Yes, the popular (it says here) girl group are the latest celebs lined up to pimp Nintendo’s wares, and they’ll be appearing in an ad campaign which is set to run throughout the festive season, beginning on October 27th, where no doubt they’ll be doing something kinda ooh with their DS styli, the saucy minxes.
“We all love our Nintendo DS, whether racing with Mario Kart on the tour bus or looking after our Nintendogs in the studio at the end of a hectic day,” said the girls, apparently simultaneously. “There’s always something to keep us laughing and entertained - the different DS colours mean we never get them mixed up too!”
Bet they’ve not got Imagine Girl Band, though, eh, readers? That’s because Holly and Fearne won’t share their copies, of course.
Anyway, it’s not just the foxy fivesome who’ll be hopping onto the Ninty bandwagon this ‘holiday’, as Jamie and Louise Redknapp, Fern Britton and her husband Phil Vickery and Ronan Keating have all signed up for the forthcoming ad campaign. If Keating turns out to be a Layton fan, I may just have to re-evaluate my opinion of the fella.
Yep, that’s a decent (if low picture quality) trailer above, but if you click this here link, prepare to be dazzled.
For some reason, the forthcoming Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes has passed me by, but after watching the linked footage from Capcom’s official site, it’s immediately become my most-wanted game this December (when it’s released in Japan). It features a wealth of Street Fighter characters as well as others from Capcom’s illustrious history, and they’ll be battling against opponents from Tatsunoko Production, a famous Japanese animation studio responsible for Neon Genesis Evangelion and, er, Samurai Pizza Cats, among others.
Given that Tatsunoko isn’t particularly well-known outside Japan, that 2D beat-em-ups are pretty niche in the west, and that we’re not really that lucky, the game is almost certain to remain a Japanese-only release. A massive shame for the majority, but almost certainly a must-have for those fortunate enough to own consoles from that particular region.
It’s out two weeks before Christmas, and I’ll be reporting back on whether its simplified three-button moveset can provide enough variety in combat. From the vids, I’d suggest that seems to be the case - and as a faster, better looking tag-team take on SFII, it’s one of the smoothest visual experiences yet seen on Wii.
Nice to see some people making an effort with Wii graphics, particularly in a game that’s going to be no more than 40Mb in size.
Yep, the above game is a WiiWare title - the zombies-on-a-plane slasher Last Flight. And those visuals are certainly reminiscent of No More Heroes, aren’t they?
With Capcom picking up the slack on the full-price front with the lush-looking Monster Hunter Tri (pic below), not to mention the swoon-worthy 2D of Vanillaware’s Muramasa: The Demon Blade, perhaps developers are finally getting to grips with the Wii hardware. It’d be nice if some of the second and third-generation Wii titles could at least better GameCube quality graphics, as there’s been little so far to genuinely wow Wii owners in that regard.
Marvelous’ stunning 2D scrolling fighter has had its gameplay demonstrated at TGS. Basically, it looks a lot like Odin Sphere, but with less item management, more moves, and a much quicker pace. Oh, and importantly - no slowdown.
Take a look at this Gametrailers clip and see what you think. Despite the poor quality of the video, it looks even more incredible in motion. If you’re not drooling by the last few seconds then you’re probably dead.
It’s been confirmed that the game will use the Classic controller, and won’t feature motion-based attacks at all. A shame in one way, but this looks like it should be kept firmly old-school. And I’m sure the different moves will be easier to pull off with digital input, anyway.
Muramasa: The Demon Blade is coming to Europe courtesy of Rising Star Games, and for that we should thank our lucky stars, because this is exactly the sort of game we often miss out on.
Actually, make that ‘best looking game on any console’.
Vanillaware’s amazing 2D side-scroller will be heading westwards next year courtesy of the fine folks at Rising Star Games. I expect you all to buy it when it comes out, as long as its frame-rate is better than the developer’s earlier Odin Sphere, which looked extraordinary but slowed to a crawl when things got busy. Still, pretty pictures, eh?
This is to celebrate the fact that Nintendo has just released the above character art for the forthcoming Animal Crossing: City Folk, which will definitely, definitely be coming to PAL territories this year. Definitely. In another piece of slightly odd news, it was also revealed that the Australian title will be the curiously literal Animal Crossing: Let’s Go to the City.ÂÂ
I’ve spent a couple of hours this morning tending to my garden. But instead of getting lashed with rain, I’ve been doing it from the comfort of my armchair. And that’s because I’ve been playing Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise, the THQ-published take on Rare’s cult Xbox 360 hit (the sequel of which, coincidentally, also launches today).
And it’s brilliant - the game fits the DS like a glove, with the stylus interface a stroke of genius that gives tactile pleasure to the more mundane tasks like digging and sewing seeds. It’s a doddle to control, with some clear icons laid out in a set of supremely well-implemented tutorials. And the graphics are great - obviously not nearly as detailed as its home console predecessor, but every bit as charming, with the creatures just as adorable as they were in HD.
It’s early days yet, but I’m already pretty comfortable recommending Pocket Paradise, simply because it’s such a joy to play. While action-junkies may not be too fond of this sedately-paced relax-em-up, everyone with a yen to chill out and create a verdant virtual environment for gorgeous flora and loveable candy-coloured (and -filled) fauna, then you’ll find plenty to enjoy here.
Well, we may be getting it much later than the rest of the world (hell, Japan are almost on the third game in the series now) but Nintendo of Europe have come up trumps with this superb boxart for the fantastic DS puzzler, coming this November to PAL regions.
While some might balk slightly at Layton’s bit-part appearance in the top right corner, the clever use of the hat motif and the elegant explanation of the game via the simple text and the little puzzle pics dotted about - not to mention the classy black background - make it one of the best boxarts I’ve seen in a while. I’d go as far to say it’s one of the best PAL boxarts I’ve seen to date.
Excellent stuff. Let’s hope it now sells extraordinarily well, and we might just see the sequel a little sooner. Maybe.
Japanese site Inside-Games has posted a list of titles which will be appearing at the forthcoming Tokyo Games Show - essentially, Japan’s E3, only weirder, gaudier and (probably) better.
A swift visit to Google Translate later, and we’ve got a list which has plenty to offer DS and Wii owners, even though there are plenty more titles yet to be announced. Highlights? Platinum Games’ intriguing sci-fi RPG Infinite Line will be there, alongside Culdcept DS and Shiren The Wanderer 2 DS on Sega’s stand.
Meanwhile Marvelous has Rune Factory Frontier, King Story and Odin Sphere creator Vanillaware’s jaw-slackeningly gorgeous Oboro Murasama Youtuden, while Level 5 has the third Professor Layton game, and a home console version of DS footy-RPG Inazuma Eleven, which I’m betting will be on Wii. Unless Microsoft has got to them, too.
Expect to hear more from some big-name publishers in the next few days - hopefully we’ll see one or two surprise announcements. Like Ouendan 3, please, iNiS.
My patronage of King of Games knows no bounds, and so I’m delighted to report the addition of a brand new - and reliably ace - tee on their website.
The problem? So far, it’s only available in Japan. Of course, it could just be a matter of time before this amazing Fantasy Zone II tee becomes available to importers, but there’s no sign as yet. I may just have to contact them to check. Wish me luck.
(Oh, and for completeness’ sake, there’s also a Crazy Taxi tee, which is nice, but nowhere near as cool as this one.)
 
 
 
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