GI Joe

For fans of all ages, 2009 is gearing up to become another watershed milestone in the timeless franchise by introducing even more new ways to engage, immerse and play within the G.I. JOE universe. The G.I. JOE video game will feature an exclusive storyline that picks up where the live-action movie leaves off, allowing players to re-create and re-live the greatest moments from the film, cartoon series and action figure toy line. The game will feature 12 G.I. JOE characters, each with unique abilities and weapons. Adding to the adrenaline rush will be an intense single-screen co-op mode allowing two players to easily unite as a team in a classic struggle between good and evil as they work together to defeat the powers of the COBRA organization.


Publisher: EA Games
Developer: Electronic Arts
Category: Action
Release Dates
N Amer - 08/04/2009

Hannah Montana: Rock Out the Show

Design and star in the show in the new Hannah Montana: Rock Out The Show video game. Travel to seven amazing locations around the world and customize your concerts. Design each performance including stage sets, song lists, and performers. Create a custom show in each city you visit and rock the stage for your fans!


Publisher: Disney Interactive
Developer: Disney Interactive
Category: Simulation
Release Dates
N Amer - 08/04/2009

Diabolik: Original Sin

"Diabolik: The Original Sin" is a third person adventure game blending the heritage of the point-and-click genre with fast-paced combat and stealth sequences. Its engrossing story casts the player as a master thief called Diabolik, out to rescue his beloved Eva, in a fascinating world mixing 3D real-time graphics and 2D black & white comic-style animations.


Publisher: Black Bean Games
Developer: Artematica
Category: Action
Release Dates
Intl - 07/31/2009

G-Force

G-Force is a fast-paced action-platform game featuring a unique team of specially trained guinea pigs that use high-tech gadgets and specialized talents to complete a dangerous secret mission. Players control Darwin, the G-Force team leader, and housefly surveillance commando Mooch. Darwin and Mooch team up with the rest of G-Force to use their unique high-tech gadgets, stealth mastery, and pint-sized teamwork to save the world from a robot army of evil household appliances. G-Force features innovative gameplay with a unique sense of scale and puzzle solving that requires players to manipulate environments or enemies, including evil household appliances like waffle irons, water coolers and vacuum cleaners to complete their mission.


Publisher: Disney Interactive
Developer: Keen Games
Category: Action
Release Dates
N Amer - 07/21/2009

Holy Invasion of Privacy Badman: What Did I Do to Deserve This?

The goal of the game is clean and simple: As the God of Destruction, you must create a dungeon that is difficult and powerful enough to fend off human hero invasions. The dungeon must have a self-sustaining ecosystem, so players must strategically dig and create a dungeon with a balanced food chain. Periodically, human heroes will invade the dungeon in order to bring peace and harmony to the world, but they are your enemies. You must destroy the heroes before they capture the Overlord and take him back to the surface.

UNBOUND SAGA

UNBOUND SAGA is a 3D side-scrolling brawler based on the upcoming comic book of the same name to be published by Dark Horse Comics, a leading publisher of comic books and graphic novels.
UNBOUND SAGA is set in a satirical comic book universe, where enemies are drawn onto the screen and madcap battles travel from panel to panel through a twisted, post-apocalyptic landscape. Break off a weapon and rage off the page! 


Publisher: Vogster Entertainment
Developer: Vogster Entertainment
Category: Role-Playing
Release Dates
Playstation Network - 07/16/2009

Gladiator Begins To Be Brought To The PSP By Acquire

Class of Heroes’ maker, Acquire, has recently earned the right to release a PSP version of the Gladiator series. And first on their list is to take on the Gladiator Begins, and release it to the world of Playstation Portable.

In Gladiator Begins, you will have to play the role of a gladiator fighting just so he can win his freedom. You will also have to create your character (just like with any role-playing games) dressed in nothing but a loincloth. Then, you will have to fight it out in the arena with other gladiators while the crowd is jeering you on. If you are still finding it hard to understand the mechanics of the game, watch Russel Crowe’s Gladiator, and you will definitely see the similarities between the movie and the game.
Check out the screenshots for more exciting details on this new game. The Gladiator Begins will be released in Japan on October 29. No word yet on an American release.

'Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Tagforce 4' (PSP)

Konami announced Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Tagforce 4, a new adaptation of the popular trading card game based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's animated series, fully immersing players in the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's world as the story of the Dark Signers is reignited.

This new adaptation of the popular trading card game is based on the Yu-Gi-Oh!5D’s animated series in TheCW4Kids block on The CW Television Network and on Cartoon Network. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Tagforce 4 fully immerses players in the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s world as the story of the Dark Signers is reignited.  The Dark Signers, derived from the Underworld, have been reborn with incredible abilities, a lust for revenge and a desire for complete power. These Earthbound Immortals were sealed in the Earth by the Crimson Dragon or the God of the Signers.  The battle rages between good and evil for total domination of New Domino City and the fate of Satellite. Players can battle opponents in one-on-one free duels or team up with a partner to defeat opponents with more than 3,500 cards, more than any other Yu-Gi-Oh! video game to date. In addition, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Tagforce 4, takes advantage of the ad-hoc capabilities of the PlayStation®Portable by allowing up to four players to compete against each other at one time through cooperative gameplay or battle in one-on-one duels. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Tagforce 4 delivers highly stylized, 3D animated cut scenes and provides gamers with more than 3,500 of the most up to date playable trading cards including the Ancient Prophecy card packs releasing in September 2009. Three exclusive trading cards will also be packed with the game.

Assassins Creed 2: The Anticipated Sequel is also getting a PSP Release

Assassins and assignation attempts are the flagship features of this game whose theme is based on slash and smash. Assassins Creed 2 for the Sony PlayStation Portable is a game which is certainly not for the faint hearted. The kind of violence in this game requires the gamer to have a spine to endure all the carnage. If the first edition game from Ubisoft was not enough for you, then the sequel promises more. The action and turmoil continues from where Part I had left. The gamer plays the devastating assassin who goes on a mass slaughter spree and decimates anyone who comes in his path. The gamer is a part of a family on whose lives this story is based. The family is based in Italy and the story develops from where the Renaissance period left Italian land. Conspiracy leads to a lot of unnerving things and the gamer is left with nothing but revenge and vendetta in his heart.

Ezio, the protagonist becomes friends with Leonardo da Vinci, goes head on with the most influential and authoritative families in Florence and sets out on voyages through Venice canals where he is trained to become a brutal assassin. The gameplay in the original story has been retained and the action has only been taken to a higher echelon. Playing the Assassins Creed 2 (PSP) game would be a different experience for those who have not played the first edition and will provide the same rush of adrenaline to those who are in sync with all the action. The pricing is economical which should be enough motivation for you to get your copy from a store immediately.

FIFA 10 (PSP): This Edition promises better A.I., better Game Mechanics and more Action

Unleash the Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Ribery in you through the latest FIFA 10 (PSP) for your Sony PlayStation Portable. The game is a highly developed presentation of modern day soccer and has an electric interface. In a market where sports games are losing their reputation for being low on originality and content and high on charade and mindless graphics, FIFA 10 (PSP) for the PSP comes across as a pleasant revelation where the plot of the game has been given prime importance. The FIFA game has been approached in a very unique way and not that conventional kick-the-ball-and-pass manner. The gamer can play in the automated mode where the ball keeps getting switched to the nearest ball carrier with a lot of accuracy.

The A.I. has been made more aggressive in interception of passes. Since this feature has been implemented, players give a very realistic outlook instead of seeming to be completely unreal. The free kicks are fun to score and the penalties are well……as good as they can be. The gamer will not stop kicking the ball and making the players loitering around the field. The FIFA 10 (PSP) game is a good buy and is ideal to be played on the Sony PSP where the controls are also favourable. It is way better than the other mindless sports games and has a lot of substance in it which will captivate the attention of the gamer. Get the copy for your PSP and play it till you conquer all the levels. The experience is guaranteed to be unforgettable.

S-3D Gaming Alliance Formed

Hot on the heels of several stereoscopic 3-D gaming demonstrations at SIGGRAPH, several leading gaming companies have announced the formation of an advocacy group called the S-3D Gaming Alliance.
The organization’s mission is to focus on standards, education and product adoption that encourage the growth of stereoscopic 3-D gaming.
Among the group’s founding members are Blitz Games Studios, DDD, iZ3D, Jon Peddie Research, TDVision Corp and XpanD.
President and CEO of the group is Neil Schneider, best known for his pioneering work on Meant to be Seen (www.mtbs3D.com), a website focused on stereoscopic 3D gaming and entertainment.
An introductory S3DGA meeting will be held during the 3D Entertainment Summit.
Inquiries about membership or the group’s work can be directed to members@S3DGA.com or www.s3dga.com.

Steambot Chronicles Battle

The Steambot Chronicles is a franchise that has fused the power of mechs with settings in which those mechs might otherwise seem out of place … like a Victorian-era world, teeming with colorful characters and personalized mechs that are engaged in exploration and combat.

With Battle Tournament, the focus is more squarely on the combat elements (gee, as if the name didn’t give that away), with the character you create venturing forth and entering tournaments as he or she moves through the gaming space. Now if that were all there was to the game, and it was done well enough with WiFi competition and the ability to customize your mech, then it might be enough, but Battle Tournament has opted to try to infuse some depth into the gameplay by having preconditions for entering tournaments, which generally means running quests for the local citizenry until you build up enough fame to qualify for the tourney.

There is a story line here, and while the dialogue gives response choices, both are handled in such a manner as to make it all seem a bit superficial. And if not superficial, then it is apparent that the game was intended for younger gamers.

And that might truly be the case, considering that the game itself seems rather repetitive. The goal, though, is to build up a reputation to compete in the coliseum in Orion City. You have to have a mech that is capable of withstanding the combat and that means employing a mechanic – like the one you meet as the game begins. She quickly becomes your friend, supporter and advisor as you start to work your way up.

Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron Preview: To Fire The Ion Cannon

All I wanted to do when I played the newest Star Wars game on the PSP was fire the ion cannon. I became immature about it, even.

Imagine a normally respectable Kotaku reporter badgering a LucasArts PR man: "But I want to fire the ion cannon!" Worse, imagine that turning into: "I'm going to go play a game over there [PixelJunk Shooter,] but can you get to the part where I can shoot the ion cannon and let me know? I'll come back over."

Happily, the nice LucasArts man at the Sony showcase event I attended late last month in New York did as I asked and let me fire the ion cannon from the surface of the ice planet Hoth, as rendered on a PlayStation Portable. Thus, Star Destroyers were made to explode.

That's the hook: Ground-to-space battles on the go.

What Is It?
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron is a PSP and DS game coming this fall from LucasArts, developed by Rebellion and n-Space, respectively. True to the series, it is designed for multiple players to adopt the roles of Star Wars heroes and bit-players, grab any franchise vehicle they can find on the battlefield (think Battlefield) and wage war. Levels tend to be shaped for arena combat and the game design, as ever, is geared for a multiplayer experience, though one of the talking points for Elite Squadron is that a satisfying single-player campaign will be included.

What We Saw
I played the Hoth level of the PSP edition of the game during a Sony event held in New York City in late July. What I experienced didn't lead me with different conclusions than what Crecente wrote about in June, so for the basics, do check out his earlier preview.

How Far Along Is It?
The game is set for fall release, but as Crecente noted back in June, it feels like it's just about done.

What Needs Improvement?
Staying On Target: On the ground, with just one analog stick, it's still tricky to shoot who you intend to shoot and to not get beaten by a guy who is within arm's reach. Running and looking are both mapped to the left stick, an eternal PSP complication.

What Should Stay The Same?
Outer Space: Flying a snow-speeder is beginning to feel old. But flying an X-Wing is a joy that doesn't spoil. Why is that? The outer-space fracas between my fighter and some shielded Star Destroyers was a blast. Fighters can attack capital ships, land in them, have their troops lay siege. It's fun. That's been in Battlefronts before. But what's fresher is...

Space Vs. Ground: Those capital ships can fire at ground forces. I flew my X-Wing down to Hoth, endured a few-second load time (four, maybe?) and landed my fighter to join in the ground battle. AT-AT walkers were attacking the rebel shield generator. I hadn't seen the damage done by the capital ships, but I did hurry over to the Rebel's ion cannon. I tried to fire some shots. I kept getting killed, but after the aforementioned whining, I got my chance. My Star Wars hero stood at a Hoth super-computer and my PSP screen became a targeting reticule with the belly of a Star Destroyer blotting its sights. I fired away and blew the thing up. In multiplayer, other players could be up in space witnessing that while I'm on the ground.

[UPDATE: The fine readers of Kotaku and the good people of LucasArts have explained what was happening. The ion cannon was not in and of itself blowing up the Star Destroyer. It was lowering the shields of that large vessel. What I thought were explosions were either the ion cannon blasts or explosions caused by fighters shooting at the Star Destroyer and causing explosions while its shields were down. The Star Destroyer was not detonated by the ion cannon. My eyes tricked me. My Star Wars knowledge failed me. I apologize.]

Fictional Fiction: There were droids from Episode I or II or both roaming through Hoth. Battle droids. Things that were not in The Empire Strikes Back. There were also Tauntauns, which I could ride but from which I could not fire a gun. Disregarding Lucas canon, this Battlefront game mashes up Star Wars vehicles, characters and special heroes from all the movies. Why not?

Final Thoughts
I'm not a big multiplayer gamer, so I've seldom enjoyed Battlefront games the way it feels they are supposed to be played. But brief bits of the new one played solo were fun. Until I see it, I'm skeptical that a strong single-player campaign can be in a game like this. The levels, after all, are designed for open-ended skirmishes, not the forward advance of a well-paced level. So that's something to look out for if you tend to play portable games on your own. Otherwise, this game's battlefield is grander than you might expect to find on a portable system.

(While the game is also coming to DS, the above impressions apply only to the PSP game I played. Elite Squadron is expected this fall for PSP and DS, with the PSP one also being available as a download.)