Archive for February, 2006
Trailer for Xbox 360’s Ninety-Nine Nights
TeamXbox has a new trailer of the action fantasy game Ninety-Nine Nights from Q Entertainment, Phantagram & Microsoft Japan. You will see more than two minutes of cut scenes & gameplay footage. The trailer’s available in standard or high def.
No comments »Acclaim name rises from the grave
Activision co-founder Howard Marks purchased the Acclaim name last year (in August 2005) to establish a new company with a focus on free online games. The new Acclaim, based in Beverly Hills, California, will not only offer free online games, but it also will incorporate multiple business models such as in-game advertising and the option for gamers to purchase in-game items.
GameDailyBiz reports Acclaim’s first title will be BOTS, a multiplayer online robot fighting game that is completely free to play. “The game is designed with accessibility and a positive community experience in mind. A sports-like ranking system allows players to challenge themselves against their friends in a cleanly rendered, safe and youth friendly environment as they develop their skills and evolve their own personalized BOT,” says Acclaim. They’re also planning a more traditional Massive Multiplayer Online Game called 9Dragons.
Takashi Tezuka on New Super Mario Bros DS game
In the latest issue of Nintendo Power, New Super Mario Bros. producer and Mario veteran Takashi Tezuka has some interesting things to say about the upcoming game in interview format. Here’s some of his more interesting commentary:
“When developing this game, I really had the original Super Mario Bros. in mind. After that game, Mario evolved, of course, but it eventually became more difficult and suited more toward hard-core gamers. That wasn’t the intention, but that’s how the series naturally evolved. I didn’t want to continue in that direction. That’s not to say this game isn’t for hard-core players, but I want to recapture the spirit of the original Super Mario Bros.”
On powerups:
“In addition to the standard Super Mushroom, Fire Flower and those kinds of things, there are quite a few new items. There’s a mushroom that turns Mario tiny. Another kind of mushroom turns Mario into a giant if you collect three of them. There’s also a Koopa Mario; he wears a shell and can slide back and forth like a Koopa to hit enemies. We can’t reveal all of the new powerups at this time, however.”
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Mario & Luigi finish Super Mario Bros in 5 to 6 minutes!
Joystiq makes mention of a video which shows a friendly speed run competition through Super Mario Bros. on two NES consoles. Jeff Ninneman (Mario) and Jason Harmer’s (Luigi) personal records are 5:11 and 5:09 respectively, but this video clocks them at just over 6 minutes. This video was shot in 2002 and no emulators were used. Watch Ninneman’s screen (left) for an amazing jump at the beginning of Level 8-2. Harmer opts out of attempting it. Check out the video below by clicking on “more…”
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ID Software about future Quake and Wolfenstein games
id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead talked about the company’s future projects and creating fresh content for their current library of popular shooters. In the works at id is the already-announced Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and, as Hollenshead revealed, a next-gen version of Wolfenstein is also being considered for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
“The next Wolf game is using the 360 as its primary development platform, but will be released on the PC as well,” said Hollenshead. “It’s too early to guess on whether we’ll have all [platform versions] ready to go at the same time. It would be nice if it works out where the launch is simultaneous, but I don’t know if that’s feasible.”
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Midway’s PSP 2006 lineup including Mortal Kombat: Unchained
Here’s Midway’s confirmed PSP lineup for 2006, giving gamers something more to look forward to on Sony’s handheld:
Coming soon (as in this spring) is NBA Ballers: Rebound, the bling-tastic road-to-celebrity sports game featurings “hundreds” of fashion options, including accessories. Oh yeah, you play some basketball in there too.
RUSH, the arcade-style racer, will be out in the fall. Story mode lets you race through Los Angeles, or take on dangerous ramps and loops in Stunt Mode. Drive one of 36 licensed vehincles, and use Wi-Fi to race against a challenger.
Mortal Kombat: Unchained will be ready for the holiday season. The latest in the MK franchise features some new moves, new combos, and exclusive locations.
101 free internet games
If you want to play a new video game right now and you don’t want to pay for it. 1UP has got your free games fix covered! “What you’re looking at is the result of countless hours spent searching for the best and newest free games. You’ll find some mods, a little shareware, and a couple Web games, but most of the titles on the next few pages are 100 percent free with no strings attached.”
There’s a lot to be seen, from classic graphic adventure The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (turn the light on!) to 3D Arcade Air Hockey (free download), have fun!
Kingdom Hearts 2 voice cast interviews
Would you like to hear how Haley Joel Osment prepared for his role as Sora, check out MTV.com’s Peep Show feature on Kingdom Hearts II below. It gives a nice look into the game and what goes on in the recording studio.
The game’s due for release in the US on March 28th. Click on “more…” to view the interview on-site. For other voice cast interviews, click on their names: Kairi (Hayden Panettiere) & Roxas (Jesse McCartney).
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Superman Returns & Metroid screenshots
Superman “returns” in these new screenshots of this multiplatform game.
Moving onto DS, here are the latest Metroid Prime Hunters screenshots.
Telltale Games: Bringing great stories to life
Via 4CR comes news of Gamasutra attended the Wondercon event where Telltale Games spoke about their first Bone game, what planning went into that and how that has prepared them for the next set of games. Heather Logas, designer on the team, had some very interesting things to say.
She compares games to movies and says that a distinct difference is that games allow you to explore more of the world of the property than a movie could. Whereas movies often have to truncate material to meet time requirements, games have the great option of putting in more for players to experience. Read the complete interview.
