Wii-kly Update: 3 more Classic Games Added To Wii Shop Channel

Autumn leaves aren't the only reason your October is about to get a lot more colorful. The latest additions to the Wii Shop Channel deliver a brisk, eye-pleasing mix of classic gameplay for fall. Dive into this pile of vibrant titles for a timeless dose of fun and fantasy.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii™ owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Lunar Pool® (NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Lunar Pool takes the historical game of billiards and reinvents it with a unique and futuristic flair. The rules are simple: All you need to do is use your cue stick to hit the white cue ball, causing it to hit the other numbered balls and make them go into the pockets. You can enjoy nearly unlimited game play with 30 tables, two different ball arrangements, and the ability to change the degree of friction on the table. You can play against a computer or another human player, so try challenging someone once you've got the hang of the game.

Ninja JaJaMaru-kun® (NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): Take on the role of a ninja called JaJaMaru and rescue the captured Princess Sakura from the evil Namazu Dayuu in this action-packed game, previously unreleased outside of Japan. JaJaMaru must use his throwing stars to defeat the monsters lurking in each of Dayuu's many hideouts. JaJaMaru has to be careful though, as each monster has its own unique weapon and method of attacking. The only way for him to advance is to break the floor bricks above him and move up and down between the levels of each round, defeating monsters as he goes. To help him, broken bricks sometimes reveal items that JaJaMaru can use to his advantage, possibly leading to the ultimate power-up: a ride on Gamapakun, the giant frog. Throw in some bonus stages and you've got a game with a style all its own.

Golden Axe™ III (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, Rated E10+ for Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): The once-peaceful kingdom so familiar to fans of the original Golden Axe is under threat once again. The Prince of Darkness has stolen the invaluable Golden Axe, taken over the kingdom and rendered its warriors harmless with an evil curse. One warrior breaks free from the curse and must defeat the prince and regain the Golden Axe to save the kingdom. In this one- or two-player action game, play as a giant, a panther or a sword-wielding human and fight your way to victory once again.

When work becomes a game

Video games are big business and soon they could be big in business too.

A whole generation is growing up for whom video games are a key part of how they relax, whether it be fragging friends in a first person shooter or backing up the main tank in a Warcraft raid.
Skills learned on raids in games could apply to work too
And it is not just youngsters. There are plenty of older folks who shake off the dust of the working day in many different virtual worlds.

Statistics from the the US Entertainment Software Association (ESA) back this up. It claims that the average player is 33 an

More from the BBC

Rock band video games hit right note

The slashing riffs of Metallica, the solos of Deep Purple, the rage of the Sex Pistols: an increasing crop of video games are inviting players to live out their dreams of being a rock star.

Pick up your mock guitar, plug in your gaming console and become Keith Richards or Kurt Cobain from the comfort of your own home.

Guitar Hero III and Rock Band impressed gamers when unveiled at the E for All exhibtion in Los Angeles, highlighting a growing niche in a market traditionally dominated by violent "shoot 'em ups'' or street-racing games.

The successful Guitar Hero franchise was launched in late 2005 for the PlayStation 2, and was followed by another top-selling sequel in 2006 for both the PS2 and Microsoft's Xbox 360.

Now the gaming developers behind Guitar Hero, Harmonix, have partnered with Electronic Arts (EA) for Rock Band, which promises to take the world of virtual air guitaring to the next level.

While Guitar Hero limits participants to one instrument, Rock Band will accommodate a singer, a lead guitar, a base or rhythm guitar and a drum kit.

To score points, players must hit exactly the right note, the right tempo or sing in key.

"You can play it alone, with your friends and on line,'' says Brent Dady, product manager of EA.

The game's makers believe it will really come its own when played online, in theory making it possible for a band to be composed of a drummer in Singapore, a lead singer in Tanzania, a guitarist in America and a bass player in France.

"The whole experience is actually about reaching out to other people and forming a band together in that kind of collaborative experience of working with a group of people to form a band,'' said Harmonix chief executive Alex Rigopulos.

"o rise from obscurity into stardom and fame, and to go through that experience together.''

"It's great, but I think you really have to play a lot to get better,'' said one young gamer Billy Grooms after trying his hand at Rock Band.

EA have sought to cover all bases with the catalogue of songs available, making it possible for gamers to emulate a wide range of different music, from classics by The Rolling Stones to the apocalyptic thrash metal of Slayer.

The game has its limitations however. And budding guitarists who hope that after hours of playing Rock Band they will be blessed with the skills of Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page are likely to be disappointed.

Steve Cotton, an avid fan of the Guitar Hero games who is also a member of an amateur rock group in Ohio, points that the differences between the mock guitar issued with the video game and the real thing are huge.

"It's very different, because on a real guitar, you have frets and strings, and this is only five buttons,'' Cotton said.

"But it would help guitar players with their accuracy as far as where the fingers should go.''

Nevertheless Cotton admitted to being impressed. ``I'll be one of the first in line when this one comes out,'' he said.

"It's cool enough for a bunch of people to play it. It can bring a lot of people together.''

