Thu, May 24, 2012 | 16:17 BST What to expect from E3 2012 (no, not Xbox 720 and PS4) “Teh reel next-gen” will have to wait. E3 2012 will be a re-run of last year, with triple-A bully-boys dominating software as Nintendo steals the platform-holder show with Wii U. This is the end of the current generation, and essentially foreplay to 2013′s main event. Microsoft and Sony still have the condoms on for E3 2012. Next year is the bareback, next-gen cockfight. Don’t expect the real hardcore for another 12 months. E3 2012 – which runs throughout the week of June 4 – is going to be a mix of excitement and despair. You can expect a re-run of last year. This will be a ... Continue reading →
The virtual card game Shin Sengoku Buster has changed its sales tactics in the wake of a Japanese ruling making a certain type of virtual-goods sale illegal. Images: KLab Following much industry and media speculation, the Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency has formally declared that “complete gacha” sales in social games are illegal effective July 1, 2012. Any games deemed in violation of the new laws will be subject to legal measures after that date. “We wish to alert businesses and consumers that we have decided, in accordance with the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, that ‘complete gacha’ sales are illegal,” Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety Jin Matsubara announced in a press conference on Friday. Matsubara made it clear that ... Continue reading →
Game|Life Video: Music Games Help 3DS Find Its Rhythm We know that the Nintendo 3DS library isn’t exactly robust right now, but two musical games coming this July will have you dusting off that 3-D screen. If you like music games. If not, don’t bother looking for your 3DS for a while. In this episode of Game|Life Video, I take a hard critical look at Square Enix’s Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, which has a terrible name but an excellent song list filled with all the classics from 25 years of the popular role-playing series. And I also get into Sega’s Rhythm Thief, which is more of a combination of Rhythm Heaven and Professor Layton. Continue reading →