PlayStation LifeStyle » Developer

Anarchy Reigns Delay Confirmed by Platinum, Release Date “To Be Confirmed”

Alex Osborn — Fri, 25 May 2012 22:22:23 +0000

According to developer Platinum Games, Anarchy Reigns has been delayed by Sega even though localization is complete and the title is ready for release.

The publisher has given the game a “TBC” release date, which Platinum has clarified as meaning “‘to be confirmed,’ not ‘to be cancelled.’” The developer voiced their disappointment in the delay, making it clear that a punctual release was important to the studio.

We worked really hard to make sure everybody could get the game on time. The game is fully localized. If you buy the Japanese version or any version, it’s going to have all the languages in it. We really wanted everybody online around the world to play together at the same time, but unfortunately that’s not going to happen.

Platinum Games went on to emphasize that the Western release of Anarchy Reigns is now in the hands of Sega, saying:

In the West, Sega is looking for the best time to put it out. It will still be out in July. There will still be ways for you to get it if you know where to go. We’re still 100 per cent behind the game and we still want to connect with you and play with you and have a good time. So let’s make sure that happens no matter what bad news we get.

Stay tuned to PlayStation LifeStyle for future updates on Anarchy Reigns. In the meantime, get pumped for Platinum’s other highly anticipated title Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

[Via]

Resident Evil 6 Box Art Revealed By Capcom

Nick Michetti — Fri, 25 May 2012 21:27:47 +0000

Capcom has revealed the box art for their upcoming survival horror title, Resident Evil 6.

Capcom Twitter account @RE_Games revealed the box art for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, which depict the logo of the game, an “RP” (Rating Pending) ESRB icon, and Capcom’s logo as well. To view the PS3 version of the box art, see the image towards the bottom of this post.

Resident Evil 6‘s box art isn’t the only news related to the Resident Evil series to emerge today, as Capcom has also announced the North American release date of PSN-only compilation Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection.

To view the box art for Resident Evil 6, see the image below:

Resident Evil 6 is currently scheduled to release on October 2nd for PS3 and Xbox 360, with a PC version release coming sometime later.

Resident Evil fans: What do you think about the box art? Let us know in the comments below!

[Update] Namco Delays Inversion to July Release Window In EU

Alex Osborn — Fri, 25 May 2012 20:31:08 +0000

[Update] We have just been notified that the July release window for Inversion applies to Europe only. The game will still arrive on June 5th in North America.

Namco Bandai’s upcoming shooter Inversion has been officially delayed to July, as the development team needs some extra time to polish the game up before release.

The game is being developed by the guys at Saber Interactive and was supposed to launch on June 5th. Considering that is the same date that marks the beginning of E3, we’d have to agree with their decision to push the game back a month, as the release would undoubtedly get drowned out by all the chaos that E3 will inevitably cause.

This isn’t the first time the game has been delayed however, as Inversion saw a prior setback just a few months ago. Hopefully this most recent delay is no cause for alarm as the team puts the finishing touches on their unique, gravity-defying shooter.

A statement from Saber regarding the game’s original delay said the following:

The extra development time for Inversion affords the team the opportunity to create an enjoyable and engaging third-person shooter experience with a comprehensive multiplayer component, including extensive competitive and co-operative modes.

[Source]

Demon’s Souls Online Server Functionality Extended

Nick Michetti — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:02:11 +0000

Good news for fans of Demon’s Souls: the game’s popular online functionality will continue.

Atlus has announced today that online server support for PS3 exclusive RPG Demon’s Souls will continue. The announcement in its entirety can be seen below.

Atlus VP of Sales and Marketing Tim Pivnicny said:

While it originally seemed as though it would be unfeasible for us to continue to sustain the servers, a number of developments have made it possible for us to continue to invest in and support our fans as they have continued to invest in and support us and Demon’s Souls. For all the gamers who have yet to discover the game’s amazing online experience, we’re happy to say you can still log on and find out why Demon’s Souls is still regarded by many as one of the finest games of all time.

The extension announcement doesn’t contain any timeframe that suggests when server operation may be shut down in the future. The servers were originally scheduled to be shut down in May.

If there are any updates, PSLS will keep you posted.

Demon’s Souls fans: Are you excited about the extension of the operation of the game’s online servers? Let us know in the comments!

Jet Set Radio Coming to Vita, Will be Playable at E3

Alex Osborn — Fri, 25 May 2012 18:50:34 +0000

Sega has just announced that they will be bringing the much beloved Dreamcast classic Jet Set Radio to the PlayStation Vita.

The game will be available this summer and will take advantage of a number of the Vita’s features. This portable version will allow you to spray graffiti by using the Vita’s touch controls and make use of the camera to undoubtedly import your own images into the game. Not only that, but the publisher went on to add that the title will be playable at E3.

A high-definition port of Jet Set Radio was already confirmed earlier this year for the PS3 and Xbox 360. It’s great to see that a PS Vita port of the game will launch alongside the other versions this summer.

In a statement from Haruki Satomi, the Sega Senior VP of Digital Business shared his excitement in the announcement, saying:

The fan reaction to our recent reveal of Jet Set Radio has been incredible! As Jet Set Radio is focused on creativity, the touch capabilities of the PlayStation VITA are proving to be a perfect fit.

Take a gander at the handful of screenshots that accompanied this announcement in the gallery below.

Kojima Teases New Zone of the Enders Project With Artwork

Alex Osborn — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:01:17 +0000

Famed Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima revealed an early glimpse at an all new project set in the Zone of the Enders universe.

The project is currently in the works at Kojima Productions and is tentatively titled the “Enders Project.” At a Zone of the Enders HD event in Japan, Kojima and his team teased this new title with a few pieces of artwork that we’ve embedded below for you to check out.

4Gamer.net is reporting that Hideo Kojima is very intent on creating a Zone of the Enders sequel. However, it appears that the game is quite a ways off, as the “Enders Project” is still in the very early stages of development.

Additionally, an individual who attended the event tweeted that the project is set during ancient times and will serve as a sequel to Anubis. Reports also indicate that – as one would expect – the Fox Engine is currently powering the project.

[Via]

Carmack Talks Next-Gen, “There Will Still be a lot of 30 Hz Games”

Alex Osborn — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:40:23 +0000

John Carmack, the famed developer from id Software recently offered up his thoughts on the next generation of gaming experiences, noting that we’ll likely still see plenty of games that do not run at 60 frames-per-second.

In response to a question on Twitter, Carmack shared the unfortunate truth that 60 fps likely won’t be the standard in the next-gen, as we’re bound to see plenty of games still locked in at 30 Hz.

There will still be lots of 30hz games, which I don’t think it is a good trade.
If TVs didn’t add lag, it would be more clear cut.

Those familiar with Carmack’s thoughts on technology are likely well aware of the fact that he is a big supporter of higher frame-rates. A lot of developers have opted to sacrifice a smoother frame-rate for better visuals, but Carmack doesn’t believe the trade-off is typically worth it. The guys over at id are some pretty brilliant individuals, having brought us games like Doom and Rage, so there’s definitely some weight behind Carmack’s opinion.

What do you think about the importance of frame-rate in the next-gen? Should developers make smooth, 60 frames-per-second experiences a priority? Sound off in the comments below.

[Via]

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 North American Release Date & Retailer Pre-Order Bonuses Revealed

Nick Michetti — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:59:58 +0000

Namco Bandai has announced Tekken Tag Tournament 2‘s North American release date, in addition to the fighters that will be made available as retailer pre-order bonuses for the game.

Namco Bandai announced that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will release in North America on September 11th for PS3 and Xbox 360.

As far as retailer pre-order bonuses are concerned, consumers who pre-order TTT2 through Amazon.com or Best Buy will receive Michelle Chang and Angel. Consumers who pre-order through GameStop, though, will receive Kunimitsu and Ancient Ogre in addition to Michelle Chang and Angel. The fighters will be available to those receiving the pre-order bonuses on day one of the game’s release. Also, the fighters announced are the same ones that were announced as UK/European retailer pre-order bonuses yesterday.

Katsuhiro Harada, TEKKEN Project Director at NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc., said:

Pleasing our fans is of paramount importance to the TEKKEN development team, therefore we are giving players full access to the wide array of fighters in TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT 2 at no additional cost. The roster of playable characters in any fighting game is an essential factor in contributing to a player’s overall experience. By offering DLC characters at no additional cost to players, we are able to deliver a pure TEKKEN experience to all of our fans.

If there are any updates about Tekken Tag Tournament 2, PSLS will keep you posted.

What do you think about the release date and retailer pre-order bonuses? Let us know in the comments!

Hope News Times Issue #5 Released For Hitman: Absolution

Nick Michetti — Thu, 24 May 2012 23:49:21 +0000

The latest issue of the Hope News Times has been released by Square Enix for Hitman: Absolution.

