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Squibs Arcade brings back the 'fun' of LCD handhelds
European publisher Alten8 has announced one of the weirdest WiiWare titles yet -- which is saying a lot on the platform that features Major League Eating: The Game, Target Toss Pro: Bags and Pong Toss: Frat Party Games. Squibs Arcade isn't just a collection of Game & Watch/Tiger LCD-style games, it's a collection of fake LCD games, designed as boiled-down parodies of modern favorites. In the five released screenshots, we can see Gun Cogs, based on Gears Of War, as well as Crowd Wader, Jack a Motor, We're Fat, and Cardboard Axel Mush (Assassin's Creed, Grand Theft Auto, Wii Fit, and Metal Gear Solid, respectively). The collection will also include games called Clown, Button Basher, Fantasy Turn Base, Call of Honour, Lots of Levelling, and Regret the Fist. Alten8 will release Squibs Arcade in Europe in Q2, and will show the title at this week's WiiWare Media Summit in Frankfurt, Germany.In related news, there's a WiiWare Media Summit this week in Frankfurt, Germany!The press release also mentions that Luc Bernard's Eternity's Child is still on the way, within "the next few months."%Gallery-49481%
Eternity's Child still planned for WiiWare, as is ... its retro-style sequel?
Hey, remember Eternity's Child? Not that we ever hear anything about WiiWare games prior to their release, but we haven't heard anything about the WiiWare release of Luc Bernard's multiplatform platformer (multiplatformer?) since before its PC release in August. According to Bernard, publisher Alten8 is working on getting the game out before the end of the year, with an added challenge mode featuring user-created levels.Bernard has also announced that the planned GBA sequel will be brought out of limbo as another WiiWare release as Eternity's Child 2: Retro Child, for release in the middle of next year. Recent developments seem to have made the environment for retro-style sequels on WiiWare favorable. Bernard is working as a producer and doing concept art on this new game.%Gallery-15162%
Eternity's Child will spend an eternity in America
Yeah, well, contrary to what we were saying earlier, it appears Eternity's Child will indeed be coming to the North American WiiWare service. Why? Well, it's hard to explain, but Alten8's CEO Paul Andrews spoke to WiiWare World and droned on about Luc Bernard, concepts, formats and the like.The moral of the story is -- it's coming to America. After ratings are complete it will "go out as closely as possible in Europe and NA regions." That's about as far as details go, because it's being ported right now from the original PC version.Is Luc Bernard the man? An army of now-happy WiiWare gamers will be the judge of that when the game finally hits the downloadable intertrons.%Gallery-15162%
Be a part of Eternity's Child
Eternity's Child creator Luc Bernard is all about the interaction. He's often commented on the reception of media from the game, and has spoken of possible changes based on audience reaction to early clips of the WiiWare game. Now, he's taking that interaction to the next level by offering someone a chance to appear as a character in the forthcoming title.Through July 1, you can leave a comment at his blog, send him a photo of yourself via e-mail, or drop a YouTube link as an entry. What's the criteria? What sort of character? No one knows but Bernard himself, but it's an interesting little impromptu promotion nonetheless.[Via WiiWare World]
Eternity's Child will include level editor
According to Luc Bernard, creator of the upcoming WiiWare title Eternity's Child, we can expect some sort of level editor to be included in the game. While he doesn't get too specific on the details, Bernard does mention that players will be able to decide where enemies spawn, where the platforms go, and they can "even write curse words" with the tools given. Beyond that, Bernard plans to make a website where people can upload their levels and vote for their favorites.We know that a lot of you enjoy building your own stages, and things like that do tend to add extra playing hours onto a game. Does this addition make you more interested in Eternity's Child, then? Gallery: Eternity's Child [Via GoNintendo]
Eternity's Child, and how not to show off your game
Further footage of WiiWare title Eternity's Child has materialized, and ... well, we're not going to sugercoat this: we're just not that crazy about the above video. It is, as another member of the team put it, kinda janky. However, there's an important distinction to make here, because we're convinced that the game itself still has potential -- its lush, inventive art style and sweeping orchestral soundtrack will ensure our heads remain turned, and we're still intrigued by the idea of controlling two characters at once. We're giving Luc Bernard's game the benefit of the doubt for now, but here's hoping that more promising coverage isn't too far away.[Update: Sorry folks, but it appears as though the original trailer has been removed.]%Gallery-15162%[Via Go Nintendo]
Sneak a peek at Eternity's Child [update]
If you're not facing a Wii Ware video overload from this morning, you might be interested in checking out the one embedded above, which shows some gameplay for Eternity's Child.We've raved a lot about this game, mostly because of its gorgeous art style. The video showcases the unique and beautiful look of Eternity's Child well, and also presents us with a taste of what sounds like a great soundtrack. Yet, when it comes to gameplay, the title looks a little bare. Granted, this is only a thirty second video and Eternity's Child is still a work in progress, but it left us feeling unsatisfied, especially since we've been looking forward to this game.Our anticipation for this Wii Ware title might have fallen a bit, but how about you? Did this first look at the game make you more or less excited for Eternity's Child?[Update: The YouTube video was taken down. If you still want to video footage of the game, though, you can find the same clip here.]%Gallery-15162%[Via Destructoid]
Will we ever see Imagination Is the Only Escape?
