[VIDEO GAMES] BRAVE STORY: NEW TRAVELER coming out on July 31st for the PSP

BRAVE STORY: NEW TRAVELER (for PSP system)

An original title created specifically for the PSP system and developed by Game Republic (Genji series), BRAVE STORY: NEW TRAVELER features beautifully rendered 3D graphics, an epic tale with a host of colorful supporting characters, and a traditional turn-based battle system easy for beginners to pickup and play but with enough depth and innovative features for seasoned gamers.

The Story

On a day that starts out like any other, an 11-year-old boy’s life is changed forever. As the main character and his friend Miki pass a leisurely afternoon, Miki suddenly collapses from an unknown illness. When the girl shows no sign of waking, the main character grows distraught over not being a better friend and not having the means to save her.

Suddenly, a strange voice offers him a second chance: “Beyond the door you can change your destiny!” He soon leaves the real world and journeys to the world of Vision, where, as a novice “Traveler,” he will surmount myriad ordeals in hopes of ultimately meeting with the Goddess of Fortune to have a single wish granted.

The would-be hero quickly makes friends both strange and fascinating as he finds himself blossoming into a successful Traveler. His courage and resolve are tested time and again as he and his newfound companions travel the mysterious lands of Vision. The challenges he faces are daunting, but his growing sense of self and responsibility propel him ever forward.

Valuable friendships, unbounded courage, and his own personal growth will all prove indispensable as he seeks out his destiny: a life-changing adventure and the discovery of a hero inside an ordinary kid.

Key Features

• A role-playing game with an epic tale, introducing unique characters with distinct personalities and leading the player through the imaginative world of Vision as he learns to become a hero.

• Traditional turn-based battle system enhanced by innovative features based on the story’s themes of friendship, courage, and growth:

  • Friendship – Form bonds with party members to create new, cooperative skills.

  • Courage – Use “brave power” (BP) to unleash powerful special abilities, continually refilling the gauge as you devastate the enemy.

  • Growth – The hero’s main weapon will evolve as he collects the gemstones needed to meet with the Goddess of Fortune. New accessories can be forged by collecting and combining the right materials. Each character can also unlock a one-of-a-kind innate ability.

• Beautifully rendered 3D graphics with vibrant colors and a distinct visual style, highlighted by polished character and enemy movement, graphical representations of sound effects, and a unique animation for each special ability – all exceptionally well drawn and intricately textured.

• Collect special birds which you can use in mini-games or trade in for rare and precious weapons, armor, and items.

• Network with friends to trade your birds, or game-share a mini-game to have friends assist in capturing rare birds.

BRAVE STORY: NEW TRAVELER is scheduled for release in Q3 2007. The title was released in Japan on July 8, 2006 by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and developed by Game Republic. The ESRB rating and suggested retail price will be announced at a later date.

 

[PR][VIDEO GAMES] DID YOU KNOW? DAILY PUZZLES GO WIRELESS WITH NINTENDO’S PICROSS DS

July 30, 2007 – Puzzle lovers, drop your newspapers. With today’s release of Picross DS™, Nintendo gives daily brain teasers a wireless jolt. Who needs inky fingers and eraser crumbs when players can use their hand-held Nintendo DS™ and stylus to solve a new type of challenging grid puzzle? Players can compete with others online or create their own puzzles to share.Picross DS is a remarkable mix of crossword and sudoku dynamics. Every Picross puzzle features an image hidden beneath a grid of numbered squares. Using simple logic, players reveal the hidden picture by decoding the number sequences in each column and row.  Everyday puzzle fanatics will love using the Nintendo DS stylus like a high-powered pencil to write, draw, select and solve.

In the game’s Daily Picross mode, players can track their progress over time, opening up new activities as their skills increase. Race the clock to solve puzzles quickly or deduce errors in a filled grid. Switch over to My Picross mode and design custom puzzles or convert hand-drawn pictures into challenging Picross DS grids.

Want to network with other puzzle lovers? Link up wirelessly with other local players to exchange puzzles and host multiplayer matches. Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection also enables players to download exciting new puzzle packs, upload their own Picross DS creations, or compete in head-to-head puzzle-solving races.

Picross DS is the latest addition to Nintendo’s growing Touch Generations series, which includes games such as Brain Age™: Train Your Brain In Minutes A Day, Nintendogs™ and Planet Puzzle League™. With combined sales of 6.5 million in the United States alone, Touch Generations titles continue to make video games a more broadly inclusive medium, attracting players of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels.

 

[PR][VIDEO GAMES] ONLINE SOCCER GOES SUPERNOVA WITH MARIO STRIKERS CHARGED FOR WII

New Controls and Wi-Fi Features Give Nintendo’s Soccer Smash a Wicked Boost

REDMOND, Wash., July 30, 2007 – It’s gonna take more than a good pair of shin guards to protect Mario™ and his turbo-kicking teammates in Mario Strikers Charged™, Nintendo’s blistering new soccer title for Wii™ that launches today. Earthquakes, firestorms and electric shockwaves are just a few of the otherworldly hazards in this ball-chasing battle royal. And with players from coast to coast competing online, this wildly unpredictable pitch is for neither the faint of heart nor the heavy of foot. It’s not just soccer, it’s soccer – Mario style.

Mario Strikers Charged introduces nine sensational new stadiums, plus a host of new characters with their own special abilities and power moves. Players create their own teams by mixing and matching captains and sidekicks, then use the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ to face opponents in single-player or multiplayer modes. Mastering Striker Challenges or the tournament-styled Road to the Striker Cup will unlock new elements and cheats.

The excitement extends beyond your living room as Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo’s wireless gaming service, enables players nationwide to meet and compete online. Participants are ranked using a positive structured points-based system, and rankings are reset to zero each week to keep the competition fresh and fierce.

“Mario Strikers Charged incorporates unique Wii controls such as flicking the Wii Remote to tackle the ball from your opponent or using it to block shots on the goal,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “There’s no better way to keep a game challenging and fun than to invite more people to join the action. With Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, we’re creating a real community where players at any experience level can take part in the fun.”

Mario Strikers Charged is rated E 10+ for Everyone 10 and Older. For more information about the game, visit www.MarioStrikersCharged.com. Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

 

[VIDEO GAMES] WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

The Virtual Console™ is like a box of chocolates: You never know which games have the tasty caramel filling and which ones have that pink-green crème inside. Whatever your preference, we’ve got you covered with this weeks release of Star Soldier, Dynamite Headdy and Drop Off. Read on and savor the delicious centers of these classic treats.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop 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:

Star Soldier (NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points): The standard for vertically scrolling shooters, Star Soldier is the original game that spawned all of the titles in the long-running Soldier series. Go inside a floating space station inhabited by a giant computer known as Starbrain. Your mission: to stop Starbrain’s galactic invasion by piloting Caesar, a new, compact space fighter through 16 deadly stages. Collect power capsules to increase three different attributes of your ship: firepower, movement speed and defensive shields. Blast wave after wave of approaching enemies or use the innovative Trap Zone feature to fly beneath a land mass and avoid incoming fire. Conquer each stage to make your way to the final confrontation with Starbrain.

Dynamite Headdy™ (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Comic Mischief, 800 Wii Points): Headdy, a toy with a detachable head, arrives in North Town to find that the evil puppet king Dark Demon is causing serious problems. Dark Demon is gathering up all the puppets in town and turning some into his own evil minions, while eliminating the rest of the puppets that aren’t good enough to join his legions. Headdy is captured and is targeted for the incinerator, but escapes in the nick of time. Now he’s got to save the town. To do so, Headdy has to take on all manner of bad guys and even has to contend with his lifelong nemesis, Trouble Bruin the bear. Can Headdy overcome all his foes and take down Dark Demon?

