Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King GDC 2008 English Trailer

The debut of the new Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King

More Site Updates

Today I added a lot of my link and side bar stuff back in. I'm not sure if I like the colour scheme and the background picture because they seem to empty and green. Man, I wish i knew how to use photoshop better.

I'll keep the setup the same though. Easier to add stuff in now.

Anyone who wants to make me a pretty background graphics with lots of videogame related stuff in it, please do so. I want something cool that includes everything videogame in it.

More changes to the site

I'm updating my blog again. The last template was taken too long to load and so I'll slowly be updating my blog over the next few days.

So stick around. The site will be normal again soon.

Now you can get drunk with Mario and his friends!

Scrollbar recently hosted a Super Mario Bros. themed drinking night for the college student of IT University of Copenhagen and to add to their theme, the bartenders created a series of Mario inspired drinks. Not only did these drinks look like their counter-parts, but they taste like them too! Wait ... really? How's that a selling point?

Drinks that taste like Italian Plumbers, Mushroom Kingdom Princesses and Giant Reptiles are suppose to be a good point. Well, let's just hope that last statement from Scrollbar about the taste of the drinks is wrong. I doubt Yoshi would taste like a lime, probably more like chicken.

Check out the recipes below:

Yoshi

Fruity, tongue-pleasing cocktail

• 2 cl Sour Apple liqueur
• 1 cl Melon Bols
• 1 cl Lime juice
• 4 cl Apple juice

Directions:
Shake. Serve with ice.

Garnish:
Two lime wedges

Notes:
Loosely inspired by the 'Apple & Melon Martini'. The Yoshi was so popular that we're adding it to our normal drink list!

Princess Peach

Pink, sweet, and classy

• 2 cl Southern Comfort
• 2 cl Peach Bols
• 5 cl Cranberry juice
• 2 cl Lime juice

Directions:
Shake. Serve without ice in chilled martini glass.

Garnish:
Peach wedge and pink umbrella

Notes:
Similar to a 'Southern Peach', but the ratios are modified to bring out the pink color.

Bowser

Fiery red-yellow gradient drink... with some bite!

• 2 cl Tequila
• 1 cl Coin-treau
• 5 cl Orange juice
• 1 cl Grenadine

Directions:
Stir first three ingredients, then drop in Grenadine for the gradient effect. Serve with ice in tall glass.

Garnish:
Blood orange wedge

Notes:
Modified 'Tequila Sunrise' - the Cointreau adds a nice twist.

Goomba

Oddly satisfying

• 2 cl Baileys
• 1 cl Peach Bols
• 1 cl Amaretto
• 2 cl Bols Cacao Brown
• 2 cl Cream

Directions:
Shake. Serve with ice.

Notes:
Heavily modified 'Cream Cake' (for a deeper brown color).

Big Boo

Frighteningly delicious

• 2 cl Malibu
• 2 cl Pineapple juice
• 1 cl Lime juice
• 4 cl Milk
• 1 spoon Powdered sugar

Directions:
Shake. Serve with ice.

Shots

1-up

Because you only live twice

• 1 cl Melon Bols
• 1 cl Vodka
• 1 cl Milk
• Whipped cream
• Green frosting

Directions:
Mix first three ingredients into shot glass. Place whipped cream tuft on top, then add dots of green frosting.

Notes:
We played the 1up sound whenever someone drank one!

Little Mario and Luigi Shot

Layered red/green shot

• 1 cl Grenadine
• 1 cl Kiwi Bols

Directions:
Grenadine first. Then pour Bols - slowly! - over a bar spoon.

Notes:
The sourness of the Kiwi Bols does a decent job balancing out the sweetness of the Grenadine.

Big Mario and Luigi Shot

Layered shot... with a Vodka power-up!

• 1 cl Grenadine
• 1 cl Kiwi Bols
• 1 cl Vodka

Directions:
Grenadine first. Then pour Bols - slowly! - over a bar spoon. Vodka goes on top.

Super Mario Shot

Layered red/blue shot

• 1 cl Grenadine
• 1 cl Blue Bols
• 1 cl Tequila silver

Directions:
Grenadine first. Then pour Bols - slowly! - over a bar spoon. Tequila goes on top.

Boo Shot

Don't look the other way...

• 2 cl Malibu
• 2 cl Milk

Directions:
Shake ingredients. Pour into shot glass.

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA INTRODUCES METAL GEAR SOLID®4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS PS3 BUNDLE AVAILABLE IN LATE Q2 2008 IN NORTH AMERICA

Company Also Announces Limited-Edition God of War® PSP® Entertainment Pack and April Availability of DUALSHOCK®3 Wireless Controller for North America

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., February 26, 2008 – At its annual retail and publisher conference Destination PlayStation, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) announced details of upcoming PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) (PSP-2000) hardware bundles with two of the most highly anticipated 2008 titles. The company also announced the April 2008 availability of DUALSHOCK®3 wireless controller in North America.

To coincide with the much-anticipated North American launch of Metal Gear Solid®4: Guns of the Patriots in late Q2 2008, SCEA will introduce a PS3 bundle, which will include an 80GB PS3, the upcoming blockbuster Metal Gear Solid®4: Guns of the Patriots and a DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller for $499 CDN (MSRP).

SCEA also announced the June 2008 availability of the limited-edition God of War® PSP Entertainment Pack for $199.99 CDN (MSRP). The God of War Entertainment Pack will include a “Deep Red” PSP with God of War himself, Kratos, silk-screened on the back of the unit, a copy of the highly anticipated upcoming God of War: Chains of Olympus game for PSP, the hit comedy movie from Columbia Pictures, “Superbad™,” on UMD™ (Universal Media Disc), and a PLAYSTATION®Network voucher to download Syphon Filter®: Combat Ops from PLAYSTATION®Store. The stand-alone version of God of War: Chains of Olympus launches on March 4, 2008.

“Working closely with our retail and publishing partners and sharing our hardware and software roadmaps at Destination PlayStation gives us a great opportunity to outline some key milestones for the year. In response to incredible demand, we will be manufacturing more 80GB PS3s for North America and the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots 80GB PS3 bundle is an ideal way to offer that continued value to our consumers,” said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, SCEA. “With Blu-ray having won the format war, our stellar software line-up and a broad product portfolio, we will continue to drive the incredible momentum we’ve been generating since last fall.”
SCEA will introduce the DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller for the first time in North America in April 2008 for $54.95 CDN (MSRP). DUALSHOCK 3, which incorporates both rumble and motion sensing SIXAXIS™ technologies, maintains the award-winning design and precise, responsive features of PlayStation controllers. The added rumble feature, combined with the SIXAXIS system, enhances the gamer experience with more interactive, intuitive and immersive game play experience and will work with more than 100 current PS3 titles.

In additional news coming from Destination PlayStation, SCEA announced Metal Gear Solid®4: Guns of the Patriots will be available in North America in late Q2 2008. A Metal Gear Online “Starter Pack” will also be launched to support online game play. Gamers can select a single player experience or take the action online with up to 16 players and battle it out using the latest weapons and stealth techniques.

SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA TO UNLEASH KRATOS

Package Includes “Deep Red” Slimmer and Lighter PSP (PSP-2000) with Kratos Silkscreen,
God of War®: Chains of Olympus, Superbad on UMD Video, and Voucher to Download
Syphon Filter®: Combat Ops – All for $199.99 CDN (MSRP)

DESTINATION PLAYSTATION, SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Feb. 26, 2007 – Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced the God of War® PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) Entertainment Pack, a limited-edition offering that celebrates the debut of the best-selling God of War franchise on PSP. This special bundle will feature a limited-edition “Deep Red” PSP with the God of War himself, Kratos, silkscreened on the back of the unit; the highly anticipated God of War®: Chains of Olympus game; the hit comedy movie from Columbia Pictures, Superbad, on UMD™ (Universal Media Disc); and a PLAYSTATION®Network voucher to download
Syphon Filter®: Combat Ops from PLAYSTATION®Store for free*.

“God of War is one of the biggest PlayStation franchises, and with its portable premiere on PSP just around the corner, we wanted to offer something special that would appeal to both loyal God of War fans and non-owners who want to enjoy PSP’s multi-functionality,” said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president, product marketing, SCEA. “This bundle delivers great value, starting with the ‘Deep Red’ PSP – one of the most highly sought-after colors based on our consumer research – and the Kratos silkscreen. We’re also showcasing the diverse entertainment experience PSP offers, centered on a UMD game in God of War: Chains of Olympus that’s every bit as impressive as its console sequels, a free download of the award-winning Syphon Filter: Combat Ops, and a box office hit movie in Superbad.”

The standalone version of God of War: Chains of Olympus launches on March 4. The God of War PSP Entertainment Pack will be available for $199.99 CDN (MSRP) in June 2008 and includes the following components.

** “Deep Red” PSP system with an image of Kratos silkscreened on the back of the unit; this is the only time that this special PSP color will be offered in North America.
** God of War: Chains of Olympus, developed as a joint collaboration by Sony Computer Entertainment’s Worldwide Studios (WWS) Santa Monica Studios and the team that created Daxter™, Ready At Dawn® Studios, is a must-have for PSP owners, and retailer pre-order sales have been very strong. Developed from the outset as an original story, God of War: Chains of Olympus takes place before the events of the original
God of War, delivering yet another adventure in the dark and brutal world of Greek Mythology that fans of the franchise have come to know and love.
** Superbad UMD video – This 2007 box-office comedy hit from Columbia Pictures is a gut-busting coming-of-age comedy for a new generation.
** Syphon Filter: Combat Ops voucher – Download the PLAYSTATION Network exclusive title, Syphon Filter: Combat Ops, to your Memory Stick PRO Duo™ for free* with the included voucher. Developed by SCE’s WWS Bend Studios, this latest edition of the critically acclaimed stealth action franchise was named the 2007 PSP Multiplayer Game of the Year by IGN.com. The title is currently available for $10.99 CDN on PLAYSTATION Store (http://store.playstation.com).

Momentum for the PSP platform has soared since the fall 2007 launch of the slimmer and lighter PSP system and the introduction of new colors in the Daxter and Star Wars Battlefront® PSP Entertainment Packs. Over the holiday season, more than 1.4 million PSP systems were sold in North America, demonstrating strong consumer interest in limited-edition bundles that combine new colors and exciting content or accessories. The God of War Entertainment Pack will build on this trend, and SCEA will support the bundle with an integrated marketing campaign that ties into the God of War: Chains of Olympus software campaign. Dedicated print, online, and direct marketing, as well as public relations support and targeted promotional opportunities, will drive the God of War Entertainment Pack campaign. SCEA will continue to offer the PSP Core Pack.

Smash Oscar: Oscar/Smash Bros. mash up

This sweet video is the vision of The Action Room. They took the Oscar hopefuls and put them into a Super Smash Bros./Mortal Kombat fighting style game. I love the impressions and the ending is so wrong it's funny.

[Via The BBPS.com]

Review: Sam and Max Ep. 203: Night of the Raving Zombies

Telltale Games, GameTap
Available now for PC download

Welcome back the dog and hyperkinetic rabbity thing!

Sam and Max, once a cult PC game that seemed destined to collect dust in bargain bin shelves, has finally been resurrected with several sequels, to once again take over the world one PC at a time. The LucasArts point and click adventure game has been renewed and redone for a new generation by game company, Telltale Games and fans, old and new are loving the new incarnation of the 1993 game.

Over 11 episodes have created for the Sam and Max series and Telltale games plans to keep them coming as long as the fans continue download them. The newest episode in the series is Night of the Raving Dead and that’s raving as in rave dance as oppose to raving mad. In this episode, Sam and Max find their neighbour over run by zombies and must defeat the emo vampire master, Jurgen who behind their resurrection. Jurgen owns a dark castle turned trendy night club for zombies, which is where the raving part in the title comes from.



The humour from the original game is alive and well in this sequel and will have everyone laughing at the clever banter between characters and all the inside jokes. The original theme song is still in use, but the graphics have been updated with a new 3D cartoon look. The characters sound pretty close to the original 1993 game’s voice actors, but I was disappointed to see that the voices sometimes didn’t match the lip movements on the characters.

Load times between different scenes are a little slow and the general pausing is confusing at first, because it looks like your computer freezes. A loading icon or something would have been nice to avoid unnecessary reboots. The game controls are easy to pick up since it’s just “point and click” to move, pick up and interact with objects and people. Some puzzles come easy while others may have you running between screens for hours. You can adjust the amount of hints Max throws at you during the game though, which can help out the slow people.

With such a cheap price, and easy “purchase and download” delivery system, there is no reason why you shouldn’t download all of Season 1 & 2 of Sam and Max. You can download directly from the Telltale website or Gametap.com, or you can even pick up Season 1 in stores. Join Sam and Max, the Freelance Police today or we’ll sick Max on you. He bites … a lot.

Rating: 7 out of 10
Buy it!

Phil Harrison steps down as President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios

It was announced this morning that Phil Harrison, President of Sony will be stepping down and Kazuo Hirai will be filling his shoes as of February 29th, 2008.

Tokyo, February 25, 2008 – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that Phil Harrison, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS), will resign from Sony Computer Entertainment Group as of February 29, 2008. Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO of SCEI, will immediately assume responsibilities as president of SCE WWS, in addition to his current duties.

Prior to the launch of the original PlayStation, Phil Harrison joined Sony Electronics Publishing, Ltd. in 1992, which later evolved into Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, and since then, he has made a tremendous contribution to the company playing a strategic role in the launch of four PlayStation platforms, as well as building strong relationships with game developers and publishers throughout the world. Since his appointment to the position of president, SCE WWS, Harrison applied his considerable skill, knowledge and expertise to lead SCE Group’s first party game development as well as aggressively pursuing the development of new online entertainment experiences.

“As one of the founding members of SCE, Phil played a key role in the development and growth of the PlayStation business and our industry,” said Kazuo Hirai. “It is sad to see him departing from SCE, but I wish to express my gratitude for his many invaluable contributions and also wish Phil the very best of luck in his future endeavors.”

“The past 15 years at Sony Computer Entertainment has been the defining journey of my life so far,” said Phil Harrison. “I am grateful to all the PlayStation family for their incredible support, guidance and friendship. It has been a privilege to serve as part of the team and be inspired by them on a daily basis. I am so proud of everything PlayStation has achieved and will continue to support its future in every way I can.”

Phil will be missed. I think he was the only guy I remembered from the Sony crew too. Damn it! Now I'll have to learn how to pronounce and spell Kazuo Hirai. "Kazoo He ray? Kazo He rye"

This Week's PSN Download - Feb 22

Here is this week's PLAYSTATION Store Update:

Rock Band
Build your Rock Band library by purchasing these song game tracks.
For song credits, visit www.RockBand.com.

Why Do You Love Me - Garbage ($2.99 CDN)
Sex Type Thing - Stone Temple Pilots ($2.99 CDN)
El Scorcho - Weezer ($2.99 CDN)
File sizes: 27.6 MB - 32.1 MB

Demos

PixelJunk Monsters Demo (free)
Inspired by the popular and addictive ?tower defense? game genre,
PixelJunk Monsters is a fun and intuitive game featuring a uniquely
attractive art style. Defend your home base against threatening monsters
by building towers and casting lightning storms across the forest.
File size: 59.3 MB
ESRB Rated E

Game Videos

MLB 08 The Show Stolen Base Video (free)
There is a reason so many gaming editors and ESPN claim ?MLB 08 The Show,
the most realistic baseball game ever created.? And this is one of, if not
the best baseball video you?ve seen to date. MLB 08 The Show: Nothing Gets
You Closer.
File size: 61 MB (HD)

MLB 08 The Show Replay Vault Tutorial (free)
There is a reason so many gaming editors and ESPN claim ?MLB 08 The Show,
the most realistic baseball game ever created?. Get an inside first look
here at the new Replay Vault, one of the new features to MLB 08 The Show.
Nothing Gets You Closer.
File size: 62 MB (HD)

MLB 08 The Show Pitcher/Batter Analysis Tutorial (free)
There is a reason so many gaming editors and ESPN claim ?MLB 08 The Show,
the most realistic baseball game ever created?. Get an inside first look
here at the new Pitcher / Batter Analysis, one of the new features to MLB
08 The Show. Nothing Gets You Closer.
File size: 44 MB (HD)

Conflict: Denied Ops Overview Dev Diary 4 (free)
In this developer diary visit Pivotal Games and get the lowdown on
everything you could possibly want to know about Conflict: Denied Ops. Get
insight from the developers as they discuss the theme of the game, as well
explain all the key features such as its massive destructible environments
and co-op centered gameplay.
File size: 347 MB (HD)

Bionic Commando: Rearmed Trailer (free)
2D side-scrolling action is rearmed and dangerous in this stunning remake
of the original NES game!
File size: 146 MB (HD)

Movie and Blu-ray Disc Trailers

We Own The Night Blu-ray Disc Trailer (free)
Young nightclub manager trying to escape cop family learns that father and
brother, both high level cops, are targeting Russian mobsters at his club;
after bust, mobsters shoot brother and kill father, motivating manager to
become cop, lead battle to defeat mobsters.
File size: 119 MB (HD), 147 MB (1080)

Kung Fu Panda Teaser Trailer (free)
Enthusiastic, big and a little clumsy, Po is the biggest fan of Kung Fu
around?which doesn?t exactly come in handy while working every day in his
family?s noodle shop.
File size: 15 MB (SD), 53 MB (HD), 71 MB (1080)

PS3 Themes

Lair: Asylian Theme (free)
Customize your PS3 system with a cool Lair: Asylian theme. This theme
allows you to change up the look of your background and XMB icons.
File size: 3.46 MB

Here is this week's content release for the PLAYSTATION Store for PC.

To download these games to your PSP, navigate to http://store.playstation.com. There, you'll find descriptions of the content and directions on how to
get started.

PS one Classics
* Jet Moto 3 ($6.99 CDN)

Demos (free)
* God of War: Chains of Olympus

Maze of Fate DS Goes Gold

REDWOOD CITY, CA—January 22, 2008 -- Leading video games publisher and developer Signature Devices, Inc. (www.signaturedevices.com) (Other OTC: SDVI.PK - News) and their wholly owned video game development and publishing subsidiary Graffiti Entertainment, LLC (www.GraffitiEntertainment.com) announced today that they have gone gold with Mazes of Fate DS, an Action-packed Role Playing Game (RPG) for the Nintendo DS. Graffiti Entertainment will ship the fully 3D title into the North American market on February 26, 2008.

“Mazes of Fate DS remains an amazing and timeless piece of work. Gamers will be very pleased with the way this new version pushes the power and versatility of the Nintendo DS,” said Kenneth Hurley, CEO of both Signature Devices and Graffiti Entertainment. “Mazes of Fate DS provides an incredibly immerse 3D experience that Nintendo DS players will relish.”

“We’ve put our hearts and souls into modernizing the look and feel of Mazes of Fate DS,” said Javier Otaegui, CEO of Sabarasa Entertainment. “We’ve created a game that takes the hardware to a new level. We’ve achieved a 3D environment that looks great and is a lot of fun to play as well. Mazes of Fate DS has a powerful dramatic plot… it is a unique 3D first person RPG that combines cutting-edge 3D technology with immersive game play.”

Features that are unique to Mazes of Fate DS for NINTENDO DS:

Re-imagined quests, dungeons, characters, and 4 new player avatars, along with several quests that spread along the complete game, take advantage of the power and versatility of the Nintendo DS. The main dungeon mode will feature the 3D view on the bottom screen, allowing for direct interaction with elements -using the stylus- (opening doors, pulling levers). All game screens will accommodate use of the stylus, and the top screen will feature a bigger version of the automap.

Taking full advantage of the power of the Nintendo DS, Mazes of Fate DS is a blend of 3D environments with 2D global maps. The 3D environments feature 360 degree “free look” and movement controls. All dungeons, monsters, elements, and items are animated in 3D. Mazes of Fate DS pushes the capability of the Nintendo DS, providing a perk for those gamers looking for something special this February.

"Role Playing Games are one of the most exciting and stable genres for video games. 'Mazes of Fate' for Nintendo DS provides players a 'traditional' RPG through fifty different levels, with the unique and immersive bonus of fully 3D environments which the player can freely navigate through. There is no question that this game will provide even the most avid gamers with many hours of intriguing entertainment," said Kenneth Hurley.

Get ready gamers: 'Mazes of Fate DS' for Nintendo DS ships February 26, 2008!

Check out the screen shot gallery

Too Human Videos from GDC 2008

Sacrifice Scene from Too Human



Interactive Flashback scene - control your character even in flash backs



Outfiting your character with gear and runes.

Gamer Goodies: Games You Can Eat

This post is for all the gamers out there with lots of people to bake for. I personally would love to make tons of gamer goodies, but I would probably just get fat from eating it all myself.

From Snack or Die, a website that posts recipes for videogame themed snacks, I bring you lots of yummy treats to make for your next LAN party.

Moogle cupcakes are my favorite. Made from starburst candies, lollipops and cupcakes, these are probably the best treats on the whole site.


There's also Tom Nook cupcakes, that are so darn cute that I just wanna rent from him forever.


And also try the Portal Cake cookies or the Black Mage ice cream cones.

Wall-E Gamecube Mod: robot cuteness

Created by the Choozen over at Bit-Tech.net, this little replica Wall-E robot from the upcoming Pixar movie, Wall-E is actually made from an old Gamecube console.

"When we see the trailer to Disney Pixars upcoming animation film Wall-E we knew that this will be the theme for a new project...
because it reminds us a lot on the old Nr.5 and we just love Wall-E on the first sight....:-)

So we grabbed an old Gamecube which stands here around doing nothing and started to mod him in a Wall-E style.....

First we build a movable platform out of a child toy and a rest of Plexiglas.Then we build a cover for the Front ports and attached it to the Platform so that it can hide all ports when they are not needed. In use you just pull down the cover and plug in the joypad....

The Gamecube itself is covered with a thin layer of acrylic which we airbrushed like the original wall-e. The Arms were made out of some plastic and plexiglas tubes and rods. The arms and the hands are both moveable so that wall-e can take up various positions.

The Eyes were made out of several acrylic layers which we put together and bended a stripe of plastic around it. The mounting plate for the eyes is bended out of some metall which we attached to the backside of the cube."

[Via Bit-Tech.net]

Gears of War annouced for November 2008

I never even played Gears of War but I still think this is a pretty, darn good teaser trailer. I have a love/hate thing with Gears, much like I do Halo3. The concept is cool, the graphics are pretty, the characters are wicked cool, but I hate shooters. I love everything about Halo and Gears, except playing them. Oh, and I hate the dumb rap at the end of Gears too.

Anyway, Gears of War 2 has been announced in a new teaser trailer at GDC 2008 by Epic Games for a November 2008 release. Fans of Epic and Gears are seen crying tears of joy.

Super Mario Galaxy: the SNES version?

Who says 2D games are over? Some games would have easily translated onto the other systems. Take Super Mario Galaxy ... looks pretty darn good as a 2D game. I would have played it.

[Via TechEBlog]

Red Ring at GDC: 360 turns on its masters

How embarrassing for Microsoft! Apparently the red ring of death knows no bounds on where, when and who they pop up on, because someone discovered a red ringed Xbox 360 at GDC in the XNA area.

I guess no one is safe from the red ring, not even the Xbox 360's lord and master, Microsoft.

[Via Destructoid]

Review: Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Level 5
Available on the Nintendo DS



Nintendo seems to have produced another classic title with their newest casual gaming title, Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Meant to test you and maybe even frustrate you, the Professor is packed full of a 100+ plus mind puzzles to activate every piece of your brain as well as a wonderful storyline that will have you loving every minute of the Professor’s wit and charm.

You’ll follow Professor Layton and his assistant, Luke to the tiny town of St. Mystere where you will have to unravel the mystery surrounding the town, its inhabitants and the location of the Reinhold family fortune. At every turn, you’ll find puzzles waiting for you to solve, in order for you to find more clues to solve the many mysteries in town.

Puzzles ranged from math problems to cryptograms and, each puzzle will challenge you and possible even haunt you while you sleep. The puzzles in the game will generally be posed to you by the local village people as a test to gain the information you need to proceed. Missed puzzles will turn up in a villager’s house after each chapter, so you‘ll never lose a chance to solve them later.



The graphics and animation sequences remind me of the old Rin Tin Tin cartoons with its older European style. The music is straight out of an Agatha Christine movie on PBS and fits in with the atmosphere of the mysterious village perfectly. The cut scenes are a little blocking at times, but still look pretty good on the Nintendo DS screen.

The length of the main storyline depends on how fast you solve the puzzles, but luckily for you geniuses, completing all the puzzles in the village will unlock more puzzles and there’s also a weekly puzzle that can be downloaded via Wifi.

Professor Layton is most charming, addictive and perfect for puzzle fans and I highly recommend that anyone who loved Brain Age on the Nintendo DS, go out and buy this game. The village is waiting.

Rating: 9 out of 10
Buy It!

Sequel confirmed for Professor Layton and I jump for joy

After playing Professor Layton for three days straight, I finally finished the main storyline with 115 out of 120 puzzles solved and the gizmo finished. Of course, there's still lots to finish which I intend to do, but the best part of finishing the game was finding out that there's a sequel already in the works.

When you finish the game, there's bonus features that unlock and in those bonus features is the hidden door that needs a code from the sequel game to open. Sequel game? Nintendo is currently working on bringing the sequel, Professor Layton and the Devil box to North America in December.

This is happy news for Professor Fans who have already experience the joy that it this game and this is also a warning for slackers to get their butts in gear and play the game now, before the sequel reaches our shores.

PLAY THIS GAME ALREADY!

[Sequel information via Game|Life]

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

I'm changing my template. So if things look different right now, its just me playing around.

UPDATE: Finished. Hope everyone likes the new look. Much nice in both FireFox and IE

Amazing 2D Vision of Okami

Pixel joint user, 7even has created this really neat screen shot of what Okami could have look ed like if it was a 2D game back in the glory days of Super Nintendo. I really love this piece and may try to turn it into a couple of bead sprite pieces.

[Via The Tanooki via Pixel Joint]

G4 looking for girl gamer host: peanut gallery groans

The lovely people at G4 are looking for a new female gamer host and have decided to run a contest, instead of just auditioning like normal. G4 Gamer Girl Search is using the Got Cast Web site and their voting system to hunt down the next Olivia Munn or Morgan Webb.

Contestants must post their background information, their measurements *cough*, pictures and videos on a profile page, so people can vote for their favorite girl gamer host. The winner or winners will get to be the newest female host or hosts on one of G4's gaming shows.

I just wanna know where's the contest for the male host? Are the guys not good enough to be put through the public horse and pony show just for a job?


It's obvious that G4 isn't looking for a qualified host because if they were, they wouldn't hold a contest for gamer girls only and then make them going through a dumb voting process. I hope for the contestants' sake that this contest does result in a valid gamer host and not just another pretty face pretending to know what she's reading in the teleprompter.

Gotta give it to G4 though. They created a great marketing tool with this contest because everyone of the girls in the contest will be promoting themselves to tons of people and in turn will be promoting G4TV. Brilliant on their part.

I know I'm probably starting a flame war with my rant, but I'm really sick of these sad girl gamer contests and their attempts to appear to be anything more than a T&A showcase.

Honestly if anyone does decide to vote, vote for the Starslay3r. I think she's the only non-model/gamer in the top 5. Plus she's only like 2 votes behind the top girl. And she's the only one on that list that hasn't spammed my facebook, myspace and email inboxes with "VOTE FOR ME" messages like a friggn' rabid prom queen hopeful.

Handmade Sackboy is so cute!

OMG! I so want one of these. This real knitted Sackboy is the creation of one of the artist's mothers over at Media Molecule. She even made him a little Chinese Dragon suit to wear.


I'm really looking forward to playing Little Big Planet. Sony's finally playing to the Nintendo crowd with this one.

[Via Wonderland via Media Molecule]

SQUARE ENIX TO LAUNCH REVOLUTIONARY MODERN ACTION-RPG ON NINTENDO DS™

THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU to Hit Store Shelves on April 22, 2008

LOS ANGELES (February 14, 2008) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix™ interactive entertainment products in North America, revealed today that it will launch its highly anticipated new action-RPG, THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU™, on April 22, 2008. Coming exclusively to the Nintendo DS, the creators of FINAL FANTASY® and KINGDOM HEARTS bring a vibrant and stylish world to a new generation of gamers.

Featuring an intuitive combat system, THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU is an immersive and innovative adventure set in modern-day Tokyo. The award-winning development team of Square Enix and Jupiter brings its unique vision of the streets of Shibuya, the city’s trendiest youth culture center. Originally released in Japan as Subarashiki Kono Sekai™, the game takes major influences from Japan’s latest cultural trends including music, fashion, food and design.

John Yamamoto, president and CEO of Square Enix, Inc., stated that, “THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU is a cutting-edge, fast-paced adventure that takes full advantage of Nintendo DS functionality. Square Enix is excited to bring an RPG set in modern times and real-life locations to gamers of all ages and abilities.”

STORY

The story begins as Neku Sakuraba, an unsociable 15-year-old boy, unexpectedly wakes up in the Shibuya shopping district of Tokyo, Japan. While trying to piece together his rude awakening, he receives a strange text message warning him that he will cease to exist unless he accomplishes a certain mission. Although he barely has time to grasp what is happening to him, he commences his assigned task in the mysterious streets of Shibuya.

FEATURES

Distinctive modern art style created by a team of artists led by Tetsuya Nomura, world-renowned character designer of the upcoming FABULA NOVA CRYSTALLIS™ project which includes FINAL FANTASY XIII and FINAL FANTASY Versus XIII™

Innovative Stride-Cross Battle System allows players to control two characters simultaneously, unleashing special attacks with the stylus

Collect a vast array of custom-designed pins, each with a powerful psychic ability that can be activated with the right touch or sound command

Customize characters with Shibuya’s coolest fashions and exchange items with other players via Mingle Mode

Experience an amazing soundtrack combining a fusion of musical influences from hip-hop to rock to electronica

Battle with up to three friends in Tin Pin Slammer, an exciting and fast-paced mini-game, via local wireless connection

THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU is rated T (Teen). Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board website at www.esrb.com for more information about ratings. THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU will be available at North American retailers for the suggested retail price of $39.99 (USD).

Happy Valentines Day from The Girl Gamer

Roses are #FF0000
Violets are #0000FF
All my base are belong to you

[Card via Play Nintendo]

Saying goodbye to the Robot

I really hate to be posting this, but recent circumstances in my life have made it really hard for me to devote the time to Destructoid that it deserves and so I've decided to step down as a writer for the site.

I still plan to lurk in the community blogs and beg Dtoid for a link or two once in a while, but my plan is to focus on my own blog and my reviews for the Pulse Niagara.

I loved every moment I worked for Destructoid and appreciate the chance that Niero gave me. He will always be the best boss I've ever worked for and there will always be a place in my heart for the robot and Destructoid.

I wish the best of luck to the site and staff. Destructoid is destined for great things, but I don't think I'm good enough as a writer to be apart of that. In the beginning, Dtoid was just gamers writing about gaming, but Niero wants to make the site professional and I just don't fit that mold.

I hope to develop my writing and my status in the gaming industry in my own projects, so that maybe one day I can meet that professional level.

It's hard for me to leave after 2 years and it feels like I'm breaking up with a boyfriend. I love Dtoid and all, but we're just not right for each other anymore. Better that we break it off now and stay friends in the long run.

I hope everyone will still check out my blog, The Girl Gamer from time to time. I promise to still post stuff in the cblogs. Besides I can't cut the community out completely without leaving a big hole in my heart.

My Night at Video Games Live in Toronto

Destructoid has covered Video Games Live shows multiple times before and I know you’re probably wondering why we’re doing it again, but trust me when I say that the night surrounding the Toronto show was just too good not to share with the Dtoid community.

I started off the night by heading from St. Catharines to Mississauga to pick up my good friend, Josh . After surviving a snowball to my windshield and a taxi that almost hit me, I grabbed my friend at his apartment and we headed off to Massey Hall in Toronto.

I missed the off ramp and had to detour back around but luckily we still made the show with 5 minutes to spare. As we looked for our seats, Josh and I discovered that seat 22, row P was right next to the audio booth and seat 23, row P was right on top of the audio booth. Apparently, there was a working position attached to this ticket and Massey Hall forgot to tell me.

You’ve got to love Massey Hall and their wonderful seating charts. Last time, I bought the most expensive seats I got stuck buying two seats behind a pole, when there were still good seats left up front and this time I got a seat that didn’t exist. Luckily for the lovely people at the ticket booth, no one bought seat 21 and we just moved one seat over.

This was when I noticed the pot smell and asked Josh if he could smell it too. Apparently I asked too loud, because the guys behind us heard me and admitted it was them. I asked if they hoped the show would seem cooler if they were high and one responded with, “God I hope so.” The way he said it made me think that he didn’t want to be here and the pot was the only thing getting him through the night.

Buddy kept bumping my chair all night too, but when I turned around I realised his knees were up around his ears because he was too big for the seat and all the bumping was him trying to get comfortable. Poor stoner … I hope he suffered in his tiny seat all night.


VGL started the show with the traditional costume contest and though I felt the Dark Link costume was the best, the crowd gave the best costume award to a little tyke in a Link costume. Cute kids always win.

The show itself was just as amazing and well done as the previous show in Toronto. Tommy and Jack added a few new pieces from Civilization VI, World of WarCraft, Star Craft, Halo 3 and best of all, Final Fantasy VII & VIII. They also played Medal of Honour, Kingdom Hearts, Halo 1&2, Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, God of War and Metal Gear Solid.


Martin Leung, the video pianist also returned with the show to play music from CronoCross and CronoTrigger, Tetris and his own Final Fantasy arrangement. He also played Super Mario Bros. blind-folded, and even added the little pause and unpause sounds to the piece. Martin always amazes the crowd with his piano skills and he even scored a standing ovation.

Tommy and Jack also invited a local Toronto band called The Runaway Five to come and play some jazz versions of video game songs. They were actually quite good to listen to as they played Super Mario Bros. and another tune that escapes me.


This time around Toronto was treated to Tommy Tallarico’s guitar playing skills during the Halo arrangement and Final Fantasy VII’s One Winged Angel. I truly think he missed his calling as a rock star. I especially liked his Spiderman guitar. Very cool.

Before the Halo piece, Tommy brought out a very special guest, Michael Salvatori, who collaborated on all three Halo 3 soundtracks with Marty O‘Donnell. Michael told the audience that the chanting at the beginning of the Halo theme isn’t Tibetan Monks and is in fact Michael and 5 other people from the Halo project. He even sang us a few notes to prove it. Halo fans, I apologise if I destroyed any part of your vision of the Halo games, but the truth about the theme music had to be told. There are apology bouquets in the mail.

After the show, Josh and I stuck around for the meet and greet and somehow ended up being the end of the line. We waited maybe 45 minutes to get around to the front and while waiting we took pictures of the cosplayers, listen to DJ Mario play his guitar, and waited for someone from the Destructoid community to spot my Dtoid shirt and attack me. It didn’t happen.


I can run into my ex-boyfriend from high school at VGL but I can’t attract one Destructoid reader throughout the whole night. I’m disappointed in the Ontario Dtoid members. Next time you better recognise your only Canadian writer in public and make me feel loved.

After everything wrapped up at the show, Josh and I met Tommy and Jack over at the hotel to hang out and grab some food. We trekked two blocks over to a local Pizza Pizza on Jarvis st. and this was pretty much where the best part of the night happened.

Some drunk girl was babbling endlessly to us about the kinds of pizza there was to buy and who should order first, then we were joined by another drunk gentleman who really looked like Senator John McCain. He decided to talk to everyone in the joint and tell them all about how cool Canada was. He then babbled something offensive to the three gay guys beside us, who then responded with …. And I quote, “I’m ready to bitch slap this b*tch, because that’s what we do down in Florida. We b*tch slap people.”

Is that true, Niero?

By this point, Tommy, Jack, Josh and I were dying from laughter over the scene at the next table and that’s when the gay, black man from Florida said it. The line that led to this incredibly long post. He said, “Oh … this sh*t is funny. Most definitely blog worthy.” The four of us erupted in laughter again.

Now the Senator was joined by two other drunks and they spoke in that special drunk babble that only drunk people understand, while they ordered their pizza. The Senator paid for his pizza and as he was leaving, he thanked us nice Canadians for not shooting him and then babbled something about not sticking that big thing in him.

That’s when the gay, black guy from Florida added, “If I had a nickel for every time that I heard that.” Again we erupted in laughter.

I believe it was that moment when I realised how awesome my life is right now. If someone had told me a few years ago that I would be laughing and hanging out in a pizza place at 3am in the morning with two gaming industry icons, Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, after just attending a video game music concert that I would writing about the next day on the gaming blog, where I work for a guy who wears a giant robot mask and have the attention of thousands of reader each day, then I would have thought you nuts.

Best of all, the snowball, the taxi driver, the dumb pot smoker/non-gamer, the missing seat and the giant sized headache that had been following me since 4:00pm that day meant absolutely nothing. Perfect moments don’t happen often and I know that guy in the pizza place was right. Moments like this are truly blog worthy.

And just too damn funny not to repeat.

[Video of the Toronto Show via Dear Toronto]

Review: Devil May Cry 4

Devil May Cry 4
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Available for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3



Gamers witnessed the triumphant return of the devil hunter, Dante as Devil May Cry 4 hit stores shelves on February 5th, but they also got their first chance to test drive Capcom’s newest renegade hero, Nero and his devastating weapon, the devil bringer.

Players will spending most of their time playing as Nero but don’t worry die-hard DMC fans, because Dante is available as a playable character in later missions. Nero doesn’t control much different than Dante with similar moves and the option of a gun to use, and the lack of a sword is made up quite well by the new Devil bringer weapon that allows you to grab your enemies and bash them into the ground.

DMC fans may remember Capcom’s last addition to the series as being incredible hard, but they won’t be tossing their controllers across the room in anger this time as DMC 4 is challenging enough to hold our attention, but not frustrating enough to end up in the discount bin at Blockbuster.



The graphics are absolutely spectacular on the Xbox 360 and probably even better on the PS3 version. The cut scenes will captivate players with its wonderful direction and moving imagery. I haven’t seen such a great opening scene that pulled you emotionally in so many directions since the death of Aeris. The love story between Nero and Kyrie, and the struggle between Dante and Nero will keep you glued to your consoles.

The controls are smooth and easy to pick up, and the different moves will have you more than just impressed with their style and power. Nero’s in game chatter is a bit repetitive as were the enemy types, which got annoying real quick and I’m disappointed that developers didn’t add more diversity to each.

After the disaster that was, Devil May Cry 3, I am happy to say that this definitely a worthwhile buy for action fans. Capcom has reclaimed the glory of the Devil May Cry series and I hope everyone will add this game to their shopping list this month.

Rating: 8 out of 10
Buy It!

Dragon Quest Swords has new release date

Get ready to kill some slime earlier than expected, Dragon Quest fans!

SquareEnix has officially moved the release date the upcoming Dragon Quest title, Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors to February 19, 2008. The game was original slated for release on February 26, 2008, but I guess the people at Square are just as excited as us for the game's release, so they moved it up.

I personally loved the last two Dragon Quest titles and can't wait to pick up my copy this month.

Another appearance on CHCH TV: Straight Talk

Guess CHCH TV loves me, because in less than a week since my last appearance they invited me back to appear on another show called Straight Talk with Connie Smith. Straight Talk covers the hot topics in the news and in this show, Connie was diving into the wonderful of the Wii.

Covering the panel of experts this time around was President of Silicon Knights, Dennis Dyack, Endocrinologist, Dr. Mira Luther and myself as the professional videogame blogger. I was there to demonstrate the Wii and show Connie how to play it. I was the official booth babe, I guess.

Everyone pardon my rambling, but it's hard not to sound like a weirdo when you're trying to explain to a room of professionals that your boss is a robot. Heck, I don't even think Dennis Dyack even knew what Destructoid was. I know someone who's getting a bad review in the future ...

I apologize for all the videos but the segment is 30 minutes, and we had to break them up into 5 parts. Note that in part four, there's a promotional video for Silicon Knights and Too Human that I believe no one has seen on the Internet yet.

Part One - Introduction

Part 2 - Rambling about robots and blogging

Part 3 - The next generation of videogames with rabbids. DAHHHHHH!

Part 4 - Sneak Peek at Too Human

Part 5 - Teaching Connie how to play the Wii

Wonderland's Alice had a beautiful baby girl!!!

The creator of Wonderland, one of my favorite geek blogs, just had a bouncing baby girl yesterday. Poesy was born 9lbs, 6oz and already has a wicked cool goth blanket.

Jump over to Wonderland to send Alice and her baby lots of love.

Review: Endless Ocean

Endless Ocean
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Arika
Available for the Nintendo Wii

Endless Ocean, the newest game or should I say, educational simulator because this title plays more like an interactive encyclopaedia then an actual videogame. Sure, there are missions to complete in the game, but there is no real challenge to the missions as your character doesn’t have to worry about losing them at all. You can’t die or run out of time, so there’s really no challenge to the missions.

In EO, you play the role of a driver who gets to explore the underwater world in a fictional sea. While exploring these underwater depths, you can learn about the different aquatic life by touching and feeding them. Each interaction with an animal results in receiving facts about them and their addition to your sea life encyclopaedia and even your aquarium later in the game.



Missions come over emails from your research foundation and generally have you mapping out dive areas, guiding other divers underwater and looking for buried treasure. You will even be able to train dolphins to perform tricks in a neat mini game and then have them travel with you during dive sessions.

The graphics and the music is the only really reason this game is amazing though. For a Wii game, the graphics are pretty in-depth and will have you exploring every little nook and cranny to see what else there is to see. The music is a little cheesy at first but the main song, Prayer and the other tracks actually adds to the relaxing atmosphere of the ocean You can even add your own music from an SD card, but you can only play one song at a time.

If you’re a fan of sea life, then I highly recommend this game because ocean lovers can easily get lost in the endless underwater world, but anyone hoping to actually find an challenge in Endless Ocean should run screaming in the opposite direction, because this game will have you bored to tears.

Rating: 5 out of 10
Rent it, if you like dolphins a lot

Day One: Diving into World of Warcraft

I finally got a computer capable of running World of Warcraft and so today I dusted off the game case that has been sitting on my computer desk shelf for the past year. My friend, Josh gave it to me but I couldn't play it till now.

So far I've spent an hour installing this darn game; half an hour to install the 4 disc game and another half hour to download 6% of the patch update. I'm guessing it is taking so long because 2 years of patches requires a lot of downloading time.

Sucks to be me.

I'll post more about my WoW experience once this update downloads and I can actually purchase my account. I hope I can actually do that too. Being that my friend use this game before me, I hope I can still use this copy to start a new account.