Beginning this Saturday, players who connect to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection on their Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver versions will receive the Enigma Stone. What is the Enigma Stone you say? It will allow trainers to catch either Latias or Latios, depending on which is unavailable on the given version. The legendary Pokémon will come like the other half of the pair at Level 40.

In exchange for the Enigma Stone, players will also get the hold item, Soul Dew. When held, Soul Dew powers up the Special Attack and Special Defense of Latias and Latios. Please note: In order to obtain either Latias or Latios, players must have beaten the Elite Four, claimed the National Pokédex, and have two or fewer Wonder Cards. Lastly, the chance to capture this the legendary Pokémon ends August 27, 2010.

When it comes to what makes a game great, many people agree that an intense soundtrack has a lot to do with it. One thing that we all have become accustomed to as gamers is ambient music. This is essentially music that changes on the fly based on the action that is taking place in the game you are playing. Soundtrack interactivity is exactly what Psai, a new ambient sound engine for the Nintendo Wii, is all about. In the following video you will see a light saber battle taking place. Though there is no game-play being shown here the game is not what is being showcased, but rather the sound and music. The way the music keeps up with the pace of the light saber battle is precisely what gamers want when they think of ambient music. As the battle gets more intense, more drums are slammed, more chords creep in, and in this demo you’ll see that if done well ambient sound can produce some amazing results.

Game designer Hironobu Sakaguchi, head of Mistwalker Studios, was in Kyoto, Japan, at Nintendo’s headquarters recently, discussing his upcoming Wii RPG The Last Story, which the console giant is publishing. On his blog he sheds some light on the involvement that Nintendo has in the development process.

“Their opinions were fierce at the discussion which changed the Last Story into a more polished one. Some requests were so excessive and I thought ” C’mon, no way that’s impossible”, however, it was discussed with the development team, my night deliberation and we decided to incorporated it in…peeled the outer layer, putting the thickness to the essential and is changing it to something really good with each and every step.”

I don’t know how excited I am that Nintendo seems to have a huge role to play in the direction this title takes, because they aren’t particularly known for their RPGs. I worry too much of a casual attitude will be taken, which may be a turn-off for many, including myself. But, here’s hoping, right?

Sakaguchi also remineces a bit about his earlier days, during SquareSoft/Nintendo collaboration meetings, as well as what it is like eating lunch with the Nintendo guys. Give it a read if you want all the details.

Sin & Punishment: Star Successor can be described, as basically as possible, as an airplane shooter that uses pointer controls. The game takes its liberties to go in any direction it pleases, so you can’t call it either a vertical shooter nor a horizontal shooter. The player can also take their liberties on which direction they want to shoot with the pointer controls, but there are some aspects that you cannot control. I will try to explain why the best way I can: There are enemies on the left and the right of the player’s character, so you shoot at them on a 2D plane. Simple enough. Now, as this is going on, there are also enemies in the background. When you point at those enemies, you shoot in the 3rd dimension, shooting towards the background. Therefore, depending on how the area is set up, where the enemies are located and where you are pointing, the game decides which direction your character will be shooting. However, this is all more of a visual thing and less about how gameplay is actually changing.

The gameplay throughout Sin & Punishment: Star Successor remains constant. You have three attack moves, a jump button, and a quick dodge move. I played the game with the Wii remote and nunchuck. You can also play with the classic remote and Gamecube remote, but I believe that no pointer equals to no fun. You hold the ‘B’ button to shoot constantly at all the enemies on screen. The ‘B’ button also has the player whip out a sword to hack and slash enemies who get close enough (a move that obviously will not work on the enemies that stay in the background). This is where I find the game gets a little clumsy. Holding ‘B’ shoots and pressing ‘B’ has the player slash. I don’t mind not being able to do both at the same time, but why does it have to be the same button? This is a case where I would have preferred perhaps some waggle to cut down the close range enemies. The third attack is done by holding down the ‘A’ button to charge up devastating a super shot, which regenerates every 7 seconds. Lastly, the ‘C’ and ‘Z’ buttons control the jumping and dodging. I find it funny that jumping only works when you’re on the ground, which is kind of useless because you always have the option to float around.

Now that you know how the game works inside and out, one of the high points of Sin & Punishment: Star Successor is that the game keeps things fresh. There is so much variety in scenery and types of enemies to defeat. Another high point of this game is its difficulty factor. The game has you shooting, dodging and mastering the game to complete chapters. On the plus side, there are plenty of checkpoints, so the frustration level is kept very low. To make things a bit easier, you can have a partner play with you on your journey. A second player can pick up a Wii remote and shoot along with you. Unfortunately, the second player has no on-screen character and can only shoot regular shots. That’s it. Both partners I have played with during my sessions with Sin & Punishment: Star Successor became really bored, really quickly.

My biggest gripe with Sin & Punishment: Star Successor is its story. The cutscenes are mediocre to watch and the voice acting makes you cringe at how cheesy they are both written and spoken. Thankfully, the cutscenes can be skipped. I just want to continue shooting and blowing stuff up. It’s nice to see that they showed some respect and allowed the player to decide whether or not a cutscene is worth watching.

Overall, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor is a fun and challenging game that can get a tad repetitive. I also feel that the game needed some more replay value. The only reason you would want to go back to this title is to break some scores and to perfect what you have already beaten. For me, that is just not enough for me to pop in this game for a second go. You will get a good one or two days out of this title, but if you’re looking to purchase a full priced title that will give you more bang for your buck, you may want to look elsewhere.

For about four years, Nintendo has not made its presence felt at Comic Con. Well, the streak is over, because Nintendo will be at San Diego Comic Con from July 22 to July 25. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies and Metroid: Other M will be featured at the Nintendo booth, #2944, and both titles will have hands-on demonstrations for attendees to enjoy and try the game out for themselves. Click “Read More” to see the full details on what you should expect from Nintendo at the event.

In addition to live demos of the game, Comic-Con attendees who bring their Nintendo DS systems and copies of DRAGON QUEST IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies to the show will have access to a special downloadable treasure map called Mortamor, available for the first time in North America. The map will be available at the Nintendo booth for the duration of Comic-Con International 2010. To access the map, players must have their Nintendo DS system running the DRAGON QUEST IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies game and set to “Tag Mode.” Once players get to the town of Stornway, they are able to access Tag Mode at the Quester’s Rest inn.

The highly anticipated Metroid: Other M is a dramatic new chapter that brings the Metroid series back to its franchise roots. Starring the iconic bounty hunter Samus Aran, the game is the result of a dedicated collaboration between the director of Super Metroid, Yoshio Sakamoto, and renowned game development studio Team Ninja. This joint effort blends expert level design, gripping visuals and a cinematic storyline with seamless third-person and first-person game play controls. For the first time, players will learn the story of Samus inside the suit. Comic-Con attendees will get a chance to play portions of the game in advance of its Aug. 31 launch date.

Scribblenauts was one of last year’s most fresh and unique games. Gamers praised the surprisingly competent game mechanics and functionality. It went on to become one of the best reviewed titles of the year. The upcoming sequel, Super Scribblenauts, has been announced, and it will appear at the 2010 Comic-Con in San Diego. It is being developed by 5th Cell, the same team that created the acclaimed prequel, and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Super Scribblenauts will feature the same award winning game play as the first title, while introducing a new adjectives system that allows for more customizable creations. It is best described in this excerpt from the release:

Created and being developed by 5TH Cell, Super Scribblenauts offers hours of original entertainment, upgraded controls and innovative new gameplay mechanics.  Players will be able to write any object that comes to mind and modify it in any way they desire, using adjectives that change the color, size, elements, behaviors and many other aspects of objects in the game.  Multiple descriptors can be combined to produce inventive new items, allowing players imaginations to run wild for a truly unique and individualistic experience.

Also, gamers who show up to play Super Scribblenauts at the WBIE booth will receive a special coupon for $5 off the price of the game at Best Buy stores. SS seems like another great reason to try and make it to Comic-Con this year. Super Scribblenauts will be available nationwide on October 26th, 2010.

Atlus released a new preview video for their upcoming DS dungeon crawler Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City today. For those of you who enjoy creating your own characters, choosing classes and building up those characters through battle, you better go out right now and pre-order this. The character creation and customization is insanely in-depth. Add to that the fact that the game looks great for a DS title, and I really love the artwork, as well. Etrian Odyssey III hits stores in North America on September 21.

On Friday, July 16, the Wii Games: Summer 2010 launched with a grand ceremony to kick off a summer of free family fun. The event was held in a massive air conditioned tent where there were games all over the place for both competition and free-play. The grand opening included all the festivities and goodies you would expect from something that Nintendo is pushing hard for this Summer. It is interesting to note that this is the first nation-wide competition hosted by Nintendo in over a decade. Click “Read More” below to check out all the fun.

The celebration kicked off with an over-the-top entrance featuring Mario, Luigi and Olympic gold medalist, Shawn Johnson. David Young welcomed all who attended the event yesterday, and gave us the run down of how exactly the competition was going to work throughout the day. But first we were all given this special treat seen in the video below.

As you can see, Mario won. It was absolute heartbreak for all the Luigi fans, including myself. All the kids from the various youth groups in New York/New Jersey sounded like they were sure loving it, though.

After the welcoming and the hula hoop action, the competition was underway. Each team played in five different games and took the scores from each to come up with a total. The highest totals across the nation would be flown to Los Angeles, CA at the end of the Summer to compete for the championship! After being briefed on the rules of the competition, the five games played were bowling (Wii Sports), basketball (Wii Sports Resort), Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. In that order.

Aside from the games being played for the competition, there were also a bunch of systems set-up to play all of the most popular Wii titles. Super Mario Galaxy 2, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and any great Wii title you can name was there. Even some great downloadable titles, such as World of Goo and Super Mario Bros. 3 were present.

Playing the free-play games also earned you coins. These coins allowed you to redeem various prizes from Nintendo plush toys to Wii remote skins. As you can see, the more coins you got, the better prizes you were able to redeem. I wish I took home a Yoshi plush.

The last cool bit from the event worth mentioning were the custom T-shirts each attendee was able to receive. I took home a nice Goomba T-shirt with “Ninferno” printed on the front. Yeah, I’m awesome. Did I mention this was all free? Free T-shirts, free gaming and free prizes. You have no reason not to go!

If you missed the opening yesterday, you can still come through today or tomorrow morning at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ. The fun begins at 11am and stretches until 6pm. For more information on the event, just click here. Also, be sure to check out all the pictures from the event below.

Many DS owners on our side of the pond are anxious to get their hands on Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light. The 4 Heroes of Light incorporates many of the aspects of the Final Fantasy franchise, that we love. Aspects such as, turn based combat and random enemy encounters. While the October 5, 2010 release date still looms a ways off in the dark distance, there is a bit of light to to be seen. Below the break is a video that shows the diverse world map environments that players will be battling through to save Princess Carino from the Witch of the North. These environments range from icy tundra to deep forests and everything in between. So check out the clip after the break and see if this game will be making it on to your holiday wish list.

If you would like to learn about Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light click here.

Namco Bandai is celebrating Pac-Man’s 30th birthday with a party game of his own. The appropriately named Pac-Man Party will be released Fall 2010 on Nintendo Wii. I got to play an early build of the game recently, and I am sure you know how the whole party game thing works. In almost every party game, there are mini-games and there is a metagame to tie it all together. So, how does Pac-Man Party set itself apart from your typical Mario Party? It may be a little too early to tell, since I only played an early build, but I think I have a good idea.

Like I said, I only played an early build, so some animations were missing and some of the mini-games I played were still being tweaked. The game takes place on a board game and players move ahead onto spaces with the goal of taking them over. For the sake of convenience, each round has every player take their turn to move ahead on the board at the same time. How do you move forward in Pac-Man Party? There aren’t any dices, but instead, there are quick micro-mini games that occur to determine how many spaces you will advance. One of these consisted of floating balloons with numbers painted on them. The balloons would float upwards and all the players would scramble to shoot the balloons with the biggest numbers using the Wii-remote’s pointer controls. The numbered balloon you hit is the number of spaces you will take. I thought this worked out very well, because the game depended a bit more on skill rather than on the randomness of a die. A different micro mini-game took place before each round, and although there were a few that were a bit more luck based than others, it was nice to see something different after every round.

Pac-Man Party is heavily based on taking over spaces. When you land on a space, you take it over. But, let’s say you and another player land on the same space. What happens then? After everyone has advanced on the board, a mini-game takes place. There, you and your space buddy compete for that very space. The interesting thing is that if you can come in third place and your enemy of the round comes in fourth after the given mini-game, you win the space. It’s more about strategy and more about who you’re really competing with.

Speaking of mini-games, in the party mode, you can earn “power balls” that can be used during mini-games to give you an extra advantage. For example: You use a power-ball during a mini-game that requires speed, it would give you an extra speed boost. The power-balls vary on what they do depending on what the mini-game is about. The mini-games in Pac-Man Party varied with different control schemes and different events. Nothing different here at all from your generic party game mini-games.

After sitting down to play Pac-Man Party for a few minutes, I have to say that it is looking like it will be a solid party game. It could have done more to set itself apart from the billions of other party games, but I guess this was the safe route. We will be bringing you more news on the title as its release draws nearer.

***BONUS*** You can download The mp3 file directly from HERE.

For the second month in a row Nintendo has rocked the sales chart in both the console and game department. In the month of June alone Nintendo accounted for fifty percent of all console sales in the United States selling a combined 933,000 units between the DS and the Wii. The DS accounted for 510,000 of that while the Wii clocked in at a solid 422,000. this brings console sales to date to 42 million for the DS and 30 million for the Wii.

The real show stopper however, was the latest entry in the Mario franchise, Super Mario Galaxy 2. During the month of June, Super Mario Galaxy 2 sold a respectable 548,000 units. This brings the games total in US sales up to 1.1 million units. Super Mario Galaxy 2 came in second place for sales overall that month.

It was not the only Nintendo product on the top ten list either, six of the top ten came from Nintendo’s corner. These six include New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Just Dance, Toy Story 3: The Game, Wii Fit Plus, and LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4. So nice job Nintendo, give yourselves a round of applause but don’t get to cocky. The coming moths show fierce competition from your competitors with games like Halo: Reach and Call of Duty: Black Ops.

If you like old school title Solitare which may possibly pre-date mankind itself, you’ll love 24/7 Solitare releasing for DSiWare this week. This re-hash of the card game classic includes over 24 different ways to play your favorite 1 player game that the whole family knows. If music is more your thing check out Music on: Retro Keyboard which will have you jamming 80s computer tunes on a six-octave keyboard. This game takes its inspiration from Nintendo NES-style music and even before that which should put a smile on any long-time gamers’ faces to listen to.

Another interesting title heading to DSiWare this week is Primrose which sets itself up to have “no time limits, no levels, no arbitrary objectives, and no constraints”. This is an interesting sounding concept to say the least, and the title also sports “a huge single-move combo for millions of points”. Wii has a couple titles heading to WiiWare as well including Toribash, a fighting online game in which players can make their own moves, edit replays, and check out each other’s game with WiiConnect24. Read on for the full list of titles, price points, ratings, and more info on all of the Nintendo Download offerings this week.

WiiWare

Toribash
Publisher: Nabi Studios
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points^™
Description: Toribash is an online fighting game where you make all the moves. Use precision motion controls to create any move you want – the only limit is your imagination. Manipulate your fighter’s joints for maximum impact and take out your opponents with precise hits. Boost your joints for added speed and strength to hit harder, then grab your opponents and slam them to the ground. Fight online and challenge players around the world using Nintendo^® Wi-Fi Connection (broadband Internet access required). Want to make your own fight movies? Just jump into the replay editor. You can enter replays at any point in time and review your fight to catch that mind-blowing move you missed. When you’re done, share with your buddies through WiiConnect24^™.

Balloon Pop Festival
Publisher: UFO Interactive
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Balloon Pop Festival is a revolutionary puzzle game that’s suitable for all ages. Point the Wii Remote^™ controller at the screen to aim and link a series of balloons to create satisfying combos. Watch as the festival is beautifully animated, releasing different graphical elements to represent each month. The goal of the game is to score as much as you can before balloons cross the line on the bottom. Each festival has different graphical elements, animation and character costumes. The more you do through the festival, the more you will unlock graphics for playing other modes.

Nintendo DSiWare

Primrose
Publisher: Sabarasa
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Take your time, set your own pace, establish your own goals and adapt your play style however you like. Primrose rules are easy: There are no time limits, no levels, no arbitrary objectives and no constraints. Just place pairs of tiles on a game grid and attempt to corral groups of tiles with pieces of a different color. Surrounded tiles disappear and surrounding tiles change colors, allowing chain effects to trigger combos for massive points. You can play long matches and try to keep up with increasing levels of difficulty, or just go all out on a huge single-move combo for millions of points.

Pop Island – Paperfield
Publisher: odenis studio
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Discover a fresh, fun universe with easy pick-up-and-play control themes. Join your team and race, surf or fly on three new islands. Get a maximum of flags to win in the “Race for flags” or “Capture the flag” modes. With the new “Magic Shooters” team, take control of eight land, sea and air vehicles (including tanks, hovercrafts and planes) or animals (surfing penguins, eagles and black cats). An impressive graphics engine runs fast and smooth at 60 frames per second. In Solo Mode, rack up points and unlock new playable vehicles and maps. Use DS Download Play to share Pop Island – Paperfield and compete joyfully with up to seven friends. If you own Pop Island on your Nintendo DSi system, you can get three new maps and four vehicles, including a helicopter and a submarine.

Music on: Retro Keyboard
Publisher: Abylight
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Turn your Nintendo DSi system into a full electronic keyboard with a carefully chosen selection of sounds and rhythms from the mythic computers and consoles of the 1980s. Whether you’re already an expert or taking your first steps, Retro Keyboard will help you capture your inspiration wherever you are. Features include an ’80s-inspired interface and a selection of keyboard, console and computer sounds from the ’80s, plus rhythms inspired by the first generation video games. You can also enjoy an automatic accompaniment function with chord recognition, up to eight user-definable chords, a six-octave keyboard (two octaves visible), pitch bend function, 16 instruments, an integrated sequencer, metronome, recording and replay options.

24/7 Solitaire
Publisher: cosmigo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: 24/7 Solitaire features 24 variations of the most widely known and best-loved single-player card games including Klondike, Freecell, Spider, Pyramid, Yukon and seven versions of Peg-Solitaire. Most games have custom game play options so you can enjoy the game with your favorite rules. On-screen instructions can help you learn new Solitaire variations. Statistics are available for players who love to track their wins. Save your game status at any time. The game’s style and interface have been designed for easy, intuitive operation with the stylus or the control pad. Sit back, relax and enjoy the endless challenge and fun of this Solitaire game collection.

4 TRAVELLERS^™ – Play French
Publisher: AGENIUS Interactive
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Challenge your family and friends in a new digital board game while learning your first words in a new language together. Compete in a foreign hotel where the goal is to acquire objects, money and friends. Strategy and fast learning are essential. The game is suitable for players young and old, and no previous knowledge is necessary. The more you play, the more your French vocabulary increases. The game is perfect to bring on your trip, including more than 240 carefully selected words.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card^™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://wii.com or http://www.nintendodsi.com.

Thanks to the DS’ wifi capability, you’ll be able to team up with 3 other players anywhere and anytime to “explore mysterious dungeons and tangle with fearsome monsters throughout a spellbinding world of adventure.” Another great social aspect coming to the title is Tag mode. In that mode, even if your DS is closed and in your pocket or bag, players can exchange customized greetings, items, and treasure maps. The treasure maps will provide info for secret boss hideouts and, well… treasure.

If you have a DS today, I salute you. If you’re too nervous to make the jump on your own, you can always just wait around for our review from our in-house RPG guru, Chad Awkerman! Just be patient, because like you all, he’s jumping from one 60 hour RPG to another all summer long.

Let us know what’s your favorite Dragon Quest so far in the comments section!

[Feel free to chime in with your own opinions in the comments section once you've read through mine and give us your raw reaction to this revolutionary way of thinking for the Call of Duty franchise. Keep in mind, this is not just about being able to play with each other across other systems, although that is the main idea, but also the huge evolution that Call of Duty could experience as a result and how it could re-ignite the passion that a few of us gamers have lost with playing the series.]

With the realization of one monumental cross-platform feature after another in the video games industry it only makes sense that the big dog should share in the innovation that is taking place on services like Steam, which now allows Mac gamers to pair up with Windows PC gamers for a good time, and of course Sony Online Entertainment’s upcoming DC Universe Online allowing PC/PS3 gamers to unite. Who can forget past miracles like Final Fantasy XI allowing PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360 gamers to play together.

Recently Activision echoed the sentiments that a good portion of Xbox Live users primarily play Call of Duty games as their main title on the online service, or as their only title in some cases. Beyond this there have also been talks for some time now about making Call of Duty a subscription-based game in future iterations, this would likely include an expansive re-think of the franchise which could very well add a lot to the game experience being offered.

Taking all of this into account, one thing that has always annoyed me as a gamer is the fact that I have to go out and buy another system if I want to play video games with a friend who only owns one or the other. In the case of Call of Duty we have PC gamers, PS3 gamers, and Xbox 360 gamers and if you want to play with these crowds you must own each machine respectively.

Not only is this a hindrance for gamers and their convenience/ability to play with friends online enjoying the game series, it is also a huge missed opportunity for Activision, and I believe they have realized this as well. The company states that over 75% of their profit is made without the help of gaming consoles, this is a scary statistic to anyone who prefers gaming on these consoles but we need to stop and think about how much better this game could be on the console before becoming worried that it’s all about PC/consumer devices for future COD games.

What if you could jump into a match at any time with your friends on Xbox Live from your PlayStation 3? What if you could play with your console friends from a PC? And for that matter, why can’t we attach our Wii friend codes to some type of online system that actually makes sense and lets us join the massive crowds of gamers playing these Call of Duty games that we simply cannot stay away from?

Before you get all up in arms telling me this will never happen, I realize your point. This is not entirely Activision’s decision. Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and any other game device manufacturer for that matter, would likely have to be sat down and convinced that this was a good deal for them and shown why it makes sense for them to allow this type of cross-platform gaming to exist. Let’s take a trip into such a meeting and see how that might play out, shall we?

Convincing the Big Dogs

With Activision acquiring Blizzard, Modern Warfare 2 being the largest entertainment launch in history, and MW2 download packs selling for 1/3 or more higher than the average DLC, it is no secret that the company is able to bathe, brush their teeth, and floss with freshly printed trillion dollar bills (as opposed to the crusty old ones frozen with Walt Disney). But how much is enough?

I tend to believe that with Sony and Microsoft’s current strategy of taking initial losses on console hardware while making the return on that investment from software sales, they need all of the Call of Duty games they can get their hands on. Activision could simply offer up an ultimatum, but no one likes to see things get to that point (okay maybe we do but that doesn’t make it right). Really Activision would have to create their own self sufficient network capable of drawing and handling the massive amount of fans they have attained over the years and somehow sell the idea to the big 3 as a viable way for them to sell more games, more bandwidth, and ultimately make more profit to cover those hardware losses.

Nintendo, being without a centralized online network still for the Wii, may be the hardest to convince because they still tend to view online gaming as the developer’s problem. To contrast, this may also provide an easy-in for Activision’s network because they would not be competing head on with anything Nintendo-based other than WiiWare digital distribution. I’m pretty sure that some sort of deal could be worked out however, if only Nintendo were given a large enough percentage of this online network, then again Activision might not be too keen on sharing so let’s move on to Micro and Sony.

Microsoft has an online network yet to be rivaled in the console arena in terms of accessibility, features, and general popularity. The fact that Xbox Live charges a monthly fee poses a huge problem for any type of Activision network which would hope to do the same. The two would be in direct competition of each other. With so many technical and legal issues to tackle conquering such a deal, I still hold out hope for this possibility. If Call of Duty were able to breach the Microsoft executives office and throw down a few billion dollars on the table and say “this is how much you will make in the first month” then I think they would have their attention right then and there. Tip-toeing around the subject is probably not going to work because both parties feel they have the better service concept and coming to terms over anything other than a lust for cash would probably be a rare occurrence.

That being said, Xbox Live already charges users what many consider a reasonable fee, but it might be hard to ask them to cough up extra. However, with the advantage of garnering income from multiple consoles rather than just one, an Activision network (were it to come into existence) would be able to charge a lower fee, possibly half that of Xbox Live, making it much more appealing to consumers already paying for online play in the Call of Duty universe. Again, it seems a win/win scenario if the two video game giants can come to terms. Call of Duty gamers on Xbox 360 would also benefit from the ability to take their skills and dominate PS3 players, further increasing respect for the Xbox 360 brand and giving an enjoyable experience for those who prefer a more challenging fight as well as those who enjoy totally “owning”.

Sony runs an open network on the PlayStation 3. Epic Games has been able to bring mods to Unreal Tournament 3 because of this and in a tribute to the enhanced abilities decided to make the game a “timed” exclusive on PS3. Square Enix praises the open network concept model as well and has claimed that Xbox Live is not getting Final Fantasy XIV because of their lack of such an open infrastructure which would allow the developer much more control over their own game and online services. If this is any indicator on how Sony would react to Activision’s idea of their own online network, it seems like the ideal situation for their console efforts.

The sheer amount of Call of Duty games already sold on the PS3 should be an indicator that this type of deal would only benefit the big 3, and with Sony’s current stance on online services they would probably understand this quickly. More players, more services, more content all means more reasons to pick up that next Call of Duty game and if you primarily play on PS3 then that is what you will buy it for. The big 3 make cash off of each disc sold (through licensing) so this is another win/win scenario.

Convincing the Gamers

To get everyone on board, the main selling point would be the evolution of the Call of Duty franchise. This would have to be something huge along the lines of typical MMO content delivery whereby users get more and more added to their game without having to create 1,000 forum blogs begging and practically designing it for the developer. The other main selling point would be the amount of people that would get on this network. One of the huge draws of World of Warcraft is simply its popularity. We all know Call of Duty is perhaps the most popular game on earth right now in the shooter genre, such a network would not be difficult to pitch to gamers if it contained even more players now. The fact that no boundaries would exist between friends is another huge selling point for this type of radical paradigm shift in the Call of Duty business model and overall direction. I’ve always thought an idea so huge as this is as real as these companies allow it to be. Activision is one of the biggest and if Square Enix was able to achieve this for Final Fantasy XI then the only thing stopping Call of Duty from soaring that high and prosper with these concepts would be their lack of action towards this goal.

In Conclusion

A lot of people play Call of Duty, millions upon millions. And some of those people are beginning to wonder if the game will ever dramatically evolve. This step would be a massive “hell yes” from the people who run the show for COD and keep everyone interested for a lot longer than some new maps will. How they would implement, operate, and expand on such ideas is completely unpredictable but the foundation has been laid by Activision themselves and anyone taking a few leaps of logic along the obvious stone walkway can see that this is a great idea that would go down in gaming history as legendary. I, for one, am excited that something like this is even possible and being hinted at but until we see some solid moves we would be foolish to assume this is a sure thing. Here’s to hoping Call of Duty’s owners quit talking about great ideas like these and begin to make them a reality for gamers worldwide.

Atlus announced recently that, if you pre-order a copy of their upcoming DS RPG Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City, you’ll get a snazzy pre-order bonus. This is one of my favorite things to get with pre-orders, especially with anime-inspired games – an art book. This art book, titled Etrian Odyssey – Forests of Eternity – is a whopping 60 pages of eye candy from the game itself and the concept art the developers used. What is most interesting here is that this art book isn’t just for Etrian Odyssey III, but showcases art spanning the entire franchise. So, it is definitely a treat for fans of the series and anyone else who wants to feast their eyes on it. If you want a preview of the art book, you can click here to check it out – it looks good!

You can pre-order at a ton of retailers, including large ones like Best Buy, GameStop and Amazon, to receive this bonus. Time to start dusting off your DS, the RPGs are pouring in!

For all of you fighter fans out there a new title is available for the Nintendo Wii developed by High Voltage Software and SEGA that will give you a fighting experience in single and multi-player on the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. This game pits players against unspeakable opponents playing as characters such as the main character, Thanatos the Greek daemon personification of death. Check out the launch trailer after the break, Tournament of Legends is available in game stores now.

Come close and listen well, for we at DualShockers have dove into the furthest reaches of time and space to bring you exclusive access to the WORLD OF FUTURE PAST. We have stolen a drunken wizard’s magic eight ball so that YOU can witness a un-history that never was! Terrible futures lie in wait…if you dare.

BEHOLD THE IMPOSSIBILITIES:

What if…Halo Reach was an iPad exclusive?

What if…the Wii hadn’t started a mad rush to shoehorn motion control into every console?

What if…Sega’s colossal business blunders hadn’t cost them their place in the console business?

What if…Our beloved plumber Mario never existed to define the platformer?

So without further buildup:

WHAT IF….

…THE VIRTUAL BOY HAD BEEN A SUCCESS?

The year is 2010, the setting is the same city or town you see around you, but yet something is eerily amiss. The streets are empty, the global economy has collapsed and all that remains of humanity are hunch backed freaks with crooked necks – almost as if some massive weight they had been wearing upon the front of their heads had forced the spine downwards into this new twisted state. You look into the creatures eyes to try to communicate but they do not acknowledge you as they cannot see anything outside of the red & black colour spectrum, or anything more than 4 cm away from its face. The creature roars in pain as yet another brain searing migraine kicks in before shuffling off into the dark ruins to ease its suffering with the very device that brought its existence down to this shameful mockery of humanity….and then it soils itself…probably.

This is the future – DAMN YOU NINTENDO !!!

The cause of my fictional apocalypse is the Nintendo Virtual boy, possibly one of the most bizarre and ridiculous concepts ever to leap from the drawing board into mass production. I try and imagine the board meeting where this thing got green lit, with Nintendo executives drunk on the success of the NES, SNES & Game Boy. In my mind it plays out something like the following…

(Chairman) “Lets make new portable handheld more advanced than the Game Boy”

(Execs) “Yeah !!!”

(Chairman) “We’ll use that new fangled virtual reality stuff”

(Execs) “Yeah !!!”

(Chairman) “And a tripod, man I love tripods. Nothing says portability like a tripod does”

(Execs) “ummmm..yeh !?!”

(Chairman) “And 2 colours, the Game Boy has shown us that people love monochrome.”

(Execs) “…ok”

(Chairman) “and goddam it I want this thing to hurt! I want a display that burns the freakin retinas off the backs of your eyes and makes your head feel like Alma from F.E.A.R. is having a brain explodey party in your temporal lobe! Now get outta here and don’t come back without a working prototype, and woe betide you if it don’t weigh ¾ of a goddam kilo!”

(Execs) “Yes boss! Great idea’s boss!!!”

***Yes I am aware that the Virtual boy was made well before F.E.A.R was released. I could have used the film Scanners to make the joke work but half of you plebs wouldn’t remember it.

This child is not playing - he is having his soul sucked out of his eyes.

Anyway I digress. The Virtual Boy was a handheld that clearly wasn’t a handheld, not only that but it was neither capable of VR graphics nor was it a boy, which beggars the question – what the hell was it ? But what if people had overlooked the limitations of the design and had embraced the device? Just as we see legions of happy commuters on the train playing on their Nintendo DS then we would have a similar scene but with a train full of Borg like drones, eyes hidden behind the sinister red plastic of the Virtual Boy, missing the stop for the office due to optical sensory deprivation.

“I liked the Virtual Boy so much I had it built into my face.”

Of course if Nintendo is famous for its company practice of revising hardware to the Nth degree. The iconic tripod would soon fall by the wayside on the Virtual Boy lite and instead we would have a head mounting strap – it’s the combination of the weight of the device coupled with the head mounting that has spasticated humanity in my apocalyptic introduction. But just as the DS led to the DSi, what could be the next step in the evolution of the Virtual Boy? Ladies and Gentlemen I present you the Virtual Boy CFi (Cyborg Fusion Interface).

“Hi my name is Philip, lets swap friend codes.”

OK maybe not, however when the 3DS was announced at E3 and while everyone else was pumping the air like drunken frat boys I have to say I wasn’t impressed. Once again we have a handheld (at least it is a handheld this time) that relies on your eyes being at a certain distance, at a certain angle and some people are already reporting discomfort from using the 3DS for prolonged periods. Could the ghost of the Virtual Boy be coming back to haunt Nintendo once again?

Our favorite plumber, Mario, can add another notch his belt this week. New Super Mario Brothers Wii became the fastest single platform game to reach fifteen million copies sold. The previous record holder, Wii Sports Resort, took forty weeks to reach this landmark whereas New Super Mario Brothers Wii hit fifteen million after a mere thirty two weeks.

New Super Mario Brothers Wii becomes the sixth Wii title to reach the coveted fifteen million mark and in the seven months since the game’s release, it has climbed to the sixth spot on the list of top selling Mario games. Once again the Mario franchise has granted us a family fun platforming game that deserves its newly earned title of “Fastest to 15 Million”.

The sounds of Independence Day may be finally over, but the day of new releases has arrived. Nintendo fans now have some new arrivals to look forward to for Wii and Nintendo DSi systems. The fast-paced action air combat title, Pearl Harbor - 1941: Red Sun Rising, and the dark adventure, Soul of Darkness are just a few of the games to be expected on the WiiWare and Nintendo DSiWare services. For a full list of new arrivals, please click “read more.”

WiiWare

Pearl Harbor Trilogy – 1941: Red Sun Rising
Publisher: Legendo Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Violence
Price: 700 Wii Points^™
Description: Pearl Harbor Trilogy – 1941: Red Sun Rising is the first title in a trilogy of air-combat action games for the WiiWare service. Take off from aircraft carrier decks and historic military bases as you conduct covert strikes, engage in furious dogfights and fly search-and-destroy missions. Pilot the most prolific fighter, bomber and torpedo-bearing aircraft of the World War II Pacific Theatre. Featuring two campaigns spanning the early years of the Pacific War, you can play as the United States Naval Air Force or the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force. You can also choose to practice your combat skills in the Avenging Ace or Survival dogfight modes.

Cruise Party
Publisher: Enjoy Gaming
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Simulated Gambling
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Welcome aboard! Here you’ll find four fabulous games to satisfy your appetite for gambling: Slot Machines, Roulette, Black Jack and “Video” Poker. Once on deck, you will be able to choose between Competition mode and Quick Play mode. If you beat a record, you’ll have to enter your name in order to appear in the high scores table. Beware of bankruptcy!

Nintendo DSiWare

QuickPick Farmer
Publisher: Dancing Dots
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: It’s time to shear your sheep, but a wolf named George is prowling around your farm, and he’s hungry. Hurry up and put the wool in the barns for safekeeping. Use the stylus to round up identical sheep, shear them, collect the balls of wool and catapult them into the barns. If George is getting too close to your flock, fire a ball right at his muzzle to chase him away and gain some time. Experience 30 crazy levels, a nonstop mode, striped sheep, spotted sheep and a goofy wolf. Test your powers of observation, your reflexes and your tactics in the wacky world of QuickPick Farmer.

Soul of Darkness
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Enter a fascinating gothic world as the mysterious and powerful Kale. Try to save your beloved’s life and soul by freeing her from an evil vampire’s clutches. Explore dark woods, caves, huge castles and impressive cathedrals under the full moon’s light. Master and upgrade your sword and spear, and learn how to control your powers. Use the Fire and the Ice or transform into your enemies to overcome the numerous obstacles in your way. Face and defeat foes such as werewolves, succubae, gargoyles and zombies. Exclusive camera features let you use your environment to gain power-ups and upgrades. Good or evil – be the sole master of your destiny!

SteamWorld Tower Defense
Publisher: Image & Form
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Welcome to Cowbot County, home of the robotic master race of SteamWorld! As the sheriff, you must stop the human invaders in their mad hunt for gold. Build attack robots next to the roads they roam, then watch the invaders go down. Use your robots’ special skills to your advantage in this original tower defense variation where strategy and execution are equally important. There’s an Easy mode for rookies, but everyone will find a unique challenge in the great Western reaches.

101 Shark Pets
Publisher: Teyon
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Choose from more than 101 baby sharks or simply adopt them all. Discover their personalities as you feed, clean and care for your new pets. Bring out each pet’s talents by training sharks in a variety of fun and wacky activities. Enter your shark into pet shows and earn money to buy exciting upgrades, including toys, food, clothes and accessories. The more tricks you teach and the more games you play, the more fun you’ll have!

Hello Flowerz
Publisher: Enjoy Gaming
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Welcome to Hello Flowerz, the gardening game where you have fun with flowers. Sow your favorite flowers and look after them every day, helping them grow into healthy, beautiful flowers. Use your flowers to create wonderful bouquets and enter them in regular competitions. Landscape your own gardens, transplant flowers and arrange various items. Put on your gloves, grab your tools and start showing off your flowers!

Flips: The Folk of the Faraway Tree
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Jo, Bessie and Fanny have a visit from their snooty friend Connie. Connie won’t believe in the Faraway Tree and the magical people who live there: Moon-face, Silky the fairy and Saucepan Man. There’s only one way to prove her wrong. Together the children climb the tree and visit some of the lands at the top of it, such as the Land of Secrets and the Land of Treats. And after a few adventures, Connie learns to be a nicer person altogether!

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card^™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://wii.com or http://www.nintendodsi.com.