Most Recent: Wii

Xenoblade Chronicles finally out in US on April 6; XSEED to publish The Last Story

Posted on February 22, 2012 by John Scalzo

Operation Rainfall supporters, take a bow.

Nintendo has announced that Xenoblade Chronicles will be released exclusively through GameStop on April 6. In addition to the release date, Nintendo has revealed that the game will be packaged in the beautiful (and fan-chosen) wraparound cover to your left. Click on the cover to get a larger look at it.

But that’s not all! Nintendo also announced that XSEED has picked up the North American publishing rights to The Last Story. No release date was announced, but it’ll be available this year, sometime after the release of Xenoblade Chronicles.

“Together, these two games level up the excitement for RPG fans in America,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “Whether roaming the vast landscape of Xenoblade Chronicles or choosing crossbows to battle with or against companions in The Last Story, gamers will recognize these titles as benchmarks for the genre.”

Is Pandora’s Tower next? I’d bet good money we’ll see it sometime before the end of 2012.

Posted in News, Wii | Tagged ,

Daily Scoop: February 21, 2012 – …and then I took an arrow to the knee

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Nicole Kline

I, for one, am tired of the whole “arrow to the knee” meme, and I haven’t even played Skyrim yet. Does that just make me a jerk? Possibly. Do I care? Not really.

What I do care about are deals! Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games is Disney Princess: Magical Jewels on the DS. It’s just $9.99 today, which is 50% off the regular price. Scoop it up and you, too, can be a pretty, pretty princess!

Also, GameFly is having a big under $20 blowout sale on their used games! The sale includes some pretty good deals, like Brink for $6.99 on the Xbox 360, Gears of War 2 for $7.99, F.3.A.R. for $9.99 for PS3 and Xbox 360, and Tron: Evolution – Battle Grids for the Wii. Check it out!

Today’s video game t-shirt is a tired meme I may have alluded to already… (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop, DS, Etcetera, News, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 |

New trailer for The Last Story shows off game mechanics

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Nicole Kline

The Last Story is looking better and better with each passing moment. In the latest trailer, we get to see game mechanics, including some awesome battle scenes – as well as some of the customization options. The music is haunting, the graphics are beautiful, and the collector’s edition looks gorgeous. It’ll be released in Europe February 24, with a North American release hopefully soon to follow.

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Batman: Arkham City, L.A. Noire lead 2012 BAFTAs with 8 noms each

Posted on February 16, 2012 by John Scalzo

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts have announced the nominees for the 2012 BAFTA Video Game Awards. In all, 48 games were nominated in 18 categories including four new awards for this year: “Debut Game,” “Online – Browser,” “Online – Multiplayer,” and “Performer.”

Batman: Arkham City and L.A. Noire garnered the most nominations from the BAFTA board with eight apiece. Several other games have a chance to win big when the awards are handed out on March 16 including Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (six nominations), LittleBigPlanet 2 (also six), Portal 2 (five), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (five), and Deus Ex: Human Revolution (four).

Arkham City, Skyrim, L.A. Noire, and Portal 2 will be competing for the prestigious “Best Game” award along with FIFA Soccer 12 amd The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

Finally, voting for the BAFTA’s yearly audience participation award, The GAME Award, is now online at BAFTAGAMEAward.com.

Hit the jump for a complete list of all the nominees. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Nintendo Download: Super Mario Bros. on 3DS, Hulu Plus on Wii

Posted on February 16, 2012 by John Scalzo

After appearing on the NES, Super NES, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and the Wii, Mario’s first super adventure is making the jump to the 3DS. That’s right, Super Mario Bros. is available to download from the 3DS eShop today.

Also available on the 3DS eShop today is a free demo of Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D.

Another classic game invades the Wii Shop as the Sega Genesis version of Strider has been added to the Virtual Console. And in non-game news, a Hulu Plus app is now available for the Wii. After signing up for a $7.99 a month subscription, Wii owners will have access to current season episodes of a ton of great TV shows, along with classic movies and shows.

Finally, there’s iSpot Japan, a DSiWare title that “takes you on a journey across the Land of the Rising Sun, explaining facts and curiosities about Japanese culture while you play a classic “spot the difference” game in the country’s most beautiful locations.”

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Wii | Tagged ,

7 Ways The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Made Me Crazy

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Andrew Rainnie

Having played every console entry in the Legend of Zelda series, I was as giddy as a school girl meeting Justin Bieber when I unwrapped The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword on Christmas Day. While at first it proved to be the standard Zelda fare, including swordplay, shields, dungeons, and the lovely Zelda herself (sporting some sexy new bangs), I had a growing sense of frustration at some of the new features, degrading my love of all things Zelda. These grew and grew until I was hurling my Wiimote at the TV, wondering why Nintendo would implement these annoying features in their flagship RPG. (more…)

Posted in Opinions, Top Story, Wii | Tagged

Nintendo of Europe will release Pandora’s Tower on April 13

Posted on February 14, 2012 by John Scalzo

Nintendo of Europe has announced that Pandora’s Tower, an action RPG that was previously only available in Japan, will be released in Europe on April 13. As with The Last Story, a North American release has yet to be confirmed.

Pandora’s Tower stars Aeron, a soldier who must climb the tower and vanquish the monsters within. Defeating the monsters is the only way to find a cure for his friend Elena, who has been bound to the tower thanks to a curse. In a cruel twist of fate, the curse has also caused her to mutate uncontrollably.

Can true love conquer all? If you’re in Europe, you’ll be able to find out in April. We in America will likely have to wait and see if Xenoblade Chronicles manages to sell enough copies to spur on a release for Pandora’s Tower and The Last Story.

Posted in News, Wii | Tagged

Call of Duty: Black Ops voted “Best Ending” by Guinness World Records readers

Posted on February 13, 2012 by John Scalzo

Did you pass on the Guinness World Records 2012 Gamer’s Edition when it was released back in January? Then you missed their list of the “Top 50 Video Game Endings of All Time” as voted by 13,519 Guinness readers. But apparently this information was just begging to get out as Guinness released the full list over the weekend. And the winner is… [drummmmmmmmmmrollllllllll]… Call of Duty: Black Ops.

OK… sure… why not. But I guess that’s what you get when you award “records” based on a popular vote.

Black Ops was followed by Halo: Reach at number two and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time at number three.

The Guinness people weren’t too clear on what they considered a game’s “ending,” citing the entire final level for Black Ops, the post credits sequence for Halo: Reach, and the boss fight against Ganon for Ocarina of Time. So when you read the entire list (which can be found after the break), be sure to remember that it was about the furthest thing possible from a scientific poll.

Of course, the inclusion of Super Mario Bros. at number 11 (and four Mario games in total) probably tipped you off to that. (more…)

Posted in DS, Etcetera, News, PC, PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,