ZombiU Developer Diary #1 August 26, 2012

Few third-party games are as anticipated for the upcoming Nintendo Wii U as ZombiU from UbiSoft.  Taking full advantage of the Wii U’s touch-screen controller, ZombiU looks to be the game that will make gamers with more mature tastes get interest in Nintendo’s new console.

Here’s the first in a series of behind the scenes development diaries about the game.  In it, they talk about just what it is that’s going to make this game so scary, and what will set it aside from all the other survival-horror action games of today, and that is that death will be final in this game.  Enjoy.

ZombiU is coming exclusive to the Nintendo Wii U.

Dead Space 3 Limited Edition Announced August 16, 2012

EA has announced at Gamescom that they will be releasing a Dead Space 3 Limited Edition on all of the game’s announced platforms.

The Dead Space 3 Limited Edition will include two new exclusive packs with the game.  The First Contact Pack will include the First Contact Suit, designed for long-term space exposure, and the Negotiator Weapon, a Tesla based weapon which fires with surgical precision.  The Witness The Truth Pack will include the Witness Suit, an insulated suit to help better protect against the deep cold, and the Evangelizer Weapon, a heavy-duty assault rifle/shotgun.  Each pack will include an exclusive suit and weapon.

You can read up on all the official details of the release here.  It doesn’t look as if a premium will be charged for it, but they do recommend you preorder.

Dead Space 3 Limited Edition is coming Feb 5th, 2013 to Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.

The Last of Us Gamescom Trailers August 15, 2012

A lot of trailers and featurettes have been released for The Last of Us at this year’s Gamescom and I wanted to take the time to show them to you, because the game looks fantastic.  Announced at the Spike Video Game Awards 2011, The Last of Us follows two unlikely companions as they make their way through a post apocalyptic world on the run from the infected.

Take a look for yourselves at this fantastic new trailer straight from Gamescom.

Want to know more about the game’s details?  Well, here are the game’s directors to talk about it.

Finally, they’ve posted two featurettes which show just how the game is being made, in particular, how the actors portraying the in-game characters get their performances across.  First off, here’s a side by side of what goes into the development of one game cinematic.

Finally, here’s the raw performance capture video of one of the game’s cinematics.

If you’re interested in seeing the final version of the cinematic that is being captured in this scene, you can watch it here.

The Last of Us is coming exclusive to the Playstation 3.

Dead Space 3 Weapons Crafting Demonstration August 15, 2012

Continuing with our coverage of Dead Space 3 at this year’s Gamescom, Viceral has shown off a brand new feature to the Dead Space game series, complete weapons crafting.

Previously in Dead Space games you would be able to purchase weapons after obtaining the schematics for them somewhere in the game’s universe.  From there you would be able to use in game workbenches to upgrade the weapons using power nodes found in fuse boxes or dropped by bosses.  You had a pretty wide spectrum of upgrade opportunities with weapons, as you could upgrade everything ranging from weapon damage to the time it takes to reload.

The Bench is being completely revamped in Dead Space 3.  How much of a revamp are we getting?  Well, rather than explain just how in depth this new system is, why don’t I just show you?

What weapons do you think should be featured in Dead Space 3?  Tweet @deadspace with your ideas!

Dead Space 3 is coming Feb 5th, 2013 to the PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Dead Space 3 Release Date August 14, 2012

The first Dead Space launched in 2008 and already had an animated direct-to-video feature and graphic novel to accompany it.  Since then the series has been seen on platforms ranging from the PC to the Wii, and even the iPhone.

Dead Space 3 will feature an expanded campaign story for people who plan to play the game with a second player, a first for the series.  The game is being shown at this year’s Gamescom, which is where this awesome trailer is from.

Dead Space 3 is coming February 5th, 2013 to the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Version 2.0 Patch Notes August 13, 2012

Version 2.0 has been released for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots in the United States, and I wanted to take some time to post some of the specific details about the new patch.

The big news is that version 2.0 includes Trophy Support, which has been the most requested feature by players for several years.  The problem is that previous game saves cannot be used to earn trophies, and new saves created in version 2.0 are not compatible with older versions of the game.

The patch also includes a full game installation option, which cuts out the installation requirement at the end of each act in the game.  I’ve done a video to time just how long a complete installation takes.

I really wish they would have included a demo theater option.

The patch will automatically be downloaded upon boot, and will not need to be downloaded through the Playstation Store separately.  The patch is 517MB in size and is a required download.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a Playstation 3 exclusive.

How To Transfer Data and Games from Nintendo 3DS to 3DS XL August 10, 2012

Planning to upgrade from a Nintendo DSi or 3DS to the brand new 3DS XL? Purchase a lot of games on one device and don’t want to lose them? It’s actually dirt simple to transfer all your internal data, saves and games from one device to another.

You will need to have both devices handy in order to make use of the transfer process, the original device’s memory card, and both must be connected to the same internet-connected WiFi hotspot. Then, just follow these simple steps, and you’ll be playing all your old games on your new device in no time.

It also looks like this transfer process will work with other Nintendo DS devices, like the DSi.

UPDATE:  If you have an older model DS, like the DSi, and you want to transfer its data to a 3DS, you can, just follow these instructions instead.

You should also register your new device with Club Nintendo to get an extended warranty from Nintendo on it, and some bonus points which can be redeemed for prizes or downloadable games.

Nintendo 3DS XL is launching August 19th, 2012 in North America.

Halo 4 Weapons Revealed August 10, 2012

Halo Waypoint has released this trailer for Halo 4 which shows off all the weapons that the UNSC plans to bring to the fight.  From the looks of it, these weapons will be offered to multiplayer combatants, and each has their own strengths and weaknesses.  Some old favorites do look like they are returning, but a bunch of whole new weapons are coming as well, it is, after all, the future.

Is that a Rail Gun I see?

If you prefer to hear the weapons better, you can check out this trailer as well.  343 Industries promises all the weapon sounds in Halo 4 have been rebuilt.

Halo 4 is coming November 6th, 2012 exclusive to the Xbox 360.

Sound Shapes Released August 7, 2012

When I first demoed the Playstation Vita at E3 2011, I was given five games to test, each to show me a wide spectrum of the functionality of the device.  Those games were, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Little Big Planet (Vita), Virtua Tennis, Little Deviants and Sound Shapes.

All of the games impressed me, and it opened me up to the possiblity of actually getting a Vita.  However, of the five games I played on the Vita, as far as I know, before today only Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Little Deviants have actually been released.

Today, Sound Shapes is out for download on the Playstation Vita and the Playstation 3.

I first demoed the game at E3 2011 and found myself enjoying the gameplay quite a bit.  The game controlled quite simply, but to me the game’s experience was more than just advancing from level to level, what made the game so enjoyable was the soundtrack that you would unlock in each part of the level.

Now, it looks like in the year since I originally demoed the game, a lot more has been added to it, take a look for yourselves at CORPOREAL, a new feature that will be part of the game.

Sound Shapes is out now for download on the Playstation Network for the Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita.