spring-2011
Latest
Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls finds a home on PSN
The positively historical first-person RPG series Wizardry will continue in North America and Europe in as modern a manner as can be: a downloadable PSN game for PS3. XSEED is localizing Acquire's Wizardry: Torawareshi Tamashii no Meikyū for the West as Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls. Though the series started in America (in 1981!) in recent years it's been more popular in Japan, with sequels developed by Japanese companies and released only in Japan. That explains why this version looks a bit more anime than the original did. Players will be able to explore a grid-based dungeon and fight 120 different monsters, all with hand-drawn 2D sprites, sometime this spring.%Gallery-119622%
Arcana Heart 3 coming to North America as PSN download
Aksys did two things today to maintain its status as a favorite publisher among fighting game nerds: (1) announced that it's localizing Arcana Heart 3, the third game in Examu's bizarre anime-girl 2D fighting series; and (2) in that announcement, said that the game is being released on PSN in North America. In doing so, however, the publisher also did one thing that might incite a bit of rage among some fighting game nerds: Aksys is only releasing the game on PSN (for PS3) in North America. In Japan, the fighter was released on disc for PS3 and Xbox 360. While it might be a loss for Xbox players, we're going to assume PS3 owners will be able to pick up the digital release for a bit less than it would cost them to import the disc version -- which sells for ¥7,140 ($86!). If you're unfamiliar with the series, Arcana Heart 3 is a hand-drawn 2D fighter featuring a cast of 23 female combatants, who can be paired with 23 different "Arcana" spirits to augment their abilities. Arcana Heart 3 includes three characters new to the series: Weiss, Eko and Scharlachrot, as well as a new, optional simplified control scheme for new players. It'll be available this spring; and a trailer is available right now, after the break.%Gallery-116622%
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift 2 shifts to PSP
Arc System Works is preparing another BlazBlue release on PSP, according to a Dengeki report summarized by Andriasang. The new game will be based on BlazBlue: Continuum Shift 2, the latest arcade release, which is itself based on the PS3/Xbox 360 game BlazBlue: Continuum Shift. What that means is that the PSP version will have all the new characters that were added in Continuum Shift, including the three DLC characters. It also has new additions to the strategy-game-esque Legion mode introduced in the first BlazBlue Portable, along with a new mode called "Abyss Mode," which Dengeki says will be "full of gameplay." What kind of gameplay? Nobody knows! The magazine speculates that it could be a dungeon RPG. BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2 will be released this spring in Japan. We're checking with Aksys about its plans for North America.
KDDI au outs Winter 2010 and Spring 2011 collections at the same time
A few of these handsets were already public knowledge, but by and large, KDDI's mind-numbing torrent of phones announced as members of its new Winter 2010 and Spring 2011 collections will leave you once again asking why you haven't sold your four-bedroom suburban home and relocated your entire family to a 125 square foot flat in the heart of Tokyo. We've already talked about the X-Ray, a member of KDDI's fashion-forward iida line, and the 16.4 megapixel Sony Ericsson S006 -- but other highlights include the IS04, IS05, and IS06, Android smartphones from Toshiba, Sharp, and Pantech, respectively (which doesn't even include Sharp's IS03 announced at CEATEC a few days ago). Of the three, none matches the IS03's 960 x 640 display nor its low-power secondary LCD, but the Toshiba Regza IS04 notably features a 12.1 megapixel cam. As the iida line goes, the X-Ray will be joined by the G11, a follow-on to 2009's G9 model -- and from what we can discern, it'll be a GSM / CDMA dual mode slider for international roaming with a touch-sensitive area below the 854 x 480 display in place of the G9's physical keys. Highlights among the other models include an upgraded Sharp Aquos Shot SH010 combining a 14.1 megapixel sensor with a waterproof shell, a Bravia-branded Sony Ericsson S005 with a 1GHz processor, and "simple" phones from Kyocera and Pantech -- the K008 and PT002, respectively -- that are designed for the occasional shopper that actually doesn't want ridiculous specs designed to make every phone outside Japan look like a DynaTAC. There's also a new e-reader, the E Ink-equipped Biblio Leaf SP02, featuring integrated solar recharging -- a smart feature for a device designed to sip power in the first place -- and a new mobile WiFi hotspot from Pantech, the WiFi Walker Data05. If you need to know more, follow the source link, but we've got to warn you: it might be hours before you're done.
Famitsu: XBLA shmup Omega Five coming to 3DS
It's okay if you don't remember Omega Five. The Natsume-developed side-scrolling shump hit XBLA (pictured) in early 2008 and has since shot into obscurity. According to Famitsu, the game is set to appear on Nintendo 3DS in Japan during Spring 2011 -- where it'll probably make a more memorable bow among a launch lineup otherwise devoid of "traditional" shoot-em-ups. Hudson published Omega Five on XBLA. The company hasn't made a peep about the 3DS version, but we'll check in to see what -- if anything -- it has to say about a possible North American release.
Heroes on the Move renamed: PlayStation Move Heroes
Heroes on the Move was always a tentative title for Sony's motion controlled mash-up mini-game collection. Perhaps thinking the placeholder moniker was too clever, the Sony marketing team has unveiled a brand new title for the game: PlayStation Move Heroes. The alternate title was going to be That PlayStation Move Game with Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, and Sly Cooper, so at least the better title won out. In addition to the new title, Sony also revealed details of the game's story. How do these heroes come together? A mysterious alien duo has swept through the galaxy, fiendishly snatching entire chunks from the worlds of Ratchet, Jak and Sly to create a mysterious new planet in the galaxy. After being abducted to this new world, Ratchet, Clank, Jak, Daxter, Sly Cooper and Bentley are invited by their gracious alien hosts to compete in friendly, yet challenging competition to test their extraordinary skills ... but as our heroes discover, all is not as it seems. Our fearless heroes soon find themselves joined together in the ultimate battle to protect the galaxy -- and in a fight for their own survival. PlayStation Move Heroes is set for release in Spring 2011.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 coming spring 2011 to PS3, Xbox 360
Download in HD from Big Download As Arnold Schwarzenegger would say: "It's not a rumah!" Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is very real, and was unveiled by Capcom last week at its Captivate 2010 event. As you can see in the trailer above, the series is going fully polygonal for round three, with visuals that its publisher says deliver "a 'moving comic' style, blurring the boundaries between 2D and 3D graphics." Save for the fairly mundane cityscape, we'd have to agree that the characters in the video look like an evolution of what Capcom was able to deliver in Street Fighter IV. Also of note: The game is being built using the MT Framework engine, which powers Lost Planet 2. It's coming to PS3 and Xbox 360 in spring 2011. The producer and "total" director of the game (the trailer credits actually list him as such!) is none other than Ryota Niitsuma, producer of the superb versus series fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. In fact, Niitsuma expressed his enthusiasm for the fighting genre to us back in January of this year. Now we know at least one of the reasons why. As for the cast of characters, the trailer (and artwork in the gallery below) give us clear looks at Ryu, Morrigan, Wolverine, Hulk, Iron Man and ... Resident Evil's Chris Redfield. We've taken a long hard look at the silhouettes that appear behind the Capcom and Marvel logos are the start of the footage (and, again, in the background of the official art) and have, we think, identified some of the other characters, including Dante, Viewtiful Joe, Chun-Li, Frank West, Captain America, Dr. Doom, Deadpool and Super-Skrull. We know you can figure out the rest, right? There have to be some good ones, as Capcom's VP of strategic planning and bizdev, Christian Svensson, boldly claims we're in store for "the most epic fighting game ever developed." Update: A Capcom representative has provided Joystiq with a few more hints about the size of the character roster. "We're not necessarily hyping the number of characters with MvC3, we're hyping quality," the rep offered. "These aren't just sprites you can plug into the game. This is a full, disc-based release with gorgeous 3D models powered by the latest version of MT Framework. At this point, there are roughly 30 characters in the game, but that number will increase. You can rest assured that Niitsuma-san and his team will be working hard to include as many characters as possible before the game hits next year." %Gallery-91173%
Star Wars: The Old Republic rumored for spring in 2011
A long time from now, in a game store probably not too far away... you might be getting your copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Well, all right, spring of 2011 might not be all that far along, but if you're one of the many eagerly looking forward to Bioware's entry into the MMO arena, it certainly feels like an eternity. ShackNews has recently reported on a rumor that John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts, mentioned that they were looking forward to their next big MMO launch in spring of 2011 while discussing the company's financial outlook. Although he was cautious and stated they had not announced a launch date, he did mention that the team was making "great progress" toward that timeframe. Obviously, the game was not specified by name, which does technically mean he could have been referring to another game. But unless they've secretly been developing Warhammer Online II: The Warhammering, in all likelihood we can expect to see Star Wars: The Old Republic early next year. Which might be good news if you're a Bioware fan anyway, since Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2 are making enough of a dent on your wallet this year.
