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On the same conference call earlier this week in which it talked about its new rewards program, GameStop Executive VP of Merchandising, Tony Bartel, said that stores currently experiencing Wii and PlayStation 3 shortages probably won't find relief very soon. While the retailer is always bugging Sony and Nintendo for more units, Bartel said that GameStop "could sell a lot more hardware than what we have on both the PS3 and Wii platform," and that situation probably won't change until early summer of this year.

He did say that the Wii is due for a re-supply first, but he believes that both Nintendo and Sony are "still scrambling to catch up from the surge" of the last holiday season. But a shortage like this isn't unprecedented -- as we get closer to summer, we'll probably see new inventory appearing on shelves, ready to go home to a caring gamer.

I can't remember a single game release I ever anticipated more in my life than Pokémon Gold and Silver. By the time the game hit U.S. store shelves in 2000, I'd been rendered a shivering addict to versions Blue and Red for nearly two years. The promise of new pocket-sized monsters and new areas to explore thrilled me to the central of my very being -- and thankfully, the franchise's massive second generation did not disappoint.

I'm a decade older now, and while I've retained most of my love for the franchise since my middle school career, I worried that the recently released remakes, HeartGold and SoulSilver, wouldn't have the same intoxicating properties as their source materials. Now that I've spent about eight hours in the game, I feel confident in reporting that these remakes possess the same gripping magic as the originals -- partially due to the infusion of new elements introduced in later generations of the series, and, surprisingly, due to the bundled Pokéwalker peripheral.

After delivering a GDC panel on his cinematic inspiration, we met with Metroid: Other M producer Yoshio Sakamoto to ask him about everything from collaborating with Team Ninja, lessons learned from Metroid Prime, the newfound focus on story in the Metroid universe, and whether or not he played Chair's Super Metroid love letter, Shadow Complex. Read on!

Can you tell us about the process of working with Team Ninja. Who does what design-wise and technology-wise?

Yoshio Sakamoto: The original design concept came from me, but then we went and assembled a team that could pull this off. And in this case it was people from Team Ninja, who we really thought was the best fit. But they've also provided a lot of core ideas that have influenced the direction of the game, particularly the director, Mr. Hayashi. So, as I mentioned in the speech today, it's not so much that we're dividing up tasks but collaborating as equals.

After E3 and the initial announcement a lot of people were making comments like, "Oh, it seems like they've dumped Retro for this series and they want to go with another developer," as if it was a big switch-off. But, in actuality, that is far from the case; rather, we just wanted to put together the best team that we could to make this project, which turns out to be Project M.

Gallery: Metroid: Other M

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Immediately following his well-attended GDC panel, Nintendo's Yoshio Sakamoto talked with us about (what else?) Metroid: Other M. In addition to all sorts of questions on the unique Team Ninja collaboration, we asked Sakamoto about the long-rumored Metroid Dread project and, barring a confirmation of that product, when we'd see another 2D handheld Metroid.

Joystiq: Speaking of the core Metroid development team that last worked on the GBA, there have been rumors of a game known as 'Metroid Dread' – purportedly a 2D Metroid game for DS. First question: Was 'Dread' a real project? Second question: If not, where is a 2D Metroid on DS?

Yoshio Sakamoto: It seems we get a lot of questions about Metroid Dread, especially at interviews following E3 for example. But nothing's ever been announced about this game; it's all just been rumors so far. So we never know exactly how to respond to questions like this.

While there actually was a point where some teams were meeting to discuss if it was possible to create a 2D Metroid for DS using a relatively small team size, it's not something that we ever really announced or thought of as "Metroid Dread." But whenever people bring out that idea, we recognize that the basic concept is something that we can't say never existed. But at the same time, we can't of course, make any official comment about a Metroid Dread-like project coming out.

Our main goal [with Metroid: Other M] is to, as I said earlier, first raise knowledge about the Metroid universe and the Samus character before we start to introduce different elements like online or even going back to another handheld game for the next in the series. So there's nothing coming immediately, we want to think about these new challenges first.

But, of course, we never say never.

Nintendo of America VP Cammie Dunaway thinks the Nintendo DS is going to keep on getting bigger in America. (And no, not just literally.) Speaking with VentureBeat, the executive highlighted the tremendous success of the Nintendo handheld. "We had our best year ever, selling 11.2 million units. That has never been done by any game platform ever."

Yet, in spite of its success, Dunaway believes there's still a lot more to be done with the US market. Dunaway notes that -- in terms of market penetration -- "in Japan, one in two consumers has a DS." But in America? "It is one in four. So we have room to grow." Essentially, if Japan is the benchmark for America, Nintendo must sell twice as many DS systems as it already has.

If there's one thing we've learned not to doubt this generation, it's Nintendo's ability to sell systems and make money. In January, the company was able to sell over 400,000 units in America -- and that figure is likely to grow with the introduction of the DSi XL in March. Perhaps we need to add even more money to this already-overused JPG.

[Via Edge]

The 2010 Nintendo Media Summit has come and gone, and sent a wave of huge Nintendo news through the industry. We had hands-on time with some of the Wii's biggest upcoming titles, screenshots for almost everything on Nintendo's 2010 calendar and a big ol' sack full of new videos. In case you missed anything, we've wrapped it all up and have it here for you in one tidy little package.

Perhaps it was no coincidence that Nintendo stopped by New York City to show off the Nintendo DSi XL, one day after Apple made its not-so-earth-shattering iPad announcement. Like the iPad, the DSi XL is a larger version of an already successful handheld device, but unlike the iPad, the DSi XL promises no added functionality, nor does it alter the electronics landscape in any way. It is, quite succinctly, a bigger DSi.

One can't help but question why the device exists in the first place. To whom does the DSi XL appeal? Certainly, its gargantuan size makes it stand out as the least portable handheld system we've seen in quite some time, taking a completely opposite approach to that of Sony's PSP Go. Thanks to its larger screen size, it takes up even more space than the original DS Phat -- strange, considering one of the primary complaints held against the Phat was its unwieldy girth.

What the XL excels at (sorry!) are games that require extensive use of the stylus. The massive stylus that's included with the system is easy to handle, making earlier stylus pens feel cheap and flimsy. The larger screen real estate makes it easier to draw on the system, perfect for intense Pictochat sessions or a round with WarioWare DIY.

If you're hoping to learn more about the device which you'll soon be hiding within your deepest, darkest pocket, filling you with terror that, while withdrawing your keys, you'll accidentally expose the accessory, bringing your reticent Pokémaniacal tendencies to light, forcing you to ... wait, what were we talking about again? Oh, yes, the Pokéwalker accessory which comes with HeartGold and SoulSilver was recently demoed in a video released at the Nintendo Media Summit, and posted above. Looks like it has some neat functionality beyond just step-counting.

Oh, the games themselves also received their own trailer, which is posted after the jump. We've seen most of the footage shown there before -- though the music is new, and totally triumphant.

If you've been looking for a way to tease your brain into an overloaded, catatonic state while on the go, Nintendo and HAL Laboratory will soon deliver an application that should aid in your endeavor. Picross 3D, the DS puzzle game that hit Japanese retail last March, will be released on May 3 in North America.

The announcement came during today's Nintendo Media Summit and added that the game would receive DLC in the form of extra puzzles, à la Professor Layton. With continued support like that, Picross 3D could be capable of frying our brains for the foreseeable future. We can't wait.

Is your elite Pokémon fighting force lacking a certain adorability factor? Starting this coming Saturday, February 27, GameStop will have the perfect remedy to your problem -- the retailer will offer a free download of the legendary Psychic/Steel-type Jirachi for anyone who treks to the store with a copy of Pokémon Pearl, Diamond or Platinum in tow. The promotion will run until March 13 -- the day before HeartGold and SoulSilver hit store shelves.

As an added bonus, trainers who have Jirachi in their collection will have access to a special training route on HeartGold and SoulSilver's bundled accessory, the Pokéwalker. That might just be enough to give us the courage required to suffer the judgmental looks of our local GameStop's customers and employees.

Steve Wiebe's done it again. After claiming the Donkey Kong Jr. record back in April, he was usurped from the throne by Oklahoma-based gamer Mark Kiehl the following fall. But, as of yesterday, Twin Galaxies reports Wiebe's back on top with an epic score of 1,190,400 points.

What makes the story even more interesting is when Wiebe managed to set the record: Valentine's Day. As any of you who've seen The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (all of you reading this post, we hope) can attest, the man is married, so to spend any amount of time on The Lover's Holiday playing Donkey Kong Jr. is total dedication. As if we couldn't respect Wiebe any more than we already do!

[Via National Post]

Nintendo's march against the R4 mod cartridge for the DS rolls on this week, as the company has won a lawsuit against an Australian distributor of the now-illegal device, according to iTNews. RSJ IT Solutions, which sold the R4 through gadgetgear.com.au, was ordered to stop selling the device and fined $520,000 ($466,752 USD) in damages payable to Nintendo. Two other respondents named by Nintendo in the suit, Patrick Li and James Li, were also ordered to stop selling the R4 in Australia and fined $100,000 ($89,760 USD). Furthermore, the two are required to disclose the names of their R4 suppliers.

This marks Nintendo's second major blow to piracy in Australia this month. Last week, Nintendo was successfully awarded $1.5 million ($1.3 million USD) in damages to be paid by a remorseful Australian man, who was found to be the first to upload New Super Mario Bros. Wii to the internet. Lest any potential pirates out there haven't figured it out yet -- especially those in Australia -- Nintendo isn't messing around.

Nintendo has filed for a trademark on the phrase "Eternal Darkness," the title of the GameCube's Silicon Knights-developed psychological horror game. It tricked us by doing things like pretending to reset the console or lowering a fake volume indicator on the TV screen, due to a low in-game "sanity" meter. Apparently the trademark lapsed recently, and while we'd love to tell you that this means someone is working on a brand new version of Eternal Darkness for the Wii, it likely just means that Nintendo is covering its trademarked bases.

Besides, if you just want a Wii game that will drive you nuts, try some SPOGS Racing. That game is so bad it's crazy.

In the five-ish years since the Xbox 360 launched, ushering in the current console generation, we've heard a whole mess of talk about this console life cycle pushing past the usual five-ish years they tend to span. Given that we're approaching the mark as we speak, MCV talked to execs from the big three and got an update on where each stands in terms of new hardware in the coming year(s). "The benefit of hardware remaining relevant for longer is the fact that it gives more developers a chance to get the very best and most out of current generation systems, rather than the cycle changing just as people have become used to maximizing a console's performance and abilities," says senior product manager at Nintendo UK Rob Lowe. "We strongly believe that there is still huge potential for both Wii and DS to continue to bring in new gamers and change rejecters' perceptions." Watch your back, rejecters!

Perhaps unsurprisingly at this point, Sony and Microsoft corroborate Lowe's claims, with VP of Sony Worldwide Studios Michael Denny adding, "Of course new hardware causes a large spike in consumer interest, but so does the launch of new, exciting games ... Modern Warfare 2 didn't need new hardware to break all the records." And with two new motion ... things coming to Sony and Microsoft's consoles -- not to mention the worldwide economy still struggling to recover from a near-meltdown -- we have to imagine that we won't be seeing any new $400 to $600 hardware anytime soon.

But hey, there's always 3D to take our money, right?