It looks like that God of War IV might be real as a resume for one Timothy Williams has somehow reached the online space and Siliconera. He has worked on Conan the Barbarian (the 2011 film), Rise of the Argonauts, and DOTA2, so he has been quite busy recently. This is following what was said in Playstation Magazine, which pinpointed a date mid-2012 and rumours of 2 player co-op, featuring Demios, Kratos’ brother, as the second player.
It is not surprising the God of War is seeing a fourth release, but are we seeing the beginning of a new story? Don’t forget, it was revealed that III would be the last in that trilogy, but more God of War games would be created. There is no point not making these games, considering they are extremely popular and actually fun to play. Hopefully Kratos also makes it to the Playstation Vita, considering his portable outings were critically acclaimed.
It looks like Lightning will be gracing the Playstation 3 once more as Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be receiving a limited edition Playstation 3 bundle. Sounds good, but there is one problem. The bundle itself will not be available in the West, not in Japan and not even Mainland China. So where is it? How about Taiwan. Yep, this bundle will only be available in the small country off the south coast of China.
The bundle contains a Lightning Version 2 PS3 console (black with a purple Lightning), the soundtrack in a “special package,” one of eight transparent posters featuring characters from the game and a copy of Final Fantasy XIII-2 with both Chinese and English subtitles, which means it is Western friendly. First prints of the game will also contain two DLC costumes. Serah’s costume will be entitled “Summoner’s Garb” and Noel’s entitled “Battle Attire,” both already confirmed to see a Western release when the game hits shelves later this month (or early February for Europe and PAL territories).
Kazuma Kujo, who was at the helm of Disaster Report 4 before its cancellation, which happened after the March 11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, has revealed that he and his team at Granzella Studio, which he formed after leaving Irem, will be developing a game for the Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita, Andriasang reports.
This was revealed via his Twitter account after he was asked whether his new game was for the Playstation 3 or Playstation Portable. He replied with the confirmation of PS3 and Vita as concerned platforms. A PSP version of this particular game is not planned, but that could change. There are also some other details that were revealed. First off, it is an original game and not something based off past Irem titles. Second, it will be a downloadable title. Third, the genre of the game is being kept to Kujo and Granzella.
A few months ago, Kujo revealed that he was going to support the Playstation 3, Playstation vita and Android with Granzella, so it is nice to see that he is sticking by that comment. This mystery game is also not the only game being developed, as Kujo mentions that there are at least two games being developed in the present time.
The first DLC pack for UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System has been announced for release, so for those of you who are looking to get some ultimate fitness going, then this is perfect for you.
The DLC focuses on UFC Bantamweight Urijah Faber, with the workout pack featuring five new workout routines and fifteen new Hit the Mitts drills. It also includes an Undisputed Trainee achievement, allowing people who purchase UFC Undisputed 3 on Xbox 360 to receive a Create-a-Fighter boost and save 8-10 hours in gameplay time.
This is the first of a few different workout packs that are slated for release, such as Cain Velasquez (to be released on January 31, 2012) and the Jon Jones (to be released on February 21, 2012) Workout packs which will both be 800 Microsoft Points when they are released.
The Urijah Faber DLC pack is available now on the Xbox Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360, free of charge for those who own UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System on Kinect for Xbox 360.
So make sure to head on over to the Xbox Marketplace and grab your Urijah Faber workout and go hit those mitts!
Even though it has yet to be released, Konami’s latest game, NeverDead, will be receiving some DLC post-release. However, one of these DLC offerings seems to be quite humourous. First up is the ability called “Desperate.” Equipping this ability will give demon hunter Bryce Boltzman a bit of a damage increase the more limbs he loses, kind of like a critical damage increase after reaching critical health. The second DLC is called “Cowardly Words.” This DLC does not give any boosts to Bryce at all. What it does do is give Bryce some extra firepower in terms of words. Extra comments during battle are this DLC’s purpose, adding a bit of attitude during battles.
Both of these abilities will be available for those who pre-order the game at selected retailers, unfortunately. I wonder why publishers add exclusive content to some stores and not others. It would be smarter for each store to have the same pre-order content to boost sales anywhere, but what do I know? NeverDead is slated for release on January 31 for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.
Silvester Adventure, developed by Sim Chia Tek of China, is now available on the App Store, along with an update. Silvester Adventure is a puzzle-platforming hybrid in which you control two characters: the main character and his shadow. Yep, his shadow. You use both to solve puzzles through shadow manipulation and conquer various levels. The shadow does have a safe zone knows as the “Shadow Range.” The shadow also has three skills involving enlarging, shrinking and moving. Power ups are also available, like one that extends the “Shadow Range.”
The game includes 31 levels, four worlds, three shadow skills and full gyroscope- and Retina-support. The updated version now available has achievements through GameCenter integration, and supports English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. A free, limited version of the game is available, so, if you are interested, why not give it a go before deciding if you want the full version.
A new combination of a maze and a ‘search and find’ puzzle game has come out on the iPhone for those of you who love to challenge yourselves on the go! It’s the prime road trip app, with the app itself starts with driving a car as you find your way through different land and cityscapes, going through challenges and trying to make your way through various obstacles.
Along the way you hunt down letters, penguins, numbers, ice cream trucks and heaps of other cool surprises. This one is certain to keep the kids entertained during the longer trips so this seems to be a good investment. It also helps kids to learn decision-making and critical thinking skills.
The art is done by Roxie Munro, an American children’s author and illustrator, which brings a great stylized nature to the game.
Check out the intricate and wondrous trailer for the game below!
Roxie’s a-MAZE-ing Vacation Adventures is out NOW on iPhone, iTouch and iPad for $0.99 – Get it HERE
We got a chance to have a chat with managing and PR director of DMD Enterprise Ltd: Michael Dziwniel, the developers behind Uprising44: The Silent Shadows, a new TPP/RTS game set for release in mid-2012. Check out our previous article on the game HERE, and check out the interview below!
There have been a lot of World War 2 games, however this one takes on a different point of view than most, focusing on the Warsaw Uprising. Is there a reason why you decided to focus on this particular event? Beyond being a Polish company, that is.
Yes there is. Before initiating pre production process we had been analized many stories regarding World War II theme. After this stage we’ve noticed that we’ve got interesting plot to show near our office windows – The story of biggest uprising in the history of World War II – Warsaw Uprising. Also I would like to mention that history Is just an inspiration for us. We would like to use World War II in Poland as a background to show the story of particular uprisers – The Silent Shadows – elite formation of Resistance during World War II.
The live action trailer kind of shows that this game is not just about the graphics, or gameplay, but also about the story of the game and the context. Was the story something that you really wanted to keep a strong focus on in development?
Yes. The story for us is one of the most important things in development – even though we don’t produce RPG as itself. As we all know interesting plot in action/rts game is quite hard to implement – for us this it is a key to show our vision of a game to a gamer.
Is there anything that you believe sets Uprising44 apart from other third person shooters?
I think in general two things. First one is a story – as I noted in previous question we are focusing on. Second is combine between RTS and TPP, many action games do not show the large scale of a conflict. We want to show that every single squad of soldiers – in this case the Uprisers are a part of big war machine.
How big a part does tactical skill play into Uprising44?
We will present this tactical aspect in next few weeks – stay tuned
Are you proud of this being your debut game? Are there any concerns you have about how it will do after its release?
In our company we have one rule – if we do something we will do it the best way we can. After release we are prepare for supporting our gamers.
Were there any things that gave you any particular issues during development?
I think when you produce something for the first time you run with gauntlet with every case and aspect of a development. After first time with one case, others similar are going on its way properly. In my opinion we’ve got strong, well constructed team with experience in finding solutions
What do you think will make the strongest impression on people playing the game?
I think world – completely different from other games. I think Eastern Europe is not so popular for game topic – we want to change this and show that architecture, people and atmosphere of Warsaw during a War time
If you could describe the game in three words what would they be?
Strong Interesting Story (SIS – nice contraction)
Does the game have multiplayer capabilities – either local or online?
We will talk about it near release date
What reasons would you use to convince a Call of Duty, or Battlefield, player to try (or maybe, switch) to Uprising44?
We don’t want to make people to switch – just to try our game. I think the most important argument is sort of fresh air in World War II games. Gamers who like this topic will find in our game something for they selves
Is this game a good representation of what we can expect from your company in the future?
As independent studio we can plan projects any way we want. I think the best answer in this moment is that after Uprising44 release we will talk about our next projects in public.
Finally, is there any part of the game which is a favourite for you personally?
For me the final part – it will be epic, dramatic and also it will surprise gamers for sure
Uprising44: The Silent Shadows is coming out on the PC, Mac and Xbox 360 in quarter 2 of 2012, and from this info it sounds pretty awesome and is definitely worth a look at!
Page One: Inside the New York Times
Studio: History Films
Publisher: MADMAN
Release Date: December 14, 2011
Format: DVD
Price: $29.95 (available here)
Overview:
The internet has changed a lot of things. Changed how we communicate, how we access information, and most importantly for Page One, how we access and create news. A documentary focusing on the institution that is the New York Times, Page One attempts to cover all bases when it comes to the revolutionary fight that is print media versus the internet.
Content:
Directed by Andrew Rossi, Page One gains access to the newsrooms of one of the most famous publications in the world, with full access to editors and executives alike. The title comes from the ‘Page One meetings’, where the heads of the various news desks meet to decide what stories are worthy enough to make it to the front page. It’s something that the film has trouble with itself, never quite settling on it’s big issue or laying bare the real state of the industry with anything but opinion.
The headlines that it touches upon are interesting – there’s just never quite enough information or structure to make it feel like these things really matter beyond the run time of the film.
A printing press opening sequence lays bare the reality of printing a paper. Machinery, distribution networks, newsrooms, vendors, desks piled with paper and phones permanently ringing. It’s an interesting contrast to simple world of the internet where a single person can research, write and publish a piece without getting out of their chair, but unfortunately it’s one that’s never really capitalised on. There is some insight into the journalistic aspect of the paper, interesting and on the odd occasion entertaining, but the series of talking heads and news clips never rise above mildly entertaining.
Topics of discussion are mingled with the day to day running of the paper, quickly alighting on game changing ideas and developments without ever exploring their full impact. Segments on the iPad and Twitter bring nothing new or surprising to the table, we all know social media is instantaneous and incredibly dynamic, allowing people everywhere to create and respond to the news no matter their qualifications. Apple have created a really cool way to read that could be beneficial to the printed press. And? The New York Times runs the risk of going bankrupt, many other papers have already faced that reality – but all we are ever shown are a few redundancies, a few moments of the reality of a new type of media.
Thankfully WikiLeaks and it’s interaction with the more traditional press makes for far more interesting viewing, even if the subject at hand is still cut off just when things begin to get detailed. Julien Assange’s expose happy site makes from some intriguing interactions with the traditional media, and seeing how an institution like the New York Times deals with this source come publisher when the government becomes tangled up in the story could have been used for a lot more mileage.
Things are given a more human edge by David Carr, a one time crack addict now working for the New York Times. Carr feels like the only stable presence in the film, and following him to publishers conferences and TV panel shows gives Page One some much needed human grounding. He also provides the closest that Page One comes to an arc, with the camera following him through the process of publishing a story dealing with corporate scandal, complete with potential lawsuits, resignations and heated phone calls.
Carr is the highlight in an otherwise forgettable documentary. Whilst it runs Page One does an okay job of keeping your attention, but there’s little here to surprise or engage to the point that you’ll think about it for any length of time afterwards. The film is backed by the History Channel and very much feels like a television documentary – there’s no cinematic nature to the cinematography and little style to set it apart from the standard documentary.
Extras:
A theatrical trailer and some teasers for other Madman releases do little to make Page One more than a one sitting experience.
Overall:
Page One is at best mildly interesting. Those who already have some interest in journalism or media will have a passable distraction for an hour and a half, but when all is said and done there’s nothing here to make a lasting impression, no reason to revisit or to share. It commits the cardinal sin of not being very interesting or thorough, which for a documentary dealing with journalism is more than a little disappointing.
It’s our Super-Mega-Ultra-Mecha-Awesomeo End of the Year Spectacular! We talk about our favourite titles this year as well as our biggest disappointments. Has Nintendo released the fabled Zelda timeline? Does it really matter? Spike hosts another game show and we talk about the PS Vita launch.
Cast: Alexis Ayala, Dustin Spencer, Luke Halliday, Michael Irving & Michael Marr
