Look to your left. There’s no use denying it; there sitting beside you is your imaginary friend, right? Tommy... or Trevor...? Yeah. Well it’s time to say goodbye to him I’m afraid, because you’re soon going to be saying hello to Milo, who is a far better buddy then him... sorry Trev. Well, maybe not, but that is essentially what Milo is looking to be at the moment: a friend who is way better than the ones you’ve already got in that he never asks you to lend him money or games which you’ll never see again!

In all truth, Peter Molyneux (Milo’s creator and game designer luminary known for the likes of the Fable series- notice Milo's hobb tshirt- and Black and White) isn’t saying anything much about what exactly Milo is at all, which has led to speculation as to whether or not Milo is going to have a proper storyline to play through or whether he is just going to be a human Tamagotchi or Nintendog. However, Molyneux has claimed that it is the former, with some kind of narrative driving the game on with an adventure some description. So Milo won’t just be a bright kid who you can enjoy an intelligent conversation with for a change, he’s going to also be the lead character in some kind of story.

Read More  »

Almost a month has passed since Ubisoft ushered us back into the world of Assassin’s Creed with their disappointing first of two DLCs: ‘The Battle for Forli.’ Set half way through the main narrative of ACII, this game saw Ezio fight for Forli as well as to protect the precious piece of Eden he had recently acquired. Not that he did a good job, however, as the DLC closed with it being stolen by the sinister monk, Savonarola. And so this set the scene for the next helping of ACII DLC.

Today, when browsing the LIVE Marketplace, I noticed that the DLC had been released slightly earlier then I had anticipated. Like ‘The Battle for Forli,’ it was also priced modestly at 320 MS points, so hoping that this wouldn’t mean another second-rate experience, I downloaded it and was pleasantly surprised.

While this is not by any means amongst the best DLCs we’ve seen, this is still a decent entry on Ubisoft’s part, and I did rather enjoy spending some time back on the sunny surface of Florence after spending a large amount of time in the dark deep beneath Acre on ‘Dante’s Inferno.’

Read More  »

In the same way that they did with 'Fable II,' Lionhead are going to be releasing episodic 'Developer Diaries,' each revealing to us various differant aspects of their upcoming game: 'Fable III.' Within this first diary, you will find numerous hints as to what we might find when we return to Albion, just be sure to scan the backgrounds behind the talkers otherwise you might miss the hints at underwater levels and an awesome Albion version of the famous 'Your Country Needs YOU' poster.

As to the game, here are some of the facts revealed in this diary:

• The loveable dog will be back.
• The graphic style will be similar to 'Fable II's.
• Loading screens are still here *sigh*.
• There's going to be a new 'Extreme Morph' emotion.
• You weapon's appearance will reflect the way it is used.

Here are some facts Peter Molyneux has announced additionally:

• This game will not be entirely Natal based *phew*.
• The touch mechanic will allow you to take the homeless by the hand and watch them resist as you lead them to the workhouse, or watch them obay eagerly as you take them to your home.
• In co-op, you'll both get to play your own heroes.
• Magic powers will be much more effective and spectacular.
• The graphic style will be sharper, if similar.
• There are two more cool features yet to be announced...

To me, this wait for 'Fable III' is becoming increasingly like torture. But the wait shouldn't be much longer, as Molyneux has confirmed that we will be seeing this game at some time this year.

On the surface of things, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars Review looks like to be the rightful successor to Marvel vs. Capcom 2; the spirit of teamwork, hectic, over the top fighting and a hugely accessible gameplay. But in practice? Well we can thank Capcom and developers Eighting for not just delivering an exciting fighting game, but also giving Wii owners a title they can be proud off.

It’s a given that many won’t know much, if any, about Tatsunoko and may feel they are an odd choice when compared to X-Men, Marvel and SNK characters. This is perhaps why we don’t get as many characters when compared to most of the other vs. series games. However, what we do get is a fine selection itself, though you have to ask where is Ken? And why is the Mega Man in Ultimate All-Stars the one from Mega Man Legends? Minor quibbles aside, you’re bound to have fun with characters familiars such as Ryu and Morrigan, to new stars like Yattaman-1 and Polimar.

Read More  »

Rockstar has revealed a selection of pre-order bonuses available from retailers in the United Kingdom. Red Dead Redemption is being released on 30th April 2010, if you’re interested in purchasing the game I recommend you check out these pre-order bonuses. Bonuses include a special war horse, gold weapon pack, deadly assassin outfit and a Brady Games mini guide. Check out the press release below in Rockstar’s own words:

Read More  »

Cast your mind back a year ago, when you might have felt a large time gap in your day-to-day routine. This was quite possibly because you had just finished your hunt for the last of those pesky gargoyles in Lionhead's impossibly addictive Fable II and it was time to come to terms with the fact that you had finished the game. Whether or not you then had to attend Albionics Anonomous meetings is your business, not mine, but rest easy, for rumour has it that the production Fable III is drawing near an end, and soon enough you will once again be roaming the lands of Albion, but as its ruler.

You might already have a basic idea on what Fable III is going to be about, but for those who don't, you're going to play the child of your Fable II hero (if you have a Fable II saved game, of course) who has become the ruler of Albion, but has since been murdered for the throne. It is therefore your quest as his heir, during the first half of the game, to take back the kingdom that is rightfully yours from this tyrant. In the second half, you're going to go about having an awesome time as the actual ruler, making difficult moral decions which will shape your appearance, personality and even your entire kingdom dramatically! I know, I can't wait either!

Read More  »

The force is once again with us, it seems, as Lucasarts have announced their newest upcoming release. It was in 2008- the time when the caped crusader wowed us and Indy picked up his whip again- that another movie sequel slipped in, episode 3.5 of George Lucas' epic 'Star Wars' saga. I refer not to the god-awful 'Clone Wars' flick, however, but the awesomly cinematic 'Star Wars: The Force Unleashed' video game, of which a sequel is now on its way.

Selling fantasically and being met with a mostly positive critical response, it is not surprising that a sequel to this game is next on Lucasarts' agenda and it's already looking good with the release this great teaser trailer, which will leave you feeling as if you've just been the target of an extremely high voltage force lightening attack. For those who have played the original game, however, this trailer will raise many more questions then it answers, and Lucasarts , being greedy Siths, are keeping plot details entirely to themselves. So watch and ponder over this awesome trailer, thinking up questions which are currently set to be answered some time this year. May the force be with you!

Has it really been almost 17 years since I played Rocket Knight Adventure on the Mega Drive, a game that is one of the consoles greatest games, thanks to bold visuals, catchy music and fun-yet-challenging gameplay that still holds up to this day. Indeed it feels like it was just yesterday that I was completing it again and again, each time on a higher difficulty level. That was followed by the sequels, released on the Super Nintendo as well as the MD with the SNES offering more superior due to better graphics and better gameplay, though the MD version is still decent.

Point is, Rocket Knight Adventure and Sparkster were fantastic games and the series deserved to be continued. But for whatever reason, Konami decided to stop there and focus on other games and it looked like the rocket knight would never get a game as the years go by. Then all of a sudden, Konami announces that Xbox LIVE Arcade, PlayStation Network and Steam will be getting a sequel (being developed by Climax Studios), titled Rocket Knight. It’s as if my years of praying for such a thing were finally heard.

Read More  »

The much anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City for the PC and for PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system is coming this spring – on March 30, 2010. For the first time, PlayStation 3 and PC players will have the opportunity to experience the last two thrilling chapters of the Grand Theft Auto IV saga together on one disc.
The two action packed episodes, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, will also be available for download via PlayStation®Network and Games for Windows®-LIVE on March 30, 2010.

In The Ballad of Gay Tony, players explore Liberty City’s high-end nightlife as Luis Lopez, struggling to balance the temptations of money and vice against loyalties to family and friends. The Lost and Damned is a dark trip through Liberty City’s seedy underbelly as outlaw biker, Johnny Klebitz, fights to keep his gang together as a rift in the gang’s leadership threatens to tear the brotherhood apart. Both episodes feature a slew of new vehicles and weapons, and each episode adds new activities including cage fighting, gang wars and BASE jumping.

Well I guess the saying patience is a virtue is true in this instance, but I wonder whether PS3 and PC owners even care. It’s like someone giving you there old toy once they’ve had their fun with it, but then again who can resist more Grand Theft Auto. Who knows when the sequel to GTA IV will be released, if you ask me Episodes from Liberty City was a long time coming to PS3 and PC owners. Not one developer or publisher out there can afford to make their games platform exclusive in this day and age, simply because no one is recession proof.

Read More  »

The second gameplay trailer has been revealed, educating gamers on the weapons and deaths you can expect to see come 30th April 2010. Rockstar Games RAGE engine and Natural Motions Euphoria physics engine synthesizes animation on the fly, making every turmoil and death a unique one as seen in Grand Theft Auto IV.

Players can wound enemies in different limbs, depending on where a shot is placed you will see your enemies crawl and dismembered of their weapons leaving the fate of their lives in your hands.

A distinctive feature in Red Dead Redemption is the dead eye targeting system, which allows you to freeze time and place several targets on enemies. With the unleashing fury of one button John delivers his targets with a penetrating bullet.

Weapons of choice range from revolvers, rifles (sniper rifle, buffalo rifle, repeater rifle), shotguns, gatling gun, throwing knives, fire bottle (molotov) and dynamites are currently the confirmed weapons at hand in the game. Just as GTA you can buy weapons in the game from ammunition shops.

With another month almost marked off the calendar we’ve got just three agonizing months left until release. Despite the rumors of Rockstar’s recent troubles with its employees and Red Dead Redemptions development the game seems to be right on track sticking to 30th April 2010. Let’s just hope they keep it that way, be sure to enjoy watching the latest trailer above.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Ultimate All-Stars looked like it wasn’t going to be released in the west after all. In fact, next to Yakuza 3, it seemed like it would be the most likely game (since it was revealed) not to make it to Europe and North American shores. Well thank God that Capcom managed to pull it off. It’s a bit complex how the localization came to be but in a nutshell, Ultimate All-Stars will have some new characters and online play via Wi-Fi.

And it’s about time, since we haven’t had enough fighting games that can showcase the frantic, over-the-top action Capcom manage to produce when they teamed up with Marvel. While the Super Smash Bros series, Guilty Gear series, and Blazblue contained hectic gameplay, I don't think those games came close to the action MvC 2 provided, something that Ultimate All Stars promises to deliver.

Read More  »

In part one, we looked at the gameplay. This time I’ll be looking at features that will should help White Knight Chronicles stand out, which is a fair bit since  Europe and North America will be reciving the international edition of WKC. That means were in for some nice extra treats that shows you how much Level-5 appreciates JRPG fans in the west.

The nifty extras we shall be receiving are over 50 disc-based online quests which can be done on your own or with friends, voice chat so you can praise and insult your team members, and live talking where conversations will take place during your travels (just like those in Dragon Age, which means this will either be entertaining or annoying).

But the most exciting feature is the inclusion of the Georama. Fans of the Dark Cloud series will tell you this is one of the best aspects of the games and it’s so cool to see it come into WKC. This time, Instead of building a village to satisfy the non-player characters, you do so because a) you can show off to your friends and b) more importantly you can go on quests can get some unique equipment.

Read More  »

Unlike other film franchises that release disastrous video game tie-ins just in time for a films release, Saw has taken it’s leisurely time to be developed into a video game. The question is has it made a difference to deliver the gut wrenching, gore gushing, terrifying and squeamish experience it’s motion picture counterpart conveys? 

Players take on the captivated detective David Tapp, who has been healed of a gunshot wound courtesy of Jigsaw at a price and placed in a murky asylum. In the first stage of the game Jigsaw rather kindly puts you in a locked toilet with a reverse bear trap on your head.

From here on in it’s very clear that the games have begun, if you manage to survive the bear trap you are presented with your first puzzle. In the toilet is a mirror with a set of numbers which unlock the padlock for a door.

Jigsaw now plans to teach you a lesson due to Tapp’s obsession, with perusing Jigsaw who is known for making people play his sick twisted games, which forces players to ultimately take one another’s life with no blood on Jigsaw’s hands.  

Tapp plays the biggest role in the game as you learn that Jigsaw has placed a key in your lower abdomen. The key plays a major role in the game of other people imprisoned just like you in the asylum, making you a moving target with a bounty on your head.

Saw follows the familiar pattern of it’s motion picture counterpart; Jigsaw has handpicked a handful of people who don’t appreciate life and plans to show them otherwise.

Read More  »

White Knight Chronicles is the latest game from developers Level 5 and it’s the company’s first project for the PS3. Despite the PlayStation 3 being just under three years old, WKC will be the first major RPG developed for the console. But it couldn’t come from a better company, since Level 5 have a deserving reputation for producing amazing games. Part one will look at the gameplay aspects of WKC.

Read More  »

As we only begin to catch our breaths after engaging in some mind blowing modern warfare, Treyarch are already hard at work preparing for the next Call of Duty release to follow the immense experience that was Modern Warfare 2. Although many will be disappointed by the absence of Infinity Ward in favour of CoD 3 and CoD: WaW developer, Treyarch, it is impossible not to get excited by the prospect of another Call of Duty game on the way, especially seeing as rumours suggest that we are saying goodbye to both World War II and the near future, and are saying hello to a new setting and war entirely.

Read More  »