Breathe a sigh of relief. It's not nearly as bad as it first sounded. In fact, the "Target edition" of Shaun White Snowboarding might actually warrant a trip to Target for game shopping. And, didn't you hear? Target expects plenty of Wiis in stock this season. Why not do all your holiday spending there?
The marketing ploy is quite clear, and a good one. Building off its apparel partnership with Shaun White, Target has positioned itself to offer, exclusively through its retail and online outlets (oh, hai Wal-Mart!), a premium edition of Ubisoft's snowboarding game, and in turn, a hook to lure consumers into crossing off all the game requests on the holiday gift lists they're responsible for. (A recent survey found that 90% of tweens and teens are expected to ask for a video game this year.)
That's right, we said premium edition. While the Target-branded version will cost an additional $5, it'll include roughly 20 percent more game content (which, we were told, will never be offered as DLC). More specifically, the standard edition, available through all other retailers, will feature four mountains (each divided into peak, park and backcountry sections); the Target edition will include a fifth mountain, the "Target Mountain," which isn't as large as the original mountains, but does boast some interesting extras, like a full loop to attempt in the Xbox 360 version (identical to the PlayStation 3 and PC versions) and a trip inside the Target Chalet, based on the elitist party pad in Aspen. We know what you're thinking: But, what about the ads?
Comparing Sonic Unleashed to 2006's Sonic The Hedgehog nightmare is an utterly useless endeavor. Yes, Sonic Unleashed (or Sonic World Adventure, as it's known in Japan) is observably the superior game, but this confirmation is worthless when the previous adventure not only failed to raise the bar, but rather buried it somewhere deep within an abandoned mineshaft. The question then isn't whether Sonic Unleashed is better, but whether it's any good.
The Conduit may still lack a publisher, but what it does have is a sad little king of a sad little hill. High Voltage announced that it has cast Firefly's Badger, Mark A. Sheppard, as the voice of Mr. Ford, the lead role in the upcoming Wii-exclusive shooter. The Conduit is the latest line item on the British actor's resume, following work in Battlestar Galactica and In the Name of the Father, though to us he'll always be a petty thief with delusions of standing.
The game's credits will include another Sheppard as well. William Morgan Sheppard, whose voice can be heard in such games as Metal Gear Solid 2 and Escape from Monkey Island, will voice John Adams, while Olympian man-cake, Kevin Sorbo, will take on the role of the title's bad guy, Prometheus. There continues to be no word on what company will bring The Conduit to store shelves in early 2009, though with High Voltage forking over enough cash to secure Hercules, we have to believe an announcement isn't far off.
What do you get when you cross a board game with an RPG and toss in a heavy dosage of Japanese anime influence? A huge mess, LOLZ! Okay, seriously, if you mix things together right and stir liberally with the Wiimote, you'd get Dokapon Kingdom. It also doesn't hurt if you're a video game developer, like the folks at Atlus who put this together.
We spent a good deal of time in a hands-on with this game recently, and it's the perfect party game you've been looking for when you have real actual friends come over, not those online knockoffs. Check out the details after the jump.
Although it is a general gaming event, the PlayStation Blog pointed the way to Best Buy's Gaming Invasion '08 taking place this weekend in Toronto, Canada. The nice thing about the event is that it appears to be open to the general public and allows gamers to get their Cheetos-encrusted mitts on some of this year's most anticipated titles like Gears 2, Resistance 2, LBP, Mirror's Edge and many more.
With major first- and third-party support at the Best Buy event it seems like it's something big. This is apparently the third year of Best Buy's Gaming Invasion, so any Canadians who can speak to how well the event is organized should kindly feel free to leave a comment as a heads-up.*
*Don't say it's horrible just so you can have all the games to yourself. 30 Helens agree: That's not nice.
If you've ever drummed your fingers on a table, whether in a physical display of impatience (where is that waiter?) or an attempt to capture an elusive beat, you'll probably be able to understand where Let's Tap is coming from. Specifically, it's coming from Sonic creator Yuji Naka's post-Sega studio, Prope, and hopes to win gamers (and their moms) over through sheer simplicity. Let's Face It: games don't get much simpler than tapping on a cardboard box.
Evaluated as a typical Wii game, Let's Tap does little to distance itself from the cavalcade of effervescent minigames swarming the system. But as an experiment in using the Wiimote differently -- that is, to not use it at all -- it certainly warrants further attention. As it requires the Wii controller to be placed on a flat surface, face down and buttons obscured, Let's Tap is a game we can see ourselves introducing to those wracked by a morbid fear of buttons and flailing.
Deca Sports, Wii Sports, Carnival Games and all the other minigame collections on Wii had better watch their backs ... or at least join together, forming some kind of bargain bin Voltron to do battle against Big League Sports. Activision is bringing the new minigame collection to the Wii "this holiday season."
The collection will include 22 of the most "thrilling situations" from tennis, basketball, football, soccer, lacrosse, and hockey. Also, there's character creation so (as we're sure they expected by now) it seems your Miis will miss out on the fun.
You have to feel a little bad for WiiWare. Just when it manages to mount a decent effort with the completely solid-looking World of Goo, here's what the Virtual Console answers back with:
Secret of Mana(Super NES, 1-3 players, 800 Wii Points) -- Oh, you remember Secret of Mana, it's only one of the very best role-playing games ever, with two million copies shipped worldwide. It's also got one of the best pieces of box art in history, not that you'll get to enjoy that.
Oh, and...
Street Fighter II: Special Championship Editon(Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) -- In case you have as hard a time keeping SFII games straight at we do, allow us to remind you that this is the one that blends Turbo, Hyper and Champion editions and adds the Group Battle mode. (P.S. Do yourself a favor and check out that video we linked to, it's a treat.)
Wow, WiiWare, that's gotta hurt. At least Art Style: Cubello is there to soften the blow.
We don't have much to say about this week's WiiWare release of World of Goo (2D Boy, 1-4 players, 1,500 Wii Points) because, quite frankly, it might actually be good. While great for Wii owners, it makes the weekly announcement post quite boring.
We have even less to say about this week's other WiiWare offering Art Style: CUBELLO (Nintendo, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) since, much like last month's Art Style: ORBIENT, there's virtually nothing on the internet about it that we can find. From the official description, it sounds like Cubello might be a remake of the bit Generations title Coloris. Is this and Goo enough of an incentive to finally give Mega Man 9 a break?
As you've surely already noticed, a handful of our more travel-hardened writers have spent the past few days in the natal region of this humble weekly feature in order to more aptly cover the industry happenings at the Tokyo Game Show 2008. While we've missed their presence dearly, particularly at our bimonthly badminton tournament against other gaming blogs (Kietzmann is quite the racqueteer, you see), we've found their overseas stationing to be quite profitable for us homebound 'Stiqers.
You see, thanks to the inexplicable magic of time zones, it's a bit after midday tomorrow in Tokyo at the time of this posting. Our overseas cohorts have discovered a number of startling, time-sensitive pieces of valuable information, then sent them hurtling westward (geographically) and backward (chronologically) to the rest of the staff. We've been using this information to gain a valuable edge in the somewhat turbulent American investment market -- much like the oft-exploited sports almanac from Back to the Future lore (sans the frequent demands for its immolation by absent-minded, silver-haired chronophysicists).
Fret not, dear readers -- we can hear your requests for these valuable investment protips through the insulation provided by our wide-brimmed moneyhats. Here, we'll break you off a piece -- following an unlikely endorsement from acclaimed Japanese film critic Tadao Sato, Beverly Hills Chihuahuawill set the highest single-day box office record in cinematic history tomorrow, and will remain at the top of the charts worldwide for fourteen months. As such, you might want to consider dropping a few bucks on Disney (DIS), and, of course, Chihuawow! (CWOW!), the West Coast's most prestigious Chihuahua distribution outlet.
The passage of time, not to mention the opening of the Tokyo Game Show floor to the public, was not kind to our good friend, the Monster Hunter 3 line. Whereas our initial pass demonstrated a long and winding queue, the first public day of the show saw the orderly arrangement swallowed whole by a pulsating mass of patient onlookers.
As if navigating the area wasn't hampered enough, the monstrously popular booth also saw its crowd overlap with the one swarming the opposing Square Enix booth. The bloggers foolish enough to pass through this patch of people (including the one who wrote these hands-on impressions) were forever lost and shall be mourned.
Despite what that affront-to-mankind-in-motion-picture-form, Spider-Man 3, may have tried to make you believe, merging with a dreaded symbote doesn't turn you into a mopey jerk with an unfashionable haircut and nightmarish dance moves. We feel that the upcoming Activision web-slinging simulator, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, depicts a much more accurate account of the side-effects of fusion with tar-like alien lifeforms: A widening of the eyes, an elongation of the teeth, and tendrils -- oh, so very many tendrils.
The launch trailer for the aforementioned title, posted above, gives us a good sampling of the symbiotic adversaries we'll be pummeling come Web of Shadows' October 21 release date -- and with a classy touch of Moonlight Sonata to boot. We highly suggest checking it out -- perhaps you'll find some place in your heart that hasn't eternally sworn off games featuring the titular, charismatic wall-crawler.
On July 19, 2008, seismologists across the globe experienced a strange phenomenon -- the needles on their trusty seismographs began to bounce ever so slightly. Some would blame it on tiny movements in our Earth's tectonic plates. Others would attribute it to faulty equipment. Those with an active internet connection and a penchant for gaming news, however, quickly discovered the cause of the activity -- simultaneous, powerful groans, uttered in response to an image of Sonic the Hedgehog, brandishing a broadsword.
If you were among those who were hesitant towards yet another Sonic title in which the protagonist vanquishes foes, not with speed and well-timed jumps, but with weaponry, you might want to check out the debut trailer for Sonic and the Black Knightwe've considerately posted after the jump. It looks quite similar to other post-Dreamcast games featuring the hyperactive hedgehog, only with, you know, a sword. We're a little puzzled by the trailer's complete lack of Martin Lawrence, but we're sure he'll make an appearance in future media for the title.
If you're reading this you're in the minority of Joystiq readers who haven't skipped down the page at the sight of the words: Monster Hunter. Clearly you're either a Westerner, curious about what the big deal is, or you're standing in line to play the third installment of the series right now. Within ten minutes of the TGS show floor opening, the line for this game was four and a half hours long. On a press day, no less. Thankfully, we had a considerably shorter wait inside Capcom's base (a hotel room), where we tried out the latest console version of one of Japan's favorite franchises.
While the series move from PlayStation 3 to Wii can be attributed to cutting development costs, no expense has been spared on the game's visuals. Monster Hunter 3 (or "Monster Hunter Tri~" ... ?) is one of the sharpest Wii games we've seen. It's also immediately recognizable as a Monster Hunter game. There's been no style change at all from other versions, just an upscaling of models and textures. The game's water looks impressive for a Wii title, which is important because Monster Hunter 3 is the first game in the series where you'll be going swimming.
As much as we hate how Sonic's roots have been clawed out by some furry, fanged and stretchy-limbed abomination, we must grudgingly admit that the Werehog is -- at least on the Tokyo Game Show floor -- almost bordering on sort of cool. As is the case with most obnoxious, product-peddling mascots, we ultimately have to go with the one we'd prefer to hug. And just look at that guy's huge arms!
(Our next TGS goal: to capture an image of both Sonics together.)
15,462 (26.73%) 
374 (1.46%)
3,020 (26.75%)
