Just like the Sly Collection and the Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection, the Jak and Daxter Collection will be heading to the Playstation Store. The digital copies will be released alongside the retail release of the collection. This will be a first for the HD collections Sony have released, as both Sly and Ico and Shadow of the Colossus were released on the Playstation Store after release at retail.
However, the nature of the digital release will be the same as the other two collections. Each game will be released separately at $14.99 each. All together, it will cost players $44.97. In contrast, all three games will be available at retail for $39.99. That is quite strange, as digital copies should be cheaper than the retail version. Maybe Sony will offer all three games in one package for digital release soon, as consumers will not want to spend more for all three from the Playstation Store, considering that it does not come in packaging and does not require shipping.
The Jak and Daxter Collection will be available on the Playstation 3 on February 7.
After all the bad news we’ve heard about THQ over the past week this piece of news should come as no surprise. THQ’s CEO Brian Farrell began yesterday’s third quarter earnings meeting with investors with some rather unfortunate news. Apparently last time they talked he had promised that the company had been “anticipating that our third quarter would be the largest in our company’s history. Unfortunately, we were wrong.”
It seems that over the last quarter, the company has actually lost $56 million during the earning period that ended on December 31, 2011… which means over the holiday season THQ actually lost money while most companies were seeing profits. In fact they actually lost three times more than they did last year. It appears that, while Saints Row: The Third and WWE ’12 did well for the company, the uDraw tablet system cost the company the most money.
Farell explained to investors that the company still has “1.4 million [uDraw units] still in inventory we haven’t sold that we planned on selling.” Though if the company did not go for the uDraw option, they “would have doubled the profitability in the quarter.” Now it is quite obvious as to why THQ has stopped making games for children.
The first half of 2012 is going to be a busy one for Game of Thrones fans. The first season of the award winning HBO TV show will release on Blu ray and DVD next month, shortly followed by the premiere of season two on April 1st. Rounding out the package is Game of Thrones the RPG, being brought to life by Cyanide Studios and published by Focus Home Interactive in May of this year.
The game has just seen the release of a new location trailer accompanied by a handful of screenshots. Just one of the many locations open for exploration in the game will be Riverspring, a troubled waterside town ruled over by the Sarwyck family. Alester Sarwyck is one of the two playable characters in game, who finds himself returning to his ancestral home after fifteen years of self imposed exile. Mourning the death of his father, Alester must consider reclaiming Riverspring in his own name. Riverspring and the Sarwyck’s are not mentioned in the novels (as far as I recall), but hopefully author George R R Martin’s involvement in the title will allow the new location and characters to slip seamlessly into the realm of Westeros.
Clicking on the thumbnails below will give you a closer look at the latest screenshots, and the new Riverspring trailer is ready and waiting below – can Game of Thrones the RPG make us forget the disappoint that was Game of Thrones Genesis?
With The Witcher 2 coming to the Xbox 360 on April 17th, CD Projekt Red, the developers of the game, have taken time out to detail just what will be different and improved in the new “enhanced” edition of the game.
Some of the more notable points are the refinement of the combat system, new quest content during the main game to add further depth to the world inhabited by Geralt, and the fact that all of the updates and improvements being brought to the Xbox version of the game will also be translated over to the PC completely free of charge (and so thousands of gamers go from feeling duped to endless jumps of elated joy).
NIS America has been very aggressive ever since the start of 2012 when it comes to licensing anime. This includes picking up multiple series that just began airing in Japan as well as acquiring a few older anime as well. Today NIS America has revealed that they have picked up the rights to the 2010 anime called Occult Academy.
While the anime name may fit in quite well with their upcoming release of Disgaea 3 on the PS Vita it is currently set to be released a little bit after that game on May 8th. They will be releasing the series on two Blu-ray discs which is a separation from the previous releases from NIS America would they would release a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack.
Occult Academy will be given the standard loving treatment from NIS America by releasing the anime as a Premium Edition that will include a 36 page artbook that contains multiple bonus features such as draft designs, an occult encyclopedia and more as well as four bonus short episodes. Those eager to see what the contents will look like can see all the bonuses below.
For those who don’t know the anime series follows a boy sent back in time from hellish future where the world has been devastated by aliens. This boy, Fumiaki Uchida, has been sent back to the year 1999 in an attempt to destroy the “Nostradamus Key” to stop the apocalypse from ever happening. There he meets Maya Kumashiro, the daughter of the former principle of the Occult Academy who hates everything that the school represents. However upon meeting Uchida, the two must work together to prevent the destruction of the world.
One of the biggest advantages of a demo is that players can try before they buy. However when it comes to consoles there obviously is a limitation on what type of demo can be released to the public. As such, Sony and GameStop will now have a PlayStation Vita demo unit set up in 3,300 stores across North America for gamers to try out.
The games that will be available to play on the demo unit are Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational, wipEout: 2048 and Escape Plan. What are you waiting for… give your nearest GameStop a call and see if they have one of these units to try out so you can determine whether or not you should pick up the PS Vita when it is released in the next few weeks.
David Jaffe has revealed today on NeoGAF that European fans of the Twisted Metal franchise are going to have to wait a bit longer than everyone else in the world to play the game due to a few problems with localizing the title for release in the PAL regions. As such the game will be released sometime in March now rather than February.
Besides the delay David Jaffe has also revealed that the game will be censored slightly by SCEE. The majority of the censorship is supposed to have taken place in cutscenes, not the gameplay itself but it is still disappointing that such censorship must still exist. Though not outright stated, one can assume the reason for the delay is such censorship.
Fans of the female fighting anime Ikkitousen series and those who like the Bakuman. series will be sad to hear that the company that was meant to localize these titles and bring them to North America has now put these releases on indefinite hold.
The company who owns the rights to these titles is Media Blasters, the same company which had laid off nearly all of its staff early last month. The exact releases that are on indefinite hold is Bakuman. Second Draft DVD Collection #2 which was meant to be released on February 29th and Ikkitousen: Great Guardians Complete DVD Boxed Set which was meant to be released March 31st.
Things have been looking bad for Media Blasters in the past month, and this is only making the situation worse for Media Blasters which may just be on the brink of closure at this point.
Stephen Toulouse will be quitting Microsoft on the 15th of February. He was a member of Major Nelson’s podcast, and he also was the Director of Xbox Live Policy and Enforcement. According to his blog, his “reasons for leaving are complex and personal, but the parting could not be more amicable. I continue to believe this place makes great technology, and I am absolutely thrilled for the future of Xbox and Xbox LIVE.” He also mentions that, “My leaving’s not tied to any event or thing.” Currently, he has no plans for what his future work might involve. Major Nelson will be releasing a podcast today, and Stepto will be on it describing his departure. Good luck Stepto.
Here we are again, MasterAbbott is back for this week’s iOS Game Suggestions. If you missed out on last week’s suggestions, click on the links below and check what cool games you should be picking up for your iOS along with the introduction and disclaimer on how my suggestions work, as I’m not going through the same old intro every week. (suggestions 1 has the disclaimer)
What i’ve also introduced is video game play footage (if it’s possible) on some of the iOS games I’ve suggested, you can check this out at the bottom of the article. Currently video game play footage for this week’s suggestions is One Epic Game, check back in a few days there will be some more added. For now, if you jump into week 2 suggestions there are a few videos to check out.
Once again it’s been a great week on iTunes, so many amazing games were released, this week I’ve suggested well over my normal amount with a total of 24 great quality titles. As always for this week’s suggestions I’ve added a few old games into the mix as they certainly deserve a mention. But of course the focus is still on the newer titles that you should also take a look at to spend your hard earned iTunes cash / time on.
This week I’ve focused on both free games and titles over 99c as there were some awesome and unique games released. These titles are all well worth taking a look at. Now lets get down to business shall we.
For The Cheapskates – FREE GAMES
MASTERABBOTT’s FREE GAME Pick Of The Week
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective – Price : FREE (with option to purchase more chapters) – Publisher – Capcom (In an obscure corner of the city, a single bullet takes your life, but that’s not all it takes. When you awaken as a spirit, you realize you have no recollection of who you are. Thus begins your search for the answers to these questions: “Who am I?”, “Who killed me?”, and “Why was I killed?”) runs on both iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Half Breed – Price : FREE – Publisher – Tricasa (Half Breed is an action-packed game with awesome visuals, loads of unique weapons, a bunch of aliens, and epic boss fights! Your character is a man who seeks revenge on the people that created him as a military experiment. Half-man and half-alien, a Half Breed, use special powers to defeat enemy aliens and their bosses. Similar in theory to games like Prototype & inFamous.) runs on both iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Namco Arcade – Price : FREE – Publisher – NamcoBandai Games Inc. (Those gems of gaming that were so much fun back in the day are back, and are now available in the App Store! Namco’s arcade games, which turned the arcades of the eighties into centers of fun and thrills, have been completely restored for you to enjoy on the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad! Whether you’re an old school pro or a beginner, be sure to take this opportunity to play these classic titles, packed with a unique charm that seems both nostalgic and new at the same time!) runs on both iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Call Of Mini: Double Shot – Price : FREE – Publisher – Trinit Interactive Ltd (The small town of Lakeside is suffering from something even scarier than economic crisis: Zombies. You are an unwitting truck driver stranded in the middle of it all, forced to kill for your survival. In the face of deadly new breeds of bioengineered zombies, you and one buddy are the only two left to hunt down the source of the infection. With super high-tech weapons and totally unique armor, how long can you hold off the zombie hordes?.) runs on both iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Stop Those Fish – Price : FREE – Publisher – Eye Intertactive (Why should you Stop Those Fish? A league of hyper-intelligent fish is plotting our destruction from their secret lair at the bottom of the sea. You are the leader of a small band of bears fighting for the survival of all land dwellers. In this epic battle that pits bear against fish, do you have what it takes to drown the fish uprising before it’s too late?.) runs on both iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Pluto Learns Piano – Price : FREE – Publisher – Pluto Games Inc. (You’ll find tons of notes and fascinating animals as you guide Pluto through the ocean in your adventure to master the songs. Play all the correct notes, avoid the incorrect ones, and definitely stay away from the obstacles! Great game for kids, play songs and learn musinc along the way. 13 great songs included with options to purchase more.) runs on both iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Tires Of Fury – Price : FREE – Publisher – Ignotus Games. (Welcome to Tires of Fury Island! Here, you’ll race across a wide variety of environments against a rag-tag group of unique racing machines and drivers.
Head to the garage and pick your ride from a line-up of monster trucks like you’ve never seen: Including pirate ships, laser tanks, space ships, and more! Each one has a unique balance of attributes that you can upgrade according to your preferences using your racing prizes. Also, three unique drivers each offer an additional boost to your stats.) runs on iPhone & iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
The Nightworld – Price : FREE – Publisher – Glu Games (Welcome to a world where sunlight is nothing but a memory, where resources are scarce, and only the cunning will survive. Emerge from the shadows and walk the wastelands as one of the last humans fighting for resources, to stay strong and most importantly to stay alive.) runs on both iPhone and iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Snoopy’s Street Fair – Price : FREE – Publisher – Beeline Europe. (Help Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the entire PEANUTS gang build and organize a street fair!
In this taptastic adventure you’ll decorate Charlie Brown’s neighborhood and fill it with a wealth of wonderful stalls and attractions. Recruit your favorite PEANUTS characters including Sally, Linus and Lucy, just to name a few.While the rest of the gang is busy with the fair, Snoopy brings his own brand of mischief to the game.) runs on both iPhone and iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Battle Bears Royal – Price : FREE – Publisher – SKYVU Pictures Inc. (Equip your character with a massive array of powerful and hilarious primary/secondary weapons, melee weapons and amazing power-ups as you pwn your friends across 4 distinct multi-level maps including the HUGGABLE FACTORY! Produced in partnership with Recharge Studios, BBR is SkyVu’s most epic game ever.) runs on both iPhone and iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Terapets – Price : FREE – Publisher – TikTak Games (Teraland is a fantastic world where humans live together with some creatures called Terapets.
They have always lived happily in harmony with nature and the inhabitants of Teraland. But, for some reason, not long ago, the Terapets have lost their melody and, therefore, their light and happiness… What’s the reason for this tragedy? They need somebody whose bravery and spirit will make possible the return of the melody to the Terapets. Could it be you? .) runs on both iPhone and iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
Terra Noctis: Free Dreaming – Price : FREE – Publisher – Everplay Interactive (Relive the older school gaming days in this retro-inspired platformer reinvisioned for your mobile device! Run, Jump, and Solve Puzzles on your way to the goal! Battle devious baddies and collect many goodies across 4 epic worlds!.) runs on both iPhone and iPad. GET IT NOW FOR FREE
For The Bargain Hunters – 99c Games
MASTERABBOTT’s 99c Game Pick Of The Week
Paper Monsters – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Crescent Moon Games. (Dive into the world of Paper Monsters and watch a living world made out of paper, cardboard, and a few cotton balls unfold right before your eyes.
Paper Monsters takes all of the classic 2d platforming elements, combines them with cutting edge graphics and then packs it onto your iPhone or iPad!) – runs on both iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
One Epic Game – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Chillingo Ltd (There’s only one hero who can save us all. Unfortunately, he’s busy, so it’s up to you instead.
So now it’s time to protect the world from an alien invasion right in the middle of a zombie outbreak in a post-apocalyptic wasteland…full of all your favorite bad guys! ) – runs on both iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
Legendary Wars – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Liv Games. (Legendary Wars. Take command of your heroes. Build up massive armies to destroy the undead forces of the Netherworld! It’s time to fight back! Legendary Wars Campaign mode features 5 lands and over 50 levels each with unique gameplay and secret unlockable modes and Features a variety of gameplay styles including; castle defense, castle siege, ambush, side-scrolling, free build, and Hero control. ) – runs on both iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
Desert Zombies Last Stand – Price : $0.99 – Publisher – Eighth Wonder Studios. (Arm yourself to the teeth and dive head-first into Desert Zombie: Last Stand, a high-octane, high-explosive action game powered by Unreal Engine 3! Desert Zombie delivers an immersive, action-packed warfare experience unlike any other! Fight to survive battling hordes of armed and dreadfully cunning zombies. Experience thrilling combat carnage and undead bloodshed complete with a full arsenal of modern weaponry, unlockable player perks, characters and achievements. ) – runs on both iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
For The Millionaires – All games over $0.99
MASTERABBOTT’S Over 99c PICK OF THE WEEK
Warm Gun – Price : $1.99 (Publisher – Emotional Robots (World War III has been fought to the tipping point and ecologists long unheeded cries have been silenced by the grim truth of their predictions. To the last drop of oil have the worlds resources been depleted, and only sporadic traces of modern structure can be sifted in the dust. Time ticks forward, but humans must retrace their advancement back; through a history that has already been lived and to the Wild West for the second time. We have trampled ahead to the past in muddy boots, to the United States of late 19th century.) – runs on both iPhone and iPad. BUY NOW
Pocket League Story. – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – Kairosoft Co. Ltd ( From the same guys that brought us the highly addictive Game Dev Story, they are back and this time you can strap on those soccer boots and handpick players, train, and battle your way to the top of every league in this sensational soccer team simulation! SHOOT… GOAAAALLLL!!) runs on both iPhone and iPad. BUY NOW
Super Monkey Ball 2 – Sakura Edition – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – SEGA America ( Super Monkey Ball is back. Everyone’s favorite monkeys keep the ball rolling with this exclusive version of the arcade to console classic for iOS. Roll around the Far East, as you tilt and steer one of four adorable monkeys through 125 themed mazes and a beautiful world of cherry blossoms. Just grab your bananas along the way to earn extra lives before time runs out. It’s so easy to play, even a monkey could do it!!) runs on both iPhone and iPad. BUY NOW
Call Of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land – Price : $4.99 – Publisher – Red Wasp Design (Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land is a turn-based strategy/role-playing game based on the award winning Call of Cthulhu RPG. Set in the midst of World War One, the game pits your team of investigators and soldiers against an ancient enemy, one older than humanity itself… Can your team of investigators keep their grip on sanity long enough to stop these diabolical plans? The fate of humanity is in your hands..) runs on both iPhone and iPad. BUY NOW
Midnight Mysteries: Salem Witch Trials – Price : $6.99 – Publisher – MumboJumbo (A storm is brewing in Salem!!! Can you solve this Midnight Mystery? Explore 10 adventurous missions in stunning HD in this intriguing hidden-object adventure game. The famed writer Nathaniel Hawthorne has died during a freak snow storm, and his ghost has come to you, asking for help. There’s more to this case than first appears, and only you can help free his spirit..) runs on iPad. BUY NOW
Awesome Land – Price : $1.99 – Publisher – Freakzone (Remember when console games were AWESOME? When the challenge was in conquering fearsome obstacle courses rather than getting through needless tutorials? Awesome Land will restore your faith in true gaming and whether you spent your childhood jumping on mushrooms, rolling around loops or even whipping skeletons, this game will give your nostalgia muscles a good workout without having to fork out big bucks in some dusty vintage game store..) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
Hamlet! – Price : $4.99 Free with in App purchase option – Publisher – Big Fish Games (Mayhem and hilarity ensue when a scientist travels back in time and gets mixed up with characters from William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet! Guide the man from the future as he embarks on a mind-bending mission to save Hamlet’s girlfriend, Ophelia, from the clutches of the evil Claudius. Solve a variety of cunning puzzles and advance from one sidesplitting scene to the next as you defeat bosses and overcome mental obstacles in this fun Adventure game. .) runs on iPad. BUY NOW
Bean’s Quest – Final – Price : $2.99 – Publisher – Kumobuis (Emilio has been cursed and his girlfriend kidnapped! Transformed by dark magic into a jumping bean, you must bounce your way to victory through 50 levels spread over 5 worlds. Can you rescue your one true love and find your missing pet axolotls? Bean’s Quest brings back retro platforming to your iPhone or iPad with super intuitive controls; touch left or touch right – it’s so simple!.) runs on iPhone & iPad. BUY NOW
There you have it folks, these games should keep you busy for quite some time. I’ll be back next week for another dose of iOS goodness, in the meantime if anyone would also like to suggest their own suggestions, please feel free to share them in the comments section below, or join the discussion in the forums. Check out the link below :
