In a recent issue of Famitsu, new information was revealed about the Final Fantasy XIII demo. The demo, which ships with the movie Final Fantasy: Advent Children Complete, will be playable preview that will last about 2 hours. The demo will apparently cover the very beginning of the game.
Cinema 2.0, is the name of the new effort by AMD to bring photo-realistic graphics that match those found in real life Hollywood movies!
What might not come as a surprise is the need of new hardware, but that's not it! A trick is involved, (quote from the site I read the news at)
There's another trick: a globe-shaped room that feature rapid high-definition photography from all angles. These cameras can capture surface detail to a level that surpasses human touch. These cameras operate so quickly that to the naked eye, they appear as solid lights, when in fact they are flashing on and off at fractions of a second. The information captured by these cameras can then be interpreted into 3D data.I guess some pictures are in order? Well, here you are:
Yeah, the 2 women in the pictures are actually 3d CG real-time-rendered renders of AMD's Cinema 2.0! I couldn't believe it at first, but yeah it seems playing with real-life looking models is coming to a near future. AMD suggested some sci-fi applications for its new technology, such as Star Trek's Holodeck! But we'll have to wait and see...
Sony has done it! With its new announcement about Home region restriction. Sony has made Home access restricted to PS3 native region. Which means, if you have a US PS3, you'll be stuck with US Home citizens for the rest of your life! Unless you import a UK or Japanese PS3, you'll be locked out from the rest of the world! PSN accounts don't factor in for this restriction, so no use making a different-region account! It won't get you nowhere.
The same goes for both Europe and Japan. Supposedly, this initiative was made to optimize advertisements, since that's the whole reason Home is coming to be. Sony wants gamers (or citizens) of the same region to experience and see the same advertisements. Besides, it makes little business sense to show ads related to UK to US gamers! Optimization is the key word here.
Sony must've missed the whole point of its new social network place! I mean, wasn't the whole idea of Home to allow "friends" meet each other in this virtual world? Well, what if I or you had an oversea friend? What if all friends are actually in a different region?! I hope they change this soon, or it will spill disaster!
EA made a publishing deal with Grasshopper Manufacture (No More Heroes developer). The new franchise is to be produced by Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil creator) and directed by Goichi Suda.
The mysterious franchise is to be developed for the PS3, X360, Wii and PC.
A new project was revealed some time ago. City Space is a new project displaying a very impressive render of a 3D virtual world by LivePlace.com.
What's known about this is the WHOIS lists the domain owner as Brad Greenspan, who's one of the MySpace co-founders. This project is running on OTOY, the 3D engine that renders graphics in the cloud. The technology allows relatively weak computers (or even mobile phones) to display incredibly detailed graphics comparable to those seen in Hollywood movies or high-definition games.
The project really has astounding incredibly detailed graphics (I think they even kick PS3 graphics). Also, since the project is using the OTOY engine, all rendering occurs server side, which allows virtually anyone with a working PC to participate. What's amazing about this, is the fact it runs directly from the browser! No plugins to download, no clients to install, no nothing! Which makes this pretty much a fairly tale! But I'm hoping the project pulls through.
My thoughts are that this project (I call it project since I don't know what it is yet!) is the next step in social networking (Hence the title of the post). I think if you connect the dots, you'll find that this is the next MySpace project. Considering that the domain, LivePlace.com, is owned by a co-founder of MySpace's, and it requires no installation (which almost crosses it out as a game), it's the next MySpace SecondLife-style!
Attention everyone! The new promotional Lara Croft is here! Alison Carroll isn't just pretty and sexy, but also used to be a gymnast! Which means, Alison Carroll, got the "curves" to do Lara's rather impossible gymnastic moves. Alison Carroll may not look a lot like Lara Croft, but Lara Croft keeps changing between games that it's hard to keep track of her "real" looks. So I guess it's fair to say that she's pretty and hot in her own regard! Also, she'd make a pretty good Lara!
"This is a fantastic opportuntiy and I am really looking forward to embracing Lara's world. I still can't believe they chose me to take on the role of Lara - and I can't wait to get stuck in. This is my dream job. I have always wanted to be an action hero and hope to be able to use my gumnastic ability to perform all of Lara's stunts."
Apparently, Pain is going to get its own share of trophies breakout. I haven't tried this game myself (I have to conserve for better games) but a lot of people are bored with this game. If you, however, are not in that group, then a trophies patch is all you need!
Alongside the new pack, "Amusement Park" DLC pack, there's plenty of awards to unlock. It doesn't seem like the trophy patch is dependent upon the "Amusement Park" DLC pack, so rest assured.
After the break you'll find a full list of Trophies, which run the gamut from seemingly impossible to embarrassingly crude. Which, as Pain producer Travis Williams points out, is completely appropriate for the game.
Some new pictures of this interesting fighting game came across while I was surfing, so I thought I'd share :)
The game has a new characters announced, Onion Knight and Cloud of Darkness from FFIII. Onion Knight can transform to other jobs like Ninja and Sage (as in the above two pictures) in the game.
(In case you're wondering who the hell this naked woman is, she's Cloud of Darkness from FFIII)
The third image from the left is Onion Knight as a Ninja.
Now this should show Onion Knight in both jobs.
(Translation: Left: 'Cause you're a brat. Romaji: Omae ha gaki dakara na.
Right: Not sure... I don't know any "iccho"?! But it's about fighitng.
Of course, that's my own translation. This isn't official or from a professional translator, just by your good ol' me :) )
Dissidia: Final Fantasy is confirmed to come December '08 in Japan.
In a recent interview with Silicon Knights' Denis Dyack on Kikizo, he discussed his upcoming Action/RPG hybrid Too Human. He expressed his concerns with lengthy games before and as a consequence Silicon's Too Human will span only about 15 hours. I don't know.. For a RPG game, 15 hours seems awfully short!
Dyack, however, suggested that side-play (reaching level 50 and finding epic loot) will take as long as 80 hours. Dyack doubts anyone could unlock everything in the game! But knowing us -gamers- nothing's too hard!
The Too Human trilogy has 3 different themes. The theme of the first game is discovery, the theme of the second game is revenge, and the third game, enlightenment. The trilogy as a whole focuses on the Norse mythology and effects on technology.
When you play the game you can just continue to level up - in the first Too Human you can go up to level fifty and there's all kinds of epic loot, rare items, rare drops, and we've got a system in where if you play an entire level from beginning to end, your chance of getting an epic drop is very high. You can see here some co-operative play now, and there are some Achievements based on that as well. Co-op offers replay value but it's not the only way to play; some people will jump straight into co-op, but I'm particularly drawn to content in video games, so I want see all the content and story. Too Human has almost a feature film just in cinema and story.
~Quote from the interview
I don't how they plan on incorporating co-op play in a RPG! But it should be interesting enough since Dyack said that this game is their best so far!A video showing how multiplayer gaming will be like the Call of Duty: World at War. The video spans roughly 5 mins and mainly focuses on 2 player co-op gameplay, but up to 4 will be supported in the final game.
Here's the video:
I'm eager to see what this game will end up like. Will it compete with COD4? Knowing that COD5 is set back at the WWII timezone while COD4 was in modern timezone... Will this work? I mean, people liked the modern setting. Don't know if they can handle being back at WWII in Japan!
I just hope Activision and Treyarch do a great job.
Today, Sony announced that they're accepting applications to the Home closed Beta test coming at the end of this month. Applicants have to download a Home theme available right now on the PSN store.
Testers (or lucky devils as I prefer to call them) will be chosen by a variety of criteria including activity on the PLAYSTATION Network to determine eligibility for the Beta community. SCEE (Europe Sony), however, will solely chose testers on their PSN activity! Tough luck for European applicants.
This update was much anticipated and this bit of news is what's needed! I wish I would be chosen for the Beta test but judging by my PSN activity, I'd say my chances are pretty slim!
In the recent "DK Sigma 3173" event in Tokyo, Square Enix showed off trailers for its trio of Final Fantasy XIII games, FFXIII, FF Versus XIII and FF Agito XIII.
Final Fantasy XIII:
New scenes of the blond tall guy (Mr.33cm) and the 
reddish haired girl were shown along side the previously shown footage from previous trailers.
"One scene in the trailer showed the three characters walking together in an icy area, at which point they suddenly found themselves surrounded by soldiers with guns. As the three members braced themselves for battle, Lightning actually showed some signs of anger on her face, which is probably the first time that she's revealed any emotion in the trailers."
"In another scene, we saw the reddish-brown-haired girl being escorted by soldiers who carried a cybernetic-looking object in front of her that looked a bit like a wh
ite coffin. The girl was wearing a white robe with her hands attached together, rather than the usual savannah-like outfit from previous trailers. As she walked toward a battle plane together with the soldiers, a blond-haired lady in a military outfit came out of the plane and walked toward her. We're assuming that she's some sort of commander or general working for the Cocoon's holy government."
These quotes are from gamespot, there you can find the rest of the trailer walkthrough as seen by their eyes.
Apparently, Square Enix is changing too much information these days! First, we are amused by the fact that Final Fantasy XIII is a PS3 exclusive only to have that shatter some time later. "Oh, FFXIII is also coming to the X360, possibly the PC as well! I hope we didn't delude you by our previous statement!".
Now, we hear that Chrono Trigger isn't coming out to Europe anytime this year! C'mon Square Enix! Pull your stuff together! Things either are or they're not!
Oh, the images they released for this DS version closely resemble that of the old one...
NCSoft has shed a light on a new MMO in development. The new Korean mythology martial arts MMO, Blade and Soul, is built on the Unreal Engine 3 and is currently set for release only in Korea.
One thing interesting about this game is its unique gameplay mechanism! I don't know if this game is a MMORPG or just a MMO in the likes of Rakion. Also, the visual style is astonishing!
Let's all hope this simply amazing title reaches the shores of the international bay!
If this game was anything like the video makes it out to be, I can point out a fun game! But I still have my doubts about this. I mean, this can't be really all real time combat! There are factors to consider, one of which the average internet connection speeds!
Also, do you just mash the buttons? Or actually string together somekind of combos? And is there any capability to block or dodge?
I gotta say, I wasn't one of NCSoft rooters, but if this game delivers what it promises, I'll sure become one!
Just yesterday, the patch to support trophies for Uncharted was released! Now you can play the game to achieve trophies.
The game uses its already built-in "medal" system to offer trophies. Also, you have to play from scratch in order to get them, meaning the trophies aren't retroactive!
The requirements to trigger a trophy is the same as for medals. So, if you already unlocked most of the medals (or just know how to get them, this site will surely help) it'd be no problem for you to start your trophy hunting.
Thought I was dead, no? Well, I might've been. I had some problems that I had to deal with, still am. Well, who cares about my personal life when Square Enix releases new info about Final Fantasy?!
Recently (actually today) Square Enix announced some great news about its hit series. The "DK Sigma 3713" event held by Square Enix let attendees playe the latest demos and see the newest trailers from Square Enix.
A demo of Final Fantasy XIII is said to be bundled with the Blu-ray version of CG movie Final Fantasy: Advent Children Complete in March '09. The demo disc will also include new high-quality trailers of Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which remains a PlayStation 3 exclusive, and Final Fantasy Agito XIII (a mobile game).
Also, two games that were previously announced as mobile games are now coming the PSP! Final Fantasy Agito XIII and Parasite Eve: The Third Birthday.
Oh, I forgot to mention that Final Fantasy XIII is confirmed, yet again, that it will receive a world-wide release date somewhere in '09!
Dissidia: Final Fantasy is set for release this December in Japan on the PSP.
Square Enix has a surprise RPG in stores. Unfortunately, it's not on the PSP but for the iPod. Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes is the iPod exclusive RPG with a rather unique twist.
You'll be able to transform your music collection into "Tune Troopers" that you can use in battle. Even cooler: you'll be able to level up your "Tune Troopers" simply by listening to the same song you created them on your iPod. You'll need the help of all your best MP3s, as you fight the Mechanical Militia and save your brother.The iTunes download, available today, will retail for $4.99. The game will be controlled exclusively through the iPod click wheel and will be compatible with iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod.
As I don't own an iPod myself, I won't be able to report my thoughts on this rather strange game. But I suppose many gaming sites will be more than happy to provide you with that!
I just don't know... Square Enix and Apple? I mean both companies are known for their near-perfection work. I'd love to hear any feedbacks about this game from gamers, so please don't hesitate to inform me ;)
Sony finally has announced the release of firmware 2.41! Sony apologizes for any inconvenience the 2.40 FW has caused. Now PS3 fanboys, update your system, NOW!
In a recent frightening news, Pioneer develops a monstrous 16-layer Blu-ray disc! It's capacity? A whooping 400GB worth of data!!!
This little baby could hold about eight copies of MGS4! Or 187 copies of FF VII!
The new discs require a special "wide-range spherical aberration compensator and light-receiving element" to detect the weaker laser signal. So much for a PS3 plan, right?
However, the next generation of game consoles could support this new disc system, which is fully backward-compatible with existing Blu-ray discs.
Hmm, 400GB worth of data in a single game? That seems a little far-fetched to me. What would they stuff in the damn baby (actually monster, but who's keeping track? ).
If, and only if, there was a use for this disc in the gaming world (cuz hell if I buy a single lousy movie for $300-400 that's about only 8 GB! ), all games would be like MGS4! A lot more talking a nd lot less acting!
But no one needs to fret now! Nobody said anything about mass-producing these HDD-killers! So for now, the world is safe from them :)
Recently, Sony announced that it's terribly sorry for the trouble PS3 official firmware made, stating that a 2.41 firmware is in the works! No release date yet, but "soon" is operative word here!