Imagination is the Only Escape is only in its early stages, and yet, the game is already causing controversy.This Holocaust-themed title is about a Jewish boy in Eastern France during WWII, when the Nazis occupied the territory. The game's world then becomes a fantasy land, imagined by the boy in order to "escape" the harshness of reality. The New York Times caused some alarm this morning, though, reporting that Nintendo wouldn't be releasing Luc Bernard's DS game to America. The article, however, might have been jumping the gun. It's true that Nintendo of America has no plans to distribute this title, but Bernard hasn't even approached the company yet. A representative from Alten8, Imagination's potential publisher, also told Eurogamer that no one has blocked the game and that it's still in its early stages.Does that mean the game is in the clear, though? Not necessarily.
NY Times oopsies over Nintendo's Holocaust game remark
In a recent article about Imagination is the Only Escape, an under-development edutainment title about the Holocaust, the New York Times' headline writer apparently didn't read the story before slapping at the top: No Game About Nazis for Nintendo.Turns out the actual quote from Nintendo was something far more inert: "At this time, there are no plans for this game to be released for any Nintendo platforms in North America." Which in industry speak simply means "wait and see."GI.biz's follow up with Imagination's publisher, Alten8, reveals the game is in its "early stages" and wasn't blocked by Nintendo. A spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League even said the group welcomed the use of new technology to educate. Although this isn't our favorite NYT error about gaming in recent memory, not channeling FOX News when writing headlines is always a good start.[Via GamePolitics]Read -- NY Times: No game about Nazis for NintendoRead -- Alten8 disputes reports of Nintendo blocking DS release
More pretty details about Eternity's Child
Luc Bernard, creator of Eternity's Child, recently revealed another character for his upcoming Wii Ware game. The character (pictured above on the right), who we know almost nothing about except for the fact that she's a girl, will help Angel (the protagonist) along his quest.Bernard also explained how the controls will work. It seems that Angel is controlled by the Nunchuck's analog stick, while the red flying heart is controlled by the Wiimote. With the push of a button, you summon Angel's female friend, who will start throwing things (we're not sure what) where the heart shaped cursor is pointing.It sounds simple enough, but also fun, especially considering that the game only costs $5. Still, above all. it's the art that has us enamored with this title, and we'll admit that we're looking forward to this game's release.%Gallery-15162%
Lots of info and goodies about Eternity's Child and its maker
We at Nintendo Wii Fanboy can't help but find Luc Bernard, creator of Eternity's Child, incredibly compelling. Let's look at the facts. For one, he's bringing a game to Wii Ware that has a beautiful art style, which will be priced at only $5. Bernard is also fond of pugs, which scores him automatic points in our book. To top it off, he wants to bring even more games to Wii Ware, including one he's titled Manufactured Beauty (concept art pictured above). Then, there's also the fact that he's made the orchestral soundtrack of Eternity's Child available for fans to listen to online.If the artwork alone (understandably) isn't enough to get you pumped about this addition to Wii Ware, rest assured that Eternity's Child has other merits. Not only does the story deal with modern-day environmental and ethical issues, but it also introduces a creative fantasy world. According to Bernard, this makes the game like an "interactive fairy tale." While parallels can easily be drawn between its story and real life, the surface presents us with an interesting plot filled with unique characters and surrealist scenarios. As for the gameplay, we don't know much aside from the inclusion of a point-and-shoot mechanic involving the Wiimote. Bernard sheds more candid details about himself and Eternity's Child in this Destructoid interview, though, which features some Q&A with the game's soundtrack composer as well.We can't wait until more details emerge on this title (which, according to Bernard, is almost finished). Is anyone else looking forward to it?%Gallery-15162%
Spectrum, C64 collections coming to DS in Europe
Alten8, the British company who is currently co-developing Eternity's Child, has a couple of interesting retro collections on the way to DS and Wii. Spectrum All-Stars is a collection of games for the ZX Spectrum, and C-64 All-Stars will contain Commodore 64 games. The identity and number of actual games on each collection is unknown, although we can guess the Spectrum contents, at least, from the roster found in the PC version.Not that it matters. We don't know what any of these games are. The fact that the Spectrum is a complete non-entity for U.S. gamers, combined with the fact that Alten8 itself is British, leads us to believe that those ESRB ratings are more the result of a boxart template than of any intention to release the game outside of Europe. ESRB searches for "Spectrum" and "C64" bear out this theory; Alten8 has not received ESRB certification for either of these games.Too bad. We'd like to try some "Speccy" games and see what it was like to be a British gamer in the '80s.
Alten8 announces Wordsnake for the DS
Alten8 has announced that they plan on bringing another title to the DS (observant readers will remember these folks are also bringing Cool Herders to the platform) in Wordsnake. These developers are like a wrecking crew on the DS, clearing your handheld of other titles as this is only the second in a whopping 10 game line-up proposed for the system. Originally developed by Pixel Magick for the mobile phone market, Wordsnake is a title that tasks players will creating words between 3 and 8 letters long from a rack of available letters."We are very please that Alten8 will be bringing this game to a wider audience and the DS version, with its use of the two displays and touch screen, makes good use of the hardware and is looking especially promising," says Pixel Magick's David Greenberg. Greenberg also promises that his company will be working closely with Alten8 to ensure the title still maintains its integrity in transition, all the while helping them to improve the overall game for Nintendo's portable dual-screened handheld.[Via Game Guru]
Cool Herders converging on the DS
When Alten8 commits to a system, they don't mess around. The company is currently working on ten titles for the DS, and recently they announced that the first will be Cool Herders, a revamped version of the party game for the Sega Dreamcast. As you might have guessed, Cool Herders is all about collecting sheep, even if it means you have to steal them from your friends. It's hard out there for a shepherd ....
Eternity's Child jumps from phones to XBLA?
Discovered as a hopeful Xbox Live Arcade title in October, Eternity's Child has made some progress in the last few months. Originally published as a game for mobile phones, Eternity's Child is a traditional 2D platformer with hand animated sprites. Furthermore, the game features an orchestral soundtrack and is billed as a "fairy tale for adults" by its creator, Luc Bernard. While Live Arcade head honcho, Ross Erickson, earlier denied the game's status as an Arcade title, Bernard now says that he is under NDA and working through the process of making it official. We've contacted Ross Erickson to see if Eternity's Child is confirmed, and we'll let you know as soon as we hear anything. In the meantime, check out the mobile version of the game (it's free) and some animated sprites as well.
Wild Hare, Alten8 to bring a bunch of crappy videos to PSP
In what might be the absolute worst idea in the history of the PSP, Wild Hare Entertainment and Alten8 have announced four movies for its PC2PSP media format. The titles are Popeye 1 and 2, Betty Boop and Zorro and His Fighting Legion Volume 1. What, could they not go the extra mile and give us Little Rascals: The Early Years?The PC2PSP files come on a disc that feature digitally boosted sound and are pre-formatted for the PSP.Earlier this month, we reported Wild Hare and Alten8's partnership to bring content to the PSP. However, I had no idea such atrocities would manifest themselves from this partnership. Unless these companies can actually bring content to us that we care about and aren't older than our grandparents, I highly doubt they'll see any success.
Wild Hare to bring Alten8's games to U.S., Europe
Publisher Wild Hare Entertainment has joined forces with developer Alten8 to bring their upcoming PSP to the U.S. and Europe."With reciprocal content publishing and distribution between our like-minded companies, we can create a strong alliance for a cross-Atlantic partnership, which opens new doors not only for us, but for the developers, which up until now have had no access to mainstream publishing and distribution in Europe or North America," said Paul Andrews, CEO of Alten8 Limited. You may have heard of Alten8 before. They're the developer who earlier this year caught flack for their mobile phone title, Office Massacre. In order to appease their critics, the developer changed the name to Office Zombies and reworked the plot, as well.Hopefully in this new venture, the company can stay out of the critic's targets and focus on bringing great games to the PSP.[Via DCEmu]
