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PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 9
PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com.Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to MP_ROOT/101ANV01/. Requires firmware 2.00 or above. Do NOT place in "VIDEO" folder. Firmware 2.80 or above do not need to download thumbnails. This is Living (PS3 Blu-Ray advertisement)Download MP4 (10.6MB) | Download THM The following videos are featured after the break: Black Sheep, Paprika, Calling All Cars [PS3], Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai: Another Road [PSP]
NYCC: Hands-on with Dragon Ball Z
New York Comic Con had a great deal of games based on anime franchises. But, they were all on the DS. The one game that I had to play was the upcoming PSP Dragon Ball Z game. I got a chance to talk to some representatives from Atari and I had a blast. As you can see in the embedded video above, the graphics are quite smooth, and the presentation is quite sleek. The "Another Road" mode offers an original story for DBZ fans to appreciate. Load times? Minimal. The controls were incredibly accessible, creating for fast, fun battles.The game looks to be quite ideal for on-the-go play. I wonder if it'll feature enough depth to satisfy hardcore gamers. Also, with my relative lack of inexperience with DBZ games, I have to admit, I'm not exactly sure how much Another Road expands upon the franchise. Can it feel fresh, considering how it's Atari's 26th DBZ game? We'll find more closer to its March 20th release.
Shin Budokai: Another Road might be the best DBZ yet
Atari loves releasing Dragon Ball Z games. Year after year, another fighter appears in the DBZ universe, and while they tend not to be awful, they're not all too memorable either. Shin Budokai: Another Road is the latest addition to the DBZ fighter genre, and if IGN's glowing preview is to be believed, it looks to be a heck of a lot better than the original Shin Budokai.The controls appear to have been improved upon greatly, and the story mode should be a treat for DBZ fans: it's a "what if" storyline that chronicles an alternate path the story would've taken if Trunks had risen to power differently.IGN also has some new videos of the game in action. Otaku can prepare to get their blond wigs out on March 20th.
New Dragon Ball screens emerge
Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai: Another Road was just announced last week, but screens have already come out. The Magic Box just put some screens up and the game is looking quite similar to the last PSP DBZ title. You don't have to believe me though, view the screens for yourself! Just remember, looks aren't everything. Screens after the jump ...
Aussies get extra characters in their version of DBZ
While Aussie gamers are forced to wait long for games just about all the time, it turns out that in the case of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, the wait just might be a good thing. With some brand new content, including 6 new characters and a new arena, will Aussie gamers even want to take part in this game, which received some fairly mediocre review scores. So, Australian gamers, are you looking forward to this game? Does the extra content bring you down off the fence?
New games this week
Just as if last week's release lineup couldn't get any better, this week walks in and flexes its launch muscle. Where to begin? With a whopping total of 10 popular gaming platforms, one thing's for sure, you have choices. 145 to be exact. And even if you're not planning to buy a PS3 or Wii this week, existing systems are getting a ton of action. Weeks like this only happen once every five years. Enjoy it friends. PlayStation 3: - Call of Duty 3 - Genji: Days of the Blade - Madden NFL 07 - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire - NBA 07 - NBA 2K7 - Need for Speed Carbon - NHL 2K7 - Resistance: Fall of Man - Ridge Racer 7 - Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 - Tony Hawk's Project 8 - Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom Nintendo Wii: - The Ant Bully - Avatar: The Last Airbender - Barnyard - Call of Duty 3 - Cars - Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 - Excite Truck - The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy - GT Pro Series - Happy Feet - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Madden NFL 07 - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Metal Slug Anthology - Monster 4x4: World Circuit - Need for Speed Carbon - Open Season - Rampage: Total Destruction - Rapala Tournament Fishing! - Rayman: Raving Rabbids - Red Steel - SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab - Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz - Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent - Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam - Trauma Center: Second Opinion - World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions
Games shipping this week
Big week in games (especially for 360). Ginormous. Okay, maybe not ginormous, but we haven't seen a week this good in a long time, and things are looking good. Notable titles include Gears of War, Viva Pinata, and Call of Duty 3 on Xbox 360; Elite Beat Agents on the DS; Tony Hawk's Project 8 (multi); and rockin' Guitar Hero II for PS2. Buyer dilemmas start now. Nintendo DS: - Barbie: 12 Dancing Princesses - Bomberman Land Touch! - Chicken Little: Ace in Action - Digimon World DS - Elite Beat Agents - My Frogger: Toy Trials - Tom and Jerry Tales - Uno/Skip-Bo/Uno Freefall - Winx Club: The Quest for the Codex PlayStation 2: - Call of Duty 3 - Chicken Little: Ace in Action - Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 - Guitar Hero 2 - Hard Rock Casino - Sega Genesis Collection - SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals Combined Assault - The Sopranos: Road to Respect - Suzuki Superbikes - Tony Hawk's Project 8 Xbox 360: - Blitz: The League - Call of Duty 3 - Gears of War - History Channel: Civil War - Tony Hawk's Project 8 - Viva Pinata - World Championship Poker: All In
Wii titles available by December
