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Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R coming to Japanese Vitas in 2013

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R coming to Vita in 2013
Either Arc System Works is reinvigorating the public's awareness of its Guilty Gear brand for some nefarious purpose, or someone over there must have started reading all of my letters. At any rate, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R will be coming to the PlayStation Vita sometime in 2013.

Not to be confused with Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus, which is coming to Japanese PS3 and XBLA sometime this October, Accent Core Plus R is the revised version of Accent Core Plus will hit Japanese arcades near the end of this month.

I played a quick round of Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R while visiting Arc System Works' booth at the Tokyo Game Show and am thrilled to report that the port feels very solid. Framerates were consistent and my old Sol Badguy bread-and-butter combos came off without a hitch. As is the case with Guilty Gear announcements these days, no information was available regarding a North American launch. Time to write another letter, I guess.

Torchlight 2 review: Up in the world

Torchlight 2 review Witty title goes here
I gave Diablo 3 a five-star review, and though the word "perfect" didn't come up, I did call it "a masterpiece." I still stand by that score, despite the somewhat bumpy reputation the game has earned since launch. Now, Torchlight 2 has finally arrived to complete the pair. Besides their obvious genre connection, Runic Games' Max Schafer co-founded Blizzard North (where he helped make Diablo and Diablo 2), and these two anticipated sequels have crossed paths more than a few times during production.

Spoiler: I'm giving Torchlight 2 a half-star less. The game makes some minor missteps in design, and I don't think the pacing or the scope matches up to that of Diablo 3.

I say that right here in the beginning so I can move on to a different point: Ratings and comparisons aside, Torchlight 2 is an accomplishment by this studio of less than 30 people, a feat that's impressive regardless of any other long-awaited dungeon crawlers that arrived earlier this summer. It's an excellent follow-up to the popular first game in the series, and at a ridiculous price of just $19.99 it demands to be played both by fans of the genre and of great PC games.

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Runic taking break from Torchlight after Mac version, not working on Torchlight MMO

Runic Games is planning to take a break from Torchlight sequels and isn't working on the Torchlight MMO.

"While we have no plans to begin work on an MMO, that's partly because we have no plans, period!" Runic CEO Max Schaefer told Joystiq today. "We're waiting to do the Mac port of Torchlight 2, and fix whatever launch issues we have, and then decide after we've had a good night's sleep or three. It is likely that nothing that would be called an MMO is the next thing we do, though, but that's not 100 percent certain."

Runic president Travis Baldree said something similar today on Reddit: "I'll be frank, we have no plans to jump into that right now. The landscape is a little different than a few years ago, and creating the amount of content we did for Torchlight 2 was a supreme effort with a team this size. Taking on an MMO immediately afterward is not our current desire."

There had been previous allusions, along with expectations of Runic parent-company Perfect World, regarding the Torchlight MMO, but our attempts to further clarify were not answered by publishing. Torchlight 2 launched today on PC.

Super Joystiq Podcast Special: TGS 2012 Day 1

Image
Day one of the Tokyo Game Show is down, and the guys are back to report on what they saw.

Richard and Jordan made the booth rounds, and plenty of games were played, including Dead or Alive 5, Soul Sacrifice, Resident Evil 6, Lost Planet 3, and Phantasy Star Online 2 for PS Vita. And it wouldn't be TGS without plenty of Japanese flavor, and the anecdotes are plentiful.

On-tap for tomorrow's show: impressions of the full Sony booth tour, and the thrilling reveal of whether Richard and Jordan kiss each other ... with their BRAINS!

Listen to the Super Joystiq Podcast:Details about each segment are available after the break.

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Seen@TGS: Capcom's massive Monster Hunter 4 village

Image We don't know how to tell you this, but Monster Hunter is kind of a big deal in Japan. ... Continue Reading

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus hits Japanese PSN/XBLA this Oct.

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus hits Japanese PSNXBLA this Oct
During a visit to the Arc System Works booth at the Tokyo Game Show, we discovered that the XBLA and PSN versions of Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus will be launching sometime in October, provided you live in Japan.

This revamped re-release -- of a revamped re-release of a revamped re-release -- will be available for ¥1,500/1,200 MS Points, depending on your platform of preference. Our booth visit also yielded this collection of screenshots, which conjures up nostalgic memories of after-school Grave Digger loops, mini-Faust hijinks and I-No's provocative finishing pose.

Latest PS3 challenges Wii U storage philosophy; EU, US disparity explained

PS3 slimultra 4000 challenges Wii U memory philosophy EU, US disparity explained

The new, slimmer PS3 comes in two forms in the US, 250GB for $270 and 500GB for $300. Europe gets the 500GB model and a 12GB Flash-based system. All of these consoles support Flash storage expansion via USB, and the US version allows internal HDD replacement.

The US gets two larger systems because its consumers demand more "out of the box," according to SCEA VP of marketing, handhelds and home consoles John Koller, speaking to Engadget.

"The smaller Flash drive isn't coming to North America, and a lot of that reason is the digital consumer," Koller says. "We really want to make sure, out of the box, that there is an option for them to be able to download that content. That is really critical for us, very very important."

Nintendo is taking a different approach to storage with the Wii U, launching 8GB and 32GB models with the ability to easily attach any form of external storage, even "a full-on three terabyte hard drive," says Nintendo America CEO and president Reggie Fils-Aime.

"The reason we did it that way is that the cost of that type of storage memory is plummeting," Fils-Aime continues. "What we didn't want to do is tie a profit model to something that's gonna rapidly decline over time. We'll let the consumer buy as much as they want, as cheaply as they want."

Sony sees US consumers are more willing to buy a new console with a larger hard drive than to purchase external storage.

"When you look at some of the earlier chassis, and the really early adopters – the 20GB, and the 60GB – that consumer had a choice," Koller says. "They could either go out and buy another hard drive – and it's an easy install, so we make it easy for the consumer if they want to take a hard drive off the shelf and plug it in, they can do that. They had a choice of doing that, or purchasing another PlayStation 3. And what's been happening is we're seeing a lot of adoption of second consoles in-house."

Besides, Sony doesn't make any money if you buy a Western Digital hard drive. But neither does Nintendo.

Halo 4 shows off its Covenant arsenal, also dubstep

Image This video details the nine Covenant weapons coming to Halo 4, including the brand new Storm Rifle. 343 Industries describes it a short-range automatic, playing a similar role to the UNSC Assault Rifle. Also, there's dubstep. We're sorry. ... Continue Reading

New PS3 doesn't mean price drop for old models, Sony explains why

New PS3 doesn't mean price drop for old models, SCE explains why
The newer, slimmer PS3 comes in two versions: 250GB for $270 and 500GB for $300. The old PS3 models, 160GB for $250 and 320GB for $300, will not see their prices drop, even though they now have price-point competition from the same brand. This is all because of consumer demand for quality content, says John Koller, Sony Computer Entertainment America VP of marketing, handhelds and home consoles.

"There's no price drop formally, but the thing that's been happening in the market over the last year or so is that there's been so many retail price promotions, and so many different gift card offers and all those things, being done by all of us [Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony], that we've heard from our consumer, 'Enough with all these weird price moves. What we really want is content and games and value,'" Koller tells Engadget.

Most consumers we can think of (ourselves included) love having great content, but hold an equal passion for cheaper consoles. Koller says his answer is "kind of a long way of saying, 'No, no formal price drop.'" Besides, there are only so many older PS3 models on the shelves, he points out.

At the Tokyo Game Show, Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House tells Reuters he thinks SCE will be profitable this year. "We have a growing installed base, growing connectivity of the PS3," House says.

After announcing the Vita "may be trending behind in certain territories," and a projection for the company's largest-ever yearly loss, $6.4 billion, it looks as if SCE is relying on the new (and old) consoles to boost finances.

JoyStream: War of the Roses with senior producer Gordon Van Dyke [watch the replay!]



War of the Roses
, FatShark's multiplayer melee combat game set in the Middle Ages, launches on Steam on October 2. Today, we're sitting down with Paradox Interactive senior producer Gordon Van Dyke to talk about the famous conflict that inspired his new game and his transition from working on big-budget Battlefield games at EA to his first project at Swedish publisher Paradox Interactive.

From 10am until 11am PT (1-2pm ET), we'll be streaming some multiplayer matches with the QA team and Gordon Van Dyke. Feel free to lob some questions at us and Gordon by following Joystiq on Twitch, or you can drop your questions right into the comments section of this very post.

You can watch the stream on the Joystiq Twitch page, or in an embed after the break. Follow our Twitch page for future streams and giveaways.

Update: The stream is over. Watch the replay above.

Level-5's Hino wants to adapt Studio Ghibli's Castle in the Sky

Level 5's Hino wants to work with Studio Ghibli again, would like to adapt Castle in the Sky
Ni No Kuni is the first collaboration between Level-5 and Japan's famous Studio Ghibli, and Level 5 CEO Akihiro Hino hopes it won't be the last. Speaking during a group interview session at a pre-TGS event at Namco's headquarters in Tokyo, Hino noted that he'd like to work with Studio Ghibli again. "If there is a potential opportunity to work with them again," he said, through an interpreter, "yes, we'd like to work on some joint projects with them in the future – if there is, of course, a possibility."

Concerning exactly what sort of project he'd like to pursue, we asked if Level 5 has had any discussions about adapting existing Studio Ghibli properties into video games. Hino said that he would love to but, naturally, Ghibli would have to approve any such projects. Corporate approvals aren't a very entertaining topic of conversation though, so we just went ahead and asked which Studio Ghibli film he would like to adapt. Given the opportunity, he said, he would adapt Castle in the Sky.

That strange rustling you just heard was the sound of millions of fingers being crossed.

Hands on: Street Fighter X Tekken Vita/PS3 crossplay bear extravaganza


Earlier today, we had a chance to get our grubby little mitts on the PlayStation Vita version of Street Fighter X Tekken during a Capcom event held concurrently with the Tokyo Game Show. Specifically, we pit the Vita version against the PlayStation 3 version to not only test the port's crossplay functionality, but to also determine which is superior: Bear, or Robot Chainsaw Lady?

Place your bets, then find out in the video above!

Rez and Child of Eden creator Mizuguchi steps away from game development

Rez creator isn't developing games, has 'spokesperson' role at Q Entertainment
Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the man behind Rez, Lumines, and Child of Eden, isn't currently developing games at Q Entertainment. Company director Nobuhiko Shimizu told Eurogamer that Mizuguchi is taking on a "spokesperson" role, having become more involved with "academic work."

Mizuguchi's game development career began at Sega in 1990. There he created Sega Rally, Space Channel 5, and Rez, before moving to Q Entertainment in 2003. At Q he designed Lumines, Ninety-Nine Nights, and most recently Child of Eden. While Mizuguchi didn't oversee Q Entertainment's latest game, Lumines Electric Symphony, he was heavily involved with its development.

Metal Gear Rising downloadable on PSN in Japan, new trailer


In normal Metal Gear games, you get by cameras by sneaking under them, or deploying a chaff grenade to disrupt their electronics. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance's idea of "stealth" just involves jumping up ten feet in the air and cutting the security camera in half. Why didn't Snake ever think of that?

Along with this trailer, the Japanese website reveals that the game will be released as both a retail game and a PSN download in that region. It won't be available through Xbox Games on Demand, of course, because there is no Xbox version in Japan.

Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, and more Layton trailers than you can handle


Level-5 showed off its wide variety of Professor Layton material at TGS, releasing trailers for Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney (above) along with Professor Layton and the Legacy of Super Civilization A, Layton Brothers Mystery Room, and Professor Layton and the Century of the Seven Phantom Thieves.

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Ace Attorney 5 trailer reveals emotion reading system, inspires emotions


The only thing that could make this TGS trailer for Ace Attorney 5 – which features the new 3D models in motion for the first time – any more interesting is if you could understand the dialogue. And now, thanks to YouTube user and subtitler Bolt2nd, now you can totally understand what's happening.

And what's happening is a new system that lets you watch for contradictory emotional responses during testimony. To help with this, new partner Kokone appears to have some kind of empathic ability. It's not an Ace Attorney courtroom without psychic powers!

Okami HD draws near with October 30 release date



Capcom announced an October 30 North American release date for Okami HD, with Europe following the next day. The remastering of the already beautiful 2006 game hits PlayStation Network next month for $19.99, and comes with Move support. HexaDrive (with Capcom's assistance) is the studio in charge of the 1080p update, with Rez HD sitting pretty in the Japanese studio's résumé.

Capcom sends us a new trailer and screenshots to commemorate the announcement. If you deem your eyes deserving of a treat, feel free to check them out.

Injustice: Gods Among Us due April 2013

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced this morning that Injustice: Gods Among Us is aiming to smash through a release window of April 2013 for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U.

With Tokyo Game Show in full swing, the publisher also shot out a new trailer and screenshots of the DC Universe fighter, being developed by Mortal Kombat studio NetherRealm.

PSA: Street Fighter X Tekken Mobile is available for iOS now

Street Fighter X Tekken Mobile is available for iOS now
If you can't wait for the Vita version, Street Fighter X Tekken Mobile wants to satiate your portable fighting crossover needs. The iOS version, now available for a promotional price of $2.99, comes with customized controls, a new timed survival Gauntlet mode, and ranked online multiplayer.

The roster, though, is a bit sparse at the moment. There are ten fighters, five from Tekken and five from Street Fighter. The Tekken quintet includes Kazuya, Nina, King, Paul, and Hworang, while the Street Fighter line-up has Ryu, Chun-Li, Dhalsim, Guile, and Hugo. That's quite the drop from the other versions, but then again so's the price. The addition of further characters down the line is likely, but in what form remains to be seen.

The Vita version of Street Fighter X Tekken arrives in North America on October 23.

First image of 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro appears, makes 3DS XXL

First image of 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro appears, makes 3DS XXL
Yup, that's pretty chunky. After being outed earlier this year, the 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro now has its first image on the Nintendo Japan website. With its latest attachment, the console has somehow become even bigger. We can only hope Nintendo goes down the Genesis route and tries to create as many unwieldy attachments as possible. Maybe the next 3DS XL attachment can come with dumbbells.

Aw, we're only teasing. While its North American release remains uncomfirmed, the 3DS XL's newest attachment is likely to arrive on Western shores. As for when and how much, there isn't even word on either its release date or price in Japan yet - so don't make a big deal about it.

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The Joystiq Podcast

The Joystiq Podcast

Super Joystiq Podcast Special: TGS 2012 Day 1

Latest episode: Thursday, September 20th, 2012

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