Magic the Gathering

Dragon Ball Z

Yu-Gi-Oh!

Pokemon

HeroClix

NeoPets

Yu-Yu-Hakusho

Duel Masters

Pojo's Friday News Page
for May 28th, 2004

Dragon Ball Z Cartoons on GBA
The video line-up grows stronger.

May 21, 2004 - Majesco announced today an agreement with FUNimation Productions to publish Game Boy Advance Video products based on the Dragon Ball GT franchise.

Majesco owns the rights to the GBA video technology that allows them to fit 45 minutes of full-screen video on a GBA cartridge. Majesco secured the exclusive rights in the U.S. and Canada to apply its technology to the Dragon Ball GT series. The product is already supported by the Cartoon Network and Nintendo of America.
Full Story

- - - - - -

Duel Masters Special Edition
Collectible cards included.

May 21, 2004 - Atari announced today that it is releasing a limited edition run of Duel Masters: Sempai Legends. Collectible cards from the game will be included in the package.

Nancy MacIntyre, vice president of Marketing and Public Relations for Atari's Beverly studio stated "Atari created Duel Masters: Sempai Legends with significant support from Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro to ensure that the Game Boy Advance product is a perfect complement to the Duel Masters universe. Duel Masters: Sempai Legends is an extension of the Duel Masters trading card game, a place where fans can hone their skills and lose themselves in the rich story behind the popular trading card game."

The game features the most trading cards ever included with a Game Boy.
Full Story

Bonus Story:

Duel Masters: Sempai Legends (GBA)

Duel Masters is number one in Japan. Sure, it's not very much different from other collectible card games, but as with other games with elements of strategy, subtle details make big differences. And the difference in Japan is that over 120,000,000 booster packs for Duel Masters have been sold. Of course, there's a manga, and an anime series, some of which has already aired here on Cartoon Network. The action figures and various other merchandise, along with this upcoming GBA game, completes the plan to extract as much money out of its fans as possible.

The story mode of Sempai Legends starts with you receiving an ultra-rare card from your grandfather for your birthday. That night, a man sneaks into your house and steals it. You strike out on your own to find your grandfather's card and to try and live up to his legacy of being a top-ranked dueler. The game promises encounters with characters from the TV show as well. Dueling as you travel the countryside will earn you booster packs to add to your collection. You can also visit trade centers, where you can get one-for-one offers, or ante up three of your cards in a match to win a rare card.

Duel Masters resembles Magic: The Gathering most in its play mechanics.
Full Story

- - - - - -

Playing video games helps docs perform better at surgery

A new study conducted at the New York's Beth Israel Medical Center has revealed that surgeons who have mastered the buttons and toggle switches of a video game console would do better at laparoscopic surgery because the devices are similar.

The study found out that doctors who spend three hours a week zapping aliens on Nintendo or racing cars on PlayStation make 37 percent fewer mistakes in the operating room doing laparoscopic surgery. They also tend to work 27 percent quicker than non-video-gaming docs
Full Story

- - - - - - -

Atari's ``Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone'' Brings Together Major Hollywood Talent, Best-Selling Author; Patrick Stewart, Michael Clarke Duncan Lend Voice Talent to Video Game

Atari today announced it has signed New York Times best-selling author R. A. Salvatore to develop the storyline for its upcoming action adventure video game, "Forgotten Realms(R): Demon Stone"(TM), which will also feature the extraordinary talents of actors Patrick Stewart and Michael Clarke Duncan, who will lend their voices to two prominent roles in the video game. "Demon Stone," which is scheduled for release in Fall 2004, is set in the popular "Dungeons & Dragons"(R) world created by Wizards of the Coast. "Demon Stone" is being developed by Stormfront Studios, creators of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," for the PlayStation(R) 2 computer entertainment system.

"'Demon Stone' features a classic struggle between the forces of good and evil, and we needed two powerful voice talents to make that conflict real and bring it to life. Patrick Stewart's classic articulation and Michael Clarke Duncan's presence were absolutely perfect as the two opposing sides of that conflict," said John Hight, executive producer in Atari's Los Angeles studio. "As a best-selling author of numerous Forgotten Realms novels, R. A. Salvatore is uniquely suited to take on this project and his mastery of storytelling will immerse players more deeply in our game."
Full Story

- - - - - -

McDonald's to launch Neopet project

GLENDALE -- You know you've arrived in the toy world when you're crammed in a box with a hamburger and fries and thrust into the hands of a covetous 8-year-old.

Neopets, the tangible version of the online characters created by Neopets Inc., now have that validation. The Glendale-based company announced a deal with McDonald's Corp. on Monday that will put 109 different plush toys and 15 trading cards into Happy Meals beginning May 28. The two companies have an advertising relationship dating back a year, but the four-week promotion marks the first time the creatures have found their way into the kids' meals.
Full Story

- - - - - -

'Computer games should be easier'

Do you get fed up trying to figure out overly-complicated computer games? Well, the boss of games giant Nintendo thinks they should be easier.

Satoru Iwata said the people who made games were obsessed with things like better graphics, but forgot about making the games fun to play.

He warned that unless games were made more fun to play, people would get bored and give up their consoles.
Full Story

- - - - - -

Nintendo to roll out "Revolution"

Game maker to reveal new console next year, calls it entirely different experience from GameCube.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Nintendo Co. Ltd. said on Friday it has codenamed its next-generation home console "Revolution," cementing a pledge to offer video game fans an entirely different gaming experience from current machines.

The company said on Thursday it would like to debut a new game machine at next year's E3, the game industry's annual trade show usually held in May, but Nintendo officials said it would be wrong to call Revolution a successor to its current GameCube console.

"This won't be a continuation, but rather something entirely different," Nintendo Senior Managing Director Yoshiro Mori said at an analyst's briefing. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told Reuters earlier this month that the next-generation game machine would change how people now play video games, sitting in front of a television holding a controller.
Full Story

- - - - - -

Fight Club site opens

VU Games launches an official Web site dedicated to its movie-inspired fighting game for the PS2 and Xbox.

VU Games has recently launched an official Web site dedicated to Fight Club, which is currently in development for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The site currently boasts a game overview, screenshots, its own forums, and an opportunity for visitors to sign up for an official newsletter. Both the PS2 and Xbox versions of Fight Club are currently scheduled for release in October.
Full Story