Source: videogamesblogger.com

Square had Dissidia: Final Fantasy playable at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show. Dissidia does not have an announced release date outside of Japan (where it hits on December 18th) but Square Enix would be foolish not to release this celebration of the Final Fantasy series 20th anniversary stateside.

If you haven’t heard of Dissidia, it is an upcoming PSP “fighting” game where you use everyone’s favorite characters from the entire Final Fantasy universe and fight in one-on-one duels with other all-star characters. You can think of it as Square Enix’s answer to Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Brawl (although it’s apparently only a single or two-player game, no hint of online support).

Major characters that you can play as in Dissida include: Titus from Final Fantasy X, Squall from Final Fantasy VIII, Kefka from Final Fantasy VI, Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII, Zidane from Final Fantasy IX, Cecil from Final Fantasy IV, Garland from Final Fantasy I and, of course, Cloud from Final Fantasy VII (although he’s yet to be fully revealed), among many others. The group of heroes and villains is truly an all-star cast.

And like Super Smash Bros., the game does not play like a traditional fighting game. As you can see in these gameplay trailers from the 2008 Tokyo Game Show.

And here are the previously released Characters trailer and the second released trailer for the game.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Here’s a list of this weeks U.S. game releases. The most popular games are Saints Row 2 on Xbox 360 & PS3, Dead Space on Xbox 360 & PS3, Rock Band 2 on PS3, SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Confrontation on PS3, and FIFA Soccer 09 on multiple platforms. On the downloadable games front we’ve got today’s Wii Shop titles World of Goo, Art Style: Cubello, Secret of Mana, Street Fighter II’: Special Champion Edition, as well as Age of Booty on Xbox Live Arcade (updates Wednesday). No word yet on any games for PlayStation Network or GameTap Gold (both update on Thursday).

Monday:
Art Style: Cubello - $6 (Wii Shop)
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Into the Inferno (Wii, PS2)
Bratz: Girls Really Rock (Wii, PS2, DS)
Blitz: The League II (Xbox 360, PS3)
Secret of Mana - $8 (Wii Shop)
Street Fighter II’: Special Champion Edition - $8 (Wii Shop)
World of Goo - $15 (Wii Shop, PC)

Tuesday:
Battle of Giants: Dinosaurs (DS)
Boogie Superstar (Wii)
Brain Training for Dummies (PC)
Cesar Millan’s Dog Whisperer (DS, PC)
Combat Wings: Battle of Britain (PC)
Dead Space (Xbox 360, PS3)
Disney Sing It (PS3, PS2, Wii, Xbox 360)
Dokapon Kingdom (Wii, PS2)
FIFA Soccer 09 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, DS, PC)
Golden Axe: Beast Rider (Xbox 360, PS3)
Littlest Pet Shop (Wii)
Littlest Pet Shop: Garden (DS)
Littlest Pet Shop: Jungle (DS)
Littlest Pet Shop: Winter (DS)
Lovely Lisa (DS)
My Dress Up (DS)
My Japanese Coach (DS)
My Secret Diary (DS)
Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 (DS)
Penny Racers Party: Turbo-Q Speedway (Wii)
Poker for Dummies (PC)
Rock Band 2 (PS3)
Rock Revolution (Xbox 360, PS3, DS)
Saints Row 2 (Xbox 360, PS3)
Sam & Max: Season One (Wii)
Smart Boy’s Toy Club (DS)
Smart Girl’s Party Game (DS)
Smart Kid’s Party Fun Pack (DS)
SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Confrontation (PS3)

Wednesday:
Age of Booty - $10 (Xbox Live Arcade)
SafeCracker: The Ultimate Puzzle Adventure (Wii)
Space Trader: Merchant Marine (PC)
Tak: Guardians of Gross (Wii, PS2)
Tak: Mojo Mistake (DS)

Friday:
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (PC)

Source: videogamesblogger.com

The first trailer for Juusei to Diamond has been shown at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show.

The game is an upcoming adventure title for the PlayStation Portable, in development at Sony. In the game you play as a criminal negotiator, who must work with other detectives to negotiate hostage situations and kidnappings and solve the various cases.

Looks like PSP gamers will finally get some adventure-gaming love after the DS has hogged the market with excellent adventure games like Hotel Dusk, Another Code, Time Hollow, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, and many others.

Here is a look at the game’s debut trailer.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

What are the best-selling games in America, Japan, and Europe (UK) this week? Thanks to Amazon online sales data here are the games that are the most popular now.

Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 2. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 3. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo), 4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo), 5. Active Life Outdoor Challenge (Bandai Namco).

Japan: 1. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 2. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo), 3. Wii Sports (Nintendo), 4. Disaster: Day of Crisis (Nintendo), 5. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts).

Europe: 1. Wii Fit (Nintendo), 2. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision), 3. Family Trainer: Outdoor Challenge (Bandai Namco), 4. Wii Play (Nintendo), 5. FIFA 09 (Electronic Arts).

Xbox 360
North America: 1. NBA 2K9 (2K Sports), 2. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts), 3. Rock Band 2 (MTV Games), 4. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar), 5. Halo 3 (Microsoft).

Japan: 1. Tales of Vesperia (Namco), 2. Dead Rising - Platinum Collection (Capcom), 3. Infinite Undiscovery (Square Enix), 4. Warriors Orochi 2 (Koei), 5. Earth Defense Forces 3 (D3 Publisher).

Europe: 1. FIFA 09 (Electronic Arts), 2. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 (Electronic Arts), 3. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 4. Lego Batman (Warner Bros.), 5. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts).

PlayStation 3
North America: 1. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts), 2. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar), 3. NBA 2K9 (2K Sports), 4. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Konami), 5. Iron Man (Sega).

Japan: 1. Aquanaut’s Holiday (Sony), 2. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - Special Edition (Konami), 3. Tears to Tiara: Kakan no Daichi - Limited Edition (Aqua Plus), 4. Afrika (Sony), 5. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition (Bethesda).

Europe: 1. FIFA 09 (Electronic Arts), 2. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 (Electronic Arts), 3. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts), 4. Grand Theft Auto IV (Rockstar), 5. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (Sony).

PlayStation 2
North America: 1. Lego Batman (Warner Bros.), 2. Madden NFL 09 (Electronic Arts), 3. God of War II (SCEA), 4. Shadow of the Colossus (Sony), 5. Rock Band Special Edition (MTV Games).

Japan: 1. Super Robot Taisen Z (Banpresto), 2. Dynasty Warriors 6 Special (Koei), 3. Hokuouki (Idea Factory), 4. Persona 4 (Atlus), 5. Hokuouki - Special Edition (Idea Factory).

Europe: 1. FIFA 09 (Electronic Arts), 2. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision), 3. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts), 4. SingStar Summer Party (Sony), 5. FIFA 08 (Electronic Arts).

PC
North America: 1. Spore (Electronic Arts), 2. Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy (Her Interactive), 3. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (Electronic Arts), 4. Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Colonization (2K Games), 5. The Hardy Boys: The Hidden Theft (Dreamcatcher).

Japan: 1. Crysis: Warhead (Electronic Arts), 2. Final Fantasy XI: The Vana’diel Collection (Square Enix), 3. Zwei II - Special Edition (Nihon Falcom), 4. Monster Hunter Frontier Online Season 3.0 Premium (E-Frontier), 5. The Sims 2: Apartment Life (Electronic Artss).

Europe: 1. Spore (Electronic Arts), 2. Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway (Ubisoft), 3. The Sims 2: Apartment Life (Electronic Arts), 4. Sid Meier’s Civilization IV: Colonization (2K Games), 5. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (Electronic Arts).

Nintendo DS
North America: 1. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (LucasArts), 2. Kirby Super Star Ultra (Nintendo), 3. Disney Friends (Disney), 4. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo), 5. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo).

Japan: 1. Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Nintendo), 2. Pokemon Platinum (Nintendo), 3. KORG DS-10 (AQ Interactive), 4. Daigasso! Band Brothers DX (Nintendo), 5. DS Beautiful Letter Training (Nintendo).

Europe: 1. Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training (Nintendo), 2. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega), 3. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo), 4. Mahjongg DS (Deep Silver), 5. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo).

PlayStation Portable
North America: 1. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts), 2. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (Rockstar), 3. God of War: Chains of Olympus (Sony), 4. Lego Batman (Warner Bros.), 5. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (Square Enix).

Japan: 1. Macross Ace Frontier (Bandai), 2. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (Capcom), 3. Phantasy Star Portable (Sega), 4. To Love-Ru Trouble: Exciting Beach School Version - Special Edition (Marvelous), 5. Way of the Samurai Portable (Spike).

Europe: 1. FIFA 09 (EA Sports), 2. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts), 3. Lego Indiana Jones (LucasArts), 4. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (Square Enix), 5. Football Manager Handheld 2008 (Sega).

Mario Kart Wii races to the first place on the Wii chart. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed holds on to the #1 spot on the PS3 & PSP charts. NBA 2K9 debuts at the top of the Xbox 360 chart. Lego Batman stays on the PS2 chart. Spore continues to explore the first place on the PC top 5. And lastly, after a discount to $19.99, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga returns on the DS chart. — For the full lists go to Amazon’s US, JPN (PC) & UK sites.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment, talked about the future of the PSP at his keynote at the New York Games Conference. He thinks Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games would be a good match for the handheld.

To quote: “I think PSP is something that we’re definitely looking at; 34 million [sold] worldwide really opens your eyes, and they’re all connected. We started to get very interested in [the PSP] when we switched over from Sony Pictures to Sony Computer Entertainment back in April. And as we’ve kind of got our heads up looking around the world within Sony Computer Entertainment, we’re really starting to see a big push for PSP. We think it’s a world-class device… In the future, we see full MMOs that are designed for the PSP.

Maybe one way to do it: In Free Realms [in development for the PC and PS3], you could have a pet-training system that literally connects to our online gaming where you can mess around with your pet. Another way to do it might be to give them mini-games that they can do [on the PSP] when sitting at a bus stop [to level up their character from the main game on-the-go].”

Via MTV

Source: videogamesblogger.com

LocoRoco 2 is finally on its way to the U.S. in 2009 (Japan & Europe will get it this year) and along with it comes all the extremely cute and huggable, rollable orange blobs that you know and love, in addition to a slew of new modes, abilities and additions.

There is a ton of new content in the game (as revealed at TGS 08) that will appeal to hardcore gamers that were turned off by the casual play of the original game, although you of course will still navigate by tilting the screen left or right with the R&L shoulder buttons.

The biggest new addition to the game are new abilities that you’ll acquire throughout. An example of this is being able to grab objects with your teeth, allowing them to grab onto switches, levers, swings, etc. allowing for more varied gameplay and environments. Other new abilities include:

* The ability to go underwater
* The ability to cling to walls
* And a large number of LocoRoco can activate rockets, giant mechs and more.

The environments will even offer branching paths and will play to the new abilities. They also encourage exploration and replayability. Additionally, returning to previous environments with your new-found abilities will allow you to access previously inaccessible areas, ala Super Metroid.

Here is a description of the new mini-games/modes: (thanks to Joystiq for the list)

* Nyokki Nyon Yokki - Essentially “Whack a Mole” with LocoRoco characters. Grab a hammer and start bashing at Mujo to slow down the countdown and increase your score.
* Bui Bui Bwooooon - This ridiculously-named mode granted us the greatest smile of all. Inspired by the classic side-scroller shooters of yore, this has you controlling a ship with an attached LocoRoco. The blubbery ball must not get shot, and can grow in size as you feed it more fruit. The larger the blob, the more difficult it will be to defend it, but the more rewards will be available at the end of the level. It’s unexpected of the LocoRoco franchise, and we love it.
* Loco Stamp - More than 150 stamps and stickers can be collected in the single player adventure. These stickers in turn can be applied to empty canvases. Save them to Memory Stick and share your creativity with your friends.
* Loco Rider - This is the multiplayer component to LocoRoco 2. In this battle mode, players will use the analog stick to move around and will be able to charge up jumps. Bump into other characters, trying to knock them into various spikes and hazards through the level. Hurting other players will break them apart, allowing you to absorb their parts and grow larger. Fattest player wins.
* Mui Mui House - This is an ever-growing hub which hides many of the secrets of LocoRoco 2. It is, in some ways, the game’s interpretation of The Sims. Mui Mui will live in this house, and as you progress through the game, you will unlock new rooms and new furniture. Keep the Mui Mui happy, and you may be able to unlock some of the secrets found in the game. But watch out! Sometimes, enemies will attack the house and you’ll have to defend everyone. While it’s a rather non-interactive experience for the most part, it’s incredibly amusing to just watch the animations of all the Mui Mui living in this abode.

Last but not least, not only have the visuals been improved with more stuff going on-screen at once, but there are new characters as well, including a sassy female LocoRoco who will fight against a new horde of Bui Bui whose nuisance you must attempt to remove from each level.

There will be less levels in the sequel than the first, but more to do in each level. Additionally, as the above abilities suggest, the game will be packed with more hidden and optional content for those hardcore gamers who want to search for it, including hidden boss battles that some casual players may never even find! Thankfully there will be a map that will help you discover all the hidden secrets, and you can exchange the musical note currency for helpful tips.

Of course, the unique music is back and this time it’s also been improved, and as you get more LocoRoco the music will change with more texture and additional layers of voice to create a truly unique and fitting aural landscape.

So it looks like LocoRoco 2 is set to offer an improved video game experience that won’t alienate either the casual or the hardcore when it hits the U.S. next year and this year in Japan and Europe.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) announced what new PlayStation Network downloadable games, expansions, demos and videos were released for PlayStation 3 and PSP today in America and Europe.

American Games (Demos):
* Echochrome: level pack add-on - $4.99
* Guilty Gear Judgement (PSP) - $5.99
* Linger in Shadows [artistic interactive demoscene project] - $2.99
* Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords - $14.99
* Qore Episode 5 ($2.99 for episode / $24.99 for Annual Subscription) includes: Valkyria Chronicles demo, some spooky/creepy Halloween artwork and new shooting galleries. Also shows footage of Fallout 3, Resident Evil 5, Dead Space, Shaun White Snowboarding and the top Blu-ray releases in October.

* Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars - $14.99
* Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket Powered Battle Cars Demo
* Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow (PSP) - $24.99
* Warhawk Demo [includes both online play and the offline training tutorials]

American Games (Content):
* Dead Space Obsidian Suit [black color, upgraded toughness and extra inventory slots] - (free for a limited time)
* Dead Space Scorpion Suit [enhanced armor and extra inventory slots] - $2.49
* Hot Shots Golf Fall Fashion Line ($2.99
* FIFA 09: All Leagues Pack ($19.99), Barclays Premier League English Pack ($6.99), Bundesliga German Pack ($6.99), Liga BBVA Spanish Pack ($6.99), Ligue 1 French Pack ($6.99), Primera Division De Mexico Pack ($6.99), and Serie A Italian Pack ($6.99).
* Mega Man 9: Endless Attack ($2.99) & Proto Man Mode ($1.99)
* Rock Band:
– Various songs at $1.99 each: Against Me! - “Stop!”, Free - “All Right Now”, George Thorogood and the Destroyers - “Bad to the Bone”, Harvey Danger - “Cream & Bastards Rise”, Screaming Trees - “Nearly Lost you”, and Static-X - “Push It”.
– The Offspring Pack songs at $1.99 each: “Gone Away”, “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)”, and “Self Esteem”.
* Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution Single Player Map Pack: Brave New Worlds
* Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution Scenario Pack: The Victory Pack - $1.25
* Super Stardust HD Game Bundle with Solo & Team modes - $14.99
* Super Stardust HD Add-on Bundle (Solo & Team) - $7.99

American Trailers:
* BioShock - Official Trailer
* Legendary - Behind the Scenes Episode 3 & 4
* LittleBigPlanet - Life in LittleBigPlanet Episode 2 & Playtime Trailer
* Mercenaries 2: World In Flames - More Payback Trailer
* MotorStorm Pacific Rift - Crashes & Carnage Trailer
* NBA 09 The Inside - Behind the Scenes 1, 2 & 3 and Elite Trailer
* Neverland Card Battles Trailer (PSP)
* SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation - Desert Glory Flythrough
* Soul Calibur IV - Character Gameplay Combos Trailer
* Tom Clancy’s EndWar - Command Points & Weapons of Mass Destruction Video Briefings

American Extras:
* ATV Pure Wallpapers (x4)
* Fallout 3 Brotherhood of Steel Theme
* Fallout PIP-BOY 3000 Theme
* Linger In Shadows Wallpapers (x2)
* NBA 09 PSP Theme 2 (PSP)
* Neverland Card Battles Wallpaper (PSP)
* Valkyria Chronicles Wallpapers (x2)
* WipEout HD All Teams #2 Theme

* Kicks Theme ($0.99)
* Bioshock Exclusive Theme ($0.99)
* Auburn University ($1.99)
* Florida State University ($1.99)
* University of Georgia ($1.99)
* University of Miami ($1.99)
* University of Michigan ($1.99)
* University of North Carolina ($1.99)
* University of Tennessee ($1.99)
* University of Texas ($1.99)
* Beach Sampler ($1.99)
* Summer Down Under ($1.99)
* Digital Techno ($1.49)
* High Voltage ($1.49)
* Horror Eyes ($1.49)
* Refracted Revolt ($1.49)
* Bad Girls ($1.49)
* Halloween Vixens ($1.49)
* Golden Retriever ($1.49)
* Man’s Best Friend ($1.49)
* Nordic Majesty ($1.49)
* Seaside Sunsets ($1.49)
* Elven-X ($0.99)
* Iron Guard ($0.99)

European Games (Demos):
* Hail to the Chimp Demo
* Linger in Shadows - €2,99 / £1.99
* Super Stardust HD Complete - €9,99 / £6.49
* Valkyria Chronicles Demo

European Games (Content):
* Buzz! Quiz TV: Comedy Movies Quiz - €4,99 / £3.49
* Everybody’s Golf World Tour: Costume Pack A - €3,99 / £3.19
* Mega Man 9: Endless Attack (€2,99 / £1.99) & Proto Man Mode (€1,99 / £1.49)
* NBA Live 09: NBA Live 365 (€9,99 / £6.99) & Oklahoma City Pack (free)
* Rock Band:
– Various songs at €1,49 / £0.99 each: Against Me! - “Stop!”, Free - “All Right Now”, George Thorogood and the Destroyers - “Bad to the Bone”, Harvey Danger - “Cream & Bastards Rise”, Screaming Trees - “Nearly Lost you”, and Static-X - “Push It”.
– Red Hot Chili Peppers songs at €1,49 / £0.99 each: “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”, “The Power of Equality”, “If You Have to Ask”, “Breaking the Girl”, “Funky Monks”, “Suck My Kiss”, “I Could Have Lied”, “Mellowship Slinky in B Major”, “The Righteous & The Wicked”, “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”, “Under the Bridge”, “Naked in the Rain”, “Apache Rose Peacock”, “The Greeting Song”, “My Lovely Man”, and “Sir Psycho Sexy”.
– The Offspring Pack songs at €3,99 / £2.49 or €1,49 / £0.99 each: “Gone Away”, “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)”, and “Self Esteem”.
* Rocketmen: It Came From Uranus - €2,99 / £1.99
* Super Stardust HD: Solo + Team Double Pack - €5,99 / £4.49

European Videos:
* Metal Gear Solid 4 - Story Trailer
* Midnight Club Los Angeles - Trailer 3
* Mirror’s Edge - 2D Story Trailer
* Need for Speed Undercover - Trailer
* WipEout HD - Making Of
* Power Pack (PSP) - Trailer
* Puzzle Pack (PSP) - Trailer

European Extras:
* WipEout HD Theme

Thanks to Goldrusher for the EU data.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

This week on Zero Punctuation: Yahtzee pushes around hapless Stormtroopers in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. As always, coarse language and kinda disgusting imagery ahead.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

What are the top ten most anticipated games of TGS 2008?

There is a ton of stuff to look forward too, and all the Japanese big-guns from Square Enix to Capcom to Sony are ready to show the world what they got as the show gets ready to kick into high gear tomorrow and in the next couple of days.

Everyone has their own list, but GameTrailers has a pretty good one as well. Check out their list of the Top 10 Most Anticipated TGS 2008 Games.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Star Ocean: First Departure for the PSP is a remake of the original Star Ocean that was released for the Super Famicon in Japan in 1996 and was never released anywhere else. And now, finally, we will all get to see the original Star Ocean game in all it’s enhanced glory.

Thankfully, the game has been upgraded to modern standards with very nice graphics (including a complete overhaul of the original games engine), completely 3D battlefields and enhanced pre-rendered backgrounds. I must say that the game looks very nice indeed.

It also looks fun! The game uses a real-time combat and was one of the first to do so, much like you see in the Tales series of games. It also features completely new anime sequences done by Production I.G., an upgraded soundtrack, voiced dialogue in many parts and other additions, like the ability to enhance items and create new ones and a battlefield that’s circular instead of rectangular, to match later games like the sequel to this one, Star Ocean: The Second Story (which is also getting an enhanced PSP upgrade called “The Second Evolution” which is scheduled for a January 6th, 2009 U.S. release date).

One of the most unique features of the game is how the storyline deviates depending on what characters you interact with and it also features multiple endings. So it sounds like replay value will be no problem with Star Ocean: First Departure. Give it a look in this in-depth video preview.