One of the more unnoticed news stories at E3 – the Xbox 360 keyboard has been priced at GBP 24.99 and will be released on the 7th September.
The device plugs into the 360 controller itself and is designed for use with Live Messenger (MSN to you and I), which came recently as part of a dashboard update.
Type away for the full story.
Mario Party 8 has been pulled from sales and recalled for containing the word ’spastic’. It comes soon after a similar case in which Ubi’s Mind Quiz was pulled for using the same word when the player scores zero.
“[Mario Party 8] was launched in the UK today. Unfortunately we have discovered that a small number of games contain the wrong version of the disk due to an assembly error. We have therefore decided to recall all copies of the game from UK retailers so that this mistake can be corrected,” is the official word from Ninty.
The American response seems to be generally one of bewilderment, since ’spastic’ isn’t really that much of an offensive word in the States. The general feeling is that it’s ‘political correctness gone mad’, but for obvious reasons, we can’t have a kids game calling the player a spastic.
Now, I’ll join the rush to go and play the crap out of my copy (bought on release day) to see if it contains the word – who knows, some fanboy or other might pay me a small fortune for it in a few months. I implore you, dear gamers, to do the same. And leave any feedback as a comment, of course. ;o)
Give that politically-incorrect plumber a stern telling off for the full story.
So the PSP is getting a little bit lighter, a little bit thinner, and your old accessories won’t work.
Gizmodo have been exploring the new 200x manual and have outlined the main changes:
- Its TA-085 PCB motherboard is homebrew-conducive.
- USB can be used to charge the battery.
- The battery has been shrunk from 1800mAh to 1200mAh, but retains hour rating.
- Memory increased from 32mb to 64mb
- Old PSP remote is not compatible.
- WLAN switch has been relocated to top.
- TV-out cable is not included.
It doesn’t take a genius to realise that the only real (in terms of how it will affect games) difference is the doubling of the memory. The increase now means that the PSP has double (yes DOUBLE) that of the PS2. So we can definitely expect quicker loading times. Whether we will get games that only work on the new model, we don’t know yet.
What we do know is that Sony have killed off one of the main drawbacks of the PSP – load times. If only they’d given us a better battery rather than made the PSP slightly smaller, they could have really challenged for the DS’s crown…
Prod the slightly sleeker portable for the full works.
GameTrailers have a luvverly little developer walkthrough video, explaining the one feature of Galaxy that even the most hardened Nintendo Fanboy would admit to being slightly skeptical of: the 3-dimensional, crazy, running around planets… thing.
Give Mario a slap for the video.
The PS3 price-drop announced at E3 will only apply to US models.
The question is, with prices already comparatively higher than over the pond, will European gamers notice this snub? Gamers in the know may now react to Sony’s move by opting for the Xbox360 as their console of choice.
Could there be a price-cut in the works, or are European gamers right to feel like they have been left out in the cold?
Click the shiny bane of our existence for the full BBC article.
I’ve been playing the retail build of Miru Chikara wo Jissen de Kitearu: DS Ganriki Training, the game which, it was announced at E3, will be coming to the US (and subsequently Europe) titled ‘Flash Focus‘.
First off, it’s almost exactly the same as Brain Training in the way that the game is presented to you. Animated characters will tell you all about the importance of keeping your brain healthy, and will explain how each game is improving your brainpower.
The following is a video of CAG’s Cheapy D playing the demo-booth sample version of the game:
As you can see, the game focuses mainly on quick reactions and short-term memory skills.
My personal experience of the game is that it gives you the same satisfaction that you get from lowering your brain-age, but in a much, much more fun package. The game feels like a challenging, frantic video game, where Brain Training can sometimes be a chore (especially if you’re not in the mood).
Expect this one to sell in the gazillions once it hits, they’ve really cracked the ‘improvement game’ formula with this one.
Satoru Iwata has laid down the gauntlet to Sony by stating he thinks the Wii could out-sell the PS2 thanks to its wider audience.
“Sony’s PS2 sales of 100 million units is an extraordinary number that our home game console business has not achieved,” Iwata said.
“But if we can make our bid to expand the gaming population a continued success, we could exceed that,” he told Reuters.
Poke Iwata’s face for the full article.
David Yoon over at Wii Fanboy has got his excited little mitts on MP3: Corruption. He describes the game as “the best Metroid Prime game yet”. Sounds promising!
He heaps praise on to the game, and has rekindled my excitement for the title. Hit the piccy for the full article.
Last week I went into my Local Blockbuster (Chester) to ask if I could buy a new DS Lite (don’t ask, I lost it, it’s a painful memory). Their response? “You’re lucky, we’re just about to send them back because we’re not selling them any more.” These were new consoles, so they didn’t mean they weren’t selling pre-owned DSs any more, but that they were not selling DS full stop.
Although Game and Gamestation obviously have the foothold on the games industry, Blockbuster were slowly creeping up the charts thanks to their generous trade-in prices, so it could be a mild blow to Nintendo’s UK sales.
Of course it could just be the Chester branch not selling them any more. There hasn’t been any word from Blockbuster about withdrawing DS, and surely there’s no sane reason to drop the best-selling console in a good while? Signals of an upgrade to/new iteration of the DS? Who knows…
At last year’s E3, Nintendo pitched a system to us. A classic Nintendo machine, but with motion-sensing technology. We were promised the ability to swing Link’s sword in real-time, light-gun games would be available to every system, we’d fire Samus’ cannon at our TVs. Nintendo were really trying to convince the gaming “hardcore” that they want this system.
What a difference a year makes…
This year, Nintendo mentioned Zelda and Metroid in passing, as mere afterthoughts. Reggie and Miyamoto were clearly levelling their sights on a different audience this time around – WiiFit and Focus Training are now the dishes of the day. The ‘improvement’ games, as Nintendo put it, are apparently the future. I’m not saying that Mario and Link will be completely abandoned, but now Nintendo has a completely different install base and thus a different audience.
A ridiculous number of Wii owners only play Wii Sports. A large amount of DS owners only have the Brain Training games. It’s these people who Nintendo are now going for. “We’ve got you hooked on the novelty of your first console, now it’s time for us to turn you into gamers” seems to be the Ninty mentality.
