Emu kidid has released the first GBA Emulator for the Nintendo Wii, heres the release details:


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April 16, 2008 - In the brief history of the Xbox brand, the Microsoft manufactured consoles have not exactly been the place for Japanese RPGs. That has begun to change, but the introduction of a long running and adored franchise to the audience is still not a thing to be done without care. This is a whole new audience, but Namco Bandai feels confident that this entrant into the Tales series offers something to make new players take a look and packs more content than ever before to entice the old fans into the ride.

Tales of Vesperia takes place in a world controlled by a single empire. This is usually not a good thing and such is the case here. The main character, Yuri, comes from a poor district and is fighting to make changes and protect his brethren. He first tried becoming an imperial knight to work from within the system but now believes that doing what is best matters most, even if it brings you outside of the law. His childhood friend, Flynn, has a different sense of justice and is continuing to work with the imperial knights. From there, the adventure begins.



The demo we played took place roughly three or four hours into the game and, like many brief sessions with RPGs, raised more questions than it answered and offered little context. For instance, what is the deal with the pipe-smoking dog? Don't worry, we asked and found out. He's Yuri's companion and pretty darn good in a fight. The pipe is a memento from his old master. Now that we've got that out of the way, we can continue.

The 10-15 minute session was fairly standard in design. It began with a brief story sequence before moving off into the woods for some exploration and combat. There isn't much room to maneuver down the thin forest trails, though there were several side paths to poke around in and chests to find. It culminated in a boss battle that beat us into submission. It may look like a friendly game for children, but don't let that lower your guard.

Tsutomu Gouda, producer for the Tales series, consoled us after our defeat. "Thinking about the user base for the 360…we're thinking that a little bit harder challenge would be best for this game; harder than anything in the past in the series." He went on to explain that the difficulty should be just right for people who are familiar with the Tales battle mechanics and strategy, but will offer a good challenge for those who are new to the series. The goal is to create a sense of danger around boss battles that will force players to plan ahead and think things through.



Combat is all real-time in Tales of Vesperia and takes place in a battle arena separate from the overworld (the load time is near instantaneous between the two). You can pause the game to assign new Artes (special moves and spells) or use items, but the bulk of the action will go fast quite fast. When playing alone, the other members of your party act independently but can be assigned to ask permission before using items of worth. The game is more fun, though, when up to three others hop in at any time to take control of the other party members. The first player still controls the party outside of battle, but once the fight begins each team member calls their own shots. Due to this limited co-op structure, the team felt online co-op wouldn't be all that fun and decided to leave it out.

The Tales of Vesperia team is looking to make the visual style set itself apart from the majority of games that strive for a photorealistic look. "We think we've got really good in-game graphics that are nearly indistinguishable from the anime that Production I.G. is making for the game," said Gouda. And it does look quite good. Xbox 360 owners will notice that the art style is similar to Eternal Sonata, but purposefully leans towards a more hand-drawn look. The portions of the game that are anime shouldn't disappoint either. It's all being captured in HD for the best possible presentation.

All of the major story sections have voicework to go along with the text, but not every situation will have spoken word. It's also all in English for the US release with no option for Japanese dialogue. In terms of the soundtrack, Namco Bandai revealed that Bonnie Pink, a Japanese singer/songwriter, has composed and performed the theme song in both Japanese and English. The tune is called "Ring a Bell" and it was inspired by the characters and story from the game. The background music in the game is once again being done by Motoi Sakuraba, the composer for Symphonia and Abyss.

Namco Bandai plans to have Tales of Vesperia release as close to simultaneous as possible in Japan and the US in 2008. That's quite a big goal considering Tales of Vesperia is reportedly a bit longer than Tales of the Abyss, the previous biggest game in the series.

This is bittersweet. I'm happy that its coming ...

SVPE has released his TCP Loader for the Nintendo Wii, heres the release info:


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via Eurogamer


Realtime Worlds has told GamesIndustry.biz that will be "looking seriously" at the possibility of bringing MMO All Points Bulletin to the PS3.

So far, APB has only officially been confirmed for PC and Xbox 360. But an article published by The Scotsman this morning suggested the game could come to PlayStation in the future. The article also quoted Realtime boss David Jones as saying APB is slated for a 2009 launch.

Studio manager Colin MacDonald has since clarified the situation, sort of, telling GamesIndustry.biz: "The situation is that yes, all the consoles are an option for us, and we'll be looking at them. But there's nothing decided, nothing to report at the moment I'm afraid.

"Yes, we'll be looking seriously at it," He continued. "But that doesn't mean it's going ahead, and it doesn't mean it's not going ahead." Right.

For those who aren't familiar, All Points Bulletin is a GTA-style MMO. It's looking rather spanky, judging by what was shown at this year's GDC. ...

via Computer and Video Games


If you read issue 100 of PSM3 magazine you'll know that as well as giving the skivvy on TimeSplitters 4, Free Radical boss Dave Doak also said that if we could drum up enough support, they'd remake TimeSplitters 2 in HD.

PSM3 has already had hundreds of emails, but it's not enough; send a mail to this e-mail address to show your support.

Or, if you're feeling particularly enterprising, set up an online petition or blog to plead the cause.

Imagine classic Splitters 2 multiplayer, but online with sexified HD visuals.

We're also creating a Facebook group, so join the PSM3 group (search for 'PSM3' in groups) for a link and more information about the campaign.

Together, we could make it happen. ...

Welcome to this week's toys update. Check out the wonderful collectibles we just got in stock and all the new products made available for preorder.

As toys, especially collectible ones, are produced in limited numbers and are often sold out prior to the actual release date, we strongly recommend to preorder the figures of your desire as early as possible.

The bargain of the week is a classic item and a true gem. Burst Angel Meg pioneered Yamato's CREATOR'S LABO figure series. This series features works from the greatest figure designers and sculptors of the industry like Meg's designer Ganyon (Kang Yong) and the famous Yamashita Shunya.

Meg is a charming girl with a sunny disposition and Ganyon has captured the essence of her personality to the last detail. She is now sold at a bargain price of US$ 19.90 only and the maximum purchase is limited to 1 piece per customer. As usually, this weekly special is valid for exactly 1 week (if not sold out earlier).

Quite a lot of cute small figures and toys are released this week. Like their counterparts in the game, Monster Hunter Pig Collection Trading Figures comforts the players after an intense hunt. They restore their gamers vitality simply by being there and looking sweet.

Other small toys released this week are Star Wars Lightsaber Keyrings and Tokyo Tower Light Up Collection Gashapon. Although they are from different dimensions, one is from the quintessential Star Wars series and the other is a landmark of one of the world's coolest cities, they light up the dull black night with a simple switch.

Lots of new preorders are opened this week. One of them is Final Fantasy XII Play Art Arms Box Set. Own all the weapons featured in the hottest RPG in one go. They are carefully replicated to the most minute of details and are real valuable collector's items.

Idol Master: Futami Mami is one of young girls who aspires to become an idol with you as her producer. It's difficult to gage her true potential through a TV screen, so she is made into a figure to be scrutinized under the critical eye of top producers.

The lists below show what has been released this week and what is available for preordering.

Toys & Figures (17)

Ar Tonelico 2 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Ruka JPN US$ 69.90
Canvas 2 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted Figure: Takeuchi Mami (DVD Edition) JPN US$ 109.90
Canvas 2 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted Figure: Fujinami Tomoko (DVD Edition) JPN US$ 109.90
Comic Unreal Cover Girl Vol. 6 - 1/6 Scale PVC Figure: Onna Kenshi Fiine JPN US$ 69.90
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 1/6 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Statue: Tina JPN US$ 89.90
Keroro Nakayoshi Mascot Partners Keychain Toy JPN N/A
Monster Hunter Pig Collection Trading Figure JPN US$ 4.90
Nagasarete Airantou Vol. 12 Non Scale Pre-Painted Figure: Shinobu with Manga (Limited Edition) JPN N/A
Reijin Cast Stigmata of the wind 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Kannagi Ayano JPN US$ 99.90
Revoltech Series No. 048 - Dokodemoissyo Non Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Jyun JPN N/A
Revoltech Series No. 049 - Dokodemoissyo Non Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Suzuki JPN US$ 19.90
Sengoku Bushou Armor Series Oda Nobunaga JPN US$ 29.90
Sengoku Bushou Armor Series Takeda Shingen JPN US$ 29.90
Slimy Horror (Ugly insects) ASIA US$ 4.90
Star Wars Lightsaber 3 Keyring Gashapon JPN US$ 2.49
Stigmata of the wind 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Lapis JPN N/A
Tokyo Tower Light Up Collection Gashapon JPN US$ 1.90

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...9-en-84-n.html ...

Newly released today:



The Richmond Company discovers fossils on their private island in the forest, around the volcanoes and under the sea. With special archaeological skills, you, as a fossil digger, have to retrieve these artifacts and restore them to life. By using your stylus to control the drill and cleaning tools, put the fossils back together and clean them. The better you restore them, the more battle power these dinosaurs have.

Form a team of three with your dinosaurs, and go to battle with other dinosaurs restored by other diggers. The key to your victory is firstly the quality of your restorations and secondly, your understanding of the battlefield and of the dinosaurs. Devise separate strategies for different battle fields and for different dinosaurs to ensure your victory.

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-2m93.html ...

Newly released today:



features
New Widescreen (16:9) and 480p progressive scan support.
Real-time fighting system and special attacks using brush techniques to decimate enemies and solves puzzles.
Use innovative controls and the Wii remote to "paint" your desired powers.
Fight against a wide variety of fascinating yet deadly enemies!
Communicate with unique characters.
Blend of stylized graphics and unique gameplay results in a rich and dynamic experience.
Expand your god-like powers as you progress through the game!

The multiple award-winning action adventure Ōkami™ is now available on the Wii™! Use the Wii Remote™ as a paintbrush to solve puzzles, create pathways, chop down trees or turn night into day. Ōkami comes alive through beautiful scenic 3D levels that have the appearance and texture of paper scrolls brushed with watercolor-like calligraphy art.

Throughout the vibrant and distinctive surroundings, interact with a dynamic cast of characters and build their faith to re-establish order and beauty to a world laid barren by evil.

Capcom's stylistic RPG Okami for Nintendo Wii™ is in stock today, shipping as NTSC U/C encoded US version for US$ 44.90 only.

Based on tests that we have performed on our European and Japanese Wii™ consoles, we found Okami working fine on a European Wii™ machine with FreeLoader (PAL Version), while the Japanese one refused to load the game. All tests were carried out using the latest firmware and several boot methods.

Considering that Mario Kart Wii refused to boot on our consoles with firmware 3.2, however there finally was a method to boot the game using the Freeloader device (check this news update for more details), we won't fully rule out that a successful method can be found, however at the moment we prefer to post this short warning message.

Together with the artistic game, Okami Wii Official Strategy Guide is also in stock and is available at US$ 16.90.

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-2k69.html ...

Stanford has recently released an update to their Folding@home GPU-accelerated client, which includes notable upgrades such as support for more current Radeon graphics cards and even a visualizer to see what's going on. ExtremeTech takes a good look at the new Folding@home GPU2 client and interviews Director Dr. Vijay Pande about the project. To the uninitiated, Folding@home is a distributed computing project in which hundreds of thousands of PCs and PS3s devote a portion of their computing power to crunch chunks of biological data. The goal is 'to understand protein folding, misfolding, and related diseases.

http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?.../04/16/1911230 ...