But over 50 million Wiis sold later, Nintendo’s proclamation that it would create disruptive technology didn’t seem like empty words, but a real concept engineered and marketed pretty brilliantly. Now, Microsoft and Sony are readying to launch their answer to the mass market question that Nintendo addressed three years ago with the Wii.

Namco Bandai’s Tales of Vesperia was very well received by both fans and critics last year, so it’s no surprise to see that the developers are, according to Famitsu, “thinking about” making a sequel (Adriasang, via VG247).

Regarding a potential sequel, Namco Bandai Games general manager Makoto Yoshizumi explained that, “It appears that [within the company] there’s a desire to make part 2. We’re thinking about it.” Clearly that’s no confirmation, but for Vesperia fans, it’s much better news than if Yoshizumi shot the prospects down outright, isn’t it?

So keep those fingers crossed, folks.

It turns out this fall’s big Xbox Live Update isn’t just about letting you post solipsistic social network updates. On top of Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm integration, the update will also add dedicated stores for music games and a news tab filled with the latest headlines (via Destructoid).

Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and Lips are the music games that each will get the distinction of having their own online stores in the Marketplace, making it easier than ever to browse and purchase the latest DLC releases. The other newly revealed addition is the “News and More” tab, which will be populated with headlines and news stories from MSNBC.com, MSN Autos, The New Yorker, and — for some reason — the delightful work-related humor of Dilbert (what, no Garfield?).

Of course, that’s on top of the more noteworthy Facebook/Twitter/Last.fm integration we all already knew about. You can see a video walkthrough of some of these fall XBL update features in the clip above.

Cover-fire in shooters? Done to death. Cover-fire with a jetpack? Actually, believe it or not, done. But cover-fire in zero gravity? Now we’re talking! PlayStation: The Official Magazine and Official Xbox Magazine have revealed a new third-person shooter from Namco called Inversion, which promises to include weightless action and rotating environments.

According to the information from both mags (which confirm this is at least a PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 title), Inversion is being made by Saber Interactive, the developer behind 2007′s TimeShift. The gimmick here is not time but gravity, as “zero-gravity” bubbles exist in certain parts of the world, and entering them allows you to float, take cover in mid-air behind other floating objects, walk on walls, and so on.

Outside of those bubbles, Inversion plays like a normal third-person shooter, but there are also “Vector Charges” that sometimes occur (it’s unclear exactly how) that rotate the entire environment as you play. This causes the world to “flip” (PlayStation: TOM’s quote) — sometimes 90 or 180 degrees — causing you, enemies, grenades floating in midair, etc. to fall to what’s now the new ground. Trippy.

It’s-a-me, potentially new game announcement leak! Charles Martinet, the man who became famous for giving Mario his voice, has apparently spilled the beans on a new Mario game in development that hasn’t yet been officially announced by Nintendo.

“Awesome new Mario Game! And it’s not NSMB Wii, and it’s not Galaxy 2, but it’s going to be crazy fun!” tweeted Martinet on Saturday. That’s all he had to say on the subject, so unfortunately that’s all we know: Apparently Nintendo has a new Mario game in the works and it’s not any game we already know about.

When will this game be announced? Is Nintendo totally super-pissed at Martinet right now? Will it turn out to be something disappointing like Mario Party 56 or Mario Power Lacrosse? Much remains to be revealed, we’re afraid, and there’s no telling when more details will come.

Namco Bandai’s Tales of Vesperia was very well received by both fans and critics last year, so it’s no surprise to see that the developers are, according to Famitsu, “thinking about” making a sequel (Adriasang, via VG247).

Regarding a potential sequel, Namco Bandai Games general manager Makoto Yoshizumi explained that, “It appears that [within the company] there’s a desire to make part 2. We’re thinking about it.” Clearly that’s no confirmation, but for Vesperia fans, it’s much better news than if Yoshizumi shot the prospects down outright, isn’t it?

So keep those fingers crossed, folks.

It turns out this fall’s big Xbox Live Update isn’t just about letting you post solipsistic social network updates. On top of Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm integration, the update will also add dedicated stores for music games and a news tab filled with the latest headlines (via Destructoid).

Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and Lips are the music games that each will get the distinction of having their own online stores in the Marketplace, making it easier than ever to browse and purchase the latest DLC releases. The other newly revealed addition is the “News and More” tab, which will be populated with headlines and news stories from MSNBC.com, MSN Autos, The New Yorker, and — for some reason — the delightful work-related humor of Dilbert (what, no Garfield?).

Of course, that’s on top of the more noteworthy Facebook/Twitter/Last.fm integration we all already knew about. You can see a video walkthrough of some of these fall XBL update features in the clip above.

Cover-fire in shooters? Done to death. Cover-fire with a jetpack? Actually, believe it or not, done. But cover-fire in zero gravity? Now we’re talking! PlayStation: The Official Magazine and Official Xbox Magazine have revealed a new third-person shooter from Namco called Inversion, which promises to include weightless action and rotating environments.

According to the information from both mags (which confirm this is at least a PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 title), Inversion is being made by Saber Interactive, the developer behind 2007′s TimeShift. The gimmick here is not time but gravity, as “zero-gravity” bubbles exist in certain parts of the world, and entering them allows you to float, take cover in mid-air behind other floating objects, walk on walls, and so on.

Outside of those bubbles, Inversion plays like a normal third-person shooter, but there are also “Vector Charges” that sometimes occur (it’s unclear exactly how) that rotate the entire environment as you play. This causes the world to “flip” (PlayStation: TOM’s quote) — sometimes 90 or 180 degrees — causing you, enemies, grenades floating in midair, etc. to fall to what’s now the new ground. Trippy.

It’s-a-me, potentially new game announcement leak! Charles Martinet, the man who became famous for giving Mario his voice, has apparently spilled the beans on a new Mario game in development that hasn’t yet been officially announced by Nintendo.

“Awesome new Mario Game! And it’s not NSMB Wii, and it’s not Galaxy 2, but it’s going to be crazy fun!” tweeted Martinet on Saturday. That’s all he had to say on the subject, so unfortunately that’s all we know: Apparently Nintendo has a new Mario game in the works and it’s not any game we already know about.

When will this game be announced? Is Nintendo totally super-pissed at Martinet right now? Will it turn out to be something disappointing like Mario Party 56 or Mario Power Lacrosse? Much remains to be revealed, we’re afraid, and there’s no telling when more details will come.

Namco Bandai’s Tales of Vesperia was very well received by both fans and critics last year, so it’s no surprise to see that the developers are, according to Famitsu, “thinking about” making a sequel (Adriasang, via VG247).

Regarding a potential sequel, Namco Bandai Games general manager Makoto Yoshizumi explained that, “It appears that [within the company] there’s a desire to make part 2. We’re thinking about it.” Clearly that’s no confirmation, but for Vesperia fans, it’s much better news than if Yoshizumi shot the prospects down outright, isn’t it?

So keep those fingers crossed, folks.