Thursday, February 26, 2009

Rumor: Assassin’s Creed 2 Takes Place in Venice

We know Assassin's Creed 2 is coming, Ubisoft confirmed it. However, details on the sequel have been yet to be released since the game has never really been "officially" announced yet. Now, word has come in from a Destructoid reader on some of the first details for Assassin's Creed 2. Since nothing is confirmed, we'll call them rumors.

According to the gaming blog, the fellow who sent the e-mail works in a foreign outlet, and was able to get a glimpse of Assassin's Creed 2. He told the site of the game and that it would take place in Venice, Italy.

Today, an e-mail has been sent to them with full details of what he saw. It sounds believable, and due to my love for anything in Italy, I have high hopes it's true.


Whilst wondering around town today during my lunch break i noticed a Ubisoft booth. people were asking questionnaires about games. I thought hey, I'm a gamer, a pretty hardcore one i think il give this a go. so i did; Questionnaire wasn't too exciting to be fair, it was what happened afterwards that was. I was brought into a room with a TV set up and this is what followed :

A trailer for lo and behold, assassins creed 2, all be it in production and not finalised i will explain what i saw

Venice 15th/16th century, The camera pans onto the city focusing on the hussle and bussle of daily life. think the civilians from assassins creed 1 but more interactive with each other. During this scene we see a man passing money to the hands of an attractive girl, (originally i didn't notice this but was told by the rep that it does happen).

2 Men, a relatively large one and a skinny one step off a boat with a cohort of guards and proceed to a Square within the city, where a masked ball was taking place. Every ones dancing around, not much to say here other than that it was a ball.

The girl seen previously accepting the bribe, approaches the skinnier of the two men and takes him off to the crowd, for a dance, she was good looking, who'd say no. The camera spins around them centrally, but focusing on the dancers as a whole.

A guy comes out from the side, dressed in dancers garb and proceeds to stab this skinnier man in the neck, with what looks like the finger blade from AC1. Man dies spewing blood, garbble garbble etcetc.

The 2nd of the men, the fatter one, notices this and proceeds to run, after sending the guards after the protagonist. Who, by this time has reached the roof and runs parallel to the target who continues to run on the floor. The player jumps off onto the ground and the fat man stops. commenting on the fanciness of the jump.

Facing off, the fat man continues to speak. i cant quite recall the exact words but it was something along the lines of

"It was a shame that your mother had to die, she was a beautiful woman ... Your father on the other hand, it was due to your arrogance that he died"

The protagonist then shoots at the fat Man with a bolt pistol, and the trailer ends.

Post trailer discussion, a family feud was hinted at, yet nothing was said about the brotherhood. Disguises were also said to play a part in this game. The trailer was not fully textured or rendered but seemed on par to the crow trailer originally showed for assassins creed 1. due to the lack of textures and the like combined with the fluidity i would assume it wasn't game play. furthermore after the trailer was shown, i was shown 3 pictures of the protagonist, all in different clothes and chose to pick a favourite. significantly underneath the word ezio was written on all 3 pictures. I believe this to be the guys name, as it sounds Italian. Again his face wasn't entirely shown, so i assume it is the future reliving the past again.

Was told that this would be shown at a game expo this year, but not told which one. hinted E3 when pressured. release was given tho on a broad scale. Late this year early next
Via: scrawlfx

GTA: Chinatown Wars trailer is stupidly high quality

Kotaku’s posted a proper trailer for GTA: Chinatown Wars, and it looks as good as you’d expect.

There’s a bit of gameplay in there, and a whole lot of art. Essential stuff for the DS-loving hardcore out there.

It’s out in March.

Via: vg247

Wasn't thXbox 360 Outsells Wii, PS3 In Japan

How did Microsoft manage to sell more Xbox 360s than the competition this week in Japan? With a little help from Square Enix's Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope.

The role-playing game shot the Xbox 360 from its regular second-to-last place showing to third—it was still behind the Nintendo DSi and PSP—besting sales of both Nintendo and Sony's console hardware. The 360 had previously kicked its console competition to the curb thanks to strong sales of Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Tales of Vesperia and Infinite Undiscovery.

This represents the fourth week that Microsoft has managed to outsell its competition in Japan.

  • Nintendo DSi - 41,839
  • PSP - 29,552
  • Xbox 360 - 25,334
  • Wii - 16,973
  • PlayStation 3 - 16,149
  • Nintendo DS Lite - 9,975
  • PlayStation 2 - 5,029

As you can see there was much to compete with, as weekly sales of the Wii and PS3 were on the lower end of Media Create's numbers. Still, it keeps things interesting in a regularly dull hardware race.

Via: kotaku

Media Molecule: LittleBigPlanet to get YouTube uploads

Speaking in this Electric Playground episode, Media Molecule’s Kareem Ettouney has mentioned that YouTube uploads are on the way for LittleBigPlanet.

“A lot of people in the LittleBigPlanet World are really keen on showing off how they made their creations,” he said when asked about upcoming features.

“It’s an obvious need. You go on YouTube and [see] all those videos. Let’s give the users a tool that can stream the content and put it on YouTube.”

It is fairly obvious, yep.

Current games that make use of PS3’s access to the YouTube API include PixelJunk Eden, PixelJunk Monsters and Noby Noby Boy.

We’ve asked Sony for an official line on this, so we’ll have that soon.

Thanks, LittleBigPlanetoid.

Via: vg247


Mark it in your datebook: Avalon Code coming March 10


The Marvelous/XSEED publishing superteam has announced a release date for Matrix Software's action RPG Avalon Code. Should you RPG fans finish Blue Dragon Plus and Legacy of Ys this week, you'll still have Avalon Code to look forward to on March 10.

Avalon Code tasks players with filling a magical "Book of Prophecy" with monsters, people, and everything else found throughout the world. Once profiled, the pages from this book can then be used to alter the game world and "influence a myriad of parameters from monster attributes to weapon strength." The book is also useful for identifying stats and elemental weaknesses about monsters you encounter.

Via: joystiq

New Price Cut Rumours

MCV are reporting on analyst claims that the Playstation will possibly have its price cut announced within days.

Apparently the analyst in question (Mike Hickey) is predicting a $100 reduction in April or at least by June (E3 is going to be a biggy this year).

The bad news is that this fantasist, sorry… analyst is also predicting the release of a lower cost PS3 without a Blu-Ray drive. So that’s a PS3 that can’t play any PS3 games and would necessitate all future releases to be on both Blu-Ray and DVD. Basically that’s an Xbox isn’t it? No chance.

Via: thesixthaxis

Dave Perry says PSP 2 is Real, Could Come by Fall

Rumors of a successor to the PSP that'd eschew the handheld's propriety UMD format have swirled for a long time, and gained even more traction recently after Sony posted a job listing that mentioned an unreleased "new game hardware." Now, if Acclaim chief creative officer Dave Perry is to be believed, those rumors are just about confirmed: He says the PSP 2 is real, won't use UMDs, and could even be out as soon as this fall.

"I hear Sony FINALLY has the PSP 2. And thank goodness, they've removed the stupid battery-sucking UMD disc drive. I'm excited!" wrote Perry in both a Twitter message and on his FaceBook page. Clarifying his remark with Kotaku, Perry said, "I spoke to a developer who is working on [the PSP 2] right now. I know this developer is already working on it, so that means they have a prototype. That would sound like a fall release to me."

Although Sony has yet to officially announce anything concerning a PSP successor, it'd be surprising if Perry's information was completely off the mark. Theories about a PSP 2 that'd use memory sticks (or an internal hard drive) and focus on digital game downloads have been bandied for years, and with the original PSP in its fifth year of release, the timing would seem right.

But until Sony finally decides they're ready to show their cards, we really won't know what they're planning. Could a reveal, perhaps, be coming at E3?

Via: 1up

Large, Girly Ken Statue Is On Fire

With two games released since Christmas, Street Fighter is on fire. The kids at SOTA toys have probably taken it a bit too far, though, with this burning Ken statue.

