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Wild Arms V Art, Screens Surface
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: PlayStation 2, Role Playing Games, Screenshots,
The Wild Arms series started on the original Playstation, and for the 10th anniversary of the game, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan is releasing Wild Arms the Vth Vanguard this Winter 2006 in Japan. GameWatch Japan has published character art for the three main characters, Dean Stark, Rebecca Streisand, and Avalil Van Freul. Screen shots from the in-game cut scenes, dungeon exploration, and battle segments have also been released. Battle mechanics seem to be based around the same structure as the fourth game in the series, with slight changes. No American release has been announced at this time, and no pricing has been set for the Japanese market.
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EA Shuts Down Lots of Servers, Says “Buy Our Newer Games!”
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Electronic Arts, Internet, PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox,
In a move that’s sure to spark some debate, EA has announced that they will be shutting down a number of servers for their online-enabled games. Most of the games are EA Sports titles, which tend to be updated on a yearly basis anyway, but there are some surprises on the list including Need for Speed Underground 2, and NBA Street V3. At the end of the statement, EA subtly encourages its users to rush out and buy the most recent version of their games: “All of us at EA would like to thank you for your valued participation in our online gaming community and hope that your enthusiasm for these games extends to our current lineup and beyond.”
This is an understandable business decision for EA - most of these games aren’t selling many copies these days, and the amount of online play these servers see at this point is probably negligible. Still, it does call into question the current paradigm of online gaming for consoles. Is the online play carrot being dangled just long enough so that gamers continue to buy each new version? Will online play labels feature fine-print that states “for a limited time only” next time you buy from EA? Is there any hope for gamers who don’t want to purchase a new sequel every year?
With all three next-gen consoles featuring online play capabilities, it should be interesting to see which business models (if any) work for both the content producers and the gaming community.
The full list of shutdown servers can be found after the jump…
Click to continue reading EA Shuts Down Lots of Servers, Says “Buy Our Newer Games!”
Read More 
| EA.com
Slim Playstation 2 Hits $109 At Wal-Mart Online
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: PlayStation 2,
Wal-Mart is currently offering new compact Playstation 2 systems for $109 on its website. It is unclear whether this is part of a permanent price drop or merely a temporary sale. Other online vendors like Best Buy and Circuit City have not matched the price, so at this point it doesn’t appear that a general price drop is in the work, either. Still, $109 is a great price for gamers to pick up a Playstation 2 if one is not opposed to dealing with Wal-Mart.
Read More | Wal-Mart via Cheap Ass Gamer (Registration Required)
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Bargain Bin Gaming #1: From Russia With Love for PS2, Xbox & Gamecube
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Action, Electronic Arts, Nintendo Gamecube, PlayStation 2, Reviews, Third Person Shooters, Xbox,
With months to go until the rest of the next-gen consoles are released, and a relatively slow summer release schedule, I’ve found myself spending more time searching around on forums like Cheap Ass Gamer and going back to look at old reviews for game-buying ideas. Especially given the fact that most of this generation’s PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube games will still be playable on the PS3, 360, and Wii, respectively, there’s no reason to not go sorting through your local game store’s bargain bins for some of the great titles you may have missed. With that in mind, we’ll be hosting a new feature here on Playfeed, currently dubbed “Bargain Bin Gaming”, where we’ll look at whether any of those $19.99 and below titles are worth your hard-earned pocket change.
Here are the two main ground-rules I’m setting for the first issue, and we’ll see how this goes:
1) I will not pay more than $19.99 for any game I review. However, this does not have to be the “standard” MSRP for the game. Well-publicized sales, like Circuit City’s past 4th of July weekend inventory blowout, are perfectly acceptable ways to get gaming deals. If I find a mint copy of Final Fantasy X-2 for $1.00 at a yard sale though, that doesn’t count - I want you, our readers, to be able to pick up a game for the same price I do!
2) For the most part, I’ll try to pick more “questionable” titles that you might not notice otherwise. Chances are if you’re reading this site, you already know by now that RE4 for $19.99 on the Gamecube is a steal. But not everyone knows that Tak 3 might actually be a really good deal for $9.00. A lot of folks know about the “diamonds in the rough”. I want to help you pick out the rubies and sapphires as well.
So with those notes in mind, click below for our first review, which I hope you’ll enjoy - James Bond in From Russia With Love by EA for PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube.
Click to continue reading Bargain Bin Gaming #1: From Russia With Love for PS2, Xbox & Gamecube
DS Juggernaut Rolls On In Japan
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PSP,
Japanese gamers continue to drive sales of the Nintendo DS in Japan. The release of the Noble Pink version of the handheld certainly helped out sales, according to the latest Media Create numbers. Cubed3 has the full listing, and again, software sales and hardware sales are dominated by the Nintendo DS. New Super Mario Bros. again took the top spot, moving 145,095 more units; the top three titles on the sales chart were for the DS. The cooking assistant Shaberu! Oryouri Nabi took second, and More Brain Training took third. Of the top ten, six titles were for the Nintendo DS. The PS2’s highest rank was 4th, for Battle Stadium DON, and the PSP charted in the top ten with the new BLEACH title. Loco Roco dropped down the list to 18th.
