MemcardRex 0.5 released

April 1st, 2008, 00:16 Posted By: JKKDARK

Shendo released a new version of his PSX MemoryCard editor.

Changelog:

* Fixed error with the Shift JIS to ASCII conversion where 'b' character would come out as "bb".
* Added icon editor per TheCloudOfSmoke's suggestion.
* Added preferences dialog where user can change settings.
* Added support for Memory Juggler single saves.

QUAKE WII Released

April 1st, 2008, 00:38 Posted By: wraggster

RustyNathan has ported Quake to the Nintendo Wii, Heres the release details:

i have ported Quake to Wii, but I don't have the resourses to test it, Please download it and test it. You need USBGecko.

QUAKE WII

This is a port of the gamecube Quake.
To install rename Quake.elf to boot.elf and put it in the root of your sd card. Now take the “ID1” folder and put it in the root of your USEGecko. Run boot.elf with the “Twlight Hack” and enjoy.
This is the Shareware version of quake, if you have the real game put PAk1.PAK in the "ID1 folder.
Must use Gamecube Controler.
Accessories needed: Gamecube controller, SD card, USBGecko.

Dol2Wii (Version 1.3)

April 1st, 2008, 00:42 Posted By: wraggster

News/release from seandgibbonsy

I've made a small command prompt script to allow easy transfer of dol files to an SD card.
Installation:
Just extract the "Wii" folder to your C:\ Drive
Put your dol file in the new "Wii" folder
Right-click the bat file and select edit
change the "H" and "h:" to the drive of your SD card (e.g. B and b
and change GCOS.dol to your dol file
then save and exit
Now just run the dol2wii.bat file and you're all set.

How it Works:
It formats the SD card
It converts the dol to an elf file
it applies the elf file to the SD card

Nintendo Wii Trojan LCD Simulator

April 1st, 2008, 00:50 Posted By: wraggster

Jon posted this news/release on his site:



love that you can load custom software using the Zelda Twilight Hack. I merged this together with some old Gamecube code and Voila.

Download and give feedback via comments

Trojan LCD Simulator

April 1st, 2008, 00:56 Posted By: wraggster

News/release from the Conrad Bros

Here is the Trojan LCD game simulator I wrote. I have it running on PC, OSX, NDS, Wii and the original xbox. I decided to write it using SDL so It would port easliy. OS X was the easiest while the PC and Visual Studio was a big pain in the butt. I didn’t simulate the date or time functions as I was only interested in the game play element. Have Fun.

Download and give feedback via comments

RIN Wii Released - Mr Marakichi is Back :) - GBC Emu for Wii Released

April 1st, 2008, 01:04 Posted By: wraggster

Mr Marakichi one of the icons of the PSP Scene that brought a mass of japanese coders into PSP Homebrew has now released the first public version of his Gameboy Colour Emulator for the Nintendo Wii.

Heres a video of the emu running.



Download and give feedback and Compatability Reports via comments

Makaron WIP - If I were a rich man

April 1st, 2008, 02:41 Posted By: JKKDARK

Progress on the Sega Dreamcast emulator for PC.

From the official site:

t least some of you must realize that developing Makaron is a time consuming process. Time I could very well be spending doing things that bring me money. I have expenses you know, mostly PC hardware and software but also Dreamcast games and other stuff (like a new oscilloscope, as the old one died on me sometime ago).
I'm happy people use my emulator and find it useful, but I also belive it's only fair I got someting out of it as well.

Having said that I've came up with an idea of Pay to Play system for Makaron - prepaid style. Makaron will be free to download and try out but to play longer you will need to purchase an activation code. Simply put, in exchange for money you'll be given a limited time to use my emulator. Once that time is up you'll need to pay again, very much like you would for a cell phone number.
Payment options will include credit cards and other common money transfer services, but I haven't yet decided on the rates so it'll take a few days to set everyting up. I will be done with the activation code shortly too.

This is the last free version: Makaron T10.

UPDATE: I've changed my mind - I'm going to start with payment system right now. If you've managed to download the free T10 then consider yourself lucky.

Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst: Server Shutdown

April 1st, 2008, 02:44 Posted By: JKKDARK

via PSO-World

At 4:42 pm PST today, the US/EU Blue Burst servers were officially shutdown. Things ended on an ironic note with the maintenance message urging players to "finish up whatever they were doing and to sign off." You can share your reactions and memories in our Phantasy Star Online forum.

Sega’s Viking: Battle For Asgard invades retailers in North America

April 1st, 2008, 04:01 Posted By: JKKDARK

via PR-USA.net (press release), Bulgaria

SAN FRANCISCO (March 2008) - SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that Viking: Battle For Asgard™ for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system has shipped to retailers in North America. Developed by acclaimed studio, The Creative Assembly, Viking: Battle for Asgard is a new and horrific twist on Norse mythology that allows players to feel the power of a true Viking hero.

Viking: Battle For Asgard™ thrusts players into a mythological world overrun with demonic warriors unleashed by Hel, the Norse goddess of the underworld. As Skarin, a rage-fueled Viking hero, players will wage all-out war to free mankind from the grip of evil and ultimate annihilation. Players can command dragons and wield fire, ice, and lightning, laying waste to enemies in either small skirmishes or epic battles featuring hundreds of warriors. Enemies will suffer graphic dismemberment with disturbing realism from an array of Skarin’s melee, range, and magic attacks. Upgradable combat skills and Skarin’s otherworldly abilities create an ever-changing landscape of epic violence and heroic victory.

Viking: Battle for Asgard for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 systems is rated "M" for Mature by the Entertainment Software Rating Board and will retail for $59.95. For more information on the game, please visit www.sega.com/viking. Screenshots and artwork can be found on the SEGA FTP site at: http://segapr.segaamerica.com.

Two More Phantasy Star Games

April 1st, 2008, 04:04 Posted By: JKKDARK

via IGN

Are you an import-savvy gamer who not only purchased Phantasy Star Complete Collection last Thursday, but have also played through all the included games? Well, don't toss that unsightly Sega Ages box onto your shelf just yet, because there's more Phantasy Star included on the disc!

Sega Japan announced today the method for unlocking a couple of bonus titles for the game. Simply hold right on the D-pad while pressing start at the title screen, and you'll get the option to play Phantasy Star Adventure and Phantasy Star Gaiden, both originally for the Game Gear.

Adventure is set in the same world as Phantasy Star II and has players investigate a mysterious happening on the planet of Dezolis. Sega has updated the game with a pause feature, allowing you to pause play midway through and continue at a later point. The original was password-based.

Gaiden offers an original look at the Phantasy Star universe. Set 450 years after the original game, players lead Alec and his childhood friend Mina on an adventure to rescue Alec's father from prison. The game is set on a planet that was discovered by the original's hero, Alis.

With these two titles, the four main entries in the series both in Japanese and overseas formats, and the eight mobile scenarios featuring PSII's Nei character, Phantasy Star Complete Collection really does appear to be complete! Although we're all hoping Sega will make it incomplete with the announcement at some point of a real Phantasy Star V.

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Redated

April 1st, 2008, 04:07 Posted By: JKKDARK

via IGN

Koei disappointed the boy's love sim community -- both on the PS2 and the Wii -- with the announcemnt in January of a delay in the release for Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4. The game was oiginally scheduled for March 24 release.

Today, we at last have a final release date for the Japan-only title. Both Wii and PS2 owners can look forward to the game on June 19, Koei announced today. The core fans will, of course, want to look into the PS2 version, as it will exclusively be released as both Premium and "Treasure Box" packages, each containing a bunch of goodies.

To celebrate the new date, we've got a couple of new screens and pieces of artwork. June is just a couple of months away, boys love fanatics!

graphDS v0.5

April 1st, 2008, 04:18 Posted By: morganDS

Here's graphDS v0.5. I added a catalog (currently accessible only from the homescreen) that will eventually contain all the functions, tokens, etc. I also added inverse trigonometric functions, absolute value (currently works only for integers), and some special functions like rand, mean, and numerical derivative (only accurate to three or four digits).

Download:graphDS v0.5

Phleon 1.3 out

April 1st, 2008, 04:55 Posted By: kloplop321

Version 1.3 is now out
Website/download: http://phleon.kloplop321.com
Phleon is a simple program for those that wish to test their themes without having to waste a bunch of time on their DS, taking out their memory card from the computer, booting up, starting moonshell, testing, shut down, put the memory card back into the computer, and so on. I've also worked really hard just making things work, as in opening a previously made theme(even themes from outside of Phleon), and saving themes. In other words, It creates a folder that is just "Drag & Drop" into the skin folder of your moonshell folder of your memory card.
I do like to have feedback via email.

Updates:

• I spelled English wrong, now fixed -.-
• "Leave to -1 to make it automatic" now not on top of everything
• minimized the spacing in the "windows emulator" window
• added some Portuguese things
• Full Spanish done(with tool-tips)
• Full Portuguese done(with tool-tips)
• fixed the single color file list highlight
• setting up all text in program to be able to change(such as tool-tips, and other windows I have added.)
• Modified the top screen emulator to be more pixel alike
• Added resizing windows by mouse in the window emulator!
• fixed possible cross threading issue that now comes up with the 3.5 .NET framework
• body and box menu actions where switched
• fixed the progress bar accidental reversal
• French Revamped(meaning new and human-ly translated thanks to cosmos cosmos)!
• German additions(tool-tips and some dialog stuff thanks to silent_code)!
• Dutch is now Full, thanks to Kawa from GBADev.

This program is in the following languages!

• English
• Spanish
• French
• Dutch
• German
• Portuguese

\/ \/ \/ <-- (dynamic image)
http://phleon.kloplop321.com/version...rsion=Final1.3

Xe 2008-04-01 released

April 1st, 2008, 12:06 Posted By: JKKDARK

New version of the multi-system emulator for Windows and Linux.

It emulates:
* SG-1000
* Famicom & Famicom Disk System / NES
* Mark III / Master System
* PC Engine & PC Engine CD-ROM2 / Turbo Grafx 16 & Turbo Grafx CD
* Mega Drive & Mega CD / Genesis & Sega CD
* Super Famicom / SNES
* Neo Geo
* Neo Geo CD
* CPS Changer
* FM Towns Marty
* Game Boy & Game Boy Color
* Game Gear
* Neo Geo Pocket & Neo Geo Pocket Color
* Wonder Swan & Wonder Swan Color

Changelog:

[Xe] Implemented options to remove sticky memory cards / data disks on start up.
[Xe] Modified CD caching. Sectors are cached when they are accessed.
[Xe] Fixed cursor hiding in full screen mode.
[Xe] Fixed playback with only one frame.
[PC Engine] Improved VDC DMA timing.
[PC Engine CD-ROM2] Fixed audio play status.
[Mega CD] Fixed Timer frequency.
[Mega CD] Fixed a bad sub channel reading bug (broken in last version). Thanks to Tom Farrell
[Super Famicom] Fixed APU frequency calculation.
[Super Grafx] Fixed RAM size.
[FM Towns Marty] FM Towns Marty support

CPCE 1.90a released

April 1st, 2008, 12:08 Posted By: JKKDARK

New update of the Amstrad CPC emulator for DOS, DPMI and Windows.

Changelog:

The past release was made in a hurry and
it lacked features still in development, hence this rerelease. On one
hand, LPTCPC and LPTPC can send and receive extended disc images: many
copy protections work fine; on the other hand, the FDC reading commands
have been improved too ("Arkanoid", "Gremlins 2", Epyx's "World Games",
etc.)

Ootake 1.42 released

April 1st, 2008, 12:09 Posted By: JKKDARK

New version of the PC-Engine emulator for Windows 2000, XP and Vista.

Changelog:

- Some overall processing speeds were sped up (The optimization option of the development compiler was changed). Especially, processing might have lightened in some measure on the personal computer environment with a not high spec.
- It corresponded to software that had changed the width of each line of the screen display. In Chapter-4 of "Yami no Ketsuzoku", the message came to be displayed correctly.
- Additionally, a detailed part has been improved and corrected.

Metronomum

April 1st, 2008, 17:32 Posted By: wraggster

News/release from mastertop101:

Hi, I make a small project quickly (thanks, Palib) for me and for those who might find useful; Metronomum called a metronome. On the chosen BPM with high and low, you press Start so that it starts, or it again and that's it. A tone is heard each time and the top screen turns red temporarily. Try to 600 BPM for the eyes It also displays the number of beats past.

Download and give feedback via comments

libellen - first and final release

April 1st, 2008, 17:35 Posted By: wraggster

News/release from liranuna:

Since I’m not going to do any further development on this (for various reasons), I have decided to release libellen - a sprite handling library for the Nintendo DS, based on libnds.

The library is released under the terms of the WTFPL.

The source and "example" are super documented, and evena Doxyfile is attached if you want to create documentations.
The library was tested and compiled using devkitARM r21 with god-knows-what libnds version. If you find incompatibilities, I’ll be happy if YOU would fix them.

Have fun and happy coding!

For those who are intrigued by the name - lib-ell-en (L - N, my name’s initials) could also be read as libellen - dutch for "Dragonfly" which is what the logo is based on. For those who wonder, the logo is also released under the terms of the WTFPL.

Some history:
libellen was first made as the low-level library for ToD2, but was quickly got good enough to be expended. My second goal was also to get people to stop using PAlib, an old, slow and deprecated library which people insisted on using. The library was not complete, but the sprite handling was. after more then 6 months of inactivity, I have decided to release the library to just handle sprites.

DS Visual Novel Reader v1.2.7

April 1st, 2008, 17:36 Posted By: wraggster

Jake has released a new version of his Novel Reader for the DS, heres the changelog for the last release:

* 1.2.7 30/03/08:
Jake:
* fixed problem with backgrounds not loading and other weirdness

* 1.2.6 30/03/08:
Jake:
* fixed saves for real this time, maybe

* 1.2.5 30/03/08:
anoNL:
* mp3 support

Jake:
* possible save fix

Shooting Watch DS v2.2

April 1st, 2008, 17:40 Posted By: wraggster

Triforce has updated his Game for the Nintendo DS, heres the details

Hudson's idea for Shooting Watch first came about after some kid at the Caravan tour saw Takahashi Meijin's button pressing skills, the kid sent him a letter asking exactly how fast his finger speed was. So they measured it and it came out at 16 shots a second, this is where Meijin's nickname
"16Shot" was born.

Hudson then went on produce the Shooting Watch in 1987 and it was a complete success, it sold over 1 million units. 2007 marked the 20th anniversary for
SW and to celebrate Hudson rereleased it, but only in limited quantity and it sold out immediately

Because I couldn't get hold of one I got the idea to make a DS homebrew version. I had no experience in coding for DS so I decided to ask retrohead
to help me. And thus Shooting Watch DS was born.

Navigate the menus using the buttons on the touch screen or the corresponding button on the DS.

5 modes in all are featured in Shooting Watch DS to try and resemble the original modes along with extra modes that are found in flash games found
on the internet. Due to the DS's unique feature of a touch screen, we thought it would be good to let you navigate and play using the stylus aswell so this has also been implemented.

Here is a breakdown of the modes included in the game:

Shooting This is the main mode in the game. The aim is to press the A button or tap the touch screen as fast as possible. If you manage to beat a certain pre-set score, you will explode the melon which is quite satisfying and master will show his appreciation for your prowess. See if you can earn his respect and once you have that, you can aim
to beat Takahashi Meijin's astonishing average of 16 Shots per second!
controls
--------
Pad control - Tap the A buttton to tap the melon.
Stylus - Tap the screen anywhere to play with stylus.

Clock Mode Just a simple clock that reads from the consoles internal clock. Nothing special here.

Stop Watch This is a basic stop watch. The maximum time is 100 minutes then the timer will start again. Start or stop the timer with the A button and reset it with the B button.

3 Slots Your classic slot machine with 3 reels. The original device did not include this but flash versions found on the internet do. We added to it by showing some fruit to improve the feel of playing a real slot machine. Check out the prize table for
what you can win.

4 Slots Exactly the same as the 3 slots but a bit harder because now you have to match 4 reels. The reward for winning this mode is double that of the 3 Slots Mode. Feeling lucky?

v2.2 Minor Fixes Release

Added Lode Runner skin.
Built with latest tool chain.
SoundFx and music now use AS_Lib as with latest PA Lib beta.
Save file can now be in any directory. As default the game searches for the location of a previous save then location of the nds file. If neither are found (if you rename the nds file), the save file will be created in the root directory but can be moved afterwards.
WiFi transfer now retrieves rank correctly (Up to 100, was only retrieving rank 10 maximum before).
When you win on the slots, you can now hold A or B button to make the coins count up twice as fast. (Fixed 4 slot mode, only worked in 3 Slot before).
Can hold B button to make text scroll faster in the shop.
After playing Shoot mode, the rank shown is now how you ranked for your last go rather than your best rank overall.

Assassins Creed Outfit in MGS4?

April 1st, 2008, 18:49 Posted By: Xiofire

Either a horrible April Fools joke, or someone at Ubisoft wants in on the awesomeness that is going to be MGS4.



Found via Digg, and Kotaku

Xbox 360 to hit 2m in UK "next week"

April 1st, 2008, 19:37 Posted By: Shrygue

via Games Industry


The Xbox 360 is on course to record 2 million sales in the UK next week, according to Chart-Track.

Boosted by the recent official price cut and bumper Easter sales period, Microsoft's console hits the milestone in the midst of a fierce scrap with Sony's rival PlayStation 3 in the key European territory.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Dorian Bloch, director of UK sales monitor Chart-Track, said: "We are very close to clocking through 2 million 360s in the UK. It should be next week."

The Xbox 360 launched in the UK in December 2005 and reached 1 million sales after 60 weeks. Sony announced that PlayStation 3, which launched in the UK last March, had sold through 1 million units by February of this year. According to Microsoft, the Xbox 360 has sold around 18 million units worldwide since launch.

Following price reductions to all three models of the Xbox 360 across Europe, GamesIndustry.biz revealed that 360 enjoyed a 40 per cent uplift in sales within the first weekend after the cut.

After a further leap over the Easter weekend, Bloch said sales dropped by 11 per cent for week 13, while PS3 enjoyed a jump of 14 per cent, coinciding with the launch of the heavily advertised Gran Turismo 5: Prologue hardware bundle. Microsoft was unavailable for comment at the time of writing.

"The Xbox 360 is extremely well liked in the UK and very strong," added Bloch. "Sony has a long way to go to overtake it in the UK."

Guess the plot for Banjo-Kazooie 3

April 1st, 2008, 19:39 Posted By: Shrygue

via Eurogamer


Rare has decided to let you guess at the plot in upcoming title Banjo-Kazooie 3.

This special April treat is not a joke, apparently. There are five rumours on the website, one of which is true.

So, will it be Banjo falling in love with Grunty as the pair battle a new threat, or Banjo journeying into space to find an alien-abducted Kazooie?

Perhaps it is Banjo and Kazooie going back in time after a witch's giant T.I.T., or Banjo coming out of retirement to stop his home being turned into a supermarket?

Or could it be Banjo becoming a reluctant leader as war comes to Spiral Mountain?

Our money is on Grunty driving her time machine back in time to before the bear and bird met, prompting fresh introductions and a re-learning of all the tag-team skills.

Pop over to the Rare website to get guessing.

Banjo-Kazooie 3 will be out on Xbox 360 this Christmas.

GT 5 Prologue trashes UK PS3 record

April 1st, 2008, 19:40 Posted By: Shrygue

via Compter and Video Games


Gran Turismo 5 Prologue has debuted at No1 in the UK, becoming the fastest selling PS3 title within a week.

Released as a budget title, the racer beats previous fastest weekly seller Resistance: Fall of Man, which set the record back at the time of the PS3's launch.

A 50 percent drop in weekly sales sees Ubisoft's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 drop one place to No2, while Sega's Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games also falls one spot to No3.

Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 climbs seven positions to No4, the release of the Wii version helping to drive a 109 percent jump in weekly sales, while Activision's Guitar Hero III rounds off the top five.

Sega's Viking: Battle for Asgard debuts at No8, EA's Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath at No16, Sega's House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return at No21 and Sony's God of War: Chains of Olympus at No29.

01. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (Sony)
02. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (Ubisoft)
03. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega)
04. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami)
05. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Activision)
06. Sega Superstar Tennis (Sega)
07. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision)
08. Viking: Battle for Asgard (Sega)
09. FIFA 08 (EA)
10. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (Nintendo)

Analyst: GTA IV may sell 5.8 mln week one

April 1st, 2008, 19:42 Posted By: Shrygue

via Computer and Video Games


Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV is poised to sell 5.8 million units during its first week of availability, according to Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey.

In a note to GameStop investors, Hickey highlighted this year's top games that are expected to drive sales at the retailer.

Among titles such as Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Halo Wars, Wii Fit, Fallout 3, Mercenaries 2 and other high-profile games, Hickey singled out GTA IV, which is slated to release April 29.

"We expect [GameStop] will benefit from the release of GTA IV in their fiscal Q208 period, which could ship 5.8 million units in the first week or $360 million in retails sales and potentially $110 million for the Company," he wrote.

Hickey's week-one estimates are in line with Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, who said in mid-March that he expects GTA IV to sell 6 million in its first week.

Pachter said he expects the game to sell 9 million during Rockstar parent Take-Two's fiscal year.

Hickey expects game industry software sales to grow 20 percent year-on-year for calendar 2008, with hardware sales growing 13 percent.

Analyst: GTA IV may sell 5.8 mln week one

April 1st, 2008, 19:42 Posted By: Shrygue

via Computer and Video Games


Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV is poised to sell 5.8 million units during its first week of availability, according to Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey.

In a note to GameStop investors, Hickey highlighted this year's top games that are expected to drive sales at the retailer.

Among titles such as Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Halo Wars, Wii Fit, Fallout 3, Mercenaries 2 and other high-profile games, Hickey singled out GTA IV, which is slated to release April 29.

"We expect [GameStop] will benefit from the release of GTA IV in their fiscal Q208 period, which could ship 5.8 million units in the first week or $360 million in retails sales and potentially $110 million for the Company," he wrote.

Hickey's week-one estimates are in line with Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, who said in mid-March that he expects GTA IV to sell 6 million in its first week.

Pachter said he expects the game to sell 9 million during Rockstar parent Take-Two's fiscal year.

Hickey expects game industry software sales to grow 20 percent year-on-year for calendar 2008, with hardware sales growing 13 percent.

Sony offers SOCOM PS3 details

April 1st, 2008, 19:44 Posted By: Shrygue

via Eurogamer


Sony has debriefed us on the upcoming SOCOM: Confrontation game for PS3.

It's online-only, as we had thought, and will allow 32 players to pretend they are in the army and shoot each other.

Key to its charms will be a clever squad and clan system where you can recruit as well as promote or demote members to whittle your way to a perfect unit.

This squad will be made up of members of special forces from around the world: the US Navy Seals, the Special Air Service (UK), the 1er Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (France), the Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (Spain) and the Kommando Spezialkräfte (Germany).

Other special forces from around the world will be added as time goes on, as will other characters, weapons and maps.

Once you have your team you will be able to compete in regional, national, and global tournaments; the emphasis is very much on competitive play here, and events will run on weekdays and weekends to ensure those with busy schedules can join in.

There will be seven maps to tactically run around at the beginning, and those doing the winning will be the ones using their heads and working together, we're told - there's no I in team.

Sony is also launching a special website to accompany the game where you can tinker with your clan while away from your PS3.

There's no release date for the game in Europe just yet, although we heard recently that it would be available in the US this September.

DS gets Trauma Center sequel

April 1st, 2008, 19:47 Posted By: Shrygue

via Computer and Video Games


A new Trauma Center game, currently dubbed Under the Knife 2, is on the way to DS, and will boast a new mode that will help the more cock-handed surgeons of you.

The first Trauma Center game was brilliant, but was thought by many to be a little too difficult. The new game will, according to Nintendo Power (via DSFanboy), boast a new mode, presumably a simpler Easy mode, that will combat the rock hard challenges that made you wimps cry in the last game.

Dr, Stiles and Nurse Angie Thompson is said to star again, apparently to explore the "unanswered mysteries" of the now defeated GUILT Virus.

Although we expect Atlus to dream up plenty of new instruments and gameplay mechanics, none are currently revealed. But the game is expected out this summer, so look out for more information very soon.

Is a new Golden Sun game in the pipeline?

April 1st, 2008, 19:50 Posted By: Shrygue

via Computer and Video Games


The teasiest of teasing hints from Camelot Software Planning has raised hopes that the Golden Sun developer is planning a new game in the RPG series.

"Honestly, just like your readers saying that they want to see a new Golden Sun, a new tennis game, a new Shining Force, well, everyone in Camelot feels the same way - we really want to get these games out for you guys", heads of the Japanese studio Hiroyuki and Shugo Takahashi said in interview with IGN, dangling a carrot.

Inviting further speculation, the pair confirmed that the developer is currently in the planning stages of "doing something interesting", suggesting that whatever this is it's an RPG for DS or Wii.

"We hope that you will be looking forward to our future game", they added. "We ourselves are looking forward to the next Camelot RPG as well, just like you."

Is a new Golden Sun game in the pipeline?

April 1st, 2008, 19:50 Posted By: Shrygue

via Computer and Video Games


The teasiest of teasing hints from Camelot Software Planning has raised hopes that the Golden Sun developer is planning a new game in the RPG series.

"Honestly, just like your readers saying that they want to see a new Golden Sun, a new tennis game, a new Shining Force, well, everyone in Camelot feels the same way - we really want to get these games out for you guys", heads of the Japanese studio Hiroyuki and Shugo Takahashi said in interview with IGN, dangling a carrot.

Inviting further speculation, the pair confirmed that the developer is currently in the planning stages of "doing something interesting", suggesting that whatever this is it's an RPG for DS or Wii.

"We hope that you will be looking forward to our future game", they added. "We ourselves are looking forward to the next Camelot RPG as well, just like you."

Vegas 2 chalks up 2 million sales

April 1st, 2008, 19:53 Posted By: Shrygue

via Eurogamer


Ubisoft has revealed that Rainbow Six Vegas 2 has passed the 2 million sales point.

The tactical shooter has exceeded the publisher's expectations, apparently, so it has put its profit predictions up by EUR 45 million.

"As expected, 2008 is off to be a record year for the videogame market and our games have performed remarkably well in this context," said Yves Guillemot, privileged-space filler in the Ubisoft car park.

"Assassin's Creed and our Games For Everyone brands continued their strong performance and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 had a better than expected start.

"One year after the great success of the first title, the second iteration, which provides another unique multiplayer experience in the much enjoyed Tom Clancy environment, is ranked among the top games on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in almost every country."

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 shot to the top of the charts after its first week on sale. It fell to second this week behind Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, with sales dipping by a hefty 50 per cent.

We went to Vegas 2 and enjoyed our stay; it was more an incremental follow-on than fully-fledged sequel, and whether you take that as good or bad omen should perfectly mark out if you should buy it or not.

PS3 CoD4 DLC three weeks after 360

April 1st, 2008, 19:55 Posted By: Shrygue

via Computer and Video Games


The upcoming Call of Duty 4 downloadable map pack will arrive on PS3 around "three weeks" after the Xbox 360 version, Infinity Ward programmer Jon Shiring told CVG.

We knew the maps were coming to Xbox first, but programmer Jon Shiring, who primarily works on the multiplayer aspect of CoD 4, shone a little light on when we should look out for the PS3 downloadable content.

"The maps are coming to PS3 - they'll be around three weeks later." When pressed further for the developer's reasoning behind the decision to lead on Xbox (especially when CoD4 has made a name for itself as the FPS of choice on PS3) Shiring said, "It's just the way it worked out. We're working as hard as we can to try to get it out there."

Could it be part of Infinity Ward's efforts to maintain its lead over Halo 3 on the Xbox Live 'most played' list?

Ian Dean, editor of PSW magazine, speculates that without the threat of Halo 3, IW has a firm grip on the PS3 shooting market, and may have choose to focus its attention on the 360 DLC first to maintain its momentum over Bungie's flagship shooter.

"With the exception of Rainbow Six Vegas 2, there's nothing to compete with Infinity Ward on PS3, so they probably lead on Xbox 360 because they need to compete with Halo 3," Dean told us, pointing to Resistance 2 as IW's only upcoming threat on Sony's console.

An earlier report suggested that the 360 DLC, which was unofficially expected out on April 3, has been pushed back to April 10. Activision has still to actually confirm a specific date for either batch of DLC. But it's safe to say that it's massively anticipated on both platforms.

Look out for our full hands-on report of the Variety Map Pack soon and further insight from Shiring, who claims to be able to outrun a domestic house cat.

Final Fantasy IV coming to North America ... maybe

April 1st, 2008, 19:56 Posted By: Shrygue

via Joystiq


Role-playing fans can slip on their dancing shoes and party like it's 1991. A new interview with Final Fantasy IV director Takashi Tokita in the latest Nintendo Power seems to point to the game's recent DS remake being localized for North American audiences. Oh sure, he doesn't come right out and confirm the localization -- where's the drama in that? -- but given that the article comes peppered with English language screens and the game itself is featured on the cover, we're certainly leaning towards believing that the RPG will soon be getting some domestic love.

Tokita also toys with our emotions, speaking to the possibility of a remake of SNES RPG classic Chrono Trigger provided "the demand is great enough." Though like coming down hard off a caffeine high, he sends us crashing back down to earth by adding that he really wants to "create new titles and not just series installments and remakes." Yours is a cruel love, mon cher.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Paid Downloads Start

April 1st, 2008, 19:59 Posted By: Shrygue

via IGN


Square Enix certainly didn't wait long to get the downloadable content train running following its first foray into downloadable gaming last week with the start of the Japanese WiiWare service. First stop: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King.

The company made available today the first wave of paid download content for the simulation/RPG, which launched with the service last week. Owners of the game (which, we'll remind you, is only available in Japan at the moment) now have access to eight items.

The main attractions for this first content update are three new character races: Lilty, Yuke, and Selkie. The original title shipped with just one class, Clavat. Each new race costs 300 Wii Points a piece, or you can get all three together for 800 Wii Points.

The new content also includes a couple of new buildings, each 200 Wii Points. With the Seinaru Hokora building, you can raise your adventurer's stats temporarily by having your king pray at the building. The change apparently occurs in real time, as your king prays (which we presume will keep you busy when your adventurers are out during the day). Also available is the Mansion, a large house that's populated by a family of 8. As usual, only one of these is an adventurer, but because the family is so big, you'll get a boost in taxes over a standard house.

The above items initially appear in the game in the form of dungeons. Once you've cleared the dungeons, you gain the ability to build the new building types and the homes that will house adventurers of the new race types. You're limited to making five of each of the race houses. The other two houses are limited to three each.

Other updates include new clothing for your King and for your support character, Chime. Each of these items cost 100 Wii Points. Unlike the other items, you're able to use these immediately upon making your download. Simply head to your castle and go into your closet to change.

Items, at least for Crystal Chronicles, are purchased exclusively from the game's title screen or your in-game castle menu. They cannot be purchased from the Wii Shopping Channel.

Before getting access to the downloads, though, players will have to update their copy of the game by re-downloading it through the Wii Shopping Channel. This update is, of course, free. This whole re-download business will presumably not be needed for the international versions of the games.

The downloadable content doesn't end here. Square Enix made mention today of future download content that includes a library, which will let you learn the unique abilities of the various races; the Unlimited Tower, a dungeon that can be played through over and over again; and the ability to change your adventurer's names. Specifics for these future downloads were not revealed.

Rumor: Lite-On bringing Blu-ray drives to 360

April 1st, 2008, 20:00 Posted By: Shrygue

via Joystiq


We're beginning to get a little dizzy amidst all this tête-à-tête action between Microsoft and Sony regarding the Blu-ray format. Sony says Microsoft's building a Blu-ray drive, Microsoft says it's not. MS CEO Steve Ballmer says the company's thinking about it, then another MS exec says disc technology's on its way out. Now, Digitimes is reporting that manufacturer Lite-On IT is amidst development of Blu-ray drives for the Xbox 360, to be included in future iterations of the 360 hardware.

According to Digitimes' sources, the BD-ROM drives are due to ship out to Microsoft in the second half of this year. Lite-On has previously developed internal DVD-ROM drives for the Xbox 360, leading us to believe that Microsoft may plan to include internal BD-ROM drives in future 360 iterations (such as those including the Jasper, Opus and Valhalla chipsets). No need to fear, however: Such an inclusion would likely be solely for Blu-ray disc playback, and not for Xbox 360 games pressed on BD-ROMS (we hope).

New Age of Conan PVP modes revealed

April 1st, 2008, 20:03 Posted By: Shrygue

via Eurogamer


In an update to the official Age of Conan site, developer Funcom has revealed a couple of new player-versus-player combat modes for the massively multiplayer fantasy game.

The two mini-games provide a fast-paced PVP experience based on standard multiplayer gametypes - Funcom says they are "more akin to an FPS match than traditional MMO combat". Capture the Skull sounds very much like a capture the flag variant, while Team Annihilation is an even more straightforward race to the highest kill count - a team deathmatch mode, basically.

These should provide a welcome counterpoint to the game's widely publicised and highly involved siege warfare system for high-level players.

Check out the Age of Conan gamepage for more coverage of this promising MMO epic. Age of Conan will be released on May 20 on PC, with an Xbox 360 version to follow next year.

NVIDIA's GeForce 9800 GTX officially launched, officially fast

April 1st, 2008, 20:05 Posted By: Shrygue

via Engadget




If you checked into those NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX benchmarks and felt they met with your high standards, now you can actually get one (or a bunch) into your rig. According to reports, the brain-laser of a graphics card can now be had (in various iterations) for the low, low price of $329.99 [£167] (at least from Newegg). And before you ask -- Crysis: Yes. Doom: Yes. Overlords: Welcome. Will blend: Yes. Russia: Benchmarks you.

Pachter: Blame the Weak U.S. Dollar for Wii Shortage

April 1st, 2008, 20:19 Posted By: Shrygue

via Gamedaily


In mid-March leading video game retailer GameStop said they expect shortages for Nintendo's Wii to continue for several more months. But why is there a shortage for the system in the U.S. well over a year after the console's launch? If you ask Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter, it's all the fault of our faltering economy and the weakened U.S. dollar.

Speaking to the Dallas Morning News recently, Pachter noted that Nintendo is deliberately allocating more of its Wii stock for Europe because it can make a bigger profit selling to consumers across the pond. Since Nintendo is a foreign company, when it sells its products in the U.S. for U.S. dollars, our currency has to then be converted into Japanese yen. Because the dollar right now is relatively weak, Nintendo is better off converting the euro.

That said, demand for the Wii has reportedly come down to more normal levels in Europe, and as such Nintendo will likely be shipping more units to the U.S. to satisfy the still greater demand stateside. Therefore, the Wii shortages in the U.S. should subside as 2008 progresses.

Tetrablocks

April 1st, 2008, 20:34 Posted By: wraggster

For my first game release,I made a classical one, so here it is a Tetris clone made with SDL.

Graphics, sounds and code all by myself

I'm thinking about my next project actually so stay tuned !!

Slide2Play v0.38 (PPC Application)

April 1st, 2008, 20:37 Posted By: wraggster

via pdroms

S2P(Slide2Play) is my third S2 series application. S2P is a stylus-free MP3/WMA player application. It simply lets you browse your music files & play.

Changes:

- reduced the RAM usage, especially when there are a lot of music files on the list.
- reduced the start up time.
- added option (FullScreenAlbum) to display a larger album art. For 240 x 240 device, please set it to 0.
- added a sliding button to "move" the playback.
- added minimize S2P by tapping the top right corner of the screen.
- rearranged some keys - END/OK to quit; ACCEPT to minimize.
- integration with S2U2 v1.00 or later (read the S2U2's readme.txt for details)
- all system icons are live when S2U2 (v1.00 or later) is already running in the background. (but it doesn't mean S2U2 is mandatory)
- runs properly on a 320x320 emulator, but not tested on any real 320x320 devices.
- some minor bugs fixed.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=377627

Fahrplanauskunft v0.8 (PPC Application)

April 1st, 2008, 20:38 Posted By: wraggster

via pdroms

This a a little program to create Wayfinding Lists for Buses on http://www.vrr.de

Changes:

- Bugfix: First day of Month was used!!!
- Added Favoriten -> Letzen Fahrplan Laden (Offline)

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=379751

Theme Builder v1.0a

April 1st, 2008, 20:39 Posted By: wraggster

via pdroms

Theme Builder supports editing current summerboard themes as well as creating new ones directly on your iPhone!
http://mxweas.com/blog/2008/03/theme...d-theme-maker/

COD4 Map Pack still "early April"

April 1st, 2008, 20:41 Posted By: Shrygue

via Eurogamer


Activision has told Eurogamer that the Call of Duty 4 Variety Map Pack is still on course for release in "early April".

Whether or not that means this week on Xbox 360 is yet to be seen, although developer blog IAMfourtwozero is adamant it will be.

The Map Pack will cost 800 Microsoft Points and include fresh areas Broadcast, Creek, Killhouse and Chinatown.

Broadcast is suited to large team games and takes place in and around a multi-story television station; Creek is a wide open village with lots of foliage and scattered farm buildings providing great cover for snipers; Chinatown is a modern version of the Carentan Call of Duty map, and takes place at night and works with most gametypes; and Killhouse is an enclosed warehouse made up of plywood training structures for soft and hard cover shoot outs between small teams.

The PS3 Variety Map Pack will arrive roughly 21-days later, with a PC version still unannounced.

Pop over to our interview with Infinity Ward to see what it had to say about the Variety Map Pack.

Rush Rush Rally Racing News

April 1st, 2008, 20:42 Posted By: wraggster

Some news on the development of the Commercial 2d Racing game coming to Dreamcast:

Well, we're still working on Rush Rush Rally Racing. Progressing, expanding, improving! To ease the wait, I've put up some new screenshots and Rush Rush Rally Racing wallpapers.

Microsoft DOES have a sense of humour!

April 1st, 2008, 20:43 Posted By: Shrygue

via Computer and Video Games


So far we've managed to ignore the tsunami of April Fool's jokes that's rampaged across the internet (we think), but Microsoft's put too much effort into its own Xbox.com tomfoolery to be ignored.

The Xbox 360 Wireless Helmet, Xbox Live: The Board Game and Xbox 360: Vintage Edition are among the spoof products on the newly updated official site, as well as slimed down 'Recon Edition' which looks straight out of Tom Clancy.

Second party dev Rare has even joined in the fun, posting five "possible scenarios" for the new Banjo-Kazooie, and apparently one of them is real. We reckon it's the one about Grunty's T.I.T.

See the full selection of Microsoft's gags in the pictures right here.