Review

Resonance of Fate, known in Japan as End of Eternity  is a console role-playing game developed by tri-Ace and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was released on January 28, 2010 in Japan and on March 16, 2010 in North America and it will be released on March 26, 2010 for European markets. Both the North American and European releases include the original Japanese voice overs in addition to the English dubs.

In the distant future, Earth has undergone a drastic change in the environment. For reasons unknown, poisonous layers of gasses permeated the land, which resulted in near extinction for mankind due to humanity’s inability to adapt to the new changes. The remaining humans built a gigantic device called Basel, an environment purifier buried deep in the ground, which cleanses the air in the surrounding land and hopefully the rest of Earth as well. Civilization began to reform around Basel itself, building a city around the tower. The upper classes live in luxurious apartments at the top of Basel while the lower classes reside among the many districts built around the base and stem of the tower. For countless years, all is well, until one day the purifier inside Basel begins to malfunction.

The game features what is known as the tri-Attack-Battle system or officially t-A-B for short. The battle system is a semi-realtime battle system which means that it is a mixture of a real-time and turn-based battle system. The game consists of battle elements such as command battles and action battles. Players start the battle by selecting one of the player’s characters to control, following which the player takes direct control over the character. The player can then move the character around and attack a target of choice, the character’s move ends when the player’s attack is over. Enemies are also able to move while the player’s character is moving and would usually attack only the character being controlled by the player.

Super Street Fighter IV is a forthcoming competitive fighting game currently being produced by Capcom. It is an updated version of/sequel to Street Fighter IV scheduled to be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as a stand-alone product. Set to be released on April 27th, 2010 for North America, April 28th, 2010 for Japan, and April 30th, 2010 for Europe.Having been deemed as too large an update to be deployed as DLC, the game was made into a stand-alone title, but is intended to carry a price tag lower than that of a full retail  version of the game. Capcom also hinted at bonus features for people who already own Street Fighter IV.

Super Street Fighter IV has 10 characters to the original character roster from Street Fighter IV, featuring eight characters from previous Street Fighter games, as well as two fighters whom are brand new to the series. The first, Juri, is a young South Korean woman who works for Seth’s organization, S.I.N., and uses Taekwondo as her fighting style along with an energy-boosting device implanted inside her left eye called the “Feng Shui Engine”. The second, Hakan, is a wrestler from Turkey who fights by covering himself in oil, allowing him to slide around and use slippery grapples on his opponents. Other characters include T. Hawk and Dee Jay from Super Street Fighter II, Adon from the original Street Fighter, Cody and Guy from Final Fight (Adon, Cody and Guy being based particularly on their Street Fighter Alpha incarnations) and Dudley, Makoto and Ibuki from Street Fighter III.

Splinter Cell:  Conviction introduces a number of new gameplay features to the series. One of which is the “Mark and Execute” feature, which allows the player to mark specific targets, such as enemies or objects, and shoot them when they burst through a door or window. The player can choose to prioritize these targets, so that, for example, he could distract one guard by shooting out a light in his vicinity and then take out another guard. Another new feature is the “Last Known Position”, which occurs when the player breaks the line of sight of an alerted guard. This forms a visual silhouette of where the guard thinks Sam is, allowing the player to strategically flank his enemies. Main target subjects can use the player’s abilities against them. The player can be taken hostage by the subject. If this happens in co-op mode, the hostage’s partner can neutralize the subject by any means necessary, possibly even by lethal means.Ubisoft officially announced that the game will be released on April 13, 2010.

Splinter Cell:  Conviction takes place roughly two years after the events of Splinter Cell:  Double Agent. Sam Fisher has gone rogue from Third Echelon after discovering that the death of his daughter, Sarah, was not an accident. However, Third Echelon, now overly-bureaucratic and bound in red tape, are in pursuit of Sam. Sam must use all the help he can get, including former Third Echelon colleague Anna Grimsdóttír, and Sam’s friend, Victor Coste, in order to discover the truth behind the death of his daughter. Sam begins with going after his daughter’s killer, but he found himself trying to stop a more serious threat upon Washington DC.

The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces is an arcade-style combat flight simulator for the Wii based on the 2008 anime film adaptation of Hiroshi Mori’s novel series The Sky Crawlers and released the game in North America on January 12, 2010.Set in an alternate history, the game follows the journeys and fligt of a group of young fighter pilots involved in aerial dogfighting using propeller-driven fighter airplanes. Though the world is at peace, in order to ease the tension of a populace accustomed to war and aggression, private corporations employed fighter pilots to stage combat operations against each other for show.

