Even though Electronic Arts had a good year, some developers are being let go.
Electronic Arts is in the process of "restructuring", according to a report on The Escapist. The publisher is laying people off in its Canadian workforce, specifically EA Canada and Black Box. The reason for this is unknown considering EA had good sales numbers in 2011.
More DLC is on the way to help explain what happens at the end.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 was intended to right the wrongs of its predecessor, and it did a pretty good job of that, even if it faltered in spots. One of those problem areas was with the game’s ending. We don’t like to spoil story here at PixlBit, but for this news story it is necessary. For those already in the know (or curious parties that don’t mind spoilers), the controversial bit will appear after the jump.
Multiplayer isn't a requirement to get all 1000 points.
Mass Effect 3 is one of the most highly anticipated games of 2012, but it hasn’t been without its share of controversy or concern amongst fans. There’s the confusing ability to play the game in three different modes that range from all action to all story. There’s been the uproar over the multiplayer DLC slated to be packaged with the upcoming release of action figures, and of course there’s been the concern over the inclusion of multiplayer in general. While the multiplayer in Mass Effect 3 can impact your progression in the single player game, it’s not mandatory, and the achievements for the game reflect that.
Aye Carumba!
Konami brought many great, well-known beat-'em-ups to the arcades in the late 80's and early 90's, and all of them but one have made a transition to home consoles. Yes, The Simpsons Arcade Game is the last and perhaps best classic Konami beat-'em-up to be brought back, and for those who've played all the other classic Konami titles to death, there's enough variance and originality here to keep players hooked.
The speculation has come to an end.
Ahead of Tokyo Games Show 2011, Square Enix surprised fans with the announcement of an upcoming HD version of Final Fantasy X. At the time, however, no information about the game was announced otherwise - including whether the game was to be a remake of the PlayStation 2 title or a remaster. Square Enix has put the speculation to bed with their latest announcement - Final Fantasy X HD is a remaster.
Ahead of beginning work on the upcoming survival game, Naughty Dog strongly considered bringing back Jak & Daxter.
Naughty Dog, as we all now know, has recently divided its studio into two distinct teams, each working on their own individual titles. The split and subsequent augmentation was done to accommodate future growth for the Uncharted developer. The first game taken on by this new team is The Last of Us, which was officially unveiled at last year's VGAs. Ahead of making the decision to start work on this new title, Naughty Dog told Game Informer that they strongly considered bringing back the fan-favorite Jak & Daxter series.
If you're browsing the eShop, you should probably avoid games with samurai in them.
Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword is the latest game to take use of Japan's rich lore. Despite the setting, the game's tale is standard Nintendo fare - players are on a quest to rescue a kidnapped princess. As a young samurai, your quest is split into a number of levels that consist of nothing more than a variety of encounters with a handful of enemy types. The characters and setting imbue a definite degree of charm and personality, but it's squandered by the shallow, repetitive, and boring gameplay.
Despite sounding great on paper, NeverDead fails in its execution.
I don’t even know which direction to start ripping NeverDead to pieces from first. From the uneven repetitive combat to the unbearably frustrating “health” system, this action game is an absolute disaster.
Two characters are confirmed alongside two new leaks.
It seems that characters for Capcom's upcoming fighter are leaking on a fairly regular basis. The recent ESRB rating points to a reveal of Alisa and Lei, while both M. Bison and Xiaoyu were leaked by some telling images on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The most recent leak comes courtesy of a Taiwanese product listing for their collector's edition of the game. The listing confirms both Xiaoyu and M. Bison, but reveals both Akuma and Ogre. Jin is also depicted, but was revealed in trailers released by Capcom in the past.
Final Fantasy takes a journey into the future of the franchise, but hits some potholes on the way.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 had a lot to make up for, being the follow-up to one of the most divisive games in the beloved RPG series. For a franchise that was built on every iteration being wildly different from the last, Final Fantasy XIII perhaps changed a little bit too much in removing many of the core elements that the series—and JRPGs in general—are known for. While that game took over 5 years to develop and was met with confusion and in some cases rage, Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a game that went from announcement to release in about a year. Is it possible that a game so rushed could hope to right the perceived wrongs of its predecessor? The short answer is “yes”, but there’s a pretty big “but…” to go along with it.
