Source: videogamesblogger.com

Sonic Unleashed has been released (hey that rhymes) today for the Wii and the PlayStation 2. The other versions of the game will come later, with the Xbox 360 version scheduled for release on November 24th with the PS3 version hitting on December 12th.
The Wii version will include motion controls support with the Wii and Nunchuck (such as shaking the Wii Remote to activate boost and homing attacks) and will also include support for the GameCube and Classic Controllers. Both the PS2 and Wii versions will include modified versions of the levels in the PS3 and Xbox 360 version with lower-end graphics based on an existing Sonic engine, instead of the all-new engine used in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game for next-gen visuals.

In Sonic Unleashed, everyone’s favorite hedgehog breaks new ground yet maintains his roots in a game that combines amazing next gen capabilities with classic Sonic 2D gameplay! Developed by renowned studio Sonic Team, Sonic Unleashed utilizes the powerful “Hedgehog Engine” to mesh seamless 3D and classic 2D camera transitions, whilst delivering a rich and expansive world with multiple paths to choose from.

Having been broken apart by the evil Dr Eggman, it’s down to Sonic to put the pieces of the world back together again by retrieving the power of the chaos emeralds. In doing so, Sonic will find himself in a race against time and faced with an unusual situation that will challenge him in ways never before seen. By completing a wide variety of action-packed stages, spanning the seven broken continents of the world, gamers will need to unleash Sonic’s amazing abilities to save the world, and himself!

Features of Sonic Unleashed include:

* Sonic can engage in different ways during the day and night time levels, bringing a completely original way of playing the beloved series
* Sonic the Werehog makes his debut!
* Nine beautiful stages based on real-life locations
* In addition to running at high speeds in classic Sonic style, combat fighting will become possible
* Includes classic Sonic elements such as loops and corkscrews
* Super quick Sonic’s speed skills is highlighted by four new modes, whilst the all new combat, movement and functional abilities offer depth and variety to the game

Source: videogamesblogger.com

EA has revealed that Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 for the PlayStation 3 is back in development after they put the Red Alert 3 for PS3 “on hold” back in June while EA concentrated on releasing the PC version that’s now available and the Xbox 360 version which releases on November 14th.

And for those who were holding out on a PS3 version, you are in luck because there will be extras added, including EA stating that they will “make the most of the 1080p resolution” and that they will do some “very cool things” with the extra space that the blu-ray disc provides. Although they weren’t specific:

“When we announced Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 we announced there was a PS3 version, then we decided to go on the record and say that we’ve suspended it to make sure that RA3 was able to come out to the level of quality that it must adhere to to be called a C&C game. We’ve hit that mark, we’ve shipped the game. And you know what that means? That means there’s another version left to be had. So there’s definitely people working on a PS3 version and we’ll be talking more about that later.”

“If you’re a PS3 owner and you don’t own a PC and you don’t have an Xbox 360 you don’t have to write on your Christmas or Hanukkah list that you want to have an Xbox,” he said. “You can play Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, bide your time and you’ll be very pleased. We’re looking at doing some really cool things with the PS3 version. Since it is shipping later we’re putting in a lot of cool content and really taking advantage of both the 1080p nature and the high-defness of Blu-Ray and also the fact that it can hold just so much more space.” said Command & Conquer TV presenter David Silverman to Videogamer.

A release date was not revealed but he did say that gamers who wait for the PS3 version will be “very pleased”.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

It was revealed at E3 2008 that downloadable content (DLC) for Fallout 3 is exclusive to the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game, and will not appear in the PS3 version. However Fallout 3 developer Bethesda has remained quite on details as to how the exclusivity came about.

However Analyst Colin Sebastian with Lazard Capital Markets told Edge Online that Microsoft and Bethesda likely came to some sort of financial agreement to leave PS3 DLC out of the equation.

“…I think it’s a very good possibility that Microsoft and Bethesda were partners in this decision. Obviously Microsoft paid up to secure exclusive online content for Grand Theft Auto IV, and online is a cornerstone for Microsoft’s digital media strategy.”

Officially Bethesda had this to say in an e-mail to Edge Online, “We aren’t going to get into the details of the hows and whys. DLC will be exclusive for PC and 360. We’re not going to give any other qualifiers or clarifications as it relates to other platforms.”

The DLC will reportedly be several hours long and will include an entirely new quest line!

“We want stuff that’s going to be several hours. Not just like a one-off thing, but something like where you can download it and play it for X number of hours,” Hines told ShackNews. “It’ll be similar to what we did with Knights of the Nine in Oblivion, where it’s like whole new quest lines, new stuff, that kind of thing. We want to do stuff like that, where it’s adding hours of tangible stuff to the experience. And it plugs into your existing game, so whether you’re starting a new game, or you’re playing for 40 hours, you can go off and play this,” said Hines.

Work on the DLC for the game is well under way at this point, “We stopped doing content a pretty good way before we finished the game in terms of adding new stuff. So we already have folks starting to look into what [the DLC] might be,” added Hines.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Grand Theft Auto IV plus zombies for Halloween? Sounds like fun to me! Here is the word directly from Rockstar, developers of the massive car-jacking hit (note: This is exclusively for the Xbox 360 version of the game).

“Attention Citizens,

There is a virus sweeping through Grand Theft Auto IV turning many unsuspecting players into Zombies. If you’ve seen the special Zombie-with-yellow-briefs player skin running around during Grand Theft Auto IV multiplayer, then you may already know that the virus can be contracted in any and all multiplayer modes and is spread when an unsuspecting player kills someone who has the infection (BE ADVISED: The infected DON’T necessarily have to be wearing the Zombie skin, some show NO SYMPTOMS!). The signs of infection are:

- Access to the zombie skin
- Gaining the Achievement “Let Sleeping Rockstars Lie”.

With the all-new Viral Infection feature at the Rockstar Social Club, members can now see whether they are currently infected, the number of total global infections and the number of infections in the last 24 hours. Digging deeper, Social Club members can also browse a color-coded world map tracking the spread of the infection worldwide, including breakdown for all 50 US States.

The rest of you: register for the Rockstar Social Club now.”

The new zombie Downloadable Content addition was first hinted at in a Eugenics Inc. “ad” that appeared in the RockStar Social Club, issuing a vague quarantine order locking down the mysterious company’s compound due to a contagious disease outbreak. Eugenics Inc. is a physical location in Grand Theft Auto IV, located in Bohan, though it didn’t play into any part of the game up until today.

The quarantine announcement was actually the second Eugenics Inc. display to appear on Social Club, following a “Sperm for Cash” ad posted in April (now removed), which, to date, has never been an actual in-game activity.

So what are you waiting for? Fire up Grand Theft Auto IV for today’s festivities instead of handing out candy to those miniature bastards at your front door and get ready to kill some zombies!

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Dragon Age Origins will be coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 after it’s early 2009 PC release, says the lead designer of the game, Brent Knowles, in a new interview where he discusses BioWare’s latest epic (which is the spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate). Knowles couldn’t give a timeframe though for the release of the console versions.

Game Informer magazine will also have an exclusive look at the console versions in their November issue.

Dragon Age Origins is the next highly anticipated RPG from the developers who brought the world Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire and, most recently, Mass Effect. The game is being called a ‘dark heroic fantasy’ and is billed as the spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate as mentioned above.

Features of Dragon Age Origins include:

* Epic Party-Based Combat – Dragon Age: Origins introduces an innovative, scalable combat system, as players face large-scale battles and use their party’s special abilities to destroy hoardes of enemies and massive creatures
* Powerful Magic – Raining down awesome destruction on enemies is even more compelling as players apply spell combos, a way of combining together different spells to create emergent unique effects
* Deep Customization – Players will develop their characters and gain powerful special abilities (spells, talents and skills) and discover ever-increasing weapons of destruction
* Your Story, Your Way – With its emotionally compelling story, players choose with whom they wish to forge alliances or crush under their mighty fist, redefining the world with the choices they make and how they wield their power
* Origin Stories – Players will select and play a unique prelude that provides the lens through which the player sees the world and how the world sees the player. The player’s choice of Origin will determine who they are and where they begin the adventure, as they play through a customized story opening that profoundly impacts the course of every adventure

Here is a story trailer for Dragon Age Origins.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Wanna compare the features lists of the PSP 3000 vs the PSP 2000? Well you’re in luck because GameVideos has done just that in this comparison video that breaks down all the differences between the two different handheld systems (The PSP 3000 is now available).

But unlike with text, a comparison in video form really highlights the true differences in look and feel that you simply can’t get in text and pictures. They even compare the screens one by one, and then side-by-side.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Atlus is bringing Legacy of Ys: Books I and II to American gamers via a DS update compilation that contains both of the original games in glorious remade detail and is scheduled for release on February 10, 2009.

Y’s is one of the earliest Japanese RPG franchises, and the original game was released in 1987 for the Japanese NEC PC-8801. It’s interesting to note that the original Final Fantasy and the original Dragon Quest RPGs were also released that same year, making Ys truly one of the granddaddies of Japanese role-playing.

Here is the debut trailer for Legacy of Ys: Books I and II.

The two original Ys games, Ancient Ys I Vanish: Omen and Ancient Ys II Vanish: The Final Chapter, were originally bundled together and released in the United States as Ys Book I & II for the TurboGrafx-16 and TurboDuo systems. Those games were re-released with improved graphics and sound, updated translations and additional side-quests as Ys I Eternal and Ys II Eternal for Windows ‘98. And they were further updated later on with the “Complete” moniker tacked on.

Why am I telling you all this? Because the updated DS Legacy of Ys: Books I and II that U.S. gamers will get to play on February 10th of 2009, is based on the updated Japanese PC versions of Ys I and Ys II Complete. This means that, according to Atlus, fans can look forward to the best versions of these games yet.

If you haven’t played Ys before, then be sure to head to the Wii Shop on your Wii and purchase the Wii Virtual Console version of Ys Book I & II, especially if you are a newbie to the series. “How come?” you say. Because some think that the high sales of Ys Book I & II on the Virtual Console inspired Atlus to release this DS update stateside. So show your support by downloading to your Wii!

Key features of Legacy of Ys: Books I & II for DS include:

* Upgraded Ys Experience —Behold remastered 3D graphics, a remixed musical score, and new enemies and equipment to discover. Touch control and local wireless multiplayer for up to four people deepen the adventure, while difficulty levels and dual control schemes tailor the experience to the gamer.

* The Definitive Story — Available to North American audiences for the first time, this ultimate translation delivers the most substantial version of the famous Ys story ever made!

* Includes additional new levels, new enemies, new bosses, new equipment, a new Boss Battle Mode, four difficulty settings and an exclusive map and enemy character for Ys Book I.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Culdcept DS is the upcoming DS port of the Trading Card Game meets Monopoly video game that has been previously released on the PlayStation 2 and, more recently, on the Xbox 360 as Culdcept Saga (complete with online play).

The DS version will feature all new cards as well as revised ones from past editions of Culdcept. This version should also feature online play via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Overall there are over 370 card types in this game if you include the new ones, including some insanely powerful new cards.

Card illustration will once again be handled by Satoshi Nakai, who did the card pictures in the previous iterations, and the game is being developed by Omiya Soft (who also did the previous games) and published by Sega. Although there is no release scheduled for outside of Japan yet.

The game is based on the console additions so it should contain all the stuff that one would look for in a Culdcept game. Though it will also include adjustments on the overall game balance and a revision of card abilities. In addition, the basic rules will be easier to understand as they added features from the Dreamcast version, Culdcept Second, to make the game easier to play and learn to better suit the DS’ younger skewing audience. The game is scheduled for release this year in Japan.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Alone in the Dark: Inferno is the official name for the PS3 version of the game that was released earlier this year for the Xbox 360, PS2, Wii and PC. And a game we gave away to readers in our Alone in the Dark competition.
To learn more about the game, check out my Xbox 360 Alone in the Dark review. The game was good, but it’s parts were better than it’s sum, and it had a ton of issues. The PS3 version seeks to fix all of these flaws (and those updates have been released for Xbox 360 owners via a patch) and to enhance the game in some significant ways. Check out the PS3 Alone in the Dark improvements over the Xbox 360 version.

And give a look at the new trailer for the Alone in the Dark: Inferno for the PS3, which has a release date of November 21st, 2008.

And here is an interview better explaining some of the additions made to the PS3 version based on the feedback they recieved for the Xbox 360 version. He also discusses the exclusive PS3 sequence!