Shigeru Miyamoto said he wants to see a Zelda unveiling at E3 in 2010, and new comments from another Nintendo decision-maker indicate that those plans are still in motion. What's more interesting, though, is that in addition to adding MotionPlus support, producer Eiji Aonuma expects to see the next Zelda title overhaul the series' traditional game format.

Read more...

While other franchises boldly venture into the future, with fully 3D worlds, procedural gameplay and killstreak unlocks, "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" takes a look back. But can this retro reboot stand the test of time?

The Basics

Imagine the classic "Super Mario Bros." gameplay. Now add four people, all playing at once, jumping off one another, throwing each other into pits, stealing mushrooms. Suddenly it's a whole new experience. Well, that's the idea behind "New Super Mario Bros. Wii," a multiplayer-centric Mario game.

Read more...

This weekend, in honor of the launch of "New Super Mario Bros. Wii," Nintendo has decked out the Nintendo World Store in Rockefeller Center with objects from the history of the overall'd plumber. My favorite, strange and awesome Mario shampoo, is pictured above, but there are plenty more shots from the event.

Check out the full gallery of the Mario Museum.

If you'd like to take a look yourself, Nintendo is hosting a public launch event for "New Super Mario Bros." at the Nintendo World Store on Saturday (tomorrow) from 3pm to 7pm.

Nintendo's Wii has followed different rules than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 since it launched, focusing early on on interface and family-friendly titles rather than graphics and expanded hardware capabilities. That hasn't kept speculators from predicting a hi-def upgrade, however. One analyst in particular, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities, believes that a Wii HD may be coming as early as next year. Nintendo says no.

Read more...

Courtney Love isn't the only musician publicly feuding with Activision now, as No Doubt filed a lawsuit yesterday in Los Angeles regarding their appearance in "Band Hero." In a complaint very similar to Love's regarding Kurt Cobain's use in "Guitar Hero 5," No Doubt believes that their likenesses were re-purposed in ways they didn't approve.

Read more...

Fall Out Boy front-man Pete Wentz is one of a handful of celebrities that Activision has tapped thus far to reenact the famous floor-skid underwear scene from "Risky Business." Past stars include Heidi Klum (guh), Alex Rodriguez and Bobby Knight throwing a drum kit. For the "Band Hero" commercial, Wentz is playing backup for Taylor Swift, paired with Rivers Cuomo and Travis Barker, with the band appearing in the buttondown shirt/underwear combo.

I spoke with Wentz about the commercial, as well as his gaming habits.

Read more...

Infinity Ward has a lot to be happy about one week before the "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" in-store date. Despite some gamer backlash over the PC version's new multiplayer system, GameStop has already christened the "MW2" release as a record-breaker.

Read more...

"Epic Mickey" could become an epic franchise if it performs well enough, and Junction Point Studios' founder Warren Spector planned accordingly. Spector has launched original properties before, but this will be his first big one since Disney purchased Junction Point, and he's aiming high.

Read more...

There's no doubt now that "Epic Mickey" will be a Wii-exclusive, but that wasn't originally the case. Gamers and game developers alike know that release dates and calendars for games are rarely set in stone, but not biting off more than you can chew on day one can save face from broken promises down the road. Warren Spector knows a thing or two about development cycles, having worked games like "Deus Ex" and numerous titles in the "Wing Commander" and "Ultima" series. "Epic Mickey" may have the biggest pre-roll-out hype yet for Spector and he credits Disney Interactive Studios for limiting it to one platform to allow him to meet his deadlines.

Read more...

"Super Meat Boy," the much anticipated indie platformer based on the beloved and painfully difficult Flash game is, itself, painfully difficult. Well, for a 3-year-old, at least.

Edmund McMillen, one of the game's developers, recently invited his tiny niece, Acacia, to play the PC version of the game and she declared that it was far too difficult for 3-year olds. Thankfully she has some advice for wee gamers out there: "You can play Hobo Rocketship!"

Read more...