Gaming News (477)
FFXIII: Lightning Returns Trailers and Screenshots
Written by Theodore Mak
Square-Enix has finally officially released 2 trailers as well as additional new screenshots on Friday for the upcoming 3rd game to the Final Fantasy XIII series, Lighting Returns. The trailer was prematurely released by various media outlets earlier this week.
Observant fans will can't help but notice the cityscape of Luxerion, the apparently new platforming elements, and Lightning's new red and white cloak are relatively reminiscent of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed.
Some of the background buildings and details of Luxerion as a whole appears to be lacking in depth and looks relatively dated compared to more recent video game titles. As to what purpose the platforming will actually serve in the game aren't entirely made clear in the trailer, we'll just have to find out when Square-Enix releases more information.
As a self-proclaimed otaku, I typically like to think that my personal preferences for eating well, getting a good night of sleep and exercising is a necessary part of living a balanced lifestyle. I mean, in order to ensure that I'm able to live to see the next great anime or play the next good generation of video game consoles, I need to make sure that I'm healthy, dammit!
Missed going to E3 this year? Fear not, check out our gallery as we bring you photos of jaw dropping booths directly straight from the showroom floor!
Late post but if you are reading this head over to our twitter page for live updates of NIS America's 2012 Press Event!!!
twitter.com/tononet
Atelier Meruru PS3 NA and EU Announced! (video)
Written by Theodore Mak
Yes Atelier fans, NIS America has announced on Friday that they will be releasing the third Arland installment, Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland in North America and Europe this May. Full details as well as the prologue trailer inside.
Earlier this week, Konami posted the full-version commercial of NEW Love Plus for the Nintendo 3DS to their YouTube channel. It provides a complete overview of the upgraded feature set for the 3DS version over the previous Love Plus and Love Plus + games for the DS. Below is a list of features covered in the trailer with a brief description of each, the trailer itself is embedded after the break.
- Upgraded graphics: Higher resolution models and textures to take advantage of the better 3DS processor.
- Gyro System: Use of the gyroscope feature within the 3DS to allow you to move the system around and view your girlfriend from different angles, including above and below.
- Photo Taking: You can take a photo of your girlfriend at any time to capture a particular expression or look during a scene for later viewing.
- Boyfriend Lock: By using the front-facing camera, your girlfriend will react differently to other faces in front of the 3DS compared to your own.
- Hybrid-AR Camera: By using the camera on the back of the 3DS, your girlfriend will pose accordingly, such as sitting on a couch or park bench.
- Girlfriend Introduction: Again, using the front-facing camera, you can introduce your girlfriend to your real friends.
- 3D Vision: Using the upper 3D screen of the 3DS, you can view your girlfriend in 3D.
- Date Anywhere: Using the camera AR feature, you can see your girlfriend interacting with any location you visit.
- Users' Communication: You can share information about dating spots with other NEW Love Plus players.
- Data Transfer: You can import your progress data from both DS games into NEW Love Plus.
NEW Love Plus homepage: http://www.konami.jp/products/newloveplus/
Gundam fans will be excited to hear that SD Gundam Capsule Fighter, a MMOTPS created by Softmax, was announced to be released in the US by an online game publisher, OGPlanet. The game was originally released in Korea during the summer of 2007. At the time, the game was only available to those who held a Korean National ID number. Luckily, my housemate, who happened to be from Korea, was able to sign up for an account and I got to try out the game. Without a doubt, the game was fun and I'll be playing this again when it's released.
The game is played through multiplayer online battles where players have full command of their mobile suit. There are also missions in the game that offers rewards when you complete them. For me, it was all about collecting and trying out new and different mobile suits. One of the great features of this game is that there are many ways of obtaining mobile suits either by renting one for a limited time, using Astros (out of pocket money), spending points (in-game currency) on capsule machines, or by mixing mobile suits.
The variety of mobile suits available in the game is astonishing. They have mobile suits from the old Gundam series such as Universal Century to the more recent ones like Mobile Suit Gundam 00. With over 300 mobile suits available in the game, they are classified into four ranks: S, A, B, and C rank. In addition to ranks, mobile suits are also categorized based on their specialty such as hand-to-hand combat (phase blades, fists), long-range (guns), or multi-role (balanced).
There wasn't a release date given, but a closed beta test is planned to start November 2nd, 2011 for those who are interested. If you like to participate, you would need to register an account with OGPlanet, "like" the SD Gundam Capsule Fighter Facebook page, and submit your email address. But be quick, there's only a limited amount of beta keys given out. For anyone who loves mechs or shooting games, I highly recommend trying out this game. Plus, it's free.
