Spore – 8/8
Braid – 10
Guitar Hero: On Tour – 4
Pure – 7
Facebreaker – 5
Soul Calibur IV – 9, 9
Yakuza 2 – 8
Beijing 2008 – 4
Super Swing Golf – 7
Baroque – 4
Too Human – 5
Rock Band – 9
Bionic Commando: Rearmed – 8
Thanks to Katrina for the news tip!
This comes from the Capcom-Unity blog…
“Well, it’s been a long slog, but we’re there. Any day now, those of you who properly filled out the form should be getting your new covers in the mail. The printer is in the process of sending out nearly 18,000 of them via bulk mail, but rest assured they’re on their way! Here’s a quick FAQ of questions I’m asking myself, since none of you can talk to me a the moment.
1. Did I just say covers? Yup. Since fulfillment took so long, everybody is getting two new coversheets. Each cover sheet features the cleaned cover art on one side, and the two different new designs on the other. That’s right, everyone is getting all three covers for the price of… well, none!
2. Did Capcom send out confirmation emails? Nope. Part of the problem with the lists was technical and we were unable to send out confirmation emails. As long as you completely filled out the form, and live in the US or Canada, you’re getting the covers. One mailing per household, so those of you who signed up multiple times are only getting one set.
3. What took so long? In a word, Ninjas. The rumors are true, every Japanese company has its own cadre of elite ninja assassins. Unfortunately, Capcom has recently thrown in with their mortal enemies, the Pirates, in the form of Age of Booty. Ever since we announced that title, the ninjas have been nothing but trouble. The number of death traps around the office has skyrocketed.
4. Can I still get the covers? Yes, you can! But you’ll have to use your color printer or find a Kinko’s that will charge you about 50 cents. Hi Res versions of the new covers can still be found here: http://www.capcom.com/artredemption/
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!”
New details on World of Goo have been released, the mention of online leaderboards and rumble support. Moreover, the release dates of the game in America and Europe are beginning to get nailed down. While the WiiWare version is expected to be available sometime this year, while the retail version in Europe will launch Q1 2009 for 39,99€. More details below:
– More than 50 levels in all
– A developer is providing voicework
– No usage of the Wiimote speaker, devs aren’t fond of it
– Original theme for each chapter, new chapter has been added (the moon)
– TV advertisements being discussed probably for the retail version
– Devs think Nintendo has been “wonderful,” “very honest”
futureU: The SAT Prep Game (DS) – E
Ghostbusters (DS) – E
KORG DS-10 Synthesizer – E
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Wii) – E
Paws & Claws Pet Resort (Wii) – E
Smart Boy’s Winter Wonderland (DS) – E
Smart Girl’s winter Wonderland (DS) – E
Crash: Mind over Mutant (Wii) – E10+
Tetris Party (Wii) – E
The Secret Files: Tunguska (DS) – T
TV Show King Party (Wii) – E
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 (Wii) – T
Star Parodius (Wii) – E
Summer Athletics (Wii) – E
Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2009 (Wii) – T
Guitar Hero World Tour (Wii) – T
Shaun White Snowboarding DS (DS) – E
Petz Rescue Ocean Patrol (DS) – E
Polar Bowler (DS) – E
Monster Lab (Wii/DS) – E10+
The only confusing title on this list is Star Parodius. The Parodius series has been handled by Konami, yet the ESRB has this new entry listed as a Hudson title.
Koji Igarashi has shed a bit of light on Castlevania Judgment and the future of Castlevania in general. First off, Igarashi stated that although the development team would have been interested in using Wii MotionPlus for the game, Judgment is too far along in development to add such functionality. Furthermore, there was a remark made that Judgment might not be the only spin-off of its kind, granted there are strong sales for Judgment. Finally, Igarashi reaffirmed his consideration of a classic-styled Castlevania title, although he still hasn’t written anything down and stone and will not discuss further details..
Personally, although more spin-offs might be an interesting way to expand the Castlevania series, prior titles (and recent impressions of Judgment) have proven that the series is at its best in 2D, Metroid-esqe format. I think I’d die if I saw Castlevania: Mini-Games of Blood hit the market!
We’ve all seen this before: A company announces their game for a specific Monday. However, even if a company “confirms” a game’s release date, nothing is final. Mega Man, Ys Book I + II, and even Strong Bad never made their intended release dates. Ghostfire Games has announced Helix for WiiWare this Monday, but I can’t help but wonder if it will actually release.
More often than not, when a game is announced for the Wii and other major platforms, Wii owners usually end up missing out on the “true” experience of the game because companies decide to let a secondary team handle the project. Dimps, for instance, is working on the Wii version of Sonic Unleashed while Sonic Team is doing the 360/PS3 versions. That’s not to say that Sonic Unleashed will end up being terrible on the Wii, but in the case of Mikami/Suda 51’s new game, there might be reason for concern. In a Gamasutra interview, there seemed to be hints that the Wii version of the game will be “subbed out to another developer.”
Wario Land: The Shake Dimension (Wii) – 88%
Final Fantasy IV (DS) – 90%
Star Wars: Force Unleashed (Wii) – 82%
Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise (DS) 90%
Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People (Wii) – 88%
Dragon Quest IV (DS) – 78%
Summer Athletics (Wii) – 32%
Wild West Guns (Wii) – 80%
Splatterhouse 2 (Wii) – 54%
Red Bull BC One (DS) – 80%
Sonic the Hedgehog (Wii/Master System) – 58%
International Athletics (DS) – 51%
Soul Calibur Legends (Wii) – 47%
Samurai Shodown II (Wii) – 71%
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’s Tomb (Wii) – 48%
Super Fantasy Zone (Wii) – 82%
Ecco Jr. (Wii) – 76%
Thanks to Biggity for the ONM review scores.
