According to sources at Konami Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, which was scheduled for release at the end of the year in the US, has been delayed until an unspecified date in 2012. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Kotaku spoke with local representatives from Konami of America and were unable to learn anything more specific than a release date sometime in 2012, but considering the fact that the game first released in 2004, hopefully fans won’t need to wait too long.

This is rather disappointing news to 3DS owners as it is just another example of a game being delayed or outright canceled in the last few months alone. As long as Super Mario 3DS and Tales of the Abyss 3D make it out this year I will be set.

What about you Infendo? How does this latest 3DS delay sit with you?

Some of my earliest Nintendo memories involve Super Dodge Ball for the NES. My friend Donny and I would battle the CPU player for long afternoons on end and cap it all off with a rousing victory over the USSR. When I heard this title was getting an overhaul and a bit of the ol’ portability late last year, I was swooned with nostalgia (not “swooned” as in deceased, like old Final Fantasy games, mind you — just a bit light-headed). Now, we have box art and a firm release date for the States. From the looks of all the media that’s been released to preview this title, the developer and publisher did very little to mess with the now defunct Technos’ proven system (see also: River City Ransom, Nintendo World Cup). Pro tip: That Kunio Series badge is a good sign.

I think this week is a great opportunity to reflect on Nintendo’s future.

There was the megaton press events in Japan and San Francisco that showed more new content than I think even the big media rags were prepared to see. There was the exhaustive list of third party titles that Nintendo fired off on Thursday to showcase the fact that yes, third parties had signed onto this Wii thing, and the DS too, and had games planned well into Q1 2008. And there was also a fair share of negative news: Smash Bros. Brawl was delayed in North America until February 2008 (January in Japan), and a Friday article detailed how some Japanese developers have uncovered the old “bubble burst” argument.

Call me a fanman all you like, or even a shill, but I will still think this was a perfect week for Nintendo. (more…)

Earlier today the ESRB gave Rockstar’s controversial Manhunt 2 a “M“ for mature. This announcement follows the debated July rating of AO. It is unclear at this time if Rockstar has toned the game down from it’s extremely violent state, or if the publics complaining caused the ESRB to give Manhunt 2 a second look. Either way, both Nintendo and Sony will now allow the title to be published for their respected consoles. Here is what Sam Houser, founder and executive producer of Rockstar games, had to say about today’s announcement.

“Manhunt 2 is important to us, and we’re glad it can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience. We love the horror genre. Manhunt 2 is a powerful piece of interactive story telling that is a unique video game experience. We think horror fans will love it.”

Manhunt 2 ships to the PS2, PSP, and Wii October 31^st. The title contains the following content: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Drugs.

UPDATE: Apparently Rockstar Games did edit violence in Manhunt 2, but how much editing is still unknown.

For as much as I despise delays (especially when they are for strategic reasons), this wise and famous quote by Shiggy really puts things into perspective.

A delayed game is eventually good; a bad game is bad forever.

Oh, and you’re a jaded Som’B if you don’t like Miyamoto…