Amazon’s next gaming deal as the site counts down to Black Friday is all about the music. If you’ve been waiting for prices to drop on some of Activision’s music rhythm games including Band Hero, Guitar Hero 5 or DJ Hero, Amazon is the place you want to go.

Starting November 21, 2009, until 11:59 p.m. Pacific time next Thursday (November 27, 2009) Amazon is offering a $40 store credit when you purchase either DJ Hero, Band Hero, Band Hero Super Bundle or Guitar Hero 5 at regular price.

Two business days after your order ships you will receive an e-mail confirming the $40 credit has been applied to your Amazon account.

Note that you must purchase the bundles from Amazon and not an Amazon Marketplace store in order to qualify for this offer.

Each game is available for PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii consoles.

Purchase [Amazon]

Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

The January 2010 issue of Japanese gaming magazine B’s Log is sure to bring big smiles to fans of Konami’s popular dating simulation game Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side (TMGS).

Gracing the cover of this month’s current issue was one of the new characters coupled with the official title of the new addition scheduled for a tentative 2010 release on the Nintendo DS.

Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 3rd Story takes place seven years after the events of the first TMGS game at Habataki Gakuen. This new chapter in the series promises new locations, gameplay, delectable date-ables (of course) and even a new main character sporting a new hairstyle and school uniform. The main character will still have a sidekick who serves as a barometer for your crushes’ affection as well as important statistics, but no additional details have been released yet.

So far, only 3 character have been introduced: Ruka Sakurai, Arashi Fujiyama, and Tamao Konno.

Here are some stats and a short description for each of these fine young men:

Ruka Sakurai

• Birthdate: July 7
• Astrological Sign: Cancer
• Blood Type: O
• Height: 178cm
• Weight: 64kg

A first year high school student at Habataki Gakuen, he has a friendly atmosphere which has won him popularity among the girls of the school. However, sometimes, he’s also capable of having a sharp tongue. He often seems aloof and sometimes wears an expression of loneliness.

Arashi Fujiyama

• Birthdate: September 8
• Astrological Sign: Virgo
• Blood Type: AB
• Height: 177cm
• Weight: 70kg

Arashi is a first year student at Habataki Gakuen and described as an honest and good young Japanese who whenever he has free time, can be found practicing Judo. When you speak with him, you can’t help but feel fresh and lively.

Tamao Konno

• Birthdate: January 19
• Astrological Sign: Sagittarius
• Blood Type: O
• Height: 181cm
• Weight: 65kg

Tamao is the younger brother of Tamami Konno (one of the main character’s rivals/friends from the first TMGS), and is the bookworm of the bunch. Unlike the main character, he’s a second year high school student and is also the student council president. He’s described as a reliable person who’s peaceful smile rarely ever fades.

Site [Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side] Read [Gamertell] And [Gamertell]

Full Story » | Written by Janine Dong for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

This week’s first downloadable feature is actually an application and not a game. AdHoc Party is available free at the PlayStation Network store as an application that will allow PlayStation Portable owners to play their PSP games online through their PlayStation 3. A program that was released in Japan last year that connects the PSP to the internet using the PlayStation Network instead of standing within close range of another player just to challenge them. You can now connect to them in much the same way you connect to multi-player games on your PS3. How does this program work? Check out this introduction video by Sony:

The next downloadable feature is Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines for $39.99 for the PSP. Follow Altair from the holy land into Cyprus trailing the Templar’s to their newest conquest and assassinate them. A direct sequel to the original Assassin’s Creed and a prequel to Assassin’s Creed II, in fact players who own Assassin’s Creed II can connect the PSP to their PS3 to unlock and transfer health and weapon upgrades from the PS3 game to the PSP game to aid in your missions. Check out Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines:

Price Drops

• Uno (PS3/Now $7.99)

Here is what else is new:

Downloadable Games

• Echoes (PSP/$2.99)
• D-CUBE Planet (PSP/$3.99)
• Circles (PSP/$3.99)
• PSOne Classic: Resident Evil 2 (PS3/$5.99)
• PSOne Classic: Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PS3/$5.99)
• Peggle (PS3/$9.99)

Free Demos:

• Smash Cars Demo (PS3/Free)
• PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe Demo (PSP/Free)
• LittleBigPlanet PSP Demo (PSP/Free)
• Promethus Demo (PSP/Free)

Bonus Game Content:

• Way of the Samurai 3 Accessories (PS3/Free)
• High Velocity Bowling: Techno Modern Ball Pack (PS3/99 cents)
• High Velocity Bowling: Psychedelic 60’s Ball Pack (PS3/99 cents)
• PAIN: Flavor Flav (PS3/$1.99)
• Peggle Nights (PS3/$4.99)

Guitar Hero 5 Pack:

• KISS Track Pack (PS3/$5.49)
Individual Tracks:
• “Lick It Up” by KISS (PS3/$1.99)
• “Modern Day Delilah” by KISS (PS3/$1.99)
• “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” by KISS (PS3/$1.99)

Rock Band Pack:

• AFI Pack 01 (PS3/$8.49)
Individual Tracks:
• “Beautiful Thieves” by AFI (PS3/$1.99)
• “End Transmission” by AFI (PS3/$1.99)
• “Love Like Winter” by AFI (PS3/$1.99)
• “Medicate” by AFI (PS3/$1.99)
• “The Leaving Song, Pt 2″ by AFI (PS3/$1.99)

Individual Song Tracks

• “Walk Like An Egyptian” by The Bangles (PS3/$1.99)

Rock Band Unplugged bonus content:

• “California Über Alles” by Dead Kennedys (PSP/$1.99)
• “You’re No Rock ‘n’ Roll Fun” by Sleater-Kinney (PSP/$1.99)

The Beatles Rock Band Pack:

• Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Album) (PS3/$13.49)
Individual Tracks:
• “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” by The Beatles (PS3/$1.99)
• “Within You Without You” by The Beatles (PS3/$1.99)
• “When I’m Sixty-Four” by The Beatles (PS3/$1.99)
• “She’s Leaving Home” by The Beatles (PS3/$1.99)
• “Lovely Rita” by The Beatles (PS3/$1.99)
• “Fixing A Hole” by The Beatles (PS3/$1.99)
• “Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!” by The Beatles (PS3/$1.99)
• “A Day In The Life” by The Beatles (PS3/$1.99)

Free Game Videos:

• Pulse 11/19 Edition (PS3/Free)
• Pain: Flavor Flav Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Launch Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves 15 sec Accolade TV Spot (PS3/Free)
• FIFA Soccer 10: Director’s Cut Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Madden NFL Arcade Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Flag Runner Trailer (PS3/Free)
• NBA 2K10 TV Commercial (PS3/Free)
• Assassin’s Creed II Arsenal Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Assassin’s Creed II TGS Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Assassin’s Creed II Dev Diary 3 (PS3/Free)
• Assassin’s Creed II GP Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Critter Crunch “Feeding Time” Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Army Of Two: 40th Day Extraction Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Peggle Trailer (PS3/Free)

Wallpapers and Themes:

• Peggle Theme (PS3/Free)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Wallpaper (x5) (PS3/Free)
• Topatoi Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• Peggle Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• DJ Max Fever Wallpaper (x4) (PSP/Free)
• Armored Core 3 Wallpaper (x2) (PSP/Free)
• Armored Core 3 Portable Theme (PSP/Free)
• Celtic Maidens PSP Theme 3 (PSP/$1.49)
• Celtic Maidens PSP Theme 4 (PSP/$1.49)
• Celtic Maidens 2 Premium Plus Theme (PS3/$1.99)

Read [PlayStation Store Blog] Site [PlayStation]

Full Story » | Written by Lucy Newman for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Before Sony first threw down against Microsoft, before Nintendo first battled Sega, there was Mattel Electronics vs. Atari.

I was firmly entrenched in Intellivision’s corner and, when INTV Corp. went down swinging in 1991, I went down with them.

Content to play games on my Mac, I didn’t get seriously involved in console gaming again until the release of the Wii, which seemed as fresh and exciting upon its release as the Intellivision did in the late ‘70s.

But a group of Intellivision game developers (known as the Blue Sky Rangers) has kept the heart of the system beating. Its members still make appearances at gaming conventions, in documentaries, and even at health conventions, and they’re actively working with the games that helped to launch an industry longer than 30 years ago.

I recently spoke with Keith Robinson at Intellivision Lives about this group of developers and the state of the gaming industry, then and now.

Gamertell: Intellivision was the first to create (or at least popularize) many genres that are staples today: the city building sim with Utopia, the first-person shooter with Treasures of Tarmin, the drafting system in sports games in Slam Dunk: Super Pro Basketball. Any of these could’ve become franchises if Mattel Electronics had weathered the storm. Was there ever talk of moving these games to other systems as Nintendo and Sega started their rise at the end of the ‘80s?

Keith Robinson: In July 1983 as all the video game companies started posting losses, Mattel Electronics revamped its management team and focus. From then on, games would be “all flavors,” that is, for all platforms. If you look at our commercial for BurgerTime on YouTube, for example, you’ll see at the end it is advertised as available for Intellivision, Atari 2600, Apple II, IBM PC and Aquarius (the Mattel Electronics computer). We had games in development for all of these platforms (plus ColecoVision and were looking at Commodore 64) at the end of 1983. So had Mattel Electronics continued, I’m sure we would have developed for Nintendo and Sega as those consoles came out.

Mattel Electronics was closed in January 1984 and its assets sold in February. The company that rose from its ashes, INTV Corp., initially focused exclusively on supporting the 3 million Intellivision owners out there. As the Nintendo came out and grew in popularity, Intellivision sales shrank and it became obvious that for INTV to survive, it would have to start developing for the Nintendo. In 1988, INTV developed Monster Truck Rally for both Intellivision and Nintendo. This was planned to be the future model for INTV—develop games for both platforms—but it was too late. INTV didn’t have the money to distribute Monster Truck Rally, so they sold the Nintendo version to another distributor, who made INTV change the name of the Intellivision version to Stadium Mud Buggies, otherwise it’s the same game.

Stadium Mud Buggies came out for Christmas 1989. INTV filed for bankruptcy protection in 1990 and closed its doors in 1991.

Gamertell: And that was a shame. I remember getting the catalogs in the mail, and seeing all these great new games in the works, and then they suddenly quit coming. What do you think would have been more fun, Grand Theft Auto on the Intellivision or Night Stalkers on the PlayStation 3?

Robinson: As funny as Grand Theft Auto on Intellivision is, I’d have to opt for Night Stalker on PS3. We did have an advantage in designing for Intellivision in that the graphics and sound were so limited, you had to spend your time on gameplay—making the game fun. So much of the time and budget today goes into creating an immersive cinematic experience, the gameplay itself is sometimes given short shrift. But if you had game designers given free reign like we were to create something fun with the technology available today—simple, addictive games but with limitless space and graphics potential—that’d be awesome.

Gamertell: I imagine it was easier to get free reign back then when there was a smaller up-front investment and there were maybe only one or two people on a project, as opposed to teams of dozens for today’s games. Even with the licensed games, you developed TRON Solar Sailer on your own. Was that all you, or was Disney looking over you shoulder all the while?

Robinson: Disney never looked at any of the TRON games before they were released, and possibly after. I was responsible for the entire Solar Sailer game and the graphics. A number of others helped out, threw in ideas, worked on optimizing the code, etc., but ultimately I was responsible and no one from Disney or Mattel was looking over my shoulder. Some of the licensors did take more of an interest; the Dungeon & Dragons people did review the games before putting the D&D trademark on them and Mattel Toys, our sister company, was very persnickety about the Masters of the Universe game, particularly the colors used in the Castle Grayskull graphic. But I don’t recall anyone from Disney taking any interest in the Solar Sailer game.

The marketing of the Intellivision games, aside from the sports titles which were “the closest thing to the real thing,” was to have games “like” the big hits. Lock ‘N’ Chase is like Pac-Man. Vectron is like Tempest. Buzz Bombers is like Centipede. As long as marketing could broadly show that our games were like the hit games, they didn’t worry about the details. And when it came to TRON or the Hanna Barbera games, they just used the licenses to sell them, not the game play.

[To learn where we’ll next be playing Intellivision games, head over to the Appletell half of the interview.]

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Haven’t caught all of the Gamertell news this week?  Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!

• Black Friday 2009: Meijer sale ad has been leaked
  “Meijer’s 2009 Black Friday ad is now online and it’s pretty good in terms of game deals. Specifically, there isn’t much, but the doorbusters are quite impressive if you don’t already own a console or handheld system. I mean,…” MORE »
• Black Friday 2009: Walmart’s video game sale items revealed
  “The ad that perhaps every Black Friday 2009 shopper has been waiting for has been leaked onto the internet. Walmart’s 2009 Black Friday ad has been scanned in and is ready for your critical perusal. From what I’ve…” MORE »
• Black Friday 2009: Toys R Us video game sales
  “Next up for leaked Black Friday 2009 ads, Toys R Us! Yes, the ad is out and, if you’re going to be buying toys this holiday season, you’ll find some deals that will make you very…” MORE »
• Toys R Us sale going on November 20-21, 2009
  “Just checked my mailbox and lo and behold, there’s a new Toys R Us sales flier. The latest sale runs from Friday, November 20, 2009 until Saturday, November 21, 2009. It looks like Toys R Us is…” MORE »
• NASA hoping to recruit new talent with Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond
  “In an effort to attract new and younger talent to its ranks, NASA has come up with a new strategy: Using video games to give people a chance to get a glimpse of outer space.  NASA believes that there are…” MORE »
• Advertorial: Binverse, the next evolution In downloads
  “Experience what it’s like to download at unlimited speeds from a massive collection of over 800 Terabytes of user uploads. You’ll max out your Internet connection downloading a file in minutes that would take hours using other technologies.  Binverse utilizes 256-bit…” MORE »
• Xbox Live update includes new features, Facebook and Twitter account access
  “This Tuesday (November 17, 2009) Microsoft unleashed a new update for it’s Xbox 360 system.  The new update includes the ability to use a bigger screen, a clearer picture and accessibility from the comfort of your living…” MORE »
• Deal of the Day: Buy a PSPgo via Amazon, get $50 PlayStation Network credit
  “So you were thinking about buying a PSPgo but couldn’t quite swallow the $250 it costs to own one? That’s well understood these days and we could use an uplifting deal every now and then. Amazon has…” MORE »
• Black Friday 2009: Toys R Us holds pre-Black Friday game sales, allows layaway for consoles and more
  “It’s a hectic time of year for consumers. There are pre-Black Friday sales. Thanksgiving Day sales, Black Friday sales and post-Black Friday sales. Thankfully, you’ll get a brief break for a few weeks in December, before the after Christmas and…” MORE »
• Konami selling its iPhone, iPod Touch games for 99 cents each
  “Black Friday deals are always exciting to look at and fantasize about. Getting up and bearing the weather and crowds is a whole new can of worms though. For now lets take the digital approach…” MORE »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Most of the movies made from video game adaptations up to date have been less than stellar productions (thanks Uwe Boll), to say the least.

