“We have new games and new experiences for every kind of player this holiday season, and that will certainly fuel increased interest in Wii and Nintendo DS,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “While there’s no way to gauge total demand for our hardware systems, we’re trying to satisfy as many of those players as possible.”

My suggestion? Buy them early anyway. Don't let promises of increased supply cause you to wind up crying in front of a Toys R Us video game counter because your child's holiday is ruined. You're a bad parent, and that's okay. The book they write one day will pay for your nursing home.

The business wire believes that Nintendo will be unveiling the apparently rumored new Nintendo DS as well as new accessories to avoid a price drop.

The news comes in a year when Nintendo shared have dropped 39 percent amid fears that credit-related losses in the U.S. will affect demand for consumer electronics. Despite the stock drop, Daiwa Institute of Research believes that Nintendo will sell 26.5 million Wii consoles in the year ending March 31, compared with 7 million Xbox 360s. Sony believes it will sell 10 million PS3. Last year, Nintendo's Wii outsold the PS3 and Xbox 360 by two to one, according to Daiwa.

I've been saying since before E3 that Nintendo is relying more on accessories than platform prices and games to sell their Wii, and now it looks like analysts are starting to think that too. But what accessories could Bloomberg be referring to?

Please don't tell me they're talking about that pedometer. Whatever they turn out to be I'm sure plastic injection molding companies everywhere will rejoice.

Stay tuned this evening, about 10:30 p.m. Mountain Time for details from Nintendo's press conference in Japan.

Nintendo May Introduce New DS Player, Wii Accessories (Update1) [Bloomberg]

Maybe Piktura, speculated to be a new Pikmin game could lure them in. Nintendo filed a copyright for the name Piktura with the Japanese patent office this summer but has said nothing official about the property.

We do know that Nintendo is hard at work on another game in the Pikmin series. Miyamoto said it himself. But details on that game — its platform, title or design — have been nonexistent.

Oh, sure, we're totally speculating about a possible future Nintendo announcement, with little more than circumstantial evidence to support the theory. It's an ill-advised move, we know. Still, we wouldn't mind stylus control in our next Pikmin. And interacting with digital photos, maybe ones from our own garden, could be gee-whiz neato.

What say you? For or against Pikmin on your DS? Would it push you over the edge to rebuy the Nintendo DS for a third time?

Then early this morning Nintendo of Japan responded with a glorified no comment, saying in part that they are "always developing new products."

Now, responding to a request for comment from Kotaku, Nintendo of America weighs in with a slightly chunkier no comment, pointing out that Nikkei did not talk to Nintendo for their story. Interesting:

"The Nikkei newspaper wrote a recent story about a DS solely based upon their own research and speculation, without interviewing Nintendo. While Nintendo is always working on new hardware, we have not made any announcement about a DS and we cannot comment on the Nikkei story."

What's strange is that the original story (I had Ash check) never quotes any sources or in anyway indicates that the story is essentially rumor. The newspaper essentially reports it as fact. So I'm not sure what to make of this.

The Japanese version of the report mentions that pictures taken via the DS's internal camera can be used by games, opening up new gameplay options.

Nikkei Net writes that the new version is "expected to be priced below 20,000 yen." The Nintendo DS Lite is currently priced at 16,800 yen in Japan. The new DS will launch first in Japan, with the country seeing an allocation of "several hundred thousand units" before any overseas sales.

Nintendo To Debut Camera-Equipped, Music-Playing DS In Late '08 [Nikkei Net (subscription required) via NeoGAF]

Researches say that during the nine-week study they found improvements in students' concentration and behavior, with students completing standardized test faster than those who hadn't trained on the Nintendo DS game.

Man, these Scottish kids don't know how good they got it. In elementary school, I was part of a research group that monitored the effects of having one's lunch money stolen everyday before class began. And look what happened to me. :(

Computer game boosts maths scores [BBC]

While EA was trotting out numbers, it wanted to mention that some 25 million things have been uploaded to the Sporepedia, a figure we'll presume includes all the goodies uploaded via the Spore Creature Creator. So, now you know!

UPDATE: Nintendo Everything has shit-tons more screens at better resolutions. They lead the gallery.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars — First Screens [Gamekyo via Team Teabag]

The game will be hitting shelves on October 14th for Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo DS.

Gameplay-wise, Chinatown Wars will feature D-pad aiming and auto targeting via the R button, as well as "tasteful" mini-games — no lap dances? The arsenal is said to include a flamethrower and chain gun, and the wanted system looks to be modified to maybe shun GTA IV's "out of sight, out of mind" mechanic for one that requires the player to "disable police cars any way possible."

More details after the jump.

- True GTA game - sandbox gameplay, open-world environment, gritty crime narrative.
- M-rating
- Isometric camera angle
- Cel-shaded polygons w/ black borders
- good touch-screen implementation - "tasteful" minigames, streamlining interface
- UI based on a PDA - hub for email, contacts, map, music player, GPS, stat-tracking
- stats uploaded to Rockstar Social Club website via Wi-Fi
- finger-sized icons
- missions designed for shorter periods of play, arcade quality
- aiming with control pad, auto targeting with R button
- subtle autosteer
- if you fail a mission, you can jump back to the action sequence
- chain gun, flamethrower
- good portion of Liberty City is modeled in the game (different routes than console games)
- no probems with load times, draw-in or frame rate
- lots of pedestrians, cars, etc on screen
- Wanted system - objective is to disable police cars any way possible
- real-time weather effects, 24-hour day/night cycle
- lots of radio stations to listen to (more instrumentals than vocals)
- 800,000 lines of hand-optimized source code (hey, the people like the info, right?)
- no details yet on multiplayer/Wi-Fi features

Unfortunately, we don't have the new November issue of Nintendo Power on hand to verify these details, nor do we have scans of the magazine at the ready (because that's naughty), so we should consider this rumor for now. We'll be checking in with Rockstar to see if this is all legit while we wait with breathless anticipation for our copy of NIntendo Power to show up.

Nintendo Power - November 2008 (V234) - Muramasa, GTA DS [NeoGAF via GoNintendo]

Only 2 weeks until we can get our hands on BioWare's rendition of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Of all the Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood trailers we've posted, these two are by far the best. They give us the most insight on what we can expect in terms of character abilities and environments. Second video after the jump.

In the short amount of time until we have left we're all burned to a crisp by Blue Dragon Plus' western release, you can enjoy the attached press release, which highlights the creative superteam of Sakaguchi, Toriyama and Uematsu, as well as "exciting RPG elements" like "item collection" and "character progression." What, no mention of menu navigation?

Ignition Entertainment Acquires Exclusive Video Game Publishing Rights to Blue Dragon Plus for Nintendo DS™

Property Slated to Release Across North America and Europe in March, 2009

Glendale, CA – September 16, 2008 – Ignition Entertainment Ltd., a UTV Enterprise, a worldwide publisher and developer of videogames, in conjunction with AQ Interactive invite gamers around the world to "Awaken the Power Within" when Blue Dragon Plus for Nintendo DS™ breathes fire across North America and Europe in March 2009.

Directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, Blue Dragon Plus features character designs by Akira Toriyama, and a soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu.

Currently a top-rated show on Cartoon Network in the U.S., the story of Blue Dragon centers on a young boy named Shu and several of his friends who possess the ability to control phantom shadows that mirror the actions of their masters. In Blue Dragon Plus, one year has passed since Shu and his companions defeated the tyrannical remnant of the Ancients, Nene. In the midst of the battle, the world split in two and now consists of a myriad of “cubes” that exploded from its depths. King Jibral notices a mysterious cube in the distance suddenly start to move violently, and from it he sees the Shadow of a Balaur, a three-headed dragon, emerge. The enormous and sinister Shadow is just the beginning of the new turmoil and devastation to come.

"We are thrilled to be able to take Blue Dragon Plus to market,” said Ajay Chadha, President of Ignition Entertainment. “Out-of-the-box thinking and effective marketing are the cornerstones of our success, and this acquisition relays our standing commitment to that. Clearly our partners have as much faith in Ignition as we have in their products!"

“Ignition Entertainment has proven to be an excellent partner for us and we look forward to working together with them again with the launch of Blue Dragon Plus in North America and Europe next year,” said Tomoyuki Takechi, CEO of AQ Interactive Inc.

Blue Dragon Plus Features Include:
• Single Player Campaign With Over 30 Hours of Game Play
• Legion vs. Legion
o Control up to 16 humans and Mecha Robos to fight against a horde of enemies
o Equip your units with items and alter their composition to bolster their strength
• Exciting Real-Time Battles and Shadow Fights!
• High Quality Dual Screen FMV’s Showcasing More Than an Hour of Story Events!
• Exciting RPG Elements Such As Item Collection, Character Progression and Robot Customizations

ABOUT IGNITION ENTERTAINMENT LTD:
Ignition Entertainment Limited is a UTV Media Communication company. Ignition was created by a core team of gaming industry veterans with the purpose of building upon their successful track record to develop and publish within the international games industry. You can find more information about Ignition Entertainment Ltd. At www.ignitionusa.com

ABOUT UTV SOFTWARE COMMUNICATIONS LTD:
UTV Software Communications Ltd. is India’s foremost Media & Entertainment Company with leadership position in four Verticals that includes Motion Pictures, Broadcasting, TV Content and Interactive (i.e. Animation and Gaming). Listed on the Mumbai Stock Exchange with the Motion Pictures business listed on the AIM, London Stock Exchange. Walt Disney Inc. holds a strategic stake in UTV. It has subsidiaries with offices across India, the UK and USA. More information on the group is available at www.utvnet.com

ABOUT AQ INTERACTIVE:
AQ Interactive consists of the main development company, three development studios - ARTOON CO., LTD., cavia inc., and feelplus Inc. (all are consolidated subsidiaries) - and a US-based marketing services agency, XSEED JKS, Inc. AQI is involved mainly in the planning, development, and sales of videogame software. Since its inception in 2000, the group's main objective has been to offer high-quality entertainment products to our users. The group mainly sells videogame software created by their three subsidiaries domestically in Japan , as well as sell licenses for the same software overseas. AQ Interactive also acquires distribution rights for videogame titles created overseas to sell them in Japan . The three subsidiaries each have distinctive development studios and create videogame titles for the company. For more information, please visit: http://www.aqi.co.jp/en/index.html .

And then there's the software. More Wii Play, more Mario Kart, more Wii Fit. Stop this merry-go-round of consistency! We want to get off!

We don't know how Nintendo’s executive VP of sales and marketing Cammie Dunaway can keep coming up with things to say, in the light of such positivity. We're wondering if the corporate response will ever just consist of a shrug and a head-cock. Your corporate gloat awaits you.

NPD Says Nintendo DS and Wii Finish 1 and 2 in August U.S. Sales

Nintendo DS™ and Wii™ again topped the hardware sales charts for August, according to the independent NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. In August, more than 514,000 portable Nintendo DS systems sold in the United States, bringing the lifetime U.S. total to nearly 22 million. In August, more than 448,000 Wii consoles sold in the United States, bringing the lifetime U.S. total to nearly 12 million and extending its lead as the best-selling video game console of this generation.

Five games made for Nintendo systems placed in the top 10 best-selling games of the month, including Wii Fit™ at No. 4 with nearly 395,000 sold, Mario Kart® Wii at No. 5 with nearly 329,000 sold, Wii Play™ at No. 6 with more than 200,000 sold, Madden NFL 09 All-Play for Wii at No. 9 with nearly 116,000 sold and Guitar Hero: On Tour for Nintendo DS at No. 10 with more than 111,000 sold.

“The positive public response to Nintendo DS and Wii has stayed strong throughout 2008,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “New titles like Madden NFL 09 All-Play for Wii have joined top 10 veterans like Wii Fit, demonstrating the wide and long-lasting appeal of Nintendo games.”

It's so very Japanese and reminds us of Sega's fashion focused Love & Berry series. It's due to hit Japan on October 23, if this happens to be your sort of thing and kanji makes sense to you. And you're a girl...

Nintendo Gets Fashionable on the DS [IGN]

Feder wouldn't confirm that the title would hit before the holidays, despite requests from callers to clarify.

If rumors are right, Chinatown Wars will hit in the same three month window — November 1 to January 31 — as GTA IV's Xbox 360 exclusive downloadable episodes. If that GTA three-way does happen, it could make for a very happy group of shareholders. And a lot of virtual bystander corpses.

We're expecting a Nintendogs for at-risk canines, something that we hope will result in a literal underdog triumphing over adversity; not pissing on the good rug, for example, but in-game. We also expect lots of microphone directed whispering. If you're coming in from the front page, click through for full sized box art reality, perfect for bewildered eye-rubbing.

The new color update is said to be featured in new print ads featuring actress Liv Tyler, whose been doing bubbly Brain Age 2 commercials for the company recently.

Pro snowboarder Todd Richards will play second fiddle to Hawk in the handheld game, with the back up sport adding "more than 20 diverse mini-challenges" to the game. We're mini-excited.

Tony Hawk's Motion takes advantage of the Motion Pack, according to the fact sheet distributed today, which casually mentions it as if we know what the hell that is. It does remind us of this ancient rumor, though. And this one. Perhaps current gen console are getting their own taste of Tony Hawk's Motion soon.

Oh, and it'll make more money accordingly. Operating income and net income have both been projected to be much, much higher. What does that really mean?

Net income of somewhere in the ballpark of $3.8 billion (in U.S. bucks) for the year, according to Bloomberg, news that gave Nintendo's stock price a positive kick in the pants. The Bloomberg report does not mention, however, exactly when Nintendo expects to give up its efforts and go third party and put guns on cars like they probably should. You're just prolonging the inevitable, Iwata!

Nintendo Raises Forecasts on Wii, DS; Shares Surge [Bloomberg]

Eric Ruckman was so desperate to give the DS port of Guitar Hero the thrashing it so richly deserves that he scooped out the innards of his PS2 guitar and melded it with a DS. The DS touch screen is still used for strumming - the plectrum stylus works even better in this context - and the crafty sod even bolted on an FM transmitter to pump stereo sound through his hi-fi.

Hack Guitar Hero DS into a guitar controller [Hack-A- Day via Engadget]

Follow the jump for a video of the mod in action

If the early demo on show at the Games Convention is anything to go by, the answer is 'sorta'. Codemasters are first and foremost concentrating on making a solid DS game and then trying to cram as much Overlord into the thing as possible.

As such, the game is now entirely stylus-based with your supply of willing minions whittled down to just four - each of which has a special area of expertise. With a greater emphasis on puzzle solving the game looks to be veering towards Lemmings territory.

Not that there is anything wrong with Lemmings (we'll ignore the various shonky attempts at 3Ding that classic puzzler) but let's hope Codemasters don't lose that tasty Overlord flavour. Good for them for not just settling on a nice safe conversion, though.

Overlord Minions (Nintendo DS) [1Up]

That’s not to say Madden NFL 09 is a failure or a warmed-over roster update. It is by any objective measure the best version of the game since Madden ‘05, which was the game’s apotheosis on 2nd-generation consoles. Madden 09’s outstanding presentation will please lifelong adherents, and its remarkably accurate replay analysis will educate newcomers and encourage those returning to the series. Foundationally, this version begins the title's next generation. But in gameplay, it takes safe but incremental steps toward the classic, impossible goal of a sports title: Creating realistic competition that is challenging yet winnable. If you are not an experienced player, Madden ‘09 skews toward winnable, but it doesn’t leave you feeling like you played your best.

Loved:
Backtrack: A mistake play brings up an animated breakdown that points out the error you made and exposes the alternatives you had. It’s remarkably accurate for a first effort. A sports simulation really shines when it teaches people something about the game as it is played in real life. Madden ‘09 has always led that effort, and takes another strong step forward with this feature.

Rewind: As a single-player device only, this is a great addition. Rewind allows you a do-over for one particularly egregious play (or more, depending on your settings). Its purpose is to save perfectionists from themselves and keep them playing the game rather than starting over.

Improved ball-running controls: Beginning this year, when a tackle animation starts you can lay on the buttons or the right stick to spin, stiff-arm or sprint loose from the tackle. In time you’ll develop your own go-to set of control choices. Fighting for your yards is a rewarding feeling and deepens the game’s authenticity.

