BitSnark

Wondered what else that big lump of elongated coloured plastic can be used for besides Guitar Hero and Rock Band? Well,in what is quite an interesting first, Swedish developer Pieces Interactive is developing a platformer for release on XBLA and PSN which fully utilises existing guitar controllers.

Fret Nice is a 2D platformer with a unique cardboard cut-out esque visual style in which players guide the main character, armed with a guitar no less, through various worlds by using their existing guitar controller.

An interesting premise for sure, but as always, the proof of the conceptual pudding will be when we actually get our hands on it to see how it all comes together.

Or not.

Fret Nice is to due to be release on Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network platforms in early 2010.

Japanese console giant and white knight to the hearts of casual gamers everywhere Nintendo, have today unveiled the newest incremental update to their Nintendo DS/DSi console.

Dubbed the DSi LL the unit will be identical in specification to the existing DSi with the exception being that the screens are now a fair bit larger at 4.2 inches in size the only other hardware change is a slight alteration of the placement of the speaker holes. In keeping with the ‘Go large’ theme, the console also sports a king-sized stylus.

There are no firm American or European release dates yet outside of 2010, but the console is tentatively scheduled to land in our oversized giant hands sometime early next year with a different name: DSi XL. Additionally, the console is expected to retail for more than the current DSi model too.

And no, they didn’t clarify what LL means.

In a nasty little bit of news, 1UP.com is reporting that a number of players from all three formats are reporting a bug which resets all skill points earned when it is played in mulitplayer. Given the size of the game and the sheer amount of time investment needed, this appears to be quite the game-crippler.

Fortunately, Gearbox seem to be at least aware of the issue if this post on the official forums is anything to go by:

“Your report has been heard and we’re working on it. Unfortunately there isn’t a fix just yet, but when one is available we hope to be able to repair as much of your character data as possible.”

So the basic gist is hang back from online until they issue the fix and only play multiplayer at your own risk.

Ouch.

Running the mill ‘o’ rumour as of late has been the tidbit that Sega’s 1993’s Daytona USA would be remade in HD and relaunched in the arcades. Well, the rumour is true as Sega have now confirmed that the previously titled ‘Sega Racing Classic’ is in fact a HD remake of the beloved arcade racer and will hit Japanese arcades shortly.

Running off of Sega’s ‘Ringwide’ arcade hardware, the title currently runs in 720p and supports four player link up, a billboard leader display and all of the tracks from the original re-rendered in shiny HD vision.

No news on a 360 or PS3 conversion as of yet, but given the fact that the visual output of the ‘Ringwide’ hardware powering the title could be easily reproduced on those home formats, one would hope it’s only a matter of time.

ROLLING START!!!

Coming a lot sooner than many of us thought (especially when confronted with the intentionally shady ‘early 2010’ release window), EA & Bioware have confirmed that the game will release on 360 and PC formats on January 26, 2010 in North America and just three days later on January 29 in Europe.

A number of special pre-order schemes have cropped up for folk in the US who pre-order the game but nothing concrete has been scheduled for EU/UK gamers as of yet.

With the game not even on shop or e-shelves yet, developers Gearbox have already gone into detail on the first DLC pack for their post-apocalyptic FPS/RPG/Diablo hybrid. Entitled, ‘The Zombie Island Of Dr. Ned’, it is intended this will be the first of many DLC packs for the forthcoming title.

According to the press release, the good doctor in question was charged with keeping the workers and miners of Jakob’s Cove happy and healthy. Cue the B movie eventuality and as luck would have it, his ‘care’ has gone somewhat awry, turning the poor folk into a horde of flesh feasting zombies and making it your task to wipe out the horde and retake the cove in the name of cash, loot and mindless slaughter.

Due later this year, The Zombie Island Of Dr. Ned will set 360 owners back 800 MSP and PS3/PC gamers £7.99.

Swirling around the internets of late has been the rumour that Dyansty Warriors developer KOEI would be developing an entirely new title based on the popular ultra violent Hokuto No Ken (Fist of The North Star) anime franchise. The rumour was further bolstered by a mysterious teaser trailer depicting a woman dressed in white, standing atop a ruined building in a post-apocalyptic landscape with a flower falling serenely through the air.

Today Famitsu can claim to lay the rumours to rest with an exclusive scoop on the KOEI developed Fist Of The North Star title now known as Hokutou Musou. Echoing the mass beat-em up gameplay of KOEI staple series Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors, Hokutou Musou allows players to choose characters from Fist Of The North Star lore such as series hero Kenshiro and take them on a round tour of popular scenarios in the series’ story, all the while laying body exploding beatdowns on the armies of thug fodder that stand before you.

Beyond this, precious few other details have been revealed. For the rest we will have to wait until the title receives its full unveiling tomorrow.

For the longest time, i’ve found myself disenfranchised with the motonony of KOEI’s uninventive mass-battle titles but I am a massive Hokuto No Ken fan and if anything will get me excited for one of their ‘Warriors style titles again, it’ll be this license.

In a somewhat surprising move, Play.com has one-upped other retailers by slashing the price of Sony’s newest handheld down to £149.99 from an unreasonably lame suggested price point of £224.99, just seven days after the machine launched.

Whilst this is good news, it still does not make the handheld a must-have for folks who already own a PSP; primarily due to the fact that there is no way to transfer your existing UMD collection to the PSPGo, thus completely screwing up the upgrade path for existing owners.

For everyone else, it looks like that not being an early adopter actually paid off. For those of you who did buy the machine at launch however…

That’ll learn you.

***UPDATED***

Well, that didn’t last long. It appears that Play made a boo-boo and have ‘rectified’ the price back to £199.99; a price point that is still completely ludicrous.

Just to let you guy sknow, that the Brutal Legend demo is now available for download in EU regions after getting pulled from XBL one week ago.

Impressions shortly 🙂