Since moving the series out of the World War II era with Call of Duty 4, this franchise has received an overwhelming amount of critical praise. In addition, it has gained an extremely loyal fan base. Infinity Ward’s highly anticipated follow-up, Modern Warfare 2 improves on every aspect of its predecessor. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we take a look at the seven things you probably didn’t know about this new and exciting entry in the award-winning franchise.
Launching this October exclusively for Xbox 360, “Forza Motorsport 3″ unites the racing game genre making it possible for everyone to experience the thrill of the world’s most exotic and exquisite cars. This game is perfect whether you’re a Forza pro or just beginning. All can race, drift and customize some of the world’s most exotic and exquisite cars. Watch as Jeff Rivait of Xbox Games & Accessories shows WatchMojo.com how to drive. Find out more Here.
from Mirror.co.uk:
The Nintendo Wii 2 will be smaller and cheaper. That’s the word from Shigeru Miyamoto, the man behind Mario and Donkey Kong. He says the console will also move into “other aspects of daily life”, hinting Ninty will follow Microsoft and Sony into the world of home entertainment.
Speaking with Popular Mechanics, Miyamoto, who has plenty of knowledge of what goes down inside Nintendo HQ said, “While we don’t have any concrete plans for what we’ll be doing with hardware in the future… I think it would be likely that we would try to make that same functionality perhaps more compact and perhaps even more cost-efficient.”
Black Wii and controllers UK bound
Miyamoto does think, though, that the Wii 2 will be more than just a “toy”. “We’re gradually seeing video games moving beyond simply entertainment into other aspects of everyday life,” he said. Maybe he was simply talking about the new Wii Exercise Bike?
DenOfGeek.com has a great look at 10 upcoming games that will be exclusive to the PS3. Enjoy:
10. Agent
Currently being developed by Rockstar North, in Edinburgh, and being touted as the ultimate action game. Few details are known apart from Agent will take players into the shadowy world of 1970s espionage and assassination during the cold war. Scheduled for release in 2010, Rockstar are hoping that Agent will achieve similar levels of success enjoyed by their flagship franchise, Grand Theft Auto.
9. The Last Guardian
From Team ICO, who brought you the highly acclaimed ICO and Shadow Of The Colossus, comes The Last Guardian. The game is a third person action adventure and will focus on a young boy and his friendship with a creature called Trico. The player will take control of the unarmed boy and is responsible for guiding the creature that’s driven by animal instincts.
8. ModNation Racers
This kart racing game will focus heavily on user-created content with customisable racetracks that players will be able to share online and fully customisable characters and vehicles using Urban Vinyl stylings. It’s similar to Little Big Planet with the level of customisation available (a beta demo of ModNation Racers is included in the Little Big Planet game of the year edition in the US) and the emphasis on user-created content. The single player mode will, apparently, boast 30 tracks designed by the development team using the tools that will be available to players of the game. Gameplay will be similar to that of other Kart racing games as power ups and weapons will be available to collect to give racers an advantage.
7. Gran Turismo 5
The highly anticipated and much delayed racer will, apparently, according to Polyphony Digital’s Kazunori Yamuchi, look “better than reality”. The game will support online racing, which is a first for the series. Another first is that some of the vehicles will suffer damage. The game will feature over 900 cars and 20 courses with 70 course variations. At the time of writing, the game is set for release on the 31st March in Japan, but no solid release date is set for Europe or the US, despite the developers annoyingly stating that they can release it any time they want.
6. Eight Days
Up until recently, it appeared that development of Eight Days was cancelled, along with The Getaway 3. However, it appears that it was merely on hold and it will finally get a release. Footage of Eight Days was shown as far back as 2005, in the form of a scene showing a petrol station exploding, to show the PS3’s capabilities of handling visual effects and physics. The following year, at E3, another video was released showcasing stunning graphics, but in 2008, Sony Computer Entertainment London announced that they cancelled the development of the game.
Since then they have worked on Eye Pet, which is scheduled for release at the end of October in the UK and 2010 in the US. Eight Days will be set, as the title suggests, over the course of eight days and will include a real life clock so if you’re playing during the day this will be reflected in the game. The game is also set in eight different US states, one of which is Arizona, so the potential size of the game map is rather large. Players will be able to choose between a good and an evil character, both of which are going after an organised crime syndicate for different reasons.
5. White Knight Chronicles
This fantasy RPG about two rival kingdoms at war has already enjoyed considerable success and acclaim in Japan. So much so that Sony has already got a sequel in development despite not being available in the US or Europe. European and US PS3 owners can expect to be able to get their hands on WKC in April 2010. Players will be able to customise their avatar and enjoy an immersive single player campaign as well as a real-time online multiplayer quest mode with up to four other players.
4. Demon’s Souls
Here’s another intriguing RPG prospect that’s been available elsewhere for sometime. It has been released in the US recently, but it’s unclear when it will be available in Europe. The game offers severe punishment if their character dies in combat, as all of their experience and equipment up to that point will be lost. No problem, just load your last save game, right? Afraid not! The game autosaves frequently, meaning that you can’t just reload an old game save if something bad happens to your character. Oh, and the more your character dies, the more powerful the enemies get. Rather than detracting from the game, reviews indicate that this aspect of the game makes it an incredibly rewarding experience. With still no European date yet, if you want to play this any time in the near future you’ll have to import it.
3. God Of War III
Ex-Spartan warrior Kratos finally makes his appearance on the PS3 next year, in what will be the final chapter of the God Of War series. This chapter will take advantage of a new purpose built game engine adding levels of realism and interaction to Kratos’ adventure. God Of War 3 is scheduled for release at the end of March next year, so there’s still a bit of a wait for this. For those of you who can’t wait, a God Of War collection containing parts 1 and 2 will be released on PS3 in time for Christmas and will include a demo of God Of War 3. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, this is only scheduled for a US release.
2. MAG (Massive Action Game)
Set for release in January 2010, this massive multiplayer online shooter is set to be something quite special as it will support battles of up to 256 players! Players will be divided into squads of 8. Four squads will form a platoon and 4 platoons will form a company. Players can advance through the game’s ranking system and the player with the highest rank will lead their squad and, potentially, an army. The game is set in 2025 amidst a global crisis where natural resources have diminished. Three private military companies recruited members aggressively to battle for control of what resources are available in a shadow war. Players will have three PMC’s to choose from: S.V.E.R ,a faction of war torn countries, Raven, who utilise high tech armor and weaponry and Valor company, who use standard equipment. Players will be able to customise a number of aspects of their character including facial features, voice, armor and equipment.
1. Heavy Rain
The game I’m looking forward to the most by some considerable margin. Renowned games designer David Cage is directing the game that’s being developed by Quantic Dream studios. Having directed acclaimed titles Farenheit and Omrikon: The Nomad Soul previously, it’s unsurprising that there’s a high level of anticipation around Heavy Rain. This dark thriller in a film noir style carries the tagline: “How far are you willing to go to save someone you love?” Players will control one of four playable characters that are all said to be on the hunt for The Origami Killer. The game will adopt a unique control system that will involve players having to perform actions such as tilting their pad or pressing buttons as they appear on the screen. Failure to do so will lead to their character’s reactions being performed incorrectly or their character saying something in the wrong way and take the story in a different direction. If the events lead to your character dying, they will no longer be a part of the story. The game won’t end, though, as players will take control of another character to continue the hunt. This is a fantastic prospect for replay value as there’s the distinct possibility that the game will be different every time you play it. Heavy Rain is set for release in the first quarter of 2010.
from Bloomberg.com:
Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 video-game console outsold Nintendo Co.’s Wii for the first time on a monthly basis in Japan in September, after a price cut, according to market researcher Enterbrain Inc.
From Aug. 31 to Sept. 27, 309,939 PS3s were sold, a monthly record for the console in Japan since it became available in November 2006, the Tokyo-based research firm said in a faxed statement today. Nintendo’s DS Lite and DSi handheld players sold a combined 297,060 units.
Sony cut the price of the PS3 in Japan on Sept. 3 by 25 percent to 29,980 yen ($335) and introduced a model that is one- third the size of the original and consumes 34 percent less power. A similar price cut in the U.S. helped the Tokyo-based company sell more than 1 million units worldwide in three weeks, bringing it closer to its annual sales target of 13 million, Kazuo Hirai, head of Sony’s games business said last month.
The company also said last month that it will lower the price of its PlayStation Portable handheld player 15 percent in Japan to 16,800 yen from October. The PSP was the third-best selling hardware in Japan in September with 83,887 units, followed by Nintendo’s Wii with 61,691 units.
Rival Microsoft Corp. followed with a $100 reduction for its most expensive Xbox 360 player to $300 in the U.S. and 29,800 yen in Japan. Nintendo was the last of the major console makers to weigh in, cutting the price of its motion-sensing Wii 20 percent to $200 in the U.S. from Sept. 27 and to 20,000 yen in Japan from Oct. 1.
Sony fell 5 percent to close at 2,450 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange today. Nintendo slipped 0.4 percent to 22,530 yen in Osaka trading, while Microsoft declined 3.3 percent to $24.88 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading yesterday.
Read more about Xbox 360’s new controller free gaming from Telegraph.co.uk:
Microsoft says the enthusiasm of developers and publishers highlighted the “widespread enthusiasm” for Natal, a gaming system based on the Xbox 360 that enables players to do away with a conventional controller and instead make natural gestures to control on-screen action.
Several major publishers, including Activision, Blizzard, Capcom, Electronic Arts and Sega, will announce at this week’s Tokyo Games Show that they are working on games that will complement the Project Natal platform and work with its gesture-controlled interface.
It has raised speculation that the gaming system could be in shops by the end of next year, sparking a new console war with rival platforms Sony and Nintendo.
“Project Natal could fundamentally change the way players experience sports games,” said Peter Moore, president of EA Sports. “Some of our top development teams are experimenting with these tools with the goal of delivering a completely fresh take on genres like sports and racing.”
Project Natal was unveiled at the E3 games show in Los Angeles in June. It is designed to work with existing Xbox 360 games consoles, and uses a camera, depth-sensor and microphones to track the movement of a player and replicate it on-screen.
“We see enormous opportunities with Project Natal,” said Yves Guillemot, chief executive of Ubisoft. “With the 3D camera, your body becomes the interface. Any barrier related to the use of pad controllers that may have existed for potential gamers is now abolished.”
Console makers and game developers have already set their sights on the next generation of gaming and entertainment solutions. Nintendo’s Wii, which uses innovative motion-controlled ‘Wiimotes’, has attracted a new audience to gaming, and other companies are keen to tap in to the casual gaming trend.
Sony is also working on its own gesture-controlled gaming interface, and demonstrated a prototype of the system at E3. Sony emphasised the accuracy of its system, claiming that it could track and replicate the movements of a player in real time, and even understand from their gestures how hard they had hit a ball, and map its flight using the angle of the player’s body.
Although Microsoft has yet to officially announce a launch date for Project Natal, the company’s chief executive, Steve Ballmer, said that a new Xbox 360 with “a natural interface” would be launched in 2010.
Ballmer later back-tracked on his comments, and Microsoft maintains that it is “not even halfway through the current console generation lifestyle”.
“We believe the Xbox 360 will be the entertainment centre in the home for long in to the next decade. Project Natal will be an important part of this platform, but we have not confirmed a launch date at this time.”
from ElectronicTheater.co.uk:
Nintendo’s autumn/winter line-up of new titles has every base covered. The schedule heralds the return of some old friends with a brand new instalment in the The Legend of Zelda series for Nintendo DS and a totally new take on the Super Mario Bros. games which sees the dawn of simultaneous multi-player action in the Mushroom Kingdom.
As if that weren’t enough excitement, the world of high fashion comes to Nintendo DS as players can create their very own Style Boutique. What’s more, players can also flex their muscles this winter as they take up the new challenges of Wii Fit Plus.
Wii Fit Plus hits stores across Europe on 30th October 2009, as revealed earlier this morning by Electronic Theatre, bringing exciting new exercise features for both mind and body to the acclaimed Wii Fit phenomenon, making your at-home training regime even easier. For theElectronic Theatre Image first time, you can personalise your own yoga routines and strength-training exercises to create a continuous exercise plan to suit your individual fitness goals. Wii Fit Plus can even create a randomised routine for you using the Yoga and Muscle exercises, for example, Lifestyle routine gives you exercise combinations to help train muscles and boost flexibility or even warm your hands and feet to ease tension. In Health routines you can work your tummy and fat burn, Youth routines help you train body and mind and work your lower body.
A brand new caloriemeter lets you estimate the amount of oxygen used by the body during physical activity and so estimates your calories burned on each activity during gameplay. In addition to all the original Wii Fit features, Wii Fit Plus now brings you 50% more content, including fifteen new trainings and six new strength training and yoga activities meaning you can relax and ease away the stresses of daily life from those aching muscles.
New Super Mario Bros. brings collaboration to the Mushroom Kingdom
For the first time, you can experience an action-packed Mario platformer on Wii with simultaneous multiplayer fun as New Super Mario Bros. Wii launches across Europe on 20th November 2009.This is a fully fledged Mario adventure if played alone however a great new feature of this Mario Platformer is that up to four players can join in the fun at the same time, playing as Mario, Luigi or either one of the Toads in a mission to save Princess Peach. New Super Mario Bros. Wii offers a mix of cooperative and competitive play. Choose whether to work together to rescue Princess Peach, or use your skills to battle for the best ranking. Co-operate by saving your friends from danger - or get rid of the competition by tossing them straight into it!
You’ll be able to make full use of the motion control capabilities of Wii to enhance gameplay - tilting the Wii Remote to control a see-saw platform and reach secret areas, for example.
New features in the game include the new propeller suit, which, by shaking the Wii Remote, allows your character to fly and hover - great for reaching secret areas. You can also use your suit to help your fellow players, for instance if another player picks you up, you can both fly together! There is a new penguin suit too which enables you to throw ice balls at your enemy, jump onto your stomach and slide with incredible speed across icy sections of a stage. Players can even ride different Yoshis through the crazy and imaginative levels, using their tongues to swallow enemies - or their fellow players!
There is something to please everyone on Nintendo DS this autumn and winter, from high fashion to the return of Link in the brand new The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is the hotly-anticipated new title coming to Nintendo DS in time for Christmas. The new game features a new mode of transport as you must control a train to navigate Link’s world, charting a course to the end of the line past all manner of obstacles and enemies that will try to thwart your plans.
What’s more, Link has a new companion in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks: the Phantom. This giant suit of armour now responds to commands, helping Link by battling enemies and walking through fire and lava. Whether working the tracks on the train or battling through the dungeons, the new Zelda adventure will keep your stylus tapping this winter as you crack its fiendish new storyline. Make tracks for the latest instalment of Link’s adventures on 11th December 2009.
High fashion is the name of the game in Nintendo Presents Style Boutique. Nintendo brings the catwalk to your Nintendo DS on 23rd October 2009 as you are challenged to run your own fashion store as a style consultant. Hand pick your own stock, take part in Fashion Contests, choose new clothes from the online shop and even play against other consultants with multiplayer. Starting out as a shop assistant, you build up your experience offering style advice for your customers, outfitting them in the must-have pieces. As your fashion savvy grows, you will attend the catwalk shows choosing from over 10,000 items to create the season’s “must-have” trend.
