Yeah, that’s the best title that I could come up with. But on March 11 Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Square Enix will be releasing special Final Fantasy XIII items for PlayStation Home.

Among available items for purchase for the HomeSpace are an exclusive FF13 themed apartment, furniture, figurines, and accessories. Some examples are an Eden - Primarch’s Vigilarium apartment; a Vigilarium sofa, table, chair, shelves, desk, planter set and Taxidermic Specimen; Cactuar, Flowering Cactuar and Tonberry figures; and a Carbuncle Plushie.

Larry Sparks, Vice President Brands PAL Region of Square Enix Ltd. comments, “As part of the launch celebrations we’re thrilled to be working with Sony to offer FINAL FANTASY fans the chance to personalise their HomeSpace with these exclusive items. The apartment, furniture and items have been personally selected by the development team to best represent the world of FINAL FANTASY XIII.”

For more information visit www.playstation.com.

]]> http://rrbgames.com/archives/8767/feed http://rrbgames.com/archives/8762 http://rrbgames.com/archives/8762#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:41:08 +0000 Ron Aquino http://rrbgames.com/?p=8762

Edge reports that Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman confirmed Harmonix is currently working on Rock Band 3. It is set for worldwide release this “holiday season”. He announced it during the Credit Suisse Group Global Media and Communications Conference or as we like to call it “Party Central.”

Since then Harmonix staff members have been “tweeting” on their “Twitter” accounts confirmations of the future release. Their Facebook group reads that they will “innovate and revolutionize the music genre once again”.

How it plans to do so when the market is so saturated with iterations of Rock Band and Guitar Hero remains to be seen. Personally, I’m still clamoring for a “Classical Hero: Mozart” and “Smooth Jazz Band” for a little variety.

Now here’s a karaoke game taken straight from my iPod (along with Guitar Hero: Metallica). Judging by track list, Microsoft’s Lips: I Love the 80’s you get a group of your thirty-something friends and mix thoroughly with copious amounts of booze,  and you have the makings of quite possibly the best evening ever.

The game will be available April 2 and will come either standalone or bundled with a wireless microphone. It’s also compatible with the USB mics from Guitar Hero.

Here’s the awesome tracks:

The Look Of Love - ABC
Forever Young - Alphaville
Cruel Summer - Bananarama
Dreaming - Blondie
Video Killed The Radio Star - The Buggles
You’re The Inspiration - Chicago
Don’t Leave Me This Way - The Communards
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me - Culture Club
Boys Don’t Cry - The Cure
Let’s Dance - David Bowie
Whip It - Devo
Come On Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners
Rio - Duran Duran
Mirror In The Bathroom - The Beat
A Little Respect - Erasure
A Good Heart - Feargal Sharkey
Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
The Power Of Love - Huey Lewis & The News
Don’t You Want Me - Human League
Centerfold - J. Geils Band
Bad Reputation - Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
Too Shy - Kajagoogoo
Walking On Sunshine - Katrina & The Waves
Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes
Kids In America - Kim Wilde
Celebration - Kool & The Gang
Our House - Madness
Blue Monday ’88 - New Order
The Riddle - Nik Kershaw
Love Is A Battlefield - Pat Benatar
Roxanne - The Police
Don’t Get Me Wrong - The Pretenders
Super Freak - Rick James
Alive And Kicking - Simple Minds
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Gold - Spandau Ballet
Shout - Tears for Fears
Mickey - Toni Basil
Vienna - Ultravox
Don’t Go - Yazoo

After a good 4 years (I kid you not) the waiting is finally over. As usual, the rest of the publishers have by and large stayed clear of this long awaited date. It seems, however, that Sega either didn’t get the memo or didn’t care.

Remember. Release dates are quite literally made at the whims of the publisher. The following are subject to change without any warning.

Releases To Watch For This Week

Final Fantasy XIII (Xbox 360, PS3)

Tuesday March 9, 2010

To everyone who watched in awe with mouth agape the Final Fantasy 13 Trailer all those years ago, March 9th, 2010 seemed like a date that simply wouldn’t come. Until now. You have to be relatively new to gaming to have never heard of Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy 13 is Square Enix newest RPG, and despite the number at the end, it is an entirely brand new game. The series have never been constrained to any one universe, storyline, or even gameplay mechanics. Each one is like an RPG in the first of many. In the case of Final Fantasy 13, the world is that of Cocoon and Pulse. The former is the world of man while the latter is basically the great outdoors. The inhabitants of Cocoon abhor the world of Pulse including those who are branded by it. As Lightning and crew, all of whom bears the mark of Pulse, they must save the world even if they are not wanted by it. The mechanics of the game is where the term “RPG” becomes a little bit murky. The creators of Final Fantasy 13 have explicitly said in an interview that they didn’t set out to create an RPG. They didn’t start with the template of an RPG and created a game that fit the mold. They just made a game, and whatever it ends up being is what you get. This thinking might explain the generally not so positive reviews we’ve been hearing from Japan (This game came out 3 months ago over there) along with others who have played the import version. Yet despite all this I’m still very curious about this game. The world, the stunning graphics, the combat, all of it looks far too enticing for me to just pass up.

Yakuza 3 (PS3)

Tuesday March 9, 2010

You know how the Godfather movies are ultra popular around here? If you were to Japan-fy the Godfather movie, you’d probably get something very similar to the Yakuza series. In case you don’t know, Yakuza is the Japanese equivalent of the mafia, and the series revolves around Kazuma Kiryu, an ex-member of the Yakuza. Unfortunately the world of the Yakuza is not ready to let Kazuma go quite just yet. As for the game itself, the creators have taken great pains in making the streets of Tokyo as authentic as humanly possible. The shop signs, the billboards, the lights, and many more minute details make it completely undeniable that you are in Tokyo. It wouldn’t be a crime drama without some brutal fights. Kazuma doesn’t use any fancy fighting moves. He sticks with basics like punches and kicks, but he also gets to wield weapons from anything he can get his hands on like a chair or a pool cue. The Yakuza series is extremely popular over in Japan. It gets top dollar production values and very well known actors to voice the characters, but over here, it’s a bit of a different story. The first one came and went with barely a blip on our radar despite some fairly warm critical reception. It was even localized with English voice actors like Michael Rosenbaum, Mark Hamill, and Rachel Leigh Cook. The second one came and went with barely anybody noticing, and for a little while, American release of Yakuza 3 looked unlikely until only recently. I get the feeling that this is its last chance to make an impact here in the US. If it doesn’t do any kind of sales here, we’ll probably never see Yakuza 4 come out here. The game may be Japanese centric in a lot of ways, but that’s not the reason the game did as well as it did over in Japan. The quality of the story and writing is nearly unmatched. We’d be fools if we don’t at least give this game a chance.

Honorable Mention

Calling (Wii)

Tuesday March 9, 2010

The western horror genre and I does not have a cordial relationship. I detest it. The Japanese horror genre and I have a slightly different relationship. One where I run away like a little girl. If I’m forced to endure one or the other, I’d pick the western horror genre only because those don’t scare the living crap out of me. Calling, a horror game in classic Japanese style, is undoubtedly Nintendo’s version of counterprogramming against the behemoth that is Final Fantasy 13. In the world of Calling, a website simply called the Black Page have drawn many visitors. Unfortunately just by visiting the site, you’re drawn into some alternate reality made up of memories of the dead. You’ll have to figure out how to get out of there unless you want to join the poor souls already trapped there. The funny thing about the horror genre is just how curious I am about the story behind the scares. Why does this alternate reality exist? What caused all this? How the hell do you fix this or at least get out? I’d love to get my hands on this game to answer all my questions, but how the hell am I supposed to do that without wetting the sofa?

Coming This Week

Tuesday March 9, 2010

Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition (Xbox 360, PS3)

This is just Resident Evil 5 that happens to come with all the Downloadable Content. That means you get the versus mode, the two costume packs as well as the two additional chapters “Lost in Nightmares” and “Desperate Escape”. Buying the game along with all the individual DLC is the same as the price of this Gold Edition, so unfortunately you won’t be getting any kind of a discount.

The Daring Game for Girls (Wii, DS)

Is it me or has it been a while since the Wii got a mini-game collection? This here is based off of the Daring Book for Girls which lays out a bunch of games that girls could play. This game includes games like freeze tag, double dutch, and basketball all in the name of earning Daring Girl Badges. Earn enough badges, and you get to go to virtual Africa! WOOHOO!

Racquet Sports (Wii)

The name says it all, and if you look at the font for the title on the box art, it might just remind you of another popular mini-game compilation. Yes, it’s a compilation of sports that uses racquets like tennis and Badminton. It does support the Wii Motion Plus, which is rarer than it should be, and the Ubisoft Motion Tracking Camera (Ubisoft’s answer to the Natal), which is included in a specially marked version of Racquet Sports. Hope you like your Wii Tennis clone games!

Sam & Max: Season Two – Beyond Time and Space (Wii)

The lovable, psycho duo are back! These freelance police will stop at nothing to crack the case. No robots or aliens can stand in their quest for justice! This Point and Click adventure game contains all 5 episodes of Season 2. Hope you like your rabbits psychotic.

Shepherd’s Crossing 2 (DS)

I just read the game description for this game, and for the life of me I cannot figure out what’s the difference between this and a Harvest Moon game. Are farming sims that popular?

LTTP

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable (PSP)

This week’s really turning into a very Japanese centric week. This probably doesn’t need saying, but Final Fantasy 13 here I come! Damn the naysayers, and damn gloom and doomers! Nothing’s standing between me and my Final Fantasy 13! Will you be joining me?

The law that bans the import, sale, and production of violent video games that passed in Venezuelan parliament in November of 2009 went into effect last Wednesday. Put forth by “President” Hugo Chavez, gamers could face 3-5 years in prison for violation, reports Games Thirst.

\Called the “Law for the Prohibition of Violent Video Games and Toys “(Ley para la Prohibición de Videojuegos Bélicos y Juguetes Bélicos), it expressly forbids “the manufacture, import, distribution, purchase, sale, rental, and use of violent toys and video games.”

The law paints a broad brush of what constitutes violent video games and toys. First person shooters and toy guns are obvious, but what about 2D shooters like Contra? What about action figures and water pistols? Well, if an elementary school here in the U.S. will nearly suspend a fourth grader for bringing a 2 inch LEGO gun to school, then it’s not too far fetched that a socialist dictatorship would be even more draconian.

The law states that anyone promoting the purchase of the prohibited items would be fined between 2,000 and 4,000 tax units, while those in direct violation who sell, rent, manufacture, or distribute such items would face 3-5 years in prison.

]]> http://rrbgames.com/archives/8720/feed http://rrbgames.com/archives/8715 http://rrbgames.com/archives/8715#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:48:37 +0000 Ron Aquino http://rrbgames.com/?p=8715

I’m honestly surprised that there haven’t been more SOCOM titles. Military shooters are always in fashion, and combined with the mystique of the Navy SEALS you’d think they’d be lining the shelves every other year. Zipper Interactive Senior Community Manager Jeremy Dunham today announced that SOCOM 4 is under development for the PS3, according to an article on Industrygamers.

SOCOM 4 will take place in likely fictional South Asian country (Afghanistan without actually being Afghanistan). The player will command a five man squad trying to stop a militant revolutionary group over a period of six days. Online multiplayer will feature 32 person competitive play with “more Special Forces units than ever before.” Does that mean other Spec Ops forces besides the SEALS be featured? It’s exciting to speculate from a sentence fragment.

“Oh, and before we let you go, we wanted to send a message to our SOCOM and MAG fans all over the world,” wrote Dunham. “First, if you play MAG and wonder what this means for the game’s future, wonder no more – we’re still fully committed to supporting MAG for a long, long time and the addition of another game in our lineup doesn’t change that. Second, it’s been great to hear from SOCOM fanatics located in every corner of the globe as we led into today’s announcement. We’re extremely excited to be attached to this beloved franchise again and knowing that so many people wanted us to return to something that already meant so much to us has been both inspiring and touching – so thank you to all of you who wanted it to happen! We look forward to living up to your expectations.”

Now here’s a terrible story. According to ABC News, a South Korean couple, known only as the “Kims” in this article (due to Korean privacy law) allegedly let their three-month-old baby daughter starve to death. The irony? They spend 12 hours each night in internet cafe to raise a virtual daughter among other things in the online game “PRIUS”.

The unemployed couple, who lives with the wife’s parents, continued their long stints per day at the internet cafes even throughout the wife’s pregnancy and the premature birth of their daughter. But last September, the Kims came home from another late night to find their daughter deceased. An autopsy revealed that the the baby died from malnourishment. The Kim’s confessed to police that they have been feeding “rotten, powdered milk and had often spanked their crying baby.” Still it begs the question: where were the grandparents since the couple was living with them?

They were arrested on Wednesday. If only they neglected the stupid virtual baby instead of their real baby.

Photo credit: Associated Press

For years we’ve known just a scant few details about galactic bounty hunter Samus Aran: that she’s a one woman arsenal, she hates Space Pirates, and that her life is intertwined with those parasitic lifeforms- the Metroids. All that is about to change on June 27.

Metroid: Other M finally delves deep into our heroine’s backstory, revealing her failings, her flaws, and ultimately her motivation. The game takes place immediately after events of Super Metroid, where the fully grown Metroid larvae she once saved sacrificed its life to save her. We will also be introduced to Samus’ mentor and commanding officer of the Galactic Federation, Adam Malkovich. Just check this trailer:

Metroid: Other M combines the talents of Nintendo’s Yoshio Sakamoto, director of Super Metroid and Team Ninja, best known for the Ninja Gaiden series. It will pair Sakamoto’s talent for level design and exploratory focus with Team Ninja’s signature stylish action.

www.nintendo.com

All I know is that this reboot of the beloved Castlevania series is coming out this year. But when? When!? The trailer continues to fan the flames of anticipation, but here are some new screenshots to “whip” us up into a frenzy. *Cringes*. Yeah, that was horrible and I apologize.

www.konami.com

Major League Baseball 2K10 hits retail store shelves today, marking the 10th anniversary of the franchise. 2K Sports is also holding a contest for the first player to pitch a perfect game will win *pinky to mouth* ONE MILLION DOLLARS.

“We have supreme confidence in the vast improvement of Major League Baseball 2K10 this season,” said Greg Thomas, senior vice president of sports development for 2K. “With the all-new My Player career mode and integration of MLB Today, along with our retooled pitching and hitting mechanics, we aren’t holding anything back. We’re also incredibly excited about rewarding one lucky fan with a million dollars for pitching a perfect game.”

To win the million, the player will have to document the action, of course. Mastery of the new Total Control Pitching and Total Control Hitting is a must. The contest runs from March 2, 2010 12:01 AM PST and ends May 1, 2010 11:59 PM PDT. For more information, visit www.2ksports.com/perfectgame.

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