EA are creating a game for the DS that they say is heavily inspired by Zelda, titled Tsumuji. Like Zelda, Tsumuji is an adventure-puzzle game starring a young boy in a cel-shaded style reminiscent of Phantom Hourglass, who is also controlled via the DS stylus in the same way.

There’s a catch, though – the game also includes stealth elements, because its main character is a ninja.

Kotaku got a copy of the demo, and claimed that “Tsumuji seems to be Naruto meets Zelda meets Metal Gear”. Sounds interesting enough – if the stealth elements can be worked into the game well enough to make it more than just a Zelda clone, it sounds like the kind of game that I would be interested in playing.

Source: Kotaku

They are going to be playing a total of 11 games, all within the Final Fantasy universe.  The game list will feature Final Fantasys I-X, and XII (since XI is an online MMO, it would be pointless to play in a marathon).

The total time they are allotting for this marathon is an insane 120 hours!  They are going to start on August 6, 2009 at 5pm CST with Final Fantasy I, and hopefully be wrapping up Final Fantasy XII on August 11, 2009 at 10pm CST.

Once again, they will be running the marathon on Ustream, and be taking donations for Child’s Play, the Penny Arcade charity that distributes Video Games and toys to needy children.

You can find out more information about the event at their blog, and the post for the Final Fantasy marathon. Their next Zelda marathon is scheduled for early next year.

Update: the marathon is currently underway.

The marathon will specifically deal with RPGs from the Nintendo 64 era and back- so you won’t be seeing recent games. The current planned games are Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy IV, and Final Fantasy IX.

The coming marathon will serve to raise money for Child’s Play, and the marathon can be followed live on The Returners’ blog. Be sure to write that down somewhere in your busy schedules!

The marathon will specifically deal with RPGs from the Nintendo 64 era and back- so you won’t be seeing recent games. Among the current planned games are Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy IV, and Final Fantasy IX.

The donation period will begin on July 6 and end on July 20.  To make a donation, you will need to have a credit card or a PayPal account. If you do a donation will be greatly appreciated and you will have done a great deed. If you’re not in possession of either a credit card or a PayPal account, you can help by spreading the word about this event.

Once more: The event will take place on July 10th, beginning at 5:00pm CST time.

If you’re a member of the American Club Nintendo and already have Platinum status, don’t register any more games until after June 30 so you can work on getting Platinum status again.

If you haven’t gotten any Status yet, you need to ask yourself: Is it worth it to register products like crazy now for an unknown gift? You might be sorry if you do, you might be sorry if you don’t. Give it some thought.

What will Nintendo’s greatest fans get for acquiring their status? We’ll find out soon.

A patent was discovered in January (Created by Shigeru Miyamoto) that hinted that Nintendo would be making games a bit easier for casual gamers. And just last week, it was hinted that Nintendo would be implementing a system, starting with the New Super Mario Bros. Wii, that would make games easier for casual gamers. What is this new system, you ask? Read on.

Demo play. What is this? If you happen to be stuck on a level, you will have the option to stop the game and let the computer take over.

Don’t worry, the computer doesn’t beat the level for you, merely shows you how to beat it. Once the computer has completed the level, you simply push a button and continue, now enlightened on how to defeat that new enemy or how to evade a trap.

Shigeru Miyamoto (the creator of this feature) said, “In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, if a player is experiencing an area of difficulty, this will allow them to clear troubled areas and take over when they’re ready. And yes, we’re looking into this for future games.”

So, enjoy this feature and don’t abuse it. I hope you’ll give a good try to beat the level by yourself first.

A darker age for the Wii begins.

Long after fans began to plea for new Wii colors, the black Wii is finally here… or rather, will be here. The new black Wii will be released in Japan this summer.  At the Wii’s launch Nintendo showed us three other colors (apart from the white and black),  though it is a mystery whether the Wii will ever be graced with the presented red, silver and lime green designs.

Nintendo will also be releasing matching black accessories. So far a black Wii Remote ($40), a black Nunchuk ($19) and a black Classic Controller ($21) have been confirmed.  There is no official confirmation for the American and European prices for the black Wii and its accessories as of yet, but the Japanese prices make it very likely that the prices will remain the same.

