Medabots 7 came out in Japan close to a year ago – September, specifically. Now that we’re in June of 2013, time is running out for the game’s possible localization.

You can probably write off a western release of Medabots 7 at this point. When the 3DS game was mentioned on Natsume’s Facebook page, the company said that it “doesn’t look like Medabots 7 is in the cards.” Although, Natsume gave a small glimmer of hope for the localization of a future Medabots title by saying: “Hopefully maybe the next one.”

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Jupiter is once again taking the Picross series to the 3DS eShop, this time in the form of Picross e3.

In Picross e3, players can tackle 150 puzzles and a “Mega Picross” mode. Mega Picross incorporates more difficult puzzles with hints that span two rows or two columns. “Easy Picross” and “Normal Picross” modes are also included.

The first Picross e launched on the European eShop last year. No games in the series have been made available in North America.

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Additional Wii U titles could be in Renegade Kid’s future – and perhaps one of them will be a 3D game.

In an interview with Nintendo Life, co-founder Jools Watsham made note of the fact that the studio is “eager to explore 3D games for the Wii U”. The team is “currently looking into the Unity engine for that.”

When asked about future Wii U support, Watsham said:

“Well, we now have a snazzy 2D platformer engine for the Wii U that we’ll certainly be taking advantage of in the future. We’re also eager to explore 3D games for the Wii U and are currently looking into the Unity engine for that.”

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Update: Looks like there was a whole lot of nothing! No new announcements as far as I can tell…

I can’t find any embeddable streams at present, but Konami’s pre-E3 show 2013 is about to kick off. The presentation will begin at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT.

I won’t lie: there’s a good chance that Konami won’t have anything Nintendo-related to show. You can, however, look forward to the latest on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, PES 2014, and “key announcements”. Hopefully at least one Nintendo system is included in the latter.

Konami will be hosting a stream on its website here.

After releasing for the PlayStation Vita earlier this year, Urban Trial Freestyle is now coming to the 3DS. The eShop version will be ready to go on June 27 in North America and Europe.

One feature is exclusive to the 3DS version. The developers have added in a Track Editor so that players can create their own levels.

You can find the official announcement below.

Motorbike Stunt Racing with Exclusive Track Editor

Paris, France – June 6th 2013
After reaching pole position for game sales in SCEA’s PlayStation®Store Chart, Tate Multimedia’s critically acclaimed Urban Trial Freestyle ™ is now revving up for Nintendo 3DS system. Confirmed for June 27th release on Nintendo 3DS in Europe and North America via Nintendo eShop, Urban Trial Freestyle ™ marks the debut of a Trials title on the console.

Urban Trial Freestyle ™ offers gamers real-life inspired motorbike stunt and racing action, all taking place on the game’s awesome tracks set across 45+ levels within five diverse cityscapes. The freestyle action continues beyond the tracks, as the game also includes 64 Custom Bike Configurations enabling players to customise their Body, Engine and Wheels options.

Urban Trial Freestyle ™ on Nintendo 3DS will also feature the highly anticipated Track Editor as a console exclusive, allowing players to create their own levels with unlimited possibilities.

More about the game:
Urban Trial Freestyle ™ includes three single player modes: Time Attack, Challenge and Stunt Mode which tests players’ performance skills for mastering special stunts such as the Highest and Longest Jump, Biggest Flip, Precise Aiming and Speed Check.
Players can challenge friends via a multiplayer asynchronous ghost mode and via leader boards.

Time Check missions, Environmental Objects and Advanced Physics and Dynamic Animations immerse players in all of the action. As players progress, new tracks are unlocked and custom motorbike parts, trophies and rider outfits become available.

Urban Trial Freestyle ™ has been greatly influenced by the support of Julien Dupont, the “godfather of urban trial freestyle.” Julien Dupont is known around the world for his unique street style and technique, mashing down barriers and setting new records.

For more information on Urban Trial Freestyle ™ please visit www.urbantrialfreestyle.com or join the revolution on http://www.facebook.com/UrbanTrialFreestyle

Source: Tate Interactive PR

Good news: everything is a-ok with Katsuhiro Harada.

There was initially some concern that the Tekken producer had gone missing due to a message posted on his Twitter account. The Tekken Project support team stated that Harada “has been missing from office” and he was being searched for.

Harada himself has now clarified on Twitter that he was sick and stayed home for a few days to recover (and do other things like riding Yoshinori Ono’s new car). Harada was also ignoring office calls since he “was busy.”

“I just finished up the master version, and I had a cold and a fever so I was home drinking tequila and getting some work done. Ono got a new car late last month so I took it for a test drive, and cleared some games I had piled up (Crysis 3, Bioshock, Metro) so I ignored calls from the office. I was busy. Then Grid 2 came out while work was piling up, people were treating me like I was missing or something. I’m fine, and back to work and I’ll be at E3, so don’t worry.”

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Spin the Bottle doesn’t have a set price yet, but it will be “cheap-ish”. KnapNok’s creative director Lau Korsgaard recently said that the game’s cost will rise as more content is added.

Two updates are coming in 2013. With the release of each, Spin the Bottle’s price will rise “a bit.”

We are planning to use something different than other eShop games. We will release cheap-ish but increase the price of the game as we develop more content. If you buy early you will get all future updates for free. Our plan is to release two more updates in 2013 – each time raising the price a bit.

We want reward the early adopters of the Wii U while still being able to earn money on the long run.

When will Spin the Bottle be available, you ask? Early July is currently targeted.

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The Wii U is “struggling mightily,” Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz has said.

Creutz’s E3 investors note mentions that the Wii U could see a “badly needed” price cut at E3 to increase momentum and boost sales. New games could provide a spark as well.

Creutz’s comments in full:

“After seven months on the market, Nintendo’s Wii U is struggling mightily. We note that the company has essentially abandoned the field to Microsoft and Sony at this year’s E3 as Nintendo will not be holding a press conference.”

“However, we do think there is a decent chance that Nintendo could announce a price cut for the Wii U at E3 in an effort to bring attention to the console and boost sales. We note that the console will have a series of key new games coming out through the late summer and fall, beginning with Pikmin 3 in August. Nintendo’s window for igniting interest in its console is closing with Microsoft and Sony’s competing machines soon to come to market.”

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