New Games

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• Everquest is thirteen and free
• Ain't neva gonna do it without the Fez on...XBLA
• Hands-on: Quad-wielding with The Darkness II
• Dance Central 2's February DLC lineup: Cee-Lo, LMFAO
• The DTOID Show: Fat Mega Man, bad Zynga & Ace Attorney 5
• Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker releasing in Spring 2012
• King Arthur II: The once and future king returns today
• Namco helps graffiti-up East London with SoulCalibur V
• Location: The cold and the beautiful
• EA explains what SSX's online pass will entail
• Bloomberg: The real cost of being a videogamer is $17,077
• Madden NFL 12 says Giants will be Super Bowl XLVI champs
• Live show: Mash Tactics 'Season 2' starts today
• Preview: Devil Survivor 2 is great, has high-set boobs
• Resident Evil for Game Boy Color to be leaked for $2,000
• Nintendo talks more downloadable content
• How to survive your first night in Terraria
• Okay, now THIS is a Zelda fan animation!

Everquest is thirteen and free Posted: 30 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST Back in 1999 the concept of an MMO baffled me and I would have no truck with the genre until several years later. Thankfully, not everyone was as backwards then, or Everquest would not have lasted for the absurdly long time it has. Almost thirteen years and eighteen expansions since its launch, the well aged MMO is all set to make the move to free-to-play, a move its successor has already made. Free and subscription (Silver) players alike will get a "welcome pack" containing brand new items when Everquest goes f2p in March. SOE has posted an FAQ which details the changes. There's certainly going to be a lot of content for new players to explore, but to be honest I have a feeling I've been spoiled by modern MMOs far too much to get into it. Regardless, it will be free so I might pop my head in and have a look.

Ain't neva gonna do it without the Fez on...XBLA Posted: 30 Jan 2012 02:30 PM PST I've waited a year and some change for the day that I could make a Steely Dan reference on Destructoid -- today, my friends, is that day. Oh, and in other news, the indie wonder Fez has finally been rated by the ESRB, so we can expect to awesomely shift planes like we were back in the Super FX era at some point in the near future. Since the game is rated, instead of "sometime nebulously in 2012," we most likely have an "Early 2012" target. Am I alone in thinking that this is going to be one of the best games this year? Or has the wait been so long that you don't care anymore? FEZ RECEIVES ESRB RATING: E for everyone, mild fantasy violence! [Polytron Twitter]

Hands-on: Quad-wielding with The Darkness II Posted: 30 Jan 2012 02:00 PM PST 2007's The Darkness was a fun, albeit flawed first-person shooter. The Starbreeze-developed title followed the exploits of Mafioso hitman Jackie Estacado on his 21st birthday as a hidden demonic power awakens inside him and he becomes a relentless killing machine. The game stayed fairly close to its comic roots and offered unique gameplay options such as the controllable demon arms and Jackie's ability to summon darklings to do his bidding. Now, Digital Extremes picks up the license and the groundwork that Starbreeze laid out, and it appears they have improved upon every aspect of the original. The Darkness II (PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [previewed]) Developer: Digital Extremes Publisher: 2K Games Release: February 7, 2012 When speaking with lead game designer Tom Galt, he emphasized to me how he and his team took the criticisms of the original game in mind when working on the sequel. One of the main points they wanted to highlight was the emphasis they had on the story over the last title. They felt that The Darkness was a good origin, but didn't really present something to keep gamers interested, story-wise. To that end, this time around the gameplay is more story-driven, a move that aims to keep the players attention while still offering the same style of combat from the original and comic series. Speaking of the comic, one of the first things players will notice with the new title is how much it looks like the comic. The developers wanted to stress that the look of the game isn't cel-shading, but rather a new art style they've developed called "graphic noir." Cel-shading tends to have thicker black outlines and a flat color to the art, whereas The Darkness II's style features more even colors, crisper tones, and even some hand-painted backgrounds to give it a more comic feel. But back to the story. When we meet up with Jackie Estacado, he's been suppressing the Darkness within for four years now. He has had a good handle on controlling it, never unleashing it for fear of losing control. However, that doesn't last long, as a mysterious other force has plans for the Darkness itself. The demo that has been released now has some story elements in it, but these actually don't occur until later in the game, and are much more detailed than what's presented in the demo. If you've played the demo on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, however, you've played the first level, where a mob hit squad attacks Jackie at his restaurant. The preview build I played picked up just shortly after the demo ends, with Jackie on the trail of the man who orchestrated the hit, a small-time hood named Swifty. For those that haven't played the demo yet, this is where you first do the quad-wielding. Jackie can hold a small arms weapon in each hand, and the two "demon arms" act as the other two weapons. The left and right bumpers (or L1 and R1) control these arms, and the amount of mayhem you can cause with them is frightening and awesome. Your left demon arm can grab items, weapons, and even enemies, while the right acts as a striking implement. As you pass through firefights, the arms can be used to pick up ammo, hurl objects at your foes (such as pipes and explosive tanks) and slap around enemies to be taken out up close and personally. These special executions are particularly gruesome to watch, and you can pick up more using the game's talent tree. Essence points are earned through kills and other activities in the environment, and spending essence at portals around the environments yields new abilities (such as special attacks), executions, and more. These attacks are fluid and fun, and I really got into using a combination of shooting, chucking items at guys behind cover, and then eviscerating foes who got too close. Of course, I also made sure to eat my fallen enemies' hearts along the way, as that refuels health and gives more essence points. One of the strongest differences over the original game is how quick and focused everything is. The animations of the demon arms don't ever interfere with your vision on screen, and even when eating hearts, the animations aren't as long and played out as they were in The Darkness, so you can even get repeated chomps in before moving on. One of the biggest changes over the original, however, is the need for it to be dark in The Darkness II. Previously, you basically just shot out all the lights and moved on to the next section, using your darkness vision to see in low light, but never having the light be a noticeable issue with gameplay. Now, Darkness mode is always on, but when you enter the light, the arms hide within you, and you're blinded and weakened by the light -- so much so that you often have to take the lights out to advance. Enemies can even use light to try to take you down, so this even plays an active part in stopping Jackie throughout the game (such as in the first boss battle I encountered). Not to give too much away (spoiler alert and all that) but it's revealed that Swifty is just a patsy, sent by a new character, Victor, created for the game, who leads an altered version of The Brotherhood from the comics: a cult which worships the Darkness, and even has dark armor protecting their bodies. How this all plays out will have to be discovered by the player. Rounding out the single-player experience is the presence of a darkling, one of the small creatures summoned by the Darkness. There are no longer various darklings used for specific tasks as was the case in the first game. Instead, the one you're paired with acts as a guide, and the AI of this character is actually very helpful, taking out foes and assisting with kills. You'll even have a section where you play as the darkling to unlock areas for Jackie to pass through. There was mention of two co-op modes, but I sadly didn't get to play them. Vendettas is a story-driven, four-person campaign that runs concurrently to the main story, and offers backstory as to what's happening with Jackie. The characters here don't have the Darkness, but each has a special weapon that can use an ability similar to one of Jackie's special attacks. There's also a mode called Hitlist; neither of these two options are a versus mode. The developers claimed they wanted to keep the focus on story and offer unique co-op modes instead. With all that I saw, there definitely seems to be a good deal of replay value packed into the game, with artifacts to find and store at your mansion (which serves as the game's hub). The mansion itself offers a wealth of content too, including mini-games and interactions with characters from the comic that help move the storyline along. If you couldn't tell, I'm really anxious to get back into this game when it's released next week.

Dance Central 2's February DLC lineup: Cee-Lo, LMFAO Posted: 30 Jan 2012 01:30 PM PST Whether you're a part of the old school or the new, fresh beats are always something to get excited about. Harmonix has just announced their new tracks for Dance Central 2, kicking it off with Cee-Lo Green's "Forget You" on January 31. The track will be available on the Marketplace, or through Dance Central 2's in-game store, for the reasonable price point of 250 MS Points. February will debut three new tracks for dancing rookies and veterans alike. For that special b-boy or b-girl in your heart, February 14 will make "Say Hey (I Love You)" by Michael Franti and Spearhead available. On February 21, Kelis' "Milkshake" will bring more boys to the yard, along with some challenging dance moves. Closing off the month will be LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem," one of the most requested songs by the Dance Central community. To spread the word, Best Buy and Harmonix are giving customers early access to the LMFAO track. By purchasing Dance Central 2 at any Best Buy after January 29, customers will receive a code that will allow them to download the track a few weeks early. If you've been waiting to cut a rug, or haven't used your Kinect in a while, it seems like February will be a good month to get back on the dance floor.

The DTOID Show: Fat Mega Man, bad Zynga & Ace Attorney 5 Posted: 30 Jan 2012 01:19 PM PST Hey guys! We're back again. With a show for your faceholes. Remember last week when social gaming behemoth Zynga got busted for ripping off an indie iOS title? Well, it happened again. We've got some good news too: Capcom is putting Pac-Man and ugly Mega Man in Street Fighter X Tekken, Ace Attorney 5 is a thing, Monster Hunter is coming to the PS Vita, Square Enix is working on some secret projects, and-- WHOA COOL! New Metal Gear Solid toys!

Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker releasing in Spring 2012 Posted: 30 Jan 2012 01:00 PM PST [As originally posted on Japanator] It's been a while since we last heard of Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker, the anime spin-off of Bioware's fantasy RPG. Dragonagemovie.com has been updated, and we now know that Bioware and EA's collaboration with FUNimation is coming in Spring 2012. Fumihiko Sori (Vexille) is directing the project, and studio Oxybot is taking care of animation duties. And my, what horrible animation it is. It looks quite poor, with objects having no weight at all. Maybe the story will make up for it? Dawn of the Seeker tells the story of Cassandra, an Orlesian Seeker who is framed while attempting to save the Chantry of Andraste from a dangerous conspiracy. Cassandra must clear her name and "overcome her raging emotions" to save the day. I can almost see Bioware finishing their synopsis with, "Women, am I right?" VIDEO: Dragon Age Anime Production Update [Crunchyroll]

King Arthur II: The once and future king returns today Posted: 30 Jan 2012 12:30 PM PST   I got rather caught up in the Arthurian legend when I was a mite, enough so that when I played King Arthur - The Roleplaying Wargame I was rather charmed by it. The real time battles were fun, the choose your own adventure style quests were a delight to play and the morality and magic systems were an interesting addition. So I'm rather looking forward to King Arthur II, which launched for PC today. King Arthur is now "The Maimed King" and must cure his affliction while trying to hold his land together during these dark times. As in the previous game there will be plenty of large battles, even more spells and abilities and your forces will face many ferocious mythical monsters. You will also be able to forge your own magical armaments to aid your heroes in battle. Something else to add to my Steam wishlist.

Namco helps graffiti-up East London with SoulCalibur V Posted: 30 Jan 2012 12:00 PM PST Game publishers have done the craziest things in order to get their upcoming games some attention. So when Namco Bandai goes out to promote upcoming fighting game SoulCalibur V,  I'd expect something along the lines of staging a fight with people dressed up as characters from the game in the middle of a busy street. Namco hasn't done this, but instead chose to team up with graffiti artist Jim Rockwell to create an amazing piece of SoulCalibur V art on the Great Eastern Street wall located in East End London. The creation took some 3 days to make, and features the game's logo in the middle, with characters such as Ezio Auditore from Assassin's Creed being part of the marvelous display. Rockwell's ENDoftheLINE team also made an equally as impressive time-lapse video (everyone loves those) showing the amount of work, preparation and skill that went into this outstanding piece of art. Did I just shed a tear? Yes I just shed a tear. SoulCalibur V releases on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 on February 3, so we're almost there now.

Location: The cold and the beautiful Posted: 30 Jan 2012 11:30 AM PST [DOLPHINS! The Manchild writes a great post about the ocean and Ecco the Dolphin. As always, remember to load your own blogs into the Community Blogs and tag them with the "Bloggers Wanted Essay Response" tag, and you may see your blog promoted to the front page. - Kauza] The first time I stepped out into the ocean was a moment of fearless exhilaration and joy. With my Mom sitting on the beach not too far from me, I didn't even consider the overwhelming vastness that was before me, didn't even consider all of the possibilities of those unknown depths. I just dove in, had the time of my life, and was always eager to go back, to feel the wonderful feeling of cold, dark immersion that couldn't be emulated in any swimming pool.  It wasn't until a random trip to the beach when I lost my will at the hands of a large crab scuttling beneath my feet. That was all it took at a young age to take the wind out of my sails, to find something lurking beneath the water that was unknown, and unexpected. I came out of the water feeling sullen, we went home, and I didn't have much of a desire to go back after that. The innocence of the experience was gone; there were things in there, things I had to deal with if I wanted to enjoy the sea. Things I had to co-exist with - weird, alien things.  When Ecco the Dolphin appeared on the Sega Genesis back in 1993, it seemed to be just another marketing gimmick, another X the Animal attempt to capitilize on the success of Sonic the Hedgehog. The premise seemed silly to most, controlling a porpoise with a purpose, traversing puzzle laden worlds in the search for his family, and trying not to get turned into tuna along the way. The more cynical older generation at the time dismissed Ecco; they were busy with bigger games, with established franchises. There was simply no room to play as Flipper in their lives.  When my Dad first rented it, I was excited. I loved dolphins more than any other animal, and still do to this day. The bright, colorful graphics and amazing photo-realistic quality of Ecco and the happy bay he frolicked within was a visual and auditory feast, and it amazed me that such amazing quality could be achieved back then. If anything, it was certainly proof of just how capable the Sega Genesis was, even if it didn't become a game changing seller like Sonic the Hedgehog.  But much like that first joyous dip into the drink, the wonder was cut short. After accidentally triggering a shocking event, the storm which sucks Ecco's family from the sea in a violent explosion of red flashes and bizarre, synthesized sounds, I was once again left feeling scared, uneasy, and cautious. It's one thing to develop a game with a convincing setting, but something else entirely to make the user feel the mood of that setting, and from that moment onward, Ecco would capture that tone, the fear of the unknown, to an extent that I think no other game has to this day.  During the genesis of its design, series creator Ed Annunziata had a few hoops to jump through so to speak to preserve his original vision; a sweeping science fiction epic with a blackened, mysterious atmosphere that just so happened to feature a dolphin as the protagonist. The attempts at Sega to increase the games marketing friendliness can be seen as soon as one lays their hands on the box itself, and reads the title Ecco the Dolphin. When they turn the game on however, they will notice that the title screen simply reads ECCO, and nothing else. The same is true for the second game in the series which is simply called ECCO 2: The Tides of Time. Something as simple as referencing the species of the central protagonist in a familiar way is a fairly innocent attempt to ease new players into the game, but there were some more insidious design choices being passed around at the time as well.  When players first begin the game, they will naturally presume it takes place on Earth – their Earth. However, it becomes abundantly clear later on that there is almost no human influence on this virtual ocean world, apart from an important plot point later on which makes direct reference to a specifically human presence which was destroyed long before the time when the game takes place.  At Sega, Ed had to push for this world free of the hands of man. The marketing department was pushing for oil spills and fishermen among other things as potential threats on Ecco's journey, but their requests were met with a resounding “No.” on the part of Ed. The reach of the marketing department went even further, suggesting they name the dolphin “Bottlechelli” based on the popularity of Ninja Mutant Ninja Turtles at the time, and their insistence on the main characters using names based on artists.  In the end, the vision of a dark universe based on the laws of “might makes right” with a specifically Lovecraftian tone was preserved; the biggest problem then, was accessibility. If Ecco the Dolphin is anything, it is insanely difficult, and many people were not even able to pass the first screen let alone the second real stage of the game, a very difficult early level known as The Undercaves where there are very few pockets of air. When I tell people today in simple terms that the game is about “time travel and aliens”, they can't believe it.  They also can't believe, upon playing the game to call my bluff, just how sinister the world really is. As you dive into the depths of each stage, the gloom begins to build around you, the light blue descending into dark, navy tones. The music is brooding and ambient, the synthesized edge only further serving to build up the levels of panic already inherent in the games stressful, reflex based gameplay. Death comes quick and suddenly for Ecco, and his enemies are many, everything from vicious sharks and prehistoric eels, right down to the levels themselves, with sharp chunks of ice and rock falling and moving in erratic patterns which mean instant eradication upon contact.  Part of the appeal of the Sega Genesis was the speed of the games, specifically Sonic, which resulted in the laughably transparent marketing phrase “blast processing.” That speed is presented here, and is one of the elements which makes the game so dangerous. In order to thrive within many of the games cavernous, labyrinthine environments, Ecco has to move quickly, hopping from air pocket to air pocket while trying to avoid the many obstacles and enemies in his past. It's a core part of the game design, but leads to several shocking moments, such as the first encounter with two screen wide Big Blue, a blue whale who has “gone to the north to die”, yet another rather existentialist moment of discovery in the already rather hopeless and dismal world which Ecco portrays.  But no moment for players is more surprising than the first encounter with the unseen foe, the central antagonist of the games narrative, and embodiment of the cruelty of nature itself. Halfway through the game, Ecco makes a discovery which changes the tone of the narrative 180 degrees; the storm that took his family was not a storm at all, but instead a vicious alien race called The Vortex which feed on the planet every 500 years due to their own world being completely destroyed by their own technological prowess. The rest of the game from there on is a race for power, as Ecco tries to gather the abilities needed to travel to the planet Vortex to free his pod, a journey which sends him back to the prehistoric age, and eventually, back to the moment of the storm.  After many punishing hours of puzzle solving and exploration, the moment of truth arrives, and Ecco is granted a moment of relative peace and relief before activating the storm that took his family; and riding up to the planet along with them. And that is when things take a turn for the worse.  The already oppressive, beautiful, frightening, dangerous, and mysteriously alien ocean environments the player has seen up until this pivotal points would have been enough to make a permanent impact, but once Ecco enters the last three stages of the game, he arrives in a Gigeresque nightmare of cold, erratic machinery, strange, bug like aliens, and a soundtrack which is just as decidedly foreign as the new world he has come upon, one that is chaotic and uncomfortable. This is all before he finally faces off with the games last encounter, and one of the most ugly and carnal looking sprites ever put to screen; the Vortex Queen herself, a symmetrical, skeletal monstrosity, and a very embodiment of the games core theme; consumption.  In no other game have I been so terrified of what lied beyond the next screen. In no other game did I enter a world so believable, familiar, and yet also decidedly alien that I obsessed over it for years. While the sequel does an amicable job of carrying on the narrative and continuing the games incredibly strange, science fiction oriented storyline, Ecco the Dolphin created a tone that was felt through and through. It made me feel real emotions, and for the few beautiful moments it granted me when a new environment was introduced, when I was allowed to stay near the surface where things weren't so dangerous and mystifying, there were many more where I felt alone, lost, and completely defenseless, much like Ecco himself must have felt during that long and perilous journey.  That is the real success of Ecco, and what makes it special. It is ruthless, frightening and cold, but in the midst of this, still decidedly beautiful, much like the ocean itself is. And like the ocean, even though it scared me, I still found myself braving those waters, and diving in for repeated visits.  I just closed my eyes, took the plunge, and embraced the immersion of the terrifying darkness.

EA explains what SSX's online pass will entail Posted: 30 Jan 2012 11:00 AM PST Though the inclusion of an online pass in a game with Electronic Arts' name attached to it does not come as a shock, word that SSX will follow the trend got the usual people riled up. I was prepared to perform the obligatory shrug and go about my day, but the specifics of what content is restricted interests me. EA issued a response to Game Informer, which says passes will come with all new copies of SSX and those who buy used can pay $10 for a code if they so choose. Same old same old, until: In SSX, players without an Online Pass are able to compete and play in both of SSX's online game modes, Explore and Global Events with no restrictions. In Global Events, the top finishers from each event are awarded with in-game credits. These in-game credits earned during play will not be awarded to the player if they do not have an Online Pass; these credits will be stored so that at any time, if a player redeems an Online Pass code, all the credits that they had previously earned in Global Events will be immediately awarded to them. Economy balance makes it possible to unlock all available content and allows you to participate in all event drops across both Explore and Global Events, with credits earned solely in Explore. This isn't so bad, if you ask me. I don't tend to buy used copies of games, but if I did happen to make this game an exception to the rule, I wouldn't feel totally burned by EA. SSX's Online Pass Doesn't Sound Too Bad [Game Informer]

Bloomberg: The real cost of being a videogamer is $17,077 Posted: 30 Jan 2012 10:45 AM PST Jennifer Prince at Bloomberg has figured out the real cost of being a videogamer. Through some powerful research she has come up with a final tally for what being a gamer would cost a family of four based in San Francisco: $17,077. Join me in doing that thing where you quickly wag your head back and forth and blink your eyes. This crazy number is a tally of all the stuff Bloomberg says you'd need as a gamer. While the expected consoles, displays and accessories are in the mix, most of the rest of the list is packed full of crap that no gamer would ever buy. What the hell is a FragFX Shark 360? Do you use a UPS? How about a Kinect anti-slip mat? Or 2 different $250 gaming headsets? Of course, I know you have two BoomChair Sky Lounger Gaming Chairs with built-in speakers, subwoofers and extra-large seating. That sits right next to your Rock Band storage ottoman, right?  Also, they forgot the Mt. Dew and Cheetos! Ill-informed? You bet. Try this bit on for size: While Gordon uses his laptop to play Zynga games, many PC gamers are more hard-core. "PCs are the hot rodders of game play," says Jamin Warren, founder of Kill Screen magazine, which focuses on the game industry. Warren says hard-core gamers often soup up systems by adding motherboards, boosting RAM and optimizing graphics. Ow. Bloomberg should have tightened up the graphics on this article a little bit. Or, maybe they could have just asked a gamer. What's great about gaming today is that it costs whatever you want to spend on it.

Madden NFL 12 says Giants will be Super Bowl XLVI champs Posted: 30 Jan 2012 10:15 AM PST When it comes to Super Bowl soothsaying, EA Sports' Madden NFL games almost have it down to a science. The sports sim has correctly predicted the winner of six of the last eight Super Bowls; the first time it was wrong was back in 2008, when the New York Giants shocked the New England Patriots, 17-14, preventing them from achieving a perfect 19-0 season. It won't be as much of a surprise if the Giants pull off another nail-biting upset this year -- the Patriots are only favored by 3 points this time, as opposed to 13.5 -- and according to Madden NFL 12's simulation, that's exactly what we can expect. In the virtual Super Bowl XLVI, the Giants went up 24-10 with 6:29 left in the third quarter before Tom Brady and the Pats stormed back in the fourth to tie the game at 24 just after the two-minute warning. But Eli Manning had yet more fourth-quarter heroics left in him, as the Giants marched down the field to set up Lawrence Tynes for another game-winning field goal as time expired, giving them a 27-24 victory. I'm hoping Madden is right. We'll find out on Sunday, February 5, when the Giants face off against the Patriots in Indianapolis. In the meantime, check out video and screenshots from EA's simulation here.

Live show: Mash Tactics 'Season 2' starts today Posted: 30 Jan 2012 09:45 AM PST A new era of Mash Tactics starts today at 4p.m. Pacific as King Foom takes over hosting the show. One big change is a theme for every day of the week, starting with 'Multiplayer Monday'. Foom will be firing up Mortal Kombat, Grand Theft Auto IV, and others by viewer request. Tune in, hang out in the chat, and jump in some multiplayer live on air. Mash Tactics airs Monday through Friday at 4p.m. Pacific on Destructoid's Twitch TV channel. Watch King Foom play a variety of games, each day with its own theme. With a heavy focus on community and viewer interaction, you can be as much a part of the show as anything else.

Preview: Devil Survivor 2 is great, has high-set boobs Posted: 30 Jan 2012 09:30 AM PST Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor was like a dream come true for me. One of my most-loved game makers took my favorite genre (strategy role-playing) and fused it with the demon collecting fun and turn-based battles of other Shin Megami Tensei games to make what ended up being one of my favorite games of 2009. Now they're back with a sequel, Devil Survivor 2, and you'll run around Japan again trying to save the world (again) through the power of a demon summoning app on your cellphone. Yes, there's an app for that.  My face has been in my DS for the past week digging into Atlus' latest SRPG. If you don't have time to read a full preview, know that after about 7 hours of play I'm already liking this one more than its predecessor. If you do have time, hit the jump to hear about heroic teenagers, cellphone apps, and impossible boobs. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 (Nintendo DS) Developer: Atlus Publisher: Atlus Release: February 28, 2012 Death and disaster is back for this second game. Something like an earthquake strikes Tokyo right about when a group of high school teens find a crazy video website called Nicaea. This online site lets its users watch movies that depict their friends' deaths. They quickly find that these "death clips" are more like predictions for the future, so they set out to prevent their deaths as well as the deaths of others, armed with the newfound ability to summon demons from an application on their cellphones. It turns out that the Tokyo earthquake was not the only disaster in Japan, and while investigating this the teens run into a strange government organization that seems to know all about the demons, phone apps and other disasters. The group reluctantly joins forces with this organization while trying to make sense of it all.  DS2 brings a new story and some small gameplay improvements to the original forumla. The battle system is almost exactly the same as that of Devil Survivor, so fans of that neat mix of strategy and turn-based action are going to eat this one up. You'll control four teams throughout the game, each consisting of one human and two summoned demons. As in the first game you're free to trade these demons out and participate in an auction to acquire new ones. You can also fuse demons to create new ones, and you're open to pick from your favorite abilities from the two for your new creation. Fans of deep customization and endless tinkering are going to be in heaven while hell goes on all around them. There's a new focus on characters and relationships with the game's Fate system. As the story progresses, the main character and his friends, Io, Daichi and Joe, will have conversations that put you in the driver's seat, guiding their interactions. As you get to know your friends and others, you form this Fate with them, and from there your interactions can eventually open up different abilities and effects. This will remind Persona fans of the Social Link system, and much like in those games, creating strong relationships will benefit the player in the long run. This new system certainly makes dialogue time more interesting. Devil Survivor 2 is a great looking game, even on the aging DS. I hope they redo this game with an Overclocked version for the 3DS, like they did with Devil Survivor, but as it stands now, it's still looks and sounds great, even on the small screens. The game's art style is attractive by any measure, but fans of ridiculous breasts will enjoy DS2's character design. One of the main characters, Io Nitta, has boobs that seem to defy gravity. As the game progresses and more characters are introduced, each female seems to up the ante. These girls and Atlus' character designer make no apologies about the chests in this game. Look for our full review of Devil Survivor 2 next month, and get your DS charged up for its release on February 28.

Resident Evil for Game Boy Color to be leaked for $2,000 Posted: 30 Jan 2012 09:00 AM PST A mystery man who claims to own two prototype cartridges of an unreleased Resident Evil game has pledged to release the code online ... if gamers stump up the cash.  The collector has a copy of Resident Evil for Game Boy Color, a project that neared completion but was shelved before release. It was said to be quite rubbish, so it never saw the light of day and GBC owners got Resident Evil Gaiden instead.  $1,597.81 has already been raised (at the time of writing) by gamers wanting to share in a piece of survival horror history. If the total's reached by February 29 -- and it's looking highly likely -- then the game will be available to download as a ROM.  All in all, a rather amusing story and quite a unique way to make some money. Fair play to the collector, if people are happy to part with the dubloons.  Resident Evil:GBC Fundraiser thread - 2 builds! [Assembler Games, via HBG]

Nintendo talks more downloadable content Posted: 30 Jan 2012 08:30 AM PST We already know the upcoming Fire Emblem iteration will be getting paid DLC, but apparently that's not the only key franchise Nintendo is looking at. Among a few other tidbits of information involving the financial success of the 3DS in a recent Nintendo Q&A, big cheese Satoru Iwata dropped a particular juicy bit of information: potential downloadable content for future Mario games. Everyone's favorite everyman had this to say about the subject: "As I referred to before, for example, this is the idea of supplying new stages to Super Mario users who want to play the game more but have completed the game and lost interest in the existing stages. This will not only give us new profits but will lengthen the life of a product, in that it will never be out of fashion and can keep attracting public attention as long as many people play it." Note the important phrase "new profits [for Nintendo]", which implies paid add-ons. Ok Iwata, so let me get this straight. What you're saying is downloadable content, done right, can lengthen the replay value of a game and profit the publisher? Wouldn't that be a win-win situation? Or perhaps, as Michael Scott would say, a win-win-win? Nintendo President Mentions Downloadable Stages For Future Mario Games [Siliconera]

How to survive your first night in Terraria Posted: 30 Jan 2012 08:00 AM PST So you've finally decided to go and purchase Terraria; maybe your Steam friends have been pushing you to get it, maybe you liked some of the gameplay videos you saw on YouTube. Whatever the reason may be, nothing will prepare you for the sheer amount of content that Terraria has to offer. Nothing will also prepare you for the dangers Terraria will throw your way. The inviting music, puffy clouds, birds, rabbits, and so forth might make this game seem like a fun, harmless experience, but in reality Terraria can be an unforgiving hellish nightmare when nighttime comes and you're faced with seemingly endless waves of Zombies and Demon Eyes. In order for you to have any chance of surviving your first night, you're going to need to build a shelter, and with haste. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about house-building in Terraria, as well as provide some very helpful tips and insight. You've spawned, now get some resources When you spawn, you'll start off with a Copper Shortsword, Copper Pickaxe, and a Copper Axe. The first thing you should do is explore to get a better understanding of the area, but not to the extent where you find yourself in an area covered with sand; not only are there more dangerous enemies over there, but mining and general exploring becomes much more complicated due to the sand being able to kill you should it fall on you. Be sure to kill several Slimes that you may encounter and keep the Gel that they drop, you'll need it for later. Now, find a slightly long stretch of even ground; this will be where you build your house. If you're having trouble doing that, just use your Copper Pickaxe to mine blocks causing unevenness until you get your desired stretch of land. Keep the Mud Blocks that break off and go into your inventory, as you'll also need them later.  Now that you have an idea of where the house is going to be built, the next step is to collect wood by cutting down trees using that Copper Axe of yours. Simply aim your cursor at a tree and hold the left mouse button until it's destroyed and wood will rain down. Be sure to always aim towards the very bottom of the tree in order to cut the whole thing as opposed to leaving a stump and gaining less wood. You'll notice that among the heaps of wood you'll collect, there will be several acorns too; while these acorns aren't needed in the house-building process, you should plant them somewhere out of the way where they'll later grow into trees. You should at the very least collect 150 pieces of wood, though 250 would serve you better in the long run. Here's where you get to make a choice: either you collect just the wood (must be 250 if you choose to do so) and move onto the crafting process, or you can collect 150 pieces of wood and then mine around 80-100 Mud Blocks. Given the fact that you have limited time and mining is much more time consuming with a Copper Axe, I recommend you just collect the 250 wood -- though it's ultimately up to you. Now, provided that you have at least 250 pieces of wood or 150 pieces of wood and 80-100 Mud Blocks in your inventory, you're ready to put the materials to use through Terraria's crafting system and begin construction of your house. Hurry, get crafting! Chances are, depending on how long you took gathering materials, the landscape is getting darker; time is running out for you to prepare. You may have already figured this out, but by pressing the ESC button, you will notice on the left corner that there is a menu showing items that you've never seen before. This is the Crafting menu. The bigger images show what you are currently able to craft, while the smaller images next to those show what materials will be consumed in the crafting process. The first thing you should craft is a Workbench; it will be your new best friend throughout the early stages of Terraria as it will allow you to craft some of the basic items you'll need. By standing next to it, you'll notice that you are now able to craft a wider range of items than just Torches and Wooden Platforms. Immediately craft the following items and place them all in your inventory: Wooden Door Wooden Chair Wooden Hammer 6 Torches 120 Wood Walls (1 piece of wood creates 4 Wood Walls) As you might have guessed, everything above will be used in creating the house apart from the Wooden Hammer -- that's for getting rid of misplaced Wooden Walls or other items. If you have enough wood left over, you might also want to craft a Wooden Sword as they are stronger than that Copper Shortsword of yours. Once you have crafted everything you need, use your Wooden Hammer on the Workbench and let it go back into your inventory. You are now ready to start building your house. Building your house Now, technically your house can be as ridiculously small and empty as you want, but as you've probably already seen you have a little friend with you. His name will always be different given the fact that the game randomly generates names but everyone refers to him as "The Guide." NPC characters like The Guide are fussy people and will only get into a house that meets certain criteria. There's simply not enough time to build two separate houses. So what you'll need to do is build one house that the NPC will be able to occupy, while at the same time providing you shelter from the zombies; basically, you and The Guide can stay in the one house you're about to build. Floor Left click on your stack of wood and begin placing them alongside each other on top your nice, even ground. 10 pieces should be enough; if you don't have enough even land you can easily make it longer by placing Mud Blocks at either end. Roof Now you're going to need to make a roof. Go to the far left of your wooden floor and begin stacking pieces of wood upward while jumping on top of each new one you position; six pieces stacked on top of each other will be enough. After you've done that and you're on the top of the stacks of wood you've just placed, create a straight line of wood by aiming at your feet (walking over each newly placed piece of wood as you do so) until you're aligned with the end of the right side of your house, and then jump down and repeat the stacking process and close the gap. If at any time you find yourself unable to reach certain positions, use your Wooden Platforms, it's what they're there for -- just be sure to put them back in your inventory using your Wooden Hammer so that they don't get in the way of the building process. Door The structure is now complete, but you're probably starting to wonder why I've just had you locked outside your own house. Don't worry, go to either side of the house and destroy the bottom three pieces of wood using your Copper Axe. Now, left click your Wooden Door and and place your cursor over that gap and hold onto the left mouse button until the door gets placed. Now that you're done with that, it's time to make the house suitable for The Guide to want to come in and not get killed by the looming dangers. In order for a house to be suitable it needs to have the following: Light Source (Torches) Entrance (Wooden Door) Flat Surface Item (Workbench) Comfort Item (Wooden Chair) Wall (Wood Walls) Notice how those items in brackets are the ones I told you to construct earlier? Well, now you know why. Place several Torches anywhere in the house, then a wooden chair towards either end followed by your Workbench (which technically counts as a table). The only thing preventing your house from becoming suitable now is the lack of any walls behind you. Get out those Wood Walls and cover up the background with them until you can't see it any more.  If you don't already have it open, press the ESC button and look to the right; there will be an image of a greyed out house, click it. Now click on the white "?" image and drag it inside your house and click again. If you've done everything right, a yellow message will appear saying, "This housing is suitable" and a red flag will appear with a picture of The Guide. Yep, he has now claimed it as his own and will go inside when night time approaches. Well done, your house is now a home but you still need to survive. Night time has probably approached now; the music has become much more eerie, you can see shining stars in the background and you hear this creepy screaming sound. The zombies and demon eyes are coming now. Don't go outside, seriously No, really, don't bother. Not during your first night. Not only don't you have any armor yet, but your current set of weapons will simply not do any type of remarkable damage and you will get slaughtered. The best thing for you to do now is stay inside your new home and make sure you do not open the door. Doing so for even a couple of seconds is enough to have enemies come inside and cause total chaos. Simply put: wait the night out. During this time you can get to see what tips The Guide has for you, as well click on the "Crafting" option after opening dialogue with him to see what other kind of items you can create with your current materials. Jump for joy! Congratulations, you've survived your first night in Terraria. Now go out there and explore, there's a lot waiting for you.

Okay, now THIS is a Zelda fan animation! Posted: 30 Jan 2012 07:30 AM PST "ReBoot Zelda," you had your day in the sun. It's time to step aside for a truly incredible Zelda fan video! Animator Joel Furtado conceived of a new game in the series, Zelda: The Lost Oracle, using everybody's favorite cel-shaded art style from The Wind Waker. The magnificence of this fake trailer is hard to describe. I mean, it's CG, but there's a traditional animation flavor and an almost stop-motion quality to the character movements. It's mesmerizing. Zelda: The Lost Oracle Trailer [YouTube]

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