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Robot and samurai face off in an awesome sword duel
Used to be that if you wanted to become an Ieyasu master and swing a katana around with reckless abandon, you'd have to spend years training your mind, body and spirit in preparation as well as subscribe to a strict Bushido, or "warrior's code." These days, you really just need a Motoman-MH24 industrial robot and some basic programming chops. As part of its centennial anniversary, the robot's manufacturer, Yaskawa Electric Corporation, teamed up with modern day samurai Machii Isao to see whether man or machine could better wield a blade. Great, so now they can drive ATVs, climb stairs, dodge obstacles and even respond to emergencies. But will they ever truly know how to love? Oh wait, yup.
Friday Video: Wii Sports Resort Sword Play at E3
Well, so much for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Really, as much as we love the thought of using our Wiimotes as Lightsabers, we don't think such duels will be able to compare to the Sword Play in Wii Sports Resort. That's right, we went there.Seeing the 1:1 motion controls in action (via the Wii MotionPlus) just puts us in awe. Are we just too easily amazed, or are you guys excited, too? Maybe we can just pretend our swords are Lightsabers. Of course, we'll have to wait until spring to try any of it out, anyway. Too bad, so sad.
E308: Wii Fanboy hands-on with Wii Sports Resort
Going into our play session yesterday, we didn't have high hopes for the fun factor of NIntendo's expected sequel. In watching it at Nintendo's E3 keynote, we thought that cutting wood on the beach didn't really look that fun and a sort of dumbed down Wave Race experience seemed like a bad addition. Good thing we were wrong about one of those things.%Gallery-27709%
Patrick Curry completes his 52 game ideas
With all the New Year's celebration we forgot to check in on Patrick Curry (Stubbs the Zombie, John Woo's Stranglehold), who set out to make 52 new game ideas, one per week, for the entirety of 2006. On January 1, Curry finished his project with Swordplay, a fighting card game.The last time we checked in on him, we selected our top picks of the initial 24, but this time we can't narrow down our favorite game ideas. Go peruse his proposals and let us know your favorite ideas.[Thanks, tony]
Taking Red Steel for a MULTIPLAYER spin [update 1]
[Update: we've added the trailer, YouTube style, after the break. Enjoy!]We've heard about this mysterious "multiplayer" mode in Red Steel, but it was fraught with mystery and shroud ... till now. IGN has posted the official multiplayer trailer for the game, which you should probably go watch if for nothing else than the entertainment value of the trailer itself. When we play, we're totally ducking behind coffee tables for cover, and then climbing onto the ceiling only to drop down uselessly onto the couch we just left.In any case, the split-screen looks serviceable enough, though very little swordplay was shown (we assume there will be a swords-only option in the final build). Why couldn't it have been online? Bah. Red Steel 2, we're talking to you.
Sega unleashing Bleach on Wii
Honestly, we think we deserve some sort of prize for resisting the temptation to concoct a hilarious headline that involves the words "Bleach" and "Wii". Feel free to make your own--just be careful when you choose to inflict them upon us and the countless fans of the manga and anime series.Sega has unveiled a teaser website for a forthcoming Wii Bleach adaptation, though "teaser" may be somewhat of a strong word to apply to a single image and some cryptic text. We can only assume (and hope) that it promises a hyper-stylized, cel-shaded adventure with plenty of wiimote-waving swordplay. The Wii won't be a success until someone makes one of those, right?[Via 4cr, Thanks Hobbes!]
Even more Red Steel info unsheathed
Moz La Punk has obtained some substantial information from Game Informer's article on Red Steel, the Ubisoft first-person Revolution extravaganza which exploded onto the Internet this weekend. It's a lengthy read, but I've captured some of the highlights for those that have little in the ways of time, energy or attention span (see also: modern human being). Ubisoft is working closely with Nintendo on the project. They pitched it to Iwata and Miyamoto who liked the idea enough to not have the French team of designers executed. In the initial stages of the game, you're a reckless killing machine. By the end of it, you'll be an efficient and graceful murderer. The game clearly encourages you to better yourself. "The goal...is to use five bullets to kill five enemies". That is, if you ignore how much fun it is to kill one enemy with 45 bullets. Look at that ragdoll convulse! The game has bullet time. Cheer ecstatically or roll eyes as you feel appropriate. Accuracy is your friend: Shooting the gun out of an enemy's hand may prove to be more useful than shooting him in the face. Disarming him allows you to get nice and close with your sword. [Insert additional "disarming" joke here.] Depending on your performance and action, in-game characters will either loathe or respect you. It's easier to get your way with those that respect you. Especially the ladies. "Flailing your sword isn't a smart idea." Instead, specific motions will initiate deadly special attacks and combos. (It is not mentioned whether flailing your gun is smart or not.) Missions in the game can be completed in any order and are given out by either a sword master or a gun master. You need to show them both respect, or they'll treat you worse than Uma Thurman. You'll attempt to sway gang leaders to your cause. If that doesn't work, you'll have to sway them to an early and painful death. Aside from the usual split-screen gameplay, Ubisoft is working on secret, original multiplayer modes. Given their track record with the Splinter Cell series, I'd expect these to be very good indeed. "Aiming with the controller is as simple as using a laser pointer. You point your hand at a target and hit the trigger on the underside of the controller to fire." AI characters focus on "risk management", a term which apparently includes jumping over tables. "You signal "yes/no" answers by nodding the controller up or down or shaking it from side to side." Read that again. You nod your head with the controller as a form of communication with in-game characters. That is the single greatest thing ever. Red Steel is looking to be something very special. I always thought it would be a first-party Nintendo title that would really get the Revolution excitement rolling, but this is the game that finds itself in the enviable position of not only promoting its own concepts, but those of the Revolution itself. It's fair to say that a lot more people "get" the Revolution now than before this game surfaced. Whether or not this FPS lives up to its ideals is yet to be decided, but its value as an iillustrative example of the Revolution's potential is clear.[Thanks fischju! Color enhanced image courtesy of Kellan.]
