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Puddle spills over onto Wii U
Neko Entertainment has announced plans to port its PS3/Xbox 360/Vita puzzle action game Puddle to Wii U. The Wii U version features the HD graphics and 60 frames-per-second visuals of the console versions, with the tilt controls of the Vita version. "So basically it is the perfect compromise between the two important things in Puddle : graphics/physics and controls," Neko QA manager Sébastien Chipot-Delys said. The framerate is consistent even when playing fully on the GamePad.The levels have also been tweaked to be a little easier to finish. "Not getting the gold medal easily, of course," suggesting that the challenge is still present for higher-level play. The Wii U version is due on eShop sometime near the console's launch.%Gallery-168261%
Portabliss: Puddle (Vita)
This is Portabliss, a column about downloadable games that can be played on the go. Back in January, Konami released Neko Entertainment's Puddle on XBLA and PS3's PSN. The puzzle action game has you control a small amount of liquid through hazardous mazelike environments by tilting the environment back and forth.Then in July, Neko released a downloadable version of the game for PlayStation Vita, and I'm happy to say that Puddle has finally trickled down into its natural home. Now that it's on the Vita, it seems perfect for portable play, and extremely well-suited to the Vita's overwhelmingly numerous control options.
Puddle oozes onto PS Vita next week
Puddle has been available on the PS3 since January, but next week PS Vita owners will be able to download the perplexing puzzle-platformer on their handhelds. Developer Neko Entertainment added some extra spice to the PS Vita version of Puddle, including an option to skip the tougher levels (you pansy!) and interact with menus using touch. Plus, there are now options for different control schemes such as tilt, rear touch-pad, L and R triggers or simply using the left stick."After we released the game on PS3, we worked hard to get a better handle on the game's mechanics, so we'd be able to deliver a new version of Puddle on PS Vita," Neko Entertainment's QA Manager Sebastian Chipot said in an announcement post on the PlayStation Blog. "We paid particular attention to feedback from PS3 players when working on the PS Vita version," he added.
Gremlins game would have been a squad-based shooter
Gremlins are cute on their own, but in packs, they can be more terrifying than a horde of undead headcrabs, which may explain French developer Neko Entertainment's decision to make its early-2000 PS2 Gremlins game a squad-based shooter. Unfortunately, Generation 2000 has trouble distinguishing Gizmo from a Chia Pet, which may explain why production on the game was eventually cancelled. All we have left from Neko's attempt are some screenshots and the above video of Gizmo testing out his 3D skin, as found by Siliconera. Grab a snack and settle in to watch Gizmo being rendered for the game's opening video. Wait -- what time is it there? Oh.... Maybe we should rethink that snack.
Puddle preview: Liquid assets
Discovered among the demo units at Konami's pre-E3 event yesterday, sandwiched in between much less surprising titles like Burgertime: World Tour and Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour (with names as generic as their gameplay) was Puddle, an intriguing little game wrapped around a splashy concept. The Konami rep running Puddle didn't have a lot of information on the game's origins, but a little Googling reveals something surprising: Puddle was a winner in the Independent Games Festival's Student Showcase at GDC 2010 earlier this year, put together by a team from the French school ENJMIN. The Konami display listed Neko Entertainment as the developer for the release on display, so presumably the French developer has hired those students to release the PC title (still available for download) on Xbox 360 and PS3. The PS3 version is Move compatible (the Xbox version is controller-only, I was told), and that's how I played it. While the version on display was clearly still a work in progress, with most levels missing and lots of placeholder code in the UI, it was enough to see there's something special about this game.
NintendoWare Weekly: Paper Airplane Chase, Cocoto Platform Jumper
If you've been keeping up with what's headed to WiiWare and DSiWare, then this week's downloads will likely be of no surprise to you. These are games that we've either talked about already, or that have hit their respective platforms in regions elsewhere. So, without further ado, let's get to this week's content.%Gallery-39578%
More Cocoto, Donkey Kong 3 for Australia soon (yay?)
