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Glitches Slip Into Pokemon Diamond, Pearl

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Nintendo DS, Role Playing Games,

Nintendo of Japan has announced that Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl for the Nintendo DS have a “rare” bug that causes the came to malfunction in certain situations and possibly cause the loss of save date, according to GameSpot. A couple of workarounds have been posted to the official Japanese Pokemon website, and apparently, patches will be issued through Nintendo DS Download stations in Japan.

This glitch should be fixed by the time the game hits American shores, but this is the latest in a series of issues that have been found in Nintendo DS games. First, Amaze Entertainment, developers for Lego Star Wars 2 for the Nintendo DS admitted that the first batch of the game released had significant bugs, and later batches have slipstreamed in fixes. Then, it was revealed that Bubble Bobble Revolution had a huge bug that prevented users from finishing the game. Luckily, a series of horrible reviews for the game probably prevented many gamers from purchasing that title. Now, one of Nintendo’s highest profile titles has issues. It is hard to draw conclusions based on issues found in three separate development teams and publishers, but there does seem to be an overall rise in issues making their way to consumers across all platforms.

Zelda.com Updated With Twilight Princess Info

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Adventure, Nintendo, Role Playing Games, Screenshots, Wii,

Nintendo of America recently updated their Zelda.com site with new information about The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Much of the information has been previously released elsewhere, but the company has also added a bunch of new screenshots of the game, showing off more of the action. The Wii version of the game is scheduled to launch with the console, while the Gamecube version will be released on December 12th in the United States.

Japanese Blue Dragon Bundle Includes Limited Edition Faceplate

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Role Playing Games, Xbox 360,

Blue Dragon Faceplate Japanese gamers purchasing the limited edition Blue Dragon Xbox 360 bundle in Japan will get some exclusive swag, including a limited edition faceplate and mini-figure set. As previously announced, the Core system bundle will be available on December 7, for 29,800 Yen, around $250 US. Gamers reserving the software package should also get some other exclusive Blue Dragon goodies as well.

In addition, it looks like gamers reserving one of the other core bundles will receive an exclusive Lost Odyssey RPG trial disc according to Famitsu. Also featured on the site is the box art for the Japanese release of Blue Dragon. With the Core system bundles priced at around 4,800 Yen ($40) higher than Nintendo’s Wii console in Japan, it looks like Microsoft is throwing everything they have at trying to crack the Japanese market. If Microsoft does not turn things around this holiday season, it becomes increasingly unlikely that they will make any impact in Japan.

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Japan Again Goes Pokemon Crazy

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Nintendo DS, Role Playing Games,

Poke-nut It would be pretty safe to say that gamers should expect that Pokemon Diamond and Pearl for the Nintendo DS will debut at the top of the Japanese software sales list this week. Past releases have shown that new releases of the Nintendo DS will spawn large lines in Japan; a special edition Pokemon DS combined with the latest game in the franchise was enough to draw the Japanese out in huge numbers. At times the lines for the game and special edition DS reached over 5 hours long, with over a thousand gamers waiting in some locations. Nintendo’s Pokemon Centers in Japan also looked to be hosting special events for the game’s release as well. Famitsu has a bunch of pictures of gamers lining up to buy the game and the special edition DS, along with some images of the unusual promotions going on with the new release. The game is scheduled for a release in the US some time in 2007.

Elder Scrolls: Oblivion Confirmed For PS3, PSP

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Adventure, PlayStation 3, PSP, Role Playing Games,

An upcoming Official Playstation Magazine will confirm that Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls: Oblivion will be coming to both the Playstation 3 and the PSP, as had previously been rumored. 1up has more details; apparently, a new faction will be available from the start of the new version, called the “Knights of the Nine.” The PSP version will be less of a port, apparently, and more of an interpretation of the game, as the portable version will take place in a different setting. 1up has more screenshots of the PS3 version online.

X06 Webcast Video Download

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, Corporate News, First Person Shooters, Hardware, MMORPG, PC, Role Playing Games, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade,

Microsoft is making a download of their opening announcements for the start of X06 in Barcelona available at Xbox.com. Microsoft announced a new game in the Banjo & Kazooie franchise coming from Microsoft Game Studios. For Xbox Live Arcade, Microsoft announced that Doom would be available starting tonight on Xbox Live Arcade. Other Live Arcade games announced include:

Sensible Soccer
Contra
Ultimate Mortal Kombat
Small Arms
Gyrus
TotemBall
Defender
Assault Heroes
Heavy Weapon
Settlers of Catan

In terms of upcoming games, the Japanese RPG Blue Dragon will be available in the US and Europe in 2007. Bungie will have an announcement about Halo 3 by the end of the year. Project Gotham Racing 4 was officially unveiled. Rockstar announced that Grand Theft Auto IV will have two exclusive episodes available for download on Xbox Live. Ubisoft demonstrated Assassin’s Creed interactive gameplay for the first time ever. Bioshock was announced as an Xbox 360 and Windows exclusive. Lost Odyssey was confirmed for the US and Europe, with a trailer showing some of the battle gameplay. More than 500,000 gamers downloaded the Lost Planet demo, and both multiplayer and single player gameplay will be available on the show floor. Splinter Cell: Double Agent footage was shown, and the sequel will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 and on Windows.

The Xbox 360 HD DVD was confirmed to be available in Mid-November 2006 in Europe and the United States for $199.00 US, 199.99 Euros, and 129.99 British Pounds. The package will also include remote, and for a limited time King Kong on HD DVD. Moore also discusses Microsoft’s Games for Windows initiative, and indicates that Windows Vista is still on track for a January 2007 release. Moore also revealed the first preview of Marvel Universe: Online for the Xbox 360 and Windows.

Peter Jackson spoke at the presentation and announced that he has formed a partnership with Microsoft Game Studios. His first project will be an interactive entertainment title set in the Halo universe, apart from Halo 3 and the upcoming film, and Jackson will also be creating a new interactive game series based on original IP. Finally, the presentation wraps with a trailer from a Halo real-time strategy game from Ensemble Studios, called Halo Wars.

The video should be available online soon on Xbox.com at the link below, and should be available as a download via Xbox Live.

Blue Dragon Core Bundle Offered In Japan

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Role Playing Games, Xbox 360,

Blue Dragon Bundle Announcement Famitsu is reporting that there will be a Blue Dragon Core bundle available in Japan when the game launches on December 7th. The core bundle price will be 29,800 Yen, the same price as Microsoft’s other Core System bundle that includes Project Gotham Racing 3 and Ninety Nine Nights. Blue Dragon definitely has strong Japanese RPG DNA at its core; famed Final Fantasy series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi created the design for the game and game art has been provided by Dragon Quest and Dragon Ball artist Akira Torayama. Microsoft certainly hopes that the release of the game will allow the Xbox 360 to rise above its 1,000 unit sales doldrums in Japan.

BioWare To Produce Nintendo DS Title

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo DS, Role Playing Games,

Bioware, producer of some of the biggest RPGs to hit the Xbox and the PC, have formed a handheld development group. According to the report, Dan Tudge will be heading up the new group, formerly head of Exile Interactive. A posting on Exile Interactive’s website indicates that the company is being shut down with Tudge leaving.

The full Bioware press release continues below.

Click to continue reading BioWare To Produce Nintendo DS Title

Final Fantasy XII Spin-off Confirmed For Nintendo DS

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Nintendo DS, Role Playing Games, Square Enix,

Final Fantasy XII Scan Following the massive sales success of Final Fantasy III for the Nintendo DS comes confirmation from Famitsu that a Final Fantasy XII spin-off is being targeted for the handheld. Go Nintendo managed to get a scan from the latest issue, showing a new game called Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wing for the DS. According to reports, the game will focus on the main character from the main game, Vaan.

GTA: Vice City Stories Site Launches

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, PSP, Role Playing Games,

GTA Vice City Stories Rockstar Games just launched the official site for the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the PSP. The site features the cultural parodies of the 80s that were first seen in the original Vice City, along with wallpapers, a downloadable trailer, screenshots, and some gameplay video clips. The site promises to release details about the soundtrack for the game as well as how multiplayer will be implemented in the game.

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