Cris Collinsworth: Widely considered the class of NFL analysts, he is no less than that on Madden 09. His familiar, natural delivery is a part of every play and it matches well with the onfield action. Collinsworth will also startle you with his accuracy in the Backtrack commentary, especially when he says you were staring at a single receiver the entire time. Collinsworth, in substance and style, is more than a good analyst. He’s an upgrade from Madden himself.

Presentation: When the franchise calendar hits November you’ll play with long shadows under foot and leaden skies overhead, and it lends a different quality of light to the turf and the stadium surroundings, especially when the lights are on at twilight. After four quarters of rain, your uniform will be unidentifiably filthy. All it lacked was dirt clods in your face mask. In post-play animations players help each other up, swoop to and run with dislodged balls after the whistle, or shove and jaw at one another. All of these things extend the immersive experience striven for and built on in previous versions of the game.

Hated:
Adaptive difficulty: I don’t literally hate the concept, certainly don’t think it should be stripped from future versions, but I’m not sold yet on the idea that Madden 09’s AI really adapts to your skills. Online single matches tended to come down to the final two series and not a one of them came close to being the kind of well played epic you imagine when the game is decided on the final drive or in overtime. It’s like the football equivalent of a “My kid is a terrific kid” bumper sticker. The diagnostic tests that set your “Madden IQ” at the beginning of the game are way, way too easy. My original tests put me as an all-Madden level runner and I am nowhere near it. You’re inevitably starting the game overrated in one or more categories, and failing at it to bring your AI down to a more reasonable level is both time consuming and not fun. You’re better off sandbagging your diagnostics and letting your Madden IQ rise and fall according to your in-game performance, or just playing on its standard pre-set difficulties. In conversation, online gamers to a man expressed no confidence in or understanding of how Madden IQ either moved or affected gameplay beyond anecdotal assumptions.

Tom Hammond: The new play-by-play man is not at all natural in this environment. The substance of his call is very generic, routinely omits players’ and team names, and his tone is almost always mismatched to the play or the circumstance. Even the between-plays endorsement of EA Sports is off. He needs work, because right now he sounds like C3PO.

Artificial Stupidity: This is nothing new, and is perhaps more of a concern for singleplayer than multiplayer. But the offensive line’s AI is still, year after year, utter crap. Draw plays and screen passes are useless, making obvious passing downs even more obvious. Defenses are helpless against the slant route. But the game really is long overdue for better offensive line play. I would have no problem if the Madden 10 cover boy was Alan Faneca or Matt Light or Jeff Saturday and the game touted revolutionary offensive line AI and pre-snap adjustments, which seem entirely gratuitous as of now. But linemen don’t sell video games.

Madden ‘09 offers to date the most inclusive experience ever for a sport so complex and inscrutable as American football. But it’s based entirely on execution, when so much of the game is about decision-making before the snap. The game has always been given to information overload and a myriad of choices that lack context. Still, longtime gamers have coped with that for years, developing their own systems; neophytes won’t really care and will accept the spoonfeeding; and those coming back to the series after a few years will get a warm welcome from the game’s AI and find strong value for their dollar.

But you get what you give to this game, and if you are expecting Sunday afternoon realism, you still need to give a lot to help create that experience.

Madden ‘09, developed by EA Tiburon, published by EA and released Aug. 12. Retails for $59.99. Versions available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP. Reviewed on Xbox 360. Played singleplayer franchise mode for a complete season into the playoffs and played online multiplayer single-game mode.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

According to Nintendo gloat data, the Wii was responsible for 49% of all console sales, the DS claiming 73% of all handheld sales in July.

Unfortunately, Nintendo of America EVP of Sales & Marketing Cammie Dunaway was rather low key with her quoted statement, saying “Various types of games for the Nintendo systems are represented in the top 10, demonstrating how we continue to break down the barriers between veteran and new players.” Adequate, but please punch it up for August, Cammie. Please?

NPD Data Shows Nintendo’s Summer of Fun Isn’t Done

Nintendo products kept people entertained in July, whether they wanted to get fit, rock out or just play around. According to the independent NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States, Nintendo DS™ and Wii™ again claimed the top two hardware spots for July, with more than 608,000 DS units and more than 555,000 Wii units sold. Wii claimed a 49 percent share of all console sales in July, and extended its lead as the best-selling console of this generation. Nintendo DS represented a 73 percent share of hand-held sales in July.

Five games made for Nintendo systems placed in the top 10 best-selling games of the month, including Wii Fit™, with 369,603 units sold at No. 2; Guitar Hero®: On Tour for Nintendo DS, with 309,695 units sold at No. 3; Wii Play™, with 284,035 units sold at No. 4; Mario Kart® Wii, with 174,464 units sold at No. 7; and Rock Band for Wii, with 162,886 units sold at No. 8.

“Great hardware goes hand-in-hand with great software,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Various types of games for the Nintendo systems are represented in the top 10, demonstrating how we continue to break down the barriers between veteran and new players.”

Even as I type, teams of misshapen, feather-crested spidergoats are ferrying the Gold disc over to the DVD factory with a note from Will Wright and a calender with a big red ring around September 7th.

The 'proper' versions of Spore for the PC & Mac will be accompanied by Spore Creatures for the Nintendo DS. iPhone owners will get their callused multi-touching fingers on Spore Origins on September 4th.

Spore Goes Gold, Definitely Arriving September 7 [Shacknews]

If you're a friend of Robert Pelloni and you're wondering why you haven't seen him for half a decade, here's why. Bob's Game, a title we'll assume is tentative for now, is a top down 2D adventure game built over the course of five years by a single person. Yes, one (obviously mad) developer is responsible for the programming, art, music, story and script required to bring Bob's Game to life.

According to the developer, the homebrew title is a simple adventure game, an RPG-lite sans repetitive battles that looks more than a bit Shenmue-esque. You can learn all about it by checking out the annotated version of the above clip at YouTube. Pelloni is currently seeking a publisher and hopefully sunlight.

"bob's game" for Nintendo DS [YouTube - thanks, Matt!]

Predicting a worldwide install base of a half billion hardware units by 2011 and using the combined powers of math, analysis and good ol' fashion "can do" attitude, Deering puts the Wii in first place on the current gen console side, at 80 million strong. Just behind that by 10 million? The PlayStation 3. With all hardware accounted for from the two camps — Wii, DS, PS3, PS2, PSP — they'll both tie for first

Yes, poor Microsoft will be twiddling it's thumbs in third, if Deering's predictions — really a mutation of Screen Digest and IDG's predictions — pan out. The Redmond giant will sell just half of what Nintendo's Wii will, with the Xbox 360 already half-way to its expected total tally of 40 million.

Sony and Nintendo will tie in hardware race, says former SCEE boss [GamesIndustry.biz]

A tipster sent us the attached SKU query (full size mobile phone pic after the jump) which claims a metallic silver DS drops in less than a month (Sept. 7). Also looks like the PS2 "Family Value Pack" that includes the console, Lego Batman and the Justice League: New Frontiers DVD, for $149, has a street date of Sept 23.

DS Fanboy reported the metallic silver rumor last month saying it would arrive in September, but didn't specify a date.

Fair warning, this is not a full screen shot, so if you work at a Best Buy and want to nitpick what's not shown on the screen.

Rumor: USA to be Awarded Silver [DS Fanboy]

And it's not just boring old mahjong you'll be playing in Simple DS Series Volume 44: THE Gal Mahjong. No, you'll get fantastic, subtly suggestive mini-games, in which girls ride on inflatable bananas and are endlessly attacked by mosquitos, requiring one to swat them away with the DS stylus. You may even be asked to wipe the sand away from a biniki-clad doe-eyed female mahjong partner.

Simple DS Series Volume 44: THE Gal Mahjong... ask for it by name this September!

Simple DS Series Volume 44: Gal Mahjong [Game Watch]

According to marketing materials, the limited edition black DS comes with a few other goodies, including a matching carrying case, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DVD, a poster featuring Grovyle, and a GameStop exclusive Pokémon shirt. You simply cannot lose.

The collection of things can be had for $129, which our GameStop tipster says may be "eligible for the 'Trade in GBASP or Old DS Get DS Lite for $90' deal." Call your store. They'll know.