Sign up here: http://sdgo.ogplanet.com/en/teaser.og
At Tokyo Game Show this year, SEGA announced the latest entry into the series of Vocaloid games for handheld systems with "Project Mirai" on the 3DS. The trailer is now available on YouTube, and the game website lists a release date of March 2012. The trailer shows off many new gameplay features that make it different from the "Project Diva" games on the PSP.
As expected, the 3D display is used to make the music videos have 3D depth, using both 2D sprites and 3D models in the Nendoroid style (by GoodSmile Company). In addition, the trailer hints at a "composition mode" which appears to use a simplified version of the Vocaloid 2 software to input the song. Another new feature in the trailer is the use of 3DS' AR (augmented reality) tech to have Miku appear in the real environment, and in 3D!
Although significantly different from the "Project Diva" series, this will definitely be another exciting Vocaloid game for portable systems. Unfortunately, since 3DS games are now region-locked, you'll need to get your hands on a Japanese 3DS to play this one in the states.
The trailer is embedded after the break.
We had speculated the high likelihood that NIS America would release the game back in November 2010 when the company had announced they had secured the rights publish games by Imageepoch, developer for various games, most notably, the Black Rock Shooter PSP game. It was later revealed in an interview Dengeki Online held with Imageepoch, NIS America would be localizing the game in the future. NIS America officially announced last night they will be releasing the game in the States and in Europe.
Fans of the franchise is probably wondering about bundled goodies with a premium editions. Judging from NIS America's past history, we can definitely expect to see a limited or collector's edition for the game; however, it is unlikely that the localized version will contain the White Rock Shooter Figma figurine found in the Japanese White Premium Box due to costs and the exclusiveness of the original figurine. The original Petit Nendoroid figurine of Fuka made by Good Smile Company found in the Japanese Limited Edition version of Disgaea 4 unfortunately was replaced with a figure of Fuka made by Shishikuiya in the localized Premium Edition.
NIS America also started publishing anime in 2010, and as the Black Rock Shooter OVA has not been officially licensed overseas yet, it would not be out of the question for NIS America to do a bundle or even include the OVA in a collector's edition version.
Lots of speculation and unfortunately, there are no additional details regarding the localization of the game as it was just announced. We'll keep you posted on any updates or details we may happen to overhear, but the one thing we are certain is that NIS America is definitely one company who's always aiming to please their fans and we can expect an amazing bundle with the game. Press release inside.
The multipart segment of the iPhone Japanese games series is back! Ever since my first iPhone Games list, more companies have started to release new games based on old classic game titles, but with new looks and extra features. Read the games after the jump!
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Mojang AB's secret project, known as "not yet announced game" until now, have kept Minecraft fans and other gamers wondering for months. In an interview with The-O Network Online, Jakob Porser, the lead developer of the project, unveiled its elusive identity: Scrolls.
On Febuary 10, 2011 at the NIS America press event in San Francisco, tears were shed as NIS announced that the retro cult hit indie game, Cave Story will be receiving a complete makeover for the Nintendo 3DS. In the introduction speech by NIS America Vice President Johanna Hirota, she interestingly mentioned that there was a new title they wanted to announce, but decided last minute to withhold it. The only information revealed is that this new title will be released on Sony's upcoming new handheld device, the Playstation Next Generation Portable (NGP).
While attempting to learn about this new NGP game, we apparently unearthed a second unannounced title. Nao Zook, Public Relations Manager described the game as something that "will be really big" and something they haven't done before. Unlike the other hardcore titles NIS America typically releases, the new game will merge different groups of players together and should be accessible to casual gamers. The last piece of information we got was that the game is not being developed by their parent company, Nippon Ichi Software, and will be released for consoles, not handhelds.
In discussing other future titles, NIS America stated that they do not currently have plans for releasing any games from Imageepoch, who are working on a video game from the highly popular Black Rock Shooter franchise in Japan. NIS America had announced late last year they had secured the rights to publish future series by Imageepoch. For fans of Altier Rorona, NIS America stated they hope to be able to release its sequel, Altier Totori, in English. From our experience upon general trends and the company's track record, it's not a question of if the game will be released; it's when.
Though only one new title was officially announced, NIS America reassures their fans that they definitely have more exciting titles releasing this year. Stay tuned!
Live Coverage of NIS America's 2011 Press Event
Written by Theodore Mak
NIS America will be announcing an exciting new game title later this week. But there are some speculations that the game will be a collaboration between the Prinny from Disgaea series and the popular indie game, Cave Story. There's not much information about it at the moment, but we'll be at the press event to keep you updated, stay tuned on our Twitter!