The day has come ladies and gentlemen. The list for the games that will be available on the Wii by December has arrived! Be warned that there have been a few modifications and we wouldn't be surprised to see more the closer we get to December. One of the games taken off is Blazing Angels. Judging from the list we can tell that many other games will make up for the gap. We have divided the list by publisher to make it easier on your eyes. Check it out after the break! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Wii launch window: 32 Wii games, 30 VC games
Nintendo has blasted out a list confirming the 32 Wii and 30 Virtual Console games (spanning five consoles) that will be available in the five weeks between the system's November 19th launch and the end of 2006. We're not sure exactly which games may not make that November 19th launch date, but it seems reasonable to presume the VC games will be there on launch day, previously dated titles like Zelda, and the 530 GameCube titles they're eager to remind us will work from the get go. Nintendo does remind us that "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess emerges [Ed. will emerge?] as this season's video game masterpiece." Hey, way to throw that third party trash to the curb! We agree it stands head and shoulders above some of the more forgettable entries filling up this list (we're sure Happy Feet will be a slightly less impressive masterpiece), but it's nice to see them being so candid about it. Check out the entire list after the break, and let us know if there's anything missing that we thought would be there. We'll start: Ubisoft's forgettable WWII dogfighter, Blazing Angels. It came out for the Xbox 360 in March, was confirmed by Ubisoft to be a launch window game in August, was again confirmed by Nintendo to be a launch title in September, and now it's evidently missing. What's up? See also: PlayStation 3 launch window titles announced [Thanks for all the tips, everyone!]
Japanese software sales chart, Oct. 2-8: The Gundam Strikes Back
The last time a PSP title was this high in the Japanese software sales chart, it was SD Gundam G Generation Portable, and it was the fastest-selling PSP game to date. And now it's Gundam Battle Royale's turn at trying to upset Nintendo's DS games, which Andrew predicted more than a month ago. Is the guy psychic or something? 1. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (PS2) - 263,897 / *NEW* 2. Pokemon Diamond (DS) - 254,080 / 1,074,127 3. Pokemon Pearl (DS) - 212,193 / 980,881 4. Gundam Battle Royale (PSP) - 64,986 / *NEW* 5. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) - 40,114 / 3,233,793 6. Zaidan Houjin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kyoukai Kounin: KanKen DS (DS) - 38,799 / 84,091 7. Minna no Tennis (PS2) - Sony - 32,962 / 416,507 8. Final Fantasy III (DS) - Square Enix - 30,418 / 781,713 9. Brain Training 2 (DS) - Nintendo - 26,600 / 3,288,248 10. Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS) - Nintendo - 22,787 / 3,305,244 While Gundam Battle Royale's sold less than half of what SD Gundam G Generation Portable (155,634) sold in its first week, it was still enough to capture the fourth spot. It seems the Japanese eat up these Gundam games faster than my fat uncle Johnny at Thanksgiving. Has Sony finally found its PSP cashcow? Hmmm.
Wedbush Morgan predicts Wii launch lineup and sales
Wedbush Morgan recently released its list of anticipated launch titles and sales figures for both the PS3 and Wii. The sales figures they present are very selective and they do not predict figures for every title, but we take what we can get. Their entire proposed lineup and sales figures, which we must say is not a confirmed list by Nintendo in any shape or form, is included after the break.
DBZ: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 gameplay explained
The crew over at Gamespot managed to site down and get a little face-time with the latest build of Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi 2, explaining that the game isn't going to settle for you just sitting on the couch, playing the game as if it's on any console other than the Wii. Oh no, apparently those eager to toss fireballs and teleport will have to actively perform these motions with the Wiimote. Good news though, the controls are less frantic and demand less amounts of wild arm-flinging. So with a more refined control set, you're better able to control the in-game action. This new control scheme combines button-pressing with gesture-based gameplay. For example, to fly you'll press the C button to jump and hover, which will get your character off the ground. Once in the air, you can hold in the C button and move the controller up or down to increase or decrease altitude.
New DBZ trailer may have you screaming Kamehameha
Alright, we admit it. Dragon Ball Z happens to be one of our favorite series. It's easy get caught up in 30 episodes where each one is a continuation of the same battle. And it is always worth it to see Goku slip in a famous Kamehameha. Being fans of the games as well, we are always happy to see another DBZ fighter come out. Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 promises a lot with 130 playable characters and a new way of fighting using the Wiimote. Pressing buttons in this game will only get you so far. You must thrust, twist, turn, and "punch" the controller. We can hardly wait to be punching the hell out of some living room air to try and accomplish some of the best moves from DBZ. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is set to release November 22. As always, click continue to see the trailer. [Via IGN]
Fresh English press materials
Nintendo's excellent PR folk who are not only great at their job, but also incredibly attractive people, have finally opened the flood gates and let the subsequent torrent of swirling, wet information engulf our small valley village and decimate our homes. We're fine with it though, because we have been given the information we've waited so long on (it's a small price to pay). The section of the newly-opened Wii.com for the English-speaking crowd has gone live, as well as pages in French and Spanish. Nintendo has also opened up the sub-section of Nintendo.com dedicated to the Wii here. In this sub-section, a translation of some interviews with the Wii engineers and designers that Iwata conducted may be found. Finally, a good press release direct from Nintendo can be seen here. For a list of 52 games planned for the Wii, direct from Nintendo and third-party developers, click on the continue link.
Nintendo releases Wii promo materials, games list [update 2]
The Nintendo public relations juggernaut has finally pulled the trigger on its English language web sites. Check out the English section of Wii.com (also available in Spanish and French), the Wii subsection of Nintendo.com (which includes official translations of the Iwata interview series), and this Nintendo press release for lots of info. straight from the horse's mouth. Also, on Nintendo's press only website, a list of 52 planned Wii games. Check it out after the jump. [Update 1: Gamespot has updated the list with 17 games that have been confirmed as U.S. launch titles. They are noted in bold below] [update 2: Fixed formatting, Updated Gamespot's launch titles]
Jump Superstars 2 announced
One can look around at the abundance of excellent games on the DS, usually feeling contented and satisfied. Yet, despite the numerous genres represented (and in a few cases, completely made up), the dual-screened wonder lacks a proper fighting game. Well, that's only partially true: Japan scored a brilliant game in Jump Superstars, a battle royale between essentially every popular anime and manga character in the country. And it was import-friendly! However, despite the game's excellent Smash Bros-like battle system, the real fun came via ad-hoc multiplayer...and what were the chances of finding another American gamer with this thing?Well, get excited, fighting fans. The most recent issue of Famitsu has confirmed a sequel, entitled Jump Ultimate Stars. There are a few new characters, a few new moves, the regular treatment...but this time, the game properly supports the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. If you can't find an American to beat down with Getsuga Tenshou, then just connect with someone across the Pacific. Warning: Japanese gamers are generally way, way better than you are.[Thanks, Thousand Dragoon Link!]
No online support for 3rd-party Wii devs until 2007
Buried at the bottom of an IGN preview for the Wii's Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam is the news that not only is this game not going to feature any online component, but every 3rd-party game that comes out for the Wii won't support anything online either. Not until 2007 will publishers be able to offer up Wi-Fi gaming to eager players who picked up a Wii. Gamers hoping for an online component, however, are in for bad news, because one isn't planned. Activision would not say why, but IGN has separately learned from multiple development sources that Nintendo will not release Wii Wi-Fi Connection libraries to third parties until early 2007, which means that no third party launch title will have an online mode. Well, that's pretty awful. Seems like a pretty dumb move not to allow your third-party developers to offer online play with your launch titles. Online gaming has arguably become essential for most players and considering your system isn't in high-def or truly next-gen graphics wise, what other incentive besides a different control scheme would a gamer have in picking up your product? Check after the break for the possible launch titles that would certainly be affected by this.
DBZ hands-on reveals info
Those guys over at IGN managed to get ahold of the latest build for Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and came away impressed. In going over the preview, they managed to pry loose tons of details about the game. The game will take the sandbox approach (free-roaming story mode) and offer 50 hours of gameplay to complete the single-player story. The entirety of the game's content will follow the manga, anime, and many movies, featuring over 120 characters. The game will allow fusion characters such as Gotenks and Vegito to join in on the action, along with a highly-customizable system for each character in the game. Customizing can be done on multiple levels, from cosmetic looks to combos, moves, and special powers. This is all done via an in-game money system allowing the player to purchase upgrades. All of the characters will have optional Japanese voiceovers and fight in interactive arenas twice the size of previous games. Also confirmed is that gamers will have a choice between using the Wiimote or plugging in their GameCube controller to play the game. Finally, the Wii version is to have enhanced graphics when compared to the PS2 game.
Wii launch: who's in, who's out
By way of the like-minded folks at Nwizard (see: they love Nintendo too!), we now have an updated list of the games that will be accompanying the Wii's launch later this year. Given all of increasing support the console is seeing, all the recent titles Ubisoft has said they're working on bringing to the Wii, as well as EA and Midway's support, we now have a list that combines the best from Nintendo with some excellent third-party titles. A full list of launch titles are available after the break. [Via Joystiq]
The confirmed Wii launch lineup
Nintendo gaming site Nwizard has put together a handy list of titles for Nintendo's Wii that are confirmed to be there at launch (whenever that is). So far, the total is set at 27, but of course that number can grow as time gets closer to the inevitable day the Wii comes to stores. While there certainly looks to be a nice, varied list of games there at launch, there are also a few titles on the way that are worth waiting for -- Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl are just a couple. Check after the break for the full list.
