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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.
Adventure game Secret Files: Tunguska coming to Wii, DS
Distributor Koch Media announced today the point and click adventure title Secret Files: Tunguska is coming to both Wii and DS systems. According to the studios handling the development, 10TACLE for the Wii and Keen Games for the DS, Secret Files is "a perfect-match" for each platform's unique control schemes. The DS port will be out later this year with the Wii version following Q1 2008. The PC version of Secret Files is already at-large.The adventure genre has struggled to maintain its presence on consoles and handhelds in recent years. The DS has revived the scene with Phoenix Wright, Trace Memory, Hotel Dusk, and the upcoming Myst DS. Secret Files will be the first traditional adventure game for the Wii. Could motion-sensitive controls shock a little life into players' interest in the genre?
Activision tries to one-up Ubisoft at being sorry
Yesterday we reported that Ubisoft owned up to their lazy Wii ports. Today, Activision CEO Robert Kotick reminded Next-Gen.biz readers that his company was dumping ports on Nintendo systems before it was cool.Konick admitted that the GameCube was a "non-strategic platform" for them, which meant that they couldn't be bothered to put significant effort into it. But now that the Wii is huge, they're putting more attention into Nintendo releases. Like Guitar Hero: "There probably is no better product to take advantage of the capabilities of the Wii than Guitar Hero." But ... isn't Guitar Hero probably going to be a port of some kind? Or if it's not, why develop a Wii-specific version? And how is a game that requires a specialized controller going to take advantage of the capabilities of the Wii, when most of the capabilities are tied to the system's standard controller? Isn't this exactly the kind of thing that was the problem before?
Ubisoft on Ubiports: 'We made mistakes'
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, speaking to Spiegel magazine, candidly (yet indirectly) revealed that he believed that some of his company's Wii releases were less than perfect. No, not Red Steel. Guillemot was referring to the spate of ports that Ubisoft released to fill out their lineup.Regarding the hasty ports (games such as Prince of Persia: Rival Swords, Far Cry: Vengeance, and Monster 4x4 World Circuit), Guillemot said that "We made mistakes." Ubisoft admitting to overporting? Between this and weird releases like My Word Coach, Ubi seems like a whole new company!
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?
New games this week: Pokemon Diamond/Pearl edition
Even if you have no proclivity to catch 'em all, you'd have to admit that Pokemans are holding down the fort this week. At least they're not ports, which is more than you can say for the big three. Besides all that, the kids just love 'em.%Gallery-2742%Nintendo DS: Pokemon Diamond Pokemon Pearl SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters Devilish
Wii Warm Up: Superfluous waggle
Some games, like the ubiquitous Wii Sports, use the Wiimote's space-age technology to closely map real motion into gameplay. This is generally regarded as "neat" and accepted by the masses, who run off to show their grandparents.Other games, like the upcoming port of Resident Evil 4, make no such attempt to represent physical motion as virtual motion (outside of the new knife controls). In fact, some of the motion controls seem to be simulating button presses. Case in point, reloading requires you to hold B and shake the Wiimote. That's hardly more representative of the action of reloading a gun than pushing a button, or even going into a menu.We sort of revealed how we felt there, but this isn't about us. It's about you. How does non-representative motion control affect you? Is it still fun to waggle, even when you're waggling abstractly?
Famitsu reveals Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, confirms RE4 port [update 1]
[Update 1: fixed the name of the DS game. Thanks, SnesR0X, and no thanks to the many similar DS-game subtitles!]It's been a while since we had a directed blurry-Famitsu-picture staredown, and this one is, as usual, totally worth staring at. Famitsu printed a long-awaited look at Capcom's Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, the Wii-exclusive RE-series-spanning game.According to the article, it's a first-person gun shooting game with playable characters from past REs including Chris, Jill, Wesker, and others. Whether it's a true FPS or an on-rails affair like Resident Evil: Dead Aim remains to be seen.Also in Famitsu was confirmation that Resident Evil 4 is getting an enhanced Wii release. Rumor has it that all the PS2 extras will be included, but the only definite is an added Wiimote-controlled knife mode. Sounds like RE Deadly Silence on the DS.[Thanks, zshadow!]
VESA approves DisplayPort 1.1: kiss those DVI and VGA ports goodbye
Get ready for hot, hot convergence kids 'cause the DisplayPort 1.1 specification was just approved. The new VESA-approved digital interface standard is meant to replace DVI and VGA ports while co-existing with HDMI for HDTV connectivity. As you can see in the picture above, it's about the size of a USB connector yet offers 2x the performance of DVI in a much smaller package. They also bake in a nasty dollop of HDCP 1.3 content protection to keep the Blu-ray and HD DVD kiddies happy. The wee size allows the interface to be included in smaller handheld electronics while enabling direct-drive LCD panels thereby eliminating the need for non-panel LVDS electronics in the monitor designs. Of course it also supports pass-through of DVI and HDMI signals via simple adapters similar to DVI-to-HDMI variety on the market today. So which of our esteemed manufactures will bite first? We're not sure, but VESA isn't shy about using Dell's high-end XPS systems in their marketing collateral. Of course, the question they don't answer is, why not just move everything to HDMI? For that, you just have to look at who backs royalty-free DisplayPort (the PC industry) and who backs HDMI (the consumer electronics industry). Yeah, we know.
Sony introduces Bravia TDM-IP1 iPod dock
These days, it seems like no home theater is complete without an iPod accessory of some sort, so why should your new Sony Bravia LCD HDTV be any different? Now you can officially get your groove on with the TDM-IP1 Digital Media Port dock, which unlike Sony's other stab at iPod docking, connects your compatible Bravia set with your iPod and charges it while playing back your favorite audio and video media. It retails for $99, which is way overpriced for a video iPod dock, but this is Sony after all.
EBGames says Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition on the way
According to a preorder listing found on EBGames' website, a new Wii version of Resident Evil 4 will be released on June 25th for $30. While we don't have any details on it, other than that EB thinks it exists, we can speculate about what it will include: the PS2 extras, if we're lucky, and a new Wiimote control scheme. It seems a little shocking that companies are already porting Gamecube games to the Wii, although Shigeru Miyamoto hinted at the prospect back in August. We can't wait to see how one of the Gamecube's most impressive games benefits from the power of a second, taped-on Gamecube.[Via GoNintendo]
Hackers get AppleTV running WoW
Reader Randomdruid sent along this tip that might interest you if you've picked up Apple's new AppleTV set-top box (I'm too busy working on Sha'tar rep to watch TV, but our good friends at Engadget and TUAW have been doing almost nothing but since the thing came out). Apparently, hackers have already gotten WoW up and running on it.It's not too big a deal, since I'm pretty sure the box is running a specialized version of OS X anyway, and of course WoW runs on that. The guys at Tutorial Ninja have worked up detailed instructions on how to get any number of applications working on the AppleTV (including Firefox and Centerstage, the open source Mac media center). Scroll down to the middle of the page there, and on the list of "confirmed working apps," you'll find World of Warcraft.But there is one catch: it looks like pretty much everything has to be installed onto the hard drive by plugging it into another computer. So not only will you have to crack open your pretty new AppleTV, but odds are that you'll have to somehow run WoW from a text interface. And I don't know how you'd actually play it even if it is running-- one of TN's goals is to "get USB working so people can play WoW comfortably." So it's not as easy as throwing the WoW disc in and jumping into Azeroth.Of course, if you're someone with the time and talent to do all this, you're probably not playing WoW anyway. But if you've got an AppleTV and are already cracking it open to put all the other cool stuff on it, it's good to know that you have the option to get WoW running on your TV screen. Now all we have to figure out is how to get WoW on the iPhone...
Hoshigami Remix turns to the US
The DS remake of the Playstation strategy game Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth is headed to the US as Hoshigami Remix, published by Aksys Games. According to the announcement, the game is getting a ton of new content, including a new character, new missions, and redrawn art, plus the most welcome addition: three difficulty levels. Of course, there's also a new control scheme, but that's part and parcel with being a DS game.Aksys is aiming for a summer release at $29.99. Localizing an RPG and releasing it just a few months after the Japanese release seems pretty ambitious for a company that's only released one game (Eagle Eye Golf on the PS2) and no text-heavy RPG's. We're impressed by their confidence![Via Insert Credit]
Agatha Christie adventure game to mysteriously appear on Wii
Seems like everyone finally picked up on the idea to port their PC adventure games to the Wii! Console players are starved enough for pointing and clicking that we'll gladly take leftovers. The Adventure Company has announced that Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, an adaptation of a novel of the same name ("The World's Best Selling Mystery Novel," according to the game's website), will be released on the Wii in November.Maybe a game based on the work of a popular mainstream author will bring the Wii even more attention from the non-traditional audience that Nintendo's after. And then we'd see an adventure boom like the one we're experiencing with minigames! Okay, maybe not-- but maybe it'll at least be kind of fun?
Asus rolls out HDMI-enabled EAX1600PRO / EN7600GT graphics cards
Asus is no stranger to kicking out curious motherboards and other peripherals that we geeks just can't help but love, and following up on its undertaking of auxiliary displays and the AquaTank PCI card is a couple of swank new video cards that tout an HDCP-friendly HDMI port. The half-height ATI Radeon X1600 EAX1600PRO was apparently crafted with the common HTPC builder in mind, as its diminutive size lends itself to becoming a perfect fit for those tight spaces within AV-like media center PC cases. But before you gamers get too excited, you should probably know that in-game performance is likely to be less than stellar, but HotHardware did note that its model wasn't shy when overclocked. Interestingly, this HTPC-centric card comes bundled sans a true HDMI-to-HDMI cable, which leaves us all a bit miffed considering the niche it's trying to appease. The EN7600GT ups the ante by delivering the frame rate luxuries as only an NVIDIA GeForce 7600 can, but its full-height design will definitely cause problems in slimmer enclosures. Other extras found on this device are its SLI-capabilities, DVI / S-video outputs, and optical audio jack, but considering it packs just 256MB of GDDR3 RAM, the hardcore gamers in the crowd are still not likely to find themselves impressed. Still, with the EAX1600PRO ringing up at just around a cool hundred, and the more powerful EN7600GT asking just about twice that, these here cards look to be solid options if you're just getting around to creating your own HTPC.[Via Slashdot]
Marriott hotels to get LCD HDTVs with digital connectivity panel
We know how it is, out on the road with choices to make in regard to which hotel you stay in the for night, but booking a room in a joint that lacks high-speed internet of the free variety just isn't going to happen. These days, however, the gadget-packed traveler demands even more connectivity options, and apparently Marriott gets it. By the year's end, Marriott International plans to have 25-percent of JW Marriott, Marriott, and Renaissance guest rooms in the US and Canada hooked up with 32-inch LCD HDTVs that boast a nifty "digital connectivity panel" to encourage gadget integration. Guests will reportedly be able to plug in laptops, camcorders, digicams, video games, and iPods (we presume DAPs / PMPs in general) into the swank set, and the built-in PIP functions will allow the business savvy to check their corporate inbox while playing back a video clip in another window. Additionally, the firm plans on throwing in a bevy of new channels to delight couch-dwellers, and the rollout is slated to hit completion by 2009. So if you just so happen to be stopping in the San Francisco area and feel like checking this out, SF's Moscone Center has officially been dubbed the first to offer such niceties in 100-percent of its rooms.[Via TGDaily]
Wii mod gets those GameCube ports up front where they once belonged
Cheap Ass Gamer "hollowfreak," who apparently had quite a bit of time on his hands, but not a moment to spare for reaching around his Wii to get at the GameCube ports, just modded up his Wii to redirect the ports that oh-so-important 5-inches to the front. In the process, hollowfreak doubled his Wii heft, not to mention totally killed the sexy, but in all he really didn't do a bad job for himself, and the extra blue LED lights never hurt. Plus the mod looks to be modular, so hf can always get his Super Smash Bros. Melee game on for a few hours, and then pop off the hefty mod when he's in a mood to impress the ladies. Check out the insides and another angle after the break.
PSP getting ports from new sources
It's no secret that the PSP (as with any system) gets ports of games from other consoles. Most of the ports to PSP logically come from the PlayStation 2. But all that is starting to change. With the PS3 on the rise and the PS2 on the decline, PSP is starting to get ports from some unexpected places. The DS has many a game that it's shared with the GBA, but recently it seems like more and more GBA games are jumping over to Sony's portable. The most obvious of these are all of the recently announced Final Fantasy projects. From Final Fantasy Tactics to just plain ol' Final Fantasy, these GBA remakes are being remade again for the PSP. But it doesn't just end there, the PSP will also see a port of the GBA RPG title Riviera (which is great for me, since I never played that game). Of course, while it seems like quite a few PSP games are from GBA land, that isn't the only system sending off titles to PSP's library. Xbox games like Xyanide and Painkiller: Hell Wars are reported to have versions coming out this year for PSP and the DS racer Asphalt Urban GT 2 will be out shortly. Even the PC isn't exempt as fantastic physics platformer Gish has a release date for our system of choice. The future though seems to be the Wii and PSP connection. While Alien Syndrome is one of the only Wii/PSP games announced so far, the fact that Wii games have to be developed independently from the rest of the home consoles means many developers may be looking to PSP versions as another source of profit. Of course as with any business move, these ports will have to make money if this is to become a serious trend.
Do PSP games on PS3 cause a threat?
Sony seems to be having a bit of a problem. They have a portable system that is a success, but not by any means their main product. Then they have a new console that desperately needs games any way it can get them. Obviously they need to compete on the high end next gen game front, but they also need to compete against the Virtual Console and Xbox Live Arcade. Without the backlog of games like Nintendo or the head start of Microsoft, they seem to be turning to a questionable source for their downloadable games; the PSP. The obvious issue with PSP games going to PS3 is that it begins to negate the reasons for a consumer to own both. Sure, right now it's a Gripshift and a Tekken, but what happens if the trend just continues? Sure, this would strengthen the PlayStation Network, but at the cost of PSP exclusives. This is just not acceptable when the PSP still has a long way to go to establish itself. If Sony does insist on continuing to take games from the PSP library to the PS3, than it needs to change how it does so. Microsoft announced Live Anywhere quite some time ago, but we're still waiting for the day when we can play Xbox Live Arcade games on the go. Part of the reason is that Microsoft doesn't yet have a portable gaming system, but Sony does. Why not have it so if I download Gripshift on the PS3 I can download it to my PSP as well free as charge. For games that require progress, it would be great if I was able to share saves between my PSP and PS3. Maybe this is part of Sony's eventual plans anyway, but until I can buy Tekken on my PSP and continue it on my PS3 or vice-versa, it seems like a missed opportunity. It could just be that this is a temporary solution and as more developers jump on board the PlayStation Network, Sony will stop relying on PSP games as downloadable content. Even if this is the case though, it still seems like a dangerous road for Sony to travel. It could just be that I'm overreacting though. What do fellow PSP owners think of this development?
