Nintendo DS | Joystiq (via Mowser)

NintendoWare Weekly: Metal Gear Solid 3D demo, Strider

The Metal Gear Solid 3D demo arrives today, accompanied by relatively big news on the Virtual Console! The first NES Ambassador game for 3DS is now available for purchase by non-Ambassadors! Super Mario Bros. is on the eShop now for five bucks. And if you already have it through the Ambassador Program, you can get a free update to add multiplayer and save states!

There's also news for the Wii's Virtual Console: the Genesis version of Strider can be purchased today. We hadn't heard about a Genesis VC game in a while, so we looked into it. As far as we can tell, this is the first Genesis game on Wii in North America since Sonic & Knuckles, on February 15, 2010. It's been two years and a day since the last Genesis VC release.

In fact, this appears to be the first Wii Virtual Console release of any kind since The Ignition Factor six months ago. Enjoy it! This doesn't happen very often.

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Do Japanese RPGs need good stories?

by Kat Bailey (1 day ago)

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This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs have to offer.

I'm going to sum up all of the cliches about Final Fantasy XIII in one sentence: "The battle system is pretty good, but the story is laughable." Gamasutra's Christian Nutt even went so far as to compare the direction of the series to the Star Wars prequels. I wish I could disagree.

For all that though, I'm willing to stick out Final Fantasy XIII-2's jaunt through time and space, banal anime archetypes and all. Whenever one of the cutscenes pop up, I just go and check my email. Either that, or I pick up a book. It's mostly the battles that keep me going. I'm also a big fan of putting hats on monsters, and Final Fantasy XIII-2 has that in spades.

The dirty secret is that I've always been more fascinated by RPG battle systems than the story within the game. In many ways, a character's mechanical growth is a story in and of itself. When the game begins, your character is a scrub with a wooden sword and a few potions. By the end, they can call down comets from the heavens and instigate supernovas. That's what I call a character arc.

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Phoenix Wright movie to premiere at AM2 convention this June, no objections

by Jessica Conditt (2 days ago)

[ http://www.youtube.com/embed/6PQcUenywyk ]

Ace Attorney, feature-length film, is hitting North American shores this June at the AM2 (anime, manga and music) convention in Anaheim, California. Ace Attorney, directed by Ichi the Killer's Takashi Miike, debuted as a feature film in Japan earlier this month.

AM2 will hold two exclusive screenings at the Anaheim Convention Center, one for passport holders only and one with pass holders preferred and general audience as seating permits. The AM2 convention runs from June 15-17.

While this isn't exactly a widespread theatrical release for Ace Attorney, it does open the doors for US screenings. Keep your eyes on your local independent theaters for a chance to see all the cartoony flair (and hair) of Phoenix Wright in reality.

Source: AM2

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Nintendo acquires video research/middleware company Mobiclip

by JC Fletcher (2 days ago)

Nintendo has acquired Mobiclip, a "Research and Development center specialized in the field of highly optimized software technologies" -- one whose logo you probably recognize if you've played a lot of GBA, DS, or 3DS games. The company specializes in video compression, which is often used for video in handheld games.

Gamasutra reports that Nintendo actually purchased the company in October, with the deal only now being publicized. It would appear that Mobiclip (and Nintendo) are looking beyond the 3DS, as the company is currently hiring a "Console software engineer" (PDF link) to work on "Nintendo's new generation consoles." In the job listing, Mobiclip calls itself a "new Research and Development subsidiary." Compression and streaming technology is something that could come in really handy for, say, the connection between the Wii U and its WiiPad.

Via: Engadget Source: Gamasutra, Mobiclip

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Angry Birds wins a prize for making money through merchandising

by Jessica Conditt (3 days ago)

Rovio, the people sprinkling stale bread behind Angry Birds, received the Property of the Year prize at the 12th annual Toy of the Year awards (yeah, that's totally a thing). Rovio won based on the massive amount of Angry Birds physical merchandise it's released over the past two years, which includes plush toys, backpacks, clothing, phone cases and bacon. OK, not bacon, but Rovio has branded almost every other item imaginable.

"Our physical goods business has great momentum just now," Ville Heijari, Rovio's VP of franchise development, told Develop. "It's especially interesting to see many app and social game devs emulate the merchandising strategy that Rovio has been pushing with Angry Birds for the last two years."

Source: Develop

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Now Playing: February 13-19, 2012

by Steven Wong (3 days ago)

Wreck your opponents this week in Twisted Metal...

Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:

XBOX Kinect Wii PS3 Move PSP VITA DS 3DS PC Mac

Lego Star Wars sticking around for 10 more years

by Jessica Conditt (4 days ago)

Lucasfilm has renewed its licensing deal with the Lego Group for 10 more years, meaning if you have a kid right now he can grow up with a guaranteed supply of Lego Star Wars video games and toys. If you don't have a kid any time soon, look at this as an opportunity to delay growing up for another decade.

Lego is currently developing products based on Star Wars: The Old Republic, and will be following up its most recent Lego Star Wars video game, The Clone Wars, some time during the next 10 years, we'd guess. The Lego Star Wars series has sold more than 30 million units worldwide since its launch in 2005.

Source: Gamasutra, MCVUK

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Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing sequel striking stores this sholiday season

by Jessica Conditt (5 days ago)

Sega plans to release a sequel to 2010's Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, the kart racing game originally made for Xbox 360, PS3, PC and DS, at the end of this year, Kotaku reports. The New York Toy Fair outed the sequel with a display of new toys (At a toy fair? Surely not.), and an attendant confirmed its development. New characters and vehicles will be announced later this year, Kotaku says, some time before the holidays, we assume.

Source: Kotaku

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New shipment of Radiant Historia en route

by Jordan Mallory (5 days ago)

It's funny how good news for JRPG fans is also often bad news for eBay moguls. Radiant Historia, a DS-exclusive time-travel JPRG from Atlus (which routinely auctions for $60 plus) is being reprinted and redistributed in North America, although this reprint will not include the soundtrack bundled with the original run.

Pre-orders are starting to pop up at various retailers, and Atlus is urging interested parties to take advantage of the opportunity before the new batch hits store shelves in late March. Considering that Atlus has not released specifics regarding how limited of a reprint this is, if limited at all, we recommend erring on the side of caution (and a $35.00 price tag) rather than taking your chances on an uncertain, seller-feedback-oriented future.

NintendoWare Weekly: BurgerTime World Tour, Maru's Mission

by JC Fletcher (7 days ago)

The XBLA/PSN reimagining of BurgerTime needed a little more time on the grill before hitting WiiWare, but now MonkeyPaw Games is ready to serve BurgerTime World Tour to a hungry audience on a plastic tray all right these food metaphors are falling apart.

We'll have to warn you about this week's 3DS eShop game, lest you get unreasonably excited. Maru's Mission is not about Maru the cat. It is a cute-looking ninja action game, though. But not about Maru. Sorry!