UK welcomes God of War on Sony PSP

The bonanza of handheld game releases continues throughout the Easter period but thankfully it's not just a case of being impressed by the volume – there's also plenty of quality on offer, too.

We've been looking forward to Square Enix's Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates for a while now (despite our somewhat disappointing hands-on), not only because of its graphics but for whole wireless multiplayer mode. Indeed, it's a big week for DS dungeon-mashers as Chunsoft, the developer behind Nintendo's commercially successful Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, releases its SNES remake Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer via Sega.

Another Sega published DS game out this week is Sega Superstars Tennis which should also do well in a year that's already being dominated by sporting prowess of various forms.

In fact, the only cloud on the DS horizon is the mysterious disappearance of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations from the March release schedules. Naturally, we've already started the investigation.

Still, the big news of the next eight days is the appearance of Kratos, the muscle behind the superb PSP brawler God of War: Chains of Olympus. The first cannot-go-through-life-without-having-played-it handheld game of 2008, we thoroughly recommend it, especially when compared to the other 'big' PSP title out next week, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus – an expansion on the original which we really didn't see the point of.

Source: PocketGamer

Review: Bomberman Land Touch! 2 on Nintendo DS

Product: Bomberman Land Touch! 2
Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Rising Star
Format: DS
Genre: Action, Puzzle
Players: 1-8
Networking: wireless (adhoc), wireless (network)
Version: Europe

We've grown contemptuous of gunfire. So wrote Stephen Wraysford from the trenches in the novel Birdsong, and such is the condition of anybody who spends his life in a war zone. Once the billionth speck of gunpowder pops, you stop caring. Thankfully for Hudson Soft, the same isn't true of the Bomberman franchise.

Even so, Bomberman Land Touch! 2 feels like the product of a series concerned that it might be outstaying its welcome, determined as it is to remain unobtrusive beneath the stable shelter established by Bomberman Land Touch!

Like Touch!, Touch! 2 is a mini-game collection dressed up as an adventure in which you, as Cheerful White, go to the funfair with a host of other characters from the Bomberman universe. There's Giant Gold, there's Bookworm Green, there's Cool Black. You haven't heard of them? Well, surely you know all about the inimitable Star Bomber.

Him neither?

It makes no odds, as they don't feature too heavily in the action, other than to give you the occasional prompt and, in the case of Star Bomber, to serve as your avatar's role model and mentor. Kiosk-holders and fortune tellers also populate the game, far more usefully, and a transparent limp-hatted figure appears from time to time to goad you about some future calamity.

More from: Pocket Gamer

Bomberman explodes on WiiWare and the Nintendo Wii

Thanks to Hero of Legend for pointing out a common misconception about Hudson’s Wii Bomberman game in the comments. When the title was announced Famitsu pinned it as a WiiWare title, in fact they still do. However, Hudson’s WiiWare page lists four games: Star Soldier R, Joysound, Tetris and Bomberman with a spring release date.

The Bomberman game with Mii support and online play for eight via Nintendo Wi-Fi comes out in June. Glancing through Hudson’s Wii release schedule they have another Bomberman game also called Bomberman scheduled to come out in June. It appears the Bomberman title we previously mentioned is actually a retail game, which makes actually makes more sense. I was wondering how Hudson could pack single player stages and online play in such a tiny amount of space.

So what about Bomberman WiiWare? Yes, there is still a Bomberman WiiWare game and John Lee from Hudson explains, “It's coming. Details are still being finalized. It will be different than Bomberman Live. But it's still the classic Bomberman, if you catch my drift. It's probably one of the few classic games we are bring out on Wii Ware, but digital download is really where Bomberman shines.”

Source: Siliconera

Xbox Drops 500 Limited Edition GTA IV 360s

Microsoft added to the buzz leading up to the anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto IV by dropping a limited run of 500 GTA-branded Xbox 360 Elite systems and a briefcase full of peripherals today. We got our hands on number 170 out of 500. More pics after the jump.

The guys at Xbox took an Elite system and, using automotive-quality paint, touched up the sides of the 360 with the GTA IV box art and a serial number.

Not a bad way to welcome the first title in the franchise that didn’t drop as a Sony exclusive. Rockstar is also producing exclusive episodes for 360 users available for download this fall. Hopefully it involves Bill Gates and Warren Buffet rolling up on GTA IV’s featured hitter Niko Bellic.

The game finally drops on April 29. Unfortunately, the limited run of GTA IV 360s ain’t available in stores.

Source: Complex

Another new mysterious Nintendo Wii system update is avaialble

And yet another Wii system update is now available.

There was only a new update made available on on the 20th March in preparation for WiiWare, but there is no word on what this latest update is for or contributes to the state of play.

Namco looking into Nintendo Wii-arcade linking

Filed under: NewsNamco Bandai seems to have come up with a solution to their problem of (possibly) Nintendo Wii-fueled arcade downturn: involving the Wii in the arcade.

According to a very sad Asahi Shimbun report about closing arcades, Namco is now planning games that will allow data to be shared between the cabinet and the Nintendo Wii - we assume by Nintendo Wii Remote data transfer.Home/arcade integration from Namco is not terribly surprising, since Tekken 5 actually has PlayStation 2 controller ports on the cabinet.

No, the really interesting thing about this story is trying to figure out what Namco Bandai is going to design for play on both the Wii and in the arcade.

The news article is pretty interesting in other ways, as well: it goes into possible reasons for arcade business slowdown other than the Wii ... like the economy.

Source: Video Game Top 10

Ubisoft games acquire Tom Clancy name for video games, related products

Ubisoft makes Tom Clancy-branded video games such as Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six.

French video game maker Ubisoft said it acquired intellectual property rights to the Tom Clancy name for use in video games, books and movies.

Ubisoft now expects to have a net cash position of about 130m eur at the end of its fiscal year, down from a previous forecast of about 150m eur.

Ubisoft will make additional, unspecified payments for the Tom Clancy rights in each of its next two fiscal years as well, Ubisoft said in a statement.

Royalty savings generated by the acquisition are expected to have an average positive impact on Ubisoft's operating profit of at least 5m eur per year.


Source: Thomson.com

Guitar Hero three legends of rock Rock Icon website

Watch the crazy people perform on stage - Guitar Hero three legends of rock Rock Icon

http://www.releaseyourrockstar.com/en

Namco Bandai head-to-head with THQ in cheerleading games

After the announcement from THQ of a cheerleading game for the Wii and DS, Namco Bandai has announced they're also bringing a cheerleading game to the Wii in the form of We Cheer.

Seemingly in the same series as their earlier-announced skiing game We Ski, Namco trademarked the name We Cheer with the US Patent and Trademark Office this week.

THQ's All Star Cheer Squad title has been announced to support the Wii Balance Board, but there's no word on any details for We Cheer's support of the peripheral, or a release date for any region so far.

Gibson Sues Game Stores in 'Guitar Hero' Spat

Dude, this is so not metal: Gibson is suing Wal-Mart, Target, Toys "R" Us, Amazon.com, K-Mart, and Gamestop for selling Guitar Hero, the overwhelmingly popular game from Activision .

The reason? Because Gibson claims that the controller used in the game is in violation of one of its patents, according to the Associated Press. The patent in question seems a little iffy: "...simulate participation in a concert by playing a musical instrument and wearing a head-mounted 3-D display that includes stereo speakers," it reads in part.

The company had already sued Activision, and has extended its suit to protect its intellectual property, according to the company: "In Gibson's lawsuit, it states the company 'has been damaged and will continue to be damaged by the aforesaid infringement unless defendants are enjoined, preliminarily and permanently, from selling and offering for sale infringing products ...'" the AP reported.

Naturally, those retailers that have responded have said the suit is without merit. Activision stopped just short of indemnifying them, though, which would have offloaded all legal liability onto Activision's shoulders.