Donkey Kong Country Returns

Donkey Kong Country Returns isn’t just shaping up to be a great single player game, it looks like it could be one of the better two-player cooperative games to hit the Wii this year.

Yes, that means that making your way through Retro Studios’ Donkey and Diddy Kong game with a friend seems to be much more fun than cooping through Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Where Galaxy 2 allows a friend two ride shotgun on your Mario adventures, Donkey Kong Country Returns gives you the option of having two fully controllable characters. But if your team mate isn’t quite up to platforming certain areas, you can press a button and have Diddy Kong climb atop Donkey Kong’s shoulders. While riding Donkey Kong, all Diddy can do is fire off his peanut gun and use his jet pack, essentially providing support for his uncle, without having to master timing and jumps.

It’s a fantastic way to create a game that is fun to play with two gamers whether they are college roommates or father and son.

During my time with the game I checked out two sections of the Wii title, due out Nov. 21. Rickety Rails has you riding mine carts through a cavernous level filled with collapsing rails and exploding barrels.

It’s just the sort of level that, if I were playing the game with my 9-year-old son, could frustrate him enough to kill the experience. But because Diddy can hop onto Donkey Kong, that’s not really an issue here.

And Donkey Kong Country Returns is exactly the type of game I’d love to play through with my son. It’s colorful graphics and sharp game design are augmented by some slick game controls.

You can either play with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck or by holding the remote sideways. I played through the levels with the two controllers.

As Diddy, you have to shake both controllers to fire off your peanut gun, drumming your hands in front of you like an angry ape as your on-screen gorilla popped off endless peanuts in small arcs.

The game also does a good job of keeping you on your toes, making use of both the foreground and background graphics throughout the game, sometimes even shooting you off to the background, having you control the characters in the distance, the muted sound of their combat emphasizing how far away they are from the screen.

A lot of time

I’m back, wow a lot of new things here…… I want my ps move and a nintendo 3DS

Ps3 Update 3.30: PS3 ready for 3D

Few days ago Sony has made a Ps3 Update 3.30.Sony’s new Ps3 update 3.30 is available on Sony network. It integrates the necessary firmware to take advantage of the compatible games on TV adequacy, in stereoscopic 3D.Firmware 3.30 also brings more news about the trophies. “PS3 users can classify the trophies in sections and Comparing Trophy Trophy Collection. The classification can be made with Trophy Collection in Game Category and also when comparing trophies with their friends in the Friend category”, says Sony.

Given the limited availability of titles in Blu-ray and 3D television broadcasts, the first three-dimensional content will probably be the games.

Sony moves forward with new firmware 3.30, coming soon, enable 3D games on PlayStation 3. As announced a few days ago, one of the first 3D titles there will certainly Wipeout HD, Pain, Super Stardust HD, and MotorStorm Pacific Rift.

Among other new firmware 3.30 reporting improved section Trophies, which can now easily order more trophies to her name, date or degree.

Different view, however, for the reproduction of Blu-ray 3D: The latest rumors speak of it even provided an update for the autumn. But perhaps it is the case of hair pulling.

No splinter cell for ps3

Ubisoft dismisses Splinter Cell PS3 rumours

Ubisoft has once again reaffirmed that Splinter Cell: Conviction is exclusive to Xbox 360 in response to rife rumours of a Sony version over the past few weeks.

Employee CVs, internet speculation and hazy Ubi responses like “wait and see” have maintained chatter of a PS3 version coming, but if it is the publisher’s not willing to admit it yet.

“Rumor control: Splinter Cell Conviction is exclusive to Xbox 360. The PC version is coming out next week,” says Ubi on its Twitter feed.

But with Splinter Cell games traditionally always timed Xbox exclusives with PS versions arriving sooner or later, we’re sure the rumours won’t will stop here.

PS3: Splinter Cell

After an extended development period, Xbox 360 exclusive Splinter Cell: Conviction is only one week away from release. Come this time next week, Sam Fisher fans will be taking down Third Echelon in search of answers.

Unfortunately for PS3 owners, they won’t be able to join in on the action. At least, not yet. But if the details of a LinkedIn resume check out, it’s only a matter of time before they get their chance.

VG247 are reporting that the CV of a Ubisoft employee indicate he has been working on a PS3 version of Conviction. If true, this may not be a surprise to anybody who has been following third party developer trends over the last few years, but it’s still nice to have some evidence.

Obviously, whatever exclusivity deal is in place between Microsoft and Ubisoft must run its course before the game’s existence is confirmed.

One more interesting tidbit from the resume is the indication that the new Assassin’s Creed title is due out this year. Although no official date has been given, it was previously thought that the game will hit stores in 2010, and this information only gives the theory more weight.

Nintendo under pressure ( ZELDA )

 

 

Nintendo has a reputation for providing the highest quality content for their own consoles, but in the latest installment of their Iwata Asks feature, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata says not only that Capcom has surpassed them visually with Monster Hunter Tri, but they now feel pressured to catch up.

“I can tell Nintendo’s staff has really been galvanized by you. I can tell they feel like you did what they hadn’t yet,” Iwata said in a conversation with Monster Hunter Tri game director Kaname Fujioka and producer Ryozo Tsujimoto. “Looking at the graphics objectively, I feel like the game’s visuals are one of the representative examples of what can ultimately be done with Wii. I think it has placed the Zelda team under a considerable amount of pressure.”

Speaking about the game’s visuals, Fujioka said it was one of the team’s top priorities. “Generating great visuals was one of our main goals in bringing out Monster Hunter Tri for Wii,” he said. “Striking visuals were originally one selling point of Monster Hunter, so when we decided to bring Tri out for Wii, to be honest, many players may have been uneasy over just how much we could do visually. We thought that unless we got those types of people to think, ‘Oh, it’s totally all right,’ we would have failed.”

Monster Hunter Tri is set for release in North America on April 20. Unfortunately, we have a feeling we won’t see a last-minute reveal of some kind of crazy and elaborate Monster Hunter/Zelda tie-in.

Leaked Nintendo 3DS Photos ( ” :( ” i dont like it )

At least, we could never see the ‘new, blue ocean strategy’ Nintendo walk out on stage with such a blight on the eyes.

A camera on the top of the screen allows for scanning images when placed face down, as well as taking photos. Slide up the screen like a mobile phone and you’ll see a D-pad, analogue stick and buttons similar to a Nintendo DS. Triggers are somewhat awkwardly shoehorned in the back of the device.

Sliding up the screen allows for playback of legacy Nintendo DS titles, according to the website. We’re not sure that would be possible, given the potential top-heavy nature of the screen as you try to hold the bottom with your hands.

The final trick shown in this supposedly leaked batch of images comes in the form of the ’3D’ technology itself, again using the camera on the device to project objects in real-time space. A bit like how the PlayStation Eye uses augmented reality in EyePet or Eye of Judgment.

No More Heores PS3/360

No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise, the upgraded PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 ports of the original No More Heroes, hits Japan on April 15. This week’s issue of Famitsu magazine has the first review, and despite an assortment of complaints, the editors still liked it, giving it 9/8/8/8 for a total of 33 points. The game is largely unchanged from the Wii original, save for improved graphics and a new Japanese-language voice dub (the Wii version had English voices only, even in Japan). “The graphics have gotten prettier, and the Japanese voices let you enjoy the unique story on a whole new level,” one editor said. “It’s not a dramatic change, but the HD shift makes a difference.” Another agreed: “The Japanese dub doesn’t feel stilted at all, and the voice cast really gives the game a new sort of charm.” These No More Heroes ports are somewhat unique because — in Japan, at least — the PS3 version features less violence than the 360 one, which is rated Z by the local rating board and is therefore restricted strictly to gamers 18 and up. (The original Wii version had toned-down blood in Japan, too, so the country’s getting the first “uncensored” No More Heroes with this 360 release.) “The Xbox 360 version is pretty violent,” one editor wrote. “There’s blood flying everywhere, and you can cut off all sorts of things. It adds a sense of depth, especially in the cutscenes after ranking battles.” Remarkably little was said about the brand-new control scheme, which “has its advantages and disadvantages; some people will like it while others won’t.” Instead, the brunt of the reviewers’ complaints was pointed toward load times, which have apparently taken a hit on both ports. “Unlike the Wii version, the load times are pretty long, which makes things stressful,” one said. “It’s a shame considering how much easier the game is to play now.” Another issue: “It’s too bad that the Japanese dialogue is often hard to hear clearly, especially since you can’t display subtitles in Japanese mode.” Despite it all, though, the off-beat charm of the original game still shines through like a beacon. “The sheer wit behind the dialogue is still enough to make you smile,” as one writer put it. “Between that and the upgraded graphics, everything’s a lot nicer than before. The crazy conversations and wild twists really keep you interested in where the story’s going.” The 360 and PS3 ports of No More Heroes currently have no US release date.

Diablo III and Sagas , sequels, etc wat eve

Activision Blizzard released its Form 10-K Annual Report for the fiscal year ended on 31 December 2009 to inform investors of several strategies to milk [increase the revenue] of all the franchises across their portfolio.

While not all players know much of finances, NASDAQ, or Exchange Commission babble, this fiscal year report slipped an interesting clue at what’s cooking behind the neosteel-reinforced walls of Blizzard Entertainment.

