Monday, February 26, 2007

TMNT Arcade coming to XBLA? Simpsons next?

















This rumor has been making the rounds along with some screens but most sites seems to be skeptical about its authenticity. Personally I think that whether the screens are legit or not, it's inevitable. Konami's original NES TMNT game is already known to be on the way thanks to the ESRB ratings pages. While I don't pretend to know what's involved for one publisher to obtain rights for a classic game's license when another publisher now holds that license, it seems highly unlikely that Konami worked out a deal with Ubisoft (notice both companies logos on the title screen image) so they could release the craptastic NES game and nothing else, especially seeing as the TMNT arcade games are among the most requested XBLA titles.

It's also no coincidence that these rereleases are all surfacing a month before the new TMNT movie hits theatres.

Now, everybody cross your fingers that Konami can work out a deal with current Simpsons license holder, Electronic Arts, so that the never-before-released-on-consoles Simpsons arcade game can make it's way to XBLA too....perhaps alongside the upcoming Simpsons movie?

Source: Rumour: TMNT Xbox Live Clip - Kotaku

Friday, February 23, 2007

Sony to Europe: **** YOU!
















You've got to give credit to Sony, they've done everything in their power to make sure that Microsoft is in a better position with the 360, in every way imaginable. They gave Microsoft a year head start in the next-gen race and then topped that off with a $600 price tag for the PS3. They went out of their way to make sure that only certain HDTV owners would be enjoying PS3 games in HD while the 360 displays perfectly on all sets.

Their online service is pretty much nonexistent, with developers confused as to how to even go about providing online content.

They gave up exclusives on Assassin's Creed and GTAIV because Ken Kutaragi couldn't bother to return some phone calls.

But there was one thing that was bothering Sony, that got them to thinking that maybe they hadn't done everything to hand Microsoft the next-gen crown on a silver platter. What was that itch they just had to scratch? Backwards compatibility.

You see, the PS3's ability to play classic PS and PS2 titles was just too...comprehensive, compared to the 360's patchwork quilt of compatible titles. The system supports 98% of past titles in the US and Japan and that's just way too many games. Damn near 7000 if I remember correctly.

While it was too late to screw over PS3 early adopters in Japan and America, Sony realized that they still had an opportunity to come to Microsoft's aid in Europe. How, you say?

By providing Europe with new and deproved PS3's that lack some of the internal hardware that makes full backwards compatibility possible. Instead, the PS3 will now achieve it's backwards compatibility just like the 360, through software emulation. At least now we really know why the system was delayed for 4 months.

Even better, there's no reason to think this new hardware, which is the result of cost cutting measures, will be a Euro exclusive. It would seem kind of odd to screw over Europe exclusively, not that it hasn't been done before. No, I'd expect that just as Microsoft is gearing up to release it's upgraded 360 with HDMI and a 120GB HDD, Sony will start sneaking these castrated PS3's into stores worldwide.

My take? I think Sony must have lost a bet with Microsoft and the result is Sony having to do whatever Microsoft tells them. Seriously. Nothing else could possibly explain the complete and utter mishandling of this console right from the get-go.

Sony was on top of the industry and yet here they are, well on their way to making Nintendo's decision to stick with cartridges for the N64 look like a brilliant idea.

Source: PAL PS3 Backwards Compatability Gimped -Kotaku

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Microsoft tells 360: Quiet down!



This one's a rumor for now but a German site called Cynamite is claiming that Microsoft has issued an update, currently only accessible to those with Xbox 360 debug units, that significantly reduces the quite significant amount of noise the 360 makes.

Perhaps the update involves wrapping the system in a towel, which would certainly reduce noise and has the added bonus of bringing your dead system back to life...

Source: Rumour: Quieter 360s Through Software Update - Kotaku

M-rating on it's last legs? Don't believe it.

An article up on GigaGamez is suggesting that M-rated games could become few and far between in response to increasing media attention on violent games being sold to minors, particularly in light of Gamestop's decision to fire employees who sell them to kids.

The author likens the M-rating to the MPAA's NC-17 rating for movies, the implication being that just as most theatres won't show NC-17 movies, game stores won't want to carry M games.

The problem is that games already have an NC-17 rating: it's the "AO-Adults Only" designation that GTA infamously got slapped with a couple years ago due to its hidden fellatio mini-game. You may have heard something about it.

Just like NC-17, stores won't carry AO rated games, although strangely it's not a problem for NC-17 movies to be sold at places like Best Buy which won't carry AO games. Hypocritical? You bet!

You see, games are in the middle of the same political wrangling that has targeted both the movie and comics industries in the 20th century. Before games came along and took the magnifying glass off of the other two interests of every well rounded nerd, they were both the popular scapegoats for irresponsible parents everywhere.

Now while a crackdown on sales of M-rated games to minors would logically seem to lead to a decrease in their overall sales, that point of view fails to take into account that by and large those kids foiled by this will just have their parents by the game for them.

In my years managing a GameStop the times I turned a kid down on an M-rated game purchase were exponentially outnumbered by the times where his mom or dad (or 18 year old older brother) walked right in and bought it for him.

Will increased attention result in some lost sales? Probably, but nowhere near the sales publishers of games like Gears of War, God of War, and other super violent games whose names may or may not be abbreviated GoW, will lose if they water down the experiences fans expect.

You know what parents REALLY don't like in games? NUDITY. They couldn't give a rats ass about the violence. Little Billy can rip the wings off of harpies all day, so long as his impressionable young mind never finds out what lies underneath a woman's blouse. I honestly expected God of War II to forego the infamous sex mini game with bare-breasted women because I personally witnessed dozens of teens get denied the game simply because of the "Nudity" descriptor on the back of the box. It's still going strong in GoWII though and the game will sell easily a million copies, if not twice that.

All of this nonsense is a result of the ever pervading public opinion that by definition, video games are for kids. The industry is still in it's infancy and those of us who were kids during the NES-era are still relatively young. While all this seems intimidating now, it WILL get better as those of us who grew up with games get older and exert more influence, just as it did for movies and comics. By then, some new pastime will arise to turn the youth of the world into murderers and video games will be an accepted part of our culture.


This post was brought to you by the letter M and the number 17. You can thank me for the lack of nudity later.


Source: Rated M becoming the NC-17 of Games? - GigaGamez via Game|Life

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

PSP=The Past, DS Lite= The Future...





















...at least according to Gamestop.

This was just too funny not to comment on, although I'm sure the big boys at Sony aren't laughing.

For me it's extremely appropriate because everything I play or have any interest in playing on my PSP (with the exception of LocoRoco) is either a port of an old game (Valkyrie Profile), a remake of an old game (Castlevania: Rondo of Blood) or a collection of old games (Genesis Collection). The system's best games are all retro in some way. The PSP is truly keeping the past alive.

And those who aren't using it for those games are hacking the hell out of the thing so they can play SNES ROM's and the like and even PSX ISO's using Sony's own emulator!

Source: Every single games site on the internet. (But originated on the NeoGAF forums).

Sunday, February 18, 2007

CVG ponders console game mods...

ComputerAndVideoGames.com has an article up talking about the console ports of Unreal Tournament 3 (which is, oddly, the 4th game in the UT series), more specifically that they will support user-created mods, something never before attempted on a console. Apparently the reason a 360 version of the game hadn't been announced earlier (which was surprising since Epic made Gears of War for Microsoft) was because they were trying to get Microsoft to allow it to support mods, something MS is very touchy about on their closed Xbox Live network.

Mods have been one of the major features of PC games that have never been feasible on consoles. Games like Half Life, Elder Scrolls, and Unreal Tournament all have sizable mod communities who create all kinds of freely available content that can maintain people's interest in a game indefinitely.

Since the PC is an open platform this kind of thing poses little problem. When it comes to consoles however, everything has to be cleared with Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo who have complete control over what appears on their respective platforms.

With Xbox Live in particular, which is built around a marketplace where "free" is a four-letter word, there is tight control over what can be given away. For this reason I'm skeptical that mods will become as plentiful on consoles as they are on PC's anytime soon. As CVG points out, mods are likely going to go through Epic before being made available to the public whereas on PC mod-makers can make their creations available directly to other players. This simple fact will keep mods from ever really taking off on consoles. Players will always be at the mercy of whoever's logo is emblazoned on the front of their console of choice. This isn't entirely bad as only the best mods will end up being made available on the consoles (for a fee?) but it takes away the freedom of being able to get whatever you want. There will certainly still be a lot more available for the PC than the consoles. Then again, that's already the case now, so for console gamers: beggars really can't be choosers, some mods are better than none and uhh...don't count your mods before they're hatched.

One thing is sure however: the days of developers providing their own post-launch content for free is over. It began with Bethesda's infamous Horse Armor for Oblivion, a premium price attached to a throwaway piece of content from a developer who provided a ton of free content for Morrowind on the PC. The charging for content on Xbox Live has surely had a negative effect on PC players as they are now subject to paid downloads as a result. If not for Xbox Live, Oblivion's downloads would likely have been free for PC players.


Source: Can UT console mods ever work? - CVG

Saturday, February 17, 2007

New Silent Hill game revealed...




















Konami is finally answering the prayers of Silent Hill fans the world over (or at least Japan) and giving them what they've always wanted: Nope, not Silent Hill 5, not a PS3/360 remake of the original game...Silent Hill the arcade light gun game!

Yes that's right, a House of the Dead style blast-a-thon based on a series where more often than not your weapon is a 2x4 or a lead pipe and the best method for surviving is running right past monsters.

The only way they could make this game better would be to base it on the movie!

I've gotta say though, the cabinet is quite cool.

Now Konami, get back to work on Silent Hill 5 and/or that SH1 remake. I love Silent Hill but it was an ugly game even when it was brand new. A next-gen remake would instantly become my most wanted game.

Oh, and stop making 3D Castlevania's for God's sake. Thanks.

Source: Next Silent Hill Not on Consoles, But in Arcades - 1up

Friday, February 16, 2007

Suda 51/No More Heroes Interview on IGN














I'm a big fan of Killer 7, the last big title from Goichi Suda (Suda 51) and Grasshopper Manufacture. It's gameplay value was questionable but it's style was unmatched and damn me if it wasn't intriguing. One character, Kaede Smith, could slit her wrists, unleashing a bloody spray that would reveal hidden areas. The sheer absurdity of it was priceless. I wouldn't even recommend it to most people but if you're open to experimental games it's well worth checking out.

Needless to say, I was excited when it was announced that Grasshoppers's next game, Heroes, was going to be on Wii. It has since gone through a name revision, presumably because of a conflict with the show Heroes, but you still play as a lightsaber-wielding wannabe assassin named Travis Touchdown.

No More Heroes looks to be as off-the-wall as Killer 7 (it takes place in a small town called Santa Destroy) but the gameplay looks to be a lot more accessible than 7's "on-rails" control. Instead, it features a free roaming open world.

Check out IGN's interview for much more on the game and also the news/rumor that Suda may be working with Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima on a Wii sequel to the classic title Snatcher. Now THAT would be awesome. Suda claims that his next game however, will be for the 360--which he seems very excited to develop for.


Source: Interview: Suda 51 on No More Heroes - IGN Wii

Arkane "Crossing" to 360?











Arkane Studios The Crossing is an ambitious, and I have to say, somewhat confusing FPS, previously announced for the PC. As I understand it, the game progresses in a mix of single player and multiplayer scenarios. The ambitious part lies in the fact that when playing a single player scenario you are actually fighting real players who are playing a multiplayer scenario where the objective is to stop YOU. 1up.com has a nice preview up which can explain it a lot better.

I was intrigued when I read an interview with the developers last month but didn't think too much of it because I'm not really a PC gamer. "Shame it's not coming out on 360", I thought.

Arkane apparently agreed, because they revealed the game is indeed coming to the Big White Box via a job listing on their website looking for a programmer to help port the game to 360.

It's a concept that seems almost too good to be true, so let's hope Arkane can bring their vision to fruition.

Source: Crossing to Xbox 360 - IGN360

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Blue Dragon, worst DLC ever?

The game that sold 80K Xbox 360's in Japan, Blue Dragon, is seeing it's first downloadable content release as I write this. What's in store for Japanese 360 owners with access to Xbox Live?

A new dungeon perhaps? New spells? Items? Horse Armor!?

Nope, nope, nope, and sorry.

"The download is titled "Strong, New Game." With the download, three new options become available at the game's title screen: 'hard,' 'super,' and 'new plus'."

Now, that's all well and good but this is a classic example of stuff that should've been in the game to begin with. Sure, they're not charging for it, but extra difficulty modes aren't what comes to mind when I think of downloadable content. Hopefully the New Game+ option will be available in the final US version, whenever it straggles out.

Source: Blue Dragon Downloads Set to Start - IGN 360

Ikaruga Live incoming

News of a 360 port of Dreamcast/Gamecube uber-shooter Ikaruga arrived today after users of Xbox 360 debug units noticed it listed on PartnerNet, the area of Xbox Live cordoned off for developer and media use.

It has been known for awhile that Treasure was working on an original shooter for the 360 (the kind that comes on an old-fashioned "dee-vee-dee") but no Live Arcade titles had been confirmed.

I have a strange fascination with 2D shooters. I've always been drawn to them, but I almost never play them for more than a couple levels. They're just too damn hard. I think the only one I ever actually finished was Life Force on the NES because you could use the Contra code to get 30 lives. I can't even tell you how many times I had to keep myself from buying Gradius III&IV, Gradius V, and R-Type Final for PS2. And just recently I found myself ogling the Japanese only Salamander Collection and Parodius Collection for PSP.

I own Ikaruga on Gamecube, but I will likely purchase it for the 360 as well. Achievements will no doubt include near impossible goals like: "Finish game without dying." and the even more difficult "Finish the game without breaking controller."

Chances of me completing the game at all? Slim to none.

Source: Ikaruga confirmed for Xbox 360! - CVG

Ico developer working on new PS3 title...

You've gotta love Japan. Where else would Sony take out a full page ad (left) announcing that Team Ico is looking to hire new staffers to work on their new PS3 game?

This isn't really major news as no images or even project titles have been revealed and it was already known the team was working on a PS3 title, but it never hurts to have a little reminder that it's coming. It was early 2004 when rumblings of "NICO"(a pun on the Japanese number 2, "Ni") first hit the web and the final product, Shadow of the Colossus, didn't arrive until late 2005. A similar schedule would put Thrico (sorry couldn't resist!) out in Fall 2008.

At that point, Final Fantasy XIII should be right around the corner, the US will be electing a new President and Half Life 2 Episode 2 still won't be out.





Source: Colossus devs cooking up PS3 project? - Gamespot

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Okami for Wii?




















File this under: Please God let it be true.

IGN tells tale of a juicy rumor originating from the ever mysterious "reliable industry insider" or Rii as he/she shall henceforth be known. According to Rii, Capcom is "seriously considering creating a Wii version and may even be working on it as we speak."

Capcom UK on the other hand claims it is "highly unlikely" but what the hell does Capcom UK know anyway? They're just there to ensure that poor British gamers get their games as long after their American cousins as possible. Besides, if you've got nothing nice to say don't say anything at all. A cursory "No comment" would've sufficed and helped perpetuate my hopes of this actually happening, if even for just a few minutes longer.

The bad thing about this is, I started playing a very little bit of Okami when it was originally released and found it to be quite enjoyable but I backburnered it to save it for the post holiday drought. I planned on starting it up again after I finish Zelda but now I've got to wait for confirmation or outright refutation from Capcom Japan. I'd much rather play it on the Wii, especially as they'll surely add extra stuff if it happens.

It seems like a no-brainer. The Wii is already getting plenty of PS2 ports (see Manhunt 2) and Okami is a game that deserves a second chance if there ever was one. It's cel-shaded graphics and Zelda-style gameplay would be a perfect fit on the Wii, not to mention the game's unique paint brush mechanic which were begging for motion control to begin with.

If Capcom had any idea how popular the Wii would become they probably would've made it a Wii game to begin with...

Wii could definitely use more games like Okami to battle the neverending flood of Nickelodeon games and licensed crap in general so let's hope Capcom takes pity on Wii owners.

Wii don't want no Spongebob!

Source: Okami Leaping Onto Wii?-IGN Wii

Monday, February 12, 2007

Interesting VF5 vs DOA4 sales numbers...

As of February 8th, 2007 the PS3 had sold 600,000 units in Japan and Virtua Fighter 5 sells 30,000 units on its first day of release.

As of December 29th, 2005 the 360 had sold 80,000 units in Japan and Dead or Alive 4 sells 60,000 copies on its first day of release.

Yes, those numbers are right, DOA4 sold twice as much as VF5 with an installed based exactly 7.5x smaller than the PS3's.

Now the question is, what exactly does that mean for the PS3? It could be said that DOA4 came out at the holidays and was originally supposed to be a launch title (and obviously most of the people bought the 360 specifically for it) so it had a bit of an advantage. February is a typically slow month for game sales.

But at the same time, VF5 is arguably the PS3's first major title in Japan. The last "major" release was the horribly rushed MotorStorm and FPS's are not a popular genre in Japan so Resistance meant little over there.

So how can it be that a AAA title sold only 30K units to an installed base of 600k who should be absolutely starved for games?

One explanation is that the starvation brought on by a drought of titles combined with delusions and hallucinations brought on by shelling out a metric ass-ton of Yen for a system with no games has rendered PS3 owners physically incapable of getting to the store to buy the game they surely crave....but since I haven't read any reports of mass PS3-induced incapacitations I'm guessing this isn't the case.

More likely is that the PS3's install base is largely made up of videophiles who purchased the system as a cheap Blu-ray movie player and have no desire to play any games on the system.

This is not unprecedented as the PS2 saw strong sales early in its life as a cheap DVD player. While budget players were available in the US for under $150, Japan's cheapest standalone units were still more expensive than the PS2. Game sales suffered as a result but obviously the system eventually overcame this and became the most successful console of all time.

What's interesting about this is that in terms of gaming, the PS3 and 360 might be in a closer race than anyone thought. MS has moved a couple hundred thousand more systems in Japan since DOA4 came out (thanks in large part to Blue Dragon) and if DOA4 and Blue Dragon are any indication, 360's were at least purchased with the intent to play games on them.

While this isn't necessarily an indication of what the future will hold for these systems (I still see the PS3 being #1 in Japan with the 360 being #1 in the US and Europe) it is definitely interesting...

Source: Virtua Fighter Controller Probs, Game Sells Less Than DOA4 - Ore Teki Game Sokuhou @ Katana via Kotaku

Friday, February 9, 2007

Play Fuzion Frenzy 2, win...Fuzion Frenzy 2?





By now, everyone has probably heard about Microsoft's Gamerscore "Rewards Program" in which you can earn prizes for boosting your Gamerscore 1500 points between Feberuary 12th and April 12th.

There are three tiers of prizes and what you're eligible for is based on how little a life you have how big your gamerscore is.

What's amusing is that the big reward in the Level 3 tier is a copy of what is undoubtedly Microsoft's biggest 360 sequel that came out this week: Fuzion Frenzy 2.

Aside from being a questionable carrot on a stick for those who want to be rewarded for playing games, it is also probably the single easiest game a person could use to boost their gamerscore a cool 1000 points. 300 of the game's achievements points alone are locked up in two simple achievements: Unlock All the Mini-Games and Play all the Mini-Games (which when you think about it, are really just one achievement) and the rest can be achieved in a matter of hours. Win an online custom game? 1oo points! Win an offline custom game? 50 points!

So basically, for anyone who already has a gamerscore of at least 10000 looking to win that free copy of Fuzion Frenzy 2...well, playing Fuzion Frenzy 2 is the easiest way to do it.

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Fan-translated Policenauts coming...


















In my post on Rondo of Blood the other day, I mentioned it as one of those legendary rare games that very few people have played. Policenauts is another one such game.

Created by Metal Gear mastermind, Hideo Kojima, it never saw release outside of Japan but was released there on the 3DO, Saturn, Playstation and PC98. The game was a spiritual successor to another excellent though underplayed Kojima title, Snatcher, that only saw an English language release on the SegaCD. Both titles were heavily story-based with the bulk of gameplay involving dialogue and puzzle solving, similar to the LucasArts adventure games of days past.

Kojima has allegedly repeatedly turned down offers to bring the game to the US so a group of fans has been working diligently over the last 5 years to translate the game's no doubt significant amount of text.

Thanks to their efforts, English speaking audiences will be able to play the Playstation version of the game for the first time...but not until the 2nd half of 2007. Damn, even fan translations apparently need to build up hype. Be aware however that while Junker-HQ will provide the translation patch, finding an actual copy or ISO of the game to patch is left up the end-user, due to the questionable legality of the whole endeavour.

Now all we need is someone to translate Love-de-lic's PSX game Moon: The Remix RPG Adventure, and I'll be good.

Source: Fan-translation of Kojima's Policenauts nears completion - Joystiq

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Manhunt 2 Wii: Jack T. is gonna love this one...

When EA first announced The Godfather for Wii, images of beating people down with the remote immediately popped into my head and with Rockstar's announcement today that Manhunt 2 would be coming to the Wii, images of shoving shards of glass into people's eyes popped into my head. As with the Godfather I'm not really sure how I feel about that.


While I never played the first Manhunt, mainly because I'm not a big fan of trial and error stealth gameplay (and only partly because it was supposed to be unrelentingly brutal), it should be interesting to see how the Wii-remote is utilized by the title.

This one stands to open up a whole can of worms about the effect of violence on children even though it'll carry an M-rating. The fact that it's on Nintendo's Little White Box of Happiness makes it stand out even more since the system has been flying off the shelves no doubt in large part because of it's social/family appeal.

As it is, games already receive stricter ratings than film counterparts due to the fact that the player is participating in the action. M-rated games like Halo would likely be PG-13 movies and innocuous cartoony games like Super Smash Bros. Melee are rated T for Teen simply because characters can hit each other.

In the past we interacted with games with simple button presses and mouse clicks and that was enough to get people enraged. I can only imagine what is to come in terms of criticism for games like Manhunt 2 on Wii where the level of interaction is raised substantially.

There is a difference between pushing a button to stab someone in the face or beat them and actually mimicking the action to initiate it onscreen.

The problem is that too many people see ALL games as being for kids, hence the outcry against these types of games that kids shouldn't be playing anyway. Whether it's necessary for games to feature this level of violence is a whole other argument but I think everyone would agree that kids shouldn't be playing them regardless...

Personally I'm glad the Wii right off the bat isn't being saddled with the same publisher prejudice that Nintendo has faced since the SNES days: that Nintendo systems are for kids. It has been a self-fulfilling prophecy because the lack of adult content always turned Nintendo systems into exactly that.

It's somewhat ironic that after two generations of trying to shake that image, Nintendo finally threw its corporate hands in the air, stopped trying to compete with MS and Sony on that level and created the Wii...and now they are getting the adult content. Go figure.

Source: Rockstar on the Manhunt Again - GameSpot

Killzone 2 Demo Imminent?

1up's Luke Smith mentions in his latest blog post that Sony will not be sitting back doing nothing while Microsoft's Halo 3 beta ramps up. The current #3 in the next-gen console wars will allegedly be unleashing a playable Killzone 2 demo in the Spring to take the wind out of Halo 3's sails.

If the game actually manages to even resemble the infamous E3'05 target-rendered footage I'll be impressed. Of course, if the game doesn't support 1080i it'll look like a PS2 game on my TV, just as Resistance does.

Source: Luke Smith's 1up Blog

Friday, February 2, 2007

Dracula X: Rondo of Blood coming to PSP...

Konami announced today that the long lost Castlevania title, Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, will be coming to the US for the first time as part of the only PSP title I'm likely to buy this year: Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles.

Rondo is one of those legendary rare titles most people have never played, up there with Panzer Dragoon Saga and Radiant Silvergun. Not only did it never make it out of Japan, but even there it was on the PC-Engine Duo, the Japanese equivalent of the TurboDuo, which was actually pretty successful. The game regularly fetches upwards of $150 on eBay and even if you're willing to shell out the cash for it, you likely don't have a TurboDuo to play it on (at least it plays imports without a hitch!)

Needless to say, for Castlevania fans (especially old-school fans), this is a pretty big deal...even if it is for the PSP, a system that would envy the PC-Engine's success.

My excitement however, quickly melted as I saw the first screenshot of the game on 1up.com:












Great, the old 2d to pseudo-3d trick. Thanks? The graphics are completely devoid of any soul, with razor sharp lines on everything. It looks like a souped up Flash game! I'm all about upgrading the graphics, but cel-shading would be preferable to this. 3D doesn't belong anywhere near Castlevania (as 5 failed installments including a scrapped Dreamcast game can attest to), even if the game is still a sidescroller. In all seriousness, the game looks a lot better in motion, even though Richter's walking animation is absurd.

Thankfully Konami isn't letting us down: in addition to the "Arranged" version, Chronicles will also include the original PCE version of Rondo of Blood, as well as what will surely be the selling point for many: a port of Rondo's direct sequel, Nocturne in the Moonlight, better known in the US as Symphony of the Night, one of the greatest games ever made and arguably the finest title for the original PlayStation.

SotN will not be getting the remake attention (and seeing what Rondo looks like, be grateful), but it will feature some extra stuff and be reformatted to fill the PSP's beautiful wide screen.

If I were Konami I probably would've waited to announced this until AFTER Symphony of the Night was released on XBLA in a few short weeks, as that version, with its faux-widescreen letterboxed presentation, seems a lot less interesting now.

You can check out more screens and videos at 1up...

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles - 1up.com

Thursday, February 1, 2007

EA Publishing Mercenaries 2...

Game Informer reports that the Pandemic developed "PS3 Exclusive" is being published by everyone's favorite videogame juggernaut, Electronic Arts.

I put PS3 exclusive in quotes because this game is about as exclusive as Assassin's Creed was for all those months before it wasn't anymore. Being published by the single largest multi platform publisher on the planet (alongside Assassin's Creed publisher Ubisoft) all but insures this game will be heading to the 360.

Source: EA Picks Up Mercenaries 2 - GameInformer