The Game Console provides a concise reference on the history of console video games from Magnavox's 1972 Odyssey all the way up to the recently launched Wii. Though not complete, photos of the hardware, retail boxes, controllers and game media do accompany the profiled systems. How can we know where we're going, if we don't know where we've been? Your 10,000 word essays are due Friday by 5pm EST.
The Homebrew and Emulation Scene has seen some great Emulators over the years, Snes9X, Zsnes, Mame (in all its versions), Bleem, Ultrahle, Project64, Chankast.
Those Emulators have brought many thousands to the Homebrew and Emulation Arena, since those emulators have come and gone we havent had the buzz of a killer emulator since then.
That is until the last few months, the might of Sony and Nintendo have jumped into the Emulation Scene with their own emulators for the PSP and Nintendo Wii.
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Sonys PS1 Emulator
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Sony who using bullyboy tactics killed of Bleem and VGS have released what is the best emulator easily of the last year. The Playstation Emulator works at full speed with sound and decent controls in a widescreen on the Playstation Portable. The Emulator is being released in a single game format with PSX Games on the PS Network Shop. Luckily for the Homebrew Scene, Dark Alex released a custom firmware that opened up the emulator and now thousands of PSP Homebrew fans are enjoying all their favourite PSOne games in both NTSC and PAL format. Just about every game is perfect.
So well done Sony, for a company who hates emulators you have made the best one so far.
Nintendo`s Emulators for Wii
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The Nintendo Wii is an amazing console, not as powerful as the PS3 and Xbox360 but so unique it is gathering fans from all over the globe.
The Virtual Console is an awesome way to buy your favourite classic games and relive the best years of gaming.
For this Nintendo has written some excellent emulators for the Wii, So far we have Snes, Nes, PC Engine, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64 and within the next few months NeoGeo and MSX.
Nintendo have done what most homebrew coders take years to do and thats get fullspeed emulators for the consoles mentioned above and with that in mind have dealt the homebrew community a major blow. Most Homebrewers love Emulators and with Nintendo covering most of the best systems already the need to write emulators for the Wii lessens.
Conclusion
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It feels strange as a fan of Homebrew and Emulators for over 12 years to be thanking Sony and Nintendo. But this year they deserve all the thanks from all corners of the emulation scene for the best emulators released in the last year.
Thanks Again Sony and Nintendo
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Do you agree or disagree with this article, answer via comments.
Nintendo DS™:
Asonde Igo ga Tsuyoku naru!! Ginsei Igo DS JPN US$ 48.90
Asonde Shogi ga Tsuyoku Naru !! Ginsei Shogi DS JPN US$ 48.90
Bakegyamon: Ayakashi Fighting JPN US$ 48.90
Super Robot Taisen W JPN US$ 58.90
Unou no Tatsujin: Soukai! Machigai Museum JPN US$ 39.90
Magazines, Toys & Misc:
Animal Crossing Character Bottle Phone Strap Gashapon (Theater Version) JPN US$ 2.49
Animal Crossing Houses, Figures or Accessories Gashapon (Theater Version) JPN US$ 3.99
Arcadia Magazine [April 2007] JPN US$ 12.90
Dragon Quest Monster Mascot Collection 2 - Minisize Mobile Mascot US$ 3.49
FA4 Fate/Hollow Ataraxia Collection Figure US$ 6.99
Fairy Musketeers Konami Figure Collection Vol.2 JPN US$ 4.49
Famitsu Wave DVD [April 2007] JPN US$ 16.50
Fate/Hollow Ataraxia 1/7 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Saber With Beach Ball (Bikini Version) US$ 47.90
Final Fantasy XII Play Arts Action Figure - Ashe US$ 38.90
Final Fantasy XII Play Arts Action Figure - Balthier N/A
Final Fantasy XII Play Arts Action Figure - Judge Maser Gabranth N/A
Final Fantasy XII Play Arts Action Figure - Vaan US$ 38.90
Neon Genesis Evangelion Pre-painted PVC Metamo Figure: Soryu Asuka Langley US$ 36.90
New Super Mario Bros. Pouch JPN US$ 2.99
Pia Carrot G.O. Pre-painted PVC Figure: Ayano Kunugi (Swimsuit Ver.) JPN US$ 46.90
Premium Heroines SNK Beach Volley JPN US$ 7.99
Zero no Tsukaima 1/8 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure - Louise US$ 49.90
Video Game related Soundtracks:
Neo Angelique - Romantic Gift - JPN US$ 36.90
Reijo Tantei -Office Love Jikenbo- Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 27.90
Spica - Kokoro ga Tsumugu Okurimono - Ar tonelico hymmnos musical JPN US$ 29.90
Super Eurobeat Presents Initial D Fourth Stage Non-Stop Mega Mix With Battle Digest [2CD+DVD] JPN US$ 34.90
With this update we finalize our restocking update. Over 200 games for the remaining systems like PC-Engine™, Mega Drive™, Mega CD™, Game Gear™, NeoGeo™ AES/CD/Pocket and WonderSwan™/Color/Crystal are posted in this news. During next week there will be another news starting with new products added to our classic gaming sections. Over 400 new titles have been stocked.
Not sure if any of you entered it but the prizes were very decent and even i had to enter it.
Heres the latest update:
The Lucky Lunar New Year Sale has officially ended. Winners of the draw will be announced during next week (between March 5th to March 11th). We thank all customers for the big support brought forward during this sale.
In a surprising turn of events, the PSP has beaten off the Wii and PS3, selling more than both consoles in Japan last week.
The latest weekly sales figures for Japan reveal that Sony's portable placed second in the hardware sales chart for the week ending 25 February, with unit sales of 96,750.
This falls short only of the still storming DS, which sold 146,250 units according to figures on vgcharts.org.
However the PSP beat even the might DS in the software sales chart in the same period, selling 808,750 games compared with 618,250 for the DS.
The surge could be put down to the recent release of Capcom's Monster Hunter Freedom 2, a co-op-enabled monster catching/battling game, which topped the software charts with a colossal 755,500 copies sold. Second down was Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuri, with 90,500 sales.
Gamers from England have the most capacity for evil of all the world's videogame enthusiasts, according to Lionhead's Peter Molyneux, quoting statistics from a study of people who played his Xbox RPG, Fable.
The research also showed that most American gamers found it difficult to make evil choices during the game's freeform adventure, with roughly 90% of gamers in the US roleplaying as good characters.
"There was a disappointing number of people that tended towards good," Molyneux told US mag GamePro, "but it is also very interesting that the percentage of good players versus evil players varies very strongly by nationality".
For example, "the English are probably the most evil of all," but Molyneux reckons that 70% of the Americans researched played good characters, while 20% "didn't have the moral fibre to keep going down the evil path" and eventually turned to good.
Molyneux also revealed that in Fable 2 the divide between good and evil will be far bigger than before, explaining that gamers who wish to be either pure good or pure evil will be forced to make some sacrifices - and not just the bloody kind.
Although Molyneux has focused so hard on evil actions that, during a recent meeting at Lionhead, one staffer exploded that he would "never play a game" that had all the nasty things in it that Molyneux had suggested. We would, mind.
Japanese game site Eg has the the country's software sales data (via Media Crate) for the week of February 19th to February 25th. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd did better than originally thought. Way better.
1.) Monster Hunter Portable 2nd (PSP) Capcom — 705281 (Last Week) 705281 (Total)
2). Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (PS2) Alchemist — 80002 (Last Week) 80002 (Total)
3). Fire Emblem: Akatsuki no Megami (Wii) Nintendo — 75359 (Last Week) 75359 (Total)
4). Sim City DS (NDS) Electronic Arts — 50826 (Last Week) 50826 (Total)
5. Professor Layton and the Mysterious Town (NDS) Level 5 — 49979 (Last Week) 186716 (Total)
6). Wii Sports (Wii) Nintendo — 47053 (Last Week) 1090736 (Total)
7). Naruto Shippuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX (Wii) Takara Tomy — 45792 (Last Week) 45792 (Total)
8). Dragon Quest Monsters Joker (NDS) Square-Enix — 40507 (Last Week) 1174576 (Total)
9). Hajimete no Wii Pack (Wii) Nintendo — 35811 (Last Week) 944586 (Total)
10). Picross DS (NDS) Nintendo — 26693 (Last Week) 183357 (Total)
Weekly Movie/Music update: Around 300 new J-Pop, Anime, Soundtrack & Movie releases - Hikaru Utada Flavor of Life, A Best 2, X-Mania 7 -The Big Time- & more
Welcome to this week's Movie/Music news roundup, containing all new Japanese and Hong Kong Video and Music releases from this week listed at Play-Asia.com. Around 300 new items are covered in this week, including new J-Pop, Anime as well as Japanese, Hong Kong and Western movie releases and much more.
Here's a summary of all new releases that were published between Saturday, February 24th and Friday, March 2nd. If some specific item that you are looking for is missing, please don't hesitate to contact our customer service with your request.
J-Pop Music releases (86)
ENKA Music releases (9)
Anime Soundtracks & Drama CDs (21)
Video Game Soundtracks (3)
Hong Kong Version Music releases (4)
Blu-Ray Disc Movies (2)
HD DVD Movies (1)
Japanese Movies (9)
Non-Japanese Movies / Japanese Version (77)
Anime DVD releases (41)
J-Pop DVD releases (12)
Misc. Japanese DVD releases (3)
Idol DVD (32)
UMD™ Video & Music (1)
Originally announced back in 2005 as Shrek 3, the now renamed Shrek the Third is a totally new quest with a plot running parallel to that of the movie.
As you work through the comedy fairytale, you will get to play as Shrek, Donkey, Puss-in-Boots, Fiona, Arthur and Sleeping Beauty.
All the usual stuff will feature - various collectibles, boss battles and a number of multiplayer mini games.
Shrek the Third will launch for... *deep breath*... Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, PC, PSP, DS and GBA in May.
The industry is currently gearing up in preparation of the Game Developers Conference 2007, to be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, March 5 - 9.
The event kicks off on Monday, with a focus on mobile entertainment and a keynote from industry veteran Trip Hawkins, who will be discussing Making Mobile Phones the Ultimate Game Platform.
Other mobile focused highlights include founding chairman of GDC Mobile Robert Tercek's keynote on The First Decade of Mobile Games, highlighting the key titles, turning points and pitfalls of the industry so far.
Also sure to cause a buzz in the mobile sector will be Nokia's unveiling of the new N-Gage platform, with numerous speaker session covering the SDK, publishing partners, software and hardware specifications.
Phil Harrison's keynote will be the must-attend event of Wednesday, with the worldwide studios boss expected to reveal the next stage in Sony's intention to dominate the digital home.
Also scheduled for Wednesday is Katie Perez's session on how to develop and pitch a successful Xbox Live game submission, and Warren Spector's speech on The Future of Next-Generation Game Development.
Thursday again kicks off with a heavyweight keynote, this time from legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto, who will be revealing how a singular creative vision guides his work.
Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux is also due to reveal more about his RPG sequel in Innovations in Fable 2 on Thursday, while Rare's Michael Boulton will take attendees on a detailed tour of the look and style of Viva Pinata.
One of Friday's highlights is likely to be id Software's Todd Hollenshead's frank session on The Videogame Piracy Problem, with insight from his experiences battling piracy over the past ten years. Also scheduled for Friday is Scott Kirkland's session looking at the physics of stand-out PlayStation 3 title Motorstorm.
It's is well-established that the science supporting a connection between video game violence and real-world violence is tenuous. A new article at Ars Technica examines why society finds a gaming-violence connection so comforting. From the article: 'Sternheimer suggests that gaming is simply the latest in a long series of media influences to take the blame. "Over the past century, politicians have complained that cars, radio, movies, rock music, and even comic books caused youth immorality and crime, calling for control and sometimes censorship." She terms the targets of such efforts folk devils, items branded dangerous and immoral that serve to focus blame and fear
More than a third of young drivers are more likely to go faster on the roads after playing on-screen driving games, a survey suggests.
And 27% of motorists aged 16 to 24 admitted more risk-taking on the road after a gaming session.
A thousand drivers were questioned on behalf of driving school BSM.
BSM's road safety consultant Robin Cummins said the results showed an 'indisputable' link between gaming and dangerous driving.
A quarter of drivers even said they imagine they are in a driving simulation game while driving for real - men are the worst offenders for this.
The poll also found that 34% of the 1,000 young drivers questioned think computer games can improve real-life driving ability, with two in five reckoning the games can help their reflexes.
The guy in front, the music on the stereo...those are the things that make you speed up
David Perry
The survey revealed that just over half of frequent game-players pass their driving test first time, compared with only 45% of those who only play games infrequently.
Mr Cummins said: "With more than 200 young people killed each year due to speeding alone, it's crucial that they learn to 'keep it real' on the road."
But the survey's findings have been rejected by the US-based games designer David Perry.
The multi-millionaire from Belfast, who is currently designing a driving video game, said behaviour was affected by how drivers felt while behind the wheel, not before they got in their car.
"Anything that affects your emotions will affect how you drive. The guy in front, the music on the stereo...those are the things that make you speed up, not a game you played an hour ago."
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Action
Players: 1 (up to 12)
Get From: Goozex US/CAN / Goozex EU
Overview : The WarioWare team took an idea so wacky, it could only be made with the latest technology: the Wii Remote! Wario stumbles into an old building called the Temple of Form. Inside, he finds a mystical treasure called the Form Baton. There are many ways to hold and move the baton (called "forms"), and legend has it that if the holder follows the forms, he can overcome any challenge. With this discovery, the form craze spreads and soon everybody is doing their best to master the moves.
Features :
Revolutionary Fun: With hundreds of microgames, this game is just as wild as you'd expect from the name WarioWare, but the gameplay has been revolutionized. Under Wario's tutelage and with the help of the Wii Remote, players will swing, spin and squat their way to victory.
Tons and Tons of Microgames: With more than 200 lightning-quick microgames and controls that range from scribbling to flailing, WarioWare: Smooth Moves takes interactive gaming to a whole new level. All players need is confidence, a Wii Remote and their best moves.
Off-Screen Party: With games that are as much fun to play as they are to watch people play, WarioWare: Smooth Moves brings the party to its feet. It's hilarious for players and audiences alike.
Gameplay : The concept of the WarioWare franchise is based on a bunch of speedy mini-games in a row. Players will choose from a map along with available missions. Each mission has a different mini-game to each. WarioWare Smooth Moves uses every aspect of the Wii-mote. You use 15 different positions to perform certain actions and challenges. For instance, you would try to balance the Wii-mote on your palm, or hold the controller like you're throwing a dark or just minor movements such as hula hooping or steering a car. Each mini-game takes only a few seconds and you move on to the next mini-game. You are only allowed four fails before the game is over.
Nintendo packed in over 200 mini-games. While majority of the mini-games are entertaining, some aren't as fun and are challenging. Each mini-game is unique in its own way. They can vary from just inserting grannies dentures, to balancing your character a on a ball to moving and doing a hula hoop motion. There are unlockable mini-games when you complete. In story mode, you can beat the game within three to four house and unlock everything in five to six hours.
Multiplayer is by far the most enjoyable way to play WarioWare. Depending on the mini-game, you can play up to 12 people. Unfortunately, there just enough modes for multiplayer. There are about 4 modes to choose from as opposed to 8 on the GameCube version; Mega Party.
Graphics : Graphically, there isnt anything to drool over, but its still fun to look at. If you have played previous WarioWare games, this follows the same concept and look.
Sound : As you pass/fail each mini-game, the music becomes faster and picks up the pace with each mini-game. The music fits perfectly with each mini-game.
Replay Value : To get your money worth, replay value plays a big role in games. Considering this is a party game, you would think there would be replay value but WarioWare falls short. You wont be bored after an hour or two of play but single player mode is short. As mentioned, you can unlock everything with in five to six hours.
Conclusion : Overall, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is a nice party game. The game falls a little short in replay value when it comes to single player mode but the multiplayer kind of makes up for it but still lacks in the number of modes available. But if you do have a bunch of other players, the best mini-game on Smooth Moves has got to be Hot Potato.
Overview : 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!
Features :
The same size as an original DS cart
Build in PassMe (No need for boot card or anything else to boot )
Using Micro SD card (Trans Flash) as external storage . Cheap & variety usage.
Boot clean dump images
Super simple to use , drag and files over to the micro SD card.
No drivers required
Standard FAT system support.
Support different speed of micro SD card even the low speed SD card .Run games without any lag or slow down.
Upgradeable Firmware ( OS / Bios / Kernel )
Touch screen control & robust skinning support.
No need battery , back up the save file into the micro SD card directly .Never lose your save.
Auto detect the save type & automatic generate saver file.
Homebrew support , IO lib will release on launch.
Direct watch movie , listen MP3 & read TXT on the DS via the use of Moonshell.
Support WiFi , DS rumble pack & DS browser.
Quality/Usability : Alot of DS owners have been wondering what is the difference between the M3 Simply and R4DS (review). The M3 DS Simply and R4 are produced by the same manufacturer and have almost identical hardware and firmware (non-interchangable). There is no difference when it comes to functionality. The only difference is the sticker and packaging. The M3 Simply uses a MicroSD card to store all the necessary data, from ROMs and music to the operating system files. For this review, I tested it with a US Modular 1GB and PNY 1GB microSD. There are some online sites that sell the M3 with a microSD (usually 1GB) but price will be higher.
The M3 Simply includes two shells (white and black) but due to production costs, the M3 now includes only 1 shell (black) instead of two. The old packaging that included two cartridges was a bigger package in a blister pack (plastic). Now, the latest packaging just comes in a cardboard box. Included in the latest packaging are:
1 x USB microSD card reader
1 x White R4 SLOT-1 shell
1 x Mini installation CD
1 x Silicone DS cartridge keychain holder
The included installation CD has instructions and all the necessary files to set up the MicroSD card ready for the M3. I personally went to their forums to download the latest files. The included USB microSD card reader allows the user to connect it to the computer and be able to transfer files/data easily. The DS cartridge keychain holder lets you hold the M3 Simply shell on one side and another DS game on the other.
Setting up the M3 Simply is fairly simple. If you downloaded the latest OS from their forums, all you simply do is download the file, extract is and transfer the files onto the microSD and thats it. You may also use the included CD but its best to get the latest files from their forum as the CD may be out of date. The CD also includes helpful files such as a save converter which lets you convert saves from other flash carts to the format that M3 Simply uses. In their forums you may also download a ROM trimming tool.
The M3 Simply cartridge size is identical to that of the original DS cartridge. The microSD card is inserted through the top of the cartridge and fits flush with the cartridge. The M3 Simply microSD slot is spring loaded. Unfortunately, the spring mechanism isnt that good. When you press down on the microSD, the card is suppose to pop up. Although it does, it doesnt pop up much and feels like its stuck. Occasionally it does pop up completely. Luckily, there is a small groove on the M3 Simply cartridge allowing easy removal of the microSD card.
Adding ROMs and Homebrew is simple. Once you have the microSD card inserted into the card reader and the card reader connected to the computer, its a simple drag and drop. You'll need to setup a folder called "ROM" and "HOMEBREW" with files going into its respective folder.
The operating sytem (OS) is easy to navigate and easily skinnable. Upon startup, user is greeted with three options; GAMES, MULTIMEDIA and BOOT SLOT-2. When GAMES is selected, the file browser is located on the top screen. This is where all your selecting is done. To navigate through files or to select a file, you use the directional pad to move up and down. Too bad that you cant use the touch pad.
All it takes to change the look of the OS is four simple images and placing it into the "_system_" folder:
logo.bmp -- Background of the Top Screen of M3 Simply's startup.
icons.bmp -- Background of the Bottom Screen of M3 Simply's Startup.
bckgrd_1.bmp -- Background of the Top Screen of M3 Simply's Explorer.
bckgrd_2.bmp -- Background of the Bottom Screen of M3 Simply's Explorer.
Note:
Do not change the picture's name;
Make sure the picture is .bmp format, 8-bit/24-bit;
Make sure the picture is 253*192 pixels.
I have tested the M3 Simply with commercial ROMs of games I actually own. The M3 Simply worked perfectly with all the games I tested and tried. All games ran at full speed without any slowdowns and saving of games worked. WiFi also worked on games that supported this feature such as Mario Kart DS. Playing against others with only one cart or multiple carts worked flawlessly as well. There was no problem with connected to Nintendo's WiFi with the M3 Simply. For an updated list of compatibility list, go here.
Testing of homebrew worked flawlessly for most programs. There were only a couple that I encountered that did not work for me. I dont know if it doesnt work in general or I did something wrong.
M3 Simply includes Moonshell which allows you to play multimedia files on your DS. In order to watch movies, you must use DPG tools (PC Software) to convert the files to a format Moonshell will recognize. Playing a movies is a nice feature to the M3 Simply but the quality will not compare to that of the PSP. Playing MP3s is a nice addition as well and plays flawslessly.
Conclusion : Overall, the M3 Simply for DS is a great product. Booting of clean NDS games and homebrew work flawlessly. Setting up the OS and placing of files is done with a simple drag and drop method. The ability to customize the look of the OS is a neat feature. MicroSD prices have dropped dramatically within the past year. You can purchase a 1GB for as low as $10! To find the best deals, visit our Online/Store Deals.
Now the question everyone wants to know is, which one is better? There is no answer. Both are identical in everyway when it comes to functionality except for the external look. It pretty much comes down to which shell color do you want (black - M3 Simply / white - R4DS) and price (if there are any deals).
Please note that none of the "upgrade" products listed in this site are endorsed by Nintendo, Sony and/or Microsoft. DCEmu Reviews and DCEmu Network does not condone piracy. The primary functions of a "modchip" and/or "flashcart" are to allow you to play imported games and homebrew software that you legally own or simply just for experimenting with hardware. We in no way endorse piracy, and encourage all users to do the right thing and support the developers/manufacturers that support them. We do not take any responsibilities for any use outside of these parameters or where the use of such a device is illegal.
Breathe a sigh of relief. As you can see from the list of games below, publishers are beginning to feel the warmth of spring approaching and are keen to hit stores with stock prior to the frenzy that will be PlayStation 3. Ket game releases listed right here.
It certainly beats last week's release schedule which was about as tempting as a meal in an Indian restaurant while you're sat next to Jade Goody.
Of particular note are two excellent DS releases in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. There's also relief to be had on Xbox 360 with the intriguing Bullet Witch and the solid Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2.
Sure, it's not a week that will go down in the annals of videogaming history but if you have a spare £40 (and it was pay day this week) there are definitely a few quality titles to encourage the money out of your purse.
The complete list of games released in the UK this coming Friday (09/03/07):
Bullet Witch, 360, Atari
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, DS, Konami
CSI 3 Dimension of Murder, PS2, Ubisoft
Garfield's Nightmare, DS, The Game Factory
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2, 360, Ubisoft
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, PS2, Rockstar
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, PS2/PSP, EA
Lionel Trains, DS, Zoo Digital
M.A.C.H., PSP, Vivendi
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, DS, Nintendo
As a medium, video games have been blamed for a whole host of society's ills. Violence, obesity, and educational underachievement are just some of the high profile problems that have been laid on gaming's doorstep at one time or another. But now, video games are being portrayed as the cause of a much graver threat; namely, the decline in Australian pet ownership.
As Australian Veterinary Association President Kersti Seksel told the Sydney Morning Herald (and any other outlet that would listen) today's kids "interact more by playing computer games and less by going out there and throwing the ball to a dog." Why is this a problem, exactly? According to Seksel, "We need to learn people skills, physical skills, and sitting in the lounge room with a computer doesn't teach you that."
Leaving aside for a second the idea of learning "people skills" from playing with an animal, implying that game playing and pet ownership are somehow mutually exclusive is a little ridiculous. You might as well argue that reading books and talking on the phone are dangerous pastimes because they take away from time with poor, neglected Fido.
Pet ownership usually takes up only a small part of a child's day, and singling out video games for distracting from that time strikes us as a little opportunistic. And while "you can't hug a computer," as the SMH article points out in the lede, you also don't have to take a computer out for walks. Man's best friend, indeed.
Nielsen Media Research, best know for its TV ratings, has released an outline the American video game landscape in the form of "The State of the Console" report. Among the more interesting findings:
45.7 million U.S. households have at least one game system, out of 111.4 million that have TVs (41.1%). This number has risen from 38.6 million (35.2%) in late 2004.
148.4 million Americans have access to a console in their home, out of 283.5 million that have access to TVs (52.4%). Of those, 93.8 million Americans (33.3% of the TV population) actually used a console in the 4th quarter of 2006.
The top 20% of gamers are responsible for 75% of the console time, averaging 5 hours and 45 minutes of use per day.
Those last two factoids are pretty interesting, as they show console games are still appealing primarily to a very small niche of the potential market, and that a small slice of that niche is responsible for most of the actual playing time. If game makers can somehow attract these uninterested console owners, they'll have tapped into a much larger market than they might be used to.
Speaking from years of experience, we know how hard it can be to get your girlfriend interested in playing video games. Granted, it might be impossible to drag her into play-til-dawn Halo 2 sessions online, but dropping into casual gaming with a Wario Ware: Smooth Moves round or two is entirely doable. Need some tips? Wikihow has an entry up on how to get your girlfriend to play video games, which offers up some gender stereotypes like this:
"Don't get games that involve things like strippers, prostitutes, and sex. Unless she has a really good sense of humor about such things, she probably won't like it."
Well, where's the fun in that? Oh, we keed, we keed. True, most of the article is common sense, and it might actually be helpful to some of you out there who have had a hard time getting your significant others interested in jumping into the game with you. However, some of it is just plain whacked, like explaining to your girlfriend how to stretch and uncramp her hands. If your girlfriend doesn't know how to do this already, then you've got more serious problems.
For those of you who need a girlfriend in order to find this article useful, check out Wikihow's hilarious "How to get a girlfriend if you're a nerd" entry. We're not sure whether to laugh or cry. For all of you female gamers out there, let us know how they could improve this entry, and don't worry about being gentle ... blast away.
If you have ever attempted any repair or improvement of any kind, you know that the right tools can make the difference between a good experience and a bad one. The Access Pro Toolkit by Zoozen has everything you need to get into your console and accessories. It is the only toolkit that includes tools for every console and handheld on the market today. And it includes unique and custom tools that are only available from Zoozen.
This tool kit includes the tools you need for the:
· Microsoft products, including: Original Xbox, Xbox 360 and accessories like the Xbox 360 wired controller, and the Xbox 360 wireless controller. Special tools: the OneSnap, the only one-piece Xbox 360 case separator, and a special long neck tamper resistant Torx bit.
· Nintendo products, including: the Nintendo Wii, GameCube, GBA, DS, DS Lite, and most accessories like Nintendo Cartridges, Gamecube controllers, and power supplies. Special Tools: Triwing bits in two sizes and two sizes of rare Linehead Nut Setters in hardened steel. Also has the correct tools for most of the retired Nintendo game machines (those not currently for sale in the marketplace).
· Sony Products, including: PS3, PS2, PStwo, and PSP and many accessories (for example: Sony controllers).
· The Access Pro Tool Kit also has the correct tools to open most third party products.
The tools are all housed in a convenient plastic case that keeps all the parts just where they belong. And, duplicates of most bits are provided, just in case you drop a bit behind your desk during a critical procedure.
Final Fantasy XII has held on to the top spot in the UK software charts for a second week, with the hugely anticipated RPG title continuing to hold off the challenge from Real Time Worlds' Microsoft-published action title Crackdown, which remains at number two.
Despite the immense success of the franchise internationally, Final Fantasy titles have traditionally not held on to top positions in the UK chart for long - in fact, only PSone title Final Fantasy IX managed a run longer than Final Fantasy XII's fortnight, staying at number one for three weeks back in February 2001.
The chances of Final Fantasy XII repeating this feat, despite its huge popularity, seem slim - with both Ubisoft's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 and Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories mounting a challenge for the top spot this Friday.
Japanese homebrew shooters, or doujin shmups, form a subculture of developers and dedicated players in the indie gaming scene. It's a massively confusing (but not-so-multiplayer) world of strange games, websites with squiggly characters, and obscure names that have become the subject of fanboy worship. If you've played Warning Forever, Clean Asia, or even Cave Story creator Pixel's new project Guxt (a work-in-progress demo) you're off to a good start.
The Independent Gaming Source has published a quick guide to the world of doujin shmups. Everything is divided into digestible bits of information that actually makes sense to the doujin n00b. And once you know who Kenta Cho is and why you should put him in your will, an entire universe of free indie shooters is at your disposal.
Over the last 30 years home video games and consoles have evolved at a dizzying rate.
As have the devices we use to play them - morphing from the humble paddle and joystick of the 1970s to the early game pads of the 1980s and beyond.
There has been a bewildering array of new games with unorthodox games controllers in recent years, with everything from dance pads to plug-in guitars appearing on the market.
One of the biggest hits to make use of non-standard controllers has been the Buzz! series of TV-style quiz games for PS2, which are sold with four buzzers - simple devices that let the players answer multiple choice questions.
Ease of use
David Amor, creative director of Relentless Software, the firm behind Buzz! believes the game owes much of its success to the simplicity of the controllers.
Buzzers work because they form a really easy interface that allows four people to play together straight away, said Mr Amor.
He believes there has been a swing away from complicated games and controllers in the home gaming market.
"The NES [Nintendo Entertainment System] followed by the SNES [Super Nintendo Entertainment System] and N64 and GameCube controllers seem to have got progressively more complicated and progressively alienated more people along the way," says Mr Amor.
"It's fine if you've grown up with them, but most people haven't, so to jump straight in with a controller with 13 buttons is scary."
It is a trend that other games developers and hardware manufacturers are taking heed of.
Nintendo's Wii console is designed to make game control simple and intuitive - the player only has to wave the controller like a wand to affect the onscreen action.
Rob Saunders, spokesman for Nintendo UK, is convinced that the Wii's ease of use has been behind its popular appeal.
"We realised that when people saw a traditional, modern day joypad they said, 'Where do I start? I have no idea!'," said Mr Saunders.
With 4m Wii units shipped in its first year, it is clear that the simplification of gameplay and game controllers has struck a chord with gamers, and perhaps attracted a new demographic to gaming.
Both Sony and Microsoft have elected to keep the standard design of the controllers for the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles but have added wireless, and in the case of the PS3, replaced the vibration system with motion sensors, giving the controller six axes of manoeuvrability.
Enhanced gaming
But while some manufacturers have been simplifying their products and games to attract new people to gaming, hardcore gamers are being offered ever more peripherals to enhance the gaming experience.
The Novit Falcon feeds in-game gun recoil back to the player
So if you have a deep commitment to gaming and even deeper pockets, there are some interesting "gameware" gadgets emerging on the market.
The Novint Falcon for PC, which goes on sale later this year, touts itself as the first controller to make 3D touch possible for home computer applications.
The Falcon's arms allow the user to move the handle, or grip, in three dimensions, translating into movement on screen.
But the Falcon also pushes back.
Its motorised arms react to events and actions in the game, feeding that force back to the user so that gunfire makes the grip recoil, lifting objects makes the grip feel heavy, and taking fire batters the handle in the corresponding direction.
Xpad's Bodypad for PS1, PS2 and Xbox consoles is designed for "exer-gaming", giving games players a full workout while playing fighting, sport and dance games.
The Bodypad consists of four strap-on body sensors for the arms and legs combined with button controls held in the fists.
The sensors and controllers communicate wirelessly with the Bodypad's receiver which is connected to the console.
The player's movements are replicated by the onscreen character, allowing kicks, punches and combination moves to be made.
Virtual reality
Another device which bridges the gap between physical reality and the in-game world is eMagin's Z800 3DVisor.
The 3DVisor is a virtual reality headset with two microdisplay screens that combine with a headtracking system to give the player a 360-degree view of the game world simply by moving their head.
The simplicity of the Buzz! controllers helped the games sell
Although the Z800 3DVisor is ideal for first-person shooter games on PC, its $1000 (£500) price tag probably puts it out of reach of all but the most dedicated gamer.
Gamers with an interest in virtual reality, but who cannot afford the Z800, may find what they are looking for with the next generation of games that make use of the Eye Toy for PS3 and the Live Vision Camera for Xbox 360.
"In the next couple of years we are going to see some really interesting applications using Eye Toy technology," said Brian Crecente, editor of Kotaku gaming website.
The Eye of Judgement board game, unveiled by Sony at the E3 games expo in Los Angeles, is an interesting example, said Mr Crecente.
The prototype strategy game uses real cards which come to life as mythical creatures on screen thanks to a camera attached to the PS3.
Although some commentators doubted the appeal of The Eye of Judgement's gameplay, it succeeded in demonstrating the potential for blending reality and the in-game world for the home gaming market.
Sega is running a poll on its website asking what game or character would you most like to see return.
The choices you're given are:
Nights
Streets of Rage
Samba de Amigo
Virtua Cop
Flicky
At the moment it's Nights that's leading the way in what the public wants to see next. Does this mean that there could be a new Nights game in the pipeline?
Hit this link and get voting - for Nights! Or would you rather see a new Streets of Rage game created? The choice could actually be yours...
Overview : This Wii Recharge Battery Pack is specially designed for Wii Remote controller. You can get easy to recharge the battery via USB after played.
Features :
Recharge battery pack via USB
USB charging cable included
LED indication during charging
Battery Capacity: 1800mAh
This is not an official Nintendo Product
Quality/Usability : Probably the most important and needed accessory for the Nintendo Wii is rechargeable batteries. If you play on a regular bases, you'll know that you go through batteries like no tomorrow. Unless of course you have rechargeable AA batteries. But even so, you have to take them out just to charge. This should of been on Nintendo's drawing board to include a rechargeable battery pack (it probably was but was left out due to whatever reason).
Its OK though because 3rd Party manufacturers will pick up the slack and this gives them something to help out the gaming community. With that said, PEGA has released their first rechargeable battery pack for the Wii remote control.
With the battery pack, you no longer have to remove any batteries from the controller. The battery pack is just a battery cover with two rechargeable batteries attached to it. On the front side of the remote is where the the USB cable will be inserted to charge the batteries. The battery pack fits the back of the Wii remote perfectly. There is also an LED to let you know when the battery is being charged. Unfortunately, it doesnt turn off to let you know when its fully charged.
If you want to recharge the batteries from the Wii's USB port, you will need to have the Wii turned on. You can not charge it while the Wii is OFF/standby. Although, you can charge the remote through your computers USB port or if you have one of those USB wall adapters.
Conclusion : Overall, the Wii Rechargeable Battery Pack is a great product. A downside is that you can not charge the battery pack with the Wii off. So if you want to charge the battery pack, you'll have to have the Wii turned on (how can you play now?) or you can use your computers USB port. It would of been nice if the battery packs LED light can turn off to let you know that it is fully charged.
DecalGirl DS Lite NES Skin (Retro)
Manufacturer: DecalGirl
Site: Buy from DecalGirl
Price: $9.99
Overview : Protect and personalize your new Nintendo DS Lite with a precision fit, full-color Nintendo DS Lite skin kit! Each DecalGirl DS Lite skin is designed for maximum coverage and flexibility; this brilliant, high resolution "Retro Lite" design is printed on premium adhesive-backed cast vinyl then covered with a clear protectant layer for the ultimate in durability! An innovative repositionable, sremovable adhesive ensures that you'll have no air bubbles and a fast, easy and accurate installation. As always, they can be removed at any time without leaving any sticky residue!
DecalGirl has impressed me even more when I received their package in the mail. Their packaging is even more professional with an actual packaging unlike the Wii skin which had no packaging.
The DS Lite Skin comes with three skins; top, inner top screen and inner bottom screen. Applying the top skin was a piece of cake. As for the other two, it took alot longer than I expected.
You'll need a pen or something sharp to detach the little holes for the speaker. Applying the sides is no problem its when you get towards the screen. You will have to do a little fiddling around to align everything correctly. Since I use a screen protector, the skin covers the the sides of the screen. If you have a screen cover that covers the whole top screen, you'll have to either put the skin over it or put the screen protector over the skin. There are flaws to this though. If you put the skin over the screen protector, you'll have to remove the skin to get under the screen protector. If you place the screen protector on top of the skin, you might have problems with the screen protector sticking completely as the edges are now raised off the screen. I personally use Clarivue's screen protector which doesnt have any sticky residue but uses static
The bottom skin wasnt as bad as the top screen but you had to make sure it cleared the directional pad and buttons. At first, I though I would have problems with the skin as anytime you have a raised curve, the skin would crease. The DS Lite Skin did a great job of smoothing out around the corners. There is no crease at all. If there is.
Conclusion : Overall, the DecalGirl DS Lite NES Skin (Retro) looks hot! It fits perfectly and looks great. It may take a little longer for those perfectionist or those anal like me. Would have been nice if the inner top skin didnt cover the screen. Also, I notice that the gray lines on the inner skins arent evenly centered but its no big deal.
Deus Ex creator Warren Spector believes improvement in design and delivery of game narrative and story is vital to the future of the videogame industry, and necessary to pull in a much-needed new wave of games players.
"I don't know about you, but my budgets are going up. We need to sell a lot more copies or we're not going to be able to make games for much longer. I think stories can be key to reaching nongamers, but we have to start creating more emotionally satisfying and interactive stuff," Spector said during an address at this week's GDC.
He went on to voice concerns that the power of new hardware could be detrimental to development of narrative, character involvement and character interactions in videogames, due to developer's being now able to ramp up visual quality and because "players expect a certain level of graphical quality".
"People who want to tell stories in an interactive manner, I think their job is about to get a lot harder," Spector opined.
Speaking further on the topic and addressing the games development industry at large, he said that games players should be "let off the rails" and that devs should "work with players" to tell their stories, as opposed to leading them around on a leash.
But Spector was also quick to point out that gameplay shouldn't suffer at the hands of a new approach to, and focus on, story and narrative.
"If you think that story has no place in games, you're crazy. If you think story is everything in games, you're just as crazy", he said. "It's all about balance."
Lightsaber-loving Star Wars fan looking forward to the impressive physics-based Star Wars: Force Unleashed will have longer to wait than expected.
Despite being officially confirmed for a November 2007 release, the game's website now deems the game's availability as "TBD", with it now expected to arrive in 2008.
This delay is a huge disappointment, coming so soon after LucasArts showed of an impressive tech demo demonstrating the stunning technology being put into the game. Still, better it be delayed and be as good as we all hope rather than be rushed out unfinished.
Epic's Gears of War was won three categories including Best Game in the seventh annual Game Developers Choice Awards, closely followed by Wii Sports and Okami, which have won two awards each.
Winners of the Choice Awards, the awards program where honours are bestowed on developers by developers, have just been announced at GDC in San Francisco.
As well as scooping Best Game, Gears of War won in the Technology and Visual Arts categories. Wii Sports won in Game Design and Innovation, while Okami also won in Innovation in addition to the Character Design category.
The full list of categories and winners in each is below. The list of nominees in each category can be found on the Game Developers Choice Awards website.
Best Game
Gears of War (Epic Games / Microsoft Game Studios)
- Cliff Bleszinski, Michael Capps, Rod Fergusson
Audio
Guitar Hero II (Harmonix Music Systems / RedOctane)
- Jeff Allen, Eric Brosius, Izzy Maxwell
Character Design
Ōkami (Clover Studio / Capcom Entertainment)
- Mari Shimazaki, Sawaki Takeyasu, Kenichirou Yoshimura
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has spoken out in support of Britain's creative industries, including the games industry, in a speech at London's Tate Modern gallery.
Addressing members of various different creative sectors, Blair described the UK as the world's "creative capital" and acknowledged that many different sectors, including videogames, have "contributed to the renaissance of British culture".
British videogames publisher trade body ELSPA welcomed Blair's remarks, pointing out that the videogames industry is a net contributor to the UK's balance of trade, and has achieved global success without any of the direct financial support or subsidy from government which have been enjoyed by other sectors.
"It is good to hear the Prime Minister's speech and the government's recognition of the creative industries in Britain and their contribution to the culture and essence of the country," commented ELSPA director general Paul Jackson after the speech.
"The games industry is a proud member of these industries. The talent and creativity that our industry houses and nurtures is what makes the games industry a part of Britain's cultural heritage, and more specifically, an important asset in Britain's creative and cultural future."
The British games industry is consistently noted for "punching above its weight", with massive international franchises including Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and Project Gotham Racing all having their roots in the UK. According to figures cited by Eidos creative director Ian Livingstone, 25,000 people are employed in the games industry in the UK, with over GBP 2 billion per annum being contributed to the economy by the sector.
Welcome to this week's Games & Toys update, our weekly summary featuring all new product arrivals from the last seven days.
It's been a fantastic release week, with more than 30 Japanese and a number of interesting Asian & US version game releases. Next gen console highlights have been Sega's tennis arcade hit Power Smash 3 / Virtua Tennis 3 (Japanese / Asia) for PS3™, Bomberman Land Wii and Eyeshield 21: Field no Saikyou Senshi Tachi for Nintendo Wii™ as well as the Asia release version of Def Jam Icon for Xbox360™.
The PlayStation2™ continues to be strong in the market with releases such as Spike's Kenka Banchou 2: Full Throttle, the Sega Ages Monster World Complete Collection and Konami's GuitarFreaks & DrumMania Masterpiece Gold.
Popular handheld game releases have been Seiken Densetsu: Heroes of Mana and Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja (US version) for Nintendo DS™ as well as Marvel Trading Card Game for PSP™.
Last but not least, Milestone's arcade shooter Karous is marking an end of the Dreamcast™ era. Due to Sega's GD-ROM production stop, this game is expected to be the last commercial Dreamcast™ GD-ROM release ever.
For years videogame watchers have complained that there is no mainstream channel for independently produced games. Sure, you can hunt down great indie titles online, but until recently, the only way casual users could experience these hidden gems would be through a mainstream publisher picking them up for retail distribution.
Xbox Live Arcade and now the PlayStation 3's E-Distribution Initiative have shifted the industry mindset, with Microsoft and Sony actively courting the indie development scene. Sony has gone one step further with PS3, allowing users to install alternative operating systems to start their own programming projects. At last year's E3 event, Sony's head of the software platform division, Izumi Kawanishi, openly invited bedroom coders to start producing games and other apps for PS3.
But this is also happening without their permission. For years there's been a large homebrew development community, a determined band of coders who hack into the firmware of games consoles, to seize control of the silicon and persuade the machine to run their own applications.
But homebrew is quietly being legitimised. Online communities like Dcemu.co.uk provide a hub of homebrew development, offering clear instructions and helpful forums to non-techie uses wishing to run indie software on their consoles. The PSP scene is the liveliest. There are hundreds of apps, from emulations of classic consoles and home computer games to text versions of the Bible and guitar tuition.
Hardware manufacturers are getting in on the act. UK company Datel recently released a Games 'n' Music for the Nintendo DS - just slot it in and you can run homebrew games and apps, as well as watch videos and play MP3s. It even comes with 25 homebrew games.
Even more accessibly, the flash game site Wiicade.com released an API allowing developers to support the motion sensing capabilities of the Wiimote controller. Soon, then, Wii owners will be able to play independently produced titles that use the physical controls in entirely new ways, Or, just as likely, you'll get 100 versions of Tetris that let you manipulate shapes by twisting your wrist. But hey, that still sounds like fun.
This is, of course, all part of the breakdown in digital barriers between the consumer and the content provider. In courting the MySpace generation, console manufacturers have had to loosen their obsessions with control and security. And it's been liberating. Xbox Live Arcade is a success, and by embracing independent thought, Sony could turn round the PS3 naysayers. If indie gaming can do that, it can do anything.
Nice to see mainstream news sites taking notice of our homebrew community here at DCEmu UK
Griffin iTrip FM Transmitter PSP
Manufacturer: Griffin Technology
Site: Buy from Griffin
Price: $24.99
Overview : Offering a sleek, slim design that slides securely onto the bottom of the PSP quickly and easily, without adding bulk, the iTrip’s easy to read display sends audio right to your radio. Rock your game, movies and music through your own home and car systems and you’ll never go back to the stock speakers.
Technical Specifications :
Built-in antenna
Power requirement: 2 AA Batteries (included)
Modulation: FM Stereo
Frequencies: 88.1-107.9MHz
High stability crystal oscillator, phase-lock loop control
Frequency response: 50Hz to 15KHz
Operating range: 10-30 ft
Dimensions: 5.81" x 1.49" x .092" (147.7mm x 38mm x 23.4mm)
FCC compliant
Quality/Usability : With Griffin being well known for their iPod accessories, Griffin decided to port their ever so popular iTrip for the iPod to the PSP.
The design and sleek which matches the look of the PSP. The iTrip PSP runs on 2 AA batteries (included) which are located on the back. On the front, are three buttons which is used for your presets, an LED display to show you what station you are using, LX (stereo)/DX (monaural), -/+ buttons to select between stations and a SELECT Button.
In order for the iTrip PSP to work, you have to select your frequency to a station where you hear nothing but static or silence, with no music in the background. Once the iTrip is plugged into the bottom of the PSP, you will need to change the frequency on the iTrip to that of the one on the radio.
First you'll need to press the iTrip's "SELECT" button twice. This will flash the frequency numbers. To change the frequency, you'll have to press the - or + buttons. Once you have selected the frequency that matches the radio, press the "SELECT" button once to confirm.
To store up to 3 frequency's, all you have to do is press the SELECT button once and choose either 1, 2 or 3 and hold down that corresponding button for 3 seconds. If you want to choose a preset frequence, just press the SELECT button once and then press either 1, 2 or 3 for the station you want.
The iTrip lets you play in either Stereo (LX) or Monaural (DX) mode. To toggle between Stereo and Mono, you would press the SELECT button three times and the mode indicator (LX or DX) will flash. Press the + button to toggle between LX and DX. Once you have chosen a mode, press SELECT to confirm the change.
Since the iTrip occupies the headphone jack and power plug, the bottom of the iTrip has what you would call, a pass-through port. Even with the iTrip connected, you can charge your PSP and listen to music. Unfortunately, it wont allow you to use a remote control headset and it will not charge the batteries in the iTrip.
iTrip was tested both inside a house and in the car. If you have a car that does not let you manually scan for frequency, you'll have a problem as the car radio will only look for stations that has signal. With the iTrip connected the sound is clear coming out of the radio but as like any other FM transmitter, sound is very low and you will either have to raise the volume on your PSP and/or on your radio. Just remember that if you do raise the volume on your radio, to lower the volume before you disconnect the iTrip from the PSP.
I must say though, even on the road whether its in a crowded area with tall building or in non-congested area, the quality is still clear. Whats great is that the RoadDock PSP fits well with it as the iTrip has a small groove that allows the RoadDock to somewhat clip onto it.
Conclusion : Overall, the Griffin iTrip FM Transmitter PSP does a great job of transferring sound to your radio. This comes in handy for those on long roadtrips where you want music from your PSP to be played through the speakers of your car. This can also become a nice little prank if someone you know is using a radio and you "intercept" their frequency and play something of yours. The iTrip unfortunately does not have a ON/OFF button and the LED display turns off automatically after a few seconds even when in use. It would have been nice if they did add one. Griffin also included a nice little pouch to store your iTrip. The pouch is a little big for it though.
With the free food eaten, appointments done and our backs almost broken from a week of ferrying gadgets between meetings, GDC 2007 has almost come to a close.
To help you reflect on this week of teasing announcements, behind closed door antics and developer bitching, we've consolidated a bunch of our bestest show floor pics so that you can pretend you're at the event long after we've come home and consumed legal alcohol in the pub.
The best part so far? Locating the only place in San Francisco that sells chicken nuggets - and they were wonderfully filthy.
Software Association has begun sending out 'save the date' invitations for this year's E3, which will take place between July 11 - 13.
The invite states that E3 will offer "the opportunity to engage in one-on-one meetings with leading game company executives in an intimate setting, as well as network, socialise, and test pilot major company offerings".
All of this will take place in "an environment designed to ensure that you can get your business done efficiently and effectively".
The latest numbers are in and a massive improvement for PSP and PS3:
DS Lite: 111, 814 units
PSP: 66, 156 units
Wii: 57,972 units
PS3: 44,000 units
PS2: 15,364 units
Xbox 360: 3,379 units
Game Boy Micro: 805 units
Game Boy Advance SP: 738 units
GameCube: 303 units
DS: 112 units
Game Boy Advance: 25 units
Welcome to this week's Movie/Music news roundup, containing all new Japanese and Hong Kong Video and Music releases from this week listed at Play-Asia.com. Around 400 new items are covered in this week, including new J-Pop, Anime as well as Japanese, Hong Kong and Western movie releases and much more.
Here's a summary of all new releases that were published between Saturday, March 3rd and Friday, March 9th. If some specific item that you are looking for is missing, please don't hesitate to contact our customer service with your request.
J-Pop Music releases (188)
ENKA Music releases (24)
Anime Soundtracks & Drama CDs (21)
Video Game Soundtracks (7)
Hong Kong Version Music releases (3)
Blu-Ray Disc Movies (4)
HD DVD Movies (3)
Hong Kong Version Movie releases (14)
Japanese Movies (20)
Non-Japanese Movies / Japanese Version (67)
Anime DVD releases (23)
J-Pop DVD releases (27)
Misc. Japanese DVD releases (2)
Idol DVD (5)
No, this isn't another rampant portable Xbox 360 rumor, but the somewhat indirect linkage is indeed notable. Reportedly, AMD is planning to bring "Xbox 360 quality graphics to handheld devices" by utilizing the company's next-generation mobile graphics technologies. Although no real specifics were handed out, AMD is purportedly "working with content developers now in preparation for the arrival of phones" powered by the forthcoming set, and should be made available to handset manufacturers through "discrete media processors as well as through IP licensing agreements with semiconductor suppliers." Already released is a developers toolkit that includes support for both the OpenVG 1.0 and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics standards, and it will incorporate the same Unified Shader Architecture that's behind the scenes in your Xbox 360. Sadly, we've absolutely no idea which companies (if any) are already on board with this promising technology, but we just have to wonder if Dell won't reconsider its handheld gaming system considering the already amicable relationship with AMD.
Prof. Dmitri Williams, one of the leading academics in the gaming space, who was an expert witness at the U.S. Senate on the constitutionality of game banning laws, held a roundtable on game addiction at GDC. Williams referenced Carnegie Mellon University A. Fleming Seay's research on addiction in an MMO context.
The addiction, defined as "problematic use" by Seay, is when an entertainment product dominates and displaces other behavior,
causes conflict and not playing causes anxiety. Seay found that self regulation (self monitoring, self evaluation and self consequence) was difficult for certain people. This seems obvious, but like anything in academia, if somebody hasn't done the research it isn't legitimate. The other thing Seay found was people's affinity for a game caused their problematic use -- but the interesting part was that those with "problematic use" were those who didn't like the game they were playing. They would do the same actions over and over again, didn't find pleasure in their actions and got stuck in a rut.
Williams thinks now is a the time to start looking into the ideas of "gaming addiction" and "problematic use" before it gains traction. He says, "Coming up with a solution to that, is better than sitting in front of Congress in ten years."
Experience has taught me that oftentimes, gamers are better off taking projected release dates with a grain of salt, but I can't help but feel like 2007 is going to be one of the best years in gaming history. There are enough high profile titles on the way to drown a fish, and they all look outstanding. I had trouble limiting it to only 10 of them - so I didn't. Here are my most anticipated games of the coming year:
(+1) Halo 3
Now I know somebody out there doesn't care about this game, but the rest of the gaming world is salivating in anticipation. The third installment of the critically acclaimed franchise is set to be huge, with high-def visuals and enhanced online gameplay, not to mention the climax of the series' story. The near-universal love of the series is clear, as Halo 2 remains the most-played game on Xbox Live to date. With the online beta of Halo 3 just around the corner, there is a lot to be excited about.
10) Blue Dragon
This one has already been released in Japan, and is responsible for selling more Xbox 360s there than any other game can claim. This RPG is the craft of a dream team who, when last working together, created one of the most lauded RPGs of all time - Chrono Trigger. A game that tweaks its genre just right, Blue Dragon does away with random battles, putting enemies on screen at all times. It also features a unique system for GETTING INTO battles, allowing players to string together fights, building momentum as they go, as well as drawing rival creatures into the same bloody fray - where they will attack EACH OTHER. Other points of awesomeness are the party of five characters, which all fight in every encounter, and the deep class system. It sounds like an RPGer's dream.
9) Grand Theft Auto IV
Just one image. That's enough. Heck, ZERO images would be enough for this game. We don't know where it takes place, what time period it spans, or who the main character might be, but it doesn't matter - we know it will be good. As of this posting, 19 days remain until the first trailer of GTA IV is shown at http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/.
8) Mass Effect
"BioWare presents..." Those words alone are enough to gamers excited. The company's track record is indeed a sight to behold - they are responsible for Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire. Mass Effect's gameplay is reminiscent of prior games, but with a few huge improvements. The branching dialog in this game is done completely in real-time. This will allow the player to interject as he pleases and give these interactions a much less-scripted feel. The combat has also been improved, with all-new tactical control over party members' actions and equipment. Lastly, let's not forget that the voice acting is excellent and the graphics are some of the best around.
7) Super Mario Galaxy
This is the Mario game we're supposed to be excited about...and I am. It's Mario in full 3D again, and with a slew of Wii-centric controls, Super Mario Galaxy aims to take gamers on a ride unlike any previous Mario adventure. My only reservation was that game might focus too much on a single theme, quickly wearing out it's initial appeal (a la Super Mario Sunshine). Considering the variety of locales seen in this latest video, I'm not terribly worried, and can't wait to try it out.
6) White Night Story
From the developers of the recent hit RPGs Rogue Galaxy and Dragon Quest VIII, as well as the Dark Cloud Series, White Knight Story appears to be the game that could coax me into buying a PS3. Not only does it LOOK amazing, but it features a battle system unlike any other. Encounters are rendered in accurately choreographed sequences, where successful strikes on the enemy are mixed amongst a barrage of attacks that are either blocked or parried, before tasting the sweet reward of steel on flesh. As seen in the trailer, the protagonist is also capable of transforming into a hulking white knight, which is ALL KINDS of cool.
5) Metal Gear Solid 4
Metal Gear Solid is an incredible series, and MGS4 is sure to be an incredible game. Snake has grown old and battle-weary, but remains in the heat of combat, aided once again by his old friend Otacon. The jump to the newest console generation has done wonders for the graphical presentation of the game, and will propel the already stellar cinematography of the series to new heights. The story promises to be just as interesting as previous games, and will surely have plenty of underlying messages to deliver to eager gamers. This game will definitely be an experience.
4) God of War 2
If you've played God of War, then you MUST BE excited for God of War II. The first game was...well, awesome. It was fierce action combined with fun platforming and a top-notch story. If that game, and this trailer are any indicator, then God of War II is shaping up to be one of the best games the PS2 has to offer. We'll find out this Tuesday if the term "swan song" is applicable here.
3) Spore
When Will Wright creates something, people take notice. The legendary designer is hard at work on an ambitious new game, entitled Spore. Borrowing elements from games ranging from Pac-Man to The Sims, E.V.O. to Cubivore, it is what one might call a "life sim," where players guide the evolution of of an organism up through the generations, and at the same time through multiple game genres. The game features a huge amount of procedurally generated content, from the creatures that populate the game world, to the very world itself. Furthermore, Wright has dubbed Spore a massively single player game, because as players progress, their creations will begin to show up in other users' worlds. There, they become AI-controlled parts of that other player's game, and are tagged with their creator's information. From protist to intergalactic conquerer, there is just TOO much to Spore NOT to be excited.
2) Super Paper Mario
As a huge fan of the old 2D Super Mario Bros games, as well as the stylish Paper Mario games, there is no describing how exciting Super Paper Mario is to me. Not only that, but when Super Mario Sunshine promised an "incredible new feature," all I hoped for was a game that transitioned between classic 2D platforming and 3D exploration. It's finally here. This game introduces a myriad of new character abilities and gameplay opportunities to gamers, and combines 2D side-scrolling, 3D platforming, and role-playing elements all into a single bundle of AWESOME.
1) Assassin's Creed
I am in love with this game. Besides the ability to navigate your surroundings based purely on the physics and structure of the game world, it is everything I could ever want in an action game. Free-roaming exploration, acrobatics, stealth, swordplay, horseback riding, assassinations, and BEAUTIFUL visuals. Additionally, there have been rumblings of a very unexpected and intriguing plotline. All this from the people who brought us Prince of Persia. *swoon*
There you have it - a complete year of gaming goodness.
id Software's CEO Todd Hollenshead has revealed that videogame piracy "has pushed id as being multiplatform."
In a lecture on videogame piracy during last week's GDC, he explained that the Doom and Quake developer started to eye console platforms as a method to battle the financial loss piracy incurs.
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars was given as an example of id's multiplatform direction. Originally in development for PC at the hands of Splash Damage and id Software, the multiplayer-focussed action game is now additionally heading to Xbox 360 and PS3.
In related news, the topic of videogame piracy was brought up in during a panel discussion focussing on the future of PC gaming at GDC last week.
In the discussion, Soren Johsnon - designer/lead programmer, Sid Meier's Civilization III & IV - said "game design on the PC is going to bend toward persistence" as in MMOGs. Massively multiplayer online games succeed because "You cannot pirate an MMO. Period", said Johsnon
A popular video game could provide doctors with a way of diagnosing depression.
With some illnesses, such as diabetes, a simple test can usually quantify how severe a person's condition is, but depression is more complicated. The condition has been linked to a shrunken hippocampus, a part of the brain that also plays a role in spatial memory, so Neda Gould at the US National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and her colleagues wondered whether a video game that tests spatial memory could help measure the severity of the illness.
To test their idea the researchers developed a game based on some scenes from Duke Nukem, a game in which players navigate around a virtual town. The participants, who were already familiar with the town, were asked to find their way to as many landmarks as possible within a set amount of time.
Depressed people found their way to an average of 2.4 locations compared with 3.8 locations for healthy controls. Indeed, the more depressed a person was, the lower the score (The American Journal of Psychiatry, vol 164, p 516). Gould hopes the test may eventually provide a quantifiable measure of depression.
Henry Lowood, the curator of the Stanford University History of Science and Technology Collections, announced this past week a list of the 10 Most Important Video Games of All Time. This game canon has been created to preserve to cultural and historical significance of gaming. The list is a result of a collaboration between Lowood, Warren Spector, Steve Meretzky, academic researcher Matteo Bittani and gaming journalist Christopher Grant from Joystiq, and represents the games we must protect at all costs...our cultural artifacts.
Spacewar! (1962)
Star Raiders (1979)
Zork (1980)
Tetris (1985)
SimCity (1989)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990)
Civilization I / II (1991)
Doom (1993)
Warcraft (Series) (1994)
Sensible World of Soccer (1994)
The games all represent firsts for lasting genres, such as adventure games, multiplayer, FPS, story-driven RTS, et cetera. Each gamer is required to save these titles to a microchip embedded in the base of their skull in order to preserve our gaming heritage.
Overview : The Soft Jacket Silicone Case gives better grip and protection to your controllers.
Features :
Ultra thin with Exquisite Details
Protection against dust, dirt & scratches
Smooth & Soft to Touch
EZ Dust Go Treatment
Quality/Usability : Capdase has released their first Wii product. Capdase is well known for the accessories and silicone cases. Included is a wrist strap and silicone case for the Wii remote and Nunchuk.
The soft jacket has a nice thickness to it that feels comfortable in the hands. What is nice about the Soft Jacket is that on the back, there are grooves which allows better grip to your controllers. Besides the grooves on the silicone cases, the soft jacket is slightly different from the rest of the silicone case such as the Wii Silicone Case and Wii Controller Glove (Official). The silicone cases just mentioned all have holes cut out for each button. Capdase decided to leave silicone over the buttons but have the rubber pop out a little so you can feel where they are. Having the silicone over the buttons still allows you to press the buttons easily without having to dig your finger/nail into the button in order for it to recognize.
Unlike the other cases, Capdase added a little hole at the bottom of the case. This allows you to clip a wrist strap on to the case. Why do you need this? Well, the wrist strap that Nintendo included isnt strong, so Capdase hopes to remedy the situation. The strap has a metal clip that clips on to the bottom of the case. The strap itself is very durable and so is the hole. With this attached, you no longer need to use wrist strap that Nintendo included.
Conclusion : Overall, the Capdase Soft Jacket Silicone Case is a very nice product. The soft jacket feels comfortable in the hands. With the included wrist strap, this gives extra durability. Capdase offers in the Soft Jacket Silicone Case in a variety of colors such as blue, purple, pink, white, black and grey (tinted black).
Overview : The Soft Jacket Advance protects your Nintendo DS Lite from scratches and fingerprints.
Features :
Perfected design for flip-up game consoles
Semi rigid frame keeps Soft Jacket Advance in place without hassle
Advance technology that combines silicon with rigid plastic
Includes Hand Strap
Quality/Usability : The Soft Jacket Advance is a silicone case that covers and protects the outside of your Nintendo DS Lite. Majority of the Soft Jacket Advance is made of rubber silicone but around the edges, it is made of plastic. The purpose of the plastic is to give that stiff and firm protection to latch on to the DS Lite.
Unlike other silicone cases on the market, Capdase decided to make the whole Soft Jacket Advance one piece. There is an opening for the stylus, power button, headset, volume, charging port and even the loophole so you can attach a wrist strap.
There is a slight problem though. The Soft Jacket Advance doesnt slip on to the DS Lite like other silicone cases, it clips onto the Lite as mentioned before. But it doesnt clip onto all sides perfectly. You may have one corner that doesnt clip on completely but the case is held on tightly. Some of the ports is slightly covered which makes it kind of hard to reach.
Capdase included a wrist strap just like they usually do for any of their protective cases. They also included "silicone caps" that cover the headphone jack and charging port. These are similar to that of those dust cover ports. Unfortunately, they are loose. So loose that you will lose it easily. The best thing they included was a silicone Slot-2 cover. This fits directly into the Slot-2 port of your DS Lite which matches the Soft Jacket Advance itself and replaces the one that Nintendo included. The Slot-2 cover is completely made of silicone and fits slug inside the port.
Conclusion : Overall, the Capdase Soft Jacket Advance does a great job of protecting the DS Lite from scratches and finger prints but falls short. The soft jacket doesnt clip on completely depending on which corner but with a little strength, you can force it to. The "silicone caps" will be of no use since it is so loose and will fall off. But I like that they included a Slot-2 silicone cover to match the Soft Jacket Advance. It comes in a variety of colors such as blue, pink, white and black.
First off a Quick thanks to Soully and Martin whos site design and skills with Vbulletin make the network what it is and also thanks to Malksta for making the new logo for the site.
DCEmu Blog Site is our Offtopic and Chat news site where anything from jokes to non gaming news will be posted.
The running of the site will now be handed to Guntimms who im sure will turn it into a great part of our Network of Sites and build upon the community we have here.
Ubisoft's tactical shooter, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2, has flown straight into the top of the charts, ending Final Fantasy XII's two-week reign of supremacy.
Here are the latest all format charts for the UK, released this morning:
Tony Hawk's Project 8
Publisher: Neversoft Entertainment
Developer: Activision
Genre: Sports
Players: 1-4
Reviewed on Xbox 360 by gdf
Over time, it is inevitable that a series will get tired and run out of ideas; especially if it happens to be an annually updated sports game. After a while change is demanded and has to be put in place for the survival and continuation of the franchise, but it can be difficult to make massive overhauls without changing the core experience. This is where the last couple of Hawk games have struggled. 2003's THUG was a natural expansion of the gameplay offered in games 1 to 4 and opened up the world to fans of the series. The sequel, THUG 2, ended up recreating the humour of Jackass with its stupid stunts and rocket powered Segway-riding midgets. After that, it was demanded that the series deviate from this before it became overly tired, but the result was a bit uglier than expected. THAW attempted to be a jack of all trades, but ended as a pathetic loser of most. The skating was put on the back foot as you could nip around the supposedly load free world (loading screens were disguised as suspiciously bland alleys and tunnels linking parts of the world) in a car or BMX; a rather bad idea considering the only consistent name in the series' titles is Tony Hawk, y'know, only the most well known skater on the planet. THAW turned out to be a mini disaster area and there were some doubts over the series' future. Happily, all the wrongs have been righted thanks to THP8, the lastest from Activision.
From the off it appears a much more skateboardy experience. The environments in the free roaming city are choc full of trick oppourtunities, and much of the joy can be found from simply crusing around, grinding and flipping away. At the beginning of career you create your character, and straight after that it's off to skate. The plot goes like this: Tony is building up a team of the best 8 amatuer skaters he can find (see what they've done there) and he has stopped off in your town. It's up to you to climb from number 200 to the team and this can be done in numerous ways.
The great thing is that you can go at your own pace and pick and choose what you want to do. There are some missions and competitions which will improve your ranking a good few places and there are also the rather excellent spot challenges, addictive little nuggets of rank boosting fun. They can be activated when you are going about and are just graffitied words on the ground like "grind" or "Jump". The further, higher, or whatever, you go, the better grade you get ("Am", "Pro" or "Sick") and the more rank spots you will gain. the beauty is that even if you fail you can just carry on to your destination or restart quickly. Spot challenges can be tough but great fun at the same time and goals like "break 15 bones" are always welcome.
This brings me on to the next point of the gameplay: New features. Thankfully, THP8 is bursting at the seams with great new introductions to the series. Most noteworty are the bails, focus mode and the awesome "Nail the trick" er...trick. Bails have been overhauled and you are now able to direct the fall of your skater, bounce him (or her) off the ground and get up quickly. There are some moments of absolute joy when your protagonist goes flying and gets totally smashed up (complete with wince-inducing bone crunch sounds). Focus mode is a more serious but nonetheless useful addition. When the bar at the top left of the screen fills up, you click in the left stick to slow time down, very useful for tricky grinds and manuals or sustaining a combo. To stay in slow motion, you have to keep the bar filled by doing more tricks, so the more skilled you are, the easier a long combo gets. Also, it looks very cool grinding round a level 6 times and landing a million point combo at a snail's pace. The final large addition is the much lauded "Nail the Trick". At any time during play, you click in both sticks to slow time down, but this is different. Instead of keeping control of the skater's body, the camera zooms to his feet, and each stick controls its respective foot. Yet again this is very cool, but good timing and skill are required to land anything more than a one or two trick combo. Most of the time this feature produces some decent points, especially when used as part of a larger combo or in conjunction with focus. These features are great to have and make the skating both more enjoyable and realistic.
The game's soundtrack is also surprisingly good, with great bands such as Wolfmother, Kasabian and Klaxons all featuring. THP8 also has very tidy visuals and, for a cross-platform title, looks fairly next gen on the 360. Overall, THP8 really takes the series back to the heady days of THPS4 and is probably the most realistic and enjoyable yet. Despite its Halo 2 esque ending, it contains loads of replay value and has plenty of gamer points for 360 acheivement whores. The multiplayer is as fun as ever and you can never beat a good game of horse using words like "Penis" and "***got". THP8 is something of a return to form for a series that had lost its way somewhat, and is sefinitely worth your hard earned.
Replay Value 3/5 Sound 4/5 Graphics 4/5 Gameplay 4.5/5 Score:
Great game harking back to the first few in the franchise. Highly recommended.
Overview : XCM Multi-Console Component Cable V2 (PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360). Not compatible with Xbox 1.
Features :
Fully Compatible with Xbox 360™, Wii™, PS3™ , PS2™ and any TV system.
Support Component Signal (Stereo Function)
Support AV Signal (Stereo Function)
High Quality and High Speed for Transfer Signal.
Support Dolby Prologic.
Support DTS 5.1 Channel System.
Support DOLBY Digital and Surround Sound
Support Stereo Sound
Support Optical Signal (Xbox 360)
Compatible with Surround Receiver or Integrated Amplifier
Support CRT, Plasma, LCD or any HDTV System
Support D2 (480i/480p); (720i/720p) & D4 (1080i/1080p) technology.
Quality/Usability : XCM has released their multi-console component cable that supports Xbox360, Wii, PS2 and PS3. This is pretty much an all-in-one cable for your whole entire entertainment center. Like always, XCM impresses us with their quality of products.
There are three plugs for your console: Xbox360, Wii, PS2/PS3. On the other end are the AV inputs that connect to your TV. On the "switcher" itself, you have four switches: 360HD, 360 Y/Pb/Pr, Wii and PS2/PS3. Of course, which ever system you are playing, you'll have to switch to that system. For those that dont know, 360 Y/Pb/Pr is like a standard component cable.
The visual quality of each system is pretty good. I didnt notice much of a difference between this cable or the standalone component cable that you purchase separately for each system. When switching to a difference system, there is a 2-3 second delay.
The cable itself is fairly long so you dont have to worry about having the systems close to the TV but you will have to have your systems near each other in order for the cable to reach each console.
Conclusion : Overall, the XCM PS2/PS3/Wii/Xbox360 Multi-Console Component Cable is a neat product. Those looking to cut down on cables may want to look into this. It would have been nice if XCM had added a few inches more to the console cables so that the systems dont have to be so close to each other and for those who put their systems into entertainment centers. It would have been also nice if the 360HD and 360 Y/Pb/Pr had swapped places.
News from Play Asia of the latest Import gaming releases.
Heres the listing
PlayStation2™:
Garouden Break Blow: Fist or Twist JPN US$ 64.90
Sengoku Basara 2 (CapKore) JPN US$ 29.90
Standard Daisenryaku: Dengekisen (Sega the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
Standard Daisenryoku: Shiwareta Shouri (Sega the Best) JPN US$ 29.90
The Nightmare Before Christmas (CapKore) JPN US$ 19.90
Nintendo DS™:
Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan DS JPN US$ 29.90
Theme Park DS JPN US$ 48.90
Tottoko Hamtaro Hai! Ham-Chans no Ham Ham Challenge! Atsumare wa! JPN US$ 48.90
Overview : NeoFlash MK5 8Gbit GIGA is a slot 1 device (no passcard required). It does not use any external storage cards such as microSD. It holds up to 1GB of storage.
Features :
Support clean rom,not need any patch,just need drag and drop
Huge memory space,from 8Gbit upto 64Gbit
USB 2.0 high-speed data transfer
USB disk function, compatible with any operation system
Build in the last moonshell V1.5 and upgradable
Support homebrew
Build in SMS multi save function,and auto save
Menu upgradable,just need drag and drop the new core to MK5
Multi rom support,media play support
MK5 turbo engin, 100% full game running speed, without any delay
Build in passme function, can boot almost GBA flash cart perfectly
Quality/Usability : NeoFlash has entered the DS scene with their version of the Slot-1, MK5. Included with the package is Slot-1 MK5 8G DS Cartridge, Slot-2 GBA Linker, mini-CD and USB cable. Before you get ahead of yourself, this is not 8GB. This is 8Gbit which means 1GB of flash memory. There is also a 16Gbit as well (2GB - $59.00).
Out of the box, there were preloaded apps such as Moonshell and DSOrganize. The Slot-1 MK5 DS cartridge is the same as that of the real DS cartridge. It acts as a pass-me similar to that of the M3 Simply and R4DS. Unlike other Slot-1 cards, the MK5 uses flash memory to store all data rather than external cards such as microSD.
To transfer data, you will need to insert the MK5 GBA Linker. This is the cartridge that looks and is the same size as a GBA cartridge but has a USB port built-in. If you are to insert this into a DS Lite, the cartridge will stick out. Since the MK5 uses flash memory, the GBA Linker is used to communicate with your PC to transfer data. This does not store any data.
So how does this work? Insert your MK5 DS cartridge into Slot-1 of the DS and insert the GBA Linker into Slot-2 of the DS. Once the GBA Linker is inserted, connect the USB cable to the GBA Linker and PC. Turn on your DS and the PC will recognize the device as a removable storage. All you have to do now is just transfer your files. File transfer is pretty quick. When you have transfered all your files, turn off the DS. Since the GBA Linker only communicates with your PC, you will have to remove it. If you do not, you will not be able to access any of the MK5's feature and will be prompted with a message.
Upon turning on the DS (after you have removed the GBA Linker, you are brought to the DS menu screen. You will have to manually select the MK5. Once inside MK5, you can control the menu either with d-pad with A button to confirm or with the stylus. The menu screen itself isnt really attractive. With other Slot-1's you have some slight control over the look of the menu such as skinning. Unfortunately, you are unable to with the MK5. Although, you are able to customize Moonshell since they are based on BMP images and the fonts on MK5 via "global.ini".
The top screen shows the selected ROMs information such as ROM icon, filename, file size, last save date and page numbers (if you have more than 12 files).
The bottom screen shows the ROMs that you transfered onto the MK5. Each ROM has a 3D icon. As the current ROM is selected, the icon pulses to let you know which one is highlighted.
The MK5 worked perfectly with all the homebrew files I loaded onto the card. All homebrew booted quick and without a problem as it supported DLDI.
Booting of commercial ROMs were quick as well. The MK5 gets its save game size from a database. Luckily, the database is updated often. If for whatever reason the game save is not available, you can manually make one yourself by holding SELECT and pressing LEFT or RIGHT to select the save size. But this takes some trial and error if you dont know the size. You can see the compatibility and save game list here.
If you have a Slot-2 GBA Flash Cart, MK5 acts as a Pass-Me card which allows you to boot the GBA cart.
The MK5 also allows for future firmware upgrade. Upgrading the firmware is similar to that of loading a commercial ROM. It only takes a few seconds to upgrade the firmware.
A nice feature that NeoFlash included is the ability to format the MK5 incase it is corrupted. To format, just insert the MK5 and GBA Linker into the DS but dont insert the USB cable and dont turn on the system just yet. Hold down the L Trigger + R Trigger and the Down button then power on the DS. The MK5 logo will appear. While still holding the L Trigger + R Trigger and Down button, now press A + B button. The GBA Linker will now format the MK5. Since it is formatted, all data have been erased and you will need to transfer all data to the MK5 again.
Another unique feature that NeoFlash has released since the release of the MK5 is the ability to use the DS as a USB joypad and mouse. For more information, you can check out the official release.
Conclusion : Overall, the NeoFlash MK5 8Gbit GIGA Cart met my expectations if not more. The drawback of the MK5 is not being able to upgrade the memory since it is flash memory. But the price makes up for it considering the DS-X is 4Gbit and is twice the cost! For those first time users of Slot-1, you may not mind the menu screen but once you see or try others, you'll notice how plain the MK5 is.
*UPDATE*
New update from Dr. Neo over at NeoFlash.com regarding save memory self-test.
the new MK5 save memory self-test App
thanks cory tooooo much, he make a very useful MK5 2M save memory test App, just run it then can check your save memory working perfect or not!
how to use:
[1] copy "Save_Memory_Test.nds" to your MK5, and copy the "savetype.sdb" to overwrite your old file too.
[2] when you run it first time, just click it and start to excute the self-test and give out the testing report. If it's passed, then turn off your NDS.
[3] re-power on your nds and run this App again, it will verify the memory data automatical, if pass too, then mean your MK5 save system is working perfect and can keep the data after power off, 100% QC pass.
Please note that none of the "upgrade" products listed in this site are endorsed by Nintendo, Sony and/or Microsoft. DCEmu Reviews and DCEmu Network does not condone piracy. The primary functions of a "modchip" and/or "flashcart" are to allow you to play imported games and homebrew software that you legally own or simply just for experimenting with hardware. We in no way endorse piracy, and encourage all users to do the right thing and support the developers/manufacturers that support them. We do not take any responsibilities for any use outside of these parameters or where the use of such a device is illegal.
Reuters informs that gamers born before the first Bush administration aren't all suffering from Peter Pan syndrome -- game systems are growing up with them. 37 percent of adults own a gaming console and 16 percent own a portable gaming device according to Nielson/NetRatings. Of those, 71 percent are married and 66 percent have at least one child.
According to Reuters, analysts predicted the Wii did well because adult gamers wanted to introduce their children to gaming. These "Nintendads" helped sell a lot of units. Oh please, "Nintendads" wanted the Wii for themselves. The kid was just the add-on peripheral excuse that allowed the wife to let them purchase the console.
Beyond Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are clearly fighting it out for an adult focused media hub. Although neither is succeeding in making that all-in-one unit, we don't really care, as long as they focus on the games. All we know is as this "Nintendad" generation takes control, we'll see a significant decline in silly game legislation.
Tekken: Dark Ressurection
Publisher: Namco Bandai Group
Developer: Namco
Genre: Fighting
Players: 1-4
Reviewed by gdf
Tekken, a series seeming to have lost it's way in recent years, has always been a friend of Sony. This hasn't changed for the legendary series' first outing on the Playstation branded handheld. Dark Resurrection was originally a spruced up version of Tekken 5 for the Arcades, but the PSP seemed like a perfect format for the title to be given a commercial release on, and it works a treat. The Namco brawler feels like it has found its true home and somehow, you seem closeer to the action than ever.
The player feels every kick, punch and special move like they have just been smashed in the face with a rock covered in diamond spikes. The absence of rumble on the portable seemingly makes no difference to the intense fights and you hardly notice its not there. The bouts are fast paced and fun, great for (I hate this phrase) "Gaming on the go" (Eugh), as they come in tiny bitesize chunks and can be done one at a time if you need to keep putting the PSP on sleep. Loading times are very impressive- even for a PS2 game these would be quick- so you can get into action quite quickly. Of course, the Intro movie when you load the game up is great and looks mighty fine on the LCD screen.
This moves me along to the next point: the visuals. The graphics in Tekken were always fairly impressive, even on PS1, but here the game properly shines. The character models are especially excellent, with curves and smooth lines rather than bumps everywhere. The backgrounds are impressive too, and the small, constrained arenas also look the part, with shattering ground or flying coins (in one level). The PSP has often been susceptible to awful (occasionally game-destroying) ghosting, but that it not in evidence here. Movement is smooth and swift and doesn't seem blurred that strange yellow colour you can get. All in all, I'd go as far as to say this is the best PSP graphics have gotten so far.
The action itself is instantly gratifying and is finely balanced between button bashing and combo mastery. Combos are usually simple and effective and there is a wide enough variety to satify both extremes. Noobs to the fighting genre will be able to string together a couple of moves and oldies (have their fingers not succumbed to arthritis yet) should go for the ludicrous 10-hit combos and suchlike. There is a training mode for fighters to try out and a combo challenge, where you try to nail each characters' moveset in as quick a time as possible. The action feels right as well, as opponents provide sufficient challenge to those who want it. Bouts can just as easily time out as be over in seconds and there always seems to be a fine-line between victory and loss, though it never looks to be unfair. The PSP's often limited and flawed control layout doesn't seem like a problem either and you always feel in total control of your characters. When you lose it is most definitely your fault.
Though Arcade provides the main meat of the action, there are a raft of other modes to take into account. Story is fairly self explanatory, and sees you guide a character through their KOIF tournament. Quick Battle is just as simple but very fun, and is great for diving into a fight without fear of losing your ranking, which I'll come back to later. One of the more interesting modes is Dojo, which sees you work through an Island of martial arts training houses to become the champ. Dojo is a lengthy trudge, and can feel a little repetitive at times, but mostly proves quite a fulfilling alternative to arcade. There are also dozens of options to be tampered with, and a rather fun Edit mode, where you spend Gold earned in-game on new costumes for your characters.
And there are a lot of characters. Two new additions Lili and Dragunov feel useful in a fight, especially the former, whose devastating kicks can whip even the largest opponent. Another commendable part of the game is that the list is well balanced. The big, slow ones aren't always the useless *******s they had been before and the light ones don't feel like a bunch of weak ass pussies. My personal favourites are Jack-5, the superpowered robot, and Lili, the aforementioned newcomer. When you use a character in either Arcade or Dojo they are given a percentage and ranked, so after prolonged play you can see who you are the best with. The system works surprisingly well and makes you really determined to win each round.
Tekken seems to have found a new lease of life on PSP and proves an excellent companion to the system. Not only are the fights rapid and violent (not MK violent mind), but you feel every blow and look absolutely sumptuous to boot. It is a well balanced game and another good example of "How to port a game to PSP". It seems to have found its spiritual home on the system and is a highly reccommended purchase. As an added bonus, the legendary minigame Tekken Bowl returns and is a nice distraction to the main game. The edit mode is also a laugh and flaws are few and far between so if you own a PSP then buy this freakin' game! One of the best on PSP and excellently balanced in almost every aspect.
Replay Value 5/5 Sound 3/5 Graphics 4.5/5 Gameplay 4.5/5 Score:
A complete package; you'll never need another fighting game on the system.
Killzon: Liberation
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Guerilla
Genre: Action
Players: 1
Reviewed on PSP by gdf
The original Killzone was released a couple of years ago on the PS2 after an enormous amount of hype, mainly orchestrated by magazines. When it came out it proved a very enjoyable, if unoriginal game, and wasn't quite the "Halo-beater" that it was widely tipped to be. After the implausibly beautiful PS3 trailer for Killzone 2 appeared the hype once again stirred. Over a year on and with no more news concerning it, fans felt lost. Not any more.
Killzone Liberation is a pint sized version of the shooter that continues the story of the first game. You play as Keller from the first game- on a mission to hunt down the evil Helghast officer General Metrac- but from an altogether different perspective (quite literally). Instead of being in first person, the game's developers Guerilla decided to take the player a step (or twenty) back from the action and have a psuedo top down view a la Metal Gear Solid. Amazingly it seems to have worked and the game proves more fun and rewarding in the new view. The controls are very well adapted to the portable's limited button arrangement and the game maintains the feel of the original. Your man can roll, melee, shoot, grenade, reload, order squadmates, perform context actions, crouch, cover and even strafe thanks to good thinking on the developer's part. It almost feels like Gears of War Mini at some rather excellent parts of the game, especially due to the clever cover system...
You press R to crouch and if you are behind cover when you do so then you attatch to it. To fire over you press square, and thanks to a laser sight and some subtle auto aiming, blasting enemies is easier than ever; of course this is compensated for by the nails-hard Helghast, who can take more lead than a stack of peiodic tables (I know, that was awful). The system works surprisingly well, and this is good, since without it getting past Level 1 would drive most to suicide. Another life-saver is the strafing, which is activated by pressing L. This makes you lock-on to the nearest enemy and lets you circle round like a little crab with guns-for-claws. It is well implemented and becomes second nature after fifteen minutes' play.
There are only eight guns in the game and they only become available by progressing in the story, but they are a tight, well balanced lot, all of which have spcific strengths and weakness'. My personal favourite has to be the magnum, a great combination of fire rate, accuracy, power and reload speed. Sadly, only one gun can be carried at a time, which doesn't help when you want a sniper or a bazooka and a shorter range weapon, but have to settle for the most boring one purely because you simply wouldn't be able to progress using just the more powerful or longer range weapons. On a happier note, throwing grenades has been well adapted. You simply press circle to enter grenade mode and tap fire when you want to throw. When in this mode, a set trajectory appears and you move around, locking on to specific targets if necessary.
One area the controls fall down slightly is in the conrol of the Tanks, a bizzare mixture of shoulder button rotation and weird face button driving. Thankfully these are few and far between enough so as not to disrupt the rest of the game. Another potential sticky area is the VIP escorting, though thankfully this is one game where a) they can take care of themselves and b) they do what you tell them to. This is the kind of thing that puts many next gen games to shame and is a reflection on the excellent AI on show. Enemies will crouch behind cover like you and help each other out, trying to flank your position. Of course this can be put to rights with a few blasts of the shotgun or a lobbed pineapple.
The action in the game is tense and exciting, especially when you have a teammate in tow. A tap of select brings the pace of the game to a crawl, and you select a position, enemy or your character and they will go there/kill them/follow you. Sadly there aren't nearly enough of these sections as it's a great way of ordering the AI; very streamlined and simple, but effective. Another commendable element of the game is the graphical punch it carries, with some excellent effects and enemy death physics. The visuals are well above par for a portable game and it impressively matches up to the first game on the creaky old PS2.
Multiplayer is great in Liberation and an online download will be out soon- enabling you to take on the world wirelessly- thus extending it's already decent lifespan. Combined with the story and excellent challenge mode, this could keep the UMD in your PSP for months to come. A warning however; this game is HAAAAARD. The levels are long and arduous and you'll be swearing at the screen more than once throughout the single player. You'll get to the end of a level, heaving a sigh of releif, when a giant tank boss comes up behind you. SHIT! The difficulty does provide a worthy challenge however, and if you're into beating hard games then this will be right up your street.
Despite some small flaws, Killzone Liberation is superb and these comparisons I made during play are testament to what a great game it is: Halo, Killzone 1, Contra, Gears of War, Rainbow 6: Vegas. If I haven't convinced you yet, then you should take your PSP and smash it up, because without this game you don't deserve to have that system. Killzone Liberation is a great example of how to do a shooter on portable consoles; keeping the feel of the original, but adapting it to the different platform and along the way far surpassing it in terms of quality and quantity. This game is a gem and should not be ignored in favour of endless retro collections, miss at your own risk.
Replay Value 4/5 Sound 4/5 Graphics 4.5/5 Gameplay 4.5/5 Score:
Superb execution, silky visuals and impressive AI make this an experience not to be missed.
Klonoa. Probably the most woefully underrated game series out there. Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil for the Sony PS2 went almost unnoticed on the greater scheme of PS2 gaming. Another reason why it may have not gained recognition is because it came out around the time of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. Talk about bad timing, huh? In any case, the 3D platformer has gained the respect of most who've played it.
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil gameplay revolves mainly on its 3D set up as a platformer, with a few twists. As with all games in this genre, it is a side-scroller adventure with you fighting baddies along the way. Unlike most platformers, though, you don't simply run through each level hitting anything that moves along the way. You also must solve certain puzzles along the way with each level. These puzzles seem complicated when you first run into one. However, by the time you finish, you'll be smacking you head, thinking "Oh! It was so simple! Why didn't I think of that..." The game isn't all about puzzles, not at all. While there are many challenging puzzles there is also the classic smack-around-the-bad-guy feel to it, as you often use enemies to solve puzzles, among other things. The battle system is unusual and rather original. Not the effect of smashing bad guys, but the way you do it, and how they can never really be destroyed.
Rather the a shooting, jumping, or smashing way of fighting, Klonoa 2 uses an original-classic pulley battle system. Pulley may not be a good word, but the idea remains the same, as you take in enemies into a special weapon, and use them to unlock puzzles, or smash them into other enemies, or use them to propel to new heights.
The story is a classic "Save the world scenerio" with a couple of new and old ideas. You play as Klonoa, Namco's half-mascot, waking up into a different world, which leaves a lot of the WTF feeling in the air. They still use they're own language, much like in Animal Crossing, so even if you know Japanese you won't be able to understand what they're saying, despite the accent similarities. Woken up by a apprentice priestess and her dog, they instantly dub you the "dream traveller". You are almost tricked into helping the girl earn her priesthood, but all is well, as that was apparently neccesary for the plot. You learn that only the so-called "dream traveller and his sacred weapon" can save the land of Lunatea from a destructiv force. You embark on a journey along with the priestess and her human-like dog to ring the four bells to seal off the evil that will reveal itself in the King of Sorrow.
Onto graphics. Unlike the first few Klonoa games, this game is rendered in full 3D, no sprites involved. The first Klonoa game rendered 2D objects in a 3D background. Klonoa 2 has what players called "awesome visuals" for its time. The cutscenes were among the best of the graphic moments, when the visuals were nicely mixed 2D-3D. The gameplay graphics weren't too far behind, making this game a for-its-time(not before) in that department. Posted is a screenshot of in-game play during a sentry boss-battle:
The textures in that screenshot are smooth due to the circumstances, much of all boss battles run graphics in a much smoother fashion then during Vision gameplay(levels). Here are some screenshots of the natural side-scroller level play:
The music track isn't one you'll be likely to hum to, but its definately one you won't hold your ears hoping for a bomb to come before the end of the track. For the type of game, its considered a nicely, well rounded soundtrack, that (I've never really noticed it during gameplay, but I've never really listened)will keep either a calm or rushed mood, depending on the levels circumstance. The OST was even demanded enough to be created and released a few months after the game being released.
Well that was a bit to type. Rather enjoyable, I guess. Heres my rating on Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil for PS2 Sony Entertainment System.
Replay Value 3/5 Not too much to be had in this department, once you beat the game its usually the same thing over unless you do some of the mini-quests. Replaying does give an oddly good feel compared to most games. Sound 4/5 They matched the scenario being played upon, thus making them a good style for-the-moment music, as well as sound Graphics 4.5/5 Not bad at all, not what I'd call a masterpiece but for its time it was a huge advance form the original 2D rendered on a 3D set. Gameplay 5/5 There isn't much more you could ask in a platformer. Klonoa 2 is almost what I'd call the absolute perfect platformer. Score:
If your looking for a platformer, there isn't much better choice then this game. It has everything from long eared cats to air pirates.
This review is by Shadowblind for and at DCEmu, the Homebrew and Gaming Forum.
Klonoa: Empire of Dreams
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Action
Players: 1
Klonoa: Empire of Dreams for the Game Boy Advance Nintendo handheld game system
Now this was the first Klonoa game I bought. After playing it, I was hooked. This game set a gold standard for GBA games for me, platformers specifically, and this was a definate before-its-time, being one of the first GBA games to be released.
As with all Klonoa games, its a standard platformer. Unlike its earlier relatives, it is full 2D, as a GBA able to emulate 3D would be a miracle. The sprites a well done, they fit together very well, fully articulate design spaing no pixel of Klonoa's character and essence in attacking, jumping, and the other things a game character basically does. The enemies are particularly something, as they reflect the lighting effect that would be present in a 3D game. The background is not as intricately designed, often being a single landscape. The level design is a bit more detailed on most maps, despite the glossy background. Here is a screenshot of ingame play:
While not showing much in foreground, you can plainly see the glossy land-scaped background, but it isn't very noticable during in-game play, despite its obvious nature. Cut-scenes have nicely rounded textures, showing obvious work in detailing most parts of the character and background images, with touch ups to the already nicely drawn and created sprites. Heres another screenshot for the good nature of adding them:
The sound is perfect for the levels...but sometimes the levels are a little too fluffy for their own good, much like in the Kirby game series. This makes some levels music both vexing and calming, which usually makes you tune them out. This doesn't mean the music is bad, its simply not very noticable when indulged within the addicting gameplay. The music in the cutscenes usually fits the scene to the best I would think possible. Again, like in the other Klonoa games, they speak they're own, un-interpretable language. For the music type the GBA is able to chug out, this is a good addition to the game.
The battle system remains the same in this Klonoa game as all others; sucking in enemies with your ring and expounding them to other enemies or into a walls or to gain distance. Although this style has gotton a bit old, hte Klonoa game series is still holding to it strong. With that effort they also make it continue to remain interesting. In this game, like Door to Phantomile, your ring is powered by the spirit which dwells inside it, namely Huepow.
The story begins as you, Klonoa, find yourself in multiple visions where you are not sure where you are, or whether theis place even exists or not. Soon you find out that the King of this land has put a law out which claims that no one may sleep, or dream more importantly as the law states. So now I know what your all thinking: "So what if they dream? Whos gonna stop them?" In answer to that: the guards. They, even though made miserable from this law, go and arrest anyone who they find sleeping, even breaking into homes to perform the arrests. The king's reasoning upon the law? The king is having a sever case of abnormal insomnia. He has not been able to sleep in days, and will not permit others to sleep. So comes Klonoa, the "dream traveller". Not really sure what he's doing, he fights through the visions to find out why the King is having insomnia and to liberate the land from this dreaming deprevation.
Now onto the ratings:
Graphics: 4 out of 5Nicely drawn sprites and eneies, and great front-gound scenerio textures. Now we get to that screwy-looking background. Sheesh...good thing its not very noticable.
Sound: 3.5 out of 5
Very calming music, which fits the levels. Unfortunately, sometimes you just wanna start smashing stuff to some jamming music, but oh well, this is second best!
Replay Value: 4.5 out of 5
Im not sure just what it was about this game that made me want to play it about 3 times over before I got bored. All I know is that it is wicked fun from start to finish and back again.
Gameplay: 4.5 out of 5
Another well done, good-to go platformer. What makes this one special is its the first best I've seen for GBA, AKA handheld.
Overall: 4 out of 5
As GBA games go, this one has held out to me as one of the strongest een since its release at the beginning of the GBA saga of gaming.
Dead Rising
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Action
Players: 1
Reviewed on Xbox 360 by gdf
Ah, zombies. The shambling, brainless undead. Long hunted down by many a gamer, they have created numerous great games over the years, most notably Capcom's infamous Resident Evil series. Dead Rising is another zombie game from the survival horror masters, but is in an altogether lighter, more humorous tone.
You play Frank West, a photographer who has hitched a chopper ride into a sleepy American town that has recently been blocked off by the army. Chasing the scoop, you land on a mall and have 72 hours before your lift returns. When you get down to the shop floor, you find survivors of the outbreak barricading themselves in and fighting off zombies using whatever they can find, and when the undead brain munchers break in, you must employ similar tactics. After the initial scrap, you are taken up to the security room, a safe haven from your enemies, and meet all manner of mysterious people. You can try to uncover the outbreak of the scoop, try to save survivors or just kill piles of zombies, the choice is yours!
To begin with all you have is a camera, a watch and the clothes on your back; however, if you can pick an item up, you can use it in battle. There are literally HUNDREDS of weapons to be found, from novelty masks, to lawnmowers to plastic lightsabers, and almost all of them are useful in some way. Though there is just one attack button, the range of items negates the need for complex combos and each weapon has several different attacks: they can be swung, thrown, made to do a special attack and more, depending on the weapon. Some of the weapons are highly inventive and excellent fun to use and can cut through swathes of enemies. Body parts go flying all over the place and claret pours across the screen as you hack into a crowd with the small chainsaw or bash them up with the sledgehammer. The action is great and there are thousands of zombies to be brutally dispatched in increasingly inventive ways (death by shower head anyone?), so it never gets boring. It's a far cry from Resident Evil: there's no wandering around the same locations for scarce ammo, code guessing, or saving the best guns for the really bad boys; just a huge amount of zombies and an unlimited stock of badass weaponry with which to pwn their sorry hides.
When you bring up your watch in game a list of missions will appear; some important to the story, most just survivor escorts. Escorting survivors is an absolute ******* as they seem to be willing to hurl themselves into large crowds of zombies and get themselves eaten. After a while you'll get used to it, but it's not usually worth the bother to herd a fat man across the whole mall whilst being pursued by a gaggle of zombified shoppers and psychopathic cultists. There is only one door to the security room and save points are scarce, so trying to take others there could result in the loss of an hour or two's play. Hardly fair. Another complaint is that you are extremely unlikely to complete the game first, or even second, time round as it is hard to keep up with the tight time schedule of story missions. You can, however, choose to restart any time but keep your previously earned abilities and level, something that will come as a relief to those who just kept running out of time after the medication mission on day two and saved an already failed game. We know Capcom like to make their games challenging, but this is a step too far. All of this makes completing the game close to impossible to the casual gamer, who is the market this game should really appeal to.
Once you do properly get going on story mode you'll have great fun, and the kill count will rack up surprisingly fast. You can, as previously mentioned, gain new abilities and improve your stats and this is done in a clever way. Instead of the usual killing stuff gets exp. points (prestige points in this game, or PP), here you do it by taking photographs. Each photo you take is ranked and counts up target markers or special events, such as the high ranking PP stickers, which can be taken at specific moments. Once your photo is done you get PP for it and certain types of photo get more than others. This system works well, as it is down to player skill, not just awarded for winning a battle or whatever. PP are supplemented by completing missions or successfully escorting those bloody survivors to safety, and when you level up you improve your stats, and get special moves, like the head-busting knee drop, or zombie owning wall pounce.
After the missions are done you can continue to play, but I can't say much more without ruining it. There are loads of achievements in the game and many can be done with simple tasks like: "walk ten metres over a crowd of zombies"; "hit 30 zombies with a parasol"; "get 50 target markers in one photo" or "fall more than 10 feet". There are also zombie killage milestone achievements and some more challenging ones such as uncovering the true ending of the game or escorting 60 survivors to the security room. The mall itself is large and there are plenty shops and other areas to explore, like the nightmarish underground tunnel or the illegally fun multiplex cinema. The boss characters are challenging and secret passages can be found through the discovery of certain survivors. Weapons are consistently varied and exciting, and the only barriers to progressing are your bloodlust and the annoying mission structure. The now infamous text, unreadable on anything other than a state-of-the-art HD TV, can be irritating, but to be perfectly honest you can live without knowing what inane crap the janitor is wittering on about until it appears in the watch screen, where the writing is just about decipherable. The game's sound is well done (presumably the Capcom boys have been smashing a hell of a lot of cabbages and melons) and the graphics are very impressive, definitely setting the standard that subsequent games should aspire to. The game can be humorous but is continuously inventive and fun, though the execution can let it down on occasion. Despite this, Dead Rising is worth a purchase and is a great example of what the 360 can do; recommended.
Replay Value 4/5 Sound 4.5/5 Graphics 3/5 Gameplay 4.5/5 Score:
Occasionally ill judged but in the end an absolute blast; killing zombies never gets tired. Buy this and cross your fingers for a Dead Rising 2!
Welcome to this week's Movie/Music news roundup, containing all new Japanese and Hong Kong Video and Music releases from this week listed at Play-Asia.com. Around 250 new items are covered in this week, including new J-Pop, Anime as well as Japanese, Hong Kong and Western movie releases and much more.
Here's a summary of all new releases that were published between Saturday, March 10th and Friday, March 16th. If some specific item that you are looking for is missing, please don't hesitate to contact our customer service with your request.
J-Pop Music releases (139)
Anime Soundtracks & Drama CDs (18)
Video Game Soundtracks (1)
Hong Kong Version Music releases (9)
Blu-Ray Disc Movies (3)
Hong Kong Version Movie releases (13)
Japanese Movies (8)
Non-Japanese Movies / Japanese Version (21)
Anime DVD releases (3)
J-Pop DVD releases (27)
Misc. Japanese DVD releases (2)
Idol DVD (11)
UMD™ Video & Music (1)
Today, March 16th, is Red Nose Day, the day on the UK calendar when the nation unites to raise money for good causes in the name of comedy. So, eager not to be excluded, Games Press has been keeping an eye out for Red-Nose-related happenings in the world of games.
Yesterday we heard how residents of virtual world Second Life can buy Comic Relief T-shirts and Red Noses using their in-game spare change.
And today comes news of a cheat in Lego Star Wars II that unlocks Red Noses for all the characters, from R2-D2 to Mr Vader himself. No, really. If you don't believe us, see the attached screenshots.
We're not going to tell you what the code is. Instead we'd urge you - and your readers, if you'd care to tip them off with the URL - to head over to the TT Games website (www.ttgames.com) where the cheat can be revealed after donating whatever you can afford to Comic Relief.
First-party players Nintendo and Sony are to attend the E for All expo in October this year, which many are calling the public replacement for the now neutered E3.
The expo was announced by Gamepro publisher IDG last year, and unlike that other Los Angeles game expo is fully open to the general public.
This is all according to Gamasutra, who has published initial details of the event which takes place on October 18-20 in E3's former home the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The arrival of the two companies at the show will no-doubt boost the interest of industry punters and show-goers, but despite the similar name and shared location E for All is set to be a very different beast from the other videogame super-show.
Due to its proximity to the holiday season and the thralls of average punters patrolling the halls, E for All is expected to have a large amount of already-released titles on show and for the same reason game announcements will likely be scarce.
Registration and pricing details for the expo are expected to be released in the next few weeks.
February hardware sales in the US are up by 98 per cent, according to the latest data released by NPD.
Thanks largely to impressive performance from the Nintendo DS and Wii, sales for February 2007 were US $402 million (EUR 301.7m).
Software sales also rose by 28 per cent to US $441 million (EUR 331m), compared to US $345 million (258.9m) during the same period in 2006.
The DS sold 485,000 units during February, while the Wii moved 335,000 units despite Nintendo struggling to maintain a continuous supply of its latest home console.
"We're gratified that the explosive appeal of the Wii, in terms of both new players and new ways to play, has created unprecedented demand, substantially beyond supply," commented Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo in North America.
Sony's PlayStation 3, due in Europe next week, registered disappointing sales figures in comparison. The next-gen home console sold 127,000 units and was outsold by the PlayStation 2 at 295,000 units and the PSP's 176,000 units.
Microsoft's Xbox 360, a console released in November 2005, managed to sell 228,000 units, and even the Game Boy Advance range of handhelds put in a better performance than Sony's next-gen machine, shifting 136,000 units.
Nintendo also enjoyed considerable success in the software sales charts, with the top three sellers all exclusive to the company.
Wii Play sold 371,000 copies, while Diddy Kong Racing for the DS moved 262,000 units and Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess sold 130,000 copies.
Of the US $96 million increase in sales over last year, Nintendo and Microsoft product accounted for US $79 million.
Sales were higher than figures expected from analyst Wedbush Morgan.
"Overall sales were much higher than our US $415 million forecast as next-generation console software sales substantially exceeded our estimates," offered Michael Pachter, senior analyst at the firm.
"Next-generation software sales totalled US $275 million, compared to our US $240 million forecast. The upside was primarily attributable to dramatically higher than expected sales of 360 and Wii games," he said.
"The sales pattern over the last few months had suggested to us that consumers are less concerned about the transition than they have been in prior console cycles. Demand for the PS3 is tracking below our expectations, while demand for the Wii remains strong," added Pachter.
The top three selling titles for each console follow:
Yoshi's Island DS has sold over 303,000 units in its first week of sales in Japan, placing it at the top of the charts according to data from Media Create.
The only other new entry in the Japanese top ten is Spike's Kenka Banchou 2: Full Throttle at number four, selling over 42,000 units.
There are two PlayStation 3 titles in the top 50 - Bandai's Gundam Musou at number seven and Sega's Virtua Tennis 3 at number 19. There are no Xbox 360 games in the top 50.
Hardware sales in the region have also dropped this week, with the DS selling 108,631 units and Sony's PSP shifting 56,175 units.
Nintendo has sold 44,495 Wii consoles in the past week, while Sony's PlayStation 3 has sold 32,115 units. The PlayStation 2 has sold 14,585 units, ahead of Microsoft's Xbox 360, which managed 3333 consoles sold.
The Japanese top ten follows, with weekly sales figures:
1. Yoshi's Island DS / 303,114 DS
2. Monster Hunter Portable 2 / 93,099 PSP
3. Layton Kyoujo no Fushigi na Machi / 45,344 DS
4. Kenka Banchou 2: Full Throttle / 42,131 PS2
5. Super Robot Taisen W / 36,310 DS
6. Wii Sports / 35,298 Wii
7. Gundam Musou / 31,145 PS3
8. Dragon Quest Monsters – Joker / 26,452 DS
9. Wii Play / 26,340 Wii
10. Motto Nou o Kitaeru Otona DS Training / 20,716 DS
GamesRadar's female voice steps up to bring the stereotype down
With the launch of Nintendo’s seemingly more ‘girl friendly’ DS and Wii, and gaming award ceremony’s adding categories like Girls’ Choice Award, women picking up a joypad is apparently becoming more mainstream. But what is this obsession with women being a different gaming species?
Despite the acceptance that more women are playing games there’s still a great divide – one where male gamers fit into many categories and women get just one: girl gamer. The girl gamer is often seen as a casual gamer, dipping in and out of sunny, happy titles where any skill needed is thin on the ground; gameplay kept to a minimum.
As a ‘girl’, a gamer and member of the GamesRadar team I’m here to dispel these myths. I may not be one of the PES regulars in our office every lunchtime but I know what I like when it comes to games. Read on to see just why girl gamers don’t exist.
Quake 4
Publisher: Activision
Developer: id Software
Genre: First Person
Players: 1
Quake 4 is produced by id Software inc. for the PC and Xbox 360 Computer Entertainment system.
Quake 4 may not be as well known around as Doom 3 (even though they were made by the same people and company), but that doesn't keep it from being an all-around better game. Quake 4 looks to have incorporated all the needs that Doom 3 didn't have fullfilled, such as the flashlight-on'a-gun for one. Quake 4, when first shown at the 2005 E3 convention, fans flipped out of their minds for this game. The graphics, gameplay, and classic scenerio had many people, me included, waiting on the edge of their seat for this incredible FPS. We were waiting for gold...and we got platinum. The graphics, AI, weapons, and pretty much anything else incorporated in this game were much more advanced then the best up to this point. The gameplay becames highly repetitive after a while, though. The multiplayer is also a bit overused for various reasons.
The graphics for Quake 4 are the best I've seen until the time I bought it in 2006 as the first 360 game I got. I was stunned at the level of detail on each individual level. Textures were different for almost every part of the level, none repeated themselves through consistancy. Even when looking close to walls and sides, weapons and pretty much anything, the textures didn't became grainy or pixaled, for lack of a better term. They retained their smooth and shiny display from point-blank to distances half-across the level. The characters were almost life-like, having individual features such as a larger nose, bigger jaw, different eye colors, and whatever else there is to have on physical featuring. Such as the detailing in the next screen-shot:
The lighting is often very dark, which makes the light attachment for the guns come in very handy.
The AI in the game, both enemy and ally were nice, to say the least. It wasn't what I'd call an AI revolution, but the enemies often knew when to dodge and when to shoot, as did the allies. What amazed me is how id made the allie's movement. They used actual people with motion sensors to replicate movement into a virtual "skeleton". They used that skeleton as a basis for the movements of your buddies in-game. They add in textures and physical features of the characters and put them in-game. The result? An artificial ally thata replicates the same movements in the same style that the actor performed in reality.
Gameplay is the real deal in Quake 4. The gameplay features the standard shoot-and-get-shot style that all good FPS have and has made id Software famous. You, as corporal Mathew Kain set out with Rhino squad to break through the Strogg enemy lines to take out their central system called the Nexus. While along the way, you confront the Makron, the leader of the Strogg whom Mathew Kain killed in Quake 2. How hes standing in front of you is another story. You are shipped to a Strogg processing facuility where you are turned into a Strogg--literally. But before they have time to implant in your head the chip to make you obey they're every command, the remaining Rhino squad busts you out. Thus you, in your strogganized state go with the rest of Rhino squad to finish the job, and take Quake 4 features a great variet of weapons from both Quake 2 and Quake 4 introductees. This can range from the Rotosaw and the Nuclear pistol, to the clip-loaded shotgun and dark matter cannon(the Quake alternative to Dooms BFG9000) which creates a black hole, sucking in furnature and enemies alike.
While writing this my friend next to me said "I'd hate to be on the recieving end of that" when I showed him a shot of what it can do. Try being on the recieving end in multiplayer. It's not too fun I'll bet...
Multiplayer isn't near as good as it could have been. Still gun, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't utilize some of the nicer features of Quake 4. For instance, its maps are directly ported maps from Quake 2 with better graphics. There are very little parts of Quake 4 multiplayer that are original to Quake 4 and not the rest of the Quake series. Another bad let down is the fact that Quake 4 cannot be played multiplayer by 2 or more people on one Xbox 360. You can system link up to 8 Xbox's though for a game of up to eight players. You can also play online multiplayer through Xbox Live. The sad part is id seems to have forgotton all about co-op, which would be very nice in Quake 4 considering its dim storyline and levels. Heres a screenshot for the masses, although its shrunk so it doesn't show good detail.
Now onto ratings:
Graphics: 5 out of 5
I couldn't really ask for anything better. For its time up until this day, its graphics have proved amazing. Those shots aren't even in HD!
Sound: 4 out of 5
There isn't much to talk about, but the music varies from the creepy moments in the game where the music is a sorta blurred Twilight sound to those heart pumping moments where Quake 4 shoots out the hard rock. Yeah!
Replay Value: 4.5 out of 5
Due to the ability to choose from 5 different difficulties this game has a great replay value. That, and the fact you unlock achievments for almost every level you finish in a certain difficulty, tagged with chievments for finishing a level with only one type of gun at a time. Tons of gamer score for you!
Multiplayer: 3 out of 5
While not being awful, it sure isn't very good due to the limitations it has on a single Xbox and having pretty much only maps from Quake 2.
Gameplay: 4.5 out of 5
In my opinion the best FPS I've played to this day. And yes, I have played Halo 2 before. No it stands no chance in comparison to Quake 4 single player. Multiplayer on the other hand...
Overrall: 4.5 out of 5
If you liked any of id's games or FPS games, ranging from Wolfenstein to Halo 2 you'll love this game. That is, if you can stand a little freakiness here and there. And if you liked Doom 3, you'll love this game.
Is it a console? Yes, we've been complaining about the lack of games over the last few weeks but there's absolutely nothing to bitch about come March 23rd.
You'd expect a long list considering the small matter of Sony's next-gen console hitting the shelves but 63 titles? That's insane. It certainly raises a few questions; like who's going to buy all this stuff, why did THQ decide to release the long-awaited S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl on such a fateful day and why does the PS3 look like a George Foreman grill?
We're covering the launch of the PlayStation 3 extensively over the coming week, which includes a reviews round-up of all the major launch titles and some features to help you get your new console up and running without any problems.
Right here, right now we'll take you through the best of the rest. And, by gum, there are a few corkers if you really don't fancy paying £425 on a new console.
The complete list of games released in the UK this week (23/03/07):
Aces of War, PSP, 505 Games
All Star Fighters, PS2, D3Publisher
Asphalt 2, PSP, Ubisoft
Blazing Angels, PS3, Ubisoft
Bomberman Land Touch, DS, Rising Star
Brian Lara's Cricket 2007, 360/PS2/PC, Codemasters
Loco Roco
Publisher: Neversoft Entertainment
Developer: Activision
Genre: Sports
Players: 1-4
Reviewed by gdf
Loco Roco, released last summer on Sony's portable, is without a shadow of doubt the happiest game ever made. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise and if you happen to disagree then you really have no soul. It is a game made of Happy, the idea being to roll a happy ball creature around the happy levels on their happy little planet. The plot is a stripped down version of the traditional battle of good versus evil; the planet is being attacked by evil alien invaders called Mojas, and it is up to you and the friendly fluorescent testicle things to save the day.
The control scheme is simple but effective, doing away with the d-pad and nub and using the R and L buttons to allow the player to rotate the world right and left. You press both at the same time to make your Loco hop, and circle to split it into all its little parts, providing you with the means to get through small spaces. As you progress you will come across red fruits, which you eat to add another ball to your main one. This means the next time you split it, there will be more Locos and you get points at the end of the level for collecting them. You can lose the poor things if you fall on a spike or get sucked up by a Moja and you will be terribly distressed by their little screams as they are separated from the others.
The levels are packed with fun features and secret areas. Some creatures you meet will help you out, for example giving you a boost up to a higher platform. Other objects are to be found throughout the world, with trampolines and air streams particular highlights. These are all useful and will have you smiling with childish glee. Secret areas often house fruit or Mui Muis, the Locos' friends, and can be fiendishly hard to find. This ensures you will keep coming back to the same levels in order to find all 20 Locos and all the Mui Muis. The game itself is quite short however, with 5 worlds of 8 levels each. Considering the longest time it takes to complete a level is ten minutes, it can be over and done with in a few hours. Bonus games and level editors help, but fail to add much longevity to the game. The length poses a real problem, as though the game has buckets of replay value, it is so damned addictive that you can end up running out of stuff to do in a week.
Fortunately, this is one of the only weak points of the game, and doesn't detract much from the overall experience. An area it really excels in is the sound. The music fits the backgrounds brilliantly and really contributes to the overall feel of the game; you can't help but grin when you see your Loco sing along to the sprightly tunes. Aside from the music, the visuals are impressive, managing to look cute and sharp at the same time. It all looks like some kind of surreal cartoon, but it is very well done and neat. The graphics make it very accessible; gamers and non-gamers alike will lap it up and rightly so, because it works for everyone: Kids will enjoy the cartoony looks, girls will love the cuteness factor and gamers will play it to death trying to find all the Muis and fruit. It really is one of those "Family" games, but not shit like Buzz.
Sadly, there is no Multiplayer, but level sharing is available. I would love to have bashed around the world with a mate, but the next best thing is the game sharing, which allows your friend to sample the game on his/her PSP. This is great as it allows you to share the joys and spread the love. The game can be pretty psychedelic at times, which can only be a good thing. There are five colours of Loco to unlock and you find them as you progress. Each has a distinctive look and their own little antenna thing (a la Teletubbies), that wags when you are near something important. Occasionally, your Loco will split up and sing a song to help one of the other creatures feel better, and if that doesn't brighten up your day then your heart is actually made of coal from the fiery pits of Hell. That has been shit out by the devil. Into a...you get the picture.
Loco Roco is a quality example of how things should be done on the PSP. Originality is the keyword here, and although it isn't the first ball rolling game ever (Check Super Monkey Ball and Katamari Damacy for that) it is one of the best games on the system. It is a perfect fit and highly recommended for all ages. Loco is more what would be expected on the DS, but it proves that cute can be done on any hardware. If Sony don't do a version of this with motion sensitive controls on PS3, then they are seriously screwed in the head. A great 2D platformer.
Replay Value 3/5 Hampered by a short lifespan. Sound 5/5 Well judged and in the right tone. Perfect. Graphics 4.5/5 So cute it makes you want to cry tears of joy. Gameplay 4.5/5 A shining example of PSP brilliance. Score:
One of the system's greatest. Simplicity is the answer.
With thanks to diceone for the rather spiffy logo and as usual thanks to Soully and Martin for the webdesign and PHP, im glad to say that Visual Dev our Art and Design News Site for DCEmu is now open. The community of Artists at DCEmu gets bigger all the time and the Homebrew scene needs a decent Art and Design community to help those coding the programs we use everyday.
Now its time for Malksta and others to really push the Art and Design Community at DCEmu.
Overview : Capdase Metal hard cases for PSP have always been hot demanding products among stylish gamers worldwide. Taking the successful Alumor (Anodized Aluminum) case technology from iPod products, Capdase announced to launch the new hard cases for PSP. You protect your console first with a layer of Soft Jacket and then cover it up with the colorful and stylish metal hard case. Available in 7 different colors, Red, Blue, Purple, Grey, Silver, Gold and Pink.
Detachable movie stand included for movie & picture viewing
Innovative "unbreakable screen cover" for total screen protection
Protects against drops, shocks, dust, dirt & scratches
Easy access to all controls & buttons
Attractive choice of colors to personalize your game console
Quality/Usability : The Capdase Alumor Metal & Silicone case is a 2-in-1. Capdase decided to add a metal casing to their ever so popular silicone case for the PSP. The silicon case protects the PSP both front and back. The silicone case leaves the directional pad, analog stick and face buttons open except for the bottom row buttons. The Alumor also comes with a durable screen protector for the silicone case. On the back of the silicone case, there is an opening for easy access to your UMD tray. There are also openings for you to charge your PSP, power switch, WiFi switch, USB port and headphone jack.
To insert your PSP into the silicone case, you must slide the PSP into the Soft Jacket. Once its in place, you can place the screen protector on top with the cushion side down.
The Alumor case is made of metal. The metal case consists of two cases. To form the casing, place the front metal cover on top and push down onto the Soft Jacket. Then place the back cover on top and push down to ensure closure. Like the silicone case, the metal case has opening that are easily accessible to all buttons and ports. On the back of the metal case is a stand. This is great if you want to prop the PSP for easy viewing while watching a movie. The stand is also detachable. Unfortunately, the metal casing does not have an opening for the UMD tray. In order to swap games, you must remove the metal back casing.
To remove the back casing, just push the front and back metal cover away from each other in the opposite direction.
Conclusion : Overall, the Capdase Alumor Metal and Silicone case is a nice product. It feels comfortable in the hands. Its nice that you can have either the option of using just the silicone case or the silicone case with the metal case. You will not be able to use the metal case only as it is too loose for the PSP alone. It can be annoying having to remove the metal casing everytime you want to swap UMDs.
Overview : Protects DS Lite as well as hold games and cards such as money, drivers license, credit cards and many more. Life Style Urban Wallet S is available in 4 colors; white, black, light blue and pink.
Features :
Made of light weight water-resistant nylon
Secure & safe S-Bracket attachment
Compartments for game disk and cards
Stylish Hand Strap
Quality/Usability : The Capdase Life Style Urban Wallet S is specifically for the Nintendo DS Lite. The Urban Wallet is made of durable nylon.
On the Urban Wallet, there is a plastic holder. There are two small clips on the plastic holder that clips onto the top right of the DS. If you have a wrist strap, these clips will not be able to clip on. The DS Lite is placed into this holder. There is an opening at the bottom to allows access to the GBA Slot-2 and at the top, there is an opening for Slot-1 and to charge your DS without having to take it out.
Underneath the DS Lite holder is a flap. This flap is similar to that found in an ordinary wallet. The flap has three pockets, one with a clear window for identification cards and the other two can be used for credit cards or business cards. On the backside of the flap is another pocket. This can also be used for credit cards, business cards or for your cash.
On the back of the case are two elastic bands. These hold two DS games of your choice for when you want to change games.
The Life Style Urban Wallet case is held closed with velcro and has a keyring if you want to attach either the Urban Wallet to a bag, attach your keys to it or use the included wrist strap.
Conclusion : Overall, the Capdase Life Style Urban Wallet S is a unique product. Capdase tried to make this an all-purpose case by incorporating your DS Lite and as a wallet for your ID cards and cash. The that concerns me is the elastic to hold your DS games. If for whatever reason the elastic may be loose or if you are moving around, the DS game may fall out. It would of been nice if it was a pocket instead. Another flaw is the DS clipping on to the holder. I use a wrist strap since I am clumsy at times. But with the wrist strap in place, the Urban Wallet is not able to clip into the DS since it is occupied. So in order to use this, I have to take the wrist strap off.
Tonight 2 more of our sites got revamped with the new network design. Both sites now have a much nicer look about them and with linkable newsposts with news archives and SEO on them (all helps google rankings etc)
Both sites also only carry news about the respective console, so no more network news will go through the sites.
SSX On Tour
Publisher: EA Games
Developer: EA BIG
Genre: Sports
Players: 1-4
Reviewed on PSP by gdf
SSX is the Snowboard series. First appearing on PS2 in 2000, it has grown and changed over the years, dominating the snowboarding corner of the extreme sports genre virtually unchallenged. On Tour is the latest, appearing on the creaky old PS2, Xbox and PSP. After the brilliant predecessor SSX3, many expected this to be the be all and end all of boarding games, and though it is solid and competent, it doesn't quite measure up to this expectation. Some of the magic has been lost and the title is misleading- the whole game takes place on the same mountain- don't expect to be hurtling down the French Alps one minute and snapping your neck on Mt. Everest the next.
On Tour has made some additions to the franchise; it is the first game to include skiing and there are more challenges to do. Skiing is fun for the first ten minutes but seems to fade when you realise it is exactly the same as boarding. The tricks work in the same way, the characters are the same, the speed is the same, the designs are the same, the levels are the same and the handling is...you guessed it, the same. This poses a problem as all skiing really brings to the game is more challenges, all of which are mirror images of the boarding ones. It is like a driving game claiming to have 50 tracks, but really there are just 25 reversed. Thankfully the handling is good all round anyway, so at least the game isn’t twice as long and a bitch to play at the same time.
The controls work surprisingly well on the handheld. Cross is crouch/jump, Circle and Square are trick buttons and Triangle is the modifier. To flip you press the D-Pad like in SSX of old. This actually works better than on PS2, where EA's bumming of the right analog has led to a poorly implemented "Trick Stick". On paper this sounds more natural, but series veterans will be put off by the fiddlyness and are better off playing on the portable. Unfortunately, the absence of four shoulder buttons on PSP has led to the boost being mapped to Square, so even a tiny lift off the ground could send your protagonist rolling off a cliff because they tried to do a 180 Stalefish three inches in the air.
The boarding itself hasn't changed much, which can be seen as a relief. There is little better than bombing down a mountain at 90 miles per hour, trees rushing past and only your pure, concentrated skill stopping you ramming into one. When this game works, it works beautifully. There are times when you will feel nothing else, hear nothing else and see nothing else; undiluted gaming Zen, but given the skill of this particular reviewer, that headfirst tree-rape comes a little too often! On a more serious note, it has to be said that there are too many tracks. Wait...don't criticise me for saying this. SSX3 had three parts to a single mountain, with a few secret routes here and there. You could, with some practice, learn the course inside out and choose your own way down, knowing where to go next. On Tour has loads of separate courses, none of which are particularly memorable, so finding that personal route is hard to achieve. You may recognise a course, but you won't be able to go the same way time and time again, honing your skills to a knife edge. With this lost, it is all too often that the hardened SXX fan will lose on the easiest difficulty for the seventieth just because they didn't know where to go next.
The visuals in OT are quite impressive, though not outstanding. Motion blur is well done and really adds to that sense of speed as the screen melts in your face. The snow looks really good when it puffs and whooshes out from the board, and you can really feel like Mr Cool cruising down the mountain with a trail of sparkling snow behind you (Sorry if that sounds a bit gay). Character models are fine, but on close inspection can look a bit ropey. The soundtrack is impressive, featuring a raft of great bands. The playlist is customisable too, so if you think a song sucks, you can simply refuse to ever let it piss in your beautiful ears again. The sheer amount of music that has been jammed onto the UMD is amazing, as there is at least an iPod Shuffle's worth of tuneage here.
This review may have sounded harsh, but that is only because the series has offered so much more in the past. Number three was easily the best snowboard game ever, so On Tour is really a bit of a disappointment. It is by no means a bad game, don't get me wrong. It is solid, fun, and well made. Series newbies will love it and enjoy every last minute, but for those of us who have played the previous titles it is slightly flat. If you are buying SSX on PS2, go for the previous instalment, which can now be found for fewer than ten notes. For PSP owners hankering for some mountainside action there is no other option, so buy this if you must. Actually, you probably should buy it on PSP, as it is a rather good game and is actually better than the Home console version. Doing bad-ass combos in the air and speeding down mountains is always fun and is well represented here, it's just a shame it never lived up to the hype. Given the repetitiveness of the competitions it also has little replay value, but it is long enough to be just about a worthy purchase. Worth a look.
Replay Value 3/5 Too repetitive to be worth another proper go. Sound 4.5/5 Good soundtrack and impressive amount of music. Graphics 3/5 Occasionally ropey, but usually good enough. Gameplay 4/5 Some flashes of genius, mostly solid. Score:
Good fun, but could have been so much more. Try before you buy.
Nyko Charger Grip Lite
Manufacturer: Nyko
Site: Buy from Nyko
Price: $24.99
Overview : Increase the battery life and comfort of the Nintendo DS lite with Nyko’s Charger Grip for the DS lite. The Charger Grip lite has a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery that adds up to 8 hours of additional playtime. The batteries are encased in an ergonomically designed case designed to minimize discomfort and provide a more comfortable grip for extended playing sessions on road trips, plane flights and more. The ChargerGrip lite utilizes the existing DS lite AC adaptor to charge both the DS lite’s battery and the Charger Grip’s internal battery simultaneously. Attaching and removing the Charger Grip is simple and requires no additional hardware or installation.
Features :
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Up to 8 hours of additional play time
Uses existing DS lite AC adaptor
Enjoy longer periods of gaming without having to recharge
Ergonomic design meshes with the décor of the DS lite
Built-in stylus slot
Quality/Usability : Nyko announced and unveiled the Nyko Charger Grip at CES 2007. Since then, DS Lite owners have been wondering how the Charger Grip works out and how well it works. And we're here to bring it to you!
The Charger Grip comes only in one color and thats white. Installation and removal is fairly simple. First you'll need to remove the DS stylus. Fully extend the Charger Grip sliding power connector and place the DS Lite into the Charger Grip. Once the DS Lite is on the grip, slide the power connector down into the DS Lite power connector. Since the stylus has been removed from the DS Lite, Nyko uses a locking pin to secure the DS Lite in place. Where does the stylus go? It goes on top of the grip.
You can charge the Charger Grip alone, or both the Charger Grip and the DS Lite at the same time. Of course, you'll need the AC adapter in order to charge the Charger Grip.
There is a switch on the back side of the Charger Grip and consists of two modes, Charge Mode and Play Mode. Charge Mode is used to charge the Charger Grip by itself. This does not charge the DS Lite system. Play Mode will simultaneously charge the Charger Grip and DS Lite, or you can use the Charger Grip to charge the DS Lite if you are running low on battery.
There is an LED on the left side of the Charger Grip. NO LIGHT obviously means it is not charging. SOLID RED LIGHT means the unit is in Charge Mode. SOLID GREEN LIGHT means it is in Play Mode.
The Charger Grip has a foam cushion to prevent any scratching on the bottom of the DS Lite. With the DS Lite in the Charger Grip in place, the Grip feels comfortable in the hands and it doesnt add much bulk or weight. Access to the volume switch, headphone jack, power switch and both Slot-1 and Slot-2 are all easily accessible.
Conclusion : Overall, the Nyko Charger Grip does its job at supplying additional power to the DS Lite. It takes about 3-4 hours and lasted a little over 8 hours from our testings. If charging both the Charger Grip and DS Lite, it can take longer to charge. Having the Charger Grip would defeat the purpose of portability since it does add some thickness to the DS Lite. It would have been nice if Nyko offered a variety of colors such as black or pink to match the colors that Nintendo released in the US.
Captain Jack Sparrow is making a return to videogaming in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, a new adventure based on the upcoming film of the same name, and the previous film, Dead Man's Chest.
Players will hack and slash their way through scenes and event from both films playing as good guys, Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann.
The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will apparently feature "innovative duelling controls", whatever than means, while the Wii version will allow for some Remote-waving, sword fighting action.
At World's End is due out on PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, PSP, PS2, and DS on May 22 in the US, with a UK release expected to follow shortly after.
Rockstar's PS2 version of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories has jumped to the top of the UK all-formats chart, helped by a budget price that has seen sales leap by over 35 per cent in the past week.
With only 200 units between them, the latest port of a PSP title has managed to knock Ubisoft's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 off the top spot after only one week, to number two.
Square Enix's Final Fantasy XII for the PS2 also drops one place to number three, with Sega's Sonic and the Secret Rings at number four and EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 at number five.
RealTime Worlds' new Xbox 360 IP Crackdown sits at number six, just ahead of a re-entry by Atari's Test Drive Unlimited, following a release on PSP and PlayStation 2.
Electronic Arts' FIFA 07 is also bumped down the charts to number eight, with expansion pack The Sims 2: Seasons at number nine and Dr Kawashima's Brain Training at number ten.
This week's new entries are Disney Interactive's Spectrobes for the DS at number 23 and EA's SSX Blur for the Wii at number 28.
Sony PSP™:
Bomberman Land Portable JPN US$ 48.90
Bomberman Land Portable ASIA US$ 39.90
Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary JPN US$ 48.90
Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary ASIA US$ 39.90
Nintendo DS™:
Bomberman Story DS JPN US$ 48.90
Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Goku Densetsu JPN US$ 48.90
Front Mission: The First JPN US$ 48.90
Negima!? Chou Maho Ryou Taisen Check-In Zenin Shuugou! JPN US$ 48.90
Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl Nintendo DS Card Case JPN US$ 7.99
PC Games:
Europa Universalis III ASIA US$ 34.90
Maelstrom (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 34.90
The Mark (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 29.90
The Sacred Rings ASIA US$ 29.90
New toy releases:
Mon-Sieur Bome Collection Vol.16: Oni-Musume She Devil Version 3 (White Colour Ver.) JPN US$ 44.90
Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl Plush Doll Vol. 2: Type A JPN US$ 10.90
Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl Plush Doll Vol. 2: Type B JPN US$ 10.90
Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl Plush Doll Vol. 2: Type C JPN US$ 10.90
Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl Plush Doll Vol. 2: Type D JPN US$ 10.90
Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl Plush Doll Vol. 2: Type E JPN US$ 10.90
Tamagotchi Connection Version 4 (Pink) ASIA US$ 19.90
Tamagotchi Connection Version 4 (Red) ASIA US$ 19.90
These are the first screens of Ubisoft's new Surf's Up game, based on the Sony-produced CG animation film of the same name.
The typically bonkers plot follows the story of a penguin named Cody who leaves home and sets up a new life on sunny beaches to chase his dream of becoming a professional surfer.
The game will focus on the surfing side of things, giving you control of ten different characters from the film and throwing you out to sea to ride the waves.
You will have to perform stunts and tricks and master surfing inside a 'tube' to impress onlookers and become the champion of Reggie Belafonte Big Z Memorial Surf Off... apparently.
Different environments, from "the calm water of Shiverpool" to the "explosive waters of the volcano area" will no doubt offer changing surfing conditions new challenges, and seeing these screens, it actually looks quite nice too.
Surfs Up is due for release on September 27 for PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, Wii, PSP, DS, PC and even GBA and GameCube. Are you sure you haven't missed any, Ubisoft? How about Dreamcast?... Super NES, maybe?
Following last week's game sales figures, industry-research firm NPD Funworld has released sales rankings for the month of February. As previously reported, the month's top title was Crackdown. The Xbox 360 free-roaming title benefited from good word of mouth and being bundled with a chance to join the Halo 3 beta, selling 427,000 copies in the 11 days after its February 20 release. Other 360 games in the top 10 included Gears of War (sixth place with 119,000 copies sold), Major League Baseball 2K7 (seventh with 113,000 units), Lost Planet (eighth, 111,000 units), and NBA Street Homecourt (101,000 units, 10th place).
Nintendo also made a big splash on the February charts, owning four of the top 10 game slots. The Mario Factory's top game was Wii Play, which sold 371,000 units despite middling reviews--thanks to it being bundled with an extra Wii Remote. Behind it was the even less favorably reviewed Diddy Kong Racing for the DS, trailed by the still-popular Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Wii. WarioWare: Smooth Moves also cracked the top 10 with a 109,000-unit ninth-place finish.
Sony didn't fare quite as well as its competitors. The Guitar Hero II phenomenon continued to rock on, moving 130,000 copies on the PlayStation 2. Three other titles for the venerable console cracked the top 20: Madden NFL 07 (14th), MLB '07: the Show (17th), and the now-budget-priced God of War (18th). Once again, the bestselling PlayStation 3 game was Resistance: Fall of Man, which overran 16th place with over 70,000 units sold. To date, the game has topped over a half million copies in the US, generating just under $30 million.
On the February PC charts, the song remained largely the same. For the second month in a row, World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade was the bestselling PC game in the US. However, its margin of victory was much less lopsided that the month before. Instead of selling 1.4 million copies domestically, the expansion pack sold a much more modest 141,000 units, just ahead of the original World of Warcraft.
Though WOW's perennial nemesis The Sims 2 and its expansions were well-represented, several new titles also made their way onto the PC charts. THQ's Supreme Commander finished in fourth place, just ahead of the $9.99 budget-game collection 3333 XP Games JC. Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Sony Online Entertainment's new massively multiplayer online role-playing game, also did well, landing in 10th place. .
You kids today think you've got it so good. But ya don't! Back in my day, there was only one dominant system, and we bought all the crappy games that came out for it, and that's the way we liked it, dagnabbit!
Now you got all sorts of different systems clogging up your fancy-schmancy entertainment center, and what's worse, publishers are coming out with the same game for all of 'em. The last Madden game came out on 11 different systems, for Pete's sake!
You might think it's better to have a choice, but it's not! Now ya gotta choose between the fancy graphics on the PS3, the online features on the Xbox 360 and the swishy control scheme of the Wii. Things ain't looking so good now that you got that decision staring you in the face, eh sonny boy?
Even the portable versions are getting a second look these days. Back in my day, portable versions knew their place as the neglected, pixelated, black-and-white cousins to their console superiors. Now these upstarts are rivaling or even bettering their rightful console masters. What's the world coming to!
Hey, don't walk away while I'm ranting at'chya. I need someone to drive me to the pharmacy to get my pills. Come back here and listen to me tell you how bad things are, consarnit!
HDfury is a revolutionnary product that allows you to use in full resolution (1080p) any HDMI/DVI device on PC monitor, video projector or older HDTV/Plasma that are without a HDMI entry!
If you own a high quality monitor/projector/tv that does not have a HDMI connector you need this device, it will save you from buying a new expensive screen to enjoy 1080p resolution when your screen can already support it!
What is HDfury ?
HDfury is a tiny external addon card/adapter that you can hook up on any RGB display through its SUB-D HD15 Female Input.
Once screwed, it becomes a "part of the display" itself and will permanently perform an outstanding HDCP modification. Therefor, you can connect any HDMI source in Full HD 1080p to your now "enhanced" display hooked up with HDfury module !
Why do i need HD(720p) or Full HD(1080p) ?
Well, you don't need it. But you may want it !
HD-DVD players, Blu-Ray players, HDMI graphic card, PS3, all of them are able to unleash their true potential (720p/1080p mode) only through HDMI output.
If you want a valid ticket for the Full HD world you either need a compatible display(with HDMI input) or a solution for your existing display.
Why do i need a HDCP compliant display ?
HDMI is a new standard that comes with hardware protection called HDCP.
If your display don't have a HDMI input you won't be able to display 720p/1080p signal on it (from HDMI sources)
Prior to exchange Data Video, HDMI source is exchanging keys with HDMI display.
Both have a special HDCP chip embedded. If your display doesn't have it, even if it's technically able to display 720p or 1080p signal, it will display a BLACK SCREEN.
On Playstation3, 1080p mode is only available through HDMI output !
What can i do if my display is not HDCP compliant ?
You can buy a new display with HDMI input or use a HDCP stripper/converter box
They will extend video link to a "man-in-the-middle" device which will remove HDCP protection and output Analog RGB
Some issues with those HDCP stripper/converter box are the following:
- They need extra wires, such as Power Supply, extra analog cable.
- Most of the time, switchs or settings need to be tweaked.
- Quality is limited and restricted because of longer analog link (need of VGA analog cable)
- They are not compliant to HDCP rules as they allow easy acces to decrypted analog video.
What are the advantages of using HDfury ?
HDfury is the world first device that you can directly screw on your display.
Unlike HDCP stripper solution on the market HDfury is compliant to HDCP rules it does not allow and end-user easy access to analog decrypted signal.
Shortest Analog Link as possible also ensure Highest Video Quality as possible !
Alu and Gold platted materials,
It can be used and sold legally to transform any RGB display into a HDCP compliant display.
It does not require external power supply to operate
Play Asia have posted all of this weeks releases as a reminder if any of you dont have them, best release of the week for wraggy was Theme Park DS which i can say i brought the US Version the minute it was on sale
Heres the list of releases across all systems:
Xbox360™:
Armored Core 4 JPN US$ 69.90
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Platinum Hits) ASIA US$ 24.90
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 US US$ 59.90
Tomb Raider: Legend (Classics) ASIA US$ 24.90
UEFA Championships League 2006-2007 ASIA US$ 44.90
PlayStation3™:
Bluetooth Wireless Headset US$ 29.90
College Hoops 2K7 US US$ 64.90
Love Adventure Love x 2 Kiss JPN US$ 37.90
Mist of Chaos JPN US$ 64.90
NBA Street Homecourt US US$ 59.90
Nintendo Wii™:
Cars JPN US$ 59.90
Puzzle Collection Vol.1: Sudoku JPN US$ 39.90
Sangokushi XI with Power-Up Kit JPN US$ 95.00
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 US US$ 59.90
PlayStation2™:
Brothers In Arms: Earned In Blood (Ubisoft Best) JPN US$ 34.90
God of War II US US$ 59.90
Musou Orochi JPN US$ 64.90
Musou Orochi [Super Premium Pack] JPN US$ 139.90
Musou Orochi [Treasure Box] JPN N/A
Pachinko Kaou: Misora Hibari JPN US$ 64.90
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (Ubisoft Best) JPN US$ 34.90
Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary JPN US$ 49.90
Rogue Galaxy Director's Cut JPN US$ 39.90
Rozen Maiden: Geppetto Garden JPN US$ 64.90
Rozen Maiden: Geppetto Garden [Limited Edition] JPN N/A
Sangokushi XI with Power-Up Kit JPN US$ 95.00
Shinki Gensou Spectral Souls II (IF Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
The Godfather JPN US$ 64.90
Nintendo DS™:
Bomberman Story DS JPN US$ 48.90
Crayon Shin-Chan DS: Arashi wo Yobu Nutte Crayoon Daisakusen! JPN US$ 48.90
Custom Robo Arena US US$ 39.90
Dragon Ball Z Screenguard & Sticker Set Vol.1 US$ 6.99
Dragon Ball Z Screenguard & Sticker Set Vol.2 US$ 6.99
Dragon Ball Z Soft Pouch - Bikoro Version US$ 8.90
Dragon Ball Z Soft Pouch - Capsule Corp. Version US$ 8.90
Dragon Ball Z Soft Pouch - Kamesen Version US$ 8.90
Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Goku Densetsu JPN US$ 48.90
Front Mission: The First JPN US$ 48.90
Keisan DS Training JPN US$ 39.90
Keroro Gunsou Screenguard & Sticker Set - Giroro Version US$ 6.99
Keroro Gunsou Screenguard & Sticker Set - Keroro Version US$ 6.99
Keroro Gunsou Soft Pouch - Giroro Style US$ 8.90
Keroro Gunsou Soft Pouch - Keroro Style US$ 8.90
Mind Quiz: Your Brain Coach US US$ 24.90
Negima!? Chou Maho Ryou Taisen Check-In Zenin Shuugou! JPN US$ 48.90
Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl Nintendo DS Card Case JPN US$ 7.99
Protective Cover & Touch Pen DS Lite (Animal Crossing Style) US$ 13.90
Quick Spot US US$ 24.90
Rayman Raving Rabbids ASIA US$ 29.90
Rayman Raving Rabbids US US$ 34.90
Theme Park US US$ 34.90
Sony PSP™:
An Idol and a Baseball Fist (GBT the Best) JPN US$ 14.90
Bomberman Land Portable ASIA US$ 39.90
Bomberman Land Portable JPN US$ 48.90
Call of Duty: Roads to Victory US US$ 39.90
Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary ASIA US$ 39.90
Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary JPN US$ 48.90
Sangokushi VIII JPN US$ 48.90
Sangokushi VIII [All in Guard w/ PSP Console] JPN N/A
PC Games:
Europa Universalis III ASIA US$ 34.90
Maelstrom (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 34.90
Silverfall (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 29.90
The Mark (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 29.90
The Sacred Rings ASIA US$ 29.90
Misc:
WiFi MAX (Multi Version) US$ 34.90
Guide Books:
Def Jam Icon Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 16.90
God of War II Limited Edition Strategy Guide US US$ 29.90
God of War II Signature Series Guide US US$ 19.90
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Official Strategy Guide (PS2 Version) US US$ 16.90
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2: Prima Official Game Guide US US$ 16.90
DS Lite Crystal Case
Manufacturer: Unknown
Site: Buy from Goldenshop
Price: $6.00
Overview : Protects the DS Lite from scratches and fingerprints.
Features :
High quality 3rd party product.
Protect the NDS Lite from dust, scratches, etc....
Shock resistant.
No need to take out the console when playing.
6 colors available - black, pink, navy blue, ice blue, white or clear.
Quality/Usability : The DS Lite Crystal Case is made of very durable plastic. Putting the DS Lite can be a little tricky but doesnt take a genius. Since the power button and volume button sticks out a little, either side depending on how you place it in to the case might get caught on the edge of the case. This will require a little extra force to get it in the case. All buttons, ports and switches are easily accessible.
With the DS Lite in the case and the case closed completely, it is flush without any gaps. The DS Lite is held securely in the Crystal Case. Unfortunately, the top cover doesnt always stay on. When flipping the DS Lite open, at time you'll end up flipping the cover while the DS Lite is still closed.
Conclusion : Overall, the DS Lite Crystal Clear Case protects the DS Lite from scratches and fingers. Only drawback is that the flip cover doesnt lift the DS Lite top screen as well. Removing the DS Lite is alot easier then it is to put it in. Also, the clear case, isnt really clear. It has a bit of cloudiness to it.
DS Lite Polycarbonate Case
Manufacturer: Black Horns
Site: Buy from Goldenshop
Price: $13.00
Overview : Made from polycarbonate. Virtually indestructible armor case. The silicon insert makes your DS Lite more colorful and stylish. Cutouts for all controls on the console, gives you easy access to the power, headphone, cartridges and volume control.
Features :
High quality 3rd party product.
Protect the NDS Lite from dust, scratches, etc....
Shock resistant.
Comes with a clear color polycarbonate hard case and 2 sets of silicon inner soft silicon cases per set.
No need to take out the console when playing.
3 sets available - black & navy blue, orange & pink or white & ice blue.
Quality/Usability : I have been a big fan of Logitech's PlayGear Pocket for the PSP. It had a nice look to it, ability to customize the look of the case with inserts or even just the nice rubber silicon made it look nice. So I thought I would give the DS Lite the same treatment.
The DS Lite Polycarbonate Case didnt come in those normal 3rd party blister packs (plastic). Instead, it came in a cardboard sleeve all shrinkwrapped. Inside that cardboard sleeve was a black box with the logo of a rhino. Inside that box was a polycarbonate case with a silicon already placed inside and another silicon case. There are three sets: black and blue, orange and pink and white and ice blue.
The case is very durable and so was the silicon case. The silicon case fits perfectly inside the case and if just placing the silicon on the DS Lite, it fit perfectly as well. But you wont be able to just use the silicon as there is nothing to attach it to the DS Lite.
The Polycarbonate Case came with a 3 months warranty as well as instructions on how to remove the DS Lite from the case. Placing the DS into the silicon and polycarbonate case took some trial and error. The only areas that gave the most problem were the trigger areas and right above the Slot-2. The reason why it gave some problems is because it was a thin strip of rubber silicon. So when you place the DS Lite into the case, the strip of silicon would move out of place and you would have to take out the DS Lite and reinsert. You would have to repeat this process until its is perfectly in place.
Once in place, the bottom half of the DS Lite is snug and secure. The top half of the polycarbonate case isnt hard. Its just one big piece of silicon. You can either place it on the top cover of the DS Lite or on underside of the polycarbonate case. Once its in, the case fits perfectly. The case is flush with no bulges or gaps. Lifting the cover of the polycarbonate case also opens the DS Lite as well.
Since the polycarbonate case also uses a silicon case, there will be some thickness added. So this means that reaching for the volume button and power switch requires you to reach a little further in. But that isnt a problem because you can use your stylus to help you reach in.
Removing the DS Lite from the case is a little more simpler...thanks to the instructions. To remove the DS Lite from the polycarbonate case, you first need to open the flap. Next you'll have to pull on the piece of plastic under the bottom screen but above the Slot-2. While pulling the piece of plastic this gives room for you to push the bottom of the DS Lite up. Just to pull on the plastic too much or you'll crack it. Once the bottom of the DS Lite is out of the case, hold the DS Lite as if you were playing and press on the L & R trigger. This will push the DS Lite towards you. As it gets loose, you can slide the DS Lite out.
Conclusion : Overall, the DS Lite Polycarbonate Case is a nice product. With the polycarbonate case and silicon, I know my DS Lite is securely in place and protected. The annoying part is having to get the DS Lite in the case without the silicon (above Slot-2 and trigger area) being moved out of place. Accessing all buttons and ports didnt cause a problem at all. Its nice that the manufacturers included two silicon inserts so you can switch to whatever color you're feeling.
Ewin DS Lite Rumble Pack
Manufacturer: Ewin
Site: Buy from Brando
Price: $12.00
Overview : This NDS Lite Rumble Pak (3rd Party) deliver smooth rumble experience to you. Make you have better experiences when you play the game that support Rumble.
Features :
Built-in RUMBLE system
Deliver smooth rumble experience
2 colors available, Black or White
This is not an official Nintendo Product
Quality/Usability : The Rumble Pak was first introduced on the GameBoy Advance (GBA). Since then, Nintendo has released it for the Nintendo DS as well. The first game to receive this was Metroid Prime Pinball for the DS. With the release of the DS Lite which features a smaller design and brighter screen, Nintendo released a new updated Rumble Pak that is more flush with the DS Lite rather then a protruding cart.
Unfortunately, Nintendo only released the Rumble Pak in Japan. Seeing as Nintendo failed to provide a Rumble Pak for other countries gamers outside of Japan were left high and dry. Thats where Ewin steps in. They are well known for their flash carts and their quality of products.
Ewin Rumble Pak's are available in white and black. The Rumble Pak fits flush with the system and does not protrude out of the DS Lite. Its technically the same size as the Slot-2 dust cover that came with the DS Lite. The Rumble Pak does not require any batteries to power it. This however, will not fit on the original DS (phat).
Inserting and removing the Rumble Pak doesnt require much force. As mentioned above, the Rumble Pak doesnt any extra batteries or any special attention. Just insert into Slot-2 of the DS Lite and load a game that supports the rumble feature.
At the time of this review, this is the list of games that are compatible with the Rumble Pak:
42 All-Time Classics (aka Clubhouse Games)
Diddy Kong Racing DS
Elite Beat Agents
Hotel Dusk: Room 215
The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning
Magnetica
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Metroid Prime Pinball
Metroid Prime: Hunters
Picross DS
Star Fox Command
Star Trek: Tactical Assault
Super Princess Peach
I have tested the Rumble Pak with majority of the games listed and they all work perfectly. With each hit or move, you can feel the vibration of the Rumble Pak. Although not as strong as what you would find on console controllers, you'll still feel the vibration. As it vibrates, you'll hear the sound of the motor but the sound it produces isnt loud at all. If you're in a quite area with the sound turned off, you'll notice it. But if you're in a noisy area or with the sound on, you wont hear it at all.
During the test of the Rumble Pak, I didnt notice much of a battery drain on my DS Lite. Mind you, I didnt play with my DS Lite in consecutive hours nor did I have a timer. This was going by my estimation of time.
Conclusion : Overall, the Ewin DS Lite Rumble Pak is a well built product. There arent a lot of games that utilizes the rumble feature. Those who use flash carts that uses Slot-2, will not be able to use this. Is it needed for gameplay? Not really but for the price of $12, thats really cheap. Hopefully there will be more games that will support rumble such as Mario Hoops 3-on-3. I would of like the rumble of each swipe of the ball I take or each dunk I make! I guess I can only dream for now.
Overview : Retractable stylus to be used as spare or replacement for comfort and easy use.
Features :
High quality 3rd party product.
Replacement of original stylus pen.
Comes with 4pcs Retractable Metal Touch Pen - black, enamel navy, ice blue and white.
Quality/Usability : Having previously owned the original DS (phat), I wasnt too fond of the stylus. The stylus was too thin and too small for my big grubby hands.
Now that I have a DS Lite, the improved stylus is llonger and thicker which is great, but I wanted something a little longer. I wanted something that was a little longer without my fingers going over the top of the stylus. Thats where the Retractable Metallic Touch Pen Stylus came in handy.
The Retractable Metallic Touch Pen Stylus comes in four colors, white, enamel blue, ice blue and black. What happened to pink?! Even though the stylus is made of metallic copper, the weight feels the same as the plastic stylus that comes with the DS Lite.
The stylus is the same as the original stylus but when you extend it, it adds about an extra 3/4". The stylus fits flush with the DS Lite. The top end of the stylus has grooves which allows you to easily grip stylus to pull out of the DS Lite.
Conclusion : Overall, the Retractable Metallic Touch Pen Stylus is a good substitution to the original stylus. If the original stylus is a little small for your hands, I suggest checking out the retractable stylus.
Penguin United Remote Charging Dock + Rechargeable Battery
Manufacturer: Penguin United
Site: Buy from Penguin United (dock + battery) / Buy from Penguin United (dock + 2x battery) / Buy from Penguin United (battery only) / Buy from Penguin United (2x docks + 4x batteries)
Price: $19.99 (dock + battery) / $24.99 (dock + 2x battery) / $7.99 (battery only) / $44.99 (2x docks + 4x batteries)
Overview : The included rechargable battery will provide you with 38 hours of game playing time and tons of $$ saved on batteries. To recharge your Wii Remote, simply place your Wii Remote on the charging dock. Your Wii remote will be charged from USB cable using modified battery cover provided.
Includes : (dock + battery)
Wii Remote Chargin Dock
USB Connection Cable
Rechargeable battery pack lasting 38 hours
Recharge enabled battery cover
Includes : (dock + 2x battery)
1X Wii Remote Charging Dock
1X USB Connection Cable
2X Rechargeable battery pack lasting 38 hours
2X Recharge enabled battery cover
Includes : (battery only)
Rechargeable battery pack lasting 38 hours
Recharge enabled battery cover
Requires dock
Includes : (2x docks + 4x batteries)
2X Wii Remote Charging Dock
2X USB Connection Cable
4X Rechargeable battery pack lasting 38 hours
4X Recharge enabled battery cover
Quality/Usability : Ever since the release of the Nintendo Wii whether it be in Asia, Europe or North America, 3rd party manufacturers have been releasing rechargeable battery packs. Why? Because everyone wanted rechargeable battery packs to save money rather then spend it on regular alkaline batteries. The Wii Remote would eat through batteries like no tomorrow and would need to be replaced as if it was a handheld system.
With the need of rechargeable battery packs, Penguin United has jumped in to help fellow gamers. Penguin United released their Remote Charging Dock and Rechargeable Battery. PU originally offered only the dock and battery but due to demand, they are offering different bundles. You can pick up either a dock and battery, dock and two batteries, batteries only or two docks and 4 batteries, at relatively cheap prices!
Upon opening up the box (dock + battery), you'll find a USB cable, dock, rechargeable battery, battery cover and instructions. Setting up the dock is easy. Just plug one end of the USB cable into either your computer or the Wii and the other end into the dock. Thats it.
Putting the battery into the remote isnt as easy. It takes a bit of trial and error but once you know what to do, it shouldnt be a problem. To insert the battery into the remote you would need to hold the remote right-side up and hold the battery with the (+) and (-) sign facing the bottom. While holding the battery at an angle, place the (+) and (-) into position and then push down. At the same time, push the top of the battery into place. The battery should now be inserted into the remote.
In order to charge the batteries, you must use the included battery cover as it has a custom connection that will work with the dock. The battery cover though is a bit darker then the Wii remote itself. But if you have a glove or case on the Wii remote, you wont notice it. Speaking of glove, you will either have to remove the glove or lift it up enough so that the remote can fit into the dock. When the remote is placed into the dock, there is a blue LED. A steady blue means it is charging and if the LED is blinking, it means it is done charging.
In the instructions that were included, they suggested that the battery require 12 hours of charging before use. The battery were done charging within 2 hours or so and the dock started to blink.
Once the battery was fully charged, I took it for a test (7 straight days of playing). After the first couple hours of WarioWare, Wii Sports and Zelda, the Wii remote still showed 3 battery bars. Played a couple more hours the next couple of days and it still showed 3 bars. Probably by the 4th or 5th day, the battery dropped a bar. By the 7th day, it was still at 2 bars. Had I played longer, it would of probably lasted me almost 2 weeks on one full charge! Thats insane.
Conclusion : Overall, the Penguin United Remote Charging Dock + Rechargeable Battery exceeds my expectations. The battery life is long lasting. Only minor complaints is the non-matching color of their battery cover to the Wii remote and the dock not stop charging if it is fully charged. If you're looking for a rechargeable battery pack, I suggest checking out PU's Remote Charging Dock + Rechargeable Battery. Interested International buyers can purchase this through their eBay store. PU will be releasing a dual charger sometime in April. But it would be nice to see a charger only for the battery rather then a dock.
Welcome to this week's Movie/Music news roundup, containing all new Japanese and Hong Kong Video and Music releases from this week listed at Play-Asia.com. Around 750 new items are covered in this week, including new J-Pop, Anime as well as Japanese, Hong Kong and Western movie releases and much more.
Here's a summary of all new releases that were published between Saturday, March 17th and Friday, March 23rd. If some specific item that you are looking for is missing, please don't hesitate to contact our customer service with your request.
J-Pop Music releases (172)
ENKA Music releases (13)
Anime Soundtracks & Drama CDs (80)
Video Game Soundtracks (23)
Hong Kong Version Music releases (12)
Blu-Ray Disc Movies (9)
HD DVD Movies (1)
Hong Kong Version Movie releases (22)
Japanese Movies (80)
Non-Japanese Movies / Japanese Version (124)
Anime DVD releases (180)
J-Pop DVD releases (22)
Misc. Japanese DVD releases (4)
Idol DVD (21)
UMD™ Video & Music (1)
WaterField Designs DS Lite Case
Manufacturer: WaterField
Site: Buy from WaterField
Price: $39.00
Overview : As recommended by Mario and Zelda to revolutionize your DS Lite. From Yoshi's Island to Castlevania, our compact and protective Nintendo DS Case holds it all.
The slim DS Lite Case is constructed from ballistic nylon, with a double layer leather flap and a scratch free interior liner. The back of the case has a self-locking zippered pocket to hold your games and ear-buds. On the exterior of the flap, choose between our standard black or our patterned design. On the underside of the flap, choose between black, kiwi and pink leather.
Features :
Ballistic Nylon exterior.
Double layer leather flap.
Super soft lining to keep the DS Lite scratch free.
Storage for 6 DS Games.
Stylus holder.
Rear back pocket w/ Self Locking Zipper.
Pull strap (to ease removing your unit from the case).
Nintendo DS Lite Case / 5.75" x 3.5" x 1.25" / 3 oz.
Quality/Usability : Its hard to find a decent case these days. Theres so many on the market but only a few really satisfy your needs and your eyes. WaterField is one of those companies aiming to satisfy your needs and to make you oogle over their products. The DS Lite case is made of smooth, soft nylon with a leather flap. WaterField offers three different colors to choose from: black, kiwi, or pink. Being able to choose the color of your choice, you also get a choice as to what pattern you want on the front of the case. You can choose either a non pattern leather flap or one with the cut out that resembles the DS' directional pad and buttons. With this cut out, you can see the leather of the inside.
WaterField tried to incorporate everything you would need or want into this case. On the back of the case, there is a zippered compartment. You can use this compartment to store your games and or headphones.
On the bottom of the case, you'll notice a loop hole. This is actually a pull tab. When you're taking out your DS, you would hold onto this tab.
The DS Lite is fit snuggly into the case and is well protected with scratch-free padded lining all around. In front of the DS are three little leather pouches. These pouches can let you slip 6 DS games (2 in each). I must say though, doing this is a very tight fit. Removing games is very simple. The leather pouch has a small cut-out at the bottom to allow you to push the cartridges out for easy grabbing.
Below the leather pouch is a stylus holder. If you have an extra stylus that you might need in case you loose one or just want to use it to hold your stylus, this is where it would go.
The leather flap is closed using two buttons (one on each side of the case). When the leather flap is closed, its very tight and thats a good thing. That means you wont have to worry about your games or DS falling out.
Conclusion : Overall, the WaterField Designs DS Lite Case is probably the best case I have used to this date. Its nice looking, does everything that I want it to do and is easily portable. Maybe it would of been best to leave out the stylus holder..but then again, I personally dont use it. Also, maybe instead of two buttons, maybe one down the middle or with a flap that extends to the back. The price of $39.00 is a little pricey for a case but is well worth it.
The Homebrew scene across all formats is a vast sea of excellent sites, fans and coders who make up a global network of communities of all languages.
Every now and again we see new advancements, new hacks that really excite fans of the homebrew scene.
Today a new milestone was reached, it was only 2 years ago when the first commercial Dreamcast Homebrew Release happenned. Well today the Dreamcast Community welcomes another breakthrough and thats the upcoming release of an Homebrew Dreamcast game going to Commercial status on the Nintendo DS.
Check out the full story at DC News (Click the Digg if u have a spare minute)
The point of this story is that Homebrew Coders can make it into the industry should they be successful.
Yesterday, around 4:00pm, I received a phone call telling me that Richard (Dampe) has been in a fatal car accident.
I'm not feeling up to explaining detail of the accident, and how it happened, I'm just here to notify everyone since his family would be devastated, and his brother probably wouldn't want to explain the loss to a bunch of guys on the net.
Maybe if you wanted to show respect, and make him proud, leave a R.I.P Dampe or something in your sigs/msn/aim/whatever.
Just an idea.
Nextronics Wii Wireless Sensor Bar
Manufacturer: Nextronics
Site: Buy from Nextronics
Price: $19.00
Overview : Talk about a great range! The Nextronics wireless sensor bar has been reviewed by IGN, and found to have a range of up to 30 ft! This small and stylish sensor bar is only 9 inches long, and 1/2 inch tall which makes it even smaller than Nintendo's own sensor bar. Nextronics sensor bar needs no connection to the Wii, and includes an AC adapter, and battery pack for multiple power options.
30 ft range should be considered maximum possible range, adjust sensitivity settings in Wii menu to optimize range.
Quality/Usability : With the release of the Nintendo Wii, there have been a lot of requests for accessories such as controller gloves, rechargeable battery packs and even wireless sensor bars.
The first wireless sensor bar to released was wirelesssensorbar.com's Wireless Sensor Bar, followed by Nyko's Wireless Sensor Bar, and now Nextronics' Wireless Sensor Bar. Sure you can use IR ports from your TV remotes, candles or Christmas lights, but its not the same.
People have complained of the original sensor bar that came with the Wii being way too long and that is why companies are jumping on the bandwagon of wireless sensor bars.
There is no packaging for the Nextronics Wireless Sensor Bar. It came wrapped in bubble wrap. Its like a hybrid of the garage built wirelesssensorbar.com's and Nyko's put into one. In the package was the wireless sensor bar, battery pack and AC adapter.
You read that right, you can either use AC adapter or 3 AA batteries! The sensor bar is slightly shorter then the official Nintendo sensor bar. There is double sided sticky tape placed on the bottom of the sensor bar. Does anyone even use the double sided sticky tape?
Unlike the other wireless sensor bars, Nextronics is the first to use an AC adapter to power the wireless sensor bar. With the included AC adapter, you wont have to worry about the sensor bar dying out on you while you're playing an intense game. In addition to the AC adapter, as mentioned above, you can also use 3 AA batteries via battery pack. There is a screw on the battery pack to keep the cover closed. The battery pack is then connected to the cable that is attached to the sensor bar. The cable on the sensor bar is approximately 6 inches long as well as on the battery pack.
During testing, running on the sensor bar on batteries were pretty strong. It tracked every movement accurately and even during gameplay up to 20 feet (may have gone further). Since there is no warning of when the batteries are dying on the sensor bar, you'll have to go by the hand cursor or during gameplay. You'll either have no control or the hand cursor will start to flicker.
Battery life is pretty decent lasting about 15-20 hours or so on 3 AA batteries. I suggest using rechargeable batteries but is kind of awkward only having to use 3 batteries. Why couldnt it have been 2 or 4 batteries? Some rechargeable kits require 2 batteries at the same time to charge so having to charge 3rd battery wont be possible. Luckily, the battery pack has an ON/OFF switch.
Conclusion : Overall, the Nextronics Wii Wireless Sensor Bar is a pretty good product. The ability to either use 3 AA batteries or AC adapter is a great thing to have. Although it doesnt look professionally built from a manufacturer, it looks close enough. Only drawback is no way of telling if the battery is near dead and if you have an LCD or plasma TV, using the battery can be trouble some. There is no place to put it on top of the monitor unless you put it at the bottom. The weight of the battery pack will just drag the sensor bar with it. They could of also left out the screw but it looks as if someone built this out of their garage by purchasing the required parts and building it themselves. But it damn looks good and works as well!
The High Court of Edinburgh, Scotland, has sentenced Alan Stirling to four years in prison for "culpable homicide" in the murder of a man who potentially broke his "computer" or "PlayStation" depending on who's talking. The BBC headline says PlayStation, the judge says PlayStation, but the reporter calls it a computer. So we're not sure if this is one of those cases where the brand name is tossed around to mean any console, like photocopies are Xerox and tissues are Kleenex.
Anyway, after a night of "drink and drugs" with friends at Stirling's apartment he awoke at 5 AM to the sound of one of his friends having knocked over the television, which apparently had the console on or near it. Stirling then repeatedly "punched and kicked" the man. He found the gentleman later in the lobby and attempted to help him, but it was too late. In this case, the BBC's headline of "Man kills friend over PlayStation" is just a tad misleading.
Call him the God of portable gaming. Ben Heckendorn has hacked, sliced, diced and squashed all manner of home consoles into sleek, compact, do-it-yourself projects, and somehow found the time to write a book about it. His mind-blowing exploits have been featured all over the web, from Engadget to Wired Magazine. Many of us know Ben from his most recent internet fame as the man behind the awesome Wii laptop (pictured below). However, before Ben decided to take on the challenge of downsizing the Wii, he had already accomplished similar feats using the Xbox 360, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, and the original big daddy of home consoles, the Atari 2600. We were curious to find out what goes on inside the mind of the world’s preeminent builder of all things portable, so we contacted Ben for an interview.
The Neoflash Team have released a new Genesis Flash Cart, now you can relive those classic Genesis games all over again
SPREAD THE WORD
Heres a pic of the flash cart and software screen:
Heres the tech specs:
* build in 32M flash,support up to 32M single rom
* re-programable,100,000 times erase/write
* can upload/download and verify the rom from PC
* use printing port to burn
* not need extra power supply
After hardware sales saw Sony's PS3 achieve record success in the UK, it's not surprising to see software for the new home console also bedding into the all-formats charts.
Insomniac's Resistance: Fall of Man and Evolution Studios's Motorstorm take the number one and two positions respectively, scoring hits for first-party development.
However, Codemaster's Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 took the number three position in the charts, proving that it wasn't necessary to be on a new console to achieve high sales during the busy launch weekend.
The multiformat Virtua Tennis 3 took the number four position in the charts, while Activision's Call of Duty 3 saw a boost from new format sales – jumping from number 20 to number five.
Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories still managed to perform well at a budget price, sitting at number six in the charts and beating the PS3-exclusive Formula 1: Championship Edition at number seven.
THQ's long-awaited PC shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl achieved good sales on its first weekend of release, taking the number eight position in the all-formats chart.
EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 is at nine this week and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 is at number ten.
There are plenty of other new entries in the top twenty this week, with Bandai Namco's Ridge Racer 7 at number 11 just ahead of EA's Def Jam: Icon at number 12.
Sega's Virtua Fighter 5 enters the charts at number 14, EA's UEFA Champions League 2006 – 2007 at number 15 and Sony's Genji: Days of the Blade at 16.
Ubisoft's TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also makes its debut this week at number 19, while EA's Fight Night Round 3 and Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog both enjoy a sales spurt due to PS3 releases - they're at numbers 13 and 24 respectively.
A look at the specific PlayStation 3 chart reveals that Sony has four first-party developed titles in the top twenty, with Resistance, Motorstorm and Formula 1 holding the top three positions. Electronic Arts has five titles in the top twenty, Sega has four and Activision has three.
Yokohama, Japan-based game developer and publisher Koei has announced eight games for release in the UK before the end of 2007.
The games on the slate include one new title, Prey the Stars, for the Nintendo DS, which will be coming in the third quarter of 2007. The company declined to release further details on the game at this time.
Other games incoming are Dynasty Warriors: Fighters Battle DS for Q3, G1 Jockey Wii in June, and Orochi Warriors (working title, previously known as Musou Orochi) for the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox 360 in October.
The company also confirmed release dates for Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner - Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army for the PlayStation 2 on April 27, and previously pushed back games BladeStorm: The Hundred Years' War and Fatal Inertia, both for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Q3 2007.
Research at the U.K's University of Bolton says that gaming addiction may be over-diagnosed up to 10 percent of the time because indicators that were previously thought to relate to a gaming addiction had been borrowed from gambling addictions; what are the odds? Those markers may not translate between the two behavior patterns as well as previously thought.
10 percent doesn't sound like a major mistake -- unless you're in that group -- but the study balances some recent reports that hype and overstate the problem. (Oh Tyra, we thought you were better than the local news.) Still, the research stresses that gaming addictions are real.
I put quite some work in there, but it's still being updated by me. If anybody could recommend me something I'm missing, please feel free to email me at royalkingboo@yahoo.com. Also send me some feedback here...
SEGA® Corporation and Nintendo Co. Ltd. today made a historical announcement that two of the biggest icons in the entertainment industry, Mario™ and Sonic™, are joining forces to star in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Developed for the Wii™ video game system and the Nintendo DS™ system, this momentous agreement marks the first time these two renowned stars have appeared together in a game.
Published by SEGA across Europe and North America, and published by Nintendo in the Japanese market, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will be available for Christmas 2007 and is licensed through a worldwide partnership with International Sports Multimedia (ISM), the exclusive interactive entertainment software licensee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, players will compete in events that take place in environments based on the official venues of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Using a supporting cast of characters from the amazing worlds of both Mario and Sonic, gamers will be able to compete as or against a range of lovable personalities including Mario, Sonic, Luigi™, Knuckles™, Yoshi®, Tails™ and more. Innovative usage of the Wii and DS control systems to maneuver a favourite character will allow players to race the likes of Mario and Sonic down the 100m track, engage in exhilarating rallies in table tennis and churn water in a swimming heat, all while competing for the much sought after gold medal.
“We are thrilled to partner with Nintendo and ISM on this groundbreaking title,” said Hisao Oguchi, President and Chief Operating Officer, SEGA Corporation. “For the first time, two of the world’s greatest games’ characters come together to compete in the world’s greatest sporting event and we couldn’t be more excited.”
“Mario and Sonic have been respectful rivals since the early days of video games,” says Shigeru Miyamoto, Senior Managing Director and General Manager, Entertainment Analysis and Development Division, Nintendo Co., Ltd.. “In fact, for a long time they have been discussing the possibility of one day competing against each other. Now that they have been given the perfect opportunity to meet at the Olympic Games, we may finally learn who is actually faster, Mario or Sonic?”
“The Olympic Games represent the true spirit of competition and passion,” said Raymond Goldsmith, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ISM. “Bringing together intensely competitive and fun characters like Mario and Sonic in an Olympic setting helps showcase the sports of the Olympic Games in a new and compelling way for all generations.”
EA is planning to release a brand new The Lord of the Rings title in 2008, the publisher has revealed this afternoon.
And continuing to invest in the power of the Ring, the company's announced it's renewed its licensing agreement with both New Line Cinema and Tolkien Enterprises which will result in "new, in-depth and compelling interactive adventures inspired by the books and movies of The Lord of the Rings."
Details on the brand new game mentioned "will be forthcoming", the publisher has said.
"The Lord of the Rings is an incredible canvas to create epic games," said Frank Gibeau, EA's executive vice president and general manager of North American publishing. "We look forward to our next project with New Line Cinema and Tolkien Enterprises scheduled to ship in 2008."
Just a quick note to say Happy 35th Birthday to one of our best and friendliest coders in the Homebrew Scene, GPF is a coder who has released many great games and emulators (and bags of unreleased projects) for the Dreamcast, Mobile Phones and Nintendo DS and soon the PSP hopefully .
Anyway have a good one from all your buddies here at DCEmu
Heres the latest round up of gaming releases from Play Asia
Xbox360™:
Absolute: Blazing Infinity JPN US$ 64.90
Armored Core 4 US US$ 59.90
Call of Duty 3 JPN US$ 64.90
Earth Defense Force 2017 US US$ 39.90
TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ASIA US$ 44.90
Tetris Evolution US US$ 34.90
Virtua Tennis 3 US US$ 49.90
PlayStation3™;
Armored Core 4 US US$ 64.90
Cool Fan 3 US$ 19.90
Def Jam Icon ASIA US$ 49.90
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion US US$ 64.90
Formula One Championship Edition ASIA US$ 59.90
Mist of Chaos ASIA US$ 59.90
Silicon Grip Cover 3 (black) US$ 9.90
Silicon Grip Cover 3 (clear) US$ 9.90
The Godfather: The Don's Edition US US$ 59.90
Virtua Tennis 3 US US$ 59.90
Winning Post 7 Maximum 2007 JPN US$ 69.90
Nintendo Wii™:
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII US US$ 59.90
Cooking Mama: Cook Off US US$ 59.90
Kororinpa: Marble Mania US US$ 49.90
Mezase!! Tsuri Master JPN US$ 49.90
The Godfather: Blackhand Edition US US$ 49.90
Wii Remote Controller Sheet (blue) JPN US$ 4.99
Wii Remote Controller Sheet (gray) JPN US$ 4.99
Wii Remote Controller Silcon Cover (blue) JPN US$ 8.90
Wii Remote Controller Silcon Cover (white) JPN US$ 8.90
Wing Island US US$ 49.90
PlayStation2™:
Burnout Dominator ASIA US$ 39.90
Gakuen Utopia - Manabi Straight! KiraKira Happy Festa! JPN US$ 64.90
Gakuen Utopia - Manabi Straight! KiraKira Happy Festa! [Limited Edition] JPN US$ 89.90
Hokuto No Ken / Fist of the North Star JPN US$ 64.90
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ JPN US$ 69.90
Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix+ (Limited Package Version) JPN US$ 79.90
Shin Bokujou Monogatari: Pure Innocent Life JPN US$ 64.90
Shining Force EXA US US$ 59.90
Simple 2000 Series Vol. 115: The Roomshare to Iu Seikatsu JPN US$ 25.90
Taito Memories II Gekan JPN US$ 49.90
VitaminX JPN US$ 59.90
VitaminX [Limited Edition] JPN N/A
Winning Post 7 Maximum 2007 JPN US$ 64.90
Zoids Infinity Fuzors (Tomy Best Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Zoids Struggle (Tomy Best Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Zoids Tactics (Tomy Best Collection) JPN US$ 34.90
Nintendo DS™:
Atama de Do! Kotenko Kotenko JPN US$ 39.90
Battleship / Connect Four / Sorry! / Trouble US US$ 24.90
D.Gray-Man: Kami no Shitotachi JPN US$ 48.90
Digimon Story Moonlight JPN US$ 48.90
Digimon Story Sunburst JPN US$ 48.90
Disney's Herbie Rescue Rally US US$ 34.90
Eigo ga Nigate na Otona no DS Training: Motto Eigo Duke JPN US$ 29.90
Gamics Series Vol. 1: Yokoyama Mitsuteru - San Goku Shi - Vol. 3 - Sanko no Rei JPN US$ 39.90
Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn! DS - Shinuki Max! Bongore Carnival!! JPN US$ 48.90
Kokoro ga Uruou Birei Aquarium DS: Kujira - Iruka - Penguin JPN US$ 39.90
Kokoro ga Uruou Birei Aquarium DS: Tetra - Guppy - Angelfish JPN US$ 39.90
Lost in Blue 2 US US$ 39.90
My Melody Angel Book: Denshi Techou & Enjoy Game JPN US$ 48.90
Odenkun 2 JPN US$ 29.90
Power Pro Kun Professional Baseball KOR US$ 39.90
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of WarLords US US$ 34.90
Puzzle Series Vol. 13: Kanji Puzzle JPN US$ 29.90
Shakugan no Shana DS JPN US$ 48.90
Silicon Cover (White Version) US$ 12.90
Simple DS Series Vol. 13: Ijoukishou wo Tsuppashire - The Arashi no Drift Rally JPN US$ 28.90
Spectrobes US US$ 34.90
Steel Horizon US US$ 34.90
TOEIC Test Training JPN US$ 39.90
Tamagotchi no Appare! Niji-Venture JPN US$ 48.90
Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2007 US US$ 34.90
Sony PSP™:
After Burner: Black Falcon US US$ 39.90
Asphalt: Urban GT 2 ASIA US$ 39.90
Burnout Dominator ASIA US$ 42.90
Full Auto 2: Battlelines US US$ 39.90
Lumines II KOR US$ 49.90
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of WarLords US US$ 34.90
TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ASIA US$ 37.90
TMNT: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles US US$ 39.90
UEFA Championships League 2006-2007 US N/A
Gamecube™:
Backyard Baseball 2007 US US$ 24.90
PS one™:
Rockman (Capcom Game Books) JPN US$ 27.90
Rockman 2 (Capcom Game Books) JPN US$ 27.90
Super Pang Collection (Capcom Game Books) JPN US$ 29.90
PC Games:
Destination: Treasure Island ASIA US$ 32.90
PDC World Championship Darts ASIA US$ 26.90
ProStroke Golf: World Tour 2007 (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 26.90
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 38.90
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl Collector's Radiation Edition (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 49.90
Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 38.90
Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific Collector Edition (DVD-ROM) ASIA US$ 49.90 Video Game book releases:
Okami Film DVD Book JPN US$ 29.90
Shining Force EXA Official Game Guide US US$ 18.90
Toys & Misc:
Dragon Quest Character Figure Collection 2 JPN US$ 3.99
He is My Master 1/8 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure: Sawatari Izumi JPN US$ 35.90
Ikkitousen: 1/7 Scale Painted Figure - Untyou Kanu (Alice Ver.) JPN US$ 64.90
Konami Figure Collection Mecha Musume Vol.3 JPN US$ 6.90
Magister Negi Magi Figure Collection - School Version Vol.2 JPN US$ 4.90
Mai-Hime Z / Otomedama Maiotome Code Geass - Lelouch of the Rebellion Pre-painted PVC Figure: Kallen Stadtfeld (Resistance Costume Ver.) JPN N/A
Naruto Ultimate Collection 3 Gashapon JPN US$ 2.90
Neon Genesis Evangelion 1/8 Scale Pre-painted PVC Figure: Rei Ayanami (Race Queen Ver.) JPN US$ 35.90
Nintendo Super Mario Character Keychain JPN US$ 2.99
Picoo Z Infrared Control Helicopter (Desert King) US$ 29.90
Picoo Z Infrared Control Helicopter (Metro Fly) US$ 29.90
Picoo Z Infrared Control Helicopter (Pinki) US$ 29.90
Video Game related Soundtracks:
Akumajou Dracula: Gallery of Labyrinth / Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 34.90
Final Fantasy XI Original Soundtrack Premium Box [Limited Release] JPN US$ 99.90
Harukanaru Toki No Naka De 3 Oborozukiyo JPN US$ 33.90
Kingdom Hearts Original Soundtrack Complete Box JPN US$ 139.90
Kinirono Corda 2 - Kinun No Regart JPN US$ 26.90
Musou Orochi Original Soundtrack JPN US$ 26.90
Ridge Racers Direct Audio JPN US$ 29.90
The Idolm@ster Masterwork 03 JPN US$ 19.90
IDG World Expo today announced that Nintendo of America has signed on as an anchor exhibitor for IDG World Expo's newest event: Entertainment for AllTM Expo (E for AllTM), scheduled for October 18-21, 2007, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Nintendo leads an A-list of game companies signing on for a show that is rapidly shaping up to be the premiere event in interactive entertainment.
Entertainment for All Expo (E for All) is a new event created for people who are passionate about video games and everything related. The Expo was launched in response to strong demand within the consumer audience for an opportunity to see and try new products before they reach store shelves. Event organizers anticipate its mid-October dates will launch an early and successful holiday shopping season for the industry.
"The E for All Expo supports Nintendo's mission to reach as many types of consumers as possible to expand the world of video games to new audiences," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "Our Wii and Nintendo DS systems are all about gaming for the masses, and the E for All Expo will give consumers a chance to try out the hottest new Nintendo video games."
"Nintendo's early involvement in E for All demonstrates the importance of a broad consumer-focused event for this industry," says Mary Dolaher, executive vice president of IDG World Expo. "E for All has been shaped from the ground up with all gamers in mind, and Nintendo has proven its commitment to embracing the spectrum of gamers, as we've seen with their launch of the Wii. In addition to being our flagship exhibitor, Nintendo of America Executive Vice President of Operations Don James has agreed to serve on our Exhibitor Advisory Board. I couldn't ask for a more universally respected colleague in this new venture."
E for All Expo will offer consumers the opportunity to test-drive the latest in games and gadgetry, as well as purchase products they enjoyed over the course of the 4-day event at on-site retail facilities. Additional attractions are in the works, including high-profile videogame tournaments; job fair/networking opportunities; and the acclaimed Video Games Live concert. In addition to the Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the event will take advantage of soon-to-be-expanded LA Live/NOKIA Theatre area directly adjacent.
E for All Expo has been endorsed by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the U.S. association exclusively dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of companies that publish video and computer games for video game consoles, personal computers, and the Internet. ESA members collectively account for more than 90 percent of the $7 billion in entertainment software sold in the U.S. in 2005, and billions more in export sales of U.S.-made entertainment software.
For more information about E for All Expo or to register for updates about the event, please visit www.EforAllExpo.com.
If you have heard about Play-Asia, then you are probably already aware of our periodic bargain offers, our weekly specials or our Lucky Draw clearance sales. From Friday, March 30th until Thursday, April 5th, we have prepared something very special for you.
It's CRAZY WEEK at Play-Asia. What does that mean for you? All "in-stock" items have now been reduced by a stunning 20%. That's thousands of good reasons for you to grab one or another item and save cash at the same time.
But don't forget, this offer is strictly limited for one week and only applies to products that are presently "in-stock" at Play-Asia. In other words, some offers will expire quickly, while others will be added during stock arrival on each single day.
So don't waste more time, browse as fast as you can and save some of the probably best deals you can find online for yourself.
2000: Sony recalls 1.25 million copies of its PS2 Utility Disc. The disc was intended as a DVD-player update for the PS2 and it worked—too well. Japanese PS2 owners were able to watch movies completely without regional restrictions. And I'm sure every customer participated in this recall...the console equivalent to returning your car since it's driving too fast all a sudden.
2003: Blizzard releases The Lost Vikings for GBA in the US. Because once upon a time, Blizzard published games that didn't start with a WoW.
We're still 99 percent in the dark where LEGO Batman is concerned, but first artwork released suggests that the Dark Knight's sidekick Robin will be appearing alongside Bats in the game.
Look at the art - how cool is that?
What's currently confirmed about LEGO Batman is that a) it's being developed by LEGO Star Wars chaps Traveller's Tales, b) is heading to multiple platforms and c) is due out in 2008. We can't wait. Seriously.
And we'll add a d), e) and the rest of the alphabet as soon as we can.
Mike Hayes, president and chief operating officer of Sega Europe, has brushed off concerns for Sonic's future brought on by the run of disappointing review scores for the iconic mascot in recent years.
Despite the Sonic 'Adventure' series and the more recent Sonic the Hedgehog game on 360 and PS3 being met with negative reviews, Hayes told CVG that Sega is "not at all" worried about the future of the blue blur. "Sonic is as popular now as he ever was", he ensured us.
Interestingly Hayes described Sega as a relatively young developer in respect to how long it has been developing for non-Sega platforms. "One thing to bear in mind is that Sega made software for its own hardware. We've only been making software for other companies' platforms for four years so, unlike THQ, EA or Activision, we've got to play catch-up in learning how to work with first-party platforms."
He went on to say: "We also produce Sonic in varying studios. We're aware that some titles haven't performed quite so well but then you've had titles like Sonic Heroes, Sonic Rush on DS, Sonic on PSP and Secret Rings on Wii, which all did great."
Seven years after the inimitable Ben Heckendorn's original VCSp, we're presented with the latest iteration in his portable console's lineage. The new VCSp is apparently Ben's most finely crafted portable Atari system to date, even featuring the skillful placement of cartridge-as-screen-shade and the fine white plastic frame roughly the size of a chunky Game Boy Advance. The best part: if you ask nicely (can hack up some cash) Ben might even consider making one for you.
A Japanese poll has popped up in which folks have been voting for their favorite game controller. Not that many people have voted, but it's an interesting list so far. As of writing, here are the most popular ones:
Sega Saturn Controller: 74 votes
Super Famicom Controller: 28
Mega-Drive Fighting Pad: 27
Nintendo 64 Controller: 19
NES FIGHTING COMMANDER: 14
PS2 Real Arcade Pro. Special Edition: 14
Dreamcast Controller: 13
PS2 Sega Saturn Controller: 13
XBOX Controller: 12
GameCube Controller: 12
So. What are your favs?
THQ wants to get us all into the ring this afternoon, as it announces a fresh instalment to the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw series.
This 2008 version will be available on a staggering amount of consoles, including PS3, Wii and DS for the first time ever. Adding to that list is the familiar Xbox 360, joined by the ever eager PS2 and its little brother, the PSP.
The bare chested brawling is in for a bit of a spruce-up, too, with the addition of eight new Superstar Fighting Styles, each with its own strategy and attributes. There's also a snazzy Struggle Submission System that gives you realistic control over your fleshy fellow, using your analogue controls to dictate the amount of pressure to use on your foes.
The game will also include superstars, arenas and weapons from Extreme Championship Wrestling, on top of numerous fan-requested updates like new rosters, more environmental hotspots, a combined Seasonal and General Manager Mode experience, improved out-of-ring action, enhanced online community support and more. Phew.
"We are excited about the incredible potential for WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 as the franchise expands to six platforms," said Nelo Lucich, vice president of interactive, JAKKS Pacific. "The game’s new Superstar Fighting Styles and Struggle Submission System, combined with year-over-year improvements, are certain to bring the sports entertainment video game experience to new heights with long-standing franchise fans and casual gamers alike."
However, we should point out that the DS version will be slightly different to the others, using its unique touchy-feely interface to create a wrestling experience of its very own.
Ho ho. But we know that it's all secretly fake, no one actually gets hurt in the ring.
Welcome to this week's Movie/Music news roundup, containing all new Japanese and Hong Kong Video and Music releases from this week listed at Play-Asia.com. Over 300 new items are covered in this week, including new J-Pop, Anime as well as Japanese, Hong Kong and Western movie releases and much more.
Here's a summary of all new releases that were published between Saturday, March 24th and Friday, March 30th. If some specific item that you are looking for is missing, please don't hesitate to contact our customer service with your request.
J-Pop Music releases (87)
ENKA Music releases (17)
Anime Soundtracks & Drama CDs (31)
Video Game Soundtracks (8)
Hong Kong Version Music releases (4)
HD DVD Movies (4)
Hong Kong Version Movie releases (30)
Japanese Movies (29)
Non-Japanese Movies / Japanese Version (19)
Anime DVD releases (52)
J-Pop DVD releases (30)
ENKA DVD releases (1)
Idol DVD (25)
features
Famitsu Wave Magazine
Japan's No.1 selling video game magazine
Check out all the latest game news every month
Includes a DVD disc featuring latest game footage
description
The Famitsu Wave is Japan's No.1 selling video game magazine. It features all the latest video game news and pictures from Japan's upcoming video games.
Each magazine includes a DVD disc with video game footage. The DVD disc is NTSC Region 2 encoded.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Genre: Sports
Players: 1
Reviewed on Xbox 360 by gdf
Where to start? Where on Earth can you begin a review concerning one of the most vast, ludicrously freeform games of all time? Well, you start by rambling on like this, then saying how absolutely immense it is. Yeah, that should do, because Oblivion is something of a phenomenon. Out on 360 and PC for just over a year now, with a PS3 version due soon, developer Bethesda Softworks has tried to reach as many people as possible with their game. This may seem at first like a ploy for more cash, but with such a masterpiece, it most definitely excusable and very correct of them to do so.
So what makes it so good? Well, for starters, it is the biggest game ever created, bar none. The sheer size is enough to give anyone a headache and to call this "Sandbox" or even "Free Roaming" is an insult to the game. It laughs in the face of even the mighty GTA, and though Oblivion has been surpassed in terms of square miles of game area, the games that have done this were much shorter (Oblivion is at least 100 hours if you stick at it) and usually had some kind of transport faster than a horse. Yes, Oblivion is very much a traditional text based adventure at heart, but is brought to life with great vibrancy. The Medieval esque world draws unashamedly from these ancient games, but can also give credit to LOTR and D&D. Hardcore beards will feel right at home, and will positively savour ludicrous character creation options such as "Nose Bridge Depth".
The level of freedom is astonishing. It is entirely possible to do whatever the hell you want, whenever the hell you want. I tend to go for the more murderous, thieving side of things, rather than the goody two shoes complete-every-quest-to-a-tee approach, and who can blame me; being a badass is fun! The game is deeper than the ocean and once the (slightly unconvincing) training level is finished you are thrown out into it. With nothing to keep you afloat. Carrying a dead albatross. Naked. The game really starts there and you can pursue the main quest, indulge in a spot of crime, chat with the locals or just run off into the wilderness. The locations are very well made and the vistas are nothing short of breathtaking. The draw distance is HUGE. On a clear day, you can see for miles and can sometimes spot several villages from one viewpoint. It is these times that the "Go anywhere" element truly comes into play. It is a joy to just pick a spot in the distance and head off for it, unsure of whom or what you will discover or what great treasures you will stumble across. Sometimes stalking a random stranger whets the appetite; Like the look of that guy's dagger? Follow him then stab him in the face when nobody's looking!
There are a few guilds to join that each have their own quest line. You try to go up the rankings by doing ever more risky missions until you are the guild master. Some will enjoy the Arena Battles or the Fighters Guild knight style missions, others will prefer to complete tasks for the Mages Guild, but for me it has to be the Thieves Guild and the Dark Brotherhood. As I said, I'm a sneaky, murderous kind of guy. Anyhow, completing the guild missions is fun, but I wouldn't recommend breaking the rules... (Anyone fancy collecting 20 Dragon Tongue to get back in the Mages Guild?). You can get missions from the public as well, through either talking directly to people or overhearing conversations. These all go in your quest log and can be picked up any time, great for when you get bored of another quest or just wandering about all the time.
Throughout the game there a few little minigames. The lock picking in particular is entertaining, with convincing (or bribing) people to like you worth an honourable mention. Even in the simplest task there are numerous skills and factors which affect your performance. Buying goods (even though stealing is better) can turn into a guessing game of haggling and bribing in order to get the best deal. As with all RPGs, the devil is in the detail.
The in game character menu seems daunting at first. It has four sections, each with several sub-sections which are filled with stats or items. After you get used to it, managing your character is a cinch and you can actually enjoy trawling through the list, deciding which items you should drop so you can carry that shiny blade over there. The weapons are a great part of the game. You have to maintain them yourself for maximum performance, but when you are wielding a fully magically charged Glass Warhammer of the Dynamo, that Faded Wraith round the corner doesn't seem nearly as much of a badass. The combat itself is fun and feels much more direct and enjoyable than most other RPGs. The game is a first person adventure, so it really puts a whole new spin on the genre.
Graphically the game is up to scratch and looks surprisingly good considering the size of the world. The music can be a bit ill fitting at times but is never intrusive, whereas speech is well done and battle sounds are perfect. The loading times can be lengthy, but you never actually notice and out in the open world the framerate stutters every twenty seconds or so. To be honest these shortcomings were unavoidable and prove that the game might even be a bit too ambitious for even the shiny next generation consoles. Bearded enthusiasts will all know that the real juice is all in the slowly improving and levelling up. This is true and one of the most entertaining elements of the experience is watching your puny-ass weed turn into a giant, fortress-like monster eater. Improving your skills is easy as the more you practice, the better you become, truly letting you mould your character into what you want.
Oblivion will keep you going for ages. There are so many more things I would have mentioned but either forgot to write or couldn't include. Ah yes! I forgot to mention the realism. Despite being set in a fictitious medieval style magic world, the developers have tried to make it as close to real life as possible without letting you urinate on doors at 2am after a night on the razz. You can even contract diseases for crying out loud! (Let's jump back to the conclusion.) So Oblivion is a great game. In my opinion it is a "Gamers' Game", one of those landmark titles that defines the genre and pushes the boundaries of what is possible to breaking point. It is the kind of game I have been looking for since I started playing almost a decade ago on the humble SNES (when you are six years old Christmas is great). There really is nothing like it. Buy this game.
Replay Value 3/5 Freaking MASSIVE. Surely the biggest videogame of all time. Sound 4/5 A mixed bag but in the main it does the job. Graphics 4/5 Very impressive especially for such a vast game Gameplay 4.5/5 Unbelievable, too good to be true. Score:
