First up is Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon by Square Enix, which they have confirmed to be an Autumn release for Europe.

In this Final Fantasy iteration, Chocobo’s take the center stage and dress up as their normal counterparts (such as Mages, Knights and Scholars) and travel through dungeons to recapture the the lost memories of a mysterious town.

Second we have a confirmation from Ignition that they will be bringing Metal Slug 7 out for Nintendo DS in the Autumn to the US, and we can only hope to Europe not long after.

The remake of Metal Slug 7 added many things not found in the original release almost 12 years ago, such as seven extra missions, six fresh characters, new weapons, bosses, Slugs and game play modes.

Finally we have confirmation from Capcom of the next instalment in the Mega Man series, Mega Man 9, heading to WiiWare soon.

The game is said to go back to it’s NES roots and feature retro 2D graphics, and great new bosses such as Magma Man, Galaxy Man, Jewel Man, Concrete man, Hornet Man, Plug Man, Tornado Man and Splash Woman. Oh man, how I love the simplicity of the Mega Man boss naming system they use!

Here’s what they have to say on the matter:

UBISOFT ANNOUNCES PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE FALLEN KING™ EXCLUSIVELY FOR NINTENDO DS™

Today Ubisoft announced Prince of Persia: The Fallen King, exclusively for the Nintendo DS™ system. Developed by Ubisoft’s Casablanca studio, Prince of Persia: The Fallen King complements the highly anticipated version of Prince of Persia coming out this holiday on consoles & PC. Expanding the saga with an independent storyline, Prince of Persia: the Fallen King utilizes the unique stylus controls of the Nintendo DS™ system to deliver the extraordinary acrobatic and combat action that fans have come to expect from the Prince of Persia franchise. Prince of Persia: The Fallen King will be available at retailers nationwide for the 2008 holiday season.

About Prince of Persia: The Fallen King

Facing imminent danger, the Prince flees to a deserted kingdom that seemingly offers sanctuary. Already touched by the evil Corruption, a dark substance that physically contaminates the land and the skies, the kingdom is filled with adventure, challenge and intrigue. As the Prince seeks a way to fight the spreading Corruption destroying the land, he encounters a partially infected creature that promises salvation. But is the creature truly an ally or merely an enemy in disguise? It seems this perilous alliance may be the only way for the Prince to face the forces of darkness and save the Persian kingdom from the Corruption once and for all.

Game features include:

• The award-winning Prince of Persia franchise, built exclusively for Nintendo DS: Use the DS stylus to master the acrobatics, strategy and fighting tactics of the most agile warrior of all time.
• The epic journey continues in an all-new adventure: Immerse yourself in the captivating Prince of Persia universe with an original and independent story that closely coincides with the action of the console & PC editions of the game.
• Unique visual style: Brand-new art design delivers incredible environments in over 50+ maps. Explore deserted cities, dark labyrinths and forbidding jungles to battle the evil Corruption.
• Play as the all-new character: the Magus: Switch between the Prince and this mysterious new ally to fight, solve puzzles and utilize his magical powers to make your way through the corrupted land.

This sounds quite good, and definitely something to look forward to, and the cartoon-style graphics look like a refreshing change.

Anyway, here are this week’s Virtual Console additions:

Pac-Attack – Super Nintendo

Pac-Man stars in his very own puzzle game! Keep the screen clear of falling blocks and ghosts, by lining up the blocks horizontally and placing ghosts so that Pac-Man can gobble them up. As well as the main single-player game, Pac-Attack also features two-player and puzzle modes.

Super Fantasy Zone – SEGA MEGA DRIVE

Fantasy Zone, the pastel-coloured paradise, is in trouble again in this MEGA DRIVE sequel to the MASTER SYSTEM shooter (also available on Virtual Console). Take to the skies as Opa-Opa and blast the enemies with a wide, and sometimes wacky, range of power-ups: from homing missiles to a 256-ton weight!

King of the Monsters – NEOGEO

In this NEOGEO classic, six giant creatures battle it out to be crowned King of the Monsters, with cities as their arenas! Lay waste to buildings as you duke it out in one-on-one wrestling-style matches, fending off the humans’ puny attempts to stop you.

Cybernoid – Commodore 64

This hit C64 shoot ‘em up puts you at the helm of the Cybernoid space fighter, to infiltrate pirate strongholds and retrieve stolen Federation property. Supremely challenging gameplay and a memorable soundtrack round off the retro package.

