NEWS: Official SoulCalibur III Website Goes Live

Online Destination for Leading Fighting Franchise Features Overview of New Features, Character Profiles, Hidden Content

Leading video games developer and publisher Namco Hometek Inc announced today that the official website for SoulCalibur III has gone live at http://soulcalibur3.namco.com/. As the official destination for the game on the Internet, the site provides a detailed overview of the new features included in SoulCalibur III, in-depth profiles and video clips of the characters in the game and even hidden content for visitors to discover and unlock. A detailed look at the game's Character Creation mode will teach visitors the first steps in creating their own formidable warrior, while an introduction to the new Chronicles of the Sword mode will prepare fans for this new real-time strategy game. SoulCalibur III will be available exclusively for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system on October 25.

SoulCalibur III continues the classic tale of souls and swords with three all-new characters and an unprecedented amount of new content for players to experience. New characters Tira, Setsuka and Zasalamel each bring their own new fighting styles, weapons and storylines to the existing lineup of more than 18 playable characters while a detailed Character Creation mode lets players customise their own warrior from a nearly limitless number of fighting disciplines, weapons and accessories. A host of all-new play modes are available for players to experience alone, including the real-time strategy hybrid of Chronicles of the Sword mode, while a number of VS. battles are available for endless competitive multiplayer fighting.

Q&A: Prince Of Persia 3's Speed Kill System

This is a recent press release regarding Ubisoft's upcoming Prince Of Persia 3 (POP3), and it explains about the new Speed Kill System and its implementations throughout the third POP game by the game designers.



Q1: What is the Speed Kill System?
The Speed Kill System is a whole new gameplay system we're introducing in POP3. It allows you to perform very dramatic moves that take your enemy down in a single shot. Speed Kills require excellent timing and reflexes but are hugely rewarding. They really make the most of the Prince and Dark Prince's athletic abilities in fast-paced action-packed sequences.



Q2: Why did you develop this new Speed Kill System for POP3?
In POP3, the Prince is back in Babylon and finds his city ravaged by war. He soon becomes a fugitive in his hometown, hunted by the numerous and relentless invading army. The Prince must adapt his fighting skills to this new situation and try to take the upper hand by developing new techniques, such as the Speed Kill System. Speed Kill will be a chance for the player to kill one or several enemies in a single shot before engaging in fierce sword combats. Nevertheless, the player will always have the choice between using the Speed Kill System or the expanded Free Form Fighting System that was originally developed for Warrior Within.



Q3: What does this new system imply in terms of AI?
Speed Kill is about killing your enemy BEFORE being detected. This new system made us rethink the whole AI of the enemies in the game, and the results so far are very impressive. Patrolling enemies will be able to detect the Prince, either by seeing him or by hearing him.
If the Prince goes undetected, he will be able to trigger a series of Speed Kill attacks that lead to spectacular finishing moves. The Prince will often have to use his environment and his athletic skills to reach upper positions in order to take his enemies by surprise from above. If patrolling enemies detect the Prince, they will call for reinforcement and the Prince will not be able to trigger his Speed Kills anymore: he will have to fight his enemies heads-on.



Q4: In POP3, there are two playable characters: the Prince and the Dark Prince. Will they both use the Speed Kill System?
Yes, both the Dark Prince and the Prince will use the Speed Kill System. However, the gameplay mechanism to launch the Speed Kills will vary between the Prince and the Dark Prince as a reflection of their very different personalities. The Dark Prince is a corrupt version of the Prince; he is ruthless, reckless, and only out for himself. This dark and sadistic personality particularly shines through the violent nature of his Speed Kills. The Dark Prince's Speed Kills will be launched by a fast-paced combination of buttons, whereas the Prince's Speed Kills will be based on specific button sequences and very precise timing during a window of opportunity. Also, their finishing moves will be very different as the Prince uses the Dagger of Time for his Speed Kills and the Dark Prince uses the Daggertail, a powerful mid range chain-like weapon.

-End-

NEWS: Burnout Revenge Gets Yellowcard & More

Explosive Racing Game Features Over 40 Songs From Punk, Hard Rock, Electronic and Metal Bands

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) today revealed the in-game music soundtrack for Burnout Revenge. Featuring a powerful mix of over 40 punk, metal, hard rock, alternative rock, electronic songs from bands around the world, the in-game music soundtrack is headlined by the world debut of 'Lights And Sounds' from the chart-breaking rock quintet Yellowcard – a hard-hitting track that will propel players to toss out the rules of the road and slam head on into total vehicular chaos.

Blowing the doors of the Burnout Revenge soundtrack are songs from a huge variety of artists including big name acts The Chemical Brothers, Fall Out Boy, Thrice, The Bravery and BT's unique remix of 'Break On Through (To The Other Side)' from the legendary band, The Doors.

"EA continues to drive videogames to the forefront of musical discovery by launching new songs through the games. We are really excited that Burnout Revenge will be the first place for music fans worldwide to hear Yellowcard's hot new single," said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Music Marketing at EA. "The break-neck pace and bone-crushing intensity of this game could only be matched by a high-energy mix of new music. Last year, the soundtrack was characterised by indie, emo and punk – this year, we are building on that foundation and delivering an even broader mix of mind-blowing music."

The complete song list includes:
(ARTIST - SONG)
Andy Hunter - Come On
Animal Alpha - Bundy
Apocalyptica - Life Burns!
Asian Dub Foundation - Flyover
Avenged - Sevenfold Beast...
Billy Talent - Red Flag
Bloc Party - Helicopter
Bullet For My Valentine - Hand Of Blood
The Chemical Brothers - The Big Jump
CKY - As The Tables Turn
Comeback Kid - Wake The Dead
The Dead 60s - Riot Radio
Dogs - Tuned to a Different Station
The Doors - Break On Through (To The Other Side)
BT vs. The Doors Remix
Emanuel - The Hey Man!
Fall Out Boy - Dance, Dance
Finch - Ink
Funeral For A Friend - All The Rage
Goldfinger - I Want
Infusion - Better World (Adam Freeland Mix)
Junkie XL - Today
LCD Soundsystem - Daft Punk is Playing at My House (Soulwax Shibuya Mix)
Maximo Park - Apply Some Pressure
Mindless Self Indulgence - Straight To Video (KMFDM Remix)
Morningwood - Nu Rock
MxPx - Heard That Sound
Nine Black Alps - Shot Down
OK Go - Do What You Want
Pennywise - Stand Up
The Academy Is... - Almost Here
The All-American Rejects - Top Of The World
The Black Velvets - Fear And Loathing
The Bravery - An Honest Mistake (Superdiscount Remix)
The Outline - Shotgun
The Starting Line - The World
Thrice - Lullaby
Timo Maas - First Day (General Midi Remix)
Tsar - Band-Girls-Money
Unwritten Law - F.I.G.H.T.
We Are Scientists - The Great Escape
Yellowcard - Lights And Sounds

The in-game music soundtrack for Burnout Revenge is a part of the EA TRAX music initiative that EA debuted in 2001. The program is dedicated to bringing gamers the hottest music through EA's videogames.

The sequel to 2004's critically-acclaimed hit Burnout 3: Takedown, Burnout Revenge straps gamers into the fastest, most dangerous racer on the road. Fight dirty or go down in flames - the only rule is complete automotive anarchy. Built for unprecedented destruction, Burnout Revenge challenges gamers to exact their revenge on rush hour traffic, vindictive rival racers and anything else that gets between them and the finish line. And when gamers are ready to take their rage on the road, a massive suite of online modes and features open up endless possibilities to slam, shunt and stonewall new enemies all over the world. Happy hunting!

Burnout Revenge is developed by Criterion Software Limited and is rated "3+" by PEGI (Pan European Game Information). The game has already garnered numerous awards, including the prestigious Game Critics Award: Best Racing Game of E3 2005. Burnout Revenge will be available at retailers nationwide on September 23, 2005.

NEWS: Renowned Film Title Designer Kyle Cooper Created Opening Sequence For Capcom's Darkwatch

Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, announced that Kyle Cooper was the man behind the opening sequence for their upcoming video game, Darkwatch

The flagship title from development house High Moon Studios, Inc, Darkwatch, is an immersive first-person shooter (FPS) for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox video game system that blends the Western and vampire-horror genres.

Mr. Cooper, renowned for his work in designing main title and credit sequences for more than 100 feature films, created the opening movie that establishes the game’s original storyline. The dark, moody sequence introduces the militant, evil-hunting secret society called the Darkwatch as well as their deadly new agent and half-vampire gunslinger Jericho Cross. Mr. Cooper and his production company, Prologue Films, combined computer animation with live action to recreate the game’s unique visual style. Mr. Cooper’s design highlights the visual continuity High Moon Studios established for every aspect of the Darkwatch organisation including their weaponry, vehicles and costumes.

"Even prior to enlisting Kyle Cooper on Darkwatch, myself and other members of our creative team were fans of his work and great appreciators of what he has done to elevate the art of title and credit design," said Emmanuel Valdez, chief creative officer of High Moon Studios, Inc. "When we approached him to create an original sequence for our game, there was immediate creative chemistry. The result is this phenomenal creation that thoroughly captures the spirit of our property yet has that indeniable Kyle Cooper style."

The Darkwatch organisation is a vigilant strike-force that has protected man from evil incarnate since the dawn of civilisation. Their newest and deadliest agent is Jericho Cross, an outlaw gunslinger pulled into their ranks by an unfortunate close encounter with a vampire lord. To save the West, and to retrieve his soul from the damned, Jericho must hunt down the vampire and destroy the evil minions he has unleashed on the American Frontier. Darkwatch promises to be a memorable entry into the FPS genre, inviting players to blast through a visually sensational depiction of a haunted Wild West with unique weapons, powerful assault vehicles, horse-mounted gun fighting and special vampire abilities.

To view the Darkwatch opening sequence, visit http://www.highmoonstudios.com/darkwatch.html

Darkwatch out in stores now!

First-person shooter (FPS) fans, take note: Darkwatch is NOT a game you would want to miss! Released for the PS2 as well as the Xbox, Darkwatch combines the settings of the Old West with the action-packed sequences of gunning down an army of zombie gunslingers, machete- and scythe-wielding skeleton warriors as well as a vampire lord.

I sampled the initial gameplay of Darkwatch and came away highly impressed with the overall visual, sound and music effects. Even the gameplay mechanics are smooth with no loss of framerates - even during some intense battles - and everything looks clean shaven. High Moon Studios did a great job with this game and it shows: the dedication and enthusiasm of the team were translated to Darkwatch with a high fun factor. Heck, even I'm sold within a few minutes of playing it!

Take it from me - if you enjoyed Midway's Area 51 for the PS2, Darkwatch gives you double the excitement factor. A full review is in the works, so wait patiently for it!

Double jeopardy

After a couple of rounds playing Garou: Mark Of The Wolves and later switching to The King Of Fighters Neowave, I came to a conclusion: they don't make fighting games like they used to.

The SNK-Playmore entity just doesn't have what it takes to put back the magic of SNK's fighting games. A few minutes into both games confirmed it - there are a few things missing from Garou and KOF Neowave, easily naming them off on all five fingers on one of my palms. First, the character design just doesn't quite make the cut into what I would consider SNK-authentic. No longer SNK, you say? Then for Pete's sake, drop the SNK out of the company name if they can't keep SNK's quality. Those of you who have been playing KOF since KOF'94 and all the way through KOF'99 would probably know what I'm ranting about. Instead of the simple yet smart and stylish outfits that new KOF characters don with their introduction between 94 and 99, new characters starting from 2000 onwards have been outlandish and over-the-top. That I say the same for the recent Fatal Fury (Garou) series too.

The second issue is the animation - goodness knows what happened but I can safely say that the quality here does not seem to be on par to the previous SNK releases as well. Pay close attention and you'll notice that some slight animation frames are missing from most fighters between Garou and KOF Neowave, making the overall feel gritty and unfinished. The only one that I found to have 'accidentally' retained the fluid animation is Kim Kaphwan; take a look at his flowing garb and you'll understand better. So much for reasoning that the PS2 cannot handle intense 2D frames, especially with two crazily animated characters on-screen at the same time. Which made me think: if 2D is hard for SNK-Playmore to conceive, why not go for cel-shading? The plot thickens...

Sound effects make the third entry, where most of them are reused. Now don't get me all wrong: I'm all out for the crunching sounds and jawbreaking effects, but SNK-Playmore could've polished it more and do it justice for home video game consoles. It won't do to chuck every ingredient into the cauldron when you've yet to peel the skin off the potatoes and carrots.

The fourth issue that I have with Garou and KOF Neowave is the music - too much of it has been played down. Take for example KOF'97: now that's what I call the prelude to imminent danger. 'nuff said.

The fifth and last of all is the storyline. I thought KOF 2003 was bad, but KOF Neowave takes the cake. Well, probably SNK-Playmore wanted it to follow in the footsteps of KOF'98: The Slugfest. I don't know until I can get official confirmation from either a reliable source or from the horse's mouth. Year in, year out I have been having hopes that someone would knock some sense into the designing team at SNK-Playmore and show them what works and what does not. Moving from the old-age Neo-Geo platform to the Atomiswave is welcomed indeed, but when it doesn't make any difference, it makes you think...

Would I recommend KOF Neowave and Garou: Mark Of The Wolves then? I would suggest otherwise, my friend. Unless you're only into collecting two of the greatest game series and doesn't have an eye for detail, you might want to give it a try first before finalising your purchase.

As a final note, I believe SNK did a marvellous job on their previous games because their team really put their heart and soul into creating all the favourite games people play. If only SNK-Playmore can pinpoint this fact and not just worry about making profits alone, things might just make a turn for the better for both sides.

Horror heads-up!

Fatal Frame 3 sneaked up on me and gave a startled jolt, proclaiming its arrival on our shores with much eerie quietness. Okay, so maybe it's not eerie in that sense (and by the way, the game is a Japanese version release), but still, it's quite disturbing that there was no release date being proclaimed and I happen to find out about it by chance. Fatal Frame 3: The Tormented (Rei: Shisei No Koe) continues the horror saga that many agree it to be one of the best horror genres around from Tecmo, introducing a horror-themed game with an Asian feel that we can all relate to (hey, Malaysians are Asians too, you know!).

This time around, you will be in control of not one but three protagonists who will have to solve mysteries that goes beyond the grave, I kid you not. Gameplay will take on a new concept, and those who are familiar with the Silent Hill series would probably know what I'm rambling about: weaving in and out of the real world and into a gruesome place; my guess is probably the Himuro mansion where the last two games have been largely based upon. But that's just what I've read in previews on the game from other reviewers, so let's see how Fatal Frame 3 really turns out to be after I give the game a go. So many games yet so little time. With the amount of work that I have to do, things are pretty grim at the moment for a game review; yes, I know I have promised you fellas an insight to Garou: Mark Of The Wolves almost a month back, but I can assure you that you have my word for it on a hands on review! In the meantime, back to slavery, sigh...

NEWS: Final Fantasy XII Finally Gets An Official Release Date

Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix) the industry-leading developer of innovative digital entertainment has announced the Japanese release date of Final Fantasy XII for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The long-awaited role-playing game (RPG) will be released in Japan on March 16, 2006. The European version is scheduled for a later release in 2006.

Since its debut in 1987, the Final Fantasy series has sold over 63 million units worldwide. With its cutting-edge visuals, unique worlds, and intricate narrative, Final Fantasy has defined the role-playing genre, and continues to be adored by fans across the globe. Final Fantasy XII, the latest installment in the series, carries on this proud tradition.

Groundbreaking real-time graphics that push the envelope of the PlayStation 2 capabilities and advanced pre-rendered movies bring the breathtaking world of Final Fantasy XII to life. This world sets the stage for an intricately woven story filled with a colourful cast of unique characters and creations.

NEWS: Game Over For Video Game Pirates

'Secret cupboard' pair sentenced to a total of 27 months in jail

An unemployed husband and wife piracy and counterfeiting outfit has been imprisoned for a combined total of 27 months after being convicted for copying and selling pirated games, music and film discs whilst falsely claiming benefits.

The couple was brought to justice after Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council Trading Standards officers, local Police and an ELSPA investigator searched the family home in Formby and uncovered a secret cupboard hidden in the wall, containing an array of counterfeit discs. The estimated value of the seized games alone, if they were genuine retail versions, sits at £28,000 (Ringgit Malaysia 186,578.31).

The two offenders, now separated, were sentenced on the 1st of August at Liverpool Crown Court. Andrew King of Alexandra Road, Southport received 21 months imprisonment. His sentence comprised 18 months for Trade Mark offences and falsely claiming benefits, as well as three months for an earlier conviction on intellectual property theft for which he had been given a previous conditional discharge. His estranged wife, Angela Susan King of Dales Walk, Freshfield in Formby received six months for the same offences.

Michael Rawlinson, deputy director general of ELSPA commented: "These offenders were profiting through crime, not only riding on the back of the creative industries but also lining their pockets with tax payers money. We will continue to work closely with the Department for Work and Pensions, Trading Standards and the Police, all of whom give us excellent support and assistance."

Andrew Naisbitt, head of Trading Standards for Sefton Council said: "We are very pleased with the outcome of the court case and hopefully it sends out a strong message that piracy and benefit fraud in any form will not be tolerated.

"Our dedicated and committed team takes piracy very seriously and we will not hesitate to take court action against anyone caught responsible for it.

"Not only are consumers short-changed when they buy poor quality fake goods but legitimate retailers also lose out on business."

The Kings were targeted last year as part of 'Operation Zouk', a nationwide operation by the Department for Work and Pensions working with Police, Trading Standards and trade bodies such as ELSPA (Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) to uncover criminals who claim benefits whilst illegally supplementing their income by selling counterfeit DVDs and CDs.

Darn virus caught me off-guard...

Talk about a bad week! Last week was terrible for me as I had caught the flu (not that I wanted to!) since Monday night and was immobilised by Tuesday, so I had to call in sick at the office. On Wednesday, I was still reeling from the virus and medications the doctor prescribed but have to go out and do field work with a couple of my colleagues for an assignment. Mind you, the deadline is quite a close call on August the 5th, so you can guess that it was a 'by hook or by crook' kind of thingy that I had to go out even in the sorry state I was in. But a lunch treat by one of the collegues I've mentioned heightened my mood a bit; I'm a man of simple pleasures :)

But it still came out good by the late afternoon - I've purchased a couple of PS2 games that I have been searching frantically for: The King Of Fighters Neowave as well as Dai 3 Ji Super Robot Wars. Yay! And no, I didn't stay up till the wee hours playing them. For goodness sakes, I was sick! But anyway, by Saturday, I was already feeling well enough to watch telly (yes, I was VERY sick!). And by nightfall, I had taken my PS2 for a testrun of the two games I've bought. Imagine my glee as my PS2 loaded up... without the games in it yet. Being deprived of your PS2 or any other game consoles is such a sad thing to happen to anyone.

I tried KOF Neowave first, but I don't see much difference from previous SNK-Playmore creations. And the music was kind of, well, off for a fighting game. To sum it up, the KOF series by SNK between 1995-1999 were the best in terms of graphics, music and sound effects. As for SRW Alpha 3, I've yet to reach a conclusion, but rest assured that I will post an in-depth review of both games as soon as I get my day job deadlines out of the way.

By the way, those of you who are into import games would like to know that the Japanese version of Shadow Hearts: From The New World is already out in stores - I've personally seen them this time around.


P/S: I'm already feeling well today. Thanks for asking.