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You'd be forgiven for taking Atomic Games' announcement of a Wii FPS as the final nail in the coffin for semi-documentary game Six Days in Fallujah. Atomic says that, even though it's releasing a ported and renamed version of 2005's Close Combat: First to Fight for Wii (through publisher Destineer), it's not giving up on its original project, which was axed by Konami in April.

The news that Marines: Modern Urban Combat -- huh, what do you mean that subtitle sounds familiar? -- will arrive November 10 comes after rumors that layoffs had all but shuttered the studio. Though Atomic's on to other projects, Gamasutra reports that the developer's president, Peter Tamte, still insists it "remains committed" to Fallujah.

We're happy to see that Atomic's still plugging along, but if you're expecting to see Six Days in Fallujah anytime soon ... well, just don't.

The popular anime series is getting a brand new action game on the PSP. Fullmetal Alchemist: Senaka wo Takuseshi Mono is what Siliconera is calling a "bonds battle game," where players use two-man teams in battle against other teams. For example, Edward and Alphonse may fight against Hawkeye and Mustang. Teammates will need to work together to unleash co-op attacks by building their bond.

The Fullmetal Alchemist games have originally been released by Square Enix in the States, but the franchise has since moved to a smaller publisher, Destineer. We're not sure if this game will see Stateside release -- let's not forget all those Bleach games that have never seen a US release.

There ain't no party like a WordJong Party 'cause a WordJong Party's ... got ... jongs? Hey, Destineer knows how much harmless enjoyment can be derived from making fun of their own game's name -- witness "Jongy" here in this new set of screens on IGN.

For the most part, Party seems to be a multiplayer Wii version of last year's WordJong, which is not a bad thing at all given that game's fond reception. It retains the daily challenges in that game and adds a series of powerups in the multiplayer mode. And while the online play in WordJong was great, it feels very right to have this Scrabble-influenced word game available for parties.

I like words. I even go so far to fancy myself as one of those indomitable writer types, wielding a pen for all things mighty and righteous and incredibly nerdy. It is with great reluctance that I write this particular column, however, for one simple fact: I suck at WordJong.

It's a simple game: clean interface, smooth gameplay, and a surprisingly entertaining mixture of classics Mahjong and Scrabble. The unholy union of these two titles brought about a gem of a game largely ignored by the DS-playing populace, though its relative obscurity might prove to be an advantage. It makes WordJong easier for all of you to track down, for one, but it also provides fewer people to compare my pathetic scores with. And that, my friends, is sweet.

Interested? Grab your handy dictionary and come along with this week's edition of Gaming to Go, wherein this columnist's crippling shame manifests itself in an overabundance of big words.

If you wanted a dose of Alton Brown on your Wii -- as some of you unashamedly admitted -- then know that today will be the very best Sunday you'll experience all week long. Why? Observe the superior visage above ... the thoughtful pose and noble brow. Yes, dear reader, it is he: Alton Brown. Destineer released character portraits for some of Iron Chef America's key players as part of the promotion for the upcoming Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine, and Alton Brown has his place there, along with three of the chefs.

The excitement doesn't end there, either -- if they've got a portrait in our gallery below, then they'll be fully voiced in the game, so you'll get to hear Brown calling the shots (and hear Mario Batali and others describing their dishes) when the game is released this fall.


[Via press release]

You know what gets taken for granted a lot? The morning crossword. Seriously, it seems like nobody opens up the paper anymore and sits down with their breakfast and enjoys a crossword puzzle. It seems everyone is nuts for this Sudoku thing. Well, we're trying to bring back the crossword, baby!

This week, we're unloading USA Today Crossword Challenge onto 5 lucky readers. That's right, we've got 5 copies (each valued at $20) of the game. How can you enter for a chance at one of these? Easy, leave a comment telling us the last time you sat down and did a crossword!

You can leave one comment per day and the contest will be closing on Sunday, August 17th at 11:59PM ET. The giveaway is open to folks 18 years of age or older and all entrants must be current and legal residents of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec). Before you enter, give the official rules a read by clicking here.

Best of luck to you all and, as always, thank you for reading DS Fanboy!

Bury the Shovelware is a new weekly feature in which DS Fanboy dives deep into the mounds of gaming abominations dumped upon the unsuspecting public by various developers. Like a stool sample collected from a heap of animal dung in order to learn more about its creator, we'll be dissecting, studying and testing our subjects. We will record our findings, and mark how long the title can be endured. Every Wednesday, we'll take a closer look at the proletariat of the DS's vast library.

For this first installment, I sought something that epitomizes shovelware: a game that shows too little inspiration (or too much from one blockbuster title) and/or is virtually unplayable. These attributes are all well represented in Homie Rollerz. In an attempt to feed off the momentum of the "Homies" craze (of many years ago), developer Webfoot Technologies created a racing title that aspired to capture the invigorating frenzy of Mario Kart DS, but instead leaves the user bored, frustrated, and robbed of their time. How long could I stand Homie Rollerz? Roll on to find out.

