Category Archives: Gaming News

Nintendo of America Trademarks The Last Story, Cease Holding of Breath

This… is not news. At least to me it’s not. Last Tuesday, on July 12th, Nintendo of America was issued a notice of allowance for The Last Story, one of the three games targeted in fan group/movement Operation Rainfall. What does this mean? Well, it means that no other property in the U.S. has a trademark on the name “The Last Story,” and thus it is safe to release here. Think Star Fox for the SNES, and Star Fox for the Atari 2600. Same name, two completely different games. Why is it not news? The deal here, as many have pointed out, is that companies tend to trademark their properties in many different territories as a safety net to ensure that no backwater little company takes the name and sits on it (or exploits it). Plus, trademark filings never really guarantee that anything will come out to begin with. Remember Chrono Break? Yeah, that was a ride.

Now if something does come out of this trademark, then this article means nothing and you can commence throwing eggs at my face.

Trademarkia [via Joystiq]

It Happened Again. Someone’s Boxart Got Censored

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I’m getting really tired of someone worrying that little Timmy is going to see a set of knockers. Listen, at some point in his life, he’s gonna see a pair of jugs. As you can see, Europe has already matured into seeing humdingers. It’s part of everyday life. But in the good ol’ Puritan US of A, oh no, the mams are still that mystical body part that is only awesome in your mind and should only be seen by your arranged husband. But don’t worry America, we’ll mature to the point where lady lumps will no longer be feared as this morality monster of mischief. The puppies will finally breathe and be appreciated.

…Boobs.

Oh Look, Another Fanbase Mad At Another New Game Coming Out

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Oh this is getting hilarious. So, what’s the fanbase raising a big shit now? Well, it’s the Zelda fanbase. In all honesty, this fanbase raises a big shit over every Zelda game, the most infamous being The Wind Waker. But now, they’re going apeshit over Skyward Sword. A quick glance over at Kotaku, and you’ll see that editor Stephen Totilo had to practically defend himself from the vats of fan bile that was thrown his way when he demoed the game. For crying out loud, the game isn’t even out yet, and people are already writing off the game like they bought that shit last year. But I bet you’re thinking, “hey, crazy fish guy, you guys talked shit about Twilight Princess in that podcast you did.” Here’s the thing, it’s already out. We played it. We beat it. We have an opinion about it, a rational one at that. Here, Skyward Sword is still in development. While we addressed concerns about Skyward Sword, we also talked good things about the game too, unlike those fools that talked shit about it on Kotaku.

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New Dark Souls screens are reminders of the danger ahead

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Some new Dark Souls screens are out, and I must say…they look good.

After thankfully buying Demon’s Souls on an impulse late last year, and also convincing some friends to take the plunge with me, this game easily became one of my most anticipated titles of 2011. Whether we were carefully advancing through dangerous areas, battling menacing bosses, or defending our leader from invading players, it was always exciting. And while there were a few hiccups in regards to the multiplayer scheme, overall I loved the experience. The “spiritual successor” promises to be even more challenging than the previous game and, if you know me, you know I love a good challenge.

So for all you other masochists out there, hit the jump to check out the new screens, including one with a very suspicious looking barrel.

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RUMOR: Xenoblade NA Localization Done, Last Story Up Next

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Oh god you have no idea how much I want to believe this. But alas, it is only a rumor. According to Operation Rainfall, an anonymous source within Nintendo is stating that the localization of Xenoblade is complete and that The Last Story is up next for localization. No word yet on Pandora’s Tower. However, it seems even Operation Rainfall is suspicious about the news. It does beg the question though. Say it really did get localized. Are they using the British accent localization, or a more American English sounding localizing? You can read more about this on Operation Rainfall’s blog.

Source: NTSC Xenoblade Done, The Last Story In Progress [Operation Rainfall]

Xenoblade may actually be getting released in North America

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Recently, “the man with the master plan” DeadPhoenX shared his retrospective thoughts on the Wii’s life cycle so far. He talks about everything from the good to the bad to the stupid, not necessarily in that order mind you. One of the things that greatly disappointed him, and quite a few of us, is that there are a number of promising games in Japan that fans have been clamoring for in the west, but show no signs of ever reaching NA. However, it seems like there still may be a ray of hope since apparently Xenoblade may be coming to the US after all. This could show that the Wii still has a chance to go out like a champ.

Seems like he's just as shocked as we are.

According to a response to a Destructoid reader from Nintendo’s customer support, it has been confirmed that Monolith Soft’s RPG Xenoblade will be coming out in North America. The only sad news that comes with this is that it was also stated to still be arriving under the name of Monado: Beginning of the World. I’m not a fan of the name change, but I’d be happy as long as we get the game. Though I’d still like to see an official announcement before I get my hopes up. And who knows, maybe it won’t be too long before we here announcements for some of the other highly anticipated games eager fans have been waiting for, like The Last Story for instance. This is an opportunity for the Wii and Nintendo of America to really start delivering the games that more avid gamers have been waiting to dust their Wiis off for.

I can dream right?

Via: Destructoid

Square Enix is releasing its very own chiptune album

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Are you a fan of music from games like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger? Maybe you also like tunes from the Mana or Saga series? You know, games from back when good ol’ Squaresoft was still around. Well if you said yes, and also happen to be a fan of chiptune music, then I’ve got some good news for you!

Square Enix is releasing an album of 8-bit arrangements from many of its popular games from its Squaresoft days. The album, SQChips, comes out on September 7th for ¥1890 (about $23.50) in Japan. You can check out the website to see a list of some of the games that are going to be in the arrangement and even check out a sample of a track quite a few Mana fans should recognize. To be honest, I’m pretty excited to hear about this and can’t wait to see what they come up with. I love Squaresoft-era games and chiptune music, so in theory I should be smitten with this album. We’ll all have to wait till September though before we can really see how this will turn out. At least this might give me enough time to start playing Threads of Fate.

Via: Destructoid

Could Nintendo Team Up With Capcom for Next Smash Bros?

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“I can’t say that it’s entirely out of the realm of possibility, ” says project director Masahiro Sakurai and an interview with IGN. He goes on to state that while there is a chance that Capcom characters could be included in the next Smash Bros, they would have to fit in with the universe that is forged by Nintendo characters. To be honest, it doesn’t make too much sense since that didn’t stop Snake from being included, and he arguably the most out of place character in the game (but still awesome though). But, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Iwata revealed during the E3 press conference that the next Smash Bros. we be made for both the 3DS and Wii U and that the two versions will work together in some way. So far, development hasn’t started yet, but Sakurai and Project Sora are looking for people and developers to help in making the game. No release has been set (obviously)

1 Wii U + 1 Wii U Controller = Not Much of a Problem

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Well, to me anyway. In case you’ve been living under a rock (or looking at the Sorceress’ boobs all day), Nintendo just unveiled a new console called the Wii U. Now, I’m holding off on giving a full thought on the console since I want to get one of the other guys in on this. But one question that’s been popping quite a bit is how many of those tablet controllers the Wii U will recognize. An article from ZDNet confirms that there will only be one tablet controller per console. Meaning no local multiplayer with multiple tablet controllers. Now at first this may seem like a problem for local multiplayer enthusiasts. But for online gaming, it’s actually no problem at all. Looking at the games most “hardcore” tend to play, they’ll be going online and there’s really only one controller needed. It’s a bummer if you want to bring a local guest in as they won’t have the controller you have, but they can still use a multitude of controller options (among them being classic, Wiimote, Wiimote & Nunchuck, and Wiimote +). But you can still do local multiplayer with the other controllers.

Also, this confirmation also answers another question many gamers were asking in terms of how much the controller would cost. Nintendo says that the controllers will not be sold separately and that the controller you get with the console is the one you get. Thus, no need to worry about howm much the controller costs, for now. So when you get the console, you better treat your controller good and be nice to it! Otherwise, it’s gonna power down and not deal with yo’ shit anymore!

Dragon’s Crown Screens and Art [UPDATE]

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In case the huge knockers didn’t give you a hint earlier, Vanillaware has revealed a new game for the PS3/PSV called Dragon’s Crown. Before giving ya’ll the goods, some details on the game has surfaced. The game is going to be a 4 player co-op game and can be played online, with an option for solo single-player. Kinda sounds similar to their efforts with Grand Knights History. It also seems to be taking a more character building route, with treasure and loot to be had. You can play as 6 characters: Wizard, Sorceress, Fighter, Elf, Dwarf, and Amazon.

Update: Vanillaware’s Dragon’s Crown Facebook page has made available super high-res versions of the Sorceress and Amazon.

Hit the jump for the screenshots and artwork.

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A Taste of Skullgirls Music + DIY Interview with Michiru Yamane

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This past Sunday, DIY games interviewed Skullgirls game composer Michiru Yamane (of Castlvania and Suikoden fame). In the interview, Yamane explains that since becoming freelance after leaving Konami back in 2008, she has more freedom to work with any company she wants, whether it’d be Eastern or Western. She reveals that she came into contact with Reverge Labs after 8-4, who deals with game translations, invited her to a company party. They asked her if she wanted to work with an American company, and she agreed. You can read the full interview on DIYgamer’s site.

Ex-Konami Composer Yamane Michiru Works on Skullgirls [Interview]

Nintendo Press Conference (Starts at 12PM)

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Nintendo had a pretty good year last year. Probably one of their best for their Wii and DS. And now, the 3DS is out in the wild. So far, the 3DS launch wasn’t really making the handheld fly off the shelves, and the launch lineup wasn’t really something to write home about. But there are still games to be released on the system in the coming months. With Wii sales slowly starting to fade away, we really know almost nothing for what the future holds for the Wii. Maybe Nintendo will announce that those Japanese (and European, in Xenoblade’s case) exclusives are coming to the US? And what of Project Cafe? What exactly is this thing? Well, stay tuned.

Nintendo’s Press Conference begins at 12PM EST (9AM PST). Once the conference is underway, click the link below to launch the liveblog.

Nintendo Press Conference

Sony Press Conference LiveBlog (Starts at 8PM)

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Things seemed to have been going all fine and Dandy for Sony and their PS3 and PSP. But then the shit hit the fan when PSN suffered a major hack attack, shutting it down for almost a whole month. But now, things are back to normal (hopefully). But, does anyone remember what Sony was planning to do for E3? To be honest, I forgot since the PSN stuff was the talk of the town. Regardless, we expect the usual things Sony will show. We should be seeing some Infamous 2, Twisted Metal, and Move action to go along with this conference. Hopefully after today, we can really put this PSN stuff behind us and focus on the games Sony will be releasing.

Sony’s Press Conference starts at 8PM EST (5PM PST). Once the conference starts, click the link below.

Sony Press Conference

Microsoft Press Conference LiveBlog (Starts at 12:30PM)

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Ahoy Fellow Fishes! It’s E3 time again. Kicking things off for the Big Three is Microsoft. Last year, Microsoft placed a lot of emphasis and time on their Kinect device, displaying games like Kinectimals and Kinect Adventures. The hype train was in full force during the holiday season. However, once the dust settled, the Kinect became an afterthought to most gamers. It did gain notoriety the other things you can do through hacks. But for actual game uses, barely any support has been seen. In the days leading up to today, Microsoft has almost nothing surprising. Gears of War 3 and Forza (I think) are the only games worth noting that Microsoft will show. And there are rumors of Microsoft debuting a TV service. But we’ll have to wait and see.

Microsoft’s Press Conference starts at 12:30PM (EST) (9:30AM PST). Once the Conference begins, click the link below.

Microsoft Press Conference

Persona 2 Coming to the US, Official Site Launched, Loses Tsumi Character

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Atlus, you cheeky bastards. You had many a Persona fan worried that P2: Innocent Sin for the PSP wasn’t coming out in the US. But we kinda had a feeling that a P2 reveal was imminent after seeing that mysterious little mysterious email sent out to the Atlus Faithful. But now the world is in order, and now all Persona games has seen release in the US. (the PS1 Persona 2 we got was Eternal Punishment. We never got Innocent Sin).

The website was also launched following the announcement. Atlus is already taking preorders for the game. As you can assume from the bottom of the site, it’s still under construction, and only basic stuff like the debut trailer, storyline, and some screenshots (which are in English!). Persona 2 is set to release this fall in the US.

On a side note, I’m sad to inform some Persona superfans that the new logo for the US version has lost its 罪 (tsumi=sin) kanji that was seen in the the Japanese version of the game. Now, I tend to stay quiet when it comes to changes made to US releases, since no one really listens to the concerns of fans anyway. But from a graphic design standpoint, that kanji character gave the logo a unique “foreign” feel that goes well with both the story and the theme. To see it missing for the US version is kinda disappointing. Given, this is really a very small gripe and am grateful that we’re getting the game at all. Oh well, at least we can… what a minute! What the…!? OH C’MON ATLUS! Even Nintendo’s using the damn character! What’s stopping you from using it for the US!?