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Best of the Rest: JC's picks of 2009
Muramasa: The Demon Blade Muramasa appealed to me in a way that Odin Sphere didn't, thanks to an emphasis on combo-heavy sword action instead of planting and whatever. And the RPG elements that are left, like the sword upgrades and cooking, are not only fun, but simple enough that I can get right back into the game after a long break and still know what is going on. Also, I don't mean to be shallow, but the fact that Muramasa is the most beautiful game of 2009 helps me be positive about it.
Space Invaders Extreme Z invades Japan's DSiWare
Taito surprised us with a last-minute addition to the Japanese DSi Shop, and a rather awesome one at that: a modified downloadable version of Space Invaders Extreme 2! Space Invaders Extreme Z features three "courses" of increasing difficulty based on SIE2's levels, playable in "score attack" and "time attack" modes. Space Invaders Extreme Z is available on DSiWare now (in Japan only) for 500 DSi Points. It's the first DSiWare game from Taito, who has released several WiiWare titles including Space Invaders Get Even, Bubble Bobble Plus, Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure! and Arkanoid Plus -- all of which were released in North America.
Reminder: Space Invaders Extreme 2 out extremely soon
Click to invade our gallerySpace Invaders Extreme 2 hasn't managed to build up much hype; an unfortunate circumstance that can be attributed to Square Enix mentioning the North American release of the game once, in May, and then not again until just now. In fact, had it not been for Nintendo's release calendar, we wouldn't have been certain of the release date (October 20 -- a.k.a. next Tuesday) until today, when Taito's parent company, Square Enix, confirmed it. Is it too late to pre-order?And so, we're only too happy to use this occasion to refresh your memory: Space Invaders Extreme 2 is out very soon! In fact, it's been out all month in Europe and has garnered positive reviews. Turn on a strobe light and have a look at the new screens to prepare yourself for the sequel to one of the best games of 2008.%Gallery-75732%
Nintendo's DS holiday lineup reveals Fieldrunners, Art Style, and more
As usual, Nintendo's lineup announcement contains stuff that has never been announced before, no doubt sending publishers scrambling to get their own press releases ready -- including Nintendo!We now have dates for exciting third-party games like Space Invaders Extreme 2 (October 20) and A Witch's Tale (October 6), and Phantasy Star Zero (November 10). But Nintendo also revealed several DSiWare titles for the first time! The company will follow this week's Art Academy with Art Academy: Second Semester on September 28, followed in Q4 by a DSiWare version of the bit Generations title Digidrive. We're interested in seeing whether Skip takes over or whether Pixeljunk developer Q-Games remakes its GBA game.In other DSiWare news, the Electroplankton titles are due out in Q4, as is Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon, which we don't know anything about, Sparkle Snapshots, Picturebook Games: The Royal Bluff, and -- this is going to freak iPhone gamers out -- Fieldrunners!
Space Invaders Extreme 2 landing in Europe October 2
click to invade the gallerySquare Enix has been distressingly quiet about Space Invaders Extreme 2 since May. We know if we were about to sell people the sequel to one of the best DS games of last year, we'd ... mention it, occasionally. Thankfully for our sanity, the company did make an announcement today, cementing a PAL release date of October 2.While we wait for a firmer North American release date than "fall," we'll just enjoy these screenshots the company sent out with the PAL announcement. We're sure we'll be exploring the bingo system and falling into a techno-music-induced Nagoya-attacking trance soon enough.%Gallery-72456%
Taitoverload: Space Invaders Extreme 2, four more announced for North American DS and WiiWare
Square Enix just sent out what may be the biggest news of the year for Taito lovers, confirming North American releases for two anticipated DS games and three more WiiWare games (in addition to Bubble Bobble Plus!, which launched this week).Most exciting of all: Space Invaders Extreme 2 is on the way to the DS this fall. We aren't all going to have to import European copies! Space Bust-a-Move will precede it in stores, releasing on July 28.In WiiWare, we can look forward to all the Taito games we've seen in Japan so far. Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure! will be available for download on June 15. Bust-a-Move Plus!, which features 135 new levels and 270 levels from previous Bust-a-Moves as DLC, is expected later this summer, as is Arkanoid Plus!We're looking forward to an all-Taito summer as we await the release of Space Invaders Extreme 2!%Gallery-63069%%Gallery-63070%
Fever time: Taito announces European release for Space Invaders Extreme 2, Puzzle Bobble Galaxy
It's a totally exciting week for Space Invaders Extreme. First, the Xbox Live Arcade port was released in North America. Now, the DS sequel is officially headed to Europe, with Square Enix releasing this fall. We guess the company decided not to use the Space Invaders Extreme 2Remix title under which the game was previously listed. SIE 2 features a new "Beginner's Course" in addition to a weird "Bingo" system for unlocking the game's Fever Mode. New music, new power-ups, and "higher stage volume" are also included.To help tide lucky European gamers over until fall, Taito also announced that it will release Puzzle Bobble Galaxy this summer. It's Puzzle Bobble/Bust-a-Move, with online play and new gameplay modes, including one in which you have a limited number of bubbles, and one in which you have one bubble per stage. The first English screens of both games are available in our galleries!%Gallery-63069%%Gallery-63070%
Nintendo of Europe stealth-announces Another Code R, Space Invaders Extreme Remix, dates Q2 titles
Nintendo of Europe released a massive list of Q2 releases for DS and Wii today. Of special interest on the Wii: New Play Control! Pikmin 2 is coming April 24, followed by Punch-Out!! in May and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat in June. Also of interest: as Kotaku points out, the MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort are nowhere to be seen, just like in the North American schedule. But what's different from the North American schedule is the inclusion of Another Code R, Cing's Wii sequel to the DS adventure game Trace Memory/Another Code. The cel-shaded adventure game, previously rumored for European release, is now scheduled to hit stores in June.On the DS side, the biggest news is Square Enix's Space Invaders Extreme Remix on June 5. This is most likely Space Invaders Extreme 2, which has yet to be officially announced for anywhere other than Japan! Walk With Me has also been delayed to June. June is going to be crazy!%Gallery-33420%
Everybody dance now: Space Invaders Extreme 2 trailer
Did Space Invaders Extreme need a sequel? As it turns out, yes, it did -- this one exactly. If you were at all into the first game, watch the latest trailer for Space Invaders Extreme 2 (after the break) and tell us that this is not something you want to play. It would be hard to call something better than the first game, but the sequel looks quite a bit more extreme. Maybe we're being influenced by the dance music, but we are pumped about Space Invaders 2 now. Not that we weren't before! The footage basically rules out an eventual announcement of a PSP version -- in the previous game, it wasn't that hard to adapt the levels to a single screen, but there's a lot more stuff happening on both screens simultaneously now, like bonus round bosses on the top screen and normal play on the bottom. It's sad for PSP SIE fans, but an interesting new gameplay development for DS owners.[Via NeoGAF]
First hypnotic footage of Space Invaders Extreme 2
We've been anxious to see footage of Space Invaders Extreme 2 since we first found out about the game. Admittedly, it hasn't been very long, but we've still been in total agony. As expected, SIE 2 doesn't stray far from the original formula: the player shoots at Invaders of various colors, shapes, and sizes, with the sounds of the shots syncing to both the thumping and psychedelic backgrounds. You can see the new "bingo" system in the beginning of the video, in which a bonus round is unlocked by shooting Invaders of the same color, corresponding to a line of colored blocks in a square.And now for some wishful thinking: who thinks the announcer is just part of the video and not in the actual game?
Warning: Space Invaders Extreme 2 screens approaching
Finally! After NCSX pretty much confirmed its existence, Famitsu has come to our rescue with some new details and screens for Space Invaders Extreme 2. We know the game's power-up system is getting the once-over and being fleshed out a bit more in the sequel, and that a Bingo Fever mode is being added. Considering how great the first game was, you can bet we're extra excited about this.Hit up Famitsu here to check out the screens and details. Or click here if you want the Japanese translated for you (badly).
Space Invaders Extreme 2 is so real you can preorder it
Importer NCSX has begun taking preorders for Space Invaders Extreme 2 on the DS, which means that their distributor has probably started listing it, and it's therefore pretty likely to really be a real game. There's no word yet about a PSP version. NCSX's preorder listing confirms the March 26 release date we previously posted. Who's got $43.90?Thanks to the efforts of ... someone who is better than we are at reading Japanese, the new "Bingo Mode" is detailed as well. In this new mode, an onscreen Bingo card fills up as you shoot Invaders, and you win when ... you know, you would normally win at Bingo. Except, instead of yelling "Bingo", your DS will issue more of a "pew pew pew" noise. %Gallery-14613%
Rumor: Japanese retailers leak Space Invaders Extreme 2
A recent listing on Play-Asia has fans of tightly arranged, slowly approaching extraterrestrials buzzing with glee. According to the retailer (as well as a handful of other Japanese games dealers), Space Invaders Extreme 2, which hasn't even been confirmed by prospective developer Taito, is set to drop in Japan on March 26, 2009. These listings fire off a few of the title's new features, including new boss formations, enhanced multiplayer modes, and much to the delight of the grandmas among us, a "bingo system".We're still calling this a rumor until Taito either confirms or denies it, but with several sites showing the same drop date, and with retailers divulging what seems like fairly believable gameplay features, we wouldn't be surprised if the listings are on the level.