For the full updated line-up for both Nintendo DS and Wii, including exciting titles available from other selected publishers, please see the list below:
Wii Software 2009Family Party: Outdoor Fun (D3Publisher) – 2nd October
Crazy Mini Golf 2 (Data Design Interactive) – 2nd October
FIFA 10 (EA SPORTS) – 2nd October
Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquillity (Nintendo) – 9th October
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (LucasArts) – 9th October
Cate West: The Vanishing Files (Oxygen Interactive) – 9th October
All Star Cheerleader 2 (THQ) – 16th October
Drawn to Life The Next Chapter (THQ) – 16th October
Countdown (Mindscape) – 16th October
Family Fortunes (Mindscape) – 16th October
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (SEGA) – 16th October
Bakugan: Battle Brawlers (Activision) – 23rd October
The Ultimate Red Ball Challenge (Mindscape) – 23rd October
Super Hero Squad (THQ) – 23rd October
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010 (THQ) – 23rd October
Arcade Zone (Activision) - 30th October
Science Papa (Activision) - 30th October
Mountains Sports (Activision) - 30th October
Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo) - 30th October
Wii Fit Plus with Wii Balance Board (Nintendo) - 30th October
Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo (NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe, SAS) - 30th October
My Personal Golf trainer (Data Design Interactive) - 30th October
Ju-On: The Grudge (Rising Star Games) - 30th October
Cars: Race O’ Rama (THQ) - October
Casper’s Scare School Spooky Sports Day (Blast Entertainment) - October
THE SECRET SATURDAYS: Beasts of the 5th Sun (D3Publisher) - October
Ballerina presented by Repetto (Deep Silver) - October
A Boy And His Blob (Majesco) - October
Go Play Circus Star (Majesco) - October
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: SMASH-UP (UBISOFT) - October
Squeeballs (Zen United) - October
Playmobil Circus (HMH Interactive) - 5th November
Animal Planet: Vet Life (Activision) - 6th November
Barbie and the Three Musketeers (Activision) - 6th November
i Carly (Activision) - 6th November
Madagascar: Kartz (Activision) - 6th November
Rapala: We Fish (Activision) - 6th November
My Baby 2 (NOBILIS) - 6th November
Beat The Intro (Mindscape) - 6th November
U-SING (Mindscape) - 6th November
Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Rising Star Games) - 6th November
World of Zoo (THQ) - 6th November
SpongeBob Truth or Square (THQ) - 13th November
The Biggest Loser (THQ) - 13th November
Princess and the Frog (Disney Interactive Studios) - 19th November
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo) - 20th November
Where the Wild Things Are (WBIE) - 27th November (UK, DE)
Yoga (JoWooD) - November
Karaoke Revolution (Konami) - November
Let’s Party (Konami) - November
Tornado Outbreak (Konami) - November
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe, SAS) - November
RTL Winter Sports 2010 The Great Tournament (RTL Sports) - November
Jambo Safari (SEGA) - November
ARTHUR AND THE REVENGE OF MALTAZARD (UBISOFT) - November
CSI DEADLY INTENT (UBISOFT) - November
Family Gameshow (zushi games ltd) - November
North American Hunting Extravaganza (zushi games ltd) - November
Planet 51 (SEGA) - November onwards
Tony Hawk: RIDE (Activision) - 4th December (DE, UK)
JUST DANCE (UBISOFT) - December
YOUR SHAPE (UBISOFT) - December
It’s My Circus (2K Play) - Autumn
NBA 2K10 (2K Sports) - Autumn
NHL 2K10 (2K Sports) - Autumn
HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT 2 (EA) - Autumn
LITTLEST PET SHOP FRIENDS (EA) - Autumn
MySims Agents (EA) - Autumn
Need for Speed Nitro (EA) - Autumn
SimAnimals Africa (EA) - Autumn
Spore Hero (EA) - Autumn
Formula 1 (Codemasters) - Q4
Pony Friends (Eidos) - Q4
PES 2010 (Konami) - Q4
Horrid Henry’s Missions of Mischief (SouthPeak Games) - Q4
Miniclip Sushi Go Round (SouthPeak Games) - Q4
Build a Bear: Friendship Valley (The Game Factory) - Q4
AVATAR (UBISOFT) - Q4
MONSTER 4×4 STUNTRACE (UBISOFT) - Q4
RABBIDS GO HOME (UBISOFT) - Q4
SHAUN WHITE SNOW WORLD STAGE (UBISOFT) - Q4
Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles (Capcom) - Winter
Silent Hill Shattered Memories (Konami) - Winter
LEGO Indiana Jones 2 The Adventure Continues (LucasArts) - WinterNintendo DS Software 2009
FIFA 10 (EA SPORTS) - 2nd October
Famous (NOBILIS) - 2nd October
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (Nintendo) - 9th October
Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (LucasArts) - 9th October
Cate West: The Vanishing Files (Oxygen Interactive) - 9th October
Angel Cat Sugar (Rising Star Games) - 9th October
Harvest Fishing (Rising Star Games) - 15th October
All Star Cheerleader 2 (THQ) - 16th October
Luminous Arc 2 (Rising Star Games) - 16th October
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (SEGA) - 16th October
Drawn to Life The Next Chapter (THQ) - 16th October
Countdown (Mindscape) - 16th October
Family Fortunes (Mindscape) - 16th October
Blood Bowl (THQ) - 18th October
Bakugan: Battle Brawlers (Activision) - 23rd October
Super Hero Squad (THQ) - 23rd October
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010 (THQ) - 23rd October
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (Disney Interactive Studios) - 29th October
Nintendo Presents Style Boutique (Nintendo) - 23rd October
Science Papa (Activision) - 30th October
Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans (NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe, SAS) - 30th October
Cars: Race O Rama (THQ) - October
Casper’s Scare School Spooky Sports Day (Blast Entertainment) - October
Shaun the Sheep: Off His Head (D3Publisher) - October
Carcassonne (Deep Silver) - October
Crosswords Italy (Deep Silver) - October
Let’s play Flight Attendant (Deep Silver) - October
Ant Nation (Konami) - October
Ballerina presented by Repetto (Deep Silver) - October
Let’s play Journalists (Deep Silver) - October
Agatha Christie: ABC Murders (The Adventure Company) - October
DOLPHIN ISLAND UNDERWATER ADVENTURES (UBISOFT) - October
GIRLS LIFE MAKEOVER (UBISOFT) - October
IMAGINE BEAUTY STYLIST (UBISOFT) - October
IMAGINE JOURNALIST (UBISOFT) - October
PETZ MY PONY CLUB (UBISOFT) - October
Squeeballs (Zen United) - October
Animal Planet: Vet Life (Activision) - 6th November
Barbie and the Three Musketeers (Activision) - 6th November
i Carly (Activision) - 6th November
Madagascar: Kartz (Activision) - 6th November
Disney’s A Christmas Carol (Disney Interactive Studios) - 6th November
My Baby 2 (NOBILIS) - 6th November
Beat The Intro (Mindscape) - 6th November
Women’s Murder Club Games of Passion (THQ) - 6th November
World of Zoo (THQ) - 6th November
SpongeBob Truth or Square (THQ) - 13th November
The Biggest Loser (THQ) - 13th November
Jewel Quest Solitaire (astragon Software GmbH) - 16th November
Quest Mysteries (astragon Software GmbH) - 16th November
Princess and the Frog (Disney Interactive Studios) - 19th November
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky (Nintendo) - 20th November
Where the Wild Things Are (WBIE) - 27th November (UK, DE)
Buddy Maths/Scoyo Mathe (Deep Silver) - November
Buddy Vocabulary Trainer English (Deep Silver) - November
Buddy Vocabulary Trainer French (Deep Silver) - November
Scoyo Mathe lernen (Deep Silver) - November
Easy Learning: Discover Our Earth (JoWooD) - November
Wire Way (Konami) - November
Crash Time III (Playtainment) - November
Jambo Safari (SEGA) - November
Safecracker (The Adventure Company) - November
ARTHUR AND THE REVENGE OF MALTAZARD (UBISOFT) - November
CSI DEADLY INTENT: THE HIDDEN CASES (UBISOFT) - November
GIRLS LIFE FASHION ADDICT (UBISOFT) - November
GIRLS LIFE JEWELLERY DESIGN (UBISOFT) - November
GIRLS LIFE SLEEPOVER PARTY (UBISOFT) - November
PETZ DOGZ SUPERSTAR (UBISOFT) - November
PETZ HAMSTERZ SUPERSTAR (UBISOFT) - November
PETZ NURSERY (UBISOFT) - November
PRINCESS MELODY (UBISOFT) - November
JIGAPIX Range (zushi games ltd) - November
Planet 51 (SEGA) - November onwards
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (Nintendo) - 11th December
Nintendo Presents: Crossword Collection (Nintendo) - 18th December (UK Only)
Legend Of Kay (The Adventure Company) - December
Zenses: Zen Garden (The Game Factory) - Q3/Q4
Build A Bear: Welcome to Hugsville (The Game Factory) - Q4
Horrid Henry’s Missions of Mischief (SouthPeak Games) - Q4
Miniclip Sushi Go Round (SouthPeak Games) - Q4
COP THE RECRUIT (UBISOFT) - Q4
It’s My Circus (2K Play) - Autumn
LITTLEST PET SHOP FRIENDS (EA) - Autumn
MySims Agents (EA) - Autumn
Need for Speed Nitro (EA) - Autumn
SimAnimals Africa (EA) - Autumn
Spore Hero Arena (EA) - Autumn
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (LucasArts) - Autumn
HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT 2 (EA) - Autumn
LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (LucasArts) - Winter
Should be interesting to see if PS can capture the same type of audience with this type of gaming that Nintendo did. Read more from Joystiq.com:
We just got our first brief taste of some of the retrofitted PS3 titles which would support Sony’s new, tentatively-named PlayStation Motion Controller during Sony’s TGS 2009 keynote. However, a piping hot press release gave us some of the most detailed info on the peripheral to date — most notable of which is the re-confirmation that the hardware is still on track for a Spring 2010 release.
