via Computer and Video Games


Nintendo has filed a new patent for a motion-sensing portable games console, hinting the next step in handheld gaming beyond the DS.

As the patent, filed on March 30, explains: "The housing [console] incorporates an XY-axis acceleration sensor to detect an acceleration in an X-axis and Y-axis direction and a Z-axis contact switch to detect an acceleration in a Z-axis direction."

This is basically just like the Wii Remote, so that means if you move the console it will know about it.

The new console would detect "tilt amount, movement amount, impact amount or the like". In more technical rambling, the patent goes on to confirm that on-screen action will be effected by the amount of motion applied by the player.

Although the diagrams, which can be below, show a Game Boy-style console, you should only take this as a basic representation of a handheld console.

Motion-sensing portable games were inevitable - but at least now we know Nintendo is hard at work to make it happen.

Meanwhile, if you want a taste of the portable motion-sensing future, nab yourself a copy of WarioWare Twisted on GBA or, believe it or not, the superb Kirby Tilt 'n Tumble on GBC, both of which have you twisting and tilting the console to play. If you're in UK, though, you'll have to import because stupid laws prevented both games from being released due to the mercury within the carts.


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via Computer and Video Games


Girls like babies, cooking food and rubbish stuff like that, right? Yes they do, and Ubisoft knows this because it's putting out baby-raising and cooking simulators for DS.

Called 'Imagine Babyz' (these 'Z' spellingz in game titlez really need to stopz) the game poses all the challenges of raising a child. How exciting does that sound? And you can go online and, get this... exchange clothes!

Ubisoft is also readying Master Chef, Animal Doctor, Fashion Designer and Figure Skater as part of the Imagine range targeted at young girls.

"Ubisoft is excited to finally offer young girls a line of games that give them the chance to explore their hobbies and interests in interactive and creative experiences," says Ubisoft.

What better way to prepare for life as a housewife? Excuse us while we stick to playing proper videogames. ...

via Computer and Video Games


Major Nelson sends word of several rummagings on Xbox Live this morning, including two (US only, sigh...) new demos and a (very) minor system update.

The system update, says Nelson, prepares your Xbox 360 for the wireless guitars that are being released in a few months time - and that's it.

As for the demos that we can't play, they'd be the lovely-looking Eternal Sonata and the officially rubbish Vampire Rain. The first weighs in at just under 600 MB and is yours for sampling if you're sneaky enough to have a US or Japanese XBL Silver account.

As for when we'll get the Eternal Sonata demo, Atari says it'll arrive on the European Marketplace in September, sighting good old localisation work as the reason for its tardy arrival.

UPDATE: Atari's UK op has contacted CVG to let us know that in order to get the Eternal Sonata demo onto Euro XBL Marketplace, it's required to translate the demo into French, Italian, Spanish and German first. That, apparently, is the reason for the delay on our end. ...

via Eurogamer


Developer NinjaBee has announced it's working on an expansion pack to popular XBLA title, Band of Bugs.

Dubbed Red Kingdom, it will shift the focus of the turn-based strategical action down into the Southern Kingdom, and will let you control new main characters with nifty abilities. You'll also be able to take them to a higher level than before, control two new troop types - artillery and cavalry - and earn more achievements. Thank God.

Red Kingdom will be playable in single-player or co-operatively, as well as in multiplayer battles with your friends on Live. The level editor has been spruced up, too, with added desert tile sets and new items - like stone huts, rock formations, and all sorts of things insects normally crawl out from under.

And in an effort to promote its hard work, NinjaBee is running a design-a-level competition. Just post some screenshots and a description of your creation over on the official forums, and regulars cast their votes on it - whittling the entire list down to three entries. From there, responsibility is passed over to NinjaBee staff, who will pick an overall winner and dish 4,000 Microsot points out to them, along with a t-shirt.

