Monday, June 7, 2010

This Weeks WiiWare, DSiWare, And Virtual Console Releases

Here are this weeks WiiWare and DSiWare releases for the USA. there are no Virtual Console releases this week but there are 3 WiiWare games and 4 DSiWare games, meaning there are 7 games released this week.

WiiWare

Zoo Disc Golf
This is a 1-4 player game that costs 1,000 Wii Points. in this game, each of the 18 enclosures in the Zoo is a hole in the Disc Golf Course. you are allowed up to 10 throws on each hole before you are moved to the next hole. the aim is to complete the course with the fewest amount of throws.


Lead the Meerkats
this is a 1 player game only that costs 1,000 Wii Points. in the game, you play as a young meerkat who has to form his won meerkat pack. you have to name the pack, dig burrows and enlarge your territory. you also have to forage for food and look out for enemies.


Reel Fishing Challenge II
This is a 1 player only game that costs 500 Wii Points. this fishing game has 30 varied missions to complete as well as the general fishing mode.


DSiWare

Flips: The Magic Faraway Tree
This is a 1 player only game that costs 500 DSi Points. this is the latest flips story called The Magic Faraway Tree and it is written by Enid Blyton.


Fire Panic
This is a 1 player only game that costs 200 DSi Points. you are a fire-fighter in the game that is faced with the continuous challenge of extinguishing more and more fires as they continue to flare up.


Don't Cross The Line

This is a 1 player game that costs 200 DSi Points. this is a puzzle game that requires the player to connect lines to various boxes without crossings the lines they draw in the process. the game has around 50 stages to play thourgh, each will award you bronze, silver, or gold depending on how long it took you to complete it.


Flametail
This is a 1 player only game that costs 500 DSi Points. you play as the Falmetail Pod, whose job it is to clean up space. your tail ignites space debris and eliminates them, but you have to be careful to not get caught in it. the game has 2 modes, Space Tour and Time Lime, as well as graphics which you unlock as you play.


Press Release

From tidying up the galaxy to trying out life as a meerkat, this week's new game downloads from Nintendo offer a wealth of wonderfully unusual activities. For the Nintendo DSiWare™ service, Flametail™ invites players to incinerate all manner of space garbage, while Don't Cross The Line puts timeless puzzle-solving thrills in the palms of their hands. Also, Nintendo DSiWare users have just a few more days to download the hilarious hand-held battle gamePhoto Dojo™ for zero Nintendo DSi Points™. (Starting June 11, the game will require 200 Nintendo DSi Points for download.) Meanwhile, fresh additions to the WiiWare™ service include the new fishing-simulation sequel Reel Fishing® Challenge II and the furry fun of Lead the Meerkats™.

A new week also brings a new addition to the "Big Name Games" section of the WarioWare™: D.I.Y. series, which features downloadable microgames from some of the industry's most talented figures. Nintendo Power™ magazine staffer Chris Hoffman is the creator of this week's featured game, Power Surge, which asks players to locate and match various Nintendo Power staffers. New "Big Name Games" will be added every Monday through July 26, all available to download for zero Nintendo DSi Points to anyone with broadband Internet access and a copy of either WarioWare: D.I.Y. for the Nintendo DS™ family of systems or WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase software for the WiiWare service. Visit the Nintendo Channel on your Wii system today to learn more about these games.

Nintendo DSiWare

Flametail
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: The year is 2099, and the solar system is littered with space junk. Our best hope for a tidier cosmos is to send the Flametail incinerator pod from planet to planet for a little fiery cleanup. Take control of the Flametail pod and start winding your way through obstacles, then watch as your flaming tail ignites blocks of troublesome debris and eventually eliminates them. Be careful not to work yourself into a dead end, and don't let the hazard line that follows you catch up to your tail or reach any leftover garbage. Luckily, you can find useful items (such as bombs or score multipliers) along your path and earn special power-ups (like radar or a missile) by collecting letter panels to spell particular words. Effectively burn up the floating garbage in the game's two modes - Space Tour and Time Limit - and earn new graphics and other surprises as you progress. The straightforward controls make it possible for anyone to take on the job of restoring space to pristine condition. Do you have what it takes to make your way to the outer reaches of the solar system?

Don't Cross The Line
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Don't Cross The Line is a puzzle game in which the player must connect lines to various boxes, from one identical box to another, without crossing the lines they draw in the process. There are roughly 50 stages in all. Depending on how quickly you complete each stage, you'll be awarded with a bronze, silver or gold award. To unlock additional stages, players must achieve a certain ranking in previous stages. Can you outwit the puzzles at hand and receive gold awards all around?

Fire Panic
Publisher: Playtainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: As a futuristic firefighter in Fire Panic, you face the continuous challenge of extinguishing more and more fires that keep flaring up. To do this, use your Nintendo DSi™ stylus to mark the fastest route for your fire engine to reach each blaze. The engine will follow the line you draw and automatically douse each fire it passes along the way. It's a thrilling experience every time you play.

Flips: The Magic Faraway Tree
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Jo, Bessie and Fanny take their cousin Rick on an adventure he'll never forget to the magic Faraway Tree, where he meets Moon-Face, Silky the fairy and Saucepan Man. They visit all the different lands at the top of the Faraway Tree, including the Land of Spells, the crazy Land of Topsy-Turvy and the Land of Do-As-You-Please, where the children ride a runaway train. The new Flips range brings modern classics to the Nintendo DSiWare service. Readers can collect, solve, interact and learn as they progress through various stories and challenges.

WiiWare

Reel Fishing Challenge II
Publisher: Natsume Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points™
Description: Reel Fishing is back! This sequel to the smash-hit fishing game takes you to a pristine new freshwater environment teeming with fish that look and move just like the real thing. You'll go after these wily lunkers with a huge variety of lures and refined controls that provide the most natural and realistic fishing action yet. You'll need every advantage you can get as Reel Fishing Challenge II's 30 varied missions put your angling abilities to the ultimate test. This stunning, true-to-life fishing experience will have you hooked.

Lead the Meerkats
Publisher: Lapland Studio
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Animated Blood, Mild Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: In Lead the Meerkats, you are a young meerkat with a lot to accomplish. You've been separated from your pack, and the time has come for you to form your own meerkat pack. Are you ready for the challenge? Name your pack and its meerkats. Dig burrow networks and enlarge your territory. Forage for food and grow your pack size. Stay on guard and be ready to make quick decisions. Run to the safety of the burrows or fight your enemies. Go head-to-head with a rival meerkat pack. Lead your pack to victory and rule the savanna.Lead the Meerkats is the first game to simulate the exciting life of meerkats, offering fun game play for animal lovers of all ages.

Zoo Disc Golf
Publisher: Sonalysts, Inc.
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Each zoo enclosure is a "hole" in the Zoo Disc Golf course. The objective of the game is to get your disc into each "goal" using the fewest number of throws - the "goal" being the Emergency Animal Control station in each enclosure. A throw of the disc is equivalent to a stroke in golf and counts as one point. Available characters are the Rockhopper Penguin, Kangaroo, Panda and Meerkat. The Zoo Disc Golf course is made up of 18 holes. Each player is allowed a maximum of 10 strokes on each hole. When players reach 10 strokes, they move to the next hole with those 10 points added to their score.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii™ Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visitWii.com or NintendoDSi.com.

EA Announce The FIFA Online Closed Beta Is Finished And Gamers Can Now Play The Open Beta

EA Have announced that the closed FIFA Online beta has finished and 20,000 people took park in the Beta. EA have also announced that FIFA Online in in a open beta and people are now able to sign up and take part. register at http://fifa-online.easports.com/ to play FIFA Online and to take part in the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa tournament, where you play the tournament either solo or with friends.

EA Have also announced that they have partnered with FIFA.com to give FIFA.com/Club members exclusive content, unlimited match pass tot he 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa mode in FIFA Online. head to www.FIFA.com/club to sign up.


