Heres another great release for Snes homebrew fans and rememeber that you can play Snes Homebrew on any Snes Emulator for any system:

Merry Christmas everyone! We here at D-D always try our best to give you a holiday ROM goodie, and this year we even made our Christmas release window! Santa says he hopes you like this little gem just in time for Christmas 2017!
Princess Minerva is a really interesting game. You control a squad of nine female warriors trying to stop a another group of female warriors from turning every young girl in the kingdom into a monster girl. Your party is divided into three sub parties which all fight battles at random. All Nine girls must be used in battle and you can’t control which team gets put into battle except in boss fights. It is a pretty fun and quite silly little turn based RPG that we hope you enjoy.
We highly recommend that you read the readme file as it will inform you about a few bugs to expect to encounter from the original Japanese rom and other things to expect during gameplay.

More info - http://www.dynamic-designs.us/

via http://www.romhacking.net/?page=news&category=3 ...

You cant beat the Xmas season for great Homebrew releases, well heres a translation of a classic Snes game that will get your mouth watering:

Almost 20 years after its original Japanese release, the immediate ancestor to the beloved tactics game Advance Wars is finally playable in English.
Super Famicom Wars was developed by Intelligent Systems, published by Nintendo and first released on May 1 1998. The game was available exclusively via the Nintendo Power rewritable cartridge system, making it one of the hardest Super Famicom titles to obtain.
The game was followed up by two titles for Game Boy Advance then yet another two for Nintendo DS in relatively quick succession. Since then, not much has been heard about the series’ future from either Nintendo or Intelligent Systems. This is a shame, really, since the Wars series’ upbeat take on turn-based military strategy is uniquely charming and accessible. So, in a way, releasing this translation makes a new game in the Wars franchise available to the English speaking world for the first time in almost ten years.

More details http://www.romhacking.net/translations/3354/ ...

The State of PC Gaming in 2017


2017 saw PC gaming become more complicated and multifaceted than ever before, and also served to popularise a genre, battle royale with one of the plainest premises imaginable.


As ever, despite competition from mobile, the PC remains at gaming’s forefront, and whether this is thanks to the platform enjoying the long-time advantage of better hardware, the role it enjoys as a breeding ground for interesting independent games that go on to become hits on multiple platforms, or its continued attempts to solve the logistical problem of, in theory, offering all games ever invented, remains to be seen, but PCs leads so many dances only human centipedes can keep up! You can do absolutely anything on your PC, including enjoying real money entertainment like the online roulette NZ has to offer, so it remains the first choice for players of all types.


The PC is not a Monolith


But, if we are going to discuss PC gaming, we have to bear in mind that it is not a single entity. It is a conglomeration of disparate platforms and many moving pieces, and includes a multiplicity of different programmes: Steam, G2A, and tiny freeware games being just a few examples.


Steam is Ballooning in All Directions


While Valve has not released a precise user count for some years now, it can safely be estimated that the number is still in excess of 100 million. The total amount of games on Steam is astronomical at this point also, and Steam Direct being introduced has only opened the floodgates that much more.


Valve, at least, has made attempts at acknowledging some of the more virulent issues Steam has faced this year. In the first half of 2017, so-called fake-games were addressed by the rules around trading cards changing. This however, let to the rise of trends like achievement-spam games, which gummed up Valve’s algorithm, so hundreds of these have been removed from the service.





Origin is Alive and Kicking


The service provided by Electronic Arts has not changed much in 2017, but big games like Sims 4 and Battlefield 1 are still chugging along, and who could forget the Stars Wars Battlefront II loot box controversy?


Origin keeps giving free games away regularly, as well, which, although cool, remains a bit thin in terms of features. It has long given up the attempt to be a proper competitor for Steam, and functions simply as an EA ecosystem these days.


Less Traditional Games at Itch.io


Putting a handful of exceptions to one side, Steam does not offer an easy ride to smaller games nowadays. Itch.io, only a fraction of a fraction of the size of Steam, however, still makes a point of promoting less traditional games than Steam does, whilst also providing developers with more flexibility in terms of releasing games as they please.


Itch.io upgraded its app this year, as well, and, in a philosophy directly opposing that of Steam’s, became even more focused on curation. It also helped to host the Epistle 3 game jam, which means that it now, albeit unofficially, has more Half-Life games than Steam does. Itch.io, did, however, have to contend with an epidemic of scam games in 2017 too. ...

Nintendo Opens Games to Rival Consoles


For the first time in history, you can play Nintendo games on hardware that was not produced by the company from Japan.


In a new initiative, albeit limited to China, Nintendo has started distributing classic Wii and Gamecube game titles by means of Nvidia Corporation’s gambling tablet Shield. The device became available on the 5th of December this year in Mainland China, with three classic games from Nintendo:


The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Punch-Out!!


Which were only released around the world roughly ten years ago.


A Significant Shift for Nintendo


This move is a notable one for Nintendo, which has kept its games exclusively for its own handheld and home consoles since back in the early parts of the 1980s. The maker of DS, Wii, and Switch gadgets only very reluctantly started making mobile titles for third-party smartphones in 2016! However, thanks to China outdoing the USA as the biggest gaming market in the world and so many activities going online, the pressure on Nintendo to release its titles to that mainland has been increasing.


Even players who generally limit their gameplay to the real money blackjack now so widely available the world round are taking note!

Nintendo is Happy to Do It, According to Statement


Nintendo released a statement, in Chinese, about how happy they are to be able to have this opportunity to allow their games to bring joy to the vast body of players that China is home to. Plans are underway for more of their classic titles to be released in 2018, and visual upgrades are afoot as well. The statement went on to praise the Nvidia staff, and point out that high-resolution ports are in the offing as well.


No Broader Strategic Plan, However


A spokesman for Nintendo stated that the agreement is limited to China and the Nvidia Shield, and is in no way indicative of any type of broader strategic change. He said that efforts to make the new Nintendo Switch hybrid console available to Chinese players would also continue independently of the current partnership with Nvidia.


Nintendo Not Available in China Until Now


Until now, most of the games Nintendo has produced have not been lawfully available in China, which has seen the popularity of Donkey Kong and Super Mario limited, although these titles are household names in Europe, Japan, and the USA. Mainland China is instead dominated by personal computer and mobile gaming titles like Playerunknown’s Battleground and Honour of Kings. The gaming market in China generated US$24.6 billion in 2016, compared with US$24.1 billion in the United States.


Barriers for Non-Chinese Game Publishers


There are still obstacles that non-Chinese game publishers have to overcome when it comes to releasing titles in China, one of which is the state censorship in place, and the requirement to establish joint ventures with local partners. The Microsoft and Sony Corporations have both achieved limited success since they released their consoles back in 2014, partly due to the decline in popularity of console gaming and the absence of hit titles like Grand Theft Auto V, which the government banned as a result of its violence and sexual content. ...

Developers to Build only 64-Bit Apps for Android


Over the period of the next year and a half, Android developers must make sure their applications are 64-bit and able to support the most recent versions of the Google mobile operating system, according to the company itself.


The Deadline is August 2019


Google will be requiring Android developers to start making 64-bit versions of their apps available from August of 2019, and this is part of a broader effort to improve both safety and performance of the applications. This won’t, however, interrupt the pokies New Zealand provides that you enjoy, thankfully!


The second half of 2018 will see Google requiring Android developers to ensure that the apps they create are designed with the latest versions of the operating system in mind as well. Furthermore, from the early parts of next year, Google is going to begin adding what is described as a minute amount of security metadata on top of Android app kits, to verify the authenticity of the apps.


Impending Change Announced by Android Product Manager


Edward Cunningham, the production manager for Android, released the news of the impending changes in a blog post on the 19th of December, saying that Google was making the info available so that developers had enough time to comply with them.


The post spoke of Google’s relentless focus on performance and security that ensured that everyone had a good experience discovering and installing the apps and games they loved. The changes were designed to advance this goal, he stated.


For example, ensuring that Android developers were writing for the latest versions of the operating system meant that new apps could take advantage of the fresh security and performance enhancing features that Google was currently building into the operating system.




Users are Given More Control Over What’s Shared


As an example, Cunningham went on to note how applications that had been written for the Android 6.0 operating system and higher gave users additional control over what kind of private data the app was able to access during runtime.


Other enhancements in the more recent Android versions include those that disallow apps from accidentally overusing system resources, like battery power and memory, and those that make certain that user-added digital certificates are not simply automatically taken to be trustworthy for secure connections.


Changes Afoot for August of Next Year


In order to make sure that users are able to reap the benefits of these kinds of enhancements, Google will require that developers target their applications for the Android version 8.0 or higher as of August 2018. All updates for existing applications will need to meet this requirement as of November next year, too, and developers will have to ensure the apps they release are written for the most recent version of the Android OS from the start of 2019, according to Cunningham.


The 64-bit requirement has been designed to make sure that new Android apps are better able to take advantage of the performance enhancements offered by this technology, says Cunningham. Google introduced support for 64-bit architectures with the Android 5.0 OS, and, currently, over 40% of Android devices support 64-bit apps with Android 5.0, and over 40% of Android devices support 64-bit apps and software whilst also maintaining backward compatibility with 32-bit systems. ...

The Nes Emulator for the Android OS has been updated, heres the release notes:

NES emulator for Android has been updated. Changes:
* Fixed DropBox crash when app folder has subfolders.
* Fixed gamepad on Nvidia ShieldTV and other AndroidTV devices.
* Any input devices named as "virtual-*" are now ignored.
* Any virtual (android-16) and disabled (android-27) devices are ignored.
* Switched to the latest android-27 SDK.
* Now using Android build tools version 27.0.2.
News source: https://play.google.com

via http://emu-russia.net/en/ ...

