Nintendo World Report News

Sega Releases Financial Results for Last Three Quarters of 2011

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:34:10 PST

Despite some losses, Sonic Generations and Mario & Sonic provide good sales.

Sega's home video games division posted a 5.1% loss for the nine month period, which ended on December 31.

In terms of earning, the company reported a net of 63.5 billion yen ($833 million in American dollars) in game sales, while its overall losses totaled 5.5 billion yen. In terms of sales of their major titles, Sonic Generations sold 1.63 copies across all platforms (which includes the 3DS version). Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics Games for Wii sold 2.39 million copies. The 3DS version is launching soon.

First Set of Theatrhythm DLC Songs Revealed

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:52:45 PST

Eight new songs will be coming as paid DLC to Theatrhythm.

The first set of downloadable songs for Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy has been revealed. The songs will be priced at 150 yen (approximately 2 dollars per song), and have been divided between battle and field stage songs. The songs are as follows:

Battle stage songs:

Final Fantasy II: Battle Scene 1

Final Fantasy IV: The Final Battle

Final Fantasy IX: Fighters of the Crystal

Square Enix Opens Final Fantasy Piano Collections Site

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:24:40 PST

Square Enix's famous musical compositions get remixed by piano.

Square Enix has opened up an official portal for their Final Fantasy Piano Collections.

The Piano Collections feature classic songs from the Final Fantasy games re-interpreted as piano pieces. The new site lists all of their Piano Collections soundtracks. Some of these include Piano Opera Final Fantasy I/II/II (the most recent release in the collection), and the previously released CDs for Final Fantasy VII through XIII. In addition to the Final Fantasy CDs, there are also two CDs for the Kingdom Hearts series: Piano Collections Kingdom Hearts and Piano Collections Kingdom Hearts Field and Battle.

Resident Evil: Revelations Sees Successful First Week of Japanese Sales

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:22:41 PST

The 3DS-exclusive title sold 75% of its initial shipment.

Resident Evil: Revelations sold 158,012 copies in its first week in Japan, according to ASCII.

This means that the game sold roughly 75% of its initial shipment since its release in Japan on January 26, 2012. The game is available now in North America, Australia, and Europe. You can read our review of the game here.

Kid Icarus: Uprising Comes with Six Random AR Cards

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:19:39 PST

It appears that the new 3DS title is coming packaged with yet another bonus.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is coming packaged with six random augmented reality cards out of a currently unknown total when it launches on March 23.

Nintendo demonstrated at E3 2011 that the game uses AR cards to simulate fights between two characters, initiated when cards are placed directly against one another. Other cards feature various weapons and minor enemies. There is no word regarding other potential distribution methods.

The news follows the recent announcement that Kid Icarus would come bundled with a 3DS stand to keep the player's system steady while playing.

Nintendo to Present at Game Developers Conference 2012

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:53:18 PST

Nintendo will be offering two talks, one on the creation of Super Mario 3D Land.

Nintendo will be offering two talks at this year's Game Developers Conference, which will take place on March 5 through 9 in San Francisco's Moscone Center.

The first of these sessions is "Thinking in 3D: The Development of Super Mario 3D Land." The talk will detail how the development of the hit 3DS title came to be, as well as teach developers how to properly use the 3DS's 3D capabilities as well as the difference between 2D and 3D gameplay. The talk will be given by game director Koichi Hayashida on Wednesday, March 7 from 3:30 - 4:30 in Room 132, North Hall.

Replacement Covers Available for Resident Evil: Revelations

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:34:02 PST

If you don't like your misprinted cover, you can get a new one.

If you want a new cover for your copy of Resident Evil: Revelations, you can now call or e-mail Capcom to receive one, according to a post on their website.

The first production run of Resident Evil: Revelations featured an error on the side of the game case. Instead of "Revelations," the cover read "Revelaitons." Capcom confirmed that future runs of the game will feature a corrected cover, but for those with the current misprinted cover, a simple solution is being provided. To request a new cover you must either call Capcom customer support at 650-350-6700, or e-mail them at accounts@capcom.com.

Xenoblade Chronicles Reversible Cover to be Determined by Vote

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:32:08 PST

Nintendo is using social networking to conduct the promotion.

Facebook users can elect one piece of Xenoblade Chronicles artwork to be featured as a reversible cover when the game releases April 6.

Users can cast their votes by clicking "like" under any of the four images posted in Nintendo's Facebook album. One cover, featuring characters overlooking a mountainous area, is currently leading the vote by about two hundred. As of right now, there is no word regarding when the promotion will close.

Lady Gaga Video Game Coming?

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:26:23 PST

Could the Fame Monster be getting her own game on Wii U?

Lady Gaga: The Experience could be coming to the Wii and Wii U later in 2012, sources speculate.

The rumored Lady Gaga game could be developed by Ubisoft and under the "Experience" banner. The first game in the franchise was Michael Jackson: The Experience which was released for the Wii, DS and 3DS, and in the case of the Wii version, used the Just Dance rhythm engine.

The reveal might happen later in the year at E3 2012. No other information regarding the game, such as gameplay, list of tracks and Lady Gaga's involvement with the game, were revealed.

Zombie Slayer Diox Coming to the eShop

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:24:42 PST

Slay zombies with the power of music!

UFO Interactive's upcoming eShop game is Zombie Slayer Diox, a rhythm-based, sidescroller game in which players take on the role of a samurai guitarist from the future as he kills hordes of the undead with his music.

The game will be developed and published by UFO Interactive and is set to be released in early 2012. Its eShop price hasn't been revealed.

Theatrhythm's Multiplayer Mode Detailed

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:23:10 PST

The musical Final Fantasy game will have co-operative modes to participate in.

Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy will offer a multiplayer mode for up to three other players when it is released.

Four players will be able to take on several boss characters from across the series in a new mode called Chaos Temple, where players will be able to discover rare items and gain experience, all while the Song of Darkness plays throughout. Some of these bosses include Omega, Shinryu, and Ultima Weapon.

Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy is set to be released in Japan on February 16. No date for North America and Europe has yet been confirmed.

Iwata Hints at Possible DLC Content for Mario

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:19:37 PST

The two biggest 3DS releases could be expanded upon.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata mentioned the possible idea of paid DLC for their big-name releases at their Corporate Management Policy Briefing/Third Quarter Financial Results Briefing.

Iwata explained, highlighting Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7, how some existing titles could have potentially strong lifespans and how it could benefit Nintendo. Regarding the question of whether players would get bored of their games, Iwata said "What if we could provide add-on content through the network?" Iwata explained that this initiative would provide new profit for the company by further extending the replay value of existing titles, thus reducing the notion of a game being "old." He used Super Mario as an example of how new levels could be added. He also mentioned that a title like Wii Fit Plus could simply be an update to Wii Fit with their new network infrastructure.

New Skylanders Game Coming This Fall, Adds Giant Characters

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:18:13 PST

Skylanders Giants adds 20 new characters, including giants named Tree Rex and Alchemist.

Skylanders Giants, a sequel to the popular Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, is coming out this fall, Activision announced at Toy Fair today.

The biggest addition to the game are the giant characters, which are approximately double the size of regular characters and also light up when near or on the Portal of Power. As of now, there will be eight of these new characters added, along with eight new regular-sized Skylanders. Curiously, the revealed information also says there will be 20 new characters in total.

This Week in Europe Downloads - February 9, 2012

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:09:59 PST

A brand new demo, a double Virtual Console update and burgers. That are this week's Euro downloads in a nutshell!

European gamers can look forward to six new downloads, ranging from a new 3DS demo to a Virtual Console game on both 3DS and Wii, hitting the various platforms this thursday.

On the Nintendo eShop, we begin our journey with a spanking new demo for Crush 3D! Crush 3D comprises over 50 levels of flabbergasting, fun-filled puzzles set over four stunning settings. Your job is to guide Danny safely to the exit of each level by crushing the perspective, along the way collecting up enough of his ‘lost marbles’ to open the exit gateway itself. Play the first few levels for free and decide if you want to jump further into Danny's crazy world.

Denpa Ningen Demo Save File Can Be Used in Retail Version

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:42:28 PST

Gamers in Japan can pick up where they left off from the demo.

The retail version of Denpa Ningen no RPG, the latest work from Genius Sonority Inc., will be able to incorporate save files from the recently released demo version. The demo, which can last from anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour, informs the user that upon saving, their data can be implemented into the final retail version if they decide to purchase it.

