I'm in 3D on the 3DS eShop courtesy of @onm_uk. One more thing ticked off the bucket list.

Get to it!

Lucky 3DS Ambassadors in Australia and New Zealand: your GBA games are waiting for you right now.

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Better late than never edition

No press release from Nintendo of Europe this week but here's what's available to buy on the download services this week.

3DS eShop

Eurosport application (free) — This new video application is part of a new partnership between Nintendo and Eurosport. Featuring clips from the WATTS series it's set to get new content every week well into next year.

DSiWare

Elite Forces: Unit 77 (Abylight, 800pts) — A downloadable revamp of a DS retail title, we'll see if this turns-based strategy has all the right moves in our upcoming review.

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Hardware a best seller too

Japanese firm Media Create has revealed sales data between 5th December and 11th December, with 3DS games and hardware leading the field.

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Will it reach the West?

You may remember we posted how to avoid Skyward Sword's game-ending glitch, but if that advice came too late then Nintendo of Japan is preparing a solution in the form of a program to fix glitched save files.

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Will it reach the West?

You may remember we posted how to avoid Skyward Sword's game-ending glitch, but if that advice came too late then Nintendo of Japan is preparing a solution in the form of a program to fix glitched save files.

Read more...

Due in spring

It's been a long wait to see more of Sorcery, but Sony finally lifted the game's invisibility cape this week to reveal more of what The Workshop has in store for 2012.

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You could go to Hawaii

If you want to be the very best — and live in Europe — here's how to get there.

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Due in spring

It's been a long wait to see more of Sorcery, but Sony finally lifted the game's invisibility cape this week to reveal more of what The Workshop has in store for 2012.

Read more...

You could go to Hawaii

If you want to be the very best — and live in Europe — here's how to get there.

The Pokémon Company International just announced European dates and details for the upcoming Pokémon Video Game National Championships, starting next year.

From 3rd March to 1st April 2012, Pokémon Black & White players can step up to the challenge in one of five European cities:

Saturday 3rd March — UK, Birmingham, NEC, Hall 11
Saturday 10th March — Germany, Essen, Messe Essen, Halle 1A
Saturday 17th March — France, Paris, Espace Champerret, Hall C
Saturday 24th March — Spain, Madrid, IFEMA, Pabellón 5
Sunday 1st April — Italy, Milan, Centro Congressi Milanfiori, Strada 1

Players can use Pokémon from the National Pokédex — though certain Mythical and Legendary 'mons are banned — with the top four finishers in each age category winning travel and accommodation to next year's Pokémon World Championships in Hawaii.

Time to start practising.

POKÉMON PLAYERS BATTLING FOR INVITES TO THE POKÉMON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN HAWAII

Dates Revealed for the 2012 Pokémon Video Game National Championships in Europe | www.pokemon.co.uk/vgc

London, UK—December 2011— In exciting news for PokémonTM Trainers across Europe, The Pokémon Company International today announced the dates for the Pokémon Video Game National Championships, which take place from March 3rd through April 1st, 2012, in five major cities throughout Europe, including Birmingham, United Kingdom; Essen, Germany; Paris, France; Madrid, Spain; and Milan, Italy. Players will compete in three age divisions based on their year of birth.

New for each of the five 2012 Pokémon Video Game National Championships European events: a total of four top finishers from each age division, up from two last year, will win travel and accommodation for the 2012 Pokémon World Championships held August 10th–12th, 2012, in Hawaii, U.S.A. Players under the age of 18 will also receive travel and accommodation for one accompanying adult.

New for this year, players can build their teams using Pokémon from the National Pokédex[i] and must play using the Pokémon Black Version or Pokémon White Version video games for the Nintendo 3DSTM and Nintendo DSTM family of systems.

“Opening up the National Pokédex for competition, and thus expanding the number of Pokémon that can be used in the 2012 season, will only increase the skill and strategy needed to be crowned a Pokémon Video Game National Champion,” said J.C. Smith, director of Consumer Marketing for The Pokémon Company International. “We look forward to seeing the thousands of Pokémon players and fans who will be attending the five European National Championships events this spring.”

2012 Pokémon Video Game National Championships, European Dates and Locations
Saturday 3rd March—UK, Birmingham, NEC, Hall 11
Saturday 10th March—Germany, Essen, Messe Essen, Halle 1A
Saturday 17th March—France, Paris, Espace Champerret, Hall C
Saturday 24th March—Spain, Madrid, IFEMA, Pabellón 5
Sunday 1st April—Italy, Milan, Centro Congressi Milanfiori, Strada 1

Players will compete in one of three age divisions, based on their dates of birth:
Junior Division—born in 2001 or later
Senior Division—born in 1997, 1998, 1999, or 2000
Masters Division—born in 1996 or earlier

All tournaments are free to play with entry granted on a first-come, first-served basis. Space will be capped so players are encouraged to arrive early for registration. At all European National locations, the Masters Division line opens at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 8:30 a.m. the Junior and Senior lines open at 12:30 p.m. and close at 1:00 p.m. Go to www.pokemon.co.uk/vgc to review caps on the number of entrants at the National qualifiers for the 2012 Pokémon Video Game Championships.

The tournament will use Double Battles and will take place via Infrared Connection; competitors taking part at the European qualifying events may only use European versions of the video games and must have a Player ID to participate. If players have a Pokémon Trainer Club account but do not have a Player ID, they can obtain one by logging into their account and visiting https://www.pokemon.com/uk/account/upgrade2/. Competitors must bring their Player ID to their event to compete.

For more information about the Pokémon Video Game National Championships, including full conditions of entry, tournament locations, dates and times, prizes, and more, please visit: www.pokemon.co.uk/vgc.

[i]Restrictions are in place on certain Legendary and Mythical Pokémon. Please see pokemon.co.uk/vgc for full details

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