4 July 2009
by Ferry

Top 5 game sales per system worldwide in week 26, 2009

What are the best-selling games in America, Japan, and Europe (UK, France, Germany) this week? Thanks to Amazon online sales data here are the games that are the hottest right now. Think of it as a games weather report.

Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 2. EA Sports Active (Electronic Arts), 3. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 4. Guitar Hero World Tour Band Kit (Activision), 5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 Wii MotionPlus Bundle (Electronic Arts).

Japan: 1. Wii Sports Resort including Wii MotionPlus (Nintendo), 2. EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis (Electronic Arts), 3. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 4. Parallel of Haruhi Suzumiya - SOS Team Heroes Collection (Sega), 5. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo).

Europe: 1. EA Sports Active (Electronic Arts), 2. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 3. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 4. My Fitness Coach (Ubisoft), 5. EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis with Wii MotionPlus Accessory (Electronic Arts).

Xbox 360
North America: 1. Guitar Hero World Tour Band Bundle (Activision), 2. Gears of War 2 (Microsoft), 3. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Limited Edition (Aksys), 4. Fight Night: Round 4 (Electronic Arts), 5. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision).

Japan: 1. BlazBlue (Arc System Works), 2. X-Blades including Stategy Guide (Ubisoft), 3. BioShock - Platinum Collection (2K), 4. Gears of War - Platinum Collection (Microsoft), 5. Prototype - North American Import Version (Activision).

Europe: 1. Prototype (Activision), 2. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision), 3. Gears of War 2 (Microsoft), 4. Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood (Ubisoft), 5. Fight Night Round 4 (Electronic Arts).

PlayStation 3
North America: 1. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Limited Edition (Aksys), 2. Infamous (Sony), 3. Fight Night: Round 4 (Electronic Arts), 4. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar), 5. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Greatest Hits (Konami).

Japan: 1. Atelier Rorona: Arland no Renkinjutsushi - Limited Edition (Gust), 2. BlazBlue (Arc System Works), 3. Valkyria Chronicles - The Best of PlayStation 3 (Sega), 4. Demon’s Souls (Sony), 5. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - The Best of PlayStation 3 Edition (Konami).

Europe: 1. Fight Night Round 4 (Electronic Arts), 2. Call Of Juarez: Bound In Blood (Ubisoft), 3. Infamous (Sony), 4. LittleBigPlanet (Sony), 5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Electronic Arts).

PlayStation 2 Article continues »

3 July 2009
by Josh

Dragon Ball game publishing rights go from Atari to Namco Bandai

Namco Bandai Games America has made a major announcement; The company has secured the Dragon Ball franchise publishing rights from former rights-holder Atari.

This is huge because in 2008, the Dragon Ball franchise made up nearly half of Atari’s sales.

The rights that Namco Bandai now owns stretches to all consoles and handhelds and will begin in January of 2010. The deal with rights-holders Toei Animation and FUNimation will last for five years, so Namco Bandai will be publishing Dragon Ball games until 2015!

Although the rights don’t officially start until 2010 for Namco, nonetheless they actually will be publishing a few Dragon Ball games before then, proving how far out of favor Atari has fallen with the license holders. Namco will publish Dragon Ball: Raging Blast on Xbox 360 and PS3, Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo for Wii and Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans for DS this Fall.

3 July 2009
by Josh

Grease: The Video Game announced for Wii and DS

505 Games has announced that they are making Grease: The Video Game for DS and Wii, in collaboration with Paramount Digital Entertainment.

As you would expect, the game will allow players to sing and dance along with all their favorite characters to their favorite songs from the classic musical such as Danny, Sandy, The Pink Lady and the T-Birds.

The game will use both the Wii’s Motion Sensing abilities as well as the microphone Wii Speak accessory for the Wii version and the DS version will make use of the built-in microphone and touch-screen.

“We are really excited about working with Paramount Digital Entertainment to turn this world famous film into a video game for the very first time. Working with such a well known and much loved brand is a great opportunity and we believe the collaboration further strengthens 505 Games’ entertainment portfolio,” commented Ian Howe, Managing Director 505 Games.

“Paramount Digital Entertainment is pleased to be working with 505 Games to develop Grease,” said John Kavanagh, Senior Vice President of Video Games for Paramount Digital Entertainment. “Grease is the ideal opportunity to reach a broad gaming audience who love to sing, dance and have fun with a party-style game.”

2 July 2009
by Josh

Final Fantasy Gaiden: The Four Warriors of Light announced for DS by Square Enix

Final Fantasy Gaiden: The Four Warriors of Light has been announced for DS by Square Enix. It will be released this Fall in Japan.

The game is not a remake of the original Final Fantasy but is instead a spin-off which stars a teenage protagonist who is summoned to rescue the princess of his kingdom from a witch by the king on his 14th birthday. Deep stuff I know.

Very little information was released on the game Although it is clear from screenshots and artwork that it will be in 3D like the two previous core Final Fantasy DS games (Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV) and the in-game art style looks similar to those titles.

Like past classic Final Fantasy games players can have a party of four characters and the game is menu driven. Another feature of the game has you meeting new characters depending on what weapons and armors you have equipped. A “Charge” command will also replace the traditional “MP - Magic Points” system seen in previous games.

2 July 2009
by Josh

Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 announced for DS

Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 for DS will be released this Fall, announced TOMY Corporation.

Ninja Destiny 2 follows the storyline of the popular NARUTO Shippuden anime series and showcases the grown up, new look of Naruto and his friends. Armed with more ninja moves than ever before, players will put their skills to the test as they battle in head-to-head matches on their quest to save their friendships in this intense fighting game.

Key features of Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 include:

* NARUTO Shippuden content for the Nintendo DS – Gamers can play an array of characters, like members of the Akatsuki, with new jutsu techniques from the NARUTO Shippuden anime series.
* More than 30 playable characters, including both all-new NARUTO Shippuden characters as well as legacy characters, sporting their new NARUTO Shippuden looks.
* Featuring the new Quest Mode, allowing players to choose their favorite character and travel through tough mazes, collect items and explore the environment.
* 3D Fighting on DS – Gamers can duke it out in fast-paced, high intensity fights in 3D on the Nintendo DS.
* Wireless Multiplayer Battles – Players can test their skills against friends in the wireless battle mode.

30 June 2009
by Josh

The making of Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince game interviews movie cast

Follow all your favorite characters and actors in these new behind-the-scenes making of videos for the Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince video game. Which will be released on June 20th, 2009 for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS, PSP and PC.

Many of the film’s actors provided their voices for the game, and the development team at EA had access to photos and body scans of all the characters, so every raised eyebrow and fluttering cloak is accurately portrayed in the game. Plus, for the first time in a Harry Potter video game, it’s possible to read the emotion in characters’ faces as they talk, thanks to the advanced facial animation system used during development.

Additionally, for the first time ever, players are free to explore every inch of the Hogwarts castle and its grounds, and look at it from every angle. The development team worked with directly with the movie designers, sharing blueprints and ideas, to recreate a magical environment, full of moving staircases, disappearing rooms, and secret entrances. And Harry’s ghostly friend, Nearly Headless Nick, is always only a button press away, ready to guide you to your next destination.

Here is the launch trailer for the game followed by the making of videos.

The Making of Part 1 - The film’s stars take you on a virtual tour of Hogwarts.

Article continues »

29 June 2009
by Ferry

New video game releases week 26, 2009

Here’s a list of this weeks game releases. The most popular titles are Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Videogame on multiple platforms, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood on Xbox 360, PS3 & PC, and BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Limited Edition on Xbox 360 & PS3. On the downloadable games front we’ve got today’s Wii Shop and DSiWare titles Fantasy Zone 2, Sudoku Master, Water Warfare, Silver Star Reversi, Reel Fishing Challenge, as well as Worms 2: Armageddon and The King of Fighters ‘98 Ultimate Match on Xbox Live Arcade (updates Wednesday), The Punisher: No Mercy on PlayStation Network (updates Thursday), Runaway 2: Dream Of The Turtle on GameTap Gold (updates Thursday), and Trine on Steam (added Friday).

Monday:
Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa - $5 (Wii Shop)
Reel Fishing Challenge - $8 (Wii Shop)
Rise of Flight: The Great Air War (PC)
Silver Star Reversi - $5 (Wii Shop)
Sudoku Master - $5 (DSi Shop)
Water Warfare - $5 (Wii Shop)

Tuesday:
8 Ball All Star (DS)
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Limited Edition (Xbox 360, PS3)
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Fuel (PC)
Grand Theft Auto Trilogy (PC)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The Videogame (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC, PS2, DS, PSP)
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (PS2, Wii, PC, Xbox 360, PS3, DS)
Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace (DS)
Mega Man Star Force 3: Red Joker (DS)
My Dress Up DS (DS)
My Make Up DS (DS)
Mytran Wars (PSP)
Roogoo Attack (DS)
Roogoo: Twisted Towers (Wii)
Steambot Chronicles: Battle Tournament (PSP)
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li movie (DVD, Blu-ray) — You can win it in our competition!
The Orb and the Oracle: Dungeon Lords (PC)
Treasure World (DS)
Ultimate Game Room (DS)

Wednesday:
The King of Fighters ‘98 Ultimate Match - $10 (Xbox Live Arcade)
Worms 2: Armageddon - $10 (Xbox Live Arcade)

Thursday:
Infernal: Hell’s Vengeance (Xbox 360)
Runaway 2: Dream Of The Turtle (GameTap Gold)
The Punisher: No Mercy - $10 (PlayStation Network)

Friday:
ArmA II (PC, Steam)
Trine - $30 (Steam)

29 June 2009
by Ferry

Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace and Red Joker cheats (DS)

On this page you’ll find Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace and Mega Man Star Force 3: Red Joker codes and cheats to enter into the DS-exclusive action-RPG to get white cards.

Go into cheat mode:
Go to your Profile screen (Menu -> Brother -> Center portrait). Press the White Card box on the top-right. Select four cards in the bottom of right. Enter code.
[A] [E] [I] [M] [Q]
[B] [F] [J] [N] [R]
[C] [G] [K] [O] [S]
[D] [H] [L] [P] [T]

Code — Its in-game effect:
LPBKDJ — Anger Fire 3, Time Bomb 3, Bobobon Bomb 3, Bobobon Bomb 3
GHDRJL — Aqua +30, Bubble Hook 3, Shark Cutter 3, Dia Iceburn V2 (White Card 17)
HNDKLQ — Atomic Blazer, Attack +10, Beast Swing 1, Heat Upper 1 (Powered Red Joker)
IJMHQP — Barrier, Cannon, Cannon, Cannon (White Card 10)
GFKSLR — Beast Swing 1, Gravity Plus, Giza Wheel 1, Ice Spinning 1
TLSRPJ — Beast Swing 3, Beast Swing 3, Death Scythe 3, Heel Wizard 3
GLRHED — Beast Swing 3, Heel Wizard 2, Double Eater, Jack Corvus
EJHRPG — Black Ink, Flash Spear 2, Bubble Hook 1, Mummy Hand 2 (White Card 05)
KJRLBD — Break Sabre, Drill Arm 3, Sword Fighter 3, Acid Ace V3
JCKDBA — Break Sabre, Giza Wheel 3, Stealth Lazer 3, Acid Ace
RBDLCI — Break Sabre, Heat Upper 3, Heavy Down 3, Hammer Weapon 3
SIHFQK — Bubble Hook 1, Bubble Hook 1, Flash Spear 2, Inazuma Head 2 (White Card 04)
KQBPAH — Daba Flame 3, Heat Upper 3, Anger Fire 3, Machine Flame 3
KICMJT — Destroy Upper, Stun Knuckle, Freeze Knuckle, Poison Knuckle
JKIPTD — Double Eater, Beast Swing 3, Whistle, Great Axe (White Card 11)
BTRIFJ — Double Eater, Wide Wave 3, Bubble Hook 3, Queen Virgo
RSBQPH — Edogiri Blade 3, Edogiri Blade 3, Edogiri Blade 2, Edogiri Blade 1 (White Card 14)
THFLJI — Elec +30, Flash Spear 3, Inazuma Head 3, Spade Magnets V3
SLBHDT — Elec Slash, Sword Fighter 3, Wood Slash, Dancing Blade 3
KDANJH — Fire +30, Anger Fire 3, Ox Fire V2, Machine Flame 3 (White Card 16)
JRQTLA — Flash Spear 2, Shark Cutter 2, Heat Upper 2, Shuri Shuriken 2 (Fourth Element)
SKQALD — Flash Spear 3, Inazuma Head 2, Elec Slash, Elec Slash
JQMAKC — Giza Wheel 2, Ground Wave 2, Shuri Shuriken 1, Ice Spinning 1 (White Card 07)
SJBMPL — Great Axe, Break Sabre, Drill Arm 3, Hammer Weapon 3
ACTKGM — Green Ink, Dummy Spider 1, Shuri Shuriken 1, Thunder Shoot 2 (White Card 02)
DKLEAH — Hammer Weapon 3, Heat Upper 3, Great Axe, Grave Joker
JSTKAP — Heat Upper 2, Anger Fire 1, Time Bomb 2, Daba Flame 1
FJLEDR — Heavy Cannon, Drill Arm 2, Heat Upper 2, Heavy Dawn 1 (White Card 08)
HRJKBQ — Heel Wizard 1. Bubble Hook 1, Elec Slash, Dummy Spider 1 (White Card 09)
RTALSJ — Ice Grenade, Wide Wave 3, Shark Cutter 2, Blue Ink
DKMPHI — Ice Grenade, Wide Wave 3, Shark Cutter 3, Flame Axe
BFGJIM — Ice Spinning 3, Wide Wave 3, Shark Cutter 3, Bubble Hook 3
DTOFKL — Jet Attack 3, Skull Arrow 3, Skull Arrow 3, Hammer Weapon 3
OGBFKL — Kogarashi 3, Death Scythe 3, Tornado Dance, Windy Attack 3
CSTKQN — Meteorite Barrage, Gravity Plus, Wide Wave 1, Beast Swing 1 (High-Speed Black Ace)
IJDCEO — MiniGrenade, Sword, WideSword, LongSword
JDFICS — Mummy Hand 3, Dummy Spider 3, Elec Slash, Thunder of Earth 3
BSCHLJ — Panic Cloud, Panic Cloud, Flash Spear 3, Powder Shot 3
SLDTCI — Plasma Gun, Stealth Laser 2, Mummy Hand 1, Inazuma Head 1 (White Card 01)
EGIKMP — Powder Shot 3, Vulcan Seed 1, Vulcan Seed 2, Shuri Shuriken 3
IDHBGT — Rolling Nuts 1, Rolling Nuts 2, Count Bomb 3, Machine Flame 1 (White Card 12)
STKGHM — Shuri Shuriken 3, Wide Wave 3, Stealth Lazer 3, Smile Coin 3
SHDETN — Sword Fighter 1, Ground Wave 3, Noised Wizard 2, Drill Arm 3
IDOSTE — Synchro Hook 1, Freeze Knuckle, Stun Knuckle, Heat Upper 3 (White Card 15)
KFHPLD — Tornado Dance, Air Spread 3, Vulcan Seed 3, Mad Vulcan 3
DFEJTH — Whistle, Drill Arm 1, Drill Arm 2, Windy Attack 1 (White Card 03)
MFQLHJ — White Meteor, Time Bomb 3, Heavy Dawn 3, Machine Flame 3
AGHTRQ — Wide Wave 2, Shark Cutter 2, Ice Grenade, Ice Grenade (White Card 13)
JDBPLC — Windy Attack 1, Windy Attack 1, Noised Wizard 1, Noised Wizard 2 (White Card 06)
TDAFIQ — Windy Attack 3, Typhoon Dance, Tornado Dance, Death Scythe 2
EMJKAD — Wood +30, Kogarashi 3, Vulcan Seed 3, Club Strong V3
MISBLT — Wood Slash, Dummy Spider 2, Shuri Shuriken 2, Stealth Lazer 2

The differences between Black Ace and Red Joker are minor:
* The Giga Class Cards for each version are different.
* And the Finalized Noise Form is version exclusive: As the game’s title implies Black Ace gets Black Ace, Red Joker gets Red Joker.

Make Sigma bosses appear at random:
At the title screen hold L and press these gold stars in order: S Comp Star, G Comp Star, S Comp Star, M Comp Star, SS Star, SS Star, and Black Ace Star. You should hear a confirmation if done correctly.

Codes list via Gamefaqs

27 June 2009
by Ferry

Top 5 game sales per system worldwide in week 25, 2009

What are the best-selling games in America, Japan, and Europe (UK, France, Germany) this week? Thanks to Amazon online sales data here are the games that are the hottest right now. Think of it as a games weather report.

Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. EA Sports Active (Electronic Arts), 2. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 3. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 Wii MotionPlus Bundle (Electronic Arts), 4. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 5. The Conduit (Sega).

Japan: 1. Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo), 2. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 3. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 4. Wii Sports (Nintendo), 5. Shape Boxing: Wii Diet Enjoy! (Rocket Company).

Europe: 1. EA Sports Active (Electronic Arts), 2. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 3. My Fitness Coach (Ubisoft), 4. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 5. Wii Play (Nintendo).

Xbox 360
North America: 1. Fight Night: Round 4 (Electronic Arts), 2. Star Ocean: The Last Hope (Square Enix), 3. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision), 4. Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Atari), 5. Prototype (Activision).

Japan: 1. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Arc System Works), 2. Time Leap (Prototype), 3. Mamoru-Kun Has Been Cursed! - Limited Edition with Insanity: The Perfect Terror DVD & Soundtrack CD (G.Rev), 4. Prototype - North American Import Version (Activision).

Europe: 1. Fight Night Round 4 (Electronic Arts), 2. Prototype (Activision), 3. UFC 2009: Undisputed (THQ), 4. Resident Evil 5 (Capcom), 5. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision).

PlayStation 3
North America: 1. Infamous (Sony), 2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Game of the Year (Activision), 3. Fight Night: Round 4 (Electronic Arts), 4. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Greatest Hits (Konami), 5. Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Atari).

Japan: 1. Atelier Rorona: Arland no Renkinjutsushi (Gust), 2. Atelier Rorona: Arland no Renkinjutsushi - Premium Box (Gust), 3. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Arc System Works), 4. Agarest Senki Zero - Limited Edition (Idea Factory), 5. Valkyria Chronicles - The Best of PlayStation 3 (Sega).

Europe: 1. Fight Night Round 4 (Electronic Arts), 2. Infamous (Sony), 3. Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Sony), 4. Killzone 2 (Sony), 5. Prototype (Activision).

PlayStation 2 Article continues »

25 June 2009
by Josh

Tell Nintendo of America president Reggie what games you want

What if Square Enix made the next Pokemon game? What if Konami made the next Kid Icarus game? What if Mistwalker made the next EarthBound game? What if Capcom made the next Zelda game?

In an interview with Kotaku, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime had a question for the readers,
“In the same vein of Team Ninja working with Nintendo to re-imagine Metroid with Metroid: Other M, what other developer would you like to see partner and collaborate with Nintendo? And on what franchise?”

I have to commend Kotaku cause this is a really bold and very interesting question. And while many of the answers are likely to be outrageous impossibilities, Nintendo IS listening.

To quote Kotaku again in the follow-up response to Reiggie’s question:
I warned Reggie that he’d be raising expectations with a question like that. He laughed. “Maybe it’ll give us some further options on what to consider.”

So be sure to head over to Kotaku and let your voice be heard!