via WorthPlaying

In 1996, the original Tomb Raider was launched. The 3D game design, controls and graphics were truly ground breaking for their time. Furthermore, gamers were also presented with a unique, female human playable character with whom they could become emotionally attached, Lara Croft. The original Tomb Raider sold over seven million copies and is still heralded as an absolute classic and one of the best action adventure games ever. Tomb Raider defined the PlayStation and changed the way that people played games.

In tribute to this and to celebrate and commemorate the continuing development of the Tomb Raider franchise and its central character, Crystal Dynamics are developing a new Tomb Raider adventure for Lara. Inspired by the original Tomb Raider video game; Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary faithfully preserves the elements which made the original Tomb Raider game such a classic.

Using an enhanced ‘Tomb Raider: Legend’ game engine, the graphics, technology and physics bring Lara’s adventure and pursuit of a mystical artefact known only as the Scion right up to today’s technology standards and will offer gamers a completely new gameplay experience.

Tomb Raider follows the adventures of Lara Croft after she is hired by a powerful syndicate to retrieve a mythical object called the Scion. After discovering that she has been used as a pawn in some larger scheme, Lara takes matters into her own hands deciding that she must uncover the mystery behind this ancient artefact.

FEATURES

* Celebrate and commemorate ten years of Tomb Raider and Lara Croft with Tomb Raider: Anniversary, an entirely new gameplay experience inspired by the first ever Tomb Raider adventure. Tomb Raider: Anniversary uses an enhanced version of the Tomb Raider: Legend game engine to apply Crystal Dynamic’s latest PS2 technology.
* Play the living Lara Croft, the world’s greatest action heroine of all time – use all of Lara’s guile, athleticism and gadgets in her quest to conquer the unknown and uncover ancient artefacts.
* Includes classic environments from the original Tomb Raider as never experienced before – Crystal Dynamics latest technology allows you to fluidly manoeuvre Lara using her latest moves and gear, through all the worlds from the original; Peru, Greece, Egypt and more. The dynamic world allows multiple playthrough options and also opens up new places and ways to explore. Crystal’s latest technology allows the environments to take on a breath taking new quality.
* Explore uncharted and mysterious worlds – enter into strange, undiscovered lands and solve their deepest, darkest mysteries, open doors to new realms, uncover great rewards and unearth secrets to Lara’s past.
* Startling enemy encounters – encounter fierce animal and supernatural enemies, wolves, bears, crocodiles, horrific monsters and the T Rex. New and improved AI means that all enemies will exhibit a more diverse behaviour set, providing improved combat challenges for the player. ...

via Wired News

In the Tsutaya store in Shibuya, the worst used Nintendo DS system in Japan -- nay, the world -- was on display in a locked glass showcase. The little sign on it reads:

* No box
* No instruction manual
* No stylus
* No strap
* No AC adapter
* Scratches on case
* Scratches on screen

Which is an understatement. The screen was positively filled with light surface abrasions that spiraled out from the center. ("Oh, so it's been Ouendanned," said a friend when I told him this.) And there are several more deeper scratches in the screen. And that's not even mentioning the clearly visible thick brown dirt and waste products caked inside the hinges. And how much did this complete piece of junk cost?

Ten thousand yen. Literally almost $100.



This is the situation Japan is in right now, where the DS is so popular and desired that your broken garbage can fetch stupidly huge amounts of money. ...

via Nintendojo

Nintendo fansite Codename Revolution, citing contacts in game distribution, is claiming that LucasArts’ LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Star Wars II are headed to the Wii this fall as part of a single compilation called LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga. The site alleges that the game will feature Wii-specific controls and will be released during the upcoming holiday season.

The article also claims that LucasArts’ Thrillville is headed to the Wii this October. Thrillville is a theme-park simulator released late last year on the PS2, Xbox, and PSP.

None of this has been confirmed by LucasArts, so it remains the domain of rumor for now. We’ll keep you updated. ...

via Cubed3

With Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition due out in Europe this June and Umbrella Chronicles set for later in 2007, details are still scarce regarding the latter title. However, a German magazine called Manic has uncovered some details.

First of all, whilst we have already seen the mansion scene from the game, it has been confirmed that the police station from Resident Evil II and the train from Resident Evil Zero will be included as levels. In fact, half of the game actually takes place in locations taken straight from other games in the series, leaving the rest to take you through Umbrella Corp's strongholds and enemy lairs.

In terms of characters on offer, Carlos Oliviera is now in the line-up, with Wesker also a definite, yet whether or not his role will merely be that of an NPC or if he will be playable was neither confirmed nor denied.

Using the Nunchuk controller and tilting it will allow movement of the camera to uncover hideen objects and power-ups, plus there will be familiar weapons on offer, such as the Rocket and Grenade Launcher.

Finally, although Resident Evil Zero, I, II and III will all be represented, levels will not be taken from Code Veronica. ...

via TechShout!



Data Deign Interactive has revealed that they have attained the security rights to publish and develop the Nintendo Wii version of the PC game called ‘Call for Heroes: Pompolic Wars’. The 3D RPG action game is set in a fantasy world created by Quotix Software a games developer based in Serbia and Montenegro.

Stewart Green MD of Data Design Interactive, said: “This is already a great game on PC, which is greatly improved with the extensive use of the Wii controllers, to make the player immerse into the magic casting and weapon wielding adventure. We are excited to bring this new genre onto the Wii console.”

“We are really excited to work with Data Design Interactive on the Wii version. We are sure that their expertise will be very positive. The game will take full advantage of the unique Wii controllers, and deliver a unique gameplay experience,” stated Quotix Software, Attila Siladji, Developer of Call for Heroes: Pompolic Wars.

A little about Call for Heroes: Pompolic Wars:

Call for Heroes: Pompolic Wars is a third-person action game with RPG elements. The game positions players in a fantasy medieval world, where a dimensional portal to the Outer Worlds has opened, and an enemy from the darkness has intruded the world. Led by a demon named Pompolic, the armies of demonic hordes have taken over most of the planet. With mysterious origins, Pompolic’s malevolent spiritual being possesses supernatural powers.

His desire is to possess the people and turn them into minions of his dark army, as he wields his power through his servants, the Dark Souls. These Dark Souls - protected by a horde of monsters - are poisoning the minds of his victims and making them slaves of evil. The denizens of this world are on the edge of total annihilation. However, a little hope still exists in the heart of the remaining citizens.

They feel that there exist brave hearts who can save the world from the source of the evil power. If the Dark Souls were to be captured, the onslaught would stop, and Pompolic would be defeated; the call for heroes is made…

Features of Call for Heroes: Pompolic Wars:
# 2 unique characters to choose from
# Each character has unique weapons, items and special abilities
# Character gains experience which will help him to upgrade his strength, armor and health
# 15 special abilities per character
# Fantasy/medieval type world divided into 15 levels
# 18 different types of monsters and 3 bosses at the end

The PC version of ‘Call for Heroes: Pompolic Wars; game is due to ship in June, 2007. ...

via N-Sider

"Nintendo will take strict legal action against businesses that are earning unfair profits by selling illegal copy machineries and downloading pirated programs," goes the first statement Nintendo's Korean subsidiary has ever made regarding the rampant problem of copyright infringement in their country.

An industry insider asked about the issue by the Korea Herald says an unspecified "machine" can copy DS games, and the titles have been uploaded to websites. It's worth noting that this situation is not specific to Korea; such a setup is also easily obtainable in other territories, including North America. Perhaps less prevalent is Korea's other problem: illegal copies of game software for all three of the big console makers are available below legitimate retail cost in electronics malls.

Nintendo Korea expects to engage in enforcement actions with the help of the police, targeting web sites where illegal copies of Nintendo software is made available. A company official, Sung Hoo-jung, said "On the request of the Korea Game Industry Agency, Nintendo has entered Korea to help the Korean game industry grow into a profitable market. However, increasing software copies and illegal downloads have dampened profitability. This can hamper the development of the game industry." ...

via Cubed3

Natsume have revealed some ickle screens and trailers from the upcoming Rune Factory for DS, a fantasy Harvest Moon, where players build a new life for themselves on a farm with the aid of a young woman known as Mist.

After emerging at a mysterious village with absolutely no memory of how you got there, Mist helps you rebuild your life on a far - lovely. Till the land, grow crops, raise animals, catch fish and battle monsters!

...

via GamePro

Famitsu.com has put up some new screenshots of the newest Zelda installment for the Nintendo DS, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. With the game due out in Japan next month, there aren't many new revelations, but the new screenshots do confirm what we already know. Phantom Hourglass is going to be a semi-sequel or spin-off of Wind Waker, and for the most part, inherits that game's cartoonish, cel-shaded look.



Being a DS game, Phantom will use the stylus extensively, including drawing arcs for Link's boomerang shots and tracing sailing routes. In addition, the new title will take advantage of the DS's Wi-Fi capabilities as well as offer a head-to-head versus mode.

In the versus mode, players will take turns acting as the attacker or defender. The attacker (pictured left) tries to grab Force Gems and carry them back to his/her base, while the defender (pictured right) uses the stylus to draw patrol routes for three Phantom Guardians in order to corner the attacker.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is set for a Japanese release on June 23rd, with English versions appearing before the end of the year. ...

via CVG

The DS remake of Final Fantasy III is about to launch across Europe this Friday, but it could have been a different story if Nintendo hadn't stepped in and persuaded Square Enix to go with the DS.

The company's original plan was to release the remake on the old, faithful PlayStation 2. But there seems to have been a bit of a last minute bidding war from Nintendo.

Producer Hiromichi Tanaka told CVG, "Originally we were planning to release the game on PlayStation 2 but Nintendo wanted us to release it on this new platform." Would you rather have it on PS2 or do you think it best suits DS? Let us know your thoughts below. ...