scattered technology news

June 2008 - Wii/PS3/Xbox Games - Monday, June 2, 2008

Nintendo Wii:

• Top Spin 3 – 2K Sports
• Rock Band – MTV Games
• Blast Works – Majesco Sales Inc.
• The Incredible Hulk – Sega

Play Station 3:

• Kung Fu Panda – Activision
• Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy – Sierra
• LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures – LucasArts
• Race Driver: GRID – CodeMasters Software
• The Incredible Hulk – Sega
• Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit – Atari
• NASCAR 09 – Electronic Arts

Xbox 360:

• Ninja Gaiden II – Microsoft
• Kung Fu Panda – Activision
• LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures – LucasArts
• Alone in the Dark – Atari
• Race Driver: GRID – CodeMasters Software
• Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy – Sierra
• The Incredible Hulk – Sega
• NASCAR 09 – Electronic Arts
• Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit – Atari
• Don King Presents Prizefighter – 2k Sports
• Command and Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath – Electronic Arts
• Hail to the Chimp – Gamecock Media Group
• Hellboy: The Science of Evil – Konami
• Operation Darkness – Atlus
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith – Activision
• Command and Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath – Electronic Arts
• Hail to the Chimp – Gamecock Media Group
• Hellboy: The Science of Evil – Konami
• Operation Darkness – Atlus
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith – Activision

Games List: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Purchase Games: Amazon’s Selection (ships free + no tax)

May 2008 - Wii/PS3/360 Games - Monday, May 5, 2008

After last month’s launch of Grand Theft Auto IV for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, which seems to have received best score of all time for both consoles, these new games are probably going to go unnoticed. And Wii users are still probably rejoicing with Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart.

Nintendo Wii:

• Emergency Heroes – Ubisoft
• Wii Fit – Nintendo
• DECA Sports – Hudson Entertainment, Inc
• We Ski – NAMCO Bandai Games America, Inc
• Castle of Shikigame III – Aksys Games
• Blast Works – Majesco Sales, Inc
• Bloom Box – Electronic Arts
• Iron Man – Sega

Play Station 3:

• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – Disney Interactive Studios
• UEFA EURO 2008 – Electronic Arts
• SlingStar – SCEA
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars – Activision
• Monster Madness: Grave Danger – Southpeak
• Haze – Ubisoft

Xbox 360:

• Iron Man – Sega
• Wits & Wagers – Microsoft
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – Disney Interactive Studios
• UEFA EURO 2008 – Electronic Arts
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars – Activision
• Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition – Capcom

Games List: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Purchase Games: Amazon’s Selection (ships free + no tax)

April 2008 - Wii/PS3/360 Games - Tuesday, April 1, 2008

It looks as though April will be another slow month in terms of the quantities of games being released. PlayStation 3 owners will rejoice since Gran Turismo 5 is finally hitting store shelves. In addition the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV will be hitting both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.

Nintendo Wii:

• Mario Kart Wii - Nintendo
• Okami - Capcom
• Baroque - Atlus

PlayStation 3:

• Gran Turismo 5 Prologue - SCEA
• NBA Ballers: Chosen One - Midway
• Monster Madness: Grave Danger - Southpeak
• Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar

Xbox 360:

• Ninja Gaiden II - Microsoft
• Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar
• NBA Ballers: Chosen One - Midway

Games List: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Purchase Games: Amazon’s Selection (ships free + no tax)

PlayStation Store Gets Revamped - Monday, March 31, 2008

There have been numerous rumors and mockups that have hit the web over the past few weeks regarding a whole new look that is coming to the PlayStation Network Store. We can set all those aside since SCEA has now officially put out a statement along with a few neat screen shots.

“The new design will deliver a hugely improved navigation system, much greater scope for categorization and a dynamic new user interface.”

According to PlayStation, the update will be released by mid-April, which is just two weeks away. A software update to the console will also accompany the new PSN Store. The bad news in all of this might be the fact that no new content will be available until this upgrade is pushed out. Fortunately this shouldn’t affect PlayStation Network game play, accounts, or virtual wallets.

Update: According to the PlayStation Blog, no new content will be added to the PlayStation Store for the next two weeks. (North America) However with the re-launch, plenty of new content will become available including a demo of the highly regarded Gran Turismo 5 Prologue!

Links: us.PlayStation.com

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review Roundup - Sunday, March 9, 2008

Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii was finally released today in the United States. Brawl was preceded by Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee. The first version, Super Smash Bros., was first released in 1999 and became the 5th most sold game for the N64. It’s follower, Super Smash Bros. Melee, which hit the market in 2001 became the most sold game for the GameCube. Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the best of the series and just about every review it has received have earned it a near-perfect if not perfect score. Unfortunately didn’t yet have a chance to post our own review, however here’s a roundup from some major gaming sites:

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Info:

• Platform: Wii
• Release (US): March 9th, 2008
• Players: 1- 4
• Game Type: Fighting Action
• Developer: Nintendo

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review:

• Gamespot - 9.5 / 10
• IGN - 9.5 / 10
• 1UP - A
• Destructoid - 9.5 / 10
• Thunderbolt - ten / ten
• Game Player - 10 / 10
• Games Radar - 10 / 10

Since Brawl utilizes the Wii’s WiFi, players have the ability to enter a match with up to a total of four players connected from different consoles in different locations. With the N64 version selling ~5 million copies and the GameCube version selling ~6 million, we’ll have to see if Brawl will live up to it’s name. If you own a Wii, are you going to get this game? Would you consider buying a Wii just for this game?

Links: Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Buy: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (via Amazon)

March 2008 - PS3/Wii/360 Games - Saturday, March 1, 2008

This month will be an exciting time for Nintendo Wii owners since one of the most anticipated games, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is hitting stores on March 9th, 2008. Note that the game was already made available in Japan and this launch date applies only to North America. A date has not yet been set for Europe.

Nintendo Wii:

• Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Nintendo
• Summer Sports: Paradise Island – Destineer
• Bully: Scholarship Edition – Rockstar Games
• Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed – Locomotive
• Ninja Reflex – Electronic Arts
• Major League Baseball 2k8 – 2k Sports

Play Station 3:

• MLB 08 The Show – SCEA
• Army of Two – Electronic Arts
• Condemned 2: Bloodshot – Sega
• Dark Sector – D3 Publisher of America
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 – UbiSoft
• Sega Superstars Tennis – Sega
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 – Konami

Xbox 360:

• Rainbow Six Vegas 2 – Ubisoft
• Condemned 2: Bloodshot – Sega
• Bully: Scholarship Edition – Rockstar
• Major League Baseball 2k8 – 2k Sports
• Army of Two – Electronic Arts
• Brothers In Arms Hell’s Highway – Ubisoft
• Dark Sector – D3 Publisher of America
• Universe At War: Earth Assault – Sega
• Viking: Battle for Asgard – Sega

Games List: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Purchase Games: Amazon’s Selection (ships free+ no tax)

February 08 PS3/Wii/360 Games - Wednesday, January 30, 2008

After the big holiday season, upcoming games seem to have died down for the moment. But be hopeful, there are a ton of hot games such as Super Smash Brothers for the Wii and Gran Turismo 5 for the PlayStation 3 heading down the pipeline for 2008!

Nintendo Wii:

• Sega Bass Fishing – Sega

Play Station 3:

• Devil May Cry 4 – Capcom
• Go! Sports Skydiving – N/A
• Conflict: Denied Ops – Eidos
• FIFA Street 3 – Electronic Arts
• The Club – Sega

Xbox 360:

• Turok – Touchstone
• Devil May Cry – Capcom
• Frontlines: Fuel of War – THQ
• Lost Odyssey – Microsoft
• The Club – Sega
• Culdcept SAGA – Namco Bandai
• The Spiderwick Chronicles – Sierra Entertainment
• Dark Messiah: Might and Magic Elements- Ubisoft
• Conflict: Denied Ops – Eidos
• FIFA Street 3 – Electronic Arts
• Dark Sector – D3Publisher of America
• Turning Point: The Fall of Liberty – Codemasters
• Universe at War: Earth Assault - Sega

Games List: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Purchase Games: Amazon’s Selection (ships free+ no tax)

December 07 PS3/Wii/360 Games - Tuesday, December 4, 2007

As with any holiday season, it’s games galore! In December, there will be plenty of games being released for each of the three next-gen consoles. The most notable of these is probably The Orange Box from Valve for the PS3 which includes Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One/Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. That’s not exactly as many as last month, but there are plenty of awesome recently launched games.

Nintendo Wii:

• Nights Journey of Dreams - Sega
• Jenga - Atari
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 - Namco Bandai

Playstation 3:

• The Golden Compass - Sega
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles - Bethesda Softworks
• The Orange Box - Electronic Arts
• NCAA March Madness ’08 - Electronic Arts
• BlackSite: Area 51 - Midway
• MX Vs ATV: Untamed - THQ

Xbox 360:

• The Golden Compass - Sega
• NCAA March Madness 08 - Electronic Arts
• MX vs ATV Untamed - THQ
• Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom - Microsoft

Games List: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Purchase Games: Amazon’s Selection (ships free+ no tax)

October 07 PS3/Wii/360 Games - Saturday, October 6, 2007

It looks like October is going to be a massive month for games launches, dominated by the Xbox 360 with 17 games. Amazing especially after last month’s launch of Halo 3. Nintendo’s Wii owners will be able to purchase Super Mario Bros and three other games. PS3 gamers will have 8 games to choose from.

Xbox 360:

• Naruto: Rise of a Ninja – Ubisoft
• The Simpsons Game – Electronic Arts
• Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation – Namco Bandai Games
• Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground – Activision
• The Orange Box – Electronics Arts
• Tetris Splash – Tetris Online, Inc
• Sega Rally Revo – Sega
• Looney Tunes: Acme Arsenal – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• Avatar The Last Airbender: The Burning Earth – THQ
• Thrillville: Off the Rails
• Beautiful Katamari – Namco Bandai Games
• Bee Movie Game – Activision
• Cars Mater-National – THQ, Inc.
• Clive Barker’s Jericho – Codemasters
• Conan – THQ
• TimeShift – Sierra Entertainment
• Need For Speed ProStreet – Electronic Arts

Wii:

• Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels – Nintendo
• Sin & Punishment – Nintendo
• Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast – Nintendo
• Battalion Wars 2 – Nintendo

PlayStation 3:

• Go! Sports Ski – SCEA
• Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights – THQ
• Folklore – SCEA
• FIFA Soccer 08 – Electronic Arts
• Sega Rally Revo – Sega
• Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground – Activision
• THE EYE OF JUDGEMENT – SCEA

Game Lists: Nintendo Wii | Sony PS3 | Microsoft Xbox 360
Purchase Games: Amazon’s Selection (ships free+ no tax)

Free Ninendo Wii Jacket Accessory - Friday, October 5, 2007

Nintendo announced silicone “jacket” cover sleeves for the Wii remote control to protect the unit and offer a better grip. Starting today, all purchased consoles, additional remotes, or packages will include these jackets for safety purposes. In addition Nintendo is also offering FREE silicone jackets for current Wii owners. If you have a Wii, you’ll be able to order them by simply visiting Nintendo’s website, entering their console’s serial, and submitting the request. (100% free, no shipping costs, or hidden fees.)

“We’re always looking for ways to improve our products and make sure everyone has a safe and fun experience,” says George Harrison (NA senior vice president of marketing & communications)

This is the second free giveaway Nintendo has thrown to Wii owners, they previously provided replacement straps since many were snapping. Hopefully with a silicone jacket for additional grip and a stronger wrist strap, Wii remotes will remain in people’s hands and not end up sticking out of expensive HDTV sets. Wii owners should at least be glad that Nintendo is considerate enough to provide these extras for free. To order a jacket hit the link below to call 1-866-431-8367.

Update: Apparently this is going to cost Nintendo over $18 million! (But hey, it costs everyone else nothing!)

Links: Order Wii Remote Jacket