Kingdom Hearts 3D – the planned 3DS Square Enix/Disney cross-over role-playing game from Tetsuya Nomura – will connect to the yet-to-be revealed Kingdom Hearts III.

It'll do so both in terms of gameplay systems and story, Nomura told Famitsu magazine (translated by Andriasang).

Apparently it's possible the ending of Kingdom Hearts 3D will lead into the story of KHIII.

In 3D you'll be able to control Sora and Riku, and they'll both work differently. The game's central gameplay systems are "all complete", but Square Enix is still working out how to put them into the game.

The world selection for the game's Disney areas is also being worked on. SE plans to use all new Disney worlds this time around, but Traverse Town and other originals will reappear.

Meanwhile, work on Kingdom Hearts project, Birth By Sleep Final Mix is said to be "almost complete". It's all getting a bit complicated, isn't it? Let's recap.

Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded is due out on the DS in Europe on 14th January 2011. We've got Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Final Mix, the international version of Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, for PSP - that looks like a Japanese exclusive.

Then we've got Kingdom Hearts 3D, the working title for series' Nintendo 3DS entry. It'll be the seventh instalment in the franchise.

Beyond that there's Kingdom Hearts III, which is probably the big one but a long way off. Phew!

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...nnect-with-iii ...

The next update for the iPhone version of Street FIghter IV adds at least one new fighter: Sagat. One of the screenshots included with the update also shows Dee Jay, who, curiously, wasn't announced. Tiger uppercuts and MAXIMUM pants aren't the only new additions to the phone fighter, however: the update also adds a new feature that sounds like it's straight out of Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition.

You'll be able to turn on a new mode that searches for nearby players while you're in single-player, allowing them to challenge you to matches even while you're playing solo. You'll also be able to exchange "player cards," should you happen upon someone else who not only has Street Fighter IV for iPhone, but is playing it right then.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/sa...treet-fighter/ ...

The next update for the iPhone version of Street FIghter IV adds at least one new fighter: Sagat. One of the screenshots included with the update also shows Dee Jay, who, curiously, wasn't announced. Tiger uppercuts and MAXIMUM pants aren't the only new additions to the phone fighter, however: the update also adds a new feature that sounds like it's straight out of Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition.

You'll be able to turn on a new mode that searches for nearby players while you're in single-player, allowing them to challenge you to matches even while you're playing solo. You'll also be able to exchange "player cards," should you happen upon someone else who not only has Street Fighter IV for iPhone, but is playing it right then.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/sa...treet-fighter/ ...

Cliff Bleszinski has curb-stomped the rumor of Kinect functionality appearing in Gears of War 3. Responding to a report by IGN that suggested motion-control features would emerge in a Gears of War game, the Epic Games developer said on his Twitter: "No Kinect in Gears of War 3."

The IGN piece did leave some wiggle room for itself, noting that it "cannot clarify whether or not this is an all-new Gears of War for Kinect or if it's an existing Gears of War game, retro-fitted for the camera controller." The reveal will apparently be made at the Spike TV Video Games Awards. Master of WORLD EXCLUSIVES, Geoff Keighley, has already started to hype the show's "world premiere announcements," teasing two earlier reveals set for Wednesday.

If Microsoft wants to combine Gears of War with some optional Kinect functionality, it seems like a perfectly reasonable way to get more core gamers interested in the peripheral, which is a little too family friendly with its catalog at the moment. However, if we don't get a Tickle-Me Dominic™ minigame, we'll consider any Kinect/Gears crossover a failure.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/no...inski-assures/ ...

Well, that didn't take very long. A high-definition update of Ubisoft Montreal's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is set to arrive on the PlayStation Network starting today. Launching in Europe later this week as a single Blu-ray disc, the remastered Prince of Persia Trilogy will be brought to the American PlayStation store in three separate flavors: original, smoldering and nutty.

According to the PlayStation Blog, Warrior Within (that game they made because you didn't buy Sands of Time in the first place) and The Two Thrones will launch on PSN in December. All three adventures boast 720p resolution, Trophies, 3D support and $14.99 price tags. That's $45 for the original trilogy -- and you can probably find The Forgotten Sands in a bargain bin if you're looking for even more of the classic Prince's elegant environmental puzzles.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/16/pr...-on-psn-today/ ...

Outspoken Labour MP Keith Vaz has once against accused videogames of inciting real-life violence.

Vaz claimed in a recent Early Day Motion that the recent shootings in Malmo, Sweden, which saw one death and up to 15 other attempted murders, were "associated" with Valve's PC game Counter-Strike.

A 38-year-old man has been arrested for the incident, and is suspected of a year-long campaign of violence against dark-skinned Swedes. The country is currently seeing a rise in racial tensions, following anti-immigrant party the Sweden Democrats taking seats in parliament.

Nonethless, Vaz feels the military shooter is to blame. "The recent race shootings in Malmo, Sweden have been associated with the violent video game Counter-Strike," he told parliament.

He went on to request that parliament "further notes that the internet-based, first-person shooting game that pits a counter-terrorist team against terrorists was previously banned in Brazil and in 2007 was associated with US College Campus massacres."

Vaz appears to have derived his argument solely from a Times report (warning: paywall) which quoted a local man as saying "I am sure that this is down to some crazy kid who plays that sniping game Counter-Strike all day. I don't believe in the lone Nazi theory."

Local police have yet to publicly implicate the game in the shootings.

Continuing a history of undermining existing game ratings and not acknowledging the planned move to more regulation under the PEGI system, Vaz also demanded that the house "calls on the Government to ensure the purchase of video games by those under 18 years is controlled and that parents are provided with clear information on the violent content of certain games."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...almo-shootings ...

Microsoft has hailed the sales performance of the Xbox 360 throughout 2010 in the US, noting that it's become the fastest-growing console in that territory, up 34 per cent year-to-date, with 3.5 million sales.

Hardware sales jumped 30 per cent in October alone - ahead of the launch of Kinect, which appears to have significantly bolstered the console further in the past week - cementing its place as the top-selling living-room console for the fifth month in a row, according to data from NPD.

In addition October saw the Xbox 360 platform account for the four top-selling title SKUs, and six of the top ten overall, with highlights including Fable III (580,000 units) and Halo: Reach (315,000 units).

A statement from the publisher noted that heading into November, with the launches of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Kinect, the console was "poised to drive strong holiday sales and deliver on the biggest year in the history of the Xbox business."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...in-us-for-2010 ...

The first downloadable add-on for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II is set on the forest moon of Endor and sees players kill perhaps the cutest aliens ever conceived: the Ewoks.

It's set during the time of classic film The Return of the Jedi, but presents a "what if?" scenario, according to IGN. It's all part of the "infinite universe", see.

The Endor Bonus Mission, as it's called, adds new Achievements and Trophies. "One of the team's favourite is the 'Sith Kicker Achievement' but I'll let you figure that one out for yourselves," executive producer Gio Corsi said.

It's of comparable length to the add-ons from the first game, such as the Hoth Bonus Mission. Starkiller will have the same abilities as he did in TFUII, so he's incredibly powerful from the start – but the DLC assumes players picked the Dark Side ending. Boo hiss etc.

The Endor Bonus Mission will be released "later this year". No price was mentioned.

The Force Unleashed II launched last month. John Teti awarded it 5/10 for Eurogamer. C-3PO plays it in the Currys/PC World telly advert.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...leashed-ii-dlc ...

NBA 2K11 and Fallout: New Vegas were the biggest sellers in the US last month, according to data released by the NPD Group today.

2K Sports' basketball sim NBA 2K11 topped the charts for the month of October, with Bethesda's action RPG Fallout: New Vegas taking second spot.

Medal of Honor debuted at three, just ahead of Fable III and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II.

The full top ten panned out like this:

1. NBA 2K11 (Take-Two Interactive, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, PC)
2. Fallout: New Vegas (Bethesda Softworks, Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
3. Medal of Honor (Electronic Arts, Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
4. Fable III (Microsoft, Xbox 360)
5. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (LucasArts, Xbox 360, PS3, WII, PC, NDS)
6. Halo: Reach (Microsoft, Xbox 360)
7. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft, Wii)
8. FIFA Soccer 11 (Electronic Arts, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, NDS, PC)
9. Madden NFL 11 (Electronic Arts, Xbox 360, PS3, WII, PS2, PSP)
10. WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 (THQ, PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, WII, PSP)
Although The NPD Group no longer releases sales data, it did reveal that the Xbox 360 version of Fallout: New Vegas sold 679,000 copies to become the month's highest-selling single-system SKU.

NPD analyst Anita Frazier also noted a strong showing for Rock Band 3. Harmonix's rhythm action masterpiece performed poorly in the UK but has done better business across the pond. It debuted at number 15 despite only being available for the last six days of the month.

"Based on solid reviews, this game has the potential to perform well over the holidays," Frazier predicted.

Generally, software sales were up six per cent year-on-year for the month, with online titles faring particularly well.

"Interestingly, unit sales of online playable console games were up 16 per cent while sales of those that are not online playable were down two per cent versus last October," said Frazier.

Things aren't so rosy on the hardware side though. Year-on-year sales revenue was down 26 per cent for the month.

Xbox 360 came out on top and was the only system to show a sales increase. It sold 325,000 units, bringing the system total to 3.5 million. That makes it the best-selling home console of the year so far in the US.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...llout-nba-2k11 ...