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Leipzig's Games Convention challenged by Cologne's GamesCOM
In the wake of last year's severely scaled back E3, Leipzig's Games Convention emerged as a strong European alternative for game demos and announcements. That reputation might not lat long, though, as GamesIndustry.biz reports that a major German trade group is leaving Leipzig behind for a new show, Cologne's GamesCOM, in September 2009.While the move has been rumored for a while, German industry association Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware announced only this morning that the new show would effectively replace the Leipzig event. Games Convention owner Messe Leipzig, for their part, released a statement expressing regret and saying that it would be a "harsh blow" for the region. No word yet on whether Games Convention would still try to put on a competing show, but consensus seems to be that effort would be difficult without BIU support.
Nihilum raided Leipzig as Ogres
Last month in Leipzig, uber Euro guild Nihilum downed Archimonde in front of the crowd at the Games Convention. Ho hum, they've done this before -- the difference this time was that they raided as Ogres. Upper Deck Entertainment has a UDE Points Store where you can purchase the Ogre Disguise Trinket. Unlike the Murloc Suit obtained at BlizzCon which is a buff that disappears after entering combat, the Ogre Disguise Trinket (as you can tell by its name) takes up a trinket slot but remains on during battle. All 25 members of Nihilum's raid donned their Ogre Disguise Trinkets and killed Archimonde appearing in nothing but loincloths and armbands. It is unclear if they purchased these trinkets themselves (they are fans of the TCG and one of them has the Spectral Tiger Mount) or if UDE provided them.For the full story and more screenshots, go to the article at the UDE website. Or go take a look at how to get UDE points and what other items you can get with them.(Update: <fires unpaid proofreader> Errors fixed. Sorry for the mixup.)
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LifeSigns resurfaces at GC
It's easy to forget about LifeSigns, since it seems to keep coming and going, but the medical sim showed a few signs of life in Leipzig, and the good folks at IGN got in a little hands-on time. All signs point to good, with heavy realism in the surgery department, and the same sort of ass-kickery we've come to expect from surgery games. Thank you, Trauma Center. At least in LifeSigns, players don't have to choose their own tools -- it's done automatically -- so that's one less step for us to screw up while we're sweating over someone's heart operation.The most recent word is that the game is for-really-real scheduled for October ... but since we've seen dates both in June and this very week slip past, we're not holding our breath. We just hope it comes out eventually.
Umbrella Chronicles looks horrifying - in a good way
The look of the upcoming Resident Evil on-rails shooter, Umbrella Chronicles, has grown by leaps and bounds since we first started to see screenshots. The November release dates are fast approaching, so what we're seeing here is probably a lot of what we'll be seeing on our televisions once this hits shelves. We discussed opinions on this title back in April, and it seems like a good time to ask if you're now more (or hey, less, for the haters) excited about this one than you were back then. We've updated the gallery with the latest screens, and the dates embedded with the images allows you to compare shots and see how things have come along since we got our first glimpses of the title. There's also a new trailer tucked away after the break for your viewing pleasure. We just love all the new trailers that surface for game conferences![Top image found here, along with others!]%Gallery-3286%
Nintendo to keep it intimate at Leipzig
Nintendo wants to get all kinds of intimate at this year's Leipzig conference, apparently, as they aren't going to treat this year's show a bit differently. Instead of the usual big theatrical deal, Nintendo will be offering smaller media tours, taking attendees through their line-up of games with someone from Nintendo Germany.Why the new approach? "It's important for people to play our games to fully understand them," a Nintendo spokesperson stated, further adding "We feel it's better to do this through more intimate briefings than through a big conference. Also, a lot of people who come to these conferences never actually play the game, so with these smaller presentations everyone will play them, and will get to ask the question they need to." Having been to a lot of these types of shows, we think the change is for the best.What do you guys think?
'Stay gold, Zelda-cube'
Inspired by the craftsmanship and generosity of Morpheon Mods' Zelda-themed Wii and DS Lite auctions, Australian Michael Page hacked together a Hylian GameCube of his own to sell, pledging a portion of the proceeds to Penny-Arcade's Child's Play charity.The black-and-gold-painted system (PAL) features 11 bright LEDs in total, four of which light up through the holes drilled above the controller ports to indicate their player numbers. Additional LEDs have been installed next to the vents and inside the disc tray. According to Michael, the image of Navi on the transparent cover "looks amazing" when the blue glow hits it. The Legend of Zelda's phoenix and Triforce emblem have also been slapped onto the controller panel for extra effect. All that's missing now is the trademark "secret" chime whenever you open its lid. Hop onto Epona and gallop past the post break for more photos of the mod.
Now presenting the second Nintendo Short Cuts entry
While the first entry for Nintendo's Short Cuts contest was well made, it really doesn't have much for this second entry. This second entry is actually humorous and hits us right where we live as it features a man and his love for Nintendo. It's a love we feel every day as we clock in here at Fanboy Towers. But, love isn't what you always expect, no?Head past the break for the video.
Internal Gamecube memory card mod
The genius behind the internal Wavebird receiver mod is back to ensure that you have even less reason to open that flap, provided you don't mind opening the whole system.This time, the target is the Gamecube memory card, which gets not only soldered into the system, but taped onto the motherboard. Electrical engineering is serious business! The modder uses a third-party memory card held together with standard Philips-head screws, but if you want to install your Nintendo brand memory card, you'll need one of those triwing screwdrivers to get past Nintendo's proprietary screws.[Thanks, James Smith!]
Devour this Gamecube Kirby video, gain its power
We caught this trailer from the unreleased Gamecube Kirby platformer on Gamevideos, and we are agape. Stunned. We think that given the choice to release this or Kirby Air Ride, Nintendo may have chosen poorly.Kirby is clearly using HAL's Super Smash Bros. Melee engine, and to awesome effect, as the graphics look great and the combat looks fighting-game solid. The video shows off Kirby's ability to not only copy enemy attacks, but to trade in those attacks for helper creatures. We loved the ability-combining mechanic from Kirby 64, and we're glad to see new stuff being done with Kirby's, uh, eating habits.The world needs side-scrolling platformers, especially when they look this cool. We sincerely hope that the release of this trailer is foreshadowing a Wii release of the game. See the trailer for yourself following the post break.[Via NeoGAF]
Disc-swap allows PAL Wii owners to play import GC games
A forum goer over at the Max Console forums figured out a neat little trick that allows a PAL Wii to play import GameCube games. It requires a bit of "pebble-snatching-speed" on the part of the young grasshopper (that's you), as upon inserting a PAL GameCube game and going to the Wii's disc channel, seeing the GameCube logo come up, you'll need to have your pointer over the start button. Once you do that, you'll have to eject the GameCube disc and quickly swap it out for your import game, immediately pressing the start button. This'll trick the Wii into thinking the import GameCube game is a PAL title, starting it up and allowing you to play it as normal. We'd love to give this a try ourselves to confirm that the trick works on NTSC units (we're pretty sure it would anyway), but lack any import GameCube titles to try it on. Instead, we'll pose the challenge to our readers with NTSC consoles and ask them to give it a whirl. Let us know, won't you?[via CVG]
Release drought? A line graph disagrees!
What's the best way to make the Wii seem even cooler? Compare it to the Nintendo 64! Games Radar decided to get to the bottom of the "release drought" issue by comparing the current Wii library to the libraries of the GameCube and N64 after their first four months. The Wii has the most diverse lineup by far, which would seem to prove, for better or worse, that third parties are participating more this time around.We're kind of surprised the GameCube "launch window" selection was this small, but the N64 numbers look right in line with our impressions. Only, like,four games were ever released for that, and two of them were basically the same 3D Castlevania.
Wii and the back-up conundrum
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/videos_gaming/Wii_and_the_back_up_conundrum'; Contained in the embedded video, available past the jump, You Tube user Yadokingu takes us step-by-step through the Wii's security features and showing several backdoors one could use. Now, we don't condone doing anything that would void your warranty or get you tossed into jail, but this video is just too impressive to keep a lid on.[Thanks Eoin!]
Super Paper Mario scrapped for Cube, coming to Wii
According to the latest Wii Mailbag over at IGN, Super Paper Mario, the sequel to the awesome game that is Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, is to release on the Wii and not the GameCube. The game was supposed to release next month, but according to retail listings and the fact that Japan has yet to receive the game, we doubt this is still the planned release date.Given all of this, we can safely assume that gesture-based controls will somehow be implemented into the final game. We can see ourselves utilizing the Wiimote as if it were a hammer, gripping it tightly with both hands above our head and swiping it downward to squash Goombas. Flicking the nunchuk attachment upward could naturally cause Mario to jump in-game. In what other ways could the Wiimote's unique control scheme improve the game experience?
TF2 shows its class(es)
We rounded up some GC coverage for you just yesterday, but this Team Fortress 2 video deserves a spot right here on the front page. We know how you hate having to add a whole step to the process by clicking on external links. You demand simplicity, and rightfully so. Thus, here's the video for your viewing pleasure, right on the main page. The game has a really great cartoony quality, reminding us all that not every next gen game has to be Crysis to look amazing. Honestly, we find ourselves at a loss to pin down our favorite class. The Demoman, with his twice exploding time bomb? The super speedy Scout? Then again, the Engineer's auto turret is pretty freaking sweet. How about you? What's your favorite?
Europe gets Wii pricing ... sort of
In an interview in Leipzig, Bernd Fakesch, head of Nintendo's German operations, let slip an important detail about Europe's Wii. He said that the console would cost -- are you ready for it? Less than 250 euros!Doesn't that sound familiar? Yeah, we thought so. The only real newsworthy bit from this interview was rather off-the-cuff: Fakesch said pricing "has not been decided" yet. My, cutting it a little close, aren't we?[Thanks, Adrock!]
GC vs. Wii: Devkits compared [Update]
What we have here is a GC devkit (bottom) next to a Wii devkit. Look similar, right? Well of course they would, considering the Wii is just an extension of the GC hardware, but notice how the Wii devkit has the same 2 slots for memory cards? Could the Wii allow for you to use GC memory cards? Of course, we've known for quite some time that would be the case for the GC games, but could we perhaps use them to store Wii save data?Come on they have to! It's not like they're Microsoft or something...[Update: Weak. We overlooked the fact that it was well-known information that GC memory cards will work on the Wii. We apologize for overlooking such an old fact and have updated the post.]
Japanese hardware sales, 26 June - 2 July: You've got red on you
Oh, the horror. Be sure to keep angry fanboys and dubiously trained pet bulls away from the monitor this week, as it displays an awful lot of red. Even the mighty DS Lite experiences the strange sensation of slipping, possibly caused by the tight grip of an overweight sibling. The ranking, according to number of units sold:- DS Lite: 153,566 3,456 (2.20%)- PSP: 25,935 1,198 (4.84%)- PS2: 23,133 2,334 (9.16%)- DS Phat: 3,504 6,628 (65.42%)- GBA SP: 2,919 829 (21.91%)- Xbox 360: 1,897 728 (62.28%)- Game Boy Micro: 1,443 59 (3.93%)- Gamecube: 1,002 195 (16.29%)- GBA: 17 8 (32.00%)- Xbox: 8 2 (20.00%)As a commenter jokingly suggested last week, it's awfully difficult to resist the temptation of traveling to Japan and purchasing 10,000 Xbox consoles, just to ... exacerbate things. [Source: Media Create]
The Big Three's consoles: size matters
Just thought you'd like to know. And yeah, even thought it's not the stylingest, we think aesthetically (if not the Wii then) the PStwo is probably our fav. But that's just us.P.S. -We understand the Wii's not 100% accurately represented here. Looks pretty close though.[Via Joystiq]
