News Roundup – 5/31/2012

Let’s kick things off with Skyrim’s first expansion, Dawnguard. Looks quite amazing! Like the addition of Morrowind’s crossbows. This is a 360 exclusive for a bit, but it’ll wind up landing on PS3 and PC in time. Hopefully it’ll be bug-tested this time (and keep fixing the PS3 Skyrim, because I’d buy a GOTY edition if it doesn’t break my console).

Secondly, another trailer, this time for NetherRealm’s latest fighter based on the DC universe.

Looks fairly solid thus far.

That’s what I felt like sharing!

More Dead Space 3 Images!

Ah, E3 season brings out the best in leakers. Destructoid has seven grainy images of Visceral’s Dead Space 3. Most of them have a second fellow next to Isaac, donned in a red suit instead of Clarke’s traditional blue. As you may have surmised, this suggests co-op is being implemented into the next game. I’m a little disappointed it does not appear to be Ellie, as she would make a most awesome squadmate. *shrugs* Also of note is the environment, which does seem to be that icy planet the rumors posited. More as it breaks!

 

First Image of Dead Space 3

Well here’s something that’s sure to get Wildcat excited.  Kotaku has what could be the first image of Dead Space 3, showing what appears to be Isaac floating around over a planet of some sort.  Early reports state that the next entry in the franchise will ape Lost Planet and take place on a world filled with ice and snow.

This is all well and good, but I’m not sure if I’m quite ready for another game in this series just yet.  Maybe it’s just me, but I’m getting rather annoyed by the industry’s perpetual motion machine, requiring sequels on an annual or bi-annual basis.  I mean, I can eat an entire bag of Doritos in a single sitting, but I don’t want to do that every week.  Okay…I do, but you get the idea.

I’d put money on EA revealing more details at E3 in the coming weeks.  God, crazy to think it’s almost time for that again already, isn’t it?

Tomba! Joining PS1 Classics on PSN

Joystiq confirms that Monkeypaw Games, those lovable chaps who like to localize Japanese/hard-to-re-license games for us Americans, have acquired the Tomba! license and will be releasing the first game onto PSN in the near future. How the deal went down:

“Sony and MonkeyPaw have a good working relationship,” MonkeyPaw CEO John Greiner told Joystiq. “I think they appreciate the titles we’ve brought to the Store. And they value the support we give the games. Having a plethora of Japanese content is a distinct advantage PlayStation has over Xbox. But the games still need to be brought Stateside. So our model helps Sony spread their Japanese edge and we help Japanese developers get their titles to a wider audience. Hence, Sony is willing to work with us on titles that may not have otherwise been licensed out. Support is key.”

MonkeyPaw has been working on acquiring the Tomba! rights for a year. “We often have to chase down multiple right holders,” Greiner said. “In this case, Sony and Whoopee Camp had rights that needed to be negotiated.” The deal didn’t necessarily include the sequel, however. “Tomba! 2 is a possibility but we need to really sell Tomba! 1 well before we can extend our relationship,” Greiner explained. “It’s the first time to work with Fujiwara-san so we’re trying to make a good impression. Good sales have a way opening doors a bit wider.”

Great news, as I’ve always heard this was a gem of a game.

Persona 4: The Golden’s Introductionary Movie

Snazzy work from Madhouse, as usual. Like the new song, too.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Article at HG101 (by Nester!)

Nester mentioned to me quite some time ago that he was considering submitting an article to Hardcore Gaming 101. Having done that myself with Body Harvest, I gave him my full-fledged support towards such an endeavor. Today the site posted up that article, a comprehensive look at Final Fantasy off-shoot Crystal Chronicles. This is much more extensive than my own piece over there, with three pages covering all six of the current titles (I didn’t know there were so many!). He probably planned to post about it himself, but I wanted to both surprise and congratulate him on getting his work published elsewhere. I read through it all and found it both informative and entertaining. Definitely reads like a Nester article!

Batman Shilled for Ms. Pac-Man

Get ready for a trip in the Wayback machine.  Kotaku just posted this video of several modern celebrities in video game-related ads from the 80s and early 90s.  Of particular note is a very young Christian Bale in an commercial for Ms. Pac-Man being added to Pac-Man cereal.  He can do these things because he’s not a hero.

Custom Video Game Anime Openings

Well this is a pleasant surprise.  Do you like anime?  Do you enjoy video games?  If so, the folks at Nico Nico Douga have produced some very impressive tekaki videos.  For the unfamiliar, these involve taking the opening or ending sequences to various anime and tracing over them by hand, frame by frame, to alter them into something completely different.  In this case, they’ve altered the likes of Full Metal Alchemist, Lupin III, K-ON! and more, transforming them into rather impressive sequences for FFVI, MGS, Phoenix Wright, and a few others.

Check out these clips:

Full Metal Alchemist / FFVI

Lupin III / MGS

News Roundup: 5/11/2012

Some things I’ve accumulated while I was busy studying/sicking:

Like Cultural Anxiety? I hope so. Well, in between my writings check out this Tumblr Box Vs. Box, which does a box art comparison much like I do, but without the in-depth textiness. I’ve gotten some ideas for future posts from there. Worth a look!

Curious about the Street Fighter manga by Masahiko Nakahira? Be curious no more, for Jason Thompson at ANN thoroughly details them out here. Now I want to read them!

If you want to wander through your days to the themes of the Gamecube Animal Crossing, now you can.

1UP’s The Grind digs into the latest Fire Emblem quite nicely here.

Okay, I think that’s all for now. I’ve got other things to do, so I’ll see you tomorrow!

Experimentation and Refinement in the Legend of Zelda

While some may view Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series as stagnant and afraid of real change, 1UP.com’s Jeremy Parish has published an interesting article explaining why it is still a genre-defining series that has yet to be surpassed by its competitors. He makes the case that, while relying on a solid foundation, the Zelda games do, in fact, contain bold experimentation.

Parish writes:

Yes, Zelda games maintain a consistent set of underlying mechanics and objectives. The overall game structure — roaming a huge world containing tool-granting dungeons with a boss cherry on top — hasn’t changed much since 1986. But what long-running series has more radically reinvented its appearance or interface with each new iteration than Zelda? From the addictive four-player co-op style of Four Swords Adventures to Twilight Princess’ ethereal Twilight Realm, every new Zelda game contains a guarantee that you’ll experience something new and different. Maybe it won’t always be to your liking (see: Sailing in Wind Waker, divining in Skyward Sword), but it’s not like Nintendo is just sitting on its hands, you know? Every Zelda stands apart from its predecessors. And that consistent willingness to switch things up in way you never expected helps the series maintain its standing at the top of the genre. Competitors may come and go, but Zelda still rules the action RPG. (Or whatever you call it.)

Click the Link for the full article: