Silent Hill 8: New Name and Details

Seminal survival horror franchise getting wet for latest outing.

First there was Heavy Rain - now Konami has revealed that the next iteration of its seminal survival horror franchise is to be named Silent Hill: Downpour. Rumours of upcoming Super Mario: Shower and Call of Duty: Light Drizzle still to be confirmed.

Anyway, it seems US magazine Game Informer has first dibs on new details for the game previously known as Silent Hill 8 and they've come trickling onto the internet over the weekend.

Unsurprisingly, malevolent water appears to plays a big part in this newest excursion into everyone's favourite holiday destination of the Damned, with its appearance looking like being the trigger for Silent Hill's familiar collapse into its Otherworld self.

Game Informer cites an early sequence in a diner as an example: a sprinkler system comes on unexpectedly and the entire room collapses upward into the town's classic mix of rust-red industrial horror and endless darkness (no ice world here, folks!), water cascading in the most unexpected directions.

New Rayman Origins

Objective: To recover Ancel in 2011.

As we had announced in early November, Rayman Origins became too timid to come out in 2010 as originally planned by the publisher. Mais récemment, les rumeurs d'un Rayman 3DS ont ravivé le doute d'une sortie sur les autres supports de ceux qui attendent avec impatience le retour du héros de Michel Ancel. But recently, rumors of a rekindled Rayman 3DS doubt a trip on other carriers who are eagerly awaiting the return of the hero Michel Ancel. Soyez rassurés, il a été récemment confirmé que le jeu est toujours en développement et que l'on devrait en voir beaucoup plus en 2011. Rest assured, it was recently confirmed that the game is still developing and that we should see much more in 2011.

Resident Evil 3DS Off-Screen Footage

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Hands On: Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D

Nintendo remakes a classic with 3D visuals, gyro-based camera controls and more!

Zelda was the chief attraction at the Nintendo World 2011 3DS demo event in Japan, which opened its doors for three days of early 3DS demo play on Saturday. The game drew lines of up to 110 minutes even as most other games made players wait just 20 to 30 minutes.

We braved the long lines and came back impressed with some of the improvements the 3DS hardware brings to the N64 classic. The demo had three save files: a free romp through Kokiri Forest, dungeon play in Deku Tree, and a boss fight with Gohma.

The fundamentals in terms of moving Link around and locking on to enemies for combat are pretty much what we remember from the original. We were able to pick up and play without any controller-related adjustments.

The 3DS does make some clear improvements to the gameplay, though. Of particular note is the presence of the touch screen, which allows you to easily switch between inventory, equipment and map, and tap to use items. You can also respond to Navi's calls by tapping an icon on the bottom screen (if you're unfamiliar, Navi is the fairy that accompanies Link and acts as a navigator). The screen also shows the weapon assignment for buttons, lessening the clutter on the top screen.

Tomb Raider Trilogy Coming to PS3 March 22

Pack includes Underworld and HD remasters of Anniversary and Legend.

The previously revealed Tomb Raider Trilogy pack will be released exclusively for the PlayStation 3 on March 22, Crystal Dynamics announced today.

The pack will include Tomb Raider: Underworld, the most recent full-fledged Tomb Raider title released back in 2008, along with HD remasters of 2006's Tomb Raider: Legend and 2007's Tomb Raider: Anniversary. The Tomb Raider Trilogy will be priced at $39.99.

 

Along with the Trilogy, Crystal Dynamics is also releasing a Tomb Raider PS3 theme pack and Tomb Raider inspired outfits for Home (check out the PS3 wallpaper below). And of course, along with delving back into Tomb Raider's past, Crystal Dynamics is currently also working on the next entry in the series, which will be a reboot featuring a young Lara Croft shipwrecked on an island (which raises the question: Is she still then technically a tomb raider?).

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Killzone 3 - Meet the New Guys

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Sony's 3D Head Mounted Display

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Trion Worlds Dates Rift

Fantasy MMORPG set to launch on March 1.

Trion Worlds' long in development WoW challenger, Rift, will go live on March 1. The developer announced the launch date of the new MMORPG today, promising to deliver a game that will change the genre.

"The launch of Rift is the culmination of our tireless efforts over the past several years to bring players the most complete, full-featured, and dynamic online game they've ever experienced," said Lars Buttler, CEO of Trion Worlds.

"Through the dedication, creativity, and incredible track record of our veteran development team, we've been able to create an exceptionally polished and immersive online world filled with adventure, surprise, and beauty. We can't wait to share Rift with players around the world," Buttler added.

Trion Worlds also revealed that Rift pre-orders are available today, and those that buy now will receive their choice of one of three exclusive in-game pets. Pre-orders will also be able to get in on the action a bit early, gaining access to the "head-start" period, set to kick off on February 24.

In addition, if you pick up Rift and choose a monthly subscription plan by March 15, you'll be eligible for the Founders Pricing program, which offers a $9.99 monthly subscription sold in six-month increments. Standard monthly subscription plans for the MMO will run $15.

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New Super Robot Wars Two-Parter Hitting PSP

Gainax fans, prepare your wallets.

In the new issue of Famitsu magazine out this week, Namco Bandai Games took the veils off Dai 2 Ji Super Robot Taisen Z: Hakai-hen, a brand-new title in the SRT series of anime-robot strategy games and the first of a planned two-part package. The game is going on sale April 14 in Japan for 7329 yen, and there'll also be a special edition meant for storing both parts of the sequel in a single collector's pack. (No word on when part two is due out.)

Eye Specialists Disagree with Nintendo's 3DS Warning for Children

Eye doctors say viewing the handheld's 3D screen "should have zero deleterious impact whatsoever" for kids.

Nintendo recently issued an official warning that kids under the age of six shouldn't be allowed to view the 3DS with the 3D effect turned on -- it could, the company says, potentially harm their eye development. Evidently top eye doctors disagree.

The New York Times spoke with "some of the worlds elite pediatric ophthalmologists," who all agreed there's little scientific evidence to warrant the warning. "The fact you'd watch 3-D in a theater or a video game should have zero deleterious impact whatsoever," said Dr. Lawrence Tychsen, professor of pediatrics and ophthalmology at Washington University in St. Louis.

 

Dr. Tychsen has conducted research with Rhesus monkeys wearing 3D glasses, which he said provide an excellent approximation of how the human eye develops. The results: Monkeys that wore 3D glasses and looked at 3D screens daily for three months had no different eye development than monkeys that didn't.

 

Also confused by the warning: Dr. David Granet, a pediatric ophthalmologist at the University of California, San Diego, and chairman-elect of the ophthalmology section of the American Academy of Pediatrics. In fact, when Nintendo released the warning, Dr. Granet said he and other doctors in an online discussion group he runs were puzzled about the cause. "There were a flurry of e-mails saying, 'Does any one know the reason for this or where it came from?'" Dr. Granet said. "I don't think that parents need to worry about kids playing video games, 3-D or otherwise, from a vision perspective. The bigger question for parents is: Do you really want your 3-year-old playing a video game?"

 

EA Announces Server Shutdowns for Multiple Titles

Annual list of server shutdowns will impact roughly 1% of EA's peak online players.

It's that time of year again. New Year's resolutions are already being broken and Electronic Arts is shutting down servers. If you're still playing FIFA 07, 08, or 09 online, your virtual pitch will go dark on February 8.

While a number of titles are getting the online ax, mainly older versions of EA's various sports titles, EA said the shutdown will only impact roughly 1% of all peak online players across EA titles.

"Despite some people's perception, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping these older games up and running," EA said in a post on its web site. "We would rather our hard-working engineering and IT staff focus on keeping a positive experience for the other 99% of customers playing our more popular games."

WWE 2011 Street Fighter CAWs

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Tetris Review

Yup, this game is still cool.

It's pretty hard to screw up Tetris -- the game's been popular since it was created back in the '80s and came in second on IGN's list of the 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time -- and, thankfully, EA hasn't. Tetris on the PlayStation 3 packs all the block droppin', line makin' fun you'd expect, but it also includes a cool multiplayer feature, a number of different game modes, and a ton of in-game challenges to pull off.

Hopefully, you understand how Tetris works. A puzzle game comprised of seven different blocks, Tetris challenges you to rotate the shapes and form horizontal lines with them. Finish a line, it erases, and you get points. Fail to do so, and a wall of mistakes builds. When you've screwed up enough, the wall hits the top of the screen, and you fail. A Tetris mastermind plays so that he or she is eliminating four rows -- or a tetris -- at once for the most points, but most of us mortals just eliminate a line at a time to stay alive.

EA's take on that traditional formula is spot-on. The game itself is as fun as ever, the spinning is responsive, the high-definition graphics are crisp, and the onscreen score box lets you know how close you are to your next friend's high score.

THQ Has the Power to Develop He-Man Video Game

Companies to develop numerous games based on Mattel brands.

Mattel is opening its chest of iconic toys to THQ in a new partnership that could bring the power of Grayskull to a console near you. The toy maker and game developer/publisher announced the multi-year deal today, which includes plans to create a Masters of the Universe game.

After seeing success on their previous collaboration making a Pictionary game for the UDraw tablet controller, the two companies said they will develop multi-platform games from a broad range of Mattel brands new and old, including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, Monster High, Polly Pocket, Masters of the Universe, and others.

OnLive, Vizio Announce Cloud Gaming Partnership

Full line of Vizio products will feature built-in OnLive access.

On-demand cloud gaming provider OnLive announced today it's taking the next step in bringing its service to the masses. The company revealed this morning it has partnered with California-based consumer electronics maker Vizio to integrate OnLive directly into HD televisions, tablet computers, and smartphones.

OnLive and Vizio made the announcement at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, promising unprecedented game performance, convenience, and flexibility.