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Wii Internet Channel Is Free, Free, Free [UPDATE]
Nintendo has announced that starting today the Opera-powered Wii Internet Channel is available free of charge. That’s right, surf the internet, watch online TV, buy stuff all via your Nintendo. All you need is an internet connection. The browser was priced at 500 Wii Points (US$5) but was originally offered to Wii owners free of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
A Good Look At Monkey Island Creator’s New Game
Ron Gilbert‘s latest game, Deathspank, isn’t new. We’ve know about it for ages. But all this info and screenshots, well, they’re very new. 1UP have a weeklong feature running on the game, which looks set to satisfy a gaping hole in the market by serving as a smart, funny parody on gaming genres and cliches.…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
Microsoft To Announce Xbox 360 Price Cut For Japan Tomorrow
While the Xbox 360 has already gotten a price reduction in the States, it hasn’t yet in Japan. That will change tomorrow when the company shaves the console’s price tag for the region. According to Microsoft Hong Kong, the Japanese arm of the company is holding a press conference in Tokyo tomorrow to announce the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
Wii Games Are Getting Better
Like last generation’s dominant console, the PS2, the Wii has come in for a bit of criticism over the amount of shovelware available for the system. But are things really as bad as they seem? Research firm EEDAR have compared 2008’s review scores (for the first six months of the year) for all three consoles…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
How Hard Will It Be To Get A PS3 Slim In Japan At Launch?
Who knows! That didn’t stop me from calling five Japanese retailers to find out. Game retailers in Japan run the gamut of small, independent Mom ‘n’ Pop style shops to the larger, nationwide chains. Since the chains get larger product shipments, I called five shops in Osaka and Tokyo. I called one in Kyoto, but…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
Blizzard’s Next MMO Will Be “Significantly Different”
Blizzard can’t work on World of Warcraft forever. Eventually, they’ll release a new MMO. And when they do, apparently it’ll be “significantly different” to their current world-destroying cash machine. “I think the (new MMO) is going to be significantly differentiated enough [from WoW],” Blizzard’s COO Paul Sams told Wired. “Such that, you’re not going to…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
Gran Turismo 5 (Probably) Getting Simultaneous Worldwide Release
Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi has revealed that, if the stars align and the moon is in the seventh house, Gran Turismo 5 will be given a simultaneous worldwide release. This would be a first for the series, whose last outing – GT5 Prologue – was released in the US four months after it was…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
How Is Beatles Rock Band Gonna Do?
While, yes, Rock Band is extremely popular, the series isn’t cheap to make. The franchise has been a money loser for parent company Viacom — not because nobody is buying (tons are!), but because of the plastic instruments. It’s costly to make and ship the plastic instruments to retailers around the world from plants in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
Export LEGO Rock Band Tracks To Rock Band
Those of you with children, younger siblings or a LEGO fetish may want to send Harmonix a fruit basket today, because it’s been revealed that anyone picking up LEGO Rock Band will be able to export its tracks. So if you own Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and LEGO Rock Band, you can put all…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
What Square Enix Games Are Playable At Tokyo Game Show?
This month brings the Tokyo Game Show to…Chiba, Japan. And what games is Square Enix bringing to TGS? Minus the Japan-only Lord of Vermilion II arcade game and Japan-only cell phone games like Kingdom Hearts: Coded, the list of Square Enix console games appearing at TGS are: Final Fantasy XI: The Vana’diel Collection 2: Trailer…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
New Okami Is Coming To The Nintendo DS
Those hoping for a hi-res, hi-def sequel of the PS2 classic Okami, keep hoping. Capcom is making a new Okami, but for the DS. As predicted by 7-Eleven, your source for Japanese game news leaks, the new issue of Famitsu does feature an article on a new Okami game called Okamiden. That’s a snapshot of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
The King of Fighters XII Patched Up For PS3
A patch, a patch, The King of Fighters XII has gotten a new online patch for the PS3 version. The patch fixes in-game issues such as buggy character combos and optimizes online matches. This update fundamentally changes the way game data is processed and synchronized during online matches, placing greater importance on the game’s response…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
Queen Strutting Onto Rock Band
My only main concern with SingStar: Queen was, well, the fact it just made me want to play the songs in Rock Band instead. Something I’ll soon be able to do! A “competitive analysis” chart obtained by Wired – drawn up to show how Harmonix’s Rock Band offerings compare to Guitar Hero’s – has revealed…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
Wii Fit Plus Will Be Out On October 4
Speaking at the GameStop Manager’s Conference in Las Vegas tonight, Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime has revealed the launch details and pricing for Wii Fit Plus. The bundle – which is the Wii Balance Board and a copy of Wii Fit Plus – will retail for $100. Those who already have the Balance Board can opt for…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
Two New DSi Colors For America
There are already two DSi colors in American: blue and black. Compare that to Japan, where there are five DSi colors. While Pink and White DSis are already available in Japan (along with Black, Lime Green and Metallic Blue!), the colors have not been sold in the States. Nintendo of America has announced White and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
America Gets Black Wii Controller, New Bundle, No Console
The black Wii console launched in Japan on August 1, complete with black Wiimote, Nunchaku and Classic Controller. If you wanted Wii MotionPlus, that’s only in one color: White. This holiday season, Nintendo is bringing black Wii peripherals to America, but hasn’t yet announced a new black console. There’s also a new bundle: the black…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009 - Uncategorized
A Snapshot Of The World’s PC Gaming Rigs
I just logged into my Steam account, and was asked to take part in a hardware survey. You all know what that means. It means it’s time to take a look at Valve’s latest hardware survey results! Released periodically over Valve’s online marketplace and gaming service, the immense popularity of Steam means these figures (the…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 31, 2009 - Uncategorized
Square Enix Considering Final Fantasy XIII DLC
The worst kind of DLC is stuff that should be in the game, but isn’t. The best DLC adds to the game experience. Square Enix is currently churning over the idea of including DLC for upcoming role-playing-game Final Fantasy XIII. Says FFXIII producer Yoshinori Kitase, “Our plans for [Xbox Live and PlayStation Network] are currently…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2009 - Uncategorized
PS3 Firmware 3.0 Is Live
The new firmware update has it, bringing new XMB functionality, a status indicator, a friends list redesign, dynamic themes, avatars, and much more. Free and premium avatars show up in your status bar, but the most prevalent of the changes is a status bar in the top right of the screen, which shows your avatar,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2009