The nightmare returns - Dead Space 2 Collector's and Regular Editions are coming in January!

Issac Clarke returns to the nightmare in Dead Space 2 and he's unable to tell if the violence is just in his head or are all around him. Electronic Arts' thrilling survival horror action adventure comes in January, so it's time to get your plasma cutters ready to battle the onslaught of the alien epidemic.

From the publisher: Engineer Isaac Clarke returns for another blood-curdling adventure in the sequel to the critically acclaimed Dead Space™. After waking from a coma on a massive space city known as "The Sprawl", the lone survivor of a horrific alien infestation finds himself confronting a catastrophic new nightmare.

Battling dementia, hunted by the government, and haunted by visions of his dead girlfriend, Isaac will do whatever it takes to save himself and dominate the gruesome onslaught. With an arsenal of tools to dismember Necromorphs and new determination, an engineer will bring the terror to space.

Information on items included in the Collector's Edition packages are revealed, dedicated gamers get the Plasma Cutter, an in-game Unitology Suit and Force Gun, an original soundtrack and the concept art lithograph.

Dead Space 2 comes in January 2011, so you won't have long to wait.

Create your idol group - The Idolm@ster 2 [First Print Limited Edition] is announced and available for preorder!

Some girls are born to become stars and its up to you to make them shine. Come join 765 Production to create your own idol group! There are 9 girls to choose from, and many more producers to compete against. Your senpai in the same production company has her group and your rival company 961 production has Jupiter. But don't worry, you have the passion, the closet and the catchy tunes.

The girls are waiting for you to take them under your wing and turn them into super idols. In The Idolm@ster 2 you'll be working with 3 girls, taking them to classes, designing their images and pit them against idols from other agencies. If you are successful, your trio grows into a five girl group, giving you more songs to perform and more fans to acquire.

The key to becoming a good producer is to take care of the girls, both in their professional lives and in their private lives, create sweet memories with the girls, and they'll perform better in auditions and mold better into the moods of their songs.

The First Print Limited Edition comes in a special package, the box contains 4 sets of photos and your producer ID card. The game will be released in February as Japanese and Asian versions.

Nathan Drake returns in November 2011 - Uncharted 3 is announced and available for preorder today!

In Uncharted 3 Nathan and his mentor Sully will follow the legendary archaeologist T.E. Lawrence's trail all the way to the vast and dangerous Arabian deserts. The Atlantis of the Sands is more real than anybody thought and clues about it are scattered across the globe. Travel around the world, visit the glamorous and exotic cities and find the land before the bad guys get there first.

Thugs will stop at nothing to get their hands on the treasure and this time Nathan gets to use new weapons, new moves and new skills. The stealth action and hand to hand combat has also been improved. Be ready to interact with the environment and learn to take advantage of what you have at hand to overcome the danger that may crop up any second.

Uncharted 3 offers exciting action, exotic locales and an exquisite plot. Currently we have the Asian and US regular editions in our database, more will be added once they are announced. Nathan Drake will return to his fans on the PlayStation3™ in November 2011.

Touch your dream car in Autumn 2011 - Forza Motorsport 4 is announced for preorder!

It doesn't matter whether you are a die hard Forza-maniac or a novice racer, this game has something fabulous for you. The detailed simulation is still here, so veterans, grab the controllers and feel every bump, every crash and even the wind in your ear as you speed down the road and pass all the super cars.

Novices don't have to feel overwhelmed by all the details. Step inside your dream car and play, the game will take care of everything. Just sit tight before your Kinect sensor and hold the (imaginary) steering wheel. Hopefully you won't do too much damages to your car, because with the realistic simulation, you'll really feel a connection with the game car.

You can look at your car from the front, sides and back of course, and step into the drivers' seat to feel what it's really like drive one of those cars most people could only dream of. Touch the controls, play with the buttons and learn all the details about your dream car.

Currently we have the Asian and US regular versions in our database, more will be added once they are announced. Forza Motorsport 4 comes in Autumn 2011.

Conduit 2 Actual Release Date Unveiled

The sequel to one of the more prominent exclusive first person shooters on Wii now has a release date you can mark on your calender. Conduit 2 will be available for purchase on the 15th of February 2011 in North America. The game was originally planned to be released for the 2010 holiday season, but Developer High Voltage decided the game needed more work and was delayed to the first quarter 2011. Here's hoping it's an improvement on the solid first outing.

PlayStation App Heading to iphones & Android Phones

You have to give Sony a little credit for acting quickly. Microsoft recently released their Windows Phone 7 cell phones with Xbox Live integration and Sony responds by announcing the imminent release of the PlayStation App for both iOS (iphone) and Android cell phones. Unfortunately the App will only being available in Europe initially and only a few countries at that. Strangely, there's no word on a North American release.

