Example Teams up with Chase & Status for MW3 Launch Event
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 seen as one of this years most anticipated releases will now be hosting a launch party like no other with the likes of Example making his way onto the floor for a performance and the hugely popular Chase & Statuse playing an exclusive set at the modern Warfare 3 London launch event on 7th November 2011.
“I’ve always been a massive fan of the Call of Duty franchise, ex-girlfriends have always been jealous of the attention I give to it,” said Example. “I’m certain Modern Warfare 3 is going to live up to the buzz. Such an honour to be asked to perform at the launch. Last year’s party was memorable for all the right reasons.”
Further details of this exclusive event will be released over the next few weeks. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be released globally on the 8th November 2011.
Namco Bandai Offering Up More Than Expected At This Years London MCM Expo
With this year’s London MCM Expo just around the corner, some of the world’s top developers such as Nintendo, Capcom and Tecmo Koei are gearing up to show off their best work on the show floor for some friendly rivalry and more importantly to wow the public eye leaving us all aching for more.
One of the larger names we will no doubt hear from this year is Namco Bandai who will be showing off a huge number pre-released titles such as Soulcalibur V, Dark Souls and a number of top fighters like Naruto, Dragon Ball and Saint Seiya.
The newest addition to the critically acclaimed fighting game series; Soulcalibur V brings forth new warriors and returning legends as they battle it out once again in an epic struggle between good and evil set 17 years after the events of Soulcalibur IV.
Packed full of unnerving dungeons, fearsome enemies and intense battles scenes, fantasy action-RPG Dark Souls is the latest successor to the notoriously tough Demon’s Souls which as you may have guessed will most definitely be as challenging… who knows, they might even scrap the easy and medium difficulties and start you off on hard mode.
Anime beat-em-up Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations will offer one of the largest selection of playable characters spanning every generation of the Naruto universe alongside expanded online functionality.
The globally iconic anime Dragon Ball is also getting a new game, with Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi featuring an all new character creator mode that lets the player build their own hero or villain ultimately adding to the game’s already huge list of known and unknown characters.
Anime fans will also be itching to get their hands on Saint Seiya: Sanctuary Battle, a gripping new fighting game featuring Seiya and his companions who will fight side by side through 10+ levels to defeat the gold saints and protect Athena.
Alongside these highly anticipated games Namco Bandai will also be featuring a number of other games from various genres including Ridge Racer Unbounded and BEN 10 Galactic Racing.
THQ to Bring The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings to Xbox 360 in Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East
THQ have announced today an agreement to publish CD Projekt RED’s role-playing game, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, for the Xbox 360 . Under the deal, THQ, through its THQ Partners program, will market and distribute the anticipated title in Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.
Press Release
The Xbox 360 version will be an enhanced adaptation of the PC game released to instant international acclaim and commercial success in mid-May. It will incorporate numerous improvements and enhancements, of which details will be announced in the coming months.
CD Projekt RED Studio Head Adam Badowski said, “Adapting The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Xbox 360 is a massive endeavor for us, and we’re committed to delivering one of the most complex and mature games ever to Xbox 360 players. We believe that with the marketing strength and distribution network of THQ we will be able to make the game an incredible success in Europe and around the world.”
Tim Walsh, VP of THQ Partners said, “We are excited to work with CD Projekt RED to bring this unique role-playing game to Xbox 360 gamers. THQ Partners’ mission is to work with world class game creators who want to bring their games to market utilizing THQ’s best-in-class global distribution channels.”
Ono says Street Fighter should be a lot like Football
Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono has stated in a recent interview about his beloved fighting series and what his ultimate goal is for the series when he spoke with The Guardian.
“You said that Street Fighter IV 3D is a stepping stone. Where do you want to take Street Fighter?
Until very recently fighting games have been a niche. In order to play you needed to understand all the rules, you had to know exactly what to do in every situation. The genre has been isolating itself from non-hardcore gamers. But I want Street Fighter to be a tool, like playing cards or a chess board – you just need the pieces and everyone can play, not just the elite. It will take a few more generations to get to that utopian point, but what the 3DS has done is enable me to take the first step toward my grand scheme.
Is it difficult to move toward the mainstream without alienating those hardcore fans?
A quick metaphor: think of the Premier League. When Manchester United play Chelsea, you have the most professional, skilful players taking part, so any kid just out of school can’t join that team. However, just because not everyone can play for Manchester United doesn’t mean no one plays football. Until recently, we only ever aimed Street Fighter at the high end, we’ve been neglecting people who want to play at their own level. So what we’ve done with Super Street Fighter IV 3D is, we’ve retained the hardcore elements, but we’ve lowered the entry barrier, so people can play in the way they want to play, rather than having to aspire to be hardcore. We’ve established a very important milestone here.”
Tango Gameworks’ Shinji Mikami now "available" in action figure form
What the… I don’t even… Over at the Bethesda Blog, there is a mention that you can purchase a an action figure of Tango Gameworks’ Shinji Mikami.
If you actually curious to see if you can buy the damn thing (…I was just curious) you can check out the “shopping” page where it lists photos of the glorious figurine that has the following features:
- It’s one-of-a-kind
- 6.5 inches tall
- Has over 250 moving parts.
- His naturally gentle smile contrasts with his grim workplace visage.”
- Can launch into outer space
- Has “real shaving action” with a beard that grows 1/4 inch per minute
- 1/10 scale
- And if you buy the limited edition version he will spout random puns!
So er…Yeah. I guess it must be April 1st over at Tango Gameworks. And if it is real, we’ll see if we can get one to “review”.
Peter Molyneux To receive the academy fellowship
Peter Molyneux, the creative mind behind some of the world’s most popular video games, including the best selling Fable series for Microsoft. Molyneux has also been the power behind such titles as Powermonger, Theme Park, Magic Carpet and Dungeon Keeper. Molyneux will be up to receive the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ Fellowship at this year’s GAME British Academy Video Games Awards.
Molyneux co-founded Bullfrog Productions in 1987 and created a new genre of computer games known as “the God game”, with the release of Populous. Since then he has been responsible for a string of massive gaming titles including Powermonger, Theme Park, Magic Carpet, Dungeon Keeper and the Fable series. Cumulative sales of his games are at approximately fifteen million worldwide.
On being invited to receive the Fellowship, Peter Molyneux said: “I remember back in 1967 watching the first BAFTA awards on television with my family and seeing them being so excited about those accolades. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think it would be possible for me to accept one of the greatest honours the entertainment industry has to offer. My first thought on learning that I was awarded an Academy Fellowship was that to be in the company of some of the greatest talents the entertainment industry has ever seen is truly humbling and secondly that this an award not just for myself, but for all the people I’ve ever worked with”.
Amanda Berry OBE, Chief Executive of BAFTA, said: “We are delighted to be honouring Peter at this point in his long and successful career in video games. He is one of the leading figures in the development of video games as an art form and an inspiration to the next generation of creative minds”.
We wish Molyneux all the best as he deserves the award.
Nintendo 3DS UK launch information revealed
The Nintendo 3DS preview event in Amsterdam and New York provided many key pieces of information about Nintendo next handheld successor. Now with the event dying down it seems like we have all the information we’re going to get out of it. So what do you need to know about the Nintendo 3DS? Read on to find out
When will it be released and how much will it cost?
The UK release date is March 25th. If you’ve being paying attention to the news on the US launch details for the Nintendo 3DS, you’ll know they’ll get it on March 27th, which means we actually get it two days before them.
As for the price, in a weird and ominous fore-shadowing way, Nintendo has not revealed how much the Nintendo 3DS will be, just saying that “refer to retailers”. This means that the ball is in the retailers court and we could now be seeing competitive pricing and deals in a bid to get the most of the Nintendo 3DS pie. HMV have launched the first shot with a £229.99 price point, with GAME following suit. But Play.com has up the ante by offering £219.99. The prices may may make many wince and grab their wallet’s tight, but since some expected it to be around £200, these prices aren’t too bad. Regardless you better get use to it because £210-229 is expected to be the price range.
You can read Gerrard Winter’s thoughts on the Nintendo 3DS pricing.
What about the colours?
Initial launch models for the Nintendo 3DS come in two flavours; Cosmos Black and Aqua Blue. You can bet Nintendo will eventually release different colours and special editions to coincide with specific games but right now, that’s your choice.
What do I get when I purchase the Nintendo 3DS?
You can check out the blog ‘Train2Game looks at Nintendo 3DS Details‘ to see what accessories you get with the Nintendo 3DS (as well as other information). As for software, there have been no plans for any bundles (but with two months still to go – and as history as shown us – it’s likely we may hear something). What you are guaranteed to get is pre-installed software such as Mii Maker, mini-game Face Raiders, the 3DS e-Shop, which allows you to buy Game Boy and Game Boy Color games through the Virtual Console or purchase download new 3DSiWare, with the last feature being ideal for those (like me) who missed/skipped on the Nintendo DSi.
So what about the launch games?
Nintendo have confirmed that eight games will be released when the Nintendo 3DS is launched (they didn’t say what they were specficaly and there is conflicting reports) and that there will be 30 titles available within weeks of March 25th, which you can see below.
Nintendo
Face Raiders (pre-installed game), Paper Mario, Star Fox 64 – Nintendo, Pilotwings Resort, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, Nintendogs + Cats, Steel Diver, Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and Kid Icarus Uprising
Ubisoft
Rayman 3D, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 3D, Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D, Asphalt 3D, Rabbids 3D, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars and James Noir’s Hollywood Crimes, Driver: Renegade
Capcom
Super Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil Revelations and Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D
Konami
Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater and Pro Evolution Soccer 2011
Tecmo
Koei Dead or Alive Dimensions and Samurai Warriors Chronicles
EA
The Sims 3 and Madden NFL Football
Sega
Thor God of Thunder and Super Monkey Ball 3D
Others
Ridge Racer 3D (Namco Bandai), LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (LucasArts) and Puzzle Bobble Universe (Square Enix)
What’s this Spot Pass Ive been hearing about?
Spot Pass is the awesome new way the Nintendo 3DS will handle Wi-Fi. Before on the DS and DSi, your system had to not playing a game and “in use” before it could access Wi-Fi and even there was the occasion where it could be iffy.
With the 3DS Spot Pass system, You can not only access BT wi-fi spots all over the UK, but can do so when the console is even in sleep mode. In fact, some games take advantage of this such as Super Street Fighter IV, which has players battle each other using virtual figurines as they pass each other in the street.
Spot Pass will make videos and news accessible and players able to trade Mii Characters thanks to the ‘Street Pass’ facility.
Nintendo are in talks with wi-fi partners all over Europe to make sure gamers are never far from a wi-fi spot.
Speaking at the 3DS press announcement in Amsterdam today, Nintendo’s MD of marketing and PR Laurent Fischer said:
“Spot Pass revolutionises content on the move. Players will be able to join each other instantly and more easily than before. Our aim is to develop innovative content via Spot Pass.”
“We reinvented gaming with DS and Wii, and now 3DS is set to change gaming again.”
Any other information I should know about?
Aardman Animations will be releasing content on the Nintendo 3DS, starting with exclusive 3D short films based on Shaun the Sheep and Eurosport and Sky Sports 3D have joined Nintendo in a special deal which will allow sports fans to download coverage from the two sports broadcasting giants. More programming is expected to follow.
In what is to make hardcore gamers sad, the Nintendo 3DS is region locked. You can find more information about it here.
The dreaded friend code is still in place. But now it has been simplified as you only need to enter a friend’s code once, instead of doing it for each separate game. It may still be a hassle compared to adding friends on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.
GAME’s excited reaction to the Nintendo 3DS
CVG have a look at the Nintendo 3DS’ seven key strengths.
FF XIII Versus And Type 0 Trailers Released
News from the hugely anticipated Square Enix conference hosted earlier today has blasted its way through the internet with many announcements made such as the unforeseen development of Final Fantasy XIII-2 to Final Fantasy Agito.
Well business has been good and we have all been blessed with another Final Fantasy XIII Versus trailer featuring the newly voiced “Noctis” in all new environments and action scenes boasting amazing atmospheres within the story and the ability to switch characters. Square Enix were also generous enough to produce another trailer of the newly titled “Final Fantasy Type 0” (Agito) featuring both CG and gameplay with a fully voiced cast.
UPDATE. For now, Square Enix have been working to remove any recent trailers that have been appearing on the internet which explains the difficulties were are facing. However Square Enix will be officially releasing both Versus and Type 0 trailers in full HD on the 27th of january.
Click here for information on Final Fantasy XIII-2 including the english HD trailer. *Contains Spoilers from the start*
Blacklight Tango Down sequel to be free-to-play
Back In 2010 developer Zombie Studios released Blacklight: Tango Down, a downloadable futuristic first person shooter. When the game was first released at the £10.00 Price tag or 1200 Microsoft points depending if you purchased on the PC or Xbox 360. At the time of the game’s release, Zombie’s CEO Mark Long stated that a sequel was already in the works.
Today the guys over at Big Download found out that the sequel will have an even cheaper price; free.
It is odd why the sequel is going down the free-to-play route. Well Mr Long told Big Download "The free-to-play model is something we’ve been interested in since we first began working with Korean publishers four years ago. Free-to play is the model in Asia. It’s exploding in China growing fast in Europe and emerging here in Facebook and iOS games." 
The sequel will have fresh content and will not reuse any of the existing content from the original Blacklight: Tango Down, according to Long. The game will feature new weapons , levels, items and more. Mark Long as has stated that the sequel will use the latest version of Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 tech.
The Blacklight sequel does not yet have a release date or title or publisher as Long wouldn’t comment on who would be publishing the sequel.
Ubisoft Give Us Release Dates!
Today we received a kind email from the people at Ubisoft notify us about there upcoming releases. Below is the list of games, genre, format, age rating and release date.
As you can see Ubisoft have a few titles lined up for this year and next. We are hoping that Driver San Francisco and Ghost Recon Future Soldier appear in our hands this year.
