Normally, I would wander around and check out the world. I may not even talk to anyone before I kill someone or something. When I played Oblivion, I wandered into some random dungeon through what probably was a back door. I killed a bunch of guys I didn’t even know (they attacked me first, by the way), and ended up with some pretty cool equipment. Then I discovered there was a story.

With only three hours to play, I wanted to explore the story. If you have played Oblivion, wandering around the landscape is largely the same, except the graphics are pretty stunning…and oh, you can collect bugs along with the normal foraging for herbs and spices. However, it’s the story that sometimes gets lost in the mix of wandering around taking on side-quests in such a huge, open world.

It would seem that the first 45 minutes of the game is where you will be learning the ropes and building up your character a bit before you are turned loose into the open world. There is a story there, something about a dragon, but it was hard to catch on in such a limited time. I know there are dragons in the game, so nothing new there. After wandering around for a while running from wolves, seemingly weaponless, I bumped into some NPCs at a little cottage. Apparently I know one of the guys there, and he tells me to go to Riverwood to meet the Jarl.

So without a thought to check for a menu system (with a card in front of me that shows me what all the buttons do), I wandered around until I found Riverwood. In Riverwood, I bought a sword and found the Jarl; pretty easily actually. He tells me that one of his wizards is looking for a Dragon Stone, whatever that is. They need me to get it, and that’s good enough for me. So I set off on my way to retrieve the stone, which wasn’t far away. My sword didn’t auto-equip, so I opened the menu for the first time, and lo and behold, I already had a sword…and armor…and magick. So, I wasted my money, but at least I got to see how purchasing an item worked.

So, with my weapon in hand and donning my armor, I used the map to try to find the area the stone was hidden. It seemed I couldn’t find my way up there head on, so I wandered around the mountain where it seemed to be located. Along the way, I bumped into a giant. It killed me with one swing of his hammer, but he looked good doing it. My second attempt at finding the stone took me up a mountain trail. Soon I was in an amazing snow storm. I could see individual snowflakes! Truly stunning. Good thing I picked a Nord, because Nords have resistance to cold, and it was cold! Before I knew it, I arrived at my destination and facing off with some bandits. I dispatched them quickly and headed indoors.

Inside, I made my way through dungeon corridors. Bumping into some more bandits, I snuck up on one and laid an amazing shot on him. There was a cut-scene that showed me slicing the guy in half! Very cool stuff. I continued forward and at one turn, I saw a guy with his back to me. I tried to sneak up on him too, but as I did, he walked up to a lever on the floor and pulled it. Arrows shot out of the walls at him, killing him instantly. Poor sucker set off a trap! I figured out the puzzle that would keep me from getting pelted by the arrow trap and forged ahead. A deadly spider forced me to to use my magick.

The magick system is a little different from previous titles. For example, healing is not a one-shot casting. You cast it and you heal over time while casting it. You can heal more by continuing to hold down the magick button. After fishing around the menu a bit, I found that I not only had a healing spell, but a destructive spell too. I could cast fire, which should work great against a spider and his webs. Sadly, he killed me as I was setting to blast him away. On my second try, I realized that I was ready to level up! OK, so I missed that initially, but I was happy to get more powerful.

To level up, it asked me if I wanted more health, stamina or magick. After I chose stamina, I was taken to this screen with a circle of constellations, each one representing a perk I could upgrade. My flame magick was one of the choices, so I bumped that up a notch. My second try with the spider proved more fruitful, as I set the bad boy on fire and slashed at him with a sword I picked up off one of the bandits.

An NPC that was trapped by the spider forced me to make a moral decision. I won’t go into detail about that, but soon after, I was ambushed by some skeletal warriors. These weren’t random skeletal warriors, I had wandered into their crypt! Oops, sorry guys! Oh well, they didn’t accept my apology, and after several tries I finally destroyed them. One of them had a very nice axe that I procured. Another had a pretty sweet bow and some arrows. Soon, I was a walking armory and I leveled up again. I chose more stamina and more fire. Now I could cast fire with two hands if I wanted, and I did.

A little deeper into the dungeon I faced off with a skeletal mage. He was sucking my life force away, so I sent a fireball at him. I must say that the fireball spell kicks butt! It was simple and small ball of flame that flew to its target and exposed. Awesome. I pressed forward until I found the stone I was looking for. I went up to it and it said that I learned some strange word and it seemed like I had completed my task. After another no-so-surprising ambush, I pushed on.

It seemed I was now moving upwards towards the surface. After a few more battles, all of them pretty fun and tense, I found a large door with a puzzle. The puzzle was fairly easy and I had solved it as a Bethesda representative tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I needed help, and that there was a clue in my inventory. He realized I had just solved the puzzle and let me continue on my journey.

Soon I was on the surface again, and I quick-traveled back to Riverwood. After finding the Jarl again, and receiving some praise in the process, I was asked to defend the west tower from a dragon. Apparently my character has some limited experience in this sort of thing. Well, this sounded pretty intriguing, so I went off in search of the west tower. I didn’t actually have to search at all, as I was led there by a humble little unit of soldiers that seemed ready to fight a dragon.

Good thing they were ready, because as soon as we found the tower, we were attacked. The dragon was big, beautiful, and powerful. However, with my new bow and arrow that I had snagged from the newly re-dead skeleton in the dungeon, I plucked at it from above as my companions sniped and stabbed it from below. Soon it was slain and I leveled up again. After snagging some body parts from the dragon, the representative returned and said that I should just wander around some more as my time was running out.

So I did, and that concluded my three hours of play. Now to back-track a touch, I wanted to talk about the character creation process. As it turns out, you do not pick a class. This is not a bad thing, as you are going to shape your character by the way you play anyway. You can pick your race, and if you have played Oblivion, you will notice that there is nothing new here except how detailed each of the races are now. It’s hard to believe that this is the same system that released Oblivion. You will get to tweak your character’s facial features a bunch, so you can basically make your character look just about anyway you want. It’s slick, easy, a beautiful.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is every bit a sequel to Oblivion as it is a spiritual successor to Fallout 3. The combination is astounding and if my very limited time with the game is any indication, this is going to be one hell of a game.  The two greatest games this year are fixing to come out in November and they both have Sky in the title. Can you guess the other title? I thought so.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is due out on November 11, 2011 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Our demo began about 45 minutes into the game, akin to leaving the sewers in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion or Vault 101 in Fallout 3.  You are able to create and customize your character during this time but we were able to create our character right at the beginning of our demo.  Not much has changed in the character creation – you can choose your race, gender, and name – and from there, you can customize the look of your character as you could in previous games.  There are ten races to choose from – all the same races from Oblivion – and they look a lot more realistic than before.  One of the biggest differences in the character creation is that you will not have to choose a character class as you did in Oblivion.  In Skyrim, you can choose to mold and shape your character depending on how you want to play your game.  As you level up, you can focus on skills that you want to build up and ignore the ones you don’t. The choice is ultimately up to you.  I didn’t spend too much time on creating my character as I only had three hours to play the demo and I wanted to try and experience as much of the game as I possibly could during that timeframe.  I chose to be a female Nord (I played a Nord in Oblivion as well) and I started from there.

As soon as I entered the world of Skyrim, I was just completely sucked in.  I paused for a moment to just take a look around at my surroundings.  The graphics are amazing and the detail in the world makes it pop with life.  I immediately began collecting herbs and flowers – you can even collect bugs – as I knew I wanted to try out the alchemy system as soon as possible.    I had no active quests yet so I went to the world map and found the town of Riverwood nearby and set my destination marker.  I made my way, on foot, to the town and got there relatively unscathed.  I ran into a small pack of wolves and realized I didn’t have any weapons (I actually did, I just assumed that I didn’t have any).  I tried to fight them off with my fists but quickly took off running.  The town was pretty close by so I was safe from any danger at that point.

As in the previous Elder Scrolls games, you can interact with just about everything and you can take what you want.  Of course, be careful not to take what’s not yours or you could get yourself into a spot of trouble with the law.  Lock picking is a lot more like it is in Fallout 3, which is not the first time you will make the comparison between the two games.  Even though I picked a few locks and got threatened by the home owners, I refrained from stealing any items.  I did however, take almost everything else that I could get my grubby little hands on.  Upon finding an alchemy set, I tried out my potion making skills.  Each item has four properties which will be discovered as you alchemize things.  I created a few potions via trail and error – I also failed at making some potions as well.

Talking to the NPCs in the area will get you more familiar with the world and what is going on in it.  Some will offer you quests so it is beneficial to talk to pretty much everyone.  I was in search of weapons and armor (since I was too lame to realize that I actually had some already) so I found the blacksmith and immediately started talking to him.  He offered a few small tasks that basically introduce you to the blacksmithing processes in the game.  At a Blacksmith, you are able to forge your own weapons, armor, and jewelry (providing you have the right materials and the appropriate skill level) as well as improve your items.  As you go on, you will level up in smithing which will allow you to craft and improve more items as you achieve more experience.  After that, I roamed around some more – picking locks and talking to more people until I took on a quest that led me to another town called Whiterun.

Fully equipped with armor and weapons that I crafted and improved, I headed to the town of Whiterun.  On my way, I continued to collect more items for alchemy but now I was on the lookout for things to kill.  It wasn’t long until I was found by a small pack of wolves so I fought them off rather skillfully.  New to combat in Skyrim are finishing moves similar to those in Fallout 3.  I’m not sure what triggers these offhand as it didn’t happen every time I killed something (or someone) but nonetheless, they looked awesome.  Combat is relatively simple and you can pretty much customize the way your character will fight.  Use a shield and sword, use a two-handed weapon, dual wield swords, use a spell in one hand with a sword in the other, and once you gain the skill (or perk as they are called), you can even dual wield spells.  The combinations are almost endless.  Ranged combat seems to have gotten better as well.  I remember not really using the bows and arrows in Oblivion as often as it felt very clunky to me.  However, this is not the case in Skyrim.  I was able to kill a few enemies using ranged weapons and just in the few hours of playing, it will be something that you will need to learn to use effectively.  You can still choose to play the game in first-person or third- person with the click of a button and the game will allow you to customize your controls.  You can even hot-key your weapons for faster access.  During combat, I kept pressing down on the left thumbstick, which puts your character into stealth mode.   This is where the ability to customize the controls will come in most handy.

In Whiterun, I followed a side questline that led me to a group called the Companions and after completing a few quests, I was allowed to join their group.  Joining groups is a great help to your character as members of the group will offer to train you for a small price allowing you to level up certain skills a little faster than by traditionally leveling up.

The leveling up system has gotten quite an overhaul.  Since you no longer choose a character class, you are able to level up according to your play style.  You can choose your perks based on what kinds of weapons and armor you use down to the spells or schools of magic you want to use.  You will eventually cap out at level 50 but in Skyrim, you will level up faster in the beginning and slower as you gain higher levels.  Bethesda has been doing a lot to balance out the game so that while enemies will level up with you, facing a pack of rats at level 32 won’t mean certain death as it may have felt in previous games.  During the three hour demo, I managed to almost hit level 7 so you can see how fast your character will level up in a short amount of time.

The talent tree-styled level system is represented by a series of constellations.  Each proficiency within a perk is a star within the constellation shaded by ability for quicker identification.  They all require a certain amount of points to open up so you will want to explore the options in the tree if you want to plan out your character’s path.  I wanted to get the ability to dual cast (cast a spell from each hand at the same time) a destruction spell but I had to take the Destruction perk first, then take on the spell – Burning Touch.  I had to use that spell enough to level up my skill in Destruction Spells and then I would be able to take on the dual casting skill.

My three hour demo pretty much ended there and it left me hungry for more.  I didn’t touch on the main quest at all but I was able to do a little dungeon crawling in my Companion quests.  If you are at all familiar with the Elder Scrolls series, you will see that a lot of care has gone into the making of this game.  Bethesda took a lot of elements from Fallout 3 and Oblivion to create what is going to be a fantastic game that will keep you quite busy throughout this holiday season and for quite sometime after that.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will be out on November 11, 2011 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Two Tales Titles Being Updated and Re-Released

Since the release of Tales of Phantasia in 1995, the Tales series has spanned over 12 titles. From the Super Famicom to all the current gen consoles, Tales has seen them all, the classic Japanese RPG continues to thrive by giving the player the freedom to make the gameplay as deep or as simple as they would like. You can micro-manage each little detail, or play straight through the story. And now two of the stories, Tales of Graces F and Tales of the Abyss, are receiving a touch-up and are being released on new systems.

Tales of Graces has really been overhauled. So much so it is being called Tales of Graces F. Moving from the Wii to the PS3 has allowed the developer to really upgrade the graphics and include some new content as well. Most of what we saw in the demo was content from the original game, however we got to see a new cut-scene, which shows that they are including some new story development. There will also be some new Blast Calibers and character outfits. Another awesome addition is an epilogue called Lineage & Legacies that will add around 10 hours of gameplay and fill in some of the stories from the main game. There will also be drop-in/drop-out co-op multiplayer.

Tales of the Abyss is also receiving a port, this time from the PS2 to the Nintendo 3DS. Tales featured the Flex Range Linear Motion Battle System that was used in Tales of Symphonia (play this one if you have a Gamecube!). This version is more of a port than a remake. They have added a 3D effect that doesn’t do anything but spruce up the visuals a little. However, if you missed it the first time around and you own a 3DS, you may want to give this game a try as it is a great JRPG.

Inversion
Namco Bandai is working on the upcoming third person shooter, Inversion, due out in February of 2012.  We got a hands on preview of the game last week.  What makes this game stand out from other shooters is the ability to manipulate gravity.  You can use a device called a gravlink to command and manipulate gravity to your advantage.  You can use it to provide cover, to kill your enemies, and you can eevn use it to retrieve items like ammo.  The trick is that the enemies have this device as well and they can use it to do the same things to you.

Another cool thing about this game is that there are these patches of gravitational forces that manipulate particular areas allowing you and your foes to walk on walls and ceilings affording you a better vantage point to defeat your enemies.  There are even portions of the game where you will engage in weightless gameplay in zero gravity.

The game focuses around two police officers, the main character, David, and his partner, Leo.  The game can be played in single player mode with an AI partner as well as in co-op.  Multiplayer modes are also available however the specific modes have yet to be announced.  The game will support up to 16 players online.

I played through the short demo and it controls like Gears of War and, in fact, it uses a similar cover system.  There are no health packs to pick up, you regenerate it over time.  The weapons are pretty standard for a shooter but it is the gravity manipulation that really sets this game apart from some of the games on the market right now and I can see a lot of potential in the multiplayer.

Inversion is due out on February 7, 2012 for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Ridge Racer Unbounded

Ridge Racer has been a popular arcade racing game since its debut in arcades in 1993 and made it’s first home console appearace shortly thereafter.  Namco Bandai is currently working on Ridge Racer Unbounded a new experience for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and marks its first appearance on the PC.  This is also the first time that Ridge Racer has not been released as a launch title.  Ridge Racer Unbounded stays true to the series and features no licensed vehicles and keeps the cars clean and damage free during races regardless of how many times you crash into a wall or building.  However, Ridge Racer Unbounded is just that…now you can destroy building and other obstacles on the course.  Destroying buildings will create shortcuts within the race so you will want to keep an eye out for them.

The game plays like a normal racing game and gives you indicators when a building can be crashed into and destroyed.  I suspect that many players will crash into anything and everything because they can.

Another cool feature of the game is the City and Track creator, which will allow you to create your own custom cities and tracks ready for racing and destruction.

Ridge Racer Unbounded is slated for a March 2012 release and will be available on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi is the newest installment of DBZ fighting games that follows the story of the anime.  The 3D fighter allows players to control characters from the Dragon Ball Z franchise and introduces Hero Mode which will allow you to create your very own custom DBZ character using new and existing attributes to customize your character’s hair, clothing, voice, and attack moves.

The game features a story mode and boss battles to fight agains AI or other players locally or online.  The game looks like it ripped right out of the anime and features chaotic fighting sequences.  Since this was my first time sitting down with the game (or any Dragon Ball Z title for that matter), there was a slight learning curve in terms of what to do and when but overall, the game is aimed towards a younger audience so it should be easy for most players to pick up and play.  I won the battle against one of the other previewers but I couldn’t honestly tell you how!

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi should be another fun fighter for fans of the series.  The game drops on October 25th, 2011 for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Ultimate Ninja Impact

Coming to the PSP on October 18th, 2011, is the latest Naruto game, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Ultimate Ninja Impact.  Built on the Dynasty Warriors engine, the game strays from its usual fighting game style to an action adventure fighter where you take on multiple waves of multiple enemies.

The control scheme is the same as other Naruto games so fans of the series will have no problems making the transtion to the new game style.

The game will be available via the PlayStation Network as a download as well as a UMD disc available at game retailers on October 18th, 2011.

And why not? Let’s be honest, the market could use some more faces getting half the attention of the “leading brands.” The real question is how they plan to stand out. Sure, the game is visually distinct, and footage to date looks pretty fun, but how does it play? We recently got a chance to check out the game’s co-op mode for ourselves, and even ask the developers a few questions. There was a lot to take in, and our two missions just weren’t enough (I want to play more!), but what I could gather is that this game want the player to, more than anything else and more than competing titles, have a whole lot of fun doing everything it has to offer. For better and worse, it looks like they’ve succeeded.

Before even playing, we were all shown a training video that explained a bit of the game’s particulars, like an objective wheel where you can literally choose how you plan to help your team out, and a quick rundown of the different classes (Soldier, Medic, Engineer, and Operative) and their distinct special abilities. It also showed some familiar territory, like an experience system that helps unlock new abilities, perks, weapons, etc. This was a good little primer to get us in the frame of mind for this game. It really helped me, having been on a killstreak-focused Black Ops binge the past couple months. I was also informed that just watching those videos will give the player some experience points.

The first mission had us escorting a vehicle from point A to point B, and then covering that vehicle and holding off the AI-controlled enemy team once we got there. I was an Engineer through most of the mission, and expected my abilities to be used mainly on the vehicle. Not so. When we started, Media Director Richard Jolly pointed out that I could throw little stat boosts to my team mates, boosting their armor or damage for a short while. Each toss gave me experience points, too. And when we hit our first wave of resistance, I was surprised to see that I wasn’t necessarily weaker than a soldier with my firepower. I could take guys down with the best of them. I could actively contribute to the battle at hand AND help in my own way. Turns out all classes are this way. A soldier may be bigger on guns, but they were most welcome as the only class that could give out ammo and plant charges on walls to pave the way forward for us. Everyone has their role.

Shortly after a certain wall in our path was taken down, I got the itch to try a different class, and switched into an Operative at the team spawn’s command station. Almost immediately, I missed being able to be an instant help to my team mates. But a quick look at my objective wheel showed some closed off doors that only I could break open. So off I went, away from the action, and found a sealed off door that I was able to use a handy hacking device to unlock. No one was around, so I went for it… sort of. The tool didn’t work when I walked too far, so I had to hang close and feel even more vulnerable. I got it open, though, and thus offered a brand new path for my teammates to take. Because it was a completed objective, I also made bank on more experience points. My satisfaction didn’t last long, though. My team reached point B while I was hacking a door closer to point A. Whoops. I even learned that my former Engineerness could’ve helped set up the vehicle once it his point B. Right… so I stuck with Operative and noticed that I could scan a dead enemy and disguise myself as one of them! Sweet! To boot, I gained even more experience for just being disguised! But once at point B, victory involved shooting guys, so that disguise had to come off and I had to start blasting away. No problems there, though, because shooting people is ALWAYS great.

Come the next mission, we were all in the groove of the game and opted to go from Easy difficulty AI to Normal. Crazy, right? We were ready. Normal it was! And they certainly did up their game against us. Still we fought on. About here, Richard Ham, the Creative Director, came around to me and pointed out that as an Operative, I was the “most important” guy on my team since my choice skills were needed to complete the main objective. I had to reach their safe room and crack it open with my trusty hack tool I’d learned to use in the last mission. With a clever disguise, I made my way there completely unscathed. I hung back and watched the enemy team head off to fight the rest of my hard-working team. All but one. Jerk would NOT leave that safe, and I was warned that hacking the safe with him around would be a bit of a dead giveaway. So I gave him one to the face with my rifle butt. It took him to the floor and I thought “Hah!” for a only moment. He then got up and gunned me down! At this point, Ham told me that this game wasn’t about instant kill moves. The game always has an out. Prior to that, I had noticed I was able to sit tight and wait for a medic to come revive me after being gunned down. “Neat” I thought. Now if only I knew that earlier…

Eventually my team caught up to my covert shenanigans and burst into the safe room. April, a Medic, went clutch at this moment and healed the crap out of the team. Thanks to her, my pleas to everyone of “Don’t let them shoot me!” went fully answered. Everyone was able to hold off the enemy while I cracked the safe. Now holding the contents therein, we still had to get out. Couldn’t disguise myself anymore, so I had to just sit back and hope my team would clear my path. They almost did. I had to kick it out myself at the end, taking down the remaining few with my SMG and bolt for the finish. Normal difficulty? Psh…

The final stage of this mission involved escorting a wounded NPC from point A to point B (expect a lot of this). For this mission, I spent most the time noodling around in disguise and pointing out mines for my team mates so they’d be nice and highlighted on their HUDs. Another of my skills as an Operative. Aside from that, I tried fiddling with the game’s SMART navigation system, which lets you climb, scale, and slide around for a little added mobility. It was pretty cool, but I think I was missing some key components because while it helped get me around, I felt like a monkey with a broken foot half the time, not looking half as cool as some of the demo footage I’d seen (Note: I didn’t fiddle much with character customization, but there are Light, Medium, and Heavy body types which likely played a hand). That happened, and at some point I hijacked an enemy turret in their base and started unloading on a mess of dudes waiting for the cavalry to arrive. My score this mission was low, but I like to think I softened the dough for the real pulverizing. Going back to experience points, it’s worth pointing out that I still got a decent amount for pointing out those mines, and that April was a top scorer just for healing a whole lot.

Ham explained that all the experience points are intended to tell players that what they’re doing is right. He also mentioned that a medic who heals a lot will probably get more experience than someone who just kills a lot. The logic goes two ways: First, Ham described that taking down an opponent is a reward in itself, so they decided not to reward that with experience; Second, the system seems to be based more on just how much you’re contributing to the objective and your team than how badass you are with a gun. This philosophy fuels all of Brink, right down to their stat tracking, which does not list one’s Kill/Death ratio, which to many Halo or Call of Duty players is essentially your worth as a player. The end game score screen won’t even show how many kills you racked up. Honestly, the shifted approach sounded awesome. I love the idea of being able to see that I am a stealthy bastard, a great healer, or even a kill-hungry maniac, and not just how efficient I am at aiming. On top of that, it also lowers personal stress from wanting to look good all the time. I can just have fun while I learn the ropes, and get rewarded for exploring the deeper aspects of the game. This all sounds great, and I love game that’s just happy to see me have fun, and not necessarily win. It’s nice that a low rank on a final score only says “You could’ve helped more” instead of “You suck.”

HOWEVER, it’s possible that this focus on teamplay and this “you can do it” attitude will not jibe with players looking for a more strictly-competitive experience. It seems that the more stark environment of “N00B vs 1337” shooters is the way of the land right now, and the masses want kill counts and ratios. And while the action itself feels good and fluid, and SMART system adds a dimension to the play style and maneuvering, the maps we played were very focused on mission objectives, and not the arena combat one usually sees. We were told the game would launch with “14 missions” when asked about map count, so I am also led to believe that there won’t be much, if any, presence of Deathmatch-style layouts. I want to note that I’m not saying one mode is better or worse; both have their place and are fun in their own right. I just have difficulty imagining Brink stealing a whole lot of multiplayer fps thunder from the big names when its focus isn’t what the masses are flocking to.

Having said that, I do want this game to succeed. I want it to find its niche, and to take its slice of the pie, much like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has. I love that Splash Damage didn’t throw their hat in the same ring as everyone else and opted to offer an honest and actual alternative to what’s out and popular. The best thing I can say about it is I want to play it more, and I don’t want to wait until May to do it.

But what about everything else? And is it worth it to purchase yet another handheld?

WHAT WE KNOW:

• The 3DS will feature 3D graphics without needing special glasses.

• Like the DS before it, it features 2 displays, however the upper screen is larger and the lower screen is smaller:

• Top screen: 3.53 inches/resolution 800×240 pixels/3D capable

• Bottom screen: 3.02 inches/resolution 320×240/Touchscreen.

FEATURES:

• Microphone for recording your voice or for game control.

• Motion Sensor and Gyroscope.

• Analog Control via the Circle Pad. Gives you a “joystick” feel.

• 3 Single Focus Lens Cameras: Two of the cameras face outward and allow to capture stereoscopic 3D images. The third camera, which does NOT capture images in 3D, faces the user and may be used in certain game software. Resolutions are 640×480 for each camera.

• Adjustable Stylus that allows you to make it shorter or longer.

• Mii characters. You can create your own Mii avatar, or create one by taking a 3D photo of yourself and let the hardware make one for you.

• Wireless Communication within 98.4 feet depending on environmental situations. The connection speed is 2.4 GHz and supports IEEE802.11 b/g with the WPA™/WPA2™ security feature.

• Sleep Mode. A low energy mode that allows it to send and receive data wirelessly from other 3DS units.

• SpotPass™ allows the DS to find areas where you can wirelessly connect to the internet via wireless hotspots or wireless LAN access points.

• Street Pass™ that allows your 3DS to connect with other 3DS units in the vicinity when the units are in Sleep Mode. You control what information is shared while they are connected, such as Mii characters and high scores.

• eShop where you can purchase software or view trailers, reviews and maybe more. This will not be available when the system launches.

• Charging Cradle. Instead of plugging in the 3DS, you will place it on a cradle to charge up the batter. You can leave the 3DS in sleep mode while charging.

• A 2 GB SD Memory Card is included for storing photos, recordings, games and music. You can purchase your own SD or SDHC card to increase your storage.

• Support for MP3 and AAC file formats which are two of the most common music file formats available today. This should allow you to play most of your iTunes library.

• Backwards compatibility with most DS and DSi games. Games that include special accessories or games that were intended for the Game Boy™ Advance and prior will not work with the 3DS.

• Parental Controls allow you to restrict game content and connectivity.

• 3D Depth Slider that allows you to adjust and turn off the 3D effects.

• The battery is a lithium ion battery with a life of approximately 3-8 hours depending on what functions are being used. It takes about 3.5 hours to completely charge the batter.

• The stereo speakers are placed to the left and right of the top screen. You can also plug in standard ear buds into the audio jack and enjoy stereo output.

• Built-in software includes the Home Menu, Nintendo 3DS Camera, Nintendo 3DS Sound, Mii Maker, StreePass, Mii Plaza, AR Games, Activity Log, Face Raiders, and maybe more.

• Launch colors: Aqua Blue and Cosmo Black

WHAT’S DIFFERENT?
Here is what’s different from the DSi. Many of these features are in the list above:

• 3D effects, including the ability play 3D games and take 3D pictures. The DS had two cameras, one facing in and one facing out, so the only new thing is the 3D effect via the third outer camera.

• Most of the built-in software such as AR Games, Face Raiders, Mii Maker, Street Pass™ Mii Plaza™, and others that feature 3D are all new.

• The Nintendo 3DS Sound application is also new, although we are not sure if it features or uses 3D.

• The System Transfer feature.

• $250.00 launch price is quite a bit of a difference from previous Nintendo handheld launch prices: at least $100 more!

• The top screen has increased in size, while the lower screen has shrunk a little bit. This shouldn’t effect game play whatsoever.

• Adjustable stylus.

• The Circle Pad analog stick.

• Home Button that allows you to access the Home Screen, even from a game’s pause menu.

• What happened to the ability to adjust the backlit screen brightness?

• It’s more powerful than the DSi in terms of graphic and processing power.

DSi

• CPU: The DSi has two ARM architecture CPUs ARM9 and ARM7. The ARM9 is clocked at 133 MHz.

• RAM: 16 MB

• Storage: 256 MB of internal flash memory with a SD card (up to 2 GB) and SDHC card (up to 32 GB) expansion slot.

• Wireless: 802.11b/g internal wireless connectivity

• There is a great breakdown located on the 3DS Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3DS

WHAT WE DON’T KNOW

• How much games will be.

• Launch titles, although we know many titles that will release within a launch window. Who cares? You still have all the DS games that are out, and there are some awesome titles!

• When the Internet Browser and eShop be available.

• What other colors be available and when.

OK, now that you know everything there is to know about the new system, here are some of the things that people who have seen it are saying:

The 3D effect really works! you can adjust the amount of 3D to suit your tastes using the 3D slider on the unit. However, under certain circumstances, such as as you tilt the unit or pull the unit away, you can lose the 3D effect. This is interesting because the unit also has the gyroscope, so games probably won’t be able to use both at the same time to its full potential.

The fact that Nintendo is releasing a handheld system for $250.00 is not very characteristic of the company. They usually make many sacrifices in a system’s hardware to bring the price point down to a consumer friendly level. Could this be a risk? I doubt it. This is technology the masses have been waiting for. The biggest complaint about 3D is that you need glasses. Not anymore! The fact that it works so well is a “you have to see it” kind of thing that will sell units like mad. Already the DSi sales numbers have dropped considerably as people are holding out for the new system, so $250 shouldn’t scare anybody away.

Nintendo also has a sordid history regarding releasing new versions of their handheld hardware relatively soon after the launch of the first generation. You saw the DS Lite, with a much improved aesthetic design, released a mere 2 years after the DS. The DSi, which upgraded the system’s CPU and RAM, was released 2 years after that along with the DS XL. Also, many colors were shown at E3 so they are bound to release new colors once initial sales slow down. So should you wait? I wouldn’t, unless the color of the system is that important to you, and even then I’m sure companies will start releasing skins for the device if they haven’t already. In two years, the tech may be ready to upgrade, and so will you. Of course, if you wait, prices of the system will probably drop as will the price of some of the amazing launch-window titles. So if money is tight, maybe you should hold out.

What about the PSP2? There is no doubt the PSP2 will be an amazing handheld gaming system. It’s pretty much a guarantee that the graphics will blow the 3DS out of the water. Not only that, but there are some pretty cool technology that is going to be used in Sony’s handheld, including multi-touch and touch-pad on the back of the device. Very exciting stuff. Two points to consider though:

1) No 3D
2) Price. You think $250.00 is bad. Try $300 – $350!

With all systems, console and handheld alike, the games are king. Honestly, there are only a handful of amazing games for Sony’s fledgeling system, yet I’m guessing the new system will be able to play these games. Nintendo has a back catalog of countless games for the DS that are both critical and commercial successes for the DS, and they have announced that most DS games (those that don’t come with special peripherals), will be playable on the 3DS.

I feel that my money is best spent on the 3DS just based on the fact that I spend more time with my DS than the PSP. I never really got into the way the PSP feels in my hands. I also believe that the better value will be with Nintendo’s device. However, I’m the kind of guy that will own both soon enough anyway (especially if April has anything to say about it!).

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For those of you who don’t already know Ōkami, it is an original Capcom title that has since inspired top titles such as Twilight Princess and Epic Mickey. It was originally released as an exclusive PS2 game and features an incredibly gorgeous art style that made the whole game look like it was painted onto your TV with watercolor. You play as the white wolf Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun, as she embarks on an epic quest to rid the world of the demons that were released in ignorance by a skeptical warrior named Susano. Using her powers, Amaterasu learns the 13 Celestial Brush techniques that eventually restors the land to its former glory. The quest rivals that of its major inspiration, The Ocarina of Time, in both length and complexity.

The new game, Ōkamiden (which translates to Wolf Tale) features Chibiterasu, a youthful sun god. However, this is not a prequel, and in fact takes place about nine months after the events that concluded Ōkami. The game will feature a new cast of characters and items that will help Chibiterasu in her quest to restore order to the land. Along the way, Chibi will learn lessons on friendship, responsibility, and love between parents and children.

The Celestial Brush returns from the original game and as in the original, you can turn any screen into a canvas and paint symbols over objects to produce different effects. For example, drawing a circle over a dying tree will cause it to bloom with leaves and flowers. You also use the brush in combat, where you can paint slashes through enemies that translate to sword slashes in the real world, or paint a bomb on the screen to blow up several enemies at once. In Ōkami, your ink vials replenished over time, however Chibi is still too young to possess that strength, so he has to find vials to replenish his ink stores.

Also returning is scroll painting art style that made the original such a critical success. While the DS can’t quite capture the subtle details featured in the PS2 version, it compares well to its Wii counterpart, which ditched the cool paper-like texture that permeated the background. The screenshots do not do it justice; to really appreciate the quality of the graphics, you have to see it in action.

New to the series is the ability to partner-up with a few of the characters in the game. You can have them ride Chibi, or you can use your Celestial Brush to paint a path for them to take, a la Phantom Hourglass. Each of these characters possess special abilities that will help Chibi in her quest.

We got to play a couple of levels at the demo and I didn’t want to put it down. The gameplay and control is on par with the original, such as the loose jumping and chaotic combat action. Once you figure out an enemies weakness, you will be using the same techniques over and over again to defeat them. However, the boss battles are a lot of fun. One of the boss battles we saw had you using every technique in your arsenal and it still took about 5 minutes to defeat.

If you are a fan of the original Ōkami or of the Zelda franchise, into action adventure games, or just want to play something epic, keep an eye on this game. I think that kids will enjoy this title as well, although the challenge level may be a little bit high for some. Fortunately, you don’t have to play the first game to get into Ōkamiden because they recap the whole adventure at the beginning of the game.

There are some lovely pre-order bonuses available for Ōkamiden – if you pre-order the game through GameStop, you will receive a special Ōkamiden stylus.  If you pre-order the game through the Capcom Store, you will get a super-kawaii Chibiterasu character plush keychain.

Ōkamiden is set for release on March 15, 2011!  Visit the official Ōkamiden Facebook page for updates and official Capcom contests and info!

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In 2011, Codemasters Studios will be releasing the third game in the series with Operation Flashpoint Red River. With the new title, they have kept all the good things from the previous titles such as the authentic looking equipment, the intense fire-fights and the constant threat that a single bullet may pose. They have also addressed some of the complaints that were levied against the originals like the inconsistent graphics, the poor enemy and team member AI, and the overwhelming difficulty.

They have completely rebuilt the graphics engine from the ground up, and the game looks pretty good from the two levels we saw. Draw distance is drastically improved, and the sheer detail of both areas was astounding. In fact, the improved graphics actually makes it harder to spot enemies, as they tend to blend into the details as they would in real life. This makes the camouflage that the enemy wears very effective.

The improved AI makes the game a little easier, as you won’t be having to constantly save team member’s lives. The enemy is smarter too, but this can work to your advantage in this game as they tend to hunker down a little more and behave a little more predictably. When one bullet can kill, it is more realistic that no one just goes rushing out in the open.

They also introduced some new ways to enjoy the game, particularly if you a new-comer to the series. They have including an aim assist option that allows you to better lock-on to targets. You can even enable a snap-to aiming system that locks on and follows the enemy.  With an improved Heads-Up Display, the game just gives you a few more tools to get the job done, which always makes it a little easier.

Another addition to the series is a character class system, complete with leveling up and customizable options. Each class has their own strengths and weaknesses, and you can add buffs to each of them to improve things like their sprinting ability or their toughness. Like any good Marine, you will be proficient with a weapon that is common for the class you choose, but using a gun that is alien to you puts you at a disadvantage. But you can practice with weapons and get better at using them.

We got to see a couple of the character classes, the Automatic Rifleman and the Scout. They definitely played a little different during combat, but I couldn’t say how much customization will actually add to the enjoyment of the game overall.

There is a lot of love that the developers put into this game. It shows in all of the detail that they put into the game. Each gun has its own weight and recoil that is really felt when firing. The gun models have little touches such as duck tape and things written on them that you might find on a Marine’s gun. You can be injured in different areas, such as the arms or legs and your injuries affect your character. For example, if your legs are injured, you lose the ability to sprint. It’s all these little things that make this game an engrossing experience.

Although the AI is vastly improved, the game is still best enjoyed as an online co-op experience. Communicating with your team and employing tactics to slowly infiltrate the enemy lines is a rewarding experience that is best shared with friends. Besides, the AI isn’t THAT much improved that it replaces a person. The game features a drop-in/drop-out feature that makes it easier than ever to join a team online.

The little demo we got to see showed off a little section of the game’s center of conflict, the country of Tajikistan, which is located between Afghanistan and China. The mission was to clear a path for a vehicle envoy. The demonstration showed off the tactical side of the game, as it was necessary to scout and use flanking maneuvers to really expose and pick off enemy troops. While we saw some graphical glitches that surely won’t be in the final release, the overall look of the game was fantastic. We were shown the PS3 version, and everything seemed to play very smooth. The action was clear and distinct, and you could even see muzzle flash from enemy guns to help track their location.

We also got to play a little bit of what is going to be a survival mode. Our job was to survive wave after wave of enemies. We didn’t last too long, but we did get to handle a couple of the guns and they had a good feel. It was easy to track and shoot enemies, and while it wasn’t available for this demo, it was promised that structures in the game will be destructible. This means you can bring down someone’s hiding spot to expose them.

We didn’t get to delve too much into the customization, but we got to see a little bit. There seemed to be some cool options that will give the player good control of what works best for them.

Overall, this game is looking promising in the early going. Please keep an eye out for more information as it gets released.

“The brutal new chapter in the world-renowned, multi-million selling franchise, Operation Flashpoint™ Red River takes the tactical military shooter to new levels of intense authenticity. On a deadly new battlefield where one bullet can kill, Operation Flashpoint™ Red River takes gamers closer to the experience of the US Marine Corps on campaign than ever before.

Operation Flashpoint Red River delivers a personal experience of infantry Marines on mission in a hostile country, thousands of miles from home. Dispensing with corny heroics, corridor gun-play and unrealistic set pieces, players deploy real life tactics in a range of new scenarios and against new enemies. The tension, brutality and carnage of modern warfare is intense as players feel the rush of adrenaline that comes when it’s time for Marines to ‘get some’.

Players embark on a full expeditionary campaign set in the remote and beautiful country of Tajikistan, bordered by China and Afghanistan. A fictional conflict with contemporary geopolitical themes unfold over three distinct acts, presenting unique challenges which can be experienced in both single player and co-operatively by up to four players online. Empowered with the real life freedom of fireteams to take on objectives on their own initiative, players must think on their feet and act decisively as they take on determined, adaptive and reactive enemies. From the unpredictable chaos of close-quarters insurgency warfare to holding defensive positions against the full might of the Chinese PLA, players tackle the wide-ranging threats Marines face, with the assets of one of the world’s leading superpowers at their disposal.”

Operation Flashpoint: Red River will be available in Q2 2011 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

• Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
• Splatterhouse
• Time Crisis: Razing Storm
• Active Life Explorer
• Body and Brain Connection
• Knight’s Contract
• Pac-Man Party

Overall, Namco Bandai has an exciting line up games so keep an eye out for them in the coming months.  For more details, click on the game titles to read our full preview write ups!

Pac-Man Party is playable with 1 to 4 players and features Story Mode, Mini-Game Mode, and Party Mode.  We tried out a few of the mini-games.  The game is reminiscent of the Mario Party series but with Pac-Man characters and some other Namco favorites.  One of the best parts of this game is the ability to unlock some of your favorite arcade classics including the original versions of PAC-MAN, Galaga, and Dig-Dug!

Pac-Man Party will be available for the Nintendo Wii this Fall.

The game features hack n’ slash gameplay with a unique and twisted storyline.  While the game is a single player game, it does take on some co-op gaming elements as Heinrich and Gretchen will have to work together.  Since Heinrich is immortal, he will not die.  Gretchen, however, can die so you will need to protect her during combat.  Heinrich can hold Gretchen in his arms at any time which will regenerate her health.  While Heinrich cannot die, he can be seriously maimed which can slow him down giving the enemies an opportunity to go after and kill Gretchen.

The game also feature finishing kills that when pulled off properly will summon execution devices like the Guillotine to finish off enemies similar to those seen in Bayonetta.

The recreation of 17^th century Europe looks marvelous in the game and I can’t wait to see more of it.  There is no comment at this time regarding DLC.  The game is split into levels or chapters that can be played over and over with the scores uploaded to Leaderboards for added replay value.

Knight’s Contract is rated M for Mature and will be available sometime in 2011 for the Xbox 360 and PS3.