Shin Megami Tensei IV has a release date. This week’s Famitsu confirms that Atlus will begin publishing the title on May 23. All first-print copies will come with a sound & art collection.
Also announced in Famitsu, a special 3DS XL system is in the works. It features an original design and comes with Shin Megami Tensei IV pre-installed.
One of the Wii U’s most-appealing features is its ability to play games off-screen. A majority of the titles allow system owners to experience titles directly on the GamePad.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is not included as an off-TV play release. Why is this so?
Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto explained that the team wanted to keep Monster Hunter 3’s two-screen experience in tact:
“We don’t have that feature within Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate – really, the way that we approach making the title for the Wii U was that we wanted to make the Wii U GamePad subscreen a compliment to the main screen. So instead of making the screens replaceable or being able to switch them, we really wanted to make sure that players are utilizing both real estate of the screens, in conjunction with each other.”
In the end, if you wish to play Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate without a TV, you could always go with the 3DS version.
Siliconera writes today that Ubisoft will be shipping a new product known as Assassin’s Creed III: Washington Edition “very soon”. The publisher is likely packing in the full game as well as the full Tyranny of King Washington DLC. Although Washington Edition hasn’t been confirmed for Wii U, one would think it has a pretty good shot at hitting the platform given that Assassin’s Creed III is already out on the system.
Thanks to KIDNINTENDO for the tip.
This week’s Famitsu review scores are as follows:
Dynasty Warriors 8 (PS3) – 9/9/9/9
Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission (3DS) – 8/9/8/8
Shining Ark (PSP) – 9/8/8/8
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus (PSV) – 8/8/9/8
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacies (3DS) – 8/8/8/8
Macross 30 (PS3) – 8/8/8/8
Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo (PS3) – 9/8/7/8
Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus (PSV) – 8/9/8/7
D.C. III Plus: Da Capo III Plus (PSP) – 7/8/7/6
Stellar * Theater Portable (PSP) – 7/8/7/6
Risen 2: Dark Waters (PS3/360) – 7/7/7/7
Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku (3DS) – 7/7/6/6
In the interview above, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg is talking all about the upcoming Skylanders: Swap Force, and he addressed one of the key issues people have been having with the game: Why do they need to pay for a whole new portal to place their figurines on?
Well, according to Hirshberg the portal adds new functionality that lets it read the swapping parts of the upcoming came, meaning players can mix and match elements of characters in order to strategize (to whatever extent the game allows, anyhow) more efficiently.
Activision has confirmed layoffs of about around staffers today. Kotaku has heard rumblings that quite a few Treyarch employees were included with the dismissals, but Activision says that the majority stems from separate divisions such as the section handling licensed titles.
The company said in a statement:
“Like any successful business, Activision Publishing consistently works to align its costs with its revenues—this is an ongoing process. In 2013, we expect to release fewer games based on license properties and as a result are realigning our structure to better reflect the market opportunities and our slate. Approximately, 30 full-time employees have been impacted globally, which represents approximately one half of one percent of Activision Blizzard’s employee population. We are offering those employees who are impacted outplacement counseling services.”
Activision also offered up the following regarding Treyarch:
“Now that we have launched Black Op II, we are taking a minimal reduction in staff to better align our development talent against the needs of DLC development. The release of the DLC will not be impacted by this move.”
