Confetti and noisemakers are essential to any New Year’s Eve bash, but don’t forget to stock up on new downloadable games that’ll keep the fun going as the clock hits midnight. The WiiWare™ service welcomes chick chick BOOM, an irreverent action game involving everything from UFOs to corncobs. Wii™ owners can also download a demo version of the award-winning game Max & the Magic Marker for zero Wii Points™. For fans of classic console action, two games from the NEOGEO era are available on the Virtual Console™ service: FIGHTER’S HISTORY DYNAMITE and MAGICAL DROP III. And for Nintendo DSi™ users, G.G Series Z•ONE and DodoGo! Challenge bring new shooting thrills and egg-saving puzzle action to the Nintendo DSiWare™ service. Pop the cork on these great games and ring in the New Year with a smile.
A rumor popped up over the weekend that Pokemon Black/White would be launching in North America on April 17th. This is not the case, however, as the game is actually launching about a month earlier. Pokemon fans will be able to pick up the new games on March 6. I have a feeling that this will be just a bit before the 3DS release date… Be sure to check out a round of English screenshots here and the boxart here.
Upcoming Nintendo DS Games Introduce More than 150 Never-Before-Seen Pokémon and a New Region to Explore
REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Nintendo of America today announced that the Pokémon™ Black Version and Pokémon White Version video games will launch in North America on March 6, 2011. The games, playable exclusively on the Nintendo DS™ family of systems, are a completely new adventure that Pokémon fans old and new can embark on. Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version introduce more than 150 new Pokémon and a new region to explore.
Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version feature new Pokémon that players can catch, train and battle as they progress through the game, and some Pokémon can only be caught in one version of the game. For example, the Legendary Pokémon Reshiram™ can only be caught in Pokémon Black Version, while the Legendary Pokémon Zekrom™ can only be caught in Pokémon White Version. Additionally, the two games feature different areas for the first time in the series, with the game world of Pokémon Black Version featuring a unique metropolitan area called Black City, and a lush, green area named White Forest only found in Pokémon White Version. Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version also mark the first time in a Pokémon video game that the seasons will change in the game world. Certain Pokémon appear more frequently during different seasons, and players can only access some areas during a specific season.
Are you sick of The Last Story yet? I hope not, as Nintendo finally released a new batch of screenshots (a whole bunch of them, as you can see) in addition to a new trailer. I should also point out that the screenshots below are direct-feed, unlike the screencaps we posted earlier. Fortunately, these images don’t show Sakaguchi’s customized Elza character, who was wearing nothing more than his underwear…
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The images below do indeed come from the stream of Sakaguchi’s The Last Story presentation. However, the footage was direct-feed, so the pictures should give you a decent idea of what the game will look like. Keep in mind though that because it was a stream, the quality isn’t as great as what you would see right on your television. Had Nintendo released more images of the game, I probably wouldn’t have done this. Enjoy the semi-screenshots nonetheless!
Update: Presentation now over.
– Sakaguchi is enjoying himself in spite of the fact that working on the game is taking a lot of energy
– Sakaguchi once again stated that the team is working extra hard on the game and acting as though it’s their last project
– Direct-feed footage of the game being shown from the beginning
– Starts off in Lizard’s Cave
– Tutorials shown in video form, but feel free to skip them
– Use the A button to take cover
– Hold B and walk to leap over objects
– Use B to guard as well (regardless of setting [manual or automatic])
– Press Z to show the targeting cursor
– Characters are in a bar following the Lizard’s Cave section
– At the bar, Quark explains that Count Arganon now employs them
– Press A and move the analog nub to dive and avoid enemy attacks
– Press Z to go into targeting mode
– Forest area shown
– Visit the forest after traveling via boat
– Enemies are included to attack weaker mages first
– Can make enemies slip if Wind is used on Jackal’s ice magic circle
– Enemies can heal their allies in their own circle
– Option to turn the camera control on/off for event scenes
– Another option can be used to make the A button forward through the events
– Kanan’s Holy magic forms a barrier
– Sakaguchi showed another scene at the bar
– A lady there informs Elza that many people have been at the bar, thinks it’s because of Kanan’s wedding ceremony which will be taking place in a month
– Can shoot bananas at residents in Ruli City
– Can customize the characters to make them practically naked
– Other characters talk as you move throughout a dungeon
– Uematsu’s favorite song in the game is the main theme
– Fujisaka likes the logo and main illustration the most in terms of art
– There is a secret element to the game’s packaging
– You will be able to use characters other than Elza for free-for-all online
– Mario Club was involved with the game for nine months
– Nine months is the longest ever for the Mario Club
Update: The presentation has ended.
Iit’ll be difficult to understand much of this presentation unless you know Japanese. I’ll be around to cover this event, though. I haven’t decided how I’ll be handling news on the site just yet (I may just do one post will most updates and separate updates if very important information arrives), but expect news in about a half hour!
Lost Levels seems to have gotten their hands on a rare, early prototype version of The Legend of Zelda. Quite a number of changes that have been discovered relate to the game’s difficulty. For instance, in the prototype, less enemies appear on screen and often weren’t as challenging compared to the foes you encounter in the final version. Other changes include differences in music, sprite design, level design, and more. You can check out the full list here. Also, you can download the .fds image here as well as the NSF here.
Prototype
Prototype
Final
The Gurugu Race
– Human-like race
– Fought against man for hundreds of years
– The humans prevailed, Gurugu swept away from the continent
– Ties remain
Elza and Kanan in The Last Story
– Humankind’s force of arms has strengthened to fend off the Gurugu
– Canons on Ruli Island used on the Gurugu who come from across the sea
– Gurugu soldiers will attack Ruli Castle during the game, most likely from an airship
– Quark will join Elza and Kanan as well as a Ruli Castle knight
– Will form a party out of these four and take on the attackers
– Gurugu soldiers divided into types including swordsmen and mages
Tension Skills
– Skill gauge shown below Elza’s HP gauge
– Gauge builds up based off your actions in combat
– Full gauge will allow you to switch to command mode and access a special Tension Skill
Spreading a Magic Circle with Wind
– All characters have Tension Skills
– One of Elza’s skills is Accelerate
– Use this skill so that Elza can increase his movement speed
– Use Elza’s wind magic to spread Accelerate to other party members
Vertical Slash
– Vertical Slash is a skill that uses the environment
– Need to use columns or walls
– Elza can climb up the walls and leap down, thrusting his sword into the ground and dealing damage to enemies in a certain range
– Can combine the move with Elza’s Gathering Ability
– Vertical Slash move can make Magic Circles spread if you strike in the right spot
– Vertical Slash done in real time
Closer Look at Ruli City
– Naful Canal and Shokunin Street shown in Famitsu for the first time
– Naful Canal is a manmade river
– Designed to protect Ruli City from flooding during the rainy season
– Canal splits the city in two
– The two bridges are used to cross into Central Plaza (built atop the Canal)
– People fish and take walks along the shores of the Canal
– Fireworks at night
– Shokunin Street is a gathering spot for all sorts of workers
– Purchase equipment/accessories there
– Strengthen current equipment
– Access the appraisal system via a shop.
– Street is narrow, packed with people
– Equipment upgrade shop/appraisal shops are simply people running businesses from the street
– Shop menu will appear when you speak to them
– Need money and items to upgrade
– May unlock new skills and improve equipment properties when upgrading
– Weapons might transform into others after fortification
– Appraisal shop has to be used to identify items that are marked with a question mark
– Such items can’t be used until they’ve been identified
– Most items picked up from enemies and treasure boxes are assigned types at random
– May receive powerful items at the beginning due to this
Thanks to Thomas N for the tip!
