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    Up close and personal with Arc Rise Fantasia

    January 14, 2009 - 11:52am

    Ever since we've learned that Arc Rise Fantasia was going to break out of Japan, we've wanted to see more of the RPG, but there was a long gap and not a lot to see. Now, however, we can check out ... well, honestly, it's a bunch of poses. Sometimes the same pose against a different background. There's serious fighty business going down, though, so they're worth a look. We've gone too long without some quality time traveling the world in search of turn-based battle. Now if only we had a firm date ....

    Upcoming game ditching Friend Codes?

    January 14, 2009 - 10:58am


    We imagine going against Nintendo is a bit like going against the mob. Don't talk out against Friend Codes and you won't find your house burned down. You know, that kind of thing. And, if the latest IGN Nintendo Voice Chat Podcast is to be believed, a "major" upcoming game will be doing away with Nintendo's antiquated system.So, which game is it? Well, speculation first moved to The Conduit, but Joystiq confirmed with inside sources that it would indeed utilize Friend Codes. Which upcoming online-compatible major game could it be? Well, we're not sure, so toss us your guesses. [Via Joystiq]

    Looking at Deadly Creatures with Billy Bob Thornton

    January 14, 2009 - 10:00am

    We previously heard from Dennis Hopper on his carefully PR-vetted opinions of THQ's Deadly Creatures. Now the company has released a behind-the-scenes interview with that guy from Hearts Afire, Hopper's partner in stunt casting. "Billy Bob Thorton" (as he's introduced in this video) states that he's impressed with how the game looks, proving that yes, it is possible for Wii graphics to be impressive (to Billy Bob Thornton). He likens the interactions between the cree-ee-eepy crawlers in the game to two actors in a Western, which is actually pretty dang cool. In the clip, you can also hear Thornton's character voice for the game, for which he somehow managed to affect a more gravelly tone.After the break, two gameplay videos! After watching them, we totally agree with Mr. Bob Thornton.

    Try out Sega's Wii line-up early

    January 13, 2009 - 10:00pm


    If you're in the New York area between February 6 - 8, we are now officially jealous of you, for something other than the fact that you live in New York. Sega USA's blog informs us that House of the Dead: Overkill, Sonic and the Black Knight, MadWorld, and The Conduit will all be playable at the 2009 New York Comic-Con, which in our opinion makes the $30 fee for a Friday or Sunday ticket (or even the $40 for a Saturday pass) totally palatable. Alternatively, if you fancy being the jerk who hogs the Wii booths for a full three days, you can pony up $50 for the entire event.

    Rygar: The Nonsensical Story of Argus

    January 13, 2009 - 9:05pm

    "The kingdom of Argus where the lions of the sea live is now dominated by imperial Rome. Here is where the story begins." That explains why a shirtless guy with a giant yo-yo is fighting moving statues and the guy from Soul Reaver. Oh, no, wait, it doesn't at all.Well, even if we accept that Rome would pull out their whole arsenal of mythical creatures to oppose a single guy with anime hair, we suspect that maybe releasing a trailer highlighting the storyline -- and voice acting -- of Rygar: The Battle of Argus wasn't the best way to show the game off. At least we could have seen some sea lions, or, barring that, more of Rygar swinging his cool Diskarmor around.

    Ubisoft says Wii a 'female-driven platform'

    January 13, 2009 - 8:10pm


    Gaming is becoming more and more popular, thanks to ever-increasing sales of the DS and Wii, and that means new gamers. A large portion of these gamers are of the female variety, and Ubisoft says a lot of them are flocking to the Wii and DS. "What's driving the Wii sales is the use of Wii by women, girls and families," said Ubisoft's senior brand manager, Ann Hamilton. Hamilton says that the number of girls who game has significantly increased over the past two years, jumping from 50% in 2006 to 57% in 2008. But are they solely responsible for the Wii's success? We'd say not, but it's important to note that female gamers probably take up a notable chunk of the overall casual audience that has been so responsive to the Wii. In our experience, however, we've found that a game's ability to be fun to play overcomes all obstacles, including the huge chasm between us boys and the fair sex. [Via Endsights]

    This is not how you sell Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop

    January 13, 2009 - 7:15pm


    Okay, we know Capcom has a pretty good Wii character model for Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop's Isabella. We've seen her look perfectly okay in previous Wii screenshots. And the other characters' models, while obviously not as detailed as in the Xbox 360 version, look reasonably similar to people.
    Which is why we were so surprised to see the above screenshot of Isabella in the latest set. Capcom could have chosen to release any screenshot they liked, and they picked that one, in which her chin appears to have been airbrushed on to give the illusion that she had a neck. Even she looks disgusted with her own appearance. The worst bit is that this is probably just an awkward frame from a cutscene, and thus prerendered.The rest of the new screens are okay.

    Fragile battle montage is very Hitchcockian

    January 13, 2009 - 6:20pm

    Well, maybe not really, because there's only a brief segment at the tail end of this video for Fragile that shows several attacking birds on a sunny beach. The parts of the video leading up to that segment mainly focus on battling other creatures, such as glowing, floating jellyfish. Check it all out in the video above.

    Rock Band 2 music store up (and down)!

    January 13, 2009 - 5:11pm

    If you've got Rock Band 2, go get it and put it in your Wii! Or, rather, load up some Wii Points and then do that! A bunch of Rock Band forumites discovered that DLC is available today, and Harmonix has just made the announcement!As of now, Harmonix says that 50 songs are available on the store, including the 20 promised free tracks -- although one user reports a list of 62 songs. According to the announcement, "In the coming weeks and months we will be adding more songs from the back catalog to catch Wii users up with other systems". The tracks that aren't free cost 200 points each. Check after the break for the official list of 50 available tracks. Or just go download stuff. But be warned, you'll probably face some annoying errors and disconnections -- and even freezing systems, according to the forum -- due to the rush of downloaders. Pay tracks:

    • 30 Seconds to Mars -- The Kill
    • All-American Rejects -- Move Along
    • Avenged Sevenfold -- Afterlife
    • Black Tide -- Shockwave
    • Blink-182 -- All the Small Things
    • Blondie -- Call Me
    • Boston --More Than a Feeling
    • Boston -- Rock & Roll Band
    • Disturbed -- Inside the Fire
    • Fall Out Boy -- This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race
    • Jimmy Buffett -- Cheeseburger in Paradise
    • Lynyrd Skynyrd -- Simple Man
    • Metallica -- And Justice For All
    • Motley Crue -- Saints of Los Angeles
    • Muse -- Hysteria
    • Nine Inch Nails -- The Perfect Drug
    • Oasis-- Wonderwall
    • Papa Roach -- Time is Running Out
    • Paramore -- Crushcrushcrush
    • Red Hot Chili Peppers --Snow (( Hey Oh ))
    • Rush -- Working Man (vault edition)
    • Serj Tankian -- Beethoven's C***
    • Smashing Pumpkins --Zero
    • Stone Temple Pilots --Interstate Love Song
    • Stone Temple Pilots -- Sex Type Thing
    • The Offspring -- Hammerhead
    • The Police --Message in a Bottle
    • The Who -- Baba O'Riley
    • Weezer --Buddy Holly
    • Weezer --El Scorcho

    Free tracks

    • 88, The -- Sons & Daughters
    • Authority Zero -- No Regrets
    • Between the Buried & Me -- Prequel to the Sequel
    • Cab, The -- Bounce
    • Chevelles The, -- Get It On
    • Cocktail Slippers, The -- Give it to Me
    • Dealership -- Database Corrupted
    • Endeverafter -- I Wanna Be Your Man
    • Ghost Hounds -- Ashes to Fire
    • Hollywood Undead -- Young
    • Kutless -- The Feeling
    • Len Price 3, The -- If I Ain't Got You
    • Lesley Roy -- I'm Gone I'm Going
    • Opiate for the Masses -- Burn You Down
    • Semi-Precious Weapons -- Magnetic Baby
    • Shaimus -- Like a Fool
    • thenewno2 -- Crazy Tuesday
    • Tickle Me Pink -- The Time is Wrong
    • Underoath -- Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
    • X Japan -- I.V.

    [Thanks, Christopher and Graham!]

    Wii Music shows students how to play the dog

    January 13, 2009 - 4:29pm


    If there's one thing that's stuck with us concerning Wii Music, it's the ability to play the dog. Well, okay, there's also Stan Lee on the beat box. Now, thanks to a collaboration between Nintendo and MENC (The National Association for Music Education), such fun can be had in the classroom.Nintendo and MENC are working together with teachers in 51 cities across the United States to implement Wii Music into their lesson plans. "By partnering with educators and bringing Wii Music into their classrooms, we hope to give students a memorable, hands-on experience that helps them discover their own creative voice," said Cammie Dunaway. Executive director of MENC, John J. Mahlmann, agrees, stating "At any grade level, it's essential to provide students with the tools and encouragement they need to be creative."It's pretty cool, me must admit. Video games never were welcome in the classroom when we were younger, so we're glad that educators are seeing their potential. What's next? Physics professors mapping out the force of Mario stomping on a goomba's head?