VentureBeat » Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

Company of Heroes 2 preorder for $45, includes beta access

Dealzon — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 02:24:15 +0000

This sponsored post is produced by Dealzon.

For those of us who didn’t get Company of Heroes 2 beta access earlier this month, there’s always the option of forking over cold hard cash to get what you want. Green Man Gaming has the Steam-activated version plus beta access for $45 after coupon.

Beyond getting an early taste of the game prior to the June 25th release date, you’ll also get the usual digital bonuses like additional skin packs, mini campaigns, additional commanders, and extra added in-game abilities for the German and Soviet army.

If you’re absolutely certain you’ll be playing Grand Theft Auto V and don’t want to bother with preordering closer to the release date, Microsoft Store has an added incentive of 1600 Xbox Live points if you preorder now at retail price. It’s not too shabby of a deal, especially considering 1600 points is valued at $20.

Hot deals & recent releases

June 25: Company of Heroes 2 (PC Download) — $45 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. Preorder and you’ll get access to the closed beta that went live April 3rd. Thankfully the title’s still being released despite THQ’s liquidation.

Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel (Xbox 360, PS3) — $42.99 at Groupon. Elsewhere $60. A pretty solid $17 drop for a 2 week old release. Offer is only good through Thursday, April 11th.

Sep. 17: Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox 360) — $59.99 at Microsoft with bonus Xbox LIVE 1600 Points. Elsewhere $60, no points. The 1600 Xbox LIVE points bonus is equivalent to $20. Unfortunately, no PS3 bonus offer spotted yet.

Summer 2013: Deadpool (Xbox 360, PS3) — $47.99 at NewEgg after coupon. Hey, it’s a Deadpool game – can’t go wrong with this, right? Right!? Ads are touting a summer release this year.

Apr. 26: Star Trek (PC Download) — $37.50 at Green Man Gaming after coupon. We’re not expecting much out of this Trek game, but maybe Trekkies will get lucky with this one.

June 14: The Last of Us (PS3) — $49.99 at NewEgg after coupon. If you’re not hyped up enough about this game yet, just head to YouTube and watch all the trailers again.

Aug. 20: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist (Xbox 360) — $49.99 at NewEgg after coupon. First discount spotted so far on this August release. Although this deal is only applicable to the Xbox 360 version, the game will also release on PS3, PC, and Wii U.

PC download deals

Dark Messiah Might and Magic (PC Download) — $2.49 at GamersGate. For Thursday only, GamersGate has the lowest price seen thus far by $0.50. Elsewhere you’ll pay at least $7, or as high as the $19.99 list price.

360, PS3, and Wii U deals

Tomb Raider Survival/Collector’s Edition (Xbox 360, PS3) — $67.99 at GameStop after coupon. Goodies include a Lara Croft figurine, CD soundtrack, weapons pack DLC, double-sided island map/poster, and a 5×7 lithograph – all in a large tin case.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (Xbox 360, PS3) — $49.99 at NewEgg after coupon. The release date is still TBA 2013, but since preorder deals are harder to find on PS3 and Xbox 360 titles than on PC, the discount’s worth mentioning.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch (PS3) — $39.99 at Amazon. Still close to the full $60 price at most retailers, excluding those engaged in a price war with Amazon.

Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition (Wii U) — $19.99 at Best Buy. Good discount on a decent game on an already forgotten platform. /snark

Nintendo 3DS and PC DLCs

Naruto Powerful Shippuden (3DS) — $25.49 at GameStop after coupon. Next best is $30 at Amazon. Best discount yet on this March 5th release by $10. Amazon tried to price match GameStop at $30, but GameStop’s additional 15% off coupon code makes it a more compelling retailer choice.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (3DS) — $19.99 at GameStop. There’s shipping of $3.49 unless your purchase is above $25.

Battlefield 3: End Game (PC DLC) — $11.99 at GameFly after coupon. Next best is $15 at Green Man Gaming. Don’t buy if you have already have the BF3 Premium package – this DLC is already included.

Dead Space 3: Awakened (PC DLC) — $4.99 at Amazon. New low by $3, with a next best price of $10 at Green Man Gaming.

Gaming Laptops

Toshiba Qosmio X875 Laptop — $1,169 at BuyDig.com after coupon. Specs: Quad Core i7-3630QM, 12GB RAM, 1TB HDD, 3GB GeForce GTX 670M, and 1080p Full HD display.

HP Envy dv7t-7300 Quad Edition Laptop — $774.99 at HP after coupon. $10 shipping. Specs: Quad Core i7-3630QM, 8GB RAM, GeForce GT 635M 2GB, and Blu-ray.

HP Envy dv6t Laptop — $674.99 at HP after coupon. $10 shipping. This is the “Quad Edition” with Ivy Bridge Core i7-3630QM and a mid-range GeForce GT 635M. It’s not the fastest GPU ever, but this is a sub-$700 laptop before tax and shipping.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 59371972 Laptop — $869 at Lenovo after coupon. Specs: Core i7-3630QM, 1080p Full HD, GeForce GT 750M 2GB, and 1TB HDD + 16GB mSSD.

Lenovo IdeaPad Y400 59371954 Laptop — $749 at Lenovo after coupon. Little brother to the 15-inch Y500. Specs: Core i7-3630QM, GeForce GT 750M 2GB, and 1TB HDD + 16GB mSSD.

Sponsored posts are content that has been produced by a company, which is either paying for the post or has a business relationship with VentureBeat, and they’re always clearly marked. The content of news stories produced by our editorial team is never influenced by advertisers or sponsors in any way. For more information, contact sales@venturebeat.com.

Filed under: Games

GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

Fan screwed out of Ni No Kuni Wizard’s Companion makes his own

Mike Minotti — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 19:32:42 +0000

Sometimes wizards have to get creative, especially when they’re up against the evil of canceled preorders.

An error affecting publisher Namco Bandai’s online store jilted many would-be buyers out of the Wizard’s Edition of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, a new PlayStation 3 role-playing game (you can read our review here). While the special edition includes a lot of goodies, the best was a real version of an in-game book called the Wizard’s Companion, which contains detailed information on the world’s monsters, items, spells, along with some charming fables and stories.

Not only is the book cool, but it’s incredibly useful. You can read the Wizard’s Companion inside Ni No Kuni’s menus, but it’s a pain to scour through a digital encyclopedia to find a single alchemy recipe. Besides, you have to unlock the tome’s pages slowly as your progress through the story. Having a physical version of the thing right next to you while you’re playing is incredibly convenient.

Reddit user PrimeJunt was one of many who missed out on the special-edition preorder after Namco Bandai oversold the $99 package, so he decided to make his own version of the ornate wizarding guide. You can see the process that went into his book’s creation below. We also included some pictures of the official Wizard’s Companion for comparison. PrimeJunt’s version might actually be nicer than the real thing. We commend him for using a crappy situation as an opportunity to get inventive and make something awesome.

Filed under: Games

GamesBeat weekly roundup: D.I.C.E. 2013, Dead Space 3, and game investments take a dive

Jasmine Maleficent Rea — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 19:16:27 +0000

If you follow VentureBeat but don’t regularly check our GamesBeat site, here’s a list of the best video game stories we ran over the last seven days that you may have missed.

This week, the 2013 D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) summit took place in Las Vegas, Valve founder Gabe Newell argues for PC gaming in the living room, Journey dominates the D.I.C.E. awards, and Star Wars director J.J. Abrams and Valve announce they’re working on a game.

You’ll also find a breakdown of game investments for 2012 from GamesBeat’s Dean Takahashi, reviews of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, and Dead Space 3.

D.I.C.E.:

News:

Mobile News:

Interviews:

Reviews:

Previews:

Pieces of Flair:

Filed under: Games

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch: Stupid combat mars a poignant tale (review)

Jason Wilson — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:03:37 +0000

Ni No Kuni moves me unlike any other Japanese role-playing game I’ve played in years. Its poignant story and visual artistry transport you to its worlds and make you care about its residents and about what’s happening to Oliver and his friends.

But after about 10 hours, the combat may drive you mad — or bore you.

Ni No Kuni is all about a heartbroken young boy, Oliver, who ends up leaving his world to help another. On the way, as in many other RPGs (Japanese or Western), he meets an oddball band of characters who helps him take on a menace. One that is, in this case, threatening two worlds.

At times, Ni No Kuni feels almost like one of Studio Ghibli’s — which developed this with Japanese RPG house Level-5 — animated films. The storytelling is just a notch below movies like Howl’s Moving Castle. At other times, Ni No Kuni feels like another RPG that’s grounded in a grindy past.

What you’ll like

The poignancy

The affecting storytelling is at its best in the first 10 hours. Oliver deals with the loss of a loved one, and one of the reasons he’s traveled to this land of fantasy is to bring that person back to life. This is tricky territory for any artist, be it a video game studio, a film writer, or a poet. Yet I found that Studio Ghibli and Level-5 nailed this, and I speak from my own experience.

Children do not know how to deal with loss, and a flight into fantasy is one way in which they cope. I can’t remember how many times I could’ve used magic or some other fantastical method to have brought my mom back when she died when I was 7. After my father died recently, my niece wanted to bring him back with a magic potion. So it’s no surprise that Oliver, when confronted with an epic quest that could just happen to bring back someone he loves, grabs hold of the opportunity.

But Studio Ghibli’s and Level-5’s take on poignancy isn’t limited to Oliver’s coping with his loss. In Ni No Kuni’s world, a number of citizens are dealing with the loss of vital emotions and drives, such as enthusiasm. It’s up to you to heal these folks, but how? It’s simple, and to me, it’s also quite moving. You find people who are bubbling over with such emotions, and you sprinkle in some magic by taking some of this extra emotion and transferring it to another person. Typically, these little quests net your stamps — fill a card with enough of them, and you can trade it in for an ability boost (or save it and trade in two or more for bigger boosts).

What amazes me about these two elements is just how much they work together. As a child who suffered a great loss early in life, I wanted to do whatever I could to help others feel better about things in their life. I have no scientific or psychological evidence to back this up, but from talking to others who as children also suffered similar losses, I found that the need to “fix people” is something many of us share. And Ni No Kuni nails this. You are fixing people here. It makes me wonder if any of the writers also suffered similar losses when they were young.

The animation

Years ago, Level-5 established its reputation with some of the best visuals in Japanese role-playing games. Its lush animations in Dragon Quest VIII remain one of the best we’ve seen on the PlayStation 2, and the same goes for the Professor Laytons for the Nintendo DS and 3DS. Marry this with the beautiful animation work from Studio Ghibli, and you’ve got one of the best-looking creations not just for the PlayStation 3 but any platform.

The animation is at its best during the cutscenes; the work here is just as top-notch as what you’d find in Ghibli movies. Normally, I’d get upset when a game takes its time to “clear its throat,” so to speak, and get on with its opening (it takes about 45 minutes before Ni No Kuni does so), but since I spent most of that time admiring the masterful visuals, I really didn’t mind.

But when the action moves away from the cinematics — be it as you explore a city or venture out in the wilderness — the world you find is still better looking than that of most role-playing games. What’s particularly keen about the artwork is how it complements the world. In one fight, a genie pulls out Victorian dresses and parasols from a big pot, and these have all of the embellishments one would expect from clothing that just might fit the set of Downton Abbey. Oliver’s “real world” looks like snapshots of 1950s America. The greenery is appropriately lush in forests; the grass seems to almost flow on the Savannah. When it comes to the visuals, Level-5 and Studio Ghibli have put together a game that almost asks, “Do we really need new consoles when we can do this?”

Drippy and the familiars

Drippy is one of the best companions ever written for a Japanese RPG. A doll your mother made that your tears bring to life, he’s also the Lord High Lord of the Fairies — and your best friend, your guide, your mentor, and your smart-alecky older brother. He adds to the richness of the fantasy world.

With a snhozz that would inspire envy in Jimmy Durante, Drippy propels you through the story, especially when you’re just learning about combat, magic, taking or giving heart, and traversing between the fantasy world and the mundane. It’s during this time that most players, I imagine, would bond with Drippy. His insights and humor almost always add to the story. At first, with his outrageous accent, I thought of him as a variation of Angus of Dragon Quest VIII. But Drippy grows on you much quicker, proving to be an invaluable resource — and more importantly, a friend — on your journey.

Another of Ni No Kuni’s charms is its familiars. These are mostly cute little critters that you raise like Pokémon and send into combat. While Ni No Kuni’s lore establishes that they’re born from a wizard’s heart, in truth, your best tactic for finding and training these creatures is to capture them in combat (which, sadly, you can’t do until you’re double-digit hours into it).