Source: Kotaku

This game is not another Metroid Prime game and it’s not being developed by Retro Studios. Instead, this looks like a side scrolling Metroid game much like the original Metroid and the popular Super Metroid.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 was also announced, starring not only Mario but finally brings back his dinosaur steed Yoshi. If you haven’t seen the trailers for these games I recommend you look them up on the Internet. You won’t regret it.

You’ll be able to play four players simultaneously and enjoy new suits such as the “Propeller Suit”. This game will release worldwide this holiday season.

That said, we’ll also be liveblogging the entire keynote on top of posting news, just like last year’s E3. Bookmark this post, because this is where you’ll be seeing the liveblog happening – and make sure to check back at this post tomorrow (Tuesday) at 9am PST, 12pm EST to catch the keynote!

UPDATE: The liveblog is go! We’re reporting on Nintendo’s keynote right now, so read on.

UPDATE 2: The press conference is over – Nintendo clearly took the hint from last year’s E3 that this one needed to be awesome, and despite there being no Zelda Wii, this press conference was packed with a million Mario titles, Golden Sun DS, and a new Metroid entitled “Other M.” It certainly didn’t disappoint, so if you missed it read on to see what you missed!

Please note that new events are ordered top to bottom. For the latest info, check the top of the post.

10:17am PST: Thanks for reading, everyone! The pictures that we weren’t able to get up will be up shortly.

10:15am PST: “Thank you for your attention this morning, and we look forward to seeing you on the show floor.” That’s a wrap, then!

10:13am PST: New Metroid title, titled “Other M”! This trailer looks incredible. Release date for 2010 – I hope the title is tentative. Was that Samus talking in the video? The game is in both 3rd and 1st person – this’ll be a real treat to play firsthand.

10:12am PST: “Could a new, edgier game be coming from Nintendo? The answer is: Absolutely.” A trailer is running – Team Ninja + Nintendo presents…

10:11am PST: Dead Space: Extraction trailer is running. Will be playable on the show floor.

10:07am PST: Reggie is back out talking about 3rd party hardcore titles. Right now the focus is on The Conduit. This game has really shaped up!

10:06am PST: Super Mario Galaxy 2 – not even a subtitle, but looks like a must-get! The music isn’t as impressive as the first title – yet, anyway.

10:05am PST: Another Mario Galaxy?! Certainly looks like it! The Mario Galaxy theme music is playing in the background of the trailer. This game will have either a subtitle or a number.

10:04am PST: Cammy’s back. “If you think that’s all the Mario news you can handle, think again.”

10:01am PST: “I want to show you a new way of thinking about games.” The Wii Vitality Sensor – it measures your heartbeat and other vitals. It, apparently, can also tell if you’re nervous. It fits over your index finger; looks like something you’d find in a hospital.

10:00am PST: C’mon, Iwata… stats and gamer demographics are great, but let’s get to something interesting.

9:56am PST: “For every two people playing, there’s one more just waiting to jump into the game.”

9:55am PST: Mr. Iwata is out – clearly not the end! “The global population of gaming has greatly expanded. We have been continually conducting our own research around the world to find out what’s happening.”

9:54am PST: “In our world, Everyone’s Game.”

9:53am PST: Spirit Tracks is going to be playable on the show floor of E3. This sounds like the end of the keynote…

9:52am PST: The DSi now supports uploading photos straight to Facebook. Not sure if it will ever adequately replace cell phones for this purpose – Nintendo might be asking too much.

9:50am PST: A flip-book style game, and a Mario vs. Donkey Kong game for DS. Available this coming Monday.

9:48am PST: Cammy is talking unit sales. 1 million DS units total, 400,000 DS Lites… this year.

9:46am PST: Sorry for the loading trouble – we’re getting swamped. A gaggle of casual games for the younger kiddos have been unveiled, and Cammy is now running a trailer about “Everyone’s Game,” focused on the DSi.

9:40am PST: HOLY CRAP! Golden Sun DS! Half the RPG world just shat itself.

9:39am PST: Reggie is talking about another new RPG for DS, “a franchise that’s been gone for quite a while.”

9:38am PST: A new Mario & Luigi game, “Bowser’s Inside Story”, will be released this fall in the US and Europe. Looks quite good – a trailer was shown, some screens shortly!

9:37am PST: Final Fantasy: The Crystal Bearers, as well as “an exlcusive version of Kingdom Hearts.”

