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DS releases for the week of August 11th
For once, U.S. gamers have a reason to lord over their counterparts in the rest of the world. Why? The other major markets are seeing either token releases, as in Europe, or none, as in Australia and Japan, while we here in the States are blessed with a bevy of games. Not just any games, either, not with Bangai-O Spirits leading the pack. Bangai-O Spirits Imagine: Teacher Line Rider 2: Unbound Madden NFL 09 Mazes of Fate DS N+ Sinking Island
N+ release on 8/26, budget priced at $20
What? Is that a new PSP game? You bet! And guess what? It's coming out at the end of the month ... for only $20! (That's a drop from the original retail price of $30.) N+ is an addictive ninja platforming game with an emphasis on Game 3.0: PSP players will be able to design their own levels and share them online for the entire world to download. With the potential for unlimited gameplay, N+ looks like it'll be quite the steal.Check out the new lower price at amazon.com and GameStop.
N+ minus $10, plus 2 weeks
We've got good news and bad news regarding N+, Atari's handheld update of the freeware platformer N. The bad news isn't all that bad and the good news is awesome. First, the kinda bad: N+ appears to have been delayed again, from August 12 to August 26. While it troubles us to think that the game is just never going to come out, we're glad it's at least not coming out on the same day as Bangai-O Spirits. The good news is that N+ will now launch at $20, which is an insanely good deal for a new, polished N with hundreds of new levels and a stylus-based level editor.There's a third bit of news too, which didn't really fit in the "good news/bad news" thing we were trying to do, though it falls into the "good" category: Amazon orders will include a download link for a digital strategy guide.
TVP HD begins airing Olympics in HD
Heads up, international HD mavens. A kind tipster just alerted us to one TVP HD, a channel that just started broadcasting Olympics coverage and will continue to throughout the 2008 Games. After the spectacle has concluded, it will reportedly morph into a station much like BBC HD. Currently, the channel is available via digital cable in Poland on carriers like Multimedia Polska, Aster and a few other smaller companies that provide HD receivers. We're also told that it'll launch shortly on UPC Cable, ITI's digital satellite platform N and (in trial form) via DVB-T. In somewhat related news, the European version of MTV HD just starting testing yesterday on the Hot Bird satellite, with an expected go-live date sometime in September.[Thanks, Arsenal]
N+ gets new, 200-point level pack
If you've made it all of the way through XBLA's N+, we already know a few things about you. 1. You're a lot more hardcore than we are. 2. You have a lot more free time than we do. 3. You're probably ready for more. Good news on that last front: A 200-level, 200-point pack has just been dropped onto Xbox Live, according to official site metablog.The site promises "there are 150 'easier' single-player levels, which should ease the pain of those who have found N+ too difficult, and 50 co-op multiplayer levels, which should appeal to even the most hardcore N+ players." So hey, a little something for the both of us, how nice. [Thanks, Robber Tom]
XBLA DLC this Wednesday: N+ and Puzzle Quest
They've both been quite some time in coming, and this Wednesday will see the release of new downloadable content for games that are themselves downloadable. N+ will be getting a new level pack which contains 150 single player levels, and 50 co-op levels, all for 200pts (which, as the devs point out, equates to a point per level). As for Puzzle Quest, its player named DLC, Revenge of the Plague Lord, will contain 4 new classes, a new map area, 25 new quests, 40 more items and a raise of the level cap. The Puzzle Quest expansion will be priced at 700pts. [Source N+][Source Puzzle Quest]
E308: N+ media leaps deftly into our grasp
In the spirit of N+ featuring hundreds of levels, we've received hundreds (well, lots anyway) of screenshots and two new gameplay videos (head past the break for the second). If there is a limit to how long we can watch a little stick figure bouncing off walls and performing gravity-defying stunts, we haven't yet reached the critical threshold. You can start learning about the mind-bending N+ experience with our hands-on preview, effectively taking "the best platforming engine in Flash, ever," for a ride. The thing is, no matter how many screens and videos you ogle, there's plenty more brand new levels being created constantly. Best of all, the DS version is just as full-featured as any other installment, including a full level creator and Wi-Fi multiplayer. N+ should be a sure-fire hit when it's released in August.%Gallery-14818%
N+ DLC has gone out to Microsoft
It certainly has been a while in coming (so much so that we were beginning to wonder if something bad had happened to it), but there's finally some news regarding N+'s downloadable content. In a new post over at the Metanet developer blog informs the world that the three DLC packs for N+ has been sent off to Microsoft for final certification before release.Of the three packs one will be free, one will be multiplayer maps, and the level total for the whole shebang is over 750. Exactly how those seemingly disparate pieces of info come together for the exact details of each pack is still unknown. However we do know that the devs are shooting for 200pts for each of the pay-to-play packs, which seems like the perfect price point to us.[Via Gamerbytes]
DS Fanboy Preview: N+
My eyes glazed as I stared at my Nintendo DS Lite which cased the finished build of N+. N, my titular ninja avatar, braced his body as he slid halfway down a wall before springing away, using his momentum to snatch three gold coins dangling in midair. I firmly pressed d-pad left, causing him to again shimmy down the wall slowly, carefully, before again leaping for a nearby ledge. Unfortunately, my momentum wasn't enough in this instance. Though little more than a plump stick figure, I had a vision of poor N desperately straining for the tip of the ledge that was at least (at least) a good six feet away before plummeting, plummeting, plummeting -- and eventually exploding in a shower of square-shaped shards as he cratered into the ground. I grumbled, but the fault was wholly mine, not the acrobatic N's. "You've got what the indie scene will call the best platforming engine in Flash, ever," said David Geudelekian, producer of Metanet Software's N+. "What N did really well was it presented this incredible platformer with 1000 levels, it was crazy difficult. N the ninja was this lithe, acrobatic guy with all the things developers had learned from other platformers. You can wall jump, you can press along the wall as you're falling to slow your descent. Because it's a full-featured physics engine, momentum can kill you, but if you use a ramp's natural curvature, you might be able to catapult yourself across the level."%Gallery-14818%
N+ knocks it up a notch with new trailers ... BAM
In the spirit of a true ninja master, the perenially popular platformer N+ is still on its merry way to the DS. Many people out there have tried several adventures of the anonymous little hero on the PC, and are better gamers for it. Put it this way -- N+ levels are really, super easy to make, so the DS version features plenty of original creations.You can check out some of the high-flying gameplay in the new trailer above, along with two more after the break. N+ hasn't been dumbed-down for portable installments at all, and includes a full level editor and downloadable content. If you haven't tried N+ before, it would be in your best interest to slide down to your nearest store on August 28 and hand over the cash for this bad boy. Ninja-style.
Rez, Ikaruga hold record for best XBLA launches
In news post yesterday, Penny Arcade's Gabe revealed the top four best launches ever for Xbox Live Arcade, with the launch window being the first three days of availability. The list is as follows: Rez HD, 25k units Ikaruga, 22.5k units Penny Arcade Adventures Episode 1, 16.5k units N+, 13k units Honestly, we're a bit surprised by the initial success of Rez and Ikaruga. Not that we didn't want them to succeed (they really are awesome games), but we didn't expect to see Xbox Live community rally so quickly around years-old re-releases. Now, if we could only see data for worst XBLA launches, or even total Rez playtime using multiple controllers as trance vibrators.%Gallery-12973%[Via X3F]
N+ merchandise is like official fan creations
This may be a first: Metanet, creators of the original N, the 360 N+, and the levels for the DS N+, have set up an Etsy shop to sell handmade N+ merchandise. Is it possible for these people to be any cooler? We don't think so, unless they send us some free stuff.For surprisingly reasonable prices, you can buy ninja t-shirts, really cool-looking stationery sets, and a vinyl cuff (like a big fat bracelet) with an N+ screenshot on it. All of it is very limited-edition (because, like the game, just a few people worked on it), and happens to be very attractive due to the N+ aesthetic. We're putting serious consideration into a set of cards, but we rarely have call for ninja-mail.
ITI Neovision's N brings 1080i porn-on-demand to Poland
Hold onto your trousers folks, as ITI Neovision's quizzically named N is bringing HD porn to Polish subscribers anytime they want. The service, which is thought to be the first of its kind in Europe, enables customers to select, purchase and view 1080i XXX-rated titles on-demand. According to a local, the first two flicks to surface are Sensual Dolls and Born To Be Sexy, both of which sound like surefire winners if that's what you're into. No word on how pricey each selection will be, but feel free to test the service out and let us know how it shapes up if you're so bold.[Thanks, Arsenal]
Ninja Gaiden II's Ten Days of Ninja starts May 25th
To prepare ninjas and wannabe ninjas across the globe for the release of Ninja Gaiden II, Xbox.com will be celebrating Ten Days of Ninja. Ninja-kick!The Ten Days of Ninja Ninja Gaiden II countdown kicks off on Sunday, May 25th when, each day of the countdown, Xbox.com will post a ninja related event including a Family Game Night, GamerchiX game night and even a Game with Developers session on May 26th with the crew who brought us that other XBLA ninja game, N+. So, keep one eye on the Ten Days of Ninja website, keep your ninja-stars polished and increase your ninja skills before June sneaks up on us all ninja-like. And yes, we used the word "ninja" thirteen times in this post.
Handheld N+ dev SilverBirch acquires Lighthouse Interactive
Canadian dev SilverBirch, the force behind the DS and PSP versions of recent XBLA release, N+, has opened up its doors -- and wallet -- and acquired Netherlands-based publisher Lighthouse Interactive. SilverBirch calls the move a first step in the company's "strategy of building an integrated video game company." The developer purchased all of the publisher's outstanding shares for CA$4 million, or $3.97 million in real currency, which it paid out as cash, a vendor note, shares of stock, and an earn-out based on fiscal 2008 financial performance. It's an interesting marriage, given SilverBirch's experience with portable titles as well as the MMO Metin 2, while Lighthouse is best recognized for steering sim and strategy titles for the PC. Wake us when Sword of the Stars comes to the DS.
N+ devs working on new game
For those of us who have been following the N+ developer debacle, this newest interview will hold some new information to absorb. If you couldn't care less, then all you need to know is that the creators of N+ are at work on a new game tentatively called Robotology. The game is a 2D physics-based platformer with grappling hooks and articulated/simulated robots walking around. The graphics are to be similar to N+ in terms of style, but more complex overall, and with all plans currently open to change. No platform has yet been announced for Robotology.For those interested in the state of XBLA, the Metanet guys open up a bit more about their point of view. There's also plenty of question's concerning the development of N+ and fans of the game should find some of the questions rather interesting (ever wonder why your game might not always save?)
Capcom responds to N+ outburst, sorting is the real XBLA problem
After hearing about the Metanet N+ developers going on a verbal Xbox Live Arcade assault, Capcom felt the need to semi-defend the service all while pointing fingers at an entirely different issue they have with the XBLA. Sorting of games.Posted over on Capcom's blog, Adam "TheBooya" Boyes isn't happy with the Metanet crew and their "solution" to a less than stellar XBLA service. According to Boyes, restricting games probably isn't the answer to everything and agrees that "tastes may vary, but there are many games out there for everyone." Boyes continues to argue various points made by the Metanet crew, everything from how the XBLA isn't like retail, how customers should research products before they purchase and ultimately lands on the one problem he feels needs fixing: How you find the great games. "Instead of complaining that XBLA has hundreds of games that are 'utter shit' and advocating a no-limit release of a billion craptastic games, I think we need to work on lobbying a better system for sorting games." And we think that pill is little more fair, more forward looking and a bit easier to swallow than Metanet's.
N+ devs stand behind recent XBLA comments
It seems like dissing the glut of mediocrity on Xbox Live Arcade is totally in fashion for indie developers, so we weren't particularly surprised by N+ developer Metanet's recent comments regarding the service. Still, after some backlash from the community, the game's creators decided to address the controversy by discussing the service on their blog.It's not exactly an apology, as Metanet still cites a number of problems with XBLA. The developer does go on to state that the criticism is largely meant to be constructive, however, and that there are still plenty of positive aspects to Microsoft's digital distribution service. Prostrating or not, we hope Metanet and Microsoft kiss and make up soon, as we still hope to see Robotology on XBLA sometime in the future.[Via X3F]
N+ creators stand behind their anti-XBLA rant
Last Friday, we told you about a Gamasutra interview with N+ creators Raigan Burns and Mare Sheppard and how angry they were about the XBLA, how angry they were about the services' crappy games and how angry they were about how Microsoft is handling things. Their opinion was nothing but blunt and to the point. Then, shortly after their harsh comments made the internet media rounds, Burns and Sheppard felt the need to post a response in regards to their remarks on their metanet blog and, well ... they have no apologies.In their response blog titled "In Defense of the Apparant Shitstorm", Burns and Sheppard stand behind their anger fueled XBLA rant, but do clarify that they were made prior to N+'s release and right after they learned about Microsoft's new (and less generous) XBLA royalty structure. But like we said, in their response blog team metanet stands behind their earlier comments and actually went on to add to the controversy, saying; "it's not our fault that the vast majority of XBLA games suck! Literally every single person we've ever spoken with is in agreement on this, and yet it's apparently shocking for gamers in general to hear (assuming that's who reads joystiq/kotaku)." There you have it folks. Confirmed. The XBLA has sucky games.
A pendulous new N+ level
We won't be too harsh on IGN for billing this video of N+ gameplay as the "first N+ DS footage." We'll just casually point over in the direction of, ahem, last month. Nonetheless, N+ video is always welcome. This short clip of a bizarre new level is no exception.This level's devious design centers around a large open area full of gold that is also guarded, panopticon-style, by a sentry, with a set of switches that forces the player to run back and forth across the area multiple times. You could choose to jump up and grab some of the copious gold, but it may slow you down, and that expanse has nowhere to hide from the targeted lasers. If that's not enough N-Plussery, IGN also has an interview up with Metanet that discusses the DS version briefly.%Gallery-14818%
