Archive for 2006
Rayman Raving Rabbids coming to Wii, PS2, PC, DS, GBA. No bunnies for PS3 & Xbox 360
Ubisoft announced today it would give Rayman: Raving Rabbids, being developed by the award-winning Montpellier studio in France, a worldwide release on the PS2, PC, DS and GBA as well as Wii in late 2006.
N-europe notes that in the future there is nothing to stop Ubisoft from porting the title to PS3 or Xbox 360, but right now that seems unlikely.
Here are some very useful scientific facts about bunnies.
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1 comment »Ubisoft announces action drama survival game Alive
In 2007 Ubisoft will publish the game Alive that features characters who rely on their instincts and each other to endure after an earthquake. It reflects the company’s focus on an “action plus” style.
According to Yves Guillemot, chief executive of Ubisoft. “It’s more oriented toward drama, more life in characters, more depth,” he said, adding, “It’s still about surviving, but you can’t resolve things by shooting only.”
The unveiling came from an article explaining developers shift to the feminine side of video gaming. Via C&VG
Jeff Minter making Tempest 2000-3000 sequel called Space Giraffe for Xbox 360
Jeff Minter, is the creator of 8-bit classics like Gridrunner, Mama Llama, and Tempest 2000 for the Atari Jaguar. On his blog he posted some screenshots of his latest game, Space Giraffe, due to be released on Xbox Live Arcade in 2007.
To quote Jeff Minter: “It’s my XBLA game which is a sequel to Tempest 2000/3000. The main character is the Space Giraffe (and now it seems that people are referring to the whole game as Space Giraffe).” The game will also support the Xbox Live Vision camera, and will cost 400 Microsoft points ($5). Minter continued: Article continues »
My Summer Vacation on Sony’s PS3
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan announced a new PS3 game titled Boku no Natsuyasumi 3 (My Summer Vacation 3).
The game series that previously appeared on PS1, PS2 and PSP are adventure games where you can freely explore a country town. “My Summer Vacation” is meant to bring people back to their carefree childhood days. Players can sit back and fish, search for insects and watch the fireworks at night.
I’m not familar with this series, and Siliconera doesn’t mention it, but I hope it’s released outside Japan because the tasks sound like Animal Crossing tasks, which I enjoyed.
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Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest NES review by the Angry Nintendo Nerd
At request, this is the first in a series of bad video game reviews by the Angry Nintendo Nerd.
I hope you like coarse language, because this particular nerd loves to express how he feels about Konami’s 1988 NES game Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest with colorful words.
But can you blame him after seeing some of the “tricks” unsuspecting Castlevania fans had to pull off to progress in the game?
Youtube description: “Episode #1 First in a series of bad video game reviews by the Angry Nintendo Nerd from the CineMassacre VHS collection, May 2004.”
Game Intros - Silent Hill 1 & 2
Horror fans got a real treat when Konami unleashed Silent Hill on an unassuming video game public a year before Y2K.
The game was much different than the OTHER horror series on store shelves, Capcom’s Resident Evil games, and took a much more realistic and psychological, not to mention deep and layered, spin on the genre. Though it held true to the “survival horror” gameplay mold . . . for good or bad.
Below view the intros for both the original Silent Hill, which was released on the original Playstation back in 1999, as well as the opening for Silent Hill 2, which was first released on the PS2 in 2001.
And keep a look out for my Silent Hill 2 review later today.
Silent Hill Intro
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New video game releases week 36
Here’s a list of this weeks US game releases. All the websites are listed for you to check out. The summer games drought is clearly over. Happy Labor Day, it looks like it’ll be a great week.
Monday:
Perimeter: Emperor’s Testament (PC)
The Secret Files: Tunguska (PC)
Tuesday:
Backyard Baseball 2007 (PS2)
Guilty Gear Judgment (PSP)
LocoRoco (PSP)
Spyhunter: Nowhere To Run (Xbox, PS2)
Test Drive Unlimited (Xbox 360)
Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 1 
(Xbox 360)
Yakuza (PS2)
Scramble (Xbox Live Arcade) - delayed to September 13th
Wednesday:
D.I.R.T. Origin Of The Species (PC)
NASCAR 07 (Xbox, PS2, PSP)
Friday:
3 Great Games for Girls (PC)
Silent Heroes (PC)
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy info, trailer and demo
With a comical take on the Star Wars Trilogy that revolutionized pop culture forever (Episode IV A New Hope, Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and Episode VI Return of the Jedi), LEGO Star Wars II follows the Rebel Alliance’s battle to dismantle the Galactic Empire and rebuild a galaxy in pieces.
From Darth Vader’s pursuit of Princess Leia aboard her Blockade Runner to a showdown on the reconstructed Death Star, the game includes even more of the family-friendly LEGO action, puzzles and humor that earned the original LEGO Star Wars such popularity and acclaim. Flying on to Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, GBA, DS, GameCube & PC this September 12th when it’s released by LucasArts. Trailer:
Unsure if it’s for you? Try out a PC demo by downloading it from the LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy website.
Console wars to end with equal share between Xbox 360, Wii and PS3, claims Midway
Al King, Midway’s European marketing director, thinks Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo’s new consoles will each secure an equal share of the market, “because all of them are compelling, and all of them have got a slightly different alliance of publishers and developers that are developing content for each one”.
It’s all about the audiences they are targetting he says “You can see the way Nintendo is skewing, and it’s more mainstream, casual, female… Sony’s skew is more hardcore, and Microsoft is left to go in either direction. 
If Nintendo corners the family marketplace, and Sony corners the hardcore marketplace, that still leaves a large share of (what could be called) social gamers for Microsoft to carve out.”
About the PS3’s high price he had to say “I wouldn’t (buy it), but I’m not a hardcore gamer. In absolute numbers terms, it sounds like a lot of money. But when I talk to my hardcore gaming friends, they’re rubbing their hands. 
They’ve probably already pre-ordered theirs, frankly, and they’ll pay that. And they’re happy to, because it’s their number one hobby, they’re dedicated to gaming, and the PS3 is a compelling piece of kit.”
“Ultimately you have to think about it and be segment specific,” King continued. “If you’re a hardcore gamer who spends all your hardearned on games, the price isn’t too high at all. Particularly for the amount of technology inside.” Via GI
Wild Arms XF announced for PSP
The Wild Arms series turns 10 this year, and Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) celebrated at an anniversary event in Tokyo last week, September 2nd, by announcing a brand new game in the Western series for PSP in 2007.
Series producer Eitaro Nagano announced at the event that SCE is now hard at work on Wild Arms XF for the PSP. No other details or release info.
IGN reports that “in addition to this surprise announcement, Nagano shared a few new details on Wild Arms: Fifth Vanguard, the new PS2 entry in the series. Players will be able to move around via train and on motorbikes, he revealed. In addition to showing off a few new characters, Nagano also revealed a Japanese release date for the title: 12/14/2006, making it one of the last big RPGs in a year that has been packed with key titles in the genre.”
