Video Games

Ni No Kuni Annouced for European and US release on PS3

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White King has all the trappings of being a great game.  Developed by Level-5 (makers of the Professor Layton series) and published by Namco Bandai, the hands that are crafting this game are no strangers to making great and quirky RPGs that not only intrigue, but also enamor with that Level-5 charm.  In addition to Level-5, Ni No Kuni is being co-developed with anime masters Studio Ghibli, who may not have a large video game record to boast, but have many films under their belts that will lend very kindly to the development of this game.

The Amazing Spider-Man Movie Will Have Game Tie-in

Even though it’s only been a little
over a week since the release of Spider-Man:
Edge of Time, there’s already a trailer for the next Spider-Man game. Unveiled by Activision at the New York Comic-Con, The Amazing Spider-Man video game will
tie into the upcoming movie. The minute-long gameplay trailer shows bits and
pieces of Spider-Man rapidly web-swinging his way across New York. The trailer
ends with a summer 2012 release date for the game, which presumably will be
close to the July 3^rd date the film hits theaters.

Halo Waypoint Revamp in Fall, Anniversary Goes Gold

With Call of Duty Elite and Battlefield 3’s Battlelog entering the
fray, tracking services for multiplayer statistics is becoming a huge deal, and
now the Halo franchise’s Waypoint
service suddenly finds itself with competition. While Waypoint will not have a
premium component, 343 Studios plans to expand this service. The most notable
addition is ATLAS (which stands for “Advanced Technical Assault System). ATLAS,
which runs on a Windows Phone 7, provides the player with a top-down view of
any Halo Reach or Halo: Anniversary multiplayer map. This
map is updated in real-time, allowing players to keep track of their teammates’
position and weapon drop placements.

Play As Catwoman Now

Are you excited about Catwoman being playable in Batman: Arkham City?  What if I told you that you won’t have to wait until the Fall to play as Catwoman?  It’s true!  She’s already a playable character in several, mostly terrible games.  The feline fatale has a rocky history as a playable character, so before we all go into heat over Batman: Arkham City, let’s take a look at the Princess of Plunder’s cat-a-clysmic history in gaming.

Remember a few years ago when Ed Brubaker re-vamped the monthly Catwoman comic book into a film noir-inspired setting where Selina teamed up with hard-boiled detective Slam Bradley?  Yeah, that was cool.  You know what wasn’t cool?  Pretty much every other attempt to give Catwoman a solo series.  The worst of them all was the embarrassingly long-lived series from the 90’s. That book hired, then fired a different writer every year.  With the exception of Devin Grayson’s turn at the helm, almost every issue was garbage that sold only because of the sexy cover art.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Retro Review

Pre-2009, if you mentioned the words “Batman” and “video game” in the same sentence, chances were good that the recipient of the conversation would cringe. Video games just weren’t kind to the poor Caped Crusader, as most of his games were at best mediocre, never taking advantage of the terrific franchise.

Star Wars: The Old Republic New Trailer

Bioware decided to really test gamers’ patience releasing a new trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic.  The Old Republic is the true Bioware follow up to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
in MMORPG form and the public anticipation for this game is palpable. 
Yes, I am aware that KOTOR 2 exists but that game was developed by
Pandemic and it’s story lacked the tight writing which is pretty much
standard in all Bioware titles.

Catwoman Needs an Online Pass

Nope, the title of this news isn’t meant to confuse you. Catwoman does indeed require an online pass to be unlocked in Batman: Arkham City.

While online passes are hardly a new thing; EA has been doing them for years now, and every other publisher under the sun seems to be following in their footsteps, includes Warner Bros.  For those of you who have pre-purchased or are planning to buy Batman: Arkham City new, this news is of little concern to you, but anyone who wishes to wait for a used copy of the game should understand that the feline felon’s segments will be inaccessible to anyone without an online pass.