To me, Frogger has always been sort of a fun family game. It’s one I cared enough to purchase on the Arcade when it released originally. However, Frogger 2 wasn’t quite the gem in the series, and I’d rather stick to the original, and maybe it’s poor 3D adaption. Commando 3 also looks to be a rather original game hitting the marketplace. Judging by the screens, it seems fairly reminiscent to the Assault Heroes series that we are all familiar with. Good, bad, or ugly, these games are out today, each of them retailing at 800 Microsoft Points.
Rumors have begun circulating yet again that Microsoft will soon be adding Blu-ray to the Xbox 360. Several sites recently have claimed insider knowledge and several of the home theater forums across the web are hosting hot debate between fanboys on both sides. As to the validity of these claims, Robbie Bach with Microsoft has squashed these rumors in an interview featured in Sunday’s edition of the San Francisco Chronicle.
“Our plan continues to focus on high-definition experiences. Xbox 360 has a great ability to deliver those through the Xbox Live (online download) service. It’s a great way to get the high-definition concept because it’s right there. There’s no additional media. There is nothing you need to purchase.
If you look at the Blu-ray player market, you haven’t seen the acceleration everybody expected (since the demise of HD DVD). It’s not as much about whether all the content is in a Blu-ray format or a HD DVD format. You have to look at how fundamentally compelling the difference is between a progressive scan DVD player and the picture that it can produce and what you get on a high-definition player. The reality is there is some difference, but most people look at it and say, “I am not going to pay extra for that.”
So there it is. As many Wii60 readers have said in a handful of threads over the last six months, Microsoft will focus on their IP Distributed media via Xbox Live.
The interview has much more to say about Microsoft’s plans for the future, which you can read here: Source
As always, we invite you to join the discussion and let us know what you think here.
Here this week, we have Pokemon Ranch, Dig Dug, and Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa. The first 2 stand out as games that are definitely going to have at least some quality. I don’t know about Bio Miracle Booty Bokutte UPS Man Upa, though. That’s one of those Japanese titles that’s just now showing it’s face here. Pokemon Ranch may not sound incredibly exciting, but at least you can import your Pokemon from Diamond and Pearl. Dig Dug is a classic, and you all know it.
Full Release:
Pokemon Ranch - WiiWare - 1,000 WiiPoints
Dig Dug - Virtual Console - 600 WiiPoints
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa - Virtual Console - 600 WiiPoints
Well, among yet another shooter it seems we have quite the interesting new title, known as Roogoo. It contains geometry, a word that scares some of use, but the current reviews claim it a decent puzzler. It is a definite try in my book, because the gameplay looks interesting and fresh. If you’re a fan of puzzlers, take a look at Roogoo. If, however, you’re not tired of the countless Arcade Shooters, check out Aces of the Galaxy.
In a public statement published by 1up, Itagaki has announced his resignation from Tecmo. Along with his departure from the company on July 1st, Itagaki also reveals a lawsuit filed against Tecmo Co., Ltd. and Tecmo President, Yoshimi Yasuda, for unpaid bonuses and “demeaning remarks”.
There is much speculation surrounding Itagaki’s next move and we look forward to bring you the news on any future announcements.
Better late than ever is a saying I use frequently. Being my absent-minded self, I forgot to post the Virtual Console and WiiWare update yesterday. My apologies to anyone who counts on them, but it’s here now. This week we have some interesting new releases. Toki Tori, for example, interests me. If you’ve ever played the Gameboy Original, you’d know it’s actually a decent puzzle title that could keep you playing for quite the while. Definitely look into it.
Platform: Wii - Developer: Planet Moon Studios Genre: Rhythm Game - Two Players
Reviewed by rf
Introduction
With the advent of Dance Dance Revolution, game play changed forever. Gamers suddenly were required to learn rhythm and timing and use these newly acquired skills to defeat their gaming foes. Games like Elite Beat Agents further pushed these skills; tapping in rhythm on the DS allowed one, as a secret agent, to fix everyday problems AND save the world from aliens. Guitar Hero and Rock Band kicked the rhythm-game genre up a notch; gamers followed scrolling notes across a screen to be a better rocker, gain fans and money, and win. Battle of the Bands for the Wii is the next step in this musical rhythm game genre. Using the wiimote, players hit notes scrolling across the screen to further their band’s performance. These accurately hit notes, however, don’t just add to the players score, they form attacks which the player uses to crush its competitor’s band–be it the computer or another player. At the end of the song, only one band survives.
While everyone’s attention has been focused on Resident Evil 5 or Street Fighter, a new IP from Capcom was revealed at their Captivate 08 event which took place in Las Vegas. The brand new Wii exclusive game, goes by the name ‘Spyborgs’ and is being developed by Bionic Games.
The action adventure, sci-fi (not forgetting the puzzles) themed game is due sometime in 2009, is being led by Mike Stout, Lead Multiplayer Designer for Resistance: Fall of Man, and features several Insomniac Games team members.
Characters such as Bouncer, Kinetic, Clandestine, Voxel and Stinger are some that are included in the roster, and is set to emulate a Saturday morning TV show, including missions that are split into episodes, and fake advertisements.
Gamers will be encouraged to play the game along with a friend as each level features two characters that work alongside each other. But don’t worry if you don’t have any friends! You can still have all the fun as the second character can be controlled by the computer.
So this week’s episode of GT TV had an exclusive trailer for the upcoming Resident Evil 5. Not many surprises in this trailer if you saw the E3 2007 trailer, however we do see some gameplay and the return of the third person view. As far as characters go, it looks like Chris Redfield will be joined by a new female accomplice who apparently can “hold her own”, her words not mine. Discuss this at our forums, HERE.
Most of you will already know since the info appeared on the Gamestop site a week or so ago but Microsoft’s Gamerscore blog just confirmed that the Xbox 360 version of Gears of War will be getting a price cut to $39.99 MSRB in the US & Canada on June 4th, the PC version will also drop to $29.99. They will also be releasing a 2 disc edition on June 24th with the maps that are already free over Live, some trailers and gamerpics + themes. The Gamerscore guys would also like to remind us the new version will not include the PC’s exclusive Brumak battle level.
I’ll just quickly point out there really is no benefit to getting the new edition (unless of course, you don’t own the game) since the maps still have to be stored on the hard drive and aren’t on the disc which is disappointing. Still if you don’t already own Gears of War, now you have a great chance to pick up one of Xbox 360’s finest games and save some money in the process (though you could probably get a used copy cheaper still!).
No word on whether us Europeans will be getting a similar deal but hopefully we will somewhere down the line. Want info on what exactly is on the bonus disc of the 2 disc edition? Hit the jump. Want to discuss this? Head on over to our forums, HERE.
