Wii Exclusive: Kirby's Epic Yarn

Kirby's Epic Yarn wove itself into gamers' hearts this year with its syrupy-sweet fabric-based visuals and decidedly unpunishing difficulty. Bead-collection, hidden items, and creative level-design help keep more experienced gamers engaged, but young kids and those who don't usually game will also find themselves hard-pressed not to have tons of fun with the little pink hero. Kirby's shape-shifting abilities keep the action fresh, and optional mini-game-based levels do a lot to extend the experience. Read more »

Retro Redux: Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is something akin to pure fun. It follows up on the great rebirth of Pac-Man that the team at Namco introduced with 2007's Pac-Man Championship Edition. The game and its stages are designed around getting as many ghosts as possible, chasing you as you collect dots from side-to-side until eventually, the glorious power pill appears. Now, it's time to turn around and eat that entire chain of ghosts. Not only is it utterly satisfying to destroy your pursuers, but it has one of the best sound effects in gaming. Throw in an amazing slow-down mechanic when you're about to get hit by a ghost, bombs for bailing out of un-winnable situations, multiple modes, and leaderboards and you've got a near perfect retro game. Read more »

Garnett, Brian, and Jeff gather round the studio with Del Rio and Brooklyn in the booth for this Thanksgiving Day special edition of Weekend Confirmed. Along with a little eggnog for holiday spirit, Whatcha' Been Playin? gets the festivities started with a closer look at Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and Donkey Kong Country Returns, and then the upcoming Noble maps for Halo:Reach. The Front Page takes the holiday week off. In its place, the rest of the show includes favorite holiday memories, what games come out with the family at the holidays, and your comments on some of the best topics over the past few weeks. And if you're gearing up for gift shopping or already in the thick of it you won't want to miss the final segment which covers some of the best deals and videogame gift ideas.

Weekend Confirmed Ep. 36 - 11/25/2010 Read more »

Thanksgiving might be a week away but the new release feast is in full swing. After a couple of quick follow ups to last week's Black Ops coverage, Garnett, Brian, and Jeff serve up Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, 007: Blood Stone, and Donkey Kong Country Returns as the main dishes in Whatcha' Been Playin? The reactionary commentary of ESPN's 1st and Ten cast in response to Kobe's appearance in the Black Ops ads starts off the Warning. Your thoughts on shooter fatigue, urgency without a ticking clock, and more take the conversation right up to the Front Page. October's NPD sales numbers and Bizarre Creation's uncertain future headline a full slate of news.

Weekend Confirmed Ep. 35 - 11/19/2010 Read more »

Shacknews receives a slew of new screenshots and trailers for upcoming games everyday. The most anticipated titles receive their own post, because we know you're eager to see that content. For the rest, we have the Daily Filter, a place to feature all of the media we add to our enormous database on a daily basis.

The first Filter of the week features new media for Donkey Kong Country Returns, the HD version of NBA Jam, the Xbox 360 version of Unbound Saga, Rock of Ages, DC Universe Online, Mortal Kombat, Michael Jackson: The Experience, Bloodline Champions, Lionheart: Kings' Crusade, Super Hero Squad Online, and Kaptain Brawe: A Brawe New World.

Read more: Check out today's Filter »

To promote its upcoming November 21 release of Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii, Nintendo has filed a trademark for the phrase "It's on like Donkey Kong" with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Nintendo claims that it "is an old, popular Nintendo phrase that has a number of possible interpretations depending on how it's used," though I struggle to think of a single time I've heard Nintendo use it for anything. Read more »

Shacknews receives a slew of new screenshots and trailers for upcoming games everyday. The most anticipated titles receive their own post, because we know you're eager to see that content. For the rest, we have the Daily Filter, a place to feature all of the media we add to our enormous database on a daily basis.

Today's Filter features media for Donkey Kong Country Returns, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011, Rift: Planes of Telara, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, Tron: Evolution, Sonic Colors, Super Mario All-Stars Wii, Epic Mickey, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Miniland Mayhem. Read more »

Shacknews receives a slew of new screenshots and trailers for upcoming games everyday. The most anticipated titles receive their own post, because we know you're eager to see that content. For the rest, we have the Daily Filter, a place to feature all of the media we add to our enormous database on a daily basis.

Alongside a hilarious "dance" video featuring the cast of Team Fortress 2, today's Filter adds trailers for NBA 2K11, Lionheart: Kings' Crusade, F.E.A.R. 3, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Medal of Honor, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest, and the first screens for Beyond Good & Evil HD. Read more »

Nintendo has updated its launch schedule to reveal release dates for titles including Kirby's Epic Yarn and Donkey Kong Country Returns as well as unveiling the name of the latest entry in Gaijin's rhythmic BIT.TRIP series--BIT.TRIP FATE.

Kirby's Epic Yarn--which we were delighted to play at E3--will be released on October 17, followed by Donkey Kong Country--which we also had a bash at--on November 21. Read more »

Retro Studios, the company behind the Metroid Prime series of first-person action-adventure games, is now working on a new Donkey Kong entry.

The game, revealed during Nintendo E3 Briefing, is a traditional side-scrolling platformer for the Wii titled "Donkey Kong Country Returns" and due this holiday. Read more »