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Hands-on: Mafia II

fenny — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:00:10 +0000

It seems like almost a year ago that I first saw Mafia II. That’s probably because it was almost a year ago that 2K Czech (formerly Illusion Softworks) demoed live gameplay from the title (which had been announced almost a year and a half before that.) Today, it was time to finally get my hands dirty as a virtual wiseguy, but first I had to put some clothes on.

In all seriousness, protagonist (I guess he is that, right?) Vito Scaletta had just woken up after a pretty wild night (judging by the various undergarments strewn around his bachelor pad) when my demo kicked off, so I of course jogged around turning on faucets and flicking light switches before actually doing what the game was instructing me to do: Get dressed. Leaving Vito’s apartment, I stepped out into a world as pitch-perfect in its depiction of the 1950s — the cars, the clothing, the architecture, the music — as I can imagine. So what if the automobile that I hopped into and the place I was driving around — Empire City — never existed in any real era?

I spent the first few minutes of the demo causing all sorts of mayhem. Heck, the very first thing I did was get into a fender bender (putting it mildly) from which I fled, only to learn that the punishment for a hit-and-run in the ’50s was, evidently, only a few dollar fine. But my trouble with the fuzz did not end there.

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Hands-on: Mafia II originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:00:00 EST.

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source : www.joystiq.com

Final Fantasy XIII ships 5 million copies

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:00:03 +0000

In a Japanese press release, Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XIII has shipped 5 million duplicates worldwide. Surprisingly, 3 million of those duplicates were shipped outside of Japan. Of course, Square Enix is not saying how many of those duplicates have been sold, so bear that in mind when marveling over these impressive numbers.

These 5 million XIIIs, according to the release, bring the total number of shipped games in the Final Fantasy series up to 96 million. How many of those were ports or remakes of the first Final Fantasy, we wonder?

Final Fantasy XIII ships 5 million duplicates originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:27:00 EST.

source : www.joystiq.com

Street Fighter IV iPhone Hands-on Impressions

dave — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:00:04 +0000

Released tonight at GDC 2010, the iPhone version of Street Fighter IV is extremely impressive.

The game features 8 fighters: Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Guile, Blanka, Dhalsim, Abel, and M. Bison. The fighters can be used for head-to-head multiplayer over Bluetooth or for solo play modes including Dojo mode, which challenges the player to complete increasingly difficult trials while teaching the basics of the port.

I was as skeptic as anyone else, but I’m happy to report that this is faithful port of the full-sized game, minus the characters and modes. Yes, complex combos and moves can be pulled off after a bit of practice. After about 15 minutes, I was able to execute Ryu’s signature combo from Street Fighter IV: the shoryuken focus attack dash cancel into his ultra combo.

The game utilizes some shortcuts to assist with special moves. A dedicated on-screen button for specials helps you crank out quick hadoukens or Blanka balls. This is optional, however, if you really want to show your skills off by doing all of the inputs manually. Ultra and Super combos can be executed simply by tapping on the meter icon on screen.

Dojo mode is surprisingly fun and you will receive letter grades for each challenge for each character offering some great pick up and play options. If you did not like Street Fighter IV, you probably will not like this version. If you did, however, this port is definitely worth the $9.99 while you wait for Super Street Fighter IV.

source : www.shacknews.com

Analysts predict hardware, software drops in February NPD

samantha — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:00:03 +0000

In advance of NPD sales results for February 2010, analysts are predicting year-over-year declines for pretty much everything. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, according to Gamasutra, is predicting that hardware and software sales will decline 10 percent, with Wii hardware sales hit particularly hard (around 40 percent) due to shortages. Beyond the Wii, the continuing decline of the music genre is partly to blame for the reduced sales.

Analyst Colin Sebastian is guessing at a 15 percent decline, despite encouraging early sales for games like Heavy Rain and preorders for games like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (which, as an early March release, may fit into the NPD February sales period) and God of War III. The fact that high-profile games are likely to show sharp declines after strong first-week sales will prevent software trends from turning for the better.

Analysts predict hardware, software drops in February NPD originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:20:00 EST.

source : www.joystiq.com

Shin’en Announces 3D Platfomer for WiiWare

Donnie — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:00:08 +0000

Shin’en Announces 3D Platfomer for WiiWare

March 9, 2010 at11:55 PST– Source:Silicon Era

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The creators of Art of Balance reveal their next WiiWare project.

Shin’en, the company behind Fun! Fun! Fun! Mini Golf and Art of Balance, announced their latest WiiWare game, Jett Rocker.

The title is a 3D action/platformer that will have players visiting the planet Yoroppa as it is attacked by the evil Power Plant Posse. Jett will use a Jet Boat, parachute from giant cliffs, use a snowboard, and fly with his Jet Pack.

Shin’en is also working on two other WiiWare titles, but they have not been announced yet.

There is currently no set release date for Jett Rocker.

Pedro Hernandez, Staff Writer

source : www.nintendoworldreport.com

Rock Band 3 Set For Holiday 2010

Donnie — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:00:03 +0000

Rock Band 3 Set For Holiday 2010

March 9, 2010 at11:59 PST– Source:Harmonix

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The details are scarce, but prepare to bring the Rock this holiday season.

Today Harmonix said on their Facebook account that EA would be distributing Rock Band 3 this holiday season.

Although they did not give many details, they did say that the game will “innovate and revolutionize the music genre once again, just as Harmonix did with the original Rock Band, Rock Band 2, and The Beatles: Rock Band.”

No platform was mentioned, but since all three Rock Band titles as well as Lego Rock Band have come to Wii and found success on the platform, it can be safely assumed that Rock Band 3 will also be arriving on Nintendo’s console.

Andy Goergen, Staff Writer

source : www.nintendoworldreport.com

MLB 10: The Show – PSP (E)

McField — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:09 +0000

Widely considered the most authentic baseball game available, MLB 10: The Show is set again to provide fans with the ideal baseball experience this console generation with even more features and modes destine to quicken the heart, raise the stakes, and hurl you further into a true MLB baseball experience. Holding more than 81% market share on the PS3 system, more than 70% market share across all PlayStation platforms, and the #1 selling baseball franchise in video game history, The Show is proving once again to be the industry’s premier licensed Major League Baseball (MLB) game, both critically and commercially. The long awaited Home Run Derby leads the deep features list in MLB 10 The Show for PS3. Fully implemented in the season modes and available as a stand alone feature, Home Run Derby follows the current MLB rules and flow. The MLB All-Star Futures Game will also be available within season modes in its correct time frame (just before the Home Run Derby), as well as fully functional on-line leagues. Additional new features for the PS3 game include “Catcher Mode,” the capability to call the game as the catcher, choose pitches, and be the ultimate field general, just like Joe Mauer. MLB 10: The Show will also offer daytime transitional lighting, a newly added “Movie Maker” menu giving the user the capability to choose multiple replays to add to and edit a single movie, and 11 new stadiums. Five new Minor League stadiums will be introduced, as well as a selection of classic parks available on the PS3 for the first time including Forbes Field, Crosley Field, The Polo Grounds, Shibe Park, Sportsman Park, and Griffith Stadium.

Release Date:Tue, 02 Mar 2010

source : www.gamecrazy.com

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger – PSP (T)

McField — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:03 +0000

This game is the ultimate 2D fighting game on the go! BlazBlue features all of the console modes—Arcade, Versus, Score Attack, Training, and Story…in addition to the all-new Shop and Legion modes, where you control your own party of fighters in an attempt to conquer the world of BlazBlue.

Twelve unique combatants to select from, which now include Unlimited versions for all characters! Choose a character that represents your own fighting style, like the lightning-fast Taokaka or the wickedly powerful Tager. Drive your way to victory! Use the unique “Drive Attacks” specific to each character to decimate your opponent. Control the elements, like wind or ice, or even absorb the life-force of your opponents. Multiplayer battles via Ad-Hoc Mode Battle with up to four players in a single room and play with custom rule sets. Two people will fight each other at a time while the others spectate. Legion Mode Build your army and conquer the map! Have up to 20 members join your party. Shop Mode! Use in-game currency to buy illustrations and Unlimited characters.

Release Date:Tue, 09 Mar 2010

source : www.gamecrazy.com

Tiger Woods 11 to support PlayStation Motion Controller

madison — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:00:11 +0000

Much like the star it’s named for, it seems the Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise is not adverse to trying new things. EA has announced that the next iteration, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, will support the PlayStation Motion Controller to “give gamers an authentic interactive swing experience.”

There aren’t any other details about Motion Controller implementation at the moment, but the game is slated for release on June 8 — well before the Motion Controller’s projected fall release. (And before you ask, no mention has been made of support for Microsoft’s Project Natal.)

It may be less flashy, but series fans may be interested to hear the game will also feature the Ryder Cup, allowing for two 12-man teams to face off against each other.

We state 12-man, but we guess it could be 12 women against 12 men, right? Heck, maybe even 12 women against one man. Can you imagine, one guy trying to keep up with all those women? We sure can’t.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will be available on June 8 for Wii (with MotionPlus support), Xbox 360, PS3 and iPhone.

Tiger Woods 11 to support PlayStation Motion Controller originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:57:00 EST.

source : www.joystiq.com

We leprechaun’t believe this week’s LittleBigPlanet DLC

samantha — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:00:03 +0000

No globally-recognized holiday can escape attention from Media Molecule’s DIY platformer, LittleBigPlanet, do not ya know? This week, the PS3 version of the game will receive a free St. Patrick’s Day-themed costume, which turns your cute sack-vatar into a reddish-orange-bearded leprechaun. That’s really exciting news if you are a fan of Lucky Charms — but really terrifying news if you are familiar with Warwick Davis’ acclaimed psychological thriller series.

We hate to derail this post’s train of thought, but we have been absorbed by the rich mythos of Leprechaun after reading that Wikipedia entry. Did you guys know there have been six instalments in the Leprechaun franchise? It’s true: Leprechaun, Leprechaun 2, Leprechaun 3, Leprechaun 4: In Space, Leprechaun: In the Hood and Leprechaun: Back to tha Hood. This is not a joke. Those are all real movies, which real people really made.

We leprechaun’t believe this week’s LittleBigPlanet DLC originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:14:00 EST.

source : playstation.joystiq.com