Along the reveal of a new fire, water, and grass type Pokémon, the article says the protagonists will be older in age than in previous games.  That new water Pokemon is pretty adorable looking, no?  I hope he evolves into a snowman/beaver hybrid.

With the new 3D look for the series, I’m way more excited for this than I was for the Heart Gold/Soul Silver release.  Is the new look enough a change to keep the franchise fresh?  As always, your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

[FYPM, Serebii]

And of course, by roots, I mean 2D gameplay, with nothing but running fast and collecting rings.  Sans the upgraded graphics, this could have easily been released some 15 years ago.

Could this finally be the game that saves Sonic and friends?  Or is it too little too late, seeing as how the younger generation doesn’t have those fond memories of the speedy hedgehog?

Singularity hits shelves June 29, and its main feature is the use of a time manipulation device that can send objects in its path either forward or backward in time.  Use the device on enemies, and they “age,” thus resulting some cool face-melting stuff reminiscent of the ending of Raiders of the Lost Ark.  

Prototype was a big release last summer from the same team, a sandbox action game about a plague attacking Manhattan and the powers protagonist Alex Mercer gained as a result.

I’m a big fan of the mantra “If it’s free, it’s for me,” so seeing these types of deals continue to pop up is great.  It wasn’t too long ago that purchasers of Darksiders got a free copy of Red Faction: Guerrilla in the same manner.  Two games for the price of one?  Keep it up, games industry!

While traipsing through the local mall here in Louisville yesterday, my boyfriend and I happened upon a wall-wide advertisement depicting the “cool” church that has set up camp here in the area: New Vision Ministries. Having hosted a Halloween event last year, the church is advertised as a very hip and unorthodox place of worship. I can’t make any comment as to the validity of those claims, but if their methods of advertising are any indication, they’re trying hard to reach out to the gamer demographic.

At first glance, the image seen in this advertisement is strange enough. Why in the world are they dancing around a bunch of sandbags, and why? Is this metaphorical spiritual warfare finally made tangible?

No, it’s something even more puzzling, as you have a closer look: the “Call of Duty Sermon Series” is apparently being depicted in these images I hastily snapped with my cell phone.

Before my boyfriend and I began howling with laughter, I stopped to ponder: what in the world could Call of Duty possibly bring to the table at church? And how is it Photoshopped so impeccably? Are the pastors aware of the series’ violent nature and the vitriol spewn by so many of its online players? Did they even think this through?

Go figure on that one, kids.

It’s going to be held in the same location that it was held last year, namely the Westin Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Hotel, located about three miles away from the D/FW Airport. If you order your tickets before January 31st they’re only charging 30 dollars for all three days, after that the price goes up to 40 dollars. There is also a call for volunteers being sent out, so if you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and want free admission/a t-shirt/meal, feel free to swing on over to the SGC website to find out how to apply.

Last year Screw Attack brought out the big guns with the Angry Video Game Nerd and Jack Thompson attending, and this year’s guests will be no less controversial. That’s right, attending this year’s convention will be none other than the Angry Video Game Nerd (again) and a special Q&A session with video game director Uwe Boll over a Skype conference chat. Of course all your favorite Screw Attack personalities will be there, along with other panels yet to be announced.

I went to last year’s SGC, and I have to say that it drew quite a larger crowd than I expected. While the actual “convention” part is nothing like the bigger ones out on the coasts (E3, PAX, etc), it’s great to see enough interest in a gaming convention closer to the middle of the country where people who can’t make it out to those larger conventions are held. And while I don’t think Uwe Boll will live up to the standard Jack Thompson set last year, I do think a live question and answer session will be fun to watch. Hopefully with more sponsers and exhibitors, this year’s SGC will garner enough interest to keep them coming in the future.

For more information, or to preorder tickets, visit SGConvention.com. See you there.

But why do video games suffer from such a notorious reputation? Is it a crummy budget, bad casting, or just a bad batch of filmmakers and so-called creative minds? Maybe. But we all know that there’s too many awful video game movies out there to blame it on a handful of random factors. Books seem to revel in the highest adaptation success rate, with comics close behind and gaining speed fast. So is it just the medium? Video games aren’t always known for stellar storytelling, but die-hard fans are eager and willing to take up arms to defend their beloved games that, well … don’t suck.