Not only does it look like he's wearing a fluffy, fire-coloured mink coat, but he also looks like a 12 year-old girl wearing a moppish blonde wig. Ah well. That might be just your thing! If so, this resin statue will set you back $110, and will be Q2 2009.

Street Fighter: Ken Resin Statue [Action-Figure]

Via: kotaku

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood - Trailer

Rumor: PSP 2 Won't Have UMD Drive

The new Playstation Portable won't feature a UMD disc drive, according to Acclaim developer David Perry.

"I hear Sony FINALLY has the PSP 2. And thank goodness, they've removed the stupid battery-sucking UMD disc drive. I'm excited!" Perry wrote on both his Twitter and Facebook accounts.

It is unclear if he has seen the rumored new Playstation Portable himself or is just hearing rumors through the development community.

This rumor is the latest in a series of rumors to hit the net in the past month or so, including one from IGN and another from VG247.

If it's true that the Playstation Portable 2 won't feature a UMD disc drive, than I'd say it's likely it will instead rely on Memory Sticks and downloads through the Playstation Network Store. The bigger question is whether such a device could be backwards compatible, and if so how it would work.

There has been an awful lot of news about the PSP coming out lately, so I think it's a safe bet to say that we can expect something from Sony about the next iteration of the Playstation Portable at E3.

Via: kotaku

Dragon Age: Origins 'Join Us' Trailer

Famistu gives Resident Evil 5 38/40

Resident Evil 5 has been given a whopping 38/40 in this week’s premiere Japanese gaming rag, Famitsu.

There’s not long to wait now: it releases on March 13.

The Famitsu score joins OXM’s 9/10 and Official PlayStation Magazine’s perfect 10.

Resident Evil 5 (Biohazard 5) (PS3/Xbox 360, Capcom): 10 / 10 / 9 / 9 - (38/40)
7th Dragon (NDS, Sega): 9 / 8 / 8 / 8 - (33/40)
Sukashishipanman DS: Shokotak Koto Nakagawa Shouko Produce! (NDS, Interchannel): 7 / 6 / 6 / 6 - (25/40)
Relaxuma: Minna de Goyururi Seikatsu (Wii, MTO): 7 / 6 / 6 / 4 - (23/40)
Aibou DS (NDS, Tecmo): 8 / 7 / 7 / 8 - (30/40)
Kimokawae! (NDS, 5pb): 4 / 6 / 6 / 5 - (21/40)

Via: vg247

“Christmas” 360 sales up 120%, 8 million machines sold in Europe

Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis has told MCV that “Christmas” 360 sales were up 120 percent at the end of last year.

“Christmas 2008 was the biggest sales period in the history of the Xbox brand,” he said.

“Sales of the console were more than double over the period a year before, in excess of 120 percent in fact.

“We’ve had record sales in January too – much better than we anticipated. We’re at over 8 million console sales to end of 2008.”

Does that mean Chris and the gang are going to rest on their laurels? No sir.

“We’re not dusting ourselves down saying ‘we’ve solved that challenge’,” he added. “You’re going to see us continue to invest in keeping things strong.

“The UK remains one of our strongest markets. We’ve now been consistently ahead of our competition in terms of Sony for a long and sustained period, and we’re going to keep it that way.”

More through there.

Via: vg247

Ubisoft Release Dates

Ubisoft have just dropped us a line with some new release dates across all formats. Looks to us like HAWX has moved forwards, always a good sign, and it’s nice to see a confirmed release date for Wheelman. A busy March for Ubisoft then, if not especially so for the PS3.
  • 6 March: Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X (360/PS3)
  • 13 March: Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X (PC)
  • 13 March: Grey’s Anatomy The Videogame (DS/Wii)
  • 13 March: World In Conflict Complete (PC)
  • 20 March: Scrabble 2009 (DS)
  • 20 March: Petz: My Baby Panda (DS)
  • 20 March: Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – The Directors Cut (Wii/DS)
  • 27 March: Imagine Doctor (DS)
  • 27 March: My Restaurant (DS)
  • 27 March: World Sports Party (Wii)
  • 27 March: Wheelman (360/PS3/PC)
  • 3 April: Tenchu Shadow Assassins (Wii/PSP)
Via: thesixthaxis

Quake Live Goes Live, Large Queues Await

Id Software's Quake Live, a browser-based first-person shooter, has entered into open beta on the official website. There already seems to be an overwhelming popularity with the game as any gamer who has attempted to play will find out for themselves. At the time of posting, there are over 8,000 people waiting in line to play and an untold number who are already taking part in the open beta. We are still waiting on the initial number of players who are taking part in the beta, but will let you know as soon as we hear something.

You can check Quake Live out for yourself at www.quakelive.com.

Update:

According to the Quake Live Twitter account, over 113,000 accounts have been created within six hours. They have also stated that they are attempting to keep up with demand and started several new servers overnight.

Via: N4G

Capcom Coy About Lost Planet 2 Exclusivity

The cat was mostly out of the bag on Monday when Capcom announced Lost Planet 2 with a trailer distributed on Xbox Live. There was one tiny detail Capcom left out, though. Which console(s) is Lost Planet 2 coming out for?

The Xbox 360 is obviously on the list and the press release sent out today by Capcom only mentions the Xbox 360. “Lost Planet® 2 is being developed for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system,” a carefully worded statement since Capcom never said Lost Planet 2 is or will be an Xbox 360 exclusive. The funny thing about Lost Planet, the original one, was considered to be an Xbox 360 exclusive. The box even had an “Only for Xbox 360″ stamp on it that is until Lost Planet came out for PC and the PlayStation 3.

Do you think Lost Planet 2 will come out on other consoles? Or will the third person shooter, now with four player co-op, be only for Xbox 360?

Via: siliconera

What If Game Characters Were More "Real"?

Via: kotaku

Nintendo DSi: New Colors!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Final Fantasy VI perler bead collection

Via: destructoid

Atlus Relaunching Persona On PSP This Fall

The PSP version of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona will arrive domestically this fall. Atlus is giving it a brand new localization and restoring “that which was not carried over the first time around”. Sounds like we’re going to get the Snow Queen quest.

Since Persona is getting an overhaul the extra quest isn’t the kind of thing Atlus would leave out. Changes specific to the remastered PSP version include animated cutscenes, widescreen support, and a revised city map. Out of all the new features the revised localization is the one I’m most looking forward too. Some voice acting for the silent animated videos might be nice too.


Via: siliconera

Assassins Creed and Little Big Planet Heading To The PSP

Lately the Playstation 3’s little brother has been getting some rather nice attention and deservingly so. Sony recently announced that their handheld juggernaut, the Playstation Portable (PSP) just passed the 50 million units sold worldwide, and while that is an amazing achievement Sony is already looking to introduce a revamped PSP-4000 model offering an LCD slide or flip screen to compete with not only Nintendo’s handheld wonders but also in this writers opinion the mobile phone market.

In addition, according to Playstation.blog, Assassins Creed, Little Big Planet and Motorstorm are all heading to the PSP.

This was posted by Sony today;

  • New PSP bundles coming in 2009, including an Assassin’s Creed PSP Entertainment Pack and a Hannah Montana PSP Entertainment Pack, which includes a new Lilac PSP.

  • Some of your favorite games are going portable for the first time, with exclusive PSP editions: MotorStorm Arctic Edge (also coming to PS2), LittleBigPlanet, and the Petz series.

  • The Warhawk Command Center launches in PlayStation Home this week.

These are just some of the announcements brought forth today. The PSP is full steam ahead, now I’m just awaiting the announcement of Street Fighter hitting the PSP or some new Metal Gear Solid Raiden adventure. Maybe play as Raiden on the side missions of MGS4. That would be sick! I definitely dream too much.

Don’t forget to head over to Playstation.blog for more Playstation updates - Enjoy!

Via: ps3thevolution

Resident Evil Gets a Complete Reboot With RE6

With less than a month to go before Resident Evil 5 hits, 1Up is digging into the game to unearth a lot of new information including an interesting interview with the game's producer.

If this short intro to the week-long package can be believed, it sounds like Jun Takeuchi has finally come to the same realization that a lot of gamers have, it's time for the basic framework and mechanics of Resident Evil to get an overhaul.

In what is destined to be the first genuinely epic game of 2009, Resident Evil 5 is practically guaranteed to be the last of its kind, with the game's producer, Jun Takeuchi, assuring us that a reboot is in order for the inevitable Resident Evil 6. That's not to suggest that there's anything wrong with the evil at hand. Quite the opposite; it's awesome fun, and we've beaten the game from beginning to end, and have a week's worth of detailed, insider info for you to enjoy.

While the new footage, preview and "secrets" all sound interesting, what I'm waiting for is the full Takeuchi interview set to hit the site on Wednesday.

Come on Takeuchi, no more zombie pinata.

Via: kotaku

30 Signs That You’re Addicted to WOW

World of Warcraft addiction is a serious issue. Overseas there are actually rehab centers dedicated to this terrible affliction. Many of us have heard of the terrible tragedies of players actually dying due to too many red bulls and three days of hard core grinding. For some of us we are in denial, WoW is only a game that’s it. We forget that we only shower once a week, and all we eat is take out because there is not enough time to cook and get ready for a raid. As a way to help my fellow gamers, I’ve comprised a small list that will help us all face that addiction head on and spend more time in the real world. If you’re uncertain whether you have an addiction to WoW, check out the list, and see how many ring true.

30) Any in game friends you have, are only refereed by their main, and you have no idea what their real names are

29) Dominoes is on speed dial

28) Almost all of your pants seem tighter

27) One 80 level character is not acceptable

26) You’ve grown a tolerance to red bull

25) The thought of taking a break, doesn’t cross your mind

24) The only time you argue with your spouse is when you’re playing

23) There is a butt indent in your gaming chair

22) You talk to people online more then your family

21) When you’re around other gamers you constantly talk about WoW and nothing else

20) Other people get annoyed when you constantly talk about WoW

19) PVP’n gives you a sense of superiority over others

18) The application you filled out to apply to a guild was bigger then your work application

17) Every time you quit, you get sucked back in to playing

16) Being a GM makes you feel special

15) Cross dressing in real life is weird, but playing a female toon is normal

14) You use your sick days for when you need to level

13) You use your vacation days to take off for new expansion packs

12) You try and convert everyone you know

11) Watching videos and skits about WoW are hilarious

10) Your once colorful complexion has grown pale, and you’re beginning to look like your undead toon

9) Your friends have had to join just to hang out with you

8) You despise people that play Ally

7) You constantly say “I just want to get to the next level and then I’ll take a break”

6) The South Park episode of WoW, was a bit all too real

5) You’ve suddenly gotten carpal tunnel

4) You think that guildies are “real life friends”

3) Your guild website has gotten blocked by “Websense” due to the amount you were going on.

2) You don’t sleep because you raid

1) You’ve spent real money to buy gold online

Via: vigster

David Cage has “many plans” for Heavy Rain DLC

Quantic Dream’s David Cage has revealed that he has “many plans” to create DLC for his upcoming PS3 title, Heavy Rain.

When asked in our recent interview (featured in the latest issue of D+PAD) whether there was much scope for DLC in Heavy Rain, Cage replied:

“Honestly, my focus is on putting as much content as possible on the Blu-ray. We have many plans for DLC, but I won’t work on them until the game is finished and fully satisfying. Games are expensive; my focus is to give as much as I can to gamers for their money.”

Cage last teased the possibility of Heavy Rain DLC back in August when he stated to Eurogamer that it was “definitely a possibility.” His latest comments suggest that DLC may definitely be on the way.

To read the full interview with David Cage check out Issue 10 of D+PAD, available to download for free here.

Via: dpad

セガ、バンプレなどの新作が盛りだくさん! 第15回プライズフェアをレポ!!

Via: dengeki

FEAR 2 takes second in US PC chart

FEAR 2 made a solid debut in the US PC charts for the week ending February 8, holding off both the Sims and Spore.

Nothing beats WoW, though. Previous week here. Thanks, Shack.

  1. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King / Blizzard / $37
  2. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin / Monolith / $49
  3. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe / EA Maxis / $19
  4. Spore / EA Maxis / $42
  5. World Of Warcraft Battle Chest / Blizzard / $35
  6. The Sims 2 Deluxe / EA Maxis / $3
  7. World Of Warcraft / Blizzard / $17
  8. Call Of Duty: World At War / Treyarch / $43
  9. Fallout 3 / Bethesda / $45
  10. The Sims 2 Apartment Life Exp. Pack / EA Maxis / $19
Via: vg247

Bioware teases Mass Effect 2, advises to keep original savegame

Bioware have released the first trailer teasing the existence and plot of Mass Effect 2. You can view the trailer in full below, and cry as it implies that Commander Shepard, protagonist of the first game has met his (or her) fate.


Fear not though, my spacefaring chums! After many Bioware community members expressed concern over the hinted death of their favourite human Spectre, several Bioware employees over on the official forums hinted that gamers should keep their Mass Effect 1 saves.

They did not provide any further detail on how playing through the first game might affect the sequel, but it seems that at least something from the original game will carry over to Mass Effect 2.

EA has said that Mass Effect 2 will be released by April 2010 on ‘multiple platforms’. No word yet whether that is just Xbox 360 and PC, or whether PS3 gamers can join in the epic space opera antics.

Via: darkzero

Dante's Inferno - Trailer

Metal Gear Solid Touch - Trailer


Here is the new trailer for the next Metal Gear Solid Game…Yes, the one that is only on the iPhone and iTouch. The game looks for the most part, like a rail shooter with some fighting elements included. Other than that, there isn’t much to report.

Although this could be the first real video game name to be available on Apple’s devices, the gameplay doesn’t look like it would be attractive to hardcore gamers. However, when did hardcore gamers give the industry money? :-p

Metal Gear Solid Touch has yet to get a release date.

Via: alliwanthere

Official Picture of Red-Colored Xbox 360

Microsoft has released pictures of the Exclusive Red Xbox 360 Resident Evil Limited Edition Console, which was confirmed earlier tonight and mentioned officially by Microsoft earlier this month.

The Xbox 360 Elite console is bundled with a red wireless controller, black Xbox 360 headset, 120GB hard drive, via-LIVE-downloadable-Resident-Evil-theme, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and a copy of Resident Evil 5. All this is priced at US$399.


Via: kotaku

Monday, February 23, 2009

Singularity - Trailer

Resident Evil 5 'Boss Ndesu in Chapter 2' Exclusive gameplay


Via: 1up

Street Fighter IV takes UK chart


Capcom was wise to expect success from Street Fighter IV, with the game taking debuting at number one in the UK.

The brawler’s ended Wii Fit’s five-week reign at the top of the league. Nice initial showing for Dawn of War II there, the sequel coming in at number three.

Last week’s chart here. Hit this for the full thing.

Via: vg247

King of Fighters XII (AOU 2009) - Some videos







Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars - The Van





Via: kotaku

Atlus Returns To Arcades With New Power Instinct Game





Via: siliconera

Quake goes Live tomorrow

id Software has announced that it will begin the open beta phase of Quake Live tomorrow, giving anyone who wants to play a chance to get stuck into the game.

Ostensibly, Quake Live is a streamlined version of Quake 3: Arena that runs in a browser and is available for free. id Software is hoping that the entire game can be financed by advertising around the game, thus negating a need for microtransactions or subscription fees.

In preparation for the open beta launch, all player accounts that were started in the closed beta phase are going to be wiped though. All current statistics from accounts not active in the last month will be wiped, according to Eurogamer. Player names and settings will remain though and id Software has pledged this is the last time it'll happen.

id Software is hoping that the low-end requirements for Quake Live, as well as the fact that it's based on Quake 3 (by far the most popular multiplayer game in the series) should mean that the game becomes a resounding success with cheap gamers who fancy some free frags.

Anyone interested in Quake Live, which was originally titled Quake Zero, can find extra information on the game, as well as open beta applications, over on the official website.

Via: bit-tech