It's been a very long time since we've heard anything about Beautiful Katamari and the Wii. And, seeing as how the game has been out on Xbox 360 for quite some time now, we were done thinking that it would ever grace Nintendo's console. Thanks to select retailers' online shops, however, hope is slowly being restored.
Major retail chains Target and Wal-Mart are both listing the game on their respective websites, while Buy.com lists the game with the same price ($29.99), but states it's "temporarily sold out." Even rental service Gamefly has a section up for a Wii and PS3 version of the game.
So, what's the deal? Who knows at this point, but the Wal-Mart page points to an August 29th release, so perhaps we'll hear something soon? We're not going to get our hopes up like before, but we'd be lying if we said we didn't want this to happen.
After hitting up the slopes for a few hours, some fresh screens for We Skihave settled down by the fireplace in the lodge. As we sip hot cocoa and enjoy the crackling fire together, we ask what kind of multiplayer features We Ski has. "4-player fun, you say?" we excitingly inquire, taking care to pour our eyes over every single last screenshot.
You, too, may join us at the fireplace. All you need to do is check out the screenshots in our gallery below and you will be whisked away to a fantasy land of splendor. Or, you know, to a ski mountain.
With the release right around the corner (January 22nd), One Piece: Unlimited Adventure is based on the popular anime series and follows the Straw Hat Pirates on their trek across an uncharted isle as they hunt for treasure. The game will include Adventure mode, Survival mode and VS. mode, for multiplayer gaming. Unlockables consist of up to 40 characters, along with various costumes and secret items.
Head past the break for some more trailers and hit up the gallery below for some screens.
We're happy with on-rail shooters on the Wii. We enjoyed Resident Evil: Umbrella Chroncles, love to talk about Ghost Squad and we're definitely looking forward to House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return. We'd say the console is a pretty good place to look to for developers anxious to produce an on-rails shooter.
Producer for Time Crisis 4, Teruaki Minami, thinks the new Guncon 3 is more advanced than the Wiimote, however. While we'll entertain his thoughts on how it's more advanced in the LED department (hint: it's got more of them), we're pretty confident that the Wiimote beats it on innovation and the fact that it is included with the system. But, we'll still allow him to state his case, as he claims "Guncon 3's LED markers are actually much more accurate. Much better than Nintendo Wii's controller. In the Wii, there are only two LED points, but for the Guncon 3 there are six LED points, so it is more accurate than the Wii."
OK, it's more accurate, but is it totally necessary? Can the average consumer even tell the difference?
Since it first emerged earlier this month, Namco Bandai's Fragile ~ Farewell Moon Ruins has been a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Slowly but surely though, more on the tri-Crescendo-developed "ruin exploration RPG" is being revealed, and the past weekend saw a flurry of new media (such as the trailer above from the official site), all of which points to an RPG rich on atmosphere and suspense.
Famitsu also had a few tidbits of gameplay information. Apparently, protagonist Seto will be equipped with a flashlight, which players will be able to control by pointing the Wii Remote at the screen. A metal detector will also be available (again, this will be controlled using the Wiimote), as well as "other tools." There is also talk of demons appearing during combat, though sadly a rather impenetrable translation prevented us from learning more. Nevertheless, you can color us intrigued.
Head past the post break for a selection of screens, as taken from last week's magazine scans.
Namco Bandai hit us with a press release today, declaring that upcoming spin-off title Soul Calibur Legends has gone gold and is on schedule to release to retail on November 20th. With 10 different stages in Quest mode, as well as a variety of different characters, we're interested in seeing how this whole thing turns out.
We still wake up late at night in a cold sweat screaming from nightmares of Death by Degrees, so let's hope this doesn't turn out the same way.
If you're in the market for a new game, you've got plenty to choose from this week. As the month nears its conclusion, there's probably only one game on your mind: Super Mario Galaxy, but that doesn't mean you should ignore all of the releases that lead up to the momentous event. Don't tell us we're the only ones who're going to snag Zack & Wikiand Namco Museum Remix?
This week's releases are:
Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution
Dancing with the Stars
Playground
The Sims 2: Castaway
Nicktoons: Attack of Toybots
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros Treasure
Namco Museum Remix
Of course, this is a very expensive time of year for most gamers, so we'd understand.
NamcoBandai hit us up with a press release, chock full of new screens (see them in the gallery below) as well as a new trailer for Namco Museum Remix. The trailer even shows some of the Mii integration the game offers. And, as you can imagine, we're dying to get this game in our hands and into our Wii.
We hunger for a real action game on our Wii, and we desperately hope that Soul Calibur Legends is it. We're putting all of our faith in the one positive preview and discounting all the negative ones, just because we really want to believe-- much like Siegfried believed that picking up a gigantic living sword with a freaking eye was somehow a good idea. We can be heartbroken later.
While the graphics in this Famitsu video (which we could not embed) are still jarring compared to the amazing visual quality we're used to from Calibur, we're starting to think that the action is there. The moves look pretty entertaining-- seriously, when Siegfried picks up the guy with his sword, and sort of drags him around, that is awesome-- and the fighting looks appropriately hectic. As long as the controls aren't a mess, we could see ourselves taking some baby steps onto the stage of Wii history.
1UP recently got a chance to go hands-on with the latest build of Soul Calibur Legends, and things are looking up after the title's E3 showing. Not only do they report improved framerate and textures, but they make the gameplay sound like something worth waiting for as well. The folks at 1UP got to try out one of our favorite characters, Taki, and though apparently her damage output is still being adjusted, her famous speed continues to be a strong asset. It's good to hear that each characters' individual style of play -- one of the things we've always enjoyed about the franchise -- has a real bearing on how you approach challenges, and the "team of two" aspect that allows you to keep two fighters in your party at all times for different situations really sounds like it could be a lot of fun. 1UP has gotten us excited about Soul Calibur again, and we can only hope that Legends lives up to the franchise name.
German site Gamefront showed off some new screenshots for the action-adventure take on the Soul Calibur franchise recently. The new screens show off busty pirate lass Ivy, as well as a little more from Siegfried and Sophitia, all of whom have been confirmed as playable characters.
It still seems as though the screenshots (which we've added to the gallery below) are improving all the time, and this pleases us, but we'd like to see some of the other characters who will be featured. Specifically, this blogger feels a need to take tiny Talim up against giant Egyptian-styled enemies. You know how it is with dynamite and small packages.
Since its announcement, opinions of and feelings toward Soul Calibur Legends have been volatile, to say the least. At first, the game inspired almost universal excitement among series fans, and it's (mostly) been downhill since then. But what's the real situation here? Are you you already deciding to avoid this one like the plague after seeing some early impressions, or are you willing to wait and see if the gameplay improves? How do you feel about the screens you've seen so far? We've updated our gallery with some new shots if you'd like to take a peek.
As a rabid fan of the series, this blogger is planning to give it a try unless final reviews mention eyeball-melting atrocity. Nothing short of that will stop high action beatdowns!
The mill is at it again, churning out a rather chunky rumor that Namco Bandai's Space Station Tycoon has gotten the axe. According to IGN, best case scenario has the title receiving a severe delay, but not cancellation. It should be noted, however, that there has been no official comment from Namco Bandai.
The reason for all of this speculation? Wahoo Games, the developers behind the title, are apparently having a tough time with the Wii hardware and have run into several technical problems. Now, before everyone jumps in saying "the Wii is not two GameCubes duct taped together," keep in mind that we don't know what these technical difficulties are, should they even exist.
Well, at least we can say that the game isn't scheduled for release anywhere until spring of next year, which means these screens are probably far from final. When last we checked in on the follow-up to the 'Cube's Tales of Symphonia, things were looking pretty nice. These latest battle screens, however ... let's just say they're looking a little geometric. Still, with months yet to go, we can only hope for a sharper, crisper take on the first game's action. After all, there's an entire extra GameCube taped on there!
At least one fan is super-pumped about the recent Japanese release of Mobile Suit Gundam MS Sensen 0079. YouTube user gevurah22 uploaded seven minutes of footage from the title and encourages everyone to import with a quickness if they can. Quality isn't the highest, but it does offer an extended look at the game for those who are considering picking it up if (when?) a US release is announced.
