I got going on this idea because my first night on the job for Kotaku — covering a Godfather II event — I sliced my foot open and spent the next week limping from junket to junket. But whenever I thought I had it bad as a games journalist, I'd always remind myself that journalists in video games usually have it way worse. They wade through zombies, deal with emotionally unstable people and more often than not wind up on the front lines of wars and stuff. They're the ones that deserve a bottle of Cristal and a hug. But instead, they get this photo gallery.

Taylor — Suikoden 5
[Image Cred]

Irene Ellet — Valkyria Chronicles
[Image Cred]

Frank West — Dead Rising
[Image Cred]

Elena Fisher — Uncharted
[Image Cred]

Joseph Schreiber — Silent Hill 4

Keith Helm — Disaster Report
[Image Cred]

Ben Bertolucci — Resident Evil 2
[Image Cred]

Ulala — Space Channel 5

Everyone — Michigan: Report From Hell (never came out in North America)
[Image Cred]

Madison Paige — Heavy Rain
[Image Cred]

Laura Parton - D2

Keats — Folklore
[Image Cred]

Maya Amano - Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

Alyssa - Resident Evil: Outbreak
[Image Cred]

I give honorable mentions to the news announcers in King of Fighters 12, the sportscaster characters in any sports game ever and one to Reuben Oluwagembi in Far Cry 2 (couldn't find a good enough picture of him). Other than that, these are all I've got — hit me up in the comments if you think of more. Owen Good nominated Paperboy I assume on grounds that he would have been promoted to copyeditor by now, but I don't know...

P.S. I still have the cork from that bottle of Cristal in my purse. It reminds me of everything that's happened in the last year and how much of it I owe to Kotaku. Here's looking at another year of blogging!

That's an "incredible fantasy world"?

Okamoto told 1UP at the Tokyo Game Show that his team was developing the Tom and Jerry game for Brash, which specialized in movie-licensed titles like Alvin & the Chipmunks, Jumper and Space Chimps. The publisher was reported to have shut down operations in November, according to Variety.

Tom and Jerry wouldn't have been Game Republic's first licensed venture. It developed Dragon Ball: Origins for the Nintendo DS and Brave Story: New Traveler for the PSP.

No word yet on whether Game Republic's plans for Tom and Jerry have been shelved, but one Game Republic game that North Americans shouldn't hold out for is the PlayStation Network title Dark Mist. Okamoto says that he doesn't expect SCEA to release it in the region, despite already being localized.

Update: Apparently not! That "[laughs]" should have tipped me off that Okamoto was just being facetious about making a Tom and Jerry game. I don't get Japanese humor, y'know! Game Republic is rumored to be working on both a Clash of the Titans remake and a second 300 video game.

Yoshiki Okamoto Explains What's Up With Game Republic [1UP]

Two more Folklore add-on packs are heading to the Playstation 3 "soon", adding more quests and new folk for $4 a pop, according to Eric Fong, associate producer of Folklore.

The Alchemist Pack has Ellen heading for Undersea City in search of her mother and includes side quests which have you collecting stones for an alchemy experiment. The pack also includes the Scarab Folk and a new costume for Ellen.

The Origin of Belgae pack includes three new quests which have you taking on the rites of teh ancient messenger, searching for the source of a noise and using a photo to solve a new mystery. The pack also includes the Radian Folk and a Cloak of the Deep for Ellen.

More New Folklore Tales Coming Soon [Playstation Blog]

In addition to those the new togs, a new quest for Keats dubbed "Holy Night Visitor" and a new Folk that goes by the name Grab Bag—it's a gaping mouthed present with legs—will also come with your download. Not bad!

A Holiday Gift to All Folklore Fans! [PlayStation.blog]

The Malion (Spore Lion) runs circles around the enemy whilst creating an intoxicating spore cloud from its tail and thorny mane. When the prey is dazed The Malion jumps in for the kill. The tail and claws are primary attacks, but this Folk is highly poisonous... wear protective gloves! The Malion fears fire.

We don’t think so.… (laughs)
The design of the controller is entirely different, so we don’t think it could be played in the same way.

No. The game is designed with the SIXAXIS in mind.

The Orange Box (X360, PC)
Half Life 2, and HL2: Episodes 1 & 2, as well as Team Fortress 2 and Portal. Who could ask for anything more?

Sega Rally Revo (PC, X360, PS3, PSP)
Race your heart out.

FIFA Soccer 08 (X360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PC)
FIFA 08 come to every platform you could wish for.

Folklore (PS3)
Help solve a series of murders with the help of the absorbed powers of the Folk.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions (PSP)
Get all tactical with the latest Final Fantasy offering.

Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer (PC)
NWN2 gets it's next expansion.

Bleach: Shattered Blade (WII)
The popular anime makes an appearance on the Wii.

Bleach: The Blade of Fate (DS)
A second Bleach game for the week, this one for the DS

Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (PSP)
Go on secret missions for your boss, the legendary Han Solo.

[via PS3 Fanboy]

Wanted: Designs for a new Folklore character

Online competition winner will see their design become an in-game character for the supernatural PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3) thriller

o We're looking for a new inhabitant for the Netherworld - will you be its creator?

o Legendary Executive Producer Okamoto-San to sit on Game Republic judging panel

o Enter your design at eu.playstation.com before 22nd October to enter

If you're an imaginative gamer with a taste for the otherworldly then Folklore on PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) is for you. The skilfully-woven tapestry of colourful landscapes and characters, gripping supernatural storyline and intuitive, motion-sensitive gameplay takes place in the mysterious Netherworld - a supernatural realm populated by Folks whose powers must be captured and harnessed in order to survive. There are over 100 Folk, each with their own unique personalities and individual style of combat - and now we want gamers to provide one more.

That's right - we're looking for one more Folk to inhabit the Netherworld, and we're running an online competition to find the budding artist who can design the character. If you can conceive of a supernatural creature worthy of sitting alongside the gelatinous Agar Agar, the spike-furred Bugaboo, the boulder-bodied Spriggan or the cavern-mouthed Fomoire, we want you to send us your design. Full entry details can be found at eu.playstation.com. The winning design will be turned into a real, in-game Folk by developers Game Republic - and will be downloadable from the PLAYSTATION®Store.

Entries will be judged by a panel from Japan's Game Republic studios that will include Yoshiki Okamoto, a.k.a. Okamoto-San - the iconic Executive Producer of smash hits Resident Evil™, Devil May Cry™ and Genji™. The competition will run from September 28th to October 22nd - so get busy designing.

To see more of Folklore, head to PLAYSTATION®Network now to download the new playable demo that will provide the clearest indication yet of the adventures waiting for characters Ellen and Keats as they search for answers to a 17 year old mystery in the village of Doolin and the Netherworld beyond.

The good stuff is right here, though. For anyone who might've missed it, Sony has uploaded a high-def version of the Metal Gear Solid 4 Games Convention trailer, "Beauty and the Beast." Clips for Heavenly Sword, Timeshift and Haze are also ready to invade your sectors. Wallpapers for WarHawk and flOw round out the gaming content.

So, kick back in your super cool pad, curl up to your special someone and make it a PlayStation Network night. Watching progress bars fill is the definition of a romantic Friday night.

Thanks to all who sent this in!

Isabelle Tomatis, Marketing Manager PSN commented, "Folklore is a game we are really excited about and we recognize that not everyone can afford to get to Leipzig. PSN gives us a new way of talking to and rewarding our loyal fans so we have decided for the first time to get them on the inside track with the early release of this demo! We hope they enjoy it and look forward to the feedback".

Exclusive FolkloreTM Demo Set For PlayStation®Network

· Download the Folklore demo exclusively from PlayStation®Store

· Act fast - this exciting demo will only be available between August 22nd - 31st

· Get an early taste of this dark adventure exclusive to PAL PLAYSTATION®3 owners

Leipzig, Germany, August 22-26 - On 22nd August, Folklore™, the new mystery action-adventure title for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) is set to get its European playable debut at the Leipzig Games Convention in Germany. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is pleased to announce that the Folklore demo shown at Leipzig will be exclusively available for PAL PS3 owners to download on PlayStation®Store as a sneak preview from August 22nd - August 31st. After August 31st this demo will be removed from the store forever, so get downloading now to discover the game for yourself without having to travel all the way to Germany!

Isabelle Tomatis, Marketing Manager PSN commented, "Folklore is a game we are really excited about and we recognise that not everyone can afford to get to Leipzig. PSN gives us a new way of talking to and rewarding our loyal fans so we have decided for the first time to get them on the inside track with the early release of this demo! We hope they enjoy it and look forward to the feedback".

Folklore is a skilfully-woven tapestry of beautifully-detailed, colourful landscapes and characters with a gripping supernatural storyline and intuitive, motion-sensitive game-play. Set in the Irish village of Doolin, players soon discover that the village hides a mysterious gateway to the Netherworld where it is rumoured that people can commune with the Dead...

Folklore has been created by Japan's Game Republic studios under the guidance of iconic Executive Producer Yoshiki Okamoto, the creative genius behind Resident Evil™, Devil May Cry™ and Genji™. The demo will offer the chance to experience:

Ø Compelling mystery storyline - Folklore has two parallel yet distinct storylines running through the game - each with its own twists, turns and intrigue.

Ø Meet the Folks - Fight, capture and control the Folks, nightmarish creatures that inhabit the Netherworld, and use their incredible powers for yourself.

Ø Real-time combat with SIXAXIS™ functionality - players must latch onto Folks' souls and "reel" them in by flicking the controller at the correct moment.

Ø Amazing art-style inspired by Celtic and Western mythology - enter the world of Folklore and be transported to 7 fantastic realms of beautiful scenery, wondrous imagery and nightmarish creatures.

This exclusive demo will give PS3 and PSN fans a unique and intriguing look at one of the year's most original titles - so head over to PlayStation®Store with your PS3 and download the demo now - you don't want to miss out!

New movie trailers for Pixar's WALL-E, The Brothers of Solomon and The Lives of Others join new PS3 wallpapers for Blast Factor: Advanced Research and, again, Heavenly Sword. This update is so solid it makes me want to do our secret, multi-step handshake—you know, the one that ends with us doing a little hip bump and double finger gun snap-point at eachother?

Folklore Create-A-Creature Contest [Sony]
[Thanks, Sethmilk]

Folklore really seems to bridge any and all cultural gaps. Not only do the characters appeal to all audiences, but the themes of death, love, and redemption are about as universal as it gets. So far, anyone that has played Folklore immediately connects with it. The sound and graphics grab the player's attention, then the combat system and story line draws them into the experience.

I've ruminated on it. Given it a couple of hours to sink in. I reserve the right to rescind my statement at any point between now and its American release. But I think Folklore might be the most beautiful game I've ever seen.

While many of you might disagree, it gets an automatic elevation in assessment by not being set in the future, nor a traditional high fantasy world. Instead each of its seven worlds—of which I saw two—are developer Game Republic's interpretation of Western fantasy ideas, with a pronounced lilt towards Celtic imagery, as filtered by English fairy tales. Like the elves with luminous skin and pink ears, haughty angular aliens, who live in each of the worlds and act as your guides. I would talk to each one in turn, even though I'd read their simple gameplay instructions already, just to see the camera zoom in on their models as they spoke.

Do you know how in older Japanese games it is common to have one really gorgeous character portrait that is referred to when someone is speaking, while the gameplay characters are usually smaller and less intricate? Imagine if someone made a game where every character model looked as good as one of those lovely manga watercolors. Because that's what Folklore looks like.

Part of what makes the art direction so sturdy are the two themes balanced against each other: stereotypical protagonists (one moody girl and a fey journalist) in a traditionally English fairy tale setting, with leering trolls and incongruously assembled mechanical hobgoblins clad in fluted metal armor and flying leather straps with clanking buckles. (The materials physics are top shelf.) And the thing that clutched at me, made me flush, was the male protagonist's default
gait: he sidles along with his hands in his duster pockets, barely concerned with the tromping circus of spiny enemies he'll soon be combating by evoking the captured spirits of other fairy tale creatures. It's a little bit steampunk and a little bit Alice in Wonderland, although I'm told it's set in the present day.

To capture those glowing spirits of the imps you dispatch (the better to wield their powers to your own end), you grasp them with a licorice rope of glowing energy, then whip back the Sixaxis controller, like some lasso-wielding Old West Ghostbuster. Once captured, you can map your new power to one of the four face buttons, expending mana to instantly summon the spirit. Some will attack, like the translucent giant who springs out of your back to lob an exploding mortar from his iron cannon, while others protect you in a sphere of energy. As far as I could tell, your only attacks come from captured spirits, but of course you start the game with at least one. (You'd be otherwise
offenseless.)

Folklore is the sort of action game that I rarely play.
(Although I am questioning if I should have spent more time with Devil May Cry, a previous Yoshiki Okamoto game.) But it is likely I will play it from start to finish when it arrives later this year, simply to see all of the art Game Republic has created, even if the gameplay itself is pedestrian.

Joel Johnson

Over a game site Next Generation, Tim Rogers has the rundown of this week's Famitsu scores. For the unfamiliar, magazine Famitsu has four editors rate games on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best. Here are the noteworthy mentions:

• Saints Row: 9, 8, 8, 9 Comments include "Gives the player a good sense of freedom" and "It's like GTA, with awesome graphics!"
• Folkssoul AKA (Folk Lore): 8, 9, 8, 8 Comments include that the game handles atmosphere and game play excellently.
• Shadowrun: 7, 7, 7, 7 Comments include "Sense of cooperation in the online mode is excellent".

This Week In Japan [Next-Gen]

PS3 title Lair is getting a newfangled name for Japan: Rise From Lair. It's not unusual for titles to get localized for release — for example, take FolksSouls which was retitled Folk Lore for the West. No word whether the game will be retitled for the West, but geez, we hope not! Rise From Lair sounds like a poorly titled sequel to Lair. Brian Ashcraft

Rise From New Title [IGN via Joystiq]

Irritating thing about MotorStorm in Japan? No online. Irritating thing about Resistance online? The games were server based. So living in Japan meant that I'd only play with Japanese folks — Which is fine. But, you know, sometimes you want the death matches to have an international flavor. Sony just sent out an email saying that Resistance will be on region-less servers now, meaning Japanese people can play online with North Americans and Europeans. Other details? Sony also mentioned that a FolksSoul (Folk Lore) will be getting a playable demo starting June 1st, and the Japanese version of MotorStorm will *finally* be getting online. Guess I shouldn't have sold back Resistance. Guess I should buy MotorStorm! Brian Ashcraft

Thanks, Riyu!