Hey, remember when THQ first announced deBlob for the Wii? It sounded like such a fun game, artsy and kinda cute but still with enough “serious” type gameplay to interest nearly everyone who owns the system. People were psyched about it, and previews and information was rampant on tv and the web, especially right after the Wii launched in November 2006. And then it disappeared. Oh, wait, then E307 came around, and we got to see the game in action again. Maybe it’ll be out soon! ……no, not yet. No reasons, no announcements, just disappointed gamers who wouldn’t get to relive their childhoods by splattering paint all over the neighborhood.

Well, good news has finally arrived (again)! deBlob has a release date, and we can only hope and pray that it sticks to it this time. Get ready to make a virtual mess and save the world from the black-and-white I.N.K.T. Corporation on September 22.

Now, there’s nothing official I’ve found to suggest this, but it’s possible that the delay had something to do with ownership of the title. As you can see here, the game was originally designed as a copmuter game by some university students. Although THQ had obviously obtained some of the rights - and the code - when they were showing off functional versions on actual Wii consoles, perhaps the kids thought they deserved more cash. Perhaps we’ll never know, but at least we can be happy that the game is finally on its way (we hope).

In this month’s issue of Wired magazine, readers can find a little snippet of an interview with the grand-daddy of video gaming, Shigeru Miyamoto. Thankfully, the cool folks over at Wired have provided the full text of the 90-minute interview for perusal on their website. It’s definitely interesting hearing the thoughts and ideas of the man behind Mario, Zelda, and many more of your favorite things for the past 20+ years. While much of the interview focuses on Wii Fit and Miyamoto’s inspirations and reactions to it (it’s the first issue published after the game was released), he does go into some detail about other inspirations, the rest of the gaming world, and fat people.

What I found is that just in the lifestyle today, people have fewer and fewer opportunities to get exercise. When I was growing up, I would spend my days running around in the hills and mountains of Kyoto, and there probably aren’t many kids who are doing that now. But, I think that that’s not necessarily the cause of videogames so much as the change in lifestyle.

Unfortunately, there’s no video to the interview, meaning we can’t see any of Miyamoto’s trademark antics. Check it out when you get the chance, as it’s well worth the read. Hell, this man pretty much invented everything you’ve done with your spare time for the last 20 years (he created the original NES controller, paving the way for every device that followed).

(Picture grabbed from Wired.com. Thanks!)

Okay, yes this game sucks, but so what? You know you’re going to download it. Why? Because the next time your mom comes over and, after her eighth scotch and whisky, says “Oh show me how this Wiiiiiiiii thingie works.” You can turn the thingie on, point to Family Table Tennis and let her have at it while you go and do something productive..like hide the rest of the booze…in your throat.

And this is probably just me, but with it’s four or five randomly banal locations and glorified-pong gameplay, this game reminds me of a non-pornographic DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball…and y’all know how I loves me some DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball. But I can’t really play it around my two year old, lest she develop unnatural expectations of the size of her impending boobies.

Anyone under the age of 12 won’t be nearly as excited about this as the rest of us (slackers), but news has arrived that Mega Man 9 is a reality, and it won’t cost full retail! The latest installment - which harkens back to the old school-style visuals and 2-D gameplay - will release on Nintendo’s WiiWare download service. That way all you youngins will get the chance to experience one of the greatest platforming series of all time the way it was meant to be played - not in some RPG-ish chess match against the little squeaky dudes in the hardhats.

The article, posted on 1up.com, reveals that the game may in fact be heading to other platforms as well (XBL? PSN?). Check the full text for all the details.

Nintendo announced its lineup of top first party games for the forseeable future today with this press release on their website. Among the titles is a new platformer starring Mario’s fart-filled flabby fiend, Wario, which promises that “veterans and newcomers alike can run, jump and smash their way through hectic side-scrolling stages” using a traditional, sideways Wii remote style control scheme. Wario Land: Shake It! is expected September 29.

In somewhat more disappointing news, Mario Super Sluggers has seen its release date slip from the original “late June/early July” timeframe to August 25, just in time for training camps to open back up… football training camps, that is. I guess not all baseball games can nail down that pre- or early-season release date. New Mystery Case Files and Kirby games are headed to the DS as well.

Its nice to finally have some solid dates and actual upcoming titles from Nintendo, but this soon to E3, we can only hope that they still have something big in store to announce before the masses.

I’ve always been under the impression that the PSN could rival the Wii’s Virtual Console if the publishers unsheathed their heads from their sphincters and began releasing more PSX games as “PS1 Classics”. Thus far, the list of PS1 Classics you can download is mediocre at best. But that changed in Japan today, as our beloved Square-Enix (of “Sword of Mana” fame; they also worked on some obscure franchise called “Last Fantasy” or something of the sort) has released on PSN what might just be the best console RPG I have ever played (not to mention the one with the most gratuitious sprite nudity) -”Xenogears”.

This somewhat unknown title is not only the best, but also the longest RPG I’ve played, spanning its incredible plot (don’t believe anyone who claims “X” game has the best story in a videogame ever unless they’ve played “Xenogears”; that’s Leon’s lesson number 1) for somewhere around 60 hours. So offering the otherwise difficult to find title through download for only 600 yen is a fantastic offer, if you ask me (and you should).

This is the first release out of 12 other Square-Enix games which are planned to become available on PSN, but no plans have been revealed about sharing the love with the rest of the world. Until then, Japanese gamers are in for one hell of a treat.

Complimentary videogame nudity brought to you by Square-Enix.

The big N is getting in on the charity action, with Nintendo Wiis being donated to Fun Centers across the US and Canada. Nintendo has been partnered with the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation for many years now, and has had previous Fun Centers outfitted with GameCubes. The new set-ups will allow kids staying in hospitals to engage in Mario Party, Super Mario Galaxy, and Wii Sports, and maybe more games in the future. Check out Kotaku’s coverage for more details, including the full press release, and head to the Starlight Starbright Foundation’s website for more information or to lend a hand.

After the news several months back regarding Microsoft’s efforts to lending a hand, it’s reassuring to see so many companies doing what they can to help those in need.

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Being a somewhat funny website (well, we try, anyway), we’d be extremely remiss if we did not acknowledge the passing of one of the all-time greatest comedians, George Carlin. His humor transcended so many generations, and through all the years he performed he was able to keep his material fresh and current. Plus, he taught us that two excellent dudes with a great idea can change the world, man. (Come on, Rufus has to be one of the greatest movie characters of all time.)

If you haven’t seen any of his material, do yourself a favor and search YouTube, and just click on anything. Seriously, if there’s a topic you can think of, odds are Carlin had a rap about it. You’ve probably heard of this one.

RIP George. Your humor will certainly be missed.

The Tomb Raider news just keeps coming. Eidos finally added content for Tomb Raider: Underworld to their website, including a downloadable version of the game’s theme song and some killer new pics. Blogs, news, notes, etc. accompany these features, letting interested parties follow along as the game nears completion for a November release. And now…

dirty Lara:

and an obligatory butt shot:

You’re welcome.

It’s about friggin time!

Karthik Bala, CEO of Vicarious Visions, recently talked with IGN about his company’s work on the Wii version of the upcoming Guitar Hero: World Tour. And the best news: it sounds like they’re doing plenty of hard work to make this game seriuosly kick ass. As Bala puts it, “We’re a bunch of Nintendo fanboys who want to push what can be done on the Wii and debunk some of the myths about what the system can and can’t do.”

A Wii remote injection means that the drums are wireless in the same way that GH3’s guitar was - though the mic for World Tour will plug into the USB port. The coolest news, though, is the potential for downloadable content. As Bala puts it:

DLC is something we’ve been looking at since GHIII. It was the most requested feature by Wii players and the team has really worked hard to deliver on this promise. I know there has been detractors who say the Wii can’t do DLC for various technical reasons – and they are dead wrong. The system is quite capable.

Gamers can save songs and content direct to the Wii’s internal (albeit limited) memory, or even save direct to an SD card. Yes, that’s right, someone’s actually using the damn SD card slot for a good purpose! Stop the presses!

While the 360 and PS3 versions may have slightly better graphics and other, more advanced online features, it’s extremely comforting to see a third-party using the Wii as something other than a cash cow dumping ground for shovelware. Vicarious Visions, you have our thanks.