9:35am PST: Reggie’s talking about how the MotionPlus will affect the RPG genre. It’ll be interesting to see how Square-Enix handles this in their Final Fantasy franchise. A video is playing that looks like another Crystal Chronicles.

9:35am PST: Red Steel 2 as an example of third-party development… playable ONLY with the MotionPlus accessory. Nintendo’s going to make a bucket of cash from this thing.

9:33am PST: Launches July 26th!

9:30am PST: Reggie and Trinen are playing basketball together. It’s definitely, eh, more accurate than the normal Wii Remote!

9:28am PST: Demoing archery – another game in Wii Sports Resort. It’s fairly straightforward.

9:26am PST: Bill Trinen is out to demo the Wii MotionPlus on Wii Sports Resort. The first demo is Skydiving – you tilt and twist the MotionPlus to make your Mii skydive properly down to Wii Sports Resort Island.

9:23am PST: There’s a video playing about the MotionPlus. Lots of slow-motion effects going on.

9:22am PST: Reggie’s talking about the “next advance in game control.” It’s the MotionPlus! It makes the Wii Remote look gigantic.

9:21am PST: “Ladies and gentlemen, Reggie Fils-Aime.”

9:19am PST: Arriving this fall as a bundle with the Wii Balance Board. Will be cheaper for those who already own a balance board!

9:19am PST: “This can’t be entirely about fitness…” Fifteen new balance games, such as juggling, skateboard, and something called “perfect ten”.

9:18am PST: Wii Fit is the new topic – Wii Fit Plus has been quickly announced.

9:16am PST: Launching Holiday 2009!

9:15am PST: New items like the propeller suit. Players further to the back can get pushed off-screen if they don’t keep up with the rest of the group. At the end of the level, everybody is ranked.

9:13am PST: Cammy and three others are demoing the gameplay. It looks just like New Super Mario Bros. for DS, but it’s multiplayer.

9:11am PST: Mario… in the fourth dimension? “Mario like never before… New Super Mario Bros. for Wii.”

9:10am PST: “If there’s an icon for video games, it’s the guy who’s appeared in over two hundred video game titles…” Guess who?

9:07am PST: Cammy Dunaway is out, talking about the status of the gaming industry. “Maybe you’ve noticed a woman on a Nintendo DS system…”

9:05am PST: It’s begun! They’re playing a nice intro video about connecting and such.

8:58am PST: “Ladies and gentlemen, please turn off your cell phones…”

8:55am PST: Hey everyone! Jason here – looks like the keynote is about to begin. Hold on to your helmets, folks.

The Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun recently reported that by the end of this year a new Wii Fit will be released in Japan. This would confirm the rumors that Nintendo recently patented the name Wii Fit Plus. They informed their readers that the game will measure balance and weight even more accurate and will support online connectivity. But Wii Fit Plus wasn’t the report that sparked the interest of the fans.

The newspaper also claimed that a new Mario game is in the making, and is set to be released in Japan by the end of this year. Sadly, very little other information was given, except that it’s a tool for Nintendo to push their Japanese Wii sales. If the newspaper is correct, we’ll hear from it very soon- at the E3.

Source: IGN Wii

Well, they’re back, and this time it’s the Super Smash Bros series. They will be playing all three Smash Bros games for 48 hours attempting to collect as many trophies as possible, while also taking Brawl challenges from viewers, for $5 per match.

This time they are raising money for a cure for Multiple Myeloma. It starts on June 6th at 6PM, so tune in then to watch some exciting Brawl matches.

Source: http://returnersgaming.blogspot.com/

The Queen of England just received a Nintendo Wii from THQ. Of course, since it’s for the Queen who just so happens to be one of the most famous people on earth, they actually had it gold-plated.

Worthy of a queen.

As you can see, THQ also sent a copy of Big Family Games. This is a mini-game compilation and unfortunately most of those games are really bad, so is there a risk that this game will actually scare the queen away from video games? On the other hand, there’s no telling how much this game would sell if the fair queen actually enjoyed playing it.

You know what? I would actually love to see the Queen review this game. It would be the game review of the century, to be sure. Can you imagine the Queen going Angry Video Game Nerd on this game?

What do you think of this? Is it a smart move or a big PR flop? Would you like to see the Queen review this game? Then head over to our forums and have your say about it, or put your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: videogames.yahoo.com (thanks to Triforce of the Gods for the tip)