May Pang's Asian Media Internet News

With big video gaming convention E3 taking place right now, huge news will be coming our way. Nintendo has released details on their newest hand held gaming system, the Nintendo 3DS. There are so many details released, it's hard to find a place to start!

When the Nintendo 3DS is launched, downloadable content will be available. The best part so far? No 3D glasses will be required. It will have a 3.5 inch widescreen top screen and a smaller touch screen on the bottom half. There will be an analog control input as well as the beloved D-pad and four face buttons.

The system will have a slide pad, a gyrosensor and a motion sensor. Instead of the one camera on the outside on the DSi, there will be two cameras on the outside so that pictures can be viewed in 3D.

3D Hollywood movies from Disney, Warner Bros., and Dreamworks will also be viewable on the system.

Also, a list of 3DS games have been released as well. Well, that rumor about Animal Crossing has been confirmed as well (although there weren't too many details)! You know what's even better? The new Professor Layton game! While I'm busy drooling over the games being released, check out the list for yourselves.

Source: ign.com

With big video gaming convention E3 coming up (June 15-June17), big announcements will happen. This time, it's with Nintendo's newest gaming hand held console, the Nintendo 3DS. With the future of media slowly transitioning from 3D (Thanks, James Cameron), this was bound to happen soon enough.

Through their anonymous sources, Destructoid has reported that Nintendo will be showing a 3D version of the popular franchise Animal Crossing for their system the Nindendo 3DS. Although when Destructoid contacted Nintendo, their response was, "Nintendo does not comment on rumors or speculation."

I would say that Animal Crossing is a safe bet for the new system. When Animal Crossing: Wild World was released for the Nintendo DS, it definitely way a major turning point for the franchise. I believe making it for the Nintendo 3Ds will be an interesting next step. Although this rumor has gotten mixed opinions, I'm definitely hoping for this rumor to be true but we'll find out very soon!

Source: Destructoid

It's just a rumor but, I wouldn't be disappointed if it were true! Just days before Nintendo's press conference at the big E3 showcase, word has been going around that Retro Studios will be making a new Donkey Kong game for the Wii. Yes, the same Retro Studios that was funded by Nintendo to create the Metro Prime series.

The last Donkey Kong game that was released was a Wii-remake of Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat from Nintendo's Tokyo team. Other Donkey Kong favorites include Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong 64 by Rare, and Namco with Donkey Konga. However, Retro Studios taking this up certainly is an interesting twist. Either way let's hope this rumor will be confirmed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on Tuesday, Jun 15th.

Oh man! A new JYP Donkey Kong game! He really needs time to shine. I mean, recently he always seems to show up in everyone else's music videos video games but, never his own. I can't wait!

source: ign.com

Hello to our readers! This is our first installment of our new weekly segment called "Pick of the Week." This gives our writers their time to shine on a topic of their choice.  The "Pick of the Week" is updated every Sunday at 3PM EST. Keep checking back every Sunday for the new topic. This week, we're taking a look into the new legendary Pokemon for the new upcoming games in the Pokemon franchise, Pokemon Black & White.

When the first American version of the Pokemon games (Red and Blue) debuted, I was only about nine years old.  I wasn’t able to fully appreciate everything there was to those games, but even then I was able to understand the ferocity and beauty that were the legendary Pokemon.  When I found out about Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres from a friend, I wanted to catch them more than anything else in the world.  Although I was unsuccessful in my attempts, my fascination with legendary Pokemon traveled with me to Pokemon Gold and Silver with the introduction of Entei, Raiko, Suicune, Lugia, and Ho-oh.  However, I personally found the Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum legendaries to be disappointing.  Dialga, the legendary version-mascot of Diamond, reminded me of Littlefoot from “A Land Before Time” cosplaying as Suicune. Palkia, the legendary version-mascot was a disproportionate, pink dinosaur-like creature.  Finally, the legendary version-mascot of Platinum Giratina was just a giant version of a creepy-crawler you find in the shower wearing a gothic head piece.

Recently however, the makers of Pokemon Black and White released the official pictures of the new games version-mascots:  Reshiram representing Pokemon Black, and Zekrom representing Pokemon White.  These legendaries have been the first in the series since the legendary birds to make me stop and go “wow.”  Reshiram and Zekrom are both intimidating and beautiful to look at.  Reshiram is colored white, Zekrom is black, and they are both accented with an aqua blue.  It was also recently announced that Zekrom and Reshiram are both Dragon-type pokemon, but no secondary type class has been announced for the two new legendaries thus far.

I can’t wait to buy my copy of Pokemon White or Black and begin my journey to catch one of the two newest, and possibly best designed legendaries since the series’ beginnings.

Game director Shu Takumi (famous for the Ace Attorney series) doesn't disappoint with this news. At Captivate 2010, Shu Takumi treated his fans to an English trailer to his upcoming game Ghost Trick along with some new screenshots and possible release dates for the US and Europe.

Although this was announced before, fans now can have a sigh of relief now that the English trailer is released. It was also revealed that the game will be released this winter in the US. This means that the game could be released anywhere between December 2010 and February 2011. Ghost Trick has also gone through a slight name change. The US release will be called Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.

The game will be released June 24th in Japan.

Watch the English trailer to Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective!

It's official! The newest games in the Pokemon franchise are announced for a 5th generation. Pokemon Black and White have just been revealed but not many details have been released. All we know so far is the newest titles and two new Pokemon. These Pokemon are Zoroark, a dark type fox Pokemon, and it's pre-evolution Zoroa. Japan has set the release for this new game in Fall 2010 and the website seems to hint more details April 15th.

I'm definitely excited for these games but with the recent release of Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, I think I'll be satisfied until then. Not going to lie though, when I heard the title, I immediately thought of Michael Jackson. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.

Stay tuned for more updates!

America is just beginning to touch upon the new Nintendo DSi XL but Japan has even bigger plans. Nintendo has announced the new hand held system in the works, the Nintendo 3DS (tentative name).

This system will bring games to life with new 3D graphics, without the glasses of course. Nintendo hasn't released much detail about the system except that it'll be revealed at E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo).

Nintendo plans to release the system in Japan after March 2011.

What does everyone think? Will the system be a hit? And when will this hand held system be released in America? Of course after investing in a DSi, I'm a bit skeptical but still extremely curious. The countdown to E3 starts now!

Credit: Siliconera

On February 16th, I arrived at my local GameStop and picked up my own copy of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth. If you know me well, it wouldn't be a surprise I would be getting this game on it's release date. Also, you would know that I have definitely beaten this game by now. Well, it was well worth my time and money to purchase this game.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is a spin-off of the popular Ace Attorney video game series. Previous protagonists of this series include Phoenix Wright (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations) and Apollo Justice (Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney). Now, Phoenix Wright's childhood friend and prosecutor, Miles Edgeworth, gets his own game.

We first meet Edgeworth in the first game in the Ace Attorney series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. It is revealed that Miles Edgeworth is a young prosecutor who is fearless in court and has never lost a case until Phoenix arrives. He is also troubled by his past in a case referred to as the DL-6, in which his father is the victim of a murder. In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, all of the suspicions surrounding the murder are cleared and the real murderer is caught. After the case is finally put to rest, Edgeworth leaves on a trip of self-discovery and isn't heard from again until the last case in Trials and Tribulations where he helps Phoenix Wright in his toughest case yet.

In the beginning of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, we catch up with Edgeworth on a return trip from the fictional nation of Borginia. Upon his return from the airport, he is already caught up in a murder case that took place in his office. The events of the game are out of chronological order but all center around the same incident. The Interpol is trailing an international smuggling ring and Miles Edgeworth gets caught right in the middle of it. He also hears rumors of the great thief the Yatagarasu who is said to only steal the truth. Then, a young girl by the name of Kay Faraday appears and claims she is the newest heir Yatagarasu name and vows to be Edgeworth's assistant and find the truth behind the smuggling ring and the Yatagarasu.

This game is fantastically played out. Although it took some time to figure out the chronological order of events, it becomes clear what the real objective is. We also are able to revisit some of the old characters in the Ace Attorney series such as Maggey Byrde, Detective Dick Gumshoe, Franziska von Karma, and Edgeworth's biggest fan Wendy Oldbag. With every Ace Attorney game, we must have a trusty young female assistant. In this game, we are given Kay Faraday who claims to be the new great thief Yatagarasu. She doesn't stray far from the female assistants from the past games (Maya Fey and Trucy Wright), which keeps the game's charm. The game takes place more outside of the courtroom. This time, we are given the gift of running. The player is able to control the movements of Edgeworth, making it more exciting when investigating crime scenes. As Edgeworth, the player is also able to use "Logic" to figure out the truth by piecing together pieces of evidence discovered at the various crime scenes. It's an easy controlled game that would be easy for anyone to play. It still contains the very funny and witty dialogue that has been used throughout the Ace Attorney series. Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is a fantastic addition to the Ace Attorney series and doesn't stray too far from the formula of the other games. I'm sure any Ace Attorney fan, like myself, would fall in love with the game as much as I did. I would give this game an 8.5/10 and recommend it to everyone! I don't know what's better than playing as a prosecutor in a frilly magenta suit who has a not-so-secret love of the Steel Samurai.

Watch the English trailer for Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth!

With the upcoming United States release of Nintendo’s newest edition of the role-playing Pokemon franchise, Heart Gold and Soul Silver, I recently decided to transport myself back into the 90’s and relive the world wide and multi-generational phenomena that is Pokemon.

Originally released in Japan in 1996 as a duel compatible Game Boy role-playing video game (Pokemon Red & Green), Pokemon has become the second most successful video game franchise in history. There have been 18 different versions of the Pokemon role-playing game designed for the various Game Boy platforms, about 28 spin-off games designed for various gaming systems, an anime series running for over a decade, 13 movies, 10 CD’s, a trading card game, a Pokemon store in Rockefeller Center, NYC, and millions of dollars made through other merchandise.

I recently purchased for myself a Teal Game Boy Color, and my own personal favorite, a copy of the original Pokemon Silver game to refamiliarize myself with the map, and most of all, the Pokemon (Looking thoroughly online, was available for a total of about $30). This second generation of Pokemon games added an additional 100 Pokemon, though most of the original 151 were available throughout the game. Although I love the original red and blue versions, there were some new components added to Pokemon Silver that created a whole new level of game play. There is an internal clock that kept track of the current date and time; Pokemon appearances and other events in the game can only occur at certain times. Pokemon can now hold items, including berries, which can automatically heal hit points (HP) or other status ailments on the Pokemon holding it, without wasting a turn. New Pokeballs were added making Pokemon easier to catch, and Pokegear, like cellphones, were introduced to enhance game play.

Included among the 100 new Pokemon added to the second generation, the three legendary dogs, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune were introduced. These Pokemon flee often, unless a move like scary face was used to prevent fleeing. They also moved very frequently, making them much harder to track. Steel type and Dark type were added to the game, as well as the possibility of running into the rare and elusive “Shiny” Pokemon. Shiny Pokemon are very difficult to find, and are a different color than other Pokemon of that species (many of us are familiar with the Red Gyarados which is on the news program at the beginning of some Pokemon games). Finally, breeding through the daycare center was introduced in the second generation of the Pokemon games, enabling players to breed stronger Pokemon.

Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver have already sold over 2 million copies in Japan, and have promising sales outlook in the United States. I am personally very excited for the release of these games, and I am planning on purchasing Soul Silver, due to my love of Lugia. In these versions, the Pokemon that is first in your party will follow you around, outside of its Pokeball. Players can talk to their Pokemon and it will occasionally pick up secret items. There is a new mini-game called “Pokethalon” which utilizes the Nintendo DS, DS Lite, and DSI’s touch screen. There is another feather called the “Pokewalker”, although I am not quite sure about this feature. To make it work, you would have to buy a Pokeball shaped pedometer, and through infrared signals, can “hold” a Pokemon to increase experience, closeness, and increase money. Overall, I can’t wait for the United States release on March 14th! I hope to see everyone on WiFi very soon!

Watch the English trailer to Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver!

The famous Capcom attorney, Phoenix Wright, will be moving up to the Nintendo Wii next week in North America!

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (the first installment for the Ace Attorney series), originally for the Gameboy Advance and released later for the Nintendo DS, is being released in the WiiWare store on January 11th. The DS port of the first four cases will sell for only 1,000 Wii points. The final case, Rise from the Ashes, will be released in May for 100 Wii Points. The game has been updated with new controls using the Wii remote. The controls include waving the remote to activate the various actions such as the famous "OBJECTION!"

Check out the commercial for the new Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney for the Nintendo Wii!

Credit: Kotaku, ndsfans2009