q3 2011
Latest
Dead Block due to shuffle, swing and bop onto XBLA July 6 and PSN July 20
Nothing says "America" like apple pie, Elvis and vintage zombie hordes, straight out of the Golden 1950s. Dead Block, a suburban-zombie tower-defense title from Candygun Games, is hitting XBLA July 6, according to publisher Digital Reality. We first saw this date reported over the weekend at XBLA Fans; the only problem is, Xbox Live's Major Nelson told us, "It's not on the list that I have." Remember, kids, Xbox Live Marketplace release dates are never official until Microsoft releases them! ... but we're not sure about PlayStation Network, which Digital Reality says is scheduled to get its dose of Dead Block on July 20. Regardless of release dates, the cute-yet-crude take on the undead genre will be marked at 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360 and the equivalent $10 on PSN. If you're still curious about the game, we've got a trailer for you after the break, but here's the meat of it: Zombies are created from the hip vibrations of mid-century rock 'n' roll and are slaughtered by Jack the construction worker, Foxy the traffic warden or Mike, the fat boy scout from Up.
Deathsmiles comes to iPhone July 7, see it on Ustream July 1
This month, Cave gave the iPhone version of Deathsmiles a "2011" date. We didn't have to wait long to find out when in 2011 -- and we won't have to wait long to play it. Cave announced that you'll be able to enter Deathsmiles' moe gauntlet on July 7. For the first four days, it'll be priced at $4.99/£2.99/€3.99, then the price will go up to $8.99/£5.49/€6.99. If you're uncontrollably thrilled about the new iPhone shmup, you'll be able to get an early look at it on Friday, July 1. Cave is hosting a Ustream "live sneak peek" event introducing Deathsmiles and revealing new content for the iPhone version. The 30-minute broadcast will be translated into English on the fly, for those of you who are into Cave shooters but not so into them that you learned Japanese.%Gallery-126265%
Deadly Premonition walking backwards to UK Games on Demand next week
Eager to virtually explore the bizarre world of Agent York in Deadly Premonition, but can't seem to locate a hard copy of the cult hit? Rising Star Games has you covered, as the publisher plans to launch the title digitally through Xbox Live's Games on Demand service next week, on July 5, for an unannounced price -- at least in the UK. We've reached out to DP's North American publisher, Ignition Entertainment, to see if it's landing Stateside as well. So, rather than spending July 5 sweating profusely, how about grabbing a piping hot cup of coffee, turning on the AC, and walking through the doors of perception with us? Don't worry, we'll bring the pie. Update: The game will cost £14.99/€19.99 in the UK/EU, and Rising Star is only handling distribution in PAL territories. We've yet to hear back from Ignition reps.
Boulder Dash XL boldly dashes to XBLA July 13
An HD update of the classic game Boulder Dash is coming to XBLA on July 13 ... just a week shy of the Summer of Arcade promotion, and the same day as Ms. Splosion Man. Ouch. Boulder Dash XL retains the formula from First Star Games' vintage side-scroller, with a treasure hunter searching for diamonds in maze-like caves, avoiding enemies, falling boulders, and traps. The new version features "7 times the amount of caves as the 1984 original release," publisher Kalypso Media says, along with a new "puzzle mode," items like speed enhancers and telescoping arms, and online leaderboards. In addition to the 800 Microsoft Point Xbox Live Arcade release, a PC version will be released later in the summer. Hopefully for its sake, it won't be overshadowed again by a promotion and a higher-profile release.%Gallery-127224%
XBLA Summer of Arcade releases dated, buy them all for free Crimson Alliance
We knew which games were going to be part of this year's XBLA "Summer of Arcade" -- but not when. Today, Microsoft shared that information, allowing you to plan your season around buying video games. The Summer kicks off with the isometric action-adventure Bastion on July 20, for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15.) Eric Chahi's volcanic god game, From Dust, follows on July 27 for the same price. On August 3, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet will be available, also for 1200 MSP. August 10 brings a refreshing virtual fruit salad in the form of Fruit Ninja Kinect, for 800 Points. Finally, Toy Soldiers: Cold War arrives on August 17 for 1200 Points. Like previous years, there's a bonus for buying all five Summer of Arcade titles, and this year it's a free copy of Crimson Alliance when it's released on September 7 (for 1200 Points). Fruit Ninja Kinect's inclusion in the promotion means that you must have a Kinect in order to take advantage of the free bonus. That's a bummer of Arcade for those who haven't picked up Microsoft's camera yet.
Bodycount bringing an arsenal to consoles this August
Bodycount may have missed its intended "early 2011" release window, but it seems that Codemasters wasn't far off. Today the publisher announced an August launch for the title and gave us a new peek into the game's 'splosion-packed action. As you'll see in the clip after the break, Bodycount is clearly about employing a variety of weapons as often as possible, all the while chasing an elusive enemy known as "The Target." (Seriously.) Apparently you'll be extending the pile of bodies across Africa, Asia and "mysterious bases" (okay, stop it) in said search, but the folks at Codies won't speak up until an upcoming community Q&A. You can participate in that over at the US PlayStation Blog.
Bit. Trip collections come to 3DS and Wii September 13
Bit. Trip Saga, the 3D-ized Bit.Trip compilation for 3DS, will arrive in stores on September 13. But if you'd rather play the games on the big screen -- and especially if you didn't buy all of them on Wii already -- there's another collection for you. Bit.Trip Complete collects all six WiiWare games on a single Wii disc, with a generous pile of extras. 120 new "challenges" have been added to the games in Bit.Trip Complete, along with new difficulty modes and leaderboards. In addition, there's an "audio gallery" of new songs, demo versions, and fan remixes of the series' signature sounds. Other bonuses include image and video galleries and a bundled soundtrack CD. It'll be up to you how you want to experience these games -- handheld and in 3D, or on your TV with bonuses. You could always buy both in order to have the most options as to how you want to be mesmerized and frustrated.
Just Dance 2 throwing a Summer Party on July 21
Ubisoft has officially shared details on Just Dance 2 - Summer Party, after a retail listing outed the game back in June. Rather than spoil the big new sequel coming this October, Summer Party instead offers 21 already released tracks (previously available as DLC), and teases fans with two new songs months before JD3's release. Summer Party crashes down on July 21 for the Nintendo Wii. In other words, Summer Party is perfect for your little cousin who doesn't understand the concept of downloading content through his/her Nintendo Wii, or for your friend who loves to warm up with dance in a disconnected part of Antarctica. Head past the break for the full track list from Ubisoft.
Uncharted, Resistance, and Ratchet & Clank bundles out in Europe July 22
SCEE has confirmed an Uncharted collection, for those European PS3 owners looking for a fast-track method of catching up with the Uncharted series. The publisher told CVG that on July 22, it will release a collection containing Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, along with a dynamic theme and an avatar. The same day will see a European release of the Resistance bundle (coming to North America July 5), which packs the first two games in that series and a Resistance 3 skin. Also out on July 22 in Europe: a Ratchet & Clank bundle containing Tools of Destruction and A Crack in Time, with bonus avatars and a Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One dynamic theme. No announcements were made about the Uncharted or Ratchet bundles in North America, but CVG's line of inquiry did begin with the discovery of the Uncharted collection on Best Buy's US website.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 cuts Kinect, launches on July 12
When The Boy Who Lived makes his big return to Hogwarts for the finale of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, he'll be doing it without the aid of motion peripherals on the Xbox 360. EA producer Gary Napper confirmed to Joystiq that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 won't have any Kinect functionality (unlike its predecessor), as the development team at EA Bright Light made a decision "early on to focus on the core of the experience, get as close to the atmosphere of the movie and make the flow of the combat feel right." The first Deathly Hallows game arrived last November to negative reviews. The sequel will touch down on July 12, just three days before the final movie launches in US theaters. Unfortunately, its short development time -- it's been approximately eight months since the first game launched -- raises questions about how much the sequel can really improve beyond Potter's previous outing. According to Napper, "We didn't want to dilute any of our efforts on other things that would require a lot of the team's time to perfect." We were told that EA Bright Light currently has two unannounced projects in development.
Hole in the Wall games officially headed to Kinect
It's hard to imagine Microsoft having even more Kinect games in the wings than were shown at its Kinect-centric E3 presentation, but there's at least one that didn't make it on stage: Hole in the Wall. The adaptation of the TV game show (about trying to fit through hilariously shaped cutouts in walls moving toward you) showed up in ratings last month, and has only now been announced by publisher Ludia. It'll be out on XBLA this summer, with single and online multiplayer, and " hilarious bonus videos from the TV show." But there's an unexpected twist! According to the press release, the deal with TV show producer Fremantle Media is for Hole in the Wall games, plural, and the release specifies that the first Hole in the Wall game is due this summer. It's a series.
Yamaoka scoring Grasshopper-developed Evangelion rhythm game
It's not often we'd rush to post about a Japan-only licensed anime game for PSP ... but the latest Evangelion game revealed by Famitsu is a little unusual. Rebuild of Evangelion Sound Impact, is, as the title suggests, a rhythm game based on the Evangelion anime series. It's also being developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, led by Doshin the Giant creator Kazutoshi Iida. It also has over 30 tracks of music from the series, arranged by Akira Yamaoka. If you were, separately, a fan of Grasshopper Manufacture, Yamaoka, and Evangelion, well, now those fandoms are connected, and you're freaking the hell out. We're, um, guessing. Rebuild of Evangelion Sound Impact is due for release in Japan September 29, with two separate special editions containing either a soundtrack, or a soundtrack plus a t-shirt and headphones. Good thing the PSP is region free!
Tetris goes 3D on PSN today, 3DS in October
If you run to your PS3 now and fire up Tetris, you'll be presented with the option to update. Download that 75MB file and -- just like that! -- you'll be playing in 3D. Oh, also, you have to have a 3D television and be wearing your glasses. We should really have told you about that part first. In other 3D Tetris news, right before E3 the Tetris Company announced plans to localize Hudson's Tetris Axis for 3DS this October, claiming that it "will allow fans to experience the game like never before – in 3D!" Now, by the time that comes out, fans will already have experienced it through the PS3 version, rendering that hyperbolic press release statement inaccurate. To be fair, though, it was already inaccurate, because the Virtual Boy's V-Tetris got there first, in 1995.
Kirby: Mass Attack preview: Kirby's other avalanche
For the first few minutes of my Kirby: Mass Attack demo, I felt bad. I felt bad for the Kirby series for leading to this failed experiment. I felt bad for the DS for having something so irritating as its swan song. I felt bad for the poor booth attendant who was tethered to this game and forced to stand around as people played it all day. And I felt bad for myself for playing this. By the end of the demo, I was totally, unreservedly into it. It built up steadily from something awkward to something elegant. I still felt bad for the woman corded to that demo DS, though.%Gallery-125888%
'Flare Red' 3DS coming to Japan
It begins. Less than four months after the release of the Japanese 3DS, Nintendo has announced the first color variation -- and it's a familiar one. In an attempt to "invigorate the market in Japan" (seriously, that's what the press release says), Nintendo will release a "Flare Red" 3DS. It's essentially the red 3DS shown off in press materials around E3 2010! In addition, on June 23, Nintendo of Japan will introduce new Wii bundles packaged with Wii Sports Resort, one console Wii Remote Plus in the color of the console and one blue Wii Remote Plus. The market-invigorating bundle will retail for ¥20,000 ($250).
Star Fox 64 3D flying into retail this September
Fox McCloud and co. are heading back into retail stores this September, Nintendo announced this morning, with Starfox 64 3D. It was also revealed that the 3DS camera will snap your picture and replace the tiny box of your player character in the lower part of the screen, meaning you'll be the one uttering unintelligible sayings to friends rather than Slippy and others. Doobadoombabup, we say! The game also features tilt controls, as previously revealed, which we'll be sure to get our hands-on with this week.%Gallery-125673%
ICO and Shadow of the Colossus collection coming this September
We might have guessed this was coming, after final release dates were just announced for Japan, but now it's official. The once-delayed ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection for PS3 has now been dated for North America. You'll be able to feel bad about destroying ginormous creatures, and yell at a teenage girl, in glorious HD and 3D in September, the same month it arrives in Japan.
Dead Island welcoming tourists on September 6
Sure, you could spend a weekend at Bernie's this fall, but Deep Silver and Techland are hoping you'll choose to pay a visit to Dead Island instead. The publisher-developer duo has just announced a September 6, 2011 release date for the game in North America, with the rest of the world getting it on September 9. As one partygoer finds out in the latest trailer for the game, being a drunken fool on an island resort during a concert is a great way to ensure a rough morning. Rather than the usual hangover and list of regrets, though, he wakes up to an island-wide zombie infestation. Sorry dude!
Call of Duty Elite invitation-only beta begins July 14
Activision's stat-tracking and community service, Call of Duty Elite, has yet to receive a firm launch date, but this morning we learned that Elite will enter "invitation-only" beta starting on July 14. Though Elite won't be fully functioning until Modern Warfare 3 drops in November, the beta will launch first on last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops. After opening the registration site last week, Activision says "over 1 million" Call of Duty fanatics have signed up for entry into the beta thus far. The company has yet to fully detail the differences between the paid version of Elite and the free one, but the beta announcement ambiguously notes it'll "give users a taste of the experience." Sounds ... elite?
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus arriving separately in Japan on September 22
Following the recent delay of the ICO and Shadow of the Colossus remakes, Sony Computer Entertainment has now provided a new release window for the PS3 games in Japan: September 22. In that region, each game is sold separately for ¥3,980 ($50). Sony is also offering a single box with both games in it for ¥6,980 ($87), which adds a 100-page booklet and dynamic PS3 themes. Along with the announcement, new Japanese sites have opened for both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus And if you listen closely, you can hear Ico calling you past the break of this post, beckoning you toward the new trailer. Can you hear it? Buhhhhhhhhhhh!
