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Prince of Persia heads to Morocco for film shoot
The transition between video game and film is typically no different than one of those trap-laden corridors Ubisoft's princely protagonist dashes through on a regular basis. Though we yearn to say otherwise, Disney's Prince of Persia: Sands of Time film hasn't shown to be particularly adept at running the gauntlet. Coupling mega producer Jerry Bruckheimer's involvement with director Mike Newell's promise (of having his assistant play through the game) leads us to believe that the crew has fallen into the very first pit and succumbed to one of those spinning blade thingies.Still, we'd best give them a chance to finish shooting in Morocco this June, which Variety notes will have a positive effect on the North African film business. Scenes for the Jeffrey Nachmanoff- and Jordan Mechner-written project will also be filmed at the UK's Pinewood Shepperton studios. Cross your fingers and hope for something more than a literal explosion of bullet-time sword fights, churlish chariot chases and liberal lingering on Farah's faucets.
Wii Warm Up: Wii Ware progress report
Even though no one outside of Japan knows when to expect Wii Ware, the game service has had quite a few interesting titles announced for it. But, what game or games are you most excited about?Let's give it a little rundown, shall we? We have a pretty looking spin-off from Square-Enix, a few possible adventure titles, a platformer, some puzzle games (including a beloved classic), a unique butterfly simulation, something currently called Project Bang! -- oh, and then there's the one with the Pokemon. We haven't even mentioned the slew of others that came with Wii Ware's original announcement, and then there may even be some that we've forgotten.We know you have to be at least a little bit excited for Wii Ware. So, tell us -- which games most strike your fancy?
SingStar '90s makes us feel old
As if VH1's I Love the '90s and The Simpsons' recent '90s-stalgia episode weren't bad enough, Sony is helping us feel incredibly old with the announcement of Singstar '90s. The new karaoke collection, which goes on sales March 12 for the PS2, features Boyz 2 Men, New Kids on the Block, Spin Doctors and other artists that were popular in a decade that only ended eight years ago for goodness sakes.Speaking of old age, we've been approaching it rapidly as we wait for the oft-delayed PS3 edition of Singstar, which an IGN interview reveals is now set for a May release in the U.S. That same interview also reveals the existence of Singstar Pop, Vol. 2, also coming in May for the PS2. We just hope our new dentures don't adversely affect our singing voices by then.
NBC's 'Life' investigates Prince of Persia
Writers -- the unsung heroes of television detective work! Sprinkling logic crumbs throughout the investigation and frequently bending reality to ensure those pesky crooks get captured, the behind-the-scenes scribes are the ones doing the real dirty work. Witness the investigative team of NBC "Life" being given a bona fide boon in the improbable decision of a drug dealer to hide incriminating files inside his console, which we're helpfully informed is "just a hard drive with games on it." Accessing the evidence requires an embarrassing plot device yanked straight from the zeitgeist: The detectives must dramatically reach "Level 10" in Ubisoft's Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, preferably with the aid of a stealth gurrrl gamer.[Thanks, Hashbrown_Hunter]
Harry Potter director offered Prince of Persia movie reins
Variety reports that mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer has offered director duties for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time to Mike Newell. Although Newell directed Four Weddings and a Funeral and Donnie Brasco, we're guessing Bruckheimer is tapping Newell because of his work with Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. Newell is currently meeting with Disney studio execs this week and an announcement will probably be made shortly thereafter.The script for Prince of Persia was written by Jeffrey Nachmanoff (The Day After Tomorrow) and PoP creator Jordan Mechner. All we can say at this point is this movie is sounding like a popcorn munching friendly theater experience.
Pop on Wii Ware looks cooler than we thought
Okay, we admit that we were a little skeptical about Pop, Nnooo's upcoming Wii Ware title. You might even say we were blatantly snarky. We fear that we might have to eat an unhealthy serving of crow, however, after seeing IGN's impressions of the game. Even though it has a simple concept, Pop appears to be surprisingly deep. Not only does the game have an enchanting aesthetic, with sixteen different background variations, but the gameplay also has many different facets. The multiplayer mode seems to be the game's bread and butter, allowing four players to compete in some bubble popping madness. Strategy comes heavily into play here, as you have to pop big bubbles to add more time to your meter, yet pop small bubbles to get more points and beat your competitors. Pop also gets harder as it progresses, putting our fears to rest that the game would be too easy.Nnooo also tries to deliver a fulfilling single-player experience by adding achievements to the game, which they call "badges," as well as various playing modes. You can also earn badges in the multiplayer setting, not to mention have your scores tracked and pimped via WiiConnect24 notifications. IGN reports that the soundtrack is pretty enticing, too, and might be sold over iTunes at some point.We're starting to become excited about this title, at least a little bit, and if pulled off correctly we think it can only mean good things for the future of Wii Ware. What do you guys think? Can Pop be the next Geometry Wars?
Yay? Australian dev brings Pop to Wii Ware
Sydney-based studio Nnooo (pronounced "No!" as in, "No, our game doesn't really have much to it.") announced last night its plans to develop an all-ages Wii Ware project titled Pop. Playable by up to four people on the same console, Pop "challenges" you to quickly burst bubbles and rack up points with chains and multipliers. Judging from the trailer embedded past the break, the game's design and mechanics are about as simple as they sound. If you're looking for more depth, you might want to hold onto your Wii points and play with a sheet of bubble wrap instead.
Virtual bubblewrap: the best / worst gadget ever made
Bandai Asovision has taken possibly the most enjoyable side benefit of having a gadget obsessed life and made it 100% legitimate with the PuchiPuchi, a gadget that emulates the joy of popping bubble wrap. The PuchiPuchi simply features eight buttons that each make a popping sound when you press them: for extra enjoyment, the creators have sought to include bonus popping sounds like "door chime" and "sexy voice" every 100 pops, and there's also a one-in-a-thousand chance that your PuchiPuchi will be a super special "puchi lucky" toy with a heart shaped bubble. Frankly, the concept is so absurd -- and, well, Japanese -- that it might just work. Still, we've got to admit to hoping that each PuchiPuchi includes a healthy portion of real bubble wrap on the side.
Legendary Pictures producing Diablo film [update]
The official website of film production company Legendary Pictures has recently been updated to reflect a Diablo movie entering development alongside the previously announced World of Warcraft film. As far as game-to-film adaptations go, Blizzard's demonic role-player probably represents one of the better properties to mine, certainly ranking above The Sims and Dead or Alive. Examining the group's lineup of completed films, which includes Batman Begins and 300, vaguely instills some confidence in this adaptation, but we think you'll find the hands of movie executives usually have a way of wringing that out of you.No other information about the Diablo film has been disclosed, though it seems a fair guess that it'll have the eponymous villain attempting to wreck the world, only to be foiled by a floating arrow constantly jabbing at his head. Blizzard was unavailable for comment at the time of writing -- presumably off shoving large jewels into their skulls.[Via ComingSoon.net][Update: The Diablo listing has since been removed from the Legendary Pictures website.]
Prince of Persia Classic hits XBLA this Wednesday
While Ubisoft may have spilled the beans in regards to Prince of Persia Classic's releasing this Wednesday, Microsoft has caught up and officially confirmed that announcement, as well as price point. The updated title, with its snazzy new mazes, traps and graphical enhancements, is going to run you 800 Microsoft Points. We suppose that could have been expected, but it still may turn a few off from the title. We'll have to wait and see if the demo pulls us in, nostalgic memories notwithstanding. What's your take on the game and price?
This Wednesday: Prince of Persia remake pops onto XBLA
Ubisoft has told Eurogamer that June 13th's Xbox Live Arcade release will indeed be the revered and now revitalized royalty of platformers, Prince of Persia Classic. First glimpsed in April, the game looks to be a beautiful remake of the first landmark adventure, taking place well before all those "time is an ocean in a storm" shenanigans. As such, you should expect to swig potions, swing swords and plummet down extraordinarily deep chasms on a frequent basis as you attempt to rescue the Princess of Persia... or Posture, by the looks of it. No announcement regarding the price has been made, but 800 MS points ($10) would be a fair guess. Funnily enough, the game's value is inversely proportional to your platforming prowess. Perhaps it's best you don't finish the adventure within the traditional one hour time limit. We'll update this post once we learn the final details.
Game Center CX is TV for retro game nerds
Fuji TV's Game Center CX has everything: exclusive developer interviews, looks at early versions of some of our favorite games, and, every episode, one man giving his very best to play a classic game to completion. The first season of the show focused more on the interviews and features; from season 2 on, the focus of the show became the gaming-- suffering along with host Shinya Arino as he tries to play old games from start to finish. The games range from the classic (Metroid, Prince of Persia, Actraiser) to the classic-to-us (Kato-chan & Ken-chan) to the painful (Takeshi no Chousenjou, which seems to have been designed as a cynical joke against gamers). Of course, the show is edited to fit into its format, so you aren't stuck watching all twelve hours or however long it takes.Crunk Games's Ray Barnholt is our hero for compiling this exhaustive episode guide. He has profiled the personalities and written detailed descriptions of each episode, including who is interviewed, what is discussed, and, most importantly, a play-by-play of the game sessions. Reading his descriptions is almost as good as watching the actual show. Speaking of the actual show, he's provided links to Japanese fanpages, at least one of which has Youtube links.We're generally glad that the Virtual Console is raising awareness of old games in general. Now we're glad that the VC enables whole new generations to do what Arino is doing, and experience game history first hand, one complete game at a time.Would you watch this kind of thing if it were on American TV? How about a similar show in English on the web? We wouldn't mind some personal narrative or gameplay videos on the Wii, to add value to the VC experience.
New gen Prince of Persia art
Ubisoft released some character art for their new gen Prince of Persia game. Since the Two Thrones wrapped up the previous storyline, this will be an all new start for the Prince. The image itself comes from Xbox World 360 magazine's recent preview, which suggests that the gauntlet that the Prince is donning could come into play in the game. Whether it does or not, it still looks a lot like Hellboy's Right Hand of Doom. But on the left hand, as Prince appears to have a dagger (of time?) in his right. What would you like in a 360 Prince of Persia game?
Grundig B700 crams Linux in a smartphone
Just as Grundig is no stranger to the cellphone realm, Linux has seen its fair share of smartphones too, and the B700 marks yet another mobile in which an open-sourced OS is at the helm. Boasting a respectably thin ten-millimeter frame, this handset packs a two-megapixel CMOS camera, MP3 / AAC / video playback, 2.4-inch 320 x 240 resolution display, 2.5-hours of minimum talk time (150+ hours on standby), EDGE / GSM quad-band connectivity, USB, Bluetooth, built-in FM tuner, 100MB of internal storage, and a microSD slot for loading up any excess media. Aside from looking slightly like an antiquated calculator when powered down, the B700 manages to include a POP3 email push client, handsfree speaker, voice recorder, and animated wallpapers as well. Unfortunately, there's no word on future pricing nor availability, but we have our doubts about this thing ever flourishing here in the States.[Via MobileWhack]
PoP Wii moves demonstrated
The first footage for Prince of Persia: Rival Swords has finally been revealed, showcasing the exact Wiimote movements one will need to perform in order to make the Prince do the things he does oh so well. Actually, the presentation makes the proposed experience on the Wii look superior to the Prince's past treks.As usual, the video has been embedded past the post break.
15th anniversary Puyo Pop screenshot explosion
Game Watch just updated their website with a ton of screenshots from the game, as well as a plethora of concept art for some of the game's proposed included characters. The game will be broken down better, in the hopes of making it easier for beginners to get into and play, with 3 different classes of difficulty. The game is currently scheduled for a December 14th release in Japan and will sell for 5,040 ¥ (or about $42 USD).We've included some of the screens and concept art into the post, past the break.
Puyo Pop celebrates 15 years with new game [update]
If there is one thing we here at DS Fanboy love, it's Phoenix Wright. If there's a second thing, it has got to be puzzle games. As such, the recent announcement that a new Puyo Pop game was coming to Japan on December 14th complete with Wi-Fi gameplay was enough to send the staff into convulsions, dropping to the floor with so much of a thud as a dead fish (we can't be fish, how would we type?!).This time around, Sega hopes to spice up the gameplay by having the board flip upside-down during the match. This will obviously cause more tension in the game, which is already a nail-biter as is. We can confidently say that we will be importing this game come December 14th, but how about you guys and gals?[Via Go Nintendo][Update: Pesky sentence fragments. It has been repaired, thanks GamingBurrito!]
New Prince of Persia announced
The angsty Prince is back in a new game entitled Prince of Persia: Rival Swords. Like Revelations before it, Rival Swords is essentially an enhanced port of a PoP console game. Rival Swords takes the gameplay from last year's critically acclaimed The Two Thrones and adds new levels and multiplayer modes. For example, you will be able to race through levels against a friend, or play through new chariot levels and re-enact your favorite scene from Ben-Hur. The game will hit Holiday 2006 in Europe, and then hit American shores in 2007.Should we get excited? I'm a bit doubtful on this one. Revelations met critical disapproval due to its high number of glitches and ridiculous loading times, and the same developer (Pipeworks Software) is working on this port. They might be able to work out the bugs this time around, but with so many original games heading to the system soon, a port can't really grab my attention.[Via IGN]
Cableyoyo introduces Pop
At Macworld Boston we were bowled over by Cableyoyo, and it seems that they have another trick up their sleeve. What is better than a thin cable management solution? A thin management solution with a suction cup called Pop, of course!The idea is that you would slap this thing on the back of your iPod, or what have you, and you wouldn't have to deal with unsightly cable clutter. They will even have 'pop art,' which are stickers designed to decorate your Pop in whimsical ways.Pricing and shipping date are not available at the moment.
