They might not be doing so hot right now, but that doesn't mean we should forget the success they've had for the most part of the year. Nintendo has been named "World's Best Company" for 2009, coming out on top of all the major corporations worldwide. Now what has the World's Best Company been cooking up all week? Check 'em all out right here.

Under pressure from Connecticut's attorney general, the WiiWare game Beer Pong was rechristened as Pong Toss. The change was due to the word "Beer" in the title, and the title-change worked to change its "T for Teens" rating from the ESRB to an "E for Everyone" rating. Beer just isn't for everyone. Story in the full article.

The comments made by Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick about how 2K Sports titles are out-rating EA Sports games in reviews seem to have gotten to EA Sports boss Peter Moore. Peter blogged recently about how competitive their line-up is and he spoke of how franchises like NBA Live will put on a ground-breaking show when E3 2008 comes. More details in the full article.

We've all heard debates about the feasibility and value of a "One Console Future"  where all gaming takes place on a single platform. Silicon Knights President Dennis Dyack and EA executive Gerhard Florin were the last two big names to express support for the idea, and this blogger wants to share some thoughts. I love Fight Night Round 3 and I'm excited about Too Human, but I'd have to disagree with the two bosses on this one.

 Analysts have had the chance to air their predictions prior to this year's E3 in Santa Monica, where some of the forecasts held true while the others swung and missed. Gamespot ran an article recently on the impressions of familiar analysts on Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft's announcements.

Kicking things off for the think tank, Nintendo impressed everyone with the announcement of some new accessories for their Wii game console. The Zapper gun drew some attention and nobody could whine about the Mario Kart Wii steering wheel. But what got everyone riled up was upcoming biggie Wii Fit and the seemingly ingenious Balance Board set to ship with it.

 Wii Fit and its Balance Board "looks good and will appeal to the casual audience that Nintendo is tapping into," says Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital markets as he observed the Kyoto-based company's successful press conference.

Other analysts like Nollenberger Capital Markets' Todd Grunewald agree. He comments "Wii Fit should expand the market even further for Nintendo, and maybe some nimble publishers like Ubisoft and Majesco can benefit from it. I don't think it will be as big as Brain Age or Wii Sports, though."

Meanwhile, Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter admits he was wrong with his prediction of a price drop announcement for the Microsoft Xbox 360, saying that the firm may have decided that it was best not to do it for the meantime. Doing a price drop at the same time when they announced an extended warranty for the console could send wrong signals about the quality of their wares.

His counterparts in the other firms agreed that right now, there's no compelling reason for Microsoft to lower its prices. Sebastian, however, says that the drop may not have to wait too long to happen as he predicts it to occur sometime during the summer.

As for the Sony PlayStation 3, analysts welcomed the recent reduction in retail pricing, but said that a stronger line of games was necessary if the kings of the last two game console cycles want to make a three-peat. Analysts have marked 2008 as the mist crucial time frame for the system.

Video game publisher Majesco Entertainment has sent around some information regarding the titles that it will be showcasing at this year's E3. Majesco will be unveiling quite a few titles for the Nintendo Wii and DS systems as well as its very first title for the Xbox 360, Kengo: Legend of the 9. Check the list below for the full lineup.

• DS
• Nancy Drew and the Deadly Secret of Olde World Park
• Zoo Hospital
• Holly Hobbie & Friends
• Turn It Around
• Operation: Vietnam
• The Wild West
• Wii
• Blast Works: Build, Fuse, Destroy
• Furu Furu Park
• Xbox 360
• Kengo: Legend of the 9

Majesco will be in booths 222 to 224 at E3. Check it out if you're attending.

Are you a casual gamer or a hardcore gamer? Do you like your games short, sweet, pick-up-and-play, or immersive and borderline masochistic? Whatever your answer, Nintendo's got your fix, with an assorted summer lineup for the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Wii that's sure to satisfy any player, no matter how hard your core or casual your playstyle is.

What's most exciting about the summer lineup? Let's just take a look-see: Mario Strikers Charged, that's for the Wii, available on July 30. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption's another highly anticipated title for the Wii, as well. Not sure about High School Musical: Sing It, though - cheery upbeat high school musical simulator?

For the Nintendo DS, it's Brain Training 2 and Picross DS, both very good mind-sharpening games in their own right. Now who says that games rot your brain? They very well don't! Of course, the third chapter in the ever-so-popular Phoenix Wright series - Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations - will be out in September. A very good summer indeed.

In any case, here's the summer lineup. Mark your calendars!

Wii

• July 30 Mario Strikers Charged
  
• Aug. 20 Metroid Prime 3 Corruption
  
• September Battalion Wars 2 Nintendo
• Aug. 14 High School Musical: Sing It!
  
• Aug. 14 Madden NFL '08
  
• August Tiger Woods PGA Tour '08
  
• August Space Station Tycoon
  
• August Brunswick Pro Bowling
  
• August Dave Mirra BMX Challenge
  
• August Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection
  
• September Brothers in Arms
  
• September Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal
  
• September George of the Jungle
  
• Fall Boogie
  

The summer lineup for the Nintendo DS after the jump!

British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) today announced that the 2007 British Academy Video Games Awards will be held on October 23 at Battersea Evolution in London. This prestigious event "recognises excellence in the fastest-growing form of entertainment" according to Paul Jackson, Chair of the Academy's Games Committee.

Last year's awards drew about 700 attendees, because of this BAFTA has had to seek a larger venue for the 2007 Awards. The Battersea Evolution can hold as much as 2000 guests comfortably, so seating should be no problem. In addition, it is located just five minutes away from Victoria, so it is very accessible to those who will be attending.

Anne Marie-Flynn, the head of the BAFTA awards, is very happy at the choice of their new location, and has given a statement regarding it.

We needed to find somewhere which gave us room to expand, because the Academy’s long term commitment is to make these awards the global kitemark of games excellence. Last year we mounted the most highly attended Awards in the industry and this year will be even bigger. We are very excited about putting on a really visually arresting Awards show in 2007.

To get into the event, you can contact the Academy’s Video Games Officer Kelly Smith on 0207 292 5821 or by email at kellys@bafta.org.

 

The website for Transformers: The Game has already been launched, and in all honesty, it's looking just great. Loading up the site gives you the option to either Enter the Site or Enter Battle (whatever that may be since the Enter Battle section isn't open yet...).

Entering the site allows one to view the game's features, as well as videos and images from the game, and even the developers' blog. The opportunity to join the Beta testing of "Battle for the AllSpark" can also be found here, by clicking on the button found at the bottom of the screen. This particular bit really drew our attention since we have been waiting for a game like this ever since we were kids. No word has been given on when the full version of the web game will be available, but you can keep checking for it via our read link below.

Lastly, Activision also released some new screenshots for the game which shows the new Bumblebee in various stages of kicking Decepticon butt. The graphics are looking as polished as ever and we can't wait to get our hands on the game.

 

You might have read our earlier post on the shutdown of Gen Con So Cal. Yep, after four successful conventions that drew gamers, fans, and people of all shapes and sizes to congregate and have fun for four great days of pure gaming bliss, Gen Con So Cal is no more.

In order to give fans an explanation of their decision, Gen Con's CEO Peter Adkison has posted an open letter on the official Gen Con website, simply entitled "The End of Gen Con So Cal". Read on for an excerpt that deals with one of their main reasons for the decision.

The "problem" is the Gen Con format is a very expensive format for a convention. Most conventions are only an exhibit hall, a vast area where companies set up booths and sell (consumer shows) or promote (trade shows) or both. But at Gen Con we like to be more than just a big exhibit hall. We dedicate tons of space to games and fun events that are of interest to gamers, overlapping with gaming culture, but do nothing to generate revenue.

There's still hope, though, as according to Adkison, "Gen Con Indy is very profitable and is in no danger of going away." He also says that they currently have plans of "taking Gen Con Indy and Star Wars Celebration and making them even better, without compromising anything that’s there now. Funds that were being invested in Gen Con So Cal will be diverted to these shows."

Click on the "read" link below to read the full open letter.