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Aksys Q&A: Dodgeballs and Detectives



It seems like only a few days ago when publisher Aksys Games announced that it would be localizing Super Dodgeball Brawlers and Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles (Tantei Jinguji Saburo), much to our delight. Though both titles have been met with mixed reviews, we can't help but be thankful that someone took the risk to bring over these titles that likely would have stayed in Japan otherwise.

With both Super Dodgeball Brawlers and Jake Hunter now on store shelves, we chatted with the studio's localization crew -- associate producer Mike Manzanares, assistant associate producer Frank deWindt, and marketing director Gail Salamanca -- about the two titles and Aksys's future. Jump past the break for details on Super Dodgeball Brawlers' unlockables and Jake Hunter's abridged case load!

Continue reading Aksys Q&A: Dodgeballs and Detectives

Undodgeable SDB screens from U.S., Korean releases



North American publisher Aksys has accompanied Super Dodgeball Brawlers' stateside release this week with an image bonanza of (Japanese) screenshots, character art, and other promotional assets, all of which we've conveniently collected for you in the gallery below.

Apparently, lots of people are having trouble finding the game in stores, so here's an opportunity for you to flip past the screenshots quickly to approximate an animated match, imagining that you're really playing the game. We had no problem finding Super Dodgeball Brawlers ourselves, as most of the GameStops around our area kept two copies on their shelves.

In related news, Fujitsu also plans to ship Super Dodgeball Brawlers to stores in Korea next week and has released a huge, 80-image-strong batch of Korean-translated screens, which, for some reason, includes shots from the staff credits and celebration scene that appears after a completed tournament. Perhaps they were accidentally released in Fujitsu's rush to get the word out -- the word(s) being "Kunio in Korea!"

Super Dodge Ball gets super remix

Before we go into fits induced by the awesome fact that Super Dodgeball Brawlers is releasing in a mere two weeks, we figured that the least we could do is spread some love for an aspect of the original game that's often ignored -- its music.

Of course, the best thing to do with great video game music is remix it, and The Bad Dudes have done just that. Taking Kazuo Sawa's score from the original Super Dodge Ball (NES) and arranging it with some ethnic flavor (based on the different teams' countries of origin) makes for a great combination. Don't just take out word for it, though -- give it a listen or download the zip file over at No Balls, No Glory.

Aksys also plans to use this EP to promote the upcoming DS remake, which is set to hit American stores on May 27th.

[Via Destructoid]

Super Dodgeball Brawlers sped up for American release

The only complaint we've heard about the Japanese version of Super Dodgeball Brawlers is that it is very slow compared to previous games, though you gain the ability to speed your characters up over time. Aksys Games, publisher of the American version, apparently paid attention to this criticism: according to IGN, who totally got to play the game already, Brawlers has been sped up, and this timing has had a positive effect on their ability to catch the ball.

The items have also been rebalanced since the Japanese version, which now makes us glad we've waited. Just like Bangai-O Spirits, which will come with many new Treasure-created stages not found in the Japanese release, the American version will be the definitive Super Dodgeball Brawlers.

DS Daily: Super Bangai-O Brawlers



There's a considerable number of DS games out there that we cherish, but Super Dodgeball Brawlers and Bangai-O Spirits must rank amongst our greatest obsessions.

By a happy coincidence, both titles recently released within days of one another in Japan, so the next question is obvious: as the U.S. still has a couple of months to wait for these gems, did you buckle under the pressure and import either? If so, we'll be happy to place our extreme envy to one side for the time being, and listen to your impressions! We're nice like that, see.

Gallery: Bangai-O Spirits


Super Dodgeball Brawlers plays dirty


Hands-on impressions of Super Dodgeball Brawlers have been coming in since the game's release in Japan earlier this week, and while previews indicate that the game's "pacing" seems slow in comparison to the NES original, we're happy to hear that this design decision is in favor of a much deeper experience with stat-tweaking and buyable upgrades. Even without an online component, Brawlers already sounds like a title with a lot of replayability!

All the special throws and jumping skills won't save you, however, when your opponent can pick up and toss a bomb at you, literally (0:50). As you can see in these two in-game videos -- complete with face-smashing sound effects -- a mess of potential weapons litter the arena, enticing you to abandon the gym pastime's dated rules. According to 1UP's preview, the Canadian team, in particular, has no problem relying on under-the-belt strategies rather than its own abilities.

Why bother waiting to get beaned when you can just run across the chalked line and mollywhop whoever has the dodgeball? Head past the post break for another foul-play-filled Super Dodgeball Brawlers clip.

Continue reading Super Dodgeball Brawlers plays dirty

Videos from 'that other Brawl'


Though Aksys published these Super Dodgeball Brawlers clips to keep the game fresh in our minds, the videos are also a reminder of the potential that playgrounds have to serve as battle arenas for our nation's youth. Imagine a utopia in which children of all creeds and races, rich or poor, can come together during recess and pummel each other with dodgeballs, crude weapons, and their own two fists. It is a dream we have worked our entire lives to realize.

The Brawl Mode in Super Dodgeball Brawlers is a window to that dream, allowing up to eight kids to battle it out in a no-holds-barred, free-for-all game of Murder Ball. Adolescents are encouraged to swing lead pipes at each other, throw exploding rocks, and transform the dodgeball into a tire-hugging panda whilst a small yapper-type dog cheers them on. Wipe that proud tear from your eye and step past the break for another clip of elementary school children locked in gladiatorial combat.


See also: 2008's Biggest Blips: Super Dodgeball Brawlers

Continue reading Videos from 'that other Brawl'

Guard your grill: Super Dodgeball Brawlers trailer


We estimate that about 95% of the people who're hyped about Super Dodgeball Brawlers's release are nostalgic fans of the original NES game, scarred veterans of the flickering playground. Publisher Arc System Works must have come to the same conclusion, as its latest promotional trailer introduces the return of the Kunio dodgeball series with "archival footage" of the 1988 title, positioning Brawlers as a modernized remake. Smart move!

This minute-and-a-half-long video has a lot more excitement than the mini-clips we've featured the past two months -- it has florid lines of text flying around, chaotic scenes grabbed from the 8-player free-for-all battle mode, and some dude lifting a vending machine over his head. Expect Super Dodgeball Brawlers to hit Japan this March 19th (the February 21st date advertised in the trailer is from before the game was delayed).


See also: 2008's Biggest Blips: Super Dodgeball Brawlers

Super Dodgeball Boxarts


According to Amazon, Super Dodgeball Brawlers now has a release date: May 27th. That's pretty far away, but okay! We don't mind having just Dodgeball to play during what is usually a lull in game releases. That's totally fine. Also, take a look at that boxart! It uses the same artwork as the Japanese boxart (which is welcome), with the characters all rearranged and the background replaced with some purple lightning or something.

Most interesting to us is the little "Kunio Series" label on the box. Since there aren't that many Kunio fans who wouldn't already know about this game, we totally take that to mean that Aksys is looking forward to continuing the series. Or they're just making us happy.

See also: 2008's Biggest Blips

2008's Biggest Blips: Super Dodgeball Brawlers


Developer: Million
Publisher: Aksys Games
Release: April 2008

Parents:

You've seen the news. Our children are rapidly falling under the sway of insidious video games, spending hours upon hours watching and even taking part in the most brutal acts of violence imaginable. Games like Grand Theft Auto and Manhunt 2 are designed with nothing in mind but a devious plot to corrupt our children and disrupt our society. Not only that, but many of these games expose our youth to graphic sexuality. Case in point: Mass Effect, which is a pornographic game targeted at preschoolers and (reportedly) given away with boxes of cereal.

The latest threat to our children's sensitive minds comes from Super Dodgeball Brawlers, a game of such stark brutality that it should be banned. And yet, it's going to be released on the Nintendo DS, a game system for children. This shocking violence simulator allows children to play a game called "dodge ball," in which characters break up into teams and attempt to murder each other with thrown projectiles. Disgustingly, this "dodge ball" is presented as a sport, suggesting that it's an acceptable activity for children to engage in on the schoolyard or in the park. Publisher Aksys Games should be held accountable when this deadly game begins claiming young lives.

It's bad enough that children will be taught to use harmless playground balls as weapons, but Super Dodgeball Brawlers takes the corruption a step farther. It satisfies murderous fantasies by giving the players super powers, allowing them to electrify the ball, multiply it in the air or throw it at super-speed. These attacks will even turn our harmless pizzas, cacti, panda bears, and Eiffel Towers into brutal weapons. Kids will even be able to drop the pretenses of sportsmanship and batter each other directly.

Worst yet, Super Dodgeball Brawlers will allow children to connect their DS units wirelessly and perform the simulated violence in groups of eight. Even if you can keep this out of your own home, your children are in imminent danger of having the offending software forced onto their DSes.

We must put a stop to this! If you don't complain to your congressman and do your best to block sale of this disgusting game, it will be on you when children, too addled by flashing lights and cartoons to understand the difference between fantasy and reality, begin acting out this "dodge ball" with their friends.



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Super Dodgeball mini-clips: 'Boot country'


If you're having trouble making out what it is exactly that Lorenzo is tossing across the field, it's a giant pizza, heavy on the green peppers. Aksys' most recent video update for Super Dodgeball Brawlers showcases the special throws of Team Italy, a smooth bunch that insists on walking into every match wearing leather jackets, open arms and thumbs up, introducing themselves with an "Aaay!"

IGN also has a two-minute movie worth checking out, in which you can see the two teams actually trading shots with each other. We need more of this! As with the mini-clips, the video is soundless, but you'll get to see our paisanos throwing a vending machine at people's heads. Team Italy's celebratory pirouettes are worth watching, too!

Super Dodgeball mini-clips: 'Ich bin ein Dodgeballer'


Aksys' latest Super Dodgeball Brawlers videos take us to Germany, the land of Deutsches. Boasting a six-man squad of supermen, Team Germany has its own array of power throws to show off.

Those of you who've been following Aksys' updates should already know what to expect from this new set -- clips without sound or any lasting entertaining value. Also, while each of the eight special attacks shown varies in its style of dodgeball delivery, the result is always the same -- dudes getting beaned in the face. Not very exciting, but it's Super Dodgeball Brawlers!

Super Dodgeball mini-clips: 'Cor blimey, guvna!'


Like the blinking dodgeball traveling two miles per hour in this short clip, Super Dodgeball Brawlers' release this coming spring continues its slow approach. Before you know it, the game will crash right into your face, leaving an imprint of your surprised expression on its box before sending you flying out of the arena.

Aksys has eight new videos in its latest Super Dodgeball Brawlers update, this time demonstrating the "super throws" from the "super tossers" of Team England. Once again, the clips are soundless and, in our opinion, not too exciting, but we'll take what we can get; we're just happy that the game is being localized at all!

Hide behind a big kid: Super Dodgeball Brawlers official site



What better way to ring in the new year than with Super Dodgeball Brawlers? Japanese publisher Arc System Works has set up an official site for the Kunio-kun game for its release in Japan this February 21st, providing the requisite wallpapers and tiny screenshots.

Other than that, you won't find much media that we haven't already foisted upon you, but there are some interesting remarks about its "Create a Dream Team" mode and using punch or kick attacks during a regular match. The site also mentions the burst gauge, a new feature with which your team can charge up and execute special moves capable of changing the tide of the game!

Super Dodgeball mini-clips: 'USA! USA!'


"Pow! Right in the kisser!"

Aksys Games has put out another round of Super Dodgeball Brawlers videos, this time showcasing the special throws available with Team USA's roster (last week's clips were from the Nekketsu Highschool team). Once again, the movies are extremely short and without sound, but you still get to see some dudes get their blocks knocked off, thrown off the screen and across town from the force of a connected power shot.

Super Dodgeball Brawlers is scheduled to smack North America in the back of its head this Spring 2008 (without online support, unfortunately). The next set of videos Aksys plans to release will feature Team England and arrive on January 4th. Head past the break for the rest of this week's seconds-long clips -- you might want to take your glasses off first, though.

Continue reading Super Dodgeball mini-clips: 'USA! USA!'

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