Along with Dewy's Adventure, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, and the massively under-rated Mercury Meltdown Revolution, Kororinpa proved that the Wii was the only place to be for enthusiasts of rolling. And now it's rolling back! Konami just announced a sequel to its vowel-heavy game at Leipzig, carefully tilting a trailer and 20 screens in our direction. Finally, another use for our Ball Bearing Maze Special Salver!

Over 100 stages will feature in Kororinpa 2, as well as multiple difficulty levels (maybe even difficult levels of difficulty this time), a swish-looking course editor, multiplayer for you and three fellow rollers, and Mii integration (which is now as important and common as having graphics). So long as it also has a better camera, we're already on board. Oh, and boxart that is half as wonderful as that of the original PAL game. Like, seriously, how perfect is this? Expect it early next year.

See photos here. ...

via Eurogamer


At its press conference at the Leipzig Games Convention, Sony lifted the lid on Heavy Rain, a "dark thriller" for PS3 due in 2009.

The game appears to be an extremely cinematic adventure with horror overtones, and a mature, emotionally involving story exploring adult themes not seen in videogames before is promsied.

Live gameplay footage was shown, but aside from very quick button-prompt flashes on-screen, it was virtually indistinguishable from a cut-scene, with fast cutting between static cameras.

David Cage, the writer and director of the game and head of French developer Quantic Dream, said it would be a new kind of emotional, story-led experience not seen in games before.

"For years we wanted to create a different type of experience not based on repetitive actions... but really based on narrative and emotion," Cage said. He said the core of the game would be "emotional involvement, empathy, contextual actions, moral choices and decision making".

He said the player would be " the actor, but also the writer and director at the same time," making decisions that have lasting consequences for the story that's told in Heavy Rain.

The footage showed what seemed to be a rain-soaked American suburban street, with children playing in a front yard. A young woman with short hair made a note into a voice recorder before breaking into a darkened house.

The house contained strangely-dresssed mannequins and the dark outlines of huge ravens hanging from the ceiling. The woman was attacked by a knife-wielding assailant and a very fast-paced combat scene began.

As the woman blocked her attacker with furniture, her actions seemed to be guided by button prompts on the screen; rather than combinations, these appeared to be single quick presses of the four shape buttons only.

Having effected her escape, the camera went in for a close-up, showing the a remarkable level of facial detail, with stunningly lifelike eyes in particular.

Quantic Dream is the French studio behind cult adventures The Nomad Soul and Fahrenheit. Heavy Rain was first seen at E3 two years ago in the form of a tech demo called The Casting, showing its advanced facial animation technology.

After David Cage departed the stage, Sony Europe boss David Reeves described Heavy Rain as "the great game for PlayStation 3 next year". ...

via PS3Fanboy:



It looks like the 80GB Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle really was "limited edition." The $499 bundle has been deleted from the Wal-Mart databases, to make way for the 80GB Core and upcoming 160GB Uncharted pack. Considering the current MGS4 pack is the only system to support PS2 backwards compatibility, this may be your last chance to get your hands on a PS3 that can play PS2 games. Neither the current $399 80GB Core nor the upcoming $499 160GB bundle will support PS2 games at all.

Stay tuned for Sony's official response ...

via Xbox360Fanboy:



Speaking to CVG, Silicon Knights head Dennis Dyack mentioned the company's next title that isn't part of the Too Human trilogy. Mentioning some of Silicon Knights titles (including the likes of Eternal Darkness and Legacy of Kain), Dyack emphasized the diversity of the company's catalog. Apart from the remaining Too Human titles, Dyack noted that the company's next title will be "nothing like anything else" Silicon Knights has done before. Could this be the Crucible title that was leaked earlier this year? We don't know, obviously, but there is one thing that we can surmise here: whatever it is, Silicon Knights' next title won't be Eternal Darkness 2. Sigh .... ...

via Gizmodo



Now this is interesting. Hillcrest Labs is suing Nintendo, trying to create an import ban on the Wii. They claim that Nintendo is infringing on a number of their patents relating to the Wiimote and the on-screen menu system on the Wii. The whole thing doesn't make a lot of sense to us, as we were under the impression that both Nintendo and Hillcrest Labs licensed their tech from Gyration. We're looking into this now, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that an import ban on the Wii is pretty unlikely. Hit the jump for Hillcrest's full press release.

Read the rest at Gizmodo ...

via IGN


Judging by the latest trailer footage, Square Enix's The 3rd Birthday looked like it might be a Kill Bill simulation. Thankfully, the latest issue of Famitsu came through today with hints at the true nature of the title.

According to project director Hajime Tabata, this PSP Parasite Eve sequel is going to be a true 3D gun action game. Noting that it will differ from Final Fantasy VII Dirge of Cerberus, he described it as a "true third person shooter."

Square Enix is working with another development studio on the game, Tabata revealed, without naming names.

Tabata also revealed that wireless play is being considered. He didn't state if this would be 'net based or ad-hoc, although it's worth noting that the aim for Tabata's other directorial project, Final Fantasy Agito XIII, is online-based play.

Finally, Tabata shared a couple of bits about the game's storyline and gameplay systems. These two areas are intertwined thanks to something called "overdrive," an ability that crosses time. Aya, the hero, uses this ability to both look into the mysteries of the game's enemies, the Twisted, and to fight them.

While stopping short of sharing an actual release time frame, Tabata did state that the game's scenario and design are nearing completion. ...

via IGN


EA announced today that FIFA 09, much like NBA Live 09, will be updated constantly with ratings and performance data in a system known as the adidas Live Season.

Unlike NBA Live 09, which updates daily, FIFA 09 will update on a weekly basis. The updated data will be available for England's Premiership, Spain's La Liga, France's Ligue 1, Germany's Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A, and Mexico's Primera Division. The updates will be made available for PS3, 360, and the PC.

EA promises that a "global network of scouts" will be monitoring players in their respective leagues and adjusting attributes on a weekly basis; what's interesting, though, is that the service might have a fee. EA notes that gamers "…will have access to one league of their choice for a free trial from the moment they activate it to the end of the 2008-2009 season", which certainly implies that receiving updates for all leagues would incur fees.

In addition, EA also announced that they'd acquired an exclusive licensing agreement with Spain's La Liga to implement their teams and players in their games.

Stay tuned to IGN for more details on FIFA 09 and how Live Season will be integrated in.


Screenshots ...

via IGN


The Suikoden series is set for a return shortly, only this time it's on something other than the PlayStation. DS is the platform of choice for the latest installment, which is set to be titled Genso Suikoden Tierkreis. The latest issue of Famitsu has a first report.

Tierkreis begins after the final fight of the 108 Stars, as the Suikoden heroes are nearly defeated by a powerful foe. Only four remain when the battle ends.

You play as a young boy from the border village of Shitoro. As a member of a peacekeeping group, it's your job to protect the village from bandits and monsters.

How your character gets involved with the 108 stars is something that will presumably be explained throughout the course of the game. Your adventure begins as you and your fellow peacekeepers head out on a monster expedition. While exploring the mountains near your village, you come upon a strange light, which marks the start of the story.

Famitsu has only a few details on the gameplay side of Tierkreis. The game's battle system features parties of four. However, your cast of allies grows well beyond this. You're free to select your party members as you please.

How you form your party appears to have a great effect on your battle options. Characters can team up for special attacks depending on their type. If you have three sorcerers, they can gather their magic for a stronger attack. Similarly two warriors will team up for a speedy combo attack while two sword wielders will show off their sword skills in unison.

Outside of battle, it seems this latest entry of Suikoden will be a full-blown RPG, with a huge world to explore, filled with different races and cultures. Despite the premise of the 108 Stars being wiped out at the beginning, the game will still center on the player meeting up with 108 allies.

Suikoden Tierkreis is currently 50% complete, Famitsu reports. The game is without a final release date. ...

via Mobile Entertainment


The three-year deal marks the first time Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios has licensed its titles to be published by a third party on mobile.

SCE has previously released mobile versions of games like Ratchet & Clank through its Sony Pictures Digital unit.

Player X will release Buzz! in the autumn, with Destruction Derby following in early-2009. Both games will be supported by an integrated cross-platform marketing campaign with SCE.

Buzz! titles for PlayStation 2 have now shipped more than five million units across the PAL region, along with a further 1.25 million units in the Buzz Junior range.

The first Buzz! games for PS3 and PSP are set to arrive in July.

Michael Denny, SVP of SCE Worldwide Studios Europe, said: "The creative proposals that came through from Player X were very encouraging and in line with what we are hoping to do with these two licences. ...