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    Joyswag: Pikmin (New Play Control Edition)

    April 16, 2009 - 4:00pm


    Are you ready for another Joyswag? Too bad, we're doing it anyway! Up for grabs this week is the New Play Control Wii version of Pikmin. Check out the rules below and get your entry on!

    • Leave a comment telling us how many Pikmin you think have perished in aid of Captain Olimar (your guess is as good as ours)
    • You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec)
    • Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day
    • This entry period ends at 2:59 pm ET on Wednesday, April 22
    • At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive the "New Play Control!" version of Pikmin ($30)
    • For a list of complete rules, click here

    Best of luck to you all and thanks for reading!Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Joyswag: Rock and Roll edition

    April 16, 2009 - 4:00pm


    Get it? You can totally rock faces in Metal Slug 7, and when you need to calm down from all of those explosions and dead soldiers, you can roll in style in Peggle Dual Shot. One lucky reader (that could be you!) will walk away with a copy of each of these games, so let's get to the fine print:

    • Leave a comment telling us whether you're a rocker or a roller (there's no "right" answer)
    • You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec)
    • Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day
    • This entry period ends at 2:59 pm ET on Wednesday, April 22
    • At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive Metal Slug 7 ($30) and Peggle DS ($30)
    • For a list of complete rules, click here

    Best of luck to you all and thanks for reading!Permalink | Email this | Comments

    The Conduit channeled into retail on June 23

    April 16, 2009 - 3:25pm


    Representatives for High Voltage Software and Sega have informed Joystiq that The Conduit will reach retail on June 23. There was some confusion this morning about The Conduit's development status, following a Eurogamer story indicating that Sega had "pushed ambitious Wii first-person shooter The Conduit back from spring to summer." This is technically accurate -- The Conduit was originally scheduled to release June 9 (spring), but will now release June 23, two days after summer begins. High Voltage Software's Eric Nofsinger assured us that the game's development hadn't slipped at all, but that pushing the "Nintendo networking beyond its usual transfer of data and taking full use of the WiiSpeak" is "good for the game and gamer," even if it lengthens the time taken for testing and approval.
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    Analyst: Poor Wii Music, Animal Crossing sales stamina to blame for downturn

    April 16, 2009 - 2:00pm


    Wii sales have been the lowest they've ever been in Japan. Is the Japanese public losing interest? Screen Digest analyst Ed Barton told GameBizBlog that the Wii sales downturn is mostly due to the lack of staying power exhibited by Animal Crossing: City Folk and Wii Music.Barton says that the continued success of Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii only back up his claim. "These are older games that obviously have shown tremendous stamina, but Nintendo always needs to bring out new ways to drive console sales forward, and we just didn't see that with Wii Music and City Folk." Even though both titles sold decently enough (Animal Crossing was one of the region's top 10 selling games in 2008 and Wii Music debuted with 92,000 units sold in its first week), they lacked the necessary sales stamina of Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii.He says that there isn't much hope on the horizon either, despite the imminent release of Monster Hunter 3 on Wii. He warns that trying to transfer the user base from handheld to home console is risky and that the gamble may not pay off for Nintendo. Barton is of the mind that "it won't have the same level of success that it had on the PSP."Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    The Beatles: Rock Band priced in Europe, UK

    April 16, 2009 - 1:00pm


    MTV Games this morning revealed pricing for the European and UK iterations of its upcoming Beatles-based rhythm game extravaganza, The Beatles: Rock Band. Aside from the already announced $250 US release, the "limited edition premium bundle" arrives in the EU at €199 and £179 in the UK. The release makes no mention of the rumored multiple microphone support (for harmonizing, naturally) but remains steadfast that the bundle will come with "additional special content." Maybe that special content is the unreleased Beatles material included with the game? We'll just have to wait until September 9th to find out. In the meantime, take a gander at the uber-classy box art below in the gallery.
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    Morgan Webb plays Punch-Out!! with Jimmy Fallon

    April 16, 2009 - 12:30pm


    Wow, writing that headline was as close as we've ever come to being Perez Hilton. What an odd moment. Oh, but anyway, G4's Morgan Webb was on Jimmy Fallon's show last night and she brought along the new Wii version of Punch-Out!!.So now, just a paragraph after feeling like Perez Hilton, we're going to tell you that if you check after the break, you can watch Jimmy Fallon fighting King Hippo as Morgan Webb, Ice-T and Elmo look on. ... This is turning out to be a really weird Thursday.

    Continue reading Morgan Webb plays Punch-Out!! with Jimmy Fallon

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    Cute new X-ray machines for hospitals to peek at you

    April 16, 2009 - 12:00pm

    A Japanese company called Shimadzu has unveiled a new mobile X-ray machine designed to help reduce the anxiety level of hospitalized children -- by showing them Pokemans. The self-contained X-ray cart, available to Japanese hospitals on the 17th, features a Pokémon Diamond and Pearl theme, with pictures of smiling Pokemon all over it, as well as precious Pokeball wheels. On a more practical note, the mobile nature of the device allows X-rays to be taken of kids who can't be moved to a dedicated X-ray room.We kind of want to say something about the commercialization of even hospital equipment, and the use of hospitals as ad space, but kids love Pokémon, especially in Japan, and we suspect that seeing this contraption could induce a moment of genuine happiness. [Via Famitsu]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    GameStop CEO: PS3, Wii could drop price, 'key' Nintendo title coming this year

    April 16, 2009 - 10:25am

    For once, someone at GameStop wants customers to be able to pay less. Of course, the items CEO Dan DeMatteo thinks are overpriced happen to be consoles, which don't have much of a retail markup -- so dropping the price on them would only give consumers more to spend on stuff with bigger markups.The console most in need of a cut, according to CNBC's interview with DeMatteo? The PlayStation 3. "That price point is clearly an issue in this economy," DeMatteo said of the $399 PS3 price. And DeMatteo would prefer a $100 cut over a $50 cut when it does happen (which CNBC thinks will obviously be this E3). "I don't know that $50 gets you that much," DeMatteo said.The executive also sees the possibility for a Wii price drop as soon as demand drops. "I think [demand for] the Wii could slow down to the extent that Nintendo may want to cut the price," he says. "Nintendo has it within its arsenal to do that. The component costs have come down considerably. They used to break even on the Wii, but now they're making a considerable margin."If DeMatteo's prediction of a "key" Nintendo game out this year is true (and if it turns out to be a Wii game), the demand may stay steady. The CEO told CNBC, "They haven't given us any insight, but they have told us to reserve [shelf] space." Both CNBC and IGN speculate that it could be a new Wii Zelda. What about the Zelda game that we already know is coming out? Nintendo already told us about one. And it's coming out on a console with better sales than the Wii. Doesn't that count?
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    Sega to give away beautiful Let's Tap artwork from Yuji Naka

    April 15, 2009 - 9:15pm

    Today, both Sega of America and Sega of Europe posted amazing Let's Tap artwork they received from Prope's Yuji Naka. Each branch received five pictures of the Tap Runner avatars, apparently hand-drawn by Naka. He even drew the logo on each one! The US office also got copies of the Let's Tap soundtrack and Tap Runner figurines. Neither office has decided how it will give away the amazing swag yet, but we will let you know when they do. Right after we enter. In other Let's Tap news, the European release, like the Japanese release, will include two big boxes -- as a "Limited Edition." We've contacted Sega of America about the stateside packaging. We need boxes!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Finally, some details on FFCC: Crystal Bearers

    April 15, 2009 - 8:15pm


    The latest issue of Famitsu has a pretty extensive preview for the upcoming Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers, a game that we've only recently seen in action. There's no denying it: Crystal Bearers doesn't look like your average Final Fantasy game, let alone your average Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles game. That's because we now know it's set in a uniquely futuristic world that has traded in swords for guns. It's a world where magic has been forgotten and where the Yukes have fought a long, vicious war with the Lilties and lost (as in, like, every Yuke). The Lilties are still around, though, and now use the crystals to help people. Enter Layle, the person who has been all over the trailers and art for the game (and in the image above this very post!). As a Crystal Bearer of the Clavat race, he has some unique abilities that allow him to manipulate gravity (not everyone forgot magic, we suppose). The story of the game revolves around him and his run-in with one of the supposedly extinct Yukes.We won't go into the story any more than that in case you're trying to remain pure, but know that the game plans to use the Wiimote in some interesting ways. Since Layle can manipulate gravity, he can do a variety of different things to the environment around him and the objects in it. He can grab demons and toss them at other demons, kind of like a basic attack (though the Famitsu article says Layle will have different options depending on the demon he grabs). If he tries to grab something heavy or stationary (the example given is a ceiling lamp), then it will send him flying toward that object like he's using a grappling hook.If you want to read IGN's summary of the Famitsu piece, then go ahead and give this a click. For those of you that want to look at the pictures, a scan has found its way online here. Oh, and in case you were wondering why it's taken so long to get details on the game, know that it's due to Square Enix not even having started development on it when it announced the title. Smooth move, Square Enix!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments