BitSnark

Square Enix has released a gameplay trailer for Deus Ex: Human Revolution which is due next year on PS3, 360 and PC platforms.

Predictably, it looks all kinds of awesome.

Go on, give your retinas a treat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wrI5ozW7OE

John Caramack, the technology and engine guru over at id Software confirmed at their annual QuakeCon event today, that their graphically sophisticated forthcoming shooter RAGE, would also be making an apperance on the iPad and iPhone mobile platforms.

Showing a demo which boasted similiar mega-texture technology to what has been seen on the PC, 360 and PS3 platforms, the title looked superb; running at 60FPS and pretty much making everything else on the mobile platform look amateurish by comparison.

Mr. Caramack also said that the development cycle was a lot smaller for the mobile version of RAGE and said that he expects the title to arrive at the same time as the PC version early next year.

Great stuff.

Irrational Games have announced the release of a third Bioshock title, entitled Bioshock: Infinity and it shall be released on 360, PS3 and PC platforms in 2012.

Retaining the FPS gameplay that you might expect, Bioshock: Infinity is a full-blown sequel (or possibly prequel) to the Bioshock games that we know and love. Gone is the underwater dystopia, which has now been replaced by a dystopian city in the sky and it all looks very, very beautiful.

Taking place in 1912, some forty seven odd years before the events chronicled in the first Bioshock title, you are cast as former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt and have been dispatched to rescue Elizabeth, a mysterious young woman imprisoned in Columbia since childhood. Booker develops a relationship with Elizabeth, the primary fruit of this relationship being that he can augment his abilities with hers so the pair may escape the crumbling city in the sky.

Boasting similar gameplay to its lauded predecessors and not to mention a whole crapload of innovations we don’t even know about yet, Bioshock: Infinity is looking every bit the superlative entry in this superb franchise.

A link to the debut trailer can be seen below:

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/debut-trailer-bioshock-infinite/702795

Due to kick off tonight at 8.30PM BST is id software’s annual QuakeCon show, in which the legendary Doom and Quake developer will show off it’s newest wares to the press and general public.

Chief amongst these wares is the forthcoming announcement of a brand new, never previously before revealed title that has been in the works for sometime at the iconic developer.

In addition to the typically excitable shroud of secrecy that usually surrounds such an announcement, comes the news that Doom 4, previously announced at QuakeCon 2008, will get a full unveiling tonight too.

In addition to this, we can probably expect updates on the superb looking RAGE and more information on how the developer intends to expand their Quake Live network and online business models.

Either way, if the thought of even holding a gun gets you even if the smallest bit excited, it’ll be something that you won’t want to miss.

Irrational Games, the ever talented dev who brought us the original Bioshock in 2007 and back in the day when they were known as Looking Glass Studios, brought us the superlative Ultima Underworld and System Shock titles, will tonight unveil their newest title at 7.00PM BST.

What is it? Nobody has a clue, but no doubt whatever it is, epiccery will ensue.

Stay tuned.

The conceptually highly promising and visually creative star of Nintendo’s stellar E3 Wii lineup, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, has at last been given some sort of release window.

American gamers can expect to play the standout Wii title this Autumn, whereas the rest of us in the EU have to wait till next year to get our hands on this superb looking platformer.

Next year? Really? I mean, what do they have to localise?

Kirby doesn’t speak and the game has less text than an Early Learning Center Level 0 reading book.

Bitter?

Nah.

Just disappointed.

There is no need in this day and age for territorial release windows on a game such as this to be this far apart.

*Grumble*.

Bourne out of the twisted and entertaining dev that brought us such off-beat gems as Psychonauts and last year’s Brutal Legend, comes Costume Quest, a downloadable title for PC, 360 and PS3 platforms.

Billed as an adventure RPG, costume quest puts you in the unusual shoes of a trick and treater on Halloween night. Your quest is simple; complete mission assignments and accumuluate sweets, stamps and other collectibles by scaring the local neighbourhood with your ghoulish get up.

All of these items can then be used in the touted Combat Mode, where you find yourself transformed into something monsterous allowing you terrorize the local neighbourhoods, malls and carnivals with due aplomb.

Costume Quest is due for release this Autumn.

2K Games today has announced that a demo for their forthcoming crime epic Mafia II, is now available for download on PC (through Steam), Xbox Live and PSN+, with regular PSN users able to download the demo a day later tomorrow.

The demo itself takes place in the level known as ‘Buzzsaw’ in which protagonists Joe and Henry are tasked to place a hit on a mob boss known only as the ‘Fat Man’.

Much violence, swearing and American-Italian accents will no doubt ensue.

Mafia II itself will launch later this month on August 27th for PC, 360 and PS3 platforms.

Hot on the heels of the red-hot unveiling of Criterion’s Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit at this year’s E3 2010, comes the announcement that the next installment in the franchise will be Need For Speed: Shift 2 and is due out sometime late next year.

Heralded by many as a high-point for a series struggling to find it’s identity, 2009’s Need For Speed: Shift seemed to hit the sweet spot for the long running racing series; boasting superb visuals, customisable cars, greatly improved handling and a well constructed race progression system.

Hopefully next years title will capitalise on those solid foundations and give us a racer credible enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Gran Turismos and Forzas of this world.

No other details, including destination platforms, are known at this point.

EA today have announced ‘Create’, a title which allows the user to create cutesy platforming style worlds which can be customised with the use of ‘stickers’ and then uploaded for other users to play on and comment on.

All sounds a little bit too much like LittleBigBandwagon to me.

No offical date has been announced for Create, but the title will eventually ship on all major home platforms.

The trailer for Create can be seen at the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqcFAloHQAE

More on this as and when.