When the Wii was released, it was small, especially compared to the behemoth consoles manufactured by the competition. But after the wheel and the zapper and digging out the GameCube controllers, and finding a place for the balance board — and don’t forget, you’ll need those maracas, too — does it feel like the little system has grown a little? Is it taking over the living room? How do you manage all the extras?
Square Enix hasn’t had their memories of Europe taken away by some enchanted bell yet. The company has just announced that their roguelike-ish Final Fantasy spinoff game, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon, will be released “across Europe and PAL territories” in the fall of this year.
The game, a turn-based dungeon RPG about a cuddly Chocobo’s adventures in random dungeons created from villagers’ lost memories, came out in Japan in December. It is being released in North America on July 8.
Along with the new announcement, Square Enix has released new screens, which can be found in our gallery. And in addition to the completely sweet video above, two more videos of Chocobo in action — as a black mage and dragoon — are available after the break.
WordJong on the DS is unique among the system’s puzzle games: a Scrabble-type game in which you build words onto existing stacks of letters in order to clear stages. It’s even got an on the web mode and Achievement-like trophies. There aren’t enough language-based puzzle games, and even fewer good ones.
That’s why we’re thrilled to see a new game listed on GameStop.com called WordJong Party. According to the listing, it’ll be out October 21 for $40. If, uh, it’s real, a multiplayer, scaled-up WordJong is definitely something to be excited about. Even though, of course, it’ll have to be particularly feature-rich to avoid the calls of “should be WiiWare” that haunt all 2D, puzzle, or shooting games.
As it’s been known to do, Nintendo Power wrapped up its latest issue promising a new unannounced title for next month’s cover. Given the exclusive reveals the magazine has featured lately, such as Mega Man 9 for WiiWare and the Castlevania Judgment 3D fighter, both arguably megatons, it’s hard not to anticipate another huge surprise!
Nintendo Power’s preview page for the next issue brandishes the above image and a swift prank on Earthbound fans (as if they needed more teasing): “We’ll kick off the next 20 years of Nintendo Power with more big reveals, including a top-secret cover story fit for a king. It’s got a lot of heart. Just kidding. It’s Mother 3. Just kidding. Please look forward to it.”
What could it be? A sequel to Square’s lackluster King’s Knight? Even superior, perhaps a remake of Capcom’s Knights of the Round? What are your gueses?
We already came to the conclusion that the lack of universal instrument compatibility holds us back from purchasing multiple rhythm games. Which peripheral-based music games do you already own, though? For what system or systems? Which do you plan to purchase in the future?
Perhaps after hearing what you’ve and want, we’ll have a better idea of where the faux-band game genre is heading in the future.
One of the most well-known development tools in the world has been secured by 2K Games for some upoming titles. The Havokphysics engine is used in squillions of high-profile games like Halo 3, Oblivion, BioShockandSuper Smash Bros. Brawl. Naturally, 2K wanted to acquire the license for none other than Carnival Games: Mini-Golf.
Before crying shovelware, the original Carnival Games sold over a million duplicates, so 2K is doing the right thing by wanting to get the ideal software for improving the series. A few other titles are also in line to use Havok, but no word on specific names as yet.
Sure, last week we highlighted Smash Bros. Brawl, but we felt the need to do it again. The above video, which is a collection of glitches and tricks you can pull off in Brawl, was too much to pass up. So, give it a watch, as it features a very cheap Sonic, a pair of Luigis pulling off ridiculous combos mid-air and Bowser being trapped in a very small space.
A nice side effect of the Wii’s expansion of the gaming audience is that people with skills and interests outside of video games have begun applying their expertise to our hobby. In this case, it means good food for once instead of the normal junk that fuels the stereotypical gaming lifestyle.
Chow.com has posted a list of delicious-looking recipes that is, in their estimation, best for Wii celebrations in two ways:
It can all be eaten one-handed, leaving a free (or at least clean) waggling hand
They’re organized into nutritional groups designed to sustain lots of energy over time
We’ve got the Wii, and now we’ve got the menu. Next step: friends!
The “Nintendo Icon” Amazon Gold Box has gone live, so it’s time for those of you who can shop at Amazon.com to get your credit cards at the ready. With nine different deals on the table today, you might just find something that appeals to you.
The “Deal of the Day” is Super Smash Bros. Brawl for $25.99, which really leaves you with no excuse not to buy it. The lightning deals are where the excitement is always at, though, and there are eight of them that will cycle throughout the day.
Before we get into what’s on the list, we must state that the sales are slightly disappointing. Maybe it’s just us, but we wish Amazon had included more second-party titles. After all, such games are considered “Nintendo Icons,” too. There’s one title in particular that we feel is sorely missing — but we digress.
To see Amazon’s hints for the eight lightning deals, just click past the break.
Note: These deals are listed in Pacific Time.
6am-8am: “Set out on a wild and colorful quest to rescue children investigate [sic] an ominous island.” — (Confirmed: Yoshi’s Island for $19.99)
Underachievers can now take to the Wii in an effort to impress their friends with virtual accomplishments. TT Games has announced Guinness World Records: The Videogame (really? a game?) for the Wii and DS, so there’s no reason for you not to be included in the book that features a new holographic cover every year.
It’s full of mini-games, of course, and features some of the most popular records — like growing the longest fingernails, and eating a jumbo jet. Sounds … gross. World Records enables players to compete in such prestigious events via “accessible game mechanics.” No clue what these actually are, but if it involves sitting around for 50 years growing long fingernails, then at least it’ll score highly for longevity. It’s released in Q3 2008, if you can wait that long to participate in the “most remarkable activities in the world.”
When the Wii was released, it was small, especially compared to the behemoth consoles manufactured by the competition. But after the wheel and the zapper and digging out the GameCube controllers, and finding a place for the balance board — and don’t forget, you’ll need those maracas, too — does it feel like the little system has grown a little? Is it taking over the living room? How do you manage all the extras?
As it’s been known to do, Nintendo Power wrapped up its latest issue promising a new unannounced title for next month’s cover. Given the exclusive reveals the magazine has featured lately, such as 
We already came to the conclusion that 
