PS3 Fanboy

Orochi games have been making the rounds on PS2, 360 and even the PSP; however, there were no titles on the PS3. Well, until now that is. Musou Orochi Z was just recently announced for Japan. It's not a new game but actually a compilation of both Orochi 1 & 2 beat'em ups on Blu-ray. This new release supposedly will have upgraded graphics, more enemies on screen at once, four new playable characters and 12 fresh Story Mode chapters.

The game is expected to hit Japan on March 12. Though a release in other territories has yet to be confirmed, StrategyInformer -- who has contacted Koei -- reports that a European version is very likely. Said a Koei rep to SI: "No definite plans yet but the Warriors Orochi games proved really popular over here [in Europe] so I'm sure it will." It's a very informal answer, but at least there are some signs of interest internally.

Source 1 - PS3 Hyper
Source 2 - StrategyInformer

Tokyo Game Show is just around the corner. We're expecting some new game announcements -- however, we may have gotten a small sneak peak thanks to an early update of Koei's TGS website. Not only did it show a brand new Dynasty Warriors game for the PS3, it also shows a new MMORPG for both PC and PS3. Both listings for these PS3 games have since been removed, but we'll be keeping a keen eye on Koei at TGS to see if these titles magically reappear.

[Via NeoGAF]

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 will be headed to the US in 2009, Bandai Namco announced today. Originally named Gundam Musou 2, the game will feature an online versus mode, as well as "larger Mobile Suits, more epic battles and compelling storyline." It sounds like more of the same mech-on-mech action, but if you are a fan of the Dynasty Warriors franchise, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

How about a picture of these giant mobile armors? That's one of them above. Check out more screenshots in the gallery below.

[Via press release]

The Japanese adore all that is Gundam and Dynasty Warriors. So it wasn't long before someone decided to mash these two ideas together, which resulted in last year's Dynasty Warriors: Gundam (a.k.a. Gundam Musou in Japan).

It looks like Koei is bringing us another installment of the series named, you guessed it, Gundam Musou 2. Though more or less the same hack-and-slash affair, the sequel will predictably contain more robots, new attacks, new special moves and more weapons. A new story mode brings a playable version of the first original Gundam theatrical release Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack. Lastly, mobile armors that are ten times the size of your mech will serve as some of the game's bosses. Mobile armors confirmed to be in the game include the MA-08 Big Zam from Mobile Suit Gundam and the NZ-333 Alpha Azieru from Char's Counterattack. For more details on this game, check out 1UP.

Release date is pegged for this winter in Japan for the price 7,800 yen. No release dates for other regions have been announced for the time being.

A press release sent out by KOEI states that WipEout clone, Fatal Intertia, will be available to download from the PlayStation Store in Europe next week. Their exact release date is July 15th, which falls on a Tuesday. So either KOEI is wrong and their game will be released on Thursday the 17th, or Sony plans on pulling a PlayStation Day on us and having two PSN Store updates. This seems likely considering the E3 trade show will be taking place next week. As for what else we can expect to see during that week, we'll hopefully find out soon and will keep you posted.

[Via Press Release]

Today, Koei revealed a lineup of new Europe-bound games set for the rest of 2008. Out of a bunch of games hitting the region this year, there's only one PS3 title. What title is that you ask? It's G1 Jockey 4 2008! Europe really wins big with this one.

G1 Jockey 4 2008 is a horse racing simulator. It's a horse racing simulation without the gambling ... which means half the fun of the sport is gone. Details on the game are scarce; however, taking assumptions from the "4" in the title, this could be a slightly tweaked version of the two year old PS2 title. That ... doesn't sound too good. The game is out September 26.

[Via Press Release] [Image credit: JPGMag]

Fatal Inertia EX is already out in Japan and there's also a demo available on the Japanese PSN (which just so happens to be completely in English). We advise you to check the demo out if you're interested in this title -- well, only after you watch this new trailer for the game.

As for the North American release date, as far as we know, the game was supposed to come out late last month. That obviously hasn't happened. Perhaps we'll be seeing it soon.

We thought we'd heard the last of Fatal Inertia after problems with the Unreal Engine 3 forced it to be delayed indefinitely for the PS3. Though it was originally pegged as a PS3 exclusive an Xbox 360 version was released to a fairly mediocre reception. It was assumed that that would be the last of the futuristic racing game, but we were wrong. A new entry has appeared on the ESRB website for Fatal Inertia EX for the PS3.

