With the release of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian comes a Disney innovation that we’ve been curious about: the DGamer service. While we’ll reserve our own opinions until we get to try it out (read: soon), it’s pretty evident that such a feature is aimed at the younger crowd.
If you get Prince Caspian, you can connect to the community on your DS (via Wi-Fi). First, though, you’ll have to register for an account at the DGamer website. One feature of the DGamer community is the ability to make an avatar, although (to reiterate) you probably won’t enjoy the options unless you’re a tween-aged girl or boy. You can also chat with friends, check out leaderboards, and earn achievements “honors” from DGamer compatible games. These honors can then convey to your avatar — for example, you can unlock costumes in Prince Caspian that your avatar can then wear.
If you ask us, though, the parental controls are a little silly. They use an honor system of sorts, which asks you to type in your parent’s email address, but I just typed in my own — what’s to stop a young’in from doing the same? Besides, just think of all the crazy DGamer shenanigans I’ll get into now.
The first Beyond Good & Evil was hailed by critics but largely ignored by the gaming populace when it was released several years ago. Was it the female direct? Was it the graphical style? Was it the lack of hard-headed space marines wielding impossibly large weapons? Who knows — but it didn’t fare too well on shelves. Not one to be discouraged, Michel Ancel, the man behind the original game, has been working on a sequel for over a year. Aside from the year of preproduction, Ancel says his team is “currently doing market research. But for the moment, it’s in the early stages, and Ubisoft still hasn’t agreed to it.”
The gameplay, Ancel describes, will be similar to the original. A large assortment of levels and “emotional” gameplay — characters we truly care about. No platforms or release date are mentioned, but with Ubidays coming right up, perhaps there will be an official announcement regarding the game at that time.
Sure he and his team may have missed the playoffs yet again and are likely fantasizing about what might have been while swinging at balls from the back nine, but that hasn’t stopped Columbus Blue Jackets’ young-yet-impressive captain Rick Nash from scoring cover duty on Take Two’s fall release of NHL 2K9. Also worthy of note from 2K is that developer Visual Concepts has “taken over” development duties for this latest game in the franchise — as opposed we assume to working in tandem with fellow studio Kush Games — and that the devs are rebuilding the title “from the ground up.”
Not to take anything away from three-time All Star Nash, but it’s still an odd choice, at least by team standings, given the Blue Jackets’ once again abysmal campaign during the 2007-08 regular season that saw the fledgling team arrange near the bottom of both the Western Conference and overall league in points. However, perhaps those who make these kinds of decisions are hoping this is the sort of voodoo that will turn Ohio’s NHL franchise around — sort of like a reverse Madden curse.
After yesterday’s news of Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 heading to the DS, most bloggers and gamers alike speculated that it was a localization of Naruto RPG 2: Chidori vs. Rasengan. Thanks to Siliconera’s astute readers, though, this was soon cleared up.
As it turns out, the game is actually the English version of Naruto RPG 3: Reijuu vs. Konoha Shoutai. Siliconera’s commenters noticed that the screens were actually from the third Japanese RPG in the series, and then Spencer Yip confirmed the facts with a representative from Tomy.
Are any of you Naruto fans upset by Tomy and D3’s decision to skip over the second game? If so, vent your frustrations in the comments — that’s what they’re here for.
NPD figures for April have finally come in and this time, it’s a close call between Xbox 360 and PS3. According to the NPD, PS3 sold 187,071 hardware units last month, which represents a year-over-year sales growth of 127%. More importantly, software sales have gone up 410% from last year, with over 2 million software units sold in April. A large portion of that figure comes from Grand Theft Auto IV, which sold over one million copies on PS3 in North America. The PS3 version had a higher attach ratio, although the Xbox 360 version still outsold the PS3 version almost 2:1. Predictions that PlayStation loyalty from the PS2 era would help PS3 sales were incorrect.
While Sony’s home console didn’t win any sales contests this month, it has gained a tremendous amount of momentum, especially when one remembers the console at the same time last year. The newly released rumble-ready DualShock 3 controller also sold incredibly well, with sales exceeding $10.9 million in April. By our calculations, that means over 200,000 controllers were sold in April alone. Not bad, huh?
