1. Grand Theft Auto IV (360, PS3, PC)
2. Braid (360)
3. LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
4. Rock Band 2 (360, PS3)
5. Gears of War 2 (360)
6. Dead Space (360, PS3, PC)
7. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Wii, 360, PS3, DS, PSP)
8. Hunted Forever (free Flash)
9. Fieldrunners (iPhone)
10. Spore (PC)
No Matter Who The Gamer Is On Your Shopping List, Natsume Has A Video Game For Them
Burlingame, Calif., December 8, 2008 – Natsume Inc., a worldwide developer and publisher of family-oriented video games, announced today that the company’s full videogame lineup for 2008 is now available at retail, including the most recent release of Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon for the Nintendo DS. Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon joins Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness, Princess Debut and Hi! Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Challenge (all for DS) and Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility (for Wii) to complete its 2008 holiday lineup.
“This has been a great year for Natsume as we continued our Harvest Moon series with three brand new Harvest Moon adventures this fall.
Add to that some adorable educational fun with Hi! Hamtaro: Ham Ham Challenge and our hugely popular new original IP, Princess Debut and there is truly something for everyone on your list,” said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume.
For more information on each of Natsume’s 2008 holiday lineup see the descriptions below. Each title is rated E for everyone by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) and are available at retailers nationwide.
Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness (DS) $29.99
Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness brings the largest portable Harvest Moon experience ever to the Nintendo DS. Starting off with an abandoned farm, a handful of seeds, and the determination to start a new life, it’s up to the player to develop a mysterious, abandoned island into a bustling tropical paradise. By harvesting crops, raising animals, and mining for precious gems, gamers will help the island grow into a vibrant town filled with people, businesses, and eligible bachelors and bachelorettes. Players can take on the role of a male or a female, and choose who they want to fall in love and start a family with. Gamers can also test their farming skills against each other and compete for prizes via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Harvest Moon:
Island of Happiness is now available for an MSRP of $29.99.Princess Debut (DS) $29.99
The critics are raving about Natsume’s new IP Princess Debut. GRRLGamer calls Princess Debut a “breath of fresh air”, Cool Moms Rule says the game is “an anime version of Cinderella”, and The Globe and Mail calls it “high quality gaming for girls fascinated by the fantasy princess lifestyle.”In Princess Debut, players find themselves in a fantasy world where they have 30 days to get ready for the big ball; they’ll have to master their dance moves and win over one of the six handsome princes to be their partner. They’ll meet and woo the princes through the game’s large, branching storyline. Once the player convinces a prince to be their dancing partner, it’s time to go out on the dance floor!
By utilizing the Touch Screen, players guide their character gracefully across the dance floor while matching their partner’s rhythm. All of the dances in the game are taken from motion-captured professional dancers, so the game is just as impressive to watch as it is fun to play. Princess Debut offers four modes of play including Story, Ballroom, Practice, and Movie. With 20 outfits to find, 14 unique endings to experience, and 18 different kinds of music and dance styles to choose from (including Waltz, Latin Dance, Tango, Ballroom, and much more), there’s no shortage of things to see and do!Princess Debut is now available for an MSRP of $29.99.
Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (DS) $29.99
Rune Factory 2 is set several years after the first game. The evil Sechs Empire has been defeated, and the Kingdom of Norad is once again at peace. Things may not stay that way for long, however, as dark premonitions foretell of dangers to come. It’s up to the player to uncover the source of these premonitions and bring peace to the kingdom once more. Over the course of the story, players will build and develop a farm, befriend townspeople, raise monsters, take on quests, and find a wife. In a first for the Rune Factory series, the story of Rune Factory 2 is multigenerational. Players begin the game as Kyle, a strange man who comes to Alvarna Village. Eventually, players will take on the role of Kyle’s child, opening up a whole new adventure. It’s an innovative feature that allows players to follow the story of their family and the townsfolk over two generations! Now available for an MSRP of $29.99.Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility (Wii) ) $49.99
In Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility, players find themselves in a troubled island town which once prospered with life and energy, but is now in serious trouble. The mystical Mother Tree that once watched over the island has disappeared, and the Harvest Goddess is nowhere to be found! The island has lost its connection with nature and the inhabitants don’t know what to do – it’s up to the player to save the island! Players will help to rebuild the island by working the land, befriending and raising animals, nurturing friendships, and building a family. When the Mother Tree is reborn, the Harvest Goddess will return and bring prosperity to the island once more. Long-time Harvest Moon fans as well as new players will find an exciting, involving storyline and plenty of activities to experience, including cultivating crops, caring for animals, and participating in festivals.Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility is now available for an MSRP of $49.99.
Hi! Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Challenge (DS) $29.99
Hamtaro and his friends make learning fun in Hi! Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Challenge. Children will not only be entertained by the beloved hamster Hamtaro and his adorable cast of friends, they will also develop their memory, word comprehension, math skills, and many other abilities as they play through the twelve engaging interactive games.The game’s easy-to-learn touch screen controls make the game fun and accessible for children of all ages. Parents can take an active role in their child’s playing and learning with features that let them monitor their child’s progress in each game, adjust the difficulty level to match their child’s skills, monitor and control play time, and even reward their child with special items. Hi! Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Challenge for the Nintendo DS is a brain-training game geared at elementary-aged children. Rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, it is currently available for an MSRP of $29.99.
All of these titles are currently available at various retailers nationwide. For more information, please visit www.natsume.com or http://www.clevercomm.com/Natsume/
LONDON, ON – December 8, 2008 – Big Blue Bubble is proud to announce that Hockey Allstar Shootout was released today on WiiWare™! The release of Hockey Allstar Shootout marks the first hockey game on the platform and is destined to become an instant fan favorite amongst sports enthusiasts and casual gamers alike.
Use the Wii Remote™ as your stick and take the shot as you compete in 3 exciting hockey skills competitions. Whether you’re competing solo or challenging your friends, Hockey Allstar Shootout will put your hockey skills to the test.
428 (Sega, Wii)
– Saw the great Famitsu review, but not sure a live Japanese sound novel-type of game could work in the US.
Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness (Square Enix, DS)
– I personally would love to see this title brought over as I love SRPGs in general and especially the Front Mission series, but we will not be able to license Square Enix titles for the US.
Nanashi no Game (Square Enix, DS)
– Another seemlingly great game, but same situation as above.
Misa Yamamura Suspense: Kyoto Murder Files (Tecmo, DS)
Nishimura Kyotaro Suspense Shin Tantei Series: Kyoto Atami Zekkai no Kotou – Satsui no Wana (Tecmo, DS)
Nishimura Kyotaro Suspense 2 Shin Tantei Series: Kanezawa Kankan Gokkan no Kyoukoku Fukushuu no Kage (Tecmo, DS)
– Hadn’t heard of these titles before so will have to find out more information on them, but we likely won’t pursue adventure games on the DS.
Princess Maker 5 (Gainax, PSP)
– Not sure this would fit in with the rest of our product lineup.
RIZ-ZOWAD (D3, DS)
– This game looks great, we would love to work on it if we had the opportunity.
Summon Night 1 & 2 (Bandai Namco/Banpresto, DS)
– Though this is a solid series, if we were to ever work on the series I think we would prefer a more recent title.
Destiny Links (Bandai, DS)
– Hadn’t heard of this game before, will look into it.
Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier (Bandai Namco/Banpresto, DS)
– Great series, but probably tough to bring over for us due to all the various mecha licenses used in the game. Also not sure we could gather enough interest at retail as stores are hesitant to carry games based on anime unless it’s something popular on US TV such as Dragonball Z or Naruto.
Wii-kly Update
Two WiiWare Games and One Virtual Console Game Added to Wii Shop Channel
Neither sleet nor snow nor ice-cold winter winds shall keep Wii™ Shop Channel users from enjoying the best new and classic games. In fact, this week’s offerings include a hot new strategy-based puzzle game that promises to keep everyone in the household enthused, no matter how frightful the weather outside may be. Harrowing puzzles, hockey pucks and a world-famous hedgehog are all featured in the latest downloadable lineup, providing red-hot gaming thrills to counter the imminent December chills.
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:
SEGA launches new community and gaming site, boasting classic and newly created games exclusively available on PlaySEGA.com
LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (December 4, 2008) – SEGA Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today launched PlaySEGA™, a completely new SEGA experience for all types of gaming and social networking fans. PlaySEGA is based at www.PlaySEGA.com and is a mini web game portal with a selection of arcade, word, card, puzzle, quiz, Sonic and sports titles, which are available now and completely FREE to all PC and Mac users.
PlaySEGA has an impressive assortment of titles available on the site including Brain Assist™, which was originally released for the Nintendo DS™, and the successful mobile title, Sonic at the Olympic Games™. Brand new SEGA games that have been created exclusively for PlaySEGA are also available such as Ice Shuffle, Hollywood Adventure Quiz and Aquatic Word Burst. In addition, a selection of all-new Guest Games will soon be unveiled, all entirely FREE to each PlaySEGA user.
Satoru Iwata has stated that 800,000 Wii units were sold during the Thanksgiving week, and that’s only counting sales in North America. That figure is more than double the amount Nintendo sold last year. Iwata also discussed sales of the DS. While no solid sales figure was provided, he did mention that sales of the handheld were up 20 percent during the Thanksgiving week than compared to last year.
In a Japanese interview with 4Gamer, it was revealed that Capcom favorites such as Amaterasu from Okami, Phoenix Wright (that’s a joke…Or is it?), and others will not make an appearance in the recently released fighting game, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. In other words, there will be no hidden characters in the game and all characters have been already been discovered.
The reason behind the lack of hidden characters has been translated to, roughly, as the following: “We wanted to put a bang of all characters on the package.”
Best Buy
High School Musical: Makin’ the Cut (DS) – $9.99
High School Musical 2: Work This Out (DS) – $9.99
Lock’s Quest (DS) – $19.99
Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals (DS) – $19.99
Tony Hawk’s Motion (DS) – $29.99
Monster Lab (DS) – $19.99
Kung Fu Panda: Legendary Warriors (DS) – $19.99
Wario Land: Shake It! (Wii) – Free $10 gift card with purchase
Mario Super Sluggers (Wii) – Free $10 gift card with purchase
Rock Band Special Edition (Wii) – $99.99
Circuit City
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 All-Play (Wii) – $37.49
Nerf N-Strike (Wii) – $44.99
Rock Band Bundle for Wii – $89.99
Save $5 on all Wii Fit accessories
Little League World Series Baseball 2008 (Wii) – $24.99
Monster Jam: Urban Assault (Wii) – $24.99
Shrek’s Carnival Craze (Wii) – $24.99
Block Party (Wii) – $24.99
Super Mario 64 (DS) – $23.99
Target
Celebrity Sports Showdown (Wii) – $19.99
Hasbo Family Game Night (Wii) – $29.99
Psyclone Starter Kit for Wii – $34.99
Psyclone Starter Kit for DS Lite – $16
Free Wii Zapper with purchase of both Call of Duty: World at War and 007 Quantum of Solace