From Street Fighterto Doom , every one has strayed far from the original material and ended up a mess. Only the Resident Evil franchise has barely escaped that destiny - thanks to Milla Jovovich’s hotness - but, in general, video game movies have been epic failures.

Now there is some light shining on video game fans with the news that Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B Entertainment, is making its debut on games-to-film adaptations with Capcom’s upcoming action title Dark Void. Plan B has secured the movie rights for the game and there is even some speculation that Brad Pitt might star in it.

Dark Void tells the story of a pilot named William Grey who encounters trouble on a flight and ends up crashing in the Bermuda Triangle. After wakeing he realizes he is stranded in a parallel world inhabited by aliens with plans to take over the Earth. With alien technology and the help of other humans trapped in this world William tries to stop the aliens and escape.

Plan B Entertainment is behind movies including Troy, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and The Departed. Also, Brad Pitt is a serious and successful actor and I doubt he would agree to putting out a mediocre movie so I think we are safe to expect a good adaptation on this one.

Dark Void will be released on January 2010 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. It is rated “Teen” for animated blood and violence by the ESRB.

Read [Movieweb] Also read [IGN]

Full Story » | Written by Christian Morlotte for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

There isn’t a day that goes by that doesn’t find someone trying to draw a link between video game violence and real world criminal behavior.

But where it is usually Grand Theft Auto, or some similarly violent game sparking the controversy, this time MMO World of Warcraft has been tied to a school shooting attempt.

The TimesOnline reports that a 13-year-old male student in France apparently planned to shoot his teachers for giving him poor grades.

The potential tragedy was averted when his parents noticed he had left early for school and posted a blog that said November 17, 2009, would be “the last day of his life.” The parents alerted police and, when the child reached Catholic private secondary school Saint Esprit College, police had already blocked the front gate. The boy panicked and dumped his father’s shotgun and 25 cartridges into a nearby field.

His father later found him at an Internet cafe. Under as much scrutiny as the case itself is the news coverage, with nearly every media outlet that covered the story playing up the news that the boy enjoyed playing WOW, with TimesOnline referring to it as a “violent online game.”

WOW‘s fantasy setting is legendary for sucking up hours upon hours of players’ time but lumping it in the same category as GTA seems a bit of a stretch. Rather than wonder what effect the game may have had, here’s a better question: How does a 13-year-old boy manage to wake up, go get his father’s shotgun and ammo, then head off to school with them as easily as he might pack a sack lunch?

Read [Times Online] Also Read [The Mirror UK]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

The Black Friday ad for Gamestop has been leaked and it has some pretty nice deals.

It’s disappointing that some of the Nintendo DS games including Mario Kart DS and New Super Mario Bros. are still selling for $35. Since that’s how much those games usually sell for, why would they even be present in a black Friday circular?

Odd advertising aside, there are still some specials worth checking out. For example you could buy a 120GB PS3 Slim with LittleBigPlanet GOTY Edition and God of War Collection for $299. If the Xbox 360 is more your flavor Gamestop is selling a Xbox 360 Elite with Pure, Lego Batman and a choice between Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Spider-Man: Web of Shadows for $299.

Many other popular games such as Guitar Hero 5, Left 4 Dead 2, Tekken 6 and Batman: Arkham Asylum have been discounted to $39.99. Other recently released games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin’s Creed 2 retain their $60 price tag. At least Gamestop guarantees those games will be in stock.

Doorbuster deals are good from 6 a.m. to 11a.m. on November 27, 2007. The other items on sale should be good while supplies last.

Here’s a list of the most noteworthy items:

Door Busters

• 120GB PS3 Slim w/ LittleBigPlanet GOTY and God of War Collection - $299.99
• Xbox 360 Elite w/ Pure, Lego Batman, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or Spider-Man: Web of Shadows - $299.99
• Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3, 360) - $39.99
• Call of Duty: World at War (PS3, 360) - $39.99
• Dead Space Extraction (Wii) - $19.99
• Wii Sports Resort with extra Wii MotionPlus - $49.99

PS3

• Tekken 6 -$39.99 (1 day only)
• Prototype - $29.99
• Guitar Hero 5 (game only) - $39.99
• Borderlands - $49.99 (3 days only)
• GTA IV - $19.99 (3 days only)

Nintendo

• Metallica Blue Nintendo DSi Bundle w/ Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini’s March Again, WarioWare Snapped, Dr. Mario Express, Mario Clock and Mario Calculator - $169.99
• White Nintendo DSi w/ Clubhouse Games Express Card Classics, Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, Brain Age Express: Sodoku, Brain Age Express: Math, and Photo Clock - $169.99
• Wii/DSi 2GB SD Memory Card - $7.49
• Wii/DSi 4GB SDHC Memory Card - $14.99

Xbox 360

• Tekken 6 - $39.99 (1 day only)
• The Beatles: Rock Band - $49.99
• Left 4 Dead 2 - $39.99
• Need for Speed Shift - $39.99
• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood - $19.99
• Prototype - $29.99
• Borderlands - $49.99
• Guitar Hero 5 - $39.99 (game only)
• Halo 3: ODST - $39.99
• Forza Motorsport 3 - $39.99

PC

• Left 4 Dead 2 - $29.99
• Guild Wars Trilogy - $24.99

Read [Black Friday Ads] Also Read [Gamertell]

Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: DC-IE Import Enabler for Dreamcast
Price: $19.99
Rating: 10/10
Manufacturer: Two Thumbs Technologies
Pros: Well made. Includes list of import Dreamcast games. Works.
Cons: Box is DVD size, not CD size like other Dreamcast games. Hard to find.
Overall: If you don’t want to, or can’t, make your own boot disk, it is a great alternative. No website.

Moments after purchasing my Dreamcast at Goodwill, I began plotting which games I would import first. The Dreamcast had an adequate number of games released in North America, but there were more Japanese and European releases that were begging to be played.

Unfortunately, none of the boot disk programs seemed to work for me. I purchased 700mb, CD-Rs, tried burning a Utopia disk but found it was a futile endeavor. Even though my Dreamcast was one of the kinds that could read boot disks, I couldn’t get ones I made to work.

Thankfully, I happened upon the Dreamcast DC-IE Import Enabler at a local game store. $19.99 later, I was the proud owner of an unofficial boot disk that would hopefully work.

An orange and white disk in an oversized orange and white box.

The DC-IE packaging is very clear and straightforward. It proclaims that the user can turn a U.S. Dreamcast to a region-free console with the single disk. The back of the case offers a partial list of import games that could be played, and the inside cover provides an even longer list of games that you can play now that you own the disk. It’s pretty comprehensive, mentioning obscure titles like Dancing Blade, Sakura Kinamoto Haagumi Mail and Sentimental Graffiti 2. Surprisingly, it doesn’t mention Shenmue 2.

The insert on the left side provides clear instructions. Put the DC-IE when the system is off, turn the system on, remove the disk when the onscreen instructions say to do so, insert the game you want to play and finally press start. The only downside is the molding that holds the CD in place makes it difficult to read the line of instructions that says to remove the DC-IE and replace it with the game you wish to play, but since those instructions appear on the screen when you have it in your Dreamcast, it isn’t a big issue.

The only downside to the packaging is the size. While normal Dreamcast games are in cases that are the same size as a standard CD case, the DC-IE comes in case the size of a DVD box. It’s awkward when it comes to storage.

Pop it in, pop it out, pop in the import game.

I had three Japanese Dreamcast games to test with the DC-IE, Samba de Amigo, Princess Maker Collection and For Symphony: With All One’s Heart. I reasoned that if it worked three times with these three Japanese games, then I would know for sure if the DC-IE was a good product. The copies of Samba de Amigo and Princess Maker Collection were used, and the copy of For Symphony was new.

I decided to try Samba de Amigo first, since I had bought it from a game store and seen that it had worked on the system there. I popped in the DC-IE, and after a moment the DC-IE screen popped, stating that the DC-IE disk was in my Dreamcast and that I should pop it out and replace it with the import game. I did so and pressed start. Samba de Amigo immediately booted up and I had no trouble playing.

I did the same thing for both Princess Maker Collection and For Symphony. My Dreamcast had no problem booting the games, as long as I first used the DC-IE.

A great way to expand your Dreamcast’s horizon’s - provided you can find it.

The Dreamcast DC-IE Import Enabler is just a great product. It does exactly what it promises, and allows your Dreamcast to play games from other regions without any fuss or invasive system modding. The packaging may be a bit large and it can be difficult to find, but other than that it’s definitely worth picking up. Especially if you’ve had problems trying to burn your own boot disk.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Importables recommends import DS games in its first 2009 gift guide.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last weekImportant Importables provided an overview of the Shin Megami Tensei series.

Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Left 4 Dead is a series that can live on for years through downloadable content. Killing zombies with friends is fun no matter where the setting happens to be. Left 4 Dead 2 has only been out for a hot second and our brows are already raising in curiosity after looking at a teaser site for Midnight Riders.

This could be a hint of upcoming downloadable content or we could just be getting our hopes up. However we do have good reason to believe our crazy ideas.

Midnight Riders is the name of a band in Left 4 Dead 2. In the episode “Dark Carnival” the survivors fight off a relentless horde of zombies on a concert stage for Midnight Riders.

The teaser site has the four band members posing in classic L4D fashion complete with watercolor style animation. Midnight Rider is also an achievement you get after completing that campaign.

The final indication is the words “Coming Soon” printed on the bottom of the page.

It also doesn’t hurt to point out there are four band members pictured and Left 4 Dead always has four survivors.

It may be a rumor but our crystal ball is looking pretty shiny right now.

Site [Midnight Riders] Read [Brave New Gamer]

Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Could the United States’ next General Patton be a 13-year-old currently playing Halo 3:ODST?

That is not as far fetched as it may seem, according to Washington Examiner columnist Peter W. Singer.

Singer notes United States Army officials’ testimony in Congress that video games including America’s Army are more effective than “any other method of contact” at recruiting potential soldiers. A 2008 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Study found that 30 percent of Americans aged 16-24 had a more positive impression of the Army because of that particular game.

Not only that, Singer found officers willing to testify that gamers make very useful young soldiers, particularly in the piloting of remote drone vehicles. An Air Force colonel called skilled gamers “naturals” at the task that often requires years of training. As a caveat though, that same colonel said gamers didn’t understand the consequences of war as well as regular recruits.

“The video game generation is worse at distorting the reality of it [war] from the virtual nature. They don’t have that sense of what’s really going on. It (video games) teaches you how to compartmentalize it ( the reality of war).”

America’s Army makes no real effort to disguise its goal as a recruitment tool and that has drawn the ire of people that are worried the government is brainwashing youngsters. In May 2009, seven protesters were arrested at a Philadelphia mall that boasts a video game equipped recruitment center.

Read [Washington Examiner] Also Read [Game Politics]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has done exceedingly well despite some bouts with controversy. That controversy probably helped boost its sales to higher levels than originally projected. A game such as this doesn’t sell 4 million copies without drawing some fire from unhappy organizations or countries

It was reported by GotPS3, and translated by Hellforge that MW2 was banned in Russia because of the infamous “No Russian” mission. The Russian government allegedly wanted that level to be taken out of the game and will relaunch it in one month.

Contrary to this report Activision released a statement to VG247 which reads, “Reports that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been banned in Russia are erroneous. Activision only released a PC version of the game in Russia which went on sale on Tuesday, Nov. 10.”

Console versions of MW2 allow players to skip “No Russian” altogether when starting the campaign. There also isn’t a penalty to achievements if you choose to not take part in that stage. Infinity Ward also released a patch for the PC version of MW2 that eliminates this mission from the game.

Perhaps banning isn’t the correct word to use which is why Activision denies the claim. Let’s call it a temporary hiatus.

Read [VG247] Also Read [Hellforge]

Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

A couple of days ago I was playing the solo campaign of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and I got to the much discussed “No Russian” mission. (Do yourself a favor and go get a copy of Modern Warfare 2.)

The mission puts the player in the shoes of a special forces operative who is working undercover in a Russian terrorist group. The terrorists arrive at an airport and proceed to shoot everybody in sight and then make their way out while cutting down the police. During the mission, the player can control this operative and in fact contribute to the massacre.

I had heard about this before the game launched and I was interested in this mission. I thought they were just making too much noise about it but then my opinion changed when I played through it.

I was amazed at how the game actually makes you get involved and how your feelings affect the way you play. I just couldn’t bring myself to shoot at the people. I just couldn’t, especially after seeing one of the victims crawl to safety for the first time. I thought that I would probably fail the mission if I didn’t fire so I just shot over the people, at the monitors and the vending machines. I even did a Terminator 2 on the police outside and only shot at their legs.

I think there is no penalty for shooting innocents, or for refusing to shoot them for that matter, but what caught my interest was the fact that the player’s feelings are involved. By making the player part of the scene it conveys a stronger message than just making it a cutscene. The fact that you actually hesitate, even if it’s just for a couple of seconds, and decide whether to shoot the people or not makes it a great device to get the player involved.

The developers were obviously looking for a strong reaction with this level. We have all seen the “bad guy” in a movie or game pull off some horrible plan where hundreds of innocents die. When you’re just an spectator, you’re totally detached from the situation and it kind of lessens the blow but it’s definitely tougher when you have to push the button or pull the trigger.

Games are always praised for good stories and plots, situations that provoke emotions in people. Infinity Ward took a gamble by portraying this kind of situation but I think it is a powerful tool to immerse the audience into a story. All forms of entertainment evolve over time and video games, as such, must evolve as well, not just in terms of graphics and animations but with their stories and the situations portrayed in them. I think developers should focus on this kind of interaction with the players. Stories should strive to make the players feel and get invested in the game.

For people who keep on looking at video games as toys, these situations will always arise some controversy but I think it’s an important step forward for games as entertainment.

Congratulations to Infinity Ward and keep it coming. This is what games need to move forward and I’m sure more gamers will appreciate it.

Read [Gamertell] Read [Destructoid] Also read [IGN]  Site [Infinity Ward]

Image Credit: Achievement image from Technology Ninja

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Last week, Famitsu revealed that the next issue would reveal new information on the Lufia series of games, called Estpolis in Japan. This week, as promised, the November 19, 2009 issue of Famitsu revealed pretty much everything you’d need to know about Square Enix’s Estpolis: The Lands Cursed by the Gods.

First of all, it’s a DS game. So much for thoughts of an epic console RPG. It’ll be out February 25, 2010 in Japan, but a North American release hasn’t been confirmed or denied yet. Neverland, who created most of the original Lufia games and is well known for the recent Rune Factory series, is once again the developer, as Famitsu hinted at in its original article. Neverland is also making it an action RPG this time around, so it’ll be more like the Legend of Zelda or Ys games. Previous entries in the series were all turn-based. There’s also going to be some voice acting added in as well. I’m thinking that’ll be handled like it was in Final Fantasy IV DS, only appearing at pivotal moments.

1Up is also the first to report that Estpolis: The Lands Cursed by the Gods is a reimagining of the SNES game Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals. Good choice, as that was probably one of the strongest and best entries in the series. I wonder if that means the woman appearing in the Famitsu scan on the right is Selan?

A North American release hasn’t been announced yet, but I’m pretty sure we’ll see it. Every other Lufia game has been translated, localized and brought to North America so far. Let’s just be patient and see what Square Enix announces at E3 2010.

Image Source: Wii @ Everyday.

Read [NeoGAF] Via [GoNintendo] Also Read [1Up] Also Read [Wii @ Everyday] Also Read [Aussie-Nintendo] Also Read [Siliconera] Also Read [Gamertell]

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• Facebook:
Almost everyone in the world is on Facebook; Now you can access it from your 360 console. Update your status, leave messages for your friends, play games and upload pictures, just like you would on your computer. You can also compare your Xbox Live and Facebook friends lists to see which of your friends are on Xbox Live .


• Zune:
Listen to music and watch videos right from your 360 with instant-on HD in 1080p and 5.1 channel surround sound. You don’t even have to wait for buffering or downloading, the video or song is there as quickly as a button push. You can also share your music with up to six friends through Avatar integration and voice chat.


• Twitter:
Along with telling people what you are doing every second of the day, you can also view friend profiles, trends and conversations, and search to see if anyone is tweeting about your favorite game.


• Last.fm:
This feature allows you to listen to your own personal radio station right on your 360. You can skip, ban, or love a song is it seems fit; create your perfect mix. There are even now “gamer stations” with game related and styled music, picked just for the gaming community.

Full Story » | Written by Jessica Moen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

The speculation about where the digital versions of Total Nonstop Action wrestling superstars will ply their trade for the next few years has ended in a surprise.

Not known for fighting or wrestling games for that matter, SouthPeak Interactive has purchased the rights to make TNA games.

A financial report revealed SouthPeak got the TNA assets in Midway’s bankruptcy sale and even has a game on the 2010 calendar: TNA iMPACT: Cross the Line for PSP/PSpgo and Nintendo DS.

Much speculation circled around Electronic Arts, a company with experience making games on the now defunct World Championship Wrestling license. But little known SouthPeak picking up the TNA rights is as shocking as when Andre The Giant turned on Hulk Hogan.

There is no word yet on a direct sequel to 2008 million-seller TNA iMPACT. I’m sure it’s coming though, as sequels to million-selling games get green lit pretty quickly. Hopefully these will be some good games, as THQ’s Smackdown vs. Raw series has been unchallenged for a while.

Read [Destructoid] Also Read [Wrestlezone]

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New Spaces and Places

Guitar Hero 5 VIP Room

For those fans of the Guitar Hero 5 franchise who have been testing the red ropes to the VIP room since this space first opened back in April 2009. The ropes have dropped and those who fill out a registration form are treated to a VIP lounge. Step inside this huge lounge to receive a free virtual t-shirt and then walk or run over to the bass drum area for a virtual guitar for your personal space.

HOME Theater

Full Metal Alchemist—This week at the Home space theater anime fans can enjoy a full second season episode of Full Metal Alchemist now until November 19, 2009. Just look for the sign above the door to find which room is playing this film. Those who enjoyed the film can find it at the PlayStation Network Store in the video section for more episodes.

Final Fantasy XIII—Also this week, an exclusive never-seen before look at the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII introducing new characters and giving players a glimpse of the game play and the shear awesomeness of all things Final Fantasy.

Steven Segal Lawman—Check out this sneak peek of A&E’s new reality series and receive a free virtual item this Wednesday. This new series features Steven Seagal joining Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in New Orleans taking his fans along for the ride through training and patrolling the streets as an actual law enforcement officer assisting the department with enforcing the law and keeping the streets of New Orleans safe in his new reality series on A&E December 2, 2009 at 10 p.m. Pacific Time or 9 p.m. Central Time.

Changes

This week players may notice a few changes at the mall this week. For example the paintings are no longer being sold at the mall and furniture designed for specific apartments are now being sold in the real estate store as bundles. For some reason or another those who won the Alcove from the Siren Ward of Despair game, the item is still missing from the inventory. I’m not sure how much longer it will take before the item is returned to the inventory list but Sony encourages HOME users to report any personal items still missing from your inventory in the PlayStation forums under Home technical support.

Shopping Mall

This week at the mall look out for the Assassin’s Creed II Live by the Creed bundle at Threads and help celebrate the game’s release this week. This week the stores have individual categories and bundle sections, unless listed next to the item in (parenthesis) all items are available for male and female avatars.

Real Estate Store located on the first and second floor of the mall

Pirate Galleon Apartment
For those who purchased the pirate outfit during the Pirates vs Ninja event last year, brush it off and get ready to set sail as you command your own pirate galleon in this new apartment space by nDreams for $5.99 at the Real Estate Store located in the Home Shopping Mall. This new space features a dock overlooking a peaceful cove, a musical tiki bar and a giant pirate galleon equipped with a cannon to blast away any enemy sailing too close. The mini-game pits players against an armada of galleons slowly sailing closer to your hide out and as they draw near they will launch bomber boats that can blast your ship away if you’re not quick enough to take them out first. You only have five lives so aim quick and time it just right to sink the ships. Don’t forget to blast the ghost ship for extra points. Prizes include furniture for your tiki bar and a lovable parrot. Check out the Pirate Galleon. (Please note the parrot doesn’t really snore or squawk, this is just a presentation by nDreams.):

Threads - located on the first floor of the mall.

The Original V-Shirt Section

• Fashion Pirate T-Shirt cost 79 cents (Female Only)
• Crazy Sexy Disco Party T-Shirt cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Goldie Chain T-Shirt cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Make Scores Not Wars T-Shirt cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Tux T-Shirt cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Virtually Skint T-Shirt cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Demon T-Shirt cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Bored Giraffe T-Shirt by Teetonic cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Robot Invasion T-Shirt by Teetonic cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Fatal Attraction T-Shirt by Teetonic cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Night Owl T-Shirt by Teetonic cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Scissors vs Rock vs Paper T-Shirt by Teetonic cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Crazy World, 1972 T-Shirt by Worn Free cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Maalaea T-Shirt by Worn Free cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Skull, 1972 T-Shirt by Worn Free cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Come Together, 1969 T-Shirt by Worn Free cost 79 cents (Female Only)
• This Is Not Here, Oct 6th 1971 T-Shirt by Worn Free cost 79 cents (Female Only)
• Texas Arcade Massacre T-Shirt by Joystick Junkies cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Big Al’s T-Shirt by Joystick Junkies cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Pirate Skull T-Shirt by Joystick Junkies cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Monkey Madness T-Shirt by Joystick Junkies cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Cheap Ninja Costume T-Shirt by 8Ball cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• FBI Logo T-Shirt by 8Ball cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Let’s hug it out T-Shirt by 8Ball cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Wingman T-Shirt by 8Ball cost 79 cents (Male Only)
• Island Records Logo T-Shirt by Island Records in choice of black or white cost 99 cents each
• Indiscriminate T-Shirt by Billabong in choice of White or Blue cost 99 cents each (Male Only)
• Gravity T-Shirt by Billabong in choice of Black or Blue cost 99 cents each (Male Only)
• Idolize T-Shirt by Billabong cost 99 cents (Male Only)
• Symphony T-Shirt by Billabong cost 99 cents (Male Only)
• Stutter T-Shirt by Billabong cost 99 cents (Male Only)
• Rogue T-Shirt by Billabong cost 99 cents (Male Only)
• Joyner T-Shirt by Billabong cost 99 cents (Female Only)
• Wo’Mang T-Shirt by Billabong cost 99 cents (Female Only)
• Hey, Hey, Hey T-Shirt by Billabong cost 99 cents (Female Only)
• Bermuda, December 1980 T-Shirt by Worn Free cost 99 cents (Male Only)
• This Is Not Here, Oct 6th 1971 T-Shirt by Worn Free cost 99 cents (Male Only)
• Yoko Ono, 1980 T-Shirt by Worn Free cost 99 cents (Female Only)
• Indian, 1967 T-Shirt by Worn Free cost 99 cents

Assassin’s Creed II Section

• Assassin’s Creed II Promotion Bundle cost $2.99
Individual Items:
• Assassin’s Creed II Logo Wrist Band cost 49 cents
• Animus Logo T-Shirt cost 79 cents
• Assassin’s Creed II Logo T-Shirt cost 79 cents
• Animus Logo Hat cost 79 cents
• Assassin’s Creed II Logo hat cost 79 cents
• Assassin’s Creed II Ezio Hoodie cost 99 cents

Where’s Waldo Section

• Wenda Costume Bundle cost $7.49 (Female Only)
Individual Items Include:
• Wenda’s Glasses, Hat and Shoes cost $1.49 each
• Wenda’s Shirt and Skirt cost $2.99 each
• Waldo Costume Bundle costs $8.49 (Male Only)
Individual Items Include:
• Waldo’s Cane, Glasses, Hat and Shoes cost $1.49 each
• Waldo’s Shirt and Pants cost $2.99 each
• Odlaw Costume Bundle costs $8.49 (Male Only)
Individual Items Include:
• Odlaw’s Mustache, Glasses, Hat and Shoes cost $1.49 each
• Odlaw’s Shirt and Pants cost $2.99 each

Threads Headgear Section

• Bucket Hats in choice of Black, Brown, Grey or White cost 49 cents each
• Camo Bucket Hat cost 49 cents (Male Only)
• Bucket Hats in choice of Khaki, White Floral, Red Floral or Blue Flora cost 49 cents each (Female Only)
• Headband Headset cost 49 cents (Male Only)
• Big Afro cost 99 cents (Male Only)
• Tribal Cornrow cost 99 cents (Male Only)
• Wrap-around Headband in choice of Pink or Blue cost 99 cents each (Female Only)
• Side Pony-Tail cost 99 cents (Female Only)

Threads Hands Section

• Ring with Crystal Star in choice of Gold or Silver cost 25 cents (Male Only)
• Red Glitter Fingernails cost 25 cents (Female Only)
• Bangle with Ring in choice of Gold or Silver cost 49 cents each (Female Only)
• White Digital Watch cost 49 cents (Male Only)

Threads Top Section

• Peace Necklace with Tie-dye T-Shirt cost 49 cents
• Nerdy Neckwear cost 49 cents
• Zebra Print Dress Top cost 49 cents (Female Only)*
• Dot Print Dress Top cost 49 cents (Female Only)*
• Dress Shirt in choice of Brown with Brown Shaded Stripe, Black with Grey Shaded Stripe or Black with Lilac Shaded Stripe cost 49 cents each (Male Only)
• Rugby Top in choice of Pink and Grey, Black and Green, Brown and Grey or Red and Blue cost 49 cents each (Female Only)
• Turtleneck Long-Sleeved Shirt in choice of Black, Pink or Yellow cost 49 cents each (Female Only)
• Cyber Goth Top cost 49 cents (Male Only)
• Hoodie Top in choice of Green, Black, White, Navy, Pale Blue, Pink, Jungle Camo or Urban Camo cost 49 cents each (Male Only)
• 70’s Suit Jacket in choice of White or Black cost 99 cents each (Male Only)
• MDRXB700 T-Shirt with Headband Headphones around neck in choice of White, Yellow, Blue or Pink cost 99 cents each (Male Only)
• 70s Style Dress in choice of Pink or Blue cost 99 cents each (Female Only)

