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Ni no Kuni goes from another world to ours on January 22
The latest trailer for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, posted by IGN, ends on the news that it'll be released in North America on January 22, 2012. Namco told Eurogamer that the UK date for the Level-5/Studio Ghibli PS3 game is January 25.The trailer also provides additional exposure to the English voice acting, which we declare "not bad." Should you disagree, however, take comfort in the knowledge that the Japanese track will also be on the disc.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will have 'Fight Lab' tutorial mode
Newcomers to the Tekken franchise shouldn't have a hard time learning juggle combos – that's the intention of a new Fight Lab mode that Namco is adding to Tekken Tag Tournament 2. It puts players in the shiny shoes of Combot, a learning fighter robot.Fight Lab takes Combot through a series of progressively more difficult minigames, teaching combos and schooling players on what to do in specific scenarios. "To novice players, they're playing various mini-games that we've prepared and enjoying them while gaining customisation items and techniques," Tekken series lead Katsuhiro Karada tells Eurogamer. "Then they've gone through the mode a certain amount, and they've gained more Tekken knowledge and ability in the game."Ultimately, players will be able to customize their Combot with moves from other fighters and use him in the single-player and online multiplayer modes.
Apple reveals next-generation apps for the new iPad: Infinity Blade: Dungeons, SketchBook, SkyGamblers (video)
While Apple's ensured all of its home-baked apps are making the most of the new iPad's retina display and new A5X chipset, it also had a handful of third-party app developers ready to show what the new hardware's capable. First up was Namco, who revealed the iOS-exclusive SkyGamblers, an Ace Combat-styled jet combat simulator. There looks to be a whole load of detail crammed into both the plane models and background -- something all those extra pixels can certainly help with and something we'll want to take a closer look at when it lands later this month. Taking a different approach, Autodesk's SketchBook app took the opportunity to show off the level of detail its sketches were now capable of, alongside a new engine for the ink. Now, we're not exactly sure what that entails, but we're sure it's going to make our works of art really zing. The app can even export images larger than 100 megapixels and will be out in April. Finally, Infinity Blade developers Epic Games took to the stage to unveil Dungeons -- the next iteration of the swiping and slashing gladiatorial battler. It appears the battle system has been recast once again and HDR lighting ensures the game will arrive dripping in optical honey. We'll be taking up swords to get a hands-on with these very soon. Update: We've just added the trailer to the next chunk of the Infinity Blade saga. It's right after the break. For more coverage of Apple's iPad event, visit our hub!
Ridge Racer Unbounded staying in captivity for a few more months
Ridge Racer Unbounded's delay in Europe is extending to the rest of the world, and unfortunately getting an extra extension into the unknown. Namco announced this afternoon that Unbounded is delayed until "later in 2012," and a new date will be given "shortly," alongside news of pre-order incentives and game features. A tease of a marketing plan? Hot dog!Much like Namco's other delay from today, the amorphous reason for the delay is "additional time to pack the disc with features that will truly make the game sing." Singing cars? Now we're talkin'!
Inversion flipping out in North America on June 5, June 8 in Europe
Perhaps we should send out Joystiq-themed calendars to game publishers with clear explanations of when seasons begin and end, and maybe a note with the definition of "early" and "late." Despite Namco telling us back in late January that Inversion would arrive in "early 2012" (it was the 24th, so it was actually late in the month), it looks like the game isn't arriving until early June (as in "the fifth and the eighth for North America and Europe, respectively, which isn't even remotely in "early 2012").Namco said the extra time in the oven will give Saber Interactive "the opportunity to create an enjoyable and engaging third-person shooter experience with a comprehensive multiplayer component." We had just assumed that the graphics needed tightening on level three or something, but then that's why we're not game devs, eh?
SXSWi ScreenBurn Arcade to host Street Fighter X Tekken tournament
SXSWi, the "interactive" technology portion of Austin's South by Southwest festival that runs between March 9 and 13, also hosts ScreenBurn, a three-day gaming conference and expo. The ScreenBurn Arcade portion of ScreenBurn is open to the general public, and to kick things off the first day of the Arcade will feature a Street Fighter X Tekken tournament, presented by IGN Pro League.An exhibition-style tournament, the event will be more of a spectator activity, rather than something that the public can enter and participate in. Still, it'll be a good opportunity to see highly technical play of the game just after its release. Since attending the ScreenBurn Arcade doesn't require a SXSWi pass, Austinites interested in the future of fighting can swing by the Palmer Center between 3PM and 7 PM Central on March 9 to scope out the tourney. If you see a complete dork dressed like Dan Hibiki, come say hi.
New Soulcalibur 5 trailer is like four trailers in one
Soulcalibur 5 comes out in less than a week; why waste time with separate trailers when you can slam them all into one super convenient video? Check out Algol, Edge Master and Devil Jin's Custom Character fighting style (!), as well as character poses narrated by SC5's obligatory gruff guy.
Namco Arcade is a weirdly stocked virtual game center for iOS
Namco has discovered another avenue for selling you its stable of classic games. The free Namco Arcade app for iOS is the most haphazardly chosen collection of catalog titles yet: Xevious, Phozon, Motos, and The Tower of Druaga.Taking a page from Turbografx-16 Gamebox's ... book ... of how to sell old games ... Namco Arcade offers free play of one selected title per day. You can choose one every day, or -- here taking inspiration from Capcom Arcade -- buy "Play Coins" to unlock additional plays. If you don't want to deal with that nonsense, in-app purchases will let you buy the games permanently for $3.99.%Gallery-145745%
A tale of two hidden blades, eternally retold: Ezio v Ezio in Soulcalibur 5
We're pretty sure if Ezio really fought Ezio, he'd just mirror his own moves identically and get caught in a stalemate. But when two different people pilot the master assassin from the Assassin's Creed series within the confines of Soulcalibur 5, that's a whole other story.[Thanks, Nederob.]
Inversion delayed until 'early 2012'
Gunning gravity-shifter Inversion has shifted its official release window to "early 2012." Publisher Namco Bandai informed us of the change after we asked it about retailers changing the launch date to March 27."The launch of Inversion has been moved to early 2012, and more details will follow in an upcoming announcement," a Namco Bandai spokesperson told Joystiq. "This additional development time will allow the team to polish several key aspects of the game ensuring Inversion is of the highest quality."For those who had their hearts set on a game for Inversion's original release date of February 7, there's always the "enemy-pounding funfest" of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.%Gallery-130923%
Retailers: Inversion delayed until March
Inversion has had an official launch date of February 7, 2012, for over a year now, but retail listings are shifting to note otherwise. Both GameFly, which lists launch info based on publisher data, and GameStop now present a release date of March 27.Originally announced back in 2009, Inversion was supposed to hit shelves sometime in 2010, back when Namco was still trying out new IP. We've contacted Namco Bandai for official confirmation of the delay.%Gallery-130923%
Namco executive: F2P titles 'can't be high quality'
Just when we thought every game development firm on the planet had jumped on the free-to-play bandwagon, along comes Namco-Bandai and executive Olivier Comte. The senior vice president recently spoke at the Cloud Gaming Europe conference, and he had some pretty harsh words for the industry's new business model darling. "Free-to-play games can't be high quality," Comte said. "The business model for smaller, easier titles is making an expectation to consumers that is whittling away at AAA development." He went on to stress that larger companies have to think long-term, and he opined that the proliferation of cheap games is going to be problematic for the industry if the trend continues.
Take a look at the gorgeous and gory roster of Soulcalibur V
SoulCalibur V is similar to previous entries in one crucial aspect: There are some very pretty fighters on the roster who are more than happy to slice each other up. Even gory ol' Nightmare seems to have received some tips directly from Tim Gunn. Major wow factor, people!
Harada 'considering' Tekken X Street Fighter on Vita
Namco producer Katsuhiro Harada is leading up production of Tekken X Street Fighter -- he's the Yoshinori Ono of Namco, if you will. And like his Capcom counterpart, Harada has repeatedly taken to Twitter to answer fan questions about his current project, most recently telling one Twitter user that he's currently "considering" a Vita port of the title. He didn't mention much else, unfortunately, though he did take time to promote an upcoming community vote via the game's Facebook page, that'll allow fans to choose which characters end up in the upcoming fighter. One follower suggested both Final Fight's famed crossdresser, Poison, as well as Street Fighter Alpha 3's Karin. We're gonna go out on a limb and ask Harada for Ryu and Eddy Gordo. Those guys never get any time in the spotlight!
Touch My Katamari's prologue is just the best thing
The Katamari series is known for being esoteric, having excellent music and, at times, being eccentric to such a degree that "absurd" can't even begin to cover it. It's relieving to see that Touch My Katamari will not only continue these proud traditions, but take them to new heights.
Armored Core 5 mechs a date with retail: March 20
If you surprised yourself by becoming a superfan of Dark Souls, here's the next ... totally different From Software-developed game for you to try. Publisher Namco Bandai announced that mech action game Armored Core 5 will be released on PS3 and Xbox 360 in North America on March 20 -- which just happens to be five years to the day after Armored Core 4 came out. A European release will follow on March 23. If you pre-order from GameStop, you'll get some extra stuff with which to outfit your giant robot: the "Heavy Assault Pack," which comes with extra weapons and parts. This stuff can be used in the competitive multiplayer, which would seem to give an advantage to GameStop buyers on release day. That hardly seems sporting.
ESA members asked individually about SOPA, some respond
Rock, Paper, Shotgun collaborated in obtaining responses. The Entertainment Software Association's support of the "Stop Online Piracy Act" has led us to ask every member of the video game industry's lobbying and political group to publicly declare its stance on the bill. The ESA's continued support means every member, by proxy, is a supporter of the bill. Some companies have pulled their logos from supporting SOPA documentation to dodge ire, while others are hiding behind rhetoric, as you'll see below. Joystiq contacted every member of the ESA and requested a declarative statement on SOPA. After the break we've listed the responses we've received, along with others we found. We continue to seek clarity on this issue from every member of the ESA. This will become the page we update as we receive responses and clear declarative statements, so feel free to bookmark. (Joystiq does not support SOPA, nor does our parent company.)
Windows Phone getting four fresh Xbox Live gaming titles, optimized for Mango
It looks like our friends over at Microsoft have outed a quartet of new Xbox Live games that will be delivered to the Windows Phone Marketplace in the not-too-distant future. Being billed as "optimized for the newest Windows Phone 7.5," the aforementioned -- and somewhat familiar -- titles include: Age of Zombies by Halfbrick, Bullet Asylum by UberGeekGames, geoDefense Swarm by Critical Thought, and Tamagotchi by Namco. Why are these touchscreen-tickling titles familiar, you ask? Three of the four have been proving their mettle on other mobile platforms. GeoDefense Swarm and Tamagotchi are currently available in the iOS App Store; Age of Zombies is available in both the Android Market and iOS App Store; and Bullet Asylum has been in the works for some time -- we were treated to a video preview last summer, which you'll find below. No word yet on release dates, but the foursome's mere presence on Microsoft's site makes us think that we won't have to wait all that long before initiating the download sequence.
Xiaoyu and M. Bison leaked for Street Fighter X Tekken
The cross-over character cavalcade of fun that is Street Fighter X Tekken continues to hemorrhage new fighters, albeit this time the announcement is somewhat less flashy (and far more unintentional) than previous roster reveals. A new screenshot uploaded to SFXT's Xbox Live Marketplace page, upon close inspection, shows the portraits of Iron Fist veteran Ling Xiaoyu and Shadowloo head honcho M. Bison, as seen in the zoomed and enhanced image above. This brings the game's character stable to an even 30 fighters, PS3/Vita exclusive peeps not included. We're excited about the prospect of psycho-crushing our foes once again, but we also can't help but be disappointed by SFXT's severe lack of snake-arm minotaurs and farting dinosaurs.
Namco Bandai discounting iOS stable for Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday (but not Super Tuesday)
Sick and tired of your neighbor Steve Grabowski always showing off with his fancy Pac-Man Championship Edition on iPhone? First and foremost, tell Grabowski to shove it, but more importantly, know that you'll soon be able to afford your very own copy. Namco's Thanksgiving Week slash Black Friday slash Cyber Monday iOS sales are offering dramatically discounted versions of excellent games like Pac-Man CE and Galaga Remix, and the deals kick off at 12AM PST today ... so they're totally live right now. Said deals shall stay that way through November 28, just before midnight PST. At very least, the discounted wares should give you a brief reprieve from that jerk neighbor.
