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Bask in the Glory of Heracles this January

by JC Fletcher { Dec 2nd 2009 at 10:06AM }

We'd understand if you've forgotten about Glory of Heracles: Nintendo hasn't mentioned the Paon-developed RPG since surreptitiously adding it to its E3 release list. Nintendo just announced that the DS game will arrive in North America on January 18.

This will be the first game in the series to be released outside of Japan, and the first to be made without Data East (from which the staff of developer Paon originates). It's an RPG set in a (more) fictionalized version of the Greek mythological tradition, with a plot written by Final Fantasy's Kazushige Nojima.

Now if Nintendo would fill us in on some more of its E3 question marks, like Line Attack Heroes and the amazing WarioWare DIY, that would be, well, glorious.

Gallery: Glory of Heracles (DS)

Song Summoner mining iPhone playlists this week

by JC Fletcher { Dec 1st 2009 at 1:40PM }

Buried within Square Enix's TGS lineup was an iPhone/iPod Touch version of the company's clever iPod strategy RPG, Song Summoner, which had the hook of generating units from the songs stored on the device. Producer Takehiro Ando just sent word that Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes - Encore will be summoned to the App Store on December 3. A Lite version is also on the way, pending approval by Apple.

Rather than being a simple touchscreen-enabled port of the original click wheel game, the iPhone Song Summoner contains both Song Summoner and Song Summoner 2, which was never released due to Apple ending support for click wheel games.

BioWare reveals Samara, Mass Effect 2's biotic bombshell

by Randy Nelson { Dec 1st 2009 at 12:00PM }

With Dragon Age: Origins out the door and making friends, BioWare has switched the Mass Effect 2 hype machine into full gear, inviting us to play the game and provide a peek at some of the new squad mates who'll be joining Commander Shepard on his/her most dangerous mission yet. The latest cast member to make a debut, Samara, should have absolutely no problem taking care of herself -- as well as anything (or anyone) that gets in her way.

Samara is an elite Asari warrior who controls some incredibly potent biotic powers. Forget simply tossing enemies around -- she manipulates dark energy in order to levitate herself, as evidenced in the above video. The footage also confirms that there are still five potential party members yet to be introduced before the game ships for PC and Xbox 360 on January 26 (not March 23 as originally noted by Randy, who's clearly met his recommended daily allowance of paste.)

Gallery: Mass Effect 2 - Samara

Lightning strikes the UK and US cover art of Final Fantasy XIII [Update]

by Griffin McElroy { Dec 1st 2009 at 10:30AM }

The Final Fantasy series has been known to have some truly epic box art in the past, such as the man vs. machinery motif of the Final Fantasy VII cover, or the lovely, all-inclusive tableau featured on the front of the last entry in the core franchise. Imagine our surprise when we received the images above from Games Press -- it seems the cover for the UK version of Final Fantasy XIII will be considerably more simple than the box art of its predecessors. [Update: The US version of the box art will be identical to the UK version.]

We've posted larger versions of the two boxes in the gallery below. Check them out, but don't let those eyes of yours wander. Yes, we know her skirt is hiked to a precarious degree. We also know that the baby Jesus is watching your every action.

Gallery: Final Fantasy XIII UK cover art

Japan facing Final Fantasy XIII oversaturation crisis

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 28th 2009 at 3:30PM }

And you thought Halo 3-themed Game Fuel was bad. A recent round of advertisements have taken Japan by storm, all of which either shill for Final Fantasy XIII, or some product based on the unflagging RPG franchise. Posted after the break are a series of videos, including a short TV spot for the game, two ads for the presumably refreshing Elixir beverage, and a commercial for a commercial (well, a behind-the-scenes documentary) which will be released shortly after the game is released in Japan.

Also, they're making a perfume based off the game's main character. It's called Lightning eau de toilet. There's no video advertisement to accompany this news, but we'd have been remiss had we not mentioned it to you.

Continued →

Mass Effect 2 vids profile Tali and Adept class

by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 27th 2009 at 11:30AM }

What is it about BioWare and its dismissive implementation of races starting with the letter Q? Think about it: Tali the Quarian from Mass Effect and Sten the Qunari from Dragon Age: Origins -- on average, did anybody really use either for extended periods of time? It's Qu-acism, we tells ya! Perhaps Tali, who returns in Mass Effect 2, will prove invaluable when the going geths tough.

Head past the break to see a video of the Adept class, which has been granted some flashy new tricks.

Gallery: Mass Effect 2 (11-06-09)

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Deus Ex 3 PC exclusivity rumored, doubted, dismissed

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Nov 26th 2009 at 9:00PM }

An Eidos Montreal community spokesperson has put a dent in rumors of Deus Ex 3 being developed exclusively for PC. "Only the PC version has been announced so far," he wrote on the official Eidos forums, diplomatically addressing a story that originated from a (now corrected) article on Bit-Tech. "I dunno where that website is getting its info from!"

We dunno if these comments preclude an exclusivity announcement in the future but, as John Walker notes on Rock Paper Shotgun, the situation isn't a conspiracy so much as "a matter of crossed wires." The Deus Ex franchise is certainly no stranger to consoles and, considered from a commercial viewpoint, it seems likely that Eidos and Square Enix would want to share their collaborative efforts with as wide an audience as possible.

Interview: BioWare's Greg Zeschuk on Dragon Age, DLC, and more

by Christopher Grant { Nov 26th 2009 at 3:00PM }

Here's a Thanksgiving treat from the vault – we've dug out the following interview with BioWare co-founder (and Group Creative Officer of EA's newly formed RPG/MMO Group) Greg Zeschuk from earlier this year at PAX. But don't let the date fool you! Our discussion of multiplatform console development, DLC strategies on future BioWare titles like Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2, and Greg's recommendation that everyone buy two copies of the game (one on console and one on PC) defies time. Read on!

Joystiq: Dragon Age is the first PS3 game that BioWare's developed. Can you talk about that process?

Greg Zeschuk: We did partner with Edge of Reality, so we partnered with folks who have had the experience, and that was a good process where we actually had some folks that knew how to do it but also, in general, just worked together with them. A lot of it ended up being like we needed a lot of work to get done and a lot of stuff very fast and everyone was very busy on Dragon Age itself. Collectively, on the console, I would say it was very interesting and challenging to take the richness of the PC game of Dragon Age, with all these different powers and everything else, and actually try to transpose it to the consoles. And the interesting thing about that, or where it worked out really well, is that we literally set ourselves a goal: We didn't want console players to fell like we ripped them off by taking anything away, by minimizing or simplifying. We want them to feel they have all the power at their fingertips, but it's very accessible. It's got the multiple rings that sort of have subsets to them, and you can actually pretty much access any power just a couple little joystick twiddles and button presses. And so with that experience, I think we succeeded there.

Another place where we succeeded on both the PS3 and 360 versions: it feels very different from the PC. Where the PC has got the traditional Baldur's Gate top-down [perspective], the PS3 and 360 are over-the-shoulder and they do have that kind of, very KOTOR feel and that's probably what I play, and that's what I feel most familiar with is KOTOR -- and it actually feels more action-y than the PC does, so I think people will find a very different experience. I recommend both platforms actually, PC and console versions.

Gallery: Dragon Age: Origins

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Twitter users unlock Final Fantasy XIII chocobo Avatar item

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Nov 25th 2009 at 5:20PM }

In a feat considerably easier than breeding a golden chocobo in Final Fantasy VII, fans of Square Enix's thirteenth Final outing have unlocked a special Xbox Live Avatar item through the power of word of mouth (via keyboard). After garnering enough specially tagged messages on Twitter (some speculate that this may have represent some sort of "marketing tactic"), the folks at Microsoft have seen fit to entrust an adorable virtual chocobo to your Avatar.

If you're in North America, UK, France or Germany and registered on the site, you can expect a download code via email by mid-December. If not, we've placed something after the break to cheer you up.

[Via @AceyBongos]

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Yes, more Ys is coming to PSP

by JC Fletcher { Nov 25th 2009 at 2:45PM }

The Ys series gets around. Primarily a PC-based franchise, Falcom's action-RPG series is ported to everything that can play games in Japan. It appears on the PSP in the form of Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim, Ys I&II Chronicles, and (soon) Ys VII.

Yet another Ys game is migrating over to PSP, as Falcom announced that Oath in Felghana, a port of the PC game of the same name (pictured), will be released in Japan on April 22, with upgraded controls, voiced "events," and the ability to switch between versions of the soundtrack.

Oath in Felghana is a remake of Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, swapping out that game's unusual side-scrolling gameplay for the traditional Zelda-esque Ys style.

Tales of Graces bundle is underwhelming

by JC Fletcher { Nov 23rd 2009 at 12:30PM }

Game Watch has posted an image of the full contents of the Japanese Tales of Graces bundle, revealing ... that it's pretty much the least remarkable Wii bundle yet. The included Wii hardware is the plain white model, and the Classic Controller Pro (also white) doesn't have any fancy design on it. It's just a Wii, and a Classic Controller Pro, and the game. In a box. The box looks pretty cool, we suppose. And it's not like we have the Classic Controller Pro here at all.

New screens show off the rather silly swimsuit costumes that can be equipped in-game, including a delightful Speedo and life vest outfit for Malik. More dignified: a costume based on a stage outfit worn by singer BoA, available as a bonus with a "Tales of Graces Edition" release of BoA's single "Mamoritai ~ White Wishes ~."

Canadian Fallout 3 PS3 GOTY edition patch now available

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Nov 20th 2009 at 3:00PM }

Incredibly specific patch news now, with the release of a save recognition remedy for the French Canadian version of Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition (product code "BLUS-30455"). The patch will allow the GOTY re-release of Bethesda's wasteland wandering sim to recognize save files generated by Fallout 3 sans accolades.

As a Bethesda community manager helpfully points out, your old save files will only show up if there are new saves (GOTY) present -- if you only have old saves, start a new game and, you know, save. If you have in excess of 130 save files (a sign of prudence!), you'll have to delete older ones in order for the new ones to be displayed. Oh, and one more thing: "If your saves are taking a long time to load you might want to resave them and back up or remove the old ones."

And now we've exhausted our supply of the word "save," save for one which we were keeping for the en ... dammit, we wasted it!

[One thank you "reserved" for: Harry]

The Witcher 2 being developed on multi-platform engine; CD Projekt seeking publisher

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 19th 2009 at 6:20PM }

Bilingual Polish gaming news site Polygamia recently did us English-speakers a great kindness by attending a CD Projekt presentation on The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, translating its findings into our native tongue. According to Polygamia, CD Projekt's Michał Kiciński and Marcin Iwiński revealed that the RPG is being developed using an "internal, multi-platform engine," which they hope will become "the vanguard among game engines, and especially RPG engines."

CD Projekt's goals for the title are as lofty as you might expect -- the team claimed the The Witcher 2 will handily net an "over 90% score at Metacritic." However, before that happens, the game has to get made. The two developers explained that the studio is currently in talks with publishers and hoped to finalize distribution plans by Q1 2010.

Additionally, some footage managed to leak out of the closed presentation, which we've posted after the jump. However, unless you're a diehard fan of the first Witcher, we recommend skipping it, lest you be forced to suffer seven minutes of severe thoracic discomfort. You'll see what we mean.

Continued →

One-day sale on Half-Minute Hero

by JC Fletcher { Nov 18th 2009 at 1:45PM }

XSEED's Half-Minute Hero is all about compressing game genres, including RPG, RTS, and shmups, down into 30-second increments. So it's only appropriate that a price drop on the game is also under a strict time limit, as it is with this Amazon Deal of the Day. For today only (or until Amazon runs out), the game is marked down to $18.98.

Sure, it would be even more appropriate if the sale only lasted half a minute, but then we wouldn't have time to write this post about it and tell you. Our post would look more like this: "hey guys haflmintue hero on sale cheap amazonlike 19 bucks"

Gallery: Half-Minute Hero

Gearbox: Borderlands fastest-selling new IP of 2009

by James Ransom-Wiley { Nov 17th 2009 at 1:30PM }

Gearbox has declared that Borderlands, the studio's original RPG-FPS ("RPS") hybrid, is the current leader in the annual undercard, the race to fastest-selling new IP of the year. While it might not make it onto a second-printing retail box, the accolade is still significant, as it implies that a new game has at least been noticed among the familiar franchises that dominate the monthly sales charts. What better hook to land a publisher when pitching a sequel?

Going by not entirely public NPD sales figures (in North America), Gearbox has determined that Borderlands had the most launch-week sales of any new IP in 2009. The only other title that could contest that would be Prototype, which enjoyed greater sales on the Xbox 360 platform (but just by 1,900 units) than did Borderlands when comparing the two games' respective launch months (419.9k vs. 418k units). However, Prototype, which released June 9, was available at retail for 11 more days during its launch month than was Borderlands (October 20). While we don't know total sales of either title during their launch months (both were released on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC), it's reasonable to assume that Borderlands is the fast-selling new IP (during a launch week), if not the best-selling one in combined platform sales for a launch month in 2009.

So, congratulations! But watch out for Dragon Age: Origins -- we hear it's fast, too.