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Weekly Nintendo Download features Spot the Differences!, SCAT, more
As a young kid in the 80s, I knew even then that S.C.A.T. was an… odd… name for a game. Thankfully, the NES game didn’t involve bodily waste and instead was a shooter in the Contra mold. Anyway, this is all just to say that S.C.A.T. (which stood for Special Cybernetic Attack Team) is available on the Virtual Console this week.
Spot the Differences!, a picture comparing game, is the lone WiiWare original this week. Although demo versions of Lit and Urbanix will be available to download from the Wii Shop Channel as well.
The DSiWare Shop will receive a quartet of new games this week: G.G Series: Dark Spirits, a side-scrolling shooter; Boom Boom Squaries, a puzzle game; 505 Tangram, another puzzle game; and Shawn Johnson Gymnastics, a gymnastics simulator.
More information on all of these titles can be found after the break. (more…)
Special unlock for early purchasers of Pokemon Black & White
Nintendo is on a mission: to make sure Pokemon Black Version and Pokemon White Version have as big of a launch as possible. To do it, they have announced today that anyone who purchases the fifth generation of Pokemon games from its March 6 release date up until April 10, 2011 will receive a Liberty Pass through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The pass allows them to catch the cute little guy pictured to the left (throwing up the V for Victory), the Mythical Pokemon Victini. The Victory Pokemon Victini is allegedly the first to be both Psychic and Fire-based (two of my favorite varieties in one) and has the Victory Star ability, which increases the accuracy of itself and other Pokemon the trainer is using in battle. This is actually a pretty great ace to have for some of the three-member battles being introduced in Pokemon Black & White.
Pokemon Black & White Versions add more than 150 new pocket monsters to the Pokedex and will be available in the U.S. on March 6, 2011 for $34.99 on the Nintendo DS.
Posted in News
Tagged DS, Pokemon Black/White
First trailer for Lego Pirates of the Caribbean
The MTV Multiplayer blog has an exclusive first look at Lego Pirates of the Caribbean. You can follow the link to view it or you can just play the video right here.
In the video, you’ll be treated to a Lego-ized version of Jack Sparrow’s grand entrance from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The game will include levels from all three current Pirates movies as well as the upcoming On Stranger Tides.
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean will be released for the DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 this May.
Kirby returns to the Wii, DS in 2011
Kirby’s Epic Yarn was one of 2010’s biggest surprises. Gamers everywhere loved the patchwork look of the game which had many of them in stitches (pun intended!).
But after a Nitendo investor’s briefing, it appears the company is wasting no time bringing the little puffball back. HAL Laboratory is developing a currently untitled Kirby Adventure game for the Wii that gives Kirby a variety of different hats. A trailer showcasing the side-scrolling gameplay is available at Nintendo Japan’s website, but it’s also available in a larger format on YouTube, which you can watch right here:
As you can see from the trailer, each of the hats gives Kirby a new power including Link’s Cap (which allows Kirby to swing a sword), a flame cap (that calls a dragon) and a cowboy hat (that gives him a lasso).
The trailer is very similar to one that Nintendo released years ago for an untitled Kirby title for the GameCube. Perhaps this game is that game reincarnated?
And on a final Kirby-related note, Nintendo included a new Kirby game for the DS in their quarterly list of upcoming titles, but no other details were revealed.
Posted in News
Tagged DS, Kirby's Return to Dreamland, Wii
Disney Interactive cuts jobs
Disney Interactive is currently downsizing, apparently in a pretty substantial way, as nearly half of its 700 member staff may be getting the boot. Disney calls the layoffs a “restructuring process” in its statement. Variety reports that many were anticipating the layoffs as many key players left the division last year, including Graham Hopper, who spent the last eight years building the studio into a formidable entity in the gaming industry. New talent is coming in to upper management, including John Pleasants, CEO of Playdom, which Disney acquired last year. Disney’s current CEO Bob Iger said Pleasants would “focus on turning those businesses into profitability” and “diversifying our presence in the business, so we’re not reliant on one platform that’s obviously facing challenges.”
While terms can have multiple connotations in the business context, he may be referring to last year’s Epic Mickey, which released exclusively for the Nintendo Wii, a console that is notoriously difficult for third party developers to find success on. Epic Mickey was panned critically, but is apparently the fastest selling game in Disney Interactive’s history, pushing 1.3 million copies last December.
Nintendo Download for 1/24/2011
Whether you like roller skating, fishing, or getting your poker face on, with or without furries, hit the jump for details on all the titles in this week’s Nintendo Download. (more…)
The Smurfs smurf their way onto the Wii, DS this Summer
A film adaptation of The Smurfs will be released in theaters on August 3, and Ubisoft has announced that the blue creatures will smurf their way onto the Wii and DS around the same time as well.
Nothing else was announced about the game, but executives at Ubisoft are absolutely thrilled to be working on a Smurfs game (the game’s unnamed developers didn’t mention what they thought of the deal):
“We’re thrilled to be working with Lafig Belgium and Sony Pictures on the Smurfs license. Our ongoing partnership with Sony Pictures Consumer Products allows us to create fun and entertaining video games based on some of the most popular family films,” said Christian Salomon, vice president of worldwide licensing at Ubisoft. “Ubisoft’s creative team is working hard on crafting the perfect video game experience that will appeal to new and old fans of The Smurfs.”
Red Dead Redemption, Enslaved, God of War III lead 2011 AIAS nominees
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) has announced the nominees for the 14th annual Interactive Achievement Awards (IAAs). As expected, Red Dead Redemption lead the way with nine nominations including Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design and Game of the Year.
God of War III and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (a title that is already being considered one of the best games you’ve never played) shared the second-most nominations with six apiece. Other games up for multiple awards include Call of Duty: Black Ops, Heavy Rain, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and Mass Effect 2 (five nominations apiece) along with Dance Central, Limbo and Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty (four apiece).
The awards will be handed out by Jay Mohr at the 2011 D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit on Thursday, February 10. The hour-long show will be broadcast on G4 two days later, February 12, at 4:00 PM (Eastern Time) with a webcast scheduled for 7:30 PM (Eastern Time) at G4tv.com/DICE.
A complete list of nominees can be on the AIAS website, but the “Game of the Year” will come from this list of five: Angry Birds HD, Call of Duty: Black Ops, God of War III, Mass Effect 2 and Red Dead Redemption.