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Alice 2 'teaser' not officially sanctioned

by Justin McElroy { Nov 4th 2009 at 12:15PM }

On Monday, we brought you an awfully official-looking teaser trailer for a follow-up to American McGee's Alice, which was announced in February. Now, via his blog, McGee is debunking the cool stop-motion clip, saying, "I wanted to clear up any confusion ... it was unofficial, and does not represent any of the final art direction or story elements in Alice 2." It's worth noting that when we attempted to verify the clip's authenticity on Monday, we tracked the site (the now-missing www.returnofalice.com) back to American McGee, so the confusion is pretty understandable.

The "fan" that created the video, Troy Morgan, is an accomplished artist who has worked with the developer in the past. Morgan says he created the ad on spec as an ad pitch to EA, though it appears not to have been picked up. It's a pity, because the clip was just starting to get us excited for a return to (evil) Wonderland.

Naughty Dog teases spooky Uncharted 2 image

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 30th 2009 at 9:52AM }

We figured that Naughty Dog would tire of its propensity to tease us once Uncharted 2: Among Thieves had finally hit store shelves. However, if the developer's recent late-night tweet is any indication, its still got a few surprises up its sleeve. The aforementioned tweet simply read, "working late tonight, got a ton of things that need to get done," and included a link to the unsettling image above.

If we were to wager a guess as to what those ... things are, our early analysis would be Helghast skeletons. Now, with Halloween coming up, the skeletons thing makes sense. Helghast, though? That's just garishly non-canonical.

GTA's 'Next Stop' teased in Liberty City Episodes manual

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 28th 2009 at 5:55PM }

We'd thought the Grand Theft Auto franchise had taken us to lovingly rendered simulacra of every metropolitan city-type known to man, but apparently, we thought wrong. In the back of the GTA IV: Episodes from Liberty City manual, a fake advertisement points to the series' "Next Stop" (seen above). Of course, the destination being teased is quite obviously the lovely town of Clip Artington, Minnesota. Surely you've heard of Clip Artington! It's renowned for its apple butter festivals.

On the off chance the teaser is pointing to a different city, we've ... we've really got no idea. Looks like a desert, though, right? And a mountain? And some conical, obsidian monoliths? What? Trees? Oh, yeah, that makes a lot more sense. We'd love to hear your speculation in a well-written, thought-provoking comment! There's a place for those right after the jump, you know.

[Image credit: VGChartz]

Sakaguchi: unannounced Mistwalker project in 'finishing stage'

by JC Fletcher { Oct 19th 2009 at 4:00PM }

In late April, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi mentioned on his blog that he was working on a new project, while showing off the totally sweet Lego truck he made in his spare time. Now he's got an update on this mysterious game -- and an update on his Lego modeling.

In the latest blog post, Sakaguchi said, "I am working hard on a new project. Now we are being rushed into the 'finishing' stage. No matter what, I will make it really good...." And judging by the tiny surfing Sakaguchi analog seen above, it appears that as the work picks up on this project, the Lego complexity drops. He's really busy.

And we still don't know what he's busy on! The last Blue Dragon game came out on October 8, so this is something else entirely. We should find out soon ... since it's almost finished, we guess.

[Via RPGSite]

First Assassin's Creed: Lineage episode debuts Oct. 27

by David Hinkle { Oct 19th 2009 at 11:04AM }

It's hard out there for an assassin. It was hard for Giovanni Auditore da Firenze, anyway; father of Assassin's Creed II protagonist Ezio. As you can see in the teaser for Assassin's Creed: Lineage above, the dude had a lot on his plate -- and good thing he had a sharp knife, too, to handle all that meat carving. According to Ubisoft, you'll get to see how it went down when the first of three Lineage short films, introducing plot elements leading up to Assassin's Creed II, debuts on YouTube on October 27.

What we really want to know is: How did Giovanni manage to keep his whites so white? With all of that blood flying around, it must have been one helluva laundry day for the 15th century assassin.

Gallery: Assassin's Creed: Lineage (behind the scenes)

Koei Tecmo teases new game with dead flowers

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 10th 2009 at 2:30PM }

Man, Koei Tecmo, you really know how to confuse the hell out of us. You've proven your capacity to perplex with your billion-dudes-on-screen action franchises -- now, you're diversifying your riddlecraft with a teaser site for a heretofore unannounced game. Based on context clues, we're guessing it's the long overdue revival of everyone's favorite classic franchise: Pretty Flower, Dead Flower, Falling Girl.

We're kidding, of course. Judging by the Big Dipper which slyly appears at the end of the teaser's video loop, and the fact that the entire Musou (or Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors) team will be in attendance when the game is revealed on October 14, we're guessing it's actually Fist of the North Star Musou. Shame, really -- we were so excited about a current-gen reimagination of PFDFFG.

[Via IGN]

Supposedly leaked Max Payne 3 teaser is rad, chronologically unsound

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 7th 2009 at 9:59PM }

A couple of weeks ago, our attention was turned to a demo reel produced by a commercial sound designer named "Bix," which, no, we imagine is not his Christian name. The reel included a 30 second teaser trailer for Max Payne 3, featuring slow-motion bullets, a mysterious masked woman, appropriately crisp sound design and a highly implausible release window of "Winter 2009." Thinking the video was just a fan project made to bolster an artistic portfolio, we thought little of it.

However, the clip's recent disappearance from the aforementioned reel (and its sudden circulation) has caused us to think otherwise. We're still not certain whether the teaser was commissioned by Rockstar, but we do know that it's hot as the sun, and waiting just behind the jump.

Continued →

Rumor: Super Street Fighter IV unveiling tomorrow

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 28th 2009 at 11:51AM }

Capcom recently launched one of the most nebulous video game teaser sites in recent history, hinting at an update for Street Fighter IV. All said site displays is a short video clip of what we believe is the music video for A-ha's "Take On Me" spliced together with footage of some sort of fluorescent fluid swirling lazily down a toilet drain. Also, a date and time: "2009.09.29. 17:00 JST." Whoa. Capcom's on Joystiq Standard Time, too?

Fortunately, French site JV247 has received a few purported, light-shedding screenshots from an anonymous source at Capcom. If legit, these screens reveal the existence of the oft-rumored Super Street Fighter IV -- a retail game (or perhaps just a DLC expansion) that will add at least two Street Fighter regulars to the game: Juri and T. Hawk (seen above). These screens look like the real deal, but details from the source are scant.

Stay tuned -- an official announcement is expected within the next 24 hours.

Scribblenauts Facebook page teases 'special announcement'

by JC Fletcher { Sep 19th 2009 at 5:30PM }

The Facebook page for 5TH Cell's Scribblenauts is teasing ... something. "Get your rooster hats ready!" a message posted on the game's "Wall" reads. "We have a very special announcement coming very soon..." We have no idea what's being announced, or even when, but it seems really early for a sequel announcement. Maybe another platform? Or maybe something outside the game, like a contest. In any case, if you like Scribblenauts, 5TH Cell is going to tell us all something that will probably be delightful.

Speaking of delightful, the pictured object is "Game of the Year" as rendered by the game. That's just adorable.

[Thanks, Josh!]

Explore the Void with Aksys and Gaijin Games

by JC Fletcher { Sep 1st 2009 at 3:40PM }

Gaijin Games is up to its old tricks again, offering inscrutable teasers for an upcoming game, though the new "Explore the Void" site is much more quietly lovely than the Commander Video mysteries we're used to. Over the last week or so, the developer has posted images to the site that have now been revealed as extreme closeups of satellite dishes in silhouette.

What does it mean for the next game? Bit. Trip: Dish? Bit. Trip: Transmit?Bit. Trip: Zoomed In Images of Everyday Objects? At least we have pretty pictures to look at while we contemplate this puzzle.

The Ballad of Gay Tony gets its first trailer this Tuesday

by Ben Gilbert { Aug 27th 2009 at 7:10PM }

Notorious for not saying much about the GTA series until the very last minute, Rockstar Games stuck to form today in announcing the first trailer for upcoming GTA IV expansion The Ballad of Gay Tony. According to the company's website, a trailer for Episodes from Liberty City will be released this Tuesday, "featuring The Ballad of Gay Tony."

The only images we've seen so far from the DLC haven't been much more than loading screen art, and now the shot above of what looks to be Luis jumping out of a plane. Wait, jumping out of a plane? There were no planes in GTA IV! What is this madness?!

Crytek teases Crysis 2's new Nanosuit

by David Hinkle { Aug 20th 2009 at 11:00PM }

Crytek has released a pair of teaser trailers for Crysis 2's Nanosuit 2, the new and improved version of the first game's human enhancer, via a viral site for Crynet Systems, the manufacturers of the fictitious suit. Taking the viral approach even further, there's also a 16-page PDF brochure advertising the suit you could never afford. Did you know that the tech actually introduces parasitic lifeforms into the wearer's brain to aid in real-time combat analysis? Has Crynet Systems learned nothing from Kirk's epic battle against Khan?

There's also an alternate version of the above video that features a more, uh, blue look at the new threads. Head past the break to check that one out.

[Via Big Download]

Continued →

Capcom's mystery game is Sengoku Basara 3

by JC Fletcher { Jul 2nd 2009 at 6:15PM }

Capcom's latest teaser site, which was last showing the number 1600, was generally believed (and hoped) to be leading up to the announcement of a new Onimusha game. However, the game being teased is actually a new entry in Capcom's other action series starring fictionalized versions of real feudal Japanese warlords: Sengoku Basara, (barely) better known here as Devil Kings -- a series which features Onimusha's bad guy Oda Nobunaga as the protagonist and title character.

No platforms or really any other information were revealed about Sengoku Basara 3, other than the logo, two character silhouettes, and a 2010 date. Previous Sengoku Basara games have been released on PS2, PSP, and Wii (along with an arcade-based 2D fighting spinoff).

The series isn't that well-known in North America, but in Japan, its popularity (and the sudden popularity of actual Japanese history) is boosted by the tie-in anime series.

Capcom creates countdown-free teaser site

by Andrew Yoon { Jun 26th 2009 at 11:45PM }

Hate countdowns? Love mysterious teaser sites that barely hint at an upcoming game? Good, because Capcom cooked this one ready for your perusal. The number 1560 simply fades in and out, moving from left to right. While some are postulating it's another Onimusha game (the first game took place in the year 1560, and is based on the Battle of Okehazama), we'll use the power of Wikipedia to show us some of the more interesting things that happened in 1560:

"Denmark buys the Estonian island of Saaremaa from its last prince bishop."
"The first tulip bulb is brought from Turkey to the Netherlands."
"Jean Nicot introduces tobacco in the form of snuff to the French court."

Hmm. Okay, we'd rather have an Onimusha game, Capcom.

Ubisoft leaks 10 second clips from Assassin's Creed 2, Splinter Cell Conviction [update: they're pulled]

by Griffin McElroy { May 30th 2009 at 6:00PM }

Ubisoft seems to have developed two new areas of expertise over the past few months -- accidentally leaking videos to the gaming press, and developing 10 to 15 second teasers for their highly anticipated titles. Today, we get an excellent example of both of these new habits in action -- the massive French publisher recently leaked two 10 second clips from Assassin's Creed II and Splinter Cell Conviction onto their FTP site. Watchful fans grabbed the vids and threw them on YouTube. We've got 'em posted after the jump.

Our observations are as brief as the clips themselves. First, Assassin's Creed II protagonist Ezio is made entirely out of springs, as evidenced by his survival following a spectacular dive. Second, Sam Fisher no longer looks like an emo hobo. Maybe -- just maybe -- he's an emo hobo in disguise, walking amongst the world's non-transients, hiding his penchant for My Chemical Romance and malt liquor behind his clean shaven face. We're on to you, Fisher.

Update: It appears as though a "copyright claim by Ubisoft" has rendered the videos after the break moot. Sorry, folks, looks like we'll all be waiting 'til E3 this week for more on these titles.