Cocoto Platform Jumper is one of the most no-nonsense game titles we've seen outside of the Simple series. It's also a 2004 3D platformer released in PAL regions on the GameCube, PS2, and GBA, starring the gross little red creature. While a few new Cocoto games have been released on the Wii, developer Neko Entertainment ported last generation's Cocoto Fishing Master to WiiWare, which, uh, didn't turn out that great. But not because of the format. In any case, since Cocoto Fishing Master made the trip around the world, expect this one as well. Maybe the novelty of a 3D platformer on WiiWare could be worth something to you.Also newly rated by the Australian OFLC, indicating an upcoming PAL release: Heracles Chariot Racing, another last-gen WiiWare port from Neko Entertainment, and ... oh, hey, a Miyamoto game, Donkey Kong 3, on Virtual Console! Which ... is the worst original Donkey Kong game.We'd say something about the porting of what was already kind of shovelware to WiiWare, but to be honest ... this stuff is easily avoidable in the Wii Shop, and we'd rather someone spend like 700 Wii Points for it and get it from home than have to put shoes on and pay sales tax for it.
Deco Tendances: the game for cutthroat Animal Crossing players
Do you love Animal Crossing but hate all the communicating, working, running errands, and maintaining the town bits? Also, is it too much of a game for you? Deco Tendances (Deco Trends) is perfect for you: it focuses entirely on home decoration. The program is designed to help with principles of interior design, featuring 24 tips in six major categories, including painting and wallpapering, window decoration, and complementing colors. Each tip is accompanied by multiple photos, and a color wheel is included as well. In addition, just because, there are four minigames.The immediate reaction to something like this is to dismiss it as shovelware and get angry about how it's destroying the industry, and maybe that's accurate (the first part). But we also see somebody doing something new on the DS, that may be helpful to someone. And you still don't have to buy it. Besides, as we suggested above, interior decoration is the heart of one of Nintendo's most beloved franchises.
'VC' Friday: WiiWare takes over again
For the second time in three weeks, those rapscallions at Nintendo have decided to forgo releasing old, lovable Virtual Console games and have instead opted for WiiWare. Grr. Still, at least it means that Europe and Australia get Arkanoid-style puzzler Block Breaker Deluxe, which we deemed to be rather good, despite its cast of grinning, lifestyle pillocks. At the other end of the quality pool bobs the questionable floating object that is Cocoto Fishing Master, which we wouldn't buy for our worst enemies. Block Breaker Deluxe -- WiiWare -- 800 Wii points Cocoto Fishing Master -- WiiWare -- 700 Wii points Smash through the blocks post break to see footage of each.
Wii Fanboy Review: Cocoto Fishing Master
Neko's Cocoto Fishing Master released on WiiWare yesterday and, like the responsible bloggers we try to be, we've gone ahead and whipped up a review for you. We do our usual thing and try to cover the title as best as we can.So, if that sounds like something you'd be down for, then head past our break for our review of the WiiWare offering Cocoto Fishing Master!
VC Monday Madness: We could get used to this ...
Another week means another double dose of downloadable goodness. We get two WiiWare games this week, along with one Virtual Console game that is likely to put a smile on your face. So, let's check out what's on offer:WiiWare games available for download this week: Block Breaker Deluxe (Gameloft, 1 - 2 players, 800 Wii Points) Cocoto Fishing Master (Neko Entertainment, 1 player, 700 Wii Points) Virtual Console games available for download this week: Samurai Shodown (NEOGEO, 1 - 2 players, 900 Wii Points) Anyone like what they see? Planning on giving any of these a download?
Quest for infinity in new Code Lyoko trailer
It's been a solid three months since we last heard anything about Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity, a game based off the popular French animated TV show. Back then, we didn't have any in-game visuals to share with you; however, today we've got a trailer that shows off the game's 3D platforming and anime-ish scenes. Looks like you can play as any of the four main characters from the TV series: Aelita, Jeremie, Ulrich, and Yumi. So have a look at the vid and, if you're interested, check out the game when it hits retailer this June.
