leipzig-08
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GC 2008: Killzone 2 multiplayer trailer looks good, sounds too real
Sony, Guerilla – our hats voice headsets are off to you. After all, you tried to deliver the total online play experience with your official Killzone 2 multiplayer trailer at Leipzig. The only problem is ... well, it sounds too much like real mutiplayer. Or maybe someone's polite approximation thereof. Oh, we like what we see (and say, are those auto-turrets from Aliens?) but the "radio chatter" not only sounds forced – it's totally free of racial slurs and/or comments regarding the sexuality of those playing. Now, how can we expect to take that seriously?
GC 2008: Konami news roundup
Konami sent out three new DS game announcements for Europe at the ongoing Games Convention, so we thought we would provide it all at once in digest format. Along with the announcements, there's a bunch of art and screens to look at as well. You'll find galleries after the break.Before we get started, however, check out that Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia art. It's easily among the best Castlevania art we've ever seen. Time Hollow, the time-traveling adventure game from Shadow of Destiny creator (and Suikoden IV producer) Junko Kawano, is coming to Europe this November! The magic-themed Animal Crossing-esque communication game Tongariboushi to 365-nichi no Mahou is being released in Europe as Enchanted Folk and the School of Wizardry. Winx Club Secret Diary 2009 -- pretty much Diary Girl in a Winx Club theme -- coming out in Q4 of this year. Media: new screens for Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, in addition to the new games!
GC 2008: Prince of Persia gameplay run, jump, and climb-through
Now here's an interesting twist on your average game video – Ubisoft has created a "guided tour" of the first area from its jaw-dropping, new-gen Prince of Persia. In fact, it's the entire first zone of the game, and the same area we played at this year's E3. In it, you'll see the tweaks made to the series' platforming style, the ways in which the Prince's partner, Elika, aids him, and the strategic combat system used during battles with zone bosses. Oh, and did we mention it's drop-dead gorgeous? It doesn't hurt that it's already playing great, either.
GC 2008: Ubisoft's Jake Power to target young boys
Gosh, now we've made him sound like a kidnapper. Jake Power -- who we imagine to be Jack Bauer for kids and hard-of-hearing adults -- is a new brand of games for the Nintendo DS. Fitting neatly into Ubisoft's "Games for Everyone" range, the titles have been created for "boys ages five to eight years" and promise to indulge the men-in-progress with three "dream jobs," namely "Policeman," "Fire-Fighter" and "Handyman."Wait a minute ... Handyman? Seriously, Ubisoft, this is 2008. We all know every young boy dreams of being a totally awesome, professional blogger one day! Who wouldn't want to sit around in their underwear, caressing nothing but a keyboard and a small tuft of distinguishing chin hair? Who wouldn't want to churn out snarky video game commentary, even if it comes at the expense of any tangible human connections? So what if there's no money or meaningful reward in it? It's not like you're throwing your life into a bottomless pit of aggressive anti-socialism and repetitive self-deprecating humor ... Just leave us alone, okay?!Also, the Jake (and Sam and Tim) Power Fire-Fighter and Policeman games are due in North America in November 2008, with Handyman (freakin' Handyman!) following in early 2009.%Gallery-30090%
GC 2008: Left! Right! Chu! Chu! Ulala in Samba
Click for more Ulala goodness. A Sonic cameo in Samba de Amigo has long been old news, grandpa, but we've also been promised appearances from other Sega characters and venues. Here are the fruits of those promises: a cameo from the galaxy's funkiest news reporter, Ulala, and a special Space Channel 5 stage. Ulala's presence makes perfect sense really; as the protagonist of Sega's other awesome rhythm extravaganza, her inclusion was surely inevitable. Now all she needs is her own game. You listening, Sega?%Gallery-20601%[Via press release]
GC 2008: Watch Dead Rising Wii trailers 'til you drop
Somehow, we always imagined the impending zombie apocalypse would involve more ... zombies. This latest footage of Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop for Wii sees protagonist Frank West running sauntering through swarms groups of hundreds dozens 10 crazed bored zombies on what appears to be Super Bowl Sunday (or during the American Idol finale). It's nice to see the improved aiming mechanic in action, even if it is lifted directly from Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition. There's a longer gameplay trailer after the break, although we don't recommend viewing it while driving or operating heavy machinery.Source – GC 2008 Debut Trailer, GameTrailersSource – GC 2008 Debut Gameplay, GameTrailers
GC 2008: Bully ready to give PC an atomic wedgie
Looks like the kids of Bullworth Academy are ready to practice their delinquency on PC. Eurogamer notes that a poster in the Leipzig Games Convention has the Bully logo with the words: "Demnachst fur PC."We're positive some umlauts belong in there, but the basic message is that Bully is coming to PC "soon." Rockstar will probably make an official announcement sometime during the convention.
