How much does it cost to get a full deployment for SOCOM 4? About a $150 according to Sony and Zipper Interactive because they just announced a nice little bundle that will give you everything you need to enjoy SOCOM 4 when it is released (PS3 excluded of course). The bundle is called SOCOM 4 Full Deployment Edition and will include the game itself, a PS Move controller, the Navigation controller, PlayStation Eye camera and finally the Sharp Shooter gun.
This bundle will arrive on stores the same day as the regular edition on April 19th. This bundle is a decent deal which will save you about $10 if you bought the PS Move bundle separately from the game itself. Also you get a decent looking plastic peripheral to attach your Move to. Then again if you already have a Move set then this bundle obviously isn’t for you.
With the NGP announced and the 3DS shipping in under a month Sony must have thought that it was time to make selling PSPs even easier. They have just announced that the PSP-3000 will be dropped to a price tag of $130 permanently. This means that this isn’t a simple sale with the price rising back to normal in a few weeks but a full price cut. The bundles that are still available in stores for the PSP-3000 will be cut down to $160 as well. The current price for the PSP Go is still $200 but that is expected to drop within the next few weeks.
Also announced today was the addition of a few more games to the Greatest Hits collection which drops their price tag down to $20 and you can find these games below:
Assassin’s Creed Bloodlines
Dissidia Final Fantasy
LittleBigPlanet
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Resistance: Retribution
Toy Story 3: The Video Game
Plus a handful of other games were added to the Favorites category which puts their price down to an easily affordable $10 mark. Catch the full list below:
We still have well over a year before Prototype 2 sees a release, but today Radical Entertainment revealed a new teaser which was inspired by a Penny Arcade strip. If you are familiar with Penny Arcade, back when the original title came out, Gabe gave off some of his own reasoning of why you should purchase Prototype, and a bit of that very strip starts off this clip, followed up by the main protagonist in Prototype 2 performing a kick to a helicopter just as Gabe described it two years ago. Pretty awesome if I do say so myself for the developers to not only reference, but release a whole trailer based on a Penny Arcade comic.
It will indeed be a long wait for Prototype 2 to release, but with clips such as this being used for early hype, there is no doubt that this sequel will arrive with much anticipation and fanfare. Check out the Copter kicking teaser below for yourself and hopefully many more of these teasers will release throughout the year.
It is yet another sad day for Aussie gamers everywhere, as the new heavily anticipated return of Mortal Kombat has officially been canned by the Australian Government’s ratings board for receiving a rating of R18+. If you remember, the ratings board for the country has made it extremely tough to release titles with adult content. The Classification system is known to be outdated and many officials have been making a move to make changes, but sadly it just wasn’t soon enough for the age-old fighter. Warner Bros. Interactive confirmed this grim news with a statement that was released earlier today:
“The highly anticipated video game Mortal Kombat, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) in Australia, has been refused classification by the Australian Classification Board and will not release in Australia. We are extremely disappointed that Mortal Kombat, one of the world’s oldest and most successful video games franchises, will not be available to mature Australian gamers. WBIE would not market mature content where it is not appropriate for the audience. We understand that not all content is for every audience, but there is an audience for mature gaming content and it would make more sense to have the R18+ classification in Australia. As a member of the iGEA [Interactive Games & Entertainment Association], WBIE is reviewing all options available at this time.”
I imagine many of you are as baffled by this decision as I am, and the official reasoning behind the ban doesn’t quite make sense either. The ratings board fully elaborated with this statement which lead to the decision:
“Kung Lao throws his metal hat into the ground and it spins like a buzz saw. He grabs his prone opponent by the ankles and drags their body through the saw, explicitly slicing them vertically in half. Copious bloodspray is noted. Kung Lao then holds up both halves of the corpse as blood pours out,”
Now, if you by chance follow what is allowed in the country, you should know that the whole ratings system is Australia is completely broken and filled with hypocrisy.
First off we have the FAQ which is listed on the official Australian Government’s Classification website, which sheds light on how these decisions are made when it comes to the release of titles of all sorts in Australia.
Here is a breakdown of the “code” of ethics which goes into ratings:
Under the Code, classification decisions are to give effect, as far as possible, to the following principles:
1. adults should be able to read, hear and see what they want
2. minors should be protected from material likely to harm or disturb them;
3. everyone should be protected from exposure to unsolicited material that they find offensive;
4. the need to take account of community concerns about:
1. depictions that condone or incite violence, particularly sexual violence; and
2. the portrayal of persons in a demeaning manner.
The needs of the Australian public are varied and the guidelines seek to strike a balance between permitting adults to make choices about their viewing, gaming and reading habits, while at the same time respecting that others need not see material they find confronting and protecting children from inappropriate content.
What baffles me is that the Mortal Kombat series has been around in Australia since the start (rated MA15+ for most titles in the series) , and we are just now seeing the first title in the series banned for having in the same content as it’s predecessors. Fatalities and Mortal Kombat are nothing new, so why ban what has never been stopped before is my question. The fatality listed above is just about what we have seen in nearly every MK release dating back to the originals on the SNES and Genesis.
It is also extremely disheartening to know that movies like Saw, which feature even more realistic gore are rated for an age 15+ market are freely available in the country. In the U.S., the Saw series has been rated R, which means no one under 17 are allowed to purchase or view any of the movies unless adult consent is given. I am not picking on that movie series by no means, it is just an example of the hypocrisy in the system.
These are just my opinions though so they really do not matter at all as I am just a U.S. onlooker, but for the gamers who are now deprived of seeing a release of Mortal Kombat, this news is yet another reminder that changes need to come to this system, and getting your voice out there may be the best way to do this, even if it just results in a watered down release. Below I have attached a link which can be used to contact the very people who make these decisions, so if anyone wants to get their voice out there, even if it is ignored, by all means go right ahead. Please act like adults though as threats and trash talking will show that you are not mature to handle a mature title to start with. Write a letter, send an email, make a call. Decisions like this rarely get lifted, but maybe Aussies out there can protect this from happening in the future.
Contact Information for Australian Classification Board
RIFT, the latest MMORPG to hit the market will be launching on March 1 for US players, March 2 for Aussies, March 4 for European players and now for Pre-Order players. The game is created by Trion Worlds and published by QV Software in Australia.
RIFT boasts a large world for players to explore, awesome Player vs. Player content, an Epic Story, Deep character customisation, a really nice character editor, dungeons, deep endgame content and a level cap of 50. What sets this game apart from most other MMORPGs on the market is that includes an invasion from extraplanar RIFTs that launch invading forces upon the world that have a direct impact on the environment around them.
The games specifications are as follows –
Minimum PC Requirements
Operating system: Windows XP, Vista or 7
Processor: Dual Core 2.0 GHz or better
Memory: 2 GB
Hard disk space: 15.0 GB available
Video: Nvidia GeForce FX 5900, ATI/AMD Radeon X300, Intel GMA X4500 or better.
Sound: DirectX 8.1 compliant card
DirectX®: 9.0c, June 2010 update
Broadband internet connection (DSL, cable modem or other high speed connection)
Recommended System Specification
Operating system: Windows XP, Vista or 7
Processor: Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz or better
Memory: 4 GB
Hard disk space: 15.0 GB available
Desktop Video: Nvidia GTS 250 or better
Notebook Video: Nvidia GTX 200M series or better
Sound: DirectX 8.1 compliant card
DirectX®: 9.0c, June 2010 update
Broadband internet connection (DSL, cable modem or other high speed connection)
RIFT is rated M for Mature Audiences in Australia and contains ‘Violence’/’Online variable content’.
Also, Time Cards! No need to whip out your credit card info! w00t!
Atari has a trio of action-packed titles ready to be released upon the masses for PC, PSN and XBLA.
First up we have Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime. Sanctum of Slime has the player in the role of a rookie hired on by the Ghostbusters to help rid New York City of ghosts and ghouls. The game is a top down action shooter, much like Gauntlet from the days of yore. The game can be played with up to 3 other players (4 total), local and online, making for some pretty action packed levels. As if a co-op Ghostbusters game wasn’t enough to get you excited, the game features gigantic bosses that will require combined effort and strategy from everybody on the team to take down. Players can make use of high powered weapons like the Proton Stream, Plasma Inductor and the Fermion Shock.
Next up is Dungeons and Dragons: Daggerdale, the newest game in one of gamings most iconic and classic franchises. Daggerdale is a 3rd person action RPG. For newcomers to the franchise, worry not, no previous knowledge is requiring to hop in and enjoy the carnage though series veterans will surely recognize a few things. Once again, this can be played solo or with up to four players, replete with the customization and upgrading that RPG’s have become known for. If you are a fan of fantasy games and enjoy killing some skeletons and other monsters with some friends, be sure to keep your eyes on this.
And last up we have Yar’s Revenge, a re-imagining of the classic title (available in the Xbox Game Room) of the same name. The game sports a sort pseudo cel-shaded look with an anime inspired art style. Not much is yet known about this title but we do know that this game features local co-op, multiple endings and can prove to be quite a challenge for the casual and hardcore gamer alike.
Anime fans love to watch their favorite shows and can pick out their favorite character from watching an anime almost instantly. But what about the voice actors and actresses who provide the voices to these different characters? We have had a chance to talk with Mela Lee who has provided the voices of Shinku for the Rozen Maiden series, Rena Ryugu from When They Cry – Higurashi, Yuki Cross from Vampire Knight and most notably Rin Tohsaka from Fate/Stay Night. She has had more experience than just working in anime however, you may recognize her voice from Blazblue as she voices the character Rachel Alucard as well. In our interview we had the chance to ask her a few questions which you can find along with her answers below.
1. What drew you into the field of voice acting? I’d always been told I had a lovely voice and should look into it as a career. On a whim, I took a voiceover acting workshop (much like the one being taught at Armageddon this weekend). It was being taught by a prominent director and I was “discovered”. So follow those dreams- they do come true!
2. Why did you decide to work with anime in the first place? There was an audition for “Vampire Princess Miyu” that came through my agent at the time. The moment I began speaking, the casting director asked me to read for something else. I was very disheartened- but it turned out they asked me to read for the lead in another anime they were doing- “St. Tail”. I booked it, and that was the beginning of my anime career. That being said- I’m awfully glad I waited for the perfect vampire role. “Yuki Cross” in Vampire Knight was worth the wait:-)
3. Which piece of work do you believe let you make your mark in the industry? I’m not sure that I’ve quite “marked up” the industry just yet;-) However, I think with Shinku(Rozen Maiden), Rin (Fate Stay Night), & Rin(Blade of the Immortal), I began to hit a stride. This year with “Vampire Knight”, I’ve been honoured to be a part of a series that has connected with thousands of fans all over the world- I have maybe left a bit of a mark with this role- But the fans and the series have definitely made a lasting mark on me- It’s been an extraordinary year.Thank you.
4. Does being in your band, Magnolia Memoirs, lend to your talent as a voice actress? Many voice actors are actually musicians and vocalists professionally. I think the ear we have for sound and expression through our instrument allows us to be successful VO actors.
Regarding Magnolia Memoir- we’ve been an ensemble for two years now(I’ve been writing jazz for three- I’m a late bloomer;-) I am the main composer and lyricist for the band and am surrounded by very talented musicians- Working with them has made me exponentially better- we all push each other to a level we wouldn’t be at on our own- We’re all best of friends. It’s truly something magical- And(ps) ironically- although the boys are respectful fans of my talent as a vocalist and a writer-My roles in games and anime- gave me a lot of street cred with them;-) They are very supportive of my VO career.
5.What games are your current favorites? Which are your favorites of all time? Do you have a Xbox, PS3 or Wii ? Which one is your favorite? – painful confession- I once had a three year old tell me…” Maybe this isn’t your special gift, Miss Mela- but don’t worry. We’ll find you one” LOL- I think I’m supposed to stick to behind the scenes- I’m in awe of gamers- One of my friends is a professional gamer who tests new games- watching him makes me feel like- if we were ever invaded by ET’s…the gamers would probably save the planet-:-)
6.Most recently you have been providing the voice of Yuki Cross in Vampire Knight. With Vampire Knight Guilty Volume 1 about to be released, will fans of the first season find the second season similar to the first? The next season is stunning-It is the blossoming of the rose- thorns and all. The story just draws you in- I loved playing Yuki’s transition into…well you’ll have to watch;-)
7. Out of all your roles in video games and anime, which is your favorite and why? Would you be willing to reprise your role should a sequel be released? Yuki Cross- I’d love to play a few more seasons. Shinku from Rozen Maiden-I enjoyed that series very much. Rin- from Fate Stay Night. Goodness- It’s such an amazing job to have, we’d all love to have another season of just about every character we play. We, just like the fans, feel sadness when we have to say goodbye to our characters
8. In the BlazBlue series you have done the voice of Rachel Alucard, was doing the voice work for a video game character much different from when working with an anime character? In games, we don’t have to work to picture- but due to animation sequences, we do have to work to a time code. It’s much faster work, and very much a director’s medium- Often times we voice our characters with very little knowledge of the occurrences/storylines in the rest of the game universe- So the director is keeping track of how we fit into to every possible sequence.
9. Do you have any geeky hobbies, such as Dungeons and Dragons, Anime, gaming, comic books, video games, world of warcraft, etc. If so, what are they? I do like to collect interesting and rare memorabilia from my shows- I like to choose one item from each job- I’m always looking for that beautiful doll, scroll, or piece of fan art- Ummm- I also love to sew and repurpose vintage close- I love to vintage and antique shop. Each piece has such a story.
10. Was there ever a part that you wished to play in an anime but couldn’t for any reason? Lost roles. Twice now I have been cast in leads that scheduling meant a re- casting or a producer thought I’d be best in another role. Although heart wrenching at the time- in both cases, a much better opportunity came along that was perfect for me. I believe in timing.
11. I know that many guys absolutely suck at talking to girls, like one of our editors Link, and was wondering if you had any advice on talking to girls that they have never met before. Funny story about that, he totally missed an opportunity on his dream girl due to literal freezing on the spot in a shopping center, true facts. Like if they have absolutely no reason to be talking other than the fact one just noticed the other and have absolutely no reason to be talking at all.
Ok- I am in a band with all boys, in an industry with mostly boys- I love you all, but want to cringe when you stop being yourself and try to be something you’re not for someone you like.
Confidence is sexy. Honesty is sexy. Having something that you really care about is sexy- Find what you are passionate about and then find someone who is passionate about that too- So you have something to talk about…to laugh about-to share. We like that- Also- one of the first things you learn in the art of negotiation is – The one asking the questions is the one in control. Ask a question. Listen to the answer. It will give you an idea about the second questions. Ask it. Listen. Pretty soon- you’re not nervous about what to say, because you know what matters to the other person. And they think- you really care about what matters to them. And when we meet someone who listens, who cares..
We melt. And if we’re not available…we tell our best girl friend about this great guy- who listens;-)- Go get ’em;-)
12. What do you think attendees of Armageddon can expect this year? Armageddon- Is awesome. I’ve been a guest at Comicon in San Diego which is Ahhmazing. Armageddon rivals that. Oh- and there’s a performance each day by a band that just got signed to a record label and has critics and fans cheering(wink and a mischievous smile) See the stars and then relax at the end of each day over at the mainstage- and catch a live set by Magnolia Memoir- and come say hello!
We’ll be sure to do that Mela! We’d like to thank Mela Lee again for taking the time to answer our questions and give us a little insight into the world of voice acting.
Better dust off that copy of Fable III if you still have it, because there is some brand new DLC coming down the pipe from Lionhead. Being the second full DLC pack that adds more to the game besides a few new weapons or dog costumes it will be titled Traitor’s Keep and will contain three different new levels. These levels will be Godwin Estate, Clockwork Island and Ravenscar Keep.
Along with these new areas you will also run into a number of strange new creations such as a robot dog and other robotic like enemies, and even some robotic looking armor of your own. The Traitor’s Keep DLC will cost 560 MSP ($7) and will also add 250 more achievement points to the total amount you can gather from Fable III. No idea as of yet what those will be however.
The western branch of Square Enix has released a brand new trailer today for The 3rd Birthday, or at least at first glance it appears brand new. But it is actually the same trailer we saw last December a few weeks before the game was released in Japan. The major difference between the two trailers however is the fact that this one is completely in English which means we no longer have to guess as to what the characters are saying.
Players will be able to satisfy themselves for now on this trailer at least until the game comes out on March 29th in the U.S. and April 1st everywhere else in the world. Let us know what you think about the trailer below, I personally still get vibes of Kill Bill considering the bloody wedding dress that Aya is wearing.
Female MMA fighters are completely lacking from the MMA video game world. This is despite the fact that there are quite a lot of female MMA fighters that fight in legal competitions worldwide. Finally one of these MMA games will give a bit of glory to at least a couple of these real life MMA fighters.
505 Games and Kung Fu Factory have released information today that Felice “Lil Dog” Herrig and Michele “Diablita” Guiterrez will be joining the roster of fighters when MMA Supremacy comes out in stores this June for the 360 and the PS3. There are a couple of videos released along with this statement that shows off bits of gameplay from the viscous looking MMA game as well as interviews with the fighters themselves.
