Gyllenhall is the Prince and DQIV Redux Dated!

Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, The Day After Tomorrow, Brokeback Mountain) has been cast in the starring role as The Prince of Persia, in...Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Described thusly, "In the fantasy adventure, Gyllenhaal will play Dastan, a young prince in sixth century Persia who must join forces with Tamina (Arterton), a feisty and exotic princess, to prevent a villainous nobleman from possessing the Sands of Time, a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world."

You know. I don't know how I feel about this. I like the guy all right but... can he do this??

It's already been said before that despite having the same title as the first game in the Prince of Persia's resurrection in games, this movie will intentionally not be a whole lot like the game. You can kind of see where they're going with that, but this movie has already been compared to....Pirates of the Caribbean, in terms how how they are looking at it. But uh, well, PoP is a game with a story, and Pirates was A DISNEYLAND RIDE. Big difference. So stay tuned.

Source: Dark Horizons


The first of Squenix's Dragon Quest 3D reduxs for the DS is coming to North America on September 16: Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen.

But people are also wondering when DQIX, also on DS, will make it to these shores. It's due in Japan on November 20th. Well, I'd say it's safe to say we won't get it until next year, obviously. :P Probably late spring or early summer. But stay tuned.

Source: 1Up

ESRB: Earthbound IS Coming to the VC??

I don't usually report things like this, because you might as well consider it 'rumor' status. This has not been officially confirmed by Nintendo of America, however, it seems that Earthbound is indeed coming to the Virtual Console.

The ESRB has it listed, with a rating of 'E' (the SNES game was rated 'KA' under the old rating system), and the platform listed is 'Wii'. So... naturally, one assumes this means the VC.

However, Nintendo of America has not officially commented on this, or made an announcement. We need to remember that. This news is being reported all over the web that the game has been 'confirmed'.

Well, I won't consider it a 'confirmation' until NoA says something. Sometimes these things do happen. For example, sometimes Amazon has listings for items that are actually not being released, or have had no official release announcement. Best Buy also posted a PS3 remake of Final Fantasy VII on their site right before the PS3 was released, and absolutely no such announcement was ever made that this game was even being made, never mind being released. In fact, Squenix kept saying 'No, we are not working on this game'.

So my point is, I'm not considering this a 'definite' thing until NoA officially says that it is. However, there is hope. If this game is on the VC, this could potentially mean the biggest thing of all; IF enough people bought EB on the VC... then MAYBE NoA will release Mother 3, eventually... I wish my hopes were exceedingly high.... However, I am trying to be positive.

You know, it is definitely eerie that right after the results of Nintendo Power's poll were released, this information from the ESRB was uncovered.... ¬ ¬ So stay tuned for more news.

Source: Starmen.net

Nintendo Power's Virtual Console Poll: Earthbound WINS the Top!!

The results are in from Nintendo Power's poll of most wanted games for the Virtual Console. As I reported, Starmen.net urged fans to vote for Earthbound, and Mother, if you like (since Mother 3 is a GBA game, it's likely not ever coming to the VC, if it were to be released). The results... are surprising.

The official results read:
1) Earthbound
2) Super Mario RPG
3) Chrono Trigger
4) Mother
5) Majora's Mask

Yes. Earthbound DID get the top spot for the most wanted game people who voted want for the VC. And Mother got spot #4. Wow. I did not foresee this, at all.

And check that out, Super Mario RPG beat Chrono Trigger??? And Earthbound even beat Chrono Trigger. Wow. Just... wow. That's really something. And I don't know what the hell Majora's Mask is even doing on there. But will Nintendo of America listen to this either? Most likely not. I do hate to say it, but Nintendo is just so dead set on NOT releasing these games, they won't listen to ANYTHING.

But congratulations to us, the fans, anyway, for making our demands known. Let's hope for our demands to be met anyway, but... don't get your hopes up too much...

