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  Sakura Note’s First Trailer

  Marvelous’ Sakura Note is going about this the right way. It’s nice seeing a trailer that’s able to set a real tone through nothing but music, kids and some gameplay footage.

  By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2009
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  Blizzard’s Next MMO Will Be “Significantly Different”

  Blizzard can’t work on World of Warcraft forever. Eventually, they’ll release a new MMO. And when they do, apparently it’ll be “significantly different” to their current world-destroying cash machine. “I think the (new MMO) is going to be significantly differentiated enough [from WoW],” Blizzard’s COO Paul Sams told Wired. “Such that, you’re not going to…

  By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2009
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  Gran Turismo 5 (Probably) Getting Simultaneous Worldwide Release

  Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi has revealed that, if the stars align and the moon is in the seventh house, Gran Turismo 5 will be given a simultaneous worldwide release. This would be a first for the series, whose last outing – GT5 Prologue – was released in the US four months after it was…

  By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2009
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  How Is Beatles Rock Band Gonna Do?

  While, yes, Rock Band is extremely popular, the series isn’t cheap to make. The franchise has been a money loser for parent company Viacom — not because nobody is buying (tons are!), but because of the plastic instruments. It’s costly to make and ship the plastic instruments to retailers around the world from plants in…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009
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  Export LEGO Rock Band Tracks To Rock Band

  Those of you with children, younger siblings or a LEGO fetish may want to send Harmonix a fruit basket today, because it’s been revealed that anyone picking up LEGO Rock Band will be able to export its tracks. So if you own Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and LEGO Rock Band, you can put all…

  By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2009
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  What Square Enix Games Are Playable At Tokyo Game Show?

  This month brings the Tokyo Game Show to…Chiba, Japan. And what games is Square Enix bringing to TGS? Minus the Japan-only Lord of Vermilion II arcade game and Japan-only cell phone games like Kingdom Hearts: Coded, the list of Square Enix console games appearing at TGS are: Final Fantasy XI: The Vana’diel Collection 2: Trailer…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009
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  New Okami Is Coming To The Nintendo DS

  Those hoping for a hi-res, hi-def sequel of the PS2 classic Okami, keep hoping. Capcom is making a new Okami, but for the DS. As predicted by 7-Eleven, your source for Japanese game news leaks, the new issue of Famitsu does feature an article on a new Okami game called Okamiden. That’s a snapshot of…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009
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  The King of Fighters XII Patched Up For PS3

  A patch, a patch, The King of Fighters XII has gotten a new online patch for the PS3 version. The patch fixes in-game issues such as buggy character combos and optimizes online matches. This update fundamentally changes the way game data is processed and synchronized during online matches, placing greater importance on the game’s response…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009
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  Queen Strutting Onto Rock Band

  My only main concern with SingStar: Queen was, well, the fact it just made me want to play the songs in Rock Band instead. Something I’ll soon be able to do! A “competitive analysis” chart obtained by Wired – drawn up to show how Harmonix’s Rock Band offerings compare to Guitar Hero’s – has revealed…

  By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2009
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  Wii Fit Plus Will Be Out On October 4

  Speaking at the GameStop Manager’s Conference in Las Vegas tonight, Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime has revealed the launch details and pricing for Wii Fit Plus. The bundle – which is the Wii Balance Board and a copy of Wii Fit Plus – will retail for $100. Those who already have the Balance Board can opt for…

  By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2009
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  Two New DSi Colors For America

  There are already two DSi colors in American: blue and black. Compare that to Japan, where there are five DSi colors. While Pink and White DSis are already available in Japan (along with Black, Lime Green and Metallic Blue!), the colors have not been sold in the States. Nintendo of America has announced White and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009
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  America Gets Black Wii Controller, New Bundle, No Console

  The black Wii console launched in Japan on August 1, complete with black Wiimote, Nunchaku and Classic Controller. If you wanted Wii MotionPlus, that’s only in one color: White. This holiday season, Nintendo is bringing black Wii peripherals to America, but hasn’t yet announced a new black console. There’s also a new bundle: the black…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2009
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  A Snapshot Of The World’s PC Gaming Rigs

  I just logged into my Steam account, and was asked to take part in a hardware survey. You all know what that means. It means it’s time to take a look at Valve’s latest hardware survey results! Released periodically over Valve’s online marketplace and gaming service, the immense popularity of Steam means these figures (the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 31, 2009
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  Square Enix Considering Final Fantasy XIII DLC

  The worst kind of DLC is stuff that should be in the game, but isn’t. The best DLC adds to the game experience. Square Enix is currently churning over the idea of including DLC for upcoming role-playing-game Final Fantasy XIII. Says FFXIII producer Yoshinori Kitase, “Our plans for [Xbox Live and PlayStation Network] are currently…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2009
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  PS3 Firmware 3.0 Is Live

  The new firmware update has it, bringing new XMB functionality, a status indicator, a friends list redesign, dynamic themes, avatars, and much more. Free and premium avatars show up in your status bar, but the most prevalent of the changes is a status bar in the top right of the screen, which shows your avatar,…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2009
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  What Series Will Sony Re-Release On Blu-Ray Next?

  On the one hand, Sony’s decision to re-release God of War 1 & 2 on Blu-Ray seems selfish. A chance to force many people to re-purchase a game they already own. But on the other, it sets an interesting precedent. After all, it’s not like the set is being released out of the blue. There’s…

  By Luke Plunkett Published August 31, 2009
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  The Most Epic ‘M’ Rating Any Game Ever Got

  Brütal Legend’s ESRB rating summary just went up, and damn right it got an M – for MËTÅL. Double Fine’s reaction, according to the Brütal Legend Twitter, was something along the lines of a “hell yeah it is!” The ESRB’s full listing is honest and straightforward, but I can’t help but be taken back to…

  By Owen Good Published August 31, 2009
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  Activision Boss Bets Games Will “Eclipse” Movies, TV

  Bobby Kotick, chief executive officer at Activision Blizzard and hero to gamers everywhere, is nothing if not confident. He’s so confident in the video game industry that he sees the potential for it to surpass movies and TV. That may be because his company is sitting on some of gaming’s biggest franchises—Call of Duty, World…

  By Michael McWhertor Published August 31, 2009
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  Metroid Prime Trilogy Lost its ‘Damn’

  In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Admiral Dane expresses his frustration with the Space Pirates by letting out a rather mild profanity. “Damn,” to be precise. In the Metroid Prime Trilogy, which released a week ago, it’s been scrubbed. See for yourself in the above comparison, uploaded yesterday by YouTube user ThunderChaosStudios. The cleanup didn’t affect…

  By Owen Good Published August 31, 2009
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  See Valhalla Knights for yourself

  My preview of the upcoming Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga for the Wii seems to have a lot of people up in arms about graphics, gimmicks and general Wii skepticism. Far be it for me to be the only way the game can represent itself to skeptics and optimists alike. Get a load of this trailer…

  By AJ Glasser Published August 31, 2009