When a previous generation title is ported over to the current, you’d expect the developers to improve graphics, or at least keep them the same. That’s not what happened with Metroid Prime Trilogy. Reports have surfaced that the Wii re-release “features” downgraded particle effects, the differences of which are showcased in the video clip below. Sure, it’s not a huge […]

Nintendo may have plans to position the DSi platform as more than a mere enhancement over previous DS hardware iterations with rumors cropping up that titles exclusive to DSi will hit retail channels later this fall. They’ve already done this to a certain extent with DSiWare, but the digital market is still small potatoes compared to retail.

Capcom is working on a follow-up to Clover Studios’ (now defunct) hit watercolor-style RPG Okami, entitled Okamiden: Chiisaki Taiyo. Poised for release on Nintendo DS, Capcom is rounding up the talent on this one, with Motohide Eshiro of Ace Attorney fame and Kuniomi Matsushita serving as producer and director on the project, respectively. Matsushita calls it Okami with a broader […]

Speaking in a keynote at GDC Europe, Crytek co-founder Cevat Yerli said that he expects the next-generation of consoles to hit in 2013 at the latest. However, Yerli is not standing by his statement entirely, noting that “there’s a big debate about whether there will be a next generation at all.” With both Sony and Microsoft taking bold initiatives towards […]

The NPD figures for July are in and for the fifth consecutive month, once again show a year-over-year decline in industry sales. The results are far from uplifting, as total dollars generated throughout last month missed the $1 billion mark, clocking at a $848,000, a 29 percent decline. The PS3 barely edged pasted its last-generation counterpart in sales, with both […]

Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata feels confident his company will lay the smackdown on the competition for fiscal 2009-2010, projecting an upwards of 10 million in unit sales for Wii titles Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros Wii and Wii Fit Plus. A realistic expectation? If it were anyone else we’d say no, but taking the sheer popularity of Mario […]

After selling 3.5 million copies overseas, one would automatically assume Square Enix is gearing up to bring the latest installment in its Dragon Quest IX stateside, but it’s always nice to receive an official confirmation. In a recent Q&A, company CEO Yoichi Wada revealed that they are “considering” to bring DQ IX to other territories, but is not yet ready […]

Wii shooter The Conduit and fans are already wondering if a sequel is planned. Of course, it’s a bit early to say, but developer High Voltage is already expressing interest. In a podcast interview on Radio-Blodec, producer Joshua Olsen explicitly stated that a sequel was not in the works at this time but on a more positive note, further mentioned […]

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the SaGa series and the release of SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu: Goddess of Destiny, Square Enix is releasing a hardware bundle that packs the game plus a special edition DSi. Pictured above, the included DSi brandishes the trademark SaGa logo in silhouette-style. Part of it is covered by a large 20th anniversary emblem, which […]

According to internal research conducted by Tom Prata, Nintendo of America’s senior director of product development, the gaming industry is still ripe for growth. With an estimated worldwide player count of 295 million, Prata believes the industry could grow by as much as 50 percent “if the right game came along,” dismissing previous claims by analysts that the Wii and […]

NPD numbers for June are in, painting a somber picture. Although up from the always-sluggish month of May, sales were down 31 percent compared to last year’s figures. On a year-over-year basis, all platforms incurred a hit in unit sales over last June with the exception of Xbox 360. Despite this, Nintendo still dominated the charts, shifting a combined total […]

Earlier this month, Nintendo stealthily issued a Wii firmware update in Japan — version 4.1 — designed to fix an unidentified issue in Wii Sports Resort. The supplied changelog is rather vague, mentioning only that this update includes “behind-the-scenes fixes” designed to improve system performance. If the same Wii Sports bug exists in overseas copies of the title, rest assured […]

Last week Ubisoft invited a group of journalists, including myself, to its San Francisco-based studio to check out the company’s upcoming slate of titles on Nintendo platforms. One such title was the MotionPlus-exclusive Red Steel 2, the in-name sequel to 2006’s Wii launch effort. Does the title break new ground in an oft-attempted and admittedly crowded genre? Read on for […]

By default, the Wii can only output a video signal as high as 480p. Ever wonder what your favorite Wii titles would look like when rendered at the HD resolution of 720p? Thanks to the latest build of Dolphin, it is possible to emulate Wii titles at a higher resolution. The results are rather pleasing to the eye, especially in […]

Nintendo announced today that Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver will hit Japan on September 12. Sporting redone visuals and WiFi connectivity, both titles are remakes of Pokemon Gold and Silver, which debuted on the Game Boy Color back in 1999. As any launch of a Pokemon title is classified as a big deal in Japan, it’s safe to say […]

Casually announced during a Q&A roundtable session at E3, Nintendo creative director Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that its next Zelda title for Wii will take advantage of the MotionPlus attachment. But a question looming on many minds is if the title will actually require MotionPlus, which is currently sold separately at $20 and will debut in bundle form with Wii Spots […]

May was a sluggish month for the video game industry, with combined software and hardware sales figures dipping below the $1 billion mark for the first time since August 2007, according to the latest figures from NPD. Sales were stagnant across the board and in some cases, unit sales of certain platforms took a significant dive when compared to last […]

Nintendo announced today that Metroid Prime Trilogy will grace the Wii on August 24, a three-piece compilation highlighting Wii remakes of both GameCube Prime titles. While the core storyline and gameplay elements will remain the same, both of these former GameCube titles are being given a facelift in the mechanics department for their Wii debut. Controls have been retooled and […]

Nintendo’s camera touting DSi handheld is making quite the splash in North America, having accounted for a whopping 31 percent of total industry unit sales in April. Combined with DS Lite sales, the platform shifted 1.04 million units. Elsewhere across the spectrum, retail performance took a dive – as is expected for April. Overall sales incurred a hefty hit compared […]

Konami’s seminal run n’ gun shooting franchise is set to arrive on WiiWare next week as Contra Rebirth.