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Portal 2 and Steam Functionality

A while ago, the team behind the much talked about upcoming title Portal 2 revealed limited information regarding the incorporation of Steam access in the PS3 version of the game. Via the official Playstation blog, Doug Lombardi, the VP of marketing for Valve, reveals some more information on this fantastic inclusion. Some in game functions Steam will control include cross-platform matchmaking, gameplay, friends, chat and achievements. An interesting inclusion is the ability for players to save co-op and single player games to the Steam cloud, allowing them to resume play saved from ANY PS3 in any location.

The Steam function is provided as an overlay within Portal 2 and allows players a quick route to their Friends, displaying in game stats and online status. There are also Steam achievements to unlock in conjunction with PSN trophies all accessible through the Steam overlay system.

Players will need to link their Steam and PSN accounts to activate the service and its functionality, something which can easily be done within the game itself. This also applies to new users who can create an account in the game and start to enjoy its features straight away something he believes will make the PS3 version of the game the most attractive across all consoles. Microsoft were apparently also offered the Steam technology but decided against its use within their version.

Portal will also be available on XBox 360 and PC and will be distributed by Electronic Arts.

Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One new video

Insomniac Games have released a new demo from their upcoming title Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One, to a select group of US and EU journalists. While they also showed off some of the new arsenal available to the various characters, focus was given to the huge encompassing environments and an emphasis on co-op play. James Stevenson, the Senior Community Manager for Insomniac games explains that although players must help each other out it will be players individual scores that will allow them first choice of the plethora of new weapons available.

This is illustrated in a preview of a new level within the game set deep within the Terawatt Forest on Planet Magnus. In this environment all the plants and animals have been mutated by a strange alien meteor, and to make matters worse it’s also home to a mad scientist named Dr Croid who holds the key to the Creature Collector, built by Dr Nefarious and responsible for the current situation.

Stevenson goes on to explain that every weapon now has a co-op mode, so put simply the more characters that are using that weapon the more powerful its effects on enemies will be. Players are rewarded with extra bolts for co-op and specialised kills. Another exciting feature is special gadgets that are upgradeable and unique to each particular character. Imagine being able to create a clone of your character to trick the enemy while other players flank and bombard it, then also have it upgrade into a formidable turret gun.  I don’t know about you but that sounds like a pretty cool feature and incentive to collect as many bonus bolts as possible.

Ratchet and Clank All 4 is due for a 2011 release and will be available in 3D for a truly immersive experience. Players will enjoy up to 4 player mayhem with a drop-in drop out system allowing players to leave and connect whenever they choose to.

Check out more over at Insomniac Games Facebook Page.

 

 

 

Risen 2: Dark Waters Debut Trailer

Piranha Bytes and Deep Silver have today released the first cinematic trailer for the upcoming pirate-fantasy RPG “Risen 2: Dark Waters”. The game will be set several years after the events of the first game, 2009’s Risen, with humanity pushed to the brink of existence with their one and only safe haven, Caldera, under threat by monstrous sea monsters. And of cause, it’s up to players to undertake an epic journey to save the day. The trailer hints towards a few new gameplay elements, specifically the inclusion and use of firearms which were left absent in the original Risen. Risen 2: Dark Waters is looking to be a darker and grittier sequel.

Risen 2: Dark Waters is set to be released on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.

 

Disgaea 4 Super Premium Edition contains everything a Disgaea fan needs

I could have simply added this content as a little footnote to the past article I wrote on the premium edition that was revealed for those who happen to purchase the game at any other retailers but that wouldn’t do this super premium edition enough justice.

Usually NIS America offers some sort of bonus for pre-ordering their anime or games that are released directly from their online store but this time around they have offered a very large bonus of goodies to its fans. The package will contain all of the extra content in the basic premium edition but will also contain a soundtrack CD and nine different Disgaea 4 figurines.

The obvious attraction here are those nine figurines that will be given as a bonus. Not all of the figurines are pictured in the image with three others left for fans to guess until the information is revealed sometime in the future. No price has been announced for the Disgaea 4 Super Premium Edition but with this content it practically screams take my money. Disgaea 4 pre-orders will begin in the summer and the game itself will be released in September of this year.

Disgaea 4 Premium Edition contents revealed

Whenever you hear of a game or an anime being published by NIS America you can almost always count on them releasing a premium edition version of that game. Disgaea 4 is not an exception and if anything has some of the most interesting content you can find already. Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten will be getting the standard treatment previous NIS America games have gotten but with a new addition.

No price was announced for this premium edition, nor was it announced if it would be a separate edition from the standard edition. But I digress, the premium package of Disgaea 4 will contain a collectible game box and a soft cover art book full of character profiles, concept art and story information. The interesting addition to the premium package is the exclusive figurine of Fuka. The figurine hasn’t received any specific pictures of itself but below is a picture of the figurine that was released in the Japanese version of the game:

Update: NIS America has responded to our inquiry and it will not be the same figurine that was released in Japan and will actually be a completely unique figurine to what is seen above. On the other hand it will still be a Fuka figurine.

Trouble Witches Neo arrives on XBLA in a few short weeks

There may be a lot of bullet hell styled games out on the XBLA but not a whole lot of them draw upon the Japanese nature to include anime-stylings in most of their products. The most recent one that comes to memory is Deathsmiles from Aksys but that was released in full retail format over a year ago.

Now SNK Playmore had announced Trouble Witches Neo last year and had slated the title for a release at the end of 2010 but that time has come and gone. Little was said about the title until today when SNK announced that the side-scrolling shoot’em up would be getting a worldwide release on the XBLA on April 27th. The game will cost 800 MSP and you can watch the below trailer to catch every special feature that is available in the game, such as a fully voiced story mode and new characters.

NeverDead artwork and screenshots look great

We haven’t seen a whole lot of Konami’s NeverDead for quite a while now. The last time we saw a bunch of screenshots from the game was back on Halloween of last year. But now Konami has released a whole mess of screenshots from the game as well as a decent amount of concept art that gives us a better look at some of the enemies and main characters.

You can check out the gallery below. There are a multitude of enemies shown off as well as in-game action scenes. NeverDead still does not have a definitive release date other than some point in 2011 and the unique concept of a main character that never dies and can be dismembered and put back together at will is certainly the biggest highlight for the title.

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L.A. Noire gets a lengthy ESRB rating description

Want to know how you can tell that a game is going to either have a whole ton of content or a whole bunch of questionable content? When the ESRB writes a small essay about the content that they think you should know about when you consider purchasing the game. Such is the case with L.A. Noire as The Entertainment Software Rating Board has given it an expected M rating.

Much of the rating is commonplace as the ESRB describes all of the violent content with blood spurting and realistic gunfights. There is also a lot of nudity involved including pubic hair so take that as you will. You can expect a good amount of racist content and foul language as well; read the entire ESRB description below:

This is an ‘open-world’ action-adventure game in which players assume the role of Cole Phelps, a rookie detective on a mission to stop a deranged serial killer. Set in late 1940s Los Angeles, the game allows players to advance through various ‘desks’ at a police department (i.e., Patrol, Traffic Squad, Homicide, Vice, Arson) by interviewing witnesses and suspects, searching crime scenes for clues, and apprehending criminals.

Players use pistols, rifles, machine guns, and flamethrowers to engage in firefights with various enemies — these shootouts are highlighted by realistic gunfire, cries of pain, and blood spurts that stain injured characters and the surrounding environment. Cutscenes also depict instances of violence, including a character being beaten with a crowbar (off screen)—large spurts of blood are depicted in the foreground.

During the course of the game, players may come across crime scenes in which badly beaten or mutilated corpses are subject to investigation; players are able to examine victims’ bodies close-up, surveying various bruises and bloody cuts for evidence — a few female corpses are depicted fully nude with fleeting images of pubic hair.

Investigations sometimes pertain to sexual assault crimes, and details are often conveyed in clinical terms through dialogue or on-screen text (e.g., ‘He’s some kind of sex fiend,’ ‘Woman’s briefs torn at seams, forcibly removed,’ and ‘Head trauma . . . external bruising to genitals.’). In one cutscene, there is an implication that a character is engaged in a sexual relationship with a teenager (e.g., ‘You take love where you can find it as you get older, Jack’/That has nothing to do with love . . .’). Some sequences allow players to collect/manipulate drug-related evidence such as marijuana packets, morphine syringes, or amphetamine pills; in one cutscene, a doctor can be seen injecting a character with morphine.

Language such as ‘f**k,’ ‘sh*t,’ ‘c*nt,’ ‘n**ger,’ and ‘sp*c’ can be heard in the dialogue.

Dead or Alive: Dimensions arriving in stores May 24th

Tecmo Koei announced today that they have set a release date for the next installment to their fighting franchise. Dead or Alive: Dimensions will be coming to North American shores on May 24th and Australian shores on May 26th and with it comes all 25 fighters that have ever been available in past Dead or Alive games; of course this includes staff favorite Kasumi.

Dead or Alive: Dimensions will make use of the Nintendo 3DS’ SpotPass feature which will download outfits automatically every day when the game is released. This was previously mentioned for Japan and will be implemented during the US release as well. A total of 34 alternate costumes will be available and will start being distributed from May 24th until June 26th when all of the costumes are gone.

Dead or Alive: Dimensions will add another fighting game to the 3DS’ game list and most certainly looks like one of the more anticipated titles that isn’t coming from Nintendo themselves. I know I’m certainly anticipating this release, how about you?

Yar’s Revenge gets a Launch Trailer; Available now on PC & XBLA!

If you haven’t heard, Atari’s re-imagining for the classic Yar’s Revenge is now available on the Xbox Live Arcade and PC as of right now. This title completely changes up the classic game with a new anime art style and on-rails gameplay as players take control of a nameless Yar who is on a quest for revenge against her former master.

Of course with any launch, Atari have now released a launch trailer to coincide with release that shows off the intense gameplay and scenic levels that as well as the inclusion local co-op play. I have been playing Yar’s Revenge a bit today and it definitely lives up to it’s promise of intensity, so stay tuned as our review will be coming soon. For now though you can check out the launch trailer for yourself and you can pick up Yars revenge for 800 points via the Xbox Live Arcade or $9.99 (US) for PC download. For more information on obtaining either version, check out the Atari’s official site for the game at www.playyarsrevenge.com.