– Currently in the works for Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance handheld system is a new title in the WarioWare franchise. To be dubbed “Mawaru Made in Wario” (which translates as “Spinning WarioWare Inc. in English), the forthcoming game has the player moving, tilting, and turning the physical console in order to complete the franchise’s well known three-second long microgames. Reportedly, the game will make no use of the directional-pad whatsoever. This is one of two WarioWare titles coming out in the near future, with the second being a Nintendo DS release. And no, despite that four games in the franchise will have come out in approximately two years, you will not yet be sick of it.
– Not too long ago, GameCola reported that an update of Sid Meier’s Pirates! was under development for the PC. (Shortly after discovering this, GameCola threw a fit of jubilation, knocking over several potted plants in the process.) As predicted (okay, hoped/prayed for) by yours truly, Atari and Firaxis have now announced that the game will also see release on Microsoft’s Xbox, hitting store shelves sometime in the spring of 2005. Put all foul-thoughts of Pirates: The Legend of Black Kat and Pirates of the Caribbean (GBA version, anyway) from your mind — I’ve got a good feeling about this one.
– For all you wrestling fans out there (by the look of last month’s poll you number in the few, as our wrestling-related question only received a handful of votes), I’ve got some bodacious news about the upcoming Smackdown vs. Raw! for PlayStation 2: the game will be online-enabled, a first for pro-wrestling games in the United States. THQ tells us that one-on-one matches will be made available, though there is currently no word on tag-team, cage, battle royal, etc. (How friggin’ cool would an actual 30-person Royal Rumble be?!) Now if only the control scheme is cleaned up, maybe this title has a chance of dethroning the Best Wrestling Game of All Time In The Universe Bar None (WWF No Mercy).
– Bad news for all your Turok and NBA Jam fans out there — Acclaim is no more. Yes, you heard me right; the minds behind Fur Fighters, South Park: Chef’s Luv Shack, more Mary-Kate and Ashley titles than you have pimples, and BMX XXX has gone to that desert full of crushed E.T. cartridges in the sky. In a nut shell, no one was buying their games and they couldn’t afford to pay their employees, so they didn’t have a choice but to file for bankruptcy. My heart goes out to all of Acclaim’s former employees — may you find work again soon. My heart also goes out to the Legends of Wrestling franchise — may you find a great developer soon, preferably Aki.
– You know, I wouldn’t even have heard of BloodRayne if it weren’t for some story a while ago about an art gallery devoted to the game. From what I understand, the title is an exceedingly average action title which was largely ignored by consumers. Hence, I am question Playboy magazine’s logic in featuring the game’s (I guess?) sexy title character topless in an upcoming issue. I swear I’m not making this up. The high-class porno is featuring pictures BloodRayne and other such superbly famous characters in the buff. Well, that’s not entirely accurate — Mortal Kombat‘s Mileena and Tekken‘s Nina will be wearing some clothing in the issue, while BloodRayne and some random person from the new Leisure Suit Larry will be in their birthday outfits. Problems with this: 1) Nobody’s ever heard of these characters. 2) Nobody wants to see video game characters naked. 3) They’re not even all naked. 4) The girls from Dead or Alive aren’t involved. Etc. I’m sure you can think of a dozen reasons yourself for why this is not a genius idea.
