Friday, October 30, 2009

Namco Networks Announce Garters & Ghouls Is Out Now For The iPhone/iPod Touch

Namco Networks have announced that Garters & Ghouls is now available on the iTunes App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It costs $4.99 or £2.99.

This is a action shooter game, in which you control Marie who battles minions and horrors across 25 levels. the game also makes use of Facebook Connect, so you can post your rankings and share achievements. Namco Networks are calling the game the first in a new Franchise.




Press Release

SAN JOSE, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- Oct 30, 2009 Get ready to command the not-too-dead Marie Dupois in the haunting new franchise, Garters & Ghouls, now available on Apple’s App Store. Namco Networks, a leading publisher and developer of mobile, iPhone and PC games for mass-market casual gamers, today announced the release of Garters & Ghouls for iPhone and iPod touch, available for $4.99.

In this new action shooter, players control Marie as she is summoned to battle the minions and horrors beyond description! Garters & Ghouls features a twisted world in the form of 25 action-packed levels, providing hours of unique game play. Players help Marie on her quest by unearthing devastating weapons and massive power-ups! With downloadable content the fun never dies!

“Interesting characters, a compelling and humorous storyline and lots of undead destruction are just a few things that distinguish this from other titles,” said Jonathan Kromrey, general manager of Apple Games for Namco Networks. “What will keep fans coming back is the insatiable appetite for more…just like a zombie.”

To produce Garters & Ghouls, Namco collaborated with Big Blue Bubble, an award winning developer specializing in casual games for mobile devices for over 6 years. “As we’re constantly focused on innovation, we were really excited about helping launch this new property,” said Damir Slogar, CEO of the Canadian based developer. “Working with a major publisher like Namco allows us a great opportunity to get these games out to ever-expanding audiences. Namco offers unparalleled reach and support.”

Garters & Ghouls also features Facebook Connect, allowing users to post their rankings on Facebook and share achievements with their friends.

For more information on Garters & Ghouls or other games by Namco, please visit www.gartersandghouls.com, www.namcogames.com or NAMCO GAMES onFacebook.

About Namco Networks
Namco Networks America, Inc., a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA) Inc., is a worldwide leader in cutting-edge, digitally distributed casual entertainment including mobile, iPhone and casual PC games. More information about Namco Networks products can be found at www.namcogames.com or atwww.twitter.com/namcogames.

About Big Blue Bubble
With over 40 games in its portfolio, Big Blue Bubble is one of Canada’s leading video game developers. By maintaining a strong focus on the development of cross-platform technology and showcasing it through award-winning games, Big Blue Bubble will continue to lead the way in bringing new and innovative concepts to the market.

Namco, Garters & Ghouls, and all related logos, designs, and elements are the trademarks and © of Namco Networks America Inc. 2009. All rights reserved.

Sega Has Released A Halloween Trailer For Sonic and Sega's All Star Racing

Sega has released a Halloween trailer for Sonic And Sega's All Star Racing. The Trailer shows of a new level in the game, A Zombie/Undead Stage, as well as revealing a new playable character in the game, who apparently is based on the House Of The Dead EX Characters1





1 http://www.seganerds.com/2009/10/30/sonic-sega-all-star-racing-gets-house-of-the-dead-character-and-track/#comments

Sega Has Released A New Trailer For Planet 51 Which Focuses On Chuck

Sega has released a new trailer for Planet 51, the videogame tie-in of the Movie. this video focuses on the Chuck character, providing some back story and information about his mission, and what happens to Chuck in the game.




Nintendo Release Photographs And Video From The Style Savvy Launch Event

Nintendo have released a couple of Photographs and a video from a Launch Event Nintendo Held for the Nintendo DS/DSi game Style Savvy. The Video shows many of the events and competitions that were held at the event, as well as video of the game and interviews with parents.





Press Release

NEW YORK --(Business Wire)-- Oct 30, 2009
Photo one:
Dontaya McDonald, of the Bronx borough of New York, participates in a runway competition at Nintendo’s Style Savvy“Fashion Fest” at JCPenney Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 in New York. Mother-daughter teams modeled fashionable styles that they selected within a set budget, similar to the challenges in the upcoming Style Savvy video game, which launches Nov. 2 for the portable Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems. (Jason DeCrow/AP Images for Nintendo)

Photo two:
Denise Kaigler, left, of Nintendo of America, fashion designer Charlotte Ronson, center, and Cynthia Maxwell, right, of JCPenney, judge a runway competition at Nintendo’s Style Savvy “Fashion Fest” at JCPenney Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009 in New York. Style Savvy for Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi launches Nov. 2 and features downloadable items from Charlotte Ronson’s fall 2009 collection. (Jason DeCrow/AP Images for Nintendo)

Video:
Style Savvy Launch with Charlotte Ronson.

Sony Europe Discuss The PSP UMD Game Data Install To Memory Card Option

With the Football Manager Handheld series, Gran Turismo and the upcoming Dynasty Warriors 6 having options to install data from the UMD to the Memory Card, i asked Sony has this been available to developers since the PSP launch as it appears to be a recent development.

I also asked if there was a limit as to what a developer can do with this option, whether there is a limit to the file size, or if the game has to be playable without an install.


"Game developers could have done this manually since launch, with approval from SCE, but with a recent SDK release, SCE has added system support for this functionality. There is no limit, or rules around whether the game has to run without an install, at least not yet. We will continue to review the system to see if we do need to provide further guidance to publishers on usage of this feature as it gets further use."

So it appears that originally, only games like Football Manager Handheld, managed to get approval to install game data to the memory card, but with updates to the SDK its become more accessible to developers in general and appears that Sony has made it flexable as to how its used.


Sony Europe Confirm They Do Not Insist On Publishers Releasing Digital PSP Titles

Sony America had already said that they have not made it compulsory for publishers to release their games on the PSP PSN.

I Asked Sony Europe If They have a similar situation, they responded:


"SCE does not insist on digital releases of all PSP titles - it is the publisher's choice."

I Did ask if there will be a set date for when PSP titles have to be available on the PSN, but it got the same response.


Konami Have Released Screenshots Of Their Upcoming WiiWare Game, Tomena Sanner

Konami have released screenshots for their upcoming Nintendo Wii WiiWare game, Tomena Sanner.The Screenshots show many of the different stages and minigames that take place in the game.

Tomena Sanner