I'm Back

I had a very fun vacation. Now, I have to return to work. So, there are the news, after Thursday 20th:

Play Revolution Before Anyone
http://revolution.ign.com/articles/702/702589p1.html

April 20, 2006 - Nintendo on Thursday afternoon announced a partnership with AOL.com that is sure to please anybody anticipating the successor to GameCube, still-codenamed Revolution. Through a contest with AOL, the Big N is planning to fly three lucky finalists to its media briefing and the Electronics Entertainment Expo 2006 to see and play the latest and greatest the company has to offer. Better yet, one of these three finalists will be "the first person in the world to play Nintendo's next home console," according to the firm. This statement is not exactly true since thousands of developers and some media have already gone hands-on with the system, but hey, it sure sounds nice.

To be eligible for the contest, gamers must sign up at http://www.aol.com/Nintendo-first-to-play between April 21 and April 28.

Three finalists will eventually make the cut and the luckiest of all participants will even take the stage at Nintendo's Kodak Theatre media briefing to play Revolution before anybody else in attendance.

"No consumer has ever played this new Nintendo system before," said George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "But more importantly, no one has ever interacted with video games in this way before. Our next home console will revolutionize how people play and experience video games."

"As one of the leading game destinations on the Web, we are thrilled to partner with Nintendo to give our AOL Games community the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be the very first person to play the highly anticipated Revolution console," said Ralph Rivera, vice president & general manager, AOL Games.

Entrants do not need to be members of AOL, but they will need to be 18 or older to participate in the contest.

Revolution Details Coming to Famitsu
http://revolution.ign.com/articles/702/702605p1.html

April 20, 2006 - Revolution is starting to get some buzz even in Japan. Earlier today, we reported on a scan of an upcoming issue of Jump Magazine that seemed to confirm Dragon Ball Z for Revolution. While the validity of the scan has yet to be confirmed, we can confirm one Revolution bit: a Revolution game or games will be unveiled on the pages of Famitsu next week. Famitsu is currently publishing a "scoops" section in each week's issue, leading up to E3. This week's scoop was Ridge Racer 7 for the PlayStation 3. In its preview for next week's issue, the magazine promises details on Revolution software as part of the scoops section. It may be one game, it may be more than one game -- we'll have to wait until next week to find out for sure.

Check back late next week for more.

Nights Set For Revolution?
http://revolution.ign.com/articles/702/702606p1.html

April 20, 2006 - Each weekly issue of Japan's Famitsu magazine has a tiny rumor section, a small black box taking up less than 1/6 of one of the black and white pages buried in the middle of the magazine. A couple of weeks back, the rumor section stated that Sega would be bringing a Yakuza (Ryu Ga Gotoku) sequel to the PlayStation 3. This week, something even juicier: Revolution will be getting an action game in which you fly a clown-like magician through the sky. The game will be made by a game creator who recently went independent.

Put a few pieces together, and this rumor seems to suggest that Sega's Nights Into Dreams will at last be getting a sequel, and it will be on the Revolution.

The rumor story goes on to hint that this little bit has something to do with a recent conversation the writers had with someone who created a famous bearded character.

Series creator Yuji Naka has, in previous interviews, hinted that he would like a special controller interface for a sequel to the game that many consider to be one of the Saturn's finest titles. We're not sure what famous bearded characters Naka has made in the past, though.

Rumors of a new Nights have officially appeared on the eve of every E3/CES since the original's release back in 1996. The fact that this is coming from Famitsu's rumor section gets us a bit more excited, but we'll wait for confirmation before letting our dreams run wild.

Tony Hawk Downhill Jam
http://revolution.ign.com/articles/702/702793p1.html

April 21, 2006 - Nintendo's official magazine published with the announcement that Tony Hawk Downhill Jam is coming to Revolution later this year. The game's title is pretty much self-explanatory, so for now we'll just have to leave it at that.

Activision's Tony Hawk license encapsulates one of the most popular and lucrative videogame franchises in the world. Tony Hawk Downhill Jam will provide a new twist on the wide-open, skate-intensive gameplay mechanics that have made Hawk entries so beloved.

IGN has already seen the game in motion and will have impressions and other materials at a later date. Stay tuned for that.

Atari Makes Revolution DBZ Official
http://revolution.ign.com/articles/702/702990p1.html

April 24, 2006 - Today Atari confirmed that Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is indeed in development for Nintendo Revolution, as IGN announced last week. This will be the first next-generation Dragon Ball game, and it sounds like it will make good use of the Revolution's unique controller possibilities.

Matt Collins, director of marketing for Atari, said: "The innovative controller featured with Nintendo Revolution is perfectly suited for Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, which engages players with fast-paced fighting moves. Gamers will be able to play in a very physical way, mimicking several of the show's most popular character moves and pull off awesome combos and attacks."

A sequel to last year's Tenkaichi, the game combines action, fighting and light RPG elements in a story that spans the entire Dragon Ball universe. The title features more than 100 playable characters, 15 destructible 3D environments, and nine different game modes, including both single and multiplayer battles.

Tenkaichi also boasts new new in-game transformations and puts the Revolution controller to full use. "Using the Nintendo Revolution controller, players will be able to mimic signature moves as they are performed in the Dragon Ball Z animated series, such as Goku's Kamehameha, moving both hands to executive this devastating energy attack," Atari stated.

Atari has the Revolution version of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 set for a "holiday release." The PS2 build is scheduled to ship this October and we fully expect the Nintendo version to arrive at the same time.

SpongeBob and Avatar Hit Revolution
http://revolution.ign.com/articles/703/703003p1.html

April 24, 2006 - Publishing giant THQ today announced that it has inked a deal with Nickelodeon to bring popular games based on the highly-rated television shows SpongeBob SquarePants and Avatar: The Last Airbender to Nintendo's new generation console, codenamed Revolution. Both titles are scheduled for release on Revolution this fall, just in time for the launch of the system.

"THQ's Nickelodeon video game portfolio continues to dominate the kids video game space with nearly 17 million units of SpongeBob-branded games shipped worldwide. Last year's SpongeBob SquarePants: Lights, Camera, PANTS! and Nicktoons Unite! were two of the top video games for kids in 2005," said Kelly Flock, executive vice president of worldwide publishing, THQ. "This year's lineup includes games based upon some of the best loved Nickelodeon shows, as well as several exciting new television and theatrical properties. Nickelodeon fans and kids of all ages can expect to see new features, gameplay and adventures that are sure to provide hours of quality entertainment and loads of fun."

"We look forward to continuing our very successful alliance with THQ in the interactive entertainment market," said Stephen Youngwood, executive vice president, Nickelodeon Digital Media. "This year's lineup gives kids the opportunity to have fun with all their favorite Nickelodeon characters, as well as several of our newest shows and movies."

SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab, enables players to explore the surreal world of Bikini Bottom as it transforms into uniquely different visual styles. The title, which offers a wide range of platformer mechanics, will make full use of the Revolution controller for some inspired new play opportunities. Blitz Games is developing Krusty Krab for Revolution. The studio announced several months ago that it was working on a big project for Nintendo's new system. SpongeBob would appear to be that title.

Avatar: The Last Airbender enables gamers to play as show characters Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Haru as they team up to use kung fu-inspired bending arts. Gamers will traverse through dour Avatar nations and gawk over beautifully detailed environments inspired by scenarios from the show. THQ's Studio Australia is making Avatar for Nintendo's new generation system.

So, the Revolution is coming...
uh... matt?

--Revolution Now
--Tortus