There is a planned 12 pack coming this December with more on the way in spring 2011.

Harmonix confirmed a report that Billy Joel is coming to Rock Band 3 on December 14.

The 12 pack of songs, dubbed the "Hits" pack, will feature songs such as "Piano Man," "Movin' Out," and "Big Shot." It will be followed by a "Piano Challenge" pack, which will include six more songs from Joel.

See below for the full list of confirmed songs.

Another Japanese release for the Wii with new features.

While the Taiko Drum Master games are rarely seen in other territories, within Japan there have been two Taiko Drum Master games for Wii since 2008.  Even though last year’s entry failed to meet the sales of the first Taiko Wii game, Namco Bandai is readying another version of the game, slated for release in Japan later this year.

Pokemon keeps Kirby from debuting at the top.

Pokemon Black and Pokemon White have held the top spot in Japan for five consecutive weeks, keeping many games from reaching the summit. This week Kirby is forced to sit in the runner-up spot as Pokemon Black and Pokemon White continue to dominate with sales of 168,000, pushing it further past the four million mark.

The red Anniversary edition consoles and Wii Remote Plus will be released in November.

Four new products are launching from Nintendo on November 7.

The first of these is the limited edition Red Wii Bundle for Mario's 25th Anniversary. Again, there is a slight difference to the package for this region with the box containing a red Wii, red Wii Remote Plus and nunchuk, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and Wii Sports at a suggested retail price of $199.99.

The CEO of Level-5 took the idea to Capcom.

During the Level-5 Vision presentation for the newly announced Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, Akihiro Hino, CEO of Level-5, said that he was the one who initiated the exchange with Capcom for this particular title.

He did not expect a positive outcome, joking that that many people could be... Read more...

Members can now get a Mario screensaver or commemorative pins.

Nintendo is adding five new rewards, a screensaver and four pins, for Club Nintendo members that celebrate Mario's 25th anniversary.

The first is the "Evolution of Mario" screensaver, available for 10 coins, that shows gameplay footage from all of Mario's past games, including his latest, Super Mario Galaxy 2.

The Japanese event today confirms 3DS releases from the company.

The Level-5 Vision press conference in Japan revealed upcoming Nintendo 3DS games from the developer.

Previously announced was Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle. This is the second of the prequel trilogy games for the Layton series. Akihiro Hino, CEO of Level-5, commented that the game had... Read more...

Keep your logical deduction hats on for Layton vs. Ace Attorney.

Professor Layton and the Ace Attorney series will be crossing over on the 3DS, according to Level-5, who recently held Level-5 Vision, an annual conference held at Level-5's offices in Tokyo. 

Shu Takumi, creator of Phoenix Wright will write one scenario in the game, which currently has the keyword, "Witch Trial." The project began when Capcom considered using a trial that would not be able to happen in the Ace Attorney games.

The gray box credited with saving the video game market first went on sale October 18, 1985.

On October 18, 1985, the Nintendo Entertainment System first became available in North America.  Available only at select retailers in New York City, the NES cost $160. The Control Deck (the unit itself) initially came with two controllers, the Zapper light gun, and the Robotic Operating Buddy (R.O.B.).  To go with the latter two accessories, two games were included, Duck Hunt and Gyromite.

Virtual Console returns with a classic Final Fantasy title while DSiWare receives the most titles.

After a brief hiatus, the Virtual Console receives an update in the form of Square Enix's Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. The RPG title was originally conceived for a North American audience and served as an introduction to RPG games. Mystic Quest can be downloaded for 800 Wii Points ($8.00).

WiiWare... Read more...

The popular video streaming service is now available as a downloadable application, which has been updated to include searching.

Nintendo announced today that a Netflix application would be available for download from the Wii Shop Channel, allowing Wii owners to view Netflix Instant videos without having to insert the Netflix disc into their Wii.   

Although the Netflix Instant video library has been available on... Read more...

The 3DS Street Fighter game uses the touch screen for 'shortcut' moves.

Andriasang has translated Capcom's official Super Street Fighter IV 3D website update, which includes details of touch screen support for fighting controls. 

The touch screen has four panels and almost any kind of attack can be assigned to each of them. This includes Ultra Combos, throws, Focus... Read more...

The newest "Fantasy Harvest Moon" features a number of firsts for the series.

Marvelous Entertainment announced the next entry into the Rune Factory series, Rune Factory Oceans for Wii and PS3.  This game, the fifth Rune Factory title and the second for Wii, is the first time a Rune Factory title has been released on a non-Nintendo console.

The Rune Factory series,... Read more...

The final October Weekly Downloads will include the Gaijin Games release.

A short message on the Gaijin Games blog has revealed the North American release of Bit.Trip Fate as October 25. 

In the months leading up to the release, several features of the game have been announced in a similar fashion. Commander Video's fifth adventure in the Bit.Trip series is an on-rails... Read more...

Formerly of Marvelous Entertainment, Yasuhiro Wada and Yoshiro Kimura are now a part of the studio responsible for Killer 7 and No More Heroes.

Grasshopper Manufacture, the studio responsible for Killer 7 and No More Heroes, is adding two notable game creators to their staff in Yasuhiro Wada, the creator and longtime producer of the Harvest Moon games, and Yoshiro Kimura, the director of the 2009 Wii release Little King's Story, according to Famitsu (via 1UP).

MotionPlus for some, Lego for everyone!

Lego's Play and Build Wii Remote is a brightly coloured model with slight changes to the button configuration to allow for your choice of lego pieces on the front face and battery cover, now covered with the green Lego base for this purpose.

Included in the box is the Remote, a wrist strap, two battery covers, 31 mini Lego tiles, and the ever-useful Lego Tile Separator. 

The legendary Pokemon will be available through online download from October 15 to 30.

Nintendo and The Pokemon Company International are giving fans the opportunity to download Mew, the 151st Pokemon, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Pokemon Gold and Silver.

To get Mew, you need to connect to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and download the Pokemon using the Mystery Gift option. The Mew you will receive starts at level five with one move, Pound. He also comes in a Cherish Ball and has a Premier Ribbon.

The limited edition headset will arrive just in time for Black Ops's release on the Wii.

Performance Designed Products (PDP) has announced that they will be releasing a special edition Call of Duty: Black Ops Wii headset.

This marks the first time a headset has been created for the Wii, and the first time the Call of Duty franchise has online voice chat on Wii for its multiplayer matches. The Nintendo-licensed headset features a noise-canceling microphone, an oversized speaker, mute and volume control, and a 10-foot cord.

Slighty different to the Japanese bundle, coming in October. 

Nintendo have confirmed the release of a Super Mario 25th Anniversary red Wii bundle across Europe. It is similar to the pack planned for Japan, but with some changes.

The bundle includes a red Wii, a red Wii Remote Plus and red nunchuk, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and a digital copy of the original Donkey Kong game, pre-installed on the console. 

Sonic returns to consoles in 2D form, and Ivy the Kiwi is still looking for her mother on DSiWare.

Today, Nintendo's downloadable game service sees five new titles, with one stand out title worth noting. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 marks the return of classic 2D Sonic on consoles after years of 3D titles. Sonic 4, which picks up after the end of Sonic and Knuckles, aims to replicate the gameplay... Read more...