Luckily, a few screenshots make things a little clearer, demonstrating a reticulated 2D look that may intend to evoke shadow-puppet theater, or might just be done like Paper Mario or Symphony of the Night. Either way, looks kind of like the side-on shooter sequences from the Suda-produced Shadows of the Damned, no?

The game has no release date yet, but will join the ranks of spruced-up 2D platformers on XBLA and PSN when it’s done.

Aug 22, 2011

The post Suda51s Black Knight Sword has new screenshots and trailer appeared first on Game News.

GRrecently nominated Dark Soulsas the E3 2011 game most likely to consume our lives -and for good reason; it looks soul crushingly hard. That’s not to say a good challenge is a bad thing, just that we hope it’s the kind of challenge that rewards persistence and strategy, and not the unbalanced kind that results in broken controllers, curse words and anxiety attacks.

Dark Souls is being hammered out for the PS3 and Xbox 360 with an anticipated release date of October 4th in North America, and October 7th in the UK.

Aug 17, 2011

E3 MVG 2011 Selection: Dark Souls interview
From Software’s K Hirono holds forth on the joys of crushing difficulty

E3 2011 Award: Most Likely to Consume Our Lives
Our free time is about to take a critical hit

The post New Dark Souls trailer is predictably intimidating appeared first on Game News.

We love that moment in the opening between Elena and Drake, his fear at losing her again is sweet while pushing her away at the same time. Human touches like that ground the series and make the crazy action all the better. Along with the trailer came a set of new single and multiplayer screens, most of which focus on the visually enticing action instead of the quiet drama. Go figure.

Aug 16, 2011

The post Uncharted 3 GamesCom trailer and screens take to the skies appeared first on Game News.

Looks purdy, right? We shook off our disappointment at the lack of variety in the demo long enough to write the following positive words.

Even at this stage you can tell it’s a cut above GT5. Not a mega-leap forwards, but in terms of handling and looks it screeches ahead of Polyphony’s racer. Our first blast around the new Hockenheim course allowed us to take in the wonderfully recreated visuals of the German track. The detail surrounding it is delivered true to almost every last blade of grass. The interiors are immaculate too, as the squeaky clean dashboard, gloves and steering wheel appear as though sitting in the car for real, albeit sat on the driver’s shoulders like a spider monkey.

On the next whirl, we pushed for a killer lap time, which meant that we really got to check out any real changes since Forza 3. We must say, it feels much tighter here than ever before. Whether late on the brakes into the corner or power-sliding out of a tricky tight turn, Forza 4 makes you feel like every outcome is a direct response of your actions.

We’ll reserve judgement on the rest of Forza 4 BECAUSE THERE’S NOTHING LEFT IN THIS BLOODY DEMO TO DISCUSS. But hopefully we’ll have much more soon.

August 17, 2011

The post Forza Motorsport 4: hands-on with the new Hockenheim course appeared first on Game News.

Above: Colours? Check. Leaves kicked up as Sonic passes? Check. Authentic physics model? Well…

Firstly, the graphics look good, following the source material closely so that retro fans get the nostalgia kick the game has been designed to deliver. It appears Modern Sonic will be racing through the orangey, autumnal version of the level, while Classic Sonic will be enjoying a stroll around the greener version, complete with those weird pulley things from the 16-bit original. I never really liked them, but you can’t say they don’t look authentic here.

Above: Squeak… squeak… squeak… squeak…*checks watch* squeak… squeak… squeak…

Modern Sonic’s into-the-screen sections do look a tad basic, but perhaps that’s to exaggerate the 3D effect (am I being too kind on it by saying that?). Take a look and see what you think:

Above: More PSP than Gamecube quality, wouldn’t you say? Also, grinding leaves must surely hurt his feet

3DS’ graphical capabilities are limited compared to the big consoles and thatinto-the-screen sections require more scenery to be drawn at any one time, so the compromise is fair enough. But I am liking the look of the side-scrolling sections a lot more at this stage. Look:

Above: Why don’t hedgehogs live in toadstools? Cos there’s not mushroom inside

Hopefully we’ll get to see the level in motion soon. In the mean-time, there has been a new trailer released for the big version of the game, which shows previously unseen areas, like Seaside Hill from Sonic Heroes. Check it out below, then head on over to ourscreenshots page (opens in new tab)to see the rest of the new 3DS screens.

17 Aug, 2011

17 Aug, 2011

The post Sonic Generations 3DS braves comparison with famous fan vid. Yup, were going to Mushroom Hill appeared first on Game News.

How does November 18 sound? Yes, we agree. It sounds very nice, thank you very much. In what is almost certainly Link’s swansong on Nintendo’s waggle-tastic Wii, Skyward Sword represents perhaps the last of the big hitters for the machine as everything gears up for 2012’s release of Wii U.

**UPDATE: Nintendo has also confirmed that the US release date for Skyward Sword is 20 November.**

Above: If only the red dude knew the futility of attacking Link. Mate, you’re not even a sub-boss

There’s some very good news for European 3DS owners, who will be getting not only Super Mario Land 3D, but also Mario Kart 7, Super Pokemon Rumble and Kirby: Mass Attack before the year is out, although sadly without any firm dates. If you want to see the rest of Nintendo’s 2011 plans, check out Nintendo’s official European websitehere (opens in new tab).

So, all good. The only possible fly in the ointment for us multi-platform gamers is that Skyward Sword’s November 18 release is only a week after Skyrim comes out. Guess we’d better do the Christmas shopping before 11/11 then, eh? Cos no-one’s going to see us for weeks.

Aug 2011

The post Zelda: Skyward Sword Euro release date confirms Christmas will come early this year appeared first on Game News.

In keeping with the theme of Dota 2’s marketing campaign – whose key message seems to be, “if you love Dota, you’ll love this, and if you don’t know what Dota is, screw you” – the title got an official trailer to coincide with the game’s impending public reveal at the Gamescom-based International tournament. Fan of the original? You’ll thrill to this clip’s Michael Bay-style dramatization of the game’s strategy action. Still waiting to find out what all the fuss is about? Here’s an advert for a fantasy game where you can pick a fast Elf or a strong Barbarian.

Above: Images surfaced this weekend of what purports to be the game itself. For the purposes of this article, let’s say they look pretty legit

We’ve been following Dota 2 since its original announcement (opens in new tab), and it’s great to see a fan-made project flourish under the direction of Valve – the studio has a proven record for noting and developing exceptional user-generated game content, and looks ready to do well again with this Warcraft 3 sequel/spinoff. However, if you’ve not been keeping tabs on this title – a continuation of an underground mod to a decade-old game, named for an acronym that doesn’t exist anymore and with a play style all its own – it’d be interesting to hear what you make of this trailer, whose glimpse of the game’s action and variety is tempered by a pretty generic sort of approach and makes it look more like a beat ’em up than the role-play strategy it is. Of course, it’s intended for a Gamescom audience, at which Dota 2 is a top-tier presence – but what do you, presumably not in attendance at the German convention, think?

Aug 15, 2011

The post Dota 2 trailer is as action-packed as it is confusing appeared first on Game News.