With its unique visuals and intriguing factions, Brink, the upcoming FPS from Bethesda is sure to have fans of the genre interested to learn more.  Well, if you’re one of those people, you’re in luck.  You can check out the recently released cinematic trailer below, or visit the recently re-launched website for more information, assets, an other insights.  Right now, Brink is looking at a Q3 2010 release window, with no official date yet set.  So sit back and enjoy the video, and keep tuned to Spawn Kill for more info as it rolls in.
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Is Heavy Rain a video game? Is it interactive drama? Is it both? Maybe a better question to all three questions is: is it good? Tigresa (Stephanie) and Snarkasaur (Dave) aim to find out with a little deliberation. We may disagree about nudity a bit, but I think we come to a common consensus on Heavy Rain as a whole in the end. Heavy Rain is a difficult game to both review or discuss without getting knee-deep in spoiler territory, but we have taken on that very challenge.

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At last year’s E3 there was one game that stood out and completely blew me away and it was from Disney Interactive Studios. Split/Second, the action racing game from Black Rock Studios is bringing us a racing game that we’ve never seen before. From the creators of Pure, Split/Second was awarded Best Racing Game  of E3 2009 from many critics.

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With the winter Olympics just a couple of weeks away I was searching for a way to get ready for Olympic competition and video games seemed to be the perfect answer. Sadly the only one available is Vancouver 2010: The Official Videogame of the Winter Olympic Games. Developed by Eurocom and published by Sega, this Olympic title looks great and does a great job giving gamers the sense of speed you see in the Winter Games; however the title lacks any sort of depth and suffers from unforgiving AI, so much so that I have yet to get a gold in all events after playing for countless hours.
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The Last Rebellion is an RPG from NIS America that isn’t getting a whole lot of press.  We can blame Mass Effect 2 or Final Fantasy 13 for this certainly, or we can even blame a waning interest in JRPGs in general.  What we probably shouldn’t ignore is that another RPG with some major potential is heading to the PS3, and given the strong output of Nippon Ichi over the years, I for one am taking heed.  Sure, they haven’t been pure gold (A Witch’s Tale, though decent, needed work), but they’ve been solid.

The Last Rebellion follows protagonists Nine and Aisha.  Nine is a Blade, who can kill things physically, and Aisha is a Sealer, who can kill things spiritually (like most women!).  In short, they’re summoned to a kingdom in need to sort out some monster issues, there’s some gods and goddesses, typical JRPG stuff.  There’s more to it, but that’s just the gist.  World exploration is free range and combat is turn-based, but also involved in that players don’t just choose an action and end their turn.  Rather, certain body parts can be targeted, Aisha and Nine can be used alternatively or exclusively, etc.  The game looks beautiful, as the trailer and screens can testify below, and bears a lovely resemblance to Tales of Vesperia and even the Wii and Gamecube versions of Fire Emblem.

The game, in a shocking turnaround, will release in the states a mere month after it’s Japanese introduction, possibly even less, with a vague hint at February.  With a January 28th release in Japan, that’s quick localization!  Hopefully not too quick.  Though some of the passion for JRPGs might be leaving western shores, I know myself and a few others are glancing with hopeful eyes towards this February horizon.

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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.

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MLB ‘10 The Show, the follow up to last year’s critically acclaimed sports title, looks to continue to dominate the baseball market. For those looking for some pre-order goodies, Amazon has got you covered. Pre-ordering the upcoming title on Amazon and you’ll receive a code that unlocks six classic stadiums: Shibe Park, Forbes Field, Polo Grounds, Crosley Field, Sportsman’s Park and Griffith Stadium. You can redeem it at the PlayStation Store just a few days after the game ships. For hardcore baseball fans this is a pretty good incentive to pre-order The Show from Amazon. The upcoming PS3 exclusive baseball sim is set to release on March 2^nd.

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If the four characters whom you’ll get to control in the upcoming game Heavy Rain just seems, well, not quite enough, then you’re in luck.  According to some statements made in a recent interview, game creator David Cage has revealed that in DLC episodes (Heavy Rain Chronicles), players will get an opportunity to play as the Origami Killer himself in order to learn more about his origins.

All episodes in Chronicles will serve as prequels to the main game, giving you background information about the various characters. For example, why Madison Paige is an insomniac or how Norman Jayden became addicted to triptocaine.  Each episode will be approximately an hour long, although delivery method and price hasn’t been clarified.  However, those who pre-order from select retailers will get access to the first DLC episode before anyone else and for free.

[Source: Joystiq]

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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.

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After a long day’s work of gaming (I use the term ‘work’ loosely here), there is nothing I like more than to take an hour break in between furious gaming sessions to relax with. This for me is almost always a music/rhythm game, because they’re just so easy to pop in and get down to business with. And hot damn it’s always what I want and when I want it. I had always wanted to get into the SingStar business, and as a lover of Spanish music, when I heard SingStar Latino was being made for North American PS3 gamers, I was more than ready to finally get started. (Since playing this though for review now I’ve gone out and picked up SingStar Vol. 1 and SingStar Vol. 2.)

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If our recent preview of Heavy Rain haven’t gotten you rushing to pre-order the upcoming “Interactive Movie” from the maker of Indigo Prophecy, then perhaps this latest announcement will.

Starting today, if you pre-order a copy of Heavy Rain, you will get a code to download the first DLC episode free.  Entitled The Heavy Rain Chronicles, these add-on episodes will be a series of stories that take place either before or after the events of the main game, and each will focus on one character from the original story.  Your pre-order purchase will give you access to the first of these, The Heavy Rain Chronicles: Chapter One — The Taxidermist, and will feature investigative journalist Madison Paige in one of her first cases tracking down a serial killer.

Apparently, this episode will be similar to the early demo versions you probably remember if you’ve been following the game, as it is an expansion and update of the original “Taxidermist” demo in which Paige is in a spooky house and later gets attacked by a bulging man.

Each Heavy Rain Chronicles episode will be $4.99, and right now two are scheduled to be released shortly after the main game hits store shelves.  It’s important to note that those who pre-order will have instant access to the first DLC episode (in addition to getting it free), whereas all others will have to wait (no schedule has been released yet for these).

Right now the only US retailers participating in this offer are Amazon, GameCrazy, and Gamestop (both online and in-store).  Canadian gamers have a few more options: Amazon.ca, BestBuy.ca, EBGames, and FutureShop.ca.

[Source: Official Playstation Blog]

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This generation Japanese RPGs haven’t really ridden the momentum they had going for them during the PS2 days. Both the PS1 and the PS2 were literally an everlasting cave of wonders for gamers who love JRPGs. Unfortunately this generation I can’t say the same yet, with only a handful of them out 3-4 years into this generation, none of them are really much to write home about. My optimism hasn’t been flushed down the toilet yet, because aside from the powerhouse that is Final Fantasy XIII, there are still a few such as Resonance of Fate and White Knight Chronicles coming down the pipeline with something worth offering to the genre. Today I got a little hands on time with the PS3 exclusive White Knight Chronicles to see what this has different in store for us.

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While the Wii is home to the casual gaming phenomenon, last year Xbox 360 owners were able to pick up Scene It? Box Office Smash! which was a phenomenal trivia game built up off the popular DVD board game series. It successfully put together single player, with a group or with the fam, and against the online community exceptionally well. One year later and Warner Bros. has taken the reigns from last year’s Microsoft for the publishing work and launched Scene It? Brights Lights! Big Screen! for the Xbox 360 and the first time being seen on the PS3. So the begging question is: Is it just a crate of new questions that could have been DLC to last year’s game? Or is this an updated package worth updating your holiday gaming arsenal for the family this year?

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Monsters-in-the-closet fans and loud-noise-afficiandos rejoice! Today EA announced that a sequel to the 2008 hit Dead Space is on the way, marking a return of your favorite sci-fi author named hero Isaac Clarke and his friends the necromorphs to the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Wielding new tools along with his trusty Plasma Cutter in his crusade against the necromorph assult, this game will see Isaac “calling the shots” in the fight against the alien horde.

Minor gripes aside, I really enjoyed the first Dead Space and am excited that EA is giving the go ahead on a sequel. And while my head is still trying to wrap around where exactly they’ll take the story, with “…plot twists that will surprise you and a huge cast of twisted, disgusting monsters…” mentioned, now that it’s official, I’m sure we’ll all get our fill of dismemberment sometime next year.

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Soon after the game’s release, last week, Ubisoft announced the DLC plans for Assassin’s Creed II. Ubisoft plans to release two DLC packs in early 2010 for the game on both PS3 and XBox 360. The first pack, “Battle of Forli,” is slated to release in January, while the second pack, “Bonfire of the Vanities,” is due out in February.

“Battle of Forli” will deal with the town of Forli being seized by the villain of the game, Cesare Borgia. The “Bonfire of the Vanities” deals with an actual historical event where members of the church congregated and burned vanity items such as mirrors in a large fire. Both titles are pretty self revealing, but that’s the gist of the plots.

There has been no mention of price yet, but each DLC pack does require at least 1GB of memory. Start clearing your memory now!

[Source: IGN]

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