minigames
Latest
Cooking Mama 3 trailer, fresh from the oven
Majesco's first trailer for Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop features one aspect of the Cooking Mama series we don't expect to see in the actual DS game: the voice acting, which is as endearing as ever. The trailer features the first look at the game's new shopping mode, which appears as a top-down RPG-style presentation. It also features flashes of the familiar cooking gameplay, including the return of the most ridiculous recipe from Mamas past -- instant ramen. Really? For the most part, it looks like Cooking Mama, which we've yet to become tired of, so we don't mind. And now with the addition of food with faces, we don't think we will ever get tired of it.
Mario and Sonic in a new trailer, at the Olympic Winter Games
We thought we had been cured of all vestiges of Sonic fandom -- the last several years having made caring about Sonic games unbearably painful. But then a speed-skating Metal Sonic showed up in this Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games trailer, and we were, however briefly, thrilled. Other items of interest in this trailer: superfluous Sonic character Silver the Hedgehog getting really into curling, a Bowser/Bowser Jr. team (which confused us a lot when we initially thought it was a paradoxical Bowser/Baby Bowser team), and snowboarding! Which seems to be awfully close to the concept of Sonic Riders. And in the gallery, a few pictures of snowball fights! Is snowball fighting an Olympic sport now? If so, we'll actually pay attention to the TV broadcasts. %Gallery-70523%
PSP Minis, Digital Comics get their own promo videos
The PS3 Slim might be getting all the attention today, but the new PSP Minis bite-sized games and PSP Digital Comics service are actually potentially game-changers as well -- so of course they get their own promo videos. Minis are 100MB or smaller games that will launch on the PlayStation Store the same day the PSP Go arrives, and while the launch lineup doesn't have any standout must-haves, we think they'll be quite popular. The real sleeper might be the Digital Comics service, though, which will launch with Marvel titles and eventually add more publishers -- although pricing and other details haven't been announced, we've got a feeling quite a few PSP owners will be into the idea of getting comics on the go. Innovative new ideas or clever reaction to games and ereaders on the iPhone? Hit the break, watch the videos, and sound off.
Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop your troubles away
Today, Majesco released new screens and the box art for Cooking Mama 3, revealing the subtitle Shop & Chop. Unfortunately for us, that subtitle, meant to reflect the new grocery shopping element in the minigame sequel, sounds kind of like "Slap Chop," and now we've got the "Rap Chop" remix stuck in our heads. We're going to be in a great mood all day, apparently! The "Let's Shop" game, in which players dodge distractions to pick up ingredients at a grocery store, leads to the other new mode, "Combine and Create," which somehow allows players to invent their own recipes based on ingredients used in existing in-game recipes. It's an iterative upgrade, sure, but here's a secret: Cooking Mama continues to be fun even when it's just new recipes. %Gallery-70003%
Hudson finally announces Deca Sports on DS
We first heard rumblings from Hudson about a DS version of the surprisingly popular Deca Sports back in May of last year. Those ... offhand remarks have finally come to fruition, as Hudson has officially announced Deca Sports DS, for release in North America at the same time as every other game ever (Spring 2010). Scans of the Japanese version have also appeared, providing a first look at the handheld sports game.The DS game includes customizable team designs, multiplayer modes and, most importantly, new sports. The events on this cartridge include golf, ping pong, wall climbing, bobsled, rugby, arm wrestling, clay shooting, cheerleading, and sepak takraw, only one of which we had to look up. (Wall climbing? What is that?)Will Deca Sports be a hit on DS? Will the kind of inexplicable success of Deca Sports counteract the super-crowded release schedule? It should be interesting to find out.[Scan via GoNintendo]
Mario and Sonic's winter outing dated for October 16
We may have ragged on the first Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games a lot, but -- as horrible as we thought it was -- it managed to capture the interest (and money) of almost every man, woman, and child in all of the UK. So, Sega is working as fast as it can to get the latest version of its new money-printing machine, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, out to retail, announcing that the game will release this October.
Hot Shots 'Refresh' revealed as a minigame collection
First teased by developer Clap Hanz a couple days back, IGN reports that the latest casual sporting game in the Hot Shots franchise is actually a collection of 12 disparate minigames. Minna no Sukkiri ("sukirri" is Japanese for "refresh") does feature some sports -- karate, baseball, soccer, boxing, racing -- but only in bite-sized servings. The remaining seven games are ... well, they're odd, comprised of book-organizing, vegetable fighting and vacuuming, to name just a few. We can see this minigame jumble getting a strong push for PSP Go in the States -- under a completely different name, of course. The Japanese version is slated for release this fall and a demo will be made available on Japan's PlayStation Store this Friday, July 3.
Massively Exclusive Interview: MindFuse's Isa Anne Stamos on Gatheryn
With the oversaturation of fantasy in the MMO genre, we've been patiently waiting to get our hands on the steampunk victorian coolness of Gatheryn. An indie title currently under development by Mindfuse, Gatheryn seems to be part virtual world and part mini-game laden MMO, much like Free Realms. Considering how wildly popular Free Realms has become in a short period, many eyes are now turning to Gatheryn to see if the combination of casual minigames in a fun, unique MMO/VW setting can strike gold again. Massively's very own Managing Editor, Shawn Schuster sat down recently with Isa Anne Stamos, Game Studio Director for MindFuse, to find out some more about the future of this retro-feel title.Massively: We first took a look at Gatheryn at GDC earlier this year, and liked what we saw so far. Can you describe some of the major feature changes or updates to the game since then? Isa Anne Stamos, MindFuse: Generally, we've been focusing on building out the early stages of the Gatheryn experience – adjusting the layout of the city, adding variations to character customization, and creating a deep casual gaming experience that players can enjoy the minute they enter Gatheryn. Specifically, we just added a Player Health feature that measures your avatar's fatigue and gives us some creative options for healing items and quests. We're also filling in a lot of the quests and minigames – we've probably added a few since you saw us at GDC. We're also working hard to build up the community tools because we rely heavily on them to communicate with our beta users - they're crucial to getting player feedback in these early stages of development.
New Tingle game and new Tingle 'game' revealed
The mysterious Tingle game that Nintendo's been teasing was revealed last night -- when it was released. Dekisugi Tingle Pack is a DSiWare download that is actually not a game, but a set of little tools and apps, all starring Link's "pal."The included utilities are a fortune-telling program (hence the fortune teller on the website), a calculator, a little dancing Tingle image that dances in front of your photos, a timer, and a coin-flipping minigame.But don't get upset about the secret Tingle project being a 500-point non-game and not a real game, because the latest issue of Famitsu reveals another Tingle DS game, this time more in the style of Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland. The new game, called Irobuki Tingle no Ai no Balloon Trip (Color-changing Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love) features the green-suited adventurer searching for, yes, love. The teaser site offers a fake news report, a fake dating show, and some Flipnote Studio Tingle animations, all in celebration of this new game.%Gallery-66675%[Dekisugi Tingle Pack screens via GAME Watch]
Wii Sports Resort: Video clip marathon
Wii Sports Resort has a lot more content than its predecessor. For example, the aerobatics portion doesn't just include the skydiving segment that begins the game -- you can also fly the plane. Similarly, there are multiple aquatic vehicles you can operate -- canoes, wakeboards, and a few different jet-ski-based activities. Each of the twelve base sports contains a few gameplay variations. After the break, you can see the airplane game and more for yourself, in a series of nine gameplay videos captured by GameVideos. We're glad you'll finally be able to see the surprisingly strenuous canoeing portion in action.%Gallery-27709%
A WoW player's guide to Free Realms
Our good friends at Massively have written up a post just for you WoW players about the new hotness in MMOs lately, a game called Free Realms. I haven't gotten a chance to play it, but it's all the team over there can talk about, and the game itself just hit a whopping three million players. It's a free-to-play game (with more premium memberships getting more features -- the minimum is about $5 a month) put out by Sony Online Entertainment that aims towards a more casual audience, with extra content placed in for more hardcore gamers. The questing and leveling itself is very forgiving -- you have a dotted green line leading you to quest targets, and combat only takes place in instanced areas. But the crafting and other various minigames (in order to do mining, you actually play a Bejewelled-style matching game, and there's even a "Kart Driver" profession) can get pretty hard. Just like WoW, those who want to collect pets or build skills can do that, while those who are more interested in dungeon crawling have that option as well.I've been meaning to pick up the game and check it out (on the free level, of course -- with my WoW subscription running, I'm not made of MMO money), and Massively's guide is an excellent first overview to how the game relates to our favorite MMO. If you're getting a little bored in Azeroth waiting for the next expansion announcement and are looking for something else to try, Free Realms might just be it.
E3 2009 highlights: The Nintendo roundup
Nintendo E3 2009 checklist: Mario? *check* Zelda? *check* Metroid? *check* Are we missing something? Head past the break to find out!
Wonderful! 505 Games announces Cooking Mama 3 for DS
We may have known it was coming, but now we have a nice, official press release announcing Cooking Mama 3 for DS. 505 Games said that it will release the latest in Cooking Mama Ltd.'s surprisingly popular culinary minigame series "in time for Christmas." The new game will feature "over 80 recipes, 200 mini-games, four player multiplayer," and "two totally new game modes." "What Dish Can You Make" mode lets you and Mama create a new recipe from two recipes you choose. "Let's Go Shopping" gives you a shopping list to buy, with confusing signs and irritating store employees trying to hinder you! Majesco hasn't officially announced a US release date for Cooking Mama 3, but we expect a fall or holiday release here as well. It's basically Majesco's biggest title of the year!
Let's Tap very carefully around these Silent Blocks
The latest weekly installment of Sega's Let's Tap trailer series, visible after the break, highlights the "Silent Blocks" mode, which basically forces us to unlearn one of the most basic tenets of Jenga: stop hitting the table, you jerk. Normally, jostling the play surface would bring about a quick and rage-filled end to any "stack of blocks" game, but in Let's Tap it's how you play.In the insane world of Let's Tap (a world where you play video games by not touching controllers), you'd be a jerk for refusing to tap on the table.%Gallery-33707%
Wii Sports Resort features ... golf and table tennis?
Nintendo of Japan's new commercials for the Wii MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort use some very slick high-speed camera footage to illustrate the realistic motions used in, among other things, table tennis and golf. New in-game footage found in the commercial reveals that two of Resort's new minigames will be retreads of things seen in previous titles -- table tennis was covered in Wii Play, and golf, of course, appeared in the original Wii Sports. Nintendo must be very confident that MotionPlus improves these games significantly. We still don't know how many games will be included in Resort, but if two of them are going to be encore presentations, there had better be a lot of games. We totally understand Nintendo wanting to take a second crack at table tennis, we must admit, because Wii Play's version is not where it's at.%Gallery-27709%[Via N-Europe]
Activision shamelessly announces 'Science Papa'
Activision came up with a great new idea for a Wii/DS game. It's a bunch of short minigames, right, but each minigame is a component of the process of creating something. Like, say, steps in a recipe. In this particular game, you will perform scientific experiments "from a wide variety of sciences."Science Papa features "over 30 different experiments," during which players will manipulate lab equipment like Bunsen burners, mix chemicals, and perform other stylus/Wiimote-based activities in order to "prove their scientific worth against a crazy cast of rival scientists in intense competitions."Here's where it gets really brilliant: while you're doing these experiments, or following these "recipes," if you will, you'll be guided by a cute, cartoon-style helper. A sort of parental figure. We're surprised that nobody else has come up with this winning formula yet!%Gallery-63385%%Gallery-63386%
Let's Tap to the finish line
With this trailer, Sega has managed to pull our attention away from the "Rhythm Tap" mode in Let's Tap just long enough to notice one of the other games. The "Tap Runner" mode here is unusual, and not just because you play it by slapping a flat surface. There really aren't that many side-scrolling platformer racing games these days, outside of this, Sonic Rivals and -- kind of -- Metro-Cross. And Metro-Cross is hardly from "these days."Let's Tap's multiplayer racing looks like it could be enjoyable even if played by holding stuff. Like everything else in this game, the appeal is merely magnified by the novelty of being able to play without any stuff to hold. %Gallery-33707%
Majesco serving Cooking Mama 3 to E3 attendees
Majesco just sent out a very cute invitation to a Cooking Mama-themed party to be held during E3. Listed among the activities planned for the party: a chance to play Cooking Mama 3. What a nice way to announce a new game! The last "numbered" Cooking Mama was Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends on DS, so it seems likely that this latest iteration will be on the DS as well. It is very little surprise that Majesco and developer Cooking Mama Ltd. are planning another game. Cooking Mama is the cornerstone of Majesco's business, and we'd expect at least a couple of the "approximately 31 titles" the company plans to release (according to its financial report) to be Mama games. Probably more than a couple -- in addition to the newly announced 3, trademarks suggest both Babysitting Mama and Crafting Mama are on the way.
Sega's 'Wacky World of Sports' for Wii includes Extreme Ironing
Activision picked the wrong day to announce a Wii sports minigame collection, because Sega just outclassed it. Compare the list of sports in Activision's Big League Sports: Summer with Sega's new Wacky World of Sports:Big League Sports: tennis, beach volleyball, golf, soccer, baseball and football.Wacky World of Sports: furniture racing, card boxing, log cutting, Fierljeppen, mud sliding, tuna tossing, cheese rolling, extreme ironing, and two more.One of the characters is also some kind of Naruto parody, but we don't know whether to mark that as a plus or minus. Wacky World of Sports will be out in the regular world in "late 2009."%Gallery-51392%
Activision's 'Big League Sports: Summer' provides more big league minigames
Activision's first Big League Sports featured small challenges based on sports, which is a somewhat novel approach to Wii sports minigames. The series is returning this June with Big League Sports: Summer, also coming to the DS. Strangely, three of the six "sunshine pastimes" in Big League Sports: Summer -- tennis, football, and soccer -- also appeared in the first game. Could Activision not think of more sports? Does tennis even have a "big league?" Summer does add three new events: beach volleyball, golf, and baseball. The Wii version features both cooperative multiplayer and competitive All-Star Challenges.Grab some Big League Chew and get ready to hear about the game from Almost Wilford Brimley in the trailer after the break.
