#glitches
It doesn't matter how many years Square-Enix spent making Final Fantasy XIII. They still wound up with glitches. Either that or they secretly programmed the character Hope to have the jumping ability of Super Mario and the indecision of Hamlet. More »
Electronic Arts is again setting its sights on conquering the lucrative lands of free-to-play gaming with Lord of Ultima, launching today on a browser near you. The online strategy game certainly has more of a "core" audience in mind -- as if the Ultima license didn't already give that away -- with players constructing kingdoms through war, trade and diplomacy.
We haven't had a chance to play yet, so we're not exactly sure where the microtransactions in this game fit in. The press release and main Lord of Ultima site are very sketchy on the details. A quick scan of the site mentioned that the game is free to play, but "there is the option to purchase additional features etc." If you've taken LoU for a spin, feel free to drop the microtransaction details in the comments below.
#launchday
EA Phenomic lures unsuspecting gamers into an addictive, free-to-play, browser-based online strategy game using the name of a beloved classic role-playing franchise in Lord of Ultima, now available for play worldwide. More »
Of all the canned games that we wish could see the light of day, the 3D update of Vectorman for PS2 is at the top of the list. ... Okay, maybe he's not at the top of the list, but he could probably walk there. ... Not walk, but it would be a short drive. So, as you've likely gathered, it's with a mountain of measured enthusiasm we present these recently unearthed pieces of concept art from the game, discovered by Siliconera.
You can get a slightly better idea of what the game would have played like with the alpha footage after the break. As you'll see, it kind of looks like a blend of Blasto and Red Faction, which probably sounds a lot better in theory than practice.
Silicon Studio set out to make a game primarily as a means of showing off its graphical effect middleware -- and then chose a retro-style action RPG as that showcase. That shouldn't work at all. But somehow, the developer managed to pull it off; 3D Dot Game Heroes is a faithful, expertly crafted reproduction of NES-era gameplay that happens to highlight spectacular visual effects in a logical way.
The studio pulled this impressive feat off by designing a world composed of giant cubes, essentially 3D versions of 8-bit sprites. This style is overlaid with insane visual effects, like an exaggerated depth of field that makes everything look miniature, and surreal, sparkling water. Even the spells are winkingly based on graphical effects like shaders and parallax maps. It's essentially the lost NES Zelda game. Or, rather, it's a parody of the Zelda series executed so perfectly that it is itself an excellent Zelda game.
#hatsunemiku
Crane game prizes can run the gamut of everything from rice cookers to stuffed animals. Figures are not uncommon. This figure, however, is quite nice. More »
#iceland
The eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano may have wreaked havoc with international game distribution, but what's it done to Iceland's game studios, like EVE Online's developers CCP? More »
#ffxiv
I'm not that interested in Final Fantasy XIV, what with it being a massively multiplayer game and all, but man, I'm interested in anything and everything related to Cary Elwes. Like this guy. More »
#art
Upcoming Japanese action role-playing game Nier is getting an English language comic book. How does it compare to the original Japanese art? More »
#iphone
ESP Training is a new game/application for the iPhone that, were it not for a fantastic connection to Ghostbusters, would be a fairly nondescript app. Lucky for that connection, then! More »
#rpg
Since the majority of video game players in the West are white, when they play a role-playing game, it's not hard to have their character looking and dressing like them. But what if you're not white? More »
#japan
The general public has yet to see the upcoming 3D-glasses-free Nintendo 3DS. It will be playable sometime this year. Exciting, no? Well, not to some folks in Japan. More »
#toys
Epic sci-fi series Xenosaga inspires devotion in its die-hard fans, and KOS-MOS is a Xenosaga character that inspires devotion in their...hearts. Here's a new KOS-MOS figure. But be warned. She is expensive. More »
#ipad
Farm simulator FarmVille launched on social networking site Facebook.com. It then became hugely popular, boasting 80 million users. Know what that means? More »
#europe
You know how ash from the Icelandic volcano has disrupted plane travel to and from Europe? Well, we've heard there were video games on some of those cancelled flights. More »
#clips
Games as art? Not my kind of discussion, really. Games can be what they want to be, and what you want them to be. Whatever. But art as games? Now this is something I can get behind. More »
