Michael McWhertor

DSi, PS3 Battle For Hardware Championship In Japan (Spoiler: DSi Wins)

Thanks to continued sales of the latest pair of Pokemon games, the Nintendo DSi holds onto its top spot on Japanese hardware charts. Also holding strong? The PlayStation 3. The newer, cheaper, more matte PS3 retains its second place position on Media Create‘s hardware chart, probably in part thanks to the release of Tales of…

Retailers Point To Alpha Protocol Delay

Obsidian Entertainment‘s Alpha Protocol—you know, the espionage RPG?—looks like it may not make its previously planned October release date. The Sega-published role-playing game looks like it will instead release next Summer. Recently updated ship dates from GameStop and Amazon.ca list Alpha Protocol for June 1 and June 30, 2010, respectively. Most online retailers still show…

Hands On With Tecmo’s “TPS” Quantum Theory

Announced last year as Tecmo’s stab at a “TPS,” PlayStation 3 game Quantum Theory drew immediate comparisons to Gears of War, partly because of its heavily armored and beefy protagonist Syd and its cover system. Those comparisons were mostly fair. We played the Tokyo Game Show demo of Quantum Theory at the PlayStation booth, immediately…

Tales Of Vesperia Just Can’t Beat Those Pokemons In Japan

It was a big, big week for new software releases in Japan, with six new titles landing in the top ten. But nothing could dethrone last week‘s software co-champs, Pokemon Soul Silver and Pokemon Heart Gold. But the PlayStation 3 version of Tales of Vesperia certainly came close, selling more than 200,000 copies in its…

Booth Check: Sony’s PlayStation Space

Sony’s PlayStation presence at Tokyo Game Show moved a little closer to the front of the Makuhari Messe this year, a new layout that gives 360-degree access to Sony’s wares. Those wares obviously include high caliber software like Final Fantasy XIII, Gran Turismo 5, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep.…

Take A Trip Through The TGS Mega Merch Zone

Each year, tons of licensed video game goods (and not so goods) are trucked into the Makuhari Messe, letting Tokyo Game Show attendees spend their hard earned yen on things like plush Puyos and Final Fantasy action figures. Two companies dominate the retail area, Capcom and Square Enix, selling many a Monster Hunter jacket and…

Epic Games Expands To Tokyo, Teases “Secret Plans” For Studio

Epic Games president Mike Capps announced at his Tokyo Game Show panel today that the Gears of War and Unreal Engine developer is expanding its empire into Japan. It may also have grander plans for Epic Games Japan. Capps said that the Tokyo office would focus “mostly [on] technical support and sales support,” with Epic…

Super Monkey Ball: Step And Roll Sweaty Feet On

Sega’s Super Monkey Ball franchise hasn’t evolved much since its debut in 2001. And, with the exception of support for the Wii Balance Board, not much has changed in Super Monkey Ball: Step And Roll. We got a chance to go hands-on and feet-on with the Wii game at Tokyo Game Show to see just…

Sony Giving Away Free PSP Games To PSPgo Upgraders

Sony’s mysterious goodwill program for PlayStation Portable owners saddled with UMD collections will be rewarded, should they choose to upgrade to a PSPgo. In Europe, at least, Sony will be giving away three free games to new PSPgo investors. PSPgo buyers will be given three free games from a list of seventeen PlayStation Portable titles.…

The Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Tank Box Has Arrived

As seen at Konami’s booth at the Tokyo Game Show.

Sony’s TGS PlayStation Press Conference: The Revenge

There may not have been much happening at Sony’s Tokyo Game Show opener, but we’re hoping the Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Press Conference has more meat to it. Yes, Sony has two opportunities to speak to captive audiences today. Hit the jump for the liveblog action, courtesy of… whoever gets into the thing. Click to…

Army of Two: The 40th Day Weapons Customization Hands-On

While we’ve played the sequel to Army of Two plenty of times, today we got our first taste of how EA Montreal has iterate upon the weapons customization in The 40th Day. When the entirety of the Army of Two: The 40th Day weapons arsenal is unlocked for you via a developer cheat code, the…

BlazBlue Expands With Continuum Shift

Guilty Gear creators Arc System Works achieved some enjoyable level of success with a new fighting game property, BlazBlue. One of the loudest complaints was the comparatively slim roster. Good news about that, courtesy of the newest issue of Famitsu. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger will be getting an expansion of sorts in BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, featuring…

Left 4 Dead 2’s Dark Carnival: Chainsaws On

The build of Left 4 Dead 2 that Valve brought to Tokyo Game Show really wasn’t that different from the version showed at PAX—with one exception, the addition of the chainsaw melee weapon. The two level demo took place in the “Dark Carnival” campaign, the one that Totilo recently previewed during a visit to Valve.…

Way of the Samurai 3 Comes To The iPhone (Barely)

As a casual fan of Spike’s Way of the Samurai series, I was probably more excited than you were to read that Way of the Samurai 3 was now available on the iPhone. Technically, it is. And if you’re a massive Way of the Samurai fan, loving the series warts and all, you should grab…

PS2, Dreamcast Games May Come to PSN, Says Apparently Leaked Doc

PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility could be returning to the PlayStation 3, according to what appears to be an internal document accidentally leaked by Sega of America, one that hints at downloadable previous gen games available on a case-by-case basis. That document, uncovered by French gaming web site Objectif-Sega, notes that “SCEA wants to sell all…

Pokemon Fever Helps DSi Return To Hardware Dominance In Japan

The release of the newer, cheaper, more Gundam-filled PlayStation 3 gave Sony’s console a massive boost in the hardware battle in Japan last week. This week, two chart topping Pokemon games give the DSi the number one spot. In week two of the slimmer PS3’s existence at retail, the console sold another 55,000 units. That’s…

What Wii Accessory Made It Into the MoMA Store?

Cruising through the posh shops of Tokyo’s Omotesando area didn’t net much in the way of interesting game-related finds. But during a stop in the Museum of Modern Art store, we did spot one Wii find. A battery charger. Yes, Sanyo’s Eneloop line of Wii Remote battery chargers — comprised of stand, battery pack and…

Pokemon Silver & Gold Remakes Steal Gundam’s Top Spot In Japan

Last week, Bandai’s latest Gundam game for the PlayStation 3 took the top spot on Japan’s list of bestselling games. Typically, that territory is saved for Nintendo DS and Wii games. Well, things are back to normal. As you may already know, Pokemon Soul Silver and Pokemon Heart Gold sold a lot. Close to 1.5…

Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Hands-On Impressions: No Buzzkills

Activision gave us our first taste of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer modes tonight at an event in Hollywood, California, featuring a fully playable—but still beta—version of the impending holiday blockbuster. Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward brought with them three maps, five preset classes, and dozens of new improvements that make the…