Archive for July, 2006
Player’s Choice for GBA Expands. Zelda, Mario, Pokemon and more added
While the DS has been stealing the limelight recently with HUGE sales numbers, Nintendo has not yet completely forgotten about the system that has sustained it for decades (or in this case, years), the Game Boy. While Game Boy Advance sales have certainly diminished since the DS took over, the platform is still completely viable with sales numbers still high.
And Nintendo vows to increase those numbers even higher by announcing that several new games have joined the GBA Player’s Choice line of budget-priced, $20 GBA games.
Games already in the line include the venerable hits: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Metroid Fusion (look for my review soon), Metroid: Zero Mission, Mega Man Battle Network, Pokemon Ruby, Pokemon Sapphire, Super Mario Advance, Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3 and Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3.
Now, beginning Oct. 3, the growing list will benefit by the inclusion of: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Four Swords included), Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen and, completing the Super Mario Bros. series, Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World.
To date, Nintendo has sold 75.8 million GBAs worldwide–a figure the company predicts will reach 77.6 million units by March 2007. All GBA games can be played on Nintendo’s DS.
View trailers and commercials for the above games below:
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Final Fantasy III new DS FMV and in-game movie from Square Enix
Square Enix has released a brand new Final Fantasy III video on their official website for the DS game. It shows both Full Motion Video and in-game scenes. To watch it: go to the official Square Enix page and click on ENTER and wait for the popup to load. You can either watch or SKIP (right bottom) that intro. Then select MOVIE from the left-hand menu, wait for it to load, and finally you can select a LARGE or SMALL size of the new Final Fantasy III movie to watch it. Enjoy! 
UPDATED: You can now watch the movie here directly:
Fuzion Frenzy 2 by Hudson coming to Xbox 360 in 2006
Microsoft announced that Hudson (famous for their Mario Party games for Nintendo) is developing Fuzion Frenzy 2 exclusively for Xbox 360. The game will be released this Christmas.
Set in a space environment across seven plants, Fuzion Frenzy 2 features more than 40 mini-games, including Collision Collusion, Turbine Jumper, and Super Slam Dunk, a slam dunk shootout in low gravity. The game will also take advantage of Xbox Live with online multiplayer and customizable tournaments where players can trade off on picking planets and mini-games. Via 1up
Nintendo announces Clubhouse Games brings 42 classics to DS
In Clubhouse Games you can play these 42 all-time classic games solo or challenge up to seven friends by sharing one game card. And if you don’t have anyone to play with, simply log on to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and find opponents across Europe or in the US. You can even chat to each other, PictoChat-style, while you play! The game’s coming to Europe on September 29 and the US gets it on October 9. Take a look at the trailer below:
Here’s a list of all 42 games:
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Biker Mice From Mars revived on PS2 and DS
Apparently a new Biker Mice cartoon series is underway, so naturally that’s followed up with toys and games. So get ready to rock ’n’ ride with the Biker Mice From Mars! Choosing between Throttle, Vinnie, or Modo, you take control of a wild hog equipped with lasers, guns, rockets, and gadgets. Race through the streets of Chicago blasting enemies and performing insane jumps. You’ll also leave your bike behind and duke it out hand-to-hand in action-packed street brawls.
Due for release on October 3rd for PS2 & DS. Creat Studio released a trailer showing the DS version.
Here’s a look at what the 1993 cartoon was like. Article continues »
New Red Steel video and storyline details
The official Red Steel website was just updated with a new trailer, which is also shown below for your convenience. The Wii-exclusive has gotten a big budget in order to be a Wii launch game, it’s costing Ubisoft €10 million ($12.7/£6.8 million) to create with a 100-headed team.
Developer Ubisoft released new info about the game’s storyline and characters…
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EA announces longest name for a PC game expansion ever. Title is The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-Earth II: The Rise of the Witch King
EA yesterday announced the “The Rise of the Witch King” expansion pack for the PC (& Xbox 360) game we’ll abbreviate as LOTR: BFME2.
The Rise of the Witch-king requires The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II in order to play and will be available Winter 2006 for the PC.
Can you do better? I’m gonna try and make up a longer name…
“J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth Part Two In A Prequel Trilogy Quest That Should Really Only Be Titled: LOTR - The Rise of the Witch King”.
Anyway, here’s the press release detailing features:
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Ready To Rumble 3 might be a Wii exclusive
According to jeuxvideo sources, Ready To Rumble will be making a return into the boxing ring. According to their information, Ready To Rumble 3 is under development by a large US developer (not Midway?) exclusively for Nintendo Wii.
Apparently they were very inspired by the capacities of the console, so of course the developers will be using both Wii pads (the nunchuck & remote control) to mimmick the virtual fists. Especially multiplayer should be interesting. Ready To Rumble 3 should be unveiled soon and released in 2007.
What’s Ready To Rumble? Watch a Round 2 video below:
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PS3 launch costs rise
“In an attempt to bolster confidence in PS3, Sony has assured investors that the firm will recoup its investment in the console just as quickly as it managed with PS2. But it said pre-launch costs are rising.
Speaking after the firm’s games division posted a loss of $231 million in the first quarter of 2006 (compared to a $52 million loss Q1 2005), senior vice president Takao Yuhara assured investors that PS3 investment will be recovered within five years.
But, according to Reuters, he warned that the games division will face bigger losses as the launch of PS3 nears. Analysts were told that some PS3 microchip costs are rising.
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Silver Xbox 360 luxury faceplate
Christofle is the designer of this Xbox 360 faceplate. It’s limited to 5 pieces in the world and is created by hand out of sterling silver. The faceplate fits perfectly onto the Xbox 360. They will be available later this year for €1,000 each (about $1,270). Christofle are not the only ones to make luxury Xbox 360 faceplates as Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel have done so before laid with gold and diamonds.
