Gamerai

Rumor: Kingdom Hearts HD collection will be announced at E3

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 00:35:00 +0000

According to Dual X Pixels, citing a source who also leaked the Castlevania: Lords of Shadows sequel, a Kingdom Hearts HD collection called Kingdom Hearts: HD Remix or Kingdom Hearts: Remembrance will be announced at next week’s E3.

The collection will purportedly include hi-def versions of Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, Chain of Memories, 358/2 Days, and Birth By Sleep for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and Wii U.

Check out Beef Jack to learn more.

[Note: Gamerai's currently writing for Beef Jack, so this post is an excerpt from my full article that's published on Beef Jack. Due to certain circumstances, the entire article cannot be republished here. For the full article, check out Beef Jack. It's tasty!]

JAM Live Music Arcade review

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Fri, 25 May 2012 22:23:00 +0000

Music games are not all the rage as they recently used to be, and a lot of them like Guitar Hero and Rock Band (and even older ones like PaRappa the Rapper and Dance Dance Revolution) simply involve passively listening to music and pressing buttons at the right time as indicated on-screen. What makes the recently-released JAM Live Music Arcade stand out from the crowd though, is that it lets you take control of the music by allowing you to remix it freely.

In the game’s main staple mode called “Jam," you have the ability to remix and customize a select number of existing songs by activating and manipulating each individual instrument. For each device, there are “tracks,” which allow you to change how an instrument sounds and plays by pressing either the A, B, X, Y or RB buttons in any order or combination (the game’s also compatible with guitar peripheral controllers). The instruments themselves are also tied to the same buttons (e.g., A is for drums, depending on the song), and the instruments and their collection of tracks are known as “banksets.” To actually play an instrument, which will play automatically, you need to first select the bankset by pressing both the corresponding button and up on the d-pad. Then, to activate the instrument and its selected track(s), you need to press any of the aforementioned buttons again, as well as down on the d-pad (this process is known as “strumming”).

Banksets can be played all at the same time or one by one. For example, to start off Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” song, you can first play the drums to start a beat, then switch over to the guitar and tweak it to change the melody, and then add in pre-recorded vocals for some singing. In addition to the just-mentioned instruments, some of the others in the game include bass, keyboard, “FX,” “percussion,” “synth,” and “melody.” There’s also paired instruments like “vocals/guitar” and “bass/bells,” and it’s great that the game features a wide variety of instruments, some of which are presumably not featured in other music games.

More music customization options are also available like “freeform tracks,” which are just like the aforementioned regular tracks, except they require repeated manual button presses. What this allows is the ability to play a melody/sound and then quickly interrupt it and play it again, causing a “stuttering” effect. On top of that, you can switch between two or three different versions of banksets via the L Trigger (or “whammy bar”), which not only increases the number of tracks available, but also seems to alter how the instruments and music sound as well.

While there’s depth and various options in the music customization, unfortunately, remixing songs gets old and boring really fast. The remix feature, in terms of gameplay, is just not fun enough as you’re simply given an array of instruments and told to play them … and that’s it. You just play without any actual direction, guidance, rules, or consequences. You’re free to do whatever, but there’s no actual goal or purpose beyond remixing, which gets dull within mere minutes.

Jam mode will leave you scratching your head asking, “Is that it?” There’s just no real incentive or motivation to keep playing the mode unless you only care about customizing songs. But even then, there needs to be more than just that for a video game. It's nice you can record and replay your play sessions, but it’s not something that adds any real fun to the gameplay itself. You can score points and medals, and replay levels to improve your ratings, but those are weak and superficial gameplay hooks thrown in to help make Jam mode seem more replayable and more video game-y than it actually is. As a matter of fact, calling Jam mode an actual video game experience feels wrong, as it’s more like a user-friendly music remix/customization tool. With that in mind, only serious and passionate music enthusiasts will find any sort of reward or entertainment.

As for the more non-enthusiasts that don't know anything about remixing music (like me), Jam mode devolves into randomly hitting buttons in hopes of making music that doesn’t sound like a train wreck. For the most part, I was actually able to avoid this and create something that sounds nice and decent as it’s easy to keep everything on-beat thanks to a beat meter that lets you know the right time to play an instrument. Also, there were a few times where it felt good being able to create catchy tunes by adding in beats and notes on the fly. Sometimes I would be in the moment, however, those moments were few and far between and never lasted long.

Besides Jam mode, JLMA also includes “Arcade” mode, which is a more traditional video game-y experience like Rock Band. During a level, a pre-recorded song will play, and banksets at the bottom of the screen will pump out colored circles that scroll to the top. Each colored circle is tied to a button on the controller, and the objective is to time your button presses and hit the correct buttons when the corresponding on-screen circles hit a “target line” at the top of the screen. Every time you hit the wrong button at the wrong time, the line will drop, making it harder for you to react in time (on the other hand, the line will raise when hitting the right button at the right time). When the line drops all the way to the bottom of the screen, you lose and have to restart the level.

This, coupled with the controls, the fast reflexes required, and the amount of on-screen circles and button-presses, means that playing Arcade mode is brutally hard, hectic and clumsy. The fundamental gameplay of having to quickly press different multiple buttons simultaneously every three seconds is already tough and frantic, but being punished when making a mistake via the dropping target line makes the mode so much harder and chaotic that it’s completely unnecessary. (I couldn’t even beat a single level under the game’s easiest difficulty setting.) Not only that, you first have to switch and select the individual instruments and tracks using the d-pad, all before being able to actually hit the on-screen circles. These extra steps are one of the biggest problems that make Arcade mode way too tough and confusing since your brain will struggle to handle and register everything in such short time spans.

Needless to say, Arcade mode is not fun, and it's a brutal, overwhelming and unmanageable mess. It's also unremarkable and incredibly difficult to play using a regular Xbox 360 controller. Not only is it challenging using one thumb to press multiple buttons simultaneously, but the A, B, X and Y buttons are spaced out from each other in a diamond-shaped format, making it awkward and uncomfortable to reach and press the buttons (just try hitting B and X at the same time without hitting A). Even when you do manage to press multiple buttons at the same time, you’ll most likely press down on just a portion of a buttons due to the aforementioned controller issues. Now, I’m sure things would be easier with a guitar peripheral controller, and clearly the game was made for it since even the in-game tutorials teach you how to play the game using only a guitar controller.

One of the positive things about the game I can actually talk about without mentioning any negatives are the song selections. Ranging from rock and pop to hip-hop and electronica, some of the 32 songs featured in JLMA include The Summer Set’s “Chelsea,” Owl City’s “Fireflies,” Atmosphere’s “Just For Show,” Nitrous Oxide’s “iPeople,” Filter’s “No Love,” Jaytech’s “New Vibe,” and “Black Is The New Yellow” by Super8 & Tab. Overall, I dug a lot of the songs and they're a nice fit for JLMA’s party vibe.

Unfortunately, there's really no other good qualities about the game. While JLMA offers a relatively in-depth, easy-to-use music remix tool, the actual video game experience is just awful and not fun; Jam mode is dull and aimless, while Arcade mode is way too hard. Folks looking to get into music games for the first time should stay away from JLMA, while folks looking to get back into music games should look elsewhere.

Score: 2/10

Title: JAM Live Music Arcade
Genre: Music creation/rhythm
Developer: Zivix, LLC
Publisher: Reverb Publishing, 505 Games
Platforms: Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network
Release date: 5/16/12
Price: $10/800 Microsoft Points
Rating: T for Teen

A review copy of the game, which was played on XBLA with a regular Xbox 360 controller, was provided by the game’s developer/publisher.

Interview with JAM LIve Music Arcade dev Zivix

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:18:00 +0000

Music gamers are now able to jam out on the just-released JAM Live Music Arcade, a music game for the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network developed by Minneapolis-based gaming/tech company Zivix. What sets JLMA apart from other music games is that it lets you remix songs by letting you play and control the guitar, drums, vocals, synth, FX, and a bunch of other musical instruments.

Prior to the the game's launch, we interviewed Zivix's vice president Chad Koehler via e-mail to find out more about JLMA and its remix feature. Koehler also shares his thoughts about the current state of the video game music genre and what can be done to help improve it. But, most importantly, above all else:

Will JLMA make you summon a nightmarish monster from the dark depths of the abyss? Wait, what? Don't worry, it'll all make sense past the break!

[Editor's note: In the interview, I keep calling the game "JAM Live Arcade," but to clarify, the actual full name of the game is "JAM Live Music Arcade." Apologies for the error.]

Gamerai: JAM Live Arcade seems like an interesting concept as it most notably lets you create/remix music. On the game’s official website, two game modes are described: “Jam” and “Arcade.” Can you elaborate on the two modes (and any other) and explain how they’re played? Does Jam mode let you remix existing songs freely, and can you create you own original music as well? Is Arcade mode like Rock Band where you have to press buttons at the right time to rack up a high score?

Koehler: In Jam mode we are giving you a live interactive platform to remix music on your own terms, where the reward is the result of your own creativity and actions. We’ve disassembled songs into their basic parts, allowing users to jump in and participate to reconstruct them however they like; learning something about how a song is made while they do. JAM shouldn’t be confused with a complicated music sequencing program either. It was built for simplicity and accessibility from the ground up; and literally anyone can get into the flow of music the moment they pick up the controller and activate that first guitar riff, synth, or bassline. Arcade mode follows a similar follow the leader mechanic that we’ve seen in traditional rhythm games that does give players the opportunity to rack up those high scores. Just as important though, it shows the player some cool ways to play and how to get better in the live jam mode.

Gamerai: How did you guys come up with the idea of creating music games that give you the ability to create/remix songs? It seems like a refreshing idea since a lot of music games seem to usually entail just hitting buttons at the right time as you speed down a “note highway” like in Rock Band.

Koehler: Zivix is founded on the premise of making music more accessible for everyone, and we are pursuing several ways to make that happen. Currently Zivix has multiple patents on a finger sensing technology that is soon to be announced as a peripheral device (for any mobile device, computer, smart TV and maybe a console in the future) to teach and have fun with music. Jam was a by-product of our R&D on this technology when we created a simple piece of software that let you activate music loops via our peripheral. It became clear that we had something special when we saw focus groups jump out of their seats when they could fire off guitar riffs, drum beats and be in control of the music in such a simple and intuitive manner. While we love the fun you can have with the traditional music games, we’re excited for players to get into the flow of making music happen for themselves.

Gamerai: Was JAM Live Arcade inspired or influenced by other music games like Amplitude, Guitar Hero or Rock Band in any way?

Koehler: We saw the success of other music games and were definitely inspired by that to make something for the new market that they created. We also saw the bell curve happen and felt that it was time for a new experience, so we moved to evolve our experiential format and accessible music creation to the living room on the Playstation and Xbox. As we decided to release the game compatible with guitar controllers, we obviously loved the feeling you can get playing with one of those in your hands, too. No, it’s not real guitar, but it really was a ground-breaking peripheral and we aren’t ashamed to take advantage of that too; giving players a chance to breathe new life into their controllers from a few years back.

Gamerai: How is JAM Live Arcade different than other music games like Amplitude, Rock Band and Guitar Hero? How is the game’s Arcade mode different than, say, Rock Band?

Koehler: With our main emphasis being on the live Jam mode it’s completely new and unique compared to all other music games. Think of the live Jam mode as a bunch of musical Legos with each piece being an instrument, sound effect, vocal, etc, that you can assemble on the fly, disassemble and turn into your own personal work of art. The set list is weighted by difficulty which allows the player to gain familiarity with the UI and how everything works. We’ve also included an Arcade challenge for every song that if played, will teach you how to do some amazing moves.

The arcade mode, as indicated earlier; does have a follow the leader mechanic, but we are using extra actions on the controller to control a whole lot more than just 5 notes. Up strum with a button press to choose your instrument, press a fret and down strum to trigger a track, and use the whammy bar to change banksets or sections of the song. There are two objectives in arcade mode: 1. Finish a song going for that high score, and 2. See an awesome example of how the song can be played which will translate directly into the live Jam mode.

Gamerai: What improvements/additions have you made to JAM Live Arcade compared to your other music games like JamParty Remixed?

Koehler: There really is no comparison to the Remixed platform as it was intended to compliment a future musical peripheral and built as a test bed for this console version of Jam. Though it does use a similar format, We learned a lot about how to construct the Jams and add a lot more versatility and impact to each song; making for a much more harmonious user experience.

From the new artists we included, as well as how we constructed the music and how it’s played, the console version is one of a kind. Adding the progression, challenges, arcade mode and user generated content (save a mix and replay it as an arcade challenge) has produced an amazing console music experience.

Gamerai: What are all the virtual musical instruments/devices JAM Live Arcade features? Based on some of the game’s screenshots/trailer, it looks like players can rock out with the guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, and vocals. Others ones I noticed were things like “Synth,” “Percussion,” “Melody,” and “FX.” Can you explain what the last four are, as well as any others I may have missed?

Koehler: This was a tough one to nail how to convey so many additional instruments or pieces. We tried to keep the naming convention as simple as possible covering the broadest spectrum. You have pretty much captured most of the instrument types with the last four being buckets that could have multiple instruments for fill, voice with an instrument, a unique mix of instruments/sounds, straight up sound effects, crowd noise, and on and on. In the open sandbox the initial pass through a new Jam is exploring and discovering what you have to work with then putting it all together.

Gamerai: Is JAM Live Arcade compatible with Guitar Hero/Rock Band peripheral controllers including the guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, and microphone?

Koehler: In this version of JAM we only support the guitar peripheral and the gamepad. We’re open to exploring the other options in future versions, similar to how they paved the way and expanded on their offerings.

Gamerai: For those that don’t really play music games or know anything about creating/remixing music (like myself), can novices easily play JAM Live Arcade and create/remix songs that actually sound good and not like a demonic creature wrecking havoc on the world?

Koehler: That’s really funny! We have taken great pride in making sure that everyone can sound pretty good right away. If you sound like a demonic creature you’re probably going to upset the household and most likely going to stop and never play again. If you are rewarded immediately you will keep playing, and if you keep playing you end up sounding amazing. Our format is built on keeping almost everything in sync and in time, but as you move to the more advanced songs it is much harder to sound perfect and provides for a lot of depth on what can be created. With that all said, we can guarantee users of this product will not summon Cthulhu from the depths… unless they try really, really hard…

Gamerai: How will JAM Live Arcade challenge more experienced players?

Koehler: Each of the 32 Jams included have literally millions of combinations to work with. As you move down the setlist, you’ll work with progressively more advanced options. You’ll start to encounter what we call, “freeform tracks” which you can re-trigger on your own timing. We’ll give you up to 3 banksets, or sections of a song to swap between in real-time, and the possibilities to create and perform keep growing. By the time you get to the end of the arcade mode, you’ll be pretty adept at the controls, but that will be just the beginning of your creative journey. Through a combination of the two modes, JAM provides depth for the core player and the seasoned musician.

Gamerai: Does JAM Live Arcade have any versus or co-op multiplayer (online or local)? If there’s co-op, is it like Rock Band where one player can play the guitar while another player plays the bass?

Koehler: In this first installment our mantra has been to nail the single player. We have a bunch of future ideas, technology and options waiting in the wings. There are still a couple ways to get others involved; save a mix as an arcade challenge to see if your buddy can keep up; or if someone is a musician, have them jam along on their real instrument as you both improvise. As always, you’ve got the golden method of “pass the puck”. It’s actually pretty fun to listen and watch someone Jam, seeing how they follow up after your performance.

Gamerai: Will there be a PC version of JAM Live Arcade in the future?

Koehler: Not at this time.

Gamerai: How much will JAM Live Arcade cost?

Koehler: Recently announced at 800 Microsoft points and $9.99 on the Playstation network.

Gamerai (question/not question): On the game’s official FAQ page, it says players can contact you about potentially adding songs to the game. I think it’s cool and refreshing that you guys are fostering that kind of one-to-one communication with consumers that we don’t normally see with other developers/publishers. (This isn’t necessarily a question; I just wanted to offer my opinion, but please feel free to respond!)

Koehler: We are really happy that you noticed keeping fans and our artists involved. Our end goal is to become a platform bringing music fans, their favorite artists and one’s they have never heard of together. Our job is to create products that people want, and ones they can be engaged with; if we can do that then we’re happy. Of course I recommend posting on our Facebook page to participate in discussions with us and other fans, but we’ll always check our email!

Gamerai: As you probably know, the popularity of music games has died down considerably after the Guitar Hero/Rock Band craze. What are your thoughts about the state of the music genre in the video game industry?

Koehler: In our opinion music games are still going strong, maybe not quite like the hay day of Rock Band or Guitar Hero, but with Dance Central, the initial installments of Just Dance and a few of the staple karaoke products, music based games are still rocking. However we did see a need to do something out of the box and very different which allows the player to get a few steps closer to the music. What we’re offering is a step in a new direction, but by all means the progression is nowhere near over. We’re happy to be a part of it and excited to see what the other guys come up with next as well.

Gamerai: What do you think needs to be done to get the masses back into music games? What does the music genre need to change or improve upon to get back to the glory days?

Koehler: Similar to many genres and franchises they need to evolve in to new territory. I think the masses still play a lot of casual music games but we continue to hear the same songs over and over. We hope we can be the first step starting to turn it upside down and put the music back in to music games. Electronic music, DJ’s, mixing in general has become more mainstream and personalizing everything we do today if it’s accessible is vitally important. Jam provides a new take, ease of entry and immediate gratification with the depth to go further which could be that small glimmer to reinvigorate the glory days.

