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Japan’s latest Club Nintendo prize is absorbent

GameSpaz — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 02:30:00 +0000

When you see the stuff Japan's Club Nintendo offers its members, you may be prone to drool a bit. Ironically, Nintendo of Japan's loyalty program has something for that now as well.

For 150 points, Club Nintendo is offering the choice of one of these three 25cm x 25cm "towel handkerchiefs." They're part towel and part handkerchief, but at the same time neither, because none of us would dare dry or clean anything with one of these. Since they're currently only available in Japan, of course, we don't even have the opportunity to decline to mop up a spilled soda with one of these cute collectibles.

Japan's latest Club Nintendo prize is absorbent originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ferrari: The Race Experience steers towards Wii and PSN

GameSpaz — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 06:00:00 +0000

System 3 has announced yet another Ferrari-licensed racing game, Ferrari: The Race Experience, presumably a follow-up to last year's Ferrari Challenge Deluxe. Like System 3's previous efforts, this will be hitting both Wii and PlayStation 3. However, PS3 owners will only be able to find the game on the virtual shelves of the PlayStation Network. Why? System 3 explains that it's become too costly to deal with retail. "The vast amounts of money required in securing a decent in-store presence through co-operative marketing [makes it] easy to see why some games are doomed before they start. By going down a download only route, System 3 is quietly confident that it can service consumer demand directly and efficiently."

While many of System 3's future releases will be exclusive to download platforms, the company did admit that it can't give up on retail altogether. "Obviously we are not moving away fully from boxed product as we are committed to maximising our games across all formats and Wii games, for example, are still only released as physical product."

Ferrari: The Race Experience steers towards Wii and PSN originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011 is about more than just shooting animals

GameSpaz — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Shake off that sense of deja vu. We're talking about a different Cabela's game here: Activision has just announced Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011, the next installment in its iterative series of hunt-em-down-and-shoot-em-ups. It's set to stalk retail shelves "late fall" and will be available on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and DS systems. Every version sans the DS installment will come packed with the Top Shot Elite controller, a wireless gun peripheral created by the same people at Activision who brought you the Guitar Hero controllers.

Activision is apparently putting a lot of production value into this latest Cabela's title, tapping Brad Santos, screenwriter and creative director, to pen the tale of Cole Rainsford, who has joined his estranged father in the African safari to hunt dangerous animals terrorizing local villages there. See, kids? Hunting is a noble pursuit.

Feel free to track some screens from the upcoming game (and the controller) in our gallery below. If you prefer your game a bit more lively, then head past the break for a teaser trailer.

Gallery: Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011

Continue reading Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011 is about more than just shooting animals

Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011 is about more than just shooting animals originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dragon’s Lair Trilogy for Wii: one step closer to porting Dragon’s Lair to everything

GameSpaz — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:20:00 +0000

Hey, Mad Dog McCree: Gunslinger Pack, there's a new sheriff in town -- the "town" in this case being the set of "Collections of Three Laserdisc Games on Wii." Digital Leisure and publisher Destineer are partnering to release Dragon's Lair Trilogy on Wii this fall.

Despite the name, the "Trilogy" is only two-thirds Dragon's Lair: in addition to Dragon's Lair and Dragon's Lair 2: Time Warp, the disc will include Space Ace. And for those of you who want to watch the remastered animation, but who firmly insist that these aren't video games, you can remove any vestige of interactivity and just enjoy the games in "Watch Mode."

The collection will retail for $30, which is relatively good news for this guy.

Dragon's Lair Trilogy for Wii: one step closer to porting Dragon's Lair to everything originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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‘Pokemon Black’ And ‘White’ – New Pokemon And Poke-Musical Performances Revealed

GameSpaz — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:30:15 +0000

The talent competitions in previous Pokémon games may have all just been warm-ups for full-scale musical productions, judging from some Japanese TV footage that contains new venues and actual Pokémon from "Pokémon Black" and "White." The scenes, which appeared on the show "Oha Suta," up the ante with costumes and props, as well as a spotlight during Poké-performances.

An evolved Minizumi called Miruhoggu, a deer named Shikijika and an unnamed stork appear in the video as well, according to the Japanese-literate analysis on Serebii.net. Additionally, it looks like the new team name has been confirmed to be "Plasma."

The only phrase I understood in the entire video was "Pokémon Musical," which must be the name of the new stage contest, so feel free to chime in if you pick up on any additional tidbits. The 3-D maps continue to be a huge step up from past core installments in the franchise, though the kids in the hexagons have reaffirmed my fear of rabid young Pokémon players and the near-limitless energy they tend to harbor.

Do you like the new Pokémon that have been added for "Black" and "White"? What's your take on "Pokémon Musical"? Share your reactions in the comment section below.

DJ Tiesto joins the cast of DJ Hero 2

GameSpaz — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:50:00 +0000

Well, Activision and FreeStyleGames have gone ahead and signed on some pretty big guns to craft mixes for their upcoming rhythm title, DJ Hero 2 -- it makes sense that they'd go after the biggest gun. We're talking about DJ Tiesto, a man who most leading scientists in the field agree is made of beats. Like, his physical structure is composed entirely of beats and high synth, and also glowsticks.

Don't believe us? Check out the video after the jump to see some of Tiesto's in-game work. Just don't blame us if you're reading this post at your job, and then you get fired when you start uncontrollably full-on raving.

Continue reading DJ Tiesto joins the cast of DJ Hero 2

DJ Tiesto joins the cast of DJ Hero 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DJ Tiesto joins the cast of DJ Hero 2

GameSpaz — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:50:00 +0000

Continue reading DJ Tiesto joins the cast of DJ Hero 2

DJ Tiesto joins the cast of DJ Hero 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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‘Donkey Kong Country Returns’ Is Punishing (In A Good Way)

GameSpaz — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:00:37 +0000

About a year ago, I wrote about my experience playing through an early build of "New Super Mario Bros. Wii." I came away rather shocked and impressed by just how difficult the game was, comparing it to "Contra." Turns out "Donkey Kong Country Returns" is being built with the same mindset, as it's nothing short of punishingly difficult. And tremendously satisfying.

"Donkey Kong Country Returns" is being developed by Retro Studios, the fine folks who brought new life to an aging franchise with the "Metroid: Prime" games. Unlike "Prime," "Returns" isn't a reimagining and doesn't make any drastic changes to the gameplay of the original "DKC" games. Retro improved the graphics and added true co-op play, but the gameplay remains extremely close to the original series. Only it's a lot harder.

The difficulty in "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" came from the constant jostling of other players. The difficulty in "Donkey Kong Country Returns" comes from diabolical platforming segments which give the player exactly zero room for error.

In the preview build I played earlier this week, the best example of the hardcore difficulty in "Returns" was a mine cart level, a classic "Donkey Kong Country" staple. But in the original "Country" games, mistiming a mine cart jump usually resulted in passing a few extra bananas. In "Returns," imprecision is rewarded with instant death. One section required that I make nearly a dozen precise jumps, any one of which would instantly send me to the one lone checkpoint in the level.

I died. A lot. Probably close to ten times, just on that section. And yet, I kept coming back for more. It wasn't my duty as a journalist to make me feel the need to see the end of the level. It was my desire as a gamer to get that feeling of accomplishment. Like any well-designed platforming game, "Returns" doesn't feel cheap. Death is in the hands of the player, and every mistake I made could only be blamed on my lackluster performance.

I asked a Nintendo representative how far into the game this mine cart level would be. He laughed, explaining that it would be one of the first levels in the game. Apparently Retro Studios sent along dozens of sample levels to include in the latest build of the game, and this mine cart level was one Nintendo thought was actually finishable in a press event setting. All the others were even more difficult.

Retro wants people to die in "Donkey Kong Country Returns." Designed for hardcore fans, the game doesn't pull any punches.

Intellivision Lives! comes back from the dead this September

GameSpaz — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:00:00 +0000

Virtual Play Games unearthed a collection of ancient relics, believed to have been called "Intellivision games" in their time. To allow modern audiences to examine these historical artifacts for themselves, Virtual Play has built a mobile exhibition called Intellivision Lives!, which requires only a Nintendo DS for admission. In other words, the publisher's putting a bunch of old games on a DS cartridge and selling it this September.

The collection includes classics like Astro Smash, Armor Battle, Night Stalker and Shark! Shark! (a precursor of Flow), as well as six unreleased games, for a total of 60 titles from Mattel's console. The DS touchscreen substitutes for the Intellivision controller's number pad, with an image of each game's custom controller overlay!

The last we heard of this project, it had been banished from DSiWare. It'll finally be out (as a cartridge-based game) this September, and we'll get a chance to play ... these games that have been out since 1982.

Intellivision Lives! comes back from the dead this September originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Please publish Fractured Soul on DS

GameSpaz — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:33:00 +0000

This message is for the many Joystiq readers who are also in charge of business development at game publishing companies -- or for those few impulsive, wealthy Joystiq readers eager to start a new business venture at the drop of a hat.

You see, there's this DS game Fractured Soul. It takes the "two worlds on two screens" concept (as seen in titles like Reflection and Chronos Twins) and makes a fast-paced arcade experience out of it, with the player shifting back and forth at high speed in both platforming and shmup levels. Unfortunately, we can't play it, because developer Endgame Studios needs a publisher. N3V Games has already signed on for Australia, so that leaves ... everywhere else in the world.

That's where you come in. Watch the trailer after the break and give it some thought.

Continue reading Please publish Fractured Soul on DS

Please publish Fractured Soul on DS originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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