Okay, let’s face it. E3 pretty much stunk for Nintendo fans. As exciting as Animal Crossing: City Folk and GTA: China Town Wars are, they were not huge titles that gamers were expecting. No Punch-Out. No Kid Icarus. No Mario or Zelda. Not even footage of Pikmin. Nintendo may redeem themselves for their E3 event, however, with their rumored conference this fall. However, it might not be a rumor much longer. Another Japanese website is claiming that the event is indeed real and will be hosted October 2nd. Better yet, as is roughly translated, “new products” will be present. So, will Kid Icarus finally be shown? Or anything else that will keep the hardcore satisfied? We’ll know for sure this October, by the look of things are as of now.
What has become commonplace with the Madden franchise will now carry over to James Bond: video game releases every year. Activision Blizzard has stated that there will be a new James Bond game each year, with or without a movie. Hopefully Activision will find a way to keep the James Bond formula fresh annually so that each new release feels as though it was released with a purpose.
Even with the recent announcements of Shining Force Feather and Phantasy Star Zero for the DS, SEGA is not done with RPG-related announcements. Other than a few background pieces and a picture of some sort of dragon, we are left wondering what exactly the game is all about. SEGA has revealed that Rieko Odama will be doing the producing while Kazuya Ninou is handling the directing. More news about the game should be revealed on the 26th, as the official website indicates.
1,102 teenagers from ages 12 to 17, male and female were polled by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the results show that nearly every kid play video games. Although the teenagers don’t find enjoyment out of the same type of genres, interest was found in at least one particular area. Here is the full rundown of the poll:
– 97% of those polled play video games (99% male, 94% female), 7% said they did not own a computer
– 50% of those polled said they played a video game the day before
– 80% of those polled experience 5+ game genres (the most popular being racing, puzzles, sports and action)
– Favorite types of games included Guitar Hero, Halo 3, Madden NFL, Dance Dance Revolution, and even solitaire
– 75% of parents surveyed they “always” or “sometimes” check the ratings of games their children play. 50% of teenager male participants cited games that had “M” or “AO” as their favorites (14% for females)
Glendale, CA – September 16, 2008 – Ignition Entertainment Ltd., a UTV Enterprise, a worldwide publisher and developer of videogames, in conjunction with AQ Interactive invite gamers around the world to “Awaken the Power Within” when Blue Dragon Plus for Nintendo DS™ breathes fire across North America and Europe in March 2009.
Directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, Blue Dragon Plus features character designs by Akira Toriyama, and a soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu.
Currently a top-rated show on Cartoon Network in the U.S., the story of Blue Dragon centers on a young boy named Shu and several of his friends who possess the ability to control phantom shadows that mirror the actions of their masters. In Blue Dragon Plus, one year has passed since Shu and his companions defeated the tyrannical remnant of the Ancients, Nene. In the midst of the battle, the world split in two and now consists of a myriad of “cubes” that exploded from its depths. King Jibral notices a mysterious cube in the distance suddenly start to move violently, and from it he sees the Shadow of a Balaur, a three-headed dragon, emerge. The enormous and sinister Shadow is just the beginning of the new turmoil and devastation to come.
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
– Release date: October 21, 2008
– Platform: Nintendo DS
Castlevania: Judgment
– Release date: Fall 2008
– Platform: Wii
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
– Release date: November 11, 2008 (Wii™ Coming in 2009)
– Platform: Xbox 360/PLAYSTATION3/PlayStation2/ PSP(PlayStationPortable)/PC
DanceDanceRevolution Hottest Party 2
– Release date: September 16, 2008
– Platform: Wii™
DanceDanceRevolution® Universe 3
– Release date: October 2008
– Platform: Xbox 360®
DanceDanceRevolution® X
– Release date: September 16, 2008
– Platform: PlayStation®2
Rock Revolution™
– Release date: Fall 2008
– Platform: Xbox 360®/PLAYSTATION®3/Wii™/Nintendo DS™
Karaoke Revolution® Presents: American Idol® Encore 2
– Release date: Winter 2008
– Platform: Wii™/PLAYSTATION®3/Xbox 360®
Winx Club™: Mission Enchantix
– Release date: November 4, 2008
– Platform: Nintendo DS™
Lost in Blue Shipwrecked
– Release date: September 23, 2008
– Platform: Wii™
Silent Hill®: Homecoming
– Release date: September 30, 2008
– Platform: Xbox 360®/PLAYSTATION®3
Elebits: Adventures of Kai and Zero
– Release date: Q1 2009
– Platform: Nintendo DS™
Disaster: Day of Crisis has been given official release dates in Japan and Europe, but strangely, the gamers of North America have been left clueless when Monolith’s title will launch. However, rumor has it that Disaster will be available in North America this November. The gossip comes from Nintendo Power’s 20th anniversary event, in which one partygoer was approached by a staff member of newsarama.com. If this story is to be believed, the newsarama staff member told the person attending Nintendo Power’s event that, although Nintendo has yet to announce a release date for North America, he can “guarantee” that Disaster will launch this November.
I honestly don’t think that anyone should take this rumor seriously. First off, the story easily could have been fabricated, hence why you should take this rumor with a huge grain of salt. Also, I question (if the story is even true) what sources are available to newsarama to back the claim up. But remember: This is a rumor, so you never you know what will happen! I’d be completely satisfied with a November release date if it were true.
DERBY, ENGLAND, September 16th 2008 – Following on from its debut on Xbox Live Arcade, Pinnacle Software are excited to announce that it has teamed up with the game’s original developer, Derby based Strawdog Studios, to bring an all new definitive version of arcade action game Geon to Wii™ in February 2009.Developed specifically for the Wii with a plethora of brand new gameplay features and enhancements, Geon is a fast paced arcade action game played in an energised geometric grid environment. Playing as a ‘Geon’ cube, players frantically race against up to three other opponents to collect pellets and deposit them in the opponent’s goal to score. At the same time players fight desperately to prevent their opponents from scoring by the tactical use of eight different powerballs including ‘Rage’ which lays down a layer of spikes that can block an opponent or trap them, and ‘Greed’ which sucks up pellets enabling the scoring of a fast goal. All of the powerballs significantly alters the ebb and flow of each game and allows each player to develop their own unique strategies in their quest to be the first to score five goals and win the game!
Geon features a variety of single player and multiplayer modes including Duel Career Mode where your aim is to progress to the top of the four Geon leagues, or Duel and Time Attack modes which features 16 and 32 unique grids respectively and where mini games can be unlocked along the way. Alternatively take on your friends in two or four person split screen multi-player battles to become the undisputed Geon master!
