Gamecock pseudo-unofficiallyconfirmed the existence of a Wii version of the Xbox Live Arcade Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeballduring E3. Today, they sent out an official press release announcing their intent to release the Wii Dodgeball this winter.
Aside from the obvious difference in which box you turn on to play it, the Wii version of the meme-off will feature new teams (we're hoping for bloggers), new game types including story and challenge modes, and multiple control schemes.
Included in the press release are the first three screens, which look, unsurprisingly, like the Xbox game in lower resolution. Which, for the simple, cartoony environments and character models, is just fine.
The latest Famitsu reveals a new game from Jaleco with a bit of a Shadow of the Colossus vibe. Ougon no Kizuna (Bonds of Gold) features big, climbable bosses like Team ICO's game, though not quite as big. These bosses also have specific weak points, though in this game you use the Wiimote pointer to find them. The non-boss gameplay involves using the Wiimote and Nunchuk to fight crowds of enemies.
In addition to the main quest, Ougon no Kizuna features 100 sidequests involving helping townspeople and, of course, killing monsters. With the game scheduled for a winter release, we're sure we'll find out a lot more very soon.
Okay, first of all, there are new screens for the upcoming WiiWare title. Hit them up in our gallery below, then come back here, because we're got some things we need to discuss.
Back? Good. Okay, to clarify: Bomberman Blast, the WiiWare title for download and not the retail disc, will feature Mii support and 8-person online multiplayer (up to four players can go online on the same Wii) and is officially on its way to North America. We know we told you something else before regarding the Mii stuff, but the press release that literally just landed into our inbox tells another story. So expect this to be one content-rich download.
And on top of those details, Hudson also let us know that they'll be offering online tournaments. In fact, one will even coincide with the release of the game (which is due out in Japan this fall)!
Telltale has just sent out a press release, which was chock full of screens for the next episode of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People. As you all know, we found the first episode to be quite good (although, we never did have our copy freeze on us), so we're looking forward to this month's new episode. Oh, and along with those lovely screens (check them out in the gallery below), we've also got a new trailer for you above this very post.
Just one day before the Japanese release of Hudson's Alien Crush Returns, we're treated to new screens of the remake/sequel of the glorious Turbografx-16 pinball game. The one above appears to be one of the new boss levels (briefly seen in the trailer), in which you fire pinballs at a grotesque alien rictus.
Also highlighted: the two-player versus mode -- which is based on score and time, as far as we can tell, and not simultaneous multiplayer, but we doubt it, because that sounds amazingly insane -- interfering with each other's shots, sharing flippers, and generally just having a frustrating old time.
Just knowing that a new Crush pinball game is being released tomorrow somewhere makes the world seem like a happier, warmer place.
With Mega Man 9's September release right around the corner, it's about time that we finally caught a glimpse at one of Mega Man's new powers, the Concrete Shot. As evidenced above, it's basically like shooting some concrete out of your arm-mounted cannon. Simple enough, right?
Despite being told otherwise like right to my face at E3, it appears that Sega's newest Sonic game on Wii will be very much like the Xbox 360 title, in that it's essentially two different games in one. The first game, which is very reminiscent of the Sonic you know and love, is competent and could provide hours of fun. The other is a darker and far less forgiving affair, as you control the Sonic Werehog and mash buttons in a generic brawler, all the while engaging in some mediocre platforming segments sprinkled in between the fighting. But hey, let's not focus on the bad, let's focus on the half of the game you want to play.
A Sonic cameo in Samba de Amigo has long been old news, grandpa, but we've also been promised appearances from other Sega characters and venues. Here are the fruits of those promises: a cameo from the galaxy's funkiest news reporter, Ulala, and a special Space Channel 5 stage. Ulala's presence makes perfect sense really; as the protagonist of Sega's other awesome rhythm extravaganza, her inclusion was surely inevitable. Now all she needs is her own game. You listening, Sega?
"Monkey Madness Wii targets kids ages 6 to 8 years," reads the opening line of the press release for Ubisoft's new monkey sim. "Like hell it does!" say we. Okay, so maybe it does, but we can't help being drawn to Ubisoft's newest pet game (and at least it's not Monkeyz). Fact: monkeys are adorable and awesome. Everybody thinks this, so no wonder Ubisoft settled on making a game about them. We've had it with labradors and kittens, frankly.
In Monkey Madness Wii, kids we will be able to adopt a monkey and then befriend, train, feed, play with, and photograph our simian chum. There's a range of ridiculous outfits to dress George in (we've already settled on a name), and George's personality will be shaped by how you treat him -- he could be meek, courageous, loyal, indifferent, or something else. We can even cross-breed George with other species of monkeys to create "fantastical hybrids," which sounds a tad disturbing, but we plan on George being an amorous little bugger.
We haven't even touched on the neatest feature of Monkey Madness Wii -- the ability to upload George to your Wii Remote (using the Wiimote's 6 kilobytes of on-board memory) and take him to a friend's house to play with the monkeys on their Wii. Clever! In fact, this is wasted on chil'n, and we'll say it now, readers: DO WANT. Now, can you resist a monkey gallery?
The latest Castlevania Judgment screens, fresh from the Leipzig showfloor, feature a new character not previously seen in the title. "Aeon" is probably one of the fighters produced by manga artist Takeshi Obata, who was drafted in by Konami to provide character designs. Alternatively, he could be from the DS's Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. "Aeon" is not a name we're familiar with from previous instalments of the franchise, and neither Google or the Castlevania Wiki could shed any light on our confusion. Shanoa, the heroine of Order of Ecclesia, is already accessible in Judgment, so we wouldn't rule it out.
Whoever Aeon is, you can see more of him here, here and here. In other news, Koji Igarashi confirmed to IGN that the title will now ship to the U.S. in 2009. Grab your stake, hit up our gallery for new shots, and then trek past the break for a new trailer.
Over 100 stages will feature in Kororinpa 2, as well as multiple difficulty levels (maybe even difficult levels of difficulty this time), a swish-looking course editor, multiplayer for you and three fellow rollers, and Mii integration (which is now as importantandcommon as having graphics). So long as it also has a better camera, we're already on board. Oh, and boxart that is half as wonderful as that of the original PAL game. Like, seriously, how perfect is this? Expect it early next year.
Eidos just dished out the first "real" trailer for Tomb Raider: Underworld. Those of you keen on Lara already know another trailer released for the game (along with that dev thing), but it was little less than a teaser. This one actually has a bunch of gameplay footage in it, so we're calling it the first. But, just as the previous teaser had something wrong with it (it didn't show any gameplay), so does this. We're pretty sure this isn't the Wii version. What tipped us off? The fact that it's in HD and the environments look a lot better than we could've hoped for. It's okay to still watch it, though. The console ports are essentially going to be the same game.
Are you anxious to tackle Lara's latest adventure? Have you been sucked back into the franchise by Tomb Raider Legend, like so many of us, and have high hopes for Underworld?
New screens of Captain Rainbow illustrate the two styles of gameplay found in the "actioventure" (Famitsu's term). During the adventure portion of the game, stars will fall from the sky which, when caught, trigger side-scrolling sequences (during which the sky goes all purple). Running into Shadow enemies, then, causes the game to go into a combat scene. Strangely, this combat takes place in an arena setting.
Once you've obtained the star and successfully taken it to the island's Altar, you (as Nick/Captain Rainbow) face the choice to grant the wish of either the Nintendo character you're helping ... or yourself. Nick wants to regain his hero status, although stealing the wish of someone in need is an ironic way to do it.
Snap Dragon's KORE has once again clanked into our eyeline, thanks to the release of new media over the weekend. The Wii already has a truly great 3D platformer, but it could certainly do with more than justSuper Mario Galaxy. KORE makes an impressive start by sporting finely animated cut-scenes (embedded after the jump) and nifty art design -- think The Nightmare Before Christmas crossed with Death Jr.: Root of Evil with a sprinkling of Ratchet & Clank -- throughout its six worlds.
Stomp past the break in an oversized robot suit to see more videos, or into our gallery for fresh screenshots.
IGN has the first look at Nerf N-Strike,EA's Wii game that comes with a hybrid Zapper/Nerf dart gun. It's going to be marketed as a hybrid as well, apparently, being sold in both the Nerf and video game sections of retailers. We gawked at the awesome gun a few months back when it was first revealed, but this is the first info about the actual game.
As expected, N-Strike is a shooting game in which you use Nerf weapons in-game -- against Nerf-susceptible robots, as seen in the above screen. The guns apparently behave like real Nerf guns, which means that the projectiles move much more slowly than actual bullets.
The game also contains multiplayer modes, one of which sounds quite similar to a current EA favorite. In Blox, players shoot one dart at a time into a structure of cubes until one uncovers a target block. It's a shooting-game take on Boom Blox, and it sounds like a pretty clever tie-in to the other game.
The latest Famitsu reveals a new game from Jaleco with a bit of a Shadow of the Colossus vibe. Ougon no Kizuna (Bonds of Gold) features big, climbable bosses like Team ICO's game, though not quite as big. These bosses also have specific weak points, though in this game you use the Wiimote pointer to find them. The non-boss gameplay involves using the Wiimote and Nunchuk to fight crowds of enemies.
Strong Bad's Game for Attractive People isn't the only notable WiiWare title. Capcom's upcoming Mega Man 9 has managed to turn a few heads (and might have even gotten other companies to think about retro revivals). There's also the upcoming Tetris Party and Alien Crush Returns, both from Hudson. Oh, and let's not forget Space Invaders Get Even!
