Bootleg versions of classic NES games are banned from malls near Seattle. Investigation will continue.

In response to a lawsuit filed by Nintendo targeting the sale of counterfeit Nintendo products, judge John C. Coughenour has ordered a temporary ban and an immediate seizure of the infringing merchandise. A preliminary injunction hearing will begin November 4th. Meanwhile, all merchandise sold by the defendants will be delivered to NOA so that any kosher items may be returned.

This is the beginning of a larger crackdown on such devices. Nintendo claims to have seized “tens of thousands of infringing devices” entering the United States. The products in question are usually sold in mall kiosks located near legitimate video game retailers.

Namco is almost ready to cap off the Year of GameCube RPGs.

YOUR EPIC JOURNEY AWAITS -- BATEN KAITOS GOES GOLD

Namco’s Novel RPG Battles Its Way Towards Retail Shelves

San Jose, Calif., (October 28, 2004) – Leading video games publisher and developer Namco Hometek Inc. announced today that the epic role-playing adventure Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean has gone gold. Available exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube this November, Baten Kaitos takes players on an intense and innovative epic journey to save a world in crisis.

Following Apprentice of the Force for GBA, Ubisoft and LucasArts continue their partnership with Revenge of the Sith titles for all handheld systems.

UBISOFT AND LUCASARTS TO BRING STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH TO NEXT-GEN HANDHELD CONSOLES

Ubisoft and LucasArts Reinforce Their Partnership with George Lucas' Final Star Wars Installment

SAN FRANCISCO October 28, 2004

Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, today announced the signing of a new and exclusive licensing deal with LucasArts to develop portable video games based on the upcoming Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith movie. The title will be available on the new next-generation of handheld consoles - Sony's PSP, Nintendo DS, as well on Game Boy Advance - and will launch in conjunction with the movie in Spring 2005.

This 3D engine must been seen to be believed.

When Italian developer Raylight Studios first showed us their BlueRoses 3D engine for Game Boy Advance, we were highly impressed but wanted to see it running on a real game and not just tech demos. The engine would go on to be used in Wing Commander Prophecy and Ozzy and Drix. Raylight granted us a peek at their next title with a lengthy gameplay video of their new game, Smashing Drive for GBA.

The game employs Raylight's engine to generate a complex polygonal city running at a surprisingly brisk pace. Some of our readers may remember Smashing Drive as an arcade and console game set up like a futuristic version of Crazy Taxi. You can glide off ramps, smash other cars that get in your way, and drive straight up buildings. All of these features are included in the GBA version, too. Download it below!

What do a lioness, an elephant, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, and Nintendo DS have in common? They all get touchy-feely in this new commercial.

In the newest Nintendo DS commercial, Steve-O nearly gets mauled by a lion while Chris Pontius frags away on Metroid Prime: Hunters while riding atop an elephant. Oh, Chris also says "ass". Welcome to the Nintendo DS hype train.

The commercial was directed by Jeff Tremaine and stars both Wildboyz as they compete wirelessly in the African wild. The highlight is when a female lion hanging out underneath Steve-O's tree decides to climb up and say hello. The event was completely unscripted, but since Steve-O didn't get hurt, the scene was left in. The ad begins airing on MTV today.

Spyro: A Hero's Tail is due out soon. Check out this movie to see what's in store.

With the impending release of Spyro: A Hero's Tail for GameCube, Vivendi Universal Games has released a trailer for the game. Be sure to also read our hands-on impressions of Spyro's newest adventure.

Spyro: A Hero's Tail Final Trailer (15MB, Quicktime Format)

Come and get 'em.

Nintendo DS commercials have started airing across North America, and we've got the first three teaser ads, direct from NOA. We know how much you love this stuff, so download away!

Rated T for Suggestive Themes

(just kidding)

"Touch" Teaser (4MB, Quicktime Format)

"Practice" Teaser (4MB, Quicktime Format)

EA's role-playing adaptation of the movies is almost ready for release.

Electronic Arts has announced that The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age has gone gold for all platforms and is due out November 2nd. There are versions for both GameCube and GBA.

The game puts you in the shoes of new characters in Middle Earth, following a path parallel to and sometimes intersecting that of the Fellowship (Frodo, Sam, Gandalf, etc.). You can play as both good and evil characters, getting involved on both sides of some of the biggest events from the movies. The Third Age is a turn-based RPG, a departure from the heavily scripted action titles EA has previously released in this series.

Nintendo has revealed the number of units they plan to ship to Japan at launch and by year-end.

Nintendo recently updated their Japanese DS product page with information regarding shipment figures for the launch period. There will be 300,000 systems available on December 2nd. New shipments will be made every week, adding up to over one million shipped in Japan by the end of December. NCL also revealed that an official pre-order initiative is set to begin November 3rd, about one month before launch.

Nintendo has uploaded three US teaser spots and two new Japanese commercials.

As was revealed on Monday, Nintendo has finally kicked off their North American advertising blitz for the DS. Nintendo's consumer site was also recently updated with one of the tamer print ads as well as all three teasers currently on the air. Each of the teasers shows a static background with two blue screens that appear in the middle, eventually revealing the DS. A seductive female voice-over refers to the bottom rectangle in each ad, inviting the viewer to touch it. The third ad hints at the system's wireless features as well, "Someone, somewhere, wants to play with you."