The ever popular side-scrolling shooter Metal Slug returns in the form of a PSP game titled Metal Slug XX. Originally released in 1999, the classic 2D run n’ gun shooter Metal Slug X is getting a bit of a facelift on the PSP. The high resolution 2D art brings to life all the stages in the game. Metal Slug XX will include the original stages along with adding co-op support via Ad-Hoc Wireless Lan and the popular Combat School mode. In Combat School you will go through 70 mini game challenges and if you do well enough you can unlock some fancy new weapons. In order to play Metal Slug XX’s Co-op mode you and a friend will have to have a copy of the game.

(more…)

Share On

Fan of Disgaea? Enjoy the errant visual novel? Me too! But this post isn’t about me. It’s about Disgaea Infinite, NIS America’s next entry into the lighthearted yet ridiculously deep strat-RPG series. Except this time around, there’s no strategy to be found. It’s a visual novel! I’m just as surprised as you are, but most definitely intrigued.
(more…)

Share On

Cliches can be a tense edge to stand on.  On occasion, they’re welcome because we know them, we’ve experienced them. We feel nostalgia when revisiting them.  At other times, they’re tired, worn beings who we’d prefer to see put down rather than continue on in their dogged existence.  Whichever way any one player feels about a cliche, the very definition of the word means that it’s something that’s been done enough times that it’s predictable.  Half-Minute Hero uber-enhances every single RPG cliche we’ve seen over the past 20 year, but does it in the most unique way I’ve ever seen.

(more…)

Share On

Putting out a solid sports game every year isn’t the easiest thing to do. Companies either don’t improve enough from the successful title or they try to do too much and turn a game that was once great into a disappointment. Sony’s MLB series was struggling to break through the baseball market with 2K Sports’ and EA’s titles getting all the spotlight. It wasn’t until they decided to take a couple of years off to create The Show that they became the baseball franchise for three years running. With MLB 10 The Show, Sony hopes to yet again provide the best baseball experience to gamers by introducing some new features while improving presentation, Road to The Show, and the all-important online play.

(more…)

Share On

Atlus and Persona series fans had heard about the infamous Persona 3 Portable months ago, but that was sadly for the Japanese version.  While SMT fanatics played through Persona PSP, we waited (as patiently as we could) for today: the official announcement that Persona 3 Portable or P3P, will arrive in North America in July (both on UMD and via PSN).

(more…)

Share On

I know what you’re probably thinking: Dear, God!  Not another Transformers game! But still your heart: unlike the other recently released Transformers titles, this one is not based on a movie, and the developer, High Moon Studios, is doing what they can to do the fans the service they’ve been waiting for.  The goal is to be like Batman: Arkham Aslyum was in 2009, only doing for the Transformers franchise what that game did for Batman (and all comic book games, by extension).  We’ll have to wait until June 22 to find out for sure, but for now, check out the new trailer to whet your appetite.

Share On

Like to shoot stuff?  Like when stuff gets shot by you?  Then this trailer might be right in your wheelhouse because it has more bullets than any trailer in the history of video games.  Yeah, I said it.  You heard it here at Spawn Kill first.  There is such a hale of bullets in this trailer that you may need to visit the hospital when you’re through to treat those crossfire wounds. 

The trailer features more than just bullets though.  It also shows off a bit of EPIC BOSS FIGHTS, lots of co-op multiplayer via the snazzy new adhoc system, and just the game in general.  It looks whacky.  It looks zany.  It looks like it stepped right out of the bowling alley I grew up in.  Check out it and prepare to be blown away.  Praise be to Atlus. 

Share On

It feels good to be an Atlus fan.  Where other publishers might disappoint and money-grub, Atlus fans can basically always expect to find something around the corner to look forward to.  2010 brings an announcement no different with a game called Hexyz Force.  Hexyz Force is an RPG on the PSP, and that’s rarely a bad thing.

(more…)

Share On

The story of Joan of Arc, heroine of France and historical legend, is known to many.  The tale tells of a young lass who hears the voice of God telling her to save France from the wicked English.  She does so by taking up arms and slaughtering people Old Testament style.  The game Jeanne D’arc follows this theme, but throws in animal human hybrids, elves, demons, and just about every other fantasy cliché one can dream up.  It still takes place in France, it still stars Jeanne herself, and it even features burning at the stake, but players certainly won’t be gaining any historical insight when playing.

What they will gain is one of the finest portable strategy RPG experiences they’ll probably ever play.

(more…)

Share On

I’ve firmly decided that the gaming industry wishes for me to file bankruptcy. That must be the only explanation. I can’t think of a better reason for packages such as the definitive edition of Lunar: Silver Star Harmony, because I know where my cash is going in Q1 of 2010 alongside some of my most-anticipated titles. As one of the first RPG franchises aside from Final Fantasy that I loved and connected with, the Lunar games are near and dear to my heart. I’m proud to say that I’d love to go broke in style with the $39.99 edition of Lunar: Silver Star Harmony, the upcoming remake of Lunar: Silver Star Story.

Aside from a reworked and remastered presentation of the classic tale, the purchase of Lunar: Silver Star Harmony’s limited edition will net you a soundtrack CD as well as trading cards of the bromides seen in-game, 13 in all. And you know you killed yourself trying to collect them all, didn’t you? Naughty.

Coming next year via XSEED Games, this package may never compare to Lucia’s pendant that we eagerly tore out of its velour pouch with Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete  nor the vast amount of goodies Working Designs saw fit to provide us back in the 90s, but it’s something. This game is worthy of a little celebration, and ten dollars more than suggested retail is more than worth it to me.

If you haven’t previously enjoyed Lunar: Silver Star Story in one of its many forms, then now’s a perfect time to do so as it arrives on the ever-metamorphosizing PSP.

Share On

The MLB 2K series has been struggling to return to it’s former glory but the one department in which they always shine is who they choose as their cover athlete. The cover athlete used to belong to only Derek Jeter aka Mr. November, but for 2K8 they went away from that formula and put Jose Reyes on the cover. This year they decided to go with Cy Young pitcher Tim Lincecum aka The Freak. For next year’s title 2K Sports once again chose another up and coming young baseball star in Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays. Longoria is one of the best players in Major League Baseball and he’s only going into his third year. He made his debut in 2008 and was named AL Rookie of the Year. The third baseman who hit 33 homeruns and drove in 113 RBI’s this past season, is known for not only his hitting but his glove as well winning a Gold Glove this year.

“It’s been a milestone year for me, from winning a Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger Award, to now being selected as the cover athlete for Major League Baseball 2K10-this has been a truly humbling experience,” said Longoria, All-Star third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays.

This year 2K Sports is allowing the fans to choose the cover at 2ksports.com. The voting will run till December 8^th and the final cover will be released on December 11^th.  Unlike other sports games no curse comes with being on the cover, in fact both Reyes and Lincecum had improved seasons after being on the cover; Lincecum winning NL Cy Young again this year. I’m sure this makes Longoria less hesitant to be featured on the cover. MLB 2K10 will be available in the spring of 2010 across all platforms.

[Source: IGN]

Share On

Ever bought a PSP game that claimed some wicked multiplayer, only to find out that you’d have to be within ten yards of someone to actually face off against them?  You know you have.  While multiplayer via the internet has always been the rage in North America, it doesn’t seem to fly much in Japan, and for this reason Sony never integrated any network play for its portable system.  This has enraged a few of us who wished to test our Dissidia skills out on hapless fools or even wanted to see how our FPS  mojo transferred over to the portable realm.  Some clever souls have gotten around this restriction with some unsupported programs, but for the most part, the PSP in North America has remained a single player experience.  There just aren’t enough gamers riding subways or eating at Burger King together.

Well that can now change as AdhocParty will soon be released via the PlayStation Network for the ridiculous cost of zero dollars. (more…)

Share On

Tekken has long been a viable alternative to those who have strayed from the Street Fighter, Soulcalibur, or Mortal Kombat camps. Ever the dark horse of the genre, it’s been around long enough to avoid the typical pitfalls that riddle efforts considered unsuccessful by the community. With the advent of Tekken 6, that lucky streak seems to have been cut short. While the core gameplay is slick and enjoyable brawler, the pithy Scenario mode and overall presentation mire this flashy fighter in a mess of broken gameplay, dated graphics, and disappointing online play. While it may be enjoying great success in the arcades, I can’t quite recommend it as a console port.

(more…)

Share On

Comic book heroes, RPG-lite mechanics, and a whole lot of silliness go a long way when it comes to gaming. Even if you’re not on the up-and-up with Tony Stark’s background or Deadpool’s merc-with-a-mouth ‘tude, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 can still quench your thirst for a powerful, entertaining adventure that grips you with all its might and seldom lets go. It resonates with the dulcet tones of the original game, providing that feel-good jolt that you sometimes need in this day and age, what with all the underwhelming games being released for no good reason (Ju-On, anyone?). While it may not have technically improved over its predecessor in too many discernible ways, it’s just plain fun. 

(more…)

Share On

There’s no denying that Laharl is one of the coolest characters when it comes to the world of Disgaea. Or is it Etna? Or Pleinair? In any case, the Disgaea series is known for some of its more colorful characters, especially the recognizable flame-haired Etna. Imagine the surprise when Disgaea 2 introduced Adell and Rozalin, completely different protagonists that didn’t seem to fit in so well the original game’s attitude. With that, a new can of worms was opened, one that fans were eager to jump right into despite initial hestiancy. More Disgaea? Yes please! How could anyone pass that up? Disgaea 2 was released a few years ago now, but that very same experience has been brought to the ultra-portable PSP in the form of Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days. It packs all of the frustratingly hard gameplay, spunky characters, and brand-new story chapters into a package you can take along with you anywhere you want to escape to a world where Overlords run rampant and magical quests abound, with great finesse. This is a port you can be proud of.

(more…)

Share On