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Atlus Dishes Shiren The Wanderer

2009-11-20T02:00:00Z

Today Atlus released some new content for the upcoming Wii RPG Shiren The Wanderer. At the top of this article, you'll see the final North American box art, and below, the first batch of English screenshots. There's also a blog that they've started that will offer up a look into the game, its storyline and whatnot. Unfortunately, Atlus has also confessed that three online features from the Japanese version of the game will not be making it Stateside.

"Despite our best efforts, the North American version of Shiren will not include the Rescue, Versus, or Item Transfer online features," stated Aram Jabbari, Manager of PR and Sales at Atlus. "However, the downloadable dungeon content from the Japanese version will be included on the disc. Without these subfeatures, Shiren is still a fantastic RPG, one we hope all gamers can experience and enjoy. Still, we understand that the absence of these features may influence some fans' decision to purchase the game, which is why we are bringing this to their attention as soon as possible."

If you're looking forward to playing as the wandering samurai Shiren and exploring a vision of historic Japan as you unravel the story of a mysterious sleeping princess and an ancient evil, you'll only have to wait until Shiren The Wanderer hits stores on February 9, 2010. (And on the plus side, Atlus has also added an "easy mode" so everyone can enjoy their RPG goodness, not just the hardcore Atlus Faithful!)

Brad Pitt To Star In Dark Void?

2009-11-20T00:30:00Z

Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B Entertainment, has struck a deal with Capcom for the film rights for Dark Void, the new action adventure game heading for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on January 22, 2010. The storyline centers on Will, a pilot who crash lands in the Bermuda Triangle following a routine mission. He awakens in "The Void," an alternate world resembling a primitive Earth where aliens with superior technology are plotting to take over civilization. Together with other humans who have fallen into the Void, Will takes on the alien overlords using their own technology against them including an awesome jet pack.

"As a game, Dark Void was developed with a wide-screen mentality - a world full of adventure presented in cinematic scope and scale," said Germaine Gioia, senior vice president, licensing, Capcom Entertainment. "Plan B recognized the potential of our newest property and are as excited about bringing Dark Void to life in cinemas as Capcom is to bring the interactive experience to home theaters."

The movie is currently being developed as a sci-fi action franchise that could potentially star Brad Pitt himself. I don't know. He's still hot (minus that hideous beard he's growing, I pray for a role), but I wonder if he's getting a little long in the tooth for the action hero role. I mean, I chose an older picture of him to go with the article for obvious reasons — have you seen him lately? Of course, I can't think of anybody better right now...

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Is HUGE!

2009-11-19T02:00:00Z

Recently, I had to resist the urge to simply turn around and walk out of GameStop empty handed because the salesgirl (under orders, I know, but still) kept trying to push me to pre-order a copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. I told her I didn't like war games. She insisted that it was going to be huge and everybody else was going to be playing it. I am not a lemming. I also don't like war games, as I mentioned. It was when she started talking about pre-order bonuses that I simply tuned her out. Well, it turns out she wasn't half wrong. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has done some rather impressive business in its first week. It racked up a record $550 million in sales in just five days.

To put that in some perspective, the largest five-day worldwide opening box office gross is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which raked in $394 million. The largest five-day domestic box office gross is The Dark Knight's $203.8 million. The previous videogame record holder before this was Grand Theft Auto IV, which earned $500 million selling 6 million units.

"In just five days of sell through Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has become the largest entertainment launch in history and a pop culture phenomenon," said Robert Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard, Inc. "The title's success redefines entertainment as millions of consumers have chosen to play Modern Warfare 2 at unprecedented levels rather than engage in other forms of media."

Oh, and on Xbox LIVE, Microsoft is reporting that more than 5.2 million hours of multiplayer were logged on the first day alone, and more than 2.2 million unique gamers played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in one day on November 10, which is a record for Xbox LIVE. And more than 11 million Achievements were unlocked by overachievers in the very first day.

I've gotta say, those are some pretty spectacular numbers, and for a game that I wouldn't have thought to be as widely popular as Grand Theft Auto, given its slightly more specific genre. As I said, I did not purchase a copy, so I'm not one of those millions playing on Xbox LIVE, but apparently lots of other people did, and are. Perhaps even you!

Nintendo Says "Let's Go To The Mall!"

2009-11-19T00:30:00Z

Nintendo has always known who its audience is and where to find them, so with the holiday season approaching, the videogame giant is hitting the malls of America! Starting on November 23, the Nintendo Holiday Mall Experience will travel to 35 shopping malls from coast to coast offering up hands-on demos of their biggest games like Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Fit Plus, and DS titles like Style Savvy, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. They'll also be promoting other Nintendo products like the Wii Shop Channel and the DSi Shop as well as touting the Wii MotionPlus accessory and the extra features of the DSi. The Nintendo Holiday Mall Experience runs from November 23 through December 20, and I've got a whole list of malls after the jump.

UPDATE: Because the press release didn't give dates for each mall appearance, I assumed they hadn't finalized them yet. But I just heard from Nintendo that it is not a moving exhibit, and will in fact be at each one of these malls from November 23 to December 20. Awesome!

]]> * Chandler Fashion Center in Chandler, Ariz.
* Westfield Culver City in Culver City, Calif.
* Westfield Parkway in El Cajon, Calif.
* Ontario Mills in Ontario, Calif.
* Westfield San Francisco Centre in San Francisco
* Danbury Fair Mall in Danbury, Conn.
* Orange Park Mall in Orange Park, Fla.
* Florida Mall in Orlando, Fla.
* Tyrone Square in St. Petersburg, Fla.
* Lenox Square in Atlanta
* River Oaks Center in Calumet City, Ill.
* Greenwood Park in Greenwood, Ind.
* Arundel Mills in Hanover, Md.
* South Shore Plaza in Braintree, Mass.
* Burlington Mall in Burlington, Mass.
* Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.
* Southdale Center in Edina, Minn.
* Deptford Mall in Deptford, N.J.
* Queens Center in Elmhurst, N.Y.
* Roosevelt Field in Garden City, N.Y.
* Galleria of White Plains in White Plains, N.Y.
* The Mall at Tuttle Crossing in Dublin, Ohio
* Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City
* Franklin Mills in Philadelphia
* Wolfchase Galleria in Memphis, Tenn.
* Grapevine Mills in Grapevine, Texas
* Irving Mall in Irving, Texas
* Ingram Park Mall in San Antonio
* Chesapeake Square in Chesapeake, Va.
* Virginia Center Commons in Glen Allen, Va.
* Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Va.
* Potomac Mills in Prince William, Va.
* Northgate Mall in Seattle
* Westfield Southcenter in Seattle
* Southridge Mall in Greendale, Wisc.

Review: We Cheer 2

2009-11-18T02:00:00Z

Namco Bandai's We Cheer was a unique game for the Nintendo Wii that turned your Wiimotes into cherleading pom-poms, but suffered from a condition that afflicts many Wii games, inaccurate controls that threaten to make the game feel broken. Luckily, the sequel, We Cheer 2, manages to do what all good sequels should do, which is improve upon the original in every way. And that includes the controls! Make the jump for the full review!

]]> The basic concept of We Cheer 2 remains unchanged from the original. You perform choreographed cheerleading moves with your Wiimote, following the on-screen cues. There are 30 new tracks to dance to, which includes great tracks like Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" and "Push It" by Salt'n'Pepa, but unfortunately leans towards the Disney end of things with tunes from Miley Cyrus, Vanessa Hudgens and Corbin Blue. On the plus side, they do give 2 Unlimited's "Get Ready For This" so you can recreate your Bring It On fantasies. Oh, and while you'd think that Toni Basil's "Mickey" would be the most awesome song to perform to, I have to admit that "Pon de Replay" had the best routine. I thought it was a lame choice of a Rihanna song to include, but it turned out to have the most fun choreography. Go figure!

The biggest change from the original is the addition of male cheerleaders. And they're just as customizable as the girls. The graphics are much improved, and everything from the characters and backgrounds all the way to the menus just has a more refined appearance than the original. Even the on-screen cheerleading animations are more complex and realistic. Well, actually, the biggest change is probably the adjusted difficulty. Whereas in the first We Cheer, the controls made it so difficult to pass a song on easy that even attempting an advanced difficulty seemed crazy. But now, the easy level is actually easy, and the intermediate is even doable to the point where advanced is just difficult enough to pose a real challenge. This makes We Cheer 2 more fun than frustrating, something the original unfortunately lacked.

Workout mode makes a return, but while they've added some more variety to the routines (and Panda from the Tekken series makes a surreal guest appearance), my problem with this mode still remains. The choreography is simply too difficult and fast to make for an effective workout. You'll be flailing around so much that you won't really feel like you're doing any good at all. There's also some multiplayer added in, but the various balloon modes feel tacked on and not as fun as simply competing against your friends in a regular cheer-off to the normal routine.

There's a Squad Challenge mode that tries to tack on a vague storyline but you still get to choose your song and difficulty, so it's actually more fun to simply play the regular game so you don't have to sit through the little cut scenes and dialogue. It doesn't really add anything to the gameplay, unfortunately. There's a little bit of replay value in attempting to unlock everything. Songs come pretty quickly as you earn Cheer Points for successfully completing routines, and then later you can use your points to buy new outfits for your squad. Of course, if you're not that into customizing your cheerleaders, your replay value will hinge on how many times you're willing to repeat the routines to the same songs trying to beat your high score. Oh, and the customization menus are a wee bit unintuitive. They give you the ability to customize the shades of colors, but it's kind of annoying to pull off. I had trouble making blue jeans!

We Cheer 2 does everything better than the original, with better graphics and animation topped off with refined controls. While you might think that this game would be a prime candidate for Wii Motion Plus Controls, a rep for Namco Bandai admitted that would have made the game too picky, and they wanted to go in the other direction, loosening up the controls to make it more fun. And it turns out that was exactly the right call. If you don't mind flailing your arms around and looking a little silly in the privacy of your own home, We Cheer 2 is terrific fun!

8 out of 10

BioShock 2 Box Art Revealed!

2009-11-18T00:30:00Z

2K Games has just released to us the box art for BioShock 2, the hotly anticipated sequel to the 2007 Game of the Year. Other than reminding you that it launches on February 9, 2010, there's not a whole lot else to say about it besides the fact that it's sure purty. I threw the PS3 and PC boxes down below in case you're curious. No big difference except the PS3 one is a little wider view...

New Super Mario Bros. Wii Launch Madness!

2009-11-17T02:00:00Z

Okay, I'm starting to wonder if I Am 8-Bit is deliberately making the photo ops at the Nintendo launches as potentially embarrassing as possible in order to see how far I will go to humiliate myself in front of a camera. But when the Nintendo World Store hosted the launch for the New Super Mario Bros. Wii game, I had to give it a shot! To be fair, I tried to balance the block on my fist so it would look like I was hitting it, but it was too wobbly, and I had to hold it like a freakin' waiter. Sigh.

Anyway, the launch was typically insane, as is expected with a property like Mario. Only the Pokémon ones get wilder. And even the cold, wet weather couldn't calm things down... not even when it started to pour! There was a long line that stretched halfway down the block that was just to buy a copy of the game the day before it launched everywhere else. Then there was another line outside to enter the tent where the New Super Mario Bros. Wii tournament was being held. Next to that was a DJ booth, but while I was there, he was taking a break, since although the equipment was covered, the area around it wasn't, and nobody wanted to listen to music or play trivia games in the pouring rain. Then again, maybe they would! Heck, some people even came in costume as their favorite Mario characters, rain be damned!

Inside, they had a Mario available for photo ops, as well as Wii demo stations playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii so you could get your hands on it. Upstairs, they also had three stations set aside playing classic Mario games available on the Virtual Console. There was also the aforementioned photo op where stuffed Mario props were available to pose with (and I don't like to think about how many other people wore that Mario hat... so glad I was at the front of the line!).

But the best part was the other tent outside which housed a Mario memorabilia museum. I feel very strongly about mementos... Memorabilia, I think you call them. It was pretty cool. I loved seeing the old branded products like shampoo and sheets, as well as the old cartridges and games. The Mario and Luigi Halloween costumes were a little off-putting though, seeing as how they put them on slender female mannequins and the stuffed bellies made them look pregnant. Creepy! After the jump, I've included a gallery of shots below so you can see all the nuttiness, plus a second gallery of shots just from the museum. I photographed everything, just so none of you would have to miss out! Who loves ya?

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Call of Duty: ZOMBIES Infects iPhones

2009-11-17T00:30:00Z

It's always fun to kill zombies, and now you have another way to blow away the undead even while on the go! Treyarch has just announced that Call of Duty: World at War: ZOMBIES is now available for the iPod Touch and iPhone! It's a mobile version of the zombie map "Nacht der Untoten" from the full-on game, with full 3D graphics and up to four-player co-op via WiFi (sorry iPhoners, no network connections at this time) and two players via Bluetooth.

"This is a great opportunity for fans of Call of Duty: World at War to take the fight against the Zombie masses wherever they are," said Mark Lamia, Studio Head of Treyarch. "Zombies is a single player and co-op gameplay mode that people from all over the world have enjoyed playing and have spent countless hours conquering limitless waves of Zombies."

Call of Duty: World at War: ZOMBIES is available now for $9.99 at the App Store. It will also fully support future DLC, so that new maps can be made available in the future to keep the zombie slaying coming!

Wootini's Weekly Animal Crossing Diary

2009-11-14T02:00:00Z

Dear Diary,

It was a pretty good week in Narnia this time around, even if it was a relatively slow one. I mean, any week when you make 93 bells profit on each of the 400 turnips you bought is a good one! I got worried when it took until Thursday for the price to go above the 104 I paid for them, but I still wasn't sure 130 was good enough. Luckily on Friday it went up instead of down and I sold all of 'em at 197! Oh, and I made a new friend this week, too. Make the jump to see who!

]]>

It's been a while since Pascal showed up in Narnia, so it was good to see him again, even if he's still not making any sense. I mean, the last couple times he showed up, I still hadn't been able to find a scallop to trade him, so of course now that I've been holding on to this scallop for ages, it takes him forever to stop by again. But he dropped some of that wacky philosophy on me and then traded me a ship deck. Cool!

I'm sorry Rod, but you just got PWNED! I was walking around one evening and ran into Stinky, who may be the most awesome townsperson that Narnia has ever seen! Just look at this guy! I mean, nobody's going to be able to replace Pippy for general awesomeness, but Stinky is just as athletic and sporty as Rod was, but wears a wrestling mask! A mask! I won't talk about the oddly girlish dress he's also sporting, but... a mask! I love him already.

Rod who?

There was this alert on the message board by Town Hall warning of oncoming snow flurries. Can't wait. The fall looks pretty at first with the changing colors in the trees, but the grass just looks dead and sad now, so I'm going to be psyched to cover it all up with some snow. Plus, it's way easier to find fossils in the snow than it is in the grass. Bring on the winter weather already!

Play Dress-Up With Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 DLC Pack

2009-11-14T00:30:00Z

On November 19, you'll be able to add a little variety to each of the four playable characters in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 when the costume pack hits the PlayStation Network for $3.99. It will be available in North America and Japan on that date, with a European release to follow. Ryu's white duds are kind of cool, but Rachel's "New York Working Woman's Cstoume" is all kinds of awesome!

Xbox LIVE Update Hitting November 17

2009-11-13T02:00:00Z

Having been "enjoying" the newest Xbox LIVE update via the special preview program for a while now, I'd almost forgotten that it hasn't gone into wide release yet. Well, for those of you still missing out on all the social networking and additional features, the update will be available to you on Tuesday, November 17.

You'll get Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and the Zune Marketplace, but also "News and More," a new section of the "Inside Xbox" channel that turns Xbox LIVE into a media portal with frequently-updated content from MSNBC, the New Yorker and Dilbert. Well, one of those things is not like the other!

Also, for those Xbox LIVE Silver members, you'll be able to enjoy Gold features like Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm for free from November 20 until November 23. Actually, for those days, you'll be able to enjoy all the benefits of Gold membership including online play, 1 vs 100 and whatnot...

