Author Archive for Chad Awkerman

Atelier Rorona 2 Before We Even Get the Original?

Atelier Rorona is a Gust-developed RPG for the PS3, which is being brought over to North America compliments of NIS. Even though they have confirmed it will be localized, no firm date has been given on when it will be, past a general date of ’sometime in 2010.’ Even though we still don’t have the first title, there is a possible teaser for a sequel that was found in the latest issue of the Dengeki PlayStation magazine in Japan. It’s likely that the sequel will indeed get localized, as well, but NIS seems to be dragging their heels with the first one, so who knows when. I’d love to add this addition to the Atelier franchise to my PS3 collection one of these days and, hey, a sequel can’t be a bad thing, right?

New Images From Civilization V Look Pretty

GDC is happening this week, in case you didn’t know, and some new images from the upcoming iteration of the Civilization franchise, the next full-featured PC game in the series. In the images – which you can see after the break – you get a much more detailed look at the terrain and some combat situations. I think the differing terrains work much better together and flow into each other nicer than in previous titles, but maybe that’s just me. Judge for yourself and take a look at t he new shots below, straight from the GDC.

More Free Mass Effect 2 Goodies

If you have the Cerberus Network on your copy of Mass Effect 2, look for more goodies upcoming besides the “Firewalker” mission pack. There is another new weapon that will show up for you, free of charge, via the Cerberus Network soon (if it hasn’t already). That weapon would be the arc projector. It is basically a big zap gun to, well, zap your enemies into nothingness. Check the details of the weapon and another pic after the break.

New Cars Available for Forza 3 Today

Still playing Turn 10’s Xbox 360 masterpiece racing game, Forza 3? They’ve been real good about making plenty of new cars available for download over the last few months, so this week’s car pack comes as no surprise. In this Jalopnik car pack you’ll get a fresh batch of cars to run through their paces, including ones from Mazda, Ford, BMW, Aston Martin and more. If you want in on this action, you can head on over to the Xbox Live Marketplace and queue up your download (or do it right from your console itself if you prefer). The entire pack is available for now for 400 Microsoft spacebucks. For cheapskates like me, you can get away with one free car from this pack if you wish to check it out.

New Release Rundown – Week of 3/7

Hello folks! I get to take over Evan’s job for a week since he’s attending all sorts of game-related events out on the West coast. He even got to go to the Final Fantasy XIII launch party in San Fransisco last night. Aren’t you all jealous? Speaking of Final Fantasy XIII, it most definitely heads up our list of new releases this week, making its way to the PS3 and, for the first time in franchise history, Microsoft’s Xbox 360, as well. In fact, I’m taking a break from delving into the worlds of Cocoon and Pulse to write this up for you all.

Other notable releases are Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition for both major consoles, Yakuza 3 and Mega Man 10 for the PS3, as well as Assassin’s Creed II for the PC (if Ubisoft can manage to keep the abomination is calls its DRM servers online for more than a few hours at a time). Some nice DLC for Bioshock 2 also makes its way to all three versions of the game this week for those of you who can’t pull yourself away from Rapture. Check out the full after the break. What are you looking to pick up this week?

Purchasing FFXIII tomorrow? You Shall Be Rewarded!

No special, collectors or limited editions of FFXIII in North American makes me a sad panda. You know what partially makes up for it? This little tidbit of info from the FFXIV beta site: There is apparently a FFXIV beta invite code in retail copies of FFXIII. Howe Squeenix kept this quiet until the day before release is anyone’s guess, but hey, more power to them.  Hit the jump for the new details from the beta site, which also includes hints about the upcoming PS3 beta of the new MMO.

Final Fantasy IV Heads to the Wii Virtual Console

So, Final Fantasy XIII comes out this week for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.  For Wii-only owners who care about Final Fantasy (if you do, why don’t you have one of the other consoles yet?), the only way you’re gonna play something “new” this week is by way of Final Fantasy IV on the virtual console, which will be available to download today for 800 Wii points ($8).  Hey, not a bad game, right?  Sure, it isn’t FFXIII, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers!  What version of the game are you getting for that $8?  The original U.S. version, not any updated versions that have come out since.  This is unfortunate, but hey, refer to my earlier statement about beggars and choosers.

NCSoft Offers Ordering Bonus for Aion Digital Magazine

See, World of Warcraft isn’t the only MMO around that can have its own magazine!  NCSoft’s hit MMO Aion is also receiving its own magazine, well, sort of.  This is an all-digital magazine, but it still comes with a subscription price!  Luckily when you place a subscription you’ll get some bonus in-game items, depending on which subscription you want.

New Xbox 360 Elite Bundle On Sale Next Week

There appears to be a new Xbox 360 bundle heading to store shelves next week, and I’m not talking about the Final Fantasy XIII one we’ve known about for some time.  This one includes both Forza 3 and Halo 3: ODST, along with a 120GB black elite console for the standard price of $299.  That’s like getting two games completely free.  One game is awesome (Forza 3) and one game could be better (Halo 3: ODST), but hey, it’s a pretty good deal if you’re not a Final Fantasy fan and don’t want to pay $100 more for a huge 250GB hard drive.  You can pre-order them now on Amazon.com and, I’m assuming, other retailers, as well.

New Lara Croft Shots Show Top-Down Perspective

The new Tomb Raider-esque game Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light will be coming around sometime this year in downloadable form, presumably to the PSN and Xbox Live Marketplace.  The game is vastly different from previous Tomb Raider titles, first and foremost because, well, it isn’t a Tomb Raider title at all.  Lara Croft’s name takes front and center here, perhaps starting a new sub-franchise.  Needless to say, the game looks great so far, which is evidenced by these new screens for the game that were released yesterday.  Take a look after the break!

New Ambitions Trailer for The Sims 3

If you haven’t heard already, there’s a new expansion coming down the pipes for those who are addicted to their second life in the world of The Sims 3.  Today EA released a trailer for the upcoming expansion, which showcases several of the new occupations your sims can partake in.  I swear there’s a quick scene where one of them is being a ghostbuster?  Maybe it’s just my imagination.  Needless to say, if I was playing I’d have to go for the crazy inventor one or the detective job.  Those sound pretty cool.  Hit the jump to see the trailer for The Sims 3: Ambitions.

Divinity II Expands in August

Today dtp entertainment announced that the gritty RPG Divinity II would be getting an expansion later this year.  That expansion is sub-titled Flames of Vengeance, and will add a lot to the already content-filled original game.  I can’t say the original title impressed me that much, but if you happen to like it, you might be looking forward to some new stuff to do.  Hit the jump for the details we know and some new screen shots.