via ign

I previously thought Bandai Namco's Tamagotchi was the worst of Japan's sizable Wii launch lineup. Then, I played Spike's Necro-Nesia. If you want a Wii horror adventure game where you kill screenfulls of insects... well, if you can do without the insect part, you can still play Resident Evil 4, you know.

Necro-Nesia somehow manages to do everything you don't want to do when using the Wiimote. It's like a guide to making a Wiimote compatible game using reverse psychology. All Wii developers should play this and think sarcastic thoughts.

The control scheme gets the part about moving your character with the nunchuck analogue stick right, but the part about using the system's fantastic new pointing device as a means of surveying your surroundings was somehow translated into players slashing the device in order to make the main character evade enemy attack. This move doesn't use any of the Wiimote's positional information -- you always get the same evasive dash to the right no matter how you swing the device (a left dash can be done by shaking the nunchuck). They made a control device for this type of input years ago. It's called a button, and there are a bunch of them that could have been used for this maneuver to free up the Wiimote for something more useful.

That's just an example of what's wrong with Necro-Nesia's control scheme. Why is a button as prominent as C used for switching your flashlight on and off? Why are the controls for slashing with your weapon and throwing rocks so complicated? Why do you still have to go into a menu in order to select weapons and items when there's a toggle button that's limited to just two items? Why do the controls switch to Resident Evil tank controls when you're inside a cabin?

And on the note of whys, why do the insects leave behind money exactly?

Crappy controls make me throw my Wiimote. Stupid videogame logic makes me do something much worse: swear while throwing my Wiimote. So, you're trying to escape this bug-infested island. But you're not the first! Some previous adventurer was kind enough to leave notes at strategic locations, providing details on the background story. These notes also serve as the starting point for puzzles of varying stupidity. "By the way, I dropped my lighter somewhere in the area." Maybe by finding the lighter -- say, by defeating this enemy spore point -- and lighting the lantern in the cabin, something will happen.

How you progress through the game, by finding the required lighter or whatever other absurd quest you're given, is the best part. All you do is walk around until you see a yellow dot glowing on the map. This indicates where you should go next for things to happen. So, you go there, and things happen. Necro-Nesia is a game about finding yellow dots.

The only redeeming factors with Necro-Nesia are its story and characters, but only because you'll laugh at them. The opening sequence sees Ray, the main character, arrive on a bug-infested island with his friend Mike and his love interest Michelle. This island has lots of rare bugs, as Michelle points out (do make sure and download the intro video from our video page). Uh-oh! It seems that Mike has the hots for Michelle too, and he decides to confess to her right there on the spot.

The only thing missing is the crappy English voice acting. Someone should pick this title up, give it the worst translation ever, and release it in America under a new "B-Game" label.

Unless you're planning on making fun of it, Necro-Nesia has nothing going for it. Visually, it has progressive output, but the bland colors and poor insect models would look bad on the Cube.

Necro-Nesia might suddenly get better once I've advanced beyond the 3 hour mark, but I'm not planning on finding out (I just couldn't take it anymore!). Years from now, if someone should ask you to name the worst title from the Wii launch, you can't go wrong with Necro-Nesia. ...

via ign

Easily one of our most anticipated post-launch PlayStation 3 games, MotorStorm looks to infuse offroad racing with a tall order of chaos and a plentiful helping of carnage. While many people have gotten a taste of the game either at in-store kiosks or via the downloadable PlayStation Store demo, no one has yet gotten to see more than one or two of the title's tracks and environments - until yesterday, that is.

If you've seen both the in-store and downloadable demos, you'll know that the PlayStation Store version is newer and showcases a much tighter framerate. The build we played yesterday is even tighter, only shying away from its rock-steady pacing once during our rather extended look at the game, and we're confident that was simply a pre-release fluke. Indeed, the game is running great at this point and it's looking a tad bit cleaner as well. Some particle effects are a little smoother and many of its post-processing effects, like the motion blur, are a little more refined. The game also appears to move a little quicker - not enough to mistake it for the next Burnout, but worries of a slow racing experience are certainly a thing of the past.


The game is centered around the MotorStorm festival, which sounded to us to be something similar to Burning Man, only with a heavy emphasis on offroad racing. The game's running background video shows thousands of party-goers camped out in the middle of nowhere dancing to music and watching racers perform donuts around bonfires.

The progression of the game is directly related to this festival setup. Events are tied to tickets, with each ticket allowing you to enter anywhere from one to four races. Completing one ticket will open the next. It's fairly linear, though as you'll normally have multiple races to choose from, you're able to take them on in any order you want.

The game's events are based around both a specific location and class of vehicles. Some events are essentially set up as challenges, where you might need to hop on a bike while everyone else is in big rigs, forcing you to race defensively. Others will be open to any class of vehicle and it's your choice as to what sort of wheels you'll bring to the race.

While the Raingod Mesa track featured in the demo only very slightly hints at this, the tracks are designed around multiple pathways designed for use with certain vehicle classes. For example, racing down in the trenches is great for bigger vehicles as you won't need to navigate through tight turns and over treacherous jumps as often, though you'll be tire-deep in mud. Bikes and ATVs are better suited for racing up high, though you'll need better control over your steering column. The different event types will ensure that you mix things up over the course of the game though, so you'll want to change your routes according to your current vehicle class.

Full article at link above ...

Who's big, red and likes the liberal application of fist? No, we're not referring to a perverted Santa Clause - we're actually talking about our favourite friendly demon, Hellboy. Star of a woefully underrated film, a long running comic book, and even his own animated series, Hellboy is the man's man of the underworld. He begrudgingly kicks demon butt when duty calls, but would much rather play with kittens instead. Hellboy has already made one outing to the video game world, back in 2004, but that dismal effort has since been banished to the seventh level of Hell. And even down there, the first game is so ugly that it makes the piles of decomposing corpses and giant lakes of baby vomit that surround it look pretty.

Thank the unholy gods then that this Hellboy is looking very, very different. For starters, it's being developed by the talented folk at Krome Studios in Brisbane, rather than some obscure studio in upper Siberia. Krome's recent title, The Legend of Spyro, proved yet again that it knows how to make high quality games. During a recent sortie to the Krome office, we got our first look at the next-gen excursion for this likable cousin of Lucifer.

Heading to Xbox 360, PS3 and PSP, the total Hellboy team at Krome is comprised of around sixty staff. Thirteen are focused purely on the handheld version, while the rest are developing for both the 360 and PS3 at the same time. It's a third-person action game, where fisticuffs and melee action are the order of the day.

The game's most exciting feature is that it's designed from the ground up for co-op play. On both the PS3 and 360, it makes use of the same co-op technique that we recently saw in Gears of War. That is, the entire singleplayer campaign will be co-operative compatible, and that includes all cut scenes and story-telling elements. If you've ever played Gears of War in co-op mode over Xbox Live, you'll understand why this feature is so exciting to us.

Full Article at IGN ...

via ign

Following the release of videogame hardware and software sales data for November by sales tracking agency NPD, Sony's head of PR David Karraker has issued an official statement to Gamasutra. Karraker stated that Sony is "very pleased" with the data, and that the manufacturing problems which plagued the system's launch "have been resolved."

The latest NPD data showed that Sony had shipped only 197,000 units during the month of November, far less than the promised 400,000 units. However, Karraker reasserted Sony's intention to "remain focused on having one million PS3s in the pipeline by December 31, 2006."

Despite the severe lack of PS3s at launch, Sony did express enthusiasm about the performance of its two other systems, the PSP and the PS2. NPD data reported that the PS2 sold strongly through November with 664,000 units sold, while the PSP sold an respectable 412,000 units.

"These figures clearly demonstrate the strength of the PlayStation family of products in the US market," commented Karraker. "PlayStation 3 remains one of the most sought after items this holiday season, selling through almost immediately in all retailers once placed on store shelves. We will continue to utilize airfreight delivery for PlayStation 3 to assure a steady stream of systems for North American consumers through the end of the year. And while initial day-one launch shipment goals weren't achievable due to early manufacturing issues, those problems have been resolved and we do remain focused on having one million PS3's in the pipeline by December 31, 2006."

He added: "The six-year old PlayStation 2 continues to dominate the market, outselling all other computer entertainment systems in November, including much newer systems from the competition. PS2 also topped the software category, out pacing all other system's sales by almost three times. PSP (PlayStation Portable Player) had a very good November as well, seeing a jump in sales of nearly 50% and a strong increase in software sell-through. These sales figures bode very well for SCEA as it offers a computer entertainment system for every taste and budget this holiday season." ...

via ign

The NPD Group has released sales data for November 2006, and while the PlayStation 3 wasn't able to crack the overall top 20, it appears Resistance: Fall of Man had a high attach rate.

Resistance sold twice as much as the next best-selling title, Madden NFL 07. The ever-popular WWII setting allowed Call of Duty 3 to round out the top three.

Here are the top ten best-selling PlayStation 3 games for November 2006, as provided by the NPD Group:




Resistance: Fall of Man

Madden NFL 07

Call of Duty 3

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

Ridge Racer 7

Need for Speed: Carbon

Tony Hawk's Project 8

NBA 2K7

NBA 07

Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom ...

Via IGN

According to a new Famitsu Marketing survey, Sony's PlayStation Portable is getting walloped in Japan by Nintendo's DS. In November alone, the PSP sold a mere 86,000 units compared to nearly 550,000 DS Lites. More shocking are numbers for the first 11 months of the year, which show that Nintendo may have all but closed the door on PSP in Japan. The DS and DS Lite have sold more than 7.5 million units so far this year, with PSP selling just 1.6 million units.

Further troubling for Sony's portable system are its software sales in comparison to Nintendo. PSP has sold 2.8 million games to date this year, while Nintendo has sold 27 million games. This is what is referred to in business as a clobbering.

The battle is a bit closer in the U.S., though Nintendo retains a strong lead month-to-month. In November, likely the busiest sales month of the year, twice as many DS Lites were sold as PSPs.

Publicly, Sony has shown nothing but confidence for the future of the PSP. Despite having weaker sales numbers compared to DS, the PSP had a strong year in terms of quality software. Nine of the twelve PSP games to receive a 9.0 or higher from IGN were released in 2006. ...

Via IGN

A recent survey titled "Customer Focus Tech Savvy" reveals the determining factors in where some elusive demographics choose to buy videogames. The demographics in question are Generation Y females, parents, and "adults." The survey considers you part of Generation Y if you were born between 1977 and 1994.

Possibly because it would have been an overwhelming reason for each demographic, price was excluded as a determining factor. Generation Y females listed "special offers like free items or discounts" as the most important factor in determining where to make videogame purchases. Parents said they choose the store that has the newest games in stock. And "total adults" split on stores that had the best selection and the newest games.

Ranking low on each demographic's list were the factors "helpful and knowledgeable sales staff" and "in-store demonstration kiosks." Anyone who has sought buying advice from the helpful and knowledgeable sales staff at Best Buy or tried out a game kiosk where the controller was broken in half and the screen was frozen can probably relate.

Data for the survey was collected during August and September 2006 from 3,000 adults surveyed online and via telephone. ...

Via IGN

Following its ground-breaking debut on Xbox 360 last spring, Red Storm Studios and Ubisoft Paris will bring the sequel to Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, GRAW2, to PC, PSP, PS3, and Xbox 360 in spring 2007 using new military tools, improved enemy AI, and advanced next-gen visuals.

After the Ghost team's successful confrontation with the rebellious faction in Mexico in GRAW, GRAW 2 takes place in 2014 during a new civil war between Mexican loyalists and insurgent rebel forces. Under the control of Captain Scott Mitchell, the ghosts must fend off heavy attacks on US soil. Ubisoft is confident that enhanced physics and particle systems combined with realistic smoke and destructive environments will create a genuinely compelling landscape. Bullets zip through billowing smoke clouds and leave plumes of interactive trails. Day-night cycles and a constantly changing weather system create mood and atmosphere, and entirely new battlegrounds including mountain terrains, barren deserts and heavy fighting in El Paso, Texas.

The innovative cross-com that played such a big part in GRAW returns with new abilities in GRAW 2. Clicking a button enables players full screen cross-com viewing, enabling pin-point data of enemy formations and locations. Expanded technical support provides gamers with jet fighter bombings, land support in difficult terrain using the remote control MULE, and the ability to heal team mates on the battlefield with the introduction of the Medic soldier class. Lastly, enemy AI will flank your position from multiple sides while attaining vertical superiority from higher terrain. Same-side AI will provide more accurate chatter, specifying enemy location and manner of attack, providing addition tactical data.

"Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter set the standard for what we know as the next-generation gaming experience," said Laurent Detoc, president of Ubisoft North America. "With Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, Ubisoft is taking all the successful elements in the original to an unparalleled level of quality -- the sophisticated technology, weaponry, graphics, story and online gameplay will heighten the intensity and bring gamers an even more amazing experience."

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter was recently recognized by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) with "Best Game of the Year" and "Technical Achievement" honors. We'll have more on GRAW 2 soon. ...

via chubigan who gives a full english breakthrough of sonys firmware update for the PS3:

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