WordJong on the DS is unique among the system's puzzle games: a Scrabble-type game in which you build words onto existing stacks of letters in order to clear stages. It's even got an online mode and Achievement-like trophies. There aren't enough language-based puzzle games, and even fewer good ones.

That's why we're thrilled to see a new game listed on GameStop.com called WordJong Party. According to the listing, it'll be out October 21 for $40. If, uh, it's real, a multiplayer, scaled-up WordJong is definitely something to be excited about. Although, of course, it'll have to be particularly feature-rich to avoid the calls of "should be WiiWare" that haunt all 2D, puzzle, or shooting games.

Ubisoft has continued on its quest to make us sneer at almost everything it attempts by announcing "Play Zone," a new Wii-exclusive division focused on "party games." Hey, we hear it's what's hot nowadays! Ubisoft's first contribution to this festival of mediocrity is Sports Party or, as North American readers will know it, Digital Embryo's Summer Sports: Paradise Island, which Ubisoft has snapped up the European publishing rights to.

Says Ubisoft marketing director John Parkes: "With our new Play Zone party titles, the Wii gamers who like to spend time with friends and family will have fun with the Wii through innovative and involving mini-games." Join us in the gallery and we'll all hold each other and cry.


[Via press release]

Despite the fact that Nintendo's own Crosswords DS will no doubt outsell USA Today Crossword Challenge, due to the "Nintendo" on the front (and the Gamestop-exclusive release of USA Today), Destineer, developer Mercury Games and original engine developer Sanuk Games should feel very lucky that Nintendo released their own crossword game when they did.

It means that, in the DS crossword genre at least, Destineer can claim superiority over Nintendo. It may not have the extra modes that Crosswords DS does, but it is a much more pleasant crossword experience.

Destineer's Summer Sports: Paradise Island follows the same idea as Wii Sports: an assortment of casual sporting events to be played in multiplayer, with simple, representative motion-based controls. While it's obvious that this is where the money is on the Wii (to the point that even Game Party is a hit), Destineer smartly chose not to imitate Wii Sports outright.

Summer Sports seems to be an attempt not just to cash in on the Wii Sports phenomenon, but to serve as a companion to Nintendo's remarkably popular Wii pack-in. To that end, it features eight games that Wii Sports does not, and a surprisingly effective island theme.

Some of the minigames are total clunkers that make a compelling argument against motion controls, but some manage to deliver on the promise of Wii minigame collections: simple-to-understand controls in unique, fun games.

Destineer's bold new ad campaign says what we're all afraid to: playing croquet in the snow is pretty terrible. The latest trailers for Summer Sports: Paradise Island use a bleak, desolate winter environment (sorry if you live wherever that was filmed!) to draw a contrast between the real world, where it is sometimes cold, and the game world, where it's always a lovely time to play some badminton.

We must admit, we're a lot more enthused about fake croquet after seeing it next to real snow croquet. Two more trailers follow after the break! Let them out into the light (by watching them!)

Badminton: it's like tennis, except the racquet is smaller and the ball doesn't work. What is the deal with badminton? Who decided that a racquetball would be better with a tail?

Horseshoes is an equally bizarre game. At some point in history, someone saw a pile of metal things made to nailed to horses' hooves and thought "Hey, I bet it would be fun to throw those at a pole!" Now, specialized horseshoes are made specifically for being thrown at a pole.

Summer Sports includes both of these freaky pastimes. A video of the horseshoes game in action follows.

Remember Samurai Deeper Kyo, that anime-based game released with the Samurai Deeper Kyo DVD set earlier this year? It's a rare cart due to its limited availability with the expensive "Complete Series" collection, and it has the added allure of also providing a solid action experience, despite having been originally released in Japan back in 2002.

Well, those of you who saw the DVD set's exorbitant mark up and resigned yourself to never owning this gem might want to reconsider with Best Buy's sale price: $29.99. While that might seem like a lot to pay for a GBA game these days, that's less than half of its usual list price of $79.99! Plus, you'll also get a heap of episodes from an anime which may or may not be worth watching!

[Via GoNintendo]

We were willing to support Manhunt 2, because Rockstar Games used graphic violence as a storytelling tool. Even if it didn't turn out for the best, Manhunt 2 was artistic expression. But Summer Sports: Paradise Island is just unconscionable. Children are going to play this, and they're going to get the message from this game that it is okay to play lawn darts -- one of the deadliest activities thought up by our demented, amoral culture.

Companies like Destineer need to take some responsibility when this generation's children grow up to be remorseless lawn dart players. Talk to your children about lawn darts -- before it's too late.