Summer Games 2 – Commodore 64

Enjoy eight sizzling summer sports events across eighteen different countries in this sequel to the C64 favourite. Up to eight players can travel the world and try their hand at high jump, triple jump, javelin, rowing, horse riding, fencing, cycling and kayaking.

A nice mix this week, including lots more Commodore 64 love, which by now you should realise how much of a fan I am!

Sega say that there is no Beijing 2008 for Wii or Sonic Unleashed for DS as Nintendo suggests in the list.

Sonic Unleashed is however due out on the Wii, with Sega listing it’s release for November. The listing by Nintendo for Samba de Amigo for a September release is also incorrect.

Other Sega titles such as The Incredible Hulk and Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood appear to be listed correctly, so at least they got something right!

Source: Eurogamer

Wii Software 2008 Release Date

• Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo) 27th June 2008
• Bejing 2008 (SEGA) 27th June 2008
• Big Beach Sports (THQ) 27th June 2008
• Wacky Races – Crash and Dash (Eidos) 27th June 2008
• Guitar Hero Aerosmith Bundle Pack on Wii (Activision) 27th June 2008
• Kung Fu Panda (Activision) 27th June 2008
• Radio Helicopter (505 Games) 27th June 2008
• Okami (Capcom) June 2008
• We Love Golf! (Capcom) June 2008
• Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour (Disney Interactive Studios) June-Sep 2008
• Pool Party (SouthPeak Games) 4th July 2008
• Wall E. (THQ) 4th July 2008
• Cocoto Kart Racer (Neko Entertainment) 11th July 2008
• Baroque (Rising Star Games) 18th July 2008
• Margot´s Word Brain (ZOO) 18th July 2008
• Yamaha Supercross (ZOO) 18th July 2008
• CID The Dummy (Oxygen Games) 25th July 2008
• Super Swing Golf (Rising Star Games) 25th July 2008
• Table Football (505 Games) 31st July 2008
• Pimp My Ride (Activision) July 2008
• The Incredible Hulk (SEGA) July 2008
• Jeep Thrills (ZOO) 8th August 2008
• Legend of Sayuki (505 Games) 8th August 2008
• BROTHERS IN ARMS : EARN IN BLOOD (Ubisoft) 14th August 2008
• BROTHERS IN ARMS: ROAD TO HILL 30 (Ubisoft) 14th August 2008
• Calvin Tucker´s Redneck Jamboree (ZOO) 22nd August 2008
• Clever Kids: Farmyard Fun (Ghostlight) 22nd August 2008
• Clever Kids: Pirates (Ghostlight) 22nd August 2008
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 (EA) 26th August 2008
• Runaway The Dream of the Turtle (Focus Home Interactive) 28th August 2008
• Soul Calibur Legends (Namco Bandai/Ubisoft) 28th August 2008
• The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Vivendi Games) 29th August 2008
• Brave: A Warrior’s Tale (SouthPeak Games) August 2008
• Carnival Games: Mini Golf (2K Play) August 2008
• Manhunt 2 (Rockstar Games) August 2008
• Space Chimps (Brash Entertainment) August-October 2008
• Chess Crusade (ZOO) 5th September 2008
• TNA impact (Midway Games) 5th September 2008
• Pipe Manja (Empire Interactive/ Kochmedia) 14th September 2008
• Bratz: Girls Really Rock ! (THQ) 19th September 2008
• Order Up (ZOO) 19th September 2008
• Sim City Creator (EA) 19th September 2008
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts/Activision) 19th September 2008
• Counter Force (505 Games) 26th September 2008
• De Blob (THQ) 26th September 2008
• Wario Land: The Shake Dimension (Nintendo) 26th September 2008
• Family Trainer (Namco Bandai) September 2008 (EU)
• Sambe De Amigo (SEGA) September 2008
• Wild Earth: African Safari (Majesco/Codemaster) September 2008
• All Star Cheer (THQ) Q3 2008
• Rockband (EA) Q3 2008
• Jeep Let’s Off Road (ZOO) Q3 2008
• World of Goo (RTL Playtainment) Q3 2008
• WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 (THQ) Q3 2008
• Skate It (EA) 2008
• Top Spin Tennis (2K Sports) 2008
• Sonic Unleashed (SEGA) Late 2008

Nintendo DS Software 2008 Release Date

• Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword (Ubisoft) 26th June 2008
• FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE 2: Grimoire of the Rift (SquareEnix) 27th June 2008
• Kung Fu Panda (Activision) 27th June 2008
• Journey to the Centre of the Earth (THQ) 27th June 2008
• Shining Star Super Starcade (ZOO) 27th June 2008
• Evolution GT (Lago Srl) June 2008
• Sid Meier´s Civilization Revolution (2K Games) June 2008
• The Incredible Hulk (SEGA) June 2008
• Top Spin 3 (2K Sports) June 2008
• Asterix Brain Trainer (ATARI) June-October 2008
• Animal Genius (Ubisoft) 3rd July 2008
• Farm Life (Ubisoft) 3rd July 2008
• Puzzler (Ubisoft) 3rd July 2008
• Bakushow(Rising Star Games) 4th July 2008
• Cory in the House (Disney Interactive Studios) 4th July 2008
• Mahjong-Eine Reise um die Welt (dtp young entertainment) 4th July 2008
• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time / Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness (Nintendo) 4th July 2008
• Road to Vegas (Ghostlight) 4th July 2008
• Super Speed Machines (Ghostlight) 4th July 2008
• Wall E. (THQ) 4th July 2008
• Guitar Hero: On Tour (Limited Edition Buindle) (Activision) 18th July 2008
• Rythmn & Notes (505 Games) 18th July 2008
• Brico Utile (Neko Entertainment) 18th July 2008
• Déco Tendances(Neko Entertainment) 18th July 2008
• International Athletics (Ghostlight) 18th July 2008
• Margots Word Brain (ZOO) 18th July 2008
• Yamaha Supercross (ZOO) 18th July 2008
• Crazy Labyrinth (DTP/Eidos) 25th July 2008
• Mazes of Fate DS (Neko Entertainment) 25th July 2008
• Tennis Elbow (Neko Entertainment) 25th July 2008
• The Mummy Tomb of the Emperor (Vivendi Games ) 25th July 2008
• The Woodleys - Summer Sports (dtp young entertainment) 25th July 2008
• City Life (Monte Cristo Multimedia) July 2008
• Dream Pinball 3D (SouthPeak Games) July 2008
• Jewel Quest (Astragon) July 2008
• My Make-Up (Oxygen Games) July 2008
• Pirates: Duels on the High Seas (Oxygen Games) July 2008
• Zoo Hospital (Eidos/Majesco) July 2008
• Die Reitakademie (dtp young entertainment) 1st August 2008
• Jeep Thrills (ZOO) 8th August 2008
• Lissy Horse Life mit Carry Case (Deep Silver/Kochmedia) 9th August 2008
• BangaiO Spirits (D3Publisher of Europe) 22nd August 2008
• Clever Kids: Pirates (Midas) 22nd August 2008
• Clever Kids: Farmyard Fun (Midas) 22nd August 2008
• IMAGINE FIGURE SKATER (Ubisoft) 28th August 2008
• Brave: Shaman’s Challenge (SouthPeak Games) August 2008
• Gauntlet (Eidos) August 2008 (tbc)
• Space Chimps (Brash Entertainment) August-October 2008
• Chess Crusade (ZOO) 5th September 2008
• Spellbound (505 Games) 5th September 2008
• Spore Creatures (EA) 5th September 2008
• Mein Beautyhotel für Tiere (dtp young entertainment) 12th September 2008
• Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (Rising Star Games) 12th September 2008
• Shin chan e i colori magici (505 Games) 12th September 2008
• Subbuteo (505 Games) 12th September 2008
• Blended (505 Games) 19th September 2008
• Bratz: girls Really Rock ! (THQ) 19th September 2008
• Dungeon Explorer (Rising Star Games) 19th September 2008
• Ontamarama: Music Maniacs (505 Games) 19th September 2008
• SimCity Creator (EA) 19th September 2008
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts/Activision) 19th September 2008
• De Blob (THQ) 26th September 2008
• Drawn to Life: Spongebob Squarepants Edition (THQ) 26th September 2008
• Make 10: A journey of numbers (Nintendo) 26th September 2008
• Shaun the Sheep (D3Publisher of Europe) 26th September 2008
• 8Ball Allstars (Oxygen Games) September 2008
• Bratz Ponyz 2 (Game Factory) September 2008
• Code Lyoko 2 (Game Factory) September 2008
• Cosmetic Paradise (505 Games) September 2008
• Element Girls (a.k.a Magic Diary) (DTP) September 2008
• History Great Empires: Rome (Lago Srl) September 2008
• Lock´s Quest: Construction Combat (THQ) September 2008
• My Dress-Up (Oxygen Games) September 2008
• Nanostray 2 (Majesco/Codemaster) September 2008
• Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (SEGA) September 2008
• Super-Bikes Riding Challenge (Lago Srl) September 2008
• Toy Shop Tycoon (Majesco/Codemaster) September 2008
• Zenses Ocean (Game Factory) September 2008
• Zenses Rainforest (Game Factory) September 2008
• Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations (Nintendo / Capcom) 3rd October 2008
• Naruto Ninja Council 2 (Nintendo / TAKRA TOMY) October 2008
• Arcanoid (Ubisoft) Summer 2008
• Space Invaders Extreme (SquareEnix/Ubisoft) Summer 2008
• Crossword Challenge (The Games Company) Summer 2008
• AMF Bowling Pinbusters! (ZeniMax Europe Ltd.) Summer 2008
• Ducati Moto (ZeniMax Europe Ltd.) Summer 2008
• Skate It (EA) 2008
• Sonic Unleashed (SEGA) Late 2008
• I Love Beauty and Sushi Academy (City Interactive S.A.) Q3 2008
• RUBIKS Classic (working title) (Game Factory) Q3 2008
• All Star Cheer (THQ) Q3 2008
• Sokoban DS (RTL Playtainment) Q3 2008
• Time Hollow (working title) (Konami) Q3/4 2008

Source: El33TOnline

“It’s a special team at Treyarch - not some out-sourced team. Not some group living in another country. These guys live, eat and breathe Wii,” he said. No sniggering at the back. He went on: “They’re doing a lot of control work and developing a lot of special technology to make sure you’re able to find the enemy as quickly as possible, and we’ll be supporting the Zapper.

Unlike Call of Duty 3, Treyarch seems to be very dedicated to making the Wii version of COD5 as “current-gen” as possible, though we are not sure how the control scheme will work. Hmmm, I wonder what’s next….online play?! We probably won’t find out till E3 2008 which is only a couple of weeks away!

Source: CVG

Some of the very talented people of the world have taken it upon themselves to create some Nintendo related likenesses ranging from characters from some of their most well known games, to other things people could only describe as “genius”.

Here’s a few bits and pieces showing off some of the better creature creations, or check out the Sporepedia to see some other great creations:

The Legend of Zelda:

Rayman Raving Rabbids:

Wii-remote and Nunchuck

Super Mario Bros.

Source: PocketGamer

“With our new Play Zone party titles, the Wii gamers who like to spend time with friends and family will have fun with the Wii through innovative and involving mini-games,” said John Parkes, Ubisoft’s EMEA marketing director.

The Wii is indeed a party system and for every Super Mario Galaxy and No More Heroes, we get Smarty Pants and Deca Sports. We’ll see if Ubisoft’s promise to make Nintendo-quality games apply to their new label when Sports Party releases in July.

Krome Studios, the same folks behind Viva Pinata: Party Animals for the Xbox 360, is handling both versions, with the Wii game offering intuitive lightsaber controls. Players will swing the Wiimote in different directions to control the slashes and use the analog stick on the nunchuck to control the character. Other than the ability to hack and slash your antagonists, no other features have been mentioned such as force powers; we hope those are included as well. Details are also slim for the DS version, though we know players will use two Jedi teamed up to fight against the Imperial army.

With Star Wars: The Forced Unleashed on the way as well, Wii and DS owners are getting a good treatment from Lucasarts. We hope they can offer an awesome experience beyond the typical wagglefest.

Source: TVG

Block Breaker Deluxe

Block Breaker Deluxe re-invents the classic arcade brick-breaker game, bringing it back to life on Wii with a trendy graphical style, fun atmosphere and multiplayer action. Special types of bricks, multiple bonuses, secret weapons and ball-speed variations all bring a new challenge to the block-breaking action, whilst lively settings like dance clubs and casinos add to the fun.

Cocoto Fishing Master

The first of this week’s WiiWare offerings, Cocoto Fishing Master, casts you in the role of Cocoto as he travels the world in search of the five millennial fish. But Cocoto isn’t just fishing for fun - only the millennial fish can save the world from destruction! Thanks to the Wii’s innovative controls, fishing has never been simpler. By using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk like a real fishing rod, you can catch more than 30 different fish from five enchanted lakes across Cocoto’s universe.

Throughout the adventure, you’ll bump into Cocoto’s friends and get a helping hand with his quest. Sell your prize catches to Baggy and buy new fishing equipment that will help you to overcome gigantic bosses in each world, collecting fragments of a mysterious statuette as you go. Don’t let this be the game that gets away!

Whilst before the patch gamers could play imported copies of some games unavailable in their own territory (such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl in Europe… not long now though!), it appears that the disk is now nothing more than an expensive beverage coaster.

Nintendo are remaining quiet on the subject, reiterating that “because it isn’t an official product approved by Nintendo, there was nothing it could do”.

Could this be the end of the Freeloader? Guess we’ll have to wait and see…

It’s all well and good that you read the site and learn about all of the recent going’s on in the world of Nintendo, but we’re missing something, and that’s your opinion!

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We’re currently looking to improve the comments system and let users register their details with us, but there is no point in us making the comments system all funky if no one is going to use it!

Like many otaku’s, geeks and gamers (Nintendo or otherwise) I love all things Japanese, from ramen and yakisoba to anime’s such as Deathnote and Lucky Star, but most of all I love its games and culture. Putting those two loves together equals Okami, a true Japanese game steeped in Japanese cultural references, mythology and all around goodness. Unfortunately Okami is one of those games I just missed on the PS2 a few years back, I was working for a video game store at the time and I was hooked on my DS and PC and didn’t give anything else much of a glance so that meant that although Okami showed a lot of promise I was never convinced enough to put £40 down for it. Luckily for me my income and love for games have grown substantially since then and didn’t want to miss out again so here are my first impressions of Okami on the Wii.

Without going into too much detail, Okami is based around the story of Amaterasu Okami, a white wolf with the spirit of a god who is given the task of rescuing its beloved home of Nihon (that’s Japan to you and me) from an evil recently released from its slumber. This evil has altered the once peaceful land into a foul sinister place where monsters roam free and beautiful valleys transform into desolate wastelands. No doubt if you’ve ever played a Zelda game you would notice some similarities by now and that’s not the worlds biggest shocker, Capcom’s team have clearly taken some Cues from the big N’s top franchise, but does that make Okami bad? In a word - No.

Standard Wii controls are also reminiscent of a Zelda game (Twilight Princess to be exact) with standard melee attacks controls with a swing of the Wiimote and movement with the Nunchuck. Overall the normal controls are pretty good so far into the game however I would of liked a lock on ability as sometimes the melee is a little off the target.

After the scene is set and the controls are making my brain sore I get to grips with the celestial paintbrush, Amaterasu’s main item of choice. The paintbrush is used to solve puzzles such as painting in a bridge that was previously broken or helping out during fights with abilities like cutting your foes in two pieces (at least that’s the kind of thing I’ve used it for so far). Its a great component of the game and if you’re sceptical like I was I can say you have nothing to worry about because it really is simple to use. When the time comes to chop a enemy into pieces or help an ageing warrior chop down some dummies you point at the screen with the Wiimote and hold down B, this freezes the on screen activities and turns the screen a brown colour to look like old parchment, now simply hold A and draw the symbol you want to use and let go of both buttons; want to cut a enemy? draw a line across him; want to make the sun appear? draw a circle in the sky.

Graphically the game (unfortunately) disappointed me a little but whether this is the games fault or not is arguable. I have a HDTV and running Okami at 60hz with a scart cable makes it look no where near as good as I think it should do but even when I use a composite cable and run in 480p, making the game look as good as Capcom made possible, I still find the game cant deliver the finer details on characters making them look bland and sometimes odd. Don’t get me wrong the style of the graphics are to die for and the colour palette is the closest thing to a Japanese painting I’ve ever seen but when Amaterasu looks like a white blob rather than a wolf god my immersion into the world starts to die.

Okami’s graphic style is complemented expertly with a phenomenal instrumental soundtrack I would gladly pay £20 for (and most probably will). It’s the kind of music that heightens the action during fights and sets the scene over vast hills of sakura’s trees and gentle streams. Other parts of the sound grate after a little while and speech similar to that found in the Animal Crossings game can be found during any cut scene - I’m still looking for a way to turn it off.

It’s still early days and despite a few minor options and tweaks I would of liked to have seen I’m happy to say I’m 5 hours in and really enjoying playing Okami. Look for full our review soon.

Fire Emblem DS, due to hit Japanese shores in August this year, will be the first in the series to feature online battles.

According to an article found this this month’s copy of Famitsu (which has been translated by IGN), the DS remake of the NES classic will feature the ability to get together 5 fighters from your single player game, and take them online to battle with your friends (and enemies!).

The game, being made by the original developer Intelligent Systems, is also set to feature up-to-date graphics, stylus battle map controls and is going to get full use out of both screens.

So we now really have something extra special to look forward to when it hits European shores (or sooner if you import!).