via Eurogamer


Square Enix plans to put Disgaea DS in PAL palms from 3rd April.

As it's a conversion of Hour of Darkness for PS2, fans can expect a largely unchanged medley of acclaimed strategy and role-playing, plus all the usual quirks and humour.

But there are new bits: a Wi-Fi multiplayer duel system, or the ability to connect to and trade items with friends. Geo Cubes are there, too, and these can enhance abilities, summon monsters or even attack enemies - adding another layer of cerebral depth.

America got its hot-dog fingers on Disgaea DS last August and squirted out a good reception: Metacritic says 81 per cent.

You can expect our thoughts closer to launch. ...

via Eurogamer


God of War III will see Kratos hop on and control mythical beasts such as Cyclops, crashing through hordes of enemies to get to objectives and solve puzzles.

And that's just one of the new mechanics in Sony Santa Monica's new game, according to a preview in the latest issue of GameInformer magazine.

The biggest challenge will be harnessing what the PS3 can accomplish. "We want this to be the game that shows people what the PS3 can do," game director Stig Asmussen told the magazine.

That means titans: enormous and ancient god-like beings that have been tussling with the Greek gods for a while. Whereas action sequences involving titans in previous God of War games were restricted to cinematic sequences, they're now integrated on a much more dynamic level.

Kratos - a tiny cluster of pixels compared to the full model of a titan - clambers up their immense frames as they rock to and fro, some even aggressively interacting as our hero ploughs forward. "It's not just a set piece anymore; it's a living, breathing character," added Asmussen.

As for Kratos himself: he'll be around four times as detailed as on PlayStation 2. "Kratos on PS2 was probably about 5,000 polygons, and now he's 20,000," said art director Ken Feldman. "We wouldn't even be able to load him on PS2."

The gnarled warrior also visually carries the scars obtained in previous God of War games, as well as some of the abilities acquired: the Golden Fleece and the Icarus Wings are mentioned.

There's plenty of room for him to grow, though. The skill-set has expanded to include a wider array of combos and grapples and environmental interaction like smashing heads on walls. And a brand new supernatural magic-type has been introduced, as relying on god-powers of the past would be thematically daft; the gods are no longer friends of Kratos and are unlikely to grant him any more power, so his magic will come from somewhere intrinsic, somewhere else.

Additional weapons also await, and Sony Santa Monica promises each weapon will feel completely different to the signature Blades of Chaos, providing real alternatives rather than quick-thrill distractions. The Cestus gauntlets are given as an example; these spout spiked balls on chains from their decorative animal mouths, causing shockwaves that throw enemies back on each hit.

Abilities such as those will come in handy, as Kratos faces much stiffer opposition than ever before. The developer reached around 12 to 15 enemies on-screen in God of War II, and has bumped that number somewhere closer to 50 on PS3. Enemies can also jump on Kratos, eventually weighing him down and smothering him. This can be broken by wiggling the analogue stick.

Multiple baddies will now coordinate attacks, too, or take orders from a commander to organise into formations. And, of course, Kratos will face boss battles.

"You can look at the cast of characters from the end of God of War II, and you can kind of deduce [the bosses] from that," hinted Asmussen. One confirmed battle will be with Hades, who rules the underworld.

Sony Santa Monica went on to confirm that God of War III will not have multiplayer, although DLC remains a possibility for the future.

As far as story is concerned, God of War III will bring the trilogy to a close, but the franchise will live on, although we're told it won't be "run into the ground".

God of War III is in development exclusively for PlayStation 3. No firm release date has been set. Sigh. ...

via Eurogamer


Sony has told Eurogamer that Killzone 2 multiplayer servers are not active, and won't be until sometime close to its launch on 27th February.

Thus, the pre-release promotional copies currently out there will not work online until servers are up and running. There's nothing wrong with the discs themselves.

The platform holder was speaking after reports of Killzone 2 promotional copies not working online popped up on the official US PlayStation forum.

Promotional copies are distributed before release to industry insiders. They often end up on eBay, fetching sky-high prices from eager fans.

Both Xbox 360 and PS3 promos come without a manual or any disc-art, but otherwise are identical to regular retail games. The words "promo only - not for resale" are also clearly printed on the discs.

Killzone 2 will be released exclusively for PS3 from 27th February. There's a PSN demo to be tried until then. ...

via IGN


Our suspicions of download content for Dragon Quest IX were apparently spot on. Today, word leaked from the latest issue of Shounen Jump about downloadable content for the big RPG.

Two types of download content will be available. First up, the more traditional of the two: downloadable quests. Square Enix will be offering new quests via Wi-Fi Connection. Players can look forward to the first such downloads on the game's release day, to be followed by additional content every week for a full year!

The other type of download content involves shopping. No, not actual shopping -- the in-game kind of shopping, at item shops and so-forth. By speaking to the Roxanne character in the pub (it appears that she'll be in any pub, no matter what town you're in), you'll be able to download a special item list. With this list on your cartridge, stores throughout the DQ world will offer you new items along with older items under new pricing. Square Enix plans on updating the item lineup every day.

Here's the coolest part about the item lists. Each player will get a different list, meaning everyone will have access to a different set of items. When playing multiplayer, you'll be able to see the host player's item list by simply speaking to their Roxanne.

The Jump story doesn't mention anything about pricing, so we're going to assume all this will be free. If this is the case (and it does seem likely!) expect DQIX to suck up a good amount of player time when it sees release on March 28 over in Japan. ...

via IGN


Bubble Bobble is on the way to Wii. And soon! Taito announced today final Japanese release information for this latest installment of its classic action puzzle franchise.

Over in Japan, Bubble Bobble Wii will hit WiiWare on February 10. Priced at 800 WiiPoints, the game will include 100 standard maps and 100 arranged maps, the latter offering play for up to four players.

Download content will be released simultaneously. Taito will initially offer two Expert Map packs, each with 50 stages and one boss. These will be priced at 200 WiiPoints each.

The game supports international rankings, which is a good hint that a US release is on the way. We'll let you know if anything gets confirmed, but in the meanwhile, check out our new screenshots.



Screenshots ...

via Joystiq


We're starting to think that Capcom has caught word of our frequent nightmares about the inevitable Zombie Apocalypse. (It's going to happen.) Why else would it release a batch of new screens from Resident Evil 5 just as we were about to turn in for the night?

Well, perhaps it's to show off some new, decidedly non-shantytown areas of the game, including a sequence that takes place on boats. (Where the not-zombies can clearly still getcha.) It's a good thing water kills them. Oh wait, that's Gremlins. No, it makes them multiply. We're confused.


Screenshots here ...

via Eurogamer


Quirky fighting game Clay Fighter heads the Virtual Console update today.

Interplay launched the title 14 years ago on SNES and wowed fans with fancy stop-animated graphics and plenty of humour. Clay Fighter went on to spawn numerous sequels, but none surpassed the original. You can take a trip down memory lane for 800 Wii Points (GBP 6 / EUR 8).

Today's other game is Sonic Chaos, which appeared back on the Master System and so costs 500 Wii Points (GBP 3.50 / EUR 5). This was the first Sonic game to feature Tails as a playable character. Whoops!

And that's your lot - unless you fancy one of the other 274 games on the Virtual Console. Even Secret of Mana is there. ...

via Engadget


While Telstra's busy bragging about Android sets from HTC that don't yet exist, Australian rival Optus is making stuff happen. How? Easy: T-Mobile's G1 is being repurposed as the HTC Dream down here -- one of the phone's rumored names prior to its original release, you might recall -- featuring 2100MHz HSDPA, WiFi, and everything else you've come to know and love / hate about the world's first retail Android device. It'll launch February 16 on plans starting at $59 Australian (about $38) per month, so it'll be pretty accessible. Sure, Telstra, you may have some awesome devices in the pipeline, but a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, if you know what we're saying. ...

via Engadget


It's no secret that Sony has been eyeing a shift to 45nm Cell processors in the PS3 sooner or later, but the always talkative David Reeves (Sony Europe's president) has now finally dropped a bit more specificity on the matter, while naturally still leaving the company quite a bit of wiggle room. Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, Reeves said that Sony is "always looking at ways to reduce costs," and that one of those measures is "replacing the current 65 nanometer Cell chip with a 45 nanometer one probably in middle of year."

Reeves also expectedly talked up the PS3's multimedia capabilities, which he says will help the PS3 compete better with the Xbox 360 in the short term without the need for drastic price cuts, although he doesn't seem to complete rule out the notion of some increased affordability before the end of the year, saying "it will make progress" in that direction, no doubt with the aid of that aforementioned 45nm Cell processor. ...