by Ross Miller Oct 6th 2008 2:30PM
Filed under: Retro, Nintendo Wii
What's better than playing golf with your favorite Nintendo characters in the comfort of your own imagination? Wielding a sword and playing a character named "Bowie," of course!
- Mario Golf (Nintendo 64, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points): Arguably the best in the Mario Golf series and certainly one of the cheapest. It just makes us wonder why Nintendo hasn't slapped together its cast of characters into a Wii golf game yet.
- Shining Force II (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): You've got a sword in a fantasy medieval setting that rewards you for swinging said blade at others. Also, did we mention your main character is named Bowie?
To jot your memory, we've embedded videos of each title after the break.
Continue reading Mario Golf, Shining Force II swing their armaments on Virtual Console
by Ross Miller Oct 6th 2008 1:30PM
Filed under: Sony PSP
Sony has already confirmed the PSP Wi-Fi store is coming
this Fall for Japan. The official box art for a November 30 US PSP Brite (a.k.a. PSP-3000) bundle also shows store functionality (via
Amazon), indicating that the fall launch will be global and just in time to keep yourself distracted during Thanksgiving dinner. It was previously
rumored that the store would be coming with firmware 5.00.
In other PSP Brite news, the gang at
Eurogamer spent the weekend with the upgraded handheld as well as firmware 4.20, featuring a Color Space option that, "If you set to [Wide], the system's display will appear more vivid."
[Via
PSP Fanboy]
by Ross Miller Oct 6th 2008 12:30PM
Filed under: Nintendo DS
Nintendo's decades-long streak of region-free handhelds is coming to a close. In a statement to
CVG, the company confirmed that Nintendo DSi-only cartridges and downloadable content will be locked to the region where you buy the
Nintendo DSi. Web browsing, photo sharing and playing DS games will be region free, but US gamers hoping to import the console between now and
"well into 2009" will probably have to brush up on their Japanese to enjoy the best new features.
We're not too worried, though. Something in our gut tells us that SD card slot will give region-unlocking ninjas in the homebrew community an easy "in."
by Ross Miller Oct 6th 2008 5:05AM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360
The first two (of five) reminders that
Mega Man 9 is not a
retro title -- also known as premium downloadable content -- is available now on WiiWare and will be coming to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively (via press release). As
previously noted, you can expect Endless Attack (300 Nintendo points) and Proto Man (200 NPs) this week. Proto Man has a charge shot, slide and a reflective shield, but he also takes double damage and is knocked back twice as far.
The remaining DLC -- Hero, Super and Special modes -- are expected October 20 for WiiWare, with the XBLA/PSN content presumably coming the same week.
by Ross Miller Oct 4th 2008 6:00PM
Filed under: Culture, Online, Polls
My friends, I appreciate your support, but it is now, after much deliberation and discussion, that this Weekly Webcomic Wrapup pick its running mate. With the
Japanese Hardware Sales, I have with me a popular public figure with experience and foreign policy credentials. Should it accept the nomination, together, we will win this election ... for Supreme King and Queen of the Internets.
I've already picked my cabinet. Since I like playing favorites, please vote for the best after the break.
Flash Games (xkcd)
A Trick of Retrospective (Penny Arcade)
A Braid Knot (Dueling Analogs)
geek sign lesson (Sidescroller)
Dear Cousin (Castle Vidcons)
Runway Wreck (2P Start)
Return to Form (Digital Unrest)
The Hype Machine (Monday Night Crew)
Continue reading Weekly Webcomic Wrapup picks its running mate
by Ross Miller Oct 3rd 2008 4:44PM
Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Business
Despite revealing a new DS iteration -- the first
since February 2006 -- Nintendo's shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange dropped 3.7 percent to 39,500 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Bloomberg notes that the stock has dropped 41 percent overall n 2008, compared to the past two years where it doubled in each of those. Comparatively, Sony's stock has dropped 51 percent this year.
While much can be attributed to the
global economy at the moment, equity researcher Yoku Ihara said the DSi reveal "didn't exceed investors' expectations ... the stock market was so bearish that the news didn't hlep the shares gain." In other news, the console maker is still paying people to pay
other people to count its ridiculous amounts of money.
by Ross Miller Oct 2nd 2008 7:00PM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Joyswag
Seeing deviantArt user
mythical89's homemade Sack Person plushies got us thinking (via
PS3 Fanboy). For the fourth day in our quest to hand out beta codes for
LittleBigPlanet, all you have to do is leave a comment below telling us what character (fictional or otherwise) you'd like to see represented as a Sack Person. We've got 10 codes for you today
. To enter this giveaway:
- Leave a comment telling us what character (fictional or otherwise) you'd like to see represented as a Sack Person.
