Dragon's Lair Comes to Wii, in 3!

Presenting the next venue for the famous (or infamous, for some) "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-esque" franchise Dragon's Lair: the Wii!

Experience the fantasy adventures that became a cultural phenomenon! Game publisher Destineer today announces a partnership with Digital Leisure Inc. to develop Dragon’s Lair Trilogy, bringing three timeless arcade adventures together on one disc for Wii™: Dragon’s Lair, Dragon’s Lair 2: Time Warp, and Space Ace. For the first time ever on a console platform, you can experience the stunning visuals and engaging storylines from all three of these classic arcade games created by legendary American animator Don Bluth. Lead on brave adventurer, your quest awaits!

Dragon's Lair is a game in which players assume the role of Dirk the Daring, a knight who is off to save Princess Daphne from a dastardly dragon and powerful wizard. Unlike most games, where players control the character directly, however, players only choose directions and attack motions at specific points in the adventure. Choosing the right path moves Dirk forward, but otherwise, Dirk faces one of many deaths and must start over.

The sequel involves Dirk and Daphne once again, though now he must thwart the evil wizard Mordoc, who wishes to turn Daphne into his bride and be lost forever in the Time Warp!

Despite the game being called a trilogy, the game only has two games with Dragon's Lair. The third title is a space-themed version of the same gameplay. In Space Ace, players control the fate of Dexter, whose aim is to save Earth from the nefarious Borf and his Infanto Ray.

This thirty-buck trilogy will not only contain all three adventures, but it will also feature widescreen or normal options, improved animation, and two new gameplay modes. One is a beginner's mode which guides new players through the experience to be made easier. The other is a new mode called "Watch Mode," in which people can watch the whole game experience without playing the games at all!

The game is expected to release in the Fall. A DS version is rumored to be coming by Ignition, but no official announcement has been released.

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RealTime Worlds' New World: Project: MyWorld

Lots of Worlds in that title...anyhoo...

Social networking has become one of the biggest and fastest-growing aspects in the gaming world, aside from motion controls. Realtime Worlds' first major project outside of Crackdown tried to connect gamers together in a Grand Theft Auto world with APB. Today, a more casual and unique approach has been announced.

Presenting Project: MyWorld.

Project: MyWorld is a unique online experience in which the entire world is presented for everyone, and from that base, people can develop and build their homes their way. Friends can be invited, and updates can be seen in realtime around the actual cities produced around the world.

Furthermore, the game allows players to participate in 3D gaming, with racing and flying aspects demoed in the unveiling trailer. There's more than just that, of course. Project: MyWorld is a growing experience that is looking for gamer feedback, too! So feel free to leave comments to their webpage in order for a better MyWorld to be released.

What would it look like if Nintendo built Google Earth?

Project: MyWorld turns the real world into a fun 3D social gaming experience. Project: MyWorld is a virtual recreation of the real world combined with 3D gaming and social media.

The game is expected to launch in 2011. No publisher is covered for this project as of today.

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SouthPeak and Majesco Custody Battle!

While some gamers might not entirely care for the MyBaby series, SouthPeak Interactive and Majesco are locked into a conflict over this casual game series for the DS and Wii.

According to Gamepro, SouthPeak Interactive, the publisher of the first two MyBaby title in the United States, is arguing that it deserves the ability to publish the third and subsequent MyBaby titles in the future.

However, Majesco, known for publishing the Cooking Mama franchise, is publishing the third MyBaby title. What puts the New Jersey-based publisher in the right is its relation with French publisher Nobilis. Nobilis is the current holder of the MyBaby franchise, and it has given its rights out to Majesco.

Even in the land of casual games, drama is around every turn.
At least Maury is not necessary this time around.

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Line Attack Heroes now on WiiWare

Last E3, that is, E3 2009, two unique IPs were demonstrated in Nintendo's booth. One was FlingSmash, which is seeing its release this upcoming fall for a reduced price. The other was Line Attack Heroes.

Line Attack Heroes is an action title in which defeated foes join the hero in a line which can be whipped out with a swish of the Wii Remote. Furthermore, getting more heroes to help you out increases your power, allowing you to fend off more powerful enemies. The game has a complete story mode, with cooperative play available, and if players want to fight each other, there are four distinct multiplayer modes, as well.

Line Attack Heroes is developed by Grezzo, a new development company headed by Koichi Iishi, known for producing the Mana series at Square-Enix. The game is now currently out in Japan, but the title has no American release date yet.

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Casual Game Companies Become Target for Purchases

It seems like purchasing flash game companies and social networking developers is all the rage nowadays. In the last two days, two major purchases have occurred involving these types of companies, adding to the list of massive purchases in the last couple years.

First, the most confusing purchase of the two.

Kongregate, a website dedicated to the hosting and integration of tens of thousands of flash games together into a unique OS of sorts. This includes in-game chatrooms and achievements for each title. With ten million visitors monthly, it was certainly worth the purchase from...

Gamestop. I am not being dyslexic here; the video game retailer will be purchasing Kongregate for an undisclosed amount. Kongregate co-founder and CEO Jim Greer explained more about the situation in the site's blog. Free games will continue to be released on Kongregate, but the company will be expanding itself. There is even a possibility that the PowerUp rewards program from Gamestop, which gives members special in-game rewards and special discounts, could be integrated into Kongregate.


The second purchase in two days seems to be more in line with the general industry trend of purchases.

Playdom is one of the leading developers for Facebook games, including, but not limited to, Sorority Life, Social City, and Mobsters, with roughly 42 million players monthly. It is one of the top developers to look out for in the casual space. So...

Disney bought the company. Playdom was acquired today by Disney for an astronomical $563.2 million. This is only the latest of massive purchases by Disney, who bought Marvel Comics for $4 billion in the last year. Disney certainly is not holding back on its reserves!

These two purchases come not too far from EA's purchase of Playfish, another Facebook powerhouse. Zynga, perhaps the largest Facebook developer that is still independent, will apparently be going public shortly. Either way, if a developer wants to get purchased for a lot of money, it should invest in Facebook or online social networking.

This could also be leading to a major dot-com crash 2.0, but only time can tell, in the end.

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Weekly Releases: 7/25/10

Entering the last week of July, it appears that we are hitting a slew of big titles, but none so big as the massive product to arrive this Tuesday. Countries will be shut down for this title, it is that big (or at least Korea).

Significant Releases


Starcraft II (PC)


Developer: Blizzard (Starcraft, World of Warcraft Series)
Publisher: Activision-Blizzard

After more than a decade of fans crying out to Blizzard for a sequel, and after the company had developed the World of Warcraft MMO into one of the biggest, if not the biggest, money-maker in this gaming generation, it seems it is now finally ready to unleash the Zerg Rush once again.

KEKEKEKEKEKEKEKE!

In Starcraft II, the game series continues with the plotlines established from the first game, and rather than have three campaigns already on the game, only the Terran campaign, Wings of Liberty, is available from the start. The other two campaigns will be available as DLC in the future. Of course, the Terran campaign is astoundingly large. There are missions to take, but they can be done nonlinearly, and furthermore, the game has in-between segments where players can walk around the main ship and learn more from the other Terran soldiers. To top it off, there are still heavy online features and map editors for continued addiction. Totally not something to miss, for RTS fans of all types.

BlazBlu: Continuum Shift (PS3 / Xbox 360)


Developer: Arc System Works (Guilty Gear Franchise, Blazblu)
Publisher: Aksys Games

The sequel to the HD-animated fighter Blazblu is finally arriving to consoles, after entering arcades late last year. Blazblu is known for its completely over-the-top characters and fighting styles, a fun action-packed game to be sure. The game even adds a beginner mode so horrible fighting gamers such as myself can get right into the game. There are new characters (three are DLC, alas), but there is much more in store.

Hydro Thunder: Hurricane (XBLA)


Developer: Vector Unit
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

After years of inactivity, Midway's series is back! Hydro Thunder pits players on super-fast motorboats over eight hectic water-laden raceways, and with plenty of secrets and special abilities to obtain on the way, each race certainly will not be the same twice. Realistic water physics also add to the variety in each level's strategies. Split-screen or online, multiplayer is a major sell on this title, and as the second Summer of Arcade title this year, it is looking to be full of people to race against.

Dive: The Medes Islands Secret (WiiWare)


Developer: Cosmonaut Games (5 Spots Party) w/ Over The Top Games (NyxQuest)

An underwater adventure awaits! Dive takes players down underwater into 10 real-world locations, including Tortuga Island and the Cayman islands, filled with coral reef mazes and sunken treasures to discover. John Sanders, the protagonist, better keep his eyes out for giant sharks and poisonous jellyfish! Thankfully, players can explore the areas and gather gold to purchase new equipment and eventually discover the secret treasures near the Medes Islands.

Other Releases:
Clash of the Titans (360/Ps3)
Arc Rise Fantasia (Wii)
Need for Speed World (PC)

Previous Weeks
7/17/10 - Limbo
7/11/10 - Dragon Quest IX
7/04/10 - Crackdown 2
6/27/10 - Sin and Punishment: Star Successor / Singularity

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Street Fighter X Tekken Trailer Released

As promised, here is the trailer finally released by Capcom.

It is slated for Xbox 360 and PS3. No Release Date yet, folks!

Street Fighter and Tekken Duke it out!

As if cross-overs were not enough with Marvel Vs. Capcom, we're finally going to pit the two most hardcore fighters against one another.

Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono announced Street Fighter X Tekken for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 at its Street Fighter IV panel at ComicCon today. When announced, the game showed Dan from Street Fighter fending off Kazuya from the Tekken series. The game will be more akin to Street Fighter IV, with the game's 2D gameplay and ink-styled graphics.

"We've known each other beacuse of the industry but never had a chance to try something like this before," explained Capcom's Seth Killian, who had earlier praised the public for purchasing Street Fighter IV, which he said put his job, and Ono's, on the line. Ono approached the producer of Tekken for the idea after hearing that he was a big Street Fighter fan.

Oh, but there's more! The developers at Namco are also producing a title, aptly called Tekken X Street Fighter! This game will be more akin to Tekken, with more open fighting arenas and perhaps crazier fighters attending the fray. Realistic graphics will also be predominant in this title, as the series has been with the newest entry, Tekken 6.

As for release date, not for a while. It sounds like that while the games are progressing, they are going to come out at the same time. They will definitely be late 2011 releases.

You'll definitely get some video and images around the net later today!

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Kinect Pricing Unveiled

It seems one of the news-selecting minions failed to do its job right. Earlier this week, Microsoft finally announced the pricing details for the upcoming motion-control system for Xbox 360, Kinect, after a month of speculation and rumors.

Major Nelson announced the official US pricing for Kinect as well as a new Xbox 360 model and bundle.

First off, the Kinect itself. The Kinect will be releasing with Kinect Adventures! bundled within for $150. This is for those who already have Xbox 360s.

Speaking of Xbox 360 systems, a new one was announced as well. The system has 4GB flash memory and an internal Wi-fi card for wireless internet access. It will retail for $200 upon its release.

Combine the two and what do you get? A $300 holiday bundle with both the 4GB Xbox 360 and Kinect together! That's a fifty dollar savings, if you decided not to do some mental math.

Still seems a bit pricey all-in-all, but that is definitely the best game to bundle together with Kinect.

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Green Lantern Gets the Green Light

Hey, this is Comicon weekend, after all!

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Announces Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters
Players Continue the Adventures of the Green Lantern Film on Xbox 360®, PlayStation® 3, Wii™ and Nintendo DS™

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters an action-adventure title that will be available in conjunction with Warner Bros. Pictures’ epic superhero feature film Green Lantern scheduled for release Summer 2011. The game will be available for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system, Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ and delivers an immersive experience for GREEN LANTERN fans that the entire family will enjoy.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is inspired by the feature film, which brings the enduringly popular DC COMICS SUPER HERO to the big screen for the first time and which stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role as HAL JORDAN, the newest member of the GREEN LANTERN CORPS. In the videogame players will utilize over a dozen constructs and take flight across the deepest parts of the Universe to restore intergalactic order by wielding the ultimate weapon: the Green Lantern power ring.

“Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters gives players the chance to experience the world of the Green Lantern mythology in an interactive way, going beyond the events of the film and comic books,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Production and Development, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “The game is the first to center around DC Comics’ Green Lantern franchise and we’re excited to give fans the opportunity to experience the power of the ring with engaging gameplay.”

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is in development for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii by Double Helix Games and for Nintendo DS by Griptonite Games.

Double Helix has worked on another movie-based game in the past: G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra. So, while I cannot say I am fully hyped for this project, it does seem like there should have been a Green Lantern game years ago.

It is about time we get to make anything we want form out of a green ring. On a video game, no less.

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Halo: Reach's Forge Mode: Presenting Forge World

One of the modes that came about in recent Halo titles was the Forge Mode, a mode in which players could place certain objects together in already created multiplayer maps in order to create new and unique fighting arenas out of old locations.

With Halo: Reach, this mode has evolved into something a bit bigger.

Presenting Forge World, a single, massive map where Forge can be put to its best.

Go outside the canyon a take the whirlwind tour of Forge World – a new, fantastic point of view fit for way more than just the Blood Gulch remake.

Set on one of the franchise’s iconic Halo rings and featuring a multitude of faithful remakes already built in, only Forge World’s vaulting blue skies are the limit, allowing aspiring cartographers to take up where our map designers left off. Utilizing the upgraded Forge 2.0 toolset, a familiar, sprawling landscape, and your own imagination to sculpt, build, and share custom crafted maps, Forge World is more than just a map...it's a blank, Forerunner-themed canvas with unlimited creative potential.

In this single sprawling world, players set the boundaries for the maps and can change just about everything but the main ground already set by Bungie's artists. Lights can be changed to different colors, and the collision detection can be waived in order to "merge" pieces together instead of causing collisions all over the place.

Bungie has released a video documentary discussing this new World more in-depth. Furthermore, this is but one of a number of announcements made by Bungie at its press conference at Comicon in San Diego today. Among those announcements were the new Firefight multiplayer mode and a Halo: Reach Xbox 360 bundle.

Halo: Reach will be releasing this September 14th.

Six New Characters for Marvel vs Capcom 3 Announced (Sort of)

Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is shaping up to be quite the smorgasbord of Capcom and Marvel awesomeness, and with Comicon happening this weekend, Capcom felt it would be best to announce a handful of characters entering the fray in this iteration of the franchise.

What they had not expected was that Marvel would leak two more.

Well, it is too late for that to be stopped, so here are the six that were announced this week:

Dr. Doom: A brilliant scientist-turned-diabolical-villain, Dr. Doom is one of the major antagonists of the Fantastic Four series. He is a mastermind with a lot of magical ties, including a loving relationship with Morgan Le Fey.

Super-Skrull: Otherwise known as Kl'rt, Super-Skrull is a Skrull warrior who has continued to fight off the Fantastic Four in attempts to lead the Skrull Empire to a World Invasion. He has been given the four powers of the Fantastic Four and to greater strengths, as well.

Thor: When he is not mild-mannered medical student Donald Blake, he is the son of Odin, defender of humanity. Odin placed the soul of Thor into Donald's body, without any knowledge of godhood, so needless to say when Donald Blake turned into Thor with his mystical hammer, there was surprise. Godlike powers follow him throughout his life.

Trish: From the Devil May Cry series, Trish was the creation of the Mundus, king of the Demon World. She convinces Dante to go fight Mundus at Mallet Island in order to have him killed, but she develops feelings for him and eventually helps him in his efforts. Her attacks include the use of the Sparda sword and lightning abilities.

Chun-Li: Street Fighter's Asian favorite is back for some more action! An agent for Interpol, she has fought in Street Fighter tournaments to get to M. Bison for revenge for the death of her father. She is best known for her quick kick attacks and being the first female in a fighting game, to some.

Amaterasu: The reincarnation of the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu is the protagonist to Okami, an action RPG for the PS2 and Wii. She is reincarnated in order to save the world from the demonic beings unleashed within the game, including Orochi, an eight-headed dragon being. Her powers are extremely mystical and fire-based.


Man that's a lot. Capcom continues to mention that the roster is around 30 characters. So far, about 16 have been announced, so here's hoping we get some real unique characters out there. Trish was surprising; hopefully we get some more random characters in the future.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds will be released Spring 2011.

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