With Super Smash Bros. Brawl being officially released in Japan, Sakurai has decided to celebrate with a brand-new instructional video. The video goes through the various modes and options Brawl has to offer, allowing players to check out many of the Dojo updates in action. You can view it by clicking the source link.
In addition, Sakurai has announced that even though the game has released in Japan, the Smash Bros. Updates will continue to transform the website into a sort of guide for the game. In the future, we'll see many of the secret characters and stages revealed, although you can basically go to any gaming message board and find out what they are right now. Either way, we'll be continuing the updates as long as Sakurai makes them available, so stay tuned.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Thursday, January 31 2008 13:47 PM [Top]
EA has officially announced through 1up.com a brand-new boxing title, the not-so-subtly named Facebreaker. Styled less after EA's Fight Night series and more akin to arcade boxers like Punch-Out! and Ready 2 Rumble, the game will be the first to feature "real-time face deformation", as the fighters' faces will deteriorate based upon where and how hard they are hit. A Wii version is in the works, so expect some Wii Sports Boxing-esque controls to go along with that. The game is in development at EA Canada, and no release date was given for the game.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Thursday, January 31 2008 1:21 AM [Top]
Some rather big news out of Japan (not Brawl related) has come up revealing that Tecmo's critically-acclaimed survival horror franchise Fatal Frame is set to make the jump to the Wii. Called "Rei: Tsukihami no Kamen" in Japan, the game will be a collaborative effort between both Tecmo and Goichi Suda's Grasshopper Interactive, who recently worked on the just-released No More Heroes. Oddly enough, Nintendo itself will publish the game in Japan, with an expected release this summer. While a short CG trailer was shown, no gameplay or story details were revealed. More as it breaks.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Thursday, January 31 2008 0:14 AM [Top]
Today's Smash Bros. update is all about the game's Brawl mode, where you can engage in standard battles alone or with friends. First, you head to the character selection screen (seen for the first time), and choose a fighter, changing his or her color if necessary. For the first time ever you can also select which of the Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon you want to start the fight, and whether you want to start with Zelda or Sheik (unfortunately, it doesn't look like there's a way to start battles as Zero Suit Samus). There's also a new Random select space if you'd like the CPU to choose a character for you.
After that, you can enter player names, choose the difficulty level for CPU-controlled players, select handicaps, and also change the rules between a timed or stock brawl. Then, select which items you want to use and their frequency of appearance, as well as the time for battles in timed matches. You can also choose a team match, where players team up for action. You can change team assignments by switching colors, and you can choose between 2 on 2, 1 on 3, or 1 on 2 on 1 matches. Next up, it's off to the stage select screen to choose a stage. You can chose regular Brawl stages on the first page, Melee stages on the second, and custom-created stages on the third.
With the game finally releasing in Japan this week, it's likely that the Smash Bros. Updates will be coming to an end soon. For a full recap of what to expect from the Wii's biggest game in 2008, check out your's truly's preview of Brawl right here. Screens below.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Wednesday, January 30 2008 17:27 PM [Top]
Smash Bros. Update - First Songs in My Music [ Smash Bros. Dojo ]
Today's Smash Bros. Update reveals the full list of songs you'll be able to play right when you boot up Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the first time. By clicking here you'll be able to see each song and what stages you can play them in. Remember, this is only a partial list, and many, many more songs are still available to be unlocked.
As for the night's other big story, we're going to refrain from spoilers for Brawl's hidden content for the time being. If you'd like to discuss it, head over to our chat.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Tuesday, January 29 2008 2:48 AM [Top]
Today's Dojo update is all about Super Smash Bros. Brawl's Vault menu, which features all of the items you've collected in the game, plus all of the objects you've received as awards. Here is where you can check out your trophies and stickers, as well as arrange them to your liking, as well as collect more through the game's Coin Launcher. You can also use the Stage Builder to create your own custom stages and send them to friends over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Next, you can check out your snapshots from the game, which you can also send via Nintendo Wi-Fi. You can also see the Challenges screen to check what you've unlocked, as well as all of the replays you've recorded from Brawls, Target Tests, Home Run Contests, and Multi-Man Brawls. Lastly, you can also play the game's Virtual Console demos in the Masterpieces mode, and find out more about the numerous games that Smash Bros. draws from in the newly-revealed Chronicle mode.
1080° SNOWBOARDING (N64, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Hit the slopes for some serious shredding in one of the first truly realistic snowboarding games ever created! Start in the lodge and select from five characters, each with his/her own particular attributes and special tricks. Then take a look at the wide assortment of available boards and choose one that best suits your rider and style. Once you've got the gear, six different modes of play, including Match Race, Trick Attack, and 2-Player Versus, await. Pick a course and get ready to experience a sensation of speed that'll make you forget all about the cold—but it might just send a shiver down your spine. Throw in hidden characters and boards, varying weather and snow conditions, multiple paths through each course, and a variety of tricks to master—topped off with rock-solid play control—and you've got a recipe for winter fun that you can enjoy any time of the year. It's all the fun and excitement of the sport, without the bruises and frostbite!
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Monday, January 28 2008 12:58 PM [Top]
The guys at CameronBanga are at it again. Two weeks ago they tried to play through four Zelda games. Last week they completed a speed run of Twilight Princess...
This weekend, the folks are attempting to run through Paper Mario. As per usual, you can watch the live feed of them playing through the game, as well as the hilarious reading of email sent in (which, often times, involves these poor guys getting Rick Rolled), and donate money via PayPal which will benefit Child's Play.
When the marathon run of Mega Man games comes along...things will get interesting.
Sega has officially announced that you'll soon be seeing one of their consoles besides the Genesis on Nintendo's Wii Virtual Console service. The Master System, Sega's 8-bit machine from the 1980's, will be seeing some of its games hit the service in Japan starting next month. The first two games released will be Fantasy Zone and Fist of the North Star, which will run 500 and 600 Wii points respectively. As for US release plans for Master System games, you can expect them to come soon.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Saturday, January 26 2008 3:29 AM [Top]
As if Super Smash Bros. Brawl wasn't already jam-packed with content, the Dojo has revealed yet another major announcement for the highly-anticipated brawler. Players will be able to test drive classic Virtual Console games starring Smash Bros. characters through the game's Masterpieces mode, with demo versions of several NES, SNES, and N64 games included. Announced as playable are the original Super Mario Bros., Ice Climber, The Legend of Zelda, Kid Icarus, Kirby's Adventure, Super Metroid, and Star Fox 64. Each game has a set time limit, so you won't be able to get too far (and after all, Nintendo doesn't want to make the Virtual Console obsolete). Still, it could be fun to see how far you can get with the time limit. Some games even have game saves built in so you can check out different parts of the game. Even better, these are only a partial list, so there may be more games yet to be revealed.
You can check out screens of these games below. As a note, there are two additional games listed on the Japanese site, those being Fire Emblem: Monshou no Nazo (never released in America) and Mother 2 (better known as Earthbound), both released for the Super Famicom. While it's unknown if both of those games will make it in for the US release, we've included both in the screenshots for posterity.
For those of you out there wondering just how well Super Smash Bros. Brawl will perform in regards to its online play, Masahiro Sakurai and his team have provided a video showing us just how well it works. In a test battle conducted between members of Sakurai's development team in Tokyo and Nintendo's offices in Kyoto, it seems that there's not a bit of slowdown or lag to be seen. You can check out the video for yourself by clicking the source link. In addition, the Japanese Smash Bros. site got an exclusive video, different from the rest of the world. To check that out, click here.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Thursday, January 24 2008 14:13 PM [Top]
Nintendo has released their 2007 financial statements for the first three quarters of their fiscal year, as as expected, the company has seen some incredible profits. During the period from March to December, the Nintendo DS sold a whopping 24.5 million units worldwide, with 64.79 million sold life-to-date. Game sales were also extremely strong, with games like Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Mario Party DS, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, and Brain Age 2 leading the way on that front. On the console side of things, the Wii sold 14.29 million worldwide, reaching over 20 million in life to date sales. Top sellers for the console include Wii Fit (just released in Japan), Super Mario Galaxy, and Mario Party 8.
Overall, Nintendo's net sales were up 1,316.4 billion yen (about $12.4 billion), and net income up 258.9 billion yen (about $2.43 billion). In turn, the company upped its profit forecasts for the full fiscal year (ending in March), hoping to hit 460 billion yen ($4.34 billion) in profits by that time. The company also increased sales outlooks for both of their game systems, hoping to hit 29.5 million for the DS, and 18.5 million for the Wii.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Thursday, January 24 2008 13:50 PM [Top]
Today's Dojo update features another brand-new stage making its Brawl debut, the Mushroomy Kingdom. Why the extra "y"? Unlike previous Mushroom Kingdom stages that only were based on the classic Super Mario Bros., Mushroomy Kingdom is based on the entirety of the legendary stage 1-1, scrolling forward at a leisurely pace. What's more, when the stage is chosen, it occasionally drops players into the equally-famous underground stage 1-2.
To make things even better, the music for the game's stage was also revealed, a jazzy remix of the immortal Super Mario Bros. theme by the equally-immortal Koji Kondo. To check that out, hit the source link. For screens, click below.
Today's Smash Bros. Update reveals yet another Pokémon that will be appear from Super Smash Bros. Brawl's Poké Ball item, and it may be the most unique Pokémon to appear yet. Manaphy, the legendary water-type Pokémon, will appear and utilize its trademark "Heart Swap" move. After it is used, the fighters on the stage will switch bodies, with each player momentarily taking control of their opponent's character. Don't be thinking that this is an easy way to give your opponent a cheap KO by jumping off of the stage - it still counts as a self-destruct for the player. Also, your damage meter remains the same as before, so watch out. Of course, Manaphy's effect is not permanent, and will wear off after a short time.
Today's Smash Bros. Update finally reveals the Final Smash of Princess Zelda, the Light Arrow. When activated, she fires an arrow of light at opponents, which knocks them away if it hits, almost always causing a KO. She can also pull off the move as Sheik, but doing so will send the opponent in a different trajectory if the arrow makes contact. The attack is difficult to hit in a one-on-one Brawl, since the attack is rather thin.
ADVENTURES OF LOLO 2 (NES, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Lolo and Lala are back in this sequel to the popular puzzle game THE ADVENTURES OF LOLO. On their return from the Haunted Castle, the Great Devil kidnaps Lala and challenges Lolo to rescue her again. Now he must take on the challenge of the Great Devil's Tower and Castle mazes. Fortunately, Lala was able to analyze each of the mazes as she was taken to the tower and left clues in the Jewel Boxes in each room. Each Jewel that Lolo collects contains information that will help him in the next room. In order to succeed, he'll also have to push tiles, pick up Heart Framers, temporarily turn enemies into Eggs with his Magic Shots and ward off enemy attacks by moving Emerald Framers. With your help, Lolo and Lala will work together to escape the Great Devil's clutches and defeat him.
SUPER STREET FIGHTER II: THE NEW CHALLENGERS (Super NES, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen - Violence, 800 Wii Points): When SUPER STREET FIGHTER II: THE NEW CHALLENGERS debuted, the fighting-game genre was forever changed. Along with a revolutionary combo system, the game introduced a new set of challengers to fight alongside the original Street Fighter II cast. In addition to the classic characters of Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, Blanka, E. Honda, Zangief, Dhalsim, Balrog, Vega, Sagat and M. Bison, take control of four brand-new characters in exciting head-to-head fighting game play. Choose T. Hawk and his unmatched strength to crush your opponents, use Deejay's unrivaled kickboxing ability to defeat your opponents, unleash your inner dragon with the furious kung fu of Fei Long and drill your rivals with the deadly beauty of Cammy. Get ready for the Street Fighter tournament and the fight of your life.
The good folks over at CameronBanga blog are at it again this weekend. Last weekend they attempted to complete four Zelda games in 48 hours all the while accepting donations. Unfortunately, they couldn't complete the games, but they did gather over 1200 dollars for Child's Play.
This weekend they are attempting a speed-run of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. They were presented the challenge to complete Twilight Princess in under 11 hours. Like last week, they have been accepting donations for Child's Play.
You can watch their live stream by clicking the link above and also donate via PayPal.
Keep up the good work fellas, we're all pulling for you and thank you for making a good example of the gaming community.
Remember when Sakurai stated that the power-up system used in the Subspace Emissary Adventure mode of Super Smash Bros. Brawl would be unlike any we've seen before? Well, he was right. Today's Dojo update reveals that stickers, once thought to be a mere collectible akin to trophies, will actually be used to increase the players' stats in Subspace Emissary. Some increase attack power, some increase defense power, some increase damage inflicted from elemental attacks, and others will even keep the player from flying far when hit.
At the game's Map screen, hit the "Sticker" option in order to go into the Sticker application screen, where you can apply the stickers you want to the trophy base of each playable character. Each sticker has a different shape and size, and the bigger the sticker, the more dramatic the power-up. However, you only apply as many stickers as will fit on the trophy base. Also, if two stickers have similar effects (for example, if one gives an attack increase of 4, while one gives 6) only the higher of the two stickers will be applied to the character. Certain stickers can also only be used on certain characters.
If you're lazy and would rather let the game do the application for you, simply hit the "Random" option and the game will automatically give you a selection of stickers. Once the sticker has been applied, removing it will cause it to disappear for good, so be careful. However, you can move around a sticker on the trophy base when it is applied.
Players will be able to obtain rarer stickers by playing through the Subspace Emissary levels again on higher difficulties. However, should the player fall in battle, you lose half of the stickers you've applied. Of course, this all only applies to the Subspace Emissary mode - stickers have no effect on standard brawls.
Nintendo DS and Wii finished strong in 2007, commanding sales in the holiday shopping period and finishing the year as the two best-selling video game systems in the United States, according to new data just released by the independent NPD Group. Nintendo DS was the top-selling U.S. system of 2007, with nearly 8.5 million sold, including more than 4 million in November and December alone. Wii placed second, with nearly 6.3 million sold through the year, more than 2.3 million of which sold in the final two months.
Some additional facts about Nintendo’s 2007 performance in the United States (note: All figures are from NPD):
* Nintendo accounted for 52 percent of all video game hardware systems sold in 2007 – more than all other manufacturers combined.
* Since their respective launches, Nintendo has sold more than 17.6 million Nintendo DS systems and nearly 7.4 million Wii systems in the United States alone.
* Wii Play, a collection of nine fun mini-games, finished 2007 with 4.1 million units sold.
* Super Mario Galaxy sold through more than 2.5 million copies since it launched on Nov. 12.
* The two games in the Brain Age series each sold about 1 million copies in 2007.
* Half of the top 30 best-selling games of 2007 were made for Nintendo systems, including Pokemon Pearl, Pokemon Diamond, Mario Party DS, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.
* Nintendo continues to dominate the hand-held market: Of the top 30 best-selling portable games sold in 2007, 25 were made for Nintendo DS and another two were made for Game Boy Advance.
* Sales of Nintendo DS systems grew 60 percent over those from 2006.
* In 2007, the video game industry grew by 43 percent over 2006. Nintendo is responsible for 60 percent of that growth.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Friday, January 18 2008 0:16 AM [Top]
Professor Layton and the Curious Villiage Fact Sheet [ Nintendo ]
In the curious village of St. Mystere, townsfolk speak to each other in riddles, lock their doors with sliding puzzles and hide their secrets within brainteasers. When a wealthy baron passes away, his will reveals an elusive treasure hidden someplace inside the village. Now it's up to Professor Layton to untangle St. Mystere's riddles and puzzles, find the hidden treasure, and crack the case.
* As Professor Layton, players tackle more than 130 puzzles as they unravel the mysteries of the village. Challenges range from mazes and riddles to logic and sliding puzzles, many of which are new for the North American release. Touch-screen controls make working through puzzles a snap for players of all skill levels, and new puzzles are available weekly for download via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
* Unlike other puzzle-driven titles, Professor Layton is the first to offer a story, cast of characters and style that are just as strong as the game play. Fully voiced animated scenes bring the story to life, while the funny and eccentric villagers and the classic, hand-drawn art provide a stylish charm that will appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike.
Game storyline: When the wealthy Baron Augustus Reinhold passes away, his will reveals a hidden treasure in the village of St. Mystere. Unable to locate the treasure themselves, the baron's family calls upon renowned puzzle expert Professor Layton and his apprentice, Luke, for help. Upon the pair's arrival, their search for the treasure is interrupted by the suspicious death of another member of the Reinhold family. Now with two mysteries on their hands, Professor Layton and Luke must work their way through the village's many puzzles, riddles and brainteasers to find the truth.
How to progress through the game: The storyline and puzzles are tightly integrated, so that as you explore the world and progress through the adventure, you will encounter more and more puzzles. Many of the puzzles are new to the North American release.
Characters: Archaeologist and puzzle master Professor Layton, his wide-eyed apprentice, Luke, and a host of quirky townsfolk.
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Content: Each week for half a year, a new puzzle will be available for download via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Thursday, January 17 2008 23:09 PM [Top]
Explore a vast and fascinating undersea world in Endless Ocean. Players swim through coral reefs, explore ancient shipwrecks, meet local wildlife and search for sunken treasure on their own terms—with no time limits and no pressure.
* Players explore at their own pace as they dive in exotic locales and witness the majesty of the sea from the comfort of their own living rooms. From beautiful tide pools to the wrecks of World War II bombers, there's always something new around the bend. And with no set time limits and no way to fail, players are free to explore however they see fit.
* Find, identify and catalogue hundreds of different types of marine life such as penguins, clownfish, dolphins, sharks and even the mighty blue whale. The more time divers spend with the animals, the more they discover about them.
* Go online with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and meet friends and family for an underwater sightseeing tour. Once players exchange Friend Codes, they can dive together on the same screen.
* Exploring the Endless Ocean couldn't be easier. Players simply point the Wii Remote in the direction they want to go and hold the B button. To examine objects, they just point at them and press the A button.
Game storyline: Endless Ocean is unlike any other Wii game—in fact, it's more of an experience than a game. Here are some of the things players can do during their time in the sea: Dive into a massive ocean and explore it however they wish. Find, catalogue and collect more than 50 unique ocean treasures, from sunken gold bullion to ancient stone artifacts. Interact with and learn about more than 230 different animal species then unlock that information in a marine biology encyclopedia. Take ocean aficionados and tourists on guided tours to teach them about the majesty of the ocean and earn new gear for successful trips.
How to progress through the game: Diving in Endless Ocean is a way to involve the entire family on an underwater excursion. To swim, simply point the Wii Remote in the direction the diver wants to go and hold the B button. To open the tool menu, just press left or right on the Control Pad. To learn about an animal, point at it with the Wii Remote and press the A button to lock on. Divers can then touch it with the A button, or pet it by holding the A button and shaking the Wii Remote.
Special powers/weapons/moves/features: Dive. Discover. Dream. These are unusual concepts for a video game. Here is a brief look at the myriad of things to do in Endless Ocean:
* Take on simple tasks assigned by their financial backers, the Marianas Foundation.
* Befriend dolphins and train them to perform tricks.
* Meet with visitors from other countries and lead them on diving tours.
* Players help their friend and boat mate, Katherine, in her search for a mythical whale known as the Ancient Mother.
* Become a freelance photographer and take pictures for travel and science magazines.
* Search out and explore undersea wreckage, including pirate ships and crashed fighter planes.
* Salvage rare and valuable treasures from the ocean floor.
* Listen to diving music by international best-selling artist Hayley Westenra, or play audio files from an SD Card.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Thursday, January 17 2008 23:02 PM [Top]
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin Fact Sheet [ Nintendo ]
Advance Wars has been reborn. Set amid a world in chaos and boasting new characters and settings, the latest game in the series features a gritty look, an engaging storyline and online battles and map trading. It's the most stunning Advance Wars ever.
* New COs and units, realistic graphics and a new environment bring the world of Advance Wars to life like never before. After a cataclysmic meteor strike exterminates 90 percent of the population, the survivors must battle barbarians, disease and megalomaniacal strongmen who seek only to secure their own power.
* Strategy fans will rejoice over the long-awaited inclusion of online play, which promises to add almost unlimited depth and replay ability. Hop on Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and battle against a friend halfway across the world, or use the powerful map editor to create, trade and battle on custom maps.
Game storyline: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin features a new group of COs and supporting characters, as well as a new setting. After a terrible asteroid strike that leaves few survivors, the world is in chaos. Toxic dust clouds are choking out the food supply. New diseases strike without warning. Terror runs rampant as people do whatever is necessary for their own survival. Against this background, one small band fights to restore human dignity in a world gone mad, but the mission seems impossible. Their own country is being led by a dictator. Their former enemy thinks only of revenge. And behind the scenes, a scientist with unbelievable power dreams of eliminating the human race once and for all.
Game-play Modes:
* Single-player: Players battle their way through a lengthy campaign and the twists and turns of the main story.
* Free Battle: Players challenge themselves or up to three friends on more than 170 two-, three- and four-player maps. When playing with friends, players use one Nintendo DS and pass it among players.
* Battle: Fight up to three other players on more than 170 maps via local wireless communication or Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Each player must have his or her own game card.
* Design Room: Players use the touch screen to design their own maps, controlling every aspect from troop placement to terrain features.
* Trade Maps: Link to a friend via local wireless communication or Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and swap topographical masterpieces.
Special powers/weapons/moves/features: Multiplayer has always been the backbone of the Advance Wars game play, and the addition of playing via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection makes it even better. Here's a brief overview of the online experience:
* Exchange Friend Codes with a close circle of military geniuses, then declare war against one of them over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. While battling, players can communicate with each other using full voice chat.
* Players pit their skills against the world as they take on random players. They can choose to fight against people of their own skill level or engage whoever dares to take them on.
* Advance Wars: Days of Ruin contains one of the most robust map-creation systems ever seen. Use the stylus to paint and create the perfect map, then send it to a friend for a test run. It's easy, fun and very, very addictive.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Thursday, January 17 2008 22:58 PM [Top]
Today's Dojo update is all about the Final Smash move of Captain Olimar, the dreaded "End of Day". For all of those who've played Pikmin, you know that it's important to get back into your ship by nightfall, or risk being torn to shreds by some of the planet's most fierce creatures. That is all taken into Olimar's Final Smash, as his rocket ship quickly appears as he takes off into the stars, while night falls and enemies attack all opponents on the stage, causing heavy damage. Olimar can then steer his spacecraft as it crashes back into the stage, finishing off his opponents.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Thursday, January 17 2008 15:31 PM [Top]
Nintendo Reveals Initial 2008 Wii/DS Lineup [ Nintendo ]
With their focus on fun for everyone, Nintendo's Wii and Nintendo DS systems are leading a new movement in the world of video games. Games based on brain exercises. … New experiences that surprise even core gamers. … Grandparents buying video game systems – for themselves! Surely, these are unprecedented times.
Nintendo DS and Wii finished as the No. 1 and No. 2 best-selling systems of the year, respectively. Nintendo continues its momentum into 2008 with a strong lineup of games. In the first half of 2008 alone, more than 65 new Wii games will add to the current library of more than 195 and 80 new Nintendo DS games will add to the current library of nearly 500. Nintendo DS opens the first half of the year with games that demonstrate the breadth of the Nintendo DS library. Advance Wars: Days of Ruin is a treat aimed squarely at core gamers, while Crosswords DS is for all consumers, whether they currently play games or not.
Likewise, the first half of 2008 brings a diverse array of Wii games from Nintendo, including core games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl; games with universal appeal for gamers old and new with Mario Kart Wii, which uses the easy-to-pick-up Wii Wheel; and Wii Fit, which comes with the Wii Balance Board and has appeal for new consumers well beyond the traditional video game audience. On top of all that, new downloadable WiiWare games will make their debut. These unique games have much lower entry barriers for developers and let consumers enjoy an incredibly diverse selection of content.
The following is a partial list of Wii and Nintendo DS software for the first half of 2008. Note that details are subject to change.
Wii Jan. 8: Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law from Capcom Jan. 15: SAMURAI WARRIORS: KATANA from KOEI CORPORATION Jan. 21: Endless Ocean from Nintendo Jan. 22: One Piece: Unlimited Adventure from Namco Bandai Games America Inc. Jan. 29: Bomberman Land from Hudson January: No More Heroes from Ubisoft January: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Hard Evidence from Ubisoft Feb. 18: MX vs. ATV Untamed from THQ Feb. 26: Baroque from Atlus USA Feb. 26: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors from Square Enix February: Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore from Konami February: Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 from Ubisoft March 3: Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed from THQ March 9: Super Smash Bros. Brawl from Nintendo March 10: Worms: A Space Oddity from THQ March 25: Okami from Capcom March 25: OPOONA from KOEI CORPORATION March: Alone in the Dark from Atari March: Ninja Reflex from Electronic Arts March: Obscure: The Aftermath from Ignition Entertainment March: Target: Terror from Konami March: Nitro Bike from Ubisoft March: Emergency Heroes from Ubisoft April 15: Castle of Shikigami III from Aksys Games April: Pro Evolution Soccer from Konami May 6: Speed Racer from Warner Bros. Games May 13: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian from Disney Interactive Studios May: BlastWorks: Build, Trade, Destroy from Majesco Entertainment May: King of Fighters: The Orochi Saga from SNK Playmore June: Catch of the Day from Electronic Arts June: Cooking Mama Cook Off 2 from Majesco Entertainment June: Rygar: The Battle of Argus from Tecmo, Inc. June: DeBlob from THQ June: Wall-E from THQ Spring: Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel from Nintendo Spring: Major League Baseball 2K8 from 2K Sports Spring: Don King Presents: Prizefighter from 2K Sports Spring: Top Spin 3 from 2K Sports Spring: LEGO: Indiana Jones from LucasArts Summer: Deca Sports from Hudson Summer: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed from LucasArts Q2: Wii Fit from Nintendo
Nintendo DS Jan. 21: Advance Wars: Days of Ruin from Nintendo/Intelligent Systems Feb. 5: Nanostray 2 from Majesco Entertainment Feb. 10 (street date): Professor Layton and the Curious Village from Nintendo/LEVEL-5 Feb. 12: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney from Capcom Feb. 19: Zoo Tycoon II from THQ February: Insecticide from Gamecock Media Group February: Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery from Ubisoft February: Assassin's Creed Altair's Chronicles from Ubisoft March 8: River King: Mystic Valley from Natsume Inc. March 8: Harvest Moon DS Cute from Natsume Inc. March 11: FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Rings of Fate from Square Enix March 11: Lost in Blue 3 from Konami March 11: Pro Evolution Soccer from Konami March 25: Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword from Tecmo, Inc. March: Alone in the Dark from Atari March: Drone Tactics from Atlus USA March: Ninja Reflex from Electronic Arts March: Myst from Empire Interactive March: Naruto: Ninja Destiny from Tomy Corporation April 15: Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys from Ignition Entertainment April: Rondo of Swords from Atlus USA May 5: Crosswords DS from Nintendo May 6: Speed Racer from Warner Bros. Games May 13: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian from Disney Interactive Studios June 8: Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness from Natsume Inc. June: Wall-E from THQ Spring: Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution from 2K Games Spring: Don King Presents: Prizefighter from 2K Sports Spring: Top Spin 3 from 2K Sports Spring: LEGO: Indiana Jones from LucasArts Spring: The World Ends with You from Square Enix Summer: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed from LucasArts Summer: Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3 from Namco Bandai Games America Inc. Q2: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time from Nintendo Q2: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness from Nintendo
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Wednesday, January 16 2008 16:53 PM [Top]
No sooner is Sheik revealed in the pages of Famitsu magazine that the alter-ego of Princess Zelda has been given a Smash Bros. Update of her very own. Just like in Melee, Sheik will materialize after players select Zelda and utilize her down special move, Transform. Sheik has her own set of unique moves, such as her deadly daggers, her powerful whip, and of course, her trademark Vanish recovery move. Of course, players can transform back into Zelda by once again using her down special. In an interesting touch, since Sheik did not appear in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (which Brawl's Princess Zelda is based upon), her new design actually comes from a prototype design from when Twilight Princess was in early development.
Check out some screens and art of Sheik in action below.
We know it's a little early for the usual Smash Bros. update, but the latest issue of Famitsu has a couple of major tidbits on what's turning into by far the Wii's biggest release. First, the notoriously strict Japanese gaming magazine have given Super Smash Bros. Brawl its highest honor - a perfect score of 40 out of 40. This makes Brawl only the seventh game to receive the score in the magazine's history, as well as the fourth Nintendo title, joining The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Nintendogs.
What's more, its finally been confirmed that one of Melee's most beloved characters will be returning for Brawl, as Princess Zelda will retain her ability to transform into the her swift alter-ego Sheik. For a scan of that, click below.
Without a doubt, many congratulations need to go out to Sakurai and company for all of their hard work on this game. I think I speak for everyone when I say that March 9th can't come soon enough.
Edit: Just because we love you so much, here's a brand-spanking-new Brawl trailer direct from Japan (and from YouTube) that you can check out below. The trailer contains five and a half minutes of juicy gameplay footage, so be sure to check it out.
THQ today announced plans to acquire Big Huge Games, a leading development studio focused on RPGs.
Big Huge Games was founded in 2000 by four veteran game developers, Brian Reynolds, Jason Coleman, Dave Inscore and Tim Train, who together have brought strategy gamers such classic hits as Rise of Nations, Alpha Centauri, and Civilization II. Key studio members also include Ken Rolston, a 25-year RPG design veteran whose most recent design accolades include Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.
The acquisition is expected to close shortly, subject to certain conditions. Under the terms of the agreement, Big Huge Games will become a wholly owned subsidiary of THQ and the studio's management and employees will continue with the company. The 100 person studio is located in Timonium, Maryland. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Tuesday, January 15 2008 21:32 PM [Top]
Today Ubisoft unveiled Assassin's Creed Altaďr's Chronicles, exclusively for the Nintendo DS. The Assassin's Creed Altaďr's Chronicles video game will be available at retailers nationwide in February.
Assassin's Creed Altaďr's Chronicles is the direct prequel of the critically acclaimed console title Assassin's Creed, where players discover more about the protagonist Altaďr and his deep history. The game features a fully realized 3D world in which players will travel and battle through four cities of the Crusade's Middle East, using acrobatic moves and exhilarating combo attacks that mix sword skills and high-flying kicks.
Assassin's Creed Altaďr's Chronicles is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB and has an MSRP of $29.99.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Tuesday, January 15 2008 21:28 PM [Top]
The 2008 Game Developers Conference (GDC) will kick off on February 18th, and Nintendo, as they have the past few years, will be in attendance. What's more, GDC executive director Jamil Moledina has officially announced that three Nintendo-related speeches will be taking place at the event.
The first session is "Wii Fit: Creating a Brand New Interface for the Home Console". The speech is being given by the game's project lead Takao Sawano, and will discuss the reasons and challenges for the hotly-anticipated title which is already a smash hit in Japan. The second is "Planning the Wii Menu: From Pre-Launch to WiiWare", which will discuss the challenge of creating the Wii's menu, as well as providing more details on the upcoming WiiWare download service. The session is being given by Takashi Aoyama, the team leader for Nintendo's Network Group. Last but certainly not least is the speech being given by Super Smash Bros. Brawl's Masahiro Sakurai, entitled "Building Characters: The Super Smash Bros. Brawl Postmortem". The talk will detail the challenges Sakurai faced in integrating numerous characters and online modes into the game, as well as discuss what he felt worked and what didn't.
No times were given for any of these sessions, so hopefully the GDC will make these available soon. Stay tuned for February when Wii Café will provide coverage of all the goings on in San Francisco.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Tuesday, January 15 2008 21:26 PM [Top]
We all were afraid this was going to happen, and now those fears have been realized. In a note today at the Dojo, producer Masahiro Sakurai has confirmed that Super Smash Bros. Brawl, originally set for a US release on February 10th, will now be hitting stores on Sunday, March 9th. This is not the first time Brawl has seen a delay, as it was previously pushed from December into 2008. Fortunately, our Japanese friends don't have nearly as long of a wait - while Brawl was indeed delayed there as well, it will instead be releasing on January 31st, just one week after its original release date.
On the brighter side, there was a new Dojo update in all of the murk of another delay. The game's Pikmin stage has been revealed, called Distant Planet. This small-sized stage features a bouncy floor made of vines, as well as Pellets which can be thrown into Onion Plants to obtain items. Also, torrential downpours can occasionally occur, threatening to wash players off the stage. Making matters even worse, massive Bulborbs will occasionally appear on the stage, trying to eat anything that gets close.
In a phone interview today with IGN, Factor 5 president Julian Eggebrecht officially confirmed that his company is hard at work on a title for the Wii. This confirms that Factor 5 is returning to work with Nintendo for the first time since officially stating they would only develop for Sony's PlayStation 3 this generation. Factor 5's work on the PS3 only yielded one game: Lair, released in 2007, which turned out to be both a critical and commercial flop.
Of course, Factor 5 is no stranger to Nintendo hardware, as the company previously worked with LucasArts to deliver the highly-popular Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series. The games delivered some of the best Star Wars experiences to be had on any console, and pushed both the N64 and GameCube hardware to the absolute limit. Eggebrecht did confirm to IGN that the game they were developing for Wii wasn't a WiiWare game, so here's hoping for Rogue Squadron IV.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Monday, January 14 2008 23:29 PM [Top]
With all of the secrets and unlockables that have been revealed for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, you'd think that there'd be some way to keep track of all of it. It turns out Sakurai has our backs, as the Dojo has revealed a brand-new Challenges screen, which shows off (in the form of glass cases) what items players have unlocked throughout the game. Every time a challenge is met, the case breaks open to reveal its contents. What's more, the cases to the right and left of it will turn red, and placing the cursor over them reveals how exactly to obtain that secret. Even better, players can obtain Golden Hammers throughout the game, which will unlock a secret without actually having to complete its challenge. However, these Golden Hammers are only good for one use, so it's best to use them on challenges you can't seem to beat. Also, there's some challenges that even Golden Hammers can't break.
Pac-Attack (Super NES, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Pac-Man makes a rare appearance outside of a maze environment in Pac-Attack, a fun and quirky puzzle game. This unique entry in the genre puts its own twist on established conventions and adds one of gaming's most iconic characters to the mix. The goal is simple: Keep your screen clear of falling blocks and ghosts by lining up blocks horizontally, causing them to disappear. Clearing the ghosts, though, requires the help of a hungry Pac-Man (who just happens to swing by every so often for a snack). It's up to you to get all of the ghosts lined up for him, because Pac-Man will keep eating them until he is stopped by a block or he runs out of ghosts. In addition, his range of movement on the playing field is limited to horizontal or downward—thus adding further strategy. There are three game modes to choose from: 1 Player Normal, 2 Player VS., and the challenging 1 Player Puzzle. Feel like gobbling up some ghosts?
Riot Zone (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1 player, Rated E 10 for Everyone 10 and Older - Tobacco Reference, Violence, 800 Wii Points): Riot Zone is a side-scrolling fighting game that follows two heroes as they fight to take down an evil organization. The crime syndicate Dragon Zone has kidnapped Hawk's girlfriend and it's up to him and his partner detective, Tony, to get her back. Join them as they jump "fists first" into the grim Kowloon district. Play as Hawk or Tony and fight through all five stages in the deadly Kowloon district. Smash down the Dragon Zone goons in areas like the Harbor, Abandoned Warehouse and the Ghetto. Both characters have unique skills and attacks. Hawk is a master of karate, while Tony is a hard-hitter. That being said, both guys are massive and possess killer techniques. The hard-boiled action is enhanced by the game's realistic sound effects.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Monday, January 14 2008 12:35 PM [Top]
Nintendo of America announces the appointment of two sales and marketing executives to work from the company's new Bay Area office in Redwood City, Calif. Denise Kaigler joins as vice president of Marketing & Corporate Affairs, while Bill van Zyll becomes the new director and general manager of Latin America. Van Zyll's appointment is effective immediately, while Kaigler starts Feb. 18. Both will report to Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing.
Kaigler will oversee all aspects of corporate affairs, including corporate communications, public relations, government affairs, investor and analyst relations, and internal communications for Nintendo of America, and will play a key role in global coordination. Kaigler comes to Nintendo following a 16-year tenure at Reebok International.
Kaigler replaces Perrin Kaplan, who left Nintendo at the end of December.
Kaigler is an active participant in several professional and nonprofit organizations, including Bottom Line, an organization committed to helping low income, first-generation-to-college students get into and graduate from college, and go far in life. She is a graduate of Emerson College in Boston, where she majored in journalism. Kaigler serves as a member of the Emerson College Board of Overseers.
Van Zyll heads Nintendo of America's Latin America department, which is responsible for the creation, direction and implementation of short- and long-term sales, marketing, and operational strategies for Latin America. He comes to Nintendo of America after more than 15 years at the Whirlpool Corporation, where for the past four years he has served as Director of Finance for Sales for the company's North American region. Van Zyll also served in other key international capacities, which included overseeing Whirlpool's operations in Latin America, and brings his extensive experience in sales and marketing to Nintendo.
Van Zyll earned a master's degree in business administration with a specialization in international business from the University of Miami and bachelor's degrees in finance and accounting from the University of Arizona. He is fluent in English, Spanish and Dutch, and proficient in Italian.
Wii Café welcomes Kaigler and Van Zyll to the Nintendo family, and we look forward to working with them, and wish them the best of luck in their new positions.
The latest issue of Nintendo Power has finally revealed some details on Sega's upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog RPG, developed by highly-lauded RPG developer BioWare. The game's official title is Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, and is set for release this year. It will feature a multitude of characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog universe, including Sonic, Tails, Amy Rose, Knuckles, Rouge, and Big the Cat. The storyline features Knuckles being kidnapped by a mysterious group known as "The Marauders", who have also taken six of the Chaos Emeralds. As you may guess, it's up to Sonic and Tails to save the day. The game features turn-based combat, which special minigames being used for special attacks, such as rhythm-based touch challenges. The game is entirely controlled with the stylus and touch screen, and enemies will be seen on the screen at all times with no random battles. The game will also use a hand-drawn animation style with fully-animated cutscenes, and the game will also feature several remixed versions of classic Sonic tunes.
We'll have more on the game, hopefully, when Sega officially reveals it. For now, check out the latest issue of Nintendo Power for all the details.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Sunday, January 13 2008 0:24 AM [Top]
There are some heroes left in the world. Right now, there are numerous gentlemen who have pledged to play through all of the 3D Zelda games in forty-eight hours.
There is a live webstream available to anyone who wishes to watch as they battle through the games, as well as a link to send donations to them for pizza and then to charity ("most likely charity" they have reported).
For all of us here at Wii Cafe, we wish them only the best of luck in their campaign.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Gets a Court Date [ Capcom ]
Capcom today announced that the latest installment of its highly popular courtroom drama series, Apollo Justice™: Ace Attorney is scheduled for release in North America on February 12, 2008. The first Ace Attorney game developed specifically for Nintendo DS, this is the fourth title in the series and will feature all new characters, including new defense attorney Apollo Justice. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney has been rated T for Teen by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB).
This new chapter to the Ace Attorney series will drop players into the shoes of Apollo Justice, where they’ll make use of his uncanny ability to uncover witnesses’ lies by studying their body language. But as talented as our hero is, he wouldn’t get far without the support of his assistant Trucy, a mysterious female magician. Apollo also receives invaluable advice from Kristoph Gavin, his ultra-cool mentor whose perfect logic and natural instincts have won him numerous cases and the respect of his colleagues.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Friday, January 11 2008 13:09 PM [Top]
Today's Dojo update gives us info on the special moves of the latest-revealed character, Captain Olimar from the Pikmin series. For Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Olimar primarily uses his Pikmin to attack his foes, and can pluck them out of the ground as his standard special move. Different kinds of ground are more likely to hold certain Pikmin, and Olimar can carry up to six at one time. The different kinds are:
Red: High attack power, fire attacks, immune to fire.
Yellow: High attack range, Travel in arcs when thrown, electrical powers.
Blue: Stronger when thrown, more durable than other Pikmin.
Purple: Doesn't fly far, slow, tremendous slamming power.
White: Quick, light, poison powers.
The order that the Pikmin will be thrown or attacked with is the order that they follow Olimar when he walks around. His side special move is the Pikmin Throw, which tosses a Pikmin at a hapless enemy, causing their damage to slowly rise. His up special is the Pikmin Chain, which sends out his Pikmin in a chain to grapple enemies or edges for recovery. The more Pikmin you have, the longer the chain. Lastly, there's the Pikmin Order down special move, where Olimar calls all Pikmin back to him, also changing their attack order. Olimar may seem confusing, but Sakurai states that with a little practice he's very easy to use.
It's time for yet another Final Smash to be revealed at the Dojo, and today it's Solid Snake who gets the call. Snake's Super Smash Bros. Brawl finisher is the devestating Grenade Launcher, which involves him making a mighty leap into the air to board a helicopter. Here, he can use a grenade launcher to fire shots in an over-the-shoulder view on his hapless opponents. He gets twelve shots (two rounds of six), but after they are exhausted or time runs out, he returns to the battlefield. When using his Final Smash, it's best to use all of your shots so you don't waste any, as well as try to take out multiple fighting enemies with one shot.
Check out some screens of Snake's Final Smash in action below.
It's seemingly been forever since we've had a character reveal for a Dojo update, or any kind of major announcement, for that matter. That ends now, as the official Super Smash Bros. Brawl site has confirmed that Captain Olimar, along with his Pikmin, will be a debuting playable character. Olimar goes into battle with one of each Pikmin (red, yellow, blue, purple, and white), and similar to the Ice Climbers, he will need all of them surrounding him in order to unleash his attacks - without them, he can't even perform a Smash attack.
If that wasn't awesome enough, we also get one of the Pikmin songs that will be featured in the game: the World Map theme, remixed by Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mitsuda. To check that out, click the source link.
I'd also like to let it be known that Olimar was first suggested to Sakurai as a playable character by our own Carl DeNovio back at E3 2006. So if you're looking for someone to thank (or blame, depending on your preference), he's your guy.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Wednesday, January 9 2008 2:31 AM [Top]
The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return Trailer [ Wii Café ]
Two grisly titles from the popular THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD series are being compiled into one action-packed horror shooter for the Wii. Both THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 and III will feature the original arcade experience, complete with branching storylines, over six ghoul-filled game modes and bonus content. Re-live your glory days in the arcades and mow down packs of clawing, biting undead with the new rapid-fire Wii Zapper!
Experience the popular arcade shooting action at home. Blast the undead with the quick trigger action of the Wii Zapper. Grab a friend and destroy the undead together including Arcade mode and Original mode. THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 & 3 RETURN also retains the rich arcade graphics you love.
Check out the trailer, direct from YouTube, below.
Video:
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Tuesday, January 8 2008 21:34 PM [Top]
The latest Dojo update reveals that another popular Melee mode, the Multi-Man Melee, will be making a return in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as the Multi-Man Brawl. In this mode, players once again do battle in a number of ways against waves of opponents, including the return of the 10-man, 100-man, 3-minute, 15-minute, Endless, and Cruel modes. The opponents this time will be the Fighting Alloy Team, a Power Rangers-esque group made up of Red (the likely leader, despite Sakurai's admissions to the contrary), Blue (a quick female fighter), Yellow (a stocky fighter with horns), and Green (a short puffball similar to Kirby). It's worth noting that the Fighting Alloys bear a resemblance to characters from the Nintendo DS title Meteos, which Sakurai did character designs for. The object of each Multi-Man mode, of course, is to defeat as many opponents as possible. This time around, players can also team up with a friend to tackle any of the modes in co-op play. Coolest of all, you can also team up with a friend online over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
For the second year in a row, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has honored Nintendo with an Emmy Award for excellence in engineering creativity. The groundbreaking Wii system was recognized for its innovative motion-sensing controls, which have attracted a broad range of nontraditional gamers and veteran players alike. The award also recognized Nintendo DS for its pioneering touch-screen control scheme and distinctive dual-screen display, both of which helped to make it the nation's top-selling game system of 2007.
Presented in Las Vegas at the annual Technological & Engineering Emmy Awards on Jan. 7, these latest honors set the stage for even more exciting control innovations from Nintendo in 2008. Nintendo previously received an Emmy in 2007 for its invention of the plus-shaped D-pad, which radically changed how people interact with their video games and, by extension, their televisions.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Tuesday, January 8 2008 17:35 PM [Top]
After a week to relax, Sakurai and company are back in action with the updates leading up to the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Today's update gives us more info on the stages that will be returning from Super Smash Bros. Melee. The stages are:
Yoshi's Island (from Super Mario World)
Corneria (from Star Fox)
Onett (from Earthbound)
Brinstar (from Metroid)
Rainbow Ride (from Super Mario 64)
Even Sakurai is surprised at the amount of content in this game. Suffice to say, we are too.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Monday, January 7 2008 20:48 PM [Top]
Professor Layton and the Curious Village Screenshots [ Nintendo ]
Professor Layton and the Curious Village is one of the most unique games coming out for any console next year, combing the storytelling and narrative of an RPG with the brain-twisting mind teasers of a puzzle game. The game has an impressive pedigree, as it is being developed by the highly-lauded Level 5, who previously worked on Dragon Quest VIII, Rogue Galaxy, and the Dark Cloud series (all for PS2), and is currently in the works with Dragon Quest IX for the Nintendo DS.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Monday, January 7 2008 19:36 PM [Top]
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin Screens, Boxart, and Logo [ Nintendo ]
The Advance Wars series has long-been one of Nintendo's most critically-acclaimed strategy franchises, and the latest game in the series is set to make its way to the Nintendo DS. Advance Wars: Days of Ruin puts a brand-new spin on the long-running franchise, with a darker world and more realistic characters fleshing out the expansive gameplay. Check out the game's boxart, logo, and some new screens by clicking the links below. The game hits stores on January 21st.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Monday, January 7 2008 19:18 PM [Top]
Star Tropics and King of Fighters Added to VC [ Nintendo ]
Star Tropics (NES, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): Find out just how resourceful you can be in this classic game, with its mixture of adventure and RPG elements. Step into the shoes of Mike Jones, a teenage star pitcher from Seattle who has come to the tropics to visit his famous archeologist uncle, Dr. Jones. After being told that his uncle has been abducted, Mike begins a perilous quest in order to rescue him and figure out the mysterious plot behind his disappearance. Luckily for Mike, he meets helpful villagers and finds more powerful weapons as he explores numerous locations and island-hops using his uncle's submarine. You'll never know what to expect next as the cosmic story unfolds over the course of eight action-packed chapters, ranging from Dr. Jones's lab on C-Island to an alien spacecraft. Who knew a tropical vacation could turn into a mission to save the world?
THE KING OF FIGHTERS '94 (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen-Animated Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Alcohol & Tobacco Reference, Violence, 900 Wii Points): As the first game in the long-running KING OF FIGHTERS series, THE KING OF FIGHTERS '94 brought together popular characters from other well-known franchises and pitted them against each other. Match warriors from Fatal Fury against favorites from its sister series, Art of Fighting. Or see if the casts of the Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier series better suit your fighting style. Plus, there's a set of brand new characters, exclusive to the KOF series, who are willing to join the fray. But there's a twist: Instead of the standard best-two- out-of-three-rounds fight setup, players choose one of eight teams, each made up of three teammates. To win, all members of the other team must be eliminated before your fighters are knocked out. Use the game's power gauge to inflict maximum damage and end the round with a devastating finishing move. It's a battle royal unlike anything else-a game whose inspiration is easily seen in the fighting games that followed it. Can your team be the last one standing?
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Monday, January 7 2008 18:48 PM [Top]
Today, we want to wish our co-owner, editor, and overall overlord Carl DeNovio a happy 24th birthday. If you'd like to wish Carl well, head on over to our chat room.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Sunday, January 6 2008 20:38 PM [Top]
For many Wii fans, 2008 is nothing more than a wait until February 11th with the happiness and joy that Super Smash Bros. Brawl will bring. Well, it looks like that will change, as another highly-anticipated Wii game looks to be coming out even earlier than expected. IGN is reporting that No More Heroes, published by Ubisoft and created by the warped mind of Suda 51, will be making its way to store shelves on January 22nd. The game, which features would-be killer Travis Touchdown taking on hordes of enemies to become the world's top assassin, was originally scheduled to release in February, when most Wii gamers would likely be throwing down in Brawl, so this seems like a smart decision. More as it breaks.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Friday, January 4 2008 20:08 PM [Top]
Rockstar Games has revealed to IGN the release details of the upcoming Bully: Scholarship Edition, a Wii remake of the 2006 PS2 hit. For those who haven't played the original, the game takes place at Bullworth Academy, a private school for troublemaking youths. Playing as Jimmy Hopkins, players must do various missions and accomplish tasks, all with the free-roaming gameplay Rockstar made famous with the Grand Theft Auto series.
As for Scholarship Edition, the game will have a number of additions about its PS2 counterpart. Rockstar is promising eight new missions, four new classes to take (biology, music, math and geography), new items and clothing, new two-player minigames, new awards, and Wii Remote controls. The game, being developed by Rockstar's Vancouver studio, is set to be released in March.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Friday, January 4 2008 19:54 PM [Top]
Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. announced that Target: Terror is currently in development for the Nintendo Wii. The game is based on Target: Terror Gold, the top-grossing arcade game of 2006 and designed by arcade pioneer Eugene Jarvis, founder of Raw Thrills, Inc., the developer of Big Buck Hunter PRO.
Target: Terror is the first game from Konami that will be compatible with Nintendo’s new Wii Zapper; players will be able to capture the old-school flavor of fast-paced light gun shooters from gaming’s glory days of the arcades. Target: Terror puts players in the role of an elite counter-terrorist agent charged with protecting the U.S. from an ever-increasing wave of terrorist threats.
With a full-scale assault spanning the entire nation, players can show these terrorist thugs who’s boss, using an assortment of lethal weapons including machine guns, grenade launchers, freeze guns, flamethrowers and even an orbital laser beam from space. Target: Terror also features a unique “Justice Mode," allowing players to dual-wield weapons for twice the mayhem.
Target: Terror also features an unlockable offering of fun and humorous mini-games inspired by a variety of arcade classics.
Developed by Leviathan Games, Target: Terror is expected to explode onto the Wii in Q1 of 2008.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Thursday, January 3 2008 14:06 PM [Top]
Hudson Entertainment, the North American publishing arm for HUDSON SOFT, today announced that it is bringing Deca Sports, a unique ten-sport game, exclusively to the Wii home video game system in Summer 2008. Combining ten sporting events into one addicting and fun-filled game, Deca Sports offers an immersive experience for fans of any age. The sporting events: Beach Volleyball, Snowboard Cross, Badminton, Basketball, Curling, Figure Skating, Archery, Supercross, Soccer and Kart Racing.
Each sport in the game uses the Wii Remote in unique yet accessible ways. With a subtle swing of the Wii Remote players can hit and spike the ball in Beach Volleyball, while twists of the wrist produce a wild ride down the slopes in Snowboard Cross. In Figure Skating players need to keep to the music and properly time all of their jumps and spins in order to impress the judges while passing the ball and lining up shots is essential in Soccer. All ten sports support both single player and multiplayer modes, in addition to a training mode to practice essential skills. The wide range of events and modes make Deca Sports the perfect game for players and sports fans of all ages.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Thursday, January 3 2008 13:56 PM [Top]
BUBBLE BOBBLE (NES, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): BUBBLE BOBBLE's release in 1986 introduced the two bubble dragons, Bub and Bob, and brand new play mechanics, with players defeating enemies by trapping them in bubbles and then popping them. Although the puzzle-action game can be beaten by clearing all 100 rounds, it also contains secret elements such as not being able to get the "true ending" in single-player mode; hidden commands that lead to secret rounds; and a ton of different items. These elements are some of the game's most memorable and important features. Each round even has different air currents that are not visible, so bubbles rise in unpredictable patterns. Aspects like forcing players to understand and utilize these different patterns while playing help make this a revolutionary game that is fun to play anytime.
Light Crusader (Genesis, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Animated Violence, 800 Wii Points): Each day, more good townspeople of Green Row have been mysteriously disappearing, and beleaguered King Weeden summons the knight Sir David to investigate. Armed with his wits and his sword, Sir David must find the cause of this strange evil and save the citizens of Green Row before things get any worse. Take the role of the brave knight in this action RPG and get to the bottom of the mysteries of Green Row as you fight enemies, solve puzzles and use your best combination of brains and brawn to save the kingdom.
TOP HUNTER (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated E10 for Everyone 10 and older-Cartoon Violence, 900 Wii Points): Take on the role of either Roddy or Cathy, bounty hunters in this side-scrolling action game set far in the future when humans have colonized space. But all is not well: Space pirates called the Klaptons are making their way through the galaxies, wiping out peaceful settlements along their path. This disgraceful behavior leads to them having a price on their heads, so now Roddy and Cathy must travel through four distinct worlds on a mission to defeat their leader, Captain Klapton. Both characters have retractable arms-used to grab enemies or other objects in the scenery-that can then be thrown at others to destroy them. Also, be on the lookout for rings or levers to pull, as this might reveal special bonuses. Further adding to the mix, the game uses a unique system where the action happens on two planes, with the player switching between them at will. Can you prove yourself worthy of the Top Hunter name and help save the universe
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Thursday, January 3 2008 13:53 PM [Top]
THQ today announced plans to release the WALL●E video game in conjunction with the film’s eagerly awaited theatrical debut from Disney•Pixar in the summer of 2008. WALL●E is anticipated to launch across all major gaming systems including the Wii and Nintendo DS.
WALL●E is expected to release this summer and will mark THQ’s next installment in the company’s well-established and successful association with Disney•Pixar. Development for WALL●E will be led by THQ’s internal Heavy Iron Studios.
Players will take control of WALL●E and EVE through a fast-paced adventure based on the upcoming Disney•Pixar film. The game will allow fans to relive some of the movie’s most thrilling moments as they explore 10 worlds filled with non-stop action and adventure, along with head-to-head multiplayer challenges. Players will recognize the storyline, characters and key locations from the WALL●E film as they carry out intense missions, dodge dangerous enemies and navigate their way through a futuristic world. In addition, the game will contain new storylines and environments that movie-goers will not see in theaters.
Eric Jones
-- Posted on Thursday, January 3 2008 13:50 PM [Top]
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Smash Bros. Update - Game Mode Introduction [ 
