Last September, SEGA announced “Project Needlemouse”, the nickname for the new 2D Sonic the Hedgehog game. Recently, SEGA confirmed the official name to Gamespot.com. The publisher released a new trailer and revealed “Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1″:

The game is coming to Xbox Live, Playstation Network, and Wiiware this summer. We will finally have a sequel to Sonic & Knuckles after so many years of waiting.

The teaser trailer for this new game highlights the past Sonic the Hedgehog games, while showing viewers what the new adventure has in store.

With many classic moves still in play, the tradition side of the game keeps its youth with a modern twist. And remember to watch out for your favorite villain, Dr. Eggman!

If you like the shirt it’s only available until midnight central time… so you better hurry.

http://www.riptapparel.com/

At first I thought it was staged, because she really didn’t act all that surprised or joyous. Perhaps, she was pissed at first that her game of Super Mario World was interrupted. I’ve made a few mistakes in life of interrupting girls and their Mario sessions. They don’t end well. However, they start to make out like a recently engaged couple and the dog jumps in for good measure. Alls well that ends well.

Don’t expect too much, but even a bit is better than nothing at all.

The world of video game sales is a finicky business. When you’re on top, many times it feels as though nothing could go wrong. I’m sure Sony felt that way when they dominated the last generation, and going into our current gen. Of course, things turned out quite a bit different. Nintendo has dominated up until now, and Sony is in third place when it comes to sales. And the Xbox 360 has been at a constant 2nd place after all three consoles were on the market.

The winds could be changing again, according to this report from Bloomberg.com. It’s being reported that Nintendo is cutting it’s earnings forecast. The reason being that console sales slipped in the previous months, and estimates are going to be lower going on because of the price drop. Overseas, money will mean less as the yen is currently strong.

This doesn’t mean that Nintendo is down and out yet. Actually, many times a company will lowball their forecast to make their numbers seem great come crunch time. So, whenever you hear a company exclaim, “We made 60% above our forecast”, take it with a grain of salt.

This is a perfect video to have on Monday, hopefully it provides a chuckle:

(Skip to 4:45 to see blunder)

I’m sure that corporations are just in love with Twitter and other social networking sites. These platforms allow for even more unwanted announcements and people slipping up when it comes to retaining information. Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario, is the latest person to prove this theory correct.

On his Twitter account, Martinet dropped this little pearl of info:

“Awesome new Mario Game! And it’s not NSMB Wii, and it’s not Galaxy 2, but it’s going to be crazy fun!”

So, he might not have announced any details but I think it’s safe to say that Nintendo didn’t want anyone to know that the game, whatever it is, is being worked on. They’re generally like Fort Knox when it comes to information. Although, it really isn’t that surprising to hear. Now the speculation begins as to what the game could be. A true sequel to Super Mario RPG? A whole new direction for the Italian plumber in red? Ok, it’s probably Mario Party 9.

In separate news, Martinet found himself a killer set of tires to go on his Toyota Prius. That’s right, the voice of Mario drives a Prius. I’ll leave you to your opinions on whether or not that’s a good thing.

Thank god for Twitter.

That ice power up looks to be a highly welcome addition to Mario’s repertoire as well.

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: DISCOVER NEW LOSTWINDS, NUMEROUS DOMO GAMES AND A TRUE ARCADE CLASSIC

Oct. 19, 2009

Eight is great for gamers this week as Nintendo adds eight new titles to its ever-growing library of downloadable games. First on the list is LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias, a follow-up to one of the most popular releases on the WiiWare™ service. Next, Shootanto: Evolutionary Mayhem makes survival of the fittest the law of the land. Meanwhile, Nintendo DSiWare™ welcomes Domo™, a strange creature who hatched from an egg. Also known as the popular mascot of Japan’s NHK television station, Domo stars in five separate new Nintendo DSiWare games. Topping it off is RYGAR™, a 1980s arcade gem making its Virtual Console™ debut.

WiiWare

LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias
Publisher: FRONTIER
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias is a sequel to the award-winning WiiWare launch title LostWinds. Enril the Wind Spirit returns to protect and guide young Toku by powering his jumps, aiding his glides and smashing his enemies. An evil adversary binds the fate of Toku’s mother, Magdi, and the ancient Melodia civilization. To save Magdi, Toku and Enril must face new foes, enlist friends old and new, and wield incredible new powers - including the ability to switch the very seasons themselves - as they explore the diverse, richly interactive Chilling Peaks and Melodia City areas of the magical land of Mistralis. This enchanting, exhilarating, explorative game play experience is bursting with new ideas that make exceptional use of the Wii Remote™ controller. The awesome power of the Wind is back in the palm of your hand.

Shootanto: Evolutionary Mayhem
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Crude Humor, Mild Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Battle for the future in a world governed by the law of the jungle. As you move through the stages, your character evolves and your weapons and shooting abilities change. First, throw weapons by hand, then proceed to use tools and different types of projectiles. A cooperative two-player mode is also available. The controls are simple: Move the character with the control stick, adjust the crosshairs with the Wii Remote controller and shoot down targets while dodging enemy attacks. Getting hit by an enemy bullet or touching an enemy close to you will count as a miss. With each miss, you’ll lose one heart; losing all hearts will end the game.

Virtual Console

RYGAR™
Publisher: Tecmo
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: The year is 19XX A.D. and the human race has been brought to its knees by the resurrected ancient Beast Lord. The people have brought legendary warrior Rygar back to life in order to save the human race. Armed with Diskarmor, a weapon that extends, you’ll also make full use of your jumping abilities to venture through and clear all 27 stages. Appearing at arcades in 1986 as a side-scrolling action game, RYGAR received high acclaim for its beautifully rendered graphics, including waterfalls and a setting sun. As extra features, players can collect the five Powers of Indra to obtain special bonuses or gain 1,000,000 bonus points for finding hidden items. Also, the number of lives and the level of difficulty can be altered.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii™ Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.