That is the question!

The recent announcement of Nintendo's second revision of the DS made waves across the Internet, as you'd expect. For example, in our forums, reactions ranged from "MANNN I JUST BOUGHT A NEW DS!!!" to "the fact that it has no GBA slot means I won't even consider buying this unfortunately..." to "I wish it were winter, so we could freeze it into ice blocks and skate on it, and melt it in the spring time and drink it! I want one. ". You get the idea. So with all the divisivness this has caused, I thought it might help us all to divvy up all the pros and cons of the thing, thereby helping everyone make a more clear decision as to whether or not the system is something you want. Generally, both sides will correspond with each other (i.e. any plus will show next to it its resultant downside).

So, overall, it looks like for most it could be a smart buy. Of course, it does depend on your needs, wants and preferences, and just general opinion. In either case, it'll be interesting to see how well this sells worldwide. If it's a flop, as some are predicting, I'm getting mine quick and never letting go!

An interesting thing brought up in the press conference that seems to have been missed by many journalists is Nintendo's view on the "non-Nintendoness" of this multimedia approach. This is what the company's President Satoru Iwata said about it:

"While these functions for cell phones are offered as extra utility tools, we would like to propose with DSi the entertainment of playing with and enjoying visuals and sounds by using these functions in more proactive and fun ways in your daily activities. The Nintendo DSi will be a tool to enrich each of our daily lives."

Without getting extensively into the features and ideas they have for these tools, Iwata noted "For a number of small children, Nintendo DSi will be their very first camera." Never thought about it that way before, and in a sense, that seems very Nintendo-esque to me.

Another thing he makes a point of is the interactivity the DS has always had, thus lending itself in a unique way to these functions (ex. the music player, called DSi Sound, is touch-screen interactive, has functions distinct to itself, etc.). I wonder then, will Nintendo bring in new applications to the Wii in the future, considering its interactive functions? Well, WiiSpeak and the SD storage solution have already been announced, so I suppose it's well on its way.

To me, I think the DS Lite will be known as the Nintendo console for those who basically just want to game, while the DSi will be for everyone else who like to have everything in one, and plenty of toys to play with (and for $179 or less, I think it's quite a good deal). However, I also expect some of the features (improved sound, DSiWare/Shop, smaller size, bigger screens) will draw in some of the former crowd, too, if not grudgingly.

I, for one, applaud Nintendo for this redesign. I just kind of wish the DS Lite was the original launch model, and this was the first revision. Then, I suspect, there'd be a lot less yammering.

If you're keen to get every last detail, I reccomend reading the Nintendo Conference transcription through the link below. Exciting stuff!

DSi not intended to target iPhone, despite its new toys

The DSi made waves after its official unveiling yesterday at Nintendo's Fall press conference, and much of its appeal will stem from the new built-in multimedia features absent from the original DS models. You might say the updates are intended to bring the DS handheld closer in featureset to the Sony PlayStation Portable and Apple iPhone, but Nintendo's already prepared an answer for that.

In an interview with Japanese business wire Nikkei Net (they first broke the story of a "new" DS), Nintendo president Satoru Iwata denies the DSi's features like audio playback and a built-in camera were added to create a DS handheld which do roughly do what its similiarly portable competition (gaming focused or no) can already do. The DSi was designed simply to make it even more ubiquitous with the average user:

We wanted users to have the device on them at all times... By downloading subway maps and other things, for instance, the DSi can be useful for applications other than playing games. We wanted to create an offering that would fit naturally into people's everyday lives.

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime wouldn't want you thinking the DS has moved away from being a game console first as well. Speaking to X-Play:

"It's all about the entertainment, and so that's why we're stressing that you shouldn't think of this as the world's best digital camera or the world's best audio player. You need to look at it through a lens of entertainment, and certainly through that lens it's going to over-deliver against expectations.

"...all of that will work great but again, in our view, what we offer is that added level of entertainment, and that's why you'll want to carry this in your pocket all the time."

Both Iwata and Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime have a dream of selling seeing one DS per person, and the DSi was designed to ultimately expand the already large DS market. Despite announcing the DSi well ahead of its North American release timeframe thanks to the Japanese announcement, Fils-Aime isn't worried about Nintendo losing potential DS Lite customers who would now rather wait for the DSi. Fils-Aime anticipates the most fervent DSi customers at the outset will be the DS faithful, and he envisions scenarios where they hand down their current DS models to friends or family while they make a grab for the DSi themselves once it launches in Japan later this year, and in other territories sometime 2009.

UBS analyst Ben Schachter also forsees the DSi early adopters will largely be limited to those looking for something to replace their existing DS. "Limited" would be the operative word here, as he believes the DSi won't pack enough of a punch to generate much in the way of new sales, deeming the new features to be "minor changes" at most. In fact, Schachter warns the DSi could actually hurt Nintendo's bottom line depending on what the production costs for the new console are.

Registration for Bomberman Blast competition has begun!

To further celebrate the recent release of Bomberman Blast for WiiWare, Hudson Entertainment is hosting is offering a series of online tournaments.  This includes a live, online, head-to-head competition between 49 participants selected at random.

In addition to the matches, Hudson Entertainment is also holding an associated sweepstakes that players can sign up for when they register for the competition.

There will be eight winning positions available, along with corresponding prizes:

1st Place Prize An HDTV

2nd Place Prize 14,000 Wii Points, Bomberman Land for the Nintendo Wii, and Bomberman Land Touch! 2 for the Nintendo DS

3rd Place Prize 10,000 Wii Points, Bomberman Land for the Nintendo Wii, and Bomberman Land Touch! 2 for the Nintendo DS

4th Place Prize 10,000 Wii Points
5th Place Prize 8,000 Wii Points

6th-Place Prize 6,000 Wii Points

7th-Place Prize 4,000 Wii Points

8th-Place Prize 2,000 Wii Points

Registration is now open and will end today at 5:00 pm PST.  The tournament itself will be held on October 6, 2008 at 2:00 pm PST.  Those interested in competing can sign up and learn more about the upcoming "Bomb It Up" Tournament & Sweepstakes on the official website.

Can the DS make you a better person?

Well, no one is making any claims, but Nintendo has announced that the United States will soon be seeing its popular DS Personal Trainer series. 

Looks like Americans aren't the only self-improvement nuts on this planet.  This gaming genre has been popular in Japan for years now, and Nintendo has set its sights on the States by introducing us to Personal Trainer: Cooking.  The cooking installment includes instructional videos and over 200 recipes from international cuisines.  Incidentally, Personal Trainer: Cooking will be released on November 24, 2008, right on time for Thanksgiving and other get-together holidays.

The next two titles are scheduled to hit US retailers in 2009.  Personal Trainer: Math will help players with arithmetic, and Personal Trainer: Walking will come with a wireless pedometer accessory to help with... walking.

Now you can use those SD cards in the Wii for something other than photos, music, save game storage and Virtual Console back ups, sheesh

After being grilled since forever over its lack of any appreciable built-in storage space compared to competing consoles, Nintendo's Wii should be getting an update "next Spring" that will allow it to better leverage its support for Secure Digital memory cards.  Essentially, Wii owners will be able to simply download WiiWare and Virtual Console software directly onto an SD card already inserted into the Wii's flash media slot.  Users will also be able to play the titles directly off the SD card as well.

We're left wondering why Nintendo didn't just open this functionality for the Wii in the first place, since it just seems like a no-brainer that one should able to able to store digitally distributed games directly onto flash media when built-in storage is tight. Until now, the SD card could only be used for backing up software when it came to the Virtual Console, and nevermind WiiWare.  Then again, there are issues of what consoles have ownership of the software, since SD cards can be removed and swapped from the Wii.

In any case, it's not quite the external hard drive which most of us were pretty much expecting up until now, but it's not an expensive solution either.  You can pick up SD cards from reputable brands for cheap these days, but remember the Wii currently only supports cards up to 2GB in terms of storage space.  The good news is that Wii gamers like good ol' Akira_EX just might finally stop being forced to play the data block juggling game when it comes to making room for new downloads on the Wii, but we'll have to see just how convenient Nintendo intends to make this solution.  Now if only the Wii could be made to support SDHC cards, which feature up to 32GB of storage!

Preserving the history

The United Kingdom's first official National Videogame Archive is soon arriving in an effort to preserve the history of a now global industry worth about £22bn (~$39bn).

Academics at Nottingham Trent University, in partnership with the National Media Museum in Bradford (where it will be housed), formed the archive, which is said will 'recognise the significant contributions made by videogames to the diversity of popular culture across the globe' - everything from 1972's Pong to all the big stuff we're seeing now.

It is to be managed, steered and researched in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University's Centre for Contemporary Play, which draws from an impressive range of academic strengths and disciplines, including psychology, cultural studies, art and design, and computer science.

Specifically, the archive will have the standard trove of consoles and cartridges, but will also collect what documented the industry for so long: advertising campaigns, magazine reviews, artwork, and more. They say the overall aim here is to 'collect, celebrate and preserve this vital cultural form for future generations.'

Dr James Newman, from Nottingham Trent University’s Centre for Contemporary Play, said:  “The National Videogame Archive is an important resource for preserving elements of our national cultural heritage.  We don’t just want to create a virtual museum full of code or screenshots that you could see online.  The archive will really get to grips with what is a very creative, social and productive culture.”

He added: “It will not only be a vital academic resource to support growing disciplines in videogame studies but will also be something that the general public can fully engage with.”

Though it doesn't appear to be 'national', the huge effort seems a counterpart of sorts to the University of Texas' Videogame Archive. Perhaps with this endeavour, UT's will grow, too.

The National Videogame Archive is going to be launched this year at the GameCity 3 festival in Nottingham. A three day event, it's set to attract all kinds of folk from the video game culture, from the enthusiasts to the developers and publishers.

Iain Simons, Director of GameCity at Nottingham Trent University, said:  “This year’s festival is going to be huge.  We’ll be opening up the world of videogames for everybody to experience and the launch of the new National Videogame Archive will be an important feature for this year’s event.  We’ll have special guests from the industry with us, along with world-record breaking attempts, keynote speeches and lots, lots more.”

Iwata gives details on the DS Lite's direct successor

President and CEO of Nintendo Satoru Iwata has confirmed rumors of a new DS at the Nintendo Media Summit.  The new DS, now revealed to be the Nintendo DSi, will have additional features over the original DS Lite, among other modifications.

The DSi will have bigger screens, music playback functionality, two cameras, an SD card slot, and a new DS-specific download service.  What the DSi won't have is the DS Lite's GBA slot.  Here are the specifics:

• Overall size of DSi has been reduced, making it 2.6 millimeters or 12 percent slimmer than the DS Lite.
• Both screens expanded to 3.25 inches.
• GBA slot removed -- phasing out old games, perhaps?
• Includes two cameras: an external 0.3 Megapixel camera and VGA camera along the DSi's hinge, facing the user.  Images taken would be 640 x 480 pixel and can be edited via touchscreen.
• Full music playback functionality with adjustable pitch and playback speed
• SD memory card slot in addition to internal memory
• Built-in Nintendo DS web browser
• Ability to download games from DSWare, which uses Wii Points (or Nintendo Points); users will be given free 1,000 Nintendo Points upon first log-in.
• DSWare comes in four price categories: free, 200, 500, and 800 Nintendo Points.
• DSi will come in matte white or black -- no more fingerprint smudges!

The Nintendo DSi launches in Japan on November 1, 2008 with a pricetag of ¥18,900, or $179.  No release dates outside of Japan have been announced, but Nintendo has said the DSi will not be leaving Japan until some time in 2009.  These lovely pictures will have to do for now:

A console can never have too many puzzle games

Just when you thought the world was sick of puzzle games, someone announces another one, with a 90 percent chance of that game being for the Nintendo Wii.

Well these games must be enjoying some semblance of popularity because they just keep coming out with more -- and by "them," I mean Konami's minions over at Hudson Soft.  The North American branch, Hudson Entertainment, has announced today that come Spring 2009, Marble Saga: Kororinpa will be available exclusively to the Wii.

A sequel to Kororinpa: Marble Mania, Mable Saga will feature new levels, 4-person multiplayer, customization features, online play, and Wii Balance Board compatibility.  As always, the hyper-competitive can upload their scores to leaderboards via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Players will take on the role of Anthony the Ant as he searches for the Golden Sunflower, guiding his marble around Ant World for items that can be used to save his colony.

Sabine Duvall, VP of Product Development at Hudson Entertainment, appeared pleased as ever when he commented on their upcoming puzzle game:

"Gamers will be amazed to see how much entertainment we have packed into Marble Saga.  Whether players want to compete with each other through multiplayer of Nintendo Wi-Fi connection, explore more than 150 levels by themselves, or use the Wii Balance Board for additional fun, this game really will deliver an action-packed adventure for gamers of all ages."

Certainly sounds too action-packed for me.  Think you can handle the pressure?  Wait and see next spring.

A witch, a thief, a couple of stewards, and an 'undead kitty thing'

Atlus has taken the liberty of releasing some photos and background on the villains in the upcoming tactical RPG Luminous Arc 2, along with some (mostly) new screenshots. LA2 comes to us from the newish studio Image Epoch. The game is set to release on the DS November 18. Here you are, then:

Sixteen years ago a strange species of animal known as Beast Fiends appeared in the Kingdom of Carnava. The Beats Fiends were monstrous creatures, attacking settlements and causing death and destruction in their wake. Master Mattias, leader of the Magic Association, a group that ensured the kingdom’s magic was never used for evil, took it upon himself to save the world from the threat of the Beast Fiends. Master Mattias did not survive his battle with the Beast Fiends, but he succeeded in ridding them from Carnava. However, sixteen years later, the Beast Fiends are once again reappearing with no clear pattern or source. What could be the cause of this sudden resurgence?

While the Beast Fiends’ attacks on Carnava increase, the rogue Shadow Frost Witch, Fatima, threatens to tip the balance of power in her favor by waging a private war against the Magic Association known as the Witch Conflict. Additionally, the Rosetta Rosso, a rogue group of thieves led by Karen, threatens to thwart Roland’s mission by stealing a Lapistier, a magic stone that can amplify a Witch's power to terrifying levels, from the Witches Roland travels with. Are Fatima and the Rosetta Rosso behind the resurgence of Beast Fiends, or are there other powers at work in the land of Canarva?

FATIMA

Fatima is the Witch that governs darkness, and is also known as the Shadow Frost Witch. She has left the Rev Magic Association, and is believed to have started the Witch Conflict three years ago. She takes over Granend, a land that had been sealed off due to the tragic events that occurred there fifteen years ago…

JOSIE

An undead kitty thing who uses dark magic and serves Fatima. He uses golems to wreak havoc upon Carnava.

KAREN

She’s the leader of the Rosetta Rosso, a mysterious band of thieves. She’s searching for a Lapistier, and since Roland’s travelling with Witches, she becomes an annoying foil to him. She’s impudent, brazen, and naïve. Karen is always accompanied by Ace and Moose, the other two permanent members of the Rosetta Rosso.

ACE

Ace is one of Karen’s stewards. He’s swift, smooth, and unfortunately, totally whipped by Karen. He spends most of his time hitting on other women just to try to indirectly show Karen how much of a ladies’ man he is. When Ace is actually on duty, his main job is to gather information with his speed.

MOOSE

Moose is the second of Karen’s stewards. He’s cheerful, serious, and has common sense. He has a bit of a unique way of doing things, probably because he spent his university years learning mechanical engineering in a foreign country. He is extremely good with non-magical technology, which has been made manifest in his construction of the Destructobots, his pride and joy.

Not the most threatening bunch, are they?

"Feel like you're really farming with the Nintendo Wii Remote!"

Further expanding the Wii's family-friendly image, developer and publisher Natsume announced today that Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility has shipped to retail. 

Available for the standard price of $49.99, Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility continues Natsume's 10-year anniversary celebration with special commemorative packaging, retail promotions with collectible pre-order plush toys, strategy guides, a special 10th anniversary DS Lite Kit, and various other offers.

Harvest Moon fans will enjoy the new title as much as any newcomer to the franchise with another engrossing storyline, accompanied by a plethora of activities typical of Harvest Moon fashion -- cultivating crops, caring for animals, partaking in festivities, etc.  This time, players must save an island after the mystical Mother Tree that once watched over the land disappears.

 "We are proud to release Harvest Moon for the first time on the Nintendo Wii platform," said Hiro Maekawa, president and CEO of Natsume Inc.  "With the new setting, characters, motion-sensitive controls, and the most refined gameplay yet, we're sure that both Harvest Moon fans and new players alike will be delighted with Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility."

Shiny new trailer released with launch

Hundson Soft announced today the official launch of Bomberman Blast, available for download on WiiWare for the Nintendo Wii.

As promised back in August, the new Bomberman game will retain classic features for long-time fans, such as online multiplayer battles in numerous arenas.  Bomberman Blast incorporates various new elements like Mii support, 8-player online matches, and Wii Remote motion compatibility.  Shaking the Wii Remote will allow players to use one of three items -- Bomb Change, Rocket, and Shield.

"We are thrilled to deliver Bomberman Blast to the WiiWare gamers," said Sabine Duvall, VP of Product Development at Hudson Entertainment.  "Hardcore fans and casual gamers alike will enjoy this new rendition of classic Bomberman created specifically for play on the Wii with three new Wii-specific items and Miis."

Bomberman Blast also introduces ten unique level designs, and once players have played through all ten they can unlock the ability to use their Mii in-game.  New battle arenas include Hyper Feet, Bomb Bowling, and Potholes, and players can choose to play solo or co-op in a team.  Scores can be submitted with the new Rankings feature via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. 

Many of the game's new gameplay elements are highlighted in a promotional trailer released by Hudson with the launch of Bomberman Blast:

Rumored DS with music playback and built-in camera not quite confirmed

Heard about that fancy new DS just recently reported on by Japanese business wire Nikkei Net?  The one which supposedly features (official) music playback, a built-in camera, a Secure Digital flash media slot for expansion AND bigger screens, scheduled by the end of this year?  It all sounds incredibly tasty, especially for the rumored suggested retail pricing of around 20,000 yen ($188 USD).  For the time being however, Nintendo itself isn't issuing any comments of their own.

Nintendo of America in particular explains that the original Nikkei Net article was based on speculation and its own research; not necessarily troubling things on their own, yet the wire did not actually confer with Nintendo itself for any part of it.  At least as far as Nintendo's American branch is concerned, anyways!  The console giant didn't quite outright deny the rumor in any case, falling back on the old "we're always working on new hardware" argument.  We just might get the full story at Nintendo's next press conference.

Few tidbits for ya

The fifth main installment of the Call of Duty series, World at War is (obviously) greatly anticipated by a lot of gamers. So with that we bring you some details on the multiplayer aspect of the game, which as we know is what really brings the series its longevity.

Firstly, 'perks' will be featured in the multiplayer mode as in CoD 4, one of which will be the Flak Jacket, an item which absorbs the damage taken from a single grenade. In "real life", this is meant to protect against shrapnel and other indirect low velocity projectiles. The other items are the Gas Mask, which offers resistance to gas grenades, and the Shades, which negates the effects of flares. Vehicle-related perks are to come.

As before, up to 18 players will be supported, though this time you get some new toys to play with: gas bombs, signal flares, bouncing betties, and sticky grenades, anyone?

Co-operative mode will feature a points-scoring kill system as well as the 'Death Cards' system, which unlocks more modes and features. The Death Cards system modifies the competitive rules, similar to Halo 3's skulls system. This isn't just any old name, though - apparently the Death Cards have quite a history with war:

[...] In 1988 the Dart Flipcards Company of Canada actually prepared a trading card showing one being used. This card from a set on Vietnam is entitled "The Death Card - La Carte de Revenge." It depicts two soldiers on the front, one about to drop an ace of spades on a dead Viet Cong. Text on the back in English and French is:

The Death Card

In addition to the thousands of Americans dead and wounded, the Vietnam War also took a psychological toll. Soldiers lived in constant fear of an enemy they often couldn't see, and responded to this terror in different ways. The 1st Cavalry Division left the Ace of Spades -- the payback card  -- on the enemy's body as its signature. 

A new future for music in video games?

Activision Blizzard's (AB) CEO Robert Kotick has been pondering something lately: should the music industry be paying him for the music he uses in the Guitar Hero games, and not the other way around?

While it may seem absurd at first, it's really just simple economics. Similar to the situation last year where radio stations and music labels were debating who should get what, if the company is providing a service to the artists (promotion) worth far more than what it's paying, shouldn't it (AB in this case) get the royalty money, or at least not have to pay? And it's certainly a lucrative service: as of July, over 20 million songs have been downloaded via Guitar Hero games, and there are tons of statistics out there which proclaim the impact the game has had on sales (tickets, albums, songs, etc.) outside of it.

"When you look at the impact [Guitar Hero] can have on an Aerosmith, Van Halen or Metallica, it's really significant," Kotick told The Wall Street Journal, "so much so that you sort of question whether or not, in the case of those kinds of products, you should be paying any money at all and whether it should be the reverse."

Nevertheless, Warner Music chief Edgar Bronfman says the royalties they get from the game companies are "paltry", and they should be charging more since games like Guitar Hero depend entirely on licensed music.

Seems valid enough, but Kotick has a retort:

"We have lots of music to choose from, lots of artists to choose from. A 12-year-old kid has no idea who Steven Tyler is or who Aerosmith is. The bulk of our consumers will tell you they're not purchasing the products based on the songs that are included. They're purchasing based on how fun the songs are to play when they're playing them."

What do you think? Should Activision Blizzard be paid for promoting music as much as they do, should companies like Warner be paid more for licensing "their" music, or should they just call it even and noone pays anything?

NPD releases top five lists of its own

Neoseeker's social site GameGrep has been the portal for many popular game compilations, many of which were made by blog sites and other independent sources.

Using game sales data from January through August 2008, the NPD research group, in correspondence with Gamasutra, has released the top five best-sellers in the US for all three consoles out on the market.  Some of the results are surprising, but it's mostly predictable -- though not quite so much as PC game charts.

Starting with the Nintendo Wii, the top five games by number of units sold are as follows:

1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
2. Mario Kart (with Wheel)
3. Wii Play (with Remote)
4. Wii Fit (with Balance Board)
5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (with Guitar)

And they say the Wii is for casual gamers.

Next up is the top five Xbox 360 sellers, and number one is definitely a no-brainer:

1. Grant Theft Auto IV
2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
3. Madden NFL 09
4. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
5. Army of Two

Currently, four of the five games appear to reflect that Xbox 360 stereotype of shooter fanatics.  With Microsoft aiming to expand on the 360 demographic, however, another list such as this might yield different results in another few months.

Many have been debating which game is more popular on the PlayStation 3 -- Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4 or Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV?  Both have enjoyed overwhelming success, but GTA IV takes number one in terms of US sales:

1. Grand Theft Auto IV
2. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
4. Madden NFL 09
5. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue

Each chart does note that the data only applies to individual SKUs without taking into account each game's other editions, such as collector's editions or premium bundles.

Quite a juicy beast

Following up on Nintendo's recent revelation of Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City and the KORG DS-10's release dates, they've unveiled the entire lineup for the Wii and DS for Q3 and Q4.

Looks like Europeans have a nice bit of big titles to look forward to for the remainder of the year, though some (Phoenix Wright, Dementium, etc.) are coming out awfully late. I've highlighted what looks promising. Behold:

Wii Software 2008 Release Dates

Runaway the Dream of the Turtle (Focus Home Interactive) September 25
Wild Earth: African Safari (Majesco / Codemaster) September 25
Family Trainer (Namco Bandai) September 26
Wario Land: The Shake Dimension (Nintendo) September 26
My Pet Hotel (dtp Young Entertainment) September 26/November (ES and IT)
Brothers in Arms Double Time (Ubisoft) September 26
Detective Conan: The Mirapolis Investigation (Nobilis) September
SimCity Creator (EA) October 2
FIFA 09 (EA) October 3
Order Up (ZOO) October 3
CID The Dummy (Oxygen Games) October 10
Bratz: Girls Really Rock! (THQ) October 10
Twin Strike: Operation Thunder (ZOO) October 10
TNA Impact (Midway Games) October 10
Lego Batman: The videogame (Warner) October 10
Cabela’s – Trophy Bucks (Activision) October 17
Rapala’s Fishing Frenzey (Activision) October 17
Avatar: The Last Airbender – Into The Inferno (THQ) October 17
Naked Brothers Band (THQ) October 17
Littlest Pet Shop (EA) October 17
Disaster: Day of Crisis (Nintendo) October 24
Moto GP 08 (Capcom) October 24
SpongeBob Squarepants: Globs of Doom (THQ) October 24
Tak: Guardians of Gross (THQ) October 24
Klaus Gronewalds Sports Challenge (Oxygen Games) October 26
MySims Kingdom (EA) October 31
Legend of Sayuki (505 Games) October 31
James Bond 007 Quantum of Solace (Activision) October 31
More Game Party (Midway Games) October 31
Puzzler Collection (Ubisoft) October 31
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (Activision) October
Bratz Kids Party (Game Factory) October
Build A Bear-Workshop© (Game Factory) October
RUBIKS™ Puzzle World (Game Factory) October
SNK Arcade Classic Vol. 1 (Ignition) October
Wii Cheers (Namco Bandai) October
Boogie Superstar (EA) October
Fritz Chess (Gammick Entertainment) October
Deadly Creatures (THQ) October
Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Matter (Vivendi Games) October
The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of The Dragon (Vivendi Games) October
Blast Works (Eidos) Oct – Nov
Wonderworld Amusement Park (Eidos / Majesco) Oct – Nov
My Horse and Me 2 (Atari) Autumn
PC Adventure Safecracker (JoWooD) Autumn
Call of Duty: World at War (Activision) Autumn
Petz Sports: Dog Playground (Ubisoft) Autumn
World of Goo (RTL entertainment) Q3 2008
Margot’s Word Brain (ZOO) November 1
WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 (THQ) November 7
Trauma Center: New Blood (Nintendo) November 7
Imagine Champion Rider (Ubisoft) November 11
Big Beach Sports Special Edition (THQ) November 13
Wii Music (Nintendo) November 14
Army Men: Soldiers of Misfortune (ZOO) November 14
All Star Cheer (THQ) November 14
Kung Fu Panda – Legendary Warrior (Activision) November 14
Yamaha Supercross (ZOO) November 14
Need for Speed Undercover (EA) November 21
Skate It (EA) November 21
Hasbro Family Games Night (EA) November 20
Barbie House Adventures: Summer Camp (Activision) November 21
Shrek’s Carnival of Fun (Activision) November 21
World Championship off Road Racing (Activision) November 21
Horse Life 2 (Koch Media / Deep Silver) November 28
Babies Party (Ubisoft) November 28
My Vet Practice (dtp Young Entertainment) November (19th September – DE)
Disney Sing It (Disney Interactive Studios) November
Petz: Monkey Madness (Ubisoft) November
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party (Ubisoft) November
Hells Kitchen (Ubisoft) November
Pet Vet (DTP / Eidos) November
Tchtonik: World Tour (Koch Media / Deep Silver) November
Shaun White Snowboard (Ubisoft) November
Zoo Hospital (Majesco / Codemasters) November
Sonic Unleashed (SEGA) November
Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars (Gamecock Media) November
Lost In Blue Shipwrecked (Konami) November
Pop Star Guitar (Midway Games) November
Disney Sing It: High School Musical (Disney Interactive Studios) December 4
Naruto Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 European Version (TOMY / Nintendo) December
Animal Crossing: Lets Go to the City (Nintendo) December
Top Trumps Doctor Who (Eidos) December
King Of Fighters Anthology (Ignition) December
King of Fighters Collection (Ignition) December
Samurai Showdown Anthology (Ignition) December
The Magic Roundabout (Koch Media / Deep Silver) December
My Animal Centre (Koch Media / BrainGame) December
Bolt (Disney Interactive Studios) Christmas
Disney Think Fast (Disney Interactive Studios) Christmas
Guitar Hero: World Tour (Complete Band Game) (Activision) Winter 2008
Guitar Hero: World Tour (Complete Guitar Game) (Activision) Winter 2008
Guitar Hero: World Tour (Software Only) (Activision) Winter 2008
Star Wars The Clone Years: Lightsaber Duels (Activision) Winter 2008
Carnival Games: Mini Golf (2K Games) Q4 2008
Dora saves Snow Princess (2K Games) Q4 2008
High School Musical: Senior Year DANCE! (Disney Interactive Studios) Q4 2008
Don King Presents Prizefighter (2K Sports) Q4 2008
Mr Bean Wacky World of Wii (Matertronic) Q4 2008
Rouge Trooper: The Quartz Zone Massacre (Reef Entertainment) Q4 2008
Brave: A Warriors Tale (SouthPeak Games) Q4 2008
Igor (Koch Media / Deep Silver) Q4 2008

Wii Accessories 2008 Release Dates

Wii Remote Wrist Straps (Pink, Green, Blue, White) (Nintendo) October 17
Wii Speak - December 2008

Nintendo DS Software 2008 Release Dates

Hell’s Kitchen (Ubisoft) September 25
Make 10: A Journey of Numbers (Nintendo) September 26
Shaun the Sheep (D3 Publisher of Europe) September 26
SimCity Creator (EA) September 26
8 Ball Allstars (Oxygen Games) September 26
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (SEGA) September 26
Drawn to Life: Spongebob Squarepants Edition (THQ) September 26
Lock´s Quest: Construction Combat (THQ) September 26
Bratz Ponyz 2 (Game Factory) September
Code Lyoko 2 (Game Factory) September
Docomodake (Ignition) September
Football Director (Pinnacle Entertainment) September
Pony Friends (Mini Breeds Edition) (Eidos) Sep / Oct
Phoenix Wright - Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations (Capcom / Nintendo) October 3 (2nd October Germany)
Naruto Ninja Council 2 European Version (TOMY) October 3 (2nd October Germany)
Maths Made Simple (505 Games) October 3
Mystery Detective II (505 Games) October 3
Mystery Detective II (505 Games) October 3
Scotland Yard (dtp Young Entertainment) October 3
FIFA 09 (EA) October 3
Zubo (EA) 
Lost In Blue 3 (Konami) October 9
KORG-DS-10 (Nintendo) October 10
Bratz: Girls Really Rock ! (THQ) October 10
Cosmetic Paradise (505 Games) October 17
My Dress-Up (Oxygen Games) October 17
My Make-Up (Oxygen Games) October 17
My Secret Diary (Oxygen Games) October 17
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Into the Inferno (THQ) October 17
Naked Brothers Band (THQ) October 17
Fritz & Chesster (Koch Media / Deep Silver) October 17
Imagine Champion Rider (Ubisoft) October 17
Littlest Pet Shop (EA) October 17
Last King of Africa (Focus Home Entertainment) October 23
Track Mania DS (Focus Home Entertainment) October 23
Transformers Animated (Activision) October 24
Back to the Barnyard (THQ) October 24
SpongeBob Squarepants: Globs of Doom (THQ) October 24
Quiz Taxi (SevenOneInterMedia) October 30
My Pet Dolphin 2 (505 Games) October 31
My Pet Kitten (505 Games) October 31
My Pet Pony (505 Games) October 31
My Pet Puppy Saves The Day (505 Games) October 31
James Bond 007 Quantum of Solace (Activision) October 31
Mega Man Starforce 2 Zerker X Ninja (Capcom) October 31
Dementium: The Ward (Gamecock Media) October 31
Imagine Figure Skater (Ubisoft) October 31
Imagine Interior Designer (Ubisoft) October 31
My Sims Kingdom (EA) October 31
Think - Logictrainer (dtp young entertainment) October
Monster Lab (Eidos) October
Labyrinth – A Race for Treasures in a Moving Maze (dtp young entertainment) October
What´s Cooking ? With Jamie Oliver (Atari) October
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows (Activision) October
Bob the Builder Festival of Fun (Mastertronic) October
Cake Mania 2 (Majesco / CodeMaster) October
Nanostray 2 ( Majesco / Codemaster) October
Toy Shop Tycoon (Majesco / Codemaster) October
Bella Sara (Codemasters) October
Bratz Kidz (Game Factory) October
RUBIKS™ (Game Factory) October
Zenses Ocean (Game Factory) October
Zenses Rainforest (Game Factory) October
Metal Slug 7 (Ignition) October
Tornado (Ignition) October
Moto Racer (Nobilis) October
Casper Scare School Classroom Caspers (Mastertronic) October
Exit (Square Enix) October
Animal Boxing (Gammic Entertainment) October
Elite Forces (Gammic Entertainment) October
Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ (Gammic Entertainment) October
Winx Club secret Diary 2009 (Konami) October
Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant (Vivendi Games) October
The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon (Vivendi Games) October
Lego Batman: The Videogame (Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment) October
Gauntlet (Eidos) Oct – Nov
My Horse & Me 2 (Atari) Autumn 2008
Call of Duty: World at War (Activision) Autumn 2008
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (D3 Publisher of Europe) Autumn 2008
Drivers Ed Portabel (JoWood) Autumn 2008
I Love Beauty and Sushi Academy (City Interactice S.A) Q3 2008
Margot´s Word Brain (ZOO) November 1
Professor Layton and the Curious Village (Nintendo) November 7
Blended (505 Games) November 7
I did it Mum ! 2 (BOY) (505 Games) November 7
I did it Mum ! 2 (GIRL) (505 Games) November 7
I did it Mum ! - Picture Book (505 Games) November 7
My Sweet Baby (505 Games) November 7
Shin Chan Adventures de cine (505 Games) November 7
WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 (THQ) November 7
Word Master (ZOO) November 7
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party (Ubisoft) November
Shaun White Snow (Ubisoft) November 14
Kung Fu Panda - Legendary Warrior (Activision) November 14
All Star Cheer (THQ) November 14
Army Men: Soldiers of Misfortune (ZOO) November 14
Yamaha Supercross (Ubisoft) November 14
Mechanic Master (Midway Games) November 14
More Touchmaster (Midway Games) November 14
Deep Sea Aquarium by DS (Ertain) November 15
Paint by DS: Classic Masterpieces (Ertain) November 15
Family Park Tycoon (working title) (Astragon) November 17
Skate It (EA) November 21
Barbie Fashion Show: An Eye for Style (Activision) November 21
Barbie Horse Adventures: Summer Camp (Activision) November 21
Shrek Carnival of Fun (Activision) November 21
Tony Hawk's: Motion (Activision) November 21
Need For Speed Undercover (EA) November 21
My Dog Coach: Understand your Dog with Cesar Millan (Ubisoft) November 21
Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (Nintendo) November 21
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Activision) November 28
Wendy 2 - Das Pferdehospital (working title) (Astragon) November 28
Age of Empires: Mythologies (THQ) November 28
My Animal Centre (Koch Media / BrainGame) November 28
Baby Life (Koch Media / Deep Silver) November 28
Lets Play Fashion Designer (Koch Media / Deep Silver) November 28
Horse Life 2 (Koch Media / Deep Silver) November 28
Let’s Play Fireman (Koch Media / Deep Silver) November 28
Lets Play Mums (Koch Media / Deep Silver) November 28
Lets Play Schools (Koch Media / Deep Silver) November 28
Lets Play Shops (Koch Media / Deep Silver) November 28
Lets Play Pet Hospitals (Koch Media / Deep Silver) November 28
My Vet Practice: In The Country (dtp Young Entertainment) November
Love, Fashion & Friends (dtp Young Entertainment) November
My little Baby (dtp Young Entertainment) November
My Boyfriend (dtp Young Entertainment) November
Tomb Raider: Underworld (Eidos) November
Mushroom Men: Rise of The Fungi (Gamecock Media) November
Nancy Drew (Majesco / Codemaster) November
Time Hollow (working title) (Konami) November
Hotel Giant (Nobilis) November
Pass the Pigs (THQ / Valusoft) November
Nancy Drew 2 (Majesco / Codemaster) November
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (Konami) November
Summon Night Twin Age (Namco Bandai Games) November
Tamagotchi Connexion: Corner Shop 3 (Namco Bandi Games) November
Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell (Disney Interactive Studios) November
Planet Rescue: Animal Emergency (Ubisoft) November
Planet Rescue: Endangered Island (Ubisoft) November
Planet Rescue: Ocean Patrol (Ubisoft) November
Sam Power: Fire Fighter (Ubisoft) November
Sam Power: Handy Man (Ubisoft) November
Imagine Gymnast (Ubisoft) November
Imagine Dream Wedding (Ubisoft) November
Dragon Ball: Origins (Namco Bandi Games Euro) December 5
Air Traffic Controller (Ertain) December 15
Pile Tile (Ertain) December 15
French Buddy (Koch Media / BrainGame) December
Tecktonic (Koch Media / Deep Silver) December
The Magic Roundabout (Koch Media / Deep Silver) December
Bolt (Disney Interactive Studios) Christmas
High School Musical 3 – Senior Year DANCE ! (Disney Interactive Studios) Christmas
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance (Activision) Winter 2008
Prince of Persia (Ubisoft) Holiday 2008
Guitar Hero: Decades (Bundle) (Activision) Winter 2008
Guitar Hero: Decades (Software only) (Activision) Winter 2008
GTA Chinatown Wars (Rockstar Games) Winter 2008
Eledees: The Adventures of Kai and Zero (Konami) Winter 2008
The Tale of Despereaux (Brash Entertainment) Winter 2008 / 2009
Don King Presents Prizefighter (2K Sports) Q4 2008
Dora Saves the Snow Princess (2K Play) Q4 2008
ELEMENTS (Game Factory) Q4 2008
Johnny Bravo (Mastertronic) Q4 2008
Visual Logic Training (RTL Playtainment) Q4 2008
Brave: Shaman's Challenge (SouthPeak Games) Q4 2008
Igor (Koch Media / Deep Silver) Q4 2008
Ninjatown (SouthPeak Games) Q4 2008

Nintendo DS Bundles 2008 Release Dates

Nintendo DS Lite White + Brain Training (UK Only) October
Nintendo DS Lite Pink + Nintendogs (Labrador & Friends) October
Nintendo DS Lite Black + Brain Training (UK Only) October
Nintendo DS Lite Red + Big Brain Academy (UK Only) October
Nintendo DS Lite Turquoise + Cooking Guide: Can’t Decide What to Eat (UK Only) October

360 almost topples Wii on the back of price drop and Infinite Undiscovery

Japanese sales tracker Media Create has their hardware sales numbers and software rankings for the second week of September, the week of September 8th to September 14th.  This week is marked by the release of Pokémon Platinum for the Nintendo DS, and the price drop of the Xbox 360.

The top seller this week is the aforementioned Pokémon Platinum, selling 960k copies in two days.  Coming in second was Konami's Quiz Magic Academy DS, selling 119k copies in three days.  Rounding out the top five are Square Enix's RPG Infinite Undiscovery (360 - #3 - 90k), Namco Bandai's One Piece Unlimited Cruise Episode 1 (WII - #4 - 61k), and Nintendo's Rhythm Tengoku Gold (NDS - #5 - 56k).

On the hardware side, the 360 sees a significant boost in sales since last week due to the system's price drop in Japan, alongside the release of Infinite Undiscovery from tri-Ace and Square Enix.  However, contrary to Famitsu's numbers, it didn't have enough to overtake the Wii, which sold just a thousand more.  The DS and the PlayStation family continue to hold similar numbers as compared to last week.

On the software side, there were a bunch of new releases to break through into the top ten which will be covered later.  Rhythm Tengoku Gold continues to chug along, hoping to hit that one million mark.  Top ten stalwarts Mario Kart Wii (WII - #8 - 14k) and Wii Fit (WII - #6 - 25k) still continue to sell respectable weekly numbers.  Daigasso! Band Brothers DX (NDS - #9 - 14k), Dragon Quest V (NDS - #11), Fire Emblem DS (NDS - #12), Inazuma Eleven (NDS - #13) and Konami's J-League Winning Eleven 2008 Club Championship (PS2 - #10 - 13k) all continue to show their legs.

For the top fifty breakdown, the DS had 25 games in the top fifty, the Wii had 9, the PS2 and PSP with 5 apiece, and the 360 and PS3 had 3 apiece.

Out of the new releases, five of them made their way into the top ten, highlighted by the outstanding numbers of Pokémon Platinum, going above and beyond the competition.  Konami's Quiz Magic Academy DS also had a decent opening marketing push, and that allowed it to reach #2 in sales.  Infinite Undiscovery was the hot new RPG from Square Enix to hit the block, and it helped that it was released alongside the 360 price drop.  Namco Bandai's One Piece Unlimited Cruise also sold well, working off of the popular property.

What to look for tomorrow:

• The games with the selling power this week are the PS3 version of Trusty Bell (Eternal Sonata) and Dragonball DS
  • Eternal Sonata was a moderately popular RPG game when first released for the 360, selling decent numbers on debut.  This is the long-awaited PS3 version of the game.  Famitsu's numbers have it pegged at 30k.
  • Dragonball DS is the latest game in the popular anime series.  That combined with the fact that it is on the DS could see some good numbers.  Famitsu's numbers have it at 88k sold.
• Expect a drop in 360 sales numbers--Media Create notes that there has been some sort of supply issue yet again for the console.

More videos and images for Natsume's upcoming DS title

Game studio Natsume has just released new videos for Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon, including two intro movies and gameplay footage.  The Rune Factory series is a combinations of elements from the Harvest Moon universe and aspects of traditional fantasy RPG, and the sequel is scheduled to arrive this fall for the Nintendo DS.

Rune Factory 2 takes place several years after the first game, following the defeat of the evil Sechs Empire.  I'm not the only one who that sounds awkward, right?  Anyway, the Kingdom of Norad is in peril once again, and the player must take on the role of Kyle to save the day.  Later on in the game, players will be able to follow the adventures of Kyle's children, continuing a storyline that spans over two generations of unbearable cuteness.

True to Harvest Moon tradition, players will build and develop a farm while befriending townspeople, raising monsters, doing quests and seeking a wife (I think it has to be a woman).

Just watch that man in action!  Kyle is a real go-getter and lady killer.

In addition to all the trailers, Natsume has also unveiled screenshots and concept art depicting Rune Factory 2 gameplay and cast of characters.  Here are some choice screens handpicked for your enjoyment.

Screens, features, and why they picked the DS

Yesterday a feature/detail list for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (the first game in the series on the DS) was announced, courtesy of Nintendo Power. Lots of interesting features, so get to readin'!

- True GTA game - sandbox gameplay, open-world environment, gritty crime narrative.
- M-rating
- Isometric camera angle
- Cel-shaded polygons w/ black borders
- good touch-screen implementation - "tasteful" minigames, streamlining interface
- UI based on a PDA - hub for email, contacts, map, music player, GPS, stat-tracking
- stats uploaded to Rockstar Social Club website via Wi-Fi
- finger-sized icons
- missions designed for shorter periods of play, arcade quality
- aiming with control pad, auto targeting with R button
- subtle autosteer
- if you fail a mission, you can jump back to the action sequence
- chain gun, flamethrower
- good portion of Liberty City is modeled in the game (different routes than console games)
- no probems with load times, draw-in or frame rate
- lots of pedestrians, cars, etc on screen
- Wanted system - objective is to disable police cars any way possible
- real-time weather effects, 24-hour day/night cycle
- lots of radio stations to listen to (more instrumentals than vocals)
- 800,000 lines of hand-optimized source code (hey, the people like the info, right?)
- no details yet on multiplayer/Wi-Fi features

If you're like me and are almost useless without some screenshots, some of those poured their way onto the Internet, and you can see them here (note: more will be on the game's profile page soon):

Some forum posters feel the game looks a bit "drab" - what about you? Will Chinatown Wars live up to the GTA name, or suffer from going portable? Grand Theft Auto Advance got reviews all over the place upon its release - I'm betting this one will fare similarly, though still be an overall better experience due to the more powerful technology, and it being at least semi-3D.

In the same feature, Rockstar man Dan Houser was asked why they picked the DS as opposed to the Wii as the next spot for GTA. Here is his response:

"It didn’t feel natural to us, I guess. It really was that the DS felt like it had a lot of interesting challenges that would be totally different from what we’d done in the past. The stylus and the chance to use minigames in that way was really interesting and exciting to us, and we thought we could integrate seamlessly between those two modes. And it would be the chance to make something really good on a handheld with our handheld-focused team. That was really why we went that way. We haven’t really done any concrete, major thinking about the Wii, one way or another. They’re sort of separate issues."

Sounds very similar as to why designer Tomonobu Itagaki chose the DS for Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, and hey, that turned out great. In any case, the game will be released sometime between November 1, 2008 and January 31, 2009.

Atlus shelling out fan service this autumn

Atlus today proclaimed its "everlasting love" for its fans (no really, it says that) with three deluxe releases for its RPGs (Eternal Poison, Luminous Arc 2, Persona 4) to be released this autumn. Each and every copy of the games will include a soundtrack CD, but those who pre-order will receive a limited edition premium art book.

“We have the best fans in the industry, hands down. This holiday season, we’re going to show how much we appreciate them,” said Tim Pivnicny, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Our three biggest games of the year are getting something extra, our thanks to our faithful followers for their diehard support.”

Details on each are below (images courtesy of GamesPress).

About Eternal Poison (releases 11/11/2008) – PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system

Eternal Poison, a beautifully dark and gothic strategy RPG drama, leads players along an epic 5-chapter saga of romance and betrayal. Take control of the potent “binding” system and properly manage your party of adventurers to maximize your ability to deal out massive damage in combat. Every copy of the game includes a bonus soundtrack CD featuring the game’s sweeping score. Fans who pre-order* will also get a 100-page, 5”x8” full-color art book loaded to the brim with the breathtakingly unique gothic art of Eternal Poison.

About Luminous Arc 2 (releases 11/18/2008) – Nintendo DS™

Luminous Arc 2, a new adventure in the hit Luminous Arc franchise, delivers increased challenge, a completely rebuilt user interface, industry-leading online multiplayer support via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and the same wit, humor, and style that made last year’s Luminous Arc a fan favorite. Packaged along with the game inside a special box is a free soundtrack CD. Enjoy the music of famed composer Yasunori Mitsuda‘s Procyon Studio anytime you want! In addition, fans who pre-order* will get a 60-page, 7”x10” full-color art book, Luminous Art, which offers content from both Luminous Arc games.

About Persona 4 (releases 12/9/2008) – PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system

Persona 4, sequel to 2007’s RPG of the year**, is a riveting murder mystery RPG featuring an entirely new cast, loads more story, content, action, and depth. Each and every copy of the game includes a soundtrack CD featuring music from the game. Fans who pre-order* will receive a 100-page, 7”x10” full-color art book, Persona 4 Visual Data, filled with the stunning designs of character artist Shigenori Soejima.
For more information, visit the official Atlus website
*At select retailers, while supplies last
**GameSpot.com

Sales go from 843 to 28,681

Behold, Japan's hardware sales for September 8-14:

Xbox 360 - 28,681
Wii - 27,057
PS3 - 8,050

Note that the 360 sold 843 the week previous. Not quite what you expected, hey? Well, the large shift is attributed to several factors:

• A new 60GB 360 package was released during this time
• Price drops for all models
• Heavy promotion for Infinite Undiscovery

So what we have here is a record in itself: the Xbox 360 is on top in Japan for the first time since it was launched.

Some other interesting numbers: Infinite Undiscovery sold 86,708 units (comparable, but not as high as sales for Tales of Vesperia), and total 360 sales in Japan have reached 717,275 units.

Human Rights Campaign Foundation gives full marks