iPhone developer Tapulous has unveiled the latest instalment in its Tap Tap Revenge music game franchise: Nirvana Revenge.
Yes, the cult British psychedelic band from the 1960s are being celebrated in a... Oh, okay, they're not. It's the other Nirvana, the grunge chaps.
Nirvana Revenge will feature 13 of the band's songs, including Smells Like Teen Spirit, Come As You Are and Heart Shaped Box. Sadly no Territorial Pissings, but there are several live tracks from the band's 1992 Reading Festival set.
There's a Bluetooth multiplayer battle mode, and it's the first Revenge game to include "narrative vignettes" for each track, offering snippets about the band and their music.
The app will be available on Wednesday, and will cost $4.99 on the App Store. Nirvana join Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and Coldplay (among others) in Tapulous' stable. Now THAT'S a supergroup.


Those 13 tracks in full:
All Apologies
Breed
Breed (Live at Reading)
Come As You Are
Heart Shaped Box
In Bloom
Lithium
Lithium (Live at Reading)
Rape Me
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Smells Like Teen Spirit (Live at Reading)
Stay Away
You Know You're Right

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/37074...ding-to-iPhone ...

Sorry, retro heads, no old-school loving for you. Not on Virtual Console at least. But if you own a DSi you should get on DSiWare and check out Earthworm Jim.

It's one of our favourite Super NES games - you play as a worm wearing a super suit with a little red gun that works and sounds like a giant assault rifle, and blast your way through a twisted world of mutants and snot monsters.

What's happened to Virtual Console anyway? It's weekly updates used to be exciting.

Here's the full list of DSiWare, thanks to Shacknews:

Nintendo DSiWare

Photo Dojo
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Violence
Price: Zero Nintendo DSi Points through June 10, 2010; 200 Nintendo DSi Points starting June 11, 2010

Description: Welcome to Photo Dojo, where you create a dojo filled with ruthless (or humorous) fighting machines using images of you and your friends. Use the Nintendo DSi system's built-in camera to take pictures of yourself and your friends in various poses, then use the built-in microphone to record sound effects and dialogue to give your warrior a voice. Choose one of the four available fighting styles, name your character and you're done. Better yet, repeat the simple, step-by-step process and create a lineup of up to eight fighters. Complete your game setup by customizing backgrounds and choosing from three awesome soundtracks, then prepare for battle. Two players can share one Nintendo DSi system to face off against each other in a one-on-one grudge match, while single-player mode offers the chance to pick your favorite fighter and take on relentless opponents of your own creation. If you're ready for some seriously offbeat kung fu action, Photo Dojo's unique twist on the side-scrolling beat-'em-up genre lets you use your imagination to set the stage for a fun-filled fight to the finish.

Earthworm Jim
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points

Description: The classic action platformer you used to play on the Super NES system is back in a remake that offers the essence and core game play of the original, plus a never-before-seen feature available exclusively on the Nintendo DSi system. Play as the grooviest earthworm in the galaxy. Run, gun, swing from hooks with your head, launch cows, bungee jump and rocket through speed levels in a dozen crazy universes. Earn bonuses with facial-expression-based challenges that track your face using the system's built-in camera. Put on a smile, frown or make a variety of other faces to mimic Jim.

Chess Challenge!
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points

Description: Patience will be key if you want to score big in Chess Challenge! Perfect your chess skills by playing against the computer in multiple difficulty modes, or play against your friends in either shared or wireless play via DS Wireless Play. Start by practicing with some casual games, then work your way up in fully Elo-rated matches. You'll even be able to track all of your game-play stats - win, lose or draw. Chess Challenge! will keep both novice and expert players glued to the screen for hours.

Flips: The Enchanted Wood
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points

Description: Jo, Bessie and Fanny move to the country and find an Enchanted Wood right on their doorstep. In the wood stands the magic Faraway Tree, and in that tree live the magical characters that soon become their new friends: Moon-Face, Silky the fairy and Saucepan Man. Together they visit strange lands (the Roundabout Land, the Land of Ice and Snow, Toyland and the Land of Take What You Want) that lie at the top of the tree. Get ready for exciting adventures - and narrow escapes! The Flips series brings modern classics to the Nintendo DSiWare service. Readers can collect, solve, interact and learn as they progress through the various stories and challenges.

WiiWare

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
Publisher: Capcom Entertainment, Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Mild Blood, Mild Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points

Description: Phoenix Wright is back as the third game in the popular Ace Attorney hand-held franchise comes to the WiiWare service. As Phoenix Wright, you'll play through five shocking new cases in first-person perspective. The game features two unique modes of play. In Investigations Mode you'll survey crime scenes, interview witnesses and gather evidence. You'll then present findings, listen to testimonials and examine witnesses in Court Mode. TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS also includes the "Psyche-Lock" feature that allows Phoenix to use a line of questioning to reveal inconsistencies in witness testimony.

Chess Challenge!
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
...

It used to be a major production to build a gun-form-factor FPS controller but commercial tech has adopted many of those traditional hacks over the years. Now, [Nirav Patel] is playing Cube with a Wii zapper and a SpacePoint. All that was really required to make this happen is a patch to Cube, the open source FPS.

[Nirav] has plans to make this controller wireless using a BeagleBoard. We’re wondering if there’s support for using the Wii motion plus? We’ve seen motion plus Arduino connectivity, as well as direct PC connectivity. The Wii remote already connects to Linux, what about pulling that data down from the Bluetooth connection? If you’ve done this, send us a tip about it.

http://hackaday.com/2010/05/10/fps-c...etting-easier/ ...

EA's official tie-in to the 2010 World Cup has enjoyed a second week at the top of the UK all formats chart, despite a 34 per cent drop in sales.

Although sales figures are never revealed for European charts, the lack of movement and new releases suggests a particularly slow week with most non-discounted titles seeing a decrease in sales.

Although it rose one place to number two Ubisoft's Just Dance saw sales dip by seven per cent, just as the blockbuster title passed a lifetime total of 1 million in the UK.

Thanks to retailer promotions, Modern Warfare 2 rose six places to number three this week, with an increase of 34 per cent. Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which has also seen significant discounts from some retailers, also rose three places to number five with a 10 per cent increase in sales.

Wii Fit at number four fell five per cent though and Super Street Fighter IV dropped four places to number six with a 51 per cent fall in sales.

The only major new release of the week was Wii exclusive Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies from cult developer Treasure. However, the game failed to chart in either the all format or individual formats charts and appeared only at number 11 in the Wii chart.

Whether it will follow the pattern of a stronger second week of sales, as seen with most Nintendo published titles, is unclear but last week's WarioWare D.I.Y. has continued the usual trend by debuting at number 24 with a 109 per cent increase in sales.

The full Chart-Track UK chart for the week ending May 8 is as follows:

01 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
02 Just Dance
03 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
04 Wii Fit Plus
05 Battlefield: Bad Company 2
06 Super Street Fighter IV
07 Wii Sports Resort
08 Splinter Cell: Conviction
09 Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
10 Just Cause 2

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...orld-cup-in-uk ...

It was pretty much implied when "backward compatibility" was listed as a feature of Nintendo's new 3DS handheld back in March. But it's good to hear that 3D gameplay can be easily switched off, direct from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, when headaches or nausea set in during marathon sessions. This should also ease concerns from parents over any adverse effects that long term exposure to parallax barrier gameplay could have on their children's developing eyes. Besides, a 2D mode is desirable in that we expect it to offer a brighter image (especially when viewing off-center), better text reading experience, and a wider angle of view for sharing the display.

Now, we know what you're wondering: what about that new 3.4-inch glasses-less 3D touchscreen display from Sharp, is it 2D switchable? Yup, lending more credibility that we'll see it on the 3DS when the handheld gaming console is fully revealed at E3 next month.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/10/n...de-thankfully/ ...

"We're number two" might not be the chant everyone's after, but we have a feeling that Google is more than satisfied with that in this case... for now. According to market research firm NPD, Google's Android operating system edged up into second place in the US smartphone market during the first quarter of the year, leaving it still well behind RIM's BlackBerry OS, but marking the first time that it has moved ahead of Apple's iPhone OS. Specifically, NPD found that RIM maintained a strong 36 percent market share for the quarter, with Android coming in at 28 percent, and iPhone OS in third at 21 percent. The growth for Android was attributed largely to strong carrier support -- like Verizon's buy-one-get-one free offer which, incidentally, also helped Verizon maintain a 30 percent smartphone market share, which is just slightly behind AT&T at 32 percent, and ahead of T-Mobile and Sprint at 17 and 15 percent, respectively.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/10/n...-smartphone-m/ ...

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has said that his company needs to improve hardware distribution in Europe and the US and put an end to retailer inventory shortages.

Speaking during a financial presentation following the release of Nintendo's latest financials, Iwata said: "In January this year, I explained to you that the sales of Wii hardware in December 2009 renewed the monthly historical sales record by a large margin, according to NPD.

"As a result, however, Wii console and Wii Fit Plus with Wii Balance Board, whose transportations from the manufacturing facilities to the retailers take longer, have suffered from serious inventory shortages.

"In the United States, since it takes a long time for us to deliver our products to the retailers, when an inventory shortage takes place, it significantly impacts the business momentum. This is one of the areas we need to make improvements."

Iwata added that Europe too had suffered stock shortages at the start of the year.

"Also in Europe, Black Wii hardware experienced an inventory shortage in January and February, except in the UK. Although we had some black Wii inventories for the UK market, due to the different power plug configurations, we were not able to flexibly reallocate the supply. This is another area in which we must make an improvement," he stated.

Nintendo's fiscal 2010 profits dropped by 18 per cent - a drop that the company attributed to the price reduction in Wii hardware, fewer strong Wii releases over the first half of the year and the appreciation of the yen.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ibution-needed ...

A number of industry figures have expressed their belief that the games industry will not see another major new generation of consoles.
Their hypothesis is that the future of console hardware lies in steady evolutionary footsteps and increasingly open platforms rather than the large-scale proprietary technological leaps that have periodically punctuated the last 30 years.
They often argue that the investment required by Microsoft and Sony in competing at the cutting edge is simply too onerous and no longer economically viable.
They also often highlight the rapid rise of server-based gaming and its lower client-side hardware requirements.
Should such a change take place, it would have a truly profound impact on the games industry. Developers would be forced to reappraise their approach to content, tools and middleware development. Publishers’ financials – and share prices – would no longer be slaves to cyclicality.


Consumers’ buying patterns would be profoundly altered. Given that console software sales represent over $25 billion per annum, there is much at stake. But how likely is this game-changing prediction to take place?
Clearly, only the console manufacturers and their close industry confidantes know at this stage. However, I believe that we will see a major new generation of hardware launched in the next two-to-four years and that proprietary consoles will still be on sale in ten, even 15 year’s time. Here’s why.
Self control
Console manufacturers invest in proprietary hardware for one overriding reason: control. Having complete technical and legal control over their own platforms allows them to justify levying fees for every disc manufactured and unit distributed digitally. These fees typically subsidise lower hardware retail prices, driving demand for both hardware and software.
They are acceptable to publishers as a result and make the console manufacturing business model viable. It is difficult therefore to envisage Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft relinquishing control over their own hardware, and easy to see continued investment in proprietary technology and closed platforms to maintain their fee justification.
While Nintendo has opened up the casual console games market, the bedrock of both Sony and Microsoft’s strategy remains the hardcore gamer, a species that is fewer in number but considerably more valuable per player. These gamers’ purchasing decisions are driven by various factors, but they are unique in expecting continual improvements in game technology sophistication. For Sony or Microsoft to drop out of the technology arms race that feeds this consumer demand would be to retreat from the hardcore market.
This would represent a huge strategic risk for the exiting company and give the survivor a monopolistic market dominance. Microsoft and Sony are tied together in this arms race, whether they like it or not.
But could console manufacturers simply move to smaller, iterative but still proprietary and cutting-edge hardware releases every one to two years rather than $2 to $3 billion blown on a single platform every four to six years?
Superficial features and interface innovations have been used for generations to extend platform longevity but these are not really console iterations; they do not fundamentally improve the specification and performance of the underlying platforms.
As Sega found with the Mega CD, the idea of iterating platforms gradually is flawed in three critical ways: player fragmentation, development resistance and consumer confusion.

Irritating iterations
While the installed base of consoles only ever increases, the active player base follows a parabolic growth curve which, after many years and at its peak, can reach up to 50-to-60 million players for a single console (c.50 per cent of PS2’s installed base).
Games publishers tend to experience their greatest individual and collective software sales during this period usually recording their best financial results too. In contrast, they often go into loss during the platform transition years when the active user bases bottom out.
Developers make significant up-front investments with the advent of a new platform to build best-of-breed technology and amortise this cost over as many titles and for as long as possible.
Moving to iterative hardware could severely disrupt this – developers would have to make those up-front investments on a more regular basis and be less able to get to grips with the new technology.
They would end up having to create multiple versions of the same game and would likely end up prioritising the lowest common denominator, the original platform, as it will have the largest installed base.
This would contribute to the inevitable player confusion and annoyance when faced with multiple hardware requirements to access different functionality within the same game as well as the marketing challenge of highlighting what those requirements are.
The console hardware market is undoubtedly ...

Entertainment giant Sony has been sued for over $5 Million by a disgruntled gamers after removing the "install other OS" feature from their PlayStation 3 console.

The feature allowed users of the console to install the widely used and very popular Linux operating system, which could effectively turn the PS3 into a home computer rather than an entertainment system, a feature which was touted prominently in Sony's marketing when the console was launched in 2007.

Following the removal of the feature due to security concerns earlier this month, California resident Anthony Ventura has launched a class action claim against Sony on behalf of "a nationwide class of all persons who purchased a PS3 during the period November 17, 2006 and March 27, 2010 and who did not resell their PS3", describing the removal of the feature as "based on its own interest and made at the expense of its customers".



Many gamers may not have noticed the removal of the feature, but to the hardcore PS3 user who intends to use the console beyond its obvious gaming and entertainment capabilities, the move was extremely controversial.

However, it was probably only a matter of time before Sony took this step as a part of their ongoing efforts to curb piracy through digital rights management.

The use of Linux as an operating system effectively allowed PS3 users to modify the console as and when they saw fit.

Amazon in the UK have already made a number of refunds to disgruntled customers who have complained that it no longer works in the same way it was advertised when purchased, although Sony have already ruled out such a move.

Under UK Law (the Sale of Goods Act 1979), consumers are fairly well-protected and sellers must provide goods which meet certain minimum standards, the main being that what is being sold must "correspond with their description", be "fit for purpose" and "of satisfactory quality" at the time of purchase.

Consumers expecting a certain functionality from the PS3 may well have valid claims, although there may well be an equally valid defence on the basis that the PS3 remains fit for purpose on the basis for which it is commonly supplied (i.e. as a gaming console rather than a home computer) and that it was of satisfactory quality in terms of "all relevant circumstances", again to be used as a games console.

It's probably fair to say that this claim would be dealt with differently in the EU than the US and it is worth noting that the feature is only removed through a downloadable firmware update.

Although any user refusing to update their console could still use Linux, they would not be able to use other features, such as playback of certain Blu-Ray discs.

It may well be that Sony is willing to risk a flood of similar claims against the potentially huge amount it could lose through the use of modified consoles; to circumvent their DRM system in the wake of the announcement of an available "hack" for the system in January this year by the same user who successfully cracked the iPhone.

In the battle for copyright protection, it may well be the informed gamer who ends up as the loser.

Steve Kuncewicz is an assistant solicitor in the IPCT team at law firm Halliwells LLP. Email him on: [email protected]

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...