Archive for May, 2008

Late breaking news

Saturday, May 31st, 2008

New DS colours and Pokemon adventures coming to Australia (GameSpot)

Nintendo announces two new DS colour combos and new Pokemon games for Australia this June.

Pokemon puzzle title reaches PAL VC (Ferrago)

Pokemon Puzzle League is now live on the PAL Virtual Console service, and is joined by two other titles on the Friday release Wii release list.

Nintendo Virtual Console: Pokmon Burning Samurais! (Spong)

30 May 2008: Plus: Nintendo’s Nintendo channel.

Viz Media Announces DVD Release of Pokmon: The Rise of Darkrai (Anime News Network)

San Francisco, CA, May 27, 2008 Viz Media , LLC ( Viz Media ), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the DVD release of the latest Pokmon movie Pokmon: The Rise of Darkrai to hit store shelves today and will carry an SRP of $19.98.

Late breaking news

Friday, May 30th, 2008

New DS colours and Pokemon adventures coming to Australia (GameSpot)

Nintendo announces two new DS colour combos and new Pokemon games for Australia this June.

Viz Media Announces DVD Release of Pokmon: The Rise of Darkrai (Anime News Network)

San Francisco, CA, May 27, 2008 Viz Media , LLC ( Viz Media ), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the DVD release of the latest Pokmon movie Pokmon: The Rise of Darkrai to hit store shelves today and will carry an SRP of $19.98.

12:40 (BST), 28/05/2008 Pokmon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Time/Darkness Press Release PROVIDED BY GAMES PRESS … (gamesindustry.biz)

Pokmon fans get ready to rejoice and dust off that explorer hat as Pokmon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Time and Pokmon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Darkness hit stores across Europe very soon!

Related Games (Games Radar)

Before we get to this week’s Pokemusings, we wanted to remind our American readers that Darkrai is being distributed at participating Toys R Us stores this weekend. Be sure to snag this rare and excellent Pokemon if you can!

Review: ‘Pokemon Mystery Dungeon’ Is Charming but Dull (Wired News)

This cute little Nintendo DS game flips the franchise on its head, letting you play a pocket monster.

Games | Persona to Persona (Brick)

If youve ever wanted to go back to high school, youve got the chance to do it again in the recently re-released role-playing videogame, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES for the PlayStation 2. Among hardcore gamers, the Shin Megami Tensei series is known for starting the monster battling craze in Japan years before Pokmon, but the ghoulish character designs, foul language and mature themes in …

Three More Stations Face FCC Fines (Broadcasting and Cable)

Pokemon took a $14,000 poke at ACME Communications WIWB Suring, Wis., and Donald Duck came back to bite Viacom’s WKBD TV Detroit to the tune of $8,000, but the biggest hit is against a low-power station, which theFCC is proposing fining $20,000 for a multitude of transgressions.

New game’s ingenious strategy (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Establish a successful collectible-card-game brand, and it’s like a license to print money. “We say it all the time: Card games are essentially cardboard crack,” says Ken Baumhauer, the operations manager for The Roundtable Games & Stuff store in Conshohocken. “Once you play them, you can’t get enough. [Players] come in and buy pack after pack, card after card.”

Japanese medical team heads off to Myanmar (The Japan Times)

NARITA, Chiba Pref. (Kyodo) A Japanese medical team left for Myanmar on Thursday afternoon to treat people injured in the devastating cyclone that hit the country in early May. The 23-member team, including four doctors, seven nurses and a pharmacist, will be deployed for about two weeks in areas around the town of Labutta in southwestern Myanmar, which took some of the worst damage. Read the …

Nippon Oil joins North Sea project (The Japan Times)

Nippon Oil Corp. said Thursday its wholly owned British subsidiary will take part in an oil development project in an area of the North Sea controlled by Britain along with three British companies and a Canadian firm. Oil production at the West Don Field is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2009 with peak output estimated at 25,000 barrels per day, according to Japan’s largest oil …

Late breaking news

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Pachter: PS3 To Top 360 In April, GTA, Mario Kart To Lead Sales (Gamasutra)

Ahead of U.S. sales data group NPD’s April report, expected May 15th, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has predicted a windfall sales rise of 113 percent to $830 million for the month, on the back of Grand Theft Auto IV, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and Mario Kart Wii. Combined sales for April were at $389 million in 2007. Pachter says the estimates account for $765 million in next-gen …

Analysts expect April sales surge (GameSpot)

Grand Theft Auto IV launch projected to spike retail software numbers; Sebastian pegs growth of at least 70 percent, Pachter predicts whopping 113 percent.

Speed Racer Review (UGO - UnderGroundOnline)

As I was engulfed by the psychedelic candy apple explosion that is Speed Racer I was reminded of the first time I saw The Matrix and how times have changed since that day.

Despite Grand Theft Auto, Nintendo Leads Game Sales (NewsFactor via Yahoo! News)

With all the hubbub over Grand Theft Auto IV, the video-game world is anxious to learn how the blockbuster game really impacted industry sales. NPD Group’s monthly sales data is expected later this week, but some analysts have issued predictions ahead of the curve.

Despite Grand Theft Auto, Nintendo Leads Game Sales (NewsFactor)

With all the hubbub over Grand Theft Auto IV, the video-game world is anxious to learn how the blockbuster game really impacted industry sales. NPD Group’s monthly sales data is expected later this week, but some analysts have issued predictions ahead of the curve. Specifically, Wedbush Morgan Securities on Monday said it expects April U.S. retail video-game sales to reach $830 million. That’s …

The 12 hottest indoor and outdoor toys for boys and girls (Centre Daily Times)

Before you know it, it’ll be summer - and that means your kids will have lots of time to play. If you want to avoid the inevitable “I’m boooored,” kick off the summer with one of these bestselling toys.

WiiWare Arrives in the U.S. (1up.com)

Six launch titles available for download.

Late breaking news

Monday, May 12th, 2008

Embracing Japanese pop culture (MSNBC)

If it’s big in Japan, it could also hit big in the United States and these entrepreneurs are betting on it.

Pokemon league hopes to attract players (The Wichita Eagle)

G amers in Wichita now have an opportunity to practice their Pokemon Trading Card Game skills with a local 10-year-old who happens to be among the world’s top-ranked players of the game. Ed and Susan Perry started the new Pokemon of Wichita Trading Card League because Pokemon enthusiasts, including their 10-year-old son, Nathan, didn’t have a public place to play and work on strategies. …

Gonks out as sellers turn feral (Stuff)

We sold our first house, in Britain, seven years ago.

I, Chihuahua (New York Times)

Skippyjon Jones is a Siamese kitten who thinks he?s a Chihuahua.

Riverside students Mothers Day messages Part II (Fond du Lac Reporter)

The essay contest, sponsored by The Reporter, invited students to pen a Mothers Day piece and in it describe a favorite memory of time spent with their moms. Kids ran with the idea, pouring their hearts out as they struggled to find the words to express that special time, place or moment etched in their hearts and their mental memory sticks. The essays run the gamut of emotions from funny and …

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time / Darkness (Games Radar)

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of… FAQ’s

Video game reviews: ‘Toy Shop,’ ‘Go Pets: Vacation Island,’ ‘Crosswords DS’ and ‘Diary Girl’ (The Plain Dealer)

For a child, nothing is better than a new toy. When I was a child, I went to bed at 3 p.m. the day before a birthday or holiday, hoping the time would pass more quickly. The worst was when my parents took me to the store to pick out a toy, then wouldn’t let me open it until I got home.

Bookworms grab bargains (Centre Daily Times)

UNIVERSITY PARK Yeah, nobody reads much anymore. Sure.

Late breaking news

Friday, May 9th, 2008

Pokemon league hopes to attract players (The Wichita Eagle)

G amers in Wichita now have an opportunity to practice their Pokemon Trading Card Game skills with a local 10-year-old who happens to be among the world’s top-ranked players of the game. Ed and Susan Perry started the new Pokemon of Wichita Trading Card League because Pokemon enthusiasts, including their 10-year-old son, Nathan, didn’t have a public place to play and work on strategies. …

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time / Darkness (Games Radar)

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of… FAQ’s

Virtual Console Adds Pokemon Puzzle League, Renegade (Gamasutra)

Nintendo has updated its Virtual Console offerings this week to include N64 puzzle game Pokemon Puzzle League and NES beat’em up Renegade. Pokemon Puzzle League (pictured) is a themed version of developer Intelligent Systems’ Panel de Pon and Tetris Attack games. Up to two players match three or more similarly-colored blocks to clear the screen with chains and combos in six different modes, …

[Dr. Date] Dr. Date (The Minnesota Daily)

Hello there Dateopia, I recently received this letter, which if you remember the famed Pokemon discussion of a couple of months ago, is of similar caliber.

Astro Boy, Pokmon Lend a Hand in Baseball, Olympics (Anime News Network)

The Tokyo Yakult Swallows baseball team played this past weekend in vintage uniforms from their days as the Yakult Atoms. True to their name, the Yakult Atoms uniforms had Mighty Atom ( Tetsuwan Atom / Astro Boy ) embroidered on their sleeves.

Pokemon Puzzle League and Renegade Added To Wii Shop Channel (GameInfoWire)

Two New Classic Games Added To Wii Shop Channel

Dancing to the digital tune (Daily Telegraph)

As the MP3 turns 10, Claudine Beaumont charts its rise from clunky brick to all-singing sensation.

A guide to anime and manga (Waco Tribune-Herald)

Writers-directors Andy and Larry Wachowski reveal their admiration of Japanese animation, or anime, in their visually brash live-action adaptation Speed Racer. Anime has shaped much in American pop culture over the last decade or so, from movies, television and video-game animation to magazine and Internet graphics. Heres a quick guide.

Related Games (Games Radar)

Way back in October, we went over some techniques for two-on-two battles . We can’t stress the enormous difference between singles’ and doubles’ strategy. They truly require different mindsets, strategies, and moves.

Fear of Flying: The ‘Iron Man’ Videogame Disappoints (Entertainment Weekly)

The big-screen exploits of Shellhead may have knocked audiences out but the videogame version barely packs a punch. Plus: ”Persona 3: FES” and two ”Pokemon” titles

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 - Part 1: I’m a Pokemon?!

Sunday, May 4th, 2008

-= PART 1: I’m a Pokemon?! =-
This is the introduction and the opening scene for Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Time Exploration Team. In this episode, the human Devin awakens to find himself as a Chimchar and in the presence of a friendly Turtwig named Twigy.
Two new games in the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon universe - Time Exploration Team and Darkness Exploration Team - have just been released…

Late breaking news

Saturday, May 3rd, 2008

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time / Darkness (Games Radar)

Last year’s Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games were an interesting mix of developer Chunsoft’s dungeon-crawling designs and Nintendo’s inimitable pocket monsters. It was an interesting blend that offered a fun time… for a limited audience.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time Review [DS] (GameSpot)

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness/Time recycles the aging Mystery Dungeon formula, but it’s still worthwhile for fans of dungeon hacks.

Why Does Pikachu Look So Content? [Pokemon] (Addict 3D)

I mean…I knew Pokemon bred. It’s a staple of the series. But, you know…I always thought it was Nintendo-style breeding, which just happens .

Related Games (Games Radar)

Like any worldwide phenomenon, the Pokemon franchise has its fair share of products that are completely unrelated to its core. As proud owners of Plusle and Minun salt-and-pepper shakers, as well as a Pokemon ramen bowl, we’ve bought into Pokemon consumerism, quite literally.

Late breaking news

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time / Darkness (Games Radar)

Last year’s Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games were an interesting mix of developer Chunsoft’s dungeon-crawling designs and Nintendo’s inimitable pocket monsters. It was an interesting blend that offered a fun time… for a limited audience.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time Review [DS] (GameSpot)

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness/Time recycles the aging Mystery Dungeon formula, but it’s still worthwhile for fans of dungeon hacks.

Why Does Pikachu Look So Content? [Pokemon] (Addict 3D)

I mean…I knew Pokemon bred. It’s a staple of the series. But, you know…I always thought it was Nintendo-style breeding, which just happens .

Pokemon club aims to ‘catch ‘em all’ (The Arbiter)

Although Mario Townes, president of the Boise State Pokemon League Gym, admits to owning more than 4,000 Pokemon cards, he said he hasn’t caught ‘em all. Every Friday, Townes and 15 other Pokemon players meet in the Student Union Building for league battles with their collections of cards.


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