While the list below isn't a rundown of all of the reviews that ran this year on Kotaku, it is a fairly strong sampling. Use it to help you decide what you should and shouldn't get.

Which games make your list for wishlist or gift list?

A Boy and His Blob

Price: $39.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Platformer
Subject Matter:A Boy and His Blob is a platform game in which the titular duo use their wits and the Blob's transformative powers to overcome obstacles as they try to save the planet from an evil alien overlord.
Value: Moderately lengthy for a platformer, A Boy and His Blob's main draw is it's combination of platforming and puzzle-solving, using the unique morphing blob mechanic to create ladders, holes, trampolines and more to help traverse increasingly hostile environments. The graphics are gorgeous and the presentation is charmingly bare. It's almost artistic.
Buy it for: fans of the original game and people with a strong bond to their pets
Read the Full Review

Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Price: $49.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Marble-shooting, creature-battling action game.
Subject Matter: Based on the wildly popular collectible toy game and cartoon series, Bakugan follows in the footsteps of Pokemon but adds transforming marbles to the mix. The game does a good job of capturing the essence of the franchise.
Value: With a relatively robust single-player campaign and ability to battle up to three friends on one television in a slew of interactive arenas, this game is a pretty good deal.
Buy it for:fans of Bakugan and maybe even curious fans of Pokemon.
Read the Full Review

The Beatles: Rock Band
Price: The stand-alone game sells for $59.99, the Limited Edition Premium Bundle sell for $249.99, the Rickenbacker 325 Standalone Guitar and the Gretsch Duo Jet Standalone Guitar sells for $99.99.
Rating: Teen
Genre: Rhythm music game
Subject Matter: The Beatles: Rock Band is a musical journey through the history of one of the world's most popular bands.
Value: For those new to the Rock Band phenomenon and fans of The Beatles, this 45-track game is well worth a purchase because this is the only way you'll play The Beatles music in a Rock Band game. If you're not into the band, give this a pass.
Buy it for: huge Beatles fans.
Read the Full Review

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex
Price: $49.99
Rating: M
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Subject Matter: The Call of Duty series jumps from old school wars to modern combat in an edgy politically-charged tale of nuclear warfare.
Value: With Wii shooters few and far between, this is a must-have for FPS fans.
Buy it for: FPS fans who also happen to be Wii owners. Or your grandma, if you're trying to get un-invited to the family reunion.
Read the Full Review

Contra ReBirth

Price: $10.00 (WiiWare)
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action
Subject Matter: A new entry in the Contra series in glorious, Super Nintendo-era 2D.
Value: It's short and hard, like a body-building elf. ReBirth takes the classic 2D run-and-gun gameplay of the Contra series and...doesn't do all that much with it. It's a new game with an old look.
Read the Full Review

Dead Space Extraction
Price: $49.99
Rating: M
Genre: Dynamic on-rails first-person shooter.
Subject Matter: Sci-fi horror prequel to 2008's Dead Space, featuring survivors on the run from alien horrors.
Value: A short Wii game, but one of the best-looking and most exciting ones in recent memory.
Buy it for: Fans of the Dead Space series and Wii gamers looking for a game targeted to an older crowd; this one's too profane for kids.
Read the Full Review

DJ Hero
Price: $119.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Rhythm
Subject Matter: DJ Hero is a rhythm game featuring a replica DJ turntable so players can mix and scratch to the beat of original music mash-ups.
Value: DJ Hero features upwards fo 100 different DJ-driven mash-ups featuring songs from the 70's on up to present-day hits. Unlike the latest Guitar Hero or Rock Band games, however, it's only good for one or two players, so the party element just isn't there. The innovative turntable-based gameplay makes it a breath of fresh air in the currently band-centric music genre, but it certainly isn't as social.
Buy it for: Fans of eclectic music mixes and lonely Guitar Hero fans.
Read the Full Review

Excitebike: World Rally

Price: $10 (download only)
Genre: Arcade racer
Subject Matter: An update to the classic Nintendo racer Excitebike, with a few minor gameplay tweaks and a revised link.
Value: A touch pricey for what is essentially a modern day port of a classic racer, but I suppose nostalgia has no price.
Buy it for: fans of classic Nintendo games and pick up and play gaming.
Read the Full Review

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A Darklord

Price: $10 (download only)
Rating: E10+
Genre: Tower Defense
Subject Matter: In an twist on the genre, evil princess gets to stack one tower against invaders.
Value: Lots of levels, but the creators charge extra for a lot of the cooler items and features.
Buy it for: Tower defense fans who want a major change to the traditional formula
Read the Full Review

Ju-on: The Grudge

Price: $29.99
Rating: M
Genre: Horror, Action
Subject Matter: Relive the eeriness of the Japanese horror sensation in this "haunted house simulator."
Value: With a second Wii Remote, you can randomly inflict scary "haunting" moments on the person playing the game by mashing A.
Buy it for: Japanese horror film fans and anybody you secretly hate but don't dare give lumps of coal to.
Read the Full Review

LEGO Rock Band

Price: $49.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Rhythm
Subject Matter: It's the family version of Rock Band, with adorable LEGO characters.
Value:The value in LEGO Rock Band comes mainly from knowing your children won't be exposed to any suggestive lyrics or imagery, so if you're the type of parent/aunt/uncle that actually worries about such things, then there you are. Otherwise, you get somewhere around 44 songs that will just be released as downloadable content for the main game anyway.
Buy it for: Younger fans of good music who already have access to Rock Band instruments.
Read the Full Review

Little King's Story

Price: $49.99
Rating: T
Genre: Role-playing game mixed with empire-building
Subject Matter: A fairy-tale-style king at odds with increasingly clever and culturally-interesting enemies tribes and kings.
Value: High. Lengthy, imaginative single-player quest.
Buy it for: Wii owners who want a game that will last; fans of quirky, more artsy video games.
Read the Full Review

LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias

Price: 1000 Wii Points
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Platform
Subject Matter: It's the sequel to 2008's LostWinds with the new ability to switch between seasons (winter and summer).
Value: Small touches, like the character being realistically refracted when standing behind ice, made us forget this is not a packaged retail release. The graphics and music are both deliver — as does the Wii Remote gameplay.
Buy it for: Gamers looking for a breezy and cute platformer.
Read the Full Review

Marvel Super Hero Squad
Price: $39.99
Rating: Everyone 10+
Genre: Beat-em Up
Subject Matter: A standard tale of good versus evil told with tiny, superdeformed Marvel characters
Value: While the adventure mode will only last a couple of hours, Marvel Super Hero Squad features a Battle Mode that lets your kids fight against each other using iconic Marvel Comics characters, so there is some lasting value there, if only for the youngins'.
Buy it for: kids old enough to enjoy Marvel Characters but not old enough to handle Captain America getting shot and killed
Read the Full Review

Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Price: $49.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action RPG
Subject Matter: A highly Japanese hack and slash RPG with very striking 2D visuals.
Value:A gorgeous single-player action RPG, Muramasa has a great deal of gameplay but very little in the way of story development. Lots of over-the-top action and some very impressive boss fights make up for the overall lack of depth.
Buy it for: Japanese RPG and anime fans.
Read the Full Review

MySims Agents

Price: $49.99
Rating: E
Genre: Action/Adventure
Subject Matter: Make your MySim into the ultimate secret agent by unraveling a huge mystery.
Value: Lots of customizable costumes and outfits, plus a secret alternate ending and bonus puzzles lend the game replay value.
Buy it for: Your kids and play it when they aren't looking.
Read the Full Review

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Price: $49.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Side-scrolling, nostalgia-tugging platformer
Subject Matter: New Super Mario Bros. Wii doesn't explore any new narratives, you're still Mario who is still trying to save the princess, but this time around you can play with three friends, and the game is there to help you when you get stuck.
Value: New Super Mario Bros. Wii feels like two games in one, and there are several mulitplayer modes to add to the fun after you've beaten the game.
Buy it for: Anyone with a Wii, anyone considering a Wii.
Read the Full Review

Rabbids Go Home
Price: $49.99
Rating: E10+
Genre: Comedy platformer
Subject Matter: Three manic rabbit-like creatures and their shopping cart put to task to rob humanity of its junk in order to build a pile and pathway to the moon. Plus, the Rabbids can and must yell the clothes off ridiculous people.
Value: A pleasant and funny adventure that will last a weekend, but longer for those who want to collect 100%.
Buy it for: Gamers who want a game that makes them laugh out loud; fans of platforming looking for a Mario alternative; people looking for the Rabbids to finally star in something that isn't a mini-game compilation.
Read the Full Review

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
Price: $49.99
Rating: M
Genre: On-rails shooter, Resident Evil retrospective
Subject Matter: Single-player or co-op light gun shooter takes on Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil Code: Veronica, wrapped up in a short, new pre-Resident-Evil-4 campaign, all presented with RE's mix of horror and cheese (though this one isn't scary).
Value: Light gun games are usually very short, but this one has three campaigns and enough unlockables to offer at least nine hours of first-time play.
Buy it for: Resident Evil fans; people looking for a less innovative Wii light gun game than Dead Space Extraction and a less outrageous one than House of the Dead: Overkill, but, of the three, the one with the most content. A solid game.
Read the Full Review

Spyborgs

Price: $19.99
Rating: Teen
Genre: Beat-em Up
Subject Matter: Spyborgs is a simple arcade-style beat-em up with cartoon tendencies.
Buy it for: Young children and early teens who've yet to develop discerning tastes.
Value: $19.99 could very well translate into keeping your kids quiet (or at least only yelling at each other) for a few hours, or some quality parent-child bonding time. It's not particularly exciting, but it'll do in a pinch.
Read the Full Review

Sword & Soldiers

Price: $10 (download only)
Rating: E10+
Genre: Side-scrolling real-time-strategy game.
Subject Matter: Vikings vs. ninjas vs. Aztecs
Value: High, given the amount of levels, the gleefully violent cartoon visuals and the creative campaign.
Buy it for: Fans looking for cartoon violence on the Wii and fans of Patapon the only game remotely like this.
Read the Full Review

Wii Energizer 4X Charging Station

Price: $49.99
Rating: N/A
Genre: N/A
Subject Matter:An induction panel that charges up to four remotes at a time.
Value: With four rechargeable battery packs included with the induction panel, this seems like a fairly good deal.
Buy it for:Wii owners sick of burning through batteries and people who have their console set up in a place where space is at a premium.
Read the Full Review

Wii Fit Plus

Price: $19.99 (game only), $99.99 (with Balance Board)
Rating: E
Genre: Fitness, Sports
Subject Matter: A slew of next mini-games and a handful of new exercises round out Nintendo's home fitness tool.
Value: With a new multiplayer function and the ability to weigh your cat, baby or dog, Wii Fit Plus pushes its fun on the whole family.
Buy it for: Yourself because you're too lazy to go to the gym, your grandparents who need help getting over last year's hip surgery, or your brother-in-law who should really be watching his weight.
Read the Full Review

Wii Sports Resort

Price: $49.99
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Casual sports
Subject Matter: Wii Sports Resort drops you on an island with a dozen sports to attempt using the Wii's new, more accurate MotionPlus device.
Value: Packed with a MotionPlus remote add-on and a hefty collection of sports, this is a must have for Wii owners.
Buy it for: Fans of Wii Sports, casual gamers, anyone looking for some family time on their Wii.
Read the Full Review

The struggling part-time-wannabe-musician was selected out of 2,484 hopeful applicants and got things like one hundred bananas, one hundred passes for a bathhouse and one hundred whoppers. Nothing says "king" like Burger King or one hundred slowly rotting bananas.

椿姫彩菜さんが王冠を授与！ 2,484名の応募者から『王様物語』の王様が決定 [Dengeki Online]

Shall we thank the people who make us the most creative games, for which there isn't yet a mold? But in the midst of praising them, what should we say when their game drives us to angered frustration? These are the good and bad versions of that phenomenon of watching a movie and not being able to lose yourself in it — not being able to forget that that is an actor up there playing a role and that a camera captured that beautiful scenery. One wants to forget the human involvement and be swept away into another world, but the best and the worst of the creators' involvement keeps one from ever completely believing the illusion.

That's the Little King's Story experience: the thrill that someone made this for me and the muttering that someone did this to me, a frustration that, on balance, I think I was happy to suffer.

Loved
Pikmin For A King: Little King's Story is the brainchild of Yoshiro Kimura (interview about his creative ambitions here). It's a role-playing game in the sense that it has an overworld, quests to take, villages full of characters to talk to, items to gather and equip, seven wives to satisfy (T-rated, folks!), bosses to battle and a world to save. But it's like Nintendo's Pikmin in that the hero is a king who could be a mouse cursor like Pikmin's stranded spaceman, Olimar, leading a growing pack of distinctly-enabled creatures to do most of the fighting and collecting for him. He leads a class of varied troops — woodcutters who can clear tree stumps, knights who are good in a scrap, a TV broadcaster who can clear giant TVs from the playing field and about a dozen other minion types for players to discover and recruit. For those of us who believe that Pikmin 2 is among the finest games ever made, this design is a good thing, even if Nintendo's franchise had controls that more reliably caused each minion to attack and flee more precisely.

Urban Planning: From Sim City to Dark Cloud 2, games — even role-playing games — games have allowed players to construct cities where once dirt lay and grass sprouted. But Little King's Story offers a superior thrill. Its battlefields are its acres set for urban development. Imagine exploring a world as vast as a Zelda's and, after clearing out enemies in a given part of that world, setting about building fantastic villages upon it. Where once you were swarmed by angry vegetable men, by mid-game will be a boulevard in a town full of magicians or a mall set off from a farm. This instills a feeling of accomplishment to rival any earning of a master sword or mounting of an epic beast.

Unexpected Personality: The Don Quixote-inspired supporting characters seen early in the game are an early clue that the personalities in this game have personality. About 10 hours deeper in, the surprise creativity becomes the norm. Mad TV stations and pompous men with beards as long as mountainsides. Angry chickens, angrier enemies riding giant vacuums and giant, spinning compasses from geometry class — they're all charming menaces. The princesses are less interesting, mere tabulators of various in-game collectathons. And the townspeople are not all that fascinating. But the characters you can fight are increasingly entertaining. As a bonus, the bosses are introduced by some of the best cut-scenes of the year, painted sequences that defy expectation and enable me to say that, sorry, Halo Wars, your cut-scene of Spartans assaulting the Covenant was cool, but not as cool as Little King's Story's cut-scene of a basket full of food being lifted up a mountain to a bearded tyrant. Seriously. LKS' scene is tops.

Unexpected Gameplay: The game has not just the entertaining personality of, say, Psychonauts, but has been designed with the same brazen willingness to sample whichever gameplay style makes the next sequence funnier. Boss battles aren't just Pikmin-style minion-attacks on a giant beast. This game can also riff on Space Invaders, Pinball or set up a trivia contest which penalizes wrong answers with the assault of more angry chickens. Little surprises abound, including a subtle wedding mechanic that allows the Little King to marry his minions to each other. The game is full of unexpected elements like these.

Hated
Time-Waster: No game has wasted more hours of my life than Little King's Story. And by wasted I mean: I finished the game in 23 hours and 10 minutes but probably spent another five or six more hours interspersed among those replaying a lot of that same content. Why? Because the game lacks an auto-save system and is punishing in its restarts. Among other things, it discourages saves by preventing the player from saving their game after major story moments until they manually opt out of interactive and lengthy post-boss-battle village parties. You will forget to save at least once. Guaranteed. Saves can only be made within the King's base castle. And what's worse is that the game designers appear to know they could have offered more. Boss battles, at least, offer an immediate re-try when the King is killed, though even that re-try often requires the re-playing of 10-30 minutes of game that can be completed safely before the tricky moments are again reached. This is what had me throwing my controller, the sheer anger of how many times the sometimes-spotty controls and often-atrocious save system forced me to re-play long stretches of the game. Can you have too much of a good thing? Yes. Because a good thing isn't a good thing when it's being experienced the fifth time in a row.

Item-Mismanagement: The preceding problem is exacerbated by the game's disappointing item management system. As the Pikmin do, the Little King's royal guard will die. And they'll die a lot in big battles even when they fight 30-strong. These guys will often be resurrected on the next in-game day, but they will return without any of the weapons or armor the player assigned them. The game forces the player to manually re-arm the characters, which can take a good five minutes. Given the amount of times this can be necessary following tough battles of a game that isn't that easy, all this item management becomes a hateful chore.

It's hard to harbor too much venom for a game that hides a silly ping-pong mini-game in one corner and has a school building that automatically turns any tree-climbing children in your party who you send through its doorway into adults (Yes, isn't that what all schools do?). It's hard to knock a Wii game bold enough not to use any motion control and bolder enough to make fun of its own depiction of G-rated polygamy. It's hard to hold much against a development team who are always top-of-mind for any player who, weary of so much video game cliché, keeps finding things that aren't cliché here.

But it is maddening that games can be made that feel they haven't been played. Didn't they know some of this would be so annoying? Didn't they care? Little King's Story is a wonderful Wii delight, but it will draw some blood. Be warned. You'll smile. But it'll make you mad too.

(Little King's Story was developed Cing and published by Marvelous Interactive and XSeed for the Wii on June 21. Retails for $49.99 USD. Unified the kingdom and cleared the game, officially in 23 hours, 10 minutes.)

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This was a tricky week, as two of our finest, McWhertor and Fahey, were off to Comic-Con and working odd hours because of it. So I wrote more posts and therefore did a little less reporting and left less on the cutting room floor. But still, here are some scraps...

A Rare Studio Visit: You might think that an experienced video game reporter like myself would have visited a lot of game development studios. Unfortunately, I haven't. Blame my being based in the studio-light New York or not barging into enough development company offices or whatever. When I stepped into the Gameloft studio in New York on Tuesday, where I witnessed games actually being developed, well, that was unusual. (I was there to play Gangstar: West Coast Hustle, a GTA-like iPhone game.) I've covered games full-time for a little over four years and my visit to an active game development part of Gameloft adds to a short list that includes a visit at Retro in Austin, Midway's recently-shuttered Austin studio, the recently-shuttered Gamelab in New York, Yukes in Yokohama, EA in Redwood Shores and Double Fine in San Francisco. That's it, though I think having Kenta Cho show me stuff on his laptop counts too. I've been in meeting-room areas at Rockstar (NYC), Nintendo of America (Redwood Shores), Tecmo (Tokyo), Sony (Tokyo), Sega (San Francisco), Konami (San Francisco), EA (Los Angeles) and probably a few others. But if we're talking strictly visits to places where people are at computers developing stuff, it's just that short list.

MotionPlus Calibration Needs Still A Question: Chatting with Nintendo reps in Times Square on Thursday did not help answer one lingering question from my fun time playing Wii Sports Resort on Saturday: Why does the game ask for the controller to be re-calibrated - sometimes by having it placed upside down on a table — before any new mini-game is played? (EDIT: As readers noted below, what I wrote was a little bit of overstatement. Based on my experience and others' the re-calibration is needed several times an hour, of you're playing lots of different sports in the game — but it doesn't need to be re-set for each and very switch. Apologies for not being more clear about that. I phrased the question properly to the Nintendo folks but over-simplified it in this article.) Nintendo's corporate affairs v.p Denise Kaigler referred me to the company's product expert Bill Trinen. He said that he believed the designers required that in order to ensure that each of the diverse sports in Wii Sports Resort can be controlled with fine and accurate motions. But I wondered if this signaled a limitation for the MotionPlus. Could it be used without any interruption for re-calibration, in longer, continuous games that might mix up motion styles? It's a hypothetical question and one Trinen couldn't address at the moment. He sounded confident in the technology, but, as I suggested to him, it's something I guess we'll have to wait and see about, when games that try to do what I'm talking about, come along. Maybe Red Steel 2 will be a test case.

Nutcracker Notes: Finally, I guess it pays to mention in Twitter the games you are playing for review. While I know some reviewers don't like to read other reviews for fear of being prematurely influenced, I appreciated the e-mail from a reader this week who saw that I was playing Little King's Story and sent me some information about it. His note expanded my understanding of how the game's developers were influenced by things like the Nutcracker Suite. I can't say I caught all that on my own, and I'm a fan of learning this extra stuff to make what I do more informed. That added info may not make it into a post or even my review, but it's good stuff to know. Makes me feel smarter. That review was supposed to run today, but I haven't finished the game yet, so it bounces to next week.

That's all for today. Comic-Con madness subsides next week, I book some trips, some more embargoes lift and I get to check out the full holiday line-ups from Ubisoft and Sony, with some Majesco mixed in. Should be fun. Happy weekend, everyone.

Little King's Story, formerly known as Project O, isn't a game that I've paid much attention to up until now, which is strange, considering it's exactly the sort of quirky strategy title I like to sink my teeth into. After gazing longingly at these screenshots for the better part of a day now, consider my attention grabbed.

Speaking to Eurogamer Italy, Wada went on to say that consumers are bored by sequels and excited by variety. That may or may not have been the inspiration behind developer Natsume creating Puzzle de Harvest Moon and severing Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon from the franchise to stand as its own series.

Either way, his quotes still smack of hypocrisy. Wada's newest IP – Little King's Story – is a single player life sim where you take care of townspeople instead of cows with the power of a magic crown instead of a magic tree.

Wada gets a ten out of ten for idealism, though.

"I think new IPs must keep coming, not only to give more variety to the gamer but also to keep the creative people creative," Wada said.

"What is the point of having creative developers if they are just making existing games better and not thinking of new ideas?"

Hear, hear! Bring me the collective head of Namco-Bandai!

Stop relying on sequels - Yasuhiro Wada [Eurogamer]

For those of you with a low tolerance for hit points, the dynamic duo will also be showing off XSEED's first DS games, Populous DS based on the classic PC game, KORG DS-10, a music creation program, and Retro Game Challenge, a mini-game title based on the Japanese Game Center CX TV series. Perhaps these three non-RPG titles will calm me enough to keep the Rune Factory fan in me from dry-humping their booth.

Marvelous Entertainment USA and XSEED Games

Join Forces to Announce E3 2008 Line Up

Independent Game Publishers to Showcase Stellar Portfolio of Titles on Wii™ and Popular Handheld Systems

Torrance, Calif., (July 11, 2008) – Marvelous Entertainment USA and XSEED Games today announced its E3 plans which include a stellar line up of games for both Nintendo platforms, the Nintendo DS and Wii, as well as the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. Both companies will display their portfolio of upcoming titles at E3 2008 which will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 15th – 17th. E3 attendees are invited to visit the Marvelous Entertainment USA and XSEED Games booth located at Concourse Hall Pavilion #427.

”We’re very pleased to be able to give the North American audience a sneak peak at our upcoming lineup,” stated Yasuhiro Wada, Managing Director of Marvelous Entertainment. “This is just the beginning of some of the great games that we’ll be releasing in the US under our Marvelous Entertainment USA banner.”

“It’s been an amazing year for us, and we feel that we’re well positioned going into E3,” said Jun Iwasaki, President of XSEED Games. “We’ve got a fantastic partnership with Marvelous Entertainment which we greatly appreciate, and the overall line up of titles we’re showcasing is strong and diverse, which we’re exceptionally excited about.”

Games being shown under the Marvelous and XSEED Games partnership are:

Avalon Code DS

From the creative minds behind Rune Factory and Harvest Moon with the development studio responsible for the Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV DS remakes comes Avalon Code, an action RPG boasting incredible graphics, a deep and engrossing story, and innovative game play mechanics. Using the main character’s ‘Book of Prophecy’, players can modify the rules of engagement during battle as well as weapon and monster attributes. The player even has control over the story as it changes depending on which gender the player chooses to play as, enhancing the ability to immerse themselves into the story. Avalon Code DS is scheduled for release Q1 2009. The game will be published in Europe by Rising Star Games*, a subsidiary of Marvelous Entertainment.

Rune Factory: Frontier Wii

From the creators of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory for the DS comes the first installment of Rune Factory for a home console. Developed exclusively for Wii, Rune Factory: Frontier features stunning graphics and takes full advantage of the Wii’s unique controls to fully immerse players in the Rune Factory universe. Rune Factory: Frontier incorporates an open-ended structure that allows players to choose the type of game they wish to experience. Whether it’s growing crops, expanding the town, fighting (or befriending) monsters or even falling in love, the experience is unique to each player. Rune Factory: Frontier Wii is scheduled for release Q1 2009. The game will be published in Europe by Rising Star Games*, a subsidiary of Marvelous Entertainment.

LITTLE KING’S STORY Wii

Little King’s Story has an art style that is very ‘story-book’ in look and a magical fairy tale quality that will intrigue and delight gamers. The storyline, visual look, and lyrical music of Little King’s Story, work in concert to transport players to an interactive, enchanting, fairy tale world. By combining gameplay elements from life-simulation, real-time strategy, and adventure genres, the many aspects of creating a vast kingdom come to life! As King, players will manage and involve their townspeople in the goals of creating this new territory; enlisting them to dig for treasure, build new buildings and otherwise better their community. Of course, leadership is a two-way street, so as King, players will try to conquer rival nations to create a single unified kingdom, while also granting the requests of townspeople at whim. The game transforms the Wii Remote™ to a royal scepter and offers players the chance to be the best king in the world! Little King’s Story Wii is scheduled for release Winter 2008. The game will be published in Europe by Rising Star Games*, a subsidiary of Marvelous Entertainment.

VALHALLA KNIGHTS 2 PSP system

Sequel to the popular Valhalla Knights, Valhalla Knights 2 promises to give fans of the original game a vast and expansive world to explore, and the customization tools to create the ultimate battle party. This action RPG (Role Playing Game) sequel adds new races, job classes, weapons, magic spells, foes, armor and more to the Valhalla Knights universe, all within an engrossing story arc. Controlling and choosing character aspects such as skills, race and appearance, players engage in real-time 6 on 6 battles, reliant on tactical combat strategies to achieve success. Supporting 2 player ad hoc network play, gamers can engage in Co-op and Versus modes with friends, or simply trade items and weapons. Valhalla Knights 2 PSP system is scheduled for release Fall 2008.

Separately, XSEED Games will unveil the company’s first official support of the Nintendo DS with three titles:

Populous™ DS

Based on the original Populous PC classic from Electronic Arts, Populous DS brings a re-imagination of the classic game, which pioneered the God simulation genre. Featuring touch-screen controls that utilize the dual-screens, players manipulate 5 elementally-imbued gods, each with their own unique miracles, within an extensive single-player campaign. Within the multiplayer wireless mode, up to 4 players can unleash earthquakes, tidal waves and raging volcanoes onto rival players’ lands. Populous DS is scheduled for release Fall 2008. The game will be published in Europe by Rising Star Games*, a subsidiary of Marvelous Entertainment.

KORG DS-10

Designed after the famous KORG MS-10 music synthesizer, KORG DS-10 is a music-creation program for professional and aspiring musicians alike. The sound sources in the KORG DS-10 come from KORG, one of the world’s top musical instrument producers, and no effort was spared in the replication of creating high-quality sounds. The Nintendo DS’s touch-screen controls are utilized to the fullest to provide an authentic feel and operability across a dual-screen layout that is unsurpassed in portable music creation. A 6-track/16-step sequencer enables precise control and provides a wide range of musical possibilities, and up to eight DS units can be linked via wireless connection to play together or to exchange sounds and songs. KORG DS-10 is scheduled for release Fall 2008.

Retro Game Challenge

An original game based on the popular Japanese GAME CENTER CX TV series, Retro Game Challenge reinvents how classic games are played. Featuring a story-driven progression, players complete short challenges in a wide-variety of fictional retro-games. Specific challenges in shooting, racing, action and even an epic role-playing game are integrated into the story, while the in-game magazines offer cheat codes as well as fake 80’s news stories paying tribute to the rich history of the gaming industry. Released to raving reviews as Game Center CX: Arino’s Challenge in Japan, the game received a Gold Award from Famitsu with a 33/40 review score. Retro Game Challenge is scheduled for release Winter 2008.

Pre-E3 2008: Little King's Story [IGN]

Wait, there's more: The all-star team behind the game includes Yasuhiro Wada (Harvest Moon), Yoshiro Kimura (HM & Chulip), Youichi Kawaguchi (Dragon Quest VIII) AND Hideo Minaba, art director for FFXII.

I got to see an early demo of the kingmaking of little Corobo, the shy boy who the player must nurture into a wise and strong ruler.

The first thing that jumped out at me was the beautiful watercolor-pencil style of the cute, humorous cutscenes (we published the trailers a while back here) - and how well they transitioned immediately into the brightly-colored game world. I watched as a wacky looking old knight came riding up on a cute, bulbous cow (yes, it was the much-revered Harvest Moon cow) in his search for the true king.

Corobo then discovers a crown, suddenly prompting his friends to prostrate in homage. Next thing you know, you're in a throne room, and as you start the game as a level one "rookie" king, your mailbox soon fills up with all sorts of mundane requests, like getting rid of a red mushroom that's annoying the townsfolk, or filling in a mysterious hole behind someone's house.

In the scene I watched, the charming, fancily-mustachioed Bull Knight explained to Corobo that the neighboring lands are under siege by Oni devils and under the rulership of false kings, which, of course, it falls to you to rally your folk to deal with. Any time you want to know the state of your kingdom or what needs doing, you return to your throne.

But, of course, you're the King, so you don't have to do this dirty work yourself. Waving your sceptre at townspeople will recruit them to your aid - you can have a few or up to a throng of fifty following you from place to place, ready to do your bidding. Many townsfolk will have different specialties; for example, a team of carpenters will build something when instructed much faster and more efficiently than a group of regular individuals.

You can often earn respect by completing these quests; the more renowned you are as a ruler, the more people will obey you. And your obedient subjects are not just faceless nobodies. They've got HP and attack points, can gain in abilities, and will even show their relationship status - given enough time, your townspeople will marry and propagate. If you don't treat them well, though, if you battle too recklessly or work them too hard, they can permanently die, and as their King, you'll have to attend their funerals. That could be very interesting.

What I saw was mostly exposition and early stages of play, but this is a title I'll personally watch with enthusiasm, because life-sim/adventure hybrids rate pretty high up among my favorite genres.

One artist will be chosen among 100 winners submitting an original picture of a creature, person, ghost, beast, or anything like that - the chosen design will become a character in the game, while the other 99 will be featured in the in-game museum exhibit.

The requirements for a valid entry are pretty specific, and all info and submission instructions are included after the jump. Pens, pencils, paint, go!

Marvelous Entertainment USA and XSEED Games are Pleased to Announce Fan Art Contest for Little King’s Story

Marvelous Entertainment USA and XSEED Games are holding an artwork contest where winning entries will appear in the upcoming Little King’s Story

Torrance, Calif., (June 13, 2008) –Marvelous Entertainment USA and XSEED Games announced today that they are holding a fan artwork contest where winning entries will appear in their newly announced video game title Little King’s Story for Wii™.

100 winners will be selected – One (1) Grand Prize Winner’s illustration will become an actual in-game character, while ninety-nine (99) other illustrations will be displayed in the in-game museum exhibit! The theme of the competition is some kind of UMA, or an Unidentified Mysterious Animal. The illustration can be any kind of creature, beast, ghost, a weird man, etc; the only thing limiting the creativity of the creation is your own imagination!

The contest may be entered by e-mailing an original digital work of art in the form of a .gif, .jpg, .bmp, .tiff, or.eps file to comments@xseedgames.com with the subject heading “Little King’s Story UMA Contest.” Your illustration must be an unpublished, original work of art and the image should have dimensions of 148mm x 105mm with a resolution of 300 DPI.

Please provide the following information in the body of your e-mail:

· Name of your UMA

· Your name

· Your age

· Your address

· Your phone number

· Your e-mail address

· Name that you wish to appear with the illustration (real name or pen name)

If you prefer to send in your submission by mail, mail a standard 4.25” x 6” postcard with the UMA illustration or a CD containing the digital artwork and above listed information to:

Little King’s Story UMA Contest

XSEED Games

21515 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 1020

Torrance, CA 90503

All entries must be e-mailed or post-marked by August 1, 2008

For more information and to read the full official contest rules please visit:

http://www.littlekingsstory.com

or

http://www.xseedgames.com

Marvelous Entertainment Inc.

Marvelous Entertainment is a leading Japanese creator of interactive entertainment with such esteemed franchises as Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, Luminous Arc and No More Heroes under their corporate umbrella. More information on Marvelous Entertainment can be found at http://www.mmvus.com.

XSEED Games

XSEED Games was formed in November 2004, by a small group of industry veterans led by president Jun Iwasaki with a common vision; to cross pollinate the avid gaming culture of Japan and North America. Delivering unique, innovative titles across multiple platforms and genres, XSEED Games is dedicated to publishing products that appeal and enrich the North American market. More information on XSEED Games can be found at http://www.xseedgames.com.

The all-star team behind the game includes Yasuhiro Wada (Harvest Moon), Yoshiro Kimura (HM & Chulip), Youichi Kawaguchi (Dragon Quest VIII) AND Hideo Minaba, art director for FFXII. Pretty exciting, if you ask me!

It's the story of a shy little boy named Corobo who suddenly becomes a king, and gameplay sounds a little bit life sim, a little bit real-time strategy and adventure, as you might expect from Marvelous.

Luton– 12th June 2008– Rising Star Games is pleased to confirm the 2009 publication of the much anticipated fantasy adventure RPG title formerly known as‘Project O’ and now confirmed as Little King’s Story exclusively for Nintendo Wii. Developed by Rising Star Games’ Tokyo based parent company Marvelous Entertainment, Little King’s Story is scheduled for a Q1 2009 release in the PAL territories.
“Little King’s Story has an art style that is very‘story-book’ in look and one that we feel will be universally loved,” stated Yasuhiro Wada, Managing Director of Marvelous Entertainment Inc.“The game has a fairytale quality that will intrigue and delight gamers the world around.”
“Little King’s Story is a project we’re incredibly excited about bringing to the PAL territories. There’s been a massive groundswell of enthusiasm for this title since being showcased at last year’s Tokyo Games Show,” commented Richard Barclay, Rising Star Games’ UK&international marketing manager.“The game perfectly reflects the quality of gaming experience and design creativity fans of this genre now demand.”
Little King’s Story begins with the story of young boy named Corobo. Shy, and without many friends, Corobo stumbles upon a mysterious, powerful crown while walking in the forest near his village. He soon discovers that the crown grants him the ability to charm any person, and make them follow his orders. Suddenly, Howzer, the bull-knight appears informing Corobo that he is now King of the village and that he must not take this responsibility lightly. Returning to his sleepy village as a King instead of a shy little boy, Corobo begins a quest to turn his small hamlet into a noble, fantastic kingdom.
The storyline, visual look and lyrical music of Little King’s Story work in concert to transport players to an interactive, enchanting, fairytale world. By combining gameplay elements from life-simulation, real-time strategy and adventure genres, the many aspects of creating a vast kingdom come to life. As King, players will manage and involve their townspeople in the goals of creating this new territory; enlist them to dig for treasure, build new buildings and otherwise better their community. Of course, leadership is a two-way street, so as King, players will try to conquer rival nations to create a single unified kingdom as well as grant the requests of townspeople at whim. With the Wii Remote™ as a royal scepter, 2009’s Little King’s Story allows players the chance to be the best king in the world.

Torrance, Calif., (June 11, 2008) – Marvelous Entertainment USA and XSEED Games jointly announced today that the second videogame title in their co-publishing partnership agreement will be the fantasy adventure RPG title formerly known as “Project O”, Little King’s Story. Designed and developed by some of the most respected names in the gaming industry, Little King’s Story will ship in the US market Winter of 2008, exclusively for Wii™.

“Little King’s Story has an art style that is very ‘story-book’ in look, and that we feel will be universally loved,” stated Yasuhiro Wada, Managing Director of Marvelous Entertainment Inc. “The game has a fairy tale quality that will intrigue and delight gamers the world around.”

“Little King’s Story is a game we felt very strongly about offering to the United States,” remarked Jun Iwasaki, President of XSEED Games. “The game truly reflects the high quality gaming experience, uniqueness, and game design creativity that we look for, with the ability to appeal to a wide audience while providing enough depth for seasoned gamers.”

Little King’s Story begins with the story of young boy named Corobo. Shy, and without many friends, Corobo stumbles upon a mysterious, powerful crown while walking in the forest near his village. He soon discovers that the crown grants him the ability to charm any person, and make them follow his orders. Suddenly, Howzer, the bull-knight, appears, informing Corobo that he is now King of the village, and he must not take this responsibility lightly. Returning to his sleepy village, as a King instead of a shy little boy, Corobo begins a quest to turn his small hamlet into a noble, fantastic kingdom.

The storyline, visual look, and lyrical music of Little King’s Story, work in concert to transport players to an interactive, enchanting, fairy tale world. By combining gameplay elements from life-simulation, real-time strategy, and adventure genres, the many aspects of creating a vast kingdom come to life! As King, players will manage and involve their townspeople in the goals of creating this new territory; enlist them to dig for treasure, build new buildings and otherwise better their community. Of course, leadership is a two way street, so as King, players will try to conquer rival nations to create a single unified kingdom, as well as grant the requests of townspeople at whim. With the Wii Remote™ as a royal scepter, this Winter Little King’s Story allows players the chance to be the best king in the world!