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Do you heart Kingdom Hearts - especially the idea of a new game in the series for Nintendo DS? Then you'll be happy to hear that the Japanese manual for Square Enix's recently released Dragon Quest V remake contains an ad promising a 2008 release for Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days ... in Japan, of course.
Revealed at last year's Tokyo Game Show, the next handheld Kingdom Hearts features a four-player co-op mode and follows the adventures of series protagonist Sora's "Nobody" twin, Roxas (above). Even though the game looks like it's hitting Japan this year, we'll still have to wait out the necessary localization before seeing it Stateside. At least the ad isn't merely a "coming soon" tease like the one for God of War III.
We were ready to be disappointed by Ubisoft's new portable Prince of Persia, largely because the protagonist bears a striking resemblance to an Oompa-Loompa. But the charming, colorful animations won us over, as did what appears to be a pretty full utilization of the DS's touch-screen capabilities.
It was then we realized what wasn't included in the trailer: Our almost comically meaty hands. Now we're in doubt that we'll be able to see any of the on-screen action behind our mitts, leaving us just as nervous about the game as when we started. So, we'll rely on your judgment: How's it looking to you?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Thanks to Brain Age, millions of kids have been able to trick their parents into thinking that the Nintendo DS is being used as an educational device. With the help of popular college prep company Kaplan, the trickery can continue. They announced their plans to create a SAT prep game for the Nintendo DS with the help of developer Aspyr only a few months ago. Now, they have a fully functional prototype ready, and a name to boot.
FutureU will feature at least four different question types, and over 1200 questions. Now, we asked why it wasn't called something a bit more marketable, like R0x0rz the SATs, or SAT Test Prep DS, and a Aspyr representative informed us that The College Board has strict control over the SAT brand. The title won't have "SAT" in it, but the packaging will make it very clear what the product's purpose is.
A very early version of the game we saw featured some rudimentary character customization, added to give the illusion that FutureU is more of a "game" than a "learning experience." The DS version of the game won't offer any real questions from the SAT, nor will it try to grade you. Instead, players will go through various games that test the concepts found in the SATs. For example, Glyphs will have players attempt to figure out the meaning of a word by deconstructing the word's various roots. Predictions train reading comprehension by removing a word from a passage. Players can then scribble predictions on what should be in the missing blank(s). Then, players will be able to choose from a selection of possible words, and use their predictions to choose the correct missing word.
While its interface is more "game-like" than most edu-tainment titles, it's still clear what FutureU is and what its purpose is. And that's to let you carry your DS around and claim you're "studying." FutureU will be available on DS, PC and Mac this Fall. %Gallery-27372%Permalink | Email this | Comments
The room is stuffed with a handful of game journalists. It's dark. Drifting from the (very nice) speaker system are the sounds of ocean waves lapping against a boat. On screen, Lara Croft stands on the wooden deck wearing scuba gear. Thrifty girl that she is, it looks like Lara didn't want to spring for a wetsuit with legs in it. Apparently not worried by the deep cold of the ocean, she dives into the water. It's time for me to play Tomb Raider Underworld. %Gallery-28391%
E3's oddly intoxicating cocktail of libation and lack of sleep can often give those in attendance a unique perspective on the industry. However, as we wandered into Nintendo's coolly lit corner of the LA convention center, we were quickly reminded that this is an outfit with a perspective all of its own.
If the company's ambivalence during its own pre-E3 presser wasn't enough to convince us of Nintendo's indifference toward core gamers, our sit down during the show with Nintendo spokesman Charlie Scibetta proved that while the organization may preach that "hardcore" gamers play a critical role in Nintendo's strategy, its actions paint a different picture altogether.
As if worrying about Daleks, Slitheen and Cybermen wasn't enough, now the UK has the added threat of dangerous third-party device chargers flooding in from China. The BBC reports a specific warning was issued about the chargers for Nintendo DS, DS Lite and Gameboy machines, but the chargers can also be used on mobile phones and music devices.
Identifying the third-party chargers apparently isn't easy, as one version has the code DE62347066 (seen above), while others are just marked "Travel Charger." The units have been shown to overheat or cause electrocution. The easiest way for UK folk to make sure they don't get one of the "hundreds of thousands or even millions" of faulty chargers is to buy first-party devices. The "bad ones" retail for about £6 or less, while the good ones are £15.
"Absolutely the hard-core gamer crowd is critically important to us." Which would explain why so much of Nintendo's E3 press conference was taken up by spirited flailing, smiling soccer moms and the worst rendition of the Super Mario Bros. theme the world has ever been forced to endure.
But Nintendo hasn't forgotten about the mythical "hardcore" gamer crowd, Cammie Dunaway tells Wired. The executive VP of sales and marketing, who insists that she's a "genuinely smiley, nice person," explains that "the Zelda and Mario teams are hard at work," possibly on something that could rival the infinitely desirable Super Mario Sluggers. "And even Super Mario Sluggers, which is certainly an expanded audience title, but what core gamer doesn't love Mario and baseball and finding out which combination of characters are going to do what kind of crazy things in the field?" she ponders.
Dunaway also notes that Nintendo is committed to a variety of games, catering to casual players with titles like Cooking Navi, and exciting tougher crowds with the DS iteration of Grand Theft Auto. We mean, she must have seen it, right? "I have not looked at the product. Have you?" Well, no ... but we haven't been incorporating it into our sales pitch either.
We aren't ashamed to say that one of the only things that even remotely caught our eye in Atari's booth was What's Cooking? With Jamie Oliver for the DS. The gameplay takes The Naked Chef's recipes and places the player in a more realistic Cooking Mama simulation. Actually, it's everything we ever wanted from Cooking Mama: Going through the process of making recipes on the DS and then actually making the same items in real life. Yes, the recipes in the game translate to the real world.
Atari was completely unprepared for our interest in the game, as we couldn't get specific details on how many recipes are in the title, but we were told that there were over 100. Furthermore, the way Atari presented the game was as if someone had never played Cooking Mama before, which was obviously the case with some worthless Nintendo of Europe execs we scared off, who were too busy appearing posh and asking inane questions. Once they were gone, we got some time to actually test out the game and some of its features. %Gallery-28217%
Since we landed in Los Angeles for last week's E3, we've posted hundreds of articles. Knowing that there's a (very) small percentage of Joystiq readers who don't visit our site every 5 minutes, we've decided to collate all of last week's biggest news items to make sure you didn't miss the most important parts. (For breaking news from each of the big three press conferences, check out our highlights posts for each). Microsoft
Wow, it's a great week to be a Wii owner. Well, we mean, it's comparatively great, if only because console competitors Xbox 360 and PS3 are getting absolutely nothing. On the other hand, all those Wii offerings were beat out for the top slot by a DS game that, in its original form, was released 17 years ago, so we guess it's all a matter of perspective.
If you've got a hankerin' for mummy-centric games that star a character that sort of but not really looks like Brendan Fraser we've got a full list after the break.
During the first few days of last week, Santa Monica, Calif. played host to a bevy of video game journalists, slaveringly searching for scoops to present to you, our dearest readers. Thousands of reporters representing hundreds of publications, both online and tangible, were in attendance, restlessly toiling to bring you up-to-the-minute coverage of all the major keynotes and conferences. During the seldom breaks in our otherwise hectic schedules, it was difficult not to reflect on our chosen profession, and inquire about the origins of our singular career path.
After rigorous research, we here at the Japanese Hardware Sales Institute of Gaming Journalism History discovered the earliest known example of ludological reporting -- a fantastic exposé from an O'Reilly era episode of Inside Edition, which introduces a pair of pipefitting siblings that recently made their way into the hearts and minds of our nation's children. You may have seen this particular video before, and become familiar with reporter Joel Loy's intrepid coverage of the 8-bit sensation known as "Nintendo", and his poetic assertion that the iconic plumbers represent the righteousness and dauntlessness of the human spirit.
Modern day game bloggers could take a lesson from the piece you see above. Sure, we no longer live in a world where bowties and mullets serve as appropriate work attire. Nintendo's game counselors have dispersed, putting the skills they've developed during their tenure to good use at Taco Bells across the nation. However, the exuberance and romanticism you see applied in the video above, the two traits that most game journalists have unceremoniously traded in for sarcasm and trepidation, should never have never been lost over the years.
Puzzle Quest Galactrix takes the fantasy world of the original Puzzle Quest and injects it with a healthy dose of sci-fi. The "match three" gameplay is still present, as are the RPG elements, and it all comes together in a Puzzle Quest experience for those who prefer interstellar drama over orcs and goblins.
We're going to write the rest of this hands-on with the idea that the reader has played the original Puzzle Quest, because if they haven't, they should go out and rent/buy it right now. For those who played the first Puzzle Quest and didn't like it, Galactrix won't convert them, unless the sci-fi concept is the only thing they felt was missing from the original. %Gallery-16892%
Based off of our explorations of the Croft manor in previous Tomb Raider installments, we can say with absolute certainty that Lara Croft has a pretty sweet pad. Or, rather, had a sweet pad -- in the latest E3 trailer for Eidos and Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider: Underworld, the titular adventurer, now sanshot pants, apparently lays waste to her extravagant dwelling.
The two-minute, gameplay-less trailer is visually impressive, though our minds are racing with questions surrounding the top-heavy historian's act of residential sabotage. Is she trying to collect on her homeowner's insurance? Is she attempting to quash a rather formidable termite infestation? Perhaps she's trying to earn a visit from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? We'll be finding out when Underworld explodes onto store shelves November 18.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Like everyone else, this week we were focused on E3. Unfortunately, E3 wasn't very focused on us. Several new games were announced for the handheld, however, including the latest from the Grand Theft Auto franchise, and we were afforded closer looks at the line-up of excellent titles headed our way. There was so much going on, in fact, that we can't possibly do a proper recap of it all ... so here are ten stories that represent a cross-section of this week's coverage.
The Nintendo DS, Sony PSP and PlayStation saw big gains in hardware sale over last month. Industry sales for June were worth $1.69 billion, compared with $1.1 billion last month. Our sneaking suspicion is that Metal Gear Solid 4, which netted 774,600 in its debut month, helped the PS3 in its success. Elsewhere, the Wii's numerical conclusion revealed its devilish, money-printing source of income.
Unfortunately, the redefinition is "something that sucks." We give credit to Apogee and 3D Realms for releasing a Duke Nukem Trilogytrailer without pre-rendered footage. In fact, it doesn't have any footage. Instead, you get flashing logos, people in gas masks, rawking metal guitar and a close-up of Duke's crotch (which we've spoiled in the image above -- and no, not this one). Educate yourself in the video, tucked safely away after the break.
We've heard rumblings that something big might be announced at this post-press conference event, but it's far from a sure thing. Keep it here.
5:44 PM PDT There are roughly 100 members of the press gathered on the green plush seats of the L.A. Convention Center's Theater 411. No music in the background this time, just the low chatter of dozens and dozens of journalists.
5:49 A few latecomers are straggling in, but it looks like it will be far from a capacity crowd. About half the seats are empty.
5:54 The lack of background music is a little disturbing. We find ourselves humming Bill Joel's "No Man's Land" under our breaths for no apparent reason ...
While, for the most part, Chrono Trigger on the DS looks just like Chrono Trigger on the SNES, some liberties have been taken to make the use of the new, screenier hardware. I snapped this control scheme diagram from the Chrono Trigger demo station, figuring there may be someone out there interested in how it would play on the DS.
Oh, and I played it. The big revelation here is the touchscreen movement. The touchscreen (which displays an automap of the room you're in) basically acts as a big analog stick: hold the stylus toward the right of the screen and Crono moves right; hold it farther toward the edge and Crono moves faster. Tap, or run into something, to make Crono interact.
It's awesome if you want to have a really hard time performing basic movement operations in Chrono Trigger. But the traditional button controls remain more than adequate. It doesn't really mar the fact that it's OMG CHRONO TRIGGER. And battling on the touchscreen is perfectly fine -- you just touch buttons on a menu.
In other Chrono news, an SE rep told me that the translation (yes, it was the English version!) was new! And according to a statement given to Spencer Yip, the single-screen version just as it appeared on the SNES will be added to the cart before release.
You'd think for all his years of good service, Kirby would deserve a shout-out during the Nintendo E3 2008 keynote -- at least a spot in a video montage. But no, Kirb got the shaft, and if you weren't already keeping tabs on the pink puff, you'd have no idea Nintendo was releasing a (somewhat) new Kirby title for DS -- one of only five first party DS games scheduled for release during the remainder of the year. Exploring Nintendo's E3 press site, we've discovered confirmation that Kirby Super Star Ultra (a remake of the ultraless SNES game) is still on track for a September 22 release.
Super Star Ultra will feature all of the original game's modes, plus "new adventures," including three, touch-controlled minigames (Kirby Card Swipe, Kirby on the Draw and Snack Tracks) that support up to 4 players via DS Download Play. With multiple cartridges, two players can play the adventure mode, with one assuming the roles of "Helpers," clones of Kirby's foes created with a new ability. %Gallery-27809%Permalink | Email this | Comments
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