Capcom has just announced that they will be releasing Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition Version 2012 for the full retail price of $59.99 and fans can expect it…. wait a minute. It appears Capcom has forgone their extending of a series momentarily because Version 2012 is actually a patch for the title and will be free for everyone to download, and also a mandatory patch at that.
The company has revealed the patch notes which can be read here in massive 13-page PDF format or could watch the video below and learn about a few of the ways that the game has been balanced or adjusted or broken or ruined depending on how your favorite character was affected.
Tecmo Koei has revealed today that they will be bringing the PlayStation 3’s Samurai Warriors 3Z to the PlayStation Portable under the title Samurai Warriors 3Z Special. Those who pick up this title will be able to play two player co-operative play and four player competitive play via the ad-hoc system on the PSP.
The title will run ¥6,090 and be be released on February 16th. Currently there is no news about this title making it to North America, but Tecmo Koei did say that they will be releasing past Samurai Warriors outfits for the first time as downloadable content on the PSP. Plus those who already have played Samurai Warriors 3Z or Samurai Warriors 3 Empires on PS3 should keep their save data, because if they transfer it over to their PSP memory stick it will unlock all characters instantly.
While there may be a new Kid Icarus title being developed by Nintendo right now, some people may just want to stay in the old days where games weren’t so complicated and didn’t look the best. Well my friends then Nintendo has a surprise for you, they will be bringing Kid Icarus to the 3D Classics section of the Nintendo 3DS.
Plus, to make things even better, if you live in Europe you can pick up the title as a free download. The only catch is that you must register two qualifying 3DS titles with Club Nintendo before you can download it for free. This shouldn’t be a problem for most Nintendo 3DS owners as the qualifying titles seen below are all quite popular.
Hmm… it seems that EA will do absolutely everything that they can to try and make a quick buck nowadays. Which is completely justifiable, being that they are a major company and all, but perhaps this one is a bit too much for even that. EA has released a new Tetris App for the iOS and with it also comes an optional subscription plan for $29.99 a year.
This plan will get you entered into the “T-Club which will include additional in-game content and faster leveling up for your profile. Plus you can even get future DLC entirely… wait not free, at a discount. Lovely… well if you want to pick up this app you can do so here for $.99, then pay 30x the amount of the app for the plan if you feel like it.
While it may have taken a whole coalition of folks to try and get this title brought over to North America, it appears that Operation Rainfall has managed to get at least one of the titles they want. Nintendo revealed today that they are going to be launching Xenoblade Chronicles sometime in April 2012. Here is the kicker however, they will only be releasing it through GameStop and their own Nintendo.com website.
GameStop is currently listing a April 2nd release date, so expect a release in early April. This is a big win for fans of the Wii and especially for RPGs and shows that Nintendo of America at least cares a little bit about what their fans want. Expect to pay $49.99 when the title is released in April, though considering the hype I’m sure that is only a small price to pay for this title. Nintendo also released a new trailer for the title to go along with the announcement, which can be seen below.
As Final Fantasy XIV goes through various important updates, Square Enix decided to show off one of the quests of teh upcoming patch 1.20. This quest, renamed “Good King Moggle Mog XII” from “Dark Moogle Battle” for some unknown reason, has some interesting items up for grabs after it is completed. In fact, Square Enix has put together a video for your viewing pleasure. You can see it below.
As for the contents of the quest itself, Square Enix is being tight lipped about it. I guess they don’t want to spoil the quest when patch 1.20 goes live sometime in early December, which should be in the next week or so. Of course, if it isn’t live in the next week, then it might have been delayed without any warning. Hopefully that doesn’t happen.
It might not have made the Playstation 3 and Xobx 360 versions of Sonic Generations, but Sega is determined that fans of Sonic The Hegdehog 2 won’t miss out on a favourite stage. The famed Casino Night stage is coming to the console versions of Sonic Generations. It has been included in the 3DS version of the game. However, it will be different to the stages of the game. Sonic will be forced into a small ball for a pinball-themed level. However, the slot machine does make an appearance.
Also included in this downloadable pack are three costumes (Amy, Sonic and Super Sonic) for Xbox avatars and custom themes for both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. All of this stuff is available on both Xbox Live and PSN in Japan right now. The avatar costumes cost 240 MS Points each, themes cost 240 MS Points (one theme only) or ¥200 each (two themes available) and Casino Night costs ¥350 or 340 MS Points. No word on when these items will hit Xbox Live and PSN in North America, Europe and PAL territories.
Gran Turismo 5 had a downloadable update back in October, bringing the game to version 2.0. Now that update is getting a retail version as Sony announces Gran Turismo 5 Spec II. The game will include all of the content from the Spec II update as well as a voucher for the downloadable content that was released on October 18. The game will be released on February 2, 2012 at a price of ¥4,980.
The above release does have one bit of restriction. That release date is only for Japan. There has been no word on whether the retail copy of the update shall head overseas. That’s a shame, but I’m sure this update will find its way to the West. Each Gran Turismo, including Prologue versions, have been release in all major territories, so this game should be no exception.
The Japanese have revealed their advertising campaign to promote the Playstation Vita ahead of its December 17 launch (which you can see for yourself here and here). A few months later, on February 22 2012, the Vita will debut in North American and European markets. So, how is the United States going to promote the Playstation Vita exactly? They are not going with a teaser spot like the Japanese. In fact, they are going the complete opposite.
The ad for the United States market has been posted online and, if you do watch, Sony Computer Entertainment America seems to go for a more direct approach. It shows off the Vita and several of its features and games. It also notes that there will be support for cross platform multiplayer, showing WipEout as the example. No actors, no school kids. It is just the Vita. You can watch the video below.
Square Enix is revisiting the Unreal Engine with a medieval inspired RPG, first revealed by Famitsu quite recently. However, the game has no name or story at the moment. However, it does have its first piece of artwork. If you want to have a look at it, look above this paragraph. It is a man with a sword and what seems to be an owl as an companion. In the distance is a castle with the sun setting in the background. Looks interesting.
This particular piece of artwork was found at their recruitment page. It seems they are still looking for members to join the development team. Here is what they are looking for:
Planner (Action) — creating the specifications and data for the game’s action, focusing on combat action.
Planner (Writing) — writing the text for the game and scenarios.
Planner (Level) — level and field design via Unreal Engine 3, positioning enemies, items and so-forth.
Game Programmer — camera control and AI.
Network Programmer — matching and network synchronization during gameplay.
3D Graphics Programmer — real time 3D graphics realization and optimization.
Physics Programmer — in-game physics simulation and optimization.
Animation Programmer — 3D model animation.
Art Designer — background art (image and gadgets), character and enemy art and design.
Motion Designer — game character motion.
VFX Designer — effects for action scenes, cut-scenes and so-forth.
BG Modeler — production of 3D backgrounds, level design.
Character Modeler — modeling for characters and enemies.
If you think you can handle one of these roles, have game development experience and can read and speak Japanese, then why don’t you head over to their recruitment page. They are asking for experience with the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, so it safe to conclude that these are the platforms that this game will be coming out on.
