Source - Joystiq

Super Princess Peach marks a big plot reversal for the world of Super Mario Bros. Bowser, in his infinite wisdom, has kidnapped Mario, leaving Princess Peach little choice other than to fight her way through scores of Bowser's minions in an attempt to free the red-clothed plumber. Key differences in gameplay from previous Mario platformers include emotional superpowers (obviously feeding off the stereotype that women can be more emotional than men), an umbrella used as a weapon (Peach isn't heavy enough to kill enemies by jumping on them) with a bunch of mini-games along the way.

Planet Gamecube (80/100) by Unknown - this review gives the impression that Super Princess Peach is a quality Nintendo platformer, but one that's a little on the easy side. In fact "the easiness is really the only thing that should dissuade a purchase, but it's not so easy it's terrible". According to the self-described "hardcore Mario fan" reviewer, the game doesn't reward skilled players as much as he/she would like, but we're pretty sure the majority of players won't care about this.

IGN (78/100) by Craig Harris - again, a feeling that the game is too easy is the reviewer's main criticism of the game. For example "Nintendo goes completely out of its way to spoon-feed the player, going so far as to nearly spell out the solution to every boss battle before the player enters the fight." We'd imagine that would get annoying, fast.

Gamespot (72/100) by Ryan Davis - this review brings up something that was at the back of my mind since the mentioning of "emotional superpowers". "There's something rather sexist about the idea that Princess Peach's big secret weapon is that she can get really overly emotional at the drop of a hat" (emphasis added). We've got to ask our female audience; what do you feel about this feature? The review concludes on the note that Super Princess Peach is a great introduction for rookies to the world of 2D platformers, but if you're looking for the next Super Mario Bros. you better wait until Mario Bros DS is released. ...

Source - Joystiq

Super Princess Peach marks a big plot reversal for the world of Super Mario Bros. Bowser, in his infinite wisdom, has kidnapped Mario, leaving Princess Peach little choice other than to fight her way through scores of Bowser's minions in an attempt to free the red-clothed plumber. Key differences in gameplay from previous Mario platformers include emotional superpowers (obviously feeding off the stereotype that women can be more emotional than men), an umbrella used as a weapon (Peach isn't heavy enough to kill enemies by jumping on them) with a bunch of mini-games along the way.

Planet Gamecube (80/100) by Unknown - this review gives the impression that Super Princess Peach is a quality Nintendo platformer, but one that's a little on the easy side. In fact "the easiness is really the only thing that should dissuade a purchase, but it's not so easy it's terrible". According to the self-described "hardcore Mario fan" reviewer, the game doesn't reward skilled players as much as he/she would like, but we're pretty sure the majority of players won't care about this.

IGN (78/100) by Craig Harris - again, a feeling that the game is too easy is the reviewer's main criticism of the game. For example "Nintendo goes completely out of its way to spoon-feed the player, going so far as to nearly spell out the solution to every boss battle before the player enters the fight." We'd imagine that would get annoying, fast.

Gamespot (72/100) by Ryan Davis - this review brings up something that was at the back of my mind since the mentioning of "emotional superpowers". "There's something rather sexist about the idea that Princess Peach's big secret weapon is that she can get really overly emotional at the drop of a hat" (emphasis added). We've got to ask our female audience; what do you feel about this feature? The review concludes on the note that Super Princess Peach is a great introduction for rookies to the world of 2D platformers, but if you're looking for the next Super Mario Bros. you better wait until Mario Bros DS is released. ...

Sony may be ready to admit that the launch of its next-gen console, PlayStation 3, will be delayed.

An unnamed Sony spokesperson has admitted that problems finalising the specs of Blu-ray - the new media format that PS3 will use - could well cause the console to miss its predicted May launch.

Rumours have been circulating for some time about a possible PS3 delay but Sony has always remained adamant that it would be ready for a spring release.

"Sony has not begun taking orders yet, which means it would be difficult for the company to begin sales in May," said Hirokazu Hamamura, president of Japanese games magazine Famitsu.

If this is true it should be interesting to see how long Sony holds out before making an official announcement about a change of date.

PlayStation 3 is still awaiting an official UK release date ...

Multi-discipline motorsports enthusiasts can now take their off-road racing simulations with them when they go off-road. THQ today announced that MX vs. ATV Unleashed: On the Edge for the PSP has shipped to retailers. The first installment of THQ's MX series to appear on a handheld, On the Edge features not only the titular motocross bikes and all-terrain vehicles, but also features more rides including dune buggies, monster trucks, and golf carts. The PSP version of MX vs. ATV (the original first appeared on PlayStation 2 and Xbox in March of 2005) also features a new outdoor freestyle mode in addition to new tracks and vehicles.

via gamespot ...

Id's Todd Hollenshead says unnamed internal project will be released on three platforms; 360 to be new Wolfenstein's "primary platform."

Long considered one of the last bastions of hardcore PC gaming, id Software appears to have jumped on the next-gen console wagon with both feet. In an interview with Worthplaying, id CEO Todd Hollenshead said that the developer's next in-house project is being prepped for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, as well as the PC.

"We're looking at PS3, 360, and PC for our internal project," he told the site, "but it's too early to guess on whether we'll have all of those ready to go at the same time. It would be nice if it works out where the launch is simultaneous, but I don't know if that's feasible."

No release window for the unnamed game, which remains top secret, has been announced. However, Hollenshead said that it "is the main focus of the development team at id...I'm not sure when we'll begin discussing details of the new IP, but it will be the next game developed entirely by id, and it WILL be cool." (Emphasis in the original.)

As for other games based on id properties, Hollenshead told Worthplaying that the upcoming Return to Castle Wolfenstein game is being designed with the Xbox 360 foremost in mind. "The next Wolf[enstein] game is using the 360 as its primary development platform but will be released on the PC as well." Revealed at last year's X05 event, the game is currently in development at Raven Software, which developed Quake 4 for the Xbox 360 and the PC under id's supervision.

Hollenshead also said that id was pleased with the critically-drubbed film version of its best-selling Doom series. He also chimed in on what he thought the next id-inspired big-screen offering should be. "The next movie deal that I want to focus on is Wolfenstein," he said. "I think it could make a great film. It's been optioned previously, but now we have the rights back again. I'm hoping that once the game development gets some exposure that interest in Hollywood will perk up." ...

Payload, the futuristic story-led combat racing game designed exclusively for the N-Gage platform, received a dedicated micro-site today, featuring never seen before in-game footage and information at www.payload-game.com.

The micro-site www.payload-game.com, invites gamers to see the first cinematic trailer, created by award-winning creative studio Alkemi Entertainment, which gives you a behind the scenes peek into the world of Payload. The micro-site lifts the shroud of secrecy behind the Payload experience and includes character information, world locations, a three-part developer diary, plus a range of screensavers and desktop images for the ultimate Payload fan.

"Payload and www.payload-game.com are a testament to the rich story and game depth that is possible on the N-Gage platform," said Gregg Sauter, Director, Games Publishing, Nokia. "Payload combines strategy, combat and traditional racing, where a player can play against up to three friends with an N-Gage game deck via Bluetooth wireless technology for a superior combat racing experience. Or, players can upload high-scores on to the N-Gage Arena to compare their scores with fellow N-Gage gamers."

Payload for the N-Gage platform is a fast-paced combat action racing game where players use 'skims' to traverse exotic and deadly terrains on the Planet Ararat. 'Skims' are futuristic hovercraft bristling with weapons and, combined with a steady hand and lightning reflexes, are the primary tools of the Pitrunner. Players become Abel Harker, a Pitrunner who vies for the right to courier a precious crystalline fuel source called Furium, in a deadly race of death, destruction and mayhem against other Pitrunners. Pitrunning is a ruthless and cutthroat occupation where fortunes can be made or lost in a hail of weapons fire.

Payload for the N-Gage platform is scheduled to ship in Spring 2006. ...

Sony has announced that its Blu-Ray next-generation DVD format will launch in North America on May 23rd, giving a clear timeline for the first time for the arrival of the media format which will be used by the PlayStation 3.

Eight Blu-Ray titles will launch on that date from Sony's two major film studios, Sony Pictures and MGM, namely 50 First Dates, The Fifth Element, Hitch, House of Flying Daggers, A Knight's Tale, The Last Waltz, Resident Evil Apocalypse and XXX.

A further set of titles will appear on June 13th - with Kung Fu Hustle, Legends of the Fall, Robocop, Stealth, Species, SWAT and Terminator joining the original launch titles on the shelves.

However, the initial choice available to consumers in terms of what to play their shiny new high definition movies on will be very limited - with only one player, Samsung's costly BD-P1000, set to ship for the May 23rd launch. Further players will appear from Sony and Pioneer shortly after launch.

Sony also today announced that it is to merge its optical drive business, of which the Blu-Ray drive business is a part, with NEC's optical drive business, forming a joint venture. While in some quarters this is being seen as a move designed to hedge the company's bets in case HD-DVD becomes the dominant standard - as NEC is a key supporter of HD-DVD - it's being interpreted elsewhere as a victory for Blu-Ray, since Sony will hold a 55% stake in the new venture and it will be headed up by a Sony executive.

In terms of software pricing, Sony plans to sell new Blu-Ray titles wholesale into retail at $23.95, with back catalogue titles being sold wholesale at $17.95 - which will probably translate as around $29.95 and $24.95 respectively on the price tags for consumers.

The big question, of course, is what this all means for the launch of the PlayStation 3, which will use a Blu-Ray drive and is expected to act as a "Trojan horse" to drive uptake of the format among consumers.

Several media outlets have recently reported on comments from an unnamed Sony source, who was cited on the BBC News website some weeks ago as saying that the console's launch could be delayed due to a hold-up in agreeing final specification details for Blu-Ray discs.

The fact that players and discs are now slated to appear in mid-May seems to suggest that these hurdles have now been overcome - although a launch for the PS3 in the planned Spring timeframe still looks highly unlikely given that no details of any such launch have yet been shared with consumers or with the retail channel. ...

Source Gamesindustry

A patent filed by Nintendo with the US Patent Office last year has come to light this week and kicked off speculation of a possible functionality upgrade for the Nintendo DS, as it describes a new control system for a dual-screen console with a touch interface.

The patent, which was uncovered by US website GameSpot, describes a console not dissimilar to the DS, but with one key difference - namely the ability to sense multiple pressure points on the touch-screen, rather than just a single point as the DS currently does.

What that means, in effect, is that players would be able to control games with gestures using more than one finger on the screen - with the example given in the patent being the control of a spaceship on the upper screen using two fingers on the lower screen to indicate direction and thrust.

The concept isn't exactly an entirely new one; other companies have explored the idea of two-fingered gestures before, and Apple's recent laptops allow users to scroll around documents and perform other actions by using two fingers on the touchpad.

However, the implementation of the system as a game controller is, to the best of our knowledge, a first - and could indeed point at an enhancement that could appear in any successor to the DS at some point down the line. ...

Source Gamesindustry

A patent filed by Nintendo with the US Patent Office last year has come to light this week and kicked off speculation of a possible functionality upgrade for the Nintendo DS, as it describes a new control system for a dual-screen console with a touch interface.

The patent, which was uncovered by US website GameSpot, describes a console not dissimilar to the DS, but with one key difference - namely the ability to sense multiple pressure points on the touch-screen, rather than just a single point as the DS currently does.

What that means, in effect, is that players would be able to control games with gestures using more than one finger on the screen - with the example given in the patent being the control of a spaceship on the upper screen using two fingers on the lower screen to indicate direction and thrust.

The concept isn't exactly an entirely new one; other companies have explored the idea of two-fingered gestures before, and Apple's recent laptops allow users to scroll around documents and perform other actions by using two fingers on the touchpad.

However, the implementation of the system as a game controller is, to the best of our knowledge, a first - and could indeed point at an enhancement that could appear in any successor to the DS at some point down the line. ...