Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded and Other E3 Square Enix Games

Got the official list of E3 games from Square Enix today and low and behold there's a new Kingdom Hearts game listed on there - Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded. Now its for the Nintendo DS, so this cannot be the official sequel to Kingdom Hearts 2 but the description of the game does suggest that the game plot does continue after the events of Kingdom Hearts 2, so at least we have progress here. Still the game is not called Kingdom Hearts 3, so its not the official sequel.

Kingdom Hearts: Re:coded Official Description:

"Sora’s journey in KINGDOM HEARTS II has drawn to a close, and now a new tale is set to begin. Jiminy Cricket is looking over the journal he used to document his first adventure with Sora when he discovers a mysterious message. He didn’t write it – so how on earth did it get there? King Mickey is determined to find out, so he and his friends decide to digitize the journal and delve into its deepest secrets. Inside this “datascape” dwells a second Sora who is about to embark on a grand adventure of his very own."

Again, this doesn't sound like an official sequel as it doesn't have anything to do with the secret ending found at the end of KH2.

Also on the list of E3 games was games like The 3rd Birthday, Dungeon Siege 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, Front Mission Evolved,  Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, and 2 Tales of Bearsworth Manor titles.

I'm looking forward to the new Dungeon Siege 3, Kingdom Hearts titles, Tomb Raider and anything Final Fantasy. Hopefully Square Enix will deliver some good titles this year.

Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse Trailer

Telltale Games is back with new adventures from our favorite talking dog and lagomorph! Sam & Max are back in Sam & Max: The Devil's Playground which is due out on April 15 2010.
You can pre-order this game series from Telltale Game now and receive a free episode from any of Telltale Games line-up as well as an exclusive membership in the Freelance Police Elite Force - all for $34.95. The Elite Force is a private forum group which will gain special access to exclusive information and deals throughout the year.

Assassin's Creed II: Master Assassin’s Edition

Ubisoft has released the details on the Assassin's Creed II: Master Assassin's Edition and its contents. The release date for this pretty set will be November 17, 2009 just in time for holiday shopping and it will be available for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

The set will include:

* Ezio collectable statue (8.5 inches tall)
* Exclusive in-game map: Santa Maria Dei Frari – Limited Edition Exclusive
* The Art of Assassin’s Creed II hard-covered art book
* Additional Bonus Disc includes:
- Behind the scenes of Assassin’s Creed II
- Assassin’s Creed II soundtrack
- And much more
* Premium Collectable Tin

The suggested retail price will be $89.99 but I'm not sure if that's US or Canadian dollars. Probably US.

Everything in the set is nice but all I would really want out of it would be the figure. It would go nicely with all my other videogame ones.

VII Days .... huh? Updated

Square Enix has been giving us a lot of games and surprises over the last year from the re-release of Final Fantasy VII on the Playstation Network to the announcement of Final Fantasy XIV Online coming to the Playstation 3 and PC.

But now they are killing us with a trailer countdown site that only shows a mysterious VII Days and a timer that right now is at 42 minutes and dropping. Beyond that there is no real indication of what the game is they are teasing.

The VII would have everyone creaming in their pants at the prospect that this could be a teaser for a remake of Final Fantasy VII, but Siliconera found some hidden art concepts that apparently have to do with the site and they seem to think this is a Lord of Vermillion teaser site due to the similarity in art style.

I guess we will know the truth behind this site in less than 42 minutes.

[UPDATED: Blurg! Instead of revealing something, the site just changed the number of days from VII to VI - I guess this means we have to wait another 6 days before we find out what this site is for. Still hoping the Final Fantasy VII remake.]>

Ubisoft to Setup New Studio in Toronto - UPDATED

Ubisoft announced on Monday in an official press conference that they will be opening a new studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as part of a program to bring new jobs to Ontario.

Ubisoft, which has a studio already in Montreal which employs 2000 people, also setup a new studio in Vancouver early this year.

The CEO of Ubisoft, Yannis Mallet and the Premiere of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty appeared together to make the official announcement about the new studio.

UPDATE: Ubisoft has posted a highlight video from the press conference on Monday.

[Via CBC News]

LucasArts Launches Old School Games Via Steam

So LucasArts finally told us their big secret and I was part right. They did give us the release date for Secret of Monkey Island: SE which hit Xbox Live Arcade on July 15 for 800 MS Points and PC via Steam for $9.99. Yay!

But they also made the announcement that they are making available a bunch of other LucasArts games from the libray via Steam on July 8th, 2009.

* Armed and Dangerous
* Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
* Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
* LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure
* LOOM
* Star Wars Battlefront II
* Star Wars Republic Commando
* Star Wars Starfighter
* The Dig
* Thrillville: Off the Rails

Apparently this only part one of the list of the games they plan to release and will be giving us more titles in the future. I am happy to hear more games will be release because honestly I never played any of these games and don't really care to now. I still want my Sam & Max: Hit the Road, Full Throttle, Day of the Tentacle and Maniac Mansion. Maybe even the sequels to Monkey Island would be nice too.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Trailer

Finally Nintendo announced a new Zelda game at GDC last week and here's the debut trailer for it.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks follows in the footsteps as Phantom Hourglass with DS stylus control and will also continue on from where Phantom Hourglass left off in its storyline. The new game will focus around trains instead of boats this time though.

I'm still hoping for a new Zelda Wii game soon.

Square Enix Announces New Titles for Nintendo Virtual Console and Wii Ware

Square Enix announced today two new downloadable Wii Ware titles from the Final Fantasy franchise as well as a new virtual console release. Final Fantasy IV: The After Years and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord will be available as Wii Ware titles, while the orignal NES version of Final Fantasy I will be available as a Virtual console download as well.
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years follows Ceodore, the son of Cecil and Rosa from Final Fantasy IV and features a cast of characters that FFIV fans will be familiar with. This game was originally released as a mobile download in Japan.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord puts players in the shoes of the Darklord's daughter, a malevolent little Miss, charged with dispatching intruding do-gooders by strategically placing traps and monsters around the tower she calls home.

All three of these titles are planned to be released sometimes in 2009.

Big Mystery Solved: New Pokemon Game!

Cheeky little monkeys. Got my finally email today from Nintendo and yes, it was a new Pokemon game that they revealed. Pokemon Platinum!

Now this type of game I can get behind and play. Just not those Mystery Dungeon gamesas those were terrible.

Juicy News About New Fable 2 DLC

Finally! I knew there was a reason I hadn't sold off my copy of Fable 2 yet after playing through it 2 times and finishing the Knothole Island downloadable content.

The forums at the Lionhead.com have revealed that the Fable 2 development team have been hard at work on a new DLC for the game.

“Will there be any more DLC for Fable II?”.

The answer is quite simple;

“Yes”.

The team here in Guildford is working on some new content right now! More information will be shared in the coming weeks.

Though the forums don't reveal any details about the new content for the game, it's just nice to know more stuff is coming and I can continue to hang onto my Fable 2 game guilt free.

2007 Brought ... Another Email from Nintendo?

Nintendo sent me another email today with only a subject line: 2007 brought and this image. Nothing more than that. This must be a new Pokemon game coming out.

The Legacy Begins ....

Nintendo sent me a email today with the subject line: The Legacy Begins and only this picture attached.

Any guesses, because I'm stumped?

SCEA Announces Playstation Network Spring Fever Collection

Sony Computer Entertainment America is kicking off the PlayStation Network Spring Fever collection celebrating exceptional games and content releasing on PlayStation Store leading into Spring. Pulling from a renowned list of first and third party developers, the PlayStation Network community will be able to enjoy games like Flower, Burn Zombie Burn, Noby Noby Boy, No Gravity and Ragdoll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic and more on their PS3 and PSP. Flower starts the PlayStation Network Spring Fever collection with its launch on February 12 following genre defining games like PixelJunk Eden and flOw.

With more than 164 games currently available for download, of which approximately 45 percent are exclusive in the US, the highly anticipated game lineup is sure to be a success. Beyond a plethora of hot games, the PlayStation Blog will feature a variety of developer posts and videos giving gamers a behind-the-scene look into the indie development scene and learn how PlayStation Network works with these developers to bring gamers the best original gaming experiences.

Players will find Flower and other PlayStation Network Spring Fever titles – launching weekly – as well as related trailers, developer blog posts, wallpapers and more in a dedicated PSN Spring Fever section on the PlayStation Store. Check back often as new titles are released along with additional content and media.

Gamers can expect to see these games blossom throughout PlayStation Network Spring Fever and many months to come:

Flower: The pioneers that brought you the award-winning PlayStation Network title flOw are back with another concept that challenges traditional gaming conventions. Playing as the wind, the player guides and grows a swarm of petals by interacting with other flowers and the surrounding environment.

Noby Noby Boy: Noby Noby Boy: From the creator of the critically-acclaimed Katamari Damacy comes a new generation of innovative, unique gameplay and distinctive visual styles. In Noby Noby Boy, players take control of a character named BOY and are tasked with moving, consuming and interacting with all that they see, stretching their bodies to ever-greater lengths.

No Gravity: A riveting 3D shooter for PlayStation Portable, No Gravity pits players against impossible odds as they complete a variety of missions set in space, including protecting allies, destroying enemy targets, navigating minefields and much more.

Wheel of Fortune: The popular television show re-imagined for the next-gen of entertainment, Wheel of Fortune is a casual game that captures the spirit of the classic game show, with high-definition graphics and online gameplay.
Burn Zombie Burn: Taking the best of classic, high-score focused arcade games and adding an unhealthy layer of B-movie horror polish, Burn Zombie Burn is a hilarious arcade-style shooter with zombie hordes and plenty of fire. The more zombies you set on fire, the higher your score multiplier and greater the challenge. With two player support, six arenas and multiple zombie types to face, Burn Zombie Burn promises endless hours of challenginggame play.

Ragdoll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic: A fast-paced combat game with an imaginative look and feel, Ragdoll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic focuses on fun with exaggerated ragdoll physics action and charming HD visual effects. Featuring accessible and intuitive controls, even novice players can orchestrate impressive attacks with ninja-like precision.

The Punisher: No Mercy: Designed with fast-paced, online multiplayer in mind, No Mercy utilizes the power of Unreal Engine 3 to give gamers the ultimate, arena-based first person shooter experience. Rooted in the Punisher’s rich comic book history, No Mercy will please comic book and action game fans alike.

In addition to these titles, PlayStation Network will also be launching Bomberman Ultra, Celfactor Ignition, Flock, Texas Cheat-em, Diner Dash, Comet Crash, Hammer Fall, Underfire,Watchmen,Worms, Zen Pimball and many more during this timeframe.

Plus all the existing blockbuster, exclusive titles already on PlayStation Network such as Crash Commando, Savage Moon, Echochrome, Pixel Junk Eden, PAIN, Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty and more!

EA Announces Boom Blox Sequel

EA announced yesterday that a sequel to the game, Boom Blox will be making its way to the Nintendo Wii. Boom Blox Bash Party will include a new level creator feature that will allow players to upload their levels to the Boom Blox server for friends to play and the game's friend lists will still not use the friend code system.

Also included in the new game:

* Over 400 new stages
* Multiple settings that will affect the game physics, like outer space and under water
* Twice as many multiplayer challenges as the original game
* New types of blox, including virus blox and conveyor blox (whatever those are)
* New shapes, including wedges and cylinders
* New tools, such as a slingshot and a paintball gun
* Less focus on guns and shooting levels
* New characters that behave more like blox
* Aside from user created levels, EA will occasionally upload new levels created by the game’s staff, as well as levels from the first Boom Blox

[Via The Tanooki]

Prince of Persia goes Gold with Free Download

Ubisoft announced on Friday that Prince of Persia has gone gold and will be released to consoles on December 4, 2008 and in PC form on December 11, 2008. Included in this cool announcement was the new download "Altair Costume" that gamers will be able to download as a skin for their favorite Prince.

By signing up for Ubisoft.com account at www.princeofpersia.com now, players can unlock the free skin to upload to their PS3 or Xbox 360 gamertags on day one. Pretty sweet threads for the Prince

Paradox Interactive Announces Majesty 2 for PC

Back in my PC gaming days, I picked up a sim title called Majesty which had you running a kingdom. You had to build guilds, hire heroes and set quests, all in order to save your kingdom from whatever threat was attempting to bring down your people that day.

It was a very unique experience because you couldn't control your heroes directly and instead had to buy their loyalty by setting rewards for quests. The whole game ran on money management and was hard as hell.


Paradox Interactive has announced that they are now working on a sequel for Majesty and will be chronicling the development of the game over at IGN. There will be a new entry every two weeks and you can check out the first entry which talks about the change in hero control structure.

Square Enix Announces 2009 Q1 Lineup

Today Square Enix announced their gaming lineup for 2009 Q1 and there isn't a Final Fantasy title in the list amazingly.

The titles that were in the list:


Star Ocean: The Last Hope - March 3, 2009
For Xbox 360
Developer: tri-Ace Inc.


Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume - March 17, 2009
For Nintendo DS
Developer: tri-Ace Inc.


Dragon Quest: Hand of the Heavenly Bride - February 17, 2008
For the Nintendo DS
Developer: ArtePiazza


Star Ocean: Second Evolution - January 6, 2009
For PSP
Developer: SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.

Box Art Revealed for Mad World

Sega revealed the official box art for their upcoming game, Mad World and boy, does it look violent ...

Perfect for this game, if I say so myself. Looking forward to checking this unique and artsy game when it comes out.

New PSP-3000 is Finally Available in North America in Bundle Pack

Sony Computer Entertainment America today announced that the new PSP-3000 system is now available as part of a family-friendly bundle.

The Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters PSP Entertainment Pack hits store shelves today for $199.99. This limited-edition bundle marks the first-ever North American availability of the PSP-3000. This updated PSP system features a more vibrant LCD screen with a wider color gamut and anti-reflection technology, as well as a built-in microphone to enhance both multi-player gaming and Skype calls.

The Ratchet & Clank PSP Entertainment Pack offers great value to consumers looking to get the most for their money, providing both the PSP hardware and content that the whole family can enjoy.

The bundle includes:

- “Mystic Silver” PSP-3000 system
- Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters PSP game
- National Treasure 2: Book Of Secrets UMD video
- echochrome™ PlayStation Network voucher
- 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo

Debut Trailer for Wii Punch-Out!

Nintendo announced several new Wii titles for 2009 yesterday included a new Punch-Out title. Check out the amazing debut trailer for Punch-Out!!

The cell shaded graphic keep the game true to its cartoon roots and all the goofy stereo-types are there.