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Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja: Storm Generations revealed
Look, we'll admit it: we're spectators when it comes to this Naruto thing. Honestly, it feels like the world is playing a joke on us. Is Naruto a guy? A mythical dragon god beast king? A lunch special at the take-out place around the corner?Jokes aside, another entry in the long-running video game series has been revealed in the latest issue of Shonen Jump magazine (via Siliconera). No consoles have been mentioned yet, but the premise seems simple enough: more fighters, both young and Shippuden versions; more unnecessarily lengthy pre-fight dialog; more of the Naruto timeline to play through. It's the Dragon Ball Z formula in full effect, we assume.But, hey, if you're trying to make sense of this all, relax -- we know a guy.[Note: Image taken from Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja: Storm 2.]
New PS3 hardware update in Japan; Xillia bundle comes with new model
Nope, you still won't get an HDMI cable in the box with new PlayStation 3 hardware that arrives this September in Japan, but you will get a "charcoal black" console with decreased power consumption, a lightened chassis, and a 320GB HDD. Thrillingly named the "CECH-3000B," the new model was announced by Sony of Japan this past weekend, alongside the opening of an official website (once a retailer had outed it). Apparently a handful of visual changes have been made to the system as well, specifically applying to the power and eject buttons, but the changes aren't obvious in images released thus far. The console by itself will run ¥34,980 ($435.56), and a 160GB version of the new model will ship with a previously announced Tales of Xillia bundle this September. It should also be noted that the Tales of Xillia model is ¥37,980 ($470) and looks way, way sweeter.
AI competition pits Ms. Pac-Man against ghosts in the Manichean struggle of our time (video)
While the world breathlessly awaits the Pac-Man reality TV show, the University of Essex held a programming competition starring that other yellow chomper. The Ms. Pac-Man vs. Ghost Team contest pitted 13 competitors from nine different countries against one another, to see who could create the most elusive Ms. Pac-Man or the wiliest ghost gang. The participants coded routines for the titular hero or Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Sue, with organizers then running the programs against one another on the Java-based playing field. The highest single-game score went to Atif, who racked up 69240 points versus DarkRodry's ghosts, while ghost team Legacy2TheReckoning held RandomMsPacMan to a mere 410 points. Another competition will take place in August, so limber up your coding fingers, Pac-Maniacs. In the meantime, strap on your headgear and cheer on your round yellow hero in the video below.
Soulcalibur V has '20 - 30' characters, half are new; character creation coming back
During our meeting this afternoon with Namco, while a tale of souls was being eternally retold on the screen in Soulcalibur V, a rep from the Japanese publisher spoke to the game's features while we raptly listened on. While only four characters were playable in the hands-on demo we had, two of them were brand new -- something the Namco rep explained was representative of the entire game's roster. "Half of the roster is all new characters," he noted, before explaining that character creation will make a triumphant return in SC5. And apparently, though the story in past Soulcalibur titles has been ... typical of a fighting game, SC5 will expand upon that with the expressed purpose of explaining the many, many new characters. We only got a chance to get our hands on Patroclus and series favorite Mitsurugi, but we'll be sure to have a preview up in the coming days. Here's a tease: it was pretty fun!%Gallery-126046%
Soulcalibur V's eternally retold battles, captured on video
Poor Mitsurugi! He sure was getting on in years when we last saw him in Soulcalibur IV, and in Soulcalibur V he's positively elderly! With any luck, Yoshimitsu schooled him in the ways of AARP health insurance. See for yourself in the first Soulcalibur V gameplay video, after the break.
Another Tekken character teased for Street Fighter X Tekken
It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out who the latest character teased for Street Fighter X Tekken is: Yoshimitsu.
Namco Bandai sale this weekend on the App Store
If you want to score a deal on some classic games for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, Namco Bandai is celebrating spring (and, coincidentally, Mother's Day) with a sale on some of its best-selling titles this weekend. From now through May 9, you can grab games like Star Trigon for US$0.99, Tamagotchi: 'Round the World for $0.99, Lost in Time: The Clockwork Tower for $2.99, and PAC-MAN for $1.99. According to 148Apps.com, which offers a complete list of all the discounted games, the sale may be limited to the US store only.
So, uh, what's an 'Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel' anyway?
As you know, our primary goal here at Joystiq is to provide you with a thorough, clear, and contextualized picture of video game news. It's with that in mind that we asked NIS America to explain the ... somewhat bizarre name of its forthcoming RPG, Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel. We've been ribbing the game's title internally for some time now. And hey, can you blame us? It's nigh indecipherable! A NIS representative described the title as a "jumble of seemingly random letters," so we're not exactly alone in this. Anyway, NIS America reps kindly provided us with the breakdown of name that you see below, presented unedited: "Break down for Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel: 'Qoga' means "finale" or 'termination.' 'Knell' is like a chime that signals the passing of someone or something. 'Ar Ciel' is a name of a world. 'Ar Tonelico' is an artificial world tree (Yggdrasill). We wanted to use 'Knell' to indicate that this is the finale of the series because 'chime the signals the passing of something' is [the] perfect way of expressing the finale of [the] Ar Tonelico series." Still confused? We were too. Thankfully, NIS reps escalated their efforts several steps further, offering a detailed explanation -- as well as a bit of sympathy to confused readers -- directly from script writer Steven Carlton. "Many people may look at the title Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel and wonder what that jumble of seemingly random letters means," Carlton told us. "There are a few key terms from the game in the title, mainly Ar Tonelico and Ar Ciel."%Gallery-114535%
Hand-cranked mechanical Pac-Man gobbles up our heart
Here's a thing we didn't know we wanted until the internet showed it to us: a hand-cranked, clockwork Pac-Man sculpture. Its creator, Jonathan Guberman, hopes to create a fully playable mechanical Pac-Man machine called "Pac Machina" -- but this proof of concept is cool enough for the time being.
Sega, Capcom and Namco go iPhone sale crazy
If you buy the new iPhone Devil May Cry 4 Refrain today, you will save. That's because Capcom has marked it and a bunch of other games down to 99 cents for a limited time, including Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney (an absolute steal at that price), Street Fighter IV, the iPad and iPhone versions of Resident Evil 4, and more. Sega has also joined in on the 99-centery, with a Valentine's Day-themed sale whose contents don't actually have much to do with Valentine's Day. Along with sixteen 99-cent apps, Sega has dropped prices on some Sonic games to $2.99. Meanwhile, Namco has launched a gigantic sale on its iPhone and iPad games. Unfortunately, Capcom didn't reveal an ending date for its sale, merely saying "THIS SALE WON'T LAST FOREVER" in the sale announcement in each App Store listing. Namco, on the other hand, specified that its sale will start at 5PM ET today, and ends at the same time on Tuesday, Feb. 15. Sega's sale, similarly, ends on Feb. 15. Find all the deals, with iTunes links, after the break. For even more markdowns, check out Gameloft's sale. [Update: Sega let us know about the ending date for its discounts: Feb. 15.]
A brief, brief look at Galaga Legions DX
It's been a while since we first heard about Galaga Legions DX. Now, Namco has finally seen fit to reveal an itty-bitty, teeny-weeny snippet of gameplay footage. You'll find it at 1:35 in the video after the break. Are ... are those satellites shooting diagonally? Madness.
Namco brings Pac-Man and Galaga Dimensions to 3DS
After revealing a Pac-Man / Galaga combination title in Nintendo's enormous list of 3DS games at last year's E3, Namco hasn't said a peep about the game. The latest issue of Famitsu (via Andriasang), however, spills new details on the combination title -- dubbed "Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions" -- including the fact that each game has been ... tweaked for Nintendo's new handheld. Galaga 3D Impact is described as a 3D shooting game, where the player pilots a ship from the cockpit view, aiming with the 3DS' gyrometer by physically moving the handheld. Pac-Man Tilt is a similarly strange take on classic Pac-Man gameplay, with our pellet-gobbling buddy donning humanoid features and traversing numerous levels -- you can tilt the 3DS to alter the levels while playing. The title has yet to receive a release date or a North American announcement, but we expect to hear more in the coming months.
First Dark Souls trailer and screens are appropriately dark [update: now with release date]
The lid has officially been blown off of Dark Souls, with developer From Software releasing a dark, moody flood of media. First and foremost is the reveal trailer, which should comfort fans hoping that the multiplatform game would look an awful lot like its predecessor Demon's Souls (a PS3 exclusive) -- it does! (Oh, and don't tell the new Xbox players -- they have no idea what they're in for!) The trailer is replete with gloomy environments, armor-clad knights, terrifying monsters and oppressive music. Sharp-eyed observers will also notice what appear to be player spirit forms, another Demon's Souls staple. The first Dark Souls screenshots and concept art are equally grim, including even more gloomy environments and this ... thing. Check out the screens in the gallery below and find the trailer and concept after the break. Update: At a press event in San Francisco today, Namco Bandai announced that Dark Souls would launch worldwide on PS3 and Xbox 360 this holiday (2011). %Gallery-115583%
Pac-Man CE coming to PlayStation Minis this week
Though there's nothing miniature about Pac-Man: Championship Edition -- or the manner in which it will absolutely devour your free time as you endlessly pursue the highest scores -- the title will be added to the PSN Minis catalog with tomorrow's update of the PlayStation Store. The announcement of the game's imminence didn't include a price point, though it's guaranteed to arrive below the $10 ceiling that's been established for the platform. Considering the Mini-fied version of the game won't have any online support or leaderboards, we hope it arrives under that ceiling with room to spare. Update: The price is right! $4.99.
Pac-Man reality TV show coming, and not a moment too soon
Not since Hollywood Reporter told us about a possible Asteroids bio-pic have we been excited about a film or TV show: Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Merv Griffin Entertainment has hammered out a deal with Namco Bandai to develop a reality TV show based on Pac-Man. Envisioned by Merv Griffin Entertainment's president of TV Roy Bank as something "big" and "crazy" like Wipeout or Fear Factor, the company wants "to take what Pac-Man is and bring it to life, to bring what is essentially the world's biggest game of tag to television." If this doesn't sound like the definition of a mid-season replacement, we don't know what is.
12 Days of Joyswag: Splatterhouse, Terror Mask statue, and weird collapsible speakers
To celebrate the holidays, we're having twelve straight days of giveaways up through Christmas day. And while we say it's to celebrate, really ... we're simply getting rid of some of the larger packages around the ol' office. Look, we're going to be honest with you ... it's day nine and we've got some less awesome stuff for you today. Want a copy of the not-so-great Splatterhouse on Xbox 360? Really? Well, how about a copy of Splatterhouse along with a cat-sized Terror Mask statue and a strange set of collapsible speakers? Well, if you insist – you can enter our giveaway by leaving a comment. Find the full rules after the break.%Gallery-111884%
Namco moving development to Japan in light of 'lacking' overseas developer performance
According to a Bloomberg report, Namco Bandai plans to shift the bulk of its game development back to Japan after a rocky year for its titles developed overseas. Company president Shukuo Ishikawa told Bloomberg, "We found the quality and development speed of titles made for us by the overseas studios to be lacking." He added that overseas studios will still be able to "propose and develop games" but that Namco's Japanese operation will "control the process more closely." After letting the likes of Clash of the Titans, Splatterhouse and Dead to Rights: Retribution out the door, we can appreciate Ishikawa's sentiments. That said, the company's sales projections may have been a little ... optimistic in the first place. Our completely unexperienced advice for Namco: Take the money spent on everything other than Enslaved and spend it on marketing Enslaved 2. Also, please make Enslaved 2.
Enslaved dev diary explores Pigsy's fascination with 'The Perfect 10'
If there's anything this developer diary for the upcoming Enslaved DLC, "Pigsy's Perfect 10," has taught us, it's don't judge a book by its cover. The guy just wants a friend and he'll do what it takes to earn one -- er, build one, in this case.
Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom gets $20 price drop at Amazon, Gamestop
While Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom hasn't been entirely forsaken by publisher Namco, it has seen its release date bumped up by a week at the last minute and now, its seen its price slashed considerably by at least two different online retailers. Siliconera spotted that the new $39.99 price at both Amazon and Gamestop though only the latter shows the lower price across both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 releases. Amazon only shows the lower price on the PS3 release. With little in the way of pre-release buzz, the price cut may be a shrewd move to help move some units, something Namco could really use. We've asked the publisher if this new, lower price will be available everywhere across both releases. We'll let you know what we find out.
Enslaved DLC trailer explores Pigsy's motives
If it wasn't clear why everyone says Enslaved: Odyssey to the West has great voice acting, the latest trailer for its upcoming DLC, starring the game's playable sidekick Pigsy, shows it off at its best. Head past the break to see for yourself.
