Developer : Namco (Project Soul)
Publisher : Namco Bandai
Director : Daishi Odashima
Series : Soul series
Platform : PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date : 2012
Genre : Fighting
Mode :  Single-player, multiplayer
Media : Blu-ray Disc, DVD-DL

Soulcalibur V (ソウルキャリバーV SōruKyaribā Faibu?) is the upcoming seventh installment in Namco’s Soul series of fighting games, and will be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012. Namco has drawn back the velvet curtains on a new version of Soul Calibur. At its LevelUp showcase in Dubai on Mei 10 2011, the company announced that Soul Calibur V will tread the boards of destiny again next year, continuing the weapons-based fighting series famed for its mighty swords, sumptuous visuals and S&M tinged outfits.

Story

Set 17 years after Soul Calibur IV, the game represents a generational shift for the series. Siegfried is 39 years old and no longer wields the eponymous Soul Calibur sword. The lineage of power has instead passed to Sophitia’s son Patroklos, whose prominence in the new trailer suggests a leading role in the forthcoming brawler. In an unexpectedly phallic plot twist, however, the Soul Edge and Soul Calibur swords have been reduced in length to short swords. Apparently all will be revealed later. That, I’m almost certain, is the first time a game’s story has hinged on the varying lengths of a sharp instrument — let alone two sharp instruments.

Gameplay

The combat system is being overhauled to make it more reactive, while combos will be easier to access and perform. “Soul Calibur IV was a little heavy and there was often a delay between the button press and the action, especially online,” explains producer Hisaharu Tago. He refers to the new system as “much lighter, sharper and more elegant”.

Tago says there will be a mixture of favourite characters and newcomers and that we can possibly expect to see the children of other long-time cast members in the title (apparently, Patroklos’s fighting style is a more agile version of Sophitia’s so we can probably expect more of these inherited and adapted brawling styles). Personally, I’m hoping for the lovechild of Ada and Voldo – although I wouldn’t want to bump into this monstrous progeny in a dark alley.

Elsewhere, Tago has confirmed that the “create a character” mode will return from the previous game, and that the online modes will be updated and expanded. In a Q&A session at the end of his demo, there was even confirmation we can expect at least one surprise guest character, in the manner of Darth Vader and Yoda, appearing in IV. He also hinted that we may one day see a modern day setting for the series, which is currently set in a hazy 16th century timeframe. On a roll now, the producer, suggested that in the wake of the newly announced Tekken: Blood Vengeance animated movie, there’s a chance we’ll see a full-length Soul Calibur anime, possibly set in that 17-year gap between IV and V.

Developer Slant Six Games
Capcom
Publisher Capcom
Director Adam Bullied
Producer Masachika Kawata
Series Resident Evil
Platform PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Release date Q4 2011
Genre Third-person shooter
Mode Single-player, multiplayer

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is an upcoming 2012 third-person shooter video game for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows, co-developed by Slant Six Games and Capcom, and currently scheduled for a release in late 2011. It is part of the Resident Evil series.

Plot

The events of Operation Raccoon City take place between that of Resident Evil 1 and Resident Evil 2, and is set in Raccoon City, whose residents have been turned into zombies after an outbreak of the T-virus, a biological weapon illegally developed by the pharmaceutical company Umbrella. The story is a reinterpretation of the events occured in the original games, changing certain facts in the series. Players will take the role of either an officer of the Umbrella Security Service (USS), or a member of a United States Special Operations task-force. Both have vastly different objectives: Members of the USS are tasked with destroying evidence of Umbrella’s illegal activities, including killing survivors of the outbreak, while the Special Operations team has to expose the actions of the company. Operation Raccoon City will allow the player to make decisions that could have major repercussions on the series’ storyline, such as causing the death of Resident Evil 2 protagonist Leon S. Kennedy

Gameplay

Capcom first shows us the game’s story campaign, which can be played with up to four players or “alone” with AI in tow. It’s a campaign based on cooperation and if you’re thinking, “Oh, it’s Capcom’s Left 4 Dead in third person” then you’re not that far off. That parallel is easy to draw, and while it’s certainly a reasonably conclusion to come to, it’s not entirely fair.

Operation Raccoon City introduces us to four mysterious Umbrella operatives, each with his or her own abilities. Vector is the game’s stealth-based character; he’s the recon class of the team, and can use a “mimicry” ability to assume other human shapes. Bertha is the game’s female character, the medic class of the team; like the rest of team, little is known about her, but she carries some pretty sharp tools (is that a bone saw?), if that tells you anything. Beltway appears to be the tank of the group; he enjoys blowing stuff up, so he’ll bring frag mines alone for the ride. Finally, Spectre is the team’s Sam Fisher, with Splinter Cell-like goggles with different vision modes and access to more detailed map information.

While Capcom didn’t have an actual chunk of story to show us, the small demo area gave us a good idea of what to expect. The city streets are littered with zombies, and the game’s fast, third-person action encourages aggressively taking them out. Head shots will see undead skulls exploding like melons; there’s even a limb-specific damage mode that had arms flopping to the ground.

Melee attacks are also encouraged, and as I found later in the game’s multiplayer mode (which I’ll get to in a bit), are surprisingly useful. The melee action is all mapped to a single button, but tapping it rhythmically will unleash a string of combos. At certain points, you’ll have the opportunity to launch into a finisher maneuver, and will be prompted on screen for a quick button press. If you want to stab a zombie in the neck and then kick them down to the ground with a big boot, or to stomp on a zombies skull, this is the way you’ll do it.

The streets of Raccoon City aren’t just flooded with zombies, either. At one point, opposing military enter the fray, and the poor zombies are caught in the cross fire. What this means is that you’re not only facing undead creatures, but heavily-armed opposition as well. Oh, and don’t forget the typical Resident Evil Bio-Organic Weapon creatures that intend to make your life miserable, as well.

While there’s a clear emphasis on third-person action, the game’s producers claim the scares are still there. It’s not full throttle action all of the time; if you pass any windows, brace yourself for dogs to jump through them, I guess.

Players won’t only get points for killing opposing team members in typical deathmatch style, though. Points will also be rewarded for killing zombies, with more points being awarded for headshots, and larger creatures are worth even more. Another twist: when you’re “bleeding out” and near death, undead creatures will “smell” it and swarm you because you’re an easy target. Shooting opposing team members to the point of bleeding out and then allowing them to get ravaged can also earn you big points, as well.

Out this year, the core of Operation Raccoon City is there, and there’s potential for a fun third-person action title based in the Resident Evil universe. It looks great, probably the grittiest game in the series to date. But it also doesn’t feel anything like a Resident Evil game you’ve played before, and while that may upset long-time fans who abhor change, it’s not the worst thing in the context of what Capcom’s trying to do with Operation Raccoon City.

Control- and feel-wise, it’s closer to a third-person shooter like, oh I don’t know, let’s say Sony’s SOCOM series. Not too shocking: Capcom is working hand-in-hand with Slant Six Games, whose previous experience includes working on Sony’s popular third-person military shooter.

Oddly, not a single member of Slant Six was on-hand to talk about the game. Instead, the game’s Japanese developers presented the title and answered all questions. When asked about Slant Six’s input, it was made to sound like Capcom Japan is responsible for the bulk of the creative decisions on the game, making sure it remains true to the Resident Evil vibe. But the fact that the game feels like a Western-shooter seems to indicate Slant Six’s involvement is more on the game mechanics side of things.

Official Gameplay Trailler

Bonus: Operation Raccoon City is in the running for “Best Loading Screen in a Game” for 2011. The screen in question featured a close up on a severed zombie arm, lying in a pool of shiny, fresh blood. The fingers on the arm’s hand twitched intermittently, and flies could be seen buzzing around a wound on the forearm. Yummy.

Developer Square Enix 1st Production Department
Publisher Square Enix
Director Motomu Toriyama
Producer Yoshinori Kitase
Artist Tetsuya Nomura
Isamu Kamikokuryo
Series Final Fantasy
Fabula Nova Crystallis
Engine Crystal Tools
Platform PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date
JP Q4 2011
NA Q4 2011/Q1 2012[5]
EU Q4 2011/Q1 2012[6]
Genre Role-playing game
Mode Single-player

Final Fantasy XIII-2​ (ファイナルファンタジーXIII-2 Fainaru Fantajī Sātīn Tsū?) is an upcoming console role-playing video game published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, and currently being developed by the company’s 1st Production Department.

During a Square Enix 1st Production Department event in Japan, producer Yoshinori Kitase revealed the direct sequel to last year’s Final Fantasy XIII, which is to be directed by Motomu Toriyama. The game is due to be released in Japan in late 2011 and in North America and Europe in either late 2011 or early 2012. Square Enix Europe has stated that the game “exceeds Final Fantasy XIII in every aspect” and that it has an evolved battle system of the original game.

Gameplay

The principal setting of the game will be different from the original game but the original game’s world will still be in the game. The game’s battle system will be a further evolution of the “Command Synergy Battle” (CSB) system first used in the original game. It will fix and address issues and make areas that were already considered good even better. There will be a feature that allows the player to control the difficulty of battles.
The development team is also investigating the possibility of giving something to players who have save data from Final Fantasy XIII.

Story

The story of the game takes place directly after Final Fantasy XIII and follows on from the -Episode i- novel which was released with the international version of Final Fantasy XIII. Unlike Final Fantasy X-2, which had a more cheerful and humorous feel than Final Fantasy X, the overall tone of the story of Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be darker and more mysterious than the original. Director Motomu Toriyama said that considering Vanille and Fang are gone and the world is in a state where Cocoon had fallen, there’s no way for the new story to be totally peaceful. Yoshinori Kitase, the producer, has said the story will have the serious feel of a true numbered entry in the Final Fantasy series.

The actual story will delve deeper into the Fabula Nova Crystallis mythology and this time focus on the goddess Etro. The game will once again feature Lightning as the protagonist. The personality of Lightning will be the same as it was in the original game and not experience a change like Yuna had in Final Fantasy X-2. The game’s story will continue to value the refined and noble qualities of Lightning’s personality. Other characters will also appear in the game but in new and unexpected forms and some of these returning characters will see major changes to their personality. The game will also have a number of new characters, in addition to the mysterious man shown in the teaser trailer. The mystery man in the teaser trailer is in direct conflict with Lightning and equal to her in strength. Lightning has a new mission this time, and as she attempts to fulfill this mission, she’ll end up in a confrontation with this mystery man.

The original game ended with a lingering question: “Is Lightning really happy?” The conclusion of the story in Final Fantasy XIII-2 will provide a clear answer to this question.

Developer Next Level Games
Publisher Sega
Platform Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS
Release date NA July 19, 2011
Genre action
Mode Single-player
Rating ESRB: RP (Rating Pending)
Media/distribution Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Wii Optical Disc, Game Card

Captain America: Super Soldier Is an upcoming third person single player action game based on the upcoming film Captain America: The First Avenger.The game’s story is being written by Christos Gage who has worked on comics, films, and TV shows. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game can be played in 3D on 3DTVs.

The player will control Captain America using his shield to be thrown, deflect projectiles, solving puzzles, and scaling walls. Captain America will use free-flow and acrobatic combat to defeat his foes. HYDRA’s castle will appear in the game as Captain America has to fight many henchmen such as the infamous Iron Cross, the forces of HYDRA, and Red Skull. Arnim Zola will also appear in the game as players will have to stop his evil experiments.

Publisher: Activision
Genre: Action, Adventure
Developer: Beenox Studios
Release Date: Dec 31, 2011
ESRB: Rating Pending
Platforms: 360 PS3 Wii DS

We’ve got the expected questions around which villains are being included, how long the game will be, and what cameos to look for, but it looks like those answers will come later, because no one was talking.

Beenox and Activision show off Spider-Man’s latest time-hopping adventure. Based on this early look, Spider-Man: Edge of Time appears to have an interesting premise that Beenox is making smart use of. We definitely like what we’ve seen so far. Spider-Man: Edge of Time is slated to ship this fall for the 3DS, DS, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360.

Gameplay

The story’s time travel angle is more than just a narrative device and figures prominently in Edge of Time’s gameplay. The core gameplay should be familiar to Spider-fans who’ve played previous Spider-Man games, especially Shattered Dimensions. The webslingers will have unique abilities that differentiate them from each other. Amazing is the speedy, acrobatic fighter of the pair and incorporates web constructs into his combat moves of punches, kicks, and leaps. For Edge of Time, Beenox has buffed him out with a new evasion move that will let him dodge just about anything when used properly. Well, almost anything, considering he isn’t going to be able to dodge his impending death without some help. 2099 is more of a powerhouse, throwing hard-hitting punches and kicks with a wide reach. His moves have been enhanced with a new decoy ability that lets him create a duplicate of himself to throw off enemies.

The time element in the gameplay has you bouncing between the past and the current, slightly busted 2099 future. The action is set in the Alchemax building in both eras, a massive, small-city-sized building that’s a cross between a fortress and a science lab. The actions taken by Amazing Spider-Man in the past impact 2099′s reality in a variety of ways. In the demo we saw, which showed off the third and fourth levels in the game, this played out in two key ways. The first element was basic and required both Spider-Men to be at the same location in both eras so they could work as a team. The second was a bit more mind warping: When 2099 is forced to fight a massive robot blocking his path, Amazing has a timed sequence where he has to destroy the prototype of the robot in the past. As he takes out various components of the robot in the past, the mech pounding 2099 becomes incapacitated and eventually disappears.

Unfortunately, as most any sci-fi time scholar can tell you, this alters the timeline, meaning one big problem can be replaced by another or by several smaller ones. The gameplay looks like it’s going to have quite a few “good news, bad news” moments as one threat is replaced by another. The upside is that there should be a lot of variety to the action. Finally, as before, both heroes will be able to use their spider sense to get insight into their goals and spot enemies, crawl on walls, and, for 2099, enjoy some freefall segments. The other familiar mechanic fans will appreciate is the ability to earn “spider essence” from downed foes that you’ll be able to spend to upgrade your existing abilities and moves as well as to unlock new ones. In addition, fans can spend essence on alternate costumes.

Publisher 2K Games
Developer Digital Extremes
Genre First Person Shooter
Release Date Q4 2011
Rating RP (Rating Pending)

The Darkness 2 is the first-person shooter/slasher comic book come to life that debuted at GDC. It has been nearly four years since the last time gamers were able to control “The Darkness” as hitman Jackie Estacado. Since then the game has shifted developers from Swedish-based Starbreeze Studios to the Canadian dev team at Digital Extremes. If gamers were worried that Digital Extremes would be unable to deliver a standout sequel in the comic-adaptation franchise, all signs currently point to those fears being completely unfounded.

Story

The Darkness 2 takes place two year after the events of the original game. Jackie Estacado is now the Don of his crime family but is still haunted by visions of his lost love, Jenny. “Jackie sees Jenny everywhere,” Sheldon Carter from Digital Extremes explains. Though it’s still a source of his pain, Estacado remains powerfully possessed by the evil Darkness…a source of tremendous power.

But the thing about power is that those who do not wield it, will do anything to obtain it.

The demo begins with Estacado begin crucified by a familiar face from the first game. A crippled man tells him he wants Estacado to give up the Darkness and hand it over to the old, scarred man. The Darkness, you see, can heal any wound and won’t allow its host to perish.

The dark room is the first sign of a big change in The Darkness 2. Gone is the realist Starbreeze Engine and replaced with a “high contrast, graphic novel noir” style of Digital Extremes’ Evolution Engine. Hard, dark lines wrap each character and the environment. Everything is sharp and angular. The lighting adds to this new look, keeping the effect unique versus other games that share the same style (Borderlands, for example). According to Carter, all textures in The Darkness 2 are hand-painted.

As the old man’s goon nail Estacado’s hands to the thick wooden frame, the game flashes back to another day in Estacado’s life. Met by his right hand man Vinny–one of the few who understand his immense power–Estacado walks through a traditional Italian restaurant. Estacado passes filled tables, passing by chattering guests and makes his way to a table where he is greeted by two blond bombshells.

The mood is calm, the ladies are flirting, and Estacado seems to have not a care in the world. Suddenly, a gunshot rips through the back of one of the blonde’s eyes and she lays in a pool of her own blood. A van crashes through the window and the room ignites in fire.

Estacado–trapped under a table–is bloody and hurt, his right leg shattered and missing pieces. Vinny throws Estacado a pistol, tells him to take aim, and proceeds to drag him out of the room. As Vinny, and the player knows, Jackie’s power only works in the dark. The lit-up room of the restaurant and the glow of the burning dining area mean that Estacado is helpless.

As Vinny drags Estacado through the room, the damaged hero fires into crowds of orange jumpsuit-wearing thugs. Later, Vinny throws Jackie a second pistol and he tears through the opposition.

Soon Estacado makes it to the dark and his demon arms emerge. Now, one arm controls grabbing while the other controls slashing. Grabbing works with objects throughout the world. In one instance, Estacado grabs a long piece of rebar and tosses it at an enemy, pinning him to the wall like a thumbtack in paper.

The slicing arm, used in conjunction with the right-stick, can slash in any direction. In the demo I witness Estacado eviscerate enemies with slashes that took off limbs and even sliced enemies in half…lengthwise.

Beyond that, players will be able to dual-wield weapons while using both arms. Quad-wielding is what they’re calling it, sadly, but we won’t fault Digital Extremes for making up buzz-phrases.

Grabbing works in tandem with the slash. Estacado can grab an enemy and use the other arm to help split the adversary in half. The move is aptly referred to as “The Wishbone.” Executions return and make an even bigger splash (of blood) with demon arm executions. Estacado can grab sneak up behind an enemy, coil him up with the grabbing arm, and burst through his back and chest for another vicious kill.

Another change in the game are the darklings. Rather than have a number of demon helpers, The Darkness 2 features one. “This is a much more personal story for Jackie,” Carter tells me. The A.I. controlled ally exists to help Estacado destroy the opposition and to get the game’s hero out of bad situations. In one instance, the Union Jack-wearing demon jumps on the back of an armed guard, snaps his neck, and gleefully hands Estacado the handgun.

The game constantly flashes back to the room where Estacado is left nailed to the wall. The old man promises that if Estacado does not give up his power, the man will kill Estacado’s Aunt Sarah. According to the legend, the individual who wields the Darkness can only willingly give it to another person. With his Aunt on the line, the old man assumes Estacado will give it up. He’s wrong.

Jackie rips his hand out from one of the large nails, yanks out the other and quickly stabs one of the old man’s goons in the face. Make no mistake, The Darkness 2 is ultra violent.

The Darkness 2 was a real surprise at GDC 2011. The sequel promises more of what made the original such a delight: giant Demon Arms and “stylistic violence.” The Darkness 2 marketing team got their hands on the game and came up with “Quad-Wielding,” which seems as sellable as any other first-person gimmick. “The Darkness II breaks out of the sea of conventional first-person shooters,” the press release reads, “with its fervid Quad-Wielding gameplay, which will allow players to slash, grab, and throw objects and enemies with their Demon Arms while simultaneously firing two weapons”. Hopefully, Digital Extremes can deliver in the final version of the game when it launches later this year for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.

Developer(s) BioWare
Publisher(s) Electronic Arts
Director(s) Casey Hudson
Composer(s) Clint Mansell
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release date(s) “Holiday 2011″ (Q4)
Genre(s) Action RPG
Mode(s) Single-player

Mass Effect 3 is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.It is scheduled for a Q4 2011 release and will mark the third and final chapter in the Mass Effect trilogy of video games.

When Mass Effect 2 finally surfaced last month, fans around the world where treated to a phenomenal experience crafted exclusively by the infamous RPG studio, BioWare. Now that you have had a chance to playthrough the story in its entirety, I decided to point out some key story plots that may be explored in the final chapter of the trilogy. Feel free to express your thoughts on the matter and let us know if your team survived the suicide mission.

Gameplay

Decisions will be imported from Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 as to keep continuity within the series. It will pull over 1,000 variables from those previous titles to shape how players experience the final chapter.

One of the most questionable characters in the game comes in the form of the controversial Illusive Man. While actor Martin Sheen provided an excellent soundtrack as the advisor, his motives are unconventional and sinister at best. If you recall the mission where you investigate an abandoned Collector Ship base, the whole scenario plays out to be nothing more then a cleverly planned ambush attack. This could have been used as a measuring stick to determine if Shepard and his team are truly up to par for the battle that’s ahead of them. Once you beat the game though, further suspicions are cast upon this significant character. If you chose to save the Collector technology to aid you in defeating the Reapers, then the last shot you’ll see is of the Illusive Man sporting a sadistic grin on his face shortly after dismissing you from the mission debriefing. At the same time you also have an option to detach yourself from working with him by simply telling him to screw off. Regardless of which decision you choose, it’s clear that this will greatly affect you in Mass Effect 3. BioWare succeeds in keeping the suspense going within their stories which is why I wouldn’t be surprised if Illusive Man ends up becoming a villain down the road.

Story
Earth is burning. Striking from beyond known space, a race of terrifying machines have begun their destruction of the human race. As Commander Shepard, an Alliance Marine, your only hope for saving mankind is to rally the civilizations of the galaxy and launch one final mission to take back the Earth.

The dramatic scale of Mass Effect 2’s story is a classic that will be remembered for several years to come. The idea of the bar being raised in the next chapter is one I’m highly confident BioWare can surpass. The final encounter with the Reapers needs to be heavily defined and far more superior then the Collectors. If you recall, the end of the game delivers a message that Harbinger is coming and there is a focus on a partnership between the Collectors and The Reapers. The final encounter with The Human Reaper (A Terminator Clone) isn’t challenging enough and I fully anticipate new adversaries the next time around. When you decide to destroy the Collector Base there are hints that you may not be prepared for what’s ahead as a result. The effects of your choices were beautifully illustrated in how you choose to give orders during the final mission. Mass Effect 3 should exceed this and make you feel like the experience really is a life or death type of situation.

Developer(s) Q Entertainment
Publisher(s) Ubisoft
Designer(s) Tetsuya Mizuguchi
Platform(s) Xbox 360,PlayStation 3
Release date(s) NA June 14, 2011, EU Q2, 2011[
Genre(s) Rail shooter, Music game

Child of Eden is an upcoming rhythm action game the spiritual sucessor Rez by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, developed by Q Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. The game announcement opened Ubisoft’s pre-E3 2010 press conference and was one of the first titles shown with support for Xbox 360′s Kinect peripheral. The game is a sequel to Mizuguchi’s earlier game Rez and sees players shoot at various targets which produce melodic sounds upon destruction. It is being developed for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and will be compatible with Microsoft’s Kinect and old fashioned standart controllers.

As was the case with Rez, Child of Eden is presented as an experiment on synesthesia, integrating sound, vision and touch in one swanky experience. The game will feature best music from Genki Rockets.

Gameplay

Comparable to Rez, the game revolves around shooting various objects that come onto the screen, which produce musical effects upon their destruction. Players can choose between using a lock-on function similar to Rez’s gameplay, or a vulcan cannon which shoots a constant stream of bullets. Using Kinect, players can aim using their hands and clap to change weapons, though traditional controllers can also be used. Like Rez HD, players can use additional controllers to provide external vibration and during the gameplay will adjust the music to the actions and movements of the players.

The game will feature 5 levels, called Archives, each with a different visual theme. So far, three of them have been shown, named Matrix, Evolution and Beauty. Each Archive will be replayable, changing each time depending on the player’s performance and style of play in the previous run.

Release Date: TBA
Platforms: Pc, PS3, XBOX360, Nintendo Wii.
Publisher: Activision
Developer: High Moon Studio
Genres: Action, Adventure, Shooter
ESRB: NA

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a video game adaptation of the third and final film in the Transformers film series, directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. The game developed by the creator of War For Cybertron.