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20th of January 2010

Just to let you know that my broadband service will be switched tomorrow; so, there may not be an update.

	After Burner Climax has been officially announced.  You will be able to download the game on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade sometime this Spring.  More
	Gamasutra has an interesting article on Hudson; the company behind masterpieces like: Bomberman and Bonk.  More
	At the Record of Agarest War Zero store, they're taking orders for pillows based on Dyshana.  Dyshana is on one side and Chaos Dyshana is on the other.  If you're interested, here's the link to the site.  More
	An Italian site may have leaked details of the Final Fantasy XIII collectors edition.  It includes an artbook, soundtrack, comic book, art cards, and a prequel novel.  This seems to be for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 versions.  More
	Front Mission Evolved will be made on the Xbox 360, which seems strange.  According to the description: "In the future, the world is a changed place.
Technology has advanced. Countries have merged into massive geopolitical blocks. But one thing, sadly, remains the same – humanity’s appetite for war. When a terrorist attack destroys one of the U.C.S.’s prized orbital elevators, the military is mobilised to eliminate the threat. Dylan Ramsey, a young engineer, finds himself quickly caught in a swirl of destruction, conspiracies and crumbling alliances. Experience his story in this high-octane third-person shooter."  Let's hope it's as good to play as it sounds.  More
	Takara Tomy, are releasing a small version of Mario Kart.  The controller even has lights for you to see which item you have picked up as well.  The mushroom, banana peel, Koopa shell, thunder and the star protection are all there.  More
	Namco Bandai has trademarked  Pac-Man Kart Rally and Pac-Man Rally Kart in Japan.    More
	Sony's dildo, err, I mean, Sony's motion controller has been delayed until the Fall.  You'll just have to wait a little bit longer for the Wii wannabe.  More

Trailer: Frozen Synapse (Mode 7 Games)

A trailer emerges for Mode 7 Games' tactical strike team-em-up! The release date for Frozen Synapse is still to be announced, but at least the above teaser gives us an idea of what's going on strategy-wise. You choose your moves, they choose their moves, you hit go, and bam, death most likely happens.

Persona 3 Portable

19th of January 2010

	Do you remember Hellgate: London?  A company called HanbitSoft Inc, a Korean publisher, have announced that they will be releasing the game in  China, Taiwan, and South East Asia; followed by North America, Europe, and Japan.  More
	Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep, for the PSP, needs to be installed to the memory card, if you want to avoid the long loading times.  More
	Nintendo have trademarked three different names for The Last Story.  Will it be a trilogy?  What will these games be like?  Only time will tell.  More
	gameswire has some new screen shots for After Burner Climax.  This Xbox 360 title is starting to look very nice indeed.  More
	Square Enix will be celebrating the best Final Fantasy music, on February 6th and 7th, in Koera.  It will be held in the The Seoul Arts Centre.  More
	Atlus will be delaying the North American release of Etrian Odyssey III: Lost At Sea.  The new date for the game is April the 1st, 2010.  More
	One of my favourite arcades games will be coming to Microsoft’s Game Room soon.  If you have never played Jailbreak, check out the footage below.  More
	Xseed will be releasing Valhalla Knights 2: Battle Stance, as a digital download in North America.  The game will be released on the PSP, this January the 21st.  More
	Transformers Animated, is the latest iteration of the animated TV series and Sega has acquired the licence.  The strange thing is that Sega will be working on a card game based on the series.  More
	Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition, will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade.  More

Jailbreak

Trailer: Closure (Tyler Glaiel, Jon Schubbe)

The first official trailer for Tyler Glaiel and Jon Schubbe's Closure is out, a puzzle platformer that is scheduled to be released for both Windows and Mac platforms sometime in 2011. An IndieCade Gameplay Innovation award winner and a PAX 10 showcase selection, Closure is also an IGF finalist in the Excellence in Audio, Technical and Nuovo Award categories this year.

Announcement: P.B. Winterbottom on XBLA This Feb 17

Multiple sites including GamePro are noting the official release date for The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, which is set to be available for download from the Xbox Live Arcade service starting this February 17th, 2010. Published by 2K Play (a division of 2K Games), the former 2008 IGF Student Showcase winner is yours to have for only 800 MS Points come next month. No plans to release on other consoles or platforms though.

Browser Game Pick: Reclamation (Zeke Brill)

Reclamation is a browser-based remake of the classic arcade game Qix, in which players have to claim a certain percentage of each level as their own to progress. This is achieved by drawing a closed shape around enemies while trying to avoid a collision with any of them. The main difference that might catch a few veteran players off-guard is that enemies can destroy your ship even when it isn't drawing a line.

There are a couple of power-up items to collect, ranging from those that reward you with a boost ability, missiles, and even a shockwave weapon that eliminates just about all arthropods in close proximity. The game offers a total of forty-two levels to play, and most players should be able to complete them all in a sitting or two at most.

17th of January 2010

	Aksys has announced BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable, which is a PSP port of BlazBlue, and will be released sometime in March.  More
	Game Republic, the company who made Catan, are releasing an English version in the west.  The game is a hard core strategy game.  More
	The Xbox 360 version of Deathsmiles will be coming to the west finally.  At the moment, there isn't a publisher but that is only a matter of time.  So keep an eye out for the six copies when they come to the west.  More
	Sonic is to star in  Project Needlemouse, but he won't be partnered by any of his useless friends.  It's a bit of a shame, as I enjoyed watching that useless fox run straight past me off the nearest ledge.  More
	Aquaplus announced at Aquaplus Festa 2009, that they are working on a fighting game that will feature characters from Utawareru Mono, To Heart 2, and Tears to Tiara.  More
	In Zangeki no Reginleiv, the small giants are five meters tall.  That's as tall as a giraffe!  Check out the trailer below.  More

Zangeki no Reginleiv trailer

Dave Jaffe talks about  Calling All Cars on his blog.  The game is to be taken down soon.  More

There is an interesting article in bme.eu.com, where they loosely compare Avatar and Modern Warfare 2.  It seems amazing that the two industries have a one billion dollar product in the same time frame.  More

Racket Boy has an interesting article, where he tries to find out how digital downloads are affecting the collectors market.  More

15th of January 2010

	Nippon Ichi will be releasing Disgaea Infinite on UMD in Japan, on April the 22nd.  It will cost 3,990 yen ($43).  I hope they release the game in the west too.  More
	I love hamsters and any excuse to talk about them is fine by me.  Game Atelier is working on a PSP title, called The Flying Hamster.  It looks like a 2d shoot-em-up with a stylised feel to the game.  More
	During a presentation, Satoru Iwata said that 100,000,000 Miis have been created.  That's a lot of bored individuals if you ask me and I bet very few resemble the person who created them.  More
	Capcom are releasing the Rockman collection (A.K.A. Megaman) on the Nintendo DS.  I think commander Tim should be very pleased.  More
	The ESRB has detailed the new game Nier.  It's the usual post apocalyptic scenario but they can offer the most interesting settings, narratively speaking. More
	When the Nintendo DSi XL is launched in Europe on March the 5th, we will also be getting Picross 3D. (A.K.A. Rittai Picross)  More
	On Korean Air, you will be able to borrow a PSPgo for the flight.  See Sony, all that money you spent of this white elephant wasn't a complete waste of money; just mostly.  More
	Sony Computer Entertainment’s London studio have trademarked Razor, The Shoot, and Wonderbook.  Possibly with the intention of using the new wand device, announced at this years E3.  More
	Sega has announced DLC for Valkyria Chronicles 2; which is a bit harsh, considering the game isn't even out here yet.   Here's a list of the DLC and how much they will cost.  More
	January 21 Crisis in Melfair – 1 player / free February 4 Strategy Battle Exercise against Squad F – 1 player / 100 yen February 11 Fierce! Melfair Market EX – 1 player / 100 yen February 18 Valley of Kougen – 1-4 player / 100 yen Scout Troop Back Course Certification Exam – 1 player / 100 yen February 25 Ultimate Challenge – 1-4 players / 100 yen

Max and the Magic Marker Demo

There is now a Unity browser-based demo of Press Play's Max and the Magic Marker over on the official site. It gives a brief idea of what you can expect. Make sure you have Unity installed first!

