The 3rd Birthday is the third game in the Parasite Eve series but decidedly not Parasite Eve 3. Unlike the other games in the series it is primarily a third person shooter, rather than an action RPG, although it still has a lot of RPG elements. The story also doesn’t really resemble the series in any real way besides the fact that the main character is Aya Brea… and she even starts out with Amnesia, and so I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started the 3rd birthday because I was basically expecting an updated version of the other games in the series.

The story in The 3rd Birthday is kind of like if Twelve Monkeys, or Quantum Leap were a monster/disaster movie. The game starts out depicting creatures called the Babel essentially ruining New York city. A few years after the destruction a team called the CTI is formed, and they induct Aya Brea because they find that she has the ability to transfer her soul into other peoples bodies, which they label “overdiving”. The CTI soon develop a device that can shoot her soul into peoples bodies in the past… and using these methods, they plan on fixing the future. Which might sound kind of out there, but I thought it was awesome.

The battle system is a pretty standard third person shooter with the overdive system incorporated into it. So you are essentially placed into a battle field and you inhabit soldiers bodies and send them into combat with Aya Brea’s consciousness.  While inhabiting peoples bodies you use their HP, and if they die before you overdive to the next soldier, you would die permanently. What I liked the most about this system is that you are essentially running people to their deaths… and they even draw attention to this fact by having one of the first cinematic sequences depicting Aya Brea overdiving into the body of a little girl right before she is grabbed by the Babel and killed. Which, makes me want to mention that this game is slightly gory… especially for a game put out by Square-enix.

The true strategy of the battles came from overdiving into different bodies and positioning them in ideal spots, or attacking enemies from behind… Which is an awesome concept, and it was decent in execution, although I think they were afraid of making the game too complicated so more often than not the game told you where you needed to be, or there was only one other body to overdive into, and so there wasn’t that much strategy to it. Therefore I would really like to see them make another game like this, and maybe have it focus on balancing the strategy.

The reason that I liked the original Parasite Eve was that it was a simple action RPG that was mostly focused on telling a story… and it took a little under 10 hours to play through, so it was essentially like an interactive movie. And while I was hoping the 3rd Birthday was a similar action RPG, I was glad that it introduced this cool new third person system, and I was pleased to see that it was nearly as focused at telling a story… Unfortunately I think the original PE did a lot better job at setting a creepy mood and being cinematic… I think this is mostly because third person shooters have to focus so much on action, and it doesn’t help that it’s on a portable system. Overall I think the original game did a much better job at telling a story, but this game definitely took the cake at being innovative… And it actually did a good job keeping the same approximate playtime as the first game, which is good for a gamer that doesn’t have that much time to play video games… But it has a lot of replayability as well, for instance, it has multiple difficulty settings, a new game plus feature, costumes to unlock, and plenty of upgrades.

The RPG elements in the game came from regular leveling up, leveling up weapon skill, upgrading weapons, and lastly, a chip system where you install abilities into your DNA… Which sounds complicated and therefore doesn’t merit an explanation… I guess.

The game runs smoothly, and there aren’t very many load times. (even though I didn’t install it.) The graphics are good, and I have very few complaints about the controls other than saying a few of the guns are difficult to aim with. As stated earlier it is a pretty standard third person shooter. You have the ability to carry up to four main weapons at a time (one for each direction on the d-pad) and you can throw grenades. There are plenty of weapons to use separated into different categories, Handguns, Shotguns, Assault Rifles, Sniper Rifles, Special Weapons, and Grenade Launchers. The game also implements a special meter that you fill up as you attack enemies called the liberation gauge. After you fill up the meter you can turn yourself into a super solider for about fifteen seconds. In liberation mode you dodge every attack, teleport around, and shoot high damaging energy bullets from your gun. Probably the coolest combat feature though was the ability to overdive into weakened enemies killing them from the inside.

To wrap it all up, I will now attempt to compare the Parasite Eve games to eating breakfast… I think The Third Birthday was great, although it didn’t feel very expansive, like when you get to the end of the game it leaves you wanting more… Kind of like a bowl of lucky charms…. Whereas the original Parasite Eve, while having a similar playtime and possibly even taking less time to tell the story, somehow managed to feel like eating a big bowl of thick oatmeal while your mom is in the kitchen cooking you a delicious vegetable omelet… To sum up, both games are a part of a balanced American diet, but The Third Birthday definitely feels like something you want to eat while you are in a hurry to get you through the day, but Parasite Eve will make you consider skipping lunch. The Third Birthday, 8 out of 10 cartoon character plastic breakfast spoons!
You can buy The Third Birthday from Amazon Here!

Capcom’s annual Captivate event is happening in Miami this week, highlighting their plans for 2011. That means big updates and plenty of first looks for things to come. Here’s the highlights:

The first thing from Capcom is a new IP they’ve unveiled. Dragon’s Dogma looks to be a game to watch for fantasy nerds. But, as an open-world action game, rather than a traditionally styled RPG, the game could open up whole new audiences. It appears the player will need to coordinate their character (rogue, mage, or warrior) with three party members into fighting a whole host of mythic beasts, including one of my favorites, the Griffin.

If you’re a fan of the Dead Rising franchise you’ll be glad to know there’s more coming. Dead Rising 2: Off the Record brings back Frank West, the protagonist from the first game, for a retelling of the second game from a different point of view. Confused yet? This also means the camera mechanic is making a return as well. It seems West’s one time celebrity is fading too soon for his liking and he decides to reinvigorate his fame by participating in the Terror is Reality game show in Fortune City. Rest assured, combo weapons, looney outfits, and the violent stomping of zombies will all play a major role. One thing to really question, why is Frank dressed up like Jerry Lawler and bodyslamming zombies? Everyone knows you have to remove the head or destroy the brain, and extra clothes to prevent errant bites is always suggested.

If zombies aren’t your thing, maybe you prefer fighting games. It’s been a while since we’ve heard much news on the Street Fight x Tekken front. That’s changed now. There are two games coming that mash up these franchises. Capcom’s is the 2D version, a la Street Fighter IV. Namco will be releasing a 3D game more in the Tekken style. So far the character list includes Ken, Ryu, Chun-Li, Abel, and Guile from Capcom’s franchise and Bob, Kazuya, King, Marduk, and Nina from Namco. Here’s the trailer.

For those that like their 2D arcade fighters untainted by crossovers, there’s more information about the Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition. Despite previous announcements, the new version will be coming to home consoles. Twice, in fact. It will be available first on June 7th as DLC, for $15. On June 28th there will be a new retail version released, game of the year style, for $40. The arcade version introduces new characters Evil Ryu, Oni Akuma, Yun, and Yang. It will also feature some balancing tweaks and other adjustments. I’ve been pretty liberal with my bashing of Activision for franchise milking, but Capcom is clearly still the first and the best. Activision at least does it with sequels, this will be Capcom’s fourth retail release of the same game.

And that’s enough about fighting, let’s get back to zombies. When you think Capcom and zombies, that means Resident Evil. The latest in the series is Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, a multiplayer squad-based shooter. There is a single player campaign, but this is clearly built for the four-person co-op, much like Left 4 Dead. It’s also a bit of a throwback, as you’ll be playing through Raccoon City in 1998, about the same time as the events of Resident Evil 2. Your team of Umbrella Security Squad personnel has all the right mix of character classes. Bertha is a medic, serving the buff and healing needs of the crew; Beltway is your demolitions man; Vector handles the stealth and recon; and Spectre looks to be the surveillance and brains behind the operation. All four can handle a gun, grenade, or close quarters brawling. Besides zombies, as if that isn’t enough, the team will be squaring off against NPCs from franchise lore (notably Leon Kennedy) and the US Special Ops team operating in the city. The competitive multiplayer aspect will see Umbrella versus the Special Ops squad fighting one another in the midst of the undead horde. You’ll even be able to utilize a “zombie shield” when under fire. The game is scheduled for late 2011.

Finally, I had heard a little about the upcoming Asura’s Wrath, but not enough to decide if I was even interested. With the new information coming out now, I’m definitely going to be playing this game. As a god stripped of his power and place in the pantheon by the other gods, Asura has one tool left in his arsenal, uncontrollable rage. Apparently the former deity can be come so angry he sprouts four extra arms and can defeat planet-sized enemies by punching the shit out of their finger, which also happens to be the size of a major metropolitan city. How can this not be entertaining?

Looks like that’s it for now. If I hear anymore news from the Capcom event I’ll update it here. Otherwise, come back Friday for the next edition of Video Game Quick Hits, summarizing all the little bits of this week’s gaming news from everywhere.

I’m just going to jump right in today with Splinter Cell HD Trilogy. I’ve known for a while that this was coming and I can’t honestly say I think it’s a good idea. The God of War collection, the Sly Cooper collection (which I just finished yesterday), and Team ICO all seem like good fits for the HD treatment. But Splinter Cell, and even Tomb Raider (also set for remastering), don’t seem like the mechanics have aged well enough to make it enjoyable, even with prettier graphics. To make it worse for Splinter Cell, it won’t even have multiplayer according to a recent announcement. In fans of modern shooters, this is likely to a deal breaker. That means your only real audience is nostalgia players, those who probably don’t care about playing the three games in 3D (with apporpriate hardware), which was also recently announced. One last piece to note with this story is that the ports apparently are coming from the PC versions, not the PS2 versions, as Ubisoft felt those were the best starting quality. The retail version will see release June 21 and each will likely be available as separate downloadable games at the same time.

By and large, anyone I know that’s ponied up for PlayStation Plus has been pleased with the value they’ve received. If you want to get in on the Resistance 3 multiplayer demo, you may want to consider joining their ranks. Outside of North America, PS+ is the only way to get that demo. Here in the States, you’ll get access for buying SOCOM 4 next week. Presumably US subscribers to PS+ will also get access without the game purchase. Resistance 3 is coming September 6, 2011.

The long-delayed Duke Nukem Forever is still scheduled for June (for now). But it looks like a playable version actually exists and is debuting at the Gadget Show Live in the UK today through Saturday. The only report I’ve seen of it so far is that it looks very old school and is clearly more about the humor (or “humour” in British) than the game play. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Perhaps this isn’t the biggest news, but VGQH needs more pictures dammit. Several new screen shots of Sucker Punch’s inFamous 2 have been released. The one I like shows not only the massive new Behemoth enemy, but also gives a bit of a tease about Cole’s new powers. As I’ve recently read in Game Informer, the hero will have two female companions that can merge their powers into Cole. One gives fire, the other ice. For more screen shots, check the Playstation Blog’s Flickr.

Friday’s VGQH had a bunch of Mass Effect stuff so it only seems appropriate to have a little more today. It’s been a poorly kept secret for some time that Bioware has been wanting to put the franchise into MMO territory. According to Casey Hudson (executive producer), “A lot of people say that they want to see an MMO, I think that kind of makes sense for this universe. Part of what you’re trying to do is save the universe so you can live in it. That’s part of the promise, I think, for any great IP. It has to be a world worth saving. I think Mass Effect has that quality to it. If you get rid of the Reapers and win that, wouldn’t it be amazing to just live on the Citadel or just take a ship to Omega? That makes sense.” Obviously things change quickly and a lot in the world of gaming, and MMOs take a long time to develop, so this might not ever get completely off the ground. But Bioware is also making Star Wars: The Old Republic, so it’s not that much of a stretch to think they could do the same treatment with another space saga.

This seems like a strange time to release DLC for a game as old as Red Dead Redemption, but since it’s stuff that already exists I suppose they might as well try to make some coin off it. Starting today, the preorder bonus packs for the game will be available for a buck each. The game was released in May 2010 and the final expansion, Undead Nightmare (which I’ll finally be starting tonight), came out in November. This DLC will give those who didn’t preorder the benefit of the Deadly Assassin Outfit, Golden Guns Weapon Pack, and the War Horse. A side note to this story is that they’ve also announced the preorder packs for L.A. Noire will also hit the DLC scene in a much shorter window.

In addition to finishing the Sly collection yesterday, I also earned the platinum trophy on Fallout: New Vegas on Saturday (I played a lot this weekend). It’s no secret I love the Fallout universe and it’s that love that kept me playing through a disgusting number of glitches, sometimes getting less than ten minutes of play before needing to restart the system. Once the plat popped I pulled the disc and decided I was done permanently. Even though Dead Money had only one minor glitch, I determined I’m not willing to pay for any more of their DLC. Then I see the leaked screen for Honest Hearts and I’m already questioning my resolve. If screens are being leaked, it’s a safe bet the next chapter is coming soon. Knowing full well this will likely be the story of Josh Graham, former Mormon missionary and Legate to Caesar, now known as the Burned Man, has its draw. Knowing that it will likely take the courier to the Grand Canyon is also cool. But, knowing that much of it will likely happen in New Canaan, formerly known as Utah (confirmed by a long ago line of code regarding a snowglobe for Zion National Park), means I probably can’t skip it no matter how much I hate the glitches. This has been an area of the country I’ve longed to see treated to the Nukepunk, post apocalyptic world of one of my favorite gaming franchises. That weird retro-fifties feel, combined with bizarre characters, and nuclear mutations seems a perfect fit for my home state.

Here’s a weird one in the gaming world. Not only is Brink not being delayed, it’s being moved up a week to May 10. Games are usually pushed back, not up. In the case of Duke Nukem, they get pushed back a few dozen times and even canceled more than once. Delays often hint at games that release with a certain lack of polish. I wonder if moving up means this one will absolutely shine?

I mentioned Friday that there was a web series starting soon called Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Two things to update on that one. One, the first episode is out at machinima.com. I haven’t watched yet so I can’t review it. Second, and I wish I had known this on Friday, Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse) is playing Stryker. Maybe that’s not huge news, but I have a bit of a man crush on the guy.

Activision has been doing a bit of a backpedal on the death of Guitar Hero. According to Dan Winters of Activision, “Actually, just to clarify, we’re just putting Guitar Hero on hiatus, we’re not ending it. We’re releasing products out of the vault – we’ll continue to sustain the channel, the brand won’t go away. We’re just not making a new one for next year, that’s all.” The company is instead focusing “disproprtionately” on Bungie, Call of Duty and Spyro. So maybe the music franchise will be making a comeback, just not in 2011.

Portal 2 comes out next week and I’m excited. If you’re wanting to get completely caught up in the story beforehand, you should check out the tie-in comic, Lab Rat, available now. You can read it here, or get a PDF here. I haven’t finished it, just skimmed a few pages, but this looks great. It appears just as psychotic as GlaDOS.

I’ll end with a little Dungeon Siege III news for those wanting to preorder it. Despite being delayed until June 21st, there is some good news. Unless you’re committed to a physical copy of the game, Steam is clearly the way to go for this one. Pre-purchasing will get you all the way up to speed by not only giving you the game, with all of the Steam perks, but you get Dungeon Siege I and II free. Three games for the price of one seems like a good tradeoff for skipping the disc.

That’s all I got for now. Come back Friday for more.

Well folks this is a great foot in mouth moment for your gaming bot. I figured that Nintendo would follow their usual trend of making us wait 35 million years to get a Zelda game. I however, stand corrected. For today Nintendo announced that they would be releasing the game on June 19, 2011. In about 2 short months we will be blasting one of my favorite Zelda titles on a handheld, and in 3d! Unless it makes you sick like me, then you’ll be doing it simply in 2d. Remake aside, I think this will be a good addition to my 3ds library, hopefully the promised “added content” will add enough new polish that we won’t find ourselves bored to tears straightaway. Thoughts? Comment below.

Pinball FX2 comes to you from Zen Studios and can be downloaded for free from the Xbox Marketplace. Once you have the game you can then download tables for 200 points per table or sometimes also in bundles. Pinball FX2 for those that don’t know is the most realistic pinball games I’ve ever seen on any video game platform. It’s as if real pinball designers were making new pinball games and putting them onto the xbox instead of to local arcade lands. If you like spending money on actual pinball machines then there is no reason you shouldn’t be buying the tables that are constantly being put out by Zen Studios.

That is one of the best things about this company is that they keep continually putting out new tables so when you feel you’ve mastered all the tables they have they put out a new one just in time. The new one I speak of is the one pictured above, “Mars”. Set to come out this month you can explore the red planet in the year 2100 and unlock the secrets that Mars has in store. Here is a preview of the upcoming table:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbk5cFHmyuY

If you already like pinball then there’s no reason you shouldn’t be picking up these games, if you are like me and you suck at pinball, don’t worry, they’re still really fun. You can play by yourself, against friends online and even compare scores. We’ve got three of us here at Bigshinyrobot who are all playing the games and though I’m the worst the competitive side of me wants to keep playing so eventually I will beat them.

If you want to find Pinball FX2 go to the game marketplace on your xbox screen and either search by title or you can find Pinball FX2 in the arcade section. Every game has a free trial to play before you buy and you can buy directly from within the game itself.

Digital Comics are pretty great. It’s nice and convenient to have your reading library in the palm of your hand with the need for digging through longboxes all the time. It’s great that technology has progressed to a point where this is a feasible option. What if it wasn’t though? What if digital comics became a reality in the late 80’s/early 90’s? Of course, the comic companies would want to reach the widest audience possible, so they would create software on the dominate platform of the time, The Nintendo Entertainment System! Unfortunately, the NES had some graphical limitations, and both DC and Marvel would have had to get a bit creative. With that in mind, I’ve created what I think NES-style digital comics would look like! Of course, I’ve included the originals as well, so you can compare. (Click for full size)

DC  Comics Digital Archives: Thrill to the astounding exploits of the World’s Finest heroes, available in their own NES Paks! Using DC’s patented “panel-by-panel” view, you can view the earliest adventures of the Metropolis Marvel & the Dynamic Duo in a new and exciting way! Accompanied by the finest digitized soundtracks available, your reading experience will be increased a thousandfold! Witness the adventures of Superman, Batmean & Robin! Sold Separately MSRP: $59.99

Marvel Digital Masterworks: Greetings Merry Marvelites! The Marvel Bullpen is happy to bring you The first in our series of classic Marvel yarns! Thrill to the first exploits of the ever-amazing Spider-Man and the senses-shattering strength of The Incredible Hulk! With the officially licensed Nintendo Game Pak, you can experience the beginning adventures of your favorite superheroes in the boldest way possible. Each story has an intro by the digitized voice of Smilin’ Stan Lee! Face Front, True Believer, these digital comics are the real deal! Excelsior! 1 Issue Per Cartridge MSRP $59.99.

Well, with the limitations of the time, it probably wouldn’t be the greatest reading experience ever, but it’s fun to pretend, right?

I’ll be honest with you, I used to read the Sonic comic, but it got very convoluted. I am excited for the upcoming reboot, but until then, we have the upcoming Sonic Universe #27! While I may not be aware of the book’s continuity or anything like that, I am a sucker for alternate universes! Take a look for yourself, and if you like what you see, pick it up at you local shop next Wednesday!

SONIC UNIVERSE #27
“Fractured Mirror” Part Three: Silver joins an all-new, all-different band of Freedom Fighters in all-out war against Enerjak and his sinister Prelate minions! It’s a no-holds-barred battle in this dark version of reality, and everyone may not make it to the end!
SCRIPT: Ian Flynn
ARTIST: Tracy Yardley!, Jim Amash, Phil Felix, Ray Dillon
COVER: Tracy Yardley! & Ben Hunzeker
Shipping Date: 4/6/2011
On Sale at Comic Shops: 4/13/2011
Comic, 32 pages, 40 lb. glossy stock, Full-Color
$2.99 US

Really, don’t bother. Save your money or preorder Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat. They’re out next week.

Multi-platform:
Rio
Michael Jackson The Experience

XBox 360:
Fantastic Pets
Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga
Dance Dance Revolution

Nintendo Wii:
Spongebob Squigglepants – UDraw

Nintendo 3DS:
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell
Trackmania Turbo: Build to Race
LEGO Battles Ninjago
Squinkies

Sony PSP:
Patapon 3

It looks like there’s a new map pack coming to Call of Duty: Black Ops. The pack, titled Escalation, includes the Zoo, Hotel, Convoy, Stockpile, and Call of the Dead (zombies). According to a flyer from GAME in Australia, the pack will be available for 360 on May 3rd. Based on the exclusivity deal Activision has with Microsoft, PS3 users will probably see it a few weeks later.

If you can’t get enough Mass Effect, you’ll get a slight reprieve before Mass Effect 3 comes out this holiday season. Mass Effect: Deception, the fourth novel in the series, will be released this Fall. It is written by William C. Dietz.

If that still isn’t enough Mass Effect, BioWare, EA, and FUNimation are bringing an anime version of the space saga to digital and home video in Summer 2012.

Maybe you haven’t got enough of Mass Effect because you haven’t actually played Mass Effect 2? Maybe you also haven’t played Dragon Age II. Bioware wants you to do both and they’re giving you a great deal to make it happen. Because Dragon Age II beat its predecessor to the million mark, they want to reward you by giving you a free PC copy of Mass Effect 2. To take advantage, simply register your online pass code from Dragon Age II (console or PC) on their website before April 30th. You’ll then be able to download a free copy of Mass Effect 2 for your PC.

And that’s all well and good. But what about Mass Effect 3? Some details have finally surfaced regarding this incredibly anticipated next chapter in Shepard’s saga. There may be some spoilers here about Mass Effect 2, its DLC, and other mediums, so be warned. The action begins when Reapers invade the court proceedings where Shepard is on trial for the events in the last game. If you skipped the last game, you’ll have an interactive comic to get you up to speed and make the critical decisions, much like the one that came with the PS3 version of ME2. Besides Shepard, there will be many more previous characters appearing: Garrus, Liara, Ashley/Kaiden, Wrex, Mordin, Legion, and Anderson. Your interactions and their involvement will depend on how you finished the previous games/interactive comics. Cerberus, who now wants to kill Shepard will also be returning, along with the Illusive Man. Gameplay? The RPG elements are increased, striking a balance between the first and second games. Skill trees are larger and you have more freedom in their use. Certain powers will have more opportunities to be increased. Weapons will be similar, but with added ability to customize attributes and appearance. Also, weapons are not class restricted, but the number each class carries is. As expected, there will be multiple endings. Thankfully they’ve not tried to cram a multiplayer aspect into the game, but it is being considered for future spin-offs after this game ends the primary trilogy.

I’m not really sure how I feel about the growing wave of workout video games. They’re basically just the same workout videos we’ve always had, but now you get little more feedback and maybe earn some trophies or achievements while you’re at it. If they can make it as fun as a video game but get you some exercise at the same time, I guess it’s a good idea. For those wanting to try one of these games, UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System actually looks pretty good. The idea of fight training seems like it would cross into the video game world a little better than zumba or basic aerobics. The game, developed by Heavy Iron and Published by THQ, will be coming to Wii, 360 Kinect, and PS3 Move in June. The UFC name isn’t just for promotional purposes either. Several off their top MMA trainers were involved in the creation. Top fighters in the organization have also lent a hand – including the current light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and being trained by the Martian Manhunter has got to be cool.

EA Sports has announced their upcoming plans for their NBA titles. First, coming to your consoles’ online store in October, is NBA Jam: On Fire Edition. Also, after cancelling their more realistic basketball game, NBA Elite 11, EA will be coming back to the sport in 2012. The new NBA sim is not yet named but is in development at the the Tiburon Studio in Orlando.

Speaking of EA Sports, if you’re a sports gamer you’ve undoubtedly played more than a few of their titles. Which means you might be interested in a new plan they’re kicking around. Peter Moore, president of EA Sports, has said their future games will be “connected experiences that recognize users and reward them for playing multiple games.” Essentially this means you would have a persistent profile with the company that would save your progress in games to a cloud, which will be recognized when you load up another title. This means last season’s football game could affect your gameplay next season when you buy the next game. Moore went on to say “this is how we envision the future of our industry, and this is how we at EA Sports individualize and personalize this as the future of our brand and ultimately the future of what Electronic Arts as a whole is going to do across all of its titles.” I’m not entirely sure what that means outside of sports games, but that doesn’t mean I’m not curious to find out.

If you have fond memories of Sniper Elite from 2005, you’ll be glad to know the sequel, Sniper Elite V2, will be coming next year. Being published by 505 Games and developed by Rebellion, the sequel brings the WWII action stealth gameplay to the new generation of consoles.

I haven’t heard a lot about the upcoming PSN-exclusive AMY, but if you have and want to know more, some details have been released. The game takes place in a 2034, with the world suffering the effects of global warming, plagues, and natural disasters. After a midwestern town is hit by a comet, Lana wakes up to find that basically everyone else has been infected with a virus that turns them into monsters. She’s been infected as well. Helping her along is Amy, an autistic 8 year old with super powers. The announcement I read used the term “co-operative experience” but didn’t specify if that meant two players or in-game cooperation. Apparently Lana’s virus can be kept in check by Amy, but she can blend in with the other victims if she lets it go. The visual quality of the game looks on par with some retail products, something you don’t see often in downloadable games. It will be available on PSN in June.

Dungeon Siege III from Square Enix has taken a slight delay. Originally scheduled for May 31st in the US, it is now set for June 21. According to Mike Fischer (president and CEO, Square Enix Inc.), “Square Enix is committed to delivering the ultimate Dungeon Siege experience. Although the final polish phase has demanded a bit more time than originally planned, we want to assure fans and followers that the additional effort will allow us to deliver an action-RPG worthy of its rich heritage.” The game is scheduled for PC, 360, and PS3.

I know we’re all excited for the reboot of Mortal Kombat coming next month, and now we have reason to be even more excited. Beginning April 12th, on machinima.com, is a live-action digital series known as Mortal Kombat: Legacy. The series will star Jeri Ryan, Michael Jai White, and Darren Shahlavi. That’s some pretty good talent for a web series. It is directed by Kevin Tancharoen, the man behind the Mortal Kombat Rebirth fan film. But make no mistake, this one is not a fan film, it’s released with full cooperation from NetherRealm and Warner Bros. The series will run for nine episodes and reveal the reasons several key characters are participating in the deadly tournament.

Keiji Inafune, creator of Mega Man, recently left Capcom and the gaming world has been awaiting his plans for the future. In a grand display of entrepeneurship, he has not only opened his own gaming company (Intercept) but also opened a more general media and entertainment company (Comcept). The Comcept brand’s wide-ranging goals include planning for events, consumer gaming, and online gaming – as well as videos, music, books, and mobile content. Intercept, on the other hand, is all about consumer game development, based on three key tenets: Originality, Gravity, and “Beyond the Age.” Inafune has always been a strong creative influence on Capcom and I’m interested to see where he takes these news companies.

When I see a story about the Australian games classification board I can’t help but shudder. It always seems to be a story about censorship and which games Australians will now have to import because they’ve been banned or neutered in their country. Today’s a little different. Their site was recently updated with a PG (mild violence) rating for Burnout Crash from Electronic Arts. It’s not listed on the site, but the game is presumably developed by Criterion Games like the others in the Burnout series. No further details or release dates are available at the moment.

New details on Max Payne 3 are emerging. Rockstar Vancouver has tapped help from additional Rockstar studios in Toronto, London, and New England. It will be using the Euphoria engine, making bullet physics and the “Max Payne dive” even better and more realistic. The story takes place 8 years after Max Payne 2, beginning with him as a security contractor in Brazil. Because the emphasis is on set piece moments, the game will be strictly linear. The level of graphical detail is on par with Red Dead Redemption, but slowed down and more focused. There will be a multiplayer element, but there’s been no explanation yet as to what that will be.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters has a few details available. The movie tie-in has been confirmed for release on June 7th in the US. The game will come with 3D glasses for those who want the effect but don’t have the nice equipment for it. It will also display in sterescopic 3D if you do have the stuff. With drop in/out co-op, featuring Hal Jordan (voiced by and likeness of Ryan Reynolds) and Sinestro, the player will be tasked with defending the Corps from an assault by the android Manhunters. The player will need to master the power ring and learn to create hard light constructs. I have serious misgivings about this game. It sounds like great fun on the surface (playing as Sinestro?, Hell Yeah!), but movie tie-ins have a long and storied history of crap. Not to mention that I don’t think GL’s powers can be translated very well into game. Controlling Spider-Man or Batman’s limited movesets is one thing. Controlling a man whose abilities are limited only by his knowledge and will power is something else entirely.

An intriguing “pioneering step in transmedia” is coming as the result of THQ and Random House joining forces. I can’t say I fully understand the specifics, but I think this goes beyond just novel tie-ins to video games, or vice versa. Although that will certainly be an element of it, as THQ wants all of their video game IP brought to “all book formats.” I can’t help but think of the “choose your own adventure” books I had as a kid. If you could tie those stories into games, so the player/reader might make a decision in one format that makes a difference in the experience in the companion format, my mind would be officially blown.

Square Enix has been revitalizing many of the older Final Fantasy titles on newer consoles. The latest is Final Fantasy V for PSP and PS3 through the Playstation Network. The game was originally released on Super Famicom in Japan in 1992. It was released for the original Playstation in 1998. It’s coming to PSN as a PSOne classic, so it likely won’t be an HD upgrade, but Square Enix has mentioned new cut scenes. I’ve always been a passive fan of Final Fantasy so there are a few I’ve missed over the years, and this is one of them. The big news for me is this likely means the next one will be FFVI (FFIII in the US on Super Nintendo), one of my favorites.

If you’re reading Big Shiny Robot! it probably goes without saying that you know May 7th is this year’s Free Comic Book Day. But why am I talking about that in the video game news? 2K Games and Top Cow will be producing The Darkness II: Confession for distribution as a free comic that day. The comic will be a 32 page prequel to the upcoming game, bridging the gap between the first game, and chronicling Jackie’s rise to the position of Don. As if I didn’t already have a good reason to hit up Dr. Volt’s….

That seems to be it for the weekend news. Come back Friday for more updates from the rest of the week.