Source: News AU

Experts help decide future of video games...

Imagine a video game in which characters evolve from primordial ooze, acquiring speed, claws, wings or other traits needed to survive.

Picture a "Glass Cutter" murder mystery game in which a hero gleans psychic clues from graffiti etched into subway windows, barroom tumblers, taxi mirrors or other depicted glass surfaces.

Envision defending their "colonies" by spreading or checking weaponized diseases.

Two dozen aspiring game makers hoping for fast lanes to success pitched those ideas and more to a panel of industry experts at the E for All video game exposition in Los Angeles on Friday.

"What is really fun about this stuff is you can never tell what the hell people are going to say," said US video game consulting company chief executive David Perry, who was on the judging panel.

"What I've found is that there is always somebody cool in the room."

Christopher Gough sees a game set in a world in which people are dying from kindness.

People are so generous they give away everything they need to live and an overabundance of goodness has the sun shining 24 hours each day, searing plants to death and causing drought.

The objective of Gough's game is to save with a healing balm of evil and darkness.

"People think it is all about being good but sometimes you flat out have to be evil to survive," Gough told the judges, prompting knowing laughter from the audience in the auditorium.

"It's all about bringing balance to the world."

As players manipulate townspeople into being nasty, daylight hours grow shorter and rain returns to the world, according to Gough.

Another proposed game is set play in a world ruled by China and rife with slaughter. Rebel fighters capable of taking on animal powers fight to liberate the land.

A suggested game based on swapping societal power roles of blacks and whites in the United States met with a warning from judges that the original idea would be a tough sell because "it would probably offend everyone."

Game ideas involving online group play won praise from judges for tapping into a hot trend in the industry.

"The market for those kinds of games is booming," said GameSpy executive editor David Kosak, who was among the judges.

By the end of 2007, an estimated 14 million gamers in North America will be playing online, according to technology intelligence firm IDC.

"The increase in revenue from the online use of game consoles, including subscriptions, downloadable content, and advertising represents the largest growth in the console software sector," said IDC program manager Billy Pidgeon.

Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii consoles each have online capabilities. IDC projects that the number of Internet-ready gaming consoles in North America will tally 37 million by next year.

In North America online console revenue will triple from 133 million dollars in 2006 to 583 million dollars this year, according to IDC.

While the "console wars" get considerable attention, the market for games on handheld devices is "smoking hot" with Nintendo's DS "ruling the roost," Kosak told aspiring game makers.

Some game ideas were variations on cliched themes such as puzzle solving or humans battling alien races.

In one proposed game a player begins as a speck of dust in outer space and gains mass by eating everything it collides into.

An ethical component to the game would be to have players decide whether to devour peaceful living things for the sake of getting bigger.

The lone woman to pitch an idea pictures a Canoe Trek game letting people use the motion-sensing controllers of Nintendo's Wii to play fishing, hunting and paddling games.

"Originally I was going to pitch a survival horror game but I'm doing a complete 180 and pitching a cartoon game," said Tim Hayes, whose idea included people superimposing their heads on characters.

Source: AFP

Hellgate Beta's In-Game Ads Raise Eyebrows

IGN.com has put up a post discussing the new EA/Flagship game Hellgate: London, and the in-game advertisements it includes to facilitate targeted marketing.

Though ads in games aren't exactly new, some Beta testers are objecting to their apparently off-putting presence. Users have also noted that accepting the game's EULA means you submit to the collection of 'technical and related information that identifies your computer, including without limitation your Internet Protocol address, operating system, application software and peripheral hardware'."

The Software incorporates technology of Massive Incorporated ("Massive") that enables in-game advertising, and the display of other similar in-game objects, which are uploaded temporarily to your personal computer or game console and replaced during online game play.

As part of this process, Massive may collect your Internet protocol address and other basic anonymous information, and will use this information for the general purposes of transmitting and measuring in-game advertising. Massive does not store or use any of this information for the purpose of discovering your personal identity. For additional details regarding Massive’s in-game advertising practices, and to understand your options with respect to in-game advertising and data collection, please see Massive's privacy policy. The trademarks and copyrighted material contained in all in-game advertising are the property of the respective owners. Portions of this product are © 2007 Massive Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Consent to Use of Data. You agree that EA, its affiliates, and each Related Party may collect, use, store and transmit technical and related information that identifies your computer, including without limitation your Internet Protocol address, operating system, application software and peripheral hardware, that may be gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, dynamically served content, product support and other services to you, including online play.

EA and/or the Related Parties may also use this information in the aggregate and, in a form which does not personally identify you, to improve our products and services and we may share that aggregate data with our third party service providers.

VooDoo Extreme

Seniors urged to take up video games

Kids, go do your homework and hand over those PlayStation controls to your grandparents.

Playing such games helps keep the minds of senior citizens sharp and their hands active, reducing their risk of ending up with Alzheimer's Disease, said Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon.

"Senior citizens should engage in mental activities. A good way is to use the PS3 (PlayStation3) or play other computer or video games as it would help to keep them alert and maintain the dexterity of their hands.

"They can also play bridge and mahjong as long as they are not gambling illegally," he told reporters after opening a public forum themed The Realities of Life with Dementia organised by the Alzheimer's Disease Foundation Malaysia Penang AD Support Group at the Caring Society Complex here Sunday.

In his speech, Lee said it was important to disseminate information on the disease, which is associated with ageing, to the public as early as possible so that they would be prepared to face such situations.

"Patients would have a chance to plan together with their families and decide how they want to be cared for.

"Awareness about the disease also helps people to be more alert to the signs, and they can seek early treatment and help," he said.

Serious Games Institute shows applications for the real world

At a recent cocktail party, David Wortley set up a video camera to record images of the guests in the room. The video was streamed, live, into a computer-generated version of the party in Second Life, the online virtual world, where participants' "avatars" could watch them sipping their drinks. Then a video of the virtual version of the party was beamed back onto a screen in the real-world room.

"People were watching people watching people watching them," Wortley said, acknowledging, "It can be a little difficult to get your head around in the beginning."

But such scenarios may seem less surreal when you are director of the Serious Games Institute, a center for the development of "serious" applications of video game technologies and virtual worlds for businesses, security agencies and other users. The party took place during a conference that coincided with the recent opening of the center.

Much has been made of the potential of Second Life as an environment for entertainment, marketing or even terrorist financing. But the Serious Games Institute says that it is one of the first places dedicated to helping businesses enhance their own operations by harnessing virtual worlds for things like training, communication and emergency planning.

The institute, which is affiliated with Coventry University and funded in part by a regional economic development agency, has a handful of tenants set to take up residence in November. It plans to operate as an "incubator," helping these companies grow, as well as serving as a hub for networking and research.

More from the International Herald Tribune

New Pokemon title announced For Wii Ware Service

Nintendo are taking this Wii Ware business seriously. At their Fall Press Conference today they announced a new Pokemon title for the service, called Pokemon Bokujyou.

As in, Pokemon Farm. As in, the very raw essence of Pokemon.

The point is that Pokefans can transfer their Pokemans (from Diamond or Pearl) to the Wii, and once there they can tend to them. Raise them. Perhaps even snuggle them, all on their very own Pokemon farm. Sounds idyllic.

But looks a little...unsettling.

See video below...

Pleo - Big Game? dinosaur life like toy

Every Pleo is unique. Yes, each one begins life as a newly-hatched baby Camarasaurus, but that's where predictability ends and individuality begins. Pleo doesn't just do what he's told. He develops his own personality, moods, and habits—all shaped by the time he spends with you. In creating this Life Form, we merely set the wheels in motion. Making the magic is up to you and Pleo. Discover Pleo's emotions.

Pleo world

Look inside

Capcom's multinational development ambitions

Capcom's - Dead Rising

Bionic Commando marks "the next step in the evolution of the design process"

Capcom is finally realising its much talked about multinational development ambitions as it brings together teams from Japan, North America and Europe to develop games for global audiences.

The recently announced Bionic Commando is perhaps the company's most ambitious project to date; developed by Swedish studio Grin under the eye of American Ben Judd – the first foreign producer at Capcom Japan – with guidance by Onimusha and Dead Rising producer Keiji Inafune

With the proven success of Dead Rising and Lost Planet – where 90 per cent of sales were outside of Japan – the publisher is focused on catering specifically for American and European markets rather than just bringing Japanese content to the West.

"We're seeing larger growth in the US and European markets and a shrinking in the Japanese market," said Judd, speaking at the company's recent Gamers Day, held for the first time in Europe.

"This is the next step in the evolution of trying to mix up the design process so that Capcom has titles that will appeal throughout the world. There are some people who think that only Capcom Japan can create a good title but that's not the case.

"This is the sort of risk that most other Japanese games companies, who are pretty conservative, wouldn't do. So to take a chance on this and on an American producer shows just how willing it is to try new things," he added.

Capcom admits that this multinational development philosophy isn't easy, although all team members are learning from the experience.

"Trying to sync up the different design styles between Grin and the Capcom design teams is not easy because they are truly 180 degrees different in a lot of areas," revealed Judd. "But fortunately Grin's style and Capcom's style are both very creative-based and they are willing to try new things."

And the Bionic Commando IP itself wasn't something that Capcom Japan had faith in initially, as the original game wasn't a success in the local market.

"Trying to get this game through the development channels was not easy because it's very unique in that has cult status in the US and to some extent in Europe, but in Japan very few people know of it," said Judd.

"That's one of the purposes that I serve internally, I can look at things and see titles that may stand out and have potential in the US and European market where Capcom Japan may not even realise it because they only see the Japanese market."

Judd is in a unique position himself. From working with the company as an interpretor and translator, he's now the first foreign producer at Capcom Japan, something that he acknowledges as a privileged appointment but further evidence of taking risks and experimenting.

"It's a thing I totally respect about Capcom, they have given me this great chance. I know a lot of foreigners that work at Japanese gaming companies and there is glass ceiling. Capcom is one of the few that is going to give foreigners the chances to develop."