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Relax, Klonoa Is Getting An American Release
Klonoa is coming to the Wii. We learned that at TGS last year, but seeing as the PlayStation original was so roundly ignored, there was never a guarantee they’d bother with a Western release. BUt it’s OK! Namco Bandai have confirmed today that, yes, Klonoa will be coming to North American Wiis sometime in 2009.…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
Dissidia, White Knight Keep Sony’s Japanese Hardware Sales Up
Japan’s best-selling Dissidia: Final Fantasy helped the PSP outsell the Wii this week, even though it couldn’t muster enough sales to dethrone the Nintendo DSi. Also seeing a big boost was the PlayStation 3. It even outsold the Nintendo DS Lite, still going strong in Japan to the tune of almost 50,000 handhelds sold per…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
Final Fantasy XIII Site Opens, Has New Stuff
Square Enix have gotten around to opening up a dedicated website for Final Fantasy XIII. Within? Aside from the soothing piano score, there are more screenshots (not scans!) than you’ll know what to do with. It’s hard telling which are new and which aren’t, what with the number of scans we’ve seen over the past…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
CES 09: Activision CEO Dazzles CES Crowd With 2008 Line-up, Guitar Hero: Metallica
Good news. If you missed Activision Publishing president Mike Griffith’s CES talk this morning, you didn’t miss much. Outside of seeing double-bass pedals in action in Guitar Hero: Metallica, Griffith kept Activision’s 2009 plans quiet. Not so with the intro, which featured Neversoft employees wailing away at Metallica’s “Fuel” in the upcoming Guitar Hero: Metallica.…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
CES 09: Microsoft Responds To Sony’s Console Add-On “Peddling” Claims
Earlier this week, Sony sent us an oddly timed media bulletin, trumpeting the PlayStation 3’s value versus the Wii and Xbox 360. It also accused Nintendo and Microsoft of “peddling add-ons.” What say you, Microsoft? “First, I would say we absolutely would not want to trade places with Sony,” said Aaron Greenberg, group product manager…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
Lay Offs Strike Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics laid off 30 people this morning in the wake of underperforming Tomb Raider Underworld sales, reliable sources tell Kotaku. The cuts were made across the board, we’re told, to eliminate redundancy and give the studio tighter focus moving forward. Earlier this week, UK publisher Eidos said that sales of the latest Tomb Raider…
By Brian Crecente Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
Dissidia Ends 2008 As Bestseller In Japan
Square Enix’s Dissidia: Final Fantasy returned to the top of the charts in Japan, after a week off thanks to previous champ White Knight Chronicles. How did the Level 5 RPG fare in week two? While the PlayStation 3 game slipped, it held strong in the top ten, slipping to sixth. We call that “legs.”…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
Rockier Trail
To:Owen From: Crecente I’ve been speaking to folks over at the Rocky lately. Things don’t look good. Not at all. In fact I’m writing a game of the year feature for them right now and it seems like there’s a chance it will never see the light of day. It’s due on the day that…
By Brian Crecente Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
Can 2009 Innovate Itself Out of a Recession?
The past week in gaming news gave us a glimpse into 2009. It’s a year that could witness plummeting sales with Rock Band on the sidelines, Sony’s continued struggle to reinvent itself and Nintento working again to innovate with an eye toward new gamers. It may be Nintendo’s greatest stumbling block. How do you appeal…
By Brian Crecente Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
New Day-Old Dark Void Screens
I was kind of excited about Capcom’s Dark Void until I realized that the Watchers your human character fights against in the parallel universe he’s transported to aren’t this guy. Worse still, the main character seems to be suffering from hackneyed hero syndrome. It’s a tragic affliction among male leads these days. Oh well –…
By AJ Glasser Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
CES 09: I Just Played Guitar Hero III… In 3D!!!
3D gaming is huge at CES 2009. It’s a great gimmick that blows the mind of the buttoned down conventioneer glassy-eyed from looking at television monitors and cell phones that are 0.01% different this year. Chip maker Nvidia is attempting to lure in the mid-level manager still wowed by 3D displays, showing off Guitar Hero…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
Developers Respond To Nintendo’s Hint System Patent
Today a Nintendo patent came to light for a hint system which would allow gamers to essentially let games play themselves. We reached out to game developers for their opinion on the patent. The patent, filed by Nintendo Creative Director Shigeru Miyamoto on June 30, 2008, outlines a gaming system more akin to DVD playback,…
By Mike Fahey Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
CES 09: Relive Sony’s CES PlayStation Press Conference
Miss Sony’s PlayStation press conference? You’re not the only one. Fortunately, G4 was there, cameras in hand, lens pointed directly at the stage, moments captured, off-screen video shot. What’s worth seeing? Previews of Resistance Retribution for the PSP, as well as inFamous and Killzone 2 for the PlayStation 3 with brand-new video, first previewed at…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
Star Ocean Scoots Up A Week
North American fans eager for the next installment of the Star Ocean saga now have a week less to wait, as Square Enix pushes up the release date for Star Ocean: The Last Hope. Originally scheduled to release in North American on March 3rd, North American Xbox 360 owners can now look forward to living…
By Mike Fahey Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
What Are You Playing This Weekend?
Halo Wars! No, Robbie Bach isn’t bumping up the release and giving me early code, I’ll just be playing it as much as possible at CES. That and some Killzone 2. Embargoes be damned! Surely there’s no embargo on the six level preview at Sony’s CES booth, so I’ll be plopping down in front of…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
New Burnout Legendary Cars Channel KITT, Ecto-1, And The General Lee
Criterion continues to rock the 80’s as they reveal the remaining three Legendary DLC Cars for Burnout Paradise, which bear striking similarities to the most well-known vehicles of that decade. Carrying on the proud tradition of the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters is the Manhattan Spirit, a slow but stunt-friendly vehicle with a hidden secret. Then we…
By Mike Fahey Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
Best Buy Sees a Drop in December Gaming Sales
Despite revenue of $7.5 billion in December, Best Buy still saw a drop in video game sales. “While the environment continues to be as challenging as we expected, consumers are being drawn to brands that they trust, and they are responding to our customer-centric model. In this light, we believe the market share gains we’ve…
By Brian Crecente Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
CES 09: What Did Microsoft And Sony Bring To Vegas?
Games! Or, I should say, games. Mostly older games, but games nonetheless. CES isn’t the place for four year-old tech like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. But that doesn’t mean they’re totally absent. Killzone 2, for example, is playable in Sony’s big booth, as is Resistance: Retribution. Microsoft brought pre-release builds of Warhammer 40,000:…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
Atlus Delivers Old School Tokyo Beat Down To DS
Atlus delivers old school beat ’em up gameplay with a badass 70’s cop show vibe to the palm of your hand, announcing Tokyo Beat Down, coming in March to the Nintendo DS. It’s a 3D beat ’em up with shoot ’em up tendencies, allowing players to punch, kick, shoot, stab, parley, and explode their way…
By Mike Fahey Published January 9, 2009 - Uncategorized
EQ 10th Aniversary Book Art Revealed By Uncomfortable-Looking Firiona Vie
A woman dressed up as elven princess Firiona Vie stood off to the side looking uncomfortable at Sony Online Entertainment’s private CES unveiling of the EverQuest: The 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition book cover. Yes, Everquest is 10 years old, and Sony Online Entertainment is celebrating their baby with a massive hardcover book detailing the rise…
By Mike Fahey Published January 9, 2009