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    Platinum Games discusses enemy AI in MadWorld

    March 3, 2009 - 1:30pm


    Bless the Platinum Games blog, as it's been a wonderful source of interesting stuff leading up to next week's release of MadWorld. Today, Hirono Sato takes over the driver's seat and talks about his role in the game: player interactions and the three different AIs governing enemies. He breaks the enemy units down to "grunt," "grunt leader," and "boss." Sato explains that the "grunts" are essentially pushovers and the challenge they present is not simply just to defeat them, but to defeat them in the most stylish way possible, for the most points possible. Sato says that in a game "where running around killing all the enemies is supposed to be fun, making them so hard that you can't kill them wouldn't be fun at all."However, for those that crave difficult combat, the "grunt leader" is always on hand to provide an ample spanking. This guy is a bit tougher to battle, so it's not as much about getting the most points possible as it is about just surviving his attacks. Then, there are the "bosses," which are pretty self-explanatory.Sato also tells us of a cool in-game item called the "Money Grubber," a briefcase stuffed with money that you throw at enemies. Once the "grunts" see it, they'll start clawing for it, and eventually fight each other over the money. While they're busy, Sato offers a few ideas, including tossing "a drum filled with gasoline their way" and even tossing the case "onto some busy train tracks." Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Here's the ExciteBox for ExciteBots: Trick Racing

    March 3, 2009 - 12:00pm

    Orange Lounge Radio found (what it identifies as) boxart and a retail game description for ExciteBots: Trick Racing, the apparent sequel to ExciteTruck, and ... well, we foresee some of our readers getting pretty angry -- like the people who expected Monster Games' next title to be an F-Zero update. While ExciteTruck may not have been the deepest racing simulation, Nintendo and developer Monster Games have gone even further in the kid-oriented/casual direction. How much further?ExciteBots is a party racing game starring animal-shaped robots, in which minigames pop up during races. "You won't believe your eyes when you find yourself shooting goals, throwing pies and even playing poker in the middle of racing robotic animals and insects around off-road tracks," the blurb says. If you were expecting something a bit more ... realistic, this is going to be DisappointBots for you. As for us, 6-player online racing combined with a party game? We're on board.GameStop reveals a few further details about the game's release: according to listings on the retailer's site, ExciteBots will be sold both in a $39.99 standalone edition and a $49.99 Wii Wheel bundle.

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    VC/WiiWare Tuesday: Rainbow Islands!

    March 3, 2009 - 11:00am

    Wow! Just a few weeks after the release of Bubble Bobble Wii, Taito just sneaked out a WiiWare version of its sequel, Rainbow Islands! As with Bubble Bobble, we knew that it was coming at some point, but we had yet to see any screens or gameplay information. Now it's out, and it appears to feature timed ascents up huge, vertical stages. Also out this week: a WiiWare version of The Game of Life.

    In other Taito news, today marks the release of the second version of Space Invaders: The Original Game on the Japanese Virtual Console. This time, the PC Engine version of the ancient shooter is being released -- at exactly the same cost as the Super Famicom/SNES version, making the decision between the two basically a matter of platform preference. Unless silly anime-girl backgrounds make a big difference, in which case it's PC Engine all the way.

    [Screens via Inside-Games]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    New Games This Month: March 2009

    March 3, 2009 - 10:00am


    Huh, well, this is a strange one. With very few (very undead) exceptions, this isn't a great month to be a gamer on the 360 or PS3. But if you're a Nintendo fan, you've got a lot to look forward to. A new Pokemon, MadWorld and the return of Ready 2 Rumble are just a few of the treats you can anticipate in March.For your convenience, we've collected all the month's big releases in one big, easy to peruse gallery. ... So, what are you waiting for? Start perusing already!
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    Pokemaniacs: grab Regigigas at Toys R Us this month

    March 2, 2009 - 9:00pm

    Toys R Us is holding another of its periodic Pokémon giveaways next week. If you're still playing Diamond and/or Pearl (or if you want to load up for Platinum), bring your DS and game to a local TRU between March 8 and March 21, and you can pick up the "Colossal Pokémon" Regigigas.If you are planning on getting Platinum, a Regigigas might be a worthwhile provision. According to the news item, having a Regigigas in your party in Platinum causes Regice, Regirock, and Registeel to appear periodically in Sinnoh. Can you really sit by while Pokémon go uncaught? See you at TRU.[Via Kotaku]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    VC in Brief: Ogre Battle (SNES)

    March 2, 2009 - 8:00pm

    Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen (SNES, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points)We say: download it!Ogre Battle is both extremely strategic and incredibly deep. It has a lot to offer fans of the genre (including endless gameplay that never ends) and, really, this is the best (and cheapest) way to get your hands on the game. We know, because we checked. On Wikipedia.
    Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks.Permalink | Email this | Comments

    This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Repeat Performance

    March 2, 2009 - 7:00pm

    If you run to the Wii today to check for new demos on the Nintendo Channel, you will face disappointment for two reasons: first, none of the available demos are new, and second, one of them is Imagine Ice Champions again. The good news: if you missed the Avalon Code demo last week, it's back! For the rest of you, it's DS charging time, we suppose.The new videos this week feature footage of the upcoming New Play Control ports of Mario Power Tennis and Pikmin, along with a new Sonic and the Black Knight video and stuff like Henry Hatsworth for DS.

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    Wii Breakfast has gone too far

    March 2, 2009 - 6:00pm


    Listen, we're all for games that take advantage of the Wii's unique properties, but we're afraid that Wii Breakfast has gone too far. As you can see in Idiots Of Ants' leaked gameplay footage after the jump, the developer has really gone peripheral crazy for its new release, which simulates everything from making toast to newspaper reading. Do we really need two Wii Sausages, guys? Really?That said, the real-time generated Wii Butter looks positively delicious.[Via GoNintendo]

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    February's Wii software usage: Smash Bros. still on top, Animal Crossing sees boost

    March 2, 2009 - 5:00pm


    MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo recently posted a breakdown of the amount of playtime users logged during the month of February for various Wii titles using statistics that are readily available on the Nintendo Channel. Most of the results are unsurprising -- the top three spots are currently occupied by Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Guitar Hero III and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, respectively. Those three titles have remained in said spots since September of last year.However, a number of games saw massive usage boosts over the past month -- most notably, the average user's monthly playtime with Animal Crossing: City Folk increased nearly seven hours, bringing the game to a fifth-place finish for February. Similarly, Call of Duty: World at War's average playtime increased over five hours, bringing it up to 13th place. Sadly, Ninjabread Man didn't place at all -- but that won't stop us from holding out hope for a strong March showing.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Everybody dance now: Space Invaders Extreme 2 trailer

    March 2, 2009 - 4:00pm

    Did Space Invaders Extreme need a sequel? As it turns out, yes, it did -- this one exactly. If you were at all into the first game, watch the latest trailer for Space Invaders Extreme 2 (after the break) and tell us that this is not something you want to play. It would be hard to call something better than the first game, but the sequel looks quite a bit more extreme. Maybe we're being influenced by the dance music, but we are pumped about Space Invaders 2 now. Not that we weren't before! The footage basically rules out an eventual announcement of a PSP version -- in the previous game, it wasn't that hard to adapt the levels to a single screen, but there's a lot more stuff happening on both screens simultaneously now, like bonus round bosses on the top screen and normal play on the bottom. It's sad for PSP SIE fans, but an interesting new gameplay development for DS owners.[Via NeoGAF]

    Continue reading Everybody dance now: Space Invaders Extreme 2 trailer

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