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Namco Bandai Games America Inc., today shipped NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM to retailers across North America exclusively for the PlayStation 3 console.

Developed by CyberConnect2, NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB and carries a suggested retail price of $59.99.

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For those of you unfamiliar with Namco's Soul Calibur series, it's the one with the slew of weird characters vying for two powerful swords--soul calibur and soul edge--to rule, destroy, or save the world, and most of the time they look exceptionally good while doing it. Soul Calibur IV continues that trend with 33 characters seeking to use the swords to accomplish their own (often selfish) desires, including two bonus "guest" characters from the Star Wars universe: the legendary Darth Vader and the mysterious "apprentice" from the upcoming Force Unleashed. Though the game clearly fails to revolutionize the genre, it accomplishes everything it sets out to do quite well, and the addition of online play and a very robust character creation system keep the game addictive.

Click here for an explanation of our review and scoring format.

As with any fighting game, Soul Calibur IV pits you against an onslaught of characters that you must take down by lowering their health bar with flashy moves and powerful combos. Namco also included a soul gauge feature that changes color depending on your performance; block too often or receive too many strong attacks and the gauge will start flashing red, entering a "soul crush" state, at which point you're vulnerable to a one-hit KO attack called a critical finish. To keep things fresh (and because it's mildly entertaining to witness characters fighting in customizable undergarments), equipment destruction is a vital component of any fight; equipment condition is displayed in a three slot vertical bar designating head, upper body, and lower body gear, and enough attacks to the same area will break the equipment.

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Namco Bandai Games announced today that Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3 has been shipped to North American retailers for Nintendo DS. 

Based on the popular virtual pets, gamers can run over a dozen shops with adorable Tamagotchi pals. Team up with fan-favorite Tamagotchis: Violetchi, Mametchi, Memetchi or Kuchipatchi, and get behind the counter of more than 12 different stores.

“Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3 is a great way to teach the responsibility of running a business in a way that everyone can enjoy,” said Todd Thorson, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at NAMCO BANDAI Games America.  “Its fun mini-games, distinct art style and atmosphere will bring a smile to anyone’s face.”

Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3 is rated “E” for everyone by the ESRB and carries a suggested retail price of $29.99.

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After three years of anticipation, fighting fans will finally be ready to wrap their hands around Soul Caliber IV this summer, as publisher Namco Bandai has announced that the next iteration in the franchise will hit on July 29.

Namco Bandai also announced the details on the limited edition of the game, which will also hit on July 29 for $79.99. Extras for this edition include a comic book, additional customization options, and a tournament kit.

Hit the link to visit the game's official website.

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Kneel. Place hands on either side of the ceramic-like object. Wait. A sudden urge takes you, spewing the remains of a previous ingestion. You glance at what was just created; between the remains of what were once good ideas you see those extra things you tacked on that seemed like a quick fix at the time but ultimately caused their own regurgitation. You lament at the pain you caused yourself, but deep down you can feel that the pain is still there.

So what have you been eating? Or in this case, what have various developers been feeding the ceramic bowl in question, the Wii? Their own regurgitation, that's what - and a little bit of Nintendo's own leftovers for good measure. The Wii is the one that's sick, suffering from delirious spells of minigame collections, shoddy ports, forced motion control schemes, and God knows what else.

A little examination is in order. Five case studies have been prepared, each a different opinion of how Wii software appears. Some of it isn't too pretty – but fear not, we might even discover a cure. So lean back, relax, and try not to throw that Wii remote into the tv.

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Namco Bandai has released a new trailer regarding their announcement of Tales of Vesperia at the Jump Festa 2008 event.

The game will feature cel-shaded graphics with character designs and animation managed by Kosuke Fujishima and Production I.G. The platform and release date details have yet to be announced.

Check the link to download the trailer, or just hit the jump to view.

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Are you interested in improving your video game skills? You might be in luck if you have DS. Namco Bandai announced a new game that supposedly trains you to play video games which improves your gamer skills such as reflexes and memorization. Video Game Training DS is a collection of mini-games based on Namco's classic games which include Galaga, Xevious, and Mappy. The new DS game reportedly has over 500 mini-games based which are based on over 30 different titles developed by Namco.

How much will this actually help your skills? Will it be fun? We'll find out in time. The game is will be released in Japan on March 20, 2008. No announcement for release in the United States as of yet.

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While we know next to nothing about Namco Bandai's Fragile (except that it's an adventure-RPG being developed by Tri-Crescendo for the Wii), the company has made a teaser trailer available for the title.

The game's official site has also launched.

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Namco Bandai has released new screenshots of Soulcalibur IV for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The screens reveal an intense battle taking place between Sophitia and Astaroth. Soulcalibur IV is scheduled for a 2008 release.

Check the link to view the images.

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In some interesting Namco Bandai news of the day, the company has announced the development of Fragile, an "exploration" RPG for the Wii.

There are no pretty pictures or teaser trailers yet, but Namco Bandai has confirmed that it will make an official game announcement via the next issue of Famitsu (aka Japan's most famous gaming magazine), which ships on November 22 (if you live in Japan).

There will also be a game event on November 24 to shed additional light on the title, followed by the launch of the game's official site.

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