It's coming! Persona 4 for Europe in 2009! Disgaea 3 as well!

Rejoice again European fans! Square-Enix have rescued Persona 4 from European release limbo and have scheduled the release for Spring 2009. The latest installment of the Persona series includes a new setting of a country town gripped with a murder mystery that is somehow related to the weather. Instead of going up the endless tower, you'll be sucked into the TV instead, just as the Americans will be when they get the game tomorrow. Pray that we don't wait too long for what could be the last great PS2 game.

While we're on the subject, Square-Enix have picked up the rights to release Disgaea 3 for the PS3 in Europe. No solid release date was given but we should be able to look forward to more level 9999 goodness next year.

Source: Eurogamer

Team ICO missing from TGS (again)

After Nobi Nobi Boy, now the most disappointing news of the show. Team ICO weren't present. Again. VideoGaming247 broke the news as a rumour but with the press days of the show over and just the consumer days remaining, there's almost no chance it will be appearing, despite Sony telling us it was coming "soon" a few months ago.

An interview by Eurogamer with Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida failed to get any concrete information apart from the fact that they he is in contact with the team. It looks like another year will pass with nothing more than a chain going down a well...

Nobi Nobi Boy - what have they done to you?!

Almost taking the top spot for disappointment at TGS 2008 was the first trailer for Nobi Nobi Boy. It looked just bizarre and nothing like it's 3D form when it was first unveiled. Hopefully there's been some kind of mistake, or the creator is just teasing us again...

Noby Noby Boy 'TGS 2008' trailer

Valkyria Chronicles release date announced with demo

Sega's sublime canvas style tactical RPG for the PS3 has been officially dated for Europe for the 31st October 2008. It was originally planned to be pushed back to November but it seems the developers want us to get our hands on it early. Something gamers will enjoy unless they're busy with the rest of the October schedule.

People who are unsure of the war-time game will be able to play a demo of the game when it hits the Playstation Network for free (in Europe at least, US users will need to pay for the latest Qore episode) on 9th October 2008.

Source: Eurogamer

Platinum Games (Seeds? Clover Studios?) developers announce 4 games with Sega

Some of the developers from the now-deceased Clover Studios have signed up to Sega to release 4 games. Shinji Mikami, Hideki Kamiya and Atsushi Inaba have previously been responsible for Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, and Okami respectively. Three games were put in the spotlight, with the 4th game currently under wraps.

First of all is Bayonetta, which has been described as a stylish action game for the PS3 and XBox360. Then there is Infinite Line for the DS which is an RPG set in space, allowing you to customise and control up to 150 spaceships. Finally, there is MADWORLD for the Wii which is a game which boasts a black & white graphical style and over-the-top violence.

All 3 games will be released in 2009.

Source: Kotaku

Japanese RPG companies team up to bring you Cross Edge

The latest issue of Famitsu has shown a potentially epic (or potentially poor) idea from some of the main Japanese developers called Cross Edge. The game, to be released on the PS3, is an RPG collaboration from Capcom, Nippon Ichi, Namco Bandai, Gust and Idea Factory. The game will feature characters from games such as Disgaea and Darkstalkers. Currently, it's known that the battles will be turn-based and the plot is something about rescuing souls.

The game is scheduled for a release on the PS3 in Japan in September. A US release is not likely and a European release has a near zero chance of happening. PS3 games are import friendly though so you might want to take the plunge!

Source: Kotaku

Echochrome demo released

A Japanese demo of the upcoming headache making puzzle game Echochrome was released today which consists of 3 full levels and 5 tutorial sessions. The demo can be picked up on the PSP Demo Center or the official Japanese Echochrome website. The game sees you manipulating the level to try and get your character to retrieve all of the shadows. The level can be rotated to block out obstacles, or use them to your advantage, for example, blocking a gap with a pillar.

Renamed Valkyria Chronicles comes to Europe this Autumn

The seriously brilliant looking Valkyria Chronicles (formerly Valkyrie of the Battlefield) has been confirmed for Europe by Sega today for the PS3. The game takes place in a make-believe Europe in the 1930's with two ruling powers, the Empire and the Federation attempting to take over the neutral Gallia. The game has been given a vague Autumn 2008 release period for the game in both America and the US.

Source: Eurogamer

ICO 3 screenshot appears

The rumours of Fumito Ueda of Team ICO being in the GDC in February have been around for a while but nothing prepared anyone for the sudden appearance of what looks to be a screenshot from the team's latest project. The screenshot came to light when a job advert coming from the team appeared with the picture. It was the original place for the previous job advert. At the moment, it seems to show a chain, going into a hole, which might be hiding someone or something deep within.

Hopefully it will make sense next month. The Games Developer Conference starts from 18th February and finishes on the 22nd February 2008.

Sources: Job listing

LittleBigPlanet heading to PS3's in September

The rumours were flying around for quite a while but a few days ago, Sony finally committed to a September release (although it isn't clear whether or not this will be worldwide or US only) for the user-generated game LittleBigPlanet. The game sees people making levels for others to download and play.

Source: Eurogamer

The hidden game guide 2008

It's that time of year. Stockings are filled, presents are opened, special nativity plays are run and it's freezing cold. So, what better time than now to look at the games you should be looking at next year! Here are some of the "less famous" games that you can look forward to next year!

Patapon - PSP - Early 2008

Okami - Wii - 2008

Odin Sphere - PS2 - First half 2008

Everybody's Golf 5 - PS3 - First half 2008

Zack & Wiki - Wii - January 2008

Little Big Planet - PS3 - Late 2008

The World Ends With You - DS - Spring 2008

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings - DS - February 2008

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker - DS - First half 2008

Echochrome - PS3/PSP - 2008

Also, we hope to hear more about:

ICO 3 - PS3 - 2009
Final Fantasy XIII - PS3 - 2009/2010
White Knight Story - PS3 - 2010
Steambot Chronicles 2 - PS3 - 2009
Galactrix - No known formats - 2008/2009
Nobi Nobi Boy - PS3 - 2009
Operation: Darkness - XBox360 - 2009
Valkyrie of the Battlefield - PS3 - 2009
The Last Remnant - PS3/XBox360 - 2009/2010
Infinite Undiscovery - XBox360 - 2009/2010

Everybody's Golf 5 chips up to Europe and US

It's been almost an eternity for this game to arrive after the Japanese release but the wait is almost over. The US recently announced that EG5 (Hot Shots Golf 5 in the US) was coming out in March 2008 and Sony Europe also confirmed that they hope to bring the game here around the same time. EG5 is the PS3 incarnation of the great EG series and supports online play (so did EG4 on the PS2 but I didn't have online facilities back then).

Source: Eurogamer

Trailer: Disgaea 3 trailer

This trailer is apparently on the Japanese PSN so you may get some better quality there. For those of us who are just dreaming about PS3's and Disgaea, we'll have to make do with a Gametrailers trailer...

Oh, and remember that PSP fans can get a dose of Disgaea this week when Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness is unleashed on Friday.



Source: NeoGAF

Edit: Gametrailers have the new trailer up and I trust their quality a lot more than Youtube obviously...

Trailer: First look at Nobi Nobi Boy

I'm playing catch up here but remember when I briefly told you about Nobi Nobi Boy being shown at GameCity in Nottingham? Well, someone kindly managed to film the event and thus we have a look at the game. So far, it's pretty weird if you asked me. Then again, so was We Love Katamari...

Trailer: Valkyrie of the Battlefield Gameplay

This video of the upcoming PS3 game gives you the basic military training and shows you how to beat your opponents by walking on top of buildings, sneaking in the grass, or just shooting on sight. Unfortunately, it's all in Japanese so you'll probably still not be fit for battle.

Gaming news in brief

Been away for a while but I'm back and now ready for a quick catch up!

Atlus announces localisation for 2 RPG's for the XBox360

Dragoneer's Aria approaches Europe

Zack & Wiki delayed to February 2008

Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness for Europe in December (maybe 7th)!

PS3's Nobi Nobi Boy shown at GameCity

Source: Eurogamer

Dark Cloud 3 being made for the PS3? [Update 1]

Only an official confirmation about ICO's PS3 game will be enough to topple this as news of the week for me. Level 5's first foray into RPG's could be about to receive it's third installment according to PSMania in Italy. I'll label this as a rumour for now, but given that the second game of the series was brilliant, I really hope that this is true and we see some early shots of the game. This is one game that will seriously sell the PS3 for me.

Source: PSU

Update: Seems this is not new news. The magazine dates back to 2006. Nothing to see here then. Darn :-(

Update source: onAXIS (still reporting wrong but with additional cover)

PS3 ICO game revealed? [Update 1: Rumour smashed]

Take with your daily pinch of salt. Actually, make that the whole shaker. A load of details on Team ICO's new project were revealed on NeoGAF and have apparantly been taken from GameInformer's next issue. What the rumour says is that the game (titled The Last Canyon) will be set in a desert and that players will control the protagonist who uses a glider to explore canyons for "something". Kind of what Nausicaa did in the critically acclaimed Studio Ghibli film, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.

The rumour has been debunked by a few on NeoGAF and some people have their doubts. We'll know if it's true or not when the next issue of GameInformer hits the US in a few days time.

Source: NeoGAF

Others reporting: IGN

Update: Seems this isn't in the latest issue of Game Informer after all (and one of the Game Informer guys on the GAF forum said so too) so this is now being labelled as false.

Watch List: LittleBigPlanet

Every Friday, I look at one of the games on the Watch List, the list of games that you should be keeping your eye on for news and reviews.

Name: LittleBigPlanet

Format: Playstation 3

Website: Official website of Media Molecule

What is it?

The game, first seen in March 2007 at the GDC, doesn't have a story as such, but it revolves around user created content. In the game, you have a chance to create your own levels, and upload them to the Internet for other people to play. To play, you would create your own character and either tackle the level on your own, or tackle the level with others as you help one another through the obstacles that others will put on you.

The first sign of the game stunned everyone (OK, nearly everyone) with it's graphical style and the possibilities of the game as a whole. It's being widely regarded as one of Sony's trump cards and is one of the most anticipated titles on the PS3.

No release date has been given for the game, but it's expected to arrive in 2008. A PSN demo of the game is not fully confirmed, but is likely to arrive sometime in the next few months.

Trailer: Steambot Chronicles 2 (TGS 2007)

One of the smaller hits last year in Europe for the PS2, this game shifted over to the PS3. At the TGS 2007, it was shown as a trailer. This was filmed by someone for your enjoyment!

Note: Not an official trailer. Even Gametrailers has a camera filmed one only :-)