The PlayStation App will allow you to:

* Check out your PlayStation Network trophies and keep up to date with your friends’ games and online status.
* Discover all the latest games, news and hardware for your PlayStation 3, PSP and PlayStation 2.
* Read all the announcements on the European PlayStation.Blog.
* Share your favourite products or news with your friends on Facebook, Twitter or via e-mail.

It will only be available for cell phones running iOS 4 or Android 1.6 and above

Mass Effect 2 PS3 Demo Imminent - Mass Effect 3 Simultaneous Multiplatform Release

Mass Effect and its sequel are arguably the best sci-fi RPG's ever made, but were previously only available on PC and Xbox 360. Bioware has decided to go multiplatform with the trilogy. However due to publishing restictions, the original Mass Effect will not be seeing the light of day on the PS3. Instead, Mass Effect 2 will be the first released on January 18, 2011, with the third game garnering a simultaneous release on all three platforms (PS3, PC, Xbox 360) late next year. That's right, PS3 owners will get two Mass Effect games within the same year.

Bioware intends to up the ante with the final chapter in the trilogy and many are sure to hope the ending doesn't disappoint. While the third game won't be released for a while yet, a demo of Mass Effect 2 will be up on PSN very soon and will be ready to be enjoyed by PS3 gamers on the 24th of December.

New Batman: Arkham City Teaser Trailer

The sequel to one of the best games of last year has just received a brand spanking new trailer. Rocksteady studios is once again letting us helm the cowl of the famous Dark Knight and no longer within the confines of the Arkham Asylum. A whole city will now be yours to explore with a new story and the introduction of new classic characters from the Batman universe. Topped off with new gameplay features and Batman: Arkham City is sure to keep fans excited for the imminent fall release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Check out the teaser trailer below:

Wii Speak to be Phased Out by Nintendo

The Wii Speak accessory is a microphone which allows you to chat online. Unless consumer demand increases, the plan is to slowly drop retail support of the device completely.

It's now only available at a few limited retail locations and supply will not increase unless there is sufficient demand for the product. Nintendo suggest using an alternative accessory such as the Headbanger Headset which will continue to be available and supported by upcoming games.

There was no mention of what will happen with the Wii Speak channel.

Deadspace Sequel to be Extra Scary

Did Deadspace scare the bejesus out of you? If you're a horror fan, you'll be glad to hear that according to EA CEO John Riccitiello, who's played the nearly completed game, it is indeed a scarier sequel. Not only that, it's supposedly better paced with plenty of action and superior boss battles that top the original.

Another addition is the high-altitude space diving element mentioned for the sequel. Being the CEO obviously has its benefits, but don't worry, the release date is almost upon us with Dead Space 2 set to hit retail stores on January 25th 2011.

Sonic Team Responds to Sonic 4 Physics Complaints

Unhappy with the physics in Sonic 4: Episode 1? Well, you're not alone. Fans have been vocal in causing an uproar that the physics don't match those of the Genesis classics, which has garnered a response from Sonic Team itself. Sonic Team producer Takashi Iizuka however was quite adamant about the changes and believes they're for the better. "In this title, we have not done a straight port of the gameplay from the Genesis games, but rather updated it with actions which could not be done in the previous titles, like ceiling-running."

All is not lost however and if you complain loudly enough, the changes may be reversed, but it's doubtful there will be a patch for the first episode.

"These changes probably made for a different feel to the longtime Sonic fans. We're happy for feedback like this, and we'll make sure we can improve the quality even further in upcoming titles."

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 will be released sometime in 2011.

Nathan Drake to be Played by Mark Whalberg in Uncharted Movie

We have a very strange decision here folks. Most will be disappointed to hear that Nathan Drake will be played by Mark Wahlberg in the upcoming Uncharted movie directed by David O. Russel. Sure Nolan North, the voice of Nate would have been a good choice, but Hollywood isn't willing to gamble on an relatively unknown voice actor to star in a big budget Hollywood movie. Still, Mark Wahlberg is nothing like Nate. The looks, personality and voice are all completely different as I'm sure 99.9% of fans would agree. He made a good Max Payne, but a wisecracking hero? I think not. According to Mark Wahlberg, Robert DeNiro has been contacted to play Nate's father, while Joe Pesci is confirmed to play his uncle. They don't exist in the video game, so you can count on additional liberties taken with the story.

NFL Blitz Remake Coming From EA Sports?

It seems the NBA Jam license wasn't the only one EA acquired from Midway. Apparently EA bought a few sport licenses when Midway when bankrupt including NFL Blitz, which rumor has to be currently in development and the next game to follow this Christmas release of NBA Jam. Reviving classic games with modern graphics and updates seems to be going down well with consumers and if NFL Blitz can capture the addictive arcade gameplay of the original like NBA Jam has, it's sure to be a commercial success.

It will be a long wait though, don't expect to see NFL Blitz released before 2012. In the meantime, expect some more announcements in the future of past Midway sport titles getting a fresh release by EA.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Sets New Records

We know the Call of Duty brand is a license to print money, but did you know each release is more commercially successful than the last? Black Ops, the latest installment of the Call of Duty franchise by Treyarch, has broken the previous sales record of biggest launch in entertainment history held by last years Modern Warfare 2.

Black Ops sold 5.6 million copies in Europe and North America on launch day alone, raking in US$360 million. Modern Warfare 2 in comparison sold 4.7 million copies in the same time frame for a total of US$310 million. Activision needn't be worried about the mass of Infinity Ward employees(Modern Warfare 2 developer) jumping ship last year and joining the EA camp after all.

Ubisoft Announces Delays to Two Titles

Assassins Creed: Brotherhood is still set to be released on time this holiday season, but Ubisoft has pushed back the release of two titles meant to be released in the first quarter of 2011.

Driver: San Francisco was originally slated to be released on the 26th of November this year and was delayed until early 2011 back in June. The game along with Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Future Warrior, which had the same release date, have now been pushed back to sometime between April 2011 to March 2012.

The reason for the delay of Driver: San Francisco has been attributed to quality control and making sure the game is up to par with competition. Most fans no doubt still remember the mess that was Driv3r and they're sure to appreciate any extra time given to polish up the game.

Trapped, and facing impossible foes: ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection for PlayStation3™ is announced and available for preorder today!

Revisit the classics, Sony Computer Entertainment digitally remastered two award winning games on the PlayStation2™. What has been eerie in ICO's castle becomes downright creepy and the gigantic statues in Shadow of the Colossus look like deities on your HD screen. The games have PlayStation® Network Trophy Support, so collectors, think you have the gaming muscles to clear the stages and collect everything?

Become the sacrifice. ICO is a strange boy with horns. In the name of protecting the village, his people left him in a deserted castle where evil spirits dwell. Here, trapped within the cold stone walls of the impregnable fortress, the boy's sense of reality and fantasy blur, he begins dreaming about a girl whom he has to save, and the clues about his past and his fate.


If the castle in ICO is impregnable, the Colossi is right next to impossible. But they hold the key to revival, and unless all of them are defeated, your loved one will never wake. So set off on your horse, equip your sword and off you go on your adventures. All of the Colossi have but one weakness, find it in time before it crushes you like an ant.

ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection comes in April 2011. If you have not played them on the PlayStation2™, by all means, try them out on the PlayStation3™, for all veterans, get the game and be impressed once again.

Gran Turismo 5 Release Date?

The release date for Gran Turismo 5 has been changed more times than I can remember, with repeated delays and even the officially confirmed October release date being pushed back once again. But no more! According to IGN UK, the game is set to be released on the 26th of November for the EU and the 27th for the US, with promises of no more delays. Strangely enough, Europe will be getting the game a day earlier and that doesn't happen very often.

However, that's not all. There's rumors of GT5 retail discs being spotted around Europe and even some online retail stores claiming to have the game in stock already! Sony is still keeping quiet about all this. Buyers beware and I recommend buying the game from a reputable online store. If the release date is accurate, you won't need to wait much longer.

Info Revealed About Two Games Cancelled by Team Ninja

Team Ninja was working on two new games back when Tomonobu Itagaki, of Dead or Alive fame, was still part of the studio. His resignation more than two years ago over monetary disputes resulted in Dead or Alive Chronus and Project Progressive being canceled, but the information has only been revealed now by Team Ninja boss Yosuke Hayashi. In a recent interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu, he revealed that both projects have been canceled.

Not much progress had been made at the time, with both games in early stages of development. The team is now focusing on Ninja Gaiden 3, Ni-oh and a Dead or Alive game for the 3DS.

Play-Asia.com presents: Kamikaze Gear by Pebble: Cool accessories for all systems and situations!

A bombardment of pouches, cases, battery packs and all sorts of accessories have crashed into our warehouse like the Kamikaze. Previously selling under their company name, Germany's third party manufacturer Pebble Entertainment recently re-branded their extensive portfolio of accessories and introduced their new brand Kamikaze Gear. Kamikaze Gear provides all sorts of decoration options to make your gaming more hip and active. And with this new name, the company has come up with even more products for you at friendly prices.

Of course there are the standard things such as protection films and cases, but there are more specific equipments such as the Prince Tennis Racket for the Nintendo Wii™ gamers. There are quite a lot of tennis games on that console, and you can make your match even more exciting by turning the remote control into a real racket by slipping it into the handle. Produced in collaboration with the sports equipment company Prince, this racket gives you the most realistic feel as you show off your forehand and backhands in the court.


If you're in the mood for personalization and decoration, there is a range colorful products such as modding skins. Give your hand held consoles a layer of protection, these colorful stickers will prevent the minor scratches, and when they get old, you can just peel them off and replace them with new ones.

The color and style spread beyond the modding skins to the pouches and cases, of course there are black ones and camouflage ones which offer a lot of protection, and there are others that spot puppy dogs, swirly patterns and other fancy designs.

Get a pack if you have a new console, they provide the case, head phones and straps and the basic maintenance tools such as cleaning clothes. Again, some of them are basic while other have more glitter.

Most of the products are for Nintendo DS™ series (i.e, from DS™ Lite to the DSi™ LL), but if you own other gaming devices, there still are things that take care of your needs.

If you want to find the full list of Kamikaze Gear Products, come read our special news.

Medal of Honor Sells Enough to Gaurantee a Sequel

EA made it clear they would only create a sequel to the new Medal of Honor if it sold well. Without a number, it was hard to guess just how many copies would need to be sold to guarantee said sequel. While we still don't know what the number was to satisfy the VIP's at EA, we do know that pretty much a green light has been given for the development of the next game in the franchise after having sold two million copies worldwide.

Eurogamer spoke with John Riccitiello from EA who said that "The game has exceeded our plan and expectations - sell-through and sell-in."

"It is an absolutely clear success on a business front. Consumer feedback has been strong, suggesting we've got a franchise now that we can successfully sequel in the future. I think it's the first step for this franchise back into the marketplace."

Looks like EA will now attempt to beat the Call of Duty franchise with their own modern warfare shooter.

Nintendo Posts First Half-Year Net Loss in Seven Years

Nothing lasts forever, but Nintendo had an incredibly long and prosperous time in the gaming industry, with seven years of profits to their name. The last three years resulted in huge profits thanks to the popularity of the Wii, but dwindling sales have resulted in the first half-year net loss of JP¥ 2.01 billion (about US$25 million) for the company.

Nintendo believes this downturn may continue until next year. However with the profit same time last year reaching JP¥ 69.49 billion (US$865 million) and the 3DS just around the corner, I doubt they have much to worry about.

US Wiimote Sales Number 65 Million

While the Wiimote gets phased out next month in favor of the new Wii Remote Plus, Nintendo has released the sales figures for the four year old controller in the US, and the numbers are staggering!

A total of 65 million Wiimotes have been sold in the US alone. Just over 30 million of those were bundled with Wii system. Another 12.92 million were bundled with Wii Play.Standalone White Wiimotes make up the majority of non bundled sales at 18.56 million, while the one year old black Wiimote has sold 2.44 million. Pink ones have sold 467,500 and blue ones stand at 462,500 units sold. Very impressive numbers all round.

NBA Jam HD Heading to a Retail Stores in November

Boomshakalaka! Many gamers from the 16-bit days will remember the word being expressed by the enthusiastic commentator after a glorified dunk in the outrageously fun basketball game known as NBA Jam. While a HD remake was recently released on the Wii, there were rumors going round of an inferior downloadable version being released for the PS3 and Xbox 360, which would contain less modes and possible not have an online component. Those fears can be put to rest as EA has not only confirmed the game will indeed be playable online with all modes intact, but also be released in retail stores on November 17 for both the PS3 and 360 respectively.

It doesn't stop there. EA will also be releasing an online game update soon after launch, which will provide fans with additional game modes including Backboard Smash, Domination Free-for-All, Elimination and 21. It's disappointing the modes aren't available straight out of the box, but at least it will be provided at no extra charge. The update is scheduled for December.

Roster Patch for NBA Live 10 on the Way

After losing the NBA crown overwhelmingly to 2K Sports, EA decided to sit out this year. Good thing too, as NBA 2K11 received rave reviews with many claiming it to be the best basketball game ever made and some as the best sports game ever made. EA will really need to get their game together to topple NBA 2K12 next year.

Do you still prefer NBA Live and need an update? EA, has you covered. There's an incoming patch which will update rosters for the 2010-2011 season as well as a few other bits to keep you occupied. The patch is expected to be released on the 20th of October.
The new:

* All rosters have been updated to reflect the 2010-2011 NBA season
* The 2010-2011 rookie class has been included in the update
* There will be DNA Updates throughout the NBA Regular season. Expect the first update to arrive two to three weeks after the NBA regular season begins
* All the player ratings have been updated

The lacking:

* The new rookie class will not have cyber faces included in the update
* Rosters may not be 100% accurate with the first update due to NBA teams not having their rosters locked to 15 players. The rosters will be updated again to reflect the final selections made before the regular season begins.
* Jerseys will not be updated to reflect the 2010-2011 NBA season
* Stadiums will not be updated
* Player shoes have not been updated and there will be no shoe updates coming with NBA LIVE 10 this year.
* There are no scheduled gameplay updates included with the roster update
* Dynamic Season will not be updated
* NBA ELITE commentary will not be incorporated into the update.

Dig up your Dreamcast: NG:DEV.TEAM's Fast Striker comes this December and is announced for preorder today

Forget about the fancy, gimmicky graphics and the world building for a while to enjoy the old school shooting where speed, survival and bullets mean everything. Brought to you by NG:DEV.TEAM of Last Hope: Pink Bullets fame, Fast Striker will remind you why you fell in love with the genre in the first place.

From the publisher: FAST STRIKER is a 2D arcade shooting game with emphasis on scoring. You can choose between 3 game modes with different scoring systems.

This game features six stages of excellent 2D arcade game play with over 40 unique enemy types, super smooth 3D scrolling backgrounds, huge CGI bosses and it features the biggest Megabit count ever since the beginning of NEO·GEO™ games.

The Limited Edition contains an original sound track with full version themes, a special DVD case and a full color, 12 page art book.

Fast Striker run on your Dreamcast™, dig it out from your attic now. The games come this December.

ID Shows New Quake Arena Arcade Footage

Quake Arena Arcade was expected to be released in 2009 for the Xbox 360 on Xbox Live and with the lack of news, many assumed the game had been canned. However, those fears can be put to rest as ID has posted new footage clocking in at 10 minutes to keep the naysayers at bay. Featuring 45 maps, 30 of which have been taken from Quake III: Arena and the remaining 15 made especially for the Xbox Live release.Enjoy the footage of Quake Arena Arcade Early Build 1v1 Cliffside below:

Heat up your winter - Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: 3 Yome! comes in December

The Taikos are here to spend the winter with you. They heat the season up with a festive air. Come grab your drumsticks and pound to the beat. For the first time in the series history, a total of four gamers can play together, letting you perform more intricate patterns of beats.

This time, the package comes with more than 70 songs, some of them are from famous J-pop artists such as EXILE and Kimura Kaela. People who enjoy anime music can play to the Studio Ghibli and Naruto theme songs. Even Monster Hunter and Hatsune Miku contribute their music to this game, so be sure to listen to the taiko versions.

Although you can play with your Wii Remote control and Nunchakus, its more fun, and realistic to play with the TataCon. For people who don't already own the accessory, be sure to grab the Bundle version. Taiko no Tatsujin Minna de Party * 3-Yome! comes this December.

Wii Remote Plus Priced

After confirming that a Wii Remote Plus (which includes inbuilt Wii Motion Plus), was on its way to the public soon last month, Nintendo has now provided the details of the launch of the new product. So far only the Japanese launch has been revealed and the Wii Remote Plus will come in a variety of five different colors, retailing for ¥3,800 or around US $46. Alternatively, it will be available as a bundle with Wii Sports Resort for ¥5,800 or US $70.
Hopefully this will increase support for the Wii Motion Plus, which has been sorely lacking. Even a recent Nintendo published title like Metroid M did not support the add-on. Currently, having to hold the Wii Motion Plus together with a silicon case is inconvenient when needing to recharge the batteries, the Wii Motion Plus remote should alleviate this.

Medal of Honor Banned from Military Bases

The new Medal of Honor game was banned from being sold on all U.S. military bases after receiving complaints from families and soldiers about the Taliban being a playable team in the multiplayer portion of the game.

EA caved in to the controversy and changed the name of the enemy to "Opposing Forces", likely in an attempt to have the game permitted to be sold on bases again and to alleviate some of the controversy. However, the name change did not result in the ban being lifted, with the military standing by their decision to keep the game from being sold on all bases.Small name change aside, Medal of Honor will be available on the 12th of October for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360...unless you're on a military base of course, than I recommend getting a copy from Play-Asia.com.

3D Call of Duty: Black Ops

Looks like Treyarch and Activision have jumped on the 3D bandwagon now. The newest iteration in the biggest selling gaming franchise will support 3D right out of the box. I am of course referring to Call of Duty: Black Ops, the hotly anticipated title for this Christmas season.It's still not clear which platforms will support 3D, as "all" were mentioned, but I'm assuming the DS and Wii versions will of course miss out, while the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC versions will have the option. The only problem being the expensive 3D TV's and glasses holding the technology back, but it's good to see early support for the technology.

Yuji Naka wants a Dreamcast 2

Unfortunately, it's never going to happen, but Dreamcast and Sega fans alike probably got their hopes up when Yuji Naka, in an interview with CVG, talked about wanting to work on Dreamcast 2. It's strange that the topic is being brought up so many years later. "I'm hoping to work on Dreamcast 2".

"Of course Dreamcast was my baby back at Sega and I want to carry on making good games for the European market and one day I'm hoping it gives me the opportunity to work on Dreamcast 2"

"If I have the opportunity in the future I want to be involved again with hardware making"

"It would be ideal if I could become some sort of advisor working with the platform makers in future. I think if I can work really well with the platform makers then it's good for everyone, because I can then come up with totally new games."

"I do miss those old days when I was heavily involved in hardware making at Sega. I was involved in most of the consoles and controllers that Sega came up with."

After being part of the creation of so many bad Sonic games and mass of crappy Sega hardware, such as the Mega CD, 32x, Game Gear, Nomad, Dreamcast VMU (just to name a few), I'm not sure if anyone is willing to take his advice on board.

Dominate the dance floor - DJ MAX Portable 3 comes is October and is available for preorder now!

DJ MAX is building a steadily growing fan base both within Korea and overseas with their cute characters, hot dance beats and stylish graphics. Those who live in the Korea could go to the arcades to enjoy this touch screen phenomenon, but those who are overseas, as long as you have your Sony PSP consoles, you are part of the community.

Come sway to the rhythm and play out the tempo of the hottest Korean and Japanese pop songs - DJ MAX 3 will come this October. The best composers are back to contribute their work, look forward to more of: Planetboom, NieN, makou, myagi, DJ Keri, PIA and Vanilla Unity!

Besides new songs and sexy background dancers, the newest installment has the challenging Remix Mode where you get to feel the excitement of being behind the turntables, dominating the beat of the dance floor.

And instead of just pressing buttons, you'll have control of the analogue stick, give it a swing when you're given the cue to change gears.

Those who've mastered Black Square, come take up the challenge again.

Like all Limited Editions in the DJ MAX series, this box set comes with an ample amount of exclusive items: The twin disc Original Soundtrack album comes with all the music to sate your DJ MAX addiction, there's also a beautifully color printed art book and a special UMD package.

The First Print Regular Edition features a different cover from the usual Regular Editions that comes after this. If you want to set your game apart from the masses, this is the copy to get!

Experience Games in Three Dimensions right out of your pocket: Nintendo™ 3DS announced, available for reservations now!

Here is a console that will win you all the bragging rights in the world: Nintendo™ 3DS. This little gadget opens a vast array of gaming possibilities and all the challenges you need to keep you captivated. Announced during the E3 conferences earlier, the console has finally scheduled for release in February 2011.

The lower touch screen is 3.02 inches wide with 320 x 240 pixels. With this new dimension comes new controls: a slide pad, a motion sensor and a gyro-sensor.

There is a game cartridge slot and an SD card slot, the 3DS cartridges are the same size as the previous cartridges and the console is backwards compatible. There are three cameras on this console, 2 on the outside and 1 within the clam shell. To accommodate people with large hands, the touch pen attached is stretchable.

Networking gets an upgrade in security, 3DS™ gamers can play together through the adhoc network mode and the access to the internet becomes even safer.

Please see this special news about the reservations system. And be sure to go to the Aqua Blue and Cosmo Black product pages to show your interest!

Games waiting for your preorders! Tales of Graces F & The 3rd Birthday!

Two really hot games are announced and are waiting for preorders, they are are Tales of Graces F and The 3rd Birthday - a continuation in the Parasite Eve series.

Tales of Graces F is not a mere port of the original Nintendo™ Wii version, it expands the Efinea world and includes the epilogue of the game. This brand new branch of the plot takes place half a year after the great war, where Richard and Asbel become King and mayor respectively.

Everyone has found a place in the new system, yet, not all is good and well. A new mysterious force is threatening the world. Come again, even if you've saved the world once.

Monsters - the Twisted, that spawned in the far future devoured all the humans, and when they destroyed the whole earth, they spiral time backwards to the past to repeat the carnage. In 2012, the authorities created the Over Dive system, a weapon that could perhaps save the future and the past. However, there is only one person who's compatible with this technology - Aya Brea, the girl without a past.

Travel through time and eliminate the horde of Twisted. Take over the bodies of the people who inhabits the time frame to battle. The Over Dive system offers you one chance to turn the situation around when it reaches the full gauge, your attack power rises several times fold. But one mistake, you'll be gone, and the world will go with you.

Both Tales of Graces F and The 3rd Birthday come this December, you have a very busy holiday season before you indeed!



Here's a trailer of the 3rd Birthday, see if it matches your expectations of the game!

Japanese 3DS Price and Launch Date Revealed

The price and release date of the 3DS for the Japanese launch was revealed today at the Nintendo 2010 conference. Nintendo 3DS consoles will be available for purchase in Japan on the 26th of February 2011, with the west getting their units in early March. Priced at 25,000 yen, or USD $300, it's not exactly cheap. However, it's possible the North American and European editions could be slightly cheaper as this is the pricing for the Japanese 3DS's only. It will ship in two colors, Aqua Blue and Cosmo Black.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta Demo Imminent

Can't get enough of God of War? Played the trilogy, the PSP game and even the cell phone game? You'll be glad to know that with Ghost of Sparta's November 2 release date looming closer, a free demo will be available tomorrow for download on the PlayStation Network. So dust off your PSP if you haven't already and prepare for some more God of War goodness. The sequel to Chains of Olympus is sure to impress.

Nintendo 3DS Specs Leaked?

Apparently a source close to IGN has leaked the specs of the Nintendo 3DS handheld. While one can take a lot of rumors with a grain of salt, the fairly low specs seem very plausible and the hardware seems in line with what one would expect as the follow up to the DS.

266MHz ARM11 CPUs
133MHz GPU
4MBs dedicated VRAM
64MBs of RAM
1.5GBs of flash storage.

As expected, once again we see two ARM CPU's, although newer editions with a higher clock speed. It was rumored Nintendo would use the superior Nvidia Tegra chipset, but that was confirmed false even before E3. Apart from that, the other specs also seem fairly inline with the slightly better graphics than the PSP, if the Kid Icarus game shows us any indication.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Revealed at TGS

Tekken fans rejoince, not only can you look forward to the Tekken X Street Fighter (and vice-versa) crossovers, you'll now also be able to play the long awaited sequel to Tekken Tag Tournament! Prepare to fight two-on-two with a huge roster of Tekken characters. Something that hasn't been done since the PlayStation 2 launch title many years ago.
Katsuhiro Harada made the announcement at TGS and will be working on both Tekken Tag and the Street Fighter crossover simultaneously. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 will incorporate Tekken 6's gameplay and physics and is already slated for a 2011 Japan release. Must have been kept under wraps for a while now. Check out the teaser below:

Think the Halo franchise is stagnant? Think again! Halo: Reach, Bungie's latest release (number 5 if you don't count Halo Wars) of the very successful series has managed to rake in a whopping US $200 million dollars in its first day on sale. Microsoft proudly made the announcement at TGS and apparently, it's more than any entertainment product this year. Considering it's an Xbox 360 exclusive, it's quite a feat. Can Call of Duty: Black Ops steal the show? It's got a multiplatform advantage on its side.

ICO & Shadow of the Colossus for PS3 Revealed at TGS 2010

Ico and Shadow of the Colossus fans rejoice, Japanese gaming magazine first confirmed the long rumored Team Ico collection for the PS3 yesterday. Today we have the first footage from the Tokyo Game Show. Not sure why, but each game is being released separately in Japan, while leaked boxart from a European retailer (see right) thankfully shows that the game will be released as a collection just like the God of War collection. I'm sure plenty of people are eager to play the game with updated graphics and smooth 60fps gameplay. I know I am!

Nintendo's Next Console Will Surprise

It's interesting to see someone from the Nintendo crew be the first one to talk about a new console. Metriod co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto spoke to 3DJuegos about a new console from Nintendo. The google translation gives us the following:

"At Nintendo we always have the obligation to surprise users with a new console. We have never done what others. We prefer to create something new that catches attention, and I think this will continue at this time. Surely the new Nintendo machine will leave you all with mouth open".
Some people speculated that a "Hi-res" Wii would be announced at E3, but that didn't happen. But was that due to not wanting to take the limelight asay from the 3DS? It's possible, but unlikely that the new console would be unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show. Not to mention the Wii is doing perfectly fine, even with the amount of shovelware that is being released. My bet is on E3 2011 and that this time Nintendo will be the first company to usher in the next generation of video game consoles.

Still no cross-game chat for PlayStation Plus

A lot of PS3 owners envy the cross-game chat available on Xbox Live. Many thought the feature would be included on the PS3 once the PlayStation Plus service became available. But the PlayStation Plus service launch has passed and no cross-game chat function was revealed to many online gamers dismay. PlayStation Plus subscribers want this heavily requested feature to be implemented in the service.So we have another Q&A response, posted on the PlayStation blog as follows:

"We are constantly working on new services and features to enhance your PlayStation experience; however, Cross-Game Chat was not announced as a part of PlayStation Plus’ features. We know that Cross-Game Chat is a functionality our fans are extremely interested in and we are always striving to improve the PlayStation Network experience and services."

Sounds like there is either an issue that needs to be worked out or cross-game chat is not possible on the PS3. I'm sure they've tried to start implementing it after all this time, but if looks like we won't be seeing it for a while yet.

Move Patches Might Cost You

Remember when the Dual Shock 3 came out? Quite a few patches were released, although most of them from Sony titles enabling you to enjoy rumble in games that had already been released before the controller was out in the wild. All those patches were free. With the PlayStation Move controller though, it will be up to the publishers to decide if there is a fee for the patch. We can assume the Sony published titles will have free Move patches, but other companies like Capcom and EA, could very well charge money just for a patch to enable Move support.
From the US PlayStation blog:

Q: Will I need to update my games to enable PlayStation Move support? If yes, will it be free?

A: Most PlayStation Move games you'll play will be designed specifically for the motion controller, though some game publishers have chosen to add PlayStation Move support to their existing PS3 games. Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition and Heavy Rain are two well-known examples of existing games being adapted for PlayStation Move. In these cases, you will download an update over the PlayStation Network to add PlayStation Move support. Whether these updates are free or will require a fee will depend on the game and publisher.

Duke Nukem Forever Coming 2011 - I kid you not!

Last year 3D Realms finally went bust and closed its doors, bringing the never ending development of Duke Nukem Forever to a close after 12 years. Having been a longtime source of jokes about its vapourware status, it seemed like an act of mercy to finally put it to rest. Nothing was really expected, as 3D Realms and publisher Take 2 went to court over who owned what. However, the sudden showing of the game at PAX along with a playable demo has clearly surprised many. Myself included.



Gearbox Software persuaded Take 2 to let them finish the game and have continued developing the game in the last year or so, hence the quick release date of 2011. It seems that Take 2 managed to wrangle the rights to the game from 3D realms after all, but bankruptcy will do that to you. Anyway, Duke Nukem Forever is coming to PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 and no it's really real this time and will definitely be completed and released this time. I'm serious. The jokes will finally stop...oh, who am I kidding?

Classics HD Collections - PS2 Remastered Games

It was really disappointing to see Sony drop PlayStation 2 backward compatibility support on the PS3. The PS2 had an incredible library of great games, but not everyone had the chance to play a lot of them and backwards compatibility would have allowed anyone with a PS3 to play or relive some PS2 classics. The high cost of putting in the PS2 hardware into the PS3 along with the already high cost of the PS3 hardware created a system which was just not commercially viable. But at least now we have some sort of compromise.

Although the idea of backward compatibility coming back is an impossibility, the success of the God of War collection showed that there was a viable market for Blu-Ray disc collection of PS2 classics, upscaled in HD. Apart from the higher resolution and widescreen support, the collection also featured 60fps gameplay, anti-aliasing and trophy support.

The next collection to be released will be the Sly Racoon trilogy. Three PS2 games on one disc in HD with also some 3D and Move support for $39.99. I think that's great value, especially if, like me, you've never played the games before. You may also notice in the picture that there is a new "Classics HD" tag on the box. Hopefully, this will mean many more collections will be released. Here are just some of the collections I would like to see:

Devil May Cry Collection - Dante's trilogy needs a collection asap.

Ico & Shadow of the Colossus - The most requested PS2 collection. Need I say more?

Jak & Daxter Collection - Naughty Dog may have moved onto Uncharted, but this fantastic platform series needs a place on the PS3.

Metal Gear Solid Collection - This one would require some extra work, but Konami could port the updated Metal Gear Solid from the Gamecube to go along with MGS2 and MGS3. I'm sure it would sell plenty of copies.

Onimusha Collection - Another bunch of games by Capcom, which would be great to have on one disc.

Ratchet & Clank Collection - A no-brainer really, Ratchet & Clank are some of the best platform games around.

Lucky Play-Asia.com BBQ Sale

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Purchasing any of the eligible products puts you in the chance to win some great prizes. Check it out:

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What are you waiting for? There are thousands of bargains to choose from!

This is Vegas cancelled, money wasted

Midway announced This is Vegas way back in 2008. After three years in development and a whopping $43 million spent making the game, it's finally been put to rest. With this kind of wasteful management, it's not surprising Midway was going out of business. Warner Bros. has done the right thing in canning the project.Apparently the game was almost ready to be released last year, but then needed an extra eight months to a year to finally complete it. The problem? The studio was burning through $250,000 per month and Midway just couldn't keep it going.

For such a low profile game (I'm sure many of you have never heard of it!), it's surprising that so much money was handed out to complete it. Still, if it really was near completion, it seems like a waste to not finish the product and release it, but Warner Bros. probably deemed it not worth the money or risk. Check out the trailer and see what you think.

Mortal Kombat 9 - So far, so good

For me the ultimate Mortal Kombat game (no pun intended), was Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Throwing in a mass of characters from the first three games to create one massive brawl fest. I remember never getting tired of the game back in the PlayStation days. But then the crappy Mortal Kombat 4 came out, followed by the supposedly improved sequels, which I thought were nothing like the first three games and just a dull fighter.But that all changes with the ninth iteration of Mortal Kombat. While it's still in 3D, the game is distinctly on a 2D plane like Street Fighter 4 and seems to be much closer gameplay wise to Mortal Kombat 3 then any of the previous attempts. The graphics also remind me of the original trilogy. All the old favorite characters will return I'm sure, with the game sporting a large roster and a cool looking four player tag-team mode as well. With series creator Ed Boon on board and a stellar trailer, maybe it wasn't so bad that Midway went out of business after all? Coming 2011 on PS3 and Xbox 360. Check out the trailer below!