“Compete on the go with F1 2011 for PlayStation Vita,” says Codemasters. F1 2011 for the Playstation Vita will be available on lauch, and the Sumo Digital developed title will come complete with all the official drivers, teams and circuits from the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Codemasters say F1 2011 for PlayStation Vita is “tuned for portable play”, and will allow fans to compete across a full season, enter an individual ‘Grand Prix’ or jump into ‘Time Trial’ mode. ‘Challenge mode’ is said to be extensive and perfect for on-the-go racing, with gamers taking on a wide range of objectives including checkpoint, gate and overtaking challenges.

In multiplayer modes players can race wheel-to-wheel in four-player Grand Prix, go head-to-head in Time Trials or team up with a friend with F1 2011’s two-on-two co-operative career mode. Gamers can tailor their experience across solo and multiplayer modes by adjusting race distance, tuning their car, choosing from a range of driving aids and selecting tyre, fuel and weather options.

Key Features Include:

·         All the cars, all the stars. Fully licensed, F1 2011 includes all the cars, stars and circuits from the 2011 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. Compete against Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso on iconic circuits including Monaco, Spa and the new Buddh International Circuit, the home of the 2011 FORMULA 1 AIRTEL GRAND PRIX OF INDIA. Each 2011 team is represented including Ferrari, Red Bull Racing and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

·         Compete on the Go! F1 2011 features a range of quick-fire challenge modes perfect for portable play and an extensive range of multiplayer modes. Co-op challenge mode invites players to team up to compete in a two vs. two race series. Players can also compete in four-player GRAND PRIX and sprint for the line in Time Trials.

·         Deploy KERS and DRS! F1 2011 includes all the new rule changes from the 2011 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. Players can deploy DRS, the new systems which enables drivers to adjust the rear wing on the car to gain a speed boost whilst KERS enables drivers to blast past rivals with an extra speed injection. Combined, these systems open up new attack and defence options, encouraging close wheel-to-wheel racing.

·         Accessible racing for every fan. Players of all skill levels will be able to enjoy the unique thrill of racing sport’s fastest racing cars thanks to approachable handling with a wide range of driving aids and difficulty settings. The casual gamer, experienced racing fan and those in between will all be able to adjust the game to find a fun and competitive race that matches their ability.

We were invited for a closer look ahead of the game’s arrival. Special guest and legendary Springbok World Cup winner, Percy Montgomery added to the presentation, answered questions and signed autographs to add to the ‘rugga’ mood.

A rugby game for all?

Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge is in development by Wellington based games developer Sidhe and published by Sydney based Home Entertainment Suppliers (HES) under their Tru Blu Games label.

The game will be released as Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge in EU and PAL territories, All Blacks Rugby Challenge in New Zealand, and Wallabies Rugby Challenge in Australia. Licensed teams include the All Blacks, the Qantas Wallabies, the USA Eagles, Tri Nations, Bledisloe Cup, Super Rugby teams, Aviva Premiership Rugby, TOP 14 Orange, RaboDirect PRO12, ITM Cup, and Ranfurly Shield, amongst other licensed teams. We can look forward to real-time commentary by New Zealand Sky TV veterans, Grant Nisbett and Justin Marshall.

Novices needn’t worry as a deep tutorial mode was included covering everything from the basics to the most advanced aspects that are unique to Rugby Union rugby. Once you get through the deep tutorial modes you can go at it alone or online with up to eight players [four per console versus four per console]. You can even scrub up on your tutorials in the loading screens as the tutorial menus are available there… a nice touch.

A lot of emphasis was put into the difficulty levels – there are four levels ranging from very easy to a difficult or hard level. “Hard is hard,” explained Foster to reassure the ‘hardcore’ rugby fans who mostly agree that previous rugby titles were too easy even on the most difficult level. Foster explained how even after hours of testing he had a tough time on the most difficult level.

Depth and Variety

Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge features the most in-depth customising module I have seen in a sport game. You can give your created player anything from cauliflower ears to a pot belly. Every last basic feature can be further tweaked to create your individual. If you are not happy with the players’ skill levels you can tweak their individual skills. The customising aspect doesn’t stop there either as you can tailor-make your competition modes, choosing every aspect of the competition to your liking. The studio’s motto of Rugby Challenge being a total ‘rugby game’ seems to be an apt one going by the abundance of features and modes on offer.

Career mode will include a 13-season franchise mode, including 93 teams and 31 stadiums to play at. The developers got player and team ratings from the real-life teams and did not allocate attributes or skills based on their own opinions. This could only help with balancing out the various teams’ skill levels. You can trade players into which ever teams you like to create your own teams and pop them into leagues, which you can again customise.

Online or multiplayer modes will give you a ‘quick game’ option which will randomly search for an opponent, or you can set up your own game through your friends-list. If you set up a custom game, you will be able to choose every last detail for the match. You will not be able to take you tweaked players online, so their skill level will be set to default. The online leader-boards list the top 50 players, your last 10 opponents’ ranking and your friends ranking. Unfortunately the developers chose not to include an online league component due to the admin difficulties.

Billy Foster ironically pointed out to us that while this is not a Rugby World Cup game, because the New Zealand and Australia components are full licensed, all the stadiums that will be played in the World Cup feature in Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge. The rest of the famous rugby stadiums that feature that aren’t licensed, were named so that fans will recognise them i.e. ‘Lofters’ will be something like Pretoria. So to the licensed players’ likeliness and looks are more true to their real life component than with the non-licensed ones.

Bonus features include a ‘Rugby Store’ where you can spend you hard earned XP or ‘Rugby Dollars’ on videos of the man himself, Jonah Lomu and the making of the game amongst other cool bits. For the Lomu obsessed, you can even play as a team where every position is filled with by Jonah Lomu.

When asked about any future DLC plans Foster replied, “We’re thinking about it, that is the way games are going.” Foster also pointed out the obvious DLC updates would be to rosters updates, but you can do it yourself in the editing mode. So there are no set updates scheduled for now.

So will it win rugby fans over?

Rugby fans will surely empathise with me and understand that as a fan of the sport I am a little sceptical about any upcoming rugby games based on what we’ve had in the past. I would have to think hard and far back to remember a title that made a consummate argument for a worthy rugby title. The titles in the past have generally been a let-down and have failed to capture the massive technical aspect of the sport. As a matter of fact, the last rugby game I can remember that didn’t totally frustrate me was actually the previous Jonah Lomu title – and that was a long, long time ago.

From what I saw, Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge looks to have the substance to have a fighting chance of delivering a rugby game that could win fans over. The basics look well designed, the depth in game modes and other tailoring aspects are there, and it was even born in the right place.

That said I will reserve my verdict until I have had a bunch of hours with it – to see if all that substance continues through the more technical aspects of the sport that I crave. I must admit though, from what I have seen I am optimistic.

*Special thanks to Tru Blu Games’ Billy Foster for the insightful presentation, thanks to Percy Montgomery for adding to the experience, and lastly to the team from Megarom for putting this all together*

www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2_uFewVo-0

[Uploaded by Machinima]

This video popped up on YouTube courtesy of a videogamerxHIKARU showing Far Cry 3 being played at E3 2011.  The footage looks promising for the upcoming title. Far Cry 3 is said to bring something new and unexpected, while building upon the foundations of excellence that are inherent to the franchiser. Ubisoft are confident that we’re going to be blown away by the gritty story and epic adventure.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMNHzRc_6q8

Warner Bros. have released a new E3 2011 gameplay trailer for Lord of the Rings: War in the North...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW_msGRYrzo

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKAUW4IBjoI

[Uploaded by CVG]

Atlus has released a new video and some new screenshots for the offbeat title, Catherine. The manga styled game is surely not for everyone, but interesting nevertheless…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imtm70X5RcI

Konami add Zombie Apocalypse 2 to their E3 2011 announcements. The working titled name is the follow up to 2009′s smash-hit twin-stick action shooter, will be coming back this fall to the Xbox LIVE Arcade.

Being developed by Backbone Entertainment, Zombie Apocalypse 2 is said to take the chaos and pandemonium of the original to new heights as players fend off hordes of zombies and fight for survival in the series’ latest installment.

Zombie Apocalypse 2 will feature four new unlikely heroes emerge and encounter yet another Apocalypse while on a reclusive island.

Players will need to navigate through the island finding various ways to obliterate their zombie aggressors while keeping an eye out for any remaining human survivors.

The end goal is to find a way off their island deathtrap, save who they can and do so without becoming one of the infected. To give players a fighting chance at survival, a new squad-based gameplay mechanic has been introduced, giving players full control of all the action whether they choose to play alone or with up to four players cooperatively. The game will also allow players to swap from one team member to the next as each team member will have his or her own set of weapons and abilities. It will become crucial for players to learn each hero’s strengths and weaknesses if they’re going to survive the night.

Another new title from Konami’s E3 2011 announcements is Blades of Time, a new action title coming to Xbox 360 and Playstation3 in early 2012. Developed by Gaijin Entertainment, Blades of Time takes a page out of the “hack-and-slash” genre and slices new gameplay mechanics to the genre by incorporating a beautiful heroine, a colorful cast of supporting characters, multiplayer functionality and lush environments.

Overview

In Blades of Time, players don the persona of the gorgeous gunsword-wielding treasure hunter, Ayumi. Blessed with beauty and a trigger happy finger, she’s on a mission to find lost bounties in a mysterious and dangerous island. Quickly, she learns this island isn’t just trees, berries and gold – but something more sinister lies beneath the surface. As the wonderment of the island becomes to reveal itself, she learns this land can gift her powers man can only dream of, but also she’s not alone on this island! Thank goodness she brought her own weapons. Ayumi then proceeds to battle against menacing villains on the island by destroying them and everything in her path while looking to acquire magical powers that only the strongest warrior can possess.

Key Features:

• Richly entertaining characters. From the young yet tough Ayumi to her wise and battle worn mentor Zero and more, this character-driven story has a unique charm, banter and mystery all to its own.
• Lushly designed environments. Experience huge and beautifully realized game locations, including snowy lands, jungles, ancients cities, temples and sky islands.
• Deep combat system. Unlock 40+ sets of skills, including melee, tactics, combos, as well as the powerful Order and Chaos forms of magic to defeat your foes.
• Special moves change up gameplay.
o Time Rewind allows Ayumi to turn back time and produce a clone of herself to help solve puzzles, tackle hordes of enemies, and more.
o All-new Dash ability means Ayumi can close the distance between herself and her enemy prey almost instantly, as well as travel quickly using environmental features.
• Robust multiplayer options. Fire up a co-op Campaign or battle in PvP

Blades of Time is schedule to slash into retail stores nationwide in the first quarter of 2012 on Xbox 360.