Our world is falling apart. Riots are occurring, violence is rampant. So, why is the world going to the dogs? I do not know, but it is all related to a teaser released. This is a video game that will be released exclusively for the Playstation 3, possibly set in an apocalyptic world. It has been receiving some media attention. The teaser is known as The Last of Us.
So, when will we learn when this game will come out? What about some gameplay footage? Well, Spike’s Video Game Awards seems to be the day we find out more about this intriguing title. It is also not related to the rumoured Sony fighting game with the code name Title Fight. How? The page was created in 2006, with Superbot Entertainment, the developer in question, being formed in 2009.
If you want to watch the teaser, you can. It is below this article.
There has been an uproar about the high costs of the Playstation Vita memory cards that were revealed by Gamestop recently. With the 32GB stick going for the ridiculous price of US$120, Sony has to go on the defensive. So, why are consumers going to pay for higher memory stick prices compared to other cards on teh markets? Sony puts it to two things: equality for all Vita owners and security against piracy.
With the first point, Sony’s Division 2 Software development head Muneki Shimada told Impress Watch that they wanted to have an even playing field for all of potential Vita owners. He assures that these are high quality cards with fast read times. His second point echos piracy concerns. He has a right to be concerned too, as the Playstation Portable was a prime target for piracy.
These are the costs of the Playstation Vita memory cards:
4GB – $29.99
8GB – $44.99
16GB – $69.99
32GB – $119.99
It is a very popular request by fans, but Square Enix believes that remaking Final Fantasy VII would take quite a while. In fact, they have stated that a remake would be more of a challenge than actually develop a completely new game. So, what happens when fans grab a hold of a game engine that is capable with creating high resolution graphics? Well, they re-create the opening scene.
Using the Unreal Engine, these developers re-create the opening scene with real time 3D graphics and free camera movement. Obviously it is at an early stage of development, but it is quite impressive…. to an extent. Here is what the developers had to say below:
FFVII REMAKE is a learning project made by fans and for fans. It is not approved or supported by Square Enix Ltd, the creators of the original videogame Final fantasy VII®. Marketing is strictly prohibited, as well as any economic benefits from this project, both directly and indirectly.
FFVII REMAKE has been created for two main reasons: to learn how to create a videogame and to pay tribute to one of the best RPGs ever created, which most of us love and admire. The idea is to show its 2D world in 3D in a short demo, trying to keep it as accurate and respectful as possible to the original.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it.
To see the demo in action, you can watch the video below.
In this edition of the always unreliable segment, Capsule Theatre of Vision, we have a special Skyrim video for you all to enjoy. Now I know that I shilled a bootleg video in my last Skyrim segment, but this time things are different. In this issue of our still seemingly concurrent series that may or may not have been missing from air, we visit the video of everyones favorite companion doing battle with a trapped gate.
As we know, Bethesda games always seem to have sequences like these that make them absolutely hilarious to play and, often times, even more hilarious to watch. Lydia and a gate, who’d have thought that it’d be so much fun? And no, nobody takes anything to the knee.
Samsung seem to be worming their way through the mighty Apple, this time gaining a favourable and important outcome in US courts regarding their current global patent lawsuits involving the iPad and iPhone makers. Thankfully, US courts have for now ruled in favour of Samsung, squashing Apples attempts to prevent the sale of Samsungs 4G smartphones and Galaxy 10.1 tablets. According to Reuters, the decision saw a rise of over 2% in Samsungs stock, and allows them to continue their domination of the smartphone market, especially over the holiday periods.
Samsung have made no effort to hide the fact they believe Apples reasoning behind the injunctions to lack substantial evidence, relying on flimsy arguments regarding design. “In particular, the court has recognised that Samsung has raised substantial questions about the validity of certain of Apple’s design patents,” the statement said.
The two companies have filed over 30 lawsuits with each other since the dispute began earlier in the year, despite the fact that Samsung are a major supplier of components and processors for its mobile devices, gaining about 7% of its total revenue through the transactions. While this is only a temporary ruling, pending the full case later on next year, it is a huge win for Samsung and allows consumers access again to their products. I for one am glad I will finally be able to get a Galaxy in Australia.
After months and months of ‘December’ vagueness Trine fans finally have what they’ve been waiting for – a concrete, day specific release date, and it’s pretty damn soon.
For once PC and Mac gamers will get the good end of the deal, and will be able to purchase the full game from December 7 worldwide, whilst XBLA will universally get the title on December 21. PlayStation owners in the US will see Trine 2 on December 20, but the rest of the Sony world will have to keep holding it’s breath – a European/Asia/Pacific release date hasn’t been announced quite yet. A Linux version is to follow in 2012.
Stay tuned for a review of the PC version from Capsule Computers, and write those dates down in your gaming diary.
It’s safe to say that Rayman Origins is a pretty unique game when held up against the rest of this seasons releases. This latest video from Ubisoft takes a look at the small development team behind the game at Ubisoft Montpellier, and explores the two year creation period in a light and breezy seven minutes. Amongst the talking heads is Michel Ancel, creator of the series, who talks about bringing Rayman back to his roots whilst keeping every game in the series a surprise. Composer Christophe Heral laments that he couldn’t fit an entire symphony orchestra into his house, and the team reveal their favourite of the various barmy worlds of Rayman Origins.
Time to get excited again Golf fans as EA sports have revealed the cover art for Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13, once again with the great Tiger gracing the cover, this time joined by the exciting Rory McIlroy on the standard edition (AU and NZ) and the coveted jacket adorning the collectors edition. Being the only game where you can compete in the Masters in an attempt to win the prized green jacket, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR is a treat for all golfing fans around the world, and a franchise that all involved in are very excited about.
The famous Green Jacket was first awarded to Sam Snead in 1949, and has since become an icon of the golfing world, putting the names of those who wear it in the record books forever. For another nice little touch of nostalgia, the famous Calamity Putter will also feature alongside the Green Jacket. The Calamity Putter was made famous by Bobby Jones, an amateur golfer and tournament co-founder, in the 1923 US Open (which he went on to win), when Jones holed a 30 foot putt with his first stroke.
Featured within the Collectors Edition will be a new Green Jacket presentation ceremony that was specially developed only for winners of the Masters. Additionally it will also have every course available in the standard edition, as well as five extra courses to hone your skills on, Augusta National’s Par 3 course, a world class Tournament practice facility and much more.
Last year saw the introduction of the Masters into the Tiger Woods PGA TOUR franchise, and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 will only continue on this success, also adding some background on Tigers phenomenal accomplishments. It will be the first controller-free, voice-enabled and body tracking simulation game to support the Kinect, something which will really enhance and give the franchise a more realistic touch.
After a fairly lacklustre entry into the world of RTS with Game of Thrones Genesis, George Martin’s fantasy epic is getting the RPG treatment. Whilst the political manipulations and constant subversive war between houses found in the novels does lend a bit of bite to the RTS idea, a role playing title has always been the more tantalising prospect. After all, Martin’s novels provide a huge and immensely detailed fantasy world that is ripe for exploring – it’s a ready made universe packed to the brim with characters and kingdoms, with insignias and armies, swords, sex, and dragons.
It’s certainly a big task to take on – and arguably Game of Thrones has to compete with the biggest fantasy RPG of them all – Skyrim. So, who has taken on this great quest? It’s Cyanide Studios again. The developers behind Game of Thrones Genesis are having a second stab at the Thrones universe, this time bringing a thirty hour RPG to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. By the developers own admission, it is the most ambitious project they have ever worked on. Focus Home Interactive will be handling European publishing duties, and had this to say about the game:
“Cyanide realized a truly admirable work on Game of Thrones. The game is faithful to the unique ambiance found in George R.R. Martin’s novels. The narration, the artistic direction, the pace of the game and its realization make it one of the most exciting role-playing games to come in 2012.”
Cédric Lagarrigue, CEO of Focus Home Interactive
Now, this sort of thing has been said before. Genesis sounded promising but failed to deliver a true Game of Thrones experience – will the RPG fare any better? One interesting cause for hope is a greater recognition of the TV series. Genesis was no doubt already far into development by the time the HBO show made its mark, but the RPG has no excuse to ignore what has been one of the biggest hits of the year.
As a result, characters like Cersei, Varys and Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch Jeor Mormont are faithfully reproduced from the TV series – Mormont looks pretty spot on as you can see above. HBO’s logo is nestled on the game’s website, and the title text for the game is the same as that of the show. The screenshots on offer so far show off a familiar enough world, and the sharp eyed will no doubt have spotted a certain titular chair nestled in the background. What remains to be seen is how this licence will be put to use – will the similarities be more than skin deep?
The game has been written ‘under the supervision’ of author George R R Martin (also true for Genesis) and has players take on the role of two new characters. Mors is a sworn brother of the Night’s Watch, and Alester a Red Priest of R’hllor who has returned to Westeros after a long exile. So whilst full character customisation is out, Cyanide have at least opened up the potential use of magic, which whilst a part of the Game of Thrones world, isn’t commonplace. Fans of the books will know just what the Red Priests can be capable of, so it should be interesting to see which of their rather unique abilities make their way into the game. Although the characters are to some extent predefined, players will still be able to pick a class and develop their abilities to suit their play style. In addition to the swordplay players will also be able to talk their way out of situations if particularly silver tongued, so it’s nice to see that the more political skills have not been forgotten.
Details on the plot are a bit scarce, but the two characters will find themselves thrown into an adventure just as the Hand of King Robert Baratheon has passed away – the very same event that kicks off the books. The game will have to tread carefully around already established ground, so expect to see little from major players like the Starks- although there is always hope for some cameos. Cyanide have previously stated that there will be no direct interaction with the main plotline from the novel, but players will see those events shape the world around them instead. The screenshots don’t give much away, but who could that menacing face standing before the Iron Throne be?
So once again, this Game of Thrones title has all the makings – all the potential – to be a hit. There are a lot of elements that need to be perfectly balanced to make it a success with fans and newcomers alike and still a lot of questions to be answered before the game’s release in early 2012. Will it be a free roaming game? How much of the world will be open to explore? Will King’s Landing be called King’s Landing instead of Feudal Home? There will no doubt be a steady stream of trailers and a screenshots now that the publisher has been announced, so stay tuned for more on next year’s big ‘fingers crossed’ RPG.
It has been confirmed that Dynasty Warriors Next will indeed be a launch title for the PlayStation Vita, at least in Europe. Tecmo Koei has revealed that the Omega Force developed title will be released alongside the Vita on February 22nd. This marks the first Warriors title on the Vita and also takes full advantage of the handhelds features to create the most unique Dynasty Warriors experience yet.
In the screenshot below and above you can see the touch pad in action as the game will feature players having to tap the front or back touch pads to perform various attacks or win combat engagements. Dynasty Warriors Next will also take advantage of the Vita’s six-axis detection allowing the player to touch or shake the handheld to perform certain abilities. Plus, although there are 65 total characters to choose from the much loved Edit Mode also returns to allow full customization of the players’ own warriors.
