Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest has been delayed once more. Publisher Warner Bros has revealed the release date is now projected to be fall 2010. Its not all bad news though. The PlayStation 3 version of the title will now support the recently announced PlayStation Move giving the Wii a little competition in the motion-control department. Both the Wiimote and Move will allow players to accurately control weapon strikes in the game as well as in co-op gameplay exclusive to the PS3 and Wii.

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PRESS RELEASE

Sometimes realism is overrated. Don’t we all need a regular jolt of fantasy to keep our imaginations alive and kicking? For Wii owners, this week’s new game lineup is set to deliver exactly that. Max & the Magic Marker for the WiiWare service imagines what would happen if your own artistic creation turned against you, while the Virtual Console service features a big dose of otherworldly action with the classic FINAL FANTASY II. Browse all the latest downloadable games for the Wii and Nintendo DSi systems to help keep your imagination fueled to the max.

We’ve also got some free bonus inspiration for you this week: At last September’s Penny Arcade Expo, Nintendo invited professional artists to create one-of-a-kind animations using the Flipnote Studio application for the Nintendo DSi system. The results are now online and ready for viewing at the Flipnote Hatena site, including cool clips from top comic artists like Eric Jones, Christina Strain and Mike Choi. Check them out and treat your brain to extra helpings of creative juice.

Get a full listing of all the virtual offerings from Nintendo this week after the jump.
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What a great day for the etymologists amongst you, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced via press release its plans to create the next Scribblenauts for Nintendo DS. Available in fall 2010, the follow-up game, tentatively titles “Scribblenauts 2“, expands on its predecessor with inventive new features including an adjectives system that allows players to “push the limits of their imagination to create their own experience.”

You can check out first images and art from the project right here.

“The Scribblenauts sequel gives all players an enhanced game experience they will love and new challenges where they can use their imaginations even more,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Development and Production, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “5TH Cell is a very talented and creative developer and we are excited to add to the Scribblenauts franchise with this new game.”

“The next Scribblenauts broadens the players’ experience from the first Scribblenauts through more creativity, innovation and in-depth gameplay,” said Jeremiah Slaczka, Creative Director and Co-Founder of 5TH Cell. “All of these enhancements give players even greater control over how they want to play the game.”

The new Scribblenauts game is said to offer more words, more creativity and “limitless possibilities” for gamers of all ages, although we can think of a few words that just might not be included…

We’ll keep you posted on any new info as it emerges.

Today the Big N opened the floodgates at the Nintendo Media Summit by making several big release date announcements and unleashing brand new media from several highly-anticiapted games.

A rather large press release (as in “wall of text”) was sent forth, highlighted by North American release dates for the new Nintendo DSi XL (March 28/MSRP $189.99 – Media Summit Trailer here), Super Mario Galaxy 2 (May 23, 2010 – vids / screens), Metroid: Other M (June 27, 2010 vids / screens), and Capcom’s Monster Hunter Tri (April 20, 2010 – vids / screens).

Also of note, Mega Man 10 will be launching March 1, 2010 via WiiWare and Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies will light up North American DS’ this Summer.

Quite honestly, there’s so much info that its probably best for you to check it all out yourself and get updated all at once in one convenient spot. So, check out the media above then hit the jump, get the goods, and be sure to share your reaction to all of the big Nintendo news in the comments section below!
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In conjunction with the release of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing on all major consoles this week, Sega recently released a trailer for the game that we thought we’d share with all of the OTHER nostalgic Sonic fans besides us out there (we know there are at least 10 of you…). As showcased in the trailer, the mascot kart racing game pits your favorite Sega characters against each other in the vein of Mario Kart and Crash Team Racing. The Sega mascots will also cruise onto a Steam and a PC near you this Thursday, February 26. You can check out the trailer right here.

So, we bring this up to pose the following question….Is anyone interested in this or has Mario Kart Wii thoroughly quenched your mascot racing thirst? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Boy, it’s been a busy day for Batman…After learning of the deal between Arkham Asylum dev Rocksteady and Warner Bros., we now get word of Batman: The Brave and the Bold the Videogame, an action-adventure title coming this Autumn for Wii and Nintendo DS.

Here’s a description:

Batman: The Brave and the Bold the Videogame fully immerses fans into the vivid animated world of the successful TV series where kids can play as Batman or together with family and friends in two-player co-op mode. Players can choose from iconic characters ROBIN, GREEN LANTERN, BLUE BEETLE, along with drop-in heroes such as AQUAMAN to help solve puzzles and fight foes.

The game will also feature cross-platform functionality allowing players to connect the two systems to unlock BAT-MITE as a playable character. Players can control him with the Nintendo DS to wreak havoc or fight alongside the main characters in all levels of the Wii videogame.

“Batman: The Brave and the Bold the Videogame further illustrates the diverse appeal of the Batman brand and the gameplay is a fun, vibrant extension of the animated series,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President of Development and Production, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “The game’s co-op play offers kids, families and Batman fans an interactive way of experiencing the cartoon’s iconic characters.”

Interested? Well, put on your tights and head on over to the game’s official website.

PRESS RELEASE

Let’s say you’re relaxing at home, but something doesn’t seem quite right. Maybe your house has ghosts. Clearly you need to get GhostSlayer, with its Wii MotionPlus accessory functionality, to figure out how to deal with them. Or maybe your house has a mouse. Mouse House puzzles seem the logical choice for you. Maybe you just need to get out of the house and try some fresh air with Family Go-Kart Racing. If it seems a bit brighter than usual outdoors, that’s probably because Aura-Aura, the star of Aura-Aura Climber, has fallen out of the sky. While you’re out having fun, take and share some crazy pictures of your friends and family with Faceez, or spend a few relaxing hours directing flights with Flight Control. And while you’re out there, you might want to spend some time helping a little boy recover his lost pet goldfish, Flipper.

Hit the jump for the full listing of content coming your way this week from Nintendo.
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Hey everyone, DK here getting your through the work week with yet another epic Member BattleCry here on the ‘Axe. This week we’re discussing console exclusives and specifically, we’re asking you to chime in with your favs! Obviously, you know this topics CAN’T come up without mentioning a a few key franchises from the Big “N”, so I’m handing the floor over to Littaly to deliver a unique perspective on exactly WHY Nintendo’s franchises keep us all coming back for more.
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Fans of music in gaming and game audio in general will appreciate the fact that The Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), the non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and recognition of game audio, recently announced the finalists for the 8th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards that are designed to honor outstanding creative, technical and artistic audio achievement in the world of interactive entertainment.
 
Voted and judged upon by the game audio industry and members of G.A.N.G., the finalists represent an array of the best audio in games from 2009.  The standouts for nominations this year include Assassin’s Creed II and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves which received 9 nominations each.  Final voting has begun and the final winners are chosen by the entire membership of the G.A.N.G. organization.  Over 2,000 people representing over 30 countries have signed up as members of G.A.N.G. since its inception in 2002.  The winners will be announced at the 8th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony being held on Friday, March 12th, 2010 in San Francisco, CA during the Game Developers Conference.
 
“The level of quality for game audio continues to get higher and higher each year,” said Tommy Tallarico, G.A.N.G. Founder, CEO and Chairman. “It’s so important to make sure that the talented game audio individuals from around the world get the recognition they deserve.”  G.A.N.G. President Paul Lipson added, “This was one of our biggest submission years yet and over 70 game audio professionals on our global advisory boards helped in deciding the final nominees.  With the level of talent these days, being voted as a final nominee is a remarkable accomplishment.”

Finalists for the 8th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards are listed below by category in alphabetical order after the jump.
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Yeah, so, as we all know Facebook is kind of a big deal these days and since we here at the ‘Axe are all about empowering the gaming masses to speak their mind, we thought we’d roll out our official Facebook fan page in an effort to showcase the Epicness of the ‘Axe throughout the net. Basically, we’re gonna tap into some FB action in order to spread the word about YOUR Member BattleCries, YOUR interaction in the forums, YOUR voting in the EBA Polls, and otherwise create this huge gathering of geeked out goodness within the Facebook community. We’ll be hosting FB-specific discussions, dropping props to users, and of course participating in all of the jack-assery that Facebook can handle (which is A LOT…trust me…)

Obviously, to do that, we’re gonna need you boys and girls to become fans of the ole’ EpicBattleAxe.com…Which is rather painless and one click away right here (assuming you have a FB account).

Also, we’re open to hear your suggestions about using Facebook. Have a great idea or wanna see EBA utilize a feature you’ve come to love? Let us know and we’ll be sure to give it a look!

Alright gang, tell your friends, tell your enemies, tell the world! EpicBattleAxe.com is getting ready to write a new chapter…and Facebook is only the beginning.