With not long before the Vita's North American launch, those who plan to snatch up the PSP successor can prep their wallets for some hot, digital download action. Serving mainly as a tease, while you stew in resentment toward a future that simple will not come, the early release on PSN does ensure that at least five titles will be ready at launch - thus giving oneself a handsome library the day of release - as well as reducing time spent at one's local video game retailer, thereby limiting exposure to the smelly, dead-eyed troglodytes that my bourgeois relatives refer to as "the working class." As revealed by G4, the games are:
Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational: $35.99
Uncharted: Golden Abyss: $49.99
Wipeout 2048: $35.99
Modnation Racers Road Trip: $26.99
Super Stardust Delta: $9.99 (PSN exclusive)
So for those willing to become Sony's guinea pigs early adopters of the Vita, and prefer digital downloads over physical media (I know you exist; I read the comments section), this probably comes as welcome news. However, one must remember the size of Vita games - on the high end, Golden Abyss is almost 2GB; other games average just over 1GB - which can eat up those precious, proprietary memory cards in short order, particularly if you're planning to download previous PSN purchases onto your device. For those more inclined toward actual game cards, it seems as though some GameStop locations are already selling Vita titles - Golden Abyss is currently listed as "in stock" at several locations in my Minnesotan frost-scape - though one would be wise to call ahead to confirm that it is available for purchase.
Well, unfortunately, today's SingStore update has a lot of songs that I already have, but it's got one I definitely don't and can't wait to download! This week adds:
"With Ur Love" by Char Lloyd Feat. Mike Posner
"Put A Little Love In Your Heart" by Jackie DeShannon
"Hand On Your Heart" by Kylie Minogue
"Run For Your Life" by Matt Cardle
"Storytime" by Nightwish
"Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon
"Don't You Want Me" by The Human League
"L'Aurora" by Eros Ramazotti
As well as a new song pack, '80s Part 4 that includes:
"The Power Of Love" by Jennifer Rush
"Alone" by Heart
"Africa" by Toto
"Love Is A Battlefield" by Pat Benatar
"Rhythm Of The Night" by DeBarge
I'm so annoyed that I already have three of the songs in the '80s pack. Otherwise, I would totally suck it up and get "The Power Of Love" even though I don't want it just for the other tunes. But I have everything else but "Africa" in Lips, and since I like that game better anyway, I'm certainly not going to double dip here. (I might do it in the other direction, if they were still releasing DLC for Lips... sadface...)
So now I have to wait and hope that they release them separately because I would love to have "Africa." Of course, I'm still waiting for them to release the Adele song pack separately, and I'm glad I'm not holding my breath for that one... As for the main songs, I'm definitely picking up Kylie (although I really wish they could get her later songs, too because they're starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel of the early stuff), and REO Speedwagon. I love The Human League, but as with the other '80s songs, I've got it in Lips. Still, more Kylie is always a good thing!
It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but Natsume has declared February "Official Gabrielle Month." To mark the launch of the latest in the Gabrielle series, Gabrielle's Monster Match, Natsume is kicking off a month of promotions.
I've already got Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove 3D, but if you don't, and you buy it through the Natsume store, you can get a free exclusive figurine of the adorable title character. And if you're a fan of Natsume's Facebook page, you can earn the chance to win one of them by entering the dream date contest where you tell Natsume all about your perfect evening with any Natsume game character! Oh, and there's also Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove: Monster Mix, available on WiiWare as well as her new puzzle game.
"We decided that Gabrielle's world would fit nicely into a fun and addictive puzzle game, and that is how Gabrielle's Monster Match began," said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume. "We really wanted to celebrate the launch, and thought that bringing back the hugely popular Gabrielle figurine was a great way to do it!"
Gabrielle's Monster Match is available now in the iTunes store for all iOS platforms. Beginning with a grid partially filled with the heads of Gabrielle and her monster friends, you move them around to match four in a row to clear space. But if your move doesn't eliminate any heads, more will be added in random open spaces, complicating matters for you. You can download the game for free, and an expanded version featuring additional quests can be unlocked for just 99 cents.
I gave it a shot, and unfortunately, while it contains all the adorable gothic charm of Gabrielle's other games, the instructions on this one were a little vague, and I found myself learning trial by error. And I'm still not sure why sometimes you can't move certain pieces. It's not exactly clear. But if you try it and figure it out, let me know!
Indeed, Mass Effect is the latest series to hop aboard the iTrain (you may remember the iOS version of Dead Space for the iPhone), with an upcoming title called Infiltrator. Shacknews acquired a promotional pamphlet at a recent EA event, which describes the game as such:
Take the all-out galactic war in Mass Effect 3 on-the-go with Infiltrator, a fully-featured iOS third-person shooter showcasing stunning graphics and authentic weapons and powers from the Mass Effect series [...] "Inspired by the deep and immersive Mass Effect 3 universe, in Infiltrator players will help to free prisoners from a hostile Cerberus base and will receive rewards for collecting evidence of Cerberus' crimes along the way. Every completed rescue and intelligence discovery in Infiltrator will increase a player's Galactic Readiness rating directly through the Galaxy at War system in Mass Effect 3.
No release date has been announced, but those interested should expect to get Infiltrator sometime in the near future. According to the Shacknews article, "the iOS game will also unlock 'exclusive weaponry' for use in the main game." As unsavory as the thought of playing a shooter on an iOS device may be - I for one have a vendetta against touchscreen controls, particularly if the game in question is meant to replicate a game controller - the iPad in particular has shown that it's no chump when it comes to graphics and, as the earlier Dead Space video demonstrated, can be a step above the throwaway fun to which we've become accustomed with iOS games.
Yet concern citizens of the Apple-scape may chirp, "But what about Mass Effect 3? Must I be parted from my iThing?" As it happens, no. ME3 will integrate with iOS gadgets through the "Mass Effect Datapad" app. As video from the EA event reveals, the app enables players to get updates on the war, via the galaxy map, receive messages from characters you have met over the single-player campaign, and perhaps most interestingly, "with an in-app mini-game, you can deploy troops and fight the war against the Reaper."
Granted, it's doubtful that this will influence the campaign, but it's certainly interesting to see this sort of integration with portable devices. Integration with the iPad seems especially promising, and one can only imagine a future: a bold new tomorrow, in which tablets belong not only to rich folks, like myself at least in my deluded fantasy of bourgeois comfort but to whole of the the Great Unwashed, thus offering developers the opportunity to whet our collective appetite for new and interesting gameplay mechanics - either that, or an endless array of gimmicky nonsense.
Harmonix has got some more '90s alt-rock for you with a three-pack of songs from Bush: "Everything Zen," "Comedown" and "Machinehead" will be available in the Rock Band Music Store for $2 each or as the Bush Pack 01 for $5.49. And "Machinehead" is the only tune this time around that has keyboards and the optional $.99 Pro Guitar and Pro Bass upgrades.
And if you're not a fan of Bush... well, you're outta luck. Maybe next week. Until then, just enjoy this photo of their lead singer, Gavin Rossdale!
Square Enix has released the first in a series of downloadable content for the recently-released Final Fantasy XIII-2. In the Coliseum battle "Lightning and Master Sergeant Amodar," Lightning and her former superior officer stand in Serah and Noel's way. And after beating Lightning and Amodar, they can be added to your party.
Additional episodes that will add to the FF XIII-2 narrative with new storyline branches for the characters will be announced and released in the future, but this one's available now on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network!
The Good Ship Nostalgia is once again nearing port, and in its cargo bay is none other than our PS2-era friend, Final Fantasy X. The existence of an "HD remake" was reported last September - it was originally meant to commemorate FFX's 10th birthday, back in 2011 - and there had been some hope among those who aren't complete nihilists like myself that the game would receive a proper remake, similar to FFIII and IV on the DS. Instead, as revealed during a Q&A at the Taipei Game Show, Square Enix's Shinji Hashimoto stated that FFX will be an HD "remaster" title for the PS3 and Vita, complete with shiny new pixels, and a (presumably) less shiny, yet suitably new price tag. While this may be a disappointment among those hoping for a true remake - and for those like me, a juicy little morsel, bolstering Sony's removal of backwards compatibility in later incarnations of the PS3 as evidence of conspiracy - I'm not terribly averse to the idea of purchasing an HD version of FFX. Aside from being quite a lengthy jaunt through Spira, it does hold a special place in my heart as the last Final Fantasy title of my youth.
A trip through the wayback machine awaits after the jump!
Well, this weekend I went to see an off-Broadway show and a movie, but still found time to play some games... despite this stupid cold I just can't seem to shake. Nothing new, but there's stuff coming on the horizon... but do demos whet your appetite or spoil the game? Ah, the age-old dilemma...
I know a lot of people have complained when I mention some awesome upcoming launch event at the Nintendo World Store in New York City because they don't live there and can't enjoy it themselves. Well, now I have to admit that Nintendo is throwing a launch event that I can't attend!
Nintendo is teaming up with iam8bit and Giant Robot for the release of Rhythm Heaven Fever for the Wii. The game comes out on February 13, but on Friday, February 10, from 6-10 pm, you can attend a special preview party... if you live in the Los Angeles area.
The party will be held at the iam8bit Gallery at 2147 W. Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles, California. You can demo the game while enjoying food, drinks and music. There will also be uniquely customized T-shirts, posters and other goodies given away (while supplies last, naturally!). And while you're there, you can also submit clips to be included in a special Rhythm Heaven Fever interactive video experience.
So now it's my turn to be jealous! The Rhythm Heaven DS game launch party was one of my favorite Nintendo events, and not just because I totally won the DJ contest. It's a really fun game. Not sure if the Wii version of the music-based mini-games will be as much fun, but at least if you live in LA, you can find out for yourself on Friday night!
I remember fondly sitting in my friend's basement, the two of us playing Soul Calibur II like mental patients. For months, we'd stare at the TV and pass the controller around like a cheap date, stuck in an endless phase of combat. The petty arguments that would arise over last minute ring outs, the deep connection we'd feel with our favorite characters, and that moment of glory when we had finally beat every level of weapon master mode. Over time our interest in the game faded as we moved on to newer games and, eventually, Soul Calibur II became a five dollar trade-in at Gamestop. Every time a new entry in the series is released I rush out to buy it and hope it rekindles my thirst for souls, but it's always a tragic disappointment.
Soul Calibur 5 is no exception to this.
It's not that the newest entry in the series can't stack up by itself; this is an enjoyable game in its own right. On a technical level, the controls have become tighter, the graphics are sharper, and new characters have mixed styles well with classic fighters. Sadly, the je nes sais quoi that made Soul Calibur II so deep and compelling might just be gone forever.
Any awesome viral video worth its salt will warn dumb teenagers "Don't do this at home, you could die, stupid, and then you'd be, like, so mad." Finally, Capcom has broken the trend and begun to invite overzealous fans to emulate their favorite Street Fighter X Tekken fighters in a home video contest.
Aspiring dancers are encouraged to emulate moves from two quick clip movies put together for this contest, remixing a dance routine of moves from both Street Fighter and Tekken to show those judges just what a dancing martial artist looks like. The contest invites both individuals and troupes to work together for the best impersonations of their favorite fighters. Bonus points for extra hadokens, of course.
The best dance videos will be put together on a short list, which then gets sent to a group of Capcom representatives working with the One Motion dance crew to find the two king of fighters (see what I did there?) and pit them against each other live. The winner then gets their routine made into a professional movie for all the geeks on Youtube to swoon over for years to come!
Anyone looking to enter into the contest can send their entry to competition@capcom.com. And anyone looking for the Tekken move video can find it after the jump. For the rest of us, pretending to be professional martial artists means Youtube will soon be swarmed with hilarious videos of failed dragon punches and teenagers jumping off rooftops towards horribly shattered bones. Keep a weather eye, kids.
Just kidding, we of course don't want anyone doing anything that might get them hurt. Please don't be stupid and enter this contest with a video of your little brother jumping off the second story roof while doing his best high kick. The medical bills will outweigh the dinner table story for years to come.
Wow, this was a busy week, both in Narnia and out! In fact, while my other home hasn't had much snow at all this winter, I was super happy that it snowed quite a bit in Narnia, because it meant I didn't have to water my flowers. Nature did that for me. Big time saver!
But like I said, there was big doings, so make the jump for the entire scoop!
• Annabella McEachern on Judge Dredd Vs. Zombies: The Trailer: You completed several nice points there. I did a search on the issue and found the majority of people will...
• Luciano Antoniasse on dannyTV's Top 10 Hottest Male Video Game Characters: I agree only with Balthier and Alistair, mostly because they're not only handsome, but because they're also very charming. I...
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