Archive for September, 2008:
Random Video of the Day: There Will Be Brawl
Alternate takes on games with simple (or nonexistent) stories are usually pretty interesting. And There Will Be Brawl, a new web series, is no different in that regard:
The Mushroom Kingdom isn’t what it used to be, indeed. Mario and Luigi are hard up for coins. The Lakitu-run media is questioning the Kingdom’s leadership. Toads are turning to hustling and prostitution. Even the Ice Climbers are little more than thugs for hire. That’s the backdrop of the newly launched web series There Will Be Brawl, a dark and dingy look at the story behind Super Smash Bros. Brawl. — Kotaku
It’s a tad lengthy, at around 12 minutes, and also not especially safe for work or kids, though nothing much worse than you’re likely to see on prime time cable.
Tags: Random Video of the Day
Media: LEGO Batman Official Launch Trailer, Plus Tons of Screens and Renders
The time is finally here: The Dark Knight makes his triumphant return to video games with Traveller’s Tales’ LEGO Batman: The Video Game. Check out their official launch trailer to commemorate the event below, and be sure to check out our gallery, now with a ton of new screens and renders.
I should just say, I will be severely disappointed if Bane doesn’t have a move where he breaks a character over his knee and they fall to pieces.
The “genius” of Wii Music
While most of the rest of the internet rants and raves about how terrible it is, I’ve always been cautiously optimistic about Wii Music, thinking it might just offer something a little different from the norm, but that it might not necessarily be a bad thing (certainly not as bad as some people would have you believe). However, I’ve stopped short of suggesting it could be brilliant, or gone even further into the realms of hyperbole.
But that’s what this gentleman here has done, with a blog entry that declares Wii Music to be “a work of genius”.
Tags: Wii Music
Media: Five Shakey-Cam Videos of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Gameplay
Alas, the question remains: Will we, or will we not get Tatsunoko vs. Capcom in the US? Admittedly, the prospect does not look very good. In the meantime, we can cast our eyes to the East, and long wistfully for that which we cannot have…
…unless, of course, we mod our Wiis. But Nintendo says that’s bad, even if all we want to do is play a game they won’t release here. Tragically ironic, I suppose. Especially considering that with all the people here who seem to want more MegaMan Legends, all the new appearances seem to be Japan-only.
Yuji Naka making new Wii game?
Sonic’s creator has a new studio - named Prope - and the legendary designer is working on a game which, according to its official site (still currently in teaser mode, preparing for a reveal in ten days’ time) is a “world first, the game even penguins can play”.
It might be a push to assume that it’s a Wii game, but the simplicity in control which that description suggests is a perfect fit for Wii, and it’s entirely possible it could be a balance board game. Because penguins waddle, right? And what better way to waddle than by shifting your weight left and right on the Wii board?
Mega Man 9, Plattchen for US WiiWare
The retro remake everyone (apart from me) has been waiting for, Mega Man 9, is up on the US Virtual Console service now, for 1000 points. It’ll take up a mere 67 blocks of fridge space, so you can keep your Strong Bad episodes that bit longer. Meanwhile, Plattchen: Twist ‘N’ Paint is available for the same price, which should infuriate those who shelled out 1500 points for the PAL version.
Mega Man also has some downloadable content on the way - here are the dates and prices:
Capcom Taking Preorders on Mega Man 9 T-Shirts
Capcom’s giving fans of inflicting
pain on themselves by playing Mega Man 9 the chance to publicize their bumps and bruises, in the form of a MM9 boxart t-shirt the company is currently taking preorders on.
* Available in an unmatched selection of sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, and Mega-XL (XXL)
* Black finely-spun 100% cotton thread assembled with proprietary MegaWeave™ technology provides improved gaming performance in Mega Man 9 and all other Capcom titles
* Collar and two sleeves ensure comfort and easy access to appendages
* Detailed Mega Man 9 boxart symmetrically printed on front – sure to impress friends, strangers, and significant others — Capcom Store
It’s great to see Capcom not taking itself so seriously and totally indulging itself in the whole retro theme of Mega Man 9, right down to the hilarious descriptions of the features of the t-shirt itself. A shirt that comes with MegaWeave™ technology to improve my playing of all Capcom games? I’m sold.
Nintendo Fans: Quit Your Bitching
No, Nintendo didn’t tell their fans to stop bitching. Instead of them telling you to, I’m going to do it for them. Why? Because you all need to seriously stop your continuous complaining, whining, and bitching over nothing. Every time Nintendo reveals they are going to hold a conference, every single Nintendo fanboy comes forth from underneath their little rock and starts to make outrageous predictions that will never come true. Then, when Nintendo doesn’t make the announcement of biblical proportions, you cry like an infant about how Nintendo betrayed you and doesn’t care about you anymore. Believe it or not, Nintendo has been around for over 100 years. The chances are, while slim, that their corporate leaders might know a thing or two about running a successful multi-billion dollar business.
With the impending October 2nd conference looming in the near future, we are hearing the same cries for attention from the Nintendo faithful. Like previous conferences before it, they are pleading with Nintendo to announce a new Zelda, Mario, Kid Icarus, Earthbound, Star Fox, Metroid, Punch-Out!!, F-Zero, Ice Climbers, Pikmin, and other miscellaneous Nintendo franchises. Now, I was like many of you this past July. Nintendo went into E3 and disappointed us to a high degree. But, Nintendo came out almost immediately after and stated their reasoning behind not revealing hardcore titles during their E3 conference. They didn’t believe E3 catered for hardcore gamers anymore, and, instead, they wanted to please the more casual and non-gamer crowd. On a business end, it made perfect sense for them. It made their poor performance understandable and many were able to forgive and forget. Of course, not all forgot. Many Nintendo fans screamed bloody murder because of it. They immediately blamed Nintendo for abandoning the hardcore fanbase and deserting their most loyal fans. Nintendo then came out and went on record stating that they do indeed have hardcore titles in development but they wanted to wait to show them at a different time. Some of us bought it, and others didn’t.
Resident Evil Remake Coming to Wii
It looks like Capcom is doing it once again and re-releasing (re-re-releasing?) the original Resident Evil on the Wii. I’m guessing that not a whole lot is going to be changed as it hits Japan on December 25, but there should be some waggle to be had. No information has been given on a North American release but I’m sure we’ll hear something soon.
Joining Resident Evil Zero and Resident Evil 4, yet another Resident Evil GameCube title is finding a home on the Nintendo Wii. This time, its the GameCube RE remake that’s getting the Wii-make. Ha! That’s a Wii-make of a remake. The game will use the Wii-mote or the GameCube controller (you know, if you don’t actually have a GameCube version of the game that you can already play on your Wii). It’s out December 25th in Japan. — Kotaku
First 9 Minutes of Disaster: Day of Crisis
We waited a longtime for this moment. After being shown off years ago, we finally have more footage of Disaster: Day of Crisis. Earlier today, Nintendo unleashed Disaster on the Japanese public. Thanks to the recent release, we now have the first 9 minutes of Disaster: Day of Crisis to gawk over. Enjoy.