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"The Walt Disney Company is reportedly seeking to fully buy out UTV Software, which is the parent company of Ignition. Disney already owns 50.4% of the company, but has offered to buy the company in full for 454 million dollars. The reason for the proposed acquisition lies mostly with UTV's reach in the realm of Bollywood films and TV shows, so a full takeover would mean all of that belongs to Disney."
Countless Nintendo Wii games go ignored constantly despite being worthy additions to any gamer's collection of titles. Bright Hub gives you the top five overlooked Wii games.
"So you have this little white (or maybe black) box sitting by your TV. You know it's supposed to be used for something, but you can't quite figure out what. It doesn't play movies, and it isn't high-def. However, as much vitriol as the Wii gets, it does have quite a few excellent gaming experiences, many of which are unique to that little console. So if your Wii is gathering dust, and playing Wii Sports with Grandma has gotten old, check out some of these great third-party Wii games and remem..."
When video games are designed to look a specific way, the visual style can often last well past the viability of a console. This article examines how developers create visually "timeless" graphics, as well as collects several of the most prominent examples.
The Nintendo Wii may be doing well in terms of hardware sales but that doesn’t always guarantee success to the exclusive games available on the system, especially when it comes to third-party titles.
Today, Nintendo has unveiled a new budget lineup in Japan: Minna no Osusume Selection, or the "Everyone's Recommendation Selection". Unlike most other budget rerelease lineups like Player's Choice, Greatest Hits, or PlayStation the Best, which are based on retail sales, the Everyone's Recommendation Selection are based on user ratings gathered from the Minna no Nintendo Channel (Nintendo Channel) in Japan. The criteria for being considered is having earned either a bronze, silver, gold, or ...
"Rising Star Games has announced the appointment of a new columnist at their Hoshi Club – the online destination for videogame fans to find out the latest details on Rising Star Games’ videogame releases and insight into Japanese culture. Following the signing of ex-Edge deputy editor, David McCarthy, Alex Sim-Wise shall have her own personal space to write about videogames, Japanese culture and pretty much anything she wishes."
Although the Nintendo Wii may be lacking in high-profile exclusive game releases in the year of 2009, the system did have quite a few overlooked Wii-only titles.
"NAMCO BANDAI Partners France today announced a new partnership with Rising Star Games for the distribution of all the titles coming within the next six months. This deal includes, amongst others, the already acclaimed Muramasa: The Demon Blade and the innovative fright simulator JU-ON: The Grudge."
This is a 20 minute podcast review of Muramasa: The Demon Blade exclusively for the Nintendo Wii for a website called Gamesand.me.
It's an informative review with an interesting score system, instead of giving the game an actual score, they recommend the games based on other people's taste, basically if you're the kind of game likes a good story, good music, lots of puzzles etc. such and such game would most likely be most compatible with you. It's a cool concept that I think should be imp...
"The schedule heralds the return of some old friends with a brand new instalment in the The Legend of Zelda series for Nintendo DS and a totally new take on the Super Mario Bros. games which sees the dawn of simultaneous multi-player action in the Mushroom Kingdom."
"At this year's E3, there was a lot of talk about Muramasa: The Demon Blade being the Wii title "most likely to succeed", and no wonder. Created as a 2D action side-scroller by the makers of hit titles Princess Crown and Odin Sphere, Muramasa was one of the best-looking, best-playing games on the exhibit floor. After that first exciting look, it wasn't easy to wait another three months for it to be released here in the 'States but you know what they say about good things and what happens when ..."
"It’s rare that you see a 2D game for consoles these days, and it’s almost unheard of to have one released on disc. Muramasa proves that we need that to happen more often with its beautiful scenery, fluid animation, and old-school design. The game has garnered attention because of its art direction, but that’s not the only reason to buy this game; the setting, the atmosphere, and the gameplay all work together wonderfully."
"The irrepressible UK publisher Rising Star Games have revealed the release dates of the remaining titles on their 2010, including fantastically original games for both Nintendo DS and Wii. Including a number of titles from Rising Star Games’ “The Home of Japanese Games” range, Rising Star Games are set to prove that, once again, they are one of the leading third-party publishers for traditional gaming on Nintendo consoles."
Electronic Theatre reports on the announcement that Rising Star Games have partnered with Cidiverte S.p.a to bring their "The Home of Japanese Games" brand to Italy.
"The Wii’s library has admittedly been lacking in regards to unique 3rd party games, in a sea of family oriented casual games Muramasa really stands out and shows what the Wii is capable of. Developed by Vanillaware, Muramasa takes players to a visually stunning world where players take control of two characters: the amnesia-stricken warrior Kisuke and ninja princess Momohime. At its core the game is a 2D sidescrolling action/adventure game similar to Super Metroid and Castlevania, however Mur..."
"As the grand opening of this year’s London Games Festival, London MCM Expo was always going to be knee-deep in sweet gaming goodness, giving visitors hands-on experience with upcoming epic titles such as Bandai Namco’s Tekken 6, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II and Monster Hunter Tri from Capcom. Now three more top developers give you a sneak peek at what they’ve got planned for October’s Expo."
