Mushroom Men – The Spore Wars and Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi on Nintendo Wii and DS

An ichorous green meteor plummets through Earth's atmosphere, fracturing and showering the earth with glowing green space dust that affects all forms of life nearby. Some plant life - like mushrooms and cacti -acquire sentience. At the same time, the green glow twists and mutates other life forms like spiders and roaches, transforming them into semi-intelligent, warlike communities.

Wii CORE GAMEPLAY MECHANICS

Camera!
The camera and player perspective played a big role in each of the boss fights. One of the interesting things that the legendary IGA (Koji Igarashi, of Castlevania fame) pointed out in his 2007 GDC lecture was how important perspective is, and how much it changes gameplay between 2D and 3D games. With the typical behind-the-back 3D camera used by many games, depth-perception is very difficult to judge, and even having a shadow grow larger as it approaches is not enough. For the boss fights that were specifically framed as an action/puzzle, we had more control over the user’s experience and could manipulate the camera to provide the best perspective for the battle. In some instances, this was pulling the camera way up, giving more of a three-quarter view. In others, it was locking the camera in place to do some 2D battle.

Dealing with Death
One of the core components of Mushroom Men was that players should be encouraged to explore and experiment in the environment (which could often lead to death), so the player would re-spawn in a nearby area. However, this proved troublesome in boss fights, as the player could simply die, re-spawn, run at the boss again, etc and this was one of the major complaints about Bioshock. So, in order to deal with that, we rewarded a player for not dying during a boss fight. To that end, skilled players will find themselves awarded an item for defeating bosses unscathed. Similarly, we reward players for dealing with bosses with cleverness and panache, and you’ll find a reward for doing so.

Old School Influences
I will gladly admit my love for old SEGA arcade and home titles, and I borrowed a lot from them. The final boss fight, which spans multiple stages, has some “helpers” that were very much inspired by Death Adder’s minions in the original Golden Axe. Where we took a different tack, is that these ones can be killed in fewer than 255 hits. I spent so much time at the arcade trying to kill those darned skeletons. And when I finally did, it wasn’t worth it!

One of my favorite games of all time has to be…well, just about everything in the Wonder Boy series. In particular, I always enjoyed the boss fights in Wonder Boy in Monster Land and those in Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap (aka Dragon’s Curse on the PC-Engine/Turbografx-16). So one of the boss fights in Mushroom Men is very like that: a 2D boss on a finite-state machine, but with some unpredictability thrown in, and some genuine challenge.

Other games that shaped the look and feel of the boss encounters include the Shinobi series, Cabal, and the obscure-but-wonderful Golvellius. While we never lifted anything directly, I recorded the experiences I had playing through those games and made notes that would affect the final boss designs. The epic multi-stage final boss fight of Mushroom Men draws a lot from these wonderful old games. Simple by today’s standards, but still packing a good iconic punch that can still be harnessed today.

Mushroom Men – The Spore Wars and Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi will be available across Europe in March, 2009. For more information about Mushroom Men please visit www.southpeakgames.com. For more information about Red Fly Studio please visit www.redflystudio.com.

TITLE: Mushroom Men – The Spore Wars
PLATFORM: Nintendo Wii
TITLE: Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi
PLATFORM: Nintendo DS
DEVELOPER: Red Fly Studio
GENRE: Action Adventure
RELEASE DATE: March 2009
Earlier Developers Diary on gamezplay.org

MMO Three Kingdoms - The Battle Begins official launch 8pm Pacific Standard Time today

The New MMO Launches Today at 8PM PST at http://threekingdoms.uforia.com/intro.aspx

Uforia, a new online game publisher specializing in massively multiplayer online games, today announced that its new MMO Three Kingdoms - The Battle Begins will officially launch with the opening of its cash shop at 8 PM Pacific Standard Time today at http://threekingdoms.uforia.com/intro.aspx.
Three Kingdoms: The Battle Begins is a new free-to-play MMO based on one of the most well-known Asian novels of all-time.

"Three Kingdoms: The Battle Begins has received a great response in just the few short weeks since we announced it and held some beta tests," said Mike Min, Game Operations Producer of Uforia. "Now we are inviting the community and fans and MMO players out there to come and enjoy the full Three Kingdoms: The Battle Begins experience."

Players who created a character during last week's Open Beta will be able to keep and play with that character. Many changes were also made to the PK balance system to make for more even game play.

Starting on Tuesday and available to Three Kingdoms: The Battle Begins players, there will be monsters dropping special items. These items can then be traded to special NPCs available only for the commercial launch for great in-game prizes.

