Today CD Projekt RED, the world’s leading developer of games with “The Witcher” in their title, announced its first internally-developed foray into handheld gaming, The Witcher: Mysterious Secrets. The game is in development for all current-gen, next-gen and gen-after-next-gen handheld systems and is scheduled for release between Tuesday and Friday 2010.
A jaw-dropping revolution in handheld gaming, The Witcher: Mysterious Secrets features a massive list of revolutionary features that will completely revolutionize, then de-evolutionize, then evolutionize and then once more revolutionize the industry. Among the revolutionary features are two cooperative multiplayer modes never before seen on handheld systems: play together with your friend on one system as you harness Geralt’s awesome Powers of Movement on the D-pad while your friend uses the awesome Powers of Doing on the A and B buttons; or connect with a limitless number of players as you play for a bit, then pass the handheld to your friend and watch them play for a while, and then finally take it back to play some more yourself!
The awe-inspiring graphics created using half of the game engine’s available 32 colours help to immerse players in the awe-inspiring story of Geralt of Rivia as he fights to save the world from an unknown evil. Set in a completely open world that allows for movement in both left and right directions for an infinite amount of time, The Witcher: Mysterious Secrets also includes some features usually found in today’s best console games, like the Decisions and Inconsequence system that ensures that no decision you make will have an impact on the outcome of the game. That’s right – no more worrying about making bad decisions. We’ll also have DLC at astronomical prices, including the upcoming “The Witcher: Go Up and Down” pack. Yeah, DLC on a handheld. You wanna fight about it?
“The Witcher: Mysterious Secrets is really awesome,” said Adam Kicinski, the guy who runs CD Projekt RED. “Like… really awesome. It has better graphics, better combat, a better story and more boobs than the PC version. Awesome, right?”
From IGN.com:
February 26, 2009 - Normally we’d scoff at the idea of Nintendo releasing yet another new controller (hell, we’ve already got the Wii-mote, nunchuk, zapper shell, wheel shell, balance board, classic controller, and GameCube controller, not to mention third party offerings like the Hori sticks and alternate pads) but in this case, we’re on board.
As seen above, Nintendo’s Japanese website has been updated with a new Classic Controller PRO model, and while it’s got no release date or price just yet, we’re already more than intrigued at this larger, more form-fitting design.
If you want to game on Virtual Console, your best bet right now is the Classic Controller or a GameCube pad. Still, while the Wii’s throwback offering has the look of the Super NES pad from the golden era of gaming, it doesn’t exactly feel form-fitting in its design. The back is oddly slanted, the finish on the controller feels a bit slick, and the sticks are too close together to really feel comfy.
From the info we’ve already got on the PRO, we know it’s a larger controller, not only in thickness, height, and width, but it also makes use of one of the more well-received concepts out there, which is the extension grips, which gives it a GameCube, Xbox Controller S/360 look. As you can see, the Z buttons (Z/L and Z/R) are larger now, and placed like the R1/R2, L1/L2 setup found with Sony controllers. The PRO even borrows from the Nyko Classic Controller and Click Grip, shown below.
We’ll have more on Nintendo’s controller as news breaks. As for price and strategy from here on out, Nintendo hasn’t commented but we’d estimate a worldwide release by the end of 2009 (a slow move from Japan to Europe, US, and beyond, with no real fanfare for the switch), and a price tag of $24.99, five bucks over the current Classic Controller, at least until the old model is worked out of retailers. The Pro makes use of a Wii-mote for power, and we’re hoping Nintendo makes use of a back-mounted cradle system for the Wii-mote, though of course nothing has been mentioned yet on that.
Our sister site WatchMojo.com gets the lowdown on the new Viva Pinata:Trouble in Paradise game:
Montreal, Canada. April 23, 2008 - Meridian4 (http://www.meridian4.com) and developer Frozenbyte are pleased to announce the release of an update to their critically acclaimed Action/Shooter; Shadowgrounds Survivor.
The update includes two extra languages; Spanish and French to open the game up to new audiences and two additional difficulty settings; Bleeding Hard and Impossible to challenge even the best Survivor gamers.
“With the added difficulty settings, Frozenbyte has given fans another reason to jump back into the alien slaughter. New comers to the game as well as Survivor die-hards will find a challenge with these new settings…Good Luck!” said Jeff Giasson, Production Director at Meridian4.
The update is now available on Steam for new purchases and any existing clients. For more information about the update and the title, visit: www.steampowered.com or www.meridian4.com.
About Shadowgrounds Survivor
Shadowgrounds Survivor has been well received by the press and gamers alike and is even one of the top ten rated games released in 2007/2008 according to Metacritic.com.
Shadowgrounds Survivor provides exhilarating gameplay for any action fan, pitting players against waves of relentless alien foes as they battle for survival on Jupiter’s moon, Ganymede. In addition to the exciting campaign, Shadowgrounds Survivor features the thrilling and brutal Survival mode, cooperative multiplayer and on-disc editing tools that further extend the game experience.
About Frozenbyte
Frozenbyte is an independent game developer based in Helsinki, Finland. Founded in 2001, the company is out to show the world that dedication, hard work and innovation can deliver inspiring and fresh games. Highly-acclaimed PC action title Shadowgrounds was Frozenbyte’s debut game and the story continues in 2007 with Shadowgrounds Survivor. In 2008 the company will break new ground with a brand new unannounced project. For more information, visit http://www.frozenbyte.com.
About Meridian4
Meridian4 is an interactive software publisher located in Montreal, Canada. We are a new publishing company, with new ideas and a different approach to forming partnerships with developers. The difference is we actually form a partnership – a true relationship characterized by mutual cooperation and responsibility to achieve the best possible performance for their products. For more information, visit http://www.meridian4.com.