Madden NFL 07 US Version

February 1st, 2007, 07:41 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK



The groundbreaking franchise that revolutionized sports gaming is about to redefine the way you experience the NFL ?again. Madden NFL 07 for the Nintendo Wii unveils all-new motion-based control schemes that put the complete command of your players at your fingertips like never before. Use the innovative controls to unleash a devastating rushing attack by opening holes as the lead blocker, and then switch to the tailback to smash through, overpower, or slash away from would-be tacklers. Mind-blowing jukes, cutbacks, and the distinct styles of your favorite NFL backs provide an unstoppable arsenal of moves. Madden NFL 07 is football like you’ve never played it.

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Spend £1280 on games and get just 2000 free Wii points

February 1st, 2007, 18:12 Posted By: wraggster

Gamers looking forward to swapping their currently useless Stars Points for Wii Points will have to trade in an estimated 8000 Stars to get just 2000 Wii Points when the offer opens later this year.

If this rumour, reported by German magazine N-Zone, is to be believed, you'll need to register 32 Wii or GameCube games, each getting you 250 Stars points to afford one 2000-point Wii Points Card. With each game costing £40, that works out at a whooping £1280, not to mention a tiresome code-entering chore.

It's all free stuff at the end of the day, which is a good thing but the European Stars Points Catalogue is still some way off the ultra-cool Japanese equivalent, which offers exclusive DS games and Nintendo figures.

via cvg

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Theme Park DS: Exclusive first movie and screens

February 1st, 2007, 18:22 Posted By: wraggster

Those looking forward to EA Japan's promising DS remake of strategy classic Theme Park can enjoy a nice surprise in the CVG video player today, as we offer you an exclusive first look at the handheld game's debut trailer, roller coasters and all.

If that's not enough we've also got a large batch of screenshots that you'll only find on CVG, and an interview with Theme Park's Japanese designer Toshiyuki Nagahara - the only thing we're missing is a competition to go to a real theme park, eat dinner at a giant French fry shop and then sweep up the sick of the over-run punters, but we're working on it.

You can find the trailer over to the right, but for the screens you're going to have to head over to our Theme Park interview.

Screens and Trailer at CVG

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Headphones with Mic *Black* for NDS Lite

February 1st, 2007, 18:30 Posted By: wraggster

New from Divineo China



Headphones 100% compatible with Nintendo DS Lite. Just plug & use!

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Super Mario Bros. with Sound

February 1st, 2007, 18:31 Posted By: wraggster

New from Divineo China



A Super Mario Bros. characted with a stand that play music from the series. 3 different characters are available which are shipped randomly.

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Wii is 'impulse buy', says Sony

February 1st, 2007, 18:44 Posted By: wraggster

The battle of the next-gen consoles is hotting up, with Sony dismissing the Wii as an "impulse buy" while Nintendo claims its machine is in higher demand than the PlayStation 3.

Speaking to the New York Times, Sony Computer Entertainment of America spokesperson Dave Karraker said that 100,000 PS3 units are being shipped into the US each week - and are selling out.

However, he conceded that sales have slowed since the busy Christmas period, stating, "The frenzy we saw at the holidays has subsided a bit."

Karraker went on to compare the PS3 and the Wii, suggesting that Sony's console is much more powerful and should therefore be regarded as being in a different category. "Wii could be considered an impulse by more than anything else," he said.

If Karraker is correct a lot of consumers are acting on impulse, with a continuing shortage of Wii units in the US. The PS3, on the other hand, is said to be readily available in many areas.

Sony has suggested that there appears to be more demand for Nintendo's console simply because the company is shipping less stock, but NoA's vice president of marketing, Perrin Kaplan, disagrees.

"That's absolutely inaccurate," she said - claiming that Nintendo is shipping at least the same number of units as Sony.

The NYT article also quotes "company officials" as stating that a million Wii consoles are being shipped around the globe each month, with the US receiving half of that number - and therefore more than the 100,000 PS3 units per month Sony has claimed to be shipping.

via gibiz

Who thinks Sony are just crybabys because the Wii has done so well so far ?

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Zelda Wiis on Gears of War

February 1st, 2007, 18:53 Posted By: wraggster

via gamesradar

With only 332 days left until 2008 comes charging through the door, we can reveal that the game that bagged the most 'Game of the Year' accolades for 2006 was The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

Taking the results from 13 different multi-format Game of the Year awards, Nintendo's dungeon doozy was honoured five times, while three gaming sources chose Xbox 360's heavy booted alien squisher, Gears of War, as their game of the year.

Check out the list below to see who voted for what as their game of 2006:

• 1UP: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
• Edge: Final Fantasy XII
• Eurogamer: Guitar Hero
• GameDaily: Gears of War
• GamesMaster: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
• GamesRadar UK: Shadow of the Colossus
• GamesRadar US: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
• GameSpot: Gears of War
• GameSpy: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
• Gametrailers: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
• IGN: Okami
• Next-Generation: Gears of War
• Shacknews: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

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Frankenreview: Hotel Dusk 215

February 1st, 2007, 19:04 Posted By: wraggster

via kotaku

It's just my opinion a fact, Brain Age would never have appealed to the masses were the DS not played like a book. Now it's nothing special, as A-Ha videos everywhere (better known as Hotel Dusk: Room 215) are exploiting the 90-degree rotational axis of the DS.

So what did reviewers think of this playable paperplasticback mystery?

Game Revolution
From moving to talking to puzzle solving, everything in Hotel Dusk can be accomplished by tapping, dragging or drawing...By touching the screen with the stylus, your little dot will move in that direction. If you draw near something worth investigating, a little icon pops up, and by tapping it you shift to a first person view of that area. When you place your stylus over an item of interest, the item lights up and you can inspect it further by double tapping... clipping a segment of wire from a coat hanger or jimmying a lock, are handled with the stylus.

EtoyChest
it doesn't take a long time spent with Hotel Dusk to realize that besides weaving an intriguing mystery, the game was designed to confound, confuse, and even frustrate time and again...a design methodology that is sure to please hardcore sleuths, while...if a clue was missed or overlooked, a player could find him or herself wandering aimlessly about the available areas of the hotel, knocking on doors and clicking on anything...

Modojo
I was thrilled about the control and visuals but I can't say the same about dialog. Dialog between characters seemed very stilted and a lot of the conversation seemed superfluous. A typical interchange sounded like this:
Maid: "I'm also the cook in this joint."
Kyle: "You're the cook here?"
Maid: "I'm the cook here, that's what I said."
Kyle: "So you're the cook here?"
Repeat that three or four times each time Kyle has to talk to someone and you'll understand how annoyed I was about the conversation

MTV Multiplayer
So far, "Hotel Dusk" has been a welcome surprise... it presents a few other things I didn't realize I wanted...[like ] the player to hold their clamshell DS sideways...[which] allows "Hotel Dusk" another odd classification: sideways first-person-shooter-without-the-shooting....[it's also] the first DS game I'm aware of that enables the player to hand-write notes about what they're doing directly into the game....[and] scenes play in widescreen -- also known as the aspect ratio of every PSP game. So here's a chance to sort of see what Nintendo might do on a PSP, given the screen space.

Rocky Mountain News
I think the developers may have confused black and white crime drama with noir...When you bump into characters the scene unfolds in that moving sketch art we saw 20 years ago in A-Ha's Take On Me video...While this intriguing game's plot is almost accidentally oneiric, it certainly never delivers on the ambivalence, the cruelty, the eroticism that instills most film noir with its gut-wrenching frankness....Instead the characters' dream-like isolation is bogged down with generic characters...

I find it a little refreshing to see the point and clicks coming back into style. And the DS finally makes the idea work off the PC platform.

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The DS Tetris Phone Strap

February 1st, 2007, 19:09 Posted By: wraggster

via kotaku

Phone straps seem to be so very much a Japanese thing. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever seen one hanging from a phone in the U.S., but maybe I'm just hanging out with the wrong sorts of crowds.

If I were the type to clutter up my phone with tiny plastic characters or other bits of colorful nonsense, the Revolve strap would likely be the only thing that found it's way onto my mobile.

The Revolve strap is a tiny little DS knock-off that plays generic versions of classic games like Block Game, Shooting Game and, my personal favorite, Frog Game. Ah, that brings back memories of my misspent young: Drinking cokes at the Officer's Club in Yongsan playing Frog Game with my friends before riding home through the golf course on my bike.

Screen Via Comments

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Animal Crossing Poisoning The Minds Of Japan's Youth

February 1st, 2007, 19:11 Posted By: wraggster

via kotaku

Going to school in Japan sounds great. Not that I could have had a DS in my youth, but if I had, the chances of Animal Crossing becoming my classmate's game of choice are somewhere alongside slim and none. In fact, describing the game's "objectives" would in all likelihood have gotten my head punched in.

But not in Japan. 4CR writer Vinnk works in a Japanese school, and there, Animal Crossing is big. Too big.



This morning while I was sitting in the teachers' lounge drinking a nice cup of green tea, an announcement came over the PA system. As usual I and the other teachers tuned it out, as these announcements are pretty much the same thing every day. Then I heard something I was not expecting, the words "Doubutsu no Mori" or as we know it "Animal Crossing". Now I started listening.

Since I missed the first part it didn't make much sense, all I got was that Animal Crossing was now forbidden.

Turns out kids just aren't doing any work on their computers, instead wasting their days hitting up Animal Crossing FAQs and fansites. And the teachers are not happy:

All the students care about is that stupid game, they don't study enough.

I counter that no other game I have ever played (Stroker aside) has so prepared me for the rigors of adult life. Busting your ass to pay off a mortgage, all the while performing menial tasks for a pittance is what life is all about, kids. Learn from Tom Nook. He'll teach you more about the real world than any maths teacher ever could.

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Capcom demos playable Flash version of Phoenix Wright 4

February 1st, 2007, 19:17 Posted By: wraggster

via joystiq

Capcom has come up with a great lunchtime distraction for the bored-at-work: a playable preview version of Gyakuten Saiban 4 in Flash. The DS version of what we'd call Phoenix Wright 4 is still a couple of months away from its Japanese release, so we can only applaud Capcom's generosity here.

GUILTY: the dialogue in this demo will be largely incomprehensible to most Western players, as its script is written entirely in Japanese. NOT GUILTY: the music is sublime and manages to convey (without lyrics) how the trial is progressing; this is also the first time we've seen Odoroki-kun (captured here) at the bar. Cheers!

More Info

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Mercury Meltdown Revolution Screens

February 1st, 2007, 19:24 Posted By: wraggster

Just released are a ton of screenshots for the game Mercury Meltdown Revolution on the Wii.

Screens Via Comments

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FINAL FANTASY V ADVANCE Launches Across Europe on the Game Boy Advance

February 1st, 2007, 19:26 Posted By: wraggster

Heres the press release:

One of the greatest adventures of all time is back! The fifth instalment in Square Enix’s renowned franchise returns to the Game Boy Advance with all the elements that make this one of gaming’s best-loved series. With new content, intricately detailed stories and stunning visuals, you won’t be able to keep your hands off your Game Boy Advance when FINAL FANTASY® V ADVANCE launches across Europe on 16th March 2007.

Staying true to the Final Fantasy series, FINAL FANTASY V ADVANCE combines complex and heroic new characters with familiar themes and an exciting new storyline to be experienced. Players must guide Bartz, along with his chocobo companion, young Princess Lenna, amnesiac Galuf, and Pirate Captain Faris through their world in a quest to prevent the destruction of the four crystals controlling the world’s elements. Players must utilise all their skills to battle their way past constant danger and prevent an evil wizard from destroying the world as they know it.

Players must guide the characters through a fantasy world, visiting towns, talking to other characters and battling monsters to do everything in their power to unravel the mystery of the crystals. Throughout the game’s battles, players earn experience points enabling their characters to “level up” and become even stronger. Along the way, they'll also obtain stronger weapons and armour, improving their effectiveness in battle.

FINAL FANTASY V ADVANCE features an evolution of the Job System introduced in previous titles in the series. Not only can players freely change classes and jobs throughout the game, a feature reflected in the characters' physical appearance, but certain abilities can be learnt and assigned independently of their job. FINAL FANTASY V ADVANCE adds to the fun with new jobs such as Oracle, Gladiator and Cannoneer throwing a slew of new abilities into the mix.

But it’s not all change; FINAL FANTASY V ADVANCE still captures the essence of FINAL FANTASY with all the stunning elements fans have come to expect from the series. This game features classic series references, sweeping music, dramatic and diverse storylines and memorable characters. With all this added to the thrill of succeeding in the most difficult of quests, plus an all-new dungeon to explore, a unique job system and a host of all-new items to find, this really is a must have for all adventure fans.

So make sure you’re ready for the adventure of a lifetime when FINAL FANTASY V ADVANCE returns to the Game Boy Advance on March 16th 2007 at the estimated retail price of around €40.

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Diner Dash Screenshots

February 1st, 2007, 19:30 Posted By: wraggster

Released today are new screenshots for the game Diner Dash on both PSP and Nintendo DS.

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It's A Rangers Life For Me!

February 1st, 2007, 19:32 Posted By: wraggster

New press release:

Get set to put your skills to the test as Pokémon Ranger launches across Europe on 30th March 2007 only for the Nintendo DS. For the first time ever, fans finally get the chance to fill the coveted role of a Ranger, an elite task force who protect Pokémon.

Players can become a fully-fledged Pokémon Ranger by being invited to Fall City to learn from Spenser, one of the top Ranger leaders. As they embark on the life of a licensed Ranger, players will learno use the powers of captured wild Pokémon to solve problems, help people and protect nature from adverse effects.

As a player begins the adventure they select either Lunick (male) or Solana (female) as their chosen character. They are then transported to the Rangers Base where they will receive a series of exciting and challenging missions to complete. As experience is gained, the missions increase in importance. The Ranger is pitted against the Go-Rock Squad in an attempt to recover Professor Hastings’ stolen Super Styler – the newly developed version of the Capture Styler used to hold wild Pokémon.

The Rangers don’t embark on their epic journey alone. To help them along their way they are also accompanied by a single partner Pokémon. This helpful friend will remain with them at all times aiding the all important relationship between the Ranger and captured wild Pokémon, whose power they will need to harness in the challenges ahead of them.

For the first time in a Pokémon game, players can control the Pokémon Ranger using only the Nintendo DS touch screen. To capture a valuable wild Pokémon the player must draw circles round their target with the stylus, though this challenge varies depending on the size and power of the Pokémon. Once captured, the Ranger’s partner Pokémon facilitates the use of the wild Pokémon’s powers to solve problems and clear obstacles that they might encounter.

A wild Pokémon’s powers aren’t available forever though. The player must choose the right moment to use the power because once used, the Pokémon is released back into the wild. A captured Pokémon can help a player by providing either a Poké Assist or a Field Move. In a Poké Assist a player can use an already captured Pokémon to capture another. In Field Move the Pokémon is used to clear an obstacle in the new Ranger’s path.

