General gaming

General gaming

Review: Kirby Mass Attack is One of the Last Great DS Games

Posted: 20 Sep 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Before Kirby: Canvas Curse graced the Nintendo DS, the then-new Japanese handheld was considered largely unproven. Sure, the software library at the time pointed to potential, but none of the DS's dual-screened magic seemed realized until Kirby arrived for the platform. Canvas Curse, a surprising game that deviated greatly from "Kirby conventions" (the ferocious appetite and stealing enemy powers), wowed critics and fans through charming game mechanics and refined stylus-based controls. The success of the DS and its software library didn't happen overnight, but Canvas Curse started the fire, transforming the dubious portable into a relevant investment.

In a surprising case of symmetry, Kirby Mass Attack taps the same vein of creativity and sophistication that made Canvas Curse so appealing, but still manages to do its own thing. Simply put: Mass Attack is a brilliant Kirby game from developer Hal Laboratory. But one that feels bittersweet, as it possibly closes the door on first-party developed DS games. Obviously Mass Attack isn't the last great game for the system, but it's not a stretch to assume that Nintendo's run is officially over as the Japanese publisher looks to the 3DS.

Kirby Mass Attack's Director Discusses Designing Kirby For Children

Posted: 20 Sep 2011 04:00 PM PDT

Kirby is quite the odd little pink ball. He not only copies whatever he eats during his normal action games, but then he finds himself in weird spin-off titles like the kiddy racer Kirby's Air Ride to last year's Kirby's Epic Yarn. And now we have Kirby Mass Attack, where you can have a whole gaggle of little pink balls tear their way through enemies.

We had a chance to ask the normally elusive developers at Nintendo and HAL Laboratory some quick questions via email, and took this opportunity to ask things such as why Kirby works in multiple genres. Answering questions are HAL Laboratory producer Masanobu Yamamoto (Kirby's Epic Yarn), and Mass Attack director Mari Shirakawa (her credits include Kirby Super Star Ultra, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, Kirby: Canvas Curse, and Picross 3D).

Vita Can Do Ad Hoc Multiplayer with PSP

Posted: 20 Sep 2011 02:54 PM PDT

Vita PSP communication

Should you decide to upgrade to a PlayStation Vita but still find yourself playing a PlayStation Portable game, you won't be prevented from playing multiplayer with someone who stuck with their PSP.

A section of the Japanese PlayStation website shows that Vita is capable of communicating with PSP for the purpose of ad hoc multiplayer, Siliconera reports. In the United States it might not be a big deal to most. In Japan, ad hoc multiplayer is very popular, particularly when it comes to Monster Hunter.

The only way you'll be playing PSP games on your Vita in the first place is by downloading them through the PlayStation Store, as the system lacks a UMD drive. Not every single game is guaranteed to be compatible, but it does sound like the majority of them will be. Sony has indicated it may do something -- at least in Japan -- for owners of PSP games on UMD, like allowing them to download complimentary digital versions of games they already own for use on Vita. Details of this haven't been finalized, but it would be a nice gesture -- and one that hopefully would be repeated elsewhere in the world.

Diablo III Public Beta Begins, Invites Sent Out

Posted: 20 Sep 2011 02:23 PM PDT

Diablo III

Blizzard said the Diablo III beta would begin in the year's third quarter, and it's managed to make that date. The company today announced the highly-anticipated public beta has begun and that the first wave of invites have been sent out.

To see if you're among those lucky enough to have received an invite, check the e-mail account you have attached to your Battle.net account (and make sure to beware any of those very persistent World of Warcraft spammers). Alternatively, you can check the Account area on the Battle.net website to see if you've been granted access so that you can begin downloading the client immediately. From there you can also check the Beta Profile Settings area to ensure you've indicated your interest in the beta.

Beta testers will be able to play through the entirety of Act I as any of the game's five classes -- Demon Hunter, Barbarian, Witch Doctor, Wizard, and Monk -- both online and solo. An active Internet connection is required either way.

Batman Fans Will Have to Wait Longer for Arkham City on PC

Posted: 20 Sep 2011 01:48 PM PDT

Batman Arkham City

Like Ubisoft and Driver: San Francisco, the PC version of Batman: Arkham City has been delayed, Warner Bros. today announced.

Rather than be released on October 18 alongside the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game, Arkham City on PC will instead be out in November. No exact date was attached to that version, which is sure to be frustrating to fans. Keep in mind there was a similar gap with Arkham Asylum; consoles got the game on August 25, 2009, but it wasn't until September 15 that it came out on PC.

In better news, the various retailer exclusives that can only be gotten by pre-ordering the game at different stores will later be made available to all.

Is the Next Super Smash Bros. Game Called Universe?

Posted: 20 Sep 2011 12:13 PM PDT

Super Smash Bros Brawl

The announcement of the new Super Smash Bros. may have been premature, but Nintendo apparently felt it needed a big game to talk about -- if not show -- at this year's E3. With Masahiro Sakurai still busy working on Kid Icarus: Uprising, details were anything but forthcoming beyond the fact that it's coming to Wii U and 3DS. Now a leaked document allegedly shows off some potential ideas for the game and a possible name.

The image below surfaced on 4chan and was then posted on Reddit earlier today. It shows the game's name as being Super Smash Bros. Universe, with the "U" in Universe using the same style of U seen in the logo for Wii U. The idea makes sense, though with this sort of thing it's always best to take anything and everything with a grain of salt. Keep in mind that the page seems to indicate both the Japanese and English names for the game would use the same subtitle, whereas previous games did not -- Melee carried the subtitle DX in Japan while Brawl was simply X.

According to a translation by Zelda Informer (via Super Smash Bros. World), the document alludes to more third-party support (presumably meaning more third-party characters like Snake and Sonic), the removal of tripping (also known as Prat Falling), and increasing the movement speed of Samus in light of how she handles in Other M.

Former TimeSplitters Devs to Handle Homefront Sequel

Posted: 20 Sep 2011 11:24 AM PDT

Homefront

With the first game's developer, Kaos Studios, shut down earlier this year, the sequel to Homefront will be handled by a division of Crytek, the makers of Crysis and Far Cry.

THQ announced today that Crytek will take over development duties for the next Homefront. We knew such a game was inevitable, although this developer announcement does come as a surprise -- back when Kaos was closed in June, THQ said its new Montreal studio would "take over product development and overall creative management for the Homefront franchise."

Instead, it'll be Crytek UK that works on the new Homefront. Crytek UK is the former Free Radical Design, developer of the TimeSplitters series and Crysis 2's multiplayer component. The new Homefront will run on the newest version of the CryEngine technology that also powered Crysis 2, so if nothing else, the game should look quite nice.

Battlefield 3 Multiplayer Beta Kicks Off Next Week

Posted: 20 Sep 2011 10:32 AM PDT

Battlefield 3

It's a bit later than expected, but gamers will finally get to try out Battlefield 3's multiplayer for themselves in just over a week's time.

Initially we thought we'd already be playing it by now; during E3, a September 11 launch date for the beta was announced, although it seems DICE needed a bit of extra time or someone realized that particular date might not be the ideal date to begin a beta. So instead gamers on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 will all get beta access on Thursday, September 29. Those who purchased the Limited Edition of last year's Medal of Honor or have pre-ordered the digital PC version through Origin will get the promised two-day head start on September 27.

Once the head start is over, gamers on all three platforms will be free to download the client -- it's an open beta, meaning you won't have to rely on getting an invite or anything of the sort. Only a single map, Operation Metro (which is set in Paris), is included, and it's playable only in Rush mode. Fans of Battlefield's traditional Conquest mode like myself will have to wait until the game is out on October 25 to get a taste of that action.

Posted by Shri Krishna

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