via Next Generation


The publisher said that the success of Devil May Cry 4, which has been bundled with Xbox 360 and PS3 systems, was driven by its decision to release the game on multiple next-gen platforms. The game will also be making an appearance on PC, although a release date has yet to be confirmed.

Capcom also said that the series has now sold over nine million units globally. ...

via Eurogamer


Frontier Developments has unveiled its first title for Nintendo's WiiWare service - platform adventure game LostWinds. You can check out screenshots o'er yonder.

Promising innovative use of the Wii controller, LostWinds puts players in control of young boy Toku, with the Nunchuk, while the Wiimote is used for a wind elemental called Enril.

By wafting the Wiimote, players can lift characters off the ground with wind, or make circling motions to trap enemies in a vortex, amongst other wind-related shenanigans.

"The really novel thing about it is the control mechanism because you're controlling two characters - one with the Nunchuk and one with the Wiimote," Frontier's David Walsh told Eurogamer.

"There's the duality of Toku who's vulnerable and sort of useless on his own, but he's a connection to the physical world. And the other character, the wind spirit Enril, doesn't have a connection to the world so you have to work co-operatively with the two characters."

Seeing the game in motion at GDC in San Francisco, it's a tactile control method that seems to make perfect sense. Sweeping a current of air under Toku to lift him onto a platform, or swirling around an enemy to send him tumbling base-over-apex looks fluid and intuitive.

The magic graphical style will be enhanced, Frontier boss David Braben told Eurogamer, by sound effects conducted by the players movement on the Wiimote, as wind passes objects in the environment.

"There are wind stones around the place that make a noise as you brush the wind over them. The wind is very musical so it makes these musical noises as you do, the beauty is not intended to just come from the visuals.

"What we're trying to do is a very tight and very beautiful world that's very consistent," said Braben.

With 22 levels, replayability via new skills rewarded to the player for finishing the game, and multiple ways to complete tasks, it sounds like a chunky little debut for Nintendo's much anticipated digital delivery service.

Nintendo has yet to announce solid dates for WiiWare, but we're expecting a big reveal sometime later this week, and will be providing LiveText coverage of its Wii hardware speech at 9am PST / 5pm GMT on Friday in case anything good happens.

We know we hadn't told you that before, but we have now. Rejoice. We thought you'd want a Nintendo one too. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Not content with confirming Mario Kart for April, Nintendo has also told us that Wii Fit will be coming to the UK on April 25.

Earlier on, Nintendo of America let its US fans know Wii Fit would be coming out there on May 12. We're frankly baffled as to why Europe is getting this first (we're not fatter are we?), but we're not going to question it.

The Wii Fit Channel will also be available from April 25, too. Upon inserting the Wii Fit disc into your console, you can install the channel, which records personal fitness data on daily basis.

Quite usefully, once installed you don't need to repeat this process again to use the channel, so you won't have to go rutting around in empty pizza boxes and copious amounts of coke cans to find your Wii Fit disc, in order to see how close to death you are.

Wii Fit comes with the balance board necessary to play all of its wonderful tests, and we'll begrudgingly bring you a review shamefully ousting how out of shape we all are soon. Check out all the screens below.


Screenshots here ...

via IGN


In case you were wondering how Sony's software performed during the month of January in Japan, the Famitsu Marketing Data Service recently broke down the sales and delivered some numbers for any curious parties. This information pertains to sales occurring between December 31, 2007 and January 27, 2008.

PlayStation 3 sold 47,000 titles while Sony's portable platform sold 279,300 titles. The PS2, even in its old age, pushed 303,500 titles. These sales translate to market shares of 1.4%, 8.4% and 9.1%, respectively -- that's almost 20% of the total market share. While no information on 360 software was provided, Nintendo's Wii and DS titles are still outselling Sony's products by a significant margin, with over 80% of the total market share for software.

Notable titles include Monster Hunter Freedom 2 and Star Ocean: The First Departure for the PSP -- both of which were in the Top 20 best-selling games of January. ...

via Computer and Video Games


How does the new Mario Kart Wii handle? What's happened to the powersliding? What new weapons are in there? And what about those bikes? Hands-on impressions have hit the web and answered these questions!

Nintendo of America has been treating US journos to hands-on time with the game.

First up, the all-important controls. Mario Kart Wii will not only use the new steering wheel controller packed with the game - it will also allow for more tradition button controls with either the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the Classic Controller or even a GameCube pad. Pleased, we are.

Nintendo told IGN that its testers "seem to favour the steering wheel peripheral over the other options," but we'll believe that when we try it ourselves.

IGN says the steering wheel control takes getting used to because of the difficulty in finding the dead zone - the point at which no steering is applied.

In the typical Grand Prix mode, 50CC is comprised of kart-only races, 100CC is bikes-only, and 150CC lets both lose together.

Also in IGN's report, it reveals that powersliding has also been given an overhaul. Slides are started with the B button, and instead of rapidly steering in opposite directions to build up a boost, the boost now charges over time as you perform your slide. Sounds like a n00b-friendly make-over to us, but we're okay with that.

Meanwhile, a similar report on 1Up reveals that the bikes are "more manoeuvrable" than the karts, but are more prone to being bumped around. As an extra advantage, you can shake the Remote to perform a wheelie, which awards you a small boost after a short time, but wheelies leave you vulnerable to spinning out.

1Up confirms that those stunts seen in the trailers are performed by shaking the Wii Remote - or by pressing a D-Pad button when the Remote isn't in use - at the top of a jump.

Three new items have turned up: the Mega Mushroom from New Super Mario Bros. turns karts into giants, the POW block from Mario Bros. stuns other racers with shockwaves, and a Lightening Cloud item gives you temporary super speed.

As for online play, the full 12-player races will be playable and, more excitingly, you'll be able to have up to two players per console. Split-screen online play FTW!

Exciting stuff indeed. And we've got two fresh new screens below, too - right here. ...

via IGN


Having already shifted some 1.2 million units over in the US, Midway has announced that it's bringing Unreal Tournament III to the PlayStation 3 in Europe on Friday, February 22.

With its hooves firmly entrenched in the multiplayer arena, Unreal Tournament III is a highly competent first-person shooter, earning itself a '9.0' when reviewed by our US team last December.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the title is the ability to download mods and user generated maps over the PlayStation Network – a near-unprecedented feature on the console landscape and a marked evolution from Halo 3's Forge-enabled content. However, US players were forced to wait a couple of weeks to fully benefit from the feature – we contacted Midway to see if there would be a similar wait over here but were unable to pin anyone down for an answer.

Regardless, it's easily in the upper echelon of shooters currently available on the PS3 and serves to further bolster the console's rapidly expanding catalogue. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Ninja Theory, the UK-based developer behind PS3 hit Heavenly Sword (and Kung Fu Chaos), has updated its website to tease us about what its next project will be. Heavenly Sword sequel or something completely different?


All clear on that, then? Good.

"There are some teaser elements on this new look website," adds the post. Hit this link and have a look for yourself.

Don't go expecting too much now. All we can make out is that, what ever the game is, it doesn't like it's based in the same time period as Heavenly Sword.

Spotted by NeoGaf. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Sony says its softly-softly approach to PlayStation Network will help it identify the "next Will Wright and David Jaffe".

Speaking to MTV Multiplayer, John Hight, director of product development at SCEA's Santa Monica Studios, explained why PlayStation Network hasn't been particularly overwhelmed with games.


Hight went on to say that PSN would see plenty more original titles, as well as a bigger budget, and larger sized games this year, while titles that include cooperative multiplayer games would be made a priority. "It's not a must-have, but we feel the competitive universe is mostly covered."

He also acknowledged that Sony was having a problem implementing a strict game pricing policy. "We have to decide, 'Gee am I going to charge more because everybody wants to have it? Or I'm going to set a price zone and everything has to reach that?' We have messed around with experimenting with prices." ...

via Eurogamer


Capcom has told us that the European Lost Planet PS3 demo will be out this Thursday.

That means you can get a taste for bungling around in the snow in giant robot suits while you blow chunks in enormous insects and naughty baddies with guns.

You can also enjoy a spot of it in online multiplayer battles for up to eight of you, although the full version will feature 16-player matches.

This was the same demo the US was given a couple of weeks ago - the one that was pulled down due to a few technical hiccups. Thankfully none of those should be apparent here.

Lost Planet PS3 will be out at the end of next week, and brings with it a new playable character in lovely Luka, as well as all the various patches that have been applied to the Xbox 360 version.

Capcom offered no comment on if it will need a lengthy installation like Devil May Cry 4, though, but given the outcry that caused we would be surprised if it did. ...