It’s a pretty good week for lovers of the music rhythm genre, as not only is Guitar Hero 5 begging for you to spend even more money on plastic instruments but The Beatles finally get their own game in The Beatles: Rock Band. Yes, it may just be Rock Band stuffed with 45 of The Beatles best songs but, come on now, it’s The Beatles!

Colin McRae: DiRT 2 is there for all you Rally lovers, and Championship Manager 2010 comes along just as we’re getting over our addiction from the last one. Section 8 is the odd one of the bunch, but it does look pretty damn good if the videos are anything to go by.

Guitar Hero 5 (PS2, PS3, Wii, X360) 11/9 (PS2 is 8/9)

Kurt Cobain wouldn’t exactly be thrilled at being included in a game with mass market appeal, but Activision knows how to push a few buttons. Cobain or not, Guitar Hero 5 is still going to sell by the bucketload and the updated graphics, 85 songs (with more for download) and the Guitar Hero Studio (which allows anyone to import their songs, providing they own the copyright) will do a lot to bolster that appeal.

The Beatles: Rock Band (PS3, X360) 9/9 (X360) 11/9 (PS3)

The Beatles, on the other hand, were no strangers to milking their success. I suppose being the biggest band in the world gives you a bit of an excuse though. As stated above there will be 45 The Beatles songs, with more available for download, and various dreamscapes that will make you believe there was more in that can of coke than you were lead to believe. Don’t worry though, you can calm yourself down with your free copy of Guitar Hero: World Tour.

Colin McRae: DiRT 2 (DS, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360) 11/9

Colin McRae may be gone, but Codemasters makes sure his name lives on in the videogame world. Thankfully the game is a good homage to the legend, with a new engine and whole roster of events and tracks to keep you occupied. Just make sure you don’t get stuck in the mud!

Section 8 (PC, X360) 11/9

At first glance you may think it’s just another futuristic shooter, with that word that describes a ring of light around someone’s head coming to mind. Then you see the unique ‘burn-in’ feature that allows you to drop onto the battlefield from 15,000 feet above the surface. This is supposed to eliminate fixed spawn points, but it remains to be seen if the game on the ground will be able to successfully follow an awesome start to each level.

Other releases:

• Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Wheelie Breakers (Wii) *Out now*
• Taisen!! Ka to Chan no Kororonpe! (DS) 9/9
• Windy x Windam (DS) 10/9
• Mean Girls (DS) 11/9
• SingStar Motown (PS2, PS3) 11/9
• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (DS, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360) 11/9
• Diva Girls: Princess on Ice 2 (DS) 11/9
• Mary King’s Riding School 2 (Wii) 11/9
• Love is… in Bloom (Wii) 11/9
• My Beauty Salon (DS) 11/9
• My World My Way (DS) 11/9
• Championship Manager 2010 (PC) 11/9
• Mini Ninjas (DS, PC, PS3, Wii, X360) 11/9
• Time of Shadows (PC)  11/9

(All images sourced from Gamespot)

The triumphant return of ‘Latest UK Releases’ (it has been on a holiday to a nice sunny beach and, as a result, is now sporting one hell of a tan) is admittedly a rather boring one. I’ve highlighted only two games that I think are worth it this week (ok, Metroid Prime Trilogy is also pretty good but the games aren’t new so it only gets the bulletpoint treatment), complete with the usual short commentary from your’s truly.

Champions Online (PC) 4/9

Champions Online may not be coming to the Xbox 360 anytime soon but at least PC gamers can enjoy its lovely cel-shaded (or ‘comic shading’ as the developers refer to it) visuals. One of the more intriguing ideas the game employs is the ability to create your very own nemesis once you reach level 25. Defeating your nemesis’s minions will give you clues to the whereabouts of him or her, leading to a showdown. The level cap is 40, which may not seem like a lot but I’m sure it will be expanded upon in the years to come (providing the game lasts that long of course).

Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP) 4/9

Similar to a fighting game the one big difference is that it includes characters from nearly every single main Final Fantasy game in the franchise. Ever wanted to see Cloud and Squall fight it out? Well, here’s your chance. I don’t think Final Fantasy fans need any more prompting than that.

Other releases:

• Silas (PC) *Out now*
• Pool Hall Pro (Wii) 31/8
• Fate/Unlimited Codes (PSP) 3/9
• Il-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey (DS, PS3, X360) 4/9
• Guilty Gear 2: Overture (X360) 4/9
• Zorro: Quest for Justice (DS) 4/9
• I Did It Mum! Dolls House (DS) 4/9
• Warriors Orochi 2 (PSP) 4/9
• Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii) 4/9
• SuperCar Challenge (PS3) 4/9
• The Humans (DS) 4/9
• SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny (PSP) 4/9

(Images source)

I hope you’re as eager for more information on the recently announced Fantasy Life (DS) as I am because Level 5 have responded to my wishes. What we have are two images of the games character designs (created by Hideo Minaba), each representing the twenty unique job-based “lives”. As explained before each of these “lives” have their own set of quests and a unique ending with their very own Nobuo Uematsu vocal theme.

Thankfully most of the hard work involved in guessing which job each character represents has been done by Andriasang, which posted a full list of the jobs that was first published in Japanese weekly game magazine Famitsu. Unfortunately you still have to match each job with a character from the picture, so put your answers on a postcard and send them in (e.g the comments section)! Some of them are obvious, like the fisherman, but others are a lot tougher to identify.

Hit the jump for the full list of jobs and a picture of them all.

(more…)

The main draw of an RPG is a storyline in which the main characters usually end up on some fantastic adventure, which may or may not involve saving the world. You usually pass through a whole variety of locations, from small villages nestled between a mountain range to magnificent castles. Sometimes they are only pit stops along the way, a place where you can pick up potions and weapons to equip your party with. Sometimes they play a major part in the storyline, while other times they’re just a spot to do a little character building. I’ve often wanted to stay in these places for longer than the developers allow. Sure, technically you can usually stay in a town as long as you want but you’ll run out of things to do eventually, moving on to the next place. While I do love exploring these worlds I also sometimes want to see how life goes on in these places. Enter Fantasy Life, which brings an end to a paragraph that has already gone on far too long.

Fantasy Life is being developed for the DS by the makers of Mother 3, which should already excite you enough if you know your RPG’s. The visuals don’t actually look that different to Mother 3’s, which is also a plus because I thought they were charming. Anyway, what is it you actually do in Fantasy Life? Well, apparently you just do what you normally do in your real life, and that’s living it.

You begin by creating a character, giving yourself a name, gender, appearance and job. You can pick between jobs such as a miner, dancer or a treasure hunter (there are 20 in all) and the objective is to complete daily quests based around the job you have chosen. Progress will be measured through how much money you have gained and how happy you currently are. They do eventually end, so your life won’t be going on forever. You will be doing all this while listening to the music of famed composer Nobuo Uematsu, my all-time favourite composer.

It sounds like a mix between a traditional RPG and Animal Crossing, especially as people can visit your town through both ad-hoc and online wireless functionality. I’m looking forward to hearing more about it!

Similar Games:

• Animal Crossing (DS)

Back in June I told you that Rockstar had decided to bring GTA: Chinatown Wars to the PSP. Rockstar dated it earlier this week – giving us a 20 October release date – but we didn’t really get any further information on the game or any screenshot showing what the game will actually look like compared to the Nintendo DS version. That has now changed, as Rockstar today released some screenshots of the upcoming PSP version.

If you compare it to the DS version then obviously the game is graphically better looking, but it’s nice to see they have kept the semi-3D top-down perspective instead of going full 3D like Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories were. The lighting effects look to be a lot better, obviously taking advantage of the PSP’s power over the DS. Overall it is looking a lot better, but graphics aren’t everything when we still don’t know how the game will play.

The DS version made use of the touch screen through mini-games; such as smashing the window when you get trapped in a sinking car, or sorting through rubbish to find a concealed weapon. Will these mini-games disappear from the PSP version? Or will Rockstar find another way to implement them? It won’t be the same if they simply put a cursor in that you have to control with the analog or d-pad. At least we’ll get better music to make up for it, well hopefully anyway.

I guess, as I seem to say a lot these days, we’ll just have to wait and see. Hopefully it will sell more than the DS version, which is probably what prompted Rockstar to port the game to the PSP in the first place.

The game will be available in both UMD form and by download through the Playstation Network.

As it gets hotter I’ve found myself actually playing more games than usual, simply because I prefer sitting half naked in front of a fan than having to face the searing heat outside. I should have actually been on holiday in Turkey this week (I had to cancel it), so I guess I should be grateful that we’re getting some of Turkey’s good weather back home.

Anyway, if you want to get away from the sun here’s some new games that you could be playing instead of getting burnt to a crisp.

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (PC, PS3, X360) 3/7

The prequel to 2007’s Call of Juarez follows the story of the McCall brothers as they shoot their way through a civil-war era US and Mexico. The gameplay will be slightly different depending on which brother you select. For example, one brother uses a lasso while the other brother likes to use dynamite. Co-op play will allow you to compliment your chosen characters abilities with those of a friend. Check out the trailer here.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (PS3, Wii, X360) 3/7

I find it hard to write something positive about a golf game, as I personally find it one of the most uninteresting sports on the planet. However, if you are interested a new “Tournament Challenge” mode allows players to replicate famous shots and moments from the PGA Tour’s history, while the Wii version supports MotionPlus; allowing for more authentic and accurate golf swings.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (DS, Mac, Mobile, PC, PSP, PS2, PS3, Wii, X360) 3/7

The game tie-in with the book and film of the same name comes to pretty much every current platform, as well as one of the old ones. It’s pretty much similar to the previous games, with some multiplayer thrown in so you can go up against other crazy Potter fans. Apparently EA didn’t bother to include some of the locations from the previous books, so don’t expect it to be completely canon.

Moon (DS) 3/7

Moon is a first-person shooter that uses the same engine as Renegade Kid’s previous DS game, Dementium: The Ward. It takes place….um, take a wild guess? While the game features plenty of the narrow corridors it’s predecessor had in abundance the developer stresses that an updated version of the engine allows for more open environments and larger groups of enemies (source). All in all it doesn’t look like a bad attempt for a handheld that doesn’t have all that many FPS games.

Other releases:

• Divinity 2 - Ego Draconis (PC, X360) *Out now*
• Music: Music for Everyone (DS) *Out now*
• Pro Cycling Manager/Tour de France 2009 (PC) *Out now*
• Ride to Hell (X360) *Out now*
• Modern Warrior: Special Tactics (PC) *Out now*
• 2025: Battle for Fatherland (PC) *Out now*
• Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS) *Out now*
• Crime Scene (DS) *Out now*
• Worms 2: Armageddon (X360) *Out now*
• Diabolik: The Original Sin (PSP) 3/7
• Space Camp (DS, Wii) 3/7
• King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 3 (PS3) 3/7
• Drama Queens (DS) 3/7
• Classic Word Games (DS) 3/7
• Summer Sports Party (Wii) 3/7
• My Friends (DS) 3/7
• Ready Steady Cook (DS) 3/7
• Fallout 3 Game Add-On Pack: The Pitt and Operation Anchorage (PC, X360) 3/7
• Street Fighter IV (PC) 3/7
• Virtua Tennis 2009 (PC) 3/7
• Rygar: The Battle of Argus (Wii) 3/7

(Images source: Gamespot)

I apologise for missing this last week as it just slipped my mind. However, let’s not concentrate on the past and take a look at what’s coming out this week.

It’s not actually a bad week, with something coming out for everyone. Boxing fans have Fight Night Round 4, while RPG fans can pick between Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and Tales of Vesperia. There are a truck load of other releases, so take a look below to see if anyone takes your fancy.

Fight Night Round 4 (PS3, X360) 26/6

Fight Night Round 4 makes punching Ricky Hatton in the face even more realistic than last time. There’s a huge roster of fighters, new fighting styles and the introduction of the legacy mode; which is basically a re-titled version of the career mode which allows you to create your own boxer or choose from legends such as Mike Tyson or Lennox Lewis.

Overlord II (PC, PS3, X360) 26/6

The first Overlord was pretty well received, even if the sales weren’t great. However, it was marred by technical problems - such as long load times and low frame rates - that Overlord II hopes to avoid. The plot is penned by Rhianna Pratchett (Terry’s daughter), who recently did the plot for Mirror’s Edge, and follows the events of the first game. As for gameplay the game apparently “massively increases the scope of the original concept” (source), which means improved minion intelligence and destructiveness and the ability to carry out tasks such as riding mounts and sailing warships. Sounds like fun to me!

