arika
Latest
A welcome dosage of Dr. Mario
Josh Thomas from WiiFolder has compiled an excellent two-part video tour of Dr. Mario's Virus Buster for saps like us who are impatiently awaiting WiiWare's arrival in the west. Sure enough, against all reasonable odds, the footage above and after the break has actually managed to raise our excitement levels for the game -- we now particularly want to try out the Wiimote-specific mode (especially with three other people), and were delighted to hear that online play is totally -- that's totally -- lag-free (despite Josh being based in the U.S. and his opponents being in Japan). Finally, we were less than delighted to learn about Josh's record online -- just four wins from 35 matches. We suspect our own tally will be crushingly similar come May.
Takahashi Meijin to show off Wii Ware in Japan
Hudson's Takahashi Meijin, the star of Adventure Island, will be a featured guest at a Wii Ware event hosted by Japanese cell phone company KDDI. The KDDI Design Studio will take place on April 1st and 2nd in Harajuku, and will feature playable versions of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As a King, Dr. Mario & Bacillus Extermination, and Hudson's Star Soldier R. Admission will be free. Plane tickets to Japan continue not to be. Takahashi will participate in a "talk show" as well as game demonstrations. He rose to fame with his Star Soldier shooting skills, so attendees should expect some feats of button-mashing from the Meijin on the new version.
Japanese Wii Ware page debuts
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Japanese_Wii_Ware_page_debuts'; The steady stream of Wii Ware news continues, this time with Nintendo's launch of its official Japanese site for the video game download service. So far, the hub lists almost a dozen upcoming titles, attaching new screenshots to some of the releases: FFCC: The Young King and the Promised Land StarSoldierR Word Puzzle Mojipittan Wii Pokemon Ranch Dr. Mario's Virus Buster Marubou Shikaku Magnetica Bomberman Okiraku Ping-Pong Wii Angels' Solitaire Joysound Wii LostWinds and other western-developed games are noticeably missing, but that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't planned as launch or near-launch titles for other territories. Much to our disappointment, the page neglects to mention any specific pricing for the titles. One worthwhile detail that we spotted is the above screenof Dr. Mario's four-player cooperative mode. The puzzler was already perfect before -- now it's even perfecter. There's also a multiplayer shot for Magnetica (Puzzloop) worth checking out! [Via NeoGAF]
Eight frantic minutes of Ketsui DS
When we last previewed Ketsui DS, the shoot'em up was a barebones affair, a boss-rush remake of Cave's original arcade game. At an event last weekend, however, Ichiro Mihara, publisher Arika's vice president, revealed a versus mode in which players fly through a full stage to build up a "box score" lead over their opponents and hold it for three seconds. Perhaps more compete stages will find their way into the final product?Mihara also announced that Ketsui DS would feature three difficulty settings, the hardest setting being unlockable after finishing the default difficulty. The easy setting is designed to be "clearable for the young women office workers at (our) company." Judging by the bullet-choked video we've posted above, most of us will need that easy setting.Though Arika hasn't yet scheduled a release date for Ketsui DS, the company does plan to include a superplay DVD containing high-scoring footage of the arcade game with each copy. See also: BulletGBA shoots us in the face[Via CAVE-STG]
Wii Fanboy Review: Endless Ocean
Here's a very brief list of adjectives I would almost never use to describe video games: Genteel Laid-back Soothing Historically, a handful of titles have bucked this trend -- Electroplankton, PlayStation 3 curio flOw, Pilotwings and its sublime 64-bit follow-up (one of this writer's all-time favorites) -- but on the whole, the term "video game" conjures up images that are far from tranquil: gobby, cornrowed marines shooting the bejesus out of this week's alien threat, epic battles with scaly fantasy creatures, futuristic pod racing, urban gang warfare. You get the idea.Endless Ocean does things differently. Arika's scuba-diving sim is almost certainly the most relaxing, pedestrian game of 2007. And while that's certainly a welcome change from other video games, occasionally it can become a little too laid-back for its own good. Or, to be blunt, boring.%Gallery-4734%
Anniversary aftermath: Next year's awesome games that you forgot about
We spent yesterday going through the big releases that've been announced for next year so far -- Smash Bros. Brawl and/or Wii Fit likely topping your personal "must get" list -- but what about the second-tier games that don't usually receive much press or attention? Though we haven't forgotten about the low-key releases, we've collected a selection of games and media to ensure that these titles stay on your mind too! Read on for our top ten list of awesome 2008 games that you totally forgot about!
New Endless Ocean shots make a splash as Euro release nears
If you live in Europe and don't yet know your Humphead wrasse from your Powder blue tang, then fear not, because Endless Ocean (it is known by another name) has the answers, and will be hitting stores in Euroland later this week. To celebrate that fact, developer Arika has treated us to a further 19 screens of its watery exploration game, all of which you can find below.Needless to say, we're looking forward to this one -- it's pretty unique for starters, and Famitsu doesn't dish out 35/40s for any old tat.** Most of the time.%Gallery-4734%
Endless Ocean's price has a definite stopping point
Those of us interested in exploring the (fake) ocean depths won't need to dive too deeply into their wallets. The price for Endless Ocean has dropped from $39.99 to $29.99, putting it squarely into "impulse purchase" territory when it releases on January 21. It could use the advantage; the first couple of months of 2008 are actually going to be pretty heavy on releases, with Smash Bros. and No More Heroes clamoring for our money, and smaller stuff like Blast Works pushed back into that period as well. We'd like to support unique games like Endless Ocean, but we can't do that if we're out of money. Luckily, by virtue of being a smaller number, it's easier to come up with $30 than it is $40! Good move, Nintendo. We love this new trend of discounted first-party games.[Via NeoGAF]
Nintendo unveils more WiiWare titles, new Dr. Mario details
Following last night's unveiling of upcoming Wii Ware titles, Nintendo has announced its first-party lineup for the downloadable service when it hits Japan in March. In addition to last night's Dr. Mario and Pokemon Farm announcements, Nintendo will also release Maruboushikaku and Minna de Puzzloop (known stateside as Magnetica). Maruboushikaku involves three screens displayed, each with its own pattern (circle-, line- and square-based). We don't yet know the objective of the game, but your actions in one window will affect the other two. The game previously known as Pokemon Farm is officially titled Pokemon Bokujou Channel (Pokemon Ranch Channel) and will let you take your Miis to the ranch to take pictures of your pokemon and send your friends. Pokemon management was mentioned, but no information on whether you level up your characters in the channel. Dr. Mario & Saikin Bokumetsu (or "bacteria extermination") will also feature your Mii characters in-game and has options for online multiplayer. Saikin Bokumesu is a minigame from the Japanese Brain Age 2 and will feature four-player online co-op. IGN has a handful of pictures from the game. Star Soldier R, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Young King and the Promised Land and Moji Pittan Wii were also announced last night. Wii Ware is coming to Japanese consoles in March.
Slew of new titles announced for Wii Ware
Though its potential can't be denied, Nintendo's Wii Ware channel, an upcoming download service for new Wii games, didn't impress us much with the seemingly low-budget titles announced for it so far. Nintendo amended that worriment today at its Tokyo conference by revealing a lineup of impressive projects in progress, turning our "Excitement Level" knob to eleven, one measure greater than what we previously thought the mechanism allowed. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Little King and the Promised Land (1500 Wii Points, March), a "country-building sim," stands out from the bunch, promising an exclusive side story which takes place after the original GameCube game. This marks the fourth entry to the series and the second Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles title announced for the Wii. Square Enix has already made a teaser site for you to load up and immediately close once you've realized that there's almost nothing there yet. Hudson, having kept things on and poppin' on the Virtual Console side for some time now, demonstrated its commitment to the new service by announcing new games like Bomberman, Star Soldier R, and Joysound, the last of which will be a karaoke title. Namco Bandai also chimed in with Mojipittan, a Japanese word puzzle game. As for Nintendo's contributions to the Wii Ware channel, the company announced Dr. Mario (!!!), Pokemon Farm, Puzzloop for Everyone, and Maruboushikaku, all of which appearing to have some form of Mii integration. You can preview screenshots for those titles at the Famitsu links below. Read - FFCC: The Little King and the Promised Land teaser site Read - FFCC: The Little King and the Promised Land screenshots Read - Star Soldier R screenshots Read - Mojipittan screenshots Read - Dr. Mario, Pokemon Farm, Puzzloop for Everyone, and Maruboushikaku screenshots
Readers pick best webcomic: prescription meds
Scott Ramsoomair's VG Cats has caused more than a few commenters to overdose (har har) in dismay, but nonetheless it was the voted the best game-related webcomic this week. Second place goes to Hijinks Ensue, followed by Three Panel Soul in third. We're awarding Ctrl+Alt+Del an honorable mention since we should have put them in the running but subsequently overlooked them in the selection process. Thanks to everyone who voted and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
Arika's Ketsui DS trailer is boss
Though Nanostray and its sequel have kept the shoot-em-up genre alive on the DS, their action seems watered down when compared to Japanese-developed shmups. Even with its bullets slowed and patterns simplified, Ketsui's arcade-to-DS remake is remarkably more frenzied than Shin'en's efforts.We're not sure yet whether or not developer Arika plans to restrict Ketsui DS to just a boss rush mode due to hardware limitations, but even Mihara, the main man behind the game's handheld production, has reportedly admitted that this would be "a bit of a waste if it was made as such." Either way, after watching the promotional trailer above, we hope Arika will find some way to commercially release the title. See also: BulletGBA shoots us in the face[Via NeoGAF]
Japanese gamers can throw back glitched Forever Blue for a fresh one
The happy vibes around Arika's Forever Blue were recently disrupted by news of a game-breaking glitch. Obviously, this means that you shouldn't import it yet. But don't worry! Nintendo is intent on restoring the collective mellow of the Japanese diving-game audience, and to do so, they'll start shipping out non-busted copies of the game on the 21st. They've set up a page for people to sign up for new copies to replace their glitched ones.In the meantime, if you've got one of the tainted Forever Blues, keep the shinonomesakatazame (shark ray) out of your aquarium.[Via Siliconera]
Endless Ocean teaches everyone how to sink a game with nasty, nasty bugs
Endless Ocean was released into the wild today in Japan (as Forever Blue on that side of the pond), and it seems not all is flowing smoothly for Arika's peaceful diving game. Early adopters are reporting large numbers of game crashing bugs, with specifically reproducible instances when adding shark rays into your aquarium. While there's still time before it's arrival on U.S. shores later this year, this certainly doesn't bode well for its prospects in either country's waters. Some of us weren't all that excited about Arika's glorified aquarium screensaver anyway, but now we have an excuse to be downright critical of it! No word yet on whether the much beloved penguins have the potential to fry your system as well. [Via Kotaku]
Endless Ocean surfaces
New screens of Endless Ocean reveal some non-submerged activities, like getting to know your guide and hosting some ambassadors from the Penguin Empire. And where there are penguins, you can also expect brutally inhospitable water: Apparently the Forever Blue of the game's Japanese title refers not only to the pretty ocean water, but to the frozen skin of the insane diver whose death wish you carry out in the game.To round out the experience, there's some kind of competitive dolphin jumping ... thing that records the length of the jump and notes any tricks. This is probably designed around videotaping the best dolphin tricks possible-- oh, or you inexplicably get control of a dolphin during the game, like most divers do.
Endless Ocean surges its way onto Japanese television
In case you missed your chance to unwind to relaxing clips of Arika's forthcoming Endless Ocean (or you happen not to live in Japan, where it goes by Forever Blue), GameTrailers has posted several Japanese commercials of this bluest of the blue ocean games, and we'd like to present them to you. They may not be exactly trailer-length, but they're still quite graceful and give a nice glimpse of the floral and faunal variety you'll encounter. (Psst, show 'em the penguins. Girls love the penguins.) If you have any doubt about that last statement, don't forget to check out the final clip, where several ordinary Japanese young ladies take the diving adventure for a test drive. Although in full disclosure, it's the dolphin that really sets them off.
New Forever Blue videos wash on shore
Supplementing Forever Blue's (Endless Ocean) official site launch earlier this week, Nintendo has uploaded a batch of new media in anticipation of the scuba diving adventure's August 2nd release in Japan. North America, always a step and a few months behind, won't see the WiFi-enabled game until October 29th, but there's a lot of new stuff to preview in the meantime -- three commercials, three Wii experience sessions, and an extensive gameplay demonstration video. The pacific music playing during the advertisement spots is Secret Garden's "Prayer," covered by New Zealander Hayley Westenra. You'll be able to customize Forever Blue's soundtrack by loading your own MP3s onto an SD Card, as with Excite Truck, so your dreams of listening to Enya while exploring underwater caves and attending formal events with penguins can finally be realized.
Wii Warm Up: Ever PS2
We here at Wii Fanboy are pretty intrigued about Endless Ocean, because it looks like such a unique gaming experience-- underwater treasure-hunting mixed with adventure game elements. But, strictly speaking, it is not unique at all. It is, in fact, another entry in the Everblue series of diving adventures for the Playstation 2. Well-rounded and experienced gamers though we are, there is a big old hole in our gaming history in the shape of the Everblue games. This is especially embarrassing for us, as we are possibly alone in our fandom of Arika games like Technic Beat and even the Street Fighter EX series.We figure somebody out there has played one of the Everblue games. We'd love to know what you thought of the experience. Should we stop caring about Endless Ocean? Should we be getting Endless Ocean tattoos? Also, do you think this game is the sort of thing that waggle can genuinely improve?
E307: Forever Blue crossing the pond as Endless Ocean
Forever Blue, the ocean exploration game from Arika, has been announced for a US release, with the slightly different. but thematically identical, title of Endless Ocean. We've got a short, but very pretty gallery of screenshots, and a similarly bite-size trailer. The trailer's music is as relaxing as the game looks. Look at that screen up there. It just exudes serenity even when a sea creature is bearing down on the poor diver. %Gallery-4749%
Forever Blue Japanese box revealed
The official box art for the Japanese release of Forever Blue has just been unveiled. A few vague details were leaked earlier this month confirming the non-game will be exploration-based as you swim the ocean cataloging and photographing the sea life you encounter. With the little blue Wi-Fi logo, the box also confirms online multiplayer exploration. Although a North American or European release has not been mentioned, we're still filing this one under the "Japan gets all the cool boxes" category.%Gallery-4554%
