October 4, 2008

Nintendo DS Version 3 (DSi)

Looks like Nintendo wants to come out with a 3rd iteration to their insanely popular handheld (damn, this thing just flies in Japan. Seems like every person in a japanese family has 1 or 2). This time called the DSi, it'll include a couple of new features compared to the DS Lites we have now. Here's the lowdown:

* No more GBA slot, the size has been reduced by 12%.
* 2x 0.3 Megapixel (640x480) camera (1 in front and 1 at the back)
* Built-in memory
* On-board browser
* SD card slot
* Photo and sound editor

What, no GBA slot? Well it seems Nintendo had to cut that out in order to get the DSi to have all these new features, while at the same time getting it to become even slimmer than its predecessors. Not really a big deal if you ask me since mostly everyone in the Universe has a DS already so they could still use that for GBA games, and get this new one if they need the new features.

The DSi goes on sale at Japan on November 1 for 18,900 yen. That's about $185. No details yet on a US release.

October 3, 2008

EGM November 2008 Reviews

Straight out of Neogaf:

Reviews:

Wario Land: Shake it! - C+, A-, C+
Good: Classic Wario playability, sumptuous artwork
Bad: Lackluster levels, tired design

De Blob - B
Good: Simple, colorful fun
Bad: Too-similar levels, unnecessary motion controls

Mercenaries 2: World in Flames - B+, B-, B
Good: Endlessly satisfying destruction
Bad: Gimped co-op, lacks polish

Megaman 9 - B+
Good: Old-school aesthetic and challenge
Bad: Difficulty sometimes borders on masochistic

Silent Hill: Homecoming - B, C+, B-
Good: Silent Hill never looked so good
Bad: Slow framerate, clunky controls

Fracture - C-
Good: Terraforming works well enough
Bad: Ridiculously derivative

Midnight Club: Los Angeles - B
Good: Solid controls, addictive leveling system, amazing re-creation of LA
Bad: inconsistent difficulty, some visual glitches and framerate

NBA Live 09 - B
Good: Daily roster updates
Bad: Way too many blocks

NBA 2K9 - A-
Good: 5-on-5 online games
Bad: Complicated controls

FIFA 09 - B+
Good: Improves a lot of stuff that FIFA 09 did wrong
Bad: Goalkeeper A.I. is still frustratingly incompetent

Infinite Undiscovery - B, B, C+
Good: Seamless real-time battles
Bad: Clunky menus and interfaces

Rock Band 2 - A-, A-, A
Good: Enormous setlist
Bad: Unlocking songs is taxing

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood - A GOTM
Good: Fantastic action-lite RPG in the spirit of Super Mario RPG series
Bad: BioWare's buyout by EA may mean no sequels

The Legend of Kage 2 - B-
Good: Classic ninja gameplay
Bad: Rudimentary level design

Away: Shuffle Dungeon - B-
Good: Clever core gimmick with solid action on top
Bad: Not much going on beyond the gimmick

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - A-
Good: Deep gameplay, spooky graphics and music
Bad: Confusing puzzles, cut-and-paste levels

Kirby: Super Star Ultra - A-
Good: Plenty of powers to absorb
Bad: Forgettable DS-specific features

Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise - B+
Good: Addictive as always!
Bad: Addictive as always...

Star Ocean: The First Departure - B+
Good: Addictive item creation, relationship bulding
Bad: Archaic storyline and presentation

Spore - B+
Good: Seeing you and your buddies' creations
Bad: An imperfect mix of genres


Source

October 2, 2008

Killzone 2 Online Beta Gameplay Videos

Saw this post at ps3forums about some quality beta videos of Killzone 2. Here they are straight from youtube:



October 1, 2008

Gears of War 2 New Images

Gamersyde got a hold of some new screenshots for Gears of War 2 which show of just how amazing the detail is in the environments. If you ask me, this is really a step up from the original Gears of War. Here are some of the images showing that detail:









Source