Rhythm Tengoku Arcade, which was introduced to Japanese arcades a couple of years ago, appears to include the same roster of musical mini-games as the original GBA edition. I had played through that GBA version a couple of years ago, so I was able to easily get through several sections of the arcade game on just 100 yen.

After I plunked in a coin, the game allowed me to choose one of several groups of mini-games and then try to clear each of the mini-games in my chosen group. I believe that clearing all mini-games in the group would let me play a mix that combines all of them — that's what capped off each group of mini-games on the GBA. But I didn't have time to play through all of the mini-games.

The controls in the arcade edition involve banging on giant versions of the GBA's d-pad and action buttons. Nothing special there. The arcade machine supports two-player, which the GBA one did not. We weren't able to try that mode.

The mini-games in Rhythm Tengoku, like those of the 2009 DS game Rhythm Heaven, are not complex. They are barely more involved than the micro-games in the WarioWare series, a series whose developers also made Tengoku. The Rhythm Tengoku games may even be simpler than the stylus-driven ones of the DS Rhythm Heaven. Most of the Tengoku ones require the player to simply tap a single button to the rhythm of both the game's music and the animations of actions on the screen.

On the video you'll see me try the onion beard-plucking rhythm game and a disco hand-clapping one. After we finished shooting the video, I also played a baseball mini-game, which involves hitting home runs into outer space. As I walked away, our Brian Ashcraft took over, testing the karate-man-punches-rocks one.

The machine was fun, but my experience was no different than it was on the GBA. The controller and graphics were simply bigger, not necessarily better. Maybe the game couldn't be improved by this arcade port, because the GBA release was top-flight, succeeding not with fancy graphics but with simple, stylish looks and a catchy conneciton of player to action via the rhythm of the soundtrack.

The GBA Tengoku is still worth checking out, if you can find it in Japan or through an importer. For the arcade game, come to the Sega arcade in Tokyo's Shibuya district.

Presented as, basically, a strategy guide for the cult Nintendo title (which has never been released in the West), were this from Prima or BradyGames you'd be shocked by the quality and attention to detail. But the fact this is a labour of love, the product of a bunch of super-dedicated fans of the series and, well, it's just simply astonishing.

The book is lavishly detailed with maps, item checklists and tips, along with illustrations of each character/enemy and even shots of some luscious, hand-made Mother 3 statues.

Because it's a strategy guide, I've avoided taking shots of anything too detailed from inside the book, but for a quick taste of what the finished product is like, check out the gallery below.

Like what you see? The Mother 3 Handbook is selling for $20, and is available from Fangamer. Don't know what the hell I'm talking about and have never heard of Mother 3? This should help.

After all, the difference in sales between #10 and #11 is slim.

Also provided, courtesy of the NPD Group, is a breakdown of the ten best-selling games per platform (including, once again, the Game Boy Advance!), as well as the ten best-selling accessories/peripherals for the month of March.

Top 20 Games Overall:

1. RESIDENT EVIL 5* 360 CAPCOM USA
2. POKEMON PLATINUM VERSION NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
3. HALO WARS* 360 MICROSOFT
4. RESIDENT EVIL 5* PS3 CAPCOM USA
5. WII FIT WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA
6. MLB '09: THE SHOW PS3 SONY
7. KILLZONE 2 PS3 SONY
8. WII PLAY W/ REMOTE WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA
9. MARIO KART W/WHEEL WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA
10. MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 2K9 360 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
11. GUITAR HERO METALLICA 360 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
12. CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR* 360 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
13. STREET FIGHTER IV* 360 CAPCOM USA
14. MARIO KART DS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
15. STREET FIGHTER IV* PS3 CAPCOM USA
16. NEW SUPER MARIO BROS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
17. PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE CURIOUS VILLAGE NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
18. MLB '09: THE SHOW PS2 SONY
19. HALO 3* 360 MICROSOFT
20. LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA WII LUCASARTS

Top 10 Wii:

1. WII FIT NINTENDO OF AMERICA
2. WII PLAY W/ REMOTE NINTENDO OF AMERICA
3. MARIO KART W/WHEEL NINTENDO OF AMERICA
4. LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA LUCASARTS
5. LINK'S CROSSBOW TRAINING NINTENDO OF AMERICA
6. GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
7. GUITAR HERO METALLICA ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
8. NEW PLAY CONTROL! MARIO POWER TENNIS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
9. MADWORLD SEGA OF AMERICA
10. SONIC AND THE BLACK KNIGHT SEGA OF AMERICA

Top 10 Xbox 360:

1. RESIDENT EVIL 5* CAPCOM USA
2. HALO WARS* MICROSOFT
3. MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 2K9 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
4. GUITAR HERO METALLICA ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
5. CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
6. STREET FIGHTER IV* CAPCOM USA
7. HALO 3* MICROSOFT
8. TOM CLANCY'S H.A.W.X. UBISOFT
9. NBA 2K9 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
10. WWE LEGENDS OF WRESTLEMANIA THQ

Top 10 PlayStation 2:

1. MLB '09: THE SHOW SONY
2. NARUTO: ULTIMATE NINJA 4 NAMCO BANDAI GAMES OF AMERICA
3. GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
4. NBA 2K9 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
5. MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 2K9 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
6. RESIDENT EVIL 4* CAPCOM USA
7. TOMB RAIDER: UNDERWORLD EIDOS INTERACTIVE
8. GOD OF WAR II SONY
9. CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
10. GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

Top 10 PlayStation 3:

1. RESIDENT EVIL 5* CAPCOM USA
2. MLB '09: THE SHOW SONY
3. KILLZONE 2 SONY
4. STREET FIGHTER IV* CAPCOM USA
5. GUITAR HERO METALLICA ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
6. TOM CLANCY'S H.A.W.X. UBISOFT
7. CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
8. WWE LEGENDS OF WRESTLEMANIA THQ
9. SONIC'S ULTIMATE GENESIS COLLECTION SEGA OF AMERICA
10. NBA 2K9 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE

Top 10 Game Boy Advance:

1. ASTEROIDS/PONG/YARS DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.
2. UNO 52 DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.
3. PUPPY LUV: SPA & RESORT ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
4. BIG MUTHA TRUCKERS DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.
5. VALUE GAME BUNDLE 14.99 MULTIPLE VIDEO GAME MANUFACTURER
6. GBA SPYHUNTER/SUPERSPRINT DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.
7. VAN HELSING ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
8. PRINCESS NATASHA: STUDENT SECRET AGENT DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.
9. UNO/FREEFALL DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.
10. GAUNTLET/RAMPART DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.

Top 10 Nintendo DS:

1. POKEMON PLATINUM VERSION NINTENDO OF AMERICA
2. MARIO KART DS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
3. NEW SUPER MARIO BROS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
4. PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE CURIOUS VILLAGE NINTENDO OF AMERICA
5. GRAND THEFT AUTO: CHINATOWN WARS TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
6. LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA LUCASARTS
7. PHINEAS AND FERB DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
8. MARIO PARTY NINTENDO OF AMERICA
9. SUPER MARIO 64 DS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
10. CLUB PENGUIN: ELITE PENGUIN FORCE DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS

Top 10 PSP:

1. MLB '09: THE SHOW SONY
2. RESISTANCE: RETRIBUTION SONY
3. PHANTASY STAR PORTABLE SEGA OF AMERICA
4. GRAND THEFT AUTO: LIBERTY CITY STORIES TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
5. GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY STORIES TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
6. IRON MAN SEGA OF AMERICA
7. MEDAL OF HONOR: HEROES 2 ELECTRONIC ARTS
8. MIDNIGHT CLUB: LA REMIX TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
9. WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2008 THQ
10. MX VS ATV UNLEASHED: ON THE EDGE THQ

Top 10 Portable Games (All):

1. NDS POKEMON PLATINUM VERSION NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
2. NDS MARIO KART DS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
3. NDS NEW SUPER MARIO BROS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
4. NDS PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE CURIOUS VILLAGE NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
5. NDS GRAND THEFT AUTO: CHINATOWN WARS NDS TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
6. NDS LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA NDS LUCASARTS
7. NDS PHINEAS AND FERB NDS DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
8. PSP MLB '09: THE SHOW NDS SONY
9. NDS MARIO PARTY NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
10. NDS SUPER MARIO 64 DS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA

Top 10 Accessories

1. WII NUNCHUK CONTROLLER NINTENDO OF AMERICA
2. 360 LIVE 1600 POINT GAME CARD MICROSOFT
3. WII REMOTE CONTROLLER W/ JACKET NINTENDO OF AMERICA
4. PS3 DUALSHOCK 3 WIRELESS CONTROLLER SONY
5. 360 LIVE 1 MONTH GOLD CARD MICROSOFT
6. WII REMOTE CONTROLLER NINTENDO OF AMERICA
7. 360 HEADSET MICROSOFT
8. 360 LIVE 12 MONTH GOLD CARD MICROSOFT
9. 360 LIVE 3 MONTH GOLD CARD MICROSOFT
10. WII WHEEL GRIP NINTENDO OF AMERICA

*Inclusive of limited, collector's, instrument bundles

[via Wired]

How did candy pop wizard Tsunku add smash-hit game designer to his already impressive resume? Terada tells Wired that it all started with an unsolicited game submission to Nintendo. "In Japan, with games that use rhythm and sound, it's long been the case that the placement of accents and the timing of button-presses has had nothing to do with music," the producer says. "For someone like myself, whose work revolves around music, this has never seemed right, and I wrote up my proposal in hopes of doing away with this." For Tsunku, he needed Nintendo's help to bring his game to life: "I also felt that without Nintendo's expertise, realizing my idea for a rhythm game would be impossible."

But his submission was out of the blue! "It wasn't like I really knew anyone with Nintendo, either," he continues. "It was a bit risky, but my staff just took our proposal and approached them directly." After meetings (and several dance classes), he was able to get his idea across to Nintendo, and the game got green-lit. And now it's making loads of money. Funny how that works.

J-Pop Producer Tsunku Perfects Music Games With Rhythm Heaven [Wired]

MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo does, lamenting the symbolic passing of the Game Boy Advance. He calls it "the first portable I cared about," a feeling I'd wholeheartedly echo. While I, like Totilo, had invested in a Game Boy Color—as well as an original Game Boy, Sega Game Gear, and Neo Geo Pocket Color—no portable system I'd played to that point felt as much like a unique, standalone piece of hardware capable of playing such deep, memorable software.

It felt less hampered by technical limitations, a generational shift on par with the NES to the Super Nintendo.

I no longer have my original Game Boy Advance, though I never invested in a GBA SP. My first GBA, purchased near launch with a copy of Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, is resting comfortably in a landfill somewhere. It, along with a copy of Sega's Phantasy Star Collection and a save file that sapped many hours of my free time, were left in a trash can as part of a poorly thought out "joke." Oops!

Like Totilo, one of the Game Boy Advance title's that resonated with me most was the original Advance Wars a game that thankfully didn't make it into the garbage. By the end of the GBA's lifespan, I'd logged over two hundred fifty hours across both Advance Wars releases. Nothing else on the system, even personal favorites like Metroid: Zero Mission, Astro Boy: Omega Factor, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Wario Land 4, consumed as much of my time.

Not even Dotstream, another obsession of mine, came close to absorbing me as much as the Advance Wars series did.

Right now, my Game Boy Advance hardware of choice is the Game Boy micro, the handy, extremely portable limited release. Playing games on my old Nintendo DS—and certainly not on my faulty Nintendo DS Lite—feels somehow wrong. So I probably won't lament the removal of the GBA slot from the Nintendo DSi as much as others do.

I'll just make sure to keep a pocket free.

Any Game Boy Advance era waxing you feel like doing in the comments? Recommendations and hidden gems that you feel might need more attention are welcome. And don't miss MTV Multiplayer's post on the "passing" of the GBA.

