The Rundown: March 9, 2009
Today on The Rundown, rockers Fall Out Boy and Rise Against get a mention, Patapon 2 hits the web, TrackMania DS gets a demo, EA reveals its Fight Night cover athletes, Mysims rides again, and Burn Zombie Burn! is revealed. The whole song and dance after the break…
Code Veronica Wii Rumor
You have got to love a rumor or two to start out the week. According to Game Focus, Wii-owning Resident Evil Code Veronica fans will be “very happy, very soon,” according to Capcom project manager Matt Dahlgren. Dahlgren told the web site that Wii RE fans should be on the lookout for an announcement March 12.
Patapon 2: The Web Game
Patapon 2 fans might be interested in knowing that SPIL GAMES will host an exclusive Patapon 2 mini-game across many of their online game portals for one week only from March 9th to March 16th. This official flash mini-game is fully playable on both PC and Macs, showcasing the musical fun and unique gameplay of the newly released Patapon 2 – out now on PSP. You can play it all this week at www.agame.com.
Fall Out Boy Trail is HOT
Rock band Fall Out Boy’s web game, Fall Out Boy Trail, seems to be pretty popular; the web game, which is a play off the popular edutainment game, The Oregon Trail, has been hit 250, million on www.FriendsOrEnemies.com since it launched a mere 72 hours ago (give or take). The main reason is that those who play the game have a chance to win free tickets to the band’s upcoming North America Tour, “Believers Never Die Part Deux.” If you want some of that action, check out www.FriendsOrEnemies.com.
TrackMania DS Demo
Atlus U.S.A. announced that a playable demo for TrackMania for the DS is available on the Nintendo Channel via the Wii - for a limited time. Wii owners connected to Nintendo Channel can play sample portions of TrackMania DS by downloading the demo directly to their Nintendo DS systems. TrackMania DS is currently scheduled for release on March 17th. Log on to the channel via the wii to get started.
Burn Zombie Burn! Coming to PSN
doublesix announced that Burn Zombie Burn! will be available exclusively on Playstation Network on Thursday, March 26, 2009. Burn Zombie Burn! is one of Sony Computer Entertainment America’s exclusive downloadable games on the PlayStation Network, and will be given the all star promotional treatment to ensure its success. Burn Zombie Burn! is set across six classic American-horror movie inspired levels. A top-down, arena-based third-person shoot ‘em-up in the classic coin-op tradition will contain all new mechanics. The goal is simple: to get the highest score possible. You can check out YouTube for a glimpse of the game.
Fight Night Gets Tyson, Ali
Electronic Arts announced today that Muhammad Ali, and Mike Tyson will share the cover of Fight Night Round 4. No, Mike will not be allowed to bite anyone’s ear off in the game. Fan voting on www.AliorTyson.com started in late December 2008 and the final results favored having both legends together on the cover. Fight Night Round 4 is being developed EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C. and will ship to retailers worldwide this summer.
MySim Party Double Shot
EA Play announced that MySims Party for Wii and Nintendo DS ships to retail outlets worldwide tomorrow. The next title from the MySims Franchise features a variety of mini-games designed specifically for these Nintendo platforms. On the Wii players tackle 50 different mini-games using the Wii remote and the Balance Board. On the DS it’s the stylus that is your magical control device through 40 mini-games. Both games feature multiplayer as well. Look for them in stores this week.
Guitar Hero On Tour Gets Rise Against
On March 12th, Rise Against will debut exclusively created music for Guitar Hero fans with the debut of “Death Blossoms” as downloadable content for Activision’s Guitar Hero World Tour. The Guitar Hero alums, with “Prayer of the Refuge” and “Re-Education (Through Labor)” appearing in previous versions of Guitar Hero, complete the Rise Against Track Pack with “Audience of One,” the hit single off the band’s new album Appeal to Reason and “Ready to Fall,” from their 2006 album The Sufferer & The Witness. Commemorating the release of the Rise Against Track Pack, players will have the chance to join Tim McIlrath on the digital stage. The Game with Fame event takes place on March 14th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM Central (11:00 AM to 1:00 PM Pacific) in Guitar Hero World Tour - send a friend request to the gamertag GHRiseAgainst1.
NaturalMotion at GDC
Animation technology company and euphoria engine maker NaturalMotion is heading to the 2009 Game Developers Conference later this month. NaturalMotion recently released version 2.0 of its morpheme animation middleware, with the integration of NVIDIA PhysX technology. The company is taking meetings with game developers and publishers interested in how NaturalMotion’s technologies bring game characters to life. For more info check out www.naturalmotion.com.
MangaFighter For Free
Gamescampus.com announced today that it is offering players of its Free-to-play Third Person Shooter, MangaFighter. For a limited time, non-paying players will have the opportunity to earn “Don” (in-game credit) through in-game achievements and purchase all functional items in the game’s item mall. Players will not have to spend a single penny of real money and will have access to items usually only available to paying players, putting everyone on a level playing field. Hit the link above for more info.
