General gaming

General gaming

Can Etrian Odyssey IV Bring Hardcore RPGs to the Masses?

Posted: 23 Feb 2012 02:25 PM PST

Of all the Nintendo-related news to tumble out of Japan this week, I'm most excited about Etrian Odyssey IV, the 3DS debut of Atlus' map-drawing, F.O.E.-fighting, soul-crushing RPG series. While we've only seen a few details of the game, what little the company has revealed (both through a Weekly Famitsu spread and a short video trailer at Japan's Nintendo Direct press conference) indicates this entry has the potential to bring a cult-favorite series to a wider audience than ever before.

For starters, it's a much more modern-looking game this time around. Sure, it's still a first-person dungeon-crawler, and as ever it looks to be patterned after early '80s RPGs like Wizardry and The Bard's Tale -- not exactly the sort of thing that's likely to blow past Dance Central and Modern Warfare on the NPD charts. But the game looks considerably more immersive on 3DS, and not only because it includes 3D effects. The static sprites that represented monsters in the DS iterations are now animated polygonal beasts that stalk players through the dungeon exploration mode -- no more abstract balls of color to represent its roaming F.O.E. super-bosses. The bottom screen remains a do-it-yourself mapping sheet with which players chart their own progress, but the action on the upper screen is much more dynamic and lively than in previous chapters.

OP-ED: BioWare Doesn't Deserve Such Hate For Mass Effect 3's Day One DLC

Posted: 23 Feb 2012 02:21 PM PST

Mass Effect 3

Thanks to a mistake on the Xbox Live Marketplace earlier this week, a piece of Mass Effect 3 downloadable content was revealed sooner than it was meant to be. As it turns out, the From Ashes DLC is scheduled to be released alongside the game on March 6. This both means Jeremy's idea of a tuxedo T-shirt for Jack can't be the first DLC item and that a boycott is already being arranged by infuriated gamers who don't like the idea of having to pay for this particular content on the day the game comes out.

Note: If you'd like to avoid any and all spoilers related to ME3, you'd be wise to not read on as the nature of the DLC is part of the reason why series fans are so upset.

The Video Game Fashion Revue

Posted: 23 Feb 2012 07:22 AM PST

Feature

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The Video Game Fashion Revue

We analyze the best and worst of video game fashion... well, mostly the worst.

By: Jeremy Parish and Tina Palacios February 23, 2012

As the coolest and most fashionable people in the 1UP/IGN offices*, Jeremy Parish and Tina Palacios are totally qualified** to commenting on the stylistic sensibilities of video game characters. Which looks work, and which should be sent back to the sewing machine? Our in-house style mavens take to the runway to offer their takes on the looks that dominate the video game industry. It's not all just hoodies and jeans, but is it good? We weigh in.

* This may be a lie.
** Also a possible lie.

Posted by Shri Krishna

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