Freeware Game Pick: The McCarthy Chronicles: Episode 1 (Steven Poulton)

Mr Igor 'hardydev' Hardy pointed me in the direction of this chilling AGS-developed adventure story, and if you're into your point-and-click games you'd be wise to check it out too. Episode 1 of The McCarthy Chronicles follows down-and-out detective Nick McCarthy (ancestor of a certain indie guitarist, perhaps?) as he becomes entangled in a dark tale involving death, demon creatures and all those other things that make for a scary setting.

Your job is to unravel the mystery behind the manor house and its occupants. The whole game feels wonderfully atmospheric, with a film-noir setting throughout, full voice-acting and some pretty chilling scenes and sounds. It's quite a thing that the simple tick-tocking of the grandfather clock in the main hall can put a person on edge.

Definitely worth a playing. Grab it over on The Thought Radar.

Dark Void developers diary

This women called Mari Yaguchi, says that she's passionate about video games and would like to write about girls and games.

Ok.  Now you're taking this passion a little bit too far girl!

Gamershell has Coast Bike on it website and the full game is completely free.  Here is the MO from the site:

Description:
A continuation of a famous biking game Nuclear Motocross is finally here! Rock on with Turbo and many new features!

Features:
- 15 level full of surprises

More

14th of January 2010

	Sensual Phrase is another dating game; but will it just turn out to be another visual novel?  More
	Knights in the Nightmare, will be coming to the PSP on April the 22nd.  More
	Aksys is set to release  Mimana Iyar Chronicles, on the PSP, on March the 31st.  More
	Level 5 is set to open an office in Tokyo.  It is set to focus on mobile projects, new enterprises and overseas.  More
	Nintendo are working on their next pokimon game, called:  Pokemon Ranger: Hikari no Kiseki. (Pokemon Ranger: Path of Light)  You choose between a male or female protagonist and are sent to Oblivia, which has a Pichu playing a ukulele.  More
	Sony is set to release an add-on box for the Playstation 3.  It turns the console into a digital recording device.  That way you can watch the programs you've missed off one device.  More

Max and the Magic Marker Coming January 22nd

Along with the above trailer showing the game in its final state, developers Press Play have announced that their WiiWare title Max and the Magic Marker, tipped as a Crayon Physics take on the platforming genre, will be released via WiiWare on January 22nd.

In what appears to be a twist on the norm, however, the game will be released in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, with no word on a US release date as of yet. There will, however, be an online demo to try via the Max official site sometime tomorrow - we'll let you know when that appears so you can try it out yourself.

The game will set you back 1000 Wii Points.

Freeware Game Pick: Mr. Kitty's Quest (pgil)

Behold, another awesome entry into the TIGSource Assemblee competition! Mr. Kitty's Quest is the story of one cat's journey to the milk store to secure his owner a gallon of the good stuff. Along the way you shoot crabs, get attacked by strange wizardy people and visit exotic locations such as 'Dog City'.

This is a wonderful, if slightly short, exploration affair with a fair bit of RPG-mockery going on (e.g. just check out how much of that inventory space is actually used, or whether the inventory screen is even useful at all) and it's got a lovely charm to it, with Kitty bouncing along gunning down mushrooms and collecting coins whilst nearby characters spout silly dialogue. There are even a couple of boss battles to tend to.

Short but sweet. Give it a shot at Gamejolt.

13th of January 2010

	In the latest edition of Famitsu, Knights in the Nightmare was announced for the PSP.  It has been reported to be set for release on April the 22nd.  More
	Sony are working on Legend of Kunoichi for the Playstation 3.  They have 4 different trademarks for the US and it has been inferred that it could be based on ninjas.  More
	Namco will be releasing an update for Tekken 6.  The update will include online play to the brawler mode and tweaks Mokujin will be ready on Monday, January the 18th.  More
	Gran Turismo 5 will no longer meet its March release date.  Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has just replaced it with TBA.  No one saw that coming a mile off.  More

No More Heroes (Xbox 360) TV ad

Upcoming Gamma IV entries

Shown above, a video trailer for Jph Wacheski's Gamma IV entry Impulse. There are also a couple of clips from other Gamma IV entries in the extended. Most of these games will be made available for download shortly after the event itself.

Trailer: Mina of the Pirates (konjak)

The above trailer is in fact 'several years old' and features a game which has long since been abandoned. However, konjak has explained on his blog that he is considering releasing the unfinished Mina of the Pirates, apparently the longest game he has ever developed.

So you know what to do; go hit up his blog post and let him know that you would indeed like to see it released. It's amusing that he says of this trailer: 'It sure looks terrible these days'. Clearly his definition of 'terrible' is far from my own.

Zero Gear is free for one week

Nimblebit's kart racer Zero Gear has just been released via Steam, and to celebrate the game is free to play until the end of the week. All you need in a Steam account and you can check the full game out for the next 5 days.

Clocking in at $19.99, the game is also 25% off until the end of the week, so if you decide you like it, the discount may prove useful! If you need to read words about whether or not it's worth playing, there are such words on this very blog round about... here. Given, they are words regarding the beta build, but they should give a reasonable idea of what you're up against.

To play the game for free, it should have already appeared in your list of Steam games, so it's a simple case of installing it. Go see what you think.

Eurogamer are holding a tournament on January the 20th, in London.  They will be playing the new MAG game, on the Playstation 3.  If you turn up, you will be given free food and drink; you will also receive a special free copy of the game for just turning up.  More

Final Fantasy XIII "International" trailer, introduces an English theme song

150 games consoles

12th of January 2010

	From Software has announced that Armored Core 5 will be coming to the PSP.  It was announced at at the Armored Core Championship Tournament 2009 season2 Final Stage event.  More
	Dragon Quest IX is to be re-released on Square Enix’s Ultimate Hits collection.  That is a big thing and it seems quite soon, considering that it hasn't even been release in Europe.  More
	Level 5 will be bringing their soccer RPG series, Inazuma Eleven to Europe.  Their latest version of the game will be released on the DS.  More
	Check out this review on Siliconera of the game Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love.  More
	Capcom are working on a shoot-em-up, using their Tatsunoko vs. Capcom franchise.  (see below)  More

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom

EA chief, John Riccitiello, has said to expect Dead Space 2 and Crysis 2 "at full margins", within the company's 2011 fiscal year.  More

11th of January 2010

	Siliconera are debating why Japanese Visual Novels never get localised in the west.  Here's a clue; they're crap!  More
	Yoshiro Kimura, who is the Producer and Director of Little King Story, said that the game has a multiplayer mode.  For some reason it was overlooked.  More
	Platinum Games will be throwing a party in Osaka, on the 30th of January.  There will be a competition, where you can win drinks with the development team and maybe even win Bayonetta themed console.  More
	Capcom will be releasing less Wii games in 2010, but the games that are released by them will be much larger and presumably more prestigious.  More
	Square Enix is set to create Ludia’s bar in the real world.  Square Enix has partnered with a local karaoke bar in Roppongi, Tokyo.  More
	Sega are testing Hatsune Miku: Project Diva at arcades in Japan and you can check out the videos below.  More

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva

Freeware Game Pick: DEBT (Jon Wingrove)

Created for the TIGSource Assemblee contest, DEBT is the story of Owen Sterling, a spaceman with a massive amount of cash to pay off. With debt collectors on the way, it's your job to help Owen grab as much loot as he can before they show up.

The first 30 seconds of each game involve flying to your destination, dodging asteroids along the way, then it's down to the main spectacle. There are three different worlds to explore with each offering a unique difficulty level, be it harder enemies or locked doors galore. Every gem, cash bundle or golden something-or-other you collect decreases your debt and you'll need to be quick on your feet if you want to clear the whole kaboodle.

Getting hit too many times will cause our debt-ridden hero to collapse and lose a minute of his precious time, and you'll need to make sure that you get back to the ship before time is up, or you'll be charged 'interest'. Online score boards show what kind of scores you're aiming for!

As this was created for the Assemblee competition, all the graphics and sound were created by a horde of other TIGers, credit to whom can be found on the download page.

Yahtzee, from the Escapist is opening up a games themed bar with three other men.  Check it out, it looks great.  More