Gamerai: Do you think JAM Live Arcade will be able to bring jaded music gamers back into music games?

Koehler: That’s the million dollar question; we hope that we can appeal to music gamers and beyond. This experience is not for everyone but if you give it a chance and take it for what it is, it’s really fun and invigorating.

Gamerai: From your previous music games like JamParty Remixed to the now upcoming JAM Live Arcade, is there anything you’ve learned from making music games?

Koehler: We could go on for hours answering this question. We have learned a ton but two things stand out the most. Make it simple and turn it up! Oh yeah, licensing music poses a few unique challenges.

Gamerai: On Zivix’s homepage there’s mention of fingertip-sensing technology that can be used in real instruments and peripheral devices. It sounds very interesting! Can you explain more about it and what sort of advantages it offers over traditional instruments/devices?

Koehler: I alluded to what we have in the works above but at this time we cannot expand much further. However we would be more than happy doing a follow up, post the JAM launch.

Gamerai: Zivix’s homepage also teases an upcoming “ground breaking mobile accessory turning your smartphone, tablet, computer or smart TV into a new musical destination!” Sounds intriguing! Can you provide any details? Is there any specific release date?

Koehler: We can’t wait to share what’s in the making but today we are keeping it pretty secretive. In the next few months we will be able to share more.

Gamerai: And is there anything else you would like to say that wasn’t covered?

Koehler: We want to thank all of the artists who got involved with us early on and helped make this experience what it is… and everyone who checks it out, we hope you have some excellent moments exploring the music! Thanks for the opportunity to answer your questions, too.

***

And thank you very much Koehler for your time and responses!

Best Buy’s Darksiders II pre-order bonus includes prequel comic

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Mon, 14 May 2012 23:27:00 +0000

(To enlarge images, right-click on them then open in new tab.)

Best Buy announced that those who pre-order their Darksiders II "Angel of Death" edition for the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 will get a prequel comic of the game from Dark Horse Comics.

Penned by Andrew Kreisberg (Fringe, Batman Confidential, Green Arrow and Black Canary) and drawn by Roger Robinson (Azrael, Batman: Arkham City), the Darksiders II: Death’s Door printed comic is set before the upcoming game as Death travels to Earth to hunt down a rogue demon.

Death’s Door, which features a cover designed by the game’s creator Joe Madureira, will also reveal “essential secrets from the world” of the August-dated game. Check past the break for a preview of Death's Door and it's great-looking artwork.

Space Invaders multi-tool for your screwing needs

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:47:00 +0000

(To enlarge images, right-click on them then open in new tab.)

I was browsing the clothing and accessory outlet Urban Outfitters in my local mall earlier today (Happy Mother’s Day!) and I came across this Space Invaders — or rather Space “Intruders” — multi-tool keychain. At $14, it comes complete with a keyring, bottle-opener and not one, but two types of screwdrivers. Because you can never have enough screwdrivers when you’re on-the-move, apparently.

[Note: Gamerai's currently writing for Twisted Junk, so this post was republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]

BioShock Infinite delayed

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Sat, 12 May 2012 02:34:00 +0000

BioShock Infinite was first announced on August 2010, but it wasn’t slated to come out until the next two years in 2012. But earlier this week, Infinite’s creative dirctor Ken Levine announced that the game was going to be delayed … to 2013.

Specifically, Infinite will now be released on Feb. 26, 2013 instead of the original date of Oct. 16, 2012, making the agonizing two-year wait turn into a two-and-a-half-year wait. Clearly, the game was revealed way too soon, and this delay is pretty bad news as the hype surrounding Infinite is seriously starting to dwindle (arguably, it already has).

Levine, though, says the extra time is being used to make the game better. In a blog post on the game’s official website, he writes:

When we announced the release date of BioShock Infinite in March, we felt pretty good about the timing.

Since then, we’ve come to realize that some specific tweaks and improvements will make Infinite into something even more extraordinary. Therefore, to give our talented team the time they need, we’ve decided to move the game’s release to February 26, 2013. We wanted to let our loyal (and very patient!) fans know this as soon as possible.

I won’t kid you: BioShock Infinite is a very big game, and we’re doing things that no one has ever done in a first-person shooter. We had a similar experience with the original BioShock, which was delayed several months as our original ship date drew near. Why? Because the Big Daddies weren’t the Big Daddies you’ve since come to know and love. Because Andrew Ryan’s golf club didn’t have exactly the right swing. Because Rapture needed one more coat of grimy Art Deco.

The same principle now applies to BioShock Infinite.

What does this mean for you? It means a bit more waiting, but more importantly, it means an even better BioShock Infinite. The great can be made greater, and we owe it to both ourselves and to you, our fans, to take this opportunity. Irrational Games is one of those rare developers lucky enough to ask the people who sign the checks: “Hey, can we have a few more of those checks?”

We are also going to hold off on showing BioShock Infinite at the big events of the summer, like E3 and GamesCom. That way, the next time you see our game, it will be essentially the product we intend to put in the box. Preparing for these events takes time away from development, time we’re going to use instead to get the best version of Infinite into your hands in February.

Well, at least it’s good to know they’re working hard on the game. And hey, at least we know when the game’s coming out and what the hell’s going on with it unlike Final Fantasy Versus XIII. That game still exists, right?

[Note: Gamerai's currently writing for Twisted Junk, so this post was republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]

Assassin’s Creed III’s first gameplay trailer revealed

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:08:00 +0000

Ubisoft has released the first gameplay trailer for Assassin’s Creed III showing our new assassin hero Connor doing some lovely assassinating. The trailer, which shows pre-alpha gameplay footage, also shows a glimpse of Boston in early America as well as the Battle of Bunker Hill, according to Ubisoft.

I have to admit, at first I wasn’t really impressed with the trailer since it all looked too familiar. Plus, the voice actor in the trailer sounds terrible -- can he sound more white and generic? And, while we’re here, can we stop with whole white outfit/hooded look? It just looks silly now as our new assassin sticks out like a sore thumb when not in snow. Even the guy at the 0:29 mark is looking at Connor going “Why the hell is that guy dressed like that?”

On the upside though, it's cool how you can apparently hang people now! Oh, and there’s bears, too! More importantly though, is how traversing the environment seems more fluid this time around as you can apparently do things like slide under objects and jump through a window into someone’s room and then jump back out of another window at the other end (neat!). I also love the part near the end of the trailer where Connor smoothly transitions from enemy to enemy: pounce, stab, run, stab, run, jump, then tomahawk-to-guy-on-horse!

Tetsuya Nomura says it's time for Kingdom Hearts to return to consoles

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Thu, 10 May 2012 01:23:00 +0000

[Note: Gamerai's currently writing for Twisted Junk so this post was republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]

The last major, proper Kingdom Hearts game for home consoles was Kingdom Hearts II, which was released on the PlayStation 2 way back in 2005/2006. Ever since then though, all we’ve been getting are KH portable games that, quite frankly, no one really cares about (I know I don’t).

So after over half a decade of KH handheld titles, isn’t it about time we saw the series back on the home console? KH director Tetsuya Nomura seems to think so. While talking to Game Informer about the PlayStation Vita, Nomura briefly said, “I also feel that it’s about time that Kingdom Hearts should go back to being on a console,” reports The Silent Chief.

Nomura also reportedly expressed “interest” in doing KH HD re-releases as he’s “currently researching them.” Not only that, he “would like to do something about the series being spread over so many different consoles, too,” adding “I am thinking a lot about the future.“

Undoubtedly, that future includes the loooong overdue KH 3, so before thinking about anything else Nomura, please hurry up and finish KH 3 first! Pretty please with sea salt on top!

[Pic]

EA: BF 3 has shipped 15 million units, ‘very significant share’ taken from MW 3

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Wed, 09 May 2012 22:03:00 +0000

Electronic Arts recently revealed how many copies of Battlefield 3 its shipped so far, while also praising the game’s accomplishment against Modern Warfare 3.

During an earnings call earlier this week, EA said that 15 million copies of BF 3 were shipped to retailers since launch, reports MP1st. The number of units actually sold was not mentioned, but in February, EA said they sold 10 million copies of its military first-person shooter. In comparison, BF 3’s main competitor MW 3 managed to sell 9.3 million copies worldwide on just its first day, according to VGChartz.

EA’s CEO John Riccitiello also took the time to mention how BF 3 accomplished its mission against MW 3 (*rolls eyes*). “We did what we said we’d do with Battlefield. Battlefield 3 took [a] very significant share from the leading competitor on its way to being one of the biggest selling titles in EA history,” said Riccitiello, adding “There will be exciting new developments for the Battlefield brand as FY13 progresses.”

[Note: Gamerai's writing for Twisted Junk so this post was republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse game out this fall

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:33:00 +0000

[Note: Gamerai's writing for Twisted Junk so this post was republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]

It was announced today that a new Family Guy game titled Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse is in the works.

Getting released on “gaming consoles” this fall from Twentieth Century Fox and Activision, the aptly-named Back to the Multiverse is inspired by Family Guy’s “Road to the Multiverse” episode which had Brian and Stewie traveling to parallel universes like The Flinstones cartoon and a world where humans are dogs. (Great episode, by the way!)

“Fans of Family Guy will love that we’ve taken some of the series’ most iconic and memorable moments and built them into an impressive and uncensored video game,” said Activision’s executive vice president David Oxford. “Anyone who watches the show will appreciate how much we have adhered to its rich and twisted universe and characters.”

Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products president Jeffrey Godsick added that “Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse will utilize the source material, including the talented voice cast and writers, authentic humor and subversive spirit of the series, giving fans a whole new way to interact with their favorite show.”

Of course, we can also probably expect lots of cultural references like in Road to the Multiverse. And seeing as how this game is being handled by Activision, I have a sneaking suspicion we’ll be seeing something related to a certain military first-person shooter that rhymes will Wall of Ruby.

Activision Publishing And Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products To Debut New Family Guy Video Game This Fall [PRNewswire]

Company of Heroes 2 invading PCs in 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:03:00 +0000

[Note: Gamerai's writing for Twisted Junk so this post was republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]

The sequel to 2006’s critically-acclaimed Company of Heroes strategy game is in development and will be out in “early” 2013 for the PC, THQ announced today.

Being developed by Relic Entertainment, Company of Heroes 2 will take place in World War II, this time on the Eastern Front as players control the Soviet Union to fight off Russia-invading Nazis.
The game will utilize Relic’s Essence 3.0 Engine which will provide new elements like “Dynamic Battle Tactics, increased graphical fidelity and new environmental destruction.” CoH 2 will also have new Commander Abilities, as well as a new TrueSight system that makes units visible if they’re in line of sight.

According to CoH 2’s official website, competitive and co-op multiplayer will be returning, and as Core Games’ executive vice president Danny Bilson said in a statement, there will be a “strong post-launch digital content plan.”

“Company of Heroes 2 is a true successor, introducing a new front, new protagonists and new technology while retaining the unique mix of strategic gameplay and competitive multiplayer that made the original Company of Heroes such a success,” said Relic’s producer Greg Wilson.

[Pic]

Company of Heroes® 2 Invades the Eastern Front [BusinessWire]

Company of Heroes 2 Details [Company of Heroes' official website]

The Elder Scrolls Online unveiled [Update]

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:04:00 +0000

[Update: The game's first screenshot and teaser trailer can be seen here and here.]

An Elder Scrolls massively multiplayer online role-playing is coming out titled The Elder Scrolls Online, Game Informer revealed in a tease for their June cover story of the game.

TESO takes place 1,000 years before the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as the daedric prince Molag Bal threatens the world of Tamriel where TESO is set (along with other Elder Scrolls games). GI mentions that there will be solo-quests, public dungeons, player-versus-player conflicts, and “three player factions.” Users will apparently be able to take part in open-world battles to take control of the Cyrodiil province and the Emporer’s throne.