The overview section of this Activision Blizzard investors document might imply the Irvine studio has more than one Diablo game on its tinker table. In short, Diablo III might not be the only Diablo game in development, or there are early plans for more in the future. Here is an excerpt from the report released on March 1, 2010.

“Blizzard has released two expansion packs to World of Warcraft;  World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade and World o fWarcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Blizzard is currently developing new games, including a new expansion pack to the World of Warcraft franchise, Cataclysm,  StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, which will be released with the new and improved Battle.net, and [sequels] to the Diablo franchise.”

Blizzard Entertainment is currently developing five games:

1. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
2. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
3. Diablo III
4. Untitled Next-Gen MMO
5. Brand-new IP game

 

Back in August 2008, Jay Wilson told MTV the following statement:

“We also tried to focus a little more on bringing characters back, and not just from ‘Diablo II’ but from ‘Diablo I,’” he said. “We feel like a lot of the focus is on ‘Diablo II’ but ‘Diablo I ’started it all and has a lot of really good stuff on the gameplay side and on the character side. So people can expect to see characters from‘Diablo I,’ more characters from ‘Diablo II,’ and characters from some of the books. We’re definitely going to bring a few of them in.” And while “Diablo III” ends the trilogy, fans needn’t worry — it’s not the final curtain for “Diablo.” “We’re not saying this is the end of the ‘Diablo’ universe, but we are trying to bring this storyline to a close,” Wilson said. “It’s not just ‘Diablo III’ — we’ve got plans beyond.”

Here is an excerpt straight from the Diablo: The Sin War trilogy which reveals there are more worlds out there beyond Sanctuary that might be open for exploration during the battle between the forces of angels and demons.

“The gateway was nearly complete, and then the voices struck him from all directions. You cannot! You cannot! You cannot! At the same time, the gateway disintegrated despite his best efforts to keep it from doing so. Filled with an unaccustomed anger, he confronted the voices. This is my burden! This is my duty! You have no say in this, none of you! There was a moment of silence, and then, together, they responded. But we do … this goes beyond Sanctuary now. Beyond all of us who stand sentinel.

The dragon Trag’Oul grew wary. How so? How can that be?.

Their words struck him as nothing else could. “Because the war is coming to Sanctuary, and if you interfere with what the Balance demands, it and all existence may be forfeit.”

They left him, then, all the others who stood guard as he did over their separate worlds, left him with the knowledge that it was his Sanctuary whose imminent fate might decide theirs. — The Veiled Prophet, page 168.

We appreciate the interest, but we don’t have any new announcements to make. For the Diablo franchise, our full focus is on Diablo III.

Upon reaching Blizzard Entertainment today for an official statement concerning the 10-K Annual Report’s slip  (i.e. and [sequels] to the Diablo franchise) Blizzard’s response is:

Whether the Next-Gen MMO turns out to be StarCraft: Ghost Online, Diablo: Sanctuary Online or something else, one thing is clear. Blizzard Entertainment is the best at what they do enriching their worlds with tie-in novels.

ps3 3D

We still don’t have exact details on which PS3 3D games we can expect in the near future – all we know is that “a lot” of developers are working on them.

Earlier this month we reported that the PS3 is likely to receive a firmware update in June that will allow it to play compatible 3D games, but speculation over what exactly those games will be remains rife.

Sony are tight-lipped regarding the move to 3D – could this be linked to the recent reveal of the PlayStation Move? It would make sense for the company to keep quiet about 3D for the time being to maximize the exposure of the new Move technology.

Whatever the reason for the secrecy, a tantalising glimpse into the future has been revealed by Ian Bickerstaff, Sony Computer Entertainment UK’s senior stereoscopic 3D engineer. When asked how many developers are currently working on 3D games, he replied: “It’s all a bit confidential, but a lot, let’s put it that way. We’ve been amazed by the enthusiasm from the developers.”

So is this it? Is the 3D revolution around the corner? From June, will every new FPS be emblazoned with a proud “Now In 3D!” sticker? Perhaps not. “I think the uptake is going to depend on the uptake of 3D televisions,” says Ian.

“We’re not going to spend crazy, crazy amounts of money on 3D games expecting everyone tomorrow to have 3D TVs, clearly. But, we believe this is the future, and three or four years from now, you won’t be able to buy a television that doesn’t have a 3D capability.”

Certainly, this writer isn’t in a hurry to splash out several thousand on a new 3D TV, but the thought of Modern Warfare 2 in 3D is a tantalising one. And with all these developers getting in on the 3D action, surely it’s a matter of “when”, not “if”.