New Fashion and Beauty games on Nintendo DS

A new range of games aimed at aspiring girl gamers, who have a passion for fashion or are budding beauticians. An extension of the successful Fashion Designer: Style Icon, The Academy is a selection of titles that will initially see players taking over their own beauty salon and entering the world of haute couture.

Alongside the previously announced Diva Girls brand, The Academy is an example of our continued commitment to providing female console owners with interesting titles that feature characters that are realistic and provide inspirational role models.

The range is also based around real world vocations, which are brought to life in imaginative and enjoyable ways.

The series struts down the catwalk first with Fashion Designer: High Fashion on Nintendo DS. A sequel to the hit game Fashion Designer: Style Icon, players once again take on the role of an amateur stylist trying to cut it in the tough world of haute couture.

Up next is Beauty Salon, which sees you opening up your own studio and dealing with a range of people that come in asking for different treatments. From learning how to properly apply lipstick to creating wonderful hairstyles, can you keep all your customers happy?

"At 505 games, we're dedicated to creating a broad portfolio of products that offer consumers a range of diverse and enjoyable experiences" said Victoria Martin, Global Brand Manager. "The Academy is the latest brand in our diverse line up, which offers female gamers a real-life and fun experience that they can relate to."

The first Academy titles will be available mid-2009, with more exciting games expected to follow; adding to the breadth of activities available in the range. With the Diva Girls and Academy brands working alongside each other, 505 Games is ensuring it is offering a wealth of fun and challenging experiences for young female gamers.

FASHION DESIGNER: HIGH FASHION

Zoe returns with more fashion tips in the sequel to the best-selling Fashion Designer: Style Icon. Fashion is even more fun, with Fashion Designer: High Fashion. Significant feature improvements to the well-loved original deliver a deeper experience for every wannabe fashionista. The player once again takes on the role of the young designer who creates clothing for a host of customers and to ensure she’s famous and successful in the glamorous world of haute couture.

BEAUTY SALON

Become a star beautician by running your very own beauty salon. Master the art of hair-styling, cosmetics and massage... and above all, keeping your customers happy. Beauty Salon is the ideal game for girls of all ages who are interested in the world of makeup and fashion. It gives girls the opportunity to experiment with makeup and hair styles – something all girls love to do – while also learning techniques in style and application.

WiiWare games added Jungle Speed - Planet Pachinko - Castlevania III Dracula's Curse

What's your weapon of choice? Is it a laser gun? Or maybe just a simple deck of cards? No matter what type of game gets you fired up, the latest additions to the Wii™ Shop Channel are sure to add something new and exciting to your arsenal. With fast-flying cards, tumbling pachinko balls and sinister vampires in your midst, you'll need every tool at your disposal.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time 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:

WiiWare

Jungle Speed (Playful Entertainment Inc., 1-8 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Jungle Speed is a lightning-fast card game for the entire family, where quick reflexes and a keen eye will put you on top. Flip your cards, watch your opponents and grab the totem at the right moment to win the game. Just when you think you've got it down, a new card can temporarily change the rules and keep you on the edge. Play starts when the first person flips a card. Moving around the table, symbols are revealed until two of the exposed cards match. Players with matching cards must then scramble to grasp the totem in the middle of the table; the loser gets the winner's cards and anything in the pot. With paws flying, be the first person to get rid of all your cards and win the game.

Planet Pachinko (Allied Kingdoms Inc., 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone—Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): Can you survive the Pachinkeet Temples of Planet Pachinko? In the future of the future, an ancient civilization has sealed away its riches in elaborate temples dedicated to the game of pachinko. Now the Robot family must fight through these dangerous temples in search of their lost puppy. Using their rockets, lasers, grenades and slime launchers, will they be able to survive the challenges? They aren't the only ones adventuring through the temples. The pirate Vile Vill and his minions are looking to loot the temples and take on the Robot family. Play in single-player mode or with a friend in exciting two-player co-op.

Virtual Console

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone—Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): This is the third game in the popular Castlevania series and the last of the franchise released on the original NES console. Take on the role of Trevor Belmont, forefather of Simon, and battle Dracula in a time long before the events of the first two Castlevania games. In addition to his trusty whip, Trevor has a previously unseen power—the ability to transform into one of three different companion spirits that he meets during his quest: Syfa, a young vampire hunter capable of powerful magic; Grant, a ferocious pirate who can climb on walls; and Alucard, forgotten son of Dracula, able to shoot fireballs and transform into a bat. Use an assortment of weapons (some specific to each character) as you choose which path to follow in your fight against Dracula and his army. Loaded with replay value and featuring some of the best platform action ever, this title is not to be missed.

Wii Balance Board title - Marbles! Balance Challenge

First Wii Balance Board-compatible title. Marbles! Balance Challenge has been devised by Hudson Soft and will be released for Wii in April, 2009.

Marbles! Balance Challenge is a skill-based action title where the player helps an Ant called Anthony save his colony via a series of physical tests.

Wii Balance Board users can access Marbles! Balance Challenge’s 100 specially-created stages where the players steer a ball using the shifting weight of their physical movements. This unique way to control the game offers a new experience and combines fun and physical exercise. Players can also use gentle movements of the Wii Remote, with steering the ball through 200 different stages in a quest to locate the mythical ‘Golden Sunflower Seed.’







As the player progresses the level designs grow ever more complex as they introduce houses, snow-capped mountains, deserts, watery settings and even a space station. In addition to rolling through the colourful stages, the player must also collate parts needed to extend and repair the roads they traverse, which – when assembled – give access to the game’s final stage. Similarly, other items of ephemera can be collected and used to add new elements within the extensive edit mode.

Marbles! Balance Challenge includes tough multi-player modes where up to four players battle it out in a race to the finish, and an edit mode that allows users to create their own stages and share them among friends via the Nintendo Wii Connect24 service. The competitive element of the game can also be explored globally, with online leaderboards detailing the best scores for all to see.

Marbles! Balance Challenge for Wii will be released on April 30th, priced £24.99.

Guitar Hero III first game to pass $1 billion in sales

Roughly one year ago, Activision proudly announced that the Guitar Hero franchise had surpassed $1 billion in North American revenues (a feat accomplished in just 26 months). Now Guitar Hero has reached another important milestone, as Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock has become the first ever game to generate $1 billion in sales.

The news came from Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith during his keynote address at CES. Griffith also noted how the video game industry has had a profound effect on other entertainment sectors, and that Guitar Hero in particular has been hugely important to the music industry. For example, in its first week, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith sold over three times as many units as Aerosmith's last studio album. Furthermore, he cited Nielsen SoundScan data, which showed that artists whose music was playable in Guitar Hero had seen download sales increase 15-843%.

"Music has a history of evolving through technology and we are at the beginning of the latest chapter in that story," he said, as quoted by the BBC.

As for the newest Guitar Hero, Griffith said he's quite pleased with World Tour's user-generated aspect. 25,000 songs were created in the first 10 days and 141,000 songs have been posted so far. The Guitar Hero community site now has more than 600,000 members. To date, there have been 21 million user-song downloads.

Looking at the video game business overall, Griffith sees gaming dominating. "Movies, recorded music and TV - these are all stagnating or contracting entertainment sectors. Video games are poised to eclipse all other forms of entertainment in the decade ahead."

Full post here on Game Daily....

YS Online – Call of Solum!

* The YS Series is one of the top 3 most venerable Japanese RPGs.
* A combination of manga and free MMORPG.
* The Closed Beta will start on January 2009.

Based on the famous YS series originally developed by Falcom, CJ Internet Game Studio and Nihon Falcom have teamed up to convert the famous YS series to an online game which is brought to you by Key To Play.

Who will you be? A powerful Afrocan fighter? A wise Kimo or a skillful Eresian? Join a story that started 22 years ago and defeat the hordes of evil creatures invading the mystical Romune Empire, from seaport Lutino to Peruzard. You won’t be alone to follow the steps of Grey the Brave Hero and many battles await you.

Set in the era of the greatest adventures, the time of Adol, this unique version of YS will allow you and your friends to experience one of the top 3 most venerable Japanese RPGs. It is the perfect mix of manga and online gaming!

Featuring a fast-paced combat system, dungeons, crafting professions, guild battles and many more possibilities, YS Online – Call of Solum is one of the most anticipated MMORPGs of the year.

The adventure starts early 2009!

STORYLINE

The YS adventure is set in a mystical world with dark secrets: Romune, the center of the YS world. Dark spells are ravaging the entire continent and people are talking about the 6 lords and the 6 ancient books sealed with magic spells.

The Man of Wings was not only the Absolute Being but also a God in the Eresia Continent. With the Man of Wings' ascension to heaven, the ancient civilization that had blossomed in the vicinity of Vartekal and Romune came to an end. The Europa Region, situated in the center of the continent was on the brink of disaster due to the evil stone's incredibly reckless acts and the copious amount of legacies left by the Man of Wings.

After nearly a hundred years, numerous kingdoms across the continent collapsed, one after the other with a multitude of evil monsters emerging. Worse yet, the remaining kingdoms fell into the hands of those monsters for almost 20 years. After years of slavery, Grey the brave hero and his 12 valiant soldiers appeared. They eliminated the evil gods who were masterminding those monsters, paving the ground for an Empire under the name of Romune. The Romune Empire continued to expand its domain to a degree where it held sway over most of the regions on the continent including Europa.

And now, you are here to re-connect the historical dots of YS. YS Online inherits the worldview of YS series.

KEY TO PLAY

We are a new publisher specialized in different types of online videogames which has entered the European market with a bang thanks to PristonTale 2, and now, YS Online. Soon we will also distribute other equally attractive games. We have many surprises in store.

Key To Play’s strategy is clear and solid:

1. Provide an excellent online service to players.
2. Offer a variety of well-thought and well-selected games.


Key To Play is a company created by gamers for gamers.
In the upcoming months we will continue to grow and become one of the Europe reference portals for online videogames.

Watercolour Political Platform Puzzler Clover - on Xbox 360

The return of the classic platform-puzzle adventure with début title Clover, to be released in Q1 '09 via Xbox LIVE Community Games for 400 Microsoft Points. Rendering a much-missed genre in watercolour, accompanied by melancholy piano pieces and laced with political themes, Clover embodies Binary Tweed's frank motto of "New games that are a bit like old games, but better."

Set in a medieval world ruled by a monarchy with a welfare state, Clover tells the story of Sam, an adolescent teenager. Recently orphaned after his lone parent mother died in a shock attack on the proud nation of Sanha, Clover follows Sam's journey of discovery as he explores the land and events surrounding his loss.

Clover is a plot-driven platformer in the style of classic titles such as Fantastic Dizzy that sees the player solve logical puzzles by collecting items, talking to a diverse cast of characters and exploring artistically realised environments. Featuring many hours of gameplay and plot development, Clover promises value-for-money beyond other Xbox LIVE Community Games. The game innovates on its predecessors with modern gameplay mechanics, such as unique and forgiving alternatives to player 'health' and 'death'.

"Clover is a game about artwork and plot; so much so that we're struggling to fit everything within the size limit," said Daniel 'Deejay' Jones, Managing Director of Binary Tweed. "We wanted to make a game that has the artistic charm to appeal to a broad audience, whilst exploring issues that communicate to adult gamers."

Kodu: Game programming so easy, an adult can do it

I'm sure kids will take to Kodu—an easy-as-pie game creation app for Xbox Live—like ducks to water. Indeed, at Microsoft's CES keynote Wednesday night, a precocious 12-year-old named Sparrow wowed the audience as she worked the Kodu menus like an expert.

More surprising, however, is that even an old stick-in-the-mud like me wants to give Kodu a shot.


Set for release on the Xbox Live Community channel in the spring, Kodu isn’t a game so much as a game-authoring tool—although it looks much more fun than it sounds. You can pick a world, populate it with characters and objects, give 'em weapons and behaviors, and then test your creation to see if you’ve got a game on your hands.

Full post here on Yahoo...

Hands on with Mad Catz SFIV Fight Sick and Fight Pad

If a $150 arcade stick is too rich for your blood, accessory maker Mad Catz has a few other options for the fighting game fan not content with the standard Xbox 360 or PS3 controller.

Frankly, neither option is as quite as magical as the Street Fighter IV-branded Tournament Edition Arcade FightStick controller, but for those with shallower pockets, they'll get the job done.

More at Kotaku here...

Klonoa - Nintendo Wii video game will get a US release

Klonoa will be available in North America for Wii in 2009. Klonoa’s long-awaited return offers vibrant graphics, motion control and new secrets to discover in this update to the series’ debut adventure. Highly revered as one of the best platform games of the past 10 years, Klonoa will ignite Wii owners’ imaginations with addictive gameplay, exciting stages and a memorable story.

“Klonoa’s return marks an exciting re-boot of this beloved franchise with old-school gameplay, spectacular graphics and an instantly recognizable character,” said Todd Thorson, director of marketing and public relations for NAMCO BANDAI Games America. “Klonoa’s time-tested gameplay and intricate level design make for an awesome experience on Wii.”

Help Klonoa save Phantomile, a land formed by the dreams of its inhabitants, and recently besieged by an unknown evil. Klonoa’s breathtaking journey takes him through a series of increasingly difficult stages across multiple kingdoms as he strives to save his friends and homeland. Throughout his quest, Klonoa is aided by his friend Hewpoe, a benevolent spirit who resides in the ring from which Klonoa is able to fire his Wind Bullet. The Wind Bullet gives Klonoa the ability to grab and inflate his enemies and use them to his advantage.

With a simple move of the Wii Remote Klonoa can throw captured enemies to break obstacles, uncover hidden items or defeat other enemies. Klonoa can also use any enemy he is holding to perform a double jump which allows him to reach high ledges or jump across large pits. By moving the Nunchuk, Klonoa can use his whirlwind to slowdown approaching enemies. In addition to the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls, Klonoa offers a wide range of control options for any style of play, including Wii Remote only, Classic Controller and the Nintendo GameCube controller.

Wii take five of top ten UK games in 2008

The British video game chart for 2008 shows Nintendo's Wii capturing five of the top ten slots.

Amazing - Carnival Funfair makes it in at number nine... this game is rubbish!

Here's the full chart...

1. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
2. Wii Fit (Wii)
3. Wii Play (Wii)
4. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)
5. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)
6. GTA IV (360)
7. GTA IV (PS3)
8. Call of Duty: World at War (360)
9. Carnival Funfair (Wii)
10. FIFA 09 (360)

My top ten would include...

Little Big Planet
Spore
Lara Croft
Fallout 3
Fable 2
Metal Gear Solid 4
Dead Space
World of Warcraft

So basically, the chart reflects the number of consoles sold...