What’s great about the familiars is their variety and their names. I would hope the writing staff had a thorough “pun cleansing” after finishing their work as the wordplay for many of them goes beyond anything you’d find in Dragon Quest. Things like “Sore Boar” and “Green Buncher” (this looks like a walking bunch of bananas) — and my favorite, the “Purrloiner” (a pirate cat!) — enhance the charm and show that while the writers are dealing with some heavy issues, they also have a light heart (if a heavy hand when applying it).

You train your familiars by throwing them into combat, feeding them food that boosts their abilities, and using “drops” to help them transform into more powerful forms. This can be a timesink, and while some will find it fun, I did grow a little bored of spending time leveling these critters up.

What you won’t like

The disjointed story

One of the greatest challenges that designers of role-playing games face is the balance between combat, exploration, and story. Focus too much on one, and many players cry out for the others — and your game turns into either a slog of going from one place to another, fighting too many enemies to get where you’re going, or not offering enough “gameplay” to balance out your cutscenes.

Because you must level up your characters and familiars in order to withstand some of the bosses, I kept spending more and more time wandering the wilds, encountering monsters and engaging in combat, which extends the time between one story bit to another. Now, maybe I was too obsessive about leveling up my party and familiar (I do tend to be a bit compulsive when I play Japanese role-playing games or any other genre that grants some level of freedom of choice and exploration), but I felt like I had no other alternative, especially when I arrived at a couple of points where my party just wasn’t strong enough to deal with a boss fight or another specific encounter. It would’ve been great to have experienced Studio Ghibli’s cutscenes more often. They’re that beautiful and engaging. Sadly, you’ll find yourself spending more time chasing experience than you will pursuing the story.

The combat system

You spend a great deal of your time fighting, and the more you fight, the more obvious it is that the combat system needs help.

When you fight, you may choose to control Oliver (or another party member) or one of your familiars. You can switch among these choices during combat should the need arise to use powers available to a specific character or familiar. This is the best part of the combat system, giving you the flexibility to throw the right weapon at the problem instead of fighting with a disadvantage. If you’re battling a monster that’s weak against fire, it’s easy to scroll through your party members and familiars and find the one that’s best equipped to handle that encounter. This works just fine.

Other things make combat a chore. The fights take place in real time, but each action — be it from a party member or a familiar — is on a timer, and sometimes, you find yourself wishing that this limit didn’t exist. You’re defending against an attack, and more often than not, the defense routine would end just as my foe was taking a strike at me. So of course, I suffered a blow. Your familiars are also restricted in this way; you can use them for only so long before you need to switch to another.

Your allies are also stupid. Just plain ol’ stupid. They don’t always choose the best positioning or attacks, and they love to snare glims (small balls of energy that fall from your foes as they suffer damage) that heal you or restore your mana. Your allies are especially fond of nabbing the special gold glims that unleash the most powerful attacks of your familiars. During fights against bosses, I swore more than I have while editing copy from a busy day at E3 — and in a much smaller window of time — because of my allies’ insistence on being “ballhogs.”

You may think this is a nitpicky compliant, but when you spend as much time in combat as you do in Ni No Kuni, it escalates from annoying to ball-busting.

Conclusion

Ni No Kuni is a noteworthy achievement for Studio Ghibli and Level-5. Take a master of film animation and add one of the well-regarded studios for role-playing development, and in this case, we get a video game that’s stunning to behold — one that can take players to unexpected emotional places and make them eager to push through the story to see the next brilliant cinematic.

And we also get an experience that’s a bit too rooted in old Japanese role-playing traditions.

I hope Ni No Kuni’s reception — and sales — convince Studio Ghibli that its dive into video games was worthwhile. I’d love to play another from them — as long someone there remembers that video games, like movies, need good pacing.

Score: 72/100

Ni No Kuni: The Wrath of the White Witch is available now for the PlayStation 3. Publisher Namco Bandai provided GamesBeat with a copy of the game for this review.

Filed under: Games

Required listening: Ni no Kuni, Anarchy Reigns, and an interview with Aliens: Colonial Marines composer Kevin Riepl

Jasmine Maleficent Rea — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:26:21 +0000

Game music isn’t all chirpy chip tunes or sweeping symphonic movements. Just like film scores, soundtracks inspire us, scare us, and can even bring us to tears with a well-placed melody or a jarring action cue.

Because of this, I decided it was time we start paying attention to music as well as the people lovingly creating it. Try playing through Final Fantasy VII, Borderlands, or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim with the sound turned off. None of these are even half as good without their scores subtly shifting tone and setting scenes around us.

Each month, I’ll take you on a guided tour through some of the notable albums released in the last few weeks and interview a composer on an upcoming project.

This month, we’ll take a look at Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, DmC: Devil May Cry, and Anarchy Reigns. We’ve also got an in-depth interview with Aliens: Colonial Marines composer Kevin Riepl.

January albums

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Composer: Joe Hisaishi

It’s a bit disheartening that many Japanese role-playing games these days are moving away from jaunty adventuring tunes. Long-time Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi’s score for Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch delightfully combines the orchestral bombast found in older Final Fantasys and Dragon Quests with his own playful melodies.

Hisaishi’s music enhances the overall Ghibli quality to Ni No Kuni. You could use the studio’s art style and even the same story with any other composer’s work but it wouldn’t retain that feeling that you’re diving into a Miyazaki film. With Hisaishi’s help, Ni No Kuni gets a little extra sprinkle of magic in an already fantastic adventure.

DmC: Devil May Cry
Composers: Noisia and Tom Colvin

This is probably the least comfortable soundtrack I’ve listened to in many years. DmC: Devil May Cry leans heavily on pulsating and grating dissonance with an occasional burst of tinny orchestral melody.

Dutch electronic group Noisia took a step away from their signature drum ‘n’ bass for most of Devil May Cry and focused instead on a grungy and oppressively synthetic wall of noise.

Fans of dubstep insisting on “dirty” bass drops will likely enjoy the soul-vibrating nastiness to the bass lines in “Mundus Theme” and “Lilith’s Club.” Dubstep is already an overplayed addition to most games, but Noisia’s attempts fit it into Devil May Cry’s overall tone and maintains a feeling that the world is constantly shifting between reality and Limbo.

Anarchy Reigns
Composers: Compilation

I dare you to not want to kick some ass after listening to Anarchy Reigns. Every song drips with that “hardcore” sound Sega established in Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi in the late ’90s, but here it updates it for a more hip-hop-aware world. Fat beats and heavily repetitive lyrics deliver a perfect one-two punch for tireless combos and horrible acts of digital violence.

Nothing about Anarchy Reigns is particularly classy or subtle, so it stands to reason that the music glorifies vengeance and thuggish braggadocio. Spending a few minutes with “Kill ‘Em All” and “Laughing at U” will almost certainly make you put on some gloves and destroy a punching bag.

Unlike Ni No Kuni and Devil May Cry, Anarchy Reigns’ music is always in your face like an overzealous hype man urging you to feel the beat.

Well, it worked. Excuse me while I go to the gym.

Filed under: Games

Pages: 1 2

The biggest gaming disappointments of 2012

Evan Killham — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 21:00:42 +0000

Remember all the way back in January, when we looked at all the games that were coming out in 2012 and thought, “Holy crap! This is going to be the Best Year Ever (for gaming)™!” Well, this is December, and some of us are looking back to those wide-eyed, optimistic past versions of ourselves and wondering why they ever looked forward to some of the stuff we got in 2012. Sure, some of those anticipated titles lived up to our expectations, but in a lot of cases, that optimism was just the first step on a journey of regret and nonstop head shaking.

Here are some of our picks for the most disappointing games and events of 2012.

Assassin’s Creed III

Contributor Rus McLaughlin

Occasionally, a little time and distance softens the heart, and you remember things more fondly than what you actually felt at the time. I, on the other hand, despise Assassin’s Creed III more now than when I gave it a midrange score back in October. Oh, my man-love for its naval missions continues unabated, but I indulge in those behind the back of the main game and its sloppy mechanics, frustrating chases, and worthless side missions. I’m gratified that it doesn’t whitewash our nation’s origins as some altruistic crusade for peace and freedom (often spoken of in earshot of working slaves), but Creed “concludes” its overarching, modern-day plot with a firm middle finger to its most loyal fans. At least it finally settled one lingering question: Desmond is indeed as pointless and useless a diversion as we always suspected.

The delays

Contributing editor Stephanie Carmichael

Most of the games I was looking forward to all year are now coming out in 2013. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (or whatever we’re calling it now) are the handful I’ve been most itching to play. Other titles like South Park: The Stick of Truth, Devil May Cry, and Aliens: Colonial Marines have experienced delays as well. I guess I can’t complain too much. More time in development means a better chance of getting these games right, but it also means I’ll be burning a big hole in my wallet come spring.

Capcom continues to lock content in game discs

Contributor Samir Torres

F*** you, Capcom!

Twisted Metal’s online multiplayer

Intern Giancarlo Valdes

As a huge fan of the Twisted Metal games since the original PlayStation days, I was ecstatic when I finally got my hands on the PS3 reboot earlier this year. The folks at developer Eat Sleep Play did a fantastic job of bringing its unique brand of vehicular combat to a new generation of consoles with its campaign mode, and playing these levels with a friend in local multiplayer was fun, too. But going online was a different story: Starting from launch day and lasting for weeks, a host of problems made it almost impossible (for me at least) to stay connected to a match. The developers deployed various updates to fix these problems, but I had already moved on.

Disney Epic Mickey 2

Contributor Rob LeFebvre

After hearing, yet again, legendary designer Warren Spector’s “big picture” idea of games needing to be open-ended, with multiple paths, as well as not judging players for their “playstyle,” I really think this game was a huge disappointment. It changed very little from the first installment and was just another mess of control, camera, and barely comprehensible storyline. As with most things disappointing in life, the real problem was going into it with such a high set of expectations.

Endless Space

Copy editor Jason Wilson

We saw a couple of space-themed 4X (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate) strategy titles this year (Genesis Wars, Legacy of Pegasus, the final “all clear” for Sword of the Stars II). But the one that many space strategy fans were looking forward to was Endless Space, a game that turned out to be style over substance. Endless Space sports a good-looking user interface and some kick-ass ship designs, but it commits one of the biggest errors that any single-player strategy game can make: The A.I. isn’t good at its game. Your foes don’t do a good job of using its systems — like combat — against you, ultimately providing a limited challenged against a skilled player. And for the demanding fans of strategy games, this is a tactic that just doesn’t work.

Mass Effect 3′s ending

Intern Jason Lomberg

From an artistic standpoint, my biggest disappointment was that developer BioWare pulled a George Lucas and “fixed” the ending. That’s not how it should work — you don’t “fix” art.

A piece of art represents the succinct vision of its creator. It’s also a product of its time and, therefore, a cultural artifact. The best films – like Star Wars – engender a certain timeless quality, but even so, it’s not hard to discern that Lucas’s masterpiece reflects the norms and attitudes of the ’70s. By mucking with his own creations to “update” the special effects or modify story elements, Lucas is destroying a piece of history. This is why fans reacted so negatively to Star Wars: Special Edition (and the innumerable “updates” before and since), and it’s why BioWare should not have changed the Mass Effect 3 ending. For gaming to take its rightful place among other artistic media, it shouldn’t be so malleable and subject to “revision.” Numerous gamers took issue with the game’s ending – and I’d be hard-pressed to disagree – but we should criticize ME3 as a piece of art, not a software program that its makers can patch. We should analyze the creator’s vision and not treat it like a technical glitch.

Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation

Intern Mike Minotti

I was excited to have a real Assassin’s Creed experience on a portable system, and I was hoping that such a game could be a great showcase for the PlayStation Vita. Sadly, Liberation was a boring, uninspired slog through the bog hampered by technical problems and an empty open world.

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask

Intern Evan Killham

Developer Level-5′s series of puzzle-driven adventure games sold me both a Nintendo DS and a 3DS. I love everything about them: the full-on animated cutscenes, the stories, and even the bizarre idea of a universe in which brain-teasers work as a sort of social currency. But I’m not sure what happened with the franchise’s fifth installment. The plot and style are as good as ever, but the riddles in this one are inexplicably obtuse at times (I’m convinced that one challenge’s “clever” solution is not a valid answer to the setup) and blatantly not puzzles at others. A maze, for example, is not a puzzle by my definition, and this Professor Layton contains several of them.

Miracle Mask is the first Layton game that has felt like a chore.

XCOM’s lack of longevity

Contributing editor Rob Savillo

A game about saving the world from an alien invasion is probably beyond cliché at this point. You’d think that such a premise would doom the entire experience to a single playthrough, never to be touched again. But this wasn’t the case with the original X-Com strategy games, where I felt like anything could happen at any time. My first encounter could be the extraterrestrial menace terrorizing an urban populace or a dogfight with high-flying UFO that segues into a ground assault or even a struggle for survival within the supposedly safe confines of my only operational headquarters! Add in a healthy dose of pseudo-randomization, and X-Com felt fresh over and over no matter how many campaigns I played.

