REDMOND, Wash., April 23, 2008 – For more than a decade, fans of Pokémon® video games have caught, trained and battled Pokémon. Now Pokémon fans will have the chance to experience life from a Pokémon’s point-of-view with Pokémon® Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Pokémon® Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness, two new games available this week for the top-selling Nintendo DS™. Furthering the spirit of exploration, Pokémon fans are invited to an online sweepstakes where they will have the chance to uncover their very own treasure – a prize package filled with Pokémon and Nintendo goodies.
Between April 23 and May 21, Pokémon fans can visit www.PokemonMysteryDungeon.com, where they will be able to enter the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers online sweepstakes for a chance to win one of two Pokémon-inspired prize packages, including a limited-edition Pikachu® Nintendo DS, a Wii™ console, a high-definition television and assorted Pokémon video games, including Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness, and more great Pokémon merchandise. For Pokémon loyalists looking for even more adventure, the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Web site is home to an online scavenger hunt where players will be tasked with discovering hidden icons to get access to an exclusive Pokémon wallpaper, giving their computer some extra flair.
“The new Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series delivers the most transformative Pokémon experience yet – the chance to become a Pokémon character,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “Both new and returning players will relish the opportunity to embark on an endless journey through randomly generated dungeons on their Nintendo DS and discover their own hidden treasure through the online sweepstakes.”
The announcement of The Conduit and its graphical capabilities made a splash around the Internet. The developers have been pushing their Quantum3 engine to the max in order to achieve visuals that could boast graphics similar to the Xbox360 and PS3. What exactly can the Quantum3 engine generate? Many known effects of the engine can be seen below:
Real-time effects
– Reflections
– Refractions
– Shadow casting
– Dynamic environment mapping
– Shadows
Bump-mapping
– 1-4 stage texture composition (for surface detail)
– RGB gloss maps
– Cyclic, linear translation/rotation (material effects)
– Standard tangent space normal maps with real-time adjustable bump intensity
– Bump lighting
Other graphical effects
Global illumination
Per-vertex lightmapping
Dynamic omni, directional, point, spot and projected texture lights
Skeletal, keyframe based animation
Morphing
Motion blur
Heat distortion
Bloom
Alpha masking
Specular and Fresnel effect
Interactive water
*More graphical effects can be produced through the Quantum3 engine, but the entire specifics of its capabilities have not been revealed.
So, can the Wii even partially mimic PS3 or Xbox360 visuals? That’s up for you to decide.
News
World Destruction (Sega/DS)
-RPG, summer release date
-Scenario is by Masato Kato
-Character designs by Kunihiko Tanaka
-Music by Yasunori Mitsuda
Imabikisou -Solution Compilation- (Wii)
-2008 release date
-Additional scenarios
Review scores
DS
Keikishi Gunzou Presents: Monoshiri Bakumatsu-Ou (DS) 7/7/6/7
Hitman Reborn (DS) 7/6/6/6
Emblem of Gundam (DS) 6/8/7/8
Wii
Link’s Bowgun Training (Wii) 9/7/7/7
Pro Baseball Family Stadium (Wii) 8/6/6/6
IGN’s review of Mario Kart Wii went live a few days ago. Although I’m sure that 97% of you have already read IGN’s the review, for those who missed out on it, you can read an except below. The review on IGN was one of the first to pop up on the Internet.
“With Mario Kart Wii, Nintendo has delivered one of the most accessible and fun console Karts in years. The trick system and bike support offer a fresh take on the series, and online play is the best we’ve seen from the company thus far. Kart may have its downsides, centering mainly on the single-player aspects of the game, but the overall effort features a great multiplayer experience, making the game a must play for both newcomers to console gaming, as well as seasoned Mario Kart veterans. We gave it an 8.5, and our Editors’ Choice award. ”
Remakes and revivals are never out of the question anymore, as seen with NiGHTS and hopefully Kid Icarus. Splatterhouse is another title that will be coming back from the dead – literally. In the latest issue of EGM, readers can expect to read about a new iteration of Splatterhouse. Information about the game is currently mum, as the latest issue of the magazine has yet to hit mailboxes.
– Sci-fi shooter
– Up to 4 players can play
– “50 levels of space track”
– Weapons/power-ups available
– Wii/Wiimote + nunchuck controller set ups
– Score important to the game
– 480p, 16:9
– No price as of yet
WHAT: Video game icon Mario™ treats unsuspecting New Yorkers to a free cab ride. Mario is in New York to promote Mario Kart® Wii, the new Nintendo racing game that features Mario and all of his Mushroom Kingdom buddies. He’s helping commuters race through the city before they get racing with Mario Kart Wii.
Mario Kart Wii launches April 27 and will be packaged with the Wii Wheel accessory, which lets players control the action on the screen just like they were steering a real car. The game also introduces a host of new courses, vehicles and eye-popping battle arenas, plus the ability to compete online with drivers from around the world using Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection.
WHO: Mario, everyone’s favorite Italian plumber, and excited (and grateful) New York commuters
WHEN: Thursday, April 24/8-10 a.m. and 12-2 p.m.
WHERE: Sheraton Hotel
NEWS/VISUALS:
* Mario hailing down cabs for New York commuters
* New Yorkers queuing up for a free cab ride
* Mario costumed character
In what seems to be a bombardment of Earthworm Jim goodness, Interplay has announced that a new game, cartoon, and film will all be releasing in the future in an attempt to resurrect the series. As with most initial game announcements, little to no details are known about the Earthworm Jim game. A tentative title was given – Earthworm Jim 4 – and Interplay revealed that Doug TenNapel will be on the staff list as a consultant.
1 (1) Super Mario Bros 3
2 (2) Super Mario Bros
3 (3) Mario Kart 64
4 (5) Super Mario World
5 (6) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
6 (8) Cruis’n USA
7 (-) Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream
8 (19) The Legend of Zelda
9 (10) Super Mario Bros 2
10 (4) Super Mario 64
11 (-) Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
12 (-) Star Fox 64
13 (-) Donkey Kong Country
14 (14) Pac-Man
15 (-) Pokemon Snap
16 (13) Paper Mario
17 (-) Donkey Kong
18 (-) Bases Loaded
19 (11) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
20 (18) Kirby’s Adventure
According to the scan, Street Fighter IV will be coming to Wii. Most video game followers assumed that such a title would not be able to run on the Wii and any possibility of it coming over to the system was ruled out (in spite of Capcom claiming that the game could appear on any console). This bit of information does not come from a well-known magazine and errors in magazines are fairly common. Thus, I suppose we will have to wait for an official statement from Capcom or a press release in order to determine the validity of the magazine’s claim.