The virtual boy was a failiure , well before its time but heres a story that will excite many:

Digital Foundry have published a video feature about the Donkey Kong Country series that features behind-the-scenes stories from some of the games' developers.

It includes a brief section about Rare's experiments on a Virtual Boy version with quotes by Environment Art Director Steven Hurst. Read on for a full transcript under the video.



More info --> http://www.planetvb.com/modules/news...hp?storyid=441 ...

The Best Apps for Android Wear


The Android Wear smartwatches are excellent right out of the box, but there are a number of applications you should download as well in order to make using yours as good an experience as it possibly can be.


If you have recently purchased or received an Android Wear smartwatch, then you are probably very keen to get all the info you can from the device on your wrist in the most efficient, enjoyable way possible. There are many perfectly fine Google apps that will do all of this, and of course you can play Online real money pokies by means of it as well, and this article outlines which apps are the best for you to download, install and use today.


You will need to download these to your Android smartphone first, and then the operating system for your Android Wear will assist you in getting them onto your watch. You need to head to the Play Store on your watch, scroll down until you get to the Apps on Your Phone option, select it, and then go from there!


Arm Yourself with Android Pay


After you have made sure that your Android Wear smartwatch has NFC, then one of the best applications is Android Pay. Much in the same way that you may have been using your smartphone to make payments using contactless technology, you can do this with your Android Wear watch now too. After you have added your bankcard to your device you are all set for total payment convenience!


Get Going with Google Fit


This app may even come pre-installed, but if not, make sure you get it. Google Fit is the go-to health tracking application for Android Wear. Thanks to the fact that it belongs to Google, syncing your smartwatch with the app on your phone for seamless collection of your health data is as easy as pie.



Kick Disorganisation Out with Google Keep


Even if you are already using this great app on your phone, Google Keep is worth downloading onto your smartwatch as well. It is really handy for things like shopping lists, and you can keep both your hands free while making sure you have everything you need as you go.

Talk to Anyone Thanks to Google Translate


This application is incredibly valuable when you are out in about in foreign climes. While we all would love to speak at least six European languages to facilitate conversation when travelling, most of us don’t, and having this application to translate short phrases can be invaluable.


Cancel Convolutions with Citymapper


As long as you reside in a city that the application covers, Citymapper is better in many ways than Google Maps, thanks to how reliable its bus and train times are. You can create turn-by-turn alerts to let you know when to change trains or get off the bus, as well. Citymapper is wonderful if you need a little help getting to where you are going but don’t want to stare at your phone the whole way there. ...

No Forced Microtransactions for Square Enix Console Games


One of the hottest topics in the gaming industry right now is microtransactions. Even though the larger game publishers like Take Two and EA have stated that they are probably going to be a vital part of future selling models, fans have been very resistant to the idea. This was most notable during the Star Wars Battlefront 2 backlash that recently occurred.


Not all of the leading industry figures see microtransactions as the best way forward, however. In a recent interview with MCV, Yosuke Matsuda, the CEO for Square Enix, made it very clear that his company is not very likely to force microtransactions into each and every one of its console releases any time soon.


This Selling Model Just Doesn’t Always Work


Matsuda’s reason for this is that he doesn’t feel that this type of selling model always works for console games. He stated that, when you think about the manner in which console games are created, and take the volume of content and huge amount of effort that goes into creating them into account, there is something in all of that which doesn’t work well with the concept of microtransactions. The real money entertainment online gambling Canada provides could probably be grouped in the same category as console games too. Payment for play is upfront and immediate in the case of the latter, and there are not additional costs that players must consider as the game gets underway.


Console Games are Different to Mobile Ones


While microtransactions have become widely accepted as part of mobile games that offer free play, Matsuda acknowledged that this kind of welcome would not necessarily extend to paid for console games. He said that players had different expectations and desires where console games are concerned, and that they are not viewed in the same way that mobile games are.


Square Enix is Not Averse to Service-Based Games


This is not to say that Square Enix is totally averse to the release of additional service-based games by any means. Earlier this year, Matsuda stated in a message to the company shareholders that the games-as-service model would definitely be taken up. He explained that the days of single-player games having primary status in comparison to multiplayer games were gone.


Multiplayer games have taken the lead, according to Matsuda, and it has become standard for these to be designed with long-term play in mind.


It will most likely be the case, then, that Square Enix will carry on with the type of DLC model that is being used in Final Fantasy 15. They have stated that people have purchased these games, and they as a company wanted the games to be enjoyed and played for as long as possible. This meant that additional aspects were added after the game got completed, in order to provide players with further things to enjoy.


The company is not likely to completely eschew microtransactions totally, however, as is evidenced by the fact that they appear in Final Fantasy 14. This is most likely as a result of this game being a huge multiplayer online role-playing game that is additionally available on PC. ...