But you knew that

Everything's cuter when it's knitted: take this Sonic Sackboy, for instance. Could it make Pokémon mascot Pikachu any cuter, though? Yes, as it turns out, it could.

Serial knitster MaDonna — she of Game Boy gloves infamy — spun a yarn Pikachu from her own pattern. We don't know much about knitting, but we're willing to bet representing the world's favourite electric mouse in wool is pretty tough.

Read more...

Tasty Panini

Panini and Nintendo want to fuel your thirst for all things Pit with a big collection of collectible cards for Kid Icarus: Uprising.

UK fans can pick up a Starter Pack, including a binder and three card packs, for £5.99. Individual packs of cards will set you back £1.50 each. With 404 cards to collect it's probably best not to do the maths of how much you'll spend to complete your set.

If you haven't got the game yet, make sure you read our Kid Icarus: Uprising review then rush out to buy the game and cards, officially out now at all good retailers.

KID ICARUS UPRISING Trading Card Game by Panini

Panini are proud to announce the launch of their awesome new trading card game; Kid Icarus Uprising. Over 40 million people in Europe have played the Nintendo Game and over 100,000 games have already been sold, making it one of the most popular games out in the market today. There are 1.4 million members on Club Nintendo and 12,000 Kid Icarus card packets sold out on the Club Nintendo site in just one day!

Kid Icarus Uprising follows the angelic protagonist, Pit, as he battles against the forces of a reborn Medusa who seeks to destroy mankind. With the help of Palutena, the Goddess of Light, Pit gains the "Power of Flight" to travel the skies and fight the Underworld Army. Panini’s fantastic new Kid Icarus trading card game draws on the action and intrigue of Pit’s journey and includes amazing imagery, all of your favorite Kid Icarus characters and special cards.

There are 404 cards to collect which include special codes. Collectors can kick start their collection with a starter pack that includes a binder and 3 trading card packets.

Starter Pack: £5.99
Trading Card Packet: £1.50

Follow us on Twitter: @OfficialPanini

Read more...

Mario and more

Nintendo will once again show off new games and hardware at Comic-Con International in San Diego this weekend.

From 12th to 15th July attendees can try the new 3DS XL and upcoming titles like New Super Mario Bros. 2, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — Mirror of Fate.

There'll be no Wii U presence there, but Wii fans can try out Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition. On DS, go hands-on with Pokémon Conquest.

If you're heading to Comic-Con, have a blast.

Nintendo News: Nintendo Reveals Comic-Con 2012 Lineup, Including Nintendo 3DS XL

Comic-Con 2012
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- At this year’s Comic-Con International 2012 event taking place July 12-15 at the San Diego Convention Center, members of the general public will enjoy an early chance to get their hands on Nintendo 3DS XL, a new version of the Nintendo 3DS system with 90 percent larger screens that launches Aug. 19.

In addition to Nintendo’s booth at the show (#5135), multiple activities will take place at a special Nintendo Gaming Lounge in the San Diego Ballroom at the Marriott Marquis & Marina at 333 W. Harbor Drive, adjacent to the San Diego Convention Center. A Comic-Con badge is not required to gain entry to the Nintendo Gaming Lounge.

Games that are scheduled to be playable at the Nintendo Gaming Lounge include:

Nintendo 3DS / Nintendo 3DS XL

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Mario Kart 7
Super Mario 3D Land
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate (Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.)
HEROES OF RUIN (Square Enix)
KINGDOM HEARTS 3D [Dream Drop Distance] (Square Enix)
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
Nintendo DS family

Pokémon Conquest
Wii

Kirby’s Dream Collection: Special Edition
Just Dance 4 (Ubisoft)

Read more...

If the 15 minutes of Netherrealm's Injustice fired up your appetite for fighting game footage, these videos from last weekend's EVO 2K tournament should hit the spot.

Players from all over the world headed to Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, with some truly dazzling skills on display. Here are some videos of the final match-ups, courtesy of IGN.

Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown

Note: The captions are wrong in this video: Fuudo is Shun-Di and Shironoku is El Blaze.

[youtube:vnhb6y1QAZw]

Street Fighter X Tekken

[youtube:WjCc4KFVuUk]

The King of Fighters XIII

[youtube:U9VKIOGL2Sc]

If you're this good, you should enter EVO next year.

Read more...

Sparkles and frogs

This week's Nintendo Download is a metaphorical mixed bag, with 3DS add-on content and WiiWare sitting alongside weird eShop applications. Scan the list below for the full lowdown.

3DS Download Software

Sparkle Snapshots 3D (Nintendo, £4.50/€5) — Remember Sparkle Snapshots on DSiWare? How would you like a similar experience on 3DS? Sounds good, except the app doesn't actually take 3D photos, so we're not sure of its purpose. Still, we'll have a full review soon.

3DS Add-On Content

Sparkle Snapshots 3D — £0.90/€1 each:

• Mario Core Set
• Mario Kart 7 Set

Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy — £0.90/€1 each:

• The Archylte Steppe (FF13 — FMS)
• Matoya's Cave (FF01 — FMS)
• Battle 1 (FF03 — BMS)
• The Final Battle (FF05 — BMS)

WiiWare

Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition (Konami, 1000pts) — That poor little amphibian keeps trying to cross that busy road, except this time you can use sprites from Castlevania and Contra too. We'll see if it's a step in the right direction or best left as roadkill with our upcoming review.

DSiWare

Topoloco (Abstraction Games, 500pts) — A game about maps! Except it's not really a game and the maps aren't that good. Read our Topoloco review then navigate your way as far from this game as possible.

99seconds (EnjoyUp Games, 200pts) — A quirky, classy little shooter with an intriguing premise, read our 99seconds review for more on this cheap and cheerful title.

Video Download

The Incredible Barbazan: The Cabinet of Fear (£1.35, episode 1 of 6)

That's all for this week, folks. What are you buying? Let us know on our Facebook poll.

Read more...

Skip to the beat

Nearly five months after it hit North America, Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise lands in Europe today.

The European release lets you choose between the English and Japanese soundtracks, a feature exclusive to Europe, but is otherwise unchanged from its North American release.

If you're interested in some Wii-based rhythm, check out our Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise review for more.

You can also buy Theatrhythm Final Fantasy today. A blend of music, action and theatre, we'll have a review for you very soon.

Read more...

At last!

In a move that made at least one Push Square staff member a little too excited, SEGA has announced it's to re-release legendary SEGA Saturn game NiGHTS into Dreams on PSN later this year.

The download will come with enhanced HD graphics, 16:9 widescreen support, leaderboards and Trophies, or you can relive the original 32-bit experience in the Saturn mode.

In an extra nugget of fan service, SEGA chose to make the announcement on the 16th anniversary of NiGHTS' Japanese launch.

The first screenshots are below, with a trailer to follow soon.

[youtube:GhsfBrRvw8A]

DREAMS DO COME TRUE – SEGA ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF NiGHTS INTO DREAMS HD

LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO— 5th July, 2012 —SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that after 16 years since the original release the HD remake of fan-favourite flying platformer, NiGHTS into dreams™, will be coming to Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®Network, and Windows PC Digital Download this autumn. To prove this news isn’t a dream itself, check out the first official NiGHTS trailer online.

“The SEGA Saturn offered many unique gaming experiences, and NiGHTS into dreams stands out as one of the most recognisable titles that found a home on the system,” said Chris Olson, Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA. “We’ve gotten a lot of requests about this game over the years, and are very happy to be able to give both former Saturn owners and new players a
chance to play it in its most beautiful form to date this autumn.”

Initially released for SEGA Saturn in 1996, NiGHTS into dreams is one of the best-regarded games in SEGA history and a favourite of many fans thanks to its innovative 3D gameplay and multi-faceted level design. This new version will bring Nightopia to vivid life with improved HD graphics and a 16:9 aspect ratio, as well as added support for leaderboards, trophies, and achievements. It will also feature an optional Saturn Mode that will let players experience the game with the original graphics intact.

Read more...

Scan this

Fancy a free app for your 3DS? Of course you do.

Scan the QR code below and you can download the Mario and Sonic at the London Olympics 2012 Virtual Card Album for free. The app lets you collect themed cards based on Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games via SpotPass, StreetPass, connecting to Nintendo Zone hotspots or by spending Play Coins. You can also trade cards with other players using the 3DS console's infra red function. There are 73 cards to collect in total with different rarity values, but you get five to start your collection.

The application is only available until 9th September.

If you're in the UK and have a 3DS, scan the QR code below following these instructions:

• Hold L or R on the 3DS Home Menu to bring up the camera.
• Tap the chequerboard option — this opens up the QR reader.
• Align the frame with the QR code and it will offer you a link.
• Press A.

[image:2][/image]

Let us know what you make of this latest eShop freebie.

Read more...

8-bit summer starts

Nintendo of America kicks off its 8-bit Summer campaign this week with new 3DS Virtual Console games, plus there's a new Wii Virtual Console game and some eShop games too.

3DS Virtual Console

The Legend of Zelda (NES, Nintendo, $4.99, 49 blocks) — This game surely needs no introduction. See where it all started for Link and co. with this 8-bit classic. Not sure it's for you? Read our The Legend of Zelda review for more.

NES Open Tournament Golf (NES, Nintendo, $4.99, 64 blocks) — 3DS already has plenty of golf games available but this old-school title wants to show it still has what it takes to rule the links with an iron. Find out if it does with our upcoming review.

eShop

Akari by Nikoli (HAMSTER, $4.99, 292 blocks) — The latest in a long line of puzzle games from master Nikoli, we'll have a review soon (which should also explain what the heck an akari is in the first place.)

Family Tennis 3D (Arc System Works, $6.99, 501 blocks) — A 3D companion to Family Tennis on WiiWare, this tennis title aims to have players of all skill levels enjoying themselves right away. We'll fire a review your way soon.

Virtual Console

2020 Super Baseball (Neo Geo, D4 Enterprise, 900pts) — Here's a surprise addition to the Wii VC, a futuristic baseball sim from way back in 1991. It's not the most famous of Neo Geo titles but we'll see if it's worth a look in our upcoming review.

3DS Weekend Sale

Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword ($4.99 this weekend only, normally $6.99) — From 9 am Pacific time Friday to 9pm Pacific on Sunday you can grab this very good swordfighting game for $4.99 instead of $6.99. Read our Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword review to see if it's for you.

DSiWare

3, 2, 1... Words Up! (EnjoyUp!, 200pts, 49 blocks) — With a title that combines numbers, letters and punctuation so expertly we can't wait to see what developer EnjoyUp! did with the gameplay. Review coming soon.

Topoloco (Abstraction Games, 500pts, 86 blocks) — Are you crazy for maps? Then this game is for you! A topography game is a new one on us; let's see if it's on course for greatness in our upcoming review.

3DS Demo

Heroes of Ruin — Online multiplayer with Square Enix's upcoming action adventure. Get a feel for the title with the free demo then read our Heroes of Ruin review to see if the full game is worth your money.

WiiWare

Let's Create! Pottery (Infinite Dreams, 500pts) — We've already had Let's Create! Pottery on DSiWare but this WiiWare instalment means you can share the clay-throwing action with the whole family on the big screen. We'll sculpt a review for you soon.

It's been a long time since we had a Nintendo Download as packed as that. What will you buy this week? As always, let us know in our Facebook poll.

Read more...

Look on in envy

3DS is already available in Rose Pink and Aqua Blue in the West, but Nintendo has put together two new colours for Taiwan and Hong Kong: Cerulean Blue and Shimmer Pink.

The two vibrant colours are very similar to the light blue and pink DSi consoles we saw a few years back. Feel free to ogle them but don't get too carried away: these colours are currently only for Taiwan and Hong Kong, and launch on 28th September alongside the 3DS XL in white and blue.

Read more...