Up late talking games & writing? You're...

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News: Tomorrow is Microsoft's big ‘NextBox’ reveal, and I will be in attendance, covering it for Wired online. What will it actually be called? Will it always be online? Will they still care about Kinect?

Expect to see all of these questions answered and more, quite soon... As for me, I just want to see some really killer games. Fingers crossed!

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Links: It's been a while since I updated, so there are a fair number of recent features I should take the time to mention.

> The latest podcast went up. The topic was the recent Tomb Raider reboot, and we were honored to have @OverlordRor and @Mahkia as guests. (Also, we've already recorded the next episode, so that one should be up quite soon - the topic is on the most overrated/underrated games of the past generation, and discussion got fairly heated...)

> Interview commando @CFloydTweets spoke to Ted Price of Insomniac about their upcoming game, Fuse.

> I recently reviewed DarkStalkers Resurrection on PSN, and it's pretty awesome.

> New-to-GC writer @TayoDK took on the brutally tough indie La-Mulana.

> @ApricotSushi was unhappy with the latest Hakuoki.

> Snappy dressin' parkour dude @CoreyMotley takes a 2nd on Crysis 3.

> @xMattieBrice played the latest Corpse Party and wasn't very impressed.

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Games: I haven't had a ton of time to play games lately, but I have squeezed in a few things…

First up, I just completed The Starship Damrey on 3DS. It's basically a point-in-click spooky atmosphere game set in space. It avoids most of the rubbish puzzles that this genre seems to thrive on, and it's fairly short - expect a playtime of around three hours or so, depending on if and when you get stuck. 

The entire game hinges on its story so I won't spoil it here, but I thought it ended well and I was satisfied overall. Look for that review coming soon.

Also on the 3DS, I finally got around to Aero Porter by Yoot Saito. Much like his other works, it's thoroughly insane, yet it never stops being engaging and interesting in spite of the rough edges. This title puts you in the role of a person who’s in charge of making sure that passenger bags get on the correct plane at an airport. 

It's a hell of a lot harder than it sounds because the bags spin around circular carousels, and shunting something to its correct destination will inevitably send something else to the wrong one. I have a few issues with some of the game elements being hard to read visually, but it's been tough to put it down.

Finally, I’m still working my way through Sanctum 2 on XBLA. The easiest way to describe it is that it's a First-Person Shooter that takes place in a series of Tower Defense maps. Although neither of these genres are ones that I enjoy in general, putting the two of them together produces something that's definitely greater than the sum of its parts. 

I like the strategy of placing towers and blocks to guide the path of incoming monsters, and I love the ability to personally start kicking ass if my towers aren't getting the job done. I've always hated the feelings of passivity and helplessness when plans go wrong in standard TD games, so this one is definitely what the doctor ordered. Production values are a little rough and it's definitely easier to get through with friends (up to four can play together) than it is solo, but still really enjoying it either way.

And finally-finally, a quick Monster Hunter update. I completed the campaign a while ago and have been making my way through G-Rank. I solo’d long enough to make a couple of suits of armor, and once that was done, I decided to start limiting my play two nights and weekends with other people. 

After two hundred hours (most of that in the 1P campaign) it was definitely time to start focusing on some review games for a while. I've still got my eye on Mark of a Hero, Alatreon and Dark Miralis, but I'll have to patiently work towards them, rather than trying to plow ahead at full speed.

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Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today confirmed that 

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies will be available to purchase digitally on Nintendo 3DS™ across Europe and North America in Fall 2013.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, previously announced for the West as Ace Attorney™ 5, sees the return of courtroom hero Phoenix Wright. Set eight years since his last appearance in the courts, the first case inPhoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies sees the action start in a destroyed court room. It’s down to Phoenix Wright and his team at the Wright Anything Agency to discover the cause of the destruction. Players will have to battle it out in court against Gaspen Payne, the younger brother of Winston Payne from previous Ace Attorney™ titles, as they defend the accused.

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Seattle Retro Gaming Expo just keeps getting bigger! Not only is SRGE at the

Seattle Center this year, but we will also be featuring panels from collectors, journalists, and industry

experts in the gaming world. Panels will be scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday during the show.

SRGE is excited to announce our 2013 panels:

● ChipTunes with Arcade Armageddon

○ Our show partners talk about chiptune music and how it’s produced. http://w w w .arcadearmageddon.com/

● Playstation Collecting 101 with Gabe Hayward

○ Gabe is an avid playstation collector and has even gone so far as to collect different serial number PS1's to

have every variant hardw are revision. Come see w hat hidden gems exists for the Playstation 1 and 2!

● Video Game Collecting on a Budget with John Hancock

○ John Hancock is a long-time video game collector, enthusiast, and historian - by w hich w e mean he has

entirely too many games that he never stops talking about. He has been a visible face for the retro gaming

crow d for some years, mainly because he is usually hovering, vulture-like, over the rarest thing on a given

vendors booth. We're reasonably sure he has some kind of psychic game radar.

● Survival Horror with Ryan Payton

○ Ryan Payton is founder of Seattle-based Camouflaj, the studio behind the first major kickstarter success

story for videogames, RÉPUBLIQUE. He began his career in Tokyo as a producer on Konami's METAL GEAR

SOLID 4, and w as then recruited by Microsoft to return home to Seattle and direct HALO 4. After three years

at Microsoft, Ryan surprised the industry by announcing his departure to establish his ow n independent

game studio, Camouflaj.

● Breaking into the Game Industry

○ Dan Callan, Ray Almaden and Paul Ehreth discuss their experience in the game industry. They w ill share tips

on how best to start a career in this grow ing industry and take questions from attendees.

● Retronauts Live!

○ Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish and Ray Barnolt host a live podcast at SRGE! This w ill be their first stop after

raising over $55,000 on Kickstarter to fund the much loved Retronauts Podcast.

● Retrogame Roadshow with Chris Kohler

○ Chris Kohler is a video game journalist and editor w ho has w ritten for several publications in the past decade,

including Wired, Animerica, Official Nintendo Magazine and 1UP.com. He is also a published author of tw o

books. His first book, Pow er-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life, w as published

by Brady Games in 2004. His second book, Retro Gaming Hacks, w as published by O'Reilly Media in 2005.

Kohler is currently a resident of San Francisco, California, w here he w orks for Wired, running the gaming

blog Game|Life and the podcast Good Job, Brain!

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CCP Games, the leading independent developer of massively multiplayer games, today launched 

DUST 514, the world's first free-to-play, multiplayer first-person shooter on a console. The battle for dominance of the EVE Universe escalates to new heights today as DUST mercenaries forge their paths to fame and fortune in a PlayStation ®3 exclusive. 

Launch is only the beginning of the journey for DUST 514 players. As with CCP’s first game, EVE Online®,DUST 514 is an ever-evolving game as a service, built on the technical foundation and experience CCP has gathered over the past decade. New features, content, and upgrades are planned for years to come, beginning with an update in June and additional major releases throughout 2013. All updates to DUST 514 come at no cost, truly keeping the game free-to-play for all players.

DUST 514 is a new breed of first-person shooter, which in addition to tight gunplay features a path to unlimited dropsuit fittings and customization options, taking the player to new dimensions of character progression. The end result is a unique tactical advantage that will allow mercenaries to push DUST 514 beyond the bounds set by the game’s creators, and arm them with the ability to impact their war on a galactic scale.

DUST 514 is also fully integrated with the notorious sci-fi setting of EVE Online, a massive game universe that recently surpassed a half-million subscribers worldwide and which has been growing and expanding for a decade.Together, DUST 514 and EVE Online offer a combined sandbox of unprecedented intergalactic scale, with the outcome of ground battles impacting the persistent universe of EVE and shifting the tide of war for legions of participants. Mercenaries can gain advantage by coordinating with starship pilots in EVE Online, calling in devastating orbital strikes against opposing squads.

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Tired of dithering between action and strategic thinking? Deep Silver now combines both aspects in one game: Ride to Hell: Route 666 lets players experience the whole lifestyle of biker gangs, but those who want to dominate the infamous Route 66 need to act smart. In this new trailer, different classes of gang members and enemies are explained as well as how to arrange formations and how to finish off opposing bikers in close combat. Set up your team, choose your weapons and hit the road! Ride to Hell: Route 666 is scheduled for release on the PlayStation® Store and on Xbox Live® as an arcade game for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft this summer.

Ride to Hell: Route 666 is set within the Ride to Hell universe, a world of bare-knuckle violence, and rip-roaring motorcycles. Later this year the setting will be extended by two further titles featuring the unique and incomparable biker lifestyle; Ride to Hell: Retribution and Ride to Hell: Beatdown.

Ride to Hell: Retribution tells the story of a lone rider, Jake Conway, a man with either a gun in his hand or a girl on his lap (and on more than one occasion both!). He’s on a merciless path of revenge against a brutal biker gang called The Devil’s Hand, armed to the teeth with an arsenal of deadly weapons to enact his vengeance on foot and on bike. The only law Jake answers to is his own.  Hit hard, ride fast and leave 'em in the dust starting June 2013 for Xbox 360, Windows® PC, and PlayStation®3.

The Ride to Hell universe will be rounded out with Ride to Hell: Beatdown, a rock’n’roll brawler set to light up the mobile space, on the go! More details on this title will follow soon.

Ride to Hell: Retribution is developed by Eutechnyx, Ride to Hell: Route 666 by Black Forest Games.

For more information about the Ride to Hell universe, please visit www.ridetohell.com.

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Dark skills trailer 2

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Van Helsing Hunter’s Lair

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Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. announced 

METAL GEAR SOLID: THE LEGACY COLLECTION will be available in North America and South America on July 9, 2013.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the METAL GEAR SOLID franchise, this PlayStation®3 exclusive package will include METAL GEAR SOLID, METAL GEAR SOLID 2: HD Edition, METAL GEAR SOLID 3: HD Edition (which includes the original MSX versions of METAL GEAR and METAL GEAR 2), METAL GEAR SOLID: Peace Walker HD Edition, METAL GEAR SOLID: VR MISSIONS, METAL GEAR SOLID 4: Trophy Edition and two Ashley Wood digital graphic novels which will be released for the first time in North America.  In addition, the collection will include an all-new 100 page art book highlighting marketing art from across the globe, spanning the profound 25 year history of the esteemed franchise.

METAL GEAR SOLID: THE LEGACY COLLECTION will be available on July 9 for $49.99 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.

For more information, please visit: http://www.metalgearsolid.com

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I haven't completed my own testimonial for Monster Hunter yet and I've got a few other things that need attending to first, so in the meantime, let's get back to the normal format… I'm sure @Nightdreamer will be happy, at least. 

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Games: So, my Soul Sacrifice (Vita) review went up, and it’s been… well, let’s just say, less than popular with the fans. Frankly, I thought it was mind-numbingly boring despite some great concepts, but I appear to be in the minority on this one. Your mileage may vary.

Moving on, I’ve heard absolutely no one talking about Black Rock Shooter: The Game, but it was just released by NIS America and it's currently available on the PSN store for $20. (designed for PSP, but compatible with Vita.) I just completed it yesterday, and I have to say, I had an absolute blast with it. It's a very small, focused game that feels perfect for playing on the go, and there are a lot of very smart design decisions on display. 

Putting the anime story aside for the moment (which actually wasn't all that bad) the big hook that sold me was the combat system - the main character is anchored to the foreground while enemies populate the background. Before they attack, they flash, giving the player a chance to either block or dodge to the other side of the screen. In return, the player can use a standard weapon or one of many specials that can be assigned based on preference.

It's a little tough to describe, but once you get the hang of how the game operates during combat, it feels just wonderful to play... I found myself often in a groove and my fingers would pleasantly autopilot during each fight in a semi-flow state. I love, love, love this combat system.

The rest of the game is quite nice. The art direction is good, the streamlined nature of the core structure was smart, and there’s a good amount of replay since missions are quite short and there are different layers of objectives to complete for those who want to get their money's worth.

My full review is coming soon, but this tiny little project is definitely one of my favorite games of the year so far. Big thumbs up.

In other games news... well, I guess I don't have much to report. It's been a busy week, and apart from catching a few quests in Monster Hunter while I'm out and about, I haven't had a lot of time to play anything. Hopefully that's going to change next week... I'll be looking into Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, doing some quick hits on a couple of iOS titles, and I'm hoping to spend some time with Metro: Last Light as well.

Heads up - haven’t played Papo & Yo because you don’t have a PS3? No problem, it just hit Steam a little while ago. Here’s my review of this noteworthy, autobiographical experiment, and if you Steam stuff, then you should go play it yourself, posthaste. 

For all the beautiful, intelligent Sherlock Holmes (by Frogwares) fans, check this video… If you’ve played the older titles, you will be STUNNED by the upgrade. Crimes & Punishments is looking goooood.

Oh, one last thing on the topic of games: I just got wind of Techland’s new title, Hellraid. 

If they were putting their “A” team on this and their “B” team (or, uh, some interns) on Dead Island: Riptide, that would explain why it came out so poorly… Riptide aside, Hellraid is looking promising. I’ve got no info apart from what’s in this trailer, but I’m verrrry intrigued…

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Events: The Independent Games Festival is coming to Seattle on June 8 from 10 AM to 5 PM, and it's a totally free event. There will be a number of big-name speakers giving talks, and lots of indie stuff to check out. If you're interested, you can register (again, for free) at this website.

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Comics: I haven't talked about comics for while, probably because I haven't read any for a while... I had a semi-unfortunate situation happen at my local shop so I stopped buying for a bit, and I have to be totally honest -- after skipping my regular reads for a month or two, I found that I really didn't miss them all that much.

I think part of it is that there’s just a lot of mediocre comics out there, and another part is that comics these days (mediocre or otherwise) are pretty damned expensive.

I can remember going to the comic shop when I was a kid and picking up some books for fifty or seventy-five cents each. The average book I was reading these days is a lot closer to three or four dollars apiece, and when it only takes me five minutes (or less) to go through a single issue, that's not a very good ratio of dollars-to-entertainment.

Long story short, it’s too much money for not enough bang. I’ll still pick up some collections and read in bulk when there’s a good story to be had, but I think I’m done with the monthlies for now.

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The unveiling of the North American game cover for Dragon's Crown puts the vibrant, watercolor-esque art style of renowned game artist and Vanillaware president George Kamitani on full display. Brave adventurers who pre-order the 2D multiplayer hack-and-slash beat 'em up will also receive the Dragon's Crown Artworks: a limited edition soft-cover art book. 

The Artworks will be 64 pages of full-color illustrations from Dragon's Crown. This includes intricate drawings of the characters in the game, lush environment backgrounds, and descriptions from the artist himself. Also included in the art book will be commissioned illustrations of the Dragon's Crown universe from three prominent Japanese video game artists: Akira Yasuda (Akiman), Kinu Nishimura, and Gouda Cheese (BENGUS).  

Dragon's Crown will be exclusive to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita systems for $49.99 and $39.99 respectively and is available for pre-orders now from major retailers. The game is not yet rated. More details about the game will be revealed in the future, with updates on the officialDragon's Crown website at: http://www.atlus.com/dragonscrown/

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Cryptozoic Entertainment, developer and publisher of board and card games, has launched a Kickstarter to seek final polish funding for their upcoming project, titled HEX: Shards of Fate. Cryptozoic describes HEX: Shards of Fate as the world’s first Massively Multiplayer Online Trading Card Game. The Kickstarter project is now live at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cze/hex-mmo-trading-card-game, and includes an amazing tiered system of rewards for project backers.

A completely unique gaming experience, HEX: Shards of Fate was created from the ground up as a digital trading card game, free from the restrictions that come from being shackled to physical trading cards. HEX: Shards of Fate combines the amazing community and storytelling aspects of a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) with the compelling collectable and strategic game play of a trading card game (TCG) to create an entirely new gaming experience. Players will make their way through the dynamic MMO world featuring champions, dungeons, raids, and epic gear. Cards can be found while battling within the world or purchased in 15 card Booster Packs. 

The magic of HEX: Shards of Fate comes from the digital nature of the game. Not only are player’s in-game avatars able to level up across a range of stats, but the cards themselves have unique attributes as well. Each card has a “double back” which reveals digital challenges and achievements for that card. Cards also have socketed slots for adding gems that fundamentally change how the card plays, allowing players to modify and individualize their collection to suit their play style, with billions of potential results.

Kickstarter supporters of HEX: Shards of Fate will be provided with a variety of unique collectable rewards including Beta invites for early access to the game. Depending on their pledge level, backers can receive exclusive cards only available through the Kickstarter campaign, customizable sleeves, starter sets, booster packs, in-game bonuses such as increased loot drops and special equipment, exclusive access to tournaments and much more. At the highest level, “Producer Tier” backers will receive executive producer credit, a vanity card and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create their own personalized trading card.

Cryptozoic’s goal is to have the beta begin in late summer 2013, including Player versus Player (PvP) gameplay, tournaments and the first set of collectable Booster Packs, along with single player arena battles and character modifications.  In late fall, Cryptozoic will unleash HEX: Shards of Fate in its entirety, including dozens of Player versus Environment (PvE) dungeons with epic bosses, hundreds of Booster Pack cards and extensive customization elements for characters.

To learn more information about HEX: Shards of Fate and Cryptozoic’s vision, please visit the KIckstarter page athttp://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cze/hex-mmo-trading-card-game.

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SGC, the Dallas-based gaming convention, is set to make its illustrious return to gaming culture June 21st - 23rd. THAT'S LESS THAN 50 DAYS AWAY!!!

Check out our Guest List! – including notable industry personalities like Adam Sessler, Jim Sterling, Lisa Foiles, The Angry Video Game Nerd, and more!!!

Have you seen our Vendor List?! – covering everything from apparel to good ol’ fashion games, we will host over 60 booths in a 20,000 square foot vending space.

What’s the Schedule looking like? – we have a ton of exciting panels, musical acts, and gaming tournaments scheduled for SGC!

We look forward to seeing you in June!

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And in a new twist for the PR section, here are some trailers, presented without comment:

Saints Row IV – The PAX East Demo (multi)

After Earth (iOS)

Thunder Wolves (multi)

Resident Evil: Revelations – The WiiU special features

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Although it's been slightly delayed (darn you, real life!) I'm quite happy to present the final round of Monster Hunter testimonials! Well, the last round from people who aren't me, anyway. I'm going to close out the series with my own words on the game, but I'm still cooking those up.

For now, please enjoy these final entries from my friends and readers!

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I've never understood grinding.

That's not to say I haven't done it in games. I’ve certainly fought the same few monsters over and over again, waiting for levels to pop or rare items to drop, but it's never something I've sought out or particularly enjoyed - there's a reason I haven't played an FF game since 7.

I'm the type of person who, when forced to grind in JRPGs, always looks for a workaround - like using rubber bands and carefully placed weights to trigger an endless series of fights I can automatically win and then just letting the game sit for a few hours.

Really, I'd do anything to keep from having to watch some spiky-haired person kill the same monster over and over again. This antipathy has bled over into games with loot drops - even if a game is fun, I could never quite grasp the attraction of sifting through a dozen swords/guns and trying to determine which of them was slightly better-suited to my play style. I'd essentially cut myself off from entire genres of games.

Then I discovered Monster Hunter Freedom Unite.

I was completely spun by the revelation that scouring a map for a few pieces of ore could be a thrill. I would never have occurred to me that I could love fighting the same monster four times in a row just to grab a few more of its fangs. What turned me around? The core gameplay mechanics.

It's impossible to say too many good things about Monster Hunter's combat mechanics and enemy AI. The developers have created monsters that - due to their vast changes in size and appearance - each feel unique, despite the fact that they frequently draw from a common moveset.

Fighting any large monster in Monster Hunter is a challenge, but a rewarding one - not just because of the visceral thrill of defeating an imposing foe, but because the game does a great job of laying out the stakes: take this thing down and next time it'll be a little easier, because you'll have put together armour and weapons every bit as tough as the creature you sliced the parts off of.

That's why grinding for parts not only works in Monster Hunter, but actually enriches the experience.

The fights are always good, but the loot/crafting mechanic adds another level of depth - the player chooses which monster they want to fight, and it's always with a concrete goal in mind. There's no intangible 'experience points' being earned, just a chunk torn off the sea serpent that was just slaughtered.

Fighting monsters never feels like an obligation to move the characters forward so that they can further the plot - it's an end in and of itself, giving every fight the kind of gravity that most games only manage in a few action setpieces, and every beast conquered feels like an unmatched accomplishment.

When Monster Hunter tells me that I'm going to need six Dragon Claws to build a new sword, intellectually I know that it's no different than any JRPG telling me to go and find a hundred thousand experience points, but the developers have so inexorably tied the absolutely best parts of their game to what would, in any other title, be total drudgery, that I'm unable to object to the demand.

100K XP is a wall that content is hiding behind. Six Dragon Claws? That's a challenge to be met.

…Not to mention a perfectly good excuse to play some more Monster Hunter.

-- by Dan Weissenberger, @GC_Danny

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I originally came into Monster Hunter way back on PS2, with the very first game.

Even back then it just felt different. There was no magic, no spells, no flying boots... instead it was a game about you vs. the monster.

A number of months later I imported MH2 on PS2, and my love for the game really cemented. It was a pain to play and translate on the fly, but eventually I was hunting with the craziest of them. Since then, I've played every MH they've brought over to America. 

In all the years I've been playing, in all the versions, the core joys stay the same. Monster Hunter is a game about seeing a monster, learning how it thinks, and eventually making a hat out of it.

The monster will not give up that hat easily, so instead of just buying the best sword or axe, you have to become better. Your character doesn't level up, so it's on you to gain skill. Each new area, each new monster is a new skill set to learn.

There's little in gaming quite as epic as the first time a new monster rears its head -- the first time you see Rathalos roar or see Fatalis fly down from the sky, you know you are in for a serious battle. Then again, you might run into the Kirin and underestimate just how deadly that bloody horse is.

Monster hunter isn't perfect. The controls could use some work, it's a slow starter (a problem with many crafting centered games), and occasionally the random number generator hates you when you try to loot. But, I've yet to find a game that lets me hunt giant monsters with giant swords, huge hammers, high explosives, and sonic grenades. I can't wait to see what they do with Monster Hunter 4. 

-- by James Barry, Editor at Colonyofgamers.com, and diehard Monster Hunter fan.

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I’m dropped into the middle of the frigid tundra, alone, with one goal: slay a Barioth. 

If you’ve never seen one before, they look like a sabre-tooth tiger crossbred with a bat -- and, compared to him?  Well, I’m a housecat.  

I chug down a hot drink as my breath dissipates into the night air, and I’ve prepared for this hunt well.  My heavy bowgun can chamber exhaust shots to slow my target down, fire shots to take advantage of its elemental weakness, and poison shots to whittle down its relatively low HP.  But good preparation is only half the battle...

After locating the Barioth, I surprise it with a paintball.  In response, it roars with a pitch that instantly paralyzes my body.  

Touché.  

I immediately begin unloading fire shots on its front wings, hoping to break them and lower the beast’s speed.  We exchange blows, and soon the Barioth’s attack patterns come back to me.  My evading, blocking, and reloading all become part of a familiar, choreographed dance.

With one broken wing, the Barioth’s lunges throw it off balance.  

This small opening means I can squeeze off an extra shot each time I block or avoid one of its attacks.  He’s getting sloppy...  Perhaps realizing this, the beast hastily flees to another zone.  I chamber my exhaust shots, specially designed to rob monsters of their stamina.

Following the trail of the paintball I tagged him with for easy tracking, I locate the Barioth attempting to feed on a recently-killed herbivore.  If he finishes eating, his stamina will recover and I’ll be on the receiving end of his renewed icy wrath. I’ve got to stop him. 

I aim my shots between his eyes and fire.  Recoil rips through my body, but I have to shake him from his kill.  On the fourth shot the Barioth stumbles backwards, foaming at the mouth.  

No time to celebrate. I continue unloading shots as the beast struggles to catch its breath.  Drool runs down his amber tusks, now shattered by my assault.  

On my last round of exhaust shots, the Barioth loses consciousness, clumsily flopping to the ground.  I quickly load my Poison shots, and in no time the venom has taken hold.  When the beast regains consciousness, he immediately escapes.

Even though the effects of my paintball have worn off, I know where the Barioth is headed: his nest.  After the thrashing I gave him, the Barioth will attempt to sleep and recover his health.  

While I want to avoid letting him recover, I also know that a sleeping monster is vulnerable.  I’ll have two options: place explosives near the sleeping foe and detonate them for immense damage, or set a trap under him and capture him alive.  Unfortunately for this Barioth, I need pelts --  I’m going for the kill.

Upon locating the slumbering beast, I place two large barrels filled with gunpowder right next to his head and step away -- far away.  

My crosshairs center on the barrels.  

The tundra is deafeningly quiet now.  My numb finger wraps around the trigger and slowly squeezes. The resulting explosion is instantaneous, and deafening.  Flames leap into the sky and surge over the beast’s body.  My target has been eliminated, and I step forward proudly to carve my rewards.

When I get back to the hunter’s tavern, some friends have appeared.  They’re drinking, cheering, and talking shop.  “Up for a hunt?”, they ask.  

You bet I am.

-- by Roy Blakely, @kotowari, author of the Monster Hunter Beginner’s Guide

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Still want more?

While I wasn't able to contact him with enough time for a new piece, Michael Abbott (@BrainyGamer) has written about the series several times and wanted to share. You can find some of those articles here and here.

I'll close things out next time with my own writeup, and this blog will go back to business as usual afterwards. Thanks very much to everyone who expressed such enthusiasm over hearing the stories of fellow hunters… and apologies to everyone who isn't a fan of the series, and has probably been bored to death over the last couple of weeks.  ^_^

... Or maybe you've been intrigued enough to try out one of the games for yourself? If so, I would love to hear from you about your first experience. Drop me a note and let me know!

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After the short break with the last update, we're now getting back to the MonHun... And in case you missed it, I'm running these because one of our long-time readers (Hi Alv!) requested that I take some time to get into the essence of the series, and really get under its skin to explain its appeal, similar to the way our own@GC_Danny dissected his love of the modern classic, Deadly Premonition. 

I thought this was a fantastic idea, so I decided to go one step further. Rather than Simply sharing my own feelings (which I will do a little later on) I got a host of Monster Hunter fans to help me illustrate what makes it such a singular experience. 

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To me, the real hook of Monster Hunter lies in its presentation.

As someone who balks at the idea of having to play hours and hours of a game before fully comprehending it, I was initially very turned off by the very premise of the series. Never before has a game lacking any real narrative caught my interest enough to want to invest that kind of time, so why would Monster Hunter be any different?

In the end, curiosity and some kick-ass monster designs won me over, and I ended up with a copy of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for the Nintendo 3DS.

Now, I can’t profess to having played enough to say I honestly know exactly what I’m doing, but what I can say is this: I’m completely obsessed.

Stepping into the world of Monster Hunter for the first time, I was overwhelmed by the cohesive aesthetic of the game and minute attention to detail put into everything from environmental designs to dialogue. While many cautioned me of the notoriously slow first few hours of the game, I found myself content just venturing out into the unknown, exploring terrain, harvesting items, and witnessing the diverse wildlife that populated the early game’s grassy fields.

Of course, the thrill of tracking down one of the game’s many majestic beasts and engaging in the lethal dance that ensues is inarguably the highlight of Monster Hunter. But were it not for the always-amusing interactions with NPCs (they weren’t lying when they said the Guild Sweetheart was a riot!), medieval wilderness aesthetic, and endlessly-charming touches such as the ability to cuddle your farm’s pig, I can safely say I wouldn’t have been nearly as eager to join the hunt.

Monster Hunter excels in creating a world that you just can’t wait to get back to, and I, for one, know it’s a world I will happily spend a hundred hours in.

-- by Anne Lee, @apricotsushi

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One aspect about Monster Hunter that I love is its ability to bring people together. In a time where couch co-op is rare, it is refreshing to see a game that centers on cooperative gameplay.

Each hunter, depending on their playstyle, can do their part.

The Great Sword user can deal the damage, the Bow Gunner can apply crippling statuses, and the Long Sword user can cut the tail while the Sword and Shield wielder can lay bombs and traps. I was the first of my friends to play the game, but because of its cooperative nature, I have been able to attract 6 others to the franchise.

While some critics decry the franchise for its lack of guidance, I see it as a boon to the community. This game’s following is fantastic: multiple podcasts, online wikis, google groups, and chats all work together to better the players and welcome newcomers.

Hunting with friends and family exhilarates me more than any other game I have played. It should not be missed.

-- by @RetroRedemption, http://retroredemption.tumblr.com/

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Like a few, Monster Hunter Tri was my 1st foray into the MH world  - and by the time I stopped playing that version a month or so ago, I'd racked up almost 1,000 hours of gameplay time! Also like most, I didn't really know what I was doing at first. Similar to others - my friend @Leneux on twitter to name just one -  I came into MH with a background of having spent many, many hours on PSO, which was of course multi-platform but GameCube, was my console of choice back then.

So what makes the Monster Hunter so franchise special or unique? This is a tough one to answer.

It's not the story. Although the single player does have one, it was all done after about 60 hours for me in Tri, and that's not what kept me playing. As series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto has said himself, you create your own stories when you play online.

For 4 player online (or local) gaming, there is nothing else quite like MH. The monsters reacting slightly differently each time means no two fights are the same. It's about the camaraderie and the sometimes unlikely victory, grasped from the jaws of defeat - or equally, defeat when you thought you'd most certainly succeed!

It’s about the different play styles that your teammates will bring with their individual weapon classes. Learning how to become an effective team, no matter which three of them you're playing with at that time. 

It’s about that moment of elation, when you finally capture your first-ever Deviljho, or kill your first Alatreon with (literally) moments to spare.

It’s about cutting off a monster's tail or breaking one of its body parts and getting you that same moment of satisfaction every time, and then finding that same item in the rewards because you broke it off the beast, and then finishing that armour set or weapon that you've been wanting for so, so long... And then you see the next weapon in the tree and somehow you want it even more, even though it seems like it's going to take you forever to farm all the materials for it.

It’s also about the fact that a small group of people who you’ve only met online have become some of your best friends (@Discobeaver , @Kainelor , @Huntervp and Painjunkie666 to name just a few) even though we all live in completely different parts of the country and rarely get all together in person. 

These are the kind of things that make MH different. 

It may not be perfect - the 1st 4-5 hours of each game in particular need some reworking if they ever want it to be as popular as likes of WOW or COD - but it fills a hole in my gaming life that nothing else can or ever will.

--by Jeremy Fowler, @j_monster

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I think, in many ways, Monster Hunter fills the primal need to hunt that has largely been suppressed in modern society. The game, to me, is as much about hunting as it is about its titular monsters. Learning how to track and find your prey, learning its behaviour and how it moves, and knowing when it's wounded enough to capture, these are all valuable hunting skills.

But where the game really shines is in establishing the mentor-student relationship. Having someone who knows what they're doing come along and teach you the ropes, in the field: that's Monster Hunter.

Just as you (probably) wouldn't attempt to learn how to hunt game for the first time without instruction, equipment, and a person to guide you, the same holds true in Monster Hunter. The game itself provides only the most oblique hints in snippets of dialog with villagers as to what to do. It almost expects you to have outside help, perhaps betraying its roots as a handheld game with local multiplayer only. When you sit together in the same room, it's natural to help each other out and for experienced hunters to help out newcomers.

That spirit of helping out those less experienced is definitely passed on from one 'generation' to the next. Just as a number of people helped me out when I got started, I feel compelled to help as many new hunters as I can now that I'm the one with experience.

My motives are not just altruistic: to be honest, I want to see Monster Hunter 4 come out in North America, so the more sales of 3 Ultimate we can generate, the more chance we have, right?

In the end, it's that camaraderie and cooperative play that really makes Monster Hunter so enjoyable and rewarding. There's no stronger bond than shared experience, and Monster Hunter gives that to the player in abundance

-- by Eugene Huo

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...And there's still more on the way. The coverage shall continue! 

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I’ve still got more Monster Hunter testimonials in the pipe, but I’m taking a short break from that tonight to talk about a few other things. Look for the rest of ‘em shortly, though!

Oh, and before I switch topics entirely, here’s my current MH3U status:

132 hours total, HR6 online, and completing 7-star quests in the singleplayer campaign.

Working on completing Urugaan S, Zinogre and Ivory Lagiacrus armors.

Using greatswords the majority of the time, switching off occasionally to longswords or hammers. Best sword in my box is probably the Dio Blade (slime) but I’ve got a couple that are pretty close.

And there you go! Moving on…

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Games: My review of Dead Island: Riptide just went up at @Gamecritics a day or two ago.

Readers of this blog will know that I am a huge fan of the first game, and even though it had some rough edges, it was a pretty brilliant experience. Unfortunately, Riptide isn't able to match up to that first title. The new character who uses hand-to-hand combat is lots of laughs, but the game itself feels like it was slapped together with very little care and isn't nearly as immersive or as atmospheric as the original.

My next review will be Soul Sacrifice on Vita. This one has been heavily anticipated by Vita owners for quite some time, and is coming from Keiji Inafune, the creator of Mega Man. I put about nine hours into a "good" character before restarting as "evil" and putting another four or five into that one...

Reviews are still under embargo until April 30, but those covering it have been encouraged by Sony PR to share impressions and previews. To that end, all I can say is that my current impressions are not very favorable at all.

Finally, a quick heads-up on Mars War Logs. Here's the latest trailer. 

I don't know a ton about it, but it's from French developers Spiders, and I was a huge fan of their work on XBLA's Faery. My review of that game is right here, and if Mars War Logs is on par with that, then I'll be a very happy camper. It's out right now on Steam, with console versions to follow.

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Book: It's been a bit of a long road lately, but I'm finally in the home stretch on my book revisions and plan to send the edited draft to my editor this weekend.

I'm hoping that there won't be any more edits requested (although realistically, there probably will be) but it will be great to get that off my plate for a little while, at least.

I started all of my writing projects when I had a lot more free time, so now that other things have piled on, I'm feeling pretty pressed on several sides. Just a couple more days and I can put a big check mark by that item on my to-do list!

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Experience the complete Skyrim collection with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim® Legendary Edition -- arriving in North America for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on June 4 ($59.99 USD) and throughout Europe and Australia on June 7.  

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Legendary Edition includes the original critically-acclaimed game, official add-ons – Dawnguard,Hearthfire, and Dragonborn – and added features like combat cameras, mounted combat, Legendary difficulty mode for hardcore players, and Legendary skills – enabling you to master every perk and level up your skills infinitely.

 For more information on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim® or Legendary Edition, please visit www.elderscrolls.com.

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NIS America is excited to announce that the highly anticipated Japanese RPG PlayStation®Portable title, Black Rock Shooter The Game, is now available for purchase on PlayStation®Network. The Game is widely recognized for its stunning character designs from renowned artist Huke which were given voice by the ever popular Hatsune Miku! What started as just a character design has now evolved into an explosive PlayStation®Portable title! About Black Rock Shooter The Game: 2032 AD—Earth has been ruthlessly assaulted by extraterrestrials, and nineteen years of nonstop battle now threatens the very existence of humanity. The last hope for human survival is BRS, a heroine created solely to save planet Earth; she is the ultimate battle android. But when she is awakened to end the conflict once and for all, there are only twelve human beings left on Earth left for her to protect…

For more information, visit www.nisamerica.com/blackrockshooterthegame

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All hail POTUS as Deep Silver announces today that the Commander in Chief Edition for the upcoming Saints Row IV is available as a free upgrade to pre-orders at major freedom-retailers across North America. In this ball-busting, open-world and-other-PR-words installment in the Saints Row franchise, developer Volition continues the story of the Third Street Saints by elevating their status to the highest level – the leaders of the free world.  

But the leaders of the free world are under attack from an alien invasion in the land of the free, and it’s up to you and your gang to save the world, Saints-style. To help you combat the alien terrorists you will encounter, the Commander in Chief Edition is a free upgrade for all pre-orders at participating retailers and comes fully loaded with a Screaming Eagle that fires rockets out of its talons and can invoke the “Sonic Scream” attack, leaving your enemies dazed, confused and likely scarred for life.

Additionally, if you’re going to save the world you should look good while doing it, which is why the Commander in Chief gives you a limited-edition Uncle Sam uniform, made in the US of good ‘ol A (apple pie not included.) And since you need the best [read: most ridiculously overpowered weapons ever conceived] fighting tools available, Volition and Deep Silver are giving you a stimulus package, “'Merica”,  full of incredibly astonishing firepower: flamethrowers, ultra-powered dub step guns and rocket launchers are yours for the taking. Crown thy good with brotherhood, indeed.

The Commander in Chief Edition is priced at $59.99 (console) and $49.99 (PC). The Commander in Chief Edition will be available globally. Saints Row IV launches August 20th, 2013 across North and Latin America and August 23rd worldwide. For more information please visit:

Web:  http://www.saintsrow.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/saintsrow
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/saintsrow
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/saintsrow

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Your friends at Klei Entertainment are happy to announce that we've released Don't Starve! As of now, we consider Don't Starve ready for general consumption, and a complete game in its own right. However, we're not quite done yet...We’ve promised six months of post-launch content updates, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. For now, our team needs a bit of a break, so our next update will come in four weeks, on May 21st. To celebrate the release of Don't Starve, we've put together a retrospective trailer showing each update we've launched during the beta. You can get it on our Official YouTube channel below.

http://youtu.be/Fae9tlgS3w4

We're also announcing the official Don't Starve soundtrack is now available for download! Containing original instrumental music composed and arranged by Vince de Vera and Jason Garner, this soundtrack DLC has 9 tracks of game music and more presented in magnificent high-quality FLAC and MP3 formats. Also, those who pick up a copy will get new tracks as they are released in the game!

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Deep Silver today is putting the pedal to the metal with more details on the upcoming action game Ride to Hell: Route 666. In the world’s first real time tactics beat’em up, players will beef up their pack of road warriors, provide them with the right gear, and take them to the streets in a merciless battle for every mile of the legendary Route 66. The trip starts this summer, when the game is scheduled to hit the PlayStation® Store, Xbox Live® for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Steam.

Tactics are essential when up against a colorful cast of enemies. Players will be able to bark orders at their fearless gang members to bring them into the right formation on-the-fly with easy, accessible controls. Clever tactics will be rewarded, opening up enemy defenses and allowing you to get in on the action: as the leader of this lawless bunch, you can support your warriors at the front line or issue instructions from the back. Pick up and play action controls allow the players to get involved in the fight at any time. You’ll also be recruiting new members to join your gang, with each one bringing their own special abilities to a fight, from big bad bruisers to sultry medics. 

Ride to Hell: Route 666 is set within the Ride to Hell universe, a world of bare-knuckle violence, and rip-roaring motorcycles. Later this year the setting will be extended by two further titles featuring the unique and incomparable biker lifestyle; Ride to Hell: Retribution and Ride to Hell: Beatdown.

For more information about the Ride to Hell universe, please visit:

Web: http://www.ridetohell.com 

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/ridetohellgame 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RideToHellGame 

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/deepsilverhq

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UNWINNABLE, an industry-leading website specializing in sharp, experiential essays on videogames, film, comics and pulp culture, is today announcing PLAYABLE. This new venture will showcase small videogames developed by a variety of top indie talents and will be available on Unwinnable.com, beginning Summer 2013.

PLAYABLE is an ongoing series of short, experimental indie experiences from critically acclaimed and creative developers. Its goal is to expand and illuminate the process of what making a game is really like. Each developer will work with Team Unwinnable writers to provide background stories, essays and other content detailing the development process in order to enlighten and entertain our readership.

PLAYABLE, a long-time goal for Unwinnable.com, is the first step in a far-reaching project that will also include physical anthology collections and public exhibitions. Influenced by Pippin Barr’s browser games, PLAYABLE’s objective is to create an environment to stimulate greater conversation about videogames as a medium while establishing a vehicle to examine the mostly-unexplored craft of game development, in a way no other videogame site has ever done.

PLAYABLE will feature original games from designers across the industry, including:

RICHARD HOFMEIER, Cart Life, winner of the 2013 Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Best Independent Game

PIPPIN BARR, Let’s Play Ancient Greek Punishment

HARRY LEE, Midas, co-organizer of the Lost Levels Unconference

JAKE ELLIOTT, Kentucky Route Zero

ANDY SCHATZ, Monaco, winner of the 2010 Seumas McNally Grand Prize for Best Independent Game  

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Shin Megami Tensei IV (SMTIV) will launch as a premium RPG title for the Nintendo 3DS™ system and will include several items to aid Samurai as they serve the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado by battling hordes of demons. In addition to being a fully voiced title that takes advantage of the 3DS system's 3D and StreetPass™ functionalities, Shin Megami Tensei IV will include: 

Strategy & Design Book - Produced by Prima Games, longtime publishers of video game strategy content, and packed with walkthroughs, charts, maps, tips, and more, this official starter strategy guide will give the newly selected Samurai a distinct advantage as they begin their journey through the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado and beyond.  The design side of the book will feature full-color pages of artwork ranging from concept art to in-game pieces to never-used designs from new Shin Megami Tensei series character designer, Masayuki Doi.

Shin Megami Tensei Music Collection - Offering a collection of tracks specially selected from across the 20-plus-year history of the Shin Megami Tensei series, this CD presents the series' musical history highlights from the ethereal atmospheric music to the classic power-guitar anthems. It also includes a special recording exclusive to the Music Collection CD.   

Collectible Slipcase Packaging - SMTIV will come in a deluxe-sized slipcase package featuring full-color key art designed by Masayuki Doi and depicting the divergent paths of law and chaos between which Samurai must travel and make their choices knowing of the potential foes and allies that lay on either side.

 All bonus collectors' items are limited to the first printing of SMTIV; subsequent printings will only include the SMTIV game.

Shin Megami Tensei IV will be exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS system and sold as a premium title beginning this summer. The game is rated M for Mature by the ESRB. More details will be revealed in the future, with updates on the official SMTIV website at http://www.atlus.com/smt4

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505 Games, a global publisher of video games, today announced that the block-building smash hit Terraria is headed to the PlayStation®Vita system (PS Vita). In development by Engine Software, Terraria for PS Vita will be available in summer 2013.

Originally released in 2011 for the PC by creator/developer Andrew Spinks' Re-logic studio, Terraria has received universal, critical acclaim and over 2 million "Terrarians" have struck out on their own adventures and fallen for it's mix of side-scrolling, action-adventure gaming and emphasis on crafting and exploration.

For all the latest news and updates on all things Terraria head over to https://www.facebook.com/TerrariaOfficial or https://twitter.com/Terraria_Logic.

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Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced the next chapter in the METAL GEAR SOLID franchise, METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN, will be released on the Sony PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. To reinforce the announcement and address all the questions fans have been asking all year, Kojima Productions unveiled a brand new trailer for the new title at this year's Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco.

First unveiled in METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER, the new METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN trailer shows the fall of Mother Base and provides visual hints that unveil the connection between METAL GEAR SOLID: GROUND ZEROES and METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN. The trailer also showcases the FOX Engine's exceptional level of visual quality with seamless integration of gameplay and cut scenes.For the newly released METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN trailer, please make sure to visit: www.metalgearsolid.com.

METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN will be released on the Sony PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. For more information on METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN, please visit: www.konami.com

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It's here! After lots of packaging, tweaking, and testing, we're rolling out the new Torchlight editor - GUTS. In this action-packed update we have some important information on what exactly GUTS is and how it can work for you. You might want to bookmark this page for later. Ready? Here we go!

Modding in Torchlight 2

Torchlight 2 now fully supports Steam Workshop. A new launcher synchronizes any mods you have subscribed to,  and lets you customize their activation state and loading priority. In addition, when playing Internet games in the lobby, you will be able to filter modded games by mod combination, and with a single button click, subscribe to those mods. Torchlight 2 will then restart, synchronize them, and activate them before returning you to the game.

When playing modded games, you can view your mod history, any previously played mods, and the impact disabling mods may have on your character.

We've tried to make the process as seamless as possible, with a focus on allowing modded multiplayer games with a minimum of fuss.

GUTS

GUTS is our in-house development tool, now fully integrated with Steam Workshop. You can publish directly to Steam Workshop when you compile your mod, making it available immediately for others to play.

We've also added a special tool to GUTS designed to convert pre-GUTS mods into the official mod format, with an eye toward making the transition much easier for our ambitious early modders.

New to modding? Here's how to get started with GUTS - the Torchlight Editor wiki that we've been creating. You will definitely want to bookmark this resource! http://docs.runicgames.com/wiki/Getting_Started

New content for everyone

We've been working on lots of new content! Here is a taste of what awaits you ...

*The NetherRealm tileset - new NetherRealm dungeons can be found via portals throughout the world
*New Monsters
*New armor sets
*New weapons
*New pets - including the Headcrab!
*New endgame map content
*Some additional new dungeons in New Game plus modes in large overworld area

Click here for the complete patch notes. http://forums.runicgames.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=54098

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Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is now available for download on the PlayStation®Network for PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Vita, and PlayStation®Portable.  Presented as a parallel world to the events that unfolded in Persona®2: Innocent Sin, Persona 2:  Eternal Punishment delivers all the gameplay and action from the original Eternal Punishment title, delivering the missing chapter to fans to complete the full Persona experience.  The title is priced at $9.99.

Set in the metropolis of Sumaru City, Eternal Punishment takes place after the events of Innocent Sin, however exists as a separate story unrelated to Innocent Sin.  Players control a party of oddballs brought together by disturbing events in Sumaru City: teen-focused magazine reporter Maya Amano, her unlucky-in-love boxer friend Ulala Serizawa, the upright police detective Katsuya Suou, and a shady Taiwanese fixer known as "Baofu."  Together, the four characters become involved in the investigation of a serial killer known as the "Joker", and must unravel the mystery of the Joker Curse.

As in the other Persona titles, players have the option to fight demons encountered or negotiate with them to earn items, assistance, or their Arcana cards in order to fuse new Personas and gain access to more powerful attacks.  Additionally the game incorporates a rumor system, where players collect and exchange rumors throughout the game. Rumors taken to the Kuzunoha Detective Agency can be spread for a fee, changing the dynamic of the gameplay to alter storefronts and other gameplay elements.  

   

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is rated M for Mature.  

  

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Independent developer NeocoreGames revealed today a spectacular new gameplay trailer and screenshots for The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, demonstrating the much anticipated Rage and Power-up System, whereby players have the ability to tailor skills on the spot. Whether it is killing foes instantly or freezing them in place, players have an enormous selection of abilities to take advantage of while they combat twisted creatures born in secret laboratories.

Watch or download the trailer and check out the latest screenshots here.

Enabling players to have up to three active skill modifiers, called Power-ups, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing delivers an abundant amount of pathways to follow within legendary monster hunter Van Helsing’s skilltree. By charging up the power-ups and utilizing Rage points collected from impressive feats, players are capable of taking down the most gruesome bosses and mythical beasts.

Read more about the Rage and Power-up System at Neocore’s active developer blog, here.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is a gothic-noir steampunk action-RPG that is set to release on Windows®PC this spring and Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft later this year. Players experience fierce battles with familiar supernatural foes all within a dark storyline influenced by Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

For more on The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, read the team’s DevBlog, ‘Like’ the game on Facebook, and follow it on Twitter.

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