NARUTO Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 Single-player demo

August 26th, 2010 Bret Douglas

The playable demo for NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 2 is now available for download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 and the PlayStationNetwork for the PlayStation 3 across Europe and the PAL regions.

Featuring the 1st boss battle of the game against Kakashi, you will be able to play with Naruto and Sakura as a support character. Avoid the terrible attacks from Kakashi and use your chackra wisely to clear his test and steal the bells from him.

Developed by acclaimed studio CyberConnect2, NARUTO Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 is a tour de force of Naruto thrills and spills, and the first game based on the global hit Naruto Shippuden manga and anime to appear on both consoles. Impressively faithfully to the universe of the anime, the game takes players through the Naruto Shippuden story arc with new battle systems enhancing the gameplay. Players must choose the right companions to fight alongside for a greater chance of winning, and together unleash explosive Team Special Techniques to lay waste to opponents. The brand new online mode, a first for the Ultimate Ninja series, takes the full force of the fight to opponents around the world.

The content-packed Collector Edition and standard retail version are scheduled for launch across Europe and the PAL territories on October 15th 2010 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

GO Series: Japanese DSiWare on its way to Europe

August 24th, 2010 Console Digest

Western gamers are in for a treat as Rising Star Games and Gamebridge announce the new digitally distributed GO Series will soon be available in Europe and North America – exclusively on DSiWare. The GO Series will bring the best Japanese DSiWare games to Europe and North America, benefitting from relationships Rising Star Games and Gamebridge have with top developers in Japan and Asia.

The GO Series will distribute games from renowned Japanese studios including: G-mode, ArtePiazza, SUZAK and TOM CREATE. The studios selected to be part of the GO Series are responsible for impressive titles such as: Wario: Master of Disguise, Dragon Quest, Innocent Life and F-Zero GP Legend.

Martin Defries, managing director of Rising Star Games said, “The GO Series offers great casual games for great value. We are really pleased with the studios that have come together to create this series and we’re looking forward to getting these impressive casual games into the hands of European and North American gamers.”

The GO Series will be released between September and December 2010. The first two games available will be: 10 Second Run and Defence Wars, for the modest sum of 200 DSiWare points each.

10 Second Run will be available across Europe from the 3rd September and Defence Wars from 24th September. US release dates for both titles are to be confirmed. The compilation trailer for the GO Series goes live on the EU Nintendo Channel today.

10 Second Run
In 10 second run the player takes control of a stick man and run for his life across obstacle courses to reach the goal within 10 seconds. Move like your life depends on it, dashing across over 50 stages, avoiding various hazards and desperately trying to reach the exit on time. 10 seconds is all you’ve got!

Fuyuhiko Fujimoto, director of 10 Second Run at G-mode said, “We’re extremely pleased to be teaming up with Gamebridge and the GO Series to bring 10 Second Run to players around the world. After the game’s success in Japan since its release in April, I’m really looking forward to having players everywhere try out the game. We’re confident the sense of fun trying to reach the exit in just 10 seconds will be universal.”

Defence Wars
In Defence Wars the player takes control of a mini arsenal of weapons and fight off wave after wave of enemy attacks. Hold your base until the reinforcements arrive by flicking bullets and bombs at the oncoming enemies using the stylus. Arm your base with guns, cannons and tanks in preparation for the onslaught and then attack with everything you’ve got.

Noriyoshi Takagi, director of Defence Wars at Tom Create said, “Defence Wars was released in Japan in Feb 2010 and it is still in the top 10. The game’s tempo and intuitive touch pen controls are the reasons for its continued success. We are looking forward to European and American players being able to enjoy Defence Wars.”

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

August 23rd, 2010 Laura Smith

Established graffiti artist and drum and bass icon, Goldie, has pushed his maverick creative style to deadly new levels by creating a unique piece of art combining traditional street techniques with live ammunition.

Commissioned to create a special piece of billboard artwork to mark the launch of Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, a raw and brutal new crime shooter, Goldie utilised spray cans, 12 bore shotguns and a rifle range to bring his extraordinary vision to life.

Goldie States, “I’m a real keen gamer and I love my shoot ‘em ups. This was a killer opportunity to mesh street art and the gaming world – creating something original, edgy and high impact. It also gave me a chance to blow the crap out of something.”

The process was complex. First Goldie re-imagined the game visuals using colour separation from the safety of his studio, and then transported his ‘undercoat’ to a remote shooting range and pasted it onto a 10ft by 15ft billboard canvas. He then set about the canvas using a series of graffiti art techniques including spray cans, stencils, free-hand, chalk, sponging and even hand-throwing paint directly onto the piece.

To finish off his creation Goldie then directed trained marksmen armed with a selection of lethal rifles and shotguns to blast away sections of the piece, which he had carefully marked with targets.

The finished artwork is now on show at The Old Truman Brewery, East London’s revolutionary arts and media quarter on Brick Lane. It is then due to tour in exhibitions of Goldie’s artwork around the world, later this year.

Jon Brooke, UK Marketing Director at Square Enix, said “We really wanted to create a cool piece of art that represented the explosive experience of Kane & Lynch 2 so we’re really pleased that Goldie totally cut loose and made something so unique. We are very excited to be displaying this one off piece of art for a limited time at the Truman Brewery near Brick Lane so make sure you head over and see it up close.

Goldie earned his name as a graffiti artist in the West Midlands in the early eighties and has produced artistic works with 3D (Massive Attack) and Sarah Gregory, whilst being commissioned to produce pieces for Noel Gallagher, Bjork, The Sex Pistols, Snow Patrol, Pete Tong, Jason Statham and Sir Paul McCartney, to name but a few.

As a recording artist Goldie has sold more than 2.5 million records worldwide and has also had a successful acting career appearing in movies such as The World is Not Enough (1999), The Ninth Gate (1999) and Snatch (2000). He also appeared on EastEnders and entered Celebrity Big Brother during 2001 and 2002. In 2008 he starred in the BBC Two reality show Maestro.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days follows two disturbed criminals, Lynch – an impulsive and reckless self-medicated psychopath and Kane – a tactical but disillusioned and desperate ex-mercenary, through 48 hours of hell.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows® and will be released under the EIDOS brand portfolio. All formats will release in-stores on August 20th, 2010 in Europe and other PAL territories.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

August 20th, 2010 Bret Douglas

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will be available at retail stores nationwide for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 5, 2010. Developed by Mercury Steam in collaboration with Kojima Productions, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow introduces a fresh and radical re-imagining of the vastly popular series with an epic tale of love, despair and hope, in a time when the dead walk among the living.

In Castlevania: Lords of Shadow gamers play as Gabriel Belmont, voiced by Robert Carlyle, the hero of the game and part of the legendary Belmont clan from Castlevania lore. While in-human creatures of the night wreak havoc on the land, the soles of the dead are trapped on Earth and unable to find peace. Gabriel must track down the mysterious Lords of Shadow in order to unite the pieces of a relic called “The God Mask” that can purify the world and has the power to bring the dead back to life. Along Gabriel’s journey gamers will traverse over 50 diverse and beautifully realized 3D stages, come up against over 45 enemies, and defeat huge adversaries in real time with skill, power and timing. In total, the game boasts over 40 possible combo attacks that can be added to Gabriel’s arsenal. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow offers a wide range of puzzles with larger adversaries that require a specific means to exploit weaknesses, or object-related puzzles that will open doors or give access to previously unreachable areas.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will be available on October 5 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Dead Rising 2: Case Zero

August 19th, 2010 Laura Smith

Dead-Rising-2-Case-Zero

A unique and stand alone piece of content, Dead Rising 2: CASE ZERO will introduce players to the main protagonist, Chuck Greene, and game play features of Dead Rising 2 ahead of its release. Available exclusively to Xbox 360 owners via Xbox Live, Dead Rising 2: CASE ZERO is set two years after the Willamette incident chronicled in the original Dead Rising and three years before the action of Dead Rising 2.

Chuck Greene’s idyllic life was shattered during the Las Vegas zombie outbreak. His wife was killed and his young daughter, Katey, was bitten and infected. Now he has fled Vegas with Katey and must find more doses of Zombrex for her to ensure the zombification process does not become complete. He must also avoid military check points or else, given the strict quarantine regulations in force, risk losing his daughter.

In need of fuel and looking to stock up on supplies, Chuck and Katey stop at the small desert town of Still Creek, where all initially seems as peaceful as its name suggests. But shortly after their arrival a containment zone is breached and the undead begin to shuffle into town. To make matters worse, someone steals Chuck’s truck so now they have no way to leave. With Katey needing a shot of Zombrex very soon, Chuck has no option but to search Still Creek’s zombie infested streets for the drug, and a way out of town.

In Dead Rising 2: CASE ZERO, just like the full game, Chuck will be able to use his handyman skills and a roll of duct tape to combine two items to create powerful combo weapons. Not only do these combo weapons make killing zombies easier and a often a lot more gruesome, they have the added benefit of earning Chuck additional Prestige Points which in turn result in quicker levelling up.

During his search for Zombrex and a new ride, Chuck will be able to explore the streets and stores of Still Creek, encountering Survivors, unbitten humans that Chuck can choose to save or leave as a zombie feast before taking on a Psycho, one of the signature bosses of the Dead Rising series.

Players purchasing Dead Rising 2: CASE ZERO will not just be rewarded with a piece of unique and compelling content that will deliver gripping gameplay and bridge the story between Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2, but those who then go on to buy Dead Rising 2 will be able to carry over character attributes earned such as Player Level, to a maximum of five, Prestige Points alongside skills, Combo Cards and a number of alternate outfits.

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