Calling box art

Hudson is Calling, will you pick up?

‘Paranormal Activity’ Director Reveals Added Scenes, Tweaked EndingNew DSi LL handheld from Nintendo

Clergy criticizes Resident Evil Wii

The Right Reverend Mark Bryant, Bishop of Jarrow (real pic) and other members of the clergy have raised concerns about Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles on Nintendo Wii, claiming it glamorizes violence and promotes the occult.

" If we dabble in this area we open ourselves to influences and put ourselves at risk. I would regard any encouragement for children to be drawn into this behavior with extreme horror ".

Leo Tan from Capcom rubbished these remarks and put out a statement defending the game:

" This is scaremongering and typical religious hysteria. You cannot blame society's ills on video games. It's just absurd. Most games (and movies) like Resident Evil show characters fighting evil not supporting it ".

" Unfortunately the clergy is showing a lack of understanding of the video games industry and is too quick to splash the holy water and lump video games players into stereotypical boxes.

 Video games are entertainment and like horror movies or other scary films they are covered by a ratings system. Resident Evil for example is a 15 certificate and not suitable for anyone under that age. Parents have to be trusted to adhere to these age restrictions and use common sense ".

Which side of the fence are you on?

‘New Moon’ Cast Reveal Their Favorite ScenesCriterion revamping Need for Speed

Rabbids spoof Twilight New Moon

Always ones to keep up with popular culture, Rabbids have put up a comical video clip done in the style of Twilight.

Rabbids, you may remember them from such games as Rayman Raving Rabbids, Raving Rabbids TV Party and the more recent Rabbids Go Home.

Ashley Greene Says ‘New Moon’ ‘Keeps You On The Edge Of Your Seat’Zombies ate my golden monkey party

Download New BIT.TRIP Kicks, Speeding Karts, Magic Castles and More

Among the latest downloadable games from Nintendo is BIT.TRIP VOID, a riveting new installment in the extraordinary retro-arcade series for the WiiWare service. You'll also find some remarkable kid-friendly fare on WiiWare this week, including the immersive Harvest Moon: My Little Shop. Race-loving Mario fans will thrill to see the original Super Mario Kart make its Virtual Console debut alongside the imaginative A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia. The Nintendo DSiWare service welcomes Castle Of Magic - featuring some inventive uses for the Nintendo DSi system's built-in cameras - as well as five delightful additions to the Electroplankton series. No doubt, the variety and value found on the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop are enough to keep holiday consumers energized through Black Friday and beyond.

WiiWare
BIT.TRIP VOID
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 600 Wii Points
Description: The third installment in the retro-arcade BIT.TRIP saga is a synesthetic exploration of rhythm and music as they pertain to our everyday lives and moods. With a control scheme that's new to the series yet wholly familiar to gamers, players have complete freedom to move about the screen wherever they desire, interacting with the music in brand new ways. The classic game-play aesthetic remains as color - and the absence of color - are explored to the fullest. Trip out in four-player co-op and get lost in the beat with a friend. See if you can survive the onslaught of Beats and further your own BIT.TRIP.

Harvest Moon: My Little Shop
Publisher: Natsume, Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,200 Wii Points
Description: Welcome to Clover Town, where you've just taken over your grandparents' farm and shop. The town has fallen on hard times, though. People are leaving, businesses are struggling and the magic of the Harvest Sprites is gone. Can you turn Clover Town's fortunes around and restore its missing magic? Raise crops and animals, then use what you farm at your shop. Keep your customers happy by making wild fruit juices, towering ice cream cones and extravagantly decorated eggs in a series of fun and fast-paced activities that use the Wii Remote controller to its fullest potential. Chop vegetables in midair, shake your Wii Remote controller to match your cow's moves, roll eggs through tilting mazes and more. Use your hard-earned money to buy new crops and animals or expand and decorate your shop. Along the way, you'll meet and befriend lots of new and interesting characters, as well as several familiar faces from the Harvest Moon series.

Little Tournament Over Yonder
Publisher: Gevo Entertainment
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: In the world of Little Tournament Over Yonder, play as a young Prince or Princess and lead your team through numerous battles. Plan and deploy your units to gain strategic advantages. Launch real-time battles between units and fight hard, fast and smart. Build your team, hire new units with different powers, then groom them with battle experience to gain level. With strategic planning and real-time, fast-paced fighting, this game is for the complete warrior - one who works his mind and his muscles. Go for Single-Player Tournament glory or challenge your friend in a 2-Player Versus match.

Learning with the PooYoos: Episode 1
Publisher: Lexis Numrique
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: EC (Early Childhood)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Welcome to the world of the PooYoos, the first fun, poetic brain trainer for children aged 3 to 6. With the PooYoos, a merry band of adorable baby animals, children will have fun while learning the developmental basics: numbers, letters, lateralization, shapes, colors and more. Children get to dance with their new friends and enjoy lovely interactive rewards. There are two levels of interactivity, so children can play according to their age and level. This game has been designed for use by children who have not yet grasped reading.

Virtual Console
Super Mario Kart
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Get in, sit down, buckle up and experience frantic kart racing in the game that started it all. Select one of eight characters from the Mario series - offering a variety of driving styles - and take on three championship cups in three different kart classes. Win enough and you'll unlock a fourth circuit: the ultra-tough Special Cup. Crossing the finish line in first place isn't an easy task, though, as each track has unique obstacles to conquer. Racers can obtain special power-ups that boost them to victory. For a different kind of challenge, take on a friend in multiplayer races or go head-to-head in a Battle Mode arena, where the object is to pop your opponent's balloons before you lose your own. With more than 15 tracks to master and nearly endless replay value, Super Mario Kart is classic gaming with some banana peels thrown in for good measure.
A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia
Original platform: NES
Publisher: Majesco Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Blob has come from the distant planet Blobolonia in search of an Earth boy to help him save his world. Join him on this fantastic adventure, searching for treasures in mysterious caverns beneath the earth, then traveling to Blobolonia to battle the evil emperor. Discover Blob's amazing appetite for jellybeans and the different transformations that occur with each flavor. Use these shapes to overcome even the most outrageous obstacles. A Boy and His Blob is a fantastic journey filled with constant surprises and humorous characters.

Nintendo DSiWare
Castle Of Magic
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Be prepared for anything as you try to save your friend from the clutches of the horrifying magician Nefastax. Stand up to wild monsters in environments that directly influence your movement. As you navigate this universe, the ground will make you stick, slide, sink, swim, levitate and even walk on the ceiling when gravity disappears. A never-before-seen use for the Nintendo DSi Camera application lets you transform yourself into powerful new forms. Visit an in-game Photo Cabin and search for a real-life object that matches the color of the character you want to transform into. Take a picture of a blue object with your Nintendo DSi system and…presto, you're transformed into a swordfish. You can customize game items - from coins to enemies - with pictures of your choice. Our cute hero's adventure is just too big and immersive for one screen, so he'll have to jump between the top and bottom screens of your Nintendo DSi system. Ready to dive into the adventure?
myNotebook: Blue
Publisher: Nnooo
Players: 1
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: myNotebook allows you to take notes wherever you are. Just pop open your Nintendo DSi system and jot down your thoughts. Make a list and cross it off or play your favorite pen and paper games (games not included). You can even personalize your notebook by drawing on the cover and changing the paper type with 18 unlockable paper styles. Use the pen or pencil to make notes or doodles, then erase the bits you don't like. With five ink colors, you'll always be able to make your notes and doodles look stylish.
Electroplankton Luminarrow
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Luminarrow plankton are famous for their habit of perfectly following arrow-shaped formations. The plankton spin as they move, changing directions as soon as they come in contact with an arrow that's pointing in another direction. The pitch of the sound they make will change depending on where the arrows are positioned. There are four types of Luminarrow: red, yellow, green and blue. Each type floats at a different speed and makes a distinctive musical tone. The four types of Luminarrow drift together to create beautiful melodies. Completely alter the direction of the arrows to change their sound dramatically.
Electroplankton Sun-Animalcule
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Sun-Animalcule plankton get their name from their tendency to emit light in a sphere around them. The plankton begin as eggs and gradually grow, emitting light and fascinating sounds throughout their entire life cycle. The sounds they make will change as they grow from infancy to maturity, growing very quickly until they disappear completely. Sun-Animalcule plankton only emerge in the morning, noon and evening. They lose strength as the night wears on; that's when the crescent-shaped Falcato plankton take their place. The pitch of the plankton changes depending on where they grow.
Electroplankton Lumiloop
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Lumiloop plankton are curious, donut-shaped aquatic creatures. While stationary, they have the ability to spin at a very high rate of speed. As they spin, the Lumiloop emit unique sounds and a fascinating ring-shaped glow. Lumiloop plankton seem to always grow in clusters of five. They produce sounds at different pitches as they spin together, creating a beautiful harmony. This is called a pentatonic scale. Depending on where they live, Lumiloop plankton that produce several different sounds have been identified.
Electroplankton Marine-Crystals
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Resembling delicate snow crystals, Marine-Crystal plankton float elegantly on the surface of the water. The plankton get their name from their distinctive snowflake shape. They grow in clusters of 35 and line up in very orderly formations. When stimulated, Marine-Crystal plankton spin and produce vibrant sounds. While the plankton do grow in size if they are repeatedly tapped, they gradually return to their original size over time. They are born in four polygonal shapes: triangle, square, pentagon and hexagon. The ends of the crystalline protrusions also take on the same shapes. The tone of the sound they make will change depending on the shape of the Marine-Crystal plankton's body
Electroplankton Varvoice
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Varvoice plankton memorize the sound of human speech and repeat it over and over. They accomplish this amazing feat by oscillating the long flagellum that extends from their heads. By resonating the vibration with their water-droplet-shaped body, the plankton produce sounds that closely resemble the human voice. The body can expand and contract at will. By changing shape, they can easily manipulate the sound of the voice. Words that the Varvoice memorize and play back in reverse have a particularly strange ring to them. Researchers refer to this phenomenon as Varvoice inversion.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit Wii.com or NintendoDSi.com. For the latest WiiWare games, click here. Click here for a list of games available on Virtual Console.

Load Up on Excitebike Action, Musical Plankton and MorePenn Badgley Calls Teenage Halloween Costume ‘Worst Idea Ever’

Bits, Blobs, Karts and more

Big N have pulled out all the stops for today's downloadable releases, likely the strongest week we've seen in a long time:

Bit.Trip Void (WiiWare)Harvest Moon: My Little Shop (WiiWare)Little Tournament Over Yonder (WiiWare)Learning with the PooYoos: Episode 1 (WiiWare)Super Mario Kart (SNES)A Boy and His Blob (NES)

At least something for everyone in there?

‘New Moon’ Star Robert Pattinson Laughs Off Pregnancy RumorsNovember 2nd WiiWare and VC

Alter Ego adventure game on Wii

German publishers bitComposer Games have put out a press release announcing a creepy new adventure game called Alter Ego for Wii and PC. The screenshots are taken from the PC version, but give you an idea of what to expect.

Alter Ego is the latest offering from the Czech studio Future Games, who were responsible for successful adventure titles like Black Mirror and Nibiru. Alter Ego will be released on Windows PC and Nintendo Wii.

Alter Ego takes gamers to the fishy town of Plymouth in the South of England as the 19th century draws to a close. A string of gruesome murders shakes the entire region after a strange aristocrat dies who was the subject of many horrifying myths in his lifetime. Players can discover and investigate the various scenes as they alternate between two totally different heroes, the thief Timothy Moor and Police Detective Bristol, to gradually reveal a dark secret.

Alter Ego is a Point 'n' Click adventure game. This thrilling and sinister detective story takes place across over 80 backdrops and is driven forward by atmospheric cut-scenes. Along the way, the player will meet over 30 NPCs as the story unfolds. Players will also have 150 objects available to combine in order to solve the challenging puzzles.

Alter Ego is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2010.

Phoenix Wright game on Wii?‘Paranormal Activity’ Director Reveals Added Scenes, Tweaked Ending

Shin'en Art of Balance interview

The lost art of balancing things in stacks is set to see a revival as popular developer Shin'en brings Art of Balance onto WiiWare sometime soon. I caught up with Manfred Linzner for a few questions.

WW: Hello, please introduce yourself and describe your role at Shin'en.

Manfred: My name is Manfred Linzner, I'm one of the founders of Shin'en in 1999. I'm involved in engine programming, gameplay programming, supervising audio, etc.

WW: Art of Balance is looking great, can you tell us about it?

Manfred: Thanks. We really tried hard to make it look lush and brilliant. The idea was to develop a "stand out" look for the game. Not only on WiiWare but for games in general.

Art of Balance was supposed to be really easy to pick up but hard to stop playing. We wanted that "just one more level" feeling. It took quite a lot of effort in polishing and general game play refinement to finally come to that point, but i think we really succeeded.

We wanted to give everything in the game a 'lounge' feeling. The graphics, the musics, in fact the whole package. You should really feel comfortable while playing the game and refreshed when you stop.

Another important aspect was multiplayer. We support coop and versus play. For coop you can drop in/out at any time of the game. When playing together in coop the whole experience deepens a lot. You may now play the levels completely different then alone. You could stack the shapes simultaneously, balance critical situations together or place just one shape after another. Its really up to the gamers. Its also perfect to play along with younger kids as the older ones can do the harder moves and the younger kids can do the easier ones.

In the versus mode you play on a split screen against each other. Its really a blast when trying to be faster then your opponent while still keeping everything in balance.

Art of Balance supports 16:9 and runs in super smooth 60fps.

WW: How do the controls work? Do you twist the Wiimote to turn pieces?

Manfred: One of the first ideas was of course to use motion control, but in the end there was a too much waggling just to make a basic move. We soon figured that motion controls would not make Art of Balance any better but just more cumbersome.

We use the Wii remote pointer for moving the shapes and the A button to drag & drop. Rotating the shapes can be done with the B button or with the control pad. That is pretty simple and works very nice. In fact you adopt very fast to that scheme and don't think about anymore while playing.

WW: What made you decide to go the WiiWare route, as opposed to a budget retail game?

Manfred: We did many retail games in the past. The problem with retail is that it really takes quite long to get something into the hand of the gamers. With Wii Ware you can develop a good idea much more quickly than with a disc based game.

Also we think the given Wii Ware size restrictions are really generous. We don't feel restricted by them. For DS we usually did marvelous looking games in just 4MB. On Wii Ware we have 40MB! The Wii uses very clever texture compression which in fact gives us even much more room to make everything good looking.

WW: Physics puzzlers now seem to be a popular genre, did you take inspiration from any other games?

Manfred: There are a lot of Physics based games on the iPhone and even as Flash games. People just love to play with something behaving like in the real world. So before developing Art of Balance we looked at many physics puzzlers. There are quite a number of games that use the idea of 'balancing', but we figured that a good idea is not always sufficient. You need really a lot of good content, many different kind of challenges, new game play ideas again and again. Putting then this content into a polished and nice feeling package makes the difference. Many other games just stop where the real fun begins.

WW: Were you worried people might confuse it for a Wii Balance Board game?

Manfred: We had a bit of worry about that, tho in the end we think that people won't have any problems to separate that. The title 'Art of Balance' was just perfect and so we decided to stick with it.

WW: Any idea when Art of Balance will be released? How long has it been in development?

Manfred: We don't have a release date yet but it will be pretty soon as development is as good as finished.

The development started right away after Fun Fun Minigolf in late 2008 with many new features for our internal game engine. Core development then started in Q2 2009.

Kristen Stewart Reveals ‘The Worst Part Of Being Broken Up With’Shin’en’s Art of Balance