One of the stranger revelations from today’s Nintendo Direct presentation was a teaser for a mysterious collaboration between three of the biggest Japanese game publishers. Capcom, Sega, Namco Bandai, and Banpresto are collaborating on the mysterious 3DS game that doesn’t have a title, release date, or even any details yet. What it does have is the game equivalent of a rock super-group.
A teaser site (via Andriasang) shows a blue gloved hand typing in a code. The site reportedly states that we won’t be able to guess the identity of the game, so you can probably discount whatever first comes to mind.
It’s worth noting that Banpresto has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco since 2008. The company’s game development efforts were folded into the parent company, while the brand remains in use for manufacturing toys and prize machines in arcades. Mentioning the Banpresto name could mean the 3DS game has some kind of arcade or toy tie-in, or it could have been invoked to remind Japanese gamers of some of the company’s beloved properties, like Super Robot Wars and Magna Carta.
The combination of talent sounds intriguing, but most rock super-groups fall apart and produce albums that are only a shadow of their members’ best work. Let’s hope the same doesn’t hold true in video games.
The Simpsons have starred in their fair share of video games. Now, the long-running sitcom is crossing the threshold into the mobile platform. EA is working on a free-to-play iOS game starring the Springfield cast, which will use microtransactions as shortcuts to speed up game progress. The game is due sometime soon with an Android version scheduled to hit a few months after the iOS version.
CNET (via Touch Arcade) reports that the game is called Simpsons: Tapped Out. It starts as Homer wipes out the city with a nuclear explosion that leaves all of its citizens safely unharmed. The player is tasked with rebuilding the city and taking on quests starring various Simpsons characters. Lisa, for example, helps clean up the city first. EA promises the rest of the family, along with characters like Duffman and Hans Moleman.
The microtransactions connect to the in-game economy. You can buy doughnuts with real-life money and spend them on upgrades, but it won’t be necessary to complete the game. “People that don’t want to pay can still enjoy the title,” said EA senior mobile publishing VP Bernard Kim in the announcement. “People who are more impatient can throw a little bit of money at it.”
Tapped Out uses the show’s writers and voice actors, and even summons the show’s self-deprecating wit to poke fun at mobile games and microtransactions.
“We want this to be one of the biggest titles this year,” said Kim. “We’ve invested a lot. It’s absolutely a top-tier development priority for us. Hardcore Simpsons fans will get a lot out of it.”
After a vague tease earlier this month, Frictional Games has taken the wraps off of the follow-up to Amnesia: The Dark Descent. But unlike the original, Frictional is only publishing the game. Development duties are being given to Dear Esther developer thechineseroom.
Joystiq reports that the sequel is titled Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. The game is set for PC like its predecessor, and the studios are hoping to release it before Halloween.
The plot involves Oswald Mandus, a rich industrialist who just came home from a trip to Mexico. His foray south of the border “ended in tragedy,” and Mandus has been struck with a terrible fever that renders him unconscious. In his state, he dreams of an evil machine. When he wakes up, several months have passed, and the machine actually exists and has started running. Creepy, no?
Dan Pinchbeck, the writer of Dear Esther, notes that this isn’t a direct sequel, since it doesn’t involve the same characters or continue the same story. Instead, he says it’s another story set in the same alternate-history universe.
EA has pulled its iOS game Battlefield 3: Aftershock due to quality concerns. The free game received poor reviews upon hitting the App Store, and EA’s mobile division apparently paid attention to players’ concerns.
IGN received a statement on the company, which is fairly blunt about its reasons. “EA Mobile is committed to delivering mobile entertainment experiences that are on par with the content and quality users have come to expect from their favorite EA gaming brands,” the statement read. “To this end, we have decided to remove Battlefield 3: Aftershock from the App Store and are currently re-evaluating the app in response to the consumer feedback we’ve received. We thank all the fans who have downloaded the game to date.”
Thanking gamers for suffering through a poorly-made game seems an odd response for the publisher. Given another Battlefield game is set to arrive on the App Store later this year, we can only hope that those that purchased Aftershock will be better treated next time around.
Nintendo detailed the Kid Icarus: Uprising multiplayer modes at today’s Nintendo Direct presentation. The modes include an all-out battle royale, and a multiplayer mode more similar to VIP modes in various shooters.
“Light vs Dark” is a team-based battle and VIP mode, in which each team drains the other team’s health meter. The last defeated team member when the bar is drained becomes an angel, and whichever team defeats the opposing angel wins. The game also has a “Free-for-All” mode, in which six players combat each other directly — akin to a standard Deathmatch mode. The six players can include CPU opponents, so you can still play if you don’t have five friends. Both modes are available to play through local wireless or online.
You’ll also be able to use weapons that you’ve unlocked in the single-player mode in multiplayer. You can customize your own character with weapon and power combos to fit your play style, and you can fuse weapons at the Arms Altar. The StreetPass functionality comes into play by sharing “Weapon Gems.” These represent the weapons of players you’ve encountered, and you can purchase them for yourself by paying with hearts. You can also fuse Weapon Gems together.
Kid Icarus: Uprising is set to hit March 23 for $39.99.
The Starhawk beta is now open for all PlayStation 3 owners, as the game prepares for its May launch. The team promises that within the next few weeks, they’ll be adding a new map, vehicles, weapons, and 32-player matches.
This is a beta, of course, so Lightbox is soliciting feedback from players on the Starhawk Beta forum. The developers have noted a few tips for beginners on the PlayStation Blog. They advise you to build new structures rather than repeat them, use mics, and plan your Skills to complement your play style.
The beta has gone through several iterations of exclusivity, from a code in copies of Uncharted 3 to a private beta to a PlayStation Plus beta. The game is finally available for everyone, giving it a few months to test before it releases on May 8.
A new Brain Age game is in the works for the 3DS. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said it will focus on concentration and memory exercises. Sometimes the two will combine for harder challenges, and the floating head Dr. Kawashima will get devil-horns (seen above).
Iwata said during the presentation that the game will keep players from repeating exercises, since that makes players tired of them. The focus on memory and concentration exercises is to combat “information addiction,” according to Iwata’s account of Dr. Kawashima’s vision. “We now have access to information wherever and whenever we want,” Iwata said. “Since we now rely so much on these devices we might have stopped using our brains so much, lost our restraint, our ability to control ourselves and be patient.”
Meanwhile, North American gamers will have to control ourselves and be patient. It’s set for launch in Japan this summer, but no North American release plans have been announced.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is getting a new co-op survival mode. The new “Shade Survival Mode” will be available in March, and Naughty Dog has released a lone screenshot (above).
Naughty Dog’s tease promises to be “fiery,” so it’s safe to assume that these “Ghost Rider” enemies will be a focus in the new mode.
The team teased this along with the new Flashback Map Pack 2 that’s coming later today. Both the Flashback pack and the upcoming Co-Op Shade mode are included in the Uncharted 3 Season Pass. You can check out a trailer for the Flashback maps below.
Aion will be taking the increasingly popular step of switching to a free-to-play model. Developer NCSoft announced that the new pricing structure will come alongside the game’s 3.0 update this Spring, which will also bring an increased level cap, housing, mounts, new zones and instances. This announcement comes two months after the game was announced as F2P in Europe.
Free-to-play members will have access to the full game and both expansions. NCSoft is rejiggering the starting area to make it easier to jump in. If you’d like to try it out now without waiting for the F2P to hit, the team is extending its free trial level cap to 40, and letting older players re-up free for 14 days. Everyone participating before the switch will get increased XP and other boosts.
The 3.0 update will bring a new level cap to max out at 60, houses for players to decorate, a new mount system, six instances including a 24-player raid, and two more zones.
In the European announcement, NCSoft announced that F2P players would have limitations on character slots and chat channels, while Veteran players would have more freedom. Gold (paying) subscriptions would see the loosest restrictions of all, and get various perks. It’s likely we can expect similar tiers in the North American free-to-play model.
Ironclad Games, creators of Sins of a Solar Empire, have announced a new fantasy twist on their most famous property: Sins of a Dark Age. The real-time strategy title will be the studio’s take on the “Hero and Commander Strategy” sub-genre that’s all the rage with the kids these days. The game will be free-to-play and is due later this year.
You’ll join a team of one Commander and a squad of Heroes to work against the enemy in short, fast-paced multiplayer matches or AI scenarios. Heroes will be on the front lines battling to gain experience and unique abilities. Commanders, meanwhile, will take a more big-picture view of the battlefield: building bases, training units, and directing forces. Commanders can also use their more powerful “Realm Powers” abilities to turn a battle in their favor.
“Sins of a Dark Age is something totally unique in the strategy genre,” said Ironclad co-founder Blair Fraser, in the announcement. “Like Sins of a Solar Empire, which blended 4x with real-time strategy, weâve taken our favorite elements of traditional RTS and action RTS and added our own twists and turns that result in a completely new and unrivaled strategy experience.”
You can sign up at the game’s official site now for a chance at a slot in the game’s beta.