One of Japan's most respected composers talks about the creative process in making soundtracks for games like Killer 7 and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. Also, a smashing surprise visit by Brawl.

Masafumi Takada of Grasshopper has had his hand in a number of unique video games over the past ten years. While working with names like Shinji Mikami and Goichi Suda, Takada's have become fairly well known. Today, during his Game Developers Conference session, Takada explained the processes and challenges associated with working on games, and what he does to translate the visual style of games into appropriate music.

Among the first games are International Karate and Uridium.

Nintendo has announced that the Commodore 64 will be added to the European Virtual Console's expanding roster of formats. Games for the classic home computer system will be available on the Wii Shop Channel for 500 Wii points (£3.50) each, equaling the price of NES games.

International Karate,... Read more...

Two of Nintendo's biggest 2008 titles will launch within two weeks of each other for PAL gamers; the wait for Brawl goes on without a date.

Nintendo has announced that Mario Kart Wii will be coming to Europe on April 11th, to be followed by the release of Wii Fit just two weeks later on April 25th.

Widely considered to be two of the most crucial first party Wii titles launching in Western territories during 2008, both games will... Read more...

The game music-based concert returns to San Francisco.

VIDEO GAMES LIVE™ ANNOUNCES SPECIAL GUESTS FOR ANNUAL GDC PERFORMANCE IN SAN FRANCISCO

Skywalker Symphony Orchestra and Choir to Perform

Meet & Greet Includes 30 Game Composers, Designers and Talent From Popular Franchises Including Halo, Warcraft, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Myst, Kingdom Hearts, Metroid Prime, Mass Effect, Guitar Hero, BioShock, Gears of War, Crysis, Sonic, Special Guests from Japan and Many More!

Phantasy Star II and Ninja Gaiden III make up another good week for the VC.

Two New Classic Games Added To Wii Shop Channel

Feb. 18, 2008

Some gamers get skeptical when Roman numerals populate the title of a game. But make no mistake - this week's offerings are no mere sequels. They are some of the most highly regarded classic games around. So stock up on some Wii Points™ to battle the Dark Force or complete an action-packed trilogy.

In software sales, five of the top ten games are on Nintendo platforms.

2008 starts off with a virtual dead heat for console hardware sales, with all charted platforms selling within 50,000 units of each other:

January 2008 U.S. Hardware Sales

Wii – 274k

PlayStation 3 – 269k

PlayStation 2 – 264k

Nintendo DS – 251k

PlayStation Portable – 230k

Xbox 360 – 230k

Rehab centers plug in the Wii with results.

Nintendo's Wii system has seen increasing use in hospitals. Some health care professionals are calling it "Wiihabilitation."

"They think it's for entertainment, but we know it's for therapy," said Lt. Col. Stephanie Daugherty, chief of occupational therapy at Walter Reed Hospital. She believes the Wii is a powerful tool in physical rehabilitation.

Smash Bros. Brawl beats out two balance board games.

This week saw things return to normal, with seven out of the top ten games being on Nintendo platforms. Super Smash Bros. Brawl clocked up one million in sales as expected, which it managed in just eleven days. That makes it the fastest-selling Wii game on record to reach that number, beating out even Wii Fit, which managed it in seven weeks. It will be interesting to see if Brawl will be able to sustain those huge sales in the long run.

Death Jr.: Root of Evil, starring the Grim Reaper's teenage son, is due out in the summer.

Eidos Interactive announce Death Jr. : Root Of Evil

Eidos Interactive Ltd., one of the world’s leading publishers and developers of entertainment software, has confirmed that Death Jr.: Root of Evil, a spine-tingling, humorous platform shooter from developer Backbone Entertainment, will be released on Nintendo Wii in summer 2008.

Nancy Drew: The Mystery of the Clue Bender Society promises new adventures and mysteries, and a new cell phone for Nancy.

The Teen Sleuth Is Back On The Case In Majesco Entertainment's New 'Nancy Drew: The Mystery of the Clue Bender Society' For Nintendo DS

EDISON, NJ, February 12, 2008 – The world’s most recognizable teen super-sleuth returns in a riveting new Nintendo DS™ adventure, as Majesco Entertainment... Read more...

Create your own personal universe in a box, or on your DS.

EA and Maxis to Ship Spore in September

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 12, 2008--Get ready for the next Big Bang this fall! Electronic Arts Inc. and Maxis today announced that Spore™, the highly anticipated game from the creators of The Sims™, will be available at retailers worldwide the weekend of September 7. Spore will be available for the PC, Macintosh, Nintendo DS™, and mobile phones.

New installment of My Coach series will feature a variety of ways to lose weight and track your progress.

Ubisoft Announces My Weight Loss Coach

SAN FRANCISCO — February 11, 2008 — Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced that it will publish My Weight Loss Coach for the Nintendo DS™ system. Developed in Ubisoft’s Montreal studio under the guidance of... Read more...

Nerf and The Littlest Pet Shop will hit Nintendo's console in the future.

EA ANNOUNCES FIRST HASBRO TITLES IN DEVELOPMENT – PLAYERS CAN COLLECT, BLAST, DEAL OR SPELL THEIR WAY TO VIDEO GAME FUN

LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, MONOPOLY and YAHTZEE among first franchises to hit a variety of game systems, online and mobile under EA and Hasbro agreement

Chertsey, UK –... Read more...

Additionally, Zack & Wiki sold 300,000. However, Capcom's third quarter financial reports show that both We Love Golf and Megaman Starforce 2 underperformed.

According to recent documents, the third-party Wii exclusive Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles is on the verge of becoming a million-seller. Capcom recently presented documents highlighting their third quarter financial performance, and they report that Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles has managed... Read more...

Ministers are preparing a new classification scheme that would make it illegal for retailers to sell games to underage consumers.

The Guardian has learned that the British government will propose a new, legally enforceable system for the classification of video games. Retailers will be held responsible under the scheme, as the sale of games to consumers below the specified age group would become illegal.

Such a system would... Read more...

The week Mario and friends smashed The Devil and made him cry.

Incredibly, there were six new non-Nintendo entries this week - even one on the Xbox 360. In fact, this week there are only three Nintendo games in the top ten, which is quite a change of pace from the norm.

Of course the front-runner was Nintendo’s hotly-anticipated mascot brawler Super Smash... Read more...

Travel the world and strain your brain with the evil genius.

Eidos to release Dr. Reiner Knizia's Brainbenders

"The human brain is only just beginning to realize the possibilities of what it is truly capable of." -Dr Reiner Knizia

Eidos Interactive, one of the world’s leading publishers and developers of entertainment software, is pleased to announce a brand new title developed exclusively for the Nintendo DS: Dr. Reiner Knizia’s Brainbenders.

Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and Super Mario Galaxy garner yearly honors.

DID YOU KNOW? NINTENDO WINS TWO INTERACTIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Feb. 8, 2008

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has honored Nintendo with two Interactive Achievement Awards, including Handheld Game of the Year for The Legend of Zelda®: Phantom Hourglass for Nintendo DS™ and Adventure... Read more...

The week soon to be known as “The calm before the Brawl.”

Nothing too surprising this week. Wii Fit is still selling its $80 boxes at an incredible rate and Wii Sports is still going strong. There was, however, an unusual influx of PlayStation titles, including the latest version of the ever-popular soccer simulator Winning Eleven on PSP.

Monster Hunter Portable on PSP is almost neck and neck with Mario Party DS in terms of weekly and overall sales, jostling for the No.6 position.

Previously known as "PQRS" and "Blocks," Steven Spielberg's "building and knocking down blocks" Wii game launches in May.

EA AND STEVEN SPIELBERG REVEAL BOOM BLOX

Throw, Grab, and Blast Your Way Through the Ultimate Wii Game

Chertsey, UK, February 6, 2008 – EA has announced that BOOM BLOX™, the first game developed in collaboration between EA and director and producer Steven Spielberg, is set for a May... Read more...