Ah, Micro Machines. For a child of the '80s, there was nothing better than waking up on Christmas morning to find stacks of the tiny scale miniatures under the tree…only later to have them end up underneath the feet of a disgruntled relative after trying to reenact the booby trap scenes from Home Alone. And then, of course, there was the video game--an addictive top-down racer developed by Codemasters that was epic fun, particularly if you shunned the rules of personal space and opted to share a controller with a friend for some insane eight-player races. Sadly, the series has been out of action for some time, leaving our inner child throwing a tantrum worthy of a Super Nanny intervention while our older self got all serious with the likes of Forza and Gran Turismo.

Fortunately, MotorStorm developer Evolution Studios is bringing a Micro Machines vibe to MotorStorm RC, which is coming to the PlayStation Vita and Network in time for the handheld's launch next year. MotorStorm RC is an arcade racer with tracks based on locales from each of the franchise's console outings, but instead of driving dirt bikes and trucks, you pilot little remote-controlled cars. There are 24 of the blighters to choose from, each with different handling characteristics and speeds, some of which will need to be unlocked as you progress.

In our hands-on, we checked out three circuits based on Pacific Rift, Arctic Rift, and Apocalypse, with environments consisting of sand, ice, and a postapocalyptic wasteland respectively. Immediately noticeable was the reduced scale of the tracks, which eschewed the multiple pathways of their console cousins. They still shared the same beautiful visuals, though, with plenty of details, such as shards of ice, rickety bridges, and plumes of dust, adorning them. Their reduced scale meant that corners were much tighter than we expected, and jumps were more frequent, but they were ably dealt with thanks to the distinct handling of the RC cars.

Unlike traditional vehicles, the RC cars had a very tight turning circle, making it possible to get through the tight hairpins and sharp corners. They controlled differently too, with acceleration handled by the second analogue stick, much like how a real RC car is controlled. While our job was ultimately to make it round the track in front of our AI opponents, MotorStorm RC relies heavily on social features to up the challenge. In each race you can see the ghost trails of your friends' lap times, which propagate using the Vita's SpotPass-like NEAR functionality, meaning you're always given a fresh set of challenges.

There are leaderboards too, and you can manually send challenges to any of your friends, as well as post lap times to Facebook. While there isn't traditional cross-platform play with the PlayStation 3 like in the upcoming Wipeout 2048, leaderboard data and challenges are shared between the Vita and PSN versions. If you're playing the PSN version, you can also look forward to four-player split-screen, which--given the arcade handling and top-down camera views--is more than reminiscent of those hazy days spent playing Micro Machines on the Megadrive (that's Genesis to those across the pond). Plus, if you buy the PSN or Vita version, you get the other for free, which is a great touch.

MotorStorm RC will be available on the PSN and Vita at the handheld's launch next year. Keep your eyes on GameSpot for more soon.

Fans of Studio Ghibli's stellar animated films are sure to be in for a fine treat with Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, set for release in North American early next year. We managed to snag a Japanese version of the game and play through the first few hours to test out a different range of combat skills.

The game puts you in the shoes of young Oliver, whose mother has passed away. When his childhood toy comes to life (a fairy-like thing called Shizuku), he's told that he can revive his mother in an alternate dimension called Ni no Kuni (or "Second Country" in English).

Basically, anything Oliver comes across in real life will become a fantasy version in the alternate world. Case in point: the pet cat owned by Oliver's mother's friend becomes an anthropomorphic cat king in a cat-themed village (complete with a paw print motif) in Ni no Kuni. Accompanying Oliver on his quest are the cheery Marle and the trickster Jairo, who come equipped with their own helpers called imajinns. Serving as the antagonist is the White Witch, who oversees Oliver's actions from an undisclosed location.

Ni no Kuni adopts Pokemon-style party management, which means Oliver and his comrades have an assortment of imajinns to help them out in fights. You can also raise them by feeding them all manner of junk food on the Nurturing Cage screen.

Feed the cape-bearing sword-wielding imajinns a candy bar, and their strength goes up; stuff them with a few ice cream cones, and this will boost their agility. Some imajinns are partial to certain foodstuffs--feed them their favourite food, and they'll be happy, temporarily landing critical hits and dodging attacks during combat.

Combat in the game is handled in real time. When you go into battle, you choose which of your imajinns participate in a battle. You can even have Oliver himself go into battle in place of the imajinns. An imajinn can stay on the battlefield for only a certain amount of time in combat before it becomes weakened, so switching between them tag-team style using the L1 button is a must.

Pressing the triangle or square button changes your party to either an offensive or defensive stance. Alternatively, you can select the party AI command in the combat options and choose how each individual party member handles a situation automatically on the battlefield.

Oliver can opt to go into combat himself, using his assortment of spells to fight off foes. Based on the first five hours of the game, his range of spells includes healing, fireball, and ice, which can sometimes stun enemies. As for Marle, she can cast the Song of Friendship, which can recruit enemies to your cause. However, this spell can be cast only on fallen enemies with a heart marker. She will have to cast it quickly before the marker's gauge is depleted and the target runs away.

Green and blue orbs sometimes fall to the ground during battle, either from damaged enemies or from Shizuku himself, thrown at random intervals. This is definitely a bonus, as a last-minute green or blue orb drop seems to make a huge difference between surviving a surprise onslaught with some mana intact and seeing the game-over screen.

At rare times, a giant golden orb can also be put into play, and we noticed this after we landed a critical hit. When we commanded Oliver to pick it up, he cast a powerful spell that dealt a lot of damage to its target. This seems to be the game's equivalent of a Final Fantasy summon animation, so we wager there will be other sorts of finishing moves for our protagonist later on in the game.

Based on our time with the game, we can say we are just as excited as before about seeing more of it upon its North American release on the PlayStation 3 in early 2012.

It's a usual habit for gamers to dismiss any title that's tied in to either movies or anime properties due to their reputation for being nothing more than cash-ins to take advantage of fans and their hard-earned money. Games like Bleach: Dark Souls and Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, however, are huge exceptions to the rule. Based on what we briefly saw and played, the PSP game adaptation of the cult hit anime Black Rock Shooter may be leaning toward the aforementioned mandate.

You control the title protagonist Black Rock Shooter, or BRS for short, who is awakened from a capsule in the year 2051. Her dress sense consists entirely of a black leather jacket, hot pants, and the top part of a two-piece that is overshadowed by her huge cannon and crooked katana she brandishes for combat. Her left eye also emanates a bright blue flame for some reason.

All that's missing from these scenes are the obligatory speed lines.

The world is in ruin, thanks to a war between humankind and aliens. Naturally, BRS is siding with humankind as she helps the remaining human resistance combat the otherworldly menace while finding out more about her origins in role-playing game combat glory.

Black Rock Shooter's main appeal is its combat system. Whenever you engage an enemy on the map--major kudos to developers Imageepoch for ditching the random battles concept--you'll enter a battle screen where you defeat enemies in real time. The D pad and left analog stick is used for moving and aiming your reticle, while the square button is used for shooting. The X button is used to guard, while the circle button is used to evade to the left or right side of the battlefield. Shooting at enemies and evading builds up heat on the heat gauge; if you max it out, you'll overheat and can't perform any action while stunned for a short duration. Additionally, having the gauge at 50 percent and above limits the effectiveness of your cannon.

Because of this, you cannot just mindlessly shoot and dodge to your heart's content. You have to study enemy movements to efficiently dodge their moves and pelt down their health while keeping your heat gauge at a manageable level. While low-level robot grunts are easily dispatched, the bigger enemies, like black scythe-bearing robots, take some finesse; they blink three times before slashing at you for huge damage while shooting projectiles on the fly.

Luckily, Black Rock Shooter has special actions that do not use up heat. Holding the R trigger brings up the menu where you can activate any ability mapped to any of the face buttons. Examples of such tricks to work around the heat gauge include temporary defense or offense buffs, a damaging one-shot blast, and a Vulcan cannon mode that temporarily puts your gun in rapid-fire mode without overheating it.

Don't misuse your dodges unless you want to end up stalled in the heat of battle.

Another notable skill is the Sniper mode, where Black Rock Shooter zooms in automatically and shoots an enemy at its weak spot. This stuns any enemy, including bosses, for a brief moment. We misused this skill at a frequent rate by following it up with buffs and the Vulcan mode. While these skills have a cooldown meter, they are immediately refreshed upon encountering a new foe.

The majority of the game consists of you controlling Black Rock Shooter as you go from point A to point B killing enemies. Each stage is usually broken down into six segments, with the last segment usually being an optional stage called a "hunt" to earn rank. Speaking of which, you gain in-game achievements for each action you perform in a stage, whether it is killing a number of enemies or using an ability a specific number of times.

While the first stage set in a run-down San Francisco felt more like a tutorial level for players to get used to the combat mechanics, things picked up when we fought the first boss, Mefe. She's a warrior just like Black Rock Shooter, but she's dressed up like a witch and fights with a pair of giant claws. Her main repertoire includes charging up close to BRS and slashing her, boosting up her attack ratings, and throwing three projectiles in a row.

When she's upset, she can either summon four orbs that launch at BRS one at a time or slash left and right consecutively four times. We initially bit the dust because we were guarding too much and couldn't figure out her pattern. By the second time, we got into the groove of her attacks, as well as timed our dodges and attacks without maxing out the heat gauge. It also helped that BRS's special actions turned the tide of battle.

The second boss fight was also challenging and tense; the red-haired Mzma could summon body doubles to confuse and get the hit on us, as well as do a supercharged multi-slash attack that damaged us pretty badly even if we blocked it. After any fight, BRS will clash swords with her opponent to deliver the coup de grace; we had to repeatedly hammer the circle button until the bottom meter filled up to win the entire fight.

Who's going to clean up this mess after this photo shoot?

Our play session wasn't just relegated to running and shooting. On the second stage, we had to travel from location to location across a ruined New York City on a bike. This segment is a nod to Super Hang-On, where you move your bike left and right to avoid oncoming enemies. Shifting left or right at just the right time enables BRS to deliver a slash attack to an obstructing enemy in front of her. BRS also has a smart bomb of sorts on her bike; pressing the square button unleashes a torrent of plasma bolts to kill anything in front of her with extreme prejudice. Each bike segment in the game gets harder than the next, with narrow pathways and enemies with different obstruction patterns mixing up the challenge level.

Our sole sore point with our play-through was the environments; they felt too sparse and empty, even for a postapocalyptic setting. In one area set in a vast snow field labeled "Snow Storm," there was anything but. We are well aware that the PSP is capable of more than this in terms of graphics, and it's a shame that Imageepoch isn't trying hard in this regard.

Still, as far as gameplay is concerned, the few stages we checked out seemed solid. The battle mechanics were fun, thanks to the enemies thrown at our direction. The save points littered in each map were also generous, and achieving medals for extra stat boosts for BRS was a fun minigame in itself. While the Japanese version of the game is out, expect an English version to come out courtesy of Nippon Ichi in the near future for Sony's portable.

With one of the last few high-profile-named PSP titles coming out in Japan this October, it's a given that Square Enix would show off one final build of Final Fantasy Type-0 at this year's Tokyo Game Show before the PS Vita graced the country with its presence. While we weren't able to send war gods like Shiva, Golem, and Bahamut into the field, we did just fine against military soldiers ranging from the standard foot soldiers to mechas with huge, long cannons.

Our team for the TGS demo's town-clearing mission consisted of Eight (fisticuffs martial artist), Rem (dagger-wielder and spellcaster), and Nine (spear-wielder), all of whom study at the Suzaku Peristylium (the Hogwarts of Final Fantasy Type-0). We had to reserve nine other team members in case things got sour for the first team.

For demo purposes, our characters were bumped up to a high level, and we were dishing out heavy damage like they were gifts. We switched between Eight and Rem; the former can chain up his punches and deal one-hit fire-laden blows, while the latter specializes in casting spells like Thundaga and Blizzara from mid-range. Nine just pokes enemies from afar and perform the classic Dragoon skill "Jump" when things get hairy.

The game is due out on October 27 in Japan. A release date for the English version has yet to be revealed.

We previously did an outline of Grand Knights History's role-playing game/online conquest gameplay, but now armed with a full copy of the game, we braved through the game's world filled with goblins, high-leveled archers, and lots of depth.

After picking one of the kingdoms to represent (we picked Logres because the leader King Fausel looked pretty badass), you start off with a set of four squires, with the ideal party containing two knights, a mage, and an archer. If you are feeling bold, you can opt to have just a knight and three other mages or just a team of mages. Don't get too attached to your first party; you will have to send it off online and create a new team eventually.

As we stated before, combat is turn based. You decide the actions of your party, whether it is attacking, casting a spell, or defending. Once that is done, all party and enemy actions take place in order of who is the fastest. Formation is also important; a number of skills can hit enemies clustered together like the archer's blackout skill. If you don't like where your unit is standing, you can take an extra turn to move it on any available space adjacent to it. The majority of your unit's actions need action points (or AP for short).

Resist the urge to check out the demon stones unless your party is level 35-ish.

As a kicker, your units gain one AP for killing an enemy unit. Conserving APs while also knowing when to use your AP-heavy skills to finish off opponents is crucial to most battles. We were also given a quest as a means to get used to the field navigation and battle system. We were given 99, either to complete the quest straight away or just explore the whole kingdom and level up. Taking a single step on the map takes up a turn. Some of these steps would either lead to an encounter, an event that could trigger extra quests, or even to treasure. Certain spaces will either house a temporary shop, a carriage service that transports you to different parts of areas you've uncovered, or a purple crystal. Players can chase down bounties, which are represented by black demon icons that move randomly across the map. Killing these slightly high-level enemies will usually give players rewards like additional funds or items.

The aforementioned purple crystals are demon stones, which contain really tough and high-level enemies that hoard epic loot. The game displays the recommended level to check out the demon stones, so you can decide at least whether or not to take the plunge with your current party. Examples of such spoils of war include the shade cap that not only boosts magic to 49 but also heightens a unit's evasion rating when its hit points are low, as well as the golden bunny hood, which gives a unit an additional 15 percent chance to inflict status ailments onto enemies. We witnessed firsthand the destruction wrought onto us from these demon stones. The Logres stone had four archers that hit really hard, while the Union stone had four sword knights that always took an extra turn to garner additional APs via the psych up skill.

Even if you used up your 99 turns or if your party bit it halfway, quests are still ongoing until you complete them. Finishing quests triggered on the map will give you training licenses to power up your four combatants. After selecting the training option when you're back in your kingdom, you can choose from three types of training; the results of your choice depend on your squire's class and the amount of bravery it has remaining. Training results are also dependent on the personalities set for your created squires. Because training reduces a unit's bravery amount, it's usually ideal to buy items from the kingdom's store to replenish it just before you go out adventuring. Keep in mind that if any unit has a bravery amount of less than 40, your AP count at the start of combat is reduced by two.

Commitment to one type of weapon or element means more proficiency points to learn better skills .

As we stated before, using an equipped weapon continuously will raise a user's mastery level of that weapon. From there, new skills and actions will be unlocked. While we were tempted to switch one of our warrior's weapons with a powerful rapier, we stuck it out with the two-handed broadsword because she would earn more proficiency points for that weapon to get more skills. Similarly, a wizard who starts off with a hammer will get more proficiency points for the water element if he or she uses the default heal spell a lot.

When you're back in your country's capital, you can head down to the item shop to buy the appropriate skills for your squires. In just a few hours, we gave our wizard a new powerful ice spell that hit a single target, made our archer use a multi-hit attack, and gave one of our warriors a new buff that made him regenerate his life per turn and strengthen him temporarily.

Of course, we merely scratched the surface of other skills you can get later in the game. The earth element spell, blade hex, boosts your entire team's defense for just three APs while the skill, drain act, steals up to three APs from an enemy party. The passive skill, opportunity, gives a unit a 30 percent chance to recover one extra AP each turn, while the hammer skill, death smash, deals good damage with a small percentage of instantly killing a target.

You should keep watch on the top-right counter; when it reaches the 60th day, you cannot train your units using licenses anymore. The game encourages you to send at least one team of squires to the online warzone because it's a prerequisite to continue the single-player Story mode. Once a player sends squires off to war, which is the online part of the game, they end up there for good. Players will need to train up a new quartet of squires from scratch.

If you've done good, your kingdom's leader will praise you and even give you items at times.

Speaking of which, the online mode is a never-ending tug-of-war among the three nations where each kingdom competes to earn the most points by the end of the day via player-versus-player conflicts. Like we mentioned, you can either fight manually or set AI commands and patterns to handle the online battles against other people online.

We also checked that at this point in time, there are more players representing Avalon (29,000 players to be exact) than the rest of the kingdoms. Our guess? Not only is Avalon the first kingdom displayed on the kingdom selection screen, but the shapely leader is voiced by Kikuko Inoue, a popular veteran voice actress in Japan.

While we expected a gorgeous-looking RPG, we didn't anticipate appreciating the breadth of depth within the combat and skill system, in addition to the ongoing online mode. Western gamers will definitely get a chance to sample this interesting hybrid once it hits North America in early 2012, presumably as a downloadable title on both the PSP and the PlayStation Vita.

To recap from past previews of Final Fantasy Type-0, the PSP action role-playing game lets you control a group of students from a magic school called Suzaku as they fight off the invading Milites Empire. In this case, the students you control are from Class Zero school, and they are indeed a diverse cast in terms of personalities and skill sets. Think the last few Harry Potter books but with summons, airships, and chocobos instead of sorting hats and Quidditch.

The game implements a system called the "kill sight." Whenever you lock onto an enemy using the right trigger for a good amount of time, the reticle will flash either red or yellow. When your attacks connect during the flash, you will either instantly kill or deal a huge amount of damage to the enemy. Given the number of enemies you'll be facing, it's a good idea to thin the herd as quickly as possible before your team of students become overwhelmed.

When in such a situation, you can call forth a giant summon by pressing the circle and X buttons together mid-battle at the expense of one of your students. Whether you control Ifrit, Golem, Shiva, Diabolos, or Bahamut, they'll be around for only 30 seconds, so you better make the most of their hard-hitting attacks and self-buffs.

Furthermore, you can acquire different summons in certain summon classes via free-roaming, completing certain special orders during missions, or doing quests in the second playthrough of the game. For instance, the Ifrit class summon Rubicante (a nod to one of FFIV's boss) has automatic regeneration, while the Golem class summon Gigas can hang around the battlefield for an additional 10 seconds.

Now that the basics are out of the way, we can give you a brief rundown on each of the students. Do note that, by default, students have normal attacks mapped to the triangle button, their magic spells mapped onto the square button, and their special ability mapped onto the circle button. They can dodge or let loose a defensive skill like a wall barrier with the X button. You can upgrade each student's skills and abilities using accumulated action points (AP) from levelling them up. You can also customise their move sets by making them wield two different kinds of magic or just two different skills.

Ace: You start off with this student right after the 10-minute intro scene. He uses magic cards (not the Wizards of the Coast kind) to cut his opponents to death from a good distance. Pressing the circle button allows him to store card charges, in which he can unleash them with the triangle button. Cards stored have colour-coded properties; if the majority of cards stored are red, Ace will do a hi-burst attack that damages any foe within range.

The support deck skill will give Ace a higher chance of storing white cards for his deck open skill, which casts Stop onto enemies, while the Trap Card skill lets Ace lay down the magical equivalent of pipe bombs onto the ground, which can be triggered only by him. While his hit points are average, he's still good for beginners because his standard ranged attack hits pretty well for a midranged weapon.

Deuce: Instead of her other battle-hardy classmates, she uses a flute that summons floating energy balls and all sorts of ranged magic attacks. The downside is that she's not really good in the melee weapons department despite her sole close-combat upgrade. She represents the Bard/Dancer archetype in which she should be kept at the back to support her frontline-tailored companions.

Choice upgrades include Concerto, which casts Protect and Aura, and Crescendo, which buffs up the party's regular attacks. You should also upgrade each of Deuce's flute abilities (Concerto Guard and Serenade Guard) so she doesn't flinch when under fire while using the flute.

Trey: Someone needed to fill up the archer role in a Final Fantasy title, and the quiet and reserved Trey is up to the task. In addition to using his bow and arrows to pick off enemies from afar, he can charge up his shots up to three levels for additional damage. Our personal favourite unlockable skill was Freeze Shot, which makes him shoot out a volley of arrows onto a designated area that stops enemies in their tracks.

