March 2007

Wii Possibly Getting NiGHTS Exclusive?

March 17, 2007

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

As I mentioned in [url=http://www.snackbar-games.com/r494.html]my SSX Blur review[/url], that game might be the current benchmark for third party exclusives for the Wii. I say this because, at the end of the day, and more than any other platform, exclusives carry the burden of selling the Wii console to the fans. Because of this, quite a bit of weight over the last 24 hours has been placed on a late page announcement in the latest Official Nintendo Magazine which promises a “World Exclusive” in the next issue. In the April issue.

[img]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/news/2007/03/nights_maybe_1.jpg[/img]

Oh wait, April? The lier’s haven. I’m inclined to take anything next month with a grain of salt in light of April Fool’s Day. However, are we really at the point where a “joke” warrants a month build up? If so, that’s not just a bitter pill, that’s borderline cruel. But I digress.

From the magazine scans (Thanks [url=http://gonintendo.com/]Go Nintendo[/url]), the text reads: “World Exclusive! Step back in time as a classic game makes a long overdue return,” and goes on to note that the upcoming announcement will be for a game for the Wii. It also shows a cryptic star pattern as a teaser for the upcoming unveiling. A pattern, as some enterprising internet Photoshop hounds have uncovered, almost certainly points to Sega and Yuji Naka’s Saturn classic NiGHTS into Dreams.

[img]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/news/2007/03/nights_maybe_2.jpg[/img]

Not to sound like an elitist prick, but I have always found NiGHTS to be a contrived mess and vastly overrated, but I also know that the fan community has been climbing the walls for a remake or sequel for the Wii, so maybe the video game gods have heard their call and are genuinely planning this as a kind of fan service.

Could we soon be seeing NiGHTS for the Wii? Is this an April Fool’s joke? Does the rooster crow at midnight? These answers and more soon. I hope.

[EDIT: Apparently British mag NGamer’s final pages also speak of a “Big Exclusive” for their next issue, with a picture of the earth as seen from space, complete with a dar and starry sky as a “hint.” What are the odds that both are planning the same joke? I guess we’ll know soon, maybe.]

Virtua Tennis 3 Demo Hits Xbox Live

March 16, 2007

News / by Chris Massey Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Taking a peek onto the Xbox Marketplace, one can now find the demo for the upcoming [i]Virtua Tennis 3[/i] available for download. [i]Virtua Tennis 3[/i] is the first entry of the series on next-gen consoles, and the Xbox 360 version will offer up online tournaments and will also be one of the first games for the system to support native 1080p support. Those who want to get some early training should snag the demo and get to whacking them balls.

[i]Virtua Tennis 3[/i] is due out on March 20 for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Playstation Portable. A PC version is due sometime in the future.

Take Two Sues Jack Thompson

March 16, 2007

News / by Chris Massey Make a comment! / Tweet it!

That’s not a mix-up in the heading you just read. After numerous lawsuits made by Jack Thompson (I stopped counting a while back) against what must be the entire Rockstar Games library, the company is finally [url=http://gamepolitics.com/2007/03/16/breaking-take-two-sues-jack-thompson/]striking back[/url] against the infamous lawyer. On Friday, Take Two took pre-emptive measures against Thompson’s recent attempt to try and block the sale of the upcoming [i]Grand Theft Auto IV[/i] and [i]Manhunt 2[/i], declaring the two games public nuisances. Take Two’s suit involves blocking the blockie, essentially pulling a “Thompson” on the man himself.

In their complaint, Take Two asserts that Thompson’s numerous blockades of their games violate the First Amendment of the United States. Take Two claims that Thompson’s attempts to have the state of Florida ban the sale of its games, as well as game produced by other companies have made him “a private attorney general on behalf of the State of Florida.” Take Two is also attempting to retrieve its lawyer and other legal fees brought on by Thompson’s lawsuits.

As you would probably expect, Thompson has responded to Take Two’s suit. In what is almost obsessively compulsive behavior, Thompson writes about showing success in his recent attempt to create a shareholder’s revolt that will result in the termination of Take Two CEO Paul Eibeler.

The gauntlets are on the floor people.

The Token Chick – Games For Girls

March 16, 2007

Features / by Leah Haydu Make a comment! / Tweet it!

A few months ago, just before Christmas, I did a foolish thing and went to my local EB to pick up a preorder (FF3, as it happens) without calling first. I usually do, to make sure they have the game in-store. I thought I was in good shape as I made my way to the cashier, because I could see a row of strategy guides for the game prominently displayed on the magazine rack below the counter. However, in a cruel stroke of fate, I was informed that the game itself would not actually arrive until the next day. I’ve long been a proponent of the idea that a strategy guide should not be sold until the game to which it refers is actually available, because it’s just mean, but that’s actually not what incurred my wrath on this particular day.

After eloquently expressing my displeasure (I believe I managed to confine myself to just one profanity), I left, and on my way out of the mall, decided to stop at the other video game store just to make sure that they didn’t have it either. They didn’t (although they did have an equally impressive stack of guides). As I turned to leave, I found myself confronted with the actual subject of today’s tale: a display, about my height, loomed in vivid pink before me, emblazoned with the legend, A

Is Your Vision Poor? Pick Up Halo Or Unreal

March 16, 2007

News / by Wayne Phinney Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Isn’t this a nice little tidbit of news. Usually when we hear about the effects of gaming on people, it’s always focused on the negative outcome of gaming. It’s rare when we hear about games that help give aspiring surgeons an edge, or offer fighter pilots what would seem like natural skill. Well, here’s another article suggesting that gaming isn’t entirely bad for you.

According to [url=http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/070315_video_vision.html]Livescience.com[/url], first person shooters such as Halo can actually help train your brain so you can see better. Sounds unbelievable, huh?

[quote]Most aspects of vision have to do with the size of one’s eye and the thickness and shape of the cornea and lens. But some visual defects are neural in nature…

…First-person action games helped study subjects improve their spatial resolution, meaning their ability to clearly see small, closely packed together objects, such as letters, she said. Game-playing actually changes the way our brains process visual information.

“These games push the human visual system to the limits and the brain adapts to it…

…That learning carries over into other activities and possibly everyday life.[/quote]

That’s quite interesting, and it may be why I find it rather easy to see deer in the road at night from long distances. Or it could just be that being in Maine, I’m accustomed to watching out for deer. Either way, it’s nice to see a study about games that isn’t all bad. Now to just get parents to pay more attention to what games their kids play, and the rest of the game-related problems should be solved.

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →