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Dance Hula Together on the Wii
The next Boogie is only rumored to include Balance Board support, but a dancing game is coming out in Japan that features a style perfect for the Wii Fit peripheral: hula. That's right, you'll now be able to seductively wiggle those hips of yours and call it a game. So many Japanese Wii owners have Wii Fit that we don't see userbase being an issue, as the peripheral will be required (not optional) to play this title.Keep in mind, though, that the game's publisher (Milestone) didn't officially announce Hula Wii: Minna de Hula wo Odorou (Dance Hula Together); a listing was discovered on a Japanese online retailer's site, revealing the release date as September 25th.
EA announces girl-friendly Boogie SuperStar for Wii
Electronic Arts has slipped on a pair of bootie shorts and shaked its groove thang all the way back to the well, announcing Boogie SuperStar exclusively for the Wii. A follow up to last year's family-friendly rhythm game, Boogie, the game is the latest to be counted among EA's casual brand, and is being targeted specifically at girls – though how exactly the game will favor the fairer sex remains to be seen.Once again being developed by EA Montreal, information about the game was first leaked last month, at that time indicating that Boogie SuperStar would have players dancing on the Wii Balance Board, though EA's official announcement makes note of no such functionality. What we do know is that Boogie SuperStar will allow up to four gals to keep rhythm, customize characters, and cut rugs using the Wii remote, all while being judged by the game on their road to win it big in the game's 'Boogie Star Show.' The sequel will also feature more than 40 different licensed tracks from groups and singers such as Maroon 5, Britney Spears, and Kanye West, though EA bills the music as being 'made popular by' these artists, so cheap imitations will likely be the order of the day when Boogie SuperStar ships in both North America and Europe this October.
Midsummer Fun: Ribbon dancing
We've already covered the buffs you can get from the bonfires scattered around Azeroth during the Midsummer Fire Festival, but how about trying a little pole dancing too before you head out? You may remember the Ribbon Poles from past years' Midsummer Fire Festivals. They're still there, and you can still "dance" at them by right clicking on the pole. However, instead of the +30 fire resistance buff of previous years, you'll get a new Ribbon Dance buff that will give you an extra 10% experience bonus from killing monsters. It starts at only a 3 minute duration, but if you dance longer, the duration of the buff will gradually rise to 60 minutes. If you're under level 70, it's well worth the trouble, especially if you combine it with the new buffs from the bonfires. The bonfire buffs will help you kill mobs faster, and the Ribbon Dance buff will get you more experience for each kill. Like I said before, I'm suddenly not sure if I should be saving up Burning Blossoms to buy new treats with my level 70s, or just using all these amazing buffs to level my alts. I may just have to set aside enough time to do both.
Age of Conan newsletter previews new PvP, dungeons, and dancing!
It's only been a short time since Age of Conan launched, but it has already seen some troubles. The newest edition of the game newsletter hints that good times are just over the horizon. Above and beyond bug fixing and regular patches, Funcom has announced they have a slew of new concepts and content ideas on the stove. Here are the highlights from the newsletter: Game director Gaute Godager answers a few questions we haven't seen addressed anywhere else. Primarily involving guild systems and tradeskilling, the quickie Q&A shouldn't take you long to read. The team is introducing a sort of alternate advancement system they're calling Power Points. Points are similar to but not exactly like the "AAs" from games like EQ. You'll earn them just by having an open account, and it sounds like down the road new content will drop specifically for characters with enought PP. A number of changes to guilds, guild housing, and the introduction of guild alliances are all discussed on the official site. The newsletter goes back over all the patches they've dropped since launch, particularly noting the addition of unique dances for each race. Funcom is completely revamping Age of Conan's PvP. They're adding PvP-specific leveling, consequences in the form of the 'fugitive system', and a number of tweaks and changes to the art of player on player war. A number of quests past level 20 are getting voice over elements added in. The website lists every one they're working on, and in total this forms a specific storyline the developers want you to be sure to follow. A better interface for chat and guild management will soon be available. The Pyramid of the Ancients and Treasury of the Ancients in Khopshef Province will be getting bottom-to-top revamps. A whole new dungeon will be added to Thunder River. No firm details, but they did release some concept art - the same art that was 'leaked' to the US forums earlier this week. They're also planning an all new outdoor area called Ymir's Pass, which plans to fill a few holes in late-game leveling. Make sure to check out the newsletter for full details.
Worldwide Invitational 2008 contest signups begin
The date of the World Wide Invitational in Paris creeps ever closer and closer. Of course, the biggest thing we're looking forward to is all the new WotLK information courtesy of the playable WotLK demos and Developer panels, but the contests should be pretty fun too. If you're planning to enter one of them, the signups are beginning. Submissions for the fan art and machinima contests are being accepted via web form from now until June 17th, so that leaves you a little under one more week to finalize your submission. As for the dance and costume contests, registration will be open from June 16th to June 20th. Remember, some of the contests are only open to certain European countries, so check the rules to make sure you're eligible -- and remember, if you're not, you may be eligible for the contests at Blizzcon 2008 instead. Good luck with your entries, and we'll see you in Paris!
Worldwide Invitiational, now with dancing
Hot on the heels of announcing more ticket availability for their Worldwide Invitational contest, and a costume contest before that, Blizzard announced today that there will be a dance contest as well. This brings the total number of contests to seven. Here's what you can do to win yourself fabulous prizes: Dance Make a costume Do some fanart Make some machinima Win at the WoW, Starcraft, or Warcraft III competitions In addition to these contests, there will be hands-on demos of Starcraft II and Wrath of the Lich King. The prizes for the dance contest, in case you're thinking of competing, are: a hi-fi system, a Blizzard-themed iPod Touch, a G15 keyboard (ironic), a mouse, a free WoW subscription for a year, and some action figures. That's for first place; the lesser places get subsets of that. What, no beta keys? Probably not worth going to Paris for, but if you're going to WWI anyway, and you have a desire to bust a move, you might give it a try. Note that the dances have to be inspired by in-game dances. WWI will take place in Paris, on June 28th and 29th.
Put on your dancing shoes: Amazon Gold Box deals for rhythm games
In just a few hours, Amazon will begin another day filled with Gold Box deals on video games, this time for "rhythm/music" titles. The sale event follows a familiar format: one Deal-of-the-Day bargain posted at 12:01 AM PST, then four Lightning Deals trickled out at 6:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 6:00 PM PST, each one available for only four hours or while stocks last. So, which Wii rhythm games are you expecting? There's a decent-sized list of possibilities, but, uh, not many of them would be considered "decent" themselves: Alvin and the Chipmunks Battle of the Bands Boogie Dancing with the Stars DDR Hottest Party Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock High School Musical Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore Looking at that pitiful selection, we're actually hoping that most of the bargains will be for music-based games on other platforms ... [Via CAG]
DDR2 Hottest Party 2 screens show Mii support, poor outfit decisions
What does this woman think she's doing? We have seen some terrible outfits before, but this woman is crazy enough to wear hers with a smile. She should be ashamed just to have these embarassing pieces in her wardrobe, let alone actually on her, in public view. What excuse does anyone have to ever own checkerboard-patterned thigh-highs?In case you missed the news from last week, Konami is following up its previous DanceDanceRevolution Hottest Party game with DDR Hottest Party 2, promising Mii support, new gimmicks like the "triple stomp," more Wii remote interaction in the Dance n' Defend Battle Mode, new stages, and new characters, such as the unfortunate looking woman mentioned above. The rhythm title will also support a new soundtrack including "smash-hits from the last 4 decades," like Rihanna's immensely annoying "Umbrella" (ella, ella, ay, ay, ay) and Michael Jackson's least exciting single, "Black or White." But let's get back to what's really on every gamer's mind -- how do these people live with themselves dressing in these clothes? This lady thinks she can get away with wearing a Zebra-print cap with matching hot pants and boots. Protip: it's best to pair a loud print with a neutral piece, rather than mixing or matching it with more loud prints. Now you know.%Gallery-23249%
NGamer: Boogie Superstar is Balance Superstar
For a while, we've been hearing that EA planned to support the Balance Board in the sequel to their rhythm game Boogie. According to Cubed3, NGamer magazine is reporting that this functionality has been confirmed for Boogie Superstar, possibly to add difficulty for toddlers. What is interesting is that, if NGamer's description of the game as a "board-based dance-a-thon" is accurate, Balance Board support may be more than just an optional extra.It's no surprise that EA is supporting the new controller: their recently-announced Skate It simulates a skateboard with the Board, and there's some kind of exercise game on the way that will use it extensively. But if EA really is building a sequel to an existing (if somewhat unloved) franchise that requires $90 hardware the previous game didn't, they must really like Wii Fit money the Balance Board.
The Haruhi dance game in more detail
Thanks to Famitsu, we now know a little more about how the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya dancing game works. It'll feature the Hare Hare Yukai dance, of course, but it will also feature new dances! Dancing through the main game will unlock options for the "free mode," including costumes, locations, and songs. In free mode, you can play the song of your choice. This is also where the three-player multiplayer is available. This mode is also being touted as enabling exercise, though we don't know if that means some kind of exercise/health-related (calorie count, etc.) will be included. It is also currently unknown whether the two remaining SOS Brigade members will be playable, but they're male and therefore a low priority.The SOS Brigade icon in the corner of the screen reads "Action!" to alert players to the start of a stage. The life bar starts at full and decrements along with missed movements. Moves are to be performed while move icons are inside a generous red bar, which makes the game look fairly easy.
The Wii Game of Haruhi Suzumiya
The mega-popular anime series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is now being made into a Wii game, after success on the PS2 and PSP (mostly as vectors for delivery of exclusive Haruhi figurines). The Wii game, we predict, will be the biggest success of all, because it also includes a Haruhi figurine, and it's based on the dance sequence from the anime's ending, which has become an Internet phenomenon Up to three players control Haruhi, Yuki Nagato and Mikuru Asahina in a motion-based dance game, which seems to involve mimicking poses with Wiimote positioning. In addition, it also contains the standard anime-game adventure component, featuring a new storyline.
Cave helps your DS make its Princess Debut
The website for Cave's princess-impersonating dancing game, Princess Debut, features a lovely activity that is probably designed for little girls, but is kind of fun anyway. In keeping with the theme of not actually being a princess, you can design a DS cover out of fake rhinestones and then print it out! If you aren't feeling creative, there's even a template available to color in.Ideally, you'd affix this to the system by slipping it inside a transparent cover, but you'd probably be okay using just a little tape. Alternately, you could just mess with the editor for fun. But then how would your DS get any more princess-like? [Via GAME Watch]
Princess Debut's inaugural trailer
Cave's Ohimesama Debut (Princess Debut) didn't turn into a hardcore shooter since we last heard from it. Cave is still bravely making a cute game about a faux princess learning to dance and collecting silly clothing. It uses a variant of Ouendan-style precision dragging to control various ballroom dance moves.The "Dance Action & Adventure Game" features magical-girl-style transformation sequences for the all-important outfits, and even a "watch mode" that allows you to replay dances. We're still curious about how well the skills Cave has honed in creating bullet-hell shooters translate into dancing to classical music with a white rabbit in a tuxedo.
Barco's DML-1200 DLP projector doubles as concert lighting device
Talk about a novel concept. The Barco DML-1200 is being hailed as "the first moving digital light which can truly be used as both a high quality video projector and a super bright moving light source," meaning that you can use the same device to throw Mario Kart Wii up on a 70-inch screen and bathe your band in light at the local pub. Powered by a DLP engine, the unit features a SXGA+ (1,400 x 1,050) native resolution, lamp-life-killing 10,000 lumens, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, a pair of USB ports, VGA out and DVI / HD-SDI inputs. This sucka lights up the room courtesy of four 300-watt UHP type lamps, but don't expect them to last much over 750 hours. Not a peep on pricing just yet, but be sure to check out what the DML-1200 can do in the video link below.[Via AboutProjectors]Read - Barco DML-1200 videoRead - Barco DML-1200 release
An even Hottester Party this fall?
Konami wrote themselves into a corner with the title of their Wii Dance Dance Revolution game. If DDR Hottest Party is really the hottest party, what will the inevitable sequel be? Will it be a different superlative -- the coolest party, or the freshest party, or the most Chex-Mix-having party? Will it be the Hottest Party For Real This Time -- Last Time Was the Hottest to Date, But This Time's Even Hotter Than That?Well, if the title of the new game found on Gamefly's site (with a release date of September 30th) is the real title, it'll just be DDR Hottest Party 2. It worked for Final Fantasy.
You got served (some new screenshots)
We just dropped (like they were hot) a bunch of new screens into our gallery from the dance competition game with the Rub Rabbits-meets-Frankenstein aesthetic, Red Bull BC One. Unfortunately, these latest screens do about as much to flatter the game as the last set did: flat, detail-free backdrops with low-poly character models just don't look that great. We understand the kind of heavily stylized appearance they were trying to do, and if that had happened, we would have found it awesome. We respect the idea, at least.We're willing to give BC One a certain amount of leeway just based on the fact that it is a game about breakdancing.%Gallery-19997%
TurpsterVision: Goodnight Sweet Prince
Every Tuesday you used to think "T" for Turpster and you took the "a" in "day", capitalized it, removed the little bit in the middle, turned it upside down and you got a "V". When you put the two together you had TV for TurpsterVision -- the best Internet video podcast on Massively! (Never mind that business about it being canceled by Massively...)Good day brave adventures! I use the term "Good" in the loosest sense possible, for today is far from it. Today sees the single brightest flame on the interwebs extinguished. Unfortunately due to an on going libel suit from the makers of RuneScape I am unable to comment further, though I have managed to negotiate a time to express my thanks to you all and ask you to read on after the break to read how I truly feel about the situation.
Cinemassively: Bobbo No. 5
We're still filling in for our regular cinediva Moo Money who is ramping up for SXSW this weekend. This may or may not be a good thing, depending on if you like more amateur machinima or not. Today's Cinemassively is interesting to us from the standpoint of choreography, editing and just pure fun. If you're looking for epic story-lines, tight scripting, or great visual effects, this isn't it. If, however, you are looking for a fun little music video that features City of Heroes celebrity cameos, including what may quite possibly be the most Freakshow (yet best choreographed) CoH chorus line ever, then this is for you![Thanks, Blazefire from The Girls of Nukem High]
A daintier side of Cave
You may be familiar with Cave as one of the biggest names in modern 2D shooters. Now you can make that "modern 2D shooters and DS adventure games about waltzing princesses." Ohimesama Debut (Princess Debut) is a game about a middle-school girl who switches places with an identical-looking princess from a parallel dimension and dances with princes in her stead.Gameplay involves moving the stylus to match a sequence of prescribed shapes, which correspond to dance moves. At the end of the performance, you'll be able to watch a replay. It seems simplistic, and it probably won't require the same amount of precision as, say, DoDonPachi, but we kind of want to see what Cave's up to with this game. Maybe they just really wanted to get in on the DS princess game wave.
TurpsterVision : Dancing in the Endless Forest [Updated]
Every Tuesday think "T" for Turpster and take the "a" in "day", capitalise it, remove the little bit in the middle, turn it upside down and you get a "V". Put the two together and you'll have TV for TurpsterVision -- the best Internet video podcast on Massively! (Nevermind that business about it being the only video podcast on Massively...) Check it out after the break!If you want to know how EPIC the intro for TV would have been had Turpster not had the help from the fantastic, awesome, uber-talented, Johnny Voruz from Unforgotten Realms then be sure to check out the extra video we included after the break! We'd like to note that Turpster is a highly trained professional, and as such, you should not attempt to recreate anything you see in TurpsterVision!
