Amongst the news revealed at the Playstation Gamescom 2013, came the announcement of a PS4 exclusive reimaging of Shadow of the Beast. The game will be developed by Heavy Spectrum who promises a game that “captures the essence” of the original, released nearly 25 years ago on the Commodore Amiga.
Matt Birch (Heavy Spectrum CEO and Founder) said:
For us, and for me specifically, playing it conjured a world of mysteries, something that went beyond what was shown on the screen, a world where my imagination had cause to soar! Even when not playing, I couldn’t help but wonder about the strange creatures and places I had seen, and ponder what further details would reveal themselves the next time I would play.
Time makes fools of us all…
Now it’s our turn to build this game, we are excited to use the power of PlayStation 4 to create a Shadow of the Beast that can bring gamers that rare type of evocative experience that we enjoyed as a kids playing the original game. We want to create a magical combination of unique combat and gameplay to enthral you as a player, with a mystical world that can engage you as a person. Our vision of Karamoon is filled with beauty, brutality and mystery, whilst allowing you as the player an opportunity to try and piece together what happened to make it and its denizens the way they are. We think it’s going to be really exciting to see the new experiences Sony’s support of indie development will bring, and we are humbled to be bringing our innovation to this game.
No information has been revealed regarding how soon after PS4 launch Shadow of the Beast will be released. Keep your eyes on the site, and the official site, as more information is revealed. Check out the trailer below and see the difference 25 years can make. It’s a lot.
At their Gamescom press conference some new gameplay footage was shown off for the game as you can see in the video below. Not only that, but they have also released a brand new live-action promotional trailer called ‘DEFY’, likely because assassins defy the law and kill as they please.
You can check out both videos below for your viewing pleasure. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is slated for release on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii U on October 31st, 2013.
Fans of the long running Gran Turismo series won’t have to wait too much longer to try out the 6th major installment in the series. Gran Turismo 6 is set for a worldwise release on the PlayStation 3 on December 6th, 2013.
To celebrate 15 years of Gran Turismo, Polyphony Digital Inc has announced they want to do something special. An initiative called Vision Gran Turismo embodies a unique partnership with a number of leading automotive manufacturers, design houses and other leading global brands to showcase the future of the autmotive sector. Design teams from monsters of industry such as Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and even non car brands such as Nike will create concept model cars which will then be recreated as working in game cars for Gran Turismo 6.
Confirmed cars for Vision Gran Turismo so far include the BMW Vision Gran Turismo, the Golf GTI Vision Gran Turismo, the Alfa Romeo 6C Biposto Vision Gran Turismo and the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo. Nike will also be creating a Vision Gran Turismo car following on from their initial creation which debuted in Gran Turismo 4, the Nike ONE. These cars will be given to players as free DLC from 2013 to 2014.
Kazunori Yamauchi, creator of the Gran Turismo series and President of Polyphony Digital was very excited to announce the initiative.
“This is a very exciting project…ever since we released the first Gran Turismo game 15 years ago, GT has resonated with the automotive world and we have enjoyed many different and fascinating collaborations. But Vision Gran Turismo is probably our most ambitious to date. It promises to provide a window into the future of automotive design that we can bring to life in Gran Turismo 6. We are extremely grateful to all of our design partners in this project for their amazing birthday present to Gran Turismo to celebrate the franchise’s 15 year anniversary, and are so excited to share this gift with our fans. Working closely with the leading lights of automotive design, as well as some design teams from outside of the industry, has been a rare privilege and we look forward to sharing their creations with fans of Gran Turismo from this year through to 2014.”
When Gran Turismo 6 releases worldwide fittingly on December 6th, players will be able to choose between either the GT6 Anniversary Edition for an Australian RRP of $114.95, or the Standard Edition which retails at $99.95. Check out the newest trailer below straight from Gamescom which features some of the new concept cars previously mentioned.
It was announced at Gamescom today, during the Sony Computer Entertainment press conference, that Ubisoft’s film and television division, Ubisoft motion Pictures, intends to collaborate with Sony Pictures Entertainment alongside New Regency to develop and produce a feature film based off of the upcoming open-world and action-packed title Watch_Dogs. The game has been shown off at E3 for the last two years and it has fast become a crowd favourite when it comes to Next-Gen game launches. With it’s fast-paced action and “new world” setting it makes a great deal of sense for this game to be turned into a movie, it would bring the fans in and hopefully it would impress on all fronts. The audience can see how great it looks, game-wise, from already released trailers and gameplay videos so why not allow that greatness to transfer onto the big screen? Jean-Julien Baronnet, the cheif executive officer at Ubisoft motion pictures had this to say:
“Since both Sony and Ubisoft have movie and video game branches, this deal creates exceptional opportunities for us to merge the realms of the story-based cinematic experience with the interaction of the video game…In addition, Sony Pictures and New Regency have deep production expertise and are letting us maintain a strong creative voice in the film’s development. Together, we’re confident we can deliver a movie that builds upon the excitement that the game is already generating.”
So far it seems like the people who are going to develop the movie feel the same way as us fans do about the movie being made, it’s fantastic to see these groups come together and agree on fundamental ideas and ideals because it shows that there will be a lot put into this movie which is fantastic for its already extensive fan base. Hannah Minghella who is the president of production for Columbia Pictures commented on the game-to-movie announcement by saying:
“The themes and open gameplay of ‘Watch Dogs’ lends itself perfectly to the big screen. The game has intense action and adventure, but the story focuses on information and the control of information, which we think will lead to an exciting thriller. It has tremendous potential as a motion picture and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to work closely with Ubisoft’s internal creative team on the development of the project.”
Watch_Dogs the game will be set for release on November the 21st down under on the Playstation 3, Wii U, Xbox 360 and on PC. It will also be a launch title for the PlayStation 4 with the Xbox one not yet having a set release date. So far the movie has not even started in the bulk of it’s development so obviously there is no release date planned as of yet but that doesn’t mean we all can’t start getting excited! Tell us what you think about this news in the comments section below, also don’t forget to keep your eyes on the site for any and all new information and news to be released.
Overview From Up On Poppy Hill is the latest Studio Ghibli film and with the prestige that comes with the studio it’s only natural to have some pretty high hopes for it. What is perhaps most interesting about From Up On Poppy Hill is that it is a Goro Miyazaki film.
For those who do not know, Goro Miyazaki is the eldest son of Studio Ghibli legend Hayao Miyazaki and the man behind the Ghibli flick Tales from Earthsea, which is often regarded as one of the weakest films in the long and impressive history of Studio Ghibli.
What makes From Up On Poppy Hill different from his previous endeavors is restraint. In Tales from Earthsea, Goro was getting his first taste of film-making and as such had a lot of things he wanted to do. In Earthsea, Goro dreamed big – In Poppy Hill, Goro holds back. The end result is a film that doesn’t throw many punches, it is a pleasant film in fact, but it is one film that Goro plays way too safe.
Story The basic plot of From Up On Poppy Hill is one that we have seen countless times from Studio Ghibli. In a seaside town, a young girl faces several challenges and struggles all in the name of growing up. It is far from a fresh tale for Ghibli, but it is one that is tried and true and works a charm here in Poppy Hill.
The seaside Port of Yokohama makes for a lovely backdrop to the proceedings, the characters are well defined with their emotions and motivations developed naturally over the course of the film, but it is hard to not feel as though we have seen this all before. The tale is decent in it’s own right, but it just feels far too familiar. If you have seen any of Ghibli’s coming of age films, the story of Umi and Poppy Hill will offer few surprises, but is still an enjoyable ride none the less.
At it’s core Poppy Hill plays out like an imitation of Hayao Miyazaki’s work, rather than Goro Miyazaki making his own mark on Ghibli history. It is hard to say whether it is Hayao’s involvement in the film that has overshadowed Goro’s hand in things, but it undoubtedly feels like a Hayao film or at least an attempt at one more than anything else.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Hayao’s work is legendary, but it is disappointing to see Goro’s own visions put aside for what is ultimately a tempered and safe film, that doesn’t try to do anything new or especially interesting. It plods along without much incident and concludes with just as much.
The emotion is there, the story is there and the characters are there too. This is undoubtedly a Ghibli film tried and true, but it just isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. The film moves along at a careful pace, always mindful not to step outside of the norm. The result is a solid film, albeit one that is far too afraid of breaking new ground. In spite of it all though Poppy Hill still has the crucial ingredient that makes Ghibli films so special. Underneath everything, it has soul.
Visuals and Audio The art style on show in From Up On Poppy Hill is tried and true Studio Ghibli. It is mostly simple by design, but frequently beautiful. It isn’t the most impressive visual showing that Ghibli has ever produced, but it is an exquisite slice of animation regardless. The character designs are far from memorable, being rather pedestrian by Ghibli standards but the seaside Port of Yokohama serves as an astonishing landscape to place them in.
As far as audio goes, the film implements an excellent soundtrack as composed by Satoshi Takebe. Uplifting, effervescent and tranquil, Takebe’s soundtrack adds to the on screen action in a way that few do. The film also happens to feature an impressive English dub from GKIDS with a spectacular cast, each of whom do a fine job of it. The real star however is Takebe’s brilliant compositions, which truthfully give From Up On Poppy Hill it’s life.
Extras This particular blu-ray release for From Up On Poppy Hill from Madman Entertainment comes bundled with an absolute megaton of special features. There is so much content on this blu-ray that at first it is a lot to take in. Included is the usual trailers and TV spots, a making of featurette, an interview with Goro Miyazaki, a featurette on Yokohama, a press conference for the theme song, Hayao Miyazaki’s speech about the film, storyboards and much much more. Also included inside of the box is some booklets detailing the Ghibli collection and in particular From Up On Poppy Hill. This is an incredible release to say the very least and one that Madman should honestly be commended for.
Overall From Up On Poppy Hill is a mixed bag as far as Studio Ghibli films go. It doesn’t bare the same potential that Goro had shown in his previous work Tales from Earthsea, but it does have it’s own soul. Whether or not that soul comes from Goro or Hayao however is anyone’s guess.
This is about as Ghibli as Ghibli gets. This is the same old Ghibli that has endeared itself into the heart of anime fans across the globe, but is the same old Ghibli good enough anymore? Can Ghibli really continue to rinse and repeat or will they eventually have to explore uncharted waters? With Tales from Earthsea, Goro Miyazaki sailed out into those uncharted waters much to the chagrin of his father Hayao. With From Up On Poppy Hill, he does his best at the tried and true formula that Hayao perfected and what we got is neither great nor bad, instead sitting firmly in the middle-ground of being simply good.
Ultimately From Up On Poppy Hill is proof that Ghibli can’t rest on their laurels forever. It’s time for Ghibli to explore those uncharted waters once more, because as long as they are watching on from the safety of Poppy Hill, all we can hope for is the same old Ghibli.
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We now live in an age where gaming fans are calling for good remakes of their favourite classics and living in this age also means that we have game development companies that would gladly try their best to fill the need for nostalgia, well Flying Wild Hog as developer and Devolver Digital as publisher have come together to revive what seemed like a long dead title: Shadow Warrior! The “You Got Wang!” trailer for this old school, Doom-like, action, first person shooter shows off some fantastic-looking environments that are detailed beyond belief as will as some ninja-style katana-wielding action that definitely makes melee action seem incredibly cool, not to mention the showcase of some fierce-looking guns! Enough talk from me, go ahead and check out the new Shadow Warrior trailer just below this and get pumped for it’s release on the 26th of September on the PC and on all Next-Gen consoles sometime next year!
The PS4 is coming! Sony have finally unveiled the release date for the PlayStation 4 at the 2013 Gamescom conference in Germany. North American gamers will be able to get their hands on the console on November 15th, while those in the Australian and European regions will have to wait until November 29th. The console will be available in 32 countries by the end of the year.
Sony detailed that 15 games would be available on disc (and for download) come day one. The list includes three first party titles and a heap of third party offerings.
The pack in title Playroom, will also be available on day one. A number of other games will be made available by the end of 2013, bringing us up to a grand total of 33 games before the year is out.
A heap of other big name games were also talked about. The games listed below are believed to be coming to the PS4 sometime next year. Games listed with a star next to them are expected to be released sometime during the launch window, which extends from the launch of the PS4 to the 31st of March, 2014.
To add to that extensive list, it was confirmed that three of Sony’s finest studios, Naughty Dog (Uncharted, The Last of Us), Media Molecule (Little Big Planet) and Santa Monica Studios (God of War) are all currently working on PS4 titles. Finally, for those who like their games from smaller developers, a slew of new indie titles were discussed. Release dates for these games remain unknown.
If you’re still not excited, it was also announced that every PS4 purchased would come with a 14-day free trial for Playstation Plus as well as 90 days free upon signing up for a year’s membership.
Sony also has plans to reward early adopters of soon coming PS3 titles that will be launching across both generations. A newly introduced incentive allows gamers that buy PS3 titles that are also coming to PS4 to purchase a digital version of that game at a significantly reduced cost. So far this applies to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Watch Dogs. It is unknown if this scheme will be worldwide or how long it will be available but we can guess it will be ending soon after launch.
Also check out the live PS4 UI demonstration by Shuhei Yoshida, and let us know which titles you will be picking up for the PlayStation 4 as we start the 100 day countdown until the PS4 releases! (86 for you lucky North Americans). You can check out the Gamescom conference in full in the video below.
With Gamescom kicking off today there have been plenty of announcements and new details released for various games. One such reveal comes from Capcom in the form of new screenshots and a cinematic trailer for Dead Rising 3.
As you can see in the screenshots below, vehicle customization returns in Dead Rising 3 and there are numerous vehicle combinations at your disposal, including motorcycles, one of which has a steamroller attached to the front of it, cars and more. The aforementioned cinematic trailer can also be seen below and it features our protagonist trying to survive against numerous zombies and wielding a few of the combo weapons as he joins up with a female survivor.
EA has promised to continue adding more content to its upcoming free-to-play iteration of Command & Conquer at this year’s Gamescom event. Content, however, will not only be limited to multiplayer but episodic singleplayer missions are in the works and are due early next year.
The real-time strategy title by Victory Games was initially announced as C&C: Generals 2 but has since been re-branded as simply Command & Conquer, taking fan feedback on board whilst transforming it into a “free, live service”. The new C&C hopes to bring back what made the series great by placing importance on resource management, larger armies and bringing back some classic units with a few upgrades.
You can apply for a chance to get into the closed beta on the game’s official website for the PC.
Despite snubbing a possible Wii U version of the title many months ago, today it has been announced that Borderlands 2 will be released on the PlayStation Vita sometime in 2014. The announcement was made during Sony’s Gamescom press conference and it appears that the game will still feature the same four-player co-op that fans have grown to love.
Details about how the game will work on the Vita and if anything will have to be removed for it to work are currently unknown, but Randy Pitchford has given fans a bit of a message over at 2K Games‘ blog site where he mentions that the title is being published by Sony and Iron Galaxy Studios will have a hand in bringing the game to the Vita.
