The missing features of Shiren the Wanderer

Atlus U.S.A. has released new details on Shiren the Wanderer, the upcoming “rogue-like” RPG for Wii - including three online features from the Japanese version of the game will not be included in the North American release. According to Atlus U.S.A. public relations manager Aram Jabbari, “the North American version of Shiren will not include the Rescue, Versus, or Item Transfer.” He did note that the downloadable dungeon content from the Japanese version will be included on the disc.

While Jabbari understands that these omissions may upset some North American players, he points out that he still thinks the game is a fantastic RPG experience without them. What he does not explain is why these features are being omitted in the first place.

For those not familiar with the game, Shiren the Wanderer is an action RPG that lets you play as a wandering samurai named Shiren, who explores different time periods in a colorful and historic Japan. The North American version of the game offers variable difficulties including a new easy mode that lets new players ease into the game and a normal mode for more seasoned players. Post-game activities will offer additional quests, super dungeons, a tournament, and the ultimate challenge of the Millennium Dungeon, a 1,000 floor dungeon crawl. Players can take control of their party directly or let the game’s A.I do the heavy lifting by setting “attitude and tendency.” Players can also modify equipment through the new Dragon Orb system, giving them with special abilities via more than 100 Seals and use new spells that allow for targeted effects on enemies and more.

Shiren the Wanderer is currently scheduled for release on February 9, 2010. For more details on the game, check out the very first blog entry about it over at www.atlus.com. Check out some nifty screenshots after the break.

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Survey finds video games top holiday wish lists

Shippin’ Out: Week of Nov. 16, 2009

Buried in a sea of offal (the usual rush of products prior to the holiday shopping season stampede), are a number of promising games including multiple versions of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 2, the new Tony Hawk game, Left 4 Dead 2, Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, NCAA Basketball 2010, LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues, LittleBigPlanet’s PSP debut, and so much more. You can check out the rather massive list after the break - which doesn’t even include the new stuff making its way to digital distribution platforms like Steam, GamerGate, Impulse and more.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii was released on Sunday, Nov. 15, so if you haven’t gotten your copy yet, you should be able to find it at most major outlets.

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Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band next week

Apple Corps and MTV Games’ Harmonix announced The Beatles classic album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), will be available in its entirety for purchase and playable as downloadable content in The Beatles: Rock Band starting November 17, 2009.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is the second full album from The Beatles to hit The Beatles: Rock Band Music Store since the game’s launch on September 9. Last month MTV Games and Harmonix released Abbey Road (1969) as the first full downloadable album for use in the game. Additionally,
“All You Need Is Love,” the first downloadable track available for the game, has shown similar success with more than 100,000 downloads to date on Xbox LIVE. Proceeds to that song are being donated to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Available for Xbox 360 (Nov. 17) and PlayStation 3 (Nov. 19), songs that are not already part of the original game’s line-up - including “Fixing A Hole,” “She’s Leaving Home,” “Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!,” “Within You Without You,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Lovely Rita,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “A Day In The Life” - will cost $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points) per track. The “Complete Album Pack” will cost $13.49 USD, £7.49, €8.99 (1080 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360).

And if you own the Wii version, you can by individual tracks for $2.00 USD (200 Wii Points) each starting Nov. 17.

Frogger Returns now on WiiWare

Konami Digital Entertainment’s Frogger Returns is now available on Nintendo WiiWare. The latest game in the classic arcade game series starring the road crossing frog now comes in a downloadable format and challenges players to safely deliver Frogger to his destination in a new 3D world.

In Frogger Returns, players must employ dodge-and-run techniques in order to help Frogger out of the busy city and back into the marshland. Gamers must also avoid the hectic streets, sewers and subways that obstruct Frogger’s path home. By utilizing new power-ups including time freeze, invincibility and time reverse, players can manipulate the various environments to make it home alive. How Frogger got these powers is a complete mystery, but hey maybe it will save him from becoming a red and green splotch on a busy city street.

Frogger Returns is available now for download on Nintendo WiiWare for 500 points, and will be available later this month on the PlayStation Network for $4.99.

Video game hardware and software sales decline in Oct.

Video game software and hardware sales in the United States took a sharp dive in October, down 19 percent in October to right around $1.07 billion, according to sales data collected by research group NPD. Console hardware sales fell 23 percent from the same period a year ago, while software sales dropped 18 percent.

Sales of video game accessories were down 2 percent. In Oct. the Wii managed to climb back up on the top of the heap ahead of the PS3 and Xbox 360, despite price cuts for both systems in Sept. The Wii sold 507K units in the U.S., followed by 457.600K units for the DS, 321K units of the PS3 and 250K of the Xbox 360. The PSP and PS2 sold 174.6K and 117.8K, respectively.

Sony’s Uncharted 2 managed to move about half a million copies in October, followed by Wii Fit Plus (441K), the Xbox 360 version of 2K Games’ Borderlands (418K), Wii Sports Resort (314K), NBA 2K10 on Xbox 360 (311K), and Halo 3 ODST (271K).

Modern Warfare 2 Tops GameFly’s Most Wanted

Video game rental service GameFly has released its annual list of “Most Wanted” games ahead of the holiday shopping season. Of the top 10 titles featured on the across all platforms list, seven have seen brisk retail sales and significant rental activity for GameFly. They include Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Halo 3: ODST, Borderlands, Dragon Age: Origins, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Madden NFL 10. Here are the top ten most wanted games according to GameFly subscribers:

1) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - XBOX 360, PS3

2) Batman: Arkham Asylum - XBOX 360, PS3

3) Assassin’s Creed 2 - XBOX 360, PS3, DS

4) Halo 3: ODST - XBOX 360

5) Borderlands - XBOX 360, PS3

6) Left 4 Dead 2 - XBOX 360

7) Dragon Age: Origins - XBOX 360, PS3

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - PS3

9) Madden NFL 10 - XBOX 360, PS3, PSP, Wii, PS2

10) New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Wii

For more information on GameFly, check out www.gamefly.com.