After releasing less than five months ago, MetaCritic’s highest-rated Wii game of 2009, Metroid Prime Trilogy, has stopped being published and shipped.

“Unfortunately, Metroid Prime Trilogy is no longer being shipped. Having said that, you may be able to find what you seek through the secondhand video game market,” says Nintendo, in an email response to Coffee with Games‘s inquiry as to why the game was no longer available on Amazon.

Did you pick up your copy of an actual Collector’s Edition game yet?  Better get on that.  They’re going, going… gone.

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We tend to forget about some of the inherent binaries present in all games. For instance, in any given game, player actions can be thought of in terms of a dichotomy written into the very foundation of the game: you are either allowed to perform an action, or you are not. Thanks to the limitations of coding, it’s unavoidable that players will run into situations in which the game says “no, you are not allowed to do this.”

It’s a source of frustration for players and developers alike—how can players have as much freedom as possible within the programming limitations of games?

There’s actually a fairly simple principle that games can follow: a game should never say no to a reasonable request from a player. Simple in theory, yes, but is this even realistically possible? Read on to see why I think this is an achievable and important goal.

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In an industry where hype is the rule rather than the exception, there is much joy to be found when a title slips under the radar and catches us unaware of  its quality and vision. Knowing that a sleeper hit can delight as much – or more – than the latest blockbuster release, it’s worth celebrating those titles from last year that arrived with little fanfare, but left with a bang.

In the information age, a game that is able to surprise us is a rare treasure indeed. Follow me over the jump to look at some of the games that defied our expectations, or blindsided us with win, in 2009!

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The Limitcast is back!  It’s time to roll up those Kwanzaa mats, blow out the menorah, and take down the tree.  The holidays are over (finally!) and it’s time to get back to business.  We missed last week, and we apologize, but now we are rallying behind a slew of new topics.

This week’s podcast is going to focus on the critical approach to video game reviews. Read more… »

After three years of low-quality Wii software not moving from store shelves, retailers such as Target and Best Buy have had enough. According to Gamasutra, many retailers are refusing to pick up new Wii software if said games are mini game collections. This flies directly in the face of the common misconception that cheap-o Wii software sells in droves.

The article goes on to examine the current Wii environment and the on-going struggle of third parties to make a dent in the market. With hardware sales down 14% from 2008 and looking to drop even further, publishers are coming to grips with some hard truths. Chris Kramer, Capcom senior director of communications and community, notes that simple casual games hit it big in the beginning but not as much once the market became saturated.

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Today Sony finally announced the release date for Quantic Dreams’ interactive drama Heavy Rain. According to a post on the PlayStation.blog, Heavy Rain is slated to arrive in the States on February 23. Main land Europe will have to wait one extra day while the UK gets it on February 26.

Last month Quantic Dreams announced that Heavy Rain will be receiving downloadable episodes called “Chronicles.” The purpose of this DLC is to provide gamers with more background on the main characters. Each chronicle will cost you $4.99, that is unless you pre-order Heavy Rain at Amazon, GameCrazy, or GameStop; then you’ll get the first batch of DLC for free. Read more… »

Back in September, a very reliable source – Capcom’s own Japanese website for Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom – gave some unintended insight into which characters would be making debut appearances for the North American console release. Four out of five of the rumored characters have already been revealed, but the last revelation finally confirmed the rumor to be 100% accurate.

Earlier this week, Capcom announced that the last new console character would be Yatterman #2, from the eponymous Tatsunoko anime Yatterman. Yatterman #2 is, in fact, a Yatterwoman who controls a giant robot pelican, aptly named the Yatter-Pelican. Hit the jump to see some action screenshots.

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Practically every developer promises that they will be supporting their game with DLC after launch.  Few, if any, ever deliver on those commitments in a substantial or timely manner. For this, Gearbox is to be commended; they have released two full DLC packages within months of Borderlands‘ release to keep interest in their highly touted shooter-looter alive.

The latest DLC installment, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot, comes hot on the heels of The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned to offer a heaping helping of arena-based combat to content-hungry Borderlands fans. Does the newest hotspot on Pandora offer challenging gameplay, or is it just a challenge to play? Hit the jump to find out!

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With pitchers and catchers arriving down in spring training just a a few short weeks away, Sony has announced that allstar catcher Joe Mauer, of the Minnesota Twins, will be the cover athlete for the PlayStation exclusive marquis baseball title, MLB 10 The Show.

To be honest, this really comes as no surprise. Taking a look at the young catcher’s career numbers (in just 5 short years), he’s an absolute beast, not to mention you can finally play as a catcher in this iteration of the MLB franchise title. Hit the jump for a more complete list of NEW features that The Show will bring to the table. Read more… »

In the wake of 2D Boy’s massively popular sale of World of Goo, more indie developers are following in their footsteps and offering their flagship games for the low low price of whatever you want to pay. This time it’s Kloonigames behind the sale, with Crayon Physics Deluxe available on their website for whatever you wish to pay. $0.01 or $100, you make the choice until January 15th, when the original price will return.

Crayon Physics Deluxe is the winner of the Independent Games Festival 2008, and features over 70 levels of play with a level editor included so you can create your own physics levels. If Scribblenauts whetted your appetite for cartoony style puzzle games, but you wanted to draw instead of type, then Crayon Physics Deluxe is just what the doctor ordered.

Right off the pitted, post-apocalyptic bat, 2010’s already showing seeping signs of life, ultimately brought to an impressive start thanks to its jazzy January line-up. If there was ever a golden quarter for fans of the action adventure genre, this should be it. In the same boxing ring as Bayonetta, God of War 3, and Dante’s Inferno, Vigil Games’ Darksiders distinguishes itself from its competitors early on, where puzzles and a comic book art style-inspired direction takes precedence over big boobies, shiny visuals, and a game premised on poetry.

You’ve probably heard it all before, but War’s debut – a new IP worth applauding – is one that should ultimately be heralded as a fine first foray by the folks over at Vigil. This exact game should remind us why sometimes a fresh start should be preferred over stale, drawn out franchises. Read more… »

To coincide with the release of the new MJ documentary, This Is It, on DVD and Blu-ray at the end of the month, Japan is getting an exclusive 120 GB PS3 Slim bundle.  It’ll include all the standard PS3 fixings plus a Blu-ray copy of the new movie for only ¥33,500 (roughly $366).

Unfortunately, the bundle appears to be Japan-only, as Sony has stated that there are NO plans for an American or European release.  It’s too “Bad,” really.  Guess you “Got to Be There” if you want to (allegedly) fondle this thing while you’re Home Alone.

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