Proving the strength of the Guitar Hero brand, Vicarious Vision’s DS entry has set new sales records for publisher Activision. In the week following its June 22 release, the game sold over 300,000 units in North America, with Activision claiming that it is the largest DS software launch in the region “by more than a factor of eight.”

Guitar Hero: On Tour is a portable version of the popular rhythm game, offering gamers the chance to make a fool of themselves in the subway and other such public places with like-minded fools.

It seems that the countdown wasn’t expected to remain a mystery for long. Today Square Enix announced that Chrono Trigger will in fact be coming to the DS. It’s being described as ‘remastered’ which implies that it won’t be given quite the graphic overhaul that some of the Final Fantasy games received, but will get some touches here and there (especially in the audio department I’d wager) to bring it up to modern standards. It will as expected integrate the touch screen fuctionality of the DS, as well as having a wireless play mode. In addition to the plethora of eras, dungeons and multiple endings already in the game, a new dungeon will add something fresh for Chrono Trigger veterans (as if there wasn’t enough to do in the game already).

Sometimes there comes a game so excellently crafted and balanced between gameplay and content that it still delights fans years after the technology that birthed it is relegated to garage sales and cheap ebay auctions. One such title that made its debut on the Super Nintendo is of course the epic Chrono Trigger. Spanning the very boundaries of time, this game has been hailed by many as one of, if not the greatest RPG ever created.

A rumor began in a Japanese magazine that the classic title would be making its way to the Nintendo DS. Given the revivals/remakes of Final Fantasy and Front Mission, the rumor seemed not unlikely. Some gameplay scans have surfaced and most convincing of all is a countdown clock that’s shown up on a page on Square Enix’s website. Two things point heavily towards the Chrono Trigger remake/port possibility: first of all is the style of the clock, a somewhat steampunk-esque clock replete with gears and all the stylings that is easily recognized as Chrono Trigger artwork. If that doesn’t convince you, the url ends with ‘ctds’, which is most likely an acronym for Chrono Trigger DS. If you don’t believe it by now, you’ll never be convinced.

Ignition Entertainment today announced that it plans to release Metal Slug 7 for the DS in North America this Fall. The game, exclusively developed for the DS, marks the first non-arcade debut of a new Metal Slug title since the series’ 1996 debut. It features six playable characters and seven levels.

The game also offers several new weapons and vehicles, as well as new gameplay modes.

The DS version of the upcoming reboot of the Prince of Persia has been announced by Ubisoft. Dubbed Prince of Persia: The Fallen King, the game will feature an art style similar to the illustrative look used in the upcoming console title; it will make use of stylus controls for combat.

There will be a second playable character called the Magus, with the player getting to switch between the two characters to utilize their unique abilities and progress through the various stages in the game.

The game is expected alongside the console title this Holiday season.

Call of Duty 3 is often considered to be the weakest entry in the respected WWII (until COD4) shooter series, but the developers don’t blame it on themselves – they blame it on the title’s blistering eight month development schedule.

Quelling fears that Call of Duty: World at War, the upcoming fifth installment, may suck, Treyarch senior producer Noah Heller told Videogamer that they are “polishing and pouring love” into the development of the title, and that “it’s the time to actually iterate and get things right, to make things feel right.”

Apparently publisher Activision had arranged a development rotation in which series creator Infinity Ward could work on Call of Duty 4 while Treyarch completed COD3 in a span of just eight months.

“I don’t think [Call of Duty 3] was a filler title,” said creative lead Rich Farrelly. “Because we were so focused on making the best game we can, sometimes we, at least in that case, we tried maybe to put too much in the game for the amount of time we had to develop.”

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Casual gaming has been a thing of interest for monolithic publisher Electronic Arts for some time now, with the company having set up an independent casual entertainment development studio. The studio’s first output will be a DS game based on the best-selling educational card deck series Brain Quest.

The game will come in the form of two separate editions: one for grades three and four, and another for grades five and six. It will feature fast-paced quiz games on a variety of subjects; there will also be a story-driven quest mode.

Both Brain Quest titles are due out this September.

Neil Gaiman has produced some extraordinary stuff over the years, but none of his work has yet made the jump to the video game platform. That was true until today - the author of the Sandman series will have his best-selling work for children, Coraline, turned into both a movie and a game.

The game will be based on the novella, which focused on a girl who discovers a hidden door in her house that transports her into an alternate universe. It is expected to be a platform game and is being billed as a “surrealistic adventure”.

Coraline is set for release during February 2009 and will be available on the DS and unspecified consoles.

Atlus today announced the release date for the North American localization of Master of the Monster Lair, a dungeon creation RPG for the DS: September 2.

In development at Global A Entertainment, the game will allow players to design their own dungeons to draw monsters away from the quiet town of South Arc. There will be twenty types of rooms to fit into dungeon designs, as well as a wide variety of monsters and items.

LucasArts, having announced that they will be present at E3, but won’t be announcing any new games, sent out word of two new Star Wars inspired titles: Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels and Star Wars The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance.

The first game is not a lightsaber simulator, but more of an arcade title. It is being developed by Krome, the studio responsible for the PS2, Wii and PSP editions of The Force Unleashed. Lightsaber Duels will feature motion-controlled combat and is exclusive to the Wii.

Jedi Alliance is a Nintendo DS title, focusing on “innovative stylus-based input”. Developed by LucasArts Singapore, the game will have gamers witness the “awesome power when two Jedi join forces to fight as one.”

Both games are due out this Holiday season.

By now everyone’s heard about the massive leak in Microsoft’s pipes. Amongst the flood of information about upcoming games is a few dribbles that’ll excite fans of quality superhero games. While Marvel has had a rather spotty history when it comes to the quality of their licensed video game products, none can argue that the first Ultimate Alliance wasn’t a well-crafted and fun game.

Some fan favorites will be appearing in the upcoming sequel which is set to take place in the midst of the epic ‘Civil War’ storyline, so players can expect to be battling alongside villains and fighting some heroes as well. Supposedly there’ll be a stable of over twenty characters to choose from, including Wolverine as always. The Hulk, Spider-Man, the Human Torch and Venom are among the characters mentioned. One interesting feature is that you’ll be able to ‘fuse’ two characters, creating a hybrid with the powers of both., which will eliminate the need to switch back and forth between your favorite characters. As with the previous game the title will be multiplatform; available on the Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii and DS.

2K Sports sends word that Top Spin 3 has gone gold for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and DS for release on June 24. Developed by 2K’s PAM Development studio, the game features enhanced graphics over its predecessors and offers a wide selection of current top-ranked tennis pros like Andy Roddick, Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova, as well as legendary players like Boris Becker, Monica Seles and others.

The game also features a deep player creation system, giving fans complete control over every aspect of their character with freeform face sculpting editor and customizable swing animations, hairstyles, makeup, tattoos and grunts.

Top Spin 3 also features various single and multiplayer modes including Exhibition, Custom and World Tour matches. The game is rated ‘E’ for Everyone by the ESRB.

Guitar Hero fans hoping to get the DS version of the upcoming game will get to spend more of their hard-earned money on a hardware bundle. The bundle will combine a silver-black DS Lite and a copy of Guitar Hero: On Tour on June 22.

No price was given, but the DS can be bought separately for $129.99, while the game is valued at $49.99.

Announcing something to truly look forward to, Gammick Entertainment and EnjoyUp announced Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ, an action title for the DS. I have no way to paraphrase this without losing the awesomeness of the game, so here it is in blockquotes:

After finishing with a ferocious wolf, the story ended and the nightmare began. Little “Ready to Rock” Riding Hood and her friend Momotaro face the greatest threat that has ever besieged folk tales.

Discover why Granny has become a horrible green monster, why Pinoccio is now a blood thirsty cyborg, or how Prince Charming woke up Sleeping Beauty… along with her thirst for blood!

The game will feature various other satiric characters, including Zombzilla and Santa Claus. No release date was provided.

Wii and DS owners anxiously awaiting their version of skate are in for a little surprise as a new teaser trailer hit the internet today.

Included in the video is just a virtual rendition of what we all learned from professional skateboarders in the last set of trailers, San Vanelona got destroyed, everyone evacuated, leaving somewhat of a haggard skate paradise.

Skate it is currently in developement for both the Wii and DS and is expected to ship later this year.

It seems Gamespot has gotten word that a demo for Sid Meier’s first console exclusive, Civilization Revolution, will hit both the PS3 and Xbox 360 this Thursday.

Supposedly clocking in at 1.08GB, the demo is said to include turn-based single and multiplayer gameplay, along with a tutorial, from Roman and Egyptian perspectives.

Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution is expected to ship stateside for the PS3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo DS on July 8th.

In anticipation of Guitar Hero’s debut on a major portable console, Nintendo will be bundling the game, complete with guitar-like peripheral, with a Guitar Hero branded DS lite as you can see above.

Toys R’ Us has been the first retailer to list the forthcoming bundle, which has since been taken down, at a price of $179.99. The bundle is expected to go on sale June 29th, about a week after Guitar Hero: On Tour hits the shelves.

Marking the second Age of Empires title for portables, THQ today announced it will release Age of Empires: Mythologies exclusively on the DS.

The game is built off the series’ DS debut The Age of Kings, which was inspired by the PC series developed by Ensemble Studios. It will feature three playable civilizations - Egyptians, Greeks and Norse - each with their own single-player campaign. There will be multiplayer campaigns with unique maps, a skirmish mode as well as single-cart wireless multiplayer.

Mythologies is expected to bring the pantheons to bus stations, rail stations and everywhere else this Fall.

The back sleeve of the instruction booklet for LEGO Indiana Jones reveals the existence of a Star Wars: Clone Wars game in development for Wii and Nintendo DS.

As IGN points out, the advertisement has a URL which currently redirects to Star Wars’ official homepage, meaning that LucasArts is still not prepared to disclose information on the game. As per the ad, the game is due out this Fall.

Smarthouse reports that Nintendo, riding on the success of the Wii, will be adding two colors to its DS lineup. The new colors will be Blue/Black and Red/Black, which will be available starting June 19; these will be purchasable only for a limited time.

Pricing is set to be the same as before.