New Spyborgs Gameplay Videos

Capcom has released two new videos from their upcoming brawler, Spyborgs. These are entitled the bromance videos and show cooperative gameplay elements of two of their characters, Bouncer and Stinger.

Lobber


Shooter

Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena Go Gold

September 11, 2009 – The epic fight to save the galaxy is almost here as Spore™ Hero and Spore™ Hero Arena go gold – officially completed and ready for manufacturing! Built from the ground up exclusively for the Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ platforms, Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena introduce a new level of action-packed adventure, creativity and combat to the critically acclaimed Spore franchise. Both games will be available at North American retailers on Oct. 6 2009 and internationally on Oct. 9, 2009.

Spore Hero delivers the unparalleled creative freedom of Spore in an action-adventure game created exclusively for the Wii. Set in a rich and vibrant 3D world, Spore Hero empowers the player to become a hero as they embark on an epic quest to save their creature’s home planet from destruction. Along this journey, players will engage in challenging battles and solve puzzles to collect and unlock more than 250 new creature parts, all with unique abilities. These parts, which can be used to customize creatures in the revolutionary Spore Creature Creator, can change the way creatures will play and fight in the world. Players can also utilize their brawling skills in a dynamic multiplayer mode, where they battle their friends with their own customized creature to become the ‘baddest’ Spore hero around!

Spore Hero Arena catapults players into a galaxy filled with fun and intense arena-based combat. Featuring an all-new story set in the same universe as Spore Hero, Spore Hero Arena takes players on a quest to save planets in their galaxy from an evil force. Throughout the game, players create their own unique gladiator hero creature and guide it from planet to planet as they fight enemy creatures, collect new parts, gain upgrades and unlock special abilities that will benefit their hero. Developed with multiplayer capabilities in mind, Spore Hero Arena also allows players to battle with up to three friends locally or play with a friend over Wi-Fi, taking the Spore gameplay experience to an entirely new and interactive level.

Available for $49.99 MSRP, Spore Hero is rated E10+ by the ESRB. Spore Hero Arena is available for $29.99 MSRP and is rated E by the ESRB.





Source: PR Email

New Content Available for My Life as a Darklord

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord NEW CONTENT AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD TODAY

London (11th September 2009) – Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, today announces that new downloadable add-on content for FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: My Life as a Darklord™ for WiiWare™ is available from today.

The ever expanding world of FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord grows even bigger today thanks to its biggest release of downloadable content to date. With two spooky accessories, a chance to recruit FINAL FANTASY IV: The After Years™ dexterous Dragoon, Kain and two brand new stages for her insatiable thirst for conquering, our delightfully evil Darklord, Mira will be spoiled for choice. And she always gets what she wants! The full list of new content is as follows:

Gloomy Armband
200 Wii Points / Blocks Required: 1
Raises your NP by 50 at the start of battle. The effect is permanent with a single purchase. The more accessories you equip, the more NP you'll start with (and the prettier Mira will be). A man once prepared this for his lover, but she died in an accident before he could give it to her. Whoever touches it is said to be blighted by profound despair.

Wailing Doll
200 Wii Points / Blocks Required: 1
Raises your NP by 50 at the start of battle. The effect is permanent with a single purchase. Found in a mansion that burned to the ground, this doll is singed and stained. Anyone who holds it is said to hear it crying for its late owner for all eternity.

Kain
200 Wii Points / Blocks Required: 3
A stout ally making an appearance from FINAL FANTASY IV: The After Years. The strongest of melee fighters, mowing down adventurers with his nimble attack. Kain's prideful spirit and dragoon talents let him play a major role in any Darklord army's forces. Purchase this, and you can place as many of him as your NP allows on the floors.

A Fateful Clash!
500 Wii Points / Blocks Required: 3
Includes two stage collections of varying difficulty. A horde of powerful adventurers is champing at the bit to defeat Mira the Darklord. Shut those conceited peons up with the full brunt of your Darklord power!

Source: Square Enix Press Release

Ninja Captains Teaser Video

Nordcurrent has released a teaser video of their upcoming game Ninja Captains

Join the Ninja Captains in their pranks and capers this autumn; travel to famous cities like London, Sydney, Paris, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro plus many others. Travel the world and test yourself at bull running, sledding and Gondola racing…

The combination of wacky humour, addictive gameplay and exotic locations makes Ninja Captains a must-play title this year for anyone who owns a Wii or DS... Don’t miss out!




Source: Press Release

Retro Redux: Rachet & Clank or Why I Hate Console Exclusives

This week's Retro Redux is going to be a little bit different. I will tell you that I had originally planned on doing a sort of double feature look at DuckTales for the NES and the Game Boy. Unfortunately UPS runs caused that to not be possible so look forward to that for next week's edition. This week, instead, I'm going to talk a bit about Rachet & Clank for the PS2 and why games like this cause me to really dislike, if not downright hate console exclusive titles; yes I'm even looking at you Mario. Don't worry. I won't normally be doing retro looks at games from other consoles. This is strictly a Nintendo article. This just happened to coincide with an open spot in my Retro Redux schedule.

I have, for the most part, in my past been a one console guy. That mainly came about because I've never been able to afford more than one console at a time. That, also, has always been a Nintendo console. This comes about mostly from my intense love of the Mario and Zelda franchises, but also because they've typically been the console that was on the lesser end of the price range. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I am a fan of Nintendo's consoles, otherwise I probably wouldn't run a Nintendo website. That being said I also see the benefits of the other players in the market and respect the type of games they bring to the table. I'm not as fond of the fans of those consoles, but that's a different story.

