via IGN


After countless delays Nokia has revealed that its revamped N-Gage platform will finally go live next week. Electric Pig reports that the mobile giant is putting the finishing touches to the games service as we speak, with punters able to download new games and compete against other people from next Tuesday.

N-Gage will launch with a somewhat limited line-up of games, including Brothers in Arms, The Sims 2 Pets and FIFA 08, with a broader range of titles promised shortly after launch. What's more, you don't need a pasty-shaped handset to play them either, because the N-Gage service is designed to eventually work with the entire range of Nokia's N-series of phones – although initially it's only compatible with the N81, with N95 and N93 owners able to get in on the action at the beginning of next year. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Ghostbusters on Wii is its own beast compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game.

According to first details appearing from nGamer, the Wii version essentially turns your Wii Remote into a proton pack, meaning a) an extra dimension to the gameplay and b) you'll be waving it around to snare ghosts with beams and, more importantly for destruction addicts, smash up scenery.


It also, first screenshots reveal, boasts a different art style to its PS3 and Xbox 360 cousins, Ghostbusters on Wii featuring a far more cartoon-ish look.

On top of the single-player game, Ghostbusters multiplayer on Wii also plays to the console's strengths.


AND Ghostbusters on Wii features a ton of mini-games, including a 30-second battle to bag 100 ghosts - which is apparently a bit like Hungry Hippos. ...

via IGN


The Nintendo Wii is currently the only gaming system unable to give players the ability to voice chat over the internet. Though a few games have been released on the Wii featuring online play, none allow players to converse through them. It's a frustrating limitation.

During a question and answer session in a Nintendo conference call this morning, Reggie Fils-Aime addressed this issue.

According to Fils-Aime, the system is clearly capable of this function, and Nintendo is constantly adding and tweaking features of the Wii system through system updates. The issue boils down to locking down the specific technologies and getting the specific peripheral to allow voice chatting.

Fils-Aime noted that, since Nintendo found this tech and peripheral on the Nintendo DS, he "wouldn't be surprised at all" if the feature appeared on Wii. "It's something we value and constantly look at." ...

via IGN


Sega Japan announced today that the upcoming PS2 remake of the original Nights: Into Dreams will include a mode of play called Christmas Dream. To access this mode, which takes place in a snow-filled world and features Santa clothing for the Nights character, you'll have to clear the main game.

Fans of the original Nights will have probably made the connection by now, but Christmas Dream is based off Christmas Nights, a Christmas themed bonus disk for the original Nights that was given away to Sega Saturn owners both as a special pack-in with the system and bundled with a magazine. As with the rest of the remake, Sega has updated the visuals for the PS2.

The PS2 Nights: Into Dreams remake, Christmas Nights and all, hits Japan on 2/21. A release outside of Japan has yet to be announced. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Square Enix has officially revealed a sequel to Super NES classic Final Fantasy IV... but it's for mobile phones. Pitch forks at the ready.

Final Fantasy IV The After - Return to the Moon will release on Japanese FOMA 903i model mobile phones in February, with support for other mobiles coming later.

According to the latest issue of Famitsu, the game has you playing as Theodore, a young boy who is descended from the SNES original's hero Cecil, though Final Fantasy fans are probably too busy cursing into their handhelds to care.

The 1991 original was later ported to PlayStation and remade on the Nintendo DS, and is largely regarded as one of the best entries in the massive RPG series. Its hugely disappointing then that the follow up is coming to a watered down format only properly available in Japan. But we're not bitter at all, no.

We'll let you know if its any good. Y' know, if we ever get our hands on it. ...

via Kotaku


Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed today what we first broke earlier this week, Best Buy and six other national retailers will be stocking Wii this weekend. And by stocking I mean they will be advertising the console in their weekly circulars (except Wal-Mart) and then throwing the consoles up on the shelves come the weekend and then running away.

Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, Kmart, Toys R Us and Circuit City are all stocking the Wii this weekend for those still on the hunt. We had several tips after our rumor story ran about the stock issue.

According to Best Buy tipsters it sounds like all stores will have at least 21 of the consoles with some carrying as many as 100. I've also heard that Best Buy is expecting a second shipment next week which is supposed to go straight to shelves. Most stores will get them sometimes before noon. The bad news is that rumor has it that that will be the last pre-Christmas shipment for Best Buy, though they expect more in early January.

Target, another tipster tells me, has a big stockpile as well, some stores have more than 100. So this weekend sounds like your best chance to pick up a Wii, unless you don't mind buying a raincheck. ...

A number of analysts suggest that Nintendo's inability to meet Wii demand is set to cost the platform holder in excess of $1 billion [£495.66m] this holiday, while Nintendo's marketing VP admits supply shortages are a "worry".

It's no secret that Nintendo is failing to adequately stock retail channels with enough Wii units despite pumping out 1.8 million systems on a monthly basis, but as the New York Times reports, shortages mean Nintendo is set to lose more than just face.

While Nintendo's Wii has been the bestselling home console in the US every month this year, except during September when a Halo 3-driven Xbox 360 narrowly edged it out, the Kyoto-based company is failing to fully capitalize on the system's popularity.

Nintendo sold 981,000 Wii units in the US during November according to the NPD Group, but according to James Lin, senior analyst at the MDB Capital Group in Santa Monica, Calif., "they could easily sell double what they're selling." Along with other industry analysts and retailers, Lin believes Nintendo could be set to lose out on more than $1billion this holiday, not including missed revenue opportunies from associated software sales that won't materialize.

While Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing says he doesn't believe Nintendo's "made any mistakes" when it comes to gauging demand, he admits consumers may turn their heads towards other systems if they can't get hold of a Wii.


Sony CEO Howard Stringer is one interested observer who's pleased with the Wii shortages. "I'm happy that the Wii seems to be running out of hardware," he noted earlier this week. During November Sony's PS3 outsold the Wii in Japan over a four week period for the first time since the systems launched late last year.

As previously reported, Nintendo shares have dropped by eight percent since November, having risen five-fold during the two years prior. Wii shortages and a resurgent PS3 are two factors that leave the immediate future of Nintendo's stock hanging in the balance. ...

via Eurogamer


It's Friday, and that means Nintendo has lined up another pair of ageing beauties to glide Sophia Loren-like across your router's DMZ into the beckoning, slightly sweaty arms of your Wii's onboard flash memory. This week it's Mega Man 2 and the amazingly brilliantly named Top Hunter.

Nintendo has also chucked N64 title Pokemon Snap onto Virtual Console, although that's been there since Tuesday when the last patch was released. Like other N64 titles, it costs 1000 Wii Points.

Mega Man 2, of course, needs no introduction.

Top Hunter is a NeoGeo game from the mid-'90s, which Wikipedia suggests was originally even more amazingly brilliantly named Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy, and which is - you will probably want to sit down for this one - a side-scrolling platform game that pits you against forest, ice, wind and fire planets in a battle to kill lots of enemies and bosses. It costs 900 Wii Points.

In that, Mega Man 2 (which I have recently been informed does need introduction) has little in common with it, seeing as it costs 500 Wii Points, although on the other counts they're quite similar: Mega Man wanders around 2D platform levels until he reaches the eight robot bosses and kills them, or doesn't and then has to do the level again. He is blue and fires stuff out of his arm.

However he doesn't look much like Top Hunter, as you will see from our Top Hunter screenshot gallery. We don't have any shots for Mega Man 2, but if you imagine a Mega Man game it looks like that. Dan Whitehead will be here tomorrow with verdicts rather than waffle. Er, probably.


Top Hunter screenshots here ...

via Eurogamer


Agetec has announced plans to publish the excellently named "Puzzle Guzzle" for PSP from Irem next spring.

In it, players race to assemble triangles and other shapes by rotating marked squares pieces (it says here).

"It may sound simple," apparently, "but winning at Puzzle Guzzle requires that players think in multiple dimensions to succeed."

There are competitive modes to play against friends, and, er, that appears to be your lot in terms of description.

Fortunately there's a bit more on the Agetec website, including a firm 26th February release date (is February in spring?) and box artwork.

We're told there to expect three puzzle modes - Quiz, Drop and Stuffit - with hundreds of puzzles, scope for chain reactions and downloadable content via Wi-Fi Internet connection.

Check out this Puzzle Guzzle PSP screenshot gallery for more. ...