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Duck Amuck release date erased, redrawn as cowboy
Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck, originally set for a September 18 release, has been pushed back to October 9. Too bad-- this is one of the few minigame compilations we've actually been looking forward to. Playing licensed games is like playing Russian roulette with five bullets in the gun-- except instead of dying, you waste some time and money when you lose. So basically it's nothing like Russian roulette. Anyway, the point is that we're ready to play the game to see if it is as clever in execution as it is in concept.If the game gets pushed too far into the Holiday 2007 Danger Zone, it'll get completely lost among bigger releases. We really don't want to see that happen.
Duck Amuck screens: have you harassed a cartoon duck today?
Gamespot's new screens of Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck highlight the central idea of both the game and the cartoon: messing with Daffy Duck. Immediately previous to the screen seen here, Daffy was presented with a trophy. The minigames revealed in this new set of screens include: whatever kind of game would involve blowing up Daffy with what used to be a trophy (obviously), firing Daffy out of a cannon, and something in which Bugs Bunny exhorts you to "Use your Noodle" in which Daffy is suspended over a hot cauldron as vegetables are added to a broth and a timer goes down. The question is, is the point of the game to help Daffy escape or to cook him?
Contra 4 controls give us pause (and other buttons)
We've reached the point where every single Contra 4 news piece that comes in has us gripping the arms of our chairs, afraid that we'll fall from the dizzying heights of ecstasy that we've just been sent to. The experience is both exhilarating and terrifying. Even this image of Contra 4's control setup, taken at one of Comic-Con's demo stations last week, gave us cause to throw our office windows open, yelling out our excitement to the pedestrians below. Press B to jump! Press Y to fire! Press L to switch weapons! How great life is!
IGN goes hands-on with Contra 4, cries
Greg Miller of IGN got a little extra facetime with our beloved Contra 4 at Comic-Con ... which was probably not a good idea, because Contra is all about face-beatings. While it seems the controls are smooth and easy to pick up, all other forms of ease end the moment you step into the big blue man pants. This is hostile territory, and everyone wants a slice of your ass. Just thinking about it makes us cry with joy. We do so love a good beating! But did Miller enjoy the game? It seems so, though he spends most of his preview writhing in pain over the punishing brutality of Contra 4. If you ask us, that just means everything is as it should be, and we continue our campaign of impatience as we wait for this one to hit shelves. %Gallery-4738%
Duck Amuck: This is a close-up
However Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck ends up, we'll be confident in saying that the art and animation are technically spectacular. Some of the scenes from the Chuck Jones-directed original short have been redrawn directly, allowing comparisons between the game and the real thing. Have you ever seen a DS game that looks so close to its source material? Before you say "oh, it's just Flash," keep in mind that someone had to draw every frame of animation in this clip, no matter what program was used. And that real 2D animation of any kind is becoming scarce these days. Are we hyping a licensed minigame collection now? What a fresh feeling!
Upcoming DS game lets you re-draw Daffy Duck, drive him insane
Games based on Looney Tunes characters have been few, far-between, and mostly forgettable. Shown at E3 last week, Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck for the DS might just change that. The game is based on the classic cartoon in which an animator constantly redraws Daffy just to piss him off. Duck Amuck follows the same format and charges you with the task of driving Daffy insane in a series of mini-games. Daffy even gets upset if you close the DS, initiating a game where you must tap the L or R buttons following Daffy's voice. Developer WayForward, the same studio behind Contra 4, had to get special permission from Nintendo to implement that feature. Duck Amuck is scheduled for release this holiday season, and early impressions have been extremely positive.
Duck Amuck breaks both screens' fourth walls [update 1]
Duck Amuck is the best concept for a minigame collection we've ever seen. It may also be the best concept for a licensed game we've ever seen. It's based on the classic 1951 Merrie Melodie, in which a malevolent animator (later revealed to be--SPOILER-- Bugs Bunny) jerks Daffy Duck around as the cartoon plays. Locations are changed, Daffy is frequently erased and redrawn, and his attempts to regain control of the cartoon are met with punishment.The concept of "Daffy Duck being dropped into hilariously unfortunate circumstances at the hands of an animator" translates into a DS game well, since gamers are used to manipulating onscreen characters. DS gamers, in particular, are used to doing so with a pen. We watched the trailers and looked at the screenshots, expecting to have our enthusiasm thoroughly dampened. But the screens actually look good, and the trailers are well-animated and funny. What? Humor? In our video games? Even though we're pretty sure it's all concept art and not real gameplay footage, we're already impressed. We're also inclined to support WayForward, our new favorite DS developer (pending playtime with Contra 4.)[Update: A producer at Warner Bros. Games wrote in to confirm that all of the footage is in-game, done with Flash!]%Gallery-4960%[Via NeoGAF]
Freelance musician Virt to compose Contra 4 soundtrack
Jake "Virt" Kaufman, founder of the videogame remix site VGMix, gets to add another shining star to his resume: composer for Contra 4. The freelance musician has worked on game soundtracks before, including Scurge: Hive and WayForward's own gem of a platformer Shantae. He also happens to have crafted our favorite Metroid metal megamix, Crystal Flash. Matt Bozon of WayForward says Jake's take on Contra's tunes is "fantastic", and judging by his repertoire we can see why. To grab a few sample tunes, check out Virt's page on VGMix as well as his personal website. [Via DS Fanboy]
DS Daily: Ping Pals pals
So, anybody out there still playing Ping Pals? You must be really good at it by now. You'd totally beat us.
WayForward licensed to develop for Wii
Another Western developer has signed on to make Wii games-- hopefully they can get the funding to make some original ones. WayForward mostly makes licensed stuff these days, of undetermined quality (we haven't had a chance to test GBA Unfabulous), but they are also responsible for the excellent Game Boy Color platformer Shantae and the clever GBA shooter Sigma Star Saga. Also Ping Pals, but let's not talk about that. WayForward has actually had a Wii development kit since last year (they got access to some early pre-release duct tape) and they've been doing research and development since then. We know the licenses are coming, but we're really hoping that WayForward will have the time and resources to do some original stuff too.[Via DCEmu]
