Most Recent: DS

The Balcony is Closed: Whatever Happened to the Licensed Game?

In case there was any doubt, Thor and his mighty hammer have officially opened the 2011 Summer movie season today. What will follow is four months of blockbusters that will be heavy on action and even heavier on reviews comparing their visuals to video games. But as Hollywood and Redmond trade ideas back and forth, the once great institution that is the licensed game has gone by the wayside.

Okay, “once great institution” might be the nostalgia talking, but licensed games were always plentiful, even if they weren’t always good games. We all know the story of Atari practically bankrupting themselves to produce the woefully bad E.T. game for the Atari 2600. And Acclaim’s history of low review scores (and eventual bankruptcy) could be attributed to the company’s string of licensed games.

But titles like GoldenEye and The Chronicles of Riddick prove that a licensed game doesn’t have to be a cheaply made cash-in. They can be classics. Yet their number is decreasing, even as gamemakers have embraced the trappings of Hollywood during the development process. (more…)

Posted in DS, Features, PC, PS3, Top Story, Wii, Xbox 360 |

The Next Level: The Games of May 2011

After a wild April that saw major havoc being wreaked on the PlayStation Network and several high profile releases in Mortal Kombat, Portal 2 and SOCOM 4, it’ll be hard for May to compete. And with a slew of delays, the already slim May slate has gotten even slimmer over the last few weeks. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t on the brink of something big. So join us in la-la-land for a look at what we want to play in May: (more…)

Posted in 3DS, DS, Features, PC, PS3, PSP, Top Story, Wii, Xbox 360 |

Nintendo Download: Bingo Party Deluxe, Rival Turf!, more

It’s Monday morning and the weekly Nintendo Download is here, on schedule and as uneventful as ever.

This week sees the release of Bingo Party Deluxe on the Wii Shop Channel and Rival Turf! (formerly of the Super NES) on the Virtual Console.

The DSiWare Shop has received a trio of new games: priate puzzle-action game Ikibago; the action RPG Anonymous Notes: Chapter 2 – From The Abyss; and the slef-explanatory Picture Perfect Pocket Stylist.

More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in DS, News, Wii |

New Releases: MotorStorm Apocalypse, Thor, More

May 3rd, 2011… a day that will be remembered as the day the world should have ended. The day Duke Nukem Forever would have been released. OK, it’s not quite that bleak, the Duke is still on track for a June return. But still…

Anyway, this week still has plenty of world-ending events as Sony will release MotorStorm Apocalypse for the PS3. Sadly, due to the ApocalyPS3, online play through the PSN might not be in the cards on launch day.

Sticking with the end of the world theme is Asgard’s herald of the heavens, The Mighty Thor! He’ll headline his first film this Friday, but you can also check out the tie-in game, Thor: God of Thunder, on the DS, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 this week.

Check out the full list of the rest of this week’s new releases after the break. (more…)

Posted in DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Daily Scoop: April 27, 2011 – Princess Games!

It’s Wednesday, yay! And Amazon’s having a sale on Princess games! Disney’s Tangled is $13.99 on the DS and $19.99 on the Wii, and Disney Fairies: Tinkerbell and The Lost Treasure is $13.99. As the page says, “It’s noble entertainment at commoner prices.” Who writes this stuff???

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is Square Enix’s Bust-A-Move Universe for the 3DS. It’s $19.99 from $29.99, and is a “whole universe of fun!” Can’t beat that!

Amazon’s got loads of other deals, today, too, like the black Wii hardware bundle for $149.99 and 3D Dot Game Heroes for $13.16. Check out the whole video games clearance section for more hot deals.

No game-related shirts, but Qwertee might make you weepy today:

D:.

Posted in 3DS, Daily Scoop, DS, Etcetera, News, PS3, Wii |

Check out this picture of every Pokemon ever

Every wonder what a drawing of every single Pokemon would look like? Well, wonder no more, because Japanese artist Jippe has made the dream a reality by drawing all 646 existing Pokemon in one place – including those from Pokemon Black and Pokemon White. In addition to this crazy depiction of all the pocket monsters you gotta catch, he has more Pokemon art on his website.

Urge to go catch Pokemon all night…rising…

Posted in DS, Etcetera, News | Tagged

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 announced

Fashion empress Emma Watson is proud to bring you the trailer above for the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (and no, it’s not the Mature-rated Harry Potter we’ve all been anticipating). We don’t have a release date yet, but it’ll likely ship alongside the movie’s theatrical opening in July.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is coming out for the Wii, DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The DS version will give you up to four person handheld multiplayer while the PlayStation 3 version will support PlayStation Move, for a little more immersion with your wand play.

Posted in DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Mega Man X added to Virtual Console

After starring in two amazing WiiWare adventures, Mega Man is back on the Wii Shop Channel this week with Mega Man X. The Super NES classic will be joined by My Little Baby, a babysitting simulator.

On the DSiWare side of things we have Go Series: Captain Sub, an underwater salvage game; DodoGo! Robo, a puzzle game; and Music On: Learning Piano Volume 2, a music teaching tool.

More information on all of these titles can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in DS, News, Wii | Tagged