FIFA World Cup 2010 Gets Teased on the Wii

The FIFA World Cup is an event known for its vast tradition, fanfare and pageantry. The international soccer event is viewed by countless individuals and, to say the least, is fervently supports. With those great expectations comes a great deal of disappointment for those who are eliminated. Electronic Arts is hard at work capturing all of these emotions in their upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa title. As such, they have released an elimination trailer giving us a taste of a game mode that will allow users to truly experience the process of the tournament on a personal level.

The trailer also highlights what the Wii version of the game will look like. More specifically, it explores the unique Global Elimination mode that allows users to play in custom tournaments online. The title will be coming to the Wii at a date to be announced later. It will be hitting the PSP, PS3 and Xbox 360 on April 30, 2010

'Pokemon Black' And 'White' Become The Series' Next Two DS Titles

"Pokémon Black" and "Pokémon White" will be the names of the two new titles Nintendo hinted at in an announcement earlier this year. Dropping any reference to precious metals or stones, the barons at The Pokémon Company instead opted to stay clean and classy by limiting their fifth installment in the core series to tuxedo colors.


Very few details have been let out out into the open but Pokemon.co.jp anticipates having more details available on April 15, which is not all that far away. The game has previously been reported to included new Pokémon, as well as a new setting and some fresh gameplay mechanics, though Pokéwalker functionality has not been confirmed.

Zorua and its advanced form Zoroark, a dark Pokémon from the film due out this year in Japan, will be a part of the mix, though, according to Andriasang. Though the movie, titled "Phantom Ruler: Zoroark," comes out in Japan in July and "Black" an "White" have been tagged for 2010 releases there as well, their U.S. fates have not been set in stone, so those of us on this side of the Pacific may have to sit tight for a another week or longer before we find out when they land.

In the meantime, get ready to bring your A-game when "Black" and "White" launch, and maybe you will be the one to take down Russ.

Do you like the two new Pokémon titles? What new features would you like to see? Share your reactions in the comment section below.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Trailer Has All The Right Moves

How will Mario defeat Bowser’s minions in the upcoming “Super Mario Galaxy 2″? Nintendo introduced the Rock Mario powerup today, turning the lovable Italian plumber into something completely and destructively different; a rock.

In the game’s newest trailer (embedded below) we get a look into the colorful yet perilous world of Galaxy 2, its new hub world system and navigation mechanic, a few of the game’s new enemies and dynamic and creative environments, and of course, YOSHI!

Super Mario Galaxy 2 comes exclusively to Wii May 23.

Monster Hunter Tri Preview: Army of Four

Monster Hunter is all about the multiplayer, which is why I think it never really took off on PSP in the US the way that it did in Japan – American PSP owners are just too selfish for the buddy system.

Monster Hunter Tri, however, is going for a different audience with its exclusive Wii release. By streamlining the Wii friend code process and adding features other multiplayer games rely on – such as a chat window – Tri is trying to jump start the online ecosystem that's already built into the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

But how does that impact that actual monster hunting?

What Is It?
Monster Hunter Tri is a multiplayer adventure game where up to four players can team up to hunt down monsters. The game skips over friend codes, instead using a lobby system where you can easily find other players and send friend requests. Additionally, there's a chat window in-game that can be accessed with a USB keyboard if you don't feel like pointing and clicking. Currently, Wii Speak is not in the game – but Capcom is "looking into it."

There's also a singleplayer mode built into the game, but details on it are scarce.

What We Saw
I played three missions during the University event using both the Wii Remote/Nunchuck configuration and the Classic Controller Pro because they had one handy.

Note: It's unconfirmed if the Classic Controller Pro will be brought to the US along with Monster Hunter Tri.

How Far Along Is It?
The game is due out in Spring 2010. I didn't notice any major show-stopping bugs – but I was sad to see that the Wii was hooked up to computer monitors which have a nasty reputation of making even very good Wii graphics look fugly. So I can't speak to the graphics which are apparently supposed to be pretty.

What Needs Improvement?
There's No Lock On: Normally, this doesn't matter in Monster Hunter because you pan the camera toward a monster, press attack and bam! You've hit it. However, Tri introduces underwater combat where the monsters can change depth quickly during a fight. Panning the camera a la ground combat under water takes a little extra work and can be totally disorienting. So, yeah, a lock-on would be preferable.

At Tiddy Bit Fiddly: On the Classic Controller Pro, I had a lot of problems getting the Bowgun to aim right. Not only do you have to have the weapon out and cocked before you can attack – you also have to choose between shooting from the hip or going into sniper mode with a targeting reticule. Given that battles move very quickly and monsters can charge across a field right at you while you're reloading and re-cocking, it would be nice if the button controls for un-slinging, cocking and aiming your Bowgun were perhaps a little streamlined. Or if there were a Panicked Dodge button that would snap you out of sniper mode at the last second.

Constant Loads: Every time you leave an area of a map – which you will, because the monsters move around – you've got to endure a loading screen. It gets tedious.

What Should Stay The Same?
Wow, It's Multiplayer! I'm not used to more than two people in my multiplayer on the Wii, so I was excited to see four people in the same place, attacking the same thing with no lag – on the Wii! If Monster Hunter Tri can work things out such that people actually buy this game and play it, it's going to be a lot of fun team up with people and make new friends among strangers the way I would on other consoles.

Swimming Is Fun: Once you get the hang of the quick-swim button and the dive button, moving around underwater feels pretty pleasant. I kind of wonder how the lancer doesn't drown under the weight of her weapon, though…

Final Thoughts
Two things will probably make or break this game: Wii Speak and pay-to-play subscriptions. In Japan, they don't have the former, but they do have the latter – and a long history of loving Monster Hunter. Here, we're sad because there are only like two games that use Wii Speak and I really don't think we'd stand for a subscription Wii game no matter how awesome it might be. Also, we're not as fond of or familiar with Monster Hunter – but with any luck and a little attention to these two make-or-breaks, Capcom could be changing that.

Call of duty 7 details emerge?

Call of Duty: Black Ops is on course for a scheduled release date in November 2010 and sources have revealed that it will be set between World War II and the present day.


The Treyarch-developed shooter is rumoured to take gamers across the planet, including missions set in Cuba and South America, according to Call of Duty website experts Tek9, who have talked to 'undisclosed sources at Activision'.

Players will also reportedly get the chance to play as a member of the Special Air Service (SAS) during a close combat mission in the Iranian embassy siege during the 1980's.


The game is also hinted to feature the popular “zombie mode”, in which players are confronted with waves of zombies, an extra that was made popular by Treyarch-developed Call of Duty:World at War.

PC gamers will be given the additional bonus of dedicated servers according to the report, to alleviate some of the problems gamers experienced with previous titles.

Activision have refused to confirm or deny any of the rumours so far.

So a big change from the original rumours of a Vietnam game.