Time once again to behold another custom console paint job by French artist Oskunk. As usual, the level of detail and skill demonstrated is truly impressive, and at a time in which NES and Game Boy makeovers are somewhat becoming commonplace (not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you), it’s nice to see the 24-bit monster get some love.

Another recent piece of his that's definitely worth highlighting is this custom Game Gear...

It's a nice accompaniment to his custom Mega Drive, one that's quite old...

Oskunk has prettied up plenty of Dreamcasts, and quite a few have already made appearances on GSW (including his fantastic tributes to Samba de Amigo and Jet Set Radio. Though my personal favorite, despite not being as eye-popping as all of those, but simply because it the DC was my system of choice for the game in question, is his nod to Rez:

[via Flickr]

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We already saw a partial demake for The Curse of Monkey Island last year when a fellow transformed the adventure game's cartoonish look into a style that more resembled older Monkey Island games, but this mock-up gives us an even more lower fidelity experience.

Pixel Joint artist Ervo recreated The Curse of Monkey Island as a Game Boy game, squeezing the point-and-click title into the handheld's resolution (the commands semed to fit in nicely!) and making it all black and white.

This doesn't actually look that bad to play! I wish LucasArts would have made this back in the day -- the Game Boy didn't have nearly enough adventure releases. More shots after the break:

Posted by Eric Caoili at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

[Forgive me for this opinion piece -- I try not to talk about video games at length unless they were originally made for the Sega CD -- but this week's events were just too, well, innovative for me to remain silent.]

E3 hasn't even started, and already the world has been rocked to its mantle by an hour-long barrage of announcements from Japanese games publisher Konami. Konami spent at least half of the presentation talking up its new "Transfarring" technology, which promises to change video gaming forever and make the world a better, cleaner, safer place.

First discovered at Konami's Tokyo laboratories by Dr. Hideo Kojima, the "Transfarring" DNA inherent in all Konami games was isolated and extracted by top scientists earlier this year. Segments that were destroyed during the extraction were replaced with mosquito DNA strands, allowing the Transfarring gene to infiltrate Konami's in-progress game projects and imbue them with special Transfarring superpowers.

Among the creations infected by the rogue Transfarring agent were ambitious new developments like a compilation of two of the three good Silent Hill games, a compilation of three of the four good Metal Gear Solid games, and a compilation of two of the one good Zone of the Enders games. Fortunately, Konami's greatest creative minds were vacationing on their fifth year of a planned 30-year sabbatical, and no new intellectual properties were harmed or extant during Transfarring's sentient takeover.

So all of this is, of course, amazing. But what does Transfarring do? In layman's terms, it allows users to maximize cutting-edge technology by linking saved data in games from previous hardware generations. It sounds risky and complicated, but the process couldn't be simpler.

Say, for example, that you want to transfer -- excuse me, transfarr -- a saved game of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker from your PS3 to a PSP and continue your game on the go. First, locate your PSP. It may be a difficult search -- try looking under the bed, or contact the person you sold it to on eBay in 2007.

Now slide your PSP's power switch. You'll notice that nothing happens. The PSP's advanced vampire technology drains its battery even while powered off, so you'll need to find your AC adapter and plug it into a wall outlet.

Do so, and then turn the power on. Connect to the internet, and download a firmware update. It doesn't matter if you updated recently -- there will be another new update available. Make sure you wait 30 minutes for the PSP to charge up to half-capacity power for the update, then download and install it. Play another game on a different system while waiting on the install, and then turn your PSP off after it's completed, because at this point, you don't feel like playing Peace Walker anymore. Resume the process a month later when you remember that the PSP exists, repeating any prior steps as necessary.

From here, Transfarring your saved game is an easy 10-second process. Simply start up your PS3, sync your controller, log in to your user account, insert the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection disc, boot the disc, install any mandatory updates, load your saved data, navigate to the Transfarring menu, plug in your USB charging cable (What, did you think that this could be done wirelessly? These are 1078-kilobyte files we're talking about here!), connect the cable to the PSP, turn on the PSP, activate USB mode, install the data, deactivate USB mode, start up your second copy of Peace Walker on the PSP, navigate to the Transfarring menu, and load your data.

Congratulations! Even though you're now an hour late for work, you're ready to resume your progress in a year-old game that you purchased twice and already finished many months ago. The future is here, and it rules like hell.

Posted by Danny Cowan at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

[In this weekly column, GameSetWatch rounds up the most popular paid and free iPad gaming applications on the App Store as of today, with X-Men, Where's Waldo in Hollywood and Back to the Future currently ranking among the platform's top downloads.]

Konami's arcade-ported beat-'em-up heads the iPad's paid chart in its debut week, overtaking longtime sales leaders Angry Birds HD, Angry Birds Rio HD, and Infinity Blade.

Ludia returns to the charts this week with a Where's Waldo? sequel, as Chillingo's newest game Feed Me Oil HD trails Cut the Rope HD and Words With Friends HD at tenth place.

This week's top paid titles are:

1. X-Men ($2.99)
2. Angry Birds HD ($4.99)
3. Angry Birds Rio HD ($2.99)
4. Infinity Blade ($2.99)
5. Angry Birds Seasons HD ($1.99)
6. Fruit Ninja HD ($2.99)
7. Where's Waldo HD In Hollywood ($0.99)
8. Cut the Rope HD ($1.99)
9. Words With Friends HD ($2.99)
10. Feed Me Oil HD ($1.99)

Here are this week's top free iPad applications:

1. Strike Knight HD
2. Mr Giggle HD Lite
3. Funky Fingers
4. Angry Birds HD Free
5. Crayola ColorStudio HD
6. Back to the Future Episode 1 HD
7. Call of Atlantis HD
8. TowerMadness HD
9. Angry Birds Rio HD Free
10. Words With Friends HD Free

Backflip Studios' bowling sim Strike Knight HD ranks as the iPad's most popular download after recently becoming free-to-play, beating recent favorites like Mr Giggle HD and Funky Fingers.

Telltale Games also finds chart success by giving away the first episode of its Back to the Future adventure game series, while former chart leader TowerMadness HD sees a drop in popularity, landing behind Call of Atlantis HD at eighth place in today's results.

Posted by Eric Caoili at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From its retro-style visuals to old-school platforming, Akane the Kunoichi resembles quite a few classic 8-bit titles, though instead of saving your kidnapped girlfriend/princess, you're out to rescue your secret crush and samurai master Goro.

This Xbox Live Indie Games release offers 15 stages, five different environment, five bosses, three special ninja techniques, and a jumping sound effect that I'm sure will get annoying after a couple minutes.

Akane the Kunoichi is available now for 80 MS Points (free trial available, too).

Posted by Eric Caoili at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Name any movie that the majority believes to be utter nonsense or flat-out garbage and it's almost guaranteed to have a small but passionate band of defenders. One such example is Nintendo's failed motion picture venture, Super Mario Bros: The Movie.

Super Mario Bros: The Movie Archive is where those who recognize its genius gather to celebrate. Part of this involves assembling as much behind the scenes information possible, and just a cursory glance at just the sidebar will tell anyone that their love and admiration is quite exhaustive. Most recently they uncovered some behind the scenes photographs, like the one above, most of the men who play goombas, just horsing around.

Full disclosure time: the reason I even know about the place to begin with was Steven Applebaum, one of the site's overseers contacted me out after stumbling across my review of the movie some time ago. I was thanked for being like-minded and helping to spread the gossip, which I was more than happy to do so, even if I had no idea such gospel existed. Additional pictures can be found after the cut.

[via Ain't It Cool News]

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

[Gamasutra rounds up the week's biggest news for the major console and portable digital delivery services, this time highlighting news about Half Minute Hero and Worms: Ultimate Mayhem.]

A bit of a quiet one this week, but we've still seen some really cool games on the horizon -- Half Minute Hero, a new Worms title, several new titles in the works from Hothead, and more.

Expect a huge week for XBLA and PSN next week, with a slew of new announcements, and hopefully the PlayStation Store back online [PSN's full restoration began today -- ed.].

Half Minute Hero Super Mega Neo Climax Revealed (XBLA)

A cult hit on the PSP, Half Minute Hero returns once again, this time to Xbox Live Arcade.

This new variant sports an entirely new art style, much more "soft" and presented like a coloring book, but still allowing you to play with the original 16-bit sprite variants of yore.

This new version will be available on June 29th, and for just 800MSP.

Hothead Games Reveals DeathSpank Sequel, Hitchhiker's Guide Game In The Works (XBLA / PSN)

In lieu with an incredibly short teaser trailer, Hothead Games has revealed that a sequel to last year's hit DeathSpank is in the works, but will be disregarding the original's title.

The new game will be called The Baconing, and will follow DeathSpank into the "fires of Bacon", and according to Kotaku will include a more varied combat system with much smarter enemies.

Also on the cards is a new game from the developer based on the famous Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy books, though not much more has been said at this time.

Worms Readying For Ultimate Mayhem (XBLA)

The Australian Classification Board has rated a game called Worms: Ultimate Mayhem with no specific console noted. Could this be the return of 3D Worms?

What The Heck Is Microsoft Up To With Kinect? (XBLA)

It has been an amazing week in terms of classification leaks, particularly for Microsoft products, but as we delve into their meaning, a lot of them don't seem to be for games, but instead applications.

Check Out Boulder Dash XL (XBLA)

Boulder Dash XL will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade and PC later this year, complete with over 150 stages, a ton of modes, and a whole mode dedicated to Apple II style graphics. Check out the trailer here.

BloodRayne Returns In An Explosion Of Body Parts (XBLA / PSN)

WayForward has taken what was previously a pretty clunky 3rd person action game, and turned it into a Dishwasher: Dead Samurai style slash fest. Lots of blood, a lot of crazy demons and ungodly creatures to slaughter, and a lot of combos to figure out. Check out the trailer here.

Posted by Ryan Langley at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Those of us old enough to both remember the very first console war, circa the early 80s, and also George Plimpton, will no doubt remember how the celebrated author/journalist/actor/sports fan served as gaming's first memorable pitchmen. So when the clip above appeared a few days ago, us old timers immediately knew something was up; George wasn't a ColecoVision guy, he was Intellivision all the way! Oh, that and the rather obvious dub job.

People on the internet are still locked in furious debate regarding the clip's legitimacy (well, those who bother to leave and respond to comments on YouTube at least). Well not too long afterward, a "port" of the game showed up on Newgrounds handled by Tom Fulp himself.

Be sure to check out the game's "backstory" before choosing play. As for the game, it's up there with Fulp's The Room: The Game, which means it's actually quite good. Also, confession time: I grew up in South Korea when Plimpton's ads originally aired, and were long gone by the time I moved to the States. But I still knew about them via the classic SCTV sketch in which he helps Merv Griffin defeat George Lucas by providing the arena: Intellivision Boxing (be sure to watch part one, which has the computer from 2001 murdering Steven Spielberg).

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Remember Weaponlord? Probably not. Weaponlord was a weapon-based 2D fighter that got a lot of hype back in its day -- magazines gave it tons of preview coverage, and it even made the cover of GamePro, for whatever reason. When it was released, it turned out to be nothing more than a boring Time Killers ripoff. Publisher Namco wisely buried the franchise and revisited the concept years later with the SoulCalibur series.

This promo video, unearthed by YouTube user Grooveraider, is a prime example of the in-your-face marketing approach adopted by Sega and basically every other publisher in the 1990s. It's wonderfully obnoxious from beginning to end, but at least it has the decency to end with a music video.

Choice quotes: "He has a spider on his head, so you KNOW he's sick," "This is a '90s woman," and "We have a system that says 'You are the man. You are the Weaponlord.'"

[via @GDRI]

Posted by Danny Cowan at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

[In this interview, VVVVVV composer Magnus “Souleye” Pålsson speaks with GameSetWatch contributor Joel Johnson about how he discovered and started creating chiptunes, and his work on the soundtrack for Mega Man 2.5.]

Magnus “Souleye” Pålsson is a pretty nice guy. He speaks casually and tends to diverge into lighthearted conversation. I hadn’t planned on asking him about E.T. on the Atari 2600, for example, or discussing which artifacts will remain of our digital lifestyles. It just happened to come up. He also hits the right notes. Pålsson talks fluently about his chiptune influences, the difference between composing music for Mega Man 2.5D and VVVVVV, and whether the NES or the Commodore 64 had better music.

Why Souleye?

I picked Souleye so long ago. Had I known what I know now, I’d have chosen something else. There’s an American rapper called Souleye who’s married to Alanis Morissette. Some of his friends even mistake me for him. They email me. “Hey, I need some banging beats for my live sets.” I’m like, “Here’s some experimental chiptune stuff I’ve been working on...” I send them an MP3 and I get big question marks in return!

Who are your influences?

A lot of old-school game musicians have influenced me. Guys like Chris Hülsbeck (who did Turrican, The Great Giana Sisters, Jim Power in Mutant Planet), Martin Galway (Wizball, Kong Strikes Back), and Koji Kondo (Super Mario Bros.). I don’t know who did the Street Fighter 2 music, but I really like it. You can hear its influence in the VVVVVV soundtrack.

What is your favorite music instrument?

The electric guitar. I can totally zone out listening to it. People assume that because I’m a chiptune musician, I like a lot of synths and tech stuff. Not really. I like the electric guitar. It evokes emotion.

How did you get started making chip music?

My first musical creation was done on the first portable computer ever, the Epson-HX 20. It was capable of beeping one note at a specific pitch for a specific length of time. You can imagine how that sounded. I was fascinated, but my family was less than amused. My parents loved it when I played the piano...

