Third party devs mad at Nintendo, frowns everywhere
Nintendo kept tight lipped about the MotionPlus accessory and its third-party developers aren’t too happy about that.
When the MotionPlus accessory was unveiled at E3 fans everywhere were skeptic of its intent, but also surprised at the possiblities it could potentially bring. As many fans had their jaws drop to the floor in anticipation at Wii Sports Resort, third-party Nintendo developers also had to pick their tongues up off the floor.
Apparently, Nintendo failed to disclose any information of the new peripheral to its external developers. What does this mean? Well, it means we probably won’t be seeing many, if any, third-party games in the near future utilizing the accessory. Oh well, it looks like we’ll be stuck with “the cutest game you’ve ever seen” and hilarious lightsaber battles.
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...Nintendo gets sued, DS still prints money
If you haven’t picked up a classic controller yet, you might want to do so. Hurry!
The Texas-based company Anascape Ltd. is making life misterable for video game console manufactures everywhere. First, it was Microsoft and now its aimed right at everyone’s favourite - Nintendo. Anascape, who has apparently patented the use of analog sticks, is looking for $21 million dollars of Big N money. What does this do for Nintendo you ask? This could effectively kill off the distribution of Wii classic controllers and the popular Gamecube and Wavebird controllers as well.
Nintendo doesn’t seem to phased by the lawsuit, though. They plan to appeal this case to the Federal Circuit court.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Are you excited for SF 4?
Street Fighter: Sonic Booming its way into your living room since 1987.
Ever since I got my hands on a copy of Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, I’ve been a fan of the Capcom series. Its simple pickup and play style appealed to the button mashers but it also featured a level of depth that could only be reached with many, many hours of play. My copy is still downstairs and I’m not ashamed to admit I will probably buy it for the Virtual Console when I get some Wii points.
All the personal gibberish aside, the fourth generation of the Street Fighter franchise has already hit Japanese arcades by storm - vacuuming change out of teen pockets everywhere. The question is, however, do you care?
The series, which debuted in 1987, remains virtually unchanged. The main stays of the cast return: Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, E. Honda, Blanka, Dhalsim, Zangief, Balrog, Vega, Sagat and M. Bison - while four new characters have joined the bout: Abel, C. Viper, El Fuerte, Rufus and Seth.
Forgive me if I sound cynic but, isn’t this exactly what Capcom has done in the past to milk the franchise? In Street Fighter II Turbo, they allowed users to play as Balrog, Vega, Sagat and M. Bison. In Alpha, Capcom gave us eight new characters but replaced some of the fan favourites in the process. This sounds like Mario Kart syndrome to me - giving the fans just enough to justify the purchase but never giving the full experience it should.
Either way, I will be purchasing Street Fighter IV. Whether I buy it for PC or convince myself to buy it for the 360 I don’t have will be another story all together, but, one thing is for sure, Capcom definitely has not messed with the formula that made the franchise successful.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...But does it play Doom?
Was Doom even that good? Yes, it was; but, it’s time to let it go.
Video games of today have all the graphical power you could ask for: humans look like humans, aliens are more terrifying, grass looks like real grass and Katamari continues to roll record breaking ball sizes. Players are able to interact with their games more than ever before: they can sing, dance and even put a digital copy of their face onto sprites. What more could you ask for? Well, there is always one question that tends to pop up: Does it play Doom?
All video gamers want to know is if they’ll be able to play a game released back in 1993. When the PSP and DS broke into the handheld market, developers were bombarded with questions regarding emulation. When will Doom come out? When will I be able to play NES games? The list goes on.
If Doom was the peak of the video game experience, we probably wasted 15 years developing bigger and badder systems. I mean, Doom’s a good game and all, but, lets face it - it’s time to let go.
The nostalgia factor is off the charts whenever a new system, especially handheld systems, are announced. Personally, I wouldn’t mind being able to play Megaman 3 on my PSP. I wouldn’t mind being able to play TMNT2: The Arcade Game on my DS. It is time, however, to let go. Doom is not the be-all end-all of the video game experience.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Final Fantasy XIII for all, Sony not pleased
Will Sony want to share Final Fantasy with the 360? Well, it doesn’t really matter what Sony thinks anymore.
Take that Sony, not only do you have the most expensive piece of next-gen equipment on the market, you’ve also lost exclusivity to one of your staple games: Final Fantasy. This delivers a pretty considerable blow to the PS3’s marketability. For one, you don’t need to own the highly touted PS3 to throw down your Fira - that’s a reward in itself.
So what will be able to save Sony from further oblivion? Well, to be honest, I don’t even think a price cut will be able to save it. With the Wii stable at $279.99 and the 360 dipping under the $299.99 for the time being, it’ll be hard for the PS3 to compete.
The fanboys will cry Blu-Ray, but, lets be realistic here - you don’t buy a PS3 to watch Blu-Ray movies, it’s just not logical. I’ve never accepted that rationale and I don’t think I ever will. Why on earth would you spend $399.99 to watch movies when you could just throw down $50.00 to watch the same thing? But that’s another argument for another piece.
In conclusion, Sony you get screwed again. Take that. Now send me a PS3 so I can see exactly how fantastic having a Blu-Ray player is please.
(2 votes, average: 3.5 out of 5) Loading ...Nintendo unveils ‘cutest game you’ve ever seen’
Will the Wii Motion Plus accessory make the Wii remote into a better lightsaber?
During Nintendo’s E3 demo on Tuesday, the Big N threw out a lot of news - most of which, are not worth mentioning.
First, sales are up for the DS and Wii across the board.
Second, the DS will be getting a version of Grand Theft Auto called Chinatown Wars.
Third, and most importantly, a demo of the new Wii Motion Plus adapter was shown. For those of you unfamiliar with the new peripheral, it’s supposed to give the Wii remote a more accurate sense of the player’s arm movement.
At E3, the new add-on was shown and the audience was treated to a demo of Disc Dog (aka ‘the cutest game you’ve ever seen’), a Wave Race knockoff and an American Gladiators joust-type game. These three games will be included with the new Wii Sports Resort which will also come with an extended Wii jacket and Wii Motion Plus. The three-piece bundle will cost approximately $49.99.
Am I sold on the new peripheral? Not at all. I don’t see why Nintendo would try and make the Wii remote more accurate - shouldn’t it already be the most accurate representation of on-screen action to player movement? I mean, isn’t that what people buy the Wii? To say the Wii remote is broken is a long shot, but this seems like a money grab in my opinion. Here’s the demo for your viewing pleasure:
Are you sold?
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Update: Rock Band 2 set list finalized, we think
On your marks, get set … rock?
According to a Harmonix press release, the set list for Rock Band 2 has been cleared for landing. The list, which features just under 85 songs, highlights some new comers to the band revolution era (Survivor, Linkin Park, AC/DC and Bon Jovi) while giving the fans what they truly want, more Foo Fighters! Well, there’s only one Foo Fighters track on this list, Everlong, which was shown in the trailer.
The list might not appeal to everyone, personally; I could only recognize about five or six songs on the list - but any list is bound to have its bumps and bruises. Let the stone casting begin.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Rock Band 2 teaser hits, looks like original
It’s going to be real interesting to see how Harmonix cleans up Rock Band 2. I mean, the original, in terms of graphics, presentation and GUI, was pretty good. In any case, here’s the trailer for Rock Band 2. The featured song is Everlong by the Foo Fighters, just in case you fall in love with it and it starts to get on your nerves. Be warned though, it looks pretty much like the original, which isn’t really a bad thing.
As the saying goes, if it isn’t broken, you’re not trying hard enough. Err, I mean, don’t fix it.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...360 price cuts confirmed, this time by MS
Take that Nintendo - looks like you’re not the only console under $299.99 anymore.
After lots of speculation, magazine ad cut outs and, really, common sense, it seems the Xbox 360 pro bundle will be seeing a $50.00 price cut - effective immediately. This cuts the 20gb console to a reasonable $299.99, which makes it just a bit more than a Nintendo Wii and, still, much more affordable than a PS3.
The reason for the price cut? Microsoft is looking to introduce a new 60gb model sometime in August, which will retail for $349.99.
This move further ensures Microsoft is not looking to jump ship on the 360 anytime soon. With the new model coming out, which includes the Jasper chipset, and the Opus and Valhalla sets due out eventually, it seems MS is ready to stand behind the 360 for at least a little while longer. How long is anyone’s guess, though. Remember, the 360 released a full year ahead of the Wii and PS3 so it really is all guess work as to when Microsoft is going to come out with its third console.
For now, however, this price cut places the 360 in Wii-price territory and owners looking to delve into the console wars should seriously consider picking one up. But, to each his own.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Price cut coming to 360, everyone but Microsoft confirms
It’s about time. Sony, ball’s in your court.
Microsoft remains mum about the coming price cut to the 360 but Joystiq has all but confirmed it using a montage of flyers from various retailers.
Looks like the 20gb Xbox 360 will be getting a $50.00 price cut. No word on whether the Elites will be seeing a similar dip.
Hit the link here to see exactly what I’m talking about.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Highest Rated
- Final Fantasy XIII for all, Sony not pleased (3.5 out of 5)
- Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) - Just around the corner. (3 out of 5)
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- Are you excited for SF 4? (0 out of 5)
- Nintendo gets sued, DS still prints money (0 out of 5)
- Third party devs mad at Nintendo, frowns everywhere (0 out of 5)
- Final Fantasy XIII for all, Sony not pleased