via Computer and Video Games


Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu has given Mario Kart Wii an impressive score of 10/9/9/9 in its review, according to German website GameFront.de.

For those not up to scratch with their maths, the scores tot up to 37/40, which is slightly more generous than some reviewers have so far awarded it.

In particular, Mario Kart Wii received a tad less from NGamer, which gave it 88% and stated: "There's plenty here to make up for the disappointment of local multiplayer, but it does stop short of magnificence."

To make up your own mind, if you're European you can pick up a copy next Friday. Unfortunately, US readers will have to wait until April 27. ...

via Eurogamer


Epic boss Mark Rein has suggested that those going to the New York Comic Con later this month will not see Gears of War 2 after all.

"I'm not aware that we're showing anything there," Rein told videogaming247.

This contradicts a press release advertising the event which claimed Epic big-shot Mike Capps would be offering a glimpse into the hotly anticipated sequel during a games summit speech.

Elsewhere on Epic watch, tech boffin Tim Sweeney revealed the unsurprising news that Gears of War 2 will have better lighting and physics. Apparently it'll also handle more networked players and feature enhanced vehicle interaction.

The animation will also be better, according to a soon to be published interview with Next-Gen, and there are some fresh features to be announced.

However, most of this he talked about on-stage at GDC back in February, while showing some impressive tech videos to demonstrate the Unreal Engine 3 improvements.

Meanwhile, Cliff Bleszinski moves one step closer to appearing in a L'Oreal advert. ...

via IGN


It may have taken more than a little time for Polyphony to warm to the idea, but Gran Turismo head Kazunori Yamauchi has confirmed that the series is finally going to be implementing damage, saying it could be included as a downloadable feature for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue as early as this Autumn.

In an interview with IGN earlier today, Yamauchi said that, "maybe by Fall we'll be able to implement it," before confirming that it would feature as a download for Prologue, which launched in the UK and across Europe last week. Gran Turismo has long been famed for its refusal to include any vehicle deformation, despite heightening demands from its fan-base, and any inclusion of the feature would be a massive boon for the series.

We'll have the full interview tomorrow, including Yamauchi's verdict on working on a Formula 1 title in the future, so check back for further details. ...

via IGN


Ever worry about garroting yourself during a frenzied Wii session with the lead that connects your Wii-mote and Nunchuck? Worry no more, as peripheral manufacturer Zappies has kindly concocted a wireless device that syncs the two controllers, freeing you from Nintendo's tyrannical tether.



Though the Nunchuck Wireless Kit admittedly looks a little clumsy, requiring bulky add-ons for both the Wii-mote and the Nunchuck, as well as demanding two AAA batteries to further add to the power demands of the Wii's controllers, it'll free you up to perform some free-form waggling. It's exclusive to the UK for the time being, retailing at a somewhat steep £19.95 [about $40 US]. A liberating peripheral, or an unnecessary add-on? Air yourselves in the comments section. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Jason Bourne will be slamming faces into walls and crashing Mini Coopers into police cars in Bourne Conspiracy on PS3 and 360 from June 27.

We came away suitably impressed with the game's hard-hitting combat system and spectacular movie-style sequences when we travelled to Paris for a hands-on session. You can read about what impressed us most right here.

The game attempts to stick faithfully to the overall nature of the films by throwing out the idea of puzzles, and just pushes you through linear levels of non-stop nostril-smashing violence.

"The game delivers an original story uncovering Jason Bourne's past and the conspiracy shrouding his origins, plunging players into the role of Bourne as both trained assassin and marked government agent.

Core to the experience is Bourne's definition as a perfect weapon with heightened combat instinct, where players use Bourne's characteristic capabilities to recognise threats, perform devastating takedown moves and use his surrounding environment to overcome deadly situations."

Look out for a review closer to release. ...

via Eurogamer


The Wii Software system for buying downloadable content for your games has been detailed, using the rather pricey example of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King.

In order to access the in-game store you have to grab an updated version of the game containing it from the Wii Shop, according to the Wired blog.

Once this is done, a "Download additional content" option will be added to the in-game main menu. This will automatically connect you and list the available extras you can buy.

Select an item and it will tell you how many Wii Points you have, and how much you will have left after buying the item. It will also tell you the number of memory blocks you have free and how many you will have left afterwards.

Download the item and it should appear in-game as soon as it has finished transferring.

This is encouraging, then, more so than the price of the content in My Life as a King. The game is the most expensive on the Wii Software service at 1500 Points (GBP 10.50 / EUR 15 approx), and the total cost of the DLC is almost as much.

To get at the non-human Crystal Chronicles races bizarrely not included - Lilty, Selkie, and Yuke - you will have to play 300 Points (GBP 2.10 / EUR 3 approx) for each, or 800 Points (GBP 6 / EUR 8 approx) for all three.

Then, if you want a change of clothes for your King or your assistant Chime then you will need to spend 100 Points (GBP 0.70 / EUR 1 approx) each.

Perhaps you want a Gorgeous House, too - 100 Points (GBP 0.70 / EUR 1 approx), please. What about a Sacred Shrine to buff your warriors? 200 Points (GBP 1.40 / EUR 2 approx), please.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King has you building and managing a castle and its surrounding town, sending adventurers out on quests and introducing taxes to gather more money to expand your settlement.

It was one of the launch titles on the Japanese Wii Software (WiiWare) service released on 25th March. There is currently no news on when the service will be available in Europe. ...

via Eurogamer


Ninja Gaiden 2 will be released in Europe on 6th June.

Retailer GAME provided the date on its website, and inside sources have confirmed to Eurogamer that it is accurate.

Developer boss Tomonobu Itagaki had previously told us that Ninja Gaiden 2 would be out on 3rd June in the US, and everywhere else sometime that month.

Those of you in the US will also be treated to a demo in May, as well as exclusive content on 15th April, according to the game's website.

Microsoft and GAME have been contacted for comment. ...

via Joystiq


Fans of alternate Wii control schemes were obviously psyched when it was revealed that Mario Kart Wii would support a variety of control methods, including the Wii Classic Controller and Gamecube pad. But those fans might want to scale back their expectations, as an updated game fact sheet (posted on Nintendo's press site) claims that players who don't use the Wii Remote schemes will not be able to perform "certain moves" and "some maneuvers."

What maneuvers exactly? We're not quite sure, but the new mid-air tricks probably aren't among them -- A Link to the Future notes that an IGN preview specifically mentions Classic and Gamecube controller users can hit the d-pad to perform those. We find it hard to imagine that the plethora of joysticks and buttons on the alternate control schemes can't replicate the controls of the somewhat button-free design of the Wii Remote. Could this be an effort to encourage more use of the [practically useless] 'extremely useful' Wii Wheel? You'll know as soon as we do. ...

via Computer and Video Games


So far we've managed to ignore the tsunami of April Fool's jokes that's rampaged across the internet (we think), but Microsoft's put too much effort into its own Xbox.com tomfoolery to be ignored.

The Xbox 360 Wireless Helmet, Xbox Live: The Board Game and Xbox 360: Vintage Edition are among the spoof products on the newly updated official site, as well as slimed down 'Recon Edition' which looks straight out of Tom Clancy.

Second party dev Rare has even joined in the fun, posting five "possible scenarios" for the new Banjo-Kazooie, and apparently one of them is real. We reckon it's the one about Grunty's T.I.T.

See the full selection of Microsoft's gags in the pictures right here. ...