Game Party Champions brings more minigames to Wii U launch

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced a new addition to the Game Party franchise, Game Party Champions. The minigame collection, which is set to be a Wii U launch title, will include hoop shoot, ping pong, skill ball, and table hockey. Are we having fun yet, people???

The game, which is being developed by Phosphor games, will have HD graphics, as well as three game modes – Quick Play, Story Mode, and Party Mode. The last mode has one player using the Wii U GamePad while the other players “grief” that player using WiiMotes. The press release actually says “grief (wreak havoc),” in case you were wondering.

Senior Vice President of Production and Development at Warner Bros., Samantha Ryan, had this to say: “Developed specifically for Wii U, Game Party Champions has a fun, pick up-and-play style that experienced and novice gamers will equally enjoy. Players can tilt, turn and swipe the Wii U’s revolutionary touch screen controller to play in entirely new ways.”

Perhaps all this innovation will help make Game Party Champions be more successful than the last three poorly-reviewed games in this series.

Posted in News, Wii U |

Daily Scoop: August 8, 2012 – Not a single deal was had

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Last night was great! Thanks for asking, Internet. I finally got a chance to play the board game Galaxy Trucker, which was a blast. And speaking of blasts, we also played the Gold Edition of Frag, with the expansion. It was a terrific night all around!

Sadly, nothing is going on deals-wise today. Nada. Zip. Absolutely zilch-o. The whole world is waiting for next week, when our wallets will cry as we tote home Darksiders II, The Last Story, and Sleeping Dogs.

But what we do have quite a few of are t-shirts!

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Ni-Oh is still in development

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Ni-Oh, the action-adventure samurai game first announced by Koei seven long years ago at E3 2005 is, amazingly, still in development. According to Andriasang, Tecmo Koei’s CEO Yoichi Erikawa told Famitsu that development has finally been completed on the game’s alpha version. Ni-Oh is currently being developed by Team Ninja, and is making steady progress, Erikawa said in the interview.

The story is based on a once-lost script by acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, and that alone is reason to be interested in this game. Add in Team Ninja and a long development cycle, and there’s potential here for unparalleled excellence.

Posted in News, PS3 |

Ubisoft confirms Wii U box art designs are “too legit to quit”

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Remember that post yesterday about the leaked game covers for Wii U games? GameTrailers has confirmed that they are the real deal.

Michael Beadle, an Ubisoft PR rep, said “Why yes, the Wii U box art you sent is legit; in fact, it’s too legit to quit.”

Not only is that great news, now that song is going to be stuck in my head all day. Double bonus!

Posted in News, Wii U |

XBLA Today: Hybrid

Posted on August 8, 2012 by John Scalzo

Developer 5th Cell has (temporarily) left the kid-friendly Scribblenauts series behind to delve into the frantic multiplayer action of Hybrid, their Xbox Live Arcade-exclusive shooter.

The game, which has been priced at 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), is the fourth title in this year’s Summer of Arcade promotion. Also of note, in addition to the purchase price, Hybrid requires an Xbox Live Gold subscription to take part in the fight:

Hybrid is a multiplayer third person shooter in which two factions fight for world domination on a persistent world map. Take control of a soldier fighting for the Paladins or the Variants as they race to control the world’s most powerful resource; Dark Matter. Your victories on the battlefield directly affect the course of the war!

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Rumor: Thief 4 sneaks onto next-generation consoles

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Rumor has it that Thief 4 – spelled “Thi4f” here just to make our Editor-In-Chief, John Scalzo, twitch – won’t be out until late next year. This places it directly in the rumored launch window of the Xbox 720, also known as the “Durango.” If these rumors are to be believed – and the Computer and Video Games article indicates that the sources are accurate – then the game may very well be jumping straight to next-generation consoles.

Thief 4, which has been in development by Eidos Montreal for four years, has had a rocky cycle, with multiple high-level directors, designers, and artists leaving the project. Recent job listings for the developer indicate that the studio behind Deus Ex: Human Revolution is working on a game for the new generation. If these rumors are true, then they could be working on Thief 4 and not a new game in the Deus Ex series. Whatever the case may be, hopefully the new Thief game will be able to see the light of day.

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The Good, the Bad, and the Pig-Faced or… What if The Legend of Zelda were a western?

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Andrew Rainnie

There have been many fan projects depicting an alternative version of Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise, though my favourite among them is Echoes of the Future, a Fallout-esque dystopian future style rendered by artist Sean Ng AKA Dogbomber. But now a group of filmmakers have done one better.

A Fistful of Rupees is a three-part webseries that mashes up the familiar concepts of the Zelda games with the traits of a western film, with surprisingly good results. The three parts are directed by The Country Club (Nathan Kitada and Aaron T. Umetani) and are named after the pieces of the Triforce: “The Wisdom” (embedded above), “The Power,” and “The Courage.” The series focuses on a lone Link seeking to avenge the death of his friend at the hands of Colonel Ganon, while seeking a treasure in the Gerudo Desert.

While there is little doubt that Zelda Wii U is already well into development, if Nintendo were seeking inspiration for future titles, this could certainly be an interesting, perhaps more adult, direction. Red Dead Zelda anyone?

Posted in Etcetera, News |

Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends Review: Encyclopedia Ferrarica

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Adam Woolcott

The last time we saw Atari’s Test Drive franchise, it was racing through the streets of Ibiza in Test Drive Unlimited 2. Since then, TDU developer Eden Games has run into some troubles, and the franchise as a whole seemed to be on the ropes. However, 2012 has brought us a very different use of the brand, with Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends. Developed by Slightly Mad Studios – the brains behind the short-lived Need For Speed: Shift franchise – this installment drops the open-world motif for a more traditional and narrowly focused racing experience, showcasing the lengthy history of one of the most exotic automobile manufacturers in the world.

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Posted in PC, PS3, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged