Late Night Consoling

One of the sleeper hits at E3 2006 was Super Paper Mario, a bizarrely but intriguingly styled 2D Mario platformer/something hybrid for GameCube from Intelligent Systems, the studio behind the Paper Mario games as well as Advance Wars and Fire Emblem. Soon after the event, the game seemed to drop off Nintendo's PR radar, with no mention of its fate and many assuming it had either been moved to Wii or simply cancelled. The former call seems to have been the correct one, as online sources cite the latest issue of Nintendo Power reporting that the game is indeed now a Wii title.

Encouragingly despite the lack of recent information, the game actually appears to be coming out this April. It will use a fairly standard control scheme with moving and jumping being assigned to the remote's d-pad and face buttons; as the game progresses, more Wii-specific control features will be introduced. Apparently, the game has been visually improved since its E3 showing.

In an announcement that has nothing to do with Activision's classic vehicular action game Interstate '76, Ubisoft has revealed that it plans to bring Reflections' Driver franchise, which it acquired from ailing Atari last year, to PSP. Driver 76 will be developed by series handler Reflections along with fellow UK-based OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (PS2, Xbox, PSP, PC) developer Sumo Digital.

A prequel to recent series entry Driver: Parallel Lines, Driver 76 features 27 new missions in a chapter-based non-linear structure, vehicle modification mechanics, mini-games, and a variety of multiplayer modes, all set to a 1970s soundtrack. Ubisoft sent over a few screenshots.

The announcement comes just a few days after internet detectives turned up a content rating on the ESRB's official site indicating that Driver: Parallel Lines (PS2, Xbox) will be coming to PSP, as well as PC and Wii. It is likely that Driver 76 is in fact the game referred to be the ESRB as Driver: Parallel Lines for PSP.

Ubisoft plans to release Driver 76 for PSP in March 2007, making it the first game the publisher will have released in the franchise since acquiring it.

In its weekly Virtual Console update, Nintendo has added the acclaimed Super Nintendo action/adventure The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, seen by some as the greatest entry in the franchise, to the list of downloadable games. Apparently, the company preferred not to have to put up other publishers' games against the undoubted selling power of Link to the Past, as it is the only game that was added today. It is available for the standard SNES price point of 800 Wii Points ($8).

European players of Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2) online mode are now likely to enjoy a revitalized multiplayer community, as Konami has announced official online leagues for the game in the PAL territories. The leages, presented in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian, will provide players will three challenges over two weeks, in the Team Death Match 4 vs 4, Capture Mission 4 vs 4, Solo Death Match, Rescue Mission 4 vs 4, and Sneaking Mission modes. Players have the opportunity to win prizes from Konami

Players can get the full details on free registration over at the official site, which also includes a 16-page regulations booklet PDF.

Sega sends word that the PlayStation 3 version of its arcade fighting game Virtua Fighter 5, developed by its noted AM2 development team, has gone gold. It will ship in North America on February 20, 2007. The more recently revealed Xbox 360 version is still in development, and is expected to ship late this summer.