Pokémon Conquest European Release Date

Yes, the European release date for Pokémon Conquest has finally been announced. July 27th we can find it in our stores. 

A little too late for me though, as it appears it will cheaper (and probably faster) to import an American copy.

 Are you playing this game yet? Are you enjoying it?

<Source: NintendoLife>

Square Enix's New Graphics Engine Previewed

I enjoyed playing Final Fantasy XIII, I thought the story was solid, though the gameplay was extremely linear. I also enjoyed playing Final Fantasy XIII-2, for the most part, though the last couple of hours of the game made me really dislike it, and it will take me a while before I can play it again.

However, seeing the demo above of Square Enix's new graphics engine I am looking forward again to FF XV, even if the story's crap, the graphics are going to blow my mind.

<Source: Game Overthinker>

Amsterdam Day Trip

Just one very small section of Amsterdam

Yesterday Michael and I decided to use a couple of day tickets we had saved for the train and make our way to Amsterdam.

Michael had never been before, and though I'd been there a few times in the past, I didn't really remember it very well. Us being us, of course, we looked up computer game shops before we left. We found one very interesting shop called Game Over?, and we stopped by here first, as it was just outside the central station.

Click through to see our discoveries!

Rumour: Retro Studios to Develop Star Fox/ Metroid Wii U Cross-Over

A rumour has been spreading over the internet that Retro Studios, developer of the fantastic Metroid Prime trilogy and Donkey Kong Country Returns, will be working on a Star Fox/ Metroid cross over game for the upcoming Wii U titled Star Fox - Metroid: Fusion Saga. This is a rumour, however, that Nintendo of America has denied.

This rumour originated from the Paul Gate Network, whom claimed that Retro Studios were looking to make a new Star Fox game as well as a third-person sci-fi action game potentially utilising a new IP, however Nintendo suggested to combine the two concepts for the Wii U, throwing intergalactic bounty-hunter Samus Aran into the mix. This game will, apparently, feature a mix of first-person action with Samus, third-person gameplay with Fox and then some sort of flight mode involving both characters.

I for one can't see this happening. The two game series have always been of two very different styles which I cannot see merging. Metroid has dark and atmospheric environments with a challenging helping of exploration and brutally difficult boss battles. Star Fox has always had a faced-paced, somewhat light-hearted and almost arcadey gameplay, aside from Star Fox Adventures, which was hardly an intensive gaming experience.

The only way I can see this working is if the story elements of both series were watered down and the gameplay was simplified so that even a child could play. If the game is indeed going to be an early Wii U game then it could be expected to contain a wealth of gimmicks to play off the Wii U's crazy controller. Star Fox's reputation has not been worth worrying about for some time now, but after Metroid: Other M a hypothetical game like the one described above would run the Metroid series into the ground, and I personally do not want to see that. No one ever does, just look at Link's Crossbow Training.

<Source: Digital Spy>

Sonic 4 Episode II: First Impressions

The game has come out and the dust has now settled. Many, many Sonic fans held their breath as they turned on their consoles, downloaded the game and continued the Mega Drive-esque adventure Sega had promised. We at Kung Pow Pixel have now finished the game cooperatively and separately and our opinions of the game are starting to form and solidify. This site's clearly not about formal reviews, but we thought it might be nice to share our personal opinions on the new game for those who might want a second opinion before opening their wallets.

So, for those who are interested, hit the jump to hear what we think of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II!

Queen's Day Bargain Hunt

April 30th is the official birthday of the Dutch queen, it is called 'Koninginnedag' (Queen's Day), and on this day it is tradtional for flea markets to be held all over the country. There was one near us in Donderberg,  Roermond, so I made my way down there in the hope of snagging some gaming goodies.

It appears that in the Netherlands gaming did not really take off until the GameCube/PS2/Xbox generation. Occassionally we see the odd PSX/PSOne at fleamarkets, but it is rare to see anything older. At this year's Koninginnedag it was not much different, GameCube games being the stand out items at the market, where I picked up five quality titles for the bargain price of 10 Euros.

I'm pretty chuffed with the titles I picked up as there were some future classics there, which I never would have expected to find.

Click through to check them out!

Sonic: What the Fans Think

Sonic the Hedgehog as a character and a series has an infamous legion of devout followers which are always the first to buy up any Sonic related the game, and always the first to criticise it. I myself am an avid Sonic fan and have accepted that Sonic's glory days are over, although that's not to say that a second era of Sonic greatness may well be on its way. Even so, it amazes me just ho much time and energy Sonic fans will go to to highlight this fact with, admittedly, very humorous results.

Hit the jump to see two peculiar Sonic videos I have stumbled across recently that I would like to share with you all.

Kirby 20th Anniversary Compilation Disc for Wii

For Kirby's 20th birthday Nintendo is releasing a compilation disk of Kirby games for the Wii.

Although there's been no news from Nintendo regarding which games will be on the disk, we can imagine it will be chocked full of the best of Kirby's adventures.

I personally am very excited about this news, because I love the little pink ball of cute that is Kirby, but have not had much opportunity to play many of the games he stars in. What about you?

<Source: Nintendolife>

DIY Sonic 4 Episode ii Genesis cart, case and manual

Barry the Nomad over at The Nomad Junkyard has recently posed a quick-and-easy how-to guide on creating a Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode ii Genesis cartridge and case label, along with a full printed manual. This project can be added to his previous how-to guides on creating the same for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode i and Sonic Generations.

I'm really into fan-made Genesis and Mega Drive game cases and reproduction carts and am really impressed with Barry's latest offering. It comes just in time for Sonic 4 Episode II's imminent release; a release I'm personally very excited about.

 While I haven't bit the bullet and attempted to create something like this myself, I do have a few old Sports games and dead cartridges that may be worth dismantling in order to create something fresh and new. Are any of you readers owners of any well made retro carts? Or perhaps you've made a customer game case yourself? I'd love to hear about it, so please leave a comment below!

<Source: SegaBits>

Pokémon Black & White 2 News

Over at Andriasang this morning, they reported that new information has been revealed about Pokémon Black and White 2.

Even though the game sounds like a sequel to Black and White, there will be new playable male and female characters as well as new friends and rivals. Two new gym leaders have also been revealed, one favours poison type and the other water type. Although it will again be set in the Unova region, there will be a new starting town.

A date of June 23rd has been confirmed for the Japanese release and the price is set at ¥4,800.

Pokémon Conquest

A couple of weeks ago an interesting game was announced for Japan, Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition, a cross over between Pokémon and Nobunaga's Ambition (would you have guessed?).

 Many people were worried that this game would see no release in European or American regions due to Nobunaga's Ambition never really hitting our shores (the only North American release being through Wii's Virtual Console), but now it has been announced that it will be released in North America, though under the title Pokémon Conquest. The release date is set for June 18. There is no European release date as of yet, but at least us non-Japanese speakers will be able to import the American game without too much trouble.

Master System Sofa

Over at GameBlog.fr they recently posted about this cool Master System Sofa (and what appears to be a NES bed). Unfortunately my French is non-existent so I don't really know what is being said about it, but I think the pictures say enough!

If I had the skills (and the time) I would love to make something like this. Perhaps a GameBoy throw with matching cartridge cushions.

Leaked Xbox Live Arcade forthcoming games

Xbox Live arcade has some great games, and at affordable prices too (usually >_>), so I was interested to see this list of rumoured releases over at The Sonic Stadium.

Included in this list are re-releases of some classics, such as Sonic Adventure 2 and the Sega Vintage collections and also some exciting new releases such as Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 and Rock Band Blitz.

I am looking forward to spending some money!