As is always the case, the year is off to a slow start. Not many games are being released in January (yes, Final Fantasy XIII-2 does indeed release in January, but it’s out on the 31st so it almost doesn’t count), so we have to make do with one new PSN release from Tik Games (and Published by Square Enix… hey!), and some retail to PSN digital releases of full featured games. Well, as full featured a release as you can call Duke Nukem Forever. We’ll try to get a review copy for Scarygirl so we can let you know how the game made the jump from minis to full fledged PSN release. We already got to review Moon Diver from Square Enix a while ago, so let’s see how this one plays out. Buying anything this week? PSN Releases You Can Buy Mortal Kombat Right Here! You Can Buy Duke Nukem Forever Right Here!

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Releases for the Week (January 23rd-29th)

Welcome to the abandoned and (reportedly) demolished halls of Heavenly Host Elementary School, where vengeful spirits dwell and the fires of corporeal existence are repeatedly and mercilessly snuffed. We hope you enjoy the tour, as it’s not about to end anytime soon. It may even last an eternity… At this accursed school, a series of incidents occurred in which, ultimately, four students were kidnapped… and murdered. And though this ocurred 30 years ago, the corpse party still continues to this very day. Now the site if a perfectly ordinary high school, one unlucky class representative with a penchant for telling ghost stories makes the mistake of invoking a forbidden charm know as “Sachiko Ever After”, a charm that unknowlingly serves as the invitation to another space — a shifting, almost sentient echo of the long-closed school wherein these horrific mutilations occurred so long ago. And once you’ve been invited to this party, you have no choice but to attend. Willingly or no, all who find themselves in the dilapidated halls of Heavenly Host must persevere, fort their only companions along the way are the mournful spirits of the dead and forgotten… along with a few who consider themselves the very arbiters of lie and death. Will you remain a guest here forevermore? Or will you have the power to defy the saddest and strongest fate of all? Corpse Party is not your average scary game. It does have some strong images, and the content is sure to make you feel a little woozy, but there are no cheap scares in some dark corridors here. Instead, the excellent story is what sets the tone for the whole thing. At the very start of the game, a tale is told with just a handful of images lit by candlelight and from there, things just get spookier. Just watching the first 30 minutes of the game will give you nightmares about those damned children. Yes my friends, even the bravest of us will squeal at the sight of this game. This game was actually created in RPG Maker several years ago, and it was later ported to the PSP last year. Here’s some insight into this, directly from XSEEED Games: Believe it or not, Corpse Party has actually existed since 1996! The very first appearance of Corpse Party was as an independently-developed freeware game for the popular Japanese NEC PC-9800 series of computers, created by a small software startup who call themselves “Team GrisGris.” The title was put together using the popular game creation software RPG Maker (specifically, a PC98 adaption of it called RPG Tsukuuru Dante98), and billed itself as a no-holds-barred horror adventure reminiscent of Japanese 8- and 16-bit classics such as Capcom’s Sweet Home and Human’s Clock Tower. In 2008, perhaps spurred by the runaway success of similarly-themed horror titles like Higurashi: When They Cry, Team GrisGris released a Windows-based reimagining of their original opus titled Corpse Party: BloodCovered. This was not a mere port, but an upgrade in every sense: the graphics, the music, the gameplay and even the story itself were all changed, improved and expanded upon (and the initially unnamed side characters who later starred in Corpse Party Zero had their names retroactively applied to them, as a nod to the dedicated fans who kept the series alive during Team GrisGris’ long hiatus). The title was split into five chapters which were sold episodically at conventions, fan events and through an online store. This updated remake was also ported to cell phones, allowing Japanese gamers to horrify themselves on the go. Corpse Party was officially a hit. Novels, drama CDs and soundtrack albums were released one after another. Then, in 2010, popular Japanese visual novel publisher 5pb took notice and Corpse Party: BloodCovered: …Repeated Fear was born. This PSP title is an enhanced remake of Corpse Party: BloodCovered featuring further updated graphics and music, additional story elements and full voice-acting recorded via binaural audio technology for simulated three-dimensional surround sound. XSEED Games fell in love with Corpse Party: BloodCovered: …Repeated Fear just after Halloween 2010, and negotiated a license with 5pb to release it in the English-speaking world. Since no other version of the game has ever been officially published outside of Japan, we felt it prudent to drop the dual subtitles and release this game under the name that started it all: Corpse Party. Short, simple and catchy! It is, after all, the beginning of the story. While it was a full PSP release in Japan, it’s a PSN-only release over here. Honestly though, I’m just glad we got the game at all. It has some pretty meaty content with 5 main chapters to play and up to 10 extra ones that can be unlocked depending on your actions (you gotta to love multiple endings!). Each extra chapter is a small insight into other characters and their journey from here to the other side, and take about 1-5 minutes each at most. Bringing new information and perspective to the whole story is what they’re all about. Some of them you don’t even play, since you just read about the interactions and conversations. In this unusual experience you’ll do a LOT of reading, but we embrace that change with open arms. It’s good to actually read something instead of button mashing my way across yet another action game. Every line of dialogue is voiced (in Japanese) with English subtitles added for those of us that can’t really tell one word from the other. The gameplay is simple, you use the D-Pad to move (analog doesn’t work), use the triangle button to open the menu, and use X to interact with everything else. Since it’s a digital release, loading times are down to a minimum and won’t break your experience. There is a lot of revisiting the same spaces over and over, which might sound boring, but since you’re actually trapped inside a school, but each group is in a different dimensions, and every time you revisit places they change! How you interact with the (dead) people is what defines your actions and the story outcome. It isn’t about surviving, but rather about choosing how you’ll die. No one is safe, and all will eventually meet their end in this macabre journey. Or is there still a small ray of hope in all this twisted and macabre darkness? You’ll find the decaying remains of those that were trapped before you, and that could never find their way home. You can collect their name tags to add their information to your list. You’ll be surprised to learn how many have already seen their flame disappear, suffocated by this crazy place that slowly eats away at your mind and your soul. Sound plays a huge part in this game. Be sure to use your headphones and set volume as high as possible. Playing at 12 am with the lights off will also get you in the right mindset, though nightmares may wake you up in the middle of the night. You see, imagination is a veeeeery powerful thing. Not being able to see what is going on, but being told about it and listening to screams, blood splatter, breaking glass… that is certain to mess with your head. Graphics are simple (16-bit goodness!) and the illustrative images that pop out every once in a while are horror manga at its prime. Corpse Party is a must buy for every PSP owner. Visual Novels are hard to find, and when we’re given one of such high quality as Corpse Party, it is our duty to support them by buying ASAP. You’ll play for 15+ hours in order to see everything the game has to offer which, for a $19.99, is really a great value. XSEED Games wants us to join the party, and the dead want to lead us into the afterlife… Review Pros Cons Visual Novel Gaming at its Finest Great story A release for the sequel hasn’t been confirmed yet Rating 95% Published by XSEED Games Cost – $19.99 (PSN-Only PSP Digital Release) Disclaimer Total amount of time played: 15 hours This review is based on a copy of Corpse Party provided by XSEED Games.

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[Review] Corpse Party (PSP)

First off Happy News Year everyone and I hope you all had a great one. If you’re a Final Fantasy fan & played Final Fantasy XIII, I’m pretty sure you’ve been keeping up with the upcoming sequel Final Fantasy XIII-2 , whether you liked FFXIII or not. The sequel is set to release Jan 31st , which is the end of this month. If you want to get some hands on with the new features on FFXIII-2, well here’s your chance. Next week Jan 10th a demo will be released on the PSN Store. Hopefully it’s different than demo I played at San Diego’s Comic-Con last year in July. None the less I hope your hyped for this game as much as I am.

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Final Fantasy XIII-2 Demo Release

Square Enix is hard at work on what is going to be their next gen engine. Moving away from past titles art work and into photo realism. Square is hoping to do what the Unreal engine did for this Gen with their Luminous engine next gen. I have to admit the Photo Realism is just what I was hoping for. The studio plans to allow other studious to use the engine which will cut production time in half and lower the cost of game development as a whole. Whether this will allow for cheaper game will have to wait to see. Take a look at a very early sample of what to expect after the jump. I remember the early days of gaming and what Sega CD was doing with FMV and how amazing it was to feel like you were in a realistic setting in Ground Zero Texas. Here’s to hoping Square Enix can pull this off and begin the Next Next Gen with Photo Realistic gaming. Source: Edge

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Luminous Engine & Photo Realisim Next Gen

Square Enix is hard at work on what is going to be their next gen engine, moving away from their past titles’ art work and into photo realism. Square is hoping to do what the Unreal Engine did for this generation, with their Luminous Engine Next Gen. I have to admit, the Photo Realism is just what I was hoping for. The studio plans to allow other studious to use the engine which will cut production time in half and lower the cost of game development as a whole. Whether this will allow for cheaper games, we’ll have to wait and see. Take a look at a very early sample of what to expect after the jump. I remember the early days of gaming and what Sega CD was doing with FMV and how amazing it was to feel like you were in a realistic setting in Ground Zero Texas. Here’s hoping Square Enix can pull this off and begin the next Next Gen with Photo Realistic gaming. Source: Edge

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Luminous Engine & Photo Realism Next Gen

At E3 2006 Square Enix announced three new titles that would be added to the Final Fantasy series, which were Final Fantasy XIII , Final Fantasy Agito XIII , & Final Fantasy Versus XIII . Originally Final Fantasy XIII was suppose to be a PS3 exclusive, but then later announced for Xbox 360 which surprised many fans. Final Fantasy Agito XIII was intended to be Mobile game for phones, but now is currently under development for the PSP, and was renamed Final Fantasy Type-0 . The one that seemed most interesting was Final Fantasy Versus XIII which Square Enix hasn’t revealed too much about. A lot of mystery is clouded about this game & has left many curious fans feeding in the dark for more news. Sure they’re a few screen shots & videos Square Enix has unveiled, but it’s not enough. We were lucky enough that the last FFversusXIII trailer released at Tokyo Game Show 2010 show us a glimpse of the gameplay & story. The development team behind FFversusXIII is responsible for bringing us the famous & enjoyed Kingdom Hearts series, which brings the anticipation even higher considering from what we’ve see in the last trailer since battle systems seems to be similar. Fans have been wondering what’s up with Square Enix when comes the Final Fantasy series. Games such as Final Fantasy XIV which unfortunately hasn’t been living up to expectations since its release on PC & now another spin off with Final Fantasy XIII-2 which is set to release Jan 31, 2012, have fans asking, “Wait What’s up with Final Fantasy Versus XIII?”. Although Square Enix has been duck & dodging us, we’ll just have to hope for something, like a Release date or a Demo at least & yes I’m talking to you Square Enix . So just keep your fingers crossed fans & hope this is well worth the wait. If you haven’t seen the gameplay trailer yet click here

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What’s Up With Final Fantasy Versus XIII?

Square Enix recently released a video preview of the Master & Monsters system in FFXIII-2 . This new feature brings a unique feel to the fast paced Paradigm shift system, giving you the freedom to fully customize your captured monsters and their attributes, summon them to assist you in battle or unleash powerful spells that can also lead into button-pressing action sequences that are unique to each monster. I got a chance to get some hands-on with the demo at San Diego Comic-Con six months ago in July, and if you’ve played FFXIII then you should feel right at home with FFXIII-2. Since it was a demo I didn’t get a chance to fully dive into FFXIII-2 battle system, but it does feel very promising. Hopefully it’s enough for other Final Fantasy fans to give the XIII universe another chance.

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Final Fantasy XIII-2 Master & Monsters Trailer

“I Am Alive follows an everyman’s journey to find his wife and daughter, who were lost during the “Event.” A year later, he finds Haventon, his hometown, in shambles. Buildings are destroyed, toxic ash fills the streets, and society has been torn, causing inhabitants to take all necessary actions to survive.” I Am Alive is beginning to look really good, especially for a PSN release. Hopefully there will be a demo. Coming soon.

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I am Alive: Rules Trailer

GameStop now has another exclusive pre-order for FINAL FANTASY XIII-2. PowerUp Rewards members who pre-order FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 at GameStop will receive the exclusive “Genji Bow” weapon for Serah. “With a unique look for both its sword and bow forms, the Genji Bow allows the player to attack more frequently.” The exclusive weapon is retroactive for existing pre-orders, as long as the customer is a PowerUp Rewards member and is purchased/picked up by Feb. 2, 2012. For more information, visit: http://www.GameStop.com/finalfantasy . Players will follow Serah as she ventures through time across various worlds in search of her lost sister, Lightning. FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 is developed for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and will be available in North America on Jan. 31, 2012. Source: Press Release

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FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 Exclusive “Genji Bow”

After the huge number of releases from last week (both at retail and on the PSN store) we HAD to know this week would scale back things and dole out just a couple of games so we can actually have enough time to play catch up with our backlog (mine goes all the way back to 2009!). Because of that, we’re left with the following brekdown: 3 retail releases, 2 new PSN releases, 2 former retail-only releases finding their way to the PSN store, 1 PSOne Classic, 3 minis and a single “I am Alive” presentation of a PSP Digital-only release (Cooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooorpse Party!). Want to know what will be out there for you to spend some money on so close to thanksgiving? Full list after the break. PS3 RETAIL RELEASES You Can Buy WWE ’12 Right Here! You Can Buy Tekken Hybrid Right Here! Or Maybe You Want The Awesome Limited Edition? You Can Buy The King Of Fighters XIII Right Here! PSN RELEASES You Can Buy Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One Right Here! You Can Buy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Right Here! Learning with the Pooyos Episode 2 PSOne Classics PSP RELEASES minis Where is my hearth?

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Releases for the Week (November 21th-27th)