It's not every day that Quantic Dream's Guillaume de Fondaumiere decides to show off four minutes of gameplay from the developer's upcoming PS3 adventure Heavy Rain. This video, shot for Japanese audiences, goes into great detail about Ethan -- the character of focus in the last trailer for the game. [Spoiler Alert!] After a car accident kills one of his sons, you'll take control of Ethan as he deals with his grief and takes care of his other child."I obviously need to take care of my son. There is nothing that I have to do. This is really a free choice scene. If I want, I can just sit down or do nothing, or not take care of my son," Fondaumiere explains. Whether or not you choose to be a deadbeat dad, you'll have to deal with the repercussions. "Actions in Heavy Rain always have consequences. You can see consequences of your actions in two, three scenes after they occur. Some other consequences can be dramatic and completely change the story."
LocoRoco Midnight Carnival is rolling onto the PlayStation Network on October 29 -- that's two weeks from now -- for $15. According to the PlayStation.Blog, that means you'll be able to get "16 brand new stages, full competitive and co-op modes, two minigames, and three additional bonus stages" for the price of three foot-longs at Subway.While Midnight Carnival has very simple controls (only the shoulder buttons are used), we're a bit surprised that the game includes a "Demo Play"-esque feature for the kids. If a particular area is giving you a hard time, go online and connect with a friend that has the "savior mask" on. You'll be able to hold on to that friend and bypass the entire level. We at Joystiq will probably avoid that feature -- y'know, 'cuz we like playing games.
These days, it's not enough that retailers offer pre-order bonuses for upcoming video games. No, nowadays every retailer needs its own specific bonus just so everyone involved can feel more special. Such is the case for Dragon Age: Origins, so we decided to do a little digging and gather up the various bonuses that will be available from different retailers. All the retailers below -- apart from Amazon, for some reason -- are offering the Memory Ring in-game item, which adds 1 percent to XP growth and also bestows players with an additional skill point. Several retailers also have an exclusive in-game item, though Impulse is only offering the Memory Ring. The store-exclusive bonuses are:
GameStop: Feral Wolf Charm - Gives bonuses to armor and health regeneration
Amazon: Lion's Paw Boots - "Adds to armor, dodge, and evading missiles." Amazon is also offering a $10 gift card for pre-ordering the standard edition
Steam: The Wicked Oath - A ring, adds 10% to critical strike damage, improves armor penetration by 2 and adds +1 to combat stamina regeneration
The bonuses apply to the Collector's and Digital Deluxe editions in most cases too, but be sure to check before placing any orders. We're trying to find out if Amazon will be offering the Memory Ring as well, and will update this post as soon as we find out.
These days, it's not enough that retailers offer pre-order bonuses for upcoming video games. No, nowadays every retailer needs its own specific bonus just so everyone involved can feel more special. Such is the case for Dragon Age: Origins, so we decided to do a little digging and gather up the various bonuses that will be available from different retailers. All the retailers below -- apart from Amazon, for some reason -- are offering the Memory Ring in-game item, which adds 1 percent to XP growth and also bestows players with an additional skill point. Several retailers also have an exclusive in-game item, though Impulse is only offering the Memory Ring. The store-exclusive bonuses are:
GameStop: Feral Wolf Charm - Gives bonuses to armor and health regeneration
Amazon: Lion's Paw Boots - "Adds to armor, dodge, and evading missiles." Amazon is also offering a $10 gift card for pre-ordering the standard edition
Steam: The Wicked Oath - A ring, adds 10% to critical strike damage, improves armor penetration by 2 and adds +1 to combat stamina regeneration
The bonuses apply to the Collector's and Digital Deluxe editions in most cases too, but be sure to check before placing any orders. We're trying to find out if Amazon will be offering the Memory Ring as well, and will update this post as soon as we find out.
click to irradiate
Major Nelson has revealed a new Xbox 360 wireless controller bundle, which includes the in your face controller seen above. To be carried exclusively at GameStop, the controller features a "carbon fiber" color scheme overlaid by a red trefoil, and also includes a Play & Charge kit so you can keep playing into the wee hours of the morning. If, for whatever reason, you like the design and decide you'd like to put your money down, they run $69.99 and can be pre-ordered now. According to GameStop's website, they go on sale next week. For those who can do without a Play & Charge kit (normal old batteries work great!), don't forget that the Wireless Controller Game Pack goes on sale next month for $10 less and includes four XBLA games.
