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Preview: Okamiden
Okamiden on the DS manages to capture the painterly art style of the PlayStaton 2's (and then the Wii's) beloved Okami while also adding a heavy dollop of adorableness to the mix. This really comes through in some of the animations, such as tiny wolf god Chibiterasu's darling backflip attack, or the way he flails his paws in mid-air, Saturday-morning-cartoon style, before he falls from a collapsing bridge. Okami's trademark magical paintbrush is back in the DS game, of course, and the short Gamescom demo showed it being used to manipulate the world in some of the same ways as the original game -- slashing rocks and obstacles in half, circling trees to make them bloom, and building bridges across gaps. Using the stylus to do all these things feels a bit more natural than awkwardly painting with the Wii remote, but was essentially similar. %Gallery-99717%
Crysis 2 takes to the rooftops in new multiplayer video
So you probably think you're pretty good at first-person shooters, right? Well, we're pretty sure you're not as good as the person playing Crysis 2 multiplayer in the video past the break.
Media Molecule toyed with full 3D level design in first LittleBigPlanet
The original LittleBigPlanet was billed as a platform for platformers -- but what about those gamers whose favorite entries into that particular genre include Kazooies, Ratchets and Bandicoots? Media Molecule co-founder Alex Evans recently revealed to Joystiq at Gamescom that an early build of the original LittleBigPlanet allowed for that kind of 3D gameplay, explaining, "LBP 1 had free depth and completely moving cameras, and the gameplay engine wasn't layered fundamentally." Evans added that while the developer "used to make levels that could travel into the screen," this feature was ultimately removed from the game. "It's really unconstrained in 3D. It's really hard -- I mean creatively unconstrained, it's really difficult to have something to push off," Evans explained. "We found our level designers wasted tons of time in 3D land, so we iteratively reduced it, first of all we reduced the scope, then we added the layers, and with each restriction we did, it improved the quality." According to Evans, the lack of 3D platforming wasn't due to a technical snafu, but rather, "entirely a game design decision." He added, "so when we go 3D, and I'm assuming at some point we will go 3D, the challenge we will have, and any other user-generated content company -- you know, I want to be one-upped, I'd love to see a fully-3D creation game. I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm saying we haven't cracked it yet." Keep an eye out for our full interview with Evans in the coming days.
What Ryu looking at? Ryu in Tekken x Street Fighter, of course!
Image: 1UP It's not much, but the image above is the first official glimpse of Tekken x Street Fighter, the 3D brawler being crafted by Namco (not to be confused with Capcom's 2D Street Fighter x Tekken). The image, snagged by 1UP, was shown by Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada during Gamescom. It's worth noting that Ryu is actually sporting Paul's uniform from the Tekken series, with Harada admitting that the Namco team only had enough time to create the face. Furthermore, Harada stated that the image was pulled directly off of a development unit and still needs things like lighting adjusted. Enjoy the image, because Tekken x Street Fighter is still over two years away.
Insomniac shares more details on Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One
Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One (can you believe they didn't go with Four-play as the subtitle?) feels like a whimsical, cartoon version of Gauntlet. Using a more distant automatic camera, instead of the standard behind-the-back perspective used throughout the series, this Ratchet game introduces four-player cooperation to the franchise -- and that also means crazy four-player destruction, given Insomniac's flair for futuristic weaponry. Announced at Gamescom this week, the game features series regulars Ratchet, Clank, Qwark and Dr. Nefarious in a new story that still fits within the loose continuity built over the years. If you think it's a little too loose, you'll be pleased to learn that Insomniac will release a series of comics that bridges the gap between Ratchet & Clank Future and All 4 One.
Gran Turismo 5 Course Maker and kart racing unveiled
Leave it to the makers of Gran Turismo 5 to take all the "cute" out of kart racing. At Gamescom this week, Polyphony Digital is showing off the two newest features of the ever-expanding sim racer: incredibly realistic go-karts and a track editor (which were unceremoniously revealed a few months ago). The track editor, dubbed "Course Maker," is described by the EU PlayStation Blog as featuring "a dizzying array of settings to tweak" -- no surprise there! Actually, Yamauchi and company appear to have connected with reality just long enough to pare down the editor to four selectable themes for custom tracks. Of course, by not sinking resources into a more full-featured track editor, Polyphony Digital came up with plenty of time to expand GT5 in other directions. Did you know the Photo Travel mode you'll never use now supports 3D images through the use of technology you don't own? Don't worry -- you won't miss out on the complete "racing simulator RPG" that's been added. At least, that's how Yamauchi described the enhanced B-Spec race manager mode, which has you coaching up to six racers and their varying personalities throughout a simulated lifetime. "In GT5 we have been able to create what I originally intended," Yamauchi said of the updated B-Spec mode during his Gamescom presentation. The team's even created what was originally intended for GT6: kart racing. And why not? Gran Turismo 6 could be a while. %Gallery-99887% Update: We've embedded a few third-party videos of the kart racing filmed at Gamescom after the break.
Metal Gear Solid Rising doesn't cut out pacifist play style
Konami revealed at Gamescom that it will be possible to have a "no kill" game of Metal Gear Solid: Rising, much like you can in previous Metal Gear Solid games (which reward you with high ranks, or, in the case of Metal Gear Solid 3, stealth camo). Of course, those Metal Gear Solid games in which it was possible to do that also had tranquilizer guns. Does Raiden have a tranquilizer ... sword? "When you encounter human resistance you can slice their weapons in half, causing them to run away in fear," IGN explains. "If you accidentally slice off a hand or two, well, that will be forgiven, we are told." So even if you choose to play that way, you still get to slice a lot of things with your sword. That's a relief! The game is also full of mechanical enemies and watermelons, which can all be safely sliced without damaging your no-kill status.
Rock Band 3 songs leaked by video
A video coming out of Germany's Gamescom convention yesterday may have accidentally revealed a whole mess of unannounced tracks for upcoming rhythm/music title Rock Band 3. During an interview shot by YouTube user GottGamesShow (since taken down), an RB3 rep could be seen scrolling through the entire setlist for the game, apparently revealing tracks from John Lennon's "Imagine" to Devo's "Whip It." RockBandAide grabbed the whole list before the video went down, which we've dropped for you after the break. And though we've reached out to Harmonix and MTV Games for confirmation, we'd like to point out that, for now, the songs could potentially be future Rock Band Network tracks or simply placeholder. That said, we're hoping they're not -- we're pretty psyched about the two songs we already mentioned, and frankly, it's all about James Brown. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Light up your day with the first Torchlight 2 trailer
The first trailer for Torchlight 2 doesn't dance around the issue: The original Torchlight should have had multiplayer. As such, be prepared to be bombarded by the fact that Torchlight 2 does have multiplayer, and that it appears to be a (magical) blast. Basically, the trailer makes 2011 seem really far away. %Gallery-99869%
Next gen PSP to have touch controls -- on the wrong side?
Touchscreen controls are nice for some applications but, until someone invents transparent fingers, they're a real bother for gaming. Many, including Apple, have toyed with the idea of putting the touch sensitive sections on the back of the device, and we have strong rumors coming out of Gamescom this week that this is the path Sony is taking for its next-generation PSP. Now, we've been hearing various rumors about this thing for just about as long as we've known about the first-gen PSP, but Sony is said to be quietly showing off a prototype unit about the size of a PSP-3000. While everyone agrees about the touch-sensitive portion 'round the back, it's unknown what (if any) physical controls will go along with it. A release date for the thing is also unclear, with some saying next year and others saying it'll be later than that. Whenever it ships we hope it'll do the right thing and finally put the UMD format out of its misery.
Persistent issues and Final Fantasy XIV
There are certain recurring complaints heard about Final Fantasy XIV's beta, especially with players freely able to share their experiences. The fact that guildleves are on a 48-hour timer and the lack of easy and efficient mana regeneration are two of the more persistent ones, and a recent interview with Hiromichi Tanaka at Gamescom address just those complaints among others. But it's not all roses and sunshine -- if you're one of the testers hoping for the guildleve timer to be reduced, you're flat out of luck. Tanaka makes it clear that several of these issues are part of the intended design -- guildleves, for instance, are doable solo or in groups, but they aren't meant to just be burned through solo each time they're up. As a result, the team is looking into how to give better incentives to group up and share guildleves. MP regeneration is meant to be difficult, and spells are supposed to be a choice of using up limited resources. There are several interesting answers in the interview, but not every Final Fantasy XIV player will be happy with the content of those answers
Start the Party and The Shoot with these Move game trailers
We now know that Sony's PlayStation Move minigame collection, Start the Party, is supposed to be zany, thanks to subtle cues in this trailer like cartoon sound effects and sped-up/reversed footage of people playing it. Similarly, we know The Shoot is all about shooting, because of subtle cues in its trailer like the game's title and everything that happens in the trailer. See both after the break.
Media Molecule reveals LittleBigPlanet 2's more-than-just-music sequencer
The demo of LittleBigPlanet 2 that was shown at Cologne's Gamescom this week was similar to the build shown off to great effect at E3 a few months ago. But there was one significant level-editing feature that was being demonstrated for the first time here: a music sequencer that's also quite a bit more. LittleBigPlanet 2 Technical Director Alex Evans demonstrated the sequencer, which lets you arrange notes on a four-measure grid with the beat at the bottom and multiple octaves of notes running vertically. You choose from a selection of instrument samples including a honky tonk piano, acoustic guitar, drum kit, beatbox, and roughly 30 more that were shown in the demo (more are expected for the final game, Evans said). Notes can be built into samples, which can then be repeated and mixed further via a larger timeline object in the level creation screen.
Kinect dashboard navigation works while seated
We've been told before that the Xbox 360's Kinect would work when "an experience is developed with sitting in mind," but we hadn't had the opportunity to really test that. In a Gamescom meeting, where we saw the Kinect version of the Xbox dashboard, we tried out the menu system and movie controls to test its recognition of seated users: Sitting in a chair: Definitely works. Sitting on the floor: Works. Reclining while facing the Kinect: Works. Reclining with the Kinect at our side: We couldn't get this to work, but we've been told that it will by launch. Using another human as a coffee table (should have taken photos!): Kinect recognized the person behind the human coffee table trying to control the movie. According to Microsoft, Kinect was running on an improved version of the software used during E3 in June. The manufacturer is set to make further improvements before the camera's November debut.
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes video isn't helping matters
Hey Sengoku Basra: Samurai Heroes, before you release a trailer, ask yourself: Does your halfhearted script and voice-over work combine for an effect remarkably similar to a Gamestop assistant manager giving a pre-order pitch? If so, you might wanna take another shot at it ... Next time, we mean.
Knights Contract seems really, really dangerous
We're all for super tough, magical knights with transforming sword/scythe weapons. Snarling 15-foot beasts, though? Not so much. The latest trailer for Knights Contract features both. This could pose a problem for us, juxtaposing two things that we, respectively, like and despise. When we saw the magical knights brutally murder a handful of the beasts ... we'll be honest: it made us feel a lot better. Hopefully you'll click past the break and it'll have the same effect on you.%Gallery-99725%
Just Dance 2 track list released, will grow with DLC
Ubisoft is (indirectly) giving us a mid-Gamescom dance party, by releasing the track list for Just Dance 2. And since we can't read the words "Junior Senior - Move Your Feet" without rushing to YouTube, you all get a musical interlude after the break. And also the track list. And also a trailer. In addition to the 44 listed tracks, the press release confirms that we'll be able to Just Download even more music "from an expanding catalogue of new hits using WiiWare." Ubisoft didn't mention price, or how frequently this DLC would arrive. Try not to worry about that while you're listening to that Junior Senior song, though.%Gallery-99783%
Sorcery trailer casts a spell on our dignity
We're skeptical when it comes to motion controls, but don't tell us this trailer for PlayStation Move's Sorcery doesn't trigger a deep response in your inner child's even more inner child. Judge us for flailing about like morons all you like, we'll still be the ones putting out fire with tornadoes.
Point your pupils at this PixelJunk Shooter 2 trailer
We're not big on ordering folks around here at Joystiq, but every now and then, you've gotta. Like with this PixelJunk Shooter 2 trailer, fresh from GamesCom: if you don't watch it, we aren't bros, muchachos or even acquaintances any longer. We hate to draw lines in the sand, but on this one thing, we will not budge. So not only save our relationship by checking out the trailer past the break, but do yourself a favor and watch some footage of a sequel to an awesome game.%Gallery-99779%
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon and Joint Assault media does a flyby
We've made sure that you don't need to fly to Germany to land a look at the latest screens from Ace Combat: Assault Horizon for PS3 and 360, or a video of the newest PSP entry in the series, Ace Combat: Joint Assault, which touches down at US retail on August 31. (We didn't actually fly there for them -- but it's the thought that counts, right?) As expected, the shots from the console game are almost all of planes getting torn to holy hell by other planes' cannons, while its portable sibling is seen on video after the break looking like a PS2 game (that's a compliment) and not like something that will make your knees and elbows ache. Aircraft puns and arthritis jokes -- what will we do next?%Gallery-99737%
