Original Titles of WiiWare coming 2008

Nintendo just announced this morning that it will begin selling original game titles for download on the WiiWare section of the Wii Shop Channel starting in early 2008. As previously reported, independent developers will be able to use this service to sell their own games as well. Of course, even though they're Indy games, we'll still review them on the podcast. These original games will also be purchased through the Wii Points system, as with the Virtual Console.

Donkey Kong Movie!?

Wow! After I saw this, I knew that cruddy attempts at turning video games into movies have become TRUELY cruddy. And yes, the subject line is deceiving and makes it sound A LOT better than it actually looks. If you don't believe me, I put the trailer at the bottom of this post (of couse, if you got this via the newsletter you'll have to go on the site to see it).

Yeah, it's a movie about Donkey Kong (the arcade version, not the NES one). But no, it isn't based on the game, it's about two guys PLAYING THE GAME! I probably wouldn't be able to stand listening to a MIDI for two straight hours in a theather starring at 8-bit graphics. I don't even think I could last that long without stopping (thank god for suspend points, nowadays). It's a movie, about who can set the highest record in Donkey Kong.... The movie's official site is: BillyVSSteve.com What is this movie called? King of Kong: Fistfull of Quarters (...) And Nintendo isn't even involved in making this film! Isn't that some sort of copyright violation? (Guess not....)

Anyway, as promised here is the 2-minute trailer:

Manhunt 2 gets AO Rating and Banned in Two Countries (3 Updates Below)

Manhunt 2 from Rockstar games went from being an anticipated game to being one of the most violent games ever. If you have never heard of this game, Manhunt 2 from Rockstar games, masterminds behind the Grand Theft Auto series, was supposed to redefine the horror genre just like the first one on PS2 and Xbox. It is supposed to come out in July 2007 for Wii, Playstation 2, and PSP. The game has been looked at by game raters in the US and Europe. The game was immediately banned in the United Kingdom for extreme violence. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which rates games in North America has given the game an AO rating which is the highest rating they can give and has only has been given to about 25 games out of the thousands of games rated by them. Then, the game was banned in Ireland. Nintendo of America and Sony said that they do not allow AO games to be on their systems and retailers like Blockbuster, Wal-Mart, and Gamestop refuse to sell AO rated games. Rockstar is furious and upset. Right now their options are:
1. Talk to the rating companies and convince them to give the game a lower rating and get it unbanned
2. Edit the game so it is less gory and send it back to the rating companies
3. Cancel the game entierly

UPDATE: Here is the official statement released by Nintendo of America upon hearing the news of Manhunt 2's AO rating:

"Games made for Nintendo systems enjoy a broad variety of styles, genres and ratings. These are some of the reasons our Wii and Nintendo DS systems appeal to such a broad range of people. But as with books, television and movies, different content is meant for different audiences. That's why the ESRB provides ratings to help consumers understand the content of a game before they purchase it."
"As stated on Nintendo.com, Nintendo does not allow any AO-rated content on its systems."

UPDATE 2: After hearing the news of the AO rating to Manhunt 2, Rockstar Games had this to say:

"While we respect the authority of the classification board and will abide by the rules, we emphatically disagree with this particular decision. Manhunt 2 is an entertainment experience for fans of psychological thrillers and horror. The subject matter of this game is in line with other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers.

"We respect those who have different opinions about the horror genre and video games as a whole, but we hope they will also consider the opinions of the adult gamers for whom this product is intended. We believe all products should be rated to allow the public to make informed choices about the media and art they wish to consume. The stories in modern video games are as diverse as the stories in books, film and television. The adult consumers who would play this game fully understand that it is fictional interactive entertainment and nothing more."

UPDATE 3: Figures, after all the updates we have been doing on this game lately, it isn't surprising that Manhunt 2 has been delayed. No doubt, it's being delayed give it a more friendly M rating from ESRB so that its release will be permitted by Sony and Nintendo. No official release date has yet to have been announced.

New GC 2007 Details Unveiled

E3 isn't the only gaming event this summer! Some new details about the German Gamers Conference 2007 have just been unveiled. Most notible being a new list of speakers for the event. These speakers are:

Jason Manley, Massive Black (USA)

Christopher Schmitz, 10Tacle Studios (Germany)

Jennifer MacLean, Comcast Interactive Media (USA)

Dr. Michael Wimmer, The University of Vienna (Austria)

Alexander Fernández, Streamline Studios (The Netherlands)

Cindy Armstrong, Webzen (USA)

Amir Taaki, Crystalspace (Finland)

Jeff Strain, ArenaNet (USA)

Vlad Ihora, Telia Sonora (Sweden)

Barbara Lippe, Avaloop IT Solutions (The Netherlands)

Pamela Kato The GamerX (USA)

Uwe Nikl, Level 3 (United Kingdom)

Matt Firor, Ultra Mega Games (USA)

Konstantin Ewald, Osborne Clarke (Germany)

The event will take place on August 20th and end on the 22nd. For more information on the event in Leipzig can head over to the conference's official website at: GCDC.eu

Episode 21: Caskey RAGE

You also directly download episode 21 now, using the following download link:
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD EPISODE 21 OF GAMERSCAST!!



Well, at long last, the very highly anticipated episode 21 of GamersCast is being released and uploaded as I type this. Yeah, it was originally supposed to be titled "BETAlicious Pokemon" because of the Halo 3 BETA and pokemon being released, but then we thought that title was kinda..... something. So, we're titling it "Caskey Rage", because good 'ol Steve Caskey co-hosts on this episode, and he ranted about pretty much everything we talked about. :P

Though this was recorded a couple of weeks ago, nothing in the episode is out-dated, so your mind can be at ease about that. However, when we talked about Super Smash Brothers Brawl we wondering about which controller would be used, and we actually all predicted what it was when it was officially announced. (Wasabi peanuts for all! (You have to listen to understand what I meant....))
The show spans about 90 minutes long (I edited about 20 minutes of pointless pauses out). And is only a 40MB download. As always you can download all of GamersCast's episodes on iTunes and almost every other major podcasting client. This episode will also be playable on the Flash Player located off of our website's homepage. To view GamersCast's page on the iTunes Music Store go to:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=79240767
OR
http://iTunes.GamersCastPodCast.com

And if you are using another podcasting client (such as the PSP), you should know that our podcast feed is located at:

http://www.GamersCastPodCast.com/GamersCast.xml

The topics that were discussed in episode 21, include but are not limited to the following:

- We take a moment of silence for those effected by the Virginia Tech shooting
- We unveil a new podcast host (again), Steve Cask! (1st time was episode 20 :P)
-The Halo 3 BETA
- Pokemon Diamond and Pearl
- Is pokemon getting old?
- We unveil a new segment and go "Around the Cube"!
- I make a bet with the listeners (if I lose, we'll you'll have a good laugh! :P)
- Super Smash Brothers Brawl updates!
- Who will have the most online users?
- The classic debate of which console will come out on top
- We prepare for E3 2007 and a summer to remember!
- The South Korean PS3 launch (Steve will probably rant here....)
- Is the PS3 turning around?
- Game Franchises that should die!
- Games that turned to movies (DOA)
- Why do movies that turn into games usually suck?
- We hype Episode 22: The 1st Annual GamersCast Awards!
- We finally decided to re-open our gaming tournaments!!
- Podcast gets a new logo and design
- What's the appeal in "Brain Games"
- I thank the listeners for supporting the show
- We unveil a new podcast that is already #27 on iTunes! (or was.... :P)
- Steve goes on summer break, Matt and Adam are still in school....
- Where's our new Wii Channels?
- New games brick out mod chip users (Wii)
- The website development nears completion!
- And MUCH more!

Sony speaks out about PS3 complaints

Sony recently said in a statement saying they feel PS3 will turn around, as they had similar complaints in the past with the original PlayStation and the PlayStation 2. They said such things like, their upcoming game release titles would make the $600 price tag all worth it, and they heard people being skeptical when they introduced DVD in the PS2 also. But what's interesting is that they ended on this note, "past success is no guarentee of future success", and I couldn't agree more.

(Occassionaly, on some posts I may through in my thoughts on the article in the comments, like this one. We also encourage all site viewers and podcast listeners to comment on the post as well.)

Over 10 Million GTS Pokemon Trades!

Wow! Over 10 million pokemon have been traded between the US and Japan since the game finally was released in the United States. And over 5 million copies of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl have already been sold in the US alone, as of July 12, 2007. Now, this statistic was released in Japan, and it was only talking about trades between Japan and the United States, which means all trades between just US trainers and LAN trades were not included in the stat. Also, the stat excludes all trades done via the pokemon center, making it even more impressive. The stat was only referring to the Global Trading Station (GTS) in the game. Personally, I very much think that we need an upgrade in its interface to support the uprising number of users. Perhaps, if more than 7 results came up per search, that would help. And if it only showed trades requesting pokemon that you actually have, that would be nice too. So, yeah, GTS does have some issues with the interface, but as you all can see, this just shows how much the poke'fever has grown.

Of course, the game has been out since September in Japan, but it's still a very impressive stat, considering it's only one game we're talking about, and hasn't even been launched in Europe and Australia yet. However, the game will launch at both of those locations within the next two weeks, which will definitely show a dramatic spike in the stats. Not to mention depending upon the features availible in Pokemon Battle Revolution, may also raise the stats, from the game's online support and DS Connectivity.

Also, keep in mind that on episode 21 of GamersCast we have a detailed discussion about pokemon's popularity. Episode 21 will be released VERY shortly.

PSP 2 Rumor Shot Down..... AGAIN!?

I'm sorry, but when it comes down to being indecisive..... Sony is king. First, rumors spread about PSP 2, Sony says it's real, then they say it isn't, then at GDC they say it's real again.... and now they are once again saying that there are no plans in the works for a new PlayStation Portable. So, from all of the uncertainty I can almost guarantee they'll clear this up at E3, this year. Personally, I do think that it is coming... eventually.

Episode 21 Almost Released

Well, I'm happy to say, that through the power of editing I've been able to edit about 20 minutes of pointless pauses from the show, that's the good news. The better news is that, from me not releasing anything (I'M REALLY SORRY ABOUT THAT) and the lack of the Red Kawa software mirror, we no longer have an issue with the bandwith on the site.

Now, episode 21 is ready for release, but my final exams just started for high school and I gotta study like crazy! But I'll try as hard as I can to get episode 21 out by this weekend. Don't worry, the topics that we talked in the show, are generalized enough so it's still pretty recent and worth listening to. There's nothing that's old news in there at all. And listening to Steve's rants could bring a smile to anyone's face! XD! So, just hang tight for a couple more days and episode 21 will be out before you know it.

I just want to take this opportunity to say how confusing you guys are. Very few of you ever bothered to download the Super Paper Mario gameplay videos when I released them, and yet, over 28,000 people downloaded my review of Super Paper Mario. So, I guess that either means, you guys like more reviews and less videos, or not too many of you have Video iPods and there's too many Nano peoples out there. We'll, I'll know the answer soon, because I'm almost done with my detailed video review of Super Paper Mario (though not nearly the length of the awful Wii Play Video Review... don't look that one up....). Once again, we thank you all for your support. I'm also going to put out more updates reguarding reviews and tournaments upon the release of episode 21 this weekend. So, remember to keep it here with GamersCast!

Halo 3 Beta Ends

The Halo 3 beta has sadly come to a close. This means that if you have not played Halo 3 yet you might have to wait 107 more days to play it. So far Halo 3 has the potential to be better than Halo 2. I did make a preview but due to technical dificulties on my behalf, It has not been able to go up on the service. I will redo it and it will be up soon. Well since the beta is down, play the Overlord and Shadowrun demos. I played both of them and they are a lot of fun. Also Halo 3 will be out on September 25 so it will not be long until we can start killing people again.

Smash Brothers Brawl Control Revealed

Yeah, in one of the daily updates at SmashBros.com they announced what controller will be used in Super Smash Brothers Brawl. I personally thought either Gamecube Controller or a sideways Wii Remote. Well, my prediction was right, sorta.
Super Smash Brothers Brawl will use every possible control layout during play.


It uses the Classic Style Wii Remote, Wii Classic Controller, Wii Remote + Nunchuck, and the Gamecube Controller. And while, Nintendo said Gamecube controller would be the easiest to know, they also said using the 3 other control options would provide a much fresher feeling to the game.

So, despite the console is no longer being shipped, my guess is that Nintendo Gamecube controllers will still be around for quite some time to come. However, no control scheme has yet been announced, though we can assume that the Gamecube control scheme is almost identical to Super Smash Brothers Melee. They did also say, that the control scheme would be posted on the site, in due time. But they did miss one control layout. Couldn't the Nintendo DS act as a controller? :P

OMG! 10k+ downloads for June

Remember this January, I was freaking out saying that after two years, we hit 10,000 total downloads? Remember yesterday, I ended the Red Kawa mirror because of our bandwidth getting too high? Remember this...

It is now only seven days into June. And as of yesterday (stats take a day for me to see), I found out, that we had over 11,000 downloads this month already!!! In January we reached the 10k total milestone after two years. And now, we're getting almost 3,000 downloads everyday! Imagine, we did in 6 days, what it took us two years to do before! I am going to have to say, I am utterly flabbergasted! It's no wonder the bandwidth was going up so much! I thank you all for your immense support for the podcast. Episode 21 of the podcast should be released tomorrow afternoon. Also, because it is now clear we have the fan-base for it, I will be re-opening the tournaments VERY soon!

Surprisingly, only 10% of our listeners actually listen via iTunes, which is probably the only reason we're not in their top 100, because I know from the stats, that we easily could be if you all listened through iTunes. It would be nice if you all used iTunes, but the fact that so many of you listen is good enough for me. I, once again, thank you all immensly for your support of GamersCast!

Apple iPhone Release Date Announced

Hmmm..... why is news about the iPhone in the GamersCast News Feed? Well, in past episodes of GamersCast we discussed the possiblity of the iPhone have a gaming feature, as the 5th generation iPod (iPod Video) did. And since, the iPhone has much more gaming potential than the iPod ever did, we're putting it up, in the assumption that it will have gaming at one point. :D

So, anyway, the iPhone will be released a tad earlier than expected, on Friday, June 29, 2007. The 4GB model will cost $500, while the 8GB model will cost $600 (rip-off in my opinion). The phone functionality is exclusive to Cingular customers, as Verizon passed on Apple's offer for becoming the exclusive provider (darn you, Verizon!).

GamersCast Episode 21: BETAlicious Pokemon

Well, episode 21 actually was recorded as planned and edited just a bit for some mild language (I'm looking at you Adam, you potty-mouth!) and minor interruptions during the show. So, the show flows rather smoothly (though Steve wanted us to go in the EXACT order shown in my last post, which threw things off just a bit). It spans at about one hour and forty minutes long and it's only about 65MB to download (not bad, considering the length). Now, though the show is ready to be posted, it's unfortunate to say that I cannot yet post it at this time. You see, from mirroring software from both Red Kawa and LSmaker, it drove our bandwith just a little bit high. And in short, if we go over our bandwith, bad things happen, and the site may cease to exist. So, I unfortunetely had to temporarily remove the Red Kawa mirror from the site, until our servers can better support it. However, I promise that once our bandwith goes down, we will post episode 21 ASAP. However, that does not mean to stop going on the site. By all means, we still continue to encourage more and more people coming to the site, and removing the mirror (for now) should lower it enough that there isn't really anything to worry about. So, as long as I don't get a phone call from GoDaddy.com in the next week, we should be fine. I sincerely apologize for the delay, however.

If anyone is interested in being in the new segment featured in the episode ("Around the Cube") just send an e-mail to: GamersCast@GamersCastPodCast.com with "Around the Cube" in the subject line.

Episode 21 to be Recorded Tonight!!

Well, it's been a long while since we last recorded an episode, but it's finally time for another QUALITY episode of GamersCast. It's time for episode 21! Yes, I do know how to count, but trust me, you don't want to hear what happened in episode 20. Maybe if there's a gap when there's nothing to put up on the feed, I might post it as a blooper, but that'd be pretty much it. I mean, episode 20 was actually title "Episode 20: Worst Episode Ever". Now, if you saw that go up on the feed, would you honestly download it!? I also got a new system setup, so that way I won't have to do any editing at all! Which means, the episode will be posted relatively quickly. Anyway, here's some of the highlights you'll be hearing in episode 21:

- We take a moment of silence for those effected by the Virginia Tech shooting
- We unveil a new podcast host (again), Steve Cask! (1st time was episode 20 :P)
-The Halo 3 BETA
- Pokemon Diamond and Pearl
- Is pokemon getting old?
- We unveil a new segment and go "Around the Cube"!
- I make a bet with the listeners (if I lose, we'll you'll have a good laugh! :P)
- Super Smash Brothers Brawl updates!
- Who will have the most online users?
- The classic debate of which console will come out on top
- We prepare for E3 2007 and a summer to remember!
- The South Korean PS3 launch (Steve will probably rant here....)
- Is the PS3 turning around?
- Game Franchises that should die!
- Games that turned to movies (DOA)
- Why do movies that turn into games usually suck?
- We hype Episode 22: The 1st Annual GamersCast Awards!
- We finally decided to re-open our gaming tournaments!!
- Podcast gets a new logo and design
- What's the appeal in "Brain Games"
- I thank the listeners for supporting the show
- We unveil a new podcast that is already #27 on iTunes! (or was.... :P)
- Steve goes on summer break, Matt and Adam are still in school....
- Where's our new Wii Channels?
- New games brick out mod chip users (Wii)
- The website development nears completion!
- And more!

As you can tell, we have A LOT planned, and it'll all be coming your way on Episode 21 of GamersCast! Also, our tournament update will also be available via our special GamersCast Tournaments podcast. Wanna subscribe or listen to GamersCast? Simple. You get it on any podcasting client, iTunes, or listen to our audio episodes on the site's homepage.
The iTunes Music Store page for GamersCast can be found at:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=79240767

You can also use our podcast's RSS feed to subscribe using your PSP RSS Channel along with any other podcasting client at:

http://www.GamersCastPodCast.com/GamersCast.xml