Denpa Ningen no RPG releases on the Nintendo eShop in Japan on February 8.

Sakurai Patent Application Details 'Weapon Fusing'

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:01:37 PST

Nintendo has applied for rights to a previously-unannounced StreetPass feature... and it might just be in reference to Kid Icarus: Uprising.

A patent application that credits Masahiro Sakarai as inventor details a feature for an unspecified shooting game involving transmission between two systems (StreetPass) and a process for fusing pairs of in-game weapons together.

The application was published on December 29, 2011 and filed by Nintendo last June 9. Specifically, the patent mentions that each piece of data (referred to as a "seed") in the exchange represents a weapon, and when two systems meet, an option appears where the two weapons can be fused to generate a new weapon. The fusion costs coins (or hearts in the case of Kid Icarus). The patent also describes how game progress (e.g. experience level) carries influence on weapon availability for the sake of retaining game balance. Additionally, weapons set to transmit cannot be equipped by your character. The application cites examples of guns with different firing ranges and powers and a "magic stick." The gun and stick can fuse to create "a weapon capable of firing and using magic." Specific weapon stats are determined randomly from a pre-specified range, and include attack power, elemental ability, stamina, shooting range. Fusion is not limited to StreetPassed weapons, but can include two weapons found in treasure chests in single-player play.

THQ Explains the Proportions of uDraw's Collapse

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:20:55 PST

1.4 million unsold units and $80 million in potential sales are collecting dust in THQ's inventory.

THQ CFO Paul Pucino revealed that the uDraw performed $100 million below expectations in sales during a February 2 investor's Q & A.

According to the corporate officer, $80 million was lost from the 1.4 million units unsold in THQ's inventory, and the remaining 20 can be blamed on major discounting placed on many of the units that did sell.

At the investors meeting, the publisher has announced a $55.9 million dollar loss for the quarter. According to Pucino, $30 million of that can be directly attributed to the uDraw.

THQ Laying Off Up to 240 Personnel, CEO Takes Salary Cut

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:18:57 PST

The move is part of a "plan of restructuring".

THQ is initiating a 'restructuring plan' which will result in up to 240 job losses and a one-year 50% pay cut of company CEO Brian Farrell, as reported in a recent company financial document.

For the most part, many of the planned cuts will be implemented by March 31, with some being pushed to September, and the aforementioned salary cut (from $718,500 to $359,250) beginning on February 13. THQ expects the restructuring plan to cost as much as 11 million dollars, with $8 million to go into severance costs, $500,000 into contract terminations, and up to $2.5 million into charges related to other fixed assets.

New Downloadable Games Available Via Club Nintendo

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:38:57 PST

Only two games head to relatively new downloadable rewards service this month.

Mario Party 2 and Art Academy: First Semester are now available to Club Nintendo members as downloadable rewards.

These two new download titles replace last month's rewards. Mario Party 2 can be downloaded to your Wii for 150 coins. Art Academy: First Semester can be downloaded to your Nintendo 3DS for 150 coins, as well.

Both of these games are only available as rewards until February 29, 2012. If you ever wanted to play these game and have the extra coins, now is your chance.

Xenoblade Chronicles Gets Official North American Release Date

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:52:21 PST

North Americans knew they were getting the game, but didn't know exactly when until now.

Xenoblade Chronicles will be releasing in North America on April 6, according to the game's North American website.

Previously given a tentative April release date, North Americans can breathe a sigh of relief that the game's launch is finally almost here. As previously revealed, the game will be available only at Nintendo's online store and GameStop.

Xenoblade Chronicles was released across Europe in September 2011.

Hulu Plus Still Coming to Wii, 3DS

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:47:05 PST

The service was originally promised for the end of 2011.

Hulu Plus is still unavailable for 3DS and Wii owners, but Nintendo has re-confirmed the release of the application in a recent video.

Although no details have surfaced about the application since its announcement, it was featured alongside Netflix during a video posted by Nintendo regarding the benefits of connecting to the eShop. Under the Hulu Plus logo, the words "coming soon" are visible.

When the service was announced in October, the original promise was to have it released as an application by the end of 2011. However, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime also updated the release date to "coming soon" during the October 21 edition of Nintendo Direct.

Denpa Ningen Gets Demo in Japan

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:36:52 PST

Upcoming eShop RPG gets demo today in Japan.

Denpa Ningen no RPG marks the first eShop downloadable title to receive a demo on the Nintendo 3DS. While the Wii saw demos for downloadable titles, up to this point Nintendo has only released demos for retail titles on their 3DS online shop.

The title, which releases next week on February 8 in Japan and retails for 800 yen, is an RPG where you must search for, catch, and proceed on an adventure with humans who are trapped floating around on radio waves. Currently, there is no scheduled release date for Denpa Ningen no RPG outside of Japan.

Dynasty Warrior 3DS Sees a Delay in Japan

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:51:00 PST

The hopeful March release will see release in April.

Dynasty Warriors VS. has been delayed in Japan, Famitsu recently confirmed.

Originally, the game was going to be released on March 15. Its new date will be April 26. The reason as to why Tecmo Koei has delayed the title remains unknown. Dynasty Warriors VS. was one of the first games to sport the Nintendo Network, which has since been confirmed as part of Nintendo's initiatives towards an improved online infrastructure.

No release date for North America or Europe has been given.

Nintendo Increases Expected Losses for the 2011 Fiscal Year

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:55:48 PST

Nintendo will be losing significantly more money than expected.

Nintendo predicts a net loss of 65 billion yen during the fiscal year ending in March 2012, according to their recent financial briefing.

Originally Nintendo had only anticipated a loss of 20 billion yen. However, in the first nine months of this fiscal year, Nintendo has already experienced a loss of 48.4 billion yen; this increase led to the drastic raising of their net losses.

Net sales for the company were down 31.2% in the last nine months. Nintendo attributed this decline in sales to the decrease of Nintendo DS and Wii hardware being sold. The Nintendo 3DS's price cut also affected sales numbers.

Shifting World Coming to Japan Courtesy of Arc System Works

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:35:55 PST

The color swapping game for the 3DS will also see a release in Japan.

Shifting World, based on the flash game of the same name, will also see a release in Japan thanks to Arc System Works.

The game (which will be known in Japan as Shifting World: The Black and White Labyrinth) has players swapping colors in order to change what the character is standing on. The 3DS version will have new graphics as well as 3D puzzles.

Shift will be released in Japan on April 26. North America will receive the game by Aksys on April 24.

Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters Announced for the Japanese eShop

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:34:35 PST

Nintendo releases the sequel to the NES classic in Japan for the first time.

Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters is coming to the Japanese eShop on February 8. The Game Boy sequel to the NES classic was one of the few Nintendo published games to never see release in Japan; instead, it saw release in both North America and Europe in 1991 and 1992 respectively.

As it was never released in the Japan, the Japanese eShop release will feature English text, rather than Japanese. The game will cost 400 yen.

Game Gear Shinobi and Sonic Triple Trouble Heading to 3DS Virtual Console

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:24:11 PST

The Sega titles have been officially rated by the ESRB.

Shinobi and Sonic Triple Trouble have been rated by the ESRB for release on 3DS as Sega Game Gear Virtual Console titles.

The release marks the first instance of Game Gear titles releasing for the service, a feature announced by Nintendo at the 2011 Game Developers Conference along with TurboGrafx 16 titles. Triple Trouble is, outside of PC and GameCube re-releases, the only exclusive Game Gear Sonic the Hedgehog game. Likewise, this iteration of Shinobi (sometimes referred to as The G.G. Shinobi) is known as the first game in the series specifically developed for a handheld.

Ace Attorney Film to Be Released Overseas

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:40:22 PST

The film will be localized with official names according to region.

The Ace Attorney movie will be released in other regions besides Japan, director Miike Takahashi confirmed in a Q&A session at the film's premiere in the International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The director explained that each region will be dubbed and subbed accordingly, meaning that the characters' official names in that region will be used. For example, in North America, “Ryuuichi Naruhodou” is known as "Phoenix Wright".

The film will be released in Japan on February 11. It follows the events seen in the first game of the series and features major characters from the series such as Miles Edgeworth and Maya Fey.

Japanese Release Date for Nano Assault Announced

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:34:20 PST

The microscopic shooting adventure will makes its Japanese debut in April.

Shin'en Multimedia's 3DS shooter Nano Assault has been given a Japanese release date.

Set to make its debut on April 19, 2012, Nano Assault is a shooter in which players must defeat dangerous viruses using a special ship called the Nanite. In addition to destroying the virus, players can also analyze them. Multiple weapons can be obtained and harnessed within 32 stages.

Nano Assault is available now in North America. You can read our review of the game here.

Square Enix Mails Out Notices for the Dragon Quest X Beta

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:31:54 PST

Players that have been successfully accepted may receive notices soon.

Square Enix has sent out notifications regarding their upcoming beta test for Dragon Quest X to potential players in Japan.

Those who have registered to participate in the beta may receive a message confirming their acceptance for the testing, and that the developers are still working on the final preparations so testing can properly begin. Those who have registered but have not been accepted may become part of a future round of testing, as Square Enix reconfirmed that players will be continuously added throughout the course of the beta. Finalized dates and what the test will contain will also be announced at a later date.

Denpa Ningen Announced for 3DS

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:18:47 PST

The downloadable RPG allows you to create parties by pointing the 3DS at people.

Genius Sonority, the development team behind the Pokemon Colosseum games, has announced a new RPG for the 3DS eShop called Denpa Ningen.

Denpa Ningen (which translates to Radio Wave People RPG), is a game in which the 3DS's augmented reality features are used to generate different RPG party members. When the player points the 3DS at their surroundings, they will be able to generate small people called the Radio Wave, who will then be available for capture and later used to explore dungeons.

Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition to Include DSi-Enhanced Features

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:07:46 PST

Unfortunately, the game might be region locked.

The crossover game Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition will have DSi-enhanced features.

Pidgi.net recently discovered the product code of the title, which confirms that the final release of the game will feature DSi enhancement. The product code is TSA-TWL-VPYJ-JPN. Each set of letters represents a specific feature in the game (for instance, JPN indicates the Japanese release). Specifically, TWL confirms that the game will use DSi features, though they could simply be limited to smoother gameplay with the handheld's faster processor.

Second Japanese Theatrhythm Demo Coming Tomorrow

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:17:03 PST

The musical Final Fantasy adventure gets a second demo before release.

Square Enix's Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy is getting a second downloadable demo on February 1.

The demo will contain two songs from the 3DS title: "The Man with the Machine Gun" from Final Fantasy VIII and "The Sunleth Waterscape," the field theme from Final Fantasy XIII. Tetsuya Nomura, director and designer of multiple Square Enix titles, confirmed the demo in several interviews.

Theatrhythm will be released in Japan on February 16. No release details for other regions have been announced.

Nintendo Working with NTT on Voice Recognition Software

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:13:31 PST

The collaboration hopes to expand upon the communication features on Nintendo systems.

Japanese communications company NTT is working with Nintendo on developing speech recognition software, NHK recently reported.

NTT developed software for the DS that can convert voices into text. The hope is that it would help children with disabled students do better in school.

Nintendo supplied the DS units. The teacher's voice is converted by NTT's software into words that will be displayed on the device's screen.

Activision Struggling to Meet Demand for Skylanders

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:24:54 PST

The highly successful toy-driven game is flying off the shelves.

Activision is having problems keeping Skylanders in stock, but are doing their best to keep up with demand, Activision VP of Marketing John Coyne told Kotaku.

Skylanders has become a massive holiday hit for Activision, with demand for starter kits and more figures going up since its release last fall. The Kotaku article mentions that several stores, which include GameStop, Walmart, and Target, have quickly run out of the game and toys as soon as they receive them and put them on shelves.

Australian Dates for Tekken, Metal Gear & Kid Icarus Announced

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:26:45 PST

February and March will be kind to Aussie gamers.

Nintendo Australia has announced that Tekken 3D Prime Edition will be available on February 23, 2012.

March will also see the release of two more games, the first being Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, which will be launching on March 8. The other is Kid Icarus: Uprising, which has no exact date as of yet.

Wii Virtual Console February 2012 Japan Releases Announced

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:35:06 PST

Like January, three titles will be revived, two for Neo Geo.

February's Japanese Wii Virtual Console releases have been announced, and next month looks a lot like this month. Wii gamers in Japan can expect two more Neo Geo fighters and a Kunio-kun dodge ball game.

D4 seems intent in making their entire SNK line-up available on Virtual Console. Just this month, they published Real Bout Fatal Fury on Wii, and next month, they have Real Bout Fatal Fury Special (Real Bout Garou Densetsu) slated. The fighter, which originally debuted in 1997, is the followup to Real Bout Fatal Fury and features new characters and graphics. Like most Neo Geo games, it will cost 900 Wii Points.

Iwata Hints at the Future of Micro-Transactions for Wii U, 3DS

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:22:56 PST

He plans to find a balance between flexibility and security.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata explained how Nintendo will use micro-transactions during a recent Q&A with investors at the recent financial briefing.

Iwata stated that Nintendo plans to keep an appropriate level of flexibility in its handling of micro-payments (transactions involving a very small sum of money for things like downloadable content or game enhancements, which are already seen in many social games), but also remarks that Nintendo must keep a similar level of strictness to account for its younger audience.

Nintendo Will Make 'Bold' Online Move 'When the Time Is Ripe'

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:07:31 PST

The key to all of this might be in Nintendo Direct, as Iwata aims to "construct a seamless flow" that guides viewers through videos and demos.

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata wants to eschew the idea that Nintendo is "cautious, conservative, or even negative about business on a network," as he responded to investors at the recent Financial Briefing Q&A.

"Our answer [to that notion] is, in short, that we will make a bold attempt when the time is ripe," Iwata said. "Unless the timing is right, we will lose the consumers who do not have an Internet connection. We have not gone so far yet because our developers have a belief that our products should be available to as many people as possible."

Wii U Controller 'Revolves Around the Original Concept of the Wii Remote'

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:59:04 PST

Nintendo's developers are also "taking into consideration [the system's] network-related capabilities."

The Wii U controller's realization of the original concept of the Wii Remote is one of the main ways the system is unique, according to Nintendo's Genyo Takeda, senior managing director and general manager of the IRD division, who said as much during the Q&A portion of Nintendo's recent Financial Reports Briefing.

Takeda, who worked on the design of the Wii and also directed Nintendo classics such as Punch-Out and StarTropics, followed up the point by saying: "We now have the new controller which revolves around the original concept of the Wii Remote, and the developers can take advantage of multiple screens, which enable them to leverage upon the unique combination of a big TV screen and a smaller screen in player’s hands."

Ace Attorney 5 Officially in Development

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 10:21:32 PST

The game was announced at a 10th anniversary event for the series.

A fifth installment of the Ace Attorney games was announced yesterday as part of a 10th anniversary event for the series. No platform was given for the game, nor a release date. No further details about the game were revealed, and it is currently unknown whether there will be a release outside Japan.

There was also an announcement for Gyakuten Saiban 123 HD, a compilation of the first three games with updated graphics to be released for iOS/iPhone.

The first game in the series, Gyakuten Saiban (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney), was released on October 11, 2001 for Game Boy Advance in Japan.

Resident Evil: Revelations' Box Art Title Misspelled

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:41:34 PST

Capcom has acknowledged and will be fixing the mistake.

Box art of the North American version of Resident Evil: Revelations has a typo, publisher Capcom acknowledged.

Images circulating the internet via Twitter, revealed that the typo is not just an isolated incident. The side of game's box reads "Revelaitons" instead of "Revelations."

Capcom's Christian Svensson responded to the issue, "We're aware that this has affected a portion of the production run. There's likely to be some news to follow closer to launch on this topic." A Capcom representative followed up, "It has come to our attention that there was a misspelling on the Resident Evil: Revelations packaging, We apologise for the mistake, which will be corrected for subsequent productions of the game. We are working on a solution to provide affected customers with the correct packaging. Please visit Capcom-Unity for updates."

Resident Evil: Revelations Now $39.99

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:07:39 PST

The premium-priced Resident Evil title for 3DS is now 10 dollars cheaper.

Resident Evil: Revelations will now be priced at $39.99, Capcom announced through its community blog.

Originally, Revelations was priced at $49.99 due to the game being on a more expensive 4GB cartridge, making it one of the few 3DS titles to be sold at that price. While Capcom maintained that the value of the content justified the original price, after "weeks of effort," the company was able to lower the game's price.

Rocksteady Studios Working on TMNT Wii U Game?

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:02:44 PST

The developer of the hit Batman Arkham games could be behind a TMNT title for Wii U.

Rocksteady Studios is working on a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game for the Wii U, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, according to rumor posted by Paul Gale Network.

According to the source, the title of the game will be TMNT: Manhattan Crisis. The title is set to have all four turtles as playable characters, and will include several classic TMNT characters like Rocksteady and Bebop, Doctor Baxter Stockman, Shredder and Krang. In flashback stages, players will take on the role of Master Splinter.

Nintendo Download - January 26, 2012

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:10:26 PST

Mutant Mudds has arrived, along with other games and a new demo.

Four new downloadable games were added to Nintendo's downloadable services, along with another demo on the eShop.

One of the biggest releases of the week was Mutant Mudds. This highly acclaimed 2D platformer sets the hero, Max, on a quest to eliminate the Mutant Mudds. You can read our review of the game here. The game can be downloaded now for $8.99.

Other titles available for download on both the eShop and DSiWare services include Lola's Alphabet Train and Flipper 2: Flush the Goldfish. Lola's Alphabet Train is aimed at a younger demographic and is intended to assist in teaching them the alphabet. It is available for $1.99.

Spirit Camera Coming to Europe in 2012

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:57:32 PST

Professor Layton 5, Mario Tennis, and Luigi's Mansion 2 all listed as 2012 releases as well.

Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir, the sort-of spin-off to Fatal Frame from Tecmo Koei and Nintendo, is coming to Europe according to Nintendo's Financial Reports Briefing.

The game recently came out in Japan, and was announced for an April 13 release date in North America. Currently, the European release has no set date other than 2012.

Additionally, the briefing reconfirmed that Luigi's Mansion 2, Professor Layton 5, and Mario Tennis are coming out in 2012. Professor Layton 5, like the previous games, is being licensed by Nintendo to sell overseas.

Lego City Reconfirmed for 2012 Release in North America

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:42:43 PST

Also, Mario Tennis and Luigi's Mansion 2 are totally game for 2012.

Lego City, which was revealed for Wii U and 3DS at E3 2011 under the name Lego City Stories, is coming to 3DS in 2012, according to Nintendo's recent Financial Results Briefing.

Developed by Lego stalwarts Travellers Tales, Lego City is also being licensed by Nintendo "to be sold as a Nintendo product overseas."

The briefing also listed Mario Tennis and Luigi's Mansion 2 as 2012 releases, while Animal Crossing and Paper Mario were listed as "TBD." All of these games were listed with the same time frames last summer.

Full List of Japanese 3DS Titles to be Released as Detailed by Nintendo

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:58:28 PST

Just what can we expect out of Nintendo in Japan in terms of 3DS games?

Nintendo showed off a list of games that they expect to release up until April of this year, as well as beyond, during their Corporate Management Policy Briefing/Third Quarter Financial Results Briefing today.

Some of the titles listed are Japanese-only releases, but the majority of them will be coming to other regions later in the year. The first list refers to the games coming out before the end of the current fiscal year (March 31, 2012):

Tekken 3D Prime Edition
Mario and Sonic at the London Olympic Games
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
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Yoshinori Ono Claims Wii U 'Will Offer Never Before Seen, Exciting Features for Gamers'

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:29:02 PST

The man behind modern Street Fighter states that the image of the Wii U at E3 2011 "is not a reflection of what the system has to offer."

Yoshinori Ono, producer of recent Street Fighter games, made some statements about the Wii U's real power and what it will offer to gamers.

While visiting Madrid, Spain promoting Capcom's Street Fighter X Tekken, he was asked about upcoming video game releases, which included the Wii U and PS Vita. When he was asked about Nintendo's new system, Ono mentioned that the system "offers so many big and unique possibilities that it is going to be hard to sell them on the box it will be sold on."

Netflix Cancels Plans for Video Game Rental Service

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:10:06 PST

Netflix is no longer going to offer video game rentals, but they may begin 3D streaming.

Netflix has dropped their plans to offer video game rentals. This comes just months after they revealed that they would not be splitting their DVD and streaming services. The video game rental service was to be part of the new company, Qwikster; however, with it no longer planned, it seems that Netflix has decided to cancel any plans for game distribution in the immediate future.

Additionally, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced that the company is looking into 3D streaming to supplement their 3D Blu-ray rentals, though he did not specifically mention if there would be 3DS compatibility.