According to the UGO post, Chinatown Wars focuses on "an outsider navigating the criminal underworld of a major city", with the player controlling "a young gang soldier involved in the internal power struggle for control of his gang."

The survey also allegedly spills details on what that Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support will be.

Four different game modes, one of them a race mode, are said to be included in GTA: Chinatown Wars. Cooperative wi-fi multiplayer is also listed as a feature.

The alleged survey also notes that the game will feature "20+ hours of straight gameplay" over the course of 70+ missions, as well as stylus-based, contextual mini-games "such as assembling a sniper rifle to complete an assassination mission, and smashing locks and hotwiring cars to steal them."

While the graphical plummet from Grand Theft Auto IV to whatever the Nintendo DS can spit out will certainly make it a strain on the eyes, we're still interested in the handheld exclusive release. If these details pan out to be true — we're checking in with Rockstar to see if they feel like confirming — we'll be in for something swell, I'm sure.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Details Revealed [UGO]

The Europeans are lucky enough to get Goichi "Suda51" Suda's mystery adventure game Flower, Sun and Rain for the Nintendo DS this October. We, the rest of the Earth, are at least able to enjoy the game's trailer, which not only features someone (Suda?) taking the Nestea plunge, but has pink alligators and a fantastic smooth jazz soundtrack — the kind that makes me want to donate my ears to the less fortunate.

Described as "an unyielding Groundhog Day style adventure", Flower, Sun, and Rain is a remake of the PlayStation 2 release of the same name. The trailer proudly proclaims that "Suda51's masterpiece is finally here" which we hope isn't a slight to the man's other titles.

True story: I once shared a cab with Suda. That's the entire story. It was largely uneventful as everyone made it home safely in a short amount of time.

The full (tentative) title, Shiseido Beauty Solution Supervised Exploration Center: Project Beauty, certainly makes the software sound like a Sega developed "Make-Up Training" application. That's the kind of non-game casual software that the Japanese gamer might just love.

According to a Play-Asia listing for the title, it comes in two flavors, one with a 'DS Scan' and one without. There's a ten dollar price difference between the two, with a higher shipping cost on the bundled version giving the impression that it's coming in a big box.

The whole thing smacks of Otona no DS Kao Training (aka Face Training) which came with a camera that plugs into the DS's Game Boy Advance cartridge slot. Whether Project Beauty supports the first-party camera, we'll have to wait to find out.

Project Beauty is a crossover with Sega and Shiseido? [Siliconera]

The transformations from pleased as punch to enraged were most noticeable in Kirby's journeys to America, going from happy go lucky to in a lather in games like Kirby Squeak Squad. Kirby Super Star Ultra changes all that, as Kirby's gay old times are back, with nary a furrowed brow to be seen.

If you'd like to fondly remember Kirby's more bitter box art outings, hit the jump.

In fact, it's those cooling hardware sales on the DS that may force Nintendo to react, making an end-of-year announcement more likely, Pachter writes. The DS has been regularly outsold by the PSP for the past few months in Japan, with marquee software releases doing little to boost matching hardware sales.

Sure, the company is still selling DS hardware at a massive rate in the U.S. and Europe, and it just announced a very, very profitable quarter, but the dates match up.

The Nintendo DS Lite launched just fifteen months after the original, fugly DS, making the timing seem right for a hardware refresh.

We'd heard just prior to E3 that Nintendo was planning on releasing a smaller, cheaper DS, one with a a built-in accelerometer. Obviously, that didn't happen, but that talk was based on an IGN rumor, citing "trusted insiders."

Besides, Europe's shirtless models have become bored with the current DS. They need something desperately to reignite their passion for handheld video games. Won't someone at Nintendo think of the models?!

Nintendo DS Successor Ready? [Edge]

The "core" may still be hanging its head, waking up in cold sweats to the sound of Wii Music clanging through their heads, but that doesn't mean Nintendo isn't doing spectacularly on the financial side.

Pachter figures that the Big N will pull in some $3.9 billion for the quarter, adding up to a $17.7 billion take for the entire year. If Nintendo has indeed abandoned the core, who could blame 'em? That's "fuck you" money, right there.

Pachter: Nintendo To Report $3.91b In Q1 Sales, Hasn't Abandoned Core [Gamasutra]