That link I posted in our last article, it turns out that it's been updated to reveal a new game from the makers of To The Moon; A Bird Story.

It['s important to note that this isn't To The Moon 2, it doesn't feature the same characters, although it is set in the same world. Instead it's an "indie adventure short" that focusses on a character who will be featured in To The Moon 2

There's a bit more information at the Freebird link above, but one of the key bits of information is that A Bird Tale is largely dialogue free, couple with the quote that it's a 'short' I'm not expecting this to be even as long as To The Moon.

The trailer below shows the title screen and gives you some nice music to listen to, although not much else
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Yesterday we posted a handful of screenshots of upcoming maps for the next Halo 4 map pack. Today 343 Industries have released a video discussing those maps, plus a bit of blurb for each one. Out of the 3 ("Landfall", "Monolith", and "Skyline") I think I like the sound of Monolith the most.


Halo 4 Majestic Map Pack Delivers Close-Quarters Action alongside New Game Type on February 25

We're happy to announce the first details for the next major expansion in the Halo Infinity Multiplayer experience, the Majestic Map Pack, launching next Monday, February 25. Developed in collaboration with Certain Affinity, the Majestic Map Pack delivers the close-quarters action you have been craving in three all-new small to medium sized maps designed specifically for tight, competitive combat in small-team and free-for-all modes: Landfall, Monolith and Skyline.

Landfall’s emphasis is on infantry battles amidst a glittering ocean and a city under siege on a distant world. Monolith is an open battlefield; a Forerunner monument that exposes you to the naked vacuum of space – and the firepower of opposing teams. Skyline puts you in the air on a new construction site, and its distinctly industrial surroundings and sky-high locale provides new challenges in confined spaces.

Additionally, the map pack introduces a new free-for-all game type, Infinity Rumble, that is exclusive to the Majestic DLC playlist for a limited time, as well as 10 new Achievements worth a total of 250 Gamerscore.

New Battlegrounds: Majestic Map Pack

Landfall: A shining city under attack… The world of Tribute is now a graveyard, but its capital was once a bright beacon of commerce among the inner colonies. Fight in the corridors and courtyards of Casbah’s port authority buildings, but don’t stand still too long. Perfect for Infinity Slayer, this small to midsize asymmetrical map offers interiors with sparse cover, which encourages close-range combat, while the exteriors offer long lines of sight to stalk your opponents. Awesome jump routes let players spring around the outside of the map, incidentally offering a perfect view of the city as it is razed by the Covenant’s brutal assault.

Monolith: Adrift in a forgotten asteroid belt… This monument and many like it were built by the Forerunners after their final victory over the ancient humans. This small map has central man-cannons, short corridors, almost no cover, and open sightlines which make the location great for a mixture of close and mid-range battle. Monolith harkens back to more classic “Halo” arena-based maps, and its symmetry lends nicely to objective-based modes like Capture the Flag. Monolith is an open battlefield; wherever you look, you will witness the ferocious action that only a small and open map can provide.

Skyline: Combat analysts agree… The rooftop terrain on this new space tether construction site is an ideal training environment for close-quarters infantry combat. This map, perched high above the sights of reconstruction in Cascade’s capital city, is small and symmetrical, perfect for Regicide with a mixture of high and low spaces and plenty of cover. Don’t think cover means you’re safe, however – this map holds explosive fuel cells that can and will wreak havoc in Skyline’s confined spaces, not to mention the long, long drop if you misstep.

New Game Type: Infinity Rumble

Halo 4’s new game type, Infinity Rumble, is exclusive for a limited time to Majestic Map Pack owners and brings a few new twists to the War Games experience. It is a free-for-all game type where you can earn personal ordnance; all special medal and style kills help you earn ordnance faster, and you can also earn assists off of enemy players for even more medal points. You must carefully conserve and use your ordnance at just the right moment, or combine power-ups with power weapons in the race to be first. Every kill, and every death counts in Infinity Rumble, and this is reflected with a slower spawn time in the free-for-all matches.

The Majestic Map Pack will be available on Xbox LIVE for 800 Microsoft Points. Players who purchase the Halo 4 War Games Map Pass or Halo 4 Limited Edition will receive access to both the Crimson and Majestic Map Packs as well as the final map pack when it releases in April at a 15 percent savings versus purchasing them individually.

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I actually quite enjoyed the first Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage, it's the third best First of the North Star game ever made after the Sammy fighting game and the DS screen-tapping game. That said I'm not sure I need to play through another one, especially one that looks to tread quite a lot of old ground (and I'm not familiar with the stuff post-Raoh).

However, as you'll see from the trailer below, Ken's Rage 2 features Devil Reverse. DEVIL REVERSE! The guy is as tall as the Manchester Hilton, is insane and has claws. Oddly though he's probably only about the forth most awesome character in the series

Ken's Rage 2 has got a bit of a messy release. In America it's only getting a retail release on the 360, with WiiU and PS3 being digital. Here it's getting a retail release on PS3 and 360, but the WiiU version is download only
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Another trailer, this time the official launch trailer, for Namco Bandai, Level-5 and Studio Ghibli's "Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch". The more I see of this game the more excited I become and I'm really looking forward to playing it. For those who want to give it a go theres a demo up on the PlayStation store.



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February 22nd see's Persona 4 Golden finally arrive for European Vita owners. The title was previously released on PS2 a few years ago and much like its predecessor is now looking to expand its audience by heading to Sony's handled (Persona 3 Portable was on PSP). Here's a bunch of screenshots and a trailer for you.

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GALLERY:
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Nippon Ichi Software are releasing another of their RPG's in Europe, and once again its coming to PS3.

Several years after preventing Arfoire’s revival, Gamindustri has remained at peace. The CPUs and their younger sisters have been enjoying their quiet lives for a while... Then one day, the CPU of Planeptune—Neptune—is sent to another dimension. This new dimension feels very much like her own...except it has only progressed to the Gamindustri of the 1980s. In this dimension, a group of villains calling themselves the “Seven Sages” are trying to create a world free from the rule of CPUs. With help from her new friends, including that dimension’s CPU of Planeptune—Plutia—Neptune begins her quest to protect a totally different Gamindustri in her brand-new adventure!

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GALLERY:
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We posted about this ages ago, but Capcom have now confirmed that Resident Evil Revelations will be coming to PS3, 360, PC and WiiU on May 24th.

The non-3DS version will be called Resident Evil Revelations Unveiled Edition and will include additional content such as a new enemy, an extra difficulty mode and improvements to Raid Mode such as new weapons, skill sets and the opportunity to play as Hunk and other characters from the series.

I only played the one Resident Evil game last year, Revelations, but I'm willing to stick my neck out and say that it was the best Resident Evil game released last year (unless you're counting the RE4 port). It's genuinely good, and while I'd like it to have sold well enough to encourage 3rd parties to produce games for the 3DS, I'm also pleased that more people will get a chance to play it. From what I can tell it looks like the graphics have had a bit of touch up work on them too, not that it looked bad on a 3DS

One more thing, given that it's coming to just about everything, bit harsh there isn't a Vita version
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Konami have released a video showing off three of the bosses that Raiden will have to defeat in the Platinum Games developed Metal Gear Rising: Revengence.



In the video, below, Raiden battles with three members of the Desperado Enforcements "Winds of Destruction Unit" - Mistral, Monsoon and Sundowner. Metal Gear Rising: Revengence is released on 22 February 2013.

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I think its safe to say that we here at Bitparade really quite like Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture. So we're pleased to hear that the developer is creating a new game, titled Killer is Dead.



Judging from the trailer (below), theres heavy influences from previous titles in the companies back catalogue. But whilst there's a "Summer 2013" date for the game in Japan no Western publisher has come forward to support it thus far. Fans of No More Heroes 2 may remember how it took a small publisher (Rising Star Games) to step in to get that game over here.

Anyway, enjoy this very anime-esque trailer:

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Steam users might have noticed a rather large update for Sleeping Dogs tonight. You may also be aware that the 10th of February is Chinese New Year.

What you could also do is download something that plays bik video files, find the 'movies' sub folder of Sleeping Dogs in your steam folder and watch the intro movie.

It doesn't show much, just some celebrations, some fireworks, some threatening looking men in gas masks, and the title 'Year of the Snake'

Edit: Someone has uploaded the video to youtube
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