There’s a bit of a stir going on over at NeoGAF concerning the highly sought-after Wii title Xenoblade Chronicles.

If the indications are to be believed, Xenoblade Chronicles will finally come to North America despite Nintendo of America’s outright rejection of the recent Operation Rainfall petition for 3 J-RPG’s to cross the pond to the States. If the rumor is true, April 2012 will see the game hitting US systems (without need to import) and be carried as a GameStop exclusive product.

If GameStop is indeed getting this game as an exclusive, this spells out a very limited product release turning the game into a true cult-hit title. Let’s not get hopes up yet, though. Nintendo is still not saying anything about a planned USA release for Xenoblade Chronicles as of yet. Since releasing in 2010 in Japan, Xenoblade Chronicles received rave reviews from publications like Famitsu and scored European and Australian releases this past summer.

We’ll keep you posted as new details develop.

[UPDATE: Xenoblade Chronicles has been confirmed by NOA. GameStop will sell the game exclusively for $49.99 MSRP.]

Patrons of Operation: Rainfall, there’s your silver lining! Xenoblade Chronicles did better than expected after sales numbers from Europe and Australia came in, so America gets it’s shot. Now, to ensure this is a success, make sure you go out and buy a copy of the damned game and prove to Nintendo that this game actually had a chance for sales in a Western Market that sometimes acts like it doesn’t care about J-RPG’s.

Ever wonder what might happen if some of your favorite car movies such Driver, Bullitt or Gone in Sixty Seconds and put zero limits on how over the top the stunts could get? That’s right, what you’d end up with is the last Fast and Furious movie. And although this game – Need for Speed: The Run – is as ridiculous as Fast Five, they have one thing in common. They both fall short being good and settle for mediocrity.

Despite me calling NFSTR mediocre, there are many things this game excels at. To start, there’s the premise of the game itself: taking the speed and carnage of the NFS franchise and going Gumball Rally with it. The Run takes things coast to coast in a race to see not only who makes it first but to see who manages to cross the finish line it at all. Some truly shady and nefarious characters are encountered along the way and the game’s protagonist is potrayed well enough, if a bit cocky and over confident, for his predicament. Throw in a plethora of cars that range from the most extravagant imaginable to the most nostalgically recollected.

Things went from cool to batshit crazy as I raced down the side of a mountain in a 280Z when a Sprinter Trueno makes a pass on me. In lot of ways, The Run simply oozes ‘cool for car guys’ out of more orifices than a Thai restaurant dish from a pissed off chef. Looking back, this is probably why other aspects disappointed me so much…

The beginning of the downers for me was the unremarkable visuals. Though I have to admit that taken as a whole, things weren’t offensive to the eye but as I focused in on details in specific I was unimpressed. When compared to other NFS titles such Shift 2, I never had a true sense of speed and once even lost myself in the visuals to simply observe. Which brings me to the second disconnect in my mind, the controls. While the game controls adequately, cars seemed to feel both slow and sluggish. In a title where obstacles in the road can (and often do) end your race, responsiveness is key.

My final nitpick is the lack of raw horsepower that comes from the sound presentation. The engines don’t seem to roar and scream like they should. Tire squeals don’t sound like violent shifts in weight that break traction. And once again, that’s even compared to other NFS titles. The motors do sound authentic and accurate, just emotionless. And there in lies the balancing act that can make things solid but unremarkable.

The Run has moments of being enjoyable filled with too many long gaps of being mundane. I wanted to like this game but couldn’t get past the feeling of simply playing to progress versus playing for the experience. Amidst so many other holiday season releases that suck you in to the point of not realizing where the time has gone, The Run doesn’t compete strongly enough to take you away.

Having taken to Twitter, Schofield attempted to rally Call of Duty fans in support of the highly anticipated shooter. After originally making headlines over at IGN this morning, the above tweet has been deleted but you can still see the aftershocks of the original request as the day went on.

Modern Warfare 3 has attracted a lot of (mainly good) buzz since its release but recently user scores from Metacritic has put the game in a very awkward spotlight. A high amount of user scores rating zero across all three platforms has damaged the game’s overall user score, leaving some very low averages for the hottest selling title this season. Out of a possible 10, as of this writing, the current user score is 3.1 for 360, 2.3 for PS3 and 1.6 for PC.

Does Modern Warfare 3 deserve the rash of negative scores it’s getting on Metacritic? Leave your responses in the comments and let us know what you think.

“We never say ‘never,’” the company stated, “but we can confirm that there are no plans to bring these three games to the Americas at this time.” That leaves The Last Story, Xenoblade Chronicles and Pandora’s Tower strictly import games for the Nintendo Wii for the time being. A tweet from the company went on to thank Operation Rainfall for being “such incredible fans,” but reaffirmed that “there continues to be no plans for Nintendo of America to release these 3 games right now.”

The Last Story is an action role-playing game developed by Mistwalker (founded by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the father of the Final Fantasy series) and AQ Interactive. The Last Story was released January 27, 2011 in Japan with a tentative 2012 release in Europe.

Xenoblade Chronicles is a role-playing video game published by Nintendo and developed by Monolith Soft (Xenosaga Series, Namco x Capcom) that was first seen by the world at E3 2009 and subsequently disappeared Stateside thereafter. Xenoblade Chronicles was released June 10, 2010 in Japan and is set to release September 2, 2011 in Europe.

Pandora’s Tower is an action role-playing video game developed by Ganbarion (One-Piece Series) and was published by Nintendo in Japan May 26, 2011.

Operation Rainfall launched a campaign on June 23, 2011 by fans in an attempt to convince Nintendo of America to localize productions of the three RPGs that were highly sought after and having all received top ratings overseas. The campaign had, in only a short span of time, received a lot of exposure to groups like Kotaku, Game Informer, Eurogamer and Destructoid, along with mentions from video game designer Soraya Saga (Xenogears, Xenosaga series) and Mistwalker. Mistwalker and Saga responded favorably to the campaign.

While this may not be a permanently closed door for fans looking for these games, for now the likelihood of a release is nowhere in sight. Nintendo a has notorious history of dangling carrots in front of everyone’s faces only to snatch it away and then produce it later. Keep hope alive!

Other US retailers have left their pricing structures unchanged.

Developed by Ubisoft Blue Byte studio in Düsseldorf, Germany, the game separates overall fitness routines into six core elements — core body, upper body, lower body, cardio, balance and flexibility — that help you focus on getting fit and reaching your goals.

For the Wii system the USB camera will provide a picture-in-picture view that enables players to compare their own movements to the in-game coach for a more accurate replication of exercises. For the PlayStation 3 system players can upload music to their PS3 and perform workouts to the beat of their favorite songs. The PS3 analyzes your playlist and suggests the music that suits the right rhythm for each workout.

TRON: Evolution has a story set around a series of seismic events within the Grid of TRON. Players control a security program, Anon, who must protect the digital world from Abraxas, a dangerous computer virus. Players will witness unique moments that are referenced or shown as the backstory of the thrilling “TRON: Legacy” story. The game features the iconic TRON vehicles – light cycles, light tanks and recognizers – and has high mobility combat using light discs. The multiplayer modes enable up to 10 players to take on each other online in a variety of maps with on-foot combat, light cycles and light tanks.

TRON: Evolution is rated T for Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system and has a suggested retail price of $59.99. TRON: Evolution – Battle Grids, rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older, for Wii has a $49.99 suggested retail price. TRON: Evolution games (E10+) for the Nintendo DS family of hand-held systems and PSP system are $39.99. The Games For Windows – LIVE version (Teen) sells for $29.99. A Collector’s Edition for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 is priced at $129.99 and features the game, an exclusive collectible illuminated light cycle model, protective case and vouchers for “TRON: Legacy” film tickets.

