n the daily grind, it is inevitable that some stories slip through the cracks in favor of breaking news. The news nightcap makes sure you have a second chance to catch all the tasty tidbits from today.
Space Invaders, Arkanoid Lurching Onto DS
Taito has announced that two of its classic arcade properties, Space Invaders and Arkanoid, are getting relaunched on the Nintendo DS this June 17. Just in time for its 30th anniversary, Space Invaders is getting a makeover with new modes, minigames and backgrounds. Arkanoid is getting a similar treatment, including wireless multiplayer. “Both Space Invaders and Arkanoid are milestones in computer game history,” said Akira Ohtsuki, Taito’s General Manager of CS R&B Development. “We are thrilled to introduce these legendary games to a new generation of players and reignite the excitement for fans of the original titles.”
Majority Of GameStop Sales Come From Four Companies
According to the company’s latest financial release, GameStop pulls the majority of its new-product sales—65 percent, to be specific—from a quartet of manufacturers. Nintendo cornered the bulk of those sales, grabbing 21 percent alone, thanks in part to the success of its Wii and DS platforms, as well as their associated first-party software releases. Microsoft and Sony accounted for the second and third highest chunks of sales, at 17 percent and 16 percent, respectively. Publishing powerhouse EA rounded out the top four at 11 percent.
GameStop Corp. is the parent company of Game Informer.
Kutaragi Gets Another Industry Honor
Ken Kutaragi, the so-called “Father of the PlayStation” is getting honored again for his efforts in developing Sony’s gaming platform. The Consumer Electronics Association will be inducting Kutaragi into its CE Hall of Fame in October, hot on the heels after getting nods from the Entertainment Software Association and most recently the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. Congrats, Ken!
Battlestar Galactica Debut Prompts Live Arcade Price Cut
Friday night, Battlestar Galactica fans everywhere will be glued to their TV sets, watching the final season of the acclaimed sci-fi drama. Sierra must have figured that it would have been a shame to ignore the event, so it did something about it. For 24 hours, its Battlestar Galactica shooter will be getting a price cut, to 400 points down from the usual 800. Frakking sweet, if you’re interested in the game.
Penny Arcade Creators Get Into Games Distribution
Penny Arcade creators Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik are getting behind indie games this year in a big way. They’ve already announced their plans to highlight the top 10 indie games—the Pax 10—at their annual Penny Arcade Expo, and now they’ve entered the distribution business. Their Greenhouse is a new distribution platform designed to support independent games and their developers. As they say on their Web site, “We help indie developers get their games into the hands of gamers, and that gives gamers easy access to new and innovative games that they might otherwise have missed.”
http://www.playgreenhouse.com/
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 G Breaks Million Mark In Six Days
Capcom has announced that the latest installment of its Monster Hunter series, the PSP game Monster Hunter Freedom 2 G, has shipped more than 1 million units in less than a week since its Japan debut. Additionally, the company says the series has sold more than 6 million units since it debuted on the PlayStation 2 in 2004. Not too shabby.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Coming In September
While we’ll all have to wait a while to get our hands on it, at least LucasArts has provided a solid release date for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Get the red crayon out and start X’ing the days until Sept. 16, the day players will be able to become Darth Vader’s secret apprentice. “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is one of the most ambitious projects LucasArts has ever launched. The combination of a great new Star Wars story with revolutionary new technology and game play means more fun than you’ve ever had in the Star Wars universe,” said Peter Hirschmann, vice-president of product development at LucasArts. “We can’t wait until gamers get their hands on it this September.” Neither can we, Peter. Neither can we.