BitSnark

Eurogamer is reporting that Sega have today confirmed the long standing rumour that they intend to start re-releasing Dreamcast titles on Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade and Sony’s Playstation Network.

The titles will supposedly be updated with HD visuals and boast all the other mod-cons that we fussy bastards are used to these days; achievements, trophies, online leaderboards and full surround sound.

First up is Dreamcast launch title Sonic Adventure which should arrive sometime this Autumn, with the next title, Crazy Taxi, due to follow at an unspecified date afterward.

I dunno about you folks, but my Dreamcast has long since given up the ghost and as such i’m quite looking forward to playing games such as Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio and *cough* Shenmue *cough* all over again in HD.

No doubt we’ll hear more at the increasingly awesome E3 next week.

New graphics engine? Check. Fully reinstated hard-18 gore? Check. Reinvented 2D fighting mechanics? Check. Online modes? Check. Massive single-player mode? Check.

To say I am stoked for this would be an understatement 🙂 I also like how they have kept the name to just ‘Mortal Kombat’, indicating a series reboot as opposed to a continuation of the existing Mortal Kombat franchise as we currently know it.

Expect to see this one recieve a full unveiling (and possible movie-tie in) at E3.

The first announcement trailer can be seen at the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DgBY0Hzh0BSQ&h=fe835

And you folks that just love reading lines and lines of corporate hyperbole can read the official PR below:

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Announces Mortal Kombat

Brutal Fighting Game Created By Original Game Developer With New Name – NetherRealm Studios
For PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces Mortal Kombat, the most brutal instalment of the landmark fighting game to date for release on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft in 2011. Mortal Kombat is being developed by the newly re-named NetherRealm Studios, led by Mortal Kombat creator and creative director Ed Boon.

The newest chapter of the iconic fight franchise marks a triumphant return to the series’ mature presentation and a reinvention of its classic 2D fighting mechanic. Driven by an all new graphics engine, the fan favourite Fatality is back and presented in more gory detail than ever before. In addition, Mortal Kombat introduces a number of new game-play features including tag team and the deepest story mode of any fighting game. Players can choose from an extensive line up of the game’s iconic warriors and challenge their friends in traditional 1 vs. 1 matches, or take on several new game modes.

“We are bringing the Mortal Kombat franchise back to gamers with the talented NetherRealm Studios team creating the game fans long to play,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Re-establishing the brand with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Mortal Kombat innovates on past games while staying true to the brand’s legendary characters and fighting style.”

“We can’t wait for players to get their hands on Mortal Kombat,” said Ed Boon, Creative Director, NetherRealm Studios. “This game really is a response to what players have been demanding: mature presentation, reinvented 2D fighting mechanic and the best, most gruesome fatalities ever!”

Mortal Kombat introduces a number of new game modes as well as the most extensive online experience ever seen in a fighting game. Up to four players can battle “tag-team”- two players can team up in the new “Co-op Arcade Mode” or compete against another team online

After the news earlier that point and click genre vets Telltale Games would be doing Jurassic Park, comes the revelation that the cherished Back To The Future films will also get episodic titles based upon them.

No further details have been given, but I personally believe the puzzle based point and click gameplay is a better fit for games based on Back To The Future instead of the much more action packed and tense Jurassic Park movies.

Looking forward to hearing more about this at E3.

Stay tuned.

Do you remember the days when wrestling games were as OTT and batshit insane as their real thing, with big larger-than-life characters doing impossible, gravity defying moves and boasting superhuman physiques? Well THQ does and with that in mind they are giving us WWE All Stars to counterpoint the wrestling-sim style gameplay that has been a hallmark of their Smackdown Vs Raw series.

In adapting the OTT theme, the aesthetics, specifically the character models, have taken their inspiration from comic books with John Cena in particular boasting an Incredible Hulk esque physique that is even more monstrous than his real-life physical appearance is. The Rock too also has had what appears to be ten tons of steroids pumped into him, with a similarly huge physique and exaggerated chin-reaching trademark side burns to match.

When the fists fly and grapples start happening it is only then that you get an idea of just what THQ is attempting to achieve here. Case in point; I just saw John Cena powebomb The Rock, catch him in mid-air after he bounced off of the canvas, drive him head-first into the mat and then lift him up for a jumping suplex that took both wrestlers some thirty feet off of the ground before they crashed back down to earth to a crescendo of a rippling shockwave heralding the end of a delightfully OTT ballad of grappling violence.

In actuality this game has a lot more in common with a traditional fighting game, with the emphasis on much faster gameplay, chaining combos, juggles, mid-air counters and of course the exaggerated physicality of the wrestlers proving to be in stark contrast to the relatively po-faced Smackdown Vs Raw titles.

Additionally, it is also said that each character will handle completely differently to one another, with timings, combos and other special abilities being unique to each character.

This could well be the breath of fresh air that wrestling games have needed.

The GameSpot exclusive reveal of the title can be seen below:

http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/wwesmackdownvsraw2011/news.html?sid=6264944&om_act=convert&om_clk=newsfeatures&tag=newsfeatures%3Btitle&tag=topslot;title;1

WWE: All Stars is due for release sometime in 2011 on the PS3, 360 and Wii.

In the grand tradition of annual updates to their WWE licensed franchise, THQ has today unveiled this year’s iteration of the series, Smackdown Vs Raw 2011.

Not much in the way of specifics have been released regarding the title, but one new feature which THQ is keen to harp on about is the new destructive physics system that foreign objects and weapons now enjoy. In previous titles, if you have wanted to for instance say, chokeslam someone through a table that you weren’t stood ontop of yourself, you would be greeted by an shoddy looking animation which would awkwardly move the table out of the way, even if you thought you were bang on target.

With this year’s game however, any objects left around inside or outside the ring can be dynamically interacted with. For example, set up a table next to the turnbuckle and you can suplex them through it from the top rope with splinters flying and chunks of table being left behind. Change that table for a ladder and the suplex basically crunches the back of your foe across the hard steel as they crumple up in pain on the mat, leaving the ladder bent and contorted where the impact took place.

There are seemingly a multitude of different applications that objects can now have and only a few of them were shown in the GameSpot preview video (linked at the end of this article), so it’ll be very interesting to see what other fiendish things you can dream up and do and is certainly a big step in the right direction when it comes to trying to mirror the ad-hoc brutality of ladder matches, table matches and so on.

There are obviously a raft of other new features that THQ can’t talk about yet and so for the rest of it, tune into the THQ presentation at E3.

Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 is expected to release this year and will arrive on the PS3, 360, NDS, PSP, PS2 and the iPhone.

When it comes to adapting Jurassic Park into a videogame you would be forgiven for thinking that a perfect genre fit for running away from angry dinos would be survival horror right?

Japanese developer Capcom certainly thought so when they made Dino Crisis. Well, Telltale Games think you and Capcom are wrong.

The developers of the Sam & Max and Tales Of Monkey island episodic series’ are applying their considerable talents to adapting Jurassic Park into an episodic adventure, one that will include lots of puzzle solving, chatting to folks and probably not much in the way of actually shooting ravenous Velociraptors in the face.

No release date or platforms have been given as of yet, but as is always the case recently, we’ll more than likely hear more at E3?

I’m not sure if the puzzle and dialog based games that Telltale Games have traditionally honed their craft with is a perfect fit for the franchise, but either way i’ll be interested to see what they come up with.

A few hours ago, the interwebs got a look at live action teaser for a Mortal Kombat project of some sort.

I say of ‘some sort’ since it’s not entirely clear at this point whether or not it’s a live-action teaser for the forthcoming Mortal Kombat 9 or a marketable promo reel for Warner Brother’s game-to-film adaptation.

The former seems to be most likely scenario, simply because live action skits seem to be all the rage for big games these days (See Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Assassins Creed and FEAR 3 for proof of this). Indeed, star Michael Jai White who plays ‘Jacks/Jax’ in the short, was under the impression that it was being shot to market a forthcoming game.

Either one is an intriguing however, since the style of the short suggests a Mortal Kombat universe more grounded in reality than it traditionally has been in the past and as a result, it would be interesting to see how it would translate into a videogame.

As a film, the seven-esque stylings shown in the short would represent a unique and refreshing approach than the cheesy, techno music flooded installments that have been released so far. Whichever way you slice it though, this is some quality live action Mortal Kombat footage that washes clean the previous live-action adaptations that fans have had to suffer through.

Well, Almost.

A link to the trailer in glorious 1080P ‘o’ vision is below:

Hopefully we’ll know the truth at E3, where Mortal Kombat 9 is expected to make it’s debut.

Okay, whoa there boy, whoa *tries to keep inner fanboy in check*.

I have some good news, Yakuza 3 apparently did well enough in the West to warrant Sega bringing Yakuza 4 over here too.

This is quite frankly, ass-shatteringly awesome news.

Boasting similar gameplay to Yakuza 3, the fourth installment in Sega’s popular (see, I can say that now) allows players to assume four different Yakuza members instead of just the series’ hero, Kazauma Kiryu.

For all of you who supported Yakuza 3 when it was thought it would never get a release, give yourself a pat on the back.

More details will be revealed at E3 where the game is expected to get it’s first Western showing.

Cannot. Wait.

In other news however, I hope this bodes well for the recently announced PSP installment of the Yakuza series.

With any luck that’ll find it’s way to our shores too.

Square-Enix today have announced Dungeon Siege 3 for release across PC and console platforms.

It shall be developed by Obsidian Entertainment with supervision given by Chris Taylor, the original Dungeon Siege developer from developer Gas Powered Games.

Obsidian Entertainment eh? What a bunch of busy dudes they are, what with Espionage RPG Alpha Protocol being released and Fallout: New Vegas being worked on for release later on this year.

There is a press release currently out for it, but its in French so i’ll upload an English one as soon as it appears.

Interesting.

Ok, this isn’t gaming news but sod it, this is just plain freakin’ cool. Warner Brothers have announced that they are producing a new Thundercats TV series, with Japanese animators Studio 4C (Animatrix, Gotham Knight, Halo Legends) being given animation and art duty.

The link below will take you to the first piece of concept art for the forthcoming series (looks nice and edgy – a good look for the new series):

http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/109/1094318p1.html

The TV series apparently retells the entire Thundercats story, with everything from Lion-O’s ascension to the throne all the way through to their adventures and conflicts on Third Earth.

Bring this the heck on!