Screenshots


Press Release

GUILDFORD, UK. – 7th June, 2010 – Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that EA SPORTSTM FIFA Online , the first downloadable FIFA football game designed for PC ^, is available to football fans everywhere around the world to play for free*.

Register at http://fifa-online.easports.com and compete in the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa tournament mode and score the goal that lifts your nation to FIFA World Cup glory. Compete by yourself or online with friends in an authentic re-creation or a fantasy version of the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament.

“Football fans have helped drive the game’s evolution and development through our testing period and now we are ready to share the game with a much larger audience,” said Kaz Makita, Executive Producer of the EA SPORTS FIFA franchise. “The FIFA World Cup attracts casual football fans all over the world and we are inviting them to try a free football game they can play at work or home and win the FIFA World Cup virtually.”

EA SPORTS has also partnered with FIFA.com to give their Club members exclusive content. Any gamers and football fans who register at FIFA.com will receive an exclusive unlimited match pass to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM mode. Register now onwww.FIFA.com/club.

Since February 3, more than 20,000 football fans across Europe have participated in the Closed Beta development and testing of FIFA Online and that number is expected to grow to hundreds of thousands of fans. Additional content will be designed for the game based on feedback by fans.

FIFA Online features 28 licensed leagues, 500 clubs and more than 15,000 players in a League Mode that enables fans to manage and compete as their favorite football club, and the ability to play online in challenge or cooperative matches. FIFA Online will enable football fans to build their favorite club into their fantasy team by developing or acquiring players, upgrading skills, and getting unique apparel by earning in-game currency to acquire items or through micro-transactions.

EA SPORTS FIFA Online will be released around the world in stages. The UK English language Beta version is available now with plans over the next 12 to 24 months for FIFA Online to launch in other languages across Europe and then in North America.

EA SPORTS FIFA Online is developed by EA Canada and EA Singapore. The game is rated PEGI 3.

EA SPORTSTM is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS ActiveTM.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.co.uk to connect, share and compete.
Internet connection required. See website for details
^ A broadband internet connection and an average spec laptop computer or desk-top personal computer required


About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA MobileTMand POGOTM. In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.easports,co.uk.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, POGO and EA SPORTS Active are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc.Official FIFA licensed product “© The FIFA name and OLP Logo are copyright or trademark protected by FIFA. All rights reserved.” Manufactured under license by Electronic Arts Inc. Player names and likenesses used under license from FIFA, International Federation of Professional Footballers "(FIFPro)" and national teams. John Madden, NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

EA Announce The First DLC For Skate 3 Comes Out 8th June For 400 MS Points/$4.99

EA Announce the First DLC for Skate 3 is coming out 8th June for 400MS Points/$4.99 on the PS3 and Xbox 360. The Maloof Money Cup has 100 new achievement points and 5 new trophies to earn. The Maloof Money Cup is the biggest annual contests for Skateboarding, and this DLC will feature the Flushing Meadows location, where this years Maloof Money Cup is taking place.



Press Release

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Black Box, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced the first downloadable content pack for the critically acclaimed skateboarding game SKATE 3 - The Maloof Money Cup 2010 NYC Pack. The content pack hits Xbox Live and PlayStation Network on June 8 for 400 MS points or $4.99 and an additional 100 achievement points and 5 trophies.

The all new DLC lets players compete in the largest pursed event and one of skateboarding’s biggest annual contests - The Maloof Money Cup. For the first time ever, this year’s competition will be traveling east to Flushing Meadows, New York, where the site of the 1964 World’s Fair has been converted into one gnarly skate mecca. Gamers will have the opportunity to compete against some of the biggest names in skateboarding as they shred an all-new custom built street park for the ultimate cash purse.

The award-winning SKATE franchise breaks new ground with SKATE 3 and shreds the streets of the all-new skaters’ paradise, Port Carverton. Delivering the definitive co-op skateboarding experience, it’s up to players to build the ultimate team and change the face of the city with their brand by taking on unique team challenges and competing against rival crews online. The game also features the ability to create and share custom built skate parks and a revamped Thrasher Hall of Meat mode that will have players spending countless hours pulling off bone-crushing carnage.

SKATE 3 is now available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB and “16+” by PEGI. More information can be found at www.skate.ea.com, become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/skate, or follow us on Twitter @ Hippyjump.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA MobileTM and POGOTM In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, POGO and SKATE are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Audio Re-Cap of The Weekends News (oldest to newest)

Here is today's Audio Re-Cap of The Weekends news.
Don't forget, you can subscribe to the Audio Re-Cap Podcast on iTunes. if you do, it would be great if you can review and rate the podcast.

A podcast is available on iTunes from:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=328547861

A RSS Feed from Podbean:
http://qtegamers.podbean.com/feed

And on qtegamers.blogspot.com:
http://qtegamers.blogspot.com/search/label/Audio Re-Cap


Re-Cap of The Weekends News (oldest to newest)


  • QTE Blog: Audio Re-Cap of Yesterdays News (oldest to newest) http://ht.ly/17CXJ2
  • iPhone: Call Of Duty World At War Zombies has a DLC pack called Shi no Numa for $4.99, or it can be bought separately http://ht.ly/1UtB5
  • PS3: Leaked screenshots from Motorstorm 3 have been released. shows racing in a city thats destroyed/ being destroyed http://ht.ly/1UtFb
  • 360: its strongly rumoured JoyRide has been reworked as a Natal launch game. its no longer free to play. http://ht.ly/1UtLJ
  • 3DS: its rumoured 3DS will have near HD graphics better than Wii. doesn't use NVIDIA Tegra, has Rumble+analogue stick http://ht.ly/1UtMj
  • PopCap reportedly confirm Plants vs Zombies is coming to XBLA, do not confirm if its coming to PS3 http://ht.ly/1UtNb
  • QTE Blog: Namco Bandai Have Released New Screenshots And Gameplay Videos For Dragon Ball: Origins 2 http://ht.ly/17D0Dv
  • PS3: Vanquish is being developed for the PS3 and then ported to 360 http://ht.ly/1UuF9
  • EA Have officially revealed the boxart for Dead Space 2 http://ht.ly/1Uvbd
  • QTE Blog: Namco Bandai Have Released A New Trailer And Character Art For Puzzle Quest 2 http://ht.ly/17D22c
  • A Class action lawsuit has been bough against Sony and Square Enix for "severe and widespread damage" to PS3 consoles http://ht.ly/1UvSz
  • 3DS: More sources confirm the 3DS does not have NVIDIA Tegra, has Chips from Japan instead. Motherboard pic real http://ht.ly/1UvWo
  • QTE Blog: Namco Bandai Have Released New Screenshots for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 http://ht.ly/17D3pB
  • The Active Network file a trademark infringement lawsuit against EA Sports Active and its scheduling and fitness goals http://ht.ly/1UvYF
  • A trademark for Pac-Chain has been found for use in videogame and coin arcade machines. http://ht.ly/1UvZY
  • A Image is making the rounds, has Half Life logo + words 'Freeman, June 14th', PC announcement Half Life 3 Speculated http://ht.ly/1Uw9M
  • PS3: the 3D Firmware update is reportedly coming to Europe on 9th June http://ht.ly/1UwaP
  • QTE Blog: Atari Have Released New Test Drive Unlimted 2 Screenshots And A Fact Sheet http://ht.ly/17D6Qh
  • QTE Blog: Sega Announce Some Of The Games They're Showing At E3 2010 http://ht.ly/17D6Qg
  • PS3: Heavy Rain Costumes coming to Little Big Planet next week. pack of 5 retails for £4.79/€5.99 or £1.59/€1.99 each http://ht.ly/1UwDq
  • QTE Blog: The Debut Trailer For Red Faction Armageddon Has Been Released http://ht.ly/17D8dA
  • QTE Blog: What Have You Played This Week? http://ht.ly/17DGdl
  • QTE Blog: QTE Tweets Of The Week http://ht.ly/17DKmQ


Sunday, June 6, 2010

QTE Tweets Of The Week

Here are this weeks most clicked tweets from the QTE Gamers News In Brief. there was no real stand-out story this week with all the stories in the top 10 receiving very similar amounts of clicks. many of the big news stories from the week did make it into the top 10, as well as some other stories like PlayTV 2 and OnLive.

10 Rare say they have no involvement in Activisions rumoured new GoldenEye game http://ht.ly/1U68F

9 PS3: a new PS3 bundle has been spotted with Little Big Planet GOTY and a HDMI Cable. http://ht.ly/1T1Qk

8 Xbox: Bungie have revealed that Microsoft forces them to use Combat Evolved tag with Halo http://ht.ly/1T7eB

7 Ubisoft dismiss reports Michel Ancel has left, confirm Beyond Good & Evil 2 is still in development. http://ht.ly/1Ss8A

6 360: what appears to be a retail version of Natal was used recently at D8. several close-ish pictures were taken of it http://ht.ly/1Tchc

5 Valve have cancelled the Portal 2 E3 event, but tease that a surprise is replacing it. http://ht.ly/1T5an

4 OnLive: people who pre-order early will now get 1 year free membership instead of 3 months free http://ht.ly/1S209

3 PS3: Its been revealed Sony Cambridge are working on Play TV 2 http://ht.ly/1S20S

2 Capcom have filled a trademark for Zombie Café. its unknown if its DLC for Dead Rising 2, a social Hub, or anything http://ht.ly/1U6dp

1 OnLive: BT are saying that OnLive should come out in the UK by the end of 2011 http://ht.ly/1UcXK


What Have You Played This Week?

It was a very busy week for news, and i imagine its only going to get busier with E3 around the corner, which meant i didn't spend much time playing games. i did manage to Finish Enchanted Arms and i had a good time playing it. but my HD TV died on me and i don't know if i want to use my back up 15" CRT TV to play PS3 and 360 games. the Wii looks fine on it so i may play some Wii games. it'll be interesting to see what Swapgame sends next as Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max is already in the post.

Football Manager 10 – PC – after having my pallet cleanesed with FC Bayern, i've decided to try something more diffuclt. I'm now manager of Conference South team, Havant & Waterlooville. So far i'm in the top half of the table and doing well.

Enchanted Arms – PS3 – yep I finished Enchanted Arms. And you know what, its not bad at all. I wasn't far from the end and I took the time out to get the god weapons just before the final area so in all I think it took me around 33 hours to complete the game. As i've said before, the graphics are not the best, in fact there was a point where a river appeared to have had its water replaced with a mirror, and the game mechanics are rather simple. But these things are fine. The simple mechanics make the large amount of random battles you face easy to get through, and yet offer a nice level of difficulty for bosses. The story may feel bland in places, whilst other things you can see coming a mile away. But there are still moments of great story, things you don't see coming, and it cleverly reveals everything throughout. I recommend staying for the credits as more story is revealed during them. For a PS3 RPG, Enchanted Arms is not the best. But it is a good RPG, its very accessible, and the ability to save anywhere makes it great to pick up and play in short bursts. I do recommend people play it, not just as a RPG fan, but also those interested in giving RPGs a go.

Monsters (probably) Stole My Princess– Minis – PS3 – I was curious to see how this newer Mini would look like on the PS3. The sound is great but the graphics don't really hold up that well. The games style is designed to be played on the PSP where it really does look amazing.

Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max – PSP – I wanted to give this ago as I was mainly curious to see what it looked and played like. This is the newest game that Swapgame sent me and i'll be honest and say I spent 1 day with it before sending it back. This does not mean the game is bad, far from it. The graphics look good and it plays very well on the PSP, the Ai is ok, and I had fun playing it. But it's not really a single player game and whilst I gave nearly all the modes a go, I didn't feel the game offered much in a single player experience.

Uncharted 2 - PS3 - i quicky dove into the Multiplayer to basically see what it would look liek on my old CRT TV i had at uni. its playable but its hard going from a 32" HD TV to a 15" 4:3 CRT TV...thats a good decade old.

what have you been playing this week? feel free to add your weeks gaming selection in the comments, or you can comment on the game i played this week.