Category: News

Magnetica Twist and Fatal Fury 2 Arrive on Wii

You want fireworks? Look no further than the Wii Shop Channel, where vibrant bursts of classic gaming action and fresh WiiWare content will help fill your living room with a flurry of ooohs and ahhhs. Puzzle-game mavens can enjoy a wild new addition to the WiiWare library, while the Virtual Console brings a truly classic fighting game to the fore. For an added holiday-week blast, fans of the WiiWare hit FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King can enhance the action with new Add-On Content.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

WiiWare

Magnetica Twist (Nintendo, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone—Comic Mischief, 1,000 Wii Points): The classic puzzle game Magnetica is now available on WiiWare , putting its own unique “twist” on the puzzle-game experience. You’re surrounded by marbles, marching slowly but surely down a track. Use a launcher (piloted by a Mii of your choice) to shoot marbles with matching colors and wipe them out before they reach the end of the track. Control couldn’t be simpler, as all you need to do is twist the Wii Remote controller to aim and press the A button to shoot. And the game play remains as addictive and deep as you’ve come to expect in Nintendo’s puzzle games, with five varied play modes, advanced mechanics such as the ability to lob marbles, and a never-ending supply of combos. This definitely isn’t your typical game of marbles.

Virtual Console

FATAL FURY 2 (NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen—Animated Blood, Violence, 900 Wii Points): Released in 1992 by SNK, FATAL FURY 2 is the second installment in the renowned fighting-game series. In addition to Terry, Andy and Joe, who appeared in the original game, another five distinctive fighters gather from around the world to compete for the championship title. Also newly added are stage-specific hazards and the ability to perform desperation attacks when a character’s strength is low. These particularly deadly techniques create the chance for a come-from-behind victory achieved with a single strike. Moreover, the innovative two-line battle, which proved popular in the previous version, also has been radically enhanced. Pressing the weak-attack and strong-attack buttons simultaneously enables players to move their fighters to another line themselves, or to launch an attack that pushes opponents back to another line. This game mechanic, unique to this title in the series, allows the player to take advantage of the depth of the screen and create even more exciting bouts. Can you prove yourself the king of fighters again?

Journey to the Center of the Earth DS Game

THQ Inc. today announced that Journey to the Center of the Earth has shipped to retailers worldwide. The game is based on the upcoming film Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D by New Line Cinema and is available exclusively for Nintendo DS.

In Journey to the Center of the Earth, players can use the Nintendo DS stylus to search for a passage to the surface of the earth while navigating through all seven of the exotic underground worlds from the movie. A wide variety of mini-games will allow players to rock climb, dig for dinosaur bones and raft across an ancient sea. Players will relive the excitement from the film while playing as all three main characters: Trevor, Sean and Hannah – each with their own unique abilities.

An exciting adventure based on the classic Jules Verne novel “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3-D stars Brendan Fraser (The Mummy Trilogy) as a science professor whose untraditional hypotheses have made him the laughing stock of the academic community. While on an expedition in Iceland, he and his nephew stumble upon a major discovery that launches them on a thrilling journey deep beneath the Earth’s surface, where they travel through never-before-seen worlds and encounter a variety of unusual creatures. Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3-D is directed by Academy Award-winning visual effects veteran Eric Brevig (Total Recall, Pearl Harbor). The film is a co-venture between New Line Cinema and Walden Media.

For more information on Journey to the Center of the Earth, as well as additional THQ titles, please visit www.playthq.com.

The official web site for New Line Cinema’s Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D is www.journey3dmovie.com.

300 Follow-up definitely happening!

Frank Miller\'s 300

Trust Hollywood to not let a money-making oppurtunity slip by. While a sequel wasn’t the first thing on our minds when we saw the epic 300, we all thought about it sometime or the other, and then rumours began. Official word came here and there, and now it’s definitely up: the 300 follow-up will happen!

Variety reports that Legendary Pictures has confirmed a 300 follow-up with Zack Snyder signed on as director (yes!) and Frank Miller working on the writing. What’s more, if the report is spot-on accurate, Miller is working on a graphic novel, which should be in every way as awesomely epic as its predecessor! This is excellent, with both Snyder and Miller on the project, it has to be awesome! I, uh think.

Snyder, however, has said that he’ll wait for Miller’s novel first before he commits anything, but yeah. Legendary is going to make sure that the story is as great as it was before, because as Thomas Tull from Legendary said, “The vision of Frank Miller’s universe that Zack Snyder brought to the screen in ‘300’ is unlike anything ever seen before.” And that’s totally true.

We wonder what the movie will be about. Will it be a prequel with Gerard Butler back kicking Persian ass as Leonidas? Will we see Leonidas Jr. become a badass king? Will we see the Spartans taking revenge? Speculation abound! We will see where Legendary and Miller go with this.

No Half-Life 2: Episode Three at E3!

Eli and Alyx

Yesterday was a time to be excited when news hit the Internet that a slew of titles will be appearing at E3 that demand excitement. Among these was Half-Life 2: Episode Three, perhaps the most-delayed of all the Half-Life 2 titles. Valve wants to release a Half-Life 2 episode every year, and going by the record, I don’t think they’re going to make it this year either, thanks to this news.

News just in that Doug Lombardi, the marketing director confirmed that Half-Life 2: Episode Three will not be appearing at this year’s E3. According to him, the inclusion of the game’s title in several E3 lists, such as E3.net was a “misprint”. Well, we’re glad that got of the way fast. No point in waiting all the way till E3 and then asking Valve “Where the hell is the episode you promised?” only to feel Valve’s look of confusion and rage.

But E3 or not, I think it’s about time Valve dishes out some info on Episode Three, like at least when they plan to release it, or whether they even have started work on it! What is surprising is that Valve’s plate is currently clean with only one title in the works, Left 4 Dead (which was the result of Valve’s acquisition of Turtle Rock Studios). Left 4 Dead is scheduled to release in November this year. Maybe we’ll get a teaser trailer with it? Maybe we’ll have some news by then? We can only hope.

Metal Slug 7 for Nintendo DS

Ignition Entertainment, a UTV Enterprise and worldwide publisher and developer of videogames, in conjunction with SNK Playmore announced today that Metal Slug 7 for Nintendo DS will be released this fall.

Developed by SNK Playmore Corporation and published by Ignition Entertainment, Metal Slug 7 follows in the footsteps of its predecessors by continuing to deliver the high-energy and frantic, fast-paced 2-D shooting action that the franchise has always been widely renowned for.

Players will join Marco, Tarma, Eri, Fiolina, Clark and Ralph as they prepare to take on Modern’s Forces across 7 new missions that will bring them from Garbage Island to the Fortress of Ruins and beyond. Aside from featuring 7 brand new and fully detailed missions and six playable characters, Metal Slug 7 will also feature a host of new weapons, colossal new bosses, new Slugs to pilot and new gameplay modes for added replay value.

“Truth be told, I have a pink DS and was embarrassed to play it in public. Now with Metal Slug 7 loaded, I have no qualms,” said Ajay Chadha, President of Ignition Entertainment. “Needless to say, and in all seriousness, we are very excited to announce our partnership with SNK Playmore USA to give both core and casual gamers a whole new insight into the unique, all-action, eye-popping world that is Metal Slug.”

First released in 1996, the Metal Slug series has continuously dazzled legions of fans with its awesome variety of frenetic action and superbly balanced, non-stop gameplay. Its unique art style and memorable boss battles have been hailed as sheer artistry and have been acclaimed by game fans of all genres.

For more information on Ignition Entertainment or SNK Playmore USA please visit www.ignitionusa.com or www.snkplaymoreusa.com.

DS Exclusive – Prince of Persia: The Fallen King

Today Ubisoft announced Prince of Persia: The Fallen King, exclusively for the Nintendo DS system. Developed by Ubisoft’s Casablanca studio, Prince of Persia: The Fallen King complements the highly anticipated version of Prince of Persia coming out this holiday on consoles and PC. Expanding the saga with an independent storyline, Prince of Persia: the Fallen King utilizes the unique stylus controls of the Nintendo DS system to deliver the extraordinary acrobatic and combat action that fans have come to expect from the Prince of Persia franchise. Prince of Persia: The Fallen King will be available at retailers nationwide for the 2008 holiday season.

About Prince of Persia: The Fallen King
Facing imminent danger, the Prince flees to a deserted kingdom that seemingly offers sanctuary. Already touched by the evil Corruption, a dark substance that physically contaminates the land and the skies, the kingdom is filled with adventure, challenge and intrigue. As the Prince seeks a way to fight the spreading Corruption destroying the land, he encounters a partially infected creature that promises salvation. But is the creature truly an ally or merely an enemy in disguise? It seems this perilous alliance may be the only way for the Prince to face the forces of darkness and save the Persian kingdom from the Corruption once and for all.

Game features include:

• The award-winning Prince of Persia franchise, built exclusively for Nintendo DS: Use the DS stylus to master the acrobatics, strategy and fighting tactics of the most agile warrior of all time.
• The epic journey continues in an all-new adventure: Immerse yourself in the captivating Prince of Persia universe with an original and independent story that closely coincides with the action of the console & PC editions of the game.
• Unique visual style: Brand-new art design delivers incredible environments in over 50+ maps. Explore deserted cities, dark labyrinths and forbidding jungles to battle the evil Corruption.
• Play as the all-new character: the Magus: Switch between the Prince and this mysterious new ally to fight, solve puzzles and utilize his magical powers to make your way through the corrupted land.