We don't yet know precisely what to make of Rockstar's upcoming L.A. Noire (not that that's necessarily a bad thing), but after poring over a new Edge piece on the game, we think we may be getting a clearer picture.
"With traditional adventure games, everything is based on what the designer wants you to figure out," Jeronimo Barrera, VP of product development at Rockstar, told the publication. "We've kind of gone for a different approach, which is more like real-world detective work."
Developer Team Bondi isn't coming right out and putting it this way, but L.A. Noire sounds like a new genre, caught halfway between the open-world action of a Grand Theft Auto and the brainteaser pacing of a classic adventure game. Could we be witnessing the birth of the true "detective" game? Figure that one out.
Do you remember the last time you fell in love with a game? I don't mean "really liked," I don't mean "played a ton," I mean loved.
I remember the moment it happened with me and Metro 2033. I hit the Back-button to check my objectives and was surprised to see my character, an everyman named Artyom, pull out a physical clipboard with notes scribbled on it and a built-in compass. Not only did I need to pull the Right-trigger to look at it, I needed to pull the Left-trigger to ignite a lighter because the dim glow of the Moscow subway tunnels in which much of the game takes place wasn't enough to read by.
It was a little thing, but such a clear indicator that this was a game Ukranian developer 4A Games had put its heart in to and, in a sense, it gave me permission to put mine in as well.
When Capcom woke up this morning, it decided it would like to have roughly a bajillion more dollars by this time next year. It walked over to a secret panel in its foyer, slid it open and pressed a button inside, labeled "New Monster Hunter." A press release was instantaneously launched announcing Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, the next PSP-based entry in the franchise, due out in Japan in late 2010.
The announcement heralds new monsters and areas to explore, an expanded "Felyne Comrade" system (we're pretty sure that's Russian for "cat friend") and improved co-op play. There's no word on plans for localization, but Capcom's been pretty diligent in unleashing the Monster Hunter series worldwide. You can get your first look at the outrageously large-sworded title in a trailer posted after the jump.
A few things in this life are certain: Oprah will have a new book for you to read every month and you can bet there's a new Gears of Warin the works. Edge says a source has put a pin in April 2011 as the release window for the third entry in Epic's series -- and we should expect the first teaser trailer next month, on April 8, with a full-on reveal at E3 in June.
"Microsoft's keen to avoid a clash with Halo: Reachand wants Natal to own Christmas," alleges Edge's source. "That's why we won't be seeing Gears Of War 3 until next year, but expect a major marketing push ahead of its release."
Recently, Epic prez Mike Capps hinted at a major game announcement to be made by the studio during E3. Additionally, EA has teased a "Shooter from Epic" due just before April in Q1 2011.
Now that Yakuza 3 has been out in North America for a whole week and Yakuza 4ia due to hit Japan in two days, it's definitely time for Sega to announce another one. At least, that's what Sega seems to think. At a Yakuza 4 event in Tokyo, Sega showed a teaser trailer for a new game in the series, with concept art depicting the familiar Kamurocho district of the other games. As usual, the next iteration will be produced by series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi.
Codenamed "Project K," the new game appears to star a young man who "knew the graveness of the crimes he continued to commit," luckily, "fighting is his destiny," even if he "doesn't know the cruel fate that awaits." Powerful stuff!
The teasers calls this new project, "A new challenge for Ryu ga Gotoku [Yakuza]," suggesting that the next game could be different in some way. Perhaps this forthcoming Yakuza will leave the story of Kazuma Kiryu behind entirely in favor of a new character. Or perhaps it'll be made for a platform other than PlayStation 3.
As far as imports go, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood is a pretty sweet one. For $9, it's a great game to add to any Castlevania fan's collection and plays quite well on the Wii: casual players get a forgiving save structure and stage system, while the hardcore fans get the same tried-and-true gameplay. Rondo of Blood is suited for quick pick-up sessions or even long marathon outings. Basically: you should play this game. It's good -- seriously good.
Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer VC in Brief as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks like that.
I have an admission to make: I haven't played the original Risk board game. For hardcore fans of the game, that fact alone may discredit my opinion. However, after playing the upcoming XBLA adaptation, I wish I had discovered the board game sooner.
Risk Factions looks and feels like a Penny Arcade game: the art style is similar, and the writing is just as irreverent. As evidenced by the shorts released by EA so far, the world of Factions is animated (in more ways than one). The Colonel, who's fully aware that he's in a game, is one of the funniest characters I've seen in recent memory. Knowing his audience well, he promised that if I kept playing, I'd see tons of nudity in the game. (An EA representative hurriedly reminded me that it was just a joke, though.)
While Factions will allow players to play classic style Risk, newcomers will undoubtedly want to play through the main campaign first. The campaign does a good job of easing players into the basic rules of the game, and offers shorter, focused, objective-based challenges to conquer. The level I played didn't take place all over the globe: instead, it was a rather small map comprised of about a dozen tiles. One tile offered occupation of a missile silo, allowing you to launch a devastating area-wide attack against enemies.
The Engadget Show is teaming up with Joystiq's very own Chris Grant this Saturday in a brand new episode that features the newly unveiled PlayStation Move motion controller. Sony's Richard Marks will take the stage, bringing some brand new tech demos that highlight what the controller is capable of. This will be the first time the general public will be able to get their hands on the device, with random members of the audience being able to play with the Move live on stage. And there's going to be a special surprise ...
If you're in the NYC area, go to Engadget to find out more details on how to score a ticket for the show. If you can't make it, don't worry! Both Joystiq and Engadget will have a live stream of the episode available for you to watch this Saturday, March 20th at 5PM EST. Hope to see you there!
L.A. Noire isn't your 'average adventure game' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
