2032 AD—Earth has been ruthlessly assaulted by extraterrestrials, and nineteen years of nonstop battle now threatens the very existence of humanity. The last hope for human survival is BRS, a heroine created solely to save planet Earth; she is the ultimate battle android. But when she is awakened to end the battle once and for all, there are only twelve human beings left on Earth…

Key features:
* The World: Explore ghostly city ruins, bizarre alien structures, and more as you travel through illustrator Huke’s vision of a devastated future Earth!
* The Enemy: Engage in lightning-fast battles where your choices and reflexes are the only thing standing between you and total annihilation!
* The Girl: Level up BRS to equip her with a bevy of attacks and skills to make full use of her superhuman abilities and gigantic cyber-cannon!
* The Last Hope: Complete a variety of missions for the last remaining humans to unlock new guns, costumes, challenges, and more!

Black Rock Shooter started as an interesting concept drawing by Ryohei “Huke” Fuke of a girl with black hear and a blue eye that shines with fire. It was originally released in Japan in August 2011, and it is finally available in Europe and the US thanks to NIS America. The game, as has been the case with every piece of content based on Black Rock Shooter, is set in a different universe and only shares the titular character (Black Rock Shooter) as its one constant. This means there is a Black Rock Shooter song, an OVA, a short anime, a manga, a browser-based game, and the PSP release for this review. Funny how things work, huh?

In BRS: The Game you control Black Rock Shooter, a super-weapon that has been awakened by the last twelve surviving humans in the world as a “last hope” effort to try and save them from the aliens that are one step away from destroying the entire human race. Nothing like a cheery “doomsday” scenario to start the day, right? Since BRS has been in a deep sleep, she’s forgotten most of her skills and special attacks, and you must recover them by leveling up and completing each level.

In essence, Black Rock Shooter: The Game is an RPG. The game is divided into several scenarios, and you can move around freely to explore each setting, but as soon as you come into contact with an enemy the game switches to a fight. BRS can shoot, dodge or defend against enemies and their attack, but you have to be careful about how you do things. Blocking only reduces the amount of damage you receive and dodging must me timed properly to avoid not only the attack of one enemy, but of those about to attack you from both land and sky. On top of that, every time you attack or that you dodge the heat bar rises, and if you’re not careful, it can overheat BRS, and you won’t be able to move at all for a short time which could quickly end up with our heroine lying on the ground in defeat.

When you eventually unlock special attacks and skills, the game grows even bigger on strategy. Do you use your super shot right at the start to get rid of one enemy, or wait a bit for them to get closer so that you can hit them all at once? Do you activate your regen skill even though you’re at full health to focus on attacking, or do you wait after being damaged to use it? Since special attacks and skills have a cool-down period, you must plan accordingly and mix and match the 4 slots available for them. Regular battles don’t put much stress on this, but during boss battles you better know what you’re doing because bosses can also use special skills and attacks to eradicate you.

The game is split into small levels that take you between 20-40 minutes to complete, and there are several sub-missions to complete while you go for the main objective. Completing said sub-missions rewards you with special skills and attacks that make things easier. Most of these side-missions ask you to destroy X amount of enemies of Y type, and since you should always be sure to obtain as much experience as possible, it’s definitely a win-win for you and BRS.

Black Rock Shooter: The Game is a solid PSP game that will provide you with between 12 and 15 hours of gaming before it is all over. You can play it either on PSP or on Vita (which is always nice) for a great low price and the Japanese voice acting ads a nice touch to the story and the interaction of this last group of humans. Will you take charge against the invaders and secure a new dawn for all of humanity?

Disclaimer

This review is based on a PSP copy of Black Rock Shooter: The Game provided by NIS America.

This new Batman: Arkham origins trailer left me wanting more. The game will be released October 25 worldwide.

Batman: Arkham Origins features an expanded Gotham City and introduces an original prequel storyline occurring several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City. Taking place before the rise of Gotham City’s most dangerous villains and assassins, the game showcases a young, raw, unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight. As the story unfolds, witness identities being formed and key relationships being forged.

Welcome to another week of the podcast. It’s a busy one, seeing as we go about 50 minutes with nothing but news discussions. There is of course the usual stuff between stories.

I’ve picked up Metro: Last Light off the PSN, since it was discounted for plus members at $47.99. I’m looking forward to diving into that one. You should go read Jason’s review, though it is the PC version. Perhaps someone could do a short PS3 impressions piece to see how they think it is.

Anyways, enjoy the podcast this week! Leave your comments below, I read them all!

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Enter the secret word(s) mentioned in the PS3BlogCast to earn 150 points. The first 5 people to enter it correctly get double points!

As always, we want to remind you that the PS3BlogCast is listed on iTunes! So please subscribe and rate/review us there.

You can also leave a voicemail for us by calling PS3-888-BLOG or if you want to contact us via email for us you can do so here. We have a dedicated forum for the PS3BlogCast so you can leave your questions and feedback there as well.

Here’s a list of some things we discussed:

• New Releases
• New Destiny details
• Aliens: Colonial Marines sales
• Defiance renewed for a second season
• The fake PS4 ad
• PayDay 2
• Gran Turismo 6
• Ubisoft suspends project 1666
• Ubisoft has two new games to announce
• The Last of Us has gone gold
• EA is getting rid of online passes
• Secret Word

Earlier today at the Silverstone Circuit, Polyphony Digital held its Gran Turismo 15 year anniversary event. It was expected that the next addition to the franchise, Gran Turismo 6, would make its debut. That it did. It was said some time ago that it was going to remain a PlayStation 3 title, despite the announcement of the PS4 and that piece of hardware releasing in the same window.

Personally, I think that it would have made more sense to release on the PS4, as it would be a definite system seller, but I regress. I have been following GTPlanet throughout the announcement, and some nice tidbits of information came out of it:

• The core has been renewed; new engine provides more realistic and natural handling, with new tire, suspension and aerodynamic physics. The graphics engine has also been renewed and is said to be more streamlined and future-proof, allowing for more flexibility and expansion (suggesting that it could be retrofitted onto a PS4 title as well).
• The game will launch with over 1200 cars with ongoing DLC. The cars can be fully personalized, and there are more aero mods (a reported several thousand pieces) and wheels. Does this mean, however, that we’ll see custom liveries akin to that of Forza, arguably the best editor on a console?
• There will be 33 track locations at launch, with 71 variations. There is also a promised new track through monthly DLC.
• There is also a new course maker, using a new algorithm and will have rendered scenery for tens of square kilometers.
• Online will be expanded quite a bit, with support for more community features, including the ability to start racing clubs, create your own racing series, and being able to set up championships.
• The game will use a new user interface, with a focus on quick response and short load times.
• Some GT6 features will be compatible with other devices, including PC, smart phones, and tablets.
• More information will come out at both Gamescom and E3 this year. I’ve also heard that there may be a demo available this July.

Source

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Press Release:

Gran Turismo®6 is coming!
Event Report , Gran Turismo®6 , 15th Anniversary

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. today announced Gran Turismo®6 (GT6™), the latest version of PlayStation®’s best-selling franchise, will be released in Holiday, 2013. The news was revealed today by legendary Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi at an event held to celebrate 15 years of the 70-million-selling series.

GT6 for PlayStation®3 will bring new levels of authenticity to ‘the Real Driving Simulator’ as well as introducing stunning new tracks and cars and a revised user interface. A new compact game engine will improve operation and increase the flexibility to expand it with downloadable content. Meanwhile, the game is also set for expanded connectivity with other devices such as smart phones and tablets and increased social and community functions.

All of the cars and tracks from Gran Turismo®5, which has sold over 10m copies since launching in 2010, will be retained in GT6. But notable new additions to the already impressive line-up of historic cars, road cars and the latest race cars, brings the total car list to 1200 at launch, with new cars set to be continually added online. Several thousand aerodynamic parts and custom wheels will be available for almost all cars, and players can personalize their own custom cars in game to the greatest ever level possible.

The UK’s famous Silverstone Circuit will be just one of seven new locations in Gran Turismo 6, taking the total to 33, with 71 different layouts available, 19 of them brand new. There will also be regular additions of new tracks set to be made available online. The improved course maker function will provide gorgeous scenery spanning several tens of square kilometers including the magnificent backdrop of Andalucía.

The theme of Gran Turismo’s innovative collaborations with partner companies will increase with the inception of GT6. A number of exciting new projects that blur the line between the virtual and real will be announced in the run up to the game’s launch. Not least of these is GT Academy, a collaboration with Nissan to unearth real racing driver talent that first ran in 2008. It was announced during the event that the competition returns for its biggest ever year in 2013, with the entry mechanic set to take place on an exclusive GT6 demo in July.

Other notable partnerships in the development of GT6 have been with tyre manufacturer Yokohama Rubber and suspension company KW Automotive. Both companies are active in the commercial car industry and in racing, and they have acted as technical development partners for the game’s new physics engine, for its tyre and suspension kinematic modeling, creating an even more realistic experience for GT fans.

“It is amazing to think that it is 15 years since we first released Gran Turismo,” explained Kazunori Yamauchi, during the announcement at Silverstone Circuit. “Things have changed a lot since then and now Gran Turismo 6 is a further evolution of my dream. We’re pleased to deliver GT6 to PlayStation 3 as we have a very loyal community on that platform. However, we have refactored the game to make it very flexible and expandable, with a view to making many future developments. I am very pleased with everything about the new game and the new additions, but the launch will be only the beginning for GT6. The game will continue to develop throughout its life. I already have many ideas for things I want to achieve in the next 15 years of Gran Turismo!”

The celebration of 15 years of Gran Turismo event at Silverstone included a demo of GT6 featuring the famous circuit. Guests were able to play the game in the familiar circular Gran Turismo race pods before having a chance to take to the real track in cars provided by Audi, Ford, Jaguar, KTM, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota.

Further news about Gran Turismo 6 will be revealed at the forthcoming E3 and Gamescom events.

Cars featured on the GT6 Silverstone demo (* denotes new to Gran Turismo):

Acura NSX ’91
*Alfa Romeo TZ3 Stradale ’11
*Alpine A110 1600S ’68
*Audi Sport quattro S1 Rally Car ’86
Ferrari 458 Italia ’09
*Ferrari Dino 246 GT ’71
Ford GT ’06
*KTM X-BOW R ’12
Lamborghini Countach LP400 ’74
*Light Car Company Rocket ’07
McLaren MP4-12C ’10
*Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 ’11
Nissan 370Z (Z34) (GT Academy Version) ’08
Nissan 370Z Tuned Car (GT Academy Version) ’08
Nissan GT-R Black edition (GT Academy Version) ’12
*Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 N24 Schulze Motorsport
Nissan Leaf G (GT Academy Version)
*Tesla Motors Model S Signature Performance ’12
Toyota 86 GT ‘12

Summary of new Gran Turismo 6 features announced by Kazunori Yamauchi:

New Game Engine
• Refactoring
• Compact, nimble operation
• Flexible expandability
• A new rendering engine that pushes the limits of the PS3

New Physics Engine
• New suspension and kinematics model
• New tyre model
• New aerodynamics model
• Technical partnership with Yokohama Rubber and KW Automotive

1200 Cars, abundant custom parts, and on-going DLC
• From historic cars to the latest racing cars, the game contains a total of 1200 cars.
• Multiple aerodynamic parts and custom wheels will be available for almost all cars.
• Players can create their own personalised custom car in the game.
• Cars will be continually added online

33 locations, 71 layouts
• 33 Locations and 71 layouts will be provided from day1 (7 more locations and 19 more layouts than GT5)
• More new tracks will continue to be provided online

New Course Maker
• Massive scenery spanning several tens of square kilometers
• A new course generation algorithm

Community/Club/Race Organizer
• Players can form their own communities
• Various community levels from local and domestic to global
• Players themselves can create and manage their own online events

New User Interface
• Balancing directional key operation and touch operation
• Quick response
• Shortening of loading times

Multi Device Compatibility
• PlayStation®
• Smart Phone
• Tablet
• PC

At the same time as the PS3 version of GT6 the “Real Driving Simulator” launches, a mobile version and web application version of GT6, will be created to enjoy Gran Turismo’s massive community space.

Real/Virtual “Edge Effect” Activity
A variety of “Edge Effects”, the chemical reactions between the real world and the virtual world for which the Gran Turismo series is famous, are also planned for GT6. Exciting collaborations between various automotive manufacturers and collaborations with brands crossing different industries will be revealed gradually across the next six months.

Krieg arrives today for Borderlands 2!!

“Check out the newest playable Vault Hunter for Borderlands 2, the Psycho Bandit, in the video above as Sir Hammerlock explains all of Krieg’s mad and marvelous abilities, skills and powers.”

In a world where Evil is taking over and prayers are no longer answered, there is only one type of divine intervention left, and it’s armed to death.
Join the battle of light against darkness. Lead your squad to defeat the Fallen Nun and restore balance to the World in this epic tactical action game.

Nun Attack is a very fun action/RPG/strategy game from Frima Studio, the guys behind (namely) the Zombie Tycoon series. It’s available as a digital download on the PlayStation Store and is also available on iOS and Android platforms.

In Nun Attack, you are controlling a party of nuns armed with an array of guns on their way to defeat the Fallen Nun that is wrecking everything. This game is set in an undead world in which you’ll be fighting skeletons, werewolves, and a few other undead creatures.

Nun Attack for PlayStation Vita – Official Trailer

Gameplay

This game is totally controlled by touch screen controls, which leads to very intuitive gameplay mechanics. Basically, in each battle fields, the nuns are controlled by “sliding” them towards the destination or an enemy and once an enemy is targeted, they’ll attack it automatically. That is all(!). The game difficulty is well balanced in the normal sections, but I noticed a pretty steep difficulty curve in the boss battles.

Each time an enemy is killed in battle, it’ll drop money that can be used to upgrade your arsenal. There is a pretty cool array of guns available as each nun has have five different weapons, and each one can be upgraded a few times.

Rawwr

When each battle is completed, experience points and levels for the participating nuns are awarded, pretty much like in a typical RPG. Another pretty cool thing about this game is that it can be played in very short gaming sessions, ranging from 5 to 10 minutes.

The graphics in this game are very sharp, and the characters and monsters are perfectly animated. The soundtrack is reminiscent of an undead world, which fits well in the context.

Final thoughts

With a price tag of only 2.99$ on the PlayStation Store, Nun Attack is a no-brainer. I’ve had (and I’m still having) a lot of fun with this game, and I would recommend it to every PS Vita owners looking for a fun experience between bigger gaming sessions!

Official website: Nun Attack.

Cost: $2.99
You can purchase Nun Attack from the PSN.

Disclaimer
Total amount of time played: 5 hours.

This review is based off of a retail copy of the game purchased by the reviewer.

The sequel to what I consider the best FPS ever made does not disappoint. Metro Last Light delivers on all fronts and remains one of the most atmospheric games ever made. This is one not to be missed. Fans of Metal Gear stealth will find a welcome experience in the Metro and those who “run and gun” are welcome to attempt the brutal and unforgiving world of Metro as well. Seeming as this is a sequel to what was on PC and ported to 360 lets go through a brief rundown of who we are and what we are doing.

It is the year 2034. Beneath the ruins of post-apocalyptic Moscow, in the tunnels of the Metro, the remnants of mankind are besieged by deadly threats from outside – and within. Mutants stalk the catacombs beneath the desolate surface, and hunt amidst the poisoned skies above. But rather than stand united, the station-cities of the Metro are locked in a struggle for the ultimate power, a doomsday device from the military vaults of D6. A civil war is stirring that could wipe humanity from the face of the earth forever. As Artyom, burdened by guilt but driven by hope, you hold the key to our survival – the last light in our darkest hour…

New comers to the series will be shown a brief and to the point introduction upon firing up Metro. The game thrusts you into the brutal underworld and does a good job assuming that you have not played the first installment. Right off the jump you’ll notice the atmosphere, as the graphics engine is simply amazing at conveying the thick dirty air of the underground. Particles of dust float about and a thick dense fog lingers all around the metro. Underground is where most human encounters take place against the red guard. The gun play is super polished just like Metro 2033 and stealth is just as important as it ever was.

Surveying an approach is highly advised as running into a room will surely get you dropped in a matter of seconds. You have the option to run and gun but a stealthy approach involving the silenced shots and overhead light’s and the ever so graceful unscrewing of light bulbs is advised. Throwing knives will be your best friends next to the new single shot silenced pistol.

The AI is smart and aggressive when in alert mode making the same encounter during my 2 play through’s different each time. Firing off a silenced shot to explode a light at the far end of the warehouse sent my opposition into a panic and led them away to investigate allowing me ample time to crawl to the next dark corner of the room. The hud-less screen does a great job at showing you if you are in view of forces by a simple blue LED on your left wrist watch. Health is also shown here in the way of coloring on the time. Visual clues of your status can be seen on screen with hints of blood dripping. When above ground these wounds and your status are seen dripping across your visor which requires a quick hit of a button to wipe clean. The effect is rather inviting and never felt like a gimmick. Stepping in the murky swamp and splashing some muck onto your visor while fighting off a shrimp is not advised.

Above ground changes the flow of combat and exploration drastically with the requirement of air filters. The slick animation of unwinding an older filter and winding in a new one is a welcome subtle touch. Air filter’s seem to be in abundance this time so you wont find yourself removing your mask and counting to three and putting it back on to save every possible breath. At the time of this review I had not played Ranger mode, but they may be less abundant in that mode. The brutal beasts of “top side” will send you running in fear. There are moments where you must engage and your palms become sweaty with anticipation as you know you have a 50-50 chance of making it out alive. Luckily the check point system is spot on. Those of you with busy lives can appreciate a saving system that allows you to conquer a game in small chunks rather then play for a solid thirty minutes to save.

The city being in shambles, and “top side” being a radioactive wasteland, makes for some very unique weapons. They range from a pressure gun that shoots ball bearings, to a hand sized chain gun, to name a couple. The weapons are part of the fun so I’ll let you experience them for yourselves. Weapon customization is done in some of the populated civilian towns you come across underground. The ability to scope out and extend, or silence a barrel, is done with the same currency as the first Metro, Military ammo. You can use the military high grade ammo to deal some extra damage, but your going to want to save them as currency to really open up the customization. Once I had a night vision scope and silencer, I felt like a ninja who had no chance of losing.

The story is extremely satisfying and full of so many surprises that I really don’t want to go into too much detail. Exploring the metro with an AI partner makes for some great bonding and meaningful interaction. A later partner will bring a smile to your face allowing you to view the world in a very unique way. There is so many positives about this game that I can not bring myself to say one bad thing about my time in the Metro. For those new to the series this will be the FPS you have been waiting for. It takes the genre and flips it on it’s head.

A review copy was provided by Deep Silver for the purpose of this review.

Ceidz did a review for Dragon Fantasy: Book I, a great retro-JRPG that is reminiscent of old NES games with its difficulty and game design. Muteki has been kind enough to provide me with two codes so that you can try to win a free copy of their game! You know the drill by now, so get started! Giveaway will end on May 27.

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[Bonus 3 Entries] After you have purchased at least 1 ticket you are eligible for video entries. Make a video saying why you want to win. It can be funny, unique, strange, etc. Have fun with it. Include PS3Blog.net and the name of the item being given away in your video & in the title of the video. Then use the button above to submit your video for review. Leave a comment with a link to your YouTube video. [EARN 60 Points]

Here are the most recent YouTube video entries for all giveaways on PS3Blog.net with the most recent ones displayed first.

Today Deep Silver and Volition released an in-game walkthrough from the pre-alpha version of Saints Row IV based on the demo shown during the latest PAX East.

“Senior Producer Jim Boone from Volition will lead you through the urban chaos of virtual Steelport. In the upcoming Saints Row IV for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC, not only will you greet your citizens as President of the USA with friendly… punches, but you’ll also have some mind-boggling weapons will also be at your disposal. Make your people dance to the funky beats of your Dubstep Gun and literally kill them with music! Weapons now not only can be upgraded; this time you will be also able to change their looks. ”

In Saints Row IV you will encounter enemies that are certainly…out of this world! Blast them to pieces… either with your super Mech… or your superpowers!

In Saints Row IV, the head honcho of the Saints has been elected to the Presidency of the United States. But the Saints are just getting started. Now the larger-than-life insanity of the Saints series gets a new twist with a catastrophic alien invasion, and the aliens have transported the Saints to a bizarro-Steelport simulation. Wield gargantuan superpowers and fight to free humanity from alien granddaddy Zinyak’s mental grasp. Escape the simulation that’s trapped the Saints crew, or die trying. Saints Row IV lets players delve into an arsenal of alien weaponry and technology that will turn each Saint into an ultimate entity of destruction. Utilize out-of-this-world superpowers to fight all the way to the top. With intensified action and enhanced customization, players can use their newfound superpowers and leap over buildings, outrun the fastest sports cars, or send enemies flying with telekinesis in the greatest, most insane installment of Saints Row yet.

Saints Row IV launches August 20th, 2013 across North and Latin America and August 23rd worldwide.

Source: Press Release

Here we are for the week of May 6th. There is actually quite a good chunk of news this week, which is a good thing. The past few have felt pretty light, even though we get through it all pretty fast in this episode. E3 is also just around the corner, so I’m sure we’ll have plenty to deal with come then.

Isli is out this week but you can tune in to catch MissXya and I discuss the past week in news, as well as have a short chat about Iron Man 3 at the end of the podcast. Don’t worry I let you know when to skip ahead when we talk about spoilers.

We’re getting closer and closer to our 100th episode. I can’t believe it’s been this long. Hope you’ve all been enjoying it so far!

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Enter the secret word(s) mentioned in the PS3BlogCast to earn 150 points. The first 5 people to enter it correctly get double points!

As always, we want to remind you that the PS3BlogCast is listed on iTunes! So please subscribe and rate/review us there.

You can also leave a voicemail for us by calling PS3-888-BLOG or if you want to contact us via email for us you can do so here. We have a dedicated forum for the PS3BlogCast so you can leave your questions and feedback there as well.

Here’s a list of some things we discussed:

• New Releases
• Blood Dragon to get a sequel?
• GameStop no longer accepting PS2′s in June
• EA acquires exclusive Star Wars game license
• Borderlands 2 Psycho class release date
• New PS3 bundle
• Wolfenstein: The New Order
• Beyond: Two Souls special edition
• CounterSpy
• Hohoku
• Reflections to announce new game at E3
• GT6 announcement inbound?
• Doki-Doki
• Secret Word
• Short Iron Man 3 talk (spoilers)

Guacamelee! is a Metroid-vania style action-platformer set in a magical Mexican inspired world.

The game draws its inspiration from traditional Mexican culture and folklore, and features many interesting and unique characters. Guacamelee builds upon the classic open-world Metroid-vania style of games, by adding a strong melee combat component, a new dimension switching mechanic, and cooperative same-screen multiplayer for the entire story. The game also blurs the boundaries between combat and platforming by making many of the moves useful and necessary for both of these.

You start your story as Juan, a humble Agave farmer that has no idea about what is about to happen. He runs into El Presidente’s Daughter, a beautiful woman who Juan is in love with and, before you know it, all hell breaks loose. Calaca, an evil undead-Charro comes to town and kidnaps El Presidente’s Daughter since she is a key player in his dark ritual for merging the world of the living with the world of the dead. Juan, being the great guy that he is, tries to rescue El Presidente’s Daughter but is quickly killed by Calaca in a matter of seconds. Juan later wakes up, not dead but not alive, and is eventually given a magical Luchador mask that grants him the strength he needs to rescue the one he loves. And so, our journey begins.

Jumping, fighting, grabbing and dodging is what you’ll be doing in Guacamelee, and you will run into a LOT of enemies in this game. You will be asked fight them as you make your way from point A to point B, but you will also be required to complete small “arenas” in which the screen is locked by barriers on all sides that prevent you from escaping, and you must then defeat every enemy before you can carry on with your adventure. Also, you will be able to break a piñata after the last enemy falls, and piñatas are filled with several coins to help you in your quest!

Every enemy you defeat will reward you with coins that you can use to buy items, abilities and skills from the save points/stores in the game and, as always, the more money you have the easier your quest will be. Of special interest are two items: Heart pieces and Skill pieces. You can find several chests in Guacamelee, and they come in two varieties: regular ones that reward you with a lot of coins, and golden ones that contain either a heart piece or a skill piece. For every 3 you collect, you will be rewarded with an increase to your health bar (for hearts collected) and an extra activation for your special attacks (for skulls collected)

As a nod to the Metroid, you will run into statues that resemble those from Nintendo’s franchise, and breaking will reward you with a new ability or a new special attack that will help you explore more of the world. For example, there are red blocks that can only be broken by a red attack, and said attack (the rooster uppercut) can be triggered by pressing up and the circle button. Each time you use a special attack, a yellow-activation square will be used, and you must wait for it to refill before you can use it again. This helps balance the game so that you don’t spend your time just triggering the specials attack, but the game eventually goes one step further by giving enemies a protective aura that must be broken by the special attack with the matching color. As long as the barrier is up, no damage can be done upon said enemy, and this brings in a welcomed strategy element to the table since you could, for example, be fighting two enemies without a barrier, a flying enemy with a green barrier and a huge enemy with a red barrier, all at the same time, and you would be required to mix and match your regular attacks, your special attacks, your throws, and any other skill you have purchased or unlocked, in order to survive.

As you can probably guess by now, Guacamelee’s main mechanic is splitting the game into two different realms: the realm of the living and the realm of the dead. At first, you can only switch between them by finding special portals that instantly switch you back and forth, and this is used to give you time to get the hang of things while solving puzzles or fighting enemies in another dimension. In one room, you might need to make your way from the bottom left to the upper right section, but there won’t be enough platforms for it. But, what if you timed your jumps so that you could hit a portal mid-jump so that you would enter the world of the dead and thus land on a previously invisible platform? Once you’ve been doing this for a while, you will be granted the power to change between both realms at will, and the puzzles will get more complex and demand faster reflex. Things only get crazier after this, but I don’t want to spoil things for you.

You can even go out of your way to complete the sidequests presented by the NPCs you will run into during your adventure, and they range from moving some stubborn chicken into their pen, to helping a woman cook the best enchilada ever, and some crazy requests here and there in between. You will be properly rewarded for your help, and completing each sidequest will reward you with a trophy, and you even get an extra trophy when you’ve completed all sidequests, which is always a nice incentive for us trophy hunters.

Guacamelee is a game that you have to play, and it should be bought ASAP. It features a colorful, rich and unique world to explore, and you will spend 7-9 hours playing from start to finish. I had so much fun with the game that, as soon as I completed it and the main menu appeared on my TV, I dived right back into the game in Hard mode. It is THAT good. As a nice bonus, the game also has drop-in co-op that can easily be activated by pressing Start on a second controller. Lucha Libre is always more fun when you tag-team with a friend!

Disclaimer

This review is based on a PS3 copy of Guacamelee provided by Brinkbox Studios.

In Saints Row IV you can play as the superhero / President of the US ‘Merica’!!

“Today Deep Silver and Volition released a simultaneously awesome & terrifying new trailer showcasing all-new in-game footage for the upcoming Saints Row IV for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC platforms. As the President of the United States of ‘Merica, you are a presidential ass-kicker delivering justice Saints-style to the invading alien empire, the Zin. Your out of this world powers are second-to-none, as is your ability to deliver a perfect nut-shot. BOOM.”

Saints Row IV launches August 20th, 2013 across North and Latin America and August 23rd worldwide.

Magrunner: Dark Pulse is a new physics puzzle game coming to the PSN. I personally love these type of games, and this one looks like it won’t disappoint.

In the near future, in 2050, a handful of young and brilliant citizens have been chosen by Gruckezber Corporation to join the Magtech training program for space exploration. Equipped with a special glove using Gruckezberg’s technology, the candidates have to solve their way through a maze of challenge rooms that get more and more challenging, by magnetically charging objects in the level that will attract or repel each other. But when an earthquake disrupts the training program, what seemed to be the chance of a lifetime for the candidates will soon become a descent into folly and cosmic horror! In this video, plunge with Dax, the hero of the game, into a future where Technology confronts the Cthulhu Mythos!

Source: Press Release

Check out all three of the just released Grand Theft Auto V trailers, combined into one video right here!

Grand Theft Auto V is coming September 17, 2013, and I can’t wait.

Experience an all-new old adventure! Fight your way through hordes of strange, silly, and scary monsters! Explore the caves, castles, and dungeons of an ancient evil! Meet warriors, princes, pirates, zombies, and crazy old woodsmen in a huge world of epic retro adventure!

Dragon Fantasy Book I is a Retro Japanese Role Playing Game (RJRPG!) developed by Muteki Corporation. This game is an enhanced port of Dragon Fantasy which has been out since 2011 on iOS and Android.

This release is cross-buy and cross-save between the PlayStation 3 and the PS Vita and can be played in either the original 8-bits version, or the (as of now) PSN exclusive 16-bits mode!

This game feels like a cousin of Dragon Quest/Warrior on the NES and features a similar gameplay. If you liked RPGs back then, I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy Dragon Fantasy!

Dragon Fantasy Book I – Gameplay

The game starts with the coronation of Prince Marlon becoming the new King of Wester. As soon as the crown has been given to the new King, two monsters appear, and a retired and bald soldier named Ogden is quickly asked to get rid of them. Right after that, the evil Dark Knight appears, kidnaps the new King and takes him to his Palace.

Dragon Fantasy Book I is divided into 3 chapters that somewhat runs in parallel to each other, and a fourth special one based on the world of Minecraft (!). Like I said earlier, this game can be seen as a close relative of Dragon Quest/Warrior on the NES, and that is particularly true when playing in 8-bit mode (modes can be changed on-the-fly, so it’s up to your own retro taste)!

The game features a good cast of playable characters through the different chapters, and the dialog shows a refreshing sense of humor. There are a lot of monsters in the game, but there isn’t enough variety because a lot of them are palette-swaps (a stronger version of a monster in a different color). I noticed that each monster class also have their own attack patterns, which is a nice touch during the combats.

Battle System The battle system is reminiscent of those found in Dragon Warrior I-IV. Battles are randomly encountered while walking on the field or in dungeons, and the encounter rate is very high. While it’s perfect when grinding to get stronger, getting from point A to point B without utilizing items or magic is a tedious ride.

For the battles themselves, enemies appear in front of you and can be fought with either attacks or magic spells. An extremely nice addition to the PS Vita version is that all menus (in and out of the battles) can be completely controlled by touching the commands on the screen.

I found the difficulty of the first chapter to be on the hard side, representing the difficulty that used to be the norm back in the NES RPG days, and later chapters are easier because you have more people in your party. Expect to grind a few levels the first time each new area or dungeon is visited, but at least the combats are fast paced and usually over in a few seconds. The good news is that often a single level or a new piece of equipment does a whole lot of difference, so once you feel ready to tackle a dungeon, it can be done in a single run when your level is high enough.

The major issue I had with the game is its lack of directives. More than once I felt completely lost because I didn’t know where to go next, mostly because I hadn’t spoken to/found the person holding this information. For a moment, I grinded levels for around half an hour in order to be strong enough to reach a place I wasn’t supposed to go yet. It isn’t such a big deal by itself because when I found my way back I was way over leveled, but I think an in-game map or a ! mark above important people would’ve helped a lot.

Final Thoughts All in all, I enjoyed my time playing Dragon Fantasy Book I. It’s a great retro-JRPG that is reminiscent of old NES games with its difficulty and game design. I particularly liked the option to switch from the default 16-bits to the original 8-bits version of the game. If you liked RPGs back then, I suggest you try this one out!

Closely following this game, a PSN exclusive sequel titled Dragon Fantasy Book II is already planned to release this summer for the PlayStation 3 and the PS Vita!

Cost: $9.99

You can purchase Dragon Fantasy Book I from the PSN.

Disclaimer

This review is based off of a retail copy provided by Muteki Corporation.

We’re back at it with the podcast for the month of May. I was looking at my calendar and thinking about how The Last of Us was almost going to come out this month. We’ll just have to wait a little longer I suppose.

MissXya returns this week and she’s back on Earth! No worries on that front. Tune in to catch the three of us discuss gaming news from the past week, as well as MissXya’s new cats, and Isli’s journey to getting his next platinum.

Enjoy!

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Enter the secret word(s) mentioned in the PS3BlogCast to earn 150 points. The first 5 people to enter it correctly get double points!

As always, we want to remind you that the PS3BlogCast is listed on iTunes! So please subscribe and rate/review us there.

You can also leave a voicemail for us by calling PS3-888-BLOG or if you want to contact us via email for us you can do so here. We have a dedicated forum for the PS3BlogCast so you can leave your questions and feedback there as well.

Here’s a list of some things we discussed:

• New Releases
• No Monster Hunter for Vita
• Watch Dogs release date
• Diablo 3 pre-order
• Call of Duty: Ghost
• Sony Executives give up their bonuses
• Final Fantasy 14
• PSN giftcard winner for April
• Secret word

Here we have the first official info for COD: Ghosts, a whole new chapter and sub-brand in the Call of Duty franchise. Read all the details in the press release after the jump!

Prepare for the next generation of Call of Duty®. The franchise that has defined a generation of gaming is set to raise the bar once again with the all-new Call of Duty®: Ghosts. Published by Activision and developed by Infinity Ward, the studio that created the original Call of Duty and the seminal Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series, Call of Duty: Ghosts ushers in the next generation of the franchise. The new title delivers a riveting all-new gameplay experience built on an entirely new story, setting and cast of characters, all powered by a new, next generation Call of Duty engine that redefines the series for the next generation.

“Infinity Ward set the gold standard for first-person action for a generation, and they’re going to do it again with Call of Duty: Ghosts,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. “Ghosts delivers an all-new story, all-new characters, an all-new Call of Duty world, all powered by a next generation Call of Duty engine, which is a leap forward for the franchise. Infinity Ward is going all-in to create the next generation of Call of Duty worthy of the world’s greatest fans.”

“Everyone was expecting us to make Modern Warfare 4, which would have been the safe thing to do. But we’re not resting on our laurels,” said Mark Rubin, executive producer of developer Infinity Ward. “We saw the console transition as the perfect opportunity to start a new chapter for Call of Duty. So we’re building a new sub-brand, a new engine, and a lot of new ideas and experiences for our players. We can’t wait to share them with our community.”

To see an exclusive first look at Call of Duty: Ghosts tune in to Xbox: the Next Generation Revealed on May 21 at 10AM PDT on Xbox.com, Xbox LIVE or SPIKE TV for the debut of the all-new game from Infinity Ward.

“We are consistently thrilled with the overwhelming response received from critics and consumers alike to the Call of Duty series, which has firmly established its home on the Xbox 360 with the game’s largest and most engaged community,” said Don Mattrick, president of the interactive entertainment business at Microsoft. “With Call of Duty: Ghosts, we have no doubt that our longtime partners, Activision and Infinity Ward, will raise the bar higher than ever before for this incredible franchise.”

Starting today, fans can begin pre-ordering their copy of Call of Duty: Ghosts at retail outlets worldwide.

“There’s no other video game property like Call of Duty. It’s the biggest game franchise on the planet that has had some of the biggest game entertainment launches in history,” said Tony Bartel, president of GameStop. “We are very excited for the launch of Call of Duty: Ghosts, as we transition to next generation consoles.”

Call of Duty: Ghosts will release on Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC on November 5. Call of Duty: Ghosts will also be available for next generation platforms. For the latest intel, check out: www.callofduty.com/ghosts, www.facebook.com/CODGhosts, or follow on Twitter @InfinityWard. Call of Duty: Ghosts is not yet rated.

Here is the first teaser trailer for “LEGO Marvel Super Heroes,” coming this fall.

I personally love the LEGO games, and this one definitely has the potential to become my favorite. Hit the jump for all the details on Pre-order exclusives!

With more than 100 memorable characters to choose from, each with their own unique powers and abilities, players are in for a brick-smashing adventure. In a new video released today, you’ll get a sneak peek at a few members of the Amazing, Mighty and Uncanny (hint) team who join forces to stop an array of Marvel villains.
In addition, those who pre-order LEGO Marvel Super Heroes now through select retailers can receive one of the following game-related goodies:
· Pre-order the console version through Walmart and receive an ultra exclusive Iron Patriot mini-fig when the game releases.

· Receive a fun Spidey keychain when you pre-order any version through GameStop (available when the game releases). Power Up Rewards members who pre-order through the retailer also receive the DLC pack for free (PS3 and X360 only). Visit GameStop or GameStop.com for details.

· Those who pre-order through Amazon will get a $10 games credit automatically applied to their Amazon account.

Konami was kind enough to provide us with a couple of gaming mats. These mats were only obtainable by participating at the San Diego, California, Yu-Gi-Oh! Championships.

Follow @PAULFIERCE and @ps3blogdotnet for a chance to win one.

Terms:
Open only to residents of the USA. Follow the mentioned twitter accounts. One follow equals one entry. Winner will be selected randomly and will be notified on MAY 5, 2013.

Metro: Last Light looks amazing, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Check out this new trailer!

“Anna, the Spartan Order of Rangers’ top sniper and daughter of their uncompromising leader Miller, talks about the hope of the survivors that rests on Artyom’s shoulders. Will he be able to lead humanity to salvation, and find personal redemption in the tunnels of the Metro?”

Metro: Last Light will be available from May 14, 2013 in North America and May 17, 2013 across Europe.