- You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec and Imaginationland).
- Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day (comment more than once and a wicked witch will turn you into a Sack Person -- trust us, it's not as fun or adorable as it sounds).
- This entry period ends at 11:00pm ET on Thursday, October 2nd. We'll randomly select 10 winners at that time to each receive a LBP beta code. Please check your e-mail!
- For a list of complete rules, click here.
Also keep an eye out on
The Not Unofficial Joystiq Twitter™ for a chance to win more beta codes!
by Ross Miller Oct 2nd 2008 1:25PM
Filed under: Nintendo Wii
As one of the last two announcements for their
fall media summit, Nintendo has announced the Wii Speak Channel for use with the
Wii microphone (
pictured, from E3 2008). According to Cammy Dunaway, up to four people can chat together, and the microphones will come with a coupon to download the channel.
Of course, this leads to a plethora of other questions, such as: release date, price (if not buying with the microphone), can a USB mic be substituted, what else can we do with the channel besides speak? We're not holding our breath waiting for answers anytime soon.
by Ross Miller Oct 2nd 2008 11:00AM
Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Action, Rhythm
At last, Sega has finally revealed
Let's Tap for Wii, Sonic creator Yuji Naka's game
teased as, "World first, the game that even penguins can play." How exactly a penguin does play it is still not explicitly stated, although our marine biologist friends tell us that penguins are prone to waddle, so this inverted Wii remote laying on the ground may indicate that we will be, erm, tapping on our remote somehow.
As for the game itself, the available screenshots vary greatly and provide no basis for interpretation. There is a countdown on the
official website that expires in seven days. What we do know, according to the info box in the lower right corner: the genre is "tap action," it supports one to four (to infinity) players and will release this December for 5,040 yen (approx. US $48).
by Ross Miller Oct 2nd 2008 10:00AM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters
Confirming rumors from as far back as
April (and revisited in
August),
Gears of War film scribe Stuart Beattie has written a new script for a
Halo adaptation. "The
Halo movie in its initial incarnation is dead. No one is pursuing it any more," said Beattie in an interview with
GameDaily. Adding credibility to August's rumored concept art, the script is going to serve as a prequel to the original
Halo: Combat Involved and be based on the
The Fall of Reach novel, with Beattie "ending the movie where the first game begins."
As to the fate of
this adaptation, Beattie said they are "in discussions with Microsoft to see if we can get this made." Don't get your hopes too high just yet.
by Ross Miller Oct 2nd 2008 9:35AM
Filed under: Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Wii
This Christmas, Japanese gamers will be able to waggle flowery lemmings to their hearts content. Nintendo has announced (via
IGN) that the
Pikmin remake for Wii will launch December 25 in Japan for 3,800 yen (approx. US $36). The game is part of Nintendo's new "Play for Wii" series, which will be a collection of GameCube titles revised with Wii controls.
Before
Pikmin (and not counting previous Wii remake
Resident Evil 4), Nintendo will re-release
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat on December 11. Upcoming titles in the collection include
Chibi Robo, Pikmin 2, Mario Tennis GC, Metroid Prime, and
Metroid Prime 2 Dark Echoes. No word on any release dates outside of Japan, but we'll be live at Nintendo of America's press conference in San Francisco later today.
by Ross Miller Oct 2nd 2008 9:00AM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3
Two things surprise us about Namco Bandai's announced Tokyo Game Show lineup: the complete dearth of
Katamari titles and, coincidentally, the inclusion of
Katamari creator Keita Takahashi's
Nobi Nobi Boy for PlayStation 3, a title we haven't heard about
since October 2007. According to the publisher (via
Siliconera), the game (the title literally translates to "Stretch Stretch Boy") will be shown in video form only, a bit surprising considering the playable prototype that appeared last year at GameCity.
Namco Bandai's lineup includes 29 titles, including
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm and the multiplatform
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2. Interestingly, the publisher is also showing off four PlayStation 2 titles, edging out Sony's support of PS2 at this TGS by a margin of 4 to 0.
Next Page >
Conduit, Mad World and more: All our hands-on impression from Nintendo Fall Media Summit 08
Joystiq at E for All, the highlights and lowlights
Nintendo officially unveils Nintendo DSi and online store, coming Nov 1 in Japan for $180
Nintendo DSi vs. PSP-3000 vs. iPod Touch, v1.0
Joyswag: The Video Games Live Album
Listen to the Joystiq podcast (because your ears can't read)
