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Next, there’s Sony’s president of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, who says he wants to see the Xbox 360 succeeding in Japan to help making HD gaming more popular to local consumers. No need to say it, but I will - the Nintendo Wii is the most popular console in Japan.

“In terms of realistic-looking graphics and smarter AI, they haven’t really shown the appetite for what this generation of gaming can offer. I’d really like to see both PS3 and 360 succeed here.

What Microsoft is offering and what we are offering are closer, compared to what other platforms are offering. Because of that commonality, the new games coming out on 360 and PS3 help to get consumers more interested in this generation of gaming,” said Yoshida, and this only makes me wonder about one fact - could we ever see a joint effort in the console world from Microsoft and Sony? I know it sounds crazy for now, but… one day, who knows?

The Tokyo Game Show is on fire. We’ve been getting news from it like a crazy flood of Japanese news stories, which is exactly what it is. One of the highlights of the show so far has been a bunch of new media of the newest DS titles that were just recently announced at the Nintendo Conference. One of those titles is the upcoming Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles title, Echoes of Time.

Check out the video above which shows a whole bunch of impressive gameplay footage. Just ignore the Japanese scribbles at the beginning and then sit back and enjoy some of the best graphics the DS has displayed in a very long time. The graphics shown on the Wii version are typical of the system, but to achieve nearly identical quality on the handheld is something of a feat. Gamers who are already familiar with the DS remakes of FFIII and such will recognize a similar character design, but the environments are the real star here. Fantastic geography with multiple branching paths and great textures are already looking very promising. We’ll keep an eye on this one as it’s sure to be a big hit both in Japan and abroad.

WW: What projects were you involved with in your former life working as an artist for Nintendo?

NT: My first project at Nintendo was 1080: Avalanche on Gamecube. After that I was loaned out to Retro for a while and I worked on the new visors for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. When I got back, Nintendo of Japan suggested I continue to work on Metroid HUD whenever I could, and I did all the menus and player huds in Metroid Prime Hunters for DS. I did some very early work on the MP3: Corruption visors, and then moved on to Project H.A.M.M.E.R. on Wii for a long, long time…

WW: What aspect of Liight do you think sets it apart from other puzzlers available or coming to the WiiWare service?

NT: That’s an important question. There are some things that set it apart that are more subtle than others, so I’ll try to cover as many as I can. Of course, the lack of ‘falling blocks’ or really blocks of any kind is one thing people notice right away, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Being more of a ‘brain teaser’ style game than an action puzzler is another one, but there are other brain teaser games, too. The musical aspect of the game, where a different song is randomly generated as you solve each puzzle, gives Liight much of its unique personality and feel. Liight is also very relaxing to play since there is no time element (with the exception of Nonstop and contests). It has the ability to make your own puzzles and share them, so there’s replay there if you’ve got friends. Nonstop mode is very unique and deep, and hard, and I doubt you’ve played anything like it. More than anything else though, the color-blending and shadow-casting type solving is pretty fresh, and that’s something you’ll have to play yourself to understand. Despite at first looking similar to something like, say Prism: Light the Way, it’s actually a completely different way of solving puzzles.

WW: Does Studio Walljump have any other WiiWare projects in development or possibly in the planning stages?

NT: We have two other WiiWare projects in the early planning stages. At our size, we can’t really afford to throw away everything we’ve learned about WiiWare while making Liight, and move to some other platform and start over again. That said, after we release Liight in as many regions as possible, our next project will be something totally different. I wish I could say more, but I don’t want to spoil anything!

Full interview here

North America:
1. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
2. Wii Fit (Nintendo)
3. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo)
4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo)
5. Active Life Outdoor Challenge (Bandai Namco)

Japan:
1. Wii Fit (Nintendo)
2. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
3. Wii Sports (Nintendo)
4. Disaster: Day of Crisis (Nintendo)
5. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts)

UK:
1. Wii Fit (Nintendo)
2. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision)
3. Family Trainer: Outdoor Challenge (Bandai Namco)
4. Wii Play (Nintendo)
5. FIFA 09 (EA Sports)

Nintendo DS

North America:
1. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (LucasArts)
2. Kirby Super Star Ultra (Nintendo)
3. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo)
4. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)
5. Guitar Hero: On Tour (Activision)

Japan:
1. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Nintendo)
2. Pocket Monsters Platinum (Nintendo)
3. KORG DS-10 (AQ Interactive)
4. Daigasso! Band Brothers DX (Nintendo)
5. DS Bimoji Training (Nintendo)

UK:
1. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training (Nintendo)
2. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega)
3. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo)
4. Mahjongg DS (Deep Silver)
5. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)

Link

And so we come to the final third of Weekly Famitsu’s interview with Akihiro Hino, president of Level 5. In part one, we heard about the history and evolution of Level 5. In part two, Hino celebrated their collaboration with world-famous animation house Studio Ghibli. He also elaborated on how ‘Magic Master’, a book included with the game, will factor into Ninokuni’s gameplay. In this final part, Hino further expands on interesting potential uses of the book and, tantalizingly, other real-world gadgets.

Level 5 president, Akihiro Hino: At this conference, we announced the Nintendo DS version of Ninokuni, but actually, there will be a console version available as well.

Weekly Famitsu editor-in-chief, Katsuaki Kato: Really?! Has the platform been decided?

Hino: No. Right now, we’re focused on the development of the DS version. First, we want to finalize the game mechanics. The Nintendo DS is well suited to development through trial and error; it’s easy to work with. We want to establish the link between the book and the game well, and then when it comes time to switch to the console version, we can make an even more polished product. We also want to add some story and remix the game a bit so that even people who played the DS version will enjoy it, but we’re still deciding on exactly what would be optimal.

Kato: You mentioned trial and error just now. Will you be trying to include the book with the console version?

Tracing these symbols from the book will help unravel the mysteries of Ninokuni

Hino: Of course. The contents of the book will be slightly different in accordance with the changes we make for the console version, but it will basically be the same thing. We’re also working on incorporating different mechanics into the book itself. For example, you might need to use a special magnifying glass to reveal an image or something. So we’re examining designs along those lines as well…

Kato: It will also come with a magnifying glass?

Hino: Well, we’re still discussing that, but we’d like to try. The lens uses a fiberous, silk-like material, and it can reveal images. Glancing at the page, you can’t tell there’s an image there. You wouldn’t so much as think there might be something hidden there. But when you find the right spot with the magnifying glass, the picture becomes visible. It’s an incredible technology.

Kato: You can do that?!?

Hino: Yes. I was surprised too when I saw it in testing.

Kato: Wow, that’s some real magic.

Hino: We were thinking you might be told in the game something like “There’s a secret hidden on page 23,” and if you used the magnifying glass to look at page 23, an image would surface. It’s kinda like you consult the book using information you’re told in the game, and in turn, you advance in the game by using information you get from the book.

Kato: And aside from that, I imagine there are lots of other ways you could use it. But if all that’s included, I’d be a bit worried about the price… [ed: Japanese game prices are much more varied, and generally more expensive, than in North America]

Hino: From the start, we’ve been devising ways to keep costs down as much as possible in order to keep the price from spiraling out of control. But if we sell out, our ability to quickly manufacture additional units will be limited.

Kato: Of course. It must be difficult to manufacture the book and the packaging quickly. But it seems like this is becoming an exciting project that actually could sell out, so we’ll be eagerly following Ninokuni’s development.

Los Angeles – October 10, 2008 – Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group (UPDPG) announced today the creation of a handheld video game for the Nintendo DS™ based on Universal Pictures’ upcoming animated-adventure feature film, The Tale of Despereaux. The game is being developed by Fizz Factor, a Foundation 9 Studio, in conjunction with UPDPG and will be published worldwide by Brash Entertainment. The title is the second self-funded game UPDPG has announced this year.

