Archive for February, 2010

Apple brought the hammer down on App Store titles deemed to be too sexually explicit in February, and the decision renewed curiosity about why the company hasn't joined other mainstream entertainment channels and flat out created an adult category for developers. The iPhone and iPod touch could be closer to hosting such apps than previously believed, though, as the App Store's submission software reportedly contained an "Explicit" option for a brief spell.

"It’s available for selection when adding a new app to iTunesConnect although I can’t see any sign of it in the actual App Store yet," an iPhone developer told Cult of Mac earlier this week. Other sites and sources verified the abnormality before it vanished, though another developer speaking to Gizmodo claimed to have communicated with Apple, who told them that the category was being considered but wouldn't "happen anytime soon."

With parental controls being introduced to the iPhone's latest firmware build, hiding images of girls in bikinis from unsuspecting minors shouldn't be be a problem for Apple going forward, so an Explicit category addition would make a lot of sense. It would also undoubtedly relieve scores of spurned app-makers who now find themselves absent from the market. A sanctioned Explicit section would allow for a lot more freedom in game development specifically, though, even if it will be interesting to see how such a move plays out in anti-adult game markets like Australia, where Mature ratings aren't even allowed for console games yet.

Do you think Apple should add an Explicit category to the App Store? Do you think they made the right move by removing apps deemed to be too sexy? Sound off in the comment section below.

PopCap Games' decision to bring "Plants vs. Zombies" to the iPhone just resulted in a lot of green for the "Bejeweled" and "Peggle" makers. After a modest nine days on Apple's App Store, the company claims the lawn defense title grossed more than $1 million, which will buy many, many extra slots, seeds and upgrades.

"'Plants vs. Zombies' is our latest major franchise to make the jump to iPhone, and from the early customer and critical feedback it appears to be a great adaptation of the game," PopCap's director of mobile business development Andrew Stein said in a press release. "There's always a concern when bringing a computer game to a mobile, pocket-sized device that something will get lost in the process, but in this case the overwhelming consensus is that 'Plants vs. Zombies' is even more fun on the smaller touch screen!"

One of Multiplayer's top five games of 2009 has already made its mark on 2010 for its new platform, and I'm in agreement with Russ that "Plants vs. Zombies" not only survived its screen shrink for the iPhone and iPod touch; it managed to become a natural fit on the devices.

I've been seeing the game at the top of the game rankings on the App Store pretty frequently this week, and PopCap's announcement definitely corroborates that success. Having played it on both the iPhone 3G and the iPod touch, I can safely say that its a much smoother experience on the touch and 3GS, as your lawn and rooftop's most crowded zombie moments benefit greatly from the extra processing power. Give it a look if you haven't already done so, though. You're missing out.

What do you think of "Plants vs. Zombies" on the iPhone? Are you surprised to read about its sales numbers? Sound off in the comment section below.

Keiji Inafune is one of the top creative minds at Capcom and has shepherded many of the company's greatest franchises over the years. "Mega Man" is obviously one of the biggies, and with the success of the downloadable release of "Mega Man 9" and the upcoming release of "Mega Man 10" next month, Capcom opened the fan floodgates for an online Q&A with Inafune-san.

In one of the questions, a fan asked Inafune what he thought about reviving the 16-bit style of "Mega Man" games. His response was pretty positive on the prospect:

One of the biggest reasons for going with the 8bit style [for 'Mega Man 10'] was the success with 'Mega Man 9.' 'MM 9' succeeded beyond our wildest expectation. We had initially thought of bringing back to the series the feel of the NES to create a sense of nostalgia with 'MM9.' Receiving the great reaction from the fans over it, we decided to establish the style as the game genre for Mega Man. In line with this concept, reviving the 16 bit game style in the series seems like a great idea. We certainly would like to consider trying it out in future when there’s a chance.

The closest thing to a recent 16-bit revival was the release of "Mega Man X: Maverick Hunter" on the PSP, which featured the same gameplay as the classic SNES game, but with improved graphics. It'll be interesting to see if Capcom's willing to invest in a brand new SNES-style release, but there's little doubt that the fanbase exists.

The overwhelming success of Rocksteady Studio's latest project, "Batman: Arkham Asylum," proves that the developer can treat an often mishandled comic book property with the respect that it deserves. It took decades of not having a decent game, but The Dark Knight finally got a game worthy of his name, but the same thing can't be said about pretty much everyone else on the DC Comics roster. With Warner Bros.'s recent acquisition of the studio, it leaves room for the possibility of Rocksteady getting their hands on some additional DC properties, and with any luck, hopefully they can do the same thing that they did for Batman with some of these characters.

The Flash

What may have been the one good game that Brash Entertainment was working on at the time of their collapse was "The Flash," and he deserves some vindication for that. The Flash's game would find itself at the opposite end of the pacing spectrum from "Arkham Asylum," and it would pose Rocksteady the problem of trying to capture light speed on a grand scale, as well as taking the gameplay out of the confined coziness of an insane asylum and pretty much opening it up to the entire world. Could it be too big for Rocksteady to handle? That's doubtful.

Green Arrow

Green Arrow seems like he's almost a perfect fit as a follow up to "Arkham Asylum," since the main characters are fairly similar, in that both of them are humans that use their talents and skills instead of possessing super powers to save the world. So, while not as high profile as Batman, Green Arrow seems like it would be a "safe" game for Rocksteady to make, if they didn’t want to venture too far outside of their "Arkham" mold, while at the same time working with a new character, plus replicating the batarang gameplay for Ollie's quiver seems like a nice fit.

Green Lantern

The Green Lantern Corps. are one of DC's most beloved properties, yet, much like the rest, they have never been represented well in interactive media. A great game wouldn't even have to feature all of them, just Hal Jordan, defending the world. Got that Rocksteady? Hal Jordan defending the world. It's that simple.

Nightwing

Why not make the next game all kinds of confusing and base it on Nightwing? Kind of Batman, kind of Superman, kind of Robin, kind of Power Girl; Nightwing has a surprisingly rich history to pull from, and would offer some nice potential cross-over opportunities for the studio, depending on whether they wanted to set the game pre-Crisis on Infinite Earth or after.

Superman

The Man of Steel is pretty much a shoe-in for this list, especially since his last outing, "Superman Returns," was barely playable (I know that first hand). It would be great to see how Rocksteady would handle a less traditional storyline for Superman, maybe something like Red Son. Perhaps even seeing them go the extra mile, and take on a story like Frank Miller's The Dark Knight and offer both Bats and Supes as playable characters, letting us play both sides of the story.

Wonder Woman

Much like some of the other names on this list, Princess Diana has made a couple of video game appearances in the past, but nothing has ever lived up to her stature as an Amazon. A character like Wonder Woman would be a perfect fit for Rocksteady, as she has a rich history, as well as an impressive assortment of accessories, complete with invisible jet, which would make for some serious flight sequences if they could incorporate it into the game. Just imagine: "Wonder Woman: The Flight Sim."

Y: The Last Man

I'm well aware that Vertigo is just an imprint of DC, but that's enough for me to make an argument that Y: The Last Man could be Game of the Year if it's done well, which we all know Rocksteady could do. As long as they don't touch the story at all, a game based on Yorick and his monkey Ampersand's adventure around the world to find out how and why they're still alive while all the other males on Earth are dead (as well as find Yorick's lost love) would make for one hell of a wild ride.

Zatanna

For some reason, I could see Zatanna swapped in for Bayonetta, and it still pretty much being the same game, but that would be Platinum's version, not Rocksteady's. If the "Arkham Asylum"'s team were able to have their way with the sorceress, it would be a whole different story; in other words, they probably wouldn't make her game as fast-paced, over-the-top, or hyper-sexed, but I still think there is room for development there, as long as they remember to include the fishnets.

The Groups:
I based this list on the same template as "Arkham Asylum," at least in that the game starred only one character. However, it’s worth mentioning that DC has some of the best team based comics in the industry, and The Justice League of America, The Teen Titans, and The Watchmen (that's right, I went there) have all had games released under their monikers, but have never, ever gotten what they deserve when it comes to video games. Developing a multi-character game would be a challenge for the studio; I think it's one that they would welcome, and ultimately, overcome.

Nintendo opened the floodgates of "Super Mario Galaxy 2" at its Q1 Summit in San Francisco. Around eight new levels were playable, each with their own special quirks and gameplay mechanics. Here are some of the more memorable ones:

Hightale Falls Galaxy
The Sonic mention in the headline refers to this level in particular. It prominently features Yoshi (now ride-able in "Galaxy 2") and chili pepper pick-ups. Snacking on a pepper while riding the lovable dinosaur will cause Yoshi to burst forward with great enthusiasm for about 15 seconds, turning his normal, steady trot into a sprint for life itself. The level focused heavily on this mechanic, as you were basically guiding Yoshi across twisty, gravity-defying tracks, picking up peppers along the way to keep your speed up. It definitely had a "Sonic Adventure" vibe going, which is neat as high speed was never really an element in the first "Mario Galaxy."

Super Massive Galaxy
The name of this galaxy may be a little on the nose, but fans of "Super Mario Bros. 3" will definitely appreciate this one, as it features ginormous versions of Mario staples like koopas, pipes and goombas. To give you an idea of the scale, you can actually wall jump off one of the spinning coins in the level, they're that big. Perhaps more amusing, the level starts with a massive star proclaiming to Mario: "We grow 'em big here!" Indeed you do.

Bowser Jr's Fearsome Fleet
Another Yoshi-centric level, this too revolves around his impressive gastro-intestinal system, but in a slightly different way. There are a number of Bullet Bill-firing cannons throughout the level and you basically have to swallow them and spit them back out to blow up objects blocking your path. Add in a moving platform and about a half-dozen rockets all lined up and ready to blow your adorable head off and you have quite a precarious situation on your hands. Bowser Jr. doesn't play around.

Flip-Swap Galaxy
While most of the levels in "Mario Galaxy 2" are pretty kind to the every-day gamer, some are not. Flip-Swap Galaxy is a punishing 4-minute dash where you must collect 100 purple coins and reach the end of the map in once place. The coins are spread across a track made up of panels. About half of the panels are visible at any one time and you have to jump and spin in the air to make the visible and invisible panels swap, allowing you to progress further. It's a lot more nightmarish than it sounds, and that's before they introduce rolling Chomps and moving electricity barriers. Oh, and no checkpoints. Punishing doesn't quite do it. Thankfully it's not one of the required levels for the main quest and is simply a bonus galaxy rewarded for finding certain coins, but at least the hardcore can rest easy knowing that there's plenty for them to obsess over.

While it may not be as groundbreaking as the first "Galaxy," it's clear the developers at Nintendo aren't close to running out of platforming ideas and will be throwing plenty of curve-balls your way with "Super Mario Galaxy 2." The game launches on May 23rd.

"Metroid: Other M" begins with a re-imagining of one of the greatest moments in video game history. Samus is battling Mother Brain in the climax of "Super Metroid" and is on the verge of death. At the last moment a baby Metroid flies in from out of nowhere and saves Samus, granting her the power to defeat Mother Brain. The moment plays out as a pre-rendered cutscene (something that "Other M" has in spades), but it's treated with such reverence than anyone who experienced the SNES "Metroid" will recognize it immediately. From thereon out, though, "Metroid: Other M" is its own beast entirely.

Lots And Lots Of Story
Metroid games have always been extremely light on plot. "Other M" goes the other way. The game's events are narrated in voice over by Samus who, up until now, hardly ever said a word. Cut-scenes seem pretty frequent, as well, which isn't a huge shock given Team Ninja's predilection for them in the "Ninja Gaiden" series. When the head of Marketing for Nintendo, Cammie Dunaway, presented the game, she mentioned that we'll be getting to know Samus better than we ever have before. It appears that's the crux of "Other M," letting people see the woman behind the suit, complete with flashbacks and inner monologues.

2D, 3D, First Person And Everything In Between
Everyone has been wondering what perspective "Metroid: Other M" is played from. Short answer: Many. The game's most frequent perspective is that of a 3rd person action game like "Ninja Gaiden," giving Samus a full range of movement. But you can, at any time, point the controller at the screen to switch to first person view for scanning objects and firing missiles. The game doesn't stop there. There are segments of levels that are played from 2D perspective, with just forward and back as your movement options, and there are even "Resident Evil 4"-style moments where the camera hovers right behind Samus's back. It's a unique blend that definitely takes some getting used to, but after about a half hour I didn't have any trouble bouncing back and forth.

No Nunchuk Required
Surprisingly, "Other M" is controlled simply by holding the Wii Remote sideways like and NES controller. No Nunchuk is required to play the game. All of the movement is handled by the d-pad, with 1 and 2 handling shooting and jumping. The A button activates your rolling ball form, and hitting A while in first person view will fire off a missile. Perhaps the biggest nod to Team Ninja's roots, though, is the addition of a dodge maneuver. Right before a projectile hits you, you can press a direction on the d-pad to roll out of the way of the attack, allowing you to counter. Very "Ninja Gaiden" indeed.

It's Still Metroid
Even with the new controls and perspectives, this is still "Metroid." There's still a heavy focus on exploration, finding energy tanks and missile packs, rolling down vents and blowing up secret walls. There are still huge boss fights which require you to utilize your recent upgrades to take them out. There are still random little beasties peppering your path which make for easy blaster fodder. It's "Metroid," first and foremost, which settles my biggest concern with the game.

Looking Ahead
I found myself quite pleased with the base gameplay mechanics of "Other M," and the liberties the team has taken with the franchise. I do have concerns about the game's story and script, which seemed pretty stiff and in need of some better localization and voice acting, but that's something that's hopefully still in the process of being worked out. Apart from that, though, we're getting a new "Metroid" on June 27th. Score.

From the game Wii Sports Resort on the Nintendo Wii. First look at the Swordplay - Showdown. Wii Sports Resort playlist: www.youtube.com Original recordings (including dead-air time, console boot up, etc.) can be submitted to Twin Galaxies for verification for their scoreboard. www.twingalaxies.com

Nintendo opened the floodgates of "Super Mario Galaxy 2" at its Q1 Summit in San Francisco. Around eight new levels were playable, each with their own special quirks and gameplay mechanics. Here are some of the more memorable ones:

Hightale Falls Galaxy
The Sonic mention in the headline refers to this level in particular. It prominently features Yoshi (now ride-able in "Galaxy 2") and chili pepper pick-ups. Snacking on a pepper while riding the lovable dinosaur will cause Yoshi to burst forward with great enthusiasm for about 15 seconds, turning his normal, steady trot into a sprint for life itself. The level focused heavily on this mechanic, as you were basically guiding Yoshi across twisty, gravity-defying tracks, picking up peppers along the way to keep your speed up. It definitely had a "Sonic Adventure" vibe going, which is neat as high speed was never really an element in the first "Mario Galaxy."

Super Massive Galaxy
The name of this galaxy may be a little on the nose, but fans of "Super Mario Bros. 3" will definitely appreciate this one, as it features ginormous versions of Mario staples like koopas, pipes and goombas. To give you an idea of the scale, you can actually wall jump off one of the spinning coins in the level, they're that big. Perhaps more amusing, the level starts with a massive star proclaiming to Mario: "We grow 'em big here!" Indeed you do.

Bowser Jr's Fearsome Fleet
Another Yoshi-centric level, this too revolves around his impressive gastro-intestinal system, but in a slightly different way. There are a number of Bullet Bill-firing cannons throughout the level and you basically have to swallow them and spit them back out to blow up objects blocking your path. Add in a moving platform and about a half-dozen rockets all lined up and ready to blow your adorable head off and you have quite a precarious situation on your hands. Bowser Jr. doesn't play around.

Flip-Swap Galaxy
While most of the levels in "Mario Galaxy 2" are pretty kind to the every-day gamer, some are not. Flip-Swap Galaxy is a punishing 4-minute dash where you must collect 100 purple coins and reach the end of the map in once place. The coins are spread across a track made up of panels. About half of the panels are visible at any one time and you have to jump and spin in the air to make the visible and invisible panels swap, allowing you to progress further. It's a lot more nightmarish than it sounds, and that's before they introduce rolling Chomps and moving electricity barriers. Oh, and no checkpoints. Punishing doesn't quite do it. Thankfully it's not one of the required levels for the main quest and is simply a bonus galaxy rewarded for finding certain coins, but at least the hardcore can rest easy knowing that there's plenty for them to obsess over.

While it may not be as groundbreaking as the first "Galaxy," it's clear the developers at Nintendo aren't close to running out of platforming ideas and will be throwing plenty of curve-balls your way with "Super Mario Galaxy 2." The game launches on May 23rd.

"Metroid: Other M" begins with a re-imagining of one of the greatest moments in video game history. Samus is battling Mother Brain in the climax of "Super Metroid" and is on the verge of death. At the last moment a baby Metroid flies in from out of nowhere and saves Samus, granting her the power to defeat Mother Brain. The moment plays out as a pre-rendered cutscene (something that "Other M" has in spades), but it's treated with such reverence than anyone who experienced the SNES "Metroid" will recognize it immediately. From thereon out, though, "Metroid: Other M" is its own beast entirely.

Lots And Lots Of Story
Metroid games have always been extremely light on plot. "Other M" goes the other way. The game's events are narrated in voice over by Samus who, up until now, hardly ever said a word. Cut-scenes seem pretty frequent, as well, which isn't a huge shock given Team Ninja's predilection for them in the "Ninja Gaiden" series. When the head of Marketing for Nintendo, Cammie Dunaway, presented the game, she mentioned that we'll be getting to know Samus better than we ever have before. It appears that's the crux of "Other M," letting people see the woman behind the suit, complete with flashbacks and inner monologues.

2D, 3D, First Person And Everything In Between
Everyone has been wondering what perspective "Metroid: Other M" is played from. Short answer: Many. The game's most frequent perspective is that of a 3rd person action game like "Ninja Gaiden," giving Samus a full range of movement. But you can, at any time, point the controller at the screen to switch to first person view for scanning objects and firing missiles. The game doesn't stop there. There are segments of levels that are played from 2D perspective, with just forward and back as your movement options, and there are even "Resident Evil 4"-style moments where the camera hovers right behind Samus's back. It's a unique blend that definitely takes some getting used to, but after about a half hour I didn't have any trouble bouncing back and forth.

No Nunchuk Required
Surprisingly, "Other M" is controlled simply by holding the Wii Remote sideways like and NES controller. No Nunchuk is required to play the game. All of the movement is handled by the d-pad, with 1 and 2 handling shooting and jumping. The A button activates your rolling ball form, and hitting A while in first person view will fire off a missile. Perhaps the biggest nod to Team Ninja's roots, though, is the addition of a dodge maneuver. Right before a projectile hits you, you can press a direction on the d-pad to roll out of the way of the attack, allowing you to counter. Very "Ninja Gaiden" indeed.

It's Still Metroid
Even with the new controls and perspectives, this is still "Metroid." There's still a heavy focus on exploration, finding energy tanks and missile packs, rolling down vents and blowing up secret walls. There are still huge boss fights which require you to utilize your recent upgrades to take them out. There are still random little beasties peppering your path which make for easy blaster fodder. It's "Metroid," first and foremost, which settles my biggest concern with the game.

Looking Ahead
I found myself quite pleased with the base gameplay mechanics of "Other M," and the liberties the team has taken with the franchise. I do have concerns about the game's story and script, which seemed pretty stiff and in need of some better localization and voice acting, but that's something that's hopefully still in the process of being worked out. Apart from that, though, we're getting a new "Metroid" on June 27th. Score.

Lionhead Studios' Milo character may see his video game career extend past the studio's 2009 E3 demo with Project Natal. Founder Peter Molyneux didn't go into detail about what the "Fable 3" creators had in store for their empathetic boy who demonstrated his ability last year to react to and interact with a real-world woman named Kate, but it sounds like a game.

"Milo is a character in a bigger and more dramatic story that we’re telling," Molyneux told IncGamers.

Assuming Milo was really responding to Kate and wasn't just pre-recorded in Lionhead's demo, the game-makers had to have invested a lot of time and effort into rigging that software. It would make sense that they would want to build off of that recognizable face and finished work to do something bigger rather than abandoning it for another project requiring them to start from scratch. Molyneux, at least, seems to follow that logic.

"I was very, very tight about what was actually being said about Milo and not being said about Milo, he said. "I think it did its job. It made people look around and say 'How could you make a game out of a character like Milo?' And I think that question is still out there; I'm just not allowed to answer it."

You never know, though. Milo could have his own game, or Lionhead may just be slipping him in as a supporting character in "Fable 3." The last two "Fable" games have been pretty dramatic.

What do you think Lionhead should do with Milo? Would you like to see him get his own title? What about Kate? Sound off in the comment section below.