Nintendo Launches Christmas Blitz
25 October 2004 – Gamers everywhere are
in for a festive treat this year as
Nintendo celebrates Christmas with its
strongest ever hardware and software
line-ups along with some fantastic
Nintendo bundles to drive hardware
sales. So no matter what your taste,
Nintendo has an ideal Christmas present
for everyone this year.
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Nintendo
Targets Female
Gamers With New
Color For Console
The gaming industry is evolving and once
again Nintendo is leading the way.
There's a new wave of female gamers
entering the market and to embrace this
Nintendo is launching the Game Boy
Advance SP Limited Pink Edition.
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There's
Magic in the air
Junior Andreas Voellmer has battled
knights, slain dragons and cast spells,
all the way to the National
Championships, simply by playing cards.
He is one of the many Blazers who plays
the often seen but not often understood
tradable card game (TCG) Magic: the
Gathering. Voellmer is also last year's
State Champion, and he hopes to repeat
his performance today at this year's
State Championship.
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New
Japan-themed expansion for Magic
Champions of Kamigawa features an array
of Japanese-themed cards, hits Magic:
The Gathering Online on Monday.
Wizards of the Coast has announced that
Champions of Kamigawa, a new
Japan-themed expansion to the seminal
trading card game Magic: The Gathering,
will go live for the game's online PC
version on October 25. The expansion,
which features cards like "Battle-Mad
Ronin" and "Isamaru, Hound of Konda,"
has been available for the game's
traditional paper version since October
1. Players will be able to download the
expansion pack from the official Web
site starting Monday, with tournaments
beginning on Thursday.
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BioWare
launches online store
Game developer to offer premium game
content for sale over Internet
BioWare Corp. today announced the launch
of the BioWare Online Store, an
internet-based marketplace located at
http://store.bioware.com. The store will
offer premium Neverwinter Nights(TM)
game content. Neverwinter Nights has
sold more than 2 million units worldwide
and received numerous RPG of the Year
and Game of the Year awards. The modules
will be developed by BioWare staff, as
well as by prominent members of the
Neverwinter Nights fan community, and
will be produced by BioWare and Atari,
utilizing the Dungeons & Dragons(R)
property under license from Hasbro and
its subsidiary, Wizards of the Coast.
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Developer
Diary Vol. #13
The focus group vs. the focus: creating
a truly inspired game.
Too often games cannot get funded unless
they have that sort of generic mass
appeal. This sort-of-uninspired product
often comes from the pressure to get
every territory and marketing person in
a company to "sign off" that the game
will be a hit. What is ironic is that
most of the people that "sign off" don't
even play games.
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Purple
Haze, PS2
This is the third ‘Nam first person
shooter sim released in recent months.
The game features tracks from legendary
guitarist Jimi Hendrix, to conjure up
some nostalgia for the 60s when much of
the war took place – hence Purple Haze
in the title, one of Jimi’s best known
songs.
The graphics are absolutely awesome –
some of the best I’ve seen. The flowing
streams are about as realistic as water
gets.
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Japan
Charts: success for Burnout 3
Criterion's stunning racer does the
business in the Far East as well
EA's Burnout 3: Takedown has achieved
remarkable success in the Japanese
market, with the PS2 version going in at
number two in the software charts with
first week sales of around 32,000 units.
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Princess
Soft Supports PS2
Quartett! and other game announced!
October 24, 2004 - Princess Soft has
apparently looked at the options
available in the GameCube and Xbox, and
decided to throw its weight behind the
PlayStation 2. The Japanese publisher,
responsible for such titles as W - Wish
and F - Fanatic (ha, ha, ha, ha, ha)
announced this past week two new titles
for the PS2.
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Sony
plans GT4 bundle for new PS2 in Japan
First hardware bundle deal emerges,
along with cut-price original PS2
The first official hardware bundle for
the redesigned slimline PS2 console has
been announced, with Japanese consumers
set to be tempted by a Gran Turismo 4
pack launching in early December.
The package will feature a slimline PS2
console (unofficially dubbed "PStwo")
and a copy of the eagerly awaited game,
all bundled in a box co-designed by Gran
Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi.
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PS2
Review: NBA Ballers
In NBA Ballers you'll play in parking
lots, on top of buildings and at the
homes of some of the NBA's biggest
stars, rather than on NBA courts.
There are a variety of game modes,
including single matches, tournaments
and the excellent Rags to Riches mode,
in which you must take your baller from
obscurity to stardom.
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Full
Spectrum Warrior engages PS2
Making something of a mockery of those
"Only on Xbox" tags that adorn copies of
Full Spectrum Warrior, publisher THQ has
revealed that it plans to release a
PlayStation 2 version of Pandemic
Studios' widely acclaimed squad-based
shooter following the release of a PC
port just under a month ago.
Full Story
Tony
Hawk's Underground 2 - PS2 Review
If you've picked up a controller in the
past six years, you've become accustomed
to the domination of the extreme genre
by Tony Hawk. The Birdman has single
handedly revolutionized the skateboard
game with solid controls, tons of
characters and expansive environments
packed with ramps and half pipes. What's
more, when the franchise seemed to get a
bit stale with its line-up of pro
skaters, Hawk turned the field on its
ear with THUG.
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Pokémon
FireRed / LeafGreen
They're back baby! Are you ready to
catch ‘em all over again?
What is it the makes the games so great,
though? Well, in a word it’s the
simplicity of all it all. You won’t need
to navigate any complex menu systems,
learn any intricate button combinations
or anything that may be familiar to
hardened RPG veterans. Rather Pokémon
has always had a ‘kiddy’ image due to
its cutesy look combined with its simple
gameplay system. But don’t let that fool
you into thinking there isn’t a great
deal of depth to proceedings, quite the
contrary in fact.
Full Story
Pokemon
Episode Delayed Due to Earthquake
Depiction
Sensitivity in light of Wednesday's
earthquake causes network to pull
episode
TV Tokyo has announced that the
broadcast of an episode of Pokemon
Advance Generation has been delayed
indefinitely. Originally scheduled to be
aired on November 4th, the episode
featured an monster rampaging
underground and causing earthquakes
above ground.
Source
Nintendo
Says 'Touching Is Good' in Sexed-Up DS
Ads
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Japanese game maker
Nintendo Co. Ltd. (7974.OS: Quote,
Profile, Research) is sexing up its U.S.
advertising to launch the DS handheld
device, promising mature players that
the gadget is not their little brother's
Game Boy.
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Nintendo
takes Chinese iQue console online
With multiplayer gaming on the cards.
Nintendo is preparing to take its
Chinese iQue console online in November,
allowing gamers to buy and download new
software using their home PCs instead of
using kiosks in supermarkets and other
public areas, and opening the door to
online gaming.
The iQue, which integrates the N64's
major functions into a slightly bulkier
control pad design and plays games
downloaded onto Flash cards, launched
exclusively in China last year, and its
software line-up includes the likes of
Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64 and The
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
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Nintendo
sues porn user for listing Zelda as an
interest
A FILING over on boingboing.net makes
for some hilarious reading. They have
linked to a forum post by the
administrator of top burlesque
porn-phenomenon SuicideGirls, where he
posts a letter from Nintendo lawyers who
have threatened the site with copyright
infringement.
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And The Next
Day.......
Nintendo Apologises To SuicideGirls
October 28, 2004 - In an update to
yesterday's 'Nintendo gets shirty for no
reason' post, an apology has been issued
to SuicideGirls, the "part alternative
community and part pin-up showcase of
more than 420 fantastic tattooed and
pierced bad girls, from Finland to
Colombia."
Full Story
Dragon
Ball Z® The Trivia Game Lands in Stores
Parklife Games, Inc. announced today
that the company’s much-anticipated new
game, Dragon Ball Z® The Trivia Game,
the first trivia board game ever
compiled to entertain and challenge
American Anime (Japanese animation)
fans, has begun shipping to retailers to
land on store shelves this holiday
season.
Full Story
Atari's
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 Goes Gold;
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 on Schedule for
November 16 Launch
Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) today
announced that Dragon Ball Z(R):
Budokai(TM) 3, has been approved for
release by Sony Computer Entertainment
America and manufacturing has begun.
Rated 'T' for teen, Dragon Ball Z(R):
Budokai(TM) 3 and the Dragon Ball Z(R):
Budokai(TM) 3 Limited Edition will
launch for the PlayStation(R)2 computer
entertainment system at a suggested
retail price of $49.99 and $59.99 on
November 16th. Both products should be
available in-stores by November 23.
Full Story
VIZ
ANNOUNCES TWO NEW BOX SETS FOR MAISON
IKKOKU ANIME SERIES
Latest episodes of popular series
created by Rumiko Takahashi will be made
available exclusively through The Right
Stuf and VIZ online stores
VIZ, LLC, one of the leading publishers
and distributors of manga and anime for
North American audiences, has announced
the release of the next two Maison
Ikkoku DVD box sets for the popular
anime series. MAISON IKKOKU, a romantic
comedy from famed manga artist Rumiko
Takahashi, who also created such popular
titles as INUYASHA and RANMA 1/2.
Full Story
Kevin
Kringle: Yes, THAT Kringle
A mysterious delivery guy has been
spotted across the internet and has
everyone asking: "Who Is Kevin Kringle?"
This elusive character has inspired many
to take to message boards in order to
piece together clues in order to find
his true identity.
Kevin Kringle is reportedly the brother
of Kris Kringle, the legendary
holiday-figure. Unlike his brother who
lives with elves at the North Pole,
Kevin lives an average life in
Kissimmee, Florida. Instead of driving a
magical flying sleigh, Kevin drives a
non-magical overnight delivery truck.
Did he run away from his heritage or did
he simply not want a life in the
limelight? One only needs to visit his
website (www.kevinkringle.com) to find
the answer. This man is just horrible at
gift-giving for the Holidays.
Kevin was recently overheard saying:
"The Holidays have always been tough for
me and frankly, they're just not my
thing. I like to buy people gifts, but I
usually end up picking horrible
presents. Some of my friends and family
refer to me as "holiday challenged."
But, this year - I have a plan." When
asked what that plan was going to be,
Kevin simply smiled and stated: "You
will have to wait and see."
One thing is for certain, Kevin likes to
keep people guessing and until his plan
is revealed, fans of this new
"celebrity" will keep following the
clues he leaves behind.
Magic the Gathering
