Archive for August, 2007
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass interview with Eiji Aonuma
A The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass interview from Nintendo Online Magazine in Japan was recently translated on Nintendo Europe’s site and gives some nice insights to how the game controls.
Eiji Aonuma directed The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on Wii and has said that with Phantom Hourglass on DS he “would like to make a Zelda that somehow surpasses the Ocarina of Time,” which is often considered the best game ever made (in the Zelda series or all-time, depending on who you ask).
But first let’s show the game’s ships, dungeons, combat, and puzzles in this new trailer.
For a bigger view click the bottom-right arrow.
Nintendo Online Magazine: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is controlled with the DS stylus. But wouldn’t it be easier to keep using the + Control Pad?
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3 comments »Behind the scenes at Mushroom Men for Wii and DS
Mushroom Men shows gamers the mundane world from the surreal perspective of a three inch high Mushroom Man. Unnoticed by humans, a war rages between the spore factions. As a brave Bolete Mushroom Man, players are given the opportunity to wreak havoc by transforming common household trinkets and trash into weapons and tools. I thought it was pretty cool that the DS sidescroller version is a prequel to the Wii action game, instead of just a remake.
See the game in action for the first time as developer Red Fly Studios goes behind the scenes at the games’ creation.
The story behind Mushroom Men starts after a comet had passed the earth, all the planet’s researchers concluded its strange green dust had no effect on the world. None noticed that tiny plants and fungi were acting strangely. Mushrooms, cacti, kudzu and other formerly-normal plants had awoken to full consciousness. Tribes quickly formed among the various mushroom species: the primitive Boletes, the aggressive Amanitas, and the inventive Morels. With nations formed, war inevitably followed. Determine the outcome in fall 2008.
Wii Love Golf being made by Mario Golf developer Camelot
Capcom announced that they will be publishing a Camelot developed Wii-exclusive titled Wii Love Golf.
Camelot is the developer of Nintendo games like Golden Sun and Mario Golf, and after leaving to make an online PC golf game for a South Korean publisher, they are now back making games for a Nintendo console.
Wii Love Golf is a golf sports game featuring anime style characters and full use of the Wii Remote controller for swinging motions. The courses will vary from places such as a beach to desert ruins. Wii Love Golf has a release date in Japan for winter 2007.
Text from the latest issue of Famitsu by Neurope.
Blue Dragon review video (Xbox 360)
Famed Final Fantasy game producer Hironobu Sakaguchi of Mistwalker game studio and developer Artoon present the highly anticipated Xbox 360-exclusive Blue Dragon. Featuring the character design of Akira Toriyama (who designed Dragon Ball Z) and music by Nobuo Uematsu (the composer for Final Fantasy), Blue Dragon is an epic RPG centered on a young boy named Shu and several of his friends. These unlikely heroes possess miraculous strength and magical power to control phantom shadows that mirror the actions of their masters.
Shu and company must use their shadows as weapons as they battle the evil forces and an antiquated human race of people who command a magical power thought to have perished long ago. Shu and friends must wield their skills to save their world from impending doom. Encountering various people on a planet with numerous ancient ruins, the characters and their shadows travel through a world full of mysteries and illusions, where the slightest touch can cause reactions of unparalleled magnitude.
From the creator of Final Fantasy comes a new RPG for the Xbox 360, but can this game bring the same magic as that series? Find out in this Blue Dragon video review.
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Sam & Max Season Two: Episode 1 trailer
Sam & Max are coming back for a second season of episodic comedy-adventure content in fall 2007. Developer Telltale Games explains what’s new:
“You mean apart from the slew of new characters and stories brimming — overflowing even — from the idea pot that is Season Two (possibly staining our new carpet in the process)? How about…
Changes to all the recurring locations, and a few brand new ones! More lively NPCs who move around the world instead of standing rooted to one spot like pieces of furniture! Even more bizarre scenarios that will take Sam & Max from the arctic to the tropics and beyond! All-new, unique mini-games in every episode! Characters who pipe up of their own accord with useful information if they think you’re stuck! [Hints can be turned off.] Updated driving game with improved controls and the ability to upgrade your DeSoto! … Flint Paper!
Also, Sam can run now if you want him to, and the games will finally support those giant widescreen monitors the kids seem so crazy about these days.”
The detective duo return in this first footage from the Sam & Max Season Two Episode 1 trailer.
Click on the bottom-right corner arrow to view it full-screen.
Get your 7 days free The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar trial now
Turbine has launched the official 7-day free trial of The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (LOTRO). Beginning today, fans in North America, Australia, and New Zealand can play the online game for free.
Eligible fans can participate in The Lord of the Rings Online trial program and play the game for 7 days, free of charge. At the end of the trial, players will have the option to continue to play LOTRO, and keep the characters created during their 7-day free trial time, by purchasing the game either online or at retail.
LOTRO has received critical acclaim from around the globe. Since its launch in April, LOTRO has quickly become the second largest MMORPG with an estimated 4 million characters calling Middle-earth their home. The game continues to grow with two massive updates that have increased the world by over 20%:
* 10,000,000 square meters of new landscape to explore
* Over 200 new quests that extend the epic story
* Introduction of Legendary Play where players can experience PvP as a powerful Ranger or a fearsome Troll
* New and updated features including the Reputation, Bartering and Music systems
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Top 10 Ninjas in videogames
The Top 10 Ninjas in videogames is here. The debate that has raged on for ages comes to a close right now with our list of the top stealth assassins. Where does your favorite rank?
Here’s the full list of Ninjas:
10. Jago (Killer Instinct)
09. Thomas (Kung Fu)
08. Joe Musahi (Shinobi)
07. Goemon (Kid Ying)
06. I-Ninja (The I-Ninja)
05. Subzero (Mortal Kombat)
04. Strider Hiryu (Strider)
03. All Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
02. Gray Fox (Metal Gear Solid)
01. Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden)
US Homeland Security developing Ground Truth video game
The US Department of Homeland Security is developing Ground Truth, a video game. So if you thought America’s Army or Full Spectrum Warrior was the end of government-created games, think again! The United States Department of Homeland Security was created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to help protect the US homeland.
Ground Truth (probably a temporary name) has been in development for the past year with an estimated $600,000 dollars worth of funding pumped into the project so far (not much at all in mainstream video game terms). The game has you playing as a first responder to a natural disaster or terrorist attack. Success in the game would be dependent not only on the quickness of your response, but also how you go about responding. Make poor choices and you can expect larger casualties and a lower score.
Computer scientist Donna Djordjevich who is a designer on the game said that she is designing Ground Truth to be on par with anything on a next-generation console. “I think it’s very important to at least get to a certain level of production-quality or private industry-quality graphics, so that way people don’t just turn away from it immediately and just dismiss it as old technology, old software. You have to stay relevant,” she said. The game is being developed at Sandia National Labs, with grad students from the University of Southern California doing graphics work. No word yet on whether this game will be released to the public or not ala Full Spectrum Warrior, but it’s an interesting premise.
Casual gaming helps kids and parents bond & bridges generational gaps
PopCap Games, kings of the casual games web-space and maker’s of the puzzle game hit Bejeweled, conducted a study of some 7,500 adults who play casual games, such as the ones they offer on their web-site, games like the aforementioned Bejeweled, Bookworm Adventures, Chuzzle, Feeding Frenzy 2, Zuma, Mystery P.I. and many others.
In stark contrast to politicians decrying how violent video games warp the minds of children, the results found that 70 percent believed that the games had some educational value, 68 percent believed they helped improve hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity, and 48 percent found positive benefits with cognitive exercise aspects of the games.
Almost a third of the respondents had children or grandchildren who played games in their home, and 80 percent of casually gaming adults with children or grandchildren say that they play with them! And a remarkable 92 percent of those thought that playing casual games together helped them bridge the generation gap and bond with the youngsters.
Psychologist Carl Arinoldo, author of Smart Parenting, commented, “Casual games span generations and genders in ways that traditional ‘hardcore’ video games never have . . . Casual games seem to promote more of a cooperative ‘let’s work on this together’ type of atmosphere, as opposed to an aggressive, interpersonal competitive environment.”
ESRB defends Manhunt 2’s Mature rating. Politician wants to know why rating was changed
Politicians are at it again. After the ESRB granted Manhunt 2 an M for Mature rating and it got a release date of this Halloween, following the initial AO for Adults Only rating for Manhunt 2, California Senator Leland Yee is now calling for the ESRB to reveal exactly what was cut from the game to make it an M instead of AO rating.
Yee has a history of working against the game industry to try and pass legislation banning violent video games, and he was the original author of the recent law that was overturned by a California judge for banning the sale of “violent” games to minors. The judge called the law unconstitutional.
Yee says, “Parents can’t trust a rating system that doesn’t even disclose how they come to a particular rating. The ESRB and Rockstar should end this game of secrecy by immediately unveiling what content has been changed to grant the new rating and what correspondence occurred between the ESRB and Rockstar to come to this conclusion. Unfortunately, history shows that we must be quite skeptical of these two entities.”
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