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Nintendo mass announces Wii, DS game launch dates
Clearly, Nintendo wants the back half of your year to have a strong financial plan. In two lengthy lists we spotted on the company's press site, everything from Kirby Wii to Pro Jumper! Chimaki's Hot Spring Tour Guilty Gear Tangent was given a more clear release date, with Kirby arriving some time in fall and the latter mystifying DSiWare shopgoers on June 23. If one game starring a puffy pink monster just wasn't enough, how about one for your DS on September 19? 'Cause that's exactly when Kirby Mass Attack is launching. A whole mess of other release date/windows/seasons are categorized for your fiduciary planning needs, just beyond the break.
Nicktoons MLB seriously combines Nicktoons and Major League Baseball [update 1]
Ever wonder how Stimpy would fare against Robinson Cano from the New York Yankees on the baseball field? All the time, right? 2K Play is giving you the chance to experience this ultimate matchup, while also seeing the athletic prowess of characters like Fanboy, Spongebob, Chum Chum and even Invader Zim. Nicktoons MLB for Kinect, Wii, and DS allows you to play baseball as a bunch of Nicktoons characters, as well as a roster of real, human Major League Baseball players from all 30 teams. High Voltage is developing the two console versions, and Black Lantern is working on the DS version, all due this summer. Nice to see all those characters from cancelled shows getting work! Update: Final, final update: you actually can play as both the Nicktoons characters and the MLB players. 2K Play cleared that up with us just now.
Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do preview: Delightful embarrassment
If the Microsoft Kinect really is fated to spend its infancy as an engine for brisk gameplay experiences, mini-game collections and hugely embarrassing motion interactions, then Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do represents the zenith of those objectives. The 20 carny-folk-friendly games therein -- 10 of which are new to the franchise, and only possible on Kinect -- are expectedly short and unswervingly humiliating, particularly when executed on a show floor surrounded by thousands of strangers. Unexpectedly, though, most of those games are also a hell of a lot of fun. The cartoonish, colorful series is one of the best-selling third-party franchises on the Wii; after spending 20 minutes with Monkey See, Monkey Do, the reasons for its success are as plain as day.
Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do coming to Kinect in April
Well folks, it was only a matter of time -- 2K Games' Play label this morning announced a new entry in the Carnival Games series, heading exclusively to the Xbox 360 with Kinect functionality in-tow. Dubbed Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do, the family-friendly followup to the previously Nintendo-only franchise will launch at retail "this April." 2K Play's Cat Daddy Games is handling development of the title, which plans on bringing back characters like The Amazing Wodin and introducing (we're not joking here) Monkey Barker. Apparently Mr. Barker is "smartly dressed and renowned for his dancing skills" -- sure, why not?%Gallery-115243%
2K Play announces Nickelodeon Fit, bringing exer-fun to the children
With the recent reveal of Nickelodeon Fit, 2K Play looks to capitalize on the still-raging exergaming craze in a fairly unorthodox way. The Wii-exclusive is a youth-oriented, Balance Board-supported title that features characters from Nickelodeon cartoons, including Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, Ni-Hao, Kai-lan and The Backyardigans. The game's young players will participate in context appropriate exercises, such as pogo-sticking with Dora (which we all know is the most efficient method for blasting your core). Scoff as you might, but we don't think this sounds like too terrible an idea. If we had access to an exercise game when we were kids featuring Rocko, Ren, Stimpy and Doug, we probably wouldn't have received a "Laughable" rating on our Presidential Physical Fitness Test.
New Carnival Games coming to Wii and DS this fall
2K Play is ready to introduce you to New Carnival Games this fall on Wii and DS. Sure, the "new" portion of the title is a bit of a misnomer, considering the game features 30 classic carny activities such as "Fish Bowl Bounce," "Bumper Cars" and a "Haunted House," but a title like Even More Carnival Games For 2K to Bank On came across as a little cynical. New Carnival Games will support the Wii MotionPlus for numerous activities, including "Lucky Toss, Gone Fishin' and Speed Bingo." The game also has over 300 carnival "prizes" to collect like "Moon Rocks, Eye-Bots, Decoder Rings and Wacky Wearables." It's the sort of clean, insulated carnival your whole family can visit without fear of picking up someone's disease from a grimy ball.
PSA: P.B. Winterbottom now stealing pies on Steam
As anticipated, the most gentlemanly pie-napper imaginable, P.B. Winterbottom, is now stalking the windowsill of Steam. Valve confirms The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is now available for download for $4.99 -- complete with Steam achievements, leaderboards and Steam Cloud functionality. The title -- a puzzle-platformer Indiecade finalist developed by The Odd Gentlemen and published by 2K Play -- follows the titular Winterbottom, whose hunger for pie can only be described as insatiable. Offer the man a slice of cake and he may travel back in time to before you offered the cake and write you a pleasant note about how he never eats cake. %Gallery-32537%
The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom coming to Steam April 20
It figures. Just when we were starting to get excited about never having to type The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom again, 2K Play reveals that The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is jumping from XBLA to PCs via Steam on April 20. See, including the headline, that's three times we've had to type it already today, and this is still the first paragraph. The whimsical platformer, originally developed by The Odd Gentlemen, is being ported (with 5 new puzzles) by 2K China. If you've managed to stay ignorant of its monochromatic charms to this point, we've got a trailer for you right after the break. %Gallery-32537%
P.B. Winterbottom competition underway, global pie deficit looming
When we look at the charming puzzler The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, we don't think of it as a high-stakes competitive sport; however, 2K Play and The Odd Gentlemen recently announced a contest for the game's speedy completionists. Each week for the next month, a level from the game will be designated as a gruesome battleground, where players with the top ten fastest times will be eligible to receive P.B. Winterbottom-branded 360 faceplates and t-shirts. Click past the jump to see the four levels on which you should start tirelessly practicing your insidious pie-thieving craft.
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom
Puzzle-platforming fans, rejoice, for The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is here. The game employs simple platforming skills combined with time control mechanics, great music and a very unique art style. See it all in action in the latest episode of XBLA in Brief. Should you wish to take the plunge into the world of time-bending pie theft, the full version is 800 ($10). Shortcut: Download the trial version of P.B. Winterbottom [via Xbox.com] [iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly. [RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly.
Axel & Pixel hit XBLA Oct. 14, trailer is wonderfully weird
2K Games' Axel & Pixel will be bringing its unique art style to XBLA on Wednesday, October 14. Announced back in August, along with the fabulously titled The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, the point-and-click (point-and-button-press?) adventure appears to be a fanciful romp.Along with the launch date, 2K has also released the first gameplay trailer, so we can finally see Axel the artist and his dog, Pixel, traversing the very weird game world. We're quite fond of it -- what do you think? Also, is it just us, or is Axel speaking Simlish?
2K bringing P.B. Winterbottom, Axel and Pixel to XBLA
click for more pixels (and Axels, we suppose) It's likely been a while since you've thought of Odd Gentlemen's The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, the extremely promising puzzle platformer that appeared on our radar during GDC 2008. Here's an update: We got the great news from 2K that it will bring the game exclusively to XBLA in early 2010. In the same missive, 2K also confirmed the Czech-developed point-and-click adventure, Axel and Pixel (which looks similarly delightful in the below screens and the game's official site), as another XBLA exclusive. Luckily, the wait's not so brutal, as you'll only have to hold out until this fall to give it a try. %Gallery-71001%
Ringling Bros. game coming to Wii, DS
2K Play announced today that it plans on creating a Wii and DS game based on the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Beyond that ... there's really not much information. The image above was taken at Madison Square Garden, in "celebration" of the partnership with 2K, where the high-wire artist walked the tightrope using a Wiimote and Nunchuk for balance. 2K's press release states this "no doubt was a precursor of what to expect in the upcoming video games."Given 2K's surprising cash infusion from the Carnival Games series, it wouldn't be surprising to see the publisher tap into that voodoo with this upcoming Ringling Bros-licensed title. According to 2K, more info will be made available at E3.
Carnival Games 2 delayed due to first game's success
We like to bash the shovelware as much as anyone, but Take Two's Carnival Games must have been a real gem, because it has sold well consistently and "exceeded expectations" since its release. That's why Take Two has been taking their good old time in churning out a sequel to the game, which is now in the works."We saw the original title was a big success, and we had the developers [Cat Daddy] thinking down the line for the brand," said 2K Play marketing director Christina Recchio. "So there will be a 'Carnival Games 2,' but when that is, I can't say that right now. We just have to assess the market and see when the right time is to release the title." What does this mean? Well, that they won't need to rush development on the sequel so long as the first title keeps on selling. Any of you play the original Carnival Games? Think it got a bad rap from the critics? Or was it just a bad game?
Carnival Games DS apparently features freaks
Carnival Games on the DS apparently features a "sideshow" feature not found in the Wii version! That is, if the title screen is any indication. Look at that guy! He's about ten million times creepier than the jack-o-lantern-like barker found on the cover of the Wii game. That guy's not a barker -- he's a warning. "Step right away! Don't come in!"Carnival Games' carnival also features a "game" in which you're swarmed by giant bees. They may present it as a game, but we usually don't find the presence of bees in our amusement parks at all amusing. Maybe after that, you'll have to play a game about cleaning the spilled ice cream off of the ground so the park doesn't attract so many bees.%Gallery-23715%
More Carnival Games come to the Wii
Because Carnival Games was such a success (the title has sold over one million copies worldwide), it was only inevitable that 2K would make another game utilizing a similar formula. This newest creation is essentially a miniature golf version of its predecessor, titled Carnival Games: Mini-Golf. We have nothing against a mini-golf game that could very possibly be fun. We are, however, very against the press release calling this title "a hole in fun." It's no secret that we've subjected our readers to some terrible punnery over the years, but there's some lines that you just don't cross.The game supports up to four players, and will feature characters that were "made popular" from the original Carnival Games. So, if you've missed Carnival Bob so much that it hurt, you'll be able to see him again soon.Also, if and when this game succeeds, you can bet it won't be the last Carnival output on the Wii from 2K.
Carnival Games expands to DS, back to Wii with Carnival Games: Mini-Golf
After shipping "more than one million units worldwide" with its debut title on the Wii, Take-Two just announced plans to expand its Carnival Games brand with two new mini-game miasmas: Carnival Games for DS and Carnival Games: Mini-Golf for Wii. We expect both to cash in on those nostalgic memories of trips to the carnival with grandpa, including that completely non-hilarious time you stuck your arm too deeply into the cotton candy machine.The DS version will demand interaction through a "frenzied combination" of stylus maneuvering, tapping, speaking and blowing (no surprise there), and will feature games such as Alley Ball, Frog Leap and the intriguing "Clown Hammer." Do we bludgeon the clowns or do we wield them? We'll find out in Summer.As for the Wii's Carnival Games: Mini-Golf, it comes exclusively to Wii and can best be described as "a hole in fun," it says here. A myriad of miniature golf courses awaits up to four players when it releases in Fall 2008. Say Harley Howe and Patrick Wilkinson, studio heads of 2K Play's Cat Daddy Games, "These new titles in our growing Carnival Games franchise are fun, have true-to-life physics and deliver on the promise of the original: you can almost smell the cotton candy."
Take-Two forms casual games label 2K Play
Take-Two Games has announced the formation of 2K Play, a new publishing label focused on the increasingly lucrative world of casual games. The label arrives hand-in-hand with one of the leading causes of children's eyes becoming immobile and square, Nickelodeon. A partnership between 2K Play and Nick Jr.'s television lineup will see terrifyingly popular shows like Go, Diego, Go! and Dora the Explorer (buy your deluxe child today!) transformed into those other things kids are really into these days -- video games.2K Play will also absorb Take-Two's Global Star Software label, which you may recognize from casually providing games like Deal or No Deal and Carnival Games. Overall, 2K President Christoph Hartmann hopes the label will provide games "that are fun and engaging for players of varied skill types and ages" and that the partnership with Nickelodeon will yield pleasant results for the "family-friendly gamer." Those probably aren't for us then, since we can't get along with family at all.
