Classic Game Room HD analysiss Ys SEVEN for Sony Play Station Portable 2010 from Nihon Falcom and published by XSeed. Watch Ys 7 interview: www.youtube.com This JRPG shines with excellent controls and amazing adventure through the country of Altago. Ys 7 is a fantasy RPG which features Adol and Dogi and loads of button mashing, enemy slaying mayhem. Slaughtering enemies for experience points and money is rarely as entertaining as this and Ys Seven pulls off fun and pick-up-and-play gameplay with ease while still keeping true to its JRPG roots. Fabulous end bosses and multiple characters enhance the game further and while the plot is fairly average the game play in Ys Seven is worth the ride. This CGR analysis of Ys Seven from Falcom and Xseed for Sony Play Station Portable 2010 has gameplay from Ys 7 showing Ys Seven JRPG videogame game play in HD.

Classic Game Room presents a CGR Undertow analysis of Star Hammer Tactics from Black Lab Games for the Microsoft Xbox360 2010's Live Arcade. A tactical combat game which simulates war in deep space, Star Hammer Tactics is about strategically placing your fleet of ships and outwitting your evil alien enemies. This analysis features Star Hammer Tactics gameplay footage and commentary.

On this day in 1995, exactly 15 years ago, Sony's original PlayStation console was launched in the United States, birthing what many would consider the modern era of home videogames.

The PlayStation had already been available in Japan for some nine months by that point, causing many early adopters to simply import the system from expensive mailorder companies, but that didn't hurt the U.S. launch, as many retailers reported day-one sellouts.

Today marks not only the fifteenth anniversary of the launch of Sony's PlayStation but the eleventh anniversary of Sega's Dreamcast.

Launched on September 9th, 1999 (the memorability of 9/9/99 capitalized on via a $100 million print and television advertising campaign) at $199, Sega -- erroneously -- claimed that the Dreamcast was the first time a system had launched at sub-$200 price-point (the Nintendo 64, released in 1996, had launched at $199 to compete with a PlayStation price cut). Bernie Stolar, then-president and CEO of Sega of America claimed, "The fact that Sega Dreamcast will launch for less than $200 is a monumental industry 'first,' ... There's never been a next generation console to debut at such a competitive price. At $199 with our system's hardware and game library we feel confident that we will take back market share from Sony and Nintendo."

The Job system concept may well be the Final Fantasy series' greatest contribution to the role-playing genre. Sure, the idea was more or less lifted wholesale from Dragon Quest III, but the refined iterations presented in Final Fantasy V and Tactics made for some of the deepest, most flexible, and most satisfying RPG mechanics ever seen. You might even call Jobs Final Fantasy's crowning achievement -- a claim made literal in the upcoming side story, 4 Heroes of Light.

A nostalgia-tinged pastiche of classic Final Fantasy games (and sporting a healthy dose of SaGa and Dragon Quest influences), 4 Heroes touches on a wide array of concepts and elements from the franchise's past. The most essential of these, however, is the inclusion of its very own Job system, or as it's called here, Crowns. By equipping different hats (doled out along the course of the quest by various mystical, talking crystals, in true Final Fantasy III style), the player's party members can adopt different skill sets and specialize in various areas of combat.

Space Invaders: Infinity Gene is coming to PS3 and Xbox 360 next week, on September 14 and 15, respectively. Although based on the iPhone version of the game, the HD presentation and the much-needed ability to use a gamepad makes it a worthwhile upgrade over the iPhone version. It's far easier to pull off combos, powered by consecutive shots, with a controller -- especially when you're able to see your ship (instead of your thumb).

For those unfamiliar with the game, the concept centers around the evolution of the shooter. Starting with the iconic intro stage to the original arcade game, Infinity Gene introduces new gameplay and visual elements as you reach certain score targets. The first upgrade allows you to move your ship freely across the X and Y axis, and eventually you'll be able to move along the Z-axis as well. The visuals transform from a monochromatic not-even-8-bit look, to a wild barrage of colorful vectors.

Like the rest of the recent Space Invaders games, Infinity Gene may be more fun to look at, than to actually play. The entire presentation is high-concept -- every time the bright white "EVOLUTION" screen appears on the screen, it's hard not to think how odd this title really is. It's definitely intriguing, but perhaps not everyone's cup of tea.

Continue reading Space Invaders Infinity Gene Xbox 360 & PS3 preview: a classic evolved

Space Invaders Infinity Gene Xbox 360 & PS3 preview: a classic evolved originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Google has been long-admired for its unique company motto: "Don't Be Evil." Critics will note that some of Google's practices have fallen from that mantra, but it's a better place to start than, say, Zynga, the company known for the popular Facebook games FarmVille and Mafia Wars. "Zynga's motto is 'Do Evil,'" a former employee of the company told SF Weekly. "I would venture to say it is one of the most evil places I've run into, from a culture perspective and in its business approach. I've tried my best to make sure that friends don't let friends work at Zynga."

The driving force behind this bitterness and resentment of Zygna is the company's derivative culture. "You're not smarter than your competitor. Just copy what they do and do it until you get their numbers," one employee recalls Zynga's founder, Mark Pincus, telling the team. The SF Weekly report shows clear examples of Zygna's copy-paste attitude: there's Farm Town (pictured right), which preceded FarmVille (left) by months; and Playfish's Restaurant City, coming before Zynga's Cafe World.

Zygna has already been sued by Digital Chocolate for the use of the Mafia Wars name. According to another employee, lawsuits have been accounted for, with the company mindful of possible settlements. "I was around meetings where things like that were being discussed, and the ramifications of things like that were being discussed -- the fact that they'd probably be sued by the people who designed the game," he says. "And the thought was, 'Well, that's fine, we'll settle.' Our case wasn't really defensible."

Supposedly, things are changing. With hundreds of millions of dollars invested in the company, the public has been placing much more attention on Zynga's upcoming games. The era of the quick copy-paste cash-in may be over for Zynga, with at least one employee saying that there's a "new emphasis on original content and more sophisticated applications to draw in and keep users."

Zynga employees speak out on 'doing evil' originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Atlus has good news and bad news for players looking forward to Knights in the Nightmare, the upcoming strategy RPG-slash-bullet hell shooter getting ported to the PSP. We'll give you the bad news first, since that's usually the way to go: The game isn't coming out on October 19 as planned. Instead, you'll have to wait a few more weeks, as the release date has been moved back to November 9. We know, that probably ruins your pre-Halloween plans, but wait for the good news.

The good news is that Atlus is including a digital copy of Yggdra Union with the purchase of "each and every launch copy" of Knights in the Nightmare. You may not know all about the Dept. Heaven series, so keep in mind that these are the two episodes of the series continuing where Riviera: The Promised Land started out, all produced by Sting Entertainment. In essence, you'll get two obscure Japanese genre mashups for the price of just one. Aren't you glad we told you the bad news first?

Continue reading Knights in the Nightmare arriving on Nov. 9, bringing Yggdra Union along

Knights in the Nightmare arriving on Nov. 9, bringing Yggdra Union along originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

The next round of bonuses for PlayStation Plus subscribers looks to be the beefiest yet, with early access to Romino Games' PSN strategy title Sword and Soldiers, free downloads of Zen Pinball, Echoes and Syphon Filter 3, and -- for select members chosen at random and informed via an XMB message -- access to the Red Faction Battlegrounds beta.

Click past the jump for the full list of rotating offers and freebies coming in the September 21 PlayStation Plus update.

Continue reading PlayStation Plus update for Sept. 21: Zen Pinball, Red Faction Battlegrounds beta

PlayStation Plus update for Sept. 21: Zen Pinball, Red Faction Battlegrounds beta originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

If you're one of the three football game fans on the planet without a copy of Madden 11 to call your own -- good news! Your inhuman ability to hold out for a deal has paid off, as Amazon is offering the latest iteration for $11 off its normal price today. Hmm, "$11" off ... Madden "11" -- coincidence? We think not!

The Amazon Deal of the Day page contains the complete details: Madden 11 for Xbox 360 and PS3 has been discounted to $48.99, while the Wii version is being offered at $38.99. Note: The price of beer, chips and a night with the TV all to yourself is not included.

Get Madden 11 without sacks (of cash) today on Amazon originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink