Joystiq [Nintendo]

Banned PSN player sues Nintendo and Microsoft

by Andrew Yoon { 5 hours ago }

After being banned from the PlayStation Network for hateful comments stated in Resistance's online community, Erik Estavillo launched not one, but two, lawsuits against Sony for infringing on his "first amendment rights" -- an argument that was shot down by Judge Ronald Whyte simply because "Sony is not part of the government."

However, what Estavillo lacks in civil online discourse, he makes up for with sheer determination and persistence. In addition to Sony, he now has both Microsoft and Nintendo in his sights. Estavillo is seeking $75,000 from Microsoft for the "undue stress" and "sadness" caused by his Xbox 360's RROD. "Microsoft should have to bear the burden that is now put on the shoulders of this disabled plaintiff," his claim states -- a burden that is equivalent to the sum of 375 Xbox 360 systems, apparently. Nintendo is being sued for interfering with Estavillo's "pursuit of happiness." And how exactly is Nintendo doing that? "Deleting, blocking or prohibiting the Homebrew Channel and Ocarina applications" via a system update.

We're hoping you can see the sheer brilliance of Estavillo's strategy. He's offering the perfect opportunity for PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo fans to agree on something for once.

BBFC: Sega compiling Sonic games for DS

by JC Fletcher { 8 hours ago }

The BBFC classification site lists a "Sonic Classic Collection" coming to DS soon. Normally, with these ratings, we'd be left to speculate as to the identity of the games on the collection -- however, the BBFC helpfully provided a list of games on the cart!

According to the rating, it'll feature Sonic 1-3, plus Sonic and Knuckles -- with the ability to virtually "Lock-on" and play as Knuckles in the older games. Also included in the shockingly specific list of in-game content: Sonic Chronicles and "The History of Sonic" video content and the art gallery.

We can only hope it turns out better than Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis on GBA.

[Via Kombo]

Hands-on: Dementium 2 (DS)

by Ben Gilbert { 8 hours ago }

Having not played Renegade Kid's first survival/horror-FPS on the Nintendo DS back in 2007, Dementium: The Ward, I had few expectations going into my recent hands-on with the game's sequel, the aptly titled Dementium 2. I knew that the first game enjoyed critical acclaim for more than adequately bringing survival/horror tropes to Nintendo's handheld, and ultimately scored pretty well with reviewers, but ever since Metroid Prime Hunters I've been wary of first-person mechanics on the DS.

Thankfully, when first faced with manipulating Dementium 2's main character, it became quickly obvious that the game's slow pace helps to account for any discomfort issues that might arise from the control scheme. Over the course of 45 minutes, I put together puzzles, traveled between two dimensions multiple times, and even fought a boss who tried to throw up on me from the ceiling (what a jerk!). Though its content and storytelling seems to be a carefully crafted amalgam of games from the three or so genres it mashes up (fps, adventure, survival/horror) – a handheld Half-Life meets Silent Hill on Monkey Island, almost – the time I spent with a preview build of Dementium 2 earlier today felt like the beginning of what could be a very interesting game.

Gallery: Dementium 2 (11/20/09)

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System Flaw commercial shoots up your living room

by David Hinkle { 9 hours ago }

You know, living rooms (or parlors, for you weirdos out there) are damn boring -- it goes double for outdoor patios. Luckily, System Flaw is attempting to address your home and its surroundings' severe deficiency in fun as one of the first DSi-only games. Utilizing the handheld's built-in camera, it populates your real-world locale with virtual enemies to shoot down in a kind of first-person shmup. It's an interesting concept, as you can see for yourself in the video past the break.

[Thanks, RupeeClock]

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European Nintendo downloads: Pokemon Rumble, Shootanto, demos

by JC Fletcher { 10 hours ago }

The WiiWare demo service arrives in Europe today, though a bit light on content compared to other regions. On the upside, both of the demos offered are for games that cost 1,500 Wii Points, which means you could save a pretty large chunk of change if you discover (somehow) that you don't like World of Goo.

In terms of stuff you pay for, Shootanto is going to be totally overshadowed by Pokemon Rumble. DSiWare has a decent selection of games, including something that looks kind of like Defend Your Castle, a few card games, and myNotebook.

Pokemon Rumble (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 1,500 Wii Points)
Shootanto: Evolutionary Mayhem (WiiWare, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
Army Defender (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
A Little Bit of ... All-Time Classics: Strategy Games (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
myNotebook: Blue (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points)
Uno (DSiWare, 1-6 players, 500 DSi Points)
Demos: Pokemon Rumble, World of Goo (free)

Introducing the Spirit Tower in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

by JC Fletcher { 12 hours ago }

The latest trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, featuring what appears to be the game's introduction, highlights what is certain to be one of the most bemoaned features of the new game: the Tower of Spirits. Yes, like Phantom Hourglass, this game has a central dungeon area to which you'll return throughout the game, though players will be able to skip areas they have already completed this time.

The trailer also seems to suggest that all the train tracks are magical shackles placed on the ground to imprison an evil presence. So that's why there are train tracks around! We would have guessed "interstate commerce."

Gallery: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Crystal Bearers dives into Europe February 5

by JC Fletcher { 14 hours ago }

The good news: no Boxing Day shopping trips are in store for European gamers eager to telekinetically grab Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. The (relatively) bad news: that's because it's coming out more than a month later. Square Enix announced today that Crystal Bearers will be available in PAL territories on February 5, 2010. As waits for Final Fantasy games go, it doesn't seem that bad.

In fact, with the game being released on a normal day instead of the day after Christmas, maybe someone in Europe will notice its release -- something we suspect may be a problem for a game that has been under the radar for most of its development.

Gallery: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers

Rock Band Weekly: Tom Petty, Go-Go's, Kelly Clarkson, Pink

by Alexander Sliwinski { 14 hours ago }

A live version of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' "Mary Jane's Last Dance" is available next week within the band's Rock Band DLC six-pack. The song may not be everyone's cup of formaldehyde, but it's certainly memorable for conjuring up one of the creepiest music videos of all time. We have no idea what the song is actually about, but it will always be the story of Tom Petty stealing Kim Basinger's corpse from the morgue, dressing her up, and then at the end .... AHHhhHhHHHH!

Check out the full update after the break, no new Rock Band Unplugged DLC next week.

Select a platform below to view complete DLC listing:

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Child's Play & Harmonix rock San Fran for charity Dec. 9

by Randy Nelson { 20 hours ago }

Harmonix and Child's Play have announced that they're banding together for a charity benefit Rock Band night at San Francisco's DNA Lounge the night of December 9. "Ümloud!" is an all-ages event organized by GameLife's Chris Kohler, Gamehelper's Joe Markert and Telltale Games' John "Seg" Seggerson, and staffed by a number of Bay Area games bloggers, including yours truly.

The party kicks off at 7PM PT and runs through 2AM PT on December 10, with a suggested $10 donation for admission. Everyone who attends will automagically be made eligible for a chance to win some of the many raffle prizes that'll be awarded throughout the night, but those who wish to donate more can sign up for two different "band packages" -- which include reserved songs and the chance to play on DNA's main stage -- at the Ümloud! site.

Proceeds from the event will go to provide toys and video games to children's hospitals nationwide, including the local Oakland Children's Hospital.

Rumor: Wal-Mart's Black Friday deals [update]

by Richard Mitchell { 1 day ago }

GamerDeals.net has posted what it claims are Wal-Mart's Black Friday deals and, if accurate, there are some serious savings to be had. Probably the most prominent deal would be the doorbuster on Rock Band 2 Special Edition for PS3 or 360, which will net you the full band kit and the game for a paltry $50. Another impressive deal, shoppers can pick up a PS3, Infamous, "Batman" (Arkham Asylum, we're assuming) and a copy of The Dark Knight for $299. In comparison, the Xbox 360 gets the lukest of lukewarm bundles ever, an Xbox 360 Arcade unit complete with the Madagascar 2 game and both Madagascar movies on DVD.

Other deals include select console titles for between $7 and $25, select PC games for $25 and a $98 doorbuster on DS Lites (time to clear that stock, amirite?). Head over to GamerDeals for the full rundown. We were unable to confirm the deals with Wal-Mart, though we were told that the official Black Friday announcement will arrive on Monday, November 23.

Update: Scans of Wal-Mart's ad are online, confirming the deals on the list -- except for the Rock Band 2 deal, which is actually the first Rock Band Special Edition for $50.

Shiren the Wanderer turns up in February minus online features

by JC Fletcher { 1 day ago }

Atlus announced a North American localization of Sega and Chunsoft's Shiren the Wanderer at E3, and hasn't said much about it until now. The company just dated the game for February 9 and released a bunch of screens & art for the punishing roguelike, along with a bit of sad news regarding the online connectivity.

"Despite our best efforts, the North American version of Shiren will not include the Rescue, Versus, or Item Transfer online features," Atlus's Aram Jabbari said in the announcement. "However, the downloadable dungeon content from the Japanese version will be included on the disc." Jabbari said that Atlus felt compelled to alert fans because "the absence of these features may influence some fans' decision to purchase the game."

The most identifiable feature of any Shiren game -- repeated, unavoidable death -- should remain intact.

Gallery: Shiren the Wanderer (Wii)

Capcom schools Monster Hunter Tri rookies, unsure about Wii Speak for US

by Randy Nelson { 1 day ago }

[Capcom-Unity]

Capcom held a university-themed event Tuesday evening in San Francisco to introduce newcomers to the Monster Hunter universe in the runup to next spring's North American release of Monster Hunter Tri for the Wii. We'd already played the game at previous events, so we knew what to expect: Monster Hunter, looking nice (especially the large monsters) but not as nice as it could have on the PS3.

After spending some time with the three-level, English-localized trade show demo on-hand -- including a go using the very nice Classic Controller Pro, which is included in Japan's black system/game bundle -- we asked Capcom staff about two unsettled questions concerning the game's US release. The first was the matter of paying to play Monster Hunter Tri online, as the game eschews Nintendo's servers for Capcom-operated ones and is fee-based in Japan. We didn't receive a decisive answer, being told only that the publisher is "hoping" the game will be free to play in the US. We got a similar response when we wondered if Wii Speak support was 100% set for the domestic release -- Capcom's "hoping" to get it in, but couldn't promise anything.

The event did provide taste of what trying to coordinate a successful online monster hunt would be like without Wii Speak -- we found it nearly impossible to hear our fellow players (or the game) over the music being piped through the venue's formidable sound system.

Gallery: Monster Hunter 3

101 MiniGolf World fills a hole in DSiWare lineup

by Randy Nelson { 1 day ago }

Proving that there really are (really) games being made for DSiWare without "Sudoku" in their title, Teyon has announced 101 MiniGolf World for Nintendo's DSi download service. The game, which gets it name from the fact that it features six 18-hole courses, has yet to be dated -- but at least we can get a look at it.

We became excited briefly when the announcement mentioned support for eight players ... until we parsed the next few words and realized Teyon means by passing your DS around. Still, the developer is promising "mind-blowing obstacles, loops, pipes, ramps" and so forth. It would be nice to have a new DSiWare title blow our minds rather than our DSi Points.

Sky Crawlers landing in Europe this February

by JC Fletcher { 1 day ago }

Namco Bandai declined to publish The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces in North America, licensing the game out to XSEED instead. However, the company is handling the game itself for the European release, due in February. The game is a flight action game developed by Ace Combat dev Project Aces, and based on both the novel and the Mamoru Ishii-directed anime film of the same name.

In addition to the game, the movie is planned for a DVD and Blu-Ray release in PAL territories at an unspecified future date ("coming soon"). That seems like a good idea -- licensed games probably work better when people know what the source material is.

Gallery: Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces

Zelda producer teases surprises for next title at E3 2010

by Griffin McElroy { 1 day ago }

Our absolute favorite thing about the Zelda series is how much it saves us on strategy guides. See, you can pretty much follow the walkthrough for Link to the Past to beat every installment in the franchise released thereafter. (Get the sword! Get the shield! Beat the Forest Temple! Get the power bracelet! Beat the Fire Temple!) However, in a recent interview with Official Nintendo Magazine, series producer Eiji Aonuma revealed that we can expect some big changes from the franchise's next iteration -- changes which he hopes will be revealed during next year's E3 showcase.

Aonuma explained that, in order to try and keep the series fresh, he and Shigeru Miyamoto "have been trying something new in terms of the structure of the Wii version of the new Zelda game this time." You know what that means. They're going to put the Fire Temple before the Forest Temple. We're kidding, of course -- that's just crazy talk.