As Far As I Know (OR: Some Answers To Your Lijit Searches)…

Posted on September 19, 2009 by geelw

1) Muramasa: the Demon Blade is NOT coming to any other console – It’s currently a Wii exclusive. The same goes for games such as Cursed Mountain, Darkest of Days, Risen and a few other titles exclusive to certain platforms. If you’ve got a decent gaming PC, two of the above games are recommended while the other two aren’t coming to PC (as far as I know)…

1a) Is Demon’s Souls coming to the Xbox 360? Most likely nope. The game was initially contracted by/for Sony’s Japan Studios, so it’s sort of like asking if Halo or a new Mario game will appear on another platform. Go buy a PS3 if you can afford to – the game is indeed worth it. Besides, there are a bunch of cool first and third party exclusives for the PS3 released this year and coming in the future will keep you more than pleased you finally made the plunge.

2) I’m still waiting for my review copies of Muramasa and a few other games to arrive. Ignition was swamped with requests from other editor-types, so I may not end up with one unless I truck it on over to GameStop and buy a copy. Yes, I absolutely support my favorite developers and publishers when need be! Heck, I paid full price for The Conduit and enjoyed it immensely.

2a) Speaking of reviewables yes, I’m working on getting a reviewable of Pinball Hall of Fame – The Williams Collection for either the 360 or PS3. Crave’s website hasn’t been updated for a while with new games, so I thought this one didn’t even exist until about two weeks ago (Thanks, Kate!). Fossil Fighters didn’t show up (yet), so it looks as if I’ll need to buy that one at some point. Between the stuff I have coming in and the previews and reviews I need to get done, FF is sort of a slightly lower priority until I free up some quality time for it.

3) I don’t do game tips/cheats/codes here, sorry! If, on the other hand, a developer or publisher supplies me with a tip/trick/code I can release to you guys, I’ll gladly share it! If you’re really hopelessly stuck in a game, definitely hit up a site such as Gamefaqs for those tricky boss or other game-related problems.

4) Shin Megami Tensei Persona PSP voice cast? I’m not sure, as I’m more interested in the game as a whole package… but this may help.

Um.. I think that’s it – got any more questions? Ask away!

Agetec & UFO Announce Way of the Samurai 3 for PS3 and 360

Posted on September 19, 2009 by geelw

In a unique co-publishing agreement, Way of the Samurai 3 is set to hit stores on October 13, 2009 thanks to the fine folks at Agetec (PS3 version) and UFO (Xbox 360 version).

According to the press release, Acquire’s latest entry in the ongoing swordplay saga is an all-new Action/RPG that promises a “completely new, highly refined style of gameplay, a rich weapon crafting system, beautifully detailed graphics and a deep branching storyline that that will unfold multiple endings based upon player’s actions.”

With that in mind, here’s a look at the game’s story (click the pic to enlarge and read) and characters (ditto) as well as a nice set of screenshots and a pair of CG stills from what looks like the intro movie. In addition, an exclusive iPhone/iPod Touch app has also been announced – see below the jump for all the details…

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Risen PC Goes Gold, 360 Version Slips to 2010

Posted on September 19, 2009 by geelw

OK, that’s one down, department: Deep Silver has announced that the PC version of Risen has gone gold and will be hitting retail on October 2, 2009. The Xbox 360 version, however won’t arrive until sometime in 2010 (cue the sound of RPG fanboys ranting worldwide). While this might seem a bit of a letdown to fans expecting both versions simultaneously, it’s actually more of a positive sign in my book.

How so? Well, rather than stamping your foot as you type that angry e-mail or message board posting out to whomever, look at the delay this way: it gives Piranha Bytes ample time to make sure the 360 version is tweaked to perfection. Besides, the dev team can also use any constructive feedback from pro and fan reviews of the PC version to possibly add extra content (or possible patches) that PC version gets during the window from its launch to the 360 version’s release date.

It’s all about the perspective, folks…

Natsume News: Afrika Goes Gold

Posted on September 17, 2009 by geelw

Until now, Natsume hasn’t published a PlayStation 3 title, but that’s about to change as its upcoming PS3 exclusive, Afrika has gone gold and should be available soon. I remember this photo safari simulation as being one of the earliest PS3 games announced (through some amazing screenshots in Japanese game magazines a while back) and as you can see throughout this post, it still looks pretty darn good.

Anyway, here’s the press release, a bunch of screens and CG renders. Given the success of Natsume’s family-friendly Harvest Moon games as well as the company’s status among gamers of all stripes and a publisher of well-crafted niche games, this one might be a bit of a sleeper hit when it’s released.

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Nintendo Unveils Holiday 2009 Lineup

Posted on September 16, 2009 by geelw

And it’s a BIG lineup at that. Granted, this long as heck listing happens to includes both first and third-party Wii and DS releases, WiiWare and DSiWare exclusive titles as well as games that aren’t coming out until early 2010 (which is part of the 2009 fiscal year, so they’ll still count when profits are totaled). Release dates are yes, subject to change on some of these (as per usual with such a lengthy list of upcoming games).

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Robo-Shambo LIVES! (So Go Download It, Already!)

Posted on September 15, 2009 by geelw

Yup, it’s up and live HERE. Of course, Murphy’s Law comes into play over at DAF HQ: my dopey Internet service has been acting up with Verizon doing a bit of digging and tinkering thanks to a few trees being blown over by a recent storm, so I’m sitting here wishing I were playing this and a few other online games (grrrr…). Something told me I should have asked for a disc build!

Also, great new screenshots and gameplay footage (love the rockin’ soundtrack in the trailer) can be found on the game’s Media page. That box image is a mock-up, by the way – don’t go poring over Amazon or Gamestop lookin’ to buy this. Heck, it’s FREEEEEE! Stop reading this and go play the game – grab a few buddies first, as it’s a multiplayer deal, OK?

Release Calendar: 9/14 – 9/18

Posted on September 15, 2009 by geelw

Yikes. Well, I DID say it was going to be a busy week for games, soooo, here goes:

9/14/2009
Art Academy: First Semester (DS/DSi)
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS/DSi)
Mart Racer (Wii)
My Boyfriend (DS/DSi)
Oscar in Toyland (DS/DSi)
Princess in Love (DS/DSi)
Spaceball: Revolution (Wii)
Texas Hold ’em Poker (Wii)

9/15/2009
Age of Empires III: Complete Collection (PC)
Animal Planet: Vet Life (DS/DSi/Wii)
Ant Nation (DS/DSi)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (PC )
Bleach: The 3rd Phantom (DS/DSi)
Chicken Blaster (DS/DSi/Wii)
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (DS/DSi/PC/PS3/PSP/360/Wii)
Dreamer: Top Model (DS/DSi)
Heroes Over Europe (PS3/360)
Learn Geography (DS/DSi)
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (DS/DSi/PS2/PS3/PSP/Wii/360)
Monster Trucks Mayhem (Wii)
NHL 2K10 (PS2/PS3/Wii/36o)
NHL 10 (PS3/360)
Need for Speed: Shift (PC/PS3/PSP/360)
Our House (DS/DSi)
Our House Party (Wii)
Pacific Liberator (Wii)
Pinball Hall of Fame – The Williams Collection (PS3/360)
Qubed: Lumines Live! (Xbox 360)
RACE On (PC)
Red Faction: Guerrilla (PC)
Resident Evil 5 (PC)
Runes of Magic Chapter II: The Elven Prophecy (PC)
Scribblenauts (DS/DSi)
Time of Shadows (PC)
Tornado Outbreak (PS3/Wii/360)
Toy Story Mania (Wii)
WET (PS3/360)
Women’s Murder Club: Twice in a Blue Moon (PC)

9/16/2009
Panzer General: Allied Assault (360)

9/17/2009
Madballs in Babo: Invasion (PC)

9/18/2009
Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim (PC)
Supreme Ruler 2020 Gold (PC)

Scribblenauts Pre-Launch Event Spells F-U-N at Nintendo World

Posted on September 14, 2009 by geelw

“What, no B-A-G?” That’s probably what Julie Cheng was thinking when she got the very first retail copy ofScribblenauts... or what you’re probably thinking Julie Cheng was thinking if you look at that photo long enough. Yup, these press photo ops are so darn obvious, it’s a bit comical to the more snarky eyeball such as mine…

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Games On TV: Scribblenauts Commercial

Posted on September 13, 2009 by geelw

Here you go: mildly amusing, although given the game’s superb originality, it comes off as a bit lower key than I thought it would be.

Ah well… I guess Middle America needs this super-clean version that can be shown at all hours of the day without the usual irate parents’ groups going off the deep end about the game for no reason at all other than it’ll make their kids see and use words in the dictionary that they’d rather them NOT know at all. Yeesh.

Anyway, go buy a copy when it hits stores on September 15!

Games On TV: PROTOTYPE on HBO’s Entourage Sunday Night

Posted on September 12, 2009 by geelw

Now, I don’t even watch Entourage, but guess who the heck will be tuning in tomorrow night? Yeah, me. I’m always curious to see how games are presented on big deal shows like this, so I’ll be picking apart the stuff they screw up while hoping Activision sells a few more copies of the game, of course.