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    Over one million new Ghostbusters recruits in North America

    July 28, 2009 - 7:00pm


    Since its June 16 release, Ghostbusters: The Video Game has managed to sell over one million copies in North America across all platforms. That's a pretty big deal, doubly so for Atari, a company in dire need of some success. We can't imagine what kind of hot water the company would be in if it couldn't recoup some of that $15 - $20 million it cost to develop the game.Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Pop'n Music's not-great control scheme explained

    July 28, 2009 - 6:30pm

    When Konami announced a Wii version of Pop'n Music that didn't involve a special controller, we saw disaster ahead, of the "ruined franchise" variety. Siliconera's impressions of the waggle-based rhythm game confirm our fears. Instead of a series of nine buttons, the Wii game uses Wiimote and Nunchuk motions to control an on-screen characters hands as they move over a series of five virtual buttons. In reverse, because he's facing you. Move the Nunchuk down and to the left to hit the button on the far left of the screen. Move the Wiimote straight down to hit the button on the middle right. "When I played 'Virtual Insanity' I noticed I unintentionally hit multiple buttons while sliding the remote down/right or down/left to hit the green buttons," Siliconera's Spencer said. "Then I discovered the 'magic swipe' motion, which made Pop quickly smack the green, blue, and red buttons."We want to keep an open mind about this unreleased product and all, but this does not sound good. In no way does it sound better than just pushing buttons.
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    Ubisoft looks to the Wii, Project Natal for casual gaming future

    July 28, 2009 - 5:30pm


    While Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot singled out a nosedive in the DS market as a significant contributor to his company's poor Q2 performance, he didn't condemn the growing casual gaming space or his company's increasing reliance on it. Where the DS software market is falling - Guillemot pointed to Ubi's consistent market share in Europe, despite a drop in revenue - other casual opportunities are growing. "The DS is declining quickly, but the Wii is taking off quite fast," Guillemot said. "That's why the average margin remains around 20%." So, while DS software sales dipped, Wii software was there to make up the difference. So why did a drop in DS software sales hurt so bad in the last quarter? Guillemot says Ubi's summer Q2 "is a period where people are going for holidays and they buy lots of [DS] games and because this market is going down it has a big impact on the second quarter." With DS software sales flagging, Ubi's not without a plan to safeguard its lucrative casual franchises. Executive director of Ubisoft, Alain Corre, broke down the Wii's growth, saying, "This year we expect the Wii to represent over 40% of our sales on casual versus last year it was at 18%. So it's a big change for the Wii, and [the Wii] is contributing much more to our casual sales than the DS last year." So Ubisoft is looking to the Wii, and beyond, for the bulk of its casual gaming sales. "The casual business is changing rapidly and it will still be a very interesting business but we have to reinvent it this year," Guillemot expained. "We already have a big shift from DS to Wii this year, and we'll continue with the Wii and the Xbox 360 with the new 3D camera next year." Of course, we've been focused on how Project Natal will work with "our" games; however, here's the CEO of a major publisher talking about the Xbox 360 (not the PS3's motion camera though?) as another prong in its successful casual strategy.Permalink | Email this | Comments

    FFIV tie-in DLC added to My Life as a Darklord

    July 28, 2009 - 5:30pm

    The Japanese release of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord now kind of bridges the main Final Fantasy series and the Crystal Chronicles series, in a fanservice-y sort of way, thanks to the addition of Final Fantasy IV The After Years-inspired downloadable costumes.For 200 points each, players can download Rydia and Porom costumes, which allow the use of fire or cyclone magic once per stage. Kain and Palom appear as summoned monsters, also for 200 points each -- Kain uses physical attacks against invading heroes, and Palom uses Slow magic and other spells.It's great to see Square Enix is happy to charge for tiny chunks of Final Fantasy IV The After Years even in other games.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Interview: Ace Attorney Investigations producer Motohide Eshiro

    July 28, 2009 - 5:00pm


    Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth will finally be legislating onto North American shelves in February of 2010, letting players take up the prosecuting side for the first time in the series. Luckily, you'll still be able to shout OBJECTION! in Phoenix Wright fashion as much as you want.Joystiq met up with game producer Motohide Eshiro at in Capcom's booth at Comic-Con, which featured playable versions of the game and some very sweet swag. We asked him what else we can expect from the game, when we'll be able to play as the judge, and what his thoughts were on all the crazy fans in San Diego. Read on for the full interview.Update! Be sure and check out the photo at the end of the interview where Eshiro-san meets up with a cosplaying Miles Edgeworth at Comic-Con.

    Continue reading Interview: Ace Attorney Investigations producer Motohide Eshiro

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    Video interview: Nintendo of America's Bill Trinen

    July 28, 2009 - 3:30pm

    Last week, we visited Nintendo's impressive display at Times Square. The company gathered a few tons of sand and recreated a tropical getaway in the middle of NYC's busiest intersection. We caught up with Nintendo of America's Bill Trinen to chat about Wii MotionPlus, Wii Sports Resort, Pikmin 3, Wii Speak, and a few other things. Trinen explained Nintendo's future plans for MotionPlus, and explained why Nintendo isn't afraid of Sony and Microsoft's upcoming plans to add motion controls to their systems.Catch the full video interview above.Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Phantom Brave: We Meet the new release date

    July 28, 2009 - 2:50pm

    NIS sent out a brief note with the latest release date for the Wii version of Phantom Brave. The updated port of the PS2 strategy title will be out August 11, according to the new announcement. Not August 4, and (clearly) not June. We're hoping this actually makes this latest date and doesn't continue to slip, Puchi Puchi Virus-style.

    Phantom Brave: We Meet Again includes four new chapters and a new character not found in the PS2 game. NIS says that you'll be able to start right from the new material, for those of you who completed the original game. It'll come bundled with a disc featuring bonus artwork. In addition, the first 500 people to pre-order from NIS's Rosenqueen shop will receive a bonus soundtrack disc.

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    VC/WiiWare Tuesday: Yet another game called 'Ninja Gaiden'

    July 28, 2009 - 1:30pm

    For its second Virtual Console Arcade release, Tecmo is offering the first, and perhaps least familiar, game to be called Ninja Gaiden. Originally known as Ninja Ryukenden in Japan (as the series in general is), the arcade game looks similar to the NES version millions of gamers love, but is totally different. Unlike the NES game's fast-paced combat and technical platforming, the original arcade game is more of a brawler. Like Bionic Commando or Strider, Ninja Gaiden became something else entirely in the transition to Nintendo. And now the arcade version is on the same Nintendo platform as the NES game! Magical. The other arcade game is a Namco shooter whose promotional video is more intro than gameplay.On WiiWare this week, the Okiraku sports/casual game series continues, the JoySound karaoke software arrives in downloadable form, and a game based on Tomy's toy car series is pretty cute.Virtual Console:

    WiiWare:

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    Street Fighter IV, FEAR 2, MadWorld, more for $20 at GameStop

    July 28, 2009 - 12:30pm


    Sometimes it's better not to ask questions, which is the approach we're taking with GameStop's sale on several solid titles for $20 new -- and not GameStop's definition of "new," but actually new. The sale started today, for both online and stores, and goes until August 2. Highlights include:

    • Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360 and PS3)
    • FEAR 2: Project Origin (Xbox 360 and PS3)
    • Silent Hill Homecoming (Xbox 360)
    • MadWorld (Wii)
    • Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (Wii)

    The full list and more nitpicking details about the sale can be found over at CAG. Although many of the titles make sense as part of the sale (Lair), the big question is: Why Street Fighter IV? Is Capcom planning to announce a Turbo Hyper Fighting Alpha Remix Championship Beefcake Easy-Bake Snuggie Edition?Update: We were curious to know if Capcom was invoved with the price drop. A company rep informed us, "We don't have input into these sales, they're entirely generated by Gamestop."Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    That's a wrap: Comic-Con 2009

    July 27, 2009 - 9:15pm


    Last week's San Diego Comic-Con was one crazy ride. The Joystiq representatives in attendance were trained in advanced interrogation tactics and managed to extract information on a variety of subjects. We've got an update from Peter Jackson himself on the Halo happenings, first footage of South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! and a new game mode for Uncharted 2! Friend, you missed one heck of a week.But, that's okay! You can get caught up right here, right now. Simply head past the break for a complete summary of all the headlines.
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    Continue reading That's a wrap: Comic-Con 2009

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