With two very remakes under its belt -- Pac-Man CE and Galaga Legions -- it looks like Namco Bandai has some more arcade remakes in mind. Speaking to MTV, Tadashi Iguchi, director of the team that made both Pac-Man CE and Galaga Legions, revealed that there are plans to do more remakes, which he refers to as "reconstructions". "I would like to make an action game with the same team again," says Iguchi, adding that a specific title has not been chosen, but he is "interested in making games that players who liked games in the 80's will enjoy." Might we suggest Rolling Thunder? Pleeeeease?
Hey kids, don't forget that there's still time to win a copy of Smash Court Tennis 3. Featuring real pros, not so real courts, a create-a-player option and online play, it's ... well, it's tennis (and it has achievements). If that sounds like your cup of tea, head over to the official giveaway post and enter. Remember that we have three copies to give away and you can enter once a day, so come back tomorrow for one last chance before the giveaway ends at Noon (ET).
It's time for another round of fanswag, folks. This week we've got three copies of Smash Court Tennis 3 up for grabs. Featuring the new Pro Tour mode, Smash Court Tennis 3 allows gamers to create their own custom characters and build their stats as they climb the ranks. Of course, if you don't feel like creating your own character, you can always choose a seasoned pro like Maria Sharapova. You can also take the game online with up to four players. For your shot at a copy, follow these directions:
Leave a comment on this post about your favorite tennis shot. Feel free to make one up if you like.
You may leave one comment per calendar day, Eastern Time. Posters of multiple comments in a single calendar day will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until 12:00PM Noon, Eastern Time, September 5th, 2008. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec).
On Friday, we'll pick three winners via a random drawing.
Three winners will receive a copy of Smash Court Tennis 3, worth $60
Weighing in at a reasonable 695MB and available for download off the Xbox Live Marketplace is a brand new SoulCalibur IV demo that has been specifically crafted for your SoulCalibur fighting enjoyment. And before you ask, we'll admit that we don't know all that much about the demo, what's included or which characters are featured in it (fingers crossed for Yoda), so don't ask us. Just download it and quit being so darn lazy. But, we do know what our favorite thing about the SoulCalibur IV demo is, and it's the NAMCO-BANDAI supplied demo description which reads: "Especially suitable for the players out there who are still undecided in purchasing the final product!" Now that's called being honest.
And the August Xbox Live Arcade onslaught continues. This week it's time for Galaga to make a comeback. We're talking about Galaga Legions of course. Created by the same team that transformed Pac-Man into Pac-Man Championship Edition, Galaga Legions takes the original Galaga formula and expands upon it, making an old game feel new again. The only question, especially given the quality we've seen this month, is whether or not it feels new enough. Check out the latest episode of XBLA in Brief to find out.
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From the people who brought you Pac-Man: Championship Edition comes another arcade classic remake to the Xbox Live Arcade. Asking 800MS points from your digital wallet, Galaga Legions is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Initial reactions to the game peg it as a mixture of Geometry Wars and Pac-Man: CE and if either of those comparisons are accurate then the Xbox Live Arcade could have itself another winner from Namco Bandai.
This is it. Ten years of development have finally culminated in an actual finished product. We are speaking, of course, of Too Human. It's finally coming out folks. Will it be worth the wait? Will the quest for phat lootz pull you in? There haven't been any major online reviews posted as of this writing, so take that for what it's worth. We're also getting Namco Banadai's Smash Court Tennis 3 this week. So, you've got to choose between cybernetic-Norse dungeon crawling ... and tennis. What's it gonna be?
Hey kids, just a quick reminder that this week's Xbox Live Arcade game is none other than Galaga Legions. Created by the same team that reinvented the Pac-Man formula for Pac-Man CE, Galaga Legions adds significant changes to the Galaga formula while still retaining the feel of the original. We had a chance to play it at E3 last month and we were definitely impressed. Priced at 800 Microsoft Points, Galaga Legions will hit XBLA this Wednesday.
It takes a special kind of game to crack the Top Ten in Japan ... if that game is for the Xbox 360, that is. Luckily for Microsoft a special kind of game recently hit the market in the Far East that has exploded in popularity. Tales of Vesperia, part of the classic Tales series, cracked the Top Ten titles sold for the week ending August 10 in Japan at number four. Could this spell a significant change for Microsoft's efforts in the Land of the Rising Run?
Ha! Good one. No, seriously. This will sell a few more units before people remember they don't care about the Xbox 360 ... you know, until another RPG exclusive drops in their lap. At 108,000 units sold in its debut week, Tales of Vesperia is the fastest selling title in the history of the Xbox 360.
It looks like Yoda and Darth Vader are finally working together. You see, the two Jedi masters have managed to help push 2 million copies of Soul Calibur IV onto the gaming populace. The number accounts for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 version of the game. We're curious to see which version sold more copies. No, not because we want the Xbox 360 version to succeed, but because we want some new nerd ammunition for the next time we get into the Darth Vader vs Yoda conversation.
Once upon a time, special editions of games were truly special. Nowadays, it seems like very single game gets a special edition. We're not complaining though, because it means fans can almost always count on some extra swag with their favorite games. The latest title to jump on the special edition wagon is Tales of Vesperia, the upcoming RPG from Namco. As special editions go, it's fairly standard. For the price of $69.99 you get a spiffy metal case and a special 10th anniversary soundtrack CD (Tales of Vesperia is just the latest in the Tales series, you see). The CD packs 14 tracks from Tales of Vesperia, while the remaining tracks have been culled from other games in the Tales series. Worth an extra ten bucks? You be the judge.
For players looking to expand their musical experience in a tale of souls and swords, eternally retold, Namco Bandai has released all 17 tracks from the original Soulcalibur soundtrack on the Xbox Live Marketplace for play within Soulcalibur IV. At 80MS points a piece or 1,200MS points for the entire pack, the content is truly for the hardcore SoCal fans -- or those with an affinity for nonsense DLC.
Also available on the XBLM is actual content for the game! The Customization Equipment 1 pack clocks in at 100MS points and includes a number of new items to use for character customization. The content pack is also revival themed in that it includes equipment Soulcalibur fans will recognize from previous games in the series -- including armor sets and headgear for a number of characters.
Posted Jul 28th 2008 6:00PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
Earlier this afternoon, Namco-Bandai made an announcement regarding the release date for their anime adapted Afro Samurai game-o-samurai-stuff. And even though a samurai is no ninja, Afro Samurai will be ninja sneaking into retailers early next year. January 27th to be ninja-exact. Hopefully, by then, the game's dismemberment technology will do Afro's samurai moves justice.
This is it folks, this week officially marks the release of Soul Calibur IV. You may recall SCIV as the weapons based fighter that features not only ridiculously proportioned female fighters but also Yoda. The Playstation 3 version gets Darth Vader himself, though he may be Force choking his way to the 360 if rumors are to be believed. Also on the release this week are Spectral Force 3 and Summer Athletics The Ultimate Challenge. Spectral Force 3 is a Japanese strategy RPG and Summer Athletics The Ultmate Challenge is ... well, honestly, we have no idea. Looking at the title, we'd say someone is looking to cash in on the Olympic Games.
There's a new trailer out for the Namco brawler Afro Samurai and, to be honest, it looks pretty hot. The trailer introduces gamers to many of the series' main characters, all of whom will apparently be voiced by the original voice actors for the television show, which means we'll be treated to the likes of Samuel L. Jackson and Ron Perlman. The gameplay shown in the video certainly looks intriguing, featuring some very cool looking maneuvers, but it remains unclear exactly how much control the player will have over everything. At any rate, Afro Samurai has piqued our interest.
