Sony has released the final details on both the Portable and Car Charger for release in Japan. These were both shown off at the 2011 Tokyo Game Show. Expect the Car Charger first, as it has a release date of March 22 and it will retail at ¥1,500 (US$19.55/AU$18.10). For those who are anxiously waiting to import the Portable Charger, then you will have to wait until April 5. Also expect to drop ¥4,500 (US$58.65/AU$54.30) for this possible necessary accessory.
The Portable Charger will boast 5,000mAh, enough juice to charge the Vita 1.5 times. However, the charger itself needs to be charged, which will take seven hours. In order for the charger to work, you will need both the AC adapter and the USb cable from your Vita. The USB cable will charge the Vita from the Portable Charger (and presumably the Car Charger), while the AC adapter will charge the Portable Charger.
Check out both the Car and Portable Charger in the gallery below.
In this week’s issue of Dengeki PlayStation, Falcom has lifted the lid on the Playstation Vita port of The Legend of Heroes Zero no Keisei, which is the sequel to Sora no Keisei trilogy, in which Trails in the Sky is the first of the three games. First up, a name change. When the game was first announced, it had the name The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Keisei Event Full Voice Edition. That has been changed to its final name: The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Keisei Evolution. It is also slated for a summer 2012 release, which is a more concrete release than the 2012 date the game received when it was revealed. It will be priced at ¥6,090 (US$79.30/AU$73.60).
The games biggest change is the amount of voice work that will be done. Over 150 characters in the game will now have voices, hence why the placeholder title included “Full Voice Edition.” The recording of the voice, revealed in an interview by Dengeki Playstation, may take two months to complete. Main character Lloyd will take up to 1,200 pages of dialogue in the game. Now that is a lot of talking.
While the full voice acting is the biggest addition, it is certainly not the only addition. The visuals will get an update over the Playstation Portable visuals, with animated character shots during scenes of conversation and improved effects on shadows, water and depth-of-fields. A new opening movie is also being developed, alongside new arrangements of the game’s soundtrack. The Vita version will also have mini-games, which will utilise Vita-specific features such as gyro and rear touch. It is unknown whether the features will be used during the main game. Trophies and additional sub-quests will also be included.
PSP version
When the game was announced, the teaser site mentioned Pyramid Inc, creators of the Patapon games. This is the studio who are developing the game, allowing Falcom to focus on new entries of the series, mainly Nayuta no Kiseki, the next entry of the series, and the entry after Nayuta no Kiseki (Falcom are really planning ahead). Falcom CEO Toshihiro Kondo revealed in the Dengeki Playstation interview that he chose Pyramid to develop the game because he is close friends with members of the development team and that he got the chance to see some of the research and development projects. The focus of other titles was also a factor, despite the fact that there was an option for Falcom to develop the game.
Chara-Ani was also mentioned with the announcement, but their role was unknown.In the interview, Chara-Ani producer Tadakazu Hiraga revealed that they are the planners, producers, managers and distributors of the game. Quite a lot of roles for the one company. Apparently, the publishing of the game will be handled by a third company known as Kadokawa Games, not Falcom. Kondo revealed, however, that they did keep an eye on development and checking out the data involved to assure a faithful port.
For those who are really interested in the title, then you might like the fact that there will be a conference over at Nico Nico Video that will be focused on The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Keisei Evolution, as well as other Falcom “Keisei” productions. It is planned for the 9th of February (this Friday) at 6pm Tokyo Time (4am Eastern/1am Pacific/8pm AEDT).
In addition to a tweet made by Hideo Kojima yesterday, some new details have emerged for the Playstation Vita version of the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. Today, Kojima continued to reveal the amount of additional voice acting that will be present in the game, with today’s recordings including Ginga Banjou (Liquid Snake) and David Oh (Zero). One of those additional lines is the following:
“If you flick the rear touch pad, you can slice the enemy’s throat.”
That line will be said by Major Zero of Metal Gear Solid 3. But the line itself is interesting. It has revealed that the rear touch pad of the Playstation Vita will be used during the games. It seems that knifing enemies will be used via the rear touch pad. Whether it will be the only method of input or if this is in addition of a physical input is unknown at this time. In addition that that detail, zooming in first person mode will be taken care of on the touch screen. Players will pinch the screen left and right, although Kojima describes it as a “stretch.”
A couple of screenshots with the game running on the Vita were also posted. You can check them out below.
If you are like the rest of the Wii owners out there, it’s a pretty safe bet that you’d be anticipating Xenoblade Chronicles, which launches in April. If Nintendo know anything about this much-loved property, it is that the fans are what made Xenoblade possible, and in a rather awesome turn of events, all of you can choose the reverse cover for Xenoblade Chronicles.
There are four different covers that have been posted on Nintendo’s Facebook page. The one that gets the most “Likes” will grace the back cover of the game, allowing the user to have a nice choice of whatever art they fancy. So yeah, go to Nintendo’s Facebook, pick out the image you prefer, and get to liking. For now though, get a nice glimpse of all four arts below and let us know your favorite.
Aeria Games, publisher of free-to-play online games, has revealed the opening cinematic for the Muris race, one of the three playable races in the mmorpg, Lime Odyssey: The Chronicles of Orta. The Muris once lived on an island high above Orta which depended on Lime to stay afloat. With the supply of Lime diminishing thanks to a greedy tyrant, the island city started to fall slowly to the land. Now centuries have passed and many Muris have come down to live on the lands below to seek answers and to search for Lime. The Warrior, Thief, Mage, and Cleric battle classes are available to this fun and mischievous race.
Lime Odyssey: The Chronicles of Orta will be published in North America in 2012. Sign-up on http://limeodyssey.aeriagames.com to participate in the upcoming closed beta test.
To celebrate the multilanguage localization of the FPS/tower defence Sanctum, the game will be available today at 66% off on Steam.
“We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Sanctum can reach a wider audience with added language support,” says Anton Westbergh, CEO and Producer of Sanctum. “We hope that this update, which is obviously free, will allow people an opportunity to play with their friends and competitors around the world more easily.”
In Sanctum, one of the best-selling indie games of 2011, you play as Skye, a soldier protecting her home town of Elysion One from invading aliens. To fight off the mysterious creatures, you will have to build and upgrade defensive structures and when a horde of aliens ambushes – you attack! Choose one of the five kick-ass weapons and join the action! The game features four-player support, seven new maps to add to the original three, four challenging game modes, eighty seven achievements and is now also available in Russian, Japanese, French, German and more.
Shoot Many Robots is using its latest trailer to demonstrate that developer Demiurge is not kidding around when they say many robots.
With everything from spider-like Gatling gun wielding machines to giant robotic blimps full of gas on display, the trailer for the four-player side-scrolling shooter really reveals the quirky fun behind this downloadable adventure. Beyond many robots, the game also features RPG elements, and two playable modes: Traversal, which is the story campaign, and Survival, which, like the game’s title, is pretty self-explanatory.
Shoot Many Robots will hit Xbox Live, PC, and the Playstation Network later in the year. Check out the trailer below!
2K Games has released some heavily anticipated screenshots for the upcoming third person shooter, Spec Ops: The Line.
According to the Spec Ops forums, there has been a lot of debate whether or not this game will be able to outshine or replicate the Socom series. I bet the third person shooter diehards will be ready to jump ship if it lives up to the potential. One thing I have learned about this genre is that the story is going to be damn good (e.g. Army of Two, Gears of War). Move over Socom, and gaze at “The Line”.
Thus far most game enthusiasts can agree that the graphics are up to par. Take a look at the screens below to catch a glimpse of the cataclysmic aftermath that is Dubai. For more screens and videos check out the Spec Ops: The Line Official Website.
If you are a member of Club Nintendo, then I’m sure you have seen the optional box at the bottom. You know, the one that gives you a choice to leave a quote? That box isn’t just for show, as Nintendo have been using the feedback given not only to craft a better experience for the future, but to also celebrate the masterpieces they create with YOU as the star.
Recently, Nintendo revealed a new video with that exact concept on full display. For nearly two minutes, quotes from owners of the game are posted for the entire world to see. As you could have guessed, this is all positive feedback, but you still have to admire Nintendo for taking a few minutes to give something back to those who contribute. Check out the fan service down below, and who knows? You might see your name in one of these clips sometime down the road.
Namco Bandai Games have released a jam packed trailer for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations. The new trailer weighs in at a massive 9 minutes in length, making it the most footage we have seen of the game since it’s announcing last year.
The new trailer shows off the best Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations has to offer.
The game is set to feature over 70 playable characters (covering the entire series to date, both pre and post time skip), dynamic gameplay, fast paced online multiplayer and new original animated sequences from Studio Pierrot.
You can check out the new trailer for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations below. The game is set for release in March 2012.
