and Q9 are the quarters ending December. Given that Q1 was the supply constrained launch in 2005, and that the original Xbox only shipped 24.7m units worldwide, the Xbox 360 should top its predecessor next quarter.

[Microsoft Details July to Sept Results, Xbox 360 to Top Xbox Next Quarter via VGCharts]

Many of us were left upset by the ending of Saints Row 2 because it left a room of questions waiting to be answered. Now, in a recent interview with Play, Volition’s associate producer Dan Sutton confirmed that there will be a Saints Row 3, but there was no word on if the game is already in production. It was said that the developers over at Volition were waiting for the fans reactions on the game to reveal Saints Row 3, but by the news we can already tell that they have received a vast amount of fan responses on the game. Along with the news Sutton also confirmed the game will have a “new direction”, other then the ones in the first to games.

“Well, we knew a lot of people were upset with the last one because they were playing it and it was like “oh gosh, I’ve got to wait for the next one”, but in SR2 we tie-up a lot of loose ends. I think we tie it up deliberately. We’ve already started work on Saints Row 3, and we have a new direction we want to go in with that which we of course can’t talk about. We wrap up a lot in this one. There’s no frustration.” -Dan Sutton

[Interview Dan Sutton on Saints Row 2 via Play]

Bioshock has influenced many people’s look on video games, but little did we know that Bioshock was also influencing something big. When being interviewed by Computer and Video Games, Capcom’s Masachika Kawata admitted that Resident Evil 5 was heavily influenced by the popular underwater video game, Bioshock.

“It’s a classic game which really utilized the next gen power very well. The world is very strong and very believable, and the whole game was quite inspiring”.

He also continues to state that the game was also influenced by many other western gaming titles that they can’t talk about at this time, but they were “incorporated” into the game. The game is right now set to make its way on to consoles this March on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

[Resident Evil 5 Interview via CVG]

Violence in video games is a topic that remains a strong in the gaming industry today, but what do the game developers that use other ways than violence think about it? When speaking to speaking to Channel 4, a UK TV station, Shigeru Miyamoto explained his concern on game developers using violence to attract the gamers attention.

“I don’t want to curb freedom of expression, but I am concerned many developers focus on excessive violence in order to stimulate people’s minds,” he argued. “I believe that here are more ways of grabbing player’s attention than violence alone.” He also said that parents have a responsibility of playing the role in and making sure their children play games with the right content: “I also hope that parents take advantage of age ratings when letting their children play.”

[Miyamoto "concerned" other developers resort to "excessive violence" via DevelopMAG]

Ever since Microsoft revealed their “Avatar” program at E3, they fell under criticism for copying Nintendo’s “Mii’s”. Now, however the Head of Xbox, Don Mattrick, has revealed in an interview with OXM UK that he invented the whole avatar concept. He claims that the game “4D boxing”, made by his company, on Amiga, DOS, Atari ST and Macintosh, was the first game to feature avatars program. After doing some research, it turns out that 4D Boxing was the first game ever to use “avatar like” characters.

Source

Many of us were wondering if our online scores in the Beta would be carried over into the full version of the game. According to one of our sources inside Activision, there will be “no ranking carry overs” when the full version of the game is released. The Beta is only for the PC and Xbox 360, there was no other betas released for any other of the system that the game will be released on. Call of Duty: World at War is an action first person shooter that is developed by Treyarch and published by Activision for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation 2. The game is set for a release in North America on November 11, 2008 and in Europe on November 14, 2008.

Shigeru Miyamoto only one word can sum up this man and that word is “legendary”, in his lifetime he has been given many upon many key awards. The one that we may all remember was back in 1998 where he was the first man to be included in the “Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame” for his life’s work in the video game industry. And at the Tokyo Game Show Shigeru Miyamoto received yet another award, but this time it was “Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize”. The award was given to him preamble with a broad smile at the time of receive his prize.

At the Tokyo Games Show we learned something that made every Nintendo hardcore fanboy remember why he/she had brought a Wii in the first place. Even if the game is slated for a early 2010 release date the fans still would like to know some details on Travis Touchdown’s newest adventure, No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle. As you may already know, No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle will be the first time that Grasshopper will be doing a sequel. And since they wanted to do a make another game with Travis it’s just right that they do a sequel. The game follows Travis’s path of revenge and this time hes going to get really serious about fighting, unlike the first game. The team that worked on No More Heroes 1 is also working on the second game (same character designer, mecha designer etc.). When the team where working on No More Heroes 1, they felt they had one of the best teams for a Wii title, so they wanted to make another game with the team.

Source