Earlier today Atlus in Japan officially revealed that they will be making Etrian Odyssey IV for the Nintendo 3DS and Japanese gamers can expect to see the title on July 5th. This is relevant to everyone in the West as well, because every Etrian Odyssey title has been released in North America so far, with Etrian Odyssey III being released just last year.
For those who found the last few games difficult, Atlus also has some good news for you, as they have introduced an easier casual difficulty setting which may make things more easier for those who simply could not defeat all of the F.O.E.s they kept running into. Atlus USA currently has not made any announcement of their own, but one can hope for a coming announcement within a few months.
A few days ago Sega teased us with a potential Jet Set Radio announcement but never went as far as to confirm the game they were teasing. Well now they have made it official, as Sega has announced that Jet Set Radio will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC sometime in the summer.
The very stylish Dreamcast classic will be receiving an HD upgrade for this re-release and Sega has released a handful of screenshots which emphasize the upgrade. To commemorate this announcement, Sega is also holding a contest that allows fans to take a shot at creating one of 18 new pieces of graffiti art that will be placed in the game. Those who win will receive a prize pack that includes two copies of the game, a JSR hoodie, a JSR beverage shaker, and a sound system. More information can be found for the contest here.
Starting today, players of the popular MMORPG, Dungeons & Dragons Online, are able to pre-order the upcoming expansion titles Menace of the Underdark. Players who pre-order soon look like they will be eligible for special benefits within the game.
On the upcoming expansion, the Executive Producer had this to say –
“The journey to the Forgotten Realms begins today,” said Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer of Dungeons & Dragons Online, Turbine. “Today we introduced the Web of Chaos content update that serves as the prologue to our first foray into the Underdark which makes it a perfect time to introduce our pre-purchase program which offers very cool items that players will be able to use immediately as they prepare for the launch of Menace of the Underdark on June 26th.”
Even further, the following packs and bonuses have been announced for pre-ordering players –
Menace of the Underdark Base Edition– USD$29.99/£22.99/24,99€
Includes access to Adventure Packs and Epic Destinies, plus:
– Lesser Tome of Learning (1 free tome per DDO game world)- Permanently increases experience earned by a character up to level 20. Provides +25% bonus to experience for first-time quest completions and +10% boost to other earned experience points. Stacks with other experience boosts and persists through all forms of reincarnation.
– Pre-Purchase Bonus Item:
Demonweb Spiderling Creature Companion – A tame little spider from Lolth’s domain. Includes 3 tricks and a collar. Exclusively available with pre-purchase of Menace of the Underdark!
Menace of the Underdark Standard Edition – USD$49.99/£39.99/44,99€
Includes access to Adventures Packs, Epic Destinies, the Druid class and Eveningstar Challenge Pack plus:
– Greater Tome of Learning (1 free tome per DDO game world): Permanently increases experience earned by a character up to level 20. Provides +50% bonus to experience for first-time quest completions and +20% boost to other earned experience points. Stacks with other experience boosts and persists through all forms of reincarnation.
– 1,000 Turbine Points
– Veteran Status (lvl 4)
– DDO Classics Adventure Pack bundle (Phiarlan Carnival, Attack on Stormreach, The Path of Inspiration, The Dreaming Dark)
– Pre-Purchase Bonus Items!
Demonweb Spiderling Creature Companion
Druid’s Wolf Pup Creature Companion – A grey wolf pup as commonly seen accompanying young Druids. Includes 4 tricks and a collar. Exclusively available with pre-purchase of Menace of the Underdark.
Spider Cult mask cosmetic helmet- Change your helmet appearance to a mask like the one worn by Lolth’s followers in Eberron and receive a stat bonus to character skills and poison resistance!
Menace of the Underdark Collector’s Edition – USD$79.99/£59.99/69,99€
This limited time offer includes access to Adventures Packs, Epic Destinies, the Druid class and Eveningstar Challenge Pack plus the following items that players can begin using immediately:
– Greater Tome of Learning (1 free tome per DDO game world)
– Lesser Tome of Learning for all characters (1 free tome per character – forever)
– 2,000 Turbine Points
– Veteran Status (lvl 7)- Start a new character at level 7!
– Veteran Status (lvl 4)-Start a new character at level 4!
– DDO Classics Adventure Pack bundle
– DDO Epic Classics Adventure Pack bundle (Vault of Night, The Red Fens, Sentinels Stormreach, Devil Assault)
– Pre-Purchase Bonus Items!
Demonweb Spiderling Creature Companion
Druid’s Wolf Pup Creature Companion
Elite Spider Cult mask cosmetic helmet
Onyx Panther Cub Creature Companion – A rare dark panther cub from Faerun. Includes 4 tricks and a collar. Exclusively available with pre-purchase of Menace of the Underdark.
Figurine of Wondrous Power: Onyx Panther – Summon this Level 20 Black Panther Hireling to assist you in Dungeon and Wilderness Adventures! (min level 18 to use)
As a player of Dungeons & Dragons Online, you will most definitely be wanting to pick up at least one of these packs soon. Especially if this is the game that you spend most of your time playing. So be sure to pre-purchase the game here.
You may have checked out the extended CG Mass Effect 3 trailer last week, but just wait until you get a load of this. A brand new live action TV trailer has been released for Bioware’s highly anticipated Mass Effect 3 next week – and yes it is epic, in all sense of the word.
Focusing on the “human side” of the galactic war, this TV trailer makes you want to take Earth back from the Reapers. A demo of the game is available to download right now.
Mass Effect 3 is set for a March 6 release date for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC. For your chance to win a copy of Mass Effect 3 + Strategy Guide head on over to our Mass Effect 3 Competition Page!
Playstation Vita Game Traveller Case Distributor: Bluemouth Interactive Platform: Playstation Vita Release: 22/02/2012 Price: AU$19.95
The Playstation Vita came out with a handful of accessories at launch. One of those accessories was the Game Traveller Case for those who actually take their gaming on the go. With a stylish blue colour to fit the Vita’s overall blue scheme, an ergonomic yet bulky design and feeling like it has been built to be a sturdy protector, the Game Traveller Case will be essential for any Vita owner who plans on taking their gaming on the go frequently, just like me. This case is officially licensed by Sony.
Since this is purely for the Playstation Vita, the design of the case reflects the design of the Vita. The oval shape of the case allows the Vita to fit inside the case. Looking at the Vita inside the case, it looks nice and cosy in there. Outside of the case, the front sports the colour blue, which fits in the overall colour scheme Sony has installed for the Vita. If one has noticed, game boxes at retail are coming in blue, so blue seems to be the official colour of the handheld. Even the Playstation button glows blue when the Vita is on and not in standby mode. Right in the middle, one will notice the Playstation Vita logo as a metal plate.
Whatever this case is made of, it will definitely protect your Vita from any form of clumsiness that you may experience, such as dropping the Playstation Vita. This case was built for protection as it has a sturdy and tough exterior. Well, that is how it feels. It feels like it wants to protect the Vita. Expect that any time you might accidentally drop the handheld console. Vita owners will also notice the carabiner hanging off it. The carabiner is another security feature. The last thing anyone wants is their Vita to be stolen under their watch or leaving it on public transport. Well, the carabiner will allow the Vita to be attached to the owner’s clothing or accessory bag. It will stay very close to you, thus lessening the chance of theft or losing it.
The inside of the case has been given the same attention as the outside of the case. The case comes with a leverage strap. So no, a strap does not go over the Vita. It goes under it. This small strap is used to easily remove the Vita from the casing, since you probably want to charge when it needs it. This is quite useful, as the design doesn’t allow easy access to the sides, making it difficult to remove it via that method. Outside of the strap, there is a padded screen protector, decorated with the Playstation Vita logo. It does its job when the Vita is snuggled in the case. However, it can also act as viewing stand for your pleasure. Just fold it and there you go. However, I do not recommend it for gaming, as it does block the rear touch pad. If you flip the padded screen protector, then you will notice sixteen empty slots. These are for your library of games. With a capacity of sixteen games, this is quite generous. Some cases will not have any slots for games. There are no dedicated memory slots but they will fit in an occupied game slot.
The Playstation Vita Game Travellers Case is essential for the portable gamer. With a sturdy body that has a carabiner for extra security, a soft inside, a padded screen protector with a secondary function of a viewing stand and sixteen slots for game and memory cards, you will get more than an average game case. Cost may be an issue considering you will only get a case, while you can get packs that include a case and much more, but the quality is justifiable. Using it on the go, I can not recommend anything other case for the job. This is simply too good at what it needs to do and that is being the perfect case on the go.
Robotech: The Masters Saga Studio: Tatsunoko/ Harmony Gold Publisher:Beyond Home Entertainment Release Date: 1st February, 2012 Price: $23.99 (Buy Here)
Overview
Robotech: Masters is the second season of the space epic that is Robotech. In this particular series, it is up to the next generation of humans to take up the battle against the Robotech Masters, who seem hell-bent on taking over the human race for the power-source Protoculture.
Story
Robotech: Masters takes place 15 years after the events of the original Robotech transpired, so that means that it’s almost a completely new world out there for the human race. This also means that there is an all new cast of mis-fit teenagers who are ready and welling to take up the cause of defending the Earth from various threats from beyond the stars.
And just like that, there is a new threat. The Robotech Masters, a race of human like creatures who have resorted to cloning-like processes to keep their society afloat. However, they are running out of the precious power-source Protoculture and plan to take it from the Humans on the Earth.
What I really liked about the story of Robotech: Masters was the way that it continued the lore of the original series while also making it’s own stand in the great Robotech meta-story. This really gives the impression that something pretty awesome is going on in the Robotech universe, something bigger than one race trying to wipe out one other race considering the way that the whole protculture issue is played out. It’s like the villains need the energy source for more than their survival, and in-fact is mentioned a few times that they need the source to combat the evil Invid forces.
However, the story distinctly does not feel like Robotech. Or more specifically, it doesn’t have the same emotional value that Robotech: Macross Saga had. This is, what I believe, made Robotech unique. You grew with the characters, you shared in their experiences and you felt this connection with the drama that was happening on the screen. In Masters, there is not that level of drama. Instead it seems to be that the characters wake up one day, go into battle and then go back to sleep. Sure there are some episodes that are more dramatic than others, and the drama did build across the series, but as a whole, it was just not at the same tier as Macross.
What made the story even worse for me, was that I couldn’t relate to any of the characters. I mean, this was made in a different era, but the characters seemed way too rebellious and way too punk-like for me to identify with. Even the characters that were pegged as the less mischievous types were still highly unrelatable for their own reasons. However, this is likely due to the sensibilities of another time and people from that era will probably identify with the characters a lot better than I did.
Visuals
Visually, Robotech: Masters is not all that pleasing and that is not just because of it’s age, but it’s also because it is not as technically well drawn as Macross Saga was. In fact, it is completely evident that this series of the show was cut up from a completely unrelated series to Macross. And this is just through the visuals.
I feel as though Harmony Gold went on a licensing spree with Anime just before the boom in the 90s and as a result, may not have been able to market two different shows. This is how the show feels visually and, while it doesn’t significantly ruin the experience of Robotech, it does cheapen it just a little bit.
However the visuals alone aren’t that bad when you weigh them alone, it’s just that as a part of the Robotech meta-story, it seems massively out of place for the show to suddenly drop in production values so massively. For instance, while the battles are fluid and well animated, a lot of the more social scenes were a bit staticy. What I mean there is that basically, the characters were more still and less fluid in comparison to the battles.
And really, visually speaking, the only reason that there are so many gripes is because this has gone against itself. If the visual quality was maintained between seasons, then everything would have been okay.
Audio
In comparison to the video, the audio is much better. That’s speaking on a technical level, and for most of the sound effects and voice overs from the series. However, I did have an amazingly hard time enjoying the lead female characters voice work.
I mean, she was probably meant to come off as this punk-ass teenager with little respect for authority, but what we got instead was this spoiled brat who didn’t seem to know what she wanted other than to be as annoying as possible to everyone around her. As a result, the main character was less than likeable and she didn’t grow out of this kind of unreputable behaviour, even though she was constantly being commended and awarded throughout the show.
However, the majority of the other voices in the show are quite great and some of them are absolutely believable. However, due to the lesser-quality of the writing, some of the lines still come off as less-than-par sounding, regardless of how well it may have been acted.
Overall
As an avid Robotech fan, you will definitely want to pick up this second slice of a trilogy (not including Shadow Chronicles movie) of the Robotech meta-story up from your local DVD market. As a casual viewer, it is harder to recommend this if you have already seen the original series, it is definitely for the more hardcore viewers. If you haven’t seen the original Robotech but are interested in some nostalgic Anime, this could be your in to the Robotech franchise.
Nokia have unveiled an exciting and innovative new range of smartphones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as some complimentary new services and partnerships. Included in the new range is
– The new Lumia 610, made with the active young person in mind in relation to functionality, affordability and social connectivity. The Lumia 610 makes web browsing a breeze with the inclusion of Internet explorer as well as access to games through XBox Live. Available in cyan, white, magenta and black the Lumia 610 has been made possible via a future update from Microsoft for Windows 7.5 phones which allows for lower processor and memory requirements to perform high end tasks.
– Next in line is the expansion of the Lumia 900 into all countries in a DC-HSPA format capable of high speed data connectivity in countries where LTE is not available. The 900 has a 4.3″ Clearblack AMOLED screen, as well as a huge battery life making it the perfect media entertainment device for those on the move. The Lumia 900’s camera is no slouch either, featuring Carl Zeiss optics, a large aperture for improved pictures in low light, as well as a wide angle focal length for 16:9 images.
– This phone looks exciting and for good reason. The new Nokia 808 Pureview looks to be pushing the boundaries when it comes to clarity and high end imaging technology. Introducing many new features, the Pureview brings together high end sensors, Carl Zeiss optics and Nokia derived algorithms which will add support for future products. Bringing all this technology home is the pixel oversampling technology which allows for zooming without loss of clarity and the ability to condense 7 pixels of information into 1. Additionally, you can enjoy full 1080p recording and playback with 4x lossless zoom, and Rich recording allowing for CD AUDIO QUALITY recordings.
– Adding to the Asha range, Nokia have released the Asha 302 for those who want to take the office with them on the move in full QWERTY style. Also released are the Asha 202 and 203, with touchscreen technology and with a pack of 40 games from Electronic Arts included in the pack.
– Nokia have also done a lot of work on their location based services, and by teaming up with Groupon they plan to be able to offer many location sensitive discounts and deals. They have also announced a new version of Nokia Drive which will offer full offline turn by turn navigation. Going forward, Nokia plan to also add personalisation to the Nokia Drive service by remebering a users route and given advice and traffic delays. Nokia also have plans to support the Windows Phone version of Nokia Transport for door to door, underground, trams, trains and buses in more than 45 countries and 500 cities.
Ubisoft have today released a video for their hotly anticipated upcoming XBLA title, I Am Alive. The new video is a developer’s diary which features the developers of I Am Alive going into detail about the making of the game.
You can check out the I Am Alive developer’s diary below. Ubisoft’s survival horror title I Am Alive is available on the Xbox Live Acarde Marketplace come March 7th.
I Am Alive places players in a post cataclysmic world in which they must survive the toxic environment that was once the city of Haventon.
Will you be picking up I Am Alive on the XBLA on March 7? Let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.
Studio Pierrot recently announced they are ending production on the Bleach anime series. In it’s wake they have taken on multiple new anime projects, such as Polar Bear Cafe an adaptation of Aloha Higa’s popular gag manga of the same name.
In anticipation of Polar Bear Cafe’s Spring 2012 premiere on the 5th of April, Studio Pierrot and TV Tokyo (the station that will air Polar Bear Cafe) have revealed some new information on the anime series. The first of which is a new preview poster art which can be seen to the left. The poster shows off the series primary cast (click to enlarge).
Also revealed is that the following voice actors have been cast in the series:
Takahiro Sakurai will play the Polar Bear
Jun Fukuyama will play the Panda Bear
Hiroshi Kamiya will play the Penguin
What do you think of Polar Bear Cafe? Does it tickle your furry fantasies? Let us know in the shoutbox and comments section.
As revealed in a very interesting contest, where fans had to guess the release date, Sine Mora will be getting a release exclusively for the Xbox Live Arcade on 21 March 2012. Further to this news, Grasshopper Manufacture and Digital Reality have confirmed that the game will cost 1,200 Microsoft Points.
Also with this announcement comes a brand new trailer titled ‘Dust to Dust’, showing off some of the really intense level design and a ton of action. Sine Mora looks like a breath of fresh air in the tried and tested shmup genre, and should be an awesome experience when it becomes available as a digital title next month. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer below.
