A visually impaired gamer named Alexander Stern is suing Sony, Sony Online Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment America for not offering features that make their games accessible for people with visual disabilities.

According to Stern, by not including these options, Sony is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The law suit claims that Stern has written several emails and letters to Sony requesting these features for games - mainly on MMOs - and Sony hasn’t complied. The suit also mentions how other companies, including Blizzard, have allowed the use of mods or other third party programs to incorporate features including visual cues or voice overs for gamers with “disability impaired visual processing”.

The suit also states that Sony’s denial in including these features are costing Stern money. Sony runs an auction site where users can sell their in-game loot for real money and, since Stern can’t participate in the auctions, Stern claims that he is losing money.

I’m really sorry for this guy and I think that everybody should have the right to entertainment and, in this case, video games but I think he’s just trying to work the system for easy money.

Video games are a visual form of entertainment and I don’t think it’s realistic to suppose that a company is going to modify the code in their games to fulfill the needs of an individual or a comparatively small group. By this same logic all movie studios and book publishers should alter their products to offer versions for the visually impaired.

I think it’s great that some companies offer the possibility of including mods or other programs into the game but. in my opinion, demanding them is totally different. Hopefully, technology that allows visually impaired people to have a better enjoyment of games will come along soon but I don’t think suing is the best way to accomplish or accelerate this process.

Read [Destructoid] Also read [GameSpot]

Full Story » | Written by Christian Morlotte for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

This week’s first featured downloadable game is Military Madness: Nectaris for $9.99 on the PS3. This remake of the original Military Madness for the TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment System back in 1986, features two opposing forces battling for supremacy on the moon. Players choose a commander for their Army and strategically use up to 20 unique abilities by plotting their attacks on an overhead map and watch the battles unfold in a cinematic view of the action. Up to four players can choose the maps they wish to fight on in multiplayer mode, set the number of turns and time limit for each game, and customize their armies. This game allows controller share for players who don’t have enough controllers for everyone playing on the same console. Check out Military Madness: Nectaris for the PS3:

The next downloadable game this week is Numblast for $4.99 for the PS3 and PSP. In this game a young boy accidentally changed his friend into a monkey while trying to solve the Numblast stones. Players must help the boy change his friend back by lining up the correct stones together. Check it out:

Price Drops

• X-Men Origins: Wolverine Weapon X Arena Pack (PS3/Now $4.99)
• TV Show King Price Drop (PS3/Now $6.99)
• Mercury Bundle 2 Sale (PS3/Now $9.99)
Bundle includes:
• Archer Maclean’s Mercury
• Mercury Meltdown

Qore Subscription

• Qore Episode 18: November 2009 (PS3/$2.99)
• Qore Annual Subscription: November 2009 (PS3/$24.99)

Here is what else is new:

Downloadable Games

• PSOne Classic: Gex (PS3/PSP/$5.99)
• Crimson Room: Reverse (PSP/$7.99)
• Creature Defense (PSP/$7.99)
• Ben 10: Protector of Earth (PSP/$14.99)
• Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground (PSP/$14.99)
• Ben 10 Alien Force (PSP/$19.99)
• Ghostbusters The Video Game (PSP/$29.99)
• Star Wars Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (PSP/$29.99)
• Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (PSP/$29.99)
• Class of Heroes (PSP/$39.99)
• Dissidia Final Fantasy (PSP/$39.99)

Free Demos:

• Trine Demo (PS3/Free)
• Military Madness: Nectaris Demo (PS3/Free)
• MotorStorm Arctic Edge Demo (PSP/Free)

Bonus Game Contents:

• LittleBigPlanet Anniversary Costume (PS3/Free)
• LittleBigPlanet Spaceman Costume (PS3/Free)
• Brutal Legend Tears of the Hextadon Map Pack (PS3/Free)
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Character Compatibilty Pack (PS3/Free)
• Topatoi: Arcade Style Pack (PS3/Free)
• Way of the Samurai 3 Weapons DLC (PS3/Free)
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Juggernaut Playable Character (PS3/$1.99)
• Dragon Age: Origins Warden’s Keep (PS3/$6.99)
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Character and Mission Pack (PS3/$9.99)
• Dragon Age: Origins Stone Prisoner (PS3/$14.99)

Rock Band Pack:

• Nirvana Bleach Pack (PS3/$5.49)
Individual Tracks:
• “About a Girl” by Nirvana (PS3/$1.99)
• “Blew” by Nirvana (PS3/$1.99)
• “School” by Nirvana (PS3/$1.99)

• Foo Fighters Pack 03 (PS3/$6.99)
Individual Tracks:
• “Best of You” by Foo Fighters (PS3/$1.99)
• “The Pretender” by Foo Fighters (PS3/$1.99)
• “Wheels” by Foo Fighters (PS3/$1.99)
• “Word Forward” by Foo Fighters (PS3/$1.99)

Individual Song Tracks

• “Fake Friends” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (PS3/$1.99)

Rock Band Unplugged bonus content:

• “Toxicity” by System of a Down (PSP/$1.99)
• “Waking the Demon” by Bullet for My Valentine (PSP/$1.99)

Free Game Videos:

• Pulse 11/5 Edition (PS3/PSP/Free)
• PlayStation 3 TV Commercial – “Candle” (PS3/PSP/Free)
• PlayStation 3 TV Commercial – “Montage” (PS3/PSP/Free)
• Numblast Trailer (PS3/PSP/Free)
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars “Out For Revenge” Video (PSP/Free)
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Trailer (PSP/Free)
• 2 for 1 Mercury Bundle Trailer (PSP/Free)
• God of War Collection Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Assassin’s Creed 2 Dev Diary 4 (PS3/Free)
• Dragon Age: Origins City Elf Origin Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Dragon Age: Origins Dwarf Commoner Origin Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Dragon Age: Origins Mage Origin Trailer (PS3/Free)
• NIER TGS 2009 Trailer (PS3/Free)

Wallpapers and Themes:

• Tekken 6 – Returning Characters Theme (PS3/Free)
• Tekken 6 – The Fight Card Theme (PS3/Free)
• Tekken 6 – The New Faces Theme (PS3/Free)
• Tekken 6 Alisa Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• Tekken 6 Asuka Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• Tekken 6 Hwoarang Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• Tekken 6 Jin Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• Tekken 6 Kazuya Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• FIFA Soccer 10 Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• Let’s FIFA 10 Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• FIFA Soccer 10 Blanco Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• FIFA Soccer 10 Rooney Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• FIFA Soccer 10 Rooney Wallpaper 2 (PS3/Free)
• Lemmings PSP Theme (PSP/Free)
• Roadkill – Animal PSP Theme (PSP/$1.49)
• Roadkill – Human PSP Theme (PSP/$1.49)
• Roadkill Theme (PS3/$1.99)
• Family Guy Theme (PS3/$1.99)
• DarkMatter Quadrilogy PSP Theme Pack (PSP/$4.49)
• DarkMatter Quadrilogy Theme Pack (PS3/$5.99)

Read [PlayStation Store Blog] Site [PlayStation]

Full Story » | Written by Lucy Newman for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Full Story » | Written by Jessica Moen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Haven’t caught all of the Gamertell news this week?  Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!

• 28,275 PSPgos sold on the November 1, 2009, launch in Japan
  ” Famitsu featured an interesting news story pertaining to the PSPgo today. The system launched November 1, 2009 in Japan, and Enterbrain already has the first day sales figures for Sony’s latest incarnation of the PSP. Brace yourself - only…” MORE »
• Apple App Store gaming update for the week of October 26 to November 2, 2009
  “The Apple App Store gaming update is Gamertell’s weekly look at the previous week’s Apple App Store game releases. We cover them all - good and not so good - in their respective categories with a breakdown…” MORE »
• DS bundle deals in the Toys ‘R Us 2009 Big Toy Book
  “The Toys ‘R Us Big Toy Book ad arrived in this past Sunday’s (November 1, 2009) paper, and while it is filled with a number of big and pertinent video game releases, there aren’t really that many…” MORE »
• Aldi ad for November 4, 2009 offers a $249.99 Wii bundle deal
  “The Aldi ad for November 4-10, 2009 has a pretty nice Wii bundle deal, if you’re looking to pick one up for a friend or family member this holiday season. The custom bundle is billed as a Nintendo Wii…” MORE »
• Toys R Us ad for November 6-7, 2009 features multiple game bargains
  “If you check your mailboxes, you may find a Toys ‘R Us circular proclaiming that a massive sale is going to be held Friday, November 6, 2009 from 9am to 12am and Saturday, November 7,…” MORE »
• Latest Persona 3 Portable details revealed at AtlusNet
  “AtlusNet.jp updated recently with many new details about Persona 3 Portable, the PSP port/remake of Persona 3, which came out November 1, 2009. The most obvious and talked about addition is the ability to play as a heroine…” MORE »
• Nintendo downloads for November 2, 2009
  ”  There’s a large assortment of downloadable games available today for Wii and DSi owners. There are three new WiiWare games, two Virtual Console classics and three DSiWare games. Not…” MORE »
• Advertorial: Binverse, the next evolution In downloads
  “Experience what it’s like to download at unlimited speeds from a massive collection of over 800 Terabytes of user uploads. You’ll max out your Internet connection downloading a file in minutes that would take hours using other technologies.  Binverse utilizes 256-bit…” MORE »
• Doom cover artist Don Ivan Punchatz dies at 73
  “The man behind one of the most well-known game covers in history died October 22, 2009. Don Ivan Punchatz created art for National Lampoon, Playboy and National Geographic during his decades-long career.  He suffered a heart attack October 11, 2009,…” MORE »
• Gamertell Review: Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga for Wii
  “Title: Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga Price: $39.99 System: Wii Release Date: September 29, 2009 Publisher (Developer): Xseed Games (K2) ESRB Rating: “Teen” for alcohol reference, blood, fantasy violence MORE »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

As a followup to the 2008 Pac-Man mini arcade cabinet ornament, Hallmark is sticking with the same theme.

This year’s ornament is a miniaturized reproduction of the Galaga arcade cabinet (QXI1365) complete with mini buttons, mini joystick, lights and sounds. Press the buttons and you are treated to several seconds of classic tuneage including the intro and what sounds like the first wave of diving aliens. The top panel of the cabinet also lights up so the Galaga logo glows a bit. Aside from the effects, the cabinet also features a mini “screen shot” of the game.

Galaga is one of the great early arcade shooters and was released in arcades by Midway in 1981 (in the US). It features a flying-in-formation row of aliens that periodically swoop down and try to zap your semi-fixed ship. It was a followup to the 1979 release of Galaxian.

The battery operated ornament is all plastic, only 4.25 in. tall and retails for $18.50. I’ve already spotted it in a few non-Hallmark stores.

Although Hallmark has not yet called this a continuing series it sure is starting to shape up as one. Here a list of previous game-themed ornaments:

• 2008 -  Pac-Man mini arcade cabinet ornament with sound effects ($18,50 QXI2154)
• 2007 - Player 1 game controller ornament with sound effects ($15.00, QXG2119)
• 2006 - GameOn ornament (QXG3346) featuring the words “Game On” in bright green, the image of a joystick and a modern game controller with stars and a few explosion-esque graphics behind it.

Hey, if Hallmarks released a few more mini arcade cabinet ornaments you can create your own action figure-sized video game arcade.

Other geeky noteworthy ornaments include Robby the Robot a la Forbidden Planet ($18.50), three classic theme Star Trek ornaments including a Starfleet Phaser ornament with sound effects ($18.50), four Star Wars ornaments including Luke’s landspeeder from Star Wars: A New Hope ($22.50 and the Han Solo ornament looks like it’s been done before unless I’m thinking of action figures), seven comic book heroes and a “Jingle Bell Rock” guitar with sound effects ($16.50).

They also snuck in the Ectomobile from Ghosbusters with sound effects ($18.50). Finally, for those who have the purple-pink PSP, there is a Hanna Montana ornament as well ($16.50).

Product Page [Hallmark Keepsake Galaga Ornament] Read [Gamertell]

Full Story » | Written by PJ Hruschak for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

When Midway filed bankruptcy, one of the potentially lucrative licenses it had was the right to make games based on TNA Wrestling. When Warner Bros. bought the company it picked up the rights to several Midway games but PWInsider said the TNA game wasn’t one of them.

PWInsider’s TNA sources said the rights may bounce back to TNA since Warner Bros. wasn’t interested in purchasing them. TNA officials won’t comment on what, if anything, is happening with the game. TNA Impact sold one million units with reviews being just so-so.

Still, wrestling games have a built-in fan base and TNA is still basking in the publicity glow of a partnership with wrestling legend Hulk Hogan. Wrestling needs more competition in terms of programming and video games, so here’s hoping something works out.

Read [PWInsider] Also Read [Baltimore Sun]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Product A: IntelliScanner Mini
Price A: $179 (scanner), $249 (scanner plus all programs)
Product B: Opticon OPN-2001
Price B: $139.95 (scanner); $179 (plus one program)
Rating: Two thumbs up, 90/100; A-; * * * * out of five.
Pros: Easy to install, easy to use, wide beam and nice design. Very portable, stores a massive number of codes and works with most, if not all, barcode software.
Cons: The price. So small and light it might be easy to lose in a purse.
Overall: Worth the price if you have hundreds of items to scan, especially if you have more than one type of media collection.

This was originally going to a two separate reviews, one for the Opticon OPN-2100 handheld laser scanner and another the IntelliScanenr Mini handheld laser scanner. After using both with Collectorz Game Collector (and Movie Collector) software, however, I could not find any discernible differences in physical design or performance.

The only differences between the products are tiny cosmetics, the accompanying accessories and the prices.

Gettin’ Physical

Both weigh exactly 1 oz (30g) and measure 2 3/8 inches tall, 1 3/16 in. wide and 9/16 in. thick.

Coloring is the same: black plastic main body, action button and mini reset button with silver edging with identical size, shape and placement. The sticker on the back of each is the same shape and even the screws are identical.

The only physical difference is the printed logo on the front and the text on the back label.

The Opticon scanner ($139.95), sent from Collectorz, came with in a small, plain white box packed tightly with the basic necessities: Scanner, mini CD-Rom (manuals and basic software), a 6-foot long USB cable and a silver-gray lanyard to wear it around your neck.

The IntelliScanner Mini ($179) shipped in a larger box due to the cube-shaped tin (4 3/4 x 4 3/4 x 4 3/4 in) that the scanner was in. Items inside the tin include: Scanner, 6-foot USB cable, a silver-gray lanyard, quick start guide, 20 sample labels (10 blank and 10 pre-printed), On-The-Go Card (for quantity scans) and small pouch. The rest of the tin is black foam padding.

Nice Beams

Both scanners claim to store up to 10,000 UPC codes (sorry, there’s not enough time to test that limit) and have USB interface. The USB port, on the right side of the scanner(s), fits the standard USB plug found with most digital cameras although both scanner shipped with a cable. You can then plug the scanners into a PC (Windows or Mac) and use software to grab the codes.

The scanners are considered wireless as they do not need to be connected to a computer to scan although you can do that, too.

Both scanners project a red laser beam when the scan button is pressed, with the beam lasting 5 seconds or until it reads a UPC code. The button blinks green while scanning and red when the scan is over and unsuccessful. The beam can easily be seen six to eight feet away and will successfully scan UPCs on non-reflective surfaces up to 2 feet away from he device. When a scan is read, the devices give off a tone (a double “bee-beep” going from a higher pitch to lower pitch) and the scan button stays green for an extra second.

The scans are very accurate, grabbing any UPC code to toss the beam at and store it in order that it was acquired. Because of this you need to make certain you only scan the media you want to record, otherwise the codes will be mixed together and un-cataloged codes are usually deleted when extracting codes from the device. This may be the only real flaw of these scanners but also a current cost limitation since onboard media recognition would likely require another button or software inside the device.

The scanners performed equally well with no misread codes out of approximately 1000 scans each. I tested both scanners with two Collectorz applications: Game Collector and Movie Collector. I scanned a maximum of approximately 100 items at a time (from experience using scanners and losing track of where I left off scanning).

Issues only occurred when the UPC bars were obscured, cut or wrinkled plastic got in the way and those were not misread codes but, instead, unread codes. The scanners were precises enough that even a tiny sliver of the complete car code could be read and, in the case of annoying reflections, using an alternate angle - even turning the scanner up side down - resulted in a clean scan. In the case of the Collectorz applications, you can manually enter UPC codes or search the company’s database by media (game or movie) title.

Side Note: There is free software online that will allow you to simply regurgitate gathered UPCs into a flat text file or even Excel. The matter becomes translating those codes into useful date. A few web sites have UPC databases and a simple web search will often find your product but ready-to-use database-based software significantly cuts down the hunt-and-peck time.

The scanners have built-in rechargeable batteries that are charged whenever they are plugged into the computer via USB cable. Recharging takes little time (manual reports 2.5 hours) and works for a lot of scans 9manual claims 1000 but you will likely plug it in to download UPCs before then).

Scansalot

If you have a large collection of videos, books and games, either scanner will certainly save a lot of time and prove very useful. Both scanners, along with appropriate software, will save you a lot of time – often hours if not days – and are easy to use

The only downfall will be the price. If you plan to utilize more than one application or simply have a huge collection you need to organize, one of these hand scanners will be a blessing. That’s where you need to do you own time-to-cost evaluation.

As a loose guideline, if you have only a couple shelves of games, save the money and just get some organizational software. If, however, you have a couple shelving units filled with movies or games and don’t plan to stop buying physical media, consider this a useful investment.

The Opticon is less expensive scanner and comes with essentially the same accessories as the IntelliScanner. So if just buying the scanner, buy through Collectorz first. A scanner with software, however, you’ll need to figure out exactly what you need (and want).

Site [Intelliscanner Mini] Site [Opticon OPN-2001]

Full Story » | Written by PJ Hruschak for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Good news for fans of the Arc System Works fighter BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger that Aksys so thoughtfully brought to North America - its spreading to another system. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is being ported to the PSP as BlazBlue Portable. Arc Systems Works recently announced the new project and Famitsu confirms it.

BlazBlue Portable‘s going to be as similar to BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger as possible, going by 1Up‘s report. All the characters from BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger will be there and there’ll be ad-hoc wireless multiplayer. The only new addition is Legion Mode, which has your fighter conquering a map by taking part in fights against other characters. Sounds like another good reason to play the game.

BlazBlue Portable‘s just been announced in Japan, so there’s no word yet on any other potential additions. Pretty much all we know is it’s a port and it’ll be out February 25, 2010. A worldwide release hasn’t been announced yet, but given the success of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger it seems likely.

Read [1Up] Also Read [Siliconera]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

In an expletive-filled interview with Sounds Like Fire, rapper DMX lashed out against both the music and video game industries regarding how much of the proceeds they share with artists that make the products possible.

Specifically, DMX was upset with the offer Def Jam made to him to appear in the sequel to Def Jam Vendetta. “X” was an unlockable character in the 2003 fighting game that featured superstar rappers pummeling each other over contracts and disrespect.

He said some people offered him a $25,000 signing bonus and two cents for every copy of every game sold to appear in the sequel Def Jam:Fight for New York. He declined because of his experience with Vendetta.

“Mind you they used my music throughout the whole———- game and I’m the hardest character to get to, so it’s pretty much like my——,” the rapper said in the interview. “$50 dollar———- game and you’re giving me two cents? Let me think about that for a minute.”

It’s a shame he didn’t appear as it sounds as if his real life frustrations with people in the industry would have made an outstanding addition to the story mode of any fighting game.

Read [Sounds Like Fire] Also Read [Game Politics]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga
Price: $39.99
System: Wii
Release Date: September 29, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Xseed Games (K2)
ESRB Rating: “Teen” for alcohol reference, blood, fantasy violence
Pros: Long adventure, numerous side quests, robust class and character system, online co-op multiplayer.
Cons: Bad graphics, horrible audio, terrible melee combat control, clumsy UI and dumb AI.
Overall Score: Two thumbs down; 58/100; F; 1/2 out of 5

Boy, Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga sure sounds impressive, doesn’t it? The title makes it sound like a game that shouldn’t just be played but conquered. There should be figures and books and a movie. It just sounds epic.

Sadly, it’s not.

This is a game that sucks the joy out of gaming and that’s too bad because there probably is something great buried under the many layers of muck.

Layer One: You’ve Been Here Before

The story is fine, if not typical. An ancient meteor shower awakened foul creatures in what becames the age of chaos until humans, elves, dwarves and halflings banded together to drive them back. That alliance fell apart and the races settled back into mistrust.

Things are getting wonky again, so, guess who gets to try and save the world?

Nearly everything about this adventure is typical of every role-playing game you’ve played before. Eldar Saga brings nothing new to the table and, normally, that’s fine. RPG fans want and expect certain things. There’s a decent mixture of story and combat. There’s plenty of “dungeon crawling.” There’s a massive world with plenty of non-player characters to engage and enemies to fight. There are swords and magic. There’s a robust character control system with plenty of options for leveling up, assigning your skills and choosing a class. There are dudes with ugly hair and women in thigh-high boots. What else could we possibly want?

Well, controls that work would be a nice start.

Layer Two: You’re Not Ready to Fight

There are two major problems with the controls. First, they’re sluggish to the point of slow motion. Your character moves so slowly that, without exaggeration, you’ll hit your action button three times before you can even tell he’s moving. That’s bad enough but combine that with combo attacks and you’re stuck swinging at nothing but air for three attacks while your enemy has jumped behind you, hit you and probably gotten in a few stabs at your partner as well. This is completely unforgivable. I tried to compensate by swinging early as my enemy charges but that doesn’t work. It seems that if the game can’t figure out who I’m attacking, it won’t let me attack.

Adding to that problem is that you can call up your menus while the battle is progressing. I think this is supposed to be a feature but it only gets in the way. Hit the wrong button, and you’ll find yourself shuffling through potions instead of attacking. Don’t back out far enough and guess what? You’re shuffling through potions instead of attacking.

Layer Three: Your Friends are Idiots

You can hire NPC mercenaries to help you on your adventures but they’re not much help. They’ll constantly get stuck behind walls or ledges and, when you think someone has your back, he doesn’t. He’s not smart enough to walk around a rock. So, you die. Or he dies. If he does, you can stand still for ten to fifteen minutes while waiting for his health meter to reach the point where he comes back into play. If you die, you can go back to the beginning of the level and try again but for half the reward. Whether you do that or just reset and start over, you’re stuck trudging through the same bland scenery and listening to those relentless footsteps and fighting the same respawning enemies.

Layers Four Through ?: Your Adventure Feels More Like Work

The graphics in this game are drab and without detail. When it rains or when it’s nighttime, the color palate doesn’t change or dim. Instead the details just disappear. It’s like you’re playing the game on a PC that can’t handle the graphics, so you’ve turned them down as far as they can do in order to get a playable frame rate.

As bad as the graphics are, the audio is worse. Something as basic as footsteps are so loud and fake sounding—like someone whacking a shopping bag with a tennis racket over and over—that it’s painful to even move in this game.

To make things even more difficult to take, enemies respawn. Considering how painful combat is, it’s almost unbearable to kill some goblins, orcs or whatever they are, run down a hallway, figure out you ran down the wrong hallway, turn around and fight the exact same enemies. Spend to long lining up your potions and the the enemy you killed only a minute or two ago gets retribution. You’d love to just keep running but you can’t because the sound of your footsteps is giving you a headache.

When you are lucky enough to kill an enemy, it’ll often drop an item for you to pick up. Let’s say it’s a pair of boots and you appraise them to find out they’re better boots than the one you have. Can you put them on? No. Because that would make sense. Rather, you’re stuck carrying them around until you get home because you can only change your armor and such when at one of your bases.

Layer Five: Just Stop Digging Already

I could go on but I won’t. I feel as guilty asking you to read about Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga as I would asking you to play it. Once you finish the game, you can play through it again as a female character but chances are great you won’t bother finishing it the first time unless you have to review it.

There’s a multiplayer component but don’t do that to your friends or to complete strangers. Just avoid this game. If you’re in desperate need of an action RPG to hold you over until The Crystal Bearers comes out then remain desperate.

Site [Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga]

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

The Apple App Store gaming update is Gamertell’s weekly look at the previous week’s Apple App Store game releases. We cover them all - good and not so good - in their respective categories with a breakdown of the great games and the free games right where you want ‘em, at the top and in your face. The list is available every Monday, right as you are about to start that long work week.

This first week of November 2009 brings us the biggest update we have seen in awhile. Tons of games for you guys and gals to choose from including Virtual Villagers 3, Word Spin, and DOOM Classic. If none of those do it for you, there are still plenty of other games to choose from.

What’s Free

BomberDove Lite
“BomberDove is a fun and addicting shooting game with a comic touch! Have you ever been bombed by a dove? Now’s your chance to get your revenge. Shoot the doves to score as many point as you can within the time limit on Timed Mode.”

Fantasy Warrior: Good & Evil Free
“Good or Evil? What side will you choose? Step into a world of heroes, villains, and legends as you join this epic conflict in Fantasy Warrior. Fight for good through 5 quests with sword in hand as you get a taste of this epic adventure. Purchase the Full Version and journey through a vast world of deep dungeons, scorching deserts, and misty marshes as you make your mark by playing both sides of the story. Crusade for good as Rento the valiant warrior or fight for evil as Vera the beautiful, but deadly vampire countess! Fulfill your destiny on quests to advance the powers of light – or darkness – as you enjoy a massive fantasy adventure full of hours of gameplay!”

Adventure Zones Lite
“Do you like simple but strategic games such as “Chess” or “Reversi” that competing with your friends? Or, do you like “Solitaire” type of game that you play solo? If then, you will love our “Adventure Zones”. Measure your wits in the adventure world. As a Treasure Hunter, you will have to collect various treasures throughout the world. You can obtain treasure by linking the block roads. Rules are simple, but circumstance changes simultaneously depends on what strategy you have. Make the game yours while competing with your rivals.”

Chupacabra Killer LITE
“A Chupacabra is on the loose, sucking the blood from animals and leaving them for dead! Kill as many animals as you, as fast as you can.. But watch out for the snipers, they are trying to capture you before you can mangle the innocent little prey. Even a blood thirsty Chupacabra has difficulty catching prey sometimes, so there are awesome weapons to pick up and use against them. Hear the prey scream and the blood splatter as you sink your teeth into them!”

Transylvania Adventure
“Princess Sabrina needs you! Come play the classic adventure game Transylvania™, the perfect escape for Halloween! You will wander a haunted landscape and face a howling werewolf, a sinister vampire, and other supernatural foes on your quest to find and rescue the princess!”

Battle Zone 1942 Lite
“Inspired by the classic Seawolf, Battle Zone 1942 is a fast-paced arcade action game coupled with fresh innovative gameplay features. for fans of the Original Seawolf, as well as old and new players to the action game genre, this game is for you!”

Squared! Free
“Squared! Free is Quick and Addictive Arcade Action! This is the ad supported full version. How to Play: Drag the center black square to collect other black squares! Pick up the black circle for a power-up. Watch out for red squares! It’s easy to learn, hard to master! Compete on the worldwide leaderboard featuring your country flag. The perfect two-minute time killer.”

ArtemisLite
“Artemis is a vertical scrolling shoot’em’up game! Keldor - the emperor of Morag built a new fleet and is trying to conquer the galaxy once again! With your modern R4000-2 space ship you can try to destroy a crucial part of Keldors evil robot fleet!”

Sock Slider
“Sock Slider is an addictive pick-up-and-play game that simulates the physics and fun of running and sliding in your socks. The objectives are simple- either run and slide across the floor as far as you can, or see how many times you can slide into the circle.”

Monster Ball Lite
“Monster Ball is a turn based strategy game that builds on the simplicity of checker without getting as complex (*ehm* and boring) as chess. This lite version features 3 of the 16 levels in the full version, annihilation game mode and single player gameplay.”

Backgammon NJ Lite
“Backgammon NJ Lite is fully-functional with no ads. The only difference from the full version is that the lite version includes Manual Rolls only. That is, you’ll need to roll real dice and enter your rolls into the game. With this lite version, you’ll be able to clearly see all of the features of the game: how well the AI plays, the look and feel of the game, how Hints & Tutor mode can help you improve your game, etc. If you like Backgammon NJ Lite, get the full version for automatically generated dice rolls and all the same great features! Backgammon NJ is a full-featured backgammon game which uses an advanced, neural network-based, artificial intelligence. Players of all skill levels can match wits against a computer opponent or play against another person in 2-player mode on a single device. Discriminating players will appreciate how well the AI plays. It uses a neural network trained on millions of positions, a bearoff database, and a match equity table to achieve strong gameplay that will challenge even expert players.”

Gas Tycoon 2 Lite
“If you have already played in the classic pipe puzzle game, such as “Pipe Mania” or “Pipe Dream”, then you’re familiar with this genre. Game “Gas Tycoon 2” is a development of this genre, where you have to lay a pipeline from sources to consumers of ready-made elements by their rotation in opposite directions. If you have already played in the first part of the “Gas Tycoon”, then you’ll love this sequel. We tried to make the game more interesting, more beautiful, and created more and more new levels.”

Falling Sands Free 2
“Falling Sands Free 2 is the sequel to the hit simulation game Falling Sands. Remember the classic sand games found on the web way back when? Now you can enjoy it on the go with Falling Sands Free 2! There’s no objectives in Falling Sands Free 2, you simply choose a particle (“sand”) type, the size of the brush, and draw along the screen with a swipe. As the sands mix, they each interact differently allowing for some neat visuals. Make a calming water based game, or go destructive with smelter, fire, and plants! Falling Sands Free 2 fully supports the accelerometer allowing interesting moments when you tip your device. Also supported are custom backgrounds including support for your photo album.”

Perfect Balance: Lost Trials
“Rotate and stack shapes, and try to achieve perfect balance in this physics puzzle! The third Perfect Balance game for iPhone & iPod Touch with 30 new and unique levels. And this time it’s free! Play this and you’ll see why both Perfect Balance: Harmony and Perfect Balance: Inferno have gotten great reviews… Perfect Balance was released as a Flash 9 game at the beginning of 2009, and over 7 million players have enjoyed its challenges after the game hit the biggest Flash games sites in the Internet world wide. If you like games like Tetris, Topple, 99 Bricks, Tower Bloxx and Super Stacker, you just might love Perfect Balance! Girls play it, too!”

Explosion! FREE
“Explosion! FREE is a skill game that will try out your memory, reflexes and timing in an attempt to defuse a dangerous bomb, before it esplodes! Thanks to the e-Defuser™ in fact, you can enter certain codes, using the keypad, in order to prevent the explosion. Find the highest number of hidden words, organized into different categories, as fast as you can… but be careful! Guess each word before time runs out, otherwise the bomb will esplode, ending your game! It won’t be an easy task to decipher the sequence of 50 hidden words, because after each error (wrong letter) the timer will increase its speed, getting you closer and closer to a very explosive epilogue!”

What’s New

Action

DOOM Classic: Price: $6.99
“Welcome to Hell! Prepare to relive the First Person Shooter that defined a generation with the legendary original DOOM - now on the iPhone. As a space marine stationed on the planet Mars, you are all that stands between the armies of Hell and their invasion of planet Earth! DOOM Classic includes the original three episodes as well as Episode Four, Thy Flesh Consumed, spread across 36 levels of non-stop carnage and action. Choose from customizable control schemes, all designed by id Software co-founder and industry legend, John Carmack. Wield unforgettable weapons like the Chainsaw and the BFG 9000 while fighting through notorious monsters like the Imp, Cacodemon, and Hell Knight! In DOOM Classic, multiplayer action is reborn! With a wireless connection, battle up to four players in Deathmatch mode, or work together cooperatively and fight back against the demons of Hell.”

Amy’s Dessert Shop: Price: $0.99
“Running a dessert shop is the dream of Amy since childhood and she is going to make her dream come true. In order to raise capital and gain experience, Aunt Mary has helped her with getting several jobs so she can earn more money. Through referrals, Amy managed to get 3 jobs at the same time working at a pancake shop, an ice-cream shop and a cake shop to gain more experience. She is working very hard and learning as much as she can. She believes she can run her own dessert shop in the very near future. Amy’s Dessert Shop is a time management game which offers fast paced action and innovative game play. Player will play as shop owner and efficiently serve 60 kinds of desserts. In order to satisfy each customer’s different needs, the player has to response fast enough to manage different orders.”

Blood Beach: Price: $2.99
“You are hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned and have no option or hope except to fight and win. You are alone. Just you, your guns, and the thin stretch of what you call Blood Beach stand between you and the whole of the Japanese Imperial Navy… Blood Beach is an authentic WW2 sim in the classic arcade style. You are the lone defender of a remote listening post in the Solomon islands. While you have an impressive arsenal including the M2 BMG, Bofors 40mm, and of course your Thompson SMG, the Imperial Japanese Navy will throw everything they can muster at you, “Zeros”, “Bettys” , even Nagato class battleships in their methodical and relentless push to recapture the Solomon’s.”

Jean’s Boutique: Price: $2.99
“Jean’s Boutique Time Management Game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Manage your own virtual Jean’s Boutique. Run your own Jean’s Boutique, a great fashion game combined with the fun of serving customers. To make it in the fast-paced world of fashion, Jean will need to be fast on her feet, dedicated to her customers, wise in her upgrades. For fast fashion fun, there’s no place like Jean’s Boutique!”

Fantasy Warrior: Good & Evil: Price: $4.99
“Good or Evil? What side will you choose? Step into a world of heroes, villains, and legends as you join this epic conflict in Fantasy Warrior. Journey through a vast world of deep dungeons, scorching deserts, and misty marshes as you make your mark by playing both sides of the story. Crusade for good as Rento the valiant warrior or fight for evil as Vera the beautiful, but deadly vampire countess! Fulfill your destiny on quests to advance the powers of light – or darkness – as you enjoy a massive fantasy adventure full of hours of gameplay!”

SUSHI-DO: Price: $0.99
“SUSHI-DO” is an unprecedented action puzzle game. The sense of speed that kept the flick operation that is one of the characteristics of iPhone/iPod touch alive is a game to overflow. The stage is a sushi shop of EDO period. It is a fight of three SAMURAI who have the appetite without exhausted and workman of the sushi.”

Black Eyed Zombies: Price: $1.99
“The Zombies are out tonight! They only have one goal - kill you. You only have one goal - kill them. Blast them down while dodging the ghouls and goblins. Don’t let the bats and ghosts knock you down. Earn bigger weapons by catching the falling skulls. Earn additional life by catching cake dropped by the scooter girl. Don’t let the Zombie lawn mower run you down. Kill the devil beasts and win the game! Listen to our Zombie killing music or start your iTunes with something good from Nine Inch Nails while you splatter Zombies.”

Taxi Fight!: Price: $0.99
“Under the busy city lights, Taxi Fight! puts you in a quick race against time and traffic to catch a cab. Just tap a waiting passenger, then tap any available taxi to get them hustling on their way. The more passengers you get into free cabs, the more fares your taxi company earns. But wouldn’t you know it – the more success you have, the faster the cabs speed along the city streets, making them a real challenge to chase down. If your passengers have to wait too long for a cab, they’ll literally explode in rage. And if one of them is run over, game over!”

Adventure

Adventure Zones: Price: $0.99
“Do you like simple but strategic games such as “Chess” or “Reversi” that competing with your friends? Or, do you like “Solitaire” type of game that you play solo? If then, you will love our “Adventure Zones”. Measure your wits in the adventure world. As a Treasure Hunter, you will have to collect various treasures throughout the world. You can obtain treasure by linking the block roads. Rules are simple, but circumstance changes simultaneously depends on what strategy you have. Make the game yours while competing with your rivals.”

Aether Fighter: Price: $0.99
“Aether Fighter is a 2D shooting game in the “shoot’em up” style of arcade games like Galaga and Space Invader.You need to fight a space army,levels get harder and harder,your main challenge is surviving and useing the cannon to bring down as many invaders as you can in order to defeat the invasion. This is inspired on classic arcade games with updated graphics and sound.It also leverages the unique iPhone user interface to make the game even funier. You can tap anywhere on the screen to shoot and use the accelerometer to control your cannon. Save the world and have fun!”

Alice in Bomberland: Price: $1.99
“From the designer/programmer of the hit game Topple, and the visual artist from Braid, Sonic Boom presents Alice in Bomberland! Alice in Bomberland brings a new spin to the classical stories and characters from legendary author Lewis Carroll. Help Alice collect the missing pages of her story as she tries to outlast the explosive attacks of the fantasy world that is Bomberland. Don’t worry though; you’ll come across fantastic powerups to help you on your way through this bizarre world. See you down the rabbit hole!”

MarsRover: Price: $0.99
“Take a perilous journey across Martian landscape in this unique platform, physics game built specifically for the iPhone. Navigate your space AV over challenging terrains while avoiding destruction by evil Martians, land mines, wicked projectiles, or even falling into bottomless chasms. Marsrover is a fun addictive game with original graphics and stunning effects. Particle explosions set off by landmines and missiles will have your adrenaline glands on overdrive. Your AV’s shocks recoil to absorb ground collisions on this rough terrain. Tilting your device to control speed. Drive slowly over rough surface to prevent rollovers. Using the trusty hand brake for emergency stop will ensure you stay alive. Have fun exploring Mars! Check out video samples at www.redskygames.com”

Chupacabra Killer: Price: $0.99
“A Chupacabra is on the loose, sucking the blood from animals and leaving them for dead! Kill as many animals as you, as fast as you can.. But watch out for the snipers, they are trying to capture you before you can mangle the innocent little prey. Even a blood thirsty Chupacabra has difficulty catching prey sometimes, so there are awesome weapons to pick up and use against them. Hear the prey scream and the blood splatter as you sink your teeth into them!”

Ocean Hunters: Price: $0.99
“The ocean flows with many treasures. Do you wanna experience a ocean-hunter’s life? You may choose a character from two to start your expedition. Come On! As a ocean-hunter, you need to work hard to unlock the piscary. And then catch the fishes, search for the treasures as many as you can. The expedition through the seas was fraught with challenges and dangers. You may learn some skills to strengthen yourself.”

Totemo: Price: $0.99
“Unloose the spirit. Break the spell. TOTEMO is a game designed to soothe your mind and train your brain. Uncover the mystery hidden between the realms in a unique puzzle game. Travel to enchanted places of the past with your witch doctor guide and solve over 60 logic tasks. Play at your own pace. Think hard and weight carefully your next move, or just stroke your moves intuitively and let the solution emerge in front of your eyes. Play the survival mode for extra challenge, make your stand against the time and write your name into the on-line leaderboards.”

Hamster Hunt: Price: $0.99
“When Cute Attacks - An ill-fated experiment leaves rampaging mutant hamsters out for blood. Now the mad scientist has to bring out his super weapons to stop these killer hamsters before they overrun the world!”

Arcade

Big Buck Hunter Pro: Price: $2.99
“No confusing navigation controls or disorienting scope work. Just intuitive arcade fun with the replayability you have come to expect from Big Buck Hunter Pro. Simple concept, challenging execution: shoot the three biggest whitetail bucks you can find (per site) without hitting any does. But be careful—innocent does and crafty critters will try to distract your keen hunter’s eye at every step. With a combination of kill distance, impact location (where you hit the deer), and number of shots for the kill, a skilled hunter can achieve Big Buck Hunter glory with higher scores to flaunt on the networked leaderboards. Big Buck Hunter Pro also features integration into the BBHP arcade network allowing players to track their own personal Arcade Leaderboards and Hunting Party statistics right from their iPhone or iPod touch.”

Squared!: Price: $0.99
“Squared! is Quick and Addictive Arcade Action! How to Play: Drag the center black square to collect other black squares! Watch out for red squares! Pick up the black circle for power-up. It’s easy to learn, hard to master! Compete on the worldwide leaderboard featuring your country flag. The perfect two-minute time killer.”

MoneyTalks: Wealth Simulation: Price: $2.99
“With this game you will be able to change your routine insights on the money, bank account balance or cold cash. As soon as you cross the “poverty line” in the game you cross it in sensational world that keeps the very secret of dissonance between your mind and reality. The reality decrees that when you change your feelings, your profits change as well! The more you are “in contact” with the big money in your mind, the more you feel it is real. Gaining the power of habit to think differently about money opens the door to riches. Ease your doubts and try for yourself with the magical MoneyTalks game!”

Crazy Neighb: Price: $1.99
“Ever have that neighbor who annoys you? Rather than keep all of that anger bottle up, why not do some fight back? Now, you have the chance, Crazy Neighb, an amazingly funny and intensive fighting game. In this game, you are going to choose your favorite character to fight with your “neighbor”. Don’t hesitate, enjoy the game and play with your friends!”

Jungle Swing: Price: $0.99
“Jungle Swing is an extremely addictive, fast-paced, pick up and play game.  The goal is simple - swing your monkey from tree to tree and also use your handy jetpack to travel as far as you can.  That’s right, the monkey has a freaking jetpack! It’s Jungle Swing’s simplicity and addictiveness that will keep you coming back for more. If you’re a fan of games like Doodle Jump and Flight Control, you’ll love Jungle Swing. It’s simple addicting fun!”

To The Point: Price: $0.99
“You’ve got some arrows. You’ve got some targets. Your targets are varied. You’ve got your targetty target. You’ve got your squirrely target. And you’ve got your girly target. Hit the regular target and you get points. The more points, the happier you become. And we all strive for happiness, no? The squirrel awards with time! After all, that is what squirrels do. Fancy yourself a modern-day William Tell? Shoot the apple off the girl’s head for glorious points! But ... aim carefully or suffer the consequences should you hit the girl instead! Now, go forth and fling some arrows through the air at high velocities for no good reason at all! Enjoy!”

Board

Monster Ball: Price: $0.99
“Big guys eat smaller guys and grow bigger. But watch out! Once greed takes over and you grow too large, you will explode into 1000 pieces scattering the neighbors with green goo. Find the right balance, take tactical advantage of the myriad of special tiles like splitters, clone machines and bazookas and you will be victorious with a big, sarcastic smile on your lips. Monster Ball plays across platforms, so you can sit at school on your PC or Mac and battle your friend on his iPhone on the bus. Tired of the 10+ maps that ship with the game? Simply download some new ones! Welcome to the world of nasty green monster balls!”

Fruit Dish: Price: $0.99
“There are 7 kinds of fruits. Each time there are three fruits displayed randomly. Anytime the same kind of fruit combine in a line over 5, they will disappear. Tap the fruit that you want to move and then tap the blank. There must be a path without barrier between the fruit and the aim space. Game over when there are less than 3 blanks. Each 5 fruits disappear you will get 10 scores. More fruits disappear one time more scores you get.”

DINGBATS: Price: $2.99
“DINGBATS are cunningly disguised names, phrases and sayings that are turned around, upside-down, sideways or jumbled up. HOW TO SOLVE? You need to work out the hidden word or phrase on each card. It could be the size, position or direction that will give you a clue. Sometimes, the pictures combined with a word or a number will give you your answer. If you get stumped by a puzzle, just relax and come back to it later. Then, when you figure it out you’re sure to let out what we call the “Dingbats Ahhh!” We have included a “PASS” button but use it wisely, as you are only awarded a few passes!”

Gas Tycoon 2: Price: $1.99
“If you have already played in the classic pipe puzzle game, such as “Pipe Mania” or “Pipe Dream”, then you’re familiar with this genre. Game “Gas Tycoon 2” is a development of this genre, where you have to lay a pipeline from sources to consumers of ready-made elements by their rotation in opposite directions. If you have already played in the first part of the “Gas Tycoon”, then you’ll love this sequel. We tried to make the game more interesting, more beautiful, and created more and more new levels.”

Card

Sweet Pairs: Price: $0.99
“This is a card matching game. It uses the traditional playing cards so that adults can play it. Tap a card to flip it. Shake the device during the game to bring up a quit menu. Change backgrounds and card images in the options. Play with either 28 or 54 cards. Some say this game can enhance your memory.”

Casino

World Series of Poker Hold’em Legend: Price: $6.99
“Go from poker amateur to hold’em legend by winning prestigious WSOP events in Las Vegas and other casino venues around the world. This is the most authentic, fastest playing Texas hold’em poker game with an in-depth career mode and global real-time multiplayer. This is the real deal!”

Hot Poker Tour LIVE! World Texas Hold’em by Aftershock: Price: $4.99
“Enjoy Gorgeous Avatars! Play LIVE! With Real Players around the world!”

Dice

Snake and Ladder Classic: Price: $0.99
“Snake and Ladder, is a children’s board game in which children can play against the device or against another players. The game is called Chutes and Ladders in most other parts of the world. It is played between 2, 3, 4 players on a 5 multi-level playing board with numbers from 1 to 48 on grid squares. On certain squares on the grid are drawn a number of “ladders” connecting two squares together, and a number of “snakes” also connecting squares together. To play, you can use touch to roll the dice or simply shake the iPhone or iPod touch and then the respective beads move according to the result. When a player lands on a square containing the foot of a ladder, they move up to the top of the ladder. When a player lands on a square containing a snake’s head, they move down to the tail of snake.”

Educational

ABC Maze: Price: $0.99
“Control Birdie by tilting your iPhone or iPod Touch and help him catch all the runaway letters.”

Family

Catch me now!: Price: $0.99
“Test and improve your reflexes in this addictive game where you have to drag angel smiley around the screen and avoid devil smileys who are trying to catch you. This sounds easy enough but after initial warm up things get harder and harder because speed and number of devil smileys are increasing. There are 40 increasingly harder levels to play in normal mode but you can also try to break your personal record in time trial mode. Your all times best score gets automatically saved in both modes and you can also load this highest finished level in normal mode and continue playing from this level anytime you wish.”

Falling Sands 2: Price: $0.99
“Falling Sands 2 is the sequel to the hit simulation game Falling Sands. Remember the classic sand games found on the web way back when? Now you can enjoy it on the go with Falling Sands 2! There’s no objectives in Falling Sands 2, you simply choose a particle (“sand”) type, the size of the brush, and draw along the screen with a swipe. As the sands mix, they each interact differently allowing for some neat visuals. Make a calming water based game, or go destructive with smelter, fire, and plants! Falling Sands 2 fully supports the accelerometer allowing interesting moments when you tip your device. Also supported are custom backgrounds including support for your photo album. Falling Sands 2 will save your current game and background on exit too! Now you can play whenever you feel like it, and continue on at a later time!”

Thanksgiving Taps: Price: $0.99
“Thanksgiving and the autumn harvest are almost here, so it’s time to get your iPhone into the holiday spirit! Step inside the world of Thanksgiving, with the easy-to-play, finger-gripping game, Thanksgiving Taps! The object of the game is simple. Just tap the turkey, harvest bowl, cranberry, or pumpkin to score 10 points. As easy as that sounds, Thanksgiving Taps advances in difficulty with each point scored, so keep your focus on the iPhone screen and get ready to tap away! How many taps can you get?”

Music

RockQuiz-Classic Rock vol. 1: Price: $0.99
“How well do you know Classic Rock trivia? Great game for parties and to stump your friends… Unlike most quiz games… your score will be based on speed and accuracy. Free updates for life. Dozens of questions ranging from easy to super obscure. Rock On!”

Air Horn Premium: Price: $1.99
“Air Horn Premium” is your one stop shop for the most annoying horns ever known to man!”

Christmas Carols - Jingle Bells and more: Price: $0.99
“Get yourself in the festive seasons cause you know its the season to be jolly! Christmas Carols features many widely popular carols. Sing along with the provided lyrics! Jingle away to the relaxing tunes on your very own jingle bell! Merry Christmas!”

Puzzle

Perfect Balance: Lost Trials Gold: Price: $0.99
“Rotate and stack shapes, and try to achieve perfect balance in this physics puzzle! The third Perfect Balance game for iPhone & iPod Touch with 30 new and unique levels. And this time it’s free! Play this and you’ll see why both Perfect Balance: Harmony and Perfect Balance: Inferno have gotten great reviews…”

Glass Master: Price: $0.99
“Your task is to place pieces of broken stained-glass window on their former places. Controlling is highly intuitive. Grab and move piece of glass using one of your fingers and rotate it using another one.”

Puzzle Sylt: Price: $4.99
“Enjoy a different kind of puzzle!
Just take a break from the stresses and strains of everyday life!
You can play on a bus or train, in an airplane, a waiting room,
a car (but only as a passenger!) or on a long journey,
to relieve stress in the office or during boring meetings.
ME iPSylt is both enjoyable and relaxing. It’s a bit difficult to describe how it works, you simply have to give it a go and see for yourself. But this much we can explain:
Shake it once and a stack will form.
Shake it again and a random number of stacks will form in different positions. Different again on every second shake.
Each stack contains one or more pictures.
Pull a picture to an available position and start to do the puzzle.
However, you can also create your own stack – take a part of the puzzle from the overall picture and put it in another one.
Start first with one stack and then make 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.
The possibilities for variation are virtually unlimited.
Thus, you can set your own level.
Here’s a tip:
The last picture to be added to a stack is always the second in the stack.
Try it and see.
This is absolutely great fun and never gets boring.
”

KidsWordfind: Price: $0.99
“To play Kids Wordfind, select a wordlist from the options page and search for the hidden words by swiping with your finger or tap the first and last letter to reveal the word. When you identify a correct word, it is crossed off the list below the grid. Easy setting for new players and hard for older players. Beat the countdown clock and earn bonus points for the next level. The puzzles get harder with each new level, words start appearing in more directions and the time to complete them is reduced. Play again and beat your highest score.”

Racing

Cliffed: Price: $1.99
“Challenge your friends to the most addictive race to the bottom! IUGO presents its latest sensation in casual gaming with this frantic 2D scrolling racer. WARNING: This game will get your heart and fingers racing!”

HalloweenFly: Price: $0.99
“Halloween Fly is a game made for halloween. Very easy to play, but very fun. Some one said that “it’s SIMPLE but ADDICTIVE”. In Halloween Fly, you control the Cat, just by tapping the screen , flying over one car after another, eating some special sugars such as “SuperMan Sugar” and “Rocket Sugar”, avoiding monsters like bat, crow , even big ghost.”

Role Playing

Act ShakeGirl: Price: $0.99
“Tilt your iPod/iPhone and target RingRing with light. When RingRing is crying in the light TOUCH it to HIT them. If u hit RingRing 3 times it will die. U can also use “Special Power”
by touching 4 battery marks. U can SHAKE and boost UP Special Power
and get more CaloryPoint.”

Simulation

Virtual Villagers 3: The Secret City: Price: $1.99
“Virtual Villagers: The Secret City is the third chapter in the award-winning Virtual Villagers series from the creators of Fish Tycoon and Virtual Families. This is the same game that became a best-selling Windows and Mac sensation! Care for and nurture a tribe of little people by teaching them the basics of survival. Grow a small village in your iPhone: your little villagers have food needs, housing needs, technologies to research and diseases to fight! As the tribe grows and prospers, the villagers become curious about the ruined city they have discovered and the secrets it holds. The game continues to progress in true real time, even when your iPhone is turned off, so don’t forget to check in regularly to care for your tribe, help them gain skills and technology, and enable them to discover the secrets that lay waiting for them. How will you lead your tribe?”

Pocket Oinko: Price: $0.99
“Have you always wanted a friend in your pocket? Invite Oinko to move in and keep you company! Oinko is a cute little pig with a mind of his own, living inside your iPhone or iPod touch. Watch him as he eats, sleeps, bathes, plays and uses the restroom. Guide him through his daily routine by suggesting things to do. Keeping Oinko happy rewards you with bonus points. Use these to buy him more toys and snacks. Pocket Oinko has dozens of unique animations and events, and plenty of items for him to interact with. Every major update will add more content for you and Oinko to enjoy together!”

Sports

Real Deer Hunting: Price: $0.99
“Introducing Real Deer Hunting from the developers of the original Deer Hunter game – and founders of the hunting game genre back in 1997. Real Deer Hunter is the first in a series of ultra realistic hunting games. Real Deer Hunting boasts realistic deer behaviors, outstanding graphics, and the most immersive hunting experience available. Hunt the hardwoods of snowy Indiana or the scrubby plains of rugged Texas all while being surrounded by the sounds of nature, blowing clouds, falling snow, or pouring rain! Use your hunting skills to call in doe, bucks, or elusive, non-typical monster bucks! Deer have real-life behaviors: they wander to food sources, hear your calls, and respond to your scent and movement. A spray of cover scent will keep you hidden while you spot distant deer with range-finding binoculars. Use rattling antlers and doe bleat or buck grunt calls to attract the biggest buck for your trophy. Unlock new stands as you work toward the most prized hunting spots in the state!”

Pocket Billiard: Price: $1.99
“There are two game modes those are single play mode and Vs play mode. Single play mode is for practice and enjoying your self Vs play mode is played by turns. You can see white balls and yellow balls on the right side. The yellow balls are disappeared when you cue but the white ball is deposited or the other balls are not deposited. If the 6 yellow balls are all disappeared, one of white ball is disappeared.”

Pocket Putt: Price: $0.99
“18 holes of fun challenging Putt Putt golf in the palm of your hand! Bank the ball off barriers, avoid moving obstacles and get a feel for the controls on the practice green before your game! Simple controls allow for full 360 degree aiming of your shot and for control of the strength of your putt. Be careful not to putt too hard or you’ll bounce off the pin! Features 18 challenging holes, practice green and clear top down view of the action with simple, intuitive controls.”

Way Of The Kung Fu: Price: $0.99
““Way Of The Kung Fu”, Play this addictive game of skill and concentration as a young martial arts apprentice. Follow the moves that your kung-fu master will give you to elevate your fighting skills. Train in various settings and try to beat your high score. This is a simple app, yet extremely entertaining!”

Strategy

Zombie Attack! Second Wave: Price: $3.99
“Just when you thought it was safe…ZA! is back! Lovers of zombies and tower defense-style games combined have a second chance to tear into more zombies with more weapons and in more locations than ever before. IUGO built upon what you loved best about the original Zombie Attack! game making it bigger, better and bloodier! Your mission: play as a survivor from the ultimate Zombie Apocalypse, protect your shack and stay alive. Kill zombies, earn points and cash to upgrade your weapons and bolster your fire power. Easy tilt and touch-screen controls make ZA! SW an instant iPhone-exclusive favorite.”

Doodle Break: Price: $0.99
“Doodle Break” is an classic “Breakout(tm)” in doodle version!

Avatar of War: Price: $0.99
“Avatar of War is a drawing commands game where you draw different gestures on your iPhone for different kinds of commands such as March Forward/Backward, Charge, Retreat, Focus Fire, Assassin etc. You can use the drawing commands wisely to get an upper hand in the battle. There are different types of units such as warriors, archer, mage, knights, catapult, assassin, gryphon etc. Each of them has their unique abilities which can help you fight for glorious victory.”

Trivia

Awesome Movie Trivia: Volume 2: Price: $0.99
“How well do you know your favorite movies? Test your knowledge again with Awesome Movie Trivia: Volume 2. This volume includes 50 more questions. Awesome Movie Trivia: Volume 2 includes a prize for anyone who can get a perfect score. Are you awesome enough to take up the challenge?”

Word

WORD SPIN: Price: $0.99
“Boost your mental agility, language skills and greatly enhance your ability to play ALL word games better with one of the most captivating word games ever invented: WORD SPIN®. Any time you have a spare moment you can now experience the mesmerizing word game that millions of WORD SPIN® fans around the world have enjoyed.”

iPhone/iPod Touch Links

Appletell: [Macintosh/iPhone software update roundup - November 2, 2009] [Appletell reviews “And Another Thing…” H2G2 audio book for iPhone, iPod touch] [Appletell reviews augmented reality games for iPhone 3GS] [Appletell reviews two deer hunting games for iPhone, iPod Touch] [Free app roundup for October 30th, 2009]

Gamertell: [Top 5 Halloween games for the iPhone and iPod Touch]

Full Story » | Written by Kris Rosado for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

AtlusNet.jp updated recently with many new details about Persona 3 Portable, the PSP port/remake of Persona 3, which came out November 1, 2009. The most obvious and talked about addition is the ability to play as a heroine rather than the hero Minato from Persona 3. You can switch off playing as the hero and heroine in each playthrough, but still retain all of your character levels and items. The heroine also isn’t just a carbon copy of the hero, as her arcana card is revealed to be XXII (The World), but she still retains his ability to use almost every kind of weapon.

The other details in the news update offer a few new hints about the Persona 3 Portable Social Links. For example, there’s no need to worry if you’re not spending enough time around your Social Link friends. Even if you ignore them for a long time, the Social Link will not decay. If you make the wrong choices during events though, they still will. The update also confirms that Akihiko, Theodore and Shinji are Social Links for the heroine and it sounds like the dating feature is intact. Other new Social Links include Saori Hasegawa replacing Maya as “The Hermit” link and Rio Iwasaki replacing Kazushi Miyamoto as “The Chariot” link. Another notable detail is Rio is friends with Kenji Tomochika, the Magician Social Link for the male character. It is still unknown if Kenji will remain the Magician Social Link for the female character, or if Junpei will replace him.

There was also information released about the UMD and download releases. It looks like there’s a bit of a price difference, as according to the article the UMD version is ¥6,276 (~$69.73) and the download version is ¥5,040 (~$56). Both versions of the game will also have a 255mb Data Installation option. However, this option is only recommended to Persona 3 Portable UMD owners to make the game run faster.

Still no North American release announcement yet, but I’m sure we’ll hear something from Atlus soon. After all, we’ve seen localizations of pretty much every Persona game so far.

Read [AtlusNet.jp (Japanese)]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

**Fair Warning: This will be VERY SPOILER HEAVY. Read of your volition!!!**

The Human mind is very interesting piece of biological equipment. The way we think, interpret, and create. How our brains use electrical impulses to make it all happen. And yet, the Human mind is also one of the most terrifying things in existence. The way our mental psyche can succumb to an emotion, creating fantastic and frightening events, manipulated by memories and nightmares, an inescapable fear.

Silent Hill 2 isn’t a horror game in the classic sense of the genre; sure it has demons and plays our fears of the dark, but it goes beyond that by becoming truly scary through its playing with the mind. It’s a haunting video game twist on the plot device used in many works such as the short story, An Occurrence at Owl Bridge Creek , and the Adrian Lyne film, Jacob’s Ladder.

The inescapable fear described in the beginning paragraph has pulled in a widower named James Sunderland (who looks an awful lot like Keifer Sutherland’s character from the movie, The Vanishing, which I might is also about a man relentlessly looking for his wife). His wife, Mary, succumbed to unknown disease or so he thought. He received a letter from her telling him to meet her in their “special place”.

Silent Hill.

It was there that the two shared the last special moments together before Mary became hospitalized and pass on. It now is the place where James will confront Mary… and himself.

Silent Hill 2 isn’t a particularly good “game”, it instead is carried fully by its story, one that, to myself, remains good enough to go back through over and over again despite the horrible design choices the game’s designers made. Having to open the menu whenever you wanted to use items or view the map and notes was the most notable pain, though if you imagine Resident Evil controls plastered on a PlayStation 2 game that gives you a better idea of what your dealing with. The graphics weren’t anything spectacular either, even though the rough, grey and grainy visuals helped with the game’s atmosphere. Still, I love every bit of it. If Team Silent would ever get off their behinds to remake this game, I would only demand better sound quality.

Akria Yamaoka was at the top of his game when creating the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack. It’s something that any lover of video game music needs to experience. Promise’s guitar work is haunting and the piano work on it’s reprise is equally matching. Laura’s Theme is the standout track with its heavy rhythmical use of electric guitar.  Even its reprise does a fantastic job with a fusion of a piano and violin dancing a duet. Laura’s Theme is the track that just sucks you into the entire story. Too bad the original version never got released. For our protagonist James however, too bad a lot of things never got released.

After washing his face in a public bathroom that confirms why I’ll never use one, James sets off down a long pathway into a fog-covered, seemingly deserted Silent Hill. He meets his first encounter, Angela, in the graveyard just before the entrance to town.

Angela is mentally ill and is searching for her mother. She was abused by her father and has a fear of men. Further along James finds Eddie, a obese man who also is mentally ill but only wants to have a friend. Eddie killed someone and is on the run from the law. There’s also the little girl Laura, who was in the same hospital as James’ wife Mary. Finally there’s Maria who looks exactly like Mary but doesn’t share the same attitude.

If you play the prelude story on the Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams re-release, Born From a Wish, you find out that James is a “bad man”.

You see; James Sunderland did something terrible. His visit to Silent Hill isn’t to find his wife, but to confront what he has done. His journey through the town is merely a creation of his own guilt, the people he meets are figments of his own desires and misdeeds. His sins. The monsters are his aggressions and his own fear fighting back, trying to keep him from realizing what he did. The legendary Pyramid Head, James’ personal punisher.

As James puts the pieces together the town and its inhabitants go mad, falling apart, crushed under the power of realization.

Angela representing the way James treated Mary, with disdain over her illness, walks up through a burning staircase after James comes to terms with his hatred of Mary for burdening his life. Eddie is killed by James in a shootout, confirming James to be a murderer and a glutton. In contrast, Laura is James’ remaining innocence. She has committed no sin and therefore isn’t haunted by the demons. She is the little girl that Mary asks James to adopt, his only unselfish link to Mary. Maria, much like Angela and Eddie, is a representation of everything James wanted from Mary. James wanted to be with another woman, someone more outgoing, sexual, and not burdened by an illness.

That’s why James Sunderland killed his wife. James killed Mary. His guilt blocked the horrific event from his mind for years. He smothered her with a hospital pillow to free himself from her burden.

How it all ends after the final realization is a mystery. Future Silent Hill games would only make reference to James going into town and disappearing, his fate unknown to the outside world. Did he kill himself by driving into Tuluca Lake? Did he come to terms with what he did only to repeat the cycle with his imaginary girlfriend Maria? Did he adopt Laura? Does he ever get Mary’s forgiveness? Was it a dog all along? Or did James get abducted by aliens like Henry Mason (the protagonist from the first Silent Hill) before him? We will never know for sure. But what we do know is that no matter the official outcome, Silent Hill 2 remains the best in the series and a game that should definitely be our your Halloween gaming list.

Purchase [Gamestop / Amazon]

Full Story » | Written by Kris Rosado for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Full Story » | Written by Jessica Moen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Looking for something to play while you’re out tricking and treating this Halloween? Then we have just the list for you, because who says the iPhone and iPod Touch can’t get in on the Halloween fun? There are plenty of Halloween apps out there but below are our top 5 gaming apps to download that are sure to raise some hairs or at the very least raise your Halloween spirits. Have better options? Then list them below!

1. Silent Hill
What’s a Halloween list without a Silent Hill game? Unfortunately, this entry into the series doesn’t present a gripping story but instead offers a first-person view of a exploratory frustration. So why is it on the list? Because it’s still creepy hearing sounds in the distance as you clamor to find the exit to your flashlight lit dungeon. At $4.99 it is a bit pricey but then again you should be fully aware of what you are buying with a Silent HIll game.
2. Inkvaders
This just in, aliens are invading!!! No this isn’t Orsen Wells reading War of the Worlds, it really is a war of the worlds!!! It’s up to you Generic Marine (literally the guy’s name) to fight them from the moon to the earth and save what you can of humanity. Seriously though, Inkvaders is a lot of fun and very challenging if you want it to be. It’s kinda like a poor man’s Metal Slug without the POWs or crazy Independence Day references, instead just simply being a trial to see how many aliens you can cap before either reaching the end of the stage or death. This one’s $0.99 and well worth it.

3. Crush the Zombies
What do you do when an alien virus turns your fellow human friends into zombies? That’s right, you jump onto your nearest road roller and start crushing some zombies! Of course, you should also search for non-zombies and lead them to safety, but you know, doing donuts while making zombie mash is both fun and important too! Fair warning, the controls are a little loose but for $0.99 how can you not afford not to go for a ride?
4. Resident Evil Degeneration
Much like Silent Hill what’s a Halloween list without a Resident Evil game? The decision to go with Degeneration is based purely on the fact that you are probably burnt out on Resident Evil 4 because you know, it’s on EVERYTHING! Zombies, assisted laser tarting, PDAs, and full-fledged 3D models, all for $4.99 coupled with the fact that Capcom has yet to release Resident Evil 2 on the PlayStation Network Store and I’d say this is about the best you are going to do for a portable Claire and Leon tale.

5. DOOM Resurrection

Last but not least, especially in price, is DOOM Resurrection. I’m sure what else to write here other than it’s DOOM. Howabout, it’s an on-rails, first-person shooter, with lots of guns and exploding demons, set in the DOOM universe? It’s $6.99 and an all new chapter in the DOOM saga? Wait, there’s a DOOM saga? Nevermind, if you like crazy mayhem on Mars with demons from Hell, DOOM is well worth your money. 

Full Story » | Written by Kris Rosado for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

The Los Angeles Times reports that earlier this week (October 29, 2009) a Sacramento jury awarded $16 million to the family of Jennifer Strange, who died in a ill-fated 2007 radio contest that asked participants to “Hold Your Wee for a Wii.”

The mother of three died from water intoxication after chugging bottles of water without urinating for hours during the “Morning Rave” show on Sacramento’s KDND-FM in an attempt to win a Nintendo Wii console.

During the broadcast, one of the DJs mentioned the 2005 death of a college student during a hazing ritual in which he which he was forced to drink water without urinating. Also, a listener called in and warned the DJs of the hazards of water intoxication. Entercom Communications Corp., the company that owns the radio station, fired 10 people in the wake of the deadly prank.

Entercom said it will not contest the judgment.

Read [Los Angeles Times] Also Read [G4]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Halloween is almost over and soon everyone will be preparing for the following holiday season. More and more children will begin begging their parents for pet-related games and toys for the holidays, then eventually beg for a real pet. A pet based on their virtual or toy pets that turn into more responsibility than they can handle or become aggravated with because the pet is nothing like their virtual ones, leaving the animal’s fate in their parent’s hands.

But one game company, Spil Games, created a game to help educate young girls about the importance of caring for a pet through their free online game Animal Shelter at GirlsGoGames.com.

It’s not as simple as pointing at the readily available food and toys on a screen or playing with a virtual pet that is always happy and healthy. Real pets can get hurt or sick and need attention that can’t be clicked on with a tap of a stylus or finger.

I was given an opportunity to interview Peter Hofstede, Games Director for Spil Games, about Animal Shelter and what he shared was his hope to educate girls that pets are not toys that you can just toss aside when you’re bored. A pet owner, it takes a lot more responsibilities to raise an animal than giving hugs and petting them on the head and I think this game expresses that responsibility.

I asked Hofstede what he hopes young girls learn from this cute game.

“We hope to increase our players’ awareness of the important fact that animals need good care. Unlike toys — which you can throw out or give away if you get fed up with them,” he said. “Animals need a lot of time and attention, and lots of TLC. We also hope that our players learn about the hard work involved in running an animal shelter. That’s something many people take for granted.”

And he’s not joking.

When you first play the game you’re given a list of tasks you must perform on top of making sure the animals in your care are given proper medical attention, fed a nutritional meal and exercised daily based on their health charts. For example, in my care I have a few dogs, cats, bunnies, turtles and even a hamster in my adoption center (see image on right). Each animal has its own needs much like a real pet. I have a turtle that is sick most of the time and requires more medical attention than the rest as well as a dog that’s often bored and hungry.

You also have to keep the areas clean to prevent their conditions from worsening and to keep your center from being closed.

Hofstede added that animal care alone just isn’t enough when they created this game so I asked what was the inspiration behind this game and what makes this virtual pet game different from the rest already out for handheld and console gaming systems.

“We know that cute animal games are very popular with our GirlsGoGames audience, so the idea of making a game about an animal shelter came up pretty quickly. However, it took some time to figure out the game’s core design and how to make it stand out from similar games,” he said. “Animal care by itself wouldn’t have been enough. That had already been done. But the advertising and ‘photography aspects hadn’t been done in other animal care games, so we added those two popular elements. We decided it was important for players to learn about the importance of keeping to a budget, so we added that element too. Lastly, we added movie events to build awareness about how commercials and movies can trigger people to get a pet, something our players may not have considered before. By combining these fresh and informative features, we ended up with a fun, successful, and unique game with an educational twist.”

Photographing the animals is not as easy as it seems. The camera moves and so does the animal. You have to take the right photograph of a pet and find the right words to use in your advertisement that will draw potential pet owners to your shelter. Patience is a virtue here because the animal moves around, looks away and even growls at the camera. If you’re patient enough you may be able photograph an adorable pose to post in the newspaper, fliers or even a television ad. Once the right photo is captured, then you must provide a decent description about animal you want to advertise for adoption.

Based on your success of getting the animals adopted as well as keeping the animals and the center in good condition, you are given donations that can be used to upgrade the food, medical care and toys for your animals. Just watch your budget because you don’t know when the next animal will be adopted or when the center will receive the next donation.

The game is adorable but takes strategy to get all the animals adopted and raise the donations needed to keep the animals fed, clean and healthy.

I asked if this game would eventually be made for a console or if there were any other educational games they are about to launch.

“We launch new games every single week but it’s really heart-warming when we can also take part in spreading awareness and educating our players with games like Animal Shelter,” Hofstede said. “We hope our players will enjoy the gameplay, of course, but we also hope that they enjoy learning about proper animal care and the process involved in animal adoption. Also, we want to let your readers know that they can expect a lot of new, exciting features and content in the near future. Our team here at Spil Games is working hard to develop ever richer and ever more entertaining online gaming experiences!”

Site [Spil Games] Site [GirlsgoGames.com]

Full Story » | Written by Lucy Newman for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Haven’t caught all of the Gamertell news this week?  Here’s your chance to catch up on this week’s top 10 articles!

• Netflix signs with Sony, service available through PS3 soon
  “Sony and Netflix have just teamed up. Soon, though Sony and Netflix don’t exactly state when, PS3 owners will be able to watch streaming movies and tv shows from Netflix for $8.99 a month. The official deal was announced today, October 26,…” MORE »
• PS2 turns nine, Sony says system’s “life cycle will continue”
  “Sony’s PlayStation 2 console may have just turned nine but for fans in the know that may seem to mean there’s only one year left to the system’s life. Sony has often mentioned a 10-year life cycle…” MORE »
• Gamertell Review: Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble for PSP
  ” Title: Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble Price: $39.99 System(s): PSP Release Date: November 10, 2009 Publisher (Developer): Atlus (Spike) ESRB Rating: “Teen” for Animated Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes and Violence Pros:…” MORE »
• Miyamoto says next Wii might be more wee
  “In an interview with Popular Mechanics, gaming legend Shigeru Miyamoto talked about what he feels will be the natural evolution of the Wii and its various control devices.  They have the technology. They can rebuild it and…” MORE »
• Penguin releases three Wii MotionPlus bundle kits
  “Penguin Unlimited, maker of some great gaming accessories, is coming out with three different bundle packs that utilize the Wii MotionPlus accessory. The bundles include Samurai Sword, Golf Club, and Tennis add ons.  All three bundles will be out just in time for Christmas 2009…” MORE »
• Apple App Store gaming update for the week of October 19 to October 25, 2009
  “The Apple App Store gaming update is Gamertell’s weekly look at the previous week’s Apple App Store game releases. We cover them all - good and not so good - in their respective categories with a breakdown…” MORE »
• EA’s Peter Moore says disc-less consoles a decade away
  “The industry seems sharply divided on how much of an impact digital downloading will have on the future of game sales. There has been speculation about whether the next Xbox or PlayStation will even feature any kind of…” MORE »
• Rumor: Nintendo to release DSi with larger screen in Japan
  “Nintendo usually waits a couple years before changing the hardware on its handheld devices but it just may break tradition this time around. According to a report from Nikkei news service (via a quick NeoGaf translation of a MORE »
• Sony Home Update: New worlds, zombie hunt and lots of mall goodies
  ” New Spaces Uncharted 2: Nepalese Village Located under the same map as the original Uncharted world is the new Uncharted 2: Nepalese Village. A gorgeous place and, once you are loaded in, you are given a…” MORE »
• Large-screen DSi LL not a rumor, headed to Japan and Europe (updated)
  “The DSi has only been available for roughly a year in Japan, and already Nintendo’s prepared the next incarnation. The DSi LL has been confirmed for a November 21, 2009 release in Japan and a Q1 2010 release in Europe.…” MORE »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

This week’s first featured downloadable game is Inferno Pool for $9.99 on the PS3. But this isn’t the old school game of pool we all know and enjoy. In fact, this game takes pool to a whole new extreme challenge for up to four players. In this game players can compete locally or online to pocket as many balls as they can to clear the table and knock their opponents out of the race by stockpiling their balls to unleash total mayhem. Because every ball a player pockets drops on their opponent’s table, check it out:

The next downloadable game this week is Zombie Tycoon for $7.99 for the PSP. In this game players create and control the zombies roaming the city for the brains of helpless victims. Check out Zombie Tycoon:

Price Drops

PSP Game Sales
Note: The following games for the PSP are 50 percent off until November 4, 2009 other price drops may only be temporary unless specified.

• Super Stardust Portable
• Echochrome
• Myst
• Brain Challenge
• Unbound Saga
• Manhunt 2 (PSP/Price Drop $19.99)

Here is what else is new:

Downloadable Games

• Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam (PSP/$4.99)
• Crystal Defenders (PSP/$9.99)
• LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival (PSP/$14.99)
• Darkstalkers Chronicles: The Chaos Tower (PSP/$19.99)
• Mega Man Maverick Hunter X (PSP/$19.99)
• NBA 2K10 (PSP/$29.99)
• Petz Dogz Family (PSP/$29.99)
• Petz Hamsterz Bunch (PSP/$29.99)
• Petz Saddle Club (PSP/$29.99)
• Hasbro Family Game Night (PS3/$39.99)

Free Demos:

• Ratchet And Clank Future: A Crack In Time – Ratchet Demo (PS3/Free)
• Fat Princess Demo (PS3/Free)
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 Demo (PS3/Free)
• LocoRoco Midnight Carnival Demo (PSP/Free)
• Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Demo (PSP/Free)
• Crystal Defenders PSP Demo (PSP/Free)
• Petz Saddle Club Demo (PSP/Free)

Bonus Game Contents:

• PAIN – Celebrity Character Elvira (PS3/$1.99)
• Trivial Pursuit Sports Pack (PS3/$4.99)
• DJ Hero Extended Mix Pack (PS3/$5.99)

Guitar Hero 5 Packs:

• All Hallows Eve Track Pack (PS3/$5.49)
Individual Tracks:
• “Gor Gor” by GWAR (PS3/$1.99)
• “Beautiful People” by Marilyn Manson (PS3/$1.99)
• “Astro Zombies” by The Misfits (PS3/$1.99)

Rock Band Pack:

• Wolfmother Pack 1 (PS3/$8.49)
Individual Tracks:
• “Sundial” by Wolfmother (PS3/$1.99)
• “Pilgrim” by Wolfmother (PS3/$1.99)
• “Woman” by Wolfmother (PS3/$1.99)
• “White Unicorn” by Wolfmother (PS3/$1.99)
• “New Moon Rising” by Wolfmother (PS3/$1.99)

• Rob Zombie Pack 01 (PS3/$5.49)
Individual Tracks:
• “Superbeast” by Rob Zombie (PS3/$1.99)
• “Dragula” by Rob Zombie (PS3/$1.99)
• “Burn” by Rob Zombie (PS3/$1.99)

Individual Song Tracks

• “Sugarbaby” by Morningwood (PS3/99 cents)
• “Best of Me” by Morningwood (PS3/99 cents)
• “Rock Me” by Liz Phair (PS3/$1.99)

Rock Band Unplugged bonus content:

• “My Old School” by Steely Dan (PSP/$1.99)
• “Kool Thing” by Sonic Youth (PSP/$1.99)

Free Game Videos:

• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Behind The Scenes – Mastering the Cell Processor (PS3/Free)
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Behind The Scenes – Online Technology (PS3/Free)
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Behind The Scenes -Thinking Like A Dog (PS3/Free)
• The Saboteur – Irishman In Paris (PS3/Free)
• NBA 2K10 – Post-Moves Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Just Cause 2 – Vertical Gameplay (PS3/Free)
• Just Cause 2 – Panau Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Just Cause 2 – Announcement Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Front Mission Evolved – TGS 2009 Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Dragon Age Origins – Warden’s Calling (PS3/Free)
• Dragon Age Origins – Dalish Elf (PS3/Free)
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Squad Story 1 (PS3/Free)
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Squad Story 2 (PS3/Free)
• Assassin’s Creed II – Dev Diary 1 (PS3/Free)
• Assassin’s Creed II – Dev Diary 2 (PS3/Free)
• PAIN – Celebrity Character Elvira Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Story Trailer (PS3/PSP/Free)
• Beaterator – Timbaland Trailer (PSP/Free)
• Beaterator – Intro Trailer (PSP/Free)
• Beaterator – Sessions: Max & Clay (PSP/Free)
• Beaterator – Sessions: Artist Series 1 (PSP/Free)
• Beaterator – Sessions: Artist Series 2 (PSP/Free)
• Thexder Neo – Launch Trailer (PSP/Free)

Wallpapers and Themes:

• Skull Bash Theme 1 (PSP/99 cents)
• Skull Bash Theme 2 (PSP/99 cents)
• Infantry Theme (PS3/PSP/$1.49)
• Apache Gunship Theme (PS3/PSP/$1.49)
• German Panther Tanks Theme 3 (PSP/$1.49)
• German Panther Tanks Theme 4 (PSP/$1.49)
• German Panther Tank Theme 2 (PS3/$1.99)
• Lingerie Football League: Dallas Desire Theme (PS3/PSP/$1.99)
• Skull Bash Theme (PS3/$1.99)
• It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Theme (PS3/$1.99)
• South Park Dynamic Theme (PS3/$2.99)

Read [PlayStation Store Blog] Site [PlayStation]

Full Story » | Written by Lucy Newman for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

When your friendly neighborhood delivery person (hey Tim) comes to your door with a wooden crate in tow and you didn’t order anything, you know it’s going to be fun.

It’s been a while since I’ve received notable swag from a game company - I blame the economy - but this one proved to be especially interesting.

Prying open the nailed down wood lid to the small wooden crate revealed a dozen plush (read: stuffed) SqueeBalls Party creatures. Each is about 6 to 8 inches tall and variable widths. They feature large eyes and, as my almost-3-year-old can attest, they are “so cute.”

SqueeBalls Party by Aksys Games and PDP is a family party game that stars twelve wacky toys. You control the cute and creepy SqueeBalls in minigames including bowling, golf, cooking and a bunch of other button-mashing tasks. It’s rated “Everyone” with cartoon violence and is currently available for Wii, DS, Xbox 360, iPhone and iPod Touch.

Site [SqueeBalls]

Full Story » | Written by PJ Hruschak for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Full Story » | Written by Jessica Moen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Roger Daltrey, frontman of legendary band The Who, may have let a secret slip about his band being the focus of an upcoming Rock Band game.

He told MassLive “they’re going to be doing a Who one next year,” in response to a question about The Beatles:Rock Band.

That news, of course, spread like wildfire getting picked up by gaming and music sites alike. Harmonix has a good relationship with the band already with numerous Who songs already available in Rock Band games. But, there’s the rub. Could it be a case of too much Who? (Why do I suddenly feel like Dr. Suess?)

As Rolling Stone points out, the album Tommy had enough concept to be turned into a rock opera. It would certainly help to create a great game atmosphere similar to what Harmonix did with The Beatles game. But, as Gamertell mentioned recently, The Beatles:Rock Band has not been selling all that well. If that game isn’t moving, it is hard to imagine that a Who-themed one would do much better regardless of how good the content was.

It is isn’t hard to imagine executives waiting for sales data before looking at some of the next steps for the franchise. For Harmonix’ part, one of its’ spokespeople told Kotaku that the company is “working closely with the Who but has nothing new to announce at this time.”

Read [MassLive] Also Read [Gamertell]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

With the spookiest night of the year on tap, Gamertell thought we would take some time to talk with the most famous vampire in, really, all of pop culture.

With the spookiest night of the year on tap, Gamertell thought we would take an interview with the most famous vampire in, really, all of pop culture. As the villain in Castlevania , Count Dracula has been keeping gamers up late into the night since the days of the Nintendo Entertainment System. With that series’ popularity not being as high as it used to be, we wondered what sort of spirits (heh heh, spirits, get it?)... Oh forget it.

Gamertell’s Brian Allen had a cautious sitdown with the man, myth and legend that is Count Dracula.

Gamertell: First, let me say it is an honor sir. I’ve been a lifelong fan of the Castlevania series.

Count Dracula: I did it for the cash. I’ve never even played one of those nerdy things. I’m the Prince of Darkness, here!

Thanks for your brutal honesty, sir.

No reason for anything else. Life’s too short - at least for you mortal schlubs - to beat around the bush. Are there gonna be some hard hitting questions or you gonna keep blowin’ smoke up my cape?

No, no. Let’s get right to it. The Castlevania series has taken on a unique spin in recent years, even including a fighting game.

Hey, hey! They said there wouldn’t be any Castlevania: Judgment questions. Me and Simon Belmont needed the cash, OK? We used stuntmen. The whole idea was ridiculous. I still have nightmares about that controller waggling.

Wasn’t going to get into that until later but how is Simon? There was a rift between you two..

There was a rift in how much we got paid. I was the icon in this series. Who was Simon Belmont before Castlevania? Some game hero! The guy couldn’t even swim!

You sound a little bitter. You appeared to battle other heroes even after Simon left the series, so why the animosity?

Look, I kid the guy. Who didn’t after that Captain N fiasco? But you know, we had a chemistry. The games weren’t the same without Simon. We went together like Fred and Ginger, Batman and Robin…

Sonic and Tails?

What are you, trying to get me to turn into a bat and fly out of here?

In truth, Castlevania has lived an entirely new life on Nintendo’s DS. Those are among the highest rated games in the series.

Yeah, I’m still big. It’s the consoles that got smaller. The old days were great, though. Even other games referenced our work. Remember Psycho Mantis in Metal Gear, when he read the memory card? “You like Castlevania, don’t you?” Now Psycho Mantis, that freak was creepy. But it’s great to be respected by your peers.

That’s why it’s funny you see your Simon Belmont partnership as the pinnacle of Castlevania history. Many feel Symphony of the Night, in which you battled your son Alucard, was actually the best game. No love for that one?

Do not even get me started on that whiny brat of a son of mine! He’s all, “I hate my dad and I’m so tortured,” yet that never stops him from using the pale skin and vampire charms he inherited from me to pick up an endless assortment of goth chicks at raves!

Simon was more of a son than me than that punk and he’s killed me two, three, I don’t even remember how many times! You want to know about Castlevania Judgment? Not only was Alucard a full participant, the whole thing was his idea. Kids love fighting games, dad. Maybe in 1992 they did! You know what’s more out of style than Castlevania? Freakin’ fightin’ games! Hello Tekken! The panda thing was cute three games ago, now it’s just weird.

What do you think of today’s crop of vampires? Twilight, for example?

Those vampires are even more wussy than that no account son of mine. It’s embarrassing. This is supposed to be the hottest exclusive club in the world. You get past this velvet rope, you get to live forever! Why the 902010 nonsense? You’ll be around in 300 years and she won’t be. Trust me, first time she needs Botox and you’re still standing there looking the same way you did at 16, she won’t be able to get rid of you fast enough.

What’s your take on today’s horror games?

I’ll tell you this, zombies are done. I talked to one of the original cast members of Living Dead and he said if he’d known how it would have turned out, he wouldn’t have done the movie. What kind of a villain is a slow, shambling brainless cretin anyway? Give’ em a rest, game industry. I defy Frank West to survive the weekend in a shopping mall full of vampires, I don’t care how many wars he’s covered.

Interesting. Well, what is the world’s most famous vampire doing these days?

Reality TV, baby! My agent’s got a lot of irons in the fire. We’re talking with VH1 about a dating show, Fox wants me to hang out with the Octomom, and we’ve got our fingers crossed about Dancing With the Stars. Reaper’s jazzed about that one.

Reaper as in the Grim Reaper from the original Castlevania?

Yeah, he’s been in TV production for years.

Well, there’s a stretch. Thanks for taking some time out of your Halloween weekend.

There’s another rip! I don’t see a dime from those knockoff costumes!

Any-hoo, happy Halloween and thank you.

Thank you. By the way, what blood type are you?

Uh, gotta go. Thanks again.

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Halloween is only a day away, and what better time to continue thinking about how the spooky and extraordinary can tie into our daily lives. Monstrous creatures are a mainstay of the holiday, whether people watch horror movies starring them or dress up as said characters to frighten and impress. If you think about it, some of those monsters have quite a bit in common with some well known, established and perhaps even loved video games.

To help you all get in the holiday spirit, Gamertell’s gone through the massive library of games available to see what they would be if they were monsters.

Imagine/Ener-G/Dreamer/Charm Girls Club/Petz = Zombies

It started out with just one game line, Imagine, and now look what it has become. Step into a DS game section and you’ll be overwhelmed by a sea of pastel, substandard games for girls. And, even though you may never actually see anyone buying them, they keep appearing! The section grows larger and larger. I wouldn’t be surprised if those games even rotted your brains. Just like zombies!

World of Warcraft/Everquest/Warhammer Online = Vampires

Frankly, it’s easy to compare any MMO game to a vampire. With an MMO, people get drawn into a whole other world and environment. Slowly but surely, playing that game becomes their sole motivation in life. They can’t live without it. Then, they recruit their friends! So not only are the MMOs time vampires, they turn the people playing into them as well.

Pokemon/Mario Party/Dokapon/Soul Calibur = Wolfman

Think about it, Pokemon, Mario Party and Soul Calibur games have the ability to turn people into something that they’re not. A normally respected and intelligent man can suddenly be transformed into a person with an uncontrollable urge to “get ‘em all,” even if it means skipping work to get to a special Toys ‘R Us event for a rare pokemon. Mario Party and Dokapon, two adorable-looking board games, can quickly and easily turn friends against one another - often resulting in a violent debacle. The same can be said for Soul Calibur - the most unexpected people can turn out to be harbingers of doom.

Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad/Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers/Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball/Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 = Witches

Witches are supposedly able to seduce, charm and allure - casting spells on people to do things they wouldn’t normally do. Sounds a lot like video games where companies purposely insert a lot of unrealistic, scantily clad women to try and get men to play, doesn’t it? And normally, those games are the kind people would probably overlook, but because the women are half-dressed, guys will flock to play and buy them.

101-in-1 Explosive Megamix/WarioWare/Rayman Raving Rabbids = Frankensteins

Any mini-game collection can be considered a Frankenstein monster of sorts. All kinds of short games are tossed in, that wouldn’t work on their own. Many times, the games will be based on old classics which haven’t been popular in years. Yet all together, the collection of games work. Sometimes they come out good, sometimes bad. All in all, they’re strange amalgamations - just like a Frankenstein monster.

A.S.H.: Archaic Sealed Heat (DS)/Dirty Harry (Xbox 360)/Winter (Wii)/Eight Days (PS3)/Earthworm Jim PSP/Mother 3 (GBA) = Ghosts

Ah, the poor games trapped trapped in limbo or cancelled altogether. People may have had high hopes and expecations for them, especially for games like Earthworm Jim PSP, A.S.H. and Winter, but it wasn’t to be. Now, the gamers are haunted by the wonderful games that they will never get to play.

Read [Gamertell]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Hey everyone! This is a momentous day for Important Importables. Today marks the 100th column. Who’d have thought, right?

Anyways, to celebrate today, I’m listing my 100 all time favorite games that you can only get by importing. These are titles that aren’t available in North America, and you have to import from either Japan or Europe if you want to play them.

Remember, this isn’t a comprehensive list and is based on my personal picks. It’s a general guide to some great games you should be aware of. It’s also a bit biased in terms of systems, because it was formed based on games that I’ve either played or taken an interest in over the years. So, since I’ve imported quite a few DS games and that’s one of my favorite systems, there’ll naturally be more DS games represented.

If there’s a great import game you know that isn’t on the list and should be, tell the world in the comments. Also remember, many consoles have region protection! If you have a Game Boy, Game Boy Color, DS, PSP or PS3 you should be region-free, and if you have a Dreamcast you can buy or make a special boot-disk which makes your console region-free.

Dreamcast

• Bomber HehHe: It’s a puzzle game with some action elements. The goal is to place bombs to take down buildings.
• Capcom vs SNK 2: A fighting game, of course. The first one did get a US release, but this one didn’t.
• Cosmic Smash: It’s sort of like Arkanoid/Alleyway, in that you have to destroy blocks. Except you’re playing as a human trying to smash them with a ball, and racing against the clock.
• DUX: A side scrolling shoot-em-up (the Dreamcast was known for them) that has the distinction of being one of the most recent DC releases. It came out in 2009.
• Last Hope: Pink Bullets: Again, one of the more recent DC releases and shoot-em-up. It’s an updated and adjusted version of the Neo Geo game Last Hope.
• Napple Tale: Arisia in Daydream: A platformer where a girl named Arisia is tasked with returning the lost seasons to Napple Town.
• Pop’n Music: A fun, bright and colorful music game.
• Princess Maker Collection: You get Princess Maker 2 and Princess Maker 3 in one game.
• Rainbow Cotton: A shoot-em-up (cute-em-up) that’s the first 3D entry in the Cotton series.
• Puyo Pop Fever: It was the last Sonic Team DC game, but was never released outside of Japan.
• Any Sakura Taisen game: They’re all fun blends of visual novel, strategic rpg and dating sim games.
• Shenmue II: Only Europe and Japan got the sequel to Shenmue. I recommend importing the European version, since it’ll be in English.
• Shinseiki Evangelion: Ayanami Rei Ikusei Keikaku: Think Princess Maker, only with Rei Ayanami from Evangelion as the potential princess. Its also available on the DS, PC and PS2.
• Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles: A recent Dreamcast puzzle release.

DS

• 100 Classic Book Collection: Basically an e-reader program with 100 classic books built in and an additional 10 that can be downloaded. It’s available in Europe, but not North America.
• Arabian’s Lost: An otome/RPG where the main character is an Arabian princess of a land filled with thieves, gamblers, assassins and crooks who must earn 10 million in 30 days to keep from being trapped in an arranged marriage. Its also available for the PS2.
• A.S.H.: Archaic Sealed Heat: A strategic RPG from Nintendo that was supposed to come to North America, but never did.
• Daigasso Band Brothers / Daigasso Band Bros. DX: A music game where you play songs using the DS face buttons. You can also create your own songs in both games and download songs in the sequel.
• Dokidoki Majo Shinpan!: A somewhat-perverted game which has gained fame and notoriety for the fact that players touch girls on the touch screen to determine if they’re witches.
• Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland: An RPG starring Tingle from the Legend of Zelda series and revolves around his quest to get money and get to Rupeeland. It received a Japanese and European release, but never appeared in North America.
• Game & Watch Collection 2: A Japanese Club Nintendo promotion that includes the Game & Watch titles Parachute and Octopus.
• Game Center CX: Arino no Chousenjou 2: The sequel to Retro Game Challenge. Since the first game wasn’t a huge seller in North America, we probably will never see an English version of the sequel.
• Hirameki Action: Chibikko Wagyan no Daiki na Bouken: This is a side-scrolling action game where players guide a little dinosaur with a mighty roar through levels.
• Idolm@ster: Dearly Stars: The first Idolm@ster game where players act as the idols instead of a faceless producer. It’s also the first game in the series with a male idol (though he’s in disguise as a girl).
• Itadaki Street DS: A monopoly-esque board game from Square Enix starring characters from Super Mario and Dragon Quest. It also has Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support so you can play online.
• Jump Ultimate Stars: A Smash Bros style fighting game with 300 characters from 41 Shonen Jump mangas. Unfortunately, it’ll never get a worldwide release due to licensing issues.
• Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten: A Japanese-English dictionary that’s perfect for people studying Japanese. A few Game&Watch games are also hidden in it.
• Katekyoo Hitman Reborn DS Flame Rumble X: Mirai Chou-Bakuhatsu!!: A 2D fighting game starring the characters from the manga/anime Katekyoo Hitman Reborn.
• Ketsui Death Label: An impressive shoot-em-up from Cave.
• Love Plus: A Japanese dating sim that’s gained a massive following in a short period of time. It takes place in real time and players are actually able to date, then marry, one of three girls they choose.
• Meccha! Taiko no Tatsujin DS: 7-tsu no Shima no Daibouken: A Taiko no Tatsujin drum game that even has an adventure/story mode.
• NANA: Live Staff Daiboshuu! Shoshinsha Kangei: A life sim based on the Nana manga/anime/movie where the player can make a life in Tokyo and try to get a job with one of the two bands from the series.
• Ochaken no Daibouken: An adorable and enjoyable platformer starring the Ochaken dog and Ochaneko cat characters.
• Otometeki Koi Kakumei Love Revo DS!!: A hilarious and occasionally touching otome simulation where the main character is a fat girl trying to lose weight so she can get a boyfriend.
• Any Ouendan game: They’re like the Elite Beat Agents game, only better.
• Sigma Harmonics: A Square Enix adventure RPG where players must time travel to prevent murders and preserve the present.
• Slide Adventure: Mag Kid: An action/puzzle game where players attach a peripheral and slide the DS around to make the main character, Mag Kid, move.
• Soma Bringer: A gorgeous action RPG from Nintendo that may never get a worldwide release.
• Tales of Innocence: A good DS entry in the Tales of series that Namco Bandai never released outside of Japan.
• Tales of Hearts: Again, another good DS Tales of entry. It’s available in two versions - one with CG cutscenes and one with animated ones.
• Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 1st Love and 2nd Season: These two DS games are otome life sims where players guide a girl through high school and hopefully help her find a boyfriend.
• Vampire Knight DS: A DS otome simulation with visual novel elements that is based on the Vampire Knight manga/anime.
• Xenosaga I + II: A DS adaptation of the first two Xenosaga games.

GameCube

• Doshin the Giant: a god/life simulation where players determine how Doshin interacts with island natives. It was available in Japan and Europe.
• Kururin Squash: An action/puzzle game where players must navigate through mazes.

GBA

• Any bit Generations game: They’re a nice variety of stylish, simple puzzle and action games.
• Densetsu no Starfy: The first game in the Legendary Starfy series.
• Densetsu no Starfy 3: The last Starfy GBA game and the first where Starpy is a major character.
• Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi: The only GBA Fire Emblem game not released in English. It’s the first GBA Fire Emblem, but the sequel to the Fire Emblem GBA game released in North America.
• Genso Suikoden: Card Stories: Suikoden II with card battles.
• Mother + Mother 2: The original Mother and Mother 2/Earthbound in one cartridge.
• Mother 3: The RPG Earthbound sequel. It’s main character, Lucas, appeared in Smash Bros Brawl.
• Rhythm Tengoku: A music game and the prequel to Rhythm Heaven.
• Super Mario Ball: A Super Mario pinball game.
• Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 2: A Tales of mash-up action-RPG. It’s mainly about fetch quests and quick missions.
• Tomato Adventure: An adorable Nintendo RPG designed for beginners. It has some elements found in the Mario & Luigi RPGs.

PC

• Any and every Touhou game ever released: They’re fantastic shoot-em-up (cute-em-up) games.

PS2

• beatmania IIDX 16 Empress: A fantastic music and rhythm game.
• Bleach: Blade Battles 2nd: A fighting game with the Bleach characters.
• Espgaluda: A Cave shooter that’s a prequel to ESP Ra.De..
• Fate/stay Night: Realta Nua: An all ages version of the popular visual novel Fate/stay night.
• GuitarFreaks & DrumMania Masterpiece Gold: The original guitar and drum music video game. This is one of the best entries in the series.
• Melty Blood: Actress Again: A fighting game starring characters from the visual novel Tsukihime.
• Namco x Capcom: An RPG with action and strategic elements that has characters Namco and Capcom games making cameos as either allies or opponents.
• Nana: A life simulation game based on the Nana anime/manga where the player moves to Tokyo and gets to interact with characters from the series.
• Tales of Destiny Director’s Cut: A PS2 remake of the PS1 classic Tales of Destiny, with additional content.
• Tales of Symphonia: A PS2 port of the GameCube game with additional content.
• Tian Xing: Sword of Destiny: A hack-and-slash game Devil May Cry fans would love.

PSP

• Audition Portable: A portable version of the PC MMO. The gameplay is similar to the Bust-a-Groove games.
• Any Bleach Heat the Soul game: Great PSP fighters starring Bleach characters.
• Breath of Fire III: A PSP port. It was released in Europe, so you can import it and play it in English.
• Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable: A PSP port of a PS2 game with extra characters. It’s a monopoly-esque board game with characters from Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy.
• Hatsune Miku Project Diva: A Sega music game starring the Vocaloid Miku Hatsune that lets you import your own .mp3s and create your own songs and music videos.
• Idolmaster SP: Available in three versions, Perfect Sun, Missing Moon and Wandering Star, it was the first portable version of Idolm@ster.
• La Corda d’Oro: A PSP port of the PS2 and PC otome/simulation where players attempt to become a great violin player and win competitions while also making friends or possibly finding a boyfriend.
• Macross Ultimate Frontier: An action game that lets players fight pretty much every battle in the Macross anime series.
• Maplus: Portable Navi and GPS Receiver: turns your PSP into a GPS.
• Parodius Portable: A port of the side-scrolling shooter.
• Persona 3 Portable: A port of the PS2 game Persona 3 with a second storyline where the main character is a girl. It’ll probably get a US release, but for now it’s Japan-only.
• Princess Crown: A port of the VanillaWare Saturn game that’s the spiritual successor and prequel to Odin Sphere.
• Princess Maker 4 Portable: A port of a Princess Maker game that’s very similar to the cult classic Princess Maker 2.
• Suikoden I + II: The PS1 games on one UMD.
• Tales of Eternia: A port of Tales of Eternia/Tales of Destiny II. It’s available in English in Europe.
• Tales of Rebirth: A port of the PS2 Tales of game that never made it outside of Japan. It isn’t available in English.
• Tales of VS.: A fighting game featuring characters from the Tales of games.
• Twinbee Portable: A port of the classic shoot-em-up.
• Ys VII: The latest entry in the Ys action-RPG series. It may see a US release, but for now it’s Japan-only.

SNES

• Der Langrisser: A strategic RPG with multiple endings based on decisions the player makes.
• Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu: The fourth Fire Emblem game and regarded as one of the best. It introduced the romance/relationship element into the series and is multigenerational - if two characters get together in the first part, their child will appear in the second.
• Live a Live: A Square Enix RPG with seven storylines that unexpectedly all end up being connected.
• Sailor Moon: Another Story: An RPG inspired by Sailor Moon with an original storyline that has become a cult classic and is unexpectedly spectacular.
• Seiken Densetsu 3: An entry in the Square Enix Mana series that was never released outside of Japan.

Wii

• 428: Fuusa Sareta Shibuya de / 428: In a Blockaded Shibuya: A highly acclaimed visual novel. It’s been ported to the PS3 and PSP.
• Captain Rainbow: It’s an action/adventure game from Nintendo where a character named Nick, aka Captain Rainbow, goes around helping people on Mimin Island trying to either grant his wish or the wishes of islanders. It features many little known or forgotten Nintendo characters.
• Disaster: Day of Crisis: An action/adventure game released only in Australia, Europe and Japan. Players help Raymond Bryce, who works for the government, survive and save people during natural disasters and stop a terrorist group called SURGE. It will likely never receive a US release.
• Sukeban Shachou Rena: A mini-game collection featuring cats working at Cat Queen, Inc. Your goal is to start out as an entry level cat. You work your way up to the head of the company and earn respect of the CEO, Nekopunch mascot Rena.
• Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: The Taiko drum game series comes to the Wii.
• Zero:Tsukihami no Kamen / Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse: The fourth entry in the Fatal Frame series.

Xbox 360

• Idolm@ster: The original Idolm@ster game, where players help an idol, or group of idols, become a success.
• Death Smiles: A new Cave shoot-em-up with a gothic theme.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Importables takes a one-week break, but will return November 13, 2009 to talk about Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei series.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last weekImportant Importables looked at six Japanese gadgets that exist only to be adorable.

Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Somewhere, Jack Thompson is tittering with peals of glee as the debate about video game violence just jumped to the forefront of the holiday shopping season.

Footage from arguably the biggest game release of 2009, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, was leaked earlier this week (October 27, 2009). That would normally only be a big deal to folks concerned about spoilers. Spoilers, as in this is a SPOILER WARNING!

Seriously, there be spoilers here.

The leaked footage shows the player in control of a Russian terrorist who is mowing down innocent civilians at what appears to be Los Angeles’  LAX Airport.

Activision has confirmed that the footage is authentic and released a statement in the way of damage control.

“The scene establishes the depth of evil and the cold bloodedness of a rogue Russian villain and his unit. By establishing that evil, it adds to the urgency of the player’s mission to stop them,” the statement reads. “Players have the option of skipping over the scene. At the beginning of the game, there are two ‘checkpoints’ where the player is advised that some people may find an forthcoming segment disturbing. These checkpoints can’t be disabled.”

The Modern Warfare games are famous for combining gritty storytelling with “what if” scenarios that could happen in the real world. The first game’s depiction of a nuclear explosion was one of the most awe inspiring and yet unsettling moments in recent gaming history. You had to wonder how they would one up a nuclear strike and now it appears we have our answer.  The game hits store shelves November 10, 2009, for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC (Windows).

The controversy has hit already and won’t be letting up soon.

Read [The Telegraph] Also Read [Gamepro]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

The big rumor of the day is that Nintendo is planning to release the Wii 2 in 2010 and the newer system will include a Blu-ray drive.

The rumor comes courtesy of French language site Logic-Sunrise which cites a “very stable source” (at lest that’s how Yahoo’s BableFish translates it). It also indicates that Nintendo may be waiting to announce the Wii 2 until one month prior to the system’s release.

The Wii 2 features and other bullet-list items listed in the post include:

• A Blu-Ray drive (to help discourage piracy)
• Support 720P and 1080P for videos and games
• 2010 simultaneous worldwide release
• Some type of trade-in program for Wii owners to upgrade to the Wii 2

Again, these are unconfirmed rumors based on a foreign site. MaxConsole indicates that the rumor suggests Wii 2 will be available the third quarter of 2010 although the French site does not appear to mention Q3.

The closest ting to a confirmation is Shigeru Miyamoto’s interview with Popular Mechanics where he talks about the next Wii (not necessarily the “Wii 2”) as being “more compact and perhaps even more cost-efficient.”

I’m waiting for an official comment from Nintendo concerning this Wii 2 rumor.

Update: Nintendo’s official, although not surprising, response via a PR representative is: “We do not respond to rumors and speculations.”

Read [Logic-Sunrise (French)] Via [MaxConsole]

Photo: From Logic-Sunrise (likely an illustration).

Full Story » | Written by PJ Hruschak for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Ju-On: The Grudge
Price: $29.99
System: Wii
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Xseed Games (Feelplus)
ESRB Rating: “Mature” for blood, violence
Pros: Some decent “scares,” jump right into the gameplay, quite immersive (for a while).
Cons: Rigid and awkward controls, ridiculously short, no checkpoints on levels, blocky graphics, linear, pointless battery system, no story to drive the game
Overall Score: One thumb sideways, one thumb down; 68/100; D+; * 1/2 out of 5

Ju-On: The Grudge is faulty on many levels - and I’ll discuss these below - but I’m willing to forgive many of them because of the subtitle “Haunted House Simulator” thrown across the box.

Have you been to any of the haunted houses that spring up in wooded areas and old schoolhouses at this time of the year? Ju-On gave me more scares than they do, so I at least have to give it credit for that.

Although, I want to clarify that being scared and being startled are two entirely different things. When a movie or game unexpectedly runs a cat in front of you with a really loud screech just to make you jump, that’s being startled. When a movie or game has you so frightened that you’re hiding under the afghan, barely able to peek out through the holes to look at the screen, that’s being scared.

Ju-On: The Grudge startled me on occasion. It never scared me.

When a Person Dies…

If you’ve seen the Ju-On movies (or it’s American counterpart titled The Grudge), you know the routine. If someone dies violently in a house or something, all who come into contact with its spirit will also die violently and the cycle continues. I’m not sure if that’s what happened in this game.

In each level, you play a character in a different location: abandoned factory, abandoned hospital, abandoned apartments, etc. Each level begins with a character name and most display the same family photo. Okay, so we assume these are all family members about to face the same terrible circumstances but that’s it on story. You don’t know why you’re there, you just are.

On each level you’re only usable object is a flashlight. This is permanently on and always frustrating because it uses batteries like a Hummer uses gas. Considering each level can be finished in under 25 minutes, that you have to find and replace four or five batteries per level is absolutely ridiculous. I get the sense of urgency that this creates, but why have that at all? The game is supposed to be about exploration, and if you’re forced to tear through each level for fear of being trapped in the dark (and promptly killed), you don’t have time to trigger all the frightening moments.

...With a Deep and Burning Grudge…

Even worse, in order to unlock the fifth and final level to complete the game, you’re going to have to play through the previous levels multiple times in order to find all the hidden objects, facing the same ghosts and dealing with the same bad batteries. I’m assuming this was done in an effort to prolong the game, which can easily be completed in two to three hours. Forcing you to replay levels can push it up to around 10, perhaps, but you won’t do that. It’s not worth it.

Making matters worse, the game crawls at a terribly slow pace and the flashlight control is horribly unresponsive. You use the WiiMote to point the flashlight at the screen and, to control direction, you press the B button. Hit down on the D-pad to back up. That’s easy enough to learn but annoying to use. The flashlight never seems to go where you want it to, making it cumbersome to even turn around or line up with a door so you can open it. This is acceptable when you’re exploring an area for the first time but it’s a game killer if you have to go through more than once.

If you want to play that fifth and final level, I highly recommend using a walkthrough so you can find all those hidden objects the first time.

After a couple levels, you know what’s going to happen. The triggered events never really change much and they’re telegraphed by the sound of the game disc being read. “Oh, the Wii’s clicking, here comes and yep. There it is. Doll fell from the sky. Scary.”

I’m also not sure I get the “scare meter” at the end of the game. Sometimes it calls me a sissy, sometimes it tells me I have no emotions. I’m never sure why. The two-player mode, in which player two conjures up random “scare moments” with the press of a button is fun for a bit, but both you and player two will quickly get bored with it.

...A Curse is Born.

Some elements of Ju-On: The Grudge do work. First, by making the screen so dark, you have no choice but to play it at night with the lights off; there’s simply no way you can make it through this game with any sort of glare on your screen. I think I like that decision.

Second, it really can be pretty spooky, especially early on. The creepy girl from the movies is used throughout and, although you’ll likely get bored with her hair, the use of that guttural clicking noise in the WiiMote’s speaker is quite effective.

Also, I’ve learned that horror “movies” are much harder to get through when you’re the one holding the flashlight. I had my wife try it and she couldn’t deal with the tension. However, she enjoyed watching me play it for a while. Either she couldn’t handle being the one facing the threats or she hated the control/battery system. Either way, objective achieved, Xseed!

Or something like that.

There’s no way I can recommend someone purchase this game, at least not at $30. With only four short levels (five if you’re persistent), it would’ve made more sense as a 1,000-point WiiWare download or a $4.99 iPhone game.

I do, however, highly recommend you rent it. Ju-On: The Grudge is certainly more effective than the majority of the horror movies out there there today (I’m looking directly at you, Saw). You’ll get your money’s worth out of an evening rental, provided you pay attention to those three words on the box: Haunted House Simulator.

This is not a game. Like horror movies and haunted houses, it’s simply a way for a teenage boy to scare his girlfriend into sitting a little closer to him on the couch and hopefully lead to a little bit of lovin’ when it’s over and that deserves some respect.

Site [Ju-On: The Grudge] Read [Gamertell]

Full Story » | Written by Kirk Hiner for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Platinum Games and Sega’s Bayonetta isn’t due out in North America until January 5, 2010. Thankfully, PS3 owners don’t have to wait that long. If they have a credit card or a paypal account, they can hop online to the Japanese import video game store of their choice and order a copy of the Japanese version that comes out October 29, 2009.

Siliconera is reporting that, while the instruction manual is in Japanese, the game is completely translated. There’s even English voice acting! The PS3 version of Bayonetta received a 38 out of 40 in Famitsu, by the way, which means that a potentially great game could be waiting for you. Since the PS3 is region-free, the Japanese game will work with any PS3 console.

The only thing is, you will be paying a premium price for the right to own Bayonetta early. If you wait until January for the US release, it will cost you $59.99. Here’s what it’ll cost to import a Japanese copy right now from some of the most dependable online sites:

• $79.90 at Play-Asia
• $80.90 at NCSX Shop
• $84.90 at RenChi.com
• $84.99 at YesAsia
• $85.00 at HimeyaShop
• ￥7,880 (~$86.45) at Amazon.co.jp (Note: Amazon.co.jp won’t ship games to addresses outside of Japan.)

This could make a fantastic Christmas or holiday gift for your favorite PS3 owner. But bear in mind, it’s rated Cero D, which means it’s appropriate for players ages 17 and up.

Read [Siliconera] Via [Joystiq] Also Read [Kotaku]

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

In an interview with Popular Mechanics, gaming legend Shigeru Miyamoto talked about what he feels will be the natural evolution of the Wii and its various control devices.

They have the technology. They can rebuild it and make it better, cuter and, yes, smaller than before.

“With both the Wii remote itself and Wii Motion Plus, what we’ve been able to do is introduce an interface that is both I think appealing and at the right price for a broad audience. And while we don’t have any concrete plans for what we’ll be doing with hardware in the future, what I can say is that, my guess is that because we found this interface to be so interesting, I think it would be likely that we would try to make that same functionality perhaps more compact and perhaps even more cost-efficient.”

Nintendo’s evolutions in motion control has been one of the biggest stories of this console generation. It’s doubtful we’d be seeing the runaway cuteness of Xbox avatars or Sony and Microsoft’s pushes to include more motion control in games if the Wii had been a sales flop. It’s also curious to see how much more “cost efficient” they can be.

Miyamoto also notes that part of the shift in current gaming culture is the number of gamers that are now parents, so they fully understand the media their kids are enjoying.

I’m guilty as charged there. It is an incredible feeling to see my young sons pick up the controller and realize they’re actually controlling what’s on the screen.I hope to be gaming with my grandkids and, from the looks of things, Mario and Zelda will still be going strong even then.

Read [Popular Mechanics] Via [The Guardian]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Bundles include:

• 2 Samurai Swords


• 2 Table Tennis Paddles
  
• 1 Golf Club
  
• 2 Remote Bases
  
• Port access allowing for Nunchuck and MotionPlus Adapter
  
• Safety lock
  
• Compatible with: All Sword, Tennis and Golf titles for Wii

• 2 Samurai Swords


• 2 Remote Bases


• Compatible with: Wii Sports ResortTM, Red Steel 2, No More HerosTM2, and any other sword title

• 2 Tennis Rackets (1 red, 1 blue)


• 2 Remotes Bases


• Port access allows for Nunchuck and MotionPlus Adapter


• Safety lock


• Compatible with: Grand Slam Tennis, Virtual TennisTM2009, Wii SportsTM Tennis, Mario PowerTM Tennis

Full Story » | Written by Jessica Moen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title: Game Collector 3.2 Pro
Price: $29.95 (Standard), $39.99 (Pro with rebate)
System(s): Windows
Publisher (Developer): Collectorz
Pros: Very easy to input game names and UPCs, exhaustive and customizable fields, generates multiple exportable lists and included with access to game database to quickly import information and box art.
Cons: Database has some small gaps and is only as accurate as the person who submitted the information. Some menus are a little confusing. iPhone and iPod Touch app is an extra cost. Scanners can be expensive.
Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways; 87/100; B+; * * * 1/2 out of five.

If you’ve been gaming for longer than five years, you’ve likely amassed an impressive collection of games so large your friends and significant other complain about not being able to find that one game they always like to play.

That’s where Collectorz’s Game Collector application can come in rather handy.

The Basix

The whole concept behind Game Collector is to put your collection in order (thus the name). It’s a fairly simple database solution with a graphic interface that can operate with (or without) a UPC scanner and accesses an online database.

The software is available only as a download and installs quickly. After launching, you can then input game titles or UPCs through the menu system either by typing it in via scanner. Then you go online to download core information, box art and credits for a wide range of games to populate your local database. You can then go in and edit each entry - or groups of entries - with a combination of person information about the game including ratings where you bought it, how much you paid and personal notes.

Over the years the software has evolved to allow for more personalized fields and the ability to export the list as HTML files or, in truncated form, to various handheld devices including the iPod, iPhone and iPod Touch (the latter two require an additional purchase via iTunes). You can also upload your own box art and upload images and information to the common database for others to use.  Once you populate your collection, everything is stored locally so you can create HTML pages or various portable lists.

The interface is not entirely intuitive with a few of the fields not making sense until you have used the software for a while. Once you get the hang of it, it then becomes a speedy process to catalog your collection. You can then reorder it according to just about any criteria: genres, developer, release year, system, rating and even custom fields.

Game Face

The scanner interactivity is about as easy as plugging it in, syncing with the software and pressing a button. If you have ye olde QueCat (remember that PS/2-based scanner radio Shack gave away years ago?) you can download a Windows application that will make it work in no time. Otherwise, you can get scanners through Collectorz: a mini wireless USB laser Opticon ($140), a wired USB Opticon laser scanner (currently unavailable) or a USB CueCat scanner ($20). All three will work but the more pricey “wireless” version is the easiest to use.

The nice thing about the scanners is that they significantly cut down input time if you have numerous games and will immediately interface with other Collectorz software:  Music Collector, Movie Collector and Book Collector (except applications including Comic Collector that catalog products that do not have UPCs).

Unless you acquire a lot of products – DVDs, books and games – you may want to simply manually enter game titles or UPCs to save the extra dough. If you have several hundred – or thousand – products, a scanner is definitely the way to go. It can reduce days of typing to an hour or two of scanning. The only issue will be when a UPC is not found, then you have to manually enter data (and then you can submit it ti the Collectorz online database).

The Collectorz database as certainly improved in the past year, being more complete and up -to-date than before. The percentage of missing titles is probably less than 5% and even then the issue might be that someone misspelled a game title, you have a weird version of a game with an uncommon UPC or your internet connection timed out. Some of the box art is also not the best, although you can add your own to your personal, local database or even submit it to Collectorz and hope they update it with your superior image.

As for organizing, the ability to reorganize and display games as either text lists or image thumbnails makes it super easy to personalize your list for convenient printing, scanning and browsing.

The ability to sync the list with your iPhone or iPod Touch is also nice although that app will set you back another $10. It is rather nice to have a digital list in hand and many forms of your list - HTML and iPod Notes for non-Touch iPods – are bundled with the software. Those are limited to 1000 entries so, if you are a true collector, you may have to create an alternate list system.

Since the main software includes customizable fields, you can also use it for archives and even create a box number field. Those boxes of NES games, for example, can more easily be alphabetized using the software and then you can tag games according to the box they are stored in.

Downloadable?

This software is certainly helpful for the serious game collector. If you have hundreds of games, a scanner will certain be a time saver, especially if you acquire many games at a time (and have a lot to archive). The cost for the hardware won’t be nearly as justified when you have only a shelf or two of games.

Collectorz offers enough database information to give you a reason to browse your collection and enough customizable fields to add the information - box, shelf or other custom organization – to help you get truly organized. It even has a section for loaning so you can essentially become a library to your friends and not forget who has which game.

The portability interface is most helpful for those who plan to finish collection or simply cannot recall all the games they own. Otherwise, most people can save the cost of the Game Collector iPhone app (comic collectors getting Comic Collector, however, will find the iPhone/iPod Touch app be supremely useful).

If you are a collector, own seemingly countless of games and like to keep organized, Game Collector is a no-brainer investment. Likewise, anyone who loans out a lot games will benefit from the software’s library style recording system.

Check Gamertell later this week for a review of the Intelliscanner laser scanner used in this review and Collectorz Game Collector for iPhone and iPod Touch.

Site [Game Collector] Photo Gallery [Gamertell: Game Collector on iPhone/iPod Touch] Photo Gallery [Gamertell: Game Collector Pro]

Full Story » | Written by PJ Hruschak for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Title:Zombie Apocalypse
Price:  800 Microsoft Points ($10 US)
System: Xbox Live Arcade,
Release Date: September 26, 2009
Publisher: Konami
ESRB Rating: Mature for Blood, Gore, Violence
Pros: Throwback to arcade style shoot ‘em ups, fun selection of weapons and special types of zombies, multiplayer is a blast
Cons: Only a few maps to play on, action becomes repetitive, single player becomes tough to slog through
Overall Score: One thumb up, one thumb sideways, 75/100; C, *** 1/2 out of five.

If Smash TV and Left 4 Dead had a baby, Zombie Apocalypse would surely be the blister-inducing result.

The control scheme and general lay of the land will be instantly familiar to anyone raised on arcade classics like Robotron. Nihilistic Software’s effort is an unabashed love letter to those older games with some of the new twists on the zombie genre cribbed from Valve’s smash hit. 

The nod to Left 4 Dead comes from the integration of special zombie types such as the “Puker,” whose constant stream of vomit slips and slows down your character, and the “Big Boy.” While you can wriggle your way from the grasp of most zombies by wagging the left analog stick, the construction garb clad Big Boy’s grip is instant death.

MMMM, Brains

The zombie types get crazier from there. Later, you’ll face psycho prom queen with Aliens-style critters bursting from their chest and zombies that tote shotguns. Your weapons will include shotguns, flamethrowers and Molotov cocktails (also a staple weapon in Left 4 Dead.)  And I don’t really need to tell you that one of your staple weapons is a chainsaw, do I? The chainsaw will kill a zombie with one attack and increases your score multiplier, but the drawback is you can easily be chomped on from behind while you’re swinging it about. Environmental hazards you can toss zombies into including airplane engines and car crushers.

There are also survivors to save for huge point bonuses and the right to earn “Zombie Bait,”  which is a talking a teddy bear stuffed with “love and C4.”  Perhaps as more homage to the arcade shooters of yore, he has only a few phrases and you’ll quickly tire of them. But those games did have their flaws and it’s OK to correct a few of them along the way, even while paying tribute.

The game really is at its spew-inducing best when you and three friends fire it up and try to make it all the way to Level 55. There are only a handful of maps, though, and you’ll see them loop over and over through your adventure. There are other ways the game ramps up the difficulty, including a blackout mode that only allows you to see the heroes’ immediate field of vision and irradiated zombies that are more lethal to fight. By the time you reach day 55, you’ll have seen everything multiple times.

Even so, only the heartiest of the hearty may make it that far. You can continue levels after your death, with the only real penalty being unable to appear on the game’s leader boards.

Smoke ‘Em If Ya Got ‘Em

The four heroes you’ll use to to slay the mass of infected freaks get repetitive also. The collection of zombies is fun and unique and I wish the same amount of care had been taken to make the four heroes you can select more different as well. Each character has a cute little bio snippet that could have been used to expand on their characters although I realize that for this type of game it’s a little much to expect any kind of full-fledged story.

Still, there were interesting bits of stuff thrown in and it would have been nice to see them - dare I say - fleshed out in some way. More important is that the four characters, even the obligatory female, all play exactly alike. You can’t use the style of game as an excuse here as even ancient arcade side-scrollers such as Final Fight mastered the simple concept of “bigger guy hits harder, skinny guy moves faster.”

All-in-all, this little-arcade-shooter-that-could delivers enough fun, particularly as a multiplayer game, to warrant its 800 Microsoft Point purchase price.

If you’re the kind of zombie fan who can already quote all the rules for killing the undead laid out in the new flick Zombieland, this one likely warrants some space on your Xbox 360’s hard drive.

Site [Zombie Apocalypse]

Full Story » | Written by Brian Allen for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

The Apple App Store gaming update is Gamertell’s weekly look at the previous week’s Apple App Store game releases. We cover them all - good and not so good - in their respective categories with a breakdown of the great games and the free games right where you want ‘em, at the top and in your face. The list is available every Monday, right as you are about to start that long work week.

It’s the last week of October (2009) and we are counting down to the holiday release rush on the App Store, which kicks off with a handful of new Halloween apps including CDE’s Crush the Zomibes, the free Wordsearch Halloween and Little G’s Halloween Adventure. Other big notables are Guardian Soul, Groovin’ Blocks and NBA Live. So get tricked or get treated or simply get some apps my friends.

What’s Free

Hip Hop All Star Lite
“Rise to Hip Hop DJ Stardom by scratching and beat matching the hottest Hip Hop tracks from Busta Rhymes, Kid Cudi, DJ Green Lantern, Kool G Rap and more! Hip Hop All Star turns your iPhone and iPod Touch into virtual turntables!”

My first words Lite: Constellations
“Kids age 2 to 7 will now have fun learning basic words. The aim of the game is to arrange the letters in the correct order to make up a word. Letters are pronounced when touched. When word is completed, it’s pronounced and provided letters were arranged in the correct written sequence an animation is displayed. This version includes only 4 different constellations.”

Groovin’ Blocks Lite
“Get ready for a puzzle game unlike any you’ve ever seen! Groovin’ Blocks brings a unique mix of Rock Band-style beat matching to classic puzzle gameplay. It’s addictive! Maneuver colorful blocks and drop them in like-colored clusters to clear the board. But this is not your average puzzle game—this is the first puzzle game where you get rewarded for playing to the rhythm of the music. An original soundtrack with all new beats really drives the puzzles in Groovin’ Blocks. Drop the blocks on the beat for higher scores and bonuses—and really let the music take over! And for the first time, you’ll be able to take this successful Wii™ title on-the-go with a whole new iPhone edition! Play to the music with Groovin’ Blocks!”

Neanderbal
“Neanderbal is a game of logic.. and brawn! The dinos have taken over your prehistoric home and it’s up to you to save you and your family from these dangerous predators! How? Go for the nests! But dino eggs are notoriously hard - too hard to simply smash with your club (unlike those exploding mushrooms and balloon plants!). Luckily, there are plenty of giant boulders hanging around to help you with your cause? Smoosh the dino eggs by rolling boulders on them, but watch out! You only have so many boulders to use, and you can’t risk letting even a single dino egg hatch!”

Worderus Lite
“Can your brain perform under pressure? Worderus Lite is an ad-supported version of the fast-paced word game Worderus. Tap the falling letters to spell words and make the letter blocks disappear. Don’t let the blocks pile up to the top of the screen, or its game over!”

Reebok iSprint
“Do you think you’ve got quick fingers? Well test them out on Reebok’s iSprint, probably one of the most addictive games you’ll ever play! Set your fingers in the starting blocks and wait for the gun… then sprint to the finish line by swiping your fingers down the screen.”

Hangman Free
“Think you have a good vocabulary? Take on your iPhone or a friend in this chalkboard classic and find out how good your vocabulary really is. Hangman Free is the best Hangman game available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The game faithfully captures every detail of the classic Hangman experience, right down to the chalk dust. Hangman Free supports one player and two player gameplay, so you can let a friend choose a word or have your phone select a word from a broad range of categories.”

WordSearch Halloween
“For a limited time only… get this free Halloween treat! You get to solve countless puzzles in this special holiday edition of AFKSoft Word Search. And you can keep playing long after the holiday.”

What’s New

Action

Guardian Soul: Price: $3.99
“Summon Action RPG! Summon the Guardian!! This romantic action RPG is about a novice knight, Leica, who defends her town Agnus from invasion of the Kingdom of Largo for the treasure, Agnesian. Starting the journey, she encounters a guardian master by chance and they get closer as time goes by. Revolving around main quests for defending Agnus, Leica faces many other guardians and guardian masters. Guardian Master: One with special power that summons guardians. Items obtained from guardians enable you acquire other guardians, weapons, armors and potions from an alchemist.”

Roswell Fighter: Price: $2.99
“Roswell Fighter is the ultimate classic arcade style shooter, but with improved and fresh game-play. Tons of aliens wait for you! And do not forget, mother earth is in danger – so be fast and blow up everything in a beautiful mixed 2D/3D environment. Roswell fighter will charm you with its great 50’s art style and music! The game-play starts classic but will get more and more challenging through the time while you face totally new and innovative game features. Mini-games and huge bosses will force your adrenalin to the limit.”

Crush the Zombies: Price: $0.99
“The aliens have invaded your hometown. Most people in the vicinity are infected with the alien zombie virus. There is no cure for this virus. You found a road roller in your backyard and you decided to use it to get out of your house and search for survivors who are not infected with the zombie virus. You need to guide them to the exit door so they can escape from the zombies. The game controls are the wheel control to move and the right and left steering controls for direction navigation. Basically, you need to use the wheel control and the steering controls to navigate your road roller to crush the zombies. The more zombies you crush, the more combos you obtained. There will be no lack of zombies to crush as they keep coming in waves to swarm you and your vehicle. There are five types of enemies in this game. Two children zombies and a big deformed zombie which you have to deal with while navigating your road roller. The worst has yet to come. There is an green alien that will shoot lasers at your road roller to damage your getaway vehicle. Fortunately, you have in-game items to help you in difficult situations. These items usually appear after you completed several combos by squashing more zombies with your road roller.”

Adventure

Nicky Boom 2: Price: $0.99
“Nicky Boom 2 on iPhone : Nicky Boom strikes back! Following the thrilling adventures of little Nicky Boom, retro platform game that combines adventure, puzzle and 90’s graphics, is now available on the App Store to try to solve a new riddle. With his magical goose by his side, help Nicky Boom to find out who removed the ladders and blocked the entrance of the caves in his country of origin. Enjoy your new weapons, go look for keys to secret passageways, and get ready to fight hordes of toadstools that divide when they’re attacked, of killer wasps which fire at you, spiked wheels, and even hungry grizzlies.”

Endless Defence: Price: $0.99
“A shaman summoned a lot of monster, And began attacking the city through the teleport , You are THE HERO, THE ONE, Only you can save the city! Take up your sword and FIGHT BACK!! You must prevent enemies from attack the stronghold. Let’s see “How long can you survive?”

Little G’s Halloween Adventure: Price: $1.99
“Out to Play Entertainment brings you a magical holiday game experience based on the award winning animated short, Little G.’s Halloween. It’s Halloween Night, and it’s up to you to help guide our small ghostly friend as Little G. encounters menacing Pumpkin Guards, spinning Treatbags and other surprises. His goal is to collect all 13 treat bags in numerical order and get back home as quickly as he can. But be alert. Little G. must avoid the flashlight beams of roving Trick-or-Treaters or find himself whisked back to the beginning of the street. Can you brave this spooky challenge? As a special treat, this adventure is paired with the original, short animated film Little G.’s Halloween. This charming film has been screened at film festivals around the world and featured in children’s programs at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.”

Arcade

Crystal Gems: Price: $0.99
“Crystal Gems is a cool remake of the famous breakout classics with the additional touch. Navigate your transporter ship with the finger, deflect your crystal gem collector ball over the power shield and try to collect all crystal gems to clear a stage. If the gems start to shine while you collect them your score will double. On your trip you will find different power ups, monsters and a challenging level design.”

Warp Fighter: Price: $1.99
“Warp Fighter is a aerial dog fight game through time in different ages from first world war 1 until a futuristic UFO to fight air to air with them. In the 3rd century of the earth’s life the human became a confederation and the industry pollution was the major problem , this caused a collapsing of the entire temperature system that create holes on the ozone , the solar shadow make a chain reaction that create an overlapping of ages between the old and the new worlds. Old and new country start to be face to face with different cultures and war concept was never forgiven , so each country of this different parallel world decide to race against each other creating the warp fighter challenge. Scope of the challenging is to beat all the other airplanes and survive to this one to many air combat game This game is dedicated to enthusiasts of ’80 shoot’em up game is a remix of the old time pilot game with a new completely renovated sound and graphics plus more weapons for a full nice extended game.”

Alien Outpost: Price: $1.99
“Like defense games, but sick of “flicking” enemies around a screen with your finger? If so, then you’ll love Alien Outpost! Alien Outpost is a fast paced defense game with awesome shooter gameplay mechanics! Defend your base against wave after wave of alien attackers, and manage your assets wisely as you upgrade your defenses. Alien Outpost will have you on the edge of your seat!”

Penguin Break: Price: $0.99
“Penguin Break is an exciting, captivating game of runaway penguins and your efforts to stop them. Reaction, strategy, split-second timing, and careful aim – you’ll need them all to get the highest scores in this light-hearted, easy-to-pick-up, can’t-put-it-down flock of fun for your iPhone/iPod Touch.”

Board

The New York Times Sudoku Daily: Price: $4.99
“Bring the gold standard of Sudoku to your iPhone and iPod Touch with The New York Times Sudoku. Officially licensed by the puzzle experts at The New York Times, Sudoku fans of any level can now play daily puzzles, post solve times and compare their performance with this challenging game. 5000 puzzles are included, plus great features for the ultimate Sudoku challenge. Whether you’re playing the included puzzles, creating your own grids, or playing the daily downloaded puzzles, this Sudoku game is sure to become a favorite app on your iPhone for a long time.”

Jewel Master: Price: $0.99
“Jewel madness is a crazy little gem that once played you will have a hard time letting it go. This Jewel Puzzle game is Tetris Bejeweled and simon all rolled up into one. As the Jewels drop you must press that matching colour. This game starts off slow but don’t let that fool you. As you progress they will come faster and faster. At the end you will see your best run and your global score. If your running out of Power watch out for Star Power. This little item will boost your power back to 100%.”

Pumpkin Peg: Price: $0.99
““a Pumpkin Peg” is an “Solitaire/Peg” board game in the “Halloween version”.

The Sudoku: Price: $2.99
“This sudoku game has 5 different levels. Each level has thousands of grid design.”

Card

LetsHoldemPoker: Price: $3.99
“Lets you meet people who share your love this great card game. You can enjoy the various games with high qualities at this “LetsHoldemPoker”. You can enjoy playing the game “LetsHoldemPoker” under some different levels, such as normal,master or legend with many other players. And it will be very interesting yo you. The game offers realistic game playing,very smooth graphics and vivid sound effect.”

Casino

NOTHING

Dice

NOTHING

Educational

Little Cook: Price: $0.99
“Now kids can plan and create a wide variety of meals in their very own virtual kitchen! Little Cook is an engaging game that helps children learn from and be entertained by their own decisions. No chef is too small in the Little Cook kitchen – select your favorite meal from pizza to ice cream sundaes, and add whatever ingredients appeal to you! Want to put candy in your soup? Go ahead! Just be prepared to have your creation tested by a professional kid-taster at the end of the game. She will not be shy when raving about perfectly prepared meals, or about criticizing wacky ingredients. Onion and peanut butter sandwich? Ewww! Whether you stick to the rules, or play as a zany chef, children will enjoy the colorful graphics and range of responses from their food taster. A game of trial and error, you can return to the kitchen again and again to experiment with new dishes and improve your culinary skills! Learn to cook with Little Cook, and best of all, have fun trying! Recommended for children ages 4-7.”

Animal Tracks Quiz: Price: $0.99
“Animal Tracks Quiz” is a quiz game which invites you to test your knowledge of wild nature and its inhabitants. It may be used for testing and educational purposes for people well-informed about tracks and footprints of wild animals. Game consists of 30 questions. The question contains the photo of animal’s tracks you need to name. Each question has 4 possible answers. When you tap one of the answers, the default color of the pressed button is changed to green (when it was the right answer) or to red (wrong answer). You have 3 attempts to give the right answer. If you give it at the first attempt you will receive 3 points, at the second attempt - 2 points, at the third - 1 point. After 2 wrong answers the country name will be shown at the bottom of the screen to help you. Play the “Animal Tracks Quiz” now and find out how well you know world of wild nature!”

My first words: Constellations: Price: $0.99
“Kids age 2 to 7 will now have fun learning basic words. The aim of the game is to arrange the letters in the correct order to make up a word. Letters are pronounced when touched. When word is completed, it’s pronounced and provided letters were arranged in the correct written sequence an animation is displayed. This version includes 18 different constellations.”

Family

Shopping Crazy: Price: $0.99
“Shopping Crazy is a puzzle game in which you have to help the Smith family get home after a long and accident-laden shopping trip. You will need to use all your wits to rearrange the obstacles and help the get out of the maze of the mess they got in!”

Balls to Holes - 250: Price: $2.99
“Balls to Holes - 250 is a super interesting !!! Which will make you to be addicted from the beginning. Balls to Holes - 250 is a fun game that you try to land colored balls into adequate holes, by drawing ink strokes. Balls to Holes - 250 gets challenging as you level up. Different color balls, puzzle like walls, acceleration of the balls will make the game challenging but yet enjoy full experience. Each level gets more challenging yet enjoy full to play. 250 levels are there for you to get started your journey.”

Fish Dish: Price: $0.99
“Fish Dish is most fun and famous fish style game available for the iPhone. Eat the fish which is smaller than you, and avoid which is bigger than you. You can have a wonderful time with various kinds of cute fish. As your fish gets bigger, prettier fish that you can get will appear. Feed your fish which is hungry. You can also check your score by online ranking system.”

GameBox Classics Gold: Price: $0.99
“The fun-filled, award-winning, most popular game collection for iPhone! GameBox Classics Gold is a collection of six highly addictive arcade games to keep your mind stimulated and your finger tapping! This Gold edition is the updated version of the all-popular free game, Gamebox Classics. If you liked the free version, you will definitely love this one too!”

Robinson Crusoe’s Story: Price: $0.99
“This time instead of fairy tales, Digital Media brings you classical adventure book written by Daniel Defoe about adventurous life of Robinson Crusoe. Kids will love to see what happened on the island and who is Friday. What’s more - We give you digital coloring book so your kids will have twice fun with this application.”

Asteroids vs Planet: Price: $0.99
“Meet Planet. One day floating peacefully in the universe and the next, bombarded by an endless asteroid field. Use tilt controls to avoid the asteroids and attempt to maintain the optimum planetary position. While your score constantly grows, staying close to the center increases your score even faster. Keeping Planet in the center adds combo multipliers to help build your score to astronomical heights. When things get too hairy, tap the screen to activate a temporary shield. Use them wisely though - you have three to use and when they’re gone, they’re gone for good… How high can you score before the inevitable armageddon?”

Music

Groovin’ Blocks: Price: $1.99
“Get ready for a puzzle game unlike any you’ve ever seen! Groovin’ Blocks brings a unique mix of Rock Band-style beat matching to classic puzzle gameplay. It’s addictive! Maneuver colorful blocks and drop them in like-colored clusters to clear the board. But this is not your average puzzle game—this is the first puzzle game where you get rewarded for playing to the rhythm of the music. An original soundtrack with all new beats really drives the puzzles in Groovin’ Blocks. Drop the blocks on the beat for higher scores and bonuses—and really let the music take over! And for the first time, you’ll be able to take this successful Wii™ title on-the-go with a whole new iPhone edition! Play to the music with Groovin’ Blocks!”

Touch Lyrics: Price: $1.99
“Touch Lyrics is a intelligent music player that magically displays lyrics for your iTunes songs. Play music using a familiar iPod like interface while singing along to those songs. Beautiful, fully featured with a massive lyrics database for your iPod and iPhone.”

The Club: Price: $5.99
“Welcome to The Club where the best parties take place. In this music arcade game you’re trying to match couples and score as big and as often as possible! Make your moves and dazzle your partner. It’s time to start clubbin’! Use the touch screen to make different dancers meet and spend the night together. Your score depends on the qualities of the dancers and the general party mood. But beware, if the wrong people bump into one another a fight might break out and that will definitely ruin the vibe. Thank goodness there’s always a chance a celebrity will enter the game and look for the right people to join the afterparty.”

MusicQuiz - How well do you know your favorite music?: Price: $0.99
“Play MusicQuiz and find out how well you know the music collection on your iPhone/iPod touch! Here’s how it works: Randomly selected music pieces from your own iPod music library will be played for a few seconds. Then 5 possible answers will be displayed, from which you have to choose the right one. One game runs for several rounds. All your collected points can be recorded in a global Highscore list. That way, you can compare your score to other players worldwide. “

Puzzle

Pang Pond The Hero Begins: Smoky Orge: Price: $2.99
“From the popular comic that captured Thai reader for over 20 years and onto the animation that made international success. Today let joining the wonderful experience together with Pang Pond in his newly exciting Action Puzzle game. You will be taking a role of little super hero who has an importance mission to saving the world from the dangerous monster which having a toxic gas as a weapon. Go through this exciting and challenging mission in “Pang Pond Smoky Ogre the Game”

Paired Sounds: Price: $0.99
“Paired Sounds is game that a player looks for the same sounds, just like a pairs card game. The purpose of this game is to find the exact same sounds. There are many different sounds such as animal, people, House, Army, and Midi. As you keep clearing the stages the boxes of sounds keep increasing, which means the game gets harder. while playing the game, a player can hear the voices, it provides interesting hearing. More sounds will be added later such as instruments and Languages.”

Star Paint: Price: $0.99
“Each level in Star Paint is dynamically created, offering a new puzzle each time you play. Stars will appear on the screen, with lines connecting each one. Move the stars until none of the lines are crossing to clear the level. Sound easy? Watch your time, because if you take too long, it’s game over. To help, use multiple fingers to grab and move different stars at the same time. Make it through normal and medium modes and you’ll unlock Hard mode - turning off the timer, and opening up some really devious puzzles.”

Racing

Zombie Karts: Price: $0.99
“Eeek! The zombies have taken to the streets… in custom go-karts! Pick a zombie and race til you drop. Use power-ups and shortcuts to defeat the others and become top zombie. It’s wacky Halloween racing fun.”

Role Playing

Stranded!: Price: $1.99
“Stranded! is a desert island survival game set in the Space HoRSE universe. Four passengers on a space ship were on a mission to colonize a new planet when the ship crash landed on a planet that is almost completely covered by ocean. You are the only survivor - an upper-management executive from the Decoo corporation, the company that sponsored the original mission. Now you must use your survival skills to stay alive long enough to get rescued. Build shelter, find food and drink, and collect salvageable parts from the wreckage that wash ashore. Use the parts to build a space radio and call for a rescue team to win the game. Search for natural resources, then use them to create other items using various combinations.”

Dungeons: Price: $2.99
“Scour the undead infestation in 99 dungeons, fighting in four differently themed worlds. Defeat reanimated skeletons in the fiery lava world. Try to escape being frozen solid by zombie wizards in the icy snow dungeon. The lush jungle and abandoned castle have monsters ready to raise their blades against you, the intrepid adventurer. Luckily, you have tricks of your own! Use four customizable abilities to put down your foes. Spend synergy points to decide how your magic spells evolve. Collect treasures held by the dungeon’s inhabitants to improve your chances against the relentless horde of creatures that await. At the end of each labyrinth, a ferocious battle-hardened knight awaits. You’ll need all your wits about you to defeat him and gain access to the next level. Best of all, each time you enter a dungeon it’s completely different! Create the spells you want. Wear the items you think will give you the best chance against evil. No two adventures are quite the same in Dungeons.”

Simulation

3D Rollercoaster Rush Bundle Pack: Price: $7.99
“Take a wild ride with this 3-in-1 Bundle Pack of the Original, Jurassic, and Haunted 3D Rollercoaster Rush games, an award-winning and top downloaded brand in June! This Bundle Pack is a steal with a whopping 120 different 3D action-packed rollercoaster tracks! 120 ways to feel the rush of zooming through the highest peaks, biggest drops, underwater, and haunted pumpkin patches in Career Mode! You can even go head-to-head with your friends via Bluetooth in both Jurassic and Haunted themes. Please be warned to eat lightly before playing or you may lose your lunch due to the thrill seeking INSANITY!”

Kitty BubbleWrap: Price: $0.99
“POP, POP, POP—no one can resist making those little plastic bubbles explode! Now your experience never ends with this computerized bubblewrap you can pop again and again. But wait, there’s MORE—our bubblewrap comes with a new and surprising picture revealed at the end of each sheet! With hundreds of pictures of kittens and cats, the real test is how fast you uncover them all!”

Magic Earthwand: Price: $2.99
“Enter a fairy tale world where three enchanted princes are turned into Magic EarthWands and sent into a dark world to catch love that the evil wizard Duche Baggums stole from them. Using an original 3D algorithm written expressly for the iPhone platform, the Magic EarthWand simulates the behavior physics of the classic Cup and Ball game. This charming and beautiful game takes you through the journey of the three princes of Earth in their quest to restore light to the world and return to their original selves.”

Sports

NBA Live by EA Sports: Price: $9.99
“NBA LIVE by EA SPORTS™ delivers the most realistic 5-on-5 action available for iPhone® and iPod touch®! AUTHENTIC TEAMS, REAL STARS, TRUE LEGENDS
With real NBA rosters, you can dominate the game as Dwight Howard and other All-NBA stars. Or unlock legends from favorite NBA teams like the Lakers, Celtics, Sixers, and more. Match up all 30 NBA teams in the new 82-game Season Mode. Play a casual game in Exhibition Mode, or battle all the way the Finals in the ultra-intense Playoff Mode. Control the game with a virtual analog stick. Use the accelerometer to accurately shoot free-throws. Press the clipboard to pick from multiple plays on offense or to set your strategy on defense. Stay in the zone with the beat of15 music tracks from artists like Matt and Kim, Snoop Dogg, and Xzibit. Hear legendary announcer Marv Albert accent the action as you rain 3s from downtown.  Tip-off anytime, anywhere, and watch your game come to life in vivid 3D. It’s intuitive enough for the casual gamer, but delivers the authenticity that hardcore fans demand.”

Strategy

NOTHING

Trivia

SPLINTERS: Price: $0.99
“The third dimension of puzzle games is just one fingertip ahead. In SPLINTERS you have to rotate a three-dimensional point cloud. From the right perspective, the cloud merges into an image. Play against the clock to win a place in the worldwide highscore list. 30 Levels are waiting to be mastered with skill and spatial ability.
SPLINTERS takes full advantage of the graphic chip of the iPhone / iPod touch to ensure a direct and smooth gameplay.”

776 Things You Didn’t Know: Price: $0.99
“776 Things You Didn’t Know is a collection of interesting facts and trivia. Board at a bar? Killing time during class. Pull out your iPhone/iPod Touch and fire up this 776 Things You Didn’t Know. This application is a great way to start up conversation. Did you know that every time you lick a stamp you consume 1/10 of calorie? Did you know that rabbits can not vomit. There is no such thing as naturally blue food. Even blueberries are purple. 776 Things You Didn’t Know is great for random facts, curious situations, conversation starters, parties, and settling bets.”

Word

Aero Frenzy: Price: $0.99
“Aero Frenzy is an engaging word game with high-flying fun! Race your airplane to the finish line by building words from the available letters. Can you reach the finish before your opponent does? It’s high-flying fun as you race across the sky!”

Hangman Pro: Price: $0.99
“Think you have a good vocabulary? Take on your iPhone or a friend in this chalkboard classic and find out how good your vocabulary really is. Hangman Pro is the best Hangman game available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The game faithfully captures every detail of the classic Hangman experience, right down to the chalk dust. Hangman Pro supports one player and two player gameplay, so you can let a friend choose a word or have your phone select a word from a broad range of categories.”

iPhone / iPod Touch Links

Appletell: [Macintosh/iPhone software update roundup - October 26th, 2009] [Appletell reviews Keep Defenders for iPhone, iPod touch] [First iPhone firewall soon to be in Cydia]

Full Story » | Written by Kris Rosado for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Nintendo usually waits a couple years before changing the hardware on its handheld devices but it just may break tradition this time around. According to a report from Nikkei news service (via a quick NeoGaf translation of a blog post), Nintendo will release a new DSi in Japan this year (2009) with a screen that is approximately 4 inches. The screen on the current DSi is 3.25 inches.

Overall it’s not a major difference in appearance but Nintendo is going after a different consumer demographic. This new strategy is directed towards older would be gamers who would probably find the larger screen easier to interact with.

Besides this slight cosmetic change, everything else about the DSi will remain the same. It will have no additional processing power or a higher quality camera. Best of all the price will remain at the standard price of 18900 yen (around $200). No one is sure if the new DSi will make its way to other countries outside Japan.

Since Nintendo hasn’t officially announced this new version of the DSi we going to throw this into the rumor category. We will update if some more light is shown on this story.

Read [Kotaku] Also Read [Zerg Watch]

Full Story » | Written by Jeremy Hill for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »