Did you know that Nintendo changed around the Flipnote Hatena upload website on April Fools’ Day? I didn’t have any idea either! Looks like we all missed out on ‘Foolipnote Hatena’, an alternate version of the site that requested Flipnote users to create clips that featured jokes of all sorts. The site [...]
- Four franchises appearing in the game
* Tamayuma (PC, X360)
* The Devil on G-String (PC)
* Shin Koihime Musou (PC)
* La Campanella della Benedizione (PC)
#shinjimikami
Cult hit God Hand was one of the last title released by Capcom's now-shuttered-subsidiary Clover Studio. Shinji Mikami, creator of Resident Evil, designed the game. He now has regrets. More »
#clips
Forget watching a movie; the best 90 minutes of video you'll see tonight is this epic recap of Attack of the Clones, the latest in RedLetterMedia's enjoyable series of serial killer movie reviews. More »
#japan
New Japanese comic publication "WAaI! boys in skirts" is hoping to capitalize on the video game, anime and cosplay trend of young men dressing up like young women. Even one professional fighter is into it! More »
Aksys picked the right day to send out trailers for Cho Aniki Zero and Record of Agarest War. In the case of Cho Aniki, we wouldn't normally post a trailer for a game that was released over a week ago, but a general lack of news today gives us a pretty good excuse to post this new video! In case you missed its arrival on PSN in late March, let this video serve as notice that yes, the Men's Beam-firing shmup is downloadable now from the PlayStation Store.
There's also a trailer after the break for Record of Agarest War, which we were going to praise for its emphasis on gameplay and J-pop over lasciviousness, but then we watched the rest of the video. Oh, well.
#northamerica
What's on tap for the North American PlayStation Store shopper this week? At least three things, including the soundtrack to the award-winning Flower and one very interesting looking game of pool for the PSP. More »
#violence
Investigative organization WikiLeaks released classified U.S. military video today showing the killing of more than a dozen Iraqis, including two Reuters employees, with a spokesperson for the whistle-blower group slamming the soldiers involved for their "video game" like behavior. More »
#ps3
The PS3 Slim isn't just slim, it's also lighter than the previous model of the console. Which means it's slightly easier to take the thing on the road. Hence this portable gaming rig. More »
Square Enix has revealed detailed information about the five new "clans" found within the races of Eorzea, the realm in which upcoming MMO Final Fantasy XIV will take place. Clans offer up two slightly different character options within the five overall race choices -- for example, if you want to play as a burly Roegadyn, you can go with the paler and more subdued "Sea Wolf" fisherman clan, or heat things up with the rock-and-fire influenced "Hellsguard" clan. Information on all of the races and clans is now available on Square Enix's website.
Unfortunately for Final Fantasy fans, we looked through the whole list of clans, and not a single one of the races lets you become a Sith Warrior. Sure, the Miqo'te Seekers of the Sun look cute and all, but is their one stated goal to kill Jedi? No? Pass, then, sorry.
#callofduty
Despite rumours of Call of Duty developers being "held hostage" over withheld bonus payments, it nevertheless looks like more of those involved with the series have begun to leave Infinity Ward following the sacking of the studio's founders. More »
Services like Xbox Live Arcade have done a good job of reviving classic genres and reinventing them for modern audiences. Unfortunately, one genre that's been sorely under-represented is the top-down dungeon crawler. Arrowhead Game Studios' Magicka is looking to fill that void, mixing in classic Diablo gameplay with elements of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.
The premise should be familiar to anyone that's played a fantasy adventure game before. An evil old wizard is trying to destroy the world and only you (and three other players) can stop him. The tired setting isn't a handicap for Magicka, though, as it allows Arrowhead to satire some of the genre's conventions and most iconic moments. (For example, a hidden area will have you grabbing a "Master Sword" from a stone pedestal, with Zelda-esque music playing in the background.)
What is unique is its gameplay, which focuses on casting element-based magic using the right analog stick. Various elements are assigned to eight directions on the stick, and hitting the analog in a certain direction queues up a spell. The placement of the various elements (and the iconography used to represent them) isn't particularly clear, making Magicka not the most intuitive game to play. However, these elements can be combined and stacked to create interesting spells -- and the addition of co-op multiplayer makes casting magic even more dynamic.
#playstation3
Early in the PlayStation 3's life on store shelves, Sony decided the best way to market the $499-and-up machine was through crying baby dolls and sterile white rooms, ads that shockingly came off as "arrogant." Thank goodness we're past that. More »
#screengrab
A 1.26-meter (a little more than four feet) LEGO model of the Normandy SR2 from Mass Effect 2, by MOCpages member Ben Fellowes. Loads more pictures of his creation through the link. More »
Apparently, the lack of commercial success for MadWorld wasn't due to the game being bad or anything -- it was just that it was on Wii. Sega's Mike Hayes told CVG that the game was a "mismatch with the Wii audience," citing that Sega underestimated the amount of Wii owners who also own other consoles. To him, most gamers looking to experience a Mature-rated game are going to do so on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC ... not the Wii.
Hayes was still proud of Platinum's attempt to strike bloody gold on Nintendo's console, but thinks the developer needs the power of the Xbox 360 and PS3 to "realize what they actually want to do." He points to Bayonetta as an example of this, calling it a "very high-quality standard."
And by "very high-quality standard," we think Hayes meant "in Bayonetta, you can suplex a damn dragon."
#sports
The entire country may be captivated by underdog Butler's Hoosiers-esque tournament run, tipping off now on CBS, but not NCAA Basketball 10. The video game spit back a simulation saying Duke will romp to its fourth national championship. More »
#nintendo
WarioWare: D.I.Y. lets budding young game designers with short attention spans make their own video games. Sure they may last less than 10 seconds, but that's enough for some. How does professional video game maker Ron Carmel do? More »
It's time for another PlayStation Home dance-off! Unlike the original Hamsters vs. Humans dance-off, this one is a community-driven event, powered by passionate fans of Sony's online service. To participate in the least violent conflict between these two species, you'll want to log on to Home's Central Plaza this Wednesday, April 7 at 9:00 p.m. EDT (6:00 p.m. PDT).
Anyone else suddenly reminded of the tagline to the AVP movie?
#violence
Investigative organization WikiLeaks released classified United States military video today showing the killing of more than a dozen Iraqis, including two Reuters employees, with a spokesperson for the whistle-blower group slamming the soldiers involved for their "video game" like behavior. More »
A lot of game critics you talk to will tell you that, after making a career of playing games, it takes a lot to impress them. But that's not exactly the truth.
Perhaps I shouldn't speak for them, but I know for me that all it really takes for a game to knock my socks off is that smallest yet boldest of features: A single great, new idea. I'm not talking about squishing together the dual-stick shooting of Geometry Wars and RPG elements and hoping for the best. I'm talking about an innovation that takes a single step back from the whole idea of what video games are and reapproaches it in a way that feels utterly fresh.
#clips
It's been more than two whole months since the last leak from Duke Nukem Forever, so a fresh look at what could've been, particularly previously unseen driving sequences, is overdue. More »
