Hijinks Inc.

Category: Video Games

  • Good timing? I think so.

    I recently (four days ago) sold my Nintendo DS and all my games on eBay. I did this with the thought that Nintendo would have to release a new DS pretty soon, so I might as well get rid of it while it still has some market value.

    Lo and behold.

    During their Fall Press Conference today, Nintendo have – as expected – announced a new version of the Nintendo DS. Called the Nintendo DSi, it eschews the GBA slot (boo!) in favour of a range of improvements. The handheld’s screens have been enlarged, and will now be 17% bigger (at 3.25 inches) than those found on the DS Lite. As for the rumoured additions, both have proven to be correct, with “audio enhancements” made to the handheld, while it will also now include a 3 megapixel camera.

    The DSi seems to have a lot of new features that would assume Wii integration. Virtual Console on the DS? Yes please!

    The Nintendo DSi can adjust pitch and playback, making it ideal for language study and listening to music.
    What’s more, the DSi features an SD memory card slot, making it possible to take pictures with the DSi and then view them on the Nintendo Wii. The DSi features a built-in browers, and its possible to download games and keep them on the DSi.

    Via Kotaku

  • Aurora Feint hits 1.0.1.1, dodges rotten vegetables

    The secretly best free game on the App store just came out with another patch.

    1.0.1.1 fixes the “memory full” error message that plagued 1.0.0.1, and introduces a few minor graphical effects to the mining game. It also tweaks the resource requirements for the smithing patterns. And the peasants rejoiced!

    Unfortunately along with the improvements 1.0.1.1 brought along a few nasty bugs, not the least of which is a server side error that corrupts your save file and forces you start over, losing your precious resources and advancement. In addition there’s been a handful of reports of a graphical error involving a brick stuck in the falling animation.

    The devs have promised a fix to all the problems will come in the quickly upcoming 1.0.1.2.

  • 1UP Yours on: iPhone Gaming

    Last week I said I might post the transcript to the discussion I started on 1UP Yours concerning iPhone gaming. Eight days later, here it is.

    The Cast

    Andrew Pfister: Podcast Producer at 1UP.com
    Garnett Lee: Senior Editor of Previews at 1UP and EGM
    Shane Bettenhausen: Executive Editor of Video Games at 1UP.com
    John Davison: Former Editorial Director of 1UP, co-founder and executive editor of WhatTheyPlay.com
    Mark MacDonald: Former Executive Editor at EGM, former director at Gamevideos.com, currently traveling the world.

    Andrew Pfister:     Free At Last asks, “Why do I keep hearing the iPhone mentioned in the same sentence with the DS and PSP? Do people know something I don’t? It’s a great conversation piece, and yes, people can do some pretty cool things with multi-touch and the accelerometer (i.e. Aurora Feint), but its still just a novelty item, not a true gaming platform. You can’t have a handheld gaming device without buttons.” (more…)

  • E3

    Between reading liveblogs from Kotaku and listening to coverage from 1up I’ve gotten the distinct impression that E3 was…lacking this year. Between Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony the only huge announcements were FFXII for 360 and…that’s about it. Harmonix hosted a concert at the historic Orphium Theatre featuring the elderly classic rock band, The Who. Evidently it was amazing, even though the band wasn’t sure what video game they were supposed to be promoting.

    There was a few things that interested me personally, namely in the handheld market. The big surprise announcement for the DS was Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. I’m not sure how that’ll work unless its 2D, although they are working on a new engine for it. I don’t I think the DS has the power to handle a full 3D GTA, but maybe they will surprise me. Beyond that, Nintendo announced nothing exciting. No New Super Mario Bros 2, nothing we didn’t know about before. Chrono Trigger is coming though, so I can’t get upset.

    The PSP has a couple of new titles that look cool. Insomniac Studio’s Resistance franchise is coming to the PSP Spring 2009. Dubbed ‘Resistance: Retribution’, it departs from the footsteps of Nathen Hale and play as James Grayson, a quiet hero in search of a cure for the alien virus that’s turned most of the world into Chimera (think ‘I Am Legend’ style monsters). I never played the first Resistance, but I’ve heard great things.

    Also, Patapon 2.

    Pata pata pata PON … PON pon pata pon.

  • Adikus grabs Pool cue, doffs money hat.

    In a sudden and somewhat surprising move, indie developer Adikus has taken their aptly titled Pool sim for the iPhone and iPod Touch to the consumer market. With the upgrade to version 2.1 they have added a $9.00 price tag.

    Adikus has recently partnered with RiP Dev, a software dev and distribution house. From their website:

    Since the game continues to evolve and be improved, it is now being distributed by RiP Dev (www.ripdev.com), one of the largest software houses for the iPhone.
    Adikus.com will continue developing the game while RiP Dev will provide the customer support for it.

    Adikus’ only other project is a Backgammon port for the iPhone, which is currently still a freeware release.