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IGN UK reviews "Sevenly Sword"
The NeoGAF forums exploded in a fury of wild emotions at IGN UK's recent review of the much anticipated Heavenly Sword. The critics at IGN UK have much to praise about the game's visual presentation, noting its stellar graphics: "Everything from the beautifully designed, slickly animated characters to those magnificent, omnipresent sweeping vistas is a glory to behold."But the review goes downhill from there. The combat system is called "tiresome and, to be blunt, incredibly boring." The story goes through a "hopelessly hackneyed, melodramatic script."IGN UK is known for its highly critical reviews. However, PS3 fans must feel like Nariko (above) when one of the first reviews of such a heavily promoted game gets bashed so strongly. Hopefully, future reviews will show the game in a more favorable light, considering how crucial having a AAA title in the PS3 library is.
[Updated] Jeff Bell asks message board user: "And your contribution to society is ... what?"
Think twice before you start slingin' bombs towards Microsoft's corporate VP of global marketing, Jeff Bell. He might just show up on your message board and troll you right back.That's what happened to NeoGAF user "a Master Ninja." Having heckled Bell amidst the Peter Moore departure, he awoke this morning to find a personal message in his inbox direct from Bell, proposing a curious question."And your contribution to society is ... what?"The account, "bell801," was quickly linked to Microsoft's token white guy by both the community itself and the moderators of NeoGAF, confirming the account as registered to Bell's official Microsoft email address. "A Master Ninja" still hasn't said what his contribution to society is, but he has put forth a challenge to Jeff Bell to any Xbox Live Arcade game of his choosing.For the sake of your recently revoked ghetto pass, Jeff. Do it.[Update - NeoGAF administrator, Tyler Malka, has responded to the situation with an apology, stating "What happened in the Jeff Bell thread was a mistake and has been dealt with. I hope that NeoGAF can continue to be a community where gaming industry members wanting to remain anonymous can feel safe posting without "trusted sources" confirming their identities."]
Show and Tell: In Dreamland, cake eats you!
Okay, we admit it. We're cheating a little. Instead of letting someone come to us with their nifty gaming goodness, we saw something that was simply so awesome we had to ask if we could share it with you ... and luckily, NeoGAFfer cloudwalking had no problem with us showing off this incredible cake. Hey, if it was ours, we'd want to show the world as well!Birthday girl cloudwalking's good pal jarosh had this Kirby cake made, but the fun didn't stop there. As he was slowly dismembered devoured, the pair had fun changing his features around, as you can see in the gallery ... though the reddish filling on the knife is a little disturbing. Poor Kirby! We're not sure we could have made ourselves eat the little guy. Then again, it could be revenge for the times we've been inhaled in various Smash Bros. matches. Can you top a nummy Kirby cake? If so -- or if you have anything else you want to show off -- you too can be in this spot, with everyone cooing over your awesome stuff. Just take some pictures and send them to showmeit at dsfanboy dot com. We'll take care of the rest.%Gallery-4771%
Play DJ Max for free on your PC
If the PSP-destroying demo has made you thirsty for more DJ Max, don't fret: the NeoGAF community has written up a guide on how to play a free online version of the game. With their handy guide, you won't need to know Japanese -- all you'll need are ninja-like reflexes to withstand the onslaught of falling notes.Create a free account here, and then download the game here. (Note: You will need to use Internet Explorer.) Use the NeoGAF guide to help you through the process.
Wii Warm Up: Rumors are fun
We would put our journalistic integrity at risk by making a full-fledged post out of this stuff. Seriously, check the link: "confirmed reports" of Brawl and Galaxy release dates, new Mario Kart and Zelda for the Wii, a new original IP similar to Final Fantasy VII ... it's a Nintendo fan's wet dream. While we can't completely discount the fact that it's real, being constantly exposed to this drivel has to make one just a bit jaded.Rumors are fun, there's no doubt ... even if we know it's fake, it's nice to imagine. But who writes this stuff? What kind of odd psychological thrill do they receive, and why are Nintendo fans so willing to ignore the obvious and go along with it? Some of it is impressive (see the Nintendo On video), but it seems that Nintendo is eighteen times more susceptible to ridiculous rumor-mongering than the nearest competitor. Ah well ... it's kinda fun ... we guess. Your thoughts?
Umbrella Chronicles won't be another Gun Survivor
If you've played Dead Aim or any of Resident Evil's other Gun Survivor spinoffs, it's understandable why you might be hesitant to give Capcom's newest rail-shooter a chance. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles shares the same first-person perspective and light gun mechanics as the GunCon games, so it's easy to associate the title with the mediocre Gun Survivor series. NeoGAF forumer cvxfreak posted a well-supported list of reasons for why you shouldn't confuse the new Wii game with its PS2 cousins, claiming their similarities as superficial. Unlike with most of the Gun Survivor titles, Umbrella Chronicles' development hasn't been handed down to a lesser studio. Capcom's own Kawada Masachika is heading production, working to extend the game's length -- approximately 15 hours -- beyond the short playtimes that plagued Gun Survivor releases. Umbrella Chronicles also promises a lot more gameplay depth with destructible environments, improved weapon selection, and quick time events. Previews for Umbrella Chronicles haven't been favorable, but it's still too early in development for us to judge. Knowing that Capcom won't be following the same formula as the Gun Survivor series, however, gives us hope for the final product.
Castlevania PSP confimation?
NeoGAF forum goers are wondering if PLAY magazine has confirmed Dracula X: Rondo of Blood for PSP. In the Letter from the Editor page, Dave Halverson says "Can you say Dracula X meets Symphony of the Night". Later on in PLAY's Most Anticipated games of 2007 page Dave lists Dracula X: Rondo of Blood for PSP as his #3 choice. Why would Dave put Dracula X as a PSP game if it wasn't coming to the portable? Especially on a list of anticipated games of 2007. That still doesn't explain his comment about Dracula X meets Symphony of the Night. Maybe Symphony of the Night is coming to the PSP as well, or some new game that combines elements of both. Of course the less exciting prospect could be that he was just referring to Symphony of the Night coming to Xbox 360 and Dracula X to PSP. I suppose we'll just have to wait for an official announcement to find out for sure, but this info is interesting none the less. [Via PSPUpdates]
EGM so-so over Phoenix Wright, anoints Hotel Dusk
While we haven't seen it, word is that the upcoming issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly has some very interesting scores (and reviews) for a pair of upcoming DS titles. The March issue takes a look at both Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All and Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (it's long title month around here), and offers a lackluster-to-good range of scores for one, and great scores to the other ... and it's not the way that you may think.Word on the street forums is that the scores for the two games in the issue are as follows:Justice for All: 6.0, 7.0, 8.0Hotel Dusk: 8.0, 8.0, 10 (yeah, that's a ten)Now, it's true that this edition of Phoenix Wright is not judged to be the best by those who've played deeper into the series, and those are decent and respectable scores (which mean nothing, since we're all playing it anyway, and probably twice). But the scores for Hotel Dusk are surprising, and something of a relief as well. Whether or not you're a fan of EGM, it's nice to see such enthusiastic review scores. As a point of comparison, Trace Memory (often invoked when mentioning Hotel Dusk) scored much lower with EGM -- that game posted an average score of 6.17. [Via Go Nintendo]
Pokemon: Diamond/Pearl confirmed for Spring! [update 1]
Pokemon: Diamond/Pearl is, beyond doubt, the most anticipated release in the American market for the wonderous and fancy DS. Despite runaway sales in Japan and critical success, however, Nintendo has remained extremely tight-lipped about its eventual release date, with nothing more than a "TBA 2007" showing up in their catalogs.The latest Nintendo Power, however, seems to have mention of a Spring release; those trusty soldiers at NeoGAF seem to have their heads on straight. Furthermore, Nintendo's official Pokemon website is now claiming an April 22nd release date, and despite Nintendo's penchant for delaying games till all nine eight planets align, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt. We won't lie ... we want this game, stigma be damned. The Pokemon franchise, if nothing else, has repeatedly demonstrated engrossing gameplay and attention to detail, and the new Wi-Fi trading system just makes it all the sweeter.Wanna know what else? Nintendo Power gave the upcoming Phoenix Wright: Justice for All a 9 out of 10. Awesome. If David didn't mention that you have to love Phoenix Wright to come work here, then consider this an amendment of epic proportions.[via GoNintendo][Update 1: Trusty commenters. More information from Pokemon.com added, and fixed a typo.]
De-glossing an Onyx DS is torture most foul [update 1]
It's always interesting to see what people will do to their systems. Especially their expensive, pretty ones. The Onyx DS (or, black DS) happens to be, in our opinion, the sleekest, sexiest system released on this planet. The fact that our fingerprints were visible after playing doesn't bother us. We simply carry around a soft cloth to wipe them away after long sessions with Starfox Command, and consider it a small price to pay to the gods of sleek design. While we have no problems seeing the DS covered in shiny goodness, some people disagree. This difference of views can sometimes lead to experimentation of the most brutal kind. NeoGAFfer Dice isn't too satisfied with the glare on his Onyx DS. He decided to experiment with this in a very painful way. Overt your eyes, weak-stomached ones. This one kicks you right in the gut. Behold what happens when you take equipment used for fingernails to a DS. The end results are icky and can be seen on the second page of the thread. Is there some kind of system abuse line we can call to make the pain stop? [Thanks JC!] [Update 1: Pesky typos!]
Level 5's super-secret RPG revealed!
Remember how Famitsu said they had the scoop on some big-name game coming for the PSP? Well, here it is folks. A tiny scan from NeoGAF shows that it's a new strategy RPG from big-name developer Level 5. It's entiteld "Jeanne d' Arc," or Joan of Arc, for you English-speaking folk. What has Level 5 done before, you ask? They're the ones responsible for the uber-hit Dragon Quest VIII. Additional reporting from IGN reveals more info on the game: it takes place in a fictional world based on the true story of Joan. While hearing voices from the heavens, Joan is ordered to fight demons and the English army. In order to do so, she will partake in turn-based strategy battles. However, there are a few twists. Features like "Burning Site" and "Connection Guard" can boost stats of players on the field, drastically changing the flow of battle. The game features "full 3D visuals that appear to actually push the PSP hardware" and is 70% done. We can expect more news on this hot PSP-exclusive title soon, considering how it will come out by the end of the year... in Japan.
