If not - I feel bad for anyone who likes Starfox 64.

'2008 is the year of the PS3' is an easy claim to make though... seeing how 2008 is half over and previously announced games are starting to hit for the holidays. Aside from the video service, though, Sony didn't really promise anything else for 2008.

- The Wii MotionPlus was confirmed to be packaged in with Wii Sports Resort in Spring 2009

- Future franchises - like Starfox or F-Zero - will likely benefit from the Wii MotionPlus (so a 2009 or later release)

- They didn't show a lot of upcoming games anyway - like the new WarioLand title or Mario Sluggers

- E3 is no longer Nintendo's place to show off their holiday lineup - in part because they sell games year-round reliably, and in part because they have almost entirely stopped hyping games so damn early.

- It's possible - if not likely - that more holiday-time releases from Nintendo are coming, but weren't announced yesterday in order to emphasize their commitment to the three peripherals - Wii Speak, Balance Board, Wii MotionPlus.

All in all, after I looked at their presser as pitched at a different crowd that gaming site junkies like us, and a presser to push the peripherals that make the Wii unique this generation, I wasn't so disappointed. I'm still disappointed - but that's not stopping me from looking forward to a future with the incredibly accurate Wii MotionPlus.

I'd put SERIOUS stock in this rumor though - a DS redesign may not be 'due', but Nintendo is taking a financial beating over software piracy, and this looks like a big step to put a stop to it.

The DS homebrew cards used to require a GBA slot boot before they found an exploit to launch their homebrew from the startup automatically. If Nintendo removes the GBA slot, there's no GBA boot. And an updated firmware could potentially lock out flash cards for good.

If this rumor is true - great! The only thing that would sour the deal was if there was an announcement they were no longer manufacturing Lites as a result.

But wait... hmmm... did you have trouble finding GBA SPs when the Micro came out?

'Sex sells' is the old adage. Flip that upside down, though, and you realize that no sexuality = no sales. Find an art form, any creative medium, that hasn't thrived and grown though sexuality. I challenge you - because I can make a case from Cave Drawings straight through to Rap Music.

Take a look at body proportions of the realistically animated features like Ghost in the Shell or Macross or whatever. Or at comic books, which feature the kinds of characters in our video games - larger than life, world-saving superheroes and villains. You could blame the gaming industry if you wanted, or the mass market or whathaveyou - but the image that topped this article, Ivy's breasts, can be found in any medium that features a character designer. Have you seen DC comics' new Batgirl, a busty-leather-clad-lipstick-lesbian? Seen any anime lately?

This isn't a problem with gaming. I wouldn't even say it's a problem. It's a complete societal mindset. Can gaming adjust that? Hardly, we're a minority in the mass market. Gaming will react to the trends though - but don't look at video games for cues as to where society will look to next for their representations of sexuality in gaming.

Interesting, if a little flawed. I don't think it's the best solution, but it's certainly a solution.

Blactivizzard used PayDay!
It's super effective!

Actiblizzion is really good... but I prefer Blactivizzard.

Sadly... no Animal Crossing posts. But still funny.

Well... that's not true. I would probably launch a campaign against management for making a bad business decision, and if that didn't work, then quit.

I'm always happy when we get an E3 not so dead-centred on console manufacturers. Konami / Capcom / Take Two / EA / Squeenix / Ubisfot / Activision should prove to be just a little more interesting than MS/Sony/Ninty news. Maybe even some new franchises unveiled.

I think 'obessive' may be a better choice of words - no negative connotation implied. 'Critic' may be another, or 'journalist'. But I would not dare say - or even imply - that the dedicated WoW gamer, or the Ikaruga high score holder, or the 100% completionist, isn't 'hardcore' based on what systems he or she buys.

I'm not seeing any - any - peripherals for the DS. And the Wii has a nunchuk (included with the Wii), two plastic casings which I'd hardly qualify as peripherals, and a balance board which Nintendo hasn't announced any first party support for, though they assure us third party is coming in spades. The rest is third party, like Rock Band instruments.

I see a possible future in Nintendo adding more peripherals - that was the intent of the expansion port on the bottom of the Wii Remote after all - but I don't see any evidence of it. But even if they unveiled a new peripheral this E3, it's hardly the company's new direction. Nintendo makes money lots of different ways - but manufacturing peripherals is certainly not on top of the list.

@Shiryu: Oh dear... okay, yeah that's disappointing... poor Portugal.

Just because they don't advertise the same way MS or Sony does doesn't mean it's worse.

@Silverwolf: If that were even remotely true... wouldn't Nintendo then have a neverending supply of children to sell their stuff to? Wouldn't that assure their dominance as opposed to undermine it somehow?

Checks stock trends for Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft...

Hmm... nope.

I'm not saying it couldn't happen... it's just that Nintendo wouldn't set out to make a Wii Kid Icarus game. They'd set out to make a good game with good game mechanics, and if at some point in development, Kid Icarus fit the mold of that game, then he'd be included.

That being said... Retro studios did amazing things bringing Metroid to 3D... maybe now that the trilogy is wrapped up, they can use the Metroid Wii game engine to make a top shelf Kid Icarus... hmmm...

Nintendo has been on a steady upward streak because they've shaken things up. Market disruption, and all of that. To think that they, as a business, can afford to rest on their laurels is severely misreading everything Nintendo's worked for since they unveiled the DS at E3, what, four years ago now?

Whether or not they 'shake things up' remains to be seen - that's a pretty subjective stance. But to assume that they won't even try - especially with their stock the highest it's ever been - is shortsighted at best.

Taking a quick look at the attach rates...err... yeah. I guess that's about right. I thought it seemed really out of whack for the majority of gamer's money to be spent on hardware and accessories over games themselves, but that actually adds up.

I wonder what those numbers would be like if piracy wasn't around.

- "2-D"
- "3-D"
- "Port"
- "Emulate"
- "Multiplayer"

And now Squeenix's words that they actually used:

- "Remastered"
- "All-new dual screen presentation"
- "Wireless Play mode"

Until we see some footage or screenshots (likely at E3) I think we can all hold our collective judgements. Even the most even-handed conjecture from that press release doesn't lean towards a new art direction or the classic sprites. It's guesswork at best - I can't wait to see some screens.

Even Blade Runner has color. Lighten up, online angry peoples.

@Llost: Random battles aren't bad. They're a time-tested and proven game mechanic in nearly every RPG out there. But the pace of Chrono Trigger isn't ever stalled by a need to beat more enemies, by a need to level up, by a need to worm your way through the world map random encounters. It makes for a better overall game in my opinion - but not necessarily, say, a better Final Fantasy game, which is built on the random encounter system.

If you've ever played a tabletop D&D game, imagine what it would be like the seventieth time your DM threw a goblin at you. That's how random battles feel for me. I powerlevel too - but the fact that Chrono Trigger can be played without ever fighting the same battle twice is amazing to me. That's why I play it. That's why I love it.

Because as far as I can tell, that was Fahey's assumption, and not from any source.

Aside from that - how often do JRPG fans get news anyway? The most news we get is "Final Fantasy Fillintheblank Delayed".

Anyway - the reason I found Chrono Trigger to be my favorite game of all time was simple. No random battles. Because the game had no random battles, the pace of the game, the structure of it, was under the complete control of the designers. It's the only JRPG I've ever played where the battle system doesn't wear thin throughout the course of the game - each battle is unique. It's the best innovation ever made in a JRPG, and no one has learned from it.

That's why I'm excited.

However, Square has a trend. Make a SNES game (like Final Fantasy IV, II in the States), make a remake with updated sprite art (Final Fantasy IV Advance), make a 3D remake (FF IV DS).

I don't think even Square would release the game three times with the same sprite art. Though that would make me happy - it's one of the most beautiful games to ever be composed with a pixel palette.

Wireless play sounds... confusing. PvP or co-op dungeon exploring or what?

However, knowing Squeenix's addiction to extra dungeons in remakes, that makes me excited. Anyone who traversed the 80 level dungeon in the remake of FF I for the GBA should be excited for a new huge area to explore in Chrono Trigger. Anything that holds a candle to the Black Omen would be an amazing journey to go through.

And it's coming this holiday. I cannot wait for screenshots to see how they're doing the art direction - and if they'll include the cinematics of the PS1 version.