On the hardware side, Nintendo sold over 262,000 consoles. The PSP followed with 35,938, and the Playstation 2 came in fourth with 22,288. The Xbox 360 moved 1,472 consoles, and the original Xbox managed zero sales.
Read More | Cubed3
Valkyrie Profile Producer Provides New Details
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: PlayStation 2, Role Playing Games,
The prequel to the original PSOne game, Valkyrie Profile, has recently shipped in Japan. Published by Square-Enix and developed by tri-Ace, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, is set 100 years before the events in the original. US gamers who missed the first game on the PSOne can pick up the PSP port, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth. The game is due for release in the US in September, and IGN recently talked to the series producer, Yoshinori Yamagishi about what to expect.
Yamagishi summarizes a bit of the plotline for the game, and gamers should expect that some of the lingering questions from the original will be answered in this prequel. Also discussed are some of the gameplay changes being made to the game, including the battle system and special attacks. Some gamers have expressed concern over the changes, since much that is changed takes away from the original game. Despite this, the sequel has gotten strong scores from respected reviewer Famitsu.
IGN also features a preview of the introductory cut scene for the game.
Read More | IGN
Marvel Ultimate Alliance Trailer
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, Adventure, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP, Role Playing Games, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360,
Fresh from the San Diego Comic-Con, TeamXbox has a couple of high resolution trailers from the upcoming action RPG, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. The first trailer shows off more of the expanded character set in the new game. The character models look to be a mix of the more updated Marvel Ultimate look and the classic comic book conventions. Some characters are shown merely as introduction, but gamers also get a look at some of the superheroes in action as well.
In addition to the generic trailer, an introduction movie for the Human Torch is provided. The flame effects seem fairly strong, but the character modeling is somewhat uneven. Ultimate Alliance seeks to vastly expand the game world from the previous X-Men Legends games, and offer much stronger online co-operative game play. The developers have slowly been revealing the characters included in the game, so Marvel aficionados should be able to find one of their favorite heroes to play. The game should ship some time before the holidays, and has been announced for a number of platforms, from the Game Boy Advance to the Playstation 3.
Read More | TeamXbox
Playstation 2 Metal Slug 6 Screens
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, PlayStation 2, Screenshots,
GameWatch Japan has some new shots and details from the upcoming Playstation 2 release, Metal Slug 6. The game will be released in Japan in September. Metal Slug 6 hit arcades in Japan earlier this year. The new shots look like the game will be a faithful port. While Metal Slug 3D received strong scores from Famitsu, the game really doesn’t carry forward the 2D legacy of the franchise.
Metal Slug 6 takes the 2D history and opens it up. Characters Ralf Jones and Clark Steel, who appeared in Ikari Warriors and the King of Fighters games, join the cast of playable characters for the sequel. Also included is a new easy mode: only four stages are playable, and the player starts with the heavy machine gun. In addition, the selectable characters each have their own special abilities that they bring to bear against the enemy. Metal Slug 6 has no current US release date. Previous games were released stateside, and Metal Slug 3D should be hitting US shores as well, so chances are good for Metal Slug 6.
Read More | GameWatch Japan
Traveller’s Tales On Super Monkey Ball Adventure
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, Nintendo Gamecube, PlayStation 2, PSP,
Super Monkey Ball Adventure will be one of the few games in the series to not be developed by either Sega or Amusement Vision. The task of developing the platform-based version of the game was handed to Traveller’s Tales, who are currently riding high on the success of Lego Star Wars. The adventure game is scheduled for release in August, and will hit the GameCube, Playstation 2, and PSP platforms. Siliconera was able to sit down with Marty Caplan, lead producer, and get some details about this new instance in the franchise. Fans of the game series might be concerned that the game has moved away from the “quick play” mentality of the original, but Caplan moves to assuage those concerns. While platform-style adventure gaming is the core of the game, there should still be enough puzzles and mini-games to keep Monkey Ball fans happy. Hopefully, Traveller’s Tales will be able to keep true to the spirit of the original and extend that into a more fully rendered universe.
Read More | Siliconera
Sony Sued For Patent Infringement Again
Posted by Josh Smith Categories: Corporate News, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP,
If this keeps up Sony will soon be able to empathize with Take Two. Sony is facing another lawsuit for patent infringement. This time Sony is accused of infringing on 8 patents held by Agere Systems, a Pennsylvania based semiconductor company. The suit claims that the PSP, Playstation 2, and the Playstation 3’s final specs are the same as those already announced. The suit also covers a large range of the Sony VAIO product line, the Memory Stick Duo, and Location Free TV. Sony claims it has the rights to use 7 of the patents from a 1989 deal with AT&T and Lucent, and claims that several of the patents are invalid.
Read More | GameSpot
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