Tales of Graces f Coming Next Year In North America And Europe

Fans have been waiting since the original announcment of Tales of Graces f's localization for the game's release date. Namco Bandai has just announced it at their Level Up 2011 event in Dubai alongside an official announcement of the game's fate in Europe.

Tales of Graces f (the f stands for "future") has an extra post-game story which takes place after the game's original ending. Without spoiling anything, there seems to be an increase in the monster population, which increases the amount of monster attacks around the world. This causes Asbel and his group to set off once again to determine the cause behind the recent disturbance.

According to Namco Bandai, the game will be hitting North America and Europe sometime in 2012 and was confirmed for release on the PS3. No exact date was given, however, along with no trailer as of yet. Tales of the Abyss was also confirmed for a 2011 release in North America in Europe.

UPDATE: According to these tweets, the 2012 release date was only for Europe. This might mean a 2011 release is in the cards for North America and could be announced next month at E3.

UPDATE 2: Recent press releases for Tales of Graces f and Tales of the Abyss 3DS from Namco Bandai have confirmed a 2012 release for Tales of Graces f in both North America and Europe and a 2011 release for Tales of the Abyss 3DS in both North American and Europe.

Tales of Graces f And Abyss 3DS To Be Featured At Japan Expo

Since Namco Bandai's announcement earlier this year concerning the tentative release dates for Tales of Graces f and Tales of the Abyss 3DS in North America and Europe we haven't heard much from the company except that more information was "coming soon". That drought appears to be at a end, as the company has just released a new press release concerning their showing at this year's Japan Expo.

Currently, Tales of the Abyss 3DS is set for a late 2011 release followed by a Spring 2012 release for Tales of Graces f. The former is a port of the original PS2 version of the game on the Nintendo 3DS while the latter is a localization of the enhanced PS3 port of the original Wii version which was only released in Japan.

The press release bit related to Tales can be found below:

Hideo Baba, Tales series producer, will deliver the latest news on the series with details on European activities for all the fans, in particular about TALES OF THE ABYSS for Nintendo 3DS™ and TALES OF GRACES F. for PlayStation®3.

Considering the importance of the producer of the series attending the expo, it's very likely we will get some more concrete information about the release date, along with possibly some new screenshots or a teaser trailer.

Namco Bandai will be presenting on June 30 and July 1, so be sure to check back next week for the latest updates from the event.

FFXIII-2: Simultaneous PS3 and 360 Release?

FFXIII was a strange case. Releasing on both PS3 and Xbox 360 on March 9 last year in North America and Europe, but solely on PS3 in Japan the previous December. It wasn't until a whole year later that FFXIII was finally released on the Xbox 360 in the land of the rising sun.

With it's sequel, Square Enix have established that it is still a multiplatform title, but will that be the case in Japan? Signs indicate so, according to a magazine scan showcasing the game for both Sony's and Microsoft's system.

Now the question is if Square Enix's Yoichi Wada will be on the receiving end of death threats again. Several fans were not entirely happy with the CEO's decision. Essentially, Wada went back on his word of keeping FFXIII a PS3 exclusive in Japan.

What say you? Will FFXIII's sequel release on both systems at the same time or will it be another strange case of a multiplat release in the West, timed-exclusive in Japan?

E3 2011: Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Preview

In the past few years, we've seen a significant increase in the number of Resident Evil properties being released by Capcom and this doesn't look like its going to change. This year alone there are four Resident Evil properties planned for release, all of which will be slight departures from the main franchise. In this preview, we'll be talking about the only one to be releasing on an HD system, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City.

The game takes place between Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, but you won't get to play as any of the series' stereotypical heroes. Instead, you will control either someone from the Umbrella Security Service (USS) or the United States Special Operations task-force. And depending on which side you choose you will have different objectives, such as destroying evidence if you're on the side of the USS.

Gameplay is rather different from previous Resident Evil experiences, as it's primarily a third-person shooter. Capcom recruited Canadian developer Slant Six to work on the project; their previous titles were third-person shooters for the PlayStation Portable and PS3. It really shows too, as Operation Raccoon City controls in much the same way. But that's not necessarily a good thing. While some of Slant Six's games have received decent scores, none of them have ever been scored all that well.

There will be six playable characters to choose from in the game, and each will have their own unique abilities. You will need to choose a character that suits your play style in order to succeed. Interesting tactics can also be adopted, such as using zombies to your advantage. For example, you can let zombies bite you. This makes you invisible to zombies, as they won't eat their own kind and it makes you invulnerable to opposition fire. The catch, once you become a zombie, you can't respawn again until someone kills your zombified self.

You can also be rather cheeky and use one of the game's mechanics to your advantage. If you get severely hurt, it will cause a blood frenzy. What this means, is that all zombies will suddenly find you more alluring than normal. You can then purposely use this to lure zombies in a certain direction.

While you will be running through Raccoon City killing zombies, killing the opposition forces is your main objective. And its something that can get a little bit confusing. You see, zombies are unlimited in their supply - no matter how many you kill, they will keep on coming. You may be tempted to stick in an area to try and clear out some waves, but it won't really benefit you that much. Instead, you need to keep on driving forward to your objective and concern yourself primarily with killing other humans, preferably ones on the opposing team.

There are some nice concepts here, but it doesn't feel like it adds a whole lot to the Resident Evil franchise. Perhaps the story will make-up for it, but currently the gameplay looks like it needs a lot of patching up before its going to be of a good enough standard.

The game will also feature a full-on multiplayer component where you will be able to square off against some buddies and this could well be where the best experiences comes into play, but that remains to be seen. Either way, the game is due out later this year on PS3 and Xbox 360, so we will all be able to find out for ourselves.

Big Games of 2011: Square Enix Will Hold Art Exhibition to Bring the Art of Deus Ex: Human Revolution to Life

Many people draw inspiration to draw from various things in life, whether that be a beautiful view of nature or key moments in their lives. A select few artists are, in fact, doing the same but it's video games they look to for inspiration on their latest works. Square Enix will be holding an art exhibition in New York where several well-known artists will create their own works based on Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

The exhibition will take place for 2 weeks at the Wooster Street Social Club in New York, starting July 11. Several artists from around the world have been commissioned to create brand new pieces of art inspired by the world of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, where humanity is making a pivotal turn as the technology for cybernetic augmentation advances.

Some of the artists to be featured during the exhibition will include Estevan Oriol, Eyeone, N8 Van Dyke, and Sam Flores.

"Creating the right visual look and feel for Deus Ex: Human Revolution was of critical importance to help set the tone of the incredibly rich storyline and enhance the game's universe," said Jonathan Jacques-Belletete, Art Director of the game. "It's excited to bring more focus to video game-inspired art and it will be really interesting to see how the theme of transhumanism in Deus Ex: Human Revolution is interpreted by the unique group of artists participating in this project."

What's great about this event is that it gives the chance for a video game such as Deus Ex: Human Revolution to be more than just a video game. Rather, it serves as a theme from which artists from around the world could use it as a template for future works. Perhaps that could help people to then take those same themes and discuss them at some length, such as how technology has been advancing and how it affects our daily lives.

Plus, Square Enix won't be the only ones to benefit from this exhibition with the publicity. All proceeds from the exhibition will be used to support the study of the arts.




With L.A. Noire being featured at the Tribeca Film Festival, it surely seems like the mainstream is seeing video games as art. If this event becomes a pretty big success, I wouldn't be surprised if more events like this come up and help give video games a bigger argument as to why they should be considered art. Of course, no matter whether or not the mainstream thinks video games are art, I still believe they are regardless. But, it would be awesome if more people can agree with that notion.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generation Has Two Stages Of Naruto

Namco Bandai’s next Naruto fighting game puts young Naruto and Shippuden Naruto in the same game. Players will be able to battle Zabuza and Haku in the very beginning of the Naruto saga and rumble with the Raikage with Shippuden Naruto.


Confirmed characters, according to this scan from Jump, include Naruto (Shippuden and Young), Haku, Zabuza, Raikage, C, and Darui. A release date for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generation has not been

Dragon’s Dogma – E3 Preview

Capcom didn’t hold back any arrows when they fired away on their latest RPG demo of Dragon’s Dogma. Although there are plenty of RPGs to choose from, this particular dungeon crawler puts up a good fight to stand out with their fast-paced action sequences and strong narrative dialog.

In this demo of Dragon’s Dogma, I was given the option of choosing from two quests. With the quest that I selected, my male hero (I believe the other quest started you off as a female) was planted in a dark and dank cave, and I quickly made sure to let the enemy know who was their ruler of this territory.

Right off the bat, I noticed that the developers had done an impressive job with the amount of detail embedded in the environment as the cave had a great sense of age and wet decay. Adding to the immersion was the lighting effects of the soft glow from the lantern hanging off your worn leather belt, and the flickering torch lights that cast their orange hues along the damp and slick stones.

Character detail shined superbly down to the creases in the course fabric and the rusty chain-mail. However, I believe that level of sharpness among characters wasn’t exactly consistent when it came to NPCs or the enemy. Regardless, all the baddies still look satisfying when you’re placing them at the end of your sword.

Animations were fluid, and every combat ended with brutal satisfaction. You can change up your attack style by switching between quick swings or the slower heavy-handed haymakers if you can manage the timing. Grabs can also be performed which is then followed by a few options on how you want to manhandle your opponent. Amid the fast paced action, you will be able to see the health of your enemies with their health bar conveniently located above their heads.

After sending your foes to the earth from whence they came, you can replenish your character’s health and stamina by accessing the departmentalized inventory system and choose whatever healing snack is munchable.

However, there were a few things that were unsettling in regards to the combat. The idea of implementing a regenerative stamina bar could possibly cause you some unwanted headaches, especially if you’re putting up a fight against a major boss. As you’re desperately swinging at your giant nemesis, you’ll quickly discover that your ability to maintain stamina will likely be your undoing. When your stamina bar reaches zero, your character will be incapable of functioning – from running, walking, and even accessing your inventory to juice your thirst and refill your much needed endurance. While your character is “paralyzed,” the big and evil boss can turn you into his plaything in a matter of seconds, followed by consuming your limp and battered body as dessert.

At this point, Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma holds tons of potential for those looking for a good RPG with its satisfying combat and flowing narrative supported by a cast of your teammate AI.