Lost in Shadow, a Wii-exclusive puzzle/platformer from Hudson Soft, is looking like one of the coolest games coming out soon. Now you can show your interest by "liking" the game's fan page on Facebook... and for each person who does, Hudson will donate ten cents to Child's Play Charity. Doesn't sound like much, but with over 1,000 fans already active, it means hundreds of dollars are already on the table. There's also a contest for anyone who likes the page and changes their profile picture to something with a lot of shadows in it... check out the link for details, and be sure to like the page while you're there to help a great charity!

Kirby's Epic...Trousers?

A recent preview of Kirby’s Epic Yarn (or Epic Yam, as we like to call it) in Nintendo Power, showcased the story and background behind Kirby’s latest adventure. It turns out that the sorceror Yin-Yarn is out to cause mayhem by turning Dream Land's inhabitants into Yarn. Kirby, being the only one who can try to take action, ends up angering the sorceror, and is sucked into the sock around Yin-Yarn's neck, leaving Kirby in Patch Land. The article included this screenshot from the game's story.

Longtime readers might recall when my Xbox 360 died back in December.  I wrote what might be the least dramatic moment-by-moment retelling of a death in human history.  Over a month later, I wrote a follow-up blog post about the absolutely insane events that followed.

The short version is as follows:

1. The Xbox died in early December.2. I shipped it a few days later.3. Microsoft's Xbox repair site noted they received the console.4. I heard nothing for a month.5. A long series of phone calls ended with someone asking me if I mailed them shoes.

Over the weekend, I got an email from NWR’s Aaron Kaluszka, who’s been incredible at finding all kinds of awesome Japanese related content for our crew to check out or translate, informing me that there was a Gunpei Yokoi exhibit being held in Harajuku. Interested at the prospect of learning something new about the father of the Game Boy, I took the opportunity to check it out.

The event was held at a small art gallery right off of Meiji Street, just a couple blocks from Harajuku Station. Before even walking in, you could hear the sweet sounds of various NES-era soundtracks welcoming you in. I recognized tunes from Metroid and Zelda right off the bat. Up front there was a table with various books related to Nintendo and Mr. Yokoi, and just beyond that was the young lady in charge of taking the 300 yen (3 dollar) entrance fee.The exhibit featured lots of interesting old toys and games that Mr. Yokoi had a hand in designing, along with cards featuring comments and explanations of each.

On the eve of the Wii-exclusive release of NHL 2K11, Neal dives into last year's game.

NHL 2K10 on Wii was a game that flew under everyone's radar. Except for graphics, it was more or less a complete and satisfactory port of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. Now while the HD versions of the game were greeted with poor reviews, the Wii version was met with surprisingly solid reviews. That all stemmed from the fact that the game supported MotionPlus in a meaningful way, and it had quality online modes that made use of Wii Speak.

The variety of control methods in this game is astounding. It supports Wii Remote and Nunchuk; Wii Remote, MotionPlus, and Nunchuk; Classic Controller; and Wii Remote on its side. While the last method struggles to map all the game's moves onto the Wii Remote (think Super Smash Bros. Brawl), it still offers an easy entry point, especially for players more familiar with NHL games on the Sega Genesis or Super Nintendo. The Classic Controller offers a solid recreation of what you'd expect on the 360 or PS3.

Nintendo revealed their fall release dates and there doesn't seem to be a window for the 3DS to fit into.

Nintendo revealed the release dates for what appears to be their game lineup for the rest of 2010 today. The release dates seem to cut down the chances of the 3DS coming out in 2010, which means it's even more likely that Nintendo's next handheld won't hit until 2011.

The premium release date of the Sunday before Thanksgiving (November 21), which in the past has been populated by a marquee title or a new system, is occupied by Donkey Kong Country Returns. The prior weeks in November are also booked solid, with PokePark, FlingSmash, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem releasing the three previous weeks.

A guide to the complexities of RPG hair.

Today in the mail I received my review copy of Arc Rise Fantasia, the Wii-exclusive RPG from Ignition Software. Along with it came a special guide. Was it a review guide? Was it a guide for me to better understand the intricacies of the game’s protagonists and the plot that guides their journey forth? Is the battle system so in-depth that I need a guide to fully grasp it? The answer is none of the above. The guide is for understanding JRPG hairstyles. Laugh if you must, but this is more meaningful that you realize!

This past weekend marked the Big Bang 2010, the first induction ceremony for the International Video Game Hall of Fame in Ottumwa, IA, home of Twin Galaxies.

Twin Galaxies is the organization started by Walter Day in the 1980s to keep track of video game world records. My wife and I decided that it would be fun to take a trek down there for the day considering how close it was (only a couple hours drive from Des Moines) and compete in the Mario Kart 64 tournament that was advertised on their website.

I had read on the forums for the event a few months back that they'd hoped to get 10,000 people to show up, but when we first pulled up and realized that parking in the Bridge View Events Center parking lot was no problem, it became quickly apparent that the event was much smaller than that.

Or why you have to grind in Japanese RPGs.

I was asked in our "Ask the NWR Japan Crew" forum thread about why certain Japanese games tend to emphasise monotonous game elements such as grinding and fetch quests.

This got me thinking that a lot of people might be interested in why that is the case and because I've lived in Japan long enough, I think I can take a shot at giving everyone a decent answer.

As with lots of things based around Japanese culture, customs, and belief, it stems from history. For example, do you know why the Japanese drive (and walk) on the left-hand side? it's because the Samurai used to carry their Katana on the left hip and wouldn't want to accidentally maim anyone they walk next to or pass by in the street. The tradition continues to this day, despite the lack of swords being carried around modern day Tokyo, people will instinctively move to the left on an escalator.

Or why the PSP is dead to me.

I’ve owned a PSP for years. In fact, I’ve owned two: a launch version (sold to me by my brother), and a PSP-2000, which was funded by selling my launch version. Nintendo World Report readers probably don’t know that when the PSP and the DS were first announced, I was of the opinion that Sony’s handheld would dominate the market and quickly sink Nintendo’s new device. My rationale was simple: the PSP had a big, sexy screen, PS2-quality visuals, and functioned as a multi-purpose media platform. My thoughts on the DS largely amounted to “it’s a GBA with a second screen.” The launch model was also ugly and bulky—nowhere near as attractive (in terms of form) as the sleeker, blacker PSP. Well, we all know what happened next: the DS skyrocketed into the sales stratosphere where it has continued to stay ever since whereas the PSP has never actually been a big seller, or even a marginally big seller. As time goes by, I have become intimately familiar with the PSP’s many flaws, and it has many. Before I dive into the bad, however, let’s talk about the few things the PSP gets right.