Threads Bottoms Section

• 70’s Suit Trousers in choice of Black or White cost 49 cents each (Male Only)
• White Hot Pants with choice of blue or pink tights cost 49 cents each (Female Only)
• Zebra Print Dress Skirt cost 49 cents (Female Only)*
• Dot Print Dress Skirt cost 49 cents (Female Only)*
• Chinos with Crown Buckle in choice of Beige or White cost 49 cents each (Male Only)
• 3/4-Length Trousers in choice of Khaki and Cream or Blue cost 49 cents each
• 3/4-Length Trousers in choice of Blue and Orange or White cost 49 cents each (Male Only)
• 3/4-Length Trousers in choice of Blue and Yellow, Pink and Red, Blue and Cream or Cream cost 49 cents each (Female Only)

Threads Feet Section

• Leather Sneakers in choice of White or Red cost 25 cents each (Male Only)
• Short Boots in choice of Black or Red cost 25 cents each (Female Only)
• Enamel Shoes in choice of White or Black cost 49 cents each (Male Only)
• White Knee-high Boots cost 99 cents (Female Only)

Threads Jewelry Section

• Small Silver Hoop Earrings cost 25 cents (Female Only)
• White Pearl Earrings cost 49 cents (Female Only)

Threads Accessories Section

• 70s-Style Sunglasses cost 49 cents (Female Only)
• Wide-Framed Sunglasses in choice of Pink or Blue cost 99 cents each (Female Only)
• B Sunglasses in choice of Red or Green cost 99 cents each (Male Only)

*Threads Dress Section

• Zebra Print Dress Bundle cost 99 cents (Female Only)
• Dot Print Dress Bundle cost 99 cents (Female Only)

Furniture Store - located on first floor of Mall

Burn Zombie Burn Section

• Character Statues in choice of Bruce, Daisy, Zombie or Zombie Rusher cost $2.99 each

Table Section

• Deco Table cost 99 cents

Ornament Section

• Human Plush cost 49 cents
• Stuffed Hamster cost 49 cents
• Gun Case Bundle cost $1.49
Individual Items Include:
• LRm-5960 Rifle cost 49 cents
• TxRm-20 Handgun cost 49 cents
• Revolver-6 cost 49 cents
• PsT-50 Pistol cost 49 cents
• Weapon Racks Bundle cost $2.49
Individual Items Include:
• Modern Bow Rack cost 49 cents
• Colonial Gun Rack cost 49 cents
• Contemporary Military Gun Rack cost 49 cents
• Pirate Sword Rack cost 49 cents
• Medieval Sword Rack cost 49 cents
• Future Gun Rack cost 49 cents
• Muk Yan Jong cost 99 cents

Light Section

• Stained Glass Lamp cost 99 cents
• Summer House Light cost 99 cents

Sofa Section

• Deco Bed cost $1.49

Site [PlayStation Blog] Site [A&E:Steven Seagal Lawman ]

Image Source: A&E Official Steven Seagal Lawman Site

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The holiday shopping season is drawing near as people are preparing to pick up Christmas and Hanukkah gifts for the 2009 holiday season. This year tons of fantastic DS games were released, and it may be difficult to pick out the perfect one for your favorite DS owner.

For Gamertell’s 2009 DS game gift guide, there are 30 DS games released in 2009 that could make fantastic holiday gifts. To make your search easier, Gamertell’s DS gift guide has been sorted by ESRB rating. Just go to the section that is appropriate for the age of person you’re shopping for, and hopefully you’ll find some good DS gift ideas. If Gamertell’s reviewed the game, click the game’s title to read and see what we thought about it.

Let’s take a look at some great DS game gift suggestions:

ESRB Rating: “Everyone”

Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled
Genre: RPG
Price: $19.99
Release Date:
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Mild Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes.
Target Audience: Chrono Trigger and classic RPG fans. Old school gamers.
Description: Kairu is the only man in Bel Lenora with no magic. The last person in Bel Lenora with no magic was a general who wreaked havoc. He also has a mysterious black mark on his hand. After he is banished from Bel Lenora to the outside world, he and his friends journey to perhaps help him find magic and save the world.

Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop
Genre: Casual / Action
Price: $29.99
Release Date: October 20, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Alcohol Reference
Target Audience: People who enjoy casual games, people who enjoy cooking and fans of the Cooking Mama series.
Description: Help Mama cook once again! This time a shopping mini-game has been added and there are 80 new recipes included.

Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands
Genre: Simulation / RPG
Price: $29.99
Release Date: November 10, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Comic Mischief and Use of Alcohol
Target Audience: Men and women, probably over the age of 10, who enjoy simulation games, play Farmville or Farm Town on Facebook and are patient.
Description: You play as a young man or woman who has come to the Sunshine Islands to start life as a farmer. You can tend to crops, raise animals and explore mines to make money. You can also befriend townspeople and local animals, and even raise a family. Oh, and you may want to collect the Sun Stones to restore the Sunshine Islands that have sunk into the ocean.
Note: If the person you’re thinking of buying this for already has Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness, ask them if they’d like Sunshine Islands before buying it as a gift. They’re practically the same game.

Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
Genre: Action / Puzzle
Price: $19.99
Release Date: March 17, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Cartoon Violence
Target Audience: Fans of side-scrolling action games casual match-3 puzzle games.
Description: Henry Hatsworth is searching for treasure, and ends up on a massive adventure. When enemies are defeated in the side scrolling adventure, they fall to the bottom screen match-3 puzzle. Eliminating them in the match-3 puzzle powers up Henry. It’s a quirky combination that works.

Lego Rock Band
Genre: Music
Price: $29.99
Release Date: November 3, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Comic Mischief and Mild Lyrics
Target Audience: Anyone who likes portable music games.
Description: A DS music game that doesn’t require any peripherals, so DS lite and DSi owners alike can play. It’s essentially Rock Band, only with Lego characters, no peripherals and a more family friendly set list that includes rock songs and top-40 hits.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
Genre: RPG
Price: $34.99
Release Date: September 14, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Comic Mischief and Mild Cartoon Violence
Target Audience: Super Mario fans who want to play a funny RPG where the two characters, and Bowser, are the stars.
Description: Fawful fed Bowser a mushroom that made him inhale Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and the princess’ toad attendants and fed many of the Toads mushrooms which made them blow up to gigantic proportions. Then he decided to take over the kingdom. Mario, Luigi and Bowser join forces to stop Fawful’s reign of terror.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Genre: Sports /Mini game collection
Price: $34.99
Release Date: October 13, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Mild Cartoon Violence
Target Audience: Gamers of all ages who like sports mini-games and Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog characters.
Description: Mario, Sonic and characters from both of their respective game series take part in multiple winter Olympic events.

Peggle Dual Shot
Genre: Puzzle
Price: $19.99
Release Date: February 27, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Target Audience: Casual game fans.
Description: It’s the PC Peggle game, only portable. It contains the two PC games Peggle and Peggle Nights.

Sim Animals Africa
Genre: Simulation
Price: $29.99
Release Date: October 27, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Comic Mischief
Target Audience: Children and fans of the original Sim Animals game.
Description: Interact with African animals and help keep them happy and healthy. You can also play as an animal.

Space Invaders Extreme 2
Genre: Shooter
Price: $19.99
Release Date: October 19, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Target Audience: Pretty much anyone. Specifically fans of shooters, Space Invaders and classic arcade games.
Description: Space Invaders Extreme only better. There are new power ups, Super Fever Time, Fever Time, Bingo Rounds, Time Attack modes and multiple difficulty levels. There’s also a new multiplayer battle mode where you face off against a friend, shooting aliens to see who’s best.

Style Savvy
Genre: Simulation
Price: $34.99
Release Date: November 2, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone”
Target Audience: Primarily women of all ages, though men may appreciate this shop management simulation as well. I’d recommend it for ages eight and up, since younger children may have trouble attending to customers and managing the stock in their shops.
Description: Players are the newest employee at Primavera, the most popular boutique in the city. After a brief introduction and tutorial, your natural style, talent and business sense prompt Primavera’s owner, Dominic, to give you your own boutique to manage. Take care of customers, buy stock for your shop, enter fashion contests and dress up your character.

The Legendary Starfy
Genre: Action
Price: $34.99
Release Date: June 7, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Mild Cartoon Violence.
Target Audience: Gamers of all ages and genders. Since it’s pretty easy to play, it would make a good first-platformer for children.
Description: Bunston the rabbit was chased into Pufftop Palace by unknown villains, and fell into the ocean. Starfy and his friend Moe the clam followed him, deciding to help. Once they find him, they discover Bunston has amnesia and has lost crystals. Starfy, Bunston and Moe travel the ocean trying to find the crystal fragments, defeat the people who were chasing Bunston and helping ocean residents in need.

Touchmaster 3
Genre: Mini-game collection / Casual
Price: $29.99
Release Date: October 23, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Mild Cartoon Violence and Mild Language
Target Audience: People of all ages who want something they can play for a few minutes or a few hours.
Description: A collection of 20 assorted action, card, puzzle, sports and trivia mini-games.

Wire Way
Genre: Action / Puzzle
Price: $29.99
Release Date: November 3, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Comic Mischief
Target Audience: Players of all ages looking for a fun action/puzzle game.
Description: The alien Wiley Springer is on a quest to find his love, but to do so he’ll have to journey through all kinds of levels, moving along wires and propelling himself upwards towards the top of each level.

ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+”

Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island
Genre: Simulation / RPG
Price: $29.99
Release Date: October 27, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language and Suggestive Themes.
Target Audience: Men and women who enjoy games where the goal is to making items, explore areas and talk to townsfolk. People who like games with a sense of humor. I’d say it’s best for ages 13 and up, since younger gamers may not have the patience required to collect all the necessary ingredients.
Description: Annie is a lazy girl who dreams of marrying into money. So, her grandfather ships her off to Sera Island, which is in the process of being turned into a resort. Annie has three years to prove she is a capable and competant alchemist, and if she wins all the contests and successfully manages her resorts, she could end up marrying a prince.

Avalon Code
Genre: Action RPG
Price: $19.99
Release Date: March 10, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Fantasy Violence and Mild Language
Target Audience: RPG fans who like to tinker with the in-game world and build relationships with other characters.
Description: The world is ending, and only things that have been entered into the Book of Prophesy will be saved when the world is reborn. The player is the one who has been tasked with filling the Book of Prophesy with things that should be saved by smacking things with it. You can then alter the properties of items entered in the book with codes. You also will face off against the villain who is going to cause the world to end.

Bleach the 3rd Phantom
Genre: Strategic RPG
Price: $29.99
Release Date: September 15, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for Alcohol Reference, Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language and Suggestive Themes.
Target Audience: Anime fans. Strategic RPG fans who love Fire Emblem and Advance Wars style games.
Description: Two soul reapers from the past have suddenly found themselves in the present. You choose which one you’ll play as, Matsuri or Fujimaru, and their abilities, and then join with Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends to face off against Aizen, the Arrancars and hollows.

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
Genre: RPG
Price: $39.99
Release Date: February 16, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Alcohol Reference, Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes and Simulated Gambling
Target Audience: Classic RPG fans and Square Enix fans.
Description: The most recent Zenithia Dragon Quest DS entry follows a hero through three generations - his adventures as a child as he journeyed with his father, his adventures traveling on his own and the journey he undertakes with his children. Together they attempt to save the world. The DS version adds in a new marriable character, Debora.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
Genre: Action RPG
Price: $29.99
Release Date: March 24, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Fantasy Violence, Language and Mild Suggestive Themes
Target Audience: Action RPG fans who like to work and adventure with friends. People who don’t mind level grinding to collect materials. Square Enix fans.
Description: You are a 16 year old who has just taken part in a coming of age ceremony at a village in the woods. However, when you return, you discover that one of the village children has fallen ill with the Crystal Sickness. You must go to the outside world to search for a cure, which starts a chain of events that result in you restoring your village’s crystal. Also, you can play with people who own the DS or Wii version.
Note: If the person you’re buying this for doesn’t have Wi-Fi internet or friends with the game, then don’t buy it for them. Many of the storyline quests are unplayable without assistance from other Echoes of Time players.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Genre: Action RPG
Price: $34.99
Release Date: September 29, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Fantasy Violence
Target Audience: Fans of the Kingdom Hearts series. Disney fans who are too old for the childish Disney games. People looking for a solid action rpg to play.
Description: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days takes place during the time when Roxas was a member of Organization XIII, the villains in Kingdom Hearts II. Roxas takes missions for the organization and works along its members, all while trying to figure out who and what he is.

Magician’s Quest: Mysterious Times
Genre: Simulation
Price: $29.99
Release Date: May 5, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Comic Mischief and Mild Suggestive Themes
Target Audience: Harry Potter fans. People who thought Animal Crossing was too slow and boring.
Description: Create a character and attend a virtual magic academy. Learn all kinds of magic spells you can use on neighbors, take weekly tests and interact with friends over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Phantasy Star Ø
Genre: RPG
Price: $34.99
Release Date: November 12, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
Target Audience: People who want an MMO-like experience on their DS. Phantasy Star fans. RPG players.
Description: Players are mercenaries called Hunters, journeying on an alternate version of Earth taking missions and facing off against monsters in an attempt to protect and save people. You can customize your character. You can also play with others over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or play through the single player story mode.
Note: Again, if the person you’re buying it for doesn’t have Wi-Fi internet access, ask before you buy this game because the multiplayer experience is a big part of the game.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Genre: Puzzle
Price: $34.99
Release Date: August 24, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Alcohol Reference and Mild Violence
Target Audience: Men and women who like to solve puzzles and think critically. While it is suitable for ages 10 and up, the difficulty of some of the brain teasers and puzzles could frustrate younger games. It’s most suitable for ages 13 and up.
Description: The sequel to Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Professor Layton, his assistant Luke and his ward Flora have another mystery to solve. Layton’s mentor, Dr. Schrader, has died of unknown causes, and everyone think the Elysian Box is behind it. Supposedly, the Elysian Box has the power to kill anyone who dares to open it. It’s up the Layton to discover the truth.

Scribblenauts
Genre: Puzzle / Action
Price: $29.99
Release Date: September 15, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Cartoon Violence and Comic Mischief
Target Audience: Creative men and women who want to solve puzzles with a wide assortment of items.
Description: Scribblenauts tasks player with solving 220 action and puzzle levels by helping Maxwell overcome challenges and retrieve the Starites. The game recognizes over 20,000 words and allows players to create and share levels.

Suikoden Triekreis
Genre: RPG
Price: $34.99
Release Date: March 17, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Language and Mild Suggestive Themes
Target Audience: Pokemon fans who love collecting items, monsters or characters in games. Fans of the Suikoden series. People who would enjoy a fantasy RPG that explores the notion of parallel universes.
Description: The One King wants to alter the Million World universe so there is only one timeline and one universe, instead of many. This means that all the other universes will be destroyed. You must collect the 108 Stars of Destiny and strike back at the One King before he destroys the universe the characters are in as well.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Genre: Action RPG
Price: $34.99
Release Date: December 7, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Everyone 10+” for Mild Fantasy Violence
Target Audience: RPG fans, Nintendo fans and Legend of Zelda fans
Description: Zelda has been turned into a phantom, and Link and her must journey around the world via train to save her and Hyrule. It’s also the first Zelda game where Link and Zelda travel and work together.

ESRB Rating: “Teen”

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Genre: Strategic RPG / Visual Novel
Price: $29.99
Release Date: June 23, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Blood and Partial Nudity
Target Audience: Men and women over the age of 13 who enjoy dramatic, challenging and thought-provoking games. Also, fans of other Shin Megami Tensei games.
Description: Shibuya, Japan has been locked down. All the power is out and there is no way in, or out. To make matters worse, demons are now roaming the street and a mysterious cult whose intentions are unknown is milling around the city. The main character and his friends are given COMPs, DS like devices, from his cousin Naoya, and find they now have the power to control demons and perhaps even end the lock down.

Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
Genre: Strategic RPG
Price: $29.99
Release Date: Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for Fantasy Violence, Mild Language and Mild Suggestive Themes.
Target Audience: Square Enix game fans, fans of the Valkyrie Profile series and people who are interested in a game where moral decisions effect the course of the story.
Description: After Wylfred’s father died, his family fell apart. He always blamed the Valkyrie Lenneth for his death, since after he died she left a feather signifying that she had chosen him as an Einherjar, one of her soldiers. Wylfred decides that he must kill Lenneth to make things right, and Hel gives him a plume that will allow him to become powerful enough to do so. But if he uses it, there will be a price.

ESRB Rating: “Mature 17+”

C.O.R.E.
Genre: FPS
Price: $29.99
Release Date: August 11, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Mature 17+” for Blood and Gore and Violence
Target Audience: Fans of first person shooter games.
Description: The year is 2028, and communication with the C.O.R.E. lab, where scientists were investigating a meteor that crashed to Earth, has been lost. Jason Crane and his fellow soldiers have been sent to figure out what has happened at C.O.R.E.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Genre: Action
Price: $29.99
Release Date: March 17, 2009
ESRB Rating: “Mature 17+” for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Sexual Content, Strong Language and Violence
Target Audience: Adult men and women, over the age of 17, who enjoyed going on virtual crime sprees in the console versions of Grand Theft Auto.
Description: After Huang Lee’s father is killed, he’s robbed of the sword he was supposed to take to his uncle and he’s beaten and left behind, Huang decides to strike back. He goes after the men who insulted him and destroyed his family to get revenge and power.

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Thanksgiving (and Black Friday!) and the December holidays are nearly upon us. You know what that means - it’s the time when gamers’ thoughts turn to their holiday wish lists, eager to play the very best and brightest that the previous year has brought. If you’re a Wii owner, or you’ll be shopping for one - check out this list for the goods.

For Everyone Who Likes Fun

New Super Mario Bros. Wii - This recent release has been reviewing through the roof (see our own take here at Gamertell) - and for good reason. It brings everything that was awesome about the old-school Mario games (excellent, challenging 2D levels, wacky characters and a boatload of charm) and mixed in some excellent 4-player action. Not to be missed.

Boom Blox Bash Party - The sequel to last year’s best party game, Bash Party trimmed everything superfluous from Spielberg’s ingenious physics-based puzzler and added a ton of new modes, new “toys” and new game types to the mix. This is the most fun I’ve ever had in mixed (gamer and non-gamer) company since Mario Kart back in the day.

For Gamers Who Like to Get Their Groove On

The Beatles: Rock Band - If you have any love for the Beatles, you should definitely pick up this bad boy, which allows you to sing, play drums, or play guitar (all on an assortment of lovely plastic instruments) right along with John, Paul, George and Ringo.

DJ Hero - For music fans who like more than rock, DJ Hero is an awesome, unconventional take on the Guitar Hero formula. Complete with a “turntable” controller and 80 mash-up-able tracks.

For the Action-Adventure Set

Metroid Prime: Trilogy - A set of three truly excellent games, enhanced with Wii controls, in one definitive package, Trilogy is the best deal in gaming (pound for pound) since The Orange Box in 2007.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade - A gorgeous 2D action title with some light RPG elements, this is one of the most visually stunning games on the platform.

A Boy and His Blob - A successful “re-imagining” of the classic NES title, this platform/puzzler has amazing graphics and animation, satisfying old-school gameplay, and a metric ton of charm.

Pikmin - It’s not exactly action/adventure, its more RTS/Puzzle, but don’t even think about letting that stop you. Pikmin is a wildly entertaining, challenging game, made all the better by the Wii-fied new controls.

Klonoa - Another jaw-droppingly gorgeous 2D platformer, Klonoa is a beautifully re-done PS1 title with inventive levels and incredible character design.

For Athletes and Speed Demons:

EA Sports: Active - Forget about Wii Fit - if you’re serious about getting in shape with your Wii, try the “30-day Challenge” in EA Sports Active. It’ll blow your mind - and your quads.

Need For Speed: Nitro - It may not be quite as pretty as Need For Speed: Shift, but this racer is solid as they come - and about as “sim-y” as you’ll find on Nintendo’s system.

Excitebots: Trick Racing - Forget racing sims, this speedy little package is all about pulling off wacky tricks and completing in-race minigames. It’s ridiculously fun, and one of the smoothest online experiences on the Wii.

For The “Mature” Gamer

House of the Dead: Overkill - This is the funniest, goriest, most R-rated experience you can have on Wii. If you like zombie-blasting, you absolutely cannot go wrong here.

MadWorld - Does the idea of a violent comic book world come to life sound good to you? If so, you’ll enjoy the hell out of punishing baddies in Madworld‘s bloody fantasy playground.

Happy holidays everyone! And happy hunting - be sure to keep checking back with us for sales and deals throughout the holiday shopping season.

Read [Gamertell]

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Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: new Super Mario Bros. Wii
Price: $49.99
System(s): Wii
Release Date: November 15, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Nintendo
ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for comic mischief.
Pros: Many of the best elements of previous Mario platform games in one place. Players can join and leave the main game at any time. Quicksave feature. A lot of great powerups, new suits and hidden stuff to find.
Cons: Odd timing issues, slightly lighter gravity and a few awkward motion control issues.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 90/100; A-; * * * * out of five.

New Super Mario Bros Wii exudes games of olde, melding the best aspects of pretty much every Mario-based platformer ever made and then some.

But it’s more than just a jumpastic, coin gathering platformer. It’s a speed trek through gaming nostalgia that pretty much any gamer will enjoy.

Nice Hat

Still in the box the fist thing you notice is that Nintendo has opted for a red box instead of the standard white now infamous for Wii games. While meant to exude some additional nostalgia for That means you’ll be able to immediately pick out the game not matter which shelf you store it on.

As soon as you open it, the manual nearly bursts out of its twin plastic tabs holding it in. A massive 60+ page, unheard of for most consoles games (note that it is in three languages, so third of it is in English). Even the art on the manual is meant to reinforce the idea of older games with pixelated images of Mario and Luigi.

Upon launching the game you are greeted by the voice of our friendly pipe fixer belting a greeting in his big ol’ faux accent, ending with an appropriately elongated “Wi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-!” From there you use big Wii-ish menu buttons to get to the game.

Something a Olde

Right away you’ll notice a couple multiplayer minigames available as well as the main, cooperative single- or multi-player game. The main game uses the 3D map system started with Super Mario Bros. 3 and includes castles, hidden paths, periodic extra challenges and mushroom houses.

While one player controls map movement and main choices, everything else is cooperative with all the characters stomping, jumping and otherwise wandering the world together. It can make finding hidden blocks a breeze as well as clearing particularly pesky opponents.

The screen widens as characters separate but there is a maximum width which makes some sense since, otherwise, everything wold become unbearably tiny.

To play you use the WiiMote (Nunchuck attachment is optional) held sideways, a la an old school controller with much the same controls as ye olde games utilized, continuing the nostalgic feel of the game even further.

The story, opponents, actions, objects, the ending flagpole and even the background music are all familiar, blending aspects of multiple Mario games into one massive - and more modern - platformer.

From there things get some modern tweaks. Rolling hills actually role in different directions, often allowing a pipe, tunnel or deadly nook to rotate around. You can triple jump through a level (nice of them to lay things out that way) but then you’ll miss all the hidden bits that make these 2D platformers fun.

Nintendo has also made going back to earlier levels an enjoyable task, giving you reasons to return and try to defeat each board more way than one (and likely find more hidden pipes, tunnels and treasures).

Most of the older powerups are there with revamped graphics and more outfits have been added to the wardrobe of available power suits. One of the earliest is a propeller super suit that lets you fly up and drift back to the ground, much like the Raccoon suit but without needing a bunch of runway space. Instead shaking the WiiMote gets you off the ground. You’ll even get to ride a Yoshi.

Something a Annoying

And here’s where some of the annoyances come into play. The WiiMote, while making for a lovely sideways style NES remote system, sometimes bundles motion controls in an awkward way. To grab objects, for example, you need to swing the controller up and press the 1 button. Sounds simple enough but you can also shake the WiiMote up and down to perform a Spin Jump (which also sprays whatever projective powerup you have enabled). The two often get crossed so not only are you grabbing an object but also leaping into the air and tossing whatever you just grabbed (shell, Toad, frozen opponent, etc.) when you might have waned to hold onto it a bit longer.

Timing characters’ jumps is also a little drift-y, with gravity seeming just lighter enough to throw off an expert old school gamer for the first dozen or so levels until they fully adapt to the difference.

Finally, when multiple players are on the screen, the old school stick-together-or-else rule apply. Find a pipe and want to gather bonuses, everyone else needs to jump in with you. Also, whenever someone gets a nifty powerup, the pregnant powerup pause kicks in making everyone on the screen wait for that awkward second. While the screen resizing is a pretty nice aspect (it means you’re not limited to one crappy screen’s worth of stuff to do and don’t need to stay completely huddled together) it can throw off your timing and result in a lot of extra deaths. In rare circumstances it can also cause a character to get irrecoverably stuck between a rock and the game border.

Something a New

To make up for some of the annoyances Nintendo has added a Hints section that unlocks as you play (and cost giant gold coins to actually watch the hint videos). One is a so-called Unlimited Extra Lives that has you speed-Triple Jumping through one of the earliest levels. Time it perfectly and you do ring up a bunch of 1-Ups, but not really Unlimited (unless you return to that world ad nauseam),

All of the graphics have been overhauled so that fireballs have a lot of extra flames, ice balls trail ice and most everything moves a lot smoother. That might contribute to the feeling of slightly lighter gravity but, overall, it makes the game that much more enjoyable to look at, even if a lot of the elements are taken from older, lower-res games.

One of the many nice additions is that gamers can be added or dropped between levels so you can start the as a single player and have one to three friends hop in and help at almost an time.

It’s a Fun a game

This game is as fun and as silly as expected but not without a few mostly forgivable faults. There’s so much to do, see and enjoy in this game that it’s hard to let any faults weigh it down for very long.

Do not mistake this as an extended port of the DS version of New Super Mario Bros. As fun as that game may be, this one has so much more and the up-to-four player option makes it even more of a group event.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii does well integrating the many disparate elements of previous Mario games and blending them with new elements so both older and newer gamers have something to enjoy and appreciate.

Site [New Super Mario Bros. Wii] Photo Gallery [Gamertell]

Full Story » | Written by PJ Hruschak for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Video games can often be used to build essential life skills, or to educate players. You can learn new languages, improve hand-eye coordination, find new recipes, study for exams, prepare for stressful situations or build your vocabulary.

So, this year, train for the Black Friday shopping rush by picking up a few games.

Gamertell’s ready to offer up five video game suggestions that may help you prepare for the busiest shopping weekend of the year. You’ll not only help improve your shopping skills but also become more patient, learn avoidance techniques and stress management techniques.

• Barbie: Game Girl (Game Boy): This incredibly frustrating game, set in a shopping mall, will help you learn to be patient. The controls are horrible, the levels are frustrating and Barbie doesn’t seem to ever jump or move as accurately as you want. If you can make it through this game, you can quietly, and perhaps even happily, endure anything Black Friday throws at you.
• Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop (DS): The Shop Mode is what you’ll want to focus on for your training. It’s a good way to train agility and strategic skills. The other shoppers don’t care about you, only their own paths and goals, a mindset that will be shared by Black Friday shoppers. It’ll help you learn to focus on number one.
• Dead Rising (Xbox 360, Wii): Think of the zombies as the endless and agitated crowds you’ll be fighting through at your local big box store or shopping mall and use it to practice surviving without being trampled or assaulted. Note: Refrain from using violence when dealing with the human crowds you’ll encounter on Black Friday.
• Style Savvy (DS): Catering to the needs of occasionally demanding and fussy customers will help hone your gift selection skills, ensuring that the items you bestow on others don’t find their way to the return counter of the stores you purchased them from.
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2, PC, Xbox 360, Xbox): Finding your local Old Navy or Walmart should be simple after having to scour Los Santos, San Fierro and Las Venturas for the stores so CJ can get the latest clothes.

If think of any additional games that could help people prepare and get in the proper mindset for Black Friday, please let us know in the comments below.

Read [Gamertell] Site [TheBlackFriday.com] Site [BlackFriday.info]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

For those of you looking for all the great Black Friday (aka the day after Thanksgiving, aka November 27, 2009) video game deals all in one place, you can check out all of our Black Friday posts.

For those of you who like things in nice, nifty, easy-to-browse bullet-point style lists, here ya go:

• Toys R Us - Doorbusters galore! Both Friday and Saturday they want you there very early. Each day has different deals so check the post o see which day (if not both) you need to wait in line. Some games on sale both days as well.
• Meijer - Doorbuster deals are on system bundles. Looks like they like to give out $50 gift cards with systems, too.
• Best Buy - Black Friday Doobuster deals. oh my. Deals include $10 DS games, $5 PC games, $20 PS3 and Xbox 360 games and $15 Wii games as well as discounted systems. Bust a door but not your )or someone else’s) shoulder.
• Target - Cheaper DSi with gift card, controllers and discounted games for every system. for some reason this store has gone with prices ending in $7 ( as in $7 PSP game, $17 DS games, $27 Wii games and $37 PS3 and Xbox 360 games). Couple bundles as well.
• Kohl’s - Has some DS and Wii games on sale now for 20% to 30% off, accessories for 20% to 50% off. Otherwise, only advertised deal is really gift cards per $50 spent for Black Friday.
• Half Price Books - Oh yeah, you read that right. A store with “book” in the name. Yes, they sell games. Gift cards, discounts and other first-through-the-door style goodies.
• Sears - The store that used to rule the gaming coup is hyping its LCD TVs on the cheap and Doorbuster electronics deals. Otherwise, assorted games for $15 and inexpensive 2- and 3-packs.
• Kmart - Decided to go with “Blue Friday” instead of “Black Friday?” Whatever. HDTV, LCD TV and a DSi are on the Doorbuster Deal list. for Black Friday there’s games for each system (this time ending in “9”).
• Walmart - For now no Black Friday deals but there are some going-on-now deals including Make-Your-Own DS Lite Bundle, a few Wii things and a couple music games for the other two systems. There is a $200 Xbox on the pre-Black Friday deals list.
• Circuit City - More a pre-Black Friday online-only sale, the main game deal is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for $55.9. The rest are HDTV and computer (desktop, laptop and netbook) deals.

Oh yes, there will be more. We’ll update this page as they come including ads as fast as we can scan and slap ‘em online.

Don’t miss our look at five games that can help prepare you for the hectic shopping pace of Black Friday.

Also check out the Black Friday coverage on sister sites Gadgetell and Appletell. Gadgets and Apple stuff is mm, mmm, good.

Read [Gamertell]

Full Story » | Written by PJ Hruschak for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

What Activision does in the wake of retailers breaking street date on what may be the biggest game launch of all time will surely impact the future of the “street date” concept.

We play this little game every time a major release comes out. Somebody, or several somebodies, start selling it early by “accident.”

This time, though, GameStop execs believe people were doing it on purpose to get some sales over on the mega retailer. As GameStop’s empire expands, it’s getting harder and harder for companies to take the giant’s knees out from under it legitimately.

I don’t doubt for a second that at least a few retailers (or their employees) knew exactly what they were doing this weekend. I mean, if you work at a game store, haven’t you had the street date concept drilled into your head constantly?

Editor’s Note: Street dates for games are often clearly indicated on the shipping box in large, bold print or using a brightly colored sticker.

We all know exactly when Modern Warfare 2 was supposed to go on sale (it’s kind of a big deal in the industry.) GameStop brass look to have had their fill and didn’t have any desire to eat a few million preorders this week.

Not that anybody is going to have a problem selling copies of this game in holiday season 2009 but I get the gist of GameStop’s motivation.

These sales weren’t isolated incidents. A quick check of Xbox Live confirmed thousands of people had this game before they were supposed to. And by the amount of playtime logged, these folks had the game for quite a while.

Looks like a number of retailers were daring Activision to do something about this. If they don’t, the street date concept in general may be going the way of the Sega Dreamcast.

It’s always hard to prove intent. Those that jumped out before GameStop can claim miscommunication or misunderstanding, however unconvincing those cries may be. GameStop admitted it was about to break street date in “select markets,” which is akin to being “a little pregnant.” There’s these sites called eBay and Craigslist. If you buy something in New York you’re not supposed to have a week before you’re not supposed to have it, you can ship it anywhere in the world in a day or two.

If a company the size of GameStop doesn’t get hit with some stiff penalties for doing this, there will be no incentive for other retailers not to do it. Gradually, if more and more people break street date and see no harm from it, nobody’s going to obey street dates.

Once a game is out there early, it’s out there. This changes the play experience dramatically as higher level gamers get better perks and know their way around maps better than people who are brand new to the game.

Then there’s the matter of spoilers. Since the leaked footage, there’s been a great deal of curiosity about the game’s content. A broken street date increases the chance you will relive the moment some Chatty Kathy ran past you screaming, “Vader is Luke’s father,” before you saw The Empire Strikes Back.
Human nature is not that hard to understand. We don’t do wrong when we think we’ll get punished and do things we think we can get away with. GameStop’s executives think the punishment coming from Activision will cost less than getting beaten out selling MW2 in major cities. They wouldn’t have done it otherwise.

Now I don’t know too many gamers, myself included, who would weep for the death of the street date. It has always been an exercise in frustration to know a game I want is sitting in the stock room but no one can sell it to me under penalty of…?

Well, Activision? What is the penalty for this one?

Read [Gamertell] Also Read [Kotaku]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Haven’t caught all of the Gamertell news this week?  Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!

• Black Friday 2009: Kohl’s video game sales
  “The Kohl’s Black Friday 2009 ad has leaked its way onto the internet, so add that to the list that also includes Kmart and Sears. In terms of video game sales, the…” MORE »
• Halo Legends animated short films expand game’s mythology
  ” Microsoft Studios and 343 Industries are taking the Halo universe one step further with a series of computer-generated and anime-styled new short films called Halo Legends. The stories will focus on the origins and history of the Halo universe…” MORE »
• Black Friday 2009: Target sale ad and its video game deals
  “Target’s Black Friday 2009 ad is now out online. The entire ad has been scanned and distributed over the internet. The store typically goes all out for Black Friday and has had quite a few nice sales over the…” MORE »
• Deal of the Day: Buy Wii Fit Plus, get a free case of Hint flavored water
  “Beverage companies have been targeting gamers for a while. Recall Harcos’ Mana Drink, Mountain Dew more than once and, of course, various Bawls brews. The latest beverage endeavor is by Hint Inc., a company that…” MORE »
• Activision Blizzard creates CODE, war veteran support organization
  “Activision Blizzard is creating an organization dedicated to raising awareness on unemployment amongst war veterans. The non-profit foundation, called Call of Duty Endowment (CODE), will focus on raising funds and assisting organizations dedicated to job placement…” MORE »
• Assassin’s Creed 2 extended preview airing during South Park episode
  ” If you’re eagerly anticipating the forthcoming release of Assassin’s Creed 2 and have cable, then you’ll want to watch South Park at 10pm, 9pm Central time on Wednesday, November 11, 2009. Well, technically you don’t want to watch South…” MORE »
• Apple App Store gaming update for the week of November 3 to 9, 2009
  “The Apple App Store gaming update is Gamertell’s weekly look at the previous week’s Apple App Store game releases. We cover them all - good and not so good - in their respective categories with a breakdown…” MORE »
• EA to lay off 1500 employees
  “Ouch. Some very difficult news is coming from Gamasutra today, which just announced that Electronic Arts will cut 1500 jobs by April 2010. It’s being called a cost-cutting strategy (as all layoffs are, really), and it comes hot on the…” MORE »
• Opinion: Visually impaired gamer’s suit against Sony may be a bit frivolous
  “A visually impaired gamer named Alexander Stern is suing Sony, Sony Online Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment America for not offering features that make their games accessible for people with visual disabilities. According to Stern, by not including these options, Sony is…” MORE »
• 10 best unintentionally educational games
  ” Video games are often berated for the lack of educational content found in them. They’re often considered a waste of time. But, if you look closely, even games that aren’t slapped with the edutainment label or feature educational material can be…” MORE »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Got the game today and, since I couldn’t put much more than a day into it (and the game comes out November 15, 2009), I wanted to provide you with some quick tidbits. Here’s an easy-to-read but not necessarily easy-to-comprehend bullet-point preview of Nintendo’s multiplayer platformer, New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Here weeee goes:

• Red is the new White.
• Software update required.
• Mario says “Wii” exactly the way you’d expect him to.
• Sixty-eight page manual (22 pages are English). Read it.
• Sideways WiiMote for retro control scheme but not the Classic Controller?
• Multiplayer means lots of lovely leaping (and plenty of extra death).
• Bursting bubbles is a good thing.
• Mapping a la Super Mario III?
• Sorry, the princess is not here.
• Yoshi is a Chocobo wannabe. Fruit is Yummy
• Ice balls and fire.
• Nice beanie.
• Beware of moving floors.
• Big red rings and little red coins
• Big gold coins.
• Infinite Lives hint!?
• Nunchuck is optional.
• Drop players and Quicksave.
• Save Toad’s friends!
• Butt slide, ground pound, wall grab, spin jump, super jump and then some.
• Suits galore.
• What’s with the gravity?
• Everything but the kitchen kart.
• Grab the flag as high as you can.

Site [New Super Mario Bros. Wii]

Full Story » | Written by PJ Hruschak for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Prepare the laser cannons and bring those shields up this week at the PlayStation Store with this week’s downloadable game Star Trek D.A.C. for $9.99. Based on Paramount Picture’s motion picture movie Star Trek, this game allows players can choose a starship to command (including the U.S.S. Enterprise) from either Starfleet Command or the Romulan Empire. There are three modes players can select: single-player mode, online versus and co-op. It also features music and sound effects from the movie.

Check out Star Trek D.A.C.:

This week’s downloadable PSP game is Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble for $39.99. In this game players control a student named Takashi Sakamoto who wants to rise to the top of juvenile delinquency in Japan as a Kenka Bancho. In the US. we would know these guys as the super cool tough guy in school most student’s either fear, challenge or suck up to. In Japan Takashi must take down all his rivals to include established Banchos during a school trip to Kyouto where all the Banchos from the other schools will eventually meet.

Check out Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble:

Price Drops

• Tank Battles (PS3/Now $6.99)

Here is what else is new:

Downloadable Games

• Pinball Heroes – High Velocity Bowling (PSP/$3.99)
• Pinball Heroes – Hot Shots Golf (PSP/$3.99)
• Pinball Heroes – PAIN (PSP/$3.99)
• Pinball Heroes – UNCHARTED (PSP/$3.99)
• Bubble Trubble (PSP/$4.99)
• PSOne Classic: Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PS3/$5.99)
• Braid (PS3/$14.99)

Free Demos:

• Inferno Pool Demo (PS3/Free)
• NCAA Basketball 10 Demo (PS3/Free)
• MX Vs. ATV Reflex Demo (PS3/Free)
• Star Trek: D-A-C Demo (PS3/Free)

Bonus Game Contents:

• PAIN Fat Princess Character (PS3/Free)
• Rag Doll Kung Fu Mistress of Mime Character (PS3/Free)
• Rag Doll Kung Fu Shaolin Scarecrow Character (PS3/Free)
• Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce Quest Pack #7 (PSP/Free)
• PAIN Speed Oocher Mode (PS3/$1.99)
• Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Costume Pack (PS3/$3.99)

Guitar Hero 5 Pack:

• Lenny Kravitz Track Pack (PS3/$5.49)
Individual Tracks:
• “Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz (PS3/$1.99)
• “Lady” by Lenny Kravitz (PS3/$1.99)
• “Let Love Rule” by Lenny Kravitz (PS3/$1.99)

Rock Band Pack:

• SpongeBob SquarePants Pack 2 (PS3/$2.99)
Individual Tracks:
• “Employee of the Month” by SpongeBob SquarePants (PS3/99 cents)
• “A Day Like This” by SpongeBob SquarePants (PS3/99 cents)
• “Ridin’ the Hook” by SpongeBob SquarePants (PS3/99 cents)

• White Stripes Pack 1 (PS3/$5.49)
Individual Tracks:
• “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” by White Stripes (PS3/$1.99)
• “Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine” by White Stripes (PS3/$1.99)
• “Icky Thump” by White Stripes (PS3/$1.99)

Individual Song Tracks

• “Club Foot” by Kasabian (PS3/$1.99)
• “Smash it Up (Part II)” by The Damned (PS3/$1.99)

Rock Band Unplugged bonus content:

• “Excuse Me Mister” by No Doubt (PSP/$1.99)
• “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by Dropkick Murphys (PSP/$1.99)

Free Game Videos:

• Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time – Launch Trailer
• Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time – Space Trailer
• Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time – Time Trailer
• Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time – Weapons Trailer
• Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines Teaser Trailer
• The Saboteur Just Getting Started Trailer
• The Saboteur Pre-Order Trailer
• Battlefield Bad Company 2 Limited Edition Trailer
• Star Trek: D-A-C Trailer

Wallpapers and Themes:

• Tekken 6 Lars Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• Tekken 6 Lilli Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• Tekken 6 Nina Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• Tekken 6 Yoshimitsu Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• Tekken 6 Zafina Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• Deep Space Theme (PS3/PSP/$1.49)
• Road to China Theme (PS3/PSP/$1.49)
• Dita Von Teese Theme 1 (PSP/$1.49)
• Dita Von Teese Theme 2 (PSP/$1.49)
• Dita Von Teese Theme (PS3/$1.99)
• Junkyard Girl Theme (PS3/PSP/$1.99)
• Ratchet & Clank Dynamic Theme (PS3/$2.99)

Read [PlayStation Store Blog] Site [PlayStation] Site [Star Trek D.A.C.]

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Title: Superman (aka Ruby-Spears Superman)
Format: DVD
Price: $18.36
Release Date: November 3, 2009
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Rating: Not Rated
Pros: The complete series in one place, interesting take on Superman, great art and nice nods to previous incarnations. Decent transfer.
Cons: A few voices can get a little grating (especially Lex’s), Superman Family Album sometimes too silly and Lex’s voice and light on the extras.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 88/100; B+; * * * 1/2 our of five.

Celebrating Supe’s 50th anniversary, Ruby-Spears Productions miraculously got the rights to create Superman the animated TV series.

It exists in an awkward gap between the kitche-y late-1970s-to-early-1980s Super Friends cartoons and the slick 1990s Superman: The Animated series. It’s a series that only those who could bear the live-action Superboy TV series recall.

Superman goes far to embrace elements from print, film and even previous animated series, sometimes seeming disjointed but, by the time you get through all 13 episodes, becomes appropriate.

It’s A Bird

Superman aired Saturday mornings on CBS from 1988 to 1989, with only thirteen 30-minute episodes. While it has many nostalgic nods to previous incarnations our do-good alien, it definitely screams ‘80s.

Lex Luthor (voiced by Michael Bell) is a boisterous, swarming gajillionaire, his bimbo sidekick Miss Moganberry (Lynne Marie Stewart) sports poofy sleaves and high-front hair and even Lois Lane (Ginny McSwain) got a decade-appropriate, tight-skirted makeover while acquiring some assertive strength.

Poor Jimmy Olsen (Mark L. Taylor), however, will forever be stuck in the ‘50s forever but even that’s OK since the series starts with a nod to the 1950s Superman cartoons. You’ll even hear the infamous, “It’s a bird,” line a few times.

Superman also borrows a lot of scenes and reworked soundtrack from the 1978 live-action film starring Christopher Reeves. Even Lex’s shouts for Miss Moganberry are easily mistaken for similar shouts calling for Miss Tessmacher in the live-action movie.

It’s a Plane

As mixed as the decades may seem, the series has a lot going for especially in terms of talent. Marv Wolfman (DC Universe Online) was the head writer, also penning a few specific segments, while Gil Kane (Green Lantern) worked as the lead artist.

The stories also tried try to show a slightly softer side of Supes (voiced by Beau Weaver) even though he’s a bit beefier than earlier versions, with less bravado and a seemingly appropriate dab of assuredness that was part of the character’s comic book reinvention. The villains do come right out of the comics’ sense of absurdity (what was with that crazy, non-Joker clown?). The series also reverts back to Lex a bit too often but, for the time, an regular villain was just beginning to become the cartoon norm. Lex’s voice does get a bit irritating early on but will mellow out for later episodes.

You’ll also see a flying Wonder Woman which will seem unfamiliar to those who only know her as the lady with the lasso, high kicks, wrist bands and invisible jet.

One of the initially gut-wrenching elements are the “Superman Family Album” segments that ran as the final few minutes of each episode. Often scripted by different writers, each segment gives a glimpse into the theoretical childhood of a superhero starting in diapers and going through those awkward dating high school years. The first few are the most ridiculous - as in how would no one recall this little baby openly demonstrating such abilities - but they eventually tame down and become more bearable and entertaining, leading up to Clark Kent’s emergence as the caped hero.

Get Superman!

Even though Rub-Spears, known for producing some outrageous cartoons (Piggsburg Pigs, Mega Man), had much of the work done overseas, there are a few rare sparks of anime stylings in a few background gestures and expressions only a cartoon aficionado will recognize.

The art style certainly fits with comic books with Superman looking more like his print partner here than any other cartoon take. The reproduction, as well, is rather nice, with hardly a speck and fairly vibrant colors. It’s a bit light on extras but you do get the whole series which I have not seen on TV in many years.

This Superman animated series is certainly worth watching a time or to for a giggle and an historical bridging of the gap between the Super Friends Superman with his chesty bravado and the more mild-tone Supes of the ‘90s and early ‘00s.

Photo Gallery [Gamertell] Purchase [Ruby-Spears Superman DVD] Site [Ruby-Spears] Read [Superman Super Site]

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Title: Tales of Monkey Island: The Trial and Exectution of Guybrish Threepwwod
Price: $8.00
System(s): PC
Release Date: October 30, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Telltale Games
ESRB Rating: "Everyone" for comic mischief.
Pros: Very fun puzzles, hilarious characters and the return of an old favorite.
Cons: Hints are not easy enough to understand or receive and sometimes puzzles solutions aren't clear enough.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up, A, 97/100; **** out of five.

No Noose is Good Noose

Real Pirates Don’t Drink Light Grog

Not the End Yet

• Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal for Wii


• Tales of Monkey Island: The Siege of Spinner Cay for PC


• Tales of Monkey Island: Lair of the Leviathan for PC

Full Story » | Written by Jessica Moen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

As a Reuters story notes, there is big business in history for the game industry. One of this year’s most anticipated titles, Assassin’s Creed II, sees the game’s hero interact with a young Leonardo da Vinci and use his design for a flying machine.

The first Assassin’s Creed was set during the Crusades and, of course, there are probably more World War II games on shelves than there were actual battles in the war.

Upcoming game The Saboteur is loosely based on the real life story of Wiliam Grover-Williams,  who worked with the British Special Operations Executive in the hopes of liberating France. Grover-Williams was executed for his undercover work but, in the game, your character lives to help free France from the Nazis.

Libraries are playing up the learning connection to games, declaring November 14, 2009, “National Gaming Day” with many partaking in game-related activities. Patrons will be encouraged to play video and board games while librarians promote the importance of learning and literacy.

This isn’t a move without controversy. There are a lot of folks who think libraries should be using limited resources to stockpile books, not board games or video games.

So, readers, what’s your take? Have you ever played a video game that inspired you to learn more about its subject matter?

Read [Reuters] Also Read [National Gaming Day site]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

The punishments for the undercover officers caught Wii Bowling during a March 6, 2009, drug raid have been handed down. And they’re not so punishing.

The Lakeland Ledger reports that 11 members of the multiagency task force were found at fault.

Undercover detectives received a letter of retraining and are required to undergo two hours of retraining. The sergeants who supervised and didn’t stop detectives from virtual bowling got a letter of guidance and must undergo four hours of retraining.

Lakeland Police Chief Roger Boatner told the Ledger:

“It’s been investigated by the sheriff’s office and reviewed by the Lakeland Police Department, and we concur with the action taken against them.”

“We hope this incident doesn’t overshadow all the hard work that went into the arrest.”

Sorry chief, I’m pretty sure it does. These cops have gotten more bad publicity than Michael DiFalco, the alleged drug dealer they were trying to bust.

The computer and camera in DiFalco’s home that recorded the unfortunate Wii Sports tourney was never recovered but officials said those devices are not critical to the case against DiFalco.

Read [Lakeland Ledger] Also Read [Gamertell]

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When people think of the Shin Megami Tensei series started by Atlus, they probably first think of the PlayStation versions of Revelations: Persona or Persona 2 as the start of the series. It isn’t their fault, really. After all, for people in North America, that was probably their first encounter with Shin Megami Tensei.

However, the series has been along for much longer than that. It all began with Megami Tensei, which eventually underwent a slight title change and became Shin Megami Tensei. There are entries in the series going back as far as the Famicom, and in Japan the series considered as mainstream as Final Fantasy. Unfortunately, people outside of Japan will never get the opportunity to play through the older entries, unless there’s some sort of port or remake, which is unlikely due to the age of some of the older entries.

Today in Important Importables, we’ll look back at the surprisingly long history of the Shin Megami Tensei games, taking a brief overview of all of the entries in the series. Please bear in mind though, that more recent entries will probably have more detailed descriptions than the older ones.

Megami Tensei / Shin Megami Tensei

While all of the Shin Megami Tensei series and its offshoots tend to get tagged with the Shin Megami Tensei moniker in North America, in Japan only the main series and the miscellaneous offshoots are branded with it.

The earliest games were first person dungeon crawlers and, of course, had the trademark demon partnering system that has appeared in some shape or form in all Shin Megami Tensei games. They also tend to take into account player’s choices to shape the course of the game, take place in either modern times or the future and often have a plot that involves saving the world.

The first Megami Tensei games were made by Namco, and not Atlus. Atlus took over the series with Shin Megami Tensei. Also Shin Megami Tensei: If… is the predecessor to the Persona spinoff series.

These are the main Megami Tensei and Shin Megami Tensei games that have been released:

• Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei (Famicom)
• Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II (Famicom)
• Shin Megami Tensei (Super Famicom, Sega CD, PlayStation, GBA)
• Shin Megami Tensei II (Super Famicom, PlayStation, GBA)
• Shin Megami Tensei: If… (Super Famicom, PlayStation) Note: It is the predecessor to the Persona series.
• Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (PS2) Note: It was the first entry in the Shin Megami Tensei line released in North America and had Devil May Cry‘s Dante cameo appearance.
• Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (DS) Note: A US release has just been confirmed.

Persona

The Persona is probably the Shin Megami Tensei branch best known outside of Japan. There have been five entries in this series, and while they the originals featured the first person dungeon crawling and demon negotiation, the series has progressed to focus on high schoolers who suddenly develop the ability to use Personas, who resemble many of the demons from the other games, to save the world.

North America has actually seen releases of all the Persona games so far, with the exception of one, Persona 2: Innocent Sin. Given the popularity of the franchise, perhaps we’ll one day see that game in English as well.

These are the Persona games that have been released:

• Revelations: Persona/Shin Megami Tensei: Persona (PlayStation, PSP)
• Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PlayStation) Note: This is the only Persona game to never receive an English release.
• Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PlayStation)
• Persona 3 (PS2, PSP)
• Persona 4 (PS2)

Devil Summoner

The Devil Summoner Shin Megami Tensei spinoff series has seen a North American release as well, but hasn’t achieved the same level of fame. It technically began life as an official part of the main Shin Megami Tensei series, but then developed into its own spin-off series.

The Devil Summoner games all share some common themes - they’re set in modern, or close to modern, Japan and typically follow the adventures of a main detective protagonist with the ability to summon and talk to demons, who’s investigating some kind of dire misuse of demons. The first two games didn’t get released outside of Japan, and the second two games did.

These are the Devil Summoner games that have been released:

• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner (Sega Saturn, PSP)
• Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (Sega Saturn, PlayStation)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army (PS2) Note: This was the first Devil Summoner game to be released in English.
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon (PS2)

Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible

The Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible series are the most distantly related to the other games in the Shin Megami Tensei family. They are RPGs, but typically take place in a fantasy setting, have players recruiting and fusing monsters instead of demons and are created for a wider audience that includes children. Basically, they’re toned down versions of the main series of games.

Here’s a list of all the Last Bible games released.

• Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible/Revelations: The Demon Slayer (Game Boy, GBC, Game Gear) Note: It is the only Last Bible game that was released in English.
• Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible II (Game Boy, GBC)
• Another Bible (Game Boy)
• Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible III (Super Famicom)
• Last Bible Special (Game Gear)

Majin Tensei

This Japan-only Shin Megami Tensei series spin-off is basically a look at what would happen if Fire Emblem combined with Shin Megami Tensei. It’s a strategic RPG that involves the player hiring, fusing and battling with demons instead of typical strategic RPG units. None of the games ever received an English-language release, but both recently had PC versions released.

There are the Majin Tensei games available:

• Majin Tensei (Super Famicom, Windows PC)
• Majin Tensei: Spiral Nemesis (Super Famicom, Windows PC)

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children

Similar to the Last Bible series, Devil Children is another all ages spin-off of Shin Megami Tensei. The main entries in the series are very similar to Pokemon and Digimon, revolving around heroes and heroines who are half human, half demon and recruit, raise and battle monsters. Also, like Digimon and Pokemon, there are multiple variations of the same game.

The series is so popular in Japan that inspired two anime and two manga series.

Here are the Devil Children games you can find:

• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children Black Book, White Book and Red Book (GBC, PlayStation)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children Light Book and Dark Book/DemiKids: Light and Dark (GBA) Note: This is the only entry in the Devil Children series to be released in English.
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children: Puzzle de Call! (GBA) Note: Unlike the other Devil Children games, this is a puzzle game.
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children Fire Book and Ice Book (GBA)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children: Messiah Riser (GBA) Note: This entry is a strategic RPG.

Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga

The Digital Devil Saga games are RPGs like the majority of Shin Megami Tensei games, but this spin-off series has some unique hallmarks. Characters transform into a demon form, rather than being able to have demons fight at their side and be fused. The game also takes place far in the future, after the apocolyse, and focuses on the battle among tribes fighting to try and reach Nirvana.

There are two Digital Devil Saga games available, and both received US releases:

• Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga (PS2)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2 (PS2)

Miscellaneous spin-offs

There have been many Shin Megami Tensei spin-offs, but most of them have ended up as one-shot deals and didn’t spawn a series like Persona or Devil Summoner. Since they don’t really fit into the other three categories all that well, it’s easier to just place them here. Most are RPGs of some sort, like the Shin Megami Tensei staples, but occasionally there will be one that slips into another genre, like strategic RPG or action.

These are the rest of the Shin Megami Tensei games that have been released:

• Jack Bros. no Meiro de Hiho/Jack Bros. (Virtual Boy)
• Shin Megami Tensei: NINE (Xbox)
• Megami Tensei Online Imagine/Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine (Windows PC)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor (DS)

COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Importables reviews the DC-IE Import Enabler for the Dreamcast.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last weekImportant Importables listed 100 interesting games you can only play if you import in honor of its 100th column.

Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

After years of waiting, a new Lufia game is on the way! Famitsu has revealed that Square Enix is working on Estpolis: The Lands Cursed by the Gods for a yet undisclosed system. Don’t let the whole Estpolis thing throw you, in Japan the Lufia series goes by Estpolis. Lufia & the Fortress of Doom and Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals were called Estpolis Denki and Estpolis Denki II there.

Almost all of the previous Lufia games, except for Lufia: The Ruins of Lore, were developed by Neverland and published by Taito. Square Enix, Taito’s new owners, will be publishing Estpolis: The Lands Cursed by the Gods and since Famitsu says the original development team is back, that probably means Neverland is on the job as well.

And, that’s it for now. The official reveal of Estpolis: The Lands Cursed by the Gods will be in the November 19, 2009 issue of Famitsu. What a tease. Now we have to wait a week to learn what console it will appear on and when it will be released.

This is such fantastic news. The Super Nintendo Lufia games, Lufia & the Fortress of Doom and Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals, were classic RPGs and among the best releases for that system. Even the Game Boy Color game Lufia: The Legend Returns wasn’t too bad. I liked it. The Game Boy Advance entry, Lufia: The Ruins of Lore, disappointed me though.

Odds are, we’ll see Estpolis: The Lands Cursed by the Gods in North America. Every entry in the Lufia series, except for the cell phone game, has been released in North America. I’m hoping it will appear on the DS, PSP or Wii.

Read [Famitsu (Japanese)] Via [Andriasang] Also Read [Joystiq]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Good news for fans of the Nintendo and Cing adventure game / visual novel Hotel Dusk: Room 215 - a sequel is on the way. A Japanese blog has leaked the news that Last Window: Mayonaka no Yakusoku, Last Window: Midnight Promise in English, is going to be released in Japan on January 14, 2010. Based on the informational image provided, it looks like it’s going to carry a Cero B (Ages 12+) rating.

Specific facts on Last Window haven’t been released, so we don’t know anything about the story or how it relates to Hotel Dusk. What we do know is that it will follow Hotel Dusk star Kyle Hyde as he conducts some kind of investigation in Los Angeles, California in the 1980’s. Since Hotel Dusk took place near Los Angeles in 1979, I think it’d be safe to think it’s a direct sequel to the first game.

A price is mentioned on the bottom of the informational image as well, but it’s nearly impossible to read. It could be ¥4,340, or ¥6,360. I just can’t tell. I’m going to guess ¥4,840, since that seems about right for a DS game.

So far a worldwide release hasn’t been announced, but it wouldn’t be unlikely. Hotel Dusk was pretty popular in North America and I’m sure Nintendo would want to continue a successful series.

Read [Sinobi (Japanese)] Via [NeoGAF] Also Read [Tiny Cartridge] Also Read [Siliconera]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Beverage companies have been targeting gamers for a while.

Recall Harcos’ Mana Drink, Mountain Dew more than once and, of course, various Bawls brews.

The latest beverage endeavor is by Hint Inc., a company that specializes in flavored water sans sugar. Instead of rebranding an existing product with a lame gamer-esque name or some fancy art, Hint has instead decided to piggyback the popularity of Nintendo’s exercise game, Wii Fit Plus.

The deal is this: Buy Wii Fit Plus before December 15, 2009, scan the receipt and send the digital copy of your receipt to hintwater@5wpr.com and Hint will send you a case of their product.

When you email Hint, be certain to include your mailing address and your preferred flavor choice from the following list:

• Blackberry
• Watermelon
• Pomegranate Tangerine
• Mango Grapefruit
• Raspberry Lime

The promotion ends December 15, 2009, and there is a limit of one case per household. A promotional case contains 12 16-ounce bottles of a single flavor and retails for US$22. (If you order a case through the company web site, it contains 24 16-ounce bottles and sells for $44 with free shipping in the US.)

Just for fun, tell ‘em Gamertell sent ya.

Check back for a review of Wii Fit Plus.

Site [Hint Inc.]

Full Story » | Written by PJ Hruschak for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Street date, schmeet date.

It should probably not come as a surprise that some retailers decided to break the November 10, 2009, street date on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 The events that transpired afterward are definitely worth noting, though.

GameStop contacted COD publisher Activision regarding retailers breaking the street date. According to Kotaku, these conversations led to the retailer deciding to break street date in areas where other retailers had already done so.

GameStop did this - Activision is stressing to anyone listening - without the publisher’s permission.

PC gamers who purchased the game early still had to wait to get their warfare on as the IWNet and Steamworks components can stop anyone from playing until Activision allows the game servers to go live. Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling tweeted  about the whole situation:

ANY store selling MW2 early is in violation of street date. There are no “special permissions”. That said, we won’t punish players for it.

This seems like an opportune time to mention you can also follow Gamertell’s tweets.

Street dates get broken very often, as with Halo 3: ODST which was sold in France a full 10 days before its planned release.

This situation is somewhat unique: A major retailer actively seeking and then being denied permission to break street date, then doing so anyway.

The gaming world is watching to see what happens. OK, the gaming world is playing the game, only game journalists are sitting around waiting to see what happens to GameStop.

Get your death streak going, we’ll be here to update you if and when Activision declares war on GameStop.

Read [Kotaku]  Also Read [FourZeroTwo on Twitter]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Eric Hawkins robbed Bremerton Key Bank in 2006, getting away with $12,000 but also bringing along a dye pack that went off after the crime.

Somehow Hawkins managed to escape capture until earlier this year. As the following exploits prove, we can’t blame his criminal mastermind abilities for him evading capture.

Thinking he had gotten completely away with it,  Hawkins decided using the dye-stained cash to buy video games wouldn’t raise any suspicion. He guessed wrong, as Bremerton authorities tracked down “Gerald Lewis” (the alias Hawkins was using when spending the money) earlier this year.

Hawkins was sent to prison for cocaine possession, giving police the opportunity to test his DNA and find that it matched ink-stained sunglasses at the 2006 crime scene. Earlier this week (November 9, 2009) Hawkins was sentenced to seven years in prison for armed bank robbery.

There is no truth to the rumors that the Nintendo Wii cops assisted in this investigation.

Read [Seattle Weekly]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Video game movies usually tend to be well, awful. (Super Mario Bros or Dead or Alive, anyone?)

So it was with much skepticism that I’ve been following news regarding a Prince of Persia: Sands of Time movie.

After having seen the first trailer, I am convinced this film will be worth seeing. One of the first obstacles to a decent movie, game based or otherwise is the budget. With Walt Disney Studios considerable resources behind the production, there are no problems there, putting Jerry Bruckheimer and an all-star cast in place. The quality of the special effects show that no money is no object.

That’s also the reason Uwe Boll isn’t involved anywhere. Boll was able to snap up film rights to games including Postal because no one else was bidding. Do you blame them?

Disney’s able to place its advertising in prime spots including the November 8, 2009, Cowboys-Eagles game on NBC. Everybody may not have the desire to see this movie but everybody is definitely going to know about it.

That brings me to my next point. Some of the greatest games in history have little to no plot. That doesn’t matter because they’re fun to play. We don’t really need to know the Hammer Bros. back story to play a Mario game and enjoy it. But to hold anyone’s attention in a movie theatre for 90 minutes or better, a few things need to make sense. This is where Prince of Persia has the edge over many games. The Sands of Time series is a ready-made trilogy with a likable hero, despicable villains and a great story.

The Sands of Time trailer contains moments ripped straight from the games. The Dagger of Time, the Prince’s death-defying acrobatics and quirky sense of humor are all there. I was one of many that expressed concerns about Jake Gyllenhaal in the the lead. He is still not my first choice but most of what the Prince needs to do to be believable will be accomplished by wire fighting and computer graphics.

And now the cold shiver that went up my back when I heard this was going to be a movie is gone, replaced by the warmth of anticipation. Check it out:

Read [Gamertell]  Also Read [Screen Rant]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Dead Space Extraction
Price: $49.99
System: Wii
Release Date: September 28, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Electronic Arts (Visceral Games)
ESRB Rating: “Mature” for blood and gore, intense violence and strong language.
Pros: Engaging story with great characters, excellent action and controls, fantastic graphics, a couple decent bosses and great two-player co-op.
Cons: Prolonged dialogue hurts replay value, froze at one point, somewhat short, too many hallways and not enough scares.
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 91/100; A-; **** out of 5

Caveat Lector: This review contains spoilers.

Electronic Arts should be ashamed of themselves.

In Dead Space Extraction, they’ve got the best rail shooter (or light gun) game available on the Wii - and arguably on any platform - and they’ve done next to nothing to let anyone know about it.

The developer videos made available did little to pique my interest and it wasn’t until well after its release that a former coworker convinced me to give it a try. That’s why this review is so late but you should trust me on this: Don’t miss this game.

Dead Space Extraction is the prequel to last year’s Dead Space for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. That game saw a comic book and an animated movie—Dead Space Downfall—tie-in to promote it. EA must’ve thought that was enough momentum to help sell Dead Space Extraction but I knew nothing of any of these (and I still don’t care to). Even now that I’ve completed Extraction, I’m happy enough to keep this entry contained within itself.

It’s that damn good.

Understand, though, you have to be willing to accept certain things to share this view of the game. As mentioned, it’s a rail shooter, so you have no control over where you’re going; you just aim and shoot.

On Rails, No One Can Hear You Scream

Don’t get stuck visions of House of the Dead, however. Extraction is not just another mindless variation of shooting carnival zombies ducks in a row. Presented in the first-person, camera movement is designed to make you feel like you’re actually there. You don’t just stare straight ahead, you react. You may be shooting at oncoming aliens but, if you hear something behind you, you’ll turn to look.

You seek exits and cover. You check on your companions. You’re still given the necessary time to kill what needs to be killed, but the developers use this to create actual space. You feel like your part of the environment, even though you’re actually just being pushed through it.

Another element that could be good or bad, depending upon your expectations, is the story. It’s basic—bad things are happening, eliminate bad things, escape—but it’s told from within the gameplay, not through the standard cut scenes at the beginning and end of each level. This keeps you drawn into the game, as the interruptions to the action are relatively short.

However, you can’t skip them. You won’t care on the first play through but, if you have to replay a level, you’ll quickly grow impatient.

Rail shooters are generally great for playing with friends, but if you’ve gone through Extraction once, you likely won’t want to do it again anytime soon, even with someone who hasn’t previously played the game.

Ishimura, We Have a Problem

This brings me to co-op play, which is perfectly implemented.

A second player can hop in and out of the game at any time without breaking up the action. The limited camera control and weapon slot selection is still left up to player one, player two simply provides more firepower. If you’re on level four and a friend wants to play, let him join you right there. No need to create a new game profile or start from scratch (although you can certainly go back and replay any completed level).

Sacrificing replay value is worth it in this case, however, as it makes the first run-through much more engaging. This game is not played for comic value, as in House of the Dead: Overkill.

These characters felt real. I liked them. I wanted to see them get out alive. Even some of the secondary characters (a couple of which you actually control for a level). They take turns showing moments of strength and weakness and develop a logical relationship with one another as moments of fear and relief take over.

It’s very, very well done but, if you don’t care about story and character and just want to slice up aliens, you’ll find all of this getting in the way.

Nice Planet. We’ll Mutate It.

Unfortunately, Dead Space Extraction isn’t all that scary. It’s intense but never frightening, working better as sci-fi action than as a horror-survival game. This may be due in part to the similarity of the aliens (and their behavior) throughout. If a species is going to take over and mutate dead human bodies, into how many forms would they mutate?

I don’t really need a wide array of aliens for a game to hold my interest but a wider array of locales would’ve helped. Whether on the surface of Aegis VII at the beginning or the spaceship Ishimura for the final three-quarters, you’re largely just running through dark hallways. I never got the sense of what either location actually was.

Likewise, the developers never really explain what you’re fighting. Yes, there’s this crazy suicide cult and a bunch of people flipping out (told in the game and in the bonus video comic included) but who was I fighting? The couple of bosses you face give the impression it’s something very large and plant-like, but you have no idea how this thing fits in with the Marker.

Also, the game froze on me at one point, a rarity with a Wii title. The game didn’t lock up, it just left me stranded in front of a door that wouldn’t open.

Extraction. It Was Fun While it Lasted.

Still, upon completing Dead Space Extraction, I felt a bit empty. This may be due in part to its unnecessary cliffhanger ending (unless Visceral is planning a sequel, they really should’ve just made up their mind) but is largely because I wasn’t done with these characters. I grew to like them, thanks to some excellent acting and mostly believable dialogue. I want their adventures to continue.

Ten levels was too short, especially since it took until level 10 before you see Lexine stomping on a dead alien out of anger and frustration. Totally hot.

So, I hope there’s a sequel. Not Dead Space 2 but Dead Space Extraction 2. Sales of this game have not been great, though, no thanks to EA, so I don’t have much hope. Considering what the protagonists go through in this game, however, I guess that’s in line with the general theme.

Site [Dead Space Extraction]

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »