Trailer Leaks from Canceled Amalur MMO

A trailer for Kingdoms of Amalur MMO Project Copernicus has emerged, despite the fact that the project will never see the light of day. While screens and video of Project Copernicus leaked out months ago, new footage gives the best idea we’ve had yet of what the universe in Copernicus might have looked like.

When we last saw footage of Project Copernicus, a trailer showed a fly-through of environments that included a look at what the game’s map might have been like. New footage reveals an even more in-depth look, including a first glimpse of a few of the game’s characters. (The footage can’t be embedded, but can be seen at Kotaku.)

Project Copernicus began development in 2007 with a planned release date of 2010. A couple years later, we heard the first details about Copernicus, including the idea that it was set in a "Tolkien-esque fantasy realm."

Copernicus missed its 2010 goal and news of the MMO was scarce as 38 approached the release of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning earlier this year. Soon afterward, news of the studio’s deep financial troubles began, leading up to 38 Studios laying off its entire staff in May. Since then, news of other now-canceled projects has emerged, including a planned sequel to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

Despite the sad ending to 38’s story, it’s fascinating to take a look at what might have been if Project Copernicus had eventually been released. For more details on the eventual demise of 38 Studios, additional details were provided in recent comments from studio founder Curt Schilling.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Bungie Shirt Hints at First Destiny Detail

Bungie has added a new shirt to its online store that provides our first hint at its new project, codenamed Destiny. The shirt bears the letters FWC and a product description refers to the shirt as “an enigma from our future release.” The shirt also contains the Destiny logo that Bungie registered back in 2010.

This comes just days after Beatles legend Paul McCartney revealed that he’s working with Bungie to write music for the new project. While details aren’t available on exactly what that project is, we do know that it’s codenamed Destiny and that Bungie plans four installments between now and 2019 in addition to downloadable expansions codenamed Comet.

The first Destiny game isn’t scheduled to be released until 2013, but check out everything we know so far in our Destiny wiki guide.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Wii U’s Hidden Gem: Game and Wario’s ‘Fruit’

Set next to the likes of Project P-100 and Pikmin 3, I didn’t pay much attention to Nintendo’s Game and Wario at E3. The Wario series has never appealed much to me, as the thought of playing more and more mini-games isn’t something I’m eager to do. Add in the simplistic, bizarre visual style of Game and Wario, which is hardly pushing the limits of Wii U’s power, and it might be easy to understand my reservations. Yet when I sat down to finally play the game recently, I quickly found myself hooked – and just on one of the four games offered in the demo.

‘Fruit’ plays once again upon the idea of offering two experiences for two groups of players, one holding the GamePad, and the other simply observing actions on the television. The player with the GamePad selects a thief from a lineup, and then moves that thief through bustling city streets to steal a select number of fruit within a certain time limit. The other players, unaware of the thief’s identity, watch the television and attempt to determine who is actually taking the fruit, while the other player attempts to blend in with the crowd and avoid detection. The only real difference between the two displays is a simple marker above the thief’s head on the GamePad unit, allowing that player to navigate the top-down view of the city easier.

The goals couldn’t be simpler. Steal fruit. Find the thief. Yet it’s that tension – the risk that’s almost palpable – of going for the fruit and taking the risk that someone might figure out your identity, that makes the game so fun. Attempting to mimic the movements of the computer-controlled crowd is no easy feat. Characters switch directions, meander and generally don’t bother with the fruit. Simply heading right at your target is a recipe for disaster.

Making matters worse are the snapshots – occasional pauses in the action that momentarily re-frame the television screen near your character. The game is never so unfair as to center your character – you’re often on the peripheral or buried in a crowd – but anticipating these moments and ensuring you’re never too exposed is part of the fun.

‘Fruit’ is criminally simple in concept, yet packs in a level of entertainment that some of the other Game and Wario mini-games (see ‘Arrow’) lack. Even some of the Nintendo Land ‘attractions’ (Zelda’s Battle Quest comes to mind) don’t hold up.

Granted, this is only one element of Game and Wario, and one mini-game does not warrant purchasing an entire retail title. Yet as a proof of concept, ‘Fruit’ proves there’s more than meets the eye to this quirky game. Don’t dismiss it because it’s another mini-game collection, or because its art style is entirely too simplistic. With any luck, we’ll see more ideas like this when the game arrives in the Wii U’s launch window.

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com, and the leader of the network's Nintendo team. He also covers all things Assassin's Creed, Resident Evil, WWE and much, much more. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN, if you dare.

Source : ign[dot]com

Asura's Wrath Devs Working On Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Adaptation

CyberConnect2 has unveiled that its next project will be Jojo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle, based on the long-running manga series of the same name.

The news was announced during a press conference, which also confirmed that a new anime version of the popular Shonen Jump franchise will be airing in Japan.

Not much is known about the title just yet, other than that it's a Playstation 3 exclusive brawler, with the developer refusing to confirm on Twitter what year we'll be seeing the game on shelves.

The Jojo's Bizarre Adventure manga follows the misadventures of the Joestars, a strong family with British roots.  Despite this, the franchise hasn't received a large amount of localisation support in the past, and it remains unclear if this title will be launching in the West.

Check out the debut trailer below to see a man get kicked in the face by a horse.

Source : ign[dot]com

Believe in Namco’s Super Smash Bros.

Masahiro Sakurai promised the world that change would come to the Wii U and 3DS versions of Super Smash Bros., but few would have interpreted that to mean Project Sora wouldn’t develop the game entirely on its own.

In the aftermath of the announcement that a core team from Namco Bandai will assist in executing Sakurai’s vision, many wondered if developers responsible for the likes of Tekken and Soulcalibur could bring the appropriate tone and feel to Smash Bros. Those games, though technically all existing in the fighting genre, are worlds apart in virtually every respect. That’s to say nothing of the folks involved with other Namco franchises like the Tales of RPG series and Mobile Suit Gundam.

Change can be feared, or it can be embraced. What Smash Bros. fans should understand is the series has been developed in an environment of constant change. Though the first installment was technically developed by HAL Laboratory, both Melee and Brawl were created by completely different ad hoc teams assembled specifically for those projects. Those teams technically don’t exist anymore. This situation with Namco Bandai is no different. In fact, the developer is doing its own version of a team scramble, pulling not only from its Tekken and Soulcalibur veterans, but Tales, Ridge Racer and Mobile Gundam developers as well.

Namco and Sakurai appear to be seeking balance in the Smash Bros. team, pulling in folks responsible for a wide range of genres, skillsets and ideas. And in the end, that could be the best thing for the Smash Bros. franchise, which has increasingly tried to do more yet incrementally achieved less innovation and, some might argue, quality.

Take the single-player Subspace Emissary mode in Brawl. It not only suffered in terms of storyline but a feeling of progression and achievement as well. Don’t give us stickers and a bizarre plot featuring subspace goblins. Give us something more meaningful that has a strong sense of purpose, with mechanics to support that. Bringing in members of the Tales team, including series producer Yoshito Higuchi, who will be directing the upcoming Smash games, is the perfect way to address some of these issues. Developers responsible for 60-plus hour RPGs understand how to sustain a lengthy campaign, and the idea that Smash Bros. will benefit from that experience is reassuring.

While most of the focus of Tekken and Soulcalibur developers working on Smash Bros. has been on tone, my immediate reaction is that the series will now have the combined experience of two groups responsible for highly technical, highly competitive fighting games. Smash Bros. has grown as a competitive fighting series, yet as most dedicated fighting game enthusiasts will tell you, Brawl isn’t exactly the most balanced game. In fact many have taken to developing their own mods to attempt and bend the game to have a more technical edge to it. While Tekken and Soulcalibur no doubt have their fair share of issues, most fighting games evolve over time through patches and adjustments. The key, however, rests in the fact that Tekken and Soulcalibur rest on core concepts that have a great deal of depth and nuance when executed properly. Though Smash never needs to get too complicated, a solid foundation is something that any fighting game ought to have.

Namco’s cherry-picked team doesn’t end there, even looking to projects such as Ridge Racer and Mobile Gundam for assistance. Developing two Smash Bros. games at once, and attempting to design them to interact with each other, is a massive undertaking the likes of which Nintendo has rarely seen. It’s the sort of ambition that Sakurai is no doubt used to, having developed Melee and Brawl under extreme, last-minute conditions.

The news of Namco Bandai assisting with development of Smash Bros. should highlight several important things. First, the game is going to be made faster. In his statement released alongside the Nintendo Direct broadcast, Sakurai mentioned his new team has already developed a prototype that “looks pretty good, and [is] working great.” Had Sakurai attempted to build a team from scratch much in the way he did for Melee and Brawl, he’d likely still be figuring out the pieces to his own development puzzle.

Additionally, the larger implication of Nintendo’s willingness to work with outside partners is something that should be embraced by fans. While there is a risk that a team won’t capture Nintendo’s magic, we’ve seen time and time again that the publisher’s mentorship and collaboration can bring considerable benefits. Look at projects with Rare, Retro, Square and Capcom. Look at how incredible Project X Zone looks. Consider some of the more subtle partnerships we’ve seen, such as the case of Monolith Soft assisting with Skyward Sword development. Best of all, Namco’s teams have years of experience working in HD, meaning their skills can immediately help Sakurai’s Sora crew cross many hurdles.

Nintendo partnering with other developers isn’t exactly new. This work with Smash Bros. is one of the most high profile examples of that kind of development deal, but with Masahiro Sakurai watching over development, implementing his razor-sharp vision as he always does, it would seem premature to be anything but optimistic. We’re likely still years from seeing Smash Bros. arrive on the 3DS and Wii U, but thanks to Namco, that’s far closer to becoming a reality than before.

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com, and the leader of the network's Nintendo team. He also covers all things Assassin's Creed, Resident Evil, WWE and more. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN, if you dare.

Source : ign[dot]com

Project Zero 2: Wii Edition Review

There aren’t many survival-horror aficionados who would dispute that the Project Zero/Fatal Frame games rank alongside the finest that the genre has offered over its bumpy-but-glorious twenty-year history. With its snap-happy combat, relentlessly sinister ambience and nightmarish narrative, Tecmo's series deserved far better than mere cult status.

That's fine, but why release a 2003-vintage PS2 title just before the Wii passes the baton onto the upcoming Wii U? Also, why only release it in Europe and Japan (no North American release date has been confirmed yet)? Well, there's evidently a method to the madness, with Nintendo now officially co-owning the IP to the ghost-busting series – perhaps it sees the excellent Project Zero 2 as the ideal opportunity to 'relaunch' the brand in advance of an all-new Project Zero/Fatal Frame on the Wii U. We can but hope.

Unlike so many games from our misspent youth, Project Zero 2 has aged remarkably well and arrives on the Wii feeling perhaps fresher than it did all those years ago. With classic survival horror conspicuous by its absence in 2012, going back to explore the murderous mysteries of the mist-shrouded All God's Village is a rare treat.

For the benefit of those of you who missed out on Tecmo's classic the first time around, the story focuses on the perilous journey of twin sisters Mio and Mayu, who stumble upon an eerie village where the tortured souls of the dead roam. But their misfortune is somewhat balanced out when they chance upon the Camera Obscura - no, not fey Scottish indie popsters, but an antique device that can take pictures of the undead and exorcise their spirit in the process.

“ The game's ghost-busting combat is endlessly fraught.

Armed with this one and only weapon, you work your way around the village and its various rickety buildings, zapping ghosts and finding objects that help you gain access to the next section. Structurally, it's classic survival horror fodder, albeit in a satisfyingly self-contained set of environments that keep annoying backtracking to a minimum.

The real star of the show, of course, is the game's endlessly fraught ghost-busting camera combat, and it's an element that's tailor made for the Wii's fluid point-and-click control system. During your travels, you'll inevitably stumble across a few tortured souls angling for some aggro, and - more often than not - the only way to progress is to put these screeching spooks out of their misery.

Rather than wee yourself and curl up in a ball when a ghost approaches, the answer is to whip out your mighty Camera Obscura and show this undead the power of exorcism. Loaded up with special ghost sensitive film, the action flicks to a first person viewfinder mode, whereupon you attempt to take a series of ghost-troubling snaps to literally suck the life (or death) out of them. By tilting the Wiimote, you can adjust your viewing angle, and by locking-on with the Z button, you can begin to charge up your shot. Once the reticule is fully filled, you're ready to loose off a shot with the B button, repeating the process until they're finally out of commission.

“ As a mechanic, it's deliciously nerve-wracking.

As a mechanic, it's deliciously nerve-wracking, with each ghost wriggling around with inconsiderate unpredictability, nipping in-and-out of shot, and often re-appearing right behind you to give you a welcoming hug. This being a Wii version, such moments of intimacy result in you having to flail for your life, so make sure pets and other loved ones are out of arm's reach before you wind up giving someone a black eye in a moment of uncontrolled alarm.

Nintendo has also managed to turn the simple task of object collection into a disproportionately nervy minigame, with ghostly hands often reaching in for a smooch just as you're about to pick something up. It's enough to give those of a nervous disposition a heart attack.

There’s also a new Haunted House mode brought to this special Wii Edition. Each of the Haunted House missions is curated by the sinister Kureha, who likes nothing more than to hear the piercing shrieks of the terminally afraid. Set in a sequence of on-rails missions, the basic premise of these short interludes is to walk slowly from A to B without keeling over with fright, as the game measures your jumps and terrified flailing through the Wii remote and nunchuck’s motion sensors.

Some test you in your ability to remain cool and calm while being subjected to various other worldly shrieks, moans, bangs, warped faces and generally unsettling nonsense, while others task you with collecting dolls while being chased by everyone's worst nightmare: a long-haired Asian goth schoolgirl. Turning around periodically stops her in her tracks, but if you allow her to get too close, you must suffer the indignity of an unwelcome cuddle. And we all know how that feels. Aside from this welcome-but-throwaway new mode, most other changes to the Wii Edition are subtle and cosmetic, with widescreen support, a new pulled-back third person camera angle, cleaned-up visuals, brand new voice acting and a slightly less cutesy look to Mio and Mayu - not that the latter point will be especially apparent if you've not played the original for a long time.



Source : ign[dot]com

Developers Get Google Glass Explorer for $1500

It's no secret that Google has been working on making an augmented reality heads-up display (HUD) a reality, and that project took a big leap forward at this year's Google I/O event, where developers can fork over $1500 to be one of the first to try it out.

The 2012 Google I/O keynote wrapped up Wednesday morning with a spectacular skydiving demo incorporating Google Glass Explorer Edition, the search giant's latest big step toward making the augmented reality technology a reality at long last.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin took the stage to unveil Google Glass Explorer Edition, which will be made available via preorders only to developers in attendance at Google I/O this year at a cost of $1500.

The biggest catch? Developers won't be able to get their hands on one until early next year.

Brin was quick to note that Google Glass Explorer Edition is not a product aimed at consumers - the search giant is simply eager to get the technology in the hands (and faces, no doubt) of its Android developers in an effort to work out the kinks and prep the technology for the next level.

$1500 may sound like a lot of money for what seemed like vaporware only a year ago, but Google I/O attendees are already being rewarded with Android swag at the event, with a free Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 7 tablet and Nexus Q media streamer for each of the 6,000 developers in attendance.



Source : ign[dot]com

E3 2012: The Testament of Sherlock Holmes preview

To date, Frogwares has developed about 15 games; but perhaps none as big as their most recent project The Testament of Sherlock Holmes. A new classic adventure game, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes focuses heavily on the darker side of Holmes' story which, by the way, will end in his demise.

As you can guess, this game will be gruesomely dark, which is exactly what I was shown at E3 last week. In our brief demo session at the Focus Home Interactive booth, we were shown a brief gameplay demo which had us solve the beginning of a crime.

The demo began with us, playing as Holmes, investigating the death of the pope. It was a bloody mess of a murder scene that had us perform several actions that you can expect throughout the game: investigation, deduction, and puzzle solving. Our demo centered around the investigation and deduction elements.

We first had to investigate the crime scene to find clues. This was a fairly easy process that simply had us hover over the dead body and look for when the cursor changed into a magnifying glass. The clues we found helped us solve several questions like what social class the murderers belonged to and places they visited in the past.

After searching the body and the entire area surrounding for clues, we were able to make some deductions based on what we found.  This portion of the gameplay was a little more difficult. Now I'll admit I'm no detective, but with the help of two others we were able to arrive at some rather difficult answers based on our deductions.

The deduction portion involved us taking the clues and making educated guesses, eventually ending up with us getting a lead to question. For example, based on one the footprints we saw we were able to deduce that somebody changed shoes - or something of that nature. Like I said, I was horrible at making these logical decisions. Eventually, we came to some educated guesses and surprisingly only got one answer wrong.

I had asked if the variety of deductions changed based on our answers and while they do, it all eventually leads to the same outcome which is the eventual demise of Sherlock Holmes. After all, this is his story. It deals with the investigation of Sherlock Holmes being investigated, with his sidekick Watson even questioning Holmes' sanity.

There was no real punishment for getting a wrong answers, though you do get achievements for correct answers. If you find yourself stumped, as I often did, the game does offer a help system making Sherlock Holmes expand its reach to a wider audience. Once again, there is no punishment for using the help system though it is reflected in the achievements or trophies you will unlock.

In all, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes features about 15 hours of gameplay spread across 20 different locations. The game attempts to break up the dreariness of death by allowing you to play as Holmes' dog Toby. This adds for an extra layer of humor as you can investigate scenes from another perspective.

The game doesn't offer the sharpest of graphics, despite its improved graphics engine, but if you are into dramatic, puzzle solving games with a dark overtones you may want to keep an eye on . It is set to release in September of this year for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Source : gamezone[dot]com

E3 2012: Peter Molyneux Reveals New Game

Peter Molyneux has revealed Curiosity, the first project from his new company 22 Cans. The project is an app that features a giant black cube players will tap to break into.

The cube will actually be made up of thousands of smaller cubes, each of which is being tapped into by other Curiosity players. Curiosity will be the first of 22 “experiments” he forms under the 22 Cans monkier. It will hit PC and mobile.

Molyneux formed 22 Cans earlier this year after departing Microsoft.

Source: Eurogamer

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Source : http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/06/04/e3-2012-peter-molyneux-reveals-new-game

The Need for a Nintendo Universe

For months Nintendo fans, and the entire games industry, have speculated about Retro Studios’ next project. With the company laying low since 2010’s Donkey Kong Country Returns, the timing is right for Nintendo’s trusted western developer to unveil its next game. Rumors and theories were running rampant, ranging from Star Fox and Zelda to a return to the Metroid Prime universe.

Yet no one was quite expecting the suggestion that the company was in fact preparing a crossover between the worlds of Fox McCloud and Samus Aran. The notion of these two worlds colliding seemed insane. And yet... not so insane. Rumor or not, the idea that Nintendo’s different universes might interact is plausible. We’ve been seeing this sort of thing for more than a decade - and characters like Mario, Samus and Link fit together better than one might expect. In fact, it’s probably time that Nintendo adopt this practice more formally. It’s time these creations, despite their disparate gameplay experiences, to guest star more often. The only thing more powerful than Nintendo’s vast array of IPs is a scenario in which they can co-exist.

We’ve seen subtle winks and nods to Nintendo’s shared universe for a long time. Mario and Donkey Kong seem to have their own lives and supporting casts, yet frequently interact, particularly when it comes to sports - or jumping over barrels. And we’ve seen plenty of cameos over the years, from R.O.B. in F-Zero GX to Mushroom Kingdom enemies in Link's Awakening to characters that strongly resemble Mario and Luigi in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The references, hints and clever winks could fill a book. Which simply begs the question - why not let the characters interact formally?

This isn’t to say Kirby has to be playable in a Metroid game, or that we simply must see Link piloting a ship in the next installment of Star Fox. These games have specific aesthetics and gameplay ideas, and forcing too much interaction would no doubt corrupt what makes each one unique. Yet there’s nothing saying Nintendo can’t let them interact or acknowledge they’re able to run into each other. Let the fun cameos be bolder. Let the Easter Eggs be more entertaining. Give Nintendo fans, who tend to embrace the publisher’s vast catalog in a fairly comprehensive manner, more of what they crave. Don’t be shy. Have fun with a legacy that has been developed for more than 25 years. It’s not as if we’re dealing with startlingly realistic concepts. The Zelda and Mario universes are insane enough, packed with bizarre characters and ideas. What are a few more in the stack?

That’s why, as insane as the idea of a Star Fox/Metroid crossover might be, it’s not as untenable as you may think. The resistance to such a notion doesn’t seem to focus on the actual concept, but whether the two franchise’s different gameplay styles can accommodate one another. Star Fox is a fast, energetic, third-person aerial shooter, often on rails and often featuring over-the-top action. Metroid is the opposite of just about all of those things. In fact the only thing it has in common with Star Fox is that players need to shoot things, sometimes in space. Samus Aran’s isolated, cold, slow-paced adventures couldn’t be farther from Fox and friend’s quest to stop an evil space monkey.

Yet that reconciliation might be where a considerable amount of innovation can come from. Nintendo is often chastised for leaning on its familiar franchises and strictly operating within those franchise’s boundaries. There is no realistic or sensible way to suggest the company should abandon its iconic characters. They are responsible for billions of dollars in sales, and have single-handedly propelled the publisher’s unique hardware for close to three decades. But, in addition to more traditional installments of Mario and Zelda, what if the company looked to joining and sharing these worlds as ways to explore new ideas, both in terms of franchise and gameplay design?

Sure, it’s insane sounding. But so was the idea that all of Nintendo’s heroes and villains would join together for a fighting game. The thought of Mario’s Mushroom Kingdom banding together to race in go-karts was a little crazy too. Now we’re at the point where Samus Aran and Fox McCloud could team up to save the galaxy, and while we pause at the thought of this, Pikachu is preparing to join forces with Japanese warriors. At this point the barrier to a full, formal, shared Nintendo Universe has about a thousand cracks in it. Nintendo might as well embrace it, allowing developers both internal and external the ability to experiment a bit more, while still giving millions of fans around the world what they want.

And, you know what, if a little hand-wringing and compromise can get us our Zelda/Fire Emblem team-up, we’re not going to complain. Let’s see what one of the world’s greatest game publishers can do when it kicks down a few doors and experiments with some of the greatest game franchises in history.

Source : http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/23/the-need-for-a-nintendo-universe