Nintendo has revealed three completely new tracks to compete in.
Through the official Twitter of Nintendo UK, images of three new courses have emerged, showing off the vibrant and eye-candy visuals players have become accustomed to throughout the series.
Mario Circuit
One of the smaller tracks featuring long corners and close-quarters, which should encourage hectic gameplay with the aid of the game's various power-ups and weapons. Surrounded with greenland and rugged cliffs, the most noticeable environmental enhancement would be Princess Peach's very own castle.
Sweet Sweet Canyon
Willy Wonka invades the world of Mario Kart - complete with windmills made from candy and various sugary treats surrounding the course, players shouldn't be fooled as a Pirahna Plant could interrupt that first place position at a moments notice.
Thwomp's Ruins
One of the more sinister tracks features lots of Thwomp enemies, who have a tendency of squishing any racer daring to ride under them - we also see multiple options in traversing the track, making for interesting and competitive gameplay. preview1
Mario Kart 8 is to hit shelves exclusively for Wii U on May 30 in Europe and North America, whilst Japan gains the earliest access of May 29.
New trailer highlights aspects of the game's narrative that players can expect in its upcoming release in the US.
Whilst the game is already on shelves throughout Europe, Japan, and Australia, Square Enix/Nintendo has released a new trailer a few weeks before its American launch.
The video introduces the four main characters and what they must accomplish in the game - to restore balance in the world due to the corrupted four crystals
Various aspects of the gameplay is shown from traversing the world itself to battles and numerous attacks/spells the game has to offer. Check out the trailer below.
An extremely discreet photo has been revealed, showing a glimpse of United Front Games' next game.
A few months back, you may remember that United Front Games (UFG) announced a new game set in the Sleeping Dogs universe known as Triad Wars - since then, no information has been shared regarding the game, and it still remains like that, except for a blurred image in the background of a Twitter photo from UFG themselves. Check it out below.
All we can take from this is that the game remains to be third-person and you'll possibly play as a guy with no shirt. If you're reading UFG, we want more!
Activison want to bring back the Crash Bandicoot series, despite of rumours they sold the IP to Sony.
Earlier in the week, rumours spread throughout the industry which lead to believe Activision would be selling the Crash Bandicoot IP back to Sony. Disproving these allegations, the company spoke with Game Informer:
"Activision owns Crash Bandicoot and we continue to explore ways in which we could bring the beloved series back to life."
The first Crash Bandicoot game was released in 1996 on the PlayStation, the game was then owned by Naughty Dog (The Last Of Us, Uncharted) until 1999, since then the franchise has been juggled around between numerous developers including Eurocom, Traveller's Tales, Radical Entertainment, and so on.
If a reboot was to happen, would you want it stay true to the original style of gameplay or focus on something new complete? Comment below.
Ever wanted to kill hordes of zombies dressed as Mega Man? Now you can.
A newly released trailer for the upcoming Xbox One exclusive launch title Dead Rising 3 reveals players will be able to get their hands on one of the most popular Capcom characters in history; Mega Man himself. Sort of.
The costume can be found in-game and will sport the Mega Man X look, complete with the X-Buster weapon, which allows for single individual blasts of energy or one big charged up shot for increased damage.
This new video showcases main character Nick Ramos in the costume blasting away at masses of zombies, which proves to be something a lot of players are going to enjoy doing. Dead Rising 3 will launch alongside the Xbox One on November 2. Check out the trailer below, it's a blast...
Montage of gameplay for the upcoming 2014 release shows tons of action - just what you'd expect in a Rambo game.
A trailer has been released showcasing what players can expect in Rambo: The Video Game - some of the footage is from the video released earlier in June, and whilst the game was originally slated for a 2013 release, it will be now out sometime during 2014, with no specific date mentioned.
The game will combine all three of the Rambo films - First Blood, Rambo:First Blood Part II, and Rambo III. Each of the films are a staple in the action genre, hopefully the game will meet the same standards.
The video shows hand-to-hand combat, various guns including the iconic M60 Machine Gun and Crossbow - lots of enemies will give players much to shoot at, all whilst being given a front row seat to gallons of blood, explosives, and so forth. We also see Rambo utilize mounted-guns from both ground and air vehicles.
Teyon are responsible for the development, with most of their library consisting of Nintendo handhelds, Rambo: The Video Game will definitely be interesting to see how it turns out. The game will release on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC sometime in 2014.
Pre-order bonuses include a mini figurine of Rambo himself - either holding a rocket launcher or the M60 machine gun. Check out the new gameplay video below.
Nintendo has revealed some of the mini-games players can expect to play in the 3DS handheld; Mario Party: Island Tour.
If you're familiar with the Mario Party series, you'll know the concept - roll the dice and reach the end of the board, whilst taking part in often hectic mini-games in between, resulting in either further progression or the opposite.
The new teaser trailer shows that the game will have a total of 7 boards, each with their own set of rules, unique to that particular board. There will be 80 mini-games, including racing on both ground and underwater, a battle tank-style game, navigating a line of Koopa's through various obstacles, and so on.
Satoru Iwota describes the mini games as a test of "Speed, concentration and luck", the game is to be released on the 2DS and 3DS November 22 in the US, whilst recent news shows the European version will be delayed until early 2014.
New gameplay showcases the dungeons players can expect to navigate in the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.
Nintendo have uploaded a montage of dungeon gameplay for The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - the sequel to the 1991 classic; The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, which did extremely well on the SNES.
The first part of the gameplay shows Link navigating a series of platforms floating above molten lava, as well as blending into certain environments to get past troublesome parts of the dungeon. Link must use spells to get past particular parts of a dungeon, we see the player utilize the power of ice to get past obstacles that would normally be way too hot.
We also get a peek of item upgrades, Link get's his bow and arrow upgraded and is able to shoot three arrows at a time, all whilst dealing more damage than before. Impressions from the trailer are very promising, showing that all-familar A Link to the Past style gameplay most gamers have come to know and love, but with new features added that fit the 3DS perfectly. The game is set for a November 22 release.
Not your typical run of the mill "army" game - Spec Ops will keep you guessing what's around the corner constantly.
Developer: Yager Development | Publisher: 2K Games | Genre: Third-Person Shooter
PS3 | Xbox 360 | Windows PC | Mac
One of the more interesting games of recent, Spec Ops: The Line will take you on an adventure through Hell and back, and will leave you with plenty of questions.
You play as Captain Martin Walker, who at first glance seems like your stereotypical American soldier, along with your team mates Lugo and Adams, you have been given the orders to save survivors in Dubai and bring them to safety - reasons being massive sandstorms have been regularly hitting the city, putting the citizens at a huge risk. Trust me though, this isn't the real problem.
The game's core gameplay contains tons of action - right from the start, you'll find yourself manning a minigun from a helicopter shooting at enemy 'copters, which sets the tone for the rest of the game; hectic and a whole lot of fun. There are a total of four difficulty settings, enabling both casual and hardcore gamers to enjoy what the game has to offer.
As soon as the game really begins, there's this instant feeling that something is very wrong, nothing ever feels like an actual army situation, instead something rather sinister and mysterious, and its because of this you'll find yourself wanting to keep on playing to reveal more of the story. There are numerous intelligence items throughout the game that aid in the narratives progression, if you want to know everything about what's going in, it's advised to go out of you way to collect all the intel.
Whilst the game may initially give you this impression that team-work is essential, there's the option to use Lugo and Adams to help certain combat situations, such as targeting a certain enemy, blinding a group of enemies with a stun grenade, or healing each other. The group will often hold very entertaining and funny dialogue throughout the game, showing you they are a tight-nit team who have known each other for a long time.
But when it comes down to it, team-work isn't the most important aspect at all, a lot of your own survival relies on using the environment to your advantage - taking cover behind certain surfaces so bullets can't penetrate through, timing the enemies shots to enable you to move to another part of the surroundings, and so on.
Most of the weapons available each come with an attachment or secondary firing option - the SCAR gives you the option to fire grenades, the P90 gives you the option to utilize laser-aiming, things like this add a little more gameplay in terms of how you tackle certain situations. Grenades also play a part in getting through the enemy, including frag, stun, and sticky - each are very useful depending on what kind of trouble you're in.
During all of the chaos of combat, you might forget how gorgeous the game looks, each environment is full of richness and has its own character, which immerses you in the game completely. The amount of detail combined with the completely atmospheric environments makes up for a really nice looking game.
