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Actual NiGHTS 2 Screens, Interview Online

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Nintendo, Screenshots, SEGA, Wii,

Game magazine Maxi Consolas has preview screens and an interview with designer Takeshi Iizuka about the upcoming sequel to the original NiGHTS Into Dreams on the Sega Saturn. The original game was a psychelic, “dream-like” game world that was introduced on the Saturn with the 3-D controller; it has been over ten years since the game’s original release, and NiGHTS fans still haven’t stopped clamoring for a sequel. NintendoGal has scans of the magazine, and a loose translation of the interview with Iizuka. From the interview, it sounds like NiGHTS and the Wii controller will be a good match, and hopefully Sonic Team can get back on track with this release.

Japanese Ace Combat 6 Site Online

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, Namco, Screenshots, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,

Namco Bandai has launched the official website for their upcoming Ace Combat 6 for the Xbox 360. The site has details on the story, characters, and jets to be featured in the upcoming release, unfortunately all in Japanese. Still, clicking through the pages reveals plenty of high resolution, beautiful screen shots of the environments and fighter jets included in the game, and apparently Japanese Xbox 360 owners should be able to start downloading picture packs and themes for the game today.

Yet Another Wiimote mod: The Glowing Nunchuk

Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Mods/Hacks, Screenshots, Wii,

First there was the the totally sweet glowing A Button, then there was the the multi-color glowing A Button mod. And now, we bring you the glowing Nunchuk mod.

How much longer can it be until some enterprising hacker unveils the multi-color glowing A Button AND Nunchuk mod which will no doubt drain the poor batteries in seconds? I’ll lay money on about 3 weeks…

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New “Wing Commander” is a 3rd-Person Asteroids Clone?

Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Retro, Screenshots, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade,

EA, always the master of doing something evil in the realm of videogames, has shown off a first movie of their upcoming Wing Commander: Arena game, and the results are, well, disappointing to fans of the franchise. Expecting a great space shooter along the lines of X-Wing and TIE Fighter? Well, forget it… from the looks of this movie, the new Wing Commander is going to be an arcade-y Asteroids clone that for some reason goes with a zoomed-out, 3rd-person (3rd-ship?) perspective. Oh, and no 3rd dimension for you. It looks like you’ll get to yaw and pitch your ship all you want, but the roll is decidedly missing in this 2.5-D shooter.

If the final game ends up looking like this, I expect Wing Commander will be quickly added to the list of franchises that were killed by their respective copyright holders. EA will be producing this game for Xbox Live Arcade, so it’s understandable that it looks like more of a casual gaming title. But frankly I’d be happier if they just put the original WC series up for download.

Tekken 6 Arcade Trailer Online

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Fighting, Namco, PlayStation 3, Screenshots, Trailers,

Namco Bandai showed off Tekken 6 via trailer at the AOU Arcade show in Japan, and now the same trailer is available for download on the official Tekken 6 Japanese site. The trailer shows off two of the new characters from the latest entry in the fighter franchise, Leo and Zafina, many of the environments, some development clips, and a couple of characters from previous games. Its still a little hard to tell how well this is going to look from the rather low resolution trailer offered, but one can’t help but get excited for the first fully HD entry in the Tekken series. Namco Bandai’s official site also offers up some screenshots and wallpapers for the new characters.

Wii “Everybody Votes” Channel Launches. Wait, wha?!

Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Reviews, Screenshots, Wii,

In a super-secret announcement last night, via the “Blue Light Special”, Wii’s around the country informed their owners of its newest feature - the “Everybody Votes” channel. “Huh?,” you say. We say the same… it appears that the big N is still very good at keeping their secret projects hush-hush. We had never seen anything like this channel demoed before, and there hadn’t been any talk of new channels launching this week.

So what is the “Everybody Votes” channel? Well, it’s a means for you to share your thoughts on questions posed by Nintendo HQ. You know, important things like “Do you like dogs or cats better?” and “Which is more romantic for Valentine’s day - Flowers or Chocolate?” Not only can you vote in each poll, you can also predict the outcome of each poll before the results are announced. You’re Mii is then given a score based on how good a predictor he/she is and how often they vote with the majority.

Unexpected? Yes. Super weird? Yes. Interesting possibilities? Indeed! Imagine if Nintendo actually starts using this channel to gauge interest in upcoming games, channels, or other content? This could be a great avenue for getting gamers’ thoughts on what they’d like to see on the console… all they need to do is just start asking the right questions (i.e. things that don’t have to do with ponies and lollipops).

The “Everybody Votes” channel is available through the Wii Shop Channel under “Wii Ware” and is currently available for 0 Wii points. Please note that you have to perform a system update on your console first. This update allows you to register your Wii to a particular region within your country, which is used in the polling process. See more images of this peculiar new channel after the jump! (Apologies for the shaky-skew-cam, it’s harder than it would seem to hold a Wiimote and camera steady at the same time!

Click to continue reading Wii “Everybody Votes” Channel Launches. Wait, wha?!

Konami Announces Dewy’s Adventure, Ridiculously Cute Wii Platformer

Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Action, Puzzle, Screenshots, Wii,

Dewy's Adventure Screenshot, from IGN.com

Konami’s been busting out the announcements today - first it was the PSP-bound Castlevania game, and now a brand new IP for the Nintendo Wii. The latest announcement regards Dewy’s Adventure, an action-platformer that features the story of a ridiculously lovable little water droplet on a quest to save the world or something.

Dewy’s super-powers are, of course, all water-based (you can cool him down to make ice presumably, or heat him up into steam, and Konami seems to be running with the Wii’s tilt-sensitive control mechanics. From the IGN interview:

While we can’t talk about all of his abilities, we can say that the game is controlled entirely using the Wii controller. You hold it [like Excite Truck] and tilt it to tilt the environment and move Dewy. The D-pad can be used to heat or cool Dewy. When Dewy is heated up, he becomes a cloud of steam. He can then strike enemies with bolts of lightning. You can also move the Wii controller in a fanning motion to create gusts of wind or in a side-to-side motion to create an earthquake. These can be used to solve hidden environmental puzzles and combat enemies. There are lots of more abilities that Dewy has, but we want to keep them secret for now.

This game comes from the same producer as Elebits which, even though it had its problems, was a solid launch title for the Wii. Dewy also looks like it will have pretty high replay value, thanks to a built-in level editor, WiiConnect24 support, and multiplayer levels. The game is expected to release in late 2007.

Now all we have to do is sit and wait for the “little drop of Wii” jokes to start pouring in…

PS3s Demo Stations Arrive at Target

Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 3, Rumors, Screenshots,

Target PS3 Demo console Destructoid is among the first sites to notice that a major retailer, Target in this case, is starting to setup their PS3 demo units. If you’re lucky, the Target in your area has a PS3 demo station just waiting to be played. Destructoid noticed some issues though - specifically that the locked down controllers made it harder to test out the functionality of Sony’s SIXAXIS. Also, you won’t be able to put your grimy little mits all over the console itself - it should be interesting to see how pretty the console looks with fingerprints all over its shiny face.

Still, this might be your first chance to check out the shiny new graphics made possible by the Cell processor and compare it to the Xbox 360.

Parappa PSP Gets Downloadable Content

Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: PSP, Screenshots, Wireless,

Parappa The Rapper will be hitting Japanese PSP consoles on December 7th. The game is basically a port of the original Playstation version with the graphics modified to fit the aspect ratio of the PSP screen. It has been previously reported that the game would support the PSP ad hoc networking mode and game sharing to support up to 4 person multiplayer, but now Game Watch is reporting that gamers will be able to utilize the PSP infrastructure mode to access the Parappa site to download additional songs. The downloads will not include new stages; the new songs will merely work with existing stages. While not as exciting as a completely new Parappa game, the ability to add content over the internet should help extend the play value of the port.

IGN Says Near-Final PS3 Controller Feels Light, Cheap

Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Accessories, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Screenshots,

PS3 SIXAXIS Controller IGN PS3 may be impressed with the PS3’s appearance and performance, but that doesn’t mean they like everything about the console. This week, in between 1) bragging about how they actually got to touch a real live PS3 and 2) putting the wireless controller through the ultimate stress test, they actually sat down and played some games on the machine.

While I’ve never found the PS2’s Dual-Shock controller particularly comfortable, IGN had even harsher words for the newly-renamed SIXAXIS. Among their complaints - light weight, plasticky feel, and hard-to-use shoulder buttons. Could it be because, say, the controller was quickly and shoddily designed to mimic some of the Wii’s functionality?? Only Sony execs will ever know… Anyways, see IGN’s full thoughts after the jump.

Click to continue reading IGN Says Near-Final PS3 Controller Feels Light, Cheap

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