Recently I was given a PS2 phat as payment for some work I did. It came with a large stack of games, mostly with Final Fantasy in the title. I've played a number of games in the Final Fantasy series and am generally a fan of those games, but because they've appeared on multiple consoles from different companies, this article isn't directed at them. Instead I'm looking at the original Rachet & Clank. Developed by Insomniac Games, this is the type of game that benefits from the system it was on. This game came out in 2002 and was one of the franchises that drove the PS2 to the popularity it has seen. It is also the type of game that would have benefited even more than it did by being on multiple consoles. Insomniac is not a Sony 1st or 2nd party developer. They are independent, but have chosen, for whatever reason to develop games exclusively for the PlayStation consoles. R&C is the perfect example of a game that would have fit perfectly into the family friendly nature of Nintendo's consoles and because it was a single platform game I am just now getting to enjoy the benefits of having played that game. I will also now be going back and playing through the entire franchise because I've enjoyed the first game that much.

Anyway, there are any number of reasons that games benefit from being single console style games. Brand recognition and fan loyalty is one of them. Publisher based income for an exclusive title is another and there are many more. Those are all valid business reasons that a developer puts a game on one companies console exclusively. Another, in the case of Mario is that it is developed by the platform holder themselves and they generally would never have their games appear on another system as it would pull sales away from themselves. Many people, and it seems more relevant in an economy like we have now, are forced to choose one platform over another. They weigh the pros and cons of whatever systems they are considering and they make their decision. Many times that decision may be loyalty to one company over another. They've had good experiences in the past with the company and they want to support them. Many times it's the recommendation of a friend. I can tell you I chose Nintendo this generation as both a loyalty thing and because they offer more family friendly experiences than Microsoft or Sony.

The problem comes when there are titles out there that I would love to play, but don't have the ability to because I don't own the system they come on. The Rachet & Clank franchise is a perfect example. I would also love to be able to play games like Gears of War, Viva Pinata, PixelJunk Monsters, Little Big Planet, or the new Final Fantasy titles. I won't be able to enjoy those titles this generation though because I can only afford one console. Perhaps in the future I'll have the opportunity to purchase one of the other systems of this generation. Most likely that will come during the next generation of consoles. There are huge bases of players that play exclusively one platform or another and don't get to experience all the gaming they would like.

Platform fanboys love to tout the console exclusive. It seems to justify their purchase or they just like to rub it in the face of other people that can't play the games they do because they chose the wrong system. The word port is an expletive among gamers because that means that a game has gone to another system. Many times those games come out at the same time. In the case of games like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare the port will come two years later and people will put it off as a cash in or something. Many Wii owners haven't gotten to play one of the best shooters to ever be released because they didn't own a 360, PS3 or a high powered PC. That's going to change and I, for one, think it's a wonderful thing that they'll finally be able to experience that game. The previous title and the latest edition of the franchise both were million sellers on Wii and now after two years and a developer change the game will finally come to the last system of this generation it can be ported to.

I would love to see the day of console exclusives disappear. I know that won't happen and I know the reasons why. I don't begrudge companies from making money. That's what they're created for in the first place. That's the beauty of the country we live in. I just want, as a single console owner, to be able to experience more games in the current generation than I can currently. And is that really such a bad thing?

August NPD's Released

PlayStation 2: 105.9K
PlayStation 3: 210.0K
PSP: 140.3K
Xbox 360: 215.4K
Wii: 277.4K
Nintendo DS: 552.9K


MADDEN NFL 10 (360; Aug-09) 928,000
WII SPORTS RESORT W/ WII MOTION PLUS (WII; Jul-09) 754,000
MADDEN NFL 10 (PS3; Aug-09) 665,000
BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM* (360; Aug-09) 303,000
BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM* PS3; Aug-09) 290,000
MADDEN NFL 10 (PS2; Aug-09) 160,000
DISSIDIA: FINAL FANTASY (PSP; Aug-09) 130,000
WII FIT* (WII; May-08) 128,000
MARIO KART W/WHEEL (WII; Apr-08) 120,000
FOSSIL FIGHTERS (NDS; Aug-09) 92,000

As you can clearly see, Nintendo is still dominating the hardware market. Both the DS and Wii were at the top of the list. Wii Sports Resort has sold nearly another million making it a close to 2 million unit seller in America since its release.

The big news of the day was that EA was unhappy with the sales of Madden NFL 10

"It is discouraging that one of our highest-rated and best-marketed Madden titles in years is facing strong headwinds."

Sales for the title on the Wii only hit the 67,000 mark, much less than last years 116,000 in sales for the same period.

Mr. Driller W Review (Wiiware)

Puzzle games are big sellers for downloadable services. Classic puzzle games are making a comeback in a big way. Put those two things together and you've got the recipe for a hit. Mr. Driller W is the latest classic puzzle game to get another shot at life, this time on WiiWare. This game is very similar to, and even stars the main character from, Dig Dug. The basic premise of the game, like most puzzle games, is very simple. You start at the top of the world and must make your way down to the goal at the bottom without dying. You have to be careful though, because you've got a limited supply of air. There is a meter on the right portion of the screen and when that air runs out you lose a life. You can dig straight down or to your right or left. While you're digging you have to watch out for blocks falling from above. If an area is cleared and there are loose blocks above that spot they will fall. If you happen to be occupying the space they fall to you will be crushed under the weight of those blocks.

There is some chance for relief though. If four or more blocks of the same color come in contact they will fuse together and disappear earning you more points to your overall score. You can use this to your advantage to string together large combos of blocks and rack up huge scores while you make your way down. There are also darker colored blocks that take a number of attempts to break them up. These blocks also take 20% of your oxygen level making them a gamble to go through. Scattered throughout the level are a number of air "pills" that you can use to replenish your oxygen supply allowing you more time to reach your goal. All of these elements combine together to make a very solid puzzle game that has a wide amount of challenge for differing skill levels. You can dig mostly straight down with a few deviations, but you won't score many points. You can look for large combos that will generate a huge number of points for you, but you run the risk of being crushed to death. There are a number of different difficulty levels that change up the toughness and depth you need to dig through to complete the level. Beginner difficulties have you digging down 300 meters with a few columns worth of width to play with. The more advanced settings have you digging down 900 or more meters and increase the width of the play area.

The visual style of the game is, for a lack of better description, very Japanese. All of the characters have exaggerated features that make them look ridiculously cute. There are a number of different characters to choose from that can vary up the play style a bit and add another layer of challenge on top of the already challenging game play. Some of the characters are faster than others, making them great for evading falling blocks. Others, such as the robot, are sturdier than others and allow you to be crushed up to two times before succumbing to death. Another character, a dog, allows you to climb up two blocks, rather than the standard one giving you more options for getting yourself out of trouble. They all vary from each other and allow you to choose a different character to suit your play style.

The play field itself looks like someone took their box of crayons and was told to have fun. There are many different blocks all very brightly colored and patterned that for the most part don't' have different effects. There are the one mentioned previously that are tougher than others. There are also crystal blocks that once you get within a certain distance of them will vanish which may or may not be beneficial to you. It's quite disheartening to be working solidly down a level only to have a block vanishing causing the entire play field above you to fall and crush you. You have to remember the path you have been taking because every inch of the play field is always in play and combos could be working themselves out where you can't see them. It really makes you choose between racing falling blocks to the bottom of the play field or trying to combo your way to safety.

For those control junkies out there, Mr. Driller W allows you to use any control scheme available for Wii, but the standard Wii Remote on its side is probably the one that you would want to use since the only controls necessary are the D-pad and the dig button. If you just like the feel of one of the other controllers those options are available for you and don't change up the game any, it will simply be a matter of preference.

Mr. Driller W is a very unique puzzle game that has been ported to a number of different platforms and for good reason. The game play is extremely addicting and you'll find yourself retrying levels over and over again. The patterns are not set and will randomize slightly between play through's, so every experience will be a little different. For hardcore puzzle gamers the length might be a bit of a turn off. There are only six main levels with three different difficulty levels and you'll blow through them in about an hour. The brilliance of a game like Mr. Driller comes not in the length, but in the game play itself and it definitely warrants playing if you've got just a few minutes to spare or you just want to work your brain for a little bit. There is something here for every skill level or age and it's well worth the 800 Point asking price.

Final Score: 4/5

Toys 'R' Us Used Game Program Goes Live Today

Do you have old Atari or Intellivsion games cluttering up your shelf that you want to get rid of? Well then, Toys 'R' Us has your answer. Starting today you can take in old games from just about any system to the store and if the value is right they'll give you a gift card for your troubles.

In order to take advantage of this you'll take used games to the Guest Services Desk of your local store. They'll scan the titles and give you a gift card. I would imagine any used titles available for sale will be stocked in the video game section of the store so after you receive that hard earned credit head back there and see what they have available.

If anyone takes advantage of this program let us know how it went and we'll update everyone on the service.

EnjoyUp Games Announces EnjoyUp Soccer for WiiWare

The ultimate Soccer comes back to Wii!

EnjoyUp Soccer is a funny soccer game that allows you total control of any action of you team players; Control the ball, dribble and shoot with effect to confuse the goalkeeper and score a goal!

The ball has inertia and will move freely over the field. Show your ability to control it and make short and long passes. Choose the height, effect and power before shooting to the goal. Become a soccer master and make your rival defenders tremble!

Each country has it's national team. You can create your own team with the in-game editor: give it the name you like, choose its equipment and the most important, play with your Mii's saved on the Mii Channel of your Nintendo Wii.

EnjoyUp SOCCER

- Free Control Ball, the ball has intertial free movement and you'll need to control it first.

- Total control of height, direction and effect in each pass and shot you make.

- Create your own teams using your Mii's.

- Play the World Cup!

- Local Multiplayer option for up to 4 players in cooperative or rival mode.

- Choose any available National Team.

EnjoyUp Soccer will be available for WiiWare during the First Quarter of 2010.

Source: Press Release

Top 20 WiiWare Titles: Week of September 7th

This week’s Top 20 WiiWare titles are based on the information from the week of September 7th, 2009 (parentheses indicate the previous week’s rank).

1 Reel Fishing Challenge (1)
2 My Aquarium (2)
3 Contra Rebirth (N/A)
4 World of Goo (3)
5 Tales of Monkey Island – Chapter 2 (13)
6 Tetris Party (5)
7 My Pokemon Ranch (4)
8 Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (6)
9 Texas Hold’em Tournament (7)
10 Sexy Poker (8)
11 Family Slot Car Racing (9)
12 Dr. Mario Online Rx (11)
13 Tales of Monkey Island – Chapter 1 (10)
14 Family Mini Golf (14)
15 Defend your Castle (16)
16 NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits (12)
17 Brain Challenge (18)
18 Water Warfare (15)
19 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Dark Lord (17)
20 Bust-A-Move Plus! (19)

Reel Fishing Challenge is one tough fight. It's not letting go of that top spot. Summer is almost over, so let's see if that has anything to do with that titles success or if it will continue to hold on. The biggest winner of the week was Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 2 which rose eight spots. Sexy Poker is continuing its slow downward slide, with Texas Hold'Em Poker by Gameloft coming out next week it may finally fall of the charts altogether. One title fell off this week as Cue Sports - Pool Revolution lost its spot when Contra Rebirth shot to the top of the chart.

People still like Final Fantasy, with two titles still holding strong, though My Life as a Darklord is in danger of falling off if any more quality titles are released soon. There are still two WiiWare launch titles in the top 20 showing just how strong those titles are.

Tune in again next week to see what continues to develop with the Top 20 WiiWare titles. I'm seeing a lot more red and not a lot of green on the chart.

MySims Party Review (Wii)

MySims Party is the third game from the Sims spin -- off franchise. It’s also the first MySims game to not contain building as the main component of the gameplay as well as the first of two alternate games in the MySims franchise. All of your favorite characters return and new friends are introduced.

For people familiar with the MySims franchise you’ll know exactly what you’re looking at. The Sims characters in MySims are geared towards a younger audience. They’re all saccharin sweet with big heads and huge eyes. The world of MySims has been changed again, back to the more familiar land of the original MySims game. You now live on a single island with extra areas that will become unlocked as you progress through the game. The world, which you name at the beginning of your adventure, is marked with lots of vibrant colors. Green expanses of grassy areas and broken up by brilliantly colored flower beds and cobblestone pathways.

The interface, like in other games in the series, is very friendly. Every box is rounded off and looks like something out of a child’s playroom. You feel very welcome, like you couldn’t be hurt by anything.

The Sims still have not learned English, and it’s not likely they will anytime soon. The language of Simlish is still as unintelligible as ever and what they say will never make any sense to you. The familiar jingles heard throughout the MySims franchise return in a slightly remixed form and are always instantly recognizable. Each character has a distinctive voice and the various catch phrases they say will become ingrained in your memory.

MySims Party takes a departure from the already established formula of building objects in the world to progress through the story. You are no longer going around town trying to help people rebuild their broken down city. Now, instead, you are invited to join in the cities various festivals. Each of these festivals begins with the Master of Ceremonies Emcee Emi and her pet monkey Mitch telling you who is going to be your host for the upcoming festivities. All of the mini games in MySims party are based around a theme. Sometimes these themes make sense; sometimes the connection is a little shakier. For instance, many of the minigames during the Delicious Festival will be based on the use of food, but they will also throw in a random game that doesn’t pertain to eating at all.

Once you begin the game you are given the chance to create the Sim that you will guide through the story. This process has never been easy in the MySims games and is made even more tedious during MySims Party. To create your character you are given a template character which you can then edit by pointing to different locations on your Sim and hitting the A or B button. This will cycle through the available options, but takes about 2 seconds between the time you click on the area and the next option loads. This would have been made much more user friendly if when you click on an area, such as the head, you are given a drop down list that you can choose from rather than having to cycle through everything before making your final choice. You’ll also have the option of assigning points to four different statistics that the Sim will use to play the different events; power, speed, stamina, and luck.

Once your character has been created you’ll then waggle, wiggle and shake your way through 50 different minigames during these various celebrations. While there are 50 different mini-games to choose from they are less varied and many of them are variations on a theme. For instance in one mini-game you will be shooting different colored clay pigeons, and in another you’ll be shooting pumpkin heads. Each game is also assigned one or two statistics that your Sim will use during that game. Once the game is over that statistic is reduced by one point to a minimum of one.

The controls during minigames that are based on motion control are less enjoyable due to them not being as responsive as you would like them to be. Motions were often misinterpreted or just didn’t feel responsive enough to control your character effectively. The games based on classic style controls or even the pointer are more effective because the controls work well. Button presses are never misinterpreted, the pointer is very responsive and you’ll have no trouble pointing where you need to point to finish a game.

Pacing during the game is sluggish. Between every minigame you will be taken back to the town square where the Sim hosting the game will have to make some comment on what just happened. This is often repeated and drags the game’s pace down considerably. After they speak you then board a bus which takes you to an unknown destination where you play the different games that are available. Randomly between games you will be taken to an event where you can replenish lost stats by playing a random choose a card style game. This card can increase, or decrease the stat used during the previous minigame, restore all of your team’s stats or do nothing. This doesn’t happen at any predictable moment and could, rather easily, happen between every game adding even more time to an already slow pace of play.

You will also have to play festivals multiple times in order to progress through the story. Rather than a simple linear progression where once you complete a festival the next one unlocks you have to replay festivals multiple times before the next one will unlock. There is no rhyme or reason as to how or when these unlock. You must simply continue participating in different festivals before being able to proceed. Luckily, if you don’t want to play through the story mode and you just want to play the games they are all available from the beginning and do not need to be unlocked.

There is no online multiplayer in MySims Party, which would have made for some more interesting experiences if you can not get friends to come over and play multi-player. You can have up to four people playing locally on the same console. Online interaction is instead limited to online leaderboards where you can compare your scores during the festivals to other players around the world.

MySims Party is attempting to be a party game collection that people will turn to. The problem is there are better games that do the same thing already. The addition of teams of players and statistics is not enough to differentiate this title. Pace of play also needs to be increased to keep the game from dragging down. Fans of the MySims franchise may enjoy the game for a while, but the issues the game has will not keep people coming back for more after a few play sessions.

The MySims franchise has worked on the strength of the user interactions. Building various objects and creating things are what the franchise was built on. There is none of that in this game and it just feels like a cash-in and tacking a popular franchise onto a lackluster game.

Final Score: 2/5

Texas Hold'Em Poker Coming On Monday

Gameloft has confirmed that Texas Hold'Em Poker will be available on WiiWare starting Monday, September 14th. Here's the launch trailer for your enjoyment.

Style Savvy Meets Fasion Week

Nintendo’s Style Savvy Hits the Fashion Week Runway with Charlotte Ronson

A unique partnership between Nintendo and acclaimed designer Charlotte Ronson is putting an interactive twist on this year’s Fashion Week festivities in New York. To celebrate the upcoming launch of Style Savvy™, the new fashion game for the Nintendo DS™ and Nintendo DSi™ hand-held systems, Ronson and Nintendo will give attendees a sneak preview of the game at the Sept. 11 runway show after-party for Ronson’s hotly anticipated spring 2010 line.

Style Savvy, which launches this holiday season, invites players to create a fashion-forward boutique, help customers in the game find their perfect style using 16 different brands and compete in glamorous runway contests. Using Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection and a broadband Internet connection, players can also connect wirelessly with friends to shop in their boutiques and join up for multiplayer runway shows.

“Style Savvy transforms some of my fashions from the real world into a portable fashion experience that players can take with them anywhere,” Ronson said. “Now everyone can explore their creative instincts and become a fashion stylist.”

Later in the year, Style Savvy players will be able to access Charlotte Ronson Designer Downloads. Players will be able to download items from her fall 2009 line directly into the game. It’s yet another way that Nintendo gives consumers the tools to completely customize their video game experiences.

Consumers have the option of playing Style Savvy on some new, fashionable hardware as well. Starting Sept. 13, the Nintendo DSi system will be available in White and Pink, in addition to the Blue and Black versions already on the market.

Source: PR Email

Interview With David Braben (Lost Winds: Winter of the Melodias)

LostWinds was a launch title for the WiiWare service. It was met with a great reception and is still on many gamers favorite WiiWare games lists. David Braben, Founder of Frontier Developments, has joined us for a few minutes to talk about the upcoming sequel LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias. I'd like to thank David for his time and for joining us today.

First of all, what can you tell us about the story of Lost Winds: Winter of the Melodias?

I’d like to avoid spoilers, but in general:

Little time has passed since the events which unfolded between Toku, Enril, Deo and Magmok in “LostWinds”.


Notéa's sudden return from an expedition brings with it saddening news. Whilst searching for the ruins of the Melodia City Toku's mother, Magdi, has mysteriously disappeared. The only clues to her whereabouts lie within the tattered remains of her treasured journal.

As repayment for saving his life, the ancient Guardian Magmok pledges his assistance to Toku and Enril as they head up into the mountains in search of Magdi. Toku and Enril arrive at Summerfalls Village, a picturesque location that has been beset by an eternal winter. Even more worryingly, its people now live in fear of ferocious monsters that hide in the snow. Fearing the worst, and with the chilling cold taking its toll, Toku and Enril seek the help of Sonté the Spirit of Seasons. Sonté's season changing powers will provide the key to unravelling the plight of Summerfalls, and unearth an ancient curse that haunts the Melodia City.

As events continue to take unexpected turns, Toku and Enril venture onward. Wielding their new powers with care and in the face of potentially fatal dilemmas, Toku and Enril are plunged into a race against time to save not only the life of Toku's mother but also the future of Mistralis.

We think players will be much more engaged in this story and its twists and turns in a way that wasn’t possible in the first game.

One of the biggest complaints was that the original Lost Winds was too short. How has this affected the development of Winter of the Melodias and can you tell us how long you expect this game to last? We know WiiWare games have a fairly small size limit. What types of things can you tell us that you're doing to help put as much content in the games as you can with that small limit?

You have to remember we are fitting an environment-based game into a strict file-size limit, which is always a challenge. We are aware of people’s perceptions of the play time of the first game, and have been able to learn a lot from our experience of developing it, and so have been able to cram even more into the space. There are significant optimizations which have really helped us to save space, and therefore add more content, and new and different types of gameplay. I don’t have a hard figure for you, as it depends on the player, but we’re confident that Winter of the Melodias will be significantly longer than the first game for any given player.

Lost Winds was a launch title for WiiWare. What were some of the things you learned by being one of the first games on the service? How have you seen things change since that time?

Other than the things mentioned above, the big thing we have benefitted from is seeing how the pricing has settled down on the service. For the first game we were entirely blind, this time there is a history.

Toku and Enril's first adventure was pretty innovative for platformers. How has motion control changed the way you think about things when you're developing a game? What types of motion will we see in Winter?

Thanks – we’ve tried very hard to make this game as innovative as the first one; not rest on our laurels and just churn out more levels, but really take the game forward with some novel new gameplay elements, different and better environments, NPCs being more involved in the game and so on. We now have swimming, control of water – freezing, melting, making clouds, rain - there are many exciting new things you can do.

Will we still have all the powers that we had in the first game and how are you adding more without overwhelming the player with control options?

The game starts with the player having all the powers they obtained by the end of the first game, and gradually new powers are added (and hardly ever taken away ;-) ). A clear control system is one of LostWinds’ strengths, and a lot of thought and testing has gone into all the new features that have been added to make sure they all feel as intuitive as in the first game. Most of the new abilities are based on context, so need no new controls (like swimming, changing the seasons), and the main new ability that does need a control, cyclone, is used widely in many different ways so you will get used to it very quickly.

I know one of the biggest issues I had with Lost Winds was getting lost because I didn't have any sort of map to follow. Will that be added to help guide players during Toku's next adventure?

Again that’s something we are aware of from the first game. LostWinds generally for us is an explorative experience and we certainly don’t want to remove this. But yes we’ve thought very hard about how we can give more general guidance and context to the player with a high level map that doesn’t reveal too much, but avoids getting lost. We’ve used a variety of techniques and are very happy with the balance we’ve struck.

Seasons have played a part in games before and Winter of the Melodias has had a season element added. Is that going to be something that Toku or Enril will have some control over or will there be a new character introduced?

Again trying to avoid spoilers, Toku and Enril earn the help of Sonté the Spirit of Seasons, allowing them to use her amazing power to switch between Summer and Winter at will in order to help them on their journey. So the player has to use the different characteristics of each season to help them during gameplay.

What are your feelings on the sales of the first game and how do you expect this sequel to compare? Have you ever thought that LostWinds might benefit from a full retail release or has this been something that has always been thought of as a WiiWare franchise? Do you have any ideas for the franchise past this game?

Obviously we wouldn’t be doing a second WiiWare game if we didn’t think we’d be happy with the sales  There is nothing limiting LostWinds to WiiWare, and yes we have a TON of ideas going forward – its such a strong concept and world, and we have a huge enthusiasm for more.


Lastly, when can we expect to see Winter of the Melodias available for download and how many Wii Points will it cost?

Sorry, can’t reveal this yet.

I want to thank you very much for your time and we're looking forward to more information on this game as it becomes available.

It’s a pleasure, thanks for your interest!

Stay tuned to Nintendo Okie for more information on LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias when it becomes available.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii Screenshots

New screenshots released from PAX for New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Pokemon Rumble Screenshots

Screenshots released from PAX for Pokemon Rumble coming to WiiWare later this year.

Michael Pacter Once Again Predicts A Price Cut

Michael Pachter, analyst for Wedbush Morgan is once again announcing that Wii will get a price cut. This time he says it will be no later than November.

We estimate sell-through of 240,000 Wii hardware units (down 47% from last year), 205,000 Xbox 360 (up 5% from last year), and 160,000 PS3 consoles (a 14% year-over-year unit decline) as the overall sales decline trends continued until price cuts spurred demand in the last few days of the month. Sony cut the PS3 price in the last week of the month, and we expect to see PS3 sales grow substantially in September. We do not think that Nintendo’s Wii hardware forecast is achievable without a price cut, and as long as the Wii remains at its November 2006 launch price of $249.99, we expect continued year-over-year declines for that console’s sales. We expect a Wii price cut no later than November. - Wedbush Morgan analyst, Michael Pachter

I don't know how many different news stories I've heard where someone says that Wii has to receive a drop in price to stay competitive or to meet sales goals. Every time, the rumour is countered by Nintendo saying that it won't happen or they're happy with sales figures to that point. Eventually, though, you'll have to give him credit. At least once he's going to be right.

Atari Announces Backyard Football '10

NEW YORK, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Atari, one of the world's most recognized video game publishers, announced today plans to release the newest installment of the number one youth football video game franchise this October with Backyard Football '10. For the first time ever, this must have title will be on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and has earned Microsoft's "Family Friendly" status, which requires the game to pass a strict set of criteria based on rating, ease of play and audience appeal. Backyard Football '10, which also returns to Wii(TM) and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, features new co-op play for exciting 2 vs 2 action and is packed with a roster full of NFL superstars featured as animated middle-schoolers in the game.

Backyard Football '10, featuring NFL players as kids, combines realistic NFL plays and strategies with wild arcade style power moves and comical scenarios so gamers of all ages can learn the fundamentals of football while having fun. Multiple levels make it easy enough for beginners, yet challenging enough for even die-hard football fans.

"Featuring NFL players as kids gives youth gamers a unique and friendly environment to interact with their favorite NFL stars, while providing easy game-play for consumers of all ages," said Keith Gordon, Vice President of Licensing, NFL PLAYERS. "We're very happy about what Backyard Football '10 has to offer."

In addition to new co-op, 2 vs. 2 multi-player action, Backyard Football '10 features enhanced controls, new unlockables, insane power ups, custom teams and characters, multiple play modes (single player, season play, tournament and all-pro) as well as a hall of fame from Backyard Football '09.

Rated "E" (for everyone) by ESRB, Backyard Football '10 will be available on Xbox 360 ($39.99), Wii(TM) ($29.99) and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system ($19.99).

Backyard Football is part of the Backyard Sports series, the only game brand licensed by nearly ALL professional US sports leagues: National Football League (NFL), NFL PLAYERS, Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Players Association, National Basketball Association, and National Hockey League. Since 1996, the franchise has sold nearly 12 million units and has received over a hundred awards. What's more, according to an independent study, 15 percent of boys in the United States ages five to 10 own at least one Backyard Sports game.

Source: Atari Press Release

This Week in Nintendo History: September 6th to September 12th

History has a way of repeating itself. Hopefully, though, we're not doing too much of that here. This week, we get more excuses, Pokemon (it seems like a new game is released every week), Donkey Kong, and the birth of one of the most important men in Nintendo's history. I bet it's not who immediately comes to mind, sorry Mr. Miyamoto. Let's jump right in.

September 6th brought about yet another Game & Watch title. Much like the Pokemon I talked about in the opening comments, it seems like we hear about a new one of these games every week. They're great fun though so it's not all that bad. This time though we get the release of Donkey Kong Circus. This game came out at the same time as Mickey Mouse on the Panorama and were ssentially identical. The only difference being that in this game you controlled Donkey Kong while he juggles sticks, though when a torch comes you're required not to touch it or else you'll be burned. There was also a bit of a mix up with these two games as their models numbers are switched. Donkey Kong Circus' model number is MK-96, when it should be DC-95. Since this posed no real problem the error was never corrected.

September 8th, 2008 was Virtual Console day in America. On that day American gamers received one of the more unique virtual console titles we've gotten. It was import day for the VC and on that day we received Cho Aniki and Final Soldier. Both of these games were for the Turbo Grafix 16.

Chef was another title released for the Game & Watch. This title was released on September 8th, 1981. In this game you were required to juggle three pieces of food at the same time. If one of them hit the floor you would lose a life. Lose three lives and it's game over. Chef has been re-released in two Game & Watch Gallery titles; Two and Four for the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance respectively. This title is also featured in Mr. Game & Watch's moveset in Super Smash Bros. Brawl when he flips pancakes at enemies.

September 8th, 1989 was the date that The Legend of Zelda premiered on American television. This was where the famous phrase "Well, excuuuuse me. Princess." was first heard. This show started off as the Friday cartoon that would appear during the Super Maro Bros. Super Show. An interesting point of note about the series is that it only ever mentioned two pieces of the Triforce, Wisdom and Power. Courage was nowhere to be seen. The show ran for 13 episodes.

Pokemon FireRed and Pokemon LeafGreen would hit the scene on September 9th, 2004. These were remakes of the originalPokemon Red and Pokemon Green for the Game Boy Color. Pokemon LeafGreen was also the first time that title had appeared in America as Pokemon Green was an exclusive in Japan that was replaced with Pokemon Blue in America. These titles would fix some of the glitches found in the original games as well as updated the graphics to the 16 bit style of the Game Boy Advance. The menu button was also moved the the L/R shoulder buttons.

September 10th, 2007 was Virtual Console Monday in America again. This time there were a range of releases. American gamers saw the release of NES Play Action Football for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for the Sega Genesis, and Neutopia II for the Turbo-Grafix 16.

War broke out on the GBA on September 10th, 2001. Advance Wars was released to the masses. This was a turn based strategy game that is part of a series that spans from Famicom Wars on the NES to Battalion Wars on the Wii and touches nearly every platformbetween the two. You used a force made up of infantry, armour and aircraft to take the fight to your enemies. Advance Wars is set in the fictional empire of the Orange Star, where you as the player work as an "advisor" to several Commanding Officers in the Orange Star Army, each having their own advantages and disadvantages.

Now we get to probably the most important day so far in our look back at Nintendo's history. On September 10th, 1941 Mr. Gunpei Yokoi was born. This man was responsible for the design of a number of Nintendo systems including the Game Boy, Game & Watch and the Virtual Boy. He was also the man behind the Metroid franchise and Kid Icarus. Mr. Yokoi was hired by Hiroshi Yamauchi as an electrician on their Hanafuda card assembly line when an invention of his known as the Ultra Hand caught Mr. Yamauchi's eye. The rest is, as they say, history. Mr. Yokoi was also responsible for a young man known as Shigeru Miyamoto when he was hired by the company.

It was a sad day in Nintendo's history when this man was killed. On October 4th, 1997 he was driving along the road with an associate, Etsuo Kiso, when they spotted an accident. The two pulled over to help when another car slammed into them crushing Mr. Yokoi. He was rushed to a hospital, but was pronounced dead two hours later.

Mr. Yokoi was, as mentioned, the mentor to a young Shigeru Miyamoto who would go on to create the plumber known and loved by many as Mario. On September 11th, 2006 Mario would take to the hardwood in the Mushroom Kingdom's version of basketball. Mario Hoops 3-on-3 hit the courts that day with its own unique brand of basketball for the NIntendo DS. This game was developed by Square Enix who had intended the game to be an original basketball game. They felt, though, that it would benefit from the Mario franchise being added and Nintendo allowed the collaboration. It features 16 characters from the Mario universe and five characters from the Square Enix universe playing on nine different courts. Much like theother sports games that feature Mario character it bears only a slight resemblence to the original sport.

Our last day of the week features two hit titles from third party developers. First on the list is Cooking Mama by Majesco, released on September 12th, 2006. This title has been credited with single handedly saving the company from distaster as it has sold over 4 million copies alone. This is a cooking theme mini game collection where you use simple mini games to prepare different parts of a meal. Combine them together and receive a score based on how well you did. The game's cute main character, simple game design and immense replayability combined for a title that has been a huge hit. It has spawned a number of sequels on both the DS and the Wii and the franchise overall has sold over 8 millions units to date.

Last on the list, but certainly not least, and released on the same day as Cooking Mama is Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. This game is considered by many to be the best of the Lego franchise released to date. It covers the events of the original Star Wars trilogy and combines it with the universal appeal of Lego. There are dozens upon dozens of playable characters, vast locals and loads of unlockable content. This game also features a cameo of the legendary archeologist, Indiana Jones. Chances are if you like either Star Wars or building things with Legos then you have played and enjoyed this game. This game also received a bit of a re-release when it was combined with the first Lego Star Wars and packaged as Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga.

Another week down in the history books. Let me know what you think of the column. Is there anything you know of coming up and would like to see included in the article? If so leave me a comment and let me know. It could end up on the site.

The Promised Monster Hunter Surprise

Behold, the promised Monster Hunter surprise: your chance to design, name (or design AND name)a weapon in MonsterHunter Tri!

Sword, bow, shield, lance--any official category is welcome. You imagine it, send it to us, and if we choose your design, it could end up in the game. This is really pretty simple in the details, and there's even a chance for people with no design skills to get involved by coming up with a great name for a few as-yet unnamed artifacts.

We need your entries no later than Sunday, Sept 27th, 11:59PM BST in order to give the team time to work on them, so get cracking! It may be Labor Day in the US, but I'm guessing more than a few of you are going to nose to the grindstone on this one right away...

Hit the jump for full rules!


Can you master the art of weapon forging?

You've slaughtered and captured monsters, gathered together for life-threatening missions and ventured in perilous grounds but do you have what it takes to forge the perfect Monster Hunter's weapon? Prove it!

To celebrate its ever growing Community, Capcom has two challenges for all Monster Hunters:

FORGE THE WEAPON: design a new weapon for Monster Hunter Tri (PAL region). The weapon must belong to one of the official categories (Great Sword, Sword & Shield, Hammer, Lance, Switch Axe, Long Sword, Bowgun - Light, Medium, Heavy).
NAME THE WEAPON: your drawing skills haven't improved since you were 2 years old but words are your thing and you have always thought there should be a Long Sword called Aninchlong in game? We have some nameless, mysterious weapons in need of befitting names. Submit your suggestion indicating what category the weapon belongs to.

The rules


General

This competition is open to EU, Australia and New Zealand residents only (see Capcom Europe for EU, Australian, and New Zealand submissions)
Submissions can only be acceptedby sending a message with the relevant contents or links.
Entrants must be 18 years or older
Winners will be selected at Capcom's discretion
Capcom reserves the right to amend and modify any part of the competition at any time

Forge the Weapon

Only one entry/drawing for each forum member. Multiple entries submitted through multiple accounts by the same person will be disqualified
The submitted design can be accompanied by an original weapon name
Any drawing technique is allowed

Name the Weapon

Only one entry per category allowed (Great Sword, Sword & Shield, Hammer, Lance, Switch Axe, Long Sword, Bowgun - Light, Medium, Heavy)
Copyrighted names are not acceptable and will be disqualified
Inappropriate and/or offensive names will be disqualified


Terms and Conditions

Please read the following very carefully.

By entering this competition and submitting your suggestions and original design you:

(a) grant the Company (Capcom) and any Competition sponsor(s) the right to use your design or any related rights for the purpose of this Competition

(b) accept that all entries (and all copyright and other intellectual property rights in them) will become the property of the Company (Capcom) upon receipt and entries will not be returned. You will retain all rights you have in the copyright and other intellectual property rights comprising the Competition entry but, by entering the Competition, you grant the Company and its licensees the right free of charge to your Competition entry; and

(c) waive any moral rights or similar rights you have in your Competition entry whether such rights arise pursuant to the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988 (the ""Act"") or equivalent legislation anywhere elsewhere in the world.

(d) Whilst it is their intention to use the winning content, Capcom cannot guarantee that such content will be included in Monster Hunter Tri or that it will be included without alterations.

THQ Announces World of Zoo Animal Creator

THQ OPENS THE ONLINE GATES FOR GAMERS TO CREATE THEIR VERY OWN ANIMALS FOR THE SOON-TO-BE-RELEASED WORLD OF ZOO™ VIDEO GAME

AGOURA HILLS, Calif. – September 1, 2009 – THQ Inc. today announced the launch of its World of Zoo video game Web site, www.worldofzoo.com, which includes a trial application of the company’s new and innovative downloadable Animal Creator tool that will allow players to create and design their very own World of Zoo animals. The Animal Creator program is a new and unique feature available only in World of Zoo, which is scheduled to be released to all major retail outlets for Wii home video game system, Nintendo DS, and Windows PC in November 2009.

Using the Animal Creator program, players will be able to create their favorite zoo animals, save them on their hard drive, and share them with their families and friends via e-mail and other social networking or photo sharing sites. Players can also upload their customized animals into the full retail version of the Windows PC game once it is available, place the animals in their exhibits, and interact and play with them. With the Animal Creator, players can create and customize an endless number of animals with different names, colors, traits, and personalities.

Nintendo Download: Week of September 7th

It's download time in Nintendo town again. This week we get the return of one of Konami's most storied franchises in Contra Rebirth. Go on an intergalactic color absorbing journey with Excee's ColorZ. The final part of the Star Wars trilogy is now available and hang out with the family in the next installment of Clubhouse Games Express.

WiiWare

Contra Rebirth
Publisher: Konami
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Chief Salamander and his Neo-Salamander Force travel back to 1973 A.D. to invade Earth. They land in Central America and take control of the Shizuoka ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula. There, the aliens plan the destruction of all the “Contra” on Earth. The Galactic President calls on Lance Bean, a member of the elite “Contra” warriors, to save the day, but his sudden disappearance jeopardizes the safety of the planet. Now, Bill Rizer and samurai Genbei Yagyu are the last hope for Earth. They must pick up their weapons and defeat the evil Neo-Salamander Army before all is lost. Experience the fast-paced, action-packed, side-scrolling adventure that pioneered the run-and-gun genre.

ColorZ
Publisher: Exkee
Players: 1-3
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Comic Mischief
Price: 700 Wii Points
Description: With ColorZ, go forth in your spaceships on a mission to clean up virus-infested planets. Immerse yourself in a new gaming experience that will reveal mind-hand-eye coordination skills you never knew you had. Absorb viruses of your own color, but steer clear of the others. If necessary, you can cleverly merge your ships together to create new colors. Buzz past your enemies to keep your combo and clock up a new high score. Explore an extra dimension with the game’s multiplayer mode and share the unique experience of cooperative play between friends. Pool your forces, synchronize your movements and become a unified team of up to three players to meet the challenge together.

Virtual Console

Super Return of the Jedi
Original platform: Super NES™
Publisher: LucasArts
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Join the Rebellion and crush the Death Star in a giant universe filled with all the action and adventure of the Star Wars® finale. Take command of five different characters — from Wicket the Ewok to Princess Leia — and go up against the Empire’s worst, from Jabba the Hutt to the Emperor himself. You’re going to need every ounce of Force you’ve got in you. Battle in actual movie locales, from Jabba the Hutt’s palace to the Forest of Endor and the Emperor’s Tower. Cross sabers with the darkest of the dark side: Bib Fortuna, Jabba the Hutt, the rancor, Darth Vader and the Emperor.

Nintendo DSiWare

Clubhouse Games™ Express: Family Favorites
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-8
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Choose from five family-friendly games in this Nintendo DSiWare version of the popular Clubhouse Games. Play classic card games like Hearts and Contract Bridge; connect bones to other bones in Dominoes; think strategically in the simple but addictive Dots and Boxes; and move your pieces towards a common goal in Ludo. Play by yourself or use DS Download Play to host as many as seven friends.