March 2007

Konami Ships Several For The DS, Wii

March 20, 2007

News / by Jason Dobson Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Sometimes it’s difficult to keep a handle on what titles ship for what consoles, and truly Konami has not made it any easier by shipping no less than five new games today for both the Wii and Nintendo DS.

Starting with the Nintendo DS, Konami has sent Lost in Blue 2 out the door, alongside WWI navel real-time/turn based strategy game Steel Horizon and Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2007. Of these, Lost in Blue 2 has most of my attention, though strategy games as such an attractive fit for the touchable handheld. It will be interesting to see how this version of Steel Horizon stacks up to the PSP version being released later this spring.

Looking to the Wii, the company today shipped Wing Island , a game that lets players use the Wii remote to maneuver a variety of planes in and around a chain of island environments in both solo and multiplayer play. Wing Island features three primary modes of play, including story mode, free mode and trial mode. In all three game modes players can either fly solo or in formation, controlling a group of five planes simultaneously. Players have control of their flight team, directing them to fly in a variety of formations simply by performing preset motions using the remote.

Today’s other Wii release from Konami is Kororinpa: Marble Mania, a puzzle game that has players using the remote to tilt, spin and flip the environment on three axes and up to 180 degrees in order to guide marbles through each stage. Sounds a bit like competition for the upcoming Mercury port to the Wii.

Final Fantasy On Xbox 360 A Possibility

March 20, 2007

News / by Mate Bors Make a comment! / Tweet it!

The mastermind behind the [i]Final Fantasy[/i] series, Hironobu Sakaguchi recently commented on whether the [i]Final Fantasy[/i] series (namely, [i]XIII[/i]) could eventually find its way to the Xbox 360. The simple answer is, yes.

According to [url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6167571.html?tag=topslot;title;1&om_act=convert&om_clk=topslot]a GDC interview with Sakaguchi[/url] by Gamespot, the White Engine used by [i]Final Fantasy XIII[/i] is an “open platform” engine, and thus compatible with the Xbox 360.

“I feel that the [i]Final Fantasy[/i] series should come to Xbox 360 as well,” commented Sakaguchi. “This is wise. It makes so much sense to me …it has so much potential in North America and in Europe. So there’s a great chance for the series to succeed on 360 as well.”

Given that production costs are sky rocketing, it seems even more likely that many games will eschew platform exclusivity in favor of reaching a wider audience.

Saguchi currently has two games for the Xbox 360 under his belt with his Mistwalker studio. One of them is [i]Blue Dragon[/i], which was recently released in Japan and will see release in other parts of the world later this year. The other game currently in development is the much coveted [i]Lost Odyssey[/i].

“Anonymous” Singer Valentino Challenges All At NBA 2K7

March 20, 2007

News / by Jason Dobson Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Microsoft has sent word that the latest celebrity to hop onto Xbox Live to challenge gamers is R&B artist Bobby Valentino. As part of the latest Xbox Live Game with Fame session, Valentino will be challenging fans in NBA 2K7, and Gold members interested in a chance to challenge the artist to a round of basketball should watch for the gamertag BobbyVGWF from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 20.

DDR Ultramix 4

March 20, 2007

Reviews / Xbox / by Ben Jacobs Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Oh man, I haven’t played a DDR game at home since high school, so when Konami’s newest for Xbox showed up at our offices, I got more then a twinge of nostalgia. I’ve been out of the game for a long time, spending a quarter or two here and there when I see an arcade machine, and I haven’t whipped out the dance mats since the original Xbox DDR release. Suffice to say, I am a little rusty. Having missed the rest of the offerings for Microsoft’s console, I can’t comment on the difference between this version and the last, but I can safely say that Ultramix 4 delivers on everything Konami said would show up on the Xbox versions.

The song selection is the first thing any DDR fan will page through when faced with a new DDR game and Ultramix delivers on this front. You know that song about wishing your girlfriend was hot like (me)? That’s on here, and tells the story of a lot of this mix. While catering to old fans with DDR mainstays, Ultramix 4 rolls out recent club hits. Your little sister will definitely recognize more than a few songs. 70 songs ain’t nothing to sneeze at either, and all are danceable. This release could definitely have the subtext “Club Edition”.

Let’s talk modes. DDR Ultramix 4 has more modes than any DDR game, period. Hell, I think there are more modes here than in any game on the Xbox. Some stand-outs are the Quest mode, which is a welcome addition, replacing the annoying “arcade mode” single player of earlier editions. Now, instead of running through sets of 5 songs like in the arcade, you can compete in clubs and earn money. It works, but is more than a little skeletal. Also on the list are some awesome party modes that, while for the most part gimmicky, offer a change of pace for DDR veterans. Fans who have only played the PS2 DDR games will be pleased to hear that you can actually play with (gasp) four people! I know, blasphemy, but it really works and it is a welcome addition. What else does the Xbox edition offer that the PS2 doesn’t? An online mode! You can take your dancin’ skills online now, with competitions and online downloadable content. This is definitely a welcome addition, and something that just couldn’t have been done on the PS2.

A warning, however, to those of you who suffer from epileptic seizures. DDR Ultramix 4 uses more damn flashing lights and randomly changing images. It actually detracts from the game as a whole, as it is very hard to concentrate on the arrows when in the background, a million pixels are changing every second. The presentation, while seizure-inducing, is great, however. The interface works the same as it always has, but with slick transitions. Load times are basically nil in this release, as the menus transition in and out of songs very quickly.

DDR UltraMix 4 really delivers. I couldn’t be more happy with it as a long-time DDR player looking to come back to the game. Everybody who enjoys DDR and has only stuck to the PS2 releases really needs to check out what Konami has been doing on the XBox, because it’s just a whole other ball game.

Best Buy Pulls 20GB PS3 From Shelves

March 20, 2007

News / by Mate Bors Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[img]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/news/2007/03/3-17-07-ps3bbcanceled2.jpg[/img]

According to several online reports, Best Buy, one of the biggest retailers in the United States, has decided to pull the 20 GB version of the PlayStation 3 from its shelves. Why? No one in their right mind seemed to buying it, and the lack of demand has caused the retailed to recoup its precious shelf space.

A document [url=http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/17/best-buy-done-with-ps3-20gb/]posted by Joystiq[/url] lists the SKU as “discontinued,” which seems to fall in line with Sony’s earlier statements that the firm is losing more money on the lower end model, $307 versus $241 with each sale of the 60GB variety. However, despite this, Sony still plans to make the stripped down model, which features not only a smaller hard drive but also lacks the 60GB version’s 802.11b/g wireless networking capabilities and MemoryStick/Secure Digital/CompactFlash reader, though reports seem to indicate that retails are simply not biting.

[url=http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/14/rumor-debunk-no-more-u-s-20gb-ps3-and-euro-backward-compatibil]Recent statements[/url] from SCEA communications director Dave Karraker to Joystiq indicated that retail outlets have been ordering the 60GB version and leaving the 20GB variety largely ignored. “Retailers have been requesting the 60GB model, the mix has been about 80 percent 60GB, 20 percent 20GB retailer orders. So, the reason you might not be seeing the 20 GB is simply that retailers have been ordering more of the 60 GB unit,” commented Karraker.

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →