[VIDEO GAMES] DIDDY KONG RACING (DS) – FEBRUARY 7TH RELEASE – KEY INFORMATION

The following are details and photo are courtesy of Nintendo on Diddy Kong Racing for the DS to be released on February 7th:

KEY INFORMATION
A bloated space pig has taken control of Diddy Kong’s island paradise, and only you can stop his nefarious plot. Players take on the racing challenge of a lifetime as they drive, hover and fly their way across the massive island. This remastered take on a Nintendo® 64 classic is sure to rev the engines of adventure racing fans everywhere.

• Diddy Kong Racing DS is the first hand-held adventure racing game, a genre that lets players visit new locations, talk to interesting characters, advance the storyline and search for hidden secrets – all while engaging other drivers in a series of racing challenges to see who is king of the road.
• Drivers can use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to go online and race against up to five other players from around the world. Diddy Kong Racing DS also features eight-player single-card download play as well as multicard local wireless play.
• Wish Race mode gives players complete freedom to design, build and race on the tracks of their dreams. Touch-screen control makes building the courses a snap, and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection compatibility lets players share their works of genius with everyone.
• Diddy Kong Racing DS is a completely updated version of the N64® classic Diddy Kong® Racing – and it boasts too many new features to list. Retextured and remixed tracks, new characters and racing challenges, new levels, improved vehicle control, touch-screen controls, gamer tag designs and more make this an experience that both newcomers and seasoned vets will love.

Game storyline: After living in peace and harmony for years, the inhabitants of Timber’s Island are invaded by the evil Wizpig. Receiving a frantic plea for help, Diddy Kong assembles members of the Kong family and rushes to the rescue. Can he save the island in time, or will Wizpig hog all the glory for himself?

How to progress through the game: Diddy Kong Racing DS is unique among racing games because it’s more than just a series of cups and challenges – it’s a full-fledged adventure. The game starts in a hub zone (a portion of the island that serves as an access point for all other areas), but where players go after that is up to them. They can drive over bridges, through oceans and around volcanoes as they enter races in a quest for balloons that let them unlock different portions of the island. And when they’re not racing, they can explore their surroundings and try to discover the many hidden secrets of Timber’s Island. But don’t think this is a leisurely Sunday drive – players have to speed through a huge variety of racing challenges if they want to complete the adventure and save their friends from Wizpig’s nefarious schemes.

Characters: Diddy Kong, Pipsy, TipTup, Bumper, Timber, Crunch, Dixie Kong™ and Tiny Kong™ are all playable characters. Unlockable racers include Drumstick, TT, Taj and Wizpig himself.

Special powers/weapons/moves/features: The game has 38 unique tracks, including four new tracks that were not in the N64 version. The tracks are contained in themed worlds such as Dino Domain, Snowflake Mountain and Future Fun Land. In the beginning, players will be able to race only on a couple of open tracks. To reach the others, they must explore the island, win races and uncover secrets that allow them to open doors and progress deeper into the game.

Diddy Kong Racing DS features three different vehicle types: cars, hovercrafts and planes. And if players don’t like their current ride, they can now upgrade. In a new twist, Diddy Kong Racing DS allows players to upgrade their vehicles in the categories of speed, durability and appearance.

No adventure racing game would be complete without a way to destroy foes, and Diddy Kong Racing DS gives players a massive arsenal at their disposal. Oil slicks, gas clouds, land mines, super shields, speed boosts, homing missiles, magnets … if players can’t work their enemies over, they aren’t trying.

 

[VIDEO GAMES] WII-KLY UPDATE: FOUR NEW CLASSIC GAMES ANNOUNCED FOR WII SHOP CHANNEL

Today Nintendo adds four new classic games to the popular Wii™ video game system’s Wii Shop Channel. The games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:Mario Kart 64™ (Nintendo® 64, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points): Put the pedal to the metal in this worthy successor to the Super NES® classic, Super Mario Kart®. Mario Kart 64 boasts great graphics, tons of unique power-ups and a stunning 3-D version of the legendary Battle Mode. With improved courses and a revolutionary head-to-head four-player mode, Mario Kart 64 is sure to win the heart of any race-driving fan. The game includes 20 different courses filled with dips, valleys, jumps, tunnels and bridges. Smooth, precise control – a trademark of all games from Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto – will bring players back time and time again for freewheeling fun.

Contra® III: The Alien Wars™ (Super NES®, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): In the year 2636, the Alien War continues, and it’s up to two soldiers, Jimbo and Scully, to put a stop to the alien invasion. The aliens have ravaged the Earth with their powerful organic and technological weapons. Players can join with a partner and battle through six stages of nonstop run-and-gun action. Collect power-ups, including bombs, flamethrowers, spread shots, lasers and machine guns to take out the aliens. Control Jimbo and Scully as they travel through war-torn cities, race on air bikes, ride missiles and ultimately break into the alien base to defeat the alien boss once and for all.

Bonanza Bros.™ (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): Mobo and Robo Bonanza are enjoying their favorite television show when the picture crackles and the shadowy figure of a mysterious stranger appears on the screen. This figure asks them to collect certain items that he has placed inside various buildings to test his security force. If they return the items successfully, Mobo and Robo will be rewarded. The two of them state that they will get the job done in just three minutes. However, little do they know that each building is packed with security guards who will raise the alarm if they are caught red-handed. Fortunately both Mobo and Robo are equipped with bullets that can knock the guards unconscious for a few seconds. A huge reward will be given out if Mobo and Robo are apprehended. Help the infamous Bonanza Bros. infiltrate a number of different locations ranging from banks to mansions to casinos, and don’t get caught.

Comix Zone™ (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): Sketch Turner is an artist in New York City. One day while Sketch is drawing, a huge thunderstorm strikes the city. A bolt of lightning hits Sketch’s image and brings it to life. That image is Mortus, a megalomaniacal mutant who wants to become real and rule the earth. Mortus magically transports Sketch into the pages of his comic book so that he can end his creator’s life and become real. Inside the comic book, Sketch meets General Alissa Cyan, who believes he is a superhero that came to save their post-apocalyptic world from the evil brought by Mortus’s hand. Now that he’s a comic book superhero, Sketch can really put the hurt on the bad guys. Instantly, Sketch can fight like a one-man mercenary platoon.

 

[JAPAN] THE TOP 10 VIDEO GAMES OF THE WEEK: JANUARY 15-21

(MediaCreate): The top 10 selling video games for January 15-21 are:

 

 

1. .Hack GU Vol. 3 (PS2)
   
2. Wario the Seven (DS)
3. Shining Force EXA (PS2)
4. Wii Sports (Wii)
5. Hajimete no Wii Pack (Wii)
6. Dragon Shadow Spell (PS2)
7. Gears of War (XBOX 360)
8. Sekaiju no Meikyu (DS)
9. Nihon Joshiki Ryoku Kentei Kyokai Kanshu Imasara Hito Ni Wa Kikenai Otanano JoshikiryokuTraining DS (DS)
10. Motto Nou wa Kitaeru DS Training (DS)

 

SHIBUSASHIRAZU – SHIBUKI (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

SHIBUKI

SHIBUSASHIRAZU

AVEX IO

Click here for “SHIBUSASHIRAZU – Shibuki” album sample (Mono/Low kb)
[kml_flashembed movie="http://j-entonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/shibusasirazu-shibuki.swf" height="55" width="150" /]
[Streaming audio permission granted to J!-ENT use by Avex Entertainment, Inc. in accordance to JASRAC rules]

Catalog #: IOCD-20200 | Dur. 1:06:29
Release date: January 10, 2007

1. Fight on the corner
2. Hamachikaze
3. a song for One
4. Dust song
5. Nakajimazamokuten Co. Ltd.
6. P-Chan ~Rearrange~
7. We are a Fisherman Band
8. Theme for Inuhime
9. Bonus track: Theme for Inuhime

Note: On track 8-9, at the request of the artists, has been incorporated as a medley into a single title. Tracks 8-9 are displayed spearately on playback devices with a title display function.

For more info. visit webs.to/shibusa or
www.avex-io.com/shibusashirazu

REVIEW:

Sure, you hear it many times when people enjoy a type of food and they say it’s “better than sex”, well “SHIBUKI” the latest album from the very large jazz ensemble from Japan known as Shibusashirazu (“Never be cool”) is just a pleasurable listening experience.

So, you maybe wondering who is Shibusashirazu?

Shibusashirazu is a band created back in 1998 by popular bassist Daisuke Fuwa (who functions as the bands conductor).

The band which consists of around 25-30 musicians playing wind and brass instruments such as various sax, trumpet, flute and clarinet. String instruments such as violin, guitar, bass and harp. And also several percussionists and a musician playing keyboard or Hammond organ.

Also, included as part of the band are several regular and BUTOH dancers and several vocalists. All which make up the band known as Shibusashirazu.

But if anything, the band is known for its live performances which they defy the typical sense of jazz performances with it’s energetic musicians, flashy costumes and painted and half-naked dancers.

Their performances that are so popular that they attract a diverse audience, even those who are not jazz listeners because of the hype the band has received.

With the release of a new album “SHIBUKI” on the Avex IO label, the album features a total of nine tracks.

I listen to a lot of jazz and I really enjoy how many jazz albums (and classical music) have embraced the Super Audio CD format for those whoare audiophiles. This CD takes benefit of that.

For those wanting to know a little about Super Audio CD, where typical (Red Book) audio CD’s are 44.1 MHZ, Super Audio CD’s are 2.8224 MHZ and utilizes Direct Stream Digital (DSD) and may contain a surround 5.1 mix.
“SHIBUKI” is a hybrid album which means it comes with a Super Audio CD layer and normal audio CD layer.

With that being said, I can tell you that the audio quality is awesome! The mix is superb. On certain tracks, you will definitely notice various instruments coming out of different speakers.

The first track “Fight on the Corner” is interesting because it starts out with brass instruments and transcends into a rock song featuring electric guitar and then the brass instruments in unison. Showing the effectiveness of the electric guitar and saxophone solos on this song.

The second track “Hamachikaze” starts of like a 50’s diddly but becomes a track showcasing the brass musicians and string musicians. Very cool because you can notice one speaker utilizing the saxophone solo and the other utilizing the electric guitar solo and all of a sudden it switches to one speaker showcasing strings and on the other speaker wind instruments and then piano and all instruments starting to come together. Awesome track featuring great mix utilization and spotlight of various instruments.

The third track “a song for One” features a slow jazz ballad and vocals which features the piano, violin and sax. As the song nears its final two minutes, the song becomes a Santana-like ballad where the electric guitar becomes the focal point.

The fourth track “Dust song” is reminiscent of a Marsalis New Orleans jazz song with the brass, piano, percussion and bass jiving until they get halfway into the song and really start going off.

The fifth track is titled “Nakajimazaimokuten Co., Ltd.” and is an interesting track. It’s almost of a fusion of jazz and rock as both sax and electric guitars battling for a dominant position of going jazz and the other going for a rock sound until the realization that the fusion of both instruments and styles work well in unison.

The sixth track “P-Chan ~Rearrange~” is a slow song that is reminiscent of Hollywood in the 1920’s and 30’s. Featuring a piano solo but then joined by the brass and wind instruments that sounds like an old school detective-story theme song.

The seventh track is “We are a Fisherman Band” and the second track featuring vocals with Shinichi Watabe on vocals and has a very James Brown-like feel to it.

Very funky and another track showing interesting mix of instruments and vocals playing on different speakers. With electric guitar going off one speaker and brass going off in another while the percussions and vocalist provide a funky background.

The eighth and ninth track is titled “a theme for Inuhime”. A jazz number utilizing the same title and are two medleys. With track eight being a mid-tempo song focusing on the band and utilizing the speakers to feature different instruments on different speakers such as the piano and acoustic guitar. And also a large variety of instruments as the track progresses.

The ninth track featuring a faster-pace song focusing on the piano, bass and percussion then leading to a violin and an electric guitar solo,

As for contents on the album, the CD comes with a sheet explaining Super Audio CD (SACD) and Direct Stream Digital (DSD).

As for the booklet, liner notes in Japanese and English by Takao Ogawa (writer for EXCITE Music’s Jazz “Keep Swingin’” blog (blog.excite.co.jp/ogawatakao) who on Shibusashirazu’s music and their live performances.

Takao writes about how the band is fully experimental and how they are able to utilize their dancers on free jazz.

Also, interesting in the notes is also about how Shibusashirazu is a jazz band that has twice as many members than typical jazz ensembles.

And also, band founder and conductor (and of course world reknown bassist) Daisuke Fuwa and his style of conducting the band which is not conventional and sometimes features the conductor sitting and smoking a cigarette while facing his musicians.

But most of all, writing about his impressions and respect for the band’s music and what they have accomplished.

And listening to many jazz albums and then listening to Shibusashirazu’s music, I agree 100 percent with Takao. This band is truly unique.

I’m very impressed with the music that this band has produced on “SHIBUKI” and I can see why Shibusashirazu has been gaining momentum in different parts of the world.

Their music is full of energy and what can be a slow or mid-tempo track will slowly build up and explode with a variety of instruments coming at the listener furiously. You can call it an audio orgasm.

It’s obvious that the band’s foray into instrumental and musical experimentation works wonders for their live performances and also listening to the CD.

I really enjoyed the band utilizing different styles of music and keeping things exciting fresh on different tracks.

All in all, “SHIBUKI” is a satisfying jazz album that I wholeheartedly recommend. It’s a very unique style that you can appreciate.

— DENNIS A. AMITH

 

[PR] NINTENDO’S INTERACTIVE NOVEL PUTS PLAYERS IN THE MIDDLE OF A MYSTERY

NINTENDO’S INTERACTIVE NOVEL PUTS PLAYERS IN THE MIDDLE OF A MYSTERY

Femme Fatales and Shady Bellboys Bring This ‘Video Game Book’ to Life

REDMOND, Wash., Jan. 22, 2007 – The date is Dec. 28, 1979. Disgraced New York detective Kyle Hyde checks into the seedy Hotel Dusk in Los Angeles and suddenly finds himself embroiled in a 30-year-old murder mystery. This is the story of Hotel Dusk: Room 215™, available exclusively for the portable Nintendo DS™ on Jan. 24. The dual screens of a player’s Nintendo DS display stylized sketch animation evoking a comic-book-like film noir. Conversations with more than a dozen characters help players piece together different story elements as the mystery deepens. Players decide where the story goes next by weighing their options and tapping their decision on the touch screen using the stylus.

“Hotel Dusk: Room 215 could be considered a new genre for both video games and storytelling,” explains George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “Just as audio books brought the printed word to a new medium, so does this new ‘video game book.’ ”

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 features deep characters, grown-up themes and an engrossing plot. It has more in common with a gritty crime novel than a video game, and appeals to mystery lovers and video game fans alike. As the plot develops, players must make choices before they begin each conversation, like deciding whether to strong-arm a subject or play it cool. Players hold the portable Nintendo DS system sideways like a book, and the touch-screen controls make it easy for newcomers to pick up and play, even if they have never played a video game before. Nintendo’s aim is to expand the world of video games to new audiences through creative new interfaces. Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is available on Jan. 24, and is Rated T for Teen. For more information about the mystery, visit HotelDusk.com.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 387 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario™, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.com.

 

[VIDEO GAMES] TEAM NINJA ITAGAKI DEFENDS “DOAX 2″

Many fans of the original “Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball” on the original XBOX were thrilled with the second installment of the series. 1up.com recently interviewed Team Ninja boss Itagaki Tomonobu about the series, upcoming updates for the series and his impression of the Nintendo Wii.

When asked about the low reviews, Itagaki told 1up.com, “As far as the review scores go, there was a guy on our staff who came to me with the reviews when they first came out and said “Look at the scores, they’re so low!” I said “Come on, out of all the games I’ve made that this was going to have the lowest scores on a point scale. Don’t let that get to you.” I’ve been doing this for 14 years, and obviously when reviews come out if there’s a high score, satisfaction comes along with that, and if it’s a low score I do have things that I think about and consider when I see that score. But that doesn’t affect my opinion of the things I’ve done myself. If I did there’s no way I’d be able to create games for 14 years. ”

Click here for full article

 

[JAPAN] PINUP MODEL YAMAMOTO AZUSA PROMOTES MMORPG NOSTALE

Pinup model Yamamoto Azusa cosplayed in her promotion of South Korean Entwell’s MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) “Nostale”.  The game is being published by JALECO.
According to the Daily Mainichi, “In the game, players progress by collecting items called Time Stones. Aside from the traditional hack and slash fare, players can also keep pets (called Nosmates) and build their own houses. Available classes in the game include swordsmen, archers and sorcerers.”

Click here for full article

Click here for Nostale Website

Photo courtesy of Mainichi Shimbun

 

[JAPAN] THE TOP 10 VIDEO GAMES OF THE WEEK: JANUARY 8-16

(MediaCreate): The top 10 selling video games for January 8-16 are:

 

[US] THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ANNOUNCED FOR WII SHOP CHANNEL

WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ANNOUNCED FOR WII SHOP CHANNEL Jan. 15, 2007 Today Nintendo adds three new classic games to the popular Wii™ video game system’s Wii Shop Channel. The games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are: Xevious™ (NES®, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Players control their Solvalou ship and destroy the XEVIOUS forces. Fire the zapper missiles against air-based enemies and drop the blaster bombs down upon ground-based targets. Destroy Andor Genesis to earn bonus points. Unique enemies, interesting background music, a variety of vertically scrolling background environments and many hidden game play features differentiated Xevious from the other shooting games released at the time. Are you devious enough to beat Xevious? R-Type III™: The Third Lightning (Super NES®, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): It was believed on Earth that the deadly BYDO Empire had been destroyed – but now they’ve returned, as nasty as ever. Their ships and armies are more powerful than before, and Earth will surely be conquered unless the new R-90 ship can destroy them. Powered with engines that launch it into different dimensions, and armed with the Round, Shadow and Cyclone Forces, the R-90 has what it takes to wipe out the BYDO threat. The BYDO mother ship must be found and destroyed to entirely erase the species from our galaxy. Moto Roader™ (TurboGrafx16, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points): Moto Roader is a futuristic racing game that allows up to five players to compete against each other. Players use the cash earned when they win a race to power up their machine. Not only can they change the “TIRE” and “BODY” of their vehicles, but they also can add “SPECIAL” parts. Jump over tall obstacles with a “HOPPER” and blast past rivals at incredible speeds with “NITRO.” What multiplayer game would be complete without attack items? Use a forward-launching “GRENADE” or a backward-dropping “BOMBER” to blow up and knock away rivals. Outmaneuver rivals in all eight heats to become the champion. Any combination of Wii Remote™ and Nintendo GameCube™ controllers can be used in multiplayer games.

 

[JAPAN] PLAYSTATION 3 SHIPMENTS REACH 1 MILLION

Sony has reached their target to ship 1 million Sony Playstation 3′s despite being 2 weeks off the mark.

In today’s Daily Mainichi, the article mentioned, “Sony had planned to ship 2 million PlayStation 3 machines around the world by the end of last year. Last week, Tokyo-based Sony Corp. said it met its shipping target of 1 million PS3 consoles in the United States in 2006.”

Click here for full article

 

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