The folks at Joystiq were tipped that a PS3 bundle will be coming to Best Buy for Madden NFL 11. This bundle will cost $349 and will include a 250GB PS3 and the game. For those that count their pennies, this is the same cost as the standard PS3 250GB system, so you’re getting the game for free.
Joystiq’s sources say that the bundle will be available on Madden launch day, August 10th. Doubters? You shouldn’t as the bundle is already live on the Canada site for Best Buy.
Source: Best Buy to offer 250GB Madden NFL 11 PS3 bundle [Joystiq]
Last week it was reported that Mistwalker boss and Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi would be retiring after The Last Story. This week, it turns out that there was a translation error and that Sakaguchi does in fact have no plans to retire after the Wii game is done.
“Emotionally it feels like this is my last work, while pouring everything I have gotten into this project,” is what he actually said.
So, Sakaguchi will still stick around after the rather cool looking roleplaying game is finished. Considering he still owes us a Lost Odyssey 2, I’d say that’s pretty damn good news!
Sakaguchi not retiring after all? [Eurogamer]
There. You can see it above. Reportedly this ad for an upcoming black Xbox 360 “Slim” (doesn’t look that slim) popped up on Italian gaming website Console Tribe. It has since been taken down, but the internet is faster than that and grabbed a shot of it.
The ad said the new 360 would have a 250GB HDD, built-in WiFi (it’s a miracle!) , and compatibility with “Kinect.” The general assumption, which could be 100 percent wrong, is that Kinect is the actual name of Project Natal. Some digging through the source of Console Tribe shows that Microsoft owned ad company Atlas Solutions pushed the ad and image automatically to the site. The ad linked back to Microsoft’s Italian page.
Video of the ad in action below.
HEY MOM I”M AN ANALYST!
If you want to look at my fat face rambling pointlessly at our Vtoid honcho, then you’re in ABSOLUTE FRIGGING LUCK, Above is a video where, indeed, you will see my fat face rambling pointlessly at our Vtoid honcho. In this video, we discuss the hardware that will be shown off at E3 this year, from Project Natal to PlayStation Move to the 3DS.
Bonus points for all of you who spot the nuclear blast that appears to overcome LA halfway during the interview. We have no idea what happened, but it’s fantastic. Check it out if you want!
Tony Hawk: Ride and its board controller were just a bad ideas. Seriously, is anyone out there still attempting to play it? I can’t imagine that even the most die-hard of fans are still falling all over their living rooms pretending like it is fun to use that stupid board. However, the board is not entirely useless. It can evidently be made into an actual skateboard.
As you will see above the fellows at SECSFilms have made the Tony Ride, an actual skateboard made out of the Tony Hawk: Ride skateboard. The video is basically them pulling off plenty of tricks, but what is really surprising is how durable the damn thing is. I would have expected the board to crack from some of the stuff they’re doing, but it holds up well.
Now, if someone can convert my extra Rock Band guitars into real guitars I’d be eternally grateful.
[Thanks, Zerstorer23]
Yesterday, we anonymously received images of a rather strange looking ION-branded controller. We reached out to ION to see what it had to say about the unannounced product, and it was surprisingly forthcoming.
The company confirmed that what we’ve seen is called the “ION Total Control,” and it will be revealed at E3 next week. In size and feel, ION says it’s very similar to the Xbox 360 controller, with the triggers replaced by a “patent pending mouse-like button design.” The unique controller is being designed with MMO and first-person shooter players in mind, with 100% customizable back-lit buttons.
“We decided to go with a wired design to provide maximum performance at the lowest price,” the company said regarding its decision to skip the wireless route.
Interestingly, the controller was designed by Jonathan Hayes, the man responsible for overseeing the design of the Xbox 360 console. ION also adds that “leading MMO game designers” provided input on the devices design, as well.
We’ll keep an eye open for this at E3, but now that you know what it is — are there are any MMO or FPS players who think they might get use out of something like this?
Last week, we posted a strange Xenoblade commercial starring Mayu Watanabe. Now the promising Wii RPG has gotten another one, starring the same lovely Japanese singer and full of yet more cryptic oddness.
In the last video, Watanabe said she wanted us to “use” her body. This latest one has her saying, “What will happen to us from here on out?” The video is titled Uncertain Future, which would explain her line of questioning. Whatever it means, it’s strange and pretentious, which makes it perfect for promoting a JRPG!
I’m quite looking forward to this, along with The Last Story and Arc Rise Fantasia. It’s a good year to be a Wii-owning JRPG fan, that’s for certain.
[Via GoNintendo]
As you have probably figured out from the barrage of pre-E3 news, E3 is happening next week. E3 is kind of a big deal. Because it’s such a big deal, we are having a one week only (well, more like 10 or 12 days, but whatever) special Musing topic!
We want you to write anything you want about E3. Who will win E3? Who actually won E3? Is E3 a good idea? What are you most excited about? What was the biggest disappointment of the show? What announcement was the biggest surprise? Which company doesn’t understand their fanbase? What were your reactions to Microsoft’s press conference? Was Valve’s surprise the greatest announcement in the history of gaming? Why is the LA Convention Center such a terrible place? Anything you can think of related to E3 is fair game.
To up the ante a little bit, any blogs that get promoted under this topic are going to win a fabulous Mr. Destructoid bobblehead, and MAYBE a little bit of E3 swag as well, depending on how much gets handed out this year. We expect to get a lot of submissions, so spend some time and put some serious thought into your post.
To participate, just click “Post A Blog” up there in the upper right of the screen, title your post “Something about E3: WhateverYourTitleIs”, make sure you pick the “Monthly Musing” from the tag list (this is important!), write it up, and set it live. Don’t forget that June’s Monthly Musing is still ongoing throughout E3, so if you haven’t done one yet, now is the perfect time to write both a Weekly and Monthly Musing blog.
Get writing!
It’s not often that I can emphatically stand behind one of my FAotD picks and say “Get this thing!” A lot of the time, I find games that are kind of cool, or only worth getting because they are free. With Destroy9, however, I am quite prepared to put myself on the line and say that this game is a complete steal for its temporary free price. GET THIS THING!
The game is quite simple and its style isn’t entirely new, but the presentation and underlying depth make Destroy9 a winner. You send wave after wave of soldiers across a map, beating down the enemy forces in order to destroy their base. Good timing and resource management all help on the road to victory, but the real game changer is the fact that you can get in on the action yourself by taking full control of a “leader” unit. Part tower defense, part strategy game, part action shooter, Destroy9 is loads of fun.
As if that wasn’t enough, the wonderful retro graphics, amazing music and generally endearing Japanese style makes this one of the best Free Apps I’ve ever had the privilege to share with you, even if the name is a cash-in on District 9.
It’s worth nothing that Destroy9 – Alien is also free for a limited time, allowing you to play the game from the enemy’s perspective
Hooray for Ninjatown. I can never get enough of looking at this adorable series of games. Venan Entertainment let us know that the iPhone title Ninjatown: Trees of Doom! has just received the first update to its content.
In addition to fixing a number of bugs, this update makes some changes to the design of tree segments to allow for higher scoring. Plus, there’s new stuff in the form of a playable character, Anti-Ninja, and a smoke bomb item which will teleport a ninja a thousand feet up instantly. Venon’s CEO, Brandon Curiel, says in the press release that we’ll be able to expect new environments and gameplay modes to arrive in future updates. Pretty nifty.
Also, the above commercial for the game is brilliant. We’ve all been there.
