Electronic Arts just can’t get enough money out of The Sims, err, Sim City, err, whatever franchise. Witness more milking with the announcement of SimAnimals at CES 2009. The Sims with animals? Cute, right?
Wrong. The demonstration given of the title in this video has got to be one of the more sadistic demos ever for a kid’s game. Why is he shaking that bear? And then dumping it in a river? Then he steals a fawn and attempts to dump it in the same river? You truly have to wonder about the marketing people at Electronic Arts. Have they just been worked too hard?
There was a time when E3 was a really, really big deal. Now, it’s simply a really big deal. One of the biggest factors of its whole big dealness comes from the console manufacturers’ press conferences. They typically range from the epic (introduction of the Wii) to the horribly, horribly wrong (introduction of the PS3 and real-time weapon changing). So how did this year go for Nintendo?
When it comes to marketing of late, it’s hard to argue that Nintendo isn’t the smartest kid on the gaming block. That’s made even more clear by their latest promotion–DS parties for women.
Akin to the traditional Tupperware party, Nintendo invites women to a catered party where they are each given a new DS. An assortment of female-friendly games such as Nintendogs, Brain Age, and Mario Kart are provided. The hope is that these women will then in turn tell their friends, family, and coworkers about the little gadget and generate some feminine buzz.
Another year and another Castlevania title for one of Nintendo’s portable devices. There was a time, not too long ago, when Castlevania releases were several years apart. Ever since the series shifted its main focus to Nintendo’s portables, however, the series seems to churn out at least one game a year. This can be both good and bad.
Ever wondered what some folks did before video games? Before they had a DS or a Wii to draw all those pretty graphics for them? Well, they drew their own. It seems some folks simply can’t give up that old lifestyle, though, as they’ve taken to creating their own hand drawn video games. In this case, you get a pretty fun animation of Mario drawn on the fly.
Ever wanted a Nintendo DS with a hot pink top, but a black bottom? Sure, who hasn’t? Now, thanks to Colorware you can have just that. Or, basically, any other horrid combination you can imagine.
Colorware is offering an online custom paint application for the DS. Using it you can color just about any part of the DS whatever you want, including the stylus. They even offer the option to send your current DS in or to buy one from them. The prices, however, will set you back a bit. A fairly basic color scheme will run you $129. (more…)
That headline is perhaps misleading in that it’s a gross over simplification of the issue at hand. That issue being that a game is currently being developed in Europe centered on the Holocaust. In it, you play a young French boy who escapes the horrors of Nazi occupation during World War II by retreating into a fantasy world. Does that premise sound familiar to you Pan’s Labyrinth fans?
Nintendo officials have stated the game will not see a US release. The game, titled Imagination Is the Only Escape, is being developed by a single independent artist and distributed by British company Alten8. It appears to be an artistic attempt to deal with the horrors of the Holocaust in a game that might educate young people. (more…)
As April Fool’s Day looms ever closer, things seem to be popping up everywhere that one would assume are clever pranks. For example, on THQ’s website recently it was announced that they would be venturing into the unexplored realm of cheerleading games. This, however, is no joke and THQ is hoping that it will take advantage of, as they put it, “the explosive growth of the girls gaming market in recent years due to the continued success of Wii and DS.”
All Star Cheer Squad for the Wii will follow a year in the life of a cheerleader from learning cheers to creating new routines and eventually become captain of the squad. You’ll use the Wiimote and the nunchuck to perform real cheer and dance moves and to ensure real cheerleading authenticity THQ has even signed on Tony G, who is best known for his work in the Bring It On movies. (more…)
For married folks who can remember what it was like to be engaged. They can remember the excitement of planning the wedding, the stress, the money but most of all they remember the day they proposed, or for you ladies, were proposed to.
A student and amateur game designer going by the name Bernie came up with an amazing way to ask his lady to marry him. He designed a mock up of Bejeweled for his girlfriend to play and after getting to a certain score the screen cleared and a ring made of jewels dropped down.
This gives hope to the hopeless romantic gamers out there ensuring that there’s someone for everyone, especially if you’re a DS fan. No word yet on when the big day is but here’s hoping that by posting this story we’ll at least get invited to the reception.
Nintendo of America stated in a press release today that piracy in Latin America has resulted in a $975 million loss worldwide. Nintendo stated the reasoning behind the outbreak of piracy was due to the “extremely high tariffs and taxes in Brazil on the sale of authentic videogames and Nintendo software” and “and “the widespread corruption in Paraguay and increasing violence in Mexico against authorities attempting to combat piracy.”
China, however, remains the largest distributor of pirated Wii and DS software and it is reported that close to 7.7 million counterfeit games have been seized from Chinese factories and retailers. Paraguay and Hong Kong were also singled out by Nintendo as major distribution points for illegal products. (more…)
As April Fool’s Day looms ever closer, things seem to be popping up everywhere that one would assume are clever pranks. For example, on 
Nintendo of America stated in a press release today that piracy in Latin America has resulted in a $975 million loss worldwide. Nintendo stated the reasoning behind the outbreak of piracy was due to the “extremely high tariffs and taxes in Brazil on the sale of authentic videogames and Nintendo software” and “and “the widespread corruption in Paraguay and increasing violence in Mexico against authorities attempting to combat piracy.”
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