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More Dragon Ball Z on the Wii; TV show continues to be old
Even though the series started in Japan back in 1989, and ended in 1996, the tie-in games just keep on coming for Dragon Ball Z. Atari has announced Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 for the Wii and PS2. Like the previous installment on Wii, this is part of the Dragon Ball Z Sparking series in Japan and is developed by Spike. Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 will include improved Wii controls and over 150 playable characters, which is a lot of big-haired dudes and blonde versions of those same big-haired dudes. The stages will include day/night versions, which opens up a transformation ability for many characters. There's a teaser animation on the Japanese website, but no screens or anything yet. What did you all think of the last DBZ game on Wii? Are you enthused about another one? Has the series been run into the ground?
All Nippon Airways giving away DS trivia game
All Nippon Airways are no strangers to the world of bizarre Nintendo tie-ins. But ANA Original Gotouchi Kentei DS (Local Trivia DS) is a special kind of weird: an updated ANA-themed version of developer Spike's (non)game about Japan trivia. The original version covered writing, geography, and other concepts in order to test players' knowledge of their home country. We have no idea what the new ANA version will be about-- airline history? Identifying famous places in Japan based on aerial photos? Airplane safety procedures?What we do know is how unlikely any of us are to see it. Only 3,000 copies are being produced, and they're being given away to ANA travelers along with DS Lites. So it's either flying the friendly skies or traversing the murky waters of eBay.[Via Famitsu]
First pics of RED "Spike" camcorder prototype surface
It's been quite awhile since a single camcorder, of all things, got as much hype as the elusive RED machine from Oakley founder Jim Jannard, but this mysterious beast is escaping the treacherous realm of vaporware and emerging into reality according to the man himself over at DVXuser. Aside from shooting HD footage at 60fps with those fine 11.4-megapixels, the all-aluminum cam is finally making its debut, and a few glamour shots of the first prototype, dubbed "Spike," have now been released. It's noted that actual production units will not sport a shiny finish (sorry, blingsters), and the official forums will open up tomorrow at RedUser.net. Ole Jim also mentioned that the machined prototype "should be operational" within days, and hopes to garner a good bit of attention at the next NAB expo. While the initial batch of $17,000 pre-orders are long gone, the firm just might take more orders for a small window of time in "early 2007," but it's shakily committing to a "May 31st" or earlier ship date for those lucky (and loaded) individuals already on that coveted list. Be sure to tag the links below for more very-not-fuzzy sneak peeks.[Via DVGuru]
Aussies get extra characters in their version of DBZ
While Aussie gamers are forced to wait long for games just about all the time, it turns out that in the case of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, the wait just might be a good thing. With some brand new content, including 6 new characters and a new arena, will Aussie gamers even want to take part in this game, which received some fairly mediocre review scores. So, Australian gamers, are you looking forward to this game? Does the extra content bring you down off the fence?
Oblivion wins big at Spike's Video Game Awards
Spike TV's Video Game Awards just wrapped up in Los Angles with the big winners already announced. Reuters is reporting that Bethesda's Elder Scrolls: Oblivion won big, taking home five awards including Most Addictive and Game of the Year. Not to be left out, Gears of War took home the Studio of the Year award and Best Graphics honors. Below is a list of some of the winners, but be sure to tune into Spike TV's Video Game Awards when it airs December 13th.Game of the Year: "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion"Studio of the Year: "Gears of War"Best Performance by a Human - Male: Patrick Stewart in "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" Best Performance by a Human - Female: Vida Guerra in "Scarface: The World is Yours" Most Addictive: "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" Critics' Choice: "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess"Cyber Vixen of the Year: Alyx Vance in "Half-Life 2: Episode 1"Best Original Score: "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" Best Graphics: "Gears of War"Breakthrough Technology: Nintendo Wii
New games this week
Just as if last week's release lineup couldn't get any better, this week walks in and flexes its launch muscle. Where to begin? With a whopping total of 10 popular gaming platforms, one thing's for sure, you have choices. 145 to be exact. And even if you're not planning to buy a PS3 or Wii this week, existing systems are getting a ton of action. Weeks like this only happen once every five years. Enjoy it friends. PlayStation 3: - Call of Duty 3 - Genji: Days of the Blade - Madden NFL 07 - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire - NBA 07 - NBA 2K7 - Need for Speed Carbon - NHL 2K7 - Resistance: Fall of Man - Ridge Racer 7 - Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 - Tony Hawk's Project 8 - Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom Nintendo Wii: - The Ant Bully - Avatar: The Last Airbender - Barnyard - Call of Duty 3 - Cars - Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 - Excite Truck - The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy - GT Pro Series - Happy Feet - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Madden NFL 07 - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Metal Slug Anthology - Monster 4x4: World Circuit - Need for Speed Carbon - Open Season - Rampage: Total Destruction - Rapala Tournament Fishing! - Rayman: Raving Rabbids - Red Steel - SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab - Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz - Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent - Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam - Trauma Center: Second Opinion - World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions
PSP nabs Spike TV VGA nominations
The PSP is up for some more awards for this year's Spike TV VGA, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson. It's exclusive games earned 7 nominations, with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories getting the most on the system, with 3 nominations in total. Here's a sampling of the categories PSP games will be competing in: BEST FIGHTING GAMETekken: Dark Resurrection (Namco Bandai)Dead or Alive 4 (Tecmo/Team Ninja)Mortal Kombat Armageddon (Midway Games)Street Fighter Alpha Anthology (Capcom)God Hand (Capcom/Clover Studio) BEST HANDHELD GAMENew Super Mario (Nintendo/Nintendo EAD)Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day (Nintendo)Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (Rockstar Games/Rockstar Leeds / Rockstar North)Tetris DS (Nintendo)LocoRoco (Sony Computer Entertainment America/SCE Studios Japan) You can vote for your favorites by heading over to the Spike TV website. Voting ends December 7th, so rock the vote, PSP fans! The winners will be revealed on December 13th at 10PM on Spike TV. See more nominations after the cut. [Update 1: Haha, Spite TV would be an awesome name for a network. Corrected. Remember kids, NEVER update a blog while reading Moby Dick.]
Games shipping this week
Big week in games (especially for 360). Ginormous. Okay, maybe not ginormous, but we haven't seen a week this good in a long time, and things are looking good. Notable titles include Gears of War, Viva Pinata, and Call of Duty 3 on Xbox 360; Elite Beat Agents on the DS; Tony Hawk's Project 8 (multi); and rockin' Guitar Hero II for PS2. Buyer dilemmas start now. Nintendo DS: - Barbie: 12 Dancing Princesses - Bomberman Land Touch! - Chicken Little: Ace in Action - Digimon World DS - Elite Beat Agents - My Frogger: Toy Trials - Tom and Jerry Tales - Uno/Skip-Bo/Uno Freefall - Winx Club: The Quest for the Codex PlayStation 2: - Call of Duty 3 - Chicken Little: Ace in Action - Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 - Guitar Hero 2 - Hard Rock Casino - Sega Genesis Collection - SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals Combined Assault - The Sopranos: Road to Respect - Suzuki Superbikes - Tony Hawk's Project 8 Xbox 360: - Blitz: The League - Call of Duty 3 - Gears of War - History Channel: Civil War - Tony Hawk's Project 8 - Viva Pinata - World Championship Poker: All In
Wii titles available by December
The day has come ladies and gentlemen. The list for the games that will be available on the Wii by December has arrived! Be warned that there have been a few modifications and we wouldn't be surprised to see more the closer we get to December. One of the games taken off is Blazing Angels. Judging from the list we can tell that many other games will make up for the gap. We have divided the list by publisher to make it easier on your eyes. Check it out after the break! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Wii launch window: 32 Wii games, 30 VC games
Nintendo has blasted out a list confirming the 32 Wii and 30 Virtual Console games (spanning five consoles) that will be available in the five weeks between the system's November 19th launch and the end of 2006. We're not sure exactly which games may not make that November 19th launch date, but it seems reasonable to presume the VC games will be there on launch day, previously dated titles like Zelda, and the 530 GameCube titles they're eager to remind us will work from the get go. Nintendo does remind us that "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess emerges [Ed. will emerge?] as this season's video game masterpiece." Hey, way to throw that third party trash to the curb! We agree it stands head and shoulders above some of the more forgettable entries filling up this list (we're sure Happy Feet will be a slightly less impressive masterpiece), but it's nice to see them being so candid about it. Check out the entire list after the break, and let us know if there's anything missing that we thought would be there. We'll start: Ubisoft's forgettable WWII dogfighter, Blazing Angels. It came out for the Xbox 360 in March, was confirmed by Ubisoft to be a launch window game in August, was again confirmed by Nintendo to be a launch title in September, and now it's evidently missing. What's up? See also: PlayStation 3 launch window titles announced [Thanks for all the tips, everyone!]
New trailer pops up at Necro-Nesia site
When we reported awhile back about Spike's Necro-Nesia, we were excited about the launch of the site and the premise the game presented. Seeing it in motion, we're a little more excited for the game now. With the survival-horror themes and different scenarios using the Wiimote in interesting ways, Necro-Nesia could very well be one of the Wii's must-have titles. Obviously, we'll have to see a whole lot more before making that decision, though.In order to access the trailer, you'll need to move the cursor over the cabin, click it, then once inside the Gallery section, you'll want to click on the top right box to access the videos section.
Japanese software sales chart, Oct. 2-8: The Gundam Strikes Back
The last time a PSP title was this high in the Japanese software sales chart, it was SD Gundam G Generation Portable, and it was the fastest-selling PSP game to date. And now it's Gundam Battle Royale's turn at trying to upset Nintendo's DS games, which Andrew predicted more than a month ago. Is the guy psychic or something? 1. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (PS2) - 263,897 / *NEW* 2. Pokemon Diamond (DS) - 254,080 / 1,074,127 3. Pokemon Pearl (DS) - 212,193 / 980,881 4. Gundam Battle Royale (PSP) - 64,986 / *NEW* 5. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) - 40,114 / 3,233,793 6. Zaidan Houjin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kyoukai Kounin: KanKen DS (DS) - 38,799 / 84,091 7. Minna no Tennis (PS2) - Sony - 32,962 / 416,507 8. Final Fantasy III (DS) - Square Enix - 30,418 / 781,713 9. Brain Training 2 (DS) - Nintendo - 26,600 / 3,288,248 10. Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS) - Nintendo - 22,787 / 3,305,244 While Gundam Battle Royale's sold less than half of what SD Gundam G Generation Portable (155,634) sold in its first week, it was still enough to capture the fourth spot. It seems the Japanese eat up these Gundam games faster than my fat uncle Johnny at Thanksgiving. Has Sony finally found its PSP cashcow? Hmmm.
Wedbush Morgan predicts Wii launch lineup and sales
Wedbush Morgan recently released its list of anticipated launch titles and sales figures for both the PS3 and Wii. The sales figures they present are very selective and they do not predict figures for every title, but we take what we can get. Their entire proposed lineup and sales figures, which we must say is not a confirmed list by Nintendo in any shape or form, is included after the break.
DBZ: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 gameplay explained
The crew over at Gamespot managed to site down and get a little face-time with the latest build of Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi 2, explaining that the game isn't going to settle for you just sitting on the couch, playing the game as if it's on any console other than the Wii. Oh no, apparently those eager to toss fireballs and teleport will have to actively perform these motions with the Wiimote. Good news though, the controls are less frantic and demand less amounts of wild arm-flinging. So with a more refined control set, you're better able to control the in-game action. This new control scheme combines button-pressing with gesture-based gameplay. For example, to fly you'll press the C button to jump and hover, which will get your character off the ground. Once in the air, you can hold in the C button and move the controller up or down to increase or decrease altitude.
New DBZ trailer may have you screaming Kamehameha
Alright, we admit it. Dragon Ball Z happens to be one of our favorite series. It's easy get caught up in 30 episodes where each one is a continuation of the same battle. And it is always worth it to see Goku slip in a famous Kamehameha. Being fans of the games as well, we are always happy to see another DBZ fighter come out. Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 promises a lot with 130 playable characters and a new way of fighting using the Wiimote. Pressing buttons in this game will only get you so far. You must thrust, twist, turn, and "punch" the controller. We can hardly wait to be punching the hell out of some living room air to try and accomplish some of the best moves from DBZ. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is set to release November 22. As always, click continue to see the trailer. [Via IGN]
A pair of scans for Spike's Necro-Nesia, teaser site launch
To be honest, we're survival-horror junkies. We loves the tension brought on from games of that variety, so upon catching these two scans with our wide-reaching, ever-electronic internets, we raised our left eyebrow in a totally intrigued way lacking any kind of obnoxious commentary and began to ever-so-softly stroke our chin with interest. We might have even had a corn cob pipe in our mouth.Also, upon further digging through the mess that our internet caught, we discovered that Necro-Nesia also recently opened a teaser site. There isn't much there unless you're able to translate ancient Japanese text, but does keep our interest alive with the promise of a real site launch on the 2nd of October.Anyone care to translate the story and introduction pages for us? We swear we'll love you forever![Via Codename Revolution]
Fresh English press materials
Nintendo's excellent PR folk who are not only great at their job, but also incredibly attractive people, have finally opened the flood gates and let the subsequent torrent of swirling, wet information engulf our small valley village and decimate our homes. We're fine with it though, because we have been given the information we've waited so long on (it's a small price to pay). The section of the newly-opened Wii.com for the English-speaking crowd has gone live, as well as pages in French and Spanish. Nintendo has also opened up the sub-section of Nintendo.com dedicated to the Wii here. In this sub-section, a translation of some interviews with the Wii engineers and designers that Iwata conducted may be found. Finally, a good press release direct from Nintendo can be seen here. For a list of 52 games planned for the Wii, direct from Nintendo and third-party developers, click on the continue link.
Nintendo releases Wii promo materials, games list [update 2]
The Nintendo public relations juggernaut has finally pulled the trigger on its English language web sites. Check out the English section of Wii.com (also available in Spanish and French), the Wii subsection of Nintendo.com (which includes official translations of the Iwata interview series), and this Nintendo press release for lots of info. straight from the horse's mouth. Also, on Nintendo's press only website, a list of 52 planned Wii games. Check it out after the jump. [Update 1: Gamespot has updated the list with 17 games that have been confirmed as U.S. launch titles. They are noted in bold below] [update 2: Fixed formatting, Updated Gamespot's launch titles]
No online support for 3rd-party Wii devs until 2007
Buried at the bottom of an IGN preview for the Wii's Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam is the news that not only is this game not going to feature any online component, but every 3rd-party game that comes out for the Wii won't support anything online either. Not until 2007 will publishers be able to offer up Wi-Fi gaming to eager players who picked up a Wii. Gamers hoping for an online component, however, are in for bad news, because one isn't planned. Activision would not say why, but IGN has separately learned from multiple development sources that Nintendo will not release Wii Wi-Fi Connection libraries to third parties until early 2007, which means that no third party launch title will have an online mode. Well, that's pretty awful. Seems like a pretty dumb move not to allow your third-party developers to offer online play with your launch titles. Online gaming has arguably become essential for most players and considering your system isn't in high-def or truly next-gen graphics wise, what other incentive besides a different control scheme would a gamer have in picking up your product? Check after the break for the possible launch titles that would certainly be affected by this.
DBZ hands-on reveals info
Those guys over at IGN managed to get ahold of the latest build for Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and came away impressed. In going over the preview, they managed to pry loose tons of details about the game. The game will take the sandbox approach (free-roaming story mode) and offer 50 hours of gameplay to complete the single-player story. The entirety of the game's content will follow the manga, anime, and many movies, featuring over 120 characters. The game will allow fusion characters such as Gotenks and Vegito to join in on the action, along with a highly-customizable system for each character in the game. Customizing can be done on multiple levels, from cosmetic looks to combos, moves, and special powers. This is all done via an in-game money system allowing the player to purchase upgrades. All of the characters will have optional Japanese voiceovers and fight in interactive arenas twice the size of previous games. Also confirmed is that gamers will have a choice between using the Wiimote or plugging in their GameCube controller to play the game. Finally, the Wii version is to have enhanced graphics when compared to the PS2 game.
