Trash-N-Slash

SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 Japanese boxart.

2009-03-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 Japanese boxart.

This packaging looks much more exciting than the U.S. cover! This collection, however, released stateside last April, while Japan isn’t getting it until May 2009.

By the way, the game is on sale at Walmart for $12.82!

Manga Science helping education in Japan!?

2009-03-15T20:16:00.003-07:00

It seems companies and educational institutes are trying their best to use the Moe power so students can focus on learning. It is not the first time a company use Moe on textbooks but it seems every day, the trend is increasing.

Study guides illustrated with cute, manga-esque female characters who explain the basics of subjects such as physics, chemistry and mathematics are selling well, giving rise to hopes among educators they will help stem the trend of young people turning away from the sciences.

Some doubt, however, whether such books will really help youngsters become more interested in the subjects.

Study guides illustrated with cute manga-style girls are displayed on the shelves of the main store of the Maruzen bookshop chain in the Marunouchi district of Tokyo

The main store of the Maruzen bookshop chain in Tokyo’s Marunouchi district has on its third-floor shelves a selection of books introducing difficult physics subjects such as the properties of neutrinos and the principles of quantum mechanics. Visitors are lured to the section by a selection of books with large, colorful illustrations of attractive young girls on their covers.

PHP Interface, a publisher known for its business books, published a study aid in October titled “Genso-shuki–Moete Oboeru Kagaku no Kiso” (The Periodic Table–The Basics of Chemistry Learned through Infatuation). In the book, attractive manga girls teach the periodic table by personifying the 118 chemical elements. The company already has published 11 printings of the science crammer, selling a total of 35,000 copies to date.

Fluorine compounds are used for coating frying pans, and in the books the apron-wearing character embodying the element tells readers, “The fluorine coating repels water!”

A 16-year-old high school student from Chiba Prefecture said of the language used in the books, “As well as the drawings, the [characters'] lines also convey the properties of the elements.”

Miyuki Mitsuda, a part-time instructor at Musashi Institute of Technology, was the chief editor of the books. He said he asked the illustrators to try to help readers comprehend the properties of the elements by simply glancing at the drawings of the books.

Kochi cram school operator, Akihito Hamada, 47, said he always has copies at hand in class.

Manga drawings have been used in study books for many years. Hamada said, “The cute illustrations of girls go down particularly well among female middle school students.”

A manga book explaining quantum mechanics published by PHP Interface last month has already sold 45,000 copies.

Hiroshi Matsui, a 74-year-old chemistry teacher at a vocational school in Hiroshima Prefecture, said he felt the book “is drawing in children who didn’t get a feel for science from textbooks that focus on entrance examinations.”

Ohmsha Ltd., a long-standing publisher of science and engineering books, has published about 20 books covering subjects such as calculus and Fourier analysis in its “Manga de Wakaru Shirizu” (Understanding through Manga Series). The series also features large front-cover illustrations of girls in maid costumes and other images typical of manga.

The most popular book in the series covers statistics. Maruzen reportedly sells twice as many copies of this book than any other title on the subject.

As Mio Murayama, a 32-year-old sales clerk at Maruzen’s Marunouchi store, explained, it is not only the drawings of pretty girls that are helping the books sell.

“Some books barely sell at all,” Murayama says. That’s because they don’t have the content to go with the pictures.”

However, Akito Arima, a former education minister and chairman of the Japan Science Foundation, is not wholly convinced of the books’ utility.

Arima said, “If [the books] are used by people unfamiliar with science to introduce them to scientific concepts, then I’m in favor of them using this kind of book.”

“People who really want to learn, though, should then study from try specialist books,” Arima, 78, added.

Source: Takashi Yokomizo / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

I really wonder what could happen if this continues…Youngsters will really focus and learn science…or they will become Otakus! People interested in Moe Chemistry can still get the book.

The MOE Quantum Mechanics Book is also available here!

“My wife loves soap operas so I gave her School Days!” part 2

2009-03-15T20:16:00.001-07:00

Not long ago, I gave my wife School Days because there was no soap operas to watch. Every day for the four days that she watched, I wanted to see her face in that fatal scene but I must tell you, She was not impress and at the end, She only said…”Everything is fine but the end was weird” and “Makoto is such a jerk”

It was my fault. I gave her the censored “black blood” episode instead of the one uncensored with the ketchup. It could have diminish the impact of the scene.

Another reason why she was not impressed is because she loves horror and gore movies. Last week I took her to the movies to see “Friday the 13th” and she loves it but probably because School Days is just a “cartoon”, the nice boat effect was minimal. By the way, I loved Friday the 13th because of the hot babes in the movie. Glad my wife didnt noticed it.

One curious thing is the fact that Makoto managed to get almost all the girls before the tragic end. “How that happened? Makoto is not THAT good looking!” She said!

At the end, School Days was just a ride in the park and nothing more so probably She will just forget it, while the rest of us, the anime fans, will have a hard time to forget it.

On a brighter side, She wants to watch other anime, so my next choice will be “The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi”…I just hope she likes it.

This story is not fiction. It happened to a “friend of a friend!”

This Week In Imports

2009-03-15T20:15:00.001-07:00

Kadokawa Channel on Youtube released Haruhi chan episode 9 & episode 10 and Nyoron Churuya san episode 5! Somehow, Haruhi-chan got to the peak and now it is rolling down with its plot and made me yawn. Without spoiling too much with a plot summary, I could say this episodes should be rated “R” for the following reasons:

Too much Blood!

Too much violence!

More ridiculous violence!

Physical Aggression!

and finally Torture Scenes! (and watching this episodes were a torture indeed)

I must admit, I was not laughing too much with this episodes. Probably because the humor was a little bit overused or there was not any punchline around. I just can´t explain what happened. If you agree with me or not, please comment to see if I am the only one with this opinion. The only thing that saved the Haruhi chan episodes this week was Asakura chibi san and Haruhi´s “bloody” mood! On the other hand, Churuya san 5 was better and unfortunately, shorter!

Look! a Churuya life size figure!

Kyon, you pervert!

After all the abuse…

Churuya san saw the rainbow!

I think Haruhi-chan creators are running out of ideas in the humor department. However, I dont want to lose hope because there are always hit and miss on any project and this was for now a miss!…Nyoron!

This Week In Imports: The Colors (And Robots) Of Spring

2009-03-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

Sony and Nintendo are ringing spring in with pastel portables. Spirited Green PSPs and pink Nintendo DSis come out this week. Super Robot Taisen K and its Gundam Seed goodness launches with the three new DSi colors. Most of this week’s new releases are on portables. ASCII Media Works unites characters from Dengeki Bunko light novels like Kino’s Journey to make Dengeki Gakuen RPG: Cross of Venus. Kuroshitsuji: Phantom & Ghost expands the series with new story. And Brandish: Dark Revenant gives a new generation of gamers upward facing dungeon crawling.

What’s out on consoles in Japan? Baseball games and Darts Wii. Anything worth importing this week or are domestic releases like Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, Suikoden Tierkreis, and Rune Factory Frontier enough to keep you busy?

Nintendo DS
Dengeki Gakuen RPG: Cross of Venus
Gakken Hangul Sanmai DS
Gardening Mama
Kuroshitsuji: Phantom & Ghost
Tantei Jinguuji Saburo: Fuserareta Shinjitsu
Super Robot Taisen K
Lime Green DSi
Metallic Blue DSi
Pink DSi

PSP
Harvest Moon: Sugar Village and Everyone’s Wish
Brandish: Dark Revenant
Dragon Ball Evolution
Musou Tourou
Ape Quest (Retail)
Bright Yellow PSP-3000
Spirited Green PSP-3000

Wii
Darts Wii Deluxe
Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu Next

PlayStation 2
Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2009
Amagami

Key Domestic Releases
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (DS)
Suikoden Tierkreis (DS)
TrackMania DS (DS)
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS)
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (DS)
Rune Factory Frontier (Wii)
Resistance: Retribution (PSP)

Spotted @SXSW 2009: Jonathan Coulton in a giant fishbowl

2009-03-15T20:10:00.004-07:00

Geek songster extraordinaire Jonathan Coulton was on-hand at SXSW, being interviewed in the aquariumrific Studio SX stage. You can watch the full interview at some point later on SXSW.com to hear Coulton talking about reaching his geeky audiences, how he crafts his songs, and why he loves audience misbehavior. He capped everything off with a live performance of the unofficial Portal anthem "Still Alive," which really doesn't get old no matter how many times you hear it.

Japanese hardware sales, March 2 - March 8: Brightly Colored Evil edition

2009-03-15T20:10:00.003-07:00

We've suspected for quite some time now that the Japanese game-consuming populous is easily hypnotized by jewel-toned and otherwise flashy colors, evidenced by the success of the Pokémon series and the kaleidoscopic spectrum of DS Lites. If you're not convinced, look at this week's charts -- PSP sales shot through the roof, aided by the recently released, astonishingly garish Vibrant Blue and Radiant Red models. We expect the next few weeks to be fairly kind to Sony's handheld as more PSP color variants hit the market. Personally, we're holding out for Pulchritudinous Purple.

Japanese gamers also proved their undying undead love by pushing Resident Evil 5 to the top of the software sales chart, bolstering its respective platforms by a little over 3,000 a piece. If only Capcom could synergize the two aforementioned passions exhibited in this week's sales figures -- perhaps an additional DLC pack could add some much-needed vibrance to RE5's humble palette.

"Pass me those Skittles, paht-nah!"

- PSP: 59,568 23,980 (67.38%)
- PS3: 39,835 3,322 (9.10%)
- DSi: 32,102 3,725 (10.40%)
- Wii: 16,560 1,316 (7.36%)
- Xbox 360: 14,994 3,199 (27.12%)
- DS Lite: 11,240 534 (4.54%)
- PS2: 4,954 145 (2.84%)

[Source: Media Create]

See: The pulchritudinous archives

Former GFW Radio crew plans reunion show at PAX'09

2009-03-15T20:10:00.001-07:00

Former 1UP employees and crew of The Brodeo (commonly known as GFW Radio) are planning a live reunion show at the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, Washington. However, before new Agent 00 theories and Internet Hero shout-outs can be addressed, the team needs your help.

Armchair Empire is taking donations to help rent conference space for the September event. According to Armchair, the entire original cast has expressed interest in a live show -- with Rebel FM's Anthony Gallegos playing "bench warmer." Currently, donations stand at less than half the $2,250 room rental cost. All excess donations are said to be given to Penny Arcade's charity, Child's Play. Joystiq was told that if the goal was not met, donations would either be returned or given to charity.

[Thanks, Flanked. Image from Terrence S.]

PSA: Run! Left 4 Dead's Tank now bats 1000

2009-03-15T20:09:00.003-07:00

Before this glorious weekend began, Valve listed a few fixes the latest update of Left 4 Dead addressed. Apart from your standard server and back end issue fixes -- listed after the break -- Valve saw fit to update the Tank. Clearly the unholy creature was taken down a notch because of his behemoth desire for absolute destruction, right? Actually, the Tank was given the ability to hit all survivors with one melee strike. In essence, he's more ruthless than ever before.

Of course the repercussions of such an evil act will mostly be felt in the game's Versus Mode but we can't help but wonder which side Valve is on. Is it their aim to ruin survivor morale for the actual (and inevitable) zombie apocalypse? Perhaps Left 4 Dead was designed by zombies, for zombies, to test the human spirit and to see how resilient we really are. We don't know you're little game Valve but we're watching you. Oh, and stop asking us to web cam you pictures of our skulls -- it's weird. Wait a minute...

Fixed sv_search_key appearing in server browser
Fixed issue where changing the sv_search_key did not update the master correctly
Fixed master server issue with Linux fork mode that affected availability of Valve dedicated servers
Tank melee attack can now hit multiple Survivors in one swing
Missed from the previous list changes: Fixed acheivements to match stats. Past achievements not previously awarded will be shown in the game UI

No Bone about it: new Bone game NOT coming (curses!)

2009-03-15T20:09:00.001-07:00

Despite the fact that we wrote about it, and our hearts yearned for it, Jeff Smith has dashed our hopes to pieces on the sharp rocks below by confirming that a new Bone game is not indeed coming out anytime soon:

"You know, I don't know what the video game thing is all about. There is no new Bone video game in the works. I think it may be refering to something Scholastic is planing for its website - - a little flash game, maybe, or it could just be an internet rumor that made it onto the list!"

It's too bad, because if you've read this magnum opus comic book, you'll know how cool another Bone game would be. Or rather, a good Bone game. We'll cross our fingers in the hopes that someone will start work on something that brings Bone to life in a video game setting, preferably in the original black and white. With all the indie game action at SXSW, it seems ripe for the developing.

[Via VGTribune]

Blizzard looking for short stories based on its games

2009-03-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

If you consider yourself to be quite the wordsmith, we suggest turning your attention to a recently announced contest from the PC gaming juggernauts at Blizzard. The developer is currently asking literarily inclined fans to produce 3,000 to 10,000-word short stories set in the universe of the Warcraft, Diablo or Starcraft series. The author of the judges' favorite novelette gets a free ride to Blizzard HQ to meet the team's writing staff, and will take home a replica Frostmourne sword with which they can behead their harshest literary critics.

You can check out the official rules here. Yes, they're disqualifying entries containing any obscene or lewd activities -- so save your "throbbing" and "heaving" for your breathtakingly erotic Sonic the Hedgehog slash fiction.

[Via Big Download]

Starting Over

2009-03-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

To: Luke
From: Owen
Re: Killzone 2 Podcast

There's something arty about that picture - to me anyway. I took it two weeks ago when I was clearing everything out of my apartment. The Genesis wasn't mine. I don't know who threw it out. But it seemed like a fitting, if plaintive, comment on how so many people are simplifying, starting over, and moving on.

There were no fewer than four moving trucks (mine included) on that Monday. Everyone loading up and getting out of California. Like the Joads in reverse. I had a good drive, considering the distance and the fact the air conditioning worked in none of the four Motel 6es in which i stayed. The second night, in Tucumcari, N.M., I was talking to Mom and she asked me what I was going to do that evening. "From the looks of this place," I said, "probably re-enact No Country for Old Men."

After that night, I drove into Texas and just outside Amarillo I got pulled for doing 85 in a 70 mph zone. When I'm dealing with a state trooper I usually add "Sir" to everything and twang up the Southern accent a notch. It also didn't hurt to mention I was on my way to South Carolina to care for my sick grandfather who had fought in two wars. I got off with a warning. Remind me to thank my grandfather for his service. They weren't called The Greatest Generation for nothing.

Some things you might have missed this weekend:

Halo Kitty Action Figure Can Be Yours for $50
Kojima on MGS Touch: "Simple, Yet Solidly Playable"
Your Sunday Morning Facepalm
Gamer Deaths Make Clan Notification Difficult, Awkward
How a Lightweight Console Lay the Foundations of Game Design
The Pitt: a Confluence of Mutation

Week in Games: Wars and Retribution

2009-03-15T19:57:00.001-07:00

Two AAA drops this week, and both are on portables - Resistance: Retribution and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, deploy for PSP and DS, respectively, on St. Patrick's Day.

Redy 2 Rumble Revolution is on the Wii and, if futbol is your thing, then Pro Evolution 2009 (Wii and PS3) might be worth a look. Otherwise it seems kind of quiet, none more so than for the 360, which has zero retail drops and if it didn't have Hasbro Family Game night on XBLM would be shutout altogether. The count: 10 for the DS, eight for PC, four for Wii, three for PSP, 2 for PS3, one for 360.

Monday (March 16)
Men of War (PC)
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume (DS)
Women's Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey (PC)
World Championship Games: A Track & Field Event (DS)

Tuesday (March 17)
Crayola Adventures: Colorful World (Wii)
Ether Saga Online (PC)
Grand Ages: Rome (PC)
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS)
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (DS)
History Great Empires Rome (DS)
Mind Body & Soul: Big Word Puzzle Book (DS)
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PS3, Wii)
Ready 2 Rumble Revolution (Wii)
Resistance: Retribution (PSP)
Rune Factory Frontier (Wii)
SBK Superbike World Championship (PSP)
Scrabble (DS, PSP)
SingStar: Queen (PS3)
Suikoden Tierkreis (DS)
Tom Clancy's HAWX (PC)
TrackMania DS (DS)
World in Conflict: Complete Edition (PC)

Wednesday (March 18)
Hasbro Family Game Night (360)
SBK-08 Superbike World Championship (DS)
The Path (PC)

Thursday (March 19)
Runes of Magic (PC)

Source: Gamespot

Peter Moore: Boxing is "the Past"

2009-03-15T19:56:00.001-07:00

Electronic Arts has long been rumored to have eyes for a mixed martial arts title. IGN got to the EA Sports chief at a launch event and asked, obliquely, if that was so.

Phrasing the question as "which sport he'd like to see EA Sports tackle next," Moore said that, while they're "incredibly excited" about Fight Night, boxing is fading into the distance.

"Boxing, for me, sadly feels like it's the past of fighting and Mixed Martial Arts feels like it's the future of fighting. So when we look at where people's attention is going, that's something we keep a very close eye on."

THQ has the license for an Ultimate Fighting Championship game until 2011, but there are, conceivably, ways to go ahead with an MMA title without UFC branding, just like there are football games out there without NFL licensing. Whatever the case, Moore's comments were pretty direct that mixed martial arts will be part of his division's next big leap.

EA Sports Mixed Martial Arts Title in the Works? [IGN via GoNintendo]

DS Can Help Brit Kids Pass Driving Test

2009-03-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

When I took my written driving exam in California, I had a pretty simple rule - of all the choices described, the ones that an asshole driver would do were incorrect.

Apparently it is a lot harder in the U.K., where some 40 percent of first time takers of the Driving Theory Test ("theory"?) fail it. This is the test that gives young drivers the British version of a learner's permit, if I understand correctly. I got mine by turning 15 and not killing Coach McCann during driver's ed. Anyway, the point of all this is that Avanquest Software has produced a title that will help the truly hopeless bad drivers of the future breeze through this exam so they can get on the roads and be the truly hopeless bad drivers of today.

Seriously, I know everyone's touting the quality and seriousness of education in Europe and Great Britain, but a driving test that comes with LSAT-level prep software is scaring me a bit. Pass Your Driving Theory Test includes all 1,265 possible questions one could be asked about the safe and legal operation of an auto or motorcycle. Since driving theory exams run about £30, and this thing is £19.99, it represents a £10 hedge against failing the test.

Note: I'm extremely proud of the fact this post doesn't contain a single crack about bonnets, boots, or driving on the wrong side of the road.

Pass Your Driving Theory Test in Stores Today [GoNintendo via Joystiq]

A Video Compendium of Sheva in Tribal Costume

2009-03-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

Well, this didn't take long. Resident Evil 5 dropped, what, on Friday? And already someone's culled together two solid minutes of Sheva cavorting in her tribal costume. Warning - spoilers begin at 0:52.

If there's a defensible purpose for this post, it's that it shows some gameplay footage that's pretty rare at the moment. And Sheva in a skimpy animal print bikini. With a gun.

Sheva's Tribal Costume Compilation [GameTrailers. Thanks "jkaccnt"]

Spy Plate Will Sap Dinner

2009-03-15T19:53:00.002-07:00

Or make a casserole look like a pork chop. Reddit user tortus says he painted this after his girlfriend drug him to a pottery-painting class when he wanted to be playing Team Fortress 2.

For those who want to say so, yes it is a slow news day. Feel free to point that out in the comments without fear of reprisal - just this once.

What to Do When You are Painting Pottery with Your Girlfriend and Not Playing TF2 [imgur]

Patent Troll Lawsuit Begins on Tuesday

2009-03-15T19:53:00.001-07:00

Way back in 2007 an "investment firm" that so happened to hold some patents filed a suit claiming Microsoft and Nintendo infringed them. The suit wends its way to the courtroom on St. Patrick's Day.

Fenner Investments Ltd. says controllers for the Gamecube, Wii, Xbox and Xbox 360 infringe the "low-voltage joystick port interface" patent it was awarded Oct. 2, 2001. Previous coverage excerpted the highly technical claim made by Fenner which, in short, meant that things such as pressing buttons and moving joysticks infringed upon their super exclusive technology. Sony was originally named in the lawsuit, but appears to have been let off the hook.

Nintendo is no stranger to this sort of lawsuit. There's another one, curiously, also filed in Tyler, Texas, that alleges the Wiimote infringes someone else's motion control technology. But Nintendo also has lost another case, owing $21 million to a Texas firm, Anascape Ltd. after a court found the Wavebird, Gamecube and Classic controllers infringed on their IP.

So while both Nintendo and Microsoft have filed counterclaims asking for declaratory judgments of non-infringement and invalidity (in other words, getting a judge to say this is b.s.), this may not be such a quick and simple process.

Patent Lawsuit Against Nintendo, Microsoft To Begin In Tyler [Tyler Morning Telegraph]

German Chancellor Eyes Video Games in Wake of Shooting

2009-03-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

More details of the shooting linked to video games over in Germany: The shooter was playing Far Cry 2, and Chancellor Angela Merkel is considering what could be done to limit access to violent games.

Merkel did not give specifics in this Reuters story (via International Herald Tribune) so perhaps it's just a politic response to vox populi blaming games. It was part of a broader statement that Germans "must be attentive to all young people — that's true for parents and educators," Merkel said. "We must do all to prevent children from having access to weapons and from them having to face too much violence."

Sounds reasonable. The shooter's father had 15 guns at home. Fourteen were locked up, and the kid used the one that wasn't. Oopsie.

What's just silly is trying to link Far Cry 2 to this. Der Spiegel mentioned yesterday the killer played the game prior to the shootings (it even got timestamps!) So The Times of London devotes a tortured two paragraphs explaining all the coincidences of the game and the shooting, leaving out that both took place on planet Earth.

Remarkable parallels emerged between the video game and the 17-year-old's rampage. In the game it is essential to hijack cars to move around. Kretschmer hijacked a car, held a pistol to the driver's head and asked: "Should I have fun and pick off some more drivers?" Characters in the game, which is made by the French company Ubisoft and has sold 2.9m copies, wear black camouflage uniforms – the clothing Kretschmer wore on Wednesday.
Most sinister of all, Far Cry 2's killer uses a Beretta 92 handgun, the weapon fired 112 times by Kretschmer. The game, which carries an 18 certificate in Britain, includes sequences in which the aiming, firing and reloading of a Beretta are portrayed in vivid detail. It also rewards players who shoot their victims in the head, the style of killing chosen by Kretschmer.

And 12 contains the numbers one and two, just like the toilet yesterday where somebody went number two instead of number one.

If blaming Far Cry 2 makes people feel better, fine. I'll blame the facts he was a disturbed teenager who had a bondage porn kink way too early in life and was snubbed by a girl he had a crush on, who was among the first of his victims.

Mass Killer 'Rejected' by Girl at Party [Times of London]
Merkel Urges Greater Focus on Youth after Shootings [Reuters on International Herald Tribune]

Kojima on MGS Touch: "Simple, Yet Solidly Playable"

2009-03-15T19:51:00.002-07:00

Hideo Kojima gave an interview to Famitsu iPhone magazine, and gave up a lot of detail on the forthcoming Metal Gear Solid Touch.

Your next Metal Gear is a 20 stage game but, ruh roh, you don't get them all at once. "Of these, 12 stages will be available initially," according to Anoop Gantayat at Andriasang.com, who translated the piece. "After a while, Konami will distribute a full version of the game. Those who purchased the initial 12 stage version will be able to upgrade to the full version for free." Commence knee-jerk DLC bitching now.

The game also is brought to us by Kojima Productions' first female producer - Yasuyo Watanabe. Kojima explains he brought her aboard specifically because of her experience with the iPhone. "If someone like himself were to make an iPhone game, he would make it with game-like ideas," said Gantayat's translation. "That's fine for a pure game machine, but with hardware like iPhone which is mainly used as a phone and music player, he felt that her promotional viewpoint would be useful."

Kojima called Metal Gear Solid Touch "simple, but solidly playable." He thinks the volume offered by the iPhone and iPod Touch's installation base will translate to solid growth for "one idea products" - games that are well designed but not too complex (I think that's what he means.)

"I believe there are many people who know about MGS's existence. However, I believe there are also many people who don't play it because they think it looks hard," Kojima said, according to the translation. "I'd like those people to sample the MGS world as lightheartedly as one would listen to music. Of course, I'd like fans to also enjoy themselves."

Hideo Kojima interviewed in Famitsu iPhone [andriasang]

Halo Kitty Action Figure Can Be Yours for $50

2009-03-15T19:51:00.001-07:00

Hey, you got your Hello Kitty in my Master Chief! You got your Master Chief in my Hello Kitty! Two great tastes that ... eh ... perhaps not.

Yessir, that's a custom pink Master Chief with Hello Kitty tattooed/embossed on his ass, kneepads, "HK47" rifle and shield. In other words, it looks like the kind of eye-gouging abomination that only an eight-year-old kid sister could create out of her big brother's action figure collection. And then some. You can Buy it Now! for $49.99 on eBay.

The action figure is deliberately gender ambiguous, according to the seller (who also advises: "Please be aware that with all paints there is always a chance of wear and tear (especially in the jointed areas of an action figure, so please remember to be careful!)"). Holy shit, I just went punctuation, close parenthesis, quote mark, close parenthesis and punctuation and it was correct.

Check out that Emma Frost Hellfire Club fireplace behind Chief. Unfortunately, you don't get it with your 50 bones.

Meowster Chief [Hawty McBloggy]

Jay-Z's Getting Into Games?

2009-03-15T19:50:00.001-07:00

A brief aside in an upscale mag's profile of hip-hop performer, impresario (and Beyoncé spouse) Jay-Z mentions he might be turning his attention to a video game project.

"He is relaxing after a typically jam-packed day that included a photo shoot, an interview, and a meeting about his potential involvement in a forthcoming video game," writes BestLife magazine, which if it didn't mention its ties to Men's Health would sound like a supplemental to the Sunday Parade.

It's doubtful this means move over, Fiddy. I don't see Jay-Z starring as a character in his own game, unless it's some sort of Godfather II-style empire builder where you rack up recording labels, clubs, sports franchises and booze distilleries. He's probably talking about producing a game, or maybe backing a studio? In any case, the man has one of the strongest business senses of any A-list performer out there, so it will be interesting to see if this leads anywhere. He may have just had a meeting and said no thanks.

Jay-Z in the Video Game Business? Maybe! [The Koalition]

Your Sunday Morning Facepalm

2009-03-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

Over on CNET, a writer dares ask the question, "How far should violent video game ads be kept from schools?" Oh, God ...

This goes back to the row over the mean-ol scary Killzone 2 ads in Toronto (and has its roots in the mean-ol scary Fallout 3 ads in Washington and Grand Theft Auto IV ads in Chicago.) And like the previous two cases, it engenders a completely pointless debate.

For those not in the know, Someone saw a Killzone 2 poster in a city bus stop near a school. A teacher at that school - in a line of reasoning that's pissy even by Canadians' good-government values - emailed Sony Canada asking them to quit scaring the kids, especially in light of its failure to "promote any kind of community renewal or even responsibility." Sony removed the ads, from about 300 bus shelters throughout the city.

That's straight out of the PR playbook: Remove the source of stink immediately. There's something about a pledge not to stick these ads near schools anymore but, really, if Sony's just saying that to get this teacher to be quiet, fine. Who is going to enforce such a pledge anyway?

Well, CNET's Don Reisinger picks up the bit:

Sony has made the pledge to keep violent video game ads away from schools. But developing the proper radius might be difficult, since there are so many schools in most communities, leaving only certain areas available to ads. And then there's the likelihood that ads placed in these areas won't be effective because they won't be viewed by the target demographic. After all, the ads in the bus shelters were placed there for a reason: kids would see them and want the game. While I applaud Sony for taking the ads down over community unrest, I wonder how it plans to implement its advertising-free zones, since a standard distance probably won't work around every school. In fact, I'm not even sure what a fair distance would be. Does Sony know something we don't?

And again we have the assumption that just because children can be found in the same area as adults, all advertising there is exclusively targeted to children. I also like the classification "violent video game ads." Apparently the advertisements of these games are themselves violent and capable of causing harm.

Sony backing down is Sony's business. Its brand is more than video games and well more different than Bethesda's or Rockstar's. Teachers, preachers and politicians go to movies and buy TVs, too. So the answer to this question is really: "Far enough away to keep schoolmarms and neighborhood scolds from bitching at you." It still brings up a poll: How far should violent video game ads be kept from schools? Unsurprisingly, "Put them anywhere" is the runaway leader.

How Far Should Violent Video Game Ads Be Kept Away From Schools? [CNET via Blue's News]

Which Characters Are In The Dragonball Evolution Game?

2009-03-15T19:47:00.001-07:00

Saw Dragonball Evolution yesterday. As expected, it’s nothing like Dragonball. With only a few fight scenes the question in my mind after “why did I go to a theater to watch this” is how is the Dragonball Evolution fighting game going to work?

Namco Bandai hasn’t said much about it, but one screenshot has a character count. The PSP game has at least eleven selectable characters. The movie has seven lead roles: Goku, Bulma, Chi Chi, Master Roshi, Yamcha, Mai, and Piccolo. All of them are confirmed characters. That leaves four free slots. One of them will probably go to Grandpa Gohan who trains Goku. Master Mutaito could be another character even though he is in the movie for all of five minutes. Even if those characters are in there are still two more spaces which can go to generic monsters created by Piccolo, an alternate Goku, or one of Goku’s high school bullies.

From the screenshots it looks like Namco Bandai’s Dragonball Evolution game sticks to the source material closely so I wouldn’t expect any anime cameos. Yamcha uses a jackhammer in the movie and he uses a jackhammer in the game.

Siliconera Speaks Up On Game Reviews

2009-03-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

What do game reviews mean? Do you take them with a grain of salt? Do you read them at all? Do you make game purchasing decisions based on them?

Jenni: I always thought of game reviews as a sort of suggestion. I don’t often buy games based on reviews I’ve read, but if there’s a game I’m somewhat interested in, but not ready to go and spend money on, I’ll check out reviews. In a way, I’ve always thought of game reviews as window shopping.

I don’t visit major video game review sites often. I preferred reading reviews in actual magazines. (I was a fan of EGM, and enjoy picking up the occasional Nintendo Power.) More recently, I’ve found myself skimming the Gamefaqs user review scores when I’m curious about a game.

Spencer: The majority of game reviews analyze parts of a whole, look at a feature list, and see if it is up to par with what’s in stores now. I suppose it’s good for a product comparison, like if you were reviewing a car you want to know which one has a better engine, but a mess of numbers and letters don’t capture the experience. Writing about how a game makes you feel is abstract and even more subjective to interpretation. It takes longer to do, it’s longer for people to read, and doesn’t have the instant gratification of seeing “9 out of 10″ at the bottom. People like to see high scores for games they purchase since it psychologically validates the idea they made a good purchase.

I tend to take a different approach writing “reviews” on Siliconera. I like to write them as a journal entries to capture the moment I’m playing a game whether frustrating or exciting and present as much of the experience as possible. The readers here are intelligent enough that I don’t need to stroke egos with scores. I feel like you can discern whether the experience is something you will enjoy or not. The problem with product comparison reviews is titles, especially the quirky ones that we cover on Siliconera, get lost in the shuffle. Smaller games have smaller budgets and can’t present the same production values as a game with a multimillion dollar advertising campaign. Does that mean everyone should just rush out and purchase the blockbuster of the week? Of course not! There is a sea of other games — other experiences out there and we want to cover what they offer.

Ishaan: No, I don’t usually pay much heed to reviews anymore. I read a couple previews from different sites and forum threads on GAF, watch a trailer or two and usually, that’s enough for me to figure out whether or not I want a game. Too many reviews focus too much on nitpicking and not enough on design for me to care about them. It’s hard to discern sometimes whether they are aimed at angering developers or helping readers make a decision. I use Siliconera to take a design-oriented approach to games. Does it play well? How could a particular game mechanic have been improved upon? To me, these are meant to spark discussion, not necessarily always help readers make decisions.

Personally, I don’t see the point of sites using a ten-point-scale. Really, what’s the difference between a 4 and a 5? Likewise, the “Try/Buy/Fry” system doesn’t work very well either because too many games end up in the “Try” section, which isn’t an option for those of us who can’t rent games. I’m not saying I have a solution (other than not assigning scores at all), but I do think we need to re-evaluate the review systems on some sites…especially those that don’t really care for the kind of games we like at SE but attempt to cover them anyway.

Louise: I like how Jenni put it — window shopping. That’s basically how I treat reviews too. I’ll read reviews from sites like Eurogamer to get a better idea of a game I’m interested in, or to see if there are any additional features like multiplayer or online. Sometimes, if I’m deciding between two games, I’ll read reviews about both of them to see if one of them has something I want more over the other.

When I’m done writing a playtest for Siliconera, I like to go and look for reviews written by other people about the same game to see what they thought of it. Sometimes, the reviews will point out things in a different way, which I find neat — especially when there are lots of differing opinions.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a review make me want to buy something I didn’t want to before reading the review, but that definitely happens when I read forum posts about games. General gaming forums give a wider range of opinions on games and since the posters are just regular gamers (most of them), I feel it gives a truer representation of the game.

Go Play City Sports screenshots

2009-03-15T06:41:00.001-07:00

Here are the first four screenshots of Go Play City Sports for the Nintendo Wii, Majesco's new Balance Board-supported Wii game that includes six sports activities - stickball, kickball, handball, rooftop hockey, shootout soccer and jump rope.

Go Play City Sports supports Wii Balance Board

2009-03-15T06:40:00.001-07:00

Majesco has now fully revealed Go Play City Sports for the Nintendo Wii, the latest in its line of Wii Balance Board-supported Go Play titles (the others being Go Play Lumberjacks and Go Play Circus Star).

The sports compilation allows players to compete against the best neighbourhood athletes in six classic games, including stickball, kickball, handball, rooftop hockey, shootout soccer and jump rope. However, just like on the real street, they must dodge obstacles like manhole covers, fire hydrants and parked cars as they try to earn trophies and unlock items such as new courts and equipment.

Up to four players are supported. You'll be able to but Go Play City Sports for the Nintendo Wii this Fall.

NewU: Inside Out Wii screenshots

2009-03-15T06:39:00.001-07:00

Below are the first screenshots of NewU: Inside Out for the Nintendo Wii, the latest in the line of Wii Balance Board support fitness games. No gameplay on show, but instead a glimpse at the in-game menu, including all of the types of workout available:

Upcoming Battlefield 2 patch to include Operation Blue Pearl map

2009-03-15T06:38:00.002-07:00

A new Battlefield 2 map, Operation Blue Pearl, will be added to the game with DICE’s next patch.

This map will be included in both BF2 and Battlefield 2142.

The developers felt that BF2 “lacked a map with a beach landing scenario” like Omaha Beach in BF 1942, thus the addition of the beach setting.

An open beta is expected, but no details on when and how to sign up were mentioned on the official site.

Second Sins of a Solar Empire micro-content will be a bit late

2009-03-15T06:38:00.001-07:00

The second micro-expansion for Sins of a Solar Empire is going to be late, says Ironclad.

Entrenchment, the first out of three planned expansions, has been out for a bit, but Ironcald’s Blair Fraser says that the next part will be “done when it’s done”.

Sounded like Blizzard talking there for a minute.

Untitled at this point, the second update expands on diplomacy features.

1UP takes on six top Street Fighter IV players

2009-03-15T06:37:00.001-07:00

1UP and six of the top Street Fighter IV players from Northern and Southern California had a match over at the Hearst offices last night.

They live-streamed it, have no fear if you missed out. It’ll be posted on GameVideos come Monday.

The top Street Fighter IV players shared their match and characters strategies, and chatted a bit about the “fighting game scene”.

Be sure to watch this link for more information.

Turbine releases Lorien patch early through official site

2009-03-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

Turbine has announced that the Volume 2, Book 7: Leaves of Lórien update for Lord of the Rings Online can be downloaded a few days early from the official site.

Scheduled to go live on Tuesday, March 17, North American, Australian and New Zealand can get the patch ahead of schedule. No word on European players.

More information over on Massively.

EVE Online: Apocrypha tutorials explain new exploration system

2009-03-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

EVE Online has a new developer blog up for the new expansion Apocrypha explaining how the new exploration system works.

The recent expansion implemented a new drag-and-drop method to exploration, a more visual process than the old way.

It’s supposed to make the discovery of hidden encounters and wormholes easier, but, as with so much in EVE, it can be a bit confusing — thus the tutorial.

The video posted after the break was created by EVE Online player Espoir and is a visual tutorial covering everything from “exploration probe placement” to focusing in on the signatures you discover.

Thanks, Massively.

First look at Australia’s Resistance Retribution PSP-3000 bundle

2009-03-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

Australian? Looking forward to the PSP-3000 Resistance Retribution bundle landing March 26? Here’s what it contains:

PSP 3000 console
Resistance Retribution game
Resistance Retribution branded black pouch
Resistance Retribution PSP skin

Megaton. EB Games has it listed. Go take a peek.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days screenshots

2009-03-15T06:31:00.002-07:00

Blizzard to hold creative writing contest

2009-03-15T06:31:00.001-07:00

Fancy yourself a fantasy fiction writer? Do you dream nightly of powerful gnarled staffs, magical gems, and enchanted scimitars? Well, it seems as though Blizzard has a contest for you.

1Upnews is reporting via Kotaku that Blizzard is holding a creative fanfic writing contest. To enter, write a 3000 to 10,000 word story based on the StarCraft, Warcraft, or Diablo worlds. The grand prize is a real Frostmourne sword, plus a trip to Irvine, California and a tour of the Blizzard Entertainment headquarters. The seven runners up will receive signed copies of StarCraft, Warcraft, and Diablo novels.

Finally, you’ll be able to make the case that yes, fanfic writing is a really cool hobby, and could provide you with a lavish future. And who knows what crazy parties Blizzard will throw in your honor? Like I always say, whatever happens in Irvine, stays in Irvine. The rest of the details and official rules are here. Good luck!

Listen: Ghostface/DOOM's Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars theme

2009-03-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

For the hip-hop heads, the Rappcats blog has posted both the full version and a remix of Ghostface and DOOM's 'CTW', better known as the exclusive trailer music for Grand Theft Auto's DS debut, Chinatown Wars (due at retail in just a few short days).

Of particular note: the full version contains 100% more DOOM than the cut featured in the trailer. Now, about that full album...

GHOSTFACE & DOOM - CTW [Rappcats, thanks to Stones Throw, DOOM MySpace]

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars - tons of videos

2009-03-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

Direct link and many more here

Link

DS boxart updates

2009-03-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

Link

Visit Earthbound - Now in 3D!

2009-03-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

Planning a 2D trip down memory lane to Earthbound (Mother) on the NES? How bout taking the 3D-ride instead. Benjamin Friedrich has gone about creating a 3-D version of the town of Onett, one of the earlier towns that you would encounter in game.

Come to think of it, having played the game on my Nintendo DS, thanks to the nesDS emulator, this new 3D version is rather accurate looking. Have a look:

Sony starts handing out High Velocity Bowling vouchers

2009-03-14T19:08:00.001-07:00

Sony’s started handing out vouchers for free High Velocity Bowling. If you are a Qore subscriber, check your email to see if you got one.

The game uses the Sixaxis controller to simulate bowling swings, and includes eight characters and eight themed alleys.

Multiplayer for 1-4 players is enabled, as is a Trophy room to show off your eagles. Providing you don’t pull off a lot of turkeys.

Valve updates Left 4 Dead with a few fixes

2009-03-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

Valve has updated Left 4 Dead: changes will go into effect when you log into Steam.

We missed this yesterday. Our apologies.

Mostly a bunch of fixes, but here is the list anyway:

Fixed sv_search_key appearing in server browser
Fixed issue where changing the sv_search_key did not update the master correctly
Fixed master server issue with Linux fork mode that affected availability of Valve dedicated servers
Tank melee attack can now hit multiple Survivors in one swing
Missed from the previous list changes: Fixed achievements to match stats. Past achievements not previously awarded will be shown in the game UI

While you are over there, if you are feeling a bit daring, Steam now has Grey’s Anatomy: The Video Game up for grabs.

Sorry, just couldn’t resist.

Star Trek Online to include never-before-seen races

2009-03-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

Star Trek Online has a surprise in store for fans of the original series. Seems that CBS has given Cryptic the go-ahead to design races mentioned in the series, but never before seen.

During a Q&A over on the Cryptic site, it was revealed that the game will not only include the known races from the Star Trek universe, but the devs will have the full gambit of Trekkie lore behind them when it comes to designing the new races.

Already known, but also of note in the Q&A, is mention of the creation process which will allow players to use bits from all pre-existing races to make their very own. This customization is limited to bipedal humanoids, so no mixing with Tribbles folks.

Imagine creating a race that’s a mix between a Ferengi, Tholian, and a Hirogen with the talents of a Betaziod.

That would be horrible to look at. But very cool.

Movie Review: Watchmen

2009-03-14T19:05:00.001-07:00

The Cast of Watchmen

The most anticipated movie release of the year for many people was released on Thursday 5th.
Watchmen is a movie that is made for the fans.

Newcomers to Watchmen will have no trouble picking up the movie’s intricate plotline.
It is based on a 12 part graphic novel of the same name in the late 80’s and if you are a fan of the book, boy will you love the movie.
Set in an Alternate 1980’s, America had won the Vietnam war and the threat of Nuclear War with the Soviet Union is ever present,
costumed Heroes are also the norm, although only one man actually has super powers: Dr Manhattan.
Only one of these heroes is still active,
Rorschach, and the death of one of their own, reunites the Watchmen to discover who did it and also uncover a plot of global proportions.

The movie is very similar to the Graphic Novel, with many lines and even some shots from the book, occuring throughout.
Those who have read the book should be ever grateful that the director, Zack Snyder (300) is a huge fan of the book and stayed very faithful to it’s core.
Some less important information has, however, been omitted from the theatrical version of the film, most probably due to time constraints.
The movie is still 2 hours and 43 minutes long, but during editing, rumours were flying round that it could have clocked up over 3 and a half hours.
The omissions aren’t anything too big, not much has been changed (only small things which shouldn’t bother you, except if you’re Alan Moore of course),
the similarities are rampant throughout to keep the fans happy, but be sure to check out the eventual dvd and Blu-Ray releases.

Screenwriters David Hayter and Alex Tse have done an excellent job of delivering a script that manages to keep the viewer entertained and the story in focus while still providing the complexity of which the Graphic Novel was famed for.
The musical score is well above average.
It always adds to the movie and never detracts, though the choice of the 80’s classic, 99 red ballons left little to be desired.

The visual effects were incredible, Dr Manhattan in his ever blue omniscense, always lights up the screen.
There were definitely some corny moments during a few of the scenes and the sex scene dragged on a little too much,
but of the few criticisms I have for this movie, none ever detract from the overall enjoyment.

Watchmen is a movie you will absolutely enjoy,
even if you are not a fan of the book, you will definitely enjoy this for it is, without a doubt, the movie of the year.

“When The Throat Is Dry…”

2009-03-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

Speaking of soft drinks! I haven’t created anything nearly as cool as this with the DSi’s Moving Memo Pad app.

Here’s another animation from Willkun, posted on the DSi’s YouTube-like animation service, Ugoku Hatena:

Gamer Deaths Make Clan Notification Difficult, Awkward

2009-03-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

An AP story about online death-notification services ledes with a Warcraft gamer, who died mid-quest and left his bereaved daughter to find his friends and explain why he was suddenly gone.

The story is largely how death notification has changed to accommodate one's virtual friends and acquaintances. There are a number of services out there that will send automated emails and attachments if a subscriber does not check in with the site during certain spans of time (with hilarious unintended results if users go on extended vacations.)

But in discussing things like passwords, email and online records access, it makes me wonder about the concept of online property, and if anyone's items in an MMO are presently mentioned in a will for distribution to other MMO players. And that conjures up the image of an executor reading off someone's estate, with cosplaying dwarves and aliens sitting amongst the deceased's freaked out family, pets, mistresses, etc.

Still, I can see the value of this beyond-the-grave messaging, if I was to die suddenly. I'd send one to my brother Fletch: "TAKE THE COMPUTER AND SMASH IT. DO NOT INSPECT THE HARD DRIVE. ESPECIALLY DO NOT LOOK IN THE DIRECTORY USERS/OWENSGOOD/IMAGES/BORING TAX DOCUMENTS."

Deaths of Gamers Leave their Online Lives in Limbo [AP on SFGate.com]

Wrist Computer Very Useful in Your Real Life Wastelands

2009-03-14T18:57:00.002-07:00

Your real-life Pip Boys now come in two flavors - visually accurate, with few functions; or fully-featured with a different design.

You can actually purchase this sucker, which weighs in at more than a pound and measures 4.5 by 3.5 by 3 inches (a whopper, in other words). But the Zypad WR1100 does include a GPS receiver, electronic compass, biometric fingerprint sensors, and a position detector that switches the thing off automatically whenever your arm hangs down by your side.

It does not, however, pick up Galaxy News or Enclave Radio. So while the Zypad may not be good for your cosplay outing, in case of actual nuclear holocaust, it will help you navigate the wastelands. Provided the GPS satellites are still in orbit and functioning.

Military Wrist Computer Takes Over Your Forearm [CrunchGear]

Wii's Dead Space Will Last as Long as Original

2009-03-14T18:57:00.001-07:00

Tidbits from a chat with Dead Space: Extraction's production team dropped a few tidbits, which add up to promises that the title will be a full game on its own, not a warmed-over port.

According to Skewed & Reviewed:

• Dead Space Extraction will take "about as long as it took players to play through Dead Space," according to someone unnamed on EA's production team. If that's so, they're building a rail shooter (yeah, it's a rail shooter) to last a dozen hours or so. It'll be interesting to see how they do that without getting boring or repetitive.

• New areas of Aegis VII (the mining colony where the infection breaks out) and the ship Ishimura will be revealed.

• The co-op mode will allow a second player to jump in mid-session, rather than require both players to start the mission together from the beginning.

• Vague promises of new weapons, badder enemies, different bosses to battle, etc.

Dead Space: Extraction Interview [Skewed & Reviewed via GoNintendo]

On The Spot - Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10/Grand Slam Tennis/EA Sports Active: EA demos

2009-03-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

Direct link here

Shaq remembers his gaming past

2009-03-14T18:52:00.001-07:00

So…we’re sitting at the warehouse enjoying some Jeopardy. A commercial comes on, which features Shaq playing some Scrabble.

The commercial switches to a shot of the game board…

Yeah…you see it there. Coincidence? I think not!

Vertigo Nintendo Wii Video Trailer

2009-03-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

PlayLogic has released the first trailer for Vertigo on the Nintendo Wii, a Wii Balance Board-supported puzzle-racer. Looks like it's going to be a lot of fun too:

Get a lesson in espionage with Alpha Protocol’s debut trailer

2009-03-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

The debut trailer for Obsidian RPG Alpha Protocol is posted after the break, and it’s totally badass.

Locales shown off are Moscow, Saudi Arabia and Rome, where it looks as though you’ll be doing some lock-picking, using martial arts skills against baddies, and, of course, shooting loads of people.

The GameTrailers video includes a chat with Feargus Urquhart and lead designer Chris Avellone, in which they talk about the events leading up to the game’s opening sequence, your mission and the blurred line between being a “nice guy” and a “not so nice guy”.

Expected release date for the spy-action RPG is June 15. It’s out for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

The Pitt: a Confluence of Mutation

2009-03-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

Lots of running-and-gunning in this here debut trailer for Fallout 3's "The Pitt", which drops March 24. So I guess I've been playing wrong.

See, my instinct when I'm down in the tunnels and I hear a feral ghoul (or, in this case, a trogg) snarl is to bring up VATS, take a deep breath, walk around the room a few times and pee myself before resuming.

Pittsburgh natives will recognize the discolored South Tenth Street Bridge in the opening sequence. I was also hoping that I'd hear a mutated John Madden demanding a pullback blimp shot of "... the confluence!!!" probably the most clichéd establishing shot in the history of televised sports.

Soccer JRPG Anime Moving Into Prime Time TV

2009-03-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

The upcoming Professor Layton film isn't the only anime from Japanese developer Level 5.

An animated version of Level 5's soccer RPG Inazuma Eleven is slated for prime time special in Japan this April. Until now, the cartoon series has been shown on Sunday morning at 9am. The original DS game was released last August in The Land of the Rising Sun.

Starting next month, the Inazuma Eleven anime will make the leap to prime time and be shown from 7:26 on Wednesday on TV Tokyo.

アニメ『イナズマイレブン』が2009年4月からゴールデンタイムに進出 [Famitsu]

Capcom Explains Paid DLC Multi-Player Patch

2009-03-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

Resident Evil 5 has three new multi-player modes, which will be available via paid DLC. The new Versus modes are called Slayer and Survivor.

The US$4.99 PSN/400 MS Points patch does not add weapons or characters, so it's unclear what it actually does. According to Capcom, however, the patch doesn't simply unlock already in-game content.

"Although Versus mode makes use of the assets that exist in the game, the functionality is not currently in the game and is above and beyond the initial scope of Resident Evil 5," says Capcom. "We have never included a Versus mode in Resident Evil before, and as well as the costs of development of the feature, there's also additional bandwidth costs associated with it."

Capcom defends Resi 5 DLC charges [CVG]

The Mario Paint Strategy Guide Is So 1992 It Hurts

2009-03-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

These days, strategy guides are big business, but it hasn't always been this way. In the early 90s, for example, magazines and cheat lines ruled, leaving strategy guides to, well. Do their own thing.

Not that this was a bad thing. Indeed, in this case, it's an awesome thing, because we're talking about the 1993 strategy guide for Mario Paint on the SNES. This guide, as recounted to us by 1UP, was not a walkthrough. Mario Paint wasn't that kind of game. Instead, it was an album, a collection of templates that kids could copy to have their artwork looking sweet.

And at the end of this album? Something wonderful. A feature on Steve Miller, the winner of the Mario Paint 1992 Animation Contest. Yeah. Animation. Meaning that, long before digital cameras, Steve would painstakingly "paint" a picture, then film it (on tape), then paint another, stop-motion-style. The results, shown in highlight form above, are like 1992 frozen in carbonite.

Strategy Guide Hall of Fame: Mario Paint Player's Guide [1UP]

Resident Evil 5 'Versus' DLC dated and priced in Japan

2009-03-14T12:12:00.001-07:00

If you're a member of the enraged masses protesting the pricing of Resident Evil 5's 'Versus' DLC pack, which adds new online co-op and competitive options to the game, we doubt this news will do anything to soothe your frayed nerves -- Capcom recently revealed the DLC's price for Japan: 160 on Xbox Live, or ¥250 on PSN. That's less than half of the North American cost for the same content.

However, if you're still planning on picking up the additional modes, you might be interested to hear the Japanese DLC received a release date that's far less vague than our "in a few weeks" release timetable -- Japan will be able to participate in immobilized online combat as of March 26. Why the disparities in pricing and dating in the two regions? We're not sure -- though we suspect some sort of zombie trade tariff is involved.

Fan-made: Card Sagas Wars - Etna VS Crono

2009-03-14T12:09:00.002-07:00

Direct link here

Link

FullMetal Alchemist: Prince of the Dawn - website open

2009-03-14T12:09:00.001-07:00

The official website for FullMetal Alchemist: Prince of the Dawn has opened up. We’ve already shown you all the screens that are available right now, so the site doesn’t offer anything new. It doesn’t even have anything to look at right now, other than some character art. Still, bookmark the site now, and we can all check back for updates later.

Site here

Link

SXSW 2009 - Mountain Dew remembers gaming gone by

2009-03-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

Mountain Dew has a pretty cool tribute to classic gaming at SXSW 2009. They are showcasing what gaming was like through the generations. Separate rooms for console generations.

As you can see from the picture above, this room was setup for the NES days. There were other rooms for Genesis/SNES, Cube/Xbox/PS2, and finally the gaming of today. You can check out more pics at the link below.

Link

Kuma Relaxuma - footage

2009-03-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Direct link here

Fan-made No More Heroes print ads

2009-03-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

More here

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars - more screens

2009-03-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

More here

GameTap adds more Grimm, Just Cause is free until March 26

2009-03-13T21:41:00.001-07:00

American McGee’s Grimm Volume 3 is starting to wind down, what with only two episodes left after this week’s offering of Sleeping Beauty.

In Grimm’s sordid version of the fairy tale, a socially awkward witch puts a kingdom to sleep for 100 years. This promises to be the longest episode yet.

Also, Just Cause has been added to the free-to-play list, but only until March 26.

That should get you pumped until Just Cause 2 comes out sometime this year.

GameTap’s offerings can be found here, and if you are chintzy and don’t wanna spend the cash on a subscription, just play the free ones.

The Chronicles of Spellborn hand picking beta testers starting today

2009-03-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

Acclaim will be allowing players into the closed beta for The Chronicles of Spellborn today, individuals “hand-picked” from chats, David Perry’s Twitter and a beta tester list.

Tomorrow, another 1,000 accounts will be let in every 12 hours until servers have reached full capacity. Watch for email notifications or notices on your Acclaim account page.

Loads of people have been wanting to try this out, so now’s your chance.

Thanks, Kotaku.

Bored? Try cueing up 1,000 Super Nintendo sound effects

2009-03-13T21:38:00.001-07:00

What are you doing that's so important at 10 p.m. (or later depending on your time zone) at night? Jack sh*t, right? Well, here's something to do: re-enact your favorite Super Nintendo scenes and moments with almost 1,000 sound effects.

It may not sound fun at first, but give it a try. I'm here in the Destructoid offices where everyone is quiet and has their heads down in their computer screens and notebooks. But every once in awhile I'll cue up a Hadouken or a "Underworld Theme" and people will sit up and throw out an "awesome!" or an "oh, I love that game!"

There's pages and pages of little icons with play buttons that let you instantly let you hit a feather box or listen rock out to a song. Right now the whole office is rocking out to "Rainbow Road." The Pipe Sound has also been a big hit here.

Driven to boredom: Mario Kart, the office supply racer

2009-03-13T21:37:00.001-07:00

Collector / creator Donald Kennedy sometimes gets taken over by boredom at work. While we tend to click around our favorite websites (all Joystiq related, of course) or update our Twitter status during those boring times, Donald decides to get creative. Example: This Mario Kart homage created from everyday office supplies. Donald also solidifies his Nintendo geek-cred with a beautifully designed Animal Crossing themed Qee, complete with a 2.5" figure of the diabolical Tom Nook. Way to get those creative juices flowing, Donald.

[Via Spritestitch]

Sonic Unleashed DLC Starts Today, More Incoming

2009-03-13T21:33:00.001-07:00

Now on the Xbox Live Marketplace worldwide and PlayStation Store only in Japan is a Chun-nan Adventure Pack for Sonic Unleashed. Four stages with Sonic racing through China and two Werehog levels are included in the 250 Microsoft Point ($3.12) expansion.

Excited? Then you will be happy to hear Sega is working on more DLC. The Japanese press release announcing the level pack says moving forward Sega will periodically distribute additional Sonic Unleashed downloadable content. Looks like the easy thing to do is release more remixed levels, but Sonic is a huge franchise. There is potential for Sega to make other characters already modeled for Sonic Unleashed playable, but looking at the direction of the Sonic series we’ll probably just get more levels.

Dexter: The Game: The Trailer for: The iPhone

2009-03-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

Even though Dexter's iPhone -- and eventual PC release -- game debut has been put on hold until the summer his game trailer debut is happening right now. The trailer (found after the break) showcases ... well, nothing really. It's a few shots of Dex swinging a knife around wildly -- and quite out of character, might we add -- with a final shot of Showtime's lovable serial killer decked out in full Dark Passenger garb, requesting our silence and attention.

Wait. Is he talking to us? Oh crap, he is. Listen, we didn't do that thing you think we did. Seriously, you can let us go now. Ow! That knife is sharp. Is that blood? We're not too good with the sight of ... uh oh ... passing out now.

LittleBigPlanet Team's New Project Is "Really F*cking Cool"

2009-03-13T21:30:00.001-07:00

The creators of LittleBigPlanet and the highly marketable Sackboy aren't resting on their laurels, ready to churn out Sackboy Kart Racing as their next project. Media Molecule co-founder Alex Evans has even begun teasing.

He tells Gamasutra in a recent interview that there's already a secret LittleBigPlanet project underway, one that capitalizes on what he calls the game's "untapped potential" and is "really fucking cool."

Evans wasn't ready to spill the beans on what the future holds for the PlayStation 3 exclusive, only saying that the idea was born of a brainstorming session at Media Molecule, a direction that became a creative "magnet."

"And in ways that hopefully will still be fresh so when it comes back, people won't be like, 'Yeah, they just exploited that thing, and it's really fucking obvious that they would do that,'" Evans teases. "I think LBP is in their future, and hopefully in surprising ways."

Also somewhat surprising is a working PC version of LittleBigPlanet, one that Evans says is likely to remain internal-only. And probably not just because "it looks like a piece of shit."

Read the extensive interview from this year's DICE Summit at Gamasutra. It's chock full of salty language!

LittleBigGalaxy? Alex Evans On What's Next For Media Molecule [Gamasutra]

Harbingers of Doom: Games that were cursed from the start

2009-03-13T21:29:00.001-07:00

Do not watch for more than a minute straight. You may end up with nightmares for the next year.

Direct link here

Full list here

Pikmin 2 ‘New Play Control’ - footage

2009-03-13T21:28:00.001-07:00

Direct link and 3 more videos here (thanks NintenDaan!)

This coming week’s game savings

2009-03-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

Readers pick best webcomic: This is actually a real thing

2009-03-13T17:49:00.002-07:00

While we're sure you lot would disagree, given your firm endorsement of Penny-Arcade's "This is Actually a Real Thing," winner of las Saturday's Weekly Webcomic Wrapup, we somewhat understand the need for a shaving instrument designed specifically for gamers. You think we'd risk grazing our butter-smooth skin with blades that weren't designated for practitioners of our cherished pastime? Are you out of your mind?

Second and third place went to Hypercombofinish's "The Good Son," and of Noobs and Men's "It's Simple, Just Grind Inner Peace," respectively. If you know of a phenomenal gaming-centric webcomic we've been inexcusably overlooking, you can draw our attention to it in the comments after the jump. Seriously, we actually read those things -- and some of you guys should be ashamed of yourselves.

Alert to all Jerks: Valve to rate Team Fortress 2 servers

2009-03-13T17:49:00.001-07:00

After racking their brains and kicking around a few of different proposals, Valve has figured out how to rate servers automatically in the back end of Steam for Team Fortress 2. Valve's Robin Walker detailed how the system will work and help players in search of a decent game (Read: Not achievement farming): New servers begin with a score of 0, each time a player connects it loses 15 points but gains 1 point per player for each minute they remain inside (with a 45 point max per user).

"In short," Walker writes, "servers that have lots of players joining & leaving rapidly will score badly." The rating will ensure players are walking into honest assessments of a server's quality -- sometimes server hosts write false descriptions to entice people to join. Well, with the new system those jerks can keep their phony servers because the first order of business on Valve's end is to completely "delist" them. The server breakdown (pictured above) shows last week's server statistics, ignoring all password-protected servers as well as servers had fewer than 200 connections per day. Walker also notes that Valve will continue to improve their ability to measure these types of server problems.

[Via Big Download]

Burn Zombie Burn!: It Is What It Sounds Like

2009-03-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

Typically, Friday the 13th is a day reserved for black cats, bad luck and Jason Voorhees. But this year, in which we get three Friday the 13ths, I'm willing to make an exception for zombies.

Actually, there's been a lot of zombie this month. Between Burn Zombie Burn!, the Resident Evil 5 release and a preview of Call of Duty: World at War's upcoming zombie map (more when the embargo expires next week), I've seen just about every type of undead you can image: fast, slow, exploding, Nazi, ballerina and — of course — flaming.

Burn Zombie Burn is one of those games that sells itself in the title. If you really have to ask what the game is about, you should probably get your reading comprehension checked. The only thing you might not know from reading the title is that it's a PlayStation Network exclusive. Which is too bad, because if there was ever a game with enough zombies to go around — Left 4 Dead notwithstanding— this is it.

What Is It?
Burn Zombie Burn is a PSN game from developer DoubleSix. The game almost didn't make it to release on account of the original publisher going under - but, like the undead, you just can't keep a good game down.

What We Saw
The game has a grand total of six maps and three different modes playable on each. I saw them all in various combinations and played Secret Lab, Graveyard and Army Base in Challenge and Arcade modes. Gamer beware: in the retail release, you'll have to unlock each level one at a time using the different modes.

How Far Along Is it?
Burn Zombie Burn hits PSN March 26 at $9.99. Aside from everything being unlocked in this build, it's pretty much final.

What Needs Improvement?
The control scheme: It's a weird thing when the controls seem more complicated than the gameplay. DoubleSix Creative Director Jim Mummery (awesome surname) explained that they'd originally wanted to map the controls like any other arcade shooter, using both analog sticks for movement and aiming. However, this made switching between the various weapons way too difficult, and so they settled on a system where different buttons control strafing, shoot-at-nearest-target and the default torch weapon you use to burn zombies. Once you get the hang of it, it's not so bad - but the temptation to mash on the right stick is a hard habit to break.

The wordy-as-hell tutorial: It's cute that they call it Zombie Academy; but it gets old fast when you've got to click through line after line of text explaining the various ways you can set zombies aflame. I'll cut them some slack because this is a downloadable game where you can't page through a physical manual; but I don't doubt that they attached a Trophy to completing the tutorial as a way to make up for how tedious the whole thing is.

Big Red Button payoffs: Each level has a Big Red Button that you can press after a certain number of kills. Pressing the button brings down an environmental hazard to the zombies - like helicopters dropping bombs on them or rain that slows them down. But what the buttons do didn't seem dramatic enough to make me want to work for button presses.

You can't really "clear" a level: You play 'til you run out of lives and advance to the next level based on how many zombies you killed before you died. I would have loved this if I were still a kid in an arcade with a limited number of quarters - but as an adult who wants a sense of satisfaction, I want to see some proof that all my burning of zombies has made the world a better place.

What Should Stay The Same?
Good, ol' fashioned zombie burning: The game delivers what it promises - a mindless zombie-torching spree worthy of any arcade shooter ever.

Split-screen co-op: Because you want to turn and punch the guy who stole your health pickup, not just yell at him over team chat. Oh, and best moment of my hands-on? I had one gigantic horde of fiery zombies chasing after me, Mummery had another, we smacked into each other mid-map over a stick a dynamite. The explosion killed us alright, but the score counter was through the roof.

Lots of Trophies and unlockables: Because what else are PSN games for?

Bring on the horde: This game has a max zombie cap of 120 on screen at any one time. That's the way it ought to be with zombie games; totally overwhelming and really amazing to watch if you blow them all up at once. You hear that, Chop 'Til You Drop? MORE ZOMBIES.

Layers of strategy: The map layouts, the modes and the various weapons all combine to add an element of strategy to Burn Zombie Burn that I wasn't expecting. For example, you get a score multiplier for each zombie that's on fire, but they die when on fire for longer than six seconds. Ergo, to get the highest score, you wanna torch 'em, run to a wide open space and then blow them all up at once. But! If you're playing Defend Daisy mode (where your girlfriend is hanging out in a Cadillac mid-level), you can't blow them up if they're too close to Daisy, because she'll take damage. So you've got to work with your weapons (like the brain gun) to lure them away, set them on fire and then blow them up. Word of caution — watch out for choke points where fast-moving ballerina zombies can box you in.

Homage where homage is due: This is a game made by people who love zombie films. Lots of little details are homages to films we all know, love and have played video game adaptations of (the Army of Darkness chainsaw and the Shaun of the Dead cricket bat, for example). The main hero is even loosely modeled after Bruce Campbell, minus some IQ points.

The music: Mummery called it "Green Day meets Theremin" and I totally dig it.

Final Thoughts
Zombie means "mindless" right? So it's fitting that Burn Zombie Burn is mindless fun. Still, after Flower, I wonder if people will be expecting something a little more high brow from PSN games. If not, this game will stand as everything right and true about PSN games. If so, Burn Zombie Burn will wind up at the bottom of download barrel.

The Rock Deems Doom Movie A Failure

2009-03-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, like everyone else, says that the 2005 Doom movie adaptation was an example of "trying and failing" at making the jump from video game to movie. Yes, he went there!

Strong words coming from the star of Race To Witch Mountain. Johnson tells MTV News' giggly Josh Horowitz that the "writing and material" just wasn't up to snuff, with Doom a good example of "what not to do" for a video game adaptation.

Mr. Rock also calls himself "the best Madden player... ever." While we can trust him on his Doom assessment, we seriously doubt he'd last one quarter in a scrub match at Madden Bowl.

Dwayne ‘The Rock' Johnson Honestly Discusses Infamous ‘Doom' Movie [MTV Multiplayer]

Batman: Arkham Asylum Collectors Edition Has A Batarang, Bruce Wayne Budget Price

2009-03-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

The upcoming release of Eidos and Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham Asylum is getting the collector's edition treatment. The bad news? It's a cool $100, forty dollars more than the standard edition. The good news? Batarangs!!

According to solicitations from retailer GameStop, by way of a Kotaku tipster, the pricey collectors edition comes equipped with a 12" Batarang, utility belt not included. But that's not all, obviously.

- 12" Batarang
- DC Custom Encyclopedia
- DLC Pack 1
- Bonus DVD with Behind the Scenes feature
- Soundtrack

GameStop's web site currently notes that "Final contents of collector's edition are to be determined." So we'd advise holding onto your hard-earned $99.99 until the retailer re-lists the goods.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Collectors Edition [GameStop]

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars - full intro

2009-03-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

Direct link here (thanks Crankhead!)

Klonoa Director Discusses Ditched Klonoa Redesign

2009-03-13T16:35:00.001-07:00

Before Namco Bandai confirmed Klonoa for North America a survey revealed concept art with a fearsome transition. After a media blitz and much fan outcry Klonoa 2000 was scrapped and classic Klonoa lives on. But, why did the development team feel the need to make a new Klonoa in the first place? I brought the question to Hideo Yoshizawa, Director of Klonoa.

“It has been 11 years since Klonoa: Door to Phantomile was released and I felt the original design was a bit old-fashioned,” Yoshizawa tells us. Klonoa made his first appearance in a PsOne game, which Yoshizawa also directed. Many members of the original Klonoa team returned to work on the Wii remake including Yoshihiko Arai who designed the cuddly Dream Traveler. “Since we wanted to make Klonoa more than just a simple remake, I asked the art director, Mr. Arai, to design Klonoa as he might look today and we ended up with the Klonoa we have now.”

In comparison to the PsOne box art, the revised Klonoa has smaller eyes and a new pair of shoes. The differences are subtle unlike the unused Klonoa design. “We had a chance to change Klonoa for a new generation of gamers for North America who might think of Klonoa as too cute. After the concept art was covered by the media we received a mountain of responses telling us not to change Klonoa,” Yoshizawa explains.

The Klonoa redesign was harshly criticized. Some developers may have been taken back by the reaction, but Yoshizawa is happy with it. “This show of support convinced us to keep the updated design that was used in the Japanese version. To tell you the truth, I was taken aback by the support from all the fans who have stuck with Klonoa after all these years. I remain eternally grateful to all of Klonoa’s fans.”

Capcom VP Comments On Paid Resident Evil 5 DLC

2009-03-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

Resident Evil 5 is out today and competitive types can look forward to an optional Versus Pack in the near future. The downloadable content includes a point based Manjini shooting gallery and a deathmatch style survivor mode for four players. Both modes sound better than a safari hat for Blanka, but you still have to pay $5 for the Versus Pack. Christian Svensson, Vice President of Business Development, attempts to justify the fee with a statement over at the Capcom forums.

“This is the part where I get to say ‘BS’. RE5 is well worth every penny of $60. A huge game, with tons of replay value, loads of unlockables, new weapons, co-op, mercenaries mode, etc. If any game warrants its price point, it’s RE5.

Prior to the announcement of the Versus mode, no one complained they weren’t getting their money’s worth with the initial release because it packs TONS of value because it is an amazing game. So if people were already satisfied with what the package had, when we offer MORE, why is it people feel they’ve been somehow cheated? If you don’t find value in our secondary offerings, the choice is simple, don’t purchase it. If you do find it valuable (and we hope you do) please do but it and enjoy it.

Secondly, whenever we do PDLC, that content exists with its own budgets, it’s own profit and loss analaysis with its own forecasts. If it didn’t, that extra content wouldn’t have been put into production, because it did not fit within the production budget of the base product.

The content that is shipping in the full game exists within its own budget. The content shipping afterward (regardless of how close to release it is… because the goal IS to have it release relatively closely to the base product’s release) exists within its own budget. To try and have it release in a timeframe that is relatively close to the initial release, development starts well before the base product is on the shelves. There’s no other way to keep it within 3 to 6 weeks of the initial release (which is the goal).”

Barring the business of production budgets for a moment, the other problem with releasing a paid versus mode is only some Resident Evil 5 owners will purchase the extra content. If a horde of fans on both consoles buy the Versus Pack there won’t be an issue. But what if only a fraction, a small fraction, of people who buy Resident Evil 5 get the Versus Pack?

The point of the Versus Pack is to play with others. If there are only a few people to play with you won’t get much use out of the Versus Pack. Granted, Resident Evil 5 is going to be a huge game with a large install base. Even if a small fraction of Resident Evil 5 players purchase the pack you should be able to find someone to play with. However, if everyone who purchased Resident Evil 5 had access to the versus modes there would be a greater supply of players and everyone would get more out of the Versus Pack.

Arc Rise Fantasia Sold With A Symphony Of Spoils

2009-03-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

Marvelous is pushing pre-orders of Arc Rise Fantasia with a massive bonus. Reserve the game in Japan to get a Design Works book filled with illustrations, enigmatic “special” book, and a soundtrack CD. Yasunori Mitsuda who worked on Chrono Trigger and Xenosaga will also compose music for Arc Rise Fantasia. Pre-order gifts are common in Japan, especially for unestablished games, but the Arc Light Symphony bundle is way above the norm.

Arc Rise Fantasia comes out in Japan on June 4. Xseed and Marvelous USA will publish Arc Rise Fantasia domestically later this year. Will we get the same pre-order present? I hope so!

Clash of the Gaming Titans

2009-03-13T16:28:00.002-07:00

Nintendo's popular DS handheld hit a milestone earlier this month, topping 100 million of the portables shipped worldwide. But a much more important milestone looms.

While 100 million is an impressive number, the Nintendo DS still has quite a bit of catching up to do if it wants to topple the Playstation 2 as the most popular video gaming platform in history.

Despite now being nine years old, the Playstation 2 recently hit 136 million consoles sold worldwide, proof that the cutting edge isn't always the thing most prevalent on the consumer's mind.

And Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter points out that Sony is just now starting to tap into the markets in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and perhaps one day, Africa.

"This is Sony, the Playstation 2 is going to be around for awhile," he said.

Recent rumors even suggest that the popular console might be getting a price drop as early as next month, to under $100.

While Sony's Kim Nguyen, marketing manager for the Playstation 3 and 2, declined to comment on the rumor, she did say that the Playstation 2 is still going quite strong.

"Our ninth year is still as strong as ever," she said. "We have a bunch of titles that are supporting the social gaming position for the PS2."

With 1,900 games currently available for the console, 450 of which continue to operate online, and another 70 new titles expected out this year, support among game developers also remains strong. The Playstation 2 also remains the most-played console on the market, according to a December report from The Nielsen Company.

Nguyen says that as families increasingly tend to "hibernate", staying in their homes for entertainment, sales of the PS2 is exceeding their expectations at places like Wal-Mart.

"In North America alone, one in three families own a PS2," she said, "and we still have plenty of room to grow."

But even with that phenomenal growth, Nintendo's new two-camera DSi portable, due out in April, has a chance of eventually pulling ahead of the PS2.

"One hundred million is a really impressive number, " said analyst Pachter. "It shows you the acceptance of gaming by parents. That means you have a really broad base acceptance.

"With the Wii, Nintendo upscaled gaming to the family… now I think they are going to try and move the DSi up to a broader market."

Marc Franklin, director of public relations for Nintendo, calls 100 million a significant milestone for the DS family of handhelds and says it shows that consumers have appreciated what the system can do.

And the $169 DSi, he says, will give gamers and non-gamers alike a new type of experience.

"DSi delivers a new experience, much like when the DS entered the market and it delivered an entirely new experience," he said. "Now we're taking that another step and introducing cameras and enhanced sound and a larger screen size and connecting to the Internet and being able to download games.

"Those features are going to be very compelling to the consumer."

Well Played is a weekly opinion column about the big news of the week in the gaming industry and its bigger impact on things to come. Feel free to join in the discussion.

Fable, Alien Hominid HD get slashed for March Deals of the Week

2009-03-13T16:28:00.001-07:00

Before Peter Molyneux and Co. captured our GOTY hearts with Fable II, Lionhead introduced the world to Albion in Fable -- on the original Xbox. Next week -- billed as the figurative pot of gold for St. Paddy's Day -- the Xbox Originals release of Fable will be discounted to 800 ($10) on March 16, down one third the standard (Read: Overpriced) tag of 1200.

March 23's Deal of the Week isn't nearly exciting, discounting the Iowa Mission Pack for Battlestations Midway by 20%. Finally, to put an Irish kiss on the end of the month, the Deal of the Week beginning March 30 will be the XBLA title Alien Hominid HD, discounted by 50% to 400 ($5). Those are some quality price drops... Irish I had some more MS Points.

Adventure Island Wii Could Really Use Some Cel-shading

2009-03-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

Hudson's Adventure Island was never my thing. Master Higgins' penchant for 8-bit shirtlessness was kind of a turn off to me. I like my platforming protagonists to exhibit a modicum of decency.

Nintendo's WiiWare service is giving Hudson another opportunity to turn sidescrolling platforming fans onto this whole Adventure Island thing. That means more Master Higgins, more floating meat-on-bone, more walking to the right.

And no shirts. Maybe that's why I would prefer a cel-shaded Adventure Island as opposed to this. The first Japanese trailer doesn't look like it'll turn me into a fan, but maybe the 16-shot mini-game action will get you hot and bothered.

F.E.A.R. 2 'Toy Soldiers' DLC will be free for all in April

2009-03-13T16:24:00.001-07:00

Click to embiggen tiny soldiers

The accidental release of F.E.A.R. 2 DLC on Xbox Live Marketplace caused some confusion -- especially after it was suddenly pulled hours after release. The "Toy Soldiers" DLC was, according to Monolith Productions, meant to release in April and best of all, was always meant to be free on both the Xbox 360 and PS3.

As you can tell from the screenshots, the "Toy Soldiers" pack places players from a rather unique perspective. Shrunken down to miniature proporations, where players will duke it out in a pinball machine, hospital room, and playground.

Man Solicits 11-Year-Old For Naked Pictures Via PS3

2009-03-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

A Kentucky man has been arrested today for allegedly convincing an 11-year-old Houston girl to send him naked photos using his PlayStation 3 console.

Anthony Scott Oshea of Somerset, Kentucky, was taken into custody by local authorities, charged with with three felony counts, including promotion of child pornography and online solicitation of a minor, after allegedly receiving naked photos of the young girl and then e-mailing them to people in at least five states, all through the PS3. Harris County Texas prosecutor Eric Devlin claims that Oshea "groomed" the girl over a period of time, befriending her and bothering her for photos until she finally relented.

Houston authorities are hoping to bring Oshea to Texas to stand trial.

It should really go without saying at this point, but parents need to be aware of what their children are doing online at all times. News of sexual predators reaching children through the games they play is becoming more and more commonplace, with terrible stories like this popping up with alarming regularity. Today more than ever, letting your child wander about the internet, whether on a console or a computer, is the same as setting them loose in a crowded city, only in this case the reach of the sexual predators is so much greater, and their inhibitions dulled by the perceived anonymity the internet provides.

As this arrest shows, that anonymity isn't as complete as the predators would like, but it was enough to ruin the innocence of a little girl, and that's a damn shame.

PlayStation Sex Crime: Criminal Used Video Game to Get Girl's Naked Pictures [ABC News]

Watchmen: The End is Nigh provides more of the same in Part II

2009-03-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

Poor reviews won't stop the episodic Watchmen game. The End is Nigh: Part II has been rated by the ESRB, and it looks as though the next installment won't stray far from the first. For those that have played the first episode, that's not a good thing.

According to the ratings board, Rorschach and Nite Owl return in the second episode, dashing our hopes of playing as other characters in the Watchmen universe. Once again, Rorschach and Nite Owl will take advantage of rudimentary brawling skills to take down "bikers, gang members, and thugs." The setting of the second episode seems a bit raunchier than the first, with players tracking down "a villain who has molested an actress appearing in a pornography film." Players will then have to enter a strip club that contains caged dancers, peep-show booths and porno playing in the background. Hot stuff?

We're hoping that, in spite of the ESRB rating, the next episode of Watchmen takes its time to come out. Who knows? With a bit more development time, the developers might be able to churn out a more solid product. If not, can they at least drop the price?

Spoiler Alert! How Big Daddies Appear In BioShock 2

2009-03-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

Rumors on 2K Marin's BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams began swirling about the 2K Games forums today, flooding the board with supposed details on the BioShock sequel. Too bad they were mostly bunk.

2K and Game Informer both responded, saying the rumors that BioShock 2 would be Big Daddy-free were untrue. The rest of the details? Also lies. Big Daddies will be making another appearance in the sequel.

How?

You play as a Big Daddy.

In fact, you're the first of the lot, a so-called "renegade" Big Daddy who's on the hunt for a Little Sister of his own, according to a tipster who has the new Game Informer magazine in hand. You'll take out rival Daddies with your huge hand-drill and plasmid powers, claiming their wee sidekicks as your own. Similar to the first BioShock, you can choose to either harvest your Little Sister prize for ADAM or you can adopt her as your own.

That Little Sister comes in handy. She'll harvest ADAM from corpses strewn about Rapture, acting as a warning sign for when the Big Sister—the lithe, lightning fast enemy who will hunt your character throughout the game—has you in her sights. Based on her description, it sounds like she'll one hell of a fight.

From what we've heard, players will have access to all the things that made the Big Daddy such a menace in BioShock, with the character upgrades and options available in the first game expanded to keep things interesting. More details can be found in the new issue of Game Informer, which will be appearing in subscriber hands any second now.

New Tekken 6 Screens Come With Learning

2009-03-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

The latest screens for Tekken 6 come complete with a convenient fact sheet detailing what some of your favorite characters have been up to since the last King of Iron Fist Tournament.

I find it rather funny that Namco Bandai felt we needed a quick reference to know what characters like Nina Williams, Hwoarang, and Christie Monteiro are doing getting involved in the l6th King of Iron Fist tournament, seeing as their motivations hardly change that much from game to game. Christie is looking for Eddy, and Hwoarang is still trying to win, despite having actually won the last one. The only one who has really changed all that much is Nina, who found and defeated her sister Anna and is slowly becoming boring due to that fact. I'm pretty sure even the most stalwart Tekken fans stopped caring a few games back. We just want to hit each other.

For those of you still determined to read, I've included the short bios after the gallery.

TEKKEN 6 CHARACTER REVEAL
March 2009

Name: Christie Monteiro
Fighting style: Capoeira
Nationality: Brazilian
Christie was unable to win The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5. She was struggling to discover a way to save her grandfather when Eddy, who had been by her side, suddenly vanished. She searched everywhere but was unable to find him. Ultimately, she was left with no choice but to return to Brazil alone.

Christie continued her search for Eddy upon returning to Brazil, when surprisingly her grandfather also disappeared from the hospital. The hospital said that Christie's grandfather had been sent to the Mishima Zaibatsu for treatment. Christie figured that Eddy acted against the Mishima Zaibatsu in same manner, but in that case she should have gotten some communication from him. She could not help but feel that there must be something sinister regarding Eddy's disappearance. When The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 was announced, Christie headed for Japan to get in contact with the Mishima Zaibatsu and to find out where Eddy and her grandfather had gone.

Name: Devil Jin
Fighting Style: Unknown
Nationality: None
Under the control of the devil gene, Jin Kazama's power rivals that of a demon.

Name: Dragunov
Fighting Style: Commando Sambo
Nationality: Russian
Age: 26
Sergei Dragunov had received orders from the Russian military command to capture the organism known as the 'Devil.' He successfully infiltrated The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5, but was unable to locate the organism.

Russia was in complete disorder due to numerous internal conflicts and civil disturbances, all believed to be caused by the covert actions of Mishima Zaibatsu operatives. In order to suppress national unrest, Dragunov was fighting across the country. He was then called back by top Russian military command and ordered to infiltrate The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 to crush the Mishima Zaibatsu. Thus, Dragunov embarked once again for Japan.

Name: Hwoarang
Fighting style: Tae Kwon Do
Nationality: Korea
Hwoarang succeeded in defeating Jin in The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5. However, the next instant, the defeated Jin let out an inhuman roar and Hwoarang was thrown through the air by violent winds. Sprouting black wings, Jin stood before him ....looking just like a devil. Extremely outmatched, Hwoarang was prepared for death as he lost consciousness. When he awoke, he was in a hospital bed. After hearing about what happened from Baek Doo San, who had stayed at his bedside, Hwoarang pushed away the nurse and quickly rushed to his teacher, begging for more power.

After leaving the hospital, Hwoarang trained with more vigor than ever before. Intent on defeating his former rival, he left for The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6.

King
Fighting Style: Pro Wrestling
Nationality: Mexico
In The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5, King faced Marduk in a grueling battle. A friendship formed between the two after the fight. Upon returning from the ring, Marduk was ambushed by someone dressed as Armor King. King was furious and vowed to find the culprit, but was unsuccessful.

After that, the world was engulfed in war, and King had all but given up looking for Marduk's attacker when he received an invitation from Marduk to join him in The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6. If they both participated in the Tournament, perhaps the Armor King imposter would show up again. With that slight hope, King decided to join the tournament.

Craig Marduk
Fighting Style: Vale Tudo
Nationality: Australia
Craig Marduk fought against King once again during The King of Iron Fist Tournament 5. Although he lost, he had a friendly handshake with King after the match. Returning to his room, the lights suddenly went out, and Marduk was attacked by an unknown assailant. The lights came back on after some time, and the Marduk saw the culprit. It appeared to be Armor King, who Marduk had previously .

The world fell engulfed in war when, suddenly, The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 was announced. Marduk reasoned that if he entered the tournament perhaps the unknown assailant would show up again. Along with his new ally King, Marduk entered the tournament to find his attacker.

Name: Nina Williams
Fighting Style: Assassination Arts
Nationality: Ireland
After defeating her sister Anna, Nina Williams was without an immediate goal to pursue. Jin Kazama, who had become the leader of the Mishima Zaibatsu, recruited her as a member of his special forces. Nina was not picky about her clients. She engaged in covert demolition operations around the world as part of the Tekken Force.

As the world was engulfed in war and the conflict between the Mishima Zaibatsu and the G Corporation heated up, the Zaibatsu announced The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6. Nina decided to enter the Tournament in order to those who pose a threat to Jin Kazama.

Japan - Sonic Chronicles teaser site opens

2009-03-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Sonic Chronicles hasn’t released in Japan yet? I had no idea, but now I’m much more informed. The official teaser site for Sonic Chronicles has opened up, which you can check out at the link below. I wonder how well this title will do in Japan.

Site here

It’s A Party On Adventure Island

2009-03-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

A new Adventure Island game is being made for WiiWare. Takahashi Meijin’s Adventure Island has a jungle stage, beach stage, and… a 16 Shot mini-game? Test your button mashing, skateboarding, and light gun skills against others when you’re not scouting the island for fruit.

Special gold melon items act as in game currency. Trade them for tools at the item shop to power up Master Higgins. Over the last twenty years Higgins learned some new moves to keep up with modern platforming heroes. Now he can cliff hang and double jump. Will he have friendly dinosaur helpers too? Japanese Wii owners can find out in April if they purchase Takahashi Meijin’s Adventure Island for 1,000 Wii Points ($10). Hudson hasn’t said anything about an international release, but this isn’t the kind of game they will pass over.

Capcom defends charging for Resident Evil 5 'Versus' DLC

2009-03-13T10:34:00.000-07:00

Unsurprisingly, Capcom's recently announced 'Versus' DLC for Resident Evil 5 is raising quite a stink from players who are convinced they're being nickeled-and-dimed, paying for content that should have been included in the game in the first place. Capcom recently braved the slings and arrows of their incensed fanbase to defend the five-dollar update -- they claim that the price covers development of the new features which go "above and beyond the initial scope" of the game, as well as bandwidth costs associated with implementing additional online multiplayer offerings.

Capcom explained the 'Versus' pack, which will bring four-player co-op and competitive online modes to the game within "a few weeks," isn't just an unlock patch for content already imbued on the RE5 disc -- despite the fact that its composed entirely of assets from the core game. How about it, gang? Have you come down from your blinding, Majini-esque rage?

Joystiq hands-on: Tiger Woods 10 (Wii)

2009-03-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

We actually got two hands firmly on a MotionPlus-sporting Wiimote for our demo of Tiger Woods 10, which, as it turned out, was a very good thing. Unlike EA's other 1:1 motion sensing sports offering, Grand Slam Tennis, we were able to more immediately appreciate what Nintendo's new tech brought to the game.

Playing one hole at Bethpage Black, we first got into the swing of things (sorry) by seeing how accurately our on-screen club matched what we were doing in reality. The answer was "very accurately." Bringing the Wiimote slowly back and up, we watched as Tiger perfectly matched not only the angle we were holding it at, but the twist of the club as well. We took our first real swing and found that, yes, it was quite true-to-life: we sucked.

We got better, though, and putting really seemed to benefit from the increased Wiimote precision. The slightest backward movement was shown via an on-screen meter, providing a really good sense of how much follow-through we'd want in order to sink the ball. All in all, our brief time with Mr. Woods' game was the most impressive implimentation of MotionPlus we've tried yet. You can get an even better idea of what we experienced in the above video.

Europe - Sonic and the Black Knight email advert

2009-03-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to ZephyrFlare for the heads up!

Official Nintendo Magazine - review scores

2009-03-13T10:28:00.002-07:00

Wii

madworld 85%
pro evolution soccer 2009 93%
sonic and the black knight 78%
don king`s boxing 85%
new play control: mario power tennis 77%
snk arcade classics vol 1 84%
broken sword: the directors cut 86%
job island 78%
ready to rumble revolution 70%
winter sports 2009 59%
rogue trooper: quartz zone massacre 66%
king of fighters collection 64%

moto racer 79%
bang bang mini 84%
gran theft auto: chinatown wars 94%
henry hatsworth in the puzzling adventure 74%
blue dragon plus 76%
onechanbara: bikini zombie slayers 71%
dragon quest: the hand and the heavenly bride 90%

Introducing the Opposition of CID The Dummy!

2009-03-13T10:28:00.001-07:00

Check out more character art in our Flickr set

With every story you have your heroes and also your fair share of enemies that like to get in the heroes’ way! Well, just in case you were wondering, this story is no different!

These enemies are tough, and each one has different weaknesses so you’d better know which are which!

Copter Cam: Small but frustrating enemies that are fast, but not very strong. Close range attacks are advised.

Guard Dog: Guard Dogs aren’t very fast but are persistent and always hungry! A smack on the snout should do the trick!

Security Guard: It is safest to attack Security Guards with the bazooka as they are strong and quick like a professional boxer!

Radioactive Abominion: These poisonous creations can do a lot of damage at close range, so fire from distance and keep out of EYE’s reach.

Workman Dumper: Strong, fast but not very smart, Workmen should be taken out with Rubber Bullets.

Soldier Dummy: Perfect middle of the road ‘fighters’ – hit from long range if possible!

Fish Dummy: NO FISHING! These vicious creatures should be avoided like Piranhas. Outswim them if you can…

Cursed Dummy: Very cunning foe, these like to play hide and seek and sneak up on you with their lethal knife.

Failed Experiment: Failed experiments are radioactive, so will try and touch you to inflict their nastiness.

About CID The Dummy

A star is born and he’s made to last. CID THE DUMMY makes his debut in Oxygen Games’ first multi-platform production. It’s an all-new action platformer that is sure to grab you with its enjoyable, fun gameplay, featuring a totally original character with charisma and moves, different fighting styles with which to battle enemies from unarmed combat to weapons like the Bazooka that can freeze, hit and burn.

• Interact as only a crash impact dummy can. Climb walls, swing on ropes, burn obstacles, destroy exploding barrels, use lifters, bounce on springs and with a neat head butt destroy walls all in stunningly realized environments. Game environment interaction is the most important part of the gameplay.
• CID’s world is swarming with a host of fearfully fun enemies like the Dumper, Cursed Dummy and the bizarre Failed Experiment.
• Apart from fighting enemies, the player will enjoy solving puzzles, avoiding traps and using acrobatic skills to get out of dangerous situations!

CID The Dummy will be released on Wii™, Playstation®2, PSP®System, and PC.

Persona Mobile Phone MMO Made For Japan

2009-03-13T10:27:00.001-07:00

Megaten Online goes everywhere you go with Persona Mobile Online. In the game you make an avatar and apply for shadow hunting quests at school.

Since this is a MMO you don’t have to face battles alone. Meet up with other players at school or pester them with messages to party via the in game communication system. Someone annoying you? Put them on your blacklist. Persona Mobile Online also has an item trading system.

Combat utilizes the one more turn system introduced in Persona 3. Hit an enemy’s weakness and you knock it down. Knock all the enemies over to hit the group with an all out attack. Looks like Persona Mobile Online borrows more than the combat system. Those shadow designs are pretty familiar too.

Persona Mobile Online doesn’t exactly have Social Links. Access to more powerful personae is restricted by Arcana Points which are obtained by linking up with players of a different arcana. Once you have enough Arcana Points head to the Velvet Room for new personae. This Persona game also has a crafting system where armor can be enhanced and accessories made. Not too shabby for a mobile phone MMO and a 525 yen ($5) monthly fee.

Look At The Next Professor Layton Game

2009-03-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

By the next Professor Layton game I mean the next one for Japan. Who knows if Nintendo or another publisher will release Professor Layton and the Demon’s Box overseas. Regardless of a hazy international future the Layton series marches forward with another trilogy.

Professor Layton and the Devil’s Flute is the first game in the new series. The story predates Professor Layton and the Curious Village by explaining how Layton and his young puzzle solving companion Luke meet up. As shown in the concept art, a female companion accompanies joins the quest. Shima and a cat with curly whiskers will be two of the other regulars in this story arc. Nintendo DS owners can pick up Professor Layton and the Devil’s Flute this fall.

Bioshock 2: Rapture sure has changed

2009-03-13T09:30:00.001-07:00

Have you cats heard of this Bioshock 2 game? Well, apparently it's a big deal. It's on the cover of the latest Game Informer and everything. Some folks that subscribed to that magazine have received the latest issue and headed right for the 2K forums, taking care to drop all of the deets about the sequel.

According to posts over there, the game takes place 7 years after the original and stars Jake Abbot, a private investigator sent to Rapture to find a girl abducted by the Big Sister. Oh, and there's supposedly only 1 Big Sister, and no Big Daddies. It's stated the game will feature 2-player co-op and new enemies, including Soviet soldiers, spliced dogs (what the funk?), and bi-pedal robots (you can hack them). New Plasmids are also mentioned, such as one that grants you the ability to slow down time and another that allows you to hear the thoughts of your enemies, revealing keypad codes and enemy weaknesses. There is said to also be underwater exploration segments, where the player will have to don a scuba suit to access some of the flooded areas of Rapture.

And that's about it. Sound legit? If you happen to have received your issue of Game Informer, send us a picture verifying this. We'll be your BFF.

[Via Shacknews]