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Rumor: focus group discusses possible Heavenly Sword 2 info
It seems a focus group got together, thanks to Chatter Inc., and talked about Heavenly Sword 2. At first, the questions were standard survey stuff -- nothing too meaty, just reactions to the first game. Later, though, tidbits were unveiled about possibilities with the sequel. What were they? We'll list them below, but if you hate spoilers, we'd recommend you turn your monitor off and bathe in clorox until all the pigment is gone from your skin. Heavenly Sword 2 will take place 10 years after the events in Heavenly Sword. The main character will be a male with martial arts background. The main character will be Kai, but she will be a more mature woman. The game will require you to master different martial arts styles before retrieving the heavenly sword. The game will, instead of button mashing, have controls that utilize an analog stick to go through weapons. The game will have downloadable weapons, characters, and enemies to customize your experience. The game will be more interactive with the environment. The game will have you on a storyline with replayable missions, as opposed to an open world. It seems like it's all speculation, but we can kind of see how the game will turn out if they follow some of these ideas. Instead of being compared to God of War, it seems the game might turn more into a Devil May Cry presentation style. Just so Kai isn't so ... weird. Take this rumor with a basket of salt.
SouthPeak announces Mister Slime for North America
SouthPeak games is putting out a new action adventure game called Mister Slime. Development duties will be handled by Lexis Numérique. SouthPeak executive vice president Katie Morgan calls it "fresh, tactile, fun, and addictive. That is what Mister Slime is all about."The game releases in April, but has been available in Germany for quite some time now. For some screens, hit up our gallery below. Past the break you will find the press release.%Gallery-17549%
God of War TV spot is most epic PSP ad ever
From Crackle: God of War Chains of Olympus commercial It makes sense that God of War would warrant such an epic ad. This is easily the biggest release on PSP to date, and SCEA is doing it justice with a pretty awesome looking TV spot. Narrated by Linda Hunt, this ad should do a good job of targeting the fans of God of War on PS2. We hear they come in the millions. We can't wait to see what the sales charts for PSP look like at the end of the month. Will gamers make the plunge? Or, will they wait for the incredibly sexy PSP bundle, due this summer?
Ready at Dawn: 'our work on PSP has come to an end'
In spite of the critical praise God of War: Chains of Olympus is picking up, Ready at Dawn's Ru Weerasuriya confirms that they're ready to move on to bigger (but not necessarily better) things. He tells Next-Gen that the much loved PSP team is done with Sony's handheld. "Our work on the PSP has come to an end," he says. However, he leaves a remark of hope for the PSP enthusiast. As pretty as Chains of Olympus is, there's still more power waiting to be unearthed. "Even as we were finishing God of War, we found ways to further improve our tech on PSP, which we didn't have time to integrate into this game. As far as how far the hardware can be pushed, only time will tell but there's definitely room to grow there." Unfortunately, it won't be Ready at Dawn that'll be pushing the boundaries of PSP development. "I'm hoping more teams out there will up the ante and show all of us more out of the hardware." Read the complete interview at Next-Gen.
Joystiq interview: Crystal Dynamics' Lindstrom talks Tomb Raider: Underworld
There are not many developers who can boast having given rise to both a vampiric anti-hero and an anthropomorphic lizard, but over the last three years San Francisco-based developer Crystal Dynamics has become more well known as the studio that single-handedly breathed new life into the dying franchise that was Tomb Raider and its top-heavy icon Lara Croft. 2006's Tomb Raider: Legend took the series that Core Design had unceremoniously driven into the ground and reminded us all why we fell in love with the franchise a decade prior. And for those still left unconvinced, Crystal Dynamics revisited the 1996 original a year later with Tomb Raider: Anniversary, demonstrating that anything Core could do, they could do better. Now the studio is at it again, this time taking Lara Croft on a new adventure in Tomb Raider: Underworld. Currently in development for multiple platforms, the game marks the eighth outing for the series, and while the game was recently pushed out from its previously expected third quarter 2008 release until the following quarter, creative director Eric Lindstrom told us that when it comes to this project -- "quality" is the team's ultimate deadline. We recently spoke with Lindstrom on the game, and he opened up to us about the project, how he feels it measures up to Naughty Dog's Uncharted, and why he finds next-gen development troubling. Hit the jump for the complete interview. %Gallery-15158%
PSP Fanboy review: God of War: Chains of Olympus
The life of Kratos may have been one long Greek tragedy after the next, but the God of War series and the success it reaps is anything but tragic. To call it so would be blasphemous to the gods, for each game in the action-packed series has never failed to impress. As the latest entry in the series, God of War: Chains of Olympus has a lot of to live up to; do the gods continue their blessings? They most certainly do. The stuff that comes out of every game in the series has always been top notch, and Ready at Dawn's Chains of Olympus is no exception. The hard work put into Chains of Olympus makes us wonder if the developers themselves adhere to the hardened Spartan culture that they so skillfully instilled in Kratos. Like the strictly disciplined Spartans, do these developers kill off straggling animators, modelers, and ilk if production standards are sub par? We only jest of course, but their skill in game design is so analogous to Sparta's warriors it's hard not to try and draw parallels. %Gallery-3212%
GDC08: Square Enix no-comments FFCC Crystal Bearers
Following the presentation about Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, an attendee asked the speakers, producer Toshiro Tsuchida and lead programmer Fumiaki Shiraishi, the question that most Wii Final Fantasy fans have had on their minds: does the new Wii Ware project mean the end of the retail Crystal Chronicles game, The Crystal Bearers?The Square Enix staffers demurred in response to this question, saying only that we should "wait for a press release" to tell us about that situation. Does that mean that The Crystal Bearers is definitely canceled for real? No, just that those two developers wisely didn't want to reveal Square Enix's internal plans. Still, it's not terribly encouraging, given rumors of its shaky status.
Just one more God of War trailer
We're pretty certain this is going to be the last God of War trailer you see before the game's final release in March. Our reviewer is diligently going through the full game right now, but this video showcases some of things we love about Kratos' latest: the magic. They work so seamlessly in the combat, and make Kratos seem even more powerful than ever. Get excited, because this adventure is just around the corner ...
God of War: Chains of Olympus demo now available to download
Today's US PSN update is pretty incredible. Get ready to experience the Chains of Olympus with a free downloadable demo. The PS1 classic, Jet Moto 3, was also added today. It's available for $5.99.
Ninja Theory concept art hints at new game
What have Ninja Theory been up to since making Heavenly Sword? Good question. It looks like we'll be finding out fairly soon though, as their website has today undergone a sudden transformation. An annotated Flash banner can be found on several pages of the site, showing some environmental concept art, such as the image above. These paintings are about as far removed from Heavenly Sword as you can get, so those of you who are itchy for a sequel straight away might be disappointed. The front page of the website states that "there are some teaser elements on this new look website...and don't forget, this website is the very best place to check regularly for updates and news...especially the forums." It also says that Ninja Theory are "working on an exciting new concept that has got everyone we talk to buzzing." From the sounds of it, whatever project they're working on isn't very far along. They've successfully to get us intrigued, however, so we'll be keeping an eye out for any news. Who knows, maybe something will be shown at GDC?
PSP Fanboy hands-on: God of War Chains of Olympus
How long does it take to get to a sex scene with two women? About ten minutes or so. We've playing through God of War: Chains of Olympus, and we are thoroughly impressed. The game starts with a bang -- an incredible cinematic introduction that prepares you for the adventure ahead. Make no mistakes; this is a big-budget affair. Linda Hunt's narration returns for this handheld adventure, and it makes everything feel appropriately epic. Then, the game begins with the same beachfront attack we've all seen in the demo disc. Although the content is the same, there are a few things we happened to notice. For example, the graphics have managed to get even better. There's much more blood, and lighting seems to have improved quite a bit since we saw it last. Even better, the Efreet magic Kratos learns after beating the first real boss has been made much more brutal: using it sets enemies aflame, and you can hear their pained screams as they flail around helplessly. Awesome. %Gallery-3212%
Ready at Dawn staff gets wasted as God of War goes gold
Congrats to the team at Ready at Dawn. Their game, God of War: Chains of Olympus has finally gone gold. That means its done. Complete. Ready to print. Being sent to stores. Just a few steps away from getting to where it needs to go: in your hands. Celebratory pictures reveal maybe a bit too much champagne; the team has seemingly become completely wasted. Well, you guys deserved a massive celebration! Now, get back to work! Stay tuned as we inch ever closer to God of War's release next month. [Via NeoGAF]
God of War demo discs available at Best Buy
Chains of Olympus draws nearer -- have you given it a play yet? The demo disc has started popping up everywhere, giving gamers that missed a chance to get a demo disc from Sony another shot at giving Kratos' latest adventure a try. Best Buy is offering the demo disc with every pre-order. But why are demo discs becoming a pre-order incentive? What if you don't like the demo? Wouldn't you become more inclined to cancel your reservation? Perhaps the game is so good that canceling a pre-order of God of War would be downright ridiculous. [Thanks, J sax!]
A million new God of War screenshots*
*Not actually a million. But, it's still a lot. With as many screenshots as these, you'll feel like you already have the game. Or not. Drats, Sony! Stop teasing us and give us the game already! Also, check out the new official website for Chains of Olympus. It looks pretty rad. %Gallery-3212%
IGN takes a look at Tomb Raider Underworld
Lady Croft may be the first true comeback kid in gaming with a return to form in recent years in Tomb Raider Legend and Tomb Raider Anniversary. IGN got its hands on a demo of Lara's latest adventure in Tomb Raider Underworld and it appears the series will continue its upward trend. A pre-alpha build of Underworld showed enemy AI actually going for cover and using squad tactics instead of just suicidally staying in the open to get picked off (which doesn't sound like much, but it's revolutionary for the series). Lara has also been given new melee abilities, including the use of a pole to whack jaguars and send them scampering. Not riddling creatures with bullets should make the animal rights people happy. Check it out and prepare yourself for the inevitable question, "Who is the cooler tomb raider? Ms. Lara Croft or Mr. Nathan Drake?"
God of War box art: gotta catch 'em all
The American and European release of God of War: Chains of Olympus will feature the same tasty game core. But, their box arts will be quite different. The American box art is already quite familiar. However, the European art (pictured, above) focuses on Kratos' angry mug. Check out Three Speech for more pictures from the game. And, yes, as expected -- it's still pretty. %Gallery-3212%
God of War trailer has us screaming: THIS IS PSP!!!
Can this game get any more beautiful? It seemingly does every time we see it. It looks stunning in screens, but looks even more gorgeous in motion. You may think it's a PS2 game, but then when you remember it's on a handheld, you'll also be screaming, just like our obnoxious headline.
Welcome to Eos Cave, a new God of War level
Click for full-resolution image. Eos Cave is a brand new Chains of Olympus level, and boy oh boy does it look pretty. Dare we say this PSP-exclusive God of War game looks even prettier than before? The character models, the lighting effects all look top-notch. We know the game is going to play well, and look even better. Who couldn't get excited for this? Check out all the new images in our gallery below: %Gallery-3212%
Playboy: Heavenly Sword has 'Best Jiggle Factor'
There are some awards our favorite games receive that make us happy they get the recognition they deserve, and there are some that leave us ... well, scratching our heads. Take Playboy's Best of Games of 2007 awards for instance as it awarded Heavenly Sword the "Best Jiggle Factor" award. We're not really sure what it means, but we're pretty sure it's a compliment. Here's what they had to say about the game: "This game has more than a few rough edges, but we loved its compelling scenario and character design. Nariko is gorgeous but also strong, angry and vulnerable. By the end, you don't just want to date her, you want to marry her." It beat out other scandalous and lewd games such as Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Conan and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary. With this well-deserved recognition, could it mean that Nariko could have a future spread in Playboy's Girl's of Gaming?
Heavenly Sword gets patched to 1.1
The PS3-exclusive action game, Heavenly Sword recently got a 1.10 patch. Right now, the contents of this 18MB download are mysterious. It has been confirmed that DualShock 3 support has finally been added to the game, for those lucky enough to have imported the rumble-ready controller. But, certainly the patch must hold other surprises. 18MB is a lot of data for just rumble alone ...
