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EVE Evolved: A guide to probing in Apocrypha
Several years ago, CCP released a new upgrade for EVE Online's standard system scanner. Scanner probes were deployable tools that could be used to find ships, drones and a few hidden complexes lost in the vastness of space. The system was later expanded to provide an awesome exploration experience – combat encounters, dungeons and rich asteroid belts were strewn throughout space for some lucky explorer to find. With EVE's latest expansion, the exploration system received a complete overhaul. A new scanning system was devised, complete with new probes and probe launchers. As if that wasn't enough, a new "True Exploration" mechanic was introduced with the appearance of wormholes all throughout space. Many wormholes lead to one of the 2500 new star systems that aren't on the main system map, each of which contains lucrative but dangerous sleeper NPCs that drop components for tech 3 ship production. In this article, I delve into the new probing system with complete strategies that have been proven to work. Read on to get an edge on wormhole exploration.
Blue Dragon: Blurry Beasts of the Underworld
We first discovered Blue Dragon: Beasts of the Underworld last month, and now these rather blurry scans from Famitsu have appeared on the interblag. It's difficult to glean much new information from these dim images -- indeed, the original Shonen Jump scans were much clearer -- but Gamekyo whipped out its magnifying glass and located one crucial nugget of information: a Japanese release date of March.Obviously, whether we even get this Blue Dragon game in the west could depend on whether anybody buys Blue Dragon Plus, so prep your wallets for February 24!
Actual gameplay screenshots of Final Fantasy XIII
Looks like the latest Famitsu has (shock!) actual gameplay screenshots of the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII. While we can't host full scans of the magazine, FinalFantasy-XIII.net can. The real-time graphics look superb, and make us want to see the game in action. It's only a few months until Japan gets a playable demo of the game --- we're certain to see much more of the game then.
Blood of Bahamut looks better every time we see it
We got our first taste of Blood of Bahamut a few weeks back and we definitely enjoyed what we saw. Thankfully, the latest issue of Famitsu has a nice two-page spread on the game, giving us more to drool over. We'd like to present any of the info that is in these scans, but, for some reason, it's all in Chinese. Seeing as how this is Famitsu magazine, you can understand why it's weird.Regardless, the scans are chock full of delicious eye candy. So let your eyeballs soak it all in here.%Gallery-36800%
Shonen Jump spills Blood of Bahamut details
Square Enix launched one of its beloved countdown sites recently, but was beaten to its own reveal by Shonen Jump magazine. The mystery game, as seen in this blurry screenshot, is Blood of Bahamut, an action RPG with four-player local co-op play and 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds. Oh, and it looks a bit like Shadow of the Colossus, though that's more of an observation than a criticism. We're not going to sling mud at any game that is inspired by Shadow of the Colossus, because Shadow of the Colossus is freakin' brilliant.Anyhow, Shadow, sorry, Blood of Bahamut will feature two protagonists, Ibuki and Yui, who live in a city constructed on the back of a giant. On paper, that sounds great -- they'd get lovely views and lots of fresh air, for example -- but their giant keeps getting attacked by other hefty enemies, who they have to ward off. And to think the agent said such good things about the neighbors.Ruliweb has the full scans, but we also recommend feasting your eyes on this exceptional concept art.[Via Final Fantasy Union; Thanks, Darryl!]
Popular Science names Wii Fit one of this year's best inventions
Popular Science is smitten with the Balance Board and Wii Fit. In their top 100 inventions of 2008 feature, they feature the bundle and talk about the components that comprise the Balance Board. Personally, we've always been big fans of the whole package, aside from the price of the thing, so we're glad to see it get some exposure in an interesting magazine.%Gallery-4745%
Confirmed: Monster Hunter 3 has monsters
Whereas previous Monster Hunter 3 media has mainly gawked at the game's environments (which look great), Famitsu's latest spread focuses on the scaly beasts who inhabit them. That's probably a good idea, as monsters have this tendency to play a fairly integral role in a Monster Hunter game.Typically for the series, most of these are all teeth and scales and based on dinosaurs; this Pterodactyl-like fellow is probably our favorite to date. Hit the "Source" link for the full set of scans!%Gallery-32281%
Marvelous reveals Valhalla Knights for Wii
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Marvelous_reveals_Valhalla_Knights_for_Wii'; Today is a big day for Wii gamers. Aside from a new Final Fantasy and a Klonoa remake, we're now getting a new Valhalla Knights title in Valhalla Knights: Eldgar Saga, according to the latest issue of Famitsu. The best part? It has online co-op!Valhalla Knights was previously a PSP-only franchise, but this Wii version looks to bring over a lot of the key aspects of those games, including 60 quests, real-time combat and heavy character customization. The magazine article says the game is about 70% complete and will release in Japan sometime next year.
New Final Fantasy lets DS and Wii gamers play at the same time
Fans of Square Enix and their Final Fantasy line of games are in for a treat. The company revealed in the latest issue of Shonen Jump magazine that it's developing a new installment in its Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series of games. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time is a game that will release on the DS and Wii on January 29th. Also, it will allow DS gamers and Wii gamers to play together online. How neat is that?Nothing in the way of exact functionality is explained, other than the prospect of transferring your Mii from the Wii version of the game to the DS title (and the previously mentioned co-op). We'll provide more information as it's made available.
Namco thinks Wii is ripe for Klonoa remake
A new Klonoa game from Namco Bandai, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, is being developed for Wii, according to the latest issue of Famitsu magazine. It's a remake of the first Klonoa game on the PSOne, which also happens to be called Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (you can read up on it at Wikipedia here). The presentation, as you can see above, is cel-shaded, bright and colorful, maintaining the look of the franchise. We like it, to be honest. And, as is custom with the Klonoa games, expect this title to have plenty of platforming segments to go through.Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is scheduled for a December 4th release in Japan.
Square Enix reveals new Final Fantasy for Wii
The latest issue of Shonen Jump magazine in Japan details a new game from Square Enix in the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles franchise, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. Other than having a ridiculously long name, the title will allow DS and Wii gamers to play alongside each other at the same time online. It will even allow you to transfer your Mii from the Wii version of the game to the DS version!The game has a release date of January 29th listed and when more info is made available, we'll update you all. Who's excited for some more Final Fantasy on Wii?[Via Final Fantasy Union]
Famitsu serves up Monster Hunter 3 screens, deets
With the Wii desperately struggling for survival in Japan, it needs a big title to turn things around, and if there's anything bigger (in Japan) than Monster Hunter, we're yet to clap eyes on it. Monster Hunter 3 was trumpeted as a Wii exclusive almost a year ago, yet it's only now we're hearing and seeing anything substantial about the project.Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto and director Kaname Fujioka granted an interview to Famitsu, in which the pair describe how the switch from PS3 to Wii prompted a major overhaul, including a large number of fresh monsters. Set on an unexplored island, the new game will prominently feature underwater sections, where several monsters hang out. Some creatures (such as the game's main monster, a huge dragon) will be capable of surviving on land or in the water, and can be successfully hunted in either environment.Tsujimoto and Fujioka also touched on what promises to be Monster Hunter 3's most appealing mode: online play. As in the PS2 versions, this can be played with four player groups, and there are lobby areas (in the form of a "city") that can be developed and expanded by offline play. The game makes a playable appearance at the Tokyo Game Show, so we should learn more soon.[Translation via IGN]
Scan's 3XS Great White gaming rig is extreme, not quite 11,000 extreme
British computer maker Scan is mighty, mighty proud of its 3X Great White. Aside from blasting a Silverstone TJ07B case with an astonishingly corny logo, the outfit is also charging a staggering £11,171.18 ($20,225) for the soon-to-be-outdated rig. Granted, it does pack an impressive amount of cutting-edge hardware -- three 1TB Samsung Spinpoint F1 HDDs (alongside two 64GB OCZ SSDs), a 4.4GHz overclocked Core 2 Quad Q9650 CPU, 2GB of Corsair DDR3 RAM, three 1GB NVIDIA GTX 280 GPUs and enough LEDs to light up a small basement (among other things) -- but we still can't justify trading out a good portion of your kid's college education for a machine very capable of dominating Crysis. But if you can, the buy link is just a few clicks away. Just don't tell the wife, nor anyone that we told you not to tell the wife.[Via WebCrunchDeals]
Space Invaders Get Even cheaper, more nostalgic
We thought we had already hit optimum levels of yaaaayness over Space Invaders Get Even with the announcement that the game would be heading to WiiWare, but it just gets better. Fresh scans from the innards of Famitsu have revealed that the title will be as cheap as a WiiWare game can possibly be: a measly 500 Wii Points. To put that in perspective, that's the same as half of Cruis'n USA or SPOGS Racing.That cost could escalate slightly, for Famitsu confirms that there will be downloadable stages (Square Enix is no stranger to DLC on WiiWare), but 500 Wii Points for the barebones package is still outstanding value. Oh, and there's even the odd Taito tribute thrown in for good measure, such as the ability to play as ships from company classics Darius and RayStorm. Want, want, want.%Gallery-25384%
Tenchu IV to feature kittens, might be the best game ever
While it may look like some Laser Cats to most of you, us history buffs know that Lasers were not discovered in Japan until 1714, much later than when Tenchu IV takes place. So, these cats can't shoot lasers, but they can do other awesome things. Like look cute and distract enemies.Thinking of a ninja's arsenal, kittens don't really come to mind. They're prone to make noise (which could mean certain death for a ninja) and they take up a lot of space in a satchel. This space could be used for more deadly ninja stars. But, hey, we're not complaining. We love kittens. Even the fake kind in video games.%Gallery-25071%[Via Go Nintendo]
Sonic and the Black Knight scann'd and quartered
We promised an update, so here we are! That oft-discussed Nintendo Power cover did contain some righteous screens of Sonic and the Black Knight within its papery (Remember paper? The stuff you learned stuff from before the internet?) depths, and we commandeered the above shot for your viewing pleasure.This new Sonic adventure takes the series in a new direction which, as evidenced by fans continuously lamenting the destruction of the franchise, is sorely needed. The initial reaction hasn't been positive, as fans don't expect this game to be some kind of salvation. Some gameplay details have been revealed, including multiple characters (namely Shadow and Knuckles), different sword maneuvers, and a system which earns knighthood points depending on your good or bad actions during levels. Oh, and his sword is named Calibur, and it talks.Well, we all wanted Sonic to go really fast, and that turned out to be a big bust, so what now? Do you feel like a passenger on a train bound for Shovelware City? Check out the rest of the scans at Gamekyo and have your say.
Dead Rising to eat brains of Wii gamers
The adventures of photojournalist Frank West have taken him into one of the darkest, filthiest, most vile and disgusting cesspools of scum and villainy in human history -- the Xbox 360 (zzzzzing!). Now it appears he is branching out to the sunny shores of Nintendo, as Dead Rising for the Wii has been revealed in the latest Famitsu! Happy day for humans, bad day for zombies.Dead Rising was Capcom's fresh foray into the survival horror genre, after spending years on the same Resident Evil formula. It was critically acclaimed and a blast to play, despite being criticized for awkward saving mechanics and time constraints. Based on the success of RE4: Wii Edition, Capcom went ahead and pulled Dead Rising up from the grave. And we're glad they did.According to some brief translations, new content in the Wii port includes extra weapons, a brand new (undoubtedly psychotic) boss and motion-controlled attacks. The graphics will look as close as possible to the 360 version, and the gameplay purportedly takes into consideration the needs of casual players. Could this mean a more streamlined save system for ease of use? Possibly.Enter here (if you dare) for the full range of Dead Rising scans.
Sonic Unleashed deets reveal more on level design
The current edition of UK magazine GamesTM has a bunch of new details for Sonic Unleashed, mostly gleaned from chatting to lead designer Yoshihisa Hashimoto. In the four-page piece, we learn that the game eschews traditional Sonic locales in favor of nine different worlds, each set in a themed geographical location -- so instead of Green Hill Zone, we'll be guiding the blue one through levels based on The Great Wall of China, an African plain, New York City, and a Spanish villa.Stages are short (apparently, no stage lasts more than five minutes), and will contain both 2D and 3D sections that last for around 15 to 30 seconds each (this snappy level design, explains Hashimoto, is intended to prevent players from growing bored). Perhaps most importantly of all, the 3D sections will only use techniques that have proved successful in the past -- so there's the rail grinding from Sonic Adventure, and the ability to switch lanes, a la Sonic And The Secret Rings.Of course, the Wii version is being outsourced to Dimps, so we'll just have to wait and see how much of this applies to the game on Nintendo's console.%Gallery-19031%[Via videogaming247]
Chrono Trigger scans trigger only wonderful memories
The DS version of Chrono Trigger is an almost direct port of a thirteen-year-old SNES game, with nary a pixel out of place. In other words, a quick visit to Google Images should be enough to see what we're getting on our handhelds later this year, but we're still going to link these Chrono Trigger Famitsu scans because guess what: it's frakkin' Chrono Trigger on the DS.Hit up Gamekyo for the full scans, and let's hope we see more of the second screen and/or the Wireless Play mode in the next batch.
Konami devising its very own Animal Crossing
You know how you spent the best part of two years tracking down every last bug, fossil, and fish (curse you, Coelacanth) in Animal Crossing: Wild World? Yeah, well Konami wants you to do it again. All of it. <Insert evil cackle here>Tongariboushi and the 365 Days of Magic is the company's latest DS venture, and is splashed across the pages of the latest Famitsu. It's already being labeled as a "clone" of Wild World by the internet, and although our inability to read Japanese means we can't confirm just how close it is to Ninty's cuddly life sim, the screens alone seem to suggest a very similar game. It pretty much looks like Animal Crossing: Wild World 1.1.Not that we're complaining -- after all, Animal Crossing takes our socks and rocks them. It's easy to see why Konami would want to use Nintendo's title as a template. By the end of 2007, Animal Crossing: Wild World had sold over 4.5 million copies in Japan alone, while unofficial sales site VGChartz estimates worldwide sales to be close to 10 million. That's a whole lot of bells that could be sitting in Konami's account.Hit the "Source" link below for a closer look at the full scan.
