Platinum
Latest
Motorola Ivory E18 luxury phone developed, scrapped
If you're considering a luxury cellphone, you've probably given some thought to the Aura -- either as an object of unattainable techno-lust, or as a way to lighten your wallet by a grand or two (don't even get us started in Vertu). According to Mobile Review, Motorola wasn't planning on stopping there: The Ivory E18 (a name which either evokes elegance or animal cruelty, depending on your POV) featured a slider with two movements (a short slide for function keys, and a longer for the T9 keypad), a small footprint, and a 3 megapixel camera. The price? Well, for the stainless steel chassis you were looking at about €2,000 (about $2,821 at the moment). Also planned were phones with gold and platinum chassis, which would take the purchase price up to "several tens of thousands" of Euros. If Motorola wasn't aware of the sheer silliness of such an extravagant phone, at least the carriers were -- apparently it was lack of interest on their part that caused Moto to sack the project. Make sure you hit that read link for the whole story -- in Bulgarian.[Via Unwired View]
PSA: Register your games for Club Nintendo elite status today
This is, necessarily, your final reminder: today is the last day of the "year" for Club Nintendo Gold or Platinum status in North America, which means that today is the last day for you to enter points toward whatever the exclusive free gift is going to be. We don't dare hope for the kind of awesomeness seen in Japan's Platinum rewards, but we want free things.If you aren't yet at 300 coins (for Gold) or 600 coins (for Platinum), and you've got more games to register, get to it right now! If you've been thinking of picking up Punch-Out!! or something this week, you should probably do it today! Conversely, if you're at 600 now and you have more stuff to register, wait until tomorrow so it counts toward next year's total!If you're not sure about the eligibility of an older (pre-Club Nintendo) game and don't want to waste time registering it, consult the list of eligible games in the "Product Registration" area of the Club Nintendo FAQ.
Club Nintendo Platinum members getting early look at DSi
Are you a Club Nintendo Platinum member? The most dedicated Nintendo fans have registered their numerous Nintendo games and have earned VIP status. These faithful are getting rewarded yet again in an "exclusive" event meant specifically for Club Nintendo members. Platinum members that live near a event locations will gain entry to a special DSi event where fans can preview the upcoming system weeks ahead of its US release.The DSi isn't a revolutionary upgrade from the previous DS Lite, but we're glad to see Nintendo rewarding its fans in new and unique ways. We hope this event is but the first of a long line of events planned for Club Nintendo elite. Not invited to the Club Nintendo event? Don't worry -- we've got you covered. Check out our unboxing of a Japanese system for a hands-on rundown of features, and have a look at the awesome DSiWare downloads that have come to Japan. Then torture yourself with the limited-edition FFCC: Echoes of Time DSi that probably won't make it here!
Inaba: Western devs 'superior' to Japanese devs
Atsushi Inaba, creator of Okami and the upcoming Madworld, contends that western game developers are better than their Japanese counterparts in a new interview with Develop. According to Inaba, Japanese developers have to "work hard" to match the standards of western developers. He adds that game development will soon be "about individual developers and not about what country they are in" and that the games industry is being consumed by the ever-growing beast, Globalizilla -- the embodiment of globalization, of course. (Note: Inaba did not specifically utter the name "Globalizilla" -- probably because he's superstitious.)When asked about opportunities for Japanese developers, Inaba stated that there were many opportunities, but that such opportunities hinge on a developer's ability to sell products to a global audience. He further added that it's important to focus on new IP in order to keep innovation alive in the industry, stating, "Industries that innovate and produce something new will always survive in the global marketplace." So, we shouldn't expect a Madworld sequel then?
Metal Gear Solid 4 going Platinum on March 5
Unsurprisingly, Konami's grandpa-spy sim Metal Gear Solid 4 sold extremely well across the globe -- so well, in fact, that the game has reached the ever prestigious Platinum Range in Europe, an honor bestowed to titles that reach sales upward of 400,000 within their first year on the market. A Platinum edition of the game will hit European store shelves on March 5, bringing with it some slightly updated box art and a discounted price of EUR 29.95 (or GBP 19.99). Hopefully, the game will follow suit by qualifying for Greatest Hits status in North America, an honor that brings a similar discount to $29.99, as well as a provocative crimson jewel case. We've begun growing our unsettling math teacher moustaches in feverish anticipation.
Nokia's 8800 gets more bling, more expensive, more ugly
How do you improve on a phone that's already been diamond-studded, layered in carbon fiber, and then dipped in gold? Why, you add more diamonds and some hints of gratuitous platinum, of course. Meet the Nokia Royal Edition, an 8800 that succeeds its predecessors in terms of pretentiousness -- but not necessarily in looks. It has 1160 wee diamonds around the edges and platinum plates on the fore and aft, all surrounding the same internals as those other, plebeian fashionphones. Only 50 of these will be sold at an undisclosed price that surely is equally excessive.[Thanks, Robin]
Platinum Games spruces up logo for the new year
In celebration of the new year, Platinum Games posted on its Japanese site (and subsequently on its English-language Facebook page) this card featuring characters from its announced titles (from left to right) Mad World, Bayonetta and Infinite Space. More importantly, however, is the brand new logo that replaces the now-antiquated blocky design. Company President / CEO Tatsuya Minami is said to be giving a more in-depth explanation of the new logo sometime later, but in case you were wondering now, that gray color is known as Platinum Silver. Yeah, they're classy like that.
Ooh, shiny: Platinum Games unveils new logo
2009 promises to be a busy year for Platinum Games, home of Clover alumni and all-round awesomeness. MadWorld will be curb-stomping our happy, grateful faces into pulpy mush in March, Infinite Space will grace our DSes, and the company is also developing some game for the others. Faced with such an intimidating stack of deadlines, the company took drastic action, and designed a new logo. Replacing the old design is what looks like a slightly shorter, plumper version of the PlayStation "P," alongside ... a star? A shuriken? Something great, anyway. Something which will fill the the worker ants with pride and increase output by 493% this calendar year. Oh, and it's all lovingly rendered in "Platinum Silver," don'cha know. Company President / CEO Tatsuya Minami will be discussing the deeper meaning behind the new logo later. There's always a deeper meaning behind these things. %Gallery-22964%
MotorStorm Pacific Rift sells a million units worldwide
Some games have a rough ride. It's not easy being exclusive to a game console with a smaller install base than their competitors. It's even harder being released during those crazy Q4 months, when you're up against massive, highly anticipated titles. Thankfully, MotorStorm Pacific Rift has done well, despite these obstacles, already selling over one million units worldwide. The game reached this milestone after just a month on the shelves. Pretty good, if you ask us. No doubt Pacific Rift owes much of its success to its predecessor. Hopefully more first party titles will reach this milestone, and beyond, before the end of the year. LittleBigPlanet, we're looking at you.
Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray disc fully spec'd and ready for October 7 debut
As the flagship Platinum release, Disney is going all out with its Blu-ray release of Sleeping Beauty. Surely you've pored over the BD-Live preview video, but with a fast approaching October 7 release date we finally have seen the full specs, including 7.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack, full motion PiP commentary, interactive game and "living menu". Fans of the flick and Disney animation should also peep the HD special features, including a walkthrough of the original Sleeping Beauty attraction at Disneyland, deleted songs, alternate opening and "Four Artists Paint One Tree" featurette. Whether this will take BD-Live features mainstream -- especially while hardware prices remain static -- remains to be seen, but with a bonus standard DVD edition packed in with the Blu-ray, that sure-to-be-discounted $35.99 MSRP doesn't look bad at all.
Pokmon Platinum approaches, er, platinum status in Japan
See, the game has sold 967,675 copies in its first two days on Japanese store shelves, which is close to a million, which means that, if Pokémon Platinum were an American music album, it would almost be a platinum record. Once we realized that, the headline just wrote itself. As did this explanatory paragraph ...Look, Pokémon games are still popular in Japan, all right? That's all we're trying to say here! Sheesh! We need a drink.[Via DS Fanboy]
EVE Visual Guide: Before you undock
There are a few essential things any pilot in EVE Online should do before they undock from a station and get themselves into a potentially hostile situation. Come to think of it, anytime you undock there's at least some chance of hostility. Keeping that in mind, think of this as a visual checklist you should go through before entering space, as you're not only risking your ship, but your skillpoints if you bite off more than you can chew. This happens all too often, to novice and veteran pilots alike in EVE. So to help you avoid this fate... Head to the guide >> %Gallery-30109%
Rumor: New Pokemon creatures revealed
Supposedly, the image on your right are silhouettes of new pocket monsters set to premiere in Nintendo's upcoming cash generator Pokemon Platinum. For those of you with very good sight, that would be them to the right of this text right here. Japanese site blue skY is reporting that this image is an advertisement from a Toys R Us in Japan. We'd like to comment further, but up until today, we didn't know there were Toys R Us chains in Japan. For those of you who're Pokemaniacs, care to comment on these? Do they resemble the shapes of other Pokemon?[Via Go Nintendo and Pokemon Platinum]
The Daily Grind: What's your single most expensive in-game item?
From spending lots and lots of gold on a flying mount in World of Warcraft, to blowing insane amounts of ISK on a rare ship type in EVE Online, there are all manner of expensive items floating around out there just waiting to be purchased. Some folks enjoy spending game cash on cool armor (or dyes to make armor much cooler than it was) or mounts. Others prefer to hoard gold and spend it on other things that are less common like paying other, better-progressed guilds, for runs through certain dungeons to achieve things like epic weapons or even special items like pets or riding mounts. Beyond the most obvious in-game items, you now have microtransaction models, enabling you to spend real-world money on your game trinkets. On top of that, we also have the items that come from things like trading card game codes -- the spectral tiger from WoW being a highly-sought-after example. So what's your most expensive in-game purchase? What item could you just not live without?
Worldwide PS3 releases for the week of July 27th
Soulcalibur IV gets its worldwide release this week. If you're not into weapon based fighting games with a Star Wars twist, there's very little else that might interest you. By "very little" we do, of course, mean "nothing." If you live in Europe, however, you might be interested in knowing that a bunch of Platinum titles are being released this week. All of these five games are well worth their new £20 price, despite the yucky yellow packaging. Here's the full release list:US Games Soulcalibur IV EU Games Soulcalibur IV Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (Platinum) Heavenly Sword (Platinum) MotorStorm (Platinum) Resistance: Fall of Man (Platinum) Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction (Platinum) Asian Games Soulcalibur IV Beijing Olympics 2008 Protip: Play.com have cut £2 off their Platinum price for the full range. £18 for Uncharted or Ratchet & Clank? You'd be mad not to. Release dates are constantly subject to change, so check with your local retailer if you're concerned.
Nintendo Japan sent out GIRATINA DS LITE! DS Fanboy fainted!
Members of Japan's Pokémon Daisuki Club will soon be able to (enter a raffle to potentially) buy a Giratina edition Nintendo DS Lite bundle, consisting of Pokémon Platinum and a swoon-worthy Lite that has been subtly branded with the Platinum cover star.Like many limited edition DSes, supply is expected to be short, so hopeful owners will have to submit an entry form to enter the draw, where they could win the right to give Nintendo money -- ¥21,600 ($203), to be precise. The raffle ends on July 14th (and is for Japanese residents only), and 1,000 of the names drawn will be eligible for an even rarer metallic Giratina figurine. Remind us again, please: why are we still living in not-Japan?Go past the break for a closer look.
PS3 platinum range dons yellow in Spain
We knew Europe was getting a Platinum budget range for PS3 games. However, we didn't know they'd be donning such cheap-looking box art. The Spanish line of box art (which may expand to the rest of Europe) features a heavy coat of yellow paint. It reminds us a lot of Japan's budget line of games. Budget repackaging of popular games have always featured less-than-ideal box work. But, how can we complain when we're getting excellent games at lower prices? If some yellow ink is the price to pay for cheap prices, we say bring it on.[Via Kotaku]
Pokemon Platinum boxart is super effective at being awesome
Can we just say, Nintendo: loving the boxart for Pokémon Platinum. Whereas the art for Diamond and Pearl relied on darker, more subdued colors, Platinum's box employs a striking combination of red, black, and white, blasting out in beams from the center of the cover. It's almost as though cover star Giratina is leaping right out of the box at the viewer/shopper. He's coming to get you, kids! That will be under your bed tonight! Muahaha.As well as the cover, GAME Watch also has a small pool of character art (featuring Regice, Registeel, Regirock, and Regigigas) and screens (which can be found in our gallery). It looks ... well, pretty much like the same game you bought last year. Will that stop you buying it? Nope, thought not.%Gallery-25539%
Pokemon Platinum: Giratina's wormy new form
We're sure that some of you will be buying Pokémon Platinum (whenever it ends up coming out here) just for this thing, so here's a nice clear picture of it. This is the new form of Giratina, Platinum's cover Pokeman. Dengeki labels it the "Origin" form, and it's pretty clear that this is some kind of larval stage in the Ghost/Dragon Legendary Pokémon's development, with spikes sticking out where its legs go.The screen shown in the CoroCoro scan, with the male trainer's new jacket, is also available in higher quality at the link, along with another screen featuring some mysterious shadow thing.
Rumor: CoroCoro Comic reveals Pokemon Platinum
Cash cow -- Nintendo chooses you! As they so strongly hinted, it appears from this scan that CoroCoro Comic magazine has revealed the next Pokémon game from Nintendo, called Pocket Monsters Platina (Pokémon Platinum). We can't read the scan (because it is both tiny and Japanese), but TheTanooki's summary of the article describes it as the next game in the Diamond/Pearl series, with Giratina on the cover. It features an online version of the weird Underground feature from Diamond and Pearl, an Emerald-like "Battle Island," and some new forms for critters like Giratina and Shaymin. According to TheTanooki, Platinum will be out in September in Japan. All of this is classifiable as "rumor" right now, but that scan looks pretty real.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
