Gradius ReBirth announced for Wii Ware

Even though it's not quite Gradius VI, Konami has announced a new Gradius game for release via Nintendo's Wii Ware download service. Unfortunately, outside of a logo and a single screen shot, the only things we know about Gradius ReBirth is that the game will be launching later this summer and that Konami has elected to back to classic sprites for the release. It'll be interesting to see if they end up incorporating any of the 3D elements from Gradius Gaiden, but from the looks of the Moai and their 'bases' in the screenshot it doesn't look like they will be.

Konami's official product page for Gradius ReBirth (including the one screen shot) can be found here.

Super Dodgeball (Wii) listed on the ESRB website

I'll admit that I haven't been following the Wii Virtual console releases very much over the last few months. While I do understand the appeal that the service has for gamers who do not have a rather large backlog of classic carts or are unwilling (or unable) to emulate the titles, I haven't been incredibly satisfied with the bare bones ROM dumps that we are getting for our Wii points.

This isn't to say it is a bad system by any means. The ability to play the games in their original form would be highly tempting for me if I didn't already own most of the 8bit/16bit era games that I would want to play, but even still, when I look across the aisle with Xbox Live arcade's re-releases of 'classic games' I can't help but wonder if gamers are really going to get their dollars worth while looking at a system to system comparison.

With that said, I was browsing through the ESRB website earlier tonight and stumbled across a listing that made me smile a bit. It seems that as part of the tight relationship between Arc System Works and Aksys, some of the rights to the Technos NES era games have been worked out for Virtual Console releases. While we have already seen the fruits of this relationship with the release of River City Ransom on the Wii via Aksys, I noticed that the ESRB has also recently (I think?) put up a listing for one of my favorite NES titles - Super Dodgeball.

While I do already own the NES release of the game, I'm at least happy that the Virtual Cosnole library can finally have one of its glaring holes filled. With Super Dodgeball Brawlers coming stateside later this month, this should give gamers a chance to play the original for a nice price (since Ebay listings regularly have Super Dodgeball running for around $12-$20). It does bring up one bitter point though... The lack of online play for Super Dodgeball seems to be a crying shame.

Wii Freeloader on its way...

Max Console is currently reporting that the Wii Freeloader is about to be set to available on popular mod-chip retailer Divineo. Though the exact date the disc will be able to be purchased isn't clear, Max Console reports they were told that we should see it within the next "10 days" on the Divineo website. The Wii Freeloader will allow gamers to play Wii import titles from all over the world and will work on PAL, NTSC-U, and NTSC-J consoles.

Unfortunately, considering Nintendo's past history of periodic firmware updates that have prevented the use of the Gamecube Action Replay/Freeloader on the Wii, it's a bit hard to say whether or not the Wii Freeloader will be subject to the same scrutiny from the company. This may end up being a buyer beware purchase, especially if there are no guarantees from Datel that the Wii Freeloader is "future-proofed" against action by Nintendo.

Code Junkies, a US retailer already posting information on the Wii Freeloader, has a few more details about the product available on the link. The Wii Freeloader will be compatible with both Gamecube and Wii import titles and will retail for $19.99.

[Discuss on Forums]

First Wii Neo Geo Stick 2 image

NCSX opened up pre-orders for the Wii NEO GEO Stick 2 and included the first image of the stick I've seen online. Surprisingly, instead of following Hori's route with the Apple-esque color scheme of the Wii, SNK Playmore has elected to keep the iconic black color scheme of the Neo Geo in tact for the Wii version of the arcade stick. The Neo Geo Stick 2 will ship on April 10th and has a listed price of around $60 at most import stores. Whether or not SNK Playmore USA will be marketing the stick here is yet to be seen, but with the number of NEO GEO classics coming out for the Wii this year it would be a crying shame if they didn't.

[Discuss on Forums]

NEO GEO Stick 2 for the Nintendo Wii

Popular Japanese retailer Rakuten has posted a new online page for the NEO GEO Stick 2 for the Nintendo Wii. According to the listing, the new arcade stick will be available on April 10th for a price of around 5,040 yen (or about $50). There weren't any images of the stick provided by Rakuten, but the item description states that it will be similar in size and shape to the currently available (but a bit hard to find) PS2 NEO GEO Stick 2 (shown in the picture to the left).

The Wii's NEO GEO arcade stick will be fully compatible with all Virtual Console NEO GEO releases (and any games supporting the classic controller), so for people wanting a more authentic arcade experience this may be your best solution on Nintendo's console (since it matches the original layout of the MVS units a bit better than the previously released Hori Fighting Stick).

With SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1 rumored to be around the corner for the Nintendo Wii (the PS2's speculative release date is in March), the NEO GEO Stick 2 for the Wii seems to be coming at a perfect time...

[Discuss on Forums]

House of the Dead 2&3 Return Trailer

A brief trailer for House of the Dead 2&3 Return for the Wii was posted on YouTube after being taken from the official website for the game. The trailer goes into all of the features of the arcade to Wii port. I'm still a little unhappy we aren't getting House of the Dead 1 with this, but Sega does need to leave something to add to the potential House of the Dead 4 port, right?

Karous (Wii) details officially revealed

I've been waiting on an official acknowledgement from Milestone that a Wii port of their arcade shooter Karous was actually in the works as was leaked and confirmed by O3 Entertainment back at E3.

After a couple of months of waiting, some initial details about the game were finally posted over at Rakuten (via Postback). Not content with providing Wii gamers a simple port of Karous, Milestone is packaging together a compilation DVD that will also include Radirgy and Chaos Field in addition to Karous. The game will retail for about 5,040 yen and will ship in March.

No word yet on a release stateside, but I'm sure there are those inside O3 Entertainment who will love to see the translation they have already worked on for Raido Allergy not to go to waste. I'm hoping they will look at bringing this compliation disk to the US, but until a formal announcement is made, we'll just have to cross our fingers and wait...

Who knows, if this compilation does well, perhaps Wii gamers will also be the main console home for Milestone's Illvelo since an official Dreamcast port is pretty much out of the question.

King of Fighters '94 and Baseball Stars 2 on the way to the US Virutal Console

Despite being available for the past week or two over on the other side of the Pacific (and Atlantic), we finally have word that King of Fighters '94 is currently being planned for release on the US Virtual Console as well. King of Fighters '94 was the first King of Fighters game in SNK's popular "cross over" series. It isn't necessarily considered the best ('98 is often cited as the most critically acclaimed), and it hasn't aged that well either, but for fans of SNK or the NEO GEO this is a great addition to the Virtual Console. Plus it has Rugal and any game with Rugal can't be bad... Right?

The second game that is currently in the works for the Virtual Console from the NEO GEO archives is Baseball Stars 2. The arcade sports title was the first game that I ever owned for my NEO GEO 4 slot system and for good reason... Baseball Stars 2 is easily one of the greatest baseball games ever made (period). Sure some people will chastise its simplistic gameplay, small number of options, and timed games (which requires you to play multiple credits just to get through one match), but despite these flaws Baseball Stars 2 is just a downright blast to play and well worth it for any arcade sports fan.

Both of these games recently appeared on the ESRB website, so hopefully we should see them grace the Virtual Console in the next couple of weeks.

Ultimarc unveils new Wii arcade adapters

One of the things that I've been seeing pop on up on the internet lately has been an influx of arcade cabinets housing consoles featuring real arcade controls and a connection to a JAMMA compatible monitor/speaker set.

It is a great little side hobby for any gamer wanting to get an authentic arcade experience at home with their current consoles (such as the PS2 and Wii) as well as make use any arcade hardware they may have lying around. I know personally I have a JAMMA standard arcade control panel (for use with a supergun) that I've built that I would love to be able to use for some of my home consoles due to the "blood, sweat, and tears" that I put into its construction. Unfortunately, for the most part, setting this up normally would require a bit more effort and a chance of damage to my "expensive side project" so I haven't attempted to delve into yet.

Ultimarc has come to the rescue in this case and has provided gamers a new choice in hardware adaptability for home consoles. With the new range of console-to-JAMMA adapters, Ultimarc has tapped into the current market forerunner (the Nintendo Wii) and has provided a way to connect Nintendo's run-a-way console success with JAMMA standard arcade hardware (including monitors/speakers and control panels). This is a new update to a previous line of adapters that Ultimarc has designed for home hobbyists and other vendors that also includes adapters available for the Xbox, PS1/PS2, and Dreamcast. In regards to the Nintendo Wii, due to the unique nature of Nintendo's hardware, only games that are supported by the Classic Controller will be able to utilize the Ultimarc adapter for arcade control panels.

For more information on Ultimarc I would recommend heading over to the companies homepage at www.ultimarc.com. For more information on the new Wii arcade adapters (for both monitors/speakers and control panels), head over to their information page on the Console Adapters. The price for the Wii Arcade Control Panel Adapter runs about $39. To connect a JAMMA monitor/speaker, you have a choice to use a Screw Connect or J-PAC with the price ranging from $35 to $29 based on the needs of your current arcade hardware. Press release is below.

Ultimarc launches Wii Adaptors for Arcade Controls and cabinets.
Ultimarc has added to its range of games console adaptors to include the Wii. The Ultimarc adaptors allow the Wii to be connected to self-build arcade control panels or ready-made JAMMA cabinets to provide the ultimate arcade experience.

The adaptors include a control adaptor which allows Wii games to be played using real arcade controls and also Audio-Video adaptors to connect the Wii to an arcade cabinet monitor and speakers.

Ultimarc have been world-leaders in parts for self-build arcade control panels and cabinet conversions since 2001. Its parts are used by the top vendors of custom-made cabinets and panels in addition to hobbyist builders. Ultimarc parts provide connectivity for games consoles or PCs to be used with genuine arcade controls, and also provide the control parts for self-build.

Full details of the Wii adaptors can be found on http://www.ultimarc.com/wii.html

House of the Dead 2 and 3 Returns Confirmed for the Wii

Earlier today Go Nintendo received a notice from one of their users about a Gamefly listing for "House of the Dead 2 and 3 Return" for the Nintendo Wii. Considering the track record of Gamefly "leaks" (ie, really, really good), Go Nintendo attempted to contact Sega in regards to the project to get a confirmation of the game.

Surprisingly, Sega candidly revealed that the game was in development for the Wii, but they were unable to officially announce it at this time. Since then, the Gamefly listing for the release has been taken down from the website, but as they say, the cat is out of the bag. Sometime in 2008, gamers should be using their Wii motes to fight through wave after wave of zombies in an attempt to stop the undead hordes and their aptly named Tarot card themed bosses.

No word yet on what sort of features the game will have, but hopefully the games are touched up a bit. House of the Dead 3 ran fairly well (and still looks good) on the Xbox hardware, but House of the Dead 2 is looking a bit antiquated now. The Wii mote has one inherent strength that sets it apart from other consoles in relation to arcade developers: the ability to easily port arcade rail shooters to the console without the need of additional hardware for an optimum experience.

Could this be a pretext to House of the Dead 4 showing up on the Wii? I can't see how it could possibly be ported "perfectly" from the arcade, but I'm sure that a few cuts could be made to bring out a reasonably accurate experience...

And as a side note - Sega, if I send you one dollar, will you please make House of the Dead 1 unlockable in this release as well? I know you put House of the Dead 2 in the Xbox release of House of the Dead 3, so I know that you love your unlockables. I would love to have an easy way to play the first 3 games in the series without dragging out different hardware or searching for my PC discs. Pretty please?

Ghost Squad Wii Gets a Budget Label Price Cut

Gamestop's pre-order page for Ghost Squad on the Nintendo Wii just posted a $20 price cut over the past weekend. The game is now set to be sliding in under the "budget" label target of $29.99.

For a game that promises all the arcade action of the original Ghost Squad (and all of the updates found in Ghost Squad Evolution from what I've seen), it's really hard to argue about the bang for your dollar. Add to the mix a console exclusive 4 player mode, WiFi support (mostly limited to high scores), and new unlockables, Sega has no arguments from me about the game.

The Wii represents a new opportunity for light gun games if companies choose to take advantage of it. It's one of the first times an additional accessory will not be required purchase by consumers in order to get the full experience out of the product. I'm hoping that Ghost Squad and Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles is signaling a show of support for the genre which may in return spawn more releases.

Sega Bass Fishing Coming to the Nintendo Wii

Ever since Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess delighted gamers with its in-game fishing engine, Wii owners have been demanding a quality fishing title for the console. Unfortunately, the scraps that have been provided thus far have been simplistic titles that were inferior to a mini-game in Zelda. Crazy how things work, huh?

Arc System Works and Sega both have plans to try to break this trend. While Arc System Works' Bass Fishing Wii is a brand new title being promoted by Japanese models, Sega has reached into their vaults and has brought out the game that I wasted hours on "virtually fishing". The NAOMI arcade Sega Bass Fishing has been tapped for the Nintendo Wii for a release in 2008.

From the screenshots provided, the game appears to be a rough port of the Dreamcast version of the game with a slight additional touch-up on the graphics engine. Whatever exclusive modes are being planned for the title are currently being left under lock and key.

Due to the userbase of the Nintendo Wii, I can see Sega Bass Fishing receiving a lot of success on the system. The arcade based game play as well as friendly competition that the game provides means that it is a great game to just pick up and play among a small group. Hopefully Sega has plans for a series of new multiplayer modes to take advantage of the "party factor" that the Nintendo Wii provides.

More information on Sega Bass Fishing should be coming soon. The images come courtesy of NeoGaf and NeoGaf poster, ram.

Shin Chuka Taisen (Nintendo Wii) Review

I should love Shin Chuka Taisen.

At face value, it seems that the game would have satisfied everything that I could have requested from a remake of the original Chuka Taisen/Cloud Master. But somewhere in the translation of bringing an updated version of the classic arcade game to the Nintendo Wii, certain design decisions have gone horribly awry and have left a bad taste in my mouth in regards to how I feel about the new title.

I commend Starfish for what they have attempted to do here. It is no easy task to take on a remake that most gamers who remember the title hold in a rather fond memory. However, to put it bluntly, Starfish has failed with the remake and even when viewed seperately outside of the nostalgic ties, has only succeeded in creating a mediocre shooter that seems more akin to a doujin fan-release rather than a full commercial project.

Is that too harsh? Maybe.

But I can't help but feel that the conscious development choices made with Shin Chuka Taisen are what has hurt the game the most.

So where did it all go wrong?

I probably need to talk real briefly about the original Chuka Taisen/Cloud Master games by Taito. After the original arcade release in 1988, Taito Corporation ported the game to the PC-Engine, MSX, NES, and Sega Master System. The game borrows heavily from the Journey to the West folklore, and features horizontal scrolling with patterned enemy waves reminscent of most horizontal shooters of the time. The game was relatively simple, even for its release, but the cartoon styled graphics, good sprites, and an insidious difficulty level meant that the game stood out among the lot of Gradius clones that were filling up arcades at the time.

Starfish locked onto the license about a year ago alongside the license for Kiki Kai Kai. Both games have apparently seen a ton of pressure from Taito's parent company Square Enix (which led to Kiki Kai Kai being cancelled), however, the details of the issues that arose between the development team and Taito/Square Enix are little more than speculation as to the cause.

Gamers who are familiar with the original game will find Shin Chuka Taisen instantly accessible. The level layouts, power up system, enemies, and bosses are all based on trying to keep the look and feel of the original intact. The game's backgrounds and sprites are a all reworked to take advantage of some of the 2D potential the Wii has to offer, but the system's capabilities seem to be grossly underused.


I couldn't help but trying to compare the sprites in Shin Chuka Taisen with Odin Sphere and Vanillaware's work when playing the game. This was probaly done at a disservice to Starfish, because even the bosses (which were where Starfish put most of the effort in their sprites) seemed amateur-esque after Vanillaware's PS2 efforts. Yes, they are two seperate genres and it is likely unfair to compare the two, but when the sprites in Shin Chuka Taisen look as though they have at most only 3-4 frames of animation, it really calls into question just how much care was put into making the game attractive to gamers unfamiliar with the Chuka Taisen name.

Overall though, the sprites are passable. If the game's issues ended simply with the slightly underdeveloped sprites and backgrounds I could overlook the issues. But it is just a smaller piece in a larger puzzle...

Before I rip into what really irks me about Shin Chuka Taisen, I do want to mention a few positives.

The game's music is well done. The soundtrack is borrowed heavily from the first game with fully realized remixes of a lot of the original tracks. The level design, while not as varied as I would want it to be, is a direct homage to the first game right down to the level paths and layouts. Whenever I went through the stages and was able to see the original 1988 levels redone with art from today, I couldn't help but feeling the tugs from my nostalgic side trying to tell me the game could be fun... in a way.

Further, though I won't all out praise the implementation of the Wii remote controls (which tilts the screen based on if you tilt the controller left or right), they weren't a detriment to the game and at least brought a mildly entertaining component. I only wish that Starfish would have taken the effort to design more gameplay sections that would've relied on the mechanic rather than it becoming a simple add on that is more of an afterthought than anything.

And this leaves only where the game seems to lose its focus.


Like it or not, the scrolling shooter genre is a niche genre even in Japan. Because of this, side scrolling shooters made to attract a wider audience have a tendency of falling into the trap of forgetting the core fanbase. I believe that this is the case of what happened with Shin Chuka Taisen.

In designing the game, Starfish has elected to add both a health and lives system to the mix. In the originial Chuka Taisen, it was one hit and you died, sending you back to the last checkpoint. Though I applaud the decision to remove the checkpoints in the new game, with the added health bar and lives system, any difficulty in the game was sapped. Even on the hardest difficulty levels I found the game to be lacking in any threat or challenge.

Anyone who is a fan of shooting games in general (which would be the people I would think that this game should've been marketed towards), is going to find the difficulty in Shin Chuka Taisen disappointing. This is a bit of a death note for a side scrolling shooter. Without a solid difficulty level, the game has nothing to really offer gamers for multiple playthroughs. Considering the difficulty of the original Chuka Taisen series, those playing through Shin Chuka Taisen for nostalgia (like myself) are going to find very little to hold onto. The scoring system is little more than shooting as many enemies as you can and there are no rewards for clearing the game aside from a happy little credit roll and a Game Over screen.

When it comes down to it, Shin Chuka Taisen does very little for furthering the genre's reach to a casual crowd and succeeds in ostracizing what should've been its primary audience. Though Starfish receives kudos for developing a new 2D game, their failures of understanding what they should've have done with the Chuka Taisen name puts a black mark on their efforts. I only hope that Kiki Kai World doesn't suffer the same fate as Shin Chuka Taisen.

Final Score
2/5

Quick Review
Shin Chuka Taisen feels like a fan-made project that does more of a disservice to the genre than rewards Chuka Taisen fans with a remake of a classic arcade shooter.

(Shin Chuka Taisen will be published stateside under the name "The Monkey King: The Legend Begins" by UFO Interactive)

SNK Playmoure USA Announces 2007 - 2008 Tokyo Game Show Line-up

SNK Playmore USA issued a press release announcing their 2007 - 2008 Tokyo Game Show line-up. A lot of surprises are in store for NEO GEO fans, as the King of Fighters and Samurai Spirits collections are finally making their way stateside by the publisher. Of particular interest in my mind is the SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1 for the Playstation 2/Playstation Portable. It should be interesting to see what sort of games are scheduled for that compilation since the fighting games have all been given their own sets. I'm crossing my fingers that Baseball Stars is somewhere on that disc...

SNK PLAYMORE USA Announces 2007 Tokyo Game Show Line-up
Wall, NJ – Sept. 21, 2007 – SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION, the U.S. publishing arm of the SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION, today announced its 2007/2008 line-up at the Tokyo Game Show 2007, being held Sept. 20-23 at Makuhari Messe in Tokyo.

“We’re pleased to once again be bringing fans more of the quality fighting and great arcade games they’ve come to expect from us,” said Ben Herman, president of SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION, “and with the addition of a number of downloadable console titles, SNK aficionados will have even more options available to them.”

The SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION Tokyo Game Show 2007 line-up is as follows:

THE KING OF FIGHTERS COLLECTION: THE OROCHI SAGA (Wii™, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system)

METAL SLUG 7 (Nintendo DS™)

SNK ARCADE CLASSICS Volume 1 (PlayStation 2 system, PSP® system)

SAMURAI SHODOWN ANTHOLOGY (Wii™, PlayStation 2 system)

METAL SLUG 3 (Xbox LIVE® Arcade)

SAMURAI SHODOWN 2 (Xbox LIVE Arcade)

FATAL FURY (Wii™ Virtual Console™)

WORLD HEROES (Wii Virtual Console)

MAGICIAN LORD (Wii Virtual Console)

In addition to console titles, SNK PLAYMORE will also be announcing three new arcade titles at the Tokyo Game show:

THE KING OF FIGHTERS XII

KING OF FIGHTERS: MAXIMUM IMPACT REGULATION “A” 2

SAMURAI SHOWDOWN SEN (JAPANESE TITLE)

About SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION
Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION (SNK) develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. Founded in 1978, SNK is one of the largest privately held interactive entertainment content providers in the world. Known for such franchises as THE KING OF FIGHTERS, METAL SLUG, and SAMURAI SHODOWN SNK continues to be an industry leader by focusing on their rich arcade history. More information on SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION can be found at www.snkplaymore.co.jp SNK PLAYMORE USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION with offices in Wall, NJ. It handles operations in North America including publishing, marketing, development and localization. More information on SNK PLAYMORE USA can be found at www.snkplaymoreusa.com

New Ghost Squad Wii Trailer

A new trailer to Ghost Squad Wii popped up on the game's official site earlier today. The video showcases the main game in action and also is the first impressions of some of the additional "unlockable features" present in the home console port of the game (which includes a panda suit among other things). It' be interesting to see how the game fairs when it is released later this year.

Though it is a solid enough arcade game (especially with its revision), traditional light gun and arcade shooters are not necessarily the most popular genre on home consoles. Nintendo and Sega are both backing the title with their marketing campaigns though, so unlike the home ports of House of the Dead 3, the game is shaping up to be one of the headliners this winter.

SNK Playmore USA Officially Announces Virtual Console Support

Despite a Ben Herman interview stating that SNK Playmore USA would be bringing NEO GEO titles to Nintendo's Wii Virtual Console, the US arm of the company has been relatively silent (until today) in regards to the future releases. Earlier this morning, a press release was sent out by SNK Playmore USA that officially announced support for the US Virtual Console system. Unfortunately, no time frame has been given for any of the releases and no titles have been revealed.

This is in stark comparison to SNK Playmore Japan which has already shown off their full line-up of September's NEO GEO releases for the Virtual Console (Fatal Fury, World Heroes, and Magician Lord). It is interesting to note that the press release by SNK Playmore USA does mention Fatal Fury, World Heroes, and Art of Fighting by name, so those three games may be among the first games we will see on the US side of the downloadable service.

As an interesting side note, SNK Playmore USA will not be overseeing the releases, but rather a Japanese company, D4Enterprise, will be handling those responsibilities.

The games are set with a release cost of 900 Wii Points. The press release is below.

SNK to Release Classic NEOGEO Arcade Games on Wii™ Virtual Console™

Wall, NJ – September 12, 2007 – SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION, the U.S. publishing arm of the SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION, today announced that the Company will release several of their greatest NEOGEO arcade games via the Virtual Console™ feature on Wii™. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download these classic games through the Wii Shop Channel. D4Enterprise, Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, will manage the release of the titles.

Key NEOGEO titles will include “Fatal Fury,” “World Heroes,” and “Art of Fighting.” Each title is expected to cost 900 Wii Points. More titles will follow over the coming months.

About SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION
Headquartered in Osaka, Japan, SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION (SNK) develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software in Japan, North America, Europe and Asia. Founded in 1978, SNK is one of the largest privately held interactive entertainment content providers in the world. Known for such franchises as THE KING OF FIGHTERS, METAL SLUG, and SAMURAI SHODOWN SNK continues to be an industry leader by focusing on their rich arcade history.

More information on SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION can be found at www.snkplaymore.co.jp

SNK PLAYMORE USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION with offices in Wall, NJ. It handles operations in North America including publishing, marketing, development and localization. More information on SNK PLAYMORE USA can be found at www.snkplaymoreusa.com

Shin Chuka Taisen Gameplay Videos

I found these two videos earlier today on YouTube! and decided to go ahead and post them here. I believe these are the first videos of the retail release of Shin Chuka Taisen (correct me if I'm wrong - they are the first one's I've seen). The game received a relatively poor score in Famitsu, but considering Famitsu's history with shooters, I wouldn't necessarily consider that a judge of the game's quality.

My copy is currently in transit from Play-Asia.com, so once I get it in, I'll be sure to post a few impressions of the game.

Until then, enjoy the videos.

Shikigami No Shiro III (And other console shooter news)

There were a couple of updates coming out of Japan today in regards to Shikigami No Shiro III for the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. The game is currently tentatively scheduled for release on December 13th and will be published in part by Arc System Works of Guilty Gear fame.

