Speaking at the 13th Annual Japan Media Arts Festival on Saturday, Shigeru Miyamoto states that Nintendo is in the process of developing new hardware and atleast one new Wii MotionPlus title.

The creator of such iconic franchises like Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong was speaking at the symposium last Saturday as he was nominated and won the “Special Achievement Prize” award from the Agency of Cultural Affairs.

As well as recounting Nintendo’s early days of video game production, he also spoke about the origin of the Super Mario Galaxy concept. More interestingly though, is the fact that Nintendo is currently developing new hardware, and that atleast one new MotionPlus title in addition to the new Zelda game. Exactly what form this new hardware will be in is still unknown. Could it be the successor to the Nintendo DSi XL? The successor to the Nintendo Wii? Or maybe it’s just a new peripheral accessory?

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Xform and Goodbye Galaxy Games have announced that their new 3D puzzle platform game is coming to Europe in Spring 2010.

In Flipper, gamers will lead our courageous young boy through various worlds that are filled with obstacles to rescue his stolen goldfish. There are four different worlds, with five levels in each one. The game will be presented with stylistic pixel-art backgrounds with “wacky sound effects” and “catchy music”.

Throughout the game will be power-ups that allow you to change the environments. For example, you can blast holes in the scenery, restore parts that you previously destroyed, or create your own platforms. Use the limited amount of power-ups wisely in order to complete each level.

Click on the thumbnails for larger views.

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Capcom has announced the release date of the second title from the Ace Attorney series to hit the WiiWare.

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice For All is set 6 months after the first game, with our protagonist having notched 5 court cases under his belt. Franziska von Karma, the new District Attorney, is as ruthless as they get and out for revenge so Phoenix better watch his back.

Gamers can present evidence in court by waving the Wii Remote, or press suspicious testimonies by wriggling it. The game will have several save slots so you and friends/family can enjoy this DS classic on the living room TV.

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice For All will be available to download from 19th February 2010 for 1000 points. Stay tuned as Capcom rolls out the rest of the series in the coming months.

Press release [Capcom]

LucasArts and TT Games have confirmed that the third in the series of LEGO Star Wars games is on the way, and it will be called LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars.

It is expected that the new release will combine all of the magic of the previous LEGO games and more. The characters in the game will be the same as those in the animated television series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and for good measure there will also be some characters from the Star Wars Saga.

Gameplay itself will include new battle modes with the ability to take part in head-to-head combats, along with an improved level builder for creating your own bases and battlefields. You can play as a Jedi or Separatist with abilities like Squad command, Lightsaber slicing, Lightsaber jumps and long distance Jedi attacks.

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Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep

The sequel to 2008’s Endless Ocean is here and is once again developed by Arika. Is this diving-sim capable of netting the interest of gamers that aren’t into the under-water activity? Or does it have enough substance to appeal to all gamers?

The game starts off with a revisit to the previous year as your character joins the R&R Diving Service; a convenient way of “reliving” your diving tutorials. I suppose a game has to teach you the controls some way or another and this is as good as any.

If you’re not aware of the original Endless Ocean, …Adventures of the Deep is its sequel and a “diving-simulation” that’s designed to let you plunge into six different oceans and interact with the creatures that inhabit them. The premise is to explore sunken wreckage; searching  for hidden treasures, documenting sea-life,  as well as spending time ashore with various non-aquatic animals.

The controls are fairly simple; point the Wii Remote on-screen to determine which direction you want to face, and holding the B button down to swim in that direction. This is the same method used to walk around when you’re on shore too. I assume this rather simplistic approach is an attempt to draw in as many types of gamers as it can; although I can’t help but wonder if it becomes a detriment to the overall experience or not. Also supported is the Classic Controller.

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Hudson releases the latest screenshots from their upcoming horror title, Calling.

With only a few more weeks until the release of Calling, Hudson is teasing us with a few more screenshots from the latest horror game to hit the Nintendo Wii.

Mike Pepe (Director of Marketing at Hudson Entertainment) adds…

“The game is a bit of a deferment from the traditional Hudson games, and we’re really looking forward to seeing how Hudson fans receive it.”

Click on the thumbnails for larger views.

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If you mix the phrases “thought provoking” and “puzzle game”, then the result would probably be something like this new release on the DSi, by the name of Save the Turtles.

Sabarasa have announced that this puzzle game will soon be exclusively available from Nintendo DSiWare, and it involves you solving puzzles in order to save endangered sea turtles making their way to the sea.

The game itself is set on a beach, and the vulnerable turtles must be protected from predators such as seagulls and crabs. Your job is to direct them towards the sea without them being hurt by predators, the heat of the sun or oil spillages, bringing real life environmental problems to the forefront of the players mind.

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Harmonix and MTV Games have announced that metal band Megadeth have allowed their album entitled “Rust in Peace to be used as a Rock Band download.

The original master recordings of the songs will be available to download from the Rock Band Music Store on the Wii, for 200 Wii points each.

From February 9th, which is this coming Tuesday, the following tracks can be downloaded separately:

-Holy Wars… The Punishment Due
-Hangar 18
-Take No Prisoners
-Five Magics
-Poison Was the Cure
-Lucretia
-Tornado of Souls
-Dawn Patrol
-Rust in Peace…Polaris

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High Voltage Software has revealed that its previously announced co-op horror FPS, The Grinder, is no longer a Wii exclusive title.

Kerry Ganofsky (CEO at High Voltage) recently told IGN…

“Our secret is out! Grinder is no longer a Wii exclusive. We plan to ship on Xbox 360, Sony PS3, and PC as well…”

Not only has the Wii lost an exclusive title, but due to the game’s availability on the 360 and PS3, its release date has been delayed until Halloween 2011.

“Halloween is the perfect time for a creepy dark game to release and we want to ensure this game has the love and attention it deserves…With the move to all of the current-generation systems, higher resolution art content needs to be created which takes a bit longer than our previous games.”

The Grinder looked set to be one of the Wii’s better 2010 titles, sadly due to the revelation of the game going multi-platform gamers will have to hold on and maybe it will be one of 2011’s most- wanted.

The Grinder goes multi-platform [VideoGamer]