Wow! with E3 coming around the corner, you can feel the
excitement in the air!
This week we take a look at Nintendo tackling some of its
hardware issues, Sony and Nintendo giving their systems updates, and Square
Enix developing some RPG’s for the 360.
Not to mention that both Call
of Duty 5 and possibly Call of Duty 6
may be unfurled at E3.
We also take a look at Final
Fantasy Tactics:War of the Lions, easily one of the greatest port jobs in
videogame history.
We look at Unreal
Tournament III
as our Preorder selection of the week, which will have 360fans pumped, because it’s a great game and it features Gears of War II info. You can’t ask for more than that.
Big News
Nintendo Wii Storage
Issues… Any Answers?
Nintendo is allegedly thinking about adding USB ports to the
Nintendo Wii. It won’t be for storage issues, as they have stated that there will
be no hardware updates to combat that. However that is not the only idea that
has come out from Nintendo.
They are thinking about having SD cards that can have games
played off of them instead of taking up internal space. Speculation is rampant,
but E3 is looking to be a surefire time to get answers.
Wii Menu 3.3 has been released, allowing for your Mii to
jump right into the Mii Parade from the Mii Plaza. Also, they have combated the
homebrew issues, if slightly, by fixing the “twilight glitch.” Reports are that
it wont effect your current “brew” however, so ‘keep on truckin’.
Feeling the Force: Star Wars Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duel
Star Wars Clone Wars:
Lightsaber Duel has been confirmed to the joy of Wii owners and Star Wars
fans everywhere. The game will feature Light Saber Duels from the Clone Wars
era from the Star War’s universe. Hopefully, LucasArts will learn the lessons
from ill fated Soulcalibur Legends on
what not to do.
Sony Doubles Up:
Firmware Updates for PSP & PS3
PS3 owners will soon have access to the latest firmware
(2.36) that will stabilize some gameplay issues when playing a few Playstation
format games. The bigger news on that front is that Firmware Update 2.4 has
ingame XMB access and trophies confirmed, giving the PS3 faithful what they
have been clamoring for since the systems inception.
The PSP is not to be left out, as it just had its 4.00
firmware released. It allows for users to search the internet quickly with the
Internet Search feature. Also, the Up and Down buttons can now be used to speed
up and slow down playback.
Square Enix Gets Down
With the King
Square Enix has thrown its hat into the 360 business. The
RPG-lacking console will get three titles from the current RPG king, including
two new intellectual properties in Infinite
Discovery
, which is a development deal with tri-ace due in September, and The Last Remnant, which is due this Winter.
Star Ocean: The Last
Hope
, the only game with a serieshistory, is looking at a global release in 2009. More information should be
coming as E3 approaches.
Call of Duty Goes Far
Out?
An insider at Infinity Ward has suggested that they are
working on a sci-fi title which may or may not be shown at E3. This could mean
that Call of Duty 6 may just go past
the modern era and dawn a Starship Trooper-like feel. Even if it isn’t, a
shooter from Infinity Ward will deliver.
For more tangible inclined, here goes the first Call of Duty: World At War Trailer:
Gimmicky? Yes – Tony Hawk Huck Jam
The latest Tony Hawk game will use a motion-sensing board
controller. Does anyone else get the feeling that the end is near? If this is
the best they can do, prepare for Skate 2
to deal a death blow.
Guitar Hero 4 Update
This one is starting to look serious. A price tag has been
given for the entire set, which will include a full band set up like Harmonix’s
Rock Band, at $179.99. The redesigned Guitar Hero guitar is said to be touch-sensitive, and comes with a neck slide for customized solos.
Not just that, the artist lineup is looking sick as well,
featuring Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Korn,
System of a Down, Ozzy Osbourne, Interpol and Muse amongst others.
Movie Impossible – Grand Theft Auto
In some sign of twisted logic, GameDaily.com reported last
week that the Grand Theft Auto series can never be made into a movie. The reason you ask? Fox owns the rights to the name Grand Theft Auto in the cinema world, based on the fact they produced a film of the same name over 30 years ago. They cannot make a game with the name Grand Theft Auto, and Rockstar cannot create a film based on the series.
Played
Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions (PSP)
Originally released October 9, 2007
Whenever a game s ported to a handheld device, it’s a roll
of the dice. The best hold easter eggs and improvements to help gameplay. The
worst come off as simple copies with new glitches to torment gamers as they
relive their experiences.
Final Fantasy Tactics:
War of the Lions happens to be the former. The classic Playstation tactical
RPG was brought over to the PSP, and brought with it two more classes (Dark
Knight & Onion Knight), several glitch fixes (uch as the free item and JP
glitches), raised the difficulty by making jobs tougher to get and master,
multiplayer, and added new special characters like fan favorite Final Fantasy
XII pirate Balthier.
The best thing they did was retranslate the story and added
cutscenes to clarify the once confusing experience and add to the aesthetic.
It may be one of the greatest port jobs in history. If you
happen to have a PSP and loved the original Final Fantasy Tactics, Final
Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions is worth a pick up. Prepare to fall in love
again.
Preorder
Unreal Tournament III
(Xbox 360)
Release date: July 7, 2008
When GameTrailers neglected to put Unreal Tournament on their top ten shooters of all time, the list
became null and void. The series has always provided a high tempo shooting
environment, littered with insane weapons, characters and warfare.
Finally, the third installment hits the Xbox 360 after being
available on the PS3 and PC for months. Those who waited are not just getting a
simple port. A split screen mode, five new multi-player maps and two new
characters in the storyline are included, but what may be the most excitable
feature is a Gears of War 2 preview
narrated by Cliffy B. This is not a game to miss!
Whenever he isn’t contemplating a world takeover, you can find Adam
Thomas building the Gamer Studio. For now, join the support and catch
some cool screen shots at Myspace.com/thegamerstudio
