NoA's big cheese, Reggie Fils-Aime has given some intruiging words on the progress of releasing Fatal Frame IV in the west, as well as discussing a US date for Disaster.

"Relaxed" would be a suitable term to describe Nintendo when it comes to releasing games worldwide. Unpredictable would be another, but rarely is the process genuinely confusing to the industry. Enter Reggie, to confuzzle us all.

Grabbed to one side by a pack of journalists at the US conference yesterday, the Nintendo of America President was interrogated on when the west would see a release for the highly-anticipated Japanese horror title, Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. Fils-Aime bizarrely answered, "You're going to have to contact the publisher for questions on that."

The game was significant, as it was not only the first title in the series to appear on a Nintendo system, but Nintendo had a hands-on role in the game, by stepping in and publishing it in Japan. It was assumed the west would follow suit, but do these words throw that assumption into doubt?

In the same interview, Reggie was also quizzed on when the US of A could be treated to another first-party Nintendo game; Disaster: Day of Crisis. To this, he repilied that it would entirely depend on whether the game would become successful elsewhere. Reggie then put it to North American gamers as to whether they actually wanted to play Disaster.

Disaster: Day of Crisis is due to hit Europe at the end of this month.