Three Kingdoms: The Battle Begins, developed by G-rex Soft, chronicles the tragic last reign of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), when the Chinese empire was divided into three kingdoms at battle. This important period in Chinese history became a subject of extreme and continuing interest to historians, poets, and dramatists. Three
Kingdoms: The Battle Begins narrates this account and provides players the opportunity to choose from 4 gripping and distinctive character classes to help battle through 200 extraordinary levels packed with boss monsters and their relentless followers. As players undergo the world of Three Kingdoms: The Battle Begins, they can reshape the story by carefully planning and executing political assassinations.

Three Kingdoms: The Battle Begins offers a one-of-a-kind quest system that delivers missions to players while they are still in the battlefield, maximizing the player's enjoyment of and involvement in the battle. This unique feature enables the player to continue their travels while having the benefit of receiving items from completing quests. Player vs. Player (PVP) battlegrounds are available on the hour every hour 24/7, allowing the winners of the battle to become Lords who are granted access to exclusive skills and items. Honor points are awarded during these battles and can be used to purchase unique items and equipment from special merchants.

An exciting Player Kill (PK) system is also part of this epic adventure which includes a unique "Death Note" feature. This element exists so if a player is killed by the same opponent multiple times, the opponent is added to the player's death note. The opponent's location will be specified on the player's map as a blinking signal, enabling the player to execute revenge more easily.

For more information about Three Kingdoms; The Battle Begins and to sign up for the Open Beta visit http://threekingdoms.uforia.com/intro.aspx

MLB Dugout Heroes Open Beta Starts this Thursday March 19

Open Beta Starts This Thursday March 19 at 3 PM PST at www.MLBdugoutheroes.com

Gamescampus is holding multiple events from March 19th when the open beta for MLB Dugout Heroes opens, through April 24th. A total of 7 Events will take place throughout the next month. The full details for each event, including prizing can be found on the MLB Dugout Heroes Forums

Just Play and Win Tickets to a Baseball Game!
This contest is for baseball lovers everywhere! Just sign up, create a team on MLB Dugout Heroes, and play your team up to level 3 or higher and you're automatically entered into contest to win 2 tickets to watch your favorite MLB team!

Play MLB Dugout Heroes Everyday
This one is the easiest event of them all! Play MLB Dugout Heroes everyday from March 19th till April 24th, and have an opportunity to win an Authentic Performance 59FIFTY On-Field Cap by New Era! The more you log in, the better your chances are of winning! The top ten players who log in the most will receive the "Batter Slot +1" item which gives you an additional batter slot on your roster!

Level Contest
It's simple and straight forward. The ten highest level players at the end of the open beta will be rewarded with Authentic Jersey by Majestic Athletic as well as Gemini Shoes that will boost your perfomance(in-game item)!

Complete Missions
Complete the most in-game missions and win prizes! 1st place wins an Authentic Therma Base Premier Jacket by Majestic Athletic and 2nd through 5th place will win an Authentic Font Personalized T-shirt by Majestic Athletic.

Video Contest
Capture your best game on video and share it! Add your band's music as a soundtrack or even your own color commentary! Upload your video your favorite site such as YouTube, Facebook, Myspace, etc and send your submission to MLBDugoutHeroes(visit the MLB Dugout Heroes website for details of where to send the submission). Our favorite video will receive a Replica Jersey by Majestic Athletic from MLB.com.
GamesCampus will also offer Gemini Glasses (in-game item) to all three winners as a way of congratulating your great visionary talents.

Screenshot Contest
Take a screenshot of the most memorable moment in the game! Upload your video to your favorite blog, YouTube, Facebook, Myspace or website and send your submission to MLBDugoutHeroes(visit the MLB Dugout Heroes website for details of where to send the submission). Five lucky winners will receive an Authentic Font Personalized T-shirt by Majestic Athletic as well as Gemini Batting Gloves (in-game item).

Reach Level 6 and Earn 400,000 NUTS!
Think you're one of the best out there? Then prove it! Level up your team to Level 6 or higher and we will give you an extra 400,000 NUTS!
(What the heck are NUTS? - NUTS are the in game currency used in MLB Dugout Heroes. It can be earned by playing games and completing missions. You can then purchase better items, players, stat enhancers, or abilities with NUTS!)

Resident Evil 5 Ships Four Million Units

Capcom announces largest launch ever of a Resident Evil title.

Capcom have released details that Resident Evil 5 has shipped four million units worldwide since launch, additionally, the demo available from Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network has itself been downloaded over four million times. All of which equates to the largest launch of a Resident Evil title to date.

We should state that 'units shipped' are those shipped to retailers and not necessarily in the hands of gamers, but given the popularity of the Resident Evil series it shouldn't be too long before they are snapped up.

Capcom must be pretty pleased with themselves regardless of the exact number sold, first Street Fighter IV ships two million units in its first week knocking the mighty Wii Fit from the top of the charts, but now Resident Evil 5 ships twice that much and also jumps to the top of the charts.

Source: Britbox

WiiWare games update Bit Trip Beat and Virtual Console game - Summer Games II

Old-school action is the main attraction at the Nintendo Wii Shop Channel this week. With a wealth of underground buzz already surrounding it, a brand new WiiWare title uses vintage-looking graphics and 8-bit sounds to create a rhythm-based game that's loaded with retro cool.
Find out if you have enough skill to create order from chaos in a game that is as mesmerizing as it is challenging. Meanwhile, the latest addition to the Virtual Console lineup brings a Commodore 64 classic to the Wii console, proving that fans of international sports events needn't wait until 2012 to get their track-and-field fix. Even if you're too young to remember the original days of 8-bit gaming, these awesome titles provide timeless kicks.

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

BIT.TRIP BEAT (Aksys Games, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): BIT.TRIP BEAT is a rhythm game that brings retro action into the present, letting you use the motion-sensing Wii Remote controller to bounce beats. Retro visuals, classic game play, four-player multiplayer and an 8-bit soundtrack will get you in the zone and rock your world. The challenges are mighty, but if you can stay cool as the difficulty increases, you'll discover the beginnings of the BIT.TRIP saga.

Virtual Console

Summer Games II (Commodore 64, 1-8 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): A thousand athletes. A hundred countries. Billions watching around the world as you enter the stadium, marching confidently among your nation's strongest, fastest and boldest young men and women. Your gaze sweeps the crowd as you realize the scope of your achievement. You are about to compete against the world's best athletes in a 3,000-year-old competition. This is the pinnacle of athletic achievement: the Summer Games. Summer Games II challenges your competitive skills with a series of athletic contests for one to eight players. Experience the excitement and realism of eight different events: cycling, equestrian, fencing, high jump, javelin, kayaking, rowing and triple jump. Practice each event to sharpen your skills, then choose from the 18 countries you can represent in the competition.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

Biology Battle a dual stick shooter set in a 3D inner space on Xbox Live

Novaleaf Game Studios today announces the worldwide debut of “Biology Battle” on XBLCG. After 11 months development time and a total budget of more than 100.000$ the studio created one of the most expensive productions for this platform. “Biology Battle” is a dual stick shooter set in a 3D "inner space".
Lead by spectacular gameplay and an excellent balancing, “Biology Battle” appeals to the entire spectrum of player types.

In “Biology Battle” the player controls a medical nano-bot during a mission in a hostile cell. Supported with lots of power-ups and special weapons the player has to eliminate every biological intrusion within the cell. “Biology Battle” has great pick-up-and-play features, and is very accessible for beginners. The beginning ramps up in difficulty based on the players skill, and the advanced stages challenge even the experts.

“Making a game for gamers is only possible by keeping close contact to the community during the whole process. They helped us design a game based on their requirements and contributed critical elements, making this game the success it is. The feedback we received from our concept and all through the developing process was extremely positive and consolidated our decision to bring this game to the market.” says Tidarat Thanapakpawin, Executive Producer at Novaleaf Game Studios.

Glacier 2 - Hell on Ice Nintendo Wii video game

Mamba Games, a new dynamic multi-platform video games publisher today announces the next project in their 2009 line-up with the worldwide publishing of ‘Glacier 2: Hell on Ice’ exclusive for the Nintendo Wii developed by Team 6 Studios.

Due for a September 2009 release ‘Glacier 2: Hell on Ice’ is Mamba Games first Wii project with 2 more due to be announced shortly.

Jason Codd, Commercial Director of Mamba Games quotes “We are thrilled to be working on our first global Wii game and ‘Glacier 2: Hell on Ice’ fits with our strategy perfectly. The visuals are stunning for the Nintendo Wii and the playability is crazy, manic and is a huge amount of fun”
‘Glacier 2: Hell on Ice’ starts at the very top of the Alps: Are you ready to reach insane top speeds by driving down the mountains of death?

While it goes faster and faster downhill, watch out for dangerous cliffs, dodge falling rocks, go aim your rockets, heat up your machineguns and deploy mines to take out your opponents and finish first place!

‘Glacier 2: Hell on Ice’ is an arcade combat racing game which takes you to hell and back. Make sure you are faster than your opponents or you can blow them to bits with an arsenal of weaponry. Make your way across the ice, survive incredible jumps, and eliminate your opponents!!

‘Glacier 2: Hell on Ice’ offers an advanced effect system specially designed for the Nintendo Wii to bring the arcade-action really alive! Various insane vehicles are yours to choose from, all with their own characteristics and weapons. Snipers, shot guns, machine guns, chain guns, everything is possible as long as it does heavy damage and take you to victory!

WARNING: This is not for the faint hearted!!!

Glacier 2

Features:
Selling Points

- Over the top combat racing action.

- Incredible jumps, spins and mass of destruction!

- 7 fully tuned super rides, all equipped with various, deadly weapons

- 18 ice cold levels full of traps, cliffs, mines, falling rocks, canyons and spectacular jumps.
- Full support and designed specifically for Nintendo Wii Remote

Nintendo announce European games - Pokémon Platinum, Pikmin 2, Punch Out! and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

Nintendo announced its Spring titles for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii last month. It's Europe's turn this month.

Nintendo's German language release confirms Nintendo DSi and Rhythm Heaven release dates.

Highlights...

Pokémon Platinum May 22
Pikmin 2 (Wii Re-release) April 24
Punch Out! May
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (Wii Re-Release) June

Punch Out! hits May 18 in North America, Jungle Beat is out May 4 and Pikmin 2 happened on March 9. Pokémon Platinum release is the same for North America and Europe.

The European Spring announcement from Nintendo mentions nothing of Nintendo Wii Sports Resort or the Wii MotionPlus Wii Remote add-on. Both are believed to be behind schedule — a claim Nintendo has refuted here.

Also confirmed Wii Points are now called Nintendo Points.

Source: Kotaku here...

Far Cry 2 video game blamed for German school shooting - what a surprise...

Raise your hand if you didn't see this coming after reports surfaced about the recent mass killings in Germany being linked to 'violent videogames'.New details have emerged giving a little insight to why 17 year-old Tim Kretschmer decided to go on a rampage and kill 15 people, before committing suicide. Not only was he the spoiled son of a wealthy business man, but it is also believed that the whole reason he lost his marbles was because he was rejected romantically by a female whom he was friends with. There's more, turns out Kretschmer was a 'gun fanatic' and he was 'obsessed' with guns according to a neighbor.

According to reports Kretschmer was well liked in high school and never bullied. But it is noted by his former Tennis instructor that he was a "poor loser". From here the media (London's Times Online specifically) start playing the scapegoat card, starring media pundits favorite target in tragic shootings: videogames.

In the Times Online article they paint a very clear picture of why Ubisoft's Fry Cry 2 was a staple in Kretschmers road to madness. The article states that he played the game the night before he went on his killing spree, he hijacked a car and wore black - just like you do in the videogame. The similarities between Kretschmer's rampage and Far Cry 2 don't end there. As the Times Online even did some digging and found out the the gun he used, was a Baretta 92; which can be found in Far Cry 2!

Source: TalkXbox

First Metal Gear Solid title for iPhone and iPod Touch on March 19th

Konami confirms March 19th launch date for first Metal Gear Solid title for iPhone and iPod Touch.

Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced further details regarding Metal Gear Solid Touch – a bespoke Metal Gear title for the iPhone and iPod Touch, devised by series creator Hideo Kojima. It will be released across Europe from March 19th for just 4.99 Euro.



Developed by Kojima Productions and designed exclusively for the iPhone and iPod Touch systems, Metal Gear Solid Touch covers the final chapter in the legendary saga of Solid Snake in an intuitive touch-based shooting game. Following the deep and immersive storyline of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, players join forces with Old Snake as he battles the money-driven mercenaries of Private Military Companies (PMCs), Haven Troopers, Gekko units, and the beautiful yet terrifying bosses of the Beauty and Beast Corps.

This tale of commercial warfare adventure follows Old Snake across the Middle East, South America, Eastern Europe, and Shadow Moses as he depletes his enemies’ stamina with various short-range and long-range weapons. Featuring twenty levels of gameplay and well-known antagonists from past Metal Gear Solid titles, Metal Gear Solid Touch marks a welcome debut of the stealth-action franchise for the iPhone and iPod.

A special ‘Advance Edition’ of Metal Gear Solid Touch containing the first 12 stages of the game is scheduled for release on the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch in March for just 4.99 Euro. The final release will follow with eight additional stages of gameplay, and will be available to existing players via a free update on the Apple App Store in the second quarter of 2009. The initial edition will be available with English screen text only, while the later update will offer localized version in French, German, Italian and Spanish language.

The hit console franchise with over 26.5* million units sold Worldwide: METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS comes to iPhone and iPod touch!

Experience METAL GEAR SOLID 4's story as you fight through 12 action-packed stages in this thrilling shooter. Fierce battles and familiar faces await you around every corner! Control the action with your fingers using the "Multi-touch interface" of the iPhone/iPod Touch: Trace your fingers on the screen to take aim, and shoot by tapping. Pinch out or Pinch in to zoom-in/out on targets and snipe them from a distance.

Earn Drebin Points after clearing each stage and use them to purchase over 40 unique wallpapers exclusive to Metal Gear Solid Touch.

Download the 1st half of METAL GEAR SOLID 4's story now and be the first to "feel" the excitement of METAL GEAR SOLID TOUCH on the iPhone/iPod touch with the special advance release edition!

Explore the deepest and most revealing chapters of MGS4 in the game's electrifying 2nd half. Advance release edition owners can update for free! Your save data will automatically carry over when you update to the final release.