Just yesterday, we received a release date of August 30th for the PSN (and the 31st for the XBLA) for Bloodrayne Betrayal. To hold over fans for six weeks, Majesco have now released 5 new screenshots for the 2D-Gorefest, all of which do a fantastic job at making the wait that much harder.
These screens show Rayne doing what she does best, finishing off enemies by decapitation and leaving a blood shower along her path to the finish. While the combo system is also prominently displayed, I can’t get over how detailed the actual environments are. This element in my eyes is a calling card for Wayforward, who have also shown the same kind of attention to detail with past releases such as Thor for the DS and Shantae: Risky’s Revenge. Make sure you have a quick glance at the rest of the screenshots below and then you can suffer for six more weeks until Rayne makes her anticipated return.
If you’ve been following Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten since it was announced and subsequently released in Japan then you should know that one of its cool features is that it contains a built in map editor that lets players make and share custom maps with each other. The map maker will still be included in the North American and PAL versions of the game, but unfortunately some changes had to be made to the system.
Jack Niida, NIS America’s producer had this to say regarding the changes to the system:
“Regarding Disgaea 4′s map edit system, regulation differences between regions made it very difficult to keep in. However, thanks to all the help from our development team and SCEA, we were able to keep the system by making just some minor design adjustments. Players won’t be able to create a completely detailed map, but this new system is still a great way to expand the Disgaea universe and share your own creations with players around the nation.”
Players will have to place preset “landforms” rather than be able to place individual blocks as they please, they can also not stack multiple objects of the same kind either, though Characters and Geoblocks are still stackable. Character names, map names and descriptions will be randomized which means that you can’t create a mini adventure of your own easily. Unfortunately no reason was given for these changes, but it could be related to making sure players don’t make inappropriate creations or make stages similar to other copyrighted games.
Companies occasionally try to keep a game under wraps as long as they can so that they can show off a nearly finished build of the title when they reveal it to the world, but then again you also have to submit your title to the rating boards.
The ESRB has revealed the existence of Aliens: Infestation for the Nintendo DS and it looks like it will be a side scrolling action platformer similar to Contra, especially since it is being developed by WayForward who handled Contra 4.
Check out the full ESRB description below. Hopefully Sega will have more to reveal about the title in the near future with this leak of information from the ESRB.
This is a sci-fi action platformer in which players control a marine squad on a mission to eradicate alien creatures. As players run and jump through side-scrolling levels, they use rifles, pistols, flamethrowers, and explosives to kill enemy soldiers and aliens (i.e., “xenomorphs”).
The frenetic battles are highlighted by realistic gunfire, explosions, and cries of pain; injured aliens emit green splashes of blood before collapsing to the ground. Some sequences also depict red blood spurts when human characters are killed (e.g., an alien bursting out of a man’s chest; characters getting bitten by aliens). During the course of the game, players can enter a locker room and see a male character whose buttocks are briefly exposed. The words “a*s,” “bastard,” and “hell” appear in the dialogue.
Well, things aren’t looking good for the Nintendo 3DS. The handheld has already sold under expectations and it apparently can’t even top its predecessor the Nintendo DS. Nintendo of America just released the sales information for last month in North America and it doesn’t look good for the 3DS according to the sales figures.
The 3DS sold 143,000 units in June while the DS sold 386,000 making its sales over twice as much as the new 3D system. This comes with the fact that the Ocarina of Time 3D sold 283,000 copies which is a decent number. The sales figures can be put up to a number of reasons though the main argument can be that the Nintendo DS is still around $100 cheaper than the 3DS which makes it a budget handheld. Though no matter how you spin it, the 3DS isn’t doing so hot.
While Nintendo are currently working hard to bring back their mascots such as Kid Icarus, Mario, and Fox McCloud to the Nintendo 3DS, Sega also have been busy reviving franchises on the portable. Today, the company released the first trailer for Shinobi, which will bring the famed ninja out of hiding for the first time in over 8 years.
In the trailer, we get a brief history lesson on the series before finally seeing the first bit of footage for the game. Sega seem to be taking a classic approach with the gameplay as Shinobi seems to play about the same, but now with enhanced 3D graphics and all new magic attacks that Jizo Musashi (Joe’s father) has at his disposal. Check out the new trailer below and get ready as Shinobi hit’s the 3DS this September.
Hey Nintendo of America, stop pulling us around and give us a definitive answer already. Nintendo of America apparently filed for a trademark for The Last Story back on January 13th 2010. This trademark has since been issued a few days ago and GoNintendo has caught wind of it. Now although this is simply a trademark filing which could mean nothing, fans of JRPGs on the Wii are taking it as a good sign.
The Last Story is one of those games that NoA said there were no plans to localize at the moment, despite fans efforts to show the company that people actually want the title. If Nintendo of America hates making money so much, then it only ends up hurting fans and making the Wii’s final utterances all the more depressing.
As usual, the Xbox 360 exclusivity to the Call of Duty: Black Ops DLC has run out and this means that PlayStation 3 and PC gamers will soon be able to purchase and play the Annihilation map pack. This means soon you can access all four new multiplayer maps and enter Shangri-La and all of its zombie goodness that 360 users have been enjoying for awhile.
The release date for this pack is July 28th which means you have to wait just under two weeks to gain access to the content. Despite your wait however you will still have to pay $15 for the map pack though, so get your wallet out. You can read my review of the Annihilation map pack here.
I’ve never been a supporter of Project Ten Dollar or any of the various online passes that have come out of publishing companies in the past, but unfortunately these things look like they will soon become the norm. Ubisoft announced today that they will be entering into the ranks of those fighting Used Game sales.
Ubisoft says that the Uplay Passport will work like other online passes, meaning it will include a code that has to be put into the game to access certain features. The first game that will have this Uplay Passport is Driver: San Francisco. There hasn’t been any announcement of whether or not the Uplay Passport will cost $10 for those who purchase it used yet. I mean I can understand the reason that publishers use these methods, but it really is just a disservice to the community and their fans.
It’s a rainy day in Bondi, and what better conditions to be indoors at a multiplayer event with the guys from Gameloft. Held at the Apple Store Bondi, with a large amount of people running around all trying to get on a machine to show what they’ve got. Gameloft had a bunch of games on display for anyone to hop on and try out like Nova 2, Modern Combat: Domination, Let’s Golf 2, Brain Challenge, and a whole suite of iOS titles. The big draw however was the tournament of their racing game Asphalt 6: Adrenalin which is currently available for iOS devices and on Mac. During the tournament Gameloft showed off a bit of their technology with different racers on different hardware all competing against each other. I have to admit, seeing someone on an iMac go against someone on an iPad, against an iPod Touch, against a Macbook Air etc. is pretty awesome. Regardless of the hardware you’re playing on you’re still able to compete against others with the same game.
I expected to see more people win on the actual computers but to my surprise there wasn’t a consistent piece of hardware that produced winners over the others.
The tournament was pretty successful with lots of heated competition. I got a chance to chat with a few of the kids who were playing and everyone seemed to have a great time. Alex Baird, age 11 from Sydney wound up finishing in one of the top slots with a time of 2:44:846. You could see on his face how excited he was to be one of the top dogs. I’m going to be honest here and say that I performed pretty miserably, but lets not dwell on that. I’ve gotten to a point in my life that I fully expect 11 year old kids to wipe the floor with me in games.
I got a chance to have a talk with Bruno Ambregni from Gameloft and I have to say, those guys really seem to have their heads screwed on straight. I really liked what they were trying to accomplish with the event and having it at an Apple Store was a really smart move. We also had a discussion about what they’re planning on for future events and I’ll say that they’re certainly ambitious. I feel that Gameloft is in the middle of a transition. They’ve mostly been known as a developer that’s more about their tech than their games but I feel like that’s starting to change for them. They’re finally coming out of their shells and making better scenarios for themselves. Obviously they’re still doing some pretty rad things with their tech. I mean just check out the multi platform multiplayer games. That’s pretty forward thinking. But I feel we haven’t seen the best of Gameloft yet. We’re only just now starting to see what they can really do.
Ever wondered how they create and record the sound effects of games? I know I have, and the audio work of game is one of the most interesting aspects of game design in some cases. I remeber watching a video showing how smashing up fruit was used to create the sound effects needed for a particularly gorying, splattering bodies type of game.
This video for the audio of F.E.A.R. 3 shows how the team used a series of guns in a field to get the sounds needed for gunshots. Josh Jones and Chris Hite of Day 1 Studios step outside the sound booth and on to the shooting range to capture authentic firearm sounds for a realistic and visceral shooter experience.
