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    Scribblenauts could come to other platforms

    July 10, 2009 - 8:15pm


    It's a scientific fact that 100 percent of people on Earth love Scribblenauts -- trust us, an actual scientist said that -- unfortunately, not everyone owns a Nintendo DS. Sure, almost everyone owns a DS, but that still leaves a small sliver of humanity who will be unable to experience 5th Cell's wordy puzzler whenever it hits store shelves this September.Fortunately for this minuscule contingency, there's a chance Scribblenauts could be released on other platforms. In a recent interview with VG247, the game's technical director, Marius Fahlbusch, explained, "We never limited ourselves to the DS as platform in our heads and we'll see what the future holds." Personally, we think it would be a hit on any platform, whether that platform be Xbox 360, PS3 or coloring book.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Game & Watch & DSiWare

    July 10, 2009 - 7:15pm


    If you've been having a tough time accruing enough coins in Club Nintendo to get your very own copy of Game & Watch Collection for DS, know that Nintendo is planning to parcel out nine different Game & Watch classics to DSiWare in Japan. Kotaku reports that Nintendo will be offering each individual game for a very reasonable 200 DSi Points over the summer, meaning you can have your own piece of gaming history on the go for a measly $2. There's no word on these escaping Japan, but considering that a majority of the content offered on DSiWare there has made its way over here, it's likely only a matter of time.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    WiiWare app helps you stop smoking

    July 10, 2009 - 5:45pm

    Sometimes it seems like people are out to make the Wii do anything but play games. First we're bombarded with fitness programs, and now Japan is getting its very own WiiWare application to help players stop smoking. According to Nintendo Everything, the application, Raku Raku Kinen Appli Wii ("Easy Non Smoking Appli Wii"), comes from Silver Star and allows users to track their progress in breaking the habit. The application is apparently supposed to work its magic in only seven days. There's even a book to go along with it, apparently.
    The application also supports Miis, though judging by the screenshots, it doesn't look like it makes them appear like the chronic, hacking smokers that would supposedly buy it. The wondrous application will release in Japan on July 14 and runs 1000 Wii points. Oh, and it has multiplayer support for up to four players, so you and your smoking buddies can all quit together.Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Hudson officially reveals Wii survival-horror 'Calling'

    July 10, 2009 - 5:15pm


    Click image to call forth more screens
    Joystiq [Nintendo] frequenters likely remember Calling being outed way back when. Now it's back, with Hudson finally getting around to officially announcing the thing. Outside of a vague release of Spring 2010, Hudson was thankfully able to provide us with some worthwhile info on the game's content.Hudson is calling it a "traditional survival-horror" game, with the story involving the dead luring the living to isolated locales for some unspeakable acts of evil (they're going to make them watch Postal?). The game will feature the perspectives of multiple characters, and in the gallery of fresh screens below we get a glimpse at one particularly frightened young man. We're pretty sure he's scared of that teddy bear-wielding ghoul behind him, if not the telemarketer who just asked him if he's happy with his long distance provider.Permalink | Email this | Comments

    What'll you say when you finally see the Wii Vitality Sensor games?

    July 10, 2009 - 2:15pm


    Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Amie recently talked to Fast Company about the mysterious Wii Vitality Sensor, saying, "All I can tell you is, with the game developers that we have, we will bring forth an experience that you will say, 'Wow, I get it.'" Curious, we took a quick poll of internet luminaries (and Joystiq staffers) as to what they thought the first thing out of their mouth would be if they saw the Wii Vitality Sensor games. Who will be right? Only time will tell.Ludwig Kietzmann: "Does it come with an apathy sensor too?"Alexander Sliwinski: "Someone's checking their blood pressure, like the kiosk at the supermarket!"Shipwreck, Cheap Ass Gamer: "Where's my receipt?" James Ransom-Wiley: "What happens when I clip it to my magic finger?"Ben Kuchera, Ars Technica: "You know, I'm done being angry at or skeptical of Nintendo. Every time I think they're doing something stupid they sell five hojillion copies of their newest concept. So sadly, I believe him."Justin McElroy: "Hey, how'd I get to the Nintendo booth? Did I make a wrong turn at Capcom?" Kyle Orland, Crispy Gamer: "Vomit?"Cheapy D, Cheap Ass Gamer: "Wow, I won't get it."[Via Eurogamer]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    Interview: Scribblenauts creative director Jeremiah Slaczka

    July 10, 2009 - 12:45pm

    During E3, word of mouth changed 5TH Cell's Scribblenauts from a promising DS oddity to one of the most highly anticipated upcoming games on any system. Following this sudden and drastic rise in interest level, we spoke once again to creative director Jeremiah Slaczka, whom we last interviewed when the procedural adventure game was first revealed. Just how well has the world reacted to Scribblenauts' public debut? And who at 5TH Cell is a zombie? Read on!

    Continue reading Interview: Scribblenauts creative director Jeremiah Slaczka

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    The Scribblenauts ESRB listing is hilarious

    July 10, 2009 - 12:00am


    Above, you can see the actual ESRB listing for the upcoming DS write-em-up, Scribblenauts. We've taken the liberty of blurring out the most boring bits. Left behind is just a tiny sampling of the truly wondrous things that Scribblenauts is capable of. Trust us, developer 5th Cell did its homework. We know, we checked.Seriously, any game that allows you to attach a steak to a baby in order to attract lions ... that's at least a rental, right? Scribblenauts drops this September.[Via NeoGAF]
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    Resident Evil 5 on Wii 'isn't likely,' still 'possible'

    July 9, 2009 - 11:00pm


    It's probably best to read that headline in the purest technical sense. At a recent promotional event, Capcom Chief Producer Masachika Kawata was asked by games[TM] magazine about the possibility of a Wii version of Capcom's fantabulously successful Resident Evil 5. Kawata responded that while the Resident Evil 4 engine would work "perfectly" to recreate the gameplay of Resident Evil 5, the graphical quality of the PS3 and 360 versions couldn't be matched. To that, we say, "duh." He elaborated that a rail shooter like Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles "makes much more sense on Wii," adding that a port of Resident Evil 5 "isn't likely to happen."That said, Kawata noted that Capcom has been "surprised" by the graphical prowess of Cavia, the studio behind Darkside Chronicles, adding that "it may actually be possible after all...." And that, Wii gamers, is that: It's possible. Of course, we all already knew that, but it's nice to hear it coming from Capcom.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    2 million people pre-ordered Dragon Quest IX

    July 9, 2009 - 10:00pm


    Square Enix is set to unload Dragon Quest IX onto the Japanese populace this week and it's apparently a big deal over there. A report (via Inside Games) shows the title has over two million pre-orders across various retailers in the country. It just blows our minds, because Japan has never been that fond of the Dragon Quest franchise.So, for those of you keeping score on your Craz-o-meters, this is basically Gary Busey-level stuff we're talking about here. It's like running around in the street with no pants on, screaming that you're the person responsible for velcro technology and the Aurora Borealis.[Via Kotaku]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

    RE5 producer: Mature games will sell on Wii , but need an 'X-Factor' (hint: it's 'Resident Evil')

    July 9, 2009 - 9:00pm


    Mature games can sell well on Wii; just ask Resident Evil 5 (and RE: The Darkside Chronicles) producer, Masachika Kawata. Speaking to VideoGamer.com, he acknowledged that it's not easy for adult-oriented titles to break out on the system, but says it's still possible given hard work and an "X-Factor."One of the roadblocks mature games face on Wii is perception, Kawta said. "People get this perception that on Nintendo Wii all there is are cutesy games. However, when you actually try to develop a game on Wii it costs you money, it's time consuming and it's not the easiest console to deal with." So, real games (i.e. ones that aren't cute) are hard to -- wait, did he just say "cutesy" games aren't games? Well, he has been around blood and gore an awful lot lately, but still."There are good [mature] games that didn't sell, obviously," Kawata admitted. "You need an X-Factor." We presume he's talking about the likes of Platinum Games' excellent MadWorld, which we have to admit probably would have sold better with the "X-Factor" that's served Capcom so well on Wii: the words "Resident Evil" in the title.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments