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VC Friday: City Turf Karate
Ask people to name the first Commodore 64 game that comes to mind, and we're willing to bet that more than half would mention International Karate +. Despite coming out on loads of different platforms back in the late-1980s, System 3's chop-'em-up is still most widely recognized as one of the C64's biggest hits, and is now available on the Virtual Console for ... slightly more than its 1987 price!Neo Turf Masters is a rather gaudy, fast-paced take on ruining a good walk golf (though if reviews are to be believed, it's heaps better than the other golfing options on the VC), while City Connection completes the bill. As usual, you can check past the break for footage of all three. City Connection -- NES -- 500 Wii Points Neo Turf Masters -- Neo Geo -- 900 Wii Points International Karate + -- Commodore 64 -- 500 Wii Points * * Only in Europe.
Wii releases this week: We Love Golf edition
This week's most notable release is surely Camelot's latest and greatest golf game, We Love Golf. We've been covering the title for quite some time and are glad to see it finally release. Will it offer up a better experience than other competition on the console, such as Super Swing Golf 2 and Tiger Woods 09? Only time will tell. We Love Golf NCAA Football 09 Rock Band Track Pack Vol. 1 Space Chimps So, who is picking up what?%Gallery-10822%
Crazy Mini Golf is deadly serious
The first gameplay footage of Crazy Mini Golf is in, and it isn't nearly as crazy as Data Design would have us believe. Sure, there's a few loops and tunnels here and there, but where's the emotion? The random strangers running back and forth with arms flailing wildly? Straitjacket as far as the eye can see? Yes, we're afraid Crazy Mini Golf is less crazy than your local Scientology clinic.The level shown above is situated inside a volcano, which is somewhat badass. However, first impressions are not all that great. We were hoping for a smooth, fun mini-golf experience, but the video shows rather awkward controls, a jerky camera and unimpressive ball physics. It seems like the worst possible footage to show with the first trailer, because if a mini-golf game doesn't look like much fun at the outset then there's a serious problem. We'll wait and see -- ultimate judgement shall be reserved until we're whacking the little balls into the clutches of Lord Xenu himself.%Gallery-25247%[Via press release]
VC Tuesday: Taito Shrine
Before Natsume got hold of the series and made the beloved Pocky & Rocky, Kiki KaiKai was a fairly unassuming arcade/PC Engine shooter from Taito. The graphics aren't as vivid, Manuke the tanuki (Rocky the raccoon) isn't playable, and the levels are more sparse, but it's still a top-down game about a shrine maiden shooting ghosts. And it's on the Japanese Virtual Console as of today.Chack 'n Pop is a pre-Bubble Bobble game that looks, but doesn't play, like Bubble Bobble. Instead, as a chick ... thing ... you climb walls and ceilings and blow stuff up with grenades. Rounding out the week's Japanese releases is Big Tournament Golf, a Neo Geo golf game by Metal Slug developers (and IREM expatriates) Nazca. Chack 'n Pop (Famicom, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Kiki KaiKai (PC Engine, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) Big Tournament Golf (Neo Turf Masters) (Neo Geo, 2 players, 900 Wii Points)
Camelot talks about why we should love We Love Golf
We Love Golf isn't the first golf title that Camelot has worked on. After pioneering the Hot Shots! franchise, they then worked on the Mario Golf games. Now, we're all awaiting the release of We Love Golf, which hits retail shelves in North America next week. Siliconera recently got the chance to talk with Camelot's founding brothers, Hiroyuki and Shugo Takahashi, about the upcoming game. The two talk about many things, from the importance of motion-based controls, to how development on previous titles have aided them in creating wha they think is a very solid product. We don't know about you, but we're pretty pumped for We Love Golf.%Gallery-10822%
Hybrid Theory: PvP viability
Welcome to Hybrid Theory, where we discuss all things hybrid in the World of Warcraft. Hybrid Theory is brought to you each week by columnist/blogger Alex Ziebart.A pretty substantial point of debate when it comes to Hybrids is their place in PvP. The thought that only one spec is viable per class is most problematic in the context of Hybrids for a couple of different reasons. Some argue against every spec being arena viable, some argue in favor of it.The argument in favor of each spec being viable that I feel is the strongest is the fact that each Hybrid spec is vastly different from all of the others. In the arena, an Enhancement Shaman isn't doing the same thing as an Elemental Shaman. They are doing similar things like dropping totems and casting Shocks, but the role they play is different. Enhancement is in your face, Elemental throws lightning at your face, and Restoration is healing your face. This is not like Rogues in which all three specs are about hitting you until you fall down, just in different ways.Why is it a problem that all three of them aren't viable? It essentially feels like a forced block on your chances at success. "Just spec Resto" isn't really a valid answer, because it means you are not able to play your preferred role. Someone who rolled a Shaman to Stormstrike people's faces off are told to go get some Elemental gear, and that isn't very fun. To be successful in the arena, they are more or less forced out of how they want to play the game.
CustomPlay Golf is customarily customized for its customers
If there's anything you can hit with a stick, someone will make a game out of it. Some will even customize it. On a completely unrelated topic to customization, a new golf game has been announced, called CustomPlay Golf. What? Since the Wii works pretty well for golf, CustomPlay Games will release the latest installment of their series on Nintendo turf, along with the usual PC version. It's shaping up to be a pretty comprehensive golf title, with fifteen complete 18 hole courses (270 holes), along with Crazy Golf and Mini-Golf modes. Let's see ... Pitch and Putt, Driving Range, Matchplay, Strokeplay, Stableford ... the list of content goes on. The release appears to detail PC content -- namely, online play for up to seven players -- but hopefully it'll all be included with the Wii version.CustomPlay are good at what they do, and what they do is create golf simulations. The above screenshot is for the PC version, but we're hoping the Wii won't fall too far behind in the graphics department. This should actually be a serious title to watch when it's released in Q1 2009, so don't let Tiger be your only outlet of fairway fun.[Via press release]
Volkswagen prepping a plug-in "Twin Drive" hybrid for 2010
You know how we love plug-in hybrids around these parts, particularly if they're actually going to get built -- crazy, we know. Now it looks like Volkswagen is going to get into the game, with a "Twin Drive" Golf powered by a 122 horsepower diesel engine and 82 horsies of electric motor. The car should debut around 2010, and VW plans on spending $769 million on the project, helped along by a $23.5 million program put in place by the German government to help along such development. The car, which uses the electric motor for primary power, supplemented by the diesel motor and regenerative braking for extra juice, should be able to squeeze about 31 miles out of its Sanyo-developed lithium-ion batteries in all-electric mode.
Golf training tees off in Japan this October
Golf is big in Japan. Training games are big in Japan. Hence, somebody at GungHo Works finally did the math and worked out that a golf training game would be huge in Japan. This is the result: Golf Cut 100 DS, a training title focused entirely on improving your ability to accurately hit tiny balls with long sticks, and teaching you the difference between plus fours and putters in the process.Developed in conjunction with monthly golf magazine Golf Digest and out this October, Golf Cut 100 offers quizzes, lessons on course etiquette, and advice on 100 golfing techniques. Given some of the other stuff Japan has already been trained in, a golf trainer seems pretty normal to us at this stage. Drive your golf cart past the break for more shots.
Cablevision adds Versus / Golf Channel content to VOD lineup
Outside of the Planet Green HD addition, Cablevision subscribers haven't had a whole lot to applaud over recently. For fans of Golf / Versus, however, we reckon you all can stop moping around and point your remote to an all new video-on-demand outlet. Starting this week, the carrier will begin offering its iO TV digital cable customers free access to VOD content from Versus and Golf Channel, but sadly, none of it will be shown in high-definition. Maybe one day...
Tiger Woods ponies up some videos for PGA Tour 09
If you're sick of Wii Sports golf (which you shouldn't be), then perhaps the greatest golfer of all time can tear you away from those charismatic Miis. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 has dug up some new gameplay videos from the rough, and the on-screen indicators give examples of the Wiimote in action. It looks good so far, and we're gunning for an improvement over the already pretty good gameplay of its predecessors.The two videos found after the break run Tiger through some basic holes, and show off the rather impressive graphics quite well. The trailer above, however, features some of the zany mini-games found within Golf Party, where the Wiimote is put to unique use in a bunch of different games for up to four players. Golf Party looks pretty gosh darn fun, and it's a welcome addition to the otherwise slow pace of the professional golf circuit.
Versus and Golf HD get their own channel, and E! HD on the way
Versus and the Golf Channel have been sharing an HD channel for some time and both have evidently graduated to the point that they're getting their own channel. This seemed like a pretty good combo to us, as we don't see much golf on at night, but we suppose some want to watch bicycle races during the day. What isn't very clear is if the current carriage deals will need to be reworked, of if everyone who has the combo now will automatically get the two dedicated channels when launched. On a who cares note -- E! is getting the HD treatment which we'll file right up there with Lifetime HD, but hey, at least maybe it'll help some poor sap talk his wife into a new HDTV.
We Love Tiny Golf Bags
... and Capcom totally knows it. That's why they're tempting prospective golfers with a fun-sized golf bag, which is actually meant to hold the Wii Remote that substitutes for clubs in We Love Golf. Clever, right? The golf bag accessory comes in a jaunty red and looks just big enough to carry one Wiimote around. Since there's rarely any call for just a well-protected Wiimote clipped to something else (at least in our personal experience), this is bound to end up proudly displayed among other preorder items.GameStop is offering the accessory with copies of the game (shipping next month), as is Capcom's own perilous online store.
Don't go mental at the sight of Crazy Mini Golf
We don't care who you are, where you're from, what you did, as long as you love ... mini-golf. It's slow, methodical and sometimes frustrating, but a gamer isn't a gamer until they enjoy a fun-filled round on those crazy putting courses. Real golfers are excused.Naturally, this is why Data Design Interactive decided to go with Crazy Mini Golf as the title for their upcoming putting challenge. The press release is clearly targeting the whole "kidz" segment (golf is too violent for the tots, they need GTA), but it seems to be a pretty full-featured game. You'll be waggling your Wiimote with two control options, 74 "crazy" holes, four courses and multiple gameplay modes.The first screens are fresh from the pro shop to our gallery! They look pretty smooth -- almost as smooth as this guy.%Gallery-25247%[Via press release]
DISH presenting ESPN's coverage of U.S. Open through Interactive TV mosaic
Earlier this year, DirecTV showed up everyone else with its interactive, multi-screen coverage of the Masters. Now, however, DISH Network is stepping up to the tee by planning to offer ESPN's coverage of the U.S. Open in a similar fashion. From June 12 through 13, DISH subscribers will be able to view a multiple-screen showcase (dubbed Interactive TV) that will create a mosaic with ESPN's primary feed, a feed focusing on Tiger and Phil, an "Up Close" channel and a number of other specific feeds that hardcore golf lovers will surely be fascinated with. Your turn, DirecTV.[Image courtesy of ESPN]Update: Ah, so DirecTV is doing the same! Thanks m.e.
Capcom loves putting out We Love Golf trailers
Following up those recent screens from We Love Golf, IGN has put up a bunch of new trailers for the game. If you're still anxious to hit the green with your Jill Valentine costume, we suggest you play golf at night (her outfits aren't good for golfing, we hear). But, if you want to play as Jill Valentine in a golf video game, then head past the break for more trailers from We Love Golf. One even shows the Zack costume in play. %Gallery-10822%
We love screens
Summer is here (at least in the northern hemisphere), and the weather has been beautiful. It can almost be described as perfect golfing weather, only we can't golf (unless you're talking about the mini variety) and don't belong to any country clubs.Thanks to Camelot and Capcom's We Love Golf, though, we can at least get a virtual golfing experience next month. Check out the new screens below to see the characters dressed in even more Capcom outfits, such as Chun-Li's, Ryu's, Jill Valentine's (pictured), and more.%Gallery-10822%[Via press release]
E Ball's inflatable golf simulator saves you greens fees
Never mind paying absurd quantities of cash to have some swing analyzer tell you how you'll never be like Tiger -- just pick yourself up one of these concoctions. E Ball's inflatable golf simulator not only consumes your entire backyard, it takes you back to those glory days of frolicking at the fair with your BFF, and it even allows you to practice your game in less-than-flawless weather. The device enables amateurs to work on their driving and putting, all without having to fetch balls afterwards or deal with the embarrassment of completely hacking it up in front of your more seasoned pals. It looks as if you'll have to ring up E Ball in order to get pricing details, but we don't envision this one coming in cheap.[Via OhGizmo]
The Daily Grind: Are sports MMOs truly massive?
When you think of sports games, perhaps you immediately think of football, basketball, baseball, soccer, what have you. Golf might get a nod, as well as the various car-related events. However, at most, these diversions consist of teams with a rather small number of players -- nothing like the thousands to millions of users of your average MMO.However, when you play solo, those other players might as well be bots for all you care. And if you're in a guild, it can be as small as your average basketball team. Playing against another team is essentially like PvP. And games like Mythos have instanced dungeons (for now, at least), so you never see another player outside of towns. This begs a larger question: if you don't actually see thousands of other players, is it really massively multiplayer? What's the cutoff number?
North America gets exclusive love in We Love Golf
Click for larger image Two new characters (here and here) have been revealed for those of us here in North America in Capcom's upcoming golf title, We Love Golf. While it would appear one of those characters is Morrigan, from the Darkstalkers games, that's actually just a costume on one of the new characters (so we guess this is the result of that poll?). There's also another costume that allows the other new character to dress up as Ken.Check out the new characters in our gallery below, which has been updated with over 20 new screens from the game.%Gallery-10822%[Via press release]