Although there's much to be praised, the gameplay is at times very predictable and can be generic - the process of hiding, shooting, and rinsing becomes all too familiar, but there are entertaining aids to break it up a bit, you'll often have the chance to execute fallen enemies, showing a very brutal way of disposing an enemy, each time you get a headshot, the game will slow down giving you the chance to either bask in your shooting skills or use the delayed time to your advantage by taking out other enemies.
This game is complete action through and through, with a narrative that as it evolves will keep you wanting more, with a campaign of around eight or so hours, you'll be kept entertained enough, just don't expect spectacular gameplay - the real winner here is the way the narrative turns out, which you'll have to play for yourself to find out. REVIEW1
Previous DLC will now be completely free-of-charge, and a new map has also been unveiled.
Since its release 2 years ago, Naughty Dog are celebrating by making all the DLC multiplayer maps available to everyone, with no cost what so ever. Alongside this announcement, a new map titled Dry Docks has been revealed - set upon a very wet and slippery dock during the night.
Community Strategist at Naughty Dog praises the Uncharted community and fanbase, saying:
"It's been two years since Uncharted 3 was released. Our community is simply amazing, and we're looking to make it stronger than ever. To that end, we combed over a multitude of comments and forum posts to see what you wanted changed in the multiplayer game. We took the most highly-sought changes mentioned and made them happen. The list of those changes is below, and it's an epic patch that rivals patch 1.13"
You might remember Dry Docks in the beta gameplay videos released prior to Uncharted 3's release, but it never made it to the final version of the game - Naughty Dog are bringing that map pack with many improvements. There were various reasons the map never made the original cut, one of those being time investment: "It made sense to prevent our art team from investing time into the multiplayer version of Dry Docks to match the level of quality we adhere to at Naughty Dog --- therefore the Dry Docks map was cut."
Heavy rain pollutes the docks, creating a hectic atmosphere.
A view of the map from a distance, displaying both the boat and dock area.
A full list of the new patch details can be seen below.
Maps
All DLC maps are now available to download for free! Go to the in-game store and download the Flashback Map Pack 1, 2, and Drake’s Deception Map Pack.
Dry Docks makes its triumphant debut and is available in all competitive playlists and custom games!
Co-op
Old Quarter map has been added to Co-op arena mode.
The drop rate for all co-op treasures has been increased.
Old Quarter has been removed from the Hunter Arena playlist.
Weapons
Hipfire accuracy has been greatly reduced on all weapons, along with the angle and distance at which the auto lock engages. But Blindfire from cover has not been changed.
Increased recoil on the M9.
Decreased recoil on FAL-SS.
Rate of Fire mod has been decreased on the M9, Arm Micro, and KAL-7.
The recoil of the last round fired in a G-MAL burst has been significantly reduced.
The burst delay and recoil have been reduced on the Raffica.
The accuracy mod on the Raffica has been slightly improved.
The recoil has been reduced on the Tau Sniper and the weapon does not automatically scope.
The rate of fire mod has increased effectiveness for the Tau Sniper.
Gameplay
Sprint maneuverability moderately reduced.
Mega Bombs and Cluster Bombs can no longer be thrown back (competitive mode only).
The Marked Man power play now occurs when a team is up 8 kills instead of 6.
The Exposed power play occurs when a team is up 10 kills instead of 8, and the range that player names appear has been reduced from 40 meters to 20.
The Double Damage power play now occurs when a team is up 15 kills instead of 10, and the damage the losing team does is only x1.5 instead of x2.
Deathmatch has been removed from Team Objective.
Increase score limit in three-team Deathmatch from 20 to 25.
Increase score limit of free-for-all from 15 to 20.
Multiple steps have been added during the matchmaking process to help find games with lower ping. Wait times to find matches during off peak hours may increase.
Medal Kickbacks
The Medal Kickback Creepy Crawler now costs 12 medals and lasts for 25 seconds.
Quick Boom now costs 12 medals and lasts for 12 seconds.
Explosives now costs 5 medals.
Boosters
Slot 1 now has Kickback Endurance, Ammo Award, Bargain, and Team Safe
Slot 2 now has Beast Mode, Regeneration, Explosive Expert, and Explosive Shell Expert.
Bargain paid booster cost increase from $100k to $250k.
PING paid booster cost increase from $100k to $250k.
After receiving well more funding than needed back in 2011, Young Horses Inc. have released brand new gameplay.
The funding for third-person interactive adventure Octodad: Dadliest Catch ended in August 2011, with the developers receiving $24,320 - surpassing the goal of $20,000. It's known as one of the first games to take part in the Steam Greenlight programme, enabling huge promotion opportunities.
The video shows main character Octodad attempting to get ready for his wedding (this game already got weird) - the player must perform certain tasks from first-person view using the mouse as his arms movements.
You might notice moving around the place proves very difficult to Octodad - constantly knocking stuff over and bumping into his surroundings, but it proves for interesting gameplay.
Unique is the best way to describe this game so far, and it looks a lot of fun. Expect a PS4, Mac, and PC release in 2014 - no specific date quite yet. Check out the gameplay below, as well as other videos on the channel.
Bethesda has released 3 new screenshots from their upcoming horror; The Evil Within.
We know this highly anticipated survival-horror is releasing next year, with no specific date set just yet, so what do Bethesda do? Release even more content to quench our thirst - , this could be the game that puts the horror genre back on the map.
Screenshot 1 - That doesn't look so safe.
Detective Sebastian readying his Shotgun at one of the game's most unique and intimidating enemies, let's just call him Safe Head for now - Pyramid Head has a brother?
Screenshot 2 - Not the kind of Butcher you see on the high street.
The Butcher up to his usual activities - slicing up human (and possibly inhumane) flesh, makes a change from chasing Sebastian with a ginourmous chainsaw.
Screenshot 3 - "Think I came to the wrong place."
Sebastian standing in awe of The Butcher's workroom - spilled blood on the floor, hanging corpses, and other gruesome objects surround the place.
Actual gameplay emerges from highly anticipated title Kingdom Hearts III, showing promising gameplay.
It's been almost eight years since the release of Kingdom Hearts II all the way back in 2005 - and since the announcement at this year's E3 confirming the third sequel; Kingdom Hearts III is officially in development, exclusively for PlayStation 4.
This year's D23 Expo in Japan has revealed long-awaited gameplay footage, showcasing Sora, Donald, and Goofy taking on their latest adventure.
The first part of the video shows Sora battling through a horde of Heartless with his trusty Keyblade - nothing we haven't seen in previous games, until something is activated called "Two Shoot Blaster", enabling the player to shoot what looks like balls of fire or some sort of energy, either way this proves effective as it rids the nearby Heartless with ease.
All of a sudden, we see Sora on a pirates ship right on the edge as it sways back and forth, and eventually spinning round and round, all whilst Heartless are trying to get on board - chaotic gameplay like this makes you wonder what else is in store.
The final segment takes place on Big Magic Mountain - which to my knowledge isn't a location that exists in the Disney spectrum, however we see the gang riding a theme-park styled train, using it to battle what looks like one of the first bosses in the game; a massive Heartless enemy which looks intimidating, but also very slow and vulnerable at the same time.
A release date is still unknown, but judging from that gameplay, it can't be too far off now. Watch the trailer below.
Losing characters and disappearing cars - some of the issues players have been experiencing since the launch of GTA Online.
Rockstar are hoping a $500,000 cash injection to players accounts will ease the recent technical issues including disappearing vehicles and the loss of characters including all of the rank progression - of course, it's not real money, it's "GTA$", Rockstar Newswire said:
"We are planning to provide a special stimulus package for all who have played or will play Grand Theft Auto Online this month. We will be dropping a cool half a million GTA$ in the GTA Online bank accounts of all players this month, starting as early as next week."
Rockstar are hoping this generous amount will ease any annoyances players experienced through the technical issues and glitches - most of the comments by the community are positive and are recognising that such a large game will have its fair share of problems, especially during the first phase of release.
The post continued:
"For players who experienced cloud server errors, connection issues, and lost game progress and characters in these first days of GTA Online, we hope this GTA$ helps to facilitate a fresh start or makes your continued life in Los Santos and Blaine County extra sweet."
In order to be eligible for the $500,00, Rockstar lists certain conditions players have to meet - GTA Online must be played during the month of October 2013 and the 1.04 title update needs to be installed for the payments to be received.
Did you lose your character? Share your experiences below.
Thinking of buying Beyond Two Souls? Watch the latest launch trailer, and see what this gripping narrative-driven game has to offer.
With it's release just three days away, Sony have today released the official launch trailer for Quantic Dreams' Beyond Two Souls - containing strong storylines tying in with the idelogies of the afterlife, death, and spiritualism.
Jodie Holmes (Ellen Page) has her life analysed spanning 15 years aged 8 - 23 in order to unravel the mystery of Aiden, a supernatural being that only Holmes can communicate with. It's up to scientist Nathan Hawkins (Willem Dafoe) and his colleagues to make sense of the powers Holmes possesses.
In the trailer, we see Holmes navigating various obstacles, from simple training tasks to avoid being blown up at a gas station - these are just some of things that are expected from the game. See for yourself below, and leave your comments.
The game is released today in the US, whilst Europe will have to wait until October 11.
Nintendo fan-favourite Kirby makes his way to the 3DS for the first time.
One of most beloved Nintendo characters Kirby will be making his (its?) way to the Nintendo 3DS in 2014, according to the trailer released today from the official Nintendo UK channel.
No actual name has been given to the game, but I'm sure it will involve "Kirby" somewhere. Always a bit risky writing things like in case someone doesn't understand the sarcasm.
The trailer shows familiar gameplay we've grown to love over the years, whilst executing trademark moves on any enemy that get's in the way.
It actually reminds me a lot of Kirby's Adventure on the NES in terms of level design and mechanics, which is not a bad thing at all.
The only information shown regarding a release date is "Available in 2014" - hopefully a more precise date will be announced soon.
Fresh footage has been revealed, showcasing promising gameplay from Bungie's next title.
Just as Bungie said, some new gameplay for the highly anticipated Destiny has been unveiled today, and it looks incredible.
The trailer focuses on The Moon and what this specific location has to offer players, which seems to be a lot of action-filled combat.
We see the Guardians embark to The Moon, here they encounter practically every enemy we've seen in previous footage, utilizing their special abilities and weaponry.
Once the initial battles are over, the Guardians come across what looks like a boss battle - a massive troll-like monster chained to the ground, for about two seconds at least anyway. One shot is put into this....thing, and unfortunately that is the end of the trailer.
However, new information is shown regarding beta access, that will be available exclusively to those who decide to pre-order their copy of the game.
Currently the following retailers are giving early beta access with pre-orders:
Amazon
Game
Gamestop
Sainsburys
Tesco
Blockbuster (those guys are still around?
Watch the new gameplay below and leave your comments; will you be pre-ordering?
The box art for Bungie's highly anticipated Destiny has surfaced.
Bungie's community managerDeeJ has revealed the official box art for both the PS3 and PS4 versions of the much anticipated Destiny. It should be assumed the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions will have the same covers.
The cover features three of the game's classes - Titan, Hunter, and Warlock, which can be seen below.
The PS4 box art.
The PS3 box art.
New gameplay footage will be released tomorrow according to the same blog post over at PlayStation Europe, DeeJ said:
"Tomorrow, check back right here to watch our latest gameplay trailer, set in a destination a lot of fans have been asking to see for the first time. We'll also have some exciting announcement if you're looking to suit up and explore our new frontier. Stay tuned!"
Exciting stuff for sure, what with Destiny being the first game Bungie have created since their departure from Microsoft.
Blood? Check. Guts? Check. Gigantic man chasing you with a Chainsaw? Check. For the faint hearted? Definitely not.
More gameplay from Bethesda's upcoming horror The Evil Within has been released, with just under 12 minutes of footage, it's definitely worth checking out if you're planning on buying this game. I know I certainly am.
Judging from the beginning of the video, the game will be divided into different chapters, in this case the player can choose from two - Prologue or Perth House. Much of the gameplay shown has already been shown from E3 2013, so for the sake of what's new, I'll skip ahead to the extended parts of the video.
When the alarm goes off, the huge chainsaw-wielding maniac makes chase for Sebastian and eventually cuts into the flesh - I'm thinking there is an alternative way to progress through this particular part if the player doesn't set off the alarm.
With his leg in really bad shape, Sebastian still has to escape this horrific place - in true Metal Gear Solid 2 style, he hides in a locker and hopes he is not seen. This kind of thing never really works in horror movies, but it seems to in video-games.
Detective Sebastian Castellanos, lead character of The Evil Within.
The concept of escaping a murdering psychopath through the of hiding really reminds of the Clock Tower series, which I'm sure Bethesda got influence from.
Once the prologue gameplay is through, the video delves into the Perth House chapter, showing encounters with various monsters - the player burns the bodies once they have been killed, I assume if the bodies aren't burnt, they will re-animate at some point.
The monsters seen look like Zombies with a dose of Silent Hill - I know I keep mentioning other games, but many aspects so far instantly remind me of certain games.
Sebastian is bombarded with monsters as they come through the windows, so the player decides to use some Mine Traps - one of the many items available in the game, the idea being once the horde make their way into the building, the mines should take care of them. Should...
Towards the end of the video, Sebastian discovers the increasingly familiar multi-legged monster who I assume rips him apart judging from how the gameplay ends. Watch the video below and leave your comments.
This year's Tokyo Game Show (TGS) showed some promising games, from the browser-based Kingdom Hearts game to the Metal Gear Solid V prologue; Ground Zeroes. Let's dive into what in my opinion, were the most interesting games shown.
Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes
Gameplay Footage
Developer: Kojima Productions
Release Date: TBA
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360
Possibly the biggest highlight was Ground Zeroes; the prequel to the not yet released The Phantom Pain - the game was announced around a year ago now and since it's demo at TGS, a lot of gameplay has been showing up around the web and I can safely say that this game looks incredible.
You play as Big Boss in a huge open-world environment, taking on the challenge of tactical espionage action once again. The story takes place after the events of Peace Walker.
Let's get onto the gameplay itself, the video shows Big Boss infiltrating an enemy location (US Naval Prison Facility, Cuba) during the night using his surroundings to his advantage. There are various waypoints we can see, each attached to enemies - possibly a new gadget. Very Batman like.
Once inside the initial exterior of the base, the player takes out an enemy using a silenced weapon in true MGS style, but the body is soon seen by a fellow guard - it looks like Big Boss could be in trouble so the player quickly takes that enemy out too, to avoid any further detection, both bodies are then hidden out of sight.
Being able to drive vehicles will play its part in the game I'm sure, as the demo shows - the player casually drives an enemy vehicle around the base, and whilst it doesn't seem to have any significant importance during this particular scenario, I'm sure various vehicles will play vital roles along the way.
You may notice that when the player grabs an enemy from behind, there are multiple options to choose from in terms of what to do with this enemy, I can make out three options - interrogate, make unconscious, or kill.
Whilst the spotlight in the demo seems it would be an annoying obstacle for the player, it instead turns out to be a source of finding Big Boss' objective - once the guard on the tower is taken down, the player uses the light to take a bigger look around the camp, thus finding the objective at ease. In this case, a prisoner with a bag on his head.
Once the prisoner has been taken, the player calls in a helicopter to come pick them up - to do this an area on the map must be highlighted for the pick-up point, placing it in the middle of the base wouldn't be the best option, so the mark is placed outside of the camp at a secure location.
Now that the easy bit has been done, the player must carry this prisoner to that location without getting caught and/or killed, which proves to be very interesting from a gameplay perspective. In this case, the player encounters two guards who are quickly taken out using a silenced weapon once again.
Afterwards, Big Boss makes his way to the helicopter and as it descends from the base area, the player shoots multiple enemies, which leads on to a mini cutscene that shows off the Kojima Productions logo.
I think I had goosebumps upon watching that last part, Kojima is spoiling us with not only one but two new MGS titles - definitely looking forward to this as I'm sure most gamers are.
Kingdom Hearts X
Trailer
Developer: Square Enix
Release Date: TBA (Open-Beta since 8 July 2013 in Japan)
Platform: Browser-Based
Unfortunately, the trailer is in japanese so it's difficult to extract any real information regarding Kingdom Hearts X, I do know the game will be free to play to an extent and will be completely browser-based.
The trailer shows a created character as the player enters the game, which indicates we will most likely be able to create our own characters instead of using pre-existing characters from the series.
From what I can gather from the battle system, it will be turn-based with the use of cards - each card will have different attributes and/or commands, and it will most likely be very similar to Chain of Memories in terms of gameplay.
We do see some very similar locations from the series, including Dwarf Woodlands, Wonderland, and Agrabah - both fans of Kingdom Hearts and Disney will instantly recognise these places.
You'll notice there's a watermark saying "This product is aimed at the Japanese domestic market.", I hope this doesn't indicate that the rest of the world won't be able to get their hands on the game. There has been an open beta in Japan since July of this year, which you can still sign up to if you happen to have a japanese Yahoo ID and can read the language.
Soulcalibur: Lost Swords
Trailer
Developer: Project Soul
Release Date: Winter 2013
Platform: PS3
With the recent release of the free to play Tekken Revolution, Namco have decided to give the Soulcalibur series the same treatment. Kind of.
Instead of focusing on the competitive side of the series, it seems Lost Swords will primarily focus on a single player mission mode and character customization. Whilst the game will be free, that's only to an extent - players will have to buy "tokens" in order to continue their current progress.
I imagine tokens will regenerate after so many hours, just like they did in Tekken Revolution. The lack of online verse modes is disappointing, especially to veterans of the series, so let's hope this mission mode makes up for it.
Returning characters include Mitsurugi, Nightmare, Sophitia, and other regulars of the series - Tekken fan favourite and fighter in Soulcalibur II; Heihachi will be making an appearance.
The game is slated for a winter release, with no specific date set.
Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster
Trailer
Developer: Square Enix
Release Date: Winter 2013/Early 2014
Platform: PS3/PSVita
What is left to say about the remastered versions of FFX and FFX-2, aside from the fact gamers everywhere are eagerly awaiting it's release, myself included.
The trailer exaggerates the storyline and shows off some gameplay in beautiful HD-defined graphics, teasing the fans more and more. We just want an official release date, Enix.
In terms of differences from the original, practically every model in the game has been remastered and improved, ranging from locations to characters themselves - as well as 60 or so remastered audio tracks.
The international version of Final Fantasy X was never released in North America, so players missed out on the extra sphere grid, abilities, and bosses it had to offer - however, the remastered version will include all of those things this time around.
Japanese exclusive Final Fantasy X-2 + Last Mission will finally see the light of day outside of Japan as it will be included in the compilation.
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
iOS/Android Trailer
Developer: Square Enix
Release Date: Winter 2013 (Japan) / TBA
Platform: iOS/Android
Set seventeen years after the events of Final Fantasy IV, The After Years explores the life of Ceodore Harvey, son of Cecil and Rosa, and his task to be just like his father.
The After Years has been out on various platforms since 2008 including mobile (japan), WiiWare, PSP, and PSNetwork, so there's nothing actually new about the game except it is now coming to iOS and Android.
Japan can expect a release at the end of the year, whilst the trailer shows no indication of any other release date.
Deep Down
Trailer
Developer: Capcom Online Games/SCE Japan Studio
Release Date: TBA
Platform: PS4
Capcom - it's safe to say their not known for their online role-playing games, but it seems that the company is expanding with their upcoming game; Deep Down.
After watching the trailer, I get the impression the game is set far in the future and upon touching certain artifacts, the player transports to that specific location to perform certain tasks in order to unlock the secrets of the universe.
The dungeon sequences definitely reminds me of Dark Soul's, which is definitely not a bad thing - if the game is primarily set in the future, I wonder if we will be able to travel to the future as well as the past.
Nothing was shown regarding the multiplayer aspect, but that is something I can't wait to find out more of. The game will be PS4 exclusive and unfortunately has no release date as of yet.
Deadman's Cross
iOS/Android Trailer
Developer: Square Enix
Release Date: Winter 2013
Platform: iOS/Android
Set in 2030, Deadman's Cross takes place in what looks very much like a Zombie-infested New York City. players must take out as many Zombies as possible before the time runs out or you simply die.
Initially, the gameplay looks like a mediocre FPS game with an arcade-style twist, but the aspect that really interests me is the card battle system - I knew Square couldn't do a game with an RPG element in it somewhere.
It's difficult to figure out what these cards do at this point, but I'd make a guess that they help you in different ways depending on which cards you use to defeat the Zombie hordes or might even be used against you. Either way the trailer reveals the following cards:
Cleopatra
Lincoln
Morbid Mortician
Napoleon
The game will be coming to iOS/Android devices this winter in Japan and possibly other countries, not much has been shared regarding the release dates.
There you have it from me - this year's TGS has been incredible, I can't say I'm surprised with the amount of RPGs shown considering the event was held in Tokyo.
I'm not complaining one bit though, but the highlight for me personally was the gameplay demo of Ground Zeroes, it looks absolutely incredible and I'm sure it will play just as well. What were your highlights this year? Leave your comments below. Feature1
