Source: videogamesblogger.com

Here’s a list of this weeks U.S. game releases. The most popular games are Saints Row 2 on Xbox 360 & PS3, Dead Space on Xbox 360 & PS3, Rock Band 2 on PS3, SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Confrontation on PS3, and FIFA Soccer 09 on multiple platforms. On the downloadable games front we’ve got today’s Wii Shop titles World of Goo, Art Style: Cubello, Secret of Mana, Street Fighter II’: Special Champion Edition, as well as Age of Booty on Xbox Live Arcade (updates Wednesday). No word yet on any games for PlayStation Network or GameTap Gold (both update on Thursday).

Monday:
Art Style: Cubello - $6 (Wii Shop)
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Into the Inferno (Wii, PS2)
Bratz: Girls Really Rock (Wii, PS2, DS)
Blitz: The League II (Xbox 360, PS3)
Secret of Mana - $8 (Wii Shop)
Street Fighter II’: Special Champion Edition - $8 (Wii Shop)
World of Goo - $15 (Wii Shop, PC)

Tuesday:
Battle of Giants: Dinosaurs (DS)
Boogie Superstar (Wii)
Brain Training for Dummies (PC)
Cesar Millan’s Dog Whisperer (DS, PC)
Combat Wings: Battle of Britain (PC)
Dead Space (Xbox 360, PS3)
Disney Sing It (PS3, PS2, Wii, Xbox 360)
Dokapon Kingdom (Wii, PS2)
FIFA Soccer 09 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, DS, PC)
Golden Axe: Beast Rider (Xbox 360, PS3)
Littlest Pet Shop (Wii)
Littlest Pet Shop: Garden (DS)
Littlest Pet Shop: Jungle (DS)
Littlest Pet Shop: Winter (DS)
Lovely Lisa (DS)
My Dress Up (DS)
My Japanese Coach (DS)
My Secret Diary (DS)
Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 (DS)
Penny Racers Party: Turbo-Q Speedway (Wii)
Poker for Dummies (PC)
Rock Band 2 (PS3)
Rock Revolution (Xbox 360, PS3, DS)
Saints Row 2 (Xbox 360, PS3)
Sam & Max: Season One (Wii)
Smart Boy’s Toy Club (DS)
Smart Girl’s Party Game (DS)
Smart Kid’s Party Fun Pack (DS)
SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Confrontation (PS3)

Wednesday:
Age of Booty - $10 (Xbox Live Arcade)
SafeCracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure (Wii)
Space Trader: Merchant Marine (PC)
Tak: Guardians of Gross (Wii, PS2)
Tak: Mojo Mistake (DS)

Friday:
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (PC)

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Today Nintendo adds new/classic games to the popular Wii Shop Channel. The games go live at 9AM Pacific time. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at stores like Amazon (see Card above).

We’ve included videos of each of today’s games for nostalgia’s sake or so you can see if it’s to your tastes.

This week’s new WiiWare games are:

World of Goo (2D Boy, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone—Comic Mischief, 1,500 Wii Points = $15): World of Goo is an award-winning, physics-based puzzle/construction game made entirely by two guys. Grab living, squirming, talking globs of goo to build structures, bridges, cannonballs, zeppelins and giant tongues. The millions of Goo Balls that live in the beautiful World of Goo are curious to explore—but they don’t know that they are in a game, or that they are extremely delicious. World of Goo Corporation is contractually obligated to state that everyone is a winner, and is enthusiastic to celebrate everyone’s Goo building opportunities equally.

Art Style: Cubello (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points = $6): Art Style: Cubello mixes the strategy and feel of a traditional puzzle game with the precision and reflexes required in a shooter. As each stage begins, various colored cubes form into one large object called a Cubello, which floats and rotates as you play. Launch additional cubes from your magazine and try to connect four or more of the same color, removing them from the Cubello and eventually leaving only its core. Take on the challenge of either Stage or Endless mode and watch what happens when Bonus Time is activated. The straightforward controls and goal ensure that anyone can play, while offering enough depth that even advanced players will find themselves quickly addicted to the unique world of Art Style: Cubello.

This week’s new Virtual Console games are:

Secret of Mana (Super NES, 1-3 players, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older—Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, 800 Wii Points = $8): Good and evil battle for a young warrior’s heart. There is one force in the universe that keeps good and evil in perfect balance. It is called the tree of Mana. But a magic sword has tricked a young warrior into upsetting this balance, spreading evil throughout the land. Thus, the warrior must undertake a dangerous journey to find the seeds of the Mana tree, which have been hidden for centuries. Only then can perfect harmony be restored. In this incredible adventure, things are not as they seem. Magic swords release evil as well as fight it. Treasure chests hold booby traps. Monsters are friends and friends are enemies. Potions give power, black magic takes it away. Dragons fly, weapons change. It’s a world turned upside down that you must help the warrior make right. And the only way to succeed is to solve the Secret of Mana.

Street Fighter II’: Special Champion Edition (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen—Violence, 800 Wii Points = $8): Street Fighter II’: Special Champion Edition was the first Street Fighter game released for the Sega Genesis console. The Street Fighter series can be considered one of the first fighting games to popularize competitive video game fighting. This version of the game contains both the Champion and Hyper rule sets, from the two editions released in the arcades. It also introduced an exclusive Group Battle mode that is now a general feature in most fighting games. Play as one of 12 different characters, each with their own distinctive fighting style. Try single-player mode or challenge a friend in this legendary, classic fighting game.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Square Enix’s new action-RPG Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time for both the Wii and Nintendo DS is coming out in Japan in a few months on January 29th, 2009. If you’re curious how the Pollux Engine allows up to four Wii and DS gamers to play together at the same time online (co-op), as well as supporting complete interaction between the two system, then you’ll enjoy the debut trailer.

Watch the first Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time gameplay video.

Click on the bottom-right corner arrow to view it fullscreen.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Tatsunoko vs Capcom is heading to the Wii if you haven’t heard. The reason the Wii was chosen is due to the arcade hardware the game was made on, which is based on the Wii hardware. Thus making for easy port over to the Wii.

Tatsunoko VS Capcom is the newest game in Capcom’s “versus” series that includes the incredibly popular Marvel VS Capcom and Capcom VS SNK arcade staples.

Sadly the game may not come to the United States due to licensing issues. The game involves characters from many different anime series from a company known as Tatsunoko Productions, which is most well known in the U.S. for the Gatchaman and Speed Racer series. The problem is that, in the U.S., different companies hold the rights to the different characters, thus making it difficult for Capcom to get the licensing issues sorted out. That’s in addition to the characters not being well known in the U.S. and/or some of them never having been released outside of Japan legally.

The Wii version will include at least one new exclusive character and will support both the Classic and GameCube controllers.

Check out a new gameplay video from the game from the Tokyo Game Show 2008 show floor and a previously released trailer.

Gameplay Footage

Japanese Debut Trailer

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Discipline is an upcoming WiiWare downloadable game developed by the same guy who brought the world Doshin the Giant and Tail of the Sun, director Kazutoshi Iida.

We know very little about this game . . . but the video kind of speaks for itself, don’t you think?

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Arc Rise Fantasia is an upcoming Wii-exclusive RPG that was first unvieled in the pages of the popular Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu.

The game is being developed by imageepoch and published by Marvelous Entertainment in Japan, and features people on the development team who were involved with Namco’s Tales RPG series (the latest of which is Tales of Hearts for DS). That includes Hiroyuki Kanemaru, who was the scenario script director and level concept designer for Tales of Symphonia. Other people on the development team have worked on Tales of the Abyss, Luminous Arc, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Shadow Hearts, Xenosaga, and others.

