Kotaku

Zoë Mode Sets Up Home In London

Ah, my darling Zoë Mode. I knew Brighton was too small for you. You're a big city girl, with hopes and dreams that Brighton just couldn't contain. The rebranded Kuju Brighton is launching a new studio in London in order to make room for the influx of talent the rhythm game developer has seen since they unveiled their adorable mascot last year.

“Since we re-branded last year we have had an enormous interest in the studio from both publishers and new recruits” says Ed Daly, Studio Head. “Following on from our huge growth in Brighton where we are now approaching 150 staff, we felt the time was right to open a second studio. This will enable us to take on more projects and staff without losing the intimate company culture that is so central to our approach”.

The new stdio will hit the ground running, with two projects lined up for the new team, overseen by current Zoë Mode Brighton executive producer Nick Rodriguez.

The Witcher: DuelMail Becomes The Witcher: Versus

Remember The Witcher: DuelMail, the free-to-play browser fighting game based on the hit PC RPG that ate up a whole lot of productivity when it went into open beta back in March? Well the beta is over, and the game has a new, more sensible name - The Witcher: Versus. More than 48,000 people participated in the beta, offering feedback that brought about changes in the release version of the game. Updated features include multi-channel chat, a new player tutorial, enhanced graphics, and a more demanding character development system so you can fully customize your character's skills.

I'm assuming they also fixed whatever it was that was letting me kick so much ass in the beta version, as evidenced by the frustrated comments in the original post. Only one way to be sure though...head over to The Witcher: Versus and challenge the powerful sorceress Kotaku to a duel. Muhahahaha.

The Witcher: Versus [CD Projekt Red]

Entertainment Weekly got their hands on a new Star Wars: The Force Unleashed trailer that delves into the story of the upcoming Sith-centric game. I wouldn't go and watch if you want your knowledge of the game and its story to remain virginal. Otherwise you absolutely have to go check it out because it's got some amazing gameplay shown off, including walkers being cut in half and some blistering combo attacks by the apprentice. Makes me want to play it some more.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed [EW]

Majesco's E3 Lineup - AWAY With Major Minor

Majesco is bringing it's 'A' game to E3 this year, with a strong line up of titles for the Nintendo Wii and DS ranging from the quirky and curious to the deep and involving. By far the most intriguing game in my opinion is Major Minor's Majestic March for the Wii, which reunites the Parappa the Rapper team of Masaya Matsuura and Rodney Greenblat. Along with Major Minor, Majesco's Wii line up includes Cooking Mama World Kitchen, the house remodeling title Our House, and Zoo Hospital, which is a bit like Trauma Center for the arguably less-evolved set.

On the DS they'll be showcasing the recently announced Mistwalker RPG AWAY Shuffle Dungeon, featuring the combined talents of famed RPG creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, character designer Naoto Oshima and composer Nobuo Uematsu. Trying desperately to outshine that title on the DS will be Wonder World Amusement Park, Babysitting Mania, and physics-based puzzler Marker Man Adventures.

Between Major Minor and AWAY, this is shaping up to be the most exciting Majesco line up in years. Hit the jump for more info.

So what does RPG giant Square Enix have in store for E3 2008? Why RPGs, of course. The publisher's lineup doesn't come as a surprise to anyone who's been following the company since last E3. Starting on the portable side of things they'll be showing the remake Chrono Trigger for the Nintendo DS, along with Dragon Quest: Chapters of the Chosen and the Final Fantasy IV remake, with the PSP represented by their two Star Ocean remakes First Departure and Second Evolution. In console land we'll get a look at Xbox 360 exclusives Infinite Undiscovery and Star Ocean: The Last Hope, as well as The Last Remnant for the 360 and PlayStation 3. Topping things off will be Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes, the company's new iPod game.

Also represented will be two DS titles from Square Enix subsidiary Taito, EXIT DS and The Legend of Kage 2.

Notice anything missing here? Not one mention of any of the Final Fantasy titles for the PlayStation 3. This could mean there is something special in store from PS3 FF fans, or it could simply mean they aren't showing anything, which would make me very sad. Hit the jump for more info on Squeenix's E3 08 line up.

Making Friends At The Japanese Police Station

To: Crecente
From: Bashcraft
RE: Don't Leave Us Hanging

Tonight's Night Note is kinda long, so I put it after the jump.

What you missed last night
What Are The Top Selling Games Of 2008 So Far?
Fallout 3 Refused Classification In Australia
Patapon 2 Announced, Let's Look At It
Mega Man 9: Cheap As $10 Chips
Cliff Bleszinski Wants Fewer Buttons
This Wii Hard Drive Is So Damn Phony (And Funny)
Does This Banjo Kazooie Video Confirm An Xbox 360 Motion Controller?

1942 Coming in Two Weeks

Capcom's classic arcade shooter 1942: Joint Strike hits the Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in just two weeks, the company announced today.

PS3 owners get the game on July 24, while Xbox 360 owners get it on July 23.

The new 1942: Joint Strike will include 2-player online cooperative play, updated graphics and music by Backbone Entertainment and a new score by Norihiko Hibino, a composer best known for his work on the Metal Gear Series.

1942: Joint Strike takes inspiration and influence from the ‘80s 194X series of World War II-themed vertical arcade shooters. The art, sound and gameplay of the new game take cues from the original 194X games, but will stand out as its own unique entry. Gameplay will resemble the classic 2D style that gamers expect, but the game utilizes a fully 3D engine. Set in a World War II-themed locale, stages, vehicles and weapons have the look and feel of WWII with some stylistic differences.

In less than a week Electronic Arts will be showing off Rock Band 2 to the world's gaming press at this year's E3. To get your motor running a bit early, Harmonix dropped this fat fact sheet and these images on us.

First things first: If you already own Rock Band and you buy Rock Band 2 all of your songs will transfer over automatically and free o' charge.

Rock Band 2, which hits the Xbox 360 this September and the PS2, PS3 and Wii later this year, includes a number of new tweaks both to the software and hardware. Some highlights:

The new and improved drums and guitar peripherals will be compatible with the original Rock Band and original instruments will work with Rock Band 2. The new guitar will have a sturdier strum bar, quieter buttons and be wireless. The new drum kit will include a metal reinforced pedal, quieter pads, velocity sensors and... be wireless.

New Mini-Campaigns
Custom Set Lists
Online World Tour
Drum Trainer

That's right, Rock Band 2 will literally teach you how to play drums.

We weren't allowed to play with the new instruments when the game was showed off to press last month, but I did manage to grope the drum kit for a few seconds when no one was looking. The pedal looked like it would stand up to more abuse and the drums themselves had a thicker rubber like feel to them. I'm certain they would be much quieter. The guitar, well the guitar looks just kick ass.

Hit the jump for tons of details and a pic of the fancy new instrument.

What Are The Top Selling Games Of 2008 So Far?

We're slightly at the half-way point, so it's a good opportunity to look back. What games have been selling in Japan? And how many copies? The latest issue of Famitsu has crunched the numbers and drawn up a list of the biggest selling games of 2008. Let's take a look at the top ten:

10. Wii Play (Wii) 411,416 copies
9. Mario Kart DS (DS) 416,935 copies
8. Mario Party DS (DS) 497,547 copies
7. Wii Sports (Wii) 544,958 copies
6. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3) 576,437 copies

Not sure which is more impressive: A month old game like MGS4 making it into the top ten or a two and a half year old game like Mario Kart DS doing it. YOU DECIDE! Hit the jump for the top five.

And by "refused classification", we really mean banned, since without classification it's illegal for retailers to sell the game in Australia. In an unsurprising move, the Australian Office of Film & Literature Classification have, hands bound once again by Australia's refusal to allow games to be rated R18+, deemed elements of Bethesda's upcoming RPG a little bit much. There's no word yet on just what the board found unsuitable, but seeing as the game involves drug use (Blitz) and extreme gore (Soldier of Fortune) - two things games have previously been refused classification for - you could probably take your pick.

It's Official: Fallout 3 Refused Classification In Australia [Kotaku AU]

People liked Patapon so much that Sony Computer Entertainment Japan went and decided to put out another. That's right, this winter Japan will see Patapon 2. While the previous title was single player, the sequel will feature four player multi-player mode as well as new characters. PON-PON-PATA-PON!

Hit the jump for another look at Patapon 2.

Upcoming fighter Tatsunoko vs. Capcom looks pretty nuts. It also looks like it'll rarely be seen outside of Japan. So this is probably as close as most of you are going to get to seeing the game in action. Make sure you enjoy it, then!

Sony Combines Zombies And... Google Earth

If it was up to me (and it's not), and I could combine Google Earth with one thing, I would combine it with zombies. Well, that's EXACTLY what upcoming Sony Computer Entertainment title The Last Man does — it's like they read my brain! Details are scant, but the top-down PS3 game has players use Google Earth to rescue large numbers of people by having them follow you to safe escape zones and avoiding gray matter eating zombies. Sounds like it'll be a PSN game and sounds like it will be totally awesome.

The Last Guy [Official Site]

No More Heroes Mobile Is Less Bloody, More Adorable

Suda's No More Heroes is violent. It's also really, really stylish. Those are the two things the game's probably most renowned for, so when a Japanese mobile version of the game turns up looking neither stylish nor violent, should you care? Yes! Because there's not just one mobile game, there's three of them, they take Travis and co. and turn them into fat-headed children, and because each game only costs ¥100 (USD$0.95).

NO MORE HEROES FLASH ゲーム [Game Watch]

British Sales Charts

David Hayter Has "Massive Respect" For Hideo Kojima

David Hayter does not have problems with the Metal Gear Solid franchise or Hideo Kojima. Sure, he might've disagreed with the some choices, but hey, that's natural. Hayter's a creative guy, not some mindless drone, and there are bound to be times when people don't see eye-to-eye. Setting the record straight, Hayter writes over at the IMDB boards:

This is patently ridiculous. I love those games immensely and have nothing but massive respect for Mr. Kojima. I did mention one disagreement I had regarding the climax of the game, a question of character, but this is just par for the course when many people work on the same piece.

From the videos we posted, it certainly seemed like Hayter was joking. And besides, what's wrong about disagreeing? A man's entitled to his opinion, and Kojima is free to make the game however he sees fit. That doesn't mean there's any ill feelings! Hit the jump for the full message:

First Look At PAIN Amusement Park Add-on

If you haven't had enough PAIN, Sony and developer Idol Minds are bringing more with an amusement park themed add-on. In PAIN: Amusement Park, players can fling their ragdolls around, well, an amusement park. As Sony producer Travis Williams explains:

This time you can invite your friends to join you. We have online multiplayer capability so you can finally pit your skills against other people on the PLAYSTATION NETWORK. We also support the new PlayStation Trophies. This might be useful to see how awesome your competition is before you challenge them to a PAIN game.

There's a trailer right up there which should illuminate further. Moving pictures always help, we find.

First Trailer and Preview [PlayStation.Blog]