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Dead Head Fred goes gold, will eat your brains on the 28th
D3Publisher has just announced that their zombie-licious game, Dead Head Fred has gone gold and has been sent off to the factory. The title will ship out on August 28th, so fans of the walking dead won't have much longer to wait to get their brain-eating on.The game has gone through a fairly length development cycle, originally being shown at E3 2006, but it appears the wait has done it well. Generally the previews have been very favorable, and the brutal zombie nature of the gameplay looks like a nice mix-up to the upcoming PSP game lineup (which is a bit RPG heavy). Dead Head Fred should be a good pickup when it comes out in a couple weeks. In the meantime, check out the above trailer.
Rumor: Puzzle Quest coming to Wii?
The latest mumbling amongst mumbling folk is that a Wii release might be planned for Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. Amazon has listed a Wii version of the Bejeweled/RPG hybrid at a budget price of $29.99, due this September 25th.So what can we hope for with this port? New content? Honestly, we don't expect much beyond bug fixes. Added waggle controls, then? Not if we're lucky. Online battles, at least? Though this is implemented in the upcoming XBLA version, and the new product page mentions the ability to "Battle other Warlords for supremacy via wireless multiplayer," this seems like a fool's hope. That bullet-pointed feature was most likely gleaned from a previous press release, and it seems far too early for a niche release on the Wii to support online multiplayer. You'll find no truer friends of Infinite Interactive than us, but there are just so many ways a port like this can be messed up.[Via Joystiq]
Getting ahead with Dead Head Fred
D3 Publisher showed off Dead Head Fred at its pre-E3 event, and shared a ton of new images. The game, which is scheduled to arrive in August, continues to get zanier (and gorier!) every time we see it. Expect more impressions of the game soon, but enjoy these screens for now.%Gallery-3233%
ESRB seeks to rate game trailers [update]
The Entertainment Software Rating Board is looking to rate gameplay trailers, according to information obtained by Gamasutra. Footage for D3 Publisher's Dark Sector was requested to be pulled because it contained "excessive or offensive content," even though it was behind an age gate. 2K Games told Gamasutra that they had to receive a separate rating for The Darkness trailer and that "game publishers that do not comply with the age gate requirement are subject to enforcement actions by the ESRB," though what those actions entail is not made clear.If the ESRB is indeed moving to rate trailers, many questions are left unanswered. Our biggest concern would be with user-created footage and machinima. Would the ESRB see that as falling under their sphere of influence? Much like the Oblivion "skin-cident", could publishers be punished for content made by the community? And does the organization have the manpower to enforce such a policy change?Update: Game Politics has provided some historical context to this news, noting that the ESRB's actions are not without precedent.
D3 Publisher announces Dragon Blade, Wii-exclusive hack 'n slash
D3 Publisher of America, publishers of the popular Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, have just announced the Wii-exclusive Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire, a third-person action adventure in which players take the role of a magically-imbued dragon.According to Gamasutra, the game will be heavy on the motion controls, allowing players to control the dragon's movement and powers through a unique "two-handed" control configuration. The title is an arcade-style hack 'n slash, according to D3 PA VP & COO (OMG! BFF TTYL) Yoji Takenaka, and will feature an original story by Richard A. Knaak, best known for the DragonLance series, as well as a number of Diablo and Warcraft novels.Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire will be released sometime in the fall. Check out the trailer embedded after the break (thanks, Enycma).
D3 announces Wii exclusive Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire
D3 Publisher has got hearts in their eyes for the Wii and plan on bringing an exclusive title Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire to the console. A third person action adventure based on an original story by DragonLance author Richard A. Knaak, the title will feature an "intuitively designed, two-handed Wii control scheme and use both arms simultaneously to emulate the dragon's arms, wings, tail, fire and more," allowing players to "battle colossal enemies and embark on quests to upgrade their weapons and make them even more powerful over time." The game is currently under development at Japanese development studio Land Ho.With the possibility of Project H.A.M.M.E.R. being canceled, looks like this is the only hack-and-slash game coming to the console in the immediate future. Still, having never read DragonLance, we find ourselves sitting on a very tall fence on this one.
D3 continues PSP support through purchase of Vicious Cycle
D3 Publisher is one of our favorite companies to work with at PSP Fanboy. Their support of the PSP with niche titles has been fantastic, with games like PQ2 and Puzzle Quest under their belt. It looks like their support of PSP will continue even further due to their recent acquisition of Vicious Cycle, developers of the upcoming Dead Head Fred. The combination of Vicious Cycle's technical expertise on the system and D3's focus on the PSP platform is certainly a win for gamers."The addition of Vicious Cycle to D3PA marks our first acquisition of an internal developer and further strengthens our capabilities in delivering top quality games to the North American market," said D3PA COO Yoji Takenaka.
Dark Sector goes dark until 2008
Playstation Universe reports that Dark Sector, the space-espionage thriller turned Eastern-European alien invasion action game, has been delayed. Originally billed as the first next-gen (now current-gen) game, Dark Sector has been pushed back to 2008. Why? According to Tamara Sanderson, a representative of D3Publisher, the game has been delayed in order to avoid this year's packed holiday season. Considering the oncoming deluge of holiday titles -- Alone in the Dark 5, Assassin's Creed, and of course GTAIV and Halo 3 -- we can't exactly find fault with D3's logic.Let's just hope Dark Sector makes it out before the next development shift hits and someone turns it into a goofy kart racer.
Dead Head Fred screenshots of pain
We knew D3 Publisher's upcoming Dead Head Fred was going to be a violent game. And we wouldn't have it any other way. In this new series of screenshots released by the publisher, we can see Fred in doing what he does best: causing mayhem in the most violent way possible. Watch him inflict pain on a variety of spooks, from strange gladiators, to zombies, to mutants and more in our newly updated gallery below.%Gallery-3233%
A few new Puzzle Quest details
There's a Puzzle Quest interview up at GameSpot. While it doesn't reveal much in the way of new details about the upcoming XBLA release, it does give us an idea of the game's genesis. Steve Fawkner, lead designer for the game, did say that the development team plans to take advantage of the features available on Xbox Live Arcade. In fact, Fawkner notes, "XBLA has so many great features that it would be a criminal act if we didn't take advantage of all of them." We take it that means Puzzle Quest will be getting a high definition makeover, online play, and leaderboards at the very least.Now all we need is a release date.[Via Game Stooge]
Ben 10 coming to multiple consoles and handhelds this fall
One of our guilty pleasures is Ben 10, a very fun anime-inspired show on the Cartoon Network (and we aren't afraid to admit it ... just mildly embarrassed). It revolves around young Ben Tennyson and the bizarre Omnitrix, a sort of an alien watch thingy, that allows him to turn into different aliens to fight the baddies with. Sure, it sounds simple ... but watch one episode and you're hooked. D3Publisher of America has announced that they are developing several different versions of the game that will be released this fall, appearing on the Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and the Nintendo DS. What, no love for the 360? Even more exciting is that Ben's nemesis Kevin 11 (we kid you not) will be appearing in the game as well.
PSP Fanboy review: Cube
Cube asks players to do one simple thing: get from point A to point B. Of course, it wouldn't be much of a game if it was as easy as it sounds. This action-puzzle game from D3 Publisher has players navigating the titular cube around a three dimensional grid, also made of cubes. Along the way, players will stumble upon a variety of challenges to overcome: gaps in the course that must be mended, paths that must be opened, etc. To do so, there may be blocks for the player to push, or buttons to press. There are also other obstacles that can even destroy the player's cube.The challenges in Cube provide an interesting excursion. As the player progresses, more puzzles are unlocked, and the difficulty slowly rises. Some of the later levels can become truly terrifying pieces of work, layered with complexities. Trying to solve the various puzzles does become quite involving, as players must try to push blocks in a particular way, and pay attention to the movement of other blocks. There's replay value added thanks to additional keys that are scattered throughout a level: by collecting these keys within a certain time limit, the player will be awarded a medal. Obviously, perfectionists will want to get a Gold as often as possible.
Play DS while learning to drive
Vingt-et-Un, the developer responsible for some of the weirder Simple 2000 games like The Zombie vs. Ambulance, have created a new entry in D3 Publisher's Simple DS series. Simple DS Vol. 14: The Driving School is a DS program designed to teach the rules of the road, with text-based quizzes and drills. It also attempts to teach driving skill with "practical" driving-instruction segments. This looks great for us, since we taught ourselves to drive on Spy Hunter anyway. We just need to break our habit of trying to drive into 18-wheelers and we'll have it down. While we're talking about this game, we want to complain about the lack of Simple series games in the US. D3 started a US branch, and they currently publish the Naruto games, but the only games we've seen from their hilarious budget series were Break 'em All and Dino Rider. The Xbox 360 just got Earth Defense Force-- we hope that's the start of a trend.
PSP Fanboy hands-on: Cube
We've spent a lot of time with D3 Publisher's upcoming action puzzle game, Cube. The basic premise of the game is quite simple: get your cube to the exit. Of course, as is the case with all puzzle games, it's not going to be that easy: you'll have to avoid various traps along the way, lest you meet a blocky death. There are a few elements that spice things up along the way. Firstly, your cube can stick onto any side of the platforms. The game encourages you to traverse through levels any way you want: upside-down, on its side, right-side up. The three dimensionality of the game is interesting, and it opens up a lot of gameplay possibilities.There are quite a large number of puzzles to tackle in the game, which is a huge plus. Also, there's a level editor so that you can create and share your own puzzles. Our early build doesn't have it, but the final retail version will also have Game Sharing, so you can play with other PSP owners that don't have the game. Considering its budget price ($20), there's a great amount of content, making Cube easily one of PSP's greatest values. However, we're a little concerned about a few presentation issues. It feels like everything is a bit too sluggish: the controls feel a little too slow, and the load times seem a bit too long for a game with such minimalistic graphics. Most annoyingly, you must reload the entire level when replaying it--this will prove to be quite frustrating in the more difficult levels.Hopefully, these quirks will be ironed out before the game's official release on April 24th. Expect more coverage on PSP Fanboy closer to the game's release.
Try before you buy: Puzzle Quest
Puzzle Quest is trying to do something different by combining the puzzle and RPG genres. The dangers of trying something new is that it has a high chance of failure. Luckily for those interested in Puzzle Quest, there is a PC demo online now so you can try before you buy. Much like that drug dealer that gives you your first taste free, Infinite Interactive wants you to get hooked on the demo so you rush out to purchase Puzzle Quest. Is this unique game worth your time? After trying the demo, I think this game will be a cult hit for sure. Giving purpose and story to a puzzle game definitely adds to the experience and the art is well done. But luckily for you, the demo will allow you to make up your own mind. What do you think of Puzzle Quest? [Via Joystiq] [Update 2: Provided direct link to demo.][Update 1: Corrected formatting.]
Earth Defense Force coming to the 360
Over at Siliconera they've scored an interview with D3 Publisher to talk about the upcoming Xbox 360 version of Earth Defense Force 2017. This admittedly Japanese game is finally making the trek over to North America where D3 Publisher thinks it'll be a hit with the 360 community. To be honest, we've never heard of Earth Defense Force, but after reading the interview we're interested. The game is all about blowing up a massive amount of enemies, various enemies ranging from ants to robots. Nothing is too weird to kill. And you won't be running out of ways to kills your foes since there are over 150 different weapons. Big explosions, big enemies, lots of enemies, lots of weapons ... we're so in on this one.
D3 Publisher Simplifies mobile gaming
D3 Publisher has already conquered the budget-friendly game market in Japan with its Simple 1500 PSone games, Simple 2000 PS2 games, and the Simple DS series. (The numbers there represent the retail price, in Japanese yen, of titles in those series.) There's no news of Simple 3000 PS3 games yet, sadly, but D3 Publisher has today announced its imminent move towards domination of the cheapo mobile game market in Japan with the introduction of its Simple 500 series. The new wave of ¥500 downloads, which are compatible with all i-mode phones in Japan, includes concentrated versions of Love Upper (a female boxing game, originally on the PS2, that floors the Rumble Roses), One-chan Bara (a game of bikini girl-with-guns versus aliens, which has recently appeared on the Xbox 360), and Earth Defence Force (pictured; a b-game version of Sin & Punishment, and another recent 360 release in Japan). It's about time D3 Publisher America released some of D3 Japan's best games in the West, we think, instead of blurting out Naruto games and Cabbage Patch Kids.
New puzzler, Cube, encourages sharing
When I first saw an update for a new PSP game called Cube, I got scared. Was it a game adaptation of the film "Cube," one of the worst films I have ever seen? Thankfully, no. It's a new puzzle game from D3 Publisher. While the PSP is certainly not lacking in the puzzle genre, Cube deserves a bit of attention due to it being of the few games to take advantage of PSP's unique capabilities. Firstly, the game includes a level editor, allowing you to upload and download new content from other Cube owners. More excitingly, the game also features Game Sharing multiplayer, allowing gamers with just one copy of the game to go head to head. The lack of complexity in the graphics and presentation probably makes it possible for Game Sharing to work, and to be honest, I'm excited that it does. It's hard enough to find a PSP owner to play against; Game Sharing will make it infinitely easier to go head-to-head with a person next to you. Expect more updates as the game's February release gets closer.[Via IGN]
PSP Fanboy review: Work Time Fun
WTF, or Work Time Fun, is an enjoyable, but ultimately flawed, game. The title encapsulates the spirit of the game incredibly well: it's quirky and filled with a dark humor that some may find a bit too vulgar or violent to appreciate. Those that watch you play the game will have no choice but to ask WTF? as they see you participating in a variety of games, from the insane to the inane. A collection of approximately 40 mini-games can be unlocked in the game's unique format. You'll only have four games to start, but as you play those games, you'll earn money that allows you to unlock even more games. While the presentation is unique, and executed very well, it's also one of the greatest flaws of the game. Progressing in the game can sometimes feel less like fun and more like work.Continuing reading to see the final verdict.
