via IGN


If your idea of a superhero is someone with an invincible ego who can type e-mails while wearing boxing gloves, then the Wii Shop Channel has great news for you. The legendary Strong Bad (from the popular Homestar Runner Web series) makes his eagerly anticipated WiiWare debut this week. For even more laughs and clever gaming kicks, you'll also find a satirical space-age shooter on the Virtual Console, along with a classic billiards game for those who prefer to keep their feet planted firmly on the ground.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:


WiiWare

Strong Bad Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner (Telltale Games, 1 player, Rated T for Teen -- Crude Humor, Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, 1,000 Wii Points): Charming. Suave. Awesome. These are the words Strong Bad would use to describe himself. In a world gone mad, only one man can be trusted to save the day. A man with an attitude. A man called Strong Bad. As the star of the Homestar Runner Web cartoons, Strong Bad has been answering e-mails (in boxing gloves), pranking his friends, pummeling his enemies, and making people with questionable taste snort milk out of their noses for years now. And he's branched out to star in Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, a monthly five-episode series. In Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner, Strong Bad's plans to beat the snot out of Homestar backfire, and he ends up with an unwanted houseguest cramping his style. Now he needs to get life back to normal by any means possible. But wait, there's more: Teen Girl Squad comics, achievements, funny costumes and arcade games. You can even send pictures and messages to Wii Friends using Strong Bad's computer. So how about it? Can you handle Strong Bad's style?


Virtual Console

Break In (TurboGrafx16, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone -- Tobacco Reference, 700 Wii Points): Gather up to four players for an authentic game of pool right in your own home. Choose from six billiards games including 9-Ball, Rotation and Carom (a game played without pockets). Use Simulation mode to calculate the perfect shot, or select Action mode and check out what went wrong with your missed shots. With all that to choose from, Break In gives players -- from beginners to experts—all the elements necessary to enjoy a great game of pool. But it doesn't stop there. Select Technique to practice your angles or even go for a trick shot. Get some help from the CPU and hone your skills. With Break In, you'll be a pro in no time.

Star Parodier (TurboGrafx16 CD-ROM, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone -- Mild Cartoon Violence, 900 Wii Points): Star Parodier is the hilarious spoof of the classic Hudson shooter Star Soldier. In this parody, there are three playable ships for players to choose from: the ingratiating Paroceaser, the hot-headed Bomberman, and the ever-so-introverted PC-Engine. Players control one of these unique and original ships and set off to blast their way through eight stages on the planet Paroson. The comical characters take the color and flavor of the Soldier series to the next level and are guaranteed to leave players mesmerized. In addition to the normal game mode, there are also the familiar two-minute and five-minute attack modes, making Star Parodier the complete package that is sure to have players coming back for more. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Microsoft has released a new video for its 360-exclusive actioner, Too Human.

Check out the latest Too Human movie to be released form the game in our player on your right. This one focuses on combos.

You can read Xbox World's opinions on an almost finished build of the game here.

Again, that's Xbox World's opinion, not ours (notice the Xbox World logo at the start!). Seems to be some confusion in the comments section...


Screenshots
Trailer ...

via Computer and Video Games


Square Enix will launch Final Fantasy IV in Europe and other PAL territories on September 5, exclusively on DS.

John Yamamoto, president of Square Enix, gushed, "Final Fantasy IV is one of the most significant titles in the history of the franchise. It has been remarkably enhanced for the Nintendo DS, making it a great opportunity for our fans to experience its deep story and ground-breaking battle system in an exciting and innovative new way".

The DS version features "improved 3D graphics, fully-voiced cut-scenes, an inspiring remixed score and additional never before seen content" says Square.

Sounds good. Loads of new shots here. Enjoy. ...

via Games Industry


Jonathan Blow, the man behind the award-winning XBLA title Braid, has revealed that the new deal structure put in place by Microsoft could be enough to prevent him from working on Arcade titles in the future.

"What would keep me from putting another game on Arcade again is just that they've changed the business deal - at least as I've heard," he told Gamasutra. "If it's as I've heard that it is, I couldn't even necessarily break even."

Braid was signed long before the new deal structure was put in place, and while Microsoft has been coy on the details, some sources have cited a drop in royalty levels from around the 75 per cent mark to around the 30 per cent level.

Blow added that he had no plans to develop any additions to Braid in the future, regardless of how well it sold.

"Money is not really my goal, so even if Braid does very well... that's not my concern," he said. "I'm not going to do a sequel to Braid -- I don't care how many copies it sells.

"I mean, maybe in five years when I'm motivated, if I have a really fresh idea for it. But I'm not waiting in the wings with a level pack, or DLC or anything."

And he also revealed that while he'd been thinking about designing a Braid theme for the new Xbox Live, the intrusion from advertisements had put him off anything on the current system.

"I didn't want to do them on the old Dashboard, because it's covered with ads everywhere," he said. "Braid is about setting a mood and a feeling, and you can't do it while there's like, a Burger King ad there, flashing... I just felt that juxtaposition would have been bad for the game." ...

via Joystiq


Here's everything we know about Dead Rising 2: it's coming. Really, that's it ... and even that, we don't know for sure; however, close watchers of the industry might remind you that a sequel to a successful game (now a franchise with the addition of the Wii-centric Chop Till You Drop) is more or less a certainty so, with that in mind, we've been on the prowl for Dead Rising 2 deets since the original debuted two years ago this month.

... and all we've got is a handful of rumors. The first: Dead Rising 2 will be an Xbox 360 exclusive; the second: Dead Rising 2 will be multiplatform and development duties will be handled by a Western developer. Oh, and both of those rumors are from the same source. Now, along comes Capcom marketing man John Diamonon posting on the official PlayStation.Blog site, dropping the smallest of teases that would seem to not only intimate another Dead Rising sequel is in development (no way!) but that it would be heading to the PlayStation 3 as well.

Diamonon's tease came in response to a barely legible comment praising the developer for supporting the PlayStation 3 and asking that despite Capcom's VP of business development and strategic planning Christian Svensson "saying that there is no chance in [sic] happening, please give us a bit of hope on Dead Rising." Diamonon's response: "You haven't seen the last of Dead Rising." Of course, we could interpret this comment any number of ways but we'd like to think that Capcom just threw a knowing wink and a smile our way. Right back atcha Cap'. ...

via Eurogamer


Epic Games has confirmed that the replica Lancer gun from Gears of War, which was prematurely revealed at the end of last week, is official and has been selling like "hot cakes".

The 36-inch plastic weapon shakes and growls when you slot three C batteries (the chunky cylindrical ones) in its chamber. Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski poses with the replica on Amazon, maybe in an attempt to distract from the USD 139.99 (GBP 70) asking price.

Still, fork that out on a pre-order and a copy of Gears of War 2 is chucked in for free - plus the option to upgrade the game to a Limited Edition for USD 10 (GBP 5).

NECA, the company behind the plastic Lancer, has also made a "Headshot" Locust Drone action figure, which depicts an unfortunate insect-person-baddie taking a sniper bullet to the face. This comes complete with replica metal COG tags and costs USD 19.99 (GBP 10).

Both Lancer and "Headshot" Locust Drone go on sale alongside the Gears of War 2 game on 7th November.

We're waiting to hear back from NECA about European plans for the toys.


Picture of replica gun at Eurogamer ...

via Games Industry


Microsoft has hit back at claims made by Nintendo that the Wii sells the most third party games, saying instead that it's Xbox 360 sells the most.

Last week, Nintendo of America's vice president of corporate affairs, Denise Kaigler, defended the Wii's third party sales saying, "We are selling third party games and they are doing very well, and better than our competitors."

But according to NPD information obtained from Microsoft by GamesIndustry.biz, that Nintendo claim appears to be wrong:

• Total third party sales for the Xbox 360 since launch is currently 67,929,999 units, followed by the Wii at 33,394,311 units and the PlayStation 3 at 19,976,325 units.
• Third party sales for the Xbox 360 since the launch of the Wii and PS3 is 54,065,728 units, still almost double the Wii's 33,394,311 units.
• If you take the total number of units sold and divide that by the number of titles released since November 2006, the Xbox 360 and the PS3 are selling more units per title on average than the Wii. This puts the Xbox 360 at 217,252 units per title, the PS3 at 156,065 units and the Wii at 132,517 units.

"No matter how you slice it, the Wii third party game story is not a pretty one," commented David Dennis, group manager of corporate PR at Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business. ...

via Games Industry


The NPD Group has published its Games Segmentation report, detailing seven different gamer demographics and habits - revealing, among other things, that only 10 per cent of PlayStation 2 owners also own a PlayStation 3.

In the report, the estimated 174 million gamers are broken down into seven groups: 3 per cent are "Extreme gamers"; nine per cent are "Avid PC gamers"; 17 per cent are "Console gamers"; 14 per cent "Online PC gamers"; 15 percent are "Offline PC gamers"; 22 percent are "Young Heavy gamers"; and 20 percent are "Secondary gamers'.

Young Heavy gamers - the largest group at over 38 million people - play for above average amounts of time on every videogame system but show a strong preference for portable games platforms. Six out of every ten Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable owners fall into the category of young heavy gamers.

The report also details the cross-platform gaming habits of PlayStation owners. PS3 owners were found to be more likely to own other next-generation consoles when compared to Wii and Xbox 360 owners, however only 10 per cent of PS2 owners also own the PS3. While 45 per cent of PlayStation Portable owners also own a DS, only 21 per cent of DS owners also own a PSP.

The growth of digital distribution is reflected in the report, with 14 per cent of games purchased in the past three months through digital downloads, with Avid PC gamers making 27 per cent of their purchases through digital means. ...

via Eurogamer


Q-Games has a pair of patches prepared for PSN games PixelJunk Eden and PixelJunk Monsters.

Eden is in line for "a more namby pamby mode for the 'lighter' people out there", developer boss Dylan Cuthbert told TheBBPS.com. He hints that we may see more gameplay modes based around the swinging mechanic, too.

PixelJunk Monsters will be broken into four difficulty levels to help ease multi-skilled people in; extreme mode will be added to the easy, medium, and hard options.

Cuthbert gave no indication of when these patches will arrive, which is about as useful as Michael Jackson's original face. ...