Source: Starmen.net

Boll Gets a 'Nein!' For WarCraft Movie

This is honestly too funny. I mean, really. So, Uwe Boll actually did try to get himself onboard as director of the WarCraft movie that Blizzard is trying to develop. Seriously. And of course, Blizzard told him to go dunk his head in a toilet.

According to Boll himself, "I got in contact with Paul Sams of Blizzard... and he said, 'We will not sell the movie rights, not to you... especially not to you because it's such a big online game success, maybe a bad movie would destroy that ongoing income, what the company has with it.'

Boll then continued into a bit of a rant that didn't really have a real point: "You go for it to please the game fans, but on the other hand if you have the hardcore gamers, they live in their own world. And you cannot fulfill their ideas from a video game based movie, it's impossible...To be honest, the real gamers are the typical download guys, right? They don't pay anything for movies, because they illegally download the movies. So why I should please these guys? I need the normal audience."

Well, the part about 'you cannot fulfill their ideas from a video game based movie, it's impossible' is usually true. And Boll is part of the problem that MAKES that statement true. Everything is just his usual nonsense.

So, that's pretty funny, and I might be able to make a comic out of that... :D

Source: 1Up

MK VS DC! Fatality!!

This is probably the least likely and most unexpected piece of gaming news I've heard, since at least Darth Vader and Yoda being in Soul Calibur IV...A crossover game is coming of... Mortal Kombat and... the DC Universe. Seriously. And weird.

Called simply Mortal Kombat VS. DC Universe (at least for now), will be, well, a 3D fighting game featuring MK and DC characters. The only revealed characters are the 4 most obvious ones; Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Batman, and Superman. There will also be something called 'Klose Kombat', which is descriebd as 'brutal, up-close fighting mechanic with damage, torn clothing, and bruising', and 'Freefall Kombat', which has not been specified.

Comic writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Grey have been hired to write the story for this game. But there will be two ways in which this story plays out; one from the DC side and the other from the MK side, with each side being invaded by the opposite side's universe.

More should be unveiled at this year's E3 in the summer, with the game expected to be released in the Fall; for 360 and PS3.

Sources: Newsarama 1Up.

GameStop Gets Exclusive Special Editions: MGS4, SCIV

Do you like to give your hard-earned money to GameStop? Well then, there are a couple of special editions you may want to inquire about.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will have a special limited edition at GS. For $85, you'll get the game (of course), plus a case with new art work by Yoji Shinkawa, and a BR disc with 'making of' specials, and a soundtrack record. Catch it June 12. SNAAAAAAKE!!

On July 29, Soul Calibur IV is coming, it was just announced. And GS will have a special limited edition of that game, too. For $80, you'll get the game in a tin box, plus a t-shirt (design has not been shown..), an art book and 'some sort of exclusive downloadable content'. The game is on both PS3 and 360, but it seems the special editions apply to both consoles.

RPG Watch: April 2008

Here are RPG's coming out this month you might want to keep an eye on. If you like RPGs that is.

Baroque (Wii, PS2): April 8- A dungeon crawler in which you must discover the secrets behind the world of ruin you wake up in. The name comes from a type of person in this world who basically suffer severely from their own delusions; 'Baroques'. There are also Meta-Beings, who have become monsters after completely succumbing to their 'Baroques'. A theme in this game is described commonly as 'death is the beginning', because when you die, you do die, but some different things happen in the game as a result, such as unlocking new areas, and new character dialogue.

Rondo of Swords (DS): April 15- This strategy RPG focuses on the body double of Prince Serdic of Bertwalde, after the kingdom is attacked by the Grand Meir Empire. The game features a different kind of battle system, in which when you move units, you move them through your allies and enemies, and attack those in your way. Choosing a path to move your units plays a great part in battles, and there will also be a variety of units for combat as you would expect, each with special abilities and features.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness (DS): April 20- To understand the Pokémon, you must become the Pokémon. Just as in the other two Mystery Dungeon games (Red and Blue Rescue Teams), your character has somehow gone to another world populated by Pokémon and has become a Pokémon. You then go on an adventure of treasure-hunting with your Pokémon allies. Each game also has an exclusive Pokémon you can unlock, just like the regular series. If you really, really, gotta catch 'em all, the games, that is, then this should serve you well.



Persona 3: Fes (PS2): April 22- Did you miss Persona 3 last year? Or maybe you just can't wait for Persona 4. Well, you're in luck. Not only does this game come with an expansion to the original game, it comes WITH the original Persona 3, which was not the case for the Japanese release. This set contains The Journey, which is basically the first game, and The Answer, the new expansion, and is more of a typical exploration RPG, and has less of the...dating activity than The Journey does. It also adds about 30 more hours of game time. Fight your way through your high school against evil beasties during the Dark Hour. Let yourself become a typical, emotionally imbalanced high school student so your Persona will become unleashed, in this installment of the cult, fan-favorite series.

The World Ends With You (DS): April 22- The words 'hip', 'fresh' and 'urban' are often used to describe this game, with music reminiscent of 'hip-hop' and techno sounds. Taking place in Japan's Shibuya district (yes, a contemporary setting RP), you play a boy named Neku who was seven days to complete all the tasks of the 'Reaper's Game'...or else. His psychic powers will help him along the way, as well as partners in each chapter.

Nintendo Power Virtual Console Poll: Vote for Earthbound!

The newest issue of Nintendo Power asks readers to let them know what classic games they want to see on the Virtual Console, and want readers' lists of the top 5 choices they have for games, and the results will be posted 'in an upcoming issue'.

However, take note that NP does say "This is for polling purposes only, and will in no way determine future Virtual Console releases".

'In no way'? Then why bother? Well, they are a magazine who is simply asking for audience feedback. That's part of it. But also, well, maybe Nintendo of America will take notice of some of the most popular choices, and consider putting them out on the VC.

Naturally, Starmen.net is all over this, and suggests that if people want Mother and Earthbound/Mother 2 on the VC, they should put these games on their list.

As I have shared, it now seems astronomically unlikely that NoA is going to ever touch the Mother series again; they don't want to release Mother 3, and it seems that Earthbound will not be on the VC, by Nintendo's planning.

But you know what, do it anyway. Put the Mother games on your list and send it to Nintendo Power anyway.

Oh and the other 3 games can be whatever you want. Go nuts. :P

Mail your lists to Nintendo Power at vcpoll@futureus.com.

Source: Starmen.net

Mother Knows Best; NoA Does Not

Many people will not find this to be a big deal in any sense, but I think it represents a significant message to fans of the Mother series; Mother 2 was released in North America as Earthbound, on the SNES.

Fans were most excited when Super Smash Bros. Brawl included the all-new Lucas, from Mother 3, which has not been released by Nintendo of America here, among the roster of playable fighters. The excitement increased as news of other various elements from Mother 3 were included in the game as well. And then it was revealed that veteran Smash Bros. fighter Ness, from Mother2/Earthbound was returning, and his hometown of Onett is an arena. Mr. Saturn, from Earthbound, also returns as an item and trophy, and the music Snowman (from Mother 1 and 2) is a track in the game. Earthbound fans couldn't be happier to see these things in a new game, especially if this can help promote the series for a possible release of Mother 3, and maybe the other 2 games as well (Note: Mother 1+2 was a two-in-one game for the Game Boy Advance in Japan, before Mother 3 came out. It was not released overseas, but would be an easy way to do it).

However, there is one element from this series that does not remain. In 'Brawl's Masterpieces section, there are demos from various Nintendo games that can be unlocked. There is a demo of Mother 2 in the Japanese edition of the game. This should be a demo of Earthbound, thusly, in the U.S. edition of the game. However, the demo of Mother 2/Earthbound was removed by Nintendo of America.

There doesn't seem to be any real reason for NoA to even bother removing just a demo from the game. But it's just a demo, you may be wondering 'So what?'

I think there may be a certain message NoA is giving to the fans with this strange move, and a lot of fans are not happy because they get similar feelings.

The Earthbound/Mother community and fan base is VERY strong and VERY vocal, and they DEMAND Mother 3, which is almost 2 years old in Japan, be brought over to North America. NoA is very aware of this fan base, and quite honestly, they don't seem to care. The fans have made themselves more than known to NoA, and have made their wish more than clear. And NoA has done nothing, and have said before in the past that they don't have Mother 3 on the horizon, and will probably never get to it, even though the fans demand it.

And then there's the Virtual Console, which has the potential for a vast gallery of great and classic games. Fans have hoped that Earthbound (and possibly even Mother) would be released on the VC. It was being reported by Starmen.net, the giant Mother/Earthbound fan site, that NoA 'is' going to release Earthbound on the VC 'soon', or 'eventually'. Well, apparently, that depends on what your definition of 'is' is, because there has been no word or evidence that NoA actually is planning to do this; nothing official, anyway. And this was first being reported late last summer. Even members of Starmen.net are now wondering if it actually is true, and if the game will come to the VC at all...

Naturally, if NoA was planning to release Earthbound on the VC, then keeping the demo of the game in 'Brawl would make a lot of sense, and also be convenient. However, if they are planning to release the game to VC, then why remove the demo that could actually help promote the game, and gain interest in it? But why bother wasting the time and effort at all?



Essentially, I think that most likely, Nintendo of America is giving the fans of Mother and Earthbound a giant 'Fuck Off', with the removal of this simple demo.

They know what the fans want, and they don't want to give the fans what they want. They are likely very tired of hearing the fans demands, and probably even pleas and begging, for a game or games that they simply do not want to release.

Nintendo of America does not want to bring Mother 3 here.

Nintendo of America does not seem to care about the Mother series.

Nintendo of America doesn't even seem to want to re-release a game from the series that they already released once before, and one that also has a strong, loyal and grateful fan base. By the way, in regards to the original Mother, for the NES, NoA actually did translate that game as well, but backed out at the last minute and did not release it. So NoA has two games they completely translated, and even though one was not released, it's still already been done, and they don't care to release either one.

Nintendo of America does not care what the fans want.

I, and other fans, really can't see any other logical reason for NoA ignoring all of these things, and then also bothering to remove an Earthbound demo from 'Brawl, especially if it could be useful for a re-release of the game. You may think I'm reading more into this than there really is there, but given Nintendo's history with all of this, I doubt I'm at least not far off.

I may be wrong, and in the end, maybe Earthbound will be on the VC. But I think this is just a greater sign that NoA is just overall ignoring the series, as well as the fans. I certainly doubt we will see Mother 3 soon, if ever. I'm sadly not holding my breath.

So if you do care about the series, what can YOU do?

Well, Starmen.net held their EB Siege Campaign last year, in which fans wrote letters and cards, sent envelope art, and called Nintendo of America, letting them know of their demand for Mother 3, and even the other 2 games. Fans are still encouraged to do these things. And fans have already started asking questions about the removal of the demo. Apparently, they are not really getting answers though...I wouldn't expect NoA to release an official statement about this; they'll just ignore it. But keep watching for more news.

Starmen.net's Newspost and NoA Contact Information

Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack Images

Bungie has released images of the three new maps included in the Heroic Map Pack, to be released on December 11 for 800 Microsoft Points. Here are some details on each map:

This map is the biggest of the three. Modeled after the Crow’s Nest level of the campaign, this big team-inspired map has a wide outer track, intended for Warthog and Mongoose action, that leads to each base. In the center you’ll find multi-layered courtyards, hallways and plenty of rooms.

A middle-sized, symmetrical map with an African theme, perfect for four-on-four Team Objectives. It sports two identical bases separated by a ravine and surrounded by pathways for some vehicular mayhem. Each base has two entrances and a locked third entrance tunnel opened only by activating a switch. There’s a machine gun turret on top of each base to cream any fool running around in the open.

A vast warehouse filled with stairs, boxes, ramps and all sorts of weapons. This map was made with Forge fans in mind, so everything can be moved around, removed or replaced, including the central wall that separates the two bases. Your imagination is the only limit in this map.

If, like me, you want to save your Microsoft Points for Xbox Live Arcade games, you’ll be happy to know the Heroic Map Pack will be offered free of charge as soon as the next Map Pack is ready, which should be sometime in the Spring of 2008.

New Halo 3 Multiplayer Maps

Halo 3 will be getting three new multiplayer maps in less than three months after the game’s release. The Heroic Map Pack is coming on December 11 and will include a big-ass indoors map called Rat’s Nest for large team battle mayhem, a medium-sized outdoors map called Standoff, and an industrial warehouse map called Foundry that should be mostly suited for Forge madness.

Sounds great, right? Wrong! The Map Pack will cost a ridiculous 800 MS points ($10). Think about it. You can buy Castlevania: Symphony of the Night on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 points. That’s just stupid. If you can wait a few months you’ll be able to get the Map Pack for free, but by then there will be another Map Pack with brand new maps and then you’ll want that one too, for another $10 or maybe even more. I love downloadable content, but hate Microsoft’s greed.

Interplay to Play Again

It seems Interplay is not completely dead after all. Today GameSpot posted an article saying Interplay wants to come back to gaming by making sequels to some of their best-known series, like Earthworm Jim, MDK, Dark Alliance and Descent. That’s great, if they somehow can find the money needed to develop those titles. I really hope they can get their act together because it’s been a while since I last saw my old wormy friend Jim.

If Interplay does make a triumphant come back, what other of their old games would you like to see? Here’s a montage of my favorite Interplay games.

PlayStation 3 Turns 2.0

The PlayStation 3’s system software was updated yesterday to version 2.0. That’s great, I love updates, but they keep getting bigger and bigger, as in 118MBs. It took me almost an hour to download the damn thing. Anyway, let’s take a look at what this update does:

- You can finally customize the XMB’s (dashboard) icons and background. I’m still wondering why it took so long for this to happen.
- PlayStation-related news and information can be displayed at the XMB.
- You can create playlists for photos and music.
- The PSP can now turn the console on. Will anyone ever use this feature? And, can the PSP turn it off?
- Video downloads, like trailers, can be watched as they download.
- The vibration feature for the upcoming vibrating PS3 Dual Shocks has been added. A bunch of non-vibrating games will eventually get updates to benefit from this feature.
- And other minor things not worth mentioning.

Gray Fox Joins the Brawl, Sort of

There's a new Fox in Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and it ain't McCloud. Frank Jaeger, better known as Gray Fox from Metal Gear Solid, will appear as an Assist Trophy. He'll randomly appear to help you in battle as a guest character. Just look at that screen shot, he looks awesome. Too bad he won't be playable, like Snake, but I'm not really complaining. This game looks like it will own big time when it's released in February 2008.

God of War III is Officially Coming to the PlayStation 3

Finally, a PS3 exclusive title besides Metal Gear Solid 4 that I might actually purchase. But wait, the series creative director, David Jaffe, left SCEA to start his own company, and now Cory Barlog, the series director, has also left SCEA. Uh oh, what impact will that have on God of War III's production? Only time will tell. May the Gods be with us.

Super Mario Galaxy Flies High

A few reviews of Super Mario Galaxy have been published on website’s like GamePro and 1UP, and it looks like the world’s favorite plumber still has it going on.

1UP says: “Galaxy is one of the most impressive, engrossing games in recent memory and quite the contrast to the rest of this year's triple-A gaming crop, which tends toward the dark, the M-rated, and the first-person perspective.” They gave it a 9.5 out of 10.

GamePro says: “Definitely lives up to the high standard of previous Mario games. Best title in the franchise since Mario 64.” They gave it a 5 out of 5.

What I’ve seen of the game so far looks awesome. I’m really looking forward to it.

Super Mario Galaxy currently holds a 97% average ratio on GameRankings.com based on 6 media outlets.