As the game progresses, the Ranger’s Capture Styler, used to hold the wild Pokémon, becomes more powerful. This provides more energy (Meter) allowing more Pokémon to be held with them at any one time. The wild Pokémon captured all provide different powers, depending on the group they belong to. Groups available include Grass, Fire, Electric, along with many more. As the game progresses, the challenge of capturing the correct Pokémon becomes increasingly strategic with various group match-up advantages and disadvantages influencing their assistance to the player.

The fun doesn’t end with the main mission either, with numerous sub-quests available giving players the opportunity to meet and capture legendary Pokémon like Kyogre, Groudon and Rayquaza. With these and over 200 other Pokémon waiting to be caught, completing your Browser will be no easy task. Do you have what it takes to ‘Catch em all’ and earn the Certificate of Completion

So get ready to capture and conquer as Pokémon Ranger hits shelves across Europe on the Nintendo DS on 30th March 2007 for the estimated retail price of around €40 (£30 in the UK).

And be sure you don't miss Pokémon Battle Frontier where the Pokémon Ranger, Solana, makes her TV debut in the most exciting Pokémon TV series yet. Toonami is on Sky Channel 602 at 5pm everyday, with the latest series starting February 5th!

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Tamagotchi Party On! Screenshots

February 1st, 2007, 19:35 Posted By: wraggster

New released are a bunch of screenshots for the game Tamagotchi Party On!

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Majesco To Provide A Profusion Of Puzzles With 'The New York Times Crosswords

February 1st, 2007, 19:37 Posted By: wraggster

New press release:

Crossword puzzle aficionados will soon have a new outlet as Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of digital entertainment products and content, today announced The New York Times Crosswords for the Nintendo DS™. Developed by Budcat Creations, The New York Times Crosswords will challenge even the most savvy wordplay enthusiasts when it ships this spring.

“The challenging fun of The New York Times crossword puzzles combined with the stylus-based functionality of the Nintendo DS is a perfect pairing from our perspective,” said Ken Gold, vice president of Marketing, Majesco. “Handwriting recognition lends authenticity to gameplay while wireless multiplayer offers social players a means to enjoy the game with other fans on the go. The New York Times Crosswords really is the ultimate game for passionate crossword puzzle lovers.”

The New York Times Crosswords features more than 1,000 real crossword puzzles and the unique ability to write in answers with the stylus or use a Touch Screen keyboard to enter letters. Various modes of play include Puzzle Me Quick for a fast word fix; Puzzle Week for extended play with progressive difficulty; or Challenge mode with adjustable time and difficulty settings. In addition, the game includes both cooperative and competitive 2-player play so puzzle fanatics can work together or face off in wireless challenges.
For more information about Majesco’s exciting line of products please visit www.majescoentertainment.com

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Wii problems top 15 million

February 1st, 2007, 22:06 Posted By: wraggster

via gamesradar

After our Xbox 360 was stricken with the three red light lurgy, we headed to Dr Google to seek a prognosis. Typing in 'Xbox 360 problems' we nearly choked on our fingernails when it returned 7,530,000 results. That's a lot of problems and, from the first 100 or so pages we bothered to check, nearly all of those related to Xbox 360's red lightyitis. An outrage and no mistake.

Our consumer anger was immediately distracted, however, by the opportunity for a pointless and trivial number hunt and we probed the internet further to see how Microsoft's rivals fared in the Google problem stakes.

'PS3 problems' notched up 3,700,000 and offered a vast variety of disgruntlements, including hardware, manufacturing, pricing, software, global launch and on and on and on...

But it was Wii that stacked the top of this impromptu study, with a search for 'Wii problems' conjuring up an almighty 15,200,000 results. Who'd have thought that Nintendo's friend-for-all-the-family could be so problematic? Of course, it didn't take us long to deduce that 'problems' really translated to 'slippery handed numpties' or 'spatially spastic'.

And our conclusion to this shallow investigative analysis? Er, when we're left without a console we'll play anything. Even Google.

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Square Enix blames Wii friend codes for lack of FFXI

February 1st, 2007, 22:16 Posted By: wraggster

Friend codes. Nintendo's self-imposed restriction on online gaming has been a burden to many who want to play with their friends without having to share a different 12-digit friend code for every game. When the Wii was revealed to have a console-specific friend code, we thought Nintendo had somewhat listened to the community's grumblings. When Pokemon Battle Revolution, the first online Wii title, launched in Japan with friend codes, we realized the folly of our optimism.

Square Enix's Senior Vice President Hiromichi Tanaka empathizes, highlighting the friend code system as the primary reason they haven't brought an online game like Final Fantasy XI onto the console. In an interview with Cubed's Adam Riley, Tanaka reveals that the RPG powerhouse is now in negotiations with Nintendo about "resolving this point of contention." A publisher of Square Enix's magnitude does not necessarily guarantee Nintendo will listen, but perhaps Nintendo will ease off or at least allow exceptions for some titles.

Then again, Final Fantasy XI on the Wii would surely be profitable even if gamers were required to enter over 300,000 12-digit codes to fully experience the world. That's how much, we suspect, Wii owners our clamoring for Nintendo to join the rest its brethren in this generation.

[Update 1: As White Rose Duelist and others have pointed out, Pokemon Battle Revolution's extra friend code might be an exception and not a rule, and Elebits is a cited example where one can exchange in-game pictures with Wii friends. However, as we do not have any other details from impending online games, and Nintendo has not readily clarified, we're just not sure.]

via joystiq

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Wii is guest of honor at new genre of parties

February 1st, 2007, 22:32 Posted By: wraggster

via reuters

Perrin Kaplan, vice president of marketing for Nintendo of America, said the Wii was also popular at family gatherings over the holidays -- including her own.

"For the first time ever over the holidays all the people in my household were playing together," Kaplan said. "I know it was a first for a lot of households."

Indeed, Marusin said he was floored by how the Wii caught on not, only with his wife and friends, but also with his extended family.

"My father-in-law, who doesn't even have a debit card, was bowling," Marusin said. "That was the big talk of the family."

John Sams, a 20-year-old student in Greenville, South Carolina, said he knew the Wii would be provide a new opportunity for socializing before it even became available. As a result, he and his brother, Indy, 22, started a Web site to link up people interested in Wii gaming parties in their area.

The site, http://www.wiiparty.net, has about 150 registered members and Sams said he has met several people through the site who have attended Wii parties at his apartment.

He now has friends and classmates over to play games like "Red Steel" and "Excite Truck" at least four times a week.

"I became famous for it," Sams said.

Recently, a man sent to repair his building's security system even joined in on the fun.

"He wanted to play, so he stayed for about 30 minutes before his cell phone went off," Sams said.

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The Future of Wii Channels

February 1st, 2007, 23:04 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

In the two months since Nintendo's new console launched, gamers have gained access to several entertaining and informative Wii Channels, or simple downloadable programs -- very much like widgets -- that open up new functionalities. The Mii, Photo and Shop Channels shipped with the platform and provided users the option to create virtual versions of themselves as well as their friends and family; store, edit and send photos to friends; and browse through a catalog of downloadable classics respectively. Since then, the Big N has added the Forecast Channel, which provides semi-live weather updates; the Internet Channel, a full-fledged Wii version of the Opera web browser; and most recently, the News Channel, which provides users a gateway to the latest Associated Press headlines from around the world.

Wii's innovative new controller has already captivated millions of gamers, but clearly the Channels interface is also providing reasons for the hardcore and casual user alike to boot up their system on a daily basis. Nintendo itself has indicated that more Wii Channels will be forthcoming, but it has yet to offer specifics. And therefore we're here to fill in the gaps. Taking Nintendo's own model to heart, we've thought about some of the widget-like additions to the Wii Channels interface that would make our mornings a little brighter and our evenings a little easier. Readers like you have backed our concepts with some great mock-ups to help visualize the possibilities. We're not suggesting that these Channels are currently under development -- they very well might be, but Nintendo isn't talking. We are, however, suggesting that they should be.

Wii Stocks Channel
Nintendo is quite obviously hoping to capture more non-gamers with its Wii Channels. The News Channel grabs the latest AP headlines and doesn't even feature a dedicated gaming feed of news. Clearly, it's not targeted at the hardcore sector. That being true, why not offer a stock ticker interface that enables users to monitor their portfolios online?

There's nothing like a cup of coffee, some news, a bit of weather, and some stock watching, we say. Or, we would if we owned stock in anything besides Enron -- d'oh! The Wii Stocks Channel could easily monitor your hottest stocks, feature a symbol search, show rises and drops in performance, and display more detailed info at a click. Little Billy might ignore this feature as though it were a sequel to Cosmic Race, but moms and dads around the world could surely appreciate it.

Wii Movie Search Channel
Not everybody has money in Apple, Inc. -- although, really, they should. That said, most of us do enjoy a good movie. Normally, we turn to the Internet to find movie listings and show times, but why not simply power on the Wii to gain access to this information quickly and easily? There's no reason why it shouldn't be a possibility, especially since there are already widgets available for PC and Mac that grab feeds of this data.

Users could simply enter their zip code and Wii would work with a partner like 777Film or Fandango to do the rest, intuitively compiling a list of local theaters and movie show times. A handy search function could even allow you to look for the latest showings of Halo: The Movie -- although we don't think you'd find many returns on that one just yet.

Wii Movie Trailers Channel
In a perfect world, the Movie Trailers and Movie Search Channels would be integrated into one big, beautiful offering, but we're realists and frankly, Nintendo hasn't exactly gone above and beyond with its other Channels. They all display useful information, but their functionality is also regularly limited. So, if a Movie Trailers Channel needs to be its own entity, no problem. We can live with that. But regardless, it would be very handy if Wii could download and display 640x360 QuickTime trailers.

And on top of that, we'd love to see Nintendo partner with Apple, not just because we are Steve Jobs' love child, but because Apple has the best movie trailers website on the Internet, period. Currently, Wii does not playback QuickTime movies so future compatibility would rest upon a firmware update.

DS Demos Channel
Sony's already offering downloadable PSP games through the PlayStation 3 online network. Nintendo needs to get the same thing going for DS and sooner rather than later. A DS Demos Channel seems to be the ideal solution. Users interested in gaining DS demos could simply click on the Channel, choose the demo they'd like to try out, download it to Wii, and then wirelessly transfer the preview to their handheld.

DS owners would, of course, need to remember that any transferred demos would go bye-bye as soon as they powered off their handheld, but even with the limitation, the prospect of being able to try new DS software before it officially hits retail is every bit as enticing now as it's been since the portable released. A Channel like this one could only strengthen the relationship between handheld and home console, which is bound to have beneficial sales results for both.

Wii Sports Page Channel
Sure, there's a sports section in the Wii News Channel, but sports fans would agree that it barely scratches the surface of all the information available. Only a dedicated Wii Sports Page Channel could display all the latest news and all the sought after stats. Users should be able to organize the page by their favorite sports, tracking their choice teams, players, and more. A quick glance at the page every morning could easily bring even the most die-hard sports fans acceptably up-to-date on their favorite team's goings-ons.

And Many, Many More...
Readers have already said that they would love a zipcode-based pizza delivery channel, which was a bit too specialized for us to include as a standalone option in today's feature. That noted, it does raise an interesting point, which is that there is an audience for all sorts of different Channels, some more specific than others. With that in mind, we really think that the future of Wii Channels should rest in the hands of Nintendo and various third parties. If Nintendo were to create a Channels Marketplace, users could choose from hundreds of widget-style Channels crafted by the Big N and an assortment of studios. Do we think it'll happen? We'd be surprised. Nintendo is notoriously controlling and unlikely to relinquish its stranglehold on the Wii Channels interface. But we can certainly dream.

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Nintendo not planning on addressing Mario Kart 64 ghost data issue

February 1st, 2007, 23:12 Posted By: wraggster

via wiifanboy

According to Nintendo, they have no plans on addressing the issues all of us face when trying to save ghost data in the recently released Virtual Console title Mario Kart 64. According to a Nintendo spokesperson, by way of Pro-G, "Due to unavoidable technical reasons unfortunately it is not possible to save ghost data." Turns out, gamers are warned of this issue before downloading the title.

With the steep price of 1,000 Wii Points, shouldn't consumers expect a little more effort on Nintendo's part? How hard would it be for someone to implement code into the game informing it to save the ghost data to the Wii's memory? We really hope that this doesn't set a trend for future N64 VC releases that used Controller Paks to save data.

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Bustin' phat beats with the Wiimote (otherwise known as Wiijing)

February 1st, 2007, 23:14 Posted By: wraggster

via wiifanboy

Now, you could very well be questioning many things right now, most importantly the title of this post. Trust us, we did not know either upon receiving the press release in our inbox, however upon further inspection we found that using Wiimotes and a PC to DJ (dubbed Wiijing by the fine folks who sent us the mentioned press release) is actually quite fascinating, although at times appears to be fake.

Video Here -->

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Eric Viennot, Paul Cuisset to work on Wii title

February 1st, 2007, 23:15 Posted By: wraggster

via codename rev

Eric Viennot, who’s current project is “In Memoriam” revealed in his blog his plans to develop a Wii title with Paul Cuisset, developer of Flashback (SNES) and the Motoracer series. It is currently unknown what game the tag team will be working on for Wii.

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Fire Emblem Wii site opens for business

February 1st, 2007, 23:17 Posted By: wraggster

via wiifanboy

Fire Emblem is not like Ice Emblem in that it is, well, hot. When a small portal opened, leading to just a subsection of its fiery domain, we could not resist.

The official site for Fire Emblem: Akatsuki no Megami has opened for business, and yes, its entirely in Japanese. For your viewing pleasure, though, you might check out this bitchin' opening cinema, and some excellent box art. We're such suckers for box art. In any case, any FE fans out there owe it to themselves to journey to yon fiery realm. You won't be disappointed.

More Info

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DeSmuME Unofficial WIP Builds 31/01/07

February 1st, 2007, 23:23 Posted By: wraggster

Amponzi has released a new version of his DeSmuME Unofficial WIP Builds, the DS Emulator for windows has these new features:

January 31, 2007 Build
- Various buffer overflow fixes

Download and Give feedback Via Comments

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Mortal Kombat coming to the DS

February 2nd, 2007, 00:02 Posted By: wraggster

via dsfanboy

We would call this the series that just won't die ... but, as Nintendo fanboys, we're actually surrounded by those far older. Yes, yet another installment of MK is coming to the DS, courtesy of Midway; rather predictably, we know almost nothing about it. The only comment given: "it [won't be] a direct port of a previous title, it [won't] be a brand-new game either."

This leaves the only remaining option: indirect port. It involves a wormhole and superstring theory. Our best guess? A port of an SNES or Playstation version of Mortal Kombat, complete with OMGawesome stylus control and a couple new characters thrown in for good measure. Meh

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LOCKJAW: An Accurate Tetris Simulator

February 2nd, 2007, 00:05 Posted By: wraggster

via tepples

The Soviet Mind Game was invented by Russian programmer Alexey Pajitnov in the mid-1980s and sold under the name Tetris. From 1988 until 2000, various Tetris products had vastly different control feels and rotation systems. The Tetris Company standardized the games sold under the Tetris mark starting with Tetris Worlds (2001), but some of the changes proved controversial, especially the new infinite spin play mechanic.

LOCKJAW is a configurable implementation of the single-player Soviet Mind Game. Its 20 options can be configured to emulate at least Tengen Tetris, Sega's arcade Tetris, NES Tetris, Game Boy Tetris, The New Tetris, Quadra, Tetris The Absolute The Grand Master 2 PLUS, TOD (without the distortion effects), several modes of Tetris Worlds, and Tetris DS, along with various combinations not yet realized in a Tetris product. Don't like infinite spin or the T-spin triple? Turn them off. Think 8 next pieces are too many? Turn it down. Want faster or slower sideways motion? You can. Want to try the challenge of a low ceiling? You can.

LOCKJAW is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Game Boy Advance (since 0.26), and Nintendo DS (since 0.30 by request from owners of SLOT-1 flash cards).

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Command And Conquer DS Clone Project News

February 2nd, 2007, 00:18 Posted By: wraggster

Another news update from the CnC DS project

I’m still hammering away at the weapon systems. I had to change the abstract renderer so I could see turret positioning properly so now the abstract renderer is fixed to actual game size, as in each tile is a C&C tile in size (24×24). It’s hard to tell right now but I’m a little worried that showing the C&C graphics 1:1 will give the player a view that appears too ‘zoomed in’ becuase of the low resolution of the DS screen. Gameplay testing will show if this is a problem or not I guess. On a smaller map it might be ok but with a big map with a lot going on it might be frustrating. Fingers crossed it won’t be a big issue.

Anyway with the weapons I’ve laid down the framework for a lot of it now. I’ve added a turret to one of the test units and it will be firing soon. I’m starting with the ‘laser’ projectile type which scores an instantaneous hit (think obelisk). This will let me get most of the code done for attacking/damaging/armour types etc without worrying about rendering shells and so on. That will come later.

Also thanks to IHM on the forum for explaining some of the C&C weapon and damage system. I think I have one now which can cover the C&C system but will also allow lots of other cool stuff.

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DS Rom Tool v0.8 R3

February 2nd, 2007, 00:22 Posted By: wraggster

Updated release from SiRioKD:

Heres the translation of whats new:

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EA to Ramp up Nintendo Support

February 2nd, 2007, 00:50 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

After reporting sales numbers for the third quarter at $1.28 (nearly identical to last year's numbers for the same quarter), EA chairman and CEO Larry Probst has released an official statement on EA's future, speaking specifically on the company's next-generation efforts:

"We are pleased with the performance of our products on next-generation consoles. In the year ahead, we plan to build on our leadership position on both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, and to significantly increase our support for the Nintendo platforms."

While this could be taken as classic crowd-pleasing jargon, it's important to note that EA's relationship with Nintendo has grown substantially over just the last few months, primarily because of the release of Wii. In just a matter of months, the company has helped Nintendo launch the system with Madden 07, and Need for Speed Carbon, and is already working to keep support continuing with the addition of SSX Blur, Tiger Woods 07, The Godfather: Blackhand Edition, and Medal of Honor Vanguard for just the first half of 2007 alone.

To top things off, the CEO stated that EA already has 15 titles in development for Wii at this point. From the looks of it, Wii may be just what the doctor ordered for Nintendo sports fans.

We'll have more on EA's Wii support as it develops, as well as new information on SSX Blur, Tiger Woods 07, The Godfather, and Medal of Honor as news breaks.

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The Dog Island Comes to America

February 2nd, 2007, 00:52 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

Shown previously on one of Nintendo of Japan's lineup videos, The Dog Island is a game that mixes the world of puppies with the quirky feel of Wii Play. Showing obviously inspiration from the success of Nintendogs, The Dog Island is being released in Japan by Yuke's Media Creations, the same company to provide games like SmackDown vs. Raw 2006 and Wrestlemania XIX.

Along with an official announcement that The Dog Island will be coming to the US, Yuke's Media Creations has also launched the teaser site for The Dog Island's Japan release, which can be found (in Japanese, of course) right here. In addition to the teaser page, Yuke's is also promoting the game on its official Japanese site, though no specifics on an American version are mentioned.

Yuke's Media Creations has yet to announce a US publisher for the game, and is currently unavailable for comment on any US Wii titles.

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Nvidia Says Graphics Matter

February 2nd, 2007, 00:54 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

Nvidia, one of the world's leading producers of graphics processing technology, seems to differ in opinion from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata on the subject of game visuals. In a recent interview with Next-Gen business, VP of content Roy Taylor voiced his opinion on the matter of gaming graphics and presentation.

"They're talking nonsense," he said of Nintendo assertion that videogame graphics have reached a saturation point. "It's ridiculous sot say that graphics don't matter. That's like saying 'The quality of my TV screen doesn't matter.' Oh really? So then in that case, you can go watch 24 in black-and-white on a seven-inch screen. It's nonsense to say graphics don't matter. I think we can do a lot better, but I think we'd like to see graphics encompassing the gameplay."

During the interview Taylor does state that gameplay can oftentimes play second fiddle to a game's visuals but reiterates that graphics will bring more emotion into software, stating that gamers seldom become as emotionally invested in characters from a videogame as they do in movies

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Tamagotchi Party On! Hands-on

February 2nd, 2007, 00:55 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

Tamagotchi: Party On! has been available in Japan since the launch of the Nintendo Wii system in early December. Namco Bandai sees enough merit for a stateside release of the quirky party-style mini-game compilation as the company's shipping Party On! in the US this spring. Namco Bandai recently stopped by the office to show off a near final build of the English-localized rendition of the game.

This Wii title's in development at Japanese studio H.A.N.D., which consists of members from Hudson's "Mario Party" team. And the influence is about as obvious as the annoying high-pitched beeping from a Tamagotchi virtual pet. Party On! is, essentially, a collection of mini-games all tied in via a board game for four players. The task? To work your Tamagotchi character across the different playfields and come through as the winner by earning more points than the opposition. This will earn you the rank of President of the Tamagotchi Planet! To do this you'll have to play all sorts of challenges that put the Wii Remote's functions to use.

For example, you'll have to drive a car down a rigidly laid-out path collecting cans and avoiding bouncing eggs...tilting the Wii Remote left and right performs this familiar task. There's also a challenge where you'll need to pump water onto flowers by pushing and pulling the Wii Remote as quickly as possible and at the proper time. Collecting goldfish is another challenge...whipping the remote upwards to mimic the on-screen net will lift it out of the water, but you'll need to do that when a fish is within its range. And in another little mini-game, you'll need to wind clocks to their proper time by twisting the Wii Remote like a crank.

Then there are more basic Tamagotchi challenges that are more similar to the games that are built into the little LCD devices. These games only use the D-pad in a three-button configuration...much like the virtual pets. Play Rock Paper Scissors, Guess the Dessert, and other games by pressing left, up/down, or right at the appropriate time.

Accomplishing these games not only unlocks them for play outside of the board game, but they also reward the player in-game; winning games can earn coins, which will give players the opportunity to buy items that will increase their multiplier and give them the edge for when they earn points in other games. You can also use these points to customize your character's look as well as the appearance of his or her campaign headquarters.

Party On uses the same crazy and quirky visual and audio style that was used in the two Tamagotchi Connection games on the Nintendo DS. Characters, rendered in 3D on the Wii console, are exaggeratedly cute, and the music and sounds are just as sugary as the graphic style. Unlike Tamagotchi Connection on the Nintendo DS, Tamagotchi Party On! does not have a virtual pet portion within its design, nor can players trade unlockables or other items between consoles. The game also doesn't support any sort of link to the Tamagotchi eggs you can buy in the store.

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Flipper Critters Hands-on

February 2nd, 2007, 00:57 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

Metroid Prime Hunters Pinball may have been the first pinball game on the Nintendo DS platform, but Flipper Critters looks like it could be one of the most elaborate and imaginative pinball games on the system. This title, soon to ship from Ignition Entertainment, recently hit our desk where we had the opportunity to whack the ball around a few times.

The game, designed and developed by Zen Studios, features a bunch of furry critters wandering around fantasy landscapes, and it's up to the player to help them along in their quest by whacking a silver ball around in the environments. Hitting obstacles and scoring points is, obviously, the key task in Flipper Critters, but like in any good pinball game it's how you whack the ball that determines how well you do -- you'll need to fulfill quotas and tasks which will activate hotspots, that must be "attacked" in order to progress into deeper parts of the world.

Much of the action takes place on the lower screen where the programmers push the Nintendo DS system's 3D capabilities to render a wild and wonderful pinball world. The team's actually pulling off 3D on both screens, and the game will use both screens as one display...or actually show two independent camera views of the playfield when the ball travels deeper up the table. Even when the game does all sorts of craziness across both screens, the 3D engine never seems to drop its framerate and slowdown. The physics are tight enough to pull off "pinball wizard" style maneuvers like flipper traps and passes, but it's not on the level of a pinball simulation.

The touch screen comes into play several times during the pinball action, where players must tap or slide on objects to manipulate them in this world. Hitting a switch with a finger will cause a sign to spin around or a ramp to raise, which will cause the ball to adjust its trajectory if the ball's flipped in their direction.

Between pinball levels are mini-games that are incredibly hit or miss. We're fans of old-school shooters like Raiden and R-Type, but they seem a bit out of place in a pinball game. We'd be more accepting if these shooter levels were anything special, but at least in our short time with the game, we were ready to call it quits when these levels popped up. They just went on for way too long with very little variety to keep things interesting.

But at least the pinball action's solid enough. There's even multiplayer support in an option called "Duel" that we wish we could check out -- but since the game requires a second card for this mode, we couldn't tinker around with it.

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Gradius & Megadrive classics hit VC

February 2nd, 2007, 17:04 Posted By: wraggster

A not-too-shabby total of four games went live in today's European Virtual Console update, with the NES and Megadrive fans treated to more retro goodness.

The NES version of Gradius heads-up the new selection - easily one of the best scrolling shooters of it's time. The younger of our readers may have played the awesome PS2 update.

And Megadrive's healthy serving consists of Comix Zone, Bonanza Bros and Gain Ground.

Megadrive games cost 800 Wii Points, while NES games go for 500.

Now, bring on Super Mario World, Nintendo.

via cvg

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Pokémon Diamond/Pearl owns Japan

February 2nd, 2007, 17:05 Posted By: wraggster

Pokémon may not be the national phenomenon it was when the first games, Red and Blue, first released, but the latest record-breaking figures show it's still going strong.

Within three months of their September 28 release in Japan, Pokémon Diamond & Pearl shipped five million units to Japanese retailers.

Nintendo hopes this craze will continue when the new adventure makes its way to US stores on April 22.

And we thought Pokémon was getting old. Are you looking forward to Diamond and Pearl? Tell us in the comments section below.

via cvg

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Exclusive screens of Buena Vista's Pokémon challenger

February 2nd, 2007, 17:17 Posted By: wraggster

via cvg

Spectrobes is a new DS RPG from Buena Vista Games in which you catch various mythical creatures with special powers, train them up and send them to battle. Sound familiar?

Yes, it sound exactly like a Pokémon game but there are some nice ideas in Spectrobes. To get yourself new Spectrobes you have to carefully dig its fossil out of the ground using the stylus.

As you dig away the soil you can blow at the screen to clear away excess dirt. Then you take it to a science lab to give it life by shouting into the DS microphone.

Okay, it's clearly for young children, but we give it credit for doing something original. It also looks set to be a fairly hefty RPG, with hundreds of Spectrobes to catch.

Check out these exclusive screens of a battle and the Spectrobe revival system in action.

Screens Via Comments

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Will Wright's Spore coming to DS!

February 2nd, 2007, 17:18 Posted By: wraggster

EA is to further bolster its already healthy support for Nintendo platforms, with Will Wright's innovative PC game, Spore, now confirmed for DS.

Spore lets you create your own alien life form and set it loose to explore an epic-sized virtual universe, spreading the species to new worlds in an incredibly ambitious mish-mash of different gameplays styles. It's one of the most innovative and highly anticipated games coming to PC, an case you're not in with that crowd.

EA remains tight-lipped on actual gameplay details for the DS game, leaving us curious as to how such a large and ambitious title will work on the technically limited handheld.

The new Wii Sims game - now known as My Sims - is also on its way to the DS, along with EA's previously announced Sim City and Theme Park. EA Japan is clearly very busy indeed.

Chairman and CEO of Electronic Arts, Larry Probst, who confirmed the games during a financial earnings presentation yesterday, expressed his approval of Nintendo's strategy.

"It seems as if it is expanding the overall market, and users who purchase software, and we think thats a good thing", he said.

He goes on to say: "Both Microsoft and Nintendo are positioned to gain some share, but we think Sony will continue to be strong...We will be provocatively supporting all of them", reaffirming EA's cross-platform support.

Will Spore work on DS? Discuss...

via cvg

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Wii Boxing Gloves Released

February 2nd, 2007, 17:26 Posted By: wraggster

Do you love Wii Boxing but tired of holding the controllers? Now you dont. A third party manufacturer has released a boxing glove. Gloves retail for $22.00.

I bet you must be thinking, how is it? Is it worth it? Well dont worry. DCEmu Reviews has you covered. Stay tuned for a review in the coming weeks.





Source: Goldenshop.com.hk

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EA to 'attack' Nintendo consoles for new growth

February 2nd, 2007, 17:43 Posted By: wraggster

Following the publication of financial results which reveal Electronic Arts to be the number one publisher on Sony, Microsoft and PC platforms, the company has set its sights firmly on the Nintendo Wii and DS.

In its latest conference call, the publisher revealed it has 15 SKUs in development for Nintendo formats - including a DS version of Will Wright's new project, Spore, Sims spin-off My Sims and a selection of imarket-leading sports franchises.

"We have shifted and acquired resources and are attacking these successful platforms," commented CFO Warren Jenson. "In short, we're on it."

The bullish statements follow the announcement of record revenues totalling US $1.281 billion, and the revelation that EA is the number one publisher in North America and Europe on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC and PSP.

However, CEO Larry Probst conceded that EA would struggle to take Nintendo's place as the number one publisher on its own formats, making do with second place.

"On the Nintendo platforms, we think that we can be very a strong number two," he said.

"Clearly, Nintendo will always be number one on the Wii and DS, but we think we have a realistic goal of being number two, with a market share goal of 15-20 per cent," detailed Probst.

The recent purchase in December of Headgate Studios, which will be a Wii-exclusive developer, is one of the foundations behind the renewed focus, with Jensen noting the company will also be devoting additional resources to DS production.

"With regards to the Wii platform, at least initially, it seems like it's expanding the overall market and expanding the demographic of users and people that purchase software, and we think that's a good thing," said Probst.

via gibiz

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Wiimote gun mod -- pop a cap in your Wii

February 2nd, 2007, 18:38 Posted By: wraggster



via engadget

So, you're a man's man, and while you might very well enjoy a game of Wii Tennis now and then, or launching a plunger or three at those dagnab Rabbids, you're getting tired of looking like a spazmo kid while you're at it. We're not sure about the spazmo part, but it won't be hard for people to take you seriously when you start waving this Wiimote gun mod thing around. Due to the limitations of machine translation, we're not too sure on the details of this hack, other than the fact that the trigger has been indeed wired to the Wiimote's B button, and that the original gun is an alarmingly realistic BB number that most likely would not be legal in the States without some sort of orange paintjob, and even then, we don't really recommend doing anything stupid with your own version of this -- don't even try and deny it, we bet you're already ordering up the materials -- 'cause Jack Bauer might just have to take you down.

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Turn Your DS Into a Guitar

February 2nd, 2007, 18:56 Posted By: wraggster



via kotaku

Simon over on Game Set Watch points out that New York-based game importer NCSX is raving about DS guitar "game" Utaeru DS Guitar M-06

With 16 chords to use at any time from a library of 120, users may strum out a song relatively easily if you're familiar with basic guitar playing. We were able to play the Main Riff I for "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman and "Torn" from Natalie Imbruglia this morning by following guitar tabs found on the web. In addition to its function as a guitar, the software also includes a library of 20 songs and a listening-then-repeating exercise."
"On the touch screen, a thick crop of vertical lines represent the guitar string. It's pasted against a black background so that the focus is the line itself. To play, strum the line with your touch pen or finger and you'll hear a twang. Change chords with the D-pad by moving it in the direction of the chords shown on the top screen and the tone of the twang changes every time you move the D-pad to another chord."
I'm not so sure about changing chords with the D-pad, but I'm loving the rest of this.



Buy at Play Asia

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Japan Still Lining Up For DS Lites (Yes, STILL.)

February 2nd, 2007, 18:58 Posted By: wraggster

via kotaku

It's absolutely ridiculous to think that a person living in Japan still has to go through the following if he wants to get his hands on a stinkin' Nintendo DS lite — that's over 2 years after the initial DS launch, and close to a year for the DS lite — but this is what I had to go through today in order to score a Crystal White Nintendo DS lite (and let it be known that I have an original DS, which I got at launch).

My wife had heard that you needed to call the stores to find out if they were getting some stock, and then rush there to wait in line, and she'd also been told by some friends that Bic Camera got their shipments in on Friday (they also sometimes get some on Mondays and Wednesdays, but Friday are for the big orders). So she called this morning, and sure enough, they had gotten a shipment, but wouldn't reveal when they would go on sale, or where they would make people line up. The wife had gone through the same thing 2 weeks ago — when she scored a pink DS lite — so she told me to head there around noon, and to try and find out what would be happening.

I got there at 12, asked some staff behind the counter in the games section (insisting I had called, because they were just about to say that they didn't know anything before that — the filthy liars), and was told that I had to "hang out" for a while, as they didn't know when they were going to go on sale. Maybe 40 minutes later, two staff with bright green Bic vests ran out from behind the counter with signs that said that DS lites were about to go on sale, and then started forming a line along the staircases (the game section at the main Bic Camera store in Ikebukuro is on the 3rd floor). I was the fifth in line — some guys got there quicker than me — and a few minutes later they started handing out tickets for the color you wanted (I was the first to ask for a Crystal White). Then, 10 minutes later, they started guiding us to the sales counter, and... DS lite GET!

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Conan takes on Serena in Wii Tennis

February 2nd, 2007, 19:17 Posted By: wraggster

via joystiq

What should you do when you have a former World Number 1 ranked tennis player on your late night talk show? Challenge her to Wii Tennis, of course!

That's what Conan O'Brien decided to do last night when he had Serena Williams on as a guest. We caution the little ones to avoid direct eye contact with O'Brien's scantily-clad body, as the sheer paleness reflects light and can blind you. Look closely and you'll see that the production team made Miis of the host and guest.

We won't give away the final score, but it was a close game.

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Konami announces Dewy's Adventure for Wii

February 2nd, 2007, 19:18 Posted By: wraggster

via joystiq

The Konami Gamer's Day was widely expected to unleash a torrent of information on upcoming games, but in this case, it's but a tiny drop of water. IGN has the scoop on Dewy's Adventure, a Wii title that sees players controlling an adorable droplet of water on a quest to restore his forest home to its former glory. Developed by Konami's Elebits team, it appears to be a puzzle game vaguely reminiscent of Super Monkey Ball. It seems that cute creatures find themselves invariably hampered by devilish puzzles.

The Wii remote will have a direct influence on the environment, with puzzles hinging on rotating the levels and positioning Dewy in the right spots. He's equipped with all manner of elemental powers to aid him in his progress, though we imagine that he'll have to keep any fire powers curbed at the risk of committing evaporative suicide. The thought of the poor little guy boiling alive is ... somewhat disturbing.

Konami notes that the game will, much like Elebits, feature a level creation mode and allow players to design their own puzzles shortly before tackling them alone or with a friend.

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ROTR - formerly known as the Raid over the river

February 2nd, 2007, 19:41 Posted By: wraggster

Polish developer group Nibris known, among others, for planning to release Sadness – a gothic horror for Nintendo Wii console, announces the game formerly known as the Raid over the river has a new name – ROTR.

Most important facts about the game:

- 6 campaigns, each with several missions

- 6 different vehicles to be driven in 6 different time dimensions

- very extensive weaponry

- fuel and ammunition management requiring strategic approach to missions, defending transhipment bases

- cooperation and synchronisation of actions with other units

- extensive, full of action, multi-thread scenario putting the player in an intrigue spanning hundreds of dimensions

- 3D graphics on both screens

- set of dodging and special attacks taking advantage of special features of NDS

- hidden missions, vehicles, bonuses enabled in the course of playing

- extensive multiplayer mode allowing to enjoy the game longer

The game is planned to be exclusively for the Nintendo DS console.

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Iwata Cautious About Early Wii Success

February 2nd, 2007, 19:50 Posted By: wraggster

via gamedaily

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata is obviously quite pleased with the great start that the Wii has had, but he knows that a lot can change in a short time. Nintendo still faces a great challenge ahead, Iwata explained.

According to an interview posted on Japan's Yukan Fuji blog (as translated by IGN), Nintendo president Satoru Iwata hasn't allowed himself to get carried away by the Wii's early success. It's only been a few months and the real battle has only just begun.

The key is to make sure to drive new consumers to the platform by consistently bringing great new content to market (easier said than done, of course). "Any system will sell well following launch," Iwata remarked, "but there will definitely come a time where it will stop selling. Even the DS hit a rough spell after selling 1.5 million units a month after launch. The flame was really lit a year after launch, after Nintendogs and Brain Age became big hits. With the Wii, we have to make good software just as we did with the DS."

And while the Japanese blog suggested that Nintendo might be able to regain the #1 position in the video game industry, Iwata immediately rebuked that notion, not necessarily because of the challenge the company faces against the likes of Sony and Microsoft, but because of the somewhat fickle interests of today's gamers.

"That's not the case," Iwata said rebutting the idea that Nintendo would be #1 from 2007 forward. "So long as we continue the fight against the lack of interest in games from the general consumer, Nintendo will always be the challenger. For example, one challenge is in developing software that keeps people from saying they're no longer interested in swinging the Wiimote."

Nintendo is hoping that it can duplicate the success of the wildly popular DS, which to this day continues to sell out in Japan. In fact, Iwata actually apologized for that once again. "We're making and shipping 700,000 units per month domestically, but even then we're unable to clear up the shortages," he said.

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WiiKey - Upgradeable Wii Modchip

February 2nd, 2007, 19:54 Posted By: wraggster



The Creators of XenoGC a gamecube modchip have announced that they are releasing what will easily be the best modchip for Wii so far with the features we all want, ie upgradeable modchip and region free gaming:

Heres the spec

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WiiCR - Media Player (of sorts) for the Nintendo Wii 0.3.2-RC3 released

February 2nd, 2007, 20:11 Posted By: wraggster

A new release of WiiCR has happenned today, heres the info and whats new:

WiiCR is a media player solution for the Nintendo Wii. It acts as a streaming media server and is capable of transcoding nearly any video file to a suitable flv for an embedded flash player. It allows browsing of the remote filesystem to view: videos (avi/xvid/divx/mpeg/wmv/etc), text files, jpg's and play mp3s.

0.3.2-RC3 released (February 2, 2007)

FIXED - subs.pm refed a nonexistent sub
Updated enc_daemon error messages
Added downloads button.
Started work on streamflv.pl (broken atm).
Fixed image viewing.
Changed the way shared vars are loaded to fix linux issues.
Removed redundant vars.

Download Here --> http://wmc.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/WiiCR

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Koreans encountering some problems with Brain Age

February 2nd, 2007, 20:30 Posted By: wraggster

via dsfanboy

With news that Nintendo was going to directly stake a claim in the bolstering Korean games market, many in that market were happy to hear that the company with a knack for creating wonderful and original games would be arriving, saving them from horrible importing fees and lackluster customer service. Now that Nintendo has arrived and launched their DS Lite system, along with Brain Training, some are finding the same technical flaws that plagued the game in America and Japan have come to Korea.

At least, one reporter for the Korea Times has discovered such, claiming that both the voice recognition exercises, as well as the written ones, are failing to register the proper data. Hmm, sounds familiar, doesn't it?

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New Super Mario Brothers DS game carrying cases

February 2nd, 2007, 20:34 Posted By: wraggster

via siliconera

Takara Tomy released a new set of tiny Nintendo DS game carrying cases with art from New Super Mario Brothers. Each one costs 200 yen ($1.61), but you don’t get to pick which one you get. They’re gashapon toys, so you could get the awesome cover art with Mario and Luigi or get stuck with the ugly brick. Next month Takara Tomy has a bunch of Pokemon DS game carrying cases

Screens Via Comments

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PoKéQuesT DS

February 2nd, 2007, 20:47 Posted By: wraggster

PokéSensei has released a new MMorpg for the Nintendo DS:

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Hands-on With Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party

February 2nd, 2007, 21:38 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

The words Konami and Dance Dance Revolution are synonymous with each other, so it was no surprise to us when Konami decided to further the franchise's success with the addition of Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party for Wii. We've had far-fetched dreams (delusions, mostly) about the possibility of Wii DDR, strapping a pair of Wii remotes to our feet, greasing up the hardwood floors of Matt Casamassina's beach house, and break-dancing in furious, heart pumping, multiplayer action. Hey; we already rearranged our family rooms to play Wii sports, so why not bust a move with a little DDR too, right?

Well it's here, but it seems that someone over at Konami had nightmares about potential catastrophes that could result from a true, foot-controlled DDR game on Wii. Broken furniture, kicked cats, busted ankles, and the necessity for pack-in leg straps was too much to deal with, so Konami instead ventured down a new avenue of dancing. With Wii controllers in hand, players will make use of the classic dance mat in conjunction with new hand control, adding different upper-body actions to the original DDR gameplay. In an extremely smart move, Konami has made use of the GameCube port on the Wii, allowing for four dance mats, four Wii-mote/nunchuk sets, and the ability to use the original Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix pads that hardcore GCN owners may already own. In fact, at last night's event we were playing with an original Mario Mix pad, and though Konami continued to stress that Hottest Party is in its very early stages team members wanted to get the game on the floor and playable for Wii fans to check out.

Full article at Link above

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Final Fantasy XII Dated in Japan

February 2nd, 2007, 21:41 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

If you're still working your way through Final Fantasy XII on the PlayStation 2, you'd better get cracking. That title's successor is coming closer than expected, as Square Enix announced today a Japanese release date of 4/26 for Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings on the DS. Pricing is set for the standard 4,800 yen DS software price.

Revenant Wings follows the events of Final Fantasy XII, showing Vann and Panello as air pirates. The game is fully 2D, but makes use of some FFXII gameplay systems, like the Gambit AI system.

A US release date has yet to be announced.

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PenkoDS v0.2a - MSX Emulator for DS Released

February 2nd, 2007, 22:48 Posted By: wraggster

Via Ketchup site comes a new MSX Emulator for the Nintendo DS:

Heres the translated info:

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PS2, DS Real Console War Winners

February 3rd, 2007, 10:32 Posted By: wraggster

via /.

Paradox writes in with a link to an MSNBC article that shouldn't be too surprising for anyone: the real winners of the console war are the DS and the PS2. Boasting numbers unmatchable by the johnny-come-lately next-gen consoles, the PS2 and Nintendo DS each sold about 1.5 Million units last December. Article author Kristin Kalning points out the reality: given the high quality of gaming in general nowadays, the low prices and rich libraries of these 'venerable' systems will see them in circulation for some time to come. Given the success of last-gen consoles, what are your plans regarding gaming systems? Are you holding out for price drops, or considering buying one of the older systems now that they're considerably less expensive?

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The Good Fortune of Wii Exercise

February 3rd, 2007, 10:33 Posted By: wraggster

via /.

While some users of the Wii complained of soreness or 'Wii elbow' when playing it too much, others are heralding its workout value. The University of Toronto is working on a 'therapeutic video game' for the Wii that is designed to help children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy exercise their weaker limb, people are claiming weight loss and in the January issue of Pediatrics the Mayo clinic is proposing that gaming systems like the Wii can combat child obesity

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Wii gets 'Hottest' DDR yet

February 3rd, 2007, 10:43 Posted By: wraggster

When Dance Dance Revolution first arrived in the United States, it won critical acclaim and an audience that stretched beyond the traditional gamer market due in part to its unique dance-pad controller. When the Wii launched in the US last November, it was received with similar praise and enthusiasm from nontraditional gamers for its unique Wii Remote controller.

Konami today created an intersection between those two stories with the announcement of Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party for the Wii. Using a traditional DDR dance pad in conjunction with the Wii Remote, DDR Hottest Party requires players to match controller movements with the remote and Nunchuk attachment, as well as dance steps. The game will also support up to four players in multiple game modes and minigames.

In addition to the series' free play and workout modes, Hottest Party will challenge players to dance in synch with one another, as well as offer a new support mode and an updated battle mode. The game will also sport a new soundtrack with songs pulled from the last four decades of popular music.

Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party is slated for a 2007 release

via gamespot

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Zorro to leave his mark on Wii

February 3rd, 2007, 10:45 Posted By: wraggster

A news post on the Web site of Zorro Productions has revealed that a Wii game based on the masked defender of justice is on track for release later this year.

While the company didn't reveal much about The Destiny of Zorro, it did say it was being developed by Pronto Games. Pronto's previous games include Dungeons & Dragons Eye of the Beholder for the Game Boy Advance and National Treasure Puzzle Quest for mobile phones.

According to the site, Pronto's approach to game design is to make it fast, fun, and small. For Zorro specifically, the studio is looking for something instantly engaging. It claims, "the game is easy to understand, with challenges for casual gamers but with an interest level that will attract hard core gamers, too."

via gamespot

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Konami imports Hudson trio

February 3rd, 2007, 10:47 Posted By: wraggster

Once known as the driving force behind the TurboGrafx-16, Hudson Entertainment has been enjoying a higher profile in the US of late with the aid of some larger companies. Nintendo has been releasing its old TG-16 games on the Virtual Console, and Konami today announced that it would be bringing a trio of new Hudson titles for Nintendo platforms to the US.

This spring, Konami plans to release Wing Island and Kororinpa Marble Mania for the Wii, as well as Honeycomb Beat for the DS. Already confirmed for release in Europe, Kororinpa requires players to tilt the Wii Remote in order to navigate marbles through more than 40 mazes in single-player, or race to a finish line while collecting crystals in head-to-head multiplayer action.

Wing Island is another inhabitant of the European Wii's first-quarter release schedule. As a young bird who flies planes for a living, players will have to show their proficiency at a number of tasks, from guiding a group of planes in formation to fighting fires and dusting crops. Over the course of 25 missions, players earn money to upgrade their aircraft, and will be given the opportunity to compete against one another in minigames meant to test piloting skills.

For portable players, Konami is preparing Honeycomb Beat, a DS puzzle game in which players touch hexagons on the screen in order to flip them and change both their color and the color of any adjacent hexagons. Using that gameplay mechanic, the game challenges players to clear puzzles by creating specific patterns on the game board or to clear rapidly rising lines by making all the hexagons on them the same color. In addition to more than 200 puzzles, Honeycomb Beat will include a number of unlockable customization features that let players change the game's colors, background images, and music.

via gamespot

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Konami imports Hudson trio

February 3rd, 2007, 10:47 Posted By: wraggster

Once known as the driving force behind the TurboGrafx-16, Hudson Entertainment has been enjoying a higher profile in the US of late with the aid of some larger companies. Nintendo has been releasing its old TG-16 games on the Virtual Console, and Konami today announced that it would be bringing a trio of new Hudson titles for Nintendo platforms to the US.

This spring, Konami plans to release Wing Island and Kororinpa Marble Mania for the Wii, as well as Honeycomb Beat for the DS. Already confirmed for release in Europe, Kororinpa requires players to tilt the Wii Remote in order to navigate marbles through more than 40 mazes in single-player, or race to a finish line while collecting crystals in head-to-head multiplayer action.

Wing Island is another inhabitant of the European Wii's first-quarter release schedule. As a young bird who flies planes for a living, players will have to show their proficiency at a number of tasks, from guiding a group of planes in formation to fighting fires and dusting crops. Over the course of 25 missions, players earn money to upgrade their aircraft, and will be given the opportunity to compete against one another in minigames meant to test piloting skills.

For portable players, Konami is preparing Honeycomb Beat, a DS puzzle game in which players touch hexagons on the screen in order to flip them and change both their color and the color of any adjacent hexagons. Using that gameplay mechanic, the game challenges players to clear puzzles by creating specific patterns on the game board or to clear rapidly rising lines by making all the hexagons on them the same color. In addition to more than 200 puzzles, Honeycomb Beat will include a number of unlockable customization features that let players change the game's colors, background images, and music.

via gamespot

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WWE ready to rumble on Wii, DS

February 3rd, 2007, 10:48 Posted By: wraggster

Traditionally, THQ hasn't been shy about spreading its WWE-licensed games around to different platforms. The company has made games based on the professional wrestling company's in-ring offerings for the PlayStation 2, the N-Gage, and everything in between.

However, 2006 was a fairly light year for the company's WWE license because its only major offering was WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 for the PS2, PlayStation Portable, and Xbox 360. A PlayStation 3 version had been announced but was later canceled because THQ said the series would debut on Sony's next-generation system in late '07.

The PS3 isn't the only system looking forward to its first WWE game because THQ confirmed plans to step into the ring on the Wii and DS. In an investor conference call, the publisher said it would be releasing WWE products on Nintendo's latest systems sometime in its next fiscal year, which runs from April 2007 through March 2008.

There was no indication if the Nintendo games would fall under the SmackDown! vs. RAW banner, or if they would be separate series, as was done with WWE titles on the GameCube and Game Boy Advance.

via gamespot

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WWE ready to rumble on Wii, DS

February 3rd, 2007, 10:48 Posted By: wraggster

Traditionally, THQ hasn't been shy about spreading its WWE-licensed games around to different platforms. The company has made games based on the professional wrestling company's in-ring offerings for the PlayStation 2, the N-Gage, and everything in between.

However, 2006 was a fairly light year for the company's WWE license because its only major offering was WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 for the PS2, PlayStation Portable, and Xbox 360. A PlayStation 3 version had been announced but was later canceled because THQ said the series would debut on Sony's next-generation system in late '07.

The PS3 isn't the only system looking forward to its first WWE game because THQ confirmed plans to step into the ring on the Wii and DS. In an investor conference call, the publisher said it would be releasing WWE products on Nintendo's latest systems sometime in its next fiscal year, which runs from April 2007 through March 2008.

There was no indication if the Nintendo games would fall under the SmackDown! vs. RAW banner, or if they would be separate series, as was done with WWE titles on the GameCube and Game Boy Advance.

via gamespot

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DS Lite Mini Card Holder

February 3rd, 2007, 10:55 Posted By: wraggster

via gizmodo



Essentially a Mini Me for your DS Lite, this Mini-DS holder holds your precious DS games so they don't slip out of your pocket when you're leaning over to snap your upskirt pics.

As cute as having a little DS is, the fact that it can only hold two DS games makes this kinda iffy. However, if one of those games is the DS-Xtreme DS Media Enhancer, then you've got no problems. Plus, it's only $7.90.

Buy at Play asia

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Wii + DJ = WiiJ (Duh!)

February 3rd, 2007, 11:10 Posted By: wraggster

via joystiq

OK, we'll admit it, we have no idea . All we see is some guy waving his arms in the air (like he just doesn't care) while the computer drops some funky beats. Supposedly, the Wii controllers in his hands are actually activating the various looping samples, but we can't make hide nor hair of which motions are supposed to do what, even with the helpful descriptive text on the video.

If this is a fake, though, it's an extremely elaborate one. The video's maker, DJ Shift 1 has set up an elaborate web page page that lays out the fundamentals of his patented technique. The WiiJaying master is also promoting his first live performance of his at Bootie San Francisco on May 12. Now that's devotion to a hack.

More Info

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Cooking Mama: Minna to Issho ni Oryouri Taikai! Japan Version

February 3rd, 2007, 11:19 Posted By: wraggster

New from SuccessHK



Jap version of the Cooking Mama game released

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The WiiOmnii - Fake Modchip ?

February 3rd, 2007, 11:32 Posted By: wraggster

Another modchip has been announced and the internet is buzzing that this is a fake modchip, heres the specs/info:

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Controversy over Wii Reviews and News Reporting

February 3rd, 2007, 11:42 Posted By: wraggster

A lot of sites in the Wii Scene are reporting that reviews of the recent Cyclowiz and Wiinja modchips have lead to false claims and its even claimed that the review of Cyclowiz was false because of no proper installation pics.

The term Yellow journalism is being thrown about, which i gather means that slagging one modchip off and throwing all your support behind the other.

The news of the Wiikey Modchip has really opened up the talk, especially with the claims it makes via its specs.

My advice to all is to wait and see what proper review sites make of which is best, personally i want a Modchip that is extremely easy to install, allows region free playback of my games and also the ability for Wii and Gamecube Homebrew, i am not interested in piracy whatsoever as this kills the industry.

So dont believe all you read at lesser news sites

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DSMasterPlus WIP

February 3rd, 2007, 11:46 Posted By: wraggster

Alekmaul has posted 2 screenshots of his WIP Sega Master System emulator for the DS.

Check em out via Comments

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CycloWiz @ MrModchips

February 3rd, 2007, 11:58 Posted By: wraggster

The UK Store Mr Modchips is now selling the CycloWiz Wii Modchip



The CycloWiz chip provides the added capabilities of disabling the modchip and also the concept of quicksolder, which for some may be much easier than the wire install of other chips.

Preorder/buy at Mr Modchips

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Konami Announces GoPets

February 3rd, 2007, 15:16 Posted By: wraggster

At its Gamers' Day event yesterday, Konami announced the development of the virtual pet title, GoPets. While the game was shockingly absent from the playable demos on the show floor, we were given a brief preview glimpse of the game during Konami's video reel.

In GoPets, players will create, raise, and train their own virtual dog or cat. Afterwards, players will be able to take these pets online through the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection in order to meet up with other GoPets owners. The twist to this that Konami announced was that GoPets would be the first game to offer online compatibility with its PC iteration.

While we don't have a whole lot more information on the game at this point, we do know that it should be heading our way sometime in 2007.

via ign

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Spectrobes Playtest

February 3rd, 2007, 15:17 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

As the platform of choice for all the Megamen and Pokemons out there, the DS has no shortage of adventure games with anime-style characters, creatures, cards, and things to collect. It's reasonable that you might have skipped right past Spectrobes when look at the list of upcoming DS releases (it's coming out in March, by the way). Well we're here to suggest that you take another look.

Spectrobes appears to be a special game for Buena Vista Games. In addition to being the first title out of the studio to carry the Walt Disney label on its packaging, it's also the first title that the division has produced on its own. And, as producer Kintaro Hisai shared with us when we visited Japan to sample a final version of the game, it's also the first BVG game to feature an all original cast of characters.

Full article at Link above

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Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits Hands-on

February 3rd, 2007, 15:18 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

Later this year Konami will release its first classic arcade compilation for the Nintendo DS: Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits. This is in no way the first time Konami's created a collection of its old-school arcade games on a handheld -- the Game Boy Advance has a fair share of remade old-school titles from Konami. But where programmers recreated the experience on the GBA platform by reprogramming each game, the developers of the DS collection pull off perfect emulation on the dual-screen handheld, and it allows for the team to pull off some really awesome features that true hardcore arcade collectors will love.

First of all, you get 15 Konami games of various levels of "classic" status. Games like Contra, Circus Charlie, Time Pilot, Yie Ar Kung Fu, Gradius and Track & Field are well worth the price of admission. But you'll also get little-remembered games like Road Fighter, Shao-Lin's Road, and Rainbow Bell (a game that's featured in the better-known Parodius series). Other games include Roc'n Rope, Scramble, Horror Maze, Basketball, and Pooyan. Each game played exactly as they originally did in the arcades, which shows the strength of the programmers' emulation abilities.

Each game plays on one screen, with the other display showing off the arcade artwork's "how to play" imagery -- you can swap the two screens in the configuration menu, but since the touch screen is used for menu functions it's best keeping it this way. Because the DS screens offer less pixel resolution than many of the arcade games' resolutions, there will be some pixelated gaps in the display -- you can turn on filtering to make it look a little nicer, but it'll never look quite as sharp as the original arcade titles. Many Konami games utilized the "tall" vertical orientation, and you can definitely recreate this by rotating the image on the screen and play the DS tipped 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise. This function can be changed on the fly via an easy to use touch-screen interface.

It's quite possibly the most ambitious classic arcade game compilation simply due to one factor: the ability to tweak the settings exactly as arcade operators did back when the games were originally available. Each game has a visual representation of both the title's original motherboard as well as the dip switches -- dip switches were how arcade operators manually adjusted elements such as how many lives a player earned on a quarter, how many points a game required before they earned an additional life or free game. Using the DS system's touch screen, players adjust these settings by sliding the dip switches on or off in relation to the specific setting listed on the upper screen. It's a real down-and-dirty way of changing things within the game, but for arcade purists this is absolutely a way cool way of doing it. It shows that the development team really loved and appreciated the games in their original arcade configuration.

Also for the arcade purists is the addition of a library where you can check out all sorts of artwork and detailed information related to all the games in the package. You can zoom in and out of the scanned pamphlets to check out all of the wonderful typos that made it into the original print.

Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits might not support the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, but multiplayer is a huge focus for this product. Not only can you wirelessly transmit a copy of the game to any DS and play competitively, you can also record a high-score earning run and transmit that "replay" to other systems so your buddies can see just how you pulled off that record.

Fifteen games isn't anywhere close to the library of old-school games within Konami's line-up. We're still missing awesome classics like Gyruss, Lifeforce Double Dribble, Blades of Steel...and yes, Frogger. So if this game sells well, it wouldn't hurt to expect a Volume II in the future.

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Death Jr. DS Hands-on

February 3rd, 2007, 15:19 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

Backbone Entertainment's been spoiling PSP owners. Not only did the development studio kick off the system's launch with its original IP Death Jr., but it also gave the handheld a sequel late last year. The Nintendo DS version took a backseat to the PSP sequel -- the dual-screen game made a brief, behind-closed-doors appearance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo last summer, but it was so early that it was nearly unplayable...and almost impossible to gauge the direction Backbone's Vancouver team was taking with the project.

At last night's corporate event in San Francisco, Konami showed off a close-to-finished version of Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom. The game ran well and showed off a hybrid 3D action game with tons of 2D platforming elements that put heavy emphasis on touch screen control.

So, in the Nintendo DS game, Death Jr., the son of the Grim Reaper, is still in high school, and now has to deal with the horrors of a science fair gone completely bonkers. Players take control of both Death Jr. and his friend Pandora in a very Lost Vikings sort of way, having them work together in order to fix all the evil that's run amok through the school hallways.

We only got a chance to tinker with the early portions of Death Jr. on the DS, which included a whole lot of tutorial that showed off the game's touch screen control. Using the D-pad, players maneuver Death Jr. in the 3D world, and attack enemies simply by tapping on the touch screen with the stylus. There's a combo system in place that requires double tapping on the D-pad or stroking the touch screen in different fashions...a technique which will clearly come handy later in the game when more and stronger enemies enter the fray.

At some portions of the game the camera will swoop in tight for a side-view of the action, and the controls change somewhat to give players a bit more of an old-school platform-style design. Because the game focuses on a control that requires the D-pad in one hand and the stylus in the other, jumping is handled by the shoulder button.

The game clearly isn't keeping up with the visuals pulled off on the PlayStation Portable, but considering the horsepower under each systems' hoods it's not surprising that the DS game doesn't look quite as good. But even with its limitations Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom is no slouch in the graphics territory. The game plays relatively fast and smooth with some nice detail in the environments. The cutscenes, detailed but still frames, show off the game's weird and bizarre art style.

The final product, due this spring, will feature wireless two player support for some of the mini-games that you'll encounter in the package.

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Lunar Knights Hands-On

February 3rd, 2007, 15:21 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

Last night, Konami held its annual Winter Gaming Event in San Francisco, and amidst the maelstrom of bright lights and booze, we managed to find a demo station running the final retail version of Lunar Knights. Previously, we had only been able to go through demo levels, so we were pretty excited to dig our teeth into the vampire slaying adventure. The first DS game from Kojima Productions and the spiritual successor to Boktai Lunar Knights certianly has a lot to live up to.

The game starts off (like so many games do these days) with a lengthy cut scene involving random story elements that were completely unintelligible in the context of a gaming event like this. Apparently, the game's malevolent vampires are plotting to blot out the sun with a device called paraSOL, a mechanism designed to control the weather. Of course, this would give the bloodsucking monsters free reign to roam the earth and gorge themselves on the blood of any mortals unlucky enough to get in the way.

Full article at Link above

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Time Ace Hands-On

February 3rd, 2007, 15:22 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

During the video reel at Konami's event on Thursday night, we were intrigued by the few glimpses shown of the new aerial combat game heading to the DS, Time Ace. The game has the protagonist piloting different planes in an attempt to travel through time and stop a maniacal adversary. Needless to say, the brief introduction of the game left us itching to get our hands on it as soon as the videos ended and the demo stations were brought in.

Time Ace starts off with some stylized cut scenes explaining the game's back story. Apparently, way back in 1914, a scientist named Dr. Clock (very clever, Konami) invented a time machine and traveled to the future to see what was in store for mankind. When he got there and learned of the senseless battles of World War I, he decided to use his time machine to prevent the war from ever occurring. Unfortunately for our hero, nothing can ever be easy; Dr. Clock's assistant, Dr. Scythe, happens to have his own evil machinations in place regarding the time machine. Unbeknownst to Dr. Clock, Dr. Scythe jumped into the future on a stolen time machine in an attempt to secure a massive stockpile of powerful weapons (obviously a misguided bid at world domination). Ever the forward thinker, Dr. Clock foresaw this contingency and kept a backup time machine awaiting just such an occurance. The game begins as Dr. Clock takes off in his makeshift biplane/time machine fast in pursuit of Dr. Scythe.

Full article at Link above

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Honeycomb Beat Hands-on

February 3rd, 2007, 15:23 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

We've been promised more DS content in 2007 by Nintendo, and it seems as though the rush is already underway, with Konami showing nearly a dozen titles at its Gamers' Day event alone. As the newest addicting touch-puzzler for DS, Hudson's Honeycomb Beat is a mix of simple innovation and basic touch screen usage. In what could best be described as a mix between Tetris and Othello, the game's focus centers around a combination of hexagonal tiles that make up a two-colored honeycomb. With the touch of the bottom screen, players can switch any tile on the grid from one color to the other, with the ultimate goal of completing designs, flipping tiles in combos, or making an entire horizontal line of all the same color. The catch: Any time you flip a tile all neighboring tiles will flip along with it.

Though Honeycomb Beat was shown off only in demo form, the current build gave us a good sense of things to come. The basic presentation centers around - you guessed it - a honeycomb theme, with all interface featuring a slick, hexagonal look. All interface is handled on the touch screen, with descriptions of events and game tips taking up the top screen. From the get-go Honeycomb Beat asks that you design a profile for stat-tracking, and then allows you to either immediately get into the action, or check out the simple (and surprisingly quick) tutorial mode. Tutorial sections include lessons in panel flipping, vector labels (which are basically different types of panels), and advanced flipping techniques. Each tutorial presents itself very well, with all explanation on the top screen and a user-controlled touch tutorial on the bottom screen. After about five minutes of panel-flipping we were ready to dive into the main game.


Honeycomb Beat is comprised of two different modes; puzzle, and evolution. In puzzle mode, players are required to take a specific layout of panels on the bottom screen and create patterns by flipping them from one color to the other. Some of these puzzles demand that all panels on the screen are the same color, whereas others will result in two-tone patterns or pictures. There are 20 puzzle areas, each with 10 puzzles for a total of 200 different brain-teasers. Just like in the main game, whenever a puzzle is completed the actual interface will flip new available puzzles over in a branching, honeycomb style. It's simple, but it has a really cool look as you begin to tunnel your way through each mission.

When it comes to evolution mode, Honeycomb Beat takes a note from Tetris, as players can jump into one of 10 different difficultly levels in an attempt to clear lines. A huge mass of Honeycomb will begin to rise from the bottom of the screen, and players will need to flip an entire horizontal line to clear it away. With a little trickery (and some smart planning) combos can be created by setting up multiple lines and then eliminating them all at once. Once the mass of honeycomb reaches the top of the bottom screen, it's game over. Adding to the replay value of evolution mode is a profile ranking system, which takes into account how long you lasted, how many points you achieved, and the complexity of combos to rank your performance. Like in Brain Age, you'll be assigned a "Brain Evolution" rating which you can work to raise over multiple play sessions.

So what's the point of the game? Well, aside from adding more wrinkles to your brain as you twist it in knots, Honeycomb Beat also offers a few unlockables, though they're primarily cosmetic. As you venture through puzzle and evolution modes you'll continue to unlock new panel colors, different backgrounds, more music, and different visuals for the top screen during play. It's basic, but it's still a reason to go back and kick the crap out of any shameful puzzle attempts you may have done. From the demo we were able to select from 10 different panel colors, three background themes (a space theme, a "warm" theme, and a girly "fancy" theme), six different songs titled simply "Music1-6", and digital or wave visual animations. It is all extremely basic, but every little bit helps in a puzzle game, and staring at the same two colors for hours on end is grounds for much "head-explode-ification" in our book, so it's a good addition to the package.

All in all Honeycomb Beat is a pretty entertaining experience, although it isn't an astonishingly deep endeavor. Puzzles can be extremely tricky (and not being a huge puzzle nut like Craig I was made to look like a fool on a few of the brain-teasers), and the amount of depth is decent for what we hope is a game that fits in the lower DS price range (around $20 seems about right). Konami maintains that the game is "beat-based", though from the demo we didn't see any real advantage in playing with the sound on or off, aside from having a driving tempo to flip to. The game also offers some special panels that can be brought into play at the user's digression, which consist of tiles that flip only diagonal, vertical, or horizontally when you flip them (instead of on all sides), tiles that create full lines when touched, or hold tiles that are essentially time bombs that flip after a certain number of moves (used for insane, time-released combos). From the looks of it Honeycomb Beat could be a solid puzzler for DS fans this year, as it supports some decent stat tracking, is easy to get into, and offers a great amount of difficulty throughout its 200+ puzzles.

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Lost in Blue 2 Hands-on

February 3rd, 2007, 15:24 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

Ever wondered what it was like to be stranded on a desert island? We did, and then we played Survival Kids on Game Boy Color back in 1999. Strangely enough, we liked it. We wanted more, but we never got it. Then the DS came along, and Konami decided that the world was due for another busted cruise ship, and back we were in Lost in Blue; the unofficial sequel to Survival Kids. The game played nearly identical to the older version, with more activities, a second character to watch over, and a crisp new 3D look. Again we had a blast, traversing the island in a truly epic life-saving adventure. Apparently Lost in Blue made a bit of a splash (shipwreck pun definitely intended) in the DS community, and Konami was taking notes, as we're now treated to Lost in Blue 2.

Before getting too far into the game, let's get this out in the open straight-away: Lost in Blue 2 is definitely, undeniably, shamelessly "more of the same" when compared to the original. You run around on what looks like the same island, you eat the same coconuts, you scrape your fingers through the same dirt, and you'll combine stick with rock to make the same sharpened stick just like Lost in Blue. That being said, the game follows a different story arch, follows two new characters (each playable depending on who you select from the beginning), offers multiple endings, more activities, more action, and more freedom. It's more of the same, but the "same" is still really fun.


For anyone who didn't pick up the original, the concept of the Survival Kids/Lost in Blue series is pretty simple. You'll select your player, wake up on an island alone, and have to survive on your own until you make it off the island or are rescued. To survive you'll need to gather supplies, build fires, cook food, hunt animals, combine materials to make tools, and work with your AI counter-part to explore and ultimately conquer the island. Imagine it as the TV show Lost, but you don't have hotties running around in bikinis, and Hurley isn't eating all your freaking peanut butter all the time. When you look at it that way, it sounds more like a vacation.

Just like the original games, you'll constantly have to be upping three major stats, consisting of hunger, thirst, and strength. Spend too long in the sun and you'll get thirsty. Eat the wrong berries (which we'll playfully dub as "Pulling a Ralph Wiggum") and you'll get sick and lose strength. When it comes to hunting and building, you'll have to find items and combine them similar to a Resident Evil game, although the process feels far more free-form than the simple "gun + bullet = zombie death" ends up being. In addition, you'll need to build weapons to hunt with, including sharp sticks, bow & arrow, and if you're especially talented some sort of death-laser (no). Once you spend a few grueling days learning the ropes, you'll be expected to use creativity, speed, and common sense to solve puzzles and thrive on the island.

From what we played at Konami's Gamers' Day event, Lost in Blue 2 might as well have been the same exact game. The only major differences in the current build is the added character portraits from the top screen (instead of silhouettes you get actual pictures of the characters), some improved activities such as fishing, and a couple mini-games. The three mini-games available thus far include fire-starting, goat-milking, and fishing. Each of these games could be played with multiple time limits for an overall score, and will ultimately be featured as a couple of the multiplayer mini-games for the final version. As always, goat-milking was an uncomfortable blast.

For the final version, Konami has thrown out some rough estimates based on the game's current production. The company promises far more action, about double the activities, new challenges including underwater exploration, and a lot more animal-based adventures. There are more beasts to hunt, tougher enemies (such as sharks and alligators), and some interesting microphone puzzles, such as an event where you need to become friends with a testy gorilla by mimicking his grunts with the DS microphone. In any other game we'd be astonished, but when it comes to Lost in Blue we'll just take it in stride. Hey… at least we don't have to milk it.

It's still far too early in production to say whether or not Lost in Blue 2 is going to incorporate enough new content to warrant a second purchase on DS, but from the looks of it the game should include a decent amount of action for the single player experience, and hopefully will add a ton of mini-games for the multiplayer action as well. Unfortunately there's no online support for two players, which sucks, as it would be kind of funny and ironic to play this game over the net with some dude that's actually stuck on an island himself, but there's always hope for a Lost in Blue 3 or Wii sequel that could better make use of Nintendo's online options.

We'll keep you posted on new Lost in Blue 2 information as it becomes available.

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Arbitrary Code Execution via WiiKey?

February 3rd, 2007, 21:18 Posted By: wraggster

via liquidice

As you may already know there are now 3 modchips out for the Wii. First it was Wiinja, then CycloWiz, and now WiiKey. Something caught my eye while I was looking over the specs for WiiKey this morning on Wii News...

# Fully upgradeable via DVD/disc (future proof, expect cool features to come)

Does this mean they've figured out a way to execute arbitrary code on the Wii or does it simply put the DVD drive into a special mode that passes the data on the DVD into the modchip?

UPDATE: The Update disc will likely be formatted for Gamecube and will launch in GC mode. The app will send commands to the chip to flash it with the updated code. Since the chip 'listens' and reacts to these commands, it also means Nintendo can possibly detect if you have a chip like this (WiiKey) installed in your console.

So to recap...Wii Homebrew is still not possible. Gamecube homebrew on the Wii IS possible via a modchip or through Action Replay/Freeloader. None of these chips get us any closer to Wii Linux

So there you have it

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DS Speccy News

February 3rd, 2007, 21:51 Posted By: wraggster

News of the work on the Spectrum emulator for the DS by CraigT

I upgraded my version of devkitPro to R20 yesterday. I removed all the old gba_nds_fat code and replaced it with Chishm’s latest libfat routines, which now contain the directory related functions I need for the file browser in SpeccyDS. The latest libfat driver also includes support for DLDI.

SpeccyDS didn’t have any problems compiling with the new library and everything seems to be working as expected. However, I have been left with a bit of a dilemma. I know there is a lot of anticipation for DLDI support, but there are still a few major things I want to finish before releasing version 0.3. I don’t feel like I have added enough to SpeccyDS to justify releasing the next version.

I may release it as it is now and call it version 0.2a. However, the border changes will not be included since there isn’t any sensible way to set the border size. We shall see…

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Wii: YouTube videos on your TV

February 4th, 2007, 10:17 Posted By: matthewbarr

Hi folks, I recently launched a site called MiiTube, which uses the YouTube APIs to allow users to search and view YouTube videos on a TV. The site is optimised for viewing on the TV using the Wii remote (large text and buttons, reduced clutter on screen). Feedback is welcome!

http://www.miitube.co.uk

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Cyclo Wiz now available

February 4th, 2007, 14:26 Posted By: wraggster

News from Divineo USA

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M3 Simply News

February 4th, 2007, 14:29 Posted By: wraggster

Divineo USA have posted that they have the M3 Simply fully in stock.



Heres more info about the M3 Simply

M3 DS Simply is a slot 1 device (no passcard required) from the famous producer M3 Adapter.

It uses Micro SD card for cheap and high capacity while fitting nicely in your DS/DS Lite. Its low price and strong built offers a great value!

Specifications & extra information

- Same size as an original DS cart
- Built-in PassMe
- Using Micro SD card (Trans Flash) as storage. Cheap & multiple use for cards
- Boot clean dump images
- Very simple to use: drag and drop files to the micro SD card
- No drivers required
- Standard FAT system support
- Supports different speed of micro SD card even the low speed SD card. Runs games without any lag or slow down
- Upgradable Firmware ( OS / Bios / Kernel )
- Touch screen control & robust skinning support
- No battery needed, back up the save file directly into the micro SD card: Never lose your saved games
- Auto detect the save type & automatically generate saver file
- Homebrew support , IO lib available on launch
- Watch movie directly, listen to MP3 & read TXT on the DS via the use of Moonshell
- Supports WiFi, DS rumble pack & DS browser .

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Silicone Case for DS Lite

February 4th, 2007, 14:34 Posted By: wraggster

New from Divineo UK



Plastice skeleton and high grade silicon ensures that your NDS Lite is preotected from every day bumps and bangs.

