The tightened restrictions had meant passengers had to remain in their seats for the final hour of a flight, with nothing in their laps. Others had reported a total ban on electronics. The Transportation Security Administration was intentionally vague about what flights might or might not require, but nearly all of it meant bad things for the use of portable electronic devices - at least on international flights. Crecente, however, just flew 14 hours from Australia into the U.S. and was allowed to use electronics in flight.

The AP specifically said "In-flight entertainment restrictions have also been lifted." I suppose this means it's all over, for now anyway.

In-Flight Security Rules Eased [Associated Press on Yahoo! News]

Unfortunately, it sounds like they'll be verboten for international flights inbound to the U.S. While the Transportation Security Administration has issued no formal rules (and, in fact, is being deliberately vague about them) Gizmodo and several other sources are reporting the ban as fact.

Another key detail: for international flights inbound to the U.S., passengers will have to remain in their seats for the last hour of a flight, without access to their carry-on baggage (above or underneath a seat) and without any personal items on their laps. So, better pee up before that final hour, and make sure you're at a good stopping point in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines.

It's also unclear how this affects travel within the U.S., but you can bet it will, beginning with long lines as screeners tighten their focus. Other measures either reported or expected include the aforementioned no cabin travel for the last hour of a flight; keeping the cabin lights on for the entire trip; disabling the display of a flight's progress in the seatback monitors offered on some planes; and generally making sure you resent the experience from check-in to baggage claim.

As there are a ton of variables in play here, for U.S. flights and for those in other countries, and as plenty of folks are flying either today or tomorrow - or this time next week - returning from holiday travels, we're opening up a comment thread here to report what you've seen. Especially as it relates to the use of electronic devices. Flying is such an unpleasant process these days, laptops, handhelds and DVD players have become almost indispensable for their diversionary qualities. Plus, some are still under the illusion they can get work done midair.

So here, and for future reference, use the hashtags #tsa #flights or #airtravel to talk about what you've seen, heard or experienced. You'll be doing your fellow flying gamers a service.

Miller, quoted in the "first printed issue of Gamesauce," says "the next few years should see a strong resurgence in Duke." Shacknews, which spotted the article, says Miller remains sanguine about the prospects of a franchise with one published title since the Clinton administration.

There are numerous other Duke games in various stages of development, several due out this year. We are definitely looking to bring Duke into casual gaming spaces, plus there are other major Duke games in production.

Miller says "almost all" of those projects are unannounced, but, Shacknews points out they likely include:

• Two Duke iPhone games Miller previously announced.

• A Duke Nukem Trilogy for DS and PSP, from Frontline Studios.

• The Xbox Live Arcade port of Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project.

• A scrapped project called Duke Begins, alluded to in Take-Two's lawsuit against Miller and Broussard.

And, of course, Miller repeated the obligatory tease that Duke Nukem forever is not dead. "We've never said that Duke Nukem Forever has ceased development. ... Yes, we released the internal team, but that doesn't correlate to the demise of the project."

Sorry, but at this point, games or GTFO.

3D Realms Teases 'Numerous' Duke Nukem Games, 'Looking to Bring Duke into Casual Gaming' [Shacknews]

Style Savvy is a game marketed at girls that's all about fashion - putting together outfits, running your own boutique, and maybe even making waves on the runway scene. The game was developed by syn Sophia, the developer formerly known as AKI Corporation. As you may or may not know, AKI Corporation was responsible for developing some of the best professional wrestling video games of the late 90's / early 2000's, including WWF No Mercy, the first two Def Jam games, and the Japan-only Virtual Pro-Wrestling series. And now they've created Style Savvy, which tickles me to no end.

Now that I've gotten the irony out of the way, let's talk Style Savvy. Is it strong enough for a man, yet made for a woman?

Pull up a chair and let Miss Michael tell you all about it.

Loved
So Much To Do: I spent the first hour or so of Style Savvy helping customers pick out clothing while working as a clerk at an established fashion outlet. Soon things began to open up, and I found myself ordering new items from suppliers, customizing my outfits, and dressing store mannequins. Then the hair salon opens up. Suddenly I can change my hairstyle, makeup, and even take pictures to share with friends. Once you have your own boutique (which happens ridiculously fast), you'll have so much to do you'll find yourself sitting in Starbucks for several hours while your friends watch you, shaking their heads sadly. They just don't understand how much the fashion show means to you.

A Learning Experience: There's a lot to learn in Style Savvy, particularly for the less style savvy among us. Right off the bat you learn the basics of good customer service, paying attention to what your customers are looking and suggesting outfits accordingly. You learn how to maintain stock at a retail outlet; the difference between running a store with a few select styles and keeping a highly diversified but hard to navigate inventory; and how to manage your money. Do you blow all of your cash on a fancy new hairstyle and makeup, or do you make sure you have enough cardigans in stock for your demanding clientele? After several hours of play you'll also find yourself assimilating fashion terms you might have no business actually knowing, like boho-chic, or camisole.

The World's Biggest Closet: 10,000 fashions across 16 different brands equals nearly countless clothing combinations in which to dress yourself, your mannequins, and your customers. Shoes, jackets, sweaters, pumps, sunglasses, jewelry - it's all for sale, and every time you make a new item purchase for your store you get the same item delivered to your personal wardrobe as well. The game uses the Nintendo DS clock to determine what sort of fashions pop up at what times, meaning it's the sort of title you'll want to return to on a regular basis. I mean, if you're into that sort of thing.

Online Shopping: The shopping fun doesn't stop at your own Nintendo DS. Style Savvy players can connect to the internet to shop at other players' stores or set up an online branch of their very own. It's an excellent way for you to share your creations with the rest of the world, and the promise of new clothing available periodically through the DSi download service sweetens the game's online options even further.

Mmm, Unlockables: It's beginning to become an obsession with me. Show me a set of items with placeholders for the things that belong there but aren't there yet, and I will spend hours doing everything possible to fill those spaces. It doesn't matter if it's magical coins, machine guns, or in this case, hair and makeup styles.

Hated
Not Quite Creating Your Own Fashions: Perhaps this is a guy thing, which I somehow doubt, but when I think of creating my own fashions, I think actually designing clothing for the giant-headed women who come to my store to wear. Instead, Style Savvy is all about putting together a look out of what you have available. There is no design aspect. You are an outfit coordinator. This is not what I expected.

Very Girl-Centric: Right from the start, Style Savvy assumes you are female. Your character is female, even if you name her Michael. I've spent the better part of 15 hours being referred to as Miss Michael, and I might be developing some sort of complex. I know, I know - the game is targeted at young girls. Still, I shouldn't have to be called Miss Michael, no matter how adorable my little pink-haired avatar might be.

I shouldn't even have to say it - I wasn't exactly all that serious about Style Savvy when the rest of the staff decided to volunteer me for the review. I expected to get a few laughs out of the game and maybe get negative bragging rights with my fellow members of the press at the next big industry event I attended. "Oh yeah? Well I had to review Style Savvy," I would say, and we'd laugh and laugh. I had it all planned out in my head. And then I started enjoying the game.

What can I say? On a certain level, Style Savvy really clicked with me. It has several elements that I really enjoy in my games. There's the collectability aspect, the avatar customization, inventory management, and a fair amount of logic involved in making sure your customer is pleased with the ensemble you put together for them. Change the scenery a bit and you've got the formula for the sort of role-playing game I'd spend hours lost in. Sure, I've started critiquing my friends' outfits, and I've been saying things like "retro chic" far more often than anyone really should as of late, but isn't that the sort of immersion and involvement we seek in our more traditional games?

If a burly, bearded, six foot, six inches tall man spending countless hours coordinating outfits for virtual women is wrong, then my friends were all right and I should probably not press the point any further.

Style Savvy was developed by syn Sophia and published by Nintendo for the DS on November 2nd. Retails for $34.99 USD. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played the game for approximately 20 hours, earning my own boutique and making little Miss Michael the talk of the town. Named my store "Mangina" in protest.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

NOTE: Throughout the month of December, Kotaku will review some of the games that we missed earlier in the year. We're catching up.

A special "Love Plus Merry Plumas Campaign" (Plusmas, geddit?) ran at three Tokyo-area cake shops — with each cafe selling a different version of the Love Plus girls, Nene, Rinko and Manaka. The lines at the cake shops stretched over a hundred strong with the special cakes selling out.

Famitsu.com notes that there were even female Love Plus fans buying cake, too.

The delicious deserts came with a AR card that when used with a web camera would produce the Love Plus lovelies.

販売2時間以上前に完売！　『ラブプラス』ケーキを求める彼氏大集合 - ファミ通.com

This past week Kotaku put a comprehensive look into its crystal ball, breaking down what's ahead for the major platforms, while also looking at the agendas and priorities of games' top influencers and constituencies over the 365 days to come.

This is our equivalent of baseball's hot stove league, when the season's done but there's still fun in pulling up a chair to opine and speculate. Please rejoin us and your fellow readers in the following features and discussions of 2010, the year to come in games.

2010: The Year Of Better PSP Games?</
2010: The Year Of Better PlayStation 3 Games?
2010: The Year of Better Xbox 360 Games?
2010: The Year of Better PC Games?
2010: The Year Of Better Wii Games?
2010: The Year of Better Nintendo DS Games?

What Won't Be Coming To Video Gaming In 2010

You're A Gamer In 2010 ... What Will You Do?
You're A Game Developer in 2010...What Will You Do?
You Run A Big Game Publisher In 2010...What Will You Do?
You're A Video Game Retailer In 2010...What Will You Do?

But despite the seemingly obvious educational bent of Slaczka's game, Scribblenauts' potential to teach through fun didn't dawn on the game makers until well into development.

Slaczka said the team at studio 5th Cell didn't discuss the educational possibilities of the mainstream Warner Bros.-published game until they realized the "impact it had on increasing vocabulary, helping with spelling, teaching words in a new language and also creative and critical thinking."

"The game sort of became education through an organic process all on its own."

In Scribblenauts players solve lateral thinking puzzles by writing or typing a word into the DS. If the word is part of the game's more than 22,800-word dictionary, it appears as an interactive objective, creature or person in the game.

If a player spells the word incorrectly, the game suggests possible proper spellings. But knowing what object to summon through typing to make a fireman happy, or break into a safe or distract a zombie is key to solving the puzzles.

A player's vocabulary and imagination deeply impact their experience, Slaczka says: "The more words you know the more crazy stuff you can do."

Game creator Slaczka isn't comfortable calling the game an educational title.

"It has inherent educational potential, but it was never designed with an educational slant in mind," he said. "It was a positive byproduct more than anything else. "

There are also good business reasons to not call Scribblenauts an outright educational game. Traditionally, educational games don't attract mainstream gamers and don't do big mainstream sales.

But Scribblenauts sold 194,000 copies in North America alone in September, the first month it was available and was well-received by reviewers.

While the game isn't marketed as educational, that hasn't stopped some parents and teachers from using the title to help educate.

Slaczka says he's heard anecdotally from parents and teachers who have been using the game to positive effect.

One mother emailed the developer to tell how she bought the game for her son who was having difficulty in school learning to read and write. The woman gave the child a game along with a cheat sheet of ten words for him to try out in the game.

"He learned how to spell those words," he said, "and now she said he's up to two full pages of words that he can spell and understand which I thought was a really awesome story. "

Junior high history teacher Kevin Roughton was most interested in the game's potential to increase a student's ability to think critically. Roughton writes that in the future he hopes to use the game to study different periods in history by limiting the objects they can summon to historically accurate ones.

Writing in his blog, Roughton described how he used the game in his classroom, having the students break into groups to come up with creative ways to solve the problems presented by the game.

"We do not do enough... encouragement of creativity and critical thinking in schools today," he writes. "This forces it!"

Well Played is a weekly news and opinion column about the big stories of the week in the gaming industry and its bigger impact on things to come. Feel free to join in the discussion.

During subway rides and at home for the past couple of days, I've been stealing some time to play a preview build of development studio Renegade Kid's February 2010 game, Dementium II. I fared better than I did during my first hands-on with the game just before Halloween.

Renegade Kid has created a first-person horror game that, for a cumulative two hours, kept my character perilously close to danger and death as I crept through an insane asylum and neighboring town. This is not a game to play if you want to feel comfy and settled, though as far as controls go, it actually is quite solid: The action is on the top screen, the stylus controls where you look, face buttons handle foot movement, and a shoulder button triggers melee weapons and gun attacks. The lower screen shows a map, which, in Super Metroid style is marked with blocked passageways that can be accessed with only the correct weapon — or, in more of a Resident Evil-style flourish, by solving a puzzle.

The game does creepy well. You wake up in an insane asylum that at its most hospitable has guards running after you with electrified shock sticks. Sometimes this demented place becomes an alternate hellish version of itself, its colors turning sickly greens and grays and its inhabitants suddenly including demons and helpless screaming men whose bellies are being bored by giant drills. The sounds, as I noted in my first preview are full of screeches and scratches and other unsettling tones. This kind of environment mixed with ammo scarcity and lots of angry demon enemies makes playing the game an experience of feeling perpetually imperiled.

For this preview I played into the game's third chapter, leaving the asylum after beating a monster boss (who wasn't as tough as he seemed when I fought him in October) and trudging out through a boiler room and into the snow. I found a village and some locked-door puzzles but mostly had to kill monsters, being sure to never use too many of the scarce revolver bullets and shotgun shells I found. My Metroid skills were put to good use, as I noted green markers where I'd found areas blocked by boarded-up doorways. Once I found a sledgehammer I was backtracking and knocking through those boards.

There's a so-far simple story driving me through the game. My character is William Redmoor and he's being taunted through voice-over both by a guy who seems to be running the asylum and possibly by the former Mrs. Redmoor. At the wife's behest I was eventually trying to dig up our daughter's grave. Creepy stuff. The story didn't feel complex, but it suited the atmosphere, as did numerous graffiti marks on the asylum's walls and the too-placid homes in the snow village through which I trekked.

There's little like this kind of game on the DS. There are few M-rated games, few horror titles and few Metroid descendants. Ultimately, though, this is a DS game, which means that someone who likes those things best not be bothered by the system's limitations. Renegade Kid's game looks good, but can't look much better than Nintendo-64-level 3D. For a horror game, I think that works, as the abstracted gory realism takes on almost a nightmarish edge. Less easy to tolerate is the limited artificial intelligence, which leaves enemies running at you in predictable patterns and results in combat that can feel more repetitious than what you're getting in 3D horror games on consoles.

There's plenty here to like, with key questions only lingering about the game's length and variety, both of which will be answered when Dementium II is released for the Nintendo DS in North America on February 16 of next year.

These new kiosks will be outfitted with touch screens and cameras. Users can use the fairly standard touch interface to learn more about Nintendo's titles, recommendations, sales figures and whatnot or they can wave a DS or Wii title in front of the kiosk's camera and have it play that game's trailer.

There are two types of kiosks: counter top type and floor type.

Two of the kiosks will be rolled out in Tokyo, one in Osaka and one in Kawasaki.

The DS's 2009 was solid and varied, with an all-new Legend of Zelda, Rhythm Heaven, and Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story hitting alongside third-party contributions like Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and Scribblenauts. But 2010 may provide the DS owner with even more bang for their buck, thanks to the following first and third-party games.

Yes, 2010 will be a very good year for the core gamer, even better for the RPG enthusiast. But will it also something to offer beyond epic adventures and sequels to earlier DS games? Well... let's take a look at some of 2010's nearly confirmed lineup.

Note: We'll be looking at every platform's currently announced and estimated 2010 slate over the course of the rest of the week-and much much more.

Golden Sun DS
The beloved Game Boy Advance role-playing game series continues on the Nintendo DS following an all too long hiatus. Details are scarce, but the game should feature a cast descendant from the original Golden Sun games' heroes.
Glory of Heracles
Nintendo kicks off the year with this Greek themed role-playing game, the sixth in the series, but the first to find an audience outside of Japan.
Okamiden
Capcom's sequel to the Clover fan favorite goes infinitely cuter with the introduction of Chibiterasu, the young pup who may be the son of Okami's Amaterasu. The game's Celestial Brush drawing action should work well with the DS's touchscreen.
Professor Layton & The Final Time Travel
Nintendo hasn't announced a North American release for the third Professor Layton puzzle adventure, but if it sticks to its schedule, it will hopefully deliver The Final Time Travel in 2010.
Picross 3D
It's on Nintendo's release list, but without a date. Frankly, if Nintendo of America doesn't see fit to deliver the 3D spin on the addictive nonogram title sometime in 2010, we'll personally fly to Nintendo HQ and start busting some heads.
Dragon Quest IX
Square Enix's mega-popular (in Japan) role-playing game series should make the transition from console to handheld here in the Americas sometime this year. The publisher just recently trademarked the game's subtitle in English, so we're hopeful that slime-slaying is within our grasp.
WarioWare D.I.Y.
Nintendo's create-your-own WarioWare microgame software will offer as many nose-picking games as players can come up withn. Create, share and play games that take mere seconds to play.
Final Fantasy Gaiden
Another Square Enix role-playing that isn't confirmed, but sure is likely to get a North American release next year. This classic fantasy RPG keeps things old-school, but looks cute and stylish enough to not feel dated.
Infinite Space
PlatinumGames goes in a very different direction from MadWorld and Bayonetta with their third title for Sega, the strategic spacebound RPG Infinite Space. The NudeMaker co-developed game looks like a unique offering amongst the fantasy RPG heavy lot.
Ghost Trick
The creator of the Ace Attorney series delivers Ghost Trick, an adventure game that puts players in the role of a spirit who can manipulate objects, coming to the aid of the still living.
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Phoenix Wright won't return in Ace Attorney Investigations, something he may object to. Instead, Miles Edgeworth takes over, offering more of the familiar, but still popular point and click crime solving meets courtroom drama.
Korg DS-10 Plus
The synth program expands in this sequel of sorts to cult hit Korg DS-10.
Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver
This pair of Nintendo DS remakes puts a new coat of paint on 1999 classics Pokemon Gold and Silver. You know how this works. Collect Pokemon and make 'em fight!
Sands of Destruction
The world is in danger and only turn-based battles can save it! Sega's publishing this imageepoch-developed RPG in January, giving English speakers a chance to enjoy Sands of Destruction's combination of traditional gameplay mixed with fighting game elements.
Shantae: Risky's Revenge
WayForward's cult favorite heroine returns with a new platformer, courtesy of the DSiWare shop.
Again
It's title may not stir up much enthusiasm, but this graphic adventure game comes from Cing, the folks responsible for titles like Hotel Dusk and Trace Memory.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
Who doesn't love a good SMT game? Well this one is spacier and more black hole filled than any other!
Nintendo DSi XL
Ah, the Nintendo DSi XL. It's like a regular DSi, but bigger. Bigger screens, bigger touch pens, bigger price. It's all here!

That makes it five platforms for the game - including the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions we already knew about. A news release says Hasbro and developer High Moon Studios will be cooperating on the prequel's story, which will establish much of the Autobots' and Decepticons' stories before their arrival on Earth. Hasbro's Aaron Archer, senior design director, said the game's story will be "used as canon for future storylines in a way we could have only dreamed of a few years ago."

And, of course, the visual appeal will be in tooling around the metallic homeworld of both factions, and meeting and greeting iconic Transformers characters in their native forms.

As for the game itself, an Activision representative said it will feature online competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes. It will also be broken down into two campaigns, one Autobot and one Decepticon. "For the first time in a TRANSFORMERS title, fans will be able to play the game with their friends through team-based online co-op, or go head to head in a variety of intense, online multiplayer game modes," the Activision release said.

I believe that Ace Attorney games — which I can't help still thinking of as "Phoenix Wright games" even when they don't star Capcom's star prosecutor — are best judged by how many times they make a gamer laugh. These games might involve murder and desperate claims of innocence, but they're also comedies. Their charm is their absurd characters in absurd situations.

In the courtroom of comedy, however, I cannot yet judge Ace Attorney Investigations a success. Last night and this morning I solved the games's first case, one that involved a gut-shot murder victim found in the office of series regular and Investigations protagonist Miles Edgeworth. I can't credit the game, so far, with more than one chuckle, which I got when a rival prosecutor/jock swallowed his gold medal.

The better comedy, which the game's jovial and hilarious developers assured me in September is in the game — because it is an essential ingredient — may lurk later. (Note to series fans: If you, unlike me, are into series fool Dick Gumshoe then you will be chortling during the first case.)

But what is indisputable from my play time with the first murder investigation is that the series' oft-criticized gameplay mechanics are well improved for the new adventure. They allow for more interactivity and more reasoning by the player, diminishing the percentage of time a player might just be watching virtual lawyers sort things out themselves.

The new game plays better in part thanks to a thematic shift away from courtroom argument to crime scene investigation. The series already depicted both sides of Law and Order, but Edgeworth is given both license and the gameplay tools to keep both the decision-making and the action of the game all at or near the scene of the crime. (Oh, but maybe we won't see the judge, my favorite character of the series, then?) Using either the Nintendo DS' d-pad or touch screen, players can move Edgeworth's top-screen avatar through the murder scene and surrounding areas, pressing a button or tapping "examine" to investigate clues.

The game's new logic system allows Edgeworth not just to do the familiar job of collecting evidence and profiles of people he has met. It allows him to gather his thoughts onto a lower-screen display of his ideas related to the case. It is the player's task to connect these thoughts to each other to spot contradictions and connections, which trigger new Edgeworth ideas.

In the murder case that I played, the game held me by the hand, teaching me the logic system and refreshing me on collecting evidence as well as cross-examining witnesses. While we never stepped into the courtroom, the case ultimately played out as if we were there, arguing as Phoenix Wright. I had to listen to comments from witnesses and the accused, press for more details, challenge statements, present
evidence and so familiarly on.

The game doesn't look or sound all that different from previous entries. The same super-dramatic music blips through the DS when an investigation is at its turning point. Failed deductions still knock energy out of an upper-left-screen meter. The characters are still hand-drawn sprites, though the animations in scenes are a little more elaborate.

But it's the humor and, yes, the arguing and the writing and the deductions, that make these games good or bad. No bad signs here yet and some nice signs of improvement. The game is out in Japan now if you speak the language. If you want Edgeworth in English, February 2010 is your date.

When Japanese kids aren't watching the anime or reading the comic, they might be playing the DS games. Or they might be going to school, eating dinner or doing their homework. Japanese kids are busy!

The sequel, Inazuma Eleven 2, has shipped over a million copies since going on sale two months ago in Japan. It comes in two versions: Fire and Blizzard.

『イナズマイレブン2』累計出荷100万本を突破 - ファミ通.com [Famitsu]

The bad news is that the game has been given the other Atlus treatment, missing its previously planned March 10 release date, as specified by Nintendo itself yesterday. The new street date for Strange Journey is March 23 in North America, a more comfortable distance from another role-playing game hitting in early March.

And, in more good news, expect the whole package to come in a fancy slipcover, giving you double the opportunity to enjoy the game's... enjoyable box art. Triple, should you count the new outer box's spine!!

Those of you familiar with the series Might & Magic are probably surprised to see it, one, on the Nintendo DS and, two, converted from a hardcore role-playing game to a puzzle RPG. So, for the sake of not causing the Might & Magic fans to die inside by calling this game by the same name and to introduce the game as something new and different from the series — we'll stick to calling it Clash of Heroes.

Clash of Heroes puts players in a generic fantasy plot involving elves, necromancers, wizards and a ton of other stock fantasy characters. The game is divided into chapters with the player taking the role of a different stock fantasy character in each chapter. On the world map, you move your cute little 2D sprite from node to node to talk to characters, open chests and get into battles with other cute 2D sprites. Battle consists of two armies lining up on both the lower and the upper screen. Players' armies are made up of color coded units with specific stats and magic powers. To "fight," you've got to line up units of the same color in a vertical line. To "defend," you arrange them in horizontal lines that then form walls. Battle gets more complicated as you get bigger units that require you to sacrifice smaller units of the same color to charge them up for attack and equipped items also become a huge factor in battle.

Loved
So Cute! Aside from 2D sprites, Clash of Heroes is terminally adorable. The writing and characterization of the stock fantasy characters is witty and amusing — which goes a long way toward spicing the plot up. The anime-style cut scenes and character dialogue images are also very pretty and depict some of the cutest moments in the story. I think the instance that actually made me coo aloud was one where a cute demon sprite watches a volcano explode enraptured. Then he's hit by debris and burns up into an equally cute skeleton that says "It was worth it!" before crumbling into dust.

Very Clever: At their best, the battles are truly challenging in a way that makes you feel good about yourself when you beat them. Most of the challenge comes from finding ways to stretch out your turn. Unless you've got a special item equipped, most of the time you can only get extra moves during your turn to shift around units by causing chains of units to link up. For example, you could spend one move plugging a green unit into a formation that completes both a horizontal line and a vertical one — and that becomes two extra moves that you can use that turn — which will give you a major edge on the enemy if you manage to activate a larger unit and set up walls all in one turn. Aside from these normal battles with enemies, there are also specific "puzzle battles" that are actually brain teasers worthy of Professor Layton: You have to destroy all of you opponent's units in one turn.

Hated
Unbalanced: The game suffers from fluctuating difficulty levels, weird distribution of special items and a frustrating game design choice. You notice this right away in chapter two when you have to start with a new character, Godric. For whatever reason, his boss fights seem tougher and the progression of fights in his level leave you battling people three levels higher than you almost constantly. Also, the items you find in his level are not nearly as useful as the items other characters have in other levels and most of them are geared toward defense instead of offense. Finally, unlike every other character you play in the game, Godric's special spell that charges up as he takes damage or deals damage is also defense only. This proves to be a poor design choice because it makes Godric feel like the weakest of the all the character even after you level him up all the way. Then, you get to chapter three with Fiona as a ghost and suddenly the game is a breeze because Fiona has offense magic and an item in her level that multiplies all her units' damage by 100%. Crazy!

Can Be Repetitive: Because the game forces you to start fresh with a new character every time, the gameplay starts to feel stale. You always get the same type of units to start and then you have a grind a bit before getting the bigger units that actually have special powers. Then, once you're comfortable, it's time for a boss battle and end-of-the-chapter sequence that starts you back at zero all over again. I thought this repetition might go away in the final levels when the characters reunite to take on the ultimate baddy — but nope! Even there, you start over again with another character and then have to suffer through a string of boss fights with characters that the game picks for you (so you can't not play as Godric — ugh).

There is some good game design in Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes and I can't stress enough how adorable it is. But I would have appreciate some extra gameplay balancing with respect to offensive/defensive spells and what kinds of items are in which levels. I'm happy to recommend it to hardcore strategy game freaks and everybody who's waiting around for the next Professor Layton. But I have a harder time recommending it to the easily frustrated, especially kids who might miss the sexual innuendo between the succubus and Godric's brother, Aidan.

As for Might & Magic fans, I'm sorry to tell you there's not much here that resembles the games you loved from times past. It's a completely different experience more akin to Puzzle Quest than to anything else. While we're on the subject, Puzzle Quest fans beware — you cannot change units horizontally a la Bejeweled and this will drive you totally nuts for the first two hours or so. After that, though, your color-recognition skills will come in handy.

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes was developed by Capybara Games and published by Ubisoft for the Nintendo DS. Released December 1 for $29.99 USD. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played all game types in both single and multiplayer modes and still think Fiona was better off as a ghost.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

Zhu Zhu Pets are, apparently, one of the hottest toys of the holiday season, and I should probably count myself fortunate that I was unaware of their existence. These tiny electronic replica hamsters have been flying off the shelves, regularly marked up 200-400% above their $10 retail price as parents struggle to get them under the tree for today's children, who'd off a real hamster in seconds flat if left unattended.

Activision Publishing and GameMill Publishing have entered into an agreement with toy company Cepia, LLC to produce games based on the adorable little androids, with the first Zhu Zhu Pets title coming to the Nintendo DS in spring 2010. I'm sure Ubisoft's Hamsterz team will be monitoring things closely.

"Zhu Zhu Pets(TM) success in 2009 speaks for itself and we're confident it will be even bigger in 2010," said David Oxford at Activision Publishing. Gary Miller, President, GameMill Publishing, stated, "It is our goal to expand this proven franchise in a way that fans of the wildly popular hamster toy line and video gamers alike will embrace and love to play."

I guess I'm just going to have to have children soon, if only to stay on the cutting edge of hamster robotics.

There are more fun facts from this talk (translated from Japanese; the English transcript is not up yet.) Evidently Nintendo had been working on a DS Lite with 3.8 inch screens (the LL's are 4.2 inches, the Lite's are 3 inches, DSi is 3.2). It backed off because of manufacturing cost and the success of the regular flavor DS Lite. It sounds like they also wanted to do a simultaneous release of the DSi and DSi LL but it never came together.

Andriasang has more (in English) about the discussion.

The Other DSi LL Names [Andriasang via VG247]

The problem with interjecting a video game between two previously released titles is we can pretty much assume the new title ends with a total memory wipe. Unless Ubisoft decides to release a new version of Warrior Within with references to Forgotten Sands, that'll probably be the case. We can't have the Prince simply deciding not to use the natural powers he'll be using in Forgotten Sands, can we?

After the events in The Sands of Time, the Prince goes to visit his brother's kingdom, only to find it besieged by the forces of evil. Using the powers of the Sands to save the kingdom from annihilation kicks off an adventure in which the Prince will learn what Spider-Man already knows; with great power comes great responsibility.

Expect epic moments, tons of acrobatics, and refined combat, all rendered lovingly in the Anvil game engine.

The game is being developed for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, PSP, Nintendo Wii, and DS, with the last three featuring a different gaming experience than the more powerful platforms. Expect more details on what that means as we inch closer to the game's May 2010 release.

Be sure to check out the game's reveal trailer, which premeired this weekend during the Spike TV VGA Awards.

Highlights include:

-Strong support from Capcom with Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom on Wii, Phoenix Wright on WiiWare and Ace Attorney Investigations on DS. Plus, Mega Man 10: the sequel to the download-only Mega Man 9.

-Strong support also from Ubisoft, with Red Steel 2 and No More Heroes 2 serving as two of the biggest releases for hardcore gamers on the Wii for the early part of the year.

-A curious pair of WarioWare WiiWare and DS games, called WarioWare D.I.Y. that allow gamers to make their own WarioWare games.

-Pokemon remakes, an Endless Ocean sequel and lots of DSi games from Nintendo.

The full rosters follows, though bear in mind that these quarterly lists from Nintendo often include only estimated line-ups and dates for third-party games.

Wii

2K Sports
Major League Baseball 2K10 - March

Activision
How To Train Your Dragon - March 23

The American Game Factory, Inc.
Build-A-Bear Workshop – Friendship Valley - March 17

Atlus U.S.A., Inc.
Shiren the Wanderer - February 9

Capcom
TATSUNOKO VS. CAPCOM: ULTIMATE ALL-STARS - January 26

City Interactive USA
Combat Wings: The Great Battles of WWII - February 16
Chicken Riot - February 9

Collision Studios
City Builder - February

D3Publisher
Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun - February

Deep Silver, Inc.
Let's Play Ballerina - March
Let's Play Garden - March

Disney Interactive Studios
Alice in Wonderland - March

Hudson Entertainment
Rooms: The Main Building - Spring
Calling - Spring
Walk it Out - January 10

Konami
Yu Gi Oh! Duel Trancer - Q1
DanceDanceRevolution - Q1

Majesco Entertainment
Data East Arcade Classics - January
The Daring Game of Girls - February
Pizza Delivery Boy - March

Nintendo
Endless Ocean: Blue World - February 22

SEGA of America
Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll - February 9
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing - March

SouthPeak Games
Sled Shred featuring the Jamaican Bobsled Team - February 1

Storm City Entertainment
Fast Food Panic - January 5
Bermuda Triangle: Saving the Coral - February

UFO Interactive Games, Inc.
Arcade Shooter: Ilvelo - Q1
Rock Blast - Q1
Jaja's Adventure - Q1

Ubisoft
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle - Late January
Sleepover Party - January 12
Racquet Sports - March
Red Steel 2 - Q1

XSEED Games
The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces - January 5
FRAGILE DREAMS: FAREWELL RUINS OF THE MOON - March 16

WiiWare

Akaoni Studio S.L.
Zombie Panic in Wonderland - Q1

Broken Rules
And Yet It Moves - Q1

Capcom
Phoenix Wright:Ace Attorney - January
Mega Man 10 - March

Ghostfire Games
Rage of the Gladiator - Q1

Hudson Entertainment
Military Madness: Nectaris - Q1

Nabi Studios
Toribash - Q1

Nintendo
WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase - Q1

Press Play ApS
Max & the Magic Marker - Q1

Team Meat
Super Meat Boy - Q1

Nintendo DS/Nintendo DSi

2K Sports
Major League Baseball 2K10 - March

Activision
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - Feb. 2
How To Train Your Dragon - March 23

Aksys Games
World Cup of Pool - Feb. 9

The American Game Factory, Inc.
Build-A-Bear Workshop - Welcome to Hugsville - March 17

Atlus U.S.A., Inc.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey - March 10

Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth - Feb. 16

City Interactive USA
Animal Country: Life on the Farm - Feb. 16
Art of Murder - March 16

Deep Silver, Inc.
Let's Play Flight Attendant - March
Let's Play Ballerina - March
Let's Play Garden - March

Disney Interactive Studios
Sonny With a Chance - Spring
Alice in Wonderland - March

GameMill Publishing
Escape the Museum - Jan. 12
Hidden Mysteries: Buckingham Palace - Feb. 9

Hudson Entertainment
Rooms: The Main Building - Spring
DECA SPORTS - Spring

Konami
Scene It! Twilight - Q1
Puzzle Chronicles - Jan. 10

Majesco Entertainment
Super Speed Machines - February
The Daring Game for Girls - February
Dawn of Heroes - February
ATV Revolution - March

Nintendo
Glory of Heracles - Jan. 18
Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version - March 14
WarioWare: D.I.Y. - March 28
America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking - March 28

Natsume Inc.
Squishy Tank - February
Cheer We Go! - March

PopCap Games
Bejeweled Twist - Q1

SEGA of America
Sands of Destruction - Jan. 12
Infinite Space - March
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing - March
Sonic Classic Collection™ - Spring

SouthPeak Games
Crime Scene - Feb. 1
Dementium II - Feb. 2
Fast Food Panic - Jan. 5
Sushi Go Round - Feb. 1
Montessori Music - March 1

Storm City Entertainment
Bermuda Triangle: Saving the Coral - February
Myst - February
ATV Quad Kings - March
T.A.C Heroes: The Big Red One - March

TECMO
Monster Rancher DS - March
AGAIN - March

Telegames, Inc.
Puzzle Overload -Spring
Solitaire Overload Plus - Spring

THQ
Daniel X: The Ultimate Power - Jan. 12

Tomy Corporation
Lovely Lisa and Friends (enhanced Nintendo DSi content) - February

Ubisoft
Imagine Reporter - Jan. 20
Imagine Party Planner - Jan. 13
Imagine Sweet 16 - Feb. 10
Imagine Gymnast - March 10

XSEED Games
KORG DS-10 Plus - Jan. 19
Ragnarok DS - Feb. 16

Nintendo DSiWare

EA
Downtown Texas Hold'em Poker - Q1
Surviving High School - Q1

Gameloft
Legends of Exidia - Q1
Let's Golf - Q1
Real Soccer 2010 - Q1
Gangstar 2: Kings of L.A. - Q1

Nintendo
Trajectile - Jan. 4
Number Battle - Jan. 25
Starship Defense - Jan. 18
Touch Solitaire - Jan. 11
X-Scape - February
Link 'n' Launch - February

Subatomic Studios
Fieldrunners - Q1

WayForward
Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Q1

Which games are you excited about?

Before you read this analysis, open up some tabs or windows with McWhertor's NPD November U.S. hardware and software reports.

We're doing Instant Analysis differently this time. Now you have options. Be sure to choose the correct one. Note that all numbers are plucked from the NPD group's U.S. sales charts.

Fact: In 2007, Super Mario Galaxy, a 3D Mario game, sold 1.12 million copies in November (launched on the 12th) in the U.S.. In 2009, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, a 2D Mario game, sold 1.39 million in its November (launched on the 15th).

Possible Analysis
1) 2D is more popular than 3D?
2) So many more Wiis two years later didn't net so many more sales, so 3D is more popular than 2D?
3) None of this matters because Wii owners are an unpredictable lot and buy their games when they want to, not necessarily when release day hits.

Fact: In 2007, Call of Duty IV: Modern Warfare sold 2.14 million on the Xbox 360 and PS3 in its first November (launched on the 6th) in the U.S.. The sequel, Modern Warfare 2 did 6.07 million on those same two consoles in its first November (launched on the 10th).

Possible Analysis
1) Modern Warfare is an out of control juggernaut, a beast set to trample all contenders.
2) So few other games came out this past month compared to November 2007 that gamers were stuck - just stuck — buying MW2. What else were they going to buy?
3) Once in love with a gaming franchise, consumers show up on day one.

Fact: In 2007, Assassin's Creed sold 1.6 million copies on the Xbox 360 and PS3 in its first month (launched on the 14th) in the U.S.. In 2009, Assassin's Creed II sold 1.2 million copies in its first month (launched on the 17th). ... All of which doesn't exactly explain Ubisoft saying its second Creed was selling more quickly in its first week, worldwide, than its first.

Possible Analysis
1) Uh, oh, Ezio? With more consoles in the market and better reviews, the new game not outselling the first out of the gate in America is a problem that can possibly be blamed on the mixed word of mouth received by the first entry?
2) The ever-important Italian-American user-based was split, wooed over to Mario from ACII's Ezio.
3) The 360 fans have beef with this series, as they bought 185,000 fewer copies of the new one in November '09 than they did of the first one in November '07, while the PS3 community bought 71,000 more.

Fact: Left 4 Dead 2 sold 80% better on the Xbox 360 in its first month this year than its predecessor did last year (The games launched on the 18th in '08 and the 17th in '09).

Possible Analysis
1) Gamers want Valve to start cranking out annual sequels.
2) Zombies are more popular now than they were last year.
3) Internet complaints/petitions against hasty Valve sequels don't count (though, you'd craftily add, who knows about how well the game performed on PC).

Notable new releases that failed to make the overall software top 10 (With no console or handheld version selling more than 315,000 units in the U.S. by November 28): Style Savvy (November 2), Lego Rock Band (November 3), Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage (November 8), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex (November 10), EA Sports Active More Workouts (November 17), Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (November 17), Tony Hawk Ride (November 17).