Leaked information from Famitsu has reported that Heavy Rain, one of the PS3′s leading titles of next year by Quantic Dream, is scheduled for a Japanese release of February 8 2010. The release will feature a localised version of the game for Japanese audiences.

Unfortunately, a release date for the rest of the world has yet to be confirmed, but it would be unusual for a Western developed title to be released in Japan first.

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When Borderlands was released for consoles in late October, the industry’s leading psychic analyst, Michael Pachter, prophesied the failure of the release. With the game coming out scant weeks before big titles like Modern Warfare 2 and Dragon Age: Origins, he boldly declared that the game had been “sent to die”.

With console sales reaching 531K for the month of October alone, and solid critical reviews, it appears that Gearbox’s new IP has somehow cheated the reaper. The recent release of the game’s first DLC, Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, aims to keep interest in the title alive, even beyond the grave.

Does the new content shamble its rotted way into gamers’ hearts, or has it been sent to un-die?

Today developer Turbine announce that it has officially launched a new digital expansion for the MMO The Lord of the Rings Online.

Dubbed “Siege of Mirkwood,” the new expansion adds a boat load of new content. Some notable additions include: an “increased level cap, the new region of Mirkwood including the legendary evil fortress of Dol Guldur, major enhancements to combat and Legendary Items and the introduction of Skirmishes.” These Skirmishes are “randomized, repeatable instances where players will train customizable soldiers and take them into battle as part of the War of the Ring.”

To hear what the Executive Producer has to say and to check out a more detailed list of features, read on. Read more… »

Today developer Valve proudly announced that its zombie slaying shooter Left 4 Dead 2 has sold “over 2 million retail copies” since its November 17 release.

The announcement that Valve sent out today reads, “[Left 4 Dead 2] appears to be on target to become one of the top selling Xbox [360] and PC titles for the month of November.” The developer added “sales to date are more than double the original [Left 4 Dead]” and that L4D2 has “already been played by over 1 million Xbox LIVE Gold account holders.” The announcement ends with “news regarding L4D2 DLC 1 is coming very soon.” Read more… »

For the past couple of years, Vigil has been working on a Warhammer 40K MMO, and its developments have been very hush hush.  Nearly everything about this game has been a mystery, until now.  Earlier this morning Kotaku received a handful of drawings of what gamers may be playing in the next year if not later.

As stated, the details about Warhammer 40K are fairly scare, but there’s nothing like a good sci-fiction MMO to get your heart racing; that is, if we ever see one.  While optimism about the next great MMO is at a very low point, I’m personally wishing Vigil the best in their endeavor to create a rival to World of Warcraft.  One of these days we’ll see the beast fall. Read more… »

Square Enix has always kept the box art for their Final Fantasy games fairly simple, but none more so than for the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII.  Just released today, the entire cover is nothing more than a modeling photo of the game’s main protagonist, Lightening.

One thing that definitely catches my eye is the fact she’s wearing almost nothing below her waist.  I can’t get the feeling out of my mind that Square Enix is going with the old “sex sells” marketing trick.  I personally think they could put a picture of a pink bunny on the cover and the thing would sell 10 million copies, but what do I know?

To see full images of both the PS3 and Xbox 360 box art, hit the jump. Read more… »

For all those Metal Gear Solid fanboys out there, now is the time to get just a little bit excited. The latest issue Japan’s premier gaming magazine, Famitsu, has announced the Japanese release date for Hideo Kojima’s impressive looking PSP game will be March 18, 2010.

No news yet of a US/EU release yet, but surely Konami won’t keep us Western folk waiting too long, will they?

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The market research firm NPD, well known for its regular sales charts on the gaming sector, has released an interesting piece of data.

“The Anatomy of Black Friday 2009″ tabulates the reasons why certain consumers decided to brave the Black Friday crowds, knowing full well how overcrowded the majority of retail stores would be.

Hit the jump to check out the stats from the 1,700 shoppers that were interviewed.

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Looks like the incredible Black Friday PS3 deals (and Sony’s sweet new ad campaign) are finally paying off, as Sony sold 440,000 units last week – the most of any single week, ever.

Sony: “In today’s economy, consumers are drawn to items that offer the most value for their money, making the PS3 an ideal choice for those who want a comprehensive gaming and entertainment system all in one package.”

Or maybe the “PS3 + Batman: Arkham Asylum + inFAMOUS + The Dark Knight Blu-ray for $299 at WalMart on Black Friday” deal helped.  Just sayin’.

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