High Voltage Software President Kerry Ganofsky and Chief Creative Officer Eric Nofsinger revealed their upcoming monster/zombie shooter, The Grinder, will no longer be a Wii exclusive.

During an interview with IGN today, the company executives confirmed The Grinder would be coming to PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. This announcement comes as a bit of a surprise as High Voltage has previously been a strong Wii supporter, creating such titles as The Conduit and a variety of WiiWare games.

"Bringing our third internal IP to all the current-generation systems allows us to show off what our company can really do and get it into the hands of the most gamers" said Nofsinger.

High Voltage confirmed that PS3, 360, and PC versions will be shown at March's Game Developers Conference.

New details on single-player mode were also revealed:

"We have a large gameplay experience planned which includes a lengthy story mode, planned DLC, and an experience system that promotes replayability. I don't want to give too much away, but we are very excited about the release of Grinder as well as providing future support of the game with regular updates" Ganofsky said.

A new trailer for the game can be viewed below:

The Grinder is set to release Halloween 2011. When asked why such a distant launch date was chosen, they explained by saying:

"With the move to all of the current-generation systems, higher resolution art content needs to be created which takes a bit longer than our previous games."

Ultimately, however, that does not explain why the Wii version could not launch first, giving it exclusivity for a time before the higher resolution artwork for the other versions is ready.

Producer Hitoshi Yamagami revealed in an Iwata Asks interview that Nintendo's upcoming gory action game, Zangeki no Reginleiv, took over three years to develop.

The game, formerly known as Dynamic Slash or Dynamic Zan, is scheduled for a February 11 release in Japan. However, Zangeki no Reginleiv originally began development between the summer and fall of 2006, prior to the Wii's release in November.

Yamagami also spoke about the debate surrounding just how violent the game would be. Ultimately, the development team justified chopping off limbs because it was of mythological giants, not real people.

Due to the violence in the game, Zangeki no Reginleiv is Nintendo's first CERO D (ESRB M) rated game in Japan. Nintendo is shipping the game in the first Wii black box, with perhaps the best box art ever. The hope is color coded boxes will help parents find appropriate games for their children easily in stores.

Zangeki no Reginleiv will launch in Japan on February 11. No North American, European, or Australian dates have been announced yet.

DreamGEAR has released a new, very noteworthy controller.  Dubbed the "Arcade Fighter Classic Pad," this Wii controller pays homage to the two main consoles from the 16-bit era: the Super Nintendo and the SEGA Genesis.

DreamGEAR's new controller has a d-pad and six face buttons, similar to the Genesis, with the Classic Controller's ZL/ZR buttons as the shoulder buttons instead of "L" and "R."

The controller plugs into a Wii Remote just like the Classic Controller (except with the cord coming out the top of the controller).  There's no telling what the quality of the build is since this controller is coming from a third-party accessory manufacturer.

Regardless, it's good to see another iteration of a classic design.  DreamGEAR is offering the controller for $24.99 on their site, but smart folks may run to Best Buy to check it out for only $14.99.

As for me?  Even though I'm happy with the Nyko Wing, I'm waiting for the Classic Controller Pro with Monster Hunter Tri.

Today SEGA unveiled a sequel to 1994's Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic and Knuckles, titled Sonic the Hedgehod 4 Episode 1. The game is set to launch this summer on WiiWare for download.

The game, previously codenamed Project Needlemouse, will bring the Sonic franchise back to its 2D roots. This announcement comes as a relief to many fans after SEGA has struggled to have success with 3D Sonic games.

The game's storyline is set after 1994's Sonic & Knuckles, now available for download on Virtual Console. Sonic will be the only playable character in the new game.

As the name suggests, SEGA plans to release future titles in the Sonic series episodically. No word yet on how many episodes SEGA plans to release.

See the first trailer for the game below.

Sega associate brand manager Ken Balough explained to GameSpot why they decided make Sonic a downloadable game:

"In recent years, we've seen a huge surge of classic game properties making a return in this arena. [Downloadable] games offer players a chance to play terrific games without breaking the bank. It's also a promise to Sonic fans. We're going to deliver a Genesis-era Sonic game as if it were created today that goes to the core of what classic Sonic fans desire. This means [the fan] gets to judge us on our work each step of the way, and we plan on delivering that goal in a big way."

Balough also explained what their goals in terms of graphics for Sonic 4 were:

"One of our goals was to make a gorgeous-looking 2D Sonic game. This approach allows fans new and old to see what a 2D Genesis-style game would look like today with modern graphics. "

Balough did confirm the Wii version of Sonic 4 will "be able to use motion control" and run at 480p resolution.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 is set to release on WiiWare this summer.

During an investors conference call yesterday, THQ President and CEO Brian Farrell announced that a de Blob 2 sequel will be coming to Wii in fiscal 2011.

"Our de Blob franchise will be back again in fiscal 2011," stated Farrell. "We successfully launched this highly-rated franchise in fiscal 2009 to broad, critical acclaim."

Initially developed by a small group of college students, de Blob puts players in control of a ball of color with the mission to jump around and repaint a barren city.

The evil INKT Corporation has been removing color from the world, spreading lies that color is dangerous in order to secretly mine color and sell it overseas. Left with a monochrome city of gray buildings, players take on the role of a hero referred to as "The Blob," which is literally a transparent blob with ears that grows a face and arms when stationary.

THQ's unique action puzzler took home five awards at the annual Games Developers' Association of Australia (GDAA) Awards in 2008. It received "Best Console Title", "Best Gameplay", "Best Graphics" and Best Audio" along with the coveted "Best Game" award.

For more info, check out The Wiire's de Blob Impressions.

Ian, Mike, Andrew and Scott fasten their seat belts for this rapid fire action-packed episode! Sort of. This week, the panel talks about Iwata saying 'no' to Project Natal, the Classic Controller Pro shipping in April, Nintendo's holiday surge, how Netflix on Wii will work, the end of on-rail shooters, hints of Nintendo's plans for E3, and much more. Download this episode today!

Topics covered in this week's episode:

• (0:02:04) Iwata Says No To Project Natal
• (0:10:02) Nintendo Wii Classic Controller Pro Shipping This April
• (0:11:45) Nintendo Offering Limited WiiSpeak And Endless Ocean 2 Bundle At Bargain Price
• (0:13:20) Wii Holiday Sales Surge Helps Nintendo Beat Expectations
• (0:15:58) Nintendo's Worldwide Wii Sales Near 70 Million
• (0:17:37) Exclusive Interview: How Netflix Wii Will Work
• (0:18:34) WiiWare devs speak out on lacking support from Nintendo
• (0:20:47) Silent Hill dev: On-rail shooters died with Dreamcast
• (0:22:43) Pachter: Nintendo games dominated 2009
• (0:24:16) Nintendo Gives Hints at E3 Plans
• (0:25:47) Nintendo to Publish Two RPGs: The Last Story and Xenoblade
• (0:26:30) Metroid: Other M Resurfaces with Official Site
• (0:28:15) Listener Mail

Runtime: 0:40:53

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An employee at a major international publisher says Nintendo plans to announce a new platform at next month's GDC conference and that some developers have already begun work on it.

The Wiire has spoken to one Wii developer who said "We have not heard anything about this."

Videogamer.com reported the rumor this morning, saying there were contacted by an employee at a major international publisher, who had this to say:

"Just heard a rumour that you may be interested in: Nintendo are going to announce a new platform at GDC. Some devs have already started work on it."

The employee did not specify whether the platform was console or handheld based, but did say he was sure of the platforms existence, yet unsure whether they would reveal it at GDC next month.

Speculation of a new Nintendo console has been continually bubbling up. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata recently spoke to investors at a Q&A session about Wii HD rumors, saying "It needs something new".

When contacted for comment, a Nintendo spokesperson told VideoGamer.com: "This is purely rumour and speculation." Nintendo traditionally does not comment on any rumors, true or false.

Today Sega signed on as publisher for High Voltage Software's upcoming weapon and magic based 3D-fight game Tournament of Legends, set to launch exclusively for Wii in May 2010.

"Tournament of Legends is a perfect Wii game" said Sean Ratcliffe, Vice President of Marketing at SEGA of America. "High Voltage are delivering yet another fantastic looking game and their roster of gods, demons and warriors is unlike any other brawler out there. I can imagine that fathers and sons will be using a quick fight on Tournament of Legends as the ultimate tie-breaker in family disputes!"

High Voltage Software also teamed up with Sega to publish The Conduit. Tournament of Legends will utilize the same Quantum 3 engine that powered The Conduit.

Eric Nofsinger, COO of High Voltage, had this to say about their upcoming 3D fighter:

"With Tournament of Legends, we want to take the Wii weapon-based fighting to a bigger place. Along with a wide selection of blade weapons and animated magic attacks we've achieved rich graphical effects and detailed, epic characters with the Quantum 3 engine. The mythological characters are some of the biggest 3D playable characters on Wii."

Tournament of Legends was first announced last year, under the name Gladiator A.D. The game features a variety of mythological creatures, such as a Minotaur, a Gladiator, a Valkyrie and more--all in battle against each other.

With the game's announcement, Nofsinger famously claimed High Voltage would show "the true potential of the Wii" with their upcoming titles.

Look for Tournament of Legends to hit store shelves exclusively for Wii on May 18, 2010.

Metroid co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto has revealed new details on the upcoming new Metroid: Other M for Wii. Sakamoto says Other M will be different than any other Metroid because it will show the human side of Samus.

In an interview with Famitsu, Sakamoto explained why Metroid: Other M will be unique.

"[Metroid: Other M] different from the rest of the series, this time we're strongly depicting the human side of Samus through such things as movies. She's a strong woman, but she also has a fragile side. We want to make a game whose charms can be felt from the story areas and these human touches as well. It's an action game, but it's capable of having a clear emotional side."

Sakamoto went on to say "This Metroid is being developed with the aim of the ideal form of the old Metroid,"

Just how good will this Metroid be? Sakamoto believes the Wii makes a game like Other M possible.

"It's a game that can be realized because of the Wii" he said.

Nintendo producer Eiji Aonuma has revealed that the upcoming Legend of Zelda Wii title will require Wii Motion Plus. Aonuma also confirmed that he aims to have a playable demo of the Zelda Wii sequel at this June's E3 trade show.

In an interview with Japanese video game magazine Famitsu, Aonuma explained the reasons behind making Zelda Wii Motion Plus exclusive were obvious.

"After actually making it compatible, it just feels so natural. Link's sword and the controller that you're holding become one." said Aonuma.

Anouma says the game will emphasize the ability to swing Link's sword freely, and said the way you fight enemies will be the key to solving some puzzles.

Previously, Aonuma confirmed Motion Plus improvements, but it was not known the game would be Motion Plus exclusive.

"The fact of the matter is that MotionPlus was actually not conceived at the beginning of the development of this new Wii version of the game," Aonuma explained.

The Zelda producer said his team is hard at work to create a playable version of Zelda Wii for this June's E3 trade show.

"I'd like to show something playable," said Aonuma.

Aonuma said he is pushing the team for a release due to increasing fan anticipation. However, when pressed by Famitsu for specifics, Aonuma would only say "We'll work hard in order to get you playing it as soon as possible."

Aonuma added that Zelda Wii's development is moving forward smoothly, saying "We've progressed in development since last year. At present, the core areas have come into clear view."

Nintendo has previously said we can expect a new Wii Zelda in 2010, "when it's perfect".