Equally as titillating is a comprehensive list of first-party “Motion Controller dedicated and compatible titles” which are set to drop (or in the case of the pre-existing titles, receive the new functionality via a patch) throughout 2010:
Software Titles for Motion Controller from SCE Worldwide Studios
Ape Escape (Working Title)
Echochrome 2 (Working Title)
Eccentric Slider (Working Title)
Sing and Draw (Working Title)
Champions of Time (Working Title)
Motion Party (Working Title)
The Shoot (Working Title)
Tower (Working Title)
PAIN*
Flower*
Hustle Kings*
High Velocity Bowling*
EyePet*
A super powerful Wii? I’m listening. Read more from CNET:
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumors about a new Wii HD coming in 2011, but when the head of Square Enix, Yoichi Wada, predicts it, you tend to pay more attention. Wada, whose company is behind the uber popular Final Fantasy franchise, was recently interviewed by the Financial Times and had some interesting comments about a potential Wii HD, as well as the future of motion controllers.
Not surprisingly, Wada predicts the new Wii will feature similar graphics capabilities as the current PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles (why the Wii doesn’t at least have an HDMI connection at this point seems ridiculous). While he thinks Nintendo will bring out a brand new motion controller, his more biting comments were reserved for Microsoft’s and Sony’s upcoming motion-enabled systems. He largely dismissed them.
“Present game machines already have a lot of functions: they are a network terminal, a Blu-ray or DVD player, and a gaming machine. Compared to these three pillars, the (new motion) controllers are quite limited, so the impact may be small,” Wada said.
I tend to agree with Wada. Then again, I think the whole motion controller thing is pretty gimmicky at this point, with so few Wii games out there that are truly enhanced by using a motion control scheme.
What do you guys think? Is the Wii destined for tepid sales for the next couple of years, even with a price drop to $199? Or is 2011 the prefect time to come out with a new system?
Nintendo: Helping you be a better person! Read more from Hexus.net:
The Wii Vitality Sensor, which was announced by President and CEO Satoru Iwata at Nintendo’s E3 2009 media briefing in June, will be available to gamers at some point in 2010.
The vitality sensor is a fingertip pulse oximeter sensor that connects through the Wii Remote. According to Nintendo, the device “will initially sense the user’s pulse and a number of other signals being transmitted by their bodies, and will then provide information to the users about the body’s inner world.”
Speaking in a Q&A session with investors yesterday, Iwata elaborated on what the device could be used for.
“Wii Vitality Sensor has great potential for various applications like measuring how horrified a player is in a horror title. What we are trying to propose first is a videogame with a theme of relaxation, which is completely opposite from traditional ones, to enrich the users’ lives,” he enthused.
He continues:
What if you were able to visualise how to unwind and relax, or check the condition of your automatic nerve by simply inserting your finger in the device once a day?” You have all had an experience where you are not in tune with how your body is doing or aware of how exhausted you body may be in a busy, strained period, but if you can visibly measure your condition every day, you can start to see how you’re doing.”
At first glance the Vitality Sensor seems like a gimmick, but knowing Nintendo, we wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if its new accessory has just as big an impact as Wii Fit.
PLAY