"After receiving great critical success with the release of Odin’s Sphere on the PS2 a couple years ago, Vanilla Ware was on a mission to prove they could produce another title of such beauty and splendor. The title to match the masterpiece known as Odin’s Sphere quickly became known as Muramasa: The Demon Blade."
Muramasa: The Demon Blade is an action-RPG from the makers of the excellent PS2 game, Odin Sphere. Vanillaware is putting a lot of efforts in this 2D side-scrolling game. The game will be released for the Wii system on September 8, 2009.
The trailer shows some great in-game footage... Click on the source and enjoy it!
"On Fate/Unlimited Codes, 411mania writes:
In 2007, French-Bread posted an April Fools' Day joke in which the company announced that it was developing a 2D hand-drawn fighter based on Type Moon's Fate/stay night franchise. Since French-Bread was also responsible for the popular Melty Blood games, many fans were convinced that there was something to the joke, especially considering how good the fake screenshots were. Melty Blood itself was first revealed in an April Fools' Day joke, so there..."
"Rising Star Games today announced a new partnership with Koch Media, providing a renewed focus on the company’s product and respected brands throughout the markets of the GAS (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) region."
A list of the top games you should look into while making your September gaming purchases. With every system offering a solid game this month, you'll definitely be buying a couple games this month for one of your favorite systems.
"Muramasa: The Demon Blade is coming to North America soon. Real soon. Naturally, magazines are highlighting Marvelous’ gorgeous looking game, but the way it’s being advertised in North America is quite different than Japan.
The image on the right is the first piece of concept art Vanillaware released in Japan. And the picture on the bottom is how Play Magazine is showcasing it in North America."
Edge was able to sit down with Marvelous Entertainment's chief creative officer Yasuhiro Wada, the father of the Harvest Moon series. In the interview, Wada is questioned on the state of the Japanese game industry.
The two major issues that he presents are the fact that Marvelous's name, because they have been responsible for not-so-great games in the past is making people being cautious about sales, along with the industry's overall over-reliance on familiar IPs, crushing original games.
It is the opinion of Neoseeker writer Lydia Sung that Nintendo has in recent years fallen a bit off the wagon, so to speak. Okay, a lot.
Citing her experiences at E3 this year, some of the company's contradictory statements and actions, and support of the mature audience (or lack thereof), she divulges on how Nintendo has missed the mark in a lot of ways, and touches on how they can fix it.
Have a read if you feel so inclined!
"This year’s E3 was a feast for the eyes, showing off some very impressive games for all three major home consoles. While the Microsoft and Sony E3 press conferences were stuffed full of gaming goodness, the Nintendo press conference seems to be left in the dust. If you actually look at what Nintendo has coming out for the “hardcore” you will realize they are doing a better job of tailoring towards that crowd that they have in the past. Don’t believe me? then feast your eyes on this amazing li..."
With the way things are with the world's economy even the video game industry isn't exempt from feeling the pinch. Marvelous Entertainment is definitely one of those companies who are feeling the heat right now. A staff blog post (presumably by the Managing Director Yasuhiro Wada) states how they feel about their software sales on the Wii. He states how poorly some of their main titles have been selling on the Wii and says that, "I truly have teary eyes. I feel like crying."
However, there...
Binge Gamer's Perry Piekarski is not exactly what I call a PS3-Fanboy, but he has never found much reason in picking up any other console.. until E3. Muramasa: The Demon Blade, a "RPG action-platformer" has caught his eye, check out his hand's on to find out why.
Bonus video of the intro sequence to the game
(Perry was using a broken booth to show some gameplay.. but.. he had no clue it was broken when filming. He presses buttons and waggles away. My favorite part is his voice crackin...
Speaking with Siliconera in a post-E3 phone interview, Ignition Entertainment's Business Development Director Shane Bettenhausen went into detail about the localization of the publisher's upcoming Wii title, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, which was developed by Vanillaware.
The most noteworthy news is that the game will not feature an English dub, and will only have a Japanese voice track. Bettenhausen goes further into how Ignition was able to obtain Muramasa, and the circumstances in which ...
Ignition Entertainment was at E3 2009 with a few highly-anticipated titles for 2009, starting with King of Fighters XII. In tow, we have the new Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny and a Wii-exclusive side-scrolling adventure, Muramasa: The Demon Blade.
There are some big questions as to how the new KoF and Samurai Shodown will stand up against their predecessors, which we address in our evaluations based on in-depth previews at E3. And as for Muramasa? Well, it's actually pretty entertain...
IGN has gone hands-on with the Ignition Entertainment-published Muramasa: The Demon Blade, before E3 official kicks off tomorrow. The Vanillaware-developed game is a 2D action RPG akin to the company's most notable PS2 offering, Odin Sphere, and is a Wii-exclusive.
Muramasa: The Demon Blade is expected to release this September. Additionally, IGN is also teasing new information related to the game during their liveblog of Nintendo's Press Conference.
"Of all the games at the show, and thankfully kitted-out with seating for those lucky enough to squeeze onto an edge during their playtime, Muramasa: The Demon Blade garnered the most attention. The delicately drawn character artwork and strikingly vibrant backdrops caught the eye of not only the videogame fans, but also many of the attendees present at the show for the anime."
"Thousands of gamers, anime fans and cosplayers of widely varying quality descended on ExCel, an exhibition centre in London, for one of the biggest events in the collective industrys’ calendar today, the 15th MCM Expo. Running for two days, 23rd May and 24th May 2009, those few Electronic Theatre readers who managed to miss today’s show may just have enough time to organise the necessary travelling arrangements, and grab that Bomberman outfit they’ve been saving for a special occasion."
"Rising Star Games will also be demonstrating upcoming titles including Avalon Code, Luminous Arc 2, Angel Cat Sugar and Happy Party with Hello Kitty & Friends, as well as conducting battle challenges on Valhalla Knights 2 and hands-on walkthroughs of the critically acclaimed Little King’s Story."
"See the part where Momohime slices creatures while waves rise in the background? Thats where the demo ended. I dont recall the demo having giant spiders or millipedes either so most of this video isnt recycled from old trailers. Be sure to watch it in high definition so you can see how gorgeous Muramasa: The Demon Blade looks.
"
In a press release sent out today, Marvelous Entertainment and XSEED Games have announced that they will be co-publishing two more games for North America, as they had revealed in an earlier interview. While one of those games was already confirmed to be Muramasa: The Demon Blade, they have now confirmed the other two games.
Those other two games will be Arc Rise Fantasia for the Wii, and Flower, Sun, and Rain for the DS. Arc Rise Fantasia is a RPG developed by imageepoch, where "contain...
Marvelous Entertainment has released some new screenshots for their upcoming ARPG, Muramasa: The Demon Blade for the Nintendo Wii.
The game takes place in the mystical Genroku era, ruled by the skilled shogun Tsunayoshi Tokogawa. His lust for power leads to a conflict over the powerful but cursed Demon Blades. They condemn those who use them to tragedy, madness, and untimely deaths. Players will take control of a ninja or a kunoichi in side-scrolling levels to stop Tokogawa.
Muramasa: T...
There are some new screenshots and character art for Marvelous Entertainment's upcoming action RPG, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, for the Nintendo Wii.
Based on ancient Japanese lore, the game takes place in the mystical Genroku era, ruled by the skilled shogun Tsunayoshi Tokogawa. His thirst for power leads to a conflict over the powerful yet cursed Demon Blades. They condemn those who use them to tragedy, madness, and untimely deaths. Players will take control of a ninja or a kunoichi in ...
"Muramasa: The Demon Blade is an incredibly special title, stated Yasuhiro Wada, Managing Director of Marvelous Entertainment. From the team that created the critically acclaimed Odin Sphere, Muramasa features a stunning visual look and palette that will be embraced by gamers world wide. Were pleased to continue our relationship with XSEED Games to bring such an anticipated title to the massive North American gaming market.
Jun Iwasaki, President of XSEED Games, shared Mr. Wadas senti..."
From the Nintendo Fall Press Conference last night, there are new screenshots for Marvelous Entertainment's upcoming Wii Action RPG from Vanillaware: Muramasa: The Demon Blade. The game will feature 2D graphics, artwork and gameplay, featuring the company's great animation abilities.
Screenshots are courtesy of Impress Watch.
[Nintendo Fall Press Conference 2008 Official Thread]
Straight from the Nintendo Fall Press Conference is the montage reel that was played that showcased the various upcoming Wii games. This is the same reel that announced these games.
The latest post on Marvelous Entertainment's Tokyo Game Show 2008 blog has a post written by Louis from their License & Localization Group, who handles games overseas. In the post (which is available in both Japanese and English), Louis announces that there will be a new unannounced game that Marvelous will reveal on the first day of the show. This is game also unknown to the Japanese press, for a full-on new game announcement. He also states that it is from a "charismatic Japanese creator...
In the latest issue of Nintendo Power, it is revealed that Vanillaware's upcoming Action RPG, Oboro Muramasa Youtouden, will be seeing a US release, being published by the partnership of XSEED Games and Marvelous Entertainment. This is one of the games that XSEED and Marvelous hinted that would be localized. The localized title for Oboro be Muramasa: The Demon Blade, and no release date has been announced as of yet.
Vanillaware is the developer responsible for the gorgeous 2D PS2 games O...
![Box shot of Muramasa: The Demon Blade [Europe]](http://i.neoseeker.com/boxshots/R2FtZXMvTmludGVuZG9fV2lpL0FjdGlvbi9GaWdodGluZw==/muramasa_the_demon_blade_frontcover_small_IiihBE9bnGtMjEf.jpg)