Video Celebrates Pokemon Fandom
September 9, 2010 by Laura
Filed under Nintendo DS, Video Games
For more than a decade, the Pokémon video game series has had of fans of all ages across the globe. Nintendo is celebrating the continued enthusiasm for Pokémon that lives on, with games like Pokémon HeartGold and Pokémon SoulSilver Versions for the Nintendo DS family of systems helping people discover the unique brand of social enjoyment that Pokémon delivers. In the video below, meet face-to-face with participants at The Pokémon Company’s 2010 World Championships and find out what makes this franchise a favorite for kids, teens and adults all over the world. For more information about these great games, visit www.pokemongoldsilver.com.
Nintendo Lowers DSi, DSi XL Prices
August 30, 2010 by Doug
Filed under Nintendo DS, Video Games
Nintendo this morning announced a surprise price cut to its gaming handhelds. Starting September 12, the DSi will drop $20 to $150 while the DSi XL will now cost $170. Pricing for the DS Lite will stay at the same $130.
The cut is partly to move the DSi line before it sets a 3DS ship date on September 29 but has also come about a month after Nintendo revealed that DS sales had plunged in the past year. The drop has been mostly credited to the iPhone and iPod touch.
Atari’s Greatest Hits: Volume 1 Featuring Single Cartridge Multiplayer Mode
August 25, 2010 by Doug
Filed under Nintendo DS, Video Games
Let the Retro Gaming begin. 50 of the biggest games from Atari’s legendary vault will be compiled into a Nintendo DS title of the holiday season. Atari’s Greatest Hits: Volume 1 brings together dozens of the most popular Atari arcade and Atari 2600 titles of all-time, including such blockbusters as Asteroids, Pong, Centipede, Missile Command, Tempest, Lunar Lander, Space Duel, Battlezone and Adventure. This true treasure trove of timeless gaming classics will hit retail stores in North America this Fall.
Each spotlighted game will feature the same pick-up and play control scheme as their original arcade and 2600 form, with modern updates to align with the Nintendo DS platform. Single card multi-player will be available for 20 titles including Space Duel and Pong with multi-card play available for head-to-head games.
Additionally, Atari’s Greatest Hits: Volume 1 will feature the original game manuals for each title, an Atari memorabilia showcase, and special bonus extras — including an Atari Trivia game where gamers can race against the clock to answer questions about Atari history and then post their scores to Atari.com.
“The 50 games featured in Atari’s Greatest Hits: Volume 1 have defined a generation of casual gamers” said Jim Wilson, President of Atari, Inc. “By adding a new single cartridge multiplayer mode to such games as Pong, Space Duel and Outlaw, we continue to find new ways to expand our brands to a new generation of gamers.”
Atari’s Greatest Hits: Volume 1 Line-Up
Atari Arcade Hits
Asteroids, Battlezone, Centipede, Gravitar, Lunar Lander, Missile Command, Pong, Space Duel, Tempest.
Atari 2600 Favorites
3D Tic-Tac-Toe, Adventure, Air-Sea Battle, Asteroids, Atari Video Cube, Basketball, Battlezone, Bowling, Centipede, Championship Soccer, Dodge ‘Em, Flag Capture, Football, Fun with Numbers, Gravitar, Hangman, Haunted House, Home Run, Human Cannonball, Math Gran Prix, Miniature Golf, Missile Command, Outlaw, Realsports Baseball, Realsports Boxing, Realsports Football, Realsports Tennis, Realsports Volleyball, Sky Diver, Slot Maching, Slot Racers, Sprintmasters, Starship, Stella Track, Submarine Commander, Surround, Swordquest Earthworld, Swordquest Fireworld, Swordquest Waterworld, Tempest and Video Checkers.
Rating and Price
Atari’s Greatest Hits: Vol. 1 is Rated “E” for Everyone and will be available exclusively on Nintendo DS for a suggested retail price of $29.99.
Dragon Quest IX is a UK School Holidays Hit
August 25, 2010 by Doug
Filed under Nintendo DS, Video Games
Dragon Quest, the gaming sensation that became a phenomenon in Japan, has been the summer holidays hit for school children in the UK.
The Nintendo DS role playing game was launched at the start of the school holidays with a major fanfare at London’s Westfield shopping centre featuring Britain’s Got Talent winners Diversity.
Since then it has sold more than 50,000 copies with some retailers selling out.
Gaming experts are attributing the success of the game to its involving story.
Dragon Quest IX: ‘Sentinels of the Starry Skies’ allows players to put themselves in the role of the game’s hero or heroine - a guardian angel fallen to Earth who must embark on an epic adventure in the mortal world, protecting mortals, battling foes and ultimately completing a Quest which will return them to the Kingdom of Angels.
James Honeywell from Nintendo UK said: “We’ve seen a lot of research which suggests keeping children entertained on long car journeys or on rainy days is a real challenge for parents. Dragon Quest IX is a real epic game that provides more than enough entertainment for the long summer holidays.
“And we’re sure the game will be the talk of the playgrounds when the first wave of players return to school having mastered Dragon Quest IX,” he said.
About the Dragon Quest phenomenon
Queues a mile long formed for the launch of Dragon Quest IX in Tokyo with sales of 2.4 million in the first weekend - a world record launch in a single country.
Such is the impact of Dragon Quest in its native Japan, the latest launch was even held on a Saturday morning, when games previously always launched on a Wednesday, in order to stop mass truancy by children and adults missing work in the race to get their hands on this immersive role-playing game.
In one district of Tokyo the local authorities have roped off special zones for Dragon Quest players so they don’t wander off the pavements or collide with other pedestrians while immersed in the handheld game on their Nintendo DS.
The nine games in the Dragon Quest series have sold a total of 53 million games in Japan alone, beaten only by gaming icons Mario and Pokemon for sales. And in Tokyo there is even a restaurant devoted to Dragon Quest where diners eat off screens showing the game. The first eight games were aimed almost exclusively at a domestic audience, but with Dragon Quest IX it has been aimed at a more global audience.
Plants vs. Zombies Coming to the DS
August 23, 2010 by Laura
Filed under Nintendo DS, Video Games
PopCap Games has announced plans to release its mega-seller Plants vs. Zombies for the Nintendo DS, expected to arrive on North American store shelves in January 2011. GameStop is now taking pre-orders for the game, which will carry an SRP of US$19.95. Since its debut in 2009, Plants vs. Zombies has sold millions of units worldwide. Additionally, on the iPhone and iPod touch, the game generated over $1 million in revenue the first nine days it was available via iTunes, and remains near the top of both the iPhone and iPad sales charts. The XBLA adaptation is set for release next month.
The DS adaptation will feature all of the gameplay featured in the original version, including Adventure, Survival and Puzzle modes, and mini-games, as well as new and exclusive game content.
More Songs and Artists Revealed for Rock Band 3 at Gamescom
August 17, 2010 by Doug
Filed under Nintendo DS, PS3, Video Games, Wii, XBOX 360
MTV Games, Harmonix Music, and distribution partner Electronic Arts today confirmed a standout selection of international acts to be featured on the 83 song on-disc soundtrack for the highly anticipated Rock Band 3 music video game, including INXS, Bob Marley, Slipknot, Rammstein, Tokio Hotel, HIM, Poni Hoax and more. Rock Band 3 will be released Oct. 29 in Europe for the Xbox 360 (MSRP euro 59.99/49.99 pounds Sterling), PlayStation 3 (MSRP euro 59.99/49.99 pounds), Nintendo Wii (MSRP euro 49.99/39.99 pounds) and Nintendo DS (MSRP euro 29.99/24.99 pounds).
“We believe music transcends boundaries, and intend to prove it with a committed effort to release more music from around the world on the Rock Band platform,” said Paul DeGooyer, senior vice president of music and electronic games for MTV Games. “Fans will have access to our incredible line-up of music via simultaneous global releases, and we think everyone will find each song tremendously fun to play, no matter what language they speak.”
MTV Games and Harmonix invite Gamescom 2010 attendees to get some hands-on time with Rock Band 3, located at the Electronic Arts (EA) show floor area located in Hall 6.1.
Rock Band 3 On-Disc Tracks Announced Today
- Bob Marley & The Wailers, “Get Up, Stand Up” (Jamaica)
- INXS, “Need You Tonight” (Australia)
- Poni Hoax, “Antibodies” (France)
- Rammstein, “Du Hast” in German (Germany)
- Roxette, “The Look” (Sweden)
- Tokio Hotel, “Humanoid” (Germany)
- HIM, “Killing Loneliness” (Finland)
- Mana, “Oye Mi Amor” in Spanish (Mexico)
- Slipknot, “Before I Forget” (United States)
- War, “Low Rider” (United States)
Kung Zhu Hitting the DS this Fall
August 6, 2010 by Doug
Filed under Nintendo DS, Video Games
Activision and GameMill Publishing, in association with Cepia, announced today that Kung Zhu is coming to Nintendo DS this fall. Based on the smash hit toys, Kung Zhu lets players choose adorable hamsters, train them into ultimate warrior fighting machines, and take them to battle!
An exclusive, rough-and-tumble Kung Zhu hamster, named Tull, will come packaged as a Collector’s Edition with the initial release of Kung Zhu for Nintendo DS. Tull sports a never seen before color scheme and will be available for $34.99 MSRP.
“Kung Zhu is packed with pets that are cute but become ultra-cool and tough, so it’s a lot of fun seeing that transformation in a videogame,” said David Oxford at Activision. Gary Miller, President, GameMill Publishing, stated, “We are thrilled to be able to bring Cepia’s hottest new line of toys to videogames in light-hearted, family friendly battle style.”
