Namco-Bandai has just released information about a brand new game that will be arriving internationally in 2011, the name of the game is Knights Contract. This information was revealed from the game’s own teaser website. Accompanying said website is a trailer and a couple of screen shots but not much else. However there is a countdown on the website promising a new video in 26 days. What said video will be revealing? Who knows?
This trailer however looks quite amazing and also introduces the two main characters of the game. The man with the giant Dante’s Inferno style scythe is Heinrich, an immortal man. While his compatriot is unfortunately not immortal and indeed can suffer from the terribleness of death, Heinrich is always by her side. While she is unplayable (though this could hint possibly at some co-op action) as the player takes control of Heinrich; Gretchen is a very formidable witch who will unleash her spells upon the enemies to destroy them while at the same time buffing up Heinrich.
Not a whole bunch of information revealed; however this is the very first media release by Namco-Bandai for the game and though things may seem a bit rough around the edges the game has an entire year for polish. Even though the hack and slash game play may seem a bit overdone lately; as in Bayonetta, God of War, Dante’s Inferno to name a few. None of these have had the ability for co-operative fighting, or even a computer partner to rely upon. Look to see more within the next month as the new video is released.
Good news for everyone who enjoyed playing the first White Knight Chronicles on their PS3s, you are being rewarded in the sequel for staying with the franchise and purchasing the second coming of the game.Sony has released a long list of everything that will or will not be transferable from White Knight Chronicles to White Knight Chronicles 2.
Avatar External Appearance
Carry over name, gender and body form.
Level
Everyone starts from level 35 regardless of avatar.
Skills
Skills have been added and removed, so everything gets reset.
Georama
Your Georama level, Georama parts, scouted people and paid items can be used unchanged.
Guild Rank
Carry over rank only. Guild points become 0. White Knight 2 has a change in how Guild Points are tallied. With each rank, your guild points are reset to 0. In part 1, the guild points were accumulated.
Synthesis Rank
Carry over rank only. The synthesis recipes have been changed, so your recipe creation history is reset.
Gilda (currency)
There’s no upper limit
Equipment
Everything carries over, including the equipment that you got via product code that was included with the game’s EX edition. However, there are some ability adjustments.
Items, Materials, Etc.
Everything carries over, although some items may have ability adjustments. It should be noted that when you move your data over, all items are placed in storage, and if you cross the item count limit for storage, excess items will be destroyed.
Diary
Everything carries over.
System Data
No system data carries over.
Also it appears that you will be receiving additional bonuses in the form of equipment from Level-5. That is of course if you achieved certain conditions in the previous game. People who have reached a GR15 level shall receive what is roughly translated as a “Master Certificate”, and anyone between GR 12-14 will instead get a “Skilled Certificate.” Also if you had achieved any Platinum Trophy conditions from the previous game, your avatar will be gifted with a bit of platinum itself in the form of a Platinum Crown or Tiara depending on the sex of the avatar.
This is all a rough release and is completely translated from the Japanese website, so we have not yet seen much news about a Western release date, however since the first iteration was released in the West it seems quite safe the sequel will make the journey as well.
Shaking hands and sealing the deal Microsoft’s : David McLean and Foxtel’s Kim Williams
This is great news earlier this morning Microsoft announce a partnership between Xbox and Foxtel to bring Foxtel content straight to your TV through Xbox LIVE !!! Some of the channels to be included will be : Nickelodeon, FOX Sports, Discovery, Disney, MTV, and many more.
This little partnership is also going to have video on demand services such as television and movies. Now Foxtel customers will be able to access content without the use of the Foxtel set top box.
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Here is the full details from the press release .. quite a bit of information but its a good read and explains everything you will need to know.
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FOXTEL and Microsoft today announced a new partnership offering Australians a brand new way of receiving FOXTEL – over the internet and direct to television sets through Xbox 360’s online service Xbox LIVE.
FOXTEL by Xbox LIVE will allow Xbox 360 owners in Australia to access FOXTEL channels including FOX Sports, Discovery, Nickelodeon, Disney, MTV, and other leading channels via their Xbox 360 entertainment console.
FOXTEL by Xbox LIVE will also provide a wide range of Video-on-Demand (VoD) services, including television series and movies. When the ground-breaking service launches later this year it will enable Australians, for the first time, to access FOXTEL without the need for a FOXTEL set-top-box.
FOXTEL by Xbox LIVE will be accessible in FOXTEL areas across Australia to all homes with a broadband internet connection. All you need is an Xbox 360, an Xbox Gold subscription and a FOXTEL by Xbox LIVE subscription.
The agreement brings together two of Australia’s most recognised and respected brands combining each company’s profound entertainment and consumer offerings. FOXTEL by Xbox LIVE provides Australians a new way of enjoying FOXTEL, and cements Xbox 360 as one of this country’s leading innovative social entertainment platforms. Xbox LIVE connects more than 23 million people across 26 countries to an ever-expanding world of games, movies, TV, music, sport and social entertainment.
FOXTEL Chief Executive and Managing Director, Kim Williams AM said, “This is a very exciting new frontier. FOXTEL by Xbox LIVE will provide our 1.6 million subscribing households, as well as new customers, a transformative way of receiving and enjoying FOXTEL over the internet. We will offer FOXTEL by Xbox LIVE with various packages and prices and under flexible agreements. It is an exciting new way of exploring FOXTEL’s universe of content for a new generation of customers.”
David McLean, Head of Entertainment and Devices, Microsoft Australia said, “The strategic partnership with FOXTEL builds on our great range of entertainment offerings. We are proud of the new interactive entertainment experiences we continue to deliver to our customers and have no doubt that 2010 will be an exciting year for Xbox.”
“As we approach one million Xbox 360’s sold in Australia, we are looking forward to our customers having the opportunity to receive FOXTEL by Xbox LIVE. Last year alone, Australians spent more than 106 million hours on Xbox LIVE including gaming and social networking. With this FOXTEL partnership, there are more reasons than ever to connect your Xbox 360 to our online service,” said McLean.
Kim Williams added, “This significant partnership is true to our heritage of investing and innovating for customers who embrace new technology and content developments. With at least 30 live channels and a wide suite of Video on Demand services, delivered over the internet via Xbox LIVE, no other television service comes close to this revolutionary new IP offering, so that once again FOXTEL is at the fore-front – a natural home for us.”
The agreement between Microsoft and FOXTEL is one of the first of its type in the world, joining partnerships between Microsoft and BSkyB in the UK and Microsoft and CANAL+ in France.
Microsoft and FOXTEL are working together to launch the FOXTEL service on Xbox LIVE towards the end of the calendar year. Packages and prices, the full channel line-up, and further product details will be released publicly closer to the service launch
According to Major Nelson, 3 arcade games are permanently slashed down in price.
If you get on Xbox Live, you’ll find that three games have had their prices reduced by 400 points each. This isn’t a sale, this is a permanent reduction.
Crank up those trials and try them out. Braid is a very good game especially for that price. Cloning Clyde is a funny platformer that is fun and some people may enjoy it especially for that price.
The most recent trailer for F3ER shows a lot of pointman doing his thing and also some gameplay. The gameplay is the traditional Fear gameplay with lots of baddies jumping out at you and other people shooting at you.
It also shows a taste of co-op gameplay, where one person throws explosives and the other shoots them. Sure, it is a long stretch but a telekinesis and gun slinging duo could make for some fun gameplay.
Unfortunately it seems that THQ may be incorporating something like a VIP system with their online play, requiring a one time entry code to allow the player to connect to online play. This is much like the cerberus system which required a purchase of a brand new game to gain access to the code and therefore assure the company of new game sales, and fewer used game sales. Also according to the message there will be the option to purchase such a code from the XBLA for a nominal fee of what one can guess between 800 msp and 1200 msp ($10 and $15).
There has been no official word from THQ about this issue, and this screenshot was provided from Past Padre. However if this is true then it will lead to some major problems when it comes towards used purchases and renting. Before there was only the loss of some small features and some additional DLC which would not affect the standard game play experience. However by forcing players to purchase the game new to even be able to play online is very unfortunate news.
Your average gamer can not truly afford to purchase a large amount of new games at a time, and sometimes they are forced to wait months for a chance at a used copy for a decent price. This will however then deny any players who also rent the game at release from accessing the online content. I played UFC 2009 online and sure the online play suffered from people who quit, people who abused certain mechanics, and of course lag. But it doesn’t mean that people should start to be punished for simply not having enough money to spend the full $60+ on a brand new video game every time one rolls around that fits their fancy. Still though this is unconfirmed and should be taken as a rumor for now, we shall see next week when the game is released what will really happen.
“Amazing 8bit Ball utilizes the processing power of your Xbox to think really hard about stuff you ask it.”
Probably one for the more superstitious people out there, Amazing 8bit Ball, developed by yaystuff, is a virtual version of the classic magic 8 ball toy which you ask a question, give a shake, and then read the answer on that has been revealed on the back.
In this indie title, similarly to the real life version, simplicity is key. The download is miniscule and as a result, takes only seconds, meaning you can get straight into asking all the questions your heart desires. Simply say you question aloud, or think it in your head, and when you are ready press ‘A’ to flip the ‘Amazing 8bit Ball’, revealing your answer.
I can’t help but get the feeling this game and others of a similar nature deserve their own section on the xbox live marketplace. Maybe something like ‘xbox live apps’, as this game certainly strikes me as more of an application rather than a game. It is still entertaining nonetheless, and you can ask it anything from deep, meaningful questions such as “Will I ever find true love?”, to something a little more light- hearted like “Does my bum look big in this?” Disclaimer: The Amazing 8bit Ball, or anyone associated with it, cannot be held responsible for any consequences that come about from the result of you asking it: “Should I go to school/work tomorrow?”
I’m a huge Doom fan, and it has been known for a while that Doom 2 will be coming to the XBLA eventually. The good news is, the achievements for the game have finally been revealed. The bad news is, there is still no set date for release.
The achievement list below is pretty straight forward, and follows suit with the achievements found in the first game. There are the general achievements which should be very easy and then the “Superior Firepower” achievement which is going to be hard but manageable. There is also an online achievement, but unlike the first one which had 3 online achievements, Doom 2 only has 1 and it should be manageable. I’ve seen worse. The achievement list seems doable and besides a few they are pretty easy.
Just Getting Started – 10 – Complete any level in Single player
Rip and Tear – 20 – Complete any level on ‘Nightmare’ in Single player
Superior Firepower – 25 – Complete all levels on ‘Ultra-Violence’ or higher in Single player
An Important Looking Door – 10 – Find a secret area of a level in Single player
From Earth To Hell – 25 – Complete all levels in ‘DOOM II: Hell on Earth’ in Single player
And Back Again – 25 – Complete all levels in ‘DOOM II: No Rest for the Living’ in Single player
Burning Out of Control – 15 – Complete any level with 100% kills, items, and secrets in Single player
Destroyer – 20 – Get 100 frags in Deathmatch on Xbox LIVE
The Great Communicator – 10 – Get 20 kills using the Chainsaw in a single level in Single player
A Man and a Half – 10 – Get 20 kills using the Berserk Powerup in a single level in Single player
You Have Huge Guts – 20 – Kill a CyberDemon using your fists in Single player
A Really Big Gun – 10 – Find a BFG in Single player
Prepare for the follow-up to the biggest entertainment launch in history: on 9th November Call of Duty: Black Ops will introduce fans to the elite world of Black Ops. Activision and award-winning developer Treyarch will take players behind enemy lines in an entirely new chapter in the groundbreaking and record-setting, No. 1 first-person action series of all-time.
Check out below the official world premiere uncut trailer Call of Duty: Black Ops, developed by Treyarch and launches on November 9, 2010.
Details :
Name: Call of Duty: Black Ops
Release date: November 9, 2010
Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
Publisher(s): Activision Blizzard
Developer(s): Treyarch
Today, Microsoft and Ruffian Games released episodes 2 : Nothing is Sacred, this second of three video documentary takes you behind the scenes of development in Crackdown 2.
Todays episode goes through one of the coolest attractions in Crackdown 2 which is the fusion of spontaneity and funny stuff with the mayhem thats around you in the game. The team from Ruffian Games discuss the humor found in any situation, whether youre tearing up bus shelters, using vehicles as projectile weapons or dropping in on your foes from high above. With this can-do attitude you’ll be ripping through Pacific City and causing all sorts of mayhem, collecting orbs and creating the most memorable experiences ever, whether on your own or with your friends over xbox live.
