Ubisoft have sent us an updated copy of their release schedule for Q1 2010, so we thought we’d share it with you!

There are a few titles to get excited about here; with Red Steel 2’s release towards the end of this month and Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands sometime in May it looks like might be the start of a profitable year for the French video games publishers and developers.

Ubisoft Release Schedule – Q1 2010

It’s time for our look at the official sales charts for week 9 of this year, thanks to our friends at ELSPA.

This week New Super Mario Bros. Wii is still holding on to the top spot of the Nintendo Wii Charts, marking it’s 16th week in the top 30. On the DS, Sonic & Sega All-stars Racing has leaped from last week’s position of 8th straight to the top of the chart. Who’d have thought the once-rivals Mario and Sonic would be sharing the top spots on a Nintendo platform!

Find the full top 30 charts for both platforms after the jump..

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Nintendo fans can trip out to an onslaught of beats and colours with BIT.TRIP VOID and save the world from virus-infected robots in Mega Man™ 10 all available to download on WiiWare this week.

On DSiWare the legendary lost project “Dark Void” by Capcom is back after 20 years, returning as Dark Void™ Zero, while players can also enjoy an interactive storybook in Flips: The Bubonic Builders.

Globulos Party is perfect for players who have some time on their hands; offering over 15 hours of fun game play and 20 games to stimulate and challenge.

For anyone wanting to give their language skills a boost, New English Training: Learn with Tempo – Advanced Edition is the perfect way to improve your command of English.

Those with itchy trigger fingers will find their pinball technique tested to the limit, as well as needing to dust off their knowledge of Greek mythology to help them succeed in Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon™.

The final offering from DSiWare this week offers a treat for football fans as Real Football 2010 returns for another exciting season.

As if all that wasn’t enough, Virtual Console’s offering has a blast from the past with an 80’s fuelled, action-packed arcade game where players will be able to live out their ace fighter pilot fantasies in Zaxxon™.

Find out more about this week’s releases after the jump..

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We’re currently seeking some help with keeping the site up-to-date with the latest Nintendo news, reviews and gossip. If you think you’ve got what it takes, and would like the chance to work for one of the UK’s top Nintendo news resources, get in touch!

We currently have the following positions available:

News Editor

As a news editor for WiiDS.co.uk, you will be expected to post regular news updates from the wonderful world of Nintendo. You will rely on official press releases and media sources, news tips from our readers together with various other gaming websites via browsing and RSS feeds.

You will be posting on a multitude of topics including gaming industry, culture and gaming media, together with being involved with writing original feature articles whenever possible.

Feature Editor

Feature editors are expected to write exclusive features for WiiDS.co.uk on a multitude of current topics. These will range from comparison and opinion pieces to organising and conducting interviews with gaming industry insiders, game developers and publishers.

You will also be expected to throw in the occasional news post, and and help organise the WiiDS.co.uk podcast content when it launches.

Review Editor

Review editors for WiiDS.co.uk will be expected to write reviews for the current releases on the Wii and DS platforms, including WiiWare and Virtual Console titles. Reviewers will be provided with review copies of various titles and expected to play through the game and write up a review to a strict time frame.

Together with reviewing the games provided by us and games sourced by themselves, reviewers will be expected to keep the site up-to-date with game release news and keep our release calendar up-to-date so we don’t miss anything out!

To apply for any of the above position, you must meet the following requirements:

• Must demonstrate at least a college-level writing ability.
• Basic photo editing skills are necessary, such as cropping. Advanced photo editing skills are a plus.
• Be able to submit at least 3 news articles in our 5 day week, Monday to Friday.
• Basic HTML knowledge is helpful, but not essential.

Applicants who meet these requirements will be expected to submit at least two writing samples to help us gauge their ability. All samples must be written in Microsoft Word, HTML or already be available on the web. Samples must also be related to the position you are applying for, so if you’re planning on applying to be a game reviewer, an essay about the life cycle of a frog isn’t going to help us!

To apply, send your details (name, age, location) and writing samples to writers@wiids.co.uk.

We hope that we can find some like minded Nintendo fans to help keep the site alive and current, and are looking forward to reading all applications that we receive!

Not content with releasing videos featuring the weapons and special moves found in Red Steel 2, Ubisoft have released a series of ’speed art’ videos showing off some of the unique art style the game has adopted.

Speed art is a video capturing the artist’s development of a piece of art, speeded up to show you how a picture is made up. In these speed art videos we can see artwork for the Hero, Tamiko and Shinjiro and they all look amazing!

Find the videos after the jump…
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Seems our friends at Ubisoft have gone a bit trigger-happy by releasing another video featurette, this time focusing on the various weapons found in Red Steel 2, which is due for release on 26th March here in Europe.

Hit the jump for the video..

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Game With Dual Modes of Play For Nintendo DS is a Whirlwind of Fun for Kids

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces Galactic Taz Ball, a new videogame for the Nintendo DS starring Taz, the frenetically fantastic Looney Tunes character beloved by all. The game will be available for Europe in May 2010 and for North America in Autumn 2010.

“Taz is one of the most popular characters in the Looney Tunes family, and with Galactic Taz Ball kids can have fun for hours with action, exploration, platform challenges and puzzle solving,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Development and Production, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “This creative game packs all of the wild fun that everyone loves about Taz into a handheld experience with two unique modes of play.”

In Galactic Taz Ball, Taz is accidentally kidnapped by Marvin the Martian, who is stealing the Earth’s landscape to make Mars more scenic. Taz must spin his way across pieces of Earth floating in space to stop Marvin from destroying the planet and get back home.

The game contains two worlds with completely different gameplay mechanics. The “Overworld” is an action-style 3-D game playable on the Nintendo DS’ top screen with unique track ball controls using the Nintendo DS-stylus on the bottom screen. When Taz moves fast enough he becomes a tornado that can destroy objects and enemies. The “Underworld” is a side-scrolling puzzle game played on the bottom touch screen in which Taz navigates a maze of active machinery and gadgets. Both worlds combine for a uniquely fun and frenetic journey, perfect for Taz’s wild style.

Galactic Taz Ball is being developed by WayForward Technologies. For more information, check back soon!

This week sees the launch of the new Nintendo DSi XL. With bigger screens and a wider viewing angle, you will be able to experience your favourite games like never before when the Nintendo DSi XL, which has already been enjoyed by many people in Japan, launches across Europe on 5th March 2010.

The screens of the Nintendo DSi XL are 93 percent larger than those of the Nintendo DS Lite model and the wider viewing angled screen enables you to share your game play with friends and family.

The new Nintendo handheld is launching in two colours – wine red and dark brown, with a glossy sheen on top and matt finish on the underside that provides excellent grip when resting on a table or other surface during gameplay.

The new console also comes pre-loaded Nintendo DSiWare software: A Little Bit of…Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: Arts Edition and Dictionary 6 in 1 with Camera Function, as well as the Nintendo DSi Browser, which enables you to easily access the internet where ever a wireless Internet connection is available. Nintendo DSi XL will also come with an additional larger pen-like stylus that allows for a more comfortable grip and enhanced ease of use when playing games that utilise the Nintendo DS touch screen

To truly understand the difference Nintendo DSi XL makes to your favourite games, you need to get your hands on it. This week you can do just that – let us know if you plan on picking one up!

Press Release [Nintendo]

If you have the desire to cut, style and blow-dry, but have yet to live your dream in a real salon, then this might be the next best thing. Hairdressing simulator, Busy Scissors, is coming to Wii and DS this year.

From September, you will be able to cut, color, shampoo, and style hair to your hearts content. The aim of the game is to build your reputation as a hair stylist in Hollywood. You must find the customers style, and meet their every need in order to progress in your career.

There are 35 hairstyles, 30 mini-games, 6 career levels and 4 game modes within Busy Scissors, giving an wide range of playing possibilities.

The game’s developer,  Manifest Oranj, has spent plenty of time working at the TONI&GUY Academy, and publisher Little Orbit has partnered with Unilever and TIGI to include virtual products in the game.

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