Ice Age 3: Game Trailer

The game trailer for Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, has been released. Check it out below! The game will be available this July for all consoles. (Are these films any good for them to keep making them?)

Star Wars meets the Mushroom Kingdom

These two masterpiece works of art feature a heavy mix of the world of Mario blended with Star Wars. Painted by artist Misha, these 18" x 24" paintings reside in Los Angeles, available at the price of a mere $1400, each.

Pretty nice work, especially Yoshi's beastly thighs, newly added to his once slender physique.
NewLaunches

Happy Bakery DS Bound

Trying to compete in the cuteness factor of Cooking Mama, comes Happy Bakery. The new game stars Rue, a little girl with a passion for bread. Aside from just baking, Rue can travel outside her bake shop, mingle with the customers, capture bread fairies and shop for fresh baked goods. The game will debut this May, being published by Rising Star Games, the company behind other titles such as Harvest Moon and Little King's Story.

Yu Suzuki Retires (Sort Of)

What do Virtua Fighter, Shenmue, OutRun, Afterburner, and Space Harrier all have in common? They were developed by Sega legend Yu Suzuki. According to a recent press release by Sega-Sammy, the video game prodigy will be retiring from his post as an R&D Creative Officer.

As screams of fans awaiting a third Shenmue installment fill the night, do not lose all hope. Suzuki will reportedly continue developing in a diminished role as the manager of the R&D department of Sega's AM Plus division. AM Plus has put together two Japanese arcade releases thus far including Psy Phi, a touch screen based fighting game and Sega Racing TV.

There's no doubt that an arcade development team could benefit from the mind that gave us Space Harrier, OutRun, and Afterburner. We'll continue to check in on Suzuki's AM Plus team and see what results the veteran brings to the table.

Today's Wii and DS Downloads

Welcome to the first Nintendo Download Update, giving you all the downloadable games for the Wii... and DS! For download today are the Nintendo DSi Browser, Birds & Beans, Master of Illusion Express: Funny Face, Art Style: AQUIA, Wario Ware: Snapped and Brain Age Express: Math. For Wii, you'll see EQUILIBRIO and Uncharted Waters: New Horizons. Enjoy!

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Nintendo DSiWare

Nintendo DSi Browser (Nintendo, 1 player, 0 Nintendo DSi Points): Get on the Web with ease using the Nintendo DSi Browser. Powered by Opera, this simple-to-use Web browser is made specifically for the Nintendo DSi system, providing a seamless and intuitive browsing experience that makes the most of the system's touch controls and two-screen interface. Check e-mail, get the latest news updates and more – wherever a wireless Internet connection is available. Just grab your stylus and start surfing.

Bird & Beans™ (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 200 Nintendo DSi Points): In Bird & Beans, you control Pyoro, a small bird with an elastic tongue and an insatiable appetite for beans. Scramble to catch beans that fall from the sky, racking up points as you go. The farther away the bean, the more points it's worth. Beware any beans that are missed – they'll leave a hole in the ground that can't be crossed, potentially trapping Pyoro. Bird & Beans also features a second version that enables Pyoro to spit seeds at high speed, bringing down more beans than ever before. This fun and fast-paced game requires skill and strategy to master, and always leaves you wanting to play just one more time.

Master of Illusion™ Express: Funny Face (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 200 Nintendo DSi Points): Master of Illusion Express titles are mind-boggling magic tricks pulled from the popular Nintendo DS™ game. Learn the illusions, practice up and amaze your friends. Master of Illusion Express: Funny Face uses your Nintendo DSi system as a prop in a card trick. Draw a face on the touch-sensitive screen and astound your audience as the face tells them which playing card they picked. Also included is the bonus Vanishing Card trick, which the Nintendo DSi system performs for your enjoyment.

Art Style™: AQUIA™ (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Nintendo DSi Points): Dive into Art Style: AQUIA, a fast-paced underwater puzzle game that asks you to think fast and move even faster. Help a scuba diver reach the ocean's floor by matching three or more colored blocks horizontally or vertically. The more blocks you match, the faster the diver will descend. Fail to clear blocks and the diver's air supply will start to run out, causing darkness to creep in from above and cloud your vision. Race against time in TIMED DIVE, dive deep in FREE DIVE mode or visit the AQUARIUM to view various sea creatures. Like every game in the Art Style series, AQUIA features elegant design, polished graphics and pick-up-and-play controls, creating an experience that focuses purely on fun and engaging game play.

WarioWare™: Snapped! (Nintendo, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone – Comic Mischief, 500 Nintendo DSi Points): Wario™ returns with more manic action made especially for the Nintendo DSi system. WarioWare: Snapped! uses the built-in Nintendo DSi Camera to make players the star of the show by placing them right into fast-paced mini-games. Take part in wacky challenges simply by moving your face and body as you travel along four wild roller coasters, hosted by Wario and his pals. Beat the mini-games using motions ranging from large to small, or play with a friend for even more fun. Wario even has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Brain Age™ Express: Math (Nintendo, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Nintendo DSi Points): In this math-focused edition of the popular Brain Age series, players can enjoy a mix of new and familiar exercises, including Change Maker, Triangle Math, Sum Totaled and Multi Tasker. A new Themes mode includes drawing, photography and voice acting challenges, letting you share your creativity with friends and family. And if you need a break from your routine, the always-enjoyable Virus Buster makes its return.

WiiWare

EQUILIBRIO (DK-GAMES, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): In EQUILIBRIO, you must finish a series of levels by moving a ball toward an exit. To move the ball, hold the Wii Remote™ controller horizontally and turn it to tilt the playfield. You can also play using the Wii Balance Board™ (sold separately with Wii Fit). The ball is fragile, so don't let it fall too far, and be sure to avoid deadly obstacles such as spikes and acid pools. The difficulty of the game adjusts according to your skill. Will you be tough enough to complete all 64 levels?

Virtual Console

Uncharted Waters: New Horizons (Super NES™, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Cartoon Violence, Simulated Gambling, 800 Wii Points): Uncharted Waters: New Horizons is a game set in the Age of Discovery, the golden era of European global exploration during the early 16th century. There are six different characters to choose from, all with different backgrounds and different motivations. Once you've chosen a character to play, you're free to sail the world's oceans as you wish, visiting a variety of exotic ports and making thrilling new discoveries.

Nintendo Vs. Earth

Nintendo has no shortage of green when it comes to money. But in the environmentally safe kind of green department, the Big N is in a massive recession. Greenpeace's recently published Guide to Greener Electronics gave Nintendo the lowest score of all major electronics companies, a 0.8 out of 10.

Greenpeace International official, Iza Kruszewska, spoke to Edge last December about Nintendo's poor attitude towards the environment. “We’re in continuous dialogue with all the companies we speak to,” she said, “apart from Nintendo. I’ve never been able to get an answer from them aside from a couple of marketing people in the UK who have been trying to forward the messages to global headquarters in Japan, but we get no response from Nintendo. The company has an incredibly poor standard of communication regarding this issue.”

Further quotes from the recent Guide to Greener Electronics issue hammer Kruszewska's sentiments home. “Nintendo remains in last place with a pitiful 0.8 points out of 10, scoring zero on all e-waste criteria,” said the report. “The company has banned phthalates and is monitoring use of antimony and beryllium, and although it is endeavouring to eliminate the use of PVC, it has not set a timeline for its phase out.”

Microsoft scored slightly better on the green scale, pulling in a 2.7 (falling from their last review) and Sony boosted its previous score to almost 5.5.

All three gaming companies have a ways to go before Mother Earth approves of their nerdy habits, but with the continued scrutiny of Greenpeace and awareness of the public, it's just a matter of time. In the meantime, I wouldn't be surprised to see Nintendo release a green (as in the color) console to stymie naysayers.

Onslaught Review (Wii Ware)

Onslaught = terrible game.
Don't even think about wasting your 1000 Wii Points on this slow, boring, abysmally un-fun, repetitive, waste of time, generic first person shooter. You know a game sucks when even the rocket launchers aren't fun. Enough said.

Thanks and have a great day.

Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games Info

Thank you to the Official Nintendo Magazine for giving us some nice news before the weekend. Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games will debut before the end of the year, and not much has been known thus far about the title. Thanks to ONM, we have confirmation of balance board support for skiing, snowboarding and bobsledding! To control your bobsled, simply sit on the balance board and shift your weight side to side. Speed skating has also been confirmed
One thing not included in the game however is support for two balance boards. I'm really discouraged by this. No game seems to want to offer dual balance board support, meaning I'll have to play a friend wi-fi if I plan on playing against them at all. Kind of weird.

Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits no more?

Here is the latest boxart, indicating the new name change for the once named Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits. The game will hit all next gen consoles this June.

King of Kong Continues at E3

While this year's GDC may have been less than stellar, E3 2009 is setting itself up to be a glorious affair. But how can we ensure E3 is nothing short of epic? By having All-American everyman/underdog Steve Wiebe slaughter Billy Mitchell's Donkey Kong record.

Wiebe, the lovable protagonist of the 2007 documentary "King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters," will be attempting to break super patriot Billy Mitchell's million plus score on Donkey Kong. While a lot of the Wiebe/Mitchell rivalry is the result of post production wizardry, it's still a conflict for the ages.

The record breaking attempt will be broadcast live on G4 during this years E3. And if you haven't seen King of Kong, then stop what you're doing and hop to it.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Silent Hill Gets Reimagined on Wii

Rumors of an original Silent Hill Wii-make have been making their rounds on the interwebs, but Nintendo Power is giving fans something a little more tangible. In their latest issue, Nintendo Power sits down with producer Tom Huett to discuss Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. “This is a reimagining of the first Silent Hill,” Hulett explains. “It’s not a remake or a port. That’s an important distinction. It really feels like a new game.”

When asked about changes to the original Silent Hill story, Hulett offered some insight. “The characters play different roles, things don’t necessarily happen in the same order, and the story is taken in lots of new directions," Hulett said. "You still play as Harry Mason, you’re still looking for your daughter, and you’ll see familiar elements, but they’re all twisted to betray your expectations.”

Hulett also hinted at changes to Silent Hill's critically acclaimed atmosphere: “One of Shattered Memories’ most significant and intriguing additions—your answers actually affect how the game unfolds. And it doesn’t end there. the game “watches” you constantly, and your behavior throughout can determine when you’ll meet certain characters, which scenes you’ll witness, and a variety of other factors. In Silent Hill games, the town always gets inside the protagonist’s head, but now it’s getting inside YOUR head.”

With Shattered Memories being a Wii title, Wii remote function was also part of the discussion. “We’re using the Wii Remote to interact directly with the environment, so the puzzles are all based around that idea,” says Hulett. “You’re not just hitting buttons to choose things.” He also notes that the solution to a puzzle is always in the immediate vicinity, and assures us there’s a lot less backtracking than in previous games.”

In closing, Hulett noted, “Longtime fans of the series will also be delighted to learn that there’s a way through every locked door; no more checking dozens of entrances only to find that 90% of them are permanently barred shut.”

Shattered Memories sounds like an interesting project, but it will take a near perfect execution to please the rabid Silent Hill fanbase. Here's to hoping!

DSiWare Launch Titles

Nintendo has officially released the list of games that will be launching on the DSi Shop when the DSi hits store shelves April 5th. Remember, some of these titles could basically be free, considering you are awarded 1000 Nintendo Points just for signing on to the service (that is until October). Here is the complete list of launch titles below:
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• WarioWare: Snapped! — Using the built-in Nintendo DSi camera, this outrageous title puts players right at the center of fast-paced mini-games, challenging them to race the clock and get a peek at Wario's photo album.
• Bird & Beans (pictured) — Using an elastic tongue, players must scramble to collect falling beans. The harder a bean is to catch, the more points it's worth.
• Brain Age Express: Math — In this math-focused edition of the popular Brain Age series, players can enjoy a mix of new and familiar training exercises. A new Themes mode also lets Nintendo DSi users experiment with images and voice recordings in fun, unusual ways.
• Master of Illusion Express: Funny Face — This game uses your Nintendo DSi as a prop in a card trick. Draw a face on the touch screen and astound your audience as the face tells them which playing card they picked.
• Art Style: AQUIA — The newest addition to the eye-popping Art Style series, this mesmerizing underwater puzzle game challenges players to help a scuba diver reach the ocean floor by matching a series of colored blocks.
Kotaku

PS3 Firmware 2.70 Live

Firmware update 2.70 is now live for your PS3's, adding new features such as in game text chat support for up to 16 players, and external storage option to backup your downloaded video files.

Explodemon! Trailer

I don't understand it, but I love it. Check out this new trailer for the upcoming WiiWare, PC, PSN title, Explodemon!


I don't know about you, but after Wii has been left out time and time again, it's kind of refreshing that the game will release on all systems but the Xbox360. (For now at least)

Final Fantasy XIII and Strong Bad

What do Final Fantasy XIII and Strong Bad have in common? They push things to the limit.

With Strong Bad it's "fhqwhgads," and in Final Fantasy XIII's case it's Playstation 3s. At least that's what Square Enix is touting.

In a recent pow-wow with Kotaku, FFXIII producer Yoshinori Kitase was asked how much of the PS3's power would his latest epic use. His response was simple: "Doesn't the demo use about 50 percent of its power? Of course, I think the retail version will make use of nearly 100 percent."

Kitase also noted that FFXIII would push the PS3 in the same ways that FFVII and FFX set bars for the PS1 and PS2 respectively. Another item of note is that there will be no disc swapping thanks to the PS3's Blu-ray format and hard drive.

An attachment of Sega CD proportions can only be expected for 360 users.

Jak & Daxter Live!... on the PS2/PSP

The Playstation Blog has officially announced that everyone's favorite hero/ottsel duo are back! Long time Jak & Daxter fans have been chomping at the bits to see the platforming protagonists in HD, but it looks like they'll have to wait a little longer. An April Fool's joke? I think not.

According to the blog entry, Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier is being developed by High Impact Games and heading straight for your PS2 and PSP. While Sony counterparts Ratchet & Clank are gearing up for their second current gen outing, it looks like The Lost Frontier is being put together to make those $99 PS2s a little more sexy.

Look for air pirates, one liners, and top notch platforming later this year.

Wii Fit Pulls Its Own April Fools Joke

See the image above? Well you did earlier too if you got your fit on. Wii Fit decided to celebrate April Fool's Day by acting like your balance board was broken.

Ironically, I really thought my balance board was broken after it wouldn't turn on. I replaced the batteries, and still, nothing. Then I realized, I hadn't used it in so long that it might have un-synced itself. Sure enough, that brought it back to life. Tricked twice by Wii Fit in one week,...very naughty Nintendo.
Kotaku

Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Dev Diary Part II

Here is a good read, straight from the development team behind the upcoming Ghostbusters game. It talks about making the game, keeping true to the story, and the game's influence of the film's actors to (potentially) make a third film! Enjoy:

GHOSTBUSTERS DEVELOPER DIARIES: ORIGIN AND THE MAKING OF

PART 2

Proving It

Now, and to be completely candid about this, as a game developer Terminal Reality had something to prove. At that time our most recent titles, Aeon Flux and Spy Hunter, each featured some great elements but neither of them exactly set the world on fire.

We had recently undergone extensive management changes and company reorganization. We firmly decided that we no longer want to be known as a developer that ships decent games on time, but instead one that focuses solely on top-quality entertainment. This had been the central message of our ‘reboot’ publisher tour in LA.

We had just proven our commitment to quality (to ourselves, anyway) by reluctantly turning down the offer of an extremely high-profile project that we felt just didn’t offer enough development time to really perfect the game.

Click to Keep Reading...


A few months prior to that we had gone out to pitch an (different) original game IP. We had a strong document, a gameplay concept that everyone was dying to play, and even a development partnership with a high-profile, stellar, and very cool movie director who worked a room like no one I have ever seen. But what we didn’t have was a demo, and thus we never got out of the talking stages.

We learned from that experience that we have to put everything onscreen. Given this opportunity, that’s exactly what we did for Ghostbusters.

We rushed back to Texas and told the team, who was as excited by the news as we had been. Everyone jumped into making the proof-of-concept with full exuberance. This was the first official next-gen effort for the newly combined ‘big team’ at Terminal Reality. We had been dying for the chance to really show off what we can do.

The result was a playable proof-of-concept that felt, almost eerily, just like a pivotal scene in the movie: a Ghostbuster fought and captured Slimer while brutalizing a ballroom in the Hotel Sedgewick. Everything in the room, from the three-tiered cake on the buffet table to the nondescript bottles behind the bar (they’re labeled ‘Bottle’) to the heavy crystal chandelier on the ceiling could be broken, shattered, or incinerated in blazing flames.

Getting the look and functionality of the proton/capture stream right was absolutely crucial to gameplay and authenticity, so that was our first order of business. Properly scarring the walls was the second.

Within three weeks we had implemented both of these elements, as well as a fully breakable ballroom, fully animated Slimer, a ghostbuster character with working proton pack, slime and hurt reactions, a functioning ghost trap, and both blasting and rudimentary ghost-trapping gameplay.

This was the demo that we showed to our publisher, then Sony Pictures, and then to Dan Aykroyd. Everyone that saw it said that while the quality was definitely there, it also showed the team’s passion for Ghostbusters and getting it just right. Once Mark Caplan from SPCP selected a publisher, we had proved to all the parties involved that we were the right developers for this game.

Authenticity

There’s really only been one goal for this game from the very beginning: create and present a 100% authentic Ghostbusters gameplay experience. That meant the perfect Ghostbusters game would have mainstream appeal, would be action-packed, and would need to masterfully blend elements of fun and funny and scary, just like the original movie had done.

“Fun, Funny, Scary,” in fact, became our mantra. Anything that didn’t fit those criteria had to go.

We knew from the outset that lot of people would automatically assume this game was nothing but another licensed cash-in gimmick. This happens a lot, and that’s mostly a result of the fact that good movies are usually made much faster than good games can be, and tie-ins pretty much have to be released within two weeks of each other.

A tie-in rip-off is the exact opposite of anyone’s intent for Ghostbusters. We seized on the idea to embrace the property’s icons, and present them in new, fresh perspectives, as a way to convince the player that we’re on the up and up.

It’s funny, considering that almost every really enduring element from the property comes from just one movie. Ghostbusters is seriously hip-deep in icons. You’ve got the proton pack, Slimer, the Hotel Sedgewick, the PKE meter, the paragoggles, the Ecto-1, the Firehouse Headquarters, The Public Library, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, Janine, that incredible logo, and the city of New York itself, which is as important a character in the Ghostbusters universe as any of the others.

For most people, the only really strong memories from the second movie tend to be mood slime, the walking statue of Liberty, and Vigo the Carpathian (we’ve got two out of three in the game).

We hit the ground running. We watched and re-watched and dissected the movies, and endlessly speculated and debated the gameplay-relevant functionality of proton streams and ghost traps and how the PKE meter works and exactly how fast four not-especially-athletic middle-aged men wearing very heavy proton packs should be able to move.

Should the player take the role of one, or any, of the Ghostbusters? We decided early on that tampering with the near-perfect dynamics already established between the Ghostbusters was flirting with disaster, so decided to introduce a cipher player character: a rookie that could both play alongside and be a Ghostbuster while still getting to sit back and enjoy the interplay between the original cast—like playing a movie and watching it at the same time. A few of us (including myself) originally wanted him to talk, but when it came time to manage the dialog for all the characters, we were very relieved there wasn’t an additional voice in the mix!

We knew the story had to be set in New York City. Trying to go anywhere else would have been coloring too far outside the lines for Ghostbusters, especially for our first time out.
We wanted the game to synch with and progress Ghostbusters canon, so we placed it just a few years after the events of the second film.

We all agreed that the sad-sack beginning of GB2, in which the city had abandoned the Ghostbusters, was too much of a downer, and you couldn’t retread that same patch anyway. So when we open the city loves the Ghosbusters, who have become New York’s official, contracted Paranormal Investigations and Eliminations experts (we ended up going heavier on the ‘Elimination’ than the ‘Investigation’, as a result of focus-testing). The new Mayor was even elected as a result of the Ghostbusters’ endorsement.

One really cool thing we’ve heard is that the overwhelming public interest in the game played a pivotal role in prompting the studio and talent to move forward on a Ghostbusters 3 movie! We’ve also heard rumors (completely unfounded allegations, and it’s irresponsible to repeat them here) that some elements from the game, and even some of the ideas we weren’t able to use, may be showing up in Ghostbusters 3, if it comes to pass. It’s hard to imagine anything much more gratifying than that. And if it doesn’t happen, we still have played a part, however small, in helping get the movie made.

Call of Duty Map Pack a Hit

Looks like the Call of Duty franchise is as popular as ever if downloadable content is any indication. The Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 1 has hit the one million download mark.

"We're excited that the success of Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 1 will continue to drive the popularity of the game's Nazi Zombie mode, competitive multiplayer and chart-breaking success online," said Mark Lamia, Studio Head for Treyarch.

The map pack includes the four map areas of Nightfire, Station, Knee Deep and Verrückt, and is available on the XBLM and PSN.

Activision

Godfather II gets Upgrade Packs this month

Fans of The Godfather II video game have no reason to demand any add-on's, especially since the game's not even out yet. However, EA loves you, so you are getting them anyway. The company has announced today that upgrade packs will be available later this month, offering players some game additions, such as level-four weapons, an additional crew member with new specialties, and two new multiplayer maps. Here is the complete list of what you can expect:

• The Pentangeli Map Pack: Download for the all-new Cuba multiplayer map and the Junkyard multiplayer map.
• $6.75 / 540 points

• Level 4 Weapons Bundle: Download this collection to receive the Modern Dillinger, the .700 Magnum Impact, the Herzstopper, the MG-S1 Sniper Wolfe, and the Street Sweeper.
• $4.00 / 320 points

• Jack of All Trades: Download Jimmy Lira – the Jack of All Trades to have this character in your family. Jimmy Lira starts out with the arsonist, engineer, medic, and safecracker specialties and comes equipped with a level 2 machine gun – the MP38.
• $4.00 / 320 points

• The Corleone Bundle (All of the above): Download the multiplayer map pack, the level 4 Weapons Bundle, and the Jack of All Trades (Jimmy Lira) crew member.
• $10.00 / 800 points

The upgrade packs will be available to download on April 23.