Mario Kart won't be the only kart racing game for the Wii
And no, we're not even talking about Deca Sports, which features kart racing as one of its ten activities. Rather, Conspiracy Entertainment is making another Wii game in their Cocoto series, called Cocoto Kart Racer (which is already out for the DS, GameCube, PC and PS2). The title should be coming out soon (the press release said Q2 2008), and will probably break the hearts of children everywhere. We're not saying it will necessarily be a bad game (even though the other versions got poor reviews, so let's be realistic), but the point is, it's not Mario Kart. Imagine a child asking his or her parents for Mario Kart, only to be sorely disappointed when they come home with Cocoto Kart Racer instead because they don't know the difference or want to go with the cheaper option. We can definitely see that happening.[Via press release]
Barnyard Blast creators' latest weird title: Tennis Elbow
Sanuk Software, whose claim to fame (in our eyes) is the satirical Barnyard Blast, are now working on a tennis game for Europe, called Tennis Elbow, to be published by Neko Entertainment. With Barnyard Blast, we found the title interesting because Eric contributed to it; with this, the title is notable because it is an injury. Tennis Elbow is still early (the weirdly identical screenshots look mocked-up), with no European release date yet. Sanuk promises 250 different opponents in 90 tournaments, in five different kinds of courts. With that many matches to play, your character is liable to suffer ... some kind of stress-related ailment.What's with the "FAT" signs on the stands?
Barnyard Blunder
Before we huff, puff, and blow our Barnyard Blast: Swine of the Night review down, let's have a quick look at the Castlevania parody's cover design. Notice anything wonky? Look directly underneath the game logo and awesome subtitle!
Bring home the bacon this Friday
We were quite proud of ourselves for contributing the subtitle to Barnyard Blast: Swine of the Night, but Insert Credit's Brandon Sheffield was actually brought in to help rewrite the script! Why don't developers ever hire us to help plot out their projects? We have this wonderful idea for a game in which you play a cat who has to wake people up from their nightmares. Though Brandon doesn't exactly give the Castlevania parody his vote of confidence, citing its linearity and difficulty as rough points, he does promise a plethora of "retro game meme" references.Robert: Julia, I alone can save our son!Julia: Robert, my love! I just want to tell you ...Robert: No, no, don't try to stop me, Julia!Julia: Get some bread while you're out, okay?Robert: ...Robert: The time for bread has passed ... perhaps forever. I'm off!Julia: It's dangerous to go alone! Take this.Menu: Get equipped with: Slayer WhipJeuxvideo already has an unflattering review posted with new screenshots (viewable in the gallery below) and video from the first eleven-and-a-half minutes of the game's French release. Koji Igarashi apparently tried out the game and gave Brandon advice on possible improvements, so if enough copies sell, maybe we'll see a much-more-polished sequel? Barnyard Blast will be available for public purchase this Friday, but you likely won't find it anywhere outside of Amazon, where it's listed for a bargain $19.99. %Gallery-5241%See also: DS Fanboy interviews Barnyard Blast's Yan MarchalRead - Barnyard Blast out FridayRead - Jeuxvideo review
Code Lyoko gets further adventures on the PSP
If you've been watching television in France over the past several years, you may have seen the show Code Lyoko. The show was about a group of boarding school kids who get sucked into a supercomputer to fight an evil entity called X.A.N.A. for some reason. The show had four seasons, then ended. The story gets a little extra adventure with the new Code Lyoko PSP title though, spanning some new stories taking place in the fourth and final season.There aren't any screenshots released by the developer, Neko Entertainment, yet, but the game sounds like a pretty standard action-adventure title. Different elemental areas, most likely different weapons across the main characters ... in fact, the old NES title Bucky O' Hare comes into mind. Sounds more or less the same, which we think could be fairly rockin'. The game's due out in June, so we'll keep you posted.
Oink oink, mama: Barnyard Blast trailer
Let's be real here, kids: No matter how much we sing its praises or try to draw you into our distorted interpretation of reality, Barnyard Blast isn't really going to be on anyone's 2008 Handheld Game of the Year list. Considering Advance Wars: Days of Ruin's release a week after Barnyard Blast's, it's doubtful we'll even see it grab the Handheld Game of the Month prize. We can safely pledge, however, that, despite the rough bits in the above trailer, Barnyard Blast will be the best Castlevania parody game to ever star a cowboy pig and appear in stores on January 15th, 2008. Yes, it's a hard gamble, and we're really putting our reputation on the line here, but we're going to hold our breath and roll the dice anyway. See also: DS Fanboy interviews Barnyard Blast's Yan Marchal[Via GoNintendo]
