Have you always wanted to win an Olympic medal but it’s more of a dream than a reality? Drempt of representing your country in the 2012 London Olympics basking in praise and glory after you’ve won Olympic gold but you live in the remotest place in the world away from all the action?
Well, us plebeians will have a chance to compete for Olympic gold on the Playstation3 and the Xbox360 with SEGA’s announcement of London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games. The game will feature over 30 gold medal events, more gameplay variety and now players will be able to compete nationally online with online leaderboards. London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games will be released in 2012.
If you turned on your Xbox 360 today and went to the demo section you may have noticed that Obsidian and Square Enix’s Dungeon Siege III has a demo on the Xbox Live Marketplace now. If you didn’t know that then you can add the demo to your download queue here. Unfortunately for those who don’t own a Xbox 360, then you will have to wait until next week on June 7th when the demo will be released for PlayStation 3 and PC users.
The demo itself is 1.21 GB in size and will give everyone their first taste of the title. The demo also offers both local and online co-op which gives players a chance to see how the online system will end up working in the full title which will be released on the PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360 on June 21st in North America and June 17th in Europe. Also released alongside the demo was a new trailer featuring all the playable characters in the game.
WayForward and Majesco have released their first developer diary for BloodRayne: Betrayal. In this first diary we hear from designer and director Sean Valasco. He sheds light on the game’s visuals as well as how they have created a fluid dynamic system that makes the blood particles flow as realistically as possible.
We also see plenty of gameplay footage with Rayne sucking the blood out of enemies, dealing out plenty of damage and even exploding enemies that she has infected. BloodRayne: Betrayal looks to be quite the bloody side scrolling title. More will be revealed next week at E3 when we will get some hands on time with the game. BloodRayne: Betrayal will be released some time this summer for both the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.
Volition and THQ posed a challenge to their fans, download the Red Faction: Armageddon demo one million times and you will be given a reward. The reward was a unicorn named Mr. Toots that farts out rainbow colored destruction. Players were able to reach this one million mark and now everyone will be able to unlock Mr. Toots once they have completed the single player campaign.
To honor this milestone the company has also released a new video showing the awesome power of multicolored unicorn farts. It could be speculated that the creation of an actual unicorn weapon is based on the internet wide sensation of My Little Pony, but that could only be a vague guess as Volition is keeping their motivation for Mr. Toots secret. Catch the video below.
Certain Affinity announced today that they are working on a new title for the Xbox Live Arcade. It will be called Crimson Alliance and is set for a release date some time in the Summer. The title will mix co-operative combat into an RPG setting against the Cult of the Soul Siren. Players will be able to play with three friends over Xbox Live and chain their attacks together for devastating effects.
Players will be able to select three different classes to play as; Assassin’s that can bend time to their will, Wizards who have mastery over the elements and of course a Mercenary handling all of the sword swinging work. These character classes can then be leveled up by collecting treasures and finding something called Soul Anchors that hold the spirits of dead heroes.
Max Hoberman, Certain Affinity’s president, had the following to say about Crimson Alliance,”One of the reasons I started Certain Affinity was because I wanted to make a game like this – an action RPG with clever AI, fantastic physics and deep emergent gameplay that can be enjoyed with friends in the living room or halfway across the globe. Crimson Alliance is that game, finally!”
He also told his developers that they should look at how FPS games handle action and character progression and apply it all to the RPG genre they are working on. I’m not sure how you can take character progression from a first person shooter but okay. The game itself will be playable at E3 next week and will be published by Microsoft this Summer.
Bethesda and inXile Entertainment’s latest title, Hunted: The Demon’s Forge is available on shelves now for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the PC. It will be available in Europe on June 3rd. As you have seen previously Hunted: The Demon’s Forge looks to set a new standard in dungeon crawling experiences. By focusing heavily on co-op gameplay players will be able to team up with a friend or with their AI partner to take on waves of vicious enemies.
Players will be able to play as either E’lara, a ranged weapon user or Caddoc, a melee expert, and perform co-operative attacks that will leave any monstrosity you come across dead on the ground. We’ve previously seen this launch trailer, but it is always good to see it again. Especially with that Capsule Computers mention right there…
Square Enix has officially announced their next 3DS title. Named Heroes of Ruin it will be a dungeon crawling roleplaying experience that will focus on co-op gameplay and of course what every dungeon crawling game needs, lots of loot.
Heroes of Ruin will feature online co-op play for four players. Square-Enixare really proud of all the online and multiplayer features for the game, which we’ll provide in greater detail in the coming months, but we can confirm Heroes Of Ruin will have online play (as well as local) for multiplayer. The game will also make use of the StreetPass and Spotpass features of the 3DS by offering rare items and challenges from SpotPass and shops made out of other players’ found items via StreetPass.
Heroes of Ruin will be released some time in 2012 for the 3DS and there will be a playable demo at E3, which means we should be able to get our hands on the title within a week. As you can see from the screenshots, the game looks quite interesting, and will can’t wait to test it out.
We all knew that when Catherine appeared in front of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) it would be an interesting turn of events. Catherine has managed to obtain an M rating from the ESRB and has been given quite a lengthy description. It appears that the game may be a bit more tame than we thought in the ways of sex, but it sure sounds creepy. Chainsaw wielding babies anyone?
Catherine will be released for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 on July 26th and is sure to have gamers talking about the contents for quite some time. Now the only question is, will you be willing to buy the “Love is Over” Deluxe Edition from your local store? Catch the full ESRB description below:
This is a puzzle adventure game in which players assume the role of Vincent, a man with relationship issues that are manifested in his dreams. The game transitions between animated cutscenes and puzzle stages (i.e., nightmares); in the nightmare world, players must help Vincent ascend crumbling towers by pushing, pulling, and climbing blocks to reach an exit. If players make the wrong move, they can be killed by spike traps and giant boss creatures (e.g., a demon bride, a chainsaw-wielding baby); death scenes are accompanied by exaggerated splashes of blood as Vincent is stabbed, crushed, shot, or bitten.
During one cutscene, a character is stabbed in the stomach with a knife; a large pool of blood quickly forms under her body. In order to move faster in the puzzles stages, players can order Vincent alcoholic beverages (e.g., mixed cocktails, beer, sake, whiskey); after three drinks, he begins to stumble around when moving. These sequences are accompanied by voice-over narration: “It’s said that chugging alcohol isn’t good for you, but sometimes it’s necessary” and “[T]ake a big swig of cognac!” Throughout the game, sex and sexuality are frequently referenced, sometimes while two characters are in bed together (e.g., “I finally became a man! Got rid of my V-card, BOOM,” “If the one you loved confessed to a sexual habit that you found absolutely unacceptable, what would you do?” and “After all you’ve done to my body . . . Night after night . . .”).
One bedroom sequence pans across a man’s legs, then to his curling toes; another scene briefly depicts a woman caressing her body while making suggestive comments (e.g., “I’ve got such a hunger for these feelings . . . I know you have some hungers as well, don’t you?” ). The game also depicts the central character surrounded by topless female demons—though shadow effects obscure most details. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” can be heard in the dialogue.
It looks like there won’t be any Smackdown Vs Raw title gracing the shelves of gaming retailers this year, because the next game from WWE will be called WWE ’12. In a teaser released today by THQ we see heavy focus on current superstar Randy Orton and his rise from a rookie fighter in Evolution to where he is today, winning the World Heavyweight Champion from Christian.
IGN was given a first hands on with the title and has placed a preview for the game on their website. Some highlights include Predator Technology, allowing fluid movements in the game, Dynamic Comebacks like we see John Cena and Randy Orton do all the time, and AI memory, meaning that you can’t perform the same move all the time or else you will be countered. This is an interesting and hopefully refreshing turn of events for THQ’s wrestling game division. We’ll see more in the coming weeks, but know now that WWE ’12 will be released in North America on November 22nd and everywhere else November 25th.
Sony announced earlier this morning that they will be able to “fully restore all PlayStation Network services” to America, Asia and Europe by the end of this week. The areas that will not be restored by the end of the week are estimated to be Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea.
When Sony means full functionality this means that the PlayStation Store will be put back online, including voucher and code redemption, as well as Qriocity and Media Go for people who actually use those things. This also means that the “Welcome Back” program will soon go into effect and allow PlayStation 3 owners to download their free games.
Kaz Hirai from Sony had this to say about the restoration and downtime: “We have been conducting additional testing and further security verification of our commerce functions in order to bring the PlayStation Network completely back online so that our fans can again enjoy the first class entertainment experience they have come to love. We appreciate the patience and support shown during this time.”
