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Rock Band 3 - developer interview, impressions

Gamers will select a team and square off to try and bring home The Ryder Cup for their squad in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 on all console platforms. Watch it

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Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 - New Trailer - Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11- Launch Trailer

More pics here (thanks Wiimo!)

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Nintendo World Store - Super Mario Galaxy 2 launch event pics

A portion of an NWR review… With the control issues that some of these games have, you’ll probably have to play Deca Sports DS quite a few times just to decide if you like any of them at all. Full review here

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Deca Sports DS - review

Mom Brain and I toil away to get our new place up and running. Believe it or not, I did tonight’s late-night round from the new joint. The internet seems to be top-notch, so I’m obviously happy wtih that! While I got put together some more Ikea crap, check out Cort’s impressions below. Catch you in a few, short hours! Last week Konami and Hudson invited me to attend their little soiree where I could meet and catch up with some lovely folks, but also where they could show off some of their biggest upcoming games. Konami is putting it’s shiniest chips behind the HD consoles, but that doesn’t mean I was bored the whole night…there was still some love for Nintendo, courtesy of three gestating titles Hudson had on display which will be born on the Wii: Lost in Shadow, Deca Sports 3 , and Oops! Prank Party . Earlier in the week I had the chance to meet with a couple of their VIPs visiting from Japan: Makato Kawaguchi , producer of the Deca Sports series; and Shinichi Kasahara , producer for Lost In Shadow . Thanks to their PR team for putting everything together! So when Deca Sports 3 was officially announced Friday, thanks to Jump magazine , it wasn’t much of a surprise, but then successful franchises tend to cause sequels anyway, twice before in this series’ case. For Deca Sports, that kind of works in its favour due to its open-ended formula; so long as there are unused (and unusual) sports out there, there exists opportunity for more games based on them. The original game took direct aim at Wii Sports , offering twice as many events, including some with a bit more…personality, like Figure Skating and Curling. I think originality is the greatest appeal in these games; any developer could churn out volleyball or hockey, but making the decision to stray a bit from the expected with things like kendo, synchronised swimming or sepak takraw gets a respectable nod from this gamer. What then does the fourth game (behind 1, 2, and DS) bring to the mix? I asked Kawaguchi-san what their intent was this time around, since each of the other sequels expanded the offerings a bit, such as wi-fi play in 2 and portable multiplayer on the DS. Making controls more natural overall is the big push, including adding a “Master” mode to give advanced players more challenge using the Wii Motion Plus. After going hands on, there is a noticeable difference between normal and master controls. On display were just three of the ten sports: air racing, giant slalom, and lacrosse. The first thing I noticed was in fact visual…the game actually looks quite good for all its others simplicities; better than I remember the other games looking. This was especially noticeable in both the air racing and slalom sports where sprawing mountain vistas crowded the horizon like natural spectators. Check out my sweet pink ski-wear. It makes my butt look extra cute. Lacrosse controlled similar to ice hockey from the last game, using simple gestures to pass or shoot using the standard Wii remote, though the plus adds additional, more difficult considerations. I narrowly pulled out a win in the final seconds against the easiest difficulty. Giant slalom uses the remote and nunchuk held like actual ski poles, and you simply tilt left or right in unison to jet down the hill. Master mode adds more sensitivity and more features like forward leaning for speed control. Finally, air racing puts you in the cockpit for a lap through an obstacle course that requires certain manoeuvres to earn the best time and score. Requiring just the remote held like a serving tray or a throwing dart, the Motion Plus controls were quite a bit more natural in my hands. Missing in action were: springboard diving, indoor volleyball, racquetball, kayaking, logging, halfpipe (snowboarding), and fencing. Four have been announced to be wi-fi compatible and apparently they are streamlining the matching system to speed the time needed to start playing. I’m a little dubious about the difference between beach volleyball in the original and the indoor version appearing in this sequel. The updated controls could make a world of difference, though I hope it’s not a precedent for recycling others in the future. Kawaguchi-san said with great confidence that the standout sport for him this time around is logging, and I am willing to bet as the most unique of the bunch, he is absolutely right. Before the night was over, he pulled out a DSi running the fabled Shooting Watch , putting me on the spot to perform. While I fell far short of 16-shot’s famous score, my 90 taps respectably tied for the top score among pressfolk for the day, namely one other “Hoff” from a certain Nintendo-centric publication. Perhaps competitive button pressing will make it into Deca 4? —cortjezter

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GoNintendo ‘End of Day’ thoughts - Deca Sports 3 (Wii) — Cort’s impressions from Konami Gamers’ Night

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Video Game Art - The subliminal Pac-Man

Direct link here I love the Ice Beam from Super Metroid. As a matter of fact, I love any game that lets you freeze things! If you can freeze enemies and then use them as stepping stones to somewhere else, that’s even better! Article here

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50 Best Game Weapons of All Time

What a relaxing night I had. I went and picked up a game, came back to the warehouse and just chilled out with Mom B.. There was some TV watchin, some chit-chatting, and ton of relaxation. I have to make sure I take this approach next week! For now though, it’s on with the regular work schedule! Tonight has ended for me, so I’ll catch you guys in just a few, short hours. Hope you’re all doing well! I have been getting tons of emails about Sony’s GDC 2010 panel concerning Playstation Move. For those that don’t know, Sony has officially given a name to their motion controller setup for the PS3. There’s a Wiimote-like device, as well as a Nunchuk-like device. There’s also a game coming out called Sports Champions that looks a lot like Wii Sports/Wii Sports Resort. The similarities keep rolling in, and Nintendo fans are getting downright fuming over the situation. Some people see these Sony similarities as a positive for Nintendo. This new controller setup for the PS3 has all but confirmed that Nintendo set the motion control trend for this generation. Nintendo alone has made motion controlled gaming a success…so much so that the other hardware companies are pouring millions of dollars into devices that offer motion solutions for their platforms. There’s no doubt that both Sony and Microsoft have seen just how well things worked out for Nintendo, and now those guys want a piece of the motion pie. On the other hand, there are Nintendo fans that can’t believe just how closely Sony is mimicking Nintendo with their motion controller approach. I’m sure the Sony tech will provide a somewhat richer experience, but when it boils down to the nuts and bolts, this is the PS3 Wiimote and Nunchuk solution. There’s a Wii Sports clone in there, and somehow Sony doesn’t seem embarrassed about any of this. You would think that out of sheer respect for the competition, Sony would try to put their own spin on the Wii idea. From what I’ve seen, I really can’t say that Sony went for a brand-new approach, but instead opted for the me-too solution. I’m not trying to say that Sony’s tech doesn’t deserve a shot because it so closely resembles what Nintendo did with the Wii. I’m just, quite frankly, shocked at how little they changed. I guess Sony is doing what they feel is the only way to success and motion-controlled gaming. Now I open up the floor to you guys. You’ve made it very clear that you have opinions on this topic, so hit up the comments section and let loose. Defend Sony, attack Sony…just please keep it civil, and respect your fellow readers!

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GoNintendo ‘End of Day’ thoughts - Wiimote/MotionPlus/Nunchuk Vs. Playstation Move: Your Thoughts

SAN FRANCISCO and OXFORD - October 6, 2009: NaturalMotion, the animation technology and game development studio behind the euphoria engine, today announced that Codemasters, the Warwickshire, England based videogame developer and publisher, has licensed its morpheme animation middleware in a far-reaching deal covering upcoming titles and future game development. NaturalMotion’s morpheme is robust animation middleware designed to give developers and animators unprecedented creative control over the look of their final in-game animation by allowing them to author and preview blends, blend trees and transition graphs in real time. Available for PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox 360®, Wii™, PC and Apple® iPhone, morpheme has experienced a rapid adoption rate, being licensed by some of the biggest names in the development community. “Codemasters is a global power in game development and publishing, so we are delighted they have judged morpheme the best fit for their future titles,” said Andy Payne, VP Sales at NaturalMotion. “This partnership signals a great day for British videogame technology and development as morpheme will allow Codemasters to build upon their already stellar international reputation for quality.” ”We selected NaturalMotion’s morpheme after a thorough evaluation period,” said Bryan Marshall, CTO of Codemasters. “Animation quality and performance have become extremely important for creating compelling game content. We believe morpheme will allow us to push the limits of believable characters in games. It perfectly augments our own EGOTM game technology, providing the potential for some of the most realistic and exciting games on the market.” Link

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Codemasters and NaturalMotion Announce Master morpheme Agreement

Quite a fun show today. Lots of laughs, and a good amount of discussion about some recent games. On top of that, Nicky Hill does quite a nice job with the sweet releases this time around. I think the boy’s getting it! Download the show here (Stan Lee’s picture is just so awesome that it doesn’t need to be animated!)

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GoNintendo Podcast Webisode 216