Persona 4 Golden's American Release Date

It was announced today that Atlus Games' role playing game Persona 4 Golden for the PS Vita has been given a North American release date of November 20th, 2012.

Image credit to  http://www.wallpapervortex.com/video_games-persona_4-wallpapers.html

Persona 4 was first released on the Playstation 2 platform in both Japan and the U.S. in 2008. The new Persona 4: Golden is a re-release of that game on the PS Vita that has been available in Japan since June 14th.  The re-release has a multitude of new features and additions which you can find summarized here.

-T

New Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Story Trailer

Image credit to  http://mashgaming.net/metal-gear-rising-is-it-a-step-too-far/ 

A new trailer was released from the Tokyo Game Show today for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Story.  The 5:18 trailer features Raiden, along with some new friends and some absolutely epic enemies in a hack and slash cybernetic gore fest that is an absolute feast for the eyes.  You can catch the new trailer here.

-T

Nintendo's "Play As You Are," Campaign Is Aimed at Female Gamers

On September 18th Nintendo of America announced their new "Play As You Are," advertising campaign.  The campaign features New Super Mario Bros. 2, Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, Style Savvy: Trendsetters, and Sparkle Snapshots 3d, all available on the Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL platforms. Three notable female models will be participating in the advertisements displaying the games and promoting the idea that "all kinds of women and young girls can explore their interests and express their individuality using the portable Nintendo 3DS - whether they consider themselves gamers or not."

The models featured in this campaign will be:

Olympic gymnast and gold medalist, Gabrielle Douglas

Image credit to Ebony.com  http://www.ebony.com/entertainment-culture/dougies-fresh-16-year-old-gabrielle-douglas-poised-for-gymnastics-gold

Actress and Blogger Dianna Agron, known for her role on Glee,

Image credit to  http://glee.wikia.com/wiki/Dianna_Agron 

and Sarah Hyland, actress on the television show Modern Family.

Image Credit to  http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/sarah-hyland?before=1339204365

"These women are all amazing role models with their own unique tastes and talents. They know firsthand how Nintendo 3DS can keep them entertained and engaged wherever they go.  We think young girls and women of all ages will enjoy hearing what they have to say about their favorite games  and activities on Nintendo 3DS," 

       -Scott Moffitt, executive vice president of Sales & Marketing for Nintendo of America.

You can look forward to seeing these faces a great deal when the campaign officially launches on October 1st, 2012.

-T

Nintendo Accesses3DS's Camera For More Adventure in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

New details have been released about Nintendo's newest addition to the  Pokemon Mystery Dungeon franchise and its use of the Nintendo 3DS's image capture abilities.  The "Magna gate software," uses the 3DS's image capture software to transform the images of "round objects," such as C.D.s, eggs, even the open area of a cup, and transform them into data that creates unique dungeons based on the qualities of the images.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon property of Nintendo,
Image credit to http://www.fanpop.com/spots/pokemon-mystery-dungeon/images/9121288/title/pokemon-mystery-dungeon-photo

The concept of accessing data from outside of a product and utilizing it to create individualized content is hardly a new one.  Games such as Monster Rancher, Audio Surf, Elite Beat Agents,  even the Guitar Hero Franchise have all made compelling content by accessing different flavors of this feature. The real questions about the addition of this feature spawn from the specificity of what is required to activate the software. How round must an object be before the game will recognize it as a possible candidate for image capture? Is 'quality of shape' the only standard by which the image is recognized and categorized? Will context, color, opacity, or stability of structure (I.E. if the photo is of a pond versus a soccer ball) play a part in the individuality of the generated content.  The addition of this feature could seriously add to the replay value of the franchise, or could simply pass under the radar as a small gimmick.  More to come as details are released.
Until then, you can access the Japanese trailer for the game and its use of the 3DS's camera software here
-T

NiGHTSIinto Dreams and Sonic Adventure 2 Return!

Sonic Image Property of Sega Enterprises

Sega announced today that both NiGHTS into Dreams and Sonic Adventure 2 will be available for digital download in October, and they will be in full HD!  Both games will be available for $9.99 on October 2nd and for 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox live Arcade for the Xbox 360 on October 5th.

Image property of Sega Enterprises

Both games will feature either additional gameplay or bonus DLC. NiGHTS into Dreams will feature free access to the expansion content Christmas NiGHTS, and Sonic Adventure 2 will have Battle Mode DLC for an additional $3.00 or 240 Microsoft points that features extra maps and characters.

-T

Hand of Fate Further Expands DC Universe's Story

The online game DC Universe expands tomorrow with the addition of the Hand of Fate DLC, a Playstation news release says.  Players will recieve three new missions that allows to join forces with either Doctor Fate or Felix Faust, representing heroes and villains respectively.  The new DLC also adds on a whole set of missions called "Operations," aimed at expanding the experience for high level characters. These missions are basically large scale raids focused on bringing "magic" out into the cities of Gotham and Metropolis.  There will be 60 additional side missions added to the game as well that serve  to further develop the depth of story and flesh out the game's locales.

Image property of DC Comics

Players can dive into this explosive content when DC Universe: Hand of Fate releases tomorrow!

-T

New Borderlands 2 Launch Trailer Releases Monday!

Borderlands 2 Logo and Images property of Gearbox Software

After much questioning and fun-having at Gearbox Community Day this weekend the audience of the "Gearbox Software Panel," was treated to a little preview.  After a brief statement from president of Gearbox Software Randy Pitchford, the lights in the room dimmed and the insanity began.

Not too give too many spoilers the trailer focused a great deal on the ambitions of Handsome Jack and his "feelings" about the protagonists. Through many flashed scenes, explosions and hostility, the return of past characters, and the most epic of fist bumps, the gearbox team displayed just how much of themselves they put into this game, how much they listened to the fans, and how much this game is going to rock!

The new Borderlands 2 release trailer is scheduled to reach fans tomorrow!
-T