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Wii Fanboy Review: Block Breaker Deluxe
When Pong evolved, we got Breakout. When Breakout evolved, we got Arkanoid. Then, when Arkanoid evolved, we got ... Block Breaker Deluxe? Not that we'd call Block Breaker Deluxe revolutionary in any way, even though it's fun to play. Take Breakout, slap on some tacky '80s visuals, then throw in '70s disco/porn music for good measure, and you pretty much know what to expect from Gameloft's WiiWare offering.
Taito game screens invade our weekend
Space Invaders Extreme and Arkanoid DS come out next week, at which point we'll be able to look at the equivalent of thousands of screenshots every minute as we actually play the games. Until then, we've got some more screens of both games to enjoy, courtesy of a Square Enix press release. In case you want to stare at boxart (which means that this is probably directed at DS Fanboy staff), we have high-resolution images of both.On the subject of the boxart, we just noticed that both games' logos use variations of the same font. The things you learn when you ... hastily composite a box image!%Gallery-19376%%Gallery-14613%
Block Breaker Deluxe breaks out onto Japanese WiiWare
In what may be Japan's only WiiWare release for May (much like Minna de Puzzloop was the only April release), Gameloft's Block Breaker Deluxe is now available for download in Japan. For 800 points, Japanese gamers can now play a decent-looking Breakout/Arkanoid clone with a neon visual theme and goofy images of "cool" people that make it look so much like a cell-phone game (which it was). Or Miami Nights.We'd like to see this one soon within the U.S. launch of WiiWare, because we're perfectly willing to overlook all the posing jerks -- and the inauspicious origin of the game -- for a chance at a new big-screen Breakout game.[Via Inside-Games]
Downtrodden Taito U.S. employee confirms Arkanoid and Space Invaders
With the boxarts, prices, and release dates on Gamestop's website, it seems like a pretty sure bet that Space Invaders Extreme and Arkanoid DS will indeed be published by Square Enix in North America. However, in the absence of an official press release like the one that just came out for Europe, we could use all the confirmation we can get. Two recent bits of information help cement the notion that these games really will come out.First, Arkanoid has finally joined Invaders as a game rated by the ESRB. The E rating has finally shown up on the ratings board's website, indicating that it is planned for release. Second, Keiji Fujita, the sole Taito rep in the U.S., confirmed it directly in a Gamasutra interview. "Arkanoid was released last year in Japan, and Space Invaders Extreme [was released in February]. In fact, these two games will be published by Square Enix in the United States." Since they're being published by Square Enix, though, Fujita has nothing to do with them -- with the only Taito console games to come out this year.If we want more Taito games (and we do), then we should maybe consider buying at least one of these two. Fujita said that the future of Taito games, at least as published by Square Enix, hinges on the success of Invaders and Arkanoid.
Gameloft phoning in more WiiWare ports
Well, actually, they're remaking cell phone games, but the title kinda works. We actually approve of the population of the WiiWare service with new games from anybody. Mobile developer Gameloft has announced three more WiiWare games in addition to Block Breaker Deluxe. TV Show King is actually an original made-for-WiiWare quiz show game. Midnight Pool and Midnight Bowling are, well, pool and bowling games that use motion controls. Gameloft intends to release games in Japan, Europe, and the U.S.TV Show King sounds like a great idea to us -- a trivia game with a low barrier to entry (price). We could totally see ourselves downloading something like that while bored some night or in preparation for a party or something. [Via Siliconera]
Arkanoid screens make the waiting harder
If you're trying to hold out any time a sale pops up, or you just happen to find yourself browsing one of many online retailers from which you could easily pick it up, finger hesitating over that "add to cart" button, then we're not helping. And listen, we're sorry, but there are new Arkanoid screens, and then old screens in the gallery, and what were we supposed to do? Ignore them? We're suffering as much as you are.%Gallery-19376%
Wii getting cell phone shovelware, thanks Gameloft
In companies' rush to capitalize on the industry's fascination with waggle, the Wii has become no stranger to games we'd sooner use to prop up the short leg of our coffee table than play. Much as it seems counterintuitive, novelty has not been par the course for the console so much as it has been quick cash-ins, though we continue to look to the Wii's digital download service WiiWare as the platform's saving grace.It seems, however, that even WiiWare will not be immune to its share of shovelware, with mobile game developer-publisher Gameloft planning to use the service as a receptacle for cell phone games. We wouldn't mind so much if the company had originality on the brain, but its first effort, a Breakout clone going by the name of Block Breaker Deluxe, doesn't give us much hope. The download will be released in Japan in April before launching in other regions at a later date, giving us one to watch out for, if only to know what to avoid once WiiWare launches in North America on May 12.[Via Wii Fanboy]
Gameloft brings cell phone gaming to WiiWare
Gameloft Japan has announced a new WiiWare game, a Breakout/Arkanoid-style game called Block Breaker Deluxe, to be released in Japan in April, with U.S. and European releases to follow. It looks perfectly adequate for an $8 WiiWare game -- we like Breakout, and this one has powerups and stuff -- but two aspects of this game serve as sticking points.First, Block Breaker Deluxe is a remake of a cell phone game. Is Gameloft really setting this precedent one day after the launch of the service? This is, frankly, alarming. Second, for whatever reason, Gameloft decided that eye candy, in the form of some "sexy" female mascots, would be a good idea for the Arkanoid knockoff. This only has the effect of making us feel uncomfortable about buying it.
Breakout in World of Warcraft
One of the things I really don't like about World of Warcraft, or any other MMORPG, is the waiting that is involved in getting a group together. This can be a real problem in raid environments, where it often times can take half an hour or more just to get the group set. I've been a raid leader before, so I know that they are busy and there isn't much they can do about the time we all just sit there on vent chatting with each other.One of things that I've recently came across to help ease the wait is a little in-game game of bricks, a.k.a. breakout. Breakout is the game that I used to play back in elementary and middle school on the old Macs* where you'd bounce a ball around, breaking (you guessed it) bricks. The ball is bounced off a small platform that you move with your mouse. Pretty simple, and mindlessly entertaining. Lately I've been enjoying a version of this game called WoWonid, which is an Ace2 addon I found via my addon updating with the WoWAceUpdater. It's a good enough implementation of the game (and quite impressive when you consider that it's done in LUA and built using an interface that's designed for game addons). The controls are simple enough, and just like the old Mac controls: move the mouse left or right to move the platform, bounce the ball, pwn.
Rare Atari Breakout handheld shows up on eBay
It's certainly not the first bit of super rare Atari gear to show up on eBay, but those looking to expand their collection may want to take stock of their bank account right about now, as the Super Breakout handheld prototype pictured above (apparently one of only two known to exist) is now up for auction with less than a day to go. As you might have guessed, it doesn't actually work, or even have the finished branding, but it apparently is the real deal -- purchased directly from the handheld's designer, no less. If that's got you all nostalgic for what could have been, you'll only have to beat $385 (as of this writing) to be the top bidder, although you can be sure you'll have to drop a good deal more than that if you actually want to get your hands on it.[Via OhGizmo!]
Simple Block Kuzushi drops the ball
While a couple of the games in the Simple Wii series have been interesting (though we can't comment on their actual quality), it's fairly apparent from screens that Simple Wii Vol. 5 THE Block Kuzushi is basically a miss, due to some questionable design decisions. The main problem is that the actual playfield is so small. About 20% of the screen is occupied by actual game, with the rest going to gaudy backgrounds and a view of your "Apian" avatar (all the Simple Wii games use the same totally cute avatar creation system). This seems like an odd choice, especially since it forces all the actual blocks and the paddle to be tiny onscreen. In addition, if there is pointer control for the paddle, we would much prefer to have the whole screen at our disposal instead of being restricted to minute movements.The other issue we can spot from screens is that, for some mysterious reason, the playfield is tilted. Both of these choices seem like they would make the game harder to see and more annoying. On the upside, the game has a level editor. With the awesome-looking THE Shooting Action scoring a 17/40 in Famitsu (and with little chance of localization), we shouldn't continue caring about these games, but we still do. Famitsu reviews don't matter anyway.
Readers pick best webcomic: You compete me
Retro gaming has never been so romantic. Never, we say! The folks at 2P Start have managed to take a simple idea and run with it elegantly. We're happy to note they've been voted the best game-related webcomic of the week.Second place goes to to Digital Unrest's "Trends" while Hijinks Ensue comes in at third. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
Slot machines to become more like video games
There's usually not that much overlap between the gaming industry (the gambling one) and the gaming industry (the one you actually are about). That seems poised to change, though, as the New York Times reports slot machine manufacturers are adding skill-based gaming elements to the one-armed bandits in an effort to attract new players. "We can't just make a slot thinking about the 55-year-old lady who comes to the casino a few times a month," said Rob Bone, marketing director for WMS Gaming. "We need to appeal to new buckets of players, or we'll die."To that end, Bally Technologies has signed a deal with Atari to make machines based on Pong and Breakout, which let you play simplified versions of the games during a bonus round. Don't get too excited, though -- your gaming skills won't let you break the bank at Vegas. As the Times points out, "skill will take a player only so far as these machines are still calibrated to pay out less money than they take in." That's OK though ... back in the '80s we put money into these games without expecting to get any money back.[Thanks Vlad]
Arkanoid DS plays dirty
We thought Arkanoid DS was awesome from the moment we first saw it. The customizable graphics and sound effects, the varied width of the levels, the quest mode, and, most importantly, the miraculous paddle controller won us over. For that matter, the word Arkanoid won us over. Being way-huge fans of the NES game (and its controller) we were pushovers.But now we find out that Arkanoid DS has a story mode full of adorable mascot characters? With their little Vaus-shaped heads, they look like a cross between the Prince of All Cosmos and Bomberman. That's just not fair. We were already going to buy the thing; now we have to super-buy it or something. Maybe we'll buy the inevitable mascot goods -- the plush dolls, DS styli, and such.
New iPod nano, classic ship with three games, no Parachute
Apple just made a whole slew of iPod-related announcements, with just the faintest hint of gamer love. Revealed during Steve Jobs' special iPod event, both the revamped iPod nano and the iPod classic will ship with three games: Vortex, iQuiz, and Klondike.Klondike is just a fancy name for that Solitaire card game we all know and love, so nothing new there, and iQuiz is a remixed version of the older iPod "guess which song this is" game. Vortex, meanwhile, is a circular, three-dimensional brick-busting game in the style of arcade classics Breakout and Arkanoid. All three titles were developed in-house by Apple, and both Vortex and iQuiz can also currently be purchased on the iTunes store.Even if the new nano is the Gimli to the old nano's Legolas, it's nice to see both it and the classic getting more into games. Jobs also promises more iPod games coming to the iTunes Store (Hey! You know what would be awesome on the iPod? Peggle!)Although not addressed during the event, it's assumed that the brand new iPod touch will join the iPhone in being unable to play any games purchased from the iTunes Music Store.
Track your pain relative to others' in Arkanoid DS
Arkanoid is not especially well-suited to multiplayer. In fact, Breakout and its ilk serve as a single-player alternative to Pong: the sentient or AI antagonist is replaced by an immobile target set that requires as much precision and reflexes as the opposing paddle would (Of course, Arkanoid complicated things by adding enemies, but those are still more obstacles than opponents). When we first saw the news about Arkanoid DS, our thoughts did not go straight to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. We never said that this game would be totally awesome if it were online.But it is awesome. And it is online. Sort of. Arkanoid DS will feature online rankings, which are perfect for a classic arcade game. We look forward to sharing our humiliatingly low scores with the gaming public. We also look forward to hearing the new music from Taito's house band, Zuntata. The original Arkanoid music was sparse, limited only to a short tune at the start of the game and cues at new levels and deaths, but it's all great.[Via GoNintendo]
Three control schemes for Arkanoid DS, two are for crazy people
You aren't limited to the awesome spinner controller if you want to play Arkanoid DS. If, for some reason, you'd like to play with the stylus or the d-pad and shoulder buttons, you go right ahead. Taito has made those options available for fun-hating people like you.Or, you know, if you don't want to pony up the extra 1,050 yen ($9.15) for the package containing the white dial/spinner, or the 1,800 yen ($15.69) for a spinner in one of the alternate colors. We must admit we do understand financial concerns. However, most Japanese DS games cost as much as the bundle, and, to us, the spinner is an integral part of the experience.
Doh commands you to look at Arkanoid screens
Arkanoid DS is a game made by people who respect classic gameplay. Taito chose to make a block-breaking game on a system with a touch screen, but did they settle for stylus-based play? No! Arkanoid traditionally uses a dial controller to operate its paddle, and thus a new peripheral was born. Each copy of Arkanoid DS will include a white paddle controller; the black, pink, and silver controllers will be sold separately for 1800 yen ($15.29).Since the game is so traditional, we were initially slightly (only slightly) put off by the choice to make the blocks square instead of the Arkanoid-correct rectangles. We changed our minds when we saw the Space Invaders level made possible by square blocks. It's only one of the 140 Clear Game levels, in addition to the Quest Mode challenges. We still play a lot of NES Arkanoid, and we really want to see Taito succeed with this. We really want the DS to become the new NES.
Let's break blocks cheaply again!
Publisher Tasuke is aggressively competing with D3 Publisher's Simple DS series by cutting costs in the one place that D3 has been extravagant: the word "the." D3 showed off with their Simple DS Series Volume 4: THE Block Kuzushi (which was localized as Break 'em All), which contrasts sharply with Tasuke's classy 1500 DS Spirits Vol. 3 Block Kuzushi. Block Kuzushi features single-cart multiplayer, just like Nervous Brickdown, and a survival mode, just like Break 'em All! It also features, you know, block breaking, which automatically makes it at least a little awesome.
Ricochet Lost Worlds is fun - and it's 45% off at MacZOT today
I own a Wii, and i installed Windows Vista in Boot Camp on my MacBook Pro primarily so I could play Half Life 2 and catch up with some of the other rockin' games coming out for PCs (buying Vista at OEM prices via a local computer shop numbed some of the pain). With all this rockin' gaming I have going on, however, I am still admittedly a sucker for a good Breakout-style game, and Ricochet Lost Worlds is just such a game. Yes I know Breakout is one of the traditional jokes about Mac gaming, but those stereotypical days are disappearing anyway. Cool powerups and some unique challenges in Ricochet caught my attention, and a today-only sale at MacZOT for $10.95 instead of its regular $19.95 in the Mac Game Store just netted a PayPal purchase from me. If you're looking for some basic gaming that doesn't take an hour just for the warmup, Ricochet Lost Worlds is a good choice.
