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If you missed the 1980s, it's difficult to explain just how important ninjas were to the pop culture of the decade. The global zeitgeist was transfixed by Japan's mythical shadow warriors, and stealthy assassins appeared in everything, from movies to breakfast cereals to mutated amphibians. Video games were no exception, but few captured the essence of what made ninjas so popular as did Capcom's Strider, which allowed players to climb walls, flip around like acrobatic lemurs and slice through enemies as fast as their greasy digits could mash arcade cabinet's attack button.

Now, after 25 years of relative obscurity, Strider has returned. The ninja's latest mission features modern flair and a new world to explore, but at its core Strider is recognizable thanks to intuitive controls, an immediately responsive main character and reflex-dependent stage design. It may not be perfect, and most of the novel ideas in Strider can be traced to earlier games, but the end result is an engrossing adventure that cleverly blends the old with the new.

If you were reading the video-game internet this weekend, your various feeds probably looked something like this: Titanfall Titanfall Titans Titanfall Titans Fall Titanfall Titanfall Titans Titanic Falling Titans Titanfall Titanfall!Read more...

The PlayStation Vita will not work with the PS4 the same way that the Wii U works with its GamePad for the next-gen version of Rayman Legends, Ubisoft has confirmed. On Nintendo's system, one player can control the helper character Murfy using the GamePad, while another player controls Rayman or one of his friends on the TV. Use of the Vita, however GamePad-like it may be, will be limited to Remote Play.

Senior Game Designer Emile Morel broke the news when he answered a fan's question on the PlayStation Blog, saying, "you cannot control Murfy in touch mode on the PS Vita, because even in Remote Play mode you will continue to play the same version of the game when you use the PS4 joystick." Ubisoft will also not be offering a discount for those upgrading from the PS3 version, and the online challenge rankings for the PS3 and PS4 will be separate.

Rayman Legends comes to North American PS4 and Xbox One systems tomorrow, and EU region consoles on February 21. [Image: Ubisoft]

Lightning Returns brought an end to what's been - relative to the series' high standards and typically universal acclaim - a divisive trilogy of games. While we enjoyed the final fantasy in Lightning's saga, other reviewers were happy enough to say so long to the rosy-haired heroine. When I spoke with series producer Yoshinori Kitase days after the game launched, I asked if he'd had a chance to read the reviews, and what he thought of them.

"Yes I have scanned through more or less all the reviews, as well as user feedback available on the Internet," Kitase said, through a translator "I wasn't really shocked. There are negative reviews and positive reviews, it's a real mixture. When I started making this game I took on very new challenges, so in a way I had anticipated that there would be mixed opinions, so this is more or less what we had anticipated."

Kitase, a Square Enix veteran of some 24 years, also argued the game might leave some with a negative impression at first, but as you play it the whole way through, your mind might change. For a second I wondered if we'd gone back in time to 2010, and Kitase was talking about the ever-so-slow introduction that put some players off Final Fantasy 13.

"In a normal process where we make numbered Final Fantasy games, it takes at least two or three years, [and it's] quite a long turnaround," Kitase pointed out, referring to the much shorter cycle that saw three FF13 games released in just under four years.

"In the space of three years, lots of things can [change] quite dramatically," he added. "The market situation, user trends, users' preferences, everything can change. So we've always taken feedback both from media and users on board, and when we want to reflect those views on the next project, in the space of three years, the situation might be completely different. The changes we've affected or implemented as a result of this feedback may not mean very much in three years' time, because of the long cycle."

Well, that's one way to put Titanfall on the PS4, I guess.Read more...

Those who've spent the weekend stomping pilots from the comfort of a titan's cockpit will be pleased to hear that the good times won't draw to a close tomorrow morning as originally planned. Instead, developer Respawn Entertainment has extended the Titanfall beta test for an additional day.

"The Titanfall Beta will run through February 19th 6 PM PST," tweeted the official Titanfall Twitter account. No explanation is offered for this change of plans, but following Respawn's impromptu decision to kick open the doors of the beta test to the public only two days ago, it seems as if the game's pre-release incarnation has drawn more attention from players than the developer initially expected.

Though Titanfall will be released for the Xbox 360, the ongoing beta test is only available to Xbox One owners with current Xbox Live Gold subscriptions and those PC gamers who registered for the beta test. Assuming you meet these criteria, getting into the game is as easy as downloading its client from either the Xbox Live Marketplace or EA's digital distribution service, Origin. [Image: EA]

If you haven't played Titanfall yourself yet, you may be one of those wondering: what the hell is with all the hype around that game? It's just another shooter, right? Not quite. It's better.Read more...

We expected Lightning Returns to take Final Fantasy back to the top in this week's UK charts, but we hadn't counted on a blockbuster start for the Lego Movie Videogame. The film debuted across the country last week, after stacking up a $69 million opening weekend in North America. Enough of that yellow fever spread from big screens to smaller screens in the UK, with 15,000 more copies sold than a discounted Call of Duty: Ghosts in second place. Last week's chart leader, FIFA 14, turfed off down to fourth.

That means the final game in Lightning's saga failed to take top spot, having to settle for an apt third place. For the record, there is some symmetry here: Final Fantasy 13-2 arrived in second place back in 2012, while Final Fantasy 13 itself debuted as a No. 1 game in 2010.

Konami's Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes will run at 1080p on PS4, and 720p on Xbox One, according to a comparison page put up by the publisher. Both next-gen versions will run at 60 frames per second, while the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions will run at 30 frames per second.

The PlayStation 4 is also getting a little extra love from Big Boss and friends thanks to a special edition console themed to fit the game. The first special edition PS4 will be the FOX Edition - a black PS4 with the FOX Engine logo branded in a pale gold on its glossy top. An image of the console is just after the break.

The system is up now on the Japanese version of the Sony Store, for a price of 46,980 yen (approx. $460). No word on whether the system will be available in other regions. Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes comes to North American shores March 18. [Image: Konami]

In his never-ending search for amazing facts, Jake Roper of VSauce3 can't seem to keep his consoles together. First the Dreamcast, and now the Xbox One is stripped down to nothing in stop-motion, revealing juicy tidbits about Microsoft's latest console along the way. Read more...

Konami reveals technical differences between the multiple versions of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes.

What happens when the weird-ness of Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare crosses into the real world? Weird-ness. That's okay though, because when the game is about plants fighting off hordes of the undead, it's best to just accept the weird and roll with it. [Image: EA]

Never mind the fact it's a beta, or that it's being thrown open to anyone with an internet connection, some people wanted to get into the Titanfall beta so bad they were willing to pay for it.Read more...

The Titanfall beta opened up to players on Xbox One yesterday evening, allowing anyone to join without using a beta key. The PC beta will become open soon, added Respawn Entertainment's Vincent Zampella, "maybe" even today.Read more...

Eagerly anticipating your lockpicking, treasure-collecting stint in the Thief reboot? You can start plotting your routes through the game's first chapter while watching this early playthrough. If you're looking for a little more context, steal a glimpse of our video preview. [Image: Square-Enix]

Did you win the Titanfall beta lottery? No, you're just pretending to build a crazy kill-death ratio from the innards of a Titan? Well, it's your lucky day - Major Nelson has announced that Titanfall's Xbox One beta will begin opening to the public "later today." That's right, you won't need a code to join in!

In order to enter the beta, sign into your console and look for the download in the "New Game Demos" section of the Game Store. It isn't up just yet, mind you - Major Nelson's post states that the download may "take some time" to appear to all Xbox One users, noting that some users may say it appear before others.

Twitter activity from Respawn Entertainment's Vince Zampella reflects the beta plans, while also noting that the PC beta will also open its gates to the public, "maybe tomorrow."

Did you win the Titanfall beta lottery? No, you're just pretending to build a crazy kill-death ratio from the innards of a titan? Well, it's your lucky day - Major Nelson has announced that Titanfall's Xbox One beta will begin opening to the public later today. That's right, you won't need a code to join in!

In order to enter the beta, sign into your console and look for the download in the "New Game Demos" section of the Game Store. It isn't up just yet, mind you - Major Nelson's post notes that the download will become available for those without codes "later today."

Twitter activity from Respawn Entertainment's Vince Zampella reflects the beta plans, while also noting that the PC beta will also open its gates, "maybe tomorrow."

After an early listing popped up on Amazon UK, as reported by Polygon, Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark was revealed today during Hasbro's presentation at the NYC Toy Fair. IGN has posted the above trailer, which was reportedly shown during the presentation. The ending title screen notes that Dark Spark will reach PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, 3DS and PC. [Image: IGN] [Thanks, CJMErl!]

A new behind-the-scenes video from developer Respawn Entertainment is all about the birds and the bees. And by "birds" and "bees," we mean giant robots and jetpacks, and how they come together to form Titanfall.

