OK, so Guitar Hero is going the Rock Band route and introducing drums. I wasn’t eager to see this, as I don’t think my living room needs another drum kit. But after watching this video where Travis Barker, Chad Smith, and Stewart Copeland scrutinize the set, I’m eager to at least try it out. Will Guitar Hero reclaim the crown from all the Rock Band devotees? Hard to say, but Activision isn’t fooling around.

Following the cut are the press release and debut trailer [Read the rest of this entry…]

Wii gamers who haven’t added a 360 or PS3 to their console cabinet can rejoice that Rock Band, the best reason to own a next gen console, is making its way to waggle town.
Good News: Its coming June 22 in the US for $169.99 Full press release follows after the jump.
Bad News: No song downloads. And no online play. All the friend codes in the world won’t help you now.
Worse News: Europe still has no release date for any system.
Strong bets are the Wii version is a port of the PS2 release, which also excluded the character customization. Harmonix insist it isn’t an idea they’ve given up on, but they’re hampered by Nintendo’s shortcomings in this arena.
There is only one way to save Rock Band on Wii, and thats to make all the in game characters into Miis. Yes, its no replacement for the online functionality that makes the game the sure hit, but it would at least play well to the Wii Sports audience. Also it wouldn’t hurt to ship the game in stereo sound, unlike Guitar Hero III.

From Kotaku: Harmonix: No DLC for Rock Band Wii…Yet

[Read the rest of this entry…]

Aside from being one of the Powet Editors here, I’m also a sometime journalist, keeping tabs on local games news for the Madison, WI free newspaper The Isthmus and its web counterpart The Daily Page.

This past weekend I wrote about the Smash Bros midnight release and the turnout of local gamers, and thought you Powet readers might be interested.

Read On: Super Smash Bros. Brawl release ends in midnight melee

A while ago EA announced a partnership with legendary director Steven Spielberg to produce new video games, many of us shuddered to think of the Atari 2600 version of E.T.

What actually happened is a puzzle game for Wii that I can only think to describe as “Combat Jenga.” Looks fun, though I don’t think I can decipher the rules or gameplay from this trailer.

Be aware that both the following movie and link contain unannounced characters returning to Brawl.

North America has to wait for March 9 to get a mouthful of Brawls, but the release is mere moments away in Japan. And so the intro movie from their version of Brawl has floated on to the web.

Also, Kotaku has scans of several pages of the manual which you can see here.

Ready? It’s the second of our three-part coverage of TGS 2007!

In this installment, we cover:

Soul Calibur Legends
Oneechanbara R
Final Fantasy IV DS
Sony Presser

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Video Netcast
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Famicom Dojo – TGS 2007 Special – Part 2

Show notes at FamicomDojo.TV:
TGS 2007 Special, Part 1

Episode links after the jump!

[Read the rest of this entry…]

Back in September, we reported near-live from the Tokyo Game Show floor about an upcoming SNK arcade collection, which SNK elaborated upon over the weekend with a complete game listing:

SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION, the U.S. publishing arm of the SNK PLAYMORE CORPORATION, today announced SNK ARCADE CLASSICS: VOLUME 1 for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and the PSP(r) (PlayStation® Portable) system.

SNK ARCADE CLASSICS: VOLUME 1 will include the following SNK games:

• ART OF FIGHTING – The first game in SNK’s second fighting-game franchise, set in the same universe as FATAL FURY.
• BASEBALL STARS 2 – The sequel to SNK’s popular baseball arcade game.
• BURNING FIGHT – New York detectives battle organized crime in this fighter.
• FATAL FURY – First released in 1991, FATAL FURY introduced the two-plane fighting system.
• KING OF FIGHTERS ‘94 – The first game in the popular KING OF FIGHTERS series.
• KING OF THE MONSTERS – In KING OF THE MONSTERS, giant monsters fight for power in epic battles.
• LAST RESORT – A challenging futuristic shooter.
• MAGICIAN LORD – Players help the wizard Elta save his homeworld in this platformer.
• METAL SLUG – Known for its humor and fast- moving gameplay, this run-and-gun side-scroller was the first in the popular series.
• NEO TURF MASTERS – A golf game which debuted on the Neo Geo Pocket Color in 1999.
• SAMURAI SHODOWN – Set in the 18th century, SAMURAI SHODOWN features bladed-weapon combat and an international cast f characters.
• SENGOKU – In SENGOKU, players face off against undead feudal Japanese armies.
• SHOCK TROOPERS – In this run-and-gun adventure, players save a scientist and his granddaughter from the Bloody Scorpions.
• SUPER SIDEKICKS 3 – A soccer game featuring teams from all over the world.
• TOP HUNTER – Bounty hunters protect colonists from space pirates in this futuristic action game.
• WORLD HEROES – This classic fighter pits players against historical figures in a tournament enabled by time travel.

“With 16 of our most beloved games, SNK ARCADE CLASSICS: VOLUME 1 is a must-have addition to any arcade fan’s collection,” said Ben Herman, president of SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION. “It’s the most comprehensive SNK compilation to date.”

SNK ARCADE CLASSICS: VOLUME 1 will be available for PlayStation2 system and the PSP(r) (PlayStation(r) Portable) in the first half of 2008.

This almost makes up for being four months late about the rest of our video coverage!

There’s no mention of a Wii title in the release, but we’re confident there will be one eventually (as per our video report), and various other sites have mentioned finding an ESRB rating for a Wii version.

Thanks to sites like Nintendo Wii Fanboy for giving credit where due.

Rescued from the incinerator, where it was left by careless interns, comes the first of three parts in our Tokyo Game Show 2007 Special for Famicom Dojo!

In this installment, we cover:

No More Heroes
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
Wii Family Trainer: Athletic World
?????? Doko De Mo Yoga (Yoga Anywhere)

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Video Netcast
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Famicom Dojo – TGS 2007 Special – Part 1

No More Heroes comes out this Tuesday, January 22nd. I highly recommend you reserve a copy, since that might be the only way you get to play it!

Show notes at FamicomDojo.TV:
TGS 2007 Special, Part 1

[Read the rest of this entry…]