Did you see the moon on Nintendo Power's latest issue? It looks like there are more clues within that issue other than the red moon, and it's in the reader questions page. It was mentioned in passing that a big third party title will be revealed next month and it's a "shocker." Check out the full article for more info.

It's now official that Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 is in the pipeline, as even Famitsu has a feature on the surgical drama by Atlus. It's another blowout with a scan filled with details and screenshots of the much awaited sequel. You don't want to miss out if you own a Nintendo DS, so hit that jump!

No, this is not a joke. Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 has been revealed, and Atlus wasn't shy of sharing details pertaining to the surgeon drama sequel for the Nintendo DS. Meanwhile, Square Enix unleashed screenshots of Final Fantasy IV's remake in English which pretty much confirm a western release. Hit that jump for more details!

Remember that shocking announcement of BioWare and Sega about developing a Sonic RPG on the Nintendo DS? As disarming it may be, it's no joke when the two industry giants said they'll put the blue hedgehog in an RPG. Nintendo Power has a feature on what Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood will be like, and you'll find details at the full article.

Scans for Square-Enix's Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days on the Nintendo DS have surfaced. This batch contains scans come from Nintendo Power and the second run of the Character Report.

Interesting to note is the misleading text in Belle's page where someone is quoted to have said: "But I will have back what's mine - The Black Pearl." Say what? Check out the scans to see for yourself.

The latest issue of Nintendo Power, which isn't in the magazine stands yet, was supposedly picked up by the guys from Nintendopedia. Of course, we all want to find out how the new games fared in the hands of Nintendo Power's editors (like Phantom Hourglass, for instance), so we decided to jump the gun and check out what Nintendopedia posted about this new Nintendo Power issue.

According to Nintendopedia, The Phantom Hourglass was able to snag a high 9.5 rating from Nintendo Power's review, while the high-paced Donkey Jet (or Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast) for the Wii clocked in at a low 6.5. The innovative gameplay presented by Drawn to Life for the DS managed to garner an average 7.5, however.

That's not all. This supposed new issue of Nintendo Power confirms the sequel of Dreamcast's rhythm title Samba de Amigo for the Wii. If it's true, then it'll be yet another great title for Nintendo's happy console: nothing can emulate playing the maracas better than the Wiimote and Nunchuck.

We sure do hope that the above news turns out to be true. If it does, you can be sure that we'll keep you posted. Till then, stay tuned!


Click on the Read link to view all the review scores!

Nintendo fans out there will probably be disappointed that Camp Hyrule has been cancelled this summer. In lieu of this, they have decided to hold a sweepstakes where the winner walks off with a life-sized statue of none other than Link himself.

Camp Hyrule started back in 1995, and is essentially an online camp normally held in August. In the event, players could chat, play online games, and win prizes under the supervision of Nintendo employees and Nintendo Power columnists.

This online simulation has everything you'd expect from a summer camp: campfires, water sports, and archery. Participants are assigned to cabins, where they work with other participants to earn points through various games, a Photoshop contest, and other events.

So is this the end of Camp Hyrule? Well, there was no specific mention about it closing for good, so there's still hope for next year. If you're interested in joining the sweepstakes, head on over to the Camp Hyrule site through our read link to get some details.

   

Merely looking at Nintendo Power's free poster for this month will take many a gamer back to memory lane. Check out the free Contra 4 posters rendered in retro style reminiscent of the 80s' gaming magazine issues, courtesy of DS Fanboy.

Old Lance and Bill looked beefed up as ever, with two new people in the background. Wait, is that Vin Diesel in the upper left corner of the poster? DS Fanboy supposes that the two guys are named - strangely enough - Mad Dog and Scorpion, which are names for Lance and Bill in the U.S. localization of earlier Contra games. Will Contra 4 have time paradox in its storyline then?

Do check this space often as we gather more news about this much-awaited Contra video game from Konami for the Nintendo DS!

 

The rumors were hot during the Nintendo Media Summit, and at last Nintendo has finally confirmed the fate of the Nintendo Power Magazine. Talking to Game Informer, Perrin Kaplan notes that the "It’s [magazine] going to be licensed, but it’s going to remain a magazine."

As to who's going to get the details and what changes will be done to the publications, Kaplan says that Nintendo Power is moving to New York, although that doesn't necessarily mean that the owner will be from the same city. As for other details, we get the classic "We will be announcing that soon" response.

When it comes to for E3, Kaplan is a bit mum on details. They don't confirm if Mario, Metroid Prime 3, or the next Smash Brothers will make a "playable" appearance at the event, however they do promise some surprises. Most notable hint is that when asked about the possibility of a Zapper 2, Kaplan responds by asking people to come to E3.

Oh, and speaking of events, when it comes to this year's TGS, Kaplan says that the event is a last minute event for them. She says: "We don’t know yet. We have not decided. We will literally decide TGS at the last minute"

As for criticism that the "core gamer" is being left out in Nintendo's attempt to expand the market and target a new audience, Kaplan says that even within Nintendo they are having these arguments, and they constantly try to look for the right balance. She does drop a helpful hint: "By December I’d love to know if you still feel this way."

Kaplan even has a nice thing to say to the Game Informer interviewer who noted that he felt that there aren't enough Nintendo games out with "meat" in them. She responded:

"So you’re already done with Paper and you’re ready for something next. The average consumer spends a little bit of time with it. You have to remember as a core gamer you have an insatiable appetite. You, at all costs, probably don’t shower or eat until a game is done. You’re a freak. And then you want the next one. I think we’ve launched a lot."

It's probably safe to say that this means that they'll probably come up with a surprise "hardcore" game by December (she did say "by December"), or one of the more anticipated titles like, Metroid Prime 3 Corruption or Smash Bros Brawl will be out by then. We can only hope.

More from the interview with Game Informer via the Read link below.

Around a week ago, we reported that "Nintendo Power" may be facing some form of reorganization or restructuring. It was said that Nintendo of America was sending out layoff feelers to company employees. It was also speculated that the magazine may be shut down. There was another side to the rumor though: "Nintendo Power" may be handed out to another publisher. That side seems to be gaining some ground at the Nintendo Media Summit.

Wired's Chris Kohler saw it fit to report on that rumor. He notes that it's now the hot topic at the said event. The rumor goes that Nintendo is looking to license the rights of the official print magazine to an outside U.S. publisher. This is similar to how the European official Nintendo magazine - it's an independently-run publication produced by Future.

Details are sparse for now, but the current sentiment is basically amusement/puzzlement over the fact that the official US PlayStation magazine works under this model, and Sony decided to end it, whereas Nintendo is looking to jump into something similar to it. Nintendo has yet to give an official comment on the matter. We'll update you as soon as more information is made available.