The Tale of Despereaux handheld game shares the rich look and fairytale feel of the upcoming holiday film of the same name, and will both follow and extend the storyline from the feature film. Players will travel across across the Kingdom of Dor, from the whimsical environs of Mouse World to the kitchen, library and other colorful rooms of the main castle, and finally, to the dark and sinister dungeon domain of the banned and feared rats, Rat World. In this modern fairytale about a small mouse born too brave for his little world, several unlikely heroes will discover that what you look like doesn’t equal what you are.

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Above: A gamer plays the latest in theAce Attorney line of lawyer adventure games for Nintendo DS at Tokyo Game Show 2008.

TOKYO -- Here at the Tokyo Game Show, it's the year of the Nintendo DS.

With more than 23 million units sold in Japan alone, and an updated version of the hardwarecalled the DSi on the way next month, there isn't a gamemaker at the show that isn't preparing one or more big-budget games for DS. They're betting that the system's broad popularity will equal big returns on titles for hard-core players and casual gamers alike.

"DS is obviously kicking ass in Japan," says Capcom's Hiroyuki Kobayashi, producer of the Resident Evilseries of games. Kobayashi says that since many Japanese publishers create games only for Japanese consumers, they are naturally gravitating toward the dominant platform. Nintendo says it has sold one DS for every two Japanese households.

The surging popularity of handheld videogame systems like the DS, Sony's PSP and even the iPhone means an expanding market for gamemakers who can cook up addictive diversions for people killing time in a waiting room or on a train. Like Nintendo's superpopular Wii console, the DS and its portable bretheren appeal first and foremost to casual gamers. But there's plenty of red meat for the hard-core, too.

Tokyo Game Show organizers say about 19 percent of the games on the show floor are for Nintendo's portable system, almost double the figure for 2006. All of Japan's major game publishers have elaborate booths in Tokyo's Makuhari Messe convention center for the show, which lets the public get its hands on demos of upcoming games.

Square Enix is bringing its cult classic role-playing game series Valkyrie Profileto Nintendo DS, causing fans to line up for hours around its booth to play it, although they might be surprised by what they find. "The DS version is very different from the earlier versions -- it's a strategy RPG this time," says James Clark, who writes for a website called RPGFanfrom his Tokyo apartment. "It's really a bold choice, because it's going to alienate some of the fans, I think. But it definitely has a very deep story."

As the Nintendo DS market becomes stronger, publishers are taking bigger risks and putting more resources into DS development. Level-5, an independent publisher that shot to prominence in Japan with its Professor Laytonseries of puzzle games, showed a full slate of new brain-twisting titles for DS at its massive show booth in Tokyo. One of the games, Ni no Kuni, is an impressive-looking collaboration with the Oscar-winning animators at Studio Ghibli.

Role-playing games, in particular, are a hot commodity on DS. Square Enix has sold millions of copies of its remakes of classic games in the Final Fantasyand Dragon Questseries, and this year, most gamemakers on the show floor are previewing big RPGs.

The latest entries in the Suikodenand Phantasy Starseries are coming exclusively to DS. Other RPGs are built on more quirky concepts: Riz-Zoawdis a retelling of The Wizard of Oz.

Many of these games will be released in early November, alongside the launch of the updated Nintendo DSi. The $185 version of the system will include two built-in cameras and the ability to download games.

Portable gaming in general is experiencing a renaissance in Japan, says Capcom's Kobayashi. "PSP is doing well, and for the first time, I'm working on a PSP title." Square Enix is also showing strong PSP titles in its Final Fantasyand Kingdom Heartsseries, although the next home console versions of those games are still far away.

After DS and PSP, the next most prevalent platform at TGS is Wii. The most powerful consoles, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, have the fewest games on the floor.

Software engineer Tom Fulp, whose company Behemoth created the recent Xbox Live game Castle Crashers, said his favorite games on the show floor aren't "super mind-blowing, technology-wise."

Instead, Fulp admires Japanese gamemakers' quirky creativity. "They have more fun with their stuff," he says.

Image: Wired.com

See also:

• New Nintendo DSi is Download-Ready
• Hands On: New Ace AttorneyLets You Be the Prosecutor
• Hands On: Let's TapNot Entirely Stupid
• TGS: Awesome Japanese-Style Game Accessories