You may have seen that Spencer of Silicon Era discovered and confirmed that Shining Dragon, the PS2 3D Ikkitousen fighting game with breakable clothing, is coming to the U.S. courtesy of Valcon. We mentioned the game way back here.

Next, there's the PSP version, which has an official site now. This game, which bears the subtitle Eloquent Fist, is a 2D side-scrolling brawler. Check out a movie here, and the limited edition goods here. There's a figure set, if you're into that. Talk about two girls, one cup. I hope that joke hasn't been made already!

http://www.insertcredit.com/archives/002409.html ...

Ketsui DS has an official site, and while all sections are filled in, what you should really be looking at is the extra features. It's pretty impressive. They've got game sharing, wherein a second player can download a boss attack mode from you, for one thing. Next there's a replay mode. You play, the replay is saved, and you can watch it again, and send it to friends wirelessly as well. There's an Evac Report thing which I don't really understand, and then best of all, there's the "oshiete IKD san!" mode, in which Cave president IKD gives you tips and tricks. If this mode were really built out, it could actually teach you how to get better at shooters.

http://www.insertcredit.com/archives/002410.html ...

Thanks to the Platinum Games/Sega crossover announcement, I had the opportunity to speak with the head of Nudemaker (Hifumi Kouno), which I was very excited about. As a splinter company from Human (all of which are very interesting - Grasshopper, Sandlot, Spike, and others), Nudemaker has been making odd games like Tekki, Clock Tower, and some hentai games. Currently they are working on Infinite Line for DS. Since this was my first opportunity to talk to Kouno, I didn't waste much time talking about his upcoming game (whoops), but rather about what he's been doing since Tekki. Though the interview was unfortunately cut short, I was able to talk with someone seriously about what you can do in a hentai game from a design and emotional standpoint. Obviously I would've interviewed him for longer if I could, and another opportunity to do so may present itself soon. For now, please enjoy!

http://www.insertcredit.com/archives/002413.html ...

What with the success of the latest Macross TV series, Macross Frontier, it's hardly surprising that a game will be released to tie-in with it. That being said, Macross Ace Frontier could be something quite substantial in terms of its content.

The game is being developed by Artdink, who have recently been making a name for themselves with the Gundam Battle series (a good breakdown of these games can be found here) it's interesting that they've landed a Macross game. Interesting because functionally mapping mobile suit control is a far easier task than trying to emulate Valkyrie piloting. To explain, Gundam games just feature mecha but Macross games need to offer the same fidelity of control you'd see in a flight sim, helicopter sim and a mecha game. Historically, Macross games have been subsequently a bit pants. It was only until SEGA AM2 used their Aero Dancing engine that things began to improve (though GERWALK control, the helicopter functionality effectively, was still damn fiddly).

Presently, the game is at 60% complete. Yet, it's already boasting an impressive roster of playable units (40 Valkyries) from a slew of series and movies (namely; Macross Zero, Macross, Macross Do You Remember Love?, Macross Plus, Macross 7, and Macross Frontier). In addition, there will be 30 characters and over 80 missions. The four player multiplayer from the Gundam Battle games is also present and Macross Ace Frontier will also offer co-op play too. This amount of content pretty much dwarfs SEGA's last effort and even From Software's monolithic Another Century's Episode games and it's only on a handheld!

Macross Ace Frontier will be released later this year in Japan and there is no news of a Western release as yet.

http://www.insertcredit.com/archives/002414.html ...

Craig posted this at GBAx:


Good news for all of us Pandora Fans ...

Craig posted this at GBAx:


Good news for all of us Pandora Fans ...

Mercedes-Benz's current iPod integration kit is pretty weak sauce, especially since the new COMAND nav / multimedia system is so well done, but it looks like the automaker's newest iPhone cradle will take steps to address some of the more glaring issues and also add some interesting new features. The cradle appears to finally integrate iPod controls with the main nav screen and COMAND controller instead of relying solely on the instrument display and steering wheel controls, and it will charge your phone while allowing you to make calls and listen to music. On top of that, plugging the phone in will apparently increase reception by using the vehicle's antennas as well as the iPhone's, and from what we can tell, you'll be able to access the contacts list as well -- something MB's current Bluetooth system doesn't allow. If you've already got the iPod kit or Media Interface kit, the adapters needed will run you €39 ($60), and the cradle itself is available now in Germany for €249 ($385).

http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/19/m...tegration-kit/ ...

Sure, you love your iPhone, but did you ever feel like there was just one application missing from the home screen... besides MMS, IM, or a video recorder? If you're like us, that missing application was a full-featured Packbot control program replete with streaming POV video and a standalone, direct WiFi connection that doesn't require a proxy machine to pass along commands. Rodrigo Guiterrez and Jeff Craighead -- the brains behind this operation -- claim that next up they plan to utilize the phone's accelerometers and a fullscreen video display to deliver a "you are there" experience for bot-steering. Engadget and its team of armed Packbots can hardly wait. Check the video after the break to see it in action.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/20/n...ers-streaming/ ...

Now here's something you don't see every day: a manufacturer openly complaining about its own product leaks on their corporate blog. Charlie from Nokia would "like to ask folks to do less peddling in [their] trade secrets," and lays out the myriad ways in which products get leaked (partners, employees, etc.), the supposed negative impact it has on Nokia's bottom line (lost money, angry customers, whatever), and how they feel about it (really upset). It's an interesting and sensitive topic because while companies hate having their products leaked, leaked products are our clearly part of our stock and trade here at Engadget.

Nokia kind of sums up their stance with this bit: "There are a lot of folks behind a product and leaks really screw up all the efforts." So yeah, we totally get that no one wants to have their inside info shared with the outside world -- we're a company too, and don't feel any differently. But it's up to each organization to insulate knowledge of its workings and products to prevent these kinds of leaks. It's not necessarily easy, but think there are few leaks that aren't preventable -- it's really a matter of companies taking their information security into their own hands. But just so Nokia (and everyone else) hears the other side of the story:

Not only do leaks drum up buzz and help customers make advance purchasing decisions (like whether to buy now or hold out for something coming down the pipe they'd prefer), it allows other companies to keep a closer eye on their competition. This means the marketplace is likelier to produce a product that's cheaper and/or better, if not also launched sooner. While that really sucks for the company whose products were leaked, it's ultimately really good for the consumer -- and that's who we represent. (Oh, and claiming leaks result in "a bunch of writers with no story" is actually kind of insulting to tech journos' collective intelligence.)

What we find really strange, though, is the attitude product people have about leaks totally "screwing up their efforts," which completely forsakes the early feedback they COULD be getting from their best and most engaged customers. This is precisely why some product "leaks" are actually plants to solicit unfiltered public feedback. (Yes, that really happens, although not very often.) That feedback can be positively unequaled in outing whether a product is on the right track, and we've been around long enough to know that if a product in its early stages isn't headed in the right direction, there's little chance it will be by the time it's released. Just remember that when you blame product leaks for ruining the launch of your next crappy device, okay?

http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/20/n...ur-act-togeth/ ...