Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle Coming to PSP

Posted on December 22, 2010 by geelw

I still have ringing in my ears and a mild headache from all that Hyperdimension Neptunia(aaa*cough!*) stuff yesterday, so I missed running this nice cover art and screens from NISA’s upcoming PSP strategy RPG. According to Amazon’s listing, the game will feature “new story chapters, characters, items, better graphics, and a revamped user interface”. In addition, the game is now “more user-friendly and packs more content for over 100 hours of game play”. March 18, 2011 is the release date (unless something changes). With UMD games looking as if they’re on the way out after next year, folks like me will be grabbing what great games we can, that’s for sure.

While the official website for the game is still in the works, the cover art and four screens are here for your approval. There are a bunch more shots from the game over at Amazon (in case you didn’t click that link above already), so go peek at those if this one’s up your alley… Back in a bit – the post office is calling me…

Hyperdimension Neptunia (aaaaaaaaaaaaa!) Official Trailer: Nippon Ichi Is At It Again…

Posted on December 22, 2010 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/4RKzZMhPl_E?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

Say it with me, folks (big voice, now): HYPERDIMENSION NEPTUNIA(AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!)

Yes, that name absolutely demands the echo chamber effect at the end. Grrrrrr… Why does Nippon Ichi continue to tempt me so? Yet another too cute for words RPG, this time on the PS3 from a whopping what, five studios? Lots of flashy battle effects, that snazzy Gust 2D artwork (I expect my usual ten layers of parallax scrolling backgrounds, thank you) mixed with 3D characters, randomly generated dungeon maps, eyeball-rolling town names (Gameindustri? ha bloody ha), ESRB T (Teen)-rated “partial nudity” and “sexual themes” should make this one a nicely niche hit. That is of course, provided the gameplay is solid and the story has the highs and lows genre fans expect plus whatever bells and whistles those random dungeons offer. Oh, and ALEX KIDD??? Holy cats, that’s an instant buy just for the Janken mini-game flashback I had while typing this. The other Sega characters in the game will keep me playing just to see who else is hidden on the disc.

I’ll take a dozen to go, please… with a copy of Prinny 2 on the side.

Unique Console Patron Units… Engage! sometime in Spring 2011, by the way.

MLB 11 The Show Announce Trailer (It’s A Hit, For Sure)

Posted on December 21, 2010 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/kY2w624X-3U?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

As much as a non sports game fan as I am these days (a bit of personal burnout from the general overkill of 24-hour sports), I’ll still have to give it up for SCEA’s upcoming baseball game in terms of how spectacular it looks. Sony Santa Monica just may have a huge home run (without the steroids) when the game ships in 2011. Will it get me to pick up a controller again and swing for the fences? I guess we’ll have to see, huh?

P.S. It’s nice to see that a PS2 version is also on the way, Sony! Even though the bigger games are PS3 exclusive, it’s great to see that the company STILL recognizes that not every single PlayStation owner has made the jump to the PS3.

Why Killzone 3 Will Be A Blast, No Matter HOW You Play It

Posted on December 20, 2010 by geelw

Let's see now: so far, I've played demos of Killzone 3 in 3D with a Dual Shock 3, in regular HD with a Dual Shock 3, in HD with the Move/NaviCon combo and in HD with the upcoming Move Sharp Shooter peripheral and each time I'm floored by what Guerrilla can do with the PS3. Alright, Sony, you can stop now. I'm sold…AGAIN. Hell, I was sold months ago when I saw the E3 demo running in not quite fully optimized 3D because I “got” what the team at Guerrilla were trying to accomplish with the narrative (as well as all that wonderful tech they're wisely hoarding to themselves).

An updated demo of the game along with Sony's new Move Sharp Shooter attachment were drawing lots of attention at Sony's Holiday 2010 event last week and after watching a few editor types fumble away with the peripheral, I was wondering if this was yet another game that was going to be sunk by a well-intentioned but flawed one-use controller. Then I got the chance to try the thing out for myself and found out it's actually quite remarkable once you get a feel for the peripheral.

Mass Effect 2 PS3 Hands-On: BioWare, Beautiful & Brilliant

Posted on December 19, 2010 by geelw

PS3 owners may have missed out on the original Mass Effect, but the stellar sequel plus four DLC chapters and a little something extra (plus a LOT of something extra under the hood) is headed your way in a great standard edition pack that's bound to fly off store shelves faster than the new Normandy hits light speed. I had the opportunity to play a demo version of Mass Effect 2 and was immediately floored by the visual upgrade (thanks to what was recently revealed as the Mass Effect 3 engine), the tweaked puzzles and a few other niceties BioWare has seen fit to add. I'd have to safely say this is going to be the definitive console version of the game and even if you've played the Xbox 360 version, you might want to snap up a copy of this one, provided you also have a PS3 in the house.

Playstation Move Heroes Hands-On Update – Nihilistic Aims For The Core

Posted on December 19, 2010 by geelw

When last we saw Playstation Move Heroes (formerly known as Heroes on the Move) back in October, the demo build was indeed a lot of fun to play but there was obviously more coming in terms of levels, game modes and other features. Last week at Sony's Holiday 2010 event, Nihilistic's peppy Design Director Harley Baldwin White-Wiedow and SCEA's equally peppy Caley Roberts showed of the latest build which was more polished and quite packed to the rafters with many lovely and destructive things to do. Not content to shove out a simple Move-enabled mini-game cash-in for the younger set, Nihilistic is cooking up a solid, hugely fun (and funny) game any fans of Sony's mascot franchises will be proud to add to their collections.

Hunted: The Demon’s Forge "The World of Hunted" Trailer

Posted on December 18, 2010 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/b7hlI0ma0iE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

InXile’s upcoming co-op focused action/RPG is looking to be one of the more memorable releases of 2011 whether you’re a fan of the genre or not. Here’s a look at a few of the different environments you’ll be adventuring in and around – text below courtesy of Bethesda. Keep this one on your radars, folks…

Welcome to the World of Hunted.

Tempted by riches, the warrior Caddoc and huntress E’lara will travel through a sprawling empire beset by evil. As their path twists through the once thriving town of Dyfed and towards the mighty capital city of Llyr, they will face a corruption that is spreading across the land. The kingdom’s ancient ruins have become overrun with foul creatures, and innocent villagers are being driven underground into dungeons. As they draw closer to the ruins of Kala Moor a dark army gathers, threatening everything in its path.

Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll Gameplay Footage x6

Posted on December 13, 2010 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/m4r7goaVp3U?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

Here's what to expect from Koei Temco's upcoming PS3 exclusive Action/RPG. Each of these six videos shows off developer Omega Force's skills quite well, I'd say. Love the color palette, dynamic spells and what's looking like an easy to pick up and play combat system against the swarms of enemies on screen. Of course, the KT haters will be out in full force against this game's strengths, but we'll wait and see what the actual product plays like sometime next year. Will familiarity breed contempt… or just more sore thumbs and a blissed-out grin after too many hours of whittling down goblins and big-ass wolves? Again, We. Shall. See.

More footage below the jump, as usual.

Actual Uncharted 3 Reveal Adds Even More Tease.

Posted on December 11, 2010 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/1kyktW8KcFI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

Heh… oops. Well, this longer trailer only packs in a few action shots near the end, but that longer shot of the plane wreckage has me intrigued, as does who that hand in the sand belongs to. Again, it’s Sony’s year to lose in 2011 (if you count your games in a competitive manner). Gotta love the first-party studios SCEA has – they’re just cranking them out on a regular basis these days…

Etna Needs Your Help Getting In the Holiday Spirit!

Posted on December 11, 2010 by geelw

Yup, that means yet another wacky yet cool Nippon Ichi Software America contest is afoot, folks. Click on that pic above and enter to win some cool prizes! Also, go reserve a copy of Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood! while you’re at it. As I’ve said before, ANY game with a name like that can’t be passed up!