Remember Me – Memory Trailer May 4, 2013

Remember Me.  Published by Capcom, the game takes place in a future where memories can finally be shared, but that also means they can be hacked, re-written and erased.  The game’s star is a memory eraser by trade that had her memories wiped.  She doesn’t remember who she is or what she can do, but she’s going to have to try to remember to save herself from the people who want her dead.

So how did this kind of technology get developed and what can you do in this world where things can be remembered for you wholesale?  Take a look at this interesting development diary from Capcom, and see for yourself what you can do in the game, and what the game’s world is like.

Remember Me is coming June 2013 to the PS3 and Xbox 360.

BEYOND: Two Souls Tribeca Screening Video May 2, 2013

GameXcess.net was there at the Tribeca Film Festival to preview BEYOND: Two Souls by Quantic Dream.  Now, Sony has released the entire live stream of the event, so you guys can check it out for yourselves.

Not enough for you?  Well, it wasn’t for me either.  Thankfully Quantic Dream has released gameplay footage from some other scenes from the game online.  While none of them continue the story we saw above, they do showcase just what a wide variety of scenes will be happening in this game’s story.

First up, a scene where Jodie is a young girl, and she’s being examined by Willem Dafoe’s character, Nathan, and a few clips from some other scenes from the game.

Anyone else notice the Ghostbusters cards?  Finally, here are snippets from a train escape.

Looks amazing!  Although I have to ask how the heck can she stay on top of that train with all that rain pouring down?

BEYOND: Two Souls is coming October 8th, 2013 exclusive to the PS3.

Lets Talk About Rain May 2, 2013

Last year, Sony showed off some interesting titles during a Playstation 3 press event at Gamescom.  One of the titles they announced was simply called Rain.  It appeared to be a highly stylized platform game about a young boy who seeks out an invisible girl who can only appear in the rain.  As he seeks her out, he becomes invisible himself, and must survive in this new invisible world from the dangers that inhabit it.

I was immediately drawn to the premise of the game, the choice of music, and its clever art style.  The music beautifully matched the game’s art style both wet and dry.  The environment reminded me a lot of Paris, France, and I can tell you from personal experience that it rains there constantly.  However, the game’s story reminded me of the PS2 classic Ico in a lot of ways, and I always wondered if another game would be released which had a similar premise.  It’s being made by Sony Japan Studios, and here is its announcement trailer.

Not too much was revealed about the game after it’s announcement.  As the time went on, the Playstation 4 was announced, and I was heavily concerned that Rain would get forgotten in the rush to the PS4 release.  However, Sony recently did a preview of the game, and showed some of the game’s first level.  The game looks fantastic, and here’s to hoping it comes out soon!

Rain has no release date and is coming exclusive to the Playstation 3.

Watch Dogs Release Date April 30, 2013

The highly anticipated open world game Watch Dogs has a release date.

Originally previewed at E3 2012 to a stunned audience, Watch Dogs tells the story of Aiden Pearce, a hacker with the ability to manipulate the operating system that controls the entire city of Chicago for his own ends. He can investigate people’s bank transactions, hack security cameras, manipulate traffic and monitor phone calls. Oh and he can fight if he needs to.

Watch Dogs is coming November 19, 2013 to the PS3, Xbox 360, PC and Wii U. The game is also coming to next generation consoles, for example, the PS4.

BEYOND: Two Souls Tribeca Film Festival Trailer April 28, 2013

For those of you unable to check out the BEYOND: Two Souls preview at the Tribeca Film Festival yesterday, here’s the game trailer which premiered at the event!

Expect a full preview of the game from that event on the site soon!

BEYOND: Two Souls is coming October 8th, 2013 exclusive to the Playstation 3.

Wii U Virtual Console and Panorama View Launched April 28, 2013

Less than a day after the Wii U released Firmware Update 3.0, which brought all of the promised performance improvements to the Wii U’s operating system, Nintendo updated the Wii U’s eShop, launching the Virtual Console and Wii Panorama View.

The launch titles for the Wii U Virtual Console include Super Mario World, Excitebike, Ice Climbers, and Donkey Kong Jr.  The games are fully compliant with the Wii U controller, and will support controller-only play.  They also share a feature the Virtual Console on the 3DS supports, which is the ability to create a save state for your game.  The games range in price from $5-$9 US.  If you have already purchased any of these games on the Wii, the games will be automatically discounted at purchase, so long as you transferred all of your Wii’s data to the Wii U.

Nintendo has also released the first Wii Panorama View videos.  Panorama View allows you to watch a video in a full 360 degree view using the Wii U controller.  You can currently purchase videos which depict the flight of an ultralight aircraft, the view from a double-decker bus in England, and a sightseeing tour of Kyoto.  If you’d like to demo Wii Panorama View, there is a free demo available which includes clips from several of the videos which have been released.  Each Wii Panorama View video is sold separately for $2 US a piece.

BEYOND: Two Souls Preview Tomorrow at Tribeca Film Festival April 26, 2013

Sony’s Playstation Blog has announced that a two-hour preview event for BEYOND: Two Souls, a major PS3 exclusive release, is going to take place Saturday, April 29th, 2013 at the Tribeca Film Festival. This is where the developers plan to premiere the game’s newest trailer and show a 35 minute gameplay demo, which they say will avoid major spoilers. Afterwards, a Q&A will take place with the game’s director David Cage, lead actress Ellen Page, and supporting cast members Kadeem Hardison and Eric Winter.

At the time of this writing, tickets are still available for people who would like to attend in person, and they can be purchased here. The event will also be streamed online through the Playstation Blog, Playstation Home, and the Playstation Facebook page. Those unable to attend can watch the live feed on this site.

BEYOND: Two Souls is coming October 2013 exclusive to the Playstation 3.

Playstation 3 Firmware 4.41 Released April 26, 2013

PS3 owners should start firing up their consoles and clicking over to the software update feature on the XMB because Sony has released Firmware 4.41 for the Playstation 3.  No patch notes were supplied with the update but it has been reported that the new firmware includes some bug fixes and other behind the scenes improvements.

The new firmware is required for players to access to the Playstation Network.

Wii U Firmware 3.0 Released April 25, 2013

Wii U owners frustrated with the operating system’s long load times can breathe a sigh of relief tonight as Nintendo has just released firmware version 3.0 for the Wii U.

The update will start automatically the next time you fire up your Wii U. Once it’s finished downloading in the background, you can start it from the download menu. Just press the Home button on the Wii U controller to check the download’s progress. Or you could just start a manual update from the Settings menu. The download should take around 30 minutes, and about five more for the installation.

The update does more than just improve load times for the Wii U’s operating system, it adds the ability for the Wii U to download and install system updates while turned off. If you want to enable this feature, the system will prompt you about it after the update is finished and the system restarts.

Miiverse is now on the Web April 25, 2013

Fans of the Miiverse can rejoice today!  Nintendo has officially announced that Miiverse can now be accessed on the World Wide Web through your web browser or smartphone of choice, with no need for a Wii U.

Miiverse is the Wii U’s official social platform.  It allows Wii U owners with Nintendo Network accounts to post their thoughts through either text or art in various different Nintendo communities.  They can talk about current and future Wii U games, or join special communities with a more general focus where you can discuss things ranging from The Legend of Zelda to The Year of Luigi.

Currently, the online Miiverse is in beta.  Only people with a Nintendo Network account can access it, and you can only sign up for a Nintendo Network account through a Wii U.  So from the looks of it, this is going to be Wii U owners only for right now.  Existing Wii U owners with a Nintendo Network account can check it out right now from their web browser or smartphone at miiverse.nintendo.net!

Nintendo has previously announced a native smartphone app for Miiverse is coming in the future.