It really sucks to be a gamer’s girlfriend for 2012. The final chapter in the Mass Effect trilogy is about to end and we get to taste a part of it this February 14. Yes, ladies, it’s VALENTINE’S DAY so either buck up or ship out (on a side note, Billy’s not into Mass Effect, so he’s VERY VERY LIKELY to be free this valentine’s day. And last time I checked he’s looking for a date #nudgenudgewinkwink). Or if you’re like Nicole, you can just watch your Boyfie (for the love of-) kill all those aliens and save the world.

The demo will be available to Xbox, PC and PS3 users on the 14th. Also the demo will introduce the controversial 3-player coop for and for xbox users, Kinect functionality.

The demo let’s you run around the starting stage of the game where “Earth” is now being attacked by the reapers. So it’s supposed to be action packed as heck.

For more info you can visit the BioWare blog.

No more than twenty-four hours ago the gaming community was rocked by a sudden reveal trailer for Resident Evil 6, Capcom’s latest installment in their long-running survival horror franchise. The video features Leon Kennedy (former one-day R.P.D. officer turned unwilling government lapdog), Chris Redfield (S.T.A.R.S. bad-ass and BSAA commando), Steve Burnside (or at least I believe it’s Steve, based on his dialogue) and…

…GASP! could that be Ashley Graham? She’s all grown up! Hit the jump and see the dissected shots and my predictions about the game.

The video, roughly 3 minutes plus a few seconds long, show three unrelated events that lead to an enigmatic conclusion. One thing’s for certain: evil survived.

The first part depicts Leon Kennedy speaking to Helena Harper (another government lapdog) about how she supposedly “started something” in a location called Tall Oaks. Oh, and he gets to kill the (zombified) president too in a scene which is a clear homage to Resident Evil One.

Here we see Hunnigan (Leon’s intel officer from Resident Evil 4) briefing him about the situation in the said location. It seems that Tall Oaks has reached critical mass and is now on the verge of collapse from the virus outbreak.

Aside from the usual undead fare, Leon also faces a huge monstrosity resembling Left4Dead’s Boomer, which succinctly gives him a well-deserved piledriver.

Jump to China, where Chris and a squad of BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance) personnel arrive via chopper in the midst of an outbreak.

We then see non-infected civilians fleeing the scene, and a camera crew which Chris promptly pushes away as they make their move into the conflict zone.

Chris’ campaign appears to feature squad-based gameplay, as depicted by the BSAA’s strategic advances towards the heart of the torn city.

Chris also faces a B.O.W. (Bio-organic weapon) that resemble William Birkin (the inventor of the G-Virus in Resident Evil 2), which leads me to believe that this particular outbreak is of the G kind.

Aside from the usual zombies, we get to see Chris fighting armed civilians. Did Umbrella arm these civilians, or is it similar to Las Plagas?

Jump (again) to a mystery location, where we see who I believe to be Steve Burnside (The wise-cracking teenage Rockfort island prisoner from Resident Evil: Code Veronica) accompanied by someone who might be Ashley Graham (the president’s daughter and prime annoyance from Resident Evil 4). If this really is Steve, then the Veronica virus must have given him the sigil of awesome, like what the T-Virus did for Albert Wesker (THE bad guy of the Resident Evil series).

Things aren’t easy for the unlikely duo, as they are being chased by what seems to be an advanced version of the Nemesis B.O.W. (Resident Evil 3′s epic enemy, a zombie that RUNS, PUNCHES, KICKS, and CARRIES A ROCKET LAUNCHER). One thing with Steve though: he’s clearly a good match for the monstrosity with his superhuman strength and agility.

Now for the gameplay. It’s similar to the over-the-shoulder mechanic we’ve already experienced in both Resident Evil 4 and 5, along with a few (awesome) modifications reminiscent of games already seen in the market. Here we see Chris using a side-cover system similarly found in action games like Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell. In the next one, we see Leon performing a slide-and-shoot trick seen in Wanted: Weapons of Fate and WET.

It seems that Capcom also employed some Gears of War mechanics in Resident Evil 6, with Chris’ sudden stick-to-cover maneuver.

Close quarter defensive techniques were first introduced in Resident Evil for the NGC and Wii, and it seems that Capcom has taken it up a notch by allowing the player to use melee weapons found in the environment, like this axe.

Steve’s campaign is clearly melee-centric with his jumping around and doing all sorts of kick-ass commando moves on armed zombies (yep, ARMED ZOMBIES). Ashley’s no wuss either, since she provides cover fire for the Kung-Fu mercenary.

All in all, this reveal will keep haunting us until the game’s release this November 20th for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. The biggest question though is: are we ready for what could possibly be the biggest Resident Evil of them all?

If you’re a Mass Effect 3 fan and aching for some word savin’-reaper butt kicking, well, you still have a few months to go for that. However, in preparation for that fateful day, have a feat first on the demo of Kingdoms of Amalur. Why you ask? Well for one, if you played the demo of Kingdoms of Amalur (which is out now) or Mass Effect 3, you’d get exclusive in-game items for both games.

Yes that’s right, if you played the Kingdoms of Amalur demo (Xbox Live, Origin, Steam and PSN) you’d get:

• Exclusive Todd McFarlane-designed Reckoner Knight Armor for Mass Effect 3 (install the demo)
• The Powerful Chakram Launcher for Mass Effect 3 (complete the demo)

Purchase Kingdoms of Amalur and:

• N7-inspired Shepard’s Battle Armor for use in Reckoning (redeemed via EA Online Pass)

In the meantime, if you played the Mass Effect 3 Demo you’d get:

• Omniblade Daggers for use in Reckoning (redeemed in-game)

Actually, I wouldn’t have stumbled across this bit of news if it weren’t for the ever vigilant people at Datablitz Cubao for informing me of this bit of news. Thanks guys!

As we inch ever so closer to Street Fighter X Tekken’‘s March release, Capcom is seemingly pulling out the big guns for one big push to build up more hype before the game comes out. As promised by current head honcho of all things SF, Yoshinoro Ono over Twitter, six additions to the roster have been revealed, along with previously confirmed fighters Asuka Kazama (Tekken) and Rufus (Street Fighter). These are: Paul Phoenix, Marshall Law, and Ling Xaioyu for the Tekken side, and Vega (Balrog in Japan), Balrog (M. Bison in Japan), and Juri representing Street Fighter. In the meantime enjoy the cinematic trailer posted above and the gameplay trailer along with some sweet character artwork after the jump.

Of course, there are hints in the trailers as to who else we’ll be seeing in subsequent character reveals. Street Fighter X Tekken will be released on March 6 of this year for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Playstation Vita.

Source: [Capcom Unity, F*** Yeah Fighting Games (character art)]

The last entry to the Atelier brand’s Arland series of games, Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland, will be released for PlayStation 3 on May 2012.

If you have missed the first two games, the video above is an overview of what the two games are about. The official English website is also up if you want to check it out. Atelier fans, I know how it feels to wait, but waiting for a mere five months is an agony compared to a year between the first two games.

Ah, the Game Jam; That wonderful development marathon that pits creative minds against time, physical constraints and all other imaginable development obstacles in a race to create a fully-functional game (or prototype) within two days.

Known simply as the Global Game Jam around the world, this 2 day “hackathon” is now entering its third year here in the Philippines thanks to the combined efforts of developers and companies all around the country.

The Manila Game Jam will be held this coming January 27th to the 29th in two different locations: The University of the Philippines ITTC and the De LaSalle College of St. Benilde. 

A press release was posted yesterday on the Manila Game Jam blog outlining the event:

It’s that time of the year again when we join the whole world in a simultaneous game-making hackathon; the third iteration of the Global Game Jam is just a couple of weeks away! We’re very excited to announce that the registration for the Manila Game Jam 2012 is now open and we are inviting you to develop games with us this coming January 27-29.

 

Manila Game Jam 2011 was organized by IGDA Manila in partnership with UP ITTC. The event had more than 80 participants, have formed 18 teams and produced more than 20 games! Among these submissions, Speck made it to theTop Ten games on GameSauce Challenge. You can check out the MGJ site for the other games that we have featured.

 

This year, we’ve partnered with DevCon Philippines, UP ITTC and DLS-CSB hoping to make this year the best and largest MGJ event to date!  We would now be having two game sites to choose from to accommodate more participants and share this game making experience with others. You can learn more about the game jam locations by visiting the registration page.

 

Similarly from last year, a one day game making seminar will be held on January 20, a week prior to the Game Jam. Talks will be given by previous jam participants, discussing their game-making experience, tips and tricks on how to churn out a game in 48 hours.  This seminar is open for all aspiring game developers and will also serve as an orientation for the participants.

 

We’re fortunate to have the support of our awesome sponsors this year:  Manila Game Jam 2012 is being co-presented by Boomzap and Nokia, with additional sponsorship from Microsoft, Anino Games, Proudcloud, Zachtronics Industries,Introversion Software, Casual Connect, Globe Labs and Unity 3D! *whew*  Our sponsors have not only helped us in organizing this event, but they’ve also graciously offered to provide amazing prizes for this year’s participating teams!

 

All updates regarding the event will be posted on the Manila Game Jam website, as well as on the IGDA Manila’s website. Bookmark these pages for future updates. You may also join the IGDA Manila Facebook Group to keep yourself posted on announcements.

Thanks, and let’s make this year’s jam the best! See you there!

 

The Manila Game Jam 2012 Committee

Registrations are now open so if you feel like you’re up to it, come join the event and prepare for an unforgettable experience!

~ Shin

In an unsurprising move, Amir Mizra Hekmati, a former game developer, was sentenced to death by the Islamic Revolutionary Court. He was caught by the Iranian intelligence ministry spying for the CIA last December 7. In his taped confession he claims that Kuma Games, a New York city based game company was being funded by the CIA to deceive the whole world that whatever the U.S. does in other countries is a “good measure”.

After (working for DARPA), I went to Kuma (Games Company). This computer company was receiving money from the CIA to (produce) and design and distribute for free special movies and games with the aim of manipulating public opinion in the Middle East. The goal of the company in question was to convince the people of Iran and the people of the entire world that whatever the U.S. does in other countries is a good measure.

According to IGN, they tried to contact Kuma Games for comment but have yet to receive a response from the company.

[Source: IGN]

Actually the PS Vita is already on Datablitz shelves since December 29 last year. Yes that’s right! The latest portable device from Sony has finally reached our shores however the price itself may be a bit heavy. Since Datablitz is only selling the Value Pack, which costs around PHP 23,500 if you’re getting the 3G version and PHP 20,950 for the wi-fi only version.

Here’s the rundown of what the value pack contains:

• USB cable
• AC Adaptor
• Manual
• 4GB Memory Card
• Golden Abyss Pack/Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Chi + Eng
• PS Acc Pack:
  • Protective Film
  • Cleaning Cloth
  • Card Case
  • Wrist Strap

As for the games aside from the value pack I was informed that the currently available are:

• Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
• Uncharted: Golden Abyss
• Hot Shots Golf
• Blazblue Continuum Shift II Extend

If you are looking for the US ver. of the PS vita I suggest you’d wait till February since that’s the official release month for the US ver. of the Vita. What Datablitz is selling is the asia version of the unit. I asked about the date when Datablitz would be selling just the unit but they can’t give me a specific date.

In terms of the memory sticks, Datablitz will be selling 4, 16 and 32GB variants.

… It apparently exists as “Pokemon + Nobunaga no Yabou”.

According to the guys at serebii.net, a Pokemon crossover is made with the turn-based strategy Nobunaga’s Ambition. Little is known about the details of the game, however, yet from all me and my friend gathered is that it’s a turn-based tactical strategy game set in the fictional region called “Ranse”, the main protagonist uses an Eevee, the character designs are obviously from Samurai Warriors 3 (possibly for more recognition on the fact that this is a Koei game), and you use tactical Pokemon battles to dominate Japan. Also it will be released on the Nintendo DS.

All these and more when… we can get our hands on a Western Localization (with this game’s possibility being high considering that it’s a Pokemon Game, yet I’m more worried with that than ever since Koei’s games aren’t really friendly recently with localization attempts). So let’s hope for the best… and I’ll go learn some Japanese if all else fails!

After five years of development, Katawa Shoujo, the dating simulation adventure game by Four Leaf Studios will finally be released. Hopefully.

Katawa Shoujo tells the story of Hisao Nakai, whose life changed after being diagnosed with arrhythmia. He is then transferred to a school which houses students with disabilities. There, Hisao will meet five girls with varying disabilities, each with their own issues and circumstances.

The game’s demo version containing Act 1 of the game was released in 2009. The team working on Katawa Shoujo came from 4chan‘s Anime and Manga board, where ideas for an adventure game based on the sketches of Japanese artist Raita which surfaced on the imageboard early 2007 materialized.

The game will be released on 04 January, 2012 for PC. You can check Four Leaf Studios’ announcement page here.