The video chronicles the journey of Titanfall, from baby brainchild to the massive hype train it is today. There's also some insight into the development of Respawn itself, including a look at how comfy their floors must be - one snapshot from the studio's early days shows a team member lounging about on the carpet, head resting on their arms.

They grow up so fast. [Image: Respawn Entertainment]

Here's a start-to-finish look at the first mission in Thief, 10 days away from its Feb. 25 launch. Garrett's trying to make his way back to his hideout during "Lockdown," when, well, opportunities arise, as they usually do.Read more...

Chris Lewis, vice-president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business for EMEA, is retiring from the company this year, MCV reports.

Joining Microsoft UK in 1989, Lewis spearheaded the company's Specialist Center reseller program in Europe, and later served as the company's regional vice-president for retail sales and marketing. Lewis took on his role at Xbox Europe in 2008, helping to promote and expand the Xbox 360's presence across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Xbox chief marketing and strategy officer Yusuf Mehdi notes that Lewis departs the company this year in order to "focus on his other business and personal interests."

"[Lewis] has been a distinguished leader for our Xbox team in Europe - overseeing the launch of the original Xbox, Xbox 360, Kinect and most recently Xbox One, and growing the business significantly across the region," Mehdi said. "We wish Chris nothing but the best, and we thank him for everything he's contributed to Xbox and Microsoft as a whole over the past 25 years."

[Image: Microsoft]

Some Microsoft-run beta servers for the multiplayer-only, always-online game Titanfall have been down for at least three hours and counting on this, the first day of widespread access to the beta for the much-anticipated marquee next-gen first-person shooter. This, perhaps, is what betas are for!Read more...

The Xbox One February system update begins rolling out today, according to Major Nelson. The update adds, among other things, the ability to see and manage your storage space, an on-screen battery power indicator, and USB keyboard support. Not as cool as March's update, but it'll do. Read more...

Did EA send you a Titanfall beta code for the wrong platform? Helpful tipster Tony points us to the EA Help website, where there are step-by-step instructions that promise to get your code snafu taken care of in two hours. Read more...

You're heading to the store to get an Xbox One right now, and need to know which games to get. (Land the plane, first, of course.) Or you're at work or in school, daydreaming about what you want to play next. Or maybe you're suiting up for a battle in the console war, cinching on your armor and trying to remember which games will best help you make the argument for Microsoft's new console. We are here to help.Read more...

A high-definition re-release of Halo 2 may appear later this year, if an interview with long-time Master Chief voice actor Steven Downes is to be believed.

Gamezone spoke to Downes, hoping to elicit some information on the next Halo sequel, but instead received unexpected confirmation of a game that previously existed only in rumors. "I think you may be ahead of yourself on Halo 5," Downes told Gamezone. "I wouldn't expect anything until 2015. What you can look forward to this year is an anniversary edition of Halo 2."

If Downes' statement is accurate, it seems likely that Halo 2 would receive the same treatment its predecessor saw in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. That game added new, high-definition visuals as well as a more modern multiplayer component to the classic Halo singleplayer campaign.

There's currently no word on when this "anniversary edition of Halo 2" might appear. Representatives at Microsoft have refused to comment on Downes' statement. [Image: Microsoft]

My painfully slow leveling pace kept me from participating in this week's player-versus-player frolics in The Elder Scrolls Online beta, but fear not! Rev3's Tara Long made it, and she gives a full accounting direct from the battlefields of Cyrodiil. Read more...

My painfully slow leveling pace kept me from participating in this week's player-versus-player frolics in The Elder Scrolls Online beta, but fear not! Rev3's Tara Long made it, and she gives a full accounting direct from the battlefields of Cyrodiil. Read more...

The Evil Within will launch August 26 in North America and August 29 in Europe, Bethesda announced today. The latest from esteemed Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, The Evil Within will arrive on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3.

The Evil Within casts players as Detective Sebastian Castellanos, who's investigating the scene of a mass-murder before being ambushed and knocked unconscious, waking to a deranged world full of gruesome creatures. The game was first announced in April 2013 and is developed by Tango Gameworks, a Japan-based division of ZeniMax Asia founded in March 2010 by Mikami. Our hands-off demo of the game at E3 2013 saw the immediate impact of Mikami's direction. [Image: Bethesda Softworks]

Learn the ins and outs of being a Titanfall pilot with this useful walkthrough.