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Nikon D3 review round-up: survey says you'll want one
We've already seen it previewed and unboxed, but now that Nikon's super high-end D3 DSLR has been out for a little while, we're starting to get some full-on reviews of the camera and, as you might have guessed if you've been lucky enough to get your hands on one, there's plenty of consensus going on. Indeed, the praise being heaped on the camera is among the loftiest we've seen, with Photography Blog calling it "pretty much peerless," Think Camera declaring that "the files coming out of the Nikon D3 look better than any camera we've seen to date," and Ken Rockwell flat out calling it "the best camera ever made by Nikon." Needless to say, the upsides to the camera are a little long to list here, but it particularly fares well when it comes to rapid-fire image capture and low light photography, which makes it especially well-suited to press photographers. The biggest single complaint the reviewers could find was a lack of any built-in sensor cleaning technology, with only a couple of minor design flaws (like a lack of a spring inside the CF card door) attracting their attention otherwise. There's also, of course, that nearly $5,000 price tag, but we're guessing anyone actually in the market for the camera make do with that in turn for the results they'll get.Read - Photography Blog (5 out of 5)Read - Think Camera (9 out of 10)Read - KenRockwell.com ("the best camera ever made by Nikon")
D3 Publisher's not-so-simple Valentine
D3 Publisher expressed their love for GameSetWatch with this beautiful box of Valentine's chocolates. We love D3 as well, but we will have to be content with pictures of the other site's gift. It truly is one of the fanciest Valentines we've seen, especially considering that it was given not to a paramour but to a business contact. The box comes printed with Ben 10, Naruto, Dark Sector, and Puzzle Quest characters, and all of the candies feature the sharp-looking D3 logo. That character-emblazoned box? Also chocolate.If we were to receive one of these, we'd never eat it, choosing to preserve it forever as a collectible. Then in a few years we'd realize that we were keeping old food and we'd throw it out in a panic.
Dead Head Fred wins WGA's first Video Game Writing Award
Now that that silly writer's strike is under control, it's time to get back to the busy work of ... video game writing awards! The Writer's Guild of America has chosen the winner – from amongst five nominees – of its first-ever Video Game Writing Award. Congratulations to the team at Vicious Cycle Software for their work on Dead Head Fred. As much as we enjoyed Dead Head Fred (it even made one of our Best of the Rest '07 lists), there's still that part of us that says it wasn't a fair fight. In a year that included some of the best video game writing we can think of, the fact that the WGA's nominees didn't include titles like Mass Effect, BioShock, or Portal leaves us feeling ... well, uneasy.We understand that the game's writers must have been or applied to become members of the WGA's New Media Caucus in order to be eligible for the award so, fair enough, perhaps the other games weren't. Regardless, highlighting quality game writing – regardless of the game – is a noble task in an industry where all your base are belong to the master of unlocking, y'know?
Oneechanbara: the Revolution has been televised
Oneechanbara Revolution does indeed look much better in motion than in stills, losing the awful scanline look that has made us question whether D3 should have been releasing screens at all. In motion, Revolution actually looks quite a bit better than the original PS2 game -- not only graphically, but in terms of smooth movements and combos. Initial impressions make it seem that the game actually has quality this time, and that the new controls are fun (if tiring). Even though we were less than totally enthused with the PS2 game, we could see ourselves really enjoying some blood-soaked waggle combat with this. After the break, there are two more videos, including a demonstration of co-op gameplay. These videos, as well as the one above, are very violent and bloody and absolutely for adults only and not safe for work. If your mom or boss is severely disappointed in you, don't blame us.
My Other Weight Loss Coach
Ubisoft isn't the only company making a DS weight-loss training game. D3 Publisher is preparing their own weight-loss game, made by Marsh developers Microvision. Yasetore DS (short for Yaseru Training DS: "Weight Loss Training") includes diet and exercise help for the short term.In fact, it's designed to help people reach three-week weight-loss goals. Where other training games seem focused on improving quality of life and imparting healthy habits and whatnot, Yasetore is pretty open about its quick-fix philosophy. However, since the advice takes the form of things like exercises and healthy recipes, it's not going to kill you or anything. Probably not.%Gallery-15794%[Via Siliconera; images via Girls-Style]
Puzzle Quest sequel cited in D3 press release, coming 2008
Last year's Puzzle Quest was a surprise hit/addiction that eventually landed on every platform in existence. So it's with little shock that a recent press release from D3 Publisher, which announced Adam Roberts as the new European Managing Director, mentioned a forthcoming sequel to the game due out this year.The revelation is found in the last sentence of the release, "The company will also be releasing video games based on Aardman's popular Shaun the Sheep character in 2008, alongside the eagerly-awaited follow-ups to the best-selling Ben 10 and Puzzle Quest." Wait a second, more Ben 10 and Shaun the Sheep, too? O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! We've contacted D3 for a statement.
Bangai-O lifts Japan's spirits this March
An actual Japanese release date for Bangai-O Spirits gives us a lot more faith that it'll make its announced Q2 release for North America. Treasure has finally announced one, and it's soon: March 19. How wonderful!Along with this happy news comes an overhaul of the official site. Too long have we been staring at the single splash screen waiting for content. Now there are tiny screenshots to squint at and information about the edit mode not to be able to read very well (although we think Wi-Fi stage sharing is possible!)Riki and Mami are not returning for this iteration of Bangai-O. They'll be turning the spotlight over to kids named Ruri and Masato, the latter of whom is, no doubt, named after Treasure president Masato Maegawa.See also: 2008's Biggest Blips: Bangai-O Spirits
Oneechanbara: it's a movie now
When did D3's once-budget hack-and-slash action game Oneechanbara become such serious business? Apparently, going full-price on the Wii was just the first sign of Oneechanbara's transformation into an important franchise, because an Oneechanbara movie has been announced for an April release in Japan. The movie will star Eri Otoguro as Aya, Chise Nakamura as Saki, and Manami Hashimoto as Reiko.We'll be interested in seeing if an audience who is able to cite gameplay reasons for their interest in the series will be up for an Oneechanbara with no gameplay. It's really all about the girls in costumes, this time. [Via Famitsu]
Naruto: Ninja Destiny has some smooth gameplay
Wow, we must say that we're fairly surprised the gameplay looks so good. Maybe it's because we only got short bursts of gameplay footage when the game was announced for North America, but we're extra excited about the title now. And, with the beefed-up state it'll find itself in once it arrives in our native country, we're even that much more happy. It's like a happy overload or something.What do you all think? Stud or dud?%Gallery-15479%
2008's Biggest Blips: Bangai-O Spirits
Developer: Treasure/ESPPublisher: D3Release: Q2 Hello!! It is me, the super sexy M. In the year 2001 we had a Bangai-O shooting game on the Sega Dreamcast. Children Riki and Mami had a very big robot to go fight SF Kozmo Gang! I was in Infostation and sold them many infos to survive. They needed secret help information so they know how to use robot shooting power! We had many great talks together, and our game has a very deep storyline because of it! You should play our game and send money if you like it afterward!Now the Treasure company is making a new Bangai-O shooting excitement game for the Nintendo DS! Can all of the 2D big explosions fit on such a small thing? Only time can tell!! Also it is yet to know if the delightful Mrs. M herself will be returning. If Infostation does not have me, how will players learn the shooting? Failure is very possible. But without knowing if I have a job, I will be nice and offer my very special information for free! You can thank me later!! It is because of the greatness of Bangai-O that I continue.In my Bangai-O big robot had the ability to make extreme explosions based on number of the bullets on screen! It was out of control for sure! New Bangai-O Spirits has gone back to the way of N64, so the player (who is you) now has to charge up! What an exciting change of pace!Back in 2001, Riki and Mami only had two weapons on the Bangai-O robot -- homing shot and bound shot (which bounced). Now so many new weapons are available! You can choose from start and have multiple weapons, including a bat that repels enemies and a sword that absorbs bullets! Then add on EX abilities that you unleash by charging up power and you are an explosion firing machine! Make 50000 credits please! I know I said it was free but this information is too good! I wish I knew about when this game was coming out! It would be super premium information! I have been told that it is Q2, but not exactly known! I will just have to start planning my own levels for when it is out -- oh yes, did I not tell you? Bangai-O Spirits lets the beautiful Mrs. M and even normal kids like you make a level! Do you think you can make a level good enough for our 2D shooting action? [Read the full Dreamcast Bangai-O script here] The Suda pair Back Born free
Oneechanbara: so not-awful it's Revolutionary
Dengeki had a playtesting session of D3's Oneechanbara Revolution, and from what we can gather based on automatic translations, they quite enjoyed the (costumes in the) game. They also seemed to think that the new controls, while requiring a bit of practice, work out well for the action game and create an enjoyable flow. They didn't think it was awful, which is news for the series.While the idea of learning controls seems antithetical to the Wii ideal, at least they're fun. Oneechanbara Revolution includes a practice mode in which you can just slice up endless hordes of zombies, in order to facilitate the learning process.Along with the English-unfriendly impressions, there is a nice set of new screenshots. We're fascinated by whatever that on-screen display is in the practice mode.
What's simpler than dentistry?
D3 Publisher has announced the next three games in the Simple DS series. Vol. 33 THE Crossword & Kanji Puzzle will be of limited interest to non-fluent importers for the simple reason that doing crosswords in Japanese is pretty hard for people who don't know a lot of Japanese. Vol. 34 THE Haisha will be a niche product for a different reason.Because "haisha" means "dentist." It's a game about dentistry. From what we can tell, it's a Trauma Center type of game, except the traumas are located entirely within mouths, and seem more troublesome than traumatic. Not that we wanted to do any emergency oral surgery anyway.Vol. 35 should prove to have wider appeal than the others: it's a DS remake of the PS2 Simple game THE Genshijin (Primitive Men), which is one of the rare Simple games to be released in the U.S. (as The Adventures of Darwin). It's a strategy-sim-type game in which you control a tribe of cavemen. The DS version happens to be extremely cute.
Friday Video: Erina collects another paycheck
As if we weren't already all about action games, recent developments have given us a taste for waggle-style action games. In this video for the new Oneechanbara Wii game, Official Aya Model Erina demonstrates the Wii controls for the bloody game. Also she wears her Aya outfit. Obviously, right?Oneechanbara's controls are much more motion-y than No More Heroes'. You're really (sort of) swinging your sword around and cutting through thousands of zombies. Surprisingly, while we totally think No More Heroes balances button-mashing and waving around perfectly, all the waggling in this looks fun and exciting. We're probably only swayed a little bit by the fact that it's being shown off by a bikini-clad model! While you're in an Oneechanbara mood, check out some new screens at the link. They're screens of the game, by the way.
Another weird direction for Evangelion
The last Evangelion game to be announced for the DS was a cute minigame collection based on an SD comedy spinoff of the series, taking the characters out of the world-saving storyline and putting all the characters together in an elementary school. The next game using the license, then, must be the real one, some kind of robot-filled RPG that retells the epic storyline of the anime and manga, right? Or, like, a big robot fighting game?Nope! It's pachinko. A PS2 pachinko port, to be precise. Hisshou Pachinko/Pachislot Series 1: Shinseiki Evangelion - Magokoro wo, Kimi ni debuted as a pachislot machine, then was released by D3 as a PS2 game in September. It may seem like a miss to people who want substantial Eva games, but this is probably going to sell.
NARUTO: Ninja Destiny gets beefed up for North America
Even though Japanese gamers know their way around a video game, it would seem that Tomy and D3 are doing all they can to make sure NARUTO: Ninja Destiny is better than its Japanese cousin when it arrives in North America. What they've done is smoothed out the framerate, increasing the tension of combat. Nobby Matsuo, the associate producer from Tomy , says "the gameplay experience markedly different is what you would be used to if you played the Japanese version in terms of the button responses, attacks and the speed of the combat. It's a lot more frantic, it's a lot faster." Hey, we're all for fast combat in a ninja-based game!Other improvements include an overhauled story mode, where the North American storyline is completely different from the Japanese version of the game. The single player campaign will take place between episodes 100 and 140.%Gallery-15479%
Simple but effective substitute for Metal Slug 7
Here's the deal: we're still waiting for SNK to pull its finger out and give us a release date for Metal Slug 7. Yes, the game might look the part in motion, but with a release date for Japan not yet announced, it feels some way off.In other words, we could do with a replacement, something to tide us over until SNK's run-'n-gun arrives. We've discussed Simple DS Vol. 31 THE Super Bullet!! Custom Tank previously, and also touched on the similarities it shares with Metal Slug 7 -- the lovably chunky sprites, the relentless blasting, screens packed with explosions.Plus, as much as it might feel a bit "supermarket own-brand" compared to the more renowned SNK game, it holds one vital advantage over its illustrious rival: it's out in Japan in just over a week, on January 31st. It also looks pretty approachable, as Japanese customizable tank games go.If you're still teetering over a purchase -- something that your local friendly importer can help you out with -- roll past the break for another set of new screens.
Grab a single kernel of popcorn: time for a short zombie movie
We can't be too sure of the quality of D3's Simple DS Vol. 32 THE Zombie Crisis. Neither the Simple series nor the stylus-based first-person zombie-shooting genre are hallmarks of high quality. In fact, we'll take that back. We're pretty sure that THE Zombie Crisis isn't very good. Despite the low budget, the limitations of the genre (on DS) and the fact that the zombie crisis happens to coincide with a thick fog that is so pervasive as to have gotten indoors, we actually like what we see here. It's fast-paced and there are a lot of weapons. Not to mention the excellent title screen, which is almost worth the price of purchase by itself. Who cares if the zombies aren't that great graphically? They're not going to be on screen long, if you're playing the game right.
Oneechanbara takes the Revolution on the road
It seems that a significant portion of any Oneechanbara game's budget is earmarked for hiring gravure idol Erina to dress up like Aya for publicity events. Judging by the game, a rather large percentage goes to the Aya Model Fund. This time, to promote the February 7th release of Oneechanbara Revolution, Aya stopped by Dengeki's offices, along with a dude in half-assed zombie makeup, to pantomime slashing up the website's staff. The two also made similar stops at GAME Watch and Famitsu, as well as other publications, no doubt. We'd make a joke here about threatening violence in retaliation against negative reviews, but we're pretty sure that these websites will find a way to review the game harshly, if they end up reviewing it.
NARUTO: Ninja Destiny hits stateside next month
Ninja fanatics will be glad to know that a new title based on NARUTO is on its way to the DS in the form of NARUTO: Ninja Destiny. And, even better is that the title is due for release next month. It's no secret that those of us outside of Japan really have no kind of great fighting game (although we're hoping that changes eventually), so any kind of suitable title in the genre is something we're definitely fine with.Head past the break for the full press release.
Ojaru-maru is encouraging
D3 has posted a video of Ojaru-Maru: Ojaru to Okeiko Aiueo DS that is sure to make you want to learn basic kana, even if you have already done so. It's been a long time since we've been praised so profusely for minor successes, and we could use the encouragement. In addition to some extraordinarily, adorably enthusiastic praise from voiceover, you can see the actual game at work, in both educational and noneducational capacities. The most basic kana training game involves drawing hiragana and then being shown an item whose name contains that sound, as in i / ichigo (strawberry). The next game involves filling in missing syllables from words. The demonstration (which, charmingly, was created just by pointing a camera at a DS) then goes on to show really easy-looking minigames.The video is accessible by clicking the orange rectangle on the game's homepage. Check it out to feel happy about hiragana, D3 Publisher, and yourself.
