Update 2011-01-09: This game never happened but a new Sailor Moon game will be released on the Nintendo DS this spring.

Not letting the fact that the show’s been off the air for over 10 years stop it Sailor Moon seems to have a game planned for release on the Wii. Asian import store YesAsia has this product description up for a Sailor Moon game published by Namco set to be released in December 2007. While this isn’t a certain confirmation that a game will be released YesAsia is a reputable online store I’ve dealt with a number of times so this should be taken more seriously than your run of the mill bogus Totaka rumour.

Who knows what kind of game play such a title could have in store or how it will use the Wii’s functionality but rest assured Powet.tv will be the place to get news on this title as it becomes available.

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A skit that went great until some guy made it all awkward.

If this game had been released over here, it would have been known as Secret of Mana 2. However translation problems, as well as the decreasing support for the Super Nintendo, kept this game from being released over here. However, I have it on good authority that an English translation may be floating around on the net. Because I don’t want the game companies coming down on us, that’s all I’ll say.

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Ever since Symphony of the Night, the Castlevania series has taken a heavy inspiration from Nintendo’s Metroid, particularly the portable entries. Even though they are all cut from similar cloth, the exploration-heavy format manages to keep itself fresh throughout each entry. The first DS entry in the series is no different. Springing from the events in 2003’s Aria of Sorrow, the game stars Soma Cruz, who must take down a cult out to resurrect Dracula. Once again players make use of the soul stealing system, which allows them to gain new attacks by stealing them from enemies. After beating a boss, players must quickly draw a arcane symbol in order to seal its power. If this isn’t done in time, then players must battle the enemy again. While this mechanic seems added in as an afterthought, it’s a fairly decent application of the DS’s touch screen capabilities. By now Castlevania fans will have made their way through this game’s sequel, Portrait of Ruin, so this review is dedicated to newer Castlevania players. This game is another solid entry in a solid franchise, but I long for the day when the series brings back the level-based format of the previous games.

Hold your horses, I’m not talking about your favorite Monday night show. I’m talking about this game coming out for Wii. This is a title from Suda-51, who did last gen’s Killer 7.

Now if anyone can explain just what the heck happened there, I’ll be impressed.

Yesteday there was somewhat of an uproar over Maxis developer Chris Hecker calling the Wii a “piece of shit” and “two gamecubes duct taped together” and implied that Nintendo doesn’t care about games as art.
Here is Super Mario Galaxy, shown today.

Now Hecker apologizes. Does a Mario game need to look any better than that? I mean, thats beyond all my wildest expectations for Mario! Really delivers on Wii being more than just a funny controller.
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Even though Game Developer’s Conference should by name be about developers coming together and networking and talking about how to make better games, the big names all bring tons of new info and use their keynotes to stump their product. Sony’s Phil Harrison actually showed Killzone on PS3 last night in playable form but touted it as an exercise in their new game engine and developer tools. Whatever, Phil. You wanted to show Killzone to someone.

Sony came out swinging after almost a year of bad press following their E3 announcement of the PS3’s pricepoint. The bombshell is Playstation Home (trailer) is a service thats part Xbox Achievements, part Mii, and part Second Life. Its almost… too much. It lack’s Mii’s simple charm, and 360’s slick menu system in favor of stocking an apartment full of trophies earned in game and having an avatar you can clothe and send around the virtual world. I have a feeling this sounds cooler than it will be, but at least it sounds cool.

Another feather in Sony’s cap is LittleBigPlanet. Its a platformer. A platformer! Its community based, so you can make and share your own levels. Just Look, we’ll talk about it later. I’ll just say this is a game I’d buy a PS3 for.

Nintendo has good news and bad news. Bad News: This summer has no Mario Galaxy or Metroid Prime 3. No wonder Reggie’s driver looks mad. Good news? [Read the rest of this entry…]

1up‘s Jeremy Parish and Wired‘s Chris Kohler take a look at some of the good and not good on Wii’s download service in Japan.