Specifications & extra information

Silicone skin provides full access to:

+ Power switch
+ Stylus
+ Volume control
+ Headphone port
+ Games cartridge
+ Shoulder buttons
+ USB connector

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Component Cable for Wii ( Talismoon )

February 4th, 2007, 14:40 Posted By: wraggster

New from Divineo UK



Now you can be sure to maximize everything the Nintendo® Wii™ has to offer with the Talismoon Wii™ component cable. Become in awe of tremendously enhanced visuals and super crisp textures! Immerse yourself in the digital gaming world and get closer to the game with another premium quality product by Talismoon. Live every jump, shot, and twist and turn to the fullest thanks to the highest quality image displayed on your TV set. Experience the benefits of premium quality gaming for one third less of the retail cost in relation to the official counterpart.

Specifications & extra information

· Ideal for standard or HD TV’s
· Supports screen resolutions up to 480p
· 5 year warranty
· Stereo sound available through left and right RCA cables
· 1.80 meters long

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Lan Adapter For Nintendo Wii

February 4th, 2007, 14:41 Posted By: wraggster

New from Divineo UK



Link your Wii to your current network!

You’ve got a Nintendo Wii. You have a broadband internet connection on your PC. You’ve heard about all the fun things you can do online with your console. Yet when it comes to connecting your Wii to the net, you don’t know where to start. You need the Wii LAN Adapter…

With our amazing new LAN Adapter for the Nintendo Wii, you can create a wired high-speed internet connection for your console. Just plug the Adapter into your Wii, and then connect it to your PC’s DSL or Cable modem or your router using the six-foot patch cable supplied. It’s as simple as that!

Because Wii LAN Adapter uses a cable connection, it always offers a high-speed, reliable connection. It’s ideal for places where wireless connectivity isn't possible, perhaps because of thick walls or interference from other products. At last, you can enjoy uninterrupted online gaming!

Specifications & extra information

Features

Connect your Wii to the internet via cable network.
USB 2.0 connection to your Wii.
Plugs into DSL/cable modem or router.
Includes 6ft patch cable.
Faster connection than WiFi.

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Wii Hacked To Control Sword-Wielding Robot

February 4th, 2007, 14:44 Posted By: wraggster

via /.

WiiBot is the pet project of two engineers who apparently have way too much cool hardware and time on their hands. These two guys figure that as long as you have a Kuka KR16 industrial robot to work with, why not see if you can control it with the Wii Remote? The result is a tennis-playing, sword-wielding mechanical arm that simultaneously captures 'weekend of nerdy fun' and 'accident waiting to happen' in a fun two minute video. The website even details the technical aspects of teaching a robot to parry.

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Curling DS commercial

February 4th, 2007, 14:47 Posted By: wraggster

via insert credit

Rocket Company's budget-priced DS curling game has been out for a little while now, and is officially endorsed by an actual japanese curling team. They've recently put up a commercial, if you want to see if the game is actually as boring as it seems (hint: yes, but probably better on a DS than any other system).

Commercial Here

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Draglade new details, commercial

February 4th, 2007, 14:49 Posted By: wraggster

via insert credit

Banpresto has put up a commercial for their Dimps-developed original DS fighter Draglade, which shows a bit of action from the game. Looks fast-paced, and you can see just a little of the 'custom beat battle' elements. There's actually a section up now which explains it. Basically it's a bit like how records work in Samurai Champloo for PS2. New beats allow different combo chains, and it seems you have the ability to actually create beats yourself. Also, I can't recall if this was mentioned before, but Wifi is now confirmed for the game. There will be realtime ranking, and for local users, download play is supported.

Commercial Here

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DS Therapy

February 4th, 2007, 14:50 Posted By: wraggster

Via Insert credit

No, it's not a joke! After all these training games, it was inevitable (perhaps you don't know but, roughly ten training games get released by companies other than Nintendo for every one that is endorsed by dr. kawashima). DS Therapy has the subtitle 'mainichi kokorobics', a conjunction of the words 'heart' (kokoro) and 'aerobics', this 'daily heart aerobics'. The game has you answering quizes in a 'light hearted' manner, and then you're diagnosed based on the latest psychological research, or so says developer Dimple Entertainment, creator of adventure sims, largely. Theoretically it should track your progress as well.

The game is planned for a may release at 4,800 yen, and features character illustrations by kaorin wakamatsu. They actually do seem to have consulting psychologists on staff, but this is still quite odd to me.

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Rumour Time- New Wii Titles

February 4th, 2007, 14:56 Posted By: wraggster

Gamepro and IGN have posted that the following Wii games are coming soon, heres the list:

*100 Bullets - Fall 2007*
Alive-TBA 2007, Ubisoft
Devil Kings Series - 2007 Capcom
Digimon- 2007 , Namco
DK bongo blast-spring 2007, Nintendo
Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix- July, EA
Iron Man: The Movie, 2008, SEGA
Kirby- 2007 Nintendo
Legend of Dragon- 2007
Lost- 2007, Ubisoft
Machi Kuru Domino- 2007
Ratatouille- Fall 2007, THQ
*Mario Kart Wii- 2007, Nintendo*
*Pilot Wings -2007- Nintendo*
*Wii shooting- 2007*
*Wii motor sports airplane- 2007*
TNA impact- 2007, Midway
JAWA- 2007, spike
Wii music- October 2007
Space station Tycoon- Summer 2007- Namco
Dance Factory- March 2007
*Animal Crossing- 2007*
Raid over the River-2007
*Sadness- August- Nibris*

Pilot Wings and Mario Kart Wii interest me massively

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DK Bongo Blast on Wii

February 4th, 2007, 15:00 Posted By: wraggster

Via IGN

We all know DK Bongo Blast is gone from GameCube and reborn on Wii. The title is set for release on Nintendo's new system this year, along with Kirby, for that matter. Efforts like Wii Health and Wii Music will also be coming, but that's another blog post. For now, let's talk Bongo Blast.

Up until recently, people have speculated that Nintendo would make available some bongos for Wii so that peeps could best enjoy the experience. But I don't think so. Why? You've got the bongos already: the Wii remote and nunchuk.

That is all.

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WiiToMidi v0.4.1

February 4th, 2007, 15:04 Posted By: wraggster

via wiitomidi site

WiiToMidi allows you to convert signals from a Nintendo Wii controller to MIDI signals. It is a Cocoa application for Mac OS X and uses the DarwiinRemote WiiRemote framework to decode Wii controller signals. It also supports the Nunchuk controller.

Download at Link Above

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MancalaDS 2.1

February 4th, 2007, 15:32 Posted By: wraggster

News/release from HtheB

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RomeR- BETA 2.1 Released!

February 4th, 2007, 15:41 Posted By: wraggster

New release from Kyuzumaki is a Rom editing tool for homebrew usage:

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DSCam Beta 0.3

February 4th, 2007, 15:47 Posted By: wraggster

Xparano has updated his DSCam app:

Heres whats new:

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NDS: CycloDS reviewed

February 4th, 2007, 17:01 Posted By: scorpei

I've finished my review of the CycloDS, a new GBA media adapter for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS lite using mijiSD and microSD cards.

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No$gba v2.3c

February 4th, 2007, 22:28 Posted By: wraggster

No$gba the GBA and DS Emulator for Windows has been updated with a new release, heres whats new:

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15 Konami classics for DS

February 5th, 2007, 16:45 Posted By: wraggster

Konami is breathing new life into 15 of its classic arcade titles with a new retro collection for DS.

Only a few titles have been revealed, with Gradius, a brilliant horizontal-scrolling space shooter, heading-up the confirmed titles. Yie-Ar Kung Fu, a basic beat-'em-up and Time Pilot, a single-screen shooter in different time zones are also confirmed.

As has become the trend with retro collections of late, the game will feature direct ports of the original Arcade games, as well as updated and remixed version that take more advantage of the modern hardware.

Updates will include the option to configure the screen for vertical or horizontal play, as well as bonus mode that will let you listen to music and sound effects from the 15 titles and view game art, biographies and trivia.

Konami Arcade Classics is due in Autumn 2007

via cvg

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Konami readies Nintendogs rival

February 5th, 2007, 16:49 Posted By: wraggster

via cvg

Trusting that Nintendogs hasn't already exhausted your fascination for cutesy touch-screen animals, Konami is set to release GoPets, a new pet sim that will let gamers take their pets online.

Nintendogs had a clever local wireless 'Bark' mode that let two DS units in close proximity connect directly.

GoPets, which features dogs and cats, aims to go one better and let users take their lovable pets online to mingle with other pets from around the world.

Players will also be able to communicate text and icons as they travel around the virtual world. A journal keeps a record of all the friends you make.

An offline mode will also feature, set on an island with a small community and mini games. Sounds a bit like Animal Crossing.

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Ghouls 'n Ghosts for all three consoles

February 5th, 2007, 16:51 Posted By: wraggster

According to a listing on the ESRB website, Capcom's 16-bit classic Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts is heading to all three next-gen consoles.

We're assuming that the rock-hard platformer will be appearing in the form of a download on Xbox 360, Wii and PS3's respective online services, with the Xbox Live Arcade version likely featuring the fancy leaderboards and high-definition mischief we're used to on the service.

Capcom was unfortunately unavailable to comment on the report when we picked up the phone, but we'll be sure to let you know if it decides to throw some confirmation our way.

via cvg

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New Wii adventure from Eledees team

February 5th, 2007, 16:54 Posted By: wraggster

via cvg

The team behind Eledees, one of the most unique titles on Wii, is working on its second title for Wii - a tilty 3D adventure tentatively titled Dewy's Adventure.

Just like Eledees, Dewy's Adventure is a weird one. You play as Dewy, a magical water droplet with the ability to control the elements.

In its fairytale plot, a once peaceful land has been wrecked by an evil force. A sacred tree (ANOTHER sacred tree, should we say) called the Elder Tree creates Dewy to with the hope he can return peace to the land.

We'd have created an army of Jedi, or Arnold Schwarzenegger, but we clearly don't think like sacred trees.

The game will take advantage of the Wii Remote to tilt environments to control Dewy, creating inclines in the ground for Dewy to move through. Could be interesting.

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Zorro swordplay game for Wii

February 5th, 2007, 16:59 Posted By: wraggster

via cvg

Wii owners could have more Wii Remote-operated swordplay to look forward to with blade-ninja Zorro making his debut Wii appearance in The Destiny of Zorro.

Pronto Games say the game will focus on being "instantly engaging" and fun. The developer also says: "The visuals are high quality, as are the audio and storyline." Yes, that would be nice.

Other than that massively insightful statement, no further gameplay details have been announced. We speculate you'll be swinging the Wii Remote in some sword-like fashion.

Zorro will do battle against a dual-sword-weilding skeleton bloke known as Calavero, pictured below.

Pronto games previously developed titles for mobile phones and handheld consoles (including Dungeons and Dragons: Eye of the Beholder for GBA).

The Destiny of Zorro is due to release this Christmas. With good visuals. And good audio. Oh... and a good storyline.

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More classic Mario confirmed for Wii VC

February 5th, 2007, 17:02 Posted By: wraggster

The latest Wii Virtual Console update has just hit in the US with a surprise for lucky yank gamers; Mario's stellar Super NES outing Super Mario World along with a pair of token downloads for Mega Drive and Turbo Grafx.

Mario's 16-bit adventure is available stateside for the usual price of 800 Wii points. Meanwhile, Turbo Grafx bruiser Vigilante is up for 600 points and Genesis effort Gain Ground for 800, neither of which we remember.

Hopefully this will pave a path for a massive UK VC update this Friday, as the US now has two SNES classics (Zelda: A Link to the Past being the other) that us poor Europeans have been deprived of. We'll have our fingers crossed.

via cvg

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Alien Syndrome Screenshots

February 5th, 2007, 17:18 Posted By: wraggster

Are you a fan of Alien Syndrome, well even if your not check out the 3 yummy screens of this up and coming game for the Wii via the Comments

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No Unreal Engine 3 on Wii - EVER

February 5th, 2007, 19:35 Posted By: wraggster

An article from CVG that doesnt look good for us wii owners:

Epic VP Mark Rein has been speaking to Wired News about the success of the Unreal Engine 3, especially since the firm recently licensed it to a Japanese developer for the first time.

Here are the highlights from the interview:

It's also tough to ignore the success of the Wii at this point. Do you guys have any plans to be in that space?

Rein:: Hey, we're in that space! Red Steel, Splinter Cell -- those use our previous engine technology. But it's not in our plans to bring Unreal Engine 3 to the Wii. It's really designed for next-gen, high-definition.
It can't be easy to get Japanese developers on board, because they traditionally use their own engines.

Rein: It's definitely a challenge to convince Japanese developers to work with a third-party technology like ours. But Square Enix, they're the granddaddy. I'm hoping that'll be pulling the stopper out of the drain, and we'll gradually crack that nut. We've been looking to hire somebody in Japan, to be our representative there.

It's really hard to find somebody who speaks really good English, knows our technology well, is native Japanese, has an engineering background, can answer complex questions. We're looking; the job's open.
You obviously love the Xbox 360. Do you love the PlayStation 3?

Rein: Yeah, absolutely. I think they're both great machines. I don't understand all this crazy negative backlash toward PlayStation 3. It's like, people aren't happy that there aren't enough machines, and then they're not happy that there are? Get over it! You want to be able to buy the damn thing!

via cvg

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Wii OS gives you that shiny Wii look on your boring PC

February 5th, 2007, 19:43 Posted By: wraggster

via engadget

What's a Wii fanboy to do without a Wii to call his own? Hack one up himself, of course. Bigjohn8411 found himself in just such a predicament, so he scraped together a "Wii OS" launcher program for his PC just to feel like one of the cool kids. Other than accepting Wiimote input over Bluetooth via GlovePIE, the program is mostly a complete rip of Nintendo's own Wii interface, with Wii sound effects pulled out of YouTube videos, and the interface built from scratch, but referencing the real thing. Of course, that Red Steel button, it does nothing, but most of the rest of the launcher buttons shoot you right into that game's respective emulator. You can also toss in up to four of your own MP3s for background music if you find Nintendo's own to be a bit too sleep inducing. Now the only question is if Nintendo will be launching Chrono Trigger for Virtual Console before it hits this guy with a C&D. Somehow, we doubt it.

More Info

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Nintendo dismisses accusations of failing to deliver Wii units

February 5th, 2007, 20:02 Posted By: wraggster

via gamesindustry

Nintendo has refuted claims that it failed to deliver the number of Wii units promised to Virgin Megastores for the console's launch on December 8.
The claims emerged after Virgin began taking pre-orders for PlayStation 3 last week. As GamesIndustry.biz discovered after contacting stores across the country, customers enquiring about the pre-order system are told that they can secure a console for GBP 50 - but are warned that they won't neccessarily receive their machine on March 23.

They're told that they may have to wait days or even weeks for their machine to arrive, with one customer service representative stating, "We can't make a commitment to the 23rd because Sony hasn't made a commitment to us."

All the representatives GI.biz spoke to said that Virgin was keen to avoid a repeat of the situation which occurred with the launch of the Wii, claiming that Nintendo failed to deliver the number of consoles promised for day one.

"It's because there was an issue with the Wii. Some stores didn't get the allocation they were promised until the next day after launch," one representative said.

Another claimed, "The full amount of stock we were promised never turned up," while other representatives said that the total launch allocation wasn't received until several weeks after launch.

Nintendo has disputed the claims with a spokesperson telling GI.biz, "All UK retailers were notified of their initial day one Wii allocations in October 2006, some six to eight weeks before launch.

"Nintendo delivered exactly what we said we would to retailers for day one and in many instances over delivered against the initial numbers retailers were expecting."

In addition, the spokesperson said, "Nintendo made multiple and regular deliveries to retailers across the UK in the days following launch to try and meet the huge demand for Wii as much as possible."

Virgin Megastores has yet to respond to requests for comment.

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Mii doppelgangers: the complete Office cast

February 5th, 2007, 20:13 Posted By: wraggster

via joystiq

These Miis from NBC's The Office just look freakishly identical. Especially Dwight, Jim (right of Dwight), Kevin, and Roy. Oscar's pretty good too. Amazingly, D. Schrute looks just as intimidating in Mii form as he does in real fictional life. Scary.

Photos here

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Diddy Kong Racing DS Released

February 5th, 2007, 20:25 Posted By: wraggster



After years of living in peace and harmony, the inhabitants of Timber's Island are shocked when their tropical paradise is invaded by a giant, hideous space pig! To thwart Wizpig’s nefarious plans, explore the sprawling island, unlock hidden racetracks, and drive, hover and fly against colorful characters in high-octane competitions!

Your host, a gregarious elephant named Taj, greets you in a grassy meadow. Drive over bridges, through sparkling surf and around volcanoes. Start racing. You'll have to speed through a huge variety of racing challenges if you want to unlock all the island’s secrets, complete the adventure and save your friends from the parlous pig. Diddy Kong Racing DS boasts a huge number of courses, including several all-new ones!

Diddy Kong Racing DS offers three types of vehicles: karts, hovercraft and airplanes. The drivers range from the quick and the small to heavyweights who specialize in bashing rivals off the course. Duel with classic DKR power-ups like oil slicks, gas clouds, land mines, super shields, speed boosts, homing missiles and magnets. In Diddy Kong Racing DS, you’d better be ready for anything under the sun!



Diddy Kong Racing DS for Nintendo DS™ is shipping today as US release version at US$ 39.90 only.

Buy from Play Asia

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PicoDriveDS 0.1.7 - Megadrive Emulator for the Nintendo DS

February 5th, 2007, 21:24 Posted By: wraggster

RyanFB has released a new version of his excellent Megadrive(genesis) emulator for the Nintendo DS.

Heres whats new:

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Ubisoft reveals Driver port

February 5th, 2007, 21:44 Posted By: wraggster

Turns out Driver: Parallel Lines is going to receive an enhanced port to the Wii, complete with updated graphics and gameplay changes. The game will take place during the late seventies, yet upon being imprisoned for 28 years, you're released to a new decade. Game features will include:

Open New York City: 35 missions spanning the years 1978 - 2006
There is to be over 30 different actions for the Wiimote, including driving and targeting
Features over 80 customizable vehicles such as cars, trucks and motorcycles
Upgrades have been made to the AI, graphics, physics and an as-yet-unannounced Wii exclusive special effect
The game didn't receive favorable scores on the PS2 or Xbox, so do you think some extra time being polished for the Wii will make a difference?

via wiifanboy

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DeSmuME v0.6.0

February 5th, 2007, 23:45 Posted By: wraggster

The DS Emulator for Windows called DeSmuME has now been updated with a new release.

Heres whats new:

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Little Cricket Advance

February 5th, 2007, 23:53 Posted By: wraggster

New GBA Homebrew release:

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Defi Noel

February 5th, 2007, 23:55 Posted By: wraggster

New GBA Homebrew game from nagame:

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SpeccyDS v0.2a Released - Spectrum Emulator for Nintendo DS

February 6th, 2007, 00:14 Posted By: wraggster

CraigT has released a new version of SpeccyDS the Spectrum emulator for the Nintendo DS.

Heres whats new:

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Double Z Dev Tutorial News

February 6th, 2007, 00:16 Posted By: wraggster

Double Z has updated his site with this news:

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2007 PGD Annual Multiplexity Competition

February 6th, 2007, 00:18 Posted By: wraggster

via francescos

Pascal Game Development community has announced the 2007 PGD "Multiplexity" Game Programming Competition aimed to pascal developers. The big news of this year is that entries for Nintendo DS and GameBoy Advance are allowed! The compo theme is very interesting (a multi-genre game), prizes are very rich, so: pick up your fpc4gba or fpc4nds and start coding now!!!

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Drunken Coders Comp Results

February 6th, 2007, 00:24 Posted By: wraggster

Dovoto just posted the names of who won the Drunken Coders Comp:

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New Lost in Blue 2 details and screens

February 6th, 2007, 00:29 Posted By: wraggster

via dsfanboy

There's some updated news on Lost in Blue 2, including gameplay details. Notably, players can choose to navigate the game as either the male or female character, and Jack and Amy each have their own unique skills. Previously, we thought the setup was similar to the original Lost in Blue, with the girl serving as an unplayable character (at least, until you beat it once). Also, the sequel will feature a limited two-player mode via local wireless, in which players can compete in survival mini-games. We're hoping for things like "Outrun the Croc" so we can watch our pals brutally eaten. That's just good, clean fun.

Once again, the touch screen and microphone will be a big part of the game, but Konami promises to expand on touchscreen play for a more immersive and interesting experience. Let's hope for less drudgery and more fun.

Screens Via Comments

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Metareview: Diddy Kong Racing

February 6th, 2007, 00:31 Posted By: wraggster

via dsfanboy

No doubt, Diddy Kong Racing has been in the spotlight for the last couple of months, due to some excellent features and the promise of repeating the success the game enjoyed on the N64. With custom-track creation and countless other wonderful features, we've waited long and patiently for this game and hopefully the majority of reviewers out there won't find the game as lacking as the below two have:

Nintendo Power (75/100) finds that the game has some appeal, however maybe not as much as it needs: "Like its predecessor, Diddy Kong Racing DS has a Mario Kart game to compete with, but also enough unique features to make it a kart-racing contender." [Mar. 2007, p.87]
GameSpot (67/100) says that the game might just have too much to do: "Diddy Kong Racing DS is a decent racer with plenty to do and some interesting new content, but the seemingly endless amount of tasks you must complete to enjoy all of it may irritate anyone who simply wants to race."

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Revenant Wings site updates

February 6th, 2007, 00:34 Posted By: wraggster

via dsfanboy

The official Japanese website for Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings has been live for a bit on the series of tubes that make up the internet. Now, through this wondrous website, one may access a nice little trailer on the main page, as well as some cool downloads.

The downloads include desktop wallpapers and a promotional video from Jump Festa 2007. Other things, such as the game's prologue and character descriptions, are in Japanese and able to stand up to our most deadly translation bots.

More Info

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Jet Impulse looks really, really hot

February 6th, 2007, 00:36 Posted By: wraggster

via dsfanboy

A Nintendo-developed dogfighter, Jet Impulse, has recently opened their official website for perusal. The game formerly known as DS Air is, for the moment, Japanese-bound only; this will change, however, when we threaten Nintendo with deadly force.

Two videos adorn the pages, highlighting both game mechanics and opening cinematic. We've been hankering for more air since Star Fox Command ended so very quickly; hopefully, this title can make the trip stateside before long.

Videos Here

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DS-Frotz v1.2 released

February 6th, 2007, 00:46 Posted By: wraggster

papafuji has released DS-Frotz v1.2, heres the full info:

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MapViewerDS Updated

February 6th, 2007, 00:51 Posted By: wraggster

Mollusk has updated his Map Viewer application for the Nintendo DS.

Heres some info

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DSLinker firmware 122N

February 6th, 2007, 00:55 Posted By: wraggster

A New firmware has been released for the DS Linker flash cart, heres whats new:

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Comic Book DS v2.0 FINAL

February 6th, 2007, 01:00 Posted By: wraggster

A new release of Comic Book DS has support for DLDI. heres the full changelog:

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Deal or no Deal Updated

February 6th, 2007, 01:03 Posted By: wraggster

Robert Durbin has released an update to his Deal or No Deal game:

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LOCKJAW v0.31

February 6th, 2007, 01:07 Posted By: wraggster

Tepples has released a new version of his Tetris game for the DS:

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Warcraft : Tower Defense v0.31 Released

February 6th, 2007, 02:30 Posted By: wraggster

Noda has released a new version of his DS game of the Mod Tower Defense for Warcraft 3.

Heres some screens:



Heres the game info

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Gekko forums now opened!

February 6th, 2007, 07:00 Posted By: JKKDARK

The Gekko official forum was finally added. If you didn't know, Gekko is a GameCube emulator for PC.

The webmaster said:

It's finally here! Quite a few poeple had asked for a forum and with the spam issues we were having with the comments on the mainpage news, I went ahead and created Gekko's official forum.

It took me all last night and this morning to integrate the news and comments system to the forum, learning PHP as I go.

A new button has been added in the header bar completely to the right to access the forum. It will now be mandatory to register to the forum to be able to post comments on news. (Helping us avoid the issues we had earlier )

Finally, you will notice that the forum currently uses the default template. I am no artist but I will try to wip something up when I have the chance in the next few months.

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Mario Party® 8 Press Release

February 6th, 2007, 18:31 Posted By: wraggster

All the info from Nintendo:

The world's most popular party video game is getting a lot crazier in Mario Party 8. Whether you're shaking up cola cans or lassoing barrels, you and your friends will be drawn into the action like never before using the Wii Remote™.

Play with motion control: Players row their way through a river race, punch a statue to pieces, steer race cars, mopeds and go-karts and handle a balancing pole while walking a tightrope.
Play using the Pointer: Shoot at Boos in a haunted house, rag and drop toppings in a cake-decorating competition, select the correct answers in game show challenges.
Play using the Wii Remote's buttons: Players jump and pummel their way through a football brawl, hop and run across a field of spinning platforms
Mario Party 8 also includes dozens of new minigames, six new party boards and many new game modes. In a series first, players can transform their characters into many forms, such as player-smashing boulders and coin-sucking vampires. Mario Party 8 also includes "extra-large" minigames like Star Carnival Bowling and Table Menace. One to four players can play Mario Party 8, each with a Wii Remote.

Game storyline: In Mario Party 8, a whimsical ringmaster has invited Mario™, Peach and the rest of the crew to his carnival, a perfect setting for the dynamic spectacle of the Wii game play. Mario Party 8 keeps the surprises coming with minigames that draw upon the Wii Remote's motion, pointing and button control in a variety of ways. Players always know how to jump into the action by watching an animated tutorial that shows how to use the Wii Remote.

How to progress through the game: Following tradition, Mario Party 8 takes the social, strategic game play of board games and adds breaks for quick, action-oriented minigames. In the main mode, players travel across six boards in search of Stars, landing on spaces that are helpful (example: giving coins) or a hindrance (example: sending Bowser in to mess with the player). Several variations for these boards tweak the main goals to enhance game play for solo sessions, two-player games and three- to four-player games.

In addition, Mario Party 8 includes four more minigame-infused kinds of board games, such as Tic-Tac Drop, where players earn the right to put the next mark on the board by winning a minigame.

Characters: Mario Party games are a celebration of all things Mario, so you can play as 14 classic characters, the widest selection yet for the series, including newcomers Hammer Bro and Blooper. You'll also bump into many old friends and foes that span 20+ years of Mario games.

Special powers/weapons/moves/features: Beyond using the Wii Remote's motion and pointer control, this eighth game in the Mario Party series goes its own way with two major changes:

Players can transform their character using candy power-ups. Examples: When Peach eats Bowlo Candy, she'll turn into a Peach-faced ball and bowl over characters to get their coins. When Wario™ eats Vampire Candy, he'll sprout wings and fly off to suck the coins from all other players.

* A more engaging view of the action puts the player "on the board" with his traveling character, no longer far above the whole board looking down.

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Wario Master of Disguise

February 6th, 2007, 18:34 Posted By: wraggster

New press release from Nintendo:

When Wario™ sees a television series about a thieving master of disguises, he dives through the TV screen, steals the thief's quick-change wand and takes over the whole show. Episode after episode, he breaks into exotic locations, like a luxury liner, watery ruins and an Egyptian pyramid!

Draw Wario's eight disguises: By sketching a symbol on Wario, the player puts Wario in outfits that give him powers, such as Thief Wario's tackles and Cosmic Wario's laser blasts. The player also uses the stylus to wield the powers.
Explore environments: Wario travels the globe in 10 missions that span nine exotic locations. The player must attack many enemies found in each location and also use Wario's disguises to get past puzzling obstacles.
Play minigames to unlock chests: To pick the lock of each chest, the player must play one of eight stylus-driven minigames that grow more difficult as the game progresses.

Game storyline: Over the 10 episodes of "his" new TV show, Wario travels the globe in search of treasure to steal. Along the way, he discovers that there's a far greater prize to be had: an ancient artifact that grants wishes. Now if he can only find it before his rival, the master thief whose show (and powers of disguise) he's stolen.

How to progress through the game: Using the Thief Wario disguise, players run, high-jump and tackle their way through each episode. They'll need to switch to other disguises, frequently one after the other, to fight and puzzle through rooms full of obstacles and enemies. Players use buttons to run and jump while using the stylus to affect Wario and his environment, and they can watch the top screen map to keep their bearings in the levels.

At the start of the game, players will have only one disguise (Thief Wario) and will discover more as they proceed through the game. Players can return to previous episodes with the power to use all currently held disguises, making it possible to explore more areas and gather even more hidden treasures. Each episode ends in a boss fight that challenges players to use a variety of disguises to defeat it.

Characters: Wario is joined by his new sidekick, a wand that lets him change into eight different disguises. He's also pursued by the master thief who wants his wand back, and who still has plenty of high-tech tricks up his sleeve. The episodes also feature more characters in search of the ancient artifact, plus dozens of new creatures. Wario's friendly new wand helps him switch disguises. Players use the stylus to draw a key piece of each disguise onto Wario to activate the change. The wand explains how to sketch these quick-changes in a tutorial.

Special powers/weapons/moves/features: Wario opens locked treasure chests by completing one of eight random minigames that grow harder, faster and more complex as the game progresses. If the players succeed, they'll get the treasure, key item or disguise power-up found specifically in that chest. If the player fails, the chest remains locked, the chest spits out exploding bombs and the player may return to try the chest (with a different minigame) again.

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