PixlBit

Easily the best work of Suda51 thus far, but it’s still rough around the edges.

Shadows of the Damned is clearly Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture’s most polished game yet. Whether it’s due to the influence of Shinji Mikami as the creative producer or due to some maturation of Suda51’s style and execution is unclear, but the 10 hour romp through hell is chock full of style, humor, and solid gameplay that trips only slightly along the way. While Suda51’s previous titles can be a bit tough to get into for the average player, Shadows of the Damned is much more accessible and will likely appeal to a much greater audience – assuming they can tolerate the never ending onslaught of penis jokes.

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It’s not the deepest experience on the 3DS, but it’ll certainly keep you busy for a good long while.

Last year, I had my first taste of the Samurai Warriors series and was pleasantly surprised by the experience. While heavy on the hack ‘n’ slashing, the game still provided for a bevy of interesting objectives and some frantic pacing as you rush about the level to meet all of the expectations. Not only were the objectives varied, but the experience was dynamic. New objectives were presented each time I went through the level, changing and morphing based on the state of the battlefield. Samurai Warriors: Chronicles falls very much in line with its predecessors, with improved graphical fidelity and a fully-voiced presentation.

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Why do game companies feel the licensed products you buy still belong to them after their initial sale?

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D. You might’ve heard of it. Releasing today, the arcade style shooter won’t allow players to erase their save data in any capacity. You heard that right – if you purchase this game and want to start over at any point, you won’t be able to. “Well,” you say to yourself, “I probably won’t ever start over anyway, so no big deal.” Until, of course, you go to trade-in the game after you’re sick of it and you’re being offered pennies on the dollar because nobody wants your game used. I’m guessing that’s when some frustration is due to set in.

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According to NIS, its delay is due to "improvements to enhance gameplay."

In a brief NIS press release today, the company confirmed that Cave Story 3D has been officially delayed. The game will no longer make its late summer release date, instead it will be available in North America on the 3DS on November 8, 2011. Additional game improvements "to enhance gameplay" are currently holding up the release, but according to Jack Nilda of NIS America, the "changes are in the small details ... but [they] need to make sure the game is done right."

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The product manager of Nintendo France has confirmed its 2012 release date.

Much to the chagrin of North American Wii fans, Nintendo of America neglected to announce release dates for some key titles published by Nintendo in Japan. Ahead of the show, however, Europe was given news that Xenoblade Chronicles would see release in the region, courtesy of Nintendo of Europe. In a surprise, informal announcement, The Last Story was confirmed for release in Europe in 2012 by Ludovic Amouroux, product manager of Nintendo France.

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