Via Gamesindustry

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Next-Gen.Biz has ranked the top 100 games of the PlayStation 2 / Xbox / GameCube generation based wholly on unit sales. Analysis includes revenues, average review scores, commentary, spin-offs and more.

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If you've spent the last few years playing old King's Quest VGA updates and longing for Space Quest and Day of the Tentacle, you'll be interested to know that the Adventure genre might be facing a resurgence - at Nintendo's hand. The adventure game was killed off by the console (poor controls and too much competition), and so it's ironic that Nintendo might be able to pull it from the grave. An article at About.com looks at how Nintendo could use its virtual console to make adventure games profitable again."

From the article:
"The reason that adventure games are disappearing is because they don't compete well with other genres. Trying to create an adventure game that meets the graphical standards of an audience taught to expect Elder Scrolls IV makes the whole endeavor far less appealing. However, building a product to compete with Geometry Wars might be more doable. Adventure games are not disappearing because no one is buying them; they're disappearing because people are buying other types of games far more often. ...

We havent heard publically from our resident coder PSmonkey for a while but today he posted some great news for his PSP Scene followers, heres the news from his site:


Its great to see some new progress from one of DCEmus Finest, show your encouragement and check out the new screens at his site here --> http://nemo.dcemu.co.uk ...

New game for DS released:



This falling blocks game is produced by Hideo Yoshizawa of Pac Pix, Mr. Driller and Klonoa fame. In Trion Cube, five block types fall from the top of the screen. Your goal is to rotate the blocks, assembling them into 3x3 clumps, which then turn into coins. The game lets you hold off on removing the 3x3 formations that you've already created. By doing this, you can fill the screen with blocks and delete everything as part of a combo. You play as the captain of a penguin-shaped space ship. By performing combos, you make the ship speed towards a goal. Bandai Namco has created a cast of personable characters, each with her own space ship. The game includes a wireless battle mode. In this mode, the person to first make his ship reach the goal wins. You'll be able to play via download play, meaning only one copy of the game is required.



More info / buy here --> http://www.yesasia.com/?/info.php?pro...0&lsaid=219793 ...

New for DS Lite/DS from Datel:



Product Features

Action Replay for Nintendo DS & NDS Lite

Preloaded with loads of codes for the latest and greatest games
New codes downloaded seemlessly via USB cable (included)
Full 'touch-screen" control
Colorful high-resolution graphics

Description

Even the odds by arming yourself with infinite health, bullets and time. Unlock secret levels, characters and vehicles. Now YOU can become all-powerful and beat ANY game!

Action Replay is already loaded with totally unauthorized cheats for all the latest and greatest games, and you can easily update it with new codes using the included USB cable.

More info / buy here --> http://www.yesasia.com/?/info.php?pro...6&lsaid=219793 ...

News from Lik Sang



When the classic hero-saves-princess tale Ghosts'n Goblins (Makaimura in Japan) originally hit the Arcades in the mid-1980s, gamers were first introduced to Capcom's notion of a demon-populated underworld that at the time felt like a dark, interactive cartoon. Soon the side-scrolling platformer got released on the NES and versions for other systems appeared. Ah, sweet retro memories of pushing the stick fast in the direction of where Arthur the Knight was facing to increase weapon speed (worked like a charm on the Commodore 64 version with the then unrivaled Competition Pro Joystick!)... Due to the ingeniously straightforward, but challenging gameplay the series produced one smash hit after the other with the sequels that followed later: 1988 saw the release of Ghouls'n Ghosts and finally Super Ghouls'n Ghosts aka. Cho Makaimura (designed for the SNES) hit the videogames market in 1991. Over the years, our main hero was blessed with many upgrades, like new moves, weapons, armor and magic power ups.

A brief history of one of the most beloved Jump'n Shoot franchises behind us, the future of Arthur (while still running around in underwear when suffering a blow) is here, with Goku Makaimura (Extreme Ghosts 'n' Goblins) representing an exclusive PSP edition of a true Capcom legend. None other than Tokurou Fujiwara - the original's creator - holds responsible for directing this maxed-out masterpiece. Now making use of a 3D graphics engine, being true to the glorious past with a side-scrolling layout, Goku Makaimura includes more spells and weapons than ever before and offers non-linear gameplay. An authentic example of revisiting a retro gem and reshapening it to be rewarded with a current classic in its own right.

As the US version is still a longer while off, we recommend getting the Asian copy of Goku Makaimura (Extreme Ghouls'n Ghosts) now, which is in stock today. All pre-orders have already been taken care of and new orders are leaving our warehouse within 24 hours for only US$ 49.90 (shipped!). While import gamers appreciate our Free World Shipping promotion, it's also reassuring that you can play this game (like all PSP titles) on any PSP system bought wherever globally. Couldn't be easier, you just gotta love this handheld's true region-free capability.

Much More info and screens at the link above ...

News from Lik Sang

Nintendo's Star Fox returned to its roots this week with an all new DS title. Developed by Q-Games, a company founded by Dylan Cuthbert who worked on the first Star Fox team, this new shooter is perfect if you didn't like the FPS gameplay of the two GameCube sequels. Locked onto aerial dog fights, the Japanese edition arrived early and is in stock now. The US port comes later on August 28th, but don't forget like all handhelds, the DS is region free so this game will work on every unit worldwide.

The first Star Fox (a.k.a Star Wing in Europe) was released in 1993 and brought 3D graphics to the SNES through a "Super FX Chip" and an extra math co-processor. Four years later Star Fox 64 (Lylat Wars in Europe) unleashed rumble packs on the videogames industry, then it was followed up by two GameCube sequels. Now the series has made its first appearance on a portable, and true to form, it works with the DS Rumble Pack.

Set after last year's Star Fox: Assault on the Cube, the planet Venom was revealed not to be as barren as first thought. Hiding in acidic oceans are a race known as Anglors, the leader of which intends to destroy the Lylat System. After previously splitting up, the Star Fox team re-unites here to fight over 30 missions, battling it out across vast oceans, flaming caves, deep space, dry deserts and more.

There's 15 characters to choose from including Fox, Falco, Krystal, Slippy, Wolf, Leon, Panther, Lucy, Amanda, Peppy and more. Each have their own ship and unique attributes like the type of Laser they have, how many enemies they can lock on to at once, the number of bombs they can carry, how powerful their shields are and how much boost they possess to pull off special moves. In a nice touch, each ship also features different graphics down on the touch screen.

Supporting up to four players online with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, or up to six players if you're all together locally, there's both co-op and competitive multi-player modes. Through single player and co-op choices, it's your mission to prevent any enemies slipping by you and attacking the mother ship. Adding some strategy to the mix, the map to each mission in shown on the touch screen, along with each of your team mates. Using your stylus you plot the route for each of them to follow, then let them fly. When a pilot encounters an enemy the game switches into combat mode.

Inside of a set space you'll need to shoot down a number of enemies before the timer runs out. Here the touch screen becomes a radar, and bombs for example benefit from letting you drag the icon onto the position it'll explode on. Your stylus also controls your ship, while the face buttons, or d-pad depending on whether you're left or right handed, fires weapons. Only one of you can take the same ships on at a time, so if there's two or more of you in the same area, you must decide who goes in for the battle. With each ship having unique abilities it's up to you to think about which person is best suited to handle the situation. Each pilot can also only go so far, but with power-ups you can increase this, or likewise in battle mode it'll lengthen the time you have to take out all the ships.

So once again Lylat needs you, but for the first time in almost 10 years you can save the day with old school air to air combat.

Screens and Movies at Link Above ...

Apple may think that future of iPod control lies in a virtual, on-screen scroll wheel, but we know better. As it turns out, the best way to change tracks, adjust the volume, etc. is by attaching your DAP to an...umbrella? Well, it may not actually be the perfect input method (or even in the top 10), but the homemade iBrella (in white, of course) certainly takes Apple's suggestion to "think different" to a whole new level. The makers of this strange device crammed a two-axis accelerometer, Hall-effect sensors, and a gyroscope into the handle of a standard umbrella, and using a PIC microcontroller programmed with the so-called iPod Mini Protocol, were able to translate the sensors' motions into commands that the 'Pod can understand. So, opening and closing the iBrella will play / pause the current track, while rotating the handle could either tweak the volume or change songs, depending on what mode it's in (mode changes are achieved by stabbing the umbrella skyward). There are obviously a thousand reasons why this device is completely impractical -- especially if you happen to be using it in the rain -- but we prefer to concentrate on the innovative design rather than the lack of real-world applications; after all, it's the seemingly useless projects that often inspire folks to go out and build stuff that really will make a difference.

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