Newly released today:



features
You control your adventure—Mission-based gameplay puts you in the driver's seat: you choose what you do and say. Take on missions ranging from cross-town delivery to mining in a canyon to defeating bandits. The money and fame points earned can be used to upgrade your Trotmobile and enter arena battles.
Complete freedom to build—The cardinal rule of Trotmobile design is that there is no ideal design. Instead, there are tons of options to change out arms, legs, heads, bodies, and more that change the nature of how you battle! Then, personalize your vehicle with color and emblem to make it distinctively yours.
Four-player competition mode—Clash with your friends' Trotmobiles in 4 player ad hoc multiplayer! Set each player against the others battle royale style, or pair up for tag team action.
One UMD, four players—Only one UMD disc? You can still compete! Activate "game sharing" to enter multiplayer mode with standard Trotmobiles, or use multiple UMDs to have access to your customized battle vehicles!

description
A young Trot driver comes to Orion City with one dream in mind: to win the prestigious Orion City Trotmobile gladiator tournament. However, you'll quickly learn that it takes more than pluck and optimism to earn victory in the coliseum. With the help of a spirited mechanic named Venus, you'll have to take on a series of jobs to earn the money and fame required to make a name for yourself about town as a skilled Trotmobile operator. When a series of bandit attacks begins to affect the city's economy and distress the citizens, who will have the mettle and the metal to put a stop to it?

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-3d76.html ...

We're at the mid-point for 2009. The year is half over, so it's time to look back and see what are the biggest selling games so far.

Well, what are they?

According to Famitsu publisher Enterbrain, the top 15 games in Japan between December 28, 2008 and June 7, 2009 are:

15. Kirby Super Star Ultra: 250,437 copies
14. Mario Kart Wii: 254,631
13. Animal Crossing City Folk: 256,057
12. Style Savvy: 285,944
11. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: 313,668
10. Tales of the World Radiant Mythology 2: 316,797
9. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of the Sky: 338,568
8. Dynasty Warriors Multi Raid: 382,191
7. Rhythm Heaven Gold: 384,191
6. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days: 385,799
5. Wii Fit: 432,191
4. Resident Evil 5: 467,191
3. Ryu Ga Gotoku 3: 485,630
2. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP the Best): 556,650
1. Mario & Luigi RPG3!!!: 631,165

http://kotaku.com/5307987/what-are-t...in-2009-so-far ...

You've seen the guide book, now see the exhibition itself, as you take a 360-degree tour through Michael Jackson's impressive personal collection of arcade cabinets, which were on display in Beverley Hills earlier this year.

http://kotaku.com/5308061/take-a-tou...ame-collection

Wouldnt we all love that many arcade machines ...

The official site for The Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden reveals the upcoming DS RPG has a four player mode. Unfortunately, Square Enix is keeping it under wraps.

Matrix Software, the developer of the Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV remakes, is also making The Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden. Other familiar staff members from the DS remakes include Tomoya Asano and Takashi Tokita, one of the original staff members of Final Fantasy IV — for the Super Nintendo. Tokita says this game is a “classic fantasy RPG with today’s technology.”

The Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden comes out in Japan this fall. Square Enix has not announced any plans to publish this overseas, but if they do I imagine the name will be something like Final Fantasy Gaiden: The Four Light Warriors or something like that.

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/07/06...r-player-mode/ ...

Retailers in both Akihabara and Den-Den Town do continue to carry the R4 devices. However, stores are apparently trying to liquidate their inventory before it becomes illegal to sell R4 devices in Japan.

http://kotaku.com/5307988/the-r4vending-machine ...

The PS2 has been out for a while now. Most of you probably have a few games for the system still lying around the house. Reader Syd doesn't have a few. He has a lot.

Syd - a collector who runs...The Personal Computer Museum- is on a bit of a PS2 bender at the moment, and flushed with pride, sent us this snap of his library. Over 1200 games. And Syd would like you all to know that number's not being padded with Greatest Hits variations; he only picks those up when they include worthwhile, additional content (like his Devil May Cry special edition).

For reference, his first game was the original Jak & Daxter in 2002, while the 1000th game was...Chicken Little: Ace in Action. Hey, you collect, you collect the good and the bad.

http://kotaku.com/5307967/you-dont-h...es-as-this-guy ...

This fall Japan gets the DS version of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and it’s rated CERO Z, that’s like the equivalent of being rated AO by the ESRB.

All of the Grand Theft Auto games have been rated CERO Z so this isn’t really a shocker. However, Chinatown Wars will be the first Nintendo DS game with the rating and the second CERO Z game on a Nintendo platform. Killer 7 from Capcom is the other CERO Z rated game on Nintendo hardware.

Capcom usually publishes Grand Theft Auto games in Japan, but they are not handling Chinatown Wars. Cyberfront, the company that published the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV and the Princess Maker series, will take care of Chinatown Wars in Japan.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars has often been used as a centerpiece in a debate if M-rated DS games will sell. This fall Chinatown Wars will also be a litmus test for 18+ Nintendo DS games in Japan too.

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/07/06...rated-ds-game/ ...

Aksys only released Battle Fantasia on Xbox 360 last year. This fall Marco and Watson, the game’s mandatory magical mascot character, battle on the PlayStation 3. Arc System Works developed this fighting game and gave it a fantasy storybook setting.

Unfortunately, we won’t get a retail version of the game like Europe did. Battle Fantasia will only be available as a PlayStation Network download in North America. A release is currently slated for this fall and a representative from Aksys said there will be some surprises.

If you haven’t heard about the 2.5D fighting game before flip over to this interview we did with Bo deWindt, the Producer of Battle Fantasia.

http://www.siliconera.com/2009/07/06...ork-this-fall/ ...

Codemasters, ShopTo and analyst Michael Pachter all believe change is afoot, and that summer videogame droughts may be the norm no longer. Economic risk, argue the trio, is forcing even the biggest players to keep clear of the crowded autumn release schedule.

"We're beginning to see a change in summer releases," notes Michael Pachter, videogame investment analyst for Wedbush Morgan Securities. "It actually started a year ago, with GTA (April) and Metal Gear Solid 4 (May) having pretty solid success. EA pushed Tiger and Fight Night forward, and will release FIFA and Need for Speed in September, earlier than usual.

"A lot of this is to limit risk from a crowded holiday release schedule. EA had a bad time with too many games in the October-November time frame last year. They decided to spread things out in order to be more competitive. "

ShopTo boss Igor Cipolletta recalls a "majority" of Christmas 2008 games being discounted within "a few short weeks". He thinks shifting some focus to summer is a change worth making.

"Traditionally, the summer and early autumn have been a very quiet period for game releases, and it would seem to be worth a change of focus to advertise and release some titles within this window; customers may have money now, but will they still have that money come the Christmas rush?" asks Cipolletta.

"Sales of certain titles are a given but those titles slightly lower on people's want list, would the publishers rather have decent sales in a pre-Christmas market or are they happy to see their titles as weekly specials or bargain bin fodder crushed under the weight of sales of Modern Warfare 2, FIFA 10 and Forza Motorsport 3?

"[Publishers] debuting or returning franchises that don't have a massive guaranteed pre-order base may want to release their product slightly earlier," he adds. "The earlier release date will reduce their advertising budgets and allow their title to stand out, rather than getting lost under the sheer weight of releases when we reach October, November time."

Codemasters is one publisher doing just that: Damnation was released in May, Fuel at the beginning of June and Overlord II at the end of June. Furthermore, Ashes Cricket is scheduled for July, Colin McRae: Dirt 2 for September and F1 2009 for autumn. The "greater visibility" of the summer is attractive, argues global communication manager Sam Cordier.

"For Codemasters, it's always been about spreading releases to the launch window that makes the most sense - fitting the right game to the right window," he said. "Overlord 1 did very well during the summer when originally released, so it made sense to hit the same kind of release window. It also has greater visibility during the summer than it would have done at peak holiday time.

"Ashes Cricket 2009, F1 2009 and Colin McRae Dirt 2 have launch windows where they are because they are tied in with major sporting events around the world. Ashes Cricket 2009, for example, is maximised as a summer release during the Ashes sporting event.

"The past has proven that using this kind of launch strategy can be very successful if done right as you are giving people the games they want to play, when they want to play them," added Cordier.

Cipolletta admits that we have seen some big releases over the last couple of summers, with games such as Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Battlefield: Bad Company, Mercenaries 2, Soulcalibur 4 and now Ghostbusters, Overlord II and The Sims 3.

Pachter, however, points out that most of these were accidental summer releases resulting from delays. Nevertheless, if they are successful "we will probably see more of the same in the future", he said.

But Pachter reckons we're not there yet, and is adamant that platform holders need to force the issue if they are to turn around what will be depressing sales figures for the coming months.

"July will be sad, August will be better," said Pachter. "Hardware is still a driver of game sales, and the consoles and handhelds are just too expensive for those households who haven't bought yet.

"They have to come down in price to spark renewed interest, and if console/handheld sales are down by 500,000 - 700,000 units in July and August, software sales will be burdened by 1.5 - 2 million fewer units that aren't purchased with new boxes."

Lots of this cagey behaviour follows a turbulent period for the global economy. Cipolletta says a result of this will be less risks and more revived franchises with proven track records. That, he concludes, will please the hardcore, and they, he believes, are the people who drive the videogame industry.

"Hardcore gamers are still at the heart of the major sales in the console market and publishers are realising that spending lavish amounts on licensed product that is likely to receive a lukewarm reception/sales has become too big a risk, especially in the current economic climate," explains Cipolletta.

"Instead they are choosing to revive well established franchises ...