Revolution Portal: Because it won’t be televised.

After countless weeks of PSP dominating the number one spot on the Japanese software charts, DS has taken the top spot.

Sega’s Let’s Make a Pro Baseball Team! for DS knocked off PSP’s Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G for the week of May 19 through the 25th, according to the early word from NeoGAF.

On the hardware side, PlayStation Portable was still the top dog with 64,449, but that’s down 6,087 from last week.  DS-wise, the handheld sold 37,404 units, which was up 2,499.  Is a trend forming?  We’ll have to wait until the latest charts come out to see if it’ll stick.

Wii was numero dos on the hardware charts with 49,047 consoles flying off the shelves, a hefty jump of almost 7,500. 

Phil Harrison, former Sony Computer Entertainment America exec and currently president of Infogrames, recently discussed the future of gaming and he had a surprising prediction.

Single-player adventure games are going to go the way of the dinosaur.

“Alone in the Dark is a beautifully crafted single-player adventure game. I don’t think the industry is going to make many more of those,” he was quoted by http://www.gamesindustry.biz as saying.

“I just don’t think consumers want to be playing games that don’t have some kind of network connectivity to them, or community embedded in them, or extension available through downloadable content.”

“The industry is changing, and the role we play as creators and publishers has to reflect those changes. I don’t think I’m alone in having those views, either,” Harrison insisted.

While the multiplayer experience is invaluable, we’re going to disagree with Phil on this particular matter.  There’s always going to be a place for single player titles in gaming – mark our words. 

You just can’t keep a good Rabbid down.

Ubisoft revealed today that  Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party will be coming to both Wii and DS.  And it not only will it take advantage of the Wii balance board, but it will be using it in a new fashion.

According to a new report by Eurogamer, there’s at least one minigame which uses one’s derriere to steer. Describing a snowboarding game which required a person to sit on the new peripheral, a commentator explained that “the Wii balance board is exceptionally sensitive towards his bottom.”

It’s not as easy as it may seem.

“The moves look fairly easy,” said the commentator, “But I challenge you to hit them all the first time.”

Seems like a superfun concept for most people, and a nightmare for germophobes. 

Nintendo is a well oiled and neutral machine today, presenting both two Virtual Console and two WiiWare games to Wii gamers this week.  

Our fingers are crossed that it stays this way consistently — we’d hate for the Virtual Console to be treated second class in favor of WiiWare.  Both can live harmoniously, we say.

The latest four titles are as follows:

WiiWare

Dr. Mario Online Rx (Nintendo, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): The doctor is in! Mario™ takes a break from his adventuring ways and once again dons his stethoscope for a new generation of germ-battling mayhem. In addition to the classic mode of using vitamins to exterminate viruses, you’ll find two battle modes and an online multiplayer mode where you can hone your skills against players from around the world. Feel like challenging a friend who doesn’t have Dr. Mario Online Rx? Then the WiiWare-exclusive Friend Battle Demo is just what the doctor ordered. Or maybe you’d like some help taking on those nasty viruses? Try out Virus Buster, where four players can simultaneously move capsules simply by pointing at them with a Wii Remote™ controller. Any way you look at it, Dr. Mario Online Rx is a prescription for fun that everyone can enjoy.

Family Table Tennis (Aksys Games, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): It’s time for some good old family fun, and what’s more fun than table tennis? Just like a real family, choose your character from a cast of four, which includes Daddy, Mommy, Sarah and Billy. There are four table tennis-tastic stages where it doesn’t matter if you’re an indoors or outdoors table-tennis player. Pick your poison from a gymnasium, a forest park, a beach or even an amusement park. Choose from Single or Versus mode, or select a minigame to play. In Versus mode, you and a friend can play against each other to see who is the better table-tennis player. And if Single and Versus modes aren’t enough, select between three minigames, which include Target Table Tennis, Thrilling Table Tennis and Matching Table Tennis. The appealing cell-shaded graphics and endearing music, on top of the super-fun game play, will have you and your family playing from morning till night. Get your paddles ready.

Virtual Console

City Connection™ (NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone - Comic Mischief, Tobacco Reference, 500 Wii Points): Based on the arcade hit, a young man born in California sets out to tour famous sites and cities around the world. As he drives the highways surrounding these locations, the road is painted white as proof of his visit. Only once all sections of the road have been painted will he move on to the next location in his world tour. Not surprisingly, the local police will chase the driver and do their best to stop him from completing his goal. In addition, cats roam the highways and spikes lie in wait for unsuspecting drivers. To combat these dangers, the driver’s customized car can jump, fire cans of oil and collect balloons to warp to a new stage. It’s the ultimate road trip.

Metal Slug (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen - Blood, Violence, 900 Wii Points): Released in 1996 by SNK, Metal Slug is a side-scrolling military-action game. Players control Marco and Tarma, both members of the special-ops force Team Peregrine Falcon (commonly known as Team PF), and battle their way through stage after stage of intense action. The goal is to try to overthrow General Morden and win back the stolen weapon, the Metal Slug. Players must blast through waves of enemies and machines (while also jumping over any obstacles in the way) to advance through the stages. It’s not as hopeless as it might sound, though—weapons such as heavy machine guns, shotguns, rocket launchers and flamethrowers, as well as the Metal Slug itself (which appears frequently in the game), will make the battle easier. Take on General Morden with a friend to lighten your load and ramp up the excitement even more. 

There has been an onslaughter of Tinker Bell news within the last 24 hours — half of it good, and the other 50% not so much.

On the negative news, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission along with the Disney Store have announced a massive recall of 8,000 Tinker Bell wands. 

Apparently, there is lead paint on the pearl beads in flowers on the wand’s top.  Another strike for China when it comes to toys for the kids.

On the more positive front, Disney Interactive Studios today announced that Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell for Nintendo DS will hit this holiday season. 

“Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell is a color-rich, deep and detailed game that mirrors the beautiful Fairies world that girls have come to love and cherish. In the game, Tinker Bell invites players to discover her mystical world, embark on adventures, explore their fashion tastes and complete fun quests to prepare for the coming seasons,” crowed Disney in a release today.

Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell game features:

• Choose from hundreds of dresses, costumes, shoes and accessories to fully customize Tinker Bell.
• Create new designs featuring hearts, flowers and other patterns to place onto outfits.
• Barter and trade items collected in Pixie Hollow with other Fairies for new clothing and accessories.
• Create trends by gifting outfits to friends and watch as Pixie Hollow becomes filled with Fairies dressed in those outfits.
• Earn medals and form new friendships when completing special tasks for other Fairies in Pixie Hollow, including repairing broken items using Tinker Bell’s special tinkering power and locating missing items.
• Engage in challenging and fun mini-games, such as catching dew drops, painting ladybugs and tickling silkworms.
• Utilizes the DS real-time clock, so environments will reflect time of year or time of day. Girls will witness snow falling in the winter time, fireflies coming out at night and Fairies throwing a huge bash on their birthday.
• Use DGamer to chat in a Disney Fairies chat room, share Fairies accessories with friends and dress avatars in outfits from the game.