Wii

Nintendo has some 3DS and Wii news to share with you tomorrow, August 29, 2012, in the form of a new Nintendo Direct streaming press conference. There's very little detail about the event beyond the platforms that will be discussed. The conference is happening at 8pm in Japan, which converts to tomorrow morning at 7am ET / 4am PT.

Nintendo confirmed to Siliconera that the Wii U will not be discussed during this particular event. At this point, it feels like the company is playing chicken with the unreleased console's price and release date, especially with October and November already so crowded with marquee releases for other platforms.

While game designer Hironobu Sakaguchisure loves titling his games in such away that sequels are impossible--Final Fantasy, The Last Story-- they keep coming out. Strange. Anyway, his latest release, The Last Story, is part of the last round of Wii games, but sadly, it's a bit of a mixed bag.

Here's a bit of our The Last Story review

"An interesting dynamic between characters is one of the bright spots of the Last Story, along with some interesting innovations over in combat. But Mistwalker seemed unwilling to leave behind those tired tropes of jRPG’s past, and the game’s story suffers significantly for it. Linear and dreary, lazy and poorly paced, The Last Story falters in that most important area. . .its namesake."

Check out the rest of our The Last Story review.

Let's take a dance break, people, and check out Dance Central 3!

Dance Central 3 adds an extensive story mode in which you join an elite group of dance crime investigators sent back in time to learn dance crazes from the 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond. Morgan Webb welcomes Project Director Matt Boch for a hands-on demo.

Bad news, gamers: If reports from Ars Technica turn out to be correct, Nintendo Power magazine is shutting down soon.

According to the source, Nintendo pulled the plug. The company, described as "difficult to work with," was uninterested in renewing its contract with Future Publishing, the group who published the magazine. According to the source, Nintendo is not interested in taking over direct control of Nintendo Power either.

Reportedly, Nintendo Power editors and staffers were told of the magazine's impending closure last weekend are being transitioned to work on other Future magazines and publications like GamesRadar and MacLife magazine.

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Upcoming game Lego: The Lord of the Rings will feature 85 playable characters, including some folks not seen in the Lord of the Rings movies. Sadly, Traveler's Tales has yet to release the full list of included characters, so you can't see if your favorites have made the cut.

Lego: The Lord of the Rings will continue with the open-world style of Lego Batman 2, with the entire world of Middle Earth recreated based on Tolkien's maps and drawings. Everything will be located in the right place, and be fully explorable on foot or horse. The game will feature a fast-travel feature, too.

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LEGO The Lord of the Rings has a fresh new trailer from Gamescom 2012. The tale of the one ring has never been told quite like this. All of your favorite members of the Fellowship will be represented in the LEGO LOTR, including my favorite, Legolas. Is it just me or is he hot even in LEGO form?

I was worried the LEGO sense of humor wouldn't mesh with the ultra-serious LOTR series, but Traveller's Tales, you've done it again!

• VIDEO: Official E3 Preview Of LEGO: The Lord Of The Rings

If you want to play Black Ops 2's multiplayer, you'll need to purchase a ticket to Germany in the next few days: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will be playable at Gamescom.

If you can't get it together for a trip to Germany by August 15, don't worry. You'll be able to check out the action live-streamed all over the world on Xbox LIVE, CallofDuty.com, Facebook.com/codblackops and Twitch.tv/Treyarch.

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It looks a lot like Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is coming to Wii U. Today's evidence: Pre-order tags have appeared at a Best Buy store that indicate there is a Wii U version of Black Ops 2 on the way.

According to GoNintendo, pre-order cards on display were created by a Best Buy employee, but the UPC sticker on them is the real-deal.

"The barcodes he placed on them are the actual preorder UPC to preorder the game. He also said the SKU's exist in the Best Buy system."

Although it hasn't been announced yet, I'd put my money on BlOPs 2 coming to the Wii U, giving gamers perhaps their first next-gen, hardcore gaming experience. We'll give you details as we get them.

Source: Go Nintendo

Fans of Broadway musicals get their gaming day in the sun with the September 2012 release of the Wii title, Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals: Sing & Dance. The game offers players the opportunity to sing, dance, or "career" their way through some of the famed composers most renowned works, including The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, Evita, Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Jesus Christ Superstar. Plans for a Webber-based game were actually announced all the way back in 2009, and this seems to be it.

Throughout the game, the singing talents of some of theater's greats will be showcased, folks like Donny Osmond, Elaine Paige, and Sarah Brightman. There are 32 songs in all, pulled from 13 of Webber's musicals. The Sing, Dance, and Career modes are also enjoyed by a (presumably party-oriented) multiplayer mode for up to four players. 

Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals: Sing & Dance is a Wii exclusive from Tubby Games, and it hits stores on September 14, 2012. There seems to be some confusion over where the game will be available, but don't you worry: we've checked in with publisher Koch Media for clarification.

Skylanders Giants has release date. Get ready to play with the larger-than-life entities on October 21, 2012. Activision also announced a new character and toy for the series. Meet the giant bee, Swarm. Personal note: I hate bees. Swarm is actually royalty. He was a prince who lived with his 9,000 family members until he became to giant he had to move on.  He is one of eight giant figures.

Skylanders Giants will be released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, 3DS, PC and mobile devices.

Electronic Arts has accepted a settlement agreement relating to a 2008 lawsuit that saw the publisher sued for allegedly violating antitrust laws with its exclusive deals for NFL, NCAA, and AFL content. As long as the court approves the proposed settlement in a September 27, 2012 hearing, EA will finally be able to put this matter to rest.

Under the terms of the agreement, the publisher will get to hang onto its NFL license exclusivity as long as it agrees to not renew its ongoing deal with the NCAA for five years and not pursue similar exclusivity with the Arena Football League (AFL) for five years. EA's current contract with the NCAA expires in 2014.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is aiming to be a brilliant cinematic experience, and with people like Trent Reznor and David S. Goyer on board, it seems like Treyarch will definitely be able to hit their target. Check out the Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 behind-the-scenes video below, where Mark Lamia, Trent Reznor, David S. Goyer, and Dave Anthony discuss the development process of this year's most anticipated first-person shooter.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two may star the same familiar faces, Mickey the Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, but the sequel will be quite different from the first game. Thanks to the Disney Epic Mickey 2 panel at Comic-Con 2012, moderated by G4 alumni Adam Sessler, we now know six ways Epic Mickey 2 will be different. Judging by the line to get into the panel, I'd say plenty of gamers enjoyed Disney Epic Mickey for the Wii exactly as it was, but Warren Spector and the rest of his team both at Junction Point, and at Disney, wanted to continue pushing the boundaries of the ways gamers think. Keep reading to find out how they plan on doing that.

[Pictured from left: Adam Sessler, Marv Wolfman, Warren Spector, Becky Cline and Peter David.]

Choice and Paths

Persistence will be a major theme in Disney Epic Mickey 2. If you make a change to a map it will remain there when you come back. Warren Spector added, "Everything you do really, really, really, really makes a difference." Enemies can become friends, quests can be ignored, you can paint or paint-thin: choices are everywhere and each choice affects the next one.  One play through is expected to take 10-15 hours, but since the path you choose relies on an accumulation of choices, Warren thinks it will take three play-throughs, six with co-op, to see it all.

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Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two's cinematic trailer from Comic-Con 2012 tells the story of how Oswald the Lucky Rabbit met the Mad Doctor, the new villain in the game. Not only does the trailer look great, but there's even an entire musical number involved. Help me help you, and watch the video.

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two will be out this fall for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii.

Nintendo has announced their Comic-Con 2012 lineup. Not only will the hardware giant be showing off the brand new Nintendo 3DS XL, but they'll also be showing off titles like Super Mario Bros. 2, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate. After the break you can check out the full rundown of what will be on display from Nintendo.

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