Gaming Nerd News

Interactive birth control.

2008-07-05T01:17:00.000-07:00

Maxis, creators of "The Sims", have announced that the popular reality show "The Baby Borrowers" is being turned into an educational video game. "We hope to give all teen couples a chance to experience being parents. The few couples on the TV show may have learned, but not everyone has seen the show, and those who have may not have gotten the full experience."

The game is pretty much exactly like the TV show, but interactive. All the crying and dirty diapers intact. Hey, if people have fun with interactive chores, why not diapers? To make the game more realistic, PS2 users can only play if the Eyetoy is plugged in, which automatically checks for anything shaped like a bed every five minutes. Wii users make incredibly realistic hand motions for cleaning up vomit, changing diapers, and feeding. Sound settings cannot be altered, either, so cries and screams are clearly heard.

For more info on what the game will be like, visit the Wikipedia article.

Move aside, GTA.

2008-07-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

Gamers will have a new way to torture innocent people - although on a lesser scale. Nintendo and Namco have come to bring you the Wii's next big game, "Mousehold".

It's no surprise that Namco would come up with something like this after Katamari. A mouse, who has lived in an abandoned house for over a year, is unhappy with people coming in to rebuild the house. After they're done, he thinks it's all over, but his hopes are crushed as a new family moves in. Pushed to his limit, he has to drive the noisy creatures out of the once peaceful place he called home. With what? A tiny wooden saw.

Over several days, players use Wii remote to saw through wires, books, DVD cases, chandeliers, tables, and everything else to make the newcomers live miserable lives in a series of stealth missions. After a while, players would see exorcisms, adoptions, and other dramatic moments as the family does everything they can to keep their lives happy.

One controversial part of the game is its hard mode. "To attract an older audience, the hardest difficulty has players sawing through human flesh," says developer Wade Romero in an interview. We asked him what impression this could have on children. "The answer is quite simple: They won't even see it. I doubt anyone under 10 would be smart enough to complete it on easy."

"Mousehold" is set to come out for Wii November 18th. Ports for PS2 and DS will come out in the following weeks.

IRC Chat!

2008-07-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

Gaming Nerd News now has an IRC chat! Click here to start chatting!

Chess Boxing?!?!?

2008-07-03T01:27:00.000-07:00

We checked. It's a real sport.

Chess Boxing for the PS2 may be the silliest idea ever. It's hybrid of Chess and Boxing where you win with either a Checkmate or a K.O. We thought developer Ubisoft was pulling a prank on us when they told us about this crazy game, but it's no joke. The game is played in alternating rounds of Chess for four minutes and Boxing for two.

The game is playable in single player and multiplayer, but the multiplayer is the key element in this game.

"We really wanted to emphasize on the importance of multiplayer. Nobody wants to play chess against a computer. They're just way too smart." says game director Harry Lawrence.

The Boxing part of Chess Boxing will include a similar control scheme to the Fight Night series.

"We wanted a game that could be easily picked up and played by anyone, not a complicated system," says Lawrence, "the Fight Night control scheme offers that."

Chess Boxing is set to be released this October.

Wii can't wait for "Wii Swim"!

2008-07-03T00:47:00.000-07:00

Prepare to immerse yourselves in a video game like you never have before. Nintendo's "Wii Swim" is an adventure like no other.

The game, set to be released at Christmas, will have you dropped in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Miles of water surround you. You will have to swim in real time through the ocean, stopping by islands to obtain food and evaporate water. In order to survive, you must find at least one island every 24 hours... but watch out for falling coconuts! Prepare to get that sinking feeling, as certain areas of the ocean contain sharks that can kill you in an instant! Most likely, you will win by reaching the California coastline.

The camera is an interesting feature that lets you take pictures of underwater life and save them to a gallery. Certain photos can unlock special items, such as extra food or disease antidotes. You might catch a dolphin jumping in the distance, or, even better, a sea monster. The rarer the situation, the higher you score and the better the reward.

One controversial feature is the creator's attempts to be as realistic as possible. If you play after 10:00 P.M. the game becomes difficult to see. Similarly, playing in Winter will cause your character to instantly freeze to death.

It is unknown if the game will allow you to use a Mii at the time of this writing.

Wii Swim should attract waves of fans, as gaming sites everywhere are picking up the news.

Guitar Hero on the PSP!

2008-07-03T00:03:00.000-07:00

The best music game of the century is finally coming to PSP! Activision has just given Gaming Nerd News a special inside look of Guitar Hero: On Tour - European Tour for the PSP. It will be controlled by a full sized guitar controller that the PSP docks into. Speakers will be in the back of the controller. A headphone jack will also be on the guitar for crowded places such as buses.

"We wanted a system that gamers could work with," says head developer Christian Roberts, "the DS's 'guitar grip' just didn't feel like a guitar at all".

The game will take place in Europe as you tour all over the continent preforming at multiple venues. "We took multiple trips to Europe," says Roberts, "we wanted to embody the spirit of all of the countries into the venues."

Confirmed songs are:

Aerodynamic - Daft Punk
Highway to Hell - ACDC
Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles
The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song - The Flaming Lips
Du Hast - Rammstein

Brøderbund Announces New "Mavis Beacon" Game

2008-07-02T23:53:00.000-07:00

Brøderbund announced today that they would be teaming up with Nintendo to release their new game, "Mavis Beacon Teaches Handwriting" for Nintendo DS. One employee at Brøderbund claims the game will revolutionize writing. "We'll teach millions of illiterate people how to write in printing, cursive, and calligraphy. People will write faster with more enthusiasm after playing our game".

Most of the gameplay consists of tracing dotted lines to form letters and words. There are 50 levels of the game in all, each increasingly longer. Each new level revisits concepts from previous levels, such as using the letter "s" or the combination of "c" and "h". A player's score is based on how accurately he or she has traced the letter or word they have been given minus the elapsed time. Minigames, such as Stay Below the Line or Letter Recognition, will be also present throughout the game.

As a bonus, players are given a free stylus that resembles a pencil. The sharper point helps players write more accurately. However, there has been criticism among testers. "The new styli we've been given tend to leave nasty scratches on DS touch screens," says tester Arnold Clayton. "We're planning on having the styli tips dulled."

Updates to come as new info is released!