Posted by Tim Sheehy on Sep 12, 2011 in Videogames
For those of you who haven’t had a chance to pick up Deus Ex: Human Revolution yet, you’re in luck. Both Amazon and Gamestop have cut their price today. While it seems Gamestop may have permanently lowered its price to $44, Amazon is having a daily “sweet spot” special which you might be able to take advantage of if you’re quick about it — they’ve slashed $25 off and are only asking the low price of $34.99. For those of you who might not be so familiar with the title, Deus Ex is a first-person action-RPG set in a dystopian future where mankind has decided to experiment with cybernetic augmentation as a means of furthering our evolution. The game’s cyberpunk visuals reference films such as Blade Runner and Robocop, and really serve to immerse you in the whole experience, while the gameplay gives you plenty of options to suit your tastes, be it stealth or action. No matter which you choose, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
I don’t often get a chance to write about music, but I thought it might be cool to mention that Genki Rockets has finally released their latest album Genki Rockets II ~ No Border Between Us via iTunes here in the US. The group is marketed as sort of a hybrid-band with multiple artists contributing musical tracks to the project, all of which are voiced by a fictional idol named Lumi. Not much is known about the actual work that goes into crafting each album, however two producers are known to be attached to it, namely Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Kenji Tamai. As some of you may already know, Mizuguchi is heavily involved with creating rhythm-based games like Lumines and the recently released Children of Eden with both games featuring music by the band. I have yet to really sit down and listen to the new album, but I’m sure I’ll love every minute of it. If you’d like to hear some of their previous work, you should definitely check out the video for Heavenly Star — it’s rather stunning.
It’s crazy. Just last week I wrote about the upcoming Dragon Quest Collection for the Nintendo Wii, noting that that it might come with a teaser for Dragon Quest X. All of a sudden, Square Enix has decided to launch the official Dragon Quest X website, and followed it up with a special press conference where they discussed some of the game’s upcoming features. While it appears that the game may feature several hours of offline play at the start of the adventure, the majority of the game will take place online and require an internet connection to play. A screenshot revealed what appeared a MMO-esque environment, featuring multiple characters on screen with their unique usernames above their avatars. Despite that, it seems the game can be completely on your own and won’t require you to socialize with others despite having the option to do so.
With all the amazing games on the market, I occasionally find myself craving a classic like Dragon Quest. There’s just something I find nostalgic about having to open a sub-menu just to climb stairs or unlock chests. Then, there’s being able to relax while I take turns wailing on monsters who are unlucky enough to cross my path. The whole experience really brings you back. Well, Japanese gamers are in for a treat when Square Enix releases the Dragon Quest Collection for the Nintendo Wii this September. To celebrate the series’ 25th anniversary, they went ahead and included the original Famicom versions of Dragon Quest I, II and III, as well as the Super Famicom remakes.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 30, 2011 in Videogames
At last week’s Penny Arcade Expo, Square Enix debuted the latest trailer for Final Fantasy XIII-2 in English. Shortly afterwards, they uploaded the same trailer to YouTube with the original Japanese voice acting. Naturally, this has led to a small debate amongst fans as to which version’s superior with the majority — not-so-surprisingly mind you — siding with Japanese. To be perfectly honest, I don’t really have a preference either way, so long as I don’t have to listen to Vanille or Hope make irritating noises throughout each battle. If you haven’t had a chance to see either trailer yet, I’ve posted them both for your viewing pleasure. Again, the visuals are pretty fantastic, just don’t expect to be blown away by the script. If you’re hoping to get your hands on a copy of the game that comes with both Japanese voice acting and English subtitles, you may want to save up for a Chinese copy, as that was the only version of Final Fantasy XIII that had both. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck with one or the other, and unless you speak and read Japanese, you might be forced to deal with the English.
From the company that brought the world Infinity Online, Rusty Hearts is a Korean translated MMORPG for gamers to consume. This online video game is currently available as a Closed Beta Phase 2 testing format, so interested players can sign up to test this game out.
Players get to complete dungeon crawling missions on racking up skills with killing monsters and fulfilling quests. This game is accomplished by brawling and long hours of grinding to achieve the statistics needed to beat the dungeons. Players can choose between a party of four characters as it is shown from the screencap above. However during the beta period, only three can be chosen to test.
Gameplay and dungeon crawling time can only level one character at a time. However you can earn items and accessories that is suitable for other characters not being played. It is still in development, but later in the game, there are options and missions to customize your characters in unique fashion or gears they have. The potential for lol moments in obtaining cardboard boxes is something to be seen and wait for.
This game is similar to other online MMO’s in terms of a having a typical village and then sites (dungeons) to complete missions. As the screencap indicates, dungeons are separated by stages and monsters. There has been some comparison made to Castlevania. The scenery, mood, monsters and background music make both game setting similar. What also makes Rusty Heart an appealing game to play is the familiar anime styled character design and intense graphics or fighting sequences that can be seen if executed correctly. Players can choose between using a gamers controller pad or a computer keyboard, options can allow for easy customization. There is an established community in the forum and Facebook.
If your eyes can handle it, there is a 3D option to experience. This is the norm in gaming, your eyes popping out due to the intense graphics. Though if your eyes can’t handle this excitement,there is the option to turn to 3D off just as a Nintendo 3DS has a switch. The screencap above shows a battle scene with 3D turned off. Imagine Rusty Hearts as a game to be experienced if you are a gamer who enjoys developing characters, and get involve a world where there is a larger community.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 25, 2011 in Videogames
[Update 8/25 via Wired: Gamestop to remove all regular edition copies of the game from their stores effective immediately. Returns to be accepted with receipt.]
Earlier today someone leaked an internal Gamestop e-mail which instructed its employees to open sealed copies of the recently released PC title Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and remove a coupon which entitled their customers to a free copy of the game via On Live — a streaming service that would allow players to run the game remotely via a PC or On Live console. The game would then be sold as new at the full list price despite having its case tampered with and its voucher missing. Sounds terrible, right? But is it really that cut and dry? Can Gamestop be the only party at fault? I know it sounds insane from the perspective of the consumer, but there is a reason to their madness.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 23, 2011 in Videogames
Once again, Square Enix has given us some lovely eye-candy with these latest screenshots for their upcoming sequel, Final Fantasy XIII-2. If you’re feeling like you’ve just experienced déjà vu, I can’t blame you. This isn’t the first time the company has decided to market a direct sequel to one of their Final Fantasy titles by tacking on a hyphen and number. It also helps that they’re using the same exact graphics engine as last time, giving us those jaw-dropping visuals that we’ve come to associate with it. Unfortunately for many of us, we’ll probably experience yet another bout of déjà vu after picking a controller as it looks as though the gameplay — if we can call it that, the game practically played itself — will be similar as well. I wasn’t very fond of the script or plot last time around, but maybe they’ll get it right. The game is currently set for release stateside next January.
Why just waste those angry birds by throwing them at pigs when you can make lunch out of them? If you want to recreate this clever bento box recipe you can find a guide at food.insing.com. Read more…
While we’ve seen many new trailers debut at this week’s Gamescom trade conference, the one I’m most excited for happens to be the latest trailer for From Software’s Dark Souls. The game serves as the spiritual successor to the critically acclaimed and notoriously difficult PS3 exclusive, Demon’s Souls. This time around however, Dark Souls will launch cross-platform for both Xbox 360 and PS3 thanks to its new publisher Namco Bandai. While the spirit of the game remains the same, the game’s difficulty has been scaled back slightly. Though I imagine you’ll still find yourself dying all the time, the penalty for doing so won’t be as severe. For example, dying in Demon’s Souls after having been properly revived would actually increase the difficulty of a given stage. Doing so in rapid succession could also cost you your in-game currency. Issues like these might not be as prevalent in Dark Souls, but the developer promises the game will remain “pretty hard,” and that’s good enough for me. The trailer looks fantastic. Dark Soulsshould hit stores on October 4th.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 17, 2011 in Videogames
With Europe’s Gamescom trade event going on, there’s been a lot of gaming news floating around this week. Today EA showed off a brand new trailer for their upcoming shooter Battlefield 3, and like the others to date, the visuals are truly stunning. So far, we’ve only seen shots of the single player campaign, however this latest clip gives us a glimpse of the full 64-man multiplayer warfare. Like in previous titles, you’ll be able to control multiple types of vehicles. The dog fight footage definitely has me excited to see more and I really can’t wait to give it a try, but I imagine flying those jets has to be more difficult than they’re making it look. Still, everything is looking very impressive. Let’s just hope the console version won’t suffer too much in comparison. Battlefield 3 will hit stores on October 25th.
Last month Atlus had surprise hit on their hands when Catherine set a company record by selling over 200,000 copies within the first week. Personally, I found the game to be both entertaining and insightful despite relying on its sexy visuals to market itself. The script is often hilarious and the voice acting has that Atlus-polish we’ve become so accustomed to. Between the increasingly complex puzzles and “choose your own adventure”-esque interludes, I felt it offered a bit more than just lip-service. Puzzles and sex aside though, the game just wouldn’t be the same without some alcohol in the mix. Recently, a Cathrine-themed bar opened in Japan offering cocktails inspired by the characters you encounter throughout the game. While they didn’t offer the exact measurements, you can try to concoct some of these delicious drinks on your own with the ingredients listed below. Frankly, I can’t wait to try some myself, but something tells me they’ll be difficult to perfect. Anyone brave enough to try?
Rocksteady has revealed their latest trailer for Batman: Arkham City featuring none-other than everyone’s favorite snow-cone enthusiast, Mr.Freeze. Unfortunately, Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn’t lend his voice this time around, though it’s probably for the best. After all, Schumacher’s Batman & Robin certainly killed its fair share of careers. Still, I’ll miss those terribly awesome puns. It’s just not the same without the Austrian accent, right? At least the gameplay is looking solid as ever. Batman: Arkham City hits stores this October.
Comedy studio Pixels Per Second recently launched this awesome parody trailer for a Super Mario Bros. movie. No, not that one (which…okay, which really never should have been), but a better one. Think Super Mario Bros. as an indie flick about a down-on-his-luck guy who find the spark he needs to become a hero. And maybe takes a few drugs on the way. Hit the jump for the video! Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 11, 2011 in Videogames
It looks like BioWare wants to reward players for pre-ordering their upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic with early access and a in-game item. From what it looks like, you’ll be allowed to keep your character along with any items and experience you acquire when the game officially launches in November. Unfortunately, there’s no details in regards when that early access period will actually start. I imagine BioWare will e-mail you directly once you’ve entered your pre-order code. The free item included in both limited and standard editions of the game will allow you to change the color of your lightsaber or blaster bolts. I suppose that’s kind of awesome if you want your character to stand out in a crowd. I’m not really fond of paying a monthly subscription for a game, but I suppose I could deal with it as long as its better than Star Wars Galaxies — I’m sure if anyone could manage that, it’d be BioWare. Let’s just hope they’ll leave our shoulder pads alone.
Square-Enix has finally announced the release date for the iOS port of their SRPG cult-classic, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. Based on the 2007 re-release, the port will contain animated cut-scenes and enhanced gameplay. The English release will also include voice acting, however Japanese gamers will not be so lucky. In addition, the game will make use of the retina display and will feature high resolution visuals than its PSP predecessor. There’s a catch, though — the game will lack the online Multiplayer modes available on PSP, and may not include the sound effects for spells. On the other hand, the slow-down experienced when casting spells has been greatly reduced. If I recall, that was the one major gripe everyone had with it. Set to release this Thursday, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions will retail for $15.99, making it one of the most expensive games on the app story to date. I’d complain but it’s probably worth the price they’re asking. Unfortunately, it won’t be a universal app either. Apple’s iPad users will have to wait an additional month for their exclusive version.
Earlier this year Deep Silver decided to release a trailer for the upcoming title Dead Island that critics hailed as both stunningly visceral and emotionally-engaging. The artistic nature of the trailer had many of us excited about a game that we all thought would take the survival-horror genre in a bold new direction. Unfortunately, what many of us had the chance to finally play at E3 and, more recently, San Diego’s Comic-Con hardly seemed bold, or new. Instead, we were treated to what amounted to little more than a clone of Valve’s Left-4-Dead franchise — albeit a shiny one. Initially this bothered me, but now I wonder, is that really such a bad thing?
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 28, 2011 in Videogames
Bioware recently launched it’s first Facebook game, Dragon Age Legends — a game they claim is the first real game to grace the social network. I’m not really sure how accurate that statement is. I suppose they could mean its the first one to fall outside the realm of casual gaming, but I know some people who take their Farmville pretty seriously. Any way, here’s the launch trailer. Personally, I don’t find myself really impressed with the visuals but then again, I shouldn’t complain too much. The game is free, after all. Features include multiplayer with friends, a full RPG leveling system and character customization. If you want to give it a go, head over to the official Facebook page for more info.
It’s rare to find myself excited about a new anime series that hasn’t even aired yet. Perhaps I’m just a bit jaded, but so many new shows air each season that it can be hard to stand out. Fortunately, Persona 4 is the exception. Sharing both name and plot with the game its based on, Persona 4: The Animation seems to be shaping up rather nicely. Fans will likely appreciate the attention to detail, while new viewers will likely fall in love with the characters and story that made the game a hit. With that in mind, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Aniplex bring the series stateside sooner rather than later. I still have my hopes up for a simulcast when it airs in Japan later this Fall. Until then, they’ve given us this nifty trailer to sink our teeth into. Any of you as excited as I am?
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 isn’t even a year old, but Capcom has already announced its value-priced followup, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Besides gameplay tweaks like new moves for current fighters and a direly-needed spectator system for online matches, Marvel and Capcom have also added a dozen new (and bizarre, in some cases) fighters to the fray. The original announcement showed Hawkeye and Ghost Rider for the Marvel side, with Firebrand and MvC fan-favorite Strider Hiryu repping Capcom. A accidental leak from the Capcom website, however, revealed the entire list of new brawlers, relieving us of the suspense of several months of slow-drip character reveals. Marvel fans can now also look forward to playing as Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Nova, and Rocket Raccoon (?!); Capcom fans get their pick of Dead Rising‘s Frank West, Resident Evil 3‘s Nemesis, Dante’s brother Vergil from Devil May Cry, and Phoenix Wright (?!). See what I mean about bizarre? Mega Man fans reeling from the cancellation of Mega Man Legends 3 will no doubt be disappointed that the Blue Bomber is skipping this iteration of the fighting game yet again. UMvC3 is slated for release in November of this year, with an MSRP of $39.99. Read more…
While wandering San Diego Comic-Con’s exhibit hall during their preview night, a friend of mine passed along this preview sketch for Kotobukiya’s Liara T’Soni Bishoujo figure. I know that when I had dealt with Kotobukiya in the past, they had asked me, along with several of my colleagues, which games they should look at licensing. Pretty much everything we listed had been developed in Japan and would have easily lent itself to Shunya Yamashita’s bishoujo treatment. I was half-expecting to see them give us a license like Bayonetta, Persona 4 or Cathrine, but I would have never guessed that they’d manage to give us something from Mass Effect. Consider my mind officially blown. I really do love these bishoujo figures, but at $65 a pop, it’s hard to keep up. In fact, I was having trouble keeping up with it when they were just doing Marvel figures. By the time they decided to start doing DC Comics I pretty much gave up all hope of collecting them all. One thing I do know for certain is that I will gladly spill my wallet for Liara here. Now, if only they’ll make Miranda. I suppose time will tell. Also, if you’re visiting SDCC, stop by their booth and let them know what you think. Believe it or not, Kotobukiya listens to its customers, even international ones.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 21, 2011 in Videogames
Just a day ago, Activision announced their upcoming title GoldenEye 007 Reloaded for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. If you don’t count 2004’s GoldenEye: Rogue Agent — and most people wouldn’t — this would mark the first time an official GoldenEye title will be appearing on a non-Nintendo console. It’s sort of a big deal, I suppose, but will fans of the original really enjoy this new title? At Activision’s Comic-Con showcase, I had a chance to play a pre-alpha build of the title and while it still had its issues it was actually quite fun. The only problem? It really didn’t feel like GoldenEye. Sure, they had Bond — in this case, Daniel Craig — and the setting was spot on, but the game literally played like Call of Duty. In fact, I over heard several journalists jokingly referring to it as Call of Duty: 007, or GoldenEye: Modern Warfare. While I couldn’t get anyone to confirm that the game used the Modern Warfare engine, every element led me to that conclusion. In fact, the in-game HUD looked spot on, with indicators for thrown grenades, location of the mini-map, and obligatory blood splatters filling the screen. Even the button mapping was exactly the same, leading me to believe that Activision seems to be under the impression that they’ve stumbled on a winning formula and simply don’t want to let it go. Suffice to say, if you’re a fan of the Call of Duty franchise, and the Modern Warfare series in particularly, you’ll probably love this. No word on an official release date, but I’m looking forward to seeing how development progresses in the months to come.
Last night, we posted the teaser for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rising. Though I’m excited for the film, it’s not the only Batman title I’m looking forward to. Later this year, Warner Brothers and Rocksteady Games will be releasing their long-awaited sequel to 2009’s Arkham Asylum, titled Batman: Arkham City. The sequel features a larger cast of villains, larger areas, tougher puzzels, and even the ability to play as Catwoman and Robin for portions of the game. What’s more, Warner Brothers just released the details for their special collector’s edition. In addition to the game, the $99 set will include a custom Batman statue from Kotobukiya, a collectible Arkham City art book, access to the Iceberg Lounge challenge map, a unique Batman: The Dark Knight Returns in-game skin, an official soundtrack, collectible cards, and finally a copy of the Gotham Knight anime which, if you recall, was produced by some of the same studios who worked on The Animatrix — though, I’m told it’s much better than that.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 19, 2011 in Videogames
Tonight Capcom announced that Mega Man Legends 3 has been officially cancelled. With no other Mega Man titles in development, and the recent cancellation of Mega Man Universe — a shame really, I had high hopes after playing a closed-doors demo at Tokyo Game Show last year — the franchise has come to a screeching halt. While I never had a chance to sit down and play Mega Man Legends 3 while it was still being developed, that specific series has a decent cult following and will no doubt leave many fans disappointed. So, what was Capcom’s excuse for giving the game the proverbial axe? The titled failed to meet the criteria for which the company deemed necessary to proceed with development based on the input from various sectors of their staff. Suffice to say, the quality wasn’t there.
