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Worldwide PS3 releases for week of May 22nd
Ready for your weekly worldwide PS3 releases? Good. Here they are: US Games Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End EU Games Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Asian Games NBA Street Homecourt A game for each territory this week. Aren't we lucky. Ready to get started on some hardcore 1080p pirating? My brain has a habit of glossing over any mention of franchise-based games, so I'll probably be giving this one a miss. Let me know if I should reconsider.Don't forget that the PS3 is region free, so feel free to choose any of the above list as your next purchase. Maybe you're a huge Pirates of the Caribbean fan and fancy playing a copy from each territory? It could happen, I suppose. And yes, I will be reminding you that the PS3 can read discs from any country every week. It's so easy to forget. Release dates are subject to change, as always.
Julius the Pirate Monkey DS Lite
It's been too long since we last took a sip from China's rum bottle of personalized DS Lites; it's time to get back on that wagon with a buccaneer-themed skin.YYJoy forumer Pikapika shivered our timbers, decorating his handheld with a crossed-cutlasses pattern and Julius the Monkey decked out in full corsair regalia. Now that's piracy we can get behind! Walk the post break plank for more photos of the shipshape DS Lite.
Pirates of the Carribean demo hits shores
The Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End demo has arrived on Marketplace, which is a good thing. The weird thing is the regions that it is available in, or more specifically, not available in. It's listed as available in all Xbox regions except the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Asia. So no go for North America, which is a little odd, considering the movie and its game are being made by American companies. So, Europe and other regions that don't fall into that category, can you play that first tutorial level and tell us how the game looks and feels?
Panasonic launches $600 DMP-BD10A Blu-ray player, bundles five films
Not too long after Pioneer went and introduced its second generation Blu-ray player, along comes Panasonic to follow suit, but unlike the BDP-LX70, we've got a pricetag as well as a few tempting reasons to pick this one up over the competition. The DMP-BD10A packs an audio upgrade that brings 7.1, Dolby True HD, and DTS-HD on board, and it incorporates Panasonic's EZ-Sync system for "one-touch operation" of your home theater. The overall design doesn't deviate too far from that seen in the first iteration, but you will find 1080p upconversion via HDMI, a 14-bit DA converter with 4x oversampling, support for BD-J, and compatibility between select HD camcorders via the AVCHD (H.264) codec. Notably, Panasonic is giving users two reasons to seriously considering its new offering, as the fairly reasonable $599.95 pricetag looks even better when you consider the five BD films (Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Transporter, Fantastic Four, and Crash) you'll be getting right in the box.[Via Impress]
Wii Warm Up: Piracy
And not the cool kind, folks. The Wii has not been on the market for over half a year, and like any other shining beacon of all that is right in this world, it has been corrupted by peg-legged drunkards. Or software pirates in the Philippines, or something, whatever.Some of you have already chimed in on your thoughts regarding game piracy, but how do you feel toward the practice in general? TV shows, movies, games, music, and outrageously expensive software have all become essentially free, thanks to various file sharing methods across the web. Do you do it? Do you look down on others who do? How can you justify such things? We'll be honest, we pirate occasionally ... usually stuff we'd be unable to obtain via normal means, like anime (Death Note!). But never games. Pinky swear.And don't worry ... we won't give the MPAA your IP addresses.
Pirates rule the Philippine seas
After a tour of the country last year, Indian President Abdul Kalam described the Philippines as a "smiling republic." Wherever he went, Kalam was met with smiling faces. Well, you'd be grinning too if you saw how cheap their games are. Thanks to the black market, popular Nintendo Wii titles are priced as low as $5 in some shops. Piracy has become so widespread in the Southeast Asian country, even Sony admits that most of its Playstation software sold in the Philippines are bootlegged copies.Filipino site GameOPS found that many stores also offer modchip installations. For about $51, you can have your system hacked to play these counterfeit games at the local mall or market. Furthermore, some shops advertise console bundles, selling imported and modded US Wiis with five copied games of your choice for around $450. Similar deals for chipped Xbox 360 systems with 10 pirated titles are actually cheaper at $388.With such a high level of piracy already in place, Nintendo will have a lot to work against when -- or if -- it decides to finally launch the Wii in the Philippines.
On Sony's love for pirates, Stargate and card games
Still on the topic of card games, it's really become tough keeping track of them all. You have your TCGs (the card game), CCGs (collectible card games), and CSGs (constructible card games), not to mention the CCGs of Star Trek: TNG (The Next Generation). Probably. Whenever we sit down to play a card game, whether it be Magic: The Gathering, or the World of Warcraft card game, or even Go Fish, we get bogged down by certain rules. Printed instructions like, "Must tap to save before using. Tap once to use, or double tap to reuse. Rinse wash repeat," usually lead to arguments, fist fights, and games abandoned halfway through.Not so with Sony Online Entertainment's new deck of PC-based card games. %Gallery-3066%
Yar! Pirates gameplay vids off the port bow!
Pirates and videogames have been friends for a long time. Movies and videogames ... not so much. With the upcoming release of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, we are faced with a conundrum. You see, Pirates is a game that is (naturally) filled with pirates. Sounds good, right? However, said game is also based on a film, which typically means bad mojo for any game.With the release of four new clips from the game, our hopes were high. Unfortunately, upon actually watching the new videos, we're thoroughly unimpressed. On the outside everything looks all right. In fact, the character models and animations are top notch. The combat, on the other hand, looks bland at best and awful at worst. It's clear that Disney Interactive Studios is attempting to borrow a few tricks from games like God of War and Prince of Persia, but the results are hardly convincing. From the "one guy at a time" AI to the lack luster swordplay, Pirates doesn't look too promising. There's also a distinct lack of sound. The Pirates movies are very loud and raucous, which isn't evident in these clips at all. Check out the videos after the break.
Canada a hotbed of piracy?
Canada looks to have found itself on the bad side of Microsoft, Apple, and other members of the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), with the group charging that the country isn't doing its part to fight piracy of software, movies and other intellectual property, The Inquirer reports. To that end, the group recently took its demands all the way to the U.S. government, asking for Canada to be moved up to the list of top piracy offenders, which currently includes the likes of China and Russia. The U.S. decided to give Canada a break this time 'round, however, leaving the country in its current second tier position alongside Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, and a number of other countries. Not surprisingly, the IIPA were none to pleased with that decision, saying that Canada's weak enforcement of piracy "continues to cause great damage to legitimate rights holders, both of Canadian and US copyright products."
Runat busts out Pirates of the Caribbean TV, CD and DVD players
Runat is certainly no stranger to Disney-fied gadgets, but the company looks to have stepped up its game for its new batch of Pirates of the Caribbean wares, adding a suitably piratey touch to some otherwise unremarkable TVs, CD players, and DVD players. In addition to the stylish adornments seen above, the 14-inch TV with built-in DVD player also comes complete with a compass-style remote, which while less than practical would seem to at least be pretty hard to lose. Rounding out the pirate-themed line-up is a treasure chest CD player (check it out after the break), and a DVD player modeled after a ship's wheel (also after the break), complete with glowing skull, of course. While it's not clear when or if any of these'll make it to North America, you can currently get 'em in Japan, with the TV setting you back a hefty $245, and the CD and DVD player running $66 and $105, respectively.[Via Akihabara News]
Pirates of the Caribbean 3 screens exist
We don't want to make any value judgments, so we'll stick to the facts. A Wii game based on Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End exists in some unreleased stage, and Jeux-France posted two screenshots of it, which we have posted here for you. The screens depict characters from the movie in what appear to be situations from the whole series. Sometimes the characters engage in combat against enemy characters. There is a display on the screen of the appropriate Wii controller motions for the situation.We don't want to speculate too much, but we're guessing that this game will be pressed onto discs and released to retailers near the time of the movie's release (late May). Should people want one of these discs containing the game, they will be able to obtain one in exchange for currency.[Via NeoGAF]
DVD pirates attempt subterfuge in war on crime dogs
Our favorite DVD-sniffin' crime dogs, Lucky and Flo, won't just have that price on their heads to worry about now: bootleggers have added in chemical sprays to throw the dogs off the scent. The two dogs went into hiding when the bounty hunters started after them last week, and haven't participated in any raids since they busted up a $3 million piracy ring. Now police believe pirates are trying to "show off their strength" by getting pirated DVDs back onto the streets, and part of that effort is using chemical sprays to fool the dogs, which are on the hunt for polycarbonate chemicals -- the smell of plastic. We'll see how effective they are when Lucky and Flo get back out on those mean Malaysian streets, but Malaysia is already looking into training its own set of DVD sniffers, so these two won't be alone in their fight against Evil for long.
Pirates trailer: swords, guns, and a kraken
Our friends at Gamertag Radio have posted a new trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (the game, not the movie, silly). The game shows off some decent graphics and plenty of swashbuckling action. The trailer displays many different locations from the movie, ranging from Tortuga to the Flying Dutchman and of course the Black Pearl itself. The game features plenty of sword fighting as well as ranged combat. The character models look very nice -- we particularly like the animation of Jack Sparrow's signature walk -- although they're strangely silent. Hopefully, we'll see the original actors reprise their roles in the game as well. Finally, this game has a kraken. There just aren't enough krakens in games these days, really.Check out the video and tell us what you think.
Yarr! Pirates sails to 360
No, we're not referring to the elusive Pimps At Sea Alpha. Disney Interactive Studios announced that they will be releasing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End for new generation consoles, including Xbox 360. Players will have their chance at the life of a pirate as Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann and of course, Captain Jack Sparrow. Looking to coincide with the film's release, the game is slated for May 22nd, 2007. DIS' President of Marketing, Craig Relyea, promises that the game will feature environments above and beyond those featured in the films as well as multiple endings. So, does this make you want to search for that bottle of rum, or are you going to get a case of scurvy?
Avast! More Treasure Island Z scans spotted
A NeoGAFfer and frequent Wii Fanboy tipster named creamsugar posted these new, higher-quality scans of Capcom's Treasure Island Z, and later in the thread Xboxyde's Blimblim cleaned up the images, which we have provided for you. After a careful inspection, we must say, that if we were excited about the game yesterday, today we are in full hype hype hype mode! We're ready to start freaking out about this game without really knowing anything about it!The graphics look so great (and we aren't going to assume that it's because of Blimblim's filter)-- finally, next-generation cel shading is here! And the art style and general piracy motif reminds us of one of the best Capcom games ever, the Mega Man Legends spinoff The Misadventures of Tron Bonne. Please, Capcom, let it be like Tron Bonne.Click the post break to see the scans, and then click those to see them in their original resolution.
Treasure Island Z: new pirate adventure from Capcom
This week's Famitsu unearths a new game that appears to be basically like treasure: a new Wii adventure game from Capcom, called Treasure Island Z, that is about pirates. Players use the Wiimote to solve riddles and puzzles as they search for riches and improve their standing among pirates. The scan reveals a cartoony graphic style and what look like animated cutscenes.This thing is like a nexus of good news. We don't know how anything could actually turn out as cool as the sum of these parts (pirate adventure games have a lot to live up to, as do Capcom adventure games) but we're hoping that Capcom and director Eiichirou Sasaki (who previously worked on the Resident Evil Outbreak games) are up to the task. Check out the scan after the plank break!
NYCC: Pirates of the Burning Sea interview
Who doesn't love pirates? The answer seemed to be "no one" as Flying Labs' upcoming MMORPG was swamped with fans throughout the entire New York Comic Con weekend. Although this MMO has been fairly under the radar, it certainly deserves a little more attention. Pirates of the Burning Sea promises a lot of playability, from multiple fighting styles, to naval battles, barter, economics, and more. It's the kind of stuff not-leaving-the-house-ever is made of.Saying whether or not the team has been successful on capitalizing on their ambitions requires having a lot more time with the game. Thankfully, there is a public beta available for those that want to find out more. The game promises tons of missions, both offline and on. With cross-functionality with a planned Pirates of the Asian Sea, the whole ninja versus pirates debate can finally be settled ... in a far more artistic way than the Internet has ever portrayed it.Watch the video to get more info about the game. Be warned that it's incredibly long and will waste tons of your time. But that doesn't stop MMORPG players, right?
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 6
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. Ocean's 13 Download MP4 (6.51MB) | Download THM The following videos are featured after the break: Flow (PS3), The Warriors (PSP), Tales of Destiny 2 (PSP), Sid Meier's Pirates! (PSP)
Pirates Online event recap: Sword-fighting
I played Pirates of the Caribbean Online at a media gathering last week; this post describes the event put on to keep us journalists entertained. While Capcom has thrown its share of parties -- publishers often dangle shiny objects to draw us journalists in -- Disney Online tied its in-game sword-fighting to a real-life fencing event.Any event like this has food. (The tasty plantains paid dual tribute to the Caribbean of said online pirates and the largely Latino location of San Francisco's Mission District.) Beyond our stomachs, Disney Online tried to impress us with various props used in the movies, hidden behind glass cases, safely away from our greasy fingers. But the real spectacle was that they thought it'd be a good idea to give us all swords and let us spastically fight each other.Okay, it was a little more controlled than that because the event was held at the Golden Gate Fencing Center. Olympic coach, Mike Pederson literally said that he didn't want any of our eyes on the ends of our swords. (I assume they're hard to clean off.) We all worked to live up to that goal, but our legal waiver aimed much lower.
Deal of the Day: Sid Meier's Pirates! for cheap
Sid Meier's Pirates! is available for the PSP today and it's available for only $20 at EB Games and Gamestop ... that's $10 less than MSRP. With coupon code "SAVER," you'll be able to get free shipping, making it an even sweeter deal.Considering how IGN recently gave the game a whopping 9.0 out of 10, this might be the deal you've been looking for. From their review: "Everything that makes Pirates! what it is is here and in fantastic form. The most important elements, like ship battles, exploration and such are identical to what you 'd find on the PC, which is really what matters. If you own a PSP, head to the nearest port and hand over some booty for this one."[Via IGN]
