gamescom-2011
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Infamous 2: Festival of Blood gets Truly Bloody this October [update: trailer!]
Electro-monster Cole from Infamous 2 is now an electro-vampire in Infamous 2: Festival of Blood, available on PSN this October. In this downloadable game, New Marais is infested by vampires. Cole is bitten, and must find the head vampire before the night ends, to reverse his condition. Does electricity hurt vampires? We'll find out, we suppose. Also, can you make a vampire game set in Louisiana and avoid comparisons to both Interview with the Vampire and True Blood? This post has already proven that you cannot. This was called a "brand new game available for download," which sounds more like a standalone PSN game than DLC. Update: The PlayStation Blog confirms that you don't need any other Infamous games to play this. It also posted the above trailer.
Sony's Gamescom keynote, (still) live from Germany
Fresh out of EA and ready for more, we're hanging out in a thrilling line just outside of Sony's Gamescom press conference anxiously awaiting to get in. What wonders await us inside? As of right now, all we can do is guess, but it seems highly likely we'll find out more about Sony's upcoming PSP successor, PlayStation Vita. We've got our Dualshock 3s crossed for worldwide Vita launch dates!
Move Fitness announced for PlayStation Move (update: trailer)
Sony's entering the exergaming arena, as the publisher announced Move Fitness during its Gamescom keynote. A brief teaser trailer shown to attendees offered some insight into what the final package may offer: Move-based mini-games and exercise. Add a dash of Fruit Ninja, a pinch of Your Shape: Fitness Evolved and a hearty helping of Wii Fit and you've got Move Fitness -- at least, that's what it looked like in the trailer, according to our boys on the ground. No other details were offered. We'll track down the teaser trailer and post it up as soon as we can.
New Vita game 'Escape Plan' is a charmer [update]
Right after getting awkward with Reality Fighters, Sony showed a genuinely interesting new Vita game: Escape Plan, a stylish, black-and-white side-scroller about guiding a pair of characters, Lil and Laarg (who are apparently balloons filled with ink) through a trap-filled environment. No information on launch date or developer was named, but we're already interested, as this is one of the most personality-laden games we've seen on the platform yet. Also, it has a giant hammer trap. Hilarious! Update: Escape Plan is developed by Fun Bits Interactive, a team formed from Fat Princess alums.
New €99 PSP model loses WiFI, debuts this Fall in Europe [update: more details]
Speaking at Sony's Gamescom press conference, new SCEE president Jim Ryan revealed that a new model of the PSP will debut in Europe later this year. This new PSP variant will sport a refined design, though it will not include WiFi. The kicker, however, is the price: a mere €99.00. The new model is expected to launch this fall in Europe. No mention was made of a launch in other territories, but we'll let you know as soon as we hear something! Update: PlayStation Blog Europe has posted a few more details about the device. The new PSP will be dubbed the E-1000 and will feature the same matte finish as the PlayStation 3 slim console. As the handheld will lack WiFi, the only way to connect to the PlayStation Store will be via Sony's Media Go software. So, uh, we hope there aren't any Mac users among the E-1000's prospective buyers. A range of discounted UMD titles is also planned to launch alongside the device, including EyePet Adventures, Invizimals: The Lost Tribes and FIFA 12. Each game in the new lineup will be priced at €9.99. Strangely, another feature completely lacking from the E-1000: Liquid metal.
Resistance: Burning Skies set to engulf PlayStation Vita
Sony has announced at its Gamescom 2011 press conference details about Nihilistic's Resistance entry on the PlayStation Vita. Subtitled Burning Skies, the title (which serves as an immediate prequel to Resistance 2) casts you in the role of Tom Riley, a fireman who watches the destruction of the United States from ground zero. That task is made a lot more palatable thanks to Riley's proclivity for toting a wieldable fire axe at all times. We guess it's fortunate he decided to take his work home with him! A brief demo showed off familiar Resistance action, with a few neat uses of the Vita's touchscreen -- for instance, some weapons' alternate fire modes are controlled with a single touch. That sounds like the kind of power we can get drunk off of.
Ubisoft announces development of six Vita games, including Assassin's Creed and Lumines
Ubisoft is coming out strong in support of the PlayStation Vita, because it's a video game system and that's what Ubisoft does. In advance of Sony's Gamescom presser today, the company announced development of six titles for the handheld, including an Asphalt racing game, Assassin's Creed, Dungeon Hunter Alliance (above), Rayman Origins, and Michael Jackson: The Experience. Perhaps most exciting, the PSP launch standout Lumines is returning on PlayStation Vita. Along with the announcement, Ubisoft shared screens of Rayman, Asphalt, and Dungeon Hunter. No dates were provided for any of these, but expect at least a few of them at the system's launch, because, again, that's what Ubisoft does.%Gallery-130765%
Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor uses Xbox 360 controller and Kinect simultaneously
First announced at TGS last year, the Kinect-based Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor is finally revealed in its first trailer. Like the original game, Heavy Armor has players jump into huge, unwieldy robots called "Vertical Tanks." The above trailer reveals an oppressive World War 2-plus-robots style world in which computers have all been destroyed, and then everyone goes to war. As revealed by Capcom's fact sheet, Heavy Armor maintains the series' legacy for complicated controls by using two forms of input: both Kinect and the standard Xbox 360 pad. The controller is used for movement, aiming, and firing, while the Kinect camera picks up "upper body gestures" used for starting the engine, using the scope, or operating a turret-mounted machine gun. You can also communicate verbally and nonverbally with your crew members. High fives are specifically mentioned. Steel Battalion will engage your whole body in robo-warfare next year.%Gallery-130736%
Kinectimals go Kinect-less on Windows Phone 7 this fall
Microsoft now forces us to ponder a philosophical question: Is a Kinectimal still a Kinectimal if you don't use a Kinect to interact with it? At a GamesCom event, Microsoft announced plans to release a Windows Phone 7 version of Kinectimals. "Players can care for and bond with their favorite pet cat or bear cub," the fact sheet notes, "using touch screen controls to feed, pet, play and nurture them on-the-go from their Windows Phone while also enjoying Xbox LIVE integration of Achievements and Leaderboards." Yes, this version is with bears as well. And it'll be out this fall.%Gallery-130753%
Massively's guide to Gamescom 2011
If you've never been to Gamescom before, let's simply put it this way: It's big. Really, really big. Forget most any convention you've attended; this is likely to be even bigger. Billing itself as the world's largest games event, Gamescom sees well over a quarter-million fans, journalists and exhibitors crowd into the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany to check out hundreds of games and companies. Due to its size and worldwide prominence, Gamescom is a significant event for anyone following the MMO genre (and video games in general). There are plenty of MMO studios gearing up to share first looks, exclusive reveals, detailed Q&A sessions, and exciting hands-on demos for attendees. Naturally, Massively will be paying close attention to all of the news coming out of Gamescom this week. For those attending the convention or merely looking to keep abreast of all of the games, studios, and information forthcoming, we've compiled a guide to the hottest tickets at Gamescom as well as a comprehensive exhibitor list of MMO studios after the break.
Battlefield 3 multiplayer trailer is ... ooh, jets!
Explosions! Jets! Robots! Jeeps! Jets! Helicopters! Tanks! JETS! Watch.
SSX to feature 100,000 player events, pre-order bonuses announced
Speaking on stage at EA's Gamescom press event, SSX creative director Todd Batty announced several new features for the upcoming xtreme sports title. The game looks to be heavily influenced by EA recent racing titles, with Batty noting that every time a player records a personal best on a particular event, a ghost of the run will be uploaded for their friends to compete against. Players will also be able to set up customized events. These events can be global, with Batty stating that up to 100,000 players will be able to compete simultaneously in real time. SSX will also feature an Autolog-like service called Ridernet. Powered by the same engine as Autolog, Ridernet will allow players to "like" certain drops and will recommend new drops for the player to try. The service also keeps track of friends, allowing players to vote them up -- or down if they're just too good. Finally, EA announced the pre-order bonuses for SSX. GameStop will include a bonus character, Eddie Wachowski (watch out, he's tricky), his elite snowboard and a "bonus boost." Origin, Amazon, Best Buy and Wal-mart will all receive one character's elite snowboard and a bonus boost. See the full list after the break.
Gamescom 2011: EA and BioWare announce Warhammer MOBA [Updated]
If you've always wondered what Warhammer would look like as a MOBA, EA and BioWare have your answer. Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes was just announced at this year's Gamescom, and the fantasy title will feature three-team PvP with six players per side. Another new wrinkle highlighted in the game's press materials is the ability to swap heroes on the fly and "confound your foes and dominate the battlefield," according to BioWare. The gameplay looks fast, frenetic, and accessible, and EA is positioning the title to capture a piece of the burgeoning free-to-play MOBA market. GameReactor also reports that the new game's scenarios will be built around pre-existing scenarios from Warhammer Online. We'll bring you more on Wrath of Heroes in our Not So Massively column, and in the meantime you can watch the preview clip after the cut. [Update: You can also sign up now for the beta on the official site!]
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning launching February 7, 2012
38 Studios' Ken Rolston, who just shook the Earth during the Gamescom 2011 EA Keynote with bon mots like "enemy-pounding funfest," just revealed the official launch date for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. The promising action-RPG is due out in the States on February 7, 2012 and in Europe on February 10. We suppose we can wait that long, though we're not sure our hearts can take it if Rolston keeps dropping glowing descriptors like enemy-pounding funfest.
EA's Gamescom 2011 keynote, live from Germany
We're here in line waiting for the soon-to-start EA press conference, kicking off Gamescom 2011. What will we see inside? Well, we already see some Storm Troopers, so chances are ... the conference is being run by the Imperial Forces? Oh no! [And we're off! Join us after the break!]
Gamescom 2011: The Secret World launching April 2012 [Updated]
The secret is out: Funcom announced today at Gamescom that it will launch The Secret World in April 2012. The highly anticipated title revolves around secret societies, real-world conspiracies, urban legends, and tricky mysteries. This launch will put the title in a head-to-head battle with TERA, which releases next spring as well. Funcom also said that it will be inviting players to register starting August 26th for the upcoming beta. The invitation process will be made through "an interactive social media campaign," keeping with the title's fondness for ARGs and viral campaigning. We'll be keeping an eye on Funcom this week to see what the company has to say about its launch plans. [Updated: Hit the jump to watch the newest trailer for The Secret World!] %Gallery-118804%
Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes is EA's next 'Play4Free' game [update: trailer]
What's BioWare Mythic been up to? It's a new Warhammer Online game due this fall, just announced by BioWare's Ray Muzyka at GamesCom. Wrath of Heroes will be a "Play4Free" title -- like the Facebook game Dragon Age Legends and the freemium Battlefield Play4Free. You can sign up for a beta of the PvP, cel-shaded Warhammer Online: Wrath of Heroes right now here. It'll be released this fall. %Gallery-130892%
FIFA Street reboot in development at EA Canada, coming early next year
EA's Gamescom 2011 keynote has already brought about one intriguing bit of news about the revival of its more palatable, outrageous sports franchises: FIFA Street. Coming to PS3 and 360 early next year, the EA Canada-developed title will bring back the rough-and-tumble action of the original series, with the depth of the later installments in FIFA Prime. In fact, it might possess more depth -- according to EA, it will feature "twice as many moves as FIFA 12." The game will also feature the suite of EA Football Club features first announced at E3 this year, among other, unspecified social networking features. EA Sports Season Ticket holders will also get early (temporary) access to the full game, should they choose to accept it. Keep an eye out for the game's debut trailer in the coming hours.
Frogster announces new Eligium MMO, reveals cinematic trailer
Most modern MMORPGs are all about making thousands of players feel like mighty heroes, but Frogster's newest endeavor is taking that concept to another level if the game's title is anything to go by. A new cinematic trailer for Eligium - The Chosen One was just announced, and the game itself will be shown off later this week at Gamescom 2011. The free-to-play fantasy title "challenges players to see if they have what it takes to be the chosen one and free the world from the invading demonic hordes," according to a Frogster press release. Eligium was actually developed by a Chinese firm called Shanda Games Ltd. (Frogster is serving as the publisher), and the title will be launching in the first quarter of 2012 to the English, German, French, and Polish markets. In terms of gameplay, Eligium features five playable race/class combinations (including panda fighters), extensive crafting and item upgrade options, and group instances as well as world boss battles. There's also a bit of PvP on offer and guild systems designed to bring factional warfare to the forefront. Frogster's press material also mentions player housing and a pet/mount-hatching system. You can glimpse the first official Eligium trailer after the break.
Resident Evil: Revelations and Asura's Wrath due in early 2012 [update: trailers]
Capcom narrowed the release windows for two of its upcoming games today in GamesCom fact sheets. Resident Evil: Revelations, the 3DS Resident Evil that hasn't been the subject of a scandal yet, and Asura's Wrath, CyberConnect2's dramatic, QTE-filled, Hindu-themed action game, will both arrive in early 2012. It's a pretty weird pairing -- the portable, expressly traditional Resident Evil game and the HD game that reminds us of a Dragon Ball Z spinoff set in India. Along with these date updates, we have new screenshots of both games. Enjoy the cognitive dissonance from our mashing together of old IP and weird new IP by opening both galleries in new tabs and flipping between them. Update: head past the break to see some video of both games.%Gallery-130728%%Gallery-130722%
