This information comes from issue 247 of Nintendo Power…

“We looked at other games, like GTA: Chinatown Wars, and set out to build something even better. We love and respect all the previous games in this genre, but after analyzing what these other games have done, we really aimed to push the envelope with C.O.P.” – Nouredine Abboud, senior producer/codirector

When I first took a look at C.O.P.: The Recruit, I was extremely impressed with what was accomplished on the DS. After Rockstar said that it would be difficult to create a realistic 3D city on the handheld, I never thought we’d see another development team pull it off. C.O.P. still looks great, so I’m just hoping that the gameplay won’t disappoint.

These review scores come from the November 2009 (199) edition of Game Informer…

Brutal Legend – 8.00 / 8.25
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 – 8.25 / 8.50
NBA 2K10 – 8.25
NBA Live 10 – 7.50
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 – 7.50 / 8.00
FIFA 10 – 8.00
SAW – 6.00
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – 10.00 / 10.00
Katamari Forever – 7.25
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 – 8.50
Halo 3: ODST – 9.25
Forza Motorsport 3 – 8.50 / 9.00
Magnacarta 2 – 8.25
A Boy and His Blob – 8.00 / 8.75
Spore Hero – 7.00
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up – 7.75
Ju-On: The Grudge – 3.00
Tropico 3 – 8.75
Gran Turismo – 7.00
MotorStorm: Arctic Edge – 7.00
Nostalgia – 8.00
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes 7.75

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is scheduled to ship next month in North America/Europe. Meanwhile, Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be out some time next year. However, there may be some sort of additional Mario game in development. Charles Martinet, the voice behind Mario, apparently posted the following messages on his Twitter.

“- Mama Mia!!!! I’m going to Seattle this week to record a new Mario game! Woo Hooo!!!!! I can hardly wait!!!!1

– Big day tomorrow! Seattle for a new Mario game! Yippee!!! And just as a joke, it’s going to rain….in San Francisco tomorrow!

– Awesome new Mario Game! And it’s not NSMB Wii, and it’s not Galaxy 2, but it’s going to be crazy fun!”

The only reason why I’m skeptical about this is because the account isn’t 100% confirmed to be Charles Martinet. Although, if it’s true, this could mean that he’s busy with a new Mario Party game, sports game, or something else entirely.

Source 1, Source 2

Famitsu has released their latest sales estimates/forecasts for upcoming releases in Japan. FS stands for first shipment while TF stands for total forecast.

[PS3] Final Fantasy 13 (Square Enix) FS 830K-1.04M / TF 1.00M-1.50M
[WII] New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo) FS 610K-820K / TF 2.50M+
[NDS] Zelda no Densetsu: Daichi no Kiteki (Nintendo) FS 320K-430K / TF 810K-990K
[NDS] Layton Kyouju to Majin no Fue (Level 5) FS 200K-270K / TF 540K-690K
[PSP] Kidou Senshi Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam Next Plus (Bandai Namco Games) FS 180K-240K / TF 360K-460K
[NDS] Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden (Square Enix) FS 150K-200K / TF 160K-200K
[PSP] Phantasy Star Portable 2 (Sega) FS 150K-200K / TF 230K-290K
[PS3] World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 (Konami) FS 150K-190K / TF 360K-460K
[PSP] Persona 3 Portable (Atlus) FS 110K-140K / TF 130K-180K
[WII] Tales of Graces (Bandai Namco Games) FS 120K-170K / TF 180K-230K
[WII] Sengoku Musou 3 (Koei) FS 100K-140K / TF 130K-160K
[PS3] Bayonetta (Sega) FS 80K-110K / TF 110K-140K
[WII] Mario & Sonic at Vancouver Olympics (Nintendo) FS 80K-110K / TF 410K-520K
[PSP] J-League Pro Soccer Team wo Tsukurou! 6 (Sega) FS 80K-110K / TF 140K-180K
[NDS] Mario & Sonic at Vancouver Olympics (Nintendo) FS 80K-110K / TF 230K-290K

-Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryu to Hikari no Tsurugi (FC, Nintendo)
-Dig Dug (VCA, Namco Bandai)
-Dig Dug II (VCA, Namco Bandai)

Source

Thanks to John T for the news tip!

VC

Super Return of the Jedi – 800 points

WiiWare

Heron: Steam Machine – 500 points
Little Tournament Over Yonder – 800 points

DSiWare

Viking Invasion – 800 points
Wakugumi – Monochrome Puzzle – 500 points

Mistwalker, the developer of titles such as Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon, has been fairly quiet over the last few months. However, company president Hironobu Sakaguchi posted a new blog update yesterday and very briefly spoke about his new project:

“I am working hard on a new project.
Now we are being rushed into the “finishing” stage.
No matter what, I will make it really good….”

We haven’t heard a peep about what Mistwalker has actually been working on. However, seeing as how the game is at reaching a significant point in development, it’s possible that we’ll hear something about it soon.

Source 1, Source 2

Fully Motion Plus compatible Luxury Wii Sports packs from BLAZE

Doncaster, UK – 14th October 2009

BLAZE have today revealed their all new luxury sports packs for Nintendo Wii sporting titles which incorporate Wii motion plus functionality.

As motion sensing technology evolves, so must the accessories that we use to enhance our games.

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