First reactions: Ace Combat Assault Horizon

post from Gaming Nexus on 27 September 2011 11:23:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: Sean Cahill
NEWS - I've had a chance to get my feet wet with the Ace Combat Assault Horizon demo that is currently available on Xbox Live, and I have plenty of observations to offer up in preparation for the full release on October 11.

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Check your six...Assault Horizon is coming up
fast!

post from Gaming Nexus on 27 September 2011 11:19:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: Sean Cahill
NEWS - As someone who freely admits that he is a little bit of an Ace Combat junkie, it gives me great pleasure to throw more information at you for the upcoming release of Ace Combat Assault Horizon. Namco Bandai has given us morsel after delicious morsel of screenshots, videos, etc. to wet our palette. Today, we get another one of those morsels in the form of a multiplayer map that is simply dubbed "Tokyo." With AC:AH moving away from the fictitious worlds of Osea, Emmeria, Belka, and other countries from the realm, we are getting a first hand look at what this game can do with real-life layouts. We've already seen several landmarks throughout the releases, and with Tokyo now revealed, see how many points of interest you can view in this quick segment.

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The House of the Dead on PS3 may make your eyes
hate you

post from Destructoid on 27 September 2011 11:05:59 PM. © Destructoid

The House of the Dead on PS3 may make your eyes hate you screenshot

The nostalgia-fest that is The House of the Dead: Overkill - Extended Cut for PS3 is continues with Sega's announcement that the game will support not only Sterescopic 3D on your fancy new display, but also the anaglyphic 3D of which we all have such fond memories.

Indeed, those were the days: Braving headaches and nausea for the thrill of the third-dimension. Was it worth it? In retrospect, no. The House of the Dead is hoping to recapture the magic of that experience and, really, it's just fitting. If any game should have anaglyphic 3D supported, it's The House of the Dead. That's it though, no more.

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Shank returns in Shank 2, shanking very likely

post from Destructoid on 27 September 2011 10:05:54 PM. © Destructoid

Shank returns in Shank 2, shanking very likely screenshot

video details and more

Last year's Shank was a gleeful journey of violence and bad-ass-itude, wrapped in wonderful, hand-drawn animation. Realizing that gamers really liked stabbing baddies in the gut, developer Klei Entertainment is gracing us with a second installment, aptly named Shank 2.

Let's ignore the unenthusiastic line reading in the trailer and the unnecessary plot details of Shank being forced to protect those dear to him in order to focus on the return of what made the first game great: the old ultra-violence, which seems to be back with a vengeance. Klei claims to have rebuilt everything from the ground up to improve the controls. The developer is also adding a new arcade-style survival co-op mode, which looks more Horde-styled than the usual co-op.

Shank 2 is set for an early 2012 release on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and PC.

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CD Projekt RED reveals what's in store for
Witcher 2 v2.0

post from Destructoid on 27 September 2011 10:05:54 PM. © Destructoid

CD Projekt RED reveals what's in store for Witcher 2 v2.0 screenshot

Get ready you silver-haired monster slayers of Temeria, The Witcher 2 version 2.0 is almost here! In preparation for its release on Thursday, CD Projekt RED has given up the details on all the features that 2.0 will contain. There will be a number of fixes for a wide assortment of issues ranging from hit detection to character lip-syncing.

On top of all of these fixes, this also features two new gameplay modes along with a new set of tutorial missions to help get new players started off on the right foot. The tutorial missions will have Geralt assist a wounded knight by the name of Bolton, and will introduce players to combat and alchemy; completion will suggest a suitable difficulty level for the player.

The already announced "Dark Mode" and "Arena" will offer a different challenge for veteran Witchers.

"Dark Mode" will show players no mercy, in that even the most basic of enemy types will give Geralt a run for his money. In addition, players can also seek out new equipment sets which include the Blasphemer, the Oathbreaker and Kinslayer outfits. While not just keeping Geralt stylish in the latest of Temerian fashion, they can also boost Geralt's Vitality and may just give him the edge he needs to beat back the Dark.

"Arena" will allow players to pit their Witcher against a wide variety of opponents in gladiator-style combat. Players can win gold and items, as well as recruit allies for some of the more harrowing challenges this mode has to offer. Leaderboards will also be available for those who wish to compare body counts.

The combat improvements will include:

Improved targeting system
Unlimited parrying
Improved control responsiveness when casting Signs, parrying or attacking
Geralt's attack cannot be interpreted by enemies
Enemies kicking Geralt while he is down has been removed
Issues with weapon-to-target distance animations have been corrected

Other fixes will also include:

Casting several bombs does not freeze player input
Aspect ratio setting independent of resolution
Disk space for patching is reduced
Loading The Witcher saves no longer crashes your game
More enemies during Loc Muinne quest
Visual effect for Adrenaline no longer disappears quickly
Archers draw swords quicker when Geralt appears
Mages do not cast shield spells when daggers are thrown at them
Gameplay is paused during Geralt's finishing move in combat
Chapter 2 Troll can now be attacked
Improved dagger casting
Letho exploit removed
Insane difficulty game loading issues
Improved camera control
Adjustments to Mutagen statistics
Junk filter working properly
Corrections to Mini-Map during Chapter 1
Audio levels throughout the game
Animation adjustments to characters
Adjustments to character lip-syncing throughout the game

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Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD Launch Trailer

post from Video Games Loop on 27 September 2011 09:06:38 PM. © Video Games Loop

Sony’s HD remakes of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus receive a launch trailer to remind you why they are classics. The ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection is...

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TGS: The Vita got about 20% cooler

post from Destructoid on 27 September 2011 09:06:10 PM. © Destructoid

TGS: The Vita got about 20% cooler screenshot

_{[For last week's Bloggers Wanted, I asked you to tell me your reactions to the announcements made at Tokyo Game Show. Time Glitch is first up for promotion, and he has quite a bit to say about the Vita. If you're interested in seeing your own work on the front page next week, write something about our current topic: Obscurity. -- JRo]}

It's no secret: anybody that knows me knows that I don't enjoy many Japanese games. Outside of core Nintendo titles, I don't really connect with anime-styled Japanese games like Persona or Dragon Quest. Outside of Pokemon, I can't even stand looking at, let alone playing, most JRPGs. This means that whenever this time of year rolls around, I just tune out the Tokyo Game Show. It tends to be full of the type of games I just loathe...it's my anti-E3.

But this year, I was interested. I was excited. I found myself reading through TGS updates rather than simply glossing them over for other gaming news, because this year, TGS had information for the one device I've been holding on a pedestal ever since it was announced. It's something I've talked about a lot on this blog, and is a purchase I never thought I'd make.

The Vita. My one and only.

At E3 this year, I was absolutely sold on the little wonder device. Almost everything I saw about it made me want it even more. Cross-platform play, 3G online services, full HD graphics, and core game titles that weren't JRPGs? SOLD. A thousand times SOLD. While a lot of my initial sales questions were answered (Like "Can shooters be played on this bite-sized slab of win?"), the little details seemed to be pushed to the wayside in favor of showing us the big features and power of the system itself. That's where TGS came in, because while they didn't "Wow!" me like they did at E3, Sony came out with an very well-rounded info-package to fill in the grain, and gave me all I needed to make a final decision.

The biggest announcement for me was the PSP integration. I was one of those people that skipped over a PSP not because I didn't like the games that were being offered, but because the system was just not up to my standards. It was fantastic to hear that Sony is dedicated to providing the Vita with tons of PSP support, especially from the PSN. They even announced that they're looking into some kind of UMD support program, which is great because I'm still a fan of buying my games in physical form. I'm going to really enjoy catching up on some cheap PSP games on my Vita with dual-analog control support.

Expectations were exceeded, however, when I read about the Vita's in-house features. While I knew that it would probably ship with stuff like a Web browser and Netflix, I was mildy surprised to learn that it would also come with dedicated apps for Twitter and Facebook. I wasn't exactly impressed though, until I heard that it would come with Skype (Recently purchased by Microsoft, no less!). I use Skype on a daily basis, and this is going to be huge for when I'm not at home or able to use a laptop. On top of this, I found out that there will be multitasking support available, so I'm holding out hope that I can have a Skype call and play some Vita games at the same time!

Overall, the infrastructure of the Vita looks to be superb. Building on the already-strong platform of the PSN was a very smart move, and it looks like the Vita will be more than just a handheld, but an extension of the PS3/PSN platform. I think this is what the PSP wanted to be from the beginning, but just couldn't deliver at the time.

However, one cannot ignore the single, glaring issue to come out of the Vita at TGS.

'Dem memory stix.

I've held the Vita in very high regard so far. It looked like something that had very few flaws, but those flaws were outshined by its many superb features and design decisions. Unfortunately, this is the point where my praise of the Vita takes a pause and my critical nature feels the need to take over. I'll preface all this by saying that this has not changed my mind about purchasing a Vita. I still want one, and I'll still get one.

Frankly, the decision to use anything except your standard run-of-the-mill SD cards on the Vita was a horrible PR move, on top of being an absolutely boneheaded business decision. As if they said "We can't stop here!" on the train-route of horrible ideas, they also chose to charge as much as $150 for their largest proprietary memory unit, which clocks in at only 32GB. For a platform that's trying to pride itself on digital distribution, it's very expensive, and it's not a lot of space. In a time when Sony needed to win bonus points with its fans and gamers at large, making the mistakes that they've always made is not a way to do it.

As many have pointed out, Sony has a history of pulling this kind of nonsense. They did it way back in the PS1 days with charging as much as $50 for their proprietary memory cards. Sony has a habit of overcharging for some new media format that isn't industry standard, and is only used on one of their products. The UMD drive was the big deal with the PSP, the ATRAC player before it, and I guess the Vita's memory sticks will be the latest enthralling episode of "Sony Acts Like Blockheads".

Oh, and did I mention that they probably won't be bundled with one?

This little hitch in an otherwise smooth and positive build-up for the Vita is definitely going to cost them some customers. Where at one point we were looking at a reasonable $250 for the cheapest model, we're now looking at something like $400 for a Vita that has reasonable storage space. I know that while I'm going to get a Vita eventually, I don't know if I'll be getting one day-1 now. I'll probably wait for a 3rd party to provide a cheap alternative memory stick, or for Sony to re-design the Vita to work with SD cards.

I'm not entirely confident about that second one...I wouldn't bet against Sony letting the Vita rot on shelves when the only thing they need to do is admit they were wrong *shudders*.

One also has to wonder what they were thinking from a competitive standpoint. The 3DS is compatible with any standard SD card. If you're looking at it from the point of your average handheld consumer, they now have the choice between a 3DS and 32GB SD card at about $210, or a PS Vita and 32GB memory stick at about $400. That's almost double the price, whereas before the Vita was looking quite competitive in comparison to the 3DS. I guess there's a catch to everything, and there had to be something that I didn't like about the Vita. I find it utterly ridiculous that in this day and age, Sony still feels the need to "set a new standard" when a perfectly good standard already exists.

Still, I can't help but love the Vita and I'm still really excited to see what else is coming for it outside of the already announced titles. I'll be looking its way for my very first mobile FPS experience, and maybe even Gran Turismo on the go (something I have literally been waiting for since I was 7 years old). It's still the only handheld I've been truly excited for since I was a kid, and I'm not going to let this debacle ruin my good will for what I believe is an excellent piece of hardware.

Long live the Vita!

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Bethesda details Skyrim's award-winning voice
cast

Bethesda details Skyrim's award-winning voice cast screenshot

Bethesda has come right out with it and listed some of the vocal talent we'll be hearing in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Christopher Plummer (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Max Von Sydow (The Exorcist), and Joan Allen (The Contender).

The line-up also includes Michael Hogan (Battlestar Galactica), Vladimir Kulich (The 13th Warrior), Claudia Christian (Babylon 5), Diane Louise Salinger (Carnivale), Renee Victor (Weeds), and George Coe (SNL). To keep this spoiler free, I've separated their individual roles out below for the curious.

"It's been incredible to have all these actors together," says game director Todd Howard. "When you start a project, you always make your wish-list of actors, and to actually hear them in the game, it’s amazing. We can't wait for everyone to experience it." Neither can we, Todd. Neither can we.

Christopher Plummer, a two-time Emmy Award winner, two-time Tony Award winner and Academy Award nominee, takes on the role of Arngeir, a powerful Greybeard elder. An order of philosopher monks who are masters of the Way of the Voice, the Greybeards live in silent isolation atop Skyrim’s largest mountain.

Academy Award nominee, Max Von Sydow, stars as Esbern, a chronicler and agent of the Blades who has survived in hiding. Long obsessed with the foretold return of the dragon Alduin, the World Eater, Esbern will teach you how to confront this epic evil.

Tony Award winner and three-time Academy Award nominee, Joan Allen, will be making her videogame debut as Delphine, one of the last remaining members of the Blades – an ancient warrior society once sworn to protect the Emperor. Like you, Delphine is trying to unravel the mystery of the dragons’ return.

In addition, iconic actress and singer, Lynda Carter (“Wonder Woman”), voices Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, one of the Nord heroes who overthrew the dragons in ancient times.

Michael Hogan (“Battlestar Galactica”), who plays Imperial General Tullius, in charge of crushing the Stormcloak rebellion.

Vladimir Kulich (“The 13th Warrior,” “Smoking Aces”) portrays Hogan’s nemesis Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm and charismatic leader of the Stormcloaks, who aims to make Skyrim independent of the Empire.

Claudia Christian (“Babylon 5”) joins the cast as Legate Rikke, General Tullius’s chief lieutenant, a loyal Imperial officer as well as a Nord who firmly believes Skyrim must remain part of the Empire.

Diane Louise Salinger (“Carnivale”), Renee Victor (“Weeds”), and Saturday Night Live-alum George Coe (“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”) round out the star-studded cast of more than 70 different voice actors delivering over 60,000 lines of dialogue.

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Dead Space Goes Into The Blinding Light

There’s going to be another Dead Space title — and reports have indicated that — it’s going to be a radical re-thinking of the horror series. No longer will there be dark corridors, the series is going into an entirely new direction. According to Siliconera, the next Dead Space title will take place on a [...]

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