New release Xport for the Xbox:

AbuseX - Abuse for XBox v1

This is a port of the game Abuse-SDL. It's a 2D action/shooting/platformer.
Super thanks to Lantus for his SDL-XBox libraries!

More info --> http://xport.xbox-scene.com/ ...

Ficedula has released a new version of his music app for the Nintendo DS


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Sales of the Xbox 360 are not much better than the Xbox, which was itself shunned by most Japanese gamers. Despite a more concerted effort from Microsoft this time, the Xbox 360 has only sold around 150,000 units since it launched in December and it's regularly the worst seller on the charts. But Microsoft told Kikizo that it's not giving up yet.

"We're committed to Japan for the long run, and we're off to a solid but not spectacular start, and I think that's what we expected to happen," Microsoft's Shane Kim told Kikizo recently.

Kim pointed out that success in Japan is dependent on game makers making games specifically for the Japanese audience. ...

Heres what they say:

''There’s no change in our plan to release the console in the last quarter of this year. We are planning an announcement in September and it may be causing some confusion.'' - Yasuhiro Minagawa, spokesperson for Nintendo Co. Ltd.

While the statement doesn’t completely debunk a rumored launch in September, it makes it a very tight squeeze. The October release date is starting to look more and more likely, hopefully a mid to late launch. ...

Snezzi DS the Snes Emulator for the Nintendo DS has been updated, heres whats new:

Fixes and Features:
- Fixed a critical bug with the register reads and writes (might be slower)
- Improved cycle counting (again) for block move and DMA operations.
- Added feature to handle mid-frame change of background offsets. (Able to see water in Super Mario World, Able to see scrolling clouds in Super Mario All Stars: Super Mario Bros, Able to see fixed status panel in Super Mario All Stars: Super Mario Bros 3, Able to see scrolling name entry in Zelda: A Link to the Past)
- Fixed reading register $4212 to indicate auto-joypad read status.
- Fixed writing register $4016 to reset only when the correct bit is set.
- Fixed joypad registers to send joypad input only from the first controller.
- Fixed HiROM mapping.
- Added Mode 20/21 ROM Access Speed.
- Fixed a bug with the INC/DEC opcode that was previously returning the wrong flags. (This fixes Super Mario Bros 2's glitch where the character suddenly warps to the top of the screen)
- Fixed messed up colors when in 256-color palettes.
- Fixed fading to use always the brightest fade color per frame
- Slightly improved VRAM allocation for background graphics
- Implemented Mode 7 Graphics

- Added more configuration options:
o FORCED BG MODE
AUTO, MODE 1, MODE 2,... MODE 7
o VRAM BG ALLOC
SMART - Don't allocate for disabled BGs may see less garbled graphics, slow refresh on every enabling/disabling/flicker of BGs
FAST - Allocate for disabled BGs may see more garbled graphics fast flickering of BGs (needed by games like Megaman 7)
o VRAM OBJ ALLOC
SHARED - Shared with BGs (may result in less space for BG graphics)
EXCLUSIVE - Not shared with BGs (allows more space for BG graphics)

- Added Quick Configuration Feature:
o L+R+SELECT+UP: Cycle through the following BG Priority Sets
set 1 = (P1, P2, P3, P3)
set 2 = (P2, P1, P3, P3)
set 3 = (P0, P1, P2, P3)
set 4 = (P1, P0, P2, P3)
o L+R+SELECT+DOWN: Cycle through the FORCED BG MODEs
opt 0 = as required by game
opt 1-7 = the respective modes

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Snezziboy the SNES Emulator for the Gameboy Advance (nintendo ds too) has been updated, heres whats new:


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Play Asia the Hong Kong Games store have posted a new update to their weekly update of collectable games for all classic systems, this week they posted they had these NEW games in stock:

Dreamcast™:
BikkuriMan 2000 Viva! Festival! JPN
Culdcept Second JPN
Eternal Arcadia JPN
Eve Zero: The Ark of the Matter JPN
Gakkyuu O Yamazaki JPN
Godzilla Generations JPN
Jaaman JPN
NBA 2K1 JPN
Nakoruru: Ano Hito Kara no Okurimono JPN US
Ookami Ichio Funtouki: Sakura Taisen Kayou Show - Benitokage Yori JPN
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing JPN
Sakura Taisen 3 JPN
Seaman (w/ Microphone and VMU) JPN
Seventh Cross JPN
Utau * Tumbling Dice

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

New commercial Xbox360 release:

features
The Middle-earth you have never seen brought to life on the Xbox 360! The unification of the book and film rights have unlocked a world of Middle-earth ? new races, places, heroes, and battles from the books and films are yours to command.
Command the most epic battles of Middle-earth from your living room couch. Directly control and manage hundreds of units and engage in intense, action-packed real-time battles.
Challenge friends online and battle it out via Xbox LIVE. The game features exclusive new multiplayer games including King of the Hill, Capture and Hold, and Hero versus Hero.
First The Lord of the Rings strategy game for any console system and first game in The Lord of the Rings series for the Xbox 360.
New and intuitive console-specific control scheme that makes it possible to experience and enjoy the strategy genre on the Xbox 360.
Customize fortresses or choose to build anywhere! Craft your own landmark castle and create signature units including naval ships or Elven and Dwarven heroes.
Hugo Weaving reprises his role as Lord Elrond lending his voice and likeness to the game. Weaving offers the game?s overarching tone by guiding players in and out of each good and evil mission within the single player campaigns.

description
Command the epic battles of Middle-earth? from your living room couch in The Lord of the Rings™, The Battle for Middle-earth™ II for the Xbox 360™. The highly anticipated PC game will make its exclusive console debut when it ships in Summer 2006! To add to the intensity of the experience, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II for the Xbox 360 is the first game in The Lord of the Rings™ series that will be playable over Xbox LIVE™*. Challenge friends online and engage in intense, action-packed real-time battles.

Based on the PC version of the same name, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II for the Xbox 360 will bring players into the heart of Middle-earth to live the battles seen in the blockbuster New Line Cinema films and classic J.R.R. Tolkien literary fiction. The game boasts a new and intuitive console-specific control scheme that will allow novice players to enjoy the game?s signature strategy gameplay while giving expert players the flexibility needed to engage in a deeply complex strategy experience. Directly control hundreds of units in an attempt to defeat enemy armies, conquer new lands, and seal the fate of Middle-earth.

More info / buy here --> http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-...j-70-1d65.html ...

The PC game already debuted in March to decent reviews so, instead of recapping what's right and wrong with the game as a whole, let's get right down to the issue we're all wondering about: the controls.

EA's Los Angeles studio contains the venerable Westwood Studios, well known as RTS pioneers for titles like Dune II and Command & Conquer. So it is, under their watchful eye, that they sought to deliver the heretofore mouse-centric experience of real-time strategy games to the console world. So, how did they do?

IGN (82/100) is equivocal in their praise saying: "The controls aren't perfect and they're by no means the equivalent to the quick, precision controls of the PC's mouse and keyboard duo, but they do in fact work. I'll even go so far as to say they work better than any other console RTS -- period."

GameDaily (80/100) wonders where the tutorial is: "While the control scheme is listed in the manual and through the in-game pause menu, there's no tutorial mode. The control scheme works extremely well once you've adjusted to it, but the moment you pick up the game, you won't know what you're doing. A training mode of some sort (at least as an option) would've been nice for a game of this nature, but Xbox 360 owners should be adjusted to the control scheme by the second or third mission."
Yahoo! Games (90/100) seconds the manual recommendation and steep learning curve: " So yes, you need to read the manual. You're probably going to want to have it on your knees for the first few hours of play, and within arm's reach for a day or two more. The controls are well thought out and comprehensive, but the advanced functions are not intuitive. Many commands rely on double or triple combinations of face buttons and triggers or bumpers. You'll need to learn them."
So, it sounds like EA Los Angeles has done the impossible; they've delivered a console RTS with controls that are almost comparable to its PC counterpart. For console gamers (many of whom were former PC gamers) this is a praiseworthy innovation. Now that the path has been revealed, will other developers target the RTS-less console gaming world? ...