To narrow down the problem and then decapitate it with expert accuracy, perhaps straying into well-received examples from other mediums could teach us a thing or two. We might as well begin with two of the hottest comic book movies on record: The Dark Knight and Iron Man. It’s fair to say that both movies were extremely well-cast, smartly written and directed, and combined just the right amounts of humor and eye-popping action with drama and character. Neither film, however, took its plot straight from the page. In fact, Christopher Nolan scrounged together over seventy years of Batman comics history and chose a limited number of sources to draw heavily upon for his interpretation, and the consummation was uniquely his own. Even Iron Man adapted Tony Stark’s origin into something more modern. Not all video games have a library of material to offer filmmakers, but the two films do raise a crucial issue.

Take Batman: Arkham Asylum or even X-Men Origins: Wolverine, for example. Comics haven’t always emerged from their transformation into video games with all their limbs intact, but the aforementioned games have surprised us more than some would like to admit. For the most part, Wolverine was an entertaining, hackin’ and slashin’ adventure, and it didn’t always follow the disastrous course of its movie counterpart. But Arkham Asylum, though its basic premise can be traced back to the graphic novel by the same name, was a creation unrelated to the Nolan films that utilized the essence of the comics to form a new and engaging storyline. Once again, they hit the right notes.

So let’s move on to one of the better albeit still groan-inspiring video game to movie adaptations, Silent Hill. First of all, there’s something wrong with a movie that tries to explain the mechanics of a town whose allure resides so much in enigmatic horror, and even more bad steps are taken when the film messes with the basics: the protagonist. You know, that Harry Mason guy? Lost his daughter? Not too bright, but we still love him anyway? I’m pretty sure he was never a woman named Rose, and I’m rather certain he never had a Lord of the Rings husband who led a search team through the fog-blanketed vicinity, either. The film sacrifices unquestionable essentials for ones that should have been discarded in the switch from the video game medium. While creating an atmosphere that contains the spirit of the original is a commendable and necessary feat, it’s important to remember that there’s more to a source than haunting or gritty visuals—otherwise, what’s there to tell in terms of plot? If director Christophe Gans had stopped at atmosphere and focused on the roots of the series instead of making it his mission to turn every bit and piece into a replica, then maybe the result would have been more movie and less video game wannabe.

Filmmakers can’t get it out of their head that they’re dealing with a video game, and sometimes actors perform under the same ignorant cloud. The people who replaced “comic book movie” with “movie” struck success more often than failure, leading to the current rise and popularity of comic book films. Video games need a team who can adopt the same sort of philosophy. Rather than concentrating on the product that you play on a console, it’s more important to break it down into raw material that screenwriters, directors, and actors can understand and mold. From there, it’s more manageable to figure out how each element links together and which ones contribute to any flaws or downfalls of the game. It’s not a difficult process with the right individuals, but Hollywood can’t stop salivating over high-budget special effects, fateful box office numbers, and a quick fix for the industry to spend any precious time over a genuine endeavor at an adaptation in the most classic sense.

Adaptations aren’t supposed to be word-for-word, scene-for-scene—any reasonable translator or linguist can tell you that. And maybe we, as fans, need to stop being so picky about every single detail in book, comic, and video games on the silver screen and remember that creating an adaptation is an art, not a scientific process. What holds real worth is what we fell in love with in the first place: a story and world that immerses us, a menagerie of characters, and the spirit of it all. Filmmakers shoulder the heaviest burden, but fans need to step back, provide them some leniency and breathing room, and keep in mind that pressuring them for perfection is as unrealistic and illogical as the phrase “perfect translation.” There’s a difference between perfect and flawless; flawlessness embodies the brilliant transfer into a separate medium, creating a pure yet intact work. Although the term implies more faith and loyalty than perhaps it’s fair to expect, at least it gives creators and audiences alike a general idea of where our priorities should lie.

Each medium has its restrictions and requires different methodology, but that’s the beauty of an adaptation: What one medium can’t do, another can.

[Ed. Note: WITA. also known as Stephanie Carmichael, is currently a guest writer at Spawn Kill! We can guarantee you'll want to sink your teeth into more of her work, which you can find here at her personal blog, RadNerd, Impulse Creations, and scattered all over the place at GEN! Thanks for stepping in, Stephanie!]

Hurray! Another wacky Japanese PS3 game is being released in America. Yesterday via Sony’s PlayStation twitter and Siliconera we got confirmation on the rumor that 3D Dot Game Heroes will be coming out in North America for the PlayStation 3. No publisher was detailed, but since Sony Computer Entertainment America made the announcement we should consider them the front runner.

I had no idea what this game was about, so I did a little research for you all. It’s a game developed by From Software, makers of Demon’s Souls (which means it will be hard) and takes place in a classic RPG kingdom whose king, following the successful defeat of a demon lord, declares that the world should be in 3D. As you can tell from the picture above something goes horribly wrong and it is your job to find out. Ain’t that always the way?

[Source: Siliconera]

You’ve heard of Dante’s Inferno, right? The game with the crazy marketing from EA and message board posters calling it a “shameless God of War clone.” Well, now Visceral Games have announced that the writer from Monster’s Ball and Academy Award Nominee Will Rokos will be providing the storyline for the upcoming game.

Rokos has been enjoying himself while working on the project which gave him the opportunity to “re-imagine Dante as a flawed hero with a dark past, and his determination to save the love of his life from a terrible fate. It was a truly unique experience to re-create one man’s hell, one circle at a time.”

Dante’s Inferno is looking at a February 2010 release and I am really looking forward to see how much “creative license” the development team takes with this tragic comedy.

[Source: Joystiq]

Called the Slide Panel Retro it has up to 4GB of space, a built-in camera, mp3 player, and built in software emulation. Your features sound like everything I could ever want in a device, but your blatant exploit of the PSP Go’s design is making me have commitment issues. Get your act together China, seriously.

[Source: Joystiq]

The survey “Young Love”, which surveyed 4,700 American children and their parents online over a nine month period, found that kids from the age 6-12 years old loved them some Wii and DS. I don’t blame them; Nintendo is great at putting out fun games that are family friendly. The survey included more than 260 consumer brands across 20 different product categories. Among the brands that rank in the top ten are Oreo, McDonald’s, M&M’s and Nickelodeon. In terms of gaming PlayStation ranks 14^th, Xbox 42^nd, GameCube 76^th and Nintendogs coming in at 96^th.

“From Crayola to iPod, kids’ most loved brands are familiar, iconic brands that delight kids and parents with variety, value, family-friendly content, and simple pleasures,” Smarty Pants President Wynne Tyree said in a statement. “Interestingly, the top brands are not traditional ‘for kids only’ brands; in fact, many are not marketed directly to kids.” According to SmartyPants the brands most liked by kids were ones that offered high-quality family time, age-appropriate content, parent approved, variety and advertising that got kids talking amongst themselves.

Nintendo was a huge part of my childhood from the cereal to drinks and, of course, the great games. The Wii is the NES and Super NES of this generation and just like back then, even adults want to get into the action. The difference with the Wii is that parents are able to get play the games with their kids, creating a new way to spend time together as a family. For more on the study visit SmartyPants were you can see the top 100 brands loved by kids.

[Source: SmartyPants]

Fortunately, there are now three absolutely free ones that are not only great looking (the Phantom Hourglass poster is particularly attractive), but are FREE if you’ve bought even a few Nintendo licensed games over the past couple of years.  My shelf is packed with Nintendo gamage, so not only will I have a charming DS display holder and a plush Mario hat (no I did not choose to Punch-Out Doc Louis, the man trained me for crying out loud!), but now my Fathead Link sticker now has a little company.  The three posters run a mere 350 coins, which is roughly 7-8 games.  Wii games net you 50 coins, DS games net you 30, and a system can get you up to 300.  7-8 games may seem like quite a bit, but if you figure in games like Wii Play and Wii Sports, and any peripheral type games you may have purchased (Wii Fit or Link’s Crossbow Training) just for the peripheral, you’d be surprised how quickly the points add up.  You can basically consider every dollar you’ve spent to earn you one coin, though it doesn’t take deals you’ve gotten into account obviously.  You also get ten coins for every survey about a game you’ve registered you fill out.

The only negative here, and it’s difficult to consider it a negative as everything is free, is that Club Nintendo’s shipping is painfully slow.  It’s been since mid-July that they offered the Mario hat, and I’ve yet to receive it.  But even the shipping is free, so what’s really to complain about?  Head on over to Club Nintendo to sign up!

Also, and hopefully this is true, the demo will feature the first boss of the game. Many game demos (looking at you, Mega Man 9 and Arkham Asylum) bring user up to a point where a massive conflict is upon the player, only to flash a short game trailer and revert to the title screen. Don’t take my word for it, though. Here it is from the press release (via e-mail):

“…These weapons, along with a variety of deadly combos, powerful double-team attacks with allies and Eddie’s self-made hot-rod, the Deuce, will all be needed in order to defeat the vicious boss at the end of the demo.”

Also hinted at in the press release was the availability of the demo to everybody in “upcoming weeks.” Luckily, Spawn Kill has tracked down news that is even more accurate — according to the Brütal Legend Twitter, the Brütal Legend demo will be available for all Xbox Live users on September 24th and for PSN users on October 1st.

Brütal Legend’s official full-retail release in North America will be on “Rocktober” 13th. Stay tuned to Spawn Kill for all the latest Brütal Legend news.

[Sources: Press Release, Brütal Legend Twitter]

The basic premise behind Legend of Legaia might remind you of a Stephen King novel – a thick, unnatural mist has enveloped the land and is bringing about monsters with perilous intentions. The ancient Seru creatures that have aided humans throughout the world’s history are now serving as hosts to the mist’s dubious plans, turning people with equipped Seru into horrible beasts. The protagonist, a spunky teenager named Vahn, encounters a mystic Ra-Seru, a Lord among the symbiotic creatures left by God to aid humanity. The Ra-Seru contracts Vahn to track down and revive Genesis trees, ancient trees capable of dissipating nearby mist and thus restoring order to the world. To aid in his quest, Vahn encounters two other supremely powerful do-gooders that are inevitably tied to the fate of the land.

Contrail went out of its way to create a 3D polygonal world. While certainly novel, the blocky backgrounds couldn’t hold up to the polish presented by RPG King Square’s pre-rendered backgrounds. The character models were slmost on part with the previous release on Final Fantasy VII — more proportionally correct, but with something still not quite right.  On the plus side, buildings and interiors had a perceived depth to them, making the in-game world feel much more fleshed-out. Also noteworthy is the game’s soundtrack. While extremely reliant upon synth percussion and stringed instruments, the music adds another otherworldly layer upon its admittedly far-out premises.

The one aspect of Legend of Legaia that deserves more praise than the rest is its battle system. Like many titles under the umbrella of the role-playing genre, (and especially those listed here on Spawn Kill’s Do You Remember segments) the real meat of the game is the battling – be it the leveling structure, skill hierarchy, job system, or, in the case of this title, the battles themselves. Legend of Legaia put forth a battle system that heavily emphasized combo-based offensive abilities. When in-battle, the player could press various directions on the directional pad for left arm, right arm, high, and low attacks. Different strings of these attacks could lead to a new combination being learned and stored on a convenient menu. As the availability of Action Points increased, more hits can be added to attacks, and greater combos could be achieved. Within battles, players are also able to use a Spirit command to regain spent AP and defend, use items, and specify magic (absorbed by enemies) to use from the equipped Ra-Seru. The system is drastically different than almost everything on the PlayStation up to its release (with the exception of Xenogears), and offers flexibility in an area where most RPGs would simply ask for the X button to be pressed repeatedly.

Although the simple nature of the plot may have been standard fare, the motivating force behind Legend of Legaia’s characters was something unseen in the gaming world. Sure, the presentation and music weren’t to the highest standards, and many people may have passed the title up because of those elements, but what kept buyers happy and fans returning to the game was what Legend of Legaia ultimately offered then and still offers now — something unique. Many games in the present stick to what works, and Legend of Legaia creators Contrail dared to veer from the norm. For that, and for this game, they should be commended.

Do You Remember is an ongoing effort at Spawn Kill to showcase some of the great and often forgotten titles in gaming history. Be sure to check back every Thursday for the newest edition of Do You Remember.

As you have surely seen before, the visual flair of Mini Ninjas is undeniably crisp. Look, here is the proof!

Do you want to crap your pants yet? This video showcases just one of the six characters available in the game. For another vignette, check out our Mini Ninjas Mini Preview. As always, stay tuned to Spawn Kill for all you need to know about Mini Ninjas.

Vagrant Story follows the exploits of Ashley Riot, a “Riskbreaker” (awesome) whose objective is to hunt down and presumably arrest Sydney Losstarot, a cult leader who was wanted for numerous crimes against government officials. Obligatory plot twists ensue – it turns out that the good guys are the bad ones, there are ghouls everywhere, allies have become corrupted by want for power, and the mysterious force called Darkness that fuels the evil side of the city is looking for a new host. To divulge any more details would be to give away important parts of one of the finest plotlines I have been privileged to witness unfold.

Visually, Vagrant Story is about on par with game releases around the same time frame with a few exceptions. Since Square opted not to use prerendered backgrounds, there is noticeably less shine in-game than titles like Final Fantasy VIII (released about eight months before Vagrant Story). However, everything in-game can be viewed from a first-person perspective, allowing for a higher sense of interaction with surroundings. Dominated by many browns and blacks, only specific scenes in the game were colorful – flashbacks of Ashley’s broken and confusing past, for instance, were bathed in a kind of luminous, chromatic aura. Regardless of slim detail and dull colors, character models moved quite fluidly, and animations were spot-on for all actions.

Though simple in appearance, Vagrant Story is home to some big innovations for the genre, as well as some simple changes that make the entire package so much more concise. There are no shops with which to buy weaponry – everything Ashley needs, he makes or modifies from dungeon loot to suit his purposes. Interaction in-game is limited wholly to cutscenes, using simple-yet-stunning comic-style speech boxes. The protagonist is able to move objects within specific areas, run, and also jump to clear obstacles. The added platforming elements take the basics of the game more towards the action/adventure genre, but the battle system wholly solidifies its RPG status.

Without a doubt, Vagrant Story’s battle system is its strongest selling point. Battles in VS are handled within a spherical area of attack around Ashley. Enemies within the sphere were able to be hit within range of the equipped weapon or magic. Ashley is able to target specific parts of his enemy’s body, allowing for various status effects from disabled limbs as well as heavy damage to specific weak points. Timing attacks into Combos is also possible using what is referred to as “Chain Abilities”. Magic is gained through the use of grimoires, books of dark arts left behind by fallen enemies, and a few abilities become available later that allow for increased offensive and defensive capabilities. Playing a crucial role, players are required to balance a Risk meter. If the Risk is meter is high, the rewards can be more powerful strikes, more critical hits, and more potent sorcery. Like its name implies, however, Risk is a double-edged sword. When the Risk meter is nearly full, Ashley’s defenses will be lowered, causing enemies to hit much harder.

As with many RPGs of the Golden Era, the main reason to revisit classic titles falls into two categories: warm nostalgia, and dedication to the genre. Vagrant Story introduces a third into the mix; connection to a universe in which several games take place. The entire plot unfolds in the world of Ivalice, a place that has only recently become more fleshed-out since the 2006 release of Final Fantasy XII. There is much cross-pollination here, as Final Fantasy XII makes references to items and names from Vagrant Story (as well as Final Fantasy Tactics, obviously).

The mechanics and visual styles put forth in Vagrant Story are some that are not often (if ever since) utilized within any genre of games. While any of the aforementioned reasons should be more than enough for fans to pick up this title, what this game ultimately offers is a one-of-a-kind tale with a simply beautiful execution. Vagrant Story is an often-overlooked, unfortunately-forgotten title offering unparalleled depth and entertainment.

Do You Remember is an ongoing effort at Spawn Kill to showcase some of the great and often forgotten titles in gaming history. Be sure to check back every Thursday for the newest edition of Do You Remember.