[New releases is your weekly look at all the hot new titles coming out this week.] Every week this year has featured at least one major game release. There are some important games this week, but nothing that matches what we’ve been seeing since the beginning of 2010.Dead or Alive Paradisesits atop of the pile this week because boobs. Other than that, it’s great to seeSakura Warshas finally made it in America....
A new trailer for Ninja Theory’s controversialDmChas been released, and it gives Dante white hair … sort of. It seems that our gunslinging hero gets a snowy dome when he enters a particular gameplay mode, as evidenced by the funky graphical effects surrounding him. So, that’s fixed everything, right? DmCwas first revealeda year ago, and people were infuriated because it didn’t look exactly like every otherDevil May Cry. Even twelve months later, debate rages on about the game....
Time traveling toasted sandwiches? Animal pugilists? This week’s downloads for Nintendo’s consoles are madness!WiiWare DSiWare This weeks doesn’t look all that bad, actually. If you haven’t playedBIT.TRIP BEAT, you’re a fool, so get on that with the demo.Animal Boxingwas actually a retail game that wasn’t good enough to warrant full price, but now for eight bucks you can punch a gorilla in the face. AndDoc Clockis actually already available on the PC and, from what I’ve played, is a polished, clever little indie....
There was something interesting that popped out of ourpseudo-liveblog of the Nintendo Fall press conferencein Tokyo that deserves a bit of illumination if you missed it. Apparently, Nintendo is aware that its consumer base is having a problem with storage. One of the announcements at the event was a solution – more SD cards. It was a stroke of brilliance and obviously we should all bow down to the mighty think-tank that Nintendo has behind the curtain....
Nintendo has released their quarterly financial results for the three months ending in June 2011 and it is not pretty. Net sales are down fifty percent from the same period last year, totaling just under 94 billion yen and the company operated at a loss of 25.5 billion yen. Factors which contributed to the disappointing showing include marketing for the 3DS and the strength of the yen over the dollar but it’s really all about lackluster sales....
In celebration of New York Comic-Con this weekend, Capcom has released a veritable cornucopia of screenshots forOkamidenalong with a few beautiful pieces of art. The screenshots are aimed at showing Chibiterasu’s partner in crime, Kagu. Continuing the theme of pairing an artist with the wolf God, Kagu is the most popular child actor in all the land. I’m getting really tired of waiting forOkamidento release. It feels like it’s been an eternity, though that may just be down to my inability to believe that they’re actually trying to sell this franchise after the last two failed attempts....
Ah, Paradox Interactive. Whenever a big publisher converts your favorite old PC strategy franchise into an action game “because strategy doesn’t sell”, the plucky PC publisher seems to pipe up and announce that they’re developing a strategy gameverysimilar to the IP you just saw violated. That’s what’s happening with their new game,Cartel(not to be confused withCall of Juarez: The Cartel), which seemsverysimilar toSyndicate, which itself is now a shooter developed by Starbreeze....
(Insert witty comment about dysentery here). The iPhone remake ofThe Oregon Trailis coming to DSiWare, the ESRBhas revealed todaywith one of its bean-spilling ratings. The original game is fondly remembered by many gamers who learned about the pioneer way of life thanks to the venerable old title. “Bears may attack, snakes can bite, robbers will loot, and diseases do come (“You have died of . . .”), but the hardened traveler is expected to overcome these unfavorable events to reach the promised Pacific Northwest,” explains the ESRB....
I know we talk here and there about the death of the print magazine, but seriously folks, it’s not looking so good. This morning,MCVreported that Future Publishing has announced that they will be closingPlayStation World Magazine. One member of the magazine’s team has already been reassigned to another project, while others are currently looking into moving to the Bath and London offices. Games portfolio publishing director James Binns says of the announcement: It’s always incredibly sad when we close a title as established as PSW, but the decision was taken in response to decreasing demand....
There has beenno news whatsoeverover the past week. Nobody, it seems, has done anything at all. For that reason, we may unfortunately have to rely a little bit more on listener questions than we’d like to, so soon after our question-filled episode from last week. But wewillbe talking aboutthis… andthis. Still: we need you, and would appreciate any and all discussion questions you’d like to toss up.
Hey, did anybody else think that the wholePokémonobsession would’ve died off by now? Well, uh– I guess not. Despite running at full tilt for over ten years as one of gaming’s biggest merch-spawning cash-o-demons,Pokémonis still at the heart ofgotta catch ’em allcompulsive disorders for gamers around the world, the US being no exception. Nintendo revealed today that nationwide pre-orders forPokémon DiamondandPearlfor the DS have topped out at over 533,000. The report also notes that these numbers are more than twice what was raked in by the last twoPokémontitles,LeafGreenandFireRed, which ended up selling over 3....
Destructoid put our Terry Bogard hats on and raided theKing of Fighters XIIchampionship tournament, hosted byIgnition Entertainment, SNK PLAYMORE, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) and the EVO Championship Series, here in Los Angeles, the weekend before E3 kicks off. The tournament was to promote the launch of the console version of the game, set to hit retail in July for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Over one-hundred players gathered to fight for the grand prize, aKing of Fighters XIIarcade cabinet, imported from Japan....
Redbox is blowing up these days for DVD rental. It seems like the machines are everywhere and they always have lines at them. While I’m all for the newfangled digital rental of movies, I have to admit that Redbox is easier and cheaper. I want the same for games, but not too many places have the game-focused kiosks available. There’s some in Reno, Nevada and Wilmington, North Carolina, but now we can add Orlando, Florida to the list....
