All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

#wii The NBA Jam fan page on Facebook rolled out another five screens of the upcoming reboot of the beloved arcade/early console classic. We now know the names of eight more players who'll be appearing in the game. They're identified inside. More »

A press release on Nintendo's Japanese website appears to confirm the company's next handheld console, temporarily named the "Nintendo 3DS," and said to include hardware and software that will enable "3D effects" without the need for special glasses. The console is stated to be backwards compatible with DS and DSi games and is expected to go on sale (in Japan, presumably) "during the fiscal year ending March 2011" -- so within the next year. The press release has no pictures or other information, and save for the fact that it appears as a file on Nintendo's website, there's no other official word about the new hardware.

There are a few dots to connect, however: 3D gaming is on the rise, and a few other companies have also experimented with head tracking as a way to implement 3D effects. Nintendo's own Satoru Iwata hasn't been impressed with 3D gaming in the past, but his issue is with the glasses, not the technology. "I have doubts whether people will be wearing glasses to play games at home," he said recently. We've also heard that the next handheld would have a "movement sensor" of some kind, so if Nintendo really has designed a head-tracking 3D solution, then maybe the console is ready to go. The press release, which you can read after the break in full, says we'll see more at E3, so stay tuned.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Source -- Nintendo (PDF)

#papercraft Here we were, getting a little over the practice of folding pieces of paper into figures resembling video game characters, when Ignatius' Mario piece blows our socks into the 22nd century. More »

All the world needs is a little more chaos.

#fear3 The third entry in Monolith Productions' F.E.A.R. franchise may be getting its big reveal in the next month, as foretold by a teaser in an unnamed Spanish language gaming magazine. The supposed name of that game? F.3.A.R. More »

State of Play: Why should every game cost $60?

State of Play: Why should every game cost $50?

State of Play: Why should every game cost $60?

State of Play: Why should every game cost $60?

Monday announcement forthcoming.

Monday announcement forthcoming.

This video is on fire!

#nintendo If you plan on picking up WarioWare: D.I.Y. next week—with or without a shiny new Nintendo DSi XL to go along with it—get ready to do some heavy reading, thanks to the game's bulky instruction booklet. More »

#mobile If iPhone and iPod Touch gaming is in the same category as the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable, then the Apple device surged in 2009 at the expense of the two dominant mobile platforms, especially the PSP. More »

Prolonged exposure to the Animus has resulted in the Bleeding Effect, allowing you to use your Eagle Vision to try and crack the Abstergo Labs security system. Can you escape before being apprehended?

This isn’t the premise of some as-of-yet unannounced Assassin’s Creed II DLC pack; this is what you can expect to encounter in the new Assassin’s Creed game space, launching this week in PlayStation Home. Packed with heaps of interactive content – including a multiplayer tower defense game that pits Assassins against Templars – the Assassin’s Creed space marks this highly-celebrated franchise’s next foray into the ever-evolving world of PlayStation Home. And it is coming at you this Thursday, complete with regularly-updating Developer’s Blogs, concept art, the Animus 2.0 database, the full Assassin’s Creed: Lineage short film, and all the other content that die-hard Assassin’s Creed fans simply can’t miss out on. Your friends here on the PlayStation Home Community Management team donned our own assassin’s threads over the weekend and managed to snag some images, which we’ve posted below for your convenience.

By popular demand, we will be releasing a load of Aliens vs. Predator items in PlayStation Home this week. We’re talking full Predator costumes, full Alien costumes, Facehuggers stuffed in stasis tubes, and more. But there’s a catch: These highly-coveted items will only be available for purchase for a limited time only in the PlayStation Home Exclusives store, after which they will be pulled off the shelves forever. So do yourself a favor and log in to PlayStation Home this Thursday and stock up on these super-sweet items while you still have a chance. Because ol’ Locust_Star ain’t going to be patting you on the head if you’re boohooing because you forgot to set your alarm clock and missed out on what he is pretty sure are some of the coolest items ever to be released on the PlayStation Home platform. Consider it a fair warning.

We’re opening the doors to the uber-exclusive SingStar VIP room tomorrow, March 25 and loading the music player up with tracks from the critically-acclaimed Welsh rock band Stereophonics (they of such hit songs as “Superman” and “The Bartender and the Thief”). Be sure to come out to the SingStar VIP Room to pick up exclusive Stereophonics virtual items, listen to a handful of Stereophonics tracks, and play the limited-time-only Stereophonics SingStar Quiz.

Also releasing this week in PlayStation Home are two new additions to our line of luxury personal spaces. Situated on the Nile River, the Pharaoh’s Tomb is a step back in time to when the rays of Ra shone upon the Egyptian sands and the age of Horus was a few millennia removed from the dynasties of Ramesses, which reigned supreme across the land. A must-have for history buffs and PlayStation Home completists alike, the Pharaoh’s Tomb releases this Thursday, March 25th, along with the Anime personal space (a penthouse headquarters perched atop a Tokyo high-rise circa 2050). Check out the pics below for a taste of what to expect from these awesome new personal spaces.

We’re placing bets on who gets the boot next on the upcoming episode of The Tester. In anticipation of what is sure to be a real fingernail-biter, we are once again bringing out two cast members – Big D and Nauseous – to chat with you, the PlayStation Home community. So come out to The Tester screen in the PlayStation Home Theater tonight from 6:00pm – 7:00pm PT (9:00pm – 10:00pm EST) to meet two of the most popular cast members of this hit PlayStation Network exclusive reality show. And be sure to check out Episode 6 of The Tester, which will air in the PlayStation Home Theater starting this Thursday. As always, we’ll be offering commemorative The Tester virtual items, such as this Big D Teddy Bear.

Last but certainly not least, Irem will be adding a ton of new content to the Irem Seaside of Memories space, at the request of you, the PlayStation Home community – from new rewards in the Deep Sea Treasure Hunt mini-game to a bunch of fashionable beachwear.

See you in Home!

Namco's marketing department must have really gotten a kick out of that 300 movie, because the latest trailer for its upcoming Turner & Hooch adaptation, Dead to Rights: Retribution, is chock full of the slow-mo. It's not that we're complaining; a lady falling from the top of a skyscraper or beating the crap out of a group of similarly uniformed thugs is made infinitely better through the tactful use of slow-mo.

That part's fine -- what we still have trouble with is protagonist (and police officer) Jack Slate's inability to value human life. Sure, these guys are criminals, but that doesn't mean you have to do some weird wrestling move that breaks their neck and kills them dead, right? Since when did a can of mace and the Miranda rights stop being standard procedure?

#clips Ever wondered who was responsible for Tony Hawk Ride's skateboard controller? Rock Band: Green Day? Every other headscratching boardroom meeting concept? Meet Indie Man, hero to independent game developers and the enemy to the corporate video game establishment! More »

The same day it chose to announce the 3DS, Nintendo officially hit a ridiculous milestone for the existing DS platform(s) in Japan: 30 million units sold. Enterbrain estimates that, through March 21, the handheld has sold 30,030,434 units. The last reported worldwide total, in January, was around 125 million. Unsurprisingly, the best-selling game is New Super Mario Bros., with 5,767,262 copies sold.

30 million is indeed a record for the best-selling console ever in Japan; however, every time anyone in Japan buys a DS, it's a new record, because the DS became Japan's best-selling console as soon as it passed the PS2 at around the 21 million mark. There are people in line at electronics stores now, each of whom is about to bring the DS to a record sales total.

[Via IGN]

#culture The Army is remaking its basic training for the first time in 30 years to cope with a generation that, as the general in charge says, has a courage and physique shaped by, you guessed it, video games. More »

You know, some people just don't get it. When you're 36 and you like to hang at the Chuck E. Cheese's, people get the wrong idea. They think because you've got a big, bushy beard, trench coat and some fresh Ray-Bans on, you're hanging around with offensive, illegal activities in mind. Since when is it a crime to love the ball pit? Skee-Ball should be something we all can enjoy at any age, right?

Thanks to UFO Interactive, you don't have to worry about dirty looks from parents and possible incarceration any longer, as the publisher is lining up a pair of titles for the DS and Wii. Chuck E. Cheese's Party Games will feature 18 different mini-games -- starring Chuck and his friends, natch -- and various unlockable videos and prizes.

Sadly, UFO Interactive doesn't have any media on either game at this time, but in the meanwhile why not just sit back, close your eyes and imagine playing in a ball pit that isn't a cesspool of germ-carrying kids wrist-deep in their nostrils? Ahh, that's the good stuff!

#gameannounce PlayStation 3 owners with a deep, deep appreciation for the art of the Japanese role-playing game will be delighted to learn that NIS America will bring Trinity Universe to North America and Europe this summer. More »

Offer sacrifice at the throne of Jobu by clicking on the image above
The slow trickle of Diablo III class highlights has revealed a new page on Blizzard's site: The Witch Doctor. Both its male and female versions offer a look akin to what you'd expect from something called a "Witch Doctor." We imagine the monthly bill for chicken blood is through the roof.

Of course, we've seen the male version of the class before, but the look of the female character model is all new. There's even some brief snippets of character abilities, if that's your type of thing -- so head on over to Blizzard's site and check 'em out.

An unorthodox RPG hits and misses at the same time.