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Jeep preps plug-in hybrid versions of its Compass and Renegade SUVs
Jeep isn't exactly synonymous with eco-friendly cars, but it's bent on changing that reputation. The 4x4 maker has unveiled plug-in hybrid versions of the 2020 Compass (below) and Renegade (above) crossover SUVs. Both meld a 1.3-liter conventional turbo engine with an electric motor to deliver both more power and, of course, a lower environmental footprint. They can pump out up to 240HP when both powerplants are engaged, hitting 62MPH in about 7 seconds, but they can also drive for up to 31 miles solely on electric power. You could commute emissions-free in the city while still having plenty of range and raw grunt for your off-road excursions.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Professor Layton, Renegade
This week on the Nintendo eShop, it's a battle of brains versus brawn, wits versus fists, puzzles versus knuckles. Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy debuts on 3DS, putting a bittersweet cap (or top hat, perhaps) on the second Layton trilogy. Our review notes that the series as we know it may have run its course, calling Azran Legacy "as good a way to sign off as could be expected, and the right time to maybe wish the professor a fond farewell." If you prefer less thinking in your video games (and fewer top hats, for that matter), you can pick up Renegade, an NES beat-em-up from the same series as Super Dodge Ball and River City Ransom. Just look at the pompadours, they're a dead giveaway. Finally, through March 3, you can snag Knytt Underground on Wii U for $7, half the usual price. [Image: Nintendo]
The 3DS's Renegade remake is, thankfully, better than Renegade
When news came out that Million, a company made up of people who worked on River City Ransom and the other games in the Kunio-kun series, would remake the first game in said series, I found it bittersweet in the extreme(s). On the one hand, I like Kunio games a bunch; on the other hand, Renegade is not among the Kunio games I like a bunch, because I'm a reasonable human being. Here's a capsule summary of my impressions: Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-Kun Special is not flawless, but it is better than original version. Which means it's at least playable now.
Fiesta Online reveals the Trickster
"The Trickster is here!" the brand-new trailer for Fiesta Online proclaims. Affectionately known as "Trixie," this class has had players wondering what Outspark had planned for the New Heroes of Isya patch. While the trailer doesn't cover much territory, the main feature of the class is highlighted: dual-wielding. Trixie is shown with a pair of nasty-looking dual claws, although the video promises that dual blades is also a lethal option. The Trickster can specialize as either a Renegade or Reaper, and Outspark has said that the class deals damage in a freaky new way. You can get a glimpse of Fiesta Online's Trickster after the jump, and don't miss out on our interview with Outspark about this upcoming patch!
DJ Hero Renegade Edition now accepting callers, lists for $199.99
So how badly do you want that metallic DJ Hero turntable? The game's official website is now directing your attention to GameStop and Amazon, both of which are now accepting pre-orders for the Renegade Edition (due to launch October 27th alongside the standard bundle) for just one copper Lincoln under $200. That's a $80 premium over the regular bundle but does also include a stand / carrying case hybrid and a two-CD collection. Then again, it's also well over the cost of the entire instrument bundle for Rock Band 2 or Guitar Hero World Tour. Anyone gonna bite? [Thanks, HArry]
BattleForge shuffling 60 new cards into August expansion
Our knowledge of the inner workings of Electronic Arts' microtransaction-infused RTS BattleForge is limited, but we're still pretty excited about the Renegade Edition expansion that's coming to the game this August. The add-on will add 60 new cards to the game, each representing new units and buildings. While we may not know exactly how those cards are used, our history with the Pokémon TCG taught us one hard and fast rule -- more cards is always a good thing.However, we can't begin to guess the purpose of the "dual orb cards and special affinities" that the expansion will also bring to the game, but the announcement post on BattleForge's blog says they'll "deepen and enrich the strategical possibilities of the decks and the combat itself." We guess we'll take their word for it.[Via Big Download]
GDC09: A look at Dead Space's renegade roots
A good 18 months before Electronic Arts even agreed to publish 2008's survival-horror hit, Dead Space, developers at EA Redwood Shores were working on the title. That's just what renegades do. During a presentation at last week's GDC (via Gamespot), senior producer Chuck Beaver pointed out how his maverick team of developers took a decidedly different approach to game design, one involving dusting off old hardware and "an aggressive internal PR campaign."He noted that early in the game's development EA was interested in investing in original properties, though it wasn't exactly sold on the idea. However, from the time Dead Space was pitched in 2006, Beaver and his team worked on the project as if it was already a done deal. With minimal resources they concentrated on "putting pixels on the screen," tossing out EA's game development playbook in the process. While Dead Space was always positioned as a current-gen title, the team instead prototyped a single level from the game on the original Xbox in order to sell EA on the concept before an engine was even available. Besides, who has time to make an engine when there are limbs to be shaved off? Priorities, people!
pureSilicon's rugged Renegade SSD touts hardware-based encryption
pureSilicon isn't offering up the first rugged SSD or anything, but its Renegade line is still tough enough to be compliant with MIL-STD-810F (and this guy's) standards. Hailed as the first solid state drive to integrate hardware-based encryption approved by the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS), the device boasts up to 128GB of capacity, a dedicated on-board cryptographic processor, hard-anodized unibody enclosure and the ability to withstand most anything that you could put it through (save for a blender). Select customers have already received samples, but if you're dumbstruck by such a notion, you'll have to wait with the rest of the citizenry and nab yours in Q1 2009.
Sprint outs Motorola i365 and V950 with Samsung M220, M320 -- no Touch Diamond yet
Even though all signs are pointing to a release later this month, we'll admit -- we were still secretly hoping that the rumored September 2 date would somehow magically hold for Sprint's release of the Touch Diamond. Even so, the carrier is reeling in some decent -- if not totally expected -- booty today in the form of the Motorola i365 and Renegade V950 alongside Samsung's M220 and M320 flips. The i365 becomes the baddest-ass phone in Sprint's iDEN arsenal, sporting what they call a "monolith form factor" (badass speak for "candybar," we think), mil-spec everything, and GPS. As Direct Connect goes, the V950 is pretty much everything the i365 is not, eschewing iDEN for QChat and offering all the creature comforts of a modern featurephone -- music player, camera, external controls, and a pair of decent displays for starters -- and although Sprint calls this one "ultra-rugged" as well, we don't think we could heave it against a wall quite as many times as we could the i365. From Samsung, the M220 and M320 are simple 1xRTT flips with essentially the same specs as one another, though the M320 tacks on a VGA camera (so in other words, it really may as well not have a camera, either). All four handsets are available now.Read - Samsung M220, M320Read - Motorola i365Read - Motorola Renegade V950
Sprint getting Katana Eclipse in more colors, Rumor replacement?
We've been slipped a handy little document that indicates the dates that Sprint is currently targeting for the release of a few of its fall hotties, and although we already knew some of this stuff, it's always good to have some corroborating evidence in these situations. First up, the Motorola Renegade V950, i365, and Samsung M220 and M320 are all still apparently locked for September 2, as is the Touch Diamond. We've heard a groundswell of concern from tipsters that the Touch Diamond may have been bumped out to October -- it certainly wouldn't surprise us, given our jaded, overwhelmingly pessimistic personalities -- but here's hoping, anyway. It also looks like the just-released Katana Eclipse in silver will be getting pink and black siblings come October 16, along with an "LG LX600 Messaging Handset." We're not sure what the LX600 might be beyond what a confidentiality-bound FCC filing tells us, but the Rumor is getting a little long in the tooth, so it could conceivably be replacement device or a slightly higher-end QWERTY set that would sit somewhere above the Rumor in the lineup.
Sprint prepping Motorola i365, Renegade, and a pair of Samsungs
Okay, Samsung, we get it: you're really good at pounding out the cheap clamshells. Point taken. Oh, what's that, you say? You still feel like you have something to prove? Oh, well then by all means, dump another couple $20 flips on Sprint! Please, we insist. As expected, it looks like we'll all have the fabulous opportunity to pick up our choice of the M220 or M320 for $19.99 come September 2, offering Bluetooth, speakerphone, and in the case of the M320, a VGA camera.Out of the Moto camp, we get the i365 ruggedized brickphone for iDEN fanboys and fangirls -- you know who you are, so stop looking around -- which will run $90 and include Bluetooth despite its early-90s appeal. Finally, the most exciting of the foursome has to be the V950 Renegade, but excitement comes at a cost: $199.99, to be exact. In this case, your pair of Benjamins is going to net you QChat capability, Bluetooth, a 2 megapixel cam, microSD expansion, and external music controls, which makes it just about the coolest Direct Connect phone going. Line starts over here, folks.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]%Gallery-30004%
Leaked Sprint roadmap reveals slew of releases through September?
Though the document doesn't exactly look magazine-quality, this is a case where we'd argue that it doesn't have to be to be real; it's clearly for internal use only, for one thing, and secondly, we don't know where else the picture of that new Sanyo Katana Eclipse would come from. The Eclipse is just one of several pretty nifty releases claimed to be lined up between now and September, with the Motorola VE20 Vegas and a pair of data cards joining it on August 17. September should bring the Motorola i365 and V950 Renegade, Samsung m220 and m320, and the HTC MP6950 -- which we assume to be either the Touch Diamond or Touch Pro -- clearly in desperate need of an actual name by the time it launches. Go-go gadget, product marketing team![Thanks, Owen]
The VC Advantage: How to Play Renegade
This week, during his VC Monday Madness video, Dave alluded to the fact that he had to enter a code to get past the first screen of Renegade. He was not exaggerating. Renegade is freaking impossible. Here's how Renegade works: three guys beat the crap out of you. Then you manage to get enough punches in between beatings to kill one of the guys, and another one walks out and beats the crap out of you.Should you want to see the old ladies beating the crap out of you, or guys on motorcycles beating the crap out of you, you'll need to skip levels. Luckily, Technos included that functionality, presumably so people could experience the rest of their game. To skip levels, hold the down button on controller 2 and enter one of the following codes: Stage 2: down, up, right, up, left, up, start Stage 3: up, down, left, down, right, down, start Stage 4: down, down, up, up, right, left, start Now that you can see all of Renegade's content, the only thing left is figuring out why you would want to! The VC Advantage is a weekly look at the secrets inside games -- not just cheat codes, but assorted trivia and oddities. We aim to bring back the feeling of the hint columns from game magazines, except when we do something else.
VC Monday Madness video wrap-up 5/5/08
This week, we've got two titles on the Virtual Console tap. How are they? Well, we can't waste precious space here telling you about them. That's what the video above is for! And, if you can't check out our videos for some reason, head past the break for some screens and text.
VC Monday Madness: Renegade and Pokemon Puzzle League
This week, a pair of new titles are available on the Virtual Console system. For those of you paying attention, this comes as no surprise. As for the rest of you, we ask that you just pretend like we totally made Renegade happen. Like, it was all us.This week's Virtual Console titles are: Pokemon Puzzle League (N64, 1 - 2 players, 1,000 Wii Points Renegade (NES, 1 - 2 players, 500 Wii Points) As usual, these will be available for download after 9am PT (12pm for those of us on the east coast). Be sure to stop back and check out our video wrap-up, which should help gauge whether or not these games are worth your money.
Pokmon Puzzle League, Renegade on Virtual Console today
Do you know what we really, truly and utterly despise about Pokémon games? It's the fact that every time something Pokémon related pops out of Nintendo's red-and-white capsule, we have to go hunting for that "é." You know, the one with the thingy on top. That's a period of 45 minutes we could spend being super effective and writing about this week's Virtual Console releases. Pokémon Puzzle League (N64, 1-2 players, 1000 Wii Points): Pit those encapsulated creatures against one another in a battle of manic block rearrangement! Way to go! Renegade (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Clean up your city by punching and jump-kicking every thug, gangster, villain, lowlife, miscreant and suspicious loiterer you can find. So, pretty much everyone in the game then.
'Is this fun yet?' It will be next week!
Hey, Generic Dudes, guess what? Aksys Games has announced that they are, in fact, bringing the two Technos games found in the ESRB database to the Virtual Console -- along with another one that just happens to be the best game on the Nintendo Entertainment System! River City Ransom. Next week. Five dollars.The week after that, Double Dragon will become available (which would be awesome news if not for OMG RIVER CITY RANSOM SERIOUSLY), and the week after that, Renegade. If you don't have a Wii, you should probably go ahead and buy one now, because it just got its killer app.
Abobo headed to the VC, thanks to Aksys
When they made the deal for Super Dodgeball Brawlers, Arc System Works apparently got the rights to Technos Japan's back catalog. Their name shows up as the publisher of all the Technos games available in Japan on the Virtual Console, including Nekketsu Kouha Kunio. Aksys Games has been the American publisher for every recent Arc game. That would seem to imply that Aksys could publish Technos's games on the American Virtual Console. The fact that it is actually happening strengthens our theory.The aforementioned Nekketsu Kouha Kunio, known over here as Renegade, has now been rated by the ESRB for U.S. release, published by Aksys, along with a Technos game that is more relevant to people who like good games: Double Dragon. Even more relevant: this opens the door for an American release of River City Ransom!
A year (and change) of Virtually Overlooked
Sure, it's been more than a year since the first Virtually Overlooked column on February 22nd of last year, but then Virtually Overlooked is about more than what's currently available on the Virtual Console. Eh? Eh? It's virtually a year of Virtually Overlooked. Think of it this way, more VO columns makes for more value now, because we've been able to present more stuff at once in this feature.In that year-plus of columns, we've successfully predicted six games that would end up on some region's Virtual Console, and one awesome one that is about to: Ninja Spirit: The only bad part about Ninja Spirit coming out is that it means we can't write more Virtually Overlooked about it. The good part is that Ninja Spirit still exists! Also, now it's accessible. J.J. & Jeff: Since we told people that it was great, it has come out to overwhelmingly unfavorable response. We don't understand why people who love Wonder Boy and Adventure Island would so vehemently hate the same thing when it's about two idiots in suits instead of one kid in a grass skirt. Super Mario Bros. 2: It's hard to believe that a major Mario series game was ever absent from the Virtual Con-- oh, wait, Yoshi's Island. Aw, now we're sad. River City Ransom: Both Japan and Europe have it now, and all we can do is cry BARF! (and play the NES cartridge). Expect a major freakout upon U.S. release. Renegade: Actually, this one can stay in Japan. That's fine. StarTropics: Not only is this one out (to Alisha's delight), you have a shot at getting it for free! Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo: Just announced for Japan, this is probably the most-wanted game from the PC Engine's lineup. It's definitely the most-wanted by us. Castlevania is serious business. Not every Virtually Overlooked has been a success, however ... unless you consider just talking about awesome (or not awesome, but interesting) old games a "success." Which we do!We've collected the whole set of VO columns in an easily navigable interface, ready for your random browsing. Each entry in the gallery features a boxart and an excerpt from that game's column, along with a link to the full column. Just click on Nora to check it out! OKAY, OKAY. LET'S GO ON A TRIP.
VC Tuesday: Deceptive
This week's Japanese Virtual Console update features three games that aren't what they seem. Super Gussun Oyoyo totally looks like a platformer in screens, but it's actually a Lemmings/Pac-Man 2 style game in which you direct an uncontrollable character with falling blocks. Similarly, you might make assumptions about the genre of a game called Bomberman: Panic Bomber (possibly that it is in the Bomberman games genre) but it's also a puzzler! Most deceptive of all is Nekketsu Kunio-kun. It's a Kunio game from Technos, which leads one to assume that it's going to be great. It is not great. It is profoundly not-great.Only Mr. HELI no Daibouken is what it seems: an adorable cute-em-up starring a lil' helicopter. Nekketsu Kunio-kun (Famicom, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Super Gussun Oyoyo (Super Famicom, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Bomberman Panic Bomber (PC Engine, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points) Mr. HELI no Daibouken (PC Engine, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
