A Gamer's Paradise

Sony's Prepping PSP Price Plunge.

2006-08-14T07:51:00.000-05:00

Get set for some festive finger-twitching – Sony’s planning a price cut for the PSP, and reckons they’ll sell by the bucket load in time for Christmas. At least that’s according to eagle-eyed analysts, who say Sony’s stockpiling thehandhelds ready for increased demand at the end of the year. "There is a price cut coming in the second half of the year," says P.J.McNealy, an analyst for American Technology Research, who says the PSP has “lost momentum” in the face of a “great run” for Nintendo's DS Lite. Hopefully there’s some truth to the latest murmurings. The PSP’s cheapest package currently costs around £180 – that’s £80 more than Nintendo’s titchy touch screen, so it could clearly stand to shed a pound or two. McNealy reckons Sony could price the PSP at $149 to boost demand, and that translates to a shade under £80 – the perfect challenge to Ninty’s palm-sized portable. Merry Christmas indeed!

The Future of Gamer's Paradise

2006-08-13T19:15:00.000-05:00

This site has definetly had it's ups and downs and I think now we are just ever increasing. The future of this site is looking incredible. We are making a transition over to the wordpress site where I feel that it has a better and more options that will help the overall experience. Then we will soon use there server to host our own domain where we'll pay for it. I hope everyone likes the route we are going with and sees why we are going to be switching from this site. Although I will not abandon this site just yet. Until we are setup on the other site I will continue to make posts on this site until most of the staff and fans on this site have transitioned. Thank you for staff, fans, ect. for making gamer's Paradise what it is today and why we can get our own domain. Zucas and Entire Staff

Paradise Gets New Site

2006-08-13T13:31:00.000-05:00

Well seeing that this site is having technical problems Journey has made a new site over on Wordpress which has a lot more options and is much better than what blogger provides no offense. Anyways until we make our own domain this is where we will be residing. Paradise has switched islands so let's join. Check the site out here: http://yourgamerparadise.wordpress.com/ I hope everyone switches ok and we won't everyone to join us on our new site. As for staff I will email you everything you have to do but I still will tell you here. What you need to do is make an account on wordpresss.com and then send me an email of what email you used for it. Once you do that I'll seen everyone an email of their same positions so we can make a nice transition from sites. Thx fans and staff for all the hardwork and we'll continue it one our wonderful new site. Zucas

Podcast Episode 6

2006-08-13T11:11:00.000-05:00

And with all the serious problems going on lately that have just been a living hell, Podcast Episode 6 is finally here. I don't know why you can't get it on Itunes or why it's not on the blast player but all in all it's here and you can listen to it through this link. Enjoy. http://dl01.blastpodcast.com/xlivepodcast/15533_1155446214.mp3 Zucas

Day of Paradise: Saturday, August 12, 2006

2006-08-13T11:03:00.000-05:00

Well not to many updates on a Saturday but I've been trying to fix the site the entire day and just didn't have time to make a post. I'm sorry for anyone experiencing these problems and I really just don't know what to do. Maybe they aren't there for some but for me they still are. I'll keep working at fixing it.
Site Problem
PSM Editor Chooses 360 over PS3
Zucas

PSM Editor Chooses 360 over PS3

2006-08-12T14:45:00.000-05:00

Dana Jongewaard, Official Playstation Magazine Editor, showed an article on her blog showing why she is choosing an Xbox 360 over a PS3 this November. "It's not that I find the concept of a $600 console insulting. Inflation happens, and it's natural that eventually inital prices will be higher than they used to be. But when I know that a console's direct competitors cost two-thirds or half of that price, it becomes harder for me to justify shelling out that kind of money--especially when I can probably get the Wii and the 360 combined for the cost of a PS3. " She goes on to say that Blu-Ray is not important to her, and that high profile games like GTA 4 and Assassin's Creed are coming to the Xbox 360 at the same time, and the "big guns"(games for PS3) are far off right now. Spoken like a true gamer. Link

Site Problem

2006-08-12T14:12:00.000-05:00

I've noticed on the site that there is a problem where spaces between paragraphs, sentences, ect. are not being recognized and I'm trying to find the problem with it all. If Malvolio or Journey, if you have touched the template and this has happened then please inform me and fix as soon as possible. If not then this is probably a blogger problem and I'll do the best I can to try to find out what. In the meantime I'm desperately sorry for this and I know it is hard to read. I'll get to the bottom of this problem and fix it as soon as possible. Zucas

Day of Paradise: Friday, August 11, 2006

2006-08-12T11:25:00.000-05:00

And a busy Friday hits us off for an August weekened. As we got to some good sales and a lot of important news in the gaming industry especially on the DS which seemed to have a lot of info yesterday.
SOE Acquires Worlds Apart Assets
SCEE Announce SingStar: Legends
Hitachi-Maxell To Ship Holographic Storage This Year
New Pokemon Diamond/Pearl Screens
Atari's DS Lineup Shows New Earthworm Jim Title
Marvel Ultimate Alliance Wii Screens
EA Upset With PSP Lack of Performance; DS Praise
Wii Not Playable at LGC...Sorta; DS Nintendo Lineup Announced
Phoenix Wright 2 Dated in Japan
Atlus Bringing Bomberman Game to DS
Emerging Entertaiment Developing for Wii, PS3, and X360
Final Fantasy III Wallpapers
Next Gen Comparisons Charts
July Hardware and Software sales in America
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
Tony Hawk: Downhill Jam Interview Zucas

Tony Hawk: Downhill Jam Interview

2006-08-11T19:26:00.000-05:00

And a game that is really turning out to be one of my launch day buys has just got an interview revealing some slight stuff about the game and Wii hardware. This is a Q & A with Toy For Bob's Alex Ness who is the producer of the Wii title, Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam. Here are some pieces of the inteview. PGC: How many levels are there? Are there multiple routes per level? Ness: We have 8 different environments that are very large and we’ve broken them up into at least 96 separate events. Each event has a main route but there are plenty of shortcuts players can find. PGC: What do the programmers think of the Wii's graphic hardware? Is it as easy to program for as Nintendo claims? Ness: It’s definitely been very easy for us to work with so far. We got everything up and running fast, within a couple of days of getting dev kits. And we haven’t hit any major technical snags either. As far as graphic hardware, we think it’s definitely suitable for the game we’re making. The ability to use bump maps to textures and anti-aliasing effects has made a big difference and the extra memory has allowed us to add more things to the screen - pedestrians, animations, destructibles, etc. – all the stuff that makes the game feel more alive. The interview goes on to talk about tricks, characters, types of races, levels, lenght of races, multiplayer, and hardware. Also very interesting that it'll have 96 different events. That's crazy. And I like what they say about hardware cause I didn't know that. It does seem that the Wii can do anti-aliasing which it was previously thought not able to do. So that clears up all the jaggies. Also it will have more memory than we thought of so still alot left on the hardware side to reveal about the Wii. But great interview and I can't wait for this game. This is a Wii Launch game from Toys For Bob and Activision. http://planetgamecube.com/specialArt.cfm?artid=11911 Zucas

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway

2006-08-11T18:53:00.000-05:00

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway(BIA) is a next generation FPS running on Unreal Engine 3. Ubisoft is the publisher while Gearbox is the developer. Your mission in the game is to make it across Hell's Highway, part of the larger mission codenamed Operation Market Garden in 1944. The game looks great, with physics to boot. Gearbox is going to spend alot of time perfecting the game, with little details like civillian help, the ability to command your squad, a more realistic first person camera, and very interactive environments. Ubisoft has said that the game will ship in Q1 2007, but if Gearbox needs more time to perfect the title, that the time will be granted. The game is for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. Here is a video comparing BIA on the Xbox and Xbox 360.

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Here is a video demonstrating the graphical, gameplay, and physics elements as well as a short developer interview.

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Hope you enjoy!

July Hardware and Software sales in America

2006-08-11T16:43:00.000-05:00

Well the July sales are out and it's been quite an interesting one for software and hardware. On a note July 2006 showed an extreme growth over analyst predictions by growing from the last 2 years of July. On that note let see what hardware had the most to contribute to that and I think we all know which one that is: NDS - 377,000 PS2 - 241,000 360 - 206,000 GBA - 163,000 PSP - 161,000 GCN - 44,000 XBX - 12,000 Haha were ya suprised. DS Lite goes for it's first full month in America and still stands up extremely strong numbers. Last month it sold over 500,000 and retains steady good sales which is a big reason why the increases have occured. And still the last beats the new as PS2 continues to outsell the 360 even though the X360 sported alot of new games. While as sad as it may seem the current has beaten the new again where even the Game Boy Advance has sold more than the PSP. Then we have the dead consoles of the GC and Xbox where I'm happy to say that the Gamecube sold almost 3x as much as the Xbox wit aposolutely no games coming to it although the Xbox has another console out. Anyways strong sales from the DS are expected to continue due to the release of the DS Lite and big titles coming out continously til the end of the year. I expect that soon DS will overtake PSP in shipments in America also. Now to software which I'll show the top 25 selling games by sales: #/Console/Game/#of sales 1. PS2 NCAA FOOTBALL 07 492,000 2. 360 NCAA FOOTBALL 07 332,000 3. NDS NEW SUPER MARIO BROS 300,000 4. PS2 GRAND THEFT AUTO: LIBERTY C 183,000 5. XBX NCAA FOOTBALL 07 145,000 6. PS2 CARS 121,000 7. NDS BRAIN AGE: TRAIN YOUR BRAIN 120,000 8. NDS BIG BRAIN ACADEMY 118,000 9. GBA CARS 115,000 10. 360 CHROMEHOUNDS 111,000 11. 360 LORD OF THE RINGS: BATTLE F 108,000 12. PS2 FIFA WORLD CUP 2006 105,000 13. PS2 NARUTO: ULTIMATE NINJA 104,000 14. 360 PREY 103,000 15. PS2 STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II 82,000 16. PS2 GUITAR HERO BUNDLE 80,000 17. PS2 GOD OF WAR 74,000 18. GCN CARS 65,000 19. PS2 GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDRE 63,000 20. PS2 MIDNIGHT CLUB 3: DUB ED REM 61,000 21. PS2 NFL HEAD COACH 60,000 22. GBA SUPER MARIO ADVANCE 59,000 23. PS2 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: T 56,000 24. NDS MARIO KART 53,000 25. NDS ANIMAL CROSSING: WILD WORLD 51,000 And now we find the other part of the equation. That being NCAA Football 2007 which sold insane which along with the DS Lite contributed to the increase this month. With the PS2 selling the most is not a surprise but the 360 version sold quite a bit for the small amount of buyers there are. Also the Xbox version made it's way up there. The thing is the entire series sold about 1 million copies all together this month which is nothing short of incredible. Americans do love there football. The PS2 had the most games on the top 25 with 12 while the DS came in second with 5. The 360 came in with 4 titles, GBA with 2, and the Xbox and GC with 1. As we can still all see is that New Super Mario Bros is still selling amazing in America like it does everywhere else. I remember people saying a little while back that nobody likes Mario anymore. It's just not at big as it used to be. WRONG. And I have just about everything to prove that against ya. Whoever said that should definetly be slapped. Anyways the new releases for the X360 definetly hit up there which contained Prey, Chromehounds, and LOTR:BFME. All sold quite well in it's 1st month but I don't expect those to continue to stay up high. Anyways in other stuff the PSP was the only system that didn't have a game in America last month that sold more than 50k which makes everyone wonder how Sony is still shipping as many to America as it is. Although the definite answer to that is Sony counts hardware units as shipments but some still do not believe that. Anyways next month should be lay back for the 360 with not as many titles hitting out and should be layback for everyone but the DS. The PS2 should sell as normal. When we start hitting October then sales are going to shoot up so be prepared for that. Zucas

Next Gen Comparisons Charts

2006-08-11T16:06:00.000-05:00

This was brought to my attention by Xtrm yesterday on Moviecoded which I later found on other sites. So thx Xtrm for the heads up. Anyways Technophila let out a few charts of the # of games each system has in development for it and the exclusives out of those games it has. Prepare to see the truth:

Ah so the truth is revealed. The PS3 is behind both the Wii and X360 in games being developed. That is not good for the PS3 as the Wii is coming out at the same time yet 30 games up it. And shouldn't be surprised that 360 is topping everything. Has been out a year longer. But for the Wii to not so far behind it could show how much support the Wii. And then the exclusive list are quite as I would expect them. But I expect that Wii list to shoot up after LGC. So very intriguing all of it. We'll see how this affects the consoles this Holidays 2006.

http://www.technophilia.org/

Zucas

Final Fantasy III Wallpapers

2006-08-11T15:56:00.000-05:00

The hit game Final Fantasy III is having a remake on the Nintendo DS and is really generating a lot of hype of this old NES hit. And for all our Final Fantasy fans they've released 6 wallpapers for download so you can pimp up your desktop with Final Fantasy goodness. You can download all 6 here (go and click enter and click download station). http://gonintendo.com/?p=4507 Zucas

Emerging Entertaiment Developing for Wii, PS3, and X360

2006-08-11T15:50:00.000-05:00

If there is one company I haven't heard about it is definetly this. And maybe for some good reasons. But what I do know is that they are out to make quality triple-A games that are non viloent. Anyways they are a new developer who are working on a next gen title that is underway. Read the press release: HAMBURG, Germany, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ — Emerging Entertainment is the latest brand from CNT Media GmbH, a company that’s made a name for itself over the last ten years for its success on the digital image processing and computer animation markets. Emerging Entertainment develops high quality entertainment software for the new generation of gaming consoles (Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii), mainly focusing on games which abstain from any form of visual violence. “Everybody is talking about the opportunities the new console generation has to offer but their potential in the family entertainment software market won’t be exhausted. Our project breaks down the barriers between game, film and live-event”, says Cornel Hillmann, CEO of Emerging Entertainment. “We are showing that you can develop exciting entertainment software without including violence,” emphasises US-based Cosima Preuss-Kuehne, main associate of CNT Media GmbH. “Games for all ages should win us over with subtle characters and a good sense of humor, not with brutality - just like big family movies. Work on the next generation title has already started. A Hamburg Team of more than a dozen experienced game developers led by CEO Cornel Hillmann is working closely with Blur Studios, Los Angeles, Sanuk Software, Bangkok and Nextgen Studios, Singapore. The new Singapore studio shows Emerging Entertainment’s international claim - it is opening in August 2006. Emerging Entertainment’s projects are based on the Gamebryo engine, which is the technology behind successful titles like “The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion” for the Xbox 360. The title will be released in May 2008. Further details are disclosed on Games Convention 2006. Find Emerging Entertainment in hall 2, booth H75. Ah so a new developer on the block who's biggest pose is that they can make a good game that has no violence whatsoever. Well even some of the most mild games still have some sort of cartoon violence in there so it'll be interesting. Welcome to DreamCity. The only game where all you do is sleep and see a dream project in front of you. Enjoy. Haha but suriously we'll see what they give out for us come May 2008 when their project is set to release. And we'll learn more at LGC. http://www.codenamerevolution.com/?p=1461 Zucas

Atlus Bringing Bomberman Game to DS

2006-08-11T15:40:00.000-05:00

Wow DS has been in the news alot today eh. Anyways with the recent deal struck between Atlus and Hudson Soft it is now announced that Atlus and Hudson Soft will be bringing Bomberman Land Touch to the DS. And the game sounds crazily awesome from what I've read of the press release. Check out the press release to find details about the game: Atlus U.S.A., Inc., a leading publisher of interactive entertainment, today announced the acquisition of the North American publishing rights to Bomberman Land Touch!, an action- adventure game for the Nintendo DS. The game is also a new milestone in the growing partnership between Atlus USA and Hudson Soft Co., Ltd., the developers of Bomberman Land Touch! “We’re thrilled to again join forces with Hudson Soft Co., Ltd. and to strengthen our relationship with such a great game from the storied franchise,” said Sonoko Saito, Vice President of Production & Business Development for Atlus USA. “We published a pair of Bomberman titles in the recent past, so we’re intimately familiar with the series, and with the excitement that surrounds each new Bomberman release, Bomberman Land Touch! is just the beginning.” Bomberman Land Touch! is scheduled for release in early November 2006, and has not yet been rated by the ESRB; an E or E10+ rating is expected. About Bomberman Land Touch! Bomberman Land Touch! is a family-friendly action-adventure packed with explosive excitement! In the Story Mode, explore Bomber Island while solving unique puzzles, chatting with rival characters, and engaging in 36 different one- to-four-player “attractions” with action, racing, sports, and other themes. In Attraction Mode, enjoy any of the attractions you’ve unlocked in the Story Mode. In the Battle Mode, play classic multiplayer Bomberman with two to eight players via Wireless Single-Card or Multi-Card Play, or two to four players via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Bomberman Land Touch! Key Features •Touch Screen controls! Story Mode and Attraction Mode take full advantage of the Touch Screen and stylus. •Colorful Cast of Characters! Besides everybody’s favorite, the classic Bomberman, there are tons of interesting characters to interact with. •Up to 8-Player Wireless Single-Card Play! Attraction Mode and the Battle Mode both support multiplayer action with only one Game Card required! •Incredible longevity! A 15-hour Story Mode, 36 stages in the Attraction Mode, and 20 stages in the Battle Mode. Woah did I here correctly. Online mode for a DS bomberman game. Haha I'm sold. Wow and a 15 hour storymode. This is longer than most of the console ones. Actually longer than all of them. And 36 stages in Attraction mode and 20 stages in Battle mode which will be able to go online with up to 4 players. Ok I'm in heaven haha. This sounds awesome and I hope the Wii version of this game follows the same suit. This will definetly be for online DS fans and just old school bomberman fans is a must pick up. Ah sounds great. Thank you Atlus and Hudson. The game will come out in November 2006 which means another big DS title these Holidays 2006. http://gonintendo.com/?p=4502 Zucas

Phoenix Wright 2 Dated in Japan

2006-08-11T15:34:00.000-05:00

The hit lawyer game that came out for the DS has a sequel and it's been dated for Japan. The game sold quite well for being such a diverse type of game and genre. It sold so well that the sequel is extremely hyped up. And for now the Japanese will get a release date. Capcom has stated that the game will come out on October 26, 2006 in Japan on the Nintendo DS. Also the re-release of Phoenix Wright in America is selling like hotcakes as the new shipment is completely sold out so let's definetly hope that the sequel will make it to America also. http://gonintendo.com/?p=4501 Zucas

Wii Not Playable at LGC...Sorta; DS Nintendo Lineup Announced

2006-08-11T15:24:00.000-05:00

In a press release made today by Nintendo of Europe today they've announced that the Wii will not be playable to the German public at LGC. Instead it will be like E3 and only playable to the media, journalists, and retailers. They want LGC to satisfy the media that were not able to get their hands on the Wii at E3 or basically most of the European media. This will definetly help the European media better help spread the good word of the Wii like how much it did in America after the Wii which we are still hearing about. So good and bad but the public will get to play it soon. As for the DS, Nintendo announced their DS titles that will be playable at LGC: New Super Mario Bros. (NDS) Dr. Kawashimas Brain Training (NDS) The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (NDS) English Training (NDS) Clubhouse Games (NDS) StarFox Command (NDS) Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team (NDS) Ah all of those are quite big titles that are really hyped up. Especially the Zelda and Starfox game. Seems like along with the Wii DS will make quite an explosion too. LGC is turning out to be quite an event for Nintendo. The event starts so get ready for a lare explosion of important news you just can't miss out on. http://gonintendo.com/?p=4500 Zucas

EA Upset With PSP Lack of Performance; DS Praise

2006-08-11T15:16:00.000-05:00

There is no doubt that recently the DS has been the thing everyone is talking about as it gets the media, the buyers, and developers. But only recently did it overtake the PSP in sales so what has happened to the PSP. I've just done recently that the PSP has ok games. But EA obviously doesn't know what has happened and is frustrated and upset. EA's Executive VP and COO of Worldwide Studios David Gardner speaks: “I don’t think Sony can afford to sit back,” Gardner told MCV. “I think they still have things they can do with the price and performance of the machine – things that they need to address.” “There’s no doubt that EA has historically bet more on PSP. I think we were excited by the technology, but the consumers have proven that actually what they want is fun. We must never forget that what we need to focus on is fun and so EA is putting more effort behind DS games – and creative ones that really take advantage of the hardware.” Ah very very right. PSP has just been overtaken and EA is exactly right. They can't sit back like that and they need to do something about and yes there is still a lot they need to address with the goals of the PSP. Haha and yes I would have guessed EA would have bet more on the PSP but now they seem to be more into the DS cause that is what the customer wanted and always wanted: FUN. Obviously hardware couldn't give it but the new way of playing did. Possibly same outcomes of the console wars. Anyways very interesting and for the first time ever Nintendo with a competing system will get more support from EA. Congrats EA and Nintendo and sorry Sony haha. Let's hope Sony can address these problems that EA mentioned. http://www.mcvuk.com/newsitem.php?id=24253 Zucas

Marvel Ultimate Alliance Wii Screens

2006-08-11T15:09:00.000-05:00

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance will definetly be a big hit come these Holidays as what it's stating how could it not. We all love our favorite Marvel comicbook characters and just go to have them. And this game is also coming to the Wii and a few screens from teh Wii version have been released. Pics aren't stunning but I don't think this game for any system was ever out for relistic graphics.

Many More Here

Ah this game is turning out to be quite good and let's hope to here more from Activision about all the versions come LGC.

Source

Zucas

Atari's DS Lineup Shows New Earthworm Jim Title

2006-08-11T15:05:00.000-05:00

And just when we thought Earthworm Jim would soley on the PSP here we go with the DS. Haha we knew that our favorite worm warrior wouldn't miss out on his favorite handheld the Nintendo DS haha. Anyways this was just released as Atari's lineup: Nintendo DS: August 15 2006 - Dig Dug Digging Strike Oct 13 2006 - Asterix and Obelix Mission Wifix Nov 10 2006 - Point Blank Nov 17 2006 - Arthur and the Minimoys Nov 24 2006 - Totally Spies 2 : Undercover TBD - Earthworm Jim Ah and there you have it Atari will be bring Earthworm Jim to the DS when ever they find a release date. Probably Q1 2007 if I had to guess but once again another good game making it's way to the DS. Earthworm Jim says nay to PSP exclusive haha. http://gonintendo.com/?p=4493 Zucas

New Pokemon Diamond/Pearl Screens

2006-08-11T14:56:00.000-05:00

One of the biggest handheld games this summer is definetly going to be Pokemon Diamond/Pearl for the DS. Pokemon being the second best selling series ever made into a game has it's next line of handheld games and it's already promoting big things especially online for the 1st time ever. In the meantime til it's release here are some more screens.

And tons more here

Ah this will be a wonderful game especially with all new online. The game will be releasing these Holidays 2006 so a must by for all RPG, pokemon, and DS fans.

Source

Zucas

Hitachi-Maxell To Ship Holographic Storage This Year.

2006-08-11T13:18:00.000-05:00

According to reports, Maxell along with InPhase Technologies will be bringing holographic storage technology to the market at the end of this year. Maxell's director of technical marketing Rich D'Ambrise said that 300GB holographic discs will be available in November or December of this year. Maxell also indicated that sometime in 2008, the company will be introducing second generation disc that store up to 800GB of data. By 2010, Maxell is hoping to introduce 1.6TB holographic discs. In a report, D'Ambrise said "We're happy so far that we haven't hit any obstacles with the drive or the media, and that we're on schedule to deliver to the market." Maxell said that while the technology is currently limited to enterprise customers, producing mass market holographic media and drives shouldn't take long. The company is currently working on producing media in several sizes, including stamps, credit card and regular CD size cartridges. Consumer media will range from 75GB to 100GB in the first generation said D'Ambrise. The new 300GB discs will transfer data at roughly 20MB per second, but Maxell indicated that we should see faster rates as the technology progresses. According to InPhase: High-definition video. Data archiving. Medical imaging. Massive databases. These are just some of the applications driving the need for faster, higher capacity storage. Regulatory compliance requirements have also pushed this need into the forefront for many IT departments. InPhase’s holographic storage solutions meet the rapidly growing storage demands of business, government, medical, and educational institutions. According to Maxell and InPhase, two companies have picked up the technology: Pappas Broadcasting and Turner Broadcasting. InPhase sampled out its technology earlier this year around CES time. Many industry experts expect holographic technology to take off in a big way after 2008. Because data is stored volumetrically throughout the depths of the disc, the technology is able to achieve capacities beyond conventional surface recording techniques used in technologies such as Blu-ray and HD DVD. Earlier this year, InPhase told the press that holographic storage will be available commercially this year,and the company has stayed true to its claim.As of now, the new holographic drives will cost roughly $15,000 to enterprises and media will cost roughly anywhere from $120 to $180 per disc. The media is currently a write-once only media, with a lifetime of roughly 50 years. Maxell hopes to improve these figures by the time 2008 comes around.

SCEE Announce SingStar: Legends.

2006-08-11T11:16:00.000-05:00

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has today announced a new addition to the ever-expanding SingStar franchise. SingStar: Legends, which will be released in November 2006, looks set to bring a wealth of legendary talent and songs to gamers . So far, the preliminary line-up looks like this:

Elton John - Rocket Man
The Beach Boys - Surfin' USA
The Police - Roxanne
Johnny Cash - Ring Of Fire
The Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
Tina Turner - What's Love Got To Do With It?
John Lennon - Imagine
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Ben E King - Stand By Me
David Bowie - Life on Mars?
The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody

We'll have more news shortly...

SOE Acquires Worlds Apart Assets.

2006-08-11T09:26:00.000-05:00

Sony Online Entertainment has acquired key assets of indie developer Worlds Apart Productions to form SOE-Denver. Worlds Apart is a developer of online trading card games based in Denver, Colorado. Core members of the studio, which is responsible for the game Star Chamber, will form the new SOE-Denver. SOE president John Smedley said that the acquisition will help broaden his company's gameplay offerings. "This is a way to expand SOE's business into a very attractive market that is consistently growing at a fast rate," he said. "With this acquisition, we've expanded the range of online games that SOE can offer, as well as offering entirely new play mechanics and activities that could be built into both current and future titles". Worlds Apart's Collect! Trade! Play! platform also has the ability to integrate board or card games into existing SOE games. SOE could choose to publish standalone online board or card games from SOE-Denver as well.

Day of Paradise: Thursday, August 10, 2006

2006-08-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

And not a busy day in this August summer but still some good stuff. Haha we have completed the podcast and Journey is hard at work getting it ready for the site and Itunes. And when it goes up on the site I will edit this Day of Paradise and include it in there. So enjoy: Fatal Inertia Weapons Profile Day 1 Confirms Wii Support Cool Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Video Everybody's favorite earthworm is back! Zucas

Everybody's favorite earthworm is back!

2006-08-10T20:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, IGN clarified that the Earthworm Jim series is back, and is going to be a PSP exclusive. The game is going to play out in 2.5D, meaning that although its a side-scroller, it has 3D elements. The developer is Shiny Entertainment, which some of you may recognize as the developer of Sacrifice for PC. The game is slated for 2007.

Cool Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Video

2006-08-10T15:34:00.000-05:00

Ah one of the biggest games this holidays, MP3, has just got a cool new video from over at Youtube. Thanx to gonintendo for finding this and I think this has some new scenes in it but it's an awesome video and to tide over out Metroid fans til LGC. Ah a nifty video with some good music in it. Overall this game hasn't really ben divulged into much so let's hope to hear a lot more about this from Retro Studios soon. Source Zucas

Day 1 Confirms Wii Support

2006-08-10T15:30:00.000-05:00

And the dev that's been in the news a lot lately, Day 1, has just confirmed that they will be supporting the Wii. Check it: “We’ve just signed non-disclosures with Nintendo. We’re going to be looking at their hardware very carefully. We’re not doing Mech games, but there’s lots of opportunity there for creative stuff.” Ah good cause I don't like mech games much anyways haha. But ah so we still do know that you have to sign some NDA's and keep some things secret. Ah interesting eh. But let's hope they can bring something new and fresh to the Wii. Zucas

Fatal Inertia Weapons Profile.

2006-08-10T12:31:00.000-05:00

The PlayStation 3's release date may be only a few months away, but information continues to trickle out at a slower pace than we'd like on the upcoming megasystem's launch software. Dynasty Warriors maker Koei will provide its own addition to the PS3's initial lineup with Fatal Inertia--a futuristic hover racer in production at the company's new Toronto development studio--and the company was kind enough to give us an illustrated rundown of the arsenal you can expect to see when the game ships along with the PlayStation 3 in November. The Unreal Engine 3-powered game promises a set of weapons that uses physics in some creative ways to provide a more unique combat experience than you might be used to seeing in games of this type. The Weapons of Fatal Inertia. There are eight different weapons that can be picked up during a race in Fatal Inertia, and these weapons concentrate on affecting the physical performance of other vehicles in the race, rather than relying on standard conventions such as simple explosions. The player will use the weaponry at hand to either hinder the movement of enemy vehicles or to provide themselves with the edge that can take them to the head of the pack. As in many racing games, you'll pick up weapons by flying over any of the weapon pads that are scattered throughout the course. One of the eight weapons described below will be randomly assigned to you each time you hit one of these pads. Magnets. Magnets are the archetypal weapon of the Fatal Inertia racing circuit. Shoot them toward your rivals, and watch as the magnetic properties of the other ships are attracted toward your target like a homing beacon. These magnets are oversized and add weight that adversely affects factors such as speed, handling, balance, and drag, making it that much harder for rival pilots to steer their ships. Stick a magnet on the right wing of a vehicle, and watch it veer off to the right; stick one on its tail, and watch the extra rear-end weight force the ship's nose upward. Based on real-life physical properties, the magnets will affect the performance of vehicles in exactly the way you would expect. Most weapons, including the magnets, can either be shot forward at an enemy or dropped to affect enemies trailing close behind. Dropping a weapon at the right time can effectively throw a pursuer off your tail and can be the difference between victory and defeat. Cluster Bombs. A cluster bomb is equipped with proximity sensors that detonate when any metal object (including weapons and vehicles) is detected close by. Each cluster bomb consists of 10 magnets that fly out toward enemies upon detonation. This storm of magnets, if used properly, can be a devastatingly effective force against other vehicles. As the cluster itself does not have any magnetic properties (they fly in a straight line), the player will have to aim with precision to get the bomb close enough to the enemy. The cluster bomb can be dropped on the ground, as well, where it will remain as an obstacle until detonated. Any ship getting too close will trigger the proximity sensor and be hit with a barrage of magnets. Rockets. Rockets are essentially magnets with rocket boosters strapped to them. When attached to an enemy vehicle, the booster ignites, exerting a huge force at the point where it's attached. The impacted player must try to compensate to avoid careening into canyon walls or spiraling off a cliff. The ship shown here has been hit by a rocket and is spinning out of control. A twist on the standard weapon drop will let players "drop" rockets onto their own tail, providing a sudden and massive burst of speed. Force Shield. The force shield temporarily protects your ship from all enemy attacks, but it also deactivates your other weapons. It lessens the effects of bumping into objects or walls, as well. All damage suffered by your vehicle during a race will be accurately reflected both visually and in performance, with the ship-control dynamics constantly changing depending on the condition of your ship. For example, clipping a wall too hard (such as when traveling at top speed) may cause a wing to break off outright, forcing you to fly with a reduced horizontal balance for the remainder of the race. Accumulating too much damage will cause the ship to explode, eliminating you from the race. However, damaged ships can be repaired by visiting the pit stop, located near the starting gates. Smoke Screen. The smoke screen releases a dense cloud of smoke from your tail, obscuring the vision of those immediately behind you. If you time it right, such as just before a sharp turn, you can send your rivals crashing blindly into a wall. EMP. The EMP sends out a pulse that temporarily incapacitates all other electronic devices within its immediate vicinity. Primarily, this will incapacitate the hovering capabilities of other ships. No longer able to hover, the ships will drop to the earth until their systems come back online. The EMP also disengages all weapons (such as magnets) in the vicinity. Force Blast. The force blast creates a powerful wave of energy immediately behind you, which will knock away rivals that are on your tail, provide a momentary burst of speed to your ship, alter the course of any weapons flying toward you, and knock off any weapons attached to your ship. Time Dilator. The time dilator slows the speed of time down to a crawl...for everyone except you. Take advantage of the momentary shift of time to blow past other vehicles in front of you. An extremely rare weapon, the time dilator can change the entire flow of a race in one shot, allowing a vehicle trailing far behind to suddenly leap to the front of the pack. Good players will be able to use the time director to evade enemy fire in midair or to make a slick avoidance maneuver as columns of rock are about to rain down from above.

Day of Paradise: Wednesday, August 9, 2006

2006-08-09T22:30:00.000-05:00

Well quite a busy day with some good news all around. Anyways that podcast is on his way. Always seem to have to delay those things eh. But don't worry your questions will not go unanswered that I promise. So look for that. List of upcoming PSP titles in September RUMOR: Biohazard 5 Only For PS3 In Japan? Gundam To Storm PS3 This Year FEAR Headed To Xbox 360 Wii Just Edges The PS3 In Jap Poll Red Tribe Developing For PS3,Wii And Xbox360 Xbox 360 FEAR Videos Spore to be playable in Germany convention Could the Wii Fail? Hudson Making New Bonk for Wii? Mercury Type R Confirmed for Wii Zucas

Mercury Type R Confirmed for Wii

2006-08-09T15:52:00.000-05:00

The Austrailian developer, QVS, confirmed today that Mercury Type R will be coming to the Wii. Mercury Type R is a puzzle game that was exclusive to the Sony consoles that is now coming over to the Wii. Originally 2 of this kinda game was supposed to come over but now is just 1. But that other 1 was just a rumor so glad to see that another game is coming. This game is set to release on February 2, 2007 with an $89.95 price tag(what??). But I'm sure that's preliminary.

Hudson Making New Bonk for Wii?

2006-08-09T15:44:00.000-05:00

As we already know the hit game that was on the NEC Turbogrphx system is coming to the Wii Virtual Console. But is it possible that a next generation version of the series is coming to the Wii. According to N-Sider: Hudson Soft has voiced its interest in making a next-generation version of Bonk, according to GAF. Staff of the publisher have posted artwork, a MySpace profile, as well as a poll to gauge the interest of fans. Well sounds like a possibility especially if you click the links there especially the artwork ones you'll find out that it was the staff from the Hudson site that said possibly things to come. Very intriguing. Hudson is already making Bomberman Land and a Flight Game for the Wii but there could possibly be more. We'll hopefully see at LGC. Source Zucas

Could the Wii Fail?

2006-08-09T15:40:00.000-05:00

Lately from press, developers, fans, ect all you've been hearing is positive hype about the Wii. And it's most definetly well deserved so don't look at it that way. But gaming nexus decided to break to the other side and look critically at the Wii to see could it possibly fail. This 6 page report and analyst gives the in depth facts and look to just find out is it possible the Wii could fail. A great read for all sides just to see another side. Could the Wii Fail? Zucas

Spore to be playable in Germany convention

2006-08-09T15:10:00.000-05:00

Will Wright has announced that a playable version of the Spore editor and the first parts of the game will be playable at Leipzig, Germany, and that the game will retail sometime in the second half of 2007.

Xbox 360 FEAR Videos

2006-08-09T14:53:00.000-05:00

I apologize for the confusion in the earlier article. Here are some juicy FEAR videos of the game on Xbox 360. Hope You Enjoy!

Red Tribe Developing For PS3,Wii And Xbox360.

2006-08-09T14:32:00.000-05:00

A new platformer has just been listed under development for the PS2,Xbox360, and Wii consoles by Red Tribe, an Australian video game development studio. Interesting fact: the games company is listing the title as an "innovative fast-past action platform game," but other than that, info on the upcoming game has been scarce. Red Tribe also has two more upcoming titles in the works: a sci-fi horror FPS for the Xbox360 & PC platforms and a 3rd person action game for the PS3 & Xbox 360. The latter game is set in a post-apocalyptic world, so we're guessing that there's a bit of a sci-fi undertone there, making both releases have a sci-fi vibe to 'em. If that's the case, maybe the platformer would be sci-fi too? Possible. Red Tribe has earlier confirmed that they are collaborating with Warner Brothers on an upcoming Wii title. Hmmm. Warner Bros? Will it be a licensed game? No idea. There's always the possibility that it would turn out to be a bad Looney Tunes/Jurassic Park crossover. Marvin the Martian would probably not be enough to add sci-fi cred to a game all by himself. Anyway, enough with the daydreaming. Now, having three upcoming releases can be quite problematic if you've only got a few people working for you, so Red Tribe has been advertising for new employees on their website for quite a while now.

Wii Just Edges The PS3 In Jap Poll.

2006-08-09T13:51:00.000-05:00

If totally unsubstantiated Japanese internet polls are anything to go by, the Nintendo Wii is now edging out the PlayStation 3 in the next-gen popularity contest. Last time we checked in at both Amazon Japan and retailer Tsutaya, the PlayStation 3 looked like it was going to come out on top. Again. The tables have turned, and the Wii is a few points more desirable than the PS3. It will probably go back and forth like this right up until the consoles drop this fall. While post E3 Famitsu polls showed a leery Japanese buying public, it seems clear that Sony's new console will be flying off shelves just like the PSP did at launch. Fingers crossed the PS3 works out better.

Day of Paradise: Tuesday, August 8, 2006

2006-08-09T12:09:00.000-05:00

Well and the August news is starting to really kickoff. And don't worry the podcast is being done tonight. Sorry for the delay but had to happen I guess. So expect that tonight or tomorrow on the site and Itunes. Sony's Mylo, New Cool Gadget Xbox360 Has 1% Of The Market In Japan 'Mobile Suit Gundam' For PS3 Current Gen is dead... Or is it? Nintendo DS Browser Dated for Europe Creators of Mechassault Join the Force with Lucasarts A Day of Ed Boon No Bond til 2008 Zucas

FEAR Headed To Xbox 360

2006-08-09T06:51:00.000-05:00

Vivendi confirmed recently that FEAR was headed to the Xbox 360. Monolith, creator of Condemned, said that the game would be running on a similar engine. The FEAR coming to the Xbox 360 will have a slightly different storyline, with a few "surprise levels" to make it unique. It will also have "Instant Action Mode" where you are dropped into a specific situation, and the faster and more accurately you kill enemies, the higher your rank will be on Xbox Live. Vivendi said that the game will look better than the beastiest of PCs can put out, with every effect turned on. No PS3 version has been announced. The game will be releasing in November 2006. Sorry for the Confusion on the Sequel.

Gundam To Storm PS3 This Year.

2006-08-09T02:45:00.000-05:00

It turns out that Mobile Ops: The One Year War on the Xbox 360 won't be the only Gundam game hitting stores this holiday season. Namco Bandai has confirmed a 2006 release for Mobile Suit Gundam:Target In Sight for the PlayStation 3, which is also set around the series' One Year War. However, while the Xbox 360 game lets players hit the battlefield in control of a single soldier on the battlefield as well as engage in Mobile Suit mayhem, the PS3 game appears to be larger scale. Beyond the requisite super-heavyweight rock-'em, sock-'em rumbles, the PS3 Mobile Suit game will put players in command of an entire battalion of the titular mechs. On a more intimate level, players can target various parts on specific enemy Mobile Suits, an ability that will play into the tactical aspects of the game.

RUMOR: Biohazard 5 Only For PS3 In Japan?.

2006-08-09T02:07:00.000-05:00

Biohazard 5, also known as Resident Evil 5 has been real hot nowadays. After being named as one of the most wanted games in Japan by Famitsu, it has been busy with its rumor mills route lately. According to various backfence talks, the much awaited Capcom game would only be available for the PS3 in Japan. This gossip was fuelled by the fact that the game was only listed for the PS3 in the Japanese ECGeo.com website, which offers up-to-date information via email about upcoming games. Although it is entirely possible that only a PS3 version is coming out in Japan, given the fact that the Xbox 360 isn't really selling like sushi in the Land of the Rising Sun. So far, there isn't any rumor like this about the games' US release. Well, only time could tell what's really up. So what's your take in all this? Do you think that this has a tinge of truth or do you think this is just baloney? Whatever your reactions may be, share it to us through your comments.

List of upcoming PSP titles in September

2006-08-09T00:02:00.000-05:00

September look to be a good month for PSP owners. note: the * means highly anticipated (to me): Loco Roco (5th)* Ultimate Ghosts n' Goblins (5th)* Moto GP (5th) Lego Star Wars (7th) Bounty Hounds (12th)* Rengoku 2: Stairway to H.E.A.V.E.N (12th) NHL 07 (12th) Bomberman(12th) The Godfather: Mob Wars (19th) Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception (19th)* Open Season (19th) Gun Showdown (26th)* Scarface: Money. Power. Respect (26th) World Series Poker: Tournament of Champions (26th) NBA 07 (26th) Capcom Puzzle Worlds (26th) Online Chess Kingdoms (26th) WTF: Work Time Fun (26th) Stacked with Daniel Nageau (26th) Spectral Souls (26th)

No Bond til 2008

2006-08-08T21:18:00.000-05:00

It seems that Activision won't be making a Bond game til 2008 due to something in the contract where it's not exclusive to til September 2007. So the next James Bond game won't come out til the next movie after Casino Royale comes out which is supposedly on May 2, 2008. http://wii.ign.com/articles/724/724128p1.html Well I think we and the developers need a break with bond. I mean been a Bond game every year so maybe they can use this off time to start really working on the game and make it as good as possible. Luckily Treyarch is already looking into making it so should have plenty of time to be really good. Let's also hope Daniel Craig becomes a great new Bond for the movies and games. Zucas

A Day of Ed Boon

2006-08-08T17:50:00.000-05:00

Ed Boon, who is right now creating the Wii version of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, talks 2 times today about the upcoming game. Once with 1up and once with Game Informer. In the 1up interview he talks about how the comments that he made earlier on this year. He takes a lot back of what he said. Obviously he was yet to see the hardware and the controller. In the Game Informer interview he talks more about the game control ideas, what's in the game, the graphical updates, online, and possibly previous MK games to the VC. All good reads and a must to learn some more about the game. 1Up Interview Game Informer Interview Zucas

Creators of Mechassault Join the Force with Lucasarts

2006-08-08T17:42:00.000-05:00

Back when Day 1 used to be with MS they created a big time franchise called Mechassault. Well since then they have now struck a deal with Lucasarts to make an all new intellectual property for the next gen systems. This title is unnamed and has not release date and is only announced for next gen systems yet has not said which ones those are. We'll be sure to look out to find out what this title is soon. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6155406.html Zucas

Nintendo DS Browser Dated for Europe

2006-08-08T17:35:00.000-05:00

And after the DS broswer has already been let out in Japan just recently it has been dated that the browser will be made available throughout Europe on October 6 for about 30 Euros. This was revealed in a recent press relase where it also confirmed that the DS online base is now up to 1.7 million which is just nothing short of incredible for the time it's been out. So all DS European owners you'll now be able to surf the web this October straight on your DS. Enjoy. http://gonintendo.com/?p=4415 Zucas

Current Gen is dead... Or is it?

2006-08-08T16:44:00.000-05:00

With the upcoming release of the PS3 and the Wii, the next-gen consoles wars will have begun. Everyone’s anticipating the next-gen graphics, gameplay and experience, but for me, a question remains: WhatÂ’ll happen to the current-gen? Will it die out? Will it die as soon as the next-gen is fully established? To me, the answer is a definite no. While the next-gen consoles will have better graphics, the games probably wonÂ’t take full advantage of the hardware, which is one of the many advantages that the current-gen has over next-gen. The people who are developing games for the next-gen worked with the last generation of consoles, and as such they know how to fully wield their power. For instance, take Gran Turismo 4. No one ever imagined that the graphics that good were possible on a PS2, much less to be able to be displayed in 1080i on a PS2. Or Resident Evil 4. No one ever thought that those graphics were possible on the GC, but Nintendo and Capcom proved them wrong. The reason why these games look as good as they do is because the developers have learned the consoles’ strengths and its weaknesses, and because of that the games are going to be that much better. Another thing is that while the Xbox 360 has amassed an impressive userbase (5 million), the PS2 far outnumbers it. So does the Xbox original, and the GC. Because of this, the last-gen consoles are still going to look like a very nice option for big publishers and developers, since its not only cheaper to develop for a last-gen console than a next-gen console, but there’s also a lot more potential buyers. So, I think last-gen is going to survive for at least 4 years just because of that, until the next-gen sales eclipse the last-gen sales. And there’s another huge factor: Price. Nowadays, an Xbox 360'’s going to cost 400$ (Unless you get the core system, which is a waste of money) a PS3’s going to cost 600$ and a Wii’s going to cost 229-250$. And although the WiiÂ’s price is atractive, think of this: Two of those consoles donÂ’t have any games for sale as of yet, and the last gen consoles, which are 100-400 bucks cheaper, have hundreds upon thousands of games available for purchase, quite a few of them excellent. And since the last-gen is being abandoned buy the manufacturers, they’re only going to get cheaper (think 50-100$) And soon, last-gen games will be available at a bargain bin cost as the next-gen replaces them... do you get the implifications of this? You could get every awesome game you missed out on for your console, every under-the-radar classic- for less than 20$. And since it looks like the next-gen consoles’ games are going to cost at least 50-60$... So really, I don’t think that the PS2, GC or the Xbox are going to die very soon (although I must admit that the GC doesnÂ’t have any real third-party support, and since Nintendo is mostly concentrating on its newer consoles- the Wii and the DS- it just might be the death knell for the GC.) and that the current gen has a lot of gas left in it, at least enough to travel for 4 years more.

'Mobile Suit Gundam' For PS3.

2006-08-08T14:34:00.000-05:00

Namco Bandai Games announced today Mobile Suit Gundam, a sci-fi action game with stunning high-definition graphics, promising gorgeous Mobile Suit battles and the opportunity to participate in thrilling epic battles taking place on the futuristic Earth.

Click on images to enlarge.

“Made possible by the immense power of the PlayStation 3 system, 'Mobile Suit Gundam' will take gamers right into the futuristic war zones, brought to life by both CG quality high-definition graphics and ultra realistic destruction physics,” said Naruo Uchida, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.’s Vice President. “Along with stylized gameplay and stunning graphics, the opportunity to experience firsthand the epic mobile suit warfare will surely excite any sci-fi fan".

Featuring a variety of Mobile Suits from the Gundam franchise, "Mobile Suit Gundam" sets players in the latter stages of The One Year War. Players will have the opportunity to be a commander of their own Mobile Suit battalion for either the Federation or Zeon Mobile Suit Assault Force. As players move through the ranks, they will be able to gain access to new Mobile Suits and engage in battles with more capable pilots at their command.

With a battalion at their disposal, players face a number of strategic options to choose from. In order to succeed, it will be vital for players to know about specific destructible parts on Mobile Suits, vulnerable enemy facilities and whether or not to engage enemies with either short or long range combat. Teamwork will also be a key component to the survival of every mission. If players are successful, their chosen allegiance could be the turning point for the war in "Mobile Suit Gundam".

Day of Paradise: Monday, August 7, 2006

2006-08-08T12:11:00.000-05:00

Well not too busy of a Monday but Tuesdays are usually prett big day so news should start pouring in. But we are only a couple of weeks from LGC so keep holding out for that info. Splinter Cell Double Agent Dated Prince of Persia Wii Officially Confirmed IGN Speculates on Wii Price, Release Date, CPU, and Other Stuff The dead have to wait 1 more day Zucas

Xbox360 Has 1% Of The Market In Japan.

2006-08-08T10:14:00.000-05:00

During July 2006, the Xbox 360 represented 1% of the total console sales in Japan. On the software side, there were no Xbox360 titles among the top 50 best selling games. The image below says it all. The clerk doesn’t look happy either. Japanese X360 sales have been catastrophic the past 6 months. During the first two months it was outsold by the GameCube, even the GameBoy Advance. The recent few months have been dominated by the Nintendo DS, selling more than all other consoles combined for the last week of July. Six of the top ten best selling games were for the DS platform.

Sony's Mylo, New Cool Gadget.

2006-08-08T09:52:00.000-05:00

The dead have to wait 1 more day

2006-08-07T21:33:00.000-05:00

Dead Rising's 1 day away, and IGN & Gamespot have already reviewed it. The feedback is quite good; the scores were 8.3 (IGN) and 8.4 (GS). Looks like 360 owners are finally going to get their zombie fix!

IGN Speculates on Wii Price, Release Date, CPU, and Other Stuff

2006-08-07T20:21:00.000-05:00

IGN just put up a post concerning Wii and rumors they have about it. But something fishy has happened so let's go over what is directly up there right now. Here is what was in the post: A number of big-name publishers are set to release their Wii games in mid-to-late October, which suggests that a system debut could not be that far off. And several insiders have told IGN that November 2 could, in fact, be the big day. Thing is, not all of our contacts are in agreement on the date. Some have suggested that November 12 could, instead, by Wii's launch date. Regardless, though, it seems that Wii fans can look forward to their console sooner rather than later. Sources suggest that Wii will launch with a $229 price tag and will be available in both black and white. Nintendo has allegedly bumped production of Wii hardware to more than five million units by the end of the year, a significant upgrade to previous numbers. The jump is purportedly based on the positive reaction to Wii from press and industry analysts at E3 2006. The console is unlikely to be region-free, although the lock is unrelated to hardware; a firmware update could theoretically allow gamers to play import software. Ah so mid to late October that is where a lot of publishers are looking at. There has been a lot of speculation concerning October so who knows. Also November 2 seems plausible but not much into November 12. Too close to the PS3 launch date. AS for a $229 price tag seems a little to random. I still think it'll be $250 as that seems like the best but who knos. But just seems to random. AS for bumping it up to 5 million that is definetly believeable. Wii is the big thing in gaming right now and is getting games, support, and good words every day. I wouln'dt be surprised. But not region free is a little dissapointing but a firmware update to enable that would be wonderful. Now that is what is up now. But that's not what was up in the original post. Some things were left out. Why? I don't know but I think to cover up some thigns. Here's things left out in the original post: Insiders claim to have seen final hardware. The Broadway CPU is allegedly in the 750 CL line, a continuation of the 750 GX series. IBM may be working on a revised Broadway chip with a lower clock speed for a future Nintendo handheld — presumably one that plays GameCube discs. Nintendo has allegedly bumped production of Wii hardware to 5.5 million units by the end of the year, a significant upgrade to previous numbers. The jump is purportedly based on the positive reaction to Wii from press and industry analysts at E3 2006. Ah so why leave out the info about the Broadway series. Now I don't know anything about the 750 CL PowerPC line but I do know that the 750 GX max performance is 1 ghz. So a continuation would mean it would be more powerful than 1 ghz which would stomp the old rumors. But this is also interesting. A revised Broadway chip to be used in a future NInendo handheld that plays GC discs. I smell Gameboy Evolution. If that's true then that would be nothing short of incredible. Possibly some connection between it and the Wii. Who knows but the ability to play GC games on your handheld is amazing. It would be like a good PSP. Woah unnecessary shot at downgraded PS2 games always on PSP. And also it said 5.5 million instead of 5. So why leave this out in the revised post. Did this give away too much. Possibly Nintendo wanted it revised or did we just find something out we weren't supposed to. I guess all will be explained soon but very very interesting rumors. We'll see how it turns out. http://www.codenamerevolution.com/?p=1427 Zucas

Prince of Persia Wii Officially Confirmed

2006-08-07T17:07:00.000-05:00

Just last week Ubisoft let out a giant list of 7 Wii titles that will be making launch. But the French press release of the same thing also included a Prince of Persia game. And after all the denial from Ubisoft, IGN has talked to them and confirmed that a game in the Prince of Persia series is coming to the Wii: "I can confirm that a game based on the popular Prince of Persia franchise is one of many titles Ubisoft has in development for Nintendo's Wii," a spokesperson for Ubisoft told IGN today. "At this time we can not provide an official date for the game or any additional information about it." According to the report the game was left off last week's list cause it was not a launch title. Only this announcement has been made. Nothing about the game or it's release has been said but I think just hearing that a Prince of Persia game is coming to the Wii is good enough for me. We can only hope they show it at LGC. http://wii.ign.com/articles/723/723863p1.html Zucas

Splinter Cell Double Agent Dated

2006-08-07T15:31:00.000-05:00

Ubisoft today confirmed the release date for the Xbox 360 and PC version of Splinter Cell Double Agent. It will be available by October 19th for the Xbox 360 and PC. Ubisoft also said that there would be a demo a few weeks before the release of the game. The Xbox 360 demo will be multiplayer only, while the PC version will be single player and multiplayer. No information was given for the PS3 version.

Day of Paradise: Sunday, August 6, 2006

2006-08-07T14:07:00.000-05:00

Ah and quite a busy Sunday and with edition of a new member, Weird Guy, just another great addition to our site. Don't forget last day to get your thoughts in on the podcast which we are doing tonight. So get your questions in. Gamer's Pardise Podcast Episode 6 Questions Sony Confirms PS3 Can Use Old Game Saves Stranglehold Pushed Back To 2007 More Smash Bros. Melee Action Replay Fun UK To Get First PS3 Magazine In August Broken Saints to Wii, DS, PSP Has the PSP died already? Best Buy US Software Sales for Week Ending July 29 Japanese Hardware and Software Sales for July 24-30 PSP greatest hits program MechAssault title confirmed for DS Zucas

MechAssault title confirmed for DS

2006-08-06T20:03:00.000-05:00

Backbone Entertainment is currently devoloping a MechAssault title for the Nintendo DS called MechAssault: Phantom Wars. They've said that the method of control will be similar to Metroid Prime: Hunters, unless you opt for the other control-scheme that uses the x,y,a and b buttons. There will be wireless multiplayer as well, although they haven't specified whats the player limit, and there is no concrete release date as of yet.

PSP greatest hits program

2006-08-06T19:39:00.000-05:00

Sony has started the Greatest Hits Program for the PSP. All games under the greatest hits label will be retailed for 20$. For a game to eligible for the greatest hits label, it has to have been out for 9 months and have sold at least 250,000 units. PSP games that have been anounced in the Greatest Hits Program are: Wipeout Pure Ape Escape: On the Loose ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee Twisted Metal: Head On There are others that are likely to be in the program very soon as well. Some of these are: Lumines Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition Starwars Battlefront: 2 Tony Hawk's Underground 2: Remix Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade SOCOM Fireteam Bravo

Japanese Hardware and Software Sales for July 24-30

2006-08-06T19:32:00.000-05:00

And not for the other side of the world with Japan who had quite an interesting week. So let's start off with hardware as always: Nintendo DS Lite - 176,853 PSP - 42,604 PS2 - 26,451 X360 - 2,246 Game Boy Advance SP - 2,229 Game Boy Micro - 1,766 Nintendo DS - 1,530 GameCube - 1,039 Xbox - 11 Game Boy Advance - 9 Woah Xbox went from 0 to 11. Seems like Bill Gates decided to buy him 11 more eh. But glad to see it up above the dreaded none. Haha last week probably someone traded an Xbox in meaning that the system actually sold -1 haha. But DS Lite sold it's average but a boost in PSP sales by 2x is big for it. As PS2 stayed the same the X360 had a 2x boost as well as selling more than 200. While everything else stayed the same the PSP, X36, and Xbox both had significant jumps over last week. And on to sales: {system/company/game/sales/total sales} 1. (DS, Bandai) Tamagotchi no Puchi Puchi Omisetchi Gohiikini - 192,458 2. (PS2, Capcom) Sengoku Basara 2 - 135,850 3. (DS, Nintendo) New Super Mario Bros - 114,225 / 2,516,190 4. (DS, Nintendo) Mario Basket 3 on 3- 110,708 5. (PS2, Atlus) Kamaitachi no Yoru 3 - 97,315 6. (DS, Nintendo) Shaberu! Oryouri Nabi - 61,326 / 187,856 7. (DS, Nintendo) More Brain Age - 53,103 / 2,877,641 8. (PSP, Enterbrain) Derby Stallion P - 49,206 9. (DS, Nintendo) Brain Age - 32,419 / 2,616,839 10. (DS, Sega) Mushiking Greatest Champion e no Michi 2 - 31,763 Ah and the new Tamagotch game takes the 1st place with a strong showing in it's first week with almost 200,000. Also the next Sengoku game on the PS2 also makes a strong showing to take 2nd. And then we have our same DS games such as New Super Mario Bros, Brain AGe 1 and 2 and woah what happened to Animal Crossing and English Training. Well it looks like boht were knocked off this week. And poor AC right before it hit 3 million. And also Mario Basket 3 on 3 game had a good 1st week too. Wiht a lone PSP in game it was definetly a DS filled week which took 7 spots. Big week in Japan with more sales than it usually gets. But should go back to normal come next week. Zucas

Best Buy US Software Sales for Week Ending July 29

2006-08-06T19:24:00.000-05:00

Once again we got sales from Best Buy from America which will be a weekly thing like the Japanese sales. So check out what sold the best at Best Buy: 1. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) 2. Brain Age (DS) 3. NCAA Football 07 (PS2) 4. NCAA Football 07 (X360) 5. Tekken: Dark Resurrection (PSP) 6. Big Brain Academy (DS) 7. NCAA Football 07 (Xbox) 8. NCAA Football 07 (PSP) 9. Naruto: Ultimate Ninja (PS2) 10. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (X360) Ah and the elite 2 DS games are back up top with New Super Mario Bros and Brain Age. In Japan and America these games got some staying power. Then we got all 4 versions of NCAA Football 07 in there for the 3, 4, 7, and 8 spots. Damn those Americans like football. And finally a PSP game with Tekken but that always sells well. And another Brain game with Big Brain Academy. Finally with a Naruto game for PS2 which is slightly odd but oh well. And then the biggest X360 game with staying power is definetly GRAW. That's been up forever eh. But it seems that it might be pushed out soon. Well next week will be interesting to see what comes out. I believe Dead Rising will be out next week so we'll see where that places. Otherwise another average week for Best Buy but those DS games are sure taking the top. And I think they'll stay in the top 10 for awhile. Zucas

Has the PSP died already?

2006-08-06T18:51:00.000-05:00

On E3 2003 & 2004, Sony and Nintendo were hyping their next-gen handhelds: The Nintendo Dual-Screen and the Sony Playstation Portable. Sony was hyping the PSP's graphical prowess and multimedia capabilities, while Nintendo was hyping the touch-screen, which supposedly sported a new way of play. Well, let's fast-forward to now. The DS has been out for a year and a half, and its selling like hotcakes. Like Nintendo's past excursions, there's an updated DS- the DS Lite. The DS Lite sports better backlighting, slimmer (and sleeker) form, better buttons, etc. And people are buying it in droves. In fact, the combined sales of the DS and the DS Lite are a ground-breaking 21 million. Supporting these sales are strong first party support. The number of games Nintendo has made for the DS already is staggering. New Super Mario Bros, Super Mario 64 DS, Super Mario Kart DS, Yoshi touch & go, Warioware, Nintendogs, etc. Nintendogs has sold over 3 million copies alone. In short, the DS was a huge success. But what about the PSP? That's a different story. When the PSP launched in Japan in December, the figures looked quite good. The PSP was doing just about as well as the DS. When the PSP launched in the U.S, in March however, the first million shipment didn't sell for weeks. Now, why was that? Some say its because of the high price, and that was defintitely a factor. And the fact that Japan got both versions of the PSP (the value pack and the standalone) and the US didn't until 2006... that was a big factor as well. Whatever way it happened, the systems didn't really sell until May. After that, the PSP good sales in the USA and in Japan. By the end of 2005, the PSP had an established userbase of 3 million. But during 2005, things went downhill. Why? I think it was because of the drought of truly compelling games. There were almost no games released in the summer. Fall and Winter were much better seasons for the PSP, as GTA: LCS, Tokobot, SOCOM: Alpha Team Bravo, Infected and a whole bunch of other good and great games were released. In 2006, the quality of games got better with the releases of Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, Daxter, Field Commander, Untold Legends: Warrior's Code and others. And it looks like the quality will only get better, as predicted by the upcoming Loco Roco, Ultimate Ghosts n' Goblins, GTA: VCS, Lumines 2, Every Extend Extra, Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters, MGS: Portable Ops, GT4 Mobile and more. So why are the PSPs still not selling much? I think the answer lies in the hearts of jaded gamers. Because it took this long to get the great games we wanted since day 1, some people just didn't feel that the PSP was worth the cash. Others have been waiting for a lot of great games to come out so that they actually have games to buy, and still others just don't want to pay 200-250$ for a portable gaming system, since the DS Lite is 100-50$ cheaper, and are waiting for a price drop. So to me, its a matter of time before Sony's PSP sales go up again (like when they do another price drop). The other thing that's been driving away potential PSP buyers are the supposed defects. Let me clear up something: When people say that the PSP's battery life is 2-4 hours, they're telling a white lie. The PSP's battery lasts that long IF you put the screen on full brightness. But really, there's no need to because the lowest brightness is still very bright, and its easy to see whats going on on the screen. Another thing people have been saying is that when you open the UMD drive it sometimes pops out the UMDs (at high velocity). This is a lie, plain and simple. Another thing that's been said is that the square button sticks. This used to be true-in Japan. The first PSPs that were released in Japan had this problem because of the square button's proximity to the screen. But Sony fixed it for the US and European releases so now that's not a problem. And the analog stick falling off? by a whole pack of them for less than 2 dollars. If you were to ask me for my opinion, I'd say that the PSP hasn't died. Far from it. In fact, the PSP has a healthy number of owners. And if Sony were to really market the PSP agressively and start seriously making original I.Ps for it, then there'd be a lot more activity. But as it is, Sony hasn't done bad at all for a first try in the handheld buisness. In fact, they've done quite well. Although the PSP hasn't won the war, its still been able to put up a good fight. And who knows? Maybe all of the problems that people had with it will be remedied with the next PSP, if it ever sees the light of day.

Broken Saints to Wii, DS, PSP

2006-08-06T17:28:00.000-05:00

I most have forgot to post this but the game Broken Saints has decided to go to the Wii, DS, and PSP. There was a teaser trailer of the game released last year saying that the game would go to all next gen consoles but it looks like they limited it to the handhelds and the Wii. To inform you Broken Saints is a game based off a popular internet series of the same name that is extremely popular. So all that have a DS and PSP and going to get a Wii be sure to check this game out cause from the Vid looks something that you'd see out of Eternal Darkness and we know how good that game is. Anyways here's the link to the confirmation of the game by Gnosis games. And here's the trailer I was talking about: And here's is Gnosis official site on the game where it talks a little about it: http://www.gnosisgames.com/games-brokensaints.html And finally to find a little more about the Broken Saints series check out this site: http://bs.brokensaints.com/dvd/ Zucas

UK To Get First PS3 Magazine In August.

2006-08-06T14:58:00.000-05:00

The company behind Play magazine in the UK, Imagine Publishing, has announced the first and currently only dedicated PlayStation 3 magazine in the UK. Titled Next3, the magazine will hit stands this August 10th at £4. “The same makers of the PlayStation-dedicated UK magazine Play now presents you with a magazine that covers anything and everything about Sony's next-generation console. Next3, UK's first and only PS3-only mag, will offer in-depth news, previews and reviews of upcoming games plus a section that will highlight PS3’s multimedia and networking capabilities (i.e., Blu-ray movie reviews, online gaming and cutting edge technology)”, the announcement read. There will be 13 issues of Next3 per year and the cover for the maiden issue has already been released- the issue will contain a 24-page feature titled “The future has arrived”. A September issue with a bonus DVD is already planned. Competitors of Next3 will include the recently renamed PSM3 magazine which will feature the PlayStation brand and focus predominantly on the PlayStation 3.

More Smash Bros. Melee Action Replay Fun

2006-08-06T14:52:00.000-05:00

Haha another video that will just have your mouth wide open throughout the entire video. I mean this is just crazy. Beating the story mode like this dude does is nothign short of incredible. But hey I guess any of us could do it with action replay eh haha. Anyways a great video for a must watch on the weekend.

Zucas

Day of Paradise: Saturday, August 5, 2006

2006-08-06T11:52:00.000-05:00

Well not much done yesterday but Saturday was pretty much an offday for a few people. And with the summer ending for me at least it's going to be a little different but we'll definetly try our hardest to get updates out. But once again a slow weekend. Gamer's Paradise Podcast Episode 6 Questions Super Mario Strikers Wii? Zucas

Stranglehold Pushed Back To 2007.

2006-08-06T06:27:00.000-05:00

Last month, the Retail Radar covered a possible delay in Midway's premiere next-gen title for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, Stranglehold. Online retailer GameStop suggested that the game sequel to John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat's classic action flick Hard-Boiled wouldn't be arriving until February 15, 2007. At the time, a Midway rep told GameSpot that the company was still aiming for "a fall or holiday 2006" release for Stranglehold on all three platforms. It turns out Midway's aim was off the mark. The company has confirmed that Stranglehold has indeed been delayed. However, the mid-February date GameStop posited was a little too specific, as Midway is only saying that it will be out in the first quarter of 2007.

Sony Confirms PS3 Can Use Old Game Saves.

2006-08-06T06:17:00.000-05:00

Microsoft has run into a pair of notable complaints with its Xbox 360 backward compatibility. First off, not all original Xbox games work on the next-gen system. And the ones that do typically need to be replayed from the beginning by the gamer, as there's no port on the 360 for the old system's memory cards. With its upcoming PlayStation 3, Sony is promising to address those problems. It is aiming at making virtually every original PlayStation and PlayStation 2 game backward compatible on the PS3 from the get-go, and according to a FAQ on the official PS3 Web Site, it has the memory card issue hammered out as well. "To use saved data on a PlayStation 2 memory card, you must copy the data onto a virtual memory card within the hard disk," the site reads. "This requires a PS2/PSone memory card adaptor to copy the data to your PlayStation 3. A memory card adaptor is designed to edit, up/download game saves to and from EMS flash card or smart media card". However, the FAQ doesn't mention if Sony will be releasing such an adapter itself. Currently it's possible to move original Xbox game saves to an Xbox 360 with the aid of third-party peripherals.

Super Mario Strikers Wii?

2006-08-05T17:17:00.000-05:00

Sources close to Nintendo of Europe told IGN that one of the 5 games that will be shown at Nintendo's section of LGC will be a sequel to one of the last great hits of the Super Mario Strikers game on the GC game. http://wii.ign.com/articles/723/723601p1.html Well this would be great and I guess would be a good game to show devs how to make a soccer game on the Wii. So we'll see if this turns true. That leaves 4 games left to be shown by Nintendo. That also still leaves a bunch of games by devs to show off which is even better. Well we'll see come LGC which starts on August 23. Zucas

Day of Paradise: Friday, August 4, 2006

2006-08-05T10:33:00.000-05:00

A great day for Friday as we heard a lot of good news. And as we enter the weekend updates we'll try to get a podcast out and some analysts and anything else we can do to get through the weekend slowness. But don't forget to leave comments for the next podcast. And staff who won't to be in that need to contact me immediately. Gamer's Paradise Podcast Episode 6 Questions Mario Leads Golden Joystick Nominations Sony Reveals Playstation Awards In Japan Dead Rising Demo on Live Spore on All Platforms Recent EGM Rumors Yet Another Sadness ... Woah In Game Screenshot Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Wii Controls? Activision Talks Wii Stance Zucas

Gamer's Paradise Podcast Episode 6 Questions

2006-08-04T19:20:00.000-05:00

We are ready to do another podcast and it's about time. So as always in the comments section of this post leave questions, ideas, comments, analysis, news, and just plain about anything that you want to hear us talk about in that section of our podcasts. So if you want your ideas out there this is the place. Secondly any staff members willing to participate in this podcast either leave a comment or send me an email immediately upon reading this post. I would love to do this podcast on Sunday or sometime Monday. But Sunday would be better for me. So staff and fans make sure you get your stuff through to me. Going to be another great podcast. Zucas

Activision Talks Wii Stance

2006-08-04T18:21:00.000-05:00

Activision is another big company that from the beginning have been supporting the Wii at full blast. And like Ubisoft are going to be big at launch date. Check what they said recently about the Wii: “It sounds like [our competitors] may be trying to catch up with plans that we’ve already put into place. We’re encouraged by the Wii platform. We have three launch titles planned for it this year. We’ll see how the market responds to it. But it has tremendous potential to broaden the market and we’ve got a whole solid plan against the Wii in the future. (In regards to pricing) We think premium content generates premium pricing, and Wii pricing will be at least $49.” - Activision CEO Robert Kotick Ah so Activision Wii games going to be $50. Ah now that's nice. Just apsolutely wonderful. And 3 launch titles is amazing too with it's Tony Hawk: Downhill Jam, Call of Duty 3, and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. All 3 big titles and all people want. A good selection of games and I know I'll be buying at least one of their games launch day. http://gonintendo.com/?p=4328 Zucas

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Wii Controls?

2006-08-04T18:15:00.000-05:00

With the official announcement of the game a little earlier this week not rumors are heading up on how the controls are. As still a rumor this one is check out what the supposed controls will be: The basic “concept” is that the Wiimote will control arm actions, while the Nunchaku will take on leg actions. Light and heavy kicks, for example, will be done with the C and Z triggers on the Nunchaku. The analog stick lets you run (free roaming stages, similar to last two games). Finally, jumping is done by nudging the Nunchaku upwards. On the other hand (ba-dum-tsh), you have light and heavy punches done with A and B. Blocking is done with the d-pad, and yes, it blocks in the direction you press. Now, remember how in past fighting games moves were executed with a roll across the d-pad and a button press or two? Now, instead of the d-df-f style thumbrolls, you actually just point the Wiimote down and swing up to the forward position and then hit your button. This has two interesting side effects: 1) you can much more easily perform moves while running, as the controls are independent; 2) button mashers around the office are easily outed and christened with the new ‘flailer’ nomenclature. If you know what you’re doing it apparently looks pretty cool. Ah don't understand it that well but I get the main thing is that the wiimote controls the hands and the nunchuck attachment controls the kicks. And you can go over the entire thing to find out how this person thinks it should be controlled. I hope this game shows other developers how to create a fighting game with the Wiimote cause a lot of devs have been scared to make one on it but if this is a success then that'll definetly bring them in. http://gonintendo.com/?p=4327 Zucas

Yet Another Sadness ... Woah In Game Screenshot

2006-08-04T18:11:00.000-05:00

So far we've seen nothing but Sadness artwork from their creative designers but something new has come up today. But today is different. This time the developers, NIBRIS, have said this is not artwork but actual in game screenshots of the PC-Work Station they are currently playing the game on. Check it: “this is not artwork - its from PC work-station shot in-game. We hope that for Wii this game will be look like in this screen or very near.” - Nibris team member Ah very good pic indeed. Looks like a real black and white movie as proclaimed by the creators. And as said there would be no HUB so definetly no stuff on screen. But still don't know if this is reall as of yet but gaze at the wonders of this screenshot as it is quite nice. http://gonintendo.com/?p=4326 Zucas

Recent EGM Rumors

2006-08-04T18:02:00.000-05:00

In every Entertainment Gaming Magazine(EGM) it has a section that talks about recent rumors they've heard from sources. Here's the most recent issue's rumors. Pretty interesting ones indeed: - Saint's Row to be PS3 launch title - New Prince of Persia for next-gen consoles - Crysis sequel/spin-off to next-gen consoles - Luigi's Mansion sequel for Wii - Free Virtual Console games to be packaged with select Wii launch titles - Dumbed-down Halo to launch with Microsoft's inevitable handheld - The next Elder Scrolls game is scheduled to ship next summer Very interesting rumors but let's seperate what's possible and what isn't. The Saint's Row rumor is extremely possible. With a lot of people saying that Saint's Row is similar to GTA then with the GTA crowd in masses on the Sony consoles that it would be a real smart move to put it on the PS3 also. Prince of Persia is definetly inevitable due to the sheer popularity of the series. And with the recent rumors of a Wii version this is extremely possible. The Crysis one is possible if it's a remake or sequel for the console but I highly doubt that'd it be out anytime soon and they want start putting it on the console while excluding the PC. I mean we have to face the fact the consoles can't handle Crysis in it's original form right now this early so if they port it it will have to be numbed down extravently but maybe later on in the life cycle of all the consoles it will be portable over. Luigi's Mansion is very possible due to the large amount of sales from the last game and the Free Virtual Console games with the Wii launch titles is also possible. Just package in some free ones with every purchase of the console to get people pschyed about it. As for the Halo one and the MS handheld I don't know. I mean the handheld won't be out anytime soon at the earliest late next year. They'd probably just port a version of Halo 2 over cause that's probably the most it could handle. But basically it be a gimmick of the series to get buyers in but this is possible if a handheld comes which I still don't see possible. And Elder Scrolls 5 coming anytime soon is just a flat out lie. Bethesda is just too good for that and they'll spend awhile making the next one. Well a good healthy list of rumos and let's see how many come true. More on all of this as it comes. Source Zucas

Spore on All Platforms

2006-08-04T15:46:00.000-05:00

Will Wright, creator of The Sims, announced today that Spore will launch as a PC exclusive, but later be put on "several consoles and handhelds". Wright also mentioned that he hopes to make special creative ideas for the Wii controller, and that the 360 and PS3 versions will be entirely different than the Wii version. More news on Spore soon.

