As we reported yesterday, Namco-Bandai's bonkers Japanese roll-'em-up is making its way to Xbox 360 and PS3 and we've got the first screens of Beautiful Katamari Damacy, as it's currently known, right here.

If you haven't been fortunate enough to experience the joys of Katamari, you play as that little green dude with the hammer-like head and you roll around a sticky ball - called a Katamari - to pick up small objects around a giant house.

As more stuff accumulates on your Katamari, it gets bigger and you're able to roll up bigger things, like people and sofas. Eventually, you grow big enough to roll up entire cities, the Eifel Tower, the Great Wall of China and Zeus - from paper clip-sized ball to planet-killer in a few hours.

No, there's not a massive graphical difference - that's not Katamari's style anyway. But the new game promises to use the extra processing power to let you make bigger, meaner Katamaris. We can't wait.

A release date is yet to be announced, but the official Japanese website is up for you to poke around.

Screens Here ...

As we reported yesterday, Namco-Bandai's bonkers Japanese roll-'em-up is making its way to Xbox 360 and PS3 and we've got the first screens of Beautiful Katamari Damacy, as it's currently known, right here.

If you haven't been fortunate enough to experience the joys of Katamari, you play as that little green dude with the hammer-like head and you roll around a sticky ball - called a Katamari - to pick up small objects around a giant house.

As more stuff accumulates on your Katamari, it gets bigger and you're able to roll up bigger things, like people and sofas. Eventually, you grow big enough to roll up entire cities, the Eifel Tower, the Great Wall of China and Zeus - from paper clip-sized ball to planet-killer in a few hours.

No, there's not a massive graphical difference - that's not Katamari's style anyway. But the new game promises to use the extra processing power to let you make bigger, meaner Katamaris. We can't wait.

A release date is yet to be announced, but the official Japanese website is up for you to poke around.

Screens Here ...

Sims 2: Pets is making it's way to Wii, joining the Wii-exclusive MySims game later this year.

Originally a PC expansion pack for Sims 2, Pets lets you breed your own dogs and cats, with the typical create-a-sim customisation allowing you to create your perfect animal friend. With 22 dog and 15 cat breeds in there, you have plenty of options.

Once you've done God's work, you can then take your pet to the park to play fetch, and train them to learn new tricks.

This pet-breeding element is moulded into the usual Sims gameplay, giving you a family and a house to manage. The Wii Remote's pointer functionality is ideal for playing a game like Sims, and will allow you to create your house and instruct your Sims with PC mouse-like ease.

Sims 2: Pets is due to hit Wii in June.

via cvg ...

Sony America has released info on its Q2 line-up of games for the four different PlayStation platforms. And when the PS2 line-up looks better than your PS3 portfolio, you know there's something not quite right.

According to Sony over 100 first- and third-party titles will launch over the next few months, which Sony describes as "an impressively robust software line-up". Over 100 games across four platforms is bound to cover most genre of gaming but the only one that's missing - especially for PS3 - is the triple A genre.

"Our second-quarter line-up of PS3, PSP and PlayStation 2 software titles demonstrates a continued commitment from both SCEA and third-party developers to the PlayStation family of products," said Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing, SCEA. "We are excited by the content being developed by our partners, but are also looking forward to launching PlayStation-branded exclusive games created by our own worldwide studios this quarter and throughout the rest of 2007."
via cvg ...

"You're just an ordinary guy trying to survive." So says Dean Martinetti, producer at Sparks Unlimited, after demoing the opening scene in Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, in which a flat-capped builder becomes the unlikely hero of the US resistance. However, there's nothing ordinary about what we've just seen, because the streets of New York - its tower blocks and famous landmarks such as the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty - are engulfed in flame and are being unceremoniously razed to the ground by an invading German force. Nationalist flag-waving this ain't - well, not unless you're a Nazi - and contrary to Call of Duty and Medal of Honor et al, there's no heroic leader to save the world and the US doesn't win.

Full article ...

If SEGA Rally is anything to go by, it seems the battle lines in the next-gen war - as far as arcade racers are concerned - are being drawn in the mud. Following in MotorStorm's messy wake on PS3, this latest entry in SEGA's long-running series - and the first title from the company's brand new SEGA Racing Studio - seems determined to steal Sony's mud mantle.

Sitting down with SEGA for a first early at this latest iteration of the SEGA Rally franchise, it's clear the team behind it - consisting of race development veterans from Criterion, Codemasters, Rockstar North and Rare - are passionate about the series. For a start, unlike SEGA Rally 2006, which never saw light of day in the west, this next-gen version dumps any simulation pretensions in favour of returning to the franchise's shamelessly arcade roots.

Of course, with the might of PS3, Xbox 360 and PC behind this new game, it's the slickest entry in the series yet, promising impressive visuals, state-of-the-art physics and handling, as well as the core close competitive racing elements SEGA Rally's known for. Even at this stage, it looks like the development team is set to hit its lofty goals. Certainly, there's plenty of graphical bluster on display, with a wide variety of locations - ranging from frozen artic wastelands to blistering safari tracks - and the usual next-gen touches like self-shadowing and a rather nifty, appropriately-reactive two-tone paint job on the cars in evidence.

Sadly, it's too early to state with any certainty how the final product will look. The frame-rate was erratic, although it's set for a significant amount of tweaking, while water and particle effects are currently undergoing a complete overhaul. What's more, the build we saw lacked any form of damage modelling, although SEGA did mention it wouldn't affect car performance when implemented, to maintain the game's arcade sensibility. Of course, there's still plenty of development time to go and, even now, the game looks promising.

Showing off one of the game's jungle-based tracks, roadsides were packed with lush, detailed foliage, SEGA's trademark set-piece elements - like the towering waterfall looming against a rich backdrop of distant mountains - and plenty of persistent, interactive environmental objects. For example, clip one of the track-side huts and the porch will crumble, sending wood and debris scattering across the road - a nasty surprise for anyone following your tail.

Of course though, it's the mud effects that SEGA's keen to trumpet at this stage. Unlike some other racers, SEGA Rally's mud is more than a flash visual effect. As your tyres carve up the track your actions have an actual effect on the road surface. Bumps and grooves remain in place for the entire race, making for significantly variable conditions as your car's suspension and wheels react accordingly. As loose top soil is dislodged on the first lap you benefit from increased grip. However, as water slowly seeps from the ground to fill gouges in the dirt, you'll need to constantly analyse the road ahead and adjust your approach accordingly.

While it's difficult to assess just how much of an impact all this will have on the final game without going hands-on, it certainly promises to add a considerable amount of depth to your usual arcade racer fare. What's more, with around three tracks per environment, plus a variety of modes including practice, championship and - of course - online multiplayer, SEGA Rally is certainly heading in the right direction.

via ign ...

Shadow90 has released 3p - The image app,a new app for the DS coded using Palib:


Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...

Shadow90 has released 3p - The image app,a new app for the DS coded using Palib:


Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...

Shadow90 has released 3p - The image app,a new app for the DS coded using Palib:


Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...