via Computer and Video Games


If you were a DS owner in Japan right now, you could buy Zelda: Twilight Princess, register it online and wait for your frickin' sweet Zelda-themed feather-shaped stylus to turn up as a thanks from Nintendo - for being in Japan.

But (the chances are), you're not in Japan, you're in the UK, so you're not going to get a nice stylus as a thanks from Nintendo. You can have some Star Points on the almost pointless UK Nintendo site (which we stopped bothering with in the GameCube era), but no stylus. Sorry.

So, after looking at the picture below (courtesy of Kotaku) with envious rage, the best you can do is head over to eBay and see if you can spend actual money on one. That's what this editor will do right now.


...

via Computer and Video Games


Good news tin fans - Capcom sends word that a three-disc Devil May Cry 4 Collector's Edition will be in the shops in time for release for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The $79.99 (£38) tined edition comes complete with documentary-packed bonus DVD and the first volume of the Devil May Cry animated series (four episodes, apparently) which we've got an inkling might be a bit rubbish, but who knows.

The bonus DVD includes a making of feature, soundtrack extracts, a digital art book, wallpapers, icons and screen savers for your PC. Lovely.

It's out in North America on February 5. There's currently no word on a European release but we've left a message with Capcom asking about one. Lost Planet's tin made it over here, so we're feeling optimistic. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Good news tin fans - Capcom sends word that a three-disc Devil May Cry 4 Collector's Edition will be in the shops in time for release for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The $79.99 (£38) tined edition comes complete with documentary-packed bonus DVD and the first volume of the Devil May Cry animated series (four episodes, apparently) which we've got an inkling might be a bit rubbish, but who knows.

The bonus DVD includes a making of feature, soundtrack extracts, a digital art book, wallpapers, icons and screen savers for your PC. Lovely.

It's out in North America on February 5. There's currently no word on a European release but we've left a message with Capcom asking about one. Lost Planet's tin made it over here, so we're feeling optimistic. ...

via Games Industry


Ubisoft has concluded an agreement to acquire the Japanese development studio Digital Kids.

Digital Kids, established in 1996, specialises in games for the Nintendo DS and has developed several successful titles for Ubisoft's Petz franchise, including Hamsterz Life.


No financial terms of the deal were disclosed. The acquisition is expected to close during Q3 of the 2007-08 fiscal year. ...

via Games Industry


Microsoft has signed with ESPN to offer sports content over its Xbox Live digital delivery service.

NCAA basketball and football games, X Games competitions and programs such as Madden Nation will all be available to Xbox 360 users, according to an Associated Press report.


Standard definition, commercial free NCAA games will sell for USD 3, with hi-def versions at USD 4.50.

ESPN TV shows will be priced the same as other Xbox Live TV content – USD 2 for standard definition and USD 3 for hi-definition. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Ready your beer goggles; Midway has released the first trailer for Cruis'n on Wii, and it's looking like it should've been released in 1997 rather than 2007.

If you're familiar with the series you'll know to expect arcade racing antics where realism and car physics go totally out the window. The last few games on N64 were also consistently a bit rubbish, so we're not holding our breath for the Wii version.

Oh, and it also looks worse than most Dreamcast games. Did we mention that?

See the trailer for yourself here, and pray that Midway figures out how to turn the anti-aliasing on by release. ...

via Eurogamer


Game Republic has popped a website up for its new PlayStation Network title Dark Mist.

It is an action shooter title where you play as light warrior Altemis and try to stop a demon king having his wicked way. As you do.

According to a translation of the Japanese website by IGN there will be Sixaxis-shaking sections to clear enemies in close-quarters, but otherwise you will use a standard light arrow attack to do away with baddies or use a big bomb when things get a bit hairy and you want a breather.

Special attacks should also help you out a bit, and come in Split Star, Meteor Flare and Lightning forms.

It is due for release on 8th November in Japan for JPY 800 (GBP 3.40 / EUR 4.80). We are currently waiting to hear back from Sony Europe about plans for the game here.

Pop over to the Dark Mist website for a look at some minuscule screenshots. ...

via Games Industry


Following reports that hackers were able to reinstate violence censored from the PSP version of Manhunt 2, the ESRB issued a statement defending its "M" rating.


While noting that unauthorised versions of the game have been released on the Internet along with instructions on how to modify the code to remove the special effects filters that obscured certain violent depictions, the ESRB stated that it did not believe such modifications "fully restore the product to the version that originally received an AO rating, nor is this a matter of unlocking content."


The ratings bureau made it clear that computer software and hardware devices are susceptible to unauthorised modification, and therefore game content could be changed in ways inconsistent with the assigned ESRB rating. Vance urged parents to monitor what their children are downloading to ensure that they are not removing the controls "put in place for their own protection."

In a conference call, Vance was asked how the latest situation differed from the "Hot Coffee" incident, in which hackers were able to unlock adult content on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas game. In that case, the ESRB re-rated the game AO (Adults Only), causing retailers to pull it from the shelves before Rockstar released a cleaned-up version.

Vance indicated that the "Hot Coffee" incident differed in that the GTA: San Andreas content was unmodified and merely unlocked, was not disclosed to the ESRB during the ratings process, and was easily accessible to owners of the PC version.

She was also asked about a situation involving The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, in which the ESRB re-rated the game after discovering previously undisclosed blood and gore in the game, not to mention topless art present on the disc that was not disclosed during the rating process.

In the case of Manhunt 2, the content in question had previously been disclosed to the ESRB, the content is being modified rather than being unlocked, and it requires unauthorised versions of software and/or hardware to play the modified content.

The ESRB is therefore standing by its M rating. ...

via Gizmodo




This isn't new (obviously), but many of you might not know that back at CES 1985, Nintendo demoed an Advanced Video System that was the spiritual design predecessor to the grey and black NES we all grew up with.

This consoleputer was supposed to be entirely wireless and tied together via line-of-sight infrared, and contained a keyboard, joystick, light gun, NES controllers, something that looks like a tape deck, a Klingon Bat'leth, the hopes and dreams of one Japanese salaryman designer that has since offed himself, and design features that were slightly too ahead of its time. Still, if we had this instead of the NES, we'd probably be typing 180wpm instead of the 130wpm we do now. ...