Rumor: Konami's Rock Revolution may occur in 2009
An associate producer for Konami's Rock Revolution confirmed that the game would be delayed until early 2009 during the company's Leipzig press conference, IGN reports. We've contacted Konami to find out if the representative meant that the title will be available for Europe in 2009 (this is a European press event after all), or if the game has actually been delayed from its original Fall '08 release in North America as well. We'll update as soon as we get the official skinny from Konami.[Via Wii Fanboy]
GC 2008: Finally, a pet game we can get behind
Click image for MORE MONKEYS. "Monkey Madness Wii targets kids ages 6 to 8 years," reads the opening line of the press release for Ubisoft's new monkey sim. "Like hell it does!" say we. Okay, so maybe it does, but we can't help being drawn to Ubisoft's newest pet game (and at least it's not Monkeyz). Fact: monkeys are adorable and awesome. Everybody thinks this, so no wonder Ubisoft settled on making a game about them. We've had it with labradors and kittens, frankly.In Monkey Madness Wii, kids we will be able to adopt a monkey and then befriend, train, feed, play with, and photograph our simian chum. There's a range of ridiculous outfits to dress George in (we've already settled on a name), and George's personality will be shaped by how you treat him -- he could be meek, courageous, loyal, indifferent, or something else. We can even cross-breed George with other species of monkeys to create "fantastical hybrids," which sounds a tad disturbing, but we plan on George being an amorous little bugger.We haven't even touched on the neatest feature of Monkey Madness Wii -- the ability to upload George to your Wii Remote (using the Wiimote's 6 kilobytes of on-board memory) and take him to a friend's house to play with the monkeys on their Wii. Clever! In fact, this is wasted on chil'n, and we'll say it now, readers: DO WANT. Now, can you resist a monkey gallery?%Gallery-30057%[Via press release]
GC 2008: LittleBigPlanet coming to Europe Oct. 29
Just one day earlier than their Japanese brethren (and a week or so later than the North Americans), the Europeans will get to sink their classy, Yorkie-Bar-eating teeth into LittleBigPlanet as it launches there on Oct. 29, according to the latest word from Sony at the Leipzig Games Convention.Start the timer now, Europeans: You only have around 70 days to design the very best penis-shaped level you can, if you want to beat the penis-level rush.
GC 2008: Resident Evil 5 co-op clips
We feel terribly sorry for the first man to come waltzing down the stairs in this video. No doubt venturing into the kitchen for an early morning snack, he's suddenly confronted by two gun-toting interlopers. "Rubber bullet!" he screams, in the unrequited hope that the firearms pointed at him will spare his life. A moment later, he's shot by both. Simultaneously. Oh, who knew that co-op could be so cruel? Find the other perspective on the action after the break.
GC 2008: Grappling with Bionic Commando multiplayer
click to enlarge Capcom is showing the first multiplayer map from its next-gen current-gen Bionic Commando at Leipzig Games Convention, but isn't making with any screens of the mode. What you see above (and in the gallery below) are the latest screens from the solo campaign, which, oddly, isn't on display. Oh well.From our experience with it thus far, the multiplayer mode is sheer mayhem -- four players swinging every which way in a confined area featuring buildings of various heights, trees, and overhead pipes to grapple. There are set spawn points for several weapons, including a shotgun, sniper rifle, sub-machine gun, and (our favorite) a grenade launcher. Mostly it's a mad dash for the latter in every match, but there are some interesting touches, such as getting extra points for killing other players while they're airborne, and the fact that you can grapple onto an opponent, slowing them down as they drag you along.It's certainly one of the more unique multiplayer experiences we've tried, if just for the grapple and swing mechanic. As it stands, though, we're not convinced it will have (bionic) legs as a lasting experience on Xbox Live and PSN.%Gallery-30011%
GC 2008: Castlevania Judgment reserved for 2009, mysterious character appears
The latest Castlevania Judgment screens, fresh from the Leipzig showfloor, feature a new character not previously seen in the title. "Aeon" is probably one of the fighters produced by manga artist Takeshi Obata, who was drafted in by Konami to provide character designs. Alternatively, he could be from the DS's Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. "Aeon" is not a name we're familiar with from previous instalments of the franchise, and neither Google or the Castlevania Wiki could shed any light on our confusion. Shanoa, the heroine of Order of Ecclesia, is already accessible in Judgment, so we wouldn't rule it out.Whoever Aeon is, you can see more of him here, here and here. In other news, Koji Igarashi confirmed to IGN that the title will now ship to the U.S. in 2009. Grab your stake, hit up our gallery for new shots, and then trek past the break for a new trailer.%Gallery-27187%
GC 2008: Killzone 2 says, 'Hey, look at me!'
click for maximum ogle Perhaps "pretty" isn't the most appropriate word to describe Killzone 2. But if Guerrilla's shooter keeps showing up to the party looking like this, well, then what choice do we have? We're hot for you, Kizzy*. Three spooky red eyes and all!(*Yup, official Killzone pet name confirmed.) %Gallery-30087%
GC 2008: Silent Hill coming home to PC, possibly delayed until November
Konami announced today that Silent Hill: Homecoming will release on PC, in addition to PS3 and Xbox 360. The press release states the game "will be available as a digital download" through Steam and doesn't mention anything about retail. Meanwhile, there's a report by Darkzero out of Leipzig that the game's release has been delayed from September to November. The press release for the PC announcement, however, still states Homecoming is "expected to launch" in September. We've reached out to Konami to clarify the release date and PC details and will update as soon as we hear something.%Gallery-22986%
GC 2008: 3 minutes of new Mirror's Edge footage
After seeing the same few minutes of Mirror's Edge footage ad nauseam, EA has seen fit to release three minutes of new parkour goodness from the game for Leipzig. In the newly released video found after the break, Faith works her traceur magic and attempts to escape from snipers inside some kind of warehouse/hydroelectric plant. Yup, we're still excited about this game and we can't wait to play it again.
GC 2008: What's new in Need for Speed Undercover?
To be blunt, after some of the series' most disappointing entries, Need for Speed Undercover has something to prove. Today, EA revealed some of the features of the November release, the opening salvo in the battle to win back our hearts (unless you count the announcement of Maggie Q's involvement ... which we do not.)You'll be taking down a crime syndicate with Ms. Q (if you're nasty), a story that will be presented with the help of live-action footage (hooray!). From a gameplay perspective, the big draw seems to be the Heroic Driving System, which EA describes as "a unique technology that generates incredible high-performance moves at 180 miles per hour during breathtaking highway battles." ... So, it's an emergency brake?Maybe it's just our relief from the yucky, Far 2 Fast and Uncom4tably Furious aesthetic that's plagued the series recently, but this new entry sounds like a breath of fresh air. Well, Undercover, it would seem we, much like the Ghostbusters, are ready to believe in you.%Gallery-30062%
GC 2008: PSN lineup reveals Warhawk expansion, Savage Moon
Sony packed a suitcase full of PSN titles for its trip to Leipzig, with at least one new face emerging from the bag: Savage Moon. Sony describes the game as "classic tower strategy" with a catch ... it's in space! Players are assigned to protect a planetary outpost that's being overrun by "gigantic, ravenous space bugs" (true story). You know the drill: plop towers in the most ideal positions to handle the infestation and convert kill points into better weapons. In addition, more details about the third Warhawk expansion have been released. Dubbed, Operation: Fallen Star, the premium add-on introduces a forested location, Tau Crater, where, sure enough, some "experimental technology" is recovered from a crashed Chernovan warship: Jetpacks! The booster pack also includes 10 new battlefields. (A coinciding free update will add two new game modes and Trophies). We've posted the debut trailer for Operation: Fallen Star along with the complete Games Convention 2008 PSN lineup after the break.%Gallery-30077%
GC 2008: Dead Rising trailer is dangerously bloody
We don't question the decision to show a trailer for Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop at the Leipzig Games Convention. In fact, it's not even much of a decision: this is a very large press event, so if you are a publisher and you have a game coming out, you show it. And Dead Rising, just by its nature, is a violent and bloody game, characterized by crowds of (undead) people to be destroyed and piles of improvised weapons to make that happen.But Capcom went the extra mile and bloodied up their trailer -- it's even bloodier than the gameplay footage already was. It's like Capcom's way of saying "Please don't let us sell this, Germany."%Gallery-28028%
GC 2008: Konami spinning twisted tales in Lords of Shadow
American McGee would be so proud. Konami has announced a new upcoming third-person action title called Lords of Shadow, which the company's European arm describes as "a dark fairy tale" in development for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. First announced during Leipzig's Games Convention, the game will be set in Europe during the Middle Ages, and promises to tell the story of "one man's journey to discover the true meaning of sacrifice amidst murder and betrayal." Honestly, this sounds more like fodder for daytime soap to us.Being handled by Jericho developer Mercury Steam, the project is likely the result of a partnership between the two companies announced last March, at which time Konami called the game "a major part" of its release schedule for 2009-10. Konami has now narrowed that window a bit, confirming plans to have Lords of Shadow on retail shelves sometime in 2010.