Band of Bugs was released in June on Live Arcade, and challenges you with leading a group of insects with different abilities strategically around a map, trouncing anything that gets in your way. ...

via Eurogamer


The day before today we told you that PlayStation Network title Blast Factor was getting a sequel. We even gave you some details.

And today we're giving you more. You might have even already seen the exclusive video over on Eurogamer TV, or had a look at the exclusive shots in our Blast Factor: Advanced Research gallery. If you haven't, do.

It shows the revamped game in action; your little microscopic ship blasting nasty virus cells using all manner of clever tactics.

Because, you see, this time everything will look nicer, sound better, and be more challenging. There's more enemies with fancy new powers, and monthly high score tables for that sense of achievement - even a practice mode to get to grips with things.

And for those of you saying it looks like a knock-off of Geometry Wars, well, you've missed the point. It isn't, Blast Factor is more tactical - read our review from earlier in the year if you don't believe us.

Blast Factor: Advanced Research is expected in the US PlayStation Store "soon", although Sony has yet to announce its European plans.


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via Eurogamer


Hideo Kojima will be on-hand to demo Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots to attendees at Games Convention later this month.

Kojima will show off a new trailer, "detail key plot points" and reveal "exciting news about forthcoming Metal Gear projects from Kojima Productions", Konami has said.

If you're one of those enthusiastic European games-players, then you've probably already watched the handsome high-definition, 15-minute-long hands-on demonstration of the game recorded at a recent 20th anniversary Metal Gear bash in Tokyo and then uploaded to PlayStation Network. If not, do so - it's quite interesting.

MGS4 is due out worldwide exclusively on PS3 in early 2008. ...

via Eurogamer


Koei has announced it will be bringing PS2 roleplay strategy game GrimGrimoire to Europe on 28th September.

Developed by Nippon Ichi and Vanillaware, It puts you in the shoes of Lillet Ban - who relives her first five days at prestigious magic school the Tower of Silver Star after everyone is mysteriously killed. A bit like Groundhog Day, then, but where Bill Murray is Harry Potter.

Lillet takes the form of a cursor on the main screen, which is used to guide troops around in a real-time strategy way. Called familiars, these are summoned from Runes placed on the screen, which can be upgraded through finding and reading Grimoires - known as big books of rules for doing things, to you and us.

GrimGrimoire has already been released across the US and Japan, where it received strong reviews thanks to its cut-scenes, battle system and 2D gameplay. But not everyone was bowled over by it, and some have criticised it for being too watered-down compared to Nippon Ichi's other creations - like the excellent Disgaea series.


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via Eurogamer


Developer Free Radical has confirmed that TimeSplitters 4 is in development.

The news came from script writer Rob Yescombe, who told Kotaku the team was hard at work on the new game.

TimeSplitters is a first-person shooter series that lets you travel back and forth in time like Marty McFly and Doc Brown. Inherent to the list of ingredients is a hefty dose of satire, and Yescombe promises this time will be no different.

"In the past TimeSplitters has been very satirical at the expense of movies, [and] this time it will be satirical at the expense of videogames," said Yescombe.

Other details are still scarce, with platforms and tentative release dates still kept behind closed doors.

Free Radical is currently working on Haze, which tells the story of a rebellion against a military global mega-corporation by a former soldier. It's being described as a thinking man's shooter, and is PS3-exclusive until the end of the year (with PC and Xbox 360 releases sometime in 2008). ...

via Eurogamer


German ratings board USK has spilled the beans on a Warhammer: Mark of Chaos port for Xbox 360.

The listing was produced to cover a demo supposedly on show at Games Convention 2007 in Leipzig, which takes place between 23rd - 28th August.

Koch Media is said to be the publisher, but was unavailable to comment at time of writing.

Warhammer: Mark of Chaos is a real-time strategy title based around the popular Games Workship franchise. It was developed by Black Hole Entertainment for PC and released last November to middle of the road reviews.

Put simply, RTS fans have better titles to pick from on the PC, although die-hard Warhammer followers will find it to be the best recreation of the tabletop game to date. ...