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?

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.

Teacher and student love has always been adorable. The English patch for A Kiss for the Petals – Sweet Enchanting Kisses (その花びらにくちづけを　あまくてほしくてとろけるちゅう) is now out.

The seventh installment in the A Kiss for the Petals yuri eroge series tells the story of Takako Suminoe, a teacher in St. Michael Girl’s Academy elementary (or junior high?) department whose encounter with a charming little girl with a very familiar last name sparks into a heartwarming, yet tumultuous relationship between a teacher and a student in love.

Patch is available at AXYPBWorld.

EagleGame is soon to launch a new casual online game that is in search for the best SUPERSTARS in town!

Talking about being SUPERSTARS, EagleGame (also the Publisher of HighStreet5 and Rappelz) invites you to venture the all-in-one musical face-off in the 3D SNS platform, SHOWTIME!

ShowTime is a new free-to-play 3D casual musical online game which drags players in the spotlight of the Center Stage. This is not just a run of the mill singing or dancing online game, SHOWTIME is something extraordinary. In ShowTime, players can choose to sing or dance, and to top it off, TALK with other players. You heard us, Talk, not just chat, as in talk to them via your microphone. This is very similar to Skype (or TeamSpeak for those hardcore gamers out there), but with the technology embedded inside the game itself! Why chat, just Talk. Why words, just Dance, Why texts, just Sing with latest Karaoke technology.

ShowTime is also filled with distinctive features. Some of its unique features to look forward are fans system, audience system, interaction system, voice dancing system, big amusement square and guild PK system, and there are more to come. Players can also choose among the thousands of character avatars and engage in advanced customization.

More to these, ShowTime marks a new beginning of one-of-a-kind 3D SNS. The advantage of this platform that will totally hook players is its combination of karaoke, dancing and socialization capabilities. You just have to see it to believe it. ShowTime will unleash the best in every player, with hundreds of songs to choose from, a great community interaction, and perfect avatars for characters.

[Dragona PH Official Website]

If you’re looking for more reasons to jump in and play DC Universe Online but you’re a little apprehensive because it’s subscription based? Don’t be apprehensive anymore! Since this coming October, the DC MMO will now be Free-to-Play. Yes, that’s right Sony Online Entertainment finally decided to go Free to Play for DCUO.

Of course the F2P business model change would mean that there will be segregation betwen those who are playing for free, those who spent on the game and those who are still paying the monthly subscription. Here’s a rundown of the segregation once October sets in:

Free players

• Access to all current areas and missions
• Two character slots
• Can join guilds
• New game packs purchasable as microtransactions

Premium – if you spend, or have ever spent more than $5 in DCUO

• More character slots
• More invenory space
• Can hoard more money

Legendary – $14.99 a month subscription

• All new level packs included as part of the cost
• 15 character slots
• 80 inventory slots

Meanwhile, those who bought the lifetime sub prior to the F2P will get Legendary status for LIFE.

If you want to know more about the F2P move you can access the FAQ on this link.

Luna Plus New Features:

• Playground System
• Mount System
  • Devil Mount
  • Mechanic Mount
  • Flying Mount
• Cooking System
• New Race
  • Maijin
    
    • To be able to have a Maijin however you need to have a character that’s on level 50 or above.

For tghe complete info on the events and the updates that’s coming with Luna Plus, you can visit the Run Up PH site on this link.

Gamescom 2011, the annual gaming event held at Cologne, Germany was the epicenter of one of the year’s biggest releases. Steam’s own take in the Massive Online Battle Arena genre, Dota 2. The CG trailer released at Gamescom featured a lot of familiar characters from the country’s currently most played network game. While the trailer didn’t show anything else aside from a merchant talking and some characters in action, it’s a good preparation in what we can expect from the art style of the game.

Incidentally, we also have a team sent to compete in the Dota 2 tournament with a million dollars as grand prize.

You know what? This game is eating up all the game time I had right now because it was that good. And this is all about boats… and adventures… and history… and exploring places that I shouldn’t go to. It’s like the game is calling me!

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the game I am currently playing on that eats up the rest of my time. This is Week 6 of MMO Shenanigans and this game has a pretty unique theme… for an online game, of course. This of this game as a mix of history and “Sid Meier’s Pirates!”, minus the negatively historically harsh aspects finally dipped in Koei’s historically inaccurate, yet famous, Awesome Sauce. This is Uncharted Waters Online. Arrrgh, mateys!

Uncharted Waters Online

Country of Origin: Japan/South Korea

Genre: Nautical Simulator MMORPG

Company of Origin: Koei, Netmarble

Playable Servers: Gpotato (Global)

Gameplay Status: Playing

Uncharted Waters (known in Japan as “Age of Discovery”) is one of Koei’s remaining and surviving titles that started it roots during its NES days, alongside “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” of the turn-based strategy genre and Nobunaga’s Ambition, its RTS equivalent. Uncharted Waters is a simulator that  takes you back in the 16^th Century where you play as Leon, a Portuguese captain who ventures to territories with his trusty ship, discovering new territories, trading cargo, and fighting evil pirates that come for your shipment.

Of course, the sequel, Uncharted Waters: New Horizons had new characters that gives the players more variety as they level up the chosen characters’ careers in order to progress through story modes. Though due to poor sales in the West (one of the reasons involves the rising popularity of Sid Meier’s Pirates), Uncharted Waters’ sequels and ports were only released in Japan and around East Asia and gained a strong cult following from it.

Cut to about a decade or so later where we Westerners rediscovered and revived the Uncharted Waters franchise in our English-speaking countries in the form of the spin-off MMORPG by Netmarble, a Free MMO distributor from South Korea, and servers by GPotato (The MMO server company behind Aika, Global FlyFF, and Global Luna)

In Uncharted Waters Online, you are a character residing in one of the six starting empires: Portugal, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, England, and France. Throughout the early parts of the game you get to enroll in an academy that teaches you one of the three paths that can be your career throughout the entire game (Though I do advice to you players to play through all three courses and just favor one of the three that suits your playstyle):

•  Adventurer: A curious class where you venture through unknown territory and find treasures and discoveries in the process. This class is pretty fun if you like… well… adventure! My character is recently in the Adventurer’s class, since let’s face it, I love me a Flapjack/Adventure Time reference sewn into it.
• Merchant: A class that involves trading items to other parts of the world. Really good class if you are into getting money easily. This path features the supply and demand ideal of economics where trades from farther cities sell more than selling in cities nearby. The golden rule of trading in this game? If the target town already has the thing your carrying, don’t sell it.
• Maritime: The Navy/Marine-type class where you specialize in battling enemy ships in hostile waters. If you guys are into combats and the PvP aspects of the MMO, this is a good class to specialize in.

THE BAD STUFF:

1. This game is a lot more complicated that it leads on. (Even if it makes the game challenging in a good way.)

Oh yeah, and this game is 32 flavors of complicated.

Your lifeline is your ship. Without it, you won’t go through places and do your business. Most of the game will involve you sailing your boat and checking the wind currents and waves so that your ship can move faster. To move your boat, you hire sailors and buy food, water, lumber, and cannon ammunition for the long voyage ahead. The voyage can be really rough so you buy things from the item shops in order to prevent real disasters from happening. It’s also mandatory to obtain skills so that your trips won’t cost a lot of money and items, and that you need to use your vigor (stamina) in order to use such skills. Restoring Stamina can be used by the help of buying food from the tavern, or eating at one.

In order to get skills, you have to pay money and find the right guild or person who will gladly teach you some skills. If you want to get money you either get some as rewards from quests, sell items that you don’t need, or get them from enemy ships.

Going to country to country is one thing if you reside in Europe. Going outside Europe sea territory however involves hostile waters, in other words, enemy ships roam free (or near the coastline) and will destroy you in the middle of a specialized trade/adventure/mission to other countries. There will be times where certain parts of the sea will turn to safe waters, but it’s pretty limited and lasts about a week in real time. Also, watch out for unexpected storms, sharks, and krakens while you spend time doing something important.

Oh, did you get all of this? Because this only above covers about 5-10% of the contents of the game. The rest would take me forever to type!

2. Voyages are really long.

Doesn’t it suck that you spent an hour voyaging from Europe to Asia (in the fastest boat possible) just to get spices and returning back to Europe at the same time (if you can survive starvation, mutiny, invasions and random chaotic shenanigans that can only be saved by an active eye… or dolphins?)

Yeah.

Artist’s Rendition of 3 Hours worth of voyaging just to go on a Spice Trade to and from Asia… and realizing that her ship was on fire after a dinner break.

In this world: One in-game day is one minute. And voyages from place to place takes about (in shortest) 2-3 minutes. So if you want to go all around the world and back in one piece, learn how to be patient and when things happen, let’s hope people will help you along the way. Best way to go to long voyages at sea is by fleets and by a company with players who have different skills.

3. An Incredibly Long Tutorial Mode.

The tutorials are in the form of schools where you learn about the magical world of sea exploration and yes, there is a lot to learn about Adventuring, Trading, and Fighting. And in order to actually succeed in the game, you must have to go through all 3 courses because that will ensure easy fame and easy money before going through the really hard parts of the game.

Though the school levels you’ll be going through in the game? Three. One for basic, one for intermediate, and one for advanced and each of the schools you’ll be going to will include a graduation test in order to progress to the next level, and you know it takes grinding and continuous voyages around Europe so that you can level up your preferred skills and whatnot.

And after all that, I just graduated one course. ONE. So having two more courses and three levels can take a long time. A REALLY long time. Also, even if you are incredibly experienced with this game, you will still go through another long voyage of tutorial mode when you make a new character.

Advice from me: stick to one character.

4. The incredibly cheap ambushes are the most annoying problems you will ever face in this game.

Okay, so you are sailing along the sea with your teeny tiny boat, with a ship full of goodies and chocked full of hopes of getting to your destination before your supplies ran out. Then a pirate fleet with ships bigger and stronger than your own little boat just pulverizes you, leaving you with almost half of your rations, your money and cargo and the boots on your feet stolen, and if the ship actually pulls off a critical damage to your little baby ship and you don’t have the life preservers nor the Rescue Skill…

… Congratulations, you are derped. HARD.

A Cautionary Tale to all the new players… get an awesomer ship.

5. Other Bad Stuff such as:

• Some translations are pretty inaccurate to the point of misleading.
• No Gender differencess in Country-unique Storylines. In other words, female players of this game will automatically be preferred as male. You also tend to flirt with female barmaids as female…. Wait.
• Only one in-game universal currency: Ducats. And Ducats haven’t been recognized until the 19th Century.

THE GOOD STUFF:

1. It’s challenging and unique.

I think I had this reason why I was so in love with this game: It’s this unusually different from all the other MMORPGS that I ended up enjoying it more than I should. It’s that feeling of going to new places and exploring through new territories that can thrill someone so.  Maybe it’s the fact that it looks like it’s one of…

No…

DANGIT!

Alright! I should have played those other games in order to make this an official MMO Shenanigans segment, but let’s face it, I am a sucker for Koei and I believed they started the entire nautical MMO idea first. But you get my drift.

The controls are easy to get, but really difficult to master. First time I tried to go on a voyage, I spent to much time finding a way to actually learn the directions of the ship, only to realize that I need to doucle click on where to go and let the waves take me to auto-sailing mode. Still, it’s a step up from manual level-ups and 02Jam.

2. So Many Paths to Choose… so Many Things to Do!

Each country has a unique storyline that alters whenever you are in a different country of origin. I think the France Event quests involve a handsome (Zhou Yu-esque) art dealer/revolutionary fighting against a tyannic countess. Or something in that ranks. But it does raise your fame points. I personally am now in the Ship Battles part of the event, but my boat is too inadequate to defeat a fleet.

Aside from choosing your preferred course in one game, each course has their own set of professions which favor different skills which can be leveled up a lot easier, which can be a big advantage to strengthening some of the more useful skills in the game. Take being a fisherman as your profession, where the chosen skills by that profession will be automatically unlocked in every Adventurer’s guild, while an expert skill (fishing) will be the one where your skills can be leveled up the most in your quests.

The much harder professions will take the form of quests from faraway guilds, where completing that quest will give you a slip and a change to change to more interesting professions. Personally, I want to be a Folklorist. Or an Artist.

Speaking of which, you go on quests. It’s more likely the quests that fits your choice of skill levels and your overall character level. Though I personally hate getting Quest Meditation Permits as rewards, when I can just go to another country to get new quests. XD But they are pretty useful.

3. This game has incredibly beautiful music.

The in-game music was inspired from the music from the first and second Uncharted Waters games, which both the old games’ music were composed by the famous Yoko Kanno. It does have a lot of cultural flavor in each of the tracks, from the accordions in Marseilles, the Guitars from Lisbon, and the regal feel from London among many others. Though I want a more epic Pirates of the Carribean-like music for the voyage music instead of a waltz.

But it did have a really solid music soundtrack. Especially when you start battles with other ships.

4. Countries are pretty accurate… for a Koei game.

Although this is from Koei, a company famous for them over-exaggerating history in order to make the game interesting, this game at least got their country interpretations almost right. You do have to enter into different countries with a language skill (body or spoken) and a level of disguise in order to enter the country and do whatever you feel is necessary.

Also, you might find some of the important landmarks when you enter a cetain location. Yes, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is in Pisa, and there is a sight of some Greek ruins in Athens, you get the deal. Glad Koei really does make the in-game graphics more lovely for recommended graphics that can be accessed to most computers (including some old laptops) Some Historical figures take the form of NPCs where you can report discoveries to.

And what Koei game can’t be complete without a Sengoku reference. Sadly, I have yet to see an Oda Nobunaga NPC.

Though I will remove some points from adding Sirens, Krakens (I don’t care if it’s just a rumor!), and Ghost Ships.

5. Other Good stuff includes:

• This game has a pretty nice way of helping newcomers of the game by the means of a School Chat system. Also, it’s never too late to join a company and receive help from experienced players of the game! I got my own epic boat with the help of a really good friend there~
• Tarot Cards as Buffers/Debuffers. Why not, right?
• I think I just saw Amalia from Kessen 3 as a Cameo somewhere…
• Dolphins!