via IGN


Nintendo's WiiWare service is going to be expanding beyond games shortly. Sun Denshi announced today plans to distribute digital comics through the Japanese version of the service starting later this summer.

The company will be forming a new Sunsoft Books brand for distributing content through the service. Wii owners will be able to view the digital comics using a viewer application that was developed internally at Sun.

Sun is kicking off the new initiative in a major way, with an original manga produced by Reiji Matsumoto, creator of the Space Battleship Yamato series. The company plans on first distributing the manga through the new WiiWare service, then expanding the new property to games, anime, books, pachinko and other media. ...

via Games Industry


Square-Enix has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that it will be releasing 12 classic PlayStation games from its library, available for download via the PlayStation Store.

Six of the titles are available to download from PSN now in Japan and cost JPY 600, but similar plans for other regions are as yet to be announced.

The titles currently available in Japan are:
1. Xenogears
2. Einhander
3. Astronoka
4. Rakugaki Showtime
5. Raystorm
6. Fighters Impact ...

via Eurogamer


A new trailer for Double D Dodgeball has revealed the game will be released on Xbox Live Arcade on July 30th.

DDD is based around the classic American sport of hitting people. It will feature a multiplayer mode for up to eight "ballers", four ball types and multiple playing surfaces, plus exhibition, player match, ranked match and tournament modes.

"With Double D Dodgeball, we've been able to capture the spirit of classic playground dodgeball that we all grew up with," said product manager Ken Koyama, who clearly didn't grow up in a country where playground time is spent either on football or hide-and-seek variation I Just Saw a Chelsea Smiler in the Toilets.

"Instead of meeting up on the hot playground," continued Koyama, who also didn't spend half his childhood huddled against a climbing frame trying not to die of exposure, "You can go on Xbox LIVE Arcade and blast your friend with ball from the comfort of your couch."

If blasting your balls at friends on your sofa sounds appealing, Double D Dodgeball can be yours next month for 800 Microsoft Points (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.60). ...

via Computer and Video Games


A bunch of brand new screenshots for Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise have cropped up on the web, and they look a lot more gloomy than we expected.

Not that this is a bad thing. It appears to be a stylistic choice Rare has taken, extending the colour palette of the sequel beyond what you'd expect to find in a Crayola set.

Whilst the Ruffians look quite menacing, it's the murky clouds and the barren terrain that makes us feel ill at ease. The gas-mask wearing piñata is more than a little freaky too. It makes you wonder what has happened in the garden...

Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise is on track to be released near the end of the year.


Screenshots ...

via Computer and Video Games


Microsoft has brushed off rumours of Xbox 360 receiving another price drop this autumn as "rumour and speculation."

We've heard it a few times already but the next issue of EGM reports that MS will announce a price drop on 360 hardware this autumn. When exactly, isn't pinpointed.

The reports don't give any further details on how significant the drop might be, or to which SKUs, but they do say that Sony is also expected to follow with a cut of its own for PS3. It seems they could both after that magical price point of Wii.

As well as MS, who's keeping totally quiet on the matter, we pestered retailers who knew nothing of it and, in general, thought it highly unlikely considering the prices were only cut in March.

Sony was also unavailable for comment on the PS3 cut.

Update: As has been quite rightly pointed out in the comments, the US Xbox 360 has yet to receive a price cut like Europe. So maybe this could just be for North America? ...

via Computer and Video Games


It's being reported that a Sony rep has let slip at the GDC Paris event that God of War III will make its debut at E3 next month in Los Angeles.

According to a few different French sites the game's not likely to be playable at E3, but to be fair, it's not expected out before the back end of 2009 anyway, so that doesn't surprise us.

The only official mention of the game in recent months was an ad on the back of the manual for GoW: Chains of Olympus, saying that the game was "coming soon".

While no further details are available, we'll be hoping to see some in-game action though, rather than a load of CGI - preferably of Kratos going mental and stabbing a giant Cyclops in the eye with two rusty blades, before ripping his jaw off his face and using it to beat his mother to death.

We've contact Sony's UK office for clarification on what's actually been said at the Paris event and will update you accordingly. ...

via IGN


Leading video games publisher and developer, Namco Bandai Games America Inc., announced today that Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress for the PSP (PlayStation Portable) system has shipped to retail stores throughout North America. Developed by CyberConnect2 and based on the popular Naruto animated series from VIZ Media, the game offers a superior handheld fighting experience as players take part in intense head-to-head clashes with a roster of more than 20 characters and participate in a massive interactive storyline.

In Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2, a mysterious ghostly castle appears in the sky, casting an ominous shadow over the peaceful Hidden Leaf Village. As Naruto approaches the castle to try and discover the source of this disturbance, he is confronted by a strange masked woman who confronts him with disturbing visions of his past and threatening illusions. Together with Shikamaru, Sakura and the rest of his friends, Naruto must use all of his ninja skills to overcome this powerful new threat and save the village.

Combining one-on-one fighting with an epic interactive story, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2 lets players create a custom party of characters and take them through the 100 unique floors of the castle. Fierce battles, fast-paced mini-games and tests of the mind await as players make their way to the top of the fortress. Refining the series' trademark fighting engine, the game debuts new characters for a player roster of more than 20 memorable combatants equipped with new jutsu for more acrobatic ninja fighting than ever before. Providing the most authentic Naruto experience possible, fans can choose to play through the full game with either English or the original Japanese voices.

Packed with multiplayer features, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2 lets gamers test their fighting spirit with a friend in local wireless battles. Each multiplayer battle can be fully customized, letting players create and take their own ultimate ninja team of up to three characters into battle with just one copy of the game.

NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB and carries a suggested retail price of $39.99. ...

via Eurogamer


Electronic Arts is producing a pair of US-only DS games for different age groups based on the Brain Quest educational card game.

The reason you have no idea what that means is that you're not an American child: apparently the kids over there have bought up more than 28 million copies.

EA likes money, so the union makes sense, and will be consummated with one DS game for third and fourth graders and one for those in the fifth and sixth. We'd consult Saved By The Bell for a translation table but don't care enough.

Both games are due out in September and will feature "over 6,000 unique questions" apiece.

According to EA, they will include Brain Mode, where you face fast-paced quiz games in subjects like English, history, maths, science and geography, and Quest Mode, where you have a "light story" and progressively more difficult challenges.

There's also multiplayer that can be played co-operatively or more likely in competition with your young friends. Assuming you're a young person. Otherwise, you're nicked.

Plus, inevitably, there's "Sudoku for Kids", with 4x4, 6x6 and 9x9 puzzles.

Kids will also be able to score points to unlock collectibles, which can be used to "customise up to six scenes in the game".

There's currently no word on a European release, although we contacted EA for comment. (Update, 11.28am: And have since been told that Brain Quest is a "North American only title".) ...

via IGN


Release the Minions! Codemasters today announced that Overlord Raising Hell, the extra evil edition of Triumph Studios' twisted fantasy blockbuster, has shipped to US retail stores nationwide for the PlayStation 3 home entertainment system.

In Overlord: Raising Hell, gamers are taken deeper into the twisted world of the Overlord with a series of new levels, each a supernatural abyss where an undead army is on the march. With the Overlord's supremacy under attack, it's time to unleash the manic minion horde and embark on a new tour of lively extermination in the underworld.

A dungeon-full of other improvements and new content come on the rounded Blu-ray Disc, including online co-op play, head-to-head slaughter and enhanced visuals. Top specification 7.1-surround sound support, a new on-screen mini-map, split-screen play, and hints, tips and tactics and more combine to make Overlord: Raising Hell's tongue-in-cheek trail of death and destruction the most delightful yet.

Overlord: Raising Hell is the Overlord's definitive outing and is now available for the PlayStation 3 system. Prepare the minions and unleash the inner dictator with the new video and more available online available online at www.codemasters.com/overlordraisinghell. ...