Jack Tretton, president and CEO of SCEA, responded to this month’s numbers: “Clearly, the tremendous legacy of Grand Theft Auto on PlayStation, combined with the blockbuster launch of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue packed a one-two punch with consumers at retail this month. The proof is in the numbers and, in April, PlayStation 3 hardware sales experienced a 127% increase over April of last year. PS3 momentum is fueled by enthusiasm for Blu-ray as the definitive high def standard and the growing number of consumers gearing up for some of the most anticipated titles of the year, exclusively for PS3, including the June release of Metal Gear Solid 4, and other great exclusives in the second half on the year, such as Resistance 2, SOCOM: Confrontation and LittleBigPlanet to name a few. With exciting PlayStation Network innovations and our strongest console-driving titles of the year still on the horizon, PS3 remains on pace for a breakthrough year.”
In a bid to capture itself some of the lucrative Guitar Hero/Rock Band pie, Konami has announced Guitar FreaksRock Revolution for the Nintendo DS and numerous home consoles. The game, currently in development at UK-based studio Zoë Mode, was revealed at the opening of Konami’s 2008 Gamers Day, and is expected to hit stores this October.
Understandably, the DS version differs somewhat from the home console editions, relying solely on stylus-based play for each instrument, and with vocals being handled by the handheld’s built-in microphone. It also lacks the online play and track creation mode that appears in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, but does support local multiplayer battles and cooperative play, much like Guitar Hero: On Tour.
We’ve heard nothing about the track listing yet, though a Gamers Day demonstration of the (PS3) title reportedly included covers of (note: Rock Revolution won’t contain any master tracks) of “Blitzkrieg Bop” by the Ramones, “Chop Suey” by System of a Down, “Run to the Hills” by Iron Maiden, “Cum On Feel the Noize” by Quiet Riot, and Wolfmother’s “Joker and the Thief.”
Sometimes a feature is cooler than a game itself. That’s exactly what’s happening with a new update to Mainichi Issho, a free downloadable title for the Japanese PSN. The informal edutainment title has a new feature which Sony is proud to tout as the first of its kind. The game will allow you to record in-game footage and upload it directly to YouTube. We haven’t heard of any other game ever including this functionality, but it does have us intrigued.
It would be great to see this feature incorporated into other titles. For example, wouldn’t it be great if the SingStar community videos could go on YouTube? (Although this is unlikely due to copyright concerns.) Or, imagine being able to share some of your awesome sniping skills in Resistance 2 online? It would be awesome if our best Gran Turismo laps could be showcased to the world. There are a lot of possibilities with such a feature, and we can only hope that more titles will take advantage in the future.
A whole slew of screens from New International Track & Field have come from a recent Konami press event and we’re digging the game with each new screen. It looks like it should bid up some solid action for those of you with a taste for competition. We even get to check out some new characters in the game who aren’t from otherKonamigames.
In our gallery below, you’ll find some new images showing off the swimming relay event, as well as the discuss toss. Oh, and there’s a healthy bit of running sprites in there, for good measure.
Ever since Phil Harrison shocked the games industry by leaving Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) for Atari, there has been a crucial void in Sony’s management. In the interim months, Kazuo Hirai was the acting President of the Worldwide Studios, but effective today, there will be replacement.
Shuhei Yoshida has become the new president of the SCE Worldwide Studios. He began his career with SCEI in April 1996 as one of initial members in establishing the PlayStation business. Since then, he moved on to Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), where he ultimately became Senior VP of the US Studios.
In a press release from Tokyo, Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO of SCEI commented about the new position. “SCE WWS has been developing global hit titles, sharing resources and know-how within SCE Group since its foundation, and we will reinforce our software business by further enhancing coordination among the studios under a new leader. Under the leadership of Yoshida, who has proven track record in managing creative talent, SCE WWS will accelerate the software development for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 and PSP(R) (PlayStation(R) Portable) platforms and vigorously expand the gaming market.”
The PS3 and PSP are both trailing behind competing home and portable platforms. It will take refocused leadership on Sony’s part if it wants to reclaim its former glory in the games industry. We wish Yoshida the best of luck in his new role at Sony.
In the latest XBLA in concise, we check out Assault Heroes 2, the sequel to one of Xbox Live Arcade’s best action titles. The sequel takes the foundations of the first game and adds new weapons and vehicles into the mix. The on-foot gameplay has been dramatically improved as well. Check out the video and find out whether or not Assault Heroes 2 belongs in your XBLA library.
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With the release of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian comes a Disney innovation that we’ve been curious about: the DGamer service. While we’ll reserve our own opinions until we get to try it out (read: soon), it’s pretty evident that such a feature is aimed at the younger crowd.
Ever since Phil Harrison shocked the games industry by