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    Indie game 'Storm' strikes XBLA, PSN, WiiWare, iPhone

    October 5, 2009 - 10:00pm


    Terence Lee, creator of Storm, joins the growing list of independent game developers lucky enough to find a publisher. His game, created specifically for an independent games competition at 2BeeGames.com, will find refuge on PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, WiiWare and iPhone next year via a new publishing deal announced by Zoo Games. We talked with Lee about the indie games scene, and what we can expect from the console version. What is Storm? How did the concept come about? Storm is a game where you use weather elements, like wind, rain, and lightning, to solve physics puzzles. I had been playing around with some physics sandbox games, like Garry's Mod, and I found that these games were all based on experimenting with mechanical interactions. I wondered if an organic style could also be fun. And what's more organic than a storm? Plus storms bring lightning and every game needs explosions.

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    Nintendo tops BusinessWeek's list of 'The World's Best Companies'

    October 5, 2009 - 6:55pm

    We like Nintendo because it frequently makes video games we like to play, on systems we like to play them on. But how do business people -- the folks who don't see companies as entities that provide products or services, so much as numbers that go up and down in their stock portfolios -- feel about Nintendo? According to BusinessWeek's list of "The World's Best Companies," pretty great! Nintendo is ranked first on the list of 40 companies with "a commitment to innovation, diversified portfolios, aggressive expansion, strong leadership, and a clear vision for the future," based on a metric involving growth rate and percentage of business done outside of the company's home region. In second and third place: Google and Apple.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Former XBLA manager gives tips on creating downloadable games

    October 5, 2009 - 6:29pm


    Do you want to listen to someone talk about video games for about an hour, but you're too impatient to wait for the next Joystiq Podcast? GamerBytes has a really interesting video you might want to check out -- especially if you're currently in the process of developing the next world-changing downloadable title for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network or WiiWare.

    Melbourne, Australia recently played host to the Digital Distribution Summit, where a number of industry figures and successful independent developers came together to discuss the future of downloadable gaming. One of the most interesting segments (and the subject of the aforementioned video) was the keynote speech delivered by former worldwide XBLA portfolio manager David Edery. To learn how to fund, pitch and create the next Braid, Trials HD or I MAED A GAM3 W1TH ZOMBIES 1N IT!!!1, check out Edery's entire speech after the jump.

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    Nintendo tackling pirates again (with the aid of consumer snitches)

    October 5, 2009 - 6:00pm


    Police officers often employ the aid of criminal informants, a kind of double agent that works behind enemy lines to get all of the dirt on the lowlifes breaking the rules. That's the new strategy for Nintendo and the 54 other companies that have again jointly filed suit in a Tokyo District Court to thwart the sale of devices used by pirates, such as the R4.

    Despite winning the initial filing, Japanese retailers still sell the R4 and other flash carts, so Nintendo and (presumably) the same 54 companies have again filed suit. This latest filing aims for damages from those reselling the devices. See, Nintendo and the participating companies sent a letter to these resellers back in February requesting that they cease selling the device, but these resellers failed to comply.

    Back to the snitching: Nintendo has opened a consumer website to report offenders and retailers hocking the devices. There, folks can fill out a web form with the appropriate information and submit it direct to Nintendo for follow-up. In exchange from Big N, you ask? You don't really expect freebies for doing the right thing, do you? Also, there's nothing.

    [Via Andriasang]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Interview: Super Monkey Ball's Yasuhito Baba

    October 5, 2009 - 3:46pm


    Who would've thought that a simple game about monkeys trapped in plastic balls would go on to become one of Sega's biggest franchises? We talked with Sega producer Yasuhito Baba at Tokyo Game Show about the upcoming Step & Roll for the Wii Balance Board, and talked about the future for the franchise. Will it include support for Natal and the PlayStation Motion Controller? Read on.

    Joystiq: How long after the Balance Board was announced did you think of making a new Monkey Ball game for it? Yasuhito Baba: So actually, as soon the Balance Board game out, we thought this would be a great match for Super Monkey Ball. But the problem is, because we can't bundle with the Balance Board, we had to wait and see how the Balance Board would do. We had to wait for it to sell and wait for there to be a market for more Balance Board games. Monkey Ball is really well suited for new devices. So pretty much whenever there's a new device or new platform, we're always thinking about if Monkey Ball would work on it or not.

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    Now Playing: October 5-11, 2009

    October 5, 2009 - 3:20pm

    Not! Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list: Last updated: Wednesday, 1:52 PM

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    This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Pokemon on TV

    October 5, 2009 - 3:17pm


    Like this week's NintendoWare Weekly update, this week's Nintendo Channel goodies are a bit on the light side. Sure, there's the launch video for Dead Space Extraction and the new Nintendo Week show, but the real prize is the new TV spot for Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. For the rest of this week's content, head past the break.

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    Epic Mickey confirmed by epic Game Informer cover

    October 5, 2009 - 2:20pm


    Considering the amount of concept art and leaked details we've heard concerning Disney Interactive Studios and Junction Point's upcoming collaboration, this might not come as a shock to you, but the cover of the next issue of Game Informer confirms the existence of Epic Mickey. Details are slim, but we now know that it'll be a Wii-exclusive action title and, based on the paintbrush grasped by the iconic rodent on the cover, we suspect it will incorporate the illustrative elements mentioned by an anonymous informant back in July. Hopefully more details will surface when Game Informer's interview with Warren Spector goes live later today. For now, revel in the fact that the title is real -- and based on the art seen on the magazine's cover (the full version of which is posted after the jump), it might just deserve its "epic" designation.

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    Nintendo announces October stops for World of Nintendo tour

    October 5, 2009 - 2:15pm

    The World of Nintendo is a lot smaller than the regular world, as the whole thing can be picked up and moved around from town to town. This is mostly due to the fact that the World of Nintendo isn't actually a world at all! It's a traveling showcase of new Nintendo games. Today, Nintendo announced the tour's next stops.If you'd like to get an early look at The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and New Super Mario Bros. Wii -- and why wouldn't you -- check out America's VideoGame Expo in Philadelphia from October 9 through 11, and NYC's Big Apple Comic-Con from October 16 through 18. In addition to those games, Nintendo will offer demos of a "selection of downloadable game titles on the WiiWare and Nintendo DSiWare services," and of recent Nintendo releases like Punch-Out!! and Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box.Does it strike anyone else as odd that Nintendo has given a name to showing new games at conventions?Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Remember self-deception with this Toshinden Wii trailer

    October 5, 2009 - 1:15pm


    For gamers who bore witness to the advent of the PlayStation, Toshinden likely brings back memories. You'll remember how you forced yourself to believe it was incredibly awesome at the time (It's like Street Fighter ... in 3D!). And you'll remember going back to the game a few years later and wondering just what you were thinking. Relive all that self-deceptive awe all over again with this trailer for Toshinden on the Wii! Check it out after the break. Question: Where the hell is Fo Fai? He was totally the best character. [Via Siliconera]

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