Fantasy Based on Reality: Final Fantasy Versus XIII

Today is all about the Final Fantasy news, hot on the heels of a big Square Enix production event. Firstly, it was announced that the Final Fantasy XIII-2 is definitely happening, as last weeks domain registration alluded to. As direct sequels in the Final Fantasy world should not, and will not exist (to me, anyway) I won't mention it any further. Just know that it's due for release in 2011 in Japan, on Xbox 360 and PS3, with no western release mentioned.

Secondly, the mysterious FinalFantasyType0 domain registered a few weeks ago, belongs to a game of the same name, which is the new name for Final Fantasy Agito XIII, the PSP 2-UMD exclusive. Final Fantasy Type-0 is dated for this summer in Japan, again with no mention made of a western release.

Finally, Final Fantasy Versus XIII. It's something we've known about for what seems like an eternity now. Then why is it that no one has any real solid information regarding the title, no heavy screenshots or trailers? Odds are Square Enix are just being super tight with this one, minimizing leaks while they attempt to get the Final Fantasy series back to the legendary status that the past few games have missed completely. Today though, we get a nice dose of Versus XII.

A good 7 minutes of trailer is the reward for Final Fantasy fans who've been patiently waiting Versus XIII out. A lot can happen in 7 minutes; you can make out with an ugly chick in a closet at a junior high school house party, or you can watch Noctis, Versus XIII's protagonist do everything from being emo, to fighting groups of soldiers, to piloting mechs, to taking a stroll in a grassy field. No matter what Noctis is doing, it looks incredibly good. Don't let the low quality of the trailer deceive you, the CG and the engine footage, are beautiful. If you doubt it, just give it a week or so when the video will be clear, sexy HD, as opposed to a second hand recording.

I'm loving Versus XIII's modern fantasy feel. Part of the allure to me is that I could see all of this happening in the middle of Shibuya on my next trip to Japan. It's an interesting direction to take the series, one that I think will pay off in its broad appeal. And in case you're wondering, Final Fantasy Versus XIII will remain a PS3 exclusive.

via VG247

Awesome Mortal Kombat Trailer to Become Awesome Web Series

Do you remember the above video? It caused the interwebz to spontaneously jizz their pants sometime in the middle of last year. As a project pitched to Warner Bros. to test the interest for a new Mortal Kombat feature film, apparently it failed. How could something so good fail, you ask? Simple; because the movie industry is complete shite. However, Warner Bros. was not stupid enough to completely dismiss the project. Thankfully, it has been salvaged into a 10-part series of webisodes, to be released whenever the hell it's ready. 

All we know thus far is that the lead role of Jax will be reprised by Michael Jai White, one of the most bad ass mo'fuggas on the planet, you best believe. Other appearances will be made by Shang Tsung, Liu Kang, Sub Zero, Kabal, Kitana, Mileena, Shao Kahn, and of course, old white-eyes, Scorpion. 

Bloody Disgusting, via Kotaku

Nintendo Has "No Plans" For a Western Release of The Last Story

Sadness! With The Last Story just 10 days from release in Japan, in speaking with VG247, Nintendo states they have "no plans at present" to bring what looks like what could be the Wii's best game evar to the West. What the blud, Nintendo? Unaccepting of the vague "at present" crap, Destructoid dug a little further with developers Mistwalker, who countered with the equally vague "Thank you for your concern. More info to come." C'mon son, get we get some straight talk?

Noble denizens of the interwebz are not going to take the lack of western release lightly, as an online petition with over 8,000 signatures has sprung up in an attempt to get some closure on the whole ordeal. I really doubt Nintendo passes on bringing The Last Story to the states, petition or not, but I could be wrong.

After signing the petition, all that's left to do is wait. While you're waiting, why don't you watch this extended cut of TLS in action, then go cry to yourself in a corner as you lament the possibility of never being able to play the game? By time you're all done with that, check back here, and maybe we'll have word from Nintendo by then!

3D Pixels Are Blowing Up in Voxatron

Voxatron is a game made of voxels. Voxels are 3D pixels, found in games such as 3D Dot Game Heroes and Fez. Both voxels and Voxatron look awesome. The independently developed title has been making its way around the interwebz for a week or more now, however time constraints have prevented me from making any mention of it.

A little 3D Dot Game Heroes, and a little Smash TV, and a little Link to the Past, with a banging chiptune soundtrack seems to be what primarily comprises Voxatron. Due out in August 2011 for PC and Mac, developers Lexaloffle Games -- which I can't say without thinking of the rofflecopter -- haven't announced any plans for a console release yet, but I have a feeling we'll see Voxatron on our big screens before it's all said and done.

Keep this one in mind, y'all.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 New Challengers! Taskmaster and Akuma

Further proving that no secret is safe on the interwebz, today Capcom has revealed two of their worst kept secrets; Taskmaster and Akuma. 

Akuma has been hinted at pretty much forever, but was officially unofficially sealed last week when he was listed as a playable character on a retailers Marvel vs. Capcom 3 listing, with game artwork and all. Taskmaster was given up when MvC3 comic book artist put some of his work on his online portfolio, which included art of Taskmaster, and Galactus as well (though he hasn't been announced -- yet). 

Akuma is Akuma. People can argue all day whether or not he's a Ryu clone, and whether his inclusion is a waste of a roster spot. I read something a few weeks ago that stated Akuma has been in every Versus title to date, as well as being the first crossover character to appear in one of my favorite all time fighters, X-Men: Children of the Atom. Maybe he's just a sentimental choice at this point, but regardless, I don't see myself playing too much Akuma. 

Taskmaster on the other hand, woo-wee, he's looking hotter than some fresh baked biscuits! He's got a bevy of attacks to compliment all his weapons, as well as shield deflecting functions and all that jazz! Of course, as a muscle mimic, he'd be incomplete without a way to steal his enemies moves, which is both awesome and accounted for. 

Everything is starting to fall into place for Marvel vs. Capcom 3. People are growing more excited as release nears. Even the God of Thunder himself can't stop talking. 

CES11: All About Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Photography by Mark Hagan

I came to Vegas having played Marvel vs. Capcom 3 a few times prior, so for the most part I knew what to expect. Capcom's set up in a posh suite high atop the swanky Aria hotel left nothing to be desired. Four stations housing the Fate of Two Worlds; three with fightsticks, and one with a gamepad for those who prefer less protrusion. One of the stations was even streaming its matches live on Capcom-Unity. Good stuff, all around.

Coupled with the the pimp setting, Capcom broke out the newest build of the game. Well, what I thought was the newest. The CES whirlwind had put me out of touch with the week's news, so word that Mike Haggar and Phoenix had been confirmed as the latest challengers almost slipped past me, until Capcom PR and all around awesome dude Jason Allen enlightened me. Before the announcement of the two newest fighters, the build we played had everyone who was previously announced. MODOK, Zero, Storm, She Hulk, Arthur, Magneto, X-23, Wesker, Tron Bonne, Dormammu, C. Viper. Did I miss anyone? Of course I did, but you get the jist. 30 playable characters thus far, and I'd be happy with that. Bigger and badder though, the folks at Capcom and Marvel aim to please, so we can expect a ballpark of around 38, not including any DLC characters.

I played some X-23, who was fast as hell. She made moves around the screen real estate and dished it out close range in blazing bursts. My type of fighter, all the way. I also messed around with Zero, who didn't seem to play much at all like his Tatsunoko vs. Capcom counterpart, though I could just be rusty. His style of laser sabering and charged shots was fun, but will definitely take a lot of practice to master. Finally, MODOK was a great big 'what the fuck' moment for me. My rush n' pummel tactics were not well received by the lumbering, big-ass head. He seems like more of the thinking man's fighter, who methodically picks apart his enemies mentally before punishing them physically. 

The ebb and flow of MvC3's play styles are encouraging. The game moves slower than Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and each character seems to have their own weight and pace, unlike the 2nd installment, where 75% of the combatants best strategy was rush rush rush. 

Just for the hell of it, I asked when Galactus and Taskmaster would be revealed. No comment. I asked whether or not the holiday picture reveal of Haggar was intentional. No comment. You win this round, Capcom.

February 15th can't come soon enough.

Check back in the coming days for video behind Capcom's lines at CES!

CES11: PlayStation 3 is All About the Headaches

Prepare to be terminated

After a bit of wandering on the main show floor, we found Sony's huge chunk of real estate. Most of it, like almost every other company on the floor, was dedicated in some way to the tiresome technology that I hope fails miserably, 3D. Still cameras, video cameras, small displays, large displays, everything in 3D! In other words, one massive headache. Amongst all the folks looking cool with their dimension-augmenting shades was the PlayStation 3 section, where we happily set up. Thankfully, Sony's massive 3D screen was calling the attention of everyone within eye-shot, meaning uninterrupted game time.

PlayStation's biggest and most interesting game set up by far was for Move, which featured a few screens dedicated to Killzone 3. Having played the multiplayer beta, I already know that this game is going to be a good one. At CES however, PlayStation wanted to give me a brand spanking new experience by not only putting a Move assault rifle in my hands, but also cranking the Helghass-kicking action out in 3D. Honestly I was a little overwhelmed by the sensory barrage, which I usual love. As a 3D skeptic already, having to deal with the enhanced visuals along with the still-foreign Move and rifle peripheral was too much to get down in under five minutes. Attempting to master the control didn't allow me to fully bask in the 3D, so yet another manufacturers attempt to cram this "new" technology down my throat was wasted. The PS Move controls were very finicky, reacting to the slightest movement of the rifle. The sensitivity may have been a little too high for me, but I eventually got the hang of it.. Right before I ran into a pack of Helghast in an attempt to use the melee function, which along with reloading is cleverly implemented. You aim off-screen and give the rifle a shake to reload, and to melee, you thrust the rifle at your enemy as if you're attacking with a bayonet. These motions were tricky execute without losing your aim or directional bearing, but like most things, a little practice will probably fix that right up. Killzone 3 will release on February 22nd, along with the branded peripheral, which will retail for $40.

Also on display was inFamous 2, another PS3 exclusive that I can't wait to dive into. One of the first things I asked the nearest rep, as I smashed heads with Cole's tuning fork shaped cattle prod, was whether or not the title supported 3D. I was informed that the developers chose to concentrate on intense gameplay and an immersive world rather than 3D bells and whistles. Amen, brotha! Thus I cheerily smashed, shocked, ran, climbed, and slid my way -- headache free -- through inFamous 2's demo level. Those who have been keeping up with the released media should know the segment that was playable; where Cole is in pursuit of a limousine, and ends up being attacked by a chopper. The demo looked good when we saw it way back when, and thankfully, it played just as well in Vegas. Still very excited for this one.

Surprisingly, Sony also showed off a little MLB 11: The Show, the first time I've actually seen it in action. Graphically, it appeared not much had changed from MLB 10: The Show, which was already beautiful looking. The only graphical enhancement was made by way of, you guessed it, 3D! YAY! I was not impressed by MLB 11's 3D at all. In a game like baseball, where depth of field is such a integral part of the experience when the camera is over the pitcher's or catcher's shoulder, the effect left much to be desired. It seemed like the biggest benefactor of the 3D treatment was the scoreboard, which honestly, I could care less if I see or not. I suppose the 'wow moments' would occur during a cinematic scene, like a home run, which in the punishing world of baseball sims does not happen often. A more drastic change has been made to the pitching and hitting mechanics, which can now be fully controlled by the analog sticks. Of course, if that departure is a little too hardcore for the casual baseball gamer, you can always switch back to the button-based method of heaters and whiffs. 

Finally, Little Big Planet 2 made a showing. We didn't have a chance to give it a whirl, but it is what it is. If you're a user-creation crackhead, you probably shouldn't even think twice about buying it.

All in all, PlayStation and Sony in general seemed to be relying too much on 3D for cheap thrills. I'm still not sold, nor will I ever be. I jokingly asked a rep standing near a PSP display where the PSP2 was at. "Over near the PlayStation 3 set up," he responded. Either he heard me wrong, or he was incredibly misinformed.

3D glasses: making us all look stylish, one geek at a time

REVIEW: X-Men Arcade

Gamers of my day have a fond appreciation for the arcade game, a medium which has been steadily declining in the states, to the point of near death where it lay today. While you may still be able to find arcades around town somewhere, the odds of the games being up to date and the prices being moderate are next to none. One of the elite arcade games of my time was X-Men, a six-player orgy of flying fists and mutant powers, which was a blast both in part to the multiplayer mayhem, and the enjoyment of seeing my favorite mutants mix it up on the dual arcade screens. Is Konami's re-release on XBLA and PSN too late to be appreciated? Is our review too late to be appreciated as well? Read on to find out.

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CES11: A Fistful of Nyko

Written by Mark Hagan

We know what you’re thinking, just another set of third party controllers and devices we don’t want or need. Trust me, I know where you're coming from. When it comes to choice of controllers, especially in the console world, quality has usually been in the hands of the parent company. In the past, licensing restrictions and simple competing economics forced 3rd party manufacturers like Nyko to choose cheaper materials to undercut their 'parents'. Now it seems those days are far behind.

Nyko came out, excuse the pun, guns ‘a blazin’ at this year's CES. They introduced a new line of impressive PlayStation Move peripherals -- the assault rifle inspired Power Shot and pistol modeled Perfect Shot -- for all your digital marksmanship needs. The Power Shot can be configured to be used with or without both halves of the Move system by way of a removable grip which can house the navigation controller, and can also be turned toward the left or the right, making it a comfortable fit for southpaws as well. The wildly popular Wiimote Perfect Shot will see an upgrade with the Perfect Shot Pro, the main difference being added vibration feedback. Though no colors have been finalized for the PS3 or Wii versions, the digital camo paint job we got our hands on was pretty badass, so we're going to hope that colorway makes it onto store shelves.

The PS3 also sees two new gamepads that we were really impressed with. Named Raven, one variant comes in the standard Dual Shock layout, the other features alternate Xbox 360-inspired analog stick placement. In both of its forms, the Raven has L2 and R2 triggers, as well as a toggle switch on its back to swap the mapping of the 1 and 2 buttons. Supremely handy for the PS3 games which require you to aim and shoot with L1 and R1 respectively, and very good news for the Dual Shock haters out there. The weight and velvety feel of the controller had all of us drooling to pick one up immediately. I was so impressed with the feel of the Raven, I would drape myself in them if it were socially acceptable.


The 360 wasn’t neglected despite Microsoft's harsh third party licensing restrictions. Though the days of RROD seem to be behind Redmond, the infamous Intercooler accessory got a very stylish upgrade to match the new Xbox 360 Slim body. The Intercooler STS diverts the hot air jetted out of the console's side vent to the front of your system, and in theory away from your home theatre setup, or whatever you may have stacked near. The “TempSmart” technology also enables the device to automatically sense when and how hard the cooling system needs to work. Though I'm skeptical of its practicality, it does turn your 360 into a Ferrari-looking monster of sex appeal, but the question remains, what is the Intercooler STS compensating for? We’ll leave that for you to decide. The black gloss finish may make your matte black 360 Arcade look a tad out of place, if aesthetics are you’re thing.. And we know they are.

Nyko will also be releasing some very cool controller docks for the PlayStation Move and Nintendo Wiimote. The LED notification rings had us mesmerized when we dropped in our exhausted motion controllers. These charge bases will be available in dual and quad charge configurations, assuring even Goro or Kintaro's controllers will never run out of juice.

The 3rd party peripheral world is a scary one. It is usually a case of buyer beware and you get what you pay for scenarios. Nyko has really raised the bar the last few years and have produced well built and attractive add-ons and game pads. Look for most of these products to hit store shelves early this spring at incredibly reasonable prices. Stay tuned for more news when they release.

Check out the gallery for more shots of Nyko's upcoming products!

CES11: Dolby Digital Does Critial Damage

Written by Pedi Talai

Dolby Axon
Dolby Axon is a full 3D voice communication utility which greatly increases the audio experience between the player and their allies or enemies, and helps to further immerse the user in the game world. Axon is found in two different flavors; built into the games themselves, or operated from a standalone client.

Currently found in a number of top PC games in Asia (as well as Need for Speed World), Dolby Axon has been used in-game in such clever ways as a microphone-tipped spy dart, which allows you to eavesdrop on conversations where the dart has been fired. Axon adjusts dynamically with the environment, changing as rapidly as the game setting you find yourself in. If you get closer to your teammates, you'll hear them louder. Distance yourself from your squad, and their levels decrease. The occlusion engine intensifies the effects, allowing you faithfully reproduce hearing a voice from around a corner, and similarly muting a voice heard behind a wall or shield. Dolby Axon also features voice fonts, which allows the player to alter and mask their voice in a multitude of ways. Believe it or not, the Axon package, while high quality, sends voice at low bandwidths to assure low latency, even between thousands of users per server, scaling seamlessly between multiple servers.

Outside of the game world, Dolby Axon is looking to one-up programs like Ventrilo and TeamSpeak (and perhaps even Skype), and from what we've seen, easily does so. The client supports up to 50 users, each able of adjusting their position on a virtual grid, as well as their direction in a full 360 degrees. The program is currently available for Windows, with a Mac release scheduled for sometime this spring.

Dolby Home Theater 4
Dolby will be releasing the follow-up to their Home Theater v3 audio software later this year. Home Theater v4 turns a laptop's mundane audio output into a cinematic aural experience by allowing the user various control options that will maximize the sound quality of your music, movies, and games, effectively eliminating any other way to listen to them.

Home Theater v4 will intelligently disseminate info from the track and convert stereo to 5.1, or 5.1 to 7.1. This allows vocals and background noise to be spread across the sound spectrum accurately, and makes audio much more pleasing to the ears. Of course this is something that needs to be heard to truly appreciated, but you can take it from us that it's nothing short of amazing. While Home Theater v4 has an available gaming preset, unfortunately we were not able to see it in action, as Dolby instead chose to focus showing this technology via movies and music. Nonetheless, we're sure Home Theater v4 will have the same wow-factor on game audio as it does with other audio mediums.

Home Theater v4 will only be available pre-installed on certain Acer laptops in spring of this year. There are plans to make the software available on other Windows based computers, but nothing has yet to be officially announced by Dolby or their partners.