So your other half refused to buy you the game you wanted, or your parents bought you the right game but for the wrong console? Never fear, there is still a way to keep up with the Xbox Live Gamer Point Christmas rush. Go for the free options.*
So the much teased “full cinematic trailer” for Mass Effect 2 has finally made it to Xbox Live and consequently, quickly leaked to the almighty YouTube.
The full trailer is basically the original version posted on 12 December with a extended combat sequence tacked on to the end. Although it’s much of what we’ve already seen, it looks absolutely great.
The epic RPG is hitting the shelves on 26 January in North America and 29 January in Europe for both the Xbox 360 and PC.
Not caught up with your RSS reader for yesterday’s feeds yet? Never fear – here is a round-up of the top gaming news from yesterday:
No-one knows why yet, but Kotaku reports that Street Fighter publisher Capcom is delaying all of its major titles slated for H1 2010 to between April 2010 and April 2011. This effects AAA titles such as Lost Planet 2, Super Street Fighter IV and Dead Rising 2. No definite dates have been confirmed for the release dates of these games.
That’s right. The Guitar Hero Van Halen add-on has been released into the wild. I can’t imagine this will be as ground-shattering as The Beatles Rockband, but I suppose Activision need to try and keep up some how, eh?
Edge magazine has published an intimate interview with Eiji Aonuma, one of the key brains behind the Legend of Zelda series on games past, present and future. Aonuma reveals that he regrets “not doing all the things that perhaps with hindsight Nintendo had the capabilities to do” with the last major LoZ game, Twilight Princess and feels more could have been done to boost its epic feel.
It looks as though Sega/Platinum Games’ upcoming 360/PS3 game Bayonetta has won the hearts and minds of reviewers everywhere this week. In particular, IGN’s Martin Robinson awarded the game a whopping 96/100.
RPGs have come a long way since the days of the Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star-dominated world of the early nineties, since then we have had the groundbreaking Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the free-roaming worlds of Fable and Elder Scrolls and the post-apocalyptic Fallout series.
Though many of the most innovative RPGs are being created outside of Japan these days, the land of the rising sun is still seen as the development center for RPGs. It’s heritage in weaving dramatic storylines with typically turn-based combat is virtually unparalleled, but the (Japanese) RPG formula devised in the ’80s has been left largely unchanged.
Lissar at Dilly Dally, Shilly Shally has kindly translated the whole Final Fantasy XIII web novel originally posted on the official Japanese game website.
There are 20 chapters there in total, so it’s going to be one hell of a read, but let’s face it; it will be a good way of passing the time and brushing up on your Final Fantasy XIII lore before the game’s international release on 10 March.
So it looks like Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator or Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey and – of course – the Final Fantasy series is readying a new project announcement for Spring 2010.
IGN reports that in a recent blog post at the Mistwalker official site, Sakaguchi wrote, “I thought we’d announce the new title within the year, but it’s running a bit late. My apologies. Next year, perhaps Spring?”
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It’s screenshot Monday!
The latest entry comes from Bioware’s much-anticipated Mass Effect 2, due late next month. The developer has teased us with 10 new screens from the return of Commander Shepard including some shots of the revised menu system revealing some detailed customisation options. Unfortunately, it looks as though all of the in-game screens have come from one level – either that or every level looks the same.
Take a look at the gallery below to see the screens in all their Bioware-iffic glory.
I don’t know about you, but I practically squeal with excitement as more and more screenshots leak from Final Fantasy XIII since its Japanese launch last week. Below are some coolest ones to emerge most recently – plenty of contemplative sunset shots for your pleasure…
The 500th game to hit the Wii Virtual Console comes in all-star Nintendo form. The original Super Smash Bros. for the N64 graces our screens once again to give us a chance to replay the roots of what is now a staple per-Nintendo-console-generation title. Looking at the game makes you realise how the franchise hasn’t really developed all that much over the past ten years. But why fix it when it isn’t broken, eh?
