La-dee-dee, another day, another round of news. Let’s see what we got, and hope nothing is screwed up in coding.

1. Gamespot tells us about an interview that Kaz Hirai gave to Cnet.It’s not the first time that it’s been mentioned, but Hirai is bringing out the idea that the PlayStation 3 is meant to have a 10-year run, which one has to admit helps lighten the blow of the price, a mere $60-per-year investment. For a lot of high-end electronics, that’s not all that bad, really, versus systems and electronics that putter out and just get replaced.

   Sadly, in the same breath, he mentions that they aim for that with ALL of their systems… I think that, despite production continuing(somewhere) on the original PlayStation, that one died out pretty damn quick when PS2 was on the horizon. I don’t think PS2 is moving quite as strongly at this point, either, now that the next generation is on the horizon.

   So, yeah, this leaves Sony in sort of a cloudy area, per my reckoning. If PS3 were really to have a 10-year lifespan, that might be one thing. But drawing up a comparison to the past consoles, as if to cover his ass should a PS4 be wheeled out in a few years, well, it effectively negates much of that original point. And that’s too bad, as I’m sure that sort of dedication to a console lifespan of that length would no doubt help draw more people into the PS3 camp, even at that price.

2. Great news!Burnout 5 is coming!

   Awful news!

   There’s absolutely no mention of a Nintendo version. Dammit. There hasn’t been a Burnout on Nintendo’s consoles since the 2nd one, before they were bought by EA. Come on, gimme some Wii Burnout love, EA!

   And while you’re at it, do what you did in Fight Night Round 2 and that basketball game, and throw some Nintendo characters in. Let me knock people off the road in a Mario kart(with the red shell) or an F-Zero racer or an Excitetruck or something.

   Or bring back Mach Rider, let us ride through the city and shoot up cars instead of just knocking them around.

   Anyway, the ripping cars in two thing sounds neat, as well.

3. And from IGN, we find that Ultimate Ghosts N’ Goblins ships today.I do so hate shipping dates for video games. CDs, they tell you when they’ll be in the stores. DVDs, same deal. Even comic books. Why the hell does it take something of the magnitude of Halo 2 to have a concrete release date that you can walk into the store, and buy the damn thing these days?

   Not to get off on a rant here, but it gets worse, when you consider that the weirdest, most offshoot places will get a game before other places. It’s crazy. Why can’t we just go out and get the same damn game on the same damn day? I hate coming home empty-handed to find that everyone online is away because they’re playing the game, or raving over some stuff I haven’t even seen yet.

   Nuts to that.

4. And I’m only mentioning this because IGN saw fit to have the link-with-picture at the top of every page, but this Stefy girl is kinda hot.
5. Seems the DS remake of Final Fantasy III(Japan’s, not ours) has topped the half-million mark. Not bad for only being out for five days, and in a country that seems to turn a cold shoulder to remakes and re-releases(see: Irregular Hunter X and Rockman Rockman for examples).Of course, I imagine the fact that this is a Final Fantasy game plays no small part in that, but all the same, it’s quite impressive. I’m pretty sure it even took Mario longer to reach that for his latest all-new title, but I’d have to check.
6. “At 2 Million Strong, Nintendo’s Wireless Gaming Community Grows Larger Than 15 U.S. States”Not bad. Not bad at all. Though I can’t help but wonder just WHICH 15 US states. Rhode Island doesn’t count.
7. NOA_Andy bids a fond farewell to Stumpy the How.I’d love to know the story behind that mascot, though. A half-horse, half-cow? Gotta love ‘im.
8. Star Fox Command is getting reviews-a-plenty, including GameSpy, IGN, GameSpot, 1UP, and GameDaily.The general consensus?

   Not too shabby at all. I definitely would like to give this one a try.

9. Continuing to brief you on game companies big and small, Next-Gen continues their coverage with A Short History of Rare.Pity Rare isn’t what it used to be. I guess you could say, “if it says ‘Rare,’ then I don’t care.”

   Unless it’s Killer Instinct. Um… “if it says ‘Killer Instinct,’ then it better not stink.” Or something.

   Uh… “boy-ee?”

10. I make it a point to not hop on and report every rumor I see, but this one appeals to me.Rumor has it that Tecmo might bring some of its classics to the Wii Virtual Console.

    So what that would mean is another chance to go a few rounds on the original Ninja Gaiden games and see if skills have improved over time, or if they’re every bit as brutal now as they were then.

    (Of course, if you played through the XBox title of the same name, you could probably tell us, but…)

    The rumor is further substantiated by a financial report covered by IGN that says the company wants to support the Virtual Console “aggressively.”

11. Hmm, more “Mega Man Rebirth” scans(is that really the US name? Did I miss a press release or something?).I’m still sorta iffy, but that new wrist-mounted PET-looking thing on the kid who looks like May’s brother from Pokemon looks pretty neat.
12. When Miyamoto spoke of possible “Wiimakes” of GameCube classics, a lot of people were listening.And someone even decided to make a top 10 list of titles they’d like to see “Wiimade.”

    I wouldn’t mind giving Super Mario Sunshine another try, if it seemed to work better, Luigi’s Mansion remains an unfinished favorite of mine, and Resident Evil 4 sounds like it would be neat, at least that chainsaw bit…

    But the Donkey Kong bongo games, while they make sense, still mystify me a little. Maybe a lower pricepoint would help, but the need for bongos ought to be a non-issue, since the games come with them, and don’t even raise the price that much.

    …which reminds me, I still gotta try Jungle Beat sometime.

13. Another rumor, but there’s some small evidence that Dragon Quest 9 could find a home on the Wii, and for the Wii, that would definitely be a very good thing.
14. Wow, when it comes to video gaming, it seems to be attacked by extremists from both ends.Screw ‘em all, I say. Maybe if reality didn’t bite so much, I wouldn’t look at games as much.
15. I remember when this Samus figure was announced, and released, and I even saw one once.I never did really get one, though. It’s a neat piece and all, but… eh…

    Maybe it was her creepy gaze that frightened me off.

16. Me, Myself, and Mario.Cute little movie someone made about the dangers of too much Super Mario Bros. mixed with too much Mr. Pibb.

    Nope, never happen to me.

    I’m strictly a Coke/Pepsi guy.

    …and occassionally Sprite. Or Sunkist.

    Do love the flagpole bit, though. And the “entering 1-2″ bit.

17. Huh, I’d heard about the guy who lost his iPod in the John on an airplane, but I didn’t know the rest of the story.And this is why I don’t travel by air.
18. For those like me who appreciate the more personal side of video games, that being the hardships and joy one has experienced without so much as even pressing a button, Press The Buttons(wow, only now after having typed it do I realize how silly that sounds) has a new ongoing feature going on titled “Secret Origins,” recounting the tales of days long past when getting that brand new game was truly an event to behold and a memory to cherish.
19. Hmm, now this is certainly interesting.“Midway Games announced that it has teamed with GameSpot to bring fans “The Ultimate Mortal Kombat Fanatic” contest, a competition which allows fans to create unique and creative short films showcasing why they are the biggest Mortal Kombat fan.”

    Sounds like a lot of fun, and I’d definitely enter if I had a video cam, even though I’m probably not really the biggest Mortal Kombat fan around, I’m still a fan nonetheless.

20. Hmm, speaking of fun, this sounds like it would fit the bill.Fans “Get Powerized” With the Power Rangers on Exclusive Eight City Tour

    “Kids of All Ages Have the Rare Opportunity to Interact With Their Favorite Superheroes When the Power Rangers Embark on the “Get Powerized” Tour Starting September 23rd.”

    A pity that Toronto isn’t one of the stops, but oh well.

21. Ah, finally. An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder is FINALLY coming out. I actually got to go to one of the tapings for that in person with the wife… lord, when was it? Almost a year ago? Maybe two?Of course, I still need to see the first… lousy video rental stores…
22. Thanks to a link from The Allspark, it looks like Ultra Magnus is getting the TransFormers Classics treatment as well, though sadly, he is once again simply the recolored figure of his brother Optimus.Also cool, though, is the likes of Perceptor, Fireflight, Leo Prime, and Galvatron(Trypticon?) being reborn in Legends of Cybertron mini-figure form, as can be seen here and here.
23. Over in the Marvel Universe, this disappoints me(possible spoilers). The New Avengers quickly became my favorite superhero team, and it feels like they got cut down before they even got started.I am not impressed.

LBD “Nytetrayn”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 29th, 2006 at 6:32 pm and is filed under Points of Interest, The Daily 'Shroom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.