Umbrella Chronicles gameplay video

Finally some gameplay footage. Can't wait to pick this up.

Manhunt 2 trailer released!

It's available to stream over at Rockstar's Manhunt 2 site. It looks pretty decent actually, I'm just hoping they improve the graphics a bit before the final release.

Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition CONFIRMED

The Wii Version of RE4 spotted on GameStop's website was confirmed in the latest issue of Famitsu. Essentially, it's the same game as the PS2 version, with some extra weapons and Wii motion controls.

I can't wait to play RE4 in 480p widescreen with a whole new control setup :-)

Scan #1
Scan #2

NiGHTS wii screens emerge, exactly what we want?

First NiGHTS screens at Jeux France

As a huge fan of the first NiGHTS into dreams game for the SEGA Saturn, I must admit, when rumors surrounding a new NiGHTS game for the Wii began to circulate, I got a little excited.

Well, new screens have emerged, and I couldn't be happier with the way it looks. By the looks of it, SEGA has done an excellent job movingthe classic game's trademark whimsy and colorful graphics to the Wii.

According to Jeux France, the game will support 2 player multiplayer, online, new characters, and new movements with the Wii remote.

Look for an official announcement in early April.

GTA IV... in New York/Liberty City!

The GTA IV trailer was just released online, it it is definitely set in New York/Liberty City. The protagonist appears to be of Russian descent.

The graphics obviously look a lot better this time, and the transition to next-gen looks like it was a smooth one.

Trailer/Website

Image of the day: Snake Vs Zombie

This image comes from this page on the Grasshopper website, and I've seen it posted a couple other places in the last few days, including Hideo Kojima's blog.

Xbox 360 Elite: We were right

I hate to say it, but well, we told you so. In our very first update we said that the HDMI Xbox 360 would be available by Summer. April 29th happens by Summer, right? Trust us, we have good sources.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii & NDS) announced... wait... WHAT?

Apparently, THIS IS REAL.

"SEGA AND NINTENDO JOIN FORCES FOR MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Legendary Icons Appear Together for the First Time in Video Game History

TOKYO (March 28, 2007) – SEGA® Corporation and Nintendo Co. Ltd. today made a historical announcement that two of the biggest icons in the entertainment industry, Mario™ and Sonic™, are joining forces to star in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Developed for the Wii™ video game system and the Nintendo DS™ system, this momentous agreement marks the first time these two renowned stars have appeared together in a game.

Published by SEGA across Europe and North America, and published by Nintendo in the Japanese market, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will be available for Holiday 2007 and is licensed through a worldwide partnership with International Sports Multimedia (ISM), the exclusive interactive entertainment software licensee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, players will compete in events that take place in environments based on the official venues of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Using a supporting cast of characters from the amazing worlds of both Mario and Sonic, gamers will be able to compete as or against a range of lovable personalities including Mario, Sonic, Luigi™, Knuckles™, Yoshi®, Tails™ and more. Innovative usage of the Wii and DS control systems to maneuver a favorite character will allow players to race the likes of Mario and Sonic down the 100m track, engage in exhilarating rallies in table tennis and churn water in a swimming heat, all while competing for the much sought after gold medal.

'We are thrilled to partner with Nintendo and ISM on this groundbreaking title,' said Hisao Oguchi, President and Chief Operating Officer, SEGA Corporation. 'For the first time, two of the world’s greatest games’ characters come together to compete in the world’s greatest sporting event and we couldn’t be more excited.'

'Mario and Sonic have been respectful rivals since the early days of video games,' says Shigeru Miyamoto, Senior Managing Director and General Manager, Entertainment Analysis and Development Division, Nintendo Co., Ltd.. 'In fact, for a long time they have been discussing the possibility of one day competing against each other. Now that they have been given the perfect opportunity to meet at the Olympic Games, we may finally learn who is actually faster, Mario or Sonic?'

'The Olympic Games represent the true spirit of competition and passion,' said Raymond Goldsmith, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ISM. 'Bringing together intensely competitive and fun characters like Mario and Sonic in an Olympic setting helps showcase the sports of the Olympic Games in a new and compelling way for all generations.'"

Information on this game can be found on both Sega and Nintendo's websites, as well as the offical Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games website.

It is a little close to April 1st... but information on both Sega and Nintendo's websites, as well as an official website makes me think this game could be for real.

Crazy.

NiGHTS sequel confirmed!

Cover for Swedish gaming magazine GameReactor's April issue. It does not mention a platform, but I think it's safe to say it will probably be on the Wii. It's about time this classic game gets a proper sequel!

Playstation 3 Breaks Sales Records In UK

"New format becomes fastest-selling home console ever over its debut weekend.
ChartTrack has confirmed that 165,000 PS3 units were sold during the console's launch weekend.

The figure is three quarters of the total 220,000 UK launch stock for day one, and makes PS3 second only to PSP in the overall launch weekend sales stakes. The Sony handheld shifted 185,000 in its opening weekend back in September 2005.

PS3’s record-breaking debut for a home console comfortably beats the previous top seller Nintendo Wii, which sold 105,000 after its frantic launch weekend in December last year. Fellow format rival Xbox 360 racked up an estimated 70,000 at launch in December 2005.

The figure also means that Sony has not sold all of its opening weekend stock, something the platform holder claims is part of its overall strategy at retail."

-mcvuk.com

Not only that, but the PS3 is doing very well on the British software sales charts:

1. Resistance : Fall of Man (Sony)
2. MotorStorm (Sony)
3. Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 (Codemasters)
4. Virtua Tennis 3 (Sega) [Also appears on Xbox 360]
5. Call of Duty 3 : (Activision) [Also appears on Xbox 360]
6. Grand Theft Auto : Vice City Stories (Take 2)
7. Formula 1 (Sony)
8. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. : Shadow of Chernobyl (THQ)
9. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (Electronic Arts)
10. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (Ubisoft)
11. Ridge Racer 7 (Namco Bandai)
12. Def Jam : Icon (Electronic Arts)
13. Fight Night Round 3 (Electronic Arts)
14. Virtua Fighter 5 (Sega)
15. UEFA Champions League 2006 - 2007 (Electronic Arts)
16. Genji : Days of the Blade (Sony)
17. Need for Speed Carbon (Electronic Arts)
18. Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix)
19. TMNT : Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Ubisoft)
20. Crackdown (Microsoft)

Jeux France

Monolith set to make multiple big announcements at E3

I was talking to William Westwater the other day and asked about what they're working on right now. He said they'd be announcing some big stuff at E3, and that the game(s) would be for 360, PS3, and PC. When I asked about whether they would be FPSes or not, he said "Well that's generally what we do, but you'll see." I'm putting my money on FEAR 2 and possibly a new intellectual property. They still aren't doing anything for Wii or DS, but judging by how much Westwater likes the two Nintendo systems I wouldn't really be surprised if Monolith did something on either the Wii or the DS during the systems' respective lifespans.

God of War II Review

Presentation: 9.5
Graphics: 10
Sound: 9.5
Gameplay: 9.5

Pros: The best graphics yet to be seen on the Playstation 2, often times looks as good/better than *some* Xbox 360 games, incredible controls with dozens of great attacks, amazing "interactive cutscene" sequences feel like you're playing a high-budget action movie, top-knotch CGI cutscenes, tons of unlockables, epic story, and a truly epic score. I had two complaints about the first game: too short and too few of those amazing boss battles, but Sony really went above and beyond with this game and made it roughly twice as long as it's predecessor, and almost quadrupled the amount of boss battles. This game is truly the Playstation 2's swan song, and is without a doubt one of, if not the, greatest action games ever made.

Cons: Invisible walls, and sometimes cheesy voice acting courtasy of the game's anti-hero, Kratos, cliffhanger ending left me hanging.

Verdict: 9.75/10.0

Devil May Cry 4 coming to 360, PC, in addition to PS3

Capcom revealed today that in addition to a PS3 release, the fourth installment of the too cool for school Devil May Cry series will see action on both the Xbox 360 and PC, and it looks like it'll be a three-way simultaneous release.

Capcom's Japanese DMC4 site

THIS... IS... SEPTAPUS!!!

Cory was in Colorado and Oregon, and I was in California and Oregon, but now we're back! Splatterhouse is on the Virtual Console today, Symphony of the Night will be on Live Arcade later this week, and we're roughly a month from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Spring is just around the corner, and some decent games are coming out soon, like Guitar Hero 2 on April 3rd, Armored Core 4 tomorrow (the demo was kind of iffy though), Super Paper Mario on April 9th, and Puzzle Quest next week. And there's that new Ninja Turtles movie!

New Koei adventure game for Wii: Opoona

Apparently, Opoona will feature a quirky art style, and a one-handed nunchuck-only control scheme.

Here's to hoping it comes stateside!

Video dump: Mega64, Army of Two

New No More Heroes trailer from GDC

I'm loving the music.

English names for Pokemon Diamond/Pearl's starters revealed

Turtwig, the grass type starter, evolves into Grotle and then Torterra, the grass/ground type world turtle. Chimchar, the fire-type starter, evolves into Monferno and then Infernape, the fire/fighting-type monkey. Piplup, the water-type starter, evolves into Prinplup and then Empoleon, the water/steel-type penguin.

Personally, I think most of the names are pretty good except for Grotle, which just sounds kind of gross. Empoleon, Torterra, and Infernape are definitely good names I think, especially Empoleon. I'll be going with the grass-type, just out of tradition. What about you?

Oh and click the image to view all 9 pokeymans!

Image of the day: Captain America by Dean Trippe

superleezard on livejournal is trying to start up a draw Captain America meme and Dean Trippe has whipped up this beauty. I know I'm definitely gonna participate as soon as I can. Click the image for big.

New Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass trailer

These are some of the best graphics we've seen on the DS yet, and the return to the top-down camera along with with innovative new touchscreen use has us extremely excited for this title.

New "Mii Popularity Contest" channel in the works

Today during his GDC keynote, Shigeru Miyamoto revealed to the world a new Wii channel he's working on.

"Today people are so taken with the Miis around the world. Im working on a new
Mii channel.

With this channel we are going to let people compare the Miis they created in
a popularity contest.

And you will be allowed to do this with people from around the world."

Sounds very interesting. If it's anywhere near as fun as the Everybody Votes channel, I'll be happy.

NEW SUPER MARIO GALAXY FOOTAGE FROM MIYAMOTO'S GDC KEYNOTE!

Wow, to say the least.

Image of the day: The Warios

This image comes from artist Kamekichi, done for Swedish Nintendo magazine +N. Click for full image, of course.

Pokemon Battle Revolution, Mario Party 8 release dates confirmed

PBR will be here on June 25th, roughly two months after Diamond and Pearl's release, and Mario Party will be out on May 29. The delay on Mario Party wasn't as bad as it could've been, and PBR's release date is no surprise at all, as a June release has been expected for a while now.

Full article at Nintendo.

LittleBigPlanet

A new, cooperative platformer with realistic physics announced for PS3 at GDC07. This game looks really, really fun

Heavenly Sword product placement on tonight's Heroes

Image of the day: next-gen Prince of Persia concept art

It looks like the Prince gets the Infinity Gauntlet in this one!

Shadowrun Impressions

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with Fasa Studio's new FPS sequel to the classic RPG Shadowrun. It was actually a lot of fun. The gameplay is reminiscent of Counter-Strike, in that there are two teams and one objective, and one team is supposed to stop the other team, while the other team is supposed to complete the objective. It's very fast-paced gameplay, and you have to do a lot of improvising.

One thing that sets this one apart from other team-based FPSes is the magic and skill system. As you earn more money, you can upgrade your character with different magic spells, tech upgrades, and weapons. The spells range from things like summoning a giant beast to attack your enemies, teleporting(which works really well), shooting icicles, or even reviving your fallen allies. The gadgets available include things like the glider shown in the trailer for the game, agility/reflex boosters, and enhanced vision. The weapons, however, are pretty boring. It's my one big complaint about the game, in fact. The weapons are extremely standard; there's a pistol, a shotgun, a rocket launcher, a machine gun, a submachine gun, a sniper rifle, a katana, and a few other common FPS weapons. The weapons are also pretty unbalanced. The katana doesn't do nearly enough damage for being the only close-combat weapon (although it does make your enemy bleed out if you slash them from behind), the sniper rifle is also far too weak, and really the only decent weapons are the SMG and maybe the shotgun.

Another interesting aspect to Shadowrun is the class system. Your character can be either Human, Elf, Troll, or Gnome(or maybe Dwarf), and each race naturally has its own advantages and weaknesses. Trolls are the tank class, elves are the stealthy class, I didn't try out the gnomes/dwarves, and humans are of course the all-around class.

Overall I think Shadowrun has the potential to be the next big online game, at least until Halo 3 comes out. And even then I think PC players will stay with it for a while. Oh and one other thing about the game now, as many of you may know, is that the art style for the game has been changed. It is no longer super-cartoony, it's now pretty realistic, maybe similar to Perfect Dark. Based on what I've played, I'm hoping Fasa will improve the variety of weapons available, and make the single-player campaign more than just a Chromehounds-esque tutorial for the online mode. Other than that, I think Shadowrun will definitely make a big splash this spring/summer/whenever it's released.

Grindhouse trailer

Check out the trailer here

looks very awesome

Image of the day: "No chud parking"

Taken right outside of my school... It pretty much speaks for itself.

GTA IV to feature 360-exclusive episodic content!

From teamxbox:

"Take Two also announced that Rockstar will introduce in 2008 exclusive episodic content downloads for the game."

Now before you say that Take Two will be putting out an unfinished product, remember that the exact same version will be coming out on PS3 at the same time, however the 360 version will get more content past the initial game. While I myself probably won't be getting the game, this is still pretty neat news!

Sonic and the Secret Rings Review

Presentation: 8
Graphics: 9
Sound: 4
Gameplay: 7

Pros: Great level design, great graphics, excellent sense of speed, exciting boss fights, story is actually tolerable, lock-on targeting system feels really natural.

Cons: The controls can get very irritating; especially when trying to go backwards (why would you want to walk backwards in a game like this?), TERRIBLE music and voice-acting, sub-missions can become extremely difficult.

Verdict: 7.0/10.o

Image of the day: new Mass Effect screenshot

Another new screenshot can be found here. Reminds me of General RAAM!

Alien Hominid available on Xbox Live Arcade!

It's 800 points and 48 megabytes.

First episode of Pokemon Diamond/Pearl TV series

Here's part 1 of 3:

Upcoming under-the-radar 360 and Wii games for '07!

There are quite a few games in retail store computer systems that there either have little to no information, or haven't even been announced at all! Here a couple highlights for both Wii and Xbox 360, with tentative release months:

360

• Battlestar Galactica Online - October
• Blacksite: Area 51 - September
• Overlord - July
• Project Sylpheed (!!!) - June

Wii

• Driver '76 - March EDIT: It appears that Driver Parallel Lines is coming out in March - John
  
• Elevator Action - June
• Emergency Mayhem - April
• Escape from Bug Island (Formerly Necro-Nesia) - October

So among those, Battlestar Galactica, Blacksite, Overlord, Sylpheed, and Bug Island have all been announced. Elevator Action was a Gameboy game and later had a sequel on the Saturn, and Emergency Mayhem is completely unknown. So while some of these dates seem kind of sudden (Driver, Emergency Mayhem), Bug Island's date could make a lot of sense- a spooooooky Halloween release!

1up.com's top ten most wanted Wii games for 2007

"No More Heroes
Publisher: Spike | Developer: Grasshopper | Release Date: TBA

What is it? Another whacked-out game from whacked-out designer Suda 51, of Killer7 fame. No More Heroes stars Travis Touchdown, an American geek who buys a beam katana (read: light saber) off eBay and decides to become a hit man. We couldn't make this up, people.

Why should I care? Taking the oddball style (graphic and otherwise) of Killer 7 and applying it to something that more closely approximates a game is a pretty decent idea.

What's the prognosis? With the remote controlling the beam katana, this should be an awesomely over-the-top slashfest. As long as there's actually gameplay in there. Somewhere."

Click to find out the rest of the top 10

Image of the day: Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie art

Very, very great. I really love the way Carl looks.

Full size, high rez image

HDMI Xbox 360 by Summer 07?

A very very high-up and reliable source of mine from an internal Xbox company (it starts with a 'B') has informed Septapus that the rumored black HDMI-enabled Xbox 360 with 120gb HDD will be available on store shelves sometime before Summer 2007. Of course this is not 100% confirmed, but you heard it here first.



*Not actual image (but you knew that)