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This Is How You Enhance Cute Shooter Triggerheart Exelica
Last week, Japan got a limited edition Triggerheart Exelica bundle for the PS2 port Triggerheart Exelica -Enhanced-. But what makes it "enhanced"? Well, this animated opening by P.A. Works, for starters. Previously, P.A. Works has helped out on the game animation for the Professor Layton games. The song is “Gravity Error” by pop singer Ayane.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2009 -
MMO Games Grew By 22% In 2008
Was at the pub the other night, and got into a fight over subscription-based MMO growth. Some bloke said the market wasn’t growing, I said it was. Researchers Screen Digest have proven me the winner. Having conducted a study on the finances of the (*breath*) subscription-based massively multiplayer online gaming market (which excludes games reliant…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 3, 2009 -
Ace Attorney In Weekly Manga Form
Not only is new Ace Attorney title Gyakuten Kenji getting a DSi bundle, the game is also getting a serialized manga. The Gyakuten Kenji comic will be debuting in weekly manga Shuukan Young Magazine, hitting newsstands on April 13. StarringAce Attorney characters Miles Edgeworth and Dick Gumshoe, the first serialized volume is 51 pages long.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2009 -
Nintendo DSi Shows Smack Talks How Ugly You Are
Here’s the North American launch ad for the Nintendo DSi. Yes, we’ll admit it, the trash talk in this commercial made us giggle. Then again, so did your face. OH SNAP! Nintendo DSi – launch commercial [GoNintendo]
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2009 -
360 Arcade Stick Cuts The Cord
We know. You’re a fighting game pro. Can’t spare the time to blink while fighting, let alone juggle cords. Which is why you may want to take a look at Dream Arcades’ wireless 360 stick. It’s a chunky, sturdy arcade stick, with the addition of being, well, cordless. The fact it’s wireless is a pro.…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 3, 2009 -
Namco Bandai Holding Up The Return Of Hellgate
MMO Hellgate died. Then it was bought out, and is back (in Asia). In the West, however, it remains dead, despite the best efforts of new franchise owners HanbitSoft. See, HanbitSoft want to bring the game back to the West. But while HanbitSoft own the rights to the IP itself, Namco Bandai own the publishing…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 3, 2009 -
Final Fantasy: Dissidia Debut Trailer
Cheesy orchestral score? Check. OTT landscapes and set design? Check. Enormous swords? Check. Yup. It’s definitely Square Enix. Definitely Final Fantasy. The PSP fighting game, first released in Japan late last year, will be out in the US this Summer and in Europe in September. Why it needs a trailer, I don’t know. Maybe one…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 3, 2009 -
Sony Cutting New Recruits By Nearly Half
Times are hard. In an effort to cut costs, Sony is going to reduce its number of new recruits — by a lot. From next spring, the number of recruits has been cut to 280 new employees, which is 48 percent lower than last year. “The environment surrounding our company has changed so we will…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2009 -
Spring Sale Turns Up Curious White Knight Chronicles Pricing
Osaka game retailer Ojamakan (there’s one near my house!) was running a special spring sale with very special pricing. Some used games (like DS title ASH -Archaic Sealed Heat-) were as low as ten yen, which is the US dollar equivalent of 10 cents! Ojamakan typically has a few good deals, but during this sale…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2009 -
PC Sales Charts
Empire: Total War is still selling. Dawn of War II is still selling. Left 4 Dead is still selling. Know what else is still selling? Bet you can guess the rest. Start with Blizzard. Then work your way round to Maxis, via Valve, and you’ll have covered nearly half the games across all three PC…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 3, 2009 -
DSiWare Brain Age Makes Beautiful Woman Laugh Maniacally
Actress Miho Kanno appears in the DSiWare Brain Age ads. She’s asked to make a face like she’s seen something that she shouldn’t have seen. She does and lets out a frightening laugh. DSi Brain Age makes use of the camera and even has users make funny faces. Why? Because stuff like that makes you…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2009 -
The “Premium Edition” Ace Attorney DSi
Capcom and Nintendo have announced a new, “Premium Edition” DSi console, to be released in conjunction with upcoming Ace Attorney title Gyakuten Kenji. It’s out in Japan on May 28, and a bundle including a special DSi – well, a regular DSi with Ace Attorney stuff on it – along with a copy of Gyakuten…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 3, 2009 -
PAL Virtual Console Gets Majora’s Mask
I must admit, it’s been a while since I downloaded a game from the Virtual Console. Then again, it’s been a while since a Nintendo 64 Zelda game was released on the Virtual console. As a special treat for long-suffering European and Australian Nintendo fans, Nintendo will be releasing (or have already released, depending where…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 2, 2009 -
PS3 Exclusive Tales of Vesperia Character Referenced In Xbox 360 Version
The PS3 version of Tales of Vesperia feature is getting a new, exclusive character: young pirate girl Patty Fruel. But perhaps, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of her. She was apparently referenced in the Xbox 360 version. Pictured is a screen shot of the Xbox 360 version. The screen reads: Inside the drawer,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 2, 2009 -
Happy 20th Birthday, Nintendo Game Boy
In April 1989, Nintendo released the Game Boy. How time flies when you’re having fun, because it’s now April 2009, so a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday” is in order for the venerable little machine. Having sold around 120 million units in its 14-year production run (that’s including sales of the Game Boy Color), the…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 2, 2009 -
Turbo: The Video Game Movie Not Based On A Real Video Game
While most video game film adaptations suck, the low-budget, high-gloss Turbo has the advantage of not being based on an existing game. The Tron meets The Karate Kid short was filmed for under $100,000. According to the official site, the plot is your standard fighting film stuff, not unlike a high-tech Bloodsport, in which the…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 2, 2009 -
More Brutal Legend Wii Rumours
In February, Go Nintendo reported that Brutal Legend was coming to the Wii. Since it looked like leaked retailer info, it seemed pretty solid! Now The Cut Scene say the same thing. According to the blog, Electronic Arts are indeed publishing a Wii version of the heavy metal adventure. Catch being it’s not being developed…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 2, 2009 -
Sony, Nintendo Battle For Japanese Hardware Dominance
The weekly battle in Japan for hardware championship goes to Nintendo this week, with the Nintendo DSi outselling all competitors. Thanks the strong PSP software sales, however, it was a fairly close race. The PSP was just a few thousand sales shy of returning to the top spot in Japan, making the portable war a…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 2, 2009 -
What Happened At The Mass Effect 2 Panel
I’d been dreading writing up what happened at the last GDC panel I attended, and not because it was boring to sit through. Far from it – BioWare showed off a couple Mass Effect 2 videos with combat and cut scenes; two journalists I admire almost got in a fight about the illicit recording of…
By AJ Glasser Published April 2, 2009 -
Pro Gamers Are Out Of A Job Too
The business of being really, really good at playing video games is hurting. Professional gaming leagues are shutting down left and right, meaning that many people who participate in those leagues are out now jobless. The New York Times profiles some those ultra-hardcore gamers who made it their job—or “job,” if you prefer—to play video…
By Michael McWhertor Published April 2, 2009