Drop Off (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 600 Wii Points): Brave five rounds of haunting, nightmarish dreams in this take on the classic arcade puzzler. To save his dearly beloved from the malicious demon that controls her dreams and holds her captive, our brave hero plunges himself into the nightmare to vanquish this evil foe. Deftly use the arrow items and control the angle of the ball to shatter the blocks that descend from the top of the screen. Set your sights on the joints holding the blocks together and knock off multiple blocks in one exhilarating blow. As you drop more and more blocks, their shapes will change, allowing you to earn bonus points. You must use your concentration and reflexes to defeat the demon and save your beloved.

For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.

 

[WORLD GROOVE] Listening to MONKEY MAJIK – “Sora wa Marude”

GROUP: MONKEY MAJIK
ALBUM: Sore wa Marude
CATALOG #: AVCD-23314
LABEL: binyl records
RELEASE DATE: July 25, 2007
WEBSITE: www.monkeymajik.com

TRACK LISTING:

1. Sore wa Marude
2. No Snow in December

3. 光朝

4. Picture Perfect
5. Sotsugyo, Soshita Mirai e
6. Change
7. Futari
8. LONG SHOT PENNY
9. Pretty People – Japanese ver.-
10. Negai
11. Smile
12. MAYBE
13. I Miss You
14. BONUS TRACK: Around The World + Go!
15. BONUS TRACK: Gandara

One of my favorite artists is Jack Johnson. I love the melody and the awesome music that he is able to have with just his acoustic guitar. I was looking for an artist and group like Jack and I somewhat found it with the band MONKEY MAJIK.

MONKEY MAJIK is a band that sings in English in Japanese and features a good balance of acoustic guitar, drum and bass. But an integration with awesome melodies and also cool vocals, great unison among the Plant brothers and the guys can rap as well.

And if there was a band that definitely can transcend well with a career both in Japan and outside of the country is definitely the guys of MONKEY MAJIK.

The group features the Plant brothers Maynard and Blaise from Canada (both do the vocals and acoustic guitar), tax on drums and DICK on bass.

Their latest album “Sora wa Marude” features 13 tracks of awesome music with collaborations with SEAMO (on “Sotsugyo, Soshite Mirai e”), m-flo (on “Picture Perfect”) and the Yoshida Brothers (on “CHANGE”) which add to the freshness of the music offered by the group.

The album also includes four CD singles “Futari” (3rd CD single, rel. October 2006) up to “CHANGE” (sixth CD single, rel. April 2007).

I have to say that MONKEY MAJIK is quickly becoming one of my favorite groups from Japan right now. Their latest album is highly enjoyable and because the songs feature quite a good balance of English and Japanese, I guess for me, it has that Western feel because of the usage of English in their songs.

I really enjoy the collaboration songs such as “Sotsugyo, Soshite Mirai e” which the group jam with hip hop artists SEAMO and features the group rapping as well.

“CHANGE” features shamisen and I just found it cool how it integrates with the group’s rock music. This track features more of a rock sound as the electric guitar is used but to hear the shamisen playing integrated into the song is just very cool!

“Picture Perfect” is the group collaborating with m-flo and another cool song featuring verbal and the Plant brothers singing and rhyming.

And also a good dose of slow jams such as “Futari”, “Smile”, “I Miss You” and also two bonus tracks included like a new version of their 2nd hit CD single “AROUND THE WORLD+GO! Sora”

I’ve been listening to this album over and over for the past few days and it’s an album that features great music, very good vocals and one of the best albums I have heard this year.

Highly recommended!

 

Daichi Miura – FLAG (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

ARTIST: Miura Daichi
CD SINGLE: FLAG
CATALOG #: AVCD-16121/B
LABEL: Sonic Groove
DURATION: 8:41
Released on July 18, 2007
WEBSITE: www.avexnet.or.jp/daichi/

TRACKS:
1. FLAG
2. SUPER STAR

DVD: Region 2, 4:3, Duration: 5 minutes
1. Music video for “FLAG”

I can remember watching Miura Daichi when he was a young child and the main vocalist of the hybrid boy/girl band of youngsters known as “FOLDER”. That was when he was nine years old.

Now Miura is 19-years-old and has a solo career.

Inspired by his favorite artists Justin Timberlake and USHER, Miura is back with his fifth CD single “FLAG”.

The first track “FLAG” is written by Daichi and music is from ajapai and features a dance track which is enjoyable and fun dance track. But in my opinion, the second track “Super Star” written and produced by Imai Ryosuke is a track that is very Timbaland/JT-style and thus you get a song that is J-POP and another song that is more Western feeling in nature.

Watching the music video of “FLAG”, featuring Miura and dancers showing off some of their choreography and with so many male R&B performers in Japan, you wonder… does Miura have that talent that separates him from the others?

He sure did when he was 9-years-old and jamming with the group FOLDER but nearly a decade later, with boy bands going strong in the music charts, “FLAG” is a very fun, enjoyable dance CD single but unfortunately, for me… nothing that captures my attention.

A song like “Super Star” is something that does stick out and I feel that the R&B pop style would definitely balance well with his street dance choreography but whether or not Miura wants to go that route musically remains to be seen.

All in all, “FLAG” is a decent CD single and definitely shows Miura’s potential.

 

[VIDEO GAMES] “PERSONA 3″ delayed

Many gamers are learning that their “Persona 3″ didn’t come in today and wondering what happened?

RPGamer.com posted the following on their news site after talking to an Atlus rep:

“Presented with the choice of compromising on the quality of the art book, or shipping the game without said extra, we decided to have the art book redone with a higher quality binding, which will cause a very short delay in the ship date of the title,” a company representative explained.”

Look forward to an awesome release next week and if you haven’t so yet…pre-order it while you still can.

 

[PR][VIDEO GAMES] “Persona 3″ coming out this week!

SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI PERSONA 3・DELUXE EDITION ANNOUNCED!

Locked away in the human psyche is power beyond imagination…Now, the time has come for you to unleash that power!

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA ・April 23, 2007 ・Atlus, U.S.A., Inc., a leading publisher of interactive entertainment announced that Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 will be available for the PlayStationｮ2 computer entertainment system across North America in summer 2007, packaged in a special collector’s box with a tantalizing art book and wicked-awesome CD soundtrack. Enormously successful in Japan, P3 is the newest RPG from the publisher of the acclaimed Shin Megami Tensei series. Fans have waited eight long years since the release of Persona 2, and Atlus is rewarding their patience by rolling out the red carpet for its successor.”Persona 3 is the most exciting, challenging, and ambitious title in the SMT series to date!” said Yu Namba, Project Lead for P3. “While still faithful to its roots, it takes the series in a bold new direction with the implementation of the Social Link system, where your relationship with not just party members but also a huge cast of characters is critical to your success!”

Overview

In Persona 3, you’ll assume the role of a high school student, orphaned as a young boy, who’s recently transferred to Gekkoukan High School on Port Island. Shortly after his arrival, he is attacked by creatures of the night known as Shadows. The assault awakens his Persona, Orpheus, from the depths of his subconscious, enabling him to defeat the terrifying foes. He soon discovers that he shares this special ability with other students at his new school. From them, he learns of the Dark Hour, a hidden time that exists between one day and the next, swarming with Shadows. These monsters have been steadily claiming victims aptly nicknamed “The Lost”  people who’ve inexplicably become mindless zombies. Under the supervision of school chairman Shuji Ikutsuki, he joins his new companions in confronting this threat to humanity.With your school as the primary battlefield, you’ll be forced to juggle two lives: student by day, defender against evil by night. And your greatest challenges await you on the eve of each full moon.

Key Features

Engaging Social Link system lets you build intimate relationships with friends and love interests alike! Unforgettable characters and professionally-acted dialogue bring the story to life! Massive replay value with over 20 Social Links and a complex storyline encompassing a full school year. Highly stylized designs grace the beautiful 2D character portraits, detailed 3D animations, and heart-pounding cut scenes! Intense, strategic battle system; find and exploit enemy weaknesses with the help of your allies!

Bonus Materials

A full-color, 52-page art book packed with character art, concept sketches, and more!
Soundtrack CD featuring the hip urban-techno music of Shoji Meguro, composer of the haunting and unforgettable scores for Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga!   A striking collectors box to store your game and all the extra goodies!

 

[VIDEO GAMES] 10 FAST FACTS FROM NINTENDO – FIRST HALF 2007

Through the first half of 2007, the total Wii™ hardware sell-through in the United States and Canada combined is more than 2.3 million units (2.1 million United States, 222,000 Canada). For the first half of 2007, Nintendo represents nearly 70 percent of the industry growth in the United States and Canada combined. In June alone, Wii was once again the top-selling home console with nearly 435,000 units sold in the United States and Canada combined (381,800 United States, 53,000 Canada). In June alone, Nintendo DS™ was the top-selling video game system overall with nearly 608,000 units sold in the United States and Canada combined (562,000 United States, 46,000 Canada). Nintendo remained the top video game publisher in the United States and Canada in June, as well as the top publisher for all of 2007. In June alone, Nintendo has six of the top 10 best-selling games in the United States, including the top four: Mario Party® 8 and Wii Play™ for Wii, and Pokémon® Diamond and Pokémon® Pearl for Nintendo DS. Of the top 30 best-selling games in the United States for all of 2007, half are for Nintendo systems. The three best-selling games in the United States for all of 2007 are for Nintendo systems: Pokémon Diamond, Wii Play and Pokémon Pearl. Wii already boasts more than 180 games, including 120 downloadable Virtual Console™ titles. By the end of the year, that total number will climb to about 330 games, including an additional 100 new games from every major third-party publisher, along with an additional 50 Virtual Console titles. Approximately 300 games are already available for Nintendo DS, with another 140 titles expected by the end of the year from every major third-party publisher. *Sources: NPD and NPD Canada For more information about Nintendo, please visit www.Nintendo.com.

 

[VIDEO GAMES] WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

July 23, 2007

Ah, the three classic summer leisure activities: golf, pinball and battling hordes of evil creatures. Luckily, it’s Monday and once again Nintendo has you covered. Players can hit the crazy links with the spherical Kirby, become a pinball wizard or just enjoy an afternoon of helping good triumph over evil. So pour yourself a tall glass of lemonade and settle in for some classic gaming fun.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop 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:

Kirby’s Dream Course™ (Super NES®, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Step up to the tee for the wackiest golf game of your life. This one- or two-player game features a floating golf course in the sky. High above Dream Land, players can pitch and putt the ever-popular puff ball, Kirby, through a maze of three-dimensional obstacles on a zany checkerboard course. Players must aim for the multitude of enemies that are spread throughout each fairway. Kirby must hit all the enemies to make them disappear, and the last one becomes the hole. Sink Kirby into the hole to advance to the next stage and clear all 8 courses – 64 holes in all.

Devil’s Crush (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, Rated E for Everyone – Animated Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence, 600 Wii Points): Devil’s Crush is the exciting sequel to the hit pinball game Alien Crush and features even smoother ball movement and enhanced special effects. Shoot the ball onto the board with the Devil Shooter, then use flippers and nudging to keep it in play and rack up a high score. Complete certain conditions to play up to six different bonus stages. Get a “Perfect Clear” on those to earn a huge amount of points. The game’s ominous theme is enhanced by its enemies: wandering skeleton knights, sorcerers and even a giant face that changes from a goddess to a sinister serpent.

Shining Force™ (Sega Genesis, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone – Mild Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): In ages long forgotten, Light fought Darkness for control of the world. Finally, the Ancients defeated the evil ruler of the dark forces known as Dark Dragon and cast him into another dimension, though he vowed to return in 1,000 years. As time passed, all memory of Dark Dragon was buried, and the land of Rune enjoyed 10 centuries of peace. Yet, as promised, the dark ruler returned, along with hordes of evil creatures that ravaged the land. As chaos erupted, several strongholds of Good still held out, awaiting a hero who could wield the Powers of Light.

The list of downloadable games is updated weekly on Nintendo’s Online Press Room at press.nintendo.com. For more information about Wii, please visit wii.com.

 

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