Independent-Minded Game Publisher Hatches Deal with Legendary Game Creator Yuji Naka and PROPE to Release Innovative New Platform Action-Puzzle Game
Torrance, Calif., (May 3, 2010) – XSEED Games today announced it has secured publishing rights to Ivy the Kiwi?, an all-new IP created by legendary game talent Yuji Naka, best known for his development ties to Sonic the Hedgehog. Developed by PROPE, an independent studio led by Yuji Naka, Ivy the Kiwi? follows the storybook adventures of a lonely baby bird Ivy as she traverses beautiful 2-D landscapes and challenging obstacles in search of her mother.
“I am thrilled to work with XSEED Games on this special new game property,” said Yuji Naka, CEO and President of PROPE. “This game idea has been something that I’ve had in my mind so I’m really looking forward to entrusting Jun Iwasaki and his talented team to bring Ivy the Kiwi? to market so that fans can have an opportunity to engage with the endearing cast of characters and experience the magical world of Ivy.”
New 3-D Puzzle Game for Nintendo DS is Easy to Pick Up, Hard to Put Down
REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Starting today, puzzle lovers across the country have an irresistible new pastime to discover and share with friends with the launch of the Picross 3D™ game for the Nintendo DS™ family of hand-held systems. The title combines number-based deductive logic, hidden 3-D objects and fun wireless features to create a truly unique portable gaming experience. Sudoku fans, crossword devotees and anyone with a passion for puzzle-solving will instantly enjoy the addictive brain-teasing challenges of Picross 3D, which is playable anytime and anywhere on the nation’s top-selling hand-held game systems.
Picross 3D starts players off with a solid block of cubes that is marked with numbers and contains a hidden object. To solve each puzzle, they must use logic and numerical clues to eliminate cubes and reveal the object. The game includes more than 350 unique puzzles, but the action doesn’t end there. Players can create and share their own puzzles or use Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection to download additional puzzles, which will be released in sets following the game’s launch.
What’s your motivation? It all depends on which of this week’s downloadable games you choose to play. In Zombie Panic in Wonderland for the WiiWare™ service, the goal is survival. In both Sokomania and 1001 Crystal Mazes Collection for the Nintendo DSiWare™ service, you’re driven by a need to arrange objects in their proper places. With seven new titles added to the ever-growing library of downloadable games from Nintendo, players can be motivated and mesmerized in more ways than ever.
Also this week, the “Big Name Games” section of the WarioWare™: D.I.Y. series continues to offer new downloadable microgames created by the industry’s most talented designers. The latest addition comes from Todd Lewis of 5TH Cell, developer of the award-winning Scribblenauts. New “Big Name Games” will be added every Monday through July 26, all available to download for zero Nintendo DSi Points™ to anyone with broadband Internet access and a copy of either WarioWare: D.I.Y. for the Nintendo DS™ family of systems or WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase software for the WiiWare service. Visit the Nintendo Channel on your Wii™ system today to learn more about these games and to watch a video of ace designer Todd Lewis working on his original microgame, Fly Home!
Starting May 9, Wii Hardware Will Be Available in Black or White
REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– A great value in video games is about to get even better. Starting May 9, Nintendo will add new elements to the baseline Wii™ system package offered at retailers throughout the Americas. In addition to the intuitive, motion-sensing Wii Remote™ controller, Nunchuk™ controller and popular Wii Sports™ game that currently comes standard with each system purchase, every new unit will now also come packaged with Wii Sports Resort™ and the control-enhancing Wii MotionPlus™ accessory. In addition, consumers will be able to choose between two color schemes for the Wii console and included controllers: original white, or a new black option. The U.S. suggested retail price of the new system package will remain at $199.99. Pricing outside the United States will be established by the local markets, but offer similar consumer value.
“Nintendo leads the way in delivering rich motion-control gaming experiences at an accessible price point,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “By including even more of our top-quality hardware and software in the basic Wii system package, we’re extending that commitment to entertainment and value. Now more than ever, consumers can count on Nintendo to deliver inclusive fun and advanced motion controls at a mass-market price.”
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned as a gamer, it’s that I can be entertained by some of the weirdest things sometimes. By ‘weird’ I don’t mean bad or creepy or bizarre, I just mean unexpected. And perhaps one of the most unexpectedly entertaining games of all is Harvest Moon 64.
The Harvest Moon franchise is no stranger to Nintendo consoles, having had its start in 1997 on the venerable Super Nintendo. The setup is decidedly simple: The player’s grandfather has just died, leaving behind his old farm in utter disrepair. It is up to the player to reclaim this desolate landscape and turn it into the successful goldmine of produce it once was, all while meeting and befriending the local townsfolk along the way. You’ve got all the time in the world to make a life for yourself. There are tons of crops to be harvested, cows to be milked, and women to be wooed in this intriguing little simulation.
Plus Singles from Orianthi and Picture Me Broken
Cambridge, Mass. – April 30, 2010 – Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that beginning next week, the entirety of No Doubt’s seminal album,Tragic Kingdom, as well as singles from Orianthi and Picture Me Broken, will be available in theRock Band Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Wii™.
With more than 400 artists, including Jimi Hendrix, The Who, AC/DC and Green Day, who are exclusive to Rock Band, as well as more than 1,100 songs available through the Rock Band platform and 65 million songs sold through its download store alone, Rock Band is the undisputed sales and content leader in the interactive music space, providing the deepest and best selection of artists, songs and albums.
Art of Murder FBI Top Secret (DS) – T
Calvin Tucker: Farm Animals Racing (Wii) – E10+
TNA iMPACT: Cross the Line (DS) – T
Bootcamp Academy (Wii) – E10+
Mega Words (DSi) – E
Hidden Objects – Mystery Stories (DS) – E10+
Airport Mania: First Flight (DS) – E
Airport Mania: Non-Stop Flights (DSi) – E
The Bachelor: The Videogame (DS) – T
Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology (DSi) – E
Beach Fun (Wii) – E
Color Cross (DS) – E
Intellivision Lives! (DS) – E
NormalTanks (DSi/Wii) – E10+
Picross 3D (DS) – E
Chuck E Cheese’s Party Games (DS) – E
BlayzBloo: Super Melee Brawlers Battle Royale (DSi) – E10+
