via Eurogamer


Nintendo has walloped four new old games onto the Virtual Console this week. And they all end in a two, too.

Samurai Showdown 2 for NeoGeo, with the sketchy Japanese translations, leads the pack. The sequel packs in six new characters, plus the ability to dodge and parry like a real samurai - such as Tom Cruise in that film.

This game has been heralded as one of the all time greats, and we think paying 900 Wii Points (GBP 6.30 / EUR 9) is worth the money to hear Cham Cham the cat girl say: "Oooh! It was scarry!"

Ecco 2, the Megadrive game about a dolphin, is the next sequel on the list. Additions in this version include extra difficulty levels, new areas and levels, and the ability to turn into a jellyfish, shark, or seagull.

Ecco would have been much, much better as a shark, because sharks are brilliant.

Another Megadrive sequel on the list is Splatterhouse 2, which sort of does what it says on the tin; it's a horror beat-em-up where you hit monsters and splatter them in a house.

Pitstop II is the last of the quartet, and was released back when I was still trying to walk. No, not last Saturday. The Formula 1 racer wooed us by being ahead of the curve; flaunting six tracks and split-screen two player races. Plus, of course, popping into the pits to change tires, refuel, and maybe nip to the toilet.

Pitstop II costs 500 Wii Points (GBP 3.50 / EUR 5).

As always, our thoughts on these will arrive sooner than you can say "Xbox bias". ...

via Games Industry


Sony has announced the expansion of its closed beta test for PlayStation Home will begin at the end of this month.

A post on the Sony PlayStation blog detailed the planned beta expansion in Europe, revealing that the most active PlayStation Network and Store users will be contacted to take part.

...

via Games Industry


BioWare's Miles Holmes has said that the developer is looking at possibly bringing Mass Effect, Jade Empire and Dragon Age titles to the Nintendo DS, according to Eurogamer.de.

The lead designer of the upcoming DS RPG Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood described the title as an effort to get BioWare's handheld division off the ground. He explained that the developer would consider making more DS titles to support its console games, saying: "Basically anything that reinforces the franchises".

"We have a lot of big plans for Mass Effect. Having a DS version would be an awesome way to keep interest alive and keep it going in addition to the next one [Mass Effect 2]," said Holmes.

Holmes commented he would personally like to see a Mass Effect title on the DS: "I tell you which one I would want. I want the Mass Effect one". ...

The weekly console data update from Japan is in once again with the following figures:


Playstation Portable: 61,181
Nintendo DS Lite: 57,398
Nintendo Wii: 41,109
Playstation 3: 9,508
Playstation 2: 9,045
Xbox 360: 5,359


PSP maintains top position, drops roughly 6,300. DS is second, up 600. Wii follows, up 85. Forth is PS3, down 1,100. Playstation 2 comes along at 5th rank, down 250. Last is Xbox 360, down 400. ...

via Eurogamer


Ubisoft will re-release the original Driver on the PlayStation Store next Thursday.

The game will cost EUR 4.99 (GBP 3.99), and chauffeur us back 10 years to the heady days of PSone in order to see what all the fuss was about. PSone games on PSN are typically compatible with both PS3 and PSP.

With a Metacritic average of 87 per cent, Driver remains the top-rated game in the series so far, despite numerous attempts by developer Reflections to revive Tanner and his mission-based driving.

Not that Ubisoft has stopped trying. Earlier this month the BBC revealed that Reflections was working on "a whole new version" of Driver. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Square-Enix has confirmed that Dragon Quest: The Chapters of the Chosen will soon be available across Europe.

Released on September 18, the new Dragon Quest is the first instalment in the Zenithia Trilogy. The Hand of the Heavenly Bride and the Realms of Reverie will soon follow.

Chapters of the Chosen will feature a unique storyline, a beautiful world to explore and even an arranged orchestral score. If nothing else, we expect it to have high production values.

We've also been told that it uses the "DS Wireless Communications to welcome pioneers met through chance encounters in the real world, transforming a tiny town into a metropolis."

If you can figure out what the means, let us know below. ...

via Mac Rumours


When Apple launched the App Store, they suggested that the use of DRM'd and signed applications could allow them to protect the iPhone from malicious applications and suggested that they could deactivate such applications remotely. Jonathan Zdziarski, author of iPhone Forensics, reveals (via iPhone Atlas) the remote url that Apple is using to keep a list of the offending applications:

https://iphone-services.apple.com/clbl/unauthorizedApps

This url appears to keep a list of black listed apps which appears to contain a test application name. Zdziarski explains:


Note that this is very different from just removing an application from the App Store. In case of this black listing, Apple could presumably deauthorize applications already installed on every iPhone.

While Apple has been criticized lately for the removal of a number of App Store applications without explanation, those applications continue to work for those individuals who have already purchased the application. So far that list of prominent apps simply removed from the App Store include NetShare, BoxOffice and now I Am Rich (via Alley Insider).

We suspect Apple will reserve the use of this black list remote-deactivation for truly malicious apps, but even the unilateral removal of seemingly innocuous apps from the App Store has raised some criticism of Apple's editorial process. ...

via Engadget


While some may understandably be concerned that Microsoft may have taken its cost-cutting measures a bit too far with its new 60GB Xbox 360, our pal Ben Heck has cracked one of the new models open and found that there's apparently nothing to be worried about. In fact, while the console packs the same 65nm CPU and heatsink seen in the most recent SKUs, and the same old "super" GPU heatsink, it ditches the bottom-mounted memory chips that have been commonplace until now, which some claim to have been the source of a few heat problems.

Ben Heck also notes that if you want to make sure you have a 65nm CPU, you can just check out the power supply, which should be marked 175 watts, while any future model with a 65nm GPU would likely be 140 or 150 watts.


More info and photographs at Ben Heck's web site ...

via Eurogamer


Microsoft has added a brand new feature to the Xbox website that lets visitors hear the Community Voices of its paid employees. Hold on just one second.

The Voices include Major Nelson, who has no real name any more, celebrity interviewer TriXie360 and Dirty Diva, who manages the community. Then there's Xbox Dad, who has children to think of, and some Editer bloke who writes weekly columns about games.

Opinions will be broken into various categories such as family, hardcore, TV and movies, and casual games. Adding their thoughts are some less well-known staffers schooled in technology, multiplayer, and hardcore gaming.

Head over to the Xbox Community Voices site to find out more. ...