Is that headline a bit critical of Band Hero? No. Is that headline very critical of Band Hero? Absolutely.

The demo for Band Hero hit the Xbox Live Marketplace a few hours ago, and though it’s getting rather mixed impressions, through and through, Band Hero is a family game, with family songs, targeted at a family market. Of course, with artists such as Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, and Jesse McCartney heading up the set list, you didn’t need me to tell you that.

But that’s not to say the setlist is a stinker; In fact, I really like it. Obvious mainstream appeal aside, songs like “Black Horse And Cherry Tree”, “Let’s Dance”, and “Kung-Fu Fighting” make me want to at least give the game a try, when it comes out Nov. 3rd. If this seems like your type of thing, or you’re just looking to quench your music game, button-mashing thirst, hit up XBLM and download the 3-song demo now.

Oh thank the heavens, Jonas comes out in November, so I won’t have to decide between that or Brutal Legend. But I will have to change my Modern Warfare 2 preorder.

I got a chance yesterday to demo some upcoming products from SouthPeak Games, one of which was Ninja Town, a tactical strategy game for the Nintendo DS.

The object of the game is to build a number of different ninja units to fend off enemies from advancing through your base. The enemies will begin to appear from an entry point, and you’ll want to have a number of ninja units ready to fight off the enemies before they can exit the base.

The more enemies you defeat the more cookies you’ll be awarded, which is used as the game’s currency to build and upgrade other ninjas.

In the level I played, there were only two different types of ninjas to choose from, Wee Ninjas and Anti Ninjas. The Wee Ninja is a faster unit, but the Anti Ninja is a stronger unit. I was told that later in the game there are a number of different ninjas to choose from, enhancing the overall strategy of the game.

Each level will contain a different task and strategy to stop enemies, and there are also Boss levels in the game. In one of the levels I was shown, the enemies were after a certain building and the object was to defeat them before they destroyed the building.

In another level, I actually had to blow into the DS’s mic to keep enemies from getting through the base and to the exit. Blowing into the mic will actually blow the enemies back towards the other direction, allowing my ninja units to attack. Pretty cool strategy, indeed.

Graphically the game looks like a solid DS games, using bright and colorful environments. The ninjas are some of the cutest ninjas I’ve ever seen, and I’m serious about that. Even the enemies had a cutesy look to them.

Look out for Ninja Town from SouthPeak Games this October.

Cake Mania 2 was recently released for the Nintendo DS, and it is basically an update of the original Cake Mania. Once again, players are thrown into a bakery and must make custom cakes for demanding customers. If you’re a casual game or puzzle fan, you’ll probably be salivating at the chance to make cakes at a frantic pace.

There are some twists this time around. In the story mode, Jill’s dream of revitalizing her grandparent’s bakery has fizzled, and she wants to move onto better things. Coincidentally enough, she receives two requests – her friend from college wants help with a city bakery and her ex-boyfriend wants help with a bakery at his undersea amusement park. So players get to decide Jill’s fate – will she work for love or for fame.

Once again, the bakery starts out barren. Each challenge has two goals, bakery goal and superstar, where Jill must make a certain amount of money before the month ends. That money can then be used to buy new bakery accoutrements or upgrade existing equipment.

There’s also a new Endless mode, where players can just bake cakes endlessly. Since the first Cake Mania DS game pretty much ended after you beat the story mode, this is a welcome addition to casual players and fans of the game.

Despite being a casual game, Cake Mania 2 is definitely not for beginners. In fact, you’lll probably have to have played a bit of the first Cake Mania to figure out some of the more intricate cake combinations. Cake Mania 2 will not hold your hand and help you in the kitchen – it will leave the stove on hot, and allow you to figure out that fire burns.

This is demonstrated in two ways. First, is through lack of tutorials. You make one cake with the help of the game, and it’s a simple one too. After that, you’re thrown into work. The first assignment isn’t too bad initially, but after you buy three ovens, you’ll start getting requests for 2 layer cakes with decorations, without any explanation how to make one.

Then there are the chapter descriptions. They will occasionally hint at a helpful product for the coming level (like the TV). This is nice, except it comes up after the utensil buying section. So you’ll find out right before the level starts that the upcoming customers can be appeased with a TV, and you won’t have one.

Cake Mania 2 really does improve over the first DS Cake Mania game. It is more challenging, attempts a deeper story with the ability to guide Jill the baker’s fate and provides the Endless cake mode where you can bake as much as you want. On the other hand, it betrays its casual gaming fans and roots by offering little in the way of explanations or tutorials and jacking up the difficulty level.

What does this score mean? Check out our review scoring breakdown.

Turn-based strategy gamers are giddy everywhere, as Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift is officially dated for  June 24, 2008. Press release and shameless recommendation after the break.

If you missed out on the original FFTA for the GBA it’s absolutely worth going back to, and it’s arguably one of the best turn-based strategy games out there. The recent PSP remake of the original PS1 game may do its job as well.

There’s not really much more to say other than it’s going to be available for the Nintendo DS, and it’ll be an indirect sequel to FFTA – meaning, that it’ll take place in the same universe but previous experience isn’t necessary. However, it may increase enjoyment and you’ll understand subtle references. Oh, and you also won’t hate yourself for missing out on the first one.

Here’s the press release for those of you who enjoy that kind of thing:

DIVE INTO THE WORLD OF IVALICE THIS SUMMER WITH FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: GRIMOIRE OF THE RIFT

The Latest Square Enix Tactical RPG Enters the Ivalice Alliance on June 24, 2008

LOS ANGELES (March 19, 2008) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix™ interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today that the latest entry in the IVALICE ALLIANCE™ series, FINAL FANTASY TACTICS® A2: Grimoire of the Rift™ is set to transport players to the fantastical world of Ivalice on June 24, 2008.

Embark on a journey through the vibrant world of Ivalice this summer with FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift. As the third entry in the Ivalice Alliance series, this follow-up to the 2003 Game Boy® Advance release brings the popular tactical franchise to the Nintendo DS™ for the first time. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift will introduce newcomers to an engaging turn-based, grid-oriented battle system as they make new discoveries alongside the hero in this lighthearted adventure. Long-time fans will enjoy exciting new content and enhancements, including polished game mechanics, intuitive stylus control, and new jobs and classes.

“FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift makes the tactical RPG genre accessible to fans who may be unfamiliar with the grid-based battle system,” said Director Yuichi Murasawa. “While maintaining the classic functionality of the much-loved gameplay, this newest release boasts upgrades that enable a more engrossing and fulfilling tactical RPG experience.”

STORY

School is out for the summer, but mischievous Luso Clemens must first face detention to make up for his misbehavior. Alone in the library, he stumbles upon an ancient book with magical powers that summons him to the mystical land of Ivalice. Warped into the middle of a battlefield, Luso joins Cid and his clan to set off on an adventurous journey looking for a way home.

FEATURES

* Explore the fantastic world of Ivalice and join forces with famous heroes from FINAL FANTASY® XII – Vaan, Penelo and Al-Cid
* All-new content and enhancements, including polished game mechanics, new jobs, new classes, and a new clan system that enrich the Ivalice experience for fans and newcomers alike
* The North American release will allow players to command characters in battle and navigate through menus all with a tap of the stylus
* Witness vibrant and colorful visuals in dual-screen presentation, made possible by Nintendo DS
* Increased replay value with up to 400 available quests, allowing players to immerse themselves in a multi-faceted storyline

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift is not yet rated. Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) website at www.esrb.org for more information about ratings. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift will be available at North American retailers for the suggested retail price of $39.99 (USD). The official website can be found at http://na.square-enix.com/ffta2

The NPD numbers are in for February and both Microsoft and Sony give their little twists on things. Hit the jump  to check out the results.

February was a good month for video games, as both hardware and software sales were above expectations. 1.1799 million hardware units were sold, beating out the expected 1.602 units. This strong growth came from Nintendo DS sales; 427,300 units were expected to sell but the total end number was 587,600.

The Playstation 3 sold 280,800 units, outselling the Xbox 360 yet again, which sold 254,600 units. The PS3 outdid expectations by 411%, while the 360 underperformed by 2.33%.

This is where the PR battle starts. Microsoft claims that the 360 still had some supply issues, accounting for the loss. Aaron Greenberg, Xbox 360 group product manager, actually told Next-Gen:

“Our expectation is that because of our shortages at retail during February, we will sell less than PS3.”

He goes on to call Sony’s win a “hollow victory.” Sony obviously didn’t see it that way, boasting that “PS3 Sales Eclipse Xbox 360 for Second Straight Month,” without acknowledging Microsoft’s supposed supply issues.

Sony also reminds us that GTA IV, Gran Turismo 5, MGS 4: Guns of the Patriots, as well as many other large titles are on the way, so they’re only getting started.

And then way ahead of the pack is the Nintendo Wii, which sold 432,000 units, 31,300 more units than expected.

Finally, the Sony Playstation Portable underperformed by 4.71%, selling 243,100 units.

Software sales fared even better than hardware, beating out the expected sales by $76.7 million, coming in at $668.7 million. Software sales have also increased 47% from February of last year.

Call of Duty 4 took the top spot once again with the Xbox 360 version selling 296, 200 units. Devil May Cry 4 under whelmed on both consoles, selling 295,200 units on 360 and 233,500 on the PS3. The predicted numbers were 438,400 and 272,600.

Sales of newer titles such as Lost Odyssey, Turok, and Frontlines: Fuel of War more or less met expectations.

Sources: Simexchange, the bitbag, next-gen

I tap ‘n dragged some long skinny arms onto my oblong-bodied creature and watched on the top screen as his animations automatically changed to accommodate them.

The creature editor for Spore DS made an appearance on the expo floor at GDC today and the demonstrator gave us some exclusive information as we chose more goofy body parts to mix ‘n match on our model.

This Spore version is built from the ground up for the Nintendo DS and focuses most on the creature game, which means making the distinction between a more aggressive or more social animal. Socialites have the advantages of mini-games, petting, and friends who might even follow you into battle.

Combat uses a combination of stylus driven slash attacks and bio attacks, which use up an energy bar. As you unlock evolutionary parts to stick onto your creature, some of these might generate regen properties, but otherwise you’ll have to stick to the old fashioned way of eating flowers to regain energy.

Most of the game is about exploring the world, where there are things to dig up or smash. Quests range from saving a planet to thawing out fish for a hungry NPC. Speaking of NPCs, you’ll be able to populate your environment with your friend’s creatures, all via a Wi-Fi trading system.

If you can’t wait for more creature creation, don’t miss the juicy news that the PC character editor will be available early, with youtube integration included.

Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution is not only the first incarnation of the popular series to make its way to next gen consoles, it’s been built for the ground up specifically for console and handheld players. We first gave you a glimpse of the Xbox 360 version back in October, and now 2K has released the first screenshots of the Nintendo DS version.

Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution

4 Photos

 

Why bother with the repeated folding and unfolding of a traditional paper map until the edges start to wear, when you can just flip open your portable? With the help of a special cartridge, Disney plans to give tech-savvy visitors a better way to get around their famous theme parks.

Rumored some months ago, Disney’s Magic Connection is apparently now in the testing phase, but you’ll need your Nintendo DS to use it. Packed with a GPS locator, the software allows you to pinpoint your exact location at any time on the digital map. As expected, the stylus can also be used to scroll around or zoom in and out on the bottom screen.

But wait, it does more!

Magic Connection also uses wi-fi to key into the park’s OneSource network, a hefty information hub used chiefly by staff to keep track of various park activities in real time. While your average visitor won’t be able to access everything OneSource has to offer, the pertinent bits (such as ride wait times) will be available to guests.

And those silly itineraries your mom always makes are present, too. You can pick and choose attractions/restaurants/events around the park and add them to a built-in wishlist, checking them off as you complete each item.

To top it all off, the cartridge comes with trivia and several mini-games that unlock when visiting appropriate areas of the park, giving you something else to do while waiting in those never-ending lines. Some can even be played along with other people.

But if you’re expecting to walk into the Magic Kingdom today with your brand-spanking-new DS Lite, be warned — Disney is currently only offering park-furnished units for the test. According to certain testers, the custom handhelds seem to be outlined in a sort of foam covering (likely to guard against any bumps and bruises) that conceals a memory expansion cart.

It’s currently unknown whether the final product will be offered to visitors who bring their own portables or if they’ll continue to use said rentals. Likewise, the existing set of features will no doubt be tweaked/expanded as Magic Connection nears release.

For more impressions of the service and shots of it in action, visit the link below.

Source: [WDWMagic.com, header image courtesy of user SewIn2Disney, Instructions Scan courtesy of user NotAZoo]

Website Media Create (only the console names are in English – scroll down to see the numbers) has recently posted the latest hardware data out of Japan and the Sony PSP is trailing behind the Nintendo DS Lite by a mere 1,210 units.

That’s a huge comeback for Sony, seeing as how the PSP was trailing behind some 40,000 units less than a month ago. At this rate, we may very well see Sony take the portable gaming crown.

The complete list is as follows:

DS Lite – 97,369
PSP – 96,159
Wii – 84,530
PlayStation 3 – 38,907
PlayStation 2 – 14,499
Xbox 360 – 4,690

Via Next Generation

2007 ended on a great note for Nintendo, with both the Wii and the DS being insanely successful. However, according to the first Japanese software chart of 2008, they’re just getting started.

For the week ending in January 6th, 25 of the 30 top selling games in Japan were for the Wii and the DS. Even more impressive, the two systems took up every top ten spot. The other five spots went to three Playstation 2 games and two PSP games.

Mario Party DS topped the list with just under 200,000 units sold, while Wii Fit came in second and Wii Sports surprisingly took third, followed by Final Fantasy IV for the DS and Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii.

The full list was as follows:

1. Mario Party DS (DS)
2. Wii Fit (Wii)
3. Wii Sports (Wii)
4. Final Fantasy IV (DS)
5. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
6. Wii Play (Wii)
7. Dragon Quest IV (DS)
8. Prof Layton and Pandora’s Box (DS)
9. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)
10. Mario Party 8 (Wii)

I have never been more proud to be a Nintendo fanboy.

Via GamesIndustry.biz

For the week ending December 9th, the Sony PSP sold 91,481 units in Japan. The next week, ending on the 16th, it managed to more than double that number with 184, 610 units sold. Surely it’s catching to the Nintendo DS in sales, right?

While it’s closer than it was, the Nintendo DS still outsold the PSP by almost 40,000 units, with a total of 222,144 sales for the week ending December 16th. To top it off, 28 DS titles placed in the top 50 best-sellers.

As for the other video game systems, the Nintendo Wii took the lead of the home consoles with 170,558, the PS3 came in second with 63,720 units moved, 18,025 Playstation 2 units were sold, and the Xbox Box 360 trailed behind everyone with only 8,561 systems sold.

Poor Billy Gates just can’t catch a break, can he?

Via The Escapist

A Steampunk Version of Sam Fisher’s Goggles

Fans of the old Commodore 64 classic Impossible Mission might be interested in the new DS version, available now exclusively at Gamestop stores.

In Impossible Mission, you play as an unarmed spy trying to foil the plot of criminal genius Professor Elvin Atombender. The name Elvin Atombender should be enough to justify the $10 price tag on this baby.

The object of the game was to make your way through the Professor’s fortress, looking for puzzle pieces and trying to stay alive amidst various traps and evil robots. The premise sounds like standard platform puzzler fare, but the hook comes in the randomly generated content. Each time you play, the rooms are different and the robots all have different abilities.

As well as being available for Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, Playstation 2 and Nintendo Wii versions are also in the works, yet no specific release date has been announced sinced missing their August and September release dates in Europe.

Via Go Nintendo