Archive for August, 2006
Children of Mana DS preview and gameplay video
The upcoming Nintendo DS RPG game Children of Mana will arrive in the US on October 30th. A Square-Enix action adventure game with gorgeous 2D art, Children of Mana boasts real-time combat, two to four-player co-op (multiple carts required), and plenty of World of Mana storyline aspects involving a gigantic sacred tree, a magical sword, and a hero that has lost his parents in a catastrophic event. And as such in your quest enemies vary from cute to undeniably ferocious.
According to a Gamedaily preview of the Japanese version (Seiken Densetsu DS) Square Enix has done a marvelous job creating bright and colorful worlds rich with detail. The gameplay may remind you of Zelda, but the artwork is quite unique. There’s no question that this game’s a member of the Mana family. Have a look and see:
Via Gonintendo
No comments »Nintendo DS Lite goes Black in Australia soon, total Ozzy DS sales over 300,000
I have a couple of friends in Australia, so I feel obligated to let them know they no longer have an excuse not to own a DS Lite. Because Australia’s highest selling gaming handheld, the Nintendo DS Lite, is about to get a boost with the arrival of a new colour Black!
Retailing for SRP$199.95, the Black version will join the existing Polar White unit on Thursday, September 21st, 2006.
“We are very pleased to introduce Black to the range. I think the colour lends well to the overall design and offers a sharp elegance to the unit. Until now, consumers have really embraced the clean sophistication of the Polar White look - now they have an option”, says Rose Lappin, Director of Sales and Marketing, like any good PR person would.
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Game Openings - Soul Blade
Before there was Soul Calibur, the highly acclaimed weapon-based 3D fighting game that made a huge splash when it debuted on Sega’s Dreamcast console (and would go on to spawn the equally great Soul Calibur II), there was Soul Blade.
Released for the original Playstation (an updated port of the original arcade game) way back in 1997, the game was hailed by critics as a great fighting game but never reached quite the status of the Tekken series. But as time would tell, it would eventually earn quite a higher status than it’s other Namco counterpart by the time we hit Soul Calibur II, considered the more hardcore fighting game when compared to Tekken.
Many of the great characters from the other games made their debut in Soul Blade (called Soul Edge in Japan) and you can see them for yourself in the intro for the game.
Mario - Back to the Start AMV
Check out this really neat, touching and sad (but also funny) music video from albinoblacksheep.com.
Created by Jack Bliss, he had this to say about the video, “This is my very first sprite movie starring the characters from Super Mario World featuring the music by Coldplay.
This is a movie that speaks against racism, discrimination, and war, made in a way I hope that people of all age groups and Mario fans can understand, treasure, and pass it [sic] on…I really enjoyed this game as a child and I hope I can share some of its magic with you in a meaningful way.”
It’s a very cool video that you can check out here.
Brothers In Arms: D-Day announced for PSP
Today, Ubisoft announced that it is bringing its popular World War II franchise Brothers in Arms to the PSP. The new game, Brothers in Arms D-Day, is being developed by Ubisoft Shanghai (Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Double Agent) and Gearbox Software, makers of the console and PC installments in the series.
Brothers in Arms D-Day will feature the same squad-based, first-person shooter action as its console counterparts, even though the FPS genre has so far fared poorly on the PSP. However, Ubisoft claims D-Day will have “all-new controls specific to the PSP system,” which presumably means the control scheme has been optimized for the handheld’s one-thumbstick layout.
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Disgaea 1 announced for PSP release in Japan
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness for the PS2 was a huge cult-classic that blew open the doors for American releases of Japanese strategy role-playing games.
Released in 2003 for the Playstation 2, the game would go on to gain lots of popularity via word-of-mouth and solid-to-great reviews that exceeded the developer’s expectations. Eventually calling on the developer NIS to open US offices, NIS America, and release several follow-ups to Disgaea . . . Among them Phantom Brave, Makai Kingdom, and Generations of Chaos. And now the sequel to the game that brought them so much success is hitting American shelves this week, Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories.
So NIS used the occasion announce that they are bringing the first game to the PSP, which will be music to the ears of gamers who missed the game, since used copies can go for over $70! The game has been become very hard to obtain.
Set for a November release in Japan, Makai Senki Disgaea Portable will bring the original PlayStation 2 game to the PSP with some added features. Article continues »
XNA Game Studio Express beta now open
Budding video game developers can now sign-up for the public beta for Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio Express. You can download it at the official web-site here. Using the development platform, small developers, game enthusiasts, and students can use the easier technology to make games for either PC or Xbox 360 using a standardized set of tools.
Once the tools are downloaded, you can then start making PC games. Then, later on this year, they will be able to join the XNA Creator’s Club, where they can move their video game masterpieces to the Xbox 360, for an annual fee of $99. Though Microsoft is offering a four-month trail for only $49. When the final version of XNA Game Studio Express arrives, this holiday season, the Creator’s Club will go live.
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Stranglehold Interview - New (and old) trailers inside
GameSpot recently posted a new interview with the project lead, Brian Eddy, on the upcoming John Woo action game Stranglehold, which is the video-game sequel to his action-cinema masterpiece Hard-Boiled.
Chow Yun-Fat returns complete with authentic voice-acting and in-game likeness, making the game literally feel just like a new movie . . . except this time YOU are in control.
Like all of John Woo’s action movies, things blow up real good in this Unreal Engine 3-based 3rd-person shooter. Pieces of nearly anything you shoot scatter and splinter everywhere, ala The Matrix lobby-scene, and deaf-defying stunts and major shoot-outs riddle the game, just like a thug in Tequila’s crosshairs.
Read the full interview and watch both new and old trailers, as well as gameplay footage to the game, below. Stranglehold is set for release in the 1st quarter of 2007 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
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Sega announces Yakuza 2 for PS2 (in Japan)
The latest issue of Famitsu gives the first details of Yakuza 2 (Ryu ga Gotoku 2) on PS2, which is set one year after the original and takes place in Kamurocho, Osaka and other places in Japan. Sega is bringing the same voice cast back (in the Japanese version anyway). And thus Kazuma Kiryu (and others) returns as the main character in the sequel. It’s not just a direct sequel…
The sequel begins with an assassination which prompts Kazuma to head south. A few new characters have been announced for the title. The game’s heroine is Kaoru Sayama, a police officer who’s known as the Yakuza Hunter. Her purpose in making contact with Kazuma is currently unknown. Kazuma will also meet up with an Osaka rival, Ryuji Koda, known as the Dragon of the Kansai area. Article continues »
Fight Night Round 3 confirmed for PS3 launch
Electronic Arts announced that Fight Night Round 3 is still on the way for the PS3’s launch window, November-December 2006, and will include these PS3-exclusive gameplay features: a first-person mode called “Get in the Ring,” and a new damage system that wasn’t present in the Xbox 360 version.
EA Sports new ESPN Integration feature has also been confirmed to appear in the PS3 version, which will include constant updates, news, podcasts, and ESPN motion.
“Gamers loved the realism of EA Sports Fight Night Round 3 when it was released on Xbox 360 because of its incredible next-gen graphics and gameplay,” said Michael Blank, producer, EA Canada. “With EA Sports Fight Night Round 3 for PlayStation 3, we want to give gamers an exciting and unique gameplay experience that will take the realism of Fight Night even further by allowing players to live the game through their own eyes. This is the closest you’ll get to trading blows with Muhammad Ali.” Via IGN
