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1 CommentBlazBlue fighting game franchise getting Japanese anime series
By Alexa Ray Corriea at 10:30a 05.20.13
Arc System Works' fighting game franchise BlazBlue is getting an anime series, set to launch in Japan this fall, reports Anime News Network.
The anime was unveiled at the Arc System Works Festival yesterday in Yokohama, where the company unveiled the anime's story, cast and staff members. BlazBlue Alter Memory will be based on 2008 title BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, which launched initially for arcades and was ported to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable and Windows PCs in 2009 and 2010.
BlazBlue Alter Memory takes place in December 2199 during New Year celebrations. The powerful rebel Ragna the Bloodedge, who has an incredibly high bounty on his head and is also known as the "Grim Reaper," appears to wreck havoc and destroy the world. A ragtag gang of fighters —...
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0 CommentsShadow Warrior teaser trailer stains a peaceful garden with blood
By John Funk at 10:26a 05.20.13
A brief teaser trailer for Flying Wild Hog's "total reimagining" of 1997 FPS Shadow Warrior juxtaposes brutal violence with the peaceful beauty of a Japanese garden.
Set to a cover of The Peanuts' "Kawaii-Hana," the trailer moves past a sleek black sports car parked in front of a stairway, and sets sounds of combat against scenes of idyllic beauty splattered with blood. We catch a glimpse of what is presumably the protagonist walking with pistol and sword in hand into a candle-lite chamber, but his foe isn't alone.
There is currently no available information about Shadow Warrior's platforms or release date.
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2 CommentsMass Effect costumes landing on LittleBigPlanet May 21
By Samit Sarkar at 10:00a 05.20.13
Four beloved Mass Effect characters will make their way to LittleBigPlanet tomorrow in the Mass Effect Costume Pack, publisher Sony Computer Entertainment announced today.
Skins for male Shepard, Liara, Garrus and Wrex will be available in the pack, along with accessories like armor and gloves and a bunch of in-game stickers for Mass Effect. Like all costume packs, the DLC will be compatible with LittleBigPlanet 2, LittleBigPlanet Karting and LittleBigPlanet PS Vita.
The costume pack will sell for £4.79 in the U.K., where it will go on sale May 22. No price for North America is available yet, but the most expensive costume packs have all cost $5.99. You can check out images of the content in the pack on the LittleBigPlanet website.
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10 CommentsFormer Grand Theft Auto dev says industry needs methods other than violence to depict conflict
By Alexa Ray Corriea at 9:30a 05.20.13
Former Grand Theft Auto producer Jeremy Pope left Rockstar games determined never to work on violent video games again, because explaining to others he was working on the controversial and mature titles made him uncomfortable, he said in a recent Games Industry International interview.
Pope — who served as producer for Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Max Payne and now runs his own mobile startup Rally Games — left Rockstar during the development of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas when he began to have mixed feelings on the titles he was creating.
"I think at the time it was really only an inkling that I had," he said. "I was still in my early to mid-20s, I had grown up playing all types of games, violent games included, and worked on Max Payne and Grand Theft...
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11 CommentsBatman: Arkham Origins — the lessons learned from City and Asylum
By Tracey Lien at 9:00a 05.20.13
Speaking to Polygon, Holmes said one of the things he learned as a game designer from playing Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City was about pacing, and the development team behind Origins has worked to bring those lessons over to its game.
"The pacing in [those games] is fantastic," Holmes said. "There's a certain rhythm that [Rocksteady] hit, where there's a fight, and there's a certain number of people in that fight, then once you're done fighting you navigate for a bit, you grapple and crawl through vents, you swing from gargoyle to gargoyle, and just when you get to a point where you think, 'Dammit, I'd really like a fight,' they bring it back.
"You always finish every single part of the game with a sense that you could have done a bit more, so when they bring it back, you're...
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34 CommentsMicrosoft details its two-part console reveal for the next Xbox
By Emily Gera at 8:45a 05.20.13
The next Xbox console will be revealed in two stages, said Microsoft's interactive entertainment chief of staff Aaron Greenberg on the latest Major Nelson podcast.
As was previously announced, the first stage of the reveal begins May 21 in which the company will unveil its next-generation Xbox console. The second presentation will take place during E3 and focus squarely on the games that will launch for the new platform.
"We have so much goodness that there's no way we could have packed it all into one event," Greenberg stated, as transcribed by CVG.
"The best way I can describe it is, we're really going to tell one story across two events. So we're going to start on the 21 [of May] and really that's about revealing the next Xbox platform and our vision for the future of games, the...
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2 CommentsDJ Hero dev looking to hire producer for multi-platform game with 'online infrastructure-heavy' videos
By Alexa Ray Corriea at 8:30a 05.20.13
FreeStyleGames, the developer behind the DJ Hero games, is looking to hire an IPTV producer for a multiplatform game incorporating "online infrastructure-heavy" video elements, according to a listing on LinkedIn.
According to the listing, the Coventry-based studio is looking for a producer with experience in the development of software applications for IPTV technology, television services delivered over the Internet. The producer also must have relevant experience in the production of multi-platform content. This producer will lead development on FreeStyleGames' title, which will feature "specific emphasis on online infrastructure-heavy video applications."
The listing also notes the producer will work closely with stakeholders to make sure the game is produced within its allotted...
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8 CommentsMetal Gear Rising: Revengeance didn't release on Xbox 360 in Japan because console isn't popular enough
By Emily Gera at 6:53a 05.20.13
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance never released to Xbox 360's in Japan because the console simply isn't popular enough in that region, Kojima Productions production Yuji Korekado said while speaking on the HideoBlog podcast.
The decision not to bring the title to the Japanese Xbox followed last year's slow sales in 360 consoles throughout the country. Xbox 360 has always struggled to sell across Japan despite its impressive sales numbers elsewhere.
"Around last year, Xbox 360 sales didn't really grow [in Japan]," said Korekado. Projected sales for the Xbox 360 release of Revengeance across Japan were far lower than those expected to sell on PlayStation 3.
"Bwah? I thought [after seeing the projected figures]," Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima said on his podcast. "And if we did release...
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6 CommentsKevin Conroy is involved with Batman: Arkham Origins, according to voice actor
By Jenna Pitcher at 3:58a 05.20.13
The voice of Batman in Batman: Arkham City and Arkham Asylum, Kevin Conroy, is involved in the upcoming Batman: Arkham Origins, according to Conroy in a Q&A session at the Dallas Comic Con.
"Well, I can talk about it now," Conroy said when the panelist asked him if he could talk about what he has been working on. "We've been working for the past nine to ten months on the next Arkham. We all signed these contracts that we weren't allowed to talk about this, the studio likes to completely control the roll out of any product."
It wasn't made clear during the Q&A session in what capacity or role Conroy has in Origins.
Last month, NAG Magazine reported that Conroy will not be reprising his role in Origins because WB Games Montreal wanted a younger voice actor to fit with the vision of a...
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9 CommentsNintendo Direct focused on Smash Bros., 3D Mario game, Mario Kart Wii U titles airing before the start of E3
By Jenna Pitcher at 2:54a 05.20.13
Nintendo will host a Nintendo Direct broadcast "before the start of E3," to discuss new Smash Bros., 3D Mario game, Mario Kart and other Wii U titles, according to a tweet on the company's official Twitter account.
#IwataSays We will discuss new Smash Bros., 3D Mario game, Mario Kart and other Wii U titles in our #NintendoDirectNA before the start of E3
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) May 17, 2013
The company's most recent Nintendo Direct focused on the summer of Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games. It revealed a partnership between Nintendo and Sega to bring the next three Sonic the Hedgehog games exclusively to Nintendo's Wii U and 3DS. It also announced three different control schemes for Pikmin 3 on the Wii U, and that New Super Luigi U will be released as...
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15 CommentsDenis Dyack addresses backers and responds to allegations
By Jenna Pitcher at 2:04a 05.20.13
Silicon Knights and Precursor Games chief creative officer Denis Dyack has taken to YouTube to answer the concerns put forward by backers of its Shadow of the Eternals project and to respond to a Kotaku article published last year.
Precursor was formed by Dyack and a core group of former Silicon Knights employees. The company is raising funds to develop Shadow of the Eternals, a spiritual successor to Silicon Knights' Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, through its own website and a Kickstarter campaign.
Last year, the studio purchased property from Silicon Knights, such as desks, chairs, computers and art assets. Epic Games attorneys, upon hearing of the sale, then filed legal motions last year that Silicon Knights' computers were wiped clean before they were sold.
Polygon then r...
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1 CommentTerry Cavanagh's new project is Halting Problem, a 'proper, meaty puzzle game'
By Jenna Pitcher on May 19, 2013 05.19.13
Super Hexagon and VVVVVV creator Terry Cavanagh's new project is a 'proper, meaty puzzle game' tentatively titled Halting Problem, according to an update on his website.
"A proper, meaty puzzle game is something I've wanted to make for ages, and I'm having lots of fun just messing around with the mechanics for this one and seeing what I can make out of them," Cavanagh wrote. "It's inspired by DROD, but also things like Qrostar games, Zachtronic games, and my flatmate Increpare's games."
Cavanagh wrote that he is "really excited" about Halting Problem and that he is going to make it "my main focus for a while."
In April, Cavanagh posted a Vine clip showcasing several cancelled projects, including a first-person shooter and a dance-based role-playing game. Last year, Cavanagh's retro...
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11 CommentsAmerican McGee's new Oz game revealed as OZombie
By Jenna Pitcher on May 19, 2013 05.19.13
American McGee's Spicy Horse studio's new title based on The Wizard of Oz is titled OZombie, according to its official Facebook page.
Spicy Horse first revealed The Wizard of Oz-based game earlier this month, with the studio stating that "This is not, in any way, shape or form the title from 2004," referring to the game cancelled by Atari in 2004.
OZombie will feature Dorothy, Toto, Lion, TinMan and Scarecrow as a brain-loving bad guy. The game will be a cross-platform title for tablets, Windows PC, Mac and Linux, and will be based on the Oz series, which consists of 14 episodes.
A Kickstarter campaign for the title is underway and Spicy Horse currently has a second Kickstarter campaign for Alice: Otherlands. Which title gets developed depends if Alice license holder Electronic Arts...
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22 CommentsUbisoft confident in Nintendo Wii U's future
By Jenna Pitcher on May 19, 2013 05.19.13
Ubisoft believes its upcoming titles will attract more gamers to the Wii U and is confident that Nintendo will take steps to ensure that the console is successful, a Ubisoft spokesperson told GamesIndustry International.
"As with any new console, it takes some time to grow an established base," the spokesperson told GamesIndustry International. "Ubisoft has a varied and high-quality line-up for Wii U, with more big titles on the way including Rayman Legends, Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag and Splinter Cell Blacklist. We're confident that this will help in continuing to attract gamers to the Wii U system and that Nintendo will take steps to ensure that the Wii U is successful in the market."
Ubisoft executive director for EMEA territories Alain Corre called for a Wii U price...
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3 CommentsGuild Launch releasing thousands of Dragon's Prophet closed beta keys into the wild
By Jenna Pitcher on May 19, 2013 05.19.13
Guild hosting service, Guild Launch, is giving away thousands of closed beta keys for Sony Online Entertainment's upcoming free-to-play massively multiplayer online game, Dragon's Prophet.
As the game's exclusive distributor of closed beta keys in the U.S., those interested can grab a key by heading to Guild Launch's website. Users can then visit the official Dragon's Prophet site, log in or create a Station Account account and download the game once the code is confirmed.
Keys are for U.S. accounts only and Guild Launch announced that it has removed one key per IP address restrictions.
Set in the world of Auratia, the Runewaker-developed MMORPG will feature more than 300 different dragons to ride, fight and train. It has three traditional character classes: Ranger, Sorcerer, and...
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13 CommentsCall of Duty: Ghosts clip offers a brief look at the game in progress, teases reveal
By Megan Farokhmanesh on May 19, 2013 05.19.13
Infinity Ward released a brief teaser for Call of Duty: Ghosts that features a look at the game in an early design state.
The video, which you can watch here, was posted via Vine and loops approximately five seconds of footage. Following rumors and a leaked promotional poster, Call of Duty: Ghosts was officially announced earlier this month for Windows PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and next-gen systems. Few details are currently known about the game, but it will deliver a new story, cast and setting.
A first look at the game is expected at Microsoft's next-gen Xbox unveiling taking place on Tuesday, May 21.
Call of Duty: Ghosts is currently slated for launch Nov. 5 of this year. The game is available now for pre-order.
