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Nothing screams 'Rabbids' like a plunger to the face
The last time we brought you Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 gameplay videos, there was nary a plunger to be found. Fortunately, these new trailers from IGN show us that the rail-shooter minigame has returned.Despite the fact that we thoroughly enjoy shooting stuff with plungers, especially crazy bunnies, we have to say that these videos just didn't do much for us. Maybe it's because the one embedded above reminds us of being forced to sit in the front row at a movie theater. Maybe it was the pacing, or the lack of music. Then again, perhaps we're over this whole rabbid thing.Don't get us wrong, we still love the little buggers ... but whatever it is, something is just off. Are we cranky today, or do you feel the same way?By the way, more plunger videos are embedded after the jump.
Puzzle Pirates: The Bilge Minigame
I've finally gotten around to checking out Puzzle Pirates. I love puzzles, I love pirates, I love the spaces between words; it's a match made in Heaven. So, I thought I'd share with you all my experiences. I began with the usual character creation, moved on to the Notice Board, and, as it was recommended, picked the Bilge minigame. It's for starters! Bilgeing (if that's the correct term), is a lot like playing Bejeweled. In fact, it's so much like Bejeweled that I kept trying to play it like Bejeweled, and flailed around for a bit before I realized the main differences. 1) There is no vertical swap; it's all horizontal. 2) You want to clear top-to-bottom, rather than the reverse. In Bejeweled, clearing from the bottom cascades the jewels above you, typically resulting in jewel eliminations that you might not even have seen. Until I realized this in the Bilge minigame, I was missing a lot of elimination opportunities. More after the jump! %Gallery-9746%
It's a party with all of these Mario Party screens
JeuxFrance has put up a slew of new Mario Party DS screens, depicting some of the different minigames and game boards within. Mario party DS is easily one of our most anticipated titles for the DS and we're incredibly anxious to get our hands on it and see how the gameplay transitions to the handheld. Be sure to hit up JeuxFrance and check out 16 fresh screens. %Gallery-4736%
Get down with these new Mario Party screens
We're anxious to see how the Mario Party franchise will translate to the DS. While the nature of the titles can easily lend themselves to the handheld gaming scene, the whole multiplayer aspect of it might lose something there. Especially so as the state of Wi-Fi Connect compatibility is still up in the air.After hitting up our gallery below, be sure to head past the break for a scan.%Gallery-4736%
UFO Catcher Tengoku
We still haven't heard word on whether or not Nintendo will ever bring Rhythm Tengoku to the states (Highly unlikely), but Sega has been keeping the rhythm-action title going in Japan with its GBA-to-arcade port and, according to this new find, UFO catchers filled with Rhythm-Tengoku-themed prizes!Provided that you're proficient with maneuvering a claw to pick up crap, you'll be able to win a number of brightly-colored, long-sleeved shirts with the minigame collection's characters screen-printed on them, as well as pillows shaped like Rhythm Tengoku's iconic, hairy onions. Click the link below to the beat, and check out more photos of the vending machine goodies past the post break.
Rabbids just aren't manly
Le Haka des Lapins CrétinsUploaded by ubi Those poor Rabbids. Looks like they may need a testosterone infusion before taking the field against these guys. The latest in the long-running and hilarious promotional campaign for Rayman Raving Rabbids and its sequel couldn't be much more masculine if it tried -- it even features the obligatory fellas-in-a-locker-room bit. Nothing like a bunch of guys in towels to inspire consumer loyalty, right?Our only disappointment thus far is that this time around, the campaign isn't nearly as pervasive. Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 is slated for release next month, and we have only a few Rabbid videos. How can we live in such a world?
The latest look at Mario Party DS
Though we still aren't sure whether Mario Party on the DS will feature Wi-Fi multiplayer or not (though we so hope it does), we're still happy to check out new screens as they're released. Though the game is due next month, we really haven't heard a lot since E3. Then again, beyond the issue of multiplayer modes, is there much to say? We know the format for the game -- after all, we may have played a little Mario Party here and there over the years. And from the screens, particularly these latest, we know it looks good. So bring on the party!%Gallery-4736%
Mario & Sonic get their Games on
Twenty (!) separate events are planned for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, and it looks like we'll be partaking in a variety of traditional summer games with our favorite mascots. Events range from Archery to Rowing to Table Tennis, with a little something for everyone. Siliconera reports that this list is not complete -- that two events are still missing of the twenty -- but if the various race lengths in the Track events are counted separately, then this could be the full list. However, Mike Hayes of Sega Europe mentioned the inclusion of judo earlier this year, so there may well be two other unconfirmed events. Curious about the current list? Race past the jump and check it out.%Gallery-4697%
Joystiq's hands-on with EA Playground
Joystiq's Zack Stern recently got a little hands-on time with both the DS and Wii versions of EA Playground, and the results are mixed. While he reports that a few of the games seem pretty fun -- skateboarding and dodge ball are standouts, as we could have predicted (and did!) -- but some of the others seem to lack the depth necessary to keep players interested. The biggest downfall, however, comes in that the cart doesn't offer download play; each player has to have a copy of the title in order to participate in multiplayer bouts. Now, we understand that EA is in this gig to make money, and we can't blame them, but not only is download play one of the handheld's best features, but it also serves as a fantastic marketing tool. Invite a friend over for some multiplayer, get them hooked, and watch as they pick up their own copy of the game. In fact, that's pretty much Nintendo's entire marketing scheme in a nutshell, and download play helps rather than hinders. The specific problem here, as Stern states, is that EA Playground seems like the sort of title that will fare much better in multiplayer than in single player over the long run. So unless you happen to really love the idea of playground-style minigames, or you have several friends who plan on picking this one up, it just may be a game to skip. %Gallery-7376%
MySims improves just in time for release
GoNintendo offered us an updated look at the DS version of MySims, and we must say that we're pleased to see such vast improvements. The few review scores that are in so far are all over the place, however, so the jury is still out on whether or not the updated graphics will be enough. If you're picking up the DS version, let us know what you think! The updated screenshots are in the gallery below, along with some older shots for comparison. %Gallery-3498%
Duel Love: Finally, a game for REAL men
As racy as Doki Doki Majo Shinpan is, its cutesy art style and playful witch themes just doesn't meet our testosterone quota, a standard set by years of exposure to bald space marines and beefy Konami ads. Bandai Namco's Duel Love, however, is definitely something more suited to our virile tastes.Yes, you play as a female transfer student vying for the affection of effeminate boys, and there are, at the very least, five pairs of male nipples that can be displayed at any time, but at the game's core is a secret fight club in which the shirtless lads duke it out during after-school hours. That's pretty much just like Street Fighter, right? It doesn't get any manlier than that.Oh yeah, you don't actually trade punches with anyone in the game; instead, you beguile one of the fighters into inviting you to one of his backdoor bouts. Once there, you can cheer him on with the DS's mic to strengthen him and aid his attacks. You'll also be able to wipe him down afterwards in the locker room, toweling off his sweaty physique via a touchscreen minigame.And if you want to take it further, but aren't sure how he'll react, after you've massaged all the knots out of his muscular shoulders, you can whisper breathlessly, a fraction of an inch away from his ear, "I have always admired you ... senpai," before running out of the room with a single tear trailing down your face.That last feature might not be officially supported by Duel Love, but we're not going to let that get in the way of our completely heterosexual, red-blooded relationship with Yuki-san!
Color the bouncing balls at Ontamarama site
We know some of you have some mixed feelings about Ontamarama, but we'll say this: the newly-revealed English-language site is pretty awesome. But then, we're suckers for any chance to color, so maybe we're biased. The new web site actually has a decent amount of content, and the overall design is quite pleasing -- we especially appreciated the stylus pointer when navigating around. The usual fare is all here: story, screens, and downloads featuring wallpapers, videos, and as a nice addition, an avatar package, but it's the extras that got our attention. In addition to the coloring book mentioned above, there are a couple of little minigames to get you hyped for the Ontamarama experience. If only every game site was as rich in fun, random content![Via press release]
Carnival Games: Only for vanilla faces?
You can't really expect much from a budget release like Carnival Games, but Go Nintendo has reportedly received a number of complaints regarding the character creation process in the party game collection, specifically on the lack of darker skin tone choices. Judging by the screenshot above, you're limited to playing as the palest of the pale, completely untanned after having developed a vampiric aversion to the sun. Though we doubt that developer Cat Daddy Games intentionally limited race and color selection, it does seem a bit lazy on their part; diversity is an obvious point for any game with customizable characters. Perhaps the studio just didn't have the time or resources to implement everything they were hoping to?
Eidos laughs maniacally as it debuts Monster Lab
Our fantasies of one day becoming mad scientists never left us, our memories of afternoons spent cooking grotesque creatures and malformed bugs in our Creepy Crawlers oven still fresh in our minds. With our bedroom lights turned off and a Halloween-themed cassette tape playing in the background, we'd pull our aberrant creations out of the Mattel kiln, warbling ghoulishly, "Creeeeeeeepy Crawlers," just like in the commercials.Publisher Eidos, working to realize our childhood dreams, has lifted the curtain on Monster Lab, an original and interesting IP for the Wii due next June. Backbone Entertainment (Death Jr.) is handling development for the dark, Tim-Burton-styled RPG and will offer up to 150 different kinds of mutants for evil geniuses to experiment with.Players will have over 300 million variations to customize -- via minigames -- their mechanical, biological, and chemical monsters with before pitting them against other brutes in turn-based battles reminiscent of Pokemon. As far as online support goes, multiplayer battles, creature trading, downloadable content, and photo sharing are in the works. Grab your goggles and scamper past the post break for some Monster Lab screenshots. Don't forget to croon, "Creeeeeeeepy Crawlers," as the page loads up.
Deca Sporta debuts new site
Hudson Soft followed on the heels of the recent magazine articles with the official Deca Sporta website, complete with some of the screens we saw in scanned versions. And it looks like reader grubout had sharper eyes than we did -- the game we assumed was tennis is actually badminton. Maybe Hudson is trying to avoid stepping too heavily on Nintendo's toes with this one. The site doesn't have much in the way of content yet, but we can't help but admit we're looking forward to this one. Wii Sports was just plain fun, and we'd love to see something comparable-yet-expanded.[Thanks, Doug!]
Hudson Soft throws their cap into the minigames ring
Hudson Soft recently announced Deca Sports, a minigame collection with -- obviously -- ten different game types that actually look pretty interesting. The game, which is set to come out this year, was revealed in Japanese magazine V-Jump and appears to include tennis, archery, volleyball, go karts, basketball, and more. As far as sports collections go, Deca Sports actually looks pretty ambitious, and the scanned screenshots are easy on the eyes. Check 'em out for yourself after the break. Looks like EA Playground is going to have a little competition! Frankly, we may have to come down on the side of archery, but controls and content will certainly be a factor for each. We can't wait to see more.
Not for carpal tunnel sufferers: Shooting Watch DS
Who knew that a simple concept like the Shooting Watch, a controller that measures how many times you can tap a button in 10 seconds, would go on to sell over a million units? This year marks the 20th anniversary of the yellow device's debut, and to celebrate, the Hudson Caravan has been touring Japan, selling limited edition merchandise and hosting button-tapping contests. Takahashi Meijin's 16 presses per second set the pace.Hudson manufactured a commemorative batch of 10,000 Shooting Watch systems earlier this year, but they were all sold almost immediately. Upset that he wasn't able to grab one, homebrew developer Retrohead created his own Shooting Watch game for the DS. Just like the real thing, it counts the number of times you can push the A button in ten seconds. If you're fast enough, the on-screen watermelon will explode!Shooting Watch DS has four other diversions -- clock, stop watch, three slots, and four slots -- all of which are significantly less fun than the titular mode. Keep your thumb rigid and tap past the post break for screenshots of the homebrew game. We've also embedded a video of Takahashi Meijin using his button-pressing skills to blow up watermelons!
Fishing and fun (or the lack thereof)
Fishing is probably the strangest implementation of activity in WoW-- there's really nothing like it (well, except everything-- it's basically clicking in a certain place at a certain time, and when aren't you doing that in this game?). But for all its boring qualities, players are still fascinated with it. Blizzard has hit on that weird balance of positive reinforcement-- it's boring, but gives just enough reward to keep you doing it.And so it's not surprising that, once again, players are asking for fishing to be made "more fun." What that means, no one is really sure-- they could add better rewards, or make it a less boring minigame, or just make it require less attention (all other professions don't require any attention to be paid).Lo and behold, Drysc actually acknowledges that there's something wrong with fishing-- something that has to do with the unquantifiable quantity known as "fun." But what it is, even Blizzard doesn't seem to know-- they added nodes to fishing to join a bit of exploration with it, but once you've found a node, it's just back to that same old clicking. Drysc suggests that real fishing is just as boring for some people, and that's why not everyone likes fishing in WoW, either.My personal preference would be to put more into the fishing minigame-- catch different fish at different times of the day, or use different lures to attract various catches. Either that or make the skill involved something other than "waiting"-- maybe a meter where you have to click when the bar reaches a certain point. There's lots of reasons to fish, and that's why people still do it. But there's no question that sitting there waiting for the bobber to bounce needs more cowbell fun.
Rumor: Mario Party DS may be online after all
Mario Party DS may have been one of the more exciting DS-related news items to come out of E3, except it was missing one very useful addition: Wi-Fi multiplayer. Wireless multi-card play was included, which is all well and fine, but a soft, sad sigh rippled through us as we realized we couldn't throw down over the internets, Mario Party-style.But wait! Not all hope is lost, it seems. An image has turned up from Nintendo's 2007 catalogue that includes a Wi-Fi logo on the Mario Party DS page. But just what that tiny Wi-Fi logo means, we don't know. It could be Mario Mail rather than anything actually useful. It could even be a misprint for all we know -- but it gives us a tiny shred of hope for the future.[Via GoNintendo]%Gallery-4736%
Duck Amuck: This is a close-up
However Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck ends up, we'll be confident in saying that the art and animation are technically spectacular. Some of the scenes from the Chuck Jones-directed original short have been redrawn directly, allowing comparisons between the game and the real thing. Have you ever seen a DS game that looks so close to its source material? Before you say "oh, it's just Flash," keep in mind that someone had to draw every frame of animation in this clip, no matter what program was used. And that real 2D animation of any kind is becoming scarce these days. Are we hyping a licensed minigame collection now? What a fresh feeling!
