To: Crecente
From: Ashcraft
RE: Redesign

There is a segment of the foreign population here in Japan who never pick up the language. That is totally possible in Japan as there's always someone who can speak English or at least someone who can try. Granted, there are some foreigners who are dying to speak Japanese and learn the language, but for one reason or another, they don't have the opportunity. When I first came here, I didn't speak Japanese for about a year. There was no reason to! Everyone I met was so keen to speak English with me. That is... until I met Mrs. Bashcraft who wasn't really interested in learning English.

There is a man I know. A large American man who's been here more than a seven years or more. He has three kids and runs his own company, a successful company, has a large disposable income and spends a great deal of free time with his family. He seems like a wonderful parent. Even though he's been here for a while now, he doesn't speak Japanese. He probably knows simple greetings, a few phrases and that's it! Guess there's no need for him to speak the lingo as his wife is fairly fluent, and they speak English at home. Hey, that's fine, whatever. Here's the pickle, though: His small children all speak English and barely know Japanese. See the mother, who is Japanese, only speaks English with her children. She doesn't speak Japanese with them. At all! Her English is good, but it's not pitch perfect by any stretch. So now the oldest child is starting school and literally cannot communicate with the teacher. What's more, the child doesn't like the Japanese language and is reluctant to speak. Very quiet, sullen kid. Lives in Japan, has a Japanese name and can't understand what the other children are rattling away about. Can you imagine?

What you missed last night
Tallying exclusives
Perfect score's meaning
Dynasty Warriors 40GB PS3 bundle

Been a little cross-chatter on a new Wii bundle. Or SKU. Or new hardware configuration. Nobody really knew what it was, exactly, all they knew was that a new variation on the Wii was on its way. Well we still don't know what it is, but we now know what it's not - Nintendo have told 1UP that it definitely isn't a new hardware configuration. Anyone with a fiver on it being hardware configuration, sorry, you're out of the running.

Nintendo: Wii Play 'n Learn Not New SKU [1UP]

In case you missed it, here's our round up of Nintendo's Fall Conference. Lots of info was announced, but here goes:
Smash Bros. Brawl delayed, features Sonic
WiiFit priced and dated for Japan
Mario Kart bikes! Slips
Monster Hunter 3 on Wii
New Wii FF game
New Pokemon game
Wii online call centre
Super Mario Stadium Baseball
Fire Emblem DS
DS demos

Our own Mike "Michael" McWhertor is on the ground in Seattle and is attending a Nintendo event there today. We imagine it'll be news similar to this, but we imagine with some surprises (and North American release dates). Check back for that!

Sure, Hudson is bringing TurboGrafx-CD to the Wii's Virtual Console with apparently CD-quality tunes. How are they going to do that?! Hudson spokesperson John Lee points out that music will be compressed, but claims that most won't notice. Lee explains:

We have worked hard to make sure that a CD based game will fit on Wii's built-in memory. Yes, we are using some compression technology since CDs can hold several hundred megs of memory, far bigger than the traditional Hucards could hold. For instance, the sound has been compressed, however gamers should not really notice any audible difference.

Maggie let you kind souls know a few weeks back that Gods & Heroes had been delayed. Well I don't do kindness. I deal in ill tidings and despair. So it's my duty to let you know the game's actually been canned. Seems Perpetual have got themselves some new investors, and while their Star Trek Online project survived the sale, Gods & Heroes didn't. Rest in Peace, brother.
Breaking News: Gods and Heroes Cancelled [WarCry]

Starting today, Square Enix's community/fan site Square Enix Members is now offering the creation of free 3D avatars. Combining characters with items, folks can create over 600 avatars. These avatars can be used in the Square Enix Members community web page. Think of them as online Miis, but with better hair and funny clothes.
3D Avatars [IT Media]

While her breeding practices are reckless, Virtualgirl's craft skills are less questionable. This is her Choco-mog, a construction that takes two popular Final Fantasy species and turns them into a single, yellow piece of sculpture. Cobbled together for a school project, it took 25+ hours to make, is constructed entirely of sheet metal and rods and looks lovely. Never had to bend a piece of sheet metal to my will before, but I imagine it's a little difficult.

My choco-mog! It is done!!! Check it out!!! Exclamation mark!!! [Dtoid]

Avatars are important, but confining. One avatar in one game won't necessary be usable in another. IBM and Second Life developer Linden Labs have joined forces to figure out a way to make avatars interoperable. An open avatar would allow individuals to keep their same basic appearance and data. Says IBM vice president of digital convergence, Colin Parris:

It is going to happen anyway. If you think you are walled and secure, somebody will create something that's open and then people will drain themselves away as fast as possible.

FF Meets Lucky Star [Destructoid]

Tired of having to lug your DS to a public place to download demos? Lord knows I am. I didn't buy the damn thing to sit on trains or parks, I bought it so I could game on the can. Thankfully, Nintendo know what I'm talkin' 'bout, and have announced at their Fall Conference that you'll soon be able have a DS station in your home, courtesy of your Wii. To spell that out, you'll be able to download DS demos via your Wii. Welcome to 2007 Nintendo! Or 2006, even.
Nintendo Fall Conference Live Blog [Gemaga]

Like it or not, reviews do matter. Perfect reviews matter even more! But what does perfection? Game site Games Radar quizzed a gaggle of game journo editors. Here are the highlights:

Rob Smith, Editor in Cheif, PSM: "A game doesn't have to be perfect to get a 10. No game is perfect. I guess that's the difference in the 10 scale vs. the 100 scale, where you kind of assume a 100 is perfect because you can get closer to that edge. With a 10, no."

Ross Atherton, Editor, PC Gamer (UK): "I think people get hung up on review scores generally and a score is just a signifier to tell you how good a game is compared to other things out there and what kind of experience you're going to get from it. Everyone's experience of a game differs slightly. And no, a 10 doesn't equal a perfect game."

Francesca Reyes, EIC, Official Xbox Magazine (US): "When we award something a 10, we want it to be given considerable weight, like, 'this is the pinnacle of what it does at this moment in time' because who knows, a year from now or five months down the line there might be something that does it better. But for right now, everyone should check out this game, or at least consider it because we consider it to be at the top tier of games."

Tim Clark, Editor, Official PlayStation Magazine (UK): "I think the first thing that strikes us is that it has to be an instant classic — you know a 10 when you see it. It's like a purebred. It's something that just seems streets ahead of what other developers are doing with the same technology and often in the same genre."

Tony Mott, EIC, Edge (UK): "Broadly speaking, though, I do think 10s are thrown about a bit too casually. I do see some 10s that strike me as misleading to the consumer. I think when the consumer sees '10' on the page it should make them stop and think about it. It should make them think, 'This isn't just a game that's recommended; I actually must have this game'."

Chris Slate, EIC, Nintendo Power: "Personally, I've always viewed a 10 score not as 'perfect,' but as 'our highest recommendation.' 10s are the year's best games, the titles that are destined to be classics. And if a game really is head-and-shoulders above the rest, then I personally wouldn't hesitate to acknowledge that by placing it in an elite class."

Not much to report in terms of details, so we'll just keep to the basics. Nintendo went ahead and announced Fire Emblem DS at their Fall Conference today. That's all we got, but for Fire Emblem fans that's probably all you're going to need.
Nintendo Fall Conference Live Blog [Gemaga]

The Japanese 40GB PS3 news just will. Not. Stop. It's been announced today that Dynasty Warriors fans who are hanging onto their PS2s are the enemy. To entice them to get with the program, they've got the offer of purchasing a Dynasty Warriors 6/40GB PS3 bundle, which includes a white 40GB PS3, Dynasty Warriors 6 and a whole bunch of nifty Dynasty Warriors stuff like character art folders and dog tag-looking things. The whole package will cost ¥49980 ($US 426), which is exactly ¥10000 ($US 85) more than the standalone 40GB PS3. Nice swag, then, but definitely not cheap swag.
『真・三國無双5』の発売日が2007年11月11日に決定！ 新モデルのプレイステーション3との同梱パックも登場！[Famitsu]

Sonic in Brawl [Smash Bros.]

Like Mario sports games? Like baseball? Oh man, are you going to love this: Super Mario Stadium Baseball. Announced at today's Nintendo Fall Conference, it's a Mario baseball game. And that's all we know! But it's not that hard to fill in the gaps: bright colours, crazy powerups, Wii Remote swinging controls, teams featuring your favourite Mushroom Kingdom characters... see? Who needs official information.
Nintendo Fall Conference Live Blog [Gemaga]

Nintendo does not hate the internet. Just ask Nintendo! At the Fall Conference today, Nintendo stressed that it is all for the Wii online. The company is creating a call centre that will help folks hook their Wii consoles up to the internet at home and whatnot. Nintendo will cooperate with phone carries NTT East and NTT West to increase the Wii's online connection.
Online Connection [Famitsu]

Nintendo are taking this Wii Ware business seriously. At their Fall Press Conference today they announced a new Pokemon title for the service, called Pokemon Bokujyou. As in, Pokemon Farm. As in, the very raw essence of Pokemon. The point is that Pokefans can transfer their Pokemans (from Diamond or Pearl) to the Wii, and once there they can tend to them. Raise them. Perhaps even snuggle them, all on their very own Pokemon farm. Sounds idyllic. But looks a little... unsettling.
Nintendo Fall Conference Live Blog [Gemaga]
[pic courtesy of IGN]

It's been announced at Nintendo's Fall Conference that Square Enix will be releasing a kooky spin-off of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles on the Wii. How is that kooky? Two reasons: one, it's a Wii Ware exclusive. So it's download-only. Second is that it sounds like it has a definite strategy vibe to it, with the player building and governing their own land. Sounds interesting. And different! At least one thing's old-fashioned Squeenix, though. The name. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Small King and the Promised Country. Ungh. Should be out in Japan in March, with Project O comparisons to follow soon after.

Nintendo Fall Conference Live Blog [Gemaga]
Nintendo Fall Conference Live Blog [Famitsu]

At Nintendo's Fall Conference today, Nintendo honcho Satoru Iwata announced that Capcom's big-in-Japan franchise Monster Hunter will be hitting the Wii with Monster Hunter 3 [tri]. Thought MH3 was coming to the PS3, though...
Monster Hunter Wii [Famitsu]

More news from Nintendo's Fall Conference, this time about Mario Kart for the Wii. For starters, it has a tentative release date of Spring 2008. Which again is a little later than planned, original estimates slotting it in at Q1 2008. So, bad news. And again, it's cancelled out by good news, Nintendo announcing the game's going to feature bikes for the first time. How is that good when it could end up being a complete disaster? Because it's something NEW for a Mario Kart game, which we haven't seen in a while, and that's good enough for me.
Nintendo Fall Conference Live Blog [Gemaga]

At Nintendo's Fall Conference today, WiiFit was dated and priced for Japan. The software and balance board bundle will go on sale December 1st for ¥8,800 ($US 75). Not too expensive if you think of it more as a piece of exercise equipment and less as game peripheral.
WiiFit Decided [Famitsu]

Nintendo have just announced at their Fall Conference that Smash Bros. Brawl has been delayed in Japan until early 2008. January 24, to be exact. No word on whether that means the North American release has also been delayed, but we'll update you on that as soon as we hear back from Nintendo. But it's OK! Deep breaths, Smash Bros fans, there's more news, and it's not all bad.

Sonic has been unveiled as a playable character, surprising nobody but pleasing many. Continuing the good news, Nintendo also announced that the game will support online co-op, though just how much and in which form we're not sure. Does the good cancel out the bad? Depends on how bad the bad news is: like I said, we'll let you know about the game's various Western releases when we hear back from Nintendo.
Nintendo Fall Conference Live Blog [Gemaga]

So we knew TimeSplitters 4 was in development, and have known about it for a while now. Still, there's nothing like an official announcement, just to get it all out in the open. Free Radical have taken the wraps off TimeSplitters 4, announcing it on their site in probably the only way they could: with monkeys. Monkeys taking the piss out of Halo. Hit up the site to see the teaser ad in full.
TimeSplitters 4 [Free Radical]

The Xbox 360 has a couple RPGs, a popstar sim and some upcoming shooters to entertain Japanese players. Add to that, a dating sim! Developer Prototype is porting its PS2 and PC title CLANNAD to Japanese Xbox 360s next Spring with updated graphics. As game site Siliconera points out, dating sims are niche in Japan, but that niche certainly didn't hurt the PS2, a console overflowing with Japanese dating sims. Will the 360 corner that discerning market? Who knows! Would love to see them try.
CLANNAD coming to Xbox 360 [Dengeki via Siliconera]

This is the last Halo 3 "Believe" commercial. In case you didn't catch my drift in the headline, if you haven't finished the game you might want to stay away. For those who have finished the game... this smacks a little of over-explanation. Might have just been better to leave things as they were.

After reading the news that Microsoft had flown the 65nm refresh of the Xbox 360 under our radar, I pinged its local PR to get some more info.

I received a response today but, as usual, it's about as meaty as a piece of KFC:

"We are constantly updating internal components on our consoles and therefore will not comment on details of specific components or manufacturing processes."

And just to fuel the Halo 3 DLC rumours, I have it on good authority that Bungie is "working on it". But you already knew that (Thanks Luke for the link).

No idea who's behind Surfer Girl Review, but they're on a roll right now so we're just gonna roll with them. They're claiming that this is a screen from a new Prince of Persia game, which is planned as the first in a new trilogy. Looks nice (if it's the Wii version), but the best news comes in what's happened to the game design: according to the mysterious tipster, the new trilogy will ditch the awful "dark" tone of the last two games and is instead a "fantastical cross between The Sands of Time, Ico and Zelda". That is how you excite people with a single sentence. Of course not an ounce of this is confirmed, but if it does turn out to be legit, expect it late next year on PS3, Wii, 360 and PC.
Exclusive: Prince of Persia 4 screens and information [Surfer Girl Reviews Star Wars]

Anyone who's ever played one of Konami's Castlevania game can tell you, the Belmonts are the franchise heroes. The family has sworn to fight Lord Dracula. Without the Belmont clan, you wouldn't have a Castlevania game! Don't tell a recent ad in Electronic Gaming Monthly for PSP title Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles — It refers to the "Beaumont family." Who the hell are they? Konami writing "Beaumont" is a bit like Nintendo writing "Murio" or Microsoft referring to Hilo 3.
Mistake [Y2Kev @ NeoGAF via Game|Life]

UK-based research types Screen Digest have tallied up every game coming out on the three current-gen consoles this Christmas period. There's loads. More interesting, though, are how many of those games are exclusive to each platform (HINT: not many). Of the Wii's 86 games due between now and December 31, a quarter of them are exclusive (21 or 22, the report doesn't specify). But the 360 and PS3? Well, let's just say their catalogues will be looking... familiar. Only eight of the 360's 47 games will be exclusive to the platform, while the PS3's tally is even lower, with only five of 38 games. Think exclusivity is dead? Bet your arse it is.
Publishers Shifting Significantly to Wii, says Screen Digest [GameDaily]

Your dream of slinging racial barbs and calling into question the sexual preferences of emo pop-rock outfit Fall Out Boy via Xbox Live come true this Friday. The latest in the series of Microsoft's "Game With Fame" events sees Andy Hurley and Joe Trohman of Fall Out Boy sitting in on a Halo 3 gaming session from 4 PM to 6 PM Eastern time. They may be the eye make up wearing one and the chubby one in front, but I'm really not sure and I'm reserving that brain space for Foghat lyrics.

Crap, there it is. Pete Wentz is the one in front nearing a nip slip, so it's not him. Fall Out Boy fans will surely know who these kids are by name, but will get intimate first hand knowledge of their skill with a Spartan Laser this Friday. Just look for FallOutBoyAndy and FallOutBoyJoe, then make with the fragging.

Play Halo 3 with Fall Out Boy [Xbox.com]