The first experience I had with a music tracking program came courtesy of the CU Amiga Magazine. A floppy disk came with every issue. One of these disks contained a program called Soundtracker, which I used to make chip music on a friend’s computer. I thought I had made the best tune in the whole wide world. So I asked him, “Where do I save it?” But he didn’t have any disks. He told me to just turn it off. I was like, “But, but, but....” And he just went Click!

Have you lost much music?

I have lost so many tunes. It’s horrible when it happens! Now, I keep backups of everything. When I started, I used floppy disks. Floppies have a stupidly short lifespan. I think it’s around seven years. I keep mine in a box in the attic with no television near them, nor anything that can interfere. I eventually put them on a hard drive.

Do you ever wonder what will be left? I mean, if someone found a hard drive a hundred years from now, they probably wouldn’t even be able to access it.

We keep so many things on websites, hard drives, and CDs. A CD will last a hundred years, but a thousand years from now... I’m not sure if we’re going to know much about our civilization. There are game libraries and computer libraries, but I wonder what games will be left. They could end up buried in the dessert, like E.T..

Of course, some games are better off forgotten.

I actually played E.T. when I was a kid, and I won. I completed the freaking game! E.T. went home! Most people couldn’t even get out of the hole. You fall into a pit. Now what? I still remember: You extend the neck. Then, you can go up. It’s pixel-perfect. You have to stop going up as soon as you reach the edge of the screen or you’d fall back in. It came as no surprise that E.T. winded up being called the worst game of all-time.

The worst game I ever played is probably the graphic adventure Neuromancer.

I was thinking about that game today! I don’t know why. I played it when I was a kid. I remember walking up to some dude, and he wanted to buy my organs! You can choose what body parts you want to sell. Your lungs, your heart, your eyes. As a kid, I got scared! Really? Sell my eyes? It was disturbing.

For a while, old games where just old games. When did you realized that old games were still desirable?

Whenever there’s a technology shift, games become old games. When the Commodore 64 was succeeded by the Amiga, everybody wanted Amiga games. There’s a drive inside people to look for the new, but recently I’ve began to realize that enjoyment has less to do with what you’re doing and more to do with your state of mind. It doesn’t really matter what it is that makes you happy. The main thing is if you are happy or not. Like the way I enjoyed playing E.T..

The first time I noticed modern interest in old games was around ten years ago. I went over to a friend’s house, and he was playing Mega Man. Everybody was really into it. What is it about the original Mega Man that makes it so iconic?

The variety of weapons is cool; the whole notion of killing an enemy and taking his weapon to use for your own. And the music, of course. If the music hadn’t been so good, the series wouldn’t be so popular. Mega Man is challenging. You can’t beat it in an afternoon. You have to develop skill. You can’t have abrasive music to a repetitive game, or you will shoot yourself in the foot.

You’re composing the soundtrack for Mega Man 2.5D. What can you tell me about the project?

It’s an unofficial project. Just some indie guys remaking Mega Man. It’s a mix between a 2D game and a 3D game. And it has co-op. The game is inspired by Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 3, which are the best Mega Man games. Naturally, the music sounds like a mixture of those two games.

What are your favorite tunes from those games?

I love the opening from Mega Man 2. Everybody knows what happens next. Do-do-da-duh-do-doo. We’ve heard it too much already. I like the opening because it tells a story. I can imagine things happening. The screen is scrolling up a skyscraper. It says something about the year 200X. But even if there was no text, I could make up my own story. At first, something bad was happening. We lost all hope. But now our hero is here to save us!

How about from Mega Man 3?

The Password song! I just get so happy when I hear that song! It’s like I’m taking a walk, the sun is shining, and everything is okay. It’s expressive, simple, and it has a very strong melody. It’s a gem that I savor. I don’t want to get tired of it. I listen just a little.

How do you maintain the integrity of Mega Man’s original music while adding your own style to it?

I don’t. [Laughs.] I don’t want to bend over backwards to make music. I’m going to do what I think sounds good. It’s not going to sound exactly like Mega Man, but it will sound similar because my style is similar. Mega Man’s music conveys emotion and tells a story. I try to mimic that aspect with the music I’m doing for 2.5D. I hope people will understand that I’m trying to stay true to the old songs, yet make something new.

How much of the soundtrack is in your style, and how much is it in Mega Man’s style?

I made some covers. Those would be 100% Mega Man. But other stuff is going to be pure me. I don’t want to make a cover album. I want to make something that sounds like me. Mega Man has such a huge fan-base. They want everything to be just right. They can flame me if they want to. I’m going to do something I like. You can’t please everybody. I’ll just settle for pleasing myself.

VVVVVV had a very European aesthetic to it. On the other hand, Mega Man has a distinct Japanese vibe. What is the difference between a Commodore 64/Amiga soundtrack and a Famicom/Super Famicom soundtrack?

We have more arpeggios in Euro-music. We like to keep one channel playing the same sequence of notes throughout the entire song. I do that a lot in my music. Japanese music, on the other hand, is a little more melodic. European music uses more modes.

Which is the best classic gaming system: the NES or the Commodore 64?

The NES. [Sigh.] Some of my favorite games are for Commodore 64. But there was a “feel” to the NES. It was a gray box. It had cartridges. It felt real. Whereas I used floppy disks and cassette tapes to play games on the Commodore. I liked having something physical. I liked the act of inserting cartridges into the slot. Also, the moods that some of the games evoked were awesome: Zelda 2, Punchout!, Excitebike. Excitebike had really nice music. The music did it for me. It was very subconscious. But I think that’s why.

Posted by Jason Johnson at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pixeljam's excellent Dino Run Se and Super Space Rubbish games were already dirt cheap, but now you can grab both PC/Mac/Linux titles, plus both of their full soundtracks composed by Mark DeNardo and Datassette, for just $5.

You likely already know Dino Run SE as the substantially updated, client-based version of the addictive online prehistoric racing game, but in case you're unfamiliar with Super Space Rubbish, is a modern take on Asteroids with giat bosses, drone/weapon upgrades, and more. You need both of these games in your life.

Posted by Eric Caoili at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Japanese publisher Marvelous put out this first trailer for Grand Knights History, the new PSP project from Muramasa and Odin Sphere developer Vanillaware, and even though it's a little blurry, the developer seems to have once again produced another title with 2D artwork that surpasses anything else out there.

Due to ship in Japan on September 1st -- no word yet on a U.S. release -- Grand Knights History is a turn-based strategy title played out with three main classes (kngiht, wizard, and archer) and plenty of subclasses. The battle system centers around positioning characters into over 20 different formations, each with different advantages, on a grid.

The above video shows some of those formations, character classes, and customization options -- you can set everything from characters' hair color, voice, accessories, and more. According to Siliconera, the characers' personalities will influence their development in the game. You can see more Grand Knights History art and screens here.

Posted by Eric Caoili at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the latest postings over the last seven days, Gamasutra's jobs board plays host to roles across the world and in every major discipline, including opportunities a Nintendo of America, Ubisoft Quebec, and GREE.

Each position posted by employers will appear on the main Gamasutra job board, and appear in the site's daily and weekly newsletters, reaching our readers directly.

It will also be cross-posted for free across Gamasutra's network of submarket sites, which includes content sites focused on online worlds, cellphone games, 'serious games', independent games and more.

Some of the notable jobs posted this week include:

- Nintendo of America Inc.: Associate Designer (NST), Game Designer (NST), Senior Game Designer (NST), or Lead Designer (NST):
"As the worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 387 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Zelda and Pokemon. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere."

- Ubisoft Quebec: Technical Graphic Director – Technology Team:
"At Ubisoft Quebec, we are looking for innovative, creative and dynamic people, who are ready for challenges and willing to work with us to build the future of the video game industry. Ubisoft is a world-leader in its domain and is the most important game developer in the Quebec City area. We want to broaden our market and get off the beaten track!"

- GREE International Inc.: Software Engineer, iPhone/Android Games:
"GREE International Inc. is owned by GREE Inc., the fastest growing tech company in Japan, offering leading social mobile games. With our OpenFeint platform, our goal is to reach 200 million users. We are looking for an experienced Unity Software Engineers to join our start-up team to develop next-generation mobile social gaming experiences to users. The position title and level are flexible; we are looking for the right person and will adjust the position as needed."

- Telltale Games: Environment Artist:
"Telltale is an award-winning independent developer/publisher pioneering landmark episodic content. Founded in 2004 by LucasArts veterans with decades of experience, Telltale is now an industry leader, establishing the model for episodic downloadable games and releasing more than 35 episodic games to date. Telltale's titles have won numerous awards including numerous 'Adventure Game of the Year' accolades from publications such as IGN, PC Gamer, GameSpy, and Adventure Gamers, and has been recognized by mainstream outlets including USA Today, CNN, The New York Times and Variety."

- LucasArts Singapore: Creative Director:
"LucasArts Singapore is an extension of LucasArts in the US -- a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game console systems, computers and the Internet. The Singapore team focuses and handheld, mobile, and console games. Several recent projects include Star Wars The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance, Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes games for the Nintendo DS platform. The team also worked on The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition for the iPhone, iPhone Touch, Xbox Live and Playstation 3 as well as work on The Force Unleashed II."

To browse hundreds of similar jobs, and for more information on searching, responding to, or posting game industry-relevant jobs to the top source for jobs in the business, please visit Gamasutra's job board now.

Posted by Eric Caoili at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Previously on Twitter, Hideo Kojima was all bummed out. Thankfully, the Kojima Productions head appears to be in better spirits these days; aside from going back to his usual online habit of posting pics of lunch or dinner, he and members of his production company recently used the social networking platform to answer questions.

Regarding the recently announced Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, it's being handled by Bluepoint, the same folks responsible for the God Of War Collection, and Kojima is confident that the finished product will meet expectations. Its version of part 3, by the way, will be MGS3: Subsistence. Fingers crossed that we also get MGS2: Substance as well.

That being said, it's curious how MGS: Peace Walker was not included when addressing Bluepoint, which begs the question if its conversion is being handled by Kojima Production themselves. Further evidence of special treatment can be found in one staff person's statement: "It's not just emulation. There are many areas that are being remade, and the play feel is completely new."

Also, when Peace Walker HD arrives in Japan, it will be a standalone release, whereas in the US (and perhaps other territories), the game will be clumped together with the PS2 ports. It’s also perhaps worth mentioning/reminding how it will interface with the PSP original, as part of the Sony's PSP Remaster Series initiative one could guess, whereas HD MGS2 and MGS3 shall flex its "Transfaring" abilities with NGP counterparts. One has to wonder if an enhanced portable version of Peace Walker is also forthcoming, but that sounds like overkill.

Regarding the Zone of the Enders HD Collection, the only bit of information is how part 2 will be the Anubis Special Edition, which was simply the Japanese re-release of the European version that had two extra stages and additional difficulty levels. Other interesting bits include how Kojima loved working with the Mega 64 crew once again, who produced the following clip for Konami's big pre-E3 presser...

Apparently, the Japanese version features an all-star cast. And when someone asked if Snatcher HD might be in the works, via the also recently announced Fox Engine, the answer was nope. Hey, at least someone asked. As for the image above, Kojima explained it was from a meeting and confessed that he’s tweeting too much these days. Maybe we'll see more of the anniversary/initiative at E3 or Tokyo Game Show.

Back to ZOE HD, it's by far is the most promising of the re-releases, in my humble opinion; personally, I find the whole effort somewhat pointless. This mostly applies to the aforementioned remastered Team Ico ports, but the same could be said for MGS2/MGS3/MGS:PW as well. Given how those games pushed their original hardware so far to the point of being technical achievements alone, having them just dropped onto the PS3 with simply clearer picture and sound seems almost like a disservice of sorts. Especially Peace Walker, which was originally referred to as Metal Gear Solid 5 during development; having it pale in comparison to part 4's visual sheen is a bit of a letdown, especially when that title is four years old. Granted, graphics don't make the game, but its visual boundaries being pushed have always been one key element of any Kojima Production release. But at the very least, having Zone of the Enders reintroduced, possibly to a brand new audience, might finally get the wheels turning towards a proper part 3.

[via Andriasang]

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So many studios are pushing out their project announcements to avoid being overshadowed by the non-Konami heavy hitters next week, and the best of the bunch I've seen so far is Papo & Yo, a charming PSN tite from Montreal-based indie Minority. It takes a minute for this video to really get going, but trust me, you want to stick with it.

Papo & Yo stars a young boy and a monster -- surprisingly not named Papo and Yo -- the latter of the pair being a friendly guy with an addiction to poisonous frogs, which unfortunately sends him into a violent rage. Because the monster is his best friend, the young boy wants to save the fellow but needs to avoid getting hurt i the process.

Meant to be "an emotional journey that explores the relationship between a boy and his sometimes-scary best friend", Papo & Yo has the two solving puzles together: 

"As players progress, Monster will react differently to their actions based on his current desires. If Monster is in a good mood, he will play with Quico and help with tasks; if Monster is hungry, he will seek out food; if that food happens to be a poisonous frog, he’ll transform into a terrifying killing machine bent on nothing but destruction. Players will need to learn to use Monster’s emotions, both good and bad, to their advantage if they want to complete their search for a cure and save their pal."

Posted by Eric Caoili at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sony released this new Japanese trailer for its Team ICO Collection, which will include versions of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus remastered for the PS3 with 1080P high definition graphics, trophies, 3D support, and 7.1 surround sound. Here you can see comparisons of the 2001- and 2005-released PS2 titles with the new versions.

There's no release date yet for the West, but the collection is due to ship in Japan on September 22nd, both as individual games (¥3980/$49) and as a set (¥6980/$86) that includes dynamic custom themes, a special box, and a 100-page booklet. You can check out photos of the Japanese packaging after the break:

[Via Dengeki, Seda]

Posted by Eric Caoili at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the biggest surprises to arrive with yesterday's relaunch of the PlayStation Network was an Xseed-published localization of the dungeon-crawling RPG Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls -- the first new entry in the series to arrive stateside in nearly a decade.

Dating back to 1981, Wizardry was a series of difficult dungeon crawlers for PC platforms, with ports later released for the NES and Super Nintendo. While the Wizardry franchise hasn't seen a new English-language release since the debut of Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, the series remains very popular in Japan, where many spinoffs and remakes continue to thrive across a number of platforms.

Wizardry's trademark difficulty lives on Labyrinth of Lost Souls, as I discovered earlier today. After carefully assembling and outfitting a party of six characters, I headed off to the first floor of the dungeon...only to lose half of my allies to a marauding band of rats. Limping back to the entrance, my remaining party members were murdered by kobolds. Only my main character was resurrected at the inn, with one hit point, and without enough gold to resurrect her friends or heal her wounds. I had, essentially, reached an unwinnable state in just five minutes of play.

Suffice to say, Etrian Odyssey this is not! Still, if you're the type who enjoys brutal difficulty, the game otherwise seems to be a solid take on the genre. Just don't expect any concession or mercy.

Posted by Danny Cowan at 4:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Konami's X-Men made a strong impression in arcades throughout the early '90s. Its massive dual-screen cabinet dwarfed surrounding machines, and lesser sound systems surrendered to its booming voice samples -- Colossus's "OAAAHHHHHHHHHH," in particular, remains a memorable part of the arcade experience for many.

The game loses its enormous physical presence on smartphone and tablet screens, but all of its original content is preserved in Konami's iOS adaptation of X-Men, released this week in the App Store.

Based on a recent port for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, X-Men features six playable characters and a local cooperative play mode for up to four players over a local connection. The widescreen six-player version is unfortunately not included, but if its any consolation, classic dialog like "Welcome to die!" has actually been rerecorded for the release.

Posted by Danny Cowan at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What better way to stay cool this summer than wearing shirts that celebrate a pair of NES classics? Specifically when the games in questions have "Ice" in their names.

King of Games' brand new Ice Climbers and Ice Hockey designs retain the same attention to detail and quality that the Japanese label is known for. As well as the rather expensive price-tag; Ice Climbers will cost you 6,000 yen, or $74, and Ice Hockey comes in at 7,140 yen or $88. No idea why the later is cheaper, given how much more popular it is (at least here in America).

It will be available at their retail outlet on June 4th (in Japan course), and should be available for purchase online a bit later on. They also might make an appearance at the Nintendo World Store, which unfortunately is the only semi-convenient means to nab their goods domestically (provided you live in New York City).

[via Go Nintendo]

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pix'n Love Editions, which produces and distributes a wide assortment of products that seek to celebrate game history and culture for everyone across France, has a brand new offering.

La Bible NES/Famicom's massive 432 pages details the history of the console and provides over 1,900 game reviews, including both official releases and homebrew fare. Though the best part is how the book itself resembles a gigantic NES cartridge, with an accompanying decorative/protective sleeve to complete the effect.

For those of us not fluent in French, three of their works have been translated into English thus far under the Pix'n Love Publishing banner, including a Takahashi Meijin biography that I've heard nothing but rave reviews about. It’s better than nothing, yet a far cry from the rest of their catalogue; in addition to the self-titled fanzine, they distribute Gi Mag, strategy guides, soundtracks, clothing, even figures like this awesome (and rare) looking Rayman statue.

At least their Xbox Live Indie/iPhone/PSP Mini game is also readily available. Thanks to my pal Joe for filling in the gaps that Google Translate couldn't!

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

[This week, our partnership with game criticism site Critical Distance brings us picks from Ben Abraham on topics including the explosion of clone games on iOS, indie game Fate of the World, and more.]

I can't keep putting it off - assembling the best and brightest pieces of writing, blogging, opinion and criticism of video games from the week is not going to happen by itself. Let's see what we've got here...

First up this week, Michael Abbott at The Brainy Gamer looks at the 'Clone Wars' currently raging on the iPad/iPhone platform. He singles out one publisher - Gameloft - for churning out ersatz version of AAA titles. The cheek! The nerve!

"Gameloft's clones are whole cloth derivatives of aesthetic elements like character design, art style, user-interface, and even color palettes. No art is wholly original; we all create from the inspiration of others. But these copies aren't simply inspired by their originals. They appropriate the creative work of artists and designers and re-purpose them with mostly cosmetic changes."

N'Gai Croal writing for his Edge Online blog this week turns his attention to the big picture, whole industry view in 'When good enough isn't good enough':

"Fewer titles, bigger bets - this is the modern mega-publisher's conservative recipe for success - or at the very least, for survival. The traditional portfolio is unlikely to be the norm, when money spent on marginal concepts and riskier ideas could be doubled on surer bets. The danger is that if everyone follows this path, where will the next Wii Fit or Guitar Hero come from to blaze the trail for entirely new categories of gaming? It's at times like these that survival and mutually assured destruction look virtually indistinguishable."

"What's fascinated me about my response more than anything is what it showed me about my attitude toward the world. I was quick to institute a one-child policy in India, but not in the United States. I was willing to dump tons of money into the U.S. and Europe to fund research, but struggled to come up with funds to fight political unrest in Southeast Asia. I pretty much ignored Australia entirely.

While I was happy to enact technological reforms in the industrialized world, I was hesitant to levy extra taxes on those regions to fund them. I was excited to spread 4th-gen nuclear power plant technology to the world, then found myself wishing I hadn't, as rebels in northern Africa got their hands on weapons-grade nuclear material. I'm a huge proponent of nuclear energy, but coming face to face with even a fictionalized consequence of my political beliefs was a little bit humbling."

"L.A. Noire stars a strictly defined character, so on the surface it seems more suited to a simplified Mass Effect system than a complex Dragon Age one. However, its dialogue scenes are not casual, open-ended conversations.

They're interrogations.

These interrogations require detailed information, observation, and a bit of luck to properly resolve. There's no back-tracking or second guessing, and navigating the system with the vague options of truth, doubt and lie can be a bit frustrating."

"The mystical quality in kids' creations, that purity of spirit we wish to recapture, is fearlessness. And this is what strikes me as timely in this girl designer and her Ponycorn Adventure: their innocent, vibrant lack of concern with seeming silly or derivative. Lemon enemies (lemonies?) don't need to make sense to make satisfyingly sour foes. The Ponycorns are hardly original or even a proper hybrid, per se, but Cassie don't care. Likewise, ask her if she gives a toot that she heard some of these phrases - "How do you like them apples??" - elsewhere (if she even remembers.) Just try and suggest that such prose stylings belong to popped-collared, thumbs-flashing dudes and not little girls."

Patrick Holleman, reporting from the Philly Game Loop unconference! This is the second piece of reportage from Holleman at The Game Design forum, and it's just as readable as the previous. Let's hear him tell us about something called 'Brogrammers', just one of the many things he learnt from the event:

"I also learned about brogrammers. They're software engineers who also like sports, fantasy sports, e-sports, Sports Center, sports bars, fist-bumps, clubbing, loafers, pink polo shirts and all the other Freudian underpinnings of an unapologetic male culture. You know. Brogrammers. They write the same code as everyone else, but anyone serving as their producer ought to know that dealing with them is not the same as dealing with a programmer who has more cerebral hobbies. They wouldn't go into specifics, however."

...a particularly notable advancement has been the development of what I will call transitional space, moments in video game play that process and demarcate advancement toward the achievement of the games' overriding goal, such as the movement from a preceding to a successive level. Transitional spaces are those moments between the playing of levels, instances in which the computer processes the player's successful completion of a micro-level goal as the player advances toward a following objective.

"Bulletstorm's sport-shooter makes more sense in Duke Nukem's world than its own. Duke's been stranded on that alien planet for so long and he's killed entire populations of alien scum that he's no longer satisfied with just killing them. This isn't about survival or saving the world and the girl. It's something more important: this is Sport. Each kill is a way of measuring how big the big man really is and satisfies his own perverse amusement alone."

Steven Totilo at Kotaku profiles the virtual world... personality... Jon Jacobs, and in particular his curious desire to immortalise his late wife in virtual reality:

"Jon's instincts to hype, to mourn and to think big - futuristically big - merged last December with his idea about bringing Tina back. He was at a crossroads of self-promotion and private emotion, and a possible pioneer of high-tech grieving."

"I'll try to explain six things that can make a game great, for me. Games don't need to do all of them well, sometimes one is enough. But the hope is to cover every kind of draw they can have. Every game I like, I like because it does one of these things well."

Don't forget though that you can always send in links to a piece you've read (or written) each week to either the Twitter account or via email.

Posted by Eric Caoili at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the primary forces behind Sega's legacy has joined forces with Premium Agency. Whereas Sonic put Sega's name on the console gaming map, it was After Burner, Hang On, Virtua Racing, and Virtua Fighter -- all Yu Suzuki produced efforts -- that cemented its reputation in the arcades. And it is assumed that Suzuki's new boss is optimistic for similar success, as he assumes the role of overall producer for the production house’s game development division.

Premium Agency CEO Katsunori Yamaji, who also once worked at Sega, alongside Suzuki on Shenmue to be precise, hopes that his former boss will help develop games for international titles, as well as provide valuable guidance to the younger creators that company already employs. No specific titles have been announced, but in addition to working on both next-gen consoles and smartphones, there is the possibility that Suzuki might be involved with a new fighting game for the Kinect that his firm is developing. No word yet if it's something that was already in production that he'll be assisting or based upon a concept of his.

News of a possible Kinect fighter has already elicited groans from those who simply want Shenmue 3. Though anyone truly familiar with Suzuki's career should be hardly surprised; back when the DS was still relatively new, and well before the iPhone made touchscreen gaming explode, he produced a touch-based fighter for the arcade called Psy-Phi. Unfortunately little is known about this quietly cancelled project, aside from the woefully out-of-date Wikipedia page and only a handful of YouTube videos, the best of which I could find, is behind the cut.

[via Andriasang]

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Earlier today, Sony released videos that highlight the upcoming software for its successor to the PSP, aka the NGP (and which many believe will be named PlayStation Vita when all is said and done). By far the most interesting of the batch is Sound Shapes by Jonathan Mak.

As Mak explains in the clip above, the game is essentially "a musical platformer", with every single element and action producing music. User generated content is a primary component, and given the heavy emphasis on audio, creating your own level is effectively creating your own song. There's little doubt that Sound Shapes will eventually make its way on stage, in the hands of at least one chiptunes performer.

Mak is mostly known for his previous effort, Everyday Shooter, which also helped to usher in the PS3 as one of its first high profile downloadable titles. So it's rather fitting to see his follow-up on another piece of debuting hardware, which also reinforces Sony’s continued support of indie development. Though Mak's interest in music is far better suited for portables to begin with; Everyday Shooter didn't personally click until it landed on the PSP, where the interplay between action and audio could be fully appreciated with headphones.

Follow the cut to hear from Mak some more, as he talks about life after Everyday Shooter, which included 10 failed prototypes with Toronto based musician I Am Robot And Proud.

[via Venture Beat]

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

[Indie Fund announced the fourth title in its lineup of unique indie-developed games: the haunting Source-powered Dear Esther. Kris Graft speaks with creator Dan Pinchbeck and Indie Fund's Ron Carmel.]

Like many individuals who undertake artistic endeavors, Dan Pinchbeck found that his desire to create and spread his art and ideas led him down a path he never could have predicted.

Conceived as a research project by Pinchbeck and a team at the University of Portsmouth, his experimental game Dear Esther is a Source engine mod released in 2007, with the most recent version of the mod arriving in 2009, the same year it won the best world/story award at the IndieCade festival.

But that didn't mark the end of Pinchbeck's journey with Dear Esther. Indie Fund - a collective that funds unique indie games - is betting that gamers are ready for subtler, more powerful, more meaningful experiences. Now the group has told Gamasutra that it selected Dear Esther as its fourth game in its increasingly compelling stable of funded titles.

What Indie Fund will do is help Pinchbeck and his small team finish bringing Dear Esther from an academic experimental Half-Life 2 Source mod to a full commercial release that utilizes the Portal 2 version of Valve Software's engine.

While Pinchbeck is the key creative force behind Dear Esther, it was Robert Briscoe who envisioned a more beautiful version of the game. Briscoe was an environmental artist on EA DICE's Mirror's Edge, and, impressed with Pinchbeck's ideas and work on Dear Esther, committed himself to using his expertise to update the mod to triple-A production values.

Dear Esther approaches storytelling and other concepts in a way that's different from most commercial releases (Briscoe has said he prefers the term "independent" release). Told from a first-person perspective, Dear Esther is a haunting tale that ties the player's actions to audible notes written by a dying explorer who found himself on a deserted island.

There's no shooting, there's no switch-flipping - rather Dear Esther conveys a pure, natural sense of mystery, curiosity and discovery to the player, partly through a ghostly voice that is constantly tapping players on the shoulder throughout the experience.

But despite the talent behind the project, the completion and eventual release of Pinchbeck and Briscoe's full-on Dear Esther remake soon came into doubt. At the University of Portsmouth, Pinchbeck said that the development team "hit an insurmountable contradiction" between contractual demands of the school, and the demands of a potential Valve distribution agreement.

Art And Commercialism

Academia and art were beginning to collide with commercialism, but the art aspect wasn't about to give way. Valve was impressed with Dear Esther as it was, signing it for distribution on Steam - but the remake of the game still wasn't complete, as the developers needed more funding.

"We suddenly lost our host organization [University of Portsmouth] and our investment and everything else," Pinchbeck told Gamasutra. "[We] found ourselves basically with a 75 percent-finished game and no money and no backers and nowhere to take it to market."

The game's acclaim among mod enthusiasts and gaming press got the attention of Indie Fund, which was founded by indie games luminaries including 2D Boy's Ron Carmel and Kyle Gabler, Number None's Jonathan Blow, thatgamecompany's Kellee Santiago, Capy's Nathan Vella, Flashbang's Matthew Wegner and AppAbove Games' Aaron Isaksen - all of whom contributed to the fund's $700,000 pool for indie games. Pinchbeck originally approached Indie Fund to help support another game, but it was Dear Esther's remake that eventually won the investors over.

Carmel, who explained that Braid creator Blow worked closest with Pinchbeck in signing Dear Esther, told Gamasutra he wasn't totally sold on the game when watching videos. But that changed. "As soon as people started playing it, the tone of the conversation just completely shifted, and people were very much in favor of supporting this project," Carmel said.

Indie Fund this year announced its first three funded projects: Andy Schatz' Monaco, Steve Swink and Scott Anderson's Shadow Physics, and Toxic Games' Q.U.B.E. While Indie Fund is looking for unique gems that exemplify the indie spirit, it is not a charity, and the funding partners hope that they don't lose their investments.

Carmel said the time is right to find out just how commercially viable such offbeat titles really are.

Subtlety And Finesse

"Maybe it's my skewed perspective because I run in game design circles, but you can kind of see [offbeat, original games] gaining a lot more traction," said Carmel. "[Indie Between developer] Jason Rohrer's games are becoming more popular, he's putting a game on DS. You just see the glimpse, here and there, of people just going for the really out there stuff."

He added, "Our tastes have a little bit more subtlety than they did 10 or 20 years ago. [Dear Esther] is one of the first big glimpses I had into more subtle experiences than the machismo or other kind of archetypes in video games. There's subtlety and finesse, and it's a moving experience. I think the hunger for that will grow as gamers' age and their tastes mature."

Asked if he thought Dear Esther is a commercially viable game, Carmel replied, "'Commercially viable' requires a bit more definition, in my mind. For a team of 20 or 100 to make a game like this is not commercially viable. But that's kind of part of the indie charm - you need to fund a team of one or two, and it's very easy to make something commercially viable when it's a one or two person team."

Evidence of interest in Dear Esther has been apparent since its release as a mod. Pinchbeck estimates the mod is currently somewhere over 75,000 downloads, but he and Briscoe felt that the game deserved a bigger audience as a commercial release. "I think there's a real space for this in the market," he said.

Whether or not Indie Fund's games will have any notable market impact is still up in the air. But if Indie Fund does fizzle out, it won't be due to lack of effort, experience or talent.

The future of Indie Fund just depends on how the games, including Dear Esther, perform, Carmel explained. The group has committed two-thirds of its $700K budget so far. "We're still looking for more games," he said. "The end of that money doesn't mean the end of Indie Fund. ... As soon as some games start selling, we'll see if we're going to try to roll the money back into the fund and keep going, or if we're going to try to grow it. It remains to be seen."

For Pinchbeck, his journey continues, as he's moving on from his life in academia to become a full-time indie game developer. He's already learning that it'll take more than a keen design instinct to be successful: "I now know more about American tax law than I ever thought I’d know in my life," he laughed.

Posted by Eric Caoili at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you're around the Austin area and not headed to Los Angeles this weekend, make sure to stop by at Juegos Rancheros, the gaming get-together organized by local Austin indie developers in partnership with Fantastic Arcade.

Kicking off at The Highball around 4PM this Sunday, the free meet-up will have games playable to the public, like "psychedelic iPad adventure game" Thunderbeam, a Kickstarter-funded collaboration between director Wiley Wiggins, Bob Sabiston (Inchworm), and The Octopus Project -- all of whom will be in attendance giving presentations and signing posters.

Juegos Rancheros #2 will also have the stateside debut of a PlayStation Move-enhanced version for Johann Sebastian Joust, a "tree-player slow-motion baroque dueling game" from Copenhagen Game Collective (IGF Nuovo finalist B.U.T.T.O.N.). IGF chairman and Juegos Rancheros pitchman Brandon Boyer calls it the most amazing thing he's played this year!

You can RSVP for Juegos Rancheros #2 here, and find more info on the official blog. Don't forget to bring your Nintendo 3DS for StreetPasses!

Posted by Eric Caoili at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

StencylWorks, a new toolset for creating 2D Flash games on your Mac or PC is now out and available for free! Support for iOS is on the way, too.

The "game studio in a box" features a drag-and-drop gameplay designer (based on MIT Scratch) that doesn't require coding, though you can also access a "code mode" interface to write behaviors via its ActionScript 3 API.

You can publish your creation to Stencyl.com with a click, embed it on your site, or export it to post on portals like Kongregate. StencylWorks also allows you to purchase or share/sell royalty-free assets.

Posted by Eric Caoili at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It doesn't have the most amazing or innovative gameplay -- it's essentially a Space Invaders-style fixed shooter -- but Velocispider's awesome-looking pixelart and unlikely hero are enough to win our attention. 

The iOS game stars a "heavily armed araknasaur" defending its endangered eggs from the Robot Seafood Corporation and its "relentless army of aquatic robot beasts" (which look like they could hatch Yoshis at any second). 

Velocispider features simple tilt/auto-firing controls, online leaderbards via Game center, and more. You can buy it on your iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad for just $0.99 here.

Posted by Eric Caoili at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When Steve Swink's Shadow Physics was introduced at GDC's Experimental Gameplay Sessions and TGS' Sense of Wonder Night events in 2009, the project immediately seemed enchanting and innovative with its shadow-based puzzle platforming ideas.

That prototype featured placeholder graphics with basic colored shapes (see video after the break), though, and was seemingly outdone by the release of Hudson Soft's conceptually similar and aesthetically pleasing Wii game Lost in Shadow earlier this year.

Swink, however, recently received backing from Indie Fund to complete the project and has continued work on Shadow Physics -- you can see a newly released screenshot with a lot more detail above (click for bigger version). Needless to say, it's looking pretty hot now!

Posted by Eric Caoili at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Did you see that, Zach? Tumblr user allbearsallthetime has recreated a selection of memorable moments from SWERY65's survival horror masterpiece Deadly Premonition using LEGO bricks and figures.

The attention to detail is as clear as a crisp spring morning; along with creating a convincing likeness of protagonist Francis York Morgan, allbearsallthetime also pays tribute to DP's bent-over-backwards zombies and the almighty Grecotch guitar.

If you're a decent soul who rightfully considers Deadly Premonition to be one of the best games of 2010, you may also enjoy this Flash-based custom character creator, linked earlier this week on SWERY65's Twitter. Be warned: it contains spoilers that you might not want to see until you've played through the game.

[via mistergrundy]

Posted by Danny Cowan at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's back folks! The PlayStation Store has returns to both the North Americas and the many parts of Europe. Today is just day one of the many store updates, the next will be in a couple of days.

In the meantime, check out both sides of the PlayStation Store updates:

PlayStation Store Update (North America)

Day 1 of the PlayStation Store's return is filled with quality content -- The PSN exclusive Under Seige, Sega Rally Online Arcade, and a bunch of classic Turbografx titles. Don't forget to grab your complimentary PlayStation Plus titles while you're there.

PlayStation Plus

Full Game Trial

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Dante’s Inferno Full Game Trial

Comet Crash (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers, regular price $9.99) (Prior offer, still live)
Vector TD minis (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers, regular price $3.99) (Prior offer, still live)
Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus (PS one) (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers, regular price $9.99) (Prior offer, still live)
Babel the King of Blocks (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers, regular price $2.99)
The 2D Adventures of Rotating Octopus Character (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers, regular price $3.99)
Duael Invaders (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers, regular price $3.99) (Prior offer, still live)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers, regular price $4.99) (Prior offer, still live)

Current Deals

Interpol: The Trail Of Dr. Chaos – Sale (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Assassin’S Creed Ii Deluxe Edition Digital – Price Change (PS3) (now $19.99, original price $29.99)
Vertigo – Price Change (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Tehra: Dark Warrior – Minis – Sale (PSP) (now $1.49, original price $4.99)
Slam Bolt Scrappers (Price Drop) (PS3) (now $9.99, original price $14.99)
Plants vs Zombies (Sale) (PS3) (now $9.99, original price $14.99)
Sam And Max – The Devil’S Playhouse – Full Season – Sale (PS3) (now $19.99, original price $29.99)
Cuboid – Sale (PS3) ((now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Digger HD – Sale (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Dragon’s Lair – Sale (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Space Ace – Sale (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Alien Havoc – Minis – Price Drop (PSP) (now $1.99, original price $4.99)
Fish Tank – Minis – Price Drop (PSP) (now $1.99, original price $3.99
Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder – Minis – Price Drop (PSP) (now $2.99, original price $4.99)
Red Johnson’s Chronicles Episode 1 (PlayStation Plus price $9.74, regular price $12.99) (Prior offer, still live)
Dungeon Hunter (PlayStation Plus price $10.39, regular price $12.99) (Prior offer, still live)
Ricochet HD (PlayStation Plus price $2.50, regular price $10.00)
Cool Boarder 2 (PlayStation Plus price $3.00, regular price $5.99) (Prior offer, still live)
Under Siege (PlayStation Plus price $10.00, regular price $19.99)
Interpol (PlayStation Plus price $3.99, sale price $4.99, regular price $9.99)

Downloadable Games

Alien Crush (PS3 / PSP) ($5.99)
Bonk’s Adventure (PS3 / PSP) ($5.99)
Bomberman ’94 ($5.99)
Wizardry: Labyrinth Of Lost Souls ($14.99)
Sega Rally Online Arcade ($9.99)
Star Raiders ($9.99)
Red Johnson’s Chronicles ($12.99)
Under Siege ($19.99)
Back To The Future: The Game – Episode 3 (Free With Season Pass)
Dragon’s Lair II: Time Warp ($9.99)
Learning With The Pooyoos – Episode 1 ($8.99)

PSone Classics

Missile Command ($5.99)

PSP minis

Star Hammer Tactics ($1.99)
Best Of Solitaire ($4.99)
Block Cascade Fusion ($1.49)
Sky Force ($4.99)
Card Shark ($1.49)
Days Of Thunder ($4.99)
Top Gun ($4.99)

Downloadable Content

Marvel Pinball – Fantastic Four ($2.49)
Moon Diver: Chain Kill Mode: Bloodbath! (Free)
Moon Diver: Score Attack Modes: Orbit and Rage! ($0.99)
Wizardry: Labyrinth Of Lost Souls – Dungeon Of Trials Open ($4.99)
Zen Pinball – Sorcerer’s Lair ($2.49)

PlayStation Store Update (Europe)

The European store update is no slouch either -- a bunch of great games available via PlayStation Plus, Outland, Armageddon Riders, Streets of Rage 2 and Underseige, topped off by the PSOne classic release of Final Fantasy VI.

Burnout Paradise (free)
Magic The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers (free)
Streets of Rage II (free)
James Pond 2: Codename Robocod (PSone) (free)
The 2D Adventures of Rotating Octopus Character (minis) (free)
Babel: The King of the Blocks (minis) (free)

Store Deals

PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX – (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
Worms 2: Armageddon – (was – £11.99/€14.99 now – £6.29/€7.99)
Worms 2: Armageddon Battle Pack – (was – £3.19/€3.99 now – £1.99/€2.49)
Noby Noby Boy – (was – £3.19/€3.99 now – £1.99/€2.49)
Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao – (was – £9.99/€12.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
PowerUp Forever – (was – £6.29/€7.99 now – £2.39/€2.99)
Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer – (was – £6.29/€7.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype – (was – £9.99/€12.99 now – £5.10/€6.49)
Blade Kitten – (was – £7.19/€8.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
Space Invaders: Infinity Gene – (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
Ferrari: The Race Experience – (was – £11.99/€14.99 now – £5.49/€6.99)
Borderlands – (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £15.99/€19.99)
Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part One – (was – £12.99/€16.99 now – £7.19/€8.99)
Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part Two – (was – £12.99/€16.99 now – £7.19/€8.99)
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light – (was – £9.99/€12.99 now – £5.10/€6.49)
Blue Toad Murder Files Episode One – (now free)
Blue Toad Murder Files: Season Upgrade – (was – £8.99/€11.25 now – £7.19/€8.99)
Premier Manager – (was – £13.99/€17.99 now – £7.19/€8.99)
HamsterBall – (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £3.99/€4.99)
Ricochet HD – (was – £6.29/€7.99 now – £3.19/€3.99)
Assassin’s Creed II – (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £17.49/€21.99)
Voodoo Dice (PS3 version) – (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £5.49/€6.99)
Cell Factor: Psychokinetic Wars – (was – £7.99/€9.99 now – £5.49/€6.99)
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game + Knives Chau Add-on Bundle – (£7.99/€9.99)
God of War HD Collection - (was – £23.99/€29.99 now – £14.99/€19.99)
Paper Wars: Cannon Fodder (mini) – (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £0.99/€1.19)
Mad Blocker Alpha: ROTF (mini) – (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £0.99/€1.19)
Edge (mini) – (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £0.99/€1.19)
Space Shooter for 2 Bucks (mini) – (was – £1.74/€1.99 now – £0.99/€1.19)
Angry Birds (mini) – (was – £2.49/€2.99 now – £1.24/€1.49)
Rayman (PSone) – (was – £3.99/€4.99 now – £2.99/€3.59)

Downloadable Games

Hoard (£7.99/€9.99)
Outland (£7.99/€9.99)
Armageddon Riders (£7.99/€9.99)
Under Siege (£11.99/€14.99)
Space Ace
(£7.99/€9.99)
Streets Of Rage 2 (£3.99/€4.99)
Puzzle Agent (£7.99/€9.99)
EA SPORTS MMA (£23.99/€29.99)

PSone Classics

Final Fantasy VI (£7.99/€9.99)
Rageball (£2.99/€2.99)
Rascal Racers (£2.39/€3.59)
Parasite Eve 2 (£5.49/€6.99)

PSP Minis

Buddy Dodge (£2.49/€2.99)
Drums Challenge (£2.99/€3.59)
Zombie Racers (£3.49/€3.99)

Downloadable Content

Marvel Pinball – Fantastic Four (£1.99/€2.49)
Moon Diver - Arctic Theme Pack (£7.99/€9.99)
Moon Diver - Pixel Pixie Mod (£0.79/€0.99)
Red Faction: Battlegrounds – Armageddon Pack (£1.99/€2.49)

Posted by Ryan Langley at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since being announced at Konami's E3 presentation last year, a North American localization of Otomedius Excellent managed to elude a retail release following a series of last-minute delays. At long last, the game has received a firm release date and official boxart, cementing its stateside debut on July 19th.

A successor to Konami's esteemed Gradius series, the Otomedius games feature horizontally scrolling shooter gameplay backed by a lineup of heavily-armed schoolgirls inspired by spacecraft from Salamander, Xexyx, and TwinBee. They also just so happen to fit neatly into moe archetypes, so expect to see lots of cleavage-revealing outfits and eyepatches -- not the pirate kind, but the sexxxy medical kind.

Otomedius Excellent's $29.99 standard edition will be accompanied on store shelves by a $49.99 Limited Edition, which includes an art book, a soundtrack CD, and -- sigh -- a double-sided pillowcase featuring the game's female cast. Last E3's (awkward, censored) announcement follows after the break below.

[via GamePro]

Posted by Danny Cowan at 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Fresh off the recent cartridge debut of Visco's previously unreleased Bang Bang Busters, Neo Conception International revealed that the Neo Geo CD puzzler Treasure of the Caribbean will see a limited reproduction run in December.

Little was known about Treasure of the Caribbean prior to its discovery, other than the fact that it was created by Face, developer of Gurumin, Zupapa and the excellent Money Puzzle Exchanger, which was released as a downloadable title for the PlayStation 3 and PSP last year.

Prototype discovery group Neo Geo Protos will assist with the limited release, and notes that other recently discovered Neo Geo prototypes will soon receive the same treatment. Likely candidates: the Blues Brothers-inspired puzzler Fun Fun Bros, arcade pinball sim Last Odyssey, and the Saurus-developed Magic Master.

Posted by Danny Cowan at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Much has been happening in the world of game related toys and models since since the subject was last touched upon. Okay, not really. Yet there's must ground to cover as I attempt to bring everyone here at GSW up to speed as it relates to recent developments and announcements. So no time to waste!

What you see above is a custom crafted Break Man figure by Nagano Ken, whom I have absolutely zero information on, other than he's a fan of Proto Man's alter ego, which lasted all but one game (his very first, Mega Man 3). As spotted at Rockman's corner.

On a related note comes this prototype of Zero by Kotobukiya. Via Cybergundam, one of my favorite first run sources for such info...

Perhaps some of you might be familiar with the figures based upon the Super Meat Boy by Voxelous? Though most simply know about the first series, which covers Meat Boy, Bandage Girl, Brownie, and Tofu Boy. There's also a second wave, featuring guest characters Dr. Fetus, Commander Video, Jill, and Ogmo? Here we have the star of Mighty Jill Off, which is still available for sale, and the star of the Bit.Trip series, which I believe is sold out? At least Tomopop managed to save a picture...

Capcom recently announced a second volume of keychains based upon the helpful cat-folk that provide valuable assistance in Monster Hunter. Much like volume one, which sold out super quickly, hence why another series was immediately commissioned, you have six different outfits, each worn by a Felyne and a Melynx, for a grand total of twelve pieces. The entire set ships in mid August and can be pre-ordered via Hobby Search as well...

In addition to miniaturized versions of your favorite game characters, one can also find miniaturized versions of your favorite game hardware. Teeny-tiny consoles were all the rage initially, but once everyone ran out of systems, arcade cabs were next. For iDOLM@STER fans out there, the following comes out in September and can be pre-ordered via National Console Support...

Something else one can nab at NCSX or any of the other major toy and model importers, primarily if you're a fanatic of No More Heroes, is this sexy Sylvia Christel statue that lands in October. Please refer to Moeyo's extensive gallery for additional product details...

As mentioned before, Persona 3 is a popular source of material for toy and model makers, but Persona 4? Oddly enough, not so much. Though this poster that was spotted by Akiba Hobby from the just passed Mega Hobby Expo 2011 is certainly encouraging...

... Looks somewhat like one spotted in Tomopop's game specific round up of Treasure Festa, though the real highlight of this particular set are the garage kits based upon the Otomedius girls, which I asked everyone NOT to confuse with the upcoming line of Gradius X Busou Shinki...

And finally, I had also previously spoken of the seemingly MIA Metal Gear Rex from ThreeA. Well, what perfect timing: they recently posted a very brief clip of the light-up rail gun in action. Despite being only nine seconds long, it's at least proof that the dream is still alive!

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

[The Gaming Doctrine is a monthly GameSetWatch column by Richard Clark about the intersection of gaming, religion, spirituality, and morality. This month - why Chain World should have been kept off of eBay, and what it has to do with games in general.]

Chain World was a good idea.

It wasn't marketable and it wasn't going to change the world. It wasn't even an entirely revolutionary idea: it was, in fact, a modified version of Minecraft. In a GDC presentation, creator Jason Rohrer anticipated Chain World would take on a life of its own as, one after another, players made their mark on a place that continued through time.

They would then pass that world on to someone else, via a USB stick, and that person would then explore what was left and create something for the next player. Down the line it would go, until the end of time, or at least until no one was able to run the thing anymore. It was the most brilliant of the several entries in the 2011 GDC Game Design Challenge because of its simplicity, its ability to be carried out, and the possibilities that were set forth as a result.

It was a good idea, and part of the beauty was the inherent mystery of the process: would I be one of the elected? Who was elected before me? How long would I live in Chain World, and what would be my purpose within it? Even if we didn't anticipate actually taking part in this game, we took part in the wonder. We took part in the hope. Maybe one day, we thought, it will happen to us.

Then, Chain World's first disciple put the game on eBay. For many, this was the moment when Chain World would find its true purpose: to help to raise money for a good cause. To show to the world that games and those who play them can in fact impact the world for good.

Games could make a difference. Games, and eBay.

But for those like me, who fell in love with the fundamental idea of the game as a simulacrum of religion, and who wanted to see it grow and flourish, not only in and of itself, but in the minds of those whom it had inspired, this was when the game went off the rails. Suddenly Chain World wasn't about mystery, anticipation, or hope. Instead, it became yet another marketable game, blending right in with our capitalist framework, a simple object sold to the highest bidder.

Of course, Chain World's immediate owner decreed that some wouldn't have to pay for the experience. Flowing along the tides of our culture, certain celebrities were granted access to Chain World without needing to reserve it, pay for it, or wondrously hope for it. The course of Chain World was determined by those in power. Those who were given this gift would pass it on to the obvious, the powerful, and the wealthy.

All of this seems irrelevant if one focuses on the good that came out of the sale of Chain World: $3,300 went directly to Gamers Give Back, a laudable and perfectly deserving charity that provides games and toys for hospitals, youth and children's groups. It's a good result, and we can know this because it was a quantifiable result.

But so many great things in this world aren't able to be measured or even known. Art in general is like that. It affects us deeply in ways that even we can't often articulate. We love, fear, desire, laugh, and think deeply about what we've experienced. These experiences change who we are first, rather than simply manipulating us in to doing good things. This is why our world so highly prizes the artistic experience: we can't help ourselves, because we know there's something deeply rewarding in it, even if that reward can't be predicted or even recounted.

These experiences - whether we're talking about Braid, Minecraft, Chainworld, Pac-Man, or Mario - exist because someone took the time to create something from within themselves, for others outside of themselves. When we play them, we take part in something greater than ourselves, and not being able to put our finger on it, that inherent mystery, is what makes those experiences joyful and profound. As a result, we become slightly better people; and slightly better people do slightly better things in the context of their real lives.

Charity auctions are great, and for those who benefit from them, they are profoundly meaningful. But self-awareness, empathy, and deep resonant joy are the things that lead to charity in the first place. If we are able to produce games (among other things) that help us to more fully experience some of these emotions, why would we want to sell them short?

Going forward, the real challenge of the game industry is to live up to those possibilities. Like film, music, and sports, video games are already filling those roles, and they have the potential to be known for it. When concepts like Chain World come along - concepts that do something so deeply rich and profound with the medium - we should be celebrating them, not exploiting them, even if it's for a good cause. Sometimes we have to exercise a little bit of faith in the art, the game, and humanity.

We have to trust that a good idea will never go to waste.

[Richard Clark is the editor-in-chief of Christ and Pop Culture, where he regularly writes about video games, and a staff writer for Kill Screen's website. He lives in Louisville, KY. He can be reached at deadyetliving at gmail dot com or followed on twitter (@deadyetliving).]

Posted by Richard Clark at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Turns out that David Dino, who has long dabbled with the digital canvas that is LittleBigPlanet. -- in addition to being an LBP GOTY Featured Creator, his custom Street Fighter and Zone of the Enders mods are no doubt familiar to anyone that has frequented most popular gaming blogs in recent months -- is also a fan of Gundam. Hence the Gundam Wing Project: Survival Training mod.

What you see above is the training level, in which you must attempt to survive wave after wave after wave of enemy mecha. Do well enough to reach a sufficient rank, and you'll get the chance to face off against the Wing's nemesis, the dreaded Tallgeese. Worth noting is the exemplary animation (enough to impress Ollie Barder, a gentleman who clearly knows giant Japanese robots plus then some) and the authentic music, lifted straight from the show.

Simply hit the cut to check out the aforementioned boss-battle. Apparently new content is being worked on, so hopefully the rest of the Gundam Wing cast will eventually join the melee.

[via Mecha Damashii]

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The excruciatingly long wait for the WiiWare version of La-Mulana, which is comparable only to the lengthy wait for the WiiWare version of Cave Story, is finally coming to a close. The game will be released first in its homeland of Japan on June 21st.

Yesterday's entry from the game's official blog states: "To our fans, you just have to wait a tiny big longer. We’re sorry, but we’re, of course, doing our best to deliver La-Mulana to you as soon as possible... We are now working on the final check for NA/EU versions. It has been a little delayed due to the different processing systems that we are not quite familiar with. We will announce the release date as soon as we possible, so please wait a little bit more!"

They're clearly aware of how patient their fans have been and are aiming to please, which is much appreciated. Furthermore, given the relatively short gap of time for Virtual Console releases between Japan and other territories, the timeframe should hardly be anything.

In other news, the day before to be exact, it was revealed that a digital guide book will also accompany the game. Even though it wasn't implicitly stated, based upon the sole image shown, it appears to have been designed with the iPad at least in mind...

There will be two volumes: the first will serve as a manual, plus detail the first part of the game, and shall precede the game's release. The second will cover the latter part of the game, as well as provide some assistance, though it's been explained: "Although this is a strategy guide, take note that it only gives you hints and does not show how exactly you can solve puzzles." Volume two is free of charge, unlike the first, though all proceeds Japanese relief efforts.

Perhaps the most curious bit of news is how there might be a PS3 version on the way, or at least that's how Destructoid sees it. They caught the image of Asterizm's cute little blue mascot lounging on a Dual Shock 3, which can only be seen on the home page, hence why many might have missed it...

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Now that Takahashi Meijin's finished his last days at Hudson Soft, where he served as a marketing exec and the star of platforming series Adventure Island for 28 years, the pitchman can now reveal his next eployer, and unfortunately it's not another developer or publisher.

He is joining GaCha Communication, the Tokyo-based producer of game information variety program GaCha TV. The web show began broadcasting in 2001, puting out over 400 episodes -- Takahashi has appeared on the program several times already to talk about Virtual Console releases.

Though Hudson owns the trademark to the "Takahashi Meijin"/Master Takahashi title (his real name is Toshiyuki Takahashi), the company will allow him to continue using the name so long as he doesn't release any products with that name. You can follow Meijin's exploits on his new 16 Shot blog.

[Via Andriasang]

Posted by Eric Caoili at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Break out your NES emulators or expensive flashcarts: Morphcat has released a demo for a homebrew NES platformer called Super Bat Puncher, and as you'll see in the full playthrough video above, this 8-bit title is off the chain.

Super Bat Puncher features a cute hero with a spring-loaded boxing glove, a very awesome soundtrack by Dave Harris, and of course lots of bat punching. As you explore the stages, you'll pick up upgrades for your boxing glove to help with the puzzle platforming.

Download Super Bat Puncher for free right here. If you have a friend over, don't forget to try the two-player mode!

[Thanks, UncleSporky!]

Posted by Eric Caoili at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Illustrator Olly Moss has worked on a lot of artwork for and calling back to video games, like the Video Game Classics mock book cover series and Resistance 3's striking cover -- so it's no surprise that he paid tribute to gaming characters in his latest show.

"Paper Cuts" was Moss' solo exhibit at Gallery 1988 earlier this month, featuring 300 laser cut silhouettes of pop culture icons like E.T., Tom Hanks and Wilson from Castaway, Batman, Waldo, The Tick, No Face, Pee Wee Herman, and Carmen Sandiego.

It also includes over a dozen video game characters, like the Chun Li one above. I've embeded all the gaming silhouettes from the series that I can find -- see if you can identify them all!

[Via Wonderland]

Posted by Eric Caoili at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

[Continuing his new 'Tales from the GDC Vault' series, digital historian Jason Scott looks at the evolution of GDC's programs and print advertisements, as well as some of the show's eclectic video reels from the 1990s.]

I suppose I could have entitled this entry "Judging a Book by its Cover," but even I have to draw the line somewhere. Welcome again to another entry of Tales from the GDC Vault, as I bring to you some highlights from GDC history that I am adding to the archives.

I've been capturing tapes like crazy, focusing on the "interesting" stuff, which really means I am essentially judging books by their cover -- I have to go by the tape labels, and if they mention keynotes and premieres, I put those at the top of the to-do list, while tapes that simply list the room number and session time have to wait for another time. Good thing I have some reference material to compare the times and dates to!

Along with the hundreds of video and audio tapes I received in the mail was a three foot stack of documents, mostly made of programs, proceedings and stray advertisements from various GDCs over the last 15 years. I've mostly been using them as reference material, as I type in the descriptions for talks that I'm digitizing. But these documents serve another purpose; they become visual manifestations of what attendees saw in their swag bag when they picked up their badges. Let's check them out.

(By the way, I put scanned images and photographs from GDC Vault work on the Official GDC Flickr account.)

The earliest two covers I have, from 1993 and 1994 respectively, show black and white, almost science-fiction-like drawings, including one of a robot playing chess, which is about as retro as you can get. As pure trivia, and possibly coincidence, the first game software sold for microcomputers was a chess game.

 

Luckily, I've gotten the covers for almost every program or proceedings booklet from 1993 to 2009. In some cases, the booklet is better for its information than as scanner fodder, because I think some of them spent an awful lot of time under a lot of other things. Still, with a little cleanup, they start to look pretty good. Here's some from the late 1990s:

 

The purple one is from 1997, and the orange one is from 1998. With the addition of sharp colors and slick paper, the programs and proceedings start to feel very substantial.

Skip forward to the latter half of the 2000s, and the programs and proceedings look like flyers for a rave:

By the way, there's nothing wrong with looking like a rave! The intersection of club or dance aesthetics with the action-glamour aspects of videogames is well-tread ground that is worth exploring in some future column, but the shift in the covers tells the story in its own clear fashion. That, and it demonstrates the reducing cost of printing spiffier and spiffier covers.

Here's the full set of scans, including the covers and occasional inside pages I gathered to see how they look online. To properly get good scans, sadly, you really need to break the binding on these programs, and I just won't do that unless I can get at least two copies of each, so please, if you have an extra copy of a program, consider donating it to be scanned -- I'd love to turn these programs and proceedings into PDFs so they can be perused by the masses.

Additionally, I have two videos added to the GDC Extras Vault on archive.org, which is where I'm putting items caught in the net that don't really qualify for the main GDC Vault. One caveat, as always, is that perhaps nobody will want these items.

And the first one probably falls under that -- it appears to be a set of test renderings of a 3D (in the old sense) CGI version of the 1999 GDC Logo/Brand. We see the letters come slowly in, quickly in, flopping in, and so on. Either this went up on a screen during an event, or a group was showing the GDC organizers some possible logo renderings to put before recorded video, but who knows. I figured it at least shows how it was still a bit time-consuming to render out CGI logos back in 1999.

More interesting from a historical perspective is the second tape, which is a 1996 gameplay sizzle tape. Almost definitely made for the 1997 GDC, this appears to be a collection of footage and screen captures from console and PC games in 1996 or earlier, including Super Mario 64, Wing Commander III, Civilization II, and You Don't Know Jack. There are lots of little snippets in there, and there's even a chance some might have been in beta form when the footage was taken. I'm sure time will tell.

(It's probably at least worthwhile to browse the thumbnails page of this video, and see how many you recognize.)

Until next time, previous attendees -- please keep rifling through your archives of your visits to GDC. I'd love to get your stuff online.

Posted by Jason Scott at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Silver Dollar Games' output for the Xbox Live Indie Games service has been a little...unstable, as of late. After releasing the surprise mega-hit Don't B Nervous Talking 2 Girls (which even got a mention on Conan O'Brien's show, if you can believe it), the company followed up with bizarre releases like the non-interactive platformer Game 35, not-farting dexterity challenge Try Not to Fart, and the office worker suicide sim Office Affairs.

This week, Silver Dollar Games launched Why Did I Buy This?, a high-concept title in which players must successfully talk their way out of purchasing the latest Silver Dollar Games release.

Yes, really! The trial edition pits players against a persistent telemarketer who demands 80 Microsoft points for the full version of Why Did I Buy This? Branching dialog choices allow players to engage the telemarketer with rude or polite responses. After a long argument, the call is then escalated to company management, where the upsell continues unabated.

As Silver Dollar notes, "winning" the game is a losing proposition; if players give in to the telemarketer's demands and purchase the full version (which is a real Xbox Live transaction, involving real money), the reward is a screen saver application.

Posted by Danny Cowan at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Taking a break from releasing games like Lesbian Spider-Queens of Mars and Mighty Jill Off, indie developer Anna "Auntie Pixelante" Anthropy has posted her findings from an in-depth study on "Which Animal Characters Are The Most Popular On Rule 34".

Rule #34, as Wikipedia defines it, is "If it exists, there is porn of it. No exceptions." There's actually a NSFW site dedicated to that rule, and Anthropy tallied the Animal Crossing images posted there to see which characters and species from the otherwise innocent game are the most desired.

She found that of all the characters from the GameCube/Wii/DS series, Sable Able, the shy porcupine seamstress who co-owns the Able Sisters shop, was the most popular figure immortalized by smut makers, followed by Tom Nook, Sable's sister Mabel, K.K. Slider, and hairdresser Harriet.

Anthropy speculates on the illustrators' infatuation with Sable:

"In the game, she initially ignores the player outright, focused silently on her work, but she gradually opens to the player about herself after many repeat visits over the course of many days.

This intimacy between the player and character that develops only after a long period of time and active pursuit seem to be reflected in a huge amount of player desire, in the form of smutty drawings starring the character."

Posted by Eric Caoili at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's out of the bag -- Certain Affinity have revealed their first unique title since the 2009 -- Crimson Alliance, a new cooperative hack-and-slash for the Xbox Live Arcade.

Players can choose from three classes -- Assassin, Mercenary and Wizard and play with up to 3 friends on the same console or over Xbox Live. Players will be unlocking new abilities while battling through labyrinthine crypts and ruined cities, and teaming up with friends for massive combo attacks.

Currently we just have the one screenshot, seen above, but the game will be playable at E3, so expect some footage soon enough.

Posted by Ryan Langley at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For whatever reason, Red Faction series developer Volition threatened to put a rainbow-farting unicorn in its upcoming sci-fi third-person shooter Red Faction: Armageddon if the demo version was downloaded more than one million times. Well, that happened.

"Mr. Toots" will be available as an unlockable weapon in Armageddon, set for release next week. Presumably a distant relative of the antimatter gun from Red Faction: Guerrilla, Mr. Toots decimates the opposition with a royal rainbow of destruction launched from between his fluffy butt cheeks. Remember: you did this.

I found it funny that Volition was responsible for both the relatively serious Red Faction series (ostrich hammers aside) and the over-the-top ridiculous Saints Row games, but I assume that this is the first step toward melding both franchises into one cohesive whole. I'm looking forward to the next Red Faction, in which new protagonist Mason Saint hoses down insurgent forces with Martian sewage.

Posted by Danny Cowan at 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's kind of amazing how prolific Hudson has become in the months following its brutal demise at the hands of parent company Konami. For the second time in a month, Hudson has updated its TurboGrafx-16 GameBox retro compilation for iOS platforms, this time adding the PC Engine port of Seibu Kaihatsu's Raiden, among other titles.

Raiden, released in arcades in 1990, was a landmark title that bridged the gap between the vertically scrolling shooter genre's primitive beginnings and the modern era. Despite the rarity of disc-based console shoot-'em-up releases stateside, the Raiden series' latest sequel, Raiden IV, and a compilation of the Raiden Fighters subseries were released at retail for the Xbox 360 in North America -- a testament to the franchise's enduring legacy.

Raiden is joined by four other games in the latest GameBox update -- the side-scrolling brawler/platformer Shockman, overhead-view racer Moto Roader, the retitled Wonder Boy III port Dragon's Curse, and Sunsoft's Japanese RPG Out Live, which boasts the confusing subtitle "It's Far a Future on PLANET." Free time-limited trial versions are available for each of the compilation's 31 games; individual titles can be purchased for $2.99 each.

Posted by Danny Cowan at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Artist Gary Storkamp was recently commissioned to create Dragon Ball Z-stylized versions of the Koopalings. No reason given by Storkamp, and perhaps he doesn't care, so long as the client fulfills his or her end of the agreement.

Thus far have Lemmy, above, along with Larry and Iggy. Fingers are crossed that the rest of the clan gets the same treatment. Or at the very least, I'm dying to know how Wendy O. Koopa turns out. To see the other two, simply check out Storkamp's blog.

[via Albotas]

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Starting with part three, the Ryū ga Gotoku series (otherwise known as Yakuza outside of Japan) has had an alcoholic beverage tie-in with each release. So perhaps it's fitting that the latest installment gets one as well, especially as one gets the impression that franchise might be drawing to a close. And what better way to say goodbye to an old friend by getting blotto?

Sega has partnered with distiller Seifuku Shuzo once again to produce the limited edition bottle of Seifuku Shikwasa that you see above. I must confess: I consider myself to be fairly knowledgeable of Japanese sprits and am still completely ignorant of what Seifuku Shikwasa precisely is. I'm guessing it's a brand of shochu of some kind, though it could easily be sake as well.

Though I've had my share of Japanese hard liquor that's just as colorful, and must assume it's equally tasty (plus strong). Each bottle will cost 1,890 yen and can be pre-ordered via this page, but I have no idea if international shipping is an option.

[via Andriasang]

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

That's how Game Arthritis characterizes itself. A collaboration between Matteo Bittanti and art collective IOCOSE, it explores the impact that the digital world has on real life bodies. Consider it art, social commentary, parody, or perhaps everything in-between.

Every popular interface has an associated disorder, and in addition to the primary photographic evidence (with the emphasis on "graphic"), there and supporting x-rays, even footnotes. Not real of course. The best part is the detailed descriptions, such as the following for PlayStation Thumb:

"Early research conducted in the 1990s indicates that a significant amount of female subjects affected by the PlayStation Thumb are having more pleasurable orgasms. The deformed finger is used by some as an organic dildo. The peculiar shape of the finger makes it apparently easier to reach the g-spot. The repeated movements – hysterical, frenzied fidgeting – is particularly common after consumption of alcohol beverages, which may suggest a correlation. It has been observed that, in some cases, subjects penetrate their own orifices with game controllers."

[via Design You Trust]

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a big day for fans of PopCap's battle between fauna and flesh-eaters. For starters, the iOS versions of Plants vs. Zombies have also just been updated with a host of additions.

Along with a new mode, Zen Garden, you've got six additional mini-games. Zombiquarium, It’s Raining Seeds, Column Like You See, Slot Machine, and Beghouled Twist all sound dandy, but Portal Combat is what prompted me to dig deeper. Which as it turns out, actually has you thinking with portals! Too bad there's no fatalities, at least I know of (I'm assuming the name is a play off the term that popped up recently when gamers were forced to chose between Portal 2 or the new Mortal Kombat, which both came out on the same day).

There's also a bunch of new achievements to be gotten, though the real big news is for all those Android handset owners out there; not only has it finally landed on Google's mobile platform, but it's completely free for today on the Amazon App Store. Unfortunately, most of the day has passed already, so I'd just suggest you run, not walk to purchase it.

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Fans of Meteos -- as well as fans of puzzlers who haven't yet experienced the fun of Meteos -- you can now play a game very similar to the match-three-and-launch DS/XBLA game on your iPad for $2.99.

Chinese developer ShangDiHui has released Mini Meteors, which uses the same Q-Entertainment formula, challenging players to defend different planets by matching colored blocks and launching them back into space.

Mini Meteors features nine different planets, each with three levels, three special gifts/achievemeents to collect, multiple difficulty levels, different speed and gravity. It also features online leaderboards.

[Via Touch Arcade]

Posted by Eric Caoili at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's another wicked Shadow of the Colossus shirt featuring the silhouettes of Wander and Valus, very similar to the one we mentioned as an aside last week but more awesome (IMO) thanks to its dramatic black/white/grays and its use of the bottom hem.

1000XP says he "carefully" hand paints each shirt individually, washing them afterward and making them machine washable thereafter. It sounds like these would be pretty expensive, but you can order one of these as a crew-neck or v-neck for just $20!

Posted by Eric Caoili at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Finnish developer Arvi "Hempuli" Teikari (Officer Alfred, Dooors) is currently shopping around this Flash puzzle-platformer, Once In Space, which features a fun-looking gravity gimmick and music by Nicklas "Nifflas Nygren (Knytt, NightSky).

The goal here is simple enough -- "collect all stars in a level and then reach the goal flag" -- but you'll need to bounce off creatures, navigate gravity arrows, and use your momentum to rotate your way around all the platforms.

Hempuli is looking for a sponsor at Flash Game License, so Once in Space isn't available to play yet, you can download and try out an older version of the title here. The final game will have 21 levels, achievements, and more.

[Via Hempuli]

Posted by Eric Caoili at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Many gamers would much rather see a sequel to a classic title rather than a remake, and apparently a follow-up is what Treasure originally had in mind when it considered returning to the Guardian Heroes beat'em up it released on Sega Saturn 15 years ago.

But Treasure was inspired by the success of The Behemoth's own brawler, Castle Crashers, which has sold nearly 2.2 million copies across XBLA and PSN, according to a recent interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu 360 translated by Gaspode_T.

The developer hopes to take advantage of renewed enthusiasm for the genre by first releasing Guardian Heroes HD for XBLA this fall. And as every game company promises, Treasure says if that sells well, that might motivate Sega to fund a sequel.

Treasure also commented that it initially wanted to recreate all the graphics in HD, but it believes tht retaining the original visuals is important, and decided to just use an optional (and so far maligned by fans) shader/post-effect mode.

Guardian Heroes HD will feature a high-definition/widesscreen presentation, online co-op and battles, new modes of play, bug fixes, re-balanced characters, sound effects and voices that were cut from the original release due to limitations, and more.

Posted by Eric Caoili at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The GDC Vault service has debuted free video talks from Game Developers Conference 2011, including Chris Crawford's much-acclaimed 'In Days Of Yore' talk, plus a 2-hour Halo: Reach tech talk and Maxis' Stone Librande on board games for his kids.

These talks add to recent free videos from Jane McGonigal, Monaco's Andy Schatz on winning the IGF, and Playdom's Scott Jon Siegel, as well as the much-watched classic game postmortem series as part of GDC 2011's 'free recordings' section.

The following lectures from GDC 2011's acclaimed Main Conference -- which were some of the highlights of this year's February 28th-March 4th show in San Francisco -- are being made free at this time:

The talk 'In Days of Yore' sees original CGDC founder and legendary game designer Chris Crawford (Balance Of Power) present a powerful talk on the earliest days of making games, "times of technological swashbuckling, shoestring budgets, amateur designers, amateurish products, and wild experimentation."

As Crawford (pictured) notes for this special 'GDC 25' talk: "Just getting things to move around on the screen was a huge technical challenge. Nobody knew what the hell they were doing, but everybody knew that we were creating a new medium and a new industry... You'll be amazed by the differences -- and stunned by the similarities."

In addition, GDC organizers are making an already much-watched subscriber only talk from Bungie's David Aldridge, 'I Shot You First: Networking the Gameplay of Halo: Reach', free for all. As Aldridge explains in the special 2-hour video talk on the tech behind Bungie's final Halo franchise title:

"Find out all the things that are wrong with that statement in this gripping tale of the perilous minefield that lies between sockets and game code. This talk describes in detail the patterns and processes that have allowed Bungie to repeatedly set new standards for gameplay networking quality."

Finally, Maxis veteran Stone Librande (Spore) presents a sentimental favorite from this year's conference, '15 Games in 15 Years'. Over the past 15 years, Stone has been designing card and board games to entertain his children as they grew from age 3 to age 18.

It's explained: "During this session he shows 15 of those games and describes how his design techniques have evolved over time, as he went from making simple color matching games to tactical battle simulations. Along the way he talks about the lessons he has learned and how his children have shaped his personal design philosophy."

As the team behind the leading worldwide game creation conference, GDC organizers are committed to making many of the event's best lectures -- both current and historical -- available for free to the global game community, and will continue rolling out new free content throughout 2011.

Full GDC Vault access is available to GDC 2011 All-Access Pass holders, speakers, and All-Access Pass buyers to other GDC events for the rest of 2011, and subscribers having issues accessing content should contact GDC Vault admins.

Individual Vault subscriptions not tied to All-Access passes have recently launched in a limited-edition Beta invite process -- those interested in signing up to be invited in on a first come, first served basis should sign up on the GDC Vault website.

In addition, game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company. More information on this option is available via viewing an online demonstration.

GDC organizers are also committed to making more archival content free for all during 2011, following a successful 'GDC 25 Chronicles' digitization project. GDC historian Jason Scott has been retained for the rest of 2011 to continue digitizing the extensive Game Developers Conference archives, with his 'Tales From The GDC Vault' series

Posted by Simon Carless at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you want to complete your Atari Jaguar, Tiger Game.com, and Atari Lynx game collections -- many, many times over -- online retailer Go Atari's entire inventory is up for sale on a "best offer" basis.

Go Atari's stock includes an almost unfathomable number of stinky garbage games. While the list features semi-classics like Alien vs. Predator, Tempest 2000, and Todd's Adventures in Slime World, Go Atari's buyer will also receive 216 copies of Scrapyard Dog for the Lynx, 41 White Men Can't Jump multitap bundles, and 322 copies of the infamous Game.com port of Capcom's Resident Evil 2.

Though this could be a tempting prospect if you want to sell old video games on eBay for the rest of your life, note that nearly 14 percent of the inventory's value is attributed to Atari Jaguar controllers; the lot includes 4,940 of the 17-button behemoths -- a retail value of $49,153! Assuming you can find a spacious abandoned lot or wayward garbage barge for the controllers, though, your dreams of literally bathing in copies of Cybermorph are close at hand.

[via @GDRI]

Posted by Danny Cowan at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Illusion Labs was one of the first developers to strike it rich in the App Store with first-generation hits like Labyrinth and the skateboarding stunt sim Touchgrind. This week, the company launched Touchgrind's bike-based sequel, Touchgrind BMX.

Ditching Touchgrind's overhead perspective for an all-new third-person engine, Touchgrind BMX evolves the trick-based gameplay introduced in the original title. Players perform aerial stunts and combos to rack up high scores and earn unlockable medals in a variety of events.

Also new to the series is a replay recording feature that allows for easy sharing via YouTube and Facebook. One can only hope that a Skate-styled highlight reel is forthcoming.

Posted by Danny Cowan at 2:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While North America continues to languish without a disc release for Examu's all-female 2D fighter Arcana Heart 3 -- the game was only released as a PlayStation Network download stateside, and thus cannot be purchased at all as of this writing -- publisher Zen United is planning a deluxe limited edition for its multiplatform debut next month in Europe. And with the release, a new standard for ad copy has been established.

"Let robotic, Kung-Fu mistress, Mei-Fang, soothe away your combo-induced aches and pains with her LUXURY WRIST PILLOWS!" reads the somewhat unbelievable description. "Nestle your tired wrist between her SUMPTUOUS SILICON MOUNDS for a mouse-shifting experience that must be felt to be believed!"

Arcana Heart 3 isn't the first game to be bundled with an ergonomic mouse pad for anime breast fetishists -- you may remember Aksys' shameless Record of Agarest War special edition, for one -- but it's notable for its frankness, if anything. The "Sugoi Oppai [Totally Sweet Boobs] Fans Edition" is limited to 500 pieces, and in case there was any doubt as to the nature of the contents, it includes what the publisher actually, seriously calls a "Super 3D Boobie Mousemat."

The Fans Edition additionally packs a 144-page artbook, a soundtrack CD, and a collectible card set featuring art and movesets for the game's fighters. All of these items, minus the boob mat, are also featured in a lower-priced Limited Edition shipping on June 30th.

Posted by Danny Cowan at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

If you live in New York City and have a hard time concentrating on the objectives in Grand Theft Auto 4, because you can't stop yourself from obsessively comparing you real world stomping grounds with your virtual one (like I do), then this is for you.

The folks at GTA4.net have added street view functionality to their interactive map of Liberty City, which was already based upon the Google Map API, making it like the real deal at long last. It might not be as smooth and elegant as one might hope or expect, but it gets the job done, and is at least FAR more useable than the one for San Andreas, with its rather buggy Java backend. The entire thing was pieced together via 80,000 screenshots, courtesy of GTA4.net's clearly dedicated community.

There's supposedly Easter Eggs abound; been walking the streets via the app a little while and have yet to see anything, but there's plenty of ground to cover yet. Plus, hopefully a few will eventually end up at places such as this.

[via Kotaku]

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Organizers of the Independent Games Festival China, which runs in conjunction with the Game Developers Conference China, have officially announced a call for indie game submissions from the pan-Pacific area now through Thursday, September 1.

Following on its success in past years, GDC China -- part of the UBM TechWeb network, as is this website -- will continue to host the three main elements of IGF China, including the Independent Games Summit, which provides valuable conference sessions specializing in the challenges of independent game development.

These include the Independent Games Festival Pavilion, an onsite exhibition of the very best in local indie games, and the Independent Games Festival Awards, which honors the work of the talented pool of local independent game developers.

The 2011 IGF China Main Competition will give out awards and cash prizes in five categories, including:

- Best Game (RMB20,000 ~ $3,060 USD)
- Mobile Best Game (RMB10, 000 ~ $1,530 USD)
- Excellence In Audio (RMB5,000 ~ $760 USD)
- Excellence In Technology (RMB5,000 ~ $760 USD)
- Excellence In Visual Arts (RMB5,000 ~ $760 USD)

Finalists -- who will receive VIP and expo passes to attend GDC China and the IGF awards ceremony on November 12, 2011 -- will be chosen by a panel of expert jurors including Kevin Li (CEO, TipCat Interactive); Monte Singman (CEO, Radiance Digital Entertainment); Xubo Yang (Director of Digital Art Lab and Assistant Professor; Shanghai Jiaotong University's School of Software), and jury chairman Simon Carless, IGF Chairman Emeritus and EVP of the GDC shows and Gamasutra.

Last year's event saw more than 80 entries for the Main Competition and the Student Competition, including entries from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, India, Iran and more. Winners from last year include titles like Best Game winner Sugar Cube (Turtle Cream - South Korea), ButaVX: Justice Fighter (Nekomura Games - Singapore) for Excellence in Visual Arts, and Skillz: The DJ Game (Playpen Studios - Hong Kong) for Excellence In Audio.

Key dates for IGF China include:

- May 6th, 2011 - Submissions are Open
- September 1st, 2011- Submission Deadline
- September 23rd, 2011- Finalists Announced
- November 12th-14th, 2011 - Game Developers Conference China 2011
- November 13th, 2011 - Independent Games Summit @ GDC China
- November 12th, 2011 - IGF China Awards Ceremony (Winners Announced!)
- November 12th-13th, 2011 - IGF China Pavilion @ GDC China

"We're proud to have IGF China as an integral part of the 2011 GDC China event," said IGF Chairman Emeritus Simon Carless. "IGF China 2011 further broadens the scope of games, not just in geography, but in new and exciting game play ideas as well."

"The world of gaming, and independent games in particular, has benefited immeasurably from the influence of a diverse set of voices and perspectives," he continued. "IGF China provides the perfect showcase for an emerging group of developers."

GDC China moves to the notable new expanded venue of the Shanghai Exhibition Center in Shanghai, China for three days, November 12 - 14, 2011. For more details and information on IGF China please visit GDC China's official website, which includes an IGF China info and submissions page.

Posted by Simon Carless at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CraveOnline, a portal and blog network specializing in "next-generation male lifestyle sites" is hosting a kind of silly (alright, not just kind of) event near E3, where it will attempt to break the world record for "longest video games marathon playing a fighting game".

The network's team members intend to play the latest Mortal Kombat 3 (PS3) for 31 hours straight at its "Non-Stop NOS Gaming Lounge" outside of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

This lounge will be open 24/7 from June 7 to 8, and everyone is invited to stop by and play on two other screens/consoles that will be available there. It will also feature a "Non-Stop DJ", as well as models handing out NOS Energy drinks to visitors and the CraveOnline gamers..

CraveOnline says the highlight of the event will be the "Final Power Hour" from 5PM to 6PM on June 8th, when its team wraps up its 31st hour to break the Guinness World Record.

Posted by Eric Caoili at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I rarely feature sports games here -- not unless they're of the Mutant League variety -- because it's rare for me to see one that excites me, but New Star Soccer 5, despite its graphics looking several generations behind the FIFA/Winning 11 series, is cause for excitement.

Instead of having you control the whole team, New Star Soccer 5 has you playing as just one player, training and leveling up in between games. You'll also manage the football star outside of the pitch, too, helping him pick up sponsors, get drunk, gamble his money away at the track, and more.

Its fast-paced play is addictive even when you're just watching it -- check out the gameplay introduction after the break to see what I mean (skip to 08:30 to see a match). You can preorder New Star Soccer 5 now to receive beta access, but hurry because there are only around 380 beta slots left!

Posted by Eric Caoili at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

[Every week, we round up the titles released for the major console and portable digital delivery services, as compiled by console digital editor Ryan Langley, including Dungeons & Dragons on XBLA, Upbot Goes Up on Xbox Live Indie Games and more]

This week gets us some unique titles on all sides -- Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale, a cooperative hack-and-slash for XBLA, Upbot goes up for XBLIG, Chrono Trigger sees its first SNES release ever on Europe, and Puzzle Quest goes to DSiWare. Still no PSN releases at this moment, but hopefully we'll see the return of them soon.

Xbox Live Arcade

This week's new release is the latest in Atari's attempts on the Xbox Live Arcade: Dungeon And Dragons: Daggerdale. While previous endeavors, like Yar's Revenge and Haunted House, have been a bit of a failure, this actually looks like it could be good. Check out GiantBomb's Quick Look at the game from a few weeks ago. If Torchlight ticked your fancy, this might be worth a look. It's got co-op too, and costs 1200MSP.

Xbox Live Indie Games

Upbot Goes Up is the latest game from Ishisoft, who has previously been known for the great XBLIG titles Johnny Platform's Biscuit Romp, its sequel, and Treasure Treasure: Fortress Forage.

It's a great take on the box-pushing puzzle game with a unique twist: Upbot goes up, Leftbot goes left, Rightbot goes right, and Downbot goes down. You have to use these very simple rules to push other blocks around and solve 60 puzzles. Check it out for 240MSP.

Also an extra note: Craig Forrester, who is Ishisoft, also worked on the wonderfully creative Coin Drop on iOS! The man is certainly talented.

WiiWare / DSiWare (North America)

A surprise release this week -- Puzzle Quest is now available on the DSiWare store, being the entire 2007 retail title, but now available for 800 Points.

It's interesting to see this here -- the publisher is supposedly 1st Playable Productions, who did the DS port originally. How this works with D3 being the original publisher, to Puzzle Quest developer Infinite Interactive being owned by Firemint, and now EA, is anyone's guess.

Also available on DSiWare this week is 99Bullets by EnjoyUp Games for 500 Points, and 3D Twist And Match for 200 Points.

Finally we have one WiiWare title -- Overflow, a liquid-based puzzle game for 500 Points.

WiiWare / DSiWare (Europe)

This week Europe gets Chrono Trigger, one of the most loved SNES RPGs of all time. This marks the first time the SNES version has ever reached European shores. Grab it today for 900 Points.

We also have two DSiWare titles -- GO Series: Picdun, a Phantasy Star style RPG quick-battle game for 500 Points, and the aptly named Calculator, a scientific calculator for 200 Points.

Posted by Ryan Langley at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PachimonTV, a Japanese site that sells somewhat shady goods like console hacking kits and SNES/MD flashcarts, is taking preorders for portable versions of Sega's Dreamcast console (R.I.P).

I've seen several modders build portable Dreamcasts in the past, but this is the first time I've seen anyone producing a run of devices and selling them. PachimonTV will begin shipping them out next month.

They aren't cheap, though! Just one of the handmade handhelds will set you back ¥38,000, or $470, before shipping. That's an awful lot of money to put down for an 11-year-old system.

[Via Andriasang]

Posted by Eric Caoili at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Even if you'd seen the similarly bright and vibrant 2D style of Sony's LocoRoco first, the visual design of HandCircus' Rolando games on iOS was refreshing and full of charm, a warm world populated by animated creatures.

The indie developer's next game, Okabu for PlayStation 3, has that same peppy feel in a 3D environment, promising "a hyper-tactile toybox world filled with a huge number of puzzles, playthings, adorable creatures and devious machines".

Okabu features a co-op campaign in which players "guide Kumulo, Nimbe and the cloud-flying heroes as they battle to save their people and their world from the industrialized threat of the Doza".

HandCircus expects to release the game some time later this year. The wonderful soundtrack featured in this trailer is from Resonate Music.

Posted by Eric Caoili at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

[Every week, IndieGames.com: The Weblog co-editor Tim W. will be summing up some of the top free-to-download and commercial indie games from the last seven days on his sister 'state of indie' weblog.]

This week on 'Best Of Indie Games', we take a look at some of the top independent PC Flash/downloadable titles released over this last week.

The goodies in this edition include a Ludum Dare 20 competition entry, a 2D platformer that encourages players to rebuild stages, a Unity-based arcade game with balls, an unorthodox defense game from Japan, and an arena shooter where you control two characters at the same time.

Here's the highlights from the last seven days:

Game Pick: 'Officer Alfred' (Arvi Teikari, freeware)
"In Officer Alfred you play as the titular character who has to escape from a research facility after it had been discovered by the enemy, guided along by a voice that's coming through the building's PA system. The game features a time shield gimmick that prevents you from getting hurt by the complex's automated defensive weapons."

Game Pick: 'Money' (Enokitake, freeware)
"By the Power of Money is a 2D platformer that encourages players to rebuild a stage as they play, buying and laying blocks with unique properties while trying to keep their spending budget under control."

Game Pick: 'Ball on a Wall' (SmallGreenHill, commercial indie)
"Ball on a Wall is a Unity-based arcade game in which the player has to guide a ball towards randomly-appearing pickups, using only a limited number of blocks that can be pulled out of the wall to prevent said ball from falling off the screen."

Game Pick: 'Warlock Card' (Yoko, browser)
"Warlock Card is an unorthodox defense game that mixes RPG and card-based strategy elements together. You assume the role of a powerful wizard who has the capacity to remember just four spells in his mind, standing firm against whatever adversities that the enemy force decides to send your way."

Game Pick: 'Grief' (Magnesium Ninja Studios, freeware)
"Grief is a puzzle platformer that features twenty levels to play through, where the gimmick revolves around using special platforms to switch between light and dark worlds. The objective of the game is basically to collect the teddy bear found in every stage before guiding the young girl to the exit."

Game Pick: 'Collte's Spoon Devil' (Q Handmade Games, commercial indie)
"Collte's Spoon Devil (Koruruto no Saju Akuma) is an arena shooter with an interesting gimmick: you control two characters at the same time, each with their own set of health meter and weapon. Both of them can get hurt, but you will only lose the round if the witch Collte loses all of her health."

Posted by timw at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Earlier this week we made mention of Cave's online festival. In addition to items normally available at their shop, including soundtracks, art books, and superplay DVDs, one could also find (presumably for a limited time) other shmup related odds and ends, including a variety of drinking containers, even an umbrella.

Another special item is Mushihime-sama Cave Matsuri Ver 1.5 (a special Cave Festival version of the first Mushihime, as opposed to the sequel as one might mistakenly assumed). Note that this is an arcade board, NOT a console release. According to Cave-STG, gameplay additions and tweaks include: "The ability to start the game at MAX Power and four options. Doing so, however, also increases the firepower of the enemies. You also start with just one bomb."

There is also a new arranged soundtrack courtesy of Ryu Umemoto. Fingers crossed that this revision makes it out to those who don't have a PCB set-up at home, which are quite a few folks in Japan actually. Ideally as XBLA title or something similar.

[via Cave-STG]

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another subject that was touched upon this week, a rather sensitive one might I add once more, was the Zelda timeline. For that post I referred to the Angry Nintendo Nerd's fairly thorough explanation, yet not every single piece of the puzzle was properly addressed. So perhaps it's no surprise to hear that the best explanation thus hails from the master of understanding space and time, the crazy white haired time-traveling professor from the Back to the Future movies.

The best part of the clip above, aside from making mention of EVERY adventure that Link finds himself in, is the Hero of Time/Winds/whatever's responses. And not jut because he does a fairly passable Marty MyFly impression.

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

['Game Mag Weaseling' is a weekly column by Kevin Gifford which documents the history of video game magazines, from their birth in the early '80s to the current day.]

   

How popular did Nintendo's Family Computer become after Super Mario Bros. was released on September 13, 1985? So popular that, as it turns out, a third-party Super Mario Bros. strategy guidebook was the top selling non-manga book in Japan for the entire year of 1985. And 1986.

Super Mario Bros.: The Complete Strategy Guide (スーパーマリオブラザーズ完全攻略本, pictured at left) was produced by the editors of Tokuma Shoten's Family Computer Magazine, the highest-circ game mag in Japan until Famitsu hit it big in the late 1980s. Simultaneous day-and-date guide releases alongside games didn't really happen until later, so this book didn't hit shops until October 31 -- and still it managed to sell 630,000 copies before the end of the year. What's more, the 10th best-selling book of 1985 in Japan was another SMB strategy guide -- Futami Shobo's Super Mario Bros. Secret Tricks Collection (スーパーマリオブラザーズ裏ワザ大全集, pictured right).

(In what was perhaps a sign of the times, the book that Tokuma's Mario guide beat out to be #1 in 1985 was the Japanese translation of Iacocca: An Autobiography.)

Mario Mania didn't truly take hold in Japan until 1986, though. In that year, Tokuma's guide was again the top-selling book in the nation, with Futami's getting bumped up to third place. What's more, those two books were joined by five other guides in the top 25 -- strategies for Twinbee, The Goonies, Spelunker, Ghosts 'n Goblins, and Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken. In 1986, you could sell anything Famicom-related and rake in massive profits, basically -- and then it happened all over again in America two years later. I knew I was born too late.

Sadly, the guidebook boom faltered in subsequent years as competition increased. From 1987 onward, the only strategy guides that made Japanese bestseller lists were Enix's official guides for whatever Dragon Quest title they most recently released. (There has been a bit of an uptick in recent years, though, thanks to the massive influx of Pokemon guides that hit with every new game release.)

Do you want to read Tokuma's guide? You can toady, even if you don't know Japanese, because Nintendo of America translated it verbatim into English and sold it via the Fun Club News and early issues of Nintendo Power under the name How to win at Super Mario Bros. (This book was never sold outside of mail order and is now extremely uncommon, but .cbz scans are available on the net thanks to Retromags.)

The book was entirely written and designed in house by the editors of Tokuma's Family Computer Magazine in Japan. The first half of the book was largely recycled from coverage originally printed in the November 1985 issue of the mag, while the writing and screenshot-snapping for World 5-1 through 8-4 was handled by Naoto Yamamoto, who was a part-time writer that mostly worked for Technopolis, Tokuma's computer hobby mag, at the time.

Here's a word or two on the '80s Japan game-mag scene from Yamamoto, courtesy of his weblog:

"We had planned to launch the guide in Japan with a run of 130,000 copies, but we already had plans for subsequent printings before the book was even released. Tokuma Shoten at the time held itself up to a very refined and literary image as a publisher, so it often divided up publication into several divided releases so it could produce a large number of printings and claim that as a status symbol for the book.

Famimaga continued on with strategy guides for Pac-Land, Mach Rider, Twinbee and Spelunker, but there was no such thing as a specialist strategy guide writer at this point. They would get written by production outfits that dealt in children's magazines, or by part-timers hired by those outfits if they had no previous game experience. I moved on to Pac-Land right from Super Mario, and I remember that the sample ROM Namco gave me to work with had a completely faceless Pac-Man in the game.

They told me it was in order to keep the ROM from leaking out somewhere in the middleman process, but of course I couldn't take any screenshots off of that thing. I wound up having my bosses go through these tense negotiations with Namco in order to get me a usable ROM, and ultimately the schedule got so tight that I had to spent four straight nights staying in the office."

If you think spending four straight days playing the FC version of Pac-Land sounds like fun, think again.

"I wound up passing out in the office, I guess because of all the fatigue that had accumulated since that summer, and I was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The hospital was really close by, to the point that the rest of the editorial staff arrived before I did, which became a funny story at parties afterward. I received some gifts and new clothes and such, and ultimately I rested up for about four days.

Thus, the release date got delayed. Afterwards -- and not that I was the reason for it or anything -- but subsequent guides were written by outside production firms. They still had me running around for them with the Twinbee guide, though, since they had trouble finding anyone to play through the game's 'second quest' and they needed screenshots."

How much money did Yamamoto earn for co-writing the most successful book in Japan for two years running?

"The Mario guide was done entirely in-house, so I received no royalties for it outside of my hourly salary. My writing fee, in other words, was zero. Outside of physical production, [Tokuma] spent zero yen making the guide and sold such a vast number of copies of it. I did receive royalties for the English version, though, which arrived in my bank account a long time later -- a grand total of 5,555 yen [about $37 in 1987 dollars]."

[Kevin Gifford owns over 8000 video-game and computer magazines. Despite this, he is capable of sustaining a conversation with a woman for at least three minutes per go. He runs Magweasel, a really cool weblog about games and Japan and "the industry" and things, and in his spare time he does writing and translation for lots of publishers and game companies.]

Posted by Kevin Gifford at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I missed this earlier in the month, but Namco Bandai has released another OST for Keita Takahashi's bizarre but beloved PSN/iOS game Noby Noby Boy, titled "NobiTunes 0-----0 Noby Noby Boy Sound Track 2".

The album features ten tracks from the iOS game composed by Namco veterans Yu Miyake, Taku Inoue, Yuriko Keino, and Ryou Watanabe. Sexy-Synthesizer, whose fabulous music we've featured here before, also contributed.

Sample the tracks and purchase the album on iTunes.

[Via brandonnn]

Posted by Eric Caoili at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Located in Kichijoji, a part of Tokyo where the young gather to enjoy the arts and other bits of counterculture, is the EA Shooting Bar. Not only can one partake in colorful mixed drinks, but also release some rounds of ammo at the shooting range, which is built into the bar/restaurant. Granted, these aren't real firearms, but super fancy replicas known as airsoft guns (essentially BB guns that look super close to like the real things), but still!

So, it obviously makes total sense for Capcom to take over the place and celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Resident Evil franchise, as well as promote the launch of The Mercenaries for the Nintendo 3DS, by offering a wide variety of RE-themed booze, grub, and targets. As one might expect, there are drink specials based upon the assorted herbs that provide another form of relief, as well as snacks that resemble brains, cuz that's what zombies eat of course.

But the real draw is the chance to handle faithful reproductions of the various arms from the games, to be used to blow similarly familiar foes. For a full report, simply refer to the ultimate guide to Japan’s off the beaten path, aka Tokyo Scum Brigade.

Posted by Matthew Hawkins at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)