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VC Friday: More Hanabi Festival shooting goodness
This current Hanabi Festival is proving a treat for shmup fans. Of the ten games released so far under the Hanabi banner, half have been shooters, including the two released today, Japan-only pair Star Parodier (in which you can use Bomberman or a giant PC Engine as a ship!) and Gley Lancer. They're joined this VC Friday by Digital Champ Battle Boxing. Oh, and fun fact: the name Gley Lancer was (allegedly) supposed to be "Grey Lancer," but ended up as Gley Lancer due to a pronunciation error (the Japanese language can't tell the difference between the English "r" and "l" sounds). Either that, or we've just been duped into believing a rather racist joke. Gley Lancer -- Mega Drive -- 900 Wii Points Star Parodier -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 900 Wii Points Digital Champ Battle Boxing -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 700 Wii Points As usual, footage of all games follows the break!
Get to know EA's Facebreakers
We've been keeping our eyes on Facebreaker, EA's charmingly silly boxing title. The latest slew of videos feature some "getting to know you" segments with two characters in the game, who are, in a word, strange. It's these quirky characters that make Facebreaker stand out from some of the other boxing games on the Wii, though. The trailer above shows Romeo, who looks even scarier when he's washing a car than when he's boxing. After the break you can also check out Steve, the nerdy black-belt that likes to ride rhinos and play "Wizards and Lizards."
Wii Fanboy hands-on: Nyko Kama wireless nunchuk
When we received our Nyko Kama wireless nunchuk, we thought about what games would be the most appropriate to use the nunchuk with. As such, pretty much all of our games qualified as good candidates, so we went with Super Mario Galaxy, No More Heroes and Wii Sports. How did the Kama stack up against Nintendo's nunchuk? Read on to find out!%Gallery-21332%
Uwe Boll confirms 'Boll vs. Bay' brawl, Michael Bay denies accepting Boll's challenge
Those who were wishing to actually witness a few rounds of fisticuffs between crummy filmmaker Uwe Boll and occasionally crummy filmmaker Michael Bay (following Boll's challenge last weekend) have certainly ridden a rollercoaster of excitement and disappointment these past few days. We admit, we got pretty pumped after viewing the above video, a supposed confirmation that Bay had accepted Boll's terms, and that the two would meet in the ring -- unfortunately, this directorial showdown isn't in the cards (much to Boll's chagrin, we're sure).An administrator on Michael Bay's official forums recently talked to the blockbuster poster boy (currently doing post-production work for "The Horsemen") who denied accepting Boll's challenge, and claimed he'd never spoken directly with Boll in the first place. We can't help but wonder -- is this another publicity stunt for the antagonized franchise-wrecker in light of the May 23 U.S. release for "Postal", or has Uwe finally lost his damn mind? Little from Column A, little from Column B.[Thanks, Fernando]
Uwe Boll thinks Michael Bay 'sucks big time', wants to fight
We were always taught to "use our words" to solve disputes between our peers and colleagues; but we guess if your words are ogreish and oft-incomprehensible, your fists will have to do. That's right -- Uwe Boll, much like the honor-bruised 1800 presidential candidate Aaron Burr, has officially donned the boxing gloves he wore in the Webcritic Massacre of 2006 (and while he wrote the script for "Postal", we assume) and challenged the king of summer blockbusters, Michael Bay, to twelve rounds in the ring.No offense, Bay -- we loved "Bad Boys 2", but you'll forgive us for putting our money on Boll's massive ham-fists. What that guy lacks in movie making ability and social graces, he more than makes up with his pugilistic proclivities.
Facebreaker trailer won't break your face
In the newest Facebreaker trailer, you can take a closer look at even more of the odd characters involved in the game. As silly as it seems, our interest in this title is actually growing. What better reason is there to fight than because you like to punch people in the face, after all?If the fighting parts of this video are depicting actual gameplay rather than cutscenes, we also have to say that Facebreaker looks fun. We love a game with a sense of humor. Which boxing game are you guys looking forward to more, though? This, or Prizefighter?
Don King Presents: Another game that uses the Balance Board
Only in America! And probably Europe as well! The new boxing game Don King Presents: Prizefighter is going to have a lovely feature that will be welcome among Wii Fit owners: Balance Board compatibility. Unfortunately, you won't be wobbling on the board to bob and weave -- it's limited to training modes only.Those training modes do seem to be carefully considered, however, being designed under the guidance of a boxing instructor and intended to offer an actual challenge: "It's a workout - even the silly Wii Sports one is a workout. We intend to give you a real one with the Balance Board." The example included a jump rope game done on the board with the Wiimote in your back pocket -- though we hope it doesn't involve actual, Balance Board-crunching jumps. [Via NeoGAF]
Don King's Prizefighter gets Balance Board training games
When none other than Reggie announced that the Wii Fit Balance Board was being used in "over ten" games currently in development, we probably should have made the connection with Don King vanity project Prizefighter. Well, we didn't, but, luckily, the developers at Venom Games did, revealing in an interview with CVG that their game will include Balance Board-compatible training games designed by "top boxing trainers."The interview doesn't go into many details, but it does mention a "jump rope game" which involves bouncing on the Balance Board with "the Wii Remote in your back pocket." Developing a joke asking whether that pocket Remote indicates we're "just happy to see you" is left as an exercise for the reader.
Observify this spectaculous new trailer for 2K's Prizefighter
We know that 2K Sports' upcoming stab at the world of professional pugilism, Don King Presents: Prizefighter, is the only official video game endorsed by the titular, wispy-haired promoter -- which is a damn shame, if you ask us. Far too often, incredible games fly under the radar of the mainstream commercial market -- if only Ubisoft had the foresight to release Don King Presents: Beyond Good & Evil, and let the world's second greatest hype man work his magic. "You'll be photographizing and pulverizing alien baddies with astonishing robustitude!"Alas, 2K was the only developer intelligent enough to cash in on the boxing bigwig -- and it looks like they've got a game to back up the King's boasts. Sure, it's not as pretty as Fight Night Round 3, but with fast-paced brawling and training sequences that hearken back to the beloved Ready 2 Rumble series, we're filled with anticipationalism to step into the ring come June 10.
Animal Crossing, Jabbing, and Uppercutting flips your DS
Gammick Entertainment, publishers of Zombie BBQ, are working on another DS game featuring an unlikely combination of characters and genres: Animal Boxing. It's boxing, between animals, who look just enough like elongated Animal Crossing inhabitants to really freak us out.But the opportunity to beat up on an ambulatory walrus isn't even the freakiest thing about Animal Boxing: that honor goes to the "SD System." You control the game using the touch screen to throw punches, aimed, of course, at your opponent's face and upper body. Rather than squeeze the whole boxer onto one screen, Gammick did the logical thing and designed to be played with the DS held upside-down.%Gallery-19198%[Via Siliconera]
Point your face at this trailer
EA recently announced a multiplatform (Wii included) boxing game from EA Canada called Facebreaker, which takes a more cartoony approach to boxing than their other boxing franchise, Fight Night. The first trailer from the game shows you that, uh, there are some wacky boxers in it? You don't really learn much about the gameplay in any version, but we can tell you one thing: EA still has yet to do anything in the released Facebreaker materials to discourage Ready 2 Rumble comparisons. That works out in EA's favor, though, since Ready 2 Rumble Boxing was great.[Via Joystiq]
EA's Facebreaker trailer makes its debut, lacks gameplay
We've been entranced with EA's Facebreaker since they announced it a little over a week ago. With its lighthearted attitude and Fight Night Round 3 meets Team Fortress 2 visuals, we can't help but hearken back to long summer nights spent playing Ready 2 Rumble Boxing on the Dreamcast. However, we shouldn't get our hopes up without knowing anything about the gameplay, which, unfortunately, this "world premier" from GameTrailers doesn't really shed much light on. I guess we'll have to wait until the game is fully detailed in the March issue of EGM before we'll know if we can ever relive our Days of Afro Thunder.
EA unveils new arcade boxer, FaceBreaker
Electronic Arts has announced a new boxing title from EA Canada, one of the teams behind Fight Night Round 3. Entitled FaceBreaker, the game ditches the hyper-realistic pugilism, opting instead for cartoon graphics in the vein of older arcade boxers like Ready 2 Rumble and Punch-Out. The game derives its name from the ability for players to actually break the faces of their avatars using "real-time facial deformation." And it won't just be the faces of the game's pre-made characters like Molotov, "the oversized Russian demolitions expert with a penchant for fighting dirty" either. Players will also be able to slap their own face onto a boxer using a photograph, the Vision Camera, and EA's Game Face technology. More info regarding the game will be available in the next issue of EGM.[Via Joystiq]
EA reveals 'Facebreaker,' a tooned-up Fight Night
Are you Ready 2 Rumble? "No," says EA's newly announced boxing game, Facebreaker. "But I do feature real-time facial deformation and a lighthearted approach to pugilistic pummeling! So really, I'm more like a Fight Night cel-out." According to the folks at 1UP, Facebreaker is being developed by EA Canada for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. Says EA's Peter Moore: "Arcade boxing takes me back to my roots in this industry, and this game signals our shift to adding more approachable fun to our product lineup."Those approaching the fun will find an inevitably "colorful" cast of playable caricatures to choose from, including "Latin lover" Romeo and "an oversized Russian demolitions expert" called Molotov. If you'd prefer to have your own face broken, you can either integrate a personal photo via Game Face technology or simply wear your Tingle costume when buying the game from the store.More Facebreaker details can be found in the March 2008 issue of EGM.
Canadian students compare Wii to traditional exercise
We've all worked up a sweat while playing the Wii, whether it be during sessions of WarioWare: Smooth Moves or Wii Sports (or any of the other numerous titles that ask you to get physical). We figured we were just unhealthy and that any normal person with any kind of regular physical activity in their life would just laugh as our doughy physique cried "mercy" after just minutes of throwing down in Wii Sports: Boxing.Canadian students from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia decided that they wanted to see how a workout with the Wii compares to more conventional exercises. These students could care less about scientific research apparently (or don't read Wii Fanboy, either of which being a crime against humanity), as took matters into their own hands and came up with an exercise scheme. Their conclusion, much like that of the scientists mentioned previously, was that although the Wii certainly did increase cardiovascular activity, it in no way was intense enough for them.Hopefully, whenever Wii Fit releases, the Wii will be a more viable solution for serious health nuts. Until that day, we'll just keep having fun with our low impact sessions of Wii Sports.[Thanks, gusto! Do you so happen to be an emcee?]
Pro darts player blames poor performance on Wii
It's been a rollercoaster few days for professional darts player James Wade. In the kind of Wii-related story the mainstream press totally laps up, Wade got a Wii from Santa, and spent Christmas Day throwing haymakers and uppercuts in the boxing game that comes with Wii Sports. All of which was great fun, we imagine, if not exactly the perfect build-up for a PDC World Darts Championship match the very next day. Fortunately, Wade eked out a narrow victory, though confessed that he had lacked "his usual suppleness," and put it down to his encounter with Wii boxing.In its report, the Telegraph describes the Wii-induced injury as a "worrying first," though they clearly haven't heard about Wii elbow, or the one about the baseball player and Guitar Hero. The message is clear then, kids: do your stretches![Via Codename Revolution]
Tabula Rasa to get... boxing rings?
Tabula Rasa's Community Manager April "CuppaJo" Burba is a busy gal this holiday season as she makes herself available to yet another TR fansite. This time answering a handful of questions for the fans at MMORPGslave.com.While some of the Q&As are redundant info obtained early from the Ten Ton Hammer Q&A, there were snipets of all new info. Most intriguing to me was the mention that boxing rings will be a new feature. Sarcasm? Perhaps. CuppaJo is like that, especially when she doesn't get her coffee. However, boxing is a big part of our real-world armed forces, so it makes sense. And it would be very, very fun!Another interesting tidbit was that they (the devs) have a team specifically dedicated to tackling class based issues reported via feedback from the players and community. For all the scuttlebutt fit to print (or that CuppaJo will divulge), head over to MMORPGslave ASAP.
2K to toss their own boxing game into the ring
Looks like Wii Sports: Boxing and Victorious Boxers aren't going to be the only sources for some boxing action on the Wii, as 2K Sports is set to bring Don King Presents: Prizefighter to the Wii. Venom Games will be taking up development duties. You might remember them from other boxing games Rocky and Rocky Legends.Don King had a couple of things to say regarding the game, stating "In all my years working in professional boxing, I have never seen anything come as close to recreating the thrill, the intensity, the courage and the spectacle of the sport." He goes on further to say it is "more than a game -- it is a glimpse at what life is like in and out of the ring for these incredible athletes."The game is currently slated for a release of spring 2008.[Via Joystiq]
2K pulls wraps off Don King Presents: Prizefighter
So, how does Don King spend his time when he's not killing dudes, crafting boxing superstars or randomly appearing on the VGAs? Well, he's down in his basement crafting video games, of course! Next spring, the fruits of his labor, Don King Presents: Prizefighter will finally be loosed upon the world thanks to 2K Games. Helping Don out will be 2K developer Venom Games (the guys that did Rocky and Rocky Legends). Though the game will include the boxing you'd expect, players will apparently also be challenged with "overcoming adversity and avoiding temptation." Though we're intrigued by the "real-life fight scenarios, story-driven gameplay and photo-realistic graphics" the press release promises, there's a bigger question on our minds: This thing's only coming to Xbox 360, Wii and DS. Why is the PS3 not getting any love?
Wii Fit gameplay makes us sweat just watching it
Josh from WiiFolder.com took the time show us his large HDTV some Wii Fit games in action, and we have to say, the game looks promising.A few of the games definitely won't help you drop those love handles (at least we don't think so, but since we got A's in gym class so you can pretty much count that as an expert opinion). Nonetheless, they still look fun, and we're glad we won't have to go to the zoo anymore to get our "kicking Panda heads" fix.
