January 12, 2009 – THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced that SpongeBob Squarepants Frantic Fry Cook is currently in development and scheduled to make its debut exclusively for Nintendo DS™ in March 2009.
In SpongeBob Squarepants Frantic Fry Cook, Mr. Krabs has signed up to compete in the cooking contest that will determine who will cater Jack Kahuna Laguna’s Big Beach Party. Players will be tasked with assisting SpongeBob, Patrick and friends in running the Krusty Krab and training Plankton’s cousins in the creation of the best deep-sea dishes. Utilising the Nintendo DS touch screen and stylus, players will serve more than 100 different zany entrees, such as a perfectly done Krabby Patty, Anemone Meatloaf, Fried Seaweed Sandwiches and other Sponge-I-Fied foods. With more than 25 different cooking activities, players will also learn how to cook SpongeBob style, which will include new and unique culinary techniques such as “skipping,” “painting,” and “slingshooting”. As players progress through the game, they will earn rewards that will allow them to customise and decorate the Krusty Krab restaurant. Loaded with authentic voice-overs from Tom Kenny, the official voice talent of SpongeBob, the game also features wireless cooperative gameplay that will unlock additional Sponge-tacular recipes.
It was reported last month that 17-year-old Daniel Petric shot his mother (who wound up dying) and injured his father. Today, Petric has been found guilty and may face the punishment of living the rest of his life in prison without parole.
Petric had broken into his father’s lock box which held the boy’s purchased copy of Halo 3 and a 9mm handgun. Petric then shot his mother and father in the head. The game had been taken away by his parents after they warned him not to buy it.
The boy’s lawyer had attempted to make the case that Petric’s video game addiction led to the act. However, Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge stated that video game addiction was not a defense. Moreover, the judge believes the the murder was evidence points in the direction that the act was premeditated.
WiiWare
Jungle Speed – 281 blocks
Planet Pachinko – 188 blocks
VC
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse – 16 blocks
1 1 FIFA 09 EA CANADA EA SPORTS ELECTRONIC ARTS
2 2 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR TREYARCH ACTIVISION ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
3 3 NEED FOR SPEED: UNDERCOVER EA BLACK BOX EA GAMES ELECTRONIC ARTS
20 4 WII FIT NINTENDO NINTENDO NINTENDO
6 5 WII PLAY NINTENDO NINTENDO NINTENDO
4 6 GUITAR HERO: WORLD TOUR NEVERSOFT REDOCTANE ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
5 7 MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES SEGA SEGA SEGA
9 8 QUANTUM OF SOLACE TREYARCH ACTIVISION ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
17 9 LEGO INDIANA JONES: ORIGINAL ADVENTURES TRAVELLER’S TALES LUCASARTS LUCASARTS
8 10 MARIO KART WII NINTENDO NINTENDO NINTENDO
Wii-kly Update
Two WiiWare Games and One Virtual Console Game Added to Wii Shop Channel
What’s your weapon of choice? Is it a laser gun? Or maybe just a simple deck of cards? No matter what type of game gets you fired up, the latest additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel are sure to add something new and exciting to your arsenal. With fast-flying cards, tumbling pachinko balls and sinister vampires in your midst, you’ll need every tool at your disposal.
Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:
The latest EDGE review scores are as follows:
Rise of the Argonauts (PS3/Xbox 360, Codemasters): 3
Mushroom Men:The Spore Wars (Wii, Gamecock Media Group): 6
Destory All Humans: Path of the Furon (PS3/Xbox 360, THQ): 3
Persona 4 (PS2, Atlus): 9
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (NDS, Nintendo): 7
Skate 2 (PS3/Xbox 360, EA): 7
Away Shuffle Dungeon (NDS, AQ Interactive): 5
Space Invaders Get Even (Wii, Taito): 5
Big Bang Mini (NDS, SouthPeak Games): 6
Burn Zombie Burn (PS3, Pinnacle): 6
New Range of Titles for Aspiring Fabulous Fashionistas and Wannabe Make-up Masters
Milton Keynes – 505 Games is today pleased to announce the launch of a new range of games aimed at aspiring girl gamers, who have a passion for fashion or are budding beauticians. An extension of the successful Fashion Designer: Style Icon, The Academy is a selection of titles that will initially see players taking over their own beauty salon and entering the world of haute couture.Alongside the previously announced Diva Girls brand, The Academy is an example of 505 Games’ continued commitment to providing female console owners with interesting titles that feature characters that are realistic and provide inspirational role models. The range is also based around real world vocations, which are brought to life in imaginative and enjoyable ways.
Konami and Hudson Soft unveil new Balance Board title
Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced its first Wii Balance Board-compatible title. Marbles! Balance Challenge has been devised by Hudson Soft and will be released for Wii in April, 2009.Marbles! Balance Challenge is a skill-based action title where the player helps an Ant called Anthony save his colony via a series of physical tests. Wii Balance Board users can access Marbles! Balance Challenge’s 100 specially-created stages where the players steer a ball using the shifting weight of their physical movements. This unique way to control the game offers a new experience and combines fun and physical exercise. Players can also use gentle movements of the Wii Remote, with steering the ball through 200 different stages in a quest to locate the mythical ‘Golden Sunflower Seed.’
This was an email which was sent to XSEED, and Ken who has always responded to emails such as these replied:
1. Is Little King’s Story indeed releasing on January 6th in Canada?! My local Best Buy had the game on that date on their release schedule board in front of the store! Strange! O_o I was under the impression it was coming out on Feb 17th.
No, Little King’s Story is not releasing on January 6th. We were shooting for a February release date, but good chance that it will be delayed past that right now.
2. How goes the localizations on your Wii games and such? Run into any problems? Hope everything is going smoothly!
Localization is going well on most everything we’re working on, Retro Game Challenge is done and will ship in February, Avalon Code and Rune Factory: Frontier are both wrapping up now so shouldn’t be too long after Retro Game when they come out.
3. Is it possible at this stage to say what the framerates of each of your’s and MMV’s Wii games? Are all games going to have silky smooth framerates? Is XSEED able to smoothen any framerate problems if there are any?
Of what we’ve seen, all the MMV titles are moving at a smooth framerate so no concerns at this point.
