Microsoