Fighting game characters have long been accompanied by their own personal arenas, and that's proving true for the Star Wars combatants appearing in Soul Calibur IV. The game was on display at the recent Anime Expo 2008, where attendees got a first glimpse at a fighting ground from a galaxy far, far away.
In this particular case, it's Darth Vader's stomping (and lightsaber-ing) ground: the docking bay of an Imperial Star Destroyer. No sign of Yoda's yet, but we're hoping for Degobah, the Jedi Council chambers, or Frank Oz's dressing room.
Ludwig's on vacation, but we're sure he'll check the site sooner or later and see that we have news to report on his most wanted game ever. Sony's lovely, yet elusive safari sim, Afrika, has surfaced again (albeit briefly) in a new behind-the-scenes clip of its soundtrack being recorded in Hollywood.
Afrika's score is the work of Wataru Hokoyama, who is new to games but not other media. In addition to film scores, Hokoyama has brought his talent to TV, including orchestrations for "Once More, With Feeling," the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also conducts his own works, as you can see in the above video. Now that we've seen and heard the game, here's hoping (if only for Ludwig's sake) that we finally get to play it next week at E3.
Wait ... isn't that LocoRoco Cocoreccho? Nope, it's the latest model in the PixelJunk line from Q-Games, PixelJunk Eden. It just so happens that this new video of the game's multiplayer shows two little ... things hopping around and swinging from leaves, limbs, and the like.
The "goal" of the game is to collect pollen and make the flora grow – and, as this footage has proven, totally mellow us out. It remains without a firm launch date, but Q-Games has previously alluded to a summer release for this PlayStation Network title.
PS3 Fanboy brings word that a new slice of Resistance 2 footage has popped up on YouTube after appearing on (then disappearing from) Eurogamer TV. If you want a fresh look at Sony's big FPS for the fall, watch it while it's hot. There's a good chance this instance of the video will get pulled soon as well.
Update: We have removed the embedded YouTube player as a courtesy to Sony. (It's still up on YouTube though!)
After several days of conjecture, an evolving series of load screens, and more fanboy arguments than you can shake a mouse at, word has finally come down from on high that the newest Blizzard property will beDiablo III. With the announcement this morning, Blizzard has thrown open the floodgates with screen shots, concept art, video and more. If you're wondering about what this upcoming title has in store, check out coverage from around the network and beyond, or wander through the eye-candy goodness of the galleries!
We think it goes without saying that the above video is spoilerific, but just to be clear, we're putting that word in bold so your eyes quickly dart to it. Clocking in at just over 152 minutes, here's a video demonstration of how you earn the Big Boss emblem in Metal Gear Solid 4, which involves beating the game on the highest difficulty with no deaths, no alerts, no kills, no recovery items, no stealth suit and no special items ... all in under 5 hours. Prepare your mind to be utterly blown.
Now you can add the latest issue of the Dead Space animated comic to the week's list, bringing the backstory of the Ishimura and the mysterious Marker one step closer to completion. Turn the lights down, put your headphones on, and creep yourself out after the break.
A fresh take on Waggletech® as Alone in the Dark for Wii developer, Hydravision Entertainment, proves its penchant for virtual charades in this new trailer. Seriously, the "flasher" maneuver? Brilliant! Who knew the Wiimote and Nunchuk could be used to mimic the parting of a trench coat? Still, there's nothing quite as immersifying as the overhand bludgeon. Classic.
As much as we'd love to simply enjoy these Tapezilla crank calls, we're a little too busy being irritated we didn't think of it ourselves. Here's all the explanation you need: Soundboard Ryo Hazuki of Shenmuefame calls a gold store in a desperate attempt to find Terry. And just below the jump, he calls a restaurant in an attempt to find Hong Kong, but the non-English speaking owner isn't much help.
If we have one problem with these clips, it's that at no point in them does Ryo attempt to locate any sailors. Seriously, Tapezilla, for shame.
While most video game-movie tie-ins opt for flashy graphics and crappy gameplay, the Hancock Fight & Flight (is that really the name?) debut trailer skips all that visual nonsense and gets straight to the crappy gameplay. They're not trying to fool us with one thousand eighty Ps of bump mapping. They're not even trying to fool us with ten Ps.
No developer was mentioned, so we're only left to guess. Could it be Samara? Could it be ... Satan?! Anyway, we tip our collective hat to you, nameless developer of this super crappy online Hancock game. Much like a superhero, with this one trailer, you have saved the video game buying world from both peril and wasted money.
We hope developers learn a lesson from The Onion's above reveal of World of World of Warcraft, the new WoW expansion that lets you play as a player playing World of Warcraft. The educational take-away? It's all in the presentation. Sure, playing as a WoW-playing player is revolutionary, but if you don't have your keystroke sounds exactly right then who'll be around to experience it?
Also, big ups for the added layer of detail. Letting avatars call their virtual internet service provider when their virtual connection craps out? It's virtually genius.
We know that some of you complained that Assassin's Creed's missions got a little repetitive after a while, and it's a fair complaint. But, as we can see in this new video from Mega64, all we apparently needed to do to spice them up was to actually attempt them in the real world (no, not all of them, JT).
We felt this after the Rainbow Six Vegas 2 terrorist video, but Assassin's Creed once again leaves us dumbfounded that the Mega64 guys still haven't gotten the crap kicked out of them by some muscley stranger. Not that we're complaining, of course.
Need a refresher on just how Metal Gear Solid 4 has been teased throughout the years? After the break, the first nine trailers – from Tokyo Games Show 2005 all the way to last month's "Courage is Solid" trailer.
Okay, we think we finally get it. This latest trailer for PlayStation 3 safari sim, Afrika, reveals that the game is, much like the Wii's Endless Ocean, all about exploring, documenting and learning about wildlife. You'll snap pictures of giraffes (they're really tall!), sneak up on a buffalo in the dead of night (where are his wings?), and drive alongside sprinting cheetahs (they always prosper!). There also appears to be an interactive encyclopedia providing details on all those animals you spied on at the watering hole, though it doesn't seem to mention what any of them taste like.
After the break, you'll find the second of six animated "issues" of the Dead Space comic. The hefty backstory to EA's survival horror continues, with the mysterious "marker" potentially causing a colony of miners to all catch a bad case of the crazies. At the rate we're going, it looks like EA will drop one of these a month all the way through September, at which point we'll be treated to the one-two punch of the animated prequel and the game's release this Haloween.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Hands-on Impressions Unleashed
Come to our E3 afterparty, we've got over 200lbs. of swag to give you (and only you)
Podcast Rodeo is back, and now with thrice the fidelity!
Hands-on with Spore. All of it. With Will Wright feeding us commentary.
Highlights from Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational 2008!
Listen to the Joystiq Podcast (because your ears can't read)
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