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    There's no date like September 29 for The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road

    September 15, 2009 - 4:15pm

    XSEED announced the release date for the localized version of RIZ-ZOAWD, now more sensibly (but less intriguingly) titled The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road. Players will be rolling Dorothy and co. around the land of Oz with a virtual trackball starting September 29. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about that date is that it isn't Spring 2010.Beyond the Yellow Brick Road combines the Oz setting and characters with a JRPG design, resulting in something that is, well, really weird.
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    Austin GDC 2009: Gaijin Games hints at Bit.Trip: Void release date, next game

    September 15, 2009 - 3:15pm

    Following his panel about Gaijin Games' design process, we approached art director Mike Roush to try to get some more information about Bit.Trip: Void -- specifically, when we'll be able to download and play it. He wasn't entirely sure, because nobody is when it comes to downloadable Nintendo releases, but he told us, "If I were to guess, it would be mid-October. We wanted to push that release date back."Roush said that Gaijin is shooting for a simultaneous worldwide release for the Ikaruga-ish dot-absorbing game, after receiving some "flak" from impatient European fans. While we were chatting, we tried our wiliest interview techniques to try to extract some hints about the next Bit.Trip title -- which is to say we asked for hints about the next Bit. Trip title. "I will not give you a hint," Roush said. "However, it is the game we all wanted to make when we started Gaijin Games. It's the game we've been waiting for... I will give you a hint: it will be based off of an Atari game."And no, it isn't Warlords. We asked.Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Contra vs. Duck Hunt takes fowl play to a whole new level

    September 15, 2009 - 2:15pm


    When Contra 4 came out, we had the distinct displeasure of realizing not enough things in life had Contra in it. Thankfully, through the magic of internet technology, we can now check one thing off that list: Duck Hunt. YouTube user daneboe managed to combine the shoot-em-all gameplay of Contra with the duck genocide that is Duck Hunt, creating an entirely new experience. We do think that snickering dog should've gotten a taste of Bill Rizer's brand of justice, but hey, something's gotta be left for the sequel, right?Head past the break to check out the video.[Via Infendo]

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    Review: Scribblenauts

    September 15, 2009 - 1:31pm


    There's this part I love in the movie Ratatouille where a critic says, "The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends." It's something I always try to keep in mind and it's moved me to first, before we do anything else, celebrate what a staggering accomplishment Scribblenauts is. It's a game where you solve simple puzzles with almost any object you can dream up (as long as it's not libations, licensed or lascivious) and every item acts the way you'd expect: bears chase honey and dogs chase cats. It's a game where you can spend hours just messing around to see what creatures can beat God in a fight (zombies: no; vampires: yes). As a technical achievement and as a toy, it's really brilliant. Scribblenauts is a thing of wonder.

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    Fan makes Mushroom Kingdom in Left 4 Dead

    September 15, 2009 - 12:11pm


    We'd love to have a psychiatrist take a shot at this one. What kinda dude says, "You know, the Mushroom Kingdom from Super Mario 64 is all very nice and whimsical, but what I'd really like to do is murder hordes of the undead in it. Oh, and I'd call it 'Mushroom Massacre'"? We're feigning being troubled by it, but, whatever the diagnosis, we're supremely glad people like DoritoClock, who made this particularly colorful Left 4 Dead map, exist. [Via GoNintendo]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    NPD provides stats on game promotion, platform cross-ownership

    September 15, 2009 - 4:00am



    The NPD Group's steady stream of gaming industry studies continues today with a fascinating look at the game purchasing community. Here's the most surprising statistic to come from the study -- in a poll asking what methods gaming enthusiasts used to gather information about new titles, 41 percent of participants chose the "word of mouth" response. This far outweighs the ratio of gamers who draw information from advertisements, social networking sites and hands-on time with games at a friend or relatives' house.

    The other bit of information (which will likely serve as ammunition in some misguided fanboy war) is a chart showing a breakdown of gaming console cross-ownership. It goes like this: Nearly 40 percent of PS3 owners also own Wiis or Xbox 360s, 18 percent of Xbox 360 owners have PS3s, and few Wii owners also possess 360s (26 percent) or PS3s (14 percent).

    To see this information presented in a manner that doesn't resemble the makings of an SAT Prep logic puzzle, check out the NPD Group's press release.
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    VC in Brief: Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge (NES)

    September 14, 2009 - 9:35pm

    Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge (NES, 1 - 2 players, 500 Wii Points)We say: Fun, but tiringCrash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge is pretty awesome, don't get me wrong, but it can be a bit much during extended play sessions. For the 400m Hurdles, my left arm would become quite strained because your speed is dictated by how well you can spam the d-pad (admittedly, it also has to do with how well you can navigate the hurdles). Despite this and some of the more tedious activities within, Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge is still a great time. Check it out!
    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

    Review: Muramasa: The Demon Blade

    September 14, 2009 - 8:01pm

    I was honestly a bit worried about being able to review Muramasa: The Demon Blade objectively, because this game was, from the outset, completely up my alley. Making a fully 2D sidescrolling action game with lots of combo-based swordfighting and a Japanese mythological setting is like titling the game JC Will Buy This, as there is no component of that game description for which I am not a sucker. What keeps me honest? Professionalism the other side of that coin -- if the game worked I may be more likely than most to love it, sure, but if there was anything wrong with it, my disappointment would come out pretty harshly. Luckily, I don't have to worry about my personal biases getting in the way, as I'm quite certain this is a great action game.

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    Hands-on: DJ Hero

    September 14, 2009 - 7:00pm


    As anyone who's ever seen me tickle the colorful neck of a Guitar Hero guitar or keep impeccable time upon a Rock Band drum kit will attest, I've got a knack for rhythm games. I've never placed my hands on a peripheral that I wasn't immediately able to mentally deconstruct and use to its fullest rockin' potential [I'm only allowing this catastrophic failure of modesty because it's true. - Ed]. My first few minutes with the Xbox 360 version of DJ Hero, however, initially left me flummoxed. That's not to say the turntable peripheral therein is poorly designed or difficult to use. No, my inability to pick up and expertly play Activision's newest bundle of musical joy is due to the fact that for the average rhythm genre veteran, DJ Hero is a horse of an entirely different color.

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    This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Behind the scribble with Scribblenauts

    September 14, 2009 - 7:00pm


    Sure, the Nintendo Channel may have received quite the facelift today, adding a host of new features and tossing a much needed fresh coat of paint on top of it all, but the best and brightest of the new content on offer is undoubtedly the behind the scenes look at Scribblenauts. We say this because, well, everything Scribblenauts wins. Sorry, interesting and informative Dead Space Extraction video! You picked the wrong week to be new. Anywho, if you've got a Wii, check out the Nintendo Channel for a bunch of new content. Or, if you're lazy and want to know what's there before booting up the system, head past the break where we've got you covered, baby!

    Continue reading This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Behind the scribble with Scribblenauts

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