TESO is being developed by Zenimax Online Studios and is slated to hit the PC and Mac next year. GI will be releasing the first teaser trailer and screenshot of the game tomorrow. A part of me always dreamed of a multiplayer Elder Scrolls game considering how massive the worlds are. I guess my dream has come true!

[Note: Gamerai's writing for Twisted Junk so this post was republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 officially revealed with debut trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:30:00 +0000

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has been officially unveiled and here’s you first look at it.

Unlike past Treyarch-developed CoD games, it looks like Black Ops 2 will take place in the future in the year 2025 as mechs, quadrotor attack drones and hover jets are shown in the trailer. Additionally, there’s a glimpse of Los Angeles and horse-riding as well, and the trailer is narrated by an elderly man named Frank Woods who is presumably the main character from Black Ops 1.

Black Ops 2 will be released on Nov. 13 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. As a person who was getting a bit jaded with the CoD series, I have to say that this trailer made me wet myself and definitely has me psyched for Black Ops 2.

[Note: Gamerai's writing for Twisted Junk so this post was republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]

Skyrim’s next DLC is Dawnguard

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:29:00 +0000

Bethesda has just revealed on their blog that the name of their upcoming Skyrim DLC is called “Dawnguard.”

No other details are provided, but Bethesda posted a picture of the familiar-looking Dovakiin with glowing eyes (which can be seen above). Dawnguard will be available for the Xbox 360 this “summer,” and more details are said to be revealed at E3.

[Note: Gamerai's writing for Twisted Junk so this post was republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed announced

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:31:00 +0000

Sega characters will once again be racing head-to-head as Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed has been revealed.

The racing game, which is a sequel to 2010’s Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, will feature a mash-up of new and returning Sega characters like Sonic, Dr. Eggman, Super Monkey Ball’s AiAi, Golden Axe’s Gilian Thunderhead, and Skies of Arcadia’s Vyse. Like the name of the game suggests, you’ll now be able to drive in transformable vehicles, which will change into cars, boats and planes if you’re on land, water and air, respectively. In one track, for example, the road will collapse making your car turn into a boat as you now have to traverse a river rapid.

Sonic & All-Stars will include new tracks, with two based on Super Monkey Ball and Panzer Dragoon. There will also be a new mechanic letting your “All-Star bar” power up faster, and a new, “fair” weapon system will be implemented allowing you to block and dodge attacks. Additionally, the game will have an “enhanced” online multiplayer mode, along with Grand Prix and Battle Arena modes.

Sonic & All-Stars will be racing out in “late” 2012 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Nintendo 3DS. It will also be available as a digital download on PC. Click here for more screenshots of the game.

[Note: Gamerai's writing for Twisted Junk so this post was republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Changes the Rules of Racing [Sega Blog]

GameTrailers reveals PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:16:00 +0000

That HUUUGE PlayStation 3 exclusive game that GameTrailers has been teasing about this past week is, in fact, SuperBot Entertainment’s PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, as tonight’s GTTV episode revealed.

The game, which was first rumored late last year as “Title Fight,” is a Super Smash Bros.-style fighting game featuring a cast of characters from Sony’s PlayStation games. Some of the playable fighters include Fat Princess, Kratos, Sly Cooper, Sweet Tooth, Radec (Killzone) and Parappa the Rapper.

PlayStation All-Stars will feature four-player online multiplayer, and each character will have their own unique moves (e.g., Sly can turn invisible), as well as three levels of “Super” special moves (e.g., Radec’s level three Super allows him to go into first-person shooter mode akin to Solid Snake in Super Smash Bros. Brawl). Additionally, there will be third-party characters as well.

For the game’s levels, they’ll be mash-ups from games likes God of War and Patapon as one stage features Hades and Patapons in the background, with the former able to hurt players. Another level is a LittleBigPlanet-themed stage called “Dreamscape” that actually gets built as players duke it out.

PlayStation All-Stars will be hitting the PS3 in “holiday” of this year.

So excite!

[Note: Gamerai's writing for Twisted Junk so this post was republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]

Adam Sessler quits G4

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 05:28:00 +0000

G4′s X-Play host and editor-in-chief of game content Adam Sessler has left the network, reports Kotaku.

“Television personality Adam Sessler and TV network G4 are parting ways, with Adam’s last episode as host of G4′s “X-Play” airing on the network today, Wednesday, April 25,” Sessler’s rep told Kotaku yesterday. G4 also confirmed to the gaming blog that "Adam Sessler is no longer with G4."

The departure, according to Kotaku’s sources, was due to contractual issues, with split-up not being amicable.

Sessler has been co-host of the popular X-Play gaming show since 1998 when it was first debuted on the ZDTV network as GameSpot TV. Since then, the show went through various format changes, and has most recently been co-hosted by Sessler and Morgan Webb (along with that other dude) who provide video game news, reviews and previews. In 2008, Sessler was promoted to editor-in-chief of games content for G4.

According to his rep, Sessler is currently involved with movie-related projects like starring in the upcoming “noobz” movie and “consulting with a film production company on theatrical feature adaptations of video games.” As for long-term plans, “Adam intends to stay in front of the camera and continue as a key voice within the games industry,” continued Sessler’s rep, adding “He also sings and is available for weddings and bar mitzvahs.” Nice!

On Twitter, Sessler said, “Thank you to everyone with your exceedingly kind wishes and thoughts. I think I’ll finally take a nap….”

[Note: Gamerai's writing for Twisted Junk so this post was republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]

Robert Bowling forming new game company

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:14:00 +0000

Robert Bowling, the former creative strategist and community manager of Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward, is creating a new game studio called Robotoki, reports Game Informer.

Bowling reveals to GI that the decision to create a new studio came right after leaving IW and its parent company Activision earlier this year. Robotoki, as Bowling explains, will be self-funded, and will be team-focused as it aims to respect its employees, creatively-speaking:

Robotoki is focused on being a developer development studio that just happens to make games. We are focused on our team first and everything else second, because I believe as an industry; we have a lot to learn on how to treat talent. While we continue to out stride film and music entertainment in other areas, we are falling severely behind in how to properly inspire and support our creative talent. … I wanted to create an environment where the creative vision holders held complete control over their work and could guide and maintain it from concept to execution.

Bowling goes on to express how Robotoki’s goal is to create unique gaming experiences that “transcend platforms and genres,” lettings users connect to their games via multiple platforms. In terms of how Robotoki will approach game development, Bowling says, “As a developer, our focus is on creating a universe first, experiences second, and game mechanics last.” What the studio isn’t looking to due is create solely single-player or multiplayer experiences, but ones that combine the best parts of everything, adds Bowling.

Robotoki’s first project will be unveiled sometime this year for “next-gen consoles,” PCs, and iOS and Android devices. The studio is currently hiring, and its website is already live.

[Note: Gamerai's currently writing for Twisted Junk so some posts are republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]

Skullgirls review

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:58:00 +0000

With the resurgence of fighting games these past few years, another fighting game has recently entered the ring and is looking to play with the big boys like the Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom series.

Enter Skullgirls, a 2D downloadable indie fighter created by the likes of tournament fighting game veteran Mike “Mike Z” Zaimont and artist Alex “o_8” Ahad (Street Fighter Tribute, Darkstalkers Tribute, Scott Pilgrim). Having been crafted by someone who knows a thing or two about fighting games, Skullgirls is meant to be worthy of fighting tournament competitions and feels like it’s been influenced by other fighting games like the aforementioned SF and MvC series. With that said, Skullgirls is a solid fighter.

But, wait. Before I get into that, I must stress this: I HATE fighting games (Super Smash Bros. series excluded). I hate them with a passion mainly because they usually require you to memorize and press convoluted series of buttons in order to pull off fancy moves that are actually effective enough to deal enough damage to your opponents (e.g., press quarter-circle, X, X, A, Y, B, A, RB, RT in an insanely quick succession to do this combo!). Because of my inability to do this -- and because I don’t have the god-like skill required to even play most fighting games -- I always end up just randomly hitting buttons like a crazy monkey in hopes of pulling off something big and praying that I win. On top of that, fighting games aren’t typically casual-friendly and, thus, can be brutal and infuriating to new players.

So, with that in mind, Skullgirls is not for the casual audience. If you’re a fighting game novice/hater like me, you’ll find Skullgirls a hard, frustrating game that devolves into yet another button-mashing experience due to the confusing, overwhelming button combo system used in practically every single fighting game in existence. It was even tough at times playing Skullgirls’ main campaign on the easiest difficulty setting, which is unsuitably called “Sleepwalk” (it was anything but a sleepwalk). And playing online against human-controlled opponents is incredibly punishing -- even in matches marked “casual” and “practice” -- as you’ll get pummeled to death with inescapable chain attacks and combos; you’ll be lucky to even hit your opponents, who clearly know what they're doing.

Suffice to say, Skullgirls won’t help novices get into fighting games. But for veterans, the game seems like a well-made fighter, one that looks absolutely gorgeous. The first thing that is so striking about Skullgirls is just how beautiful its hand-drawn art style and visuals are. The characters look fantastic and the animations are smooth. Some of the background environments of the game’s 11 stages also look nice like the lush, colorful Asian-style water-based town and the beautiful, sunny neighborhood street with autumn leaves falling in the background.

As for the actual gameplay, the fluid combat feels solid and it seems like it offers as much depth as other fighting games (again, this getting past the fact that I'm a fighting game novice/hater). Skullgirls includes mechanics that you’ve come to expect like ground and air combos, chain attacks, specials, cancels, blocks, launchers, grapple throws, air dashes, recovery times, hit stuns and block stuns, and different variations of attacks when standing, crouching and in mid-air. You can even execute pretty ridiculous combos by canceling normal chain attacks into specials attacks and then into another type of special attack called “Blockbusters,” which can be unleashed depending on how many levels of “Dramatic Tension” you’ve earned during a fight (successfully hitting opponents and getting hit builds up the Dramatic Tension).

Like with the MvC series, Skullgirls also supports three vs. three combat (or any combination like one vs. three), and you can tag-in you’re A.I.-controlled teammates to either play as them individually or perform team attacks. The combat itself is relatively fast-paced and over-the-top as the game features a total of eight colorful female fighters including, among others, a ninja-like nurse, a schoolgirl with demon hair, a cat girl who can detach her head (which can act as a sort of co-op partner in combat), a crazy, mask-wearing female that wields a giant shuriken-like blade, and a wacky, lab-created girl who’s based on old-timey American cartoons, including her weapons and attacks.

Each character specializes in certain things as some archetypes include “grapplers” (slower, but stronger characters that specialize in throwing), “zoners” (characters that can fill the screen with many objects to limit opponent’s actions) and “rushdown” fighters (agile characters who can quickly get near opponents to attack them with hard-to-predict “mixup” moves). Of course, every character also has their own unique move sets, but for some strange reason the game doesn’t provide a list of moves for any of the characters; instead, you have to go to the game’s official website to download a PDF, which even then only provides a list of special moves and Blockbusters.

Aside from that seemingly big issue, the game does provide the ability to reconfigure the controls to your liking, and you can assign each character one of three “assists,” one of which includes a “custom action” (I honestly have no idea what that does, but it looks like it allows you to customize the controls in some capacity).

As for why you’re fighting in the game, the overarching story is about defeating the “Skullgirl” and obtaining her “Skull Heart,” which can grant anyone’s wish at the cost of becoming the dark, twisted Skullgirl being. The game includes a single-player “Story” mode, and each character has their own story and campaign. Overall, though, the Story mode is weak and pretty much like Super Street Fighter IV. You’ll fight a few obligatory battles against the game’s characters and be treated to boring cutscenes. The cutscenes in Skullgirls are just still-frames of colored sketches with text dialogue and no voice-overs -- and it’s all there to advance the very dull and superficial stories of each character.

Besides the Story campaign, there’s also standard modes like “Arcade” mode (which has you fighting against random A.I. opponents), a tutorial mode (which teaches you the fundamentals of combat), and training mode (which has you fighting against a dummy A.I., though, you can’t make the A.I. attack you, which seems like a fundamental thing to not have). There’s also local and online competitive multiplayer, which plays fine and runs smoothly, but there doesn’t seem to be too many people online; sometimes I was able to find matches, sometimes I wasn’t. If it’s any indication, there were only one or two matches set up at any given time when looking for unranked matches to join.

Other than the aforementioned modes, there aren’t any special modes, mini-games, or any fancy bells and whistles like in SSF IV and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (save for unlockable alternate costumes, which I couldn't figure out how to equip once unlocked). Instead, Skullgirls is all about the combat system, and it pretty much seems as in-depth, sharp and polished as with other fighting games. Veteran fighters should get some enjoyment out of Skullgirls, but for novices like myself, the game is yet another frustrating button-mashing fighter that’s not casual-friendly. The game may also not be strong or content-rich enough to steal players away from other fighting games, but Skullsgirls is at the very least a competent fighter, while also being aesthetically a knockout.

Score: 8/10

Title: Skullgirls
Genre: Fighting
Developer: Reverge Labs
Publisher: Autumn Games
Platforms: Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network
Release date: 4/10/12 (PSN), 4/11/12 (XBLA)
Price: $15/1200 Microsoft Points

An Xbox Live Arcade review copy of Skullgirls was provided by the game's PR company for review purposes.

Conan O’Brien will be in Halo 4, chats with 343 Industries

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:31:00 +0000

Conan O’Brien, the red-headed late-night talk show sex symbol and badass, will be in 343 Industries’ upcoming Halo 4, and he recently chatted with the team’s franchise director Frank O’Connor and the awesomely-named executive producer Kiki Wolfkill to discuss his role in the game.

Conan will apparently be doing the voice for a super-duper important character in Halo 4, and in the above clip of last night’s Conan episode, Conan discusses his character, possible design concepts for his character, and why his character doesn’t shoot a gun.

We also get to see Conan’s incredibly impressive voice-over work, and more importantly, we get a quick glimpse of gameplay of a guy shooting another guy, an unfinished look at one the game’s levels/environments, gain a bit of insight of Halo 4’s final moments, and get a sneak peek at super secret footage of not Halo 4.

[Note: Gamerai's writing for Twisted Junk, so this post was republished from Twister Junk with permission.]

New Star Trek trailer, concept art

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:57:00 +0000

A new, dramatic trailer for the upcoming Star Trek game, which is based on J. J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek movie, has just been released after being shown off at last week's Namco Gamer's Day event. Based from the snippets of gameplay in the trailer, I’m getting a Mass Effect vibe from the game, which isn't a bad thing!

Star Trek (the game) will be beaming up in early 2013 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Check out the concept art past the break.

(To enlarge images, right-click on them then open in new tab.)

Skyrim getting Kinect voice support

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 23:03:00 +0000

The Skyrim Game Jam, a week-long, post-launch event in which Bethesda developers were allowed to create anything they wanted in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, churned out some amazing concepts. Some of them, like kill cams for magic spells and bow and arrows, have become reality, while other may or may not. Fortunately, though, one of the ideas -- Kinect voice controls -- will actually be implemented in Skyrim, announced Bethesda via their blog.

Yes, that means you'll actually be able to unleash the "FUS RO DAH!" and other Dragon Shouts with just the power of your voice -- your real voice! Additionally, with over 200 voice commands, you'll be able to do other things like equip weapons and spells, command followers, sort through inventory menus, access the map and skill trees, and perform quick saves and quick loads, all without having to lift a finger.

Bethesda said that the full list of voice commands will be revealed in the "coming weeks." And the best part? The Kinect integration will be available sometime this month as a free title update. Looks like I'll be going back to Skyrim now!

Skullgirls now available, new launch trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 23:08:00 +0000

The wait for some crazy girl-on-girl action is now over as Autumn Games and Reverge Labs' gorgeous all-female fighter Skullgirls has finally hit Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

Check out the game's new launch trailer above to see all of Skullgirls' femme fatales in sexy over-the-top action. I'm partial to the masked Painwheel myself since she seems a bit crazy in the head (just like me!).

Lost Planet 3 unveiled, debut trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 02:32:00 +0000

Capcom revealed Lost Planet 3 earlier and the game’s first trailer can be seen above, which shows an armored gun-toting bearded man in a snowy environment fighting off against panther-like creatures on foot and then eventually in a mech.

Coming out in 2013 and being developed by Spark Unlimited (Legendary, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty), LP 3 will reportedly be a prequel to LP 1 and it seems like it will be very different than LP 2. Based on Official PlayStation Magazine UK’s preview of the game, LP 3 will be more story-focused and is described as a … Dead Space-like mech first-person shooter.

Now, I’ve never played any of the LP games before, so I can’t tell you how awesome/disappointing that sounds (I’m assuming it’s the latter), but know that there will still reportedly be multiplayer and third-person action. So, that’s good, right?

[Note: Gamerai's writing for Twisted Junk, so this post was republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]

RE 6 gets new C-Virus trailer, new release date

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Yan) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 01:24:00 +0000

We’ve been exposed to different types of viruses in the Resident Evil universe like the T-Virus and G-Virus. But those are so 1998. In the upcoming Resident Evil 6, apparently there’s a new virus: the C-Virus. Ohhh!

In other related news, RE 6 will now be released sooner on Oct. 2 instead of the original date of Nov. 20. Ohhh!

[Note: Gamerai's writing for Twisted Junk, so this post was republished from Twisted Junk with permission.]