What this week's Nintendo Download lacks in must-have titles it makes up for in sheer guts, with brain training, puzzles, a little golf, and a simulated planet all on offer.

Of course, when I say lacking in must-have titles, that doesn't mean completely bereft of them. The sole DSiWare title this week is Art Style: Boxlife, and for many of us, Art Style translates directly into Buy Me. The series hasn't done me wrong yet, and even though this one is about climbing the corporate ladder via folding paper into boxes for 500 DSi points, I am still planning on picking it up.

WiiWare has three titles this week, though honestly none really catch my eye. XSEED's Drill Sergeant Mindstrong (800 points) is a mind-training game with a party flair, and at this point I can move things with my mind so we're good. Yukes brings us Neves Plus (600 points), a tangram-based puzzle games that I am sure would be lovely on any other day than a Monday morning with a slight caffeine headache. Finally we have Aksys' Family Mini Golf (500 points), and considering my family consists of two cats, that's probably not for me either.

Rounding things out on a planetary scale this week is the sole Virtual Console title, SimEarth: The Living Planet (800 points), the TurboGrafx16 CD version of one of the less wildly-popular Sim series games for the PC. Perhaps I should have led with that one and finished up with Art Style?

Anything grab your interest this week? Wait - before you say anything, official descriptions follow.

WiiWare

Drill Sergeant Mindstrong
Publisher: XSEED Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Language, Mild Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points™
Description: Line up and get ready to use your mind. Drill Sergeant Mindstrong is a party game that allows up to four people to play at once. Players become boot-camp trainees under the tough Drill Sergeant Mindstrong, going through mind-boggling, mind-training games. The rules are simple, but concentration and quick thinking are key. Become the top boot of your class and earn promotions based on your efforts. This game is best played with friends and family.

NEVES Plus™
Publisher:YUKES Company of America
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description:Try your hand at the newest puzzle craze to come out of Japan, NEVES Plus! Enhanced for WiiWare, NEVES Plus not only retains all the simple, mind-bending tangram-based game play from the original Nintendo DS™ version, but also includes new multiplayer modes wrapped up in an Egyptian theme. This time, you and up to three others can work together to move, rotate and flip the seven Lucky stones into each of the 500-plus silhouette puzzles. You can also challenge one another in new multiplayer modes such as Versus, Speed, Lucky Number and Party Mode. Whether you play every mode by yourself or with friends, NEVES Plus is set to charm you with harder-than-they-look silhouette puzzles.

Family Mini Golf
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Daddy, Mommy, Sarah and Billy are back for some mini-golf action. Play through multiple golf courses that contain obstacles ranging from bumpers to speed ramps to fans and more. Up to eight players can play together using a single Wii Remote™ controller. You can download new courses to expand your fun-filled mini-golf experience, creating even more complex and difficult challenges to overcome. Can you conquer all the courses and become the mini-golf champion?

Nintendo DSiWare

Art Style: BOXLIFE™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Climb the corporate ladder in the world of BOXLIFE using your wits and... paper? Use the Nintendo DSi™ stylus to cut and then manipulate the paper into a box shape. Be careful-if you're not efficient with your cuts, you'll waste paper and be penalized. R&D mode teaches you new patterns and challenges you to complete various ranks, while FACTORY mode gives you the chance to earn money by making as many boxes as possible from an endless sheet of paper. Success in each mode brings its own reward: Clear ranks to earn a promotion, change your character's appearance, and use your earnings to acquire new items for your character's miniature garden. With this game's stylish graphics and catchy sounds, thinking inside the box isn't such a bad thing.

Virtual Console

SimEarth™: The Living Planet
Original platform: TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Violent References
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: An entire planet becomes your laboratory in this large-scale simulation game. Players help foster new life and promote its evolution into life forms of higher intelligence. Guide civilization along the path of evolution until it can achieve Exodus, the ultimate goal of settling on another planet. The basic ...

What this week's Nintendo Download lacks in must-have titles it makes up for in sheer guts, with brain training, puzzles, a little golf, and a simulated planet all on offer.

Of course, when I say lacking in must-have titles, that doesn't mean completely bereft of them. The sole DSiWare title this week is Art Style: Boxlife, and for many of us, Art Style translates directly into Buy Me. The series hasn't done me wrong yet, and even though this one is about climbing the corporate ladder via folding paper into boxes for 500 DSi points, I am still planning on picking it up.

