Deep in the heart of Provence, one small independent studio is holding out against the invaders. BiP media, a band of indomitable Gauls, is pleased to announce the release of Viking Invasion, their first title for Nintendo DSiWareTM, on 16 October 2009.
Viking Invasion is a strategy game that pits a band of numb-skulled Vikings against defenders with a dodgy sense of humour. The adventures take the fearsome warriors of the North into a comical, off-beat world where they find themselves developing strange cravings for tulips and cream cakes.
The latest software sales estimates in Japan from Famitsu have been released. Official Media Create numbers will be posted later this week. Also, we’ll be posting Famitsu hardware figures as soon as they are available.
1. [DS] Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver
2. [WII] Wii Fit Plus
3. [DS] Inazuma Eleven 2 Fire/Blizzard
4. [DS] Tomodachi Collection
5. [PS3] Uncharted 2
6. [Wii] Okami
7. [Wii] Wii Sports Resort
8. [PS2] beatmania IIDX 16 EMPRESS
9. [PSP] Gran Turismo
10. [PSP] Undead Knights
– Published by Nintendo
– Quiz game
– Play through different generations of TV quiz challenges (4 players)
– Six people can play in quiz battle mode
– Supports Miis
– The game is based on a Japanese quiz show
– Releasing December 17
Second update: Those who downloaded the Wii Internet Browser for 500 points can now receive a free VC NES title (thanks Ronin180!)
Update: Apparently the latest update is for the Ambassador program (earn free VC titles by helping others connect online) in Europe, but again, there are no noticeable changes for North American Wii systems at this point.
A new Wii update is ready for installation – in North America at least. However, the purpose behind the update is unknown at this time. Additionally, the firmware number remains at 4.2 after the download . The DSi Shop is back up as well, although the handheld does not have an upgrade to download unlike the Wii. We’ll update this post with further information as it becomes available.
Bayonetta (360) – 10/10/10/10
Bayonetta (PS3) – 10/10/9/9
Super Robot Taisen Neo (Wii) – 8/7/7/7
Sin and Punishment 2 (Wii) – 8/8/8/7 (works well with Wiimote, slight learning curve, some stages drag on)
Final Fantasy Gaiden: Four Warriors of Light (DS) – 9/8/8/8 (classic elements with story/music, nice touches, blends well with today’s gaming standards)
Tekken 6 (PS3) – 9/8/8/8 (large character roster, bland action in the campaign)
Tekken 6 (360) – 9/8/8/8 (large character roster, bland action in the campaign)
Persona 3 Portable (PSP) – 8/8/8/8 (quicker movement thanks to no 3D map)
GTA: Chinatown Wars (DS) – 9/9/8/9
Elminage 2 (PSP) – 7/8/6/6
When The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time released, z-targeting was introduced, which enables players to lock-on to enemies. And even after all these years, that gameplay mechanic is still being included in new titles – Red Steel 2 included. According to Jason Vandenberghe, Creative Director of Red Steel 2, the developers purposely borrowed z-targeting from Ocarina of Time and explains that a huge change in the interface would be unnecessary.
“Well, of course we looked at everything in the known universe for inspiration (Metroid Prime, Zone of the Enders, etc, etc), but hell yeah, Zelda is a great example of how to make locking in melee work, and I’m very much of the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” school of thought when it comes to interface. I prefer to take a hard look at what has already worked in the past, start there, and then evolve. Which is pretty much what we did.
Just so that you know, we have two selectable lock systems in the game – the default “auto-lock” system (that will do most of the work for you), and a “manual” system (that gives you full control over when and on whom you lock).
With auto-lock, the idea was that you can just jump into the fray and start swinging, without having to think too much about where you were looking. This is my favorite mode, FYI – my fighting style is berserker (for sure), and I love it when the game does its best to put targets in front of me.
Roman (my lead designer) feels differently – he’s much more a “style” player, and prefers to have exact control over his enemy selection. He’s always cautiously strafing around, getting behind people, dodging, looking for chances to take out more than one at a time… thus, he prefers the manual lock.
We’re continuing to make refinements to both systems even now. We will not rest until it’s frackin’ perfect!”
When you think about Mickey Mouse, crying isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. However, Warren Spector’s dream is to see kids crying at Disneyland after they have played Junction Point Studios’ Epic Mickey. Spector told Game Informer:
“As people play the game and they look at things, and they move through spaces and they listen to the soundtrack – I want them to have this feeling of recognition and familiarity, and then I want to yank the rug out from under them. On top of that, I really want to scare kids. I want to go to Disneyland and see a 10 year old kid crying. ‘Oh mommy, the clock tower’s going to come to life and eat me!’ That’s my fondest dream. Disney scared the pants of me when I was a little kid. Disney really needs to scare kids!”
