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Posted by Joystiq Jun 06 2013 16:30 GMT
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Sega has announced that its rhythm game/simulated-girl simulator Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F will be released for "both PlayStation 3 and Playstation Network" sometime this August, with a demo available June 11, according to the PlayStation Blog.

Originally released for the Vita last August, Project Diva F includes 38 jams by Miku and her Vocaloid friends, as well as "over 90 different costumes and accessories" with which to customize her look, in addition to an Edit Mode that allows players to create their own Miku music videos. The North American version of the game will be equal to the most-recent Japanese releases in terms of graphical updates and feature parity, according to the announcement.

For those of you outside of the thriving digital-girl loop, Hatsune Miku is a Japanese pop star that doesn't actually exist. She was created as a mascot by Crypton Future Media, and her voice is fabricated entirely by Yamaha's Vocaloid 2/3 software. During her live shows - yes, live shows - she appears as a holographic projection, much to the chagrin of her enthusiastic, die-hard fans. If that sounds at all familiar, don't get it backwards: Tupac got the idea from Miku, not the other way around.

Posted by Kotaku Jun 05 2013 16:34 GMT
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The awesome remastered version of Spelunky—which was an Xbox 360 exclusive last year—is coming to PC, PS3 and Vita this summer, according to developer Mossmouth.

Posted by Joystiq Jun 04 2013 23:30 GMT
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This week PSN gets Remember Me for $60 as a full PS3 download (and here's our review). Also on the docket is Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, which hits PSN for $20. Vita gets Limbo for $15, Toro's Friend Network for free, Quell Memento for $5 and Paint Park Plus for free. Class of Heroes 2 hits the PSP this week, and it's now in the Vita store for $25.

PlayStation Plus members can grab the PS3 game Deus Ex: Human Revolution for free, alongside a 10 percent discount on Grid 2 ($54), and 40 percent off Portal 2 ($9.60) and its Move-enabled DLC, In Motion ($4.80). Let's Fish: Hooked On is half off on Vita for Plus members this week, for $10.

Sony has some secret content in store for June, according to PlayStation Digital Platforms Community Manager Paul Sullivan, and it just so happens there's a large gaming convention right in the middle of this month. Keep your eyes peeled.

Posted by Joystiq Jun 04 2013 20:30 GMT
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Guacamelee's first batch of DLC, a costume pack, was supposed to launch today alongside a patch that enabled players to swap characters at checkpoints - but the patch causes serious problems and Drinkbox Studios has pulled it down. This means the DLC won't launch today as planned.

The patch bugs out in save games after acquiring the "Pollo Power," making it impossible for players to leave chicken mode and essentially blocking progress. The patch was live long enough for some players to download it, and Drinkbox says it may have automatically downloaded for PlayStation Plus members last night. To fix the issue, PS3 players can delete Guacamelee entirely and re-download it, and Vita players can save to the cloud, then delete and re-download the game.

"We hope to release a fix for the patch (as well as the downloadable content) as soon as possible," Drinkbox says. "Really sorry about this!"

Posted by Joystiq Jun 04 2013 20:00 GMT
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Stick It To The Man is a grungy, jazzy platform adventure game coming to PS3 and Vita this year, from Swedish developer Zoink!, publisher Ripstone, and written by Ryan North, author of the Adventure Time comic and creator of Dinosaur Comics.

Stick It To The Man stars average-city-dude Ray, who lives in a world made of stickers and paper. After an accident, Ray wakes up with a "giant pink spaghetti arm sticking out of his brain" (just go with it) and finds he has the ability to peel off parts of his surroundings - and surrounding people - and he can read everyone's thoughts (seriously, just let it happen). He's then framed by The Man for a nasty crime, and he must use his new powers to traverse the city safely.

Still on board? Good. Stick It To The Man will be out before the end of 2013, with a playable version at E3 next week.

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Posted by Joystiq Jun 03 2013 21:00 GMT
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Guacamelee is playing dress-up with some new costume DLC tomorrow (June 5 in Europe) but these garbs aren't strictly for show: each outfit employs a type of risk-versus-reward modifier changing Juan and Tostada's traits in the game.

For example, the Pollo Luchador get-up is a bright yellow chicken suit that allows you to replenish health over time, but at the cost of slower stamina regeneration. A skeleton costume grants infinite stamina for super moves, but removes all health packs from the entire game. The third outfit of the bunch decreases throw damage but increases striking damage.

All three outfits will be sold together starting tomorrow for $1.99. The DLC will be accompanied by a patch, which will allow players to switch characters at checkpoints - right now, the PS Vita version of Guacamelee only lets you play as Juan and playing as Tostada alone on PS3 requires a convoluted process that will be moot when the PlayStation Store updates tomorrow.


Posted by Kotaku Jun 03 2013 17:00 GMT
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E3 is just around the corner and, for the fifth year in a row, we're taking a look back at the big three's big E3 promises. What came true, and what didn't? First up is Sony, with Nintendo and Microsoft following suit tomorrow and Wednesday, respectively, at 1PM Eastern. E3 is fundamentally about video games. Thus, Sony tried really hard to maintain focus on games last year; and mostly, they succeeded. While there were brief mentions of the esoteric interactive book platform, Wonderbook, and talk of bringing new media channels to the Vita, the presentation was dominated by games, footage of games, and discussion related to games. With that in mind, let's have a look at what Sony promised to give gamers, and what they managed to deliver. PlayStation 3 Games The Game: Unfinished Swan. The Promise: Unfinished Swan, an abstract first-person adventure game, will come to the PlayStation Network in 2012. The Verdict: Promise kept. Unfinished Swan was released on October 23, 2012, with Plus subscribers getting it a week early. The Game: Assassin's Creed III. The Promise: Assassin's Creed III, the next installment in the Assassin's Creed series of open world historical action games, will be released on October 30, 2012. The Verdict: Promise kept. The Game: Far Cry 3. The Promise: Open world shooter Far Cry 3 will get exclusive DLC on the PlayStation 3. The Verdict: Promise kept. High Tides, a downloadable co-op pack exclusive to PS3, was released on January 16, 2013. The Game: God of War: Ascension. The Promise: The God of War series of hack and slash games will get its next installment with Ascension on March 12, 2013. The Verdict: Promise kept. PlayStation Vita Games The Promise: More than 60 completely new titles will be released for the Vita in 2012, among them Guacamelee, Retro City Rampage, and When Vikings Attack. The Verdict: Promise not really kept. I've counted 42 Vita games in Sony's database which were released between June 4, 2012 and December 31, 2012, starting with Pulzar on June 12 and ending with Chronovolt on December 31. Furthermore, Guacamelee was only released in 2013. The Promise: PlayStation One Classics will be made available for the Vita in summer. The first batch of titles will include the original Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy VII. The Verdict: Promise kept, although the first batch of games was frustratingly small, especially compared to Europe's game list. The following classic PlayStation games were released for the Vita on August 28, 2012: Arc the LadCool Boarders 2FINAL FANTASY VIIHot Shots Golf 2Jet MotoSyphon FilterTomb RaiderTwisted Metal 2Wild Arms The Game: Call of Duty: Black Ops - Declassified The Promise: The Vita's version of Call of Duty: Black Ops, the "first Triple-A first-person shooter in the palm of your hand," will be released in the 2012 holiday season. The Verdict: Promise kept. Kinda. Declassified was released on November 13, 2012, though it wasn't quite the triple-A FPS people were hoping to get. Not by a long shot. The Game: Assassin's Creed III: Liberation The Promise: Liberation, dubbed the "complete Assassin's Creed open world experience on the Vita," will be released on October 30, 2012. The Verdict: Promise kept. Cross-Platform Games The Promise: The PlayStation Network will receive over 200 games in the next twelve months. The Verdict: Promise kept—and how. In Sony's game database, I've counted 362 downloadable titles which were released between now and June 4, 2012, the first one being Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, released on the fifth of June, 2012. The Promise: PlayStation Plus subscribers will get 12 games for free in June, among them LittleBigPlanet 2, inFamous 2, and Saints Row 2. The Verdict: Promise kept. On June 5, 2012, the following games were made available for Plus subscribers: Choplifter HDHard Corps: UprisinginFamous 2Just Cause 2Lara Croft and the Guardian of LightLittleBigPlanet 2Ratchet & Clank: All 4 OneSaints Row 2Sideway New YorkVirtua Fighter 5: Final ShowdownWarhammer 40K: Space MarineZombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone The Game: PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. The Promise: Crossover fighting game Battle Royale will be released for the Vita, and will feature cross-platform multiplayer between PS3 and Vita copies. The Verdict: Promise kept. The game was released for both the PS3 and the Vita on the same day, November 20, 2012. Cross-platform play was an included feature. The Game: PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. The Promise: All-Stars will get two new characters, Mr. Bubbles from BioShock and Nathan Drake from Uncharted. The Verdict: Promise kept. Both characters were included with the game at launch. The Game: LittleBigPlanet 2. The Promise: LittleBigPlanet 2 will receive the Cross-Controller DLC in 2012. This pack will enable the Vita to be used as an enhanced controller for the game, and will also feature simultaneous Vita-PS3 multiplayer, a new story mode, and new in-game content. The Verdict: Promise kept. The DLC was released to the PlayStation Network on December 18, 2012. Miscellaneous The Promise: Hulu Plus and Crackle TV will be made available for the Vita via dedicated apps. The Verdict: Promise not yet kept. While both services are available on the PS3, at the time of writing neither have apps on the Vita. The Promise: The Wonderbook, a new platform for interactive stories, will be released in Fall 2012, with J.K. Rowling's Book of Spells as its launch title. The Verdict: Promise kept. Both the Wonderbook and the Book of Spells were released on November 13, 2012. The Promise: The PS3 will receive a Wonderbook game called Diggs Nightcrawler. The Verdict: Promise kept, sort of. Diggs Nightcrawler was released on May 31, 2013 in Europe, and is slated to come out this coming holiday season in North America. The Promise: PlayStation Mobile games will be available on third party Android devices, with HTC devices being the first. The Verdict: Promise kept. The PlayStation Mobile service officially launched on October 3, 2012, and was compatible with three HTC smartphones, the One X, One S, and One V. All in all, Sony did alright. There were slip-ups; missing Vita games, Hulu going MIA, and calling Call of Duty's Vita version "lackluster" would be putting it lightly. Yet, release dates were met, franchises were continued as planned, and we even got the Wonderbook. Well done! Don't forget to tune in tomorrow for a similar look at Nintendo's briefing. Questions? Comments? Contact the author of this post at andras-AT-kotaku-DOT-com.

Posted by Joystiq Jun 03 2013 17:00 GMT
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Tomorrow's introduction of Deus Ex: Human Revolution to PlayStation Plus may be aptly sneaky. After all, with a week left before E3, Eidos Montreal teases 'The Fall' - a tagline Square Enix registered Deus Ex domains and trademarks for. Then again, this is the same studio that yanked our chain on April 1.

Speculation hats off, confirmation hats on. Definitely also coming to North America's Instant Game Collection sometime this month are the madcap Saints Row: The Third, the eccentric Machinarium, the mysterious Virtue's Last Reward, and the, er, orc-ish Orc Attack.

Meanwhile, in addition to Human Revolution, tomorrow's PS Store update brings Plus discounts to Grid 2, Portal 2 and its 'In Motion' DLC, and Let's Fish: Hooked On for the Vita.

Finally, as ever June sees a number of games flung out of the 'Plus revolving doors. Sleeping Dogs passes out tomorrow, followed by Closure, Ratchet & Clank All 4 One, Infamous 2, and LittleBigPlanet 2 on June 11. Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny breaks out on June 18, and then BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend says so long on June 25.

Update: There'll a few more PlayStation Plus comings and going this month beyond this lot, but Sony's keeping quiet about them for now - perhaps it has a few things up its sleeves for E3. The info comes via PlayStation Digital Platforms Community Manager Paul Sullivan, who took to the comments on the PlayStation Blog.

"Not all games coming in and out are listed. Keep checking up on us for some more additions to the list," reads one of Sullivan's comments. Another says, "Keep checking on us, not *all* of the June games have been listed yet."

Posted by Joystiq Jun 03 2013 17:00 GMT
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Tomorrow's introduction of Deus Ex: Human Revolution to PlayStation Plus may be aptly sneaky. After all, with a week left before E3, Eidos Montreal teases 'The Fall' - a tagline Square Enix registered Deus Ex domains and trademarks for. Then again, this is the same studio that yanked our chain on April 1.

Speculation hats off, confirmation hats on. Definitely also coming to North America's Instant Game Collection sometime this month are the madcap Saints Row: The Third, the eccentric Machinarium, the mysterious Virtue's Last Reward, and the, er, orc-ish Orc Attack.

Meanwhile, in addition to Human Revolution, tomorrow's PS Store update brings Plus discounts to Grid 2, Portal 2 and its 'In Motion' DLC, and Let's Fish: Hooked On for the Vita.

Finally, as ever June sees a number of games flung out of the 'Plus revolving doors. Sleeping Dogs passes out tomorrow, followed by Closure, Ratchet & Clank All 4 One, Infamous 2, and LittleBigPlanet 2 on June 11. Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny breaks out on June 18, and then BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend says so long on June 25.

Posted by Kotaku Jun 03 2013 15:15 GMT
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Viva la Vita. No need to wait for a price drop that may not come at E3 or a holiday value bundle with games you may not want. Amazon is giving $50 in credit to anyone who buys a Vita, and there are two options to choose from. • Playstation Vita Wifi + $50 Credit ($250) • Playstation Vita 3G + Unit 13 + 4GB Memory Card + 1 Year Plus + $50 Credit ($300) Also available: • 32GB Vita Memory Card ($85) | Normally $100 • Soul Sacrifice ($30) | Normally $40 • Sly Cooper ($20) | Normally $30 Amazon credit is basically the same as money in your pocket, and if you would have preferred PSN credit, you can just use the credit to buy a $50 PSN card. Keep up with Shane Roberts on Kinja and Twitter. Check out Dealzmodo for more great tech deals, and Deals.Kinja.com for even more discounts. This is a Moneysaver One-Shot, a post focusing on a single deal, sale, or category. Join us every weekday at 2:15pm ET for the full Moneysaver roundup, brought to you by the Commerce Team. We're here to bring Kotaku readers the best gaming deals available, and to be clear, we also make money if you buy. We want your feedback.

Posted by Kotaku Jun 02 2013 18:00 GMT
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Gazillion's Diablo-esque Marvel Heroes MMO highlights this week's typically quiet run-up to E3, accompanied by the all-new, dystopian Remember Me on consoles and PC, and a retail edition of Minecraft for the Xbox 360. Tuesday • Remember Me (360, PS3, PC) • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Legendary Edition (360, PS3, PC) • Crysis 3: The Lost Island (360, PS3, PC) • Minecraft (360) • Marvel Heroes (PC) • Class of Heroes II (PSN) • Limbo (PSN) Wednesday • Rescue Team 3 (Mac) Friday • 7 Grand Steps (PC, Mac) Follow Dealzon on Twitter.

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Posted by Kotaku May 31 2013 09:20 GMT
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Above you can see Starlight Inception, Escape Hatch Entertainment's successfully Kickstarted space simulator, coming out this August on PC, PS3, and Vita. With this, Kinetic Void, Elite: Dangerous and Star Citizen on the way, I'd say we're looking at a full-scale Kickstarter-backed genre revival. And it is glorious.

Posted by Joystiq May 31 2013 03:00 GMT
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Sony has brought in major financial help from Morgan Stanley and Citigroup as it considers billionaire Daniel Loeb's proposition that it breaks off and sells its entertainment division, Bloomberg reports. Loeb, who owns a 6 percent stake in Sony stock worth $1.1 billion, wants Sony to sell as much as 20 percent of its entertainment business.

Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai previously said the board would consider Loeb's offer. Loeb, with Third Point LLC, sent a letter to Sony on May 14 arguing an entertainment IPO would allow Sony to focus on its electronics arm, which has seen nine consecutive annual losses.

Posted by Joystiq May 31 2013 01:30 GMT
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When Dragon's Crown launches on August 6, some DLC will let you swap out the stock narration for a mouthpiece centered on one of the game's classes: Amazon, Dwarf, Elf, Fighter, Sorceress, and Wizard. The DLC will be a free download at first and cost $1.99 after the first month.

Dragon's Crown is a side-scrolling action game that sports multiplayer elements and a controversial art style. It's currently in development at Vanillaware for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.

Posted by Kotaku May 30 2013 13:29 GMT
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Limbo, the shadowy puzzle game where you unintentionally murder a small child multiple times over, will release on the Vita (and PSN) for $14.99 next Tuesday, June 4.

Posted by Joystiq May 30 2013 01:00 GMT
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IndieCade organizers announced this year's lineup of PC, mobile, and PS Vita games that will be featured at the committee's upcoming E3 showcase event.

IndieCade's E3 booth will spotlight indie-produced PC efforts like Mousechief's 7 Grand Steps, Robot Loves Kitty's Legend of Dungeon, and Muse Games' Guns of Icarus Online. PS Vita offerings include Honeyslug's Hohokum and a previously unannounced port of thatgamecompany's Flower.

Many featured games will also appear at the main IndieCade festival event in October. A full rundown of IndieCade's E3 lineup is after the break below.


Posted by Kotaku May 29 2013 18:30 GMT
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Looks like the PlayStation 4 will be taking a page from the book of Wii U: according to Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida, almost all PS4 games will support Remote Play on the Vita. In other words, you'll be able to play PS4 games on your handheld, so long as the tech works. At the PS4 reveal back in February, Sony promised that thanks to their new streaming technology, the Vita will be able to play PS4 games. Today, Eurogamer came out with a report saying that the Vita will be able to play all PS4 games—Sony is making it mandatory for developers to implement the Remote Play functionality in any games that don't require the PlayStation Eye camera, the report said. Yoshida confirmed this on Twitter today: "Yes, it's true unless the game requires specific hardware like the camera. It will be great to play PS4 games on PS Vita." Question is, how well will it work? If you can actually stream PS4 games to your handheld with no hiccups—or if you could switch back and forth without missing a beat, like you can on Wii U—this could be a serious game-changer (and bathroom-enhancer). To contact the author of this post, write to jason@kotaku.com or find him on Twitter at @jasonschreier.

Posted by Joystiq May 29 2013 01:00 GMT
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This week's PlayStation Store update enables pre-orders for Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, bundled with a PSN theme, the soundtrack and some avatars. The PS3 exclusive is slated to launch on PSN and in stores on June 14, 2013, and should be playable as soon as it's downloaded halfway.

Grid 2 and Fuse are also available through PSN today, launching alongside their retail counterparts. Rockstar's The Warriors is also on the menu, making its PS2 Classics debut for $10.

Meanwhile, PlayStation Plus subscribers can download a free copy of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend on PS Vita, as well as a free PS Vita music app, Imaginstruments.

Posted by Joystiq May 28 2013 19:15 GMT
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This week's PlayStation Plus freebie is BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend. All PlayStation Plus members can download the PS Vita fighter gratis when the PlayStation Network updates tomorrow - sorry, the PS3 version does not apply.

Tomorrow, PS Plus also gets a free timed trial of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and Insomniac Games' latest, Fuse. Finally, PS Plus-exclusive discounts on a few different games will be up for grabs tomorrow: Hamilton's Great Adventure is down to $2.50; Draw Slasher is $4.19; and Germinator can be snagged for $5.

Posted by Kotaku May 28 2013 16:15 GMT
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It was supposed to be a Wii U exclusive but now Rayman Legends—after that controversial delay—will be coming to a total of four systems on September 3rd. Along with Nintendo’s home console, the action platformer will be hitting the PS3, Xbox 360 and PlayStation Vita. The version for Sony’s handheld will include five exclusive maps where you’ll be able to control green fly character Murphy and Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell costumes for Rayman and Globox. The game will be out in the EMEA region on August 29 and in the U.K. on August 30th.

Posted by Kotaku May 28 2013 11:40 GMT
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Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f, released last August, is one of the Vita’s best-selling games despite never being released outside of Japan. Then back in March the PS3 version of the game, Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F (notice the capital “F”) was released as well. And while there are several differences in features between the two versions of the game, the biggest (and most obvious) difference is the power of the hardware behind the games. But does the PS3 version really look that much better than the Vita version? Check out the video above to find out. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f was released on August 30, 2012, for the PlayStation Vita in Japan. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F was released on Mach 7, 2013, for the PlayStation 3. There is currently no word on a Western release. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am. To contact the author of this post, write to BiggestinJapan@gmail.com or find him on Twitter @BiggestinJapan.

Posted by Joystiq May 27 2013 21:00 GMT
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Square Enix's "Fabula Nova Crystallis" returns from the abyss, once again, with the company's recent trademark registration of Final Fantasy Agito. Gematsu took note of the registration - or re-registration depending on your perspective - of the trademark with the similar name to the game once known as Final Fantasy Agito XIII, which eventually launched in Japan as Final Fantasy Type-0 in 2011 on PSP.

Whispers of a western release for Type-0 have been around for two years, but never really went anywhere. All we know for certain is that Square Enix Presents is scheduled for E3 and some Final Fantasy news is planned... because there's always Final Fantasy news planned. Always.

Posted by Kotaku May 26 2013 18:00 GMT
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No longer making shooters exclusively for PlayStation 3, Insomniac is now making ... a shooter for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The former Overstrike arrives on Tuesday as the reconstituted Fuse. Other highlights include Crusader Kings II DLC and The Warriors coming to PSN. Tuesday • GRID 2 (PC) • Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods (PC DLC) • Crusader Kings II: Norse Unit Pack (PC DLC) • Crusader Kings II: Norse Portraits (PC DLC) • Crusader Kings II: Hymns to the Old Gods (PC DLC) • Fuse (360, PS3) • The Warriors (PSN) Wednesday • The Night of the Rabbit (PC, Mac) • Ku: Shroud of the Morrigan (PC) • Ballad of Solar (Mac) Thursday • Wargame Airland Battle (PC) Friday • 99 Spirits (PC) • Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded (PC) Saturday • LEGO Legends of Chima: Laval's Journey (Vita, DS, 3DS) Follow Dealzon on Twitter.

Posted by Joystiq May 26 2013 03:30 GMT
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These latest Dragon's Crown trailers showcase the various ways in which the Dwarf and Elf characters are equipped to burn pig-men and mess up skeleton junk like nobody's business.

Posted by Joystiq May 25 2013 08:30 GMT
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Marvelous USA (formerly Xseed) announced that it has secured the North American publishing rights for Game Arts' PlayStation 3 and PS Vita action-RPG Ragnarok Odyssey Ace. A European release is also in the works, courtesy of Japanese publisher GungHo.

An expanded version of last year's PS Vita release Ragnarok Odyssey, Ace boasts numerous gameplay additions and includes all of the original game's DLC. Ace additionally supports cross-platform play, giving PS3 and PS Vita players the ability to party up and quest for loot together.

Ragnarok Odyssey Ace will launch this winter in North America and Europe. Marvelous USA plans to show off the PS Vita version at E3 in June.

Posted by Kotaku May 24 2013 20:30 GMT
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I watched the trailer for the upcoming Batman game that got released earlier this week and immediately had one inescapable thought: You can’t tell it’s a prequel. That’s not a good thing. Nothing about Batman’s look or affect in the four-minute clip makes it seem like he’s in the early days of his crimefighting career. Overall, it could be just another Batman video game that looks like the last ones. That’s to be expected, of course, as Warner Bros’ game marketing folks want it to be viewed as part of the same franchise despite being made by a different studio. But trying to do so misses the best thing a prequel has going for it. Arkham Origins’ biggest opportunity is to show a Bruce Wayne who’s building this identity called Batman. There’s a lot of raw storytelling ore to found in the Dark Knight’s early days. Hell, there’s a whole subgenre of Bat-mythos concerned with just the first year of Batman’s crusade. But the key to having such endeavors work is to ensure they don’t make the audience scratch their head about the long narrative life story of the character. Sure, the idea of a video-scrubbing investigation mechanic sounds cool and, based on what Stephen Totilo’s written on it, it could be one of the better additions to the Batman game formula. But, unless it’s presented as Batman learning to be a better detective, it’s just a gameplay gimmick. Same goes for enemies being to able to counter Batman’s strikes. If it’s understood that they can do that because a younger Batman isn’t as skilled a fighter, then, sure, throw the countered counter counters at me. It's the problem with any prequel. How do you make players feel like they're as much of a bad-ass as they were in earlier games, while making the character seem like a novice? Trickier still, any explanations could themselves break the trance that Warner Bros. Montreal is trying to cast on the player. Now the game could be an extended flashback narrated by an older Batman. You know, the whole “I was young and cocky” bit. However they handle these prequel problems, they’ll need to be careful not to make a more inexperienced Batman seem like bigger bad-ass than the older versions in Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. And that needs to be done without making Batman feel wimpier than in those games. It can be done. Batman: Year One, the Mask of the Phantasm movie and the Venom storyline all deliver a Bruce Wayne who’s far more fallible than the hero he’d later become. You understand why he becomes a loner, an obsessive planner and more emotionally closed-off. In fact, the idea that you as a player are helping Batman evolve—taking him from a rich guy in an armored suit to a fearsome shadow predator—could be the most compelling thing that Arkham Origins brings to the table. The previous Bat-games let you play a Dark Knight at his peak. This one should let you help him get there. To contact the author of this post, write to evan@kotaku.com or find him on Twitter @EvNarc

Posted by Joystiq May 24 2013 09:00 GMT
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Class of Heroes 2, MonkeyPaw's PSP game from 2009, is finally coming to North America on June 4. PSN users can snag the fully localized JRPG dungeon crawler - which is playable on both PSP and PS Vita - for $25 from the PSN store.

The effort to localize Class of Heroes 2 began in 2012 with a Kickstarter campaign seeking $500,000 in funding. Ultimately, only $96,951 was raised, though MonkeyPaw CEO John Greiner wasn't too down in a follow-up interview with Joystiq.

Greiner said that even though the Kickstarter campaign failed, "we were able to educate people about the game and its features. That will help immensely when we release the digital version."

Posted by Joystiq May 23 2013 19:30 GMT
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Sony executives are considering splitting the company's entertainment and electronics divisions, following billionaire Daniel Loeb's proposed initial public offering of its entertainment business. The entertainment arm includes all PlayStation properties, alongside Sony's film and music businesses.

Loeb, with Third Point LLC, owns a 6 percent stake in Sony worth $1.1 billion, and is Sony's biggest investor. Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai confirmed that the top brass is considering Loeb's offer, but didn't say when it would come to a decision, Bloomberg reports.

"It's only a start," Hirai said. "It's important that the board will discuss this and come to a decision that represents Sony's stance." Following Loeb's offer yesterday, Sony stock surged 9 percent.

Posted by Kotaku May 23 2013 08:00 GMT
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My good friend Martin has a saying whenever we talk about upcoming movies: "Trailers lie." Rarely will what we see in a trailer accurately encapsulate what the actual finished movie or game will be like. A trailer is designed specifically to garner interest, and not necessarily to truthfully describe what it's selling. And yet, even knowing this, very often we find ourselves passing judgment on something based solely on the few minutes of less-than-one percent of a completed product. When I saw the trailer for Freedom Wars last week, I was sadly, woefully, pathetically underwhelmed. Everything about it screamed "cliché futuristic JRPG" to me. Not that a cliché JRPG is necessarily a bad thing. But in this case, with the stack of unfinished, time-consuming JRPGs I already have, I pretty much figured I could predict the entirety of Freedom Wars and that time spent actually playing the game would be better spent playing something else. Here's what I thought the game would be about, based on what I saw: A dystopic fantasy world where some technology allows you to see how much time a person has left to live. Some governing organization maintains control by draining the life energy out of undesirable members of society and using the energy for some purpose (most likely to protect cities from monsters). The main character is a member of a resistance group composed of members who have the ability to harness their own life energy and fight for the oppressed to overthrow the totalitarian government. Somewhere along the way the main character meets/captures an android girl/heroine and through their journey together, tragedy and drama ensues. Blah blah blah, boss fight, massive conspiracy/plot for dominance and/or godhood, grand finale, been there, done that. Turns out I could not have been more wrong. Freedom Wars is in actuality a multiplayer action game for up to 8 players. The game takes place in a dark future where, after years of environmental destruction, people now live in giant prisons called "Panopticons." From the moment of birth, people are given a sentence of one million years. Prisoners can volunteer for dangerous missions to rescue kidnapped civilians from giant monsters called "Abducters," in order to have this million year sentence reduced and hopefully one day gain actual citizenship. Prisoners are accompanied on their missions by customizable monitoring androids called "Accessories" that can act as partners in battle. I am actually genuinely interested in Freedom Wars now. It's like how if you start with a good impression but fall out of favor, it's very hard to win someone back over, but if you start with a bad impression and get on their good graces, they're more likely to stick with you even after subsequent negative news. "Freedom Wars made me call myself on my own bullshit." My initial assessment of Freedom Wars was that it would be a bland, by-the-numbers JRPG (I was even going to put money down on that fact, which means I probably owe Brian a drink), but now, being shown that my presumptions were irresponsibly erroneous, I feel far more willing to give the game a chance. Basically, Freedom Wars made me call myself on my own bullshit. At its core level, the game does have the faint odor of another "answer to Monster Hunter that isn't Monster Hunter": You have mission-based gameplay and heavily emphasized multiplayer action with players battling large beasts... But the overall game layout is different enough that I actually didn't notice the similarities until going over the game description a second time. The game will also apparently feature competitive multiplayer between different major areas utilizing the Vita's network and location functions, which seems like an interesting component, but also all but ensures that the game will be Japan exclusive. Freedom Wars is scheduled for release on the PS Vita in Japan in 2014. No word on an international release, but unless they have global territory battles planned, it seems unlikely. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am. contact the author of this post, write to cogitoergonihil@gmail.com or find him on Twitter @tnakamura8.

Posted by Joystiq May 22 2013 04:59 GMT
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The Vita and iOS devices are set to receive a new dose of horror courtesy of Dying: Sinner Escape. The game is being made with help from the creator of Saw, according to developer Nekcom Entertainment, though the announcement neglects to name exactly which creator it's referring to. Neither Saw's director, James Wan, nor its screenwriter, Leigh Whannell, are mentioned specifically.

Regardless, Dying clearly has a Saw vibe. It's story revolves around characters being trapped in foreboding environments, forcing them to solve strange puzzles and try to escape. The game will be released episodically with the first episode, "Last Hour," slated to arrive on May 25.