Trey can also place traps for opponents on the ground. If they come across it, not only will they have their hit points drained, but they'll be susceptible to kill sight attacks more so than usual. His assortment of skills makes him ideal for advanced users who can misuse his traps, while helping his team from afar.

Cater: This brash young lady wields a gun that shoots out magical bullets. She also moves faster than the rest of the cast. Her upgrades and abilities include charging her magic shots automatically when not firing, using snipe mode to hit her enemies with precise shots, and firing elemental bullets with different properties (that is, fire shots home onto enemies).

We felt that she was a good beginner character since her magic bullets have a lot of options in terms of hindering the majority of foes. Do treat her like you would a typical ranged character: good from afar and midrange, but terrible up-close.

You can go nuts with your summons for 30 seconds if you don't mind sacrificing a student.

Cinque: The wild card of Class Zero carries a big stick alongside her unpredictable personality. By "stick" we mean "giant hammer mace thing." Her slow attack speed takes some time to get used to in a pool filled with fast hitters, but her upgrades are worth it if you're patient enough. Her Earthquake not only dishes out the pain onto surrounding enemies, but also inflicts Stun, which makes them vulnerable for a few seconds. Her Mace Hurricane attack lets her do a full sweep attack that knocks back the enemy while she's moving.

Her normal attacks can be buffed up using the Full Swing enhancement, provided you hold down the attack button when striking. She can activate Revenge Blast, which makes her deal more damage with critical properties if her hit points are low. As it stands, though, we do not recommend using her at the early stages of the game unless you're willing to spend time learning her attack animation patterns.

Sice: This quiet white-haired girl carries a large scythe as her weapon of choice. Her strikes allow her to move across parts of the battlefield pretty quickly, making her a good hit-and-run character with a decent attack rating. By killing enemies, she can absorb hatred that powers up the scythe's damage and also strengthens her Dark Nebula projectile attack.

Her upgrades include adding a stop effect to her Dark Nebula spell, casting an area-of-effect Dark Zone spell that expends her accumulated hatred, and summoning a Black Hole, which brings nearby enemies to a spot that can help set up future scythe and Dark Nebula attacks. She can also cancel from casting spells with a melee attack in case she sees an enemy in hot pursuit. If you need a character with a good balance of attack and magic spells, Sice is your girl.

"Zeke…uh…I got bitten by a vampire." Infamous 2: Festival of Blood has a ridiculous premise; that much is certain. One night Cole gets attacked by a vampire and is transformed into a blood-sucker himself. You'd think someone just made this up off the top of his head. And you'd be right. The entire tale is a concoction of Cole's closest friend, Zeke Dunbar, in a desperate attempt to woo a damsel he meets in a bar. It takes place outside of the main storyline and is its own self-contained supernatural spoof. Alongside Sucker Punch animation director Billy Harper, we got to check out some highlights for this downloadable adventure, including new powers and enemies.

It's a warm autumn night, and the city of New Marais is dressed up for Pyre Night. This celebration centers on warding off demons and other evil spirits through song, dance, and copious fireworks. Of course, when an electrified Nosferatu takes to the streets, no amount of pomp and circumstance will keep him at bay. "This is a purely evil experience," explained Harper, as he made Cole drain yet another civilian. Both Cole and the player are at the whim of Zeke's comic-book-fueled imagination.

Being a vampire does have its advantages. At the top of that list is flight, which is a feature that the team at Sucker Punch has been dying to implement. Cole takes to the skies and transforms into a swarm of bats as the camera swoops into a first-person perspective. He can then flutter to the tops of buildings or quickly close the gap on one of the new enemy types--the Harpy--that likes to hang out in high places. Another new power is vampire vision, which lets Cole spot enemy vampires disguised as humans, as well as secret doors and passageways throughout the city.

Biting people and draining their blood refuels your blood meter, which powers your vampire abilities.

These hostile night stalkers aren't the glittery kind either. They're massive half-man/half-bat monstrosities that can zip across the battlefield quickly and rip Cole to ribbons if you're not careful. They can also bite and infect other civilians, transforming them into gray-skinned ghouls to be set upon you. Once Cole has beaten one of these firstborn vampires into submission, he can use his modified amp--now with a wooden stake at the tip--to finish the monster once and for all.

With the expanded user-generated content tools, you can even create your own vampire love triangle. "We noticed that people really liked creating narrative-based missions, but there wasn't a system in place to support that," said Harper. To correct this, the team has added tools for players to create their own 2D cutscenes. These tools include a set of 2D portraits of the cast, compete with customizable expressions and text bubbles for you to edit. The background image can by taken from anywhere and at any angle in the gameworld.

Festival of Blood is a standalone adventure; you don't have to own Infamous 2 to play it.

Before settling on vampires, Harper said, the team considered all options. In the end, the team wanted a strong, Halloween-themed monster, and the vampire "made the most sense." He also noted that if the player were to fly through the downloadable content following only the story-based missions, it would last between two and three hours. However, there will be plenty of new upgrades and collectables to unlock on the way as well. This content will also be compatible with the PlayStation Move update coming to all Infamous 2 owners as a free update. Infamous 2: Festival of Blood will be available for download on the PlayStation Network on October 25.

Tecmo Koei is not known for rapidly changing the formula of its long-standing Dynasty Warriors franchise. The publisher is, however, listening to its loyal fan base and continues to tweak and refine with every new entry, based on what its fans want.

Xtreme Legends will let you import your Dynasty Warriors 7 saves and DLC into the game.

In Xtreme Legends, the development team has focused on introducing a more narrative-based approach to the game and bringing environments and their inhabitants to life. Each time you undertake a quest, you are placed in the Resident's Castle, a derelict city which you are tasked with redeveloping as you progress through the campaign. Littered throughout the town are soldiers, merchants, blacksmiths, and other characters who can provide items for your character or just offer information about the game's plot. Running around the map we saw a much more bolstered environment before heading into the hack-and-slash action, with a more role-playing game slant. This offers a nice respite between the game's nonstop action sequences.

Heading into battle as Guo Jia, one of the game's new characters who was voted for by Japanese fans, the game feels very much like classic Dynasty Warriors. We waged war against swarms of enemies, swung wildly with our weapon of choice, and took out hundreds of enemies at a time. Each character has two Musou attacks--one ground and one air. Both look impressive and are equally devastating. The other two new characters, Pang De, a returning character from Dynasty Warriors 5, and Wang Yi, look equally impressive in battle. In addition to the main Legend mode is Challenge mode, which brings back modes like Bridge Melee and Rampage, as well as two brand-new game types, all with online leaderboards.

Dynasty Warriors has always boasted a wide range of playable characters, but in older versions of the game, they have tended to feel too similar in the game. In Xtreme Legends, each character will have a unique story to tell, as well as two weapons which can be switched during combat. As with previous iterations of the series, characters will each have alternate costumes, with the promise of additional DLC outfits to come in the future.

The game will also include an encyclopaedia and a gallery.

Unlike in Dynasty Warriors 7, all characters will be playable on all levels. Also included on the disc of Xtreme Legends will be the option to use the Japanese voice-over of the entire cast. Players who own a copy of Dynasty Warriors 7 will also be able to transfer their save data, as well as all their DLC packs, into Xtreme Legends.

It's clear that Tecmo Koei has attempted to provide a greater sense of narrative depth to the game. And, with the inclusion of a dedicated encyclopaedia and gallery in the main menu, the team really wants players to become engrossed in the narrative and environments. We know what to expect from a Dynasty Warriors game, and this game is no different in terms of gameplay, but it feels like there has been a real effort from the team to provide a more rounded, complete package this time around.

DeathSpank, the dispenser of justice, is back for another round of saving-the-world fun. For anyone who hasn't played the games before, the developers at Hothead highlighted that there's no real chronological order to the games and that you can think of them like the James Bond franchise. You wouldn't be at a loss if you were to jump into any of the DeathSpank games, and with the changes that have been included in The Baconing, you might as well start here. Veterans who are familiar with the series should note that the development team reached out to the community to address some of the not-so-favorable features, and changes have been made to create what they hope is a better experience.

The story begins with a very bored-looking DeathSpank, who has apparently vanquished so much evil that he has nothing to do with his time. Because of all this free time, he decides to put on all six thongs of virtue. What he doesn't know is that when he puts on all six thongs, he ends up summoning an evil version of himself--the Anti-Spank, who comes equipped with an army of cyborgs. To set things right again, he has to find the five fires of bacon and burn a thong in each to make the Anti-Spank vulnerable.

Hothead games asked for player feedback and learned that people didn't want fetch quests. Quests do generally revolve around doing something for someone, but this time the developer wanted to make sure that each quest mattered and that if you were to run out and get something, it would have a purpose. Combat has also been tweaked; you can now use a shield to bash enemies away from you, stunning them momentarily while you swoop in for a crushing blow. The added protection can also repel arrows back toward the enemy when timed correctly. You'll once again be able to collect a variety of weapons, each with different charged attacks, and some have special area attacks as well.

The setting is heavily rooted in science fiction this time around, so you'll notice a number of references to pop culture icons like the Jetsons, Robocop, Star Wars, and Battlestar Galactica. You have seven unique environments to explore, and our demo began in the Blade Runner-style city of Spanktopia. We were also given a tour of the Forbidden Zone, the Forest of Tomorrow, and Rainbow's End, which you can view in the gameplay demo above. The art style hasn't changed drastically, but you will notice that there's less of that 2D pop-up art effect. Another issue for players in the first couple of games was that they were getting lost in the world and would wander aimlessly. The Baconing follows a more traditional linear progression, giving the option to go back, but it will be more clear where you need to go next. We've been told that there are enemy AI improvements, and you can now use your surroundings to your advantage by hiding behind cover or targeting the ever-so-helpful explosive barrels.

Welcome to the Forest of Tomorrow! The happiest place on Earth?

Once again, the game will feature cooperative play, and you'll be accompanied by a new character, Bob from marketing--a hammerhead business shark. We don't know what kind of skills he comes with, but we imagine he will be ruthless and aggressive--or a total pushover. The game looks to continue the DeathSpank tradition of easy-to-pick-up role-playing action with a quirky sense of humor. We'll likely have more on The Baconing as it approaches its fall release for the PC and PlayStation 3. The game has not been confirmed for the Xbox 360 as of this time.

Following an impressive demo at the Sony Gamescom 2011 press conference, we were itching to find out how Drake would get out of his latest ordeal, hanging out the back of an airborne plane. Well, luckily we got to meet with Naughty Dog's community strategist, Arne Meyer, to see a little bit more of the plane-based level. If you've yet to see the Gamescom demo, be sure to check it out, especially if you're a fan of cinematic action set pieces.

The Gamescom demo ended with our hero, Nathan Drake, hanging out the back of an airborne plane, clinging on to some netting for dear life. He'd just dispatched an evil henchman by opening a parachute attached to a vehicle, thereby emptying the plane of its cargo, along with the enemy and Drake himself. He managed to catch onto the netting holding one of the vehicles, only just stopping him from hurtling to his death in the desert below.

Leaving off where the demo ended, Arne Meyer hauled Nathan Drake along the netting and back toward the plane. But as he progressed, more henchmen appeared and began opening fire, while other enemies got sucked out of the plane and landed on the netting. In one amazing move, Meyer was able to pull the bad guy off the netting and take his gun, using it to take shots at the two guards on the loading ramp. Gradually, he hauled himself from one vehicle to the next, eventually making it back onto the plane, taking the enemies out for good measure.

Things weren't all good for our hero at this stage, though--more bad guys came down the plane and started opening fire. Meyer gradually moved Drake up, using whatever he could as cover, although the erratic movements of the plane meant such cover slid around and was useful only temporarily. The stress of the open cargo bay had also caused the plane to start ripping itself apart in midair, with a large hole appearing in the side. The resulting draft pulled out the remaining enemies and also caught Drake, sending him hurtling through the air in yet another cliff-hanger moment.

It was a cruel moment to end the demo on, but Naughty Dog knows how to keep us wanting more. Before we left, we were able to talk to Meyer about more of the game. Naughty Dog plans to reveal more about the game's antagonist, Katherine Marlowe, before release, shedding light on her psychological torture methods. Meyer also claims that the developer has learned a lot from the recent multiplayer beta, with gameplay and traversal mechanics currently being tweaked at the studio's Santa Monica home. We got to play a new multiplayer desert-themed map behind closed doors, which provided many hiding places and high ground for those who like their Uncharted multiplayer a little more tactical.

It's fair to say that Uncharted 3 enjoyed a great reception at Gamescom, but there's clearly more the team has up its sleeve. As always, keep it locked to GameSpot to be the first to hear more about the game ahead of its release.

If you're a Tekken fan, then we have just the thing for you. Tekken Hybrid is a multimedia homage to the fighting series, which celebrates its 17th birthday this year. It looks to the series' past, with an HD remake of the original Tekken Tag Tournament. It looks to the future with a prologue version of the new Tekken Tag Tournament 2. And, just for good measure, it also looks sideways to the movie industry, with a new animated movie based on the franchise.

This three-in-one package will be exclusive to the PlayStation 3, although the Blood Vengeance movie will be playable in standard Blu-ray systems as well. It's also 3D-enabled for those with compatible TVs and players, following its 3D theatrical run last month in the US. It has been developed in conjunction with Namco so that the plot takes place between the events of Tekken 5 and Tekken 6 and was made by Japanese animation studio Digital Frontier.

The gaming part of the Tekken Hybrid package is tailored to appeal to fans of the Tag variety of the franchise. For the remake of the original game, the artists have gone in and redone all of the textures across the main game and popular minigames, such as Tekken Bowl. They were apparently already some of the highest-quality textures used in all the PlayStation-era Tekken games, though, even down to the modelling of the back of the characters' teeth. However, this is the first time the game has been made available in widescreen high definition, and for European players, running at 60 frames per second.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue, meanwhile, is a demo for the forthcoming arcade release of the full game, although Namco was careful about not describing it as such. That's mainly because it comes with plenty of content that's specific to the Prologue version, including a 3D mode that we got to see in action. It comes with four playable characters sporting two costumes each--Alisa, Ling Xiaoyu, Devil Jin, and Kazuya. Namco was keen to point out that the female fighters boast school uniform costumes too, and clothes gradually get dirtier as the characters fall into mud and water on the ground.

There will also be trophy support for both Tekken Tag Tournaments, as you would hope. The package is due for release later this year on the PlayStation 3, so keep an eye out for a final date soon.

If you were a fan of the delightful class-based co-op in Resistance 2, then you were likely a little heartbroken to learn that Insomniac wouldn't be bringing that mode over to Resistance 3. Well, don't get too carried away with all that sorrow. If there's one thing we've learned from the Resistance 3 beta, it's that there's still plenty of room to carve out your own personalized role on the battlefield. Between a wildly varied selection of weaponry and four different ability slots--all of which can be upgraded to achieve new functions--there's a lot of room for customization and finely tuned character builds in Resistance 3. To give you an idea, here are a few of the "classes" we've been toying around with in the beta:

The Parasitic Medic

In contrast to the story campaign, Resistance 3's competitive multiplayer uses regenerating health. So you can't really be a medic in the traditional sense, but you can try! Here's how: Slot in the bubble shield ability, which pops up a yellow half-sphere that prevents any bullets from entering, giving you a temporary safe zone to regenerate some lost health. But it doesn't only work on you--any teammates inside can use it as well. So feel free to run around the map looking for teammates in danger, throw down a bubble shield at their feet, and shout, "You're safe now, little buddy!" Then, go ahead and make sure you've got the leaper corpse ability equipped, which makes it so that when you die, friendly parasites burst from your dead body to further defend your teammates. Because at the end of the day, isn't being a medic all about sacrifice? Yes. Yes, it is.

The All-Seeing Eye

Resistance 3's collection of active and passive abilities isn't all about increasing your firepower. If you want, you can focus purely on intel gathering. Start by using the spotter ability, which flashes the screen with Terminator-esque red scan lines that automatically highlight every enemy you encounter in a bright red outline. Specifically, a bright red outline that your entire team can see. Then, combine this with the tracker ability, which allows you to see glowing footprints on the ground from any enemy who's recently passed through there. With these two in effect, you can put a serious damper on the other team's ability to hide out and camp. Plus you can pretend you have cyborg vision, so that's pretty cool too. (Note: these two abilities are paired up in one of the stock loadouts, but try mixing and matching them with different weapons for added entertainment once you've unlocked custom loadouts.)

One of the two maps in the beta will bring you to Wales, a region famous for its vibrant weather.

If there's one thing better than setting traps in a multiplayer shooter, it's setting traps that turn your enemies into zombies that run off and do your evil bidding. Which you can do in Resistance 3! Start with the decoy ability, which essentially pops up a hologram version of yourself to lure in unsuspecting enemies. Then, run off into a hiding spot and wait for enemies to approach this decoy. With any luck, you'll have fooled them into going for a melee attack, granting you the opportunity to fire off enough rounds from your mutator gun. When upgraded, this thing basically turns enemies into exploding zombies that run off and detonate themselves in a group of their teammates. Yes, please!

The Guy Who Just Likes Fire

Our favorite weapon in the beta might just be the upgraded Rossmore shotgun. You start out with a plain shotgun that has a concussion grenade for its alternate fire, but when you spend upgrade points to level up your weapon, you'll be able to fire incendiary buckshot and an incendiary grenade by the third and final upgrade tier. It takes a while to get there, but once you do, it's an absolute blast. We can't express in words how entertaining it is to turn a corner, stumble into a group of enemies, and use the alt-fire to set them all ablaze in a moment of twitch-reflex glory. To really go on a pyromaniac rampage, combine this gun with an upgraded ammo beacon ability so that any time you use up the single alt-fire ammo you start with, you can easily refill it on the fly.

Want to see more on the Resistance 3 beta? Check out nearly 30 minutes of video in our Now Playing!

To count the number of Bleach video game spin-offs on one hand would be impossible. If you are referring to the English counterparts, however, there are only four of them, with the most recent one being Bleach: The 3rd Phantom for the DS. Fans hoping to check out an action game without resorting to spending lots on importing fees can look forward to the upcoming adaptation called Bleach: Soul Resurreccion, exclusively for the PlayStation 3.

For our recent play-through, we checked out three stages: two of them starred main hero Ichigo Kurosaki and one of them was with Quincy warrior Uryu Ishida. All of them involved the main heroes slashing hordes upon hordes of ghosts with different types of skullcaps called hollows. Sometimes, you'll fight a trio of giant hollows called menos grandes that bear a resemblance to the outfits of a plague doctor in the Renaissance era. The game also stay true to the Hueco Mundo arc of the series by having you square off mano a mano against evolved hollow lieutenants called the arrancars, with one of them mimicking a Saint Seiya reject with added blue long hair and a tail.

Insert your own ice-related puns here.

Controlling our main hero Ichigo was pretty easy: Square and triangle are his normal and spirit attacks, respectively, while pressing the circle unleashes an area-clearing attack. You can dash all across the Hueco Mundo by pressing and holding down the R2 button. Pressing the L2 button when you've killed enough enemies will unleash a character's unique power-up: In the case of Ichigo, he'll put on his hollow mask and be all powered up while also having access to a screen-clearing ultra attack upon pressing the L2 button again.

To defend yourself, you have to hold down R1 to block; dodging attacks via flash steps require you to push toward any direction on the left thumbstick while holding the block button. You can single out a lone target by pressing the L1 once, in which the cursor will lock on to the enemy that's within the center-most point of the camera. All forms of spirit moves require spirit energy (located at the bottom of your health) that regenerate over time as long as you're not dashing. Exhausting the energy until depleted will increase the regeneration time, so you'll have to be careful not to drain it too much when using spirit attacks.

Uryu's main weapon is his ginrei kojaku, which is a pentacle-shaped plasma-shooting bow. Pressing the triangle in succession unleashes white arrows followed up by a wide blast that pushes hollows away. Pressing the circle lets Uryu use his ginto abilities, which are spells that use up liquid spirit energy from tiny vials, to clear his surrounding area of enemies. Players can look forward to controlling other Bleach mainstays like soul reapers Rukia Kuchiki, Toshiro Hitsugaya, and Byakuya Kuchiki. The game also allows you to level up characters and upgrade their moves. Upon collecting the game's equivalent of experience points, you can unlock triple jumps, ability cancels, and guard counterattacks to help combat enemies.

While the combat feels satisfying upon first glance, if you're not a fan, you will definitely not find much appeal to keep pressing forward. There isn't a way for newbies to get in tune to the game because the bits and pieces that constitute narratives are all over the place. The game could also benefit new players by offering a lexicon and dictionary a la the codex option in Mass Effect because most of the key abilities and skills are alien to new players.

The camera also got in the way while we were dashing around in confined spaces. Save for the end-of-level bosses, which would require some use of dodging and running around the wide-open battlefield, the hollow army did not put up much of a challenge. Thus, we resorted to spamming their respective spirit attacks while conserving their spirit energy to get ahead and not get hurt at all. Even if we got hurt, a grayed-out part of our health bar would regenerate over time, so we would probably have to try really, really hard to fail. In short, we didn't feel that the aforementioned counterattacks and upgrades were necessary in finishing a segment.

Even with the prospect of reliving a rather large and, arguably, exciting part of the Bleach storyline in video game form, we admit that the experience could use a lot more meat and thought. Here's hoping that the rest of the game can change our perceptions when the localized version is released in the US on August 2 and in Asia next week on July 28.

If you've heard of the developers known as Nude Maker, chances are you may have played a game called Infinite Space, a sci-fi ship-building role-playing game, and Steel Battalion, a mecha-piloting game that came attached with a large specialized controller. Nude Maker--a studio that consists of former developers from Human Entertainment (infamously known for the Clock Tower series)--is now teaming up with Konami to make a sci-fi-themed action game called Senritsu no Stratus, roughly translated as "Terror of the Stratus."

Here's the obnoxious animation that shows off the main character's angry face before a super attack.

The game's tale is set in the year 2058 in Imperial Tokyo, where the human race is dying out thanks to creatures called memes. These beasts, which are made up of nothing but data and information, are somehow armed to the teeth using technology and weapons sent from their home base called the Lunar Stratus.

Of course, the humans aren't going to take this lying down. You control a trio of armed warriors from the Imperial Task Force 6, which deals with the meme threat with extreme prejudice. Leading the pack is Seishiro Kudan, a white-haired sword wielder who was forced into the alien ordeal in the first place. Following him are Sasahara Nanase, a blonde-haired no-nonsense riflewoman; Usami Makoto, a short-blade wielder; and Azuma Takahiro, whose weapon type we could not figure out at this point. Helping out behind enemy lines are Misogi Takanosu and Takumi Yagami, high-ranking captains who are also childhood friends.

While all that potential drama sounds well and good, the real meat of the game is its blending of two genres: 2D side-scrolling and top-down isometric-view shooting a la Viewpoint. Specifically, the first half of the game puts you with a trio of the aforementioned characters as they traverse through the battlefield fighting tiny alien memes (led by a giant towering meme overlooking the warzone) using each character's special weapons and special moves. You can switch between characters, depending on the situation and the type of enemies you'll be facing. Ideally, picking off targets from afar would require Nanase's rifle, while clustered-up groups of memes would be susceptible to Seishiro's long-wide blade slashes.

You're not wandering around aimlessly, however; you'll have to search for the giant meme's weak spot and gather enough information to send to headquarters. Once that is done, the viewpoint switches, and you get to destroy the kaiju-sized meme using your equally large Arabaki mecha. This particular fight will be one-on-one and will be reliant on the strategy formed during the 2D segments, so expect to beat up the giants by exposing and hitting weak spots through elaborate processes.

You'll be piloting this bad boy as you lay the smackdown on giant memes.

An action-heavy game like this would presumably be reliant on a grading and scoring system if the bottom numbers on the user interface are of any indication. The faster you assimilate the info and defeat the giant meme, the higher the score would be. There also seemed to be an Evangelion vibe from this game, but the whole brink-of-extinction-future-with-giant-aliens-assimilating-life shtick can be said to be true for most '90s sci-fi animes featuring giant mechas. At the very least, Nude Maker might be doing a throwback to such a trope storywise.

Senritsu no Stratus is set to come out in 2011 on the PSP, so we can safely say that we'll get a thorough hands-on at this year's Tokyo Game Show at Konami's booth. An English version of the title has yet to be confirmed.

Multiplayer might not have been the most called-for addition to Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2, but--as Tom Mc Shea found out in his review--it was a lot of fun and attracted more than 2.7 million players after release. It should come as no surprise, then, to see multiplayer making a return in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, with new modes, maps, and more high-fiving Drakes than you can imagine. If you're a PlayStation Plus subscriber or an inFamous 2 owner, you can get your hands on the multiplayer mode now via a closed beta. If you're short one of the coveted access keys, though, read on for our impressions of the beta, which opens up to the public on July 5.

Before you delve into the action, the beta encourages you to take a look at the character customization options. These let you change everything from your character's outfit and facial features to weapon loadout and mods. New weapons are unlocked by leveling up your character, while you purchase weapon mods, such as larger ammo clips, faster reload times, or boosts to a weapon's accuracy, using money you've acquired during matches. Initially, you're limited to an AK47 as your primary weapon, but as you level up, you gain access to grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and the cockney gangster favorite: the sawed-off shotgun.

Once you've got your character suitably dressed and equipped for combat, you can get into a match. The beta features five modes: the familiar Team Deathmatch and Co-Op Arena, as well as all-new Free-for-All, Three Team Deathmatch, and Hardcore Arena. Free-for-All is--as the name suggests--a one-versus-everyone mode, in the vein of classic deathmatch. Three Team Deathmatch pits you and a friend against another two teams of two, while Hardcore Arena is a standard team deathmatch, minus any boosters or kickbacks.

Boosters and kickbacks are a form of power-up for your character. Boosters are equipped before a match using money you've earned, while kickbacks are activated during a match with medals that you've earned via different types of kills and assists. If you find you're dying more often than not, kickbacks are extremely useful and can restore the balance of a match. Too slow to escape gunfire? Active your speed-boost kickback. Tired of reloading? Activate the militia man kickback. Want to blow the living crap out of everything in sight? Spawn yourself a rocket-propelled grenade and blow everyone up.

If your team is seriously behind in Team Deathmatch, a new power play system attempts to level the playing field. When your team is ahead, you might incur a penalty, such as one member of your team becoming a VIP that you have to protect, with his or her death giving the opposing team more points. Conversely, if you're behind, you can gain the ability to identity the positions of your opponents through buildings for a limited time. Whether the power play system does a good job balancing matches is up for debate, but we found it injected some extra thrills into more drawn-out battles.

The beta contains just two maps: Chateau and Airstrip. You can read more about the latter in our previous look at the map, but for those with link aversion, here's a recap. Airstrip takes place on a moving plane, where you have defend the cargo hold from the opposition while it foolishly attempts to attack your team from an army of chasing trucks. This gives you the opportunity to indulge in some classic camping, picking off the poor saps as they weave around in front of you. Later, the action moves to the airfield, filled with disused crates and an old aircraft hangar, giving you plenty of places to take cover. The roof of the hangar is usable too, which is great for any snipers on your team.

"No pudding until you've eaten your vegetables, Drake."

Chateau eschews moving vehicles for a more rustic look. It's set within a crumbling stone building and features a garden filled with relics that lends itself well to small skirmishes. Small passages around the building are ideal hangouts for snipers, who can pick off unsuspecting victims. Elevated paths also provide good sniper positions and feature mounted turrets that you can use to lay waste to the opposition below you. They take time to get up to speed, though, so you leave yourself open to attack for a good few seconds. One other cool feature on the map is a zip line, which you can use to dive headfirst into a skirmish. Call us show-offs, but using the zip line to make a grand entrance before spraying bullets all over the opposition was a lot of fun and a great way to take our opponents by surprise.

We also had a lot of fun playing Co-Op Arena mode, which returns following its debut in Uncharted 2. It pits you and two companions against waves of CPU-controlled enemies. With each wave comes a different goal, whether that's defending an area in Siege, going on a killing spree in Survival, or gathering up treasure in Gold Rush. Like all online co-op modes, though, you're only as good as your teammates, and with friendly fire on, you run the risk of encountering some less-than-helpful players who love nothing more than shooting you and dancing over your still-warm corpse.

PlayStation Plus subscribers and inFamous 2 owners can dive straight into the multiplayer beta now, while everyone else gets access on July 5. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is due for release this November. For more on the game, check out our previous coverage.

Though famous for its iOS puzzle game Rolando, developer Hand Circus is taking a break from mobile, bringing co-op adventure game Okabu to the PlayStation 3. With a cute, colourful, and slightly eccentric art style, Okabu certainly looks the part, but how does it play? We went hands-on to find out.

You play as one of two cloudwhales named Kumulo and Nimbe, members of an ancient and peaceful race that lives above the skies of a land known as Okabu. Their normally happy-go-lucky lives in the sky are disrupted when pollution from Okabu begins to make them sick. Frustrated, Kumulo and Nimbe set out to find the source of the pollution, only to be overwhelmed and fall from the sky. It's then that they find the source--the evil Doza tribe--and they make it their mission to clean up Okabu and restore their cloudwhale home in the sky.

You're not on your own in your mission, though. Other Okabu tribes have been suffering from the pollution, and their many villagers are more than happy to lend you a hand in taking down the Doza. The first level introduces you to an eccentric character known as Captain Monkfish. He's stranded on an island after a freak fishing accident, and his daring rescue sees him ride atop either Kumulo or Nimbe, letting you use his harpoon gun--albeit a rather cheap one made up of a plunger and rope. Holding down circle brings up an aiming reticle, which you can use to target the gun and perform different actions. You can use it to drag objects around, open doors, or--like in tasks you perform for Captain Monkfish--open treasure chests, and to return baby Rubyfish to their expecting mothers.

Kumulo and Nimbe aren't without their own abilities, though. Aside from floating above the ground, they can absorb liquids such as water and oil, using them to put out or start fires. Early missions have you watering strange vegetation known as aeroplants to remove pollution, shooting water out of your mouth to destroy enemies, or picking up fruit to use as projectiles. Later you meet a second hero known as Piccolo. He has the ability to charm villagers and animals using his musical pipe and lead them around. This, too, is used in a variety of puzzles. In one section, after putting out fires and destroying Doza, a thankful villager offers up a goat as a present. You can lead the goat around, using its charging ability to break down walls or destroy enemies.

It's when these abilities are combined that things get interesting. After rescuing the aforementioned goat, we were tasked with rescuing villages who had been imprisoned by the Doza. There were various puzzles to solve along the way, the first of which required using Captain Monkfish's harpoon gun to aim a giant magnifying glass at a set of explosive crates to blow them up and clear a blocked path. Later, we had to absorb some oil, which we used to set fire to another set of crates, while also using the goat to destroy a group of Doza guarding the trapped villagers.

Behind every cloud is another cloud.

Goats also feature in a minigame called Goat Guardians. The goal of the minigame is to protect three characters from mechanical Dozas using Piccolo's special ability. You can choose to move the three characters around, or use goats to destroy the Dozas. It gets more difficult as you progress, with multiple enemies requiring you to think fast and move multiple characters at once. Played cooperatively, it's much easier, because each person can concentrate on one task at a time. The same goes for the rest of the game. While you can play it on your own--switching between Kumulo and Nimbe--playing with a friend and working together to solve puzzles makes it more fun.

Look out for Okabu when it launches on the PlayStation Network later this summer, and keep reading GameSpot for a full review soon.

The campaign in Resistance 3 kind of makes you think about ladders. Now, wait, bear with us a moment. See, the ladders in Resistance 3 aren't great. You scale them with these slow, awkwardly stilted climbing animations that make you wonder whether your character has a secret fear of heights. In most games, you wouldn't notice this sort of thing, but here, it's just jarring. At least it was for us. We couldn't help it. Every other part of Resistance 3's campaign is ridiculously well done.

Sony recently sent over a build featuring the first couple of hours of Resistance 3's story campaign, and there was no shortage of cackling with glee as we made our way across the Midwest in the shoes of hero Joseph Capelli. Resistance 3's protagonist is a guy who's just been trying to lay low, avoid the Chimeran invaders that terrorized his time in the military, and carve out a new life hiding in small-town Oklahoma with his wife and son. But as luck so often has it, the alien menace finds him--we won't spoil who's fault that is--and now, Joseph has been pushed out on a reluctant expedition to New York where the Chimera have installed a device to freeze the Earth.

From the outset, it's clear that this isn't the same type of scenario as in Resistance 2. You're not fighting in a squad of elite soldiers known as the Sentinels. You're an unlikely hero, dishonorably discharged from the military and now living among a band of refugees without a whole lot in your favor. There's this theme of bleakness and despair that comes across exceptionally well in the game's atmosphere. Whether it's the wind whistling through the bare trees of a desolate Oklahoma forest, the light creeping through the boarded-up windows of a darkened safe house, or the survivors with missing limbs standing around in morose dejection, all of these little details create a tremendous sense of place. It's as though the battle has long since been lost, and by this point, you're really only fighting out of spite.

Well, spite and perhaps the faintest of faint glimmers of hope. You start the game in small-town Oklahoma, fighting Chimera in wilted corn fields and dried-out river beds. But your journey eventually takes you on a route along the foggy Mississippi River where you pass through the tragic remains of a flooded town. Soon after, you'll progress toward the ruins of St. Louis, where a band of well-equipped survivors called the Remnants have carved out a sense of purpose amid the wreckage. It's here that you discover these Remnants are pretty much your new best friends. Though probably incredibly smelly from hanging out in the sewers, these survivors have access to a VTOL aircraft, which is something that would make your journey to New York a whole lot easier.

In traditional Resistance fashion, this bleak road trip is made more exciting by a collection of terrific weapons, each with a primary and alternate fire. But this game breaks with recent tradition by not limiting you to two weapons at a time, as the weapon wheel from the original Resistance makes a return here. It seems like a minor change in the early goings, but as you progress through the story and pick up more outlandish Chimeran weaponry, the ability to choose from a half-dozen wildly varied firearms on the fly adds a lot of excitement and room for creativity. Even the human weapons can be pretty fun. Case in point: Your shrapnel grenade is made from a modified bean can.

The weapons feel terrific, too. They all pack a devastating punch, and the enemies take damage in gruesomely realistic fashion. (Seriously, don't use that Rossmore shotgun at close range unless you have a strong stomach.) While you can use pretty much any weapon on any enemy, there tends to be a best one for any given situation. One of the new enemies is called the Long Legs, and these are guys who jump 50 feet in the air from spot to spot across the battlefield. Good luck if you're trying to use the bull's-eye assault rifle's primary fire, but if you can tag them with the alternate fire, your bullets will then follow them around the map wherever they leap. Then, there's a new gun called the atomizer, which proved to be a life saver in a stretch of the St. Louis level that had us trekking through a nearly pitch-black underground cellar. This was an eerie, survival horror sort of level where the darkness was occasionally punctuated by Chimera bursting from gestation pods. Apart from a dim flashlight, we could really only hear them, except, that is, for when we fired the atomizer. This thing fires a burst of electricity at any enemy within a few feet of you while illuminating the room in a creepy bluish light to give you a helpful look at what's ahead.

The Chimera are a blast to kill, but the game's smart AI means this is no turkey shoot.

There's a lot more we can talk about; there's the fact that the game's impressive AI has last survivor enemies retreating to a safe destination to pick you off from afar and the fact that the incredible sense of atmosphere gives Killzone 3 a run for its money with beautiful lighting and smoke effects. And sure, there are also nitpicks, like the aforementioned ladders and the fact that some massive enemies--like the new Brawler--go down surprisingly quickly. But all you really need to know is that the team at Insomniac has created a terrific campaign, one that strikes a great balance between the new (its bleak middle-American setting and tone) and the familiar (the elaborate and varied weaponry). Needless to say, we're very excited to see where Capelli's journey goes after these first few hours.

Journey comes from the makers of esteemed arty titles Flow and Flower and is well equipped to bear the burden of expectation. Like Flow and Flower, this downloadable game is a curious, meditative slice of arty game-making. It's also lovely to look at, like its forebears. Where those games verged on mood pieces, though, desert-set Journey leans further towards a more traditional story-driven adventure.

Not very much further, mind. For the most part, it still favours mood and mystery over exposition and tests of skill. But here you have a protagonist, at least, and an objective--even if you know next to nothing about either. The former is a figure in a red robe; the latter is a distant mountain, topped with a bright light. You make your way across a desert towards it, climbing up dunes and sliding down the other side, occasionally flying, occasionally wandering off course to explore a dusty ruin.

In the portion of the game currently available to beta testers, the robed protagonist treks across a sandy plain scattered with mysterious marker stones and receives visions from luminous figures conjured by similarly mysterious statues. There are hints at a story in the wordless cutscenes of those visions, but Journey has no interest in spelling anything out for you, concerning itself instead with a sense of wonder and overwhelming scale--and with it, loneliness.

That loneliness makes Journey's experimental take on multiplayer all the more effective. In your solitary wandering, from time to time you come across a fellow traveller--that is, another player. But the player won't have a username or anything else with which you could identify him or her, and you won't be able to communicate using voice or text chat. When you meet a stranger, all you can do is sing, one musical tone at a time. You don't have to interact at all--you could each just wander off again--but you stay strangers even if you do continue your journey together. Most likely, though, you will also be glad of the company. And you are encouraged to travel together--when you huddle up, you each recharge the magic scarf you use for flying.

Red gliding hood.

With your magic scarf, you can boost yourself skyward and then glide back down to earth. As you make your way through the dunes, you'll find glowing fragments of scarf to add to yours--meaning your trailing, glowing scarf gets longer as you progress, and so you can fly higher and further. You'll also find fonts with which to recharge your scarf's power. These are dotted around in the sand, along with the various ruins housing mysterious statues and, later on, huge pillars, which need to be bridged by unfurling magic red banners in order to reach the other side of a valley. That's the closest Journey comes to conventional puzzles, at least in the beta, and even this seems more intended as further reason to wander around than as a brainteaser; to solve it, you need only seek out a number of banners fluttering from rocks in the valley basin and sing at them.

Journey's beautiful, desolate environments have a touch of Shadow of the Colossus about them, and the simple, quirky cel-shaded character designs look like something out of a Ghibli anime movie. The sand, meanwhile, drifts and shimmers and generally looks lovely. As far as we've seen, you'll be gently guided towards your mysterious objective, the mountain on the horizon, by gliding from landmark to landmark on a mostly empty desert plane. Though it's an expansive world, it's not exactly an open one: if you wander too far off course, you'll be blown back by desert winds.

Between the spontaneous, chat-free co-op; poignant, moody soundtrack; and gorgeous, drifty sand, we think Journey is shaping up to be something pretty special. Look out for this sand-surfing, scarf-gliding downloadable adventure later this year on PSN.

Core gamers may have remembered past gems from Vanillaware like Odin Sphere (on the PlayStation 2) and Muramasa: The Demon's Blade (on the Wii) for their lovely art style and action-heavy gameplay. Fans of such lavish aesthetics should pay heed to the developer's latest game, Grand Knights History, which will have the same art style that won many hearts. However, Vanillaware will be taking a slower pace this time around, as this fantasy-themed PSP role-playing game will be turn based and have small elements of party micromanagement.

Players control a group of four knights as they act out the story set in the land of Rystia where three kingdoms--Logress, Union, and Avalon--wage war against each other. These warriors can be customized, from their fighting styles (weapons or magic) all the way to how they look and act. It's really up to you if you want to include either a female knight with a large dress bearing a sword and shield or a Red Riding Hood-lookalike with a rifle.

In the land of Rystia, it's a normal fashion statement to have hats bigger than your head.

Formations play a huge part in combat. There will be 20 formations for players to experiment with; some will change up a group's attack and defense rating while also giving regeneration bonuses. Some of these formations can make certain enemy attacks ineffective as well.

Your band of knights can also learn special skills, depending on which weapon they mainly use. For instance, a knight that uses a spear more than other weapons will not only deal more damage with that weapon, but can also learn spear-related techniques like gallop beat, which makes your knight charge head-on at an opponent and deal critical damage as a result. A knight who uses a dagger continuously can learn a skill called flash code, which lets a user attack an opponent four times consecutively.

Grand Knights History's other main feature is its online component, which initially sounds promising. You will get to represent one of the three kingdoms in the game, with the goal being to expand your chosen kingdom's territory. You will work together with other group of knights online to fight against other online groups from opposing factions. Whether you'll be fighting against an actual person online or facing off against his or her ghost data, the outcome of each fight will reflect how your kingdom is doing.

Your knight's formations can make a difference between life and death.

In terms of control, players are given two options: They can either have direct control over their group or have the AI handle it. For the former, players will need to stay online to control each aspect of battle. For the latter, they can test out combat patterns and set up which commands to prioritize before sending their group to combat. When a battle is over, each participating player gets to vote over which battlefield they get to contest on for the next fight.

Players do not need to be online while they're handled by the AI, which means that they can put the PSP on standby and check back in a couple of hours to reap the rewards. Gamers can send a total of three groups per online session, as well as make a choice on whether to control them directly or leave it to the AI. Grand Knights History will also have community-based features. Players can check out rankings on the game's leaderboards, as well as follow certain players and chart their battle history.

Amidst the chaos, it seems that the four-legged teapot is gaining the upper hand.

Publisher Marvelous Entertainment said that the game's network content will allow players to fight against other users overseas. Together with the notion of commanding three different groups of knights fighting for online supremacy for your kingdom of choice, the success of this idea is dependent on the cooperation of the game's community, as well as the overall kingdom's party setup. Vanillaware has yet to divulge communication options for the game, but any sign of a simple messaging system between groups in the same kingdoms would be welcome.

Right now, there aren't any big details on the game's single-player mode apart from what's been covered on this site, but stay tuned for more information on Vanillaware's PSP debut. Grand Knights History will be out on September 1.

A sequel is on its way for White Knight Chronicles that will wrap up the storyline involving the main character Leonard. In White Knight Chronicles II, you once again create a customizable and silent avatar, which you can take into the online world. However, some changes have been made, and fan feedback has been taken into consideration to make White Knight Chronicles II a faster-paced experience. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo, we had a chance to mess with the customization of the arc knight and fight a larger boss whose identity we won't reveal.

Make it yours!

The story takes place a year after the events of the first game. The evil organization known as the Magi is out looking for the fifth knight, and Leonard's goal is to find it before they do. In our last preview we went into detail about the changes in the battle system. To recap, the action bar (or circle in this case) starts off full when you initiate a fight. It also refills faster or slower depending on armor, because weight makes a difference in terms of your resistance to knockback as well as your attack speed. Distance now matters, so the closer you get to your target, the more accurate your strikes will be, and enemies can hurt you only by using ranged attacks if you are farther away. There's a break system that lets you target specific parts of enemies to stun them, which is crucial to bringing bosses down quickly and knocking them over. At any point, you can hit the triangle button for a turn break, which lets you attack without waiting for your action bar to fill up. By pressing the X button, you can do a more devastating charged attack, and now you can defend without having to wait for your action gauge to fill.

You can now bring your customization incorruptus into the online portion of the game, where you'll take on a variety of missions as well as new bounty quests that will yield rewards when you track down certain enemies. We're told that the missions are harder now, which is why you are given the power to transform into an Arc Knight. Instead of four players, you can now have up to six people playing online together, and if you have your save data from the first game, your information should all transfer over. The first game is included with the purchase of White Knight Chronicles II, and it has been remastered to include the battle system changes. You'll have plenty of options to make your incorruptus unique by changing colors on the individual armor pieces and equipping yourself with different armor types and big knight-specific weapons.

Aim for the knees!

The demo took us through the dismal Lost Forest and into the Asian-themed kingdom of Faria. We skipped through the cutscenes since they reveal some plot points that might be considered spoilers. However, like the previous game, White Knight Chronicles II is a good-looking game, and we're told that the graphics engine has also been enhanced, so there are some improvements.

Look for the game when it is released sometime this summer.

It's clear to publishers that zombies, no matter how trite or cliche the concept, can always draw a crowd (Call of Duty: Black Ops' recent downloadable content is a good example). Sega and producer Toshihiro Nagoshi seem to have followed this train of thought because the man behind the Yakuza series has put Kazuma Kiryu and his friends in an alternate timeline inspired by George Romero's undead movies and Valve's shooter Left 4 Dead.

We experienced the first few hours of Yakuza: Of the End where we got to control Yakuza 4's Akiyama and, for the first time in the series, Yakuza's eye-patch wearing psychopath Goro Majima. The former wields two handguns whereas the latter starts off with a shotgun. Akiyama's scenario was the easiest of the bunch because the first half of his section was more or less a tutorial that teaches you the ins and outs of the combat system. When choosing between Akiyama and Goro's penchant for a gun that blasts anything up close into meaty chunks, we had to favor the crazy person's scenario a little more. Plus, he fights a burly rock-covered zombie gorilla (more on that later).

Akiyama in a bit of a pickle.

The controls are atypical from your regular shooter. You use the square button to shoot; the R1 is the auto-aim function, which lets you move around slowly while pelting anything within your line of sight. To shoot specific parts accurately, you'll have to hold down the R2 button to initiate close aim mode. Reloading is done by pressing the L1. If the undead gets too close, then press the circle button to perform a melee attack or the X button to dodge your way out of harm's reach. The triangle activates heat actions whenever you see a green exclamation mark pop up either on an environment prop or on an enemy attacking you. Unlike past entries, the heat bar regenerates slowly over time, which means that you will never be left caught with your pants down whenever a heat action presents itself during intense combat.

While we faced the standard zombies that came in droves, we had to contend with other types of undead. The dekamacho zombie is large and can do ground pounds while also hitting really hard. Fortunately, its red head was its obvious weakness so all it took was a little strafing while using close aim to keep pelting it until it keeled over. We also came across the speedster and DJ-headphones-wearing zombie types. We took down the former by dodging whenever it lunged at us and counterattacked with bullets; we could also deal more damage by initiating a heat action as soon as it jumped at us. The latter was a little trickier; it dodged our shots so precisely that we had to wait until it pulled off a melee chain combo before we could seize an opening. Players should also watch out for bloated zombies; once they explode, the green gas they emit will make nearby zombies more powerful and feral. These encounters may be frequent, but at least they add a little diversity to your slaughter.

When it comes to baddies larger than life, Yakuza: Of the End does not disappoint so far. Akiyama had to face off against the cousin of Resident Evil's licker, which attacked us with its elastic arms. The creature could climb onto walls, though our constant use of the R1 ensured that the beast would still get shot. Halfway through, the beast hid in the ceiling and proceeded to poke at us with its arm. When it finally stopped and exposed its head through one of the ceiling holes, we had to use close aim to shoot it down.

Meanwhile, Goro had to butt heads against the aforementioned zombie gorilla that resembled Fantastic Four's The Thing. Because it was covered in granite, we had to use the nearby broken-down tank to shoot a mortar at it so that part of its skin could come off. From there, we pelted it with shotgun blasts until it shed its entire body, leaving it completely naked with its red heart exposed and ripe for shooting. The gorilla made the situation tough by charging at us, throwing rocks in our direction and also performing the usual ground pounds and belly flop. Try as we might, we couldn't stay in the tank long because the big ape could just grab and throw us onto the pavement. Both of these boss battles have heat action opportunities: Akiyama can knock down a beast with a heat action provided that the beast leaps toward him, whereas Goro can shoot down a car the gorilla carries to make it explode in its face.

Even with the dreary setting, players can still pick up hostesses and gamble their earnings in makeshift casinos.

Because enemies come in groups this time around, the difficulty in the game can range from manageable to outright insane. We didn't struggle too much when the game was on normal, but there were many times we were almost out of health due to either getting blindsided carelessly by a dekamacho giant or having a large group of them approach us from behind and knocking us down until our health reached zero. Part of the problem is due to the controls and camera. We had to get used to the fact that the R1 and R2 only come into effect when your character is facing in a particular direction and do not automatically lock on to the nearest threat.

The camera also got a little crazy when we were pressing on the R1 while in a cramped room with five or six zombies trying to gnaw us. Thankfully, we could just face an enemy and shoot without fussing too much with aiming half the time, especially when the camera panned and looked down on our character and his situation. Sadomasochists can check out the Ex-Hard and Of The End difficulty after completing the game once if they really want the zombies to pack more of a punch than before.

The game features AI partners to tag along with your main character. Frankly, they're seen more as meat fodder for zombies and the occasional heat action partner. We had to actually help out our partner as he or she couldn't escape from a zombie's grip at all. Even if we could assign basic commands to it, the AI seemed to struggle. We hope the game offers better partners down the line because right now, we'd much rather head into zombie town alone.

Even with the quarantine in effect, players can still explore the other half of Kamurocho that's still bustling with humans and activities that made the series famous. Players can participate in karaoke, play arcade games like Boxcelios 2, and take their chances with casino games either for more money or just to take a break from all the zombie evisceration. Kamiyama, the man who modified weapons in his van, makes a comeback to help buff your weapons while selling you amenities during your undead-infested trip. Gary Buster Holmes, another familiar face in the Yakuza franchise, has his own boot camp where players can partake in time trials shooting up target practice boards as fast as possible for extra rewards. Gamers can also date hostesses in nightclubs and even recruit them as gun-toting partners.

If Sega plans to release the game for the US audience, it will need to tailor the controls so that they're more in line with the control scheme of other Western action shooters. Frankly, the game's battle system takes some time getting used to and the game engine is really showing its age since Yakuza Kenzan! On a positive note, fans will be interested in seeing Kamurocho in a different light; one that's filled with all manners of the undead, as well as riddled with underground dungeons and vehicles lying around for your use. Yet at the same time, the game still retains its sandbox elements, thanks to the activities mentioned above.

The import copy of the game is out now, but Sega has yet to announce an English version of the game.

Naughty Dog turned the Electronic Entertainment Expo on its ear back in 2009 with a show-stealing demo of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. We all remember how that particular story went: boy meets helicopter, helicopter tries to kill boy, boy escapes collapsing building. This year, Naughty Dog brought along another exciting demo for the upcoming sequel Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, but it was impressive for altogether different reasons. We had a chat with game director Justin Richmond to explore some of the details of Uncharted 3's E3 showing that might have been overlooked by the hustle and bustle of the big event.

GameSpot: Now that the dust has settled from E3, let's talk about the demo that you guys brought to the show. The Uncharted 2 demo from a couple years ago was one for the ages, with that incredible helicopter chase through a collapsing building. What made you guys decide to showcase what was, for the most part, a more subdued, stealth-oriented demo for Uncharted 3?

Justin Richmond: We really wanted to show off something that was different from Uncharted 2, but that was also impressive and interesting in its own right. That opening shot of Drake standing on the cruise ship as the rain pours down and waves pitch around him was something that resonated strongly within the studio. As a result, we decided to use that as the starting point to the demo would we ultimately show at E3. I think the level shows off some really amazing stuff, including new features (underwater swimming, for example) and technology (all that flooding water and the rolling ocean). While the demo is more of a slow burn than the collapsing building, it shows off some amazing stuff we simply could not have done in last game.

GS: In terms of the public response you got out of this demo, were there any surprise reactions that you guys weren't expecting going into E3?

JR: Anytime we do a public demo or release assets or information on what we're working on, we always want to keep our fans happy and have them chomping at the bit for more. If we accomplish those goals, we have done our job. During E3, I was really excited to see how well the cruise ship demo was received. To be honest, it's always a pleasant surprise to have people react so positively to something you have spent so much time on, especially as we are so heads down when in the middle of development, so we don't get an opportunity to see this kind of reaction until we've shown it to everyone in a very public way!

GS: Were there any aspects of the E3 demo you think might have been overlooked amidst the general hullaballoo of the show?

JR: With much of the focus at the show being on the single-player, I think many people may not know about the hands-on multiplayer demo we were showing on the floor to anybody and everybody who attended E3. All three days, the line to play was insane, with people giving us all kinds of positive feedback about how much they enjoyed the game. We are really excited for the rest of the world to get its hands on Uncharted 3 with the upcoming multiplayer beta, which starts on June 28 and runs through mid-July. We are really proud of all the improvements and additions we have made to our multiplayer game, expanding on the success of our Uncharted 2 multiplayer experience. We have added tons of new systems, customizability, and gameplay features that provide a multiplayer experience that is unlike any other title out there. Don't miss this beta; it is going to be awesome.

GS: One of the big themes from the demo was the devastating power of water. We saw it in the crashing waves, the constantly moving floor of the boat, and eventually that huge flood at the end. Can you talk a bit about the process behind deciding that water would play a bigger role in this game and the technical challenges of implementing that vision into the game?

JR: The decision came about organically. After Uncharted 2, Jacob Minkoff (lead designer) wanted to try creating a dynamic environment that was moving while you were on it. He came up with the idea of the cruise ship. Out of that, came the necessity of water. Water is obviously immensely tricky to render realistically in video games. We spent a ton of time developing systems to make sure that the level both looked and played how we wanted it to. The boat is actually being driven by the ocean, so it will never play the same way twice. Drake reacts in real time to the sway and pitch of the boat, as well as having to deal with enemies. Then, in the hold, the level actually rotates 90 degrees in real time, the water sloshing as it does so. All of these systems alone are tricky; making them interact with each other in a realistic way was even more difficult.

GS: While Uncharted is very much about those big scripted, cinematic events, there's generally quite a bit of freedom with how players can approach enemy encounters. Is there any other way the E3 demo might have unfolded depending on the player's combat strategy?

JR: Obviously, some of that demo was scripted, but the vast majority of it was player controlled. Depending on how the player chooses to play, the fight in the hold can progress completely differently. The boat will eventually flood to the point where it flips, but the player is in full control the entire time. Also, certain events were not shown in the demo that exist in the full game, so there is actually even more gameplay in the sequence than the demo let on. Players are going to get a real treat when the full game comes out.

Don't worry, that water won't mess up Drake's hair.

GS: You guys also showed a behind-closed-doors demo set with Drake and Elena trying to break into a cargo plane. There definitely seemed to be more of an unspoken bond between those two. Can you talk about where Drake and Elena are as companions--or maybe just as people--and the effect that will have on the story?

JR: With every game, we try to expand upon our characters and their relationships. I don't want to give away anything, but you will definitely see even more of Drake and Elena and how they have grown as characters over the course of the Uncharted series. Obviously, this is a sequel, and it is not like the clock has been reset. Drake and Elena have been through a lot, and Uncharted 3 will put them through even more. Players should come away from this game with an even deeper understanding of these characters and how they relate to each other. All I can say is wait and see.

Jonathan Mak, the indie developer who became widely known following the success of Everyday Shooter for the PlayStation 3 and PSP, has been cooking up a new title for debut on Sony's upcoming NGP. We got a chance to see it for the first time at Sony's recent pre-Electronic Entertainment Expo event in Los Angeles, where Mak gave us a taste of the unique new game that's one part platformer and one part...musical instrument?

Who's Making It: Jonathan Mak, indie Canadian musician Shaw-Han Liem better known as I am Robot and Proud, and a small assortment of like-minded folk.

What It Looks Like: Sound Shapes is a simple-looking game, in the vein of Mak's previous effort Everyday Shooter, that's big on bold colors and, unsurprisingly, lots of different shapes.

What You Do: At its heart, Sound Shapes is an old-school 2D platformer. You control a rolling thing on a journey to the end of a level. The musical angle comes in via points you'll hit in your path that trigger parts of a tune. Once you hit them all, you'll be rewarded with the whole music piece playing. As with any platformer, your journey isn't a simple stroll. You'll find hazards aplenty, ranging from the environment to enemies, which will make your trip to the exit a challenge. In addition, the game will include a level editor that will allow you to create your own levels that you'll be able to share with friends locally and online.

How It Plays: Sound Shapes features simple, accessible controls that we expect just about anyone will be able to pick up and play. You'll use the left analog stick to move around and the NGP face buttons to dash, jump, and cling to certain objects in the environment to navigate the levels. The simple moves chain together easily, which is key to making it through the increasingly challenging levels. The music component is interesting and adds to the challenge as you get used to the game's logic, which often requires you to not move on the beat in a level to avoid a hazard.

The level editor is incredibly accessible, thanks to liberal use of the NGP's front and back touch screens. The demo we played made it incredibly easy to create a simple level, featuring a robust array of musical instruments, objects, and visuals to mix together.

What They Say: Mak modestly calls the game something "cool" he's been working on that features a music influence.

What We Say: Despite its simplistic visuals and retro gameplay, Sound Shapes is easily one of the most intriguing NGP games we've seen so far. The game's musical angle and the ability to create levels are smart showcases for the NGP hardware, and the platforming action in it looks to be challenging and addictive in all the right ways. Sound Shapes is slated to ship around the NGP launch. Look for more on the game in the months to come.

The FIFA series needs no introduction to football fans, having grown a loyal audience and brought the beautiful game to life on the virtual pitch. Today at EA's E3 2011 presentation, it revealed that 42 million players have played in excess of 1.3 billion games online across platforms, including Facebook, smartphones, PCs, and current-generation consoles.

The presentation was thin on details about this year's version of the game, but it did allude to a reworked tactical defending system, which is significantly more reliant on timing and tactics rather than being in the right place at the right time and putting your body on the line to stop strikes at the goals. Ball precision will also play a more active role in FIFA 12, receiving a spit and polish and allowing players better, more precise dribbling of the ball, as well as improved deft touches for setting up plays.

The game will also include a brand new player impact engine. While FIFA 11 included the chance to jostle for possession, real-world physicality will now play an even larger role in tackles, with injuries incurred by playing in a dangerous way. Momentum will allow you to jump over downed players and continue on your run toward the back of the net with pace as well. Push and pull will be at play, and from the snippet of footage shown, it appears to be similar to previous games, giving players with a weight advantage the chance to knock lighter players off the ball.

Celebrity endorsements from Lil Wayne, Drake, and various international football personalities extolled the publishers adherence to faithfully re-creating the sport, with some even going as far as to suggest that the new game provides real football players with a cheat sheet on the footedness of players and the intricacies of their individual play styles.

FIFA 12 will also benefit from the addition of a new online social feature called EA Sports Football Club, which is a live service that will connect players and provide a single persistent online profile across all devices. Again, though details were scarce, EA did confirm that the company will inject new challenges and storylines into a player's experiences. We're hoping for wrestling-style face-offs.

Players will pick a club side (and we have our fingers crossed for inclusion of national teams to help fuel international rivalries) and swear allegiance to it. Playing matches online will reward players with achievements regardless of whether the matches are being played on a mobile handset, through a Web browser, or on a console from the comfort of your couch. Success will also propel your supported side up the league, with the example we saw, Tottenham Hotspur, powering up the virtual league when its supporters won.

Gameplay footage was few and far between during the presentation, but FIFA 12 appears to keep the same visual styling of the last release, with more work seemingly going on under the hood than at surface level. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to try out the new physicality elements for ourselves once the show starts. Stay tuned to GameSpot's ongoing coverage from E3 2011.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is Ubisoft's latest installment in the tactical military shooter series. The demo brought a unit of four soldiers into the swampy jungles of Nigeria. However, the landscape soon changed as the heroes advanced through civilian-populated town streets and into enemy outposts. The mission began with sneaking, performing quiet kills, and using x-ray vision but soon exploded into an action-packed gunfight.

Future Soldier departs from the first-person view of predecessor Advanced Warfighter and once again opts for Advanced Warfighter 2's third-person perspective. This allowed for gameplay akin to Gears of War: zooming in over the shoulder for a more accurate shot, dashing quickly, and ducking behind any small bits of cover to be found. This cover-based shooting also gave enough protection to use staple abilities, including stealth camouflage or remote-controlled drones. There was even enough breathing room to explore the incredibly detailed map that featured highly textured terrains and mission objective markers.

Players won't be alone in their missions as all four squadmates can be controlled during the campaign's co-op mode. This allowed for some interesting tactical planning and execution that could be timed with quick vocal commands. Two soldiers could separate from the rest of the team and flank two sides of the enemy, all while the other half of the squad bum-rushed from the center. During an escort mission, one player had to carry an injured hostage--decreasing their speed and forcing them to wield only a side arm pistol. However, the three remaining soldiers were able to provide ample suppressant fire and call in an air strike. With a mix of stealth and heavy action, the strategic cooperative multiplayer appears to be a tense and rewarding experience.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier will be released in the first quarter of 2012 on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Separate versions are also being developed for the Wii, PSP, and DS and may include some features from their high-definition counterparts.