Anno 1404 (PC) 26/6

The RTS and city building series continues, or rather goes back in time to 1404. This installment features a new interface, gigantic islands and worlds, a modifiable sandbox and a host of other features. Oh, and there’s the (English gentlemen mode commence!) absolutely splendid graphics you can see above.

Spore Galatic Adventures (PC) 26/6

Spore’s first proper expansion pack (the first, Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, simply contained some new body parts) adds some much needed meat to the game in the form of custom missions. The player can customise planets, add flora and fauna, new vehicles, buildings and other objects while also defining various goals for the mission; such as having to defeat a particular enemy or collect a certain object. It should add some much needed variety to a game that got stale pretty damn quick.

Other releases:

• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (PC, PSP, PS2, PS3, Wii) 26/6
• Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (PSP) 26/6
• Tales of Vesperia (X360) 26/6
• Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires (PS3, X360) 26/6
• Lego Battles (DS) 26/6
• Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil (Wii) 26/6
• Guitar Hero: Smash Hits (PS2, PS3, X360, Wii) 26/6
• Superstars V8 Racing (PC, PS3, X360) 26/6
• Street Fighter IV (PC) 26/6
• Overlord Minions (DS) 26/6
• Fuel (PC) 26/6
• Music (DS) *Out now*
• CustomPlay Golf (PC) 26/6
• Ico Soccer DS (DS) 26/6
• Pool Hall Pro (Wii) 26/6
• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (DS, PC, PS2, PS3, X360, Wii) 26/6
• Diabolik: The Original Sin (DS, PC, Wii) 26/6
• Story Hour: Fairy Tales (Wii) 26/6
• Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits (DS) 26/6
• Skyscraper (Wii) 26/6
• Deus Ex Complete (PC) 26/6
• Valhalla Nights 2 (PSP) 26/6
• Another Code R: A Journey into Lost Memories (Wii) 26/6
• Bigfoot: Collision Course (DS, PC) 26/6
• My Friends (DS) 26/6
• Fritz Chess (DS, PS3, Wii) 26/6
• Story Hour: Adventures (Wii) 26/6
• SimEarth (Wii) 26/6
• Conflict Collection (PC) 26/6
• Party Pigs: FarmYard Games (Wii) 26/6
• Pro Cycling Manager 2009 (PSP) 26/6
• The Big Deal (DS) 26/6
• Rock Band 2 (Wii) 26/6
• Overlord: Dark Legend (Wii) 26/6
• DC Universe Online (PC) 26/6
• Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? (PSP) 26/6

(Images Source: Gamespot)

There is only one big release this week, and that’s Rail Simulator 2: Railworks Platform! Tipped to be one of the most exciting games of the decade Rail….ok, who am I kidding? Prototype is the only ‘hyped’ big release this week; with pirates, Harrison Ford and John McEnroe also competing for your money.

Prototype (PC, PS3, X360) 12/6

Amnesia has been used as a plot device in thousands of TV programmes, films, games and books but has I doubt it has ever been used as a way to explain why Alex Mercer has suddenly got devastating super powers and is out to kill hordes of people. This not only includes the ability to run up the sides of buildings or crush a tank, but also the ability to summon spikes up through the ground that impale anyone unlucky enough to be standing in their way. Check out these vidoes for more grisly awesomeness.

Grand Slam Tennis (Wii) 12/6

Grand Slam Tennis is one of the first Wii games to work with the new Wii MotionPlus, which means that it will be coming bundled with the device for a limited time. It always disappointed me that when playing Wii Sports you could get the same result by only flicking your wrist rather than using the Wii Remote like a tennis player would a racquet. Thankfully MotionPlus has fixed this, meaning that our arms will now hurt more than ever when watching John McEnroe and his superb hair go crazy at Wimbledon.

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (DS, PSP, PS2, Wii) 12/6

It has been a while since we had an Indiana Jones game, and coming so long after the latest film you have to wonder if anyone really wants a new Indy game. LucasArts is taking a punt at it anyway, taking Indy around the world to kick that Chinese guy’s ass (above) and possibly solve a puzzle or two. While it doesn’t sound all that appealing to me the inclusion of the classic PC game Indiana Jones and The Fate of Atlantis (Wii version only) does make it somewhat more appealing. You have to wonder why LucasArts didn’t just release Fate of Atlantis on WiiWare though.

Pirates Vs. Ninjas Dodgeball (Wii) 12/6

Ah, the age old question. Who would win in a fight: pirates or ninjas? Thankfully you can now solve this question; although you will have to do it with balls instead of swords and nunchucks. The game was already released on Xbox Live Arcade last year, and back then reviews cited a lack of content and, erm, fun. Maybe Gamecock has improved it for a Wii release, but don’t hold your breath.

Other releases:

• Dragonica Online (PC) 10/6
• Guitar Hero: Metallica (PS2) 12/6
• Chronicles of Mystery: The Scorpio Ritual (PC) 12/6
• Rail Simulator 2: Railworks Platform (PC) 12/6
• Barnyard Blast (PSP) 12/6

(Images source: Gamespot)

In all the excitement of E3 I forgot to tell you about this weeks releases until now. It’s always a risk releasing games in June - especially during E3 as everyone is talking about future releases - as this time of year is usually a notorious dry season for games. Thankfully things are a bit different this year, with some top quality releases for you to enjoy when you’re not out tanning yourself (hopefully we’ll get the weather for it this year).

All the releases below should be available in shops from today.

Red Faction: Guerrilla (PS3, X360)

This game arrived in the post from Amazon today, and I have to say that I’m quite enjoying it so far. You may not be able to blow through rock anymore, but to be honest was that ever useful anyway? Instead any structure you come across can be totally destroyed, its various supports and reinforcements flying everywhere at the touch of a missile. Look for a full review soon.

The Sims 3 (PC)

EA has tired of releasing The Sims 2 expansion packs and is moving on to a fully fledged sequel. To be fair I’m glad of the direction EA has decided to go in, with the game now playing as an entire town and not just loosely connected individual lots. One thing that always annoyed me about The Sims 2 was being frozen in time. For example, if you played one house for a few hours and your child grew up to eventually become an adult his friends would stay as children, which obviously isn’t realistic. The Sims 3 makes everyone age together, plus you can jump between houses and other lots at will with no loading times.

Fuel (PS3, X360)

Fuel is not only the biggest racing game of all time, but also the biggest console game of all time. The open-word environment of Fuel boasts 5,560 square miles of free to roam terrain, which is a hell of a lot of playing space. The post-apocalyptic setting of Fuel also means that you have to contend with some nasty weather while you’re racing, with tornadoes and sandstorms only part of the mix.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope (X360)

I never managed to get through Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, because that game literally took until the end of time, but maybe I’ll give Star Ocean: The Last Hope a try. Star Ocean: The Last Hope features a heavier emphasis on sci-fi, which is good because I felt that Till the End of Time just threw me into the world of swords and monsters when I was expecting more space travel. I still don’t understand why the hero’s in JRPG’s have to be kids though.

Other releases:

• Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (PS3, X360)
• Restaurant Empire II (PC)
• Trash Panic (PS3)
• Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships (PC)
• Wolfenstein 3D (X360)
• New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (Wii)
• Jillian Michaels’ Fitness Ultimatum 2009 (Wii)
• Simon the Sorcerer 5  (PC)
• Personal Trainer: Walking (DS)
• Medal of Honor: 10th Anniversary Edition (PC)
• Left Brain Right Brain 2 (DS)
• Ar Tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica (PS2)
• History Great Empires Rome (DS)
• Coraline (PS3)
• Rock Band Track Pack Volume 3 (PS2, PS3)
• Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock (PS3, Wii)
• Real Madrid: The Game (PS2, PSP)
• GTI Racing (PC)
• Vertigo (PC)

(Last weeks releases)

 After yesterday’s dazzling Microsoft E3 press conference Nintendo really had to work hard to impress on the same level that Microsoft achieved. The announcement of Project Natal may have suddenly threatened Nintendo’s position at the top of the casual motion controlled market, so Nintendo had to have something at least equally as impressive. Unfortunately Nintendo didn’t rise to the occasion and delivered a pretty lack lustre presentation that only had a few worthy announcements.

Cammie Dunaway – whom I personally like to call Mrs. Smiley – was the first speaker to take to the stage. After getting through the business talk Cammie started to talk surprises, upon which she immediately revealed the first surprise of the day – New Super Mario Brothers for the Wii. Nintendo also confused people by saying they were taking Mario into the ‘fourth dimension’. Consequently this just turned out to be a fancy word for the four-player 2D Mario game that was demonstrated live on stage by Cammie and three others.

The game will see players working together to reach the end of each level, but whilst doing so they are also competing with each other for the familiar coins scattered around a level. At the end of each level the players are ranked from 1-4 depending on how well they managed this girl, Cammie predictably coming in fourth. While the view does pull back pretty far players can also get wiped off the screen if they fall too far behind the player in front, and dying will place the victim in a bubble that others can either free them from or leave them behind. It should be with us by Christmas 2009.

Next up was Wii Fit Plus, which seems to be Nintendo applying their tried and tested formula of milking something as much as they can after we’ve all just finished buying the one before. Wii Fit Plus will be arriving in autumn 2009 and includes six strength and yoga activities as well as fifteen new balance board games. Juggling and skateboarding are included in this, as well as a game called ‘Perfect 10’, which Cammie described as “Brain Age for the backside”.

Reggie and his perfect hair were next to take the stage, talking about Wii Motion Plus just like last year. Eventually he got on to showing a demonstration of Wii Sports Resort using Motion Plus, beginning with a sky dive. Moving the Wii Remote around would change the position of the sky diver depending on where you had the remote positioned. The demo also showed off archery; where you held the Wii Remote and Nun chuck like a real bow, and free-throw basketball; with Reggie and another guy competing to see who called throw more balls through the basketball hoop in the allotted time limit. It’s not as impressive as when we saw it a year ago, but it still looks just as fun to play as Wii Sports. Wii Sports Resort will be released on 26th July.

Reggie also announced a few upcoming games that would be compatible with Motion Plus; including Tiger Woods Pro Tour 10, Grand Slam Tennis (the former two will be bundled with Motion Plus), Virtua Tennis 2009 and Red Steel 2. Red Steel 2 was demonstrated live on stage, and the sword he was using in the game seemed to respond accurately to any movements the demonstrator made with his hands. The game will only work with Motion Plus, so I’m expecting it to lose a few sales because of that.

Meanwhile third-party games coming to both the Wii and DS included;

• Final Fantasy: The Crystal Bearers (Wii)
• Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS)
• Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (released this autumn for DS)
• Golden Sun DS (finally making its return on DS)
• The Women’s Murder Club: Games of Passion (coming 13th October for DS)
• Cop: The Recruit (an open world game similar to GTA for DS)
• Style Savvy (a fashion game for DS)

After this came some games only for the DSi. Flip Note Studio, a sort of movie maker that was originally introduced as Moving Memo, will be coming in the summer. Mario Vs Donkey Kong: Minis March Again features gameplay similar to earlier instalments in the series but also includes a level editor. Nintendo emphasised the sharing aspect of the DSi here, as levels will be able to be shared between friends over a Wi-Fi connection. Also emphasising the creation and sharing aspects was Wario Ware DIY, which allows you to create your own mini-games, and the ability to share the photos you take on your DSi on Facebook. It’s not on par with Microsoft’s Facebook announcement, but at least it’s there.

Satoru Iawata then came on to talk about the direction the games industry is heading in and how Nintendo can expand the gaming demographic. Apparently something called Wii Vitality will aid in this quest, a small device that fits onto your finger and lets you know what’s going on inside your body. Well, at least that’s what Iawata led us to believe. No software was shown making use of this device, so we will just have to take his word for it.

A late surprise was another Mario game, and not just any Mario game but a sequel to the excellent Super Mario Galaxy. Super Mario Galaxy 2 marks first time a fully 3D Mario game has appeared on the same console, and that may go some way to explaining why it doesn’t look like it’s doing anything innovating at the moment.

Talk then proceeded on to games we already knew about (The Conduit, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, Dead Space: Extraction) before trying to please the ‘core’ gamer with Metroid: Other M. I’ve never played a Metroid game so it doesn’t really interest me, but for what it’s worth it looked ok.

So, in summary Nintendo failed to wow in any areas. I’m sure they’ll make tonnes of money through targeting the casual market, but for the ‘core’ gamer there are only updates to already established franchises. Nintendo doesn’t seem to want to try anything new on the game front anymore, falling back on well known characters and the shovelware that populates every local game store.