news via Cubed3

The Virtual Console has gradually been building up a stronger and stronger library and now one of the best games of all time has launched on the system, Zelda: Ocarina of Time from the N64. Here is the official Press Release:

"Gamers are in for a treat on Wii’s Virtual Console this week as Nintendo releases two new classics to download. Every generation, certain titles set the standard for all others. With stories so enveloping and gameplay so addictive that they define the generation. One such game, heralded by many as the greatest adventure game ever made, was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time released on the Nintendo® 64.

Launched in Europe in 1998, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was developed by the legendary creators Shigeru Miyamoto (Producer) and Eiji Aonuma (Director). Featuring a quest of epic proportions, ground breaking 3D graphics and a host of exciting sub-missions and minigames, this game quickly became the most popular title in the already prestigious series. Now nine years after its launch, Wii owners can experience the adventure again for 1000 Wii Points.

This week Wii owners will also get to enjoy the popular NES title, Kid Icarus. Some twenty-years after its original release, Nintendo is bringing the classic platform title back to the Virtual Console for gamers old and new to enjoy. Players take on the role of a young angel called Pit in his struggle to defeat the minions of darkness and free the Goddess of Light from her prison in the underworld. Kid Icarus is available to download now for just 500 Wii Points.

These great games will join the list of over 50 classic titles already available for the Virtual Console in Europe."

And if that was not enough, Nintendo is truly celebrating the re-launch of Ocarina in style, just in case there are people out there with no knowledge of the game:

"Wii’s Virtual Console allows gamers to re-experience some of the great moments in gaming history with downloadable classics from the 80s and 90s. Today, both Zelda fans and gamers who enjoy a good adventure are in for a treat with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which has often been referred to as “The Greatest Game of The 20th Century” and which has sold over 7.6 million copies globally is making a welcome return on the Virtual Console. Intrigue, excitement and the adventure of a lifetime await you in a quest that will captivate and inspire players old and new.

As the first fully three-dimensional title in the Zelda series, players must take on the role of a young boy with a grand destiny growing up in the Kokiri village. The young hero, Link, soon finds out that something is afoot when he is despatched on an epic adventure by the Great Deku Tree. On his travels Link discovers he is destined to become the Hero of Time and save Hyrule from the evil Ganondorf. His travels take him across a vast and colourful continent as he battles through challenging dungeons - ranging from the eerie Forest Temple to the fiery caves of Dodongo Cavern. With hours of exciting gameplay this title is sure to keep even the most dedicated player busy for weeks.

Unique to the Zelda series, Ocarina of Time sees players taking on both the role of child Link and his young adult form. When he begins his journey, Link is an eight year old boy in an as yet untainted Hyrule. However, when he uncovers the fabled Temple of Time and the legendary Master Sword Link is too young to take on the role of Hero of Time so is transformed into a young adult. During this time Hyrule radically changes into a darker and more dangerous place.

The equipment at our hero’s disposal changes as he grows from boy to man. As a child, Link is able to use items including the Slingshot and Boomerang, but when he is fully grown these items are of no use to him and must be replaced by items like the Hero Bow and Hookshot. Link can also tame and ride his very own horse called Epona who returns as Link’s mount in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on Wii.

When it was first released in 1998, this game struck a chord with Zelda fans across the globe, partly due to its dramatic and involving music. Not only does the game feature a playable musical instrument, The Ocarina of Time, which players must use to solve puzzles and unlock secrets, but it also features one of the most atmospheric soundtracks in the Zelda franchise. From calm and quirky background music in the field, to dramatic crescendos of sound in boss fights, this game will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is available on the Wii Virtual Console across Europe from 23rd February 2007 for the price of 1000 Wii Points and will join over fifty top games from Nintendo’s back catalogue already available."

And ...

news via devmaster

Paris, France, February 22, 2007- Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Nasdaq: DASTY; Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, today announced the preview of a new Virtools solution for faster and easier developments on Nintendo’s new Wii™ console. The versatility of the Virtools platform, combined with 14 years of experience in virtual reality, allows faster and easier development on the Wii console.

“By delivering innovative solutions for the Wii, we are providing a powerful solution to developers, game designers and graphics artists, boosting all aspects of game development creativity” says Virgile Delporte, Virtools vice president of Electronic Entertainment for Dassault Systèmes.

Thanks to this new solution, especially the Wii Remote™ building block and Wii Remote client, Virtools components which allowing the access of Wii controllers on PCs with Virtools 4, authorized Wii game developers are now able see results in hours and tune their game play on the fly. Virtools technology is the most adapted platform for creative game development whileNintendo’s Wii console represents the perfect console for game developers to unleash their creativity. Virtools powerful render engine is currently being ported and optimized for the Wii console.

Dassault Systèmes’ Virtools will be present at the Game Developer Conference 2007, which is being held in San Francisco, March 5–9. To see demonstrations of this new technology, visit Virtools at booth 454 WH.

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news via nintendojo

The director of PlayStation 2's soon to be released God of War II recently received a Wii as a gift from his design team, and spent some time getting to know Nintendo's shiny white console. His final verdict?

Cory Barlog has played better.

"I must be honest it was not everything I had hoped it would be. It was fun… but the wow factor wore off fairly quick," said Barlog of Wii on his blog. Barlog mentioned his perceived inaccuracy of the Wii Remote during his play time with Trauma Center. He went on to question how much longer people would keep buying into Wii's motion sensing capabilities, referring to Wii as essentially a slimmed-down version of GameCube.

The GoW II director didn't completely bash Nintendo's console, praising the aforementioned slim form of Wii. "Very petite... I kind of like that since there really is no space left in my home theater cabinet," stated Barlog. "Big ups on that one Nintendo!"

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new release via bhunter



heres what he had to say-

This is a PC based application which will reorder your Game menu on your PSP to the order you select.

Handy to be able to mix up your Homebrew files and its just great to make sure that the Recovery folder lives down the bottom.

Cheers

Blade Hunter

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news via cubed3

With developers watching the Wii's userbase grow at a rapid rate, various studios have recently announced a shift in production to try to meet the demand for their games on Nintendo's system. In a recent call with investors, Midway announced an increase in Wii production.

According to Gamasutra, Midway had been "bullish" toward the Wii since the console's launch, however will "look more significantly at the Wii going forward", with two currently unannounced projects in the pipeline for Q3/4 2007.

The added Wii support, officials noted, was due to an increasing userbase and lower development costs in comparison to the two powerhouses Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.

Positive news for Wii, hopefully bringing some Midway titles with meat instead of mediocre brand tie-ins.

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news via indystar

Families who have been cutting their gaming teeth on "Wii Sports" will be a little disappointed with "Wii Play," Nintendo's newest collection of easy-to-learn minigames.

While the "Wii Play" games will turn the Wii controller into a fishing rod that you pull up on to hook fish or a pool cue to smack balls on a virtual billiards table, the nine games just aren't as much fun to play as those found in "Wii Sports," and they lack depth. Touted as a follow-up title to "Wii Sports," "Wii Play" also misses the boat for group play by limiting the multiplayer option to two people instead of four.

However, like "Wii Sports," "Wii Play" does offer easy entree into playing video games and encourages those new to video gaming to give it a try. And for families who haven't bought enough controllers, "Wii Play" comes packaged with one at a reasonable price.

"Wii Play" offers nine games in either single- or two-player mode. By playing the games in order, you unlock them. The first is "Shooting Range," a game of point-and-shoot target practice involving balloons, clay pigeons, soda cans and UFOs. Four of the games are adaptations of common activities: table tennis, fishing, billiards and air hockey. Two others involve matching Miis (Miis are on-screen characters generated by the game and that you create to represent you). In "Find Mii," you scan other Miis' faces to match pairs or triplets. With "Pose Mii," you twist the Wii controller to make your Mii match the position of the silhouette floating in a bubble. A cow-racing game and a strategy game called "Tanks!" round out the selections.

Our kid testers, avid fans of "Wii Sports," excitedly put the "Wii Play" game through its paces. The Wii controller turned out to be a responsive paddle to send the puck flying across the "Laser Hockey" table. When turned on its side, the controller was an effective way to control the cow that was racing down the road in the game called "Charge!" Tilt the controller forward and the cow goes faster, yank the controller up rapidly and the bovine jumps over obstacles. Tilt it left or right, and the cow veers in that direction. Testers had some trouble with the billiards game, because the controls were sometimes nonresponsive. The "Find Mii" game reminded them of hunting for people in the "Where's Waldo" books.

Our testers enjoyed the novelty of exploring all nine games, but they would rather play "Wii Sports" because those games have more depth and provide endless game play. When playing a tennis game in "Wii Sports," the game is always fresh because it depends on your finesse to add topspin or a slice to the ball. With "Wii Play," the similar game of table tennis is lackluster because you simply place your paddle to hit the ball back (as in the arcade game "Pong") and you can't add spins or fancy serves to keep the game interesting. The "Wii Play" games got old quickly.

Here's the bottom line: "Wii Play" costs $50 and comes with a Wii controller. That additional controller is worth $40 so the cost of "Wii Play" is really only $10. If your family could use another controller, this collection of games will provide some short-term entertainment.

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

Best for ages 6 and up

From Nintendo, www.nintendo.com, $50, Nintendo Wii.

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news via itweek

The Nintendo Wii is outselling its closest competitor in the console wars by nearly 50 per cent, according to January sales data for Norht America from analyst firm NPD.

Nintendo sold 436,000 units in the month, data from the firm indicates. Sony's previous generation PS2 claimed the second position with 299,000 units, trailed by Microsoft's Xbox 360 (294,000 units) and the PS3 (244,000 units).

David Riley, senior marketing manager with NPD, told vnunet.com that all three console makers performed well.

But Nintendo outsold its competitors because it offered a more innovative product that is easy to use and set up and featured strong game titles at launch. It also sells at a better price point and didn't suffer from a limited availability as much as the PS3, Riley commented.

The Wii retails in the US for $250, compared to $300 and $400 for two versions of the Xbox 360, and $500 and $600 for Playstation 3 models. Microsoft launched its Xbox 360 in 2005. Both Nintendo and Sony started shipping their latest consoles last November.

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news via thepodcastnetwork

The PSP Show #31 - Pilot Academy and Snakes on a Plane (MP3 8.66 mb 12 minutes 34 seconds)

The puzzle genre loved Lumines. Lumines 2 left us a bit “okay so there’s more… of the same” but what to make of......

listen via link provided-
theposdcastnetwork ...

news via worthplaying

Developed by Core Design Free Running is the world's first ever video game based on the urban phenomenon of parkour.

Rebellion acquired all rights to Free Running game along with the registered trademarks, through its acquisition of the former Core Design Studios in Derby from Eidos earlier in the year.

In addition to featuring characters based on the leading free runners in Europe, Free Running has been developed with the help of the sports brand specialist Adidas. Their Free Running apparel and high fashion training shoes all feature in-game.

Peter Rezon concludes; “The initial launch will take place across Europe in Q1 2007, with the US release coming shortly after that.

Screens via link provided
worthplaying ...