LostWinds sequel coming to WiiWare, release date unknow

When Nintendo originally launched its downloadable WiiWare service, one of the first games to grab everyone's attention was the beautiful platformer LostWinds. And though plans for a sequel were revealed soon after the game's release, it's been a while since we've heard any news. But now developer Frontier has officially announced the next entry in the series, LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias.


The sequel will once again have players controlling the wind as they aid a young boy on his quest to destroy an evil curse, though it will add new gameplay mechanics to help keep things fresh. The biggest is the ability to switch between the summer and winter seasons, which will more than likely play a big part in the puzzle solving throughout the game. There are also new wind abilities, such as the cyclone, which can act as both an attack and a form of transportation.

Story-wise, Winter of the Melodias will take place soon after the first game, as Toku sets off in search of his missing mother, only to come across a town plagued with perpetual winter and hidden monsters.

Unfortunately, Frontier has given no indication on when we can expect to actually play the game, saying only that it's "coming soon." Stay tuned to OT, or follow the game's official website, for more details as they arise.


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Gran Turismo gets its own PSP Bundle on October 20

PlayStation Portable Entertainment Packs are like the weather in Kentucky: if you don't like what's going on right now, wait fifteen minutes and you'll get something different. Sony has announced one more Entertainment Pack that's coming on October 20 for $199.99. What will you get with that package?

• Gran Turismo—Developed exclusively for the PSP system by the internal team of designers and engineers at Polyphony Digital, Gran Turismo features more than 800 vehicle models from the world’s top manufacturers (over 4,500 total paint variations) and 35 tracks (60+ total layouts)—including famous world circuits, city courses and other environments. Seasoned Gran Turismo fans will recognize the depth of content and unparalleled visuals the series is known for, including graphics running at a stunning 60 frames per second. Additionally, a first in the Gran Turismo series is the ability to trade and share unlocked vehicles with others online via ad hoc mode, a feature that is not available in any other racing game on the PSP system. Rated “E” for everyone.
• Exclusive car download—Includes an exclusive PlayStation Network voucher to download a white version of the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 for Gran Turismo, the same car featured on the cover of the game.
• PlayStation Network movie voucher—Consumers can easily download a movie from the PlayStation Network to their PSP system. Title to be announced.
• 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo—Leverages the PSP system’s multimedia functionality by storing photos, music, videos, and game saves.
• Music voucher—Consumers can download 10 free songs onto their PC or Mac using Sony Music Pass. Available to U.S. residents only.

Not a bad deal for $199.99, especially if you're not interested in the PSP Go. Lord knows we'll get a few more Entertainment Packs in the coming months, so we look forward to making more regional humor in the near future.
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PlayStation Store Update: Can't get no satisfaction edition

Another Thursday has passed, and that means another weekly update to the PlayStation Store. This week features a brand new episode of Qore, which takes a look at Uncharted 2, Gran Turismo PSP, Brutal Legend, and the PSP Go.

On the gaming front, 2K Sports has released NBA 2K10: Draft Combine ($4.99), which allows users to create their own player and guide them through the process of an NBA draft. The downloadable game also connects to the retail version of NBA 2K10, so users can then see how their hopeful fares in the big leagues. Also hitting the store is Battle Tanks ($9.99), a multiplayer action game where you...battle tanks. Cool Boarders 3 is also available as a PSOne Classic for $5.99

Capcom is offering a pair of bundles this week for those who missed out on some of their terrific downloadable games. The Capcom Super Pack ($49.99) includes the following: Super Street Fighter II HD Remix, Flock!, Age of Booty, 1942, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando, Super Puzzle Fighter II HD Remix, and Rocket Man: Axis of Evil with the It Came From Uranus add-on pack. Meanwhile the Capcom Combo Pack ($29.99) features: 1942, Wolf of the Battlefield, SPF2HDR, R:AoE and add-on pack.

We also have a pair of demos available for both Fight Night Round 4 and the previously mentioned NBA 2K10: Draft Combine. In terms of add-on content, F.E.A.R. 2 is getting a new map pack for $9.99, while Pain gets a host of new characters for $0.99 each, or $1.99 for the bundle.

DLC returns to Guitar Hero with the release of GH5, and it includes the following Rolling Stones songs:

* "I'm Free (Live)"
* "Prodigal Son (Live)
* "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (Live)"
* "Under My Thumb (Live)"
* "You Gotta Move (Live)"
* The Rolling Stones Live Track Pack ($8.99)

Meanwhile Rock Band gamers get the following singles:

* “And She Was”— Talking Heads
* “Crosseyed and Painless”— Talking Heads
* “Girlfriend Is Better”— Talking Heads
* “Once in a Lifetime”— Talking Heads
* “Take Me to the River”— Talking Heads
* Talking Heads Pack 01 ($8.49)
* “Bat Country”— Avenged Sevenfold
* “Supersonic (Live)”— Oasis
* “Guerrilla Radio”— Rage Against the Machine
* “Going Underground”— The Jam
* “Town Called Malice”— The Jam

Rock Band: Unplugged, meanwhile, gets both "Lucid Dreams" by Franz Ferdinand and "Riad N' the Bedouins" by Guns N' Roses. As per usual all music tracks are $1.99 each.

As for the PSP, it gets a pair of new downloadable games, including the original Patapon ($15.99) and the fighting game Fate/Unlimited Codes ($29.99). Both the PSP and PS3 also get a number of different premium themes this week, as well as the usual assortment of trailers and other video content. And that's this week's PlayStation Store update.


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Microsoft's 720p requirement for developers dropped

Publish Post

It seems that the Xbox 360 requirement that games be presented in at least 720p has been "retired" by Microsoft. The news has come about thanks to Black Rock's technical director David Jefferies in a guest article he wrote for online magazine Develop. The reasoning for this decision? It will allow developers to create games with better image quality that won't be sacrificed to meet higher resolution requirements.

HD TV manufacturers have been making their 720p LCD televisions with resolutions different than true 1280x720. "The lovingly crafted 1280x720 image has gone to be replaced," says Jefferies, "by something dependent on the quality of the LCD scaler." Because of this scaling, game visuals are upsampled by TV hardware, no matter how good the graphics actually are.

As a result, developers' work to create 720p graphics are a superfluous effort; by dropping the requirement, though, Jefferies claims that developers can add visual features like extra anti-aliasing to make the image actually look better, even if it's presented at a lower resolution than 720p.

According to Jefferies, "If we instead assume that the LCD is going to rescale then, for some games, it might be more sensible to present it with a better anti-aliased but lower resolution image in the first place." Jefferies also explained that the requirement was originally waived for Halo 3, which was presented at a resolution of 1152x640.

However, the problem with LCD TVs upsampling 720p games probably won't be such a hassle in the future: "As more and more LCDs ship with the full HD resolution of 1920x1080 then this will become less of an issue, but I’ve just had a look on Amazon and all the 26" and 32" Sony and Samsung TVs are still 1366x768."


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Zune HD is competitive in price against ipod.

August 14, 2009 , Microsoft announced the availability of the Zune HD on September 15th. The Zune HD is also competitively priced. Coming in at $219.99 for the 16GB base model (Compared to Apple’s 16GB at $299), and $289.99 for the 32GB (Apples 32GB at $399). In all matter of opinion, the Zune HD looks absolutely extravagant.The key point Microsoft is hitting with the Zune HD is gaming. NVIDIA’s Tegra offers a great amount of power, in a very small area. The Zune HD runs off of the Tegra 600 series, and is the first device to be sold with it. The Tegra 600 series buffs huge support for many features, such as a 12MP camera , and smooth high definition media playback.The new Zunes will also be able to play downloadable videos. And with the use of optional docking stations, they'll even be able to play HDTV-format videos on a TV set.
Lastly, the players, which will have touch screens, will also be Wi-Fi equipped for Web browsing and downloading audio and video.

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Atlus U.S.A., Inc unveils release details for Demon's Souls

Demon's Souls is an upcoming action RPG, produced by Atlus and exclusive to the PS3.Atlus announced on July 4th that the title will be entered in the Atlus Spoils fan appreciation program and that a deluxe addition will be released, including an exclusive 150+ page strategy guide and a collectible outer slipcase. Additionally, pre-orders for both the standard and deluxe editions will receive a bonus art book that includes concept sketches and designs.According to a recent press release by Atlus, Tim Pivnicny, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, stated, ""Atlus Spoils is all about giving back to our fans and thanking them for their support, and we're excited to be able to do something very special for Demon's Souls."The game's North American release date is currently set for October 6, 2009. The standard version will retail with an MSRP of $59.99, and the deluxe edition with an MSRP of $69.99. Pre-orders for the deluxe edition will begin July 8th.

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‘Conduit’ brings firepower, but Wii game fails to impress

The Wii’s controller is perfect for first-person shooters. Instead of using a joystick to move crosshairs around the screen, the Wii remote mimics a real gun. You point, you click, you make a guy dead. It’s the shortest point between you and mass murder. That’s why it’s surprising that there are only a few FPSes on Nintendo’s system.“The Conduit” aims to fill that void. It’s not just an underpowered downgrade of popular Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 games, such as “Call of Duty.” “The Conduit” is the first FPS since Nintendo’s own “Metroid Prime 3” to be designed specifically and exclusively for the Wii.Technically, “The Conduit” is perfectly calibrated for the system. The graphics are the best you’ll see on the Wii from a game not made by Nintendo. The controls are both great and highly customizable, letting you decide your optimal setup for shooting a ton of dudes. It even offers a fully formed online component, with various solo and team deathmatch modes - a feature as rare for the Wii as an “M” rating. Clearly a lot of work went into “The Conduit.” Maybe the obvious effort and good intentions are why the game is ultimately so disappointing.“The Conduit” is clearly hindered by the Wii’s underpowered hardware, which makes the graphics slightly more impressive than an exceptionally good first-generation Xbox game. It looks better than most Wii games, but can’t compare to even mediocre 360 or PS3 visuals. We expect that from the Wii, though, so that’s not necessarily why “The Conduit” disappoints.

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IPhone game turns ordinary into fantastic

When what you can see with your own eyes isn’t interesting enough, there’s always augmented reality. Sure, Boston Common has an excellent playground, paddle boats, an ice rink for cheap dates, and sprawling meadows for rallies. But where are the dragons, fairies, and genies?The Hidden Park (www.thehiddenpark.com) brings these fantastic creatures to your iPhone camera’s view of the Common. For me, a guy who failed to plan anything for my 6-year-old, Maeve, this summer, the game will help keep her engaged on those days we find ourselves strolling through town.The $7 iPhone game mixes augmented reality with turn-by-turn directions, geocaching, and animation.The phone’s camera and GPS transponder set the stage for Hidden Park. Armed with a Dora the Explorer-like map, you follow a troll named Trutton past the Common’s benches, over its bridges, and around its ponds. Hidden Park uses a location-based service to recognize your iPhone’s proximity to particular landmarks and then provides directions to the next spot in the game.You will be challenged with riddles and puzzles along the way. And you’ll find the answers in real-life sights and signs. In this way, Hidden Park works like one of the augmented reality tours from Boston-based Untravel (www.untravelmedia.com).Hidden Park works in a handful of other public parks and gardens. Visitors to Central Park and Kensington Gardens, for example, can also play the game on their iPhones.As you photograph various landmarks around the Common, you’ll find Hidden Park cartoon characters appearing in your shots. When you’re done, you will have an album full of things you never really saw. I think of it as meeting Walt Disney characters, without worrying about who might be lurking inside the suit.

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GTA: Chinatown Wars - What went wrong?

It has been revealed that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on the Nintendo DSi only managed to sell 89,000 units during March in the US. The figures released have been a huge blow to Rockstar and Take-Two who had much higher estimates for the game.As reported from GI.Biz, investment company Cowan and Company previously predicted that the game would go on to sell 2 million copies in it’s first year on sale. But due to the 89,000 units stat, he company have now cut future forecasts to just 500,000.Doug Creutz explained: “Despite a strong critical reception, Take-Two’s GTA: Chinatown Wars sold a very disappointing 89,000 units in March,
Well below our more recent 200-250,000 estimate and far below the 400-450,000 we thought the title might sell upon its release.”While the console versions of Grand Theft Auto IV have had no problem selling at all, Chinatown Wars seems to be having difficulty at the moment.
e think this could be due to a number of factors. Firstly, people are not just not that interested in the Nintendo DS brand. Secondly, all the recent negative media towards Rockstar and the Grand Theft Auto franchise are starting to affect sales.

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