– Launches January 6 2009
– Princess Ai will be the first download available
– First 3 chapters cost 500 Wii points, every two chapters following that cost 200 Wii points
– Princess Ai has 17 chapters (1700 Wii points total)
– Has Japanese and English text
Experience the Thrill of Team Racing on and off the Track
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – December 4, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that NASCAR® Kart Racing, the first and only NASCAR racing title available for the Wii™, will ship to retailers in North America on February 10, 2009, just in time for the Daytona 500 and the official start of the 2009 NASCAR season. Designed exclusively for the Wii, NASCAR Kart Racing enables players to grab the steering wheel as a famed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and speed through treacherous landscapes, wind around rocky cliffs, jump rivers and dodge falling boulders. Up to four players can go head-to-head, via split screen, in a mad dash to the checkered flag, making NASCAR Kart Racing an ideal game to play with family and friends.
Enjoy the thrill of racing as three-time consecutive Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson or choose from 13 additional NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. Players can also compete as one of 10 original animated characters. Each driver has personal attributes that will determine how the kart will perform on a course, so strategy is key when choosing a driver and a teammate. Teams that work together win championships!
To move in the game – you have to jOG!
Liverpool, 26 November 2008: New Concept Gaming Ltd, a company dedicated to the development and sale of ground breaking products bridging the video game and health and fitness industries, today announced that its first product, jOG™ is now on sale. Compatible with existing games consoles and games, jOG is an accessory that enables gamers to enjoy their favourite titles with a fun, immersive control mechanic at the same time benefitting from aerobic exercise – quite simply, if you want to run in the game you have to run on the spot to go.
In the basic mode of operation, the user plays their game in the normal way but with one significant difference. jOG detects when the player takes a step and only allows movement in the game while the player is jogging on the spot. Direction and all the other functions are still controlled by the standard gamepad. Using this simple approach, the team at New Concept Gaming has created a very powerful visual feedback loop bringing players deeper into the game experience and compelling them to take light exercise for the duration of game play without affecting the balance of gameplay.
“We continue to focus tremendously internationally, Europe in particular is a very big area of focus for us. Japan has always been an important market for us. That’s an interesting challenge because you’re competing with Sony and Nintendo on their home turf there”. – Microsoft’s Shane Kim
Konami brings classic RPG series to Nintendo handheld for first time
Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced an all-new Suikoden adventure for Nintendo DS. Entitled Suikoden Tierkreis, the sprawling role-playing epic will be released in March 2009.Suikoden Tierkreis casts the player as a member of a tightly knit security force in a remote setting called ‘Citro Village’. During an ongoing task to get rid of the land’s fearsome creatures, players uncover a mysterious phenomenon… a light emits something inexplicable at the top of the tower in the old ruins. From then on, the player and their comrades’ destiny begins to change…
The Nintendo DS title boasts a cast of 108 fully interactive characters. Each will work independently of the others, but can be recruited to make a four-person party, ideally suited to the tasks ahead. Each character enjoys a detailed history which is unfurled as the game progresses, with voice-overs and animated sequences fleshing out their many stories. From these, players than assemble their team to utilise the various skills on offer, while weapons such as swords and bows can be equipped and customised. Together, they are then pitted in turn-based battles against the many hostile creatures that lurk within Suikoden Tierkreis.
01. [NDS] Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel (Level 5) 347,360 / NEW
02. [PS3] Winning 11 2009 (Konami) 168,405 / NEW
03. [WII] Animal Crossing: City Folk (Nintendo) 108,547 / 413,727
04. [NDS] Chrono Trigger DS (Square Enix) 80,157 / 351,025
05. [PSP] Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force 3 (Konami) 64,179 / NEW
06. [PSP] Gundam vs. Gundam (Namco Bandai) 56,557 / 323,489
07. [NDS] Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe (Nintendo) 56,176 / 474,749
08. [PSP] Silent Hill 3 (Spike) 53,966 / NEW
09. [PSP] Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin (KOEI) 45,809 / NEW
10. [PSP] Higurashi Daybreak (Alchemist) 32,639 / NEW
“In a sense, we want to take this as a chance to reintroduce the American public to what Monster Hunter is.” – Monster Hunter 3 producer Kenji Tsujimoto
This comment from Mr. Tsujimoto is a good sign about the chances of Monster Hunter 3 in North America. Nothing is concrete yet, though I’m sure many gamers – myself included – are pulling for the title to be brought over.
