(Posted by: Harrison Milfeld)

Good news for Project Rainfall supporters, as Nintendo announced today that The Last Story will be coming to North America in 2012 from XSEED games to the Wii. The second of three games from the fan campaign  to be localized by Nintendo of America (Xenoblade Chronicles is confirmed for April 2012 and Pandora's Tower has yet to be announced for a U.S. release), this serves as yet another huge victory for group who at times thought the movement wasn't gaining the attention it needed. With this latest news, Nintendo of America certainly made the right decision to listen to the Project Rainfall movement. Hopefully this will only inspire more petition-based campaigns.

In addition to The Last Story announcement, Nintendo also announced via their Nintendo Direct service a May 20th launch date for Mario Tennis Open for the 3DS. More details were also revealed about Kid Icarus: Uprising for the 3DS, along with some eShop updates. These updates include the release of Dillon's Rolling Western, a game where you play as an armadillo who has to defend various towns. With all these recent updates, the 3DS appears to have found its footing with the recent release of Sony's PlayStation Vita portable. 

Watch the video below to see NoA's own Reggie Fils-Aime go through all the goodies announced today via Nintendo Direct. 

(Posted by: Alex Deckard)

The latest App from Sky Parlor Studios, Fire and Dice, didn't hook me the second I started playing.  It's just not that direct.  But what it DID do is somehow manage to keep me playing long after the initial novelty had worn off.  I can't really explain it, but the game is just fun.

The premise is that you live in a particularly flammable city, and you run the fire department.  However, for whatever reason, you have to roll dice for your supplies.  Gas for movement, ladders to rescue people, water to put out fires and fire trucks to give you more fire trucks.  You roll five dice, lock down the dice you want to keep, and keep rolling until you lock down all five.  But you have to lock down at least one each roll.  Then you select your truck and use your supplies.  It doesn't sound like much, but it is one hell of a time killer.  Personally, I haven't been this hooked on an app since Game Dev Story.  Will it be the next Angry Birds?  Maybe not.  But we don't want to PLAY another Angry Birds.  We want new, original ideas from creative people.  Sky Parlor Studios are definitely out there making these things happen.  It's $1.99 on the iOS App Store and Android Marketplace, but there is a free trial version available.  DEFINITELY worth a look.  Plus, there's an online leaderboard where people have been getting some RIDICULOUS scores.  Can you beat them?  Maybe.  Will you have fun trying to?  I certainly think so.

Now, I wouldn't be a reviewer unless I pointed out some negatives.  Once you learn the game, that's really it.  There's not a lot of variety as far as gameplay.  Granted, this isn't the kind of game that really needs it, but with an attention span as short as mine, variety is pretty great.  I would have liked to see a greater variety of maps, but the rectangular shape of the town is undoubtedly due to the shape of the devices it is used on.  Frankly, all of my gripes can be explained away with "technical limitations".  But it would be interesting to see how this would play out on a larger scale.  The other issue is that there have been some reported problems with getting the app to run.  Usually, it seems those issues can be remedied with a simple restart, or trying over and over again to get it working.  However, it should be noted that it does NOT run on iPhone or iPod Touch 2G or earlier.  So if that's what you're working with, you're out of luck.  Sorry.  But if you can run it, I'd suggest giving it a try.  8.5/10

(Posted By: Alex Deckard)

In a recent interview, Tim Schafer, gaming luminary and founder of Double Fine Games, stated that he had been shopping around a pitch for a sequel to his fantastic game "Psychonauts".  No publishers had taken it, and he commented that "I'd love to do that game, but I'd have to convince someone to just give me a few million dollars.  That's all."

After this interview came out, Notch sent Mr. Schafer a tweet.

"@TimOfLegend Let's make Psychonauts 2 happen."

This is HUGE news.  MONUMENTAL.  This game has been clamored for by fans of the first one, and now it looks like it may actually happen.  Notch has the money, Tim Schafer has the ability.  As you can see in the picture we've posted to the article, Notch is serious.  A couple hours ago, Mr. Schafer tweeted "It's always unsettling to wake up to five text messages saying 'You'd better check your Twitter.'"  What followed were several tweets back at fans tweeting him about random stuff, followed by what Notch has taken as Tim's response to him.

"Oh wait.  Hm.  This is interesting."

(Posted by: Harrison Milfeld)

A source close to Inside Mobile Apps is reporting that Microsoft may ditch their current points system in favor of straight cash purchases. Microsoft is currently denying the rumor, so take this news with a grain of salt.

If indeed true, then the switch from points to cash would offer less confusion to  account balances and various marketplace prices. Microsoft had addressed the purchase of 500 point increments earlier last year by giving Xbox Live users the choice of 400, 800, 1600 options. However, since its inception, Microsoft Points have been harder to deduce their actual worth in "real world" currency, so a change to straight cash would be welcome. This is one rumor that we sure hope is true.

(Posted by: Harrison Milfeld)

Earlier this week, Capcom teased the existence of Resident Evil 6 with a clever viral campaign that gave hints about a possible post-apocalyptic storyline. Well, both of those claims are indeed true as Capcom officially announced today that Resident Evil 6 will see a North American release on November 20th. The game will be released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with a PC release to follow at a later date.

In addition, Capcom has released a trailer for Resident Evil 6, which depicts both Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield fighting for their survival (once again) against a world torn to shreds by bioterrorists. Little details about the story Resident Evil 6 were also given out by Capcom. The plot is as follows:

"It has been ten years since the Raccoon City incident and the President of the United States has decided to reveal the truth behind what took place in the belief that it will curb the current resurgence in bioterrorist activity. Due to be by the President's side is his personal friend and Raccoon City survivor, Leon S. Kennedy, but when the venue suffers a bioterrorist attack, Leon is forced to face a President transformed beyond recognition and make his hardest ever decision. At the same time, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance member Chris Redfield arrives in China, itself under threat of a bioterrorist attack. With no country safe from these attacks and the ensuing outbreaks, the entire world's population is united by a common fear that there is no hope left."

Enjoy the launch trailer above, and hopefully Capcom finds it in there hearts to allow the player to run AND shoot at the same time. But, then again that may be asking too much.

(Posted by: Harrison Milfeld)

_When Nintendo first unveiled the Wii six years ago, the idea of motion-based gameplay was both an ambitious and risky idea for a company looking to get back on top. Despite its potential (and resounding success), the Wii’s use of motion gaming has been hit or miss during its current life cycle. Small flashes of motion gaming brilliance such as Wii Sports, World of Goo, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption offered what to expect, yet tacked-on experiences dominated the Wii’s landscape. The word gimmick was not that hard to apply for Nintendo’s so-called revolutionary console; however, all it takes is one game to make good on Nintendo’s promise in 2005. That game being The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

The latest iteration in the long-standing Zelda series, Skyward Sword, is the cultivation of five years of hard work and how motion gaming can be something other than gimmicky. Throughout my 30-plus hour experience, Nintendo was able to bring in the best aspects of Zelda, be it dungeon design, visuals, characters, gameplay, atmosphere, music, and even intriguing puzzles. This, along with the main development focus of Wii MotionPlus, separates Skyward Sword from its predecessors by making the entire adventure it a worthy challenger to the timeless Ocarina of Time.

Hit the jump to read the conclusion of the review.

(Posted by: Harrison Milfeld)

It's been a few days since Zelda: Skyward Sword's release, so an unboxing of the collector's edition may seem as late news (blame work). However, because it's Thanksgiving, it would be best to share the goodies (a slim few to exact) that were included in this package. Plus, all of it is really shiny to boot. Enjoy the unboxing, and expect a review of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword by the end of next week.

[Note]: Weebly's photo gallery is only showing the vertical photos taken from my iPhone as horizontal, so you will have to make do with them sideways. Apologies.

(Posted by: Harrison Milfeld)

I’ll be honest; I was never a fan of Jimmy Kimmel’s jump to being a late night talk show host after his initial run on The Man Show. Kimmel’s form of comedy just doesn’t mesh well to late night and, quite frankly, lacks that former magic when he was paired with Adam Carolla. But, I digress, as Kimmel’s Halloween episode of his late night show was quite special. Kimmel’s crew dressed up as various video characters with the titular host as Donkey Kong.

Now, I love the concept of the show paying homage to gaming’s most memorable characters (yes, Tetris blocks do count as they have feelings). Jimmy Fallon’s Late Show regularly has Reggie Fils-Aime and Cliff Bleszinski as guests to promote their respected products, so it’s always welcome to see late night shows pimp out the things we love. Still, one thing to observe: How uncomfortable is that Donkey Kong costume, Jimmy?

(Posted By: Alex Deckard)

The upcoming installment in Rockstar’s hit sandbox series Grand Theft Auto had a trailer released today.  It appears to be returning to the ersatz Los Angeles of Los Santos.  While the city is not named, it is very clearly LA, what with the distinctive skyline and the “Vinewood” sign.  Also visible were prominently placed airplanes, indicating a return to the skies in something other than impossible to fly helicopters, as well as a couple different people who could be the protagonist.  The first was an African American man in a Cosby-esque sweatervest turning down drugs from a dealer, the second was an unidentified Caucasian man driving some cars, and the third was a possibly Hispanic man running from the police at the end of the trailer.  Multiple protagonists maybe?  Or perhaps a customizable character?

Additionally, the game appears to be returning to the VERY open feel of GTA: San Andreas, with several shots showing off the sprawling California countryside.  Thus far there are no indications that either San Fierro or Las Venturas will be returning, however the existence of usable airplanes may indicate multiple airstrips.  It’s probable that there will be small towns spotting the landscape, much as there were in San Andreas, if only to fill the void.  No release date has been given, but the smart money is on a late April-early May date, as this is where the last several major Rockstar releases have come out.  If you like GTA, or just like mayhem in general, this will be something to watch for.

By: Kyle Buck