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Interested in Resonance of Fate but afraid of being burned by another tri-Ace RPG? If you have access to a Japanese PlayStation Network account or (less likely) a Japanese Xbox 360, you can sample the game today. Sega released a demo of the gunplay RPG in Japan, with a tutorial that Siliconera reports is easy enough to follow along with even in Japanese. We were able to suss out the mechanics during TGS with little issue, but we doubt the downloadable demo includes a Sega rep, as our TGS demo did.

What won’t be easy to follow along with is the story and dialogue — but referring once again to Star Ocean 4, maybe that’s not the worst thing.

Resonance of Fate demo available on Xbox Live and PSN in Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on December 23rd, 2009 at 6:00am by JC Fletcher
Filed Under: demo, end-of-eternity, japan, psn, resonance-of-fate, rpg, sega, tri-ace, xbla

The Australian Classification Review Board has had a long running feud with the gaming industry as a whole.  There is a long running history of games being released abroad with the global equivalent of a “Mature” rating, while getting rejected down under.  Some of these banned titles include the likes of every installment in the Grand Theft Auto franchise, the original Manhunt (Rockstar never even bothered attempting to release Manhunt 2), Fallout 3, Blitz: The League, and most recently Left 4 Dead 2.  Many of these games were later censored by developers so that they could see release, much to the dismay of the Aussie gaming population.

For this reason, many were alarmed earlier this month, when the console release of Sega’s upcoming Alien vs. Predator game was dealt a similar fate. Refusing to approve the game for an 15+ rating, ultimately killed all chances of the game seeing the light of day, at least in its current state.

Things then went from bad to worse when Jason Kingsley, the CEO of Rebellion (AvP’s developer) went on the record saying the following about the banning:

“The content of AvP is based on some of the most innovative and iconic horror movies, and as such we wanted to create a title that was true to the source material. It is for adults, and it is bloody and frightening, that was our intent.

We will not be releasing a sanitised or cut down version for territories where adults are not considered by their governments to be able to make their own entertainment choices.” — Jason Kingsley via GamesIndustry.biz

So if the game is deemed inappropriate by a country’s government and the developer is refusing to budge on the removal or censoring of objectionable content, that would render hopes of Aliens vs. Predator ever seeing the release moot, right? Well lets just say that the fat lady hadn’t quite sung yet…

In what seemed like a futile attempt to maintain the integrity of the product, Sega filed an appeal with the Australian Classification Review Board, citing that the context of the violence in the game was not being considered.  Though this sounds like a flimsy argument at best, it is actually very similar to one used by Warner Bros. Interactive in defense of F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin, when it was banned back in November of 2008. To this date, F.E.A.R 2 was the only title to ever to have its banning overturned in Australia, without having to censor or remove content.

Well it looks as if Sega’s gamble may have payed off. Yesterday news was handed down that on appeal, they too have been granted the coveted 15+ rating, without the need to edit any material.  When excitedly addressing the Review Board’s sudden shift in stance, Darren Macbeth, Sega of Australia’s General Manager was quoted as saying:

“It is with great pleasure that we announce the success of our appeal. We are particularly proud that the game will be released in its original entirety, with no content altered or removed whatsoever. This is a big win for Australian gamers. We applaud the Classification Review Board on making a decision that clearly considers the context of the game, and is in line with the modern expectations of reasonable Australians”. — Darren Macbeth via Kotaku.com

To put things very bluntly, this is a dramatically unexpected result, especially given how poorly Left 4 Dead 2’s appeal went earlier this year.  Might we finally be seeing a shift in perspective from the previously stingy stances of the Australian Classification Review Board?  As a red-blooded American that is a strong support of our First Amendment Right to Free Speech, I hope that this is a sign of a things to come in regards to game ratings in Australia.  With two overturned bans in the last 12 months, this might very well be the case.

Posted on December 18th, 2009 at 5:07pm by [email protected] (The Games Are Evil Family)
Filed Under: Alien vs. Predator, News, PC Gaming, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, australia, avp, featured, opinion, rebellion, sega

Sega is preparing a sequel to its App Store launch title, Super Monkey Ball, due out sometime before the end of the year. According to Touch Arcade, Super Monkey Ball 2 will add 115 new levels, multiplayer functions, and, perhaps most importantly, minigames. Monkey Bowling will be included in the download, with Monkey Golf and Monkey Target (also known as the greatest achievement in human history) to follow as free updates.

Okay, actually, while great, the minigames aren’t the most important part of this sequel. That would be the improved controls, which may render this game playable. Check out Touch Arcade for gameplay footage!

Super Monkey Ball 2 goes bananas on iPhone this year originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 11:30pm by JC Fletcher
Filed Under: sega, super monkey ball, super-monkey-ball-2

The BBFC classification site lists a “Sonic Classic Collection” coming to DS soon. Normally, with these ratings, we’d be left to speculate as to the identity of the games on the collection — however, the BBFC helpfully provided a list of games on the cart!

According to the rating, it’ll feature Sonic 1-3, plus Sonic and Knuckles — with the ability to virtually “Lock-on” and play as Knuckles in the older games. Also included in the shockingly specific list of in-game content: Sonic Chronicles and “The History of Sonic” video content and the art gallery.

We can only hope it turns out better than Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis on GBA.

[Via Kombo]

BBFC: Sega compiling Sonic games for DS originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on November 20th, 2009 at 5:45pm by JC Fletcher
Filed Under: bbfc, sega, sonic, sonic-classic-collection, sonic-the-hedgehog

Bayonetta has the magical ability — and macabre desire — to conjure torture devices for use against her enemies. But why does the hair-clothed, gun-toed heroine of Platinum Games’ action game do this? Is she just a horrible person?

In a new developer diary (after the break), Director Hideki “Viewtiful” Kamiya explains that Bayonetta and her fellow witches have suffered through torture themselves, and so she fights not only for survival, but for revenge. Her sadism is a direct result of her own experience previous to the game’s events. Plus, as Kamiya says, “It is important players enjoy seeing enemies sadistically destroyed.” Do try to enjoy the torture. Otherwise you’ll be doing the cruelest attack of all: hurting Kamiya’s feelings.

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Continue reading Bayonetta’s magical torture fetish explained

Bayonetta’s magical torture fetish explained originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted on November 19th, 2009 at 6:45pm by JC Fletcher
Filed Under: Hideki Kamiya, bayonetta, platinum-games, sega