Blog5 Games

Kotakuite and gifted artist Jeff C. created this kick ass piece for an Illustrator class at his school. The assignment was to do something that you’ve never done before, and then make art based on the experience. Jeff decided to attend the Wii launch and design a piece based on the both the PS3 and Wii launches in general. My absolute favorite part is the the guys in the sleeping bags getting pelted with eggs. Nice touch. Looks like poor Mario and Luigi got there a bit late though, I hope there’s a system left for them.

Click on the image for a bigger version. Flynn De Marco

Filed under: Culture, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Wii

Over the holiday there is a cute little dachshund staying at my place. He’s pretty old now, but dog-sitting when he was younger caused me to change gaming habits to accommodate. For example, any games with dogs or cats in them (or similar animal sounds e.g. Final Fantasy) would cause him to flip out. The same holds true for a cairn terrier I dog-sit. While playing Zelda: Twilight Princess the dachshund didn’t go all out like the dog in the video above, but he did perk his head up and looked around feverishly to see what was going on. Any humorous animal stories out there? Have a cat that flips out with the Wii pointer on the screen? Do you also have a dog who howls along like he’s wolf Link? After the break see how not to treat your pets — nobody likes to get yelled at, not even Nintendogs.

Continue reading Pets get confused by video games

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Filed under: Nintendo Wii, Puzzle, Video

Gamers have WarioWare on the mind; yesterday’s multiplayer footage is today’s most-watched YouTube game video. But Wario haters, don’t think you’re out of Wario’s woods yet. After a long debate, with lots of wild gesturing, we decided that the most-viewed GameTrailers video — also WarioWare — would take today’s “hottest” crown.

The GameTrailers sequence is worth watching for its exposition about the game. Much of it is obvious to WarioWare: Smooth Moves fans, but a few new kernels of information — like surprise Mii appearances — pop up about the upcoming Wii game, soon to be available outside of Japan. We liked WarioWare’s first GBA outing, but we’ve been wary of the formula since then. Maybe Smooth Moves will draw us back into the series.

See the full video after the break.

Continue reading Today’s hottest game video: WarioWare

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If you haven’t heard of Hotel Dusk yet, it’s a new game coming next month for the DS that incorporates a film noir type storyline and a hand drawn art style. Like Brain Age, Hotel Dusk will have you holding the DS like a book and controlling much of the game with the stylus. From the Nintendo website:

Hotel Dusk is a thinking person’s DS title. With its refreshingly unique design and intriguing gameplay, Hotel Dusk is a must-have for mystery lovers and anyone looking for something different for their DS library.

There’s a pretty interesting looking trailer up on Nintendo’s Japanese website right now although I couldn’t find one on the U.S. site. There’s a user uploaded version that’s been on on Gamespot for a while, but the Nintendo version is larger and better compressed. You may have seen this before, but if you haven’t, definitely check it out. If you don’t like the soundtrack, try turning down the volume and playing “Take On Me”, it totally works… Flynn De Marco

Hotel Dusk Trailer [Nintendo Japan - Thanks, Anthony]

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 [Nintendo U.S]

Whilst following a lead on a Resident Evil Umbrella up for auction on eBay, I actually found something much more interesting. This is a series of four different Airsoft guns based on the weapons used in the Biohazard series or as it’s known here in the states, Resident Evil!

• Biohazard 0 R.E.0 Umbrella Magnum Revolver ($300)
• Biohazard 2 Resident Evil 2 Leon’s Desert Eagle ($650)
• Biohazard 0 Umbrella 8″ Magnum Revolver ($399)
• Biohazard Resident Evil Samurai Edge Standard S.T.A.R.S ($250)

Each gun shoots BB’s and comes with a small supply which is great if you want to shoot someone’s eye out or leave a BB lodged under the skin of one of your mates, but when the real zombie massacre comes, you’ll be screwed. Flynn De Marco

Filed under: Arcade, Culture, Hacks, Nintendo Wii, Business

The vNES, an original Nintendo Entertainment System emulator, now has 575 free-to-use original NES games. One of our main issues with the Wii Virtual Console has been the inability to demo games before you buy. Although the vNES is by no means a perfect emulation, you do get a general idea of the gameplay. The site also encourages users to support Nintendo and buy a Wii.

For those ages 18 and under who probably never owned a NES, you very well may not have played the NES VC games the first time around and the vNES can give a good idea what these games are like. Those of us in a demographic where the VC games are actual nostalgia, by playing the vNES we might just get that feeling out of our system. But for those who still want the game even after the vNES test, they can go ahead and buy it on the Wii’s VC. The vNES also works as a great way to remember titles we wish would make their way to the VC in perfect emulation.

We do not support piracy and using the vNES as a demo solution is hardly ideal, but vNES is a nice trip down memory lane and a good way to see what VC titles you’d like to see in the future.

[Thanks Evan]

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1992: Human Entertainment releases Dragon’s Earth for SNES in Japan. There is a bit of debate on the actual release date of this game, but we are going with today. I know it’s an RPG, but absolutely nothing else other than there seem to be plenty of romz available and that our planet does not actually belong to dragons (yet).

1997: Digicube, a vending machine selling Square Co. games, reported that their units had sold over 10 million games. Their numbers would continue to grow through 1998, when they sell 8.6 million games. But by 2003, they declare bankruptcy. With download distribution taking over, it was inevitable. Mark Wilson

Have gaming history, trivia, or famous birthdays you’d like to see in TDIG? Drop us a line at tdig@kotaku.com

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3

Click to enlarge.

If you happened to spot a PlayStation 3 (or seven PlayStation 3s) at your local Big Box store this past week but had your hand-slapped when you tried to buy one, then pay special attention to tomorrow’s Best Buy circular. Looks like our internal (and poorly spelt) memo was dead on; each store has a minimum of 25 60GB PS3 units, with some stores having as many as 60! In order to keep the violence to a minimum, stores are going to be handing out tickets “one hour prior to store opening on Sunday, December 31.” According to their holiday store hours, Best Buys will be open tomorrow morning at 10am, meaning interested gamers (or tardy eBay profiteers) will need to be there by 9am to collect their ticket … though we’d suggest getting there a couple hours early.

[Thanks, anon!]

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Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii, Online

Since the Wii’s launch Miiplaza.net has stepped up to disseminate ideas on Mii creation. The site also has an extensive friends list, so once you’ve created Miis you’ll have someone to share them with — after completing the standard ridiculous steps to get a friend. The site continues to grow and update as more people discover it as a one-stop-shop for all things Mii. It would be nice to tab between Miiplaza using the Opera browser and the Mii creation screen, but that’s a conversation for another day. Miiplaza is great and we look forward to its evolution and growth as more things Mii-friendly become available on the Wii.

See also: Web sites step up to connect Wii owners

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Over the last year, The Angry Nintendo Nerd has made us laugh, made us cry and probably offended even the most foul mouthed backwater sailor. Love him or hate him, you have to admire his ability to come out with a seemingly endless stream of expletives without missing a beat.

Here we have a compilation The Nerd’s 20 Best Moments of 2006. Try making a drinking game out of it as you watch! Every time he curses, take a drink. I promise you that by about one minute thirty five, you’ll be shit faced. Flynn De Marco

!!NSFW!!

The Angry Nintendo Nerd [Screw Attack]

Filed under: Culture, Business

The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics found that Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman took $73,000 from a “variety of industry sources” over the past two years.

Is $73K a pitiful amount in Lieberman’s multi-million dollar warchest? It sure is. One contribution was from Linda McMahon, CEO of Stamford, Conn. based WWE Entertainment, who gave $2000 saying, “I make contributions to a variety of candidates whom I respect.”

For the most part, the story from the Hartford Courant doesn’t really go anywhere. The headline in the Courant says, “Lieberman defends video-game money,” but the article has nothing to do with video game money. It was a very deceptive headline, one out of irony we were glad to employ. The article doesn’t give any examples beyond WWE — which most would argue isn’t really a video game company — of video game related companies that contributed to Lieberman’s campaign. The article just paints Lieberman as a career politician taking money in a continual quest for more power from wherever he can get it .

See also:

• Clinton and Lieberman make nice with ESRB … why?
• U.S. government to fund studies on video game’s effects
• Did video games lose it for Lieberman?

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Filed under: Hacks, Microsoft Xbox 360, First Person Shooters

Our lovably biased cousins at Xbox 360 Fanboy tried the XFPS keyboard-and-mouse adapter in a few Xbox 360 games. The verdict: the $80 device works well as a PS2 gamepad adapter, but its keyboard-and-mouse input played worse than a standard Xbox controller. The review reminds us that Xbox games were designed for the Xbox controller — simple enough, but something we began to forget while hoping for a PC-like experience — so a game like Gears of War just doesn’t map properly.

For other games, like Halo 2, apparently the adapter is glitchy; key presses lag, and the mouse control isn’t as good as a PC. Games that offer many analog sensitivity options work best, but the XFPS is far from a universal solution.

At least we’ll always be able to use the XFPS as an excuse. Even with this mediocre review, we can claim that opponents with mouse control are the cause of our frequent Xbox Live losses.

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Along with the news that the next Dragon Quest title will be made for the DS, comes the news that the franchise’s first next-gen title, DRAGON QUEST SWORDS: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors, will be developed for the Wii.

Executive Producer, Yuu Miyake, feels the Wii is a perfect partner for Dragon Quest:

We believe (Dragon Quest’s) appeal lies in simplicity that anyone can enjoy, and the excitement of becoming a hero in an epic adventure. With the Nintendo Wii, we believe that these aspects of the DRAGON QUEST experience can be taken to a whole new level of fun and interaction

DRAGON QUEST SWORDS: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors has no set release date as of yet, but thanks to the folks over at WorthPlaying, we have a bunch of new screens from the upcoming opus.

Check out all 20 here:
‘Dragon Quest Swords’ (Wii) - 20 New Screens

Flynn De Marco

Filed under: Arcade, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online, Simulations, Sports

If you’re the first Joystiq reader to find the code we’ve hid in a Joystiq post, you’ll earn yourself a free copy of Bankshot Billiards 2 (a $15 Xbox Live Arcade title). The code’s been embedded in a post tagged “XBLA” (joystiq.com/tag/xbla). Let the scavenger hunt begin! Good luck!

Update 1: The contest has been won. The code was contained in this post. Congrats to the winner!]

[Image credit: Flickr user TheCapt’n]

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It was a holiday week packed with Kotaku Originals. We got a sit down with Big Boi, celebrated Christmas, and took a look at how the PS3’s auction prices plummeted.

• Feature: The Decline of the PS3 Grey Market
• Motorstorm: I’m in Love
• Feature: How to Get Your 5-Year-old to Shred
• Feature: Made Man Q&A
• Ten Games Every PSP Gamer Should Play
• Feature: Big Boi on Games and Slapping the Shit Out of People
• Get Any Gaming Goodies for the Holidays?
• Arcade Flyer Art Saturday: Shark Attack
• Free Gran Turismo Knocks PS3 Network on its Ass
• This Day in Gaming

Filed under: Culture, Online, Polls

Welcome to the (adjective) edition of the Weekly Webcomic (noun) . We’ve got 11 (adjective) gaming comics for you to (verb) . O, (exclamation) !

While we (verb) our (noun) , check out our (noun) for the (adverb) (adjective) webcomics of the week. Be sure to (verb) for your (noun) !

(Be sure to check out Bears of War, too.)

Update: On the results page, Digital Unrest and Dueling Analogs magically switch places (if by magic I mean that I screwed up). Vote for the comic you like on this page and I’ll make the appropriate swap when the results are all tallied. Sorry, guys!

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Filed under: Arcade, Sony PlayStation 3, Retro, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Fighting, Online, RPGs, Competitive Gaming

Joystiq reader “epobirs” disagreed with our comment earlier today that Xbox Live Arcade title Gauntlet is broken. We’d like to dig into the issue a little more, because we feel that developers are missing a major opportunity to resurrect the true arcade experience.

Games like Gauntlet were designed for an era in which expensive game cabinets were purchased by small businessmen who hoped that the large up-front purchase would be paid for (and them some) by teens plunking quarter after quarter into the machines in order to keep playing. Game designers therefore had to make sure (1) that the average player would die frequently; (2) that the game was fun enough to convince the average player to drop another quarter in the slot.

Gauntlet, released in 1985 (at the height of the arcade craze) was a masterpiece of the form. It greedily gobbled quarters from addicted gamers who were enthralled by the game’s tight design. What made the game so fun was the fact that your money was always at stake. A mistake meant that you had to reach into your pocket and insert more money. There was a constant tension between performance and pocketbook, and this tension made the game.

Every non coin-operated release of Gauntlet since then has missed the point. The Xbox Live Arcade version, for instance, allows players to hit a button on the Xbox 360 controller in order to simulate putting a quarter in the machine. Of course, a button press costs nothing, and so the essential tension is lost. The game loses a fundamental game play mechanism by replacing quarter insertion with button pressing.

What we’d love to see is a release of Gauntlet for Xbox Live Arcade (or for a competing service) that’s free (or very cheap) to “purchase” but that costs $.25 per health increase (equivalent to 20 MS Points). The developer that brings back this core game play mechanism will claim the title of “most authentic arcade experience.”

We’re certain that are some great arcade titles slated for release in 2007. They’d be better if they stayed true to the arcade experience.

Continue reading Quarter gobblers are broken on XBLA [update 2]

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Filed under: Culture, PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, First Person Shooters

First Crytek said that their first upcoming graphical overload game Crysis couldn’t be ported to the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3. Then they switched gears and said, “Oops … looks like we were wrong.” Now we have some evidence that confirms it’ll be coming to the 360 sooner than you think.

Granted, the proof is translated from todoxbox360.com, but if the Google translator is to be believed, then it looks like Crysis will be hitting Microsoft’s bad boy at some point. The article doesn’t say when, but it’s tantalizing enough to make us drool. Crysis is visually amazing, and 360 owners would be happy to see it on their screens. Hopefully we’ll have official word from Electronic Arts soon, although they’re probably getting ready to ring in the New Year with millions of microtransactions.

[Thanks, MECHAN1ZED and Janx]

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Don’t forget to enter our Lost Planet contest for your chance to win one of ten copies of the Xbox 360 game.

You have until January 5 to construct something game-related out of ice, snow or sand, snap a pic and send it in. Hit the link for the details.

Contest: Use Ice, Snow, Sand, Win Lost Planet [Kotaku]

Xbox Live’s Major Nelson posted some interesting year-end numbers, including this ranking of 2006’s top Xbox Live Arcade titles ranked in order of sales:

1 UNO
2 Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting
3 Geometry Wars Evolved
4 Marble Blast Ultra
5 PAC-MAN
6 DOOM
7 Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
8 GALAGA
9 Gauntlet
10 Frogger
11 Bankshot Billiards 2
12 SmashTV
13 Contra
14 Zuma
15 Texas Hold ‘em
16 Bejeweled 2
17 Feeding Frenzy
18 Small Arms
19 Cloning Clyde
20 LUMINES LIVE!

A few comments:

1. Who the heck is purchasing Gauntlet? That game is broken! (Hitting “Y” on the controller is the same as inserting a quarter into the original arcade game, but it can be hit an unlimited number of times, making it equivalent to an “invincibility” button.) Gauntlet’s place on this list demonstrates the power of nostalgia over gameplay when it comes to arcade titles. We suspect that Nintendo’s virtual console is benefiting from the same misguided gamer nostalgia. Some old games just don’t hold up.

2. Most (all?) annual Xbox Live Gold subscriptions sold in the retail box (the one with the cheapo headset) included a free game code to redeem Bankshot Billiards 2, making that $15 game’s rank on this list suspect.

3. Feeding Frenzy would be higher on this list if there were a reason to pay for it. It feels like the demo mode lasts forever. It’s quite satisfying to play without ever purchasing it.

4. Street Fighter II would have been number one on this list if a solid arcade joystiq had been released simultaneously with the game. First- and third-party peripheral manufacturers really blew an opportunity there.

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