Late Night Consoling

July 2, 2003 8:00 PM

I received a few suggestions last night, but it seems like by and large you're all content with the way things are here, which is certainly a good thing, since I have no real plans to dramatically change any of this any time soon. If anything ever comes to mind, by all means send it to me or post it in the comments, since I'm always interested in hearing ways to improve what I do here. One thing I wanted to point out is how pleased I am with the reaction to the reader-submitted Console Game of the Evening system. Not only are we getting some games I never would have thought of in a million years (tonight's game is a perfect example of that), but at any given time I have 250+ games to choose from. And possibly even cooler, is the fact that many, if not most of these, are from people other than the usual LNC gang from the comments. Keep 'em coming, and I'll keep the posts coming (except possibly for this Friday, as I won't do a post unless there's enough news to justify one).

	Surreal Clarification I got an e-mail from a representative for Surreal Software, who wanted to clarify the post here last night...they're not looking for beta testers, but rather focus group testers (which means you won't get to play much, but you could have a bigger impact on the game's development). Also, since The Suffering is an M-rated game, they're only looking for people over 18.
	Ninja Gaiden Interview A new interview with the always entertaining Tomonobu Itagaki of Team Ninja is up at GameSpot tonight. As he always does, Itagaki makes for an amusing interview (quote: "I am not so impudent as to make two or three paths through a stage and call the scenario branching 'nonlinear'"), although he dodges a handful of questions and offers no release date.
	Midway Classics Announced Here's a pleasant surprise...Midway has announced an awesome new collection of classic arcade games that will be released this fall for all three home platforms. Among the many, many games on the list are Spy Hunter, Robotron: 2084, Rampage, Gauntlet, Klax, and even SMASH TV, which should play perfectly with the dual shock controller.
	SOCOM Xplodes GamePro is reporting that Fire International, who created the software that powers the GameShark and Action Replay devices, has released codes to enable players to cheat in the European version of SOCOM, and is taking a great deal of pleasure in doing so. Sony has pledged to fight cheating with SOCOM 2, which comes out here later this year.
	New SquareEnix Game Next Week? Also at GamePro tonight is a report that SquareEnix will be announcing their upcoming lineup at a series of retailer conferences next week, and will show at least one game in public for the first time. Is this the long-awaited Final Fantasy XII? I certainly hope so.
	Mission: Impossible Revealed IGN has scored quite a coup, offering the first screenshots and movies from Mission: Impossible: Operation Surma, along with a Q&A with the game's producer. As one would hope given the license, this is a stealth game in the Splinter Cell/MGS vein.
	15 Must-Have GBA Games As a service to those just picking up a GameCube GBA Player, IGN has posted a list of 15 Must-Have GBA Games. I agree with pretty much all of their choices, but I'd add the Phantasy Star Collection, F-Zero and Atari Anniversary Advance.
	Dynasty Warriors 4 Expansion Confirmed GamePro is reporting that the latest issue of the Japanese magazine Famitsu reveals a new expansion that will be released for Dynasty Warriors 4 in Japan this September. Like the Xtreme Legends add-on released over there for DW3, it is likely that this can be played by itself or in conjunction with DW4.
	Star Wars: KOTOR Previews I casually mentioned last night that the early buzz from people with review copies of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was extremely favorable, and here's the proof...both IGN and GamePro have posted looks at the game, and they're equally glowing. The game is set to be released in two weeks.
	Hungry Ghosts Q&A A Famitsu Q&A with Tokuro Fujiwara of Deep Space, the developers the upcoming PS2 game Hungry Ghosts, has been translated over at GamePro. This game hasn't been given any North American release date yet, but is currently set to be released in Japan at the end of the month.
	Misc. Media/Previews GameSpot has the first look at Rallisport Challenge 2 (Xbox), along with a preview of the Tony Hawk's Underground demo that's being shown at Microsoft's GameRiot area at Lolapalooza this summer, new details and shots from Capcom's Monster Hunter, details and shots from SCEE's oddball Dog's Life, and shots from Time Crisis 3, Syphon Filter: Omega Strain, Gran Turismo 4, Ghosthunter, Rise to Honor, Destruction Derby Arena and Eye Toy: Play (all PS2). Over at IGN they have new shots from Beyond Good & Evil, 007: Everything or Nothing, and Medal of Honor: Rising Sun (all cross-platform), a new trailer from Onimusha Blade Warriors (PS2) and an update on Conflict Desert Storm II (GC, PS2, Xbox). GamePro has a new preview of Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (PS2) and a capsule preview of P.N.03 (GC), while Games Are Fun links to a new Japanese commercial for the wacky Kirby's Air Ride (GC) and CvG has new footage from LOTR: The Treason of Isengard (PS2, Xbox).

Console Game of the Evening: A Boy and His Blob for the NES. "A much heralded but disappointing NES game from David Crane, the creator of Pitfall. A fun concept - the blob changes its configuration based on what jellybeans you feed it - is ultimately ruined by a static world with absolutely no challenge." (submitted by asspennies).