General gaming

General gaming

Topless, Tattooed Yakuza Star Playable in Binary Domain

Posted: 09 Nov 2011 05:13 AM PST

Kazuma Kiryu, the main hero of Sega's Yakuza series and a man you generally wouldn't want to mess with, just got that little bit more tough -- apparently he's going to be a playable character in Binary Domain, the upcoming third-person shooter that's being made by the Yakuza team.

Kiryu isn't playing a role in the campaign mode, though -- only in online multiplayer, where he'll appear in a white, Scarface-like suit when playing for the government side and a Rambo-ish getup (complete with bandanna and topless, tattooed upper body) when fighting for the resistance.

Peter Moore on Japan, EA, The Future

Posted: 09 Nov 2011 05:01 AM PST

Peter Moore wears his career on his sleeve...or, more exactly, his arms. Sources differ on whether the Halo 2 tattoo he famously brandished at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo is still there or not, but regardless of its current status, it reflects the brash personality he's brought to Sega, Microsoft and Electronic Arts during his time at each outfit. In August he was promoted to COO at EA, the position he used to have at Sega of America, making him once again one of the most powerful men in the game business.

He sat down with Japan's Famitsu magazine for a long interview this week, and -- despite the original Xbox's Asian struggles during his time at Microsoft -- Moore sounded remarkably upbeat about the Japanese market in general. "Japan is a very active market," he said, "and I think it's really got this spirit of always trying something new. The Japan game industry, in particular, is really unique in its passion and its cutting-edge technology -- those two things, combined, I think lets it run with anyone else in the world. I remember during my time at Sega, when Tetsuya Mizuguchi created Sega Rally; watching people have lots of fun playing it on dial-up. I really had to respect the drive among Japanese creators to always pursue new things."

All About 3G On Your PS Vita

Posted: 09 Nov 2011 04:07 AM PST

If you're going to be bumping around Dolores Street in San Francisco (as above) and want your brand-new PlayStation Vita to know about it, you're probably going to need to sign up for AT&T's 3G service after purchasing your system. AT&T hasn't spoken much about how much Vita 3G is going to cost yet, but over in Japan, provider NTT DoCoMo has set up a payment system designed to make the process as easy as possible, much more so than what consumers have to go through with cell phones.

"There were a lot of hurdles to overcome," NTT spokeswoman Yuko Takada told Famitsu magazine in this week's issue, "but I think we've succeeded in our initial goals of simplifying the registration process as much as possible and getting everyone to try out 3G. The real test comes now, though, and we'll be listening to users as we improve the service and make it into something everyone enjoys."

From Software Returns to Gundam

Posted: 09 Nov 2011 03:33 AM PST

This week's issue of Famitsu magazine brings the first word on Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (UC), a PlayStation 3-exclusive title and the latest action-oriented Gundam game to come from the mech-heads at From Software.

The game, based on the currently-running Gundam UC OVA series, is due out from Namco Bandai Games sometime next spring in Japan; NBGI PR labeled the game 70 percent complete.

Japan Review Check: Ni no Kuni, Modern Warfare 3

Posted: 09 Nov 2011 03:10 AM PST

A quick look at the highlights among the games coming out in Japan this coming week, courtesy the review pages of Famitsu magazine:

- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (10/10/9/10, 39 points): The highest-scoring review title in this week's issue is also the third COD game (after MW2 and Black Ops) to come up one point short of a perfect score in Famitsu. "The high-quality visuals look completely seamless in motion," one editor wrote. "The quality of campaign mode is high as always, just what you'd expect from Modern Warfare, and the addition of survival mode adds a lot to online co-op. As an FPS, there are really no blind spots to the package."

Review: Otomedius Excellent is Closer to "Passable"

Posted: 08 Nov 2011 04:30 PM PST

If you want to know what to expect from a game like Otomedius Excellent, all you need is the intro: a short musical opening that may as well be a fansubbed anime episode -- what with the karaoke lyrics that fly in and out of the screen. It's how you're introduced to the nubile heroes of the game, too: the female students of St. Gradius High School with special talents that get them recruited into the "G" organization's intergalactic defense force, where they don frilly-yet-skimpy costumes and pilot miniature fighter ships, and... yeah. Mind you, none of that is explained in the manual, much less the game itself -- I do my research. If you react to the word "moe" like you would sipping lemon juice, then you probably know better than to keep going. But if you're simply a shooter fan, you're going to try it anyway.

For the uninitiated, Otomedius is an unabashedly old-school shoot-em-up, with game mechanics and half a title taken from the Gradius series. You do just as much dodging as you do shooting, but the bullet curtains are sparse here. The levels are varied, taking you through a sunny port town through a lava-filled cave and the far reaches of space, while cute cartoon girls taunt each other in Japanese every couple of minutes. Again, you may not be the intended audience.

Yep, Another Call of Duty is on the Way Next Year

Posted: 08 Nov 2011 03:06 PM PST

Call of Duty Black Ops Moon

What would be truly surprising to hear one of these days is that a new Call of Duty game won't be coming out the following year. That won't be the case this year as -- to almost literally no one's surprise -- Activision is planning to have a new Call of Duty out in 2012.

While everyone's attention is currently directed towards Modern Warfare 3 with it having launched today, development on the next entry in the series is no doubt well underway. Its existence was confirmed during an investors conference call today as CEO Bobby Kotick stated both it and two Blizzard games (one being Diablo III) will be out next year.

Would-Be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Thief Arrested

Posted: 08 Nov 2011 02:01 PM PST

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Rather than playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 today (and struggling to register for Elite like many others), an 18-year-old man is spending time in jail after attempting to rob another man of the game at gunpoint.

Last night, a 27-year-old man (neither individual was identified by name) was followed home from a GameStop store following a midnight launch for Modern Warfare 3. After he parked, the suspect pulled his car up, blocking the victim in. After pulling out a gun and demanding the game be handed over, the victim reportedly shouted an expletive before the two began to wrestle for control of the gun.

BioShock Infinite on PS3 Includes a Special Move Peripheral

Posted: 08 Nov 2011 01:20 PM PST

BioShock Infinite

Irrational Games has yet to discuss how BioShock Infinite's PlayStation Move support -- announced at E3 along with a BioShock game for Vita -- will work. It may not be a complete throwaway mode, if that's what you're expecting, as the game will reportedly include some sort of special peripheral.

A listing for the game on the official PlayStation website (which has since been removed) discovered by VideoGamer mentions, "A special PS Move peripheral is being produced that will draw you even deeper into this stunning vision of a parallel future."

New Assassin's Creed Game Confirmed for 2012

Posted: 08 Nov 2011 12:25 PM PST

Assassin's Creed Revelations

As previously expected, a new Assassin's Creed game will be out before the end of 2012.

The news was confirmed by Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot during a conference call with investors today. He didn't provide any specifics about what the game will be called or entail, just that it's planned for release at some point next year.

Posted by Shri Krishna

Total Pageviews

statcounter

View My Stats