Video: New Super Mario Bros. Wii Strategy

2009-11-13T00:30:00Z

Video Games | New Super Mario Bros. Wii | Super Strategies Gameplay Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

It's looking like if you really want to tackle New Super Mario Bros. Wii you're gonna have to learn how to play well with others! Nintendo just released this strategy video for the upcoming platformer that shows just how differently certain areas will play alone or with friends. For example, instead of having to take care of pounding all the Koopa shells yourself, multiple players can perform a massive ground pound together that deals out a nice shockwave of damage. You can also only reach certain areas with the assistance of another player. Plus there's little tidbits like the hint that you can use the Penguin Suit to freeze the Cheep Cheep fish in the water to make the ice cubes act as little platforms. So it's informative while also whetting your appetite for New Super Mario Bros. Wii's release next week!

Ghosts'N Goblins: Gold Knights Is Calling!

2009-11-12T02:00:00Z

Because I'm not very good at platformers, I have never actually tried any of the Ghosts'N Goblins series, especially because I've been led to understand they're the most punishing of them all. But if Capcom's classic action platformer series is your cup of tea, you might be interested to know that you can stop throwing your controller at the wall and chuck your entire iPhone instead! That's right, Ghosts'N Goblins: Gold Knights has landed on the iPhone and iPod Touch!

You'll play as Arthur or Lancelot, and explore six stages as you attempt to rescue the missing maidens and defeat the demons. Each hero has a unique play style and can equip six weapons. There's also downloadable content that unlocks power-ups, but that sounds like more of that fishy "Pay 99 cents more for better armor" crap. But if you're even slightly interested, you might want to download the game ASAP, because for a limited time, Ghosts'N Goblins: Gold Knights is available at a launch price of just $2.99 in the App Store. No idea how long that'll last before it rises to the regular price of $4.99, so don't delay!

Come Back To Age Of Conan And Level Up Faster

2009-11-12T00:30:00Z

Funcom wants you to please come back and play their MMORPG Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, and they're offering up some incentives to lure you back. If you reactivate your account, you can play free of charge for two full weeks, and you'll also get a double experience boost during that period of time. And if you want to stick around longer, you'll get even more bonuses.

Subscribing for one month gives you seven days of extra game time for free. Three months adds in a guaranteed spot in the open beta for The Secret World. Six months also gives you a level 40 helmet with a 10% XP modifier. And subscribing for a full 12 months gets you all that, plus a free copy of the Rise of the Godslayer expansion. All the lower tier bonuses are included if you subscribe at the higher tier. This is a limited time offer, but is also available to new players as well.

"We are very proud of what have been able to do with the game since launch," says Morten Larssen, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Funcom. "The game has grown and improved at a remarkable pace, and we continue to introduce new content, new features and new improvements. We are introducing these fantastic rewards as we know that coming back to an MMO demands effort, and we want to make sure that as many former players as possible are exposed to the new and improved Age of Conan."

I don't play this game, but I think if I did, these kind of incentives might be the kind of things to lure me back. What about you?

Do You Know What It's Time For...?A Hello Kitty Party!

2009-11-11T02:00:00Z

I've gotta say that Hello Kitty is looking pretty good for being 35 years old this year. And to celebrate the pop icon's anniversary, Majesco has partnered with Barnstorm Games to publish Hello Kitty Party for the Nintendo DS!

"Hello Kitty has been a worldwide phenomenon for the past 35 years and we relished the opportunity to add the global icon to our portfolio," said Gui Karyo, Executive Vice President of Operations for Majesco. "Hello Kitty Party is the perfect title to bring to market during the holiday gift-giving season and we believe fans of all ages will enjoy the unique experience."

In Hello Kitty Party, gamers will help Hello Kitty and her SANRIO friends plan and throw a fabulous party. No, seriously. You can send out personalized invitations, design and iron (Iron? Who decided laundry was a fun game to play?) the perfect outfit, shop for party favors, play puzzles and games that may still have something to do with the party theme, and dress Hello Kitty up in various stylish outfits and accessories, which is always fun. And don't forget washing, slicing, frying and cooking party food for your guests. To be followed by the actual party itself, where you can show off your moves in the dance contest! Woo woo!

Sorry, I got a little carried away with the sarcasm there. Actually, judging from the screenshots, I'm sure this game is going to be aimed at the real younguns, but I'm sure there must be some older gamers who enjoy Hello Kitty and might find this fascinating. Maybe? Hey, it's got Badtz-Maru in it! No, okay, sorry, even I know I was reaching there! Sure is pink, though, isn't it?