We guess the fact that the name has been updated (notice the extra "EX") that this will be an improved version of the game that shipped on the 360. Even so, we're not interested. Koei are insane if they think that this game is going to be able to compete with WipEout HD. Too little too late, Koei. Save yourself the effort and nip this in the bud right now. We don't want it.

[Via Joystiq]

As soon as you read the subject line, you probably reacted one of two ways: you snorted/coughed/rolled your eyes and may fast-forward to the score, or you thought "oh, cool, they're reviewing Dynasty Warriors 6" and will read this review with interest. That's sort of how the audience is segmented in the Koei universe -- you either enjoy their games or abhor them to the point where you won't even give them a chance (whether or not you ever did is your personal secret). Dynasty Warriors 6 is no exception to this rule.

Koei brought their DW franchise onto the PS3 at long last, boasting several improvements over the previous titles in the series. But can a new level-up system, the ability to swim, climb ladders, and more change the formula up enough to merit calling the game fresh?

Excited about Dynasty Warriors 6 coming out next week? Perhaps the Japanese are excited for you too, because a new line of DW6 trading figurines will be hitting their hobby shops on February 16. That's just three days before the game's North American release, giving western importers another reason to splurge on DW collectibles.

The figurines are 140mm-160mm tall (that's 5.5 to 6.2 inches) and are priced at 840 yen (US$7.80) each. Each figurine comes with detachable weapons, a picture card, and card stand. If you do plan on importing these figurines in celebration of the new Dynasty Warriors game (or perhaps Chinese New Year!), keep in mind that these figurines are part of a trading series. That means you won't know what's inside the box until you open it. Finding people to trade figurines with might be difficult to find in the west, so try looking for an importer that'll sell the entire collection.

With the North American release of Dynasty Warriors 6 just one week away, Koei confirms that the game has gone gold. Dynasty Warriors 6 is expected to ship out to North American retailers by February 19. It'll still be a good seven days before we actually get back to our exciting (read: familiar) adventures in ancient China ... so in the meantime, have a gander at these new screenshots:

The Dynasty Warriors games and all Koei's subsequent spin-off franchises utilizing the familiar formula get a lot of heat from reviewers and bloggers like us. However, nobody can deny how darn well the titles sell, especially in Japan. They're basically the Dragon Quest for hack-n-slash button mashers. This is mostly the route Dynasty Warriors 6 producer Ken Matsumoto took when he defended the game in a recent interview. But what else did he say?

From a graphical perspective, all the characters have gotten new animations and the fog of war has been completely lifted (unless, we assume, there is a fog on the battlefield on purpose). Since the storyline is based in history, Matsumoto says the challenge with making new games is that the story can't really change. He says most reviews he has read for DW6 don't mention any of the new things they've added to the game -- branching scenario trees, swimming, and climbing ladders are what we assume he means -- which can be annoying to read from a designer's perspective. He says subtleties have the most value, and removing the fog, allowing characters to swim and climb are pretty good improvements for what was always the definitive battlefield franchise. We'll have more when we review the game in the coming weeks.

Hitting square three times and then ending with mashing triangle as much as possible seemed the best move in the last Dynasty Warriors games -- in fact, we don't care if that's still the case. Fun is fun, right? We've got two videos of the upcoming Koei title and if you've played any of their previous games, you know what you'll see. It's still worth it, though. The second video is after the jump, but it's mainly an HD version of the opening cinema you've seen a couple of times.

Dynasty Warriors 6 is coming -- we've seen the above trailer before, but it was in Japanese. Koei never has been the best at getting quality voicework done in their games, but we don't mind since that's such a small part of the button-mashing fun. Still, if any of you are curious about how your favorite characters will sound in the American version (and if you'd rather import the Japanese), here you go. It all looks familiar, but a bit sharper. We're cool with that.

Koei has released a lot of games that play identically. It's true, we admit it, but for those who play Koei games, they don't mind. Look at Japan -- they love almost any of the Warriors games that see the light of day, nearly consistently topping sales charts upon each title's release.

Koei took a different stab with their title Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War in that it plays like the old Kessen titles, but moves the game to an entirely different setting -- France, during the ... well, the Hundred Years War. Prince Edward, Joan of Arc, you know, the same war covered in the PSP title Jeanne D'Arc. It's a hot topic. How did Bladestorm pan out? There are a multitude of things to consider when reviewing this game, simply because there's so much in it that you can concentrate on. Read on, friends, as you might be surprised.