Goldeneye may have a special place in the hearts of millions of gamers, and it may also consistently place high in ‘Top X Games of All Time’ lists, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely that a port to Xbox Live Arcade or Wii’s Virtual Arcade will ever happen. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard such rumours, but Rare – developer of the classic FPS – has seemingly given up on the port ever seeing the light of day.

In response to a readers question in a recent Rare Scribes update the developer all but signed the execution warrant on a port of the game;

“That was some time ago, my friend. Fate was against us that day. Destiny conspired to raise the hurdles even as we attempted to clear them, resulting in unpleasant groinal injury. I suspect we’re long past the stage where an agreement was on the cards, but you never know. Stranger things have happened… somewhere… probably.” - Source

The blame lies at the feet of Microsoft and Nintendo, who are apparently unable to reach an agreement on the financial terms of such a release. It all comes down to licensing laws, with Microsoft now owning Rare but Activision ultimately owning the rights to produce games in the James Bond franchise. However, Activision places the blame in Nintendo’s court, which published the game on its original N64 release. Whatever the case it seems that gamers won’t get a port until the money side of things is sorted out and it doesn’t look like that will be happening anytime soon.

I never actually owned an N64 myself, but a friend use to bring his round to my house and we used to have hours of fun playing four player split-screen. Most of the time we got trounced by my friend, but he pretty much always played as Odd Job so I still, to this day, say he had the advantage. The graphics may not be anywhere near today’s standards, but I’d still relish the opportunity to play the game through my Xbox 360; largely because there are so few split-screen games out there today and nothing can beat having three friends playing in the same room as you.

Fear not though, as Perfect Dark – which in some ways had a more enjoyable multiplayer than Goldeneye – will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade this winter, which is at least some consolation.

Back at E3 2009 Microsoft announced that Facebook and Twitter would be integrated into the Xbox 360 dashboard. Speaking with Eurogamer Microsoft’s James Halton revealed that both services are due sometime this autumn, but didn’t give an exact release date. However, apparently they will arrive “before Christmas”.

Now, you may wonder why they’re not part of the dashboard update coming later next month (currently being trialled by a selection of Xbox Live users). The reason is that both will be separate applications so will launch separately, much like when a game is released on Xbox Live Arcade. In that way they want be that intrusive if you don’t want to use the services.

Personally I’m tired of people saying “What’s the point? We can do this on our PC”. You can also play games on your PC, but that doesn’t mean you always want to. It’s just another way of updating your Facebook/Twitter when you’re not at your PC and I’m all for that. I’m not sure my friends on both sites will want to know what game I’m currently playing, but it’s still a cool feature nonetheless. Although, do separate applications mean we won’t be able to update our Facebook/Twitter from inside the game? Even if it’s updated automatically? It doesn’t sound nearly half as good if that’s the case.

There’s no word on the Last.fm or Sky integration yet, but hopefully they won’t take too long to arrive.

In other news the DSi now has Facebook intergration (also announced at E3), but it’s Japan only for the moment.

 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.

It’s not a bad week for games, which is fortunate as we’re coming up to the Summer - a notoriously dry season for games. Personally I’m tempted by Klonoa, but take a look at the list yourself to see what takes your fancy (if anything).

Damnation (PS3, PC, X360) 22/5

Originally an Unreal Tournament 2004 mod (which I played, and thought it was quite good) Damnation has now evolved into a full retail release. The game is set in an alternate 20th century where the American Civil War is still raging and everything is rendered in steampunk; and you’ll make use of acrobatic talents and a unique ‘spirit vision’ to get through the game. Unfortunately if Eurogamer’s review is anything to go by an interesting premise doesn’t always make a good game.

Punch-Out!! (Wii) 22/5

Readers who owned a NES may remember the original Punch-Out!!, a colourful cartoony boxing game that, at least according to Wikipedia, has ‘consistently been ranked amongst the best games released for the NES platform’. If you’re feeling nostalgic then Nintendo has you covered as 11 boxers from the NES release make their return. Let’s just hope that you don’t let Glass Joe take you down.

Bionic Commando (PS3, X360) 22/5

Yet another re-visit to a franchise that was around on the NES (although it originally came out in arcades) Bionic Commando is a direct sequel to the second game (the first NES release). You swing around the environment, while using your bionic arm to carry out attacks - such as launching boulders and cars at enemies. Check out the demo on Xbox Live if you want to see it for yourself.

Klonoa (Wii) 22/5

It’s all about the old games this week, isn’t it? Klonoa was one of my favourite platformer games for the PSOne, and it’s a shame that it wasn’t that popular when it first came out. Thankfully this Wii update will hopefully make people aware of how great a game this is, and with updated visuals they’re in for a treat!

Other releases:

• UFC 2009 Undisputed (PS3, X360) 22/5
• Pokémon Platinum (DS) 22/5
• EA Sports Active (Wii) 22/5
• Demigod (PC) 22/5
• Aqua Panic (Wii) 22/5
• Big Family Games (Wii) 21/5
• Dawn of Discovery (DS, Wii) 22/5
• Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Wii) 22/5
• Rock Revolution (X360) 22/5
• Neopets Puzzle Adventure (DS) 22/5
• Mind Body & Soul: Nutrition Matters (DS) 22/5
• Diva Girls: Making the Music (DS) 22/5
• Octomania (Wii) 22/5
• Restaurant Empire 2 (PC) 22/5

Nintendo have announced that the follow up to Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, will be out in Japan this June with an “overseas release” following the month after in July. The game is designed to take advantage of the new MotionPlus technology and, as such, will also come bundled with the new control device and an extended Wii Remote Jacket.

In case you have been hiding under a rock for the last year or so MotionPlus is the technology which captures your motion to a more accurate degree. We’ve all found out that big swings of the arm when playing Tennis on Wii Sports are no better than just sitting down and flicking your wrist, even though the latter is far less fun.  So, if you want to play the game properly, this means you’ll have to make the same motions that you’d have to make with, say, a real tennis racquet.

Let’s just ignore the fact that MotionPlus should have been part of the Wii from the start and concentrate on the fact that we may be getting far more innovative games - even if barely 1% out of the Wii shovelware will make good use of MotionPlus.

For more on Wii Sports Resort and MotionPlus you can check out this video from Nintendo’s E3 2008 press conference.

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.

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.

Bored of Brain Training and Animal Crossing? Don’t have much money to spend on your loveable little Nintendo DS? Well fear not my good friends; here are three games that you may want to add to your collection (you can check prices by clicking on each of the games titles).

Puzzle League DS

Puzzle League has been around since the days of the SNES, and it remains just as addictive as it was back then. However, Puzzle League DS takes advantage of the DS by using the stylus to horizontally drag the blocks that rise up from the bottom of the screen. You then have to place similar coloured blocks into columns of three, upon which they promptly vanish. As with Tetris the game ends if a block touches the top of the screen.

It’s incredibly addictive, but with addiction comes frustration. Thankfully you can share this with someone in head-to-head modes, where clearing blocks dumps them on your opponents screen.

Theme Park

I grew up constantly playing Theme Park on my Mega Drive, so it’s a game I hold close to my heart. If you fondly remember the game like me, or even if it’s new to you, it’s an excellent addition to your Nintendo DS library.

The aim, of course, is to build a theme park across a variety of different locations with an assortment of rides, shops and other attractions. The game itself is not as complex as some tycoon games today (such as Rollercoaster Tycoon) but it’s fun enough to hold your attention for a good month or so. Unfortunately like Sim City DS (read my review here) it only as one save slot, but you’ll forgive that when you see how full of charm Theme Park is.

42 All-Time Classics

I can’t really fault 42 All-Time Classics. I’ve had it since its release in 2006 and I’m still playing it today. There’s just so much longevity in it that it’s hard to ever grow bored of it, and if you do you can just move onto one of the other 41 games! It’s even further increased when you have friends who have DS, as you can play most of the 42 games with up to eight friends (plus online) and I’ve always found it great fun at parties.

Along with the pictured Bowling there’s card games such as the ever popular Blackjack, Old Maid, Hearts, Texas hold’em and more. Board games include Connect Five, Checkers, Chess, Ludo etc. A few others are Darts, Billiards and Balance. That’s just a few of the 42 games available to play. For £14.91 you can’t really go wrong!

Remember when I posted about the possibility of a high-definition Wii? Well, don’t expect those rumors to come true anytime soon as Nintendo currently has no plans to release a new console anytime soon.

Our favourite Nintendo US President - Reggie Fils-Aime - told Reuters that Nintendo “will consider the launch of new consoles when we have got great new entertaining ideas that can only be done with a new console. As we sit here today the Wii console has a long run ahead of it, (the DS too)” and “At some point we will launch the DSi here in the Americas. So as we look at the near term for us its all about maximizing the opportunity with the (Wii and DS)”.

As much as you’d probably like to see a HD version of the world’s favourite console there’s absolutely no point in releasing one now, especially as Nintendo seem to be raking it in with the Wii. Plus, the casual crowd don’t really seem to care about HD right now, so it will take a far greater penetration of the technology for people to start demanding that Nintendo catch up with Sony and Microsoft.

Of course, that doesn’t rule out the possibility that Nintendo are still working on something new behind closed doors. In fact, it would be pretty strange if Nintendo wasn’t thinking about the future.

Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime: “Very Optimistic” - Reuters.

GoNintendo brings news that Nintendo are preparing to release an updated version of the Wii Opera web browser. It will reportedly hit this December, with a bunch of new features and tweaks.

Version 2.0 will add new buttons, compatibility with the upcoming Wii Speak (which comes with the new Animal Crossing), the ability to check your Wii mail and (as pictured in the top right) a tab cube with support of up to 6 tabs.

The updated browser will cost 500 Wii points, but those that already own the browser will get the upgrade for me.

So, valued readers, do you any of you actually use the Wii browser? I can’t see the point in browsing the Internet on a console, as that’s what my PC is for.

Wii Opera Browser 2.0 details - GoNintendo