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This week's VC in Brief can be described with one word: epic. Seriously, Ogre Battle 64 is one of the more huge games on the N64 console. It's a traditional fantasy title -- a SRPG, if you want to go all technical on it -- and relies upon many of the genre's staples. As such, the above video weighs in at over 10 minutes. It's without a doubt the longest video we've done yet.

• Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (Nintendo 64, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points)

Kids these days, they're big into this Harry Potter dude. Whether it's the books or the movies, the kids want to know what's going down at the Hogwart's, whereas we were more concerned with what was going down at the F.A.O. Schwartz in our younger years. That keyboard from Big? We were all about it.

That's why the above trailer is so hard to understand for us. Of course, the classic Traveler's Tales stamp of charismatic plastic dudes and dudettes is there and easily recognizable, but we're just not up on that Potter tip. We lack the info. Good thing LEGO Harry Potter is a crash course on the up-and-coming wizard's first four years at that crazy school, right?

With the release of WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase this week, Nintendo is still in hype mode for its mini-game generation suite. This week's Nintendo Channel highlight video features longtime Nintendo developer Yoshio Sakamoto, a guy with impressive resume bullet points like Rhythm Heaven, several WarioWare titles, and he was also the game designer of Balloon Fight. Impressive!

So be sure to soak in the new video above, then head past the break for some new DS demos and the rest of this week's video content.

Nintendo's online store is a great place to get a Game Boy Micro battery door or a copy of Wii Sports, and now you can get a Virtual Console game and a WiiWare game there too. That's right -- one each.

For some reason, Nintendo put Pokemon Rumble and Super Mario Bros. 3 up for download through its browser-based online store, for $15 and $5, respectively. Purchasing either will give you a download ticket that you can enter in the Wii Shop to download the game. But why? And why just two games? (Although that's one more game than is available from Amazon's Wii download section.) We're checking with Nintendo about the offering now, and will report back if we hear anything.

[Via GoNintendo]

Super Mario Galaxy 2 drops the hub world from the first game for a much simpler map interface; even simpler than New Super Mario Bros.' map. Speaking to Game Informer, Shigeru Miyamoto explained the change. "We want players to focus on the joy of the action instead of getting to each game course," he said. "We wanted to make it as accessible as possible and as easy as possible for the players." That's not to say the game is being made easier in general. It's just now easier to get to the levels.

"Also, because we're going to incorporate a number of different stars, and conquering all the stars is going to be one of the most challenging missions for the player," Miyamoto added, "we want [players] to understand as easy as possible where they should go next and which places they should go back to in order to get access to the remaining stars." In addition, the new starship mechanic necessitates a streamlined navigation interface.

Game Informer also managed to ask Miyamoto about 3D right before the announcement of the 3DS, so the discussion was all about 3D televisions (and not entirely transferable to 3DS). "We're at the stage right now where it's very difficult to tell whether 3D televisions are going to cater to our needs to make better 3D experiences," he said. "For one thing, our video games are made for as many people as possible, and the number of people who can play those types of games, who can afford to buy the 3D televisions at home, aren't going to be very good." A hint of where Nintendo might be going with 3D followed: "It is also true that certain types of three-dimensional games utilize 3D televisions might help people navigate more freely. Right now we're at the stage where it's very hard for us to determine whether it's very good or bad."

WarioWare D.I.Y. isn't the only new WarioWare out this week. Well, it sort of is, because WarioWare D.I.Y. Showcase is basically an extension of the DS game, but Showcase also has a load of new microgames on its own.

Joining Showcase on the Wii is, believe it or not, a Nintendo 64 game on Virtual Console! And on DSiWare ... a metronome and an instrument tuner? See the full list after the break.

At Harmonix's PAX East 2010 panel, five Rock Band designers answered questions from the audience for "An Awkward Hour" with one major stipulation: No questions about Rock Band 3. However, when an audience member inquired whether Green Day: Rock Band songs would still have harmonies when imported into RB2, Harmonix Project Lead Chris Foster began listing off the games with harmony support. "We've said Rock Band 3 would have harmonies already, right?" Foster asked his fellow panelists, who responded with a booming, "No!"

Foster clammed up without revealing more details about Rock Band 3's harmonies (or even answering the attendee's original question), only mentioning, "It's been nice working at Harmonix." (We think he was joking about that last part.)

The problem with the Easter weekend is that it's one of the many holidays celebrated the world over without presents. Like, how can you enjoy your time off of school or work or whatever without a hot new gametape to solve? Well, thanks to Toys R Us' buy one, get one half-off sale, you just may be able to.

On April 2 and 3, stores nationwide, as well as the retailer's site, will offer the sale on its entire stock of video games -- among other, non-gaming goods. That means you could buy a copy of Dragon Age: Origins and snag Awakening for half-off. Or you could pick up a couple copies of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and get a friend in the mix for relatively cheap. Sharing is caring!

Did you know that PAX East was originally going to be called "the Joystiq Expo?" That's a flagrant lie, but considering the number of Joystiq-related events scattered throughout the show, you'd be hard pressed to think otherwise. If you want to hang out with the stars of the Joystiq Podcast and the rest of the Joystiq east coast crew – and even earn a chance to win one of these super limited edition Andrew Ryan figurines, courtesy of our pals at Irrational Games – make sure you stop by every one of these many events:

• Blueberry Muffin-Tops Breakfast brought to you by Malt-O-Meal
  Saturday, 8AM
  Start the day right with a free bowl of Justin McElroy's favorite breakfast cereal. Space will be limited, so make sure you follow @JoystiqBBMT on Twitter to find out how to get a wristband for entry to this exclusive event. [more info]
• Get Ready For Love: The Joystiq Podcast LIVE!
  Manticore Theatre - Saturday, 8:30pm
  It'll be just like the show you love, except you'll be forced throughout to stare at the terrifying visage of the hosts. So, in short, a spectacle in every sense of the word. Come early -- there will be giveaways. [more info]
• Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Game Journalism...
  Manticore Theatre - Sunday, 2:30pm
  Chris Grant and a team of esteemed gaming peons will answer any and all questions you have about the art and craft of getting paid to write about games (it's a tough life). Review scores. Swag. Junkets. Bias. The death of magazines. The rise of blogs. It's all fair game. [more info]
• Sequelitis Snake Oil: Quack Medicine for the Video Game Industry
  Manticore Theatre - Sunday, 4:00pm
  This panel will seek to diagnose the video game industry's purported "sequelitis" by way of discussion from thoughtful panelists, including Irrational Games' Ken Levine; Obsidian's Chris Avellone; Harmonix's Dan Teasdale; Giant Bomb's Jeff Gerstmann; and moderator Chris Grant (from Joystiq!). Mr. Levine is bringing five of the above, super limited edition Andrew Ryan figurines. There are only 200 of these in existence and they're not for sale anywhere – so come early. [more info]

Also, do you want VIP access to Mafia II? 2K Games has graciously offered to give eight Joystiq readers a chance to get 30 minutes with the upcoming game, and exclusive swag. VIPs will be able to cut the line and get VIP access on Saturday, 4PM. Want access? The first eight commenters (that are at PAX East!) that respond to this post will get e-mailed instructions on how to get access.

True, he once exclusively rocked the World Tour, but there just ain't no telling with that Jimi Hendrix. Today, following the reveal of the Jimi Hendrix Experience DLC album Axis: Bold as Love for the Rock Band platform, MTV Games and Harmonix announced, "Jimi Hendrix's music is now exclusive to Rock Band with more songs coming to its industry-leading platform in the future." (An MTV Games spokesperson reiterated to Joystiq that "moving forward" Hendrix music-game releases will be exclusive to Rock Band, but declined to offer specifics on the deal with Experience Hendrix LLC.)

Previously, several Hendrix tracks, including a DLC pack, and a digitized version of the, uh, "No. 1 guitarist of all time" were featured in Guitar Hero: World Tour, which, due to licensing restrictions, can't be imported into other Guitar Hero games. Even a Hendrix-themed Guitar Hero game was once allegedly in the works, having apparently slipped into the sea.

GameStop's annual GameDays promotion has started up once again, bringing a pretty good selection of discounted games. Perhaps the best deal in the whole lineup is Assassin's Creed 2, available on both Xbox 360 and PS3 for $29.99. Other exciting deals on those systems include Fallout 3 for $20, Bayonetta for $40 (PS3/360) and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for just $15 (PS3/360).

Handheld gamers can pick up COP: The Recruit, Dissidia Final Fantasy, or Phantasy Star Portable for $20, and top off the purchase with a $10 copy of Worms 2. Of course, these are just a few of the discounts -- go browse for yourself.

[Via CheapCollegeGamers]

The latest Hanabi Festival has deposited another high-quality import into the European Wii Shop: Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber. Should you be less enthused by strategy and more into reflexes, you can get your fight on in Fatal Fury Special, also available on Virtual Console this week.

On DSiWare, you're treated to a trio of Game & Watch games from Nintendo, along with yet another GTA-type game.

• Ogre Battle 64 (Nintendo 64, 1 player, 1,200 Wii Points)
• Fatal Fury Special (Neo Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points)
• Art of Balance (WiiWare, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
• Diner Dash (WiiWare, 1-8 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
• Game & Watch: Chef (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 Wii Points)
• Game & Watch: Judge (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 Wii Points)
• Game & Watch: Mario's Cement Factory (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 Wii Points)
• Super Yum Yum: Puzzle Adventures (DSiWare, 1 player, 800 DSi Points)
• Gangstar 2: Kings of LA (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
  

As expected, the '80s Track Pack for Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero is now available for download on all the various consoles, featuring three respectable songs from the decade of New Wave and hair bands. Well, two or three, depending on how you like The Go-Gos. The entire thing is available for 440 on Xbox Live, $5.49 on PSN, or 550 Wii Points, and the individual songs are as follows:

• "Girls, Girls, Girls" by Motley Crue (160/ $1.99 / 200 Wii Points)
• "We Got the Beat" by The Go-Go's (160 / $1.99 / 200 Wii Points)
• "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger (160/ $1.99 / 200 Wii Points)

Say what you want about "We Got the Beat," but we won't tolerate hating on the Crue or Night Ranger and, from the looks of those hairstyles above, they won't either. These songs are available now for both games, so get yourself mo-tor-in' on over to the store if you want 'em.

We currently know very little about Level-5's console-based spinoff of the DS soccer RPG Inazuma Eleven. In fact, here's what we know about it:

• It might be called Inazuma Eleven Break

That's actually pretty much it. We don't even know which console or consoles it's being considered for, though the fact that it's based on a kid-friendly series suggests the Wii. As does the content of a tweet sent by Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino (translated by Andriasang): "Meeting for the console version of Inazuma Eleven. Different from the DS version's RPG type, this has, maybe, the feeling of sports fighting. Perhaps those who like Smash Bros. will enjoy it." A sporty riff on Smash Bros. from one of the world's premiere RPG developers. How fascinating!