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Saturday: ramen eating contest, Sunday-Tuesday: cleanup
In order to promote their new Wii game, D3 Publisher and Tomy will hold the Naruto Clash of Ninja Revolution World Ramen Noodle Eating Championship at the Nintendo World Store this Saturday. Apparently-well-known champion eaters will come to compete at the chopsticks-only event, including "Crazy Legs Conti, a man who once ate his way out of an 96-cubic foot box of popcorn." Tens of dollars worth of ramen will be consumed at this event, which is only part of the Narutosity taking place at the NWS.The store will also have stations set up for visitors to try out the game (the Naruto game, not the eating-a-bunch-of-ramen game) and play the Naruto CCG. In addition, special gifts will be handed out to 1500 people who dare to walk around New York City in those headband things. Perhaps most excitingly, a one-of-a-kind Naruto DS Lite will be given away. Will it smell like chicken broth? Probably!
Oneechanbara R is sensual, blustery
The Oneechanbara series falls under the category of "wacky" for a number of reasons. First, and most obvious, is the impracticality of swordfighting zombies and monsters wearing only a bikini. We would want more protection if we were going to carry around a big sword, much less approach the undead. Second, an important part of the game is sword maintenance. You have to keep it clean or it will move more slowly and even get stuck in enemies.And in the Wii version, as in others, large combos are rewarded with words of encouragement like "Sensual!" and "Bluster!" Doesn't that make you want to slash some stuff? Unfortunately, Oneechanbara-R seems to suffer from some nasty dithering effects in these screenshots, but we're hoping that the old "looks better in motion" chestnut turns out to be true for this. We'd so like an action game on the Wii.
This Wednesday: Puzzle Quest and Toyota advergame hit XBLA
As was revealed over the weekend, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is finally gracing Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday. A fee of 1,200 MS Points ($15) allows entry into the kingdom where warring men and beasts settle things not by clanging swords, but politely manipulating colored tiles. The price of such civility may seem puzzling, but the digitally distributed form seems to offer the most features (examine them after the break) at the lowest price. Wednesday sees another game arrive at the lowest price, specifically $0. In what is sure to be a vortex for game of the year accolades, Toyota's "Yaris" advergame allows you to test drive the eponymous vehicle from the comfort of your couch. You'll dodge robotic rabbits, engage in the exciting "Yaris vs. Yaris" mode and even upgrade the "protective shielding" you're surprised Toyota hasn't made more of an effort to market. Unfortunately, this game is only available to Live subscribers in the US and Canada. %Gallery-8259% %Gallery-8258%
D3's Simple plans
Before TGS, we learned that D3 Publisher would be expanding their Simple series to the Wii, with the first two titles being Everybody's Kart Race and Everybody's Bass Fishing Tournament. But after the first two entries in the series, D3's already got four more titles lined up, not including Oneechanbara R, which comes from a series that used to be in the Simple category. The next four games are, in order of Simple series number, THE Party Casino, THE Shooting Action, THE Block Kuzushi, and THE Wai Wai Combat. A Block Kuzushi game actually came out in the U.S. for the DS, under the name Break 'em All, so there may be a possibility of a similar release on the Wii. If Data Design Interactive can get away with PS2 shovelware on the Wii, then we don't see why D3 can't make some original budget software and market it worldwide. We've always wanted to see the Simple brand in the U.S. There's something refreshingly honest about making the "budget-ness" of a game apparent right away.[Via Siliconera]
Puzzle Quest this Wednesday on XBLA
According to a press release IGN received from D3 Publisher, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords will release on Xbox Live Arcade Oct. 10. Although no specifics were given on price, the game is expected to cost 1200 MS points ($15) based on previous leaked info.Although the 1200 MS price point may be a little steep compared to what we're used to paying for an XBLA game, considering the game normally costs between $20 - $30 on various other platforms (DS, PSP, PC), it doesn't seem unreasonable -- and the HD is a nice perk. If you haven't played the acclaimed puzzle/RPG hybrid, or are looking forward to playing again on a bigger screen, it appears the wait is almost over.[Via Evil Avatar]
TGS07: D3 announces Oneechanbara R
D3 Publisher's Oneechanbara was a Simple 2000 action game about a bikini-and-cowboy-hat-clad girl hacking up tons of zombies with a samurai sword, getting covered with blood in the process. It's reportedly not very good and represents the amount of effort expected from a 3D action game designed to be sold for about $20.That hasn't stopped it from being popular enough for numerous sequels, including a full-priced release on the Xbox 360. And now it's headed to the Wii in what promises to be a mess to control. But a different kind of mess than previous Oneechanbara games! Famitsu was on the scene to take lots of pictures of the model dressed as the heroine, Aya, and one picture of a guy playing the game or whatever. Luckily, a Ruliweb poster captured some video, so you can see, you know, the real game. As Simple series fans (for some reason), we'd like to see this come to the U.S., at a nice Simple price. However, since Oneechanbara R is not part of the Simple Wii series, we doubt it'll be budget-priced in Japan. [Via NeoGAF]
Nikon D3 gets the deep preview
Those of you lusting after the full-frame hotness of the Nikon D3 but still debating whether or not to drop $5K just got a little more info to help you make that decision -- Digital Photography Review went all out exhaustively cataloging everything you need to know about Nikon's latest DSLR. No huge surprises in store, but it never hurts to have every shred of info on your side when you're laying out the green.
TGS07: Explosive Bangai-O Spirits trailer
We love the Tokyo Game Show, if only because it gives us a valid excuse to talk about Bangai-O Spirits every single day. And actual video of the game is an especially good excuse. The video features the normal huge, massive super attacks that are the game's trademark, but you'll also notice that new weapons, including a sword, are now available. How will super attacks work with the sword? No idea!Another video features a strangely non-action-packed level that involves a Sokoban-style box-pushing puzzle. It's a weird change of pace from the frenetic shooting-- so weird, in fact, that the player continues to fill the screen with missiles for no reason.Even though Bangai-O was originally an N64 game, we're still amazed at how well Bangai-O Spirits makes the transition to the DS. Thanks so much for making another sequel, Treasure. We know you don't really like doing that.
TGS07: Bangai-O Spirits dazzles IGN
IGN's Craig Harris had never played a Bangai-O game when he stepped up to the TGS demo of Bangai-O Spirits. The game he described, which was new and mysterious to him, sounds comfortingly similar to classic Bangai-O to us: he describes enemies turning to fruit when destroyed, 100-plus bullets on screen at once, and even the slowdown that was found in the other versions during super attacks-- and that we honestly can't distinguish as being a feature or a technical problem.We sympathize with Harris. By virtue of being there, we played a lot of stuff at PAX that we didn't really know anything about. Not everyone can be intimately familiar with every game, you know? Even if he doesn't quite have the historical background right, he did a good job of describing a Bangai-O game in a way that's meaningful to Bangai-O fans. He says that "a brief hands-on is clearly not enough to get a solid grasp of the title's concept", but he pretty much nails it. There's a lot of stuff on the screen, and you shoot it, and the shooting makes your future shots bigger. Also there's fruit.Not everyone is as big of a Treasure fan as this guy.
GameCrazy predicts U.S. Bangai-O
With the game just now announced for Japan, it's a little premature for American publishing announcements for Bangai-O Spirits. But it's never too soon for rumors! (On that note, Bangai-O Spirits 2 for Dreamcast 2, coming 2009!) GameCrazy, whose mystical fortune-telling computer broke the news of Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, now lists a DS Bangai-O. No information about publisher or release date, but it shows a price of $29.99. Since D3 Publisher is releasing the game in Japan, we asked the U.S. branch of D3 if they were going to publish the game over here. Unfortunately, the D3 rep told us that they don't comment on unannounced games, and that D3 "will only focus on what makes sense for the Western market." Whether Bangai-O falls into that category or not is strictly a matter of how much insane hype we can generate on DS Fanboy.
Hands-on with Nikon's D3 DSLR for the pros
Would we ever in a million years know what to do with this much photo-power at our finger tips? Not a chance, but it's nice to dream, and the D3 is going to make the dreams of very many photo nerds come true this year. Nikon fanboy or Canon faithful, either way this is a beautiful piece of kit.%Gallery-6656%
PAX 07 hands-on: Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire
D3's Dragon Blade makes a very good attempt at representative motion for a sword-based Wii game. It's not 1-to-1, of course, but at least the canned attack animations are mapped to reasonable motions. For example, swinging the Wiimote to the right slashes to the right, instead of executing some spin attack or opening the menu. Having a logical basis for the control scheme makes it very simple to know what's going on when you get into a frantic battle against some, I don't know, evil dogs or whatever they were. The attacks themselves form rhythmic three-attack combos, exactly like those found in Phantasy Star Online.The Wii graphics were nice, but nothing special, with the exception of the dragon-power effects. The hero gains abilities as he finds pieces of the Dragon Blade, and is able to activate those abilities with the D-pad, controlling them with the Wiimote. These effects fill the screen with huge flaming hands (or whatever the part may be), and they are stylistically very nice. The dragon hands allow you to attack with two giant fire hands, each controlled by one of the Wii controllers. I actually really wished I could have done this the whole time. It's nice-- and surprising-- to see an original action game for the Wii, and, based on my time with it, Dragon Blade could be something of a sleeper when it releases this September.
Nikon officially announces D3 and D300, lenses
Alright, Nikon's two new flagship DSLRs are officially announced. (Better images coming right up.) Here's what you need to know:D3 12.1 megapixel, full-frame friggin sensor! (23.9 x 36mm) Finally. ISO up to 6400 3-inch VGA live view LCD Two (count 'em, two!) CompactFlash card slots for overflow, backup, or copying New EXPEED image processor 9fps in full frame, 11fps in DX crop; 51 point autofocus (with "3D focus tracking") HDMI out with optional cable $5000, November release D300 12.3 megapixel DX (1.5 crop) sensor 3-inch VGA live view LCD New EXPEED image processor 51 point autofocus $1800, November release Lenses AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR %Gallery-6273%%Gallery-6274% Read - D3 press releaseRead - D300 releaseRead - Pro zoom Nikkor lens releaseRead - Super telephoto lens release
Nikon D300 and D3 hits the web
Nikon's big announcements today aren't for a little while, but it looks like the surprise is now spoiled just that much more as the D300 and D3 are starting to show up online. Here are a few links to whet your appetite as the news trickles through.Read - Herald Biz spills the beans (sorry, in Korean)Read - D3 at Let's Go[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nikon to announce D3 and D300 DSLRs tomorrow?
We don't know for sure what's going to be announced tomorrow, but our ears to the ground over Japan way have it that Nikon's loosing two new DSLRs tomorrow, its new highest-end D3 (presumably replacing the D2Xs) and lower-upper-end D300 (presumably replacing the D200; found specs below). Supposedly this is all going down tomorrow at 1PM JST in Tokyo, so you'll know for sure as soon as we do.D3 Full frame (FX) 12 megapixel Nikon CMOS Live view LCD 9fps in FF mode, 11fps in HSC mode (at 1.5 crop factor / DX size) ISO 200 - 6400 with LO (ISO 100 equivalent), H1 and H2 (ISO 12800 / 25600, respectively) 51 point autofocus system (15 cross sensor) D300 DX format 12 megapixel CMOS (supposedly possibly the same as the D2X) Live view LCD 6fps, up to 8fps with power grip (no HSC mode) ISO 200 - 3200 with LO (ISO 100 equivalent), H1 (ISO 6400) 51 point autofocus system (15 cross sensor) And five new rumored lenses: AF-S 14-24/2.8 G, AF-S 24-70/2.8 G, AF-S VR 400/2.8 G, AF-S VR 500/4 G, AF-S VR 600/4 G.[Thanks, Chet]
Nikon D3 teaser ad leaked?
Is this a teaser ad for the Nikon D3, a pro-level DSLR the subject of a swirling whirlwind of rumors? If this isn't fake, this would be the third (fourth?) report we've seen pointing to the existence of such a camera. Just so you know, the text apparently points out the following specs: 3.0-inch LCD, 9 frames per second shooting, and 51 Autofocus Points. Not bad, but what's the price?
TGS exhibition list light on Wii
This year's Tokyo Game Show doesn't look like it'll be as Wii-oriented as we would like. CESA, the organization that holds the show, has published a list of games to be exhibited at TGS, only eight of which are waggly. We're fairly sure that publishers wouldn't put previously unannounced games on a list before the show like this, so we assume that they're all holding back the new stuff. This looks like a list of show-floor playable games anyway, which usually doesn't include brand new games.We're happy despite the relatively small list, because it contains stuff like No More Heroes that we're dying to hear gameplay impressions of. Here are all the Wii games on the list: Nights: Journey of Dreams Ghost Squad Doraemon: Himitsu Doguo Kettei Sen Simple Wii Vol. 1 THE Everybody's Kart Race Simple Wii Vol. 2 THE Everybody's Bass Fishing Tournament Dragon Ball Z Sparking! METEOR No More Heroes Project O [Link goes to a Japanese .PDF file containing the full exhibition list for all systems.]
A clever adventure game from the Simple series?
D3 Publisher, best known for Puzzle Quest and Naruto games over here, is up to volume 25 in their Simple DS series in Japan. The latest is quite a bit more interesting on the surface than most of the imitators they release: an adventure game about police negotiation.Rather than being a simple graphical text adventure, The Negotiator involves researching background information about criminals and investigating the scene before attempting to contact them. Of course, as with other Simple games, the execution may not live up to the concept, but the concept is so strong here that we almost feel like it's worth a shot anyway. There's precedent for domestic releases of Simple DS games in the form of Break 'em All. Not only that, but D3 recently released Puzzle Quest in Japan as a Simple game. We can only hope that either The Negotiator makes the overseas trip or that it's terrible enough for us not to want it. We're selfish!
Midnight drag racing on the DS, Simple-style
D3 Publisher's Simple DS Series Vol. 22: Age Age THE Zero-yon Shinsha (the name translates to something like The 400-meter Midnight Drag Race) actually looks kind of neat for a Tamsoft-developed Simple series game. The idea of a drag-racing game on the DS, we think, is somewhat novel, though we aren't sure if it'll translate into interesting gameplay. We also think the anime-style presentation looks pretty nice, too, even if we're pretty sure we'd hate having our view of the race obscured by our character's constant emoting. We confess that in this game, we'd spend less time racing and more time in the car-washing minigame, because hey, car-washing minigame. There are also scratchable lottery tickets and Simple-series-themed slot machines that we think are pretty clever! They should distract nicely from the main game about driving in a straight line for a very short time.
Puzzle Quest announced for all platforms (except PS3)
D3 Publisher surprise hit Puzzle Quest has been on the march for months now. Having already conquered the PSP and Nintendo DS, the game was known to be preparing for an assault on the Wii and Xbox Live Arcade. We've now received intel on a move to the PC, PlayStation 2 and mobile phones, as well. Original developer Infinite Interactive will be handling the PC version and co-developing the mobile with THQ's Universomo studio; the mobile version will be published and distribute by THQ via its ValuSoft and Wireless divisions. Vicious Cycle, recently acquired by D3 and who previously worked on the PSP version, will be co-developing Puzzle Quest for Wii and PS2. Conspicuously absent from the announcement is mention of a PlayStation 3 version, either as a retail product or the more likely PlayStation Network download. We've contacted D3 for information. In the meantime, check out the highly addictive PC demo of the game.