The Hope News Times Issue #5 contains news about Dexter Industries, which seems to be growing in power with news that Richard Strong Jr., the CEO of company Stallion Armaments, his bodyguards and possibly others — a total of 16 people — were murdered in a violent incident described as gang-related. After news of Strong Jr.’s death, Stallion’s stock plummeted in value, which saw Dexter Industries picking up 34% of the company. Stallion Armaments is described as a direct competitor of Dexter Industries by Blake Dexter himself. Dexter’s press release about the purchase of the company is expected to raise production demand, which would create new jobs in Hope, according to the headline. Insight into what happened to Strong Jr. and his bodyguards may be offered when Square Enix & IO Interactive release new screenshots of the game tomorrow.

In lighter Dexter-related news, an “advertorial” for the paper shows Lenny Dexter (Blake Dexter’s son) talking about his love of Roberto’s Chicago Style Pizza.

To read the Hope News Times Issue #5, see the image below:

Hitman: Absolution is currently scheduled to release on November 20th.

What do you think about the latest issue of the Hope News Times? Let us know in the comments!

Capcom Aims to Cut Down on Long Development Cycles, Three to Four Years Too Long

Alex Osborn — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:28:13 +0000

Kenzo Tsujimoto, the CEO of Capcom explained that their current three to four year game development cycles are too long. As such, the publisher/developer is striving to limit the development time frame to two and a half years.

Speaking at a recent earnings report, Tsujimoto explained that reducing development times will be a major priority going forward, as he believes that this we be a vital change in bringing the company success in the future.

Speeding up development will probably raise the cost. But creating quality content will be vital to Capcom’s ability to survive by overcoming intense global competition. We will make substantial investments to develop this content.

The Capcom boss pointed to both Resident Evil 6 and Lost Planet 3 as evidence of their continued effort to create titles in a more timely fashion. In the case of the new DmC reboot, Tsujimoto attributed the long wait to the required “time needed to select development companies because of our decision to switch to external development.”

[Via]

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita Box Art & Behind The Scenes Developer Diary Released

Nick Michetti — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:40:52 +0000

Sony has released the official box art and a developer diary for LittleBigPlanet PS Vita (which is now the official title).

On the PS Blog, Tarsier Studios Community Coordinator Simon Rosenkotter released the box art for the game, which can be seen below. It reveals that LBP PS Vita will require 51MB of Memory Card space.

He also released a “Behind The Curtain” developer diary for the game, which: talks about how Tarsier Studios was chosen (their work designing costumes for games in the series), shows Media Molecule emphasizing that this is a full LittleBigPlanet title for PlayStation Vita, Tarsier seeking out community level creators, and more. The video also shows Tarsier Studios Design Lead Dennis Talajic discussing adding tilt and touch to LBP PS Vita and the ability for Vita owners to download and publish levels via 3G functionality. The video also has a bit of gameplay footage from the game as well.

To view the “Behind The Curtain Developer Diary,” click on the video below:

To view the official box art for the game, see the image below:

If there are any updates about LittleBigPlanet PS Vita, PSLS will keep you posted.

What do you think about the developer diary and box art released? Let us know in the comments!

Epic Mickey Planned to Have “a Four-Game Storyline Arc” From the Beginning

Alex Osborn — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:06:45 +0000

Game designer Warren Spector recently revealed just how epic he has been planning the Epic Mickey series to be, explaining that from the outset he had envisioned it spanning four separate games.

In an interview with MCV, Spector explained that when it came time to start on the sequel to Epic Mickey, he was hardly taken off guard, as he had several additional games planned from the very beginning. “Before the first Epic Mickey I actually had a four-game storyline arc, and I had at least three games worth of the ‘game innovation’ to introduce,” he said. “So the idea of two-player co-op and songs in the second game was something I knew I wanted to do before I started the first.”

Spector went on to discuss how the story of the games have continued to evolve and change throughout the development process, even though he had much of it planned a while back.

We never really do the stories I come up with, because we can always come up with better ones once we’ve lived in a game’s world for a while. But I am pretty good at predicting the gameplay mechanics and innovations.
I knew what it was going to be – in essence – in 2005.

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is being developed by Junction Point Studios and Blitz Games, and is scheduled for release this September.

Konami Confirms Metal Gear Rising Will be Playable at E3, Reveals Demo Start Screen

Alex Osborn — Thu, 24 May 2012 16:03:10 +0000

Die-hard Metal Gear fans have a lot to look forward to this E3, with Konami and Platinum Games poised to blow the lid off of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance in a big way.

Konami (and Kojima specifically) are known for their epic teasers, especially right around E3. This year they have not only confirmed that Metal Gear Rising will be playable on the show floor, but have also revealed the E3 demo title screen in an effort to get fans salivating for the impending gameplay blowout.

Check it out below.

Sure, Rising may not offer up the traditional Metal Gear experience that hardcore fans have been crying out for, but man doesn’t that title screen—music and all—get you hyped for the game? Platinum has a pretty solid track record when it comes to action games (Bayonetta, Vanquish) so there’s still plenty of reason to have hope that Revengeance will be a stellar experience.

Just try to overlook the name.

Capcom Announces Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set And Tournament Series

Nick Michetti — Thu, 24 May 2012 02:32:34 +0000

Capcom has announced a special compilation edition of Street Fighter games, in addition to an international tournament, to celebrate the fighter franchise’s 25th anniversary.

Capcom has announced the limited edition Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Collector’s Set for PS3 and Xbox 360, which includes a wide variety of Street Fighter content and a number of games from the Street Fighter franchise. The set will release on September 18th for both platforms and retail for $149.99.

The content included in the set is:

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition with all costume DLC
Street Fighter X Tekken with all character and Swap Costume DLC
A two disc Blu-ray set that includes a video documentary that highlights the influence of Street Fighter on fans — and vice versa — throughout the years. The set also includes: The anime videos from Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV, all of the episodes from the Street Fighter animated series, and Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie.
An 8″ tall specially commissioned collectable Ryu statue, depicting him mid-Shoryuken with flames underneath.
An 11 disc soundtrack containing game music, fan remixes, and fan game music.
A 64 page hardcover art book that includes fan pieces from professional and aspiring artists alike.
A full-size replica of Ryu’s belt that includes his classic “Fūrinkazan” in kanji.
Each set comes individually numbered, complete with a certificate of authenticity.

Capcom has also announced a tournament series to celebrate the game’s anniversary, which will feature the following games: Street Fighter X Tekken, Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, Street Fighter III 3^rd Strike Online Edition, and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. The tournaments will include over $500,000 worth of cash, non-cash prizing, and amenities. Below is the most current list of dates and locations for the tournaments, which are subject to change.

July 28-29 in Austin, TX
August 11-12 in the NY area (location pending)
August 26 in Taipei, Taiwan (location pending)
Mid-September in the Tokyo Region, Japan (date and location pending)
September 27-30 in London, England (in conjunction with Eurogamer Expo)
October 13-14 in Sao Paulo, Brazil (in conjunction with Brazil Game Show)
October 27-28 in Los Angeles, CA
October 31 – November 4 in Paris, France (in conjunction with Paris Games Week)
December 8 Finals in San Francisco, CA

Capcom also announced the following about the tournaments:

Adding an extra level of white-knuckled excitement to the competition, the first-place Street Fighter X Tekken player will be crowned champion and be handed the keys to an all-new custom designed Scion FR-S Sports Coupe. Capcom has partnered with Scion, Five Axis and Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), to create a one-of-a-kind Street Fighter-themed sports car, complete with video entertainment hardware from SCEA and a modified exterior from Five Axis including a custom FIVE:AD aero kit, spoiler, wheels, as well as many more premiere components from leading automotive aftermarket companies.

Finally, Capcom has announced that a new Street Fighter 25th Anniversary site will be created that will allow fans to share stories about how Street Fighter influenced their lives and will include all anniversary celebration details, including how to register for the tournament series. The site is coming soon and the URL is: http://www.streetfighter.com/sf25.

To view images of the Collector’s Set and the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary logo, click on the Media Gallery below:

Street Fighter fans: What do you think of the Collector’s Set and tournament announcements? Let us know in the comments!

Capcom Debuts Lost Planet 3 Gameplay With Five Minutes of Alien-Blasting Footage

Alex Osborn — Thu, 24 May 2012 01:09:02 +0000

Capcom teased us a little while back with a trailer and a handful of screenshots, but now thanks to a rather lengthy video, gamers can get their first detailed glimpse at Lost Planet 3′s gameplay.

As you might have guessed, the game will feature both third-person action as well as first-person mech-based combat, both of which are shown off in the video below. Prepare yourself, there’s a lot of orange alien goo spattered around the snow-filled environment.

Is it just me, or do some of those third-person segments seem a bit reminiscent of Dead Space and its dark, lonely corridor exploration? With Dead Space 3 rumored to take place on an icy planet, these two threequels may have more in common than you might think.

Lost Planet 3 is being developed by Spark Unlimited and is scheduled to release sometime early next year for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Be sure to let us know what you think of the game and how it appears to be coming along in the comments below.

[Via]