Phantasy Star fans rejoice! The Nintendo DS entry in the series that hit Japan last month is coming to America, as Sega announces Phantasy Star Zero for U.S. and European release next winter.

Phantasy Star Zero is set on an alternate Earth 200 years after a massive war called "The Great Blank" brought civilization to its knees. Humans rebuilt, as they always do, and adventures soon began to strike out beyond the boundaries of human cities in order to hunt monsters.

Players choose one of 14 customizable character types and head out into the wilderness, alone or with friends via wireless or internet play, using the DS touchscreen to scrawl helpful messages and pictures of genitalia in order to communicate.

Definitely a DS title I am looking forward to. Check out the screens below, and then settle back and wait for winter 2009 to roll around.

http://kotaku.com/5127411/phantasy-star-zero-heads-west ...

Atlus delivers old school beat 'em up gameplay with a badass 70's cop show vibe to the palm of your hand, announcing Tokyo Beat Down, coming in March to the Nintendo DS.

It's a 3D beat 'em up with shoot 'em up tendencies, allowing players to punch, kick, shoot, stab, parley, and explode their way out of any situation as they fight to restore justice to the mean streets of Tokyo as a member of the Beast Cops. They'll be able to play through the game as three different characters, with story branches leading to multiple endings, though no one really plays this sort of game for the story, do they?

Of course not. They play them to be the badass copy in a white blazer, and you'll find plenty of white blazers in the screens below. Tokyo Beat Down hits the Nintendo DS hard on March 10th.

http://kotaku.com/5127533/atlus-deli...eat-down-to-ds ...

Halo Wars! No, Robbie Bach isn't bumping up the release and giving me early code, I'll just be playing it as much as possible at CES. That and some Killzone 2. Embargoes be damned!

Surely there's no embargo on the six level preview at Sony's CES booth, so I'll be plopping down in front of one of those Bravia monitors and firing away at Guerrilla Games' upcoming shooter. Then I'll be scouring the CES show floor for things to occupy my time, whether they be crossbow shaped Wii Remote holders or 3D versions of last year's biggest hits.

What about you, dear reader? Will you be playing any games this wintry weekend?

http://kotaku.com/5127727/what-are-y...g-this-weekend ...

Halo Wars! No, Robbie Bach isn't bumping up the release and giving me early code, I'll just be playing it as much as possible at CES. That and some Killzone 2. Embargoes be damned!

Surely there's no embargo on the six level preview at Sony's CES booth, so I'll be plopping down in front of one of those Bravia monitors and firing away at Guerrilla Games' upcoming shooter. Then I'll be scouring the CES show floor for things to occupy my time, whether they be crossbow shaped Wii Remote holders or 3D versions of last year's biggest hits.

What about you, dear reader? Will you be playing any games this wintry weekend?

http://kotaku.com/5127727/what-are-y...g-this-weekend ...

What does 2009 have in store for the video game industry? A potential sales plummet spurred by no new Rock Band, Sony’s struggle to reinvent itself and a dash of gaming-changing innovation from Nintendo.

It may be Nintendo’s greatest stumbling block.

How do you appeal to novice gamers first dipping their toe into the interactive world of video gaming without turning off the hardcore gamers who are the backbone of most game sales?

A recently uncovered patent filed by Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto may not be the solution to the problem, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

In it Miyamoto, the famed developer behind Mario, Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda, describes a sort of cruise control for video games, a system that would allow neophyte gamers to switch back and forth between watching and playing a video game. Think of it as having a buddy around who can play the hardest bits of the game for you, but hands over the controls when things get fun.

The concept would also introduce video play-throughs of a game which a player could bring up as a pop-up window when they get stuck.

“I think this is brilliant,” said Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter. “This just shows that Nintendo is an adult company that is very sophisticated about who buys their software.”

“I think part of what we are seeing here is Nintendo’s cultural propensity to try interesting things,” said Ben Schachter, video game analyst with UBS Investment Bank

The accidental unveiling of the patent comes at a time when game companies are feeling increasing pressure to innovate in order to avoid the bad news cropping up in the industry lately.

A number of development studios closed up shop over the past few months and earlier this week rumors hit that Sony may cut entire divisions to make themselves more competitive in a number of markets, including video games.

Sony Computer Entertainment seems to be playing the long game in this latest generation of consoles.

“They’re certainly not dying,” Pachter said. “I think they made a strategic decision back in 2004 to over engineer a box and create something they decided in their paternalistic way was better for all of us.

“ I think they’re going to be proven right, in five years we’re all going to want that.”

Schachter agrees, though he says that this past holiday season should be a “Harvard case study on how not to drive your brand.”

In the short term Schachter thinks that Sony has to cut the price of their console and convince game developers that they’re not this generation’s Gamecube.

The video game industry as a whole may soon face similar issues. While sales seem to be holding up, Schachter thinks that a coming drop in music-game sales may change that.

During the Consumer Electronics Show this week Harmonix said they wouldn’t be releasing Rock Band 3 this year, instead focusing their efforts on their upcoming Beatles music game.

That means gamers will need to buy two or three games to make up for not purchasing a new Rock Band, Schachter said. And I think he’s right. Most gamers don’t walk into a store looking to spend a certain amount of money, they come looking for fun, price is often secondary.

But what about that Beatles game?

Too niche, says Schacter, to see the same level of success as Rock Band.

http://kotaku.com/5127950/can-2009-i...of-a-recession ...

What does 2009 have in store for the video game industry? A potential sales plummet spurred by no new Rock Band, Sony’s struggle to reinvent itself and a dash of gaming-changing innovation from Nintendo.

It may be Nintendo’s greatest stumbling block.

How do you appeal to novice gamers first dipping their toe into the interactive world of video gaming without turning off the hardcore gamers who are the backbone of most game sales?

A recently uncovered patent filed by Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto may not be the solution to the problem, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

In it Miyamoto, the famed developer behind Mario, Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda, describes a sort of cruise control for video games, a system that would allow neophyte gamers to switch back and forth between watching and playing a video game. Think of it as having a buddy around who can play the hardest bits of the game for you, but hands over the controls when things get fun.

The concept would also introduce video play-throughs of a game which a player could bring up as a pop-up window when they get stuck.

“I think this is brilliant,” said Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter. “This just shows that Nintendo is an adult company that is very sophisticated about who buys their software.”

“I think part of what we are seeing here is Nintendo’s cultural propensity to try interesting things,” said Ben Schachter, video game analyst with UBS Investment Bank

The accidental unveiling of the patent comes at a time when game companies are feeling increasing pressure to innovate in order to avoid the bad news cropping up in the industry lately.

A number of development studios closed up shop over the past few months and earlier this week rumors hit that Sony may cut entire divisions to make themselves more competitive in a number of markets, including video games.

Sony Computer Entertainment seems to be playing the long game in this latest generation of consoles.

“They’re certainly not dying,” Pachter said. “I think they made a strategic decision back in 2004 to over engineer a box and create something they decided in their paternalistic way was better for all of us.

“ I think they’re going to be proven right, in five years we’re all going to want that.”

Schachter agrees, though he says that this past holiday season should be a “Harvard case study on how not to drive your brand.”

In the short term Schachter thinks that Sony has to cut the price of their console and convince game developers that they’re not this generation’s Gamecube.

The video game industry as a whole may soon face similar issues. While sales seem to be holding up, Schachter thinks that a coming drop in music-game sales may change that.

During the Consumer Electronics Show this week Harmonix said they wouldn’t be releasing Rock Band 3 this year, instead focusing their efforts on their upcoming Beatles music game.

That means gamers will need to buy two or three games to make up for not purchasing a new Rock Band, Schachter said. And I think he’s right. Most gamers don’t walk into a store looking to spend a certain amount of money, they come looking for fun, price is often secondary.

But what about that Beatles game?

Too niche, says Schacter, to see the same level of success as Rock Band.

http://kotaku.com/5127950/can-2009-i...of-a-recession ...

Square Enix's Dissidia: Final Fantasy returned to the top of the charts in Japan, after a week off thanks to previous champ White Knight Chronicles. How did the Level 5 RPG fare in week two?

While the PlayStation 3 game slipped, it held strong in the top ten, slipping to sixth. We call that "legs." Not the sturdiest of legs, mind you, considering pretty much nothing else came out against this week's chart-toppers, but legs nonetheless.

Also leggy is Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III, which got a sales shot in the arm for an 11th place finish. The rest of the charts is mostly the Wii and Nintendo DS stuff we've been charting for months. Read on for the top thirty, according to Media Create.

01. Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP) - 104,000 / 770,000
02. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS) - 89,000 / 1,535,000
03. Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS) - 77,000 / 998,000
04. Wii Fit (Wii) - 74,000 / 3,125,000
05. Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii) - 73,000 / 949,000
06. White Knight Chronicles (PS3) - 71,000 / 278,000
07. Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode (DS) - 68,000 / 615,000
08. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 67,000 / 2,133,000
09. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 62,000 / 271,000
10. Momotarou Dentetsu: 20-Shuunen (DS) - 57,000 / 204,000
11. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III (PS3)
12. Pokemon Platinum (DS)
13. Karaoke Joysound Wii (Wii)
14. Pikmin (Play on Wii) (Wii)
15. Phantasy Star Zero (DS)
16. Wii Sports (Wii)
17. Professor Layton and the Final Time Journey (DS)
18. Power Pro Kun Pocket 11 (DS)
19. Gundam Musou 2 (PS2)
20. Gundam Musou 2 (PS3)
21. Meccha! Taiko Drum Master DS: 7-tsu no Shima no Daibouken (DS)
22. Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS)
23. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 (PS3)
24. Musou Orochi Sairin (PSP)
25. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii (Wii)
26. Wii Play (Wii)
27. Mario Kart DS (DS)
28. Tales of Hearts - Anime Movie Edition (DS)
29. Wii Music (Wii)
30. Penguin no Mondai (DS)

http://kotaku.com/5127835/dissidia-e...eller-in-japan ...

Square Enix's Dissidia: Final Fantasy returned to the top of the charts in Japan, after a week off thanks to previous champ White Knight Chronicles. How did the Level 5 RPG fare in week two?

While the PlayStation 3 game slipped, it held strong in the top ten, slipping to sixth. We call that "legs." Not the sturdiest of legs, mind you, considering pretty much nothing else came out against this week's chart-toppers, but legs nonetheless.

Also leggy is Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III, which got a sales shot in the arm for an 11th place finish. The rest of the charts is mostly the Wii and Nintendo DS stuff we've been charting for months. Read on for the top thirty, according to Media Create.

01. Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP) - 104,000 / 770,000
02. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (DS) - 89,000 / 1,535,000
03. Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS) - 77,000 / 998,000
04. Wii Fit (Wii) - 74,000 / 3,125,000
05. Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii) - 73,000 / 949,000
06. White Knight Chronicles (PS3) - 71,000 / 278,000
07. Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode (DS) - 68,000 / 615,000
08. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 67,000 / 2,133,000
09. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) - 62,000 / 271,000
10. Momotarou Dentetsu: 20-Shuunen (DS) - 57,000 / 204,000
11. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III (PS3)
12. Pokemon Platinum (DS)
13. Karaoke Joysound Wii (Wii)
14. Pikmin (Play on Wii) (Wii)
15. Phantasy Star Zero (DS)
16. Wii Sports (Wii)
17. Professor Layton and the Final Time Journey (DS)
18. Power Pro Kun Pocket 11 (DS)
19. Gundam Musou 2 (PS2)
20. Gundam Musou 2 (PS3)
21. Meccha! Taiko Drum Master DS: 7-tsu no Shima no Daibouken (DS)
22. Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS)
23. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 (PS3)
24. Musou Orochi Sairin (PSP)
25. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii (Wii)
26. Wii Play (Wii)
27. Mario Kart DS (DS)
28. Tales of Hearts - Anime Movie Edition (DS)
29. Wii Music (Wii)
30. Penguin no Mondai (DS)

http://kotaku.com/5127835/dissidia-e...eller-in-japan ...

Earlier this week, Sony sent us an oddly timed media bulletin, trumpeting the PlayStation 3's value versus the Wii and Xbox 360. It also accused Nintendo and Microsoft of "peddling add-ons." What say you, Microsoft?

"First, I would say we absolutely would not want to trade places with Sony," said Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360. "We feel like being half the price of the PS3 served us quite well this holiday."

"The fact that we're doing this at half the price of their platform, we feel confident that we're delivering great value," he added. "I believe that we deliver more value for games and entertainment than any other platform on the market."

Speaking to Greenberg at CES this morning, he expressed Microsoft's anticipation that the sub-$200 price point will give the Xbox 360 the majority of its sales. Greenberg namechecked Sony's success with the PlayStation 2 at the more mass market price, hoping to emulate its last-gen success.

"At the end of the day, consumers vote with their dollar," Greenberg said, adding that he expects to see Microsoft's console sales in December show growth over its 2007 performance, in anticipation of NPD sales data. "I don't think people take comparison grids into retail stores."

"I would rather talk about why you should buy our console than why you shouldn't buy the competitor's system."

We'll have more from our interview with Aaron Greenberg at CES later.

http://kotaku.com/5128008/ces-09-mic...eddling-claims ...