Funeral For The Game Boy Advance [MTV Multiplayer]

Along with losing the house, their stuff and even their pets, he also lost a treasure trove of Nintendo swag, like every Nintendo console (including a Virtual Boy) and around 250 games. His mum lost a Wii and a DS as well. You can see the remains of the Wii above, while the GBA below fared slightly better, in that it doesn't look like something that belongs in a Fallout 3 commercial.

Sucks the world is down one VIrtual Boy, but there's a silver lining in this storm cloud of a family tragedy: because the family didn't have insurance, Nintendo sent out new, replacement consoles in the form of a GBA and a Wii.

GoNintendo ‘End of day’ thoughts - Nintendo customer service at its best: Family suffers house fire, Nintendo steps in to replace lost Nintendo items [GoNintendo]

Gamasutra sat down with Mandelin, whose day job includes translating games like Kingdom Hearts II and anime like Dragon Ball, who estimates that some two hundred thousand Earthbound fans downloaded the Japanese to English patch.

In the interview, Mandelin talks about his ROM hack translation past, the differences between professional and fan localization and what's next for the hobby. A solid read. And in English too!

You Say Tomato: A Pro on Fan-Translating Nintendo's Mother 3 [Gamasutra]

Import a copy of the game, if you can find one. It’s not cool to brazenly pirate stuff! Itoi, Nintendo, HAL, and Brownie Brown worked hard on this game. Can’t find a copy? Consider buying some official merch (below).

Ignore the can't find a copy bit. Buying official merchandise in no way excuses pirating a copy of the game. Honestly I was hesitant to even mention the project due to such concerns, but now an entire page of my email client is filled with Mother 3 subject lines, so there you go.

The Mother 3 Fan Translation [Official Site - Thanks Everyone]

Mother 3 Fan Translation [via Phantom Leap]

Built of foam core, plastic and decals, the mini-cab prototype featured back door access for Game Boy Advance SP placement, making for a hunched over arcade authentic experience. It even had a working light up marquee! He also shared with us a cocktail table protoype, which is after the jump.

Merely a digital prototype, sadly, but clever and adorable just the same. Thanks for the tip, Brian!

Fulfilling your life long dream of playing Pac-Man on the Game Boy Advance using nothing but your feet is within your grasp. Thanks to the folks at Instructables, who provide a step-by-step tutorial on how to hack together such a contraption, fat kids everywhere will be able to combine their two favorite things: eating (dots) and shedding pounds by frantic shuffling. They call this a "win-win."

How to modify your DDR pad to play with your Gameboy Advance [Instructables via Wonderland]

Thanks muu!

Blip Festival, a four-day celebration of music made with vintage game systems, returns to New York City on Thursday with 40 artists and musicians from the US, Japan, Europe and South America.

"After last year's jaw-dropping lineup and unprecedented turnout, it became clear that there is a large and growing interest in this movement that shouldn't be ignored," said Mike Rosenthal, festival co-curator and The Tank's Managing Director. "By hosting this event, we not only nurture the scene, but also give New Yorkers a unique chance to experience a thriving international subculture."

Among the artists features will be the Ataris, the Commodore 64s, Bit Shifter and Nullsleep. I had a chance to chance to chat with a bunch of chip musicians, including Bit Shifter and Nullsleep, years ago when I wrote a feature about the music for the Rocky and MTV. It's a fascinating sub-culture of music and gaming.

If you're in the area I highly recommend stopping by to check it out. Tickets run $10 a day or $35 for the full festival pass. Full release after the jump.

Blip Festival

Old Videogame Gear, New Music: The Blip Festival 2007 Returns to NYC for Second Triumphant Year, Nov. 29 through Dec. 2

4-Day Festival Celebrates Chiptune Culture with 40 Artists and Musicians from around the World

Event Organized by The Tank and 8bitpeoples; Sponsored by Element Labs, Time Out Magazine, Make Magazine, Singha Beer, and Periscope Entertainment, with Additional Support from The Greenwall Foundation and New York State Council on the Arts

New York, NY, November 27, 2007—The Blip Festival 2007 (www.blipfestival.org), a four-day celebration of music and art made with vintage video game and home computing equipment, today announced its full schedule of events, screenings and workshops celebrating chiptune culture in all its many forms.

Presented by The Tank and 8bitpeoples and sponsored in part by Element Labs, Time Out Magazine, Make Magazine, Singha Beer, and Periscope Entertainment, with additional support from The Greenwall Foundation and New York State Council on the Arts, this year's extravaganza follows up on the success of 2006's inaugural outing with an even larger venue to showcase its roster of 40 artists and musicians from the US, Japan, Europe and South America - many appearing for the first time ever in the United States.

"After last year's jaw-dropping lineup and unprecedented turnout, it became clear that there is a large and growing interest in this movement that shouldn't be ignored," said Mike Rosenthal, festival co-curator and The Tank's Managing Director. "By hosting this event, we not only nurture the scene, but also give New Yorkers a unique chance to experience a thriving international subculture."

With nightly concerts, weekend screenings and workshops, and a group gallery show "B I T M A P: as good as new" presented in association with the festival at Williamsburg's vertexList Gallery, The Blip Festival 2007 brings together the biggest names in the field of low-bit art and music for an opportunity to be seen and heard in the epicenter of the creative world.

Among the featured artists who will be showcasing their skills on Game Boys, Ataris, Commodore 64s and other old school gear are Tokyo-based 6955, the Netherlands' Gijs Gieskes, and New York's very own Bit Shifter and Nullsleep. In addition, daytime workshops, held on Saturday and Sunday, December 1 & 2, include such topics as "Break the Circle and Become an Atari DJ" and "Pixel Pushing the PPU: An Introduction to NES Graphics."

The Blip Festival 2007 will also present the world premiere of 8-BIT Generation, a new documentary about low-bit art and chiptune music, and the influence videogame culture has had on an entire generation of artists. Directed by Lionel Brouet, who will be present at the screening and will introduce the film, 8-Bit Generation features punk godfather and former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, Role Model (Sweden) Lo-bat (Belgium), Relax Beat (France), and The Wild Strawberries (China).

Among the festival's related events, vertexList Gallery is presenting "B I T M A P: as good as new," a group exhibition celebrating the history of the digital image, the aesthetics of early computing, and early video-game consoles, featuring Cory Arcangel, Chris Ashley, Eteam, Kimberly Hart, Tom Moody, and many, many more.

On Wednesday, November 28, to get everyone ready for the 4-day extravaganza, The Tank will present a screening of 8 BIT (www.8bitmovie.com), a documentary about low-bit art and culture, which premiered at the Museum of Modern Art and was screened at last year's Blip Festival. For more information, including a complete schedule of events, visit: http://www.blipfestival.org/schedule.html.

EVENT INFORMATION:
Location: Eyebeam Atelier
540 W. 21st Street (Bet. 10th and 11th Avenues)
New York, NY 10011
Time: 8:00PM, nightly musical performances (Special daily exhibitions/showings. See festival website for more details. )
Tickets: Available at the door or online at www.blipfestival.org
Prices: $10/day, $35/festival pass

"This year in our marketing you really won't see much push against Game Boy itself, so it will kind of seek its own level. It's hard to say in the future if we will ever bring back the Game Boy trademark," he told GameDaily BIZ in an E3 interview (full transcription coming soon).

"It was a big risk for us to actually pass on it and call the new product the Nintendo DS, but it was part of Mr. Iwata's philosophy that if we're going to make a radical difference and try to reach a new audience, then we have to change the name... We had to make a break even though we had one of the greatest trademarks in the history of the industry."

Wow, Nintendo killed that brand dead.

Harrison: Nintendo May 'Retire' Game Boy [GameDaily Biz]

Elijah Wood and Gary Oldman will be returning to reprise the roles of the titular dragon and his mentor Ignitus, a move which I am sure ate half of the game development budget right there.

My last E3 before next week's event was way back when Spyro the Dragon was first launched. I still remember the giant purple construct hovering above the Sony booth, adorably majestic, heralding what would be one of my favorite platform games of all time. Over the years the magic has faded considerably, yet I keep hoping that one day I'll recapture it in the for of a new Spyro title that knocks me off my feet. This probably isn't it. *sniffles

SPYRO THE DRAGON® TO CONTINUE HIS EPIC NEW TRILOGY THIS FALL IN THE LEGEND OF SPYRO: THE ETERNAL NIGHT

Elijah Wood and Gary Oldman Return to Provide Voice-Over Performances

READING (6th July, 2007) - Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, today announced The Legend of Spyro™: The Eternal Night, the latest installment in the 17 million-unit-selling Spyro™ franchise and a continuation of the new The Legend of Spyro trilogy of games. The game is expected to release this autumn for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Wii™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo DS™ and mobile phones.

The legend continues in the second installment of The Legend of Spyro trilogy with the Ape King arriving at the Temple of Souls in an effort to usher in a new age of darkness. As Spyro, players must unlock the secrets behind a series of strange visions that he is having and find the power to defeat this terrifying new force.

"We're really excited to continue the re-emergence of one of video gaming's most popular characters through this ongoing trilogy," said Al Simone, senior vice president, Global Marketing for Sierra Entertainment . "The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night takes the action and excitement of The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning to the next level with new breath attacks, fury modes, and the introduction of the new 'Dragon Time' ability to deliver an exciting experience that Spyro fans and gamers of all ages will love."

Returning to provide voices for The Legend of Spyro™: The Eternal Night are leading Hollywood actors Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings trilogy) as Spyro and Gary Oldman (Sirius Black from the Harry Potter films) as Ignitus, the Fire Dragon Elder and Spyro's mentor.

The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night continues the strong action-infused gameplay focus established in The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning and takes it even further with exciting new powers, including:

• Four new, upgradeable Breath Attacks (one for each element type), such as Ice Bomb, Electric Orb, Earth Vine, Enhanced Fire
• Four new elemental melee moves, including Comet Dash, Artic Blast, Earth Pound, Electric Spin
• Four new Fury attacks - Earth, Electricity, Ice, Fire
• Monstrous new and explosive boss battles against the likes of Skabb the Pirate, Gaul the Ape King and more

Introducing "Dragon Time"
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night will also expand Spyro's combat arsenal by adding "Dragon Time," a new advanced move that allows Spyro to bend time to his will. Players will be able to engage Dragon Time to dodge attacks, out-maneuver enemies or solve tricky time-based environmental puzzles.

Developed by critically-acclaimed developers Krome Studios (PlayStation 2 and Wii) and Amaze Entertainment (Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance), The Legend of Spyro™: The Eternal Night is scheduled to be released in autumn 2007. Vivendi Games Mobile is also making The Legend of Spyro™: The Eternal Night available for mobile phones throughout Europe and North America. For more information, please visit the game's official website at www.spyrothedragon.com.

A Target tipster sends word that the chain sent out word today that all GameBoy Advance stock is being listed as discontinued and that all backstock in storage rooms is to be sent to the floor and sold.

The final goal is to have the stores GBA-free within the month and fill the space the Nintendo handheld was taking up on shelves with DS.

The real question now is how long before Nintendo stops manufacturing and shipping the handheld. Brian Crecente

A location test for the arcade version of Rhythm Tengoku recently wrapped up at Ikebukuro arcade GIGO in Tokyo. Both Nintendo and Sega created the arcade port, which features two player modes and doesn't differ that greatly from the original GBA version. One play contains two credits, and extra credits can be received when scoring "Perfect" on mini-games. As noisy as arcades can get, I can't help but thinking this music rhythm game will be an exercise in frustration. Love that yellow cabinet, though! Brian Ashcraft

Rhythm Tengoku Location Test [Inside-Games Thanks, Nick!]