Earlier this week Sega revealed a slew of new songs for Hatsune Miku Project Diva f and today they have released a new gameplay trailer of the game which shows off a little bit of each song, including which vocaloids will be taking part.
For those curious about which songs are being played when, the first one is called Freely Tomorrow and it continues on with Time Machine, Cat Food, Hai Ha Hai Ni, Nostalogic, Melancholic, Fire Flower, Secret Police, DYE, World’s End Dance Hall, Odds & Ends , and Weekender Girl.
Currently Hatsune Miku Project Diva f is set for release on the PlayStation Vita on August 30th in Japan. Now it is worth noting that Sega here in North America has still not said a word about potentially bringing this title over, though they did have an English build of the game on the E3 show floor. Perhaps some fan support will go a long way?
Today Marvelous AQL released the opening video for their upcoming Senran Kagura Burst: Crimson Girls. As with the previous game, the opening video is presented in anime style but unlike the previous game’s opening, this one has some minor naughty bits, though nothing that fans of the first game haven’t seen already.
While Senran Kagura Burst: Crimson Girls is currently set to be released on the Nintendo 3DS on August 30th in Japan, the title still continues to go unlicensed for release in the West. Perhaps Burst has a slightly better chance than its predecessor however, considering the fact this release also includes the first game Senran Kagura: Portrait of Girls, for free.
NIS America has primarily released games for Sony platforms exclusively in North America, however last year the company announced that they would be bringing a game called Clan of Champions over to the States and it would actually be the first title that would be released not only on the PlayStation 3 but also on the Xbox 360 and PC.
Unfortunately, NIS America revealed today that they will not be releasing the game on the Xbox 360 at all and will be simply releasing the game on the PlayStation 3 as a digital download sometime this summer. PC gamers can still expect to see a Steam release, though it will be later this year. No reason was given for the dropped support of the Xbox 360 version of the title, though with this being the first time we’ve heard about the game since its license acquisition last year, there may have been unforeseen issues.
It is strange how the actions of certain video game developers can make other developers of the same genre seem like saints. Five years ago, this may never even have been news or may have even have been frowned upon, but Team Ninja head Yosuke Hayashi has certainly made a great announcement in his interview with Videogamer.
You see, he stated that when Dead or Alive 5 is released there will be no plans to release any DLC characters, the reason for this being that the practice of introducing characters after the game is finished will potentially ruin the already established balance. This quote sums it up best perhaps: “If we had 50, how much more time would need to balance the game? It gets that much harder to get it right, and it’s already very difficult to get right.”
So, bravo Team Ninja and bravo Tecmo Koei, you are currently sitting as the #1 fighting game developer in the genre thanks that that one statement alone.
With nearly every multiplatform game being developed primarily for console players to feel at home, some PC gamers are left out in the cold with poor interfaces and designs which don’t really work for PCs. Thankfully it seems that Arkane Studios has chosen to throw PC gamers a bone and include an interface just for PCs.
In an interview with PC Gamer, designer Raphaël Colantonio explained that the companies background is “very PC for sure” and he assured fans that “yes, the PC has its own different interface.” If memory serves, PC gamers were a bit upset with Skyrim’s PC interface which was the same as the console version, so perhaps this is the best move for both Arkane and Bethesda.
You’ve probably noticed over the past few months that THQ hasn’t exactly been doing the best financially and it seems that the best way to rectify this issue is to make at least a few changes in the highest levels of the company. SEC filings from THQ reveal that the vice president of the company who also happens to be their corporate controller and chief accounting officer Teri Manby resigned from the company back on June 14th, though he will be assisting with the transition until July 6th.
The man who will be filling this position is Rose Cunningham, who is currently senior director of financial reporting. Cunningham will be taking over all three positions left vacant by Teri’s leaving. No reason was given for his leaving of the company at this time, so it is safe to let your minds wander and think of your own reasons.
Sine Mora was originally released exclusively on the Xbox 360 but it seems that that exclusive deal that Microsoft had with Digital Reality and Grasshopper Manufacture has ended because not only has the game been announced for the PlayStation Vita, but it is also now set to be released as a digital download on the PlayStation 3.
As for a release date, currently the only time window presented by Grasshopper is that the game will be released sometime “soon” which just also happens to be the same term applied to the Vita version of the game. Anyone been eager to pick this up but due to the previous exclusivity couldn’t get it?
Fresh Aces, the indie developer, has released a new game to Mac and PC and despite its name, it’s not very fowl. St. Chicken is the story of a pet guppy lost in the wild waters, but granted the special abilities to spawn and nourish offspring. St. Chicken then must protect these offspring to reach the safety of an item from St. Chicken’s old home. The game is designed for plenty of different skill levels, but getting each level perfect will require good planning and skills. Overall, it looks to be a great game for anyone from kids looking for some fun to hardcore players wanting a serious challenge.
While the game has just been released and is available for 25% off (or $2.99) through IndieCity for PC only and Indievania for both Mac and PC, players can try to score one of the five free copies of the game available through the sweepstakes HERE.
The creators of the popular PC series Runaway, Pendulo Studios, have teamed up with BulkyPix to publish a new point and click adventure game on the iPhone and iPad called Yesterday.
You play as John Yesterday, a guy with a terribly ironic name who is suffering from a case of amnesia and trying to figure out exactly what he did, well, yesterday. The story is full of twists and dramatic turns, and has four possible endings for you to end up with depending on your decisions through the game. You can also choose which character to control in the game’s finale, which affects your ending, obviously. You can pick between the ending where justice triumphs, it doesn’t, or a surprise ending that is guaranteed to leave you staring at your iDevice in surprise and just a little bit of horror.
Check out the trailer for the game below!
BulkyPix are also holding a contest where you can investigate with John Yesterday to help him remember who he is and win some promocodes! Head on over to their Facebook page to enter the contest!
Yesterday is available NOW for $4.99 USD for iPhone and iPad. Grab it HERE.
Temple Run: Brave Review Studio: Imangi Publisher: Disney Mobile Platform: iPhone (reviewed), iPad, iPod Touch Release Date: June 14 2012 Price: $0.99 Available Here
Overview
Temple Run was one of the most popular games on mobile devices last year, and rightly so. Indie developer Imangi managed to take the simple, addictive and fun ‘endless runner’ type of game and make it a freemium title that wasn’t a rip off (which is very rare to see these days mind you). On top of that Temple Run also included a well thought-out upgrade system that would make anybody playing this casual game work hard for achievements and goals just as hard as any hardcore gamer would. In short, Temple Run is one of the best casual games available on mobile devices. Now Disney has teamed up with Imangi to create Temple Run: Brave, a title that takes the original Temple Run and dresses it up in the theme of the upcoming Disney movie Brave, as well as adding in an extra feature or two here and there. However Temple Run: Brave is now priced as $0.99 so unlike the original it’s not free. So a question springs to mind: is it worth your money? Read on to find out!
Gameplay
If your familiar with Temple Run, expect to feel right at home. Everything you love is back with a brand new polish. Although I must admit I am pretty confused as to why it’s called Brave when you spend the entire game running away from the film’s evil demon bear villain, Mordu. What’s so brave about that?! Like all endless running titles, you character Merida runs automatically by herself, and you tilt your device left and right to collect coins. By swiping left and right you can turn and by swiping up and down you can jump and slide around obstacles. By collecting coins you can purchase upgrades. Unlike most games that upgrade your character, here you upgrade the levels themselves by introducing new powerups that make the game more fun the more you play. Grinding and collecting achievements has never been more entertaining! But you’ve played Temple Run before you would already know this, because none of this is new. This is the exact same game just with different graphics. Although there is one exception with an added new feature – archery. By clicking left and right in particular sections of the game, you can shoot bullseye targets for extra coins. This is slightly refreshing as it does mix up the gameplay a little, but hardly new. The game while it is really fun, just feels annoyingly too familiar. 90% of the time your chasing the same achievements you probably have already reached in the original Temple Run. It’s basically deleting the saved progress of your last game and starting again, only with different presentation and one new feature which is barely noticeable. Sure it’s a slight improvement, but in the end it’s just another case of video game déjà vu.
Visuals/Audio
Visually Temple Run: Brave is a massive step ahead of it’s predecessor. The scenery has much more detail in textures and presentation feels a lot more polished. While for the most part this title is just the same game with new Disney-themed visuals, it’s a lot nicer to look at. However while presentation and scenery is a lot nicer, character models do look a bit out of place at times and unfortunately aren’t up to the same standard, but it’s not by much so it’s tolerable. Music is also an improvement and much more exciting than what we’ve heard in the previous Temple Run. A new addition included is voice acting, but unfortunately it sounds very awkward. To make matters worse what these awkward voices say are just as bad. Lines such as “So much jumping!” and “My legs are getting tired!” are probably the last things you wat to hear while playing an endless runner title. That being said all these flaws are easily overlooked and aren’t really that bad.
Overall
If it’s your first time around playing a Temple Run game, your going to have a blast with one of the best casual titles on mobile phones today. Disney/Imangi have gone with a ‘if it aint broke, don’t fix it too much’ approach here. Temple Run: Brave is basically Temple Run with better audio and graphics with one added extra feature. It’s certainly worth picking up, however if your a hardcore Temple Run player like me you may find it frustrating having to get back so many achievements and spending $0.99 on a game you already downloaded for free. Simply put, Temple Run: Brave is a great casual title, a bad squeal/spin-off and pretty damn good for a licensed game all at the same time.
The creators of the popular PC series Runaway, Pendulo Studios, have teamed up with BulkyPix to publish a new point and click adventure game on the iPhone and iPad called Yesterday.
