A new system update arrived for the Wii today - hitting at the same time as Nintendo’s President Satoru Iwata’s keynote speech at GDC (Game Developer’s Conference)  - that adds a new SD card menu option to the Wii menu.

The new update allows Wii owners to launch extra channels straight from an SD card, and can also download directly from the Wii shop channel to an SD card. This means you can launch games directly from the SD card, effectively creating a cheap storage system for the Wii.  However, save game data must still be stored on the Wii itself.

After clicking the new “SD” icon in the bottom left of the Wii menu a group of 20 screens of 12 channels a piece will launch. This means that you can store up to 240 games with the right size of card, of which up to 32GB are available for use.

This should finally put to rest complaints that the Wii doesn’t have enough storage for downloading games, as there’s no limit to how many SD cards you can buy and fill.

Update 4.0 also came with four new games for the Wii’s Virtual Console, priced at around £3.50 a piece. These games are the side-scroller Mappy, Gaplus (Galaga 3), the vertical shoot-’em-up Starforce, and a maze game adapted modified from Super Pac-Man hardware called The Tower of Druaga.

There are a whole boat load of releases this week, although most of them are of the shovelware variety that is churned out on a regular basis here in the UK. There’s nothing I want to pick up this week, and I’m too busy playing GTA: Chinatown Wars and Fallout 3 (yup, still playing it, and I haven’t even got any of the downloadable content yet) anyway.

It’s not a stellar release list this week, but take a quick look anyway.

Stormrise (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) 27/3

An ambitious RTS that brings an element of “vercality” into play. As I wrote back in September units can go up and down buildings, or even underneath, and a player that controls a good vantage point can see more of the map. Only time will tell if releasing Stormrise so close to Halo Wars will affect sales.

Wheelman (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) 27/3

Join Vin Diesel and his shiny bald head in an open ended world full of explosions and fast cars. The game will be released alongside a film of the same name, and will combine driving missions with on foot third-person action. Expect Vin Diesel to kick ass.

Demigod (PC) 27/3

The press blurb for Demigod says that “Demigod is a real-time, tactical strategy game that includes extensive role-playing elements”. The screenshots for Demigod say “giant Demigods beating the crap out of each other”. Thankfully the game is largely focused on multiplayer, so you can beat the crap out of your friends online too.
Afro Samurai (PS3, Xbox 360) 27/3

Based on the popular anime of the same name Afro Samurai is a re-telling of the first season of the original anime. You’ll be punching, kicking, and slashing your way through a cel-shaded adventure to take on “Number One”, someone who killed the previous “Number One” (Afro’s father) and now has godlike powers.

Other releases:

• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (PS3) 27/3
• Battleforge (PC) 27/3
• Drakensang: The Dark Eye (PC) 27/3
• Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) 27/3
• Don King Boxing (DS, Wii) 27/3
• Broken Sword: Shadows of the Templars (Director’s Cut) (DS) 27/3
• Monsters Vs. Aliens (DS, PC, PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360) 27/3
• C.O.R.E (DS) 27/3
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (DS, Wii) 27/3
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (Wii) 27/3
• Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars (Wii) 27/3
• Samurai Shodown Anthology (PSP, Wii) 28/3
• Amazing Adventures: The Lost Tomb (PC) 27/3
• Nancy Drew: Deadly Secret of Olde World Park (DS) 27/3
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (PC) 27/3
• Buzz! Brain of the UK (PS2, PS3, PSP) 27/3
• World Sports Party (Wii) 27/3
• Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles (DS) 27/3
• Imagine Family Doctor (DS) 27/3
• Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure (DS) 27/3
• Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi (DS) 27/3
• Jelly Belly: Ballistic Beans (DS) 27/3
• Imagine: My Restaurant (DS) 27/3
• Challenge Me: Maths Workout (DS) 27/3
• Phineas and Ferb (DS) 27/3
• Rock Band 2 (PS2, PS3) 27/3
• Calvin Tuker’s Redneck Jamboree (Wii) 27/3
• Gobliins 4 (PC) 27/3
• Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis (PS2) 27/3
• Mana Khemia: Student Alliance (PSP) 27/3

Media Molecule brings word that 1,934,700 players have created 646,135 levels in LittleBigPlanet. That’s 35,373 levels created a week since its release. Those are some grand figures right there, and that’s an awful lot of content you’re missing out on if you’ve not yet picked up the game.

Granted, most of them are probably pretty awful but there’s always the opportunity to create your own levels to enjoy with friends. There are still some amazing creations out there; such as this re-creation of a Gradius level, the first level of Super Mario Bros, a Pacman maze or even a level based off the TV show Scrubs.

So, as you can see there’s something there for everyone. You can also play these levels in the guise of various video game characters; such as those from Killzone 2, Metal Gear Solid 4,  God of War and Final Fantasy VII.

This game is the reason why I want to get a PS3, but if you already own one then you can pick it up here.

(Via vg247)

 There are three big releases this week, two of them portable. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars comes to the DS while the PSP gets the spin-off Resistance: Retribution. Meanwhile the Wii is graced with the ultra-violent MadWorld, turning the Wii into more of an adult affair.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS) 20/3

Grand Theft Auto somewhat returns to its roots and presents a fully rotatable aerial view of Liberty City. The graphics are top notch for a DS game, and they’ve managed to squeeze as much of GTA IV’s Liberty City onto the DS as possible (with the exception of Alderney). The drugs mini-game may cause controversy, but when does a GTA game not cause controversy?

MadWorld (Wii) 20/3

Over the top violence blended up with Sin City style black & white visuals is half of what makes MadWorld so appealing. The other half is that it’s one of only a few truly adult games available for the Wii, so if you’re sick of the usual kids and family games that this should be on any adult Wii owner’s wish list.

Resistance: Retribution (PSP) 20/3

Sony’s flagship PS3 shooter franchise makes its way to the PSP. The game ditches the first-person view in favour of third-person and picks up the story where Resistance: Fall of Man left off. It also features 8-player online multiplayer, which will hopefully make the PSP’s online multiplayer features actually useful.

Legends of Wrestlemania (PS3, Xbox 360) 20/3

Hulk Hogan may well be starring in his own awful reality show these days, but he’s still a legendary wrestler from back when it actually used to be somewhat enjoyable. The game will give players the ability to rewrite history and have their favourite old time wrestlers win matches they actually lost in reality. At least you actually have a chance to change the outcome in wrestling video games, where as we all know the outcome is already decided in reality.

Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (DS) 20/3

I only featured this game because of its awesome name, but on looking again it might actually be an enjoyable experience. Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (awesome) combines typical platforming action with puzzling solving. Solving puzzles on the lower screen will make Henry destroy an enemy on the top screen, after which they promptly fall down to the lower screen. Well, I think that’s what happens anyway.

Other releases:

• Tom Clancy’s Hawx (PC) 20/3
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Uprising (PC) 16/3
• The Last Remnant (PC) 20/3
• Crysis: Maximum Edition (PC) 20/3
• Broken Sword: Shadows of the Templars (Director’s Cut) (Wii) 20/3
• Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (DS) 16/3
• Military History: Commander: Europe at War (DS, PC, PSP) 20/3
• Disgaea DS (DS) 20/3
• Football Academy (DS) 20/3
• Castlevania Judgement (Wii) 20/3
• Ready Steady Cook (Wii) 20/3
• Petz: My Baby Panda (DS) 20/3
• Scrabble (DS) 20/3
• Ready 2 Rumble Revolution (Wii) 20/3
• Singstar: Queen (PS2, PS3) 20/3
• Go, Diego, Go!: Great Dinosaur Rescue (DS, PS2, Wii) 20/3
• The Wonder Pets! Save the Animals! (DS) 20/3
• Elements of Destruction (DS) 20/3
• Metal Gear Solid Touch (iPhone) 19/3

Picking anything up? Let me know in the comments!

That’s the face of a model who knows that this is the best gig she could get. She was dressing up as an Elf in order to celebrate the 10th birthday of the most popular MMO of all time, Everquest.

We’ve come a long way since then, and the biggest current MMO, World of Warcraft, has a lot to thank Everquest for. In turn, Everquest wouldn’t be around without the early text-based MUD games. Who knows where we’ll be in another 10 years? Everquest itself is still going strong, with 15 expansions available to date and a sequel in the form of Everquest II.

Its birthday will be celebrated through a party at Fan Faire 2009 in Las Vegas this June, plus other events both virtual and real-life.  San Diego also celebrated Sony Online Entertainment Day yesterday.

Go here for the full list of events.

Before you can cook you need the ingredients, so Majesco is about to take the hugely popular Cooking Mama into the garden to grow food for the kitchen. Its 5th June release date also comes mid-growing season, so you can plant real vegetables while you play along.

The game works in a similar way to Cooking Mama, using a simple step-by-step system to grow food instead of cooking it. You’ll be doing things like ploughing fields, scattering seeds, adding dirt and smoothing it out. When it’s time to water your plants you use the stylus to slightly tip the watering can so the plant gets the right amount of water. You’ll also be using the stylus for other various min-games, such as dropping bulbs into holes you’ve dug with a gardening tool.

If you’re a Cooking Mama fan then this sounds like more of the same, so it should be an easy pick for you.

A few days ago I brought you word that Capcom were about to announce a new Resident Evil game specially for the Wii. Well, Capcom have now officially confirmed that not one but three new Resident Evil games are on their way to the Wii. So, Wii gamers, you can hardly complain that Capcom ignores your demands.The first game will be titled Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, which will be a sequel to the on-rails light-gun game Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. The story will be based around the events of Resident Evil 2, and will feature our favourite Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield. The game will play the same as its predecessor, but will feature a new evade system. Capcom also promises that the game will fill in the missing pieces that Umbrella Chronicles left untouched.

The other two games are remakes of older games in the series, hence the ‘classics’ tag. The Gamecube remake of original Resident Evil - complete with zombie dogs - will come to the Wii, as will its prequel Resident Evil 0. Both will take advantage of the Wii Remote’s motion-sensing capabilities.

The Darkside Chronicles will be coming this winter, with the other two games also being released later this year.

Darkside Chronicles official, Resident Evil, RE0 Wii-makes US-bound - Gamespot

UPDATE:  Here’s a trailer for the game. It looks pretty good graphics wise, but then again the first Umbrella Chronicles didn’t exactly look awful.

First rumoured last week Army of Two: The 40th Day has now been confirmed, along with a screenshot and details about the game. The game is under development by EA Montreal and will be released for the Playstation 3, PSP and Xbox 360.

The protagonists from the first game, Rios and Salem, return to find themselves in the middle of ‘mysterious catastrophes’ occurring in Shanghai. Their task is to uncover the ‘mysterious forces’ that are causing these catastrophes and uncover the ’secrets of the 40th Day’. Well, that’s what the press release says anyway.

As usual co-op will play a big part in the game, or it wouldn’t be called Army of Two would it?

With ARMY OF TWO: THE 40th DAY, we’re pushing the tactical two-man military team into new battlegrounds offering a completely organic and rich co-op experience to deliver an action-packed co-op shooter this winter,” says Reid Schneider, Executive Producer, EA Montreal. “As chaos blankets Shanghai, China, you must rely on your partner to survive as you weave through a broken city left devastated in a mysterious wake.”

Let’s not concentrate on the totally generic story though, as these kinds of games don’t need a story worthy of Dickens. I’m always up for a new co-op game though, so I’m actually looking forward to this. I thought the first Army of Two was a pretty good game. Sure, it was nothing special but it was a decent co-op experience.

For further updates you can sign up to the newsletter on the official site.

All of this week’s releases (bar one, EVE Online was released today) are released tomorrow (13th March), but there’s only really one major release that I expect many of you will be waiting for. Tomorrow you can be fighting zombies in the comfort of your own home, as Capcom unleashes Resident Evil 5 on the UK. Persona 4 also finally see’s a UK release, but apart from those two there’s not a whole lot to get excited about.

Here are all the new releases that you can pick from this week.

Resident Evil 5 (PS3, PC, Xbox 360)

Despite not being overly impressed by the demo I’m still going to give this one a try, as I think it may be one of those game’s that don’t pull you in at first, but will ultimately turn out to be a pretty good game. Metacritic currently has the game at 87%, which still makes it a pretty damn good game. Anyway, tomorrow you will find out for yourself.

Persona 4 (PS2)

Although its release comes a few months after our US cousins this is one of the only new PS2 titles that is worth buying. A solid story and quality gameplay are just two of the reasons why this is the best-selling Megami Tensei game to date.

Sonic and the Black Knight (Wii)

I’m not sure about this one; I mean they’ve given Sonic a sword? A SWORD??!!?? It seems that many reviewers agree, and that it’s just another nail in the coffin for Sonic’s deteriorating legacy. Younger players will probably enjoy it, but everyone else should probably pass on this one.

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation (PS3)

Yet another game that gets a European release month’s after those in the US. When it was released in the US back in October players had constant problems with online technical issues and system crashes. Many of these have now been fixed,  but with only seven maps there’s also a bit of a longevity problem. This is maybe one where you should wait for a price drop.

Other releases:

• Grey’s Anatomy (DS, Wii)
• Secret Service: Ultimate Sacrifice (PS2, Xbox 360)
• NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)
• Codename Panzers: Cold War (PC)
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (PC)
• Suikoden Tierkreies (DS)
• EVE Online Special Edition (PC)
• MySims Party (DS, Wii)
• Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force (DS)
• Trivial Pursuit (PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)
• Magician’s Quest: Mysterious Times (DS)
• Crystal Defenders (Xbox 360)
• Peggle Deluxe (Xbox 360)
• Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2009 (Xbox 360)
• I-Fluid (PC)
• Fashion Designer 2 (DS)
• Real Madrid: The Game (PC)
• My Animal Centre (Wii)
• Monster Jam: Urban Assault (DS, PSP, PS2, Wii)
• Ultimate Band (PS2)
• Sam Power: Footballer (DS)
• World in Conflict: Complete Edition (PC)
• Brain Training For Dummies (PC)
• Travel Games For Dummies (PC)
• Help Wanted (Wii)

Picking anything up? Let me know in the comments!

The British Academy Video Games Awards were last night and surprisingly it was a game from 2007 that won the most awards. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came out with three, while another game from 2007, Super Mario Galaxy, also got an award. The reason for this is that there were no awards last year, so this year’s awards had to take two years worth of games into account.

Another surprise is that Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV picked up no awards at all, despite being given numerous ‘Game of the Year’ awards from a slew of media outlets. Moreover, how did Call of Duty 4 win an award for best story & character? I’m sorry but the little story there was to speak of was incredibly generic, especially when titles such as Fallout 3, GTA IV and Mass Effect were also nominated for this award.

Here’s the rundown of who won what at the BAFTA’s.

BEST GAME

Super Mario Galaxy

ACTION & ADVENTURE

Fable II

ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT

LittleBigPlanet

CASUAL

Boom Blox

GAMEPLAY

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

HANDHELD

Professor Layton and the Curious Village

MULTIPLAYER

Left 4 Dead

ORIGINAL SCORE

Dead Space

SPORTS

Race Driver: Grid

STRATEGY

Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution

STORY & CHARACTER

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

Spore

USE OF AUDIO

Dead Space

BAFTA ONES TO WATCH AWARD

Boro-Toro

GAME AWARD OF 2008 (voted by public)

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP

Nolan Bushnell (designer of Pong)