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Where the Wild Things Are romps into our hearts this October
(click to Wild Things-size) We didn't want to wake you up, but we really want to tell you something ... specifically, that Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today officially announced the upcoming movie tie-in game, Where the Wild Things Are, for 360/PS3/Wii and DS. Landing on retailer shelves this October in-tandem with the film's theater release, all we know about the game so far is that it's an action/platformer.You might remember hearing about this game back in May when we told you more or less everything we've just heard officially today. We do have the one exciting screenshot you see above, but that's not a lot, so we've embedded the movie trailer after the break for your enjoyment. If it can warm our icy hearts, it can warm anyone's.
Where the Wild Things Are: on every console this year
Though it has yet to be announced, a few completely believable sources have spilled the e-beans about the existence of a tie-in game for the upcoming Spike Jonze-directed Where the Wild Things Are movie. Amaze Entertainment's website, in its "Company Culture" area, lists some of the games the developer has made, "as well as two titles due out later this year: Where The Wild Things Are on all console platforms and Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings for PSP."The LinkedIn profile for Jeromy Stroh, formerly of Amaze, lists both the Wild Things game, expected in October, and an "Undisclosed Disney Project" due out in December. According to the resume of animator Sun Moon, WayForward has been working on the DS version of the game since 2007. Unfortunately, we have yet to find any resumes or early documents that tell us if the game will be good or if it will be a by-the-numbers children's movie game.[Via Superannuation]
DS Fanboy Review: Disney Friends
No, this one isn't new, and it's probably not the kind of game most of you are looking for when you browse the racks, but if there are young gamers (or Disney freaks) in your life, Disney Friends is worth a second look. It's one of those games that's mystifying in its invisibility, the sort of thing that should be advertised until we desperately hunt down the remote just so we don't have to see that damned commercial again. Instead, it slipped by with nary a wave in the pool of DS games, and that's just criminal.If you know a younger gamer who loved Nintendogs (or one of these people), this may be a surefire recommendation. Surprisingly, it's that good. But that seems to be par for the course when it comes to developer Amaze Entertainment -- who also worked on the GBA's incredible Spyro title last year. They take old franchises and licenses that no one seems to care about, and sometimes put out gems no one notices. Not all the time ... but when they're good, they're great. And for what it is, Disney Friends is pretty great.%Gallery-26006%
No GBA version planned for Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
Despite its fanboy following and favorable reviews from critics, the GBA adaptation for The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night will not see a follow-up on single-screen portable, according to Sierra's 2008 Spring Event held over the weekend.Interestingly, of all the platforms The Eternal Night released on (PS2/Wii/DS/GBA), the GBA version, a 2D platformer/brawler some described as Devil May Cry meets Astro Boy: Omega Factor, has the highest average review score by a large margin. Quality doesn't equal quantity sold, however, especially on a dying console, and we're not surprised that Sierra opted to not complete its The Legend of Spyro trilogy on the GBA.Dawn of the Dragon for the DS is scheduled to ship in fall 2008. Based on the screenshots released so far, it looks to be another 3D action platformer with occasional sidescrolling stages. Mark Hamill will reportedly lend his voice to one of the game's characters, and Elijah Wood will return to voice Spyro. Christina Ricci will take over Mae Whitman's role as Cynder. We can imagine her disbelief over the replacement : "Her?"For reference, we gave the DS version of The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night a 5.0/10 in our review (GBA version: 9.5).
New Looney Tunes game involves actual tunes
The latest Looney Tunes game looks not only into the Warner Bros. back catalogue for inspiration, but also to the DS's. Looney Tunes: Cartoon Concerto is basically Ouendan/Elite Beat Agents with Looney Tunes characters and inscrutable golden carrots. Players will "conduct" the music, tapping along in order to direct recreations of classic Looney Tunes scenes from shorts like "What's Opera, Doc?"* The bizarre thing is that, much like we had to deal with the confusing thought that a Looney Tunes minigame collection could have value, the Amaze Entertainment-developed Cartoon Concerto could also be interesting. Although the one piece of music named on screen is Beethoven's 5th Symphony, it's possible that in some cases we could be directing those orchestral cues that go along with the cartoons. The music in Looney Tunes doesn't get enough attention, and maybe by playing it we can gain a better feel for how certain sounds were matched to certain motions. Not that we have a problem with classical music.*Did you ever find Bugs Bunny attractive when he put on a dress and played a girl bunny?%Gallery-18332%[Via GamesPress]
DS Fanboy Review: The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (GBA)
Considering that the game has been on shelves for a bit now, you'll have to excuse us how long it took to find time to get our hands on what could very well be the last great GBA game. And, you know what? Based on our findings, this is the last great GBA game. Well, probably the last great GBA game we'll ever get to play.
The Simpsons Game: Glancing a mainstream review
Reading entertainment trade publication Variety's review of The Simpsons Game makes it pretty obvious that as video games evolve, and mainstream publications start doing more reviews, so too do the methods of evaluating them. The Simpson's Game seems to be one of those anomalies we're running into more frequently, where the game may not be all that to typical game review publications (and certainly not worth $60), but still presents an experience worth having (Heavenly Sword says "hello"). The games are neither evolutionary nor revolutionary for the hardcore, and so the reviewers give it a whatever score and move on to the next game they have to rate and berate. Variety got a lot of flak for their Metroid Prime 3 review because it was written from a mainstream perspective. They pointed out to their average mainstream audience that Metroid probably isn't the Wii game for them if they don't know "the rules" of a Metroid game -- just think of trying to teach a non-gamer how to play Metroid compared to Wii Sports. In the case of The Simpsons Game, Variety goes and recommends an average game because they believe the writing could sustain their mainstreamer through the experience. While we frequently put gameplay above story, Variety and more mainstream pubs might see things reversed. It may not be all that simple, but it's plain to see that reviews can be influenced by the audiences they're written for.
Metareview: The Simpsons Game (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2)
D'oh! It's like reliving the early '90s all over again with a ho-hum Simpsons console game on the market. At least they got the humor right this time ('cause they had the actual Simpsons' writers). The Simpsons Game released this week and reviews have it hovering in the 70 point range. Many were hoping this game would bring video game fun to The Simpsons like only The Simpsons Arcade Game gave us those many, many years ago. EA could have made buckets of cash just copying Konami's simple formula from over a decade ago and we wonder if the reviews might have been slightly better. Game Informer (73/100): "For all of its self-referential humor and nods to gaming classics (there are brief segments mimicking the likes of Frogger, Space Invaders, and Wolfenstein 3D), the process of actually playing The Simpsons Game is unfortunately average. The chuckles along the way make it worth the trouble for fans, but if you don't know Arman Tamzarian from Disco Stu, most of the game's redeeming elements will fall on deaf, bored ears." Game Daily (70/100): "Obviously, Simpsons nuts will thoroughly enjoy the game, not for its excessive box breaking and switch hitting, but for all of the sweet content and attractive visuals, sans the characters. For $59.99, you basically receive an eight to ten hour interactive bonus episode. At the very least, it makes for a great rental." GameSpot (70/100): "In the end, The Simpsons Game is one of those weird cases where a recommendation of it is based less on its merits as a game and more on its merits as an experience. The things that make this game are its sense of humor, sharp writing, and excellent presentation. The gameplay isn't awful by any means, but it's also completely unmemorable. It's something that's more to be put up with while you appreciate the many other things going on than enjoyed on its own merits. That might not sound like a ringing endorsement, but The Simpsons Game is absolutely worth playing. Games this spot-on in the humor category don't come along too often. Considering what a fantastic job it does spoofing the variety of clichés and crutches our favorite pastime relies upon, that's got to count for something."
DS Fanboy Review: The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night
Earlier this month, we took a look at Amaze Entertainment's take on Crash of the Titans, and were pleasantly surprised to find an excellent, old-school style entry into the series. So now, with Spyro the Dragon, it seemed reasonable to expect something truly special, particularly considering the wondrous job they've done with the GBA title.Unfortunately, what should be just ain't. Not this time. While Spyro: The Eternal Night for the DS has its moments, overall, the game is blandly disappointing and has some real problems that prevent it from feeling nearly as polished as the studio's other recent developmental efforts.
Simpsons writers say Rockstar 'spazzed' over GTA spoof
The writers behind The Simpsons Game aren't too impressed with Rockstar's recent apoplexy over the game's "Grand Theft Scratchy" parody level. In an interview with Game Head's Geoff Keighley, Simpsons Executive Producer and Writer Matt Selman said the Grand Theft Auto makers "spazzed out like little babies" over marketing that included a poster for the parody game. Selman told Keighley that it's ridiculous to expect gamers to think an Itchy and Scratchy poster is actually promoting a real Grand Theft Auto game. He also said the concern was particularly ironic coming from Rockstar, a company whose "games are full of satire, lame attempts at parody... basically putting the words sixty-nine in wherever they can find it, that's their idea of a joke." That's known in the comedy business as a roast. While EA's lawyers have been quick to remove any "Grand Theft" references from the game's marketing, Selman hinted that the Grand Theft Scratchy content could make it into the final game unaltered. If that happens, will Rockstar react like the cool rock stars their name implies or will we hear more baby-like spazzing? Here's hoping for the latter ... it makes for a great headline. Check out the interview after the break. [Via GamePolitics]
No more 'Grand Theft Scratchy' in Simpsons Game
It seems that Rockstar was pretty serious about having EA remove references to their IP from The Simpsons Game. 1UP reports that the previously titled "Grand Theft Scratchy" trailer has been replaced with an entirely identical vignette, now titled "Mob Rules." All other content in the trailer remains the same, meaning that either Rockstar only really had a guff with the name, or that EA hasn't heard the last from the Liberty City attorneys.
Today's universe-imploding video: Will Wright in The Simpsons Game
Is it any wonder that Spore keeps getting pushed back further and further when creator Will Wright is doing things like taking his sweet time to make a cameo appearance in The Simpsons Game? Good lord, man. Every waking minute you have should be spent poring over Spore. In fact, now that we think about it, do you really even need to sleep? At this point it is probably assured that Will has rigged up some machine that eliminates his need for sleep cycles altogether. Probably whipped it up during downtime while developing The Sims. Check out Game Head's latest video above, which includes the fabled Will Wright appearance. He's sandwiched between Call of Duty 4 tidbits, but it's a small price to pay for his lines alone. Plus they make his little mustache look evil as well. Now, get back to work.
Simpsons Game parodies those crazy Japanese and their wacky games
Hoping that the Japanese have a better sense of humor than their American counterparts, EA has released a trailer featuring the previously-discussed "Big Super Happy Fun Fun Land" section of The Simpsons Game, which parodies Japanese culture as well as (apparently) Japanese video games. Pardon the parentheticals, but the only game we see spoofed in this trailer is Katamari Damacy. Yes, we see Mr. Sparkle; We see the anime-inspired cutscene; We (unfortunately) hear the high-pitched "engrish"; But where are the games? Are we missing something obvious? Take a look for yourselves after the break, and please enlighten us.
DS Fanboy interviews The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night's Sean Epperson
With the holiday season and its big-ticket games approaching like a bullet train, threatening to deafen all with its passing roar, we're not surprised that most people haven't thought to pick up The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night. The GBA version of the multiplatform release, in particular, received very little promotion or attention when it hit stores two weeks ago.It really is a shame, as, barring any surprise localizations for Rhythm Tengoku or Mother 3, The Eternal Night could be the last great GBA game. Available at GameStop for only $15 (with Wendy's $5-off coupon), there's no excuse for any fan of polished action platformers to pass on this title. Some are calling its combat system a 2D interpretation of Devil May Cry; as you'll see in the trailer past the break, that comparison hasn't been made in jest.We sat down with Amaze Entertainment's Sean Epperson, The Eternal Night's producer, to talk about why the game shouldn't be left ignored. Read on to learn more about this GBA gem and its features.
Rockstar, others upset with Simpsons game
It's rare that a good video game parody comes along that isn't featured on YouTube, so you'd think that developers would relish the chance to get mocked by some of the minds behind The Simpsons Game, which includes goofs on popular games like Neverquest and Medal of Homer. Unfortunately, it seems that not everyone is in on the joke. CVG reports that some of the game's content had to be pulled because the companies were unhappy with the way their licenses were being tweaked. The only company called out by name is Rockstar, which reportedly asked during Leipzig that a poster featuring Grand Theft Scratchy be removed. The article does mention that the Harmonix staff got a kick out of posters for Sitar Hero, though why they'd be OK with others making fun of Guitar Hero at this point in their careers is beyond us.
Today's hottest MMO trailer: The Simpsons in Neverquest
It looks almost as enjoyable as World of Colbercraft. Almost. The latest trailer for The Simpsons game shows off the Neverquest level, where Homer and Marge take on a strikingly familiar two-headed dragon. The quality of the trailer tells us that, just like how we felt with our hands-on at E3, the developers are really using the license well. Video embedded after the break.
Preorder Spyro for the GBA or we'll make fun of your mom
You already know from our video spotlight last month that Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night for the GBA is the bee's knees, the cat's pajamas, and the dog's bollocks, all wrapped into one game -- making it some sort of strange hybrid of insect joints, sleepwear, and gonads. Wow, that's really grotesque when you think about it.Never mind all that. In fact, erase every one of those images from your memory. The only thoughts you need to have in your head right now are that the upcoming Spyro 2D platformer/beat-em-up looks fantastic and that Amazon has listed preorders for it at $19.99, likely reflecting a budget price that other retailers will soon recognize as well. Don't even bother showing your face around here after October 2nd, the GBA title's release date, if you don't have a copy of the game in hand. That is, unless you want your mother's private matters brought to public light.
New Simpsons parody section includes Mr. Sparkle
EA introduced a new parody section of The Simpsons Game called "Big Super Happy Fun Fun Land," if we're transcribing our notes correctly. In a brief video presented to journalists, the game-and-culture send-up mocked Pokemon, Engrish, and other intersections of East-meets-West. While just a small piece of the game, the inclusion of Mr. Sparkle meant we had to post the otherwise light news. Check out the updated gallery for more images. There's your answer, fish-bulb. %Gallery-3045%
Seen@E3: all in the (animated) family
Lounging outside the Electronic Arts suite at Loews is the beloved animated family the Simpsons, obviously waiting for their appointment to try out The Simpsons game. That's not a remote control in Homer's hand; that's pure bribery. Mmm, come heeere bloggers, I've got caaaandy ...
Matt Groening to be final boss in Simpsons game
The first family of cartoon comedy will finally meet their maker after 18 years. Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, and whose life is certainly not hell, will appear in the upcoming The Simpsons Game. Groening tells Eurogamer, "They did a send-up of video games. It's a video game about video games; and I'm in the video game. I'm a boss that you have to fight at the end of the game." So according to Groening he'll be the final boss in the Simpson video game. Sounds like the perfect final boss. If this were 19th century literature we'd have been forced to read it in high school due to the subtext of one man fighting his creation, to which he'll inevitably succumb. Groening says he had a good time recording for the game, "It was really fun recording a million ways of dying, going 'UGGH, ARGGH, EUURGH!'" The Simpsons Game will be out this fall, now can we finally get The Simpsons arcade game on XBLA or PSN?.
