GAMES Nintendo Co. extended the lead of its Wii video-game console over Sony Corp.‘s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Corp.‘s Xbox 360, with stores selling 425,000 players in the U.S. in July. [BLOOMBERG]

GAMES Director Tetsuya Nakashima (“Memories of Matsuko,” “Kamikaze Girls”) has created a short movie for the Playstation 3 game, “Boku no Natsuyasumi 3” (My Summer Vacation 3). [TOKYOGRAPH]

GAMES Digital Works has announced the children’s adventure game “13-Sai no Hello Work DS” for the Nintendo DS, the Famitsu reported Monday.

GAMES A new game for the Nintendo DS handheld machine helps players exercise their facial muscles to have nicer smiles and livelier expressions. [MSN MAINICHI]

GAMES Game developer Nintendo will release the game “Slide Adventure Mag Kid” for the Nintendo DS portable game system together with a new peripheral. (1)

GAMES Japan’s arguably most popular anime character, Doraemon, will be featured in a boardgame-styled video game to be released for the Nintendo Wii this winter in Japan, Famitsu reported on Thursday. (4)

GAMES As Sony’s Playstation Premiere 2007 event unfolded in Tokyo on Wednesday, one particular game raised more questions than others. Bandai-Namco’s Nobi Nobi Boy, currently being developed by Keita Takahashi, the game designer behind lauded Katamari Damacy, features a weird worm-like character, and… and that is really all that has been made official. (1)

GAMES Sales of Sony’s PlayStation 3 game console surpassed one million units in Japan in about eight months after its launch, more than four times as long as it took Nintendo’s hot-selling Wii to reach the same mark. [REUTERS]

GAMES Video game developer Square Enix will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of popular video game Final Fantasy VII through a limited edition soft drink Final Fantasy VII 10th anniversary potion, to be sold in a set with an anniversary book. (4)

GAMES Legendary Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto knows when his grand vision of video games for the masses has arrived. “When my relatives start talking to me about video games, then I’ll know that I have succeeded,” the brainchild behind “Donkey Kong” and other hits said at this week’s E3 Media and Business Summit. [MSN MAINICHI]

GAMES Fuji Television’s grand celebration Adventure King 2007 started on Saturday, marking the 10-year anniversary of them moving their headquarters to Odaiba, Tokyo. Taking part in the festivities, which will last until September 2, are Square-Enix and their popular Dragon Quest-series, Famitsu reported. (2)

GAMES Bandai-Namco will present the females of Japan with Onnajikara Kinkyu Appu! DS on July 26. To promote this, a press conference was held on Tuesday, featuring celebrity Kano Mika. The title is set to help its target audience boost their “girl power”. (1)

GAMES Microsoft has no plans to cut the Japanese prices of its Xbox 360 video game console, the head of the U.S. software maker’s Japan subsidiary said Monday - even as rival Sony cut the U.S. price of its PlayStation 3 by US$100. [MSN MAINICHI]

GAMES Everyone who is anyone in the game music industry gathered at Tokyo’s Studio Coast on Saturday for the Extra – Hyper Game Music Event 2007. Hordes of fans poured into the venue as the gates opened, eager to enjoy the performances of some of their favorite composers.

GAMES Oscar Promotion held an audition for girls age 6 to 11 on Sunday at Sega’s Tokyo Joypolis amusement park. The occasion was the selection of two new models for the 2007 marketing campaign of Sega arcade hit Fashionable Witches Love and Berry (Oshare Majo – Rabu and Berii).

BASEBALL Central League baseball team Tokyo Yakult Swallows has begun a summer collaboration with film studio Toho, whose new animated film Pokémon Diamond & Pearl – Dialgo VS Palkia VS Darkrai opens on July 14. By combining professional baseball and Pokémon, the two are hoping to make this summer holiday at Jingu Stadium the best one for Japanese children yet.

GAMES Developer Koei will move its PC massive multiplayer online title Sangokushi Online (Romance of the Three Kingdoms Online) into its second closed beta phase on July 27. For this second beta, six new areas, two new dungeons and a battle technique customization system will be added.

GAMES Game creator Capcom has decided to grant blogging Ghost’n'Goblins-fans an exclusive first look at their latest entry to the series, Ultimate Ghost’n’Goblins Kai for the PlayStation Portable. At the Premium Blogger Meeting, being held at the company’s Tokyo office on July 22, dedicated players will get to try the new installment.

GAMES Sony Corp., the world’s biggest maker of game consoles, said it has no current plans to lower the price of the PlayStation 3 after gaming Web sites reported some U.S. retailers will offer discounts from next week. [BLOOMBERG]

GAMES Sega opened up the doors to their Sega Private Show 2007 “SUMMER” on Friday, offering the arcade gaming industry and members of the press a glimpse at their latest offerings. Visitors could enjoy new titles such as WORLD CLUB Champion Football Intercontinental Clubs 2006-2007, Derby Owners Club 2008 - feel the rush, Galileo Factory, Bingo Galaxy and Quest of D – The Battle Kingdom.