Now, let me preface this by saying that I think Nicole Scherzinger is a perfectly decent singer. She can carry a tune better than a handful of “singers” on the pop music landscape (By Odin’s beard, why the fuck is Ke$ha popular?!?!). And to be fair, doing a cover version of the Goldeneye theme isn’t alone damning. But why in crispy Panko-breaded hell is “The Scherz” trying to sing exactly like Tina Turner?!?! At that point, you really are hopscotching into the realm of inexcusable fuckery. It’s embarrassing and shameful, much like certain sex practices in Japan. Furthermore, NO ONE is born with the kind of voice Tina has had since the 80s. You need a solid decade of gettin’ the shit slapped outta you by your man, going to court with that poo-putt bastard, and wear a big ass Moufasa wig, to get those kinda pipes!!! You need to have LIVED, and LIVED HARD!!!

If you must, you can download the game intro featuring the cover here.

To celebrate the release of the title, three retailers are offering specials to gamers who pickup DJ Hero 2 through them. Those deals are:

· Best Buy – Fans who pick up DJ Hero 2 at Best Buy will receive a premium hard-shell turntable carrying case that converts to a performance-ready DJ stand as a gift with the purchase of a DJ Hero 2 Turntable Bundle or Party Bundle.

· WalMart – At WalMart, consumers that pick up a specially marked DJ Hero 2 Party Bundle on Wii or Xbox 360 will also receive a copy of DJ Hero – giving gamers over 170 mixes in total – while supplies last.

· Amazon – Gamers who purchase DJ Hero 2 exclusively from Amazon.com between October 17 at 12:01PM PST and October 23 at 11:59PM PST will also receive a copy of Linkin Park’s chart-topping new album, A Thousand Suns with their copy of the game.*

“With new social game modes, the inclusion of full microphone support, all-new levels of creative freedom and the best soundtrack in entertainment, DJ Hero 2 is truly an amazing mixer of music and friends,” said David Haddad, CEO of Guitar Hero. “DJ Hero 2 further pushes the boundaries of music and gaming by coupling exclusive, original mixes with accessible, innovative gameplay that together will continue to revolutionize the way people experience music.”

DJ Hero 2 is now available for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii.

If you’ve played the original Devil Kings then you’re already familiar with the hack and slash style of play in Sengoku Basara. Nothing’s changed as you take control of your unit commander and mow down platoons of enemy soldiers as you advance through each stage fulfilling objectives. Every character has their own distinctive fighting and each style offers a new and entertaining way of punishing the enemy. For all of the flair that is present in Sengoku Basara, the game unfortunately falls short in keeping it all fresh as you find yourself basically pushing through throngs of bad guys in a button mashing frenzy.

Sengoku Basara manages to keep it basic enough. You’ll play through a level based campaign either single-player or in 2-player co-op. The story elements for a game based on actual conflict taken from world historyshould have played a better driving point for the game but are pretty weak in execution. The drama that plays out does its job and gives just enough of a set up for the action but doesn’t really bring anything compelling to the table. At most, there’s more than a handful of laughable moments that’ll keep players entertained. The co-op mode keeps things interesting, allowing for some strategy by enabling players to either take separate paths to the same goal or battling side by side to the objective. Despite that, it wears thin as the button mashing nature of the game reminds players that you’re there just to get from point A to point B.

Sengoku Basara is a fun game to play, but a nagging issue with the camera leads to some frustrating circumstances where players find themselves struggling to stay on target. The overall difficulty of Sengoku Basara won’t pose any major challenges and even on the hardest of difficulty settings, the enemy AI will still manage to find ways of standing still long enough for a slice of the katana or a colossal beat down. The only real difficulty of the game is in the boss battles which will have you utilizing all your skills. As an offset to the lack of difficulty in the game, there are no checkpoints during the missions, so if you die, you restart from the beginning of the stage.

Offering a little more to the genre than previous outings from Tecmo Koei’s Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series, Sengoku Basara is good for a quick pickup if you need to get a fix of mindless violence. For others waiting for the next truly challenging hack and slash, a lot is left to be desired.

Hit Makers Mix Pack (available starting November 2):
• Usher ft. will.i.am – “OMG” (Remix by FSG)
• Rihanna ft. JAY-Z – “Umbrella” Mixed With Marvin Gaye – “Let’s Get It On”
• Big Boi & Cutty – “Shutterbug” Mixed With Mark Morrison – “Return of the Mack”

Electro Hits Mix Pack (available starting November 16):
• LMFAO – “I’m In Miami Trick” Mixed With Green Velvet – “Shake & Pop”
• Steve Aoki ft. [[[Zuper Blahq]]] – “I’m In The House” (Remix by FSG)
• SMD – “Hustler” Mixed With Technotronic – “Pump Up The Jam”

In November, the free compatibility update will be made available enabling gamers to purchase and play existing downloadable content from DJ Hero in DJ Hero 2. Gamers who have already purchased DJ Hero DLC will be able to play those mixes in DJ Hero 2 without purchasing the content again.

Players will become Captain America as he faces the Red Skull and his army in an epic third- person action adventure set in the darkest days of World War II. Wielding Captain America’s legendary shield, gamers will engage in free-flowing combat and acrobatic platforming to infiltrate Hydra’s mysterious castle and battle the infamous Iron Cross, the forces of Hydra, and a host of nefarious enemies serving the Red Skull. As the First Avenger himself, players must defeat the evil scientist Arnim Zola and his wartime experiments, combining powerful melee combos and shield attacks to devastating effect.

Captain America: Super Soldier combines a highly athletic combat system with fluid platforming and a highly tuned suite of shield attacks, as Cap explores a massive castle turned military installation. His shield can be employed in numerous ways: taking out multiple enemies at once, deflecting incoming fire back at enemies, solving puzzles, and scaling walls. Players will be able to launch shield-first into the fray with the superior force of the world’s first Super-Soldier at their fingertips—and they’ll need every bit of that strength to overcome a castle that’s both an acrobatic playground for the Captain’s physical prowess and a house of mystery with enemies and danger at every turn.

Polish off your turntable skills and ready a microphone for one of the most anticipated titles coming out this fall.

Neil Patrick Harris voiced the wall-crawler in “Spider-Man: The New Animated Series” in 2003; Josh Keaton was the voice of Spider-Man in “The Spectacular Spider-Man” from 2008-2009; Dan Gilvezan starred in “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends” from 1981-1983; and Christopher Daniel Barnes voiced the iconic Super Hero in “Spider-Man,” the 1994 series.

Stan Lee will guide players through the storyline of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions as the game’s narrator, and Emmy Award-winning composer Jim Dooley has created an original orchestral score for the game.

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, which will be available September 7th, allows players to engage in nonstop heroic action as they traverse four unique worlds from Spider-Man’s lore – Amazing, Noir, 2099 and Ultimate – within one unique storyline. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions transports players to a variety of locations, from lush jungles and dusty deserts to a futuristic NYC, and allows them to use unique gameplay styles for each Spider-Man, including stealth moves in Noir, gliding maneuvers in 2099, black-suited tendril attacks in Ultimate, and innovative web combat in Amazing.

Releasing on October 5th for PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii, Def Jam Rapstar’s roster has increased with some of the heavy hitters in Hip Hop of yesterday and today. Some of the new artists and producers announced include…

ARTIST: TRACK

A Tribe Called Quest: Scenario
Big Pun featuring Joe: Still Not A Player
Jim Jones: We Fly High
LL Cool J: Mama Said Knock You Out
Ludacris: Stand Up
Onyx: Slam
RUN DMC: Run’s House

PRODUCER: TRACK

Cool & Dre: Epidemic
DJ Khalil: The Good Doctor

SANTA MONICA, CA – June 8, 2010 – This fall, living rooms will transform into nightclubs letting budding beat chemists, singing sensations and all of their friends party together by firing up two turntable controllers and a microphone to experience their favorite music as they’ve never heard it before in Activision Publishing Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) DJ Hero® 2 – the follow-up to the #1 new videogame intellectual property of 2009, DJ Hero®. Picking up where the award-winning DJ Hero soundtrack left off, DJ Hero 2 spins together the hottest tracks blazing up the charts and legendary club anthems from the biggest artists in pop, dance and hip hop including Dr. Dre, The Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, Metallica, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and over 85 others. Fueling the party will be a host of all-new social multiplayer game modes and innovative freestyle gameplay giving virtual DJ’s the ability to crossfade, scratch and sample in over 70 speaker-blowing mashups from the hottest DJ’s and Producers around the world, including Deadmau5 – part of dance music’s elite – who will be starring as an in-game playable character.

To celebrate the announcement, DJ Hero owners and all of their friends will have the opportunity to download, spin, scratch and battle a mix from DJ Hero 2 as downloadable content. The mix features the sultry sounds of Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” Mixed With the blistering beats of Deadmau5’s “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff.” The mix will be available for free from June 8-14 on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

“DJ Hero was the best music game of 2009 and with DJ Hero 2 we’re delivering a new easy to pick-up, challenging-to-master experience that all players can enjoy together,” said David Haddad, Chief Operating Office, Guitar Hero. “With new social game modes, the inclusion of full microphone support, all-new levels of creative freedom and an amazing soundtrack, DJ Hero 2 is the ultimate mixer of music and friends.”

“We’re improving upon all the gameplay elements from DJ Hero that gamers loved with the all-new freestyle gameplay and a host of new multiplayer game modes,” said Jamie Jackson, Creative Director, FreeStyleGames. “But we’re not stopping there either as the award-winning soundtrack is getting bigger songs from hotter artists that our talented crew of DJ’s is spinning into hits that fit the gameplay flawlessly.”

DJ Hero 2 will deliver the ultimate way for players to come together and party with a host of new multiplayer modes – including DJ Battles that pit DJ against DJ in mixes produced specifically for battle gameplay – and invite vocalists into the spotlight with integrated on-screen singing and rapping of lyrics and rhymes while bringing the party to life with jump-in/jump-out Party Play gameplay. Featuring the biggest dance, pop and hip-hop hits by the hottest artists everyone knows and loves remixed by world-class DJ’s in an all-new way, the game’s soundtrack delivers over 70 unique creations only available in DJ Hero 2. Further immersing players into the music, the game offers a heightened level of creative input and allows everyone to add their own touch, directly impacting the beats they’re spinning with freestyle scratching, crossfading and sampling. The game will also feature an all-new career-based Empire Mode where players start out as an up-and-coming DJ on the road to becoming the head of a major entertainment empire, all of which is founded solely on their success as a DJ.

Dropping this fall, DJ Hero 2 will invite a wave of new digital disc jockeys to the turntables as the game will be available as a Party Bundle which will include a copy of the game, two turntable controllers and a microphone, offering the ultimate “party-in-a-box.” Gamers who experienced the #1 new videogame intellectual property of 2009 can pick up DJ Hero 2 as a Turntable Bundle featuring one turntable controller and a copy of the game or as standalone software. The game is in development by FreeStyleGames for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 and the Wii™ system from Nintendo.

DJ Hero David Guetta Mix Pack 01 is available now on Xbox LIVE for 640 Microsoft Points and on the PlayStation Store for $7.99. The remixes in DJ Hero David Guetta Mix Pack 01 and the mixes in DJ Hero Extended Mix Pack 01 are now available as downloadable singles for Wii for 300 Wii Points each.

More info can be found below in the release.

SAN MATEO, Calif. — August 3, 2009 — Capcom® Entertainment, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that Monster Hunter™ Tri will be released in both North America and Europe for Nintendo’s Wii™ system in early 2010.

This desire to be one of the first to experience Monster Hunter Tri is indicative of the impact the Monster Hunter franchise has made on videogame culture in Japan. With sales of the series totaling well over 10 million units and 3.5 million sales of Monster Hunter Portable™ 2ndG alone, it’s no surprise to find that Monster Hunter has given rise to dedicated “training camps”, country-wide festivals and numerous licensed products. The franchise doesn’t just top the charts in Japan; it’s become a social phenomenon.