It looks like some trophies have leaked information for Dishonored before Bethesda could announce it themselves. Today trophies for an unannounced piece of Dishonored DLC called “The Other Side of the Coin” were placed on the PS3Trophies website. There are ten trophies overall and this would be the first piece of DLC that would probably expand the game’s storyline rather than simply provide trials.
When we spoke with Bethesda concerning this DLC they would not provide comment on this reveal at the moment, though now that the cat has been let out of the bag we probably should expect an official announcement sometime within the next few weeks.
If you happen to be a fan of Mighty Switch Force then you will be ecstatic to hear that WayForward is going to be bringing a sequel to the Nintendo 3DS eShop sometime in the near future. As it was revealed to Destructoid, the game will star Patricia Wagon as the main character once again and the title is set to be released sometime in the first or second quarter of this year.
Director Austin Ivansmith went on to say in the interview that Patty will have “a surprise career change” in the next game, though this change hasn’t been detailed at this point. Apparently Mighty Switch Force 2 will be released at roughly the same price as the original.
Jesper Juul, famed video game theorist from MIT and author of ‘The Ludologist’ blog, has released a new book today in the USA. The rest of the world can buy the book on March 22nd however you can download the e-version right now. Titled ‘The Art of Failure: An Essay on the Pain of Playing Video Games,’ the book focuses on why we continue to play difficult video games, and tries to put its finger on that drive to succeed most of us gamers thrive on. This supposed paradox, expressed through the constant subjugation to humiliating failure to achieve the pleasure of success, gets a thorough dissection. Juul’s core thesis is that this experience parallels tragic literature than light and fluffy entertainment.
Jesper Juul previous book,  ‘Half-Real: Video Games Between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds’, was named as one of 50 Books For Everyone in the Game Industry by Bullfrog Productions Ernest W. Adams. His renown in the gaming world as being one of the leading academics in the field, being one of the few that cuts through the academic huffing and puffing to articulate real, accessible insight.
Ever since the first season of Telltale’s The Walking Dead game wrapped up back in November of last year, people have been keeping an eye out for when the next season of this masterfully crafted experience will debut. However it seems that there may be a little something different on the way before Season 2 begins.
Speaking with IGN, The Walking Dead writer Gary Whitta teased that there may be a spin-off focusing on a new character or something else before Season 2. He stated “Knowing that [Season 2] is a way off, and knowing that people are hungry for more Walking Dead…there may very well be more Walking Dead from Telltale before season two. We may have a little something extra for you between season one and two.”
Whether this could be a mini-story focusing on someone like Molly or perhaps Omid and Christa is unknown at the moment, but this is certainly great news for those who can’t wait to see what Telltale has in store for their Walking Dead game series.
With Sega’s Shining Ark set to be released this week in Japan, 4Gamer has placed an eleven minute video featuring all types of gameplay footage from the PSP exclusive. In the video we see not only examples of the games combat system but also a glimpse at all of the different characters that players will have access to throughout the game, such as the male lead Fried and the one-winged angel girl named Panis.
Besides the combat system, the video also contains footage of the non-action oriented activities that gamers can take part in, such as fishing or completing basic quests. Currently Shining Ark is set to be released on February 28th in Japan and will likely not be released in the West given it’s PSP status and Sega’s unwillingness to localize most Japanese games, so feel free to import the title if you don’t mind the Japanese text.
Those of you that were worried that the PS3 exclusive Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX would not be released outside of Japan can now rest easy. Square Enix has confirmed the game will be coming to North America and all PAL territories sometime this Fall season.
The game will be localized in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. While the Japanese release features both English and Japanese voices, other versions of the game will have the Japanese dub removed.
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX is a remastered compilation featuring the original Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, and the entire collection of the story cutscenes from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days with remade graphics and new musical content to upgrade it from the original Nintendo DS version. The original Kingdom Hearts will be the previously Japan only Final Mix version, which contained exclusive content such as additional enemies, abilities, weapons, missions, cutscenes and a secret movie. As is mandatory with all PS3 releases, the game will also feature full trophy support.
This remastered compilation is shaping up to be quite a package and if priced like most other collections would be a must have for any Kingdom Hearts fan or for those wanting to get in to the series. Let us know what new features you’re most looking forward to in the comments below.
Icon Home Entertainment will be releasing a few new movies to retailers this March. These are some pretty decent films, and there’s at least one I’m particularly looking forward to. These films are as follows: “DREDD, HAMILTON, THE DINOSAUR PROJECT and ROMANZO CRIMINALE S1”.
Included in a press release are some short blurbs on each of the films. These have been reproduced below.
DREDD
Available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital
Mega City One is a vast, violent metropolis where the street cops called “Judges” have the power to act as judge, jury and executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd (Karl Urban) is the ultimate Judge. Assigned to train and evaluate Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), a rookie with powerful psychic abilities, Dredd is called to investigate a triple homicide in a 200-storey vertical slum controlled by the ruthless Ma-Ma clan.
After arresting one of the clan’s inner circle, Ma-Ma (Lena Headey) shuts down the entire building and wages a vicious war against the Judges. With the body count climbing and no way out, Dredd and Anderson must engage in a relentless battle for their survival.
HAMILTON: IN THE INTERESTS OF THE NATION
Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital
Hi-tech missiles fall into terrorists’ hands, a senior weapons technician is kidnapped and special agent Carl Hamilton (Mikael Persbrandt, The Hobbit ) quickly becomes the target of a police investigation. In a perilous attempt to rescue the technician and recapture the weapons, Hamilton discovers a deadly truth — an international arms conspiracy within top levels of the government. Unsure who to trust and with the police closing in, Hamilton must risk everything to prevent a lethal terrorist attack.
THE DINOSAUR PROJECT
Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital
Brace yourself for a chilling ride into the heart of the Congo jungle, as an expedition accompanied by a film crew sets off to track down the mysterious Mokele Mbembe, a mythical creature akin to the Loch Ness Monster. They soon find themselves in a terrifying fight for survival as creatures thought to have been extinct for 65 million years are found to be very much alive.
The Dinosaur Project is a stunning live action adventure thriller with breathtaking visual effects that will leave you fearing extinction.
ROMANZO CRIMINALE: SEASON ONE
Available on DVD and Digital
Small-time criminal known as The Lebanese has a dream: to conquer the underworld of Rome. Political murders, spectacular bombings and high profile kidnappings, this blood soaked saga set in the violent underworld of 1970’s Rome, chronicles one man’s rise from hoodlum to kingpin during one of the darkest period’s in Italy’s modern history. Relentlessly pursued by the idealistic police inspector Scialoja, The Lebanese rapidly accumulates money, men and weapons… enough to become Rome’s King of Crime.
Personally speaking, I’m looking forward to Dredd the most. The original Judge Dredd movie featured Sylvester Stalone and was a pretty decent adaptation of the comic book. However, this latest adaptation is much more closer to the source and is a movie that I quite enjoyed.
Also of interest is that Romanzo Criminale Season 2 is slated for an April release. Fans of that show have much to look forward to.
Today Namco Bandai released a number of screenshots for Project X Zone, the title that takes fighters from so many games from the Capcom, Namco Bandai and Sega library that it would be almost ridiculous to list them all here.
Anyways these screenshots feature a little bit of English translation, though not much, and focus on Xenosaga’s KOS-MOS and Black Rose and Kite from the original .hack// titles including Kite using the Data Drain special on a set of enemies. Check out the screenshots below and keep an eye out for the 3DS exclusive sometime over the Summer season.
Namco Bandai are bringing over the latest game in their greatest mecha franchise, Armored Core, over to Australia and New Zealand this year. The game is called Armored Core: Verdict Day and it is a multiplayer based game that sees players in mechs battling across a persistent battlefield.
Players of the game will be encouraged to join squads of up to 20 other players to battle it out and seize control of territory controlled by other player squadrons. Even further, the Operator Mode from Armored Core V returns with players being able to control teams of AI mecha which adds a real-time strategy depth to the title. On top of this, players are also able to import their saves from Armored Core V to continue their progress.
Be sure to visit the official site for more info. The title comes out later this year on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles.
On the 26th of March the first phase of the Closed Beta test for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is set to begin. This means that many players will be receiving an invite to the incredibly limited Closed Beta test in order to test the game and ensure that it runs optimally at launch.
This is the second version of the game with the first closing down due to a lack of interest and players. After a temporary lift on subscriptions, a small number of players returned but the title was unable to keep them on.
To ensure that players’ PC’s are able to run Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, the team have released an official Benchmarking tool to test your PC’s performance for the title. Even if you have the old Benchmark, I’d still suggest giving this one a look as it showcases the new world and has new optimisations made to the game. It’d also be cool to compare your scores and performances on both Benchmarking tools.
Be sure to check out the developers’ commentary titled “gamepads” below. In this video the games director takes us through using the controller in this new and improved version of the game.
Take a look at the Official Site for more info. You can also check out the forums as well.
Jesper Juul, famed video game theorist from MIT and author of ‘The Ludologist’ blog, has released a new book today in the USA. The rest of the world can buy the book on March 22nd however you can download the e-version right now. Titled ‘The Art of Failure: An Essay on the Pain of Playing Video Games,’ the book focuses on why we continue to play difficult video games, and tries to put its finger on that drive to succeed most of us gamers thrive on. This supposed paradox, expressed through the constant subjugation to humiliating failure to achieve the pleasure of success, gets a thorough dissection. Juul’s core thesis is that this experience parallels tragic literature than light and fluffy entertainment.
