The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds will have not one, but two Triforces, Nintendo have shared.
This is depicted in the game’s logo, which shows a second shadowy Triforce, which is located in a different world from the one Link inhabits.
Sega has revealed a whopping 10-minute trailer for their upcoming Vocaloid game for the 3DS, Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai 2. Featured in this video are all 17 songs revealed so far, including the brand new title Snowman by halyosy. During the song Piano x Forte x Scandal, you also get a glimpse of the Vocal Change feature, in which the character changes while the song is playing.
Here is a list of every song in this trailer:
Skeleton Orchestra and Lilia1925Sweet MagicYume YumeOne, Two Fanclub1/6 ~out of the gravity~Common World DominationPiano x Forte x ScandalDo Re Mi Fa RondoAmatsu KitsuneKoneko no Paya PayaSnowmanInvisibleInterviewerCendrillonAdolescenceElectric AngelHatsune Miku: Project Mirai 2 will be released for the Nintendo 3DS on November 28.
Danganronpa 1 & 2 Reload, a PlayStation Vita port of the PSP Danganronpa games, has a release date in Japan. Famitsu.com reports that Spike Chunsoft will release the two-game compilation on October 10th.
The retail version of Danganronpa 1 & 2 Reload will cost 5,229 yen. The download version will go for 4,700 yen. Pre-ordering the game will net buyers a radio CD.
For more details on Danganronpa 1 & 2 Reload, check our initial report.
In recent news, Square Enix announced their delay of Drakengard 3’s release in order to meet people’s expectations and further increase the game’s quality; however, that doesn’t stop them from introducing us to the blue-haired Utautai beauty, “Two”. Famitsu shares the latest on the lastly revealed sister.
Two
While the third Utautai sister Two does look cool as ice, she’s actually governs the country of sand. She’s a bright and cheerful young girl, who can get along with just about anyone. She is considered to be the life of the party character of the sisters. And sorry boys, according to the report, she's currently seeing a man.
In Drakengard 3, you’ll be playing as the Utautai sister Zero, who’ll have a dragon named Mikhail as a partner. Zero can ride on Mikahil to fight while flying and also on the ground. While fighting on land, you’ll be able to use the dragon’s bite and wing attacks, along with powerful breath attacks.
In commemoration of Drakengard’s 10 year anniversary, Famitsu are helping Square celebrate it with an illustration contest, where readers will get to submit their drawings to Famitsu for a chance to win one of Drakengard series character designer Kimihiko Fujisaka’s original and signed drawings of Zero.
Drakengard 3 is slated for release on December 19th for PlayStation 3.
In celebration of the launch of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, Cartoon Network will be hosting a Pokémon animation special in the U.S. on October 19th. As part of the event, they’ll debut Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awaken, featuring Red Genesect and Mega Mewtwo (the latter from the X/Y games). Here’s a trailer:
Also on October 19th, Cartoon Network will air Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem vs. the Sword of Justice and share a two-episode sneak peek of the new season of the Pokémon anime, titled Pokémon the Series: XY.
The Pokémon X and Pokémon Y games will launch on October 12th worldwide.
At E3 this year, Sony and God of War: Ghost of Sparta developer Ready at Dawn revealed The Order: 1886, a new IP for the PlayStation 4. Now, we have a few more details on just what the game is going to be, courtesy of the PS Blog.
On what kind of game The Order: 1886 is, studio co-founder Ru Weerasuriya says, “The Order is a third person action adventure with shooting mechanics. It’s very much story-based—it’s a linear story-based game. We’re trying to tell a story. It’s what we call a filmic experience.”
Weerasuriya goes on to say that The Order: 1886 will not play like one would expect it to.
“There are gameplay features we’ll be talking about that will be very, very cool,” he shares. “Right now we’re playing with things—the moment-to-moment gameplay is really not what you might expect. We didn’t want to make it single-tone, where you rely on one single thing in expense of the rest.”
Dengeki PlayStation revealed four apostles like Tito, a heinous character that is armed with a huge spear. Tito gets pleasure out when he hears shrieks of pain. Decato is an extreme masochist that gets pleasure from pain, Cent is a handsome cool kind of guy, and Octal are the other three apostles. Players can pick which two they characters they want to bring to battle.
Drakengard 3 is slated for release on PlayStation 3 later this year.
Danmaku Unlimited 2 is a vertical shoot-em-up that was originally developed for iOS devices by a one-man indie developer in Canada, and it’s now headed to PC. In case you’re wondering what the fuss is about, you can watch a trailer for it below that shows off gameplay footage:
But hey, if you’d rather try it out for yourself, that’s an option, too. While Danmaku Unlimited 2 isn’t quite ready for release yet, there’s a demo available here that lets you try the first five stages. The full version of Danmaku Unlimited 2 has four difficulty levels, runs at 60fps, and includes bonus features like a Boss Rush mode.
Danmaku Unlimited 2 is scheduled for release later this summer and is up for voting on the Steam Greenlight program now.
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Set in the final days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the Shogunate is using the Heaven's Song to brainwash people and rule the country. Freedom fighters are "rockers" led by Sakamoto Ryoma. Famitsu says Bakumatsu Rock is a rhythm game and it's coming to PSP on February 27.
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Here are some of the characters and voice actors confirmed for the game:
Sakamoto Ryoma (Kisho Taniyama)
Takasugi Shinsaku (Tatsuhisa Suzuki)
Kido Takayoshi (Showtaro Morikubo)
Okita Soji (Kensho Ono)
Hijikata Toshizo (Toshiyuki Morikawa)
Following its European announcement, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z has now been officially announced for North America, Latin America and Brazil as well.
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z is slated for release on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 at retail, with a digital-only release planned for PlayStation Vita.
Nintendo debuted a new trailer for Shin Megami Tensei IV at E3, showing off more English-language footage from the upcoming Nintendo 3DS RPG, including more voice-work. Watch it below:
Shin Megami Tensei IV will be available in North America on July 16th.
At their PlayStation press conference on Monday, Sony debuted a new PlayStation 4 game being developed by Ready at Dawn, the developer of God of War: Ghost of Sparta. Titled The Order: 1886, the game takes place in London during the Victorian Era.
The Order: 1886 follows an alternate history where technological advances are at the centre of a battle for mankind’s survival. In this world, the Industrial Revolution, which took place 40 years prior to the events of the game, stemmed from mankind’s desire to prevail in a centuries-old war.
The Order: 1886 doesn’t have a release date yet. You can watch the trailer above.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf sold over 500,000 copies when it launched in North America last month, but Nintendo have provided updated sales figures for the game in their latest financial report.
As of June 30th, Animal Crossing: New Leaf has sold 1.19 million copies outside Japan, and a total of 5.4 million copies worldwide. This counts both retail and digital sales.
Meanwhile, worldwide sales of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon are at 2.65 million. This figure, too, includes both retail and download sales.
Hey! Remember River City Ransom? The classic 2.5D beat-em-up for the Nintendo Entertainment System game has garnered itself cult status over the years, and now, there’s an officially-approved Kickstarter underway for its sequel—River City Ransom: Underground.
River City Ransom Underground will take place some 25 years after the original title, with returning main characters Alex and Ryan against back-to-his-old-tricks Slick. Like the original, RCRU will allow players to have a semi-sandbox experience by being able to select levels to explore and fight through, rather than a fixed route through the game.
Canadian Developers Conatus Creative’s sequel is in development for the PC and will still be in 2.5D—which means 2D with the ability to move into the background and foreground—and the developers have promised to beef up every aspect of the game. So, more characters, more stores to shop at, updated AI and skills to fight with and against. The game will also feature both local and online multiplayer for up to four players.
As mentioned, this is an officially-licensed and officially-approved sequel. Conatus picked the license up in April from Million Co., a company of ex-Technos staff who acquired the rights to the series when Technos disappeared into the ether. This means that, yes, Underground will be fully canon. It’s so canon, they have creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto on board as a creative consultant to stay true to what makes a River City game a River City game.
There’s also other big name talent on the team, such as Dustin Crenna (Sound designer for Halo 4, Bioshock 2, The Darkness 2 etc) and Rich Vreeland aka Disasterpiece (Who you might remember is also doing Hyperlight Drifter, that other Kickstarter game we highlighted) working on the team, and Conatus Creative have promised extra cash for the game will go towards hiring more staff to ensure the game gets done properly and on time.
Kickstarter exclusive weapon skins sound like a pretty sweet deal and nice compromise to those who dismay at locked-away content exclusives. As of print, the game is about halfway to funded and can be found here.
Oh boy, I'm going to make some people mad, I suppose. 'Oh, look, Shawn Long is complaining about another game! What else is new?'
That sentiment is fine, because I'm not here to blindly bash something. However I can't sit here and let other gaming journalists (including one of our own) praise this game and go crazy over it, because once you peel away the outer shell, you are left with nothing but missed opportunities and monotony. Yes, I am talking about Naughty Dog's latest 'masterpiece,' The Last of Us.
Nothing says 'fresh' like rotting corpses.
In one of my 'Games That Could Have Been Great' articles, I talked about a little 'end of the world' title called I Am Alive. The Last of Us must have taken some inspiration from that game, because there are quite a few similarities: Both have a catastrophic event that leave the world a barren place, both are based on survival elements and both still manage to disappoint me because they were not done right.
While The Last of Us is a great leap from I Am Alive, it still manages to repeat one of the biggest mistakes that its spiritual predecessor suffered from. For starters, why the hell are we still stuck in a linear world? It is the apocalypse, the world has gone to crap and I'm still stuck on a damn predetermined path. Sure, The Last of Us manages to spread out a little more in certain areas, but for the most part you are wandering from point A to point B.
Imagine if you were in a vast world with tons of options to explore, places to hide and areas to search through. Instead of having just a small area to your advantage, you should have the freedom to really choose how to experience the game.
I understand that this is probably a pacing issue, but I don't think anyone can honestly sit there and say that the game wouldn't benefit more as an open world over a linear one. It's not like the linear world of The Last of Us is huge, because it's not. Yes, the environments are rich and visually appealing, but there is little to no interaction, which once again reminds me of I Am Alive. Beyond the game's world, let's talk about the monotony.
They should have included a mini-game in The Last of Us called 'Dumpster, Crate, Ladder, Plank.' Why is this? Because if you are ever stuck in a situation and need to get up to an area you can't reach or get across a body of water (of course your partner is a foul-mouthed little girl who can't swim, but good lord can she shoot a gun better than any enemy), one of these four objects will be provided to assist you in advancing. Can I please have some more variety than these four objects? Also, why are they conveniently right next to the spot where I need to travel? I should be exploring for alternative options, not having things handed right to me.
Speaking of games, I could create a game where players would have to guess if a screenshot is from The Last of Us or Uncharted.
My main beef with this game is that after two hours into it, you have seen everything gameplay wise that there is to experience. It just becomes boring to me. It rarely goes beyond the theme of 'find supplies, craft stuff, fight some humans, find supplies, fight some zombies, find supplies, fight some clickers,' rinse and repeat. The story is pretty damn good and the cutscenes are amazingly beautiful, so they help hide some of the monotony by breaking up the pace of the game, but it doesn't do enough.
Every area, while it may look different, feels the same: Somewhat exploratory, mostly cramped with limited interactivity. I can see how it helps with the atmosphere of the game, but it just feels way too restricted for an 'end of the world' type of game. I'm not a Fallout fanboy by any stretch of the imagination, but, seriously, this game with an open world setting would have been amazing.
For all the great graphics, sound and story, the game somehow manages to fall flat on its face in the gameplay department. The tacked-on multiplayer is perfect example of how I feel about this game. Compare it to a model with no brain ' beautiful, but shallow. The Last of Us is a good game no doubt, but great? Far from it.
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The team said the game is moving forward and shared a concept video with a picture of a crow perched on a skull. Today, Sony opened a teaser site for Over My Dead Body on Vita. While the game is a continuation of the series, the game's official name has not been announced. The site confirms the Vita game is a RPG and Tales of the Heroes / Over My Dead Body PSP developer Alfa System is working on the title. The site will open on September 10, so we might get some news about the game beforehand.
Teasing the silhouette of a mysterious creature along with the words, “That popular game that is played around the world, will be reborn in a surprising collaboration!” Pokémon developer Game Freak had the hearts of fans racing in anticipation. Then they announced the game as Soliti Horse, a 3DS eShop game that combines Solitaire and horse racing. Here’s a look at the game’s first trailer:
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The moment you start a race in Soliti Horse, you’ll see a game of Solitaire appear on the bottom screen. By performing well in the Solitaire Phase, it’ll grant a boost to your horse, allowing you to gallop your way around others. Should you perform poorly, it backfires and will result in problems in your horse’s performance.
The Control Phase will have you play the role of the jockey, where you’ll be prompted to guide the horse with lines, and using the riding crop to help out on the final spurt.
Soliti Horse also offers different parts aside from racing, such as the ranch area that allows you to take care and breed different horses.
Soliti Horse is currently available on the Japanese Nintendo eShop for 500 yen.
Given Marvelous AQL's success with the Senran Kagura series they seemed like a more fitting developer for a High School DxD game than Kadokawa Games. Well, Marvelous AQL is working with the High School DxD series too and created a "bouncy" card RPG.
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High School DxD characters are represented by cards and like other card games cards can evolve. Specific to High School DxD the game has Dress Breaks.
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And here's how Marvelous AQL is promoting the game in Japan…
Sega have shared a new trailer for Yakuza Restoration at the ongoing Tokyo Game Show. The game is slated for release on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, and takes place in Japan's Meiji Era, during which the country was a feudal society. Watch the trailer below:
Yakuza Restoration will be available in Japan on February 22nd, 2014.
Monster Hunter 4’s release is just a month away, and Capcom recently held an event called the “Summer Hunting Tryouts” where people got to try out the game’s two new weapons. Famitsu recorded parts of their demo play-through, and also shared some noteworthy info regarding the new weapons.
Famitsu start out by showing off the Insect Staff in the fight against a Great Jaggi and his Jaggi minions. One of the weapon’s main features is being able to send the insect perched on the top of the staff to extract power from enemies. By pressing the R and X buttons, you’ll be able to send it out, and pressing R and A will have it return back to its Hunter.
In addition to being the only weapon that can jump without the use of a ledge (by pressing the R and B buttons), the Insect Staff is proving to be one of the most mobile weapons in Monster Hunter yet, which is well demonstrated in the video. This feature makes Insect Staff users the ideal candidate for someone who could be in charge of jumping on monsters to knock them down. According to Famitsu, most of the play experience with the staff consists of powering up using extract provided by the insect while finding jumping opportunities.
Halfway through the video, the play focuses on the Charge Axe Hunter, who also takes on a Great Jaggi. Famitsu says that the weapon’s Sword Mode doesn’t feel as light as the Sword and Shield, but it isn’t too shabby when it comes to movement speed. By pressing the X and A buttons, you’ll be able to attack while moving forward.
The main purpose of the Sword Mode is to charge energy so you can unleash devastating blows using the more powerful Axe Mode. In order to actually charge up energy in Sword Mode, you’ll have to press R and A buttons, otherwise the charge will go wasted. Once you have enough charges, there are various combinations of attacks you’ll be able to pull off using Axe Mode, which they say feels pretty great. If used correctly, the Charge Axe could become a formidable damage dealer for all hunting parties.
Monster Hunter 4 is slated for release on September 14 for Nintendo 3DS.
While we’ve seen stranger RPGs that require you to make children in order to save the world, Unchained Blades makers, FuRyu, gives them a run for their money with Exstetra, an upcoming PlayStation Vita and 3DS RPG that requires you to kiss others in order to unlock their hidden powers to save the world.
The latest information on the game features a new character.
Jin
Prior to being summoned to Amasia and having his powers awakened as a Prisma Knight, Jin was a young swordsman with monster fighting experience under his belt. He used to be part of a kendo club, and even participated in interscholastic tournaments. Jin is skilled in the arts of war and peace, but he can be a little obstinate at times.
Before meeting Exstetra’s main character Ryoma, Jin was able to take care of himself using his own skills; however, after being saved by Ryoma and the others, he had awakened to his powers as a Prisma Knight.
Although he has his powers awakened as a Prisma Knight, Jin still can’t seem to lower his guard when he’s around Ryoma and the others.
Jin’s “Illusion Flash Slash” shows an illusion of himself, as he attacks enemies using his high speed. Jin will have many other sword-based skills, demonstrating his excellent skills as a swordsman.
Exstetra is slated for release on October 17th for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita.
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Moving forward, Nippon Ichi wants to have a balance between developing new series, like The Witch and the Hundred Knight or The Guided Fate Paradox, and sequels. PlayStation 3 is still their core platform, but the company plans to mix in Vita and PlayStation 4 releases. Since Nippon Ichi has many titles that sell well overseas, they will take which hardware overseas gamers play on into consideration too.
The prologue to Conception II, Spike Chunsoft's newest RPG has been available for the PlayStation Vita for a week, and those who have played it will have made children with four of the heroines. Once you buy the full game and pass the introduction, you'll get to meet the three other heroines.
The first of these is Serina, a classic tsundere who always seems to be mad at you. She is voiced by Kaori Mizuhashi (Laharl from Disgaea) and has her own dialect with random traces of Kansai dialect.
In battle, Serina transforms into an outfit resembling a maid uniform and her weapon is the Leg Gun. Despite her size, she is a powerful third-year student. In this screenshot, Serina says, 'I was buying a bra, and I lost against the elementary school girls around me.'
The next heroine you meet is Tohri, a mysterious girl who has lived in a laboratory for her whole life. Because of this, she has little common sense and is curious about the outside world. She has a fear of strangers, but once she becomes attached to someone, she will follow that person faithfully.
The last heroine you meet is Feene, who joins you in the middle of the storyline. She is a third-year student; but unlike Serina, she appears older than the main character. She normally has a refined, mature personality, and she is skilled in both academics and sports. However, she can also be unexpectedly cute. Her hobby is photography, and you can see her in a previously released introduction video from Spike Chunsoft.
Conception II will be released for the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS on August 22. You can download the prologue now on the Vita or play a general demo on the 3DS now.
