High Voltage Software’s Wii-exclusive co-op shooter The Grinder has been set free! As revealed by president Kerry Ganofsky in an interview with IGN, the studio plans to make its newest game a multiplatform affair. That’s Computer, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in addition to the already-announced Wii version.

Big news, but not completely unexpected. Back at E3, our very own Jonathan Holmes heard straight from the source that if a publisher were to give High Voltage the money required to make The Grinder accessible to all, they’d be all over such an opportunity. And yes, I did reuse his picture. It’s a damn fine image!

Don’t walk away just yet! There’s still stuff to speak about yet. IGN also scored a teaser trailer for the game, which is viewable here. And a release date! They’ve got one of those too: Halloween 2011. The Grinder was already on my radar, but I’d be lying if I stated today’s news didn’t bump it up a few notches.

The Grinder Goes Multiplatform [IGN via GoNintendo]

source Destructoid

I’ve never played Namco Bandai’s WiiWare title Muscle March, so I don’t know if it’s a good game or not. But here’s the game’s “story,” according to the publisher:

“The all mighty protein powder has been stolen so it’s up to Tony and his mustlce-bound crew to catch the thieves… as each thief attempts their escape, they’ll smash through walls while making a variety of poses. You must match these poses to fit through the holes and catch up to the thieves. The protein powder will be yours again.”

Well, okay, I’ll purchase that. Sure, why not? To promote the game, Namco Bandai sent over a mock protein powder canister with a Muscle March Wii-skin and branded swim trunks in it. What am I going to do with this stuff? Nothing. But I want to give it away.

(Warning: What I’m about to write is the worst idea I’ve ever come up with.) Here’s how this will work: I’ll send the shorts and the skin to the first person to a) take a picture of themselves in tighty-whities and post it in the comments, and b) concur to take a picture of themselves in the Muscle March shorts so we can post it on Destructoid. Contest is open to both males and females over the age of 17.

Okay, go.

source Destructoid

There’s an Iron Man sequel hitting theaters soon, and that only means one thing — another Iron Man game.

While Sega’s first Iron Man title didn’t exactly thrill, that’s not going to stop them from pumping out another. In theory, this one’s supposed to be “better.” What that means, I don’t know, as Sega hasn’t shown us the game in action yet, and this trailer doesn’t provide answers beyond “Iron Man’s in it and stuff gets blown up.”

The film’s out in May, with the game release to coincide.

source Destructoid

I was going to use a drill pun, but Atlus already took care of that. Hell, they took care of all the bone-related puns. Look:

“Until watching this new video, a lot of Trauma Team fans may have a slightly disjointed notion of what the Orthopedics mode is all about,” commented Aram Jabbari, Manager of Public Relations and Sales at Atlus. “Without a tool wheel to concern oneself with, nor a ticking clock to race against, Orthopedics is about patience and precision. Even if you think you’re up to the task, it’s advised that you bone up on what this video has to offer prior to the game’s new Might 18th release date.” A mob of outraged physicians raised their scalpels and charged the podium after hearing Jabbari’s puns, but the wily Atlus PR staff was able to marrowly escape.

Atlus continues their walkthrough series for upcoming Wii game Trauma Team with a look at Orthopedics. You’ll play as a doctor named Hank Freebird. Great name. He used to be in the army, and now he fixes skeletons. It’s par for the course for this series. It also fits well with the Japanese medical TV drama feel they’ve going on. Medical J-drama is way different from our medical drama. There’s no limping guys and McDreamys or any of that crap. Just crazy nonsense, lots of squirting blood, and impossible procedures that have you at the edge of your seat. I hope Trauma Team is like that when it comes out on its new date, May 18th.

source Destructoid

As if we needed any further proof that Sadness is complete and utter horsecrap, it has been discovered that the official site for the game has disappeared. The domain has collapsed and is now free for buy by anybody with money burning a hole through their pocket.

2K Sports has retained its place atop the basketball simulation throne, and it looks like they’ll stay there for a while. The publisher proclaimed in a press release today that it has sold more than two million copies of NBA 2K10 worldwide, a 60% year-over-year improvement for the same October-through-January time frame (2K10’s sales increase was likely helped by its Wii and PSP versions, which did not exist for NBA 2K9). These sales numbers are all the more impressive for having come amid what was, by most accounts, a strong effort from EA in NBA Live 10 (albeit one that sold even fewer units than NBA Live 09).

But perhaps the more startling story is the news that Mike Wang, who defected from NBA 2K developer Visual Concepts to become the lead gameplay designer on NBA Live, is returning to the Visual Concepts team after an 18-month stint at EA Canada. Wang was instrumental in the critical success of Live 10 from a gameplay standpoint, but now that he’s been welcomed back with open arms by 2K, he has some damning words for his former employer, according to ESPN:

But after being there and spending some time over at EA, it was clear that they do things a different way, and in a way it’s just inefficient and just not the place to be to make the ideal games. [...] With some of the creative decisions over at EA, it just made it difficult to stay there. They just want to make a different game than I had a vision for. [...] For me, it was interesting to be at EA, but it was just hard to get stuff done.

2K’s Senior Vice President of Sports Development, Greg Thomas, even goes so far as to speculate that EA may move away from trying to compete with NBA 2K in the basketball sim market:

… [N]ow they want to change things in a great way because they can’t afford to sell this many units through a three-year plan or a five-year plan. [...] I think EA is going through an identity crisis with their basketball sim.

For its part, EA announced Wang’s departure first, perhaps hoping to soften its impact. NBA Live lead producer Sean O’Brien, in a post on the series’ In the Paint blog, left Wang with thanks and well-wishes. But this is a serious blow to EA’s basketball street cred, and it raises questions about the future of the NBA Live games. It’s hard to envision a world without NBA Live, especially since (unlike baseball or football) there’s no NBA license exclusivity, but perhaps EA is going in an arcade direction with its basketball games — and maybe the NBA Jam revival is the begin.

Gamer: Mike Wang returns to 2K Sports [ESPN via Pastapadre]
NBA LIVE Update [In the Paint]

source Destructoid

THQ and Sony Photos have signed a considerably huge multi-year licensing deal that allows the former full rights to create games based upon the ludicrously popular game shows JEOPARDY! and Wheel of Fortune. Obviously, these games are primarily being made for the Wii and DS. Y’know, so the idiots will purchase them.

What comes in the Nintnendo Wii bundle for Capcom’s Monster Hunter Tri? First off, it’s a black Wii. That’s nice. Another nice perk: a black Classic Controller Pro. And to facilitate chat in on the web play? The Wii Talk microphone/speaker device.

Now Monster Hunter fans can have everyone in their living room hear what’s going on in the living room of all their silly on the web friends. Nah, it could be cool as long as parents weren’t fighting or no one farts. Nice, Do Wanty bundle, though no price is listed yet. The game and this bundle will be released in Aprili.

Monster Hunter Tri gets Wii Talk bundle [Videogamer]

source Destructoid

While third celebration publishers are having trouble selling in huge numbers on the Wii EA has found a series that moves on Nintendo’s systems. The MySims games are plenty popular and when a series gets popular leave it to mega-publishers like EA to milk it over and over. While this news might not interest most on Dtoid, it appears that EA has trademarked another title in the series. The Sims (MySims?) are headed for the skies!

EA filed trademarks for MySims Sky Heroes. One is in relation to “Computer game software; Personal game software downloadable from a global computer network; Video game software” and the other covers “Entertainment services, namely, providing an on-line personal game; Provision of information relating to electronic personal games provided via the World wide web.”

I know, try to contain your excitement. Maybe this will be the greatest flight sim ever created, right?

MySims SkyHeroes [Trademork]

source Destructoid

Just like all other game teaser website launches, this new Japanese site for Metroid: Other M gives you tiny in the way of new information. But it’s certainly peaceful to look at, with its pretty sunset and beautiful piano music. Some woman is looking over a city with her hand up.

In the beginning of the Flash animation, roughly tranaslated, the voice says:

Dream — It’s like seeing the playback of a disaster that really happened.

I don’t know if that tells you anything, but it seems really sad. Combined with the sad music, it’s kind of a downer. No worries. I’m still excited about the game, which is now confirmed for a summer release in Japan. I expect we’ll see it later this year here in the US. I can’t wait to see what Tecmo has done.

source Destructoid