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Lumines Supernova dropping on PSN Dec. 23
Rejoice, fellow and completely willing synesthesia sufferers! Q Entertainment has replaced its vague "Winter" release window for Lumines Supernova in favor of something more precise. The rhythmic block dropper will be available on the North American* PlayStation Network on Tuesday, December 23rd, just in time to drown out those obnoxious family members who only bother to drop by when there's a free Christmas dinner involved. Ignoring them should be particularly easy given the bevy of distractions packed into Lumines Supernova's $15 package: 40 skins; a new "Dig Down" mode; a Sequencer mode for creating your own background music; Time Attack and Skin Edit modes; Puzzle and Mission levels; Trophies; and a local 2-player Battle mode for those sharing types who ignore the "mine" in Lumines. And hey, don't forget the LittleBigPlanet skin, which will join a free "Holiday Pack" of 20 additional skins. The latter is available for a limited time only -- just like Christmas. %Gallery-31089% *Europe, you're getting it in "Early 2009." :(
Rumors: Rez sequel, Spielberg's LMNO on hold and more from EGM
Beyond Gears of War 3 for 2010, the January 2009 issue of the future-uncertain EGM contains a handful of other rumors to pique your interest (via NeoGAF). Top of that list? A spiritual sequel to Rez is coming from creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, who can't make an actual sequel beacuse the IP is owned by Sega. Mizuguchi's Q Entertainment recently announced a music-infused project codenamed "QJ" for Wii, though it may be unrelated.Additionally, the issue also asserted that Spielberg's mysterious EA Project LMNO is on hold at the moment. At the end of October, EA denied speculation that there had been layoffs related to the title. The remaining rumor-mongering includes a new Rifts-licensed game in 2010 (the last one was on N-Gage) and a large co-publisher for Tecmo's PlayStation 3 exclusive Quantum Theory.
Meteos Wars and PowerUp Forever rain down on XBLA
Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday is upon us, and that means it's time for some new games. This week, we're treated to the Q? Entertainment puzzler Meteos Wars and multi-directional shooter PowerUp Forever from Namco Bandai. The former has made a long journey all the way from the Nintendo DS and the latter ... has power-ups. Should you desire, you can pick them both up for 800 Microsoft Points. These are the only new releases on the Xbox 360 this week, so if you just have to have a new game, they're your only choice.Download Meteos Wars trial game from Xbox Live MarketplaceDownload PowerUp Forever trial game from Xbox Live Marketplace Gallery: Meteos (XBLA)
This Wednesday: Meteos Wars will PowerUp Forever on XBLA
Namco-Bandai's latest XBLA release asks that you not power up for a bit, or even for a decent amount of time, but forever. That sounds like quite a time investment, but at least you should get a good gameplay return on your 800 ($10) investment in PowerUp Forever (shown). It's a shooter with randomly generated levels, from the folks (Blitz Games) that brought the world ... Sneak King.As we posted earlier today – and Microsoft has now confirmed – this Wednesday's second Live Arcade newcomer will be Q Entertainment's fab-o puzzler, Meteos Wars. Well, it was neat on the DS using stylus control; how exactly it will translate to a boring ol' console controller remains to be seen. But that's why there are trial versions, right? Upgrading to the full version of the game will cost you 800 ($10).Source: Gamerscore Blog: Meteos WarsSource: Gamerscore Blog: PowerUp Forever%Gallery-20735%%Gallery-30632%
Meteos Wars and PowerUp Forever on XBLA this Wednesday
Looks like the rumor was true, as both Meteos Wars and PowerUp Forever are officially heading to Xbox Live Arcade this week. Meteos Wars is an XBLA version of the Q Entertainment puzzler title with expanded multiplayer (including Xbox Live play), while PowerUp Forever is a shooter from Blitz (the folks behind SpongeBob Squarepants Underpants Slam) and published by Namco Bandai. PowerUp Forever features procedurally generated environments, a unique "growth mechanic" (whatever that is) and, get this, power-ups.Both PowerUp Forever and Meteos Wars will be available this Wednesday for 800 points each. Gallery: Meteos (XBLA) Source -- Meteos Wars page on Xbox.comSource -- PowerUp Forever page on Namco Bandai Games
Q Entertainment: Meteos Wars showers XBLA this Wednesday
A peek behind the scenes at Joystiq: every Monday, Microsoft releases the name of this Wednesday's Xbox Live Arcade title. Sometimes, the game's publisher/developer drops that name early and sometimes – by virtue of what we can only imagine is a byzantine tangle of marketing and certification – that information is wrong. We're not saying Q Entertainment's Xbox Live Arcade release of Meteos Wars isn't coming out on Wednesday – after all, the website right here assures us that it is – but we are saying this: It's not official until Microsoft says so. (The more astute amongst you may recall that Q told us back in August to expect the block puzzler in October and look where that got us.)If the stars align, expect Meteos Wars to cleave the heavens this Wednesday for 800 (that's $10 Earth bucks).[Update: Microsoft has officially announced Meteos Wars as part of this week's XBLA release lineup.]%Gallery-30632%
Rumor: Meteos Wars and PowerUP Forever XBLA bound next week
In Xbox Live Arcade news that exists in the grey area between rumor and factual information, word on the interwebs is that Q Entertainment's Meteos Wars and Namco's PowerUP Forever will be headed to the XBLA next Wednesday, December 10th. The news actually comes from the official developer / publisher websites, including Namco's official PowerUP Forever page and Q's newly launched Meteos Wars website. The only reason we're slapping a rumor on these games' rather official release dates is the fact that Microsoft has been known to make last minute XBLA release switcheroos. In our eyes, until we hear XBLA release dates from Microsoft, they aren't official.[Thanks, sacra]Source - Meteos WarsSource - PowerUP Forever
Lumines Supernova dropping this 'winter'
Following today's earlier revelation of an LBP skin for Lumines Supernova (watch it in action above!), Q Entertainment has officially dated the PSN game for "winter." In fact, a press release claims Supernova is "arriving this month" (December), despite another listing, in the same release, suggesting a more general time frame: Winter 2008/2009. Originally slated for fall, Supernova brings a pair of new modes to the familiar puzzle, Sequencer and Dig Down, along with several "fresh skins" (ew, that sounds kinda gross). While network play has been ruled out, Supernova includes a local 2-player battle mode, and hunting down its Trophies -- confirmed! -- should keep the blocks droppin' and beats poppin' for quite some time. %Gallery-31089%
LittleBigPlanet skin coming to Lumines Supernova
Dengeki Online is reporting that Q-Entertainment will be collaborating with Media Molecule to create a LittleBigPlanet skin for Lumines Supernova, an upcoming PSN-exclusive title (read more about the game here). Not many too details have been announced, except that it will appear some time this winter. There are also three screenshots, which you can check out here.[Via Kotaku]
Lumines Supernova gets a LittleBigPlanet skin
The upcoming release of Lumines Supernova for PlayStation Network will have a LittleBigTheme for players to groove to, according to Dengeki Online. The Japanese news site is not reporting, as some outlets have claimed, that Lumines is being released as a game within LittleBigPlanet. No indication of the skin being downloadable content, so we're going to guess it's already included in the game. Lumines Supernova is expected for release this "winter," meaning sometime before the end of February.
Atari announces Mizuguchi's 'QJ' for Wii, 'Q3' compilation
Atari is banking on Tetsuya Mizuguchi's next project, a music game with the working title "QJ," to reestablish the celebrated developer at the top of his, uh, game -- or to strike a chord with Wii owners, at least. The publisher announced today that it will bring Q Entertainment's QJ to Wii, but omitted further details. Marching behind a string of Lumines sequels, Mizuguchi has stumbled offbeat with his last several experiments, including Ninety-Nine Nights, Gunpey and Every Extend Extra Extreme. But QJ's music foundation suggests that Mizuguchi could be drumming up renewed inspiration from his own cult classic, Space Channel 5. Additionally, Atari announced the Q3 ("Cubed") compilation disc for Xbox 360, which will include Mizuguchi's XBLA games: Every Extend Extra Extreme, Lumines Live and Rez HD, along with all released DLC. The collection has been given a tentative price of €30 (roughly $40) and has yet to be dated for release.
Synaesthesia imminent: New Mizuguchi music game announced for Wii
Okay, we're doing our best to calm down enough to type this out coherently. Atari has announced a new music game, tentatively titled QJ, for the Wii. According to the very short announcement, the game is being developed by Q? Entertainment founder Tetsuya Mizuguchi. We can assume from the title that his company is the official developer. Either that or it's tied in to the website.That's all the information we have, but it's enough to make us FREAK OUT. While still at Sega, Mizuguchi was responsible for the pioneering music/shooting game Rez and the incredibly awesome dance-rhythm game Space Channel 5. To celebrate, let's all enjoy the Mizuguchi-produced "Heavenly Star" by Genki Rockets!
Plenty of exclusive weirdness in Peggle: Dual Shot
It would seem from this 1UP preview that Peggle: Dual Shot is more than a simple stripped-down port of PopCap's PC hit. While it does contain levels from the original Peggle and the new Peggle Nights, it will also feature a selection of 15 unlockable levels designed by Dual Shot developer Q? Entertainment. 1UP's use of the term "Q-inspired" leads us to think that they may use themes or elements from other Q? Games like Lumines, Every Extend Extra, Gunpey, and (probably not) Ninety-Nine Nights.To access these new levels, you go through a convoluted process that basically consists of playing a game underneath the bottom of the level in which you bounce off of and collect gems!Also new to the DS is (obviously) a touchscreen control system that compensates for the reduced accuracy on the smaller screen with a zoom feature. You're still allowed (or forced) to set up your shots using minute single-pixel adjustments!
Peggle: Dual Shot tumbles into stores this March
PopCap Games has announced that the DS version of Peggle will be released in March of next year, back from the original winter 2008 release date. The DS game, titled Peggle: Dual Shot to ensure that people know it's a DS game and don't try to cram the cartridge into their computers, is being developed by puzzle experts Q? Entertainment and will feature mysterious new features.We don't care what it's called or when it comes out. As embarrassing as it is to be caught up in a trend, Peggle is much more addictive than a cutesy, glorified pachinko game should be, and we are completely on board. Although now that we think about it, maybe Peggle is exactly as addictive as a pachinko game should be, given all those people who are actually addicted to pachinko.The other two new PopCap games, Amazing Adventures: The Forgotten Ruins and Mystery P.I.: Portrait of a Thief, are still on track for winter.
TGS 08: Ninety-Nine Nights 2 exclusive to the 360
Continuing the Tokyo Game Show announcement frenzy, Microsoft announced a sequel to Q Entertainments Ninety-Nine Nights called (ever so coincidentally) Ninety-Nine Nights II. A game that can also be referred to as 99 Nights 2, N32 or even Ninety-Nine Nights + Two More. All we received was the actual sequel announcement with no further details, but we're eagerly anticipating more news.
Lumines Supernova to fall this fall on PSN
We're doubtful the release of Lumines Supernova on PSN this fall will be met with the sort of stellar explosion the game's title implies, but a revered action puzzler -- with "block-dropping beats" to back it up -- can only be a good thing for PlayStation 3's downloadable games service. Still, there's not much about Supernova that could justify a purchase for current owners of one (or more!) of the franchise's iterations aside from a pair of new modes: Dig Down Mode: Using the falling blocks, erase squares from a playfield already filled with blocks as you dig down to the bottom. Show off your digging skills as your completion time is ranked based on clearing 20 consecutive stages. Sequencer Mode: Create your own background music using the sound loops provided in the "Sound Bank" -- drums, bass, synthesizer 1, synthesizer 2, and effects each come with 20 different loops. In addition, Supernova will feature 40 unlockable skins in Challenge Mode, plus Skin Edit, Time Attack, and Puzzle / Mission modes, and a 2-player versus mode. Q Entertainment has yet to set a firm release date or price for Lumines Supernova, but it does appear to be a more complete game than the core experience on Xbox Live Arcade. %Gallery-31089%
Lumines Supernova coming to PSN this Fall
A brand new PS3-exclusive version of the popular Q Entertainment puzzle game is coming. The game is titled Lumines Supernova and will be an e-distributed game -- just like the Xbox Live version.This PSN game will be pretty much the same deal as previous Lumines games, but with new stages and modes. There are 40 skins to be unlocked in Challenge Mode, and there are a slew of news modes, including Dig Down Mode and Sequencer Mode. Dig Down appears to be a Lumines-inspired version of Dig Dug, while Sequencer Mode allows players to create their own background music using various sounds and loops.The first screenshots are included in our new gallery.%Gallery-31085%
Meteos Wars to shower XBLA [update]
Q Entertainment is bringing an utterly unstylistic version of its two-times-released (well, maybe we shouldn't count the Disnied version) DS puzzler, Meteos, to Xbox Live Arcade. Dubbed, Meteos Wars, the console port will include a new multiplayer experience. The game will feature a two-player versus mode where each player has a gauge that fills as sets of blocks are launched and enemy attacks are thwarted. Filling the gauge unlocks a special attack that predictably spells disaster for the opposing player.Meteos Wars will also include a few added extras, like customizable characters. It's due in Japan this October, but has yet to be confirmed for release elsewhere. Wouldn't this be the perfect tie-on for that rumored motion controller...? (We're just sayin'.)Update: Q Entertainment just shot us word confirming Meteos Wars for US release in October, priced at 800 ($10). Check out first screenshots of the game in our gallery below.%Gallery-30632%
Meteos heads to Japanese Live Arcade this October
According to 1UP the DS puzzle game Meteos is headed to Xbox Live Arcade in under two months. Developed by Q Entertainment -- the same folks that brought us Lumines Live, Every Extend Extra Extreme and Rez HD -- Meteos is a puzzle game that challenges players to match blocks and blast them off towards an opponents "planet." Like most puzzle games, it's more fun than it sounds. There's just one thing: according to 1UP, Meteos is only heading to the Japanese Xbox Live Arcade as "no US release has been announced yet." Given the track record of Q Entertainment, we're willing to bet that Meteos will release in the US as well. Let's just hope that the Lumines pricing fiasco doesn't come back to haunt us when it does.
EA publishing action horror 'franchise' from Suda51 and RE creator Shinji Mikami
And here we thought the only talk of "Dream Team" was going to involve the Olympics! But no, an incredible wealth of talent in the gaming industry is coming together to produce something we hope is very special. With a mixture of talent like this, we wonder how it couldn't be!So, facts: EA and No More Heroes (otherwise known as the best game on Wii) developer, Grasshopper Manufacture, have signed a publishing agreement regarding an "all-new action horror game." On top of that, the title in question is being produced by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami. Oh, and Q Entertainment is also involved. It's okay, we just wet our pants a little too.Sadly, that's as much as we know. The source link is full of the kind of carefree lauding that most press releases have, so we're just going to have to wait for more info on this project before we get so excited that we start typing in italics.[Via Joystiq]
