This morning the friendly folks at Nintendo arrived with bells on to deliver their latest DS title, Rhythm Heaven.
A mistro, two chanteurs and a lovely chanteor serenaded us with a live demonstration of Rhythm Heaven’s gameplay. Naturally, Games Editor Russ Frushtick leapt at the opportunity for public humiliation and joined the choir for an inharmonic ditty.
Warning: This video contains high levels of wackiness.
The real footage from the game after the break, with the choir minigame about 10 seconds in.
Over the past two decades, EA’s been the face of sports videogames. They’ve developed a gamut of titles from FIFA to Madden to Fight Night. It should come as no surprises to fans then that the monolithic developer will finally toss their hat in the ring, er, court, with Grand Slam Tennis. We had a chance to watch a hands-off preview of the Wii iteration last week EA Gamer’s Day event. But before we dig into the title itself, it’s worth noting that the company has researched what consumers want from their Wii titles. Or at least what analysts reckon they want. Wii gamers care less about the next-gen look, than a different, unique experience. Personally, I would like both, but until one of the competitors offers HD visuals with non-traditional game play, that dream’s just not in the cards.
So, Grand Slam Tennis for the Wii meets these demands with a charming art design and Wii Motion Plus. As Madworld proved, art design can cover up dated graphics. GST uses a cartoony, somewhat blocky aesthetic to the same effect. The character designs are goofy without being over the top. The style captures the larger-than-life players like Roderick and, particularly, John McEnroe who, even in real life, looks animated.
But, the devs promise the game will feature plenty more of the tennis greats along with their favorite courts.
Full preview after the jump…
The annual release of Tiger Woods games forces sports gamers to question themselves: do I prefer graphics or controls? Wood’s golf-gasm looks fantastic on both 360/PS3 with sunny landscapes, individual blades of grass and the overall cool sheen we expect from EA titles. Yet, over on the Wii, the series offers the tangibility of grabbing a club on the world’s finest courses. The fancy graphics will impress your bros. The simple controls will impress your girlfriend. The fancy graphics will justify your expensive new HDTV. The simple controls will justify skipping the daily workout routine. It’s enough choice to turn a man Calvinist.
Worry not, golf fans, because this year, I’m pleased to announce my choice’s premade. I reckon. See, I so fancy the new Tiger Woods for the Wii because it finally makes excellent on its promise of tight, lifelike golf controls. That’s not to say the previous Woods Wii game was terrible; it remains the best Wii golf experience. This year though, in no small part because of Wii Motion Plus, Woods considerably ups the ante.
Full preview after the jump…
Wallace and Gromit are known for their zany British antics and rabid fan following. It’s no surprise that adventure gaming gurus, Telltale Games, have jumped on the W&G bandwagon, as they’ll be producing an episodic adventure series based on the pair. The full game comes out on March 24th, but you can get an early look thanks to the newly released demo, which you can download here:
Wallace and Gromit Demo
Lactose intolerant fans be warned, though. Wallace really, really likes cheese.
Next up in a line of exclusive trailers for the game Wanted: Weapons of Fate, looks at the Immortal. Exciting!
Syphon Cruel shows us his skills in Ready 2 Rumble Revolution.
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EA Tiburon’s latest collegiate pigskin sports sim gears up for release on Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, and PSP.
March Madness may have the eyes of most college-sports fans, but EA is already looking ahead to the next fantastic academic sporting event. The publisher has announced that NCAA Football 10 will kick off July 14 on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and PSP. EA made no mention of a Wii edition–which last year featured Michigan State’s Sparty mascot on the cover–and had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.
Although EA plans to regularly announce new game features through NCAA Football 10’s Web site, the publisher did spell out one of the sports game’s new online modes, Season Showdown. A highly collaborative mode, Season Showdown has players affiliating themselves with a school of their choice and then competing either through NCAA Football 10 or Web-based games to earn credits. The school with the most credits by the end of the Season Showdown wins the bragging-rights title.
As in years past, NCAA Football 10 features all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams. According to EA, stadiums have seen a number of enhancements this year, from new field-goal nets, to wind-driven flags, to camera flashes. Despite staff cuts made in January, EA Tiburon has again been tasked with development duties on NCAA Football 10.
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Tecmo confirms North American launch window for PS3 revamp of last year’s Xbox 360-exclusive Ninja Gaiden 2.
As reported yesterday, Japanese magazine Famitsu broke word to the gaming world of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, Tecmo’s forthcoming bid to bring the Xbox 360-exclusive Ninja Gaiden 2 to Sony’s PlayStation 3. Today the publisher confirmed worldwide release windows for the game, saying that it will arrive in North American and Japanese stores this fall, with a European launch to follow.
Although Tecmo’s announcement was light on other details, it did note that more on the game will be revealed on March 24, when the publisher has arranged for a special event at the soon-to-be-closed PlayStation Store in San Francisco as part of next week’s Game Developers Conference.
In the meantime, keen gamers will have to settle for the Famitsu rundown of changes made for Sigma 2. According to the magazine, one major addition is that Dead or Alive ninjitsu master Ayane will be available as a playable character alongside series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa. Sigma 2 will also introduce a new weapon: a spiked hammer called the “Hasaiga Enma.” Famitsu also reported that the PS3 edition of the game will offer large-scale boss battles not seen in Ninja Gaiden II.
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