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Mazes of Fate getting ported from GBA
We're pretty inured to this kind of thing on the Wii, although we still enjoy getting outraged about it now and then. But now we're starting to see last-gen ports on the DS! Sure, we have the Phoenix Wright games already, but they totally get a pass since the ports are new to the US and Europe. RPGLand reports that Mazes of Fate, the first-person dungeon crawler developed by Argentina's Sabarasa Entertainment, is being prepared for a DS release by publisher Signature Devices and their in-house developer Graffiti Entertainment. Unlike Phoenix Wright, the GBA version of Mazes of Fate did come out in the US-- in December of last year. The DS is a good system for dungeon games, with its map-displaying second screen, and Graffiti is adding new dungeons, characters, and some touch-screen stuff. If you don't already have the game, this is the one to get. Or if you have a DS Lite and you get really embarrassed about the GBA protuberance.
Project Rygar not as big a project as we thought
We were very excited about the prospect of a new Rygar game on the Wii. Whipping the Diskarmor around sounds like one of those things that would naturally be perfect for the Wiimote. And we thought, based on the brand-new character art and the title-- Project Rygar-- that we were in for some big new stuff. After all, if it's a "Project," that means it's a pretty intensive undertaking, right? One that takes a lot of time and effort on Tecmo's part?Yeah, it's a port of the PS2 game Rygar: The Legendary Adventure. The one from 2002. That's a little depressing! But hey, if it helps, the PS2 game was a fairly competent Devil May Cry-alike. And Tecmo is promising new content in the form of the newly-designed main character and, more significantly, a new Wiimote-friendly battle mode.[Via NeoGAF]
Wii Warm Up: Acceptable ports
We talked about this a little a few months back, but now that we've seen that a waggle-port can be done quite well thanks to Resident Evil 4, we thought it might be a good time to revisit this topic. Are you a little more inclined to be curious about ports with new controls now? And since you know there will be ports, what would you like to see redone for the Wii? What games do you think could really benefit from the addition of motion-sensitive controls?
Conjecture Countdown: 11 days to go
Even with a diminished E3, there's no controlling the wave of rumors that hit the Internet every year before the show. Why fight it? From now until E3 hits, we'll be posting one piece of wild speculation every day. Some may be patently ridiculous, and others just might turn out to be true. Even some of the ridiculous ones might turn out to be true! Rest assured, everything will be totally made-up and unfounded. Except, of course, when we speak about all the ass Reggie is going to kick. That part? Totally true.Rumor: Square Enix will announce their plans to remake some games for the DS!
Conspiracy to publish Wii budget titles in the U.S.
Data Design Interactive and U.S. Developer Conspiracy have announced a distribution agreement that will bring nine new Wii-exclusive titles to the U.S. this year. Most of the games seem to be knock-offs of more popular titles such as Mario Kart or the Harry Potter series, but this Ninjabread Man game has our attention. No release date or prices have been set, but the games have been marketed at budget prices in the UK, so we can likely expect the same in the States. Mini Desktop Racing - A "minature racer" Monster Trux Offroad - a "rugged racer" Ninjabread Man - 3D platformer Action Girlz Racing - "fairy-tale racer" Anubis II - 3D platformer Billy Wizard - a "magic/action game" banking on the popularity of Harry Potter Myth Makers - SuperKart GP - a racing game, of course Rock N Roll Adventures - musical action/platformer Earache - Extreme Metal Racing - yet another offroad racer
With success comes the flood
Remember when Data Design Interactive was going to port a "few" titles to the Wii? Apparently, a "few" means "more than thirty." By the end of the year, it looks like we will be rich in clunky, poorly-reviewed budget ports. Thanks, Data Design. And by "thanks," we mean, "gah, why?" Not a single game we've seen announced is new ... and we're not sure we'd want to see a new one if they made it.Don't let the cute look of Ninjabread Man fool you. All signs point to awful.
Trade in your old ports for a new port
If you're lucky enough to have a Hastings store nearby, the entertainment retailer is offering to exchange your moth-eaten copies of Super Paper Mario or The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for a waggle-fied edition of Resident Evil 4. They'll also accept Rainbow Six Vegas (360) and God of War II (PS2), but not without scowling at you first.According to the rest of Hastings's weekly ad, there's a buy-1-get-2nd-for-free sale on body jewelry, so be on the look out for that deal too! Put away the other two RE4 games you've already bought for previous platforms, throw on a shirt that shows off your belly-button-ringed midriff, and check past the post break for the full flyer.
Godspeed, X-Com DS
We usually wait until a homebrew project has had time to mature past its alpha builds before calling the game to your attention, but we take exception with any and all plans for a portable X-Com: UFO Defense. Our love affair with the turn-based, tactical title has been a romance with few equals, inviting comparisons with Shakespeare's tragic coupling of Romeo and Juliet. Should society ever try to separate us, you'll find that we've already taken measures to leave this miserable world, our lifeless arms entwined with X-Com's diskettes even in death. Blue_knight has posted screenshots of the progress he's made so far with adapting the game's data for the DS. The handheld clone already features tileset loading/creation, four height views, and touchscreen support for scrolling around the battlescape. Though there's still a lot left to implement, like fog of war and a map overview on the second screen, that hasn't stopped us from scouting countries for potential bases and trading tips on how to best attack Chryssalid terror sites.%Gallery-4133%[Via DCEmu]
Currently unused component found in Wiimote
Before you go running off to troll post on various message boards, we'd like to give you some specifics. A recent CNN technology feature details some of the various chips and components found within the forty-dollar Wiimote. Among the Bluetooth converters and accelerometers is a component listed as an "audio translator," which "converts analog data such as human speech into a digital data stream. This feature is unused now but will probably be employed in future games." The approximate cost is listed at $2.00.So, what's the deal? First, there is no actual microphone (a device capable of converting vibrational energy into electrical signals) found within the Wiimote. Though basic electrical engineering principals allow a standard speaker to act in such a fashion, the signal quality and frequency response would be unacceptably low. This chip actually requires an expansion device for it to be used at all. So why add it? It's only two dollars, but this rather unnecessary addition has cost the company several dozen million dollars. We can only assume that Nintendo or significant third parties are planning a title utilizing an expansion microphone, which will be presumably cheap enough to bundle with a title and incur no markup in price.God knows the masses need a mainstream karaoke game (we know about Karaoke Revolution for the PS2, but it never really took off), and the Wii is just the system to do it. Like a Virginnnnn ... hey!
Wii Warm Up: The Okami rumors are back
Just when you thought it was safe to stop hoping for an Okami port on the Wii, the rumors are back. Oh, not necessarily because anything new happened, except for folks apologizing for porting games to the Wii instead of making new content, but just because Stephen Munn at Aeropause thinks that, despite Capcom's loose denial of the possibility of a Wii Okami, the time is ripe. Your thoughts?
Square-Enix remakes just keep on comin'
Not content with releasing eighty remakes of popular Final Fantasy titles and making an obscene profit from said actions, a recent online interview with CEO Yoichi Wada revealed that the company has plans to remake an unknown number of their other mega-popular franchise, Dragon Quest (also known, for earlier iterations, as Dragon Warrior here in the states).Which titles and how many are as of yet unknown ... the information seemed to just slip right out of Wada-san's vocal cords ... but we'd imagine a compilation similar to Final Fantasy: Dawn of Souls. Also, while not officially confirmed for the DS, we can't really imagine these titles going anywhere else. Does this news excite you guys, or are the old-school DQ titles just a bit too old-school?
Today's most multiplatformtastic game video: Harry Potter Wii
An extended Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix trailer for WIi is our video pick for the day. Watch Harry and friends swing their wands around, seemingly in coordination with the Wii Remote. Or so we hope. The game is set for release on eight platforms next month, and like other multiplatform titles, the Wii version is the biggest unknown.See the video after the break.
FFIV DS to remove spoony bard?! [update 1]
[Update 1: Our bad. It appears that, in fact, three-fourths of the original game script was actually left out of the SNES title, and much of it will be added in for the new DS re-release. Still, the probability of a script rewrite is extremely high, so our terrifying supposition remains.]Unacceptable, we decry! News from yon Square Enix headquarters, which is releasing approximately a dozen Final Fantasy-branded games in the next twelve months, reports that over three-fourths of Final Fantasy IV's script will be completely redone for the upcoming DS re-release. This is generally good news, as Square Enix's early efforts hardly utilized the kind of localization teams they employ today, but this particular instance is blasphemy.The term "spoony bard" has become a cultural mainstay for today's youth. Why, when's the last time you could even leave the house without hearing it spoken thrice in direct succession? The removal of this phrase, we feel, would be extremely detrimental to the development of future generations. Square Enix, we implore thee, leave this paragon of digital literature be.[Thanks, zshadow!]
DS Daily: One more time
Nostalgia is a big factor for veteran gamers. As we long wistfully for the days of yore, full of Opera Houses and Triple Techs, companies scheme to use this wonderful emotion for profit. Square-Enix is a particularly egregious offender, but damned if we're not willing to buy that game we loved just one more time.Final Fantasy III is a bit of an exception, since the title was never truly released in regions outside of Japan before last year. But how willing are you, as gamers, to buy rehashes of the very same game? We got the entire Final Fantasy Advance series (I, II, IV, V, and VI) and now Square-Enix wants to release a graphically overhauled version of FFIV ... again? With the inclusion of Final Fantasy Chronicles on the Playstation, this will be the fourth release of the same freaking game.Do you need extra features or updated graphics to re-buy a game, or do you refuse on principal? As we know is that as long as we keep buying them, Square-Enix will keep remaking them. Pah.
Homebrew Warlords invades the DS
Though we hate to think of the Nintendo DS as a system overrun with ports of old games, we won't raise any arguments when those ports consist of PC classics. Homebrew developer Beathwho has started work on bringing over a DS version of Warlords, one of the finest turn-based strategy titles to hit home computers in the early 90s. If you've played Puzzle Quest, then you're already familiar with the series' fantasy world of Etheria.With Infinite Interactive already planning a commercial release of Warlords 2 for the DS, we can't imagine that they'd be too happy seeing games from their franchise put out for free. Still, it's great to see someone deliver these old favorites to our handhelds. Now all we need are ports of X-Com and Civilization![Via PAlib]
Wii Warm Up: Check out this RE4 boxart
Not so much a discussion topic today as it is a directed viewing. This is the boxart for the European release of Resident Evil 4. It's basically the PAL PS2 boxart, but white instead of red. We are now totally okay with the tacked-on waggle controls, and the fact that it's a Wii port of a game that is two years old and can already be played on Wii, because it's got really nice boxart. We're not even being sarcastic. Too bad about the "Wii Edition" thing, but we'll look past that. So what's your opinion? Awesome boxart, or totally awesome boxart?
Square-Enix: making new games is hard, we'll just re-make old ones [UPDATE]
[UPDATE: It seems this story was based on this original report from a satire web site. Joystiq regrets the error.] With the recent success of the Final Fantasy Advance games on the GBA and the 3D remake of Final Fantasy III on the DS, Square-Enix has announced a new business model that, well, isn't new at all. The company has decided to focus on re-releasing old games for new systems, punching up the visuals and adding bonus content in the process. Get ready to own the original Final Fantasy ... again.Cashing in on gamers' nostalgia has been profitable for many companies (especially Nintendo), and despite our cries to stop the ports and sequels, we still hand over the cash. We can't say we're thrilled with the news, but it does bring a glimmer of hope for some of the company's forgotten franchises. First person to say "FFVII ON TEH PS3" or "CHRONO TRIGGER 3D ON THEE DS!!!1" wins a cookie. [Via Siliconera]
Wii Warm Up: Port authority
EA just announced that the Wii is getting The Sims 2: Pets and really, we can't say we're particularly thrilled. In fact, we're officially torn. The Wii, as a system, is terribly young, despite all the SuperCube remarks some folks like to make. The Wii only has a couple of years behind it, after all. Because of that, we're trying to be patient. One can't expect a revolutionary control system to immediately take root and manifest itself in awesomeness. So we're waiting. And while we appreciate the urge to throw us a few bones while we're waiting, we think we may speak for everyone when we say that, really, we have enough ports. Games that released year are ... well, they're pretty much last year's games, and if we wanted them, we probably played them then. Sure, we understand that if there's a buck to be made by printing a few more discs, someone's going to rush in to make it, but it just seems more and more gratuitous with every new generation. Enough already!Or are we alone in this sentiment? Maybe we just don't have enough love for the Sims any longer. It's hard, when we're so busy thinking of MySims.There is one thing that's interesting about The Sims 2: Pets, and that's the possibility of online features. Hurray![Thanks for the Sims tip, Limpit!]
Crazy Taxi still looks crazy bad
Sega's upcoming PSP version of Crazy Taxi has come a long way. The very first video of the game ran at a sluggish rate, featured nearly deserted streets, and had textures worse than the original Dreamcast version. It appears that some significant progress has been made, but is it enough? We say no. A new gameplay montage on IGN reveals greatly improved visuals, but the textures and polygon count still fall short of what we expect from our handheld. While the gameplay looks fun, we can't help but remember playing the taxi cab mode of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and being far more impressed.At least we won't be charged an arm and a leg for this technically shallow Dreamcast port: releasing at a budget price makes sense to us. But still, wouldn't we love to see a game that truly takes advantage of PSP's capabilities?
DS Daily: You shouldn't take it with you
While we like to think everything is better on a handheld, the fact is that it's just not true. Some things just aren't made for portable gaming, but that doesn't stop people from trying to pull it off anyway! Games made in connection with movies often suffer on handhelds; while a resemblance to beloved characters can help sell even a poorly made game on a console, those likenesses don't always make it to handhelds intact. Action and racing-oriented games often suffer as well (though we can name some notable exceptions), because handheld versions are often either poor spinoffs of console games, or simply don't have control schemes that work on a handheld.But what about games that are split into long gameplay sessions? We tend to prefer games that allow us to save anytime when we're on the go. After all, sometimes you just can't spend another ten minutes searching for a save point, because you need to board a plane or get out of the car.So what have you played almost exclusively at home? Tell us about the games that rarely see the sunlight.
