Square Enix is withdrawing from the proposal it made last week to acquire Japanese-based publisher Tecmo. Square Enix received a written letter of rejection yesterday and immediately responded to Tecmo with questions regarding their decision to enter consolidation talks with Koei. No reply was received, and as such, Square Enix is stepping down from its offer, noting that it is “extremely difficult to continue the discussions with Tecmo” based on the current proposal.

Full release after the jump. more »

Nintendo has sent along a selection of nine new screenshots from its upcoming Wii Remote and Nunchuk powered title Wii Music, showcasing a number of playable instruments in the game, ranging from drums to trombones.

Wii Music is scheduled for an October release in both North America and Japan.

Wii Music Screenshots

This week’s Wii Shop Channel update kicks off with a bang. The fabled Nintendo and Square Enix collaboration known as Super Mario RPG (800 Wii Points) is now available on the Virtual Console. Joining Mario is NES classic Chu Chu Land (500 Wii Points).

On the WiiWare front is Hudson’s sea-life simulator My Aquarium (500 Wii Points). Billed as a “relaxing Wii experience that allows you to enjoy a virtual aquarium in your spare time,” the game allows players to build up to six different aquariums, complete with 40 selectable species of fish. You can feed your fish and even breed them provided that certain conditions are met. Not so exciting, but with Super Mario RPG out, who cares?

According to a Reuters report, Square Enix is planning to purchase Tecmo, owner of the popular Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises. Today, the RPG-focused publisher placed a bid valued at 920 yen per share, for more than half of Tecmo’s shares.

As of writing, Tecmo has yet to respond to the bid, which expires on September 4. If rejected or ignored, Square Enix does not plan to reup the offer, as it is aiming for a friendly transaction.

The move would no doubt broaden Square’s portfolio, which consists largely of RPG centric titles.

Square Enix says aims to bid for Tecmo shares [Reuters]

Speaking in an interview with Danish-based site Gamereactor, High Voltage Software CEO Eric Nofsinger revealed that the company is aiming for a March 2009 release of The Conduit, a futuristic first-person shooter in development for Nintendo’s WiiWare platform. Elsewhere in the interview, it was mentioned that the team is working to incorporate voice chat support in multiplayer.

Full video after the jump. The Conduit will be fully playable at Penny Arcade’s PAX expo, which kicks off later this week on Friday. more »

Publisher Gamecock announced today that Blazing Lizard’s Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball, slated for a release on the Xbox Live Arcade next week, will hit Wii as a full-fledged retail title later this Winter.

As you’d expect, the Wii edition will offer “several customized control schemes” designed to utilize the motion-sensing abilities of the Wii Remote, along with an all-new story and expanded selection of challenge modes. Press release after the break. more »

Publisher Hudson today announced Bomberman Blast, an all-new entry in the long-running Bomberman series for WiiWare. Slated for a release later this year, the party-centric game will retain the same classic run ‘n bomb gameplay from previous installment in the series, whilst introducing a host of new features, such as Mii support, online leaderboards, and 8-person multiplayer over the net. Up to four players on the same Wii can join in an online match.

Hudson said it plans to host several online tournaments immediately following the game’s release, including one that will coincide with the game’s actual launch day, which has yet to be determined.

Bomberman Blast Screenshots

Independent developer Ghostfire Games today announced that barring any last minute delays (we’re looking at you Nintendo), its music rhythm title Helix will hit WiiWare on August 25.

Billed as “one of the most innovative music rhythm games ever designed,” players use the Wii Remote to perform over thirty moves designed to give your upper body a workout while listening to fast-paced music.

“Helix is not only fun, it’s a great workout. You can really burn some calories playing this game. You tend to lose yourself playing the game and forget that you’re even getting a workout, because the gameplay is compelling.”

Sounds interesting, to say the least. We’ll find out if it is worth the 1000 Wii Points come next Monday.

SEGA revealed today that its Wii maraca-shaking music game Samba De Amigo will hit North American retailers on September 23 as the first retail-based Wii title to offer downloadable content. Scheduled for a release on the same day, the initial content pack will offer three songs by artists Lou Bega, Bow Wow Wow, and Jet. Deets regarding pricing have yet to be announced.

Apart from DLC, the Wii edition will include over 40 songs on the game disc, ranging from tunes found in the original Dreamcast release to modern day pop hits.

Hit the jump for the full soundtrack listing. more »

The NPD Group today announced that it has formed an alliance with sales-tracking services around the world, including Gfk Chart-Track of Europe and Japan-based Enterbrain. The partnership allows NPD to release a global sales chart each month, providing the industry with a comparative view of the top five video game software titles by the top three markets - North America, Europe, and Japan.

“The video games business has become increasingly global, with the majority of the publishers releasing games in multiple markets,” said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “The U.S, as the world’s largest market will be able to view and compare sales for the first time outside of their own market.”

NPD sent over the first Top Global Markets Report today, covering year-to-date figures from January 2008 to July 2008. The data reveals Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV as the top selling title this year with 6,293,000 units sold combined in North America and Europe. Runner-up in all three regions was Super Smash Bros. Brawl at 5,433,000 units sold worldwide. Moving on, Mario Kart Wii pushed 4,697,000 units, Wii Fit sold 3,604,000 units, and Guitar Hero III sold 3,475,000 units.

For the complete sales breakdown by region, hit the jump. more »