Over at VG247.com, our very own GT alumnus Stephany Nunneley has posted a little snippet of an article from The Guardian UK. In this article, the Guardian purports to list the pros and cons of each gaming console in an honest effort to provide consumers with buying information.

Unfortunately, it’s all too obvious that whoever wrote this piece either hasn’t actually touched any of the consoles, has been away from the gaming scene for months (if not years), or has inserted their head firmly in a certain orifice of Microsoft’s.

Let’s examine exactly what they say, and then counter it with some actual, useful information.

We’ll start with the Wii. The Guardian says, in part, “the graphics aren’t as pretty as its two more technologically advanced rivals, and really ground-breaking Wii games come along very infrequently.” OK, that’s true as far as it goes, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’ve sold a blue million of the damn things.

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SEGA announced today that they have release the demo for their upcoming cinematic action title, Bayonetta, on both XBox Live and the PlayStation Network.

Players will take on the role of Bayonetta, a witch with superhuman powers, to face off again angelic enemies of all sizes. Bayonetta is directed by Hideki Kamiya, who in the past has had a hand such notable titles as Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Devil May Cry, Viewtiful Joe and Okami.

Bayonetta will feature the game mode familiar to players of Devil May Cry, which gives players the opportunity to play the game using only one button. Of course, there are five difficulty settings available, making it easy to dial in the one you like. Combat is also said to resemble Devil May Cry, so if you’re a fan of that series, you should really give Bayonetta a look.

After all, who doesn’t want to play as a witch wielding four handguns, as well as having access to a plethora of other weaponry? If you need any more encouragement, how about a trailer to whet your appetite? You can get even more assets over at FileFront’s Bayonetta page.

This video unveils the Toughest Places to Play feature in NCAA Basketball 10.

This trailer shows off New Super Mario Bros on the Wii, giving you a look at the latest iteration of the venerable Super Mario Bros. franchise.

Before I start on this review, I want to make something clear: I don’t normally use my Wii. After all, once the novelty of the machine wore off, the only reason it ever gets turned on is so my wife can use Wii Fit. The main reason is that I haven’t found any games that can hold my interest.

So you can imagine that I was a bit incredulous when I got a copy of Muramasa: The Demon Blade to review. Sure, I knew the game had won all sorts of ‘Best of E3′ awards, but I was still not sure about it. I sat down and started playing, and I found myself really enjoying the game.

Muramasa is a classic, side-scrolling action RPG. This first thing that hits you when you start the game is the look and feel. If you played Odin Sphere on the PS2, you’ll recognize the style, and you’ll be impressed. The graphics aren’t 1080p, or high-def, but they are endearing and attractive. The graphics are more like living art than what you’d expect from a video game.

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OK, let’s be honest here. Who isn’t tired of the near-constant stream of music games? I realize that it’s a super-hot genre right now, but do we really need another music game? Yes, this also goes for Rock Band Beatles, or Guitar Hero: Twisted Sister, or whatever the next shameless cash grab may be.

Regardless of what we may think, Activision isn’t content to sit back and count all the money they’ve made from Guitar Hero so far. No, they’re going to release yet another iteration of the title.

Guitar Hero 5 will add some new functionality to the title, and strangely enough, it’s actually functionality that makes it a better party game than before. Chief among these new additions is the ‘Pick up and Play’ mode. This will allow anyone to grab an instrument, jump in, play for a few minutes, and drop out without failing or causing the rest of the band to fail. It’s perfect for those unscheduled bathroom breaks in the middle of a song.

They’re also including a RockFest mode to let you face off against four players locally, or up to eight online. Heck, you can even throw down with four guitars at once if you so desire. But the question remains: Do we really need another full game for this? Wouldn’t these features be awesome DLC for the folks who spent nearly $200 on Guitar Hero: World Tour? You could probably even convince those folks to pay for them!

Ah well, maybe I’m just a spoilsport. After all, at least they’re including 83 songs in this version, and all the World Tour DLC will carry over as well. Maybe I’m just sick of having all these plastic instruments clogging up my living room.

At any rate, there’s a brand new trailer showing off these new features. You can grab it over at FileFront, or catch the embedded stream after the break.

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Survival horror is coming to the Wii in the form of Calling. This adventure game plays on the urban legend of people dieing after seeing something sinister on an obscure website. Hudson Soft promises true psychological horror rather than focusing on mere gross out tactics. Take a glimpse into the Calling beyond the creepy doll screen above.

You are going to be the person who dares to tempt fate. You will solve puzzles and use objects to uncover the truth behind the site and find your way out of the world of the Calling, or join the dead on the growing visitor counter. You’ll find your Calling exclusively for the Wii in 2010.
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The first glimpse of Mini Ninjas box art has been captured for the upcoming game. Guide Hiro, the world’s littlest ninja on an adventure of massive proportions as you save the world from evil samurai turning animals into mindless minions. Having ninjas as heroes versus evil Samurai seems backward to me but the trailer looks good.

The Mini Ninjas -
Where have the animals gone?
September comes soon…

Mini Ninjas will sneaking up on the PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 and the DS September 8, 2009.

This week’s Zero Punctuation takes on Ghostbusters The Videogame. Yahtzee’s not afraid to take on games and films with a deeply devoted and sometime rabid fan base to task. It’s an ugly brawl and he manages to pull Star Trek and Dr. Who into the fray.

Although I may not always agree with his opinion, I always enjoy it. Yahtzee isn’t afraid to cut anyone down to size including himself.

You can view the Zero punctuation videogame review archives on The Escapist.

Telltale is bringing a new generation of gamers fresh Tales of Monkey Island. The new episodic adventure games plays like Sam & Max or Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People. That is to say it plays like the original classic point-and-click adventure game, the Secret of Monkey Island. For the maiden voyage of Tales of Monkey Island, Telltale presents the first of five monthly episodes, Launch of the Screaming Narwhal available today for the PC or as WiiWare..

I’m a veteran of the Monkey Island series. Although I’m really looking forward to the re-imagined Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition coming out later this summer, I was very excited about new stories featuring Guybrush Threepwood, and those mysterious monkeys. I can honestly tell you that Telltale has done an excellent job retaining the bumbling, yet witty and sarcastic Guybrush Threepwood and the ensemble of characters that keep this setting fresh almost 20 years after the first game launched.

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