The Nintendo 3DS will be available in Japan on February 26, 2011 for 25,000 yen ($300). That may seem like a lot of money, but look how much these colorfully dressed people like it! North America and Europe will see 3D in March, but no price announced.

Sadly, in the demonstration of Super Street Fighter IV, someone still picked Ken, showing the portable version of the game is not immune from the malady that affects its console brethren. I guess it doesn’t matter if you’re on XBox Live, or PSN, or on a fantasy colorless street in Japan, people still pick Ken all the time.

In the image at left, you can see the 3DS final design has the larger widescreen for the top, an SD card slot on the side, the addition of a “home” button below the touch screen between select and start. The SD card slot isn’t just for holding pictures, 3DS will have a fully functional Virtual Console that will be able to download classic Gameboy, Gameboy Color, and Gameboy Advance games.

You’ll also be able to make a Mii for your 3DS, but I didn’t see anywhere if you can import them from your Wii. You can automate the process by taking a photo of yourself and then letting the 3DS decide on a Mii that looks like you.

Here is some more gameplay footage:
[Read the rest of this entry…]

This odd Super Nintendo game can pretty much be described as Araknoid meets Zelda. Although it doesn’t look too much graphically, it has a unique style of gameplay that you just don’t see in action games. Playing as a firestriker known as Slader, you make use of the Traillight (which is basically a fancy ball) to stop an evil archmage. Along the way, you’ll battle monsters and rescue any comrades you meet along the way. You’ll be accompanied by a mage which acts as a goalie. You can play co-op mode with another player, or battle up to three of your friends in competitive multiplayer modes. Hopefully it won’t be much longer until someone brings this game to virtual console. Better yet, why not a 3D remake using the Wii remote?

The Witcher is based on Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s collection of short stories. When the original version of the Witcher was released in 2007, it showed a lot of promise. However, a number of in-game issues bought it down. This enhanced edition of the game, released in 2008, fixes most of these issues, and includes new content. For people who already own the original version of the game, these enhancements are available as a free download on the website. For those who haven’t played the original version of the game, this is the perfect package, and it’s an amped-up version of one of the best PC role playing games in recent years. In the game, players take the role of Geralt of Rivia. Geralt is a Witcher, who is a traveling monster hunter for hire. Geralt is one of the few remaining witchers left in the world, and he is stricken with amnesia. When a group of assassins attacks the witcher strong hold, Geralt travels throughout the world to find out why, get revenge, and hopefully find out the truth behind his amnesia.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

 

Not much out this week aside from more PS3 move accessories, F1 and Civilization V. Let us know what you think of this week’s releases in the comments!
Listings are after the jump!
[Read the rest of this entry…]

Halo Reach Game Night 9.18.10 is in effect! Sign on to Xbox Live now to play with us!

Amongst the myriad of new characters being revealed this week at Tokyo Game Show 2010 for Marvel vs Capcom 3, add two more definitive names to the list: Spider-Man and Albert Wesker.

Color this Resident Evil fan insanely happy.

Data East’s Sly Spy makes no attempt to hide the fact that it’s inspired by James Bond, although it is a fun game regardless. Playing as an agent (whom you are asked to assign a 3-digit number at the beginning of the game), you are tasked to save America from terrorists. While most of the game takes place in a side scrolling view similar to Namco’s Rolling Thunder, some of the game’s levels mix up the formula adding variety. When you start the game, you’re skydiving while shooting at the bad guys, and in another level you ride a motor cycle. The boss battles are pretty easy, and there are James Bond references throughout the game.

Sly Spy is one of those games that while it may not be anything Earth-shattering, it represented every thing that was cool about arcade games. Just like Big Karnak and Flashgal, Sly Spy would have benefited from a NES or Sega Genesis release. This game is available on Data East’s Wii classic arcade compilation disc, so now you have another chance to check out this game.

While most other independently developed games feature a quirky art style, Defense Grid features high production values and an interesting twist on the tower defense genre. Designed by Age of Empires 2 lead designer Mark Terrano, Defense Grid is an easy-to-play tower defense game which makes use of the Gamebryo engine (used in Elder Scrolls Oblivion and Civilization IV among other titles). You team up with a sentient computer artificial intelligence in order to thwart an alien invasion. You place a variety of towers, and as needed you can upgrade them provided you have the right amount of resources. Space on the grid is limited, so it’s up to you to figure out what towers to place and how to place them. The base game has only 20 levels, but you can replay them in challenge mode. There are also map packs available for .99 each which extend the game, although it would really benefit from a level editor. On Steam, you can purchase the game and all the map packs for $15 making this a good value. Defense Grid is a fun and addictive game, and at its low price, it almost manages to give most full-priced games a run for their money.