Nintendo Italy has revealed their upcoming WIi game Punch Out!! will be featuring the Balance Board support. Seeing as how Punch Out!!! is an arcade boxing title originally from the NES and SNES, having this new peripheral should be interesting, to say the least. Details and screenshots after the jump.

If you've ever wanted to play international hoops in a video game but couldn't find one that will offer such a thing, then worry no more. NBA Live 08 (also coming to the Xbox 360, Wii and PC) just sealed a licensing deal with world basketball governing body FIBA and international teams will be included in the mix.

The Play Now mode allows you to pit the world's best teams against any ballclub in the NBA, while the FIBA mode will have you battling it out in an 8-team tournament to determine which national squad has the right to be called world champions. This means you can take it to the rack using Manu Ginobili while Spurs teammate Tim Duncan tries to stop you. Can T-Mac shoot fadeaways over Yao Ming? We'll find out soon.

2006 World Championship winners Spain led by Memphis Grizzlies star Pau Gasal will be there as well as runners up Greece and USA, as well as France, Germany, Italy, Argentina and China.

The announcement adds to the already stellar list of new features such as the Go-To basketball gameplay, deep customization and management. Combine that with the trademark quality graphics and sound and the NBA Live dynasty just might go on well into the new age of digital sports.

  

We imagine that this year holds a special place for car fans, as it marks the 60th anniversary of the Italian-based car manufacturer, Ferrari. As part of this occasion, the car-manufacturer is currently holding a special "Ferrari 60 Relay" world tour, with vehicles spanning Ferrari's history being paraded around a few days ago at London.

On the gaming side of the news, we're also announcing that this event was sponsored by System 3 - the group that's currently publishing the Ferrari Challenge racing game headed for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS. In line with the tour and future game release, Ferrari GB Managing Director Massimo Fedeli had this to say:

Since the launch of the next-generation consoles, the video game industry finally has, at its disposal, a machine with enough power to truly and loyally represent the Ferrari driving experience. The British public's incredible reaction to the "Ferrari 60-Relay" coming to these shores has demonstrated the strength of the Ferrari brand here and we're very excited to be working with System 3 to produce a cutting-edge racing experience for those fans.

The "Ferrari 60 Relay" celebration tour began this January at Abu Dhabi, and is expected to travel through 50 countries before before concluding on June 23 at the home of Ferrari in Maranello, Italy. The tour will also feature a special commemorative baton, 60 badges symbolising the memorable events in the Company's 60-year history, from the Rome Grand Prix in 1947 - the Ferrari FXX Programme of 2006. System 3 hints that Ferrari Challenge will be launching this Christmas - just stay posted for more details as the tour goes through its paces.

The PS3 has been in Europe for less than a month and its titles are sitting on top of the charts. Resistance: Fall of Man took the top spot in Italy and Spain. Germany on the other hand was taken by storm by S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (both the normal and limited editions).

The three countries definitely have different gaming tastes with the exception of Insomniac's Resistance, Evolution's MotorStorm, Formula One Championship Edition, Virtua Tennis 3, and the PS2's Final Fantasy XII. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars are surprisingly absent from the Spain and Germany charts even though it's a definite hit in the UK. Oh well, to each their own. Here's the complete list for Italy, Spain and Germany:

Italy (for week ending on April 1)

• Resistance: Fall of Man
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
• MotorStorm
• Formula One Championship Edition
• Final Fantasy XII
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
• Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
• Virtua Tennis 3
• Ridge Racer 7
• Pro Evolution Soccer 6

Check out the charts for Spain and Germany after the jump!

IGN reports that Ferrari and System 3 have announced System 3's acquisition of the rights to publish Ferrari licensed games on the PS3, PSP, Wii, and DS videogame platforms. Both companies haven't yet released any concrete details regarding the upcoming titles other than that they'll be based on the Ferrari Challenge series.

The PS3 game is apparently being "developed to maximise the technology in the new console format" and will include features such as "a 16-player feature-rich simultaneous online mode with elements not yet seen in any race game to-date." The Wii game will, of course, support the Wii's innovative control system, including "control by a Wii steering-wheel."

Over at the handheld front, both the PSP and DS versions will feature wireless playability for up to four players including ad hoc play and game sharing. More information is expected to surface in the next three months. System 3 has already announced a preview session that will take place in Maranello, Italy in late June, coinciding with Ferrari's 60-year celebration.

Majesco Entertainment is getting ready to release Office Crate's Cooking Mama: Cook Off, the Wii extension of the hugely popular DS game. Today we managed to get a few more details about this game, courtesy of IGN. Read on, folks.

• Players use the Wii remote as a cooking utensil to chop, grate, slice, stir, and roll - among other tasks. If you hold it upright, you can mash potatoes or lengthwise to simulate a frying pan.
• The all-new Cooking Challenge Mode lets you and a friend go head-to-head in the ultimate multiplayer cook off to determine who can cook the fastest with the fewest mistakes Use 250+ foods to create 55 real world dishes from 10 different nations: Japan, America, France, India, Russia, England, China, Spain, Germany and Italy. You can even make desserts
• Play against 10 unique computer controlled international characters to earn unique items for your kitchen
• Adjust your timing and make decisions about your next course of action based on what you see on screen (i.e. if food is starting to look burned, quickly remove it from the burner, etc.)
• Earn bronze, silver, and gold medals from Mama based on the quality of your cooking
• Practice mode allows you to fine tune your cooking skills without being judged
• Recipes progress from simple to complex, from small to large dishes, so do your best to meet Mama's expectations as you unlock new dishes

Cooking Mama: Cook Off for the Nintendo Wii is slated for a Q1 2007 release in the U.S. Keep checking back here on QJ for more details. In the meantime, take a gander at the screenshots below.

More images await after the jump!

The European Commission is set to introduce a list of common sanctions against retailers that sell violent video games to minors. Perhaps, what's good about this is that the Commission has decided to leave it to member states to identify which games will be considered "violent."

EUobserver reports that the EU justice and security commissioner, Franco Frattini, has told journalists last January 10 that he would file new and stricter rules governing the sale of video games to children below 16 before this year's summer break.

Reuters informs that Frattini had this to say: "I do want to harmonize rules punishing people illegally selling products, people not controlling and checking identity." Frattini does however stresses that the EU executive would abstain from suggesting which kind of material should be banned. He adds: "We cannot judge from Brussels which videogames should be prohibited. "

It can be recalled that last December, Frattini suggested that the Brussels' package could include new age restrictions on certain games as well as stronger, more effective, parental advisory warnings. The commissioner is confident with the proposal, especially since he has so far received support from eight EU countries – Germany, Britain, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Finland, France and Spain.

It has to be noted that this initiative comes after last November's incident in Germany, where Sebastian Bosse injured eleven students at his school before killing himself, and that retailers in most EU countries are not legally obliged to restrict the sale of adult classified products.

Why should we bother to know about these things? Because some people might get some bright ideas.

While it has been months since something was heard from the exploding car people, the crash dummies can not be forgotten easily as they always carry with them sweet, tender memories of childhood days now long gone. Sniff.

Not to despair though, Twelve Interactive and Schanz International Consultants (SIC) have some good news today regarding the newest reincarnation of the game, Crash Dummy V.S. The Evil D-Troit.

The Italy-based game developer is pleased to announce that the game has finally found publishing homes in the U.K. Yep, you read it right - homes. Plural. This is so since Crash Dummy is crashing (pun intended) not only on the PSP, but on the Wii, DS and the PC as well. SIC's Gerhard Schanz also mentions that negotiations between them and Microsoft are currently taking place. "We are also in discussions to put up the title on 360 live arcade," shares Schanz.

Accordingly, the PC version is licensed to Lexicon Entertainment while the other versions were welcomed by Oxygen Interactive Software LTD. Just a few information are known about Crash Dummy Vs The Evil D-Troit as of now and one of which is that it would be using Vicious Engine with it's built-in physics module.

How. Adooorable. Is. That?! An elderly couple playing golf, Wii-style? The expression on the grandma's face is absolutely priceless. (Hey, how come my grandma isn't that animated? Come to think of it, I've never seen her play a video game!) Anyways, hailing from Wii.com, a whole slew of Wii Experience videos have been posted, and they make us chuckle with glee.

All of the vids show various people playing Wii Sports across the globe: Japan, US, Italy, and France. There's a guy playing baseball, a girl playing tennis, and a couple playing bowling. There's a lot more videos, and one common thing that ties them all together is that... well... honestly, they look silly. But not the bad kind of silly, but the fun kind! And we're thinking, isn't that part of the Wii experience? Part of having fun is looking silly and sharing laughs. And boy, does that grandma know how to have fun!

After posting our own Mii avatars on QJ, we might actually go the extra mile and post our Wii experience pics and vids once we get our console. But of course, that might not fall under "silly" anymore, but more of "scary".

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Update: We managed to get a hold of these very fun and very interesting videos from Wii.com as they've been uploaded to YouTube by StarScreamG1. We've seen a lot of these Wii experience videos, but who can resist watching grandparents actually have fun playing games? Besides, it's cool to imagine that you're one of those people holding the Wiimote and having a great time playing Wii Sports.

Check out these cool videos when you click "Full Article". Thanks, badam, for the tip!