Instead of a straight port of the arcade game, Arc System Works and Alfa Systems are planning on updating a few extras and features for console gamers. There will be a full Gallery mode with extra illustrations, sounds, and visuals from the game. The second additional mode for the console version of the arcade shooter is the addition of a Dramatic Change mode that will allow gamers to switch between different two different characters on the fly. For Xbox 360 owners, the game will also include an online ranking system for Xbox Live Arcade. No word on whether or not online multiplayer will be featured.

As a final bit of Xbox 360 shooter gaming goodness today, I previously announced that Trigger Heart Exelica was scheduled to be coming out for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade. Though there is not a release date scheduled yet for the game or a pricing announced, it is official that the game will feature an optional vertical orientation mode for its release in Japan.

This is a huge development for the Xbox Live Arcade, as all previous games released on the console have all been limited to a no TATE option. With Warashi breaking that trend with Microsoft's approval, I'm hoping that more vertically oriented arcade games will begin featuring a TATE'd perspective option for gamers. There is still no announcement on whether or not Warashi will plan on bringing Trigger Heart Exelica to America via Microsoft's download service.

Kiki Kai World Boxart from UFO Interactive

There has been another twist in the never-ending saga of Starfish's attempt to resurrect the Kiki Kai Kai series. About a week ago I mentioned that Gamefly was listing a header for the game Kai Kai World published by UFO Interactive for the Nintendo Wii.

At that time I drew connections that this game was in reference to the cancelled PS2 title Kiki Kai Kai, and today, it seems we have our first validation of the rumors. To the left is the box art image for Kiki Kai World for the Nintendo Wii, taken from of all things a Playstation 2 listing for the game on Amazon. It does appear to be simply a mock-up piece at this time, but the fact that it is an officially submitted UFO Interactive mock-up means that good things should be in store for 2D gaming fans. The game is scheduled for release in December (subject to change) with a price of $29.99.

My thanks goes out to NeoGAF user HyperZone<3 for pointing out the box art on Amazon.

[UPDATE: Wired's Game Life got the inside scoop on Kiki Kai World from UFO Interactive. Due to licensing issues with Taito's parent company Square-Enix, Starfish and UFO Interactive have seperated themselves from the official "Kiki Kai Kai" and "Pocky & Rocky" names.

This makes sense due to the fact that Natsume in America owns partial rights to the Pocky and Rocky likenesses. Kiki Kai World is "very similar" to the cancelled title and should be seen as a "spiritual successor" to the original games. The new game is going to be released in Japan and the US on both the Playstation 2 and the Nintendo Wii.]

First NEO GEO Games to hit the Virtual Console in September

I opened up my e-mail this morning to a rather interesting note. SNK Playmore Japan and Nintendo have announced the first series of NEO GEO titles to be released on the Virtual Console as well as the pricing for the games. Starting September 11th, Japanese Wii owners will be able to download faithfully emulated versions of NEO GEO classic arcade games starting at 900 Wii points.

The first game set to be available for the Virtual Console service is Fatal Fury. This is a bit of an odd choice in my opinion. With the release of a collection of Fatal Fury titles in Fatal Fury Battle Archives for a budget price (only a little more than this game) on the PS2 as well as an online-enabled Fatal Fury Special for 400 Marketplace points for Xbox Live Arcade, you would think that SNK Playmore Japan and Nintendo would be jumping to offer something new to their customers. Fatal Fury is hugely popular in Japan however, and it was also one of the NEO GEO's earliest hits, so I guess in a way it makes sense.

Currently of the three titles announced, Fatal Fury is the only one with a set release date (September 11th).

The second and third titles scheduled for release are World Heroes and the greatly under appreciated Magician Lord. World Heroes is fun for some, but I personally find it a bit tedious. Like Fatal Fury, World Heroes is also going to be available in a PS2 collection being released this year. The collection is scheduled for Japan only at this time. Magician Lord on the other hand is one of the better arcade action platformers and is played in a vein similar to the Shinobi series. Out of the three games currently announced, this one is clearly the best.

World Heroes and Magician Lord both have a scheduled September release date with no further details provided.

I've e-mailed SNK Playmore USA to try to receive some more information about releases for the American Virtual Console. I haven't received word back from the company yet, but I'm hoping that sometime this afternoon I should have something to report. It should be noted that the press release provided mentioned nothing about online play with these games, so it seems that the Virtual Console will remain offline at this time.

More information as I get it.