Slim pickins’. That’s all I got to say about this week’s new offerings from Nintendo. But you know what they say, “One man’s slim pickins’ is another man’s DLC GOTY.” Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s how the saying goes.

Hit the jump for this week’s full list.

Nintendo eShop

• Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword

Nintendo eShop + Nintendo DSiWare

• GO Series: Undead Storm

Nintendo Video

• “Drown in the Now” by The Crystal Method

Iwata Asks

• Swapnote

WiiWare

• Carmen Sandiego Adventures in Math: The Great Gateway Grab

[Update - the redesign is live! Go grab your games!]

2011 isn’t the greatest year on record for Nintendo news, but the year isn’t over with yet! Nintendo Everything is reporting that the new and improved Club Nintendo will offer something the original storefront was severely lacking: digital downloads. These downloads won’t break your virtual bank either – they’re reasonably priced at around ~100-150 coins per item (roughly 2-3 retail game redemptions).

The first reported offering consists of Fluidity (150 points), Super Mario Kart (100 points), 3D Classics: Xevious (100 points), and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! (150 points). Thankfully, these games will be cycled out in quick succession for new ones on January 10th – could it be that Nintendo is finally making that big push for online infrastructure? Stay tuned in 2012 to find out, as the Wii-U will be the Big N’s biggest online test yet.

If you have a few Nintendo product codes lying around, make sure you create a free Club Nintendo account and register them!

Source: Nintendo Everything

Worried that the looming specter of the Wii U is staged to make your favorite paper weight even more useless? Well, Reggie Fils-Aime is hear to quash all your fears, give you a pat on the head and lull you to sleep in those giant meaty arms of his. The Nintendo of America executive believes there’s plenty of room in the closet for both consoles.

“The consumer buying Wii hardware today is going to be a different consumer than the one who will be buying Wii U in the future,” said the beefburger boss. ”This is the first holiday that the Wii is available at $149.99 or below, so it’s an expanded demographic we’re reaching.

“We haven’t announced pricing for Wii U, but you can definitely expect that pricing is going to be different and that the games are going to be different,” added the tenderloin tycoon “We do believe that Wii and Wii U will coexist for some time. As we drive the install base of Wii, we’re really setting people up to take their gaming library and be able to transfer it over to Wii U.”

When asked about what will keep the Wii afloat heading into the future, the pastrami president touted Nintendo’s WiiWare and Virtual Console services and their weekly updates — funnily enough purchases that will likely not be making the transfer over to the Wii U thanks to Nintendo’s brilliant online program. See, there is a reason to keep the Wii around after all. And besides, with no Wii U GCN support, you’re going to want to keep that Wii around to play P.N.03 anyway.

Nintendo’s Reggie Fils Aime Talks Zelda, Future of Handhelds and Wii’s Big Holiday Push [Time]

In its heyday, the JRPG was one of the the most well loved, paradigmatic experiences in the entire medium of videogames. Unfortunately, all empires must eventually fall and the the tale of the JRPG has been one of stagnation and decline. Rapid technological improvements brought many eastern studios into an uphill battle, where all too often gameplay suffered at the expense of modern graphics.

We are left with an aging genre where stories are often absurd and incomprehensible, combat is frustrating and needlessly complicated, and high-definition visuals are prioritized above all else. Luckily, Xenoblade Chronicles proves to be a rare exception.

Two gigantic titans were once locked in a timeless battle for superiority amidst a vast ocean. Eons have passed, yet the giant’s lifeless forms remain, frozen in their eternal conflict. Life has taken root on their fossilized bodies. It is on this strange landscape that the story of Xenoblade unfolds.

More than just a back-story, this unique world permeates Xenoblade at nearly every level. Aesthetically, it provides magnificent sights to behold, landscapes that you just wouldn’t be see anywhere else. In addition to lush green countryside, bio-luminescent swamps, and landscapes you’d expect from a science fiction title, there is the strange moment the player looks up for the first time to see the gigantic body of the titan looming above, an ominous, breathtaking sight to behold.

On the narrative front, the fight that once existed between the titans has now been passed to their residents. One titan has been populated by a myriad of creatures, including several colonies of humans, while the other hosts an army of machines intent on the destruction of the colonies. A year ago the humans won a victory over the invading forces of the “Mechon” in a great battle, but they have returned.

The story centers around Shulk, an adolescent boy who wields the Monado — an ancient weapon of untold power. After a surprise attack on his and the grisly murder of a loved one, Shulk and a small party of warriors set off on a suicidal revenge mission to defeat the Mechon. At a glance it looks as though Xenoblade uses a formula seen a thousand times before, but there’s more to this than what meets the eye.

Xenoblade is a lot like your favorite band getting back together for a new project. What first seems like an old, familiar song soon gives way to an incredible amount of depth. It may have been twenty years since you were singing along with them on the radio, but that’s twenty years they’ve had to become better artists, hone their craft and separate what works from what doesn’t.

It’s been a while since JRPG experienced the golden age of the 16-bit era, but it seems like Monolith Software has been taking notes. Everything you love about the genre is here in one form or another and it’s been streamlined with slight improvements that highlight what once made the genre so popular and enjoyable. Even grinding is kept to a minimum, thankfully.

Xenoblade‘s combat system is similar to that of Final Fantasy XII. Combat takes place in an overworld, in real-time, rather than in turn-based attacks on a separate battle screen. Instead of random encounters, enemies can either be approached or lured away from their groups. Particularly aggressive enemies will pursue the player, while others will run for their lives when you attack them.

Standard attacks occur automatically in regular intervals, but do little damage. Special attacks, called arts, are chosen from a “battle palette” at the bottom of the screen. Arts perform a variety of actions from healing and protection spells to knocking enemies off balance so they can be tackled to the ground. During combat a gauge fills that, when full, unleashes a devastating chain attack à la White Knight Chronicles. Chain attacks allow the player to choose arts which each character performs in unison.

The player takes control of one of the party members, each of which fulfills a different role in combat. The tank draws the aggro with the healer shooting from a distance, allowing Shulk to attack from the flanks. The Monado has its own unique set of arts that are unveiled steadily throughout the game and are essential to success in battle. Overall, it’s an engaging, fast-paced, tactical experience that highlights the genre’s best qualities.

Xenoblade may be one of the among the best JRPGs of the generation, but it is far from the prettiest. It goes without saying that this Wii role-player won’t be competing with its peers on a graphical level. That’s not to say that the game looks bad, it just looks like a really nice GameCube game. If you don’t mind looking at Twilight Princess or Shadow of the Colossus you’ll have no problems here.

One of the title’s other flaws lies in the English localization. It’s not terrible, but considering the game is well over 50 hours in length, it can definitely grate on you. Nowhere is this more evident than in battles, where you’ll hear the same one-liners over and over for hours on end. Luckily, there is an option for Japanese voice with English subtitles, and all the terrible can be gone in the click of a button.

There’s so much more to Xenoblade than a story strung along by battle sequences. I could go on and on about the vast world Monolith has created to explore or the side quests, gem crafting, and collectibles that can keep you playing for hours even after the story has run its course. There are even nice, user-friendly touches like fast travel and story memos to help get you back on course with ease if you’ve wandered off the beaten path.

Here lies a game grounded within a genre that refuses to change despite decades of innovation in game design. However, this is far from a bad thing. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, Monolith Software has perfected it with subtle enhancements that only serve to streamline and improve the experience. Comfortable to tread on familiar ground and deliver excellence, Nintendo delivers one of the best JRPGs in recent memory with Xenoblade Chronicles.

While attention has shifted from gamescom to PAX Prime without us even thinking about it, there is a summit that will fly mostly under the radar this year — Cloud Gaming USA. Just after we’ve gone home with our swag bags and hangovers, this event will take place in San Jose, Calif. September 7 – 8.

Industry professionals will fill a conference hall adjacent to Silicon Valley in efforts to shape the future of how we play games. Most likely, the future won’t look like the above picture. Albeit, a look at the attendees may provide insight as to why we should pay attention.

Cloud Gaming USA released their attendee list Tuesday. It features those one would expect to show up, the Cloud Notables so to speak like Amazon, Comcast and Gaikai. Or, in other words, those who would stand to profit most from gamers migrating from owning to paying for access. Dig a little deeper into the list, and one finds a bevy of publishing and developing names like Namco Bandai, Nintendo and THQ.

