Via IGN

If you found yourself disappointed when Level 5's first DS game had a professor's name attached to it, you weren't alone. The DS could use an epic with the scale of Dragon Quest VIII, Rogue Galaxy or the upcoming White Knight Story, after all, and who better to deliver it than the maker of those three titles.

We're not sure if it will end up being an adventure to rival those three, but Level 5's Professor Layton and the Mysterious Town looks like another quality DS title in its own right. We sampled an early build at the Nintendo World event in Nagoya this past weekend.

The focus of this game is on solving puzzles, so we'll start there. The game presents its puzzles in a straightforward way. The top screen usually lists a problem with text, with the bottom screen allowing you to solve the problem directly with the stylus. Here are a few examples that we saw at the event:

1. Given three flasks, measure out an exact amount of water ala Die Hard with a Vengeance.

2. Given a set of 10 coins in a triangle formation, flip the triangle over by moving just three coins.

3. Given a map with the letters A, B, C and D appearing twice each, connect A to A, B to B, C to C and D to D without any intersections between the lines.

We didn't have trouble solving the few puzzles that we sampled, although we did notice a few people chicken out and flee from the waiting line to play the game. If you do end up having trouble (and we presume there will be tougher problems in the full game), you can always ask for a hint, assuming you've built up enough hint points.

Different from the billion other puzzle and quiz based DS games, Layton has an adventure mode, with lots of text boxes and catchy character and background art. You move between the puzzles by selecting locations on a town map. In the demo version, the map indicated that we had 10 out of 11 puzzles remaining to be cleared.

There probably won't be any random battles or interstellar travel in Professor Layton, but intriguing puzzles and gorgeous art could make this another DS pick-up. We'll let you know how everything comes together when the game sees Japanese release next year. A US version has yet to be announced. ...

Via DSfanboy

When it comes to Nintendo's bounty hunters, it's all about the ladies. But the long-awaited, oft-delayed Scurge: Hive is no Metroid knockoff, despite similarites in heroines (and in weapons of choice). In Scurge: Hive, you take on the role of Jenosa Arma as she investigates a distress signal from a lab. Unfortunately for the intrepid Jenosa, the lab and everything around it is infected with the Scurge, a dangerous alien plague that spreads parasitically, infecting a host and taking it over. Before she can escape, she is infected and must go through a rigorous decontamination process while battling the alien menace and a wide array of monsters. But Jenosa is up to the task, difficult as it may sound. When you're a bounty huntress, that's just all in a day's work.

Overall, the game has seen solid reviews praising the pacing and story, but decrying the repetitive aspect of gameplay. No matter how interesting the story, in the end, it does come down to: kill enemies, get to sickbay. But then again, what game can't be boiled down to the sum of its parts?

Interestingly, the DS version has seen more negative criticism than the GBA -- the touch screen is barely used (it serves as a map screen) and the graphics seem to have suffered in the transition to the updated system (it was originally designed as a GBA title).

GameZone - 80%: One part action, one part RPG. One part Metroid, one part Zelda, one part reminiscent of the PSone era. Technically this is a GBA title, and unfortunately does not take advantage of everything the DS has to offer. But that doesn't prevent the game from blasting through. Scurge: Hive dives into the world of isometric action/RPGs, delivering an experience of intelligent puzzles, thrilling action, and monumental entertainment.

IGN - 70%: Scurge is one of the nicest looking games I've ever seen on the GBA. The Nintendo DS version however doesn't just suffer from having GBA graphics, but they actually seem to be worse. A lot of the neat mist effects, and the enemy animations are either gone or not near as polished as the GBA version. Don't get me wrong, Scurge is still a nice looking game on either handheld. Jenosa looks great, and is beautifully animated. Even her absurdly long ponytail looks great on either system. Scurge is a wonderful game to look at, but the DS version should have at least been on par with the GBA.

1UP - 70%: Even with these problems, though, Scurge: Hive is an entertaining adventure that boasts impressive production values, especially given its origins in a tiny development house. Its greatest failing is that it stands uneasily on the line between arcade-action and console-adventure. If you don't mind something that mashes two genres together without necessarily perfecting either, though, it's like having a lost chunk of 1993 in your pocket. ...

This summer Sony created a training website for Canadian Wal Mart employees. The access codes got leaked when a store visitor saw a manager put up internal documents around the store.

After logging in, Sony marketing spin quotes can be found while employees read, learn & test their PS3 knowledge. Here’s the real gem:

“Welcome to your PS3 Retail Online Training. We trust that you will find the following information valuable and assist you in understanding and explaining PS3 Technology to your customers and staff. … The Cell Processor is essentially as powerful as 3 Xbox 360 CPU’s or 35 PlayStation® 2 CPU’s” ...

Article from PSPFanboy

Dave Karraker isn't the only Sony executive to face the mic in the past day. Engadget, went face to face against Peter Dille, about PLAYSTATION 3 and PSP. Just like Karraker, Dille says that the PSP does not compete directly with the DS:

...

Somewhere in an unassuming side street in central London there is a house stacked full to the brim with Nintendo Wiis. The house has become known as The Wii House. SPOnG was offered a visit to the hidden location; this is our story…

Nintendo has fully kitted out this palace of pleasure in the style of a typical family home*, in order for members of Her Majesty’s Gaming Media to finally get their hands on review versions of Wii games in a relaxed, homely environment.

So SPOnG spent a good part of yesterday snooping around The Wii House with our trusty snapper, Stuart, in tow, who took the pictures you can see right here.

Full Article at Spong ...

Somewhere in an unassuming side street in central London there is a house stacked full to the brim with Nintendo Wiis. The house has become known as The Wii House. SPOnG was offered a visit to the hidden location; this is our story…

Nintendo has fully kitted out this palace of pleasure in the style of a typical family home*, in order for members of Her Majesty’s Gaming Media to finally get their hands on review versions of Wii games in a relaxed, homely environment.

So SPOnG spent a good part of yesterday snooping around The Wii House with our trusty snapper, Stuart, in tow, who took the pictures you can see right here.

Full Article at Spong ...

Somewhere in an unassuming side street in central London there is a house stacked full to the brim with Nintendo Wiis. The house has become known as The Wii House. SPOnG was offered a visit to the hidden location; this is our story…

Nintendo has fully kitted out this palace of pleasure in the style of a typical family home*, in order for members of Her Majesty’s Gaming Media to finally get their hands on review versions of Wii games in a relaxed, homely environment.

So SPOnG spent a good part of yesterday snooping around The Wii House with our trusty snapper, Stuart, in tow, who took the pictures you can see right here.

Full Article at Spong ...

Positive review scores; Epic's Gears of War for the 360 is getting them in spades, and not just with the early birds. The game is being pitched as a tactical action/survival horror third-person shooter heavy on the co-operative side. Oh, and from what the reviews have implied, you've never seen better console graphics before. With a current average review of 95/100, here is some launch day praise for the game:

DailyGame (90/100): "It's not nearly as epic as we would have liked, but the gameplay provides some fantastic moments and introduces some new aspects to a mainstream shooter. The graphics and online co-op are simply phenomenal."
IGN (94/100): "There is a healthy learning curve to the cover system, but those who master it will find Epic's twisting and turning and rolling an exciting change-up in the shooter genre, a blend of fast-arcade action and basic, tactical maneuvering. The Insane difficulty level gives Gears legs months after you've finished the relatively-short campaign, and even with a friend it is an impossible, irresistible challenge."
Game Informer (95/100): "This is one of the best co-op games I have played, especially when you crank the difficulty past Casual and up into the Hardcore and Insane levels. Working with your buddy to flank and outwit the enemy is a blast."
1UP (100/100): "Each stage is memorable...They all combine for an unforgettable adventure through 36 hectic, desperate hours of a group of soldiers' lives...A visual and visceral masterpiece."
Good to see the game living up to the hype. Nice work Epic, and it should be interesting to see how well this golden title can keep eyes turned to the 360 in a post Wii and PS3 world later this month. ...

The ESRB has approved and rated another pile of Nintendo's Virtual Console throwbacks, including:

Duck Hunt (E)
Hogan's Alley (E)
Kid Icarus (E)
Kirby's Adventure (E)
PilotWings (E)
Pro Wrestling (E)
Punch-Out (E)
Wild Gunman (E)
With Duck Hunt, Hogan's Alley, and Wild Gunman making appearances, the Zapper can't be far behind. Think the E3 prototype fits the bill? ...