Virtually ready to play
Eurogamer hasa nice little updateon the state of Wii's Virtual Console. It seems that Nintendo Japan has confirmed that 30 games from NES, SNES and N64 will hit the system by the end of the year over there, and 30 more will be pulled from the Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx 16 libraries as well... amounting to a total of 60 classics before January 1, 2007. Better yet, Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata has confirmed that "Compact Software," or original, downloadable Wii games, will also hit the system next spring. These games, which are original titles (and cheaper than full-fledged packaged Wii games you'll buy in a store) sound a lot like the original Xbox Live Arcade games (think Geometry Wars.) We're stoked.
Today's pleasant surprise
Level 5, best known for making RPGs on the PS2 - Dragon Quest VIII, Dark Cloud 2 and next year's Rogue Galaxy - has announced its first DS game. AsGame|Life reports, the game, Professor Layton and the Mysterious Town is a stylish adventure game that just so happens to pack brain-training below its RPG-like visuals. According to GL, Level 5 is collaborating with "Akira Tago, a Chiba University professor who has authored a series of logic-puzzle books called Brain Exercise." While ripping off Brain Age is nothing new (just wait till the glut of crappy clones hits the US - it's already burying Japan) this looks like an unusual take on the concept. Now, we're simply left to wonder if it'll make it to the US.
Beyond Brain Age
A teenage boy has successfully played Space Invaders using only his mind. Researchers atWashington University in St. Louishave given a teenage epilepsy sufferer a grid which records signals on the surface of his brain. First they had him try moving his hand to simulate control... but then asked him to simply imagine it. It still worked. In fact, the kid has done better than older patients who've undergone the same experiment.
"He cleared out the whole level one basically on brain control," said Dr. Eric C. Leuthardt, one of the researchers. "He learned almost instantaneously. We then gave him a more challenging version in two-dimensions and he mastered two levels there playing only with his imagination."
Sounds boss. Find out morehere. One question remains: when's it coming to PS3?
ConfuXion
We reported some time ago that Xfire, a chat service which allows PC gamers to hook up for online games - and then chat as they play - is coming to PS3 titleUntold Legends: Dark Kingdom. But today, the developers of the game and Xfire havecome clean: Sony Online Entertainment, publisher of ULDK (and separate company from the Sony Computer Entertainment behind the PS3 itself) picked Xfire because it crosses over nicely with their PC titles, like EverQuest... not because they need it. A reliable source has already clued us in that - on day one of the PS3's release - the system will support online gaming with full voice chat, just as 360 does.
New screens
Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3)
Splinter Cell: Double Agent (360)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (PSP)
Justice League Heroes (PS2,Xbox)
Family Guy (PS2,Xbox)
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos (PC)
Enemy Territory Quake Wars (PC)
Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar (PC)
New videos
Gangs of London (PSP)
Splinter Cell: Double Agent (360)
Family Guy (PS2,PSP,Xbox)
Warhammer: Mark of Chaos (PC)
Gears of War (360)
Turok (PS3,360)
October 11, 2006