Oct. 21, 2005 - New version 1.7 released! This version adds 12 new games, making the supported games list a total of 50 unique games. The new games are Mr.Jong, Crazy Blocks, Eyes, Bank Panic, Dream Shopper, Amazing Maze, Lizard Wizard, Ponpoko, Van-Van Car, Radar Scope, Check Mate and Mr. Goemon. Furthermore, the new CottAGE release is almost ready to go. Expect a new release this weekend.

October 20, 2005 - The slim model PS2 will be seeing a new color over in Japan to coincide with the holiday sales season. Sony Computer Entertainment will be releasing the Satin Silver PS2, model SCPH-75000 SSS, on 11/23, at an open price. The system will include a satin silver Dual Shock 2, a satin silver vertical stand, AV cables and an AC adapter.

 

SCE will also make available on 11/23 Satin Silver versions of the Dual Shock 2 controller and PlayStation 2 Memory Card. Both accessories will be sold for 2,940 yen.

 

The conventional slim PS2 model, known affectionately as the PSTwo, has product number SCPH-70000. When releasing new color variations, Sony usually keeps the product number the same but tacks on a few letters to indicate the new color. With the new Satin Silver model, though, Sony has switched to a completely new model number.

 

It turns out that the Satin Silver model, while having the same functionality as a standard PS2, has problems running certain PlayStation 2 and PlayStation titles. The exact list of games with problems is available, in Japanese, here. Here's an English list of PS2 games that won't run properly on the Satin Silver unit:

 

Gauntlet Dark Legacy: Will sometimes freeze following the opening movie

 

The Stylish Mahjong: Will sometimes freeze at the save screen once you've changed the options

 

Racing Battle C1 Grand Prix: sound effects will sometimes replay endlessly when you hit walls and rails

 

F1 2001: will sometimes freeze after the title logo

 

F1 2002: will sometimes freeze after title logo when game is started up with GT-FORCE controller attached. If GT-FORCE is not attached, works fine.

 

Hitman Contract: takes extended time to create save file

 

Tekken 5: When selecting "Tekken 3" from Arcade History, the game will sometimes freeze following the save screen.

 

The PS2 list isn't too long, but the PlayStation list, in comparison, includes nearly forty titles. Most of these are smaller games, but Resident Evil 2 apparently has some sound problems during movies.

 

All new PlayStation 2 revisions from here on out, including any units that carry the SCPH-75000 model number, will have these problems. Sony hasn't provided a reason for why the problems exist, but suggests that those who want to play the blacklisted games purchase an SCPH-70000 or earlier model PS2.

Left to right - Famitsu Scan, FF3 shots zoomed, FF3j Compairison shots

Final Fantasy 4 screenshots

Final Fantasy 3j, 4, 5 & 6

Final Fantasy 3 is being remade with 3D graphics and a brand new UI for the DS. 4, 5 & 6 will be released on the GBA with remade 2D graphics similar to the Wondersawn versions and will include additional quests and items. All games are set to be released sometime in 2006 for the American release. To this date, there has been no offical release for Final Fantasy 3J.

Source: DS-x2 | 2chan | 4chan

Nintendo is teaming up with the awesome folks at Chunsoft that made Chocobo Mysterious Dungeon to release Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon. In which you one day wake up as a stuck as a pokemon. Your goal is to become human again, and on your way, you meet a handful of other pokemon to aid you. Also to determine which type of pokemon you are, a series of questions before the game starts must be answered, and based on those questions, the computer will choose the pokemon that fits your citeria. Another things include the ability to send help encrypted messeges too other GBA & DS players for aid if you and your team are stuck in a dungeon. It is unknown if the DS version holds more features. There are over 300 pokemon confirmed to be in the game. The game is set to be released 11/17 of this year in blue and red varities.

Offical Site (Japanese)

1up.com also has an interview with Atsushi Taniguchi, producer of Tenchu DS. Here's a snippet;

"I love Nintendo hardware and when the DS was announced with its touch screen interface,...I thought that maybe we could express the stealth gameplay in a brand new way." Taniguchi next comments on the story of Tenchu DS, saying that it's fully connected to the main universe of the other Tenchu games. When asked about why the camera is now a birds-eye view instead of the usual 3rd person view, Taniguchi tells, "For this game, doing a 3d behind the back viewpoint would have been quite tough, so we decided to go with a top-down view that would make placing traps much easier. We felt that we wanted a camera view that wouldn't frustrate people."

Source: 1up | Advancedmn

The biggest surprise from Nintendo's recent DS press conference was Nintendo's collaborative effort with Square Enix on the development of a new Mario title. No, not a sequel to the classic SNES Mario RPG, but a basketball game! The latest issue of Famitsu has new details on the tentatively titled Mario Basket 3on3.

 

As the name suggests, Mario Basket 3on3 is a basketball game where you play in teams of three. The game uses the top screen to show the on-the-court action in 3D, with the bottom screen showing the court from an overhead perspective with your characters appearing as icons.

 

The control scheme Square Enix has come up with is one of the more interesting aspects of the game. The D-pad is used to move your player around, with the stylus used for dribbling, passing and shooting. To pass, you swipe the screen left or right with the touch pen. To shoot, you swipe the touch pen up. Dribbling requires that you tap the screen. Based on the speed of your tapping, your character's speed will increase or decrease. Also, you can make your character rotate by dribbling in different parts of the screen.

 

Development on Mario Basket 3on3 actually started without the Mario characters. However, realizing that the game had a Mario-like image to it, Square Enix approached Nintendo with the idea of a collaboration.

 

The Mario connection will have a few obvious effects on the game. You can use items to block opponents, for instance. The court has boxes which, when dribbled over, release coins. One of the goals of the game will be to collect as many coins as possible.

 

In typical Nintendo sports fashion, characters will have special moves. Each character will have his own unique move, complete with a special command that requires input from the stylus. The game's developers aren't ready to reveal the included character list, although screenshots have shown Mario, Luigi, Peach, Wario, Koopa and Bowser.

 

Mario Basket 3on3 is listed by Famitsu as offering both download and wireless play. We expect details on both modes to surface as the game's 2006 release approaches.

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*translated by babblefish