It’s the news we all wanted to hear: the release date of yet another standalone band game which will no doubt cause tired pessimists of the genre to groan and followers of the band in question to rejoice. Green Day are the latest band to receive this treatment in an upcoming Rock Band spin-off, which Harmonix have today confirmed will be released worldwide for PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii June 8th.

The game is set to sport 47 Green Day tracks including classic staples such as Brain Stew, Jaded and Hitchin’ a Ride as well as more contemporary offerings like Boulevard of Broken Dreams, American Idiot and Wake Me Up When September Ends. It will follow the rise of the band through a career mode akin to Beatles: Rock Band from last year and will also feature the vocal harmonising feature lifted from Beatles: Rock Band as well. Unlike Beatles: Rock Band however, all 47 tracks will be exportable to the previous installments of Rock Band.

In addition, 40 minutes of extra video material including interviews, outtakes and performances will be bundled with the release to cater for Green Day’s massive following of eyeliner-wielding fans. Hit the jump for some pricing details and a peak of the newly released box art for Green Day: Rock Band.

Read more… »

While we know the Wii has been injuring its victims, a new study from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine shows that playing the Wii can actually lower depression among the elderly.  A new term coined “exergames,” a combination of fun game play combined with exercise, significantly improved the mood and mental-health of the elderly suffering with Subsyndromal Depression (SSD).

While the study took a very small sample size, the majority of the participants saw a significant improvement.  I’d say that’s enough to replicate the experiment in larger groups.  Here’s to the Wii saving the elderly from their misery. Read more… »

It seems that laying people off is in vogue this week. First Activision fires the heads of Infinity Ward. Now today EA announced that it has laid off the team behind Steven Spielberg’s Boom Blox series.

Word got out about the lay offs when, now-former, Electronic Arts Los Angeles senior software engineer Jeff Dixon posted “The Boom Blox team was laid off today,” on Linkedln. According to Dixon, fourteen people lost their jobs. Read more… »

It’s been over two decades since the NES original A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia was released to hordes of adoring fans – myself included. Since that time, the classic disappeared off my radar, and I doubt I would have ever thought about it again had it not been for WayForward Technologies.

Their re-imagining was released on the Wii near the end of 2009, and this review has been a long time coming (apologies). Without utilizing any of the Wii’s motion sensor abilities, and forgoing any dialogue or introductory backstory, A Boy and His Blob immediately captures the essence of retro games. But does it succeed in our contemporary world of video games?

Read more… »

Price of Persia: Forgotten Sands has finally received a release date and surprisingly, you’ll be able to wall run and rewind to your hearts content a full week before you go and see Jake Gyllenhaal on the big screen. This release in the Prince of Persia series is interesting, as while the game is a movie tie-in, the story of the game actually takes place after the movie it is being released with.

The game will be released on May 18th with PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, PSP, and DS versions all hitting the shelves at the same time, but Ubisoft took a special moment to address fan concerns with how the game will play out on the Wii.
Read more… »

It’s time for the information dump all of you Mega Man fans have been waiting for.  Capcom has finally unveiled the official release dates for all the different platform versions of Mega Man 10, as well as a complete description list of the weapon upgrades.

Those of you who still own a Wii will get first dibs at the game when it releases on WiiWare on March 1st.  PS3 owners will get it next on March 11th, leaving Xbox 360 users waiting for when it finally arrives on March 31st.  I’m not sure why the releases are spread so far apart, but it is what it is.  Hit the jump for a complete list of weapon upgrades and descriptions. Read more… »

James Burt, 24 from Brisbane, was recently convicted of illegally soliciting an early release copy of the New Super Mario Bros. Wii via the Internet.  The game was officially released on November 12, 2009, but Burt managed to release the game to the world on November 6, 2009.

He may have done a service to fellow pirate-ers and pirate-ees, but now he’s paying $1.5 million in damages and another $100,000 in legal fees. Read more… »

Over the past few decades, we’ve heard tails of people straining their muscles and injuring the tendons in their hands from not properly stretching playing too many video games for extensive periods of time.  Well, since the Wii Fit’s induction to the gaming world, “Nintendinitis” has evolved to fit this generation of gaming related injuries called “Wiitis.”  It’s extending to the entire body.

That’s right, numerous injury reports are popping up around the globe that are directly associated with the Nintendo Wii.  The truth of the matter is that the Wii doesn’t injure people, it points out how fragile our bodies have become. Read more… »

If I had to choose a game with a good story over one with good gameplay, I would pick the former.  There are infinite arguments over the merit of either (story or gameplay), but a good story gets the blood pumping in my brain – and my genitals.

So, when I discovered the Wii would feature the next Silent Hill game, my speculation raged. I assumed it would be another motion controlled fiasco that would further cement my distaste.  I was wrong.  Climax created an excellent entry into the series that proves motion controls can enhance narrative. Read more… »

We just caught wind that Gladiator A.D. got hit with a few changes. Now we learn that High Voltage Software’s other Wii baby The Grinder is no longer a Wii exclusive. The game will be coming to the PS3, 360, and PC in addition to the little white funbox.

More details on the new versions will drop during GDC. In the meantime, we have a new trailer for the current Wii build. I swear that the music in the video is straight out of a Harry Potter film.

Of course, developing for new platforms = delay. The game has been pushed back to Halloween 2011. Holy crap.

The speculation over Project Needlemouse is finally over, as SEGA has now officially announced the final game will be known as Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. The long overdue 2D reboot for the franchise will be available as an episodic download on PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii this summer and will be a direct sequel to Sonic & Knuckles released 16 years ago for the Megadrive.

In addition, SEGA also announced the game will sport online leaderboards and will be utilising motion control for the PS3 and Wii iterations.

You can check out a nostalgic teaser trailer after the break, courtesy of Gamespot.

Read more… »

There hasn’t been a better time to make a 2D Fighting game since the halcyon days of Street Fighter 2. After over a decade of relative inactivity, Street Fighter 4 (though I don’t like to admit it) has single-handedly revived the genre: a genre that was thought to be dead by pretty much everyone except the hardcore enthusiasts, who kept it alive via national tournaments. The franchise is now gloriously revered and celebrated worldwide once again.

Now, Capcom is reviving the “Versus” series, which has thus far consisted of Capcom characters fighting against characters from comic publisher Marvel. This time around, though, Capcom’s characters are pitted against characters from the famous anime company Tatsunoko. While less popular in America, Tatsunoko is renowned in Japan, and responsible for many popular animated TV series. Read more… »