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Steel Diver is a video game for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is a side-scrolling action game in which the player controls a submarine via a set of touch-screen based levers and wheels. Shigeru Miyamoto described it as being “almost like you have your own submarine pet in an aquarium”.

Other Information

• Developer : Nintendo EAD, Vitei
• Publisher : Nintendo
• Director : Takaya Imamura
• Producers : Shigeru Miyamoto, Tadashi Sugiyama
• Composer : Atsuko Asahi, Toru Minegishi
• Platform : Nintendo 3DS
• Release date : March 27, 2011
• Genre : Simulation

Links

• Official website

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Plants vs. Zombies is a tower defense action video game developed and originally published by PopCap Games for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. The game involves a homeowner using many varieties of plants to repel an army of zombies. It was first released on May 5, 2009, and made available on Steam on the same day. A version for iOS was released in February 2010, and an HD version for the iPad.

An extended Xbox Live Arcade version introducing new gameplay modes and features was released on September 8, 2010. PopCap released a Nintendo DS version on January 18, 2011 with content unique to the platform. The PlayStation 3 version was released in February 2011. Furthermore, both the original Windows and Mac version of the game have been re-released with additional content in a Game of the Year version. The game received a positive response from critics, and was nominated for multiple Interactive Achievement Awards, alongside receiving praise for its musical score.

Other Information

• Developer : PopCap Games
• Publisher : PopCap Games
• Designer : George Fan
• Composer : Laura Shigihara
• Engine : PopCap Games Framework
• Version : 1.2.0.1073
• Platforms
  • Google Chrome (Chrome Web Store)Microsoft Windows,
  • Mac OS X
  • iOS
  • Xbox Live Arcade
  • PlayStation Network
  • Nintendo DS
  • DSiWare
  • Bada
• Release date :
  • DS : January 18, 2011
  • PC : May 5, 2009
  • iOS : February 15, 2010
  • Xbox Live Arcade : September 8, 2010
  • PlayStation Network : February 8, 2011
  • DSiWare : March 14, 2011
  • Android : May 31, 2011
• Genre : Tower defense
• Mode : Single-player, Multiplayer on XBLA and DS

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Continue reading »]]> In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information.

Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane’s chocolates! And then there’s Hermione, simmering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

In the game of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, players will return to Hogwarts to help Harry survive a fraught sixth year. They will also have a chance to engage in exciting wizard duels, mix and brew magical ingredients in Potions class and take to the air to lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory. Players may even get sidetracked by Ron’s romantic entanglements as they journey towards a dramatic climax and discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Achievements:

1. Grime Buster: Clean up after Fred and George at The Burrow – (10)
2. Used the Pensieve: View Dumbledore’s first memory of Tom Riddle in the Pensieve – (10)
3. Quidditch Captain: Assemble the Gryffindor Quidditch Team – (10)
4. Great Party: Create a great Christmas party for Slughorn – (10)
5. Good Deed: Help the student retrieve her stolen Gobstone – (20)
6. Great Mate: Help Ron avoid Lavender – (20)
7. Hidden the Book: Hide the Half-Blood Prince’s Potions Book – (20)
8. Portrait Novice: Use your first portrait shortcut – (10)
9. Portrait Pro: Use all of the portrait shortcuts – (20)
10. Adventure completed: Conclude the adventure – (100)
11. Crest Collector 1: Complete Crest Collector Level 1 – (10)
12. Crest Collector 2: Complete Crest Collector Level 2 – (10)
13. Crest Collector 3: Complete Crest Collector Level 3 – (10)
14. Crest Collector 4: Complete Crest Collector Level 4 – (10)
15. Crest Collector 5: Complete Crest Collector Level 5 – (20)
16. Crest Collector 6: Complete Crest Collector Level 6 – (20)
17. Crest Collector 7: Complete Crest Collector Level 7 – (20)
18. Crest Collector 8: Complete Crest Collector Level 8 – (20)
19. Crest Collector 9: Complete Crest Collector Level 9 – (30)
20. Crest Collector 10: Complete Crest Collector Level 10 – (30)
21. Crest Collector 11: Complete Crest Collector Level 11 – (30)
22. Crest Collector 12: Complete Crest Collector Level 12 (40)
23. Crest Collector 13: Complete Crest Collector Level 13 (50)
24. Crest Collector 14: Complete Crest Collector Level 14 – (60)
25. Potions Beginner: Earn the Potions Beginner’s Luck Badge – (10)
26. Speedy Brewer Badge: Earn the Speedy Brewer Badge – (10)
27. Potions Club Star: Earn the Potions Club Star Badge – (10)
28. Potions Club Veteran: Earn the Potions Club Veteran Badge – (20)
29. Master Potioneer: Earn the Master Potioneer Badge (50)
30. Duelling Beginner: Earn the Duelling Beginner’s Luck Badge – (10)
31. Reflex Badge: Earn the Reflex Badge – (10)
32. Duelling Champion: Earn the Duelling Club Champion Badge – (10)
33. Duelling Veteran: Earn the Duelling Veteran Badge – (20)
34. Master Duellist Badge: Earn the Master Duellist Badge (50)
35. Quidditch Beginner: Earn the Quidditch Beginner’s Luck Badge – (10)
36. Precision Flyer Badge: Earn the Precision Flyer Badge – (10)
37. Combo Flyer Badge: Earn the Combo Flyer Badge – (10)
38. Keen Flyer Badge: Earn the Keen Flyer Badge – (20)
39. Master of Flying: Earn the Master of Flying Badge (50)
40. Secret Achievement: Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement. – (20)
41. Secret Achievement: Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement. – (20)
42. Secret Achievement: Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement. – (30)
43. Secret Achievement: Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement (40)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, developed by EA Bright Light Studio, is scheduled for release later this year to coincide with the Warner Bros. Pictures film based on J.K. Rowling’s sixth Harry Potter book. on Wii„ PS3, X360, PS2, PSP, NDS and PC.

Continue reading »]]> Nintendo has enjoyed tremendous success thanks to the forward-thinking innovations of its DS and Wii systems, but the company’s lineup is focused squarely on the past. The publisher revealed today its first-party and third-party lineup of Wii and DS games through March of 2009, with a scattering of revamps and remakes comprising the majority of its own games.

For the Wii, Nintendo has only two releases planned, both remakes of GameCube games designed to support the Wii Remote’s motion-sensing capabilities. The self-explanatory New Play Control Mario Power Tennis and New Play Control Pikmin will both launch in March.

Nintendo’s DS lineup is a little more robust, spearheaded by the March 22 launch of Pokemon Platinum. Platinum reuses characters and settings from Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl in a franchise tradition dating back to Pokemon Yellow for the original Game Boy, a pseudosequel that incorporated elements of the previously released Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue.

Beyond Diamond, Nintendo has two more DS games planned through March. Up first will be Personal Trainer: Math on January 12, an arithmetic addition to the practical game series that started with Personal Trainer: Cooking. Those looking for something a little more gamey can try Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon on February 16. The latest release in the turn-based strategy series will be a remake of the original NES Fire Emblem (which never made it to North America), with new touch-screen controls.

Wii

• Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Disney Interactive Studios)–Winter
• Neighborhood Games (THQ)–January 5
• Paws & Claws Pet Resort (THQ)–January 5
• Fishing Master World Tour (Hudson)–January 6
• Deer Drive (Mastiff)–January 20
• SimAnimals (Electronic Arts)–January 27
• Coraline (D3Publisher)–January
• Escape the Museum (Majesco)–January
• Word Jong Party (Destineer)–January
• NASCAR Kart Racing (Electronic Arts)–February 10
• Brave: A Warrior’s Tale (Southpeak)–February 17
• Little King’s Story (Marvelous)–February 17
• Roogoo Twisted Towers (Southpeak)–February 17
• Battle Rage (Destineer)–February
• Cradle of Rome (Destineer)–February
• House of the Dead: Overkill (Sega)–February
• Onechanbara Bikini Zombie Slayers (D3Publisher)–February
• Puzzle Challenges and More! (Crave)–February
• Solitaire & Mahjong (Crave)–February
• Tenchu: Shadow Assassins (Ubisoft)–February
• Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball (Southpeak)–March 17
• Monsters vs. Aliens (Activision)–March 24
• Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars Director’s Cut (Ubisoft)–March
• Burger Island (Destineer)–March
• Cate West: The Vanishing Files (Destineer)–March
• Crayola Colorful World (Crave)–March
• DanceDanceRevolution Disney Grooves (Konami)–March
• Madworld (Sega)–March
• Major Minor’s Majestic March (Majesco)–March
• Monster Pals (Crave)–March
• New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis (Nintendo)–March
• New Play Control! Pikmin (Nintendo)–March
• Play the World (Dreamcatcher)–March
• Rune Factory Frontier (Marvelous)–March
• Sonic and the Black Knight (Sega)–March
• We Ski & Snowboard (Namco Bandai)–March
• Super Pick Ups (XS Games)–Q1
• Trivial Pursuit (Electronic Arts)–Early spring
• Marble Saga Kororinpa (Hudson)–Spring

Nintendo DS

• Phineas and Ferb (Disney Interactive Studios)–Winter
• Paws & Claws Pampered Pets (THQ)–January 5
• Big Bang Mini (Southpeak)–January 6
• Retro Game Challenge (XSEED)–January 6
• Personal Trainer: Math (Nintendo)–January 12
• Moon (Mastiff)–January 13
• World Championship Games (The Game Factory)–January 19
• SimAnimals (Electronic Arts)–January 27
• Coraline (D3Publisher)–January
• Drivers’ Ed Portable (Dreamcatcher)–January
• Inkheart (Dreamcatcher)–January
• Jake Power Fireman (Ubisoft)–January
• Jake Power Policeman (Ubisoft)–January
• Learn Math (Dreamcatcher)–January
• Monster Band (Dreamcatcher)–January
• Powerbike (Majesco)–January
• USA Today Puzzle Craze (Destineer)–January
• Wonder World Amusement Park (Majesco)–January
• My World, My Way (Atlus)–February 3
• Legacy of Ys: Books I & II (Atlus)–February 10
• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (Nintendo)–February 16
• Brave: Shaman’s Challenge (Southpeak)–February 17
• Jagged Alliance (Empire Interactive)–February 17
• My Fashion Studio Paris Collection (Ubisoft)–February 17
• Roogoo Attack (Southpeak)–February 17
• Avalon Code (Marvelous)–February
• Imagine Cheerleader (Ubisoft)–February
• Imagine Family Doctor (Ubisoft)–February
• JoJo’s Fashion Show (Ubisoft)–February
• Music Star: Pop Star (Dreamcatcher)–February
• My DoItAll (Tomy)–February
• My Personal Diary (Dreamcatcher)–February
• Petz Horseshoe Ranch (Ubisoft)–February
• Zoo Quest (Dreamcatcher)–February
• American Popstar – Road to Celebrity (Gameloft)–March 9
• Animal Planet (Activision)–March 10
• Chicken Hunter Star Karts (MumboJumbo)–March 10
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Rockstar Games)–March 17
• Trackmania DS (Atlus)–March 17
• Pokemon Platinum (Nintendo)–March 22
• American Popstar – Road to Celebrity (Ubisoft)–March 24
• Monsters vs. Aliens (Activision)–March 24
• Pimp My Ride 2 (Activision)–March 24
• Broken Sword: Shadows of the Templars Director’s Cut (Ubisoft)–March
• DinoPets (Destineer)–March
• Dreamer: Top Model (Dreamcatcher)–March
• Flower, Sun, and Rain (Marvelous)–March
• Hot n’ Cold (Majesco)–March
• Imagine Ice Champions (Ubisoft)–March
• Jake Power Handyman (Ubisoft)–March
• Learn Chess (Dreamcatcher)–March
• Matchstick (Dreamcatcher)–March
• Monster Pals (Crave)–March
• Paint by DS (Dreamcatcher)–March
• Sarah: Keeper of the Unicorn (Dreamcatcher)–March
• Zubo (Electronic Arts)–March
• Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero (Konami)–Q1
• Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (Electronic Arts)–Q1
• Litlle Magician’s Magic Adventure (Konami)–Q1
• Our House (Majesco)–Q1
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (D3Publisher)–Q1
• Suikoden Tierkreis (Konami)–Q1
• Dragon Master (Dreamcatcher)–April
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (Square Enix)–Spring

Continue reading »]]> Nintendo UK has released a massive release date list of Wii and DS titles for Europe today. Eurogamer notes that this list features the first GameCube-to-Wii ports, dubbed “New Play Control!” titles, which include Pikmin and Mario Power Tennis. This new label sees classic GameCube titles revamped to utilize new Wii-specific control schemes. See below for the complete, huge list of upcoming European releases.

Wii Release Dates

DS Release Dates

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Continue reading »]]> Like Hull City in this season’s Premiership, Real Football 2009 (Real Soccer 2009 in the US) is something of a surprise package. And just like Hull, it may look rather rough around the edges but it offers a solid defense plus fast-paced, attacking football with occasional flourishes that allow it hold its own against the big boys.

That it plays such a good game is largely down to a control system that will be instantly recognizable to anyone who’s played FIFA or Pro Evo on another console. Gameloft haven’t done anything radical, they’ve simply transferred a tried and tested button set-up to DS, and familiarity breeds contentment.

On the downside, holding the DS like a joypad for any length of time does become seriously uncomfortable. There is the option to use stylus controls for shooting, tackling and passing, but we couldn’t get them to work with any degree of efficiency.

There are plenty of competitions to tackle, with regional and worldwide international cups and European domestic leagues, although a lack of any management-focused mode is something of a downer, whatever the competition, it’s only really a succession of games.

Most of the player names are correct, but the squad lists are out of date and there’s no option to edit your team. Likewise, there’s the full license for La Liga but not the Premiership. Oh, and there’s no commentary aside from occasional yelps declaring you’ve been awarded a set piece. This is never going to be a serious rival to games on the bigger consoles but it’s a fine effort for a handheld.

Continue reading »]]> When released for the 360, Blue Dragon was a satisfying (if incredibly conventional) Japanese RPG for a system that at the time was lacking in the turn-based glory that consumers of the Rising Sun wholeheartedly enjoy. While it was a modest success, these days the 360 has more than its fair share of JRPGs, which may explain why Blue Dragon Plus, the direct sequel to Blue Dragon, is headed straight to the Nintendo DS. And on its way to Microsoft’s competitor’s hardware, it’s learned some new tricks.

At first glance, you might mistakenly believe Blue Dragon Plus to be a strategy game in the style of Final Fantasy Tactics, with little hand-drawn heroes and monsters arranged on an isometric 3D stage. But once the fight begins, everything starts happening in real time and you must feverishly put together your plan of attack, because those enemies aren’t waiting for your turn.

You command your units around the field with quick but simple controls that rely totally on the touch screen. You tell your units where to go, who to fight, when to heal, and when to move to special areas on the map. It seems like your attention is constantly needed everywhere at once, but the game gives you some room for error by providing a high number of healing items. Also, as you progress through each map, the game occasionally pauses to let some part of the story play out.

Speaking of the story, it picks up one year after the first game, as Shu and his pals journey to the center of their world to make sure everything is still OK where they defeated the ultimate evil. In a big twist, the nefarious Nene isn’t as vanquished as they thought, and trouble starts all over again. While it doesn’t have the console version’s voice acting or so-bad-it’s-good rockin’ battle music, it does have a big dose of 3D cutscenes. It’s possible that the game’s first couple of hours are just unusually heavy with them, though, seeing as we haven’t yet had a chance to spend more time with the game.

We’re interested to play more, especially after seeing Blue Dragon Plus attempting to shake things up compared to its more traditional predecessor. Hopefully it will give this franchise another chance at the big time. Expect to see more of its high-end presentation and simple but fast techniques when it releases early next year.

Continue reading »]]> Telltale Games’ frighteningly amoral tag team of freelance police are ready to protect and serve (for a reasonable fee) once again. As part of a bevy of announcements, Atari announced this week that it would be bringing the second season of the downloadable, episodic adventure series Sam & Max to stores around the world next year.

Season 2 sees the cuddly yet violent detectives investigate a giant robot attack on their beloved city, perform an exorcism on Santa Claus, and even visit Hell, a heavily bureaucratic limited-liability company. As part of the international release, Sam & Max Season 2 will introduce full French and German translations to the episodes, as well as Spanish and Italian subtitles.

Season 1 of Sam & Max also made it to stores for the Wii and PC, courtesy of Dreamcatcher, The Adventure Company, and JoWood Group. For those who don’t insist on a hard copy, all of Telltale’s Sam & Max episodes are downloadable for the PC from the developer’s Web site and from the GameTap subscription service.

Sam & Max aren’t the only cute critter additions to Atari’s lineup. According to a report in Variety, the publisher has picked up the just-released Tale of Despereaux games from the recently defunct Brash Entertainment. The Hollywood trade paper claims that Atari has snagged Brash’s rights to the PC, PlayStation 2, DS, and Wii editions of the movie adaptation, while leaving the Xbox 360 version on the shelf.

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Continue reading »]]> The venerable Atari brand has fallen on hard times recently, although signs are starting to suggest the possibility of a comeback. Sony alumn Phil Harrison recently took the reins of the beleaguered publisher, hoping to help turn business around. The recently-released Alone in the Dark Inferno on PS3 is the first step in a company makeover aimed at restoring the high level of quality we expect from this 30-year-old brand.

The company today announced its lineup of games due this coming spring 2009. There are a variety of console and handheld titles on the menu, suggesting that Atari will retain a broad publishing focus going forward. We are particularly interested to see how The Chronicles of Riddick and Ghostbusters turn out, after Atari snapped these franchises up in the fallout of the Vivendi-Activision merger.

Atari 2009 Spring Game Releases:

• Ghostbusters: The Video Game — 360, PS3
• Ready 2 Rumble: Revolution — Wii
• Heroes Over Europe — 360, PS3, PC
• My Horse and Me: Riding for Gold — DS, Wii, 360
• Codename Panzers: Cold War — PC
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena — 360, PS3
• Sacred 2: The Fallen Angel — PC
• The Chase: Felix Meets Felicity — DS

Continue reading »]]> Video game companies send me games: not surprising. Yesterday, Nintendo sent me a game they played for me: say what?

In my mailbox yesterday was a copy of 2005’s “Animal Crossing: Wild World” for the DS out of the shrinkwrap and accompanied with a letter on Nintendo stationery written in the voice of the game’s Mayor Tortimer, encouraging me to use this copy of the game to import all of its unlocked items and its character to “Animal Crossing: City Folk” on the Wii.

Nintendo must have known that I’m terrible at “Animal Crossing” and thought I’d need help. So they unlocked a lot of content for me. They appear to have quite accidentally gotten a bit hip-hop about all this. Whoever played this game for me back at Nintendo trained at least one of the characters to greet me with the line [censored here]: “How are you, N—a?”

A few things worth noting:

Players of “Animal Crossing” can teach other residents in their virtual towns all sort of words. You could teach a character to greet you with the words “Stephen is a champ” or “I like the PlayStation.” It’s pretty much open to anything. Nintendo blocks these kinds of content surprises from popping up in your copies of “Animal Crossing” by forcing you to exchange 16-digit Friend Codes, which guarantee that you won’t be getting unexpected content via strangers.

Unless you’re playing a copy of the DS game that a stranger mailed to you. Or you’re buying the game used.

What’s also notable here is that Nintendo has tried hard to build walls that safely protect its gamers from the kind of unexpected and sometimes unwelcome language that regularly flows through Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, to say nothing of any message board and blog comments section on the Internet. If anything, this shows that even the most careful company will miss something.

I’ve checked in with my main Nintendo rep for comment and will update if I hear back.

“Animal Crossing DS,” it should be noted, is E-rated, but it carries a note that mentions that “game exprience may change during online play.”

And then there’s the word in question. I didn’t expect a sheep named Baabara to walk up to me n the game and say “I almost forgot about you n—a.” (I confirmed that Kotaku editor Brian Crecente received a similar copy of the game with similar player-added lines.) But I can tell that it isn’t meant as an offense. It’s clearly meant more as a hip-hop slang greeting.

What about the content Nintendo did want me to see? My character has 37,019 Bells, which I think is a lot of virtual money. A letter in his inventory from the bank claims that he’s earned 75,740 Bells from 30 days of interest. The Happy Room Academy has rated his three story house with 272,492 points.

In his inventory he had a fishing pole, slingshot, hatchet, net and shovel. He also had a “stadiometer,” a fossil, a cabin wall, a coconut, gas mask, golden can, green cap, and a shirt. He had unopened letters notifying him that Wart Jr. and Kitt have moved out of his town. Bummer.

In his house he has an amazing array of objects, including a statue of a “Star Fox” Arwing, the “F-Zero” Blue Falcon, a “Zelda” Master Sword, and some planted Pikmin. There are fruit trees everywhere. Coconut trees lining the beach. Peach and apple trees all along the river. It’s a beautiful place and one that makes me want to try this import thing and bring this haul over.

Really, his town’s a lovely place. It just has that one element that I never saw coming.

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