It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the stunted ‘series’, so it will be unsurprising that I am delighted Ryo Hazuki will once again be donning his iconic tan jacket in a brand new Shenmue title. Today, Sega Japan marked the end of the abandonment of the series by announcing what its publicity machine is already hyping as the “third instalment” of the series.

Don’t expect a continuation of the story, however, as Shenmue Town is, at present, going to be exclusive to mobile phones via Yahoo’s MobageTown mobile social network. Oh, and it’s currently only planned for a Japanese release. Sorry.
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It’s the announcement Sonic fans have been craving since its reveal earlier this year: the 2D series reboot Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will finally be launched on current generation consoles this October.

SEGA confirmed the various pricing and release dates for all formats, which are as follows:

• iTunes App Store (iPhone, iPod Touch): October 7
• Wii Shop Channel: October 11, 1500 Wii Points (Oct. 15 EMEA)
• Xbox Live Arcade: October 13, 1200 MSP ($15)
• PlayStation Network: October 12, $14.99 / £9.99 / €12.99 (Oct. 13 EMEA)

Details of the iPhone version are also said to be coming soon.

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I’m going to do the unorthodox thing here and begin this review with a personal story. As I was playing the final level of Team 17′s Alien Breed 2: Assault on Xbox Live Arcade, I remarked to a friend that it “feels like a game I might have played twenty years ago.” It was a silly comment mostly meant to express my frustration with the game. I wasn’t enjoying it.

But as I was doing a spot of research to learn how I could have missed the release of Alien Breed 1 (I somehow missed the release of Alien Breed: Evolution too, the first in this series), I came across this little nugget on Wikipedia:

“Alien Breed is the first in a series of science fiction computer games played in the form of a top-down shooter for one or two players. It was released in 1991 by Team 17 for the Commodore Amiga.”

Hey, wasn’t 1991 twenty years ago?

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After watching many of this past year’s E3 conferences and multiple developer interviews, one game in particular caught my eye that promoted some very cool and unique ideas that haven’t been explored too much in the gaming realm. While Hydrophobia’s interactive environment isn’t something new being brought to the table, the ability to manipulate water in a realistic fashion proved to be quite interesting and really carved a place in my most anticipated titles of the second half of 2010, even with its episodic nature.

Yet, where there’s much promise, there is also equal room for disappointment. Does Hydrophobia live up to Dark Energy Digital’s ideal of a successful AAA title being released over XBLA? Read more… »

I can safely say that Plants vs. Zombies is my favorite “casual” franchise of all time. It’s just so easy to pick up and play for either a few minutes, for a few hours at a time.

Previous iterations of this tower defense title haven’t added anything new outside of a different control scheme, but now Popcap is looking to shake things up with new multiplayer modes in the recent XBLA release. I’m willing to bet you already own a copy of Plants vs. Zombies, so read on to find out if it’s worth shelling out fifteen more dollars of your hard earned cash.

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The Scott Pilgrim series of graphic novels told a wonderful story about learning to accept you as yourself, for all the good and all the bad you’ve done. The Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World film doesn’t really capture that theme, but it at least makes up for it by showing us some action scenes of the likes we’ve never seen before. Both are excellent in their own right.

The Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World game is…just a game. There’s not much to be to excited about; nothing groundbreaking that we haven’t seen before. Perhaps it’s unfair to hold the game to the same standard set forth by the comics and film. Disregarding even that, we’re still left with a game that does little to break the mold of mediocrity.

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Besides some notable RPGs, not often do we come across a game that goes out of its way to provide the community with a lengthy, playable backstory in order to prepare gamers for what’s to come in the main installment. While some may argue that something like Dead Rising 2: Case Zero can be considered a demo or should be included with the game itself, others (myself included) see it as a great opportunity to get acquainted with the gameplay, become engrossed with the plot and character development, and get our hands on a game almost a month before its release, especially if said game is a sequel to one I never really completed.

Case Zero is such a game, providing a thorough explanation of leading man Chuck and his daughter Katey’s exploits. With complaints concerning Case Zero being nothing more than Dead Rising 2′s demo aside, it’s certainly worth the measly 400 MP ($5) asking price. Read more… »

["Stop It" is a weekly feature which serves as a forum for me to express my opinions on things in the video game industry or community that need to stop. Despite the fact these things may never stop, this will, at the least, fuel discussion. Got something to say? Hit up the comments and keep the discussion alive. Got a lot to say? Register for a Gamer Limit blog and write a response.]

Let’s face it, there have been a handful of downloadable games for consoles each year where we raise our eyebrows at the price. Whether it is the fact that the game feels unfinished, is downright awful, or is far too short, there are a myriad of reasons why the current pricing structure of downloadable games on consoles just doesn’t work. In fact, there are plenty of recent releases that I can think of – and I’m sure you can as well.

Being upfront, I do consider myself to be a huge fan of Apple products. However, I am more than able to realize the problems with the App Store. What I can’t disagree with though is its pricing structure. More so than any other downloadable market out there, the games available on the App Store either seem just right or feel like a downright bargain. I rarely, if ever see that on XBL, PSN, and Wii marketplaces. Overpriced games are an abomination. Stop it! Read more… »

If I had to pick one console gaming trend in the last three years to preserve while all the others faded away Back to the Future-style, it would be downloadable games. The rise of XBLA, PSN, WiiWare, etc. have allowed all manner of glorious experiments to reach the masses. From creative new IPs that would never have been green-lit for a full AAA development cycle, to fun bite-sized games at a reasonable price, to existing franchises looking for a new avenue to play around and reinvent themselves, there’s no denying the impact this development has had on the industry.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light falls into that third category: IPs looking to reinvigorate themselves by adopting a new style. Despite the last few Tomb Raider games being much better than many were prepared to admit, Eidos and Crystal Dynamics were wise to recognize that the name doesn’t carry the excitement it once did. They’re looking to breath some fresh air and energy into the Lara Croft character with this latest installment, and I’m of the opinion that they’re very much headed in the right direction.

Read on for the official verdict!

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Man, remember back in the day when Ron Gilbert and Hothead Games released that game DeathSpank? If my foggy memory of those long-long-ago times serves me right, we here at Gamer Limit even reviewed the game. Boy, those sure were the days, but they’re long forgotten now. The world has moved on in the, you know, month since all that happened.

But do not despair! Hothead Games is bringing it all back! DeathSpank, the long-forgotten hero, is making a triumphant return just when we all had forgotten completely about him!

All right, now that the “boy this sure is happening soon” joke has been beat like a dead unicorn, we can focus on the goods: a DeathSpank sequel, entitled DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue, is coming on September 21st for PSN and September 22nd for XBLA. Did I mention how ridiculously soon this is happening?

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The past two Gamer Limit Game Nights have been a ton of fun. If you haven’t joined us yet, please make sure you drop in this Friday at 9PM EST for some Monday Night Combat. Yep, we are giving the Xbox 360 some more love.

For those that haven’t picked it up yet, I definitely suggest thinking about purchasing it. If you play with an organized group, like during a game night (wink, wink), you are sure to win all night. And everyone loves winning right? Hit up the comments and let us know if you are in. Also please give us games you would like to see be part of Game Night. Looking forward to Friday!

Please send a message to Jorrel56 on XBL if you are interested. Invites will go out at 9PM EST. And as usual, Gamer Limit Game Night will be live streamed for all to enjoy. Read more… »

A few weeks ago I mentioned that THQ was working on a downloadable XBLA and PSN game set in the Red Faction universe. Today, during a GDC panel, THQ Digital Warrington creative director Don Whiteford revealed this downloadable title when he announced that his studio’s first game will be Red Faction: Battlegrounds.

Said to be a “topdown car, mech and rover combat title,” Battlegrounds will feature local multiplayer, with up to “four players on the same screen.” As with all good tie-in games, Battlegrounds will allow gamers to unlock “unique elements” for the next upcoming installment in the Red Faction series; Red Faction: Armageddon. Read more… »