In the game players control Lynx, a rookie pilot who joins a team of privately contracted pilots, the Sky Crawlers. As he tries to gain acceptance in the team, Lynx and the Sky Crawlers also become involved in mystery revolving around the appearance of a group of seemingly immortal fighter pilots.

Players hold the Wii Remote in their left hand and the Nunchuk in their right hand. Using the motion detection of both controllers, movement of the Nunchuk is used to tilt, roll, pitch and yaw the player’s aircraft, while the Wii Remote is used as the throttle, with players tilting it up and down to accelerate and decelerate. The game also supports the Classic Controller and GameCube controller for more traditional control.

The game introduces a unique gameplay mechanic called the “Tactical Maneuver Command” system, in which players gain the ability to eautomatic acrobatics to better position themselves for attack by keeping in close proximity to their enemies.During the game players unlock new planes, which they can customize in seven areas, such as color, weapons and armor.Players can also replay previous missions that they have beaten.

Borderlands is a science fiction FPS with RPG elements that was developed by Gearbox Software for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It was first revealed in the September 2007 issue of Game Informer magazine. The console versions of the game were released in North America on October 20, 2009, and were released in PAL countries on October 23. The console version release for the Japanese market was made available on February 10, 2010. The Windows version was released on October 26 for North America and then on October 29  for internationa version.

Borderlands is a first-person shooter that includes character-building elements system found in role-playing games, leading to Gearbox calling the game a “role-playing shooter”. At the start of the game, players select one of four characters, each with a unique special skill and with proficiencies with certain weaponry. The four characters were: Roland the Soldier, Mordecai the Hunter, Lilith the Siren, and Brick as himself. From then on, players take on quests assigned through non-player characters or from bounty boards, each typically rewarding the player with experience points, money, and sometimes a reward item. Players also earn experience by killing foes and completing in-game challenges (such as getting a certain number of kills using a specific type of weapon). As they gain levels from experience growth, players can then allocate skill points into a skill tree that features three distinct specializations of the base character; for example, Mordecai can become specialized in sniping, gunslinging with revolvers, or going rogue and using his pet Bloodwing to assist in kills and health boosting. Players can distribute points among any of the specializations, and can also spend a small amount of in-game money to redistribute their skill points.

Players start the game with the ability to use two weapons, but later gain up to four weapon slots, as well as slots for an energy shield, a grenade modification, and a class modification. Items collected but not used can be sold back to vendors for money that then can be used to buy better items. One of the key features of Borderlands is the randomly-generated weapons and items created either as dropped by foes, found in storage chests about the game, sold at vendors in the game, or as quest reward items. The game uses a “Procedural Content Creation System” to create these weapons and items, which can alter their firepower, rate of fire, and accuracy, add in elemental effects such as a chance to set foes on fire, and at rare times other special bonuses such as regenerating the player’s ammo. A color-coded scale is used to indicate the rarity of the weapon or item. It is estimated that the random system can generate over 17 million variations of weapons. The Procedural system is also used to make the characteristic of random enemies that the player could face. This allows for enemies of the same species to have widely-various attacks: for example, variations of “spiderants” in the game could leap around and would jump onto players’ faces, while another variant can roll up into a ball and attack people, depending on the content generator.

When in combat, the player can take damage if their shield is depleted, affecting their health. If they lose all their health, they must either wait to be revived by another player or attempt to kill an enemy to achieve a “second wind”, or otherwise will be regenerated back at the last “New-U” station that they passed, losing a small percentage of their money in the process. Players eventually gain access to two-passenger vehicles, and can engage in vehicular combat with other enemies. Eventually, a system of fast transit points between the game world is available to the player; until then, players must walk or drive between areas to get around.

Final Fantasy XIV Online, is the fourteenth entry in the Final Fantasy series, due for release in 2010 for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. The game is developed and published by Square Enix and will be released simultaneously in all regions. Like Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy XIV is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. The game takes place in a land called Hydaelyn, mainly in a region named Eorzea, which will have an aesthetic blend of sci-fi and classic fantasy elements.The game will be released in Japanese, English, French, and German.

It has been confirmed that closed alpha testing began on March 11, 2010. This was announced at VanaFest 2010, an event to commemorate the eighth year of Final Fantasy XI. The English-language version of the PlayStation 3 release of Final Fantasy XIII contained a key for a chance to access a beta, to be held later in the year.

The battle and job systems will be little different from the one previously used in Final Fantasy XI, which utilized experience points. Character races will resemble and allow players to create avatars similar to ones in Final Fantasy XI. Group play has been balanced, and now solo and group play have been balanced. Weapon use willuse development character.

The North American official website was updated October 7, 2009 and explains about the Job System, also known as The Armoury System. By wielding different weapons and even crafting tools, players will be able to take on the role of their choosing such as Gladiator or Thaumaturge. In general, the different roles are divided into four disciplines: Disciples of War (masters of combat arms), Disciples of Magic, Disciples of the Land (gatherers of material resources and students of the natural environment), and Disciples of the Hand (crafters who invest their creative ability in creating item and industry). The crafting system will be a part of the Armory System; when a player decides to wield a Blacksmith hammer, their appearance will change and they will become a blacksmith. The same goes for harvesting tools; a player will be able to equip them and their appearance will change. They will then take on the role of a resource gatherer.

City states
Ul’dah
Limsa Lominsa
Gridania
Ishgard

Characters

So far there are five confirmed playable races in Final Fantasy XIV, all similar to the races from Final Fantasy XI. The goal of the developers was to create an atmosphere of aesthetic familiarity to players of FFXI.
Hyur : A race that is more or less human. They are divided into the Highlanders and the Midlanders.
Elezen : An elf-like race and the original inhabitants of Eorzea.
Lalafell : Tiny humanoids of high agility and intelligence from the southern regions.
Roegadyn : A large race who are a seafaring folk from the northern regions. It seems to be a male-only race.
Miqo’te : Cat-like humanoids divided into two groups: the Seekers of the Sun and the Keepers of the Moon. It seems to be a female-only race.

Classes

The Classes will be sorted up in to 4 “Disciplines”. The Crafting Professions such as Gardeners and Blacksmiths have been included as classes, and the character will change into that job if it has the specific item equipped. (If it’s equipped with a hammer, it will become a blacksmith, etc.) Below is a list of the so far announced classes

Disciples of War
Archer
Marauder
Pugilist
Gladiator
Lancer

Disciples of Magic
Thaumaturge
Conjurer

Disciples of the Land
Botanist
Miner

Disciples of the Hand
Alchemist
Culinarian
Tanner
Blacksmith
Weaver

Darksiders, originally known with the subtitle Wrath of War, is an action adventure video game developed by Vigil Games and published by THQ. The game takes its inspiration from the apocalypse, with the player taking the role of War. The game was launched for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on January 5, 2010 in North America and January 8 in Europe.

Darksiders is a single-player action adventure in which the player takes control of the protagonist, War. In third-person perspective, the player engages in combat, puzzles and exploration.[ The world is divided into separate locations with many areas at first initially inaccessible until War regains many of his lost weapons and abilities. The center of the world, the Crossroads, acts as a hub where War is given new objectives and paths to further unlock new areas. Each contains a series of linear and non-linear paths, many of which require large sections of platforming, climbing and swimming along environment-based puzzles that impair progress that require the use of newly-gained abilities and weapons and to where he fights against Angels and demons.Tearing them apart etc.

Although War is initially limited to the use of War’s two-handed sword, Chaoseater, he will obtain other weapons through the course of gameplay. Also, each weapon has different combinations of attack that can be obtained throughout the game. Along with combos, players are also encouraged to use countering moves, blocks and swift dodging that help against different enemies. Projectile weapons such as a revolver and a boomerang-style throwing blade can also be used in both combat and puzzles. A number of objects littered throughout the environment can also be used as weapons and projectiles. At a later point in the game, War gains the ability to summon a fiery horse that provides faster movement and much more devastating attacks in open areas. Along with weapon-based attacks, War can use an array of magic-based attacks, known as Wrath, that are both offensive and defensive in nature, with the amount of Wrath available determined through a separate meter below the health bar. Another special attack is the ability to temporarily transform into War’s Chaos Form: which makes him large and invulnerable and can cause heavy damage. This form is unlocked after sufficient progress in the game is made, and can be activated once War’s Chaos meter is completely filled via combat with enemies.

When enemies are close to defeat, War can perform an elaborate and violent finishing move at the press of the indicated button on screen, instantly killing the foe. Some of the larger foes can be briefly ridden and steered into other enemies before being finished off themselves. War eventually encounters large boss opponents that are both giant in size and deal heavy damage, and are themselves puzzle-based battles requiring certain methods and weapons to defeat, and in some cases quick time button events to dodge or inflict attacks.

Upon defeat, different enemies cast souls that provide different benefits. There are three types of souls throughout the world of Darksiders: green souls that fill the health bar, yellow souls that fill the Wrath meter, and blue souls that are the game’s form of currency. These can be spent at “Vulgrim Locations” on things such as new combo attacks, wrath abilities, power-ups, and potions. There are also artifacts scattered throughout the world that can be exchanged for more blue souls, with bonuses for completing each set. Additionally, souls of each color can be obtained by opening chests found throughout the world. Other items that can be located include wrath core and lifestone fragments, where upon collecting four, War’s Wrath or Health, respectively, are permanently increased.

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle] is an action video game developed for the Wii video game system. It was directed by Suda51, developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, published by Ubisoft and Rising Star Games, and was released on January 26, 2010 in North America, and will be released in April 2010 in Europe. Plans for release in Japan are currently unconfirmed.

The combat is similar to that of the first game, with mechanics such as wrestling moves and deathblows returning. There are four beam katanas, which Travis can freely switch between in the middle of battle, each with different properties. For example, the Peony is a large and heavy sword with a wide range, and the Rose Nasty consists of two beam katanas which Travis dual-wields. Although Travis starts at rank 51, there are only 15 boss fights. There are two sections in which Shinobu and Henry are playable, both of whom have different capabilities from Travis. For example, Shinobu can jump, so her section contains some platforming elements.

The overworld from the first game is gone, and Travis no longer has to pay an entry fee to enter ranked battles, allowing the player to progress through the game more quickly. The minigames that Travis can do for money or improved stats are now 8-bit style games, covering genres such as action, puzzle, and racing.

Three years have passed since Travis Touchdown became the top assassin in the United Assassins Association and walked away. Now, he returns to Santa Destroy and fights Skelter Helter, who seeks revenge on Travis for killing his older brother Helter Skelter prior to the first game. After winning the battle, he meets Sylvia Christel again, who informs him he is now ranked 51st. The dying Skelter interrupts them and warns Travis that he and his co-conspirators will still have their revenge.

The same night, a group of criminals eliminate Travis’s best friend, Bishop, and throw his head through Travis’s window in a paper bag. Travis, furious and seeking revenge, asks Sylvia to set up the next fight. Sylvia tells him that the one who ordered his death was Jasper Batt, Jr., the CEO of Pizza Bat and first-ranked assassin. In the first game, Travis stopped three different attempts by Pizza Bat (then localized as “Pizza Butt”) to expand into in Santa Destroy by assassinating the CEO. In the three years since, with Travis out of the picture, Pizza Bat successfully opened a headquarters in Santa Destroy and bought out practically every business in town. Travis resolves to climb to the ranks to get a chance for revenge on Jasper.

Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love!is a single-player strategy role-playing game developed and published by Sega and licensed by Red Entertainment as the fifth title in the Sakura Wars series for PlayStation 2 and Wii. It was released on PlayStation 2 in Japan on July 5, 2005, and is due to be released on PlayStation2 and Wii in North America on March 30, 2010 and on the Wii in PAL territories on April 2, 2010.

Like previous Sakura Wars installments, the game consists of two modes of gameplay: Adventure Mode and Battle Mode. In Adventure Mode, Shinjiro Taiga, the main protagonist, is controlled from a third-person perspective and can move around New York. However, characters can also accompany him while traveling around New York. Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love features the series’ traditional Live & Interactive Picture System, or LIPS. Under this system, whenever an event happens in the game the player must choose Shinjiro’s next action within a limited amount of time. The four types of the LIPS system consist of Normal LIPS, which is shown when the player must make a decision; Analog LIPS, which the player can raise the action gauge up or down depending on the situation; Double LIPS, which gives the player a longer amount of time to make decisions; and Stick LIPS, which the player can manipulate the Analog Stick to raise the gauge depending on the situation. Depending on the player’s interactions with the Star Division, trust points will increase or decrease and can also affect their skills in combat. Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love also introduces a device known as the Camratron, which the player can use as a camera to take photos and also functions as a time clock and radio.

The battle mode in Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love uses the Active and Real-time Machine System, or ARMS, which was first featured in Sakura Wars 3. A maximum of six characters may be used in battle. Under the ARMS system, the player controls each member’s unit, known as the STAR, can move using the action bar and use the action given, such as Normal, Supermove, Healing and Joint as well as the Strategem, such as Shin, Gi and Tai. The STAR can transform into Ground Form or Flight Form depending on the situation and the player can change areas in some battles In addition to standard, battle techniques, each character has a special ability. Players may save their game during eyecatches, where they can also track the party’s status.

The first Sakura Wars game to reach North America, Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love takes the franchise to America with the franchise’s first story set in America, following a new hero who joins the US version of the Hanagumi. Demons have appeared in New York, and its up to Shinjirou, Gemini Sunrise and a new cast of characters to take them out. The cast serves as performers during the day and warriors when called upon, continuing series tradition.
Sakura Wars is a strategy RPG that features a unique sim-based story system. Character interaction plays a major role in a storyline that never follows a set course, and your responses to the various characters in the game can ultimately change the story content and even the final outcome. The battle system is divided into two main parts; ground combat and air combat. Ground combat takes place using two-legged mechanized suits, which transform into jet fighters to take the fight to the sky. Every mech unit in the game can transform from battle mech mode to jet fighter mode during combat.

The Last Hope utilizes the same real time battle system like previous games in the series, new features include a new Rush Gauge and Blindsides. The Rush gauge allows players to perform a pre-emptive strike against his/her foes or use a special ability or attack. Each character will have and customize their own individual Rush gauge. Blindsides allow the player to counter attack an enemy who is targeting the player by slipping behind the enemy quickly out of his line of sight and launching a pre-emptive strike on the enemy from his back. Another new system is the increase in the number of characters that can be controlled and fought with in battle to four, instead of the three from Star Ocean: Till the End of Time.

System

Calnus
A new feature in The Last Hope is allowing the player to take the role of captain of the spacecraft, the SRF-003 Calnus, which has been sent to scout new frontiers by the USTA. The Calnus has a flight deck where the player can select which planet he would like to fly to, a recreation room where the player’s teammates can hang out and interact with one another as well as a conference room where the player gathers with the crew to come out with new ideas for Item Creation. The battle arena contains the battle simulator, a feature from previous games such as Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, which allows the player and his teammates to practice combat. The crew’s quarters allows the player to choose which characters share the same room, the correct pairings can lead to special actions between characters known as Private Actions.

Private Actions

Private Actions or infamousknown as PA, is a feature that returns from previous games in the Star Ocean series, where the main protagonist, Edge, can interact with his teammates. PAs consist of actions such as conversation with them during rest after exploration or battle, the player can form a rapport with him/her, which increases the member’s affection or respect for the main character. Choosing the correct choices during actions would unlock special events or cutscenes between Edge and the team member. Placing characters in the same room also builds up rapport and unlocks even more PA events. If a member is severely injured in battle, a special “Rage” mode can be unlocked which allows close members to attack enemies with more power. PAs are also able to change the ending of the game with different cutscenes being shown, there are a total of about 100 PAs which can be unlocked in the game.

Battle

BEAT System

The Battle Exalted Action Type (BEAT) System is a new feature in The Last Hope which allows the player to choose the preferred type of fighting styles of team members, these include offense, defense, sneak attacks, etc. As combat experience increases, the team can achieve higher combat rank statuses, which unlock advanced styles, known as Action Upgrades. BEAT.S is a type of offense fighting style, which is actually a special Blind Sides technique. In effect, the team member forgoes defense and initiates multiple Blind Sides to confuse the enemy, then unleashes a flurry of highly damaging attacks. BEAT.B is a type of defense fighting style, a special Rush mode power play style. The team member fights the enemy directly in front with special attacks. while this time, the member is almost invulnerable to enemy attacks. BEAT.N is a neutral style of fighting as it doesn’t upgrade any particular ability, but combines the stat enhancements from the other BEAT styles. This is often used as the default BEAT for a character and the player can change it at will.

Special Attacks and Symbology

New special attacks can be unlocked for team members as their levels increase such as long-range, melee or area attacks can be performed. Link combos can be performed through chaining special attacks together. Symbology or Heraldry lets characters to cast magic which may use up more MP depending on the type of users for example melee-orientated fighters would use up more MP instead spell casting orientated-ones. The casting times of symbology vary according to the statistics of the user, Link Combos can also be combined with Symbology to create multiple chains of magic attacks.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope International is an international version of The Last Hope which was released February 9th, 2010 exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It came on a single Blu-ray Disk and contains new additional exclusive content for the PlayStation 3 such as dual voices (Japanese and English), Japanese, English, Spanish, French, German and Italian menus and subtitles, as well as multiple new soundtracks.