Story:
Arc Rise Fantasia is set in the empire of Meridian. Creatures called “Contaminant Dragons” are causing a lot of trouble as they pass the Meridian in flocks. If one is killed, the resulting explosion poisons the local area. When the empire receives word that a massive horde has its sights on the capital of Diamant, it immediately sends out an army to fight them, including Bright, a cool and collected novice mercenary, and his friend Alse, the beloved prince and second in line for the throne. Bright is severely injured during the battle, but is saved by a girl named Ryphia, who has secrets in her past and possesses the power to control “ley squalls,” naturally-occurring storms of magic that usually take the form of luminous rain.

As for the game itself, the goal of the team is to create a modern day “classic Japanese RPG” that is heavily inspired by the standard RPG conventions we’ve known and loved since the 80’s. Naturally, the game will be turn-based and will feature three-person parties.

For more info on the game, check out these new trailers from the Tokyo Game Show 2008.

Debut Trailer


Arc Rise Fantasia Intro Part 1

Arc Rise Fantasia Intro Part 2

Arc Rise Fantasia Intro Part 3

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Castlevania Judgment is playable on the show floor at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show in Japan and that has brought us new gameplay footage of the Wii fighting game in action as well as a new trailer.

The game is scheduled for release in the United States on November 18th and in Europe in the first half of 2009 (with a Japanese release on January 15th, 2009). Keep in mind that this is the Wii fighting game spin-off, NOT the new next-gen Xbox 360/PS3 Castlevania.

Like a lot of things from TGS 08, the video isn’t the best quality given that it was taken off of the screen with a camera, but regardless you still get to see new video of the game in action.

Including the trailer, there is new gameplay footage of Death, Maria and Simon duking it out. Looks pretty fun to me, much in the vein of Super Smash Bros. Brawl or Capcom’s Power Stone series.

Death vs Death Gameplay


TGS 08 Castlevania Judgment Trailer


Maria vs Simon Gameplay

Source: videogamesblogger.com

What are the best-selling games in America, Japan, and Europe (UK) this week? Thanks to Amazon online sales data here are the games that are the most popular now.

Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 2. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 3. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo), 4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo), 5. Active Life Outdoor Challenge (Bandai Namco).

Japan: 1. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 2. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 3. Wii Sports (Nintendo), 4. Disaster: Day of Crisis (Nintendo), 5. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts).

Europe: 1. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 2. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision), 3. Family Trainer: Outdoor Challenge (Bandai Namco), 4. Wii Play (Nintendo), 5. FIFA 09 (Electronic Arts).

Xbox 360
North America: 1. NBA 2K9 (2K Sports), 2. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts), 3. Rock Band 2 (MTV Games), 4. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar), 5. Halo 3 (Microsoft).

Japan: 1. Tales of Vesperia (Namco), 2. Dead Rising - Platinum Collection (Capcom), 3. Infinite Undiscovery (Square Enix), 4. Warriors Orochi 2 (Koei), 5. Earth Defense Forces 3 (D3 Publisher).

Europe: 1. FIFA 09 (Electronic Arts), 2. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 (Electronic Arts), 3. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 4. Lego Batman (Warner Bros.), 5. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts).

PlayStation 3
North America: 1. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts), 2. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar), 3. NBA 2K9 (2K Sports), 4. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Konami), 5. Iron Man (Sega).

Japan: 1. Aquanaut’s Holiday (Sony), 2. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Special Edition (Konami), 3. Tears to Tiara: Kakan no Daichi - Limited Edition (Aqua Plus), 4. Afrika (Sony), 5. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition (Bethesda).

Europe: 1. FIFA 09 (Electronic Arts), 2. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 (Electronic Arts), 3. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts), 4. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar), 5. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (Sony).

PlayStation 2
North America: 1. Lego Batman (Warner Bros.), 2. Madden NFL 09 (Electronic Arts), 3. God of War II (SCEA), 4. Shadow of the Colossus (Sony), 5. Rock Band Special Edition (MTV Games).

Japan: 1. Super Robot Taisen Z (Banpresto), 2. Dynasty Warriors 6 Special (Koei), 3. Hokuouki (Idea Factory), 4. Persona 4 (Atlus), 5. Hokuouki - Special Edition (Idea Factory).

Europe: 1. FIFA 09 (Electronic Arts), 2. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision), 3. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts), 4. SingStar Summer Party (Sony), 5. FIFA 08 (Electronic Arts).

PC
North America: 1. Spore (Electronic Arts), 2. Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy (Her Interactive), 3. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (Electronic Arts), 4. Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Colonization (2K Games), 5. The Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft (Dreamcatcher).

Japan: 1. Crysis: Warhead (Electronic Arts), 2. Final Fantasy XI: The Vana’diel Collection (Square Enix), 3. Zwei II - Special Edition (Nihon Falcom), 4. Monster Hunter Frontier Online Season 3.0 Premium (E-Frontier), 5. The Sims 2: Apartment Life (Electronic Artss).

Europe: 1. Spore (Electronic Arts), 2. Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway (Ubisoft), 3. The Sims 2: Apartment Life (Electronic Arts), 4. Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Colonization (2K Games), 5. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (Electronic Arts).

Nintendo DS
North America: 1. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (LucasArts), 2. Kirby Super Star Ultra (Nintendo), 3. Disney Friends (Disney), 4. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo), 5. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo).

Japan: 1. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Nintendo), 2. Pokemon Platinum (Nintendo), 3. KORG DS-10 (AQ Interactive), 4. Daigasso! Band Brothers DX (Nintendo), 5. DS Beautiful Letter Training (Nintendo).

Europe: 1. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training (Nintendo), 2. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega), 3. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo), 4. Mahjongg DS (Deep Silver), 5. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo).

PlayStation Portable
North America: 1. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts), 2. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (Rockstar), 3. God of War: Chains of Olympus (Sony), 4. Lego Batman (Warner Bros.), 5. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (Square Enix).

Japan: 1. Macross Ace Frontier (Bandai), 2. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (Capcom), 3. Phantasy Star Portable (Sega), 4. To Love-Ru Trouble: Exciting Beach School Version - Special Edition (Marvelous), 5. Way of the Samurai Portable (Spike).

Europe: 1. FIFA 09 (EA Sports), 2. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts), 3. Lego Indiana Jones (LucasArts), 4. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (Square Enix), 5. Football Manager Handheld 2008 (Sega).

Mario Kart Wii races to the first place on the Wii chart. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed holds on to the #1 spot on the PS3 & PSP charts. NBA 2K9 debuts at the top of the Xbox 360 chart. Lego Batman stays on the PS2 chart. Spore continues to explore the first place on the PC top 5. And lastly, after a discount to $19.99, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga returns on the DS chart. — For the full lists go to Amazon’s US, JPN (PC) & UK sites.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

A whole bunch of new gameplay videos for Rygar: The Battle of Argus (Wii) have been revealed at TGS 08. The game is scheduled for release on March 31st, 2009 exclusively on Wii.

The game is an enhanced port of Rygar: The Legendary Adventure, a PS2 game based on the classic NES Rygar action platformer that updated the game to modern standards with God of War-like action.

As you can see in the videos below, the game seems to be the same game released on the PS2. Although that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially for those who never played the PS2 version. Check out Rygar’s new home on the Wii in these gameplay videos from the 2008 Tokyo Game Show.

Combo Chain Gameplay


Swing N’ Bash Gameplay

Twin Boss Gameplay

Maximum Muscle Impact


Cyclops Gameplay

Source: videogamesblogger.com

The first Monster Hunter 3 (Wii exclusive) trailer and gameplay videos from the Tokyo Game Show 2008 (TGS) have been revealed and they prove at least one thing, Monster Hunter 3 is one heck of a good looking Wii game.

It also looks very fun, in a sort of Zelda-style action adventure style, and even includes lots of underwater monster-slaying. Give the game a look in the first official TGS 08 trailer and gamplay videos from the floor of the show. And don’t forget to also check out the new Monster Hunter Freedom Unite coming to the U.S. for PSP.

Trailer:

Gameplay Videos: