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Ico novel, Castle of the Mist, finally coming to America

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Ico fans rejoice: Miyuki Miyabe’s Ico novel, Castle of the Mist, is at last being translated into English and is coming to America July 19th, according to Anime News Network (although the publisher’s website actually says on or around August 16th). According to the blurb, “Based on the video game filmmaker Guillemo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth) called a ‘masterpiece,’ Japan’s leading fantasist Miyuki Miyabe has crafted a tale of magic, loss, and love that will never be forgotten.” Miyabe is known in America for her novel Brave Story, which was made into an animated film, manga series, and several video games.

Wow. Just. Seriously. I am nearly speechless. Two years ago I read – and re-read – and re-read again – the first two chapters of this novel. I found a fanslation somewhere on the Internet and inhaled it over and over, eager for more Ico. Like the game, it’s charming and haunting, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the story. For those of you who haven’t played the game yet, you’re in luck – the game will be re-released in HD and full 3D with Shadow of the Colossus on March 31. I’ve been having sweet dreams of sitting with Yorda on the couch, with that delightful music playing in the background. In the meantime, I’m still playing LittleBigPlanet 2 as Ico, and I’ve been listening to the soundtrack. I’m trying to be patient. Really.

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Killzone 3 full Trophy list revealed

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

With Guerilla Games’ latest sci-fi adventure only three weeks away, and a multiplayer beta available for download tomorrow, you may be overwhelmed by the proximity of the launch of Killzone 3. Feel free to satiate your fix by checking out the full Trophy list, courtesy of the bold heroes at PS3Trophies. There’s no more crazy requirements for placing in the top x% of the weekly multiplayer leaderboards, but you do need to finish the game on Elite to get the Platinum. The rest are your run of the mill challenges for individual levels and multiplayer, but be careful of spoilers in the hidden trophies at the end of the list. I’m hoping this will be my second platinum trophy from the Killzone series.

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New details emerge for From Software’s Project Dark, officially titled Dark Souls

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

At the last Tokyo Game Show, From Software revealed their next game, tentatively titled Project Dark. As the spiritual successor to their last big hit Demon’s Souls (which was the spiritual successor to King’s Field), it should come as no surprise that the game is now officially titled as Dark Souls. The game will have familiar aspects from Demon’s Souls’ characteristic co-op and versus online play, as you can feel the “gentle presence” of others playing the game and leave behind messages. Instead of a set of classes to choose at the beginning, players will be able to develop their own characters, utilizing an even wider selection of equipment and magic. Also gone is the concept of a central hub connecting the various levels, as this time they will all be seamlessly connected; when you step out of a cave and see a castle in the distance, you’ll eventually be able to get inside the walls and see what’s hidden within. The one thing definitely carrying over from Demon’s Souls is the grueling difficulty and immensely satisfying sense of achievement through learning from your mistakes.

I burned lots of hours on an imported version of Demon’s Souls before it came out in the states, and I’m embarrassed to say I still haven’t finished the game. Looks like I’ll have some grinding to do. Dark Souls comes out later this year on PlayStation 3 in Japan, with Namco Bandai publishing the game in the west for both PS3 and Xbox 360.

Source: Siliconera

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Sega Rally Online Arcade to race onto PSN/XBLA this year

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Ryan Littlefield

Just yesterday, Sega announced that it would be revamping the classic Sega Rally series in the form of Sega Rally Online Arcade – which was inspired by Sega Rally 3 and Sega Rally Revo. Sega Rally Online Arcade will feature full-fledged HD visuals and the ability to compete in races online, a feat never-before tackled by the Sega Rally titles.

In addition to online competitive play, Sega Rally Online Arcade will also offer the famed Time Attack and Championship Battle modes, achievement/trophy support, online leaderboards, and the combination of five drivers and 13 rally cars to choose from.

And as you may have guessed from the “Arcade” attached to the end of the title, the game will be available only on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade when it’s released later this year.

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Daily Scoop: February 1, 2011 – When it rains, it pours

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Nicole Kline

So it’s been slim pickings lately, but today…TODAY!!…it’s really exploding. There’s a lot going on! Not to mention it’s finally February, which means it’s one step closer to saying goodbye to this bipolar winter. Woo!

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games is Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 for the Wii. It’s just $9.99 today from $19.99, so if you don’t have a copy, you don’t really have any excuse not to pick this up. My excuses are that I’m broke and already have a billion games I need to play. But really, are those such good excuses?

In the t-shirt world, we have a lot going on. Today’s Tee Fury t-shirt is one of those “Coexist” shirts, but each letter is from something famous in science fiction or fantasy. I don’t know if those two things will ever have equal footing, though. It reminds me of Thinkgeek’s Coexist shirt, which uses letters in fonts from several different major console brand names.

But the proverbial cake is taken by shirt.w00t.com today, because seriously, there’s so much awesome I might just be forced to buy this. It is pure brilliance.

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Genesis, SNES cartridges compete in endurance competition

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Ryan Littlefield

Blistered Thumbs hosts the be-all, end-all competition to determine a winner from Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo cartridges in several bouts of toughness. RinryGameGame’s competition used copies of Joe Montana Sports Talk Football (I and II) for the Genesis and the Super Nintendo’s NHL Stanley Cup. Competition events range from being boiled alive to being completely encased in a bowl of Jello. Needless to say, the results are surprising.

Watch for yourselves, but first, consider this: can your PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, or Wii games survive this?

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Jane McGonigal to keynote PAX East 2011

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

Developer, visionary, and optimist Jane McGonigal will be kicking off this year’s PAX East in Boston with her keynote “to inspire gamers to create a better world,” no doubt inspired by her recent book Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. McGonigal is a games developer and researcher focusing on collective gaming and how our experience with the medium can help us solve our real life problems. Most gamers will recognize her as Community Lead on I Love Bees, the viral marketing alternate reality game for Halo 2. Robert Khoo of Penny Arcade said, “every gamer knows the kind of passion and dedication we bring to the games we love. The idea that we can take this and direct it outward to the real world is something we’ve always believed in. Jane’s message is something that will inspire and hopefully provoke us all toward greater action.”

I’ve been to the last three Penny Arcade Expos but never attended a keynote. As games are usually getting in the way of my motivation, this talk may get me to finally attend one. PAX East will take place in Boston Massachusetts from Friday March 11 to Sunday March 13, 2011. Be on the lookout for your favorite Warp Zoned writers running loose in the wild.

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We’re all playing entirely too much Call of Duty: Black Ops

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

Activision has released another statistics graphic for Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer today and the numbers are starting to get a little astounding. In addition to the most popular weapons, perks, and killstreaks, we’ve apparently fought 161 World War II’s everyday since the game’s launch. I could go on and on about how crazy they are, but the full image is viewable above for your clicking pleasure. I recently got back to the game myself and it’s a pleasant surprise to see some of the network issues cleared up. If only some of Activision’s other studios were this dedicated…

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