Dvader said:

So the IW guys formed a new studio with EA, what a coincidence. Yeah I have a feeling they were talking to EA all along. Well good for them, EA is a better boss than Activision.

Archangel3371 said:

I rather enjoyed Too Human myself so I'm actually hoping for a sequel.

Has there ever been a game you haven't enjoyed?

To be fair, though, the game is far from broken, but the exceedingly long development cycle, the Dyack bravado stance on it, and the somewhat competent, but less-than-impressive end product made the reception way harsher than it should have been. Too Human was stillborn, and it's a shame because of the undoubtedly talented team behind it.

Did it break 1 million, BTW?

Did some updates today, here and there. Might have to ditch opera for updates. 

Finally the game you've all been waiting for:

EARTH!

Etc!

Konami Announces Gormiti: The Lords of Nature

US, April 12, 2010 - El Segundo, Calif. - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced Gormiti: The Lords of Nature!, a new action puzzle game for the Nintendo Wii and DS systems. Created and first launched by Giochi Preziosi in 2005 as an action figure product line, the highly successful Gormiti toy brand and TV franchise will be expanding to interactive entertainment systems later this year.

Gormiti: The Lords of Nature! features characters and locations from the popular Gormiti TV show, now airing on Cartoon Network, co-produced by Marathon Media & Giochi Preziosi. The action starts as a character named Razzle, while cleaning the library, accidentally knocks some old books into a Portal. These books tumble down to the 'Island of Gorm' where a never ending battle is going on between vast armies inspired by the elemental forces of nature. The books eventually land at the feet of Magmion, the evil Lava Gormiti. Magmion reads the book and learns of an old legend which talks about reuniting five sacred amulets which have been scattered across Gorm. Once reunited these amulets allow the holder to open an inter-dimensional portal to Earth! The Lords of Nature need to use all their unique powers to hinder Magmion's plans and save Earth. The game recreates the beautifully illustrated island of Gorm, where the Lords of Earth, Sea, Air and Forest are charged with stopping the evil Magmion from wreaking havoc.

"The Gormiti license has grown tremendously since created in 2005 and we are excited at the opportunity to deliver the first interactive gaming experience for fans of the franchise," said Shinji Hirano, President of Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. "The development team is looking forward to adapting the Gormiti storyline into a rich and entertaining video game that will allow players the ability to interact with their favorite characters in a new way."

Gormiti: The Lords of Nature! will feature a story and arcade modes that both versions share, with the Wii version allowing two players to play together co-operatively. Both the Wii and DS titles feature a wealth of key landmarks from the television series, as players directly control three of the Lords of Nature within a group. Using the individual skills of each Lord, players battle Magmion's minions using melee 'Super' attacks, or powerful long-ranged moves, and can switch between their various skills with ease. Gameplay is enhanced featuring jigsaw and sliding tile puzzle games, wherein tiles or jigsaw pieces relating to each of the main characters must be collected and assembled. When completed, the image then reveals an interactive 3D interactive character. All FMV sequences in Gormiti: The Lords of Nature! are voiced by actors from the cartoon show, and once unlocked, a full 40 minutes of action can be watched together.

Gormiti: The Lords of Nature! is scheduled for release in Q3 2010 for Nintendo Wii and DS systems. For assets and more information, please visit www.konami.com/downloads.

Gormiti: The Lords of Nature Hands-on

I'll freely admit that I've never heard of Gormiti. I did not know that it's been on Cartoon Network and that it's been on the air for a second season. I didn't even know that it's apparently a popular enough franchise to have a toy line filling the Toys r Us shelves. 

So when I saw that Konami had a game called Gormiti: The Lords of Nature! on display at its gamers event for both the Wii and the Nintendo DS, forgive me if I briefly thought it was an original IP. But I was quickly corrected by the Konami representatives. I'm usually up on my cartoons, but at my 37 years of age I'm starting to slip, I guess.

Gormiti features elemental creatures who fight the good fight. There's the Lord of Air, Sea, Land, and Forest, and in the Nintendo games players will have these characters work together to complete the challenges.

Anyhow, on both platforms, Gormiti has been developed by Climax, the same studio working on the latest Rocket Knight game for the 360 and PlayStation 3. On Wii, Gormiti is a 3D action game featuring three characters from the franchise. In this game, all the characters work together in a brawler style experience: the player can control one creature at a time but swap between the three at any time. The characters that the player isn't controlling will be controlled automatically…or a second player can jump in to handle the cooperative duties.

The Nintendo DS version felt a lot more familiar. There's a reason: the game is essentially using the game design and engine that Climax built for Overlord Minions. Like that game, Gormiti on the Nintendo DS is a Lost Vikings style puzzle game where each character has their own abilities, and the player has those three characters work together to get through the variety of level challenges. One character, for example, can create bridges of vines to cut across chasms. The game is controlled entirely by the touch screen, and like Overlord Minions it had some serious touch screen problems that made the experience feel clunky.

Both the Nintendo DS and Wii versions of Gormiti will be available this Fall.

Dvader said:

So the IW guys formed a new studio with EA, what a coincidence. Yeah I have a feeling they were talking to EA all along. Well good for them, EA is a better boss than Activision.

 It didn't work out so well for them the last time they worked for EA.  But good for them.

robio said:

FFIX on the PSP. . . does anyone really care?  I think of all the Final Fantasy games that one ages worse than any other.  It was a neat idea for it's time being the "love letter" to FF fans, but 10 years later it just looks like a really boring game now.

 Has to be better than FF3.  I'm looking forward to it, even though I have not played the original.  I'm more likely to actually play it if it is on a hand-held.

How the hell was Dead Rising too japanese? 

It blows my mind. How exactly?

Anyhow, the more I hear about this Sakura wars, the better it sounds. 

review

The Scores
Story: Great
Graphics: Above Average
Sound: Classic
Control and Gameplay: Good
Replayability: Great
Balance: Unparalleled
Originality: Unparalleled
Addictiveness: Good
Appeal Factor: Great
Miscellaneous: Unparalleled
FINAL SCORE: INCREDIBLE GAME!

Short Attention Span Summary
The Sakura Taisen series is considered to be one of, if not THE best, RPG series of all time when it comes to consistent levels of excellence and nothing showcases that aspect more than when Nippon Ichi can take a five year old PS2 game, port it to the Wii and have it outclass every other RPG for that system. It also manages to be one of the best RPG’s released in 2010 so far, as it sports one of the deepest and fleshed out casts in a JRPG that has actually made it to US shores. It also features one of the most innovative SPRG engines ever and the animation sequences are so good a passer-by might think they are PS3 or Xbox 360 worthy. Now that doesn’t mean the game is without its flaws. Some in game graphics are terribly dated due to the game’s original age, and the Classic Controller has a few issues when it comes to the LIPS sections of the game, leaving you with the Wiimote and nunchuk as your best option even though it’s a bit awkward to those of us who originally played the game on the PS2. In this case, remember for ten dollars more, you can pick up the Collector’s Edition on the PS2 and also net yourself some nifty items and a second game disc sporting the Japanese soundtrack. Even if you don’t have a PS2, you’ll be more than happy with the Wii version and it’ll be the crown jewel in that system’s RPG collection

gamingeek said:

aspro said:

OMG, those idiots from Infinity Spawn called their new studio Respawn?  The one thing their games are famous for sucking at?

Maybe it's a self knowing joke?

I didn't notice the name till now.