“It’s being developed like a remaster, but the visuals will be much more improved compared to the original game”

So I guess we should just expect the same game with some significantly enhanced visuals, hence it will indeed just be a remaster. Why Kitase suggested it would be more than this remains to be seen.

In other Final Fantasy news, Final Fantasy XIII-2 was released in the Western world last week and quickly became the UK’s top seller for the week. The game failed to live up to previous Final Fantasy sales figures, selling only 524,000 week one copies (in Japan), which are pretty small numbers for a FF game.

Look out for a review of FFXIII-2 coming soon.

Also added for the Vita version are 150 totally new challenges in the challenge-tower mode. Over half of these will take advantage of the Vita’s multi-touch functionality. As you’ll see in the video, one of these requires you to wipe blood from the screen with your finger, as not to obstruct your view.

Add all this new content with the ability to compete with other players over Wifi, and you’ve got yourself a decent Mortal Kombat experience for the Vita.

Let us know what you think of the video.
Don’t forget to jump over to the PS Blog for more details on some of the touch-screen related challenges.

“In response to press speculation the GAME Group plc confirms that it is in on-going dialogue with its lending syndicate to reach agreement on revised terms for its facilities,

As part of these discussions, the lending syndicate is reviewing a strategic plan of the company which includes a review of its overseas operations. A further announcement will be provided once discussions with its lending syndicate have concluded.”

What this means is that they may be able to gain funding from lenders in exchange for the sale of their overseas business. Yesterday the state of GAME was in question as Metal Gear Solid HD and NeverDead were pulled from their website due to their inability to purchase new stock.

We cover a lot of issues plaguing GAME’s reliability as a retailer, and we speculate what the future may bring. It’s a very intriguing topic, and Rameez Quadri delivers tons of insight based on his experience.

Be sure to share your own thoughts with us below, and if you have anymore information definitely don’t hesitate to let your voice be heard.

News Source

Duration: 32 minutes
Notes:
- Anyone who pre-ordered Metal Gear Solid HD shouldn’t worry about receiving their order.
- Hear more from Rameez Quadri at The Epic Network, or on his Twitter.

Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker was announced in 2010, but it is finally coming out this year. The film will be set in Orlais, which is a rival force to Ferelden where the majority of the games plot has been set. For those who played through Dragon Age II, you’ll be intrigued to know that Cassandra, the character who probed Varric for information during the narrative will be the main character in the animated film.

Watching Cassandra’s story in Dawn of the Seeker is said to give us some new insight on the state of the conflict seen in the previous games. Creative Director Mike Laidlaw speaks more on the film during the video below. The film is produced by Funimation, and we can look forward to it at some point during 2012.

If you would like to see the remaining classes in action then be sure to follow the official website over the coming months leading up to May 22nd. Purchasing the game on release will secure you a code to gain early access to the Resident Evil 6 demo.

Enjoy the trailer!

PS3 gamers are once again at a disadvantage, as this access will grant Xbox 360 users the demo 60 days before PS3. The demo will arrive for Xbox 360 on July 3, and the PS3 version won’t arrive on PSN until September 3rd (4th in Europe).

Dragons Dogma was originally expected to launch in March, but now will release two months later. It is said to be one of Capcom’s most expensive games. I guess this Resident Evil 6 demo just added even more value to it.

Resident Evil 6 was the topic of conversation for days after Capcom confirmed the release date for November 26th 2012. It’s definitely a highly anticipated title, and I’m sure this announcement will allow Resi fans to give Dragon’s Dogma a try even if they didn’t plan to previously.

Mass Effect 3 releases March 6th (US), March 8th (Au) and March 9th (EU).

Starhawk is the follow up to 2007′s Warhawk, which I was a huge fan of. The game will follow on with Warhawk’s core mechanics, but this time around there will be a single-player mode included, which was scrapped in Warhawk. With the game including tower defense styles of game-play, Starhawk is said to resemble a Real-Time Strategy game played in Third-Person. One of the first RTS games I fell in love with was Herzog Zwei for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis – and the reason I loved Warhawk so much is because it reminded me of that game. So it’s clear that if you loved Warhawk (and Herzog Zwei for that matter) you’ll absolutely adore Starhawk.

The game also includes flying mechs. A player can respawn into a landing craft which they can steer with in a limited range to reach the battle field. There are also 32 player online battles. Starhawk also has a co-operative survival mode.

I think it’s safe to say that Starhawk will go down as one of the most slept on games in 2012.

Media

Official Website

The game will release for PS3 and Xbox 360.

Agenda:

- Mass Effect 3 figures and DLC
- Guild Wars 2 release confirmed
- Xenoblade Chronicles info
- Kingdoms of Amalur demo Impressions
- Final Fantasy X Remake is going to be awesome
- Our hopes for Final Fantasy XIII-2
- Skyrim Mods
- Dungeons & Dragons Spotlight
- Much more

Duration: 65 Minutes
Feedback: gswaby@thekoalition.com

Though the idea of the game is simple, Dungeon Defenders is a tough game if you’re planning on playing alone. It’s clear that Trendy Entertainment wanted to encourage co-operative play, because not only do you stand more chance of beating the game with friends, but you’ll also have a more enjoyable experience that way. If you do plan on playing alone, then there’s no way possible to get through some of the levels without playing on easy first, upgrading your equipment and then playing again on a more difficult level. Even on the easiest level you will be offered and extreme challenge if you are going in alone.

Each of the four character types comes with a set of unique abilities, which again means that playing with more people is necessary if you really want to experience the game how it should be. The Apprentice is perhaps the most popular choice, which is essentially the “Mage” class if you will. Apprentices are able to set up tower defenses to deal ranged attacks.

The Squire (Warrior) is good a constructing static blockades and can even act as a shield themselves. Not to mention they inflict a decent amount of damage with their melee attacks. The Huntress (Rouge) as you probably guessed is great with ranged attacks and is able to set up gatling guns and traps. The Monk (Priest) is a support class that can heal other players as well as lay out auras which turn enemies against each other.

Using all these special abilities requires Mana, which is looted from dead enemies and chests. You can upgrade your defenses for around 100 Mana. Between each round you have a Build Phase, which allows you to prepare for the next wave (bringing back memories of Gears of War Horde). Though you can build during waves you are a lot slower, and it’s just not productive to be setting up when you’re supposed to be aggressively eliminating the threats. A successful team will have planned ahead appropriately, and used every resource available to all the characters abilities. When you’re in Build Phase you are presented with indications of where enemies will be coming from, this allows you to place your towers, blockades and traps at the most strategic points. Eventually you can even purchase pets to assist you in battle and buff your stats.

Dungeon Defenders is a game that you will easily get addicted to if you play it the right way. The ability to bank points, Mana and resources to level up things like weapons, armour and specialties will have you micro managing your various stats whenever possible. You can use all your banked materials for use with other character classes should you fancy switching to a new character type later.

There is hours of fun to be had advancing through the different levels with an organized team. Also multi-player isn’t limited to just online only, if you happen to have 2-4 friends over you can still enjoy the experience provided you have enough controllers. I don’t play many arcade titles personally, but Dungeon Defenders is by far one of the most fun games I have played on the PSN store.

Everyone start your engines for the first gameplay video for DiRT Showdown, a brand new dive-in-and-drive rush of speed, style and destruction. DiRT Showdown, an action packed extension of the award-winning DiRT off-road racing series, will debut May 2012 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

The Nevada 8 Ball trailer features work-in-progress gameplay footage, showcasing the full-impact, destruction-focussed racing featured in DiRT Showdown’s 8 Ball event. The stage is a dirty, dusty circuit in the sun-baked Nevada desert where eight racers perform in front of the crowd, taking on jumps and dangerous crossover points as they jostle for position against a backdrop of fireworks and fire cannons. Boost is used to speed through gaps and smash rivals as the drivers — racing vehicles tuned for chaotic, aggressive racing — trade paint and crash out as they battle to become the star of the Showdown.

DiRT Showdown will deliver a new world of competitive and combative racing as players boost, trick and smash their way to ‘Showdown’ finals on a chaotic tour of motorised mayhem.

It doesn’t stop there either, the console version will also all previously released content for PC including Arena mode. Extra cut-scenes and intro movies are also to be included.

Below are a few screen-shots as well as box-art.

Valve boss Gabe Newell had the following to say:

“The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers, seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale – these are all features customers have requested.

Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone.”

The beta is search-able in the appstore as of now.

Here is a direct quote from MCV

“We think that delivering regular installments and expanding the brand to other platforms will continue to satisfy the demand, while at the same time attracting new fans.

“And we’re confident that the next installment of Assassin’s Creed will be the biggest to date.”

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations was the most recent game to release in November 2011 and received positive responses from fans. There have been concerns over whether Ubisoft are putting out Assassin’s Creed games too frequently, and I myself fear the series becoming yet another year on year franchise. I feel that this reduces the step up in quality from game to game as there are stricter deadlines to meet.

We do not know too much about the next game yet, but many are expecting it to be the official Assassin’s Creed III entry to the series, as the previous two games were follow ups to Assassin’s Creed II.

I guess when Joey said “I’m not watching the throne, I’m sabotaging it” he meant it, as he flows over the Watch The Throne intro song, doing a much better job than any other attempt I’ve heard previously (*cough*RossandMeekMill*cough*).

On top of that Nintendo are still set to re-reveal the console at E3 this year, where I’m sure they’ll take more care to ensure consumers fully understand the systems appeal.

Games confirmed for Wii U already include:

First-party
Super Smash Brothers
Zelda HD project
A new Super Mario experience

Third-party
Darksiders II
Metro: Last Light
Batman: Arkham City
Assassin’s Creed
Ghost Recon

This is great news for both Nintendo fans and gamers in general. Be sure to save up your money early.

As always, flicking through this book made me realize just how much we overlook the amount of detail that is pumped into crafting any type of character design; whether for a video game, painting or animation. Fashion Design is a collection of tutorials and galleries from three prolific artists. The artists featured are Alessia Zambonin, Annie Stegg, and Lois van Baarle. It’s also worth mentioning that these artists have done work for video games, which further shows how much artists are under appreciated when it comes to mainstream media works.

Each artist has their own area of focus, Alessia Zambonun teaches how to create realistic looking fabrics using Photoshop. Alessia has done work for DC Comics and an RPG game named Stratelibri. Annie Stegg‘s tutorials focus more on the immediate character design, showing how to incorporate different types of clothing which tell a story. She has done work for Hi-Rex Studios (The company behind Global Agenda), Tikki Games, Addicting Games and Spil Games. Lois van Baarle has a more animated style, and her tutorials focus on using shape, movement and silhouette’s to create a full body portrait.

There are also many collaborative works shown in their collections so you can get an idea of their previous works. Annie Stegg is by far my favourite artist in Fashion Design as I find her designs to be very thorough, but all three featured artists show outstanding work. This book is in no way a start to finish guide on how to create a masterpiece, it merely showcases the works of each artist and allows them to detail a few of their techniques. Thus the book is worth a read whether you are an artist in practice or just a fan of art.

Anyone familiar with Ballistic Publishing knows exactly what to expect in terms of the quality of the book. There’s the usual slip cased and limited editions, and either one is a treasure to hold. I have been fortunate enough to be able to collect a few of these books and just being able to flick through and see these artists works does wonders for my personal creativity. Although the artists contribute to it, it’s mainly Ballistic Publishing’s presentation that will have you picking up these books at random to enjoy a catalogue of stunning visuals.

Order here

Duration: 58 Minutes

As someone who slightly enjoyed Pink Friday, I’m begging Nicki to give us something different. Some day she’ll get older and her adorable looks won’t do it for everybody any longer, I’d like to think when that day comes she’ll have something more to offer. I may sound harsh, but if you speak to any of my colleagues they’ll tell you about my not so secret crush on Nicki Minaj (Which goes beyond looks) and that’s why I wish she would drop the gimmick and make music.

Regardless, enjoy the video Barbz!

Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded coming Feb 14th

Not long until Final Fantasy XIII-2 is finally with us, releasing on January 31st, and early February in Europe.

I believe myself to be one of the biggest Mass Effect 3 fans on the planet, thus I cannot wait for Mass Effect 3 to arrive. I have been trying to starve myself of all new information to make the experience of my first play-through that much sweeter, but for the purpose of this article I’ve clued myself up on some of the info. Mass Effect 3 carries on the story from the previous games, and even keeps the consistency of your various choices made with Commander Shepard. As Mass Effect 3 is the end of the planned trilogy, the developers are not constrained by the necessity of allowing the story to diverge, yet also continue into the next chapter. This will result in a story that diverges into wildly different conclusions based on the player’s actions in the first two chapters.

Throughout Mass Effect 3, Commander Shepard will be bringing the civilisations of the galaxy together as allies to take back Earth and repel the Reaper invasion. The player’s choices throughout not only Mass Effect 3, but the entire trilogy, will affect the fate of these civilisations and the endings the player can receive.

Expect a lot of returning characters this time around, with the likes of Garrus Vakarian, Ashley Williams or Kaidan Alenko, Liara T’Soni and Tali’Zorah vas Normandy. While some squad members will be required, and core to the story, some will be optional and others may only be available for a single mission.

Animations and combat has been enhanced to ensure gameplay in Mass Effect 3 feels more fluid than the previous titles; not only that but the game will have Kinect features for Xbox 360 players, oh and before I forget to mention it, Mass Effect 3 will have online play for the first time in the series. It’s safe to say that this game might be my most anticipated game of 2012, and therefore it has the potential to be either my game of the year or disappointment of the year, there is no middle ground.

Media

Official Website

I would also like to bring your attention to some ace Mass Effect 3 poster designs, intended to help build anticipation for the game. The designs are created by Rameez Quadri – one is a mash up of Mass Effect and Space Invaders in two different colours; and the other design shows both forces involved in Mass Effect 3′s war.

“We do not take changes to our release schedule lightly, and this short delay will ensure that Max Payne 3 delivers the highest quality, groundbreaking entertainment experience that is expected from our company,” said Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick.

I’m upset about the longer wait, but in a way kind of happy that Mass Effect 3 and Max Payne 3 have more room between them now so I can enjoy both separately.

“THQ has not cancelled its 2014 line-up, and has not made any decisions regarding the planned MMO. As part of the ongoing review of our business, we have made decisions to ensure that the company is strategically addressing the most attractive markets. As we have previously announced, we have dramatically reduced our commitment to the kids‘ boxed games sector which leads to a significantly more focused release schedule moving forward. Our slate for calendar 2012 and beyond is focused on high-quality core games and continues to build our digital platform and business. We are excited for our pipeline of original and high-quality content along with our relationships with some of the best talent in the industry.”

The rumor originated from Kevin Dent who claimed to have sources close inside of THQ that passed on the information.

I’m not sure what to make of this, but I hope THQ remain in good shape nonetheless. It’s interesting to see that they are reducing their commitment to the kid based box games, and it may suck for a lot of people but I’m interested to see how their new focus on core games betters the company.

Share your thoughts!