But Developer Firaxis’ recent reboot, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, unfortunately starts to feel all too similar all too quickly. Even during your first game, you’ll see the same premade maps again and again. Some missions feel scripted (even featuring monster closets!) and like long, narrow hallways (I don’t ever want to play the final stage again because it’s such a boring slog). I’m convinced that Firaxis doesn’t really want me to play another campaign, which is crystal clear because the game forces me to listen to the same unskippable explanatory voiceovers with every new start.

After well over 100 hours, I’m just about done with XCOM. And it shouldn’t have been this way.

Zynga’s belly-flop

Editor-in-chief Dan “Shoe” Hsu

Zynga was supposed to be the next big thing in gaming, but then it flopped … hard. Its stock became the joke of the industry (currently: $2.39, down from $9.50 at the initial public offering and a peak of $14.69 back in March, and rather than make a bunch of new Silicon Valley millionaires, it had to lay people off. Not many people are rooting for the company that regularly spams Facebook walls. But when the guys leading the charge for social gaming fails that badly, it’s a very bad sign for the health of the business as a whole.

Nearly everything Resident Evil

Intern Jasmine Rea

This year, I found myself sympathizing with legions of Sonic the Hedgehog fans because at our core, we are far too loyal for our own good. Like them, I go into every Resident Evil game with the same naive hope that the series isn’t spiraling the drain. Operation Raccoon City and Resident Evil 6 were nearly enough to make me give up on playing any console-based entries in the series. Poor execution, tedious gameplay, and wretched quick-time events have finally broken me. I’ll go into 2013 with a dull ache for another Resident Evil: Revelations, but I doubt I’ll get that.

Will I buy the inevitable Resident Evil 7? Of course I will, and that’s why gin exists.

Filed under: Games

Try out wizard battles in Ni no Kuni’s magical world tomorrow (updated)

Stephanie Carmichael — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:38:25 +0000

Soon, you can get your hands on a Studio Ghibli adventure where you control the story.

Publisher Namco Bandai and developer Level-5 announced today that a demo for the Japanese role-playing game Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is landing on the PlayStation Network tomorrow, Dec. 4, in North America and Dec. 5 in Europe.

Ni no Kuni releases in the U.S. on Jan. 22, which gives players plenty of time to explore the world that Level-5 and film company Studio Ghibli created. Joe Hisaishi, who composed the score for Studio Ghibli movies including My Neighbor Totoro, is providing the music for the game.

Level-5 is known for its fluid animation style, evident in games like Professor Layton and Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, while anime fans revere the narrative excellence and visual wonder of Studio Ghibli films such as Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle. The combination should work well in a story-driven video game.

In Ni no Kuni, a boy named Oliver travels into another world on a journey to become a wizard and save his mother. He befriends and tames many of the creatures he meets there, training them to battle more formidable foes.

The demo introduces players to two levels, each complete with a boss: the Guardian of the Woods and Moltaan.

“The two levels will give players a pretty good mix of gameplay and experience with Ni no Kuni,” said Denny Chiu, the senior manager of marketing communications at Namco Bandai. “The bosses will definitely give players some challenge but won’t break their backs.”

Filed under: Games

GamesBeat’s gigantic E3 2012 roundup

Omri Petitte — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 23:48:59 +0000

The sensory smorgasbord of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) heaved itself upon the video game industry for three straight days, and GamesBeat’s intrepid crew enthusiastically hit showfloors, conference halls, and meeting rooms to offer our readers piles of previews, interviews, and news.

What follows below is our collected coverage during the show. You’ll find everything here sorted into categories for easy navigability.

Awards

Who needs stickers? We analyzed, judged, and sorted our top picks for the show’s offerings directly for you. Take a look — the results might surprise you.

GamesBeat’s E3 2012 Game of the Show…plus staff picks – by Dan “Shoe” Hsu

The GamesBeat E3 non-award awards: The least prestigious awards in the industry – by GamesBeat staff

The coolest technologies we saw at E3 2012 – by Dean Takahashi

The best family games of E3 – by GamesBeat staff

The top 8 trends of E3, from bows to brutality – by Mike Minotti

The top 15 swag shirts of E3 2012 – by Rus McLaughlin

Previews

You’ve found the beating heart of E3′s overwhelming magic. Whether from observatory impressions or direct, hands-on experiences, GamesBeat discussed and dissected a sizable stable of upcoming games and hardware.

Hands-on

Hitman Absolution lets you perform hits in giant crowds – by Dean Takahashi

Metro Last Light fights shooter fatigue with deeper single player – by Dean Takahashi

Crysis 3 brings the jungle, gun hacking, and silent stealth kills to Manhattan – by Dean Takahashi

EA reveals Dead Space 3, coming with drop-in cooperative play – by Dean Takahashi

Sleeping Dogs turns Hong Kong crime movies into a video game – by Dean Takahashi

From the creator of Portal, Quantum Conundrum caters to physics-based puzzle gamers – by Dean Takahashi

Capcom remakes hack-slash-shoot-grapple formula with upcoming DmC: Devil May Cry – by Dean Takahashi

Capcom shows three playable characters for Resident Evil 6 – by Dean Takahashi

Neverwinter’s user-generated content could elevate it above the competition – by Stefanie Fogel

DmC: Devil May Cry is full of swagger…and F-bombs – by Eduardo Moutinho

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed leaves Mario Kart in its dust…and wake…and vapor trail – by Mike Minotti

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is an anime you can actually play – by Eduardo Moutinho

Sony Online Entertainment’s PlanetSide 2 – by Rob LeFebvre

Slice, dice, and julienne enemies in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – by Eduardo Moutinho

Medal of Honor: Warfighter deploys fire teams to the front lines – by Eduardo Moutinho

Hell Yeah! is like Metroid with a chainsaw jetpack-riding demon bunny – by Mike Minotti

Dead or Alive 5 wants to deliver a power blow to the competition – by Eduardo Moutinho

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s simplicity is just what consoles need – by Omri Petitte

Hands-off

Just what kind of game is Star Wars 1313? – by Dean Takahashi

Warner Bros. confirms LEGO: Lord of the Rings video game – by Dean Takahashi

EA’s cute The Act romance game exploits iPad’s touchscreen for unique gameplay – by Dean Takahashi

Turn the snow crimson with redcoat blood in Assassin’s Creed III – by Dean Takahashi

Far Cry 3 demo leads you deeper into drug-induced insanity – by Dean Takahashi

Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls is one of the best games of E3 – by Dean Takahashi

The 5 different games you’ll be playing in Dishonored – by Sebastian Haley

Final Fantasy XIV brings new gameplay and western sensibilities to venerable franchise – by Rob LeFebvre

Windows 8 works hard to meet the needs of all gamers – by Rob LeFebvre

A trio of Mario games strengthen Nintendo’s 3DS lineup – by Mike Minotti

OnLive’s MultiView spectating entices multiplayer and co-op gamers – by Omri Petitte

Player choice matters in The Walking Dead: Episode 2 – by Stefanie Fogel

The Last of Us is even smarter than you think – by Rus McLaughlin

Star Wars 1313 is a game of firsts for the sci-fi franchise – by Eduardo Moutinho

The adventure-game renaissance continues with The Cave – by Eduardo Moutinho

Heroes and villains join forces in Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion – by Mike Minotti

007 Legends proves personality makes or breaks a game – by Omri Petitte

Breaking down what’s exactly new in God of War: Ascension – by Dan “Shoe” Hsu

Turning technology against your friends in Watch Dogs – by Omri Petitte

Interviews

Chasing after the wayward developer or evasive executive amid a sea of journalists and industry luminaries didn’t slake our interview appetite, and we nabbed a slew of thoughtful talks with members across various gaming companies. Take a look.

Why Ubisoft is pouring a lot of resources into Wii U games – by Dean Takahashi

Harvest Moon creator wants to spread happiness with his new game – by Jacob Lopez

How Shenmue’s lead programmer rescued a bad game – by Jacob Lopez

The Last Story developer talks Operation Rainfall, reason for cover system, and Wii U – by Jacob Lopez

With 1.3B tanks obliterated and 30M players, Wargaming.net plans to conquer the online gaming world – by Dean Takahashi

Even Scribblenauts’ creator is surprised by the things people make in his new game – by Jacob Lopez

The Witcher developer CD Projekt RED wants to set new standards with Cyberpunk – by Stefanie Fogel

Japan’s Gree moves mobile gaming into the spotlight at E3 – by Dean Takahashi

THQ’s Brian Farrell talks about looking for a bottom and staging a comeback – by Dean Takahashi

Crytek says CryEngine 3 already does awesome graphics as good as Unreal Engine 4 – by Dean Takahashi

Our opinions

During the craze-filled days of E3, our minds typically busied themselves with ensuring our legs avoided snapping off our torsos and running away with yelping noises. But sometimes, a cohesive thought miraculously coalesced within our overloaded brainpans. Our hands shakily reached for the keyboard, keys started tapping, and well…these are the results.

The DeanBeat: What to expect at E3 – by Dean Takahashi

4 ways developers will use SmartGlass to enhance Xbox 360 experiences – by Dan “Shoe” Hsu

Nintendo’s Wii U: Safe on first, weak on third-party – by Rus McLaughlin

Why Nintendo will have a tough time adding a second GamePad tablet controller to the Wii U – by Dean Takahashi

Tomb Raider is not torture porn – by Rus McLaughlin

Would it be a mistake for E3 to move out of LA? – by Dean Takahashi

Bored, impressed, and giddy: Our final thoughts on E3 2012 – by Dan “Shoe” Hsu

Move over, consoles – mobile is the future – by Rob LeFebvre

Microsoft’s E3 2012: Analysis of 16,000+ comments shows Halo 4, South Park impressed, rest did not – by Andrew Hiscock

Sony’s E3 2012: Analysis shows “shotgun blast” won big, Wonderbook lost – by Andrew Hiscock

Nintendo’s E3 2012: Reactions show hardcore gamers lost faith in Wii U – by Andrew Hiscock

Memes

All it takes is one memorable quote, one Freudian slip, or some facepalm-worthy banter to prompt the Internet community’s creative and unrestrained hand at animated gifs, a worshipful use of Impact font, and hastily jangled Photoshop edits. Here’s what we’ve found.

The best memes of E3 – by Jeff Grubb

Remember these crazy memes from past E3s? – by Jeff Grubb

The wildest memes from the Microsoft E3 press conference – by Jeff Grubb

Silly memes inspired by Sony’s E3 press event – by Jeff Grubb

Aisha Tyler: Ubisoft’s meme machine – by Rus McLaughlin

The oddest Nintendo E3 gifs and Photoshops from the Internet – by Jeff Grubb

Galleries

We snapped plenty of pictures while attending parties, pressers, and meandering the showfloor. Direct your eyeballs upon these galleries, and enjoy the view!

The big gallery of E3′s huge banners – by Mike Minotti

E3 2012 will get your hands up – by Evan Killham

Our editor-in-chief’s E3 adventure – by Evan Killham

The many costumes of E3 2012 – by Jacob Lopez

Retro games have a place at E3, too – by Jasmine Rea

Videos

Dubstep. A beleaguered Lara Croft. Ham-handed hosts. No, this isn’t the latest entry in Alex Trebek’s dream diary — it’s some of our E3 video and trailer content below. Enjoy!

Tomb Raider trailer shows how Lara Croft feels sorry for shooting you – by Dean Takahashi

Konami pre-E3 2012 event: More Castlevania and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – by Jasmine Rea

Ubisoft shows strong commitment to the Wii U – by Mike Minotti

6 awkward moments from the E3 press briefings – by Evan Killham

Why we wub wub wub E3 2012: The dubstep of E3 – by Jacob Lopez

Press conferences

Surprises and snooze-fests alike emanated from E3′s five major press briefings held by Microsoft, Electronic Arts (EA), Ubisoft, Sony, and Nintendo. Check out all the announcements and debuts here.

Microsoft (video)

Halo 4 trailer video shows Forerunners, new tech – by Rob LeFebvre

New Splinter Cell: Blacklist borrows from Uncharted – by Jeff Grubb

Gears of War: Judgment sets Sera on fire (again) – by Rus McLaughlin

Microsoft previews Xbox Music at E3 press conference – by Rob LeFebvre

Forza Horizon brings street racing to the franchise – by Jasmine Rea

Microsoft introduces Xbox SmartGlass to integrate smartphones and tablets with Xbox 360 – by Dean Takahashi

Nike+ Kinect Training brings in-depth fitness measuring to Xbox 360 – by Jeff Grubb

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer coming to Xbox 360 this fall – by Jacob Lopez

Usher hits the stage to announce Dance Central 3 – by Rob LeFebvre

Xbox Live is getting Nickelodeon, Machinima, and tons of live sports – by Tom Cheredar

Kinect voice commands hit EA Sports flagship titles – by Eduardo Moutinho

South Park creators introduce their game and playfully mock Microsoft – by Jeff Grubb

New Xbox 360 games coming from Signal Studios, Twisted Pixel, and…Gore Verbinski? – by Stefanie Fogel

Microsoft E3 2012 press conference recap…in limerick form – by Andrew Hiscock

Electronic Arts (video)

SimCity Social: If this free-to-play game is too good, will you pay $60 for the full PC version? – by Dean Takahashi

EA reveals Battlefield 3 Premium and fields “15 million players worldwide” – by Omri Petitte

Star Wars: The Old Republic gets new planet, new species, and free trial – by Jacob Lopez

EA nabs UFC from THQ – by Jeff Grubb

Medal of Honor: Warfighter’s beautiful carnage – by Rus McLaughlin

EA shows off Need for Speed: Most Wanted at E3 – by Rob LeFebvre

Ubisoft (video)

Rayman Legends rhythmically runs to the Wii U – by Eduardo Moutinho

You are the network in Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs – by Rus McLaughlin

Here’s where that Watch Dogs cube-head QR code goes – by Jeff Grubb

Sony (video)

Experimental developer Quantic Dream reveals the haunted life of Jody Holmes in Beyond – by Jasmine Rea

Nathan Drake and the Big Daddy Bouncer join PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale – by Mike Minotti

J.K. Rowling is writing PlayStation’s Wonderbook – by Rus McLaughlin

Sony announces Assassin’s Creed III Vita and PS3 bundles with exclusive content – by Jeff Grubb

Sony brings down the house with The Last of Us demo – by Dean Takahashi

Sony E3 2012 press conference recap…in limerick form – by Andrew Hiscock

Nintendo (video)

Social networking comes to Wii U, Miiverse will interface with PCs and phones – by Jasmine Rea

First look at action-strategy game Pikmin 3 – by Jeff Grubb

Nintendo confirms 23 games at E3, video streaming, and more for Wii U – by Mike Minotti

Wii Fit U will make you sweatier, livelier, and happier – by Rob LeFebvre

Brag to the Miiverse and take on new modes in New Super Mario Bros. U – by Eduardo Moutinho

Zombify your face with ZombiU for the Wii U – by Mike Minotti

Nintendo bets big on “asymmetric” tablet-based gameplay – one player against several – by Dean Takahashi

Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition utilizes Wii U’s GamePad screen – by Omri Petitte

Nintendo details 3DS Mario titles, Luigi’s Mansion, and third-party games – by Jeff Grubb

Nintendo Land brings asymmetrical multiplayer to Wii U – by Jasmine Rea

Nintendo’s E3 2012 press conference recap…in limerick form – by Andrew Hiscock

Filed under: Business, Games

GamesBeat’s E3 2012 Game of the Show…plus staff picks

Dan "Shoe" Hsu — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 23:33:24 +0000

Each year, during the various press conferences surrounding the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) game-industry trade show, people applaud. Some of it’s polite (some guy we don’t care about is getting on stage). Some of it’s fanfare (yay, a new Zelda!). Some of it’s fake rah-rah (come on, we know you’re employees trying to pump up the crowd).

But once in a while, it’s pure, legitimate wow.

An extended, genuinely enthusiastic ovation awaited the conclusion of publisher/developer Ubisoft’s demo of Watch Dogs, a new modern-day drama/action/adventure game with a touch of cyberpunk. It’s stylish. It’s violent. And it’s oh-so-pretty. Of course, it’s way too early to judge whether this upcoming (date: TBD) Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC release will be any good or not, but read our quick-look preview and peep the gameplay video below to see why we picked Watch Dogs for GamesBeat’s E3 2012 Game of the Show.

Ubisoft’s thriller wasn’t the only star of E3. Here are the final top-threes by the rest of the GamesBeat staff who were in attendance at E3 2012. (To check out more coverage of any of the games, just click on the tags below the article or follow our E3 tag.)

Dan “Shoe” Hsu, GamesBeat editor-in-chief

1. The Last of Us (PlayStation 3)
2. Watch Dogs (multiplatform)
3. Dishonored (multiplatform)

Dean Takahashi, GamesBeat lead news writer

1. Beyond: Two Souls (PlayStation 3)
2. The Last of Us (PlayStation 3)
3. Watch Dogs (multiplatform)

Sebastian Haley, GamesBeat culture editor

1. Metro: Last Light (multiplatform)
2. Watch Dogs (multiplatform)
3. The Cave (multiplatform)

Omri Petitte, GamesBeat writer

1. Watch Dogs (multiplatform)
2. Assassin’s Creed III (multiplatform)
3. PlanetSide 2 (PC)

Mike Minotti, GamesBeat writer

1. Assassin’s Creed III (multiplatform)
2. Disney Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion (3DS)
3. Rayman Legends (Wii U)

Jacob Lopez, GamesBeat writer

1. Watch Dogs (multiplatform)
2. The Last of Us (PlayStation 3)
3. Scribblenauts Unlimited (Wii U)

Stefanie Fogel, GamesBeat writer

1. The Walking Dead — Episode 2: Starved for Help (multiplatform)
2. Borderlands 2 (multiplatform)
3. Quantum Conundrum (multiplatform)

Rob LeFebvre, GamesBeat writer

1. Watch Dogs (multiplatform)
2. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PlayStation 3)
3. Gravity Rush (PlayStation Vita)

Rus McLaughlin, GamesBeat writer

1. Watch Dogs (multiplatform)
2. The Last of Us (PlayStation 3)
3. Tomb Raider (multiplatform)

Eduardo Moutinho, GamesBeat writer

1. Star Wars 1313 (multiplatform)
2. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (multiplatform)
3. Injustice: Gods Among Us (multiplatform)

Please vote for your own favorite in our poll and explain your vote in the comments.

GamesBeat 2012 is VentureBeat’s fourth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. This year we’re calling on speakers from the hottest mobile, social, PC, and console companies to debate new ways to stay on pace with changing consumer tastes and platforms. Join 500+ execs, investors, analysts, entrepreneurs, and press as we explore the gaming industry’s latest trends and newest monetization opportunities. The event takes place July 10-11 in San Francisco, and you can get your early-bird tickets here.

Filed under: Games

GamesBeat E3 Roundup Day 4

Jasmine Maleficent Rea — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 06:43:44 +0000

Congratulations, you survived the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo. If you’ve lost track of all the still-breaking news, check out GamesBeat’s daily E3 roundups.

The best memes of E3

Our editor-in-chief’s E3 adventure (gallery)

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is an anime that you can actually play

Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls is one of the best games of E3 (in-depth preview)

Orgarhythm’s developer finds success through failure

A trio of Mario games strengthen Nintendo’s 3DS lineup

Harvest Moon creator wants to spread happiness with his new game

Tomb Raider is not torture porn

Trash talk from Sony game executive: Our competitors are losing the plot (interview)

MOGA controller promises console-quality gaming on Android devices

Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi says Xbox SmartGlass takes an open view of mobile-console integration (interview)

Build a place for celebrity shoppers with PlayFirst’s Mall Stars mobile game

E3 2012 will get your hands up (gallery)

Filed under: Games

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is an anime that you can actually play

Eduardo Moutinho — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:41:11 +0000

I’ve seen many games call themselves interactive movies or cartoons, but Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch actually looks — and plays — the part. The title itself boasts gorgeous character design and cutscenes from Studio Ghibli, one of the world’s most beloved and acclaimed animation houses.

As I played through the game at Namco’s booth during the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), I couldn’t help but marvel at the stunning visuals and fluid animation on display. The characters moved with effortless grace, running through lush, vivid environments. Each battle featured densely colored and lovingly crafted creatures.

You play as a boy named Oliver who is looking to bring back his deceased mother by traveling to a faraway world. The role-playing game features mainstays from the genre, including selectable party members, robust battles, and towns to visit — replete with non-playable characters to speak with. The combat employs a modified take on the traditional turn-based system seen in many Japanese role-playing games. Players are able to position themselves in real time, however, adding an extra layer to fighting.

Wrath of the White Witch also features unique “familiars,” cute allies who fight by your side. One resembled a small anteater with a lantern hanging from his nose. Another wielded a tiny sword and shield while equally small horns adorned his head. Studio Ghibli’s character design truly shines here, as the familiars I saw all had that signature bright and cheerful art style.

If you want to immerse yourself in a living, breathing virtual anime, be sure to check out Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch when it comes out on January 22, 2013.

Filed under: Games

GamesBeat E3 Roundup Day 2

Evan Killham — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 04:30:24 +0000

We know how you feel. E3 is in full swing, and you can’t hear yourself think over the non-stop din of news breaking. Who’s going to clean up all of that news, anyway? What if someone cuts himself on a news shard and sues? Don’t worry; it’s taken care of. We’re posting all of GamesBeat’s coverage for each day of E3 in convenient (and lengthy) roundups, and you can keep track of them all by searching for “E3 roundup” in that search bar up there.

Today, Nintendo held the last of E3′s five major press conferences. We got a lot more information about the Wii U hardware and its software lineup, and then the GamesBeat crew descended upon the show floor to get some hands-on time with the biggest games of the show. We also threw in some silly memes, just for fun.

6 awkward moments from the E3 press conferences (videos)

Why Nintendo will have a tough time adding a second gamepad tablet controller to the Wii U

E3 2012: The 5 different games you’ll be playing in Dishonored (preview)

The oddest Nintendo E3 gifs and Photoshops from the Internet

E3 2012: Nintendo’s Wii U: Safe on first, weak on third-party

Dark Souls Prepare to Die edition coming to Steam and with additional content

Capcom shows three playable characters for Resident Evil 6 (hands-on preview)

Ni No Kuni gets an official launch date and new enemy reveal

Capcom remakes hack-slash-shoot-grapple formula with upcoming DmC: Devil May Cry (hands-on preview)

Dragon Ball Z Kinect lets you fight like Saiyan in the privacy of your living room

Tekken Tag 2 wants you to be a better fighting game player

The Wii U game from the Bayonetta developer that Nintendo didn’t show during its E3 event

Aisha Tyler: Ubisoft’s meme machine

Nintendo Land brings asymmetrical multiplayer to Wii U

Nintendo details 3DS Mario titles, Luigi’s Mansion, and third-party games

Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition utilizes Wii U’s GamePad screen

Nintendo bets big on “asymmetric” tablet-based gameplay — one player against several

Zombify your face with ZombiU for the Wii U

Brag to the Miiverse and take on new modes in New Super Mario Bros. U

Wii Fit U will make you sweatier, livelier, and happier

Nintendo confirms 23 games at E3, video streaming, and more for Wii U

First look at action-strategy game Pikmin 3 (gallery)

Social networking comes to Wii U, Miiverse will interface with PCs and phones

From the creator of Portal, Quantum Conundrum caters to physics-based puzzle gamers (hands-on preview)

Sleeping Dogs turns Hong Kong crime movies into a video game (hands-on preview)

Nyko’s Free Fighter arcade fight stick is southpaw-friendly (gallery)

4 ways developers will use SmartGlass to enhance Xbox 360 experiences

Silly memes inspired by Sony’s E3 press event

Filed under: Games

Ni No Kuni gets an official launch date and new enemy reveal

Jasmine Maleficent Rea — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 19:00:19 +0000

Publisher Namco Bandai broke so many hearts in April when it revealed Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch would not be available in the United States until “early 2013.” Thankfully, Namco cleared that up with an official launch date. The PlayStation 3 version of Ni No Kuni will hit stores on January 1, 2013.

Ni No Kuni is a collaborative role-playing project between Studio Ghibli, the animation studio behind My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away, and game developer Level 5 (Professor Layton). The result is the moving-yet-whimsical story of Oliver, a boy who journeys into a magical and dangerous world in search of his mother.

Namco revealed a new trailer that introduces Shadar, a powerful servant to the White Witch who seeks to test Oliver’s capabilities.

The PS3 version of Ni No Kuni, which shares thematic consistency with (but is not a direct remake of) the DS game, will not ship with the ornate book of magic the handheld original did. The book served as a guide to various spells Oliver could use and offered backstory to characters that the game often referenced.

The PS3 edition will incorporate the information found in the real-world book of magic into the game world, but players will miss out on owning a copy of the beautifully constructed reference guide.

Filed under: Games