Day of Paradise: Thursday, August 3, 2006

2006-08-04T12:10:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the late Day of Paradise just fell asleep too early and forgot to do it. Anyways still need to do it so check out all that happened yesterday. And I hope this doesn't overshadow the other posts so don't forget to look at the 3 posts below this one that give some great news for today. Gears of War Dated Final PS3 Dev Kits In Hands Of Developers Gamefly Knows About Another Wii Game? No Gears of War Demo Ubisoft Unleashes Its 7 Wii Titles Recent Wii Specs Proven False Atari Talks Console Support Prince of Persia Wii? No Spaceworld but Super Mario Galaxy a Launch Title? Castlevania Headed to XBLA Anascape Sues Microsoft, Nintendo E3 Cancelled Zucas

Dead Rising Demo on Live

2006-08-04T11:40:00.000-05:00

Today there is a file size of about 1 gigabyte for the Dead Rising Demo, which is limited to 15 minutes of play a session. There is no multiplayer in the demo or the game, but the 1-p is very fun. So go download it now!

Sony Reveals Playstation Awards In Japan.

2006-08-04T10:43:00.000-05:00

Officials from Sony have announced the winners of the annual PlayStation awards in Japan, for the titles which have sold in the greatest volume between May 2005 and 2006. The awards are judged solely on retail performance in Japan and do not take into account their critical response from either the media or consumers.Although PSP titles are considered for the awards only one title, Capcom’s Monster Hunter Freedom was applicable. The only Double Platinum Award, for titles which sold between 2 and 3 million units, went to Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XII on the PlayStation 2. There were three Platinum awards, though, for titles selling over 1 million units, in the shape of Kingdom Hearts II (PS2, Square Enix), World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 (PS2, Konami) and World Soccer Winning Eleven 10 (PS2, Konami). A total of nine gold awards were given for titles which sold over 500,000 units in Japan. They are: Biohazard 4, aka Resident Evil 4 (PS2, Capcom); Monster Hunter 2 (PS2, Capcom); Monster Hunter Portable, aka Monster Hunter Freedom (PSP, Capcom); Sengoku Musou 2, aka Samurai Warriors 2 (PS2, Koei); Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (PS2, Square Enix); Dragon Ball Sparking!, aka Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi (PS2, Bandai Namco); Tales of the Abyss (PS2, Bandai Namco); Dai-3-Ji Super Robot Taisen Alpha: Shuuen no Ginga e (PS2, Banpresto); and Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 12 (PS2, Konami).

Mario Leads Golden Joystick Nominations.

2006-08-04T05:36:00.000-05:00

Handheld games console title Mario Kart DS leads the nominations for the Golden Joystick awards 2006. The Nintendo DS game has six nominations, including game of the year, while role playing game Oblivion is short listed in five categories. Quiz game Buzz and Xbox Live's marketplace, where gamers can download demos, lead the innovation category. The winners - voted for by gamers - will be unveiled at a ceremony in a London hotel on 27 October. Votes can be cast on the Golden Joystick awards website and organisers are expecting more than 250,000 ballots to be cast. Different categories There are 16 different categories, including handheld game of the year, family game, girls' choice and online game of the year. Other contenders for the title of game of the year include Resident Evil 4, Call of Duty 2, Guitar Hero and Pro Evolution Soccer 5. Lara Croft, who turns 10 this year, is in the running for the favourite character award. Croft made a successful return in Tomb Raider: Legend this year. Also nominated are Mario, Agent 47 from Hitman: Blood Money, Alyx Vance from Half Life: Episode 1 and Prince of Persia from the Two Thrones title. The Golden Joystick awards were founded in 1982 when Atari, Commodore and Spectrum were the dominant players in the market. The industry is now worth $25 billion (£14bn) a year and the big players include Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Game development has grown in complexity to rival the work of Hollywood studios with high-profile titles costing up to $20m (£12m) to produce and involving years of work and hundreds of staff. This year the awards ceremony will be webcast on the Computer and Video Games website.

E3 Cancelled

2006-08-03T23:36:00.000-05:00

Yep... sad to say it but it is true. I just got an email from gamespot letting subscribers know that E3 was cancelled. Head over to gamespot for the full details.

Anascape Sues Microsoft, Nintendo

2006-08-03T21:20:00.000-05:00

Sony had the problem of dealing with a lawsuit with Immersion, and Immersion won. Now it seems that Anascape is going to sue Microsoft and Nintendo for similar controller features. Microsoft and Nintendo have not responded to the allegations yet.

Castlevania Headed to XBLA

2006-08-03T21:16:00.000-05:00

There are many arcade games coming to XBLA, and one of the exciting announcements was that the classic Castlevania: Symphony of the Night originally for the PS1 will be available for download either late 2006 or early 2007. Konami hopes to expand the Castlevania name, in preparation for next generation Castlevania. Look for more on this game soon.

No Spaceworld but Super Mario Galaxy a Launch Title?

2006-08-03T20:41:00.000-05:00

A recent interview with Nintendo of America Public Relations Manage, Matt Atwood, and AMN talks about a few things. In the interview AMN asked about the possibility of a Spaceworld and Mr. Atwood stated there are no plans thus far to hold a Spaceworld event. But always that still leaves a possibility in my opinion. But when asked if Super Mario Galaxy had a possibility of being a launch title he simply said "anything is possible" which leaves us all with happiness. I mean the Wii launch series is already to die for but if you add a Mario title into that groove then I think you may have a legendary launch series that could blind people with it's greatness. Oh man I hope that's true. And if it is I'm going to be broke these Holidays. http://gonintendo.com/?p=4310 Zucas

Prince of Persia Wii?

2006-08-03T20:34:00.000-05:00

I talked about this earlier in my Ubisoft blow out post but I think it's big and should have a post dedicated to itself. The French Press release of the 7 titles from Ubisoft contained one more title that was dubbed Prince of Persia Wii. Yet in the American one this was simply left off. So Ubisoft of America had this to say about that: “We saw this too and Prince of Persia is not confirmed as either a Wii launch title or a title coming out in North America in March 2007 at this time.” - Ubisoft Rep Woah it seems like we have a discrepancy. I mean this is a press release in France and errors just don't happen like that. And this quick response seems to show the surprise that Ubisoft got from this. And the surprise seems to be that they said that more along the lines of it's realitivity or not. I think this is very real judging by what the retailers said earlier and they just dont' make mistakes in the Press Release. It seems that Ubisoft France might have ruined a secret that Ubisoft wanted to make a big surprise with at LGC. I think we can probably take this as an official announcement and say that a Prince of Persia game for the Wii is coming out March 2007. http://1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3152632 Zucas

Atari Talks Console Support

2006-08-03T20:27:00.000-05:00

Atari being another big company that they are has talked today about support. They are so far supporting the Wii and 360 this holiday season but just don't know enough about the PS3 yet to start giving out full support. Check it out: GI: Is Atari supporting all three of the next-gen consoles equally? BB: We’re supporting them fairly equally; it’s just that we’re lacking information about the PS3 at this stage, because we have basically a rough release date and a high retail price point. As far as the Wii and the Xbox 360 go, we’ll be there for this season; for PS3, we’ll probably have to wait a little later in the year before we release some new titles. GI: So we might not see any Atari titles on PS3 until 2007? BB: Yes, which was always planned. We are just accelerating some of the Wii titles, because with the technology being so close to the GameCube, we are able to effectively convert teams faster than on PS3. GI: How strong do you think Atari’s line-up is looking this year? BB: Well, look at Test Drive Unlimited, which is to be released in September, and is perceived by many websites as one of the top titles of this year. We have the Arthur franchise, which is a major motion picture out between December and January. For the PSP there’s Hot Pxl, which takes full advantage of the Wi-Fi capabilities of PSP, not to mention DBZ on Wii… I think we have very strong titles, and we intend to passionately occupy some of the top positions during the Christmas period. Ah so PS3 is having problems with Atari right now. So all fans of Atari games and are looking into a PS3 you'll have to wait til 2007 to start from them mainly do that it was hard to convert on over. Probably was the same with 360 but remember that 1 year difference. And because Wii technology in architecture is similar to the GC it has to take no time at all to change on over which is another plus. With for the next gen the big games from the being Test Drive: Unlimited and DBZ on Wii Atari is going to have a healthy lineup this Q4 2006. http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=18711 Zucas

Recent Wii Specs Proven False

2006-08-03T20:05:00.000-05:00

A little while back another set of Wii specs came out that suggested the Wii would be exactly what IGN had posted in about March 2006. Although it seemed like this supposed developer new his stuff and new what he was talking about it just seems that it's no more than a good copy and past job. Check out this: Oh, waitaminute… I’m sorry. Those are specs I copied and pasted from one of the many pages of unofficial Gekko documentation that I was able to dig up on Google with a few keystrokes. The MaxConsole list features the same data, in the same order, with a few phrasing tweaks and the MHz numbers revised upwards. For what it’s worth, I even went back to my own archive of official GameCube docs to verify the specs above, and I picked through the MaxConsole post looking for something that might set their information apart as different from Gekko–an enlarged buffer, a reduced latency, a new functional block, anything–but I came up empty-handed. And that clears up another rumor. So we've seen low and high specs released of the Wii console but so far nothing real has been shown. Makes you wonder if Nintendo will ever release it's specs but for all of those who started to believe this it was just another rumor. I didn't think those were real either as they didn't have the IT-SRAM. More on Specs hopefully at LGC. http://gonintendo.com/?p=4301 Zucas

Ubisoft Unleashes Its 7 Wii Titles

2006-08-03T19:42:00.000-05:00

While Ubisoft yesterday announced they had 7 titles today they said what all 7 of those were today. Those 7 titles include the announced games Red Steel and Rayman: Raving Rabbids. But it also includes 5 unannounced titles Open Season, Monster 4 x 4 World Circuit, GT Pro, Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII, and finally the big mega one Farcry. Ah and if that isn't enough the publisher also said that their are many more titles in development for the Wii just to tempt your appetite. And even further a Ubisoft France employee stated that Prince of Persia Wii will be out in France by next March but the source is still being verified as if real or not but on an update on that Ubisoft has said today they have made no announcement about a Wii version of Prince of Persia for the Wii launch or by March 2007. So that shoots that one down but companies have shot previous things down and then come back to say the exact opposite. Remember Zelda TP for Wii rumors. Also they go on to talk about what is in each game. Here's what IGN said: The popular first-person shooter Far Cry pits players on a mission through lush Amazonian jungles and equips them with a variety of weapons, vehicles and special powers to attack the enemy. The game will make full use of the Wii-mote for enhanced maneuverability and will likewise boast new content. Blazing Angels utilizes the Wii controller for intense dog fighting scenarios set to the backdrop of WWII. The racer GT Pro Series is developed by MTO and optimized by Ubisoft for Wii. Through a deal with MTO, Ubisoft is able to distribute the project everywhere in the world except Japan. GT features more than 80 licensed cars, detailed tuning options, fluid drift-style controls and physics, and more. The title has been specifically tailored to make full use of the Wii's revolutionary remote. Open Season is an adventure game based on the Sony Pictures Animation's CG animated film of the same name. Monster 4x4 World Circuit is a truck racer that has been completely revamped to make full use of the Wii control system. The title takes players fully off-road for some muddy displays of mechanical power. And if this just isn't enough for this blast of info check out an interview that IGN did with Ubisoft after this announcement that talks about all the new games and their relation with the Wii. And the biggest thing about all 7 titles is that they are all coming out on launch day for the Wii. Which pits the Wii launch series at 30 titles which is the most ever. Just a megaton day for Nintendo, Ubisoft, and Wii fans. Try and tell me Wii doesn't have a variety of games and I'll straight slap ya silly haha. Wii has one of the most diverse lineups through March 2007 and that's going to be a killer to the competion. With the launch series being probably one of the best area with support all around it's going to be a great startoff for the Wii and Nintendo isn't looking back in the dust. Ubisoft's 7 Titles IGN Ubisoft Interview

No Gears of War Demo

2006-08-03T19:40:00.000-05:00

Mark Rein of Epic Games today announced the release date of Gears of War, but also added a few more details as well. Gears of War WILL NOT have a demo before the game releases. Epic feels that it should polish the game instead. Also, after the game is released new content will be released...eventually.

Gamefly Knows About Another Wii Game?

2006-08-03T19:30:00.000-05:00

Gamefly last week posted that Rampage: Total Destruction was coming to the Wii and that turned out right. Well now they are posting another game is coming over called Rapala Trophies for the Wii by Activision. It is classified as Strategy/Sim and it'll be rated teen and that's about it. Well they were right about the 1st game possibly right about this one. I'd say it's a pretty good shot as retailers have been pretty right lately with the Ubisoft games and now these. So let's hope. http://gonintendo.com/?p=4284 Zucas

Final PS3 Dev Kits In Hands Of Developers.

2006-08-03T16:34:00.000-05:00

Word recently reached us that the PlayStation 3 has officially entered production, and in an interview with The Guardian, Sony's president of worldwide studios, Phil Harrison has shed some light on the on-going development work on the console. According to Harrison, "It's all going well. We are in full swing, from a developer point of view, and over 10,000 developer kits have been shipped. Developers now have final [PS3] hardware in their hands, though there will be some upgrades to the operating system - there's nothing unusual about that. The new controller is now in developers' hands, so all the pieces of the puzzle are there". Also in the interview, Harrison comments on the arrival of working Blu-ray drives in the PS3 dev kits, noting that many studios also have blu-ray burners in their PCs, "so they are now doing their first iterations of games running off discs," he says."Signs are good," adds Harrison, "right now there are more than 100 Blu-ray movies available today, in the US. More than 100 games are in development [for the PS3], and all the major third party publishers have pledged their strategic support for the platform". Sony is gearing up for its next big push for the PS3, which will start at the Tokyo Games Show on September 22, where the father of PlayStation, Ken Kutruagi is scheduled to give the keynote speech. Hopefully with the appearance or some new game titles and a more solid-looking launch line-up, Sony will be able to make up for the mostly-negative reaction to its showing at this year's E3. Stay tuned.

Gears of War Dated

2006-08-03T14:11:00.000-05:00

Emergence day has been questioned for months now. But it has finally been confirmed as being November 12th, 2006. This means that Gears of War will be launching five days before the PS3. We all know the PS3 will sell out on launch day as every console does but will this game persuade "fencers" to jump on the Wii60 train? Especially when the PS3 and Wii will be in short supply. Only time will tell, but go reserve Gears of War now, I already have it paid off!

Day of Paradise: Wednesday, August 2, 2006

2006-08-03T00:59:00.000-05:00

And as August hits more updates seem to be raking in so don't want to miss a day of August. Check out what happened today. PlayStation 3 Packs A Punch For Scientists Ubisoft and Midway Love Wii Will Wright Talks Spore on Consoles Even More Sadness Artwork More Pics of the Wii Virtual Console Controller New Red Steel Interview and Screens oeFun Making a Wii Game Call of Duty 3 a Wii Launch Title Nintendo at Second Event for LGC Midway's Official Press Release for MK: Armageddon Wii MTV Nominates Games for Best Soundtrack and Score Rampage: Total Destruction to Wii MoSys Predicts Good Things for the Wii Saints Row Demo - Access To The Entire Map Revealed Gears Of War Leak - November Release Date? Wii Leak - EA Wii Game Prices Revealed Zucas

Wii Leak - EA Wii Game Prices Revealed

2006-08-02T23:59:00.000-05:00

During their recent conference, EA let slip their official Wii game prices to be $49.99 USD. You can find the full article here

Gears Of War Leak - November Release Date?

2006-08-02T23:46:00.000-05:00

Last week, Mark Rein of Epic, posted a thread in the official Gears of War forum declaring a big announcement was due this week. There has been much speculation what it could be - a demo, release date, etc. It was always pretty clear to me it would be a release date. With that, online retailers have posted a release date for Gears of War to be first week of November 2006. Gamestop and EB Games have it scheduled for a November 1 release. While Amazon.com has it listed as November 7. Online retailers are always the first told about release dates, so expect the official big announcement to be this breaking news. Source

Saints Row Demo - Access To The Entire Map Revealed

2006-08-02T23:31:00.000-05:00

Some cunning gamers have found a way past those big red barriers that block access to the entire Saints Row world in the demo available on Xbox360 Market Place. You can view how to do this here

MoSys Predicts Good Things for the Wii

2006-08-02T18:56:00.000-05:00

The makers of the IT-SRAM that is being used in the Wii hardware, MoSys, talked today about a bright future that is going to come to the Wii. Check what they said: “We continue to make solid progress on the strategic initiatives announced earlier this year. We signed multiple CLASSIC Macro licensing deals during the quarter, initiated programs with semiconductor manufacturers at the advanced 65 nanometer process geometry, and further broadened our relationship with Nintendo and NEC. commented. Also during 2007 we anticipate strong royalty growth from the success of Nintendo’s Wii(TM) video game console.” - Chet Silvestri, Chief Executive Officer of MoSys Ah some good words from part of the hardware creators. Let's hope this turns out true but I have a good feeling it will. Lots of predictions that the Wii will do amazingly well and I think shortly we are about to see why. http://gonintendo.com/?p=4270 Zucas

Rampage: Total Destruction to Wii

2006-08-02T18:49:00.000-05:00

Alot of rumors have been circulating that this game will be making the Wii but now it's been officially confirmed by Midway. And it came along with 2 new screens from the Wii version. Here is what was said about the game:

“We are extremely excited to be bringing the mayhem of Rampage: Total Destruction to the Nintendo Wii. “With updated graphics and even more extreme monsters, fans of this classic arcade series, as well as new players, will have more than a handful this winter.” - Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway

Ah more monsters and updated graphics is exactly what everyone wants from the next generation version of the Rampage games. I use to rent this game on my N64 all the time just cause I love smashing things with the awesome monsters. Now I can still do it on the Wii. Forget the GC version I want the Wii version and I think a lot of others feel the exact same way. http://gonintendo.com/?p=4269 Zucas

MTV Nominates Games for Best Soundtrack and Score

2006-08-02T18:42:00.000-05:00

MTV is starting to become a big supporter of gaming and advertising for all 3 companies and the games on them. At their next Music Video Awards they also have awards up for the games with the best score and best soundtrack. Check out who made the nominations: Best Video Game Score Hitman:Blood Money (Jesper Kyd) Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (Tom Salta) Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (Leon Willett and Even 'Magnet' Johansen) Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Jeremy Soule and Julian Soule) Electroplankton (User Generated Soundtrack) Best Video Game Soundtrack Fight Night Round 3 Burnout Revenge NBA 2K6 Driver: Parallel Lines Marc Ecko's Getting Up Ah a great selection indeed though I think the game score choices could have been a slight bit better. But for the game score it's definetly between Oblivion and Electroplankton. Both games had incredible music in them and it's going to be a close one. As for the soundtrack it'll be interesting but I hiope that Marc Ecko's one wins as I just tend to like that game. But the winners will be in when the even takes place so be sure to watch MTV to find out the winners. Source Zucas

Midway's Official Press Release for MK: Armageddon Wii

2006-08-02T18:36:00.000-05:00

We said yesterday that this game was coming to the Wii and officially Midway has confirmed that by giving a giant press release for it. It clarifies that it's coming over while it also talks about the exclusive premium edition of the game is coming over to the PS2. So check this out: Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment industry publisher and developer, today announced that four, all-new limited Premium Editions of Mortal Kombat®: Armageddon will be available for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system when the latest iteration of Midway’s best-selling fighting franchise ships to stores nationwide, currently scheduled for October 9, 2006. Midway also today announced that Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, currently in development atMidway’s Chicago studio, is expected to be available for Nintendo Wii in Q1 2007. More specific details on Mortal Kombat: Armageddon for the Wii will be unveiled later this year. Available exclusively on the PlayStation®2, three of the four Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Premium Editions will feature metallic packaging covers that highlight some of the franchise’s most popular character duos, including: Sindel & Shao Kahn, Johnny Cage & Goro, and Kano & Sonya. The fourth Premium Edition set will feature the general Mortal Kombat: Armageddon retail box art on metallic packaging. The Premium Edition sets have a suggested retail price of $49.95 and will also include the following: a.. An arcade-perfect, playable of the original Ultimate Mortal Kombat® 3 b.. Over 60 minutes of bonus DVD video content featuring a “History of Fatalities” movie, along with new videos for more than 50 of the Mortal Kombat characters c.. An embossed metal package created exclusively for the limited edition Premium Edition sets; there will be four unique box fronts in total d.. Animation cell cover art autographed by franchise co-creator, Ed Boon About Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Mortal Kombat: Armageddon - the latest chapter in the award-winning video game fighting franchise. With the most complete roster ever, including every character from the Mortal Kombat fighting universe, revolutionary Create-A-Fighter and Create-A-Fatality modes, plus a new Konquest mode, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon promises to be the most complete, intensely lethal, fighting experience ever! Ah the PS2 exclusive edition sounds nice so for the 100 million people who still have that console you have something special in store. AS for the Wii fans another great game to come out from launch to the end of March 2007. More details on the game is said to arrive at the end of this year while the game will release in Q1 2007. For more information about Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, please visit www.midway.com. Limited Premium Editions available while supplies last. http://gonintendo.com/?p=4267 Zucas

Nintendo at Second Event for LGC

2006-08-02T18:27:00.000-05:00

We already know that Nintendo will be making a big keynote speech at LGC called Wii "Prove Our Promise". But if that wasn't enough Nintendo has really reached out to 3rd party support even enough to do an entire other big keynote speech. EA and Nintendo working together at LGC has been confirmed in a speech called "Electronic Arts/Nintendo". http://wii.ign.com/articles/722/722861p1.html Scheduled at 2pm(local time) the same day as the other event it's going to really be a big event for Nintendo. But what could they be showing with EA. EA already has 7 titles in the works for Nintendo which include Need For Speed: Carbon, Madden NFL 2007, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007, The Godfather, Medal of Honor: Airborne, Simpsons[next gen title], and a Harry Potter Wii title but could it be possible that there is more to come. Hmm with a big even just for them and Nintendo there is already a possibility of them showing off even more games especially the sports games that have yet to come to the Wii. Or even more possible maybe Nintendo and EA working on an exclusive project. All in all very good and can't wait to see what it is. Zucas