The new issue of Nintendo Power (the August issue) has new Zelda info! Kind of. Ok, so it has one single statement from Shigeru Miyamoto. That statement?

I don’t think it’s going to be that radically different.

Ok, well, that doesn’t really say a whole lot. I guess if any of you were worried that the next Zelda would be a soccer management simulator, you can lay those fears to rest. Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean that the new Zelda is going to be a rehash of previous Zelda games. Nintendo knows how to keep things fresh. Just look at Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and Wind Waker. The internet is full of alarmists.

Aeropause

Awesome games? Check. A mascot more recognizable than Santa? Check. Baseball team? Check. TV show? Check! World domination? …Next.

Don’t get too excited though, there won’t be any marathons of the classic Zelda or Mario cartoons. Instead the show, titled Britain’s Best Brain, looks to be closer to a real life version of Brain Age. It tasks contestants with problems focusing on memory, co-ordination, numeracy, recognition and risk. Sounds fun. Nintendo has claimed exclusive rights to sponsorship of the program.

MCV

Looking forward to No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle? Enjoy it, because it may be the very last No More Heroes game for Wii. Director Suda 51 explains his feelings:

I really want to make NMH a big franchise, and with this second episode have bigger success. I’m putting a lot of care into developing this IP, as I feel there’s a lot of potential. [However] I think this is the last NMH that is going to be developed on Wii. To expand NMH to new possibilities, we need a new platform. Wii is a great platform, but we’ve done everything we can with it now.

Suda has recently been making googly eyes at Microsoft’s Project Natal. Could the 360 be the next destination for No More Heroes, or will Suda opt for the PS3 Wand to keep things familiar while taking advantage of the system’s ungodly amount of horsepower? Maybe if Desperate Struggle sells enough, he’ll decide to keep the series where its fans are. Hint.

Edge-Online

There aren’t many things in this world that are better than Metroid. That being said, free stuff comes close simply because, well, it’s free. What scares me the most is the proposition of free Metroid stuff and its potential to overload the happiness circuits of fans everywhere.

For anyone daring enough to take the risk of cardiac arrest and pre-order the Metroid Prime Trilogy through GameStop, they’ll receive a free T-shirt. And a wicked art booklet. Oh, and a pretty nice poster as well. Wow, and it looks like they are moving Christmas to August …Maybe. Did I mention that these games are all really good? Because they are.

GameStop

In the first week or sales, Nintendo’s sequel to the best selling game in the history of the world has already unsurprisingly sold boat loads. If I had to venture a guess I would bet it was a cruise ship’s worth, keeping with the resort theme. Or maybe a sailboat. A big sailboat.

In just four days at retail, Wii Sports Resort pushed 353,827 units. This lands it behind just Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which sold 608,000 and 816,000 respectively.

This is good news for developers looking to support Wii MotionPlus, but unsure of its future adoption rate. Looks pretty good right now. Resort comes to Western shores in July.

Kotaku

Disney has announced that Toy Story Mania (for Wii) will include a special multiplayer mode in stereoscopic 3D. The game will come shipped with two pairs of anaglyphic 3D glasses. Disney Interactive is excited about this new feature, will will also be implemented in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the G-Force video game adaptation.

[These will be] the first games for next-generation systems to fully feature three-dimensional stereoscopic technology [which] adds to the already fun video game… and extends the gameplay by creating entirely new options for players.

Toy Story Mania is coming this fall.

Shacknews

Professor Layton is not one to automatically dismiss popular new things as fads. In fact, he now has his own Twitter account! His username is @TopHatProfessor and, in classic Layton fashion, he has been tweeting riddles. This is, of course, a not-so-subtle way to promote Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, which is due out in August. He’s totally worth following just to imagine his voice as you read his tweets. No internet shorthand for him!

Twitter

Too poor/young for The Conduit? Hudson has you covered this week with Water Warfare, a completely non-violent first person shooter with online play and a ranking system. In fact, Water Warfare has one feature that’s missing from The Conduit: local split screen multiplayer for two people. (Of course, whether the game is actually any good is anyone’s guess.) Meanwhile, if you prefer your shooting even cuter, the Virtual Console has Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa from the Master System.

The DSi’s update is quite a bit smaller than the four-game update the Wii is getting. The DSi’s only new game today is Sudoku Master. If you’ve already finished all of the puzzles in Brain Age 1 and 2, however, this may be the best news you’ve heard all day. As always, check past the break for more details.

DSiWare

• SUDOKU MASTER (Hudson Entertainment, Players: 1, ESRB Rating: E, 500 Nintendo DSi Points™)

WiiWare

• Water Warfare™ (Hudson Entertainment, Players: 1-8, ESRB Rating: E10+, 800 Wii Points™)
  Reel Fishing® Challenge (Natsume, Inc., Players: 1, ESRB Rating: E, 500 Wii Points)
  Silver Star Reversi (Agetec, Inc., Players: 1-2, ESRB Rating: E, 500 Wii Points)
• Water Warfare™ (Hudson Entertainment, Players: 1-8, ESRB Rating: E10+, 800 Wii Points™)
• Reel Fishing® Challenge (Natsume, Inc., Players: 1, ESRB Rating: E, 500 Wii Points)
• Silver Star Reversi (Agetec, Inc., Players: 1-2, ESRB Rating: E, 500 Wii Points)

Virtual Console

• Fantasy Zone™ II: The Tears of Opa-Opa (SEGA MASTER SYSTEM, SEGA, Players: 1, ESRB Rating: E, 500 Wii Points)

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Tanooki pals Kevin and Erik are launching their Review Revue, a brand new series of video reviews starting with the recent Art Style game available from DSiWare. Be sure to check it out above and check back for future episodes!

The Kevin and Erik Show

If you’re like me, you’re hyped up about the upcoming remakes for Pokemon Gold and Silver, which will include all of the original games – both Johto and Kanto regions – and their respective stories around Lugia and Ho-Oh. If that’s not enough to excite you, consider the bonuses such as the new female lead character (possibly named “Soul” if Leaf was any indication), the new PokeWalker device, the Hoenn legendary trio, the pre-order figurines, appearances by Cynthia and Arceus, and hopefully a Celebi event at Toys R Us.

As of this morning, we now have the Japanese release date for both games. Pokemon HeartGold and Pokemon SoulSilver have officially been dated for a September 12th, barely over two months away. That’s also a day shy of the one-year anniversary of Pokemon Platinum in Japan, so let’s hope that points to a North American release date of no later than March 21st, 2010.

Official Pokemon Site
via Pokemon Secure