Are we to expect the likes of Tekken, Mario/Zelda/Donkey Kong and Saints Row soon to be found in the cloud? That may be the most visceral reaction. It’s more likely that these companies are interested in offering additional cloud based services, something like a persistent profile that maintains a copy of all your saves and purchases similar to the rumblings coming from EA, Ubisoft and Sony, who also will be attending.

Xenoblade Chronicles landed on European shores last week, and so far it looks like the Wii RPG is performing pretty well at retail. The highly anticipated title is currently charting at number seven for entertainment software sales in the United Kingdom.

On the Wii-specific charts Xenoblade is second only to the ever-popular Zumba Fitness, which has enjoyed ten straight weeks in the top spot. Well that’s certainly exciting news. But if you’re still on the fence, our official review is on its way.

It’s official. All three titles under the banner of fan-campaign Operation Rainfall are being localized for Western release. Nintendo of Europe just released their Autumn/Winter software line-up, which includes The Last Story and Pandora’s Tower. Both titles will be joining the European Wii library sometime next year.

If you want a reason to turn on your Wii this year Monolith Soft’s acclaimed Xenoblade Chronicles is landing in European stores this week. Nintendo of America may want to keep you from playing great Japanese Wii games, but now that there are English translations in the works, that likely won’t deter ardent American Wii owners.

If you’re keen to actually play something on your Wii for a change and happen to live in Europe, then you’re in luck this week. The highly anticipated Xenoblade Chronicles is launching in Europe this Friday, August 19th. If playing with a Wii remote and Nunchuk isn’t exactly your thing, the title is also coming bundled with a red Classic Controller Pro. If you’d like more information on the well-received Wii RPG, Nintendo has launched a full website for the title in addition to the trailer seen above.

Nintendo of America is keeping a close eye on how this one does at retail in Europe, so hopefully people actually buy the thing. It’s not like there’s anything else coming out for the system any time soon.

Nintendo of America has just confirmed release dates for two of the most exciting 3DS releases of the year. Players will be able to take to the skies in a new Tanooki suit for the first time in twenty years on November 13 in Super Mario 3D Land. Just in time for the holidays, Mario Kart 7 will be releasing a few short weeks later on December 4.

It looks like things are looking up for Nintendo’s portable with Luigi’s Mansion 2 and Kid Icarus: Uprising, and Star Fox 64 3D in the pipeline. The recent price cut and this strong first-party holiday line up surely will help. Now hopefully third parties are willing to do their part. What upcoming 3DS title are you most excited for?

[Update: Target has followed Walmart's lead and begun selling the 3DS at $170 early.]

Stop what you’re doing, go to Walmart and buy a 3DS. While Nintendo’s portable console will be receiving an official $80 price cut this Friday, Walmart has jumped the gun and started selling them for $170 early. Apparently, the evil big box isn’t only keen on killing off small businesses in your town, but beating its competitors to the punch.

Fearing the wrath of scorned early adopters, Nintendo is offering 20 free downloadable games to 3DS owners who connect to the eShop by August 12th.  So if you’re planning on picking a 3DS up anyway, why not do it before Friday at the attractive new price point and nab yourself 10 free Gameboy Advance titles in addition to 10 free NES ones?

From cult hits like Grasshopper Manufacture’s No More Heroes to first-party million sellers, the Wii has amassed a large library of superb titles over the past five years. Unfortunately, that long list of great games no longer seems to be growing. In the past few months the Wii has stagnated, showing little sign of impressive software heading toward the launch of the Wii U. Luckily, Gamer Limit has dug up a dozen great-looking Wii titles that have yet to see releases in the United States.

Join us after the break for a naïve wish list of games that will probably never see US releases, but could help the Wii go out in a bang rather than die with a lonely whimper.

Captain Rainbow

Having been in the business for over thirty years now, Nintendo has introduced the world to videogame characters so iconic that they have become household names. But for every Mario out there, there are dozens of supporting characters just waiting to have their chance in the spotlight. Enter Captain Rainbow. D-list Nintendo characters ranging from Punch-Out’s Little Mac to Tracy of Link’s Awakening make appearances in hilariously strange action-adventure game. The game is unique amongst Nintendo’s catalogue for being extremely vulgar, and covering rarely discussed topics in the medium of videogames, such as Birdo’s sexual and gender identity issues.

Zangeki no Reginleiv

Anyone who’s played an Earth Defense Force game will be able to appreciate the series’ stupidly fun gameplay. It just doesn’t get much better than shotgunning a giant alien ant in the face, then taking out a skyscraper with  a rocket launcher. With Zangeki no Reginleiv, Sandlot takes the premise behind EDF and inserts it into the Norse mythos, reimagining the tale of Ragnarök. Swap the guns and bugs for swords and giants, and the Dualshock for a Motion-Plus Wii-Remote and get ready to see buckets of blood fly across the screen as you chop off limbs and sever the heads of mythical beasts in this incredibly gory hack and slash title.

Another Code: R

Fans of Trace Memory have been tragically deprived of the Wii sequel to the fantastic DS original. Boasting a wonderful visual style and mystery novel-inspired adventure/puzzle gameplay, the Trace Memory / Another Code series was something new and unique for Nintendo, that was tragically cut down before it had a chance to blossom. The development studio’s recent bankruptcy might not bode well for additional sequels, but Nintendo could actually use its publishing rights to bring Another Code: R to the Americas and let us experience what the Europeans and Japanese have been able to for years now.

Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

Fatal Frame IV is the most recent installment in one of the most acclaimed survival horror series in the industry. Moreover, the title was developed, in-part, by the acclaimed studio Grasshopper Manufacture. In light of Nintendo’s decision not to bring the game to American shores, fans took matters into their own hands, localizing the game themselves for anyone willing to import a copy and mod their system.

Sukeban Shachou Rena

I love weird Japanese games, and they don’t get much stranger than this one. Affectionately known as “President Cat”, Sukeban Shachou Rena is a hilarious minigame collection about, yes you guessed it, cats. As an entry level cat at Cat Queen Inc., you must perform a variety of tasks to earn your feline CEO’s respect and climb the corporate ladder. It’s a rare thing for me to be salivating over a minigame collection, but this title looks too absurd to pass up.

Earth Seeker

With a plot that sounds vaguely similar to Titan A.E., humanity leaves the post-apocalyptic Earth in hopes of creating a new home. Unfortunately the terraforming device malfunctions when the ship crash-lands, creating monsters and problems for what remains of the human race. Having only just launched in Japan last month, Earth Seeker is the youngest title in this list. Let’s hope that a publisher steps up to the plate to get this one localized.

Takt of Magic

The spiritual successor to DS title Lost Magic, Square Enix subsidiary Taito’s Takt of Magic was never given a chance with American audiences. It’s a shame too, because the title had a pretty interesting user-interface. Similar to Deep Silver’s Cursed Mountain, in Takt of Magic players used the Wii-remote to draw hundreds of spells to cast in battle. Oh well, yet another good-looking strategy role-playing game that never made it out of Japan.

Eyeshield 21: The Field’s Greatest Warrior

Unless you’re a fan of obscure anime, you’ve probably never heard of Eyeshield 21. The series follows a terrible Japanese high school football team with a secret weapon, the incredibly fast running back Eyeshield21. As a fan of arcade sports, I’m always looking for something to put on my shelf next to NFL Blitz. Not only would The Field’s Greatest Warrior be a nice arcade sports game to have localized in the United States, but it would be a great opportunity to reflect on something ingrained in our culture, given new life through a Japanese perspective.

Disaster Day of Crisis

There are plenty of minigame collections out there: Carnival Games: Game of the Year Edition, Rayman & the Bunnies, Mario Party 38, That Other Crap Party Game, but few that appeal to hardcore gamers. Well if playing beach volleyball with mom isn’t exactly your idea of a good time, how about surviving earthquakes, terrorist attacks, car chases, volcanic eruptions and attacks from wild animals? Enter the unintentionally hilarious string of minigames that makes up action-adventure romp Disaster Day of Crisis…unless you’re American.

The Last Story, Xenoblade, and Pandora’s Tower

Having deprived North American Wii owners from some of the most compelling first-party software the system has to offer, a movement was born out of the IGN message boards. Just last month, Operation Rainfall set out to convince Nintendo of America to localize three good-looking Japanese role-playing games. While not a huge fan of role-playing games myself, I truly admire what the people behind Operation Rainfall are doing. Enough so that I’d be willing to reach out of my comfort zone and support Miswalker, Monolith Soft or Ganbarion, should any of their games see US releases.

Do you even remember the last game you bought for your Wii? Exciting Wii releases, typically few and far between, have been virtually nonexistent as of late. The Wii has stagnated to the point that fans have taken matters into their own hands. A grassroots movement called Operation Rainfall have set out to do just that, campaigning to localize three Nintendo-published role-playing games.

Though not for a lack of trying, the efforts have yet to prove successful. Nintendo of America still refuses to localize the games. Despite critical acclaim and commercial success in Japan, it seems like Americans won’t get a chance to experience these titles. You just have to wonder why though. Have they forgotten their fans? Does Nintendo even care?

It’s incredible to think of how successful the Wii has been over the course of its lifecycle, how much Nintendo have turned their luck around over the past five years, only for it to end like this. The Nintendo Wii, one of the most successful videogame platforms of all time, will go out not with a bang, but a whimper. Now a dying console, the Wii is limping toward its final days.

Much of the blame for all of this could be passed off on third party publishers. Over the past year, one by one, third parties have discontinued their support for the system. Nintendo have been left alone to prop up the Wii, until the eventual release of its successor. Unfortunately, they can’t even do that. Nintendo’s attention is obviously torn in several directions and they’ve decided to let the system with the largest install base be the one that gets the short end of the stick.

Earlier this year Nintendo released a half-functional 3DS months ahead of development schedule to please investors. Only recently has the new portable begun to deliver on Nintendo’s promises, whether that is functionality such as the Nintendo eShop or an actual lineup of decent software offerings. Now, they have to worry about the impending release of their next home console, its software, and digital infrastructure. All the while the Wii sits forgotten.

Whether intentionally or not, Nintendo is telling consumers that if they want to play new games they need a 3DS. Nevermind the fact that Nintendo’s new portable’s embarrassingly meager launch offerings. Nevermind the fact that there will be a smaller, better version of the system out by next Christmas. Nevermind the fact that a lot of Wii owners will not even want a 3DS.

The other option is to wait an entire year for an expensive, new console that has yet to show us anything more than tech demos, much less do much to differentiate itself from an Xbox 360 or iPad. The more likely scenario is Wii owners flocking towards the competition, turning to Sony and Microsoft for new experiences. That, or they’ll mod their console and play the games anyway. Rather than willingly take money from their fans, Nintendo seems content to lose money to their competitors and piracy.

Nintendo shouldn’t give up on the Wii when there is the rest of 2011 and 2012 to play for. Not only shouldn’t they do that, but it’s just bad business to do so. Wii owners, even ones that are interested in a successor console, are going to have doubts about Nintendo after a year where the only compelling mainstream release is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. As excited as I’ve been to play a new Zelda title for the past half-decade, one game isn’t going to carry an entire calendar year. Wii owners that don’t own a second console should be absolutely livid, especially considering that Nintendo is holding out on them.

There are nearly a dozen other first party titles that the publisher could bring to North America. These games have already finished development and have been released in other territories. All of the hard work has already been done, Nintendo of Europe has even localized several of these into English, leaving Nintendo of America the comparatively easy task of printing off discs and supplying various retailers. At least that would remind consumers that the Wii exists.

The three titles under the umbrella of Operation Rainfall, Xenoblade, Pandora’s Tower and The Last Story, have already been released in Japan to both critical and commercial acclaim. These are great games that thousands of fans have rallied behind the effort to get these games localized. What could possibly be Nintendo’s rationale behind not bringing these games to America?

It doesn’t make financial sense. As can be seen above, Americans tend to purchase more units of similar releases than Europeans or Japanese. While certainly not Call of Duty numbers, even in these relatively small numbers publishers can turn a profit through limited releases. Several considerably smaller publishers do just that for their entire catalog. Yet, Nintendo of America, one of the largest publishers on the planet, can’t seem to take a gamble on a single one of these titles? What do they have to lose?

No, none of these games will sell anywhere near as well as Wii Fit. You won’t see The Last Story in every American household. However, Nintendo have a unique opportunity to please their fans. They have an opportunity to do something nice for the people that have supported them in the good times, and kept them in business through the bad.

Nintendo may not have a whole lot to gain from releasing a few role-playing games in the United States.  They do however, have a great deal to lose. The success Nintendo saw with the Wii could very well come and go. Who knows if Nintendo will continue to have success pursuing the Blue Ocean. What Nintendo will always have is their loyal fanbase.  That is, unless they do something to screw that up. I fear that this may very well be the last straw.