Insert your dialogue into Izuna's speech bubbles

Posted by: Randy at 7/2/2008 9:38 PM - Comments (0)

More On: Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns Atlus Inc

Atlus has been hosting some hit-and-miss comics for Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns. But as I sit here all critical -- though I understand, "comedy is hard" -- Atlus is now inviting everyone in on the comic strip fun. Choosing between four templates, you'll insert your fun/morose/quirky/melodramatic captions into the dialogue, hit Submit, and prepare to have your work posted and graded. As Atlus entices, "Don't miss this ideal chance to work with Izuna's (speech) bubbles."

Dear Atlus Faithful,

You've enjoyed the website comics about the cutest ninja ever. Now take a hands-on approach and write some of your own!

Here's how you do it:

1) Choose the comic template you want to work with.

2) Fill in the forms with your own creative dialogue and contact info.

3) Press "Submit".

New comics will be posted frequently. Check back often to see and rate all of the submissions!

Winner selection:

Contest closes at 12:00 am PST on July 22, 2008. Winners will be chosen based on a combination of user ratings and scores from Atlus' judging panel.

Prizes:

One (1) winner will receive FREE a copy of Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns and one copy each of the GameStop exclusive mini-poster, Amazon.com exclusive mini-poster, and the ULTRA RARE (as in, you can't get this in stores, folks) Amazon runner-up poster!

Legal:

Contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada. Contestants must be 13 years of age or older. All entries will become the property of Atlus, and will be displayed, at our discretion, on Atlus.com. Inappropriate or offensive content may result in disqualification. Actual prize may vary slightly from image. Prizes are for promotional purpose only, and are not intended for resale. All images are the property of their respective owners and may not be altered or reproduced without the express written permission of Atlus. This contest is void where prohibited.

Don't miss this ideal chance to work with Izuna's (speech) bubbles.

Sincerely,

Atlus Aram

Send us news

NHL 09 demo coming to PSN this afternoon

by: Chuck - posted: 8/21/2008 4:47 PM - Comments (0)

EA Sports announced that you'll be able to download a demo of NHL 09 this afternoon on the PlayStation Network. The demo will allow you to play the Red Wings against the Penguins and test out the new Be a Pro mode. Xbox 360 owners will get their chance at the demo in September. NHL 09 has been the dominant franchise for the last two years and I'm interested to see how they've improved on the Pro-Stick controls this year. I've never played the game on the PS3 so there's going to be a little learning cover I think.

Update: EA just sent word that the demo has been delayed and won't be out until "Late August". Given that next week is the last week of August I'm guessing it's going to be next Thursday. [READ MORE]

New Character for Neverland Card Battles revealed

by: Dan - posted: 8/21/2008 4:24 PM - Comments (0)

YUKE’S Company today introduces us to Galahad (no not Sir Galahad the Pure from Monty Pythons), the protagonist of their upcoming Sony PSP title Neverland Card Battles. The game is due out in October and is rated ‘T’ for teen.

[READ MORE]

NHL 2k9 demo now available on Xbox Live

by: Chuck - posted: 8/21/2008 12:50 PM - Comments (0)

Xbox 360 fans left out in the cold by the timed exclusive demo of NHL 09 will be happy to know that 2K Sports has their back and has released a demo of NHL 2K9 on Xbox Live today. The demo is limited to one three minute period of hockey between the Pens and Red Wings (again). 2K sports admitted at E3 that they were behidn and have a few tricks up their sleaves for this year's hockey game and I'm interested to see what exactly they are as they've been a bit mum on the topic. I'll be buying the game no matter what as Rick Nash is on the cover but I'm hoping they've stepped up their game a bit. [READ MORE]

Microsoft to allow you to register to vote from your Xbox 360 starting next week

by: Chuck - posted: 8/21/2008 12:35 PM - Comments (0)

Xbox 360 owners who haven't registered to vote yet and still want to participate in the elections this fall will be able to register to vote through their Xbox 360 starting on Monday. This really eliminates any excuse gamers have for not registering to vote as the process will probably not take more than 10 minutes or so and you can do that between games of Castle Crashers next week. Microsoft will also be rolling out online polls and forums where you'll be able to voice your opinions about the upcoming election. I'm guessing this part of the process will quickly deteriorate into the standard mire of racial, gender, and homophobic slurs that Xbox Live is known for but at least the registration process is cool. [READ MORE]

It'll cost you $5 to move those Rock Band songs over to Rock Band 2

by: John - posted: 8/21/2008 9:30 AM - Comments (0)

When Rock Band 2 is released, an update will appear on the 360 to let give you an option of transferring over most songs from the first game. DLC will work automagically. This won't be a free service though as you'll have to pay $5 to move the songs over to the latest game. $5 isn't too bad I guess and while it sucks to have to pay for the move it's better than nothing. I'm sure those that don't have the first game will just rent or borrow a copy and transfer them over saving themselves a few bills in the process. Right now it just says 360 but I'm sure the PS3 will be the same. The Wii and PS2? Well, that'll be a conundrum. What do you think? $5 too much or that's OK with you?

Logitech gives Wii owners a force feedback wheel

by: John - posted: 8/21/2008 9:24 AM - Comments (0)

Logitech makes some really sweet wheels and today they've announced the Speed Force Wireless for the Wii. Yes, you read that right, the Wii. The wheel will be great for the upcoming Need for Speed Undercover giving the game a more realistic feel using the wheel instead of the WiiMote. It doesn't use the Bluetooth technology built into the Wii opting to go with a USB dongle and working on a 2.4GHz band. It's an easy one piece wheel with the pedals on the back of the wheel. You can see more pictures below and read up on the product on Logitech's website.

[READ MORE]

Classic Gaming Trivia for 8/21/08

by: John - posted: 8/21/2008 9:14 AM - Comments (0)

For yesterday's entry, I went to one of my old C64 classics. I played PSI-5 Trading Company a lot on the Commodore 64 when I was a kid and it was one of the more unique games at the time. Today we have three pictures for you and you can see two more when you click on the Read More button. This game, as well as the company, were one of my favorites for the system.

[READ MORE]

Perfect World in beta, trailer in throes of heroism

by: Randy - posted: 8/21/2008 4:08 AM - Comments (0)

Apparently, in a Perfect World, land-based travel is for suckers, swords are for flying, and women are used to play capture-the-flag. I subversively nabbed a key, letting me into the beta for one week, which started this past Tuesday, August 19th. First impressions will be up this weekend.

News Roundup: Silent Assassin Homecoming

by: Randy - posted: 8/21/2008 3:36 AM - Comments (0)

Demos, Clients

Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis German demo.
ArchLord Episode 3: Spirits Awakening client.

Trailers

Crysis Warhead Announcement (QT HD)
Killzone 2 GC 2008 Multiplayer (WMV)
Resident Evil 5 GC 2008 Trailer (WMV)
Tom Clancy's EndWar GC 2008 Trailer (WMV)
Far Cry 2 Map Editor (QT HD)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Talent (QT 720p)
Rage In-Game Teaser (QT HD)
Silent Hill: Homecoming GC 2008 Trailer (MP4)
Velvet Assassin Shadows (WMV)
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Cinematic (WMV 720p)
Team Fortress 2 Meet the Sandvich (WMV)

Screenshots

Articles

It's not too late to get into the drama as Defunct Games reads Bionic Commando chapters 3 and 4.
Techgage published a follow-up look on the benchmarking/overclocking Nehalem, based on new details surfacing yesterday.
The Hachiko says Galaga Legions on XBLA "gets the job done for bringing Galaga into the world of next-gen consoles."
Roughly (but still commendably) English-translated coverage of The Witcher Enhanced Edition has been compiled by Polish website, gram.pl.
The Noctua NH-C12P Cooler may not utilize an optimal design.
Here's what you should pay attention to with the NVIDIA nForce 700a and GeForce 8000 Chipsets.
Legit Reviews has extensive coverage of IDF: Intel Solid State Drives and Inside the X18-M, 16GB DDR3 Memory Modules with MetaRam, and Intel IDF 2008 - Opening Keynote Highlights.
Techgage is at IDF in San Francisco, too, soaking in the new reveals about Nehalem.
AtomicGamer previews the revivalist Prince of Persia.

Thanks to Defunct Games, Techgage, AtomicGamer, The Hachiko, Gram.pl, BurnOutPC, and Digit-Life for today's News Roundup.

Change the African landscape with Far Cry 2's map editor

by: Randy - posted: 8/21/2008 2:55 AM - Comments (0)

I may have an oh-so-tender spot for map making, but that doesn't mean people disinclined towards drawing up their own playgrounds won't find this video exciting. This map editor for Far Cry 2 features the most intuitive user interface I've seen since Sim City 4's, and certainly the easiest drag-and-drop action I've witnessed for an FPS editor. And being from Montreal, Canada, the Ubisoft team couldn't help but toss in an homage to their Mecca, Paris.

But if pretty, pretty pictures aren't enough to get you in the mood -- and you need some freshly-baked literary soul food to get your guns oiled -- then it's time to revisit War Cry 2's in-game and in-character blog, War Unlimited: My Journey Through a Warzone. It rocks a war-journalist vibe in the war-torn countryside, with a war-time aesthetic hinting at war veteran Ernest Hemingway's short stories. I know our newly-inducted writer, Sean Nack, has already been subscribing to this one.

Bond actors enter the Quantum of Solace video game soundbooth

by: Randy - posted: 8/21/2008 2:08 AM - Comments (0)

Activision wrangled the Quantum of Solace Bond movie stars into the video game recording booth: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Mathieu Amalric, and Olga Kurylenko will all be fully voice featured in the upcoming game that's built on the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare game engine. Interestingly, the awesome Judi Dench (who plays the character M in the films) is the only one with a strong background in voice acting, with plenty of movie narration credits to her name, as well as previous video game work in GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, and The World Is Not Enough. Comparatively, the other actors are soundbooth virgins, since I also don't think Olga Kurylenko's role in the Hitman movie counts.

Here's a couple videos of Activision's high tech character-likeness mapping procedures.

[READ MORE]

Adidas Live Season changes the game in FIFA Soccer 09

by: Randy - posted: 8/21/2008 1:42 AM - Comments (0)

EA has just sacrificed your FIFA Soccer 09 roster on the altar of fantasy futbol realism. A global network of scouts (!) will now monitor every player in the newly-featured Adidas Live Season leagues and, throughout the season, will be piping weekly performance reports to a central EA Sports database of player statistics. Andrew Wilson, Vice President & Executive Producer for the franchise said, "The game will feel and play differently each week. With Adidas Live Season, if Ronaldinho has a great match on the weekend, you'll feel the difference when you pick up the controller as his in-game attributes increase."

In related news, EA just pulled a Madden with the Spanish Liga BBVA and Adelante by securing exclusive licensing. This gives EA Sports sole rights to include every Spanish La Liga club and further shuts out competitors from delivering up-to-date kits, squads, and player likenesses.

FIFA 09 will be available worldwide in 18 languages in 37 countries in October. (More painful proof that American football is just small potatoes.) A demo will be made available on September 11th for both Playstation Network and Xbox Live. [READ MORE]

WAR goes stunningly cinematic

by: Randy - posted: 8/21/2008 1:22 AM - Comments (0)

This is going to come off wrong, but Warhammer Online's war-for-war's-sake premise has always left me with a cold shoulder. It looks great, and the combat mechanics will be tabletop-comprehensive; no one's arguing against that. I guess I'm just asking myself that old actors' adage: "What's my motivation?" But if this video teaches you nothing else, it's that life in WAR is fleeting. Boy, it's a smashing-good video though. This one just might seal the deal for folks that have been on the fence about WAR, and even non-MMO fans can get a kick out of the brutal sense of battlefield humor.

Set against the backdrop of a city under siege, a devious Goblin Squig Herder, mutating Chaos Marauder, and deadly Dark Elf Sorceress (bet on her) lead the invading hordes of Destruction in the assault on the city of Altdorf. Rallying the forces of Order in defense of their capital are the noble High Elf Shadow Warrior, fiery Empire Bright Wizard, and stalwart Dwarf Engineer. To the victors go the spoils of war; to the defeated, utter annihilation.