Nintendo Wii price to drop
The gaming system Nintendo Wii will drop to a $199.99 suggested retail price as of Sept. 27. This is $50 less than the current SRP of $249. This includes the motion-sensing Wii Remote controller, Nunchuk controller and Wii Sports software, along with the Wii hardware.
Nintendo’s not slowing down in new game releases for the Wii, either. On Oct. 4, Nintendo will release Wii Fit Plus, and on Nov. 15 the multiplayer title New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be released. This game will allow four players at once.
“Wii has reached more video game players than any game system before because it attracts everyone—both men and women, and people of all ages,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing, in a release. “Our research shows there are 50 million Americans thinking about becoming gamers, and this more affordable price point and our vast array of new software mean many of them can now make the leap and find experiences that appeal to them, whatever their tastes or level of gaming experience.”
- Matt Price
No joke: Batman marks four weeks atop GameFly Top 10
Batman: Arkham Asylum remains at the top of the GameFly top 10 list for the fourth week. Halo 3: ODST moves from No. 4 to No. 2. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 jumps from No. 5 to No. 3. The Beatles: Rock Band, released 09-09-09, makes its first appearance on the list — at No. 9.
The GameFly Top 10 List reflects gamers’ choice from more than 6,000 titles for the Wii, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and PSP consoles.
Most Popular Games Cross-Platform:
1 Batman: Arkham AsylumPS3, Xbox 360Action AdventureEidos
2 Halo 3: ODSTXbox 360ShooterMicrosoft
3 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PSP Games, PS2RPGActivision
4 Section 8Xbox 360ShooterSouth Peak Interactive
5 Guitar Hero 5PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2Arcade/PuzzleActivision
6 Need for Speed: ShiftPS3, Xbox 360, PSP GamesRacingElectronic Arts
7 WetPS3, Xbox 360Action AdventureBethesda
8 WolfensteinPS3, Xbox 360ShooterActivision
9 The Beatles: Rock BandPS3, Xbox 360, WiiArcade/PuzzleElectronic Arts
10 Madden NFL 10PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP Games, PS2SportsElectronic Arts
More lists after the break.
Rock Band, Beatles ‘come together’ in dazzling new game
Relive the Beatles’ career in “The Beatles: Rock Band,” a video-game celebration of the most popular band in rock history.
The gameplay is fairly typical for “Rock Band,” in which gamers can play drums, bass, guitar or sing as they re-create some of the Beatles’ greatest hits. Added for “The Beatles” is the introduction of harmony on the vocal line. Gamers can plug in up to four microphones, allowing multiple performers to get in on the harmonies.
Players begin in 1963, with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison performing at the Cavern Club. From there, the band moves to “The Ed Sullivan Show,” to Shea Stadium, and beyond.
In story mode, the gamer re-enacts the career of the Beatles through 45 songs. Chapter Challenges require the gamer to repeat the songs at a higher level to unlock additional photos. And more songs are on the way: Three Beatles albums — “Abbey Road,” “Rubber Soul” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” — will be downloadable in coming months.
“The Beatles: Rock Band” doesn’t allow the gamer to import or export characters to or from other “Rock Band” games, but perhaps that’s appropriate. As much as “The Beatles: Rock Band” appears to be a mini-documentary in game form, it’d be pretty jarring for other characters to jump in and out of the game.
Adding to that documentary feel is the in-studio audio chatter in the “Abbey Road” portion of the game, which captures never-before released audio conversations among the Beatles.
There are multiple ways to buy “The Beatles: Rock Band.” The retail price of the game is $59.99. Want to go for total immersion? The premium bundle offers the game plus controllers modeled on McCartney’s Hofner bass and Starr’s Ludwig drum kit, along with a microphone and a mike stand, for $249.99. And sold separately are controllers based on Lennon’s Rickenbacker and George Harrison’s Gretsch Duo Jet guitar, priced at $99.99 each. Additionally, the game will work with previous “Rock Band” controllers and most “Guitar Hero” and third-party controllers.
The game succeeds at both of its probable goals: Expand the “Rock Band” demographic to include baby boomers, and expose younger gamers to Beatles music. With a “no-fail” option on the easy levels, those who haven’t played “Rock Band” will find “Beatles” a comfortable first start. And the quality of the musical presentation on “Beatles” will undoubtedly lure some new fans for the band from the music-gaming set.
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
By Matthew Price
Get Silent Hill: The Escape for 99 cents
Get a trip to Silent Hill for under a dollar.
Konami is making Silent Hill: The Escape, for the iPhone and iPod Touch, available for 99 cents on the Apple App store from September 3 to September 5. The survival horror game puts gamers in a monster-filled labyrinth in the first-person 3D shooter. The gamer’s character is armed with a revolver and a dim flashlight and must find a key to escape from each level.
- Matt Price
Batman makes it a three-peat atop GameFly Top 10
Batman: Arkham Asylum remains at the top of the GameFly top 10 list for the third straight week. Wolfenstein 3D at moves up a spot to No. 2, knocking Madden 10 to No. 3. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 switches places from last week with Halo 3: ODST. Ultimate Alliance is now in the No. 5 slot, with Halo 3: ODST at No. 4.
The GameFly Top 10 List reflects gamers’ choice from more than 6,000 titles for the Wii, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and PSP consoles.
Most Popular Games Cross-Platform:
1. Batman: Arkham AsylumPS3, Xbox 360Action AdventureEidos
2. WolfensteinPS3, Xbox 360ShooterActivision
3. Madden NFL 10PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP Games, PS2SportsElectronic Arts
4. Halo 3: ODSTXbox 360ShooterMicrosoft
5. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PSP Games, PS2RPGActivision
6. Wii Sports ResortWiiSportsNintendo
7. Guitar Hero 5PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2Arcade/PuzzleActivision
8. Call of Juarez: Bound in BloodPS3, Xbox 360ShooterUbisoft
9. Section 8Xbox 360ShooterSouth Peak Interactive
10. PrototypePS3, Xbox 360Action AdventureActivision
More lists after the break
Batman escapes with second week atop GameFly list
Batman: Arkham Asylum stays above the GameFly top 10 list for the second week in a row. Madden 10 holds on at No. 2, while Wolfenstein 3D moves up a spot to No. 3. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 jumps from No. 8 to No. 4, and Halo 3: ODST falls from No. 3 to No. 5.
The GameFly Top 10 List reflects gamers’ choice from more than 6,000 titles for the Wii, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and PSP consoles.
Most Popular Games Cross-Platform:
1 Batman: Arkham AsylumPS3, Xbox 360Action AdventureEidos
2 Madden NFL 10PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP Games, PS2SportsElectronic Arts
3 WolfensteinPS3, Xbox 360ShooterActivision
4 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PSP Games, PS2RPGActivision
5 Halo 3: ODSTXbox 360ShooterMicrosoft
6 Call of Juarez: Bound in BloodPS3, Xbox 360ShooterUbisoft
7 PrototypePS3, Xbox 360Action AdventureActivision
8 G.I. Joe: The Rise of CobraPS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PSP Games, PS2Action AdventureElectronic Arts
9 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2PS3, Xbox 360ShooterActivision
10 Red Faction: GuerrillaPS3, Xbox 360ShooterTHQ
More lists after the break.
Oklahoma State student takes on the world at Pokemon video game championships
John Michael Freeman
John Michael Freeman of Stillwater will represent Oklahoma in the World Championships of the Pokemon video game.
“Me and my friends have played the Pokemon games forever,” Freeman, 21, said. “We finally decided we weren’t ever going to get over it, so we decided to try out a competitive tournament.”
The Pokemon national championships in St. Louis
After playing a regional tournament in Dallas and getting “destroyed,” Freeman wasn’t sure if he wanted to play at another tournament. But when the national championships were announced in St. Louis, Freeman decided to try again. But the Lawton Eisenhower graduate would need some luck – he’d have to win a lottery to even enter the tournament. Since his rankings at regionals didn’t immediately qualify him, it came down to the luck of the draw.
“You could walk in and play in Nationals, if you were lucky to get drawn,” Freeman, an Oklahoma State student, said. Freeman went with three friends, two of which, along with Freeman, were drawn into the tournament.
The St. Louis tournament was a Swiss format tournament for the first day, in which Freeman posted a 4-1 record.
His record on the first day of Nationals got him through to the second day, which a single-elimination bracket, with best-of-three determining who would advance. That second day, Freeman won his bracket, which gained him a seat at the world championships in California.
Freeman said unlike “Halo,” the requirements of “Pokemon” are more mental preparation than muscle memory.
“Pokemon is a strategy game, and like any other strategy game, a lot of it’s thought,” Freeman said. “The upfront side of it is all kinds of planning and critical thinking.”
The World Championships begin today at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront in San Diego. The winner will receive a trip for four to Tokyo, New York or Oahu, Hawaii. The winner also receives an invitation to defend his or her title at the 2010 World Championships, in addition to other prizes.
- Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Batman grapples to top of GameFly top 10
Batman defeats all opponents to top the GameFly Top 10 List for the week ending August 10, 2009.
The GameFly Top 10 List reflects gamers’ choice from more than 6,000 titles for the Wii, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and PSP consoles. Last week’s No. 1, Madden 10, falls to No. 2. Halo 3: OSDT hangs on at No. 3.
Most Popular Games Cross-Platform:
1 Batman: Arkham AsylumPS3, Xbox 360Action AdventureEidos
2 Madden NFL 10PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP Games, PS2SportsElectronic Arts
3 Halo 3: ODSTXbox 360ShooterMicrosoft
4 WolfensteinPS3, Xbox 360ShooterActivision
5 G.I. Joe: The Rise of CobraPS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PSP Games, PS2Action AdventureElectronic Arts
6 Call of Juarez: Bound in BloodPS3, Xbox 360ShooterUbisoft
7 PrototypePS3, Xbox 360Action AdventureActivision
8 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PSP Games, PS2RPGActivision
9 Red Faction: GuerrillaPS3, Xbox 360ShooterTHQ
10 GhostbustersPS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PS2Action AdventureAtari
More lists after the cut.
Resident Evil 5’s Karen Dyer creates Sheva Alomar calendar
Actress Karen Dyer recently announced her latest photo shoot as Sheva Alomar in the widely acclaimed video game Resident Evil 5.
Karen Dyer
Dyer portrayed the voice and motion actress of lead character Sheva Alomar in Resident Evil 5.
Dyer has also appeared on According to Jim, Malcolm in the Middle, General Hospital and Everybody Loves Raymond.
Dyer, represented theatrically by McDonald Selznick Associates, has film credits including Idlewild, Thank You For Smoking and Tortilla Soup.
According to a release, Dyer has also been recently tapped to appear in Robert Zemeckis animated film “A Christmas Carol” starring Jim Carrey, which is to be released in November.
“I’m flattered that Sheva has such great following and that my fans called for this calendar,” Dyer said in a release. “We wanted to display the sexier and more feminine side of Sheva, and this calendar shows that off times ten.”
The Sheva Alomar calendar is available for free digital download at KarenDyer.net.
Madden NFL 10 tackles top spot on GameFly list
This week, Adrian Peterson outduels Batman. EA Sports’ Madden NFL 10 takes the top spot in the GameFly Top 10 for the week ending August 3, 2009. Peterson, pictured, is one of the stars of the game, which nudges out Batman: Arkham Asylum. Arkham Asylum holds down the No. 2 spot. Halo 3 ODST is No. 3, and the four-week champ, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood falls to No. 4.
The GameFly Top 10 List reflects gamers’ choice from more than 6,000 titles for the Wii, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and PSP consoles.
Most Popular Games Cross-Platform:
1 Madden NFL 10PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP Games, PS2SportsElectronic Arts
2 Batman: Arkham AsylumPS3, Xbox 360Action AdventureEidos
3 Halo 3: ODSTXbox 360ShooterMicrosoft
4 Call of Juarez: Bound in BloodPS3, Xbox 360ShooterUbisoft
5 PrototypePS3, Xbox 360Action AdventureActivision
6 WolfensteinPS3, Xbox 360ShooterActivision
7 GhostbustersPS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PS2Action AdventureAtari
8 Red Faction: GuerrillaPS3, Xbox 360ShooterTHQ
9 G.I. Joe: The Rise of CobraPS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PSP Games, PS2Action AdventureElectronic Arts
10 Fight Night Round 4PS3, Xbox 360FightingElectronic Arts
More lists after the break.