Kung Zhu takes players on a high-action journey with the action-packed hamsters of the Special Forces and Ninja Warriors tribes. Play along with the fierce Special Forces hamsters: Stonewall, Sergeant Serge, Rock’O and Rivet, or with the stealth Ninja Warriors hamsters: Yama, Azer, Drayko and Thorn. Fans might even run into a few surprise soldiers from different tribes along the way! Developed specifically for Nintendo DS, Kung Zhu gives players the ability to outfit their pets with battle gear and unleash them to rumble in 35 levels with authentic sounds and motions.
“Kung Zhu is on a trajectory to achieve the same level of incredible acclaim and success as the original ZhuZhu Pets,” said Natalie Hornsby, Vice President of Marketing, Cepia, LLC. “We’re seeing this new property create new fans, and this videogame just adds fuel to the fire through its employment of the brand’s core elements.”
Kung Zhu can currently be seen on the Zhu-niverse Tour, stopping in cities all over the country. Tour attendees will be among the first to get their hands on Kung Zhu for Nintendo DS. Please visit www.thezhuniversetour.com for more information.
Kung Zhu is available this Fall on Nintendo DS. This game is not yet rated by the ESRB.
EA’s Bright Light Studio to Launch November 2010
The Play Label of Electronic Arts today announced Create, a must-have video game this holiday for the whole family that is powered by imagination and rewards players for being creative. Available this Novembe for the Wii, PlayStation 3 featuring PlayStation Move compatibility, Xbox 360, PC, and Mac. Create presents imaginative gameplay challenges where the solutions are fuelled by the creativity of the player.
“Create uses families’ imaginations to develop new ways to play together that are both fun and challenging,” said Harvey Elliott, VP and General Manager at EA Bright Light. “We wanted to design a game where the entire family can explore, decorate, and solve challenges where no solution is wrong and the only limit is the imagination.”
The more players explore the game, solve level-based challenges, and customize their world, the more rewards will be unlocked. Creativity will be unleashed as players design environments with easy-to-use brushes and tools, including textures, props and animating objects that bring the scene to life. On the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, and MAC players can share any of their creations, solutions or challenges with the community through the console and also via the official Create website at http://www.create.ea.com/. Friends can download and remix solutions and set challenges for other players to download and complete. Imaginations will run wild this holiday!
Create for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PC is developed by EA Bright Light and has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.
iCarly Sequel Coming This Fall for Wii & DS
August 1, 2010 by Laura
Filed under Nintendo DS, Video Games, Wii
Activision and Nickelodeon have announced the second entry in the videogame series inspired by the television show iCarly. Coming to Wii and the Nintendo DS family of hand-held systems internationally this Fall, iCarly 2: iJoin The Click! puts the player in the role of the new kid at Ridgeway High, where they will socialize with all the characters from the show and meet up to make new iCarly webisodes.
In iCarly 2: iJoin The Click!, the adventure starts with the player as a newbie student at Ridgeway who begins to hang out with Carly, Sam and Freddie at locations from the show, such as Groovie Smoothie, the Pacific Place Mall, and even Carly’s apartment. While exploring the locations and interacting with the cast, players get to compete in a series of fun challenges and mini-games to help out the gang. Carly wants her webisodes to become an even bigger sensation, so they need the player’s help in LIVE in 5! Mode by choosing props for the set, adjusting the crew, and making sure the show goes off without a hitch. For those with a Nintendo DSi, the game takes advantage of the system’s built-in camera to let the player take shots and import images to customize her look and wardrobe in true iCarly style.
iCarly 2: iJoin The Click! is available internationally this Fall on Wii and Nintendo DS. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information visit www.activision.com.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Coming to Nintendo DS
July 30, 2010 by Laura
Filed under Nintendo DS, Video Games
Activision revealed new details today about Call of Duty: Black Ops’ release on November 9th with the confirmation of an all-new companion game for the Nintendo DS family of hand-held systems, developed exclusively for the platform by n-Space. Call of Duty: Black Ops for the Nintendo DS will put gamers in the boots of CIA-backed operatives that are dropped into the shadowy world of deniable operations with an expansive arsenal of weapons at their disposal.
“Call of Duty: Black Ops for the Nintendo DS is going to take the handheld Call of Duty experience to a new level,” said Dan O’Leary, n-Space Studio Head. “From taking the controls of an attack helicopter to flying an experimental stealth fighter jet, players will have a wealth of new features to utilize.”
Call of Duty: Black Ops for the Nintendo DS will feature six-player online multiplayer mode with a new Perks System, as well as a unique two-player Co-Op mode and Arcade and Challenge Modes that allow gamers to replay the single-player missions to earn extra points to unlock additional achievements.
Call of Duty: Black Ops for Nintendo DS is rated “T for Teen” by the ESRB. For more information, visit www.callofduty.com/blackops and also via Twitter @JD_2020.