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First TMNT shots packed with Turtle power
Click to embiggen. Though it's been out in the open for some time, Ubisoft today officially confirmed development was underway on TMNT: Smash Up. There are only two screens to date, featuring all four turtles doing their green-skinned, katana-wielding thang, but they look really promising (and possibly hint at a 2.5D game?).The combination of '80s nostalgia (fun fact that we refuse to be embarrassed about: we had Turtles wallpaper right up until we moved out of home at 18) and the involvement of Super Smash Bros. Brawl developer Game Arts will ensure this game won't escape our attention easily. Check out both shots in Large-O-Vision here.%Gallery-43169%[Via press release]
And they're green! 'TMNT: Smash Up' announced for Wii
In "shell-ebration" (it says here in the press release) of the 25th anniversary of the world's most fearsome fighting team, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ubisoft has announced a new four-player fighting game that is "not tied to a TMNT movie, television show or comic book." Instead, as indicated by the incredibly subtle subtitle, TMNT: Smash Up will share ties with Nintendo's absurdly popular Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In fact, if the staff of Game Arts -- developer of both games -- dress formally at work, the ties shared will be quite literal.Sensing that a few screenshots depicting the titular turtles (including the one who does machines and the one who is a party dude) may not satiate everybody, Ubisoft encourages interested parties to check out the January issue of Nintendo Power for more information. Meanwhile, look for TMNT: Smash Up to arrive during Fall 2009 and cause fighting purists to complain about "turtling" in a whole new way.%Gallery-43172%
Wii Warm Up: Smashed Gameplay
As reported yesterday, the new TMNT: Smash Up for the Wii seems to borrow liberally from Super Smash Bros. We're not going to argue about the "fairness" of lifting from other games to make your design, because appropriating other people's ideas and resynthesizing them is basically the essence of art. And every fighting game since Street Fighter II has cribbed from Capcom's masterpiece anyway. Basically, we wouldn't have a fighting genre if not for copying.But on to Smash Bros. and the Turtles. Do you think the Smash Bros. gameplay is strong enough to work without Nintendo characters? Are there any particular ideas involved in the bizarre fighting series that more fighting games could stand to inherit? And is it going to become its own branch of the fighting game genre?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Heroes in a Magazine Preview
The latest issue of NGamer magazine has a preview of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brawler that was originally revealed last month.It's officially titled TMNT: Smash Up (surely a blatant attempt to evoke memories of a certain other brawler), will feature arenas that change throughout scraps (so you'll change locations as you fight, as happened in Power Stone 2), and will see players defeating their opponents by either knocking them off the stage (à la -- oh! -- Super Smash Bros.) or emptying their health meter entirely, which can be refilled with pizza, natch.There will be no motion-controlled attacks (though waggle isn't ruled out for other aspects, and there will be context-sensitive moves), and what is described as a "dark, gritty" graphical style. Turtles co-creator Peter Laird is penning the single-player story, but what we really want to know is the character roster; currently, only the Turtles and Splinter are confirmed. We're calling shotgun on Krang.
New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fighter coming to Wii
As Scientology teaches us, benevolent aliens are some day going to land on planet Earth and deliver unto us the Usagi Yujimbo Wii game that we all deserve. Until that glorious day, it looks like we'll be able to make due with a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2.5 dimensional fighter in development at Ubisoft.Sure, it's a licensed game (though not based on any specific movie or show) but it's also got an impressive pedigree, with Nintendo Power reporting a dev team that includes Smash Bros. Brawl and Team Ninja vets. Oh, and it reportedly supports four players and online action. We're not quite at "Cowabunga!" level excited yet, but super mutation could deifinitely put us over the edge.We'll keep an eye out for more details.[Via NWF]
The DS Life: Phosphorescence
Even as a kid (or perhaps especially as a kid), artist David Gibbons had a fascination for all things glow-in-the-dark. Really, though, what's there to not like about glow-in-the-dark junk? David covered his bedroom walls with every glow-in-the-dark decoration he could find -- posters, stickers, and stars. He even wore glow-in-the-dark pajamas and braces! While we never went that far, we happen to have a glow-in-the-dark rosary hanging off our car's rearview mirror (It's a Filipino thing! Also, it makes it easier for us to pick out our car in the mall parking lot at night.).Anyway, David used his childhood glow-in-the-dark obsession as inspiration to create the art piece we've featured a today, an illustration depicting all of the Christmas toys he wished for as a kid while laying awake at night, gazing at all their glow-in-the-dark incarnations blue-tacked to his walls and ceiling.
April VC releases for Japan: Dracula X leads an awesome month
It's finally happening. When Hudson announced Turbografx-16 support on the Virtual Console, we thought "Oh, great, maybe we'll be able to get Dracula X!" Then when they revealed that CD-ROM titles would start coming out, we got really excited about being one step closer to Dracula X. Next month in Japan, Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo will be released on the Virtual Console for 800 points. As if Hudson hadn't already won at being awesome today.Other than the amazing Dracula X, there's actually a lot of really great stuff coming out in April. It has actually renewed our faith in the Virtual Console, which is why we're starting to think we're being fooled by a tragic April Fool's Day joke on Nintendo's part. Metal Slug and The Legend of Valkyrie are standouts, as is the incredibly vintage RPG Bokosuka Wars, if only because it reminds us of this shirt. Famicom: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Sky Kid Volguard II Bokosuka Wars Super Famicom: Famicom Detective Club Part II Heracles no Eikou IV Master System: Wonder Boy Mega Drive: Musha Aleste Phantasy Star III Phelios N64: Kirby 64 PC Engine: Riot Zone Legend of Valkyrie Dracula X: Rondo of Blood Digital Champion: Battle Boxer Monster Lair Neo Geo: Metal Slug
SecondSpin sale offers extra cheap prices for used games
Starting today until March 16th, preowned media retailer SecondSpin is offering customers free shipping and 20% off its used items. Unlike GameStop and Electronics Boutique, SecondSpin sells every game with the manual and box, so you won't have to worry about receiving an incomplete package. All you need to do to take advantage of the deal is use this coupon code: TWENTY314. SecondSpin has too many available Nintendo DS and GBA titles (450+) for us to list, but we've put together a short tally of games that you might want to pick up. Nintendo DS: Custom Robo Arena - $13.79 $11.03 Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney: Justice for All - $12.99 $10.39 Scurge: Hive - $10.39 $8.39 Spectrobes - $14.99 $11.99 The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - $26.99 $21.59 True Swing Golf - $9.99 $7.99 GBA deals: Final Fantasy IV Advance and V Advance - $14.99 $11.99 Gunstar Super Heroes - $7.99 $6.39 TMNT - $14.99 $11.99 If you don't see anything you're interested in, SecondSpin updates its inventory every day, so check back again tomorrow! [Via CAG]
Promotional Consideration: Sewer snacks
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters for the Genesis was not a game I actually purchased, as our family was one of little means, and I knew better than to let money go to waste. It was loaned to me by a "friend" in exchange for The Ren & Stimpy Show: Stimpy's Invention, a deal which my pal falsely assured me I was getting the better end of.The trade wasn't meant to be permanent -- that was explicitly stated in the contract -- but my business associate suddenly moved away, Spanish For Everyone-style. Except in my case, I didn't have a sultry Spanish aunt offering to teach me "many things." Also, I learned nothing from the experience.But before we reminisce about terrible games and the bad decisions I've made in my life, let's discuss this week's Promotional Consideration topic: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fruit Snacks.
The ESRB Ate My VC games
Three games that were assumed to be headed for the Virtual Console have disappeared from the ESRB's ratings list. Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Arcade Game, and Duck Hunt are no longer listed for the Wii on the rating organization's website.The most obvious interpretation is that these games are no longer planned for release on the Wii. But why would the ESRB remove the ratings? Even if Nintendo (or Konami) decided that they were definitely not going to release the game, ever, the content rating would still be valid. And we find it very hard to believe that Duck Hunt, a game that is pretty much synonymous with Nintendo nostalgia, has been permanently banished from the VC. [Via GoNintendo]
The VC Advantage: Totally sweet
The Internet has made it easy to find cheats for games, but we miss the tips pages from game magazines, when the discovery of a new code could inspire you to go back to an old game. These codes aren't exactly new, but oldness is the essence of the Virtual Console! We're bringing back the classic codes every week on The VC Advantage.Everyone loves ninja, except for 1980's Europe. It's hard not to be taken with their style of dress, their pre-Bond gadgetry and, most of all, their silent ruthlessness. But gamers have grown up with a different kind of ninja: the kind who walks around a (usually futuristic) city in broad daylight wearing a dark mask and uniform, displaying blatant disregard for stealth in his battle against giant robots or ghosts or freaking birds. Much like real-life ninja used anonymity and darkness to flout bushido, we enjoy using codes to violate the established laws of our favorite ninja games. This week's VCA features a selection of codes from the Virtual Console's already ninja-rich library. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES):Share Boomerangs between turtles: It takes some serious Turtles devotion or NES nostalgia to convince yourself to play this game for more than five minutes, so we think it's a good idea to give you a little help. Short of a Make the Game Stop code that involves turning off your system, there's not too much that can be done, but there is at least a glitch that allows you to use the same set of boomerangs with multiple turtles. It's easy, too: just throw the boomerangs, switch turtles, and catch them.Ninja Spirit (TG16): Level Select: This is only appropriate for appreciating each level of the sumptuous Ninja Spirit as an individual work of art. We'll know if you use the level select code to fast-track through the game. We'll know and we'll tell IREM. And they'll cry. Press II, I, II, II, I, II, hold Select and press Run to access the level select menu.Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (GEN): Unlimited Shurikens: This code, also seen in Revenge of Shinobi, is one of the most iconic and satisfying cheats in any game, because it's so simple to input and remember, and it is immediately visually recognizable. In the options menu, if you set the number of shuriken to 00 and leave the cursor there, after a few seconds the "00" will morph into the symbol for infinity. Neat! [Codes via GameFAQs]
Animation studio Imagi inks distribution deal with Wowwee
Imagi, the animation studio behind the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, and the upcoming Gatchaman and Astro Boy movies, has inked a deal with Wowwee Ltd., makers of the infamous Robosapien (amongst others), which will grant the toy-maker exclusive distribution rights for the studio's properties. According to the company press release, Wowwee will provide some of its proprietary technology for use in toys related to the upcoming pictures, which will closely replicate the look and story of the films in both design and "play patterns." As Imagi co-CEO Douglas Glen puts it "All too often, film-licensed toys fail to live up to kids' expectations, because they fall so far short of what the kids see on the movie screen," but Imagi and Wowwee will seek to avoid this by having toy designers and filmmakers work closely with one-another. Our personal hope is to see a life-size, fully functional Astro Boy... with feelings. Maybe we're expecting too much.
Blu-ray movie releases for the week of August 6th + bonus rumor
Following last week's Spartan-tastic release list, this week seems a little boring. Sure we get a couple of CG movies that should look gorgeous in 1080p, but considering they are the new revisioning of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the God awful Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, it's kind of a bust. Here's the full list: TMNT Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within Disturbia Arlington Road Are We Done Yet? Disturbia and Arlington Road were suppose to be pretty good, but Are We Done Yet? is only interesting as a side note to Ice Cube's increasingly pathetic career. So not that amazing of a release list this week, but to make up for it -- we have a tasty little rumor via our friends at Blu-ray.com. Sony Europe has released an 'unofficial' calender of upcoming Blu-ray titles and they have both Kill Bill movies listed as a September 2nd releases with Pulp Fiction coming the next day. This is still in Rumorville for now, with no official confirmation of a US release, but what a sweet rumor it is."Who's Zed?""Zed's dead, baby."
X3F Achievements 101: The Return [update 1]
After a small hiatus following the craziness that is E3, X3F Achievements 101 is back with a variety of subjects worth covering. In case some of you have forgotten how this column works, this a space devoted to Achievement Whores around the world, and gives me the opportunity to chronicle my continuing conquest of Gamerscore, on a daily basis. This week, we cover a little bit of a backlog, as there's the survival of my Achievement streak during E3, my hitting of a couple Gamerscore Milestones, and the completion of a couple more 1000 GS rentals, TMNT and Cars.
$20 discounts on R6 Vegas, GRAW 2 and more
Looking for some great video game deals? Well, look no further than Circuit City and the Sunday newspaper ads. This week, Circuit City is slashing $20 off select games including titles like TMNT ($29.99), GRAW 2 ($39.99), Spider-Man 3 ($39.99) and Call of Duty 3 ($39.99). Also, since both the Red and Black Edition Player Packs will be free downloads, why not pick up Rainbow Six Vegas for the low, low price of $39.99 too? You can't pass that up. Maybe new releases are more up your alley, then we advise picking up a free $10 gift card with a Transformers: The Game purchase. And if you're in the market for Shadowrun, purchase it for $37.99 on Windows Vista and Circuit City will throw in a wireless receiver for free!All deals are available online or in-store, so save a few bucks and pick up some new games to add to your video game library this week.
Turtle power envy
Seeing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game on the ESRB's list of upcoming Virtual Console titles should bring joy to our nostalgia-ruled hearts, but we're finding it hard to not be pessimistic about this particular release. We've put more hours into Konami's beat'em up than you can shake a bo staff at, so it's not the actual game that we have problems with. No, it's just outright jealousy over the XBLA port of the arcade version. While we're stuck with 8-bit graphics and support for only two players, the 360's turtle fans have the original cut scenes, arcade graphics, and online co-op for up to four players! Inconceivable! To add insult to injury, we might have to shell out 600 Wii points for the NES game instead of the usual 500 because of licensing issues. If that'll be the case, we would actually be spending more than what 360 gamers are paying! We can at least find solace in the NES version's extended levels, extra stages, and Pizza Hut advertising. Also, TMNT II wasn't the only new ninja release spotted on the ESRB's Virtual Console catalog. Ninja Gaiden, Tecmo's 1989 platformer, will also be stabbing its way onto the Wii. Let's see the Xbox try to top us with a game like that! Oh wait...
The golden age of ninjas
We won't look down on you if Tecmo's announcement for Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword was the first time you'd ever heard of ninjas sneaking onto a handheld console. The stealthy assasins carry out their orders so efficiently and silently, most people aren't even aware of a ninja's presence until they see their own blood on the wall sprayed from an expert slash across their necks. Modojo has a lengthy feature tracking portable appearances by ninjas like Shinobi and Goemon, following their shuriken-throwing adventures from the Game Boy all the way up to the Nintendo DS. Our favorite game from the bunch is Ninja Five-O, a Bionic Commando-esque side scroller that was released for the GBA. If there's one thing terrorists fear, it's ninja cops swinging through their defenses!
Ubisoft fourth quarter sales pushed up by warfighters, turtles
Leading to the obvious conclusion: Ubisoft needs to somehow combine the gritty realism of the Tom Clancy franchise with the anthropomorphic antics of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Politically charged yet irresistibly adorable properties like Tom Clancy's Splinter Shell and Tom Clancy's The War on Terrapins are sure to tap into hitherto untapped fountains of marketability and financial prosperity. Not that Ubisoft is currently in dire need of money, mind you. Gamasutra's detailing of L'Ubi's most recent financial report suggests that the publisher is already exceeding analyst expectations by exchanging one type of green for another.The company's fourth quarter sales saw an increase of 37% to $267.5 million, largely instigated by the one million unit success of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 on Xbox 360, as well as the TMNT film-based game which dragged in 1.1 million units in its eight platform-wide net. Sales for the full 2006/2007 fiscal year stand at $923.4 million following a jump of 24.4%, with earlier titles such as Red Steel, Rayman: Raving Rabbids, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas and Petz being key contributors.Ubisoft expects profitability to increase further in the coming year by supporting new-gen consoles and expanding their presence in "the casual market on the Wii and Nintendo DS systems." Oh! We've yet to add casual games into our bubbling cauldron of cross-franchise success! So, that'll be Tom Clancy's Krang Age, then?
DS Daily: Now you're playing with Turtle Power
At the height of their popularity, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise could do no wrong. With a hit television series, two movie blockbusters, and an extremely profitable line of toys, it's no surprise that their success continued with their video games. Who can ever forget fighting over the pizza in the arcade game's second stage? As the novelty of crime-fighting reptiles faded with the early 90s, however, so did the quality of their licensed games.After spending over a decade on the fringes of relevance, the green crusaders are poised to finally make a comeback with a new film premiering today and video game releases for nearly every platform. And while the Nintendo DS tie-in hasn't won many hearts with its 3D rhythm-game-on-rails concept, the GBA title is picking up a fair amount of buzz as an old-school, 2D brawler. Some are calling it the last great game for the GBA, while many others are comparing it to River City Ransom's classic gameplay.So is it time to break out the old action figures and the Technodrome set again? Do you have any plans to check out the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles GBA game or see the new, computer-animated film? Are you cool, but rude; or are you a party dude? Please, do let us know ...
TMNT: The new king (Kong) of easy achievement points
Ubisoft's TMNT title learned a couple things from Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, their video game adaptation from last year. First, long names are best left as acronyms (PJKK: TOGotM). Second, spice up a less-than-stellar licensed game with 1000 additional reasons to buy it regardless. Yup, it looks like TMNT is poised to take away the easiest 1000 Xbox 360 achievement points crown from the previous king, err, King Kong.Let's see what the critics have to say about the game's easy points: IGN says "the new king of easy Achievement Points has arrived." GameSpot offers, "There are also achievements to consider, but they also happen to be incredibly easy to acquire, with many of them relegated to points for beating levels and pulling off individual special abilities. Even still, the better graphics and achievements ultimately make the 360 version the best by default." Finally, Team Xbox says, "If there's one good thing about TMNT, it's the fact that the game steals the title of 'Easiest 1000 Achievement Points' from Ubisoft's own King Kong. You'll probably be able to get all 1000 in less than 4 hours." We wonder if achievement points will really be a quantifiable factor in picking which console to buy that multiplatformer on.