WiiWare has three titles this week, though honestly none really catch my eye. XSEED's Drill Sergeant Mindstrong (800 points) is a mind-training game with a party flair, and at this point I can move things with my mind so we're good. Yukes brings us Neves Plus (600 points), a tangram-based puzzle games that I am sure would be lovely on any other day than a Monday morning with a slight caffeine headache. Finally we have Aksys' Family Mini Golf (500 points), and considering my family consists of two cats, that's probably not for me either.

Rounding things out on a planetary scale this week is the sole Virtual Console title, SimEarth: The Living Planet (800 points), the TurboGrafx16 CD version of one of the less wildly-popular Sim series games for the PC. Perhaps I should have led with that one and finished up with Art Style?

Anything grab your interest this week? Wait - before you say anything, official descriptions follow.

WiiWare

Drill Sergeant Mindstrong
Publisher: XSEED Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Language, Mild Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points™
Description: Line up and get ready to use your mind. Drill Sergeant Mindstrong is a party game that allows up to four people to play at once. Players become boot-camp trainees under the tough Drill Sergeant Mindstrong, going through mind-boggling, mind-training games. The rules are simple, but concentration and quick thinking are key. Become the top boot of your class and earn promotions based on your efforts. This game is best played with friends and family.

NEVES Plus™
Publisher:YUKES Company of America
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description:Try your hand at the newest puzzle craze to come out of Japan, NEVES Plus! Enhanced for WiiWare, NEVES Plus not only retains all the simple, mind-bending tangram-based game play from the original Nintendo DS™ version, but also includes new multiplayer modes wrapped up in an Egyptian theme. This time, you and up to three others can work together to move, rotate and flip the seven Lucky stones into each of the 500-plus silhouette puzzles. You can also challenge one another in new multiplayer modes such as Versus, Speed, Lucky Number and Party Mode. Whether you play every mode by yourself or with friends, NEVES Plus is set to charm you with harder-than-they-look silhouette puzzles.

Family Mini Golf
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Daddy, Mommy, Sarah and Billy are back for some mini-golf action. Play through multiple golf courses that contain obstacles ranging from bumpers to speed ramps to fans and more. Up to eight players can play together using a single Wii Remote™ controller. You can download new courses to expand your fun-filled mini-golf experience, creating even more complex and difficult challenges to overcome. Can you conquer all the courses and become the mini-golf champion?

Nintendo DSiWare

Art Style: BOXLIFE™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Climb the corporate ladder in the world of BOXLIFE using your wits and... paper? Use the Nintendo DSi™ stylus to cut and then manipulate the paper into a box shape. Be careful-if you're not efficient with your cuts, you'll waste paper and be penalized. R&D mode teaches you new patterns and challenges you to complete various ranks, while FACTORY mode gives you the chance to earn money by making as many boxes as possible from an endless sheet of paper. Success in each mode brings its own reward: Clear ranks to earn a promotion, change your character's appearance, and use your earnings to acquire new items for your character's miniature garden. With this game's stylish graphics and catchy sounds, thinking inside the box isn't such a bad thing.

Virtual Console

SimEarth™: The Living Planet
Original platform: TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Violent References
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: An entire planet becomes your laboratory in this large-scale simulation game. Players help foster new life and promote its evolution into life forms of higher intelligence. Guide civilization along the path of evolution until it can achieve Exodus, the ultimate goal of settling on another planet. The basic ...

UK retail site PLAY has Max Payne 3 all set for an October 30, 2009 bullet-timed released. When Live Playstation followed up with the retail outlet for comment on where it got the date, the site was told the gaming chain was given the information by "the developers of the game."

We followed up with Rockstar Games -- the publisher -- and a representative stated it hasn't announced a release date. In fact, all the rep could do was refer us to the corporate announcement that the game was coming this winter. If things change, we'll be sure to update.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/22/ma...ockstar-disag/ ...

Sony plans a major push for the PS3 wand motion-sensor in spring next year, with plans to establish "a range of first-party and third-party content".

That's according to a developer brief leaked on Kotaku, which goes on to reveal that the wand will have rumble and up to four controllers can be used at once.

Sony unveiled the prototype wand motion sensor at E3. The hardware has in-built sensors as well as a dome on top that is tracked by the PlayStation Eye. This provides 1:1 motion-sensing capability. Furthermore, Sony says the PS Eye will be able to track head movement and recognise voice.

Sony notes, however, that there will be "SPU overhead" that has "an impact on memory" when using these features.

The platform holder also told developers there is "possibility" the DualShock 3 pad, which features rudimentary motion-sensing, will be compatible with the wand controller. An example where the wand is used as a sword and the DualShock 3 as a shield was given.

There's still no firm release date for the PS3 wand.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/fo...e-used-at-once ...

We're totally over the steampunk movement. Seriously guys, give it a rest. But this moisturegoon PS3 is really something special.

Outfitted with a wood veneer finish and brass detailing, this Damnation Timberclad PS3 is clearly a member of the anti-steampunk movement known in some circles as vaporhood, waterprick, condensationjerk or aquaramones.

The modification leaves the system's internals uncracked, meaning that this PS3 has an intact warranty (though mailing it back to Sony in this condition is not necessarily recommended). We'd hate to see them replace the custom ‘Liquid Iron' and 'Liquid Rust' treated disc bay with *shudder* black plastic.

http://gizmodo.com/5299574/we-like-t...with-steampunk ...

Activision's new IP Prototype has managed to take the number one spot in the UK on its second week of release, according to data from GfK Chart-Track.

As sales of EA's The Sims 3 dropped 49 per cent the PC title slipped to number two in the All Formats charts, with Nintendo's Wii Fit just behind at three.

Sony's much-delayed Ghostbusters: The Videogame managed to break into the charts at number four despite only be released on the PlayStation 3 and PS2.

A price cut on Call of Duty: World at War sees it push back up the charts to number five, ahead of THQ's Red Faction: Guerilla at six, which suffers a sales decline of 46 per cent, and UFC 2009: Undisputed at seven.

EA's Grand Slam Tennis enjoys a sales boost of 47 per cent pushing it into the top ten, while Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings sees sales jump 158 per cent as it climbs to number 13.

The top ten best-selling titles in the UK follow:

The only other new entry in the top 40 this week is 505 Games' ArmA II at 19.

01 Prototype
02 The Sims 3
03 Wii Fit
04 Ghostbusters: The Videogame
05 Call of Duty: World at War
06 Red Faction: Guerilla
07 UFC 2009: Undisputed
08 EA Sports Active
09 Virtua Tennis 2009
10 Grand Slam Tennis

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...umber-one-spot ...

EA Sports president Peter Moore has pulled Barack Obama up on his recent comments to the American Medical Association that children should put away videogames and get more outdoor exercise.

Last week the US president suggested that adults should encourage children to exercise as part of the country's health reform. "It means going for a run or hitting the gym, and raising our children to step away from the videogames and spend more time playing outside," said Obama.

Defending the videogame business – and not missing an opportunity to promote his latest fitness title, EA Sports Active – Moore suggested the president should try out the game's 30-Day Challenge to see how games can be a force for good.

"You’ve heard me say it so many times before, but it’s refreshing to see the opportunities we have now on the Wii and what some of the new motion control technologies in development at Microsoft and Sony may bring to enhance an at-home fitness experience like EA Sports Active," wrote Moore on his company blog.

"In fact, I’d be willing to bet there are more consoles getting far more use in American homes than there is exercise equipment, so it’s up to us to continue to use the platform for good," he added.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ealth-comments ...

Sony Computer Entertainment America has issued a statement in response to Activision's suggestion that it might drop support for Sony consoles in the future.

Last week CEO of Activision Bobby Kotick said that his company would have to reassess support for the PlayStation 3 and the PSP if Sony does not drop the price of the home console.

"PlayStation has tremendous momentum coming out of E3, and we are seeing positive growth with more than 350 titles slated to hit across all our platforms, including many anticipated games from our publishing partners," said spokesperson Patrick Seybold.

"We enjoy healthy business relationships with and greatly value our publishing partners and are working closely with them to deliver the best entertainment experience."

It's expected that Sony will cut the price of the PlayStation 3 later this year, to bring it into line with cheaper hardware from Nintendo and Microsoft.

US retail chain GameStop most recently said it expects a PS3 price cut this year of around USD 100.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ks-ps3-threats ...

Sony Computer Entertainment America has issued a statement in response to Activision's suggestion that it might drop support for Sony consoles in the future.

Last week CEO of Activision Bobby Kotick said that his company would have to reassess support for the PlayStation 3 and the PSP if Sony does not drop the price of the home console.

"PlayStation has tremendous momentum coming out of E3, and we are seeing positive growth with more than 350 titles slated to hit across all our platforms, including many anticipated games from our publishing partners," said spokesperson Patrick Seybold.

"We enjoy healthy business relationships with and greatly value our publishing partners and are working closely with them to deliver the best entertainment experience."

It's expected that Sony will cut the price of the PlayStation 3 later this year, to bring it into line with cheaper hardware from Nintendo and Microsoft.

US retail chain GameStop most recently said it expects a PS3 price cut this year of around USD 100.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ks-ps3-threats ...