Joining the list of 78 classic titles already available for the Virtual Console service, Nintendo announced three new games for its retro-gaming service: Final Fight, Mighty Bomb Jack and Battle Lode Runner.
Based in the same universe as the Street Fighter games, Final Fight is a much loved side-scrolling beat-em up, originally released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Following the exploits of the Mayor of Metro City, as he takes the law into his own hands to rescue his kidnapped daughter, Final Fight features all the elements of a great fighting title, including sinister bosses to devastating special attacks. Final Fight smashes its way onto the Virtual Console for 800 Wii Points.Next up among this week’s retro offerings is 1992 action title Mighty Bomb Jack™, originally available on the Nintendo Entertainment System. When the entire royal family is kidnapped and imprisoned within a pyramid by evil demon Belzebut, it is up to Jack to use his powers and set them free. With sixteen levels full of nasty enemies and perilous traps to overcome, Mighty Bomb Jack will keep even the most seasoned gamer perched on the edge of their seat for hours on end. Mighty Bomb Jack is available to own now for 500 Wii Points.
Rounding off this week’s offering is Turbografx title Battle Lode Runner®. This classic game features both a ‘Puzzle Mode’, where players must collect gold bars while avoiding enemies and a ‘Battle Mode’, which can be played by up to five players. With the addition of a level editor, Battle Lode Runner is available for 600 Wii Points.
How it does what it does still baffles me to this day… movie news site Latinoreview has further cemented its reputation as the most prolific video game movie script-leaking website, this time with the preview of the 22-page Stuart Bealtie treatment for the upcoming Gears of War film.
Their report details the first third of the treatment, which takes place before the events of the Gears of War game. Head to the site to check it out if you’re even remotely interested in the film.
Stuart Bealtie has worked on Collateral, as well as the upcoming The Punisher 2, and two more upcoming video game films: Splinter Cell and Spy Hunter.
Sega has announced Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus, an expansion to PSU that will be available as a download for Xbox 360 and in stores for the PC and PS2. To be available this Fall, the expansion focuses on the Illuminus as they throw the Gurhal System into chaos. Online play will be available for $9.99 a month, or $49.99 for a six month pass.
Dtp/ANACONDA has announced Mata Hari, an adventure game in development at 4Head Studio. The game is being designed by industry veterans Hal Barwood (Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis) and Noah Falstein (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) and is set for release worldwide during Q1 2008.
Europe, at the beginning of the 20th century: The beautiful dancer Mata Hari has collective manhood at her command. The performances of the native Dutch girl as an oriental nude dancer are an overwhelming success in the unbounded luxury and enjoyment of life of the Belle Epoque.
Her daring dancing shows attract influential gentlemen from the realms of industry and politics, amongst these the attractive Swiss Oscar Samsonet. He quickly realizes that this exotic beauty can be ideally used to realize his aims. Lured by her taste for adventure and the prospect of making a fast buck, Mata Hari becomes a spy.
She uncovers highly sensitive military secrets using her finesse, charm and seductive skills. She thereby gets caught between the fronts: The Entente ran a frantic arms race with the Central Powers, World War I is threatening on the horizon.
Hoping to make a mark in the games market, JoWood has decided to develop and publish for the current-generation consoles (PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii). The company plans to publish its most successful brands on new platforms, which includes the SpellForce, Painkiller and Dungeon Lords series.
JoWood had recently purchased Dreamcatcher, marking their presence in the North American market, as well as expanding their library of titles. No specific titles were mentioned, but it was disclosed that the company has already started to negotiate with studios and has scheduled the first releases at the end of 2008, beginning of 2009.
I would just like to point out that I found a Wii in retail today. It might have just been luck, but after 6 months of randomly checking, I actually found one for sale. So I did what any good Nintendo fan would, I bought it for someone else who I knew wanted one.
It’s hard to say what the Wii shortages were based on, but now that Nintendo has finished their fiscal year, they are shouting their success from the rooftops.
-consolidated fiscal year revenues of ¥966.5 billion, a 90% increase
-operating profits of ¥226.0 billion, a 150% increase
-23 million Nintendo DS consoles last year, lifetime sales of 40 million
-5.84 million Wii consoles in less than five months, “nearly” 29 million Wii games
Projections:
-consolidated sales increasing nearly 18% to ¥1.14 trillion
-operating profits growing nearly 20% to ¥270 billion
-22 million Nintendo DS systems and 130 million games
-14 million Wii systems and 55 million games worldwide
14 million Wii’s in a year would definitely be more than they are pumping out now. Whether that solves the problems remains to be seen.
Read (Joystiq)
First up on Xbox Live is the Alien Hominid PDA pack. The pack offers 100 PDA mini-games previously released only with the European version of the original retail Alien Hominid game. The PDA Euro pack can be had for 150 Microsoft points.
Activision has released the long awaited Hero and Villain packs for the Xbox 360 version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Each pack is separately available for 500 points, or 800 points when bought combined.
The PlayStation Network didn’t receive any additional in-game content, but did see the debut of two new demos. Gamers can now download samplings of Ninja Gaiden Sigma, the upcoming PS3-exclusive action combat game, and Virtua Tennis 3. Both are freely downloadable.
In related news, Sony-sponsored blog Three Speech announced that the PSN will receive two new games this summer: Super Stardust HD and Snakeball.
A follow-up to the ’93 and ’95 Amiga shoot-em-ups Stardust and Super Stardust, the PSN game will see players breaking down asteroids and destroying enemies with a spaceship on a fixed background. The PS3 version adds various weapon power-ups as well as planets that players have to defend from attacks. The other game – Snakeball – is a modified version of Snake. Players have to guide a robotic snake to consume colored balls and grow as long as possible. Standard single-player mode is there, along with a Challenge Mode that pits players up against a succession of fortified arenas. The game will support eight-player online multiplayer and more.
Super Stardust HD will hit the PSN this June, with Snakeball following in July.
YouGamers reports that the latest Warhammer Online newsletter carries word that the game has been delayed. Expected later this year, the game is now scheduled for release in the US and Europe during the first quarter of 2008 because of an early decision by EA Mythic to extend the development time. Scoop:
By extending our development time, we’ll be able to do these in-depth reviews several times prior to launch to ensure all areas of WAR benefit from the experience of ongoing development. EA is totally supportive of our decision and are behind us 100%. We all believe WAR will be the next great MMORPG and being part of EA affords us the time we need to make it so. It is EA’s ongoing commitment to quality that will allow us, and other EA studios, to deliver great games, now and in the future.
Satoru Iwata, CEO of Nintendo, said in a recent press conference that he ”would love to see Kutaragi join up with Nintendo”. Since Kutaragi stepped down from his honorary position at SCEI, we have not heard from him other than the hint that he would be working independantly from Sony.
Sony had originally worked with Nintendo in development of the SNES-CD, but Hiroshi Yamauchi had cancelled the project due to Sony having control of all titles written on the SNESCD-ROM format. Since then, there has been a rivalry between the two companies.
But who knows, what if Kutaragi does end up working with Nintendo on their next system? What if the man leads Nintendo to an impending doom and secretly helps Sony to regain their position in the market? Or maybe Kutaragi will join George Foreman to create the next-generation grill series? Only time can tell.
Read (QJ)
Is BioWare working on a MMOG based on the much-loved Star Wars: KOTOR series? That’s what CVG thinks so. The site cites the rumor section of EGM as listing the game to be in development at the hands of the studio’s online team.
Their report also cites the EGM rumor section as saying that the current PC-exclusive Dragon Age is coming to the PS3 and DS.
