q2 2011
Latest
Retro City Rampage hits XBLA in summer 2011, WiiWare version delayed
If you were looking forward to buying Brian Provinciano's Retro City Rampage on WiiWare, we have some bad news: it's been delayed significantly. The WiiWare version of the satirical 8-bit sandbox game was originally targeted for the end of this year, but now won't arrive until fall 2011. But you'll be able to play it before then. Like Super Meat Boy before it, the announced WiiWare release of Retro City Rampage will be preceded by an XBLA version, which comes out in the summer. "In order to continue making these games and not have to start flipping burgers after Retro City Rampage is done," Provinciano told Destructoid, "it needed to be multi-platform." Provinciano is using the extra time to put additional content, including playable characters and missions, into both versions of the game.
Final Fantasy IV and The After Years collected on PSP
We're a little surprised it took this long for Square Enix to bundle Final Fantasy IV and its mobile / WiiWare followup, The After Years. Square does enjoy re-releasing Final Fantasy IV after all. The latest version is Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection for PSP, revealed in V-Jump magazine. Complete Collection includes an updated version of FFIV, like the freshened-up Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy 2 released on PSP, with fancy graphics for spells and new character portraits, combined with 2D character models. The After Years is presented in the same style. The Complete Collection is slightly more complete than just the two games on their own: it also includes an exclusive story connecting the two. It'll be released in Japan this spring. There's no reason not to expect Square Enix to localize this Final Fantasy game, so it's only a matter of time. [Image: Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (WiiWare version)]
Mortal Kombat koming April 2011, special editions announced
Mortal Kombat's 2011 reboot will tell consumers to "get over here" in April 2011. That's the latest release window kurrently offered by Warner Bros. Interactive, with Warner Home Video's publicity site listing a more specific April 19, 2011. To complement its reveal of Kratos as a playable character in the PS3 version of the game, WB has announced standard, Kollector's and Tournament editions (along with several retailer-specific pre-order incentives, listed after the break). The Kollector's Edition will include Sub-Zero and Scorpion figurines, a collectible art book, and DLC for "Mortal Kombat Klassic costume skins" and avatar costumes. The Tournament Edition, which will have a limited run of 20,000 copies in North America, will contain the game, DLC and ... a "portable fight stick." 'Cause, you see, if it were a fight log it wouldn't be "portable" -- it's a very necessary adjective.
Kinectimals plush toys coming in Spring 2011
We know, we know -- Fur Town is getting kind of lonely these days. All your Kinectimals have been petted and played with so many times and, well, you're getting kinda bored of them. Thankfully, according to an announcement from Jakks Pacific this morning, Microsoft has plans to release "five unique plush animals" in the first wave of Kinectimals stuffed animals coming out in Spring 2011. Like the King Cheetah and Maltese Tiger included in the game's collector's editions, the plush animals can be scanned into Fur Town and be played with in-game to heart's content. No pricing was given in the announcement -- but can you even put a price on cuteness?
Give yourself a few minutes to read about Jikandia: The Timeless Land
Do you like games from Opus Studio that combine retro-style graphics, RPG gameplay and time-compression gimmicks? Well, good news: now you have more than just Half-Minute Hero through which to experience that unique combination. Aksys Games is localizing Jikan de Fantasia for PSP as Jikandia: The Timeless Land, due Spring 2011. Jikandia is a unique side-scrolling dungeon RPG in which players set the time limits for each dungeon -- which, in turn, affects the treasure quality and the difficulty of the dungeon. Players control a boy from our world drawn into Jikandia, a once-timeless place that is now experiencing linear time, as a "champion," searching for his missing friends. Of course, given the random-dungeon style of gameplay, you probably won't need to spend much time worrying about the story.%Gallery-108245%
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings strikes on May 17, collector's edition revealed
In a late night missive from Polish publisher CD Projekt, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was given a solid release date: May 17, 2011. Project lead Adam Badowski admitted that the launch had been moved back "a few weeks" to allow the PC action-RPG more development time. "We've decided to the move the launch date back a few weeks to afford us more time to polish the game," he said. CD Projekt also teased "hot news" to be served up during the publisher's autumn conference on November 18, including details of the game's Collector's Edition, pre-order specifics, and more. If you can't make it to the conference in person -- it's in Warsaw, Poland, after all -- it'll be streaming live on both the official Witcher 2 website and the game's Facebook page starting at 12:30PM EST sharp on November 18. In the meantime, GameStop appears to have already launched the game's collector's edition listing, showing a $130 price tag and ... umm ... like, a ton of stuff (listed after the break). It's a good thing you have about half a year to save up all that dough!
UFC Personal Trainer due in Europe this April
Get ready to get super buff. European sites including CVG and Eurogamer say THQ announced that UFC Personal Trainer, the UFC-themed exercise game for Kinect, Move, and Wii, will be released in Europe on April 1 of next year, bringing with it THQ's firm (but completely unspoken) guarantee that regular use will make you look exactly like Brock Lesnar. Out the same day: WWE All-Stars, a similarly casual-focused game, but with wrestling instead of whatever you call what happens in UFC, and arcade-style controls instead of motion. Both games are headed for a similar release window in North America. During an investor conference call this month, THQ cited them as highlights of its "March quarter."
Dirt 3, Operation Flashpoint: Red River due in Q2 2011
"I don't think it does any good to publish in a congested period when everyone's putting out their shooters," Codemasters CEO Rod Cousens told Eurogamer. Instead, you'll see the European publisher's biggest upcoming games, off-road racer Dirt 3 and serious-face shooter Operation Flashpoint: Red River, in the second quarter of 2011. Provided next year's congested first-quarter schedule remains untouched by delays, that puts Codemasters' pair safely outside the commercial blast radius of Killzone 3, Dead Space 2, and Bulletstorm*, and likely a few months before the next Call of Duty. Whilst avoiding it on retail shelves, Cousens is taking a couple of pages from Call of Duty's book -- fluttering in the wind, having been blown up in the library level. "We're not difficult to predict," Cousens said. "If DiRT comes out next year, GRID will come out the following year, and then DiRT will be out the year after that. So you can map us out." As Dirt and Grid alternate, Codemasters aims to have a new F1 racing game out every year, and a new Operation Flashpoint every other year. The publisher hopes to provide "a new IP that sits in opposite years to each other," but as far as racing and action games go, you now know the general strategy for the next five years. By next year, we might also see where, exactly, over-the-top FPS Bodycount fits in. * Actual video game titles.
Famitsu: XBLA shmup Omega Five coming to 3DS
It's okay if you don't remember Omega Five. The Natsume-developed side-scrolling shump hit XBLA (pictured) in early 2008 and has since shot into obscurity. According to Famitsu, the game is set to appear on Nintendo 3DS in Japan during Spring 2011 -- where it'll probably make a more memorable bow among a launch lineup otherwise devoid of "traditional" shoot-em-ups. Hudson published Omega Five on XBLA. The company hasn't made a peep about the 3DS version, but we'll check in to see what -- if anything -- it has to say about a possible North American release.
Heroes on the Move renamed: PlayStation Move Heroes
Heroes on the Move was always a tentative title for Sony's motion controlled mash-up mini-game collection. Perhaps thinking the placeholder moniker was too clever, the Sony marketing team has unveiled a brand new title for the game: PlayStation Move Heroes. The alternate title was going to be That PlayStation Move Game with Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, and Sly Cooper, so at least the better title won out. In addition to the new title, Sony also revealed details of the game's story. How do these heroes come together? A mysterious alien duo has swept through the galaxy, fiendishly snatching entire chunks from the worlds of Ratchet, Jak and Sly to create a mysterious new planet in the galaxy. After being abducted to this new world, Ratchet, Clank, Jak, Daxter, Sly Cooper and Bentley are invited by their gracious alien hosts to compete in friendly, yet challenging competition to test their extraordinary skills ... but as our heroes discover, all is not as it seems. Our fearless heroes soon find themselves joined together in the ultimate battle to protect the galaxy -- and in a fight for their own survival. PlayStation Move Heroes is set for release in Spring 2011.
El Shaddai's ascension bumped to Spring 2011
Previously, Ignition Entertainment had tentatively dated its super bizarre action game, El Shaddai, for "2010." Given the impending closure of that release window, the publisher has revised that time frame to "Spring 2011." The new date was revealed in a TGS preview of the game published by Famitsu. Ignition has also released a grip of new images sure to impress those among us with a proclivity for naughty anime -- we especially covet the totally accidental upshirt shots (like this one). Ignition is said to be focusing its Tokyo Game Show efforts on El Shaddai, so expect to see more on the game in the coming days.
Red Faction: Armageddon coming May 2011; new Saints Row next fall
THQ today published a "core games" release calendar, highlighted by the revised May 2011 date given for Red Faction: Armageddon, which pushes it out of a crowded first quarter -- but just a few months beyond the initially proposed date. The calendar spans the publisher's fiscal 2012 (April 2011 – March 2012) and also includes a Spring 2011 release window for MX vs. ATV Alive, followed by the planned summertime launch of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. A new Saints Row game (or games?) and a WWE iteration are expected next fall. Additionally, an upcoming UFC title has been slated for Winter 2012 (January–March 2012). Of course, all dates are "subject to change," THQ notes.
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath remake coming to PS3 in 2011
Are you ready, Steef? Just Add Water is working on a high-definition remake of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath. The Gravity Crash developer announced the project earlier today, highlighting it as the first in a "long and fruitful relationship" with the original game's developer, Oddworld Inhabitants. "Having a chance to update the great title and release it on PS3 is just a brilliant opportunity, not least for us, but for the fans too," added Just Add Water MD Stewart Gilray. Set for release on PlayStation Network during Easter next year, the PS3 remake of Stranger's Wrath will offer enhanced 720p visuals, more detailed character models, remastered dialogue, PlayStation Move support and "additional bonus material." When it launched on Xbox in January 2005, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath was notable for being, well, a really bizarre first-person shooter. It placed the franchise's environmental missive inside a wild and weird Western aesthetic, and replaced ammunition with ravenous fuzzballs. An EA-developed port for PlayStation 2 never made it to stores.
Yakuza 4 headed to North America and Europe in spring 2011
We didn't believe Sega would ever localize Yakuza 3. We also didn't believe Yakuza 3 would sell enough to justify a localization of Yakuza 4. We were wrong on both counts! Today, Sega announced that it's bringing the PS3's Yakuza 4 to North America and Europe in spring 2011, to the delight of everyone who likes beating up gangsters so severely that they feel compelled to apologize and offer money. Rather than focusing entirely on the exploits of ex-crime boss/family man Kazuma Kiryu, Yakuza 4 splits the story between four different characters, including a homeless man, a detective, an ex-con, and Kazuma. If you don't mind paging through a bunch of Japanese text, you can try it out right now, thanks to a demo on Japan's PlayStation Store. %Gallery-94713%
Rumor: Gears of War 3 in April 2011
A few things in this life are certain: Oprah will have a new book for you to read every month and you can bet there's a new Gears of War in the works. Edge says a source has put a pin in April 2011 as the release window for the third entry in Epic's series -- and we should expect the first teaser trailer next month, on April 8, with a full-on reveal at E3 in June. "Microsoft's keen to avoid a clash with Halo: Reach and wants Natal to own Christmas," alleges Edge's source. "That's why we won't be seeing Gears Of War 3 until next year, but expect a major marketing push ahead of its release." Recently, Epic prez Mike Capps hinted at a major game announcement to be made by the studio during E3. Additionally, EA has teased a "Shooter from Epic" due just before April in Q1 2011.
