E3 09: Tecmo’s 2009 lineup has ninjas, musical platforming

Tecmo just announced their 2009/2010 lineup, and while some of it is either unsurprising or disappointing (Ninja Gaiden Sigmafor the PS3 andFamily Fun Footballfor the Wii, respectively), a couple of games caught my eye more than the others. Quantumis a PS3 game described as being “presented in an art nouveau style world” that’s partially naturalistic, partially technological. That sounds likeBioShock, but that’s okay, becauseBioShockhad a great atmosphere. Secondly,Fret Niceis coming to XBLA and PS3, which I’ve been waiting for for God knows how long....

July 21, 2025 · 4 min · 703 words · Joshua Skinner

E3 10: Gran Turismo 5: 1,000 cars, all quite real looking

Polyphony Digital’s Kazunori Yamauchi told attendees of aGran Turismo 5roundtable that the version they saw at E3 yesterday was mostly finished, and that a final version would be shown at Gamescom later this year. He was happy to talk about car counts, but only a few new stages were shown off. For the cars, there are two types. The Standard cars cover models you know from the first four Gran Turismo games....

July 21, 2025 · 2 min · 298 words · Hannah Valentine

E3: Assassin’s Creed for Wii U in development

Tonight at a roundtable, developer Ubisoft confirmed that anAssassin’s Creedgame for Wii U is in the works. From the sounds of things, the title is way early in development, with only some concepts being kicked around. Uses for the controller’s screen could include a persistent on-screen map, an interactive database, fast weapon selection, alternate reality puzzles, and Eagle Vision/Sense on the touch screen. In terms of visuals, Ubisoft says it can leverage the Wii U’s power to fully utilize their currentAssassin’s CreedAnvil Engine....

July 21, 2025 · 1 min · 155 words · Joseph Short

ESWC ’07: Early Speedball 2 impressions, shaky-cam

One of the most interesting areas of the ESWC floor was a section totally devoted to small, independent, European game development companies. Here is where I spent a majority of my time, talking to developers and trying out what new, low-profile, games will be coming out of Europe this fall. Once such game isKylotonn‘sSpeedball 2, a souped-up PC remake ofBitmapBrothers‘ 1990 Amiga classic. The game will drop sometime in autumn and is being published byFrogster....

July 21, 2025 · 3 min · 531 words · John Pugh

EVE Online coming to Japan

EVE Online, one of the largest MMOs around, is about to get a bit bigger.Developer CCPhas partnered with Nexon Co. to localize the game’s client software for Japan this fall. CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson said, “Having considered Nexon’s excellent reputation as Asia’s leading game developer and publisher, they were the obvious choice in who the best possible partner would be to help us make this game more accessible to our growing fan base in Japan....

July 21, 2025 · 1 min · 150 words · Brian Scott

EverCracked! The Phenomenon of EverQuest trailer and debut

I was a day-one Everquester. Stood in line for that shiny blue box, took it home, installed it, patched the sh*t out of it, lost sleep, got fat, and then quit it forever. But it was good times. Very few games since have had the power to draw me in and keep me hooked. Everquestjust celebrated their 10th anniversary in March of this year, and a new documentary called Evercracked! The Phenomenon of EverQuest details the making of that series from its very beginnings....

July 21, 2025 · 1 min · 169 words · Cynthia Mills

Final Fantasy IX for PSN is almost ready

Early last month we learned that classic RPGFinal Fantasy IXwasconfirmed for Japan’s PlayStation Network. Great news, though it’s not a confirmation of a U.S. release. It’s worth nothing that in only one month’s time Square Enix has announced that development work on the game is done. Atwitter updatefrom Square Enix Members’ Japanese account says that it’s done already. The tweet also says that fans can expect an update on the game as early as next week....

July 21, 2025 · 1 min · 131 words · Rhonda Frey

Final Fantasy live-action trailer has hot Japanese people

I felt a little sketchy aboutFinal Fantasy XIVwhen I first saw the trailers and such, but since I’ve seen more I admit I am considering playing it. If I hadn’t already been convinced, though, this trailer would have done the trick, since it stars one of my favorite Japanese actors and is just kind of my kind of thing in general. And it’s a little on the gay side, which goes a long way with me when it comes to Japanese media....

July 21, 2025 · 1 min · 121 words · Lauren Smith

Final Fantasy XIII demo will clock in at over 2 hours

In March 2009, Japan will be gettingFinal Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, a Blu-Ray release of the film. This new cut of the CG-animated film will feature a bevy of material that was left out of the original which will considerably increase the film’s running time. If we’re lucky, the plot might be in there somewhere. Also included in the package is a second Blu-Ray disc with a PS3 demo ofFinal Fantasy XIIIwith a longer estimated length than the film it comes with....

July 21, 2025 · 1 min · 203 words · Kathleen Cherry

Finally, a good reason to go to E For All: Brawl will be playable

Yes, that’s right youSmashfanatics!Super Smash Bros. Brawlwill be playable atE For All. Not only that, but Nintendo will be hosting aBrawltournament every day of the event. Players in the tournament will be given a free Wii-themed T-shirt with a different T-shirt be given away each day. Oh and some other games from Nintendo will be on demo during the event too. Hit the jump to see what they are. Wii:Super Mario GalaxySuper Smash Bros....

July 21, 2025 · 1 min · 202 words · Mr. Adam Mccoy

First Soul Calibur Legends trailer; the old people are going to have SO much fun

Screens and scans of the upcomingSoul Caliburspin-off for the Wii have flowed freely as of late, but now you may finally get a chance to see it in action. And I do use the term “action” very loosely. I LOVESoul Calibur 2, and I’ve been a die-hard fan ofSoul Edgesince it first hit arcades so very long ago What I have a problem with is that the game looks like nothing more than a generic hack and slash, but unlikeGenji 2, it doesn’t even look good enough to put up with the dull gameplay or what is sure to be some infuriatingly underwhelming controls....

July 21, 2025 · 1 min · 159 words · Jeffrey Parker

Fist of the North Star Musou trailer is freakin’ awesome

As 2010 fast approaches, Koei Tecmo is rolling out the promotion for what could be its biggest game of the upcoming year.Fist of the North Star MusoublendsDynasty Warriorsbeat-em-all gameplay with the classic Manga and it has potential to be a huge earner. This new trailer is little more than one minute of hype and bluster, but it’s still pretty bloody amazing. I’m really looking forward to this game and can’t wait to get my hands on it....

July 21, 2025 · 1 min · 96 words · Victoria Barr

Flashy Avatar dev diary builds hype like whoa

During E3,James Cameron came out on stageat Ubisoft’s press conference to talk about one of my most anticipated films of the year,Avatar, and the game tied into it. He then spent 30 minutes putting the audience to sleep and rambling on about what amounted to “Avataris awesome, and I worked on the game too.” It actually put a damper on my excitement for the game and the movie, despite his obvious excitement over it....

July 21, 2025 · 2 min · 274 words · Tyler Webb