via IGN,

The latest ESRB ratings have come in, and, much to our chagrin, only one new Virtual Console title got the rating treatment. In the past, these ESRB updates would come with several newly-rated classic games that were likely to make it to Nintendo's download service, but it seems like Nintendo may have accumulated a backlog of already-rated games.

Below is the one newly-rated Virtual Console title:


ESRB Ratings for 5/22/07

Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos


We have enjoyed the hell out of the VC version of the original game, so needless to say we're anticipating this one. It's always good to see more Tecmo loving on the Wii. Strong sales of VC titles may very well lead to future installments in franchises such as this on the Wii.

We'll keep you updated with the latest in ESRB ratings, so be sure to check IGN Wii frequently for the next batch. ...

via IGN,

According to hints in the latest issue of Nintendo Power, Super Paper Mario is no longer the only way to get your fill of Mario's paper-thin RPG antics on the Wii. That's right, the N64 hit, Paper Mario, may be getting the Virtual Console treatment sometime in the near future.

The official Nintendo mag had a brief preview of the N64 classic in the Wii Channels section of its July issue. The magazine listed the game as its 'top pick' among upcoming Virtual Console games, hinting at its impending release. No specific details were given regarding whether or not we can actually expect this game to come any time soon. We're pretty sure that we will see the title hit Nintendo's service sometime in the near future, as Nintendo is likely to try and ride the wave of accolades and positive press that Super Paper Mario is enjoying right now on the Wii, but nothing is set in stone at this point.

We've always been huge fans of Mario's flattened out adventures, so this comes as pretty great news to us. We'll keep you posted as any firm details surface. ...

via IGN,

Sony Computer Entertainment Australia today announced a price drop for the PSP to $279.95 RRP, effective immediately. This is good news for a system in need of a boost, and alongside some strong recent releases such as Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (which is in stores today) should see strong sales. It also brings the system into line with other territories - both the US and UK have seen recent price drops for the system.

That's not the only exciting news for Aussie gamers, as SCE Australia has also confirmed that the Go!Cam camera adapter will go on sale in Australia on the 21st of June for $79.95 RRP. What's Go!Cam? Well, aside from being a rallying cry for yours truly (sorry, couldn't resist), it's also a camera attachment that snaps on via the mini-USB port on the top of your PSP. The camera rotates 180 degrees, allowing you to use the screen as a viewfinder, whether you're taking a photo of yourself or filming a video. Images are snapped at a resolution of 1.3 megapixels, which is a little disappointing considering that 2mp is pretty much standard issue for most phones these days. Nonetheless, if you have a 4GB Memory Stick, you'll be able to store 40,000 photos, or two and a half hours of video, and the built-in mic ensures continuous audio. Go!Cam will ship with Go!Edit, an editing suite which allows users to tweak movies and photos with sounds and graphical effects, as well as upload finished media directly onto the internet. ...

via IGN,

Today Red Mile Entertainment, publisher of last summer's Crusty Demons and the upcoming Jackass game, announced it has secured the rights to develop and publish games based on Frank Miller's Sin City graphic novels. As the deal refers to the novels, not the movie co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Miller, it doesn't sound like we can expect to see the likenesses of actors like Jessica Alba and Bruce Willis in the game.


Expect the game to look more like the graphic novel than the movie.

Frank Miller will be working with Red Mile on the adaptations. "Taking Sin City into the world of videogames is very exciting -- games offer a whole new way to bring audiences into Sin City," said Miller. "The Red Mile team has impressed me with its dedication to creating Sin City videogames that will remain true to Sin City as I've always seen it."

"Sin City enjoys a broad and devoted following," said Chester Aldridge, CEO of Red Mile. "Its crime noir settings, richly detailed characters, hyper-real action sequences, and engaging stories provide an outstanding groundwork for videogames."

Back in 2005 the writers of The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay announced they were developing a Sin City game, but no further information surfaced about the project. As Frank Miller has attached himself to Red Mile's game it looks like this one will be the real deal. ...

via IGN,

Even though Nintendo had its own titles to focus on at its official press day this week, the company played nice with a few third-party publishers by letting them show off their wares. There were only two non-Nintendo published Nintendo DS games being demoed in Seattle: Jam Session from Ubisoft and THQ's Drawn to Life.

While Ubisoft let players strum away in Jam Session, THQ kept its game hands off, only demoing Drawn to Life as a "look but don't touch" presentation. Since we've already extensively previewed the game in this fashion when the company visited the IGN offices, we'll let you just read our original preview.

We'll update our impressions on the game when the publisher actually lets us play it. Since the game's due out this September, hopefully it'll be soon. ...

via IGN,

Square Enix has been upping the remake count of late, with, at last count, two billion Final Fantasy remakes appearing on various platforms. So, you might be wondering, if they're willing to remake all the older Final Fantasy games, why aren't they doing the same for the Dragon Quest series?

According to the online version of Japan's Mainichi Shimbun, CEO Yoichi Wada managed to answer that very question (even though it wasn't asked!) at a Square Enix financial briefing in Tokyo today. Asked about release plans for Dragon Quest IX during the Q&A session that followed the briefing, Wada said, "This summer, we'll release Battle Road in arcades and Sword for the Wii. Following that, we're thinking of a release for 9 once we've released remake versions and so forth."

He didn't get into specifics on what entries in the series the company is looking to remake, nor did he refer to a specific system. The last DQ remake, DQV, sold over a million copies on the PS2.

And as for that mysterious "so-forth," it's possible that Wada was referring to off-shoots. Itadaki Street DS could fall into that category, as it features Dragon Quest characters.

Despite strong potential for a remake to turn into a blockbuster, it's doubtful that anything will be able to beat the noise generated by DQIX itself. During the Q&A, someone asked Wada about the planned price for DQIX, noting that some have suggested that the game could end up selling three times as many copies as DQVIII. In response, Wada would not comment on sales targets, nor would he offer a specific price point.

We'll point out that selling three times that of DQVIII would make DQIX Japan's best selling videogame ever with sales of over 11 million units. The DS is certainly popular, but perhaps someone has been spending too much time with the EA wine-tasting game. ...

via IGN,

It was floating around retailer pre-order lists for ages and even had its own website, but after more than a year of silence, Red Mile Entertainment has finally announced that Jackass: The Game is coming to PS2, PSP and Nintendo DS this fall.

Sidhe Interactive (GripShift) is handling production duties on both Sony platform versions, while Sensory Sweep Studios (Marvel Nemesis, Justice League Heroes) develops the DS edition.

Classified as a "mission-based action/ adventure," Jackass takes its inspiration from the MTV television series and allows players to try out 35 different scenarios with digital incarnations of Steve-O, Johnny Knoxville, and the rest of the cast. However, word on the street is that Bam Margera didn't make the cut.


Awesome in the making? (PSP Shot)

So far, Red Mile has revealed two of the 35 scenarios -- avoiding traffic on the streets of San Francisco while in a garbage can and invading a country club with your golf cart in an effort to destroy every object you can find. "Detailed rag doll modeling, dynamic physics and stunts that are never the same" are among the reported features.

Red Mile has also confirmed that the PSP version of the game will boast multiple extras including unlockable footage from the TV show, a "save replay" feature, and the ability to trade clips wirelessly with other PSP users. There's no word yet on what (if any) system-specific features will be included in the other versions.

The first official screens of Jackass: The Game are available in the gallery below. ...

via IGN,

It was floating around retailer pre-order lists for ages and even had its own website, but after more than a year of silence, Red Mile Entertainment has finally announced that Jackass: The Game is coming to PS2, PSP and Nintendo DS this fall.

Sidhe Interactive (GripShift) is handling production duties on both Sony platform versions, while Sensory Sweep Studios (Marvel Nemesis, Justice League Heroes) develops the DS edition.

Classified as a "mission-based action/ adventure," Jackass takes its inspiration from the MTV television series and allows players to try out 35 different scenarios with digital incarnations of Steve-O, Johnny Knoxville, and the rest of the cast. However, word on the street is that Bam Margera didn't make the cut.


Awesome in the making? (PSP Shot)

So far, Red Mile has revealed two of the 35 scenarios -- avoiding traffic on the streets of San Francisco while in a garbage can and invading a country club with your golf cart in an effort to destroy every object you can find. "Detailed rag doll modeling, dynamic physics and stunts that are never the same" are among the reported features.

Red Mile has also confirmed that the PSP version of the game will boast multiple extras including unlockable footage from the TV show, a "save replay" feature, and the ability to trade clips wirelessly with other PSP users. There's no word yet on what (if any) system-specific features will be included in the other versions.

The first official screens of Jackass: The Game are available in the gallery below. ...

Full listing from Hong Kong importer of games Play Asia

Welcome to this week's Games & Toys update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.

Around 20+ Japanese as well as a number of interesting Asian & US version games have been published this week. Especially two titles have been leading this week's bestsellers at Play-Asia.com. On the one hand Mistwalker's multilingual Asian release version of Blue Dragon and on the other hand Sony's anime based PSP™ fighting game update Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 (Japanese / Asia).

Additionally worth mentioning are MLB 07: The Show (PS3™), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Xbox360™, Nintendo Wii™ and Nintendo DS™) as well as the US version releases of Etrian Odyssey and Touch the Dead for Nintendo DS™.

As usually, here's a summary of this week's top sellers,

Xbox360™:
Blue Dragon (English/Chinese language version) ASIA US$ 44.90
Forza Motorsport 2 JPN US$ 64.90
NBA Street Homecourt JPN US$ 64.90
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End ASIA US$ 44.90
Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows JPN US$ 19.90
Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel JPN US$ 149.90

PlayStation3™:
MLB 07: The Show US US$ 64.90
NBA Street Homecourt JPN US$ 64.90

Nintendo Wii™:
Jissen Pachi-Slot Pachinko Hisshouhou Sammy's Collection Fist of the North Star Wii JPN US$ 59.90
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End US US$ 49.90

PlayStation2™:
Killer 7 (CapKore) JPN US$ 29.90
Medal of Honor: Vanguard JPN US$ 64.90
Pachitte Chonmage Tatsujin 12 JPN US$ 59.90
Shadow of Rome (CapKore) JPN US$ 24.90
State of Emergency Revenge JPN US$ 64.90
SuperLite 2000: Memories Off: Sorekara Again JPN US$ 25.90
The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2 (SNK Best Collection) JPN US$ 29.90

Nintendo DS™:
Code Lyoko US US$ 34.90
Crossword de Manabou! Chiri - Rekishi JPN US$ 29.90
Etrian Odyssey US US$ 39.90
Gamics Series Vol. 1: Yokoyama Mitsuteru - San Goku Shi - Vol. 5 - Suishi no Hyou JPN US$ 39.90
Hoshigami JPN US$ 48.90
Iraroji VOW JPN US$ 39.90
Kekkaishi: Karasumori Ayakashi Kidan JPN US$ 48.90
Kurikin Nano Island Story JPN US$ 48.90
Osawari Tantei: Osawa Rina - Season 2 1/2 JPN US$ 48.90
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End US US$ 34.90
Pony Friends ASIA US$ 34.90
Sansuu Olympic Iinkai Kouan: Suuji de Kitaeru Nouryoku Training: Argo & Trinca JPN US$ 39.90
Shin Lucky * Star JPN US$ 39.90
Shin Lucky * Star [Deluxe Box] JPN N/A
Shinri Kenkyuuka Yuukiyuu Kanshuu: Mainichi Kokorobics DS Therapy JPN US$ 48.90
Touch the Dead US US$ 34.90

Sony PSP™:
007 Casino Royale JPN US$ 37.90
Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 ASIA US$ 42.90
Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 JPN US$ 48.90
Driver 76 US US$ 39.90
Juiced Eliminator JPN US$ 48.90
Paprika JPN US$ 37.90

PC Games:
Biohazard 4 (Chinese Version) (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 24.90

Guide Books:
Halo 2 Vista: The Official Guide US US$ 19.90

Misc:
DVI Female to HDMI Male Video Adapter US$ 6.99
HDMI Female to DVI Male Video Adapter US$ 6.99

Toys & More:
Beat Angel Escalayer 1/8 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure: Escalayer JPN US$ 55.90
Blue Dragon Characters Clip US$ 8.99
Dragon Ball Portable Virtual Game Dragon Radar Mobile Z JPN US$ 37.90
Dragon Ball Z Real Works Candy Toy JPN US$ 4.90
Final Fantasy Master Arms: Cerberus from Dirge of Cerberus Final Fantasy VII JPN US$ 32.90
Final Fantasy Master Arms: Seifer's Gunblade from Final Fantasy VIII JPN US$ 32.90
Final Fantasy Master Arms: Squall's Gunblade from Final Fantasy VIII JPN N/A
Getter Robo: 1/6 Scale Painted Extra! Story Image Figure! - Saotome Michiru JPN US$ 61.90
Neon Genesis Evangelion Non-Scale Action Figure Set (Clear Color Edition) JPN US$ 74.90
School Rumble Second Semester 1/8 Scale Figure: Mikoto Suou (Swimsuit Ver.) JPN US$ 46.90

Video Game Soundtracks:
D.C.II Spring Celebration: Vocal Mini album -Songs from D.C.II Spring Celebration- JPN US$ 19.90
DJ + Drama CD Itsudemo Shokan! Summon Night 4 Vol.2 JPN US$ 27.90
Drama CD Clannad Vol.2 Kotomi Ichinose JPN US$ 29.90
Hyper Moe Trance: Ayane JPN US$ 27.90
Itsuka Todoku Anosorani Precious Selection JPN US$ 31.90
Liar Game Soundtrack JPN US$ 19.90
Little Busters! JPN US$ 11.90
Moero! Jareko Audio Collection JPN US$ 23.90
Persona 3 Drama CD Vol.2: Moonlight JPN US$ 27.90
Radio DJCD Bleach B Station Second Season Vol.2 JPN US$ 24.90
Room No.1301 Drama CD #2 JPN US$ 27.90
Tales of Destiny Original Soundtrack (PS2 Edition) JPN US$ 37.90
Tensei Gakuen Gekkoroku Drama CD JPN US$ 33.90
Tokimeki Memorial Girl's Side 2nd Kiss Drama & Image Song Album #2 JPN US$ 29.90
Tsuyokiss Character Song Album JPN US$ 23.90 ...