Electronic Arts has announced a new IP, Boogie, in development at EA Montreal exclusively for the Wii. Set for release later this year, Boogie is described as “a unique music/rhythm-based game that takes advantage of the innovative Wii controls to get gamers off their couch, playing and dancing to a new beat.” Are they calling us lazy?
Apparently based on the release issued announcing the game, Boogie will involve “gamers dancing, singing and starring in their own music videos.” Players can also choose and customize different characters in the game, which will emphasize both dancing and karaoke skills (or lack thereof).
“We’re creating something new and different for gamers of all ages to enjoy; the complete party package where gamers can dance as well as sing,” said Alain Tascan, Vice President and General Manager, EA Montreal. “Nintendo’s Wii is an amazing console that really gives us a platform to be creative and to re-think traditional game development.”
XSeed, the same folks who brought us the unremarkable Wild ARMs 4 and the sublime Shadow Hearts: From The New World, have announced plans to localize a trio of new games in North America this year, including Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground and Brave Story: New Traveler for the PSP, and what I can only assume will be an interactive apology with Wild ARMs 5 on the PS2.
Also known as Wild ARMs: The Vth Vanguard, Wild ARMs 5 will ship in North America in the third quarter. The game will once again see a return to the desert plains of Filgaia, and will also mark a return of Wild ARMs 4’s wildly uninspired HEX combat system. My hopes for an apology are dwindling.
The other pair of releases, both for the PSP, will bring some variety to the handheld, that much is certain. Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground is described as a kind of real time strategy role-playing game where players create a dungeons and fight monsters for fun and prizes …and also to attract a large demons that apparently has gripped the townspeople in fear. This one this in July, just following XSeed’s previously announced PSP title Valhalla Knights, which is expected to ship in April and which we at Snackbar are making our way through currently.
The other new release on XSeed’s plate for this year is Brave Story: New Traveler for the PSP. This RPG is actually based on an anime, which was itself based on a manga, and was also created by Genji devs Game Republic, so hopes are not being held to terribly high for this little ditty. However, early word is that is a decent RPG, and may merit some attention as the game’s releases creeps ever closes this fall.
The PlayStation 2 is not dead yet, far from it in fact, with a number of titles just released or on the way in the near to immediate future. One among them is Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam, confirmed by Activision today as being ported to Sony’s aging platform.
The game, which debuted on the Wii and Nintendo DS, is in development at SuperVillian Studios and is scheduled to ship this spring for the PlayStation 2. On top of the content featured in earlier releases, Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam for the PlayStation 2 will include four new single player events, three new multiplayer modes and three new playable characters not found in other versions.
A cursory glance at the “Coming Soon” page in the Xbox section of any major retailer’s website will reveal what many of you already know. The original Xbox is officially dead, having seen the release of Major League Baseball 2K7 late last week. There are no current plans to release more titles for the console, and Microsoft has also announced plans to scale back the backwards compatibility effort by the end of this year.
[i]Xbox was survived by Duke, its famous controller, and leaves behind the Zune and the Xbox 360. It will be missed.[/i]
I’m a bit surprised that they’re coming so soon (one would have expected this release to be tied to their upcoming CG movie), but the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are officially coming to Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday for a measly 400 points.
A port of the 1989 arcade classic, you’ll be able to jump into the shells of the famous foursome; Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael to tackle the original’s seven levels of foot-bashing mayhem. Sporting enhanced graphics and online cooperative play for up to four players, TMNT should be one of the better legacy ports Xbox Live Arcade has seen in recent months. We’ll be checking it out in two days, what about you?
