TOKYO -- Got Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross? Oh, I'm sorry -- your collection isn't complete until you have this, too.

That's a copy of Radical Dreamers, in the flesh. Square released this game exclusively on the Bandai Satellaview, an add-on for the Japanese Super NES that let users download games from their satellite TV hookups. You inserted the BS-X cartridge into your Super Famicom, and put in an 8 megabit memory card to save game data. So, of course, while it's relatively easy to find these cards in Tokyo, finding one with the game you want on it is near-impossible -- especially when it's a highly desirable one like this. This is the first copy I've ever seen in years of looking.

Radical Dreamers is sort of a graphical text adventure, in which the player reads a story with accompanying graphic stills and selects actions from a menu. Its story served as the inspiration for Chrono Cross, and it's the first time that several of Yasunori Mitsuda's themes from that game appeared. It has never been re-released.

But it can be yours at Mandarake in Nakano, for a mere $550. (The price is going up as the dollar drops, so cash in now.)

Image: Chris Kohler/Wired.com

Ultima and Tabula Rasa creator Richard Garriott is currently orbiting high above the Earth, but that doesn't mean he's forgotten his fans down here on terra firma.

Garriott broadcast a video to gamers showing a message in the coded glyph language of Tabula Rasa. Fans on the PlanetTR forums decoded the message, revealing a quote from Soviet scientist Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky.

It reads:

Earth is the cradle of humanity but mankind will not be in the cradle forever.

Videos and news updates from Garriott's voyage can be found on the website of Space Adventures, a company created to facilitate space tourism.

Image courtesy NCsoft, Richard Garriott

Garriott Sends Secret Message to Gamers From Space [GameCulture]

See Also:

• Why Richard Garriott Can't Play Tabula Rasa in Space
• Game Creator Richard Garriott and Crew Reach International Space Station
• Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa Reinvents the MMO to Court Casual Gamers

With the release of Resident Evil 5 just around the corner, the folks at Gamevideos.com have put together something of a retrospective on the series' most common foe: The lowly zombie.

They certainly lack the speed or sheer ferocity of the other evil residents of Capcom's world, but they more than make up for it in bumbling oafishness.

Zombies are this generation's Ralph Kramden: They may appear initially abrasive and crude, but once you get to know them you realize they're as flawed and vaguely lovable as the cuddliest teddy bear.

Obviously I'm reading too much into this, but I'd pay good money to see a zombie-fueled remake of The Honeymooners. It couldn't be any more ill-advised than the recent Cedric-The-Entertainer-fueled one.

Can't wait to brutalize Superman or tear out Catwoman's spine? It looks like you still have a month of waiting ahead of you.

Midway revealed the official release date for Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe this morning, pegging the game's retail debut at November 16 here in North America. European gamers have an even longer wait: The game debuts there on November 21.

As I said in my hands-on from E3, the game is surprisingly good. I'm just wondering if the unproven crossover demographic that exists between comic books and puerile game series will be interested enough to make this thing the hit that Midway desperately needs it to be.

Image courtesy Midway

See Also:

• Teen-Friendly Mortal Kombat Feels Wrong Somehow
• Hands On: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
• Fighting the Good Fight: Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

The ninth free expansion for EVE Online, dubbed Quantum Rise, has just launched within the massively multiplayer space opera.

Quantum Rise brings with it a number of alterations to the venerable game, including a large-scale rebalancing of the world's industrial ships ("to better suit the needs of haulers and industrialists"), the addition of the Orca capital industrial ship, and a new certificate system that more easily denotes a pilot's relative skill.

Backend changes have also occurred: As developer CCP''s official press release points out, the company recently implemented new server hardware and "technological breakthroughs such as StacklessIO and EVE64," to ensure the game runs as smoothly as possible.

A full list of additions made by the Quantum Rise update can be found at the official EVE Online site.

Correction: Despite CCP's giddy revelation, the expansion has not yet hit EVE's server. No official release date has yet been announced.

Image courtesy CCP

Despite the promise of the Wii as the "social console," Nintendo's system has been home to far more coal than diamonds when it comes to titles you can whip out at a party and enjoy with friends. Crap like Carnival Games floods retail shelves, and even traditionally fantastic series' such as Nintendo's own Mario Party games have lost their luster after 12 iterations in the last eight years.

Thankfully, where so many have failed, smaller niche publishers have stepped in to pick up the slack. Atlus U.S.A's latest, Dokapon Kingdom, not only serves as an excellent example of everything a fun party game should be, it also makes for an entertaining time when you happen to be by yourself.

Like Mario Party, Dokapon Kingdom takes place in what is essentially a gigantic board game. You have a randomized spinner determining how many spaces you can move each turn, and certain spots land your character in either positive or negative situations.

That's where the similarities with Nintendo's series end, though. Where Mario Party attempts to ape the board game formula to the extreme, Dokapon Kingdom uses it simply as a loose guide, relying instead on Japanese role-playing game mechanics to create a compelling world.

Continue reading "Review: Quirky Fun Makes Dokapon Kingdom the Perfect Wii Party Game" »

ANAHEIM -- Blizzard's executive vice president of game design Rob Pardo has his hand in just about everything the company does, so though I was scheduled to speak to him specifically about Diablo III, our conversation meanders a bit.

We start off discussing the newly-revealed Wizard class the firm had only that morning revealed as a part of the latest Diablo title, but soon we're covering everything from Blizzard's efforts to stem the tide of cheaters in their online games to the company's efforts to bring their games to the silver screen.

This marks the third interview in my series of talks from Blizzcon 2008 which includes chats with World of Warcraft lead producer J. Allen Brack and StarCraft II lead designer Dustin Browder. The final part, an interview with Blizzard CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime on the company's current and future plans, should appear soon.

Continue reading "Q&A: Blizzard's Executive Vice President of Game Design Rob Pardo" »

Tokyo Game Show organizer CESA has announced its best of show winners, under the "Future Division" banner, awarded to unreleased titles.

Twelve titles have made the cut -- voted on by attendees -- and they cover all consoles except for the PlayStation 2.

Without further ado, this year's winners are:

• Idolmaster SP - PSP (Namco Bandai)
• Gyakuten Kenji - Nintendo DS (Capcom)
• White Knight Chronicles - PS3 (Sony)
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope - Xbox 360 (Square Enix)
• Dissidia Final Fantasy - PSP (Square Enix)
• Dragon Quest IX - Nintendo DS (Square Enix)
• Resident Evil 5 - Xbox 360/PS3 (Capcom)
• Monster Hunter 3 - Wii (Capcom)
• 428 - Wii (Sega)
• LittleBigPlanet - PS3 (Sony)
• Yakuza 3 - PS3 (Sony)
• Let's Tap - Wii (Sega)

I wonder if it's a coincidence that all winning publishers also happened to have the biggest booths at the show.

Image courtesy Sony

Japan Game Awards 2008: Future Division [CESA, via Kotaku]

So far, the only PSP games scheduled for simultaneous UMD and PlayStation Store downloadable release are Sony first-party titles, like LocoRoco 2 and Patapon 2, though Square Enix is now following suit with Dissidia Final Fantasy.

Sony's official site for the Tokyo Game Show has a listing for the title, with the distribution method listed as both disc and download.

This of course means that importing the game once it comes out December 18 in Japan has suddenly been made much easier, as long as you have access to a Japanese PlayStation Network account.

It's unclear though whether you'll be paying less than the disc version, since Square Enix could choose to not follow Sony's strategy of reducing the price for download purchases.

I played the game at the Sony booth, had a rather good time with it, and can't see how this wouldn't make for a good import title, with maybe a FAQ to fill you in on the various attacks and abilities.

Image courtesy Square Enix, Sony

Dissidia Final Fantasy [PlayStation Japan, via Siliconera]

He says, she says, in the end, they all say. Konami is finally admitting that there is a very good chance that Metal Gear Solid 4 will get an Xbox 360 port.

"The worldwide demand for an Xbox 360 version (of MGS4) is quite high," admitted Konami's Yoshitaka Arai to Japanese investor bulletin Morningstar. "It is something we are currently looking into."

The question now is how they'll manage to transfer all of that Blu-ray content -- a point of PlayStation 3 superiority that was even joked about in-game -- to a reasonable number of discs on the 360.

Image courtesy Sony

Konami Officially Comments on Xbox 360 Metal Gear Solid 4 [Kotaku]

Want some more Fable II loot before the Xbox 360 roleplaying title comes out next week? Microsoft has got you covered with its new promotional site for the game.

The site is currently hosting two flash-based interactive webshorts: Chicken Kickin' and The Hero's Tale. As you stream each tale, you are occasionally offered choices that will test your virtuous -- or non-virtuous -- nature.

Reach the end and you receive one of five gifts, which are then tied to your Xbox 360 Gamertag and available in-game.

Continue reading "Fable II Webshorts Give You Loot" »

Crazy Mouse isn't just one of this week's new Xbox Live Arcade releases, it also has the distinction of being the very first Xbox Live Arcade game produced by a Chinese studio.

The action/puzzle title was developed by Shanghai-based Ultizen Games as part of the Chengdu Incubation Center, a collaborative initiative involving Microsoft and local enterprises in order to produce Xbox projects.

The game itself puts in control of a mouse -- fitting since according to the Chinese zodiac it's the year of the mouse -- as you run through mazes grabbing food and dodging opponents. It includes a single-player story mode with 32 levels, and multiplayer for up to four players, both locally and through Xbox Live.

Crazy Mouse comes out today, priced at 400 Microsoft Points ($5).

Image courtesy Microsoft

See also:

• XBLA Version of Talisman Canceled
• Banjo-Kazooie XBLA Dated, Priced
• Tenchu Brings Party Game Play to XBLA

I had a chance to play Capcom's upcoming Bionic Commando sequel at the Tokyo Game Show, and have to say that I had a lot of trouble getting the swings just right. According to developer GRIN's co-founder Ulf Andersson, that's how it should be.

"We made a swing mechanism that’s not automatic. This means you have to focus a bit more, because it’s a proper mechanic instead of just a button press," Andersson told Kotaku. "It’s the core mechanic of the game. Everything in the game is built around that, from the environments to the enemy."

Is the difficulty level of the game going to scare off potential buyers? Probably. Does it stay true to the spirit of the original? Definitely.

"The original Bionic Commando was skill-based. There was a risk in jumping: you might die, you might not. We’ve stayed true to that core mood and feeling of the original in our game."

Word of advice: Spend a lot of time in the tutorial rooms before you start the game proper.

Image courtesy Capcom

Bionic Commando Is "Not Fucking Spider-Man" [Kotaku]

How'd you like to be a hotshot game developer? If you answered "actually, I'd prefer to make Flash-based games instead," then you're in luck!

Browser game portal Kongregate has launched Kongregate Labs, a community site designed to teach visitors how to create their very own Flash games. Dubbed "shootorials," the first round of free tutorials teaches users how to create a simple side scrolling shooter, using a free trial of Adobe's Flash CS3.

The site is sponsored by the car company Scion, and features community forums dedicated to fostering conversations between budding game developers. While the tutorials are shooter-centric, the aim is to teach neophytes the skills they need to understand how Flash works. You're also not limited to using Adobe's software -- the forums provide information on finding open source solutions that support the technologies that the tutorials incorporate, and don't cost hundreds of dollars.

To get the ball rolling, Kongregate is hosting a Driving Creativity Contest, a competition pitting first-time developers against one another for cash prizes. Of course, Kongregate is encouraging all budding developers to upload their creations to their site, adding to their library of browser games.

The potential here is huge: the only things that've kept me from developing my post-apocalyptic zombie-laden roguelike have been my lack of programming knowledge, talent, and artistic vision. One out of three ain't bad.

Kongregate Labs [Kongregate]

ANAHEIM -- It just wouldn't be Blizzcon without Blizzard handing out some in-game goodies for World of Warcraft fans, and this year is no exception.

Along with today's 3.0 patch, Blizzard finally added the 2008 Blizzcon polar bear mount to the game. Attendees need only visit the special dwarven vendor in Ironforge with their special item code to pick up their bear.

I don't think anything will really top the baby murloc pet of a few years back, but placing one of the icthyoid fellows on top of the bear waving a tiny pennant was a nice touch on Blizzard's part.

Additional bear profile shot below.

Continue reading "World of Warcraft: Introducing The Polar Bear Mount" »

In its eternal quest to capture the youth vote, Barack Obama's presidential campaign has taken to the streets of Burnout Paradise, filling the game with billboards promoting the presidential hopeful.

"I can confirm that the Obama campaign has paid for in-game advertising in Burnout," Holly Rockwood, Electronic Arts' director of corporate communications, told virtual world fixture Wagner James Au.

"Like most television, radio and print outlets, we accept advertising from credible political candidates," Rockwood added. "Like political spots on the television networks, these ads do not reflect the political policies of EA or the opinions of its development teams."

As Au points out, many political candidates have taken to Second Life in an effort to tap into that virtual world's ethereal zeitgeist, though to my knowledge this is easily the most high-profile political gaming appearance, both in popularity of the game and in the relative importance of the candidate being promoted.

Image: JeffSon/Photobucket

Confirmed: Obama Is Campaigning on Xbox 360! [GigaOm]

To ensure as many Xbox 360 owners as possible can enjoy Microsoft's November 19 Dashboard Update, the company plans to offer inexpensive refurbished hard drives and memory cards to users worldwide, reports Gamasutra.

As a result, Microsoft has instituted the "Memory Upgrade Program" -- a service that allows Xbox 360 owners to visit a web site where they can learn of their eligibility by entering the serial number from their console. Qualified users will either be eligible for a 512MB memory card or refurbished 20GB hard drive for their console, at the reduced prices of $20 or $30, respectively.

The "Memory Upgrade Program" is available to users in all Xbox 360 territories, though there is no word on how long this promotion will last.

Image: Gary J. Wood/Flickr

Microsoft Reveals Hard Drive Offer For Dashboard Update [Gamasutra]

The largest patch in recent memory hit World of Warcraft this morning, bringing the game to version 3.0, and preparing the title for the imminent release of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.

The World of Warcraft servers are currently down for maintenance -- and to give gamers a chance to download the 1.2GB patch -- but after 2PM, WoW fans will have a chance to enjoy the game's newly added barber shop, in-game calendar, achievement system, and Inscription profession.

As per usual with patches that alter the game's skill tree, every player will be given a free talent respec for each of their characters on logging into the world.

Blizzcon attendees will also be pleased to hear that the polar bear mount Blizzard distributed at the event will now be available within Azeroth.

Continuing the growing trend of big-name titles becoming trilogies, Electronic Arts has revealed that Mirror's Edge now has two planned sequels in the works, despite the fact that the game has yet to hit retail shelves.

"The story we're telling at the moment is kind of a trilogy, a three-story arc," EA DICE senior producer Owen O'Brien told AusGamers. "For these first couple games, it's all about Faith. It's all about her experience in the world."

As his above comment indicates, O'Brien believes the series could continue beyond the now-planned trilogy, adding that "there's a lot of scope to take the story in different directions, or maybe tell someone else's story."

The first title in the series hits shelves on November 11. No word so far on when the sequels would hit shelves, though presumably EA would like to release them as soon after the success of Mirror's Edge as possible.

Image courtesy EA

AusGamers TGS 2008 Mirror's Edge - Owen O'Brien Interview [AusGamers]

Gamecock Media Group has been acquired by SouthPeak Interactive, effectively ending Gamecock's run as the champion of independent game creation, reports GamesIndustry.biz.

As SouthPeak is a publicly traded company, this move flies counter to previous statements made by GameCock co-founder Mike Wilson saying that appeasing investors and creating games purely for the financial windfall is the wrong way to run a gaming company.

The terms of the agreement are currently unknown, though one at least hopes that Gamecock traded its much-trumpeted principles for a sizable bag of cash -- especially after the company's efforts to disseminate its views with publicity stunts such as the funeral for E3 and the disruption of Ken Levine's acceptance speech at the 2007 Videogame Awards.

There is no word from either Gamecock or SouthPeak on whether this move will affect any of the titles under development at Gamecock.

Image courtesy GMG

SouthPeak acquires Gamecock Media Group [GamesIndustry.biz]