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SaGa 2 remake arrives in Japan this September with limited edition DSi

by JC Fletcher { Jun 26th 2009 at 1:30PM }

Square Enix announced a Japanese release date for Matrix Software's DS remake of SaGa 2 (Final Fantasy Legend II): September 17. The remake is getting the same kind of treatment from Square that any major DS RPG would -- by which we mean Square is charging a lot for it and releasing an even more expensive limited edition.

Though the company has yet to reveal the design, a limited-edition SaGa 20th Anniversary DSi system will be available on the game's release date, for 24,880 yen ($261). It's a good idea for Square Enix to release this limited edition and celebrate this milestone with this particular SaGa game, as ... people like this one.

Gallery: SaGa 2

[Via Siliconera]

Croteam seriously remaking Serious Sam for XBLA [update: It's coming to PC too]

by JC Fletcher { Jun 25th 2009 at 9:30AM }

The Xbox 360 is, of course, a great system for new first-person-shooters, but with XBLA re-releases of games like Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, and Duke Nukem 3D, it's also becoming the system of choice for classic FPS games. Now Croteam is working on an XBLA version of Serious Sam, called, unsurprisingly, Serious Sam HD.

Publisher Majesco told Eurogamer that the remake, which will "re-imagine The First Encounter," will be available on XBLA late this summer for 1,200 Microsoft Points. The new version will include four-player online co-op.

Though we look forward to blowing up stuff with abandon, we are a bit concerned that this news could mean that the "next Serious Sam FPS game" to which Croteam's CEO referred is actually the first one again.

Update: cdv Software Entertainment AG has confirmed to VideoGamer that the game will also be appearing on PC.

Gallery: Serious Sam: The First Encounter HD

Klonoa price slashed in UK, before release

by Xav de Matos { May 18th 2009 at 4:15PM }

Critical darling (and Wiimake) Klonoa has seen a UK price cut, prior to even being released to stores. The upcoming Nintendo Wii title is scheduled to release on May 22, but multiple retailers have cut the RRP nearly in half. Play.com UK is offering the PS1 remake for £14.99 while Amazon.co.uk is selling the title for £17.99. The suggested retail price is listed as £24.99.

If the price slash continues after release, Klonoa could be one of the fastest cuts we've ever seen to to a Namco title. Unless you count the cut to our hearts when Star Wars characters were unceremoniously introduced into the world of Soul Calibur. Which we do.

Gallery: Klonoa: Door to Phantomile

[Via DarkZero]

SaGa 2 remake arrives in Japan this fall

by JC Fletcher { May 11th 2009 at 4:00PM }

Square Enix has announced a (rough) release period for the remake of SaGa 2, known in the West as Final Fantasy Legend 2. SaGa 2 Hiihou Densetsu: Goddess of Destiny will arrive on the DS in Japan this fall. No announcement has been made for the West, but this seems destined for worldwide release.

A new trailer for the RPG reveals the extent of the makeover that the Game Boy classic will receive on the DS, with character art from The World Ends with You co-designer Gen Kobayashi and a new semi-cel-shaded look being incorporated. We're fond of the adorable monster designs and the even more adorable Meka design.

[Via Famitsu]

Nintendo chooses to announce Pokemon Gold and Silver remakes

by JC Fletcher { May 7th 2009 at 11:23PM }

So, that Pokémon announcement that everyone assumed would be remakes of Gold and Silver? Totally remakes of Gold and Silver. We'll get to play new versions of the Game Boy Color Pokemans and we get the satisfaction of being right! This time, it was Nintendo that jumped the gun with the announcement.

The DS remakes, called Pokémon Heart Gold and Pokémon Soul Silver, are scheduled for release in Japan this fall. Going by the time it took Diamond and Pearl to reach North America, we could possibly see these by spring 2010.

[Via Kotaku; thanks, Fernando Rocker!]

Cam footage of TMNT: Turtles in Time remake spotted

by Jason Dobson { May 4th 2009 at 10:00AM }

If recent news of an upcoming remake of arcade classic Turtles in Time wasn't enough to make you scream Cowabunga then, well ... congratulations, you're dead inside. For everyone else, some footage of the game has surfaced and, provided you can keep your breakfast down after the video's shaky-cam style, should give you an early taste of just what to expect.

Turtles in Time marks the second Konami oldie lined up for a makeover in as many months, following April's reveal of a new Vandal Hearts for PSN and XBLA. While some of us would have much preferred a remake of the NES original TMNT, given that game's crushing difficulty we doubt many gamers today would have survived that particular ride aboard the Technodrome's wayback machine.

[Via Gamervision; thanks, Fernando]

Continued →

Resident Evil Archives staggers toward June 23 release

by David Hinkle { Apr 28th 2009 at 2:30PM }

Fans of Resident Evil (and buying the same game multiple times) will be happy to know that Resident Evil Archives -- the official title for the Wii port of a GameCube remake of a PSOne game -- is slated for a June release, Eurogamer reports. Featuring enhanced Wiimote controls and ... enhanced Wiimote controls, the new-for-Wii version of the game will debut in the US on June 23 for $29.99.

Gallery: Resident Evil

Joystiq interview: Majesco, WayForward spill the jelly beans on A Boy and His Blob

by Jason Dobson { Mar 20th 2009 at 9:00AM }

Every child wants a pet, be it a dog, cat, goldfish, or in the case of industry luminary David Crane's 1989 slice of Americana, A Boy an His Blob, a space alien with a hankering for sweets. Unlike E.T., however, Crane's extra terrestrial's fixation wasn't Reese's Pieces, but jelly beans of nearly every flavor imaginable, both delicious and gross. Not even Jelly Belly has a ketchup flavor in its confectionery arsenal, not that that's any reason to boast.

Now twenty years on A Boy and His Blob is set to make its return. We recently caught up with Majesco exec Joe Sutton as well as WayForward director Sean Velasco -- and managed to even talk producer Robb Alvey down off a roller coaster to join the conversation -- to discover just what flavor of adventure we can expect out of the jelly bean-munching amoeba's hop onto the Wii.

Gallery: a boy and his blob (Wii)

Continued →

Resident Evil Darkside Chronicles, Wii ports of RE0 and REmake all shambling to North America

by JC Fletcher { Mar 12th 2009 at 11:35AM }

Click to embiggen.This is thriller -- thriller morning! First revealed via Famitsu scans, Capcom has officially confirmed the existence of the new Wii Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles -- and confirmed a North American release at the same time! The Darkside Chronicles is based on the Resident Evil 2 timeline and stars Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield in an Umbrella Chronicles-style rail shooter with "a more in-depth co-op experience" and a new "Evade system." The Cavia-developed shooter is expected this winter.

In addition, Capcom is localizing the Wii ports of Resident Evil Zero (which Capcom's US branch previously declined at least twice) and the Resident Evil remake (which, as a port of a remake, is basically a zombie itself now) as a new "Resident Evil Classics" line for release this year. Both games feature new Wii Remote controls and will sell at a $29.99 price point, just like Nintendo's own ported Gamecube games!

Update: Check Famitsu for a trailer!

Gallery: Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (Wii)

Cave Story coming in April or May!

by JC Fletcher { Mar 9th 2009 at 9:10AM }

The whole Nicalis team contributed to the latest Cave Story blog post, providing a fairly detailed snapshot of the game's progress at this point. "If all goes well," Tyrone Rodriguez said, "you'll be playing Cave Story by the beginning of May or even end of April."

Rodriguez is working on localizing the manual into Spanish and French, programmer Tiffany is working on the DLC, to make sure that "the game will be able to support all the new content that we have planned over the months following the initial release." And Yann and Nicklas (aka Nifflas) are finishing up the audio, and ... " also building the speech synthesizer that will sing lyrics over each song while the playing the game!" Which might be a joke.

Gallery: Cave Story (WiiWare)

Rumor: Capcom to announce RE Code: Veronica Wii-make March 12

by Griffin McElroy { Mar 8th 2009 at 6:45PM }

The rumor mill has been spinning off its axis since Capcom project manager Matt Dahlgren told us that Wii-owning Resident Evil fans will be "very happy, very soon," inciting feverish speculation on what project will instill said happiness. Game Focus' recent interview with Dahlgren might put said speculation to rest -- according to him, fans of Resident Evil Code: Veronica should pay close attention on March 12 for "news you should be very pleased with."

The date that the pleasing announcement will apparently be made coincides with Capcom's San Francisco launch event for Resident Evil 5, a perfect opportunity for the unveiling of a new project -- but is an updated Wii version of Veronica the project everyone was hoping for? To tell the truth, we were holding out hope for a Resident Evil: Survivor remake. Oh, well.

[Via 1UP]

Namco's Klonoa remake releasing to Europe

by David Hinkle { Mar 6th 2009 at 12:45PM }

Eurogamer reports that Namco's Klonoa remake will be making its way to Europe, likely putting a smile on a face or two along the way. Klonoa is an updated version of the original PSOne game, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, and features a new control scheme that takes advantage of the capabilities of the Wiimote and Nunchuk, but will also include a classic control method for those who wish to ditch the waggle.

Klonoa is currently available in Japan and will make its way to North America sometime this spring. It'll arrive in Europe sometime this year.

Gallery: Klonoa (Wii)

A Boy and His Blob: surprisingly sharp graphics for an amorphous character

by JC Fletcher { Mar 4th 2009 at 4:00PM }

We knew from the Nintendo Power preview that WayForward's new version of A Boy and His Blob (officially called a boy and his blob -- lower case -- for some reason) was pretty. But after looking at these direct-feed shots in full resolution, we are upgrading our estimation from "pretty" to "an absolute dream." Nobody can say anything bad about the Wii's graphical capabilities ever again. Well, they can and will, but they will be even more wrong than before. This game looks amazing. Even more screens at IGN show that a boy and his blob will feature widescreen capabilities.

We'd be quite thrilled with the new game even in ugly polygons, though of course we prefer these incredibly beautiful sprites!

Gallery: a boy and his blob (Wii)

A Boy and His Blob bouncing to Wii on a tangerine trampoline

by JC Fletcher { Mar 3rd 2009 at 3:15PM }

We've suddenly been hit with a jellybean craving, thanks to Nintendo Power's reveal of a Boy and His Blob "reinvention" for Wii. The magazine teases an upcoming Wii preview with a pixelated image of the article, to be revealed March 5. The table of contents, however, features the unobscured Boy and His Blob artwork seen here.

We can only hope that this Wii reimagining of the classic David Crane-designed puzzle-adventure will fare better than the heartbreakingly cancelled DS game. The single piece of art is already more promising than the admittedly garish look of the DS game, at least.

[Via GoNintendo]

First screens of Adventure Island: The Beginning

by JC Fletcher { Feb 20th 2009 at 4:00PM }

Finally, Hudson has revealed the first screens of the new WiiWare Adventure Island game. It looks like a return to the style of gameplay from the original NES game -- which means that axes and skateboards are in, and dinosaur riding (as seen in Adventure Island 2 and 3) is out.

While we're suitably (extremely) excited about playing a new Adventure Island game, we do wish that Hudson had taken the Mega Man 9 route, because the 3D makeover isn't working. The GameCube remake of Adventure Island looked a lot better, in fact.

The new game includes some exciting new features, like multiplayer and Adventure Island-themed minigames. Our favorite is the in-game version of the Shooting Watch, the button-press-timing toy made famous by Hudson's Takahashi Meijin, who is the inspiration for the Master Higgins character.