[Via press release]
Activision publishing Monsters vs. Aliens game
[Via press release]
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Huge, awesome spoiler
"Huge." "Awesome." Hugesome. That's how we'd define the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom SPOILER that just hit the 'net, so we're taking appropriate action and filing this one after the break.If you do intend to import the 2D fighter, you're best off NOT clicking the blue text below. If you couldn't care less about spoiling not one but potentially two games for yourself, go forth and click, young warrior, and prepare to go slightly weak at the knees as we unveil Tatsunoko vs. Capcom's final boss ...
Continue reading Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Huge, awesome spoiler
Sam & Max coming back for a second season
Click image for new screens
Nabbed a copy of Sam & Max: Season One and looking for more? Well, the second season of the most excellent episodic series will be available to Wii gamers in another compilation disc, titled Sam & Max: Season Two. This gathering of all of season two's episodes is planned to reach store shelves some time early next year. Be sure to check out our gallery below for some screens.
So, who's ready to enjoy season two of Sam & Max's antics?
Analyst: World Tour demand still high, supplies still down
"Supply of the full band kit version at all retail locations was very tight, with the title selling out quickly," Creutz said, even pointing to online resellers who continue to resell the full band kit SKU for ridiculous sums of money. "This picture of high demand and tight supply remains consistent with our previous channel checks."
If these supplies were higher, Activision would be making a lot more money off the title. As it is, however, the company must mostly rely on sales of the game itself and the other guitar bundle SKU.
Ready to Rumble ready to return
Ready 2 Rumble Revolution was first announced back in 2006, but that's too long ago to count. This time, however, the announcement from Atari is for real, with screens and everything. Unfortunately, those screens show off the new character designs, which are based on celebrities and also awful.
Revolution is developed by the wrestling game company formerly known as AKI, and thus is actually quite likely to be good. Of course, it stands no chance of competing with Punch-Out!! in terms of sales or hype, but Ready 2 Rumble used to be decent fun.
[Via NeoGAF]
U.S. Patent Office suspends Nintendo 'Wii Remote' trademark
Nintendo recently filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which, as you might have guessed, has been shot down. Apparently, the word "remote" is far too common and incapable of being trademarked, said a letter sent to Nintendo from the USPTO last week. The attempt to trademark the term "Wii Remote" was filed back in March by Nintendo, and even though it has been put on hold, Nintendo still has the ability to trademark the term. It would merely require that Nintendo "disclaim" any ownership of the word "remote," except for when used with "Wii Remote."
[Update: Removed uses of "patent" -- it's a trademark, duh.]
Ghostbusters spooking you out in June 2009
Atari recently caught the Ghostbusters game in its ghost trap, and has now revealed a release date for the title -- the once-shaky project will escape its Ecto-Containment Unit in June 2009! There's no word yet on which region that date is for, though Atari's press gathering is taking place in the UK, for what that's worth.Who's excited, then? We noticed a few naysayers in the comments of our last Ghostbusters post, but the involvement of (Mushroom Men creator) Red Fly gives us confidence!
You'd have never predicted it: Japan gets fortune-telling channel
A pleasant surprise will have greeted Japanese Wii owners when they awoke this morning: a brand new Wii channel! Spencer from Siliconera freed up the necessary 82 blocks of space to download the "Today And Tomorrow's Lucky Fortune-Telling Channel," and wrote about his experiences.
Truthfully, it sounds very cute and novel, if a tad pointless. Six Miis can be added to the channel, which uses each Mii's preset birthday to calculate how lucky they are -- as you can see above, Mr. Green Jumper will be enjoying some good fortune! If you're down on your luck, you can change clothes to a luckier color by holding down the A and B buttons. Click on a Mii, and you'll be able to read what the future holds in five categories: love, work, school, communication, and money; while this Mii is pretty loved up, she is also penniless.
There are other modes to play with, including a friendship compatibility test, the results of which change daily. You can also get your Miis to ask about a certain subject, and receive three random words for you to interpret yourself.
Synaesthesia imminent: New Mizuguchi music game announced for Wii
Okay, we're doing our best to calm down enough to type this out coherently. Atari has announced a new music game, tentatively titled QJ, for the Wii. According to the very short announcement, the game is being developed by Q? Entertainment founder Tetsuya Mizuguchi. We can assume from the title that his company is the official developer. Either that or it's tied in to the website.
That's all the information we have, but it's enough to make us FREAK OUT. While still at Sega, Mizuguchi was responsible for the pioneering music/shooting game Rez and the incredibly awesome dance-rhythm game Space Channel 5. To celebrate, let's all enjoy the Mizuguchi-produced "Heavenly Star" by Genki Rockets!
Born for Wii: Wario's Woods
Few genres can match the gnawing, unquenchable addiction of the puzzler. The classics like Tetris and Puyo Pop have populated virtually every platform under the sun in one form or another, and modern-day classics like Hexic and Zuma have undoubtedly caused more than one dreary office worker to find himself ejected from his cubicle. Sadly, just as many wonderful puzzle games have fallen by the wayside. One of those games is Wario's Woods.Wario's Woods has an odd history for a game: released on the NES and the Super NES only a few months apart in 1994, two similar, though notably different, versions of the game were on the market at the same time. Though the game only differs slightly from Puyo Pop and its various clones, the mechanics unique to Wario's Woods make it one of the most addictive puzzle games ever made. The NES version of Wario's Woods has been available on the Virtual Console for two years, but the superior Super Nintendo version is nowhere to be found. We've seen nothing new from the series for nearly 15 years -- it's well past time for a revival. And for reals, this time.
Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Star Wars: Republic Commando, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
Another shot at cheap Guitar Hero: World Tour
The latest deal comes from Amazon, who has kicked off their "15 Days, 15 Deals" promotion with temporary price drops on Guitar Hero: World Tour guitar bundles. For $70, you get the game and one of those bizarre new guitars with the touch pad. It's a nice deal for people not interested in the complete band kit -- or for people trying to cobble the band kit together over time.
Slow-acting venom: Deadly Creatures delayed
When it was first announced back in February, Rainbow Studios' Deadly Creatures seemed poised to be one of the most 'hardcore' action titles in 2008's Wii lineup. Now, we're quickly expending our supply of 2008, with nary a Deadly Creature to be found. This Halloween, on one of the game's planned release dates, THQ set their sights on December. Now that's been pushed back to February 2009. As usual, the endless delays only drive our desire to play a game about a scorpion and tarantula who follow criminals around. And maybe the extra development time will mean we're less disappointed with what now looks to be one of the most 'hardcore' action titles in 2009's Wii lineup.
VC Tuesday: Space Invaders Get Overturned
Nintendo of Japan has started off December the right way: with a bunch of video games. Between Virtual Console and WiiWare, an astounding six new (or new to Wii) games are available in Japan today. Of course, one of those games is Atlantis no Nazo, which was so bad, it was almost released as a sequel to Super Pitfall. The other, Space Invaders: Fukkatsu no Hi (Day of Resurrection) contains the original Invaders along with a "Plus" mode that adds new graphics and powerups. It's also 200 points cheaper than the other version of original Space Invaders.- Atlantis no Nazo (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
- Space Invaders: Fukkatsu no Hi (PC Engine, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
- Overturn (1-2 players, 800 Wii Points)
- Pit Crew Panic! (1-4 players, 500 Wii Points)
- Hamaru Billiards (1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
- Yomikikase Asobi Wii (1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
Wii Warm Up: GC vs CC
Ken Moore goes where no man has gone before, turns Wiimote into theremin
Ken Moore likes to fiddle around with things. His latest project turns the Wiimote into a theremin, which is one of the earliest electronic instruments and the first that is actually played without touching. Above, you'll see a video of Ken providing a tech demo and brief history lesson on the instrument. Past the break, you'll see Ken attempt to do the theme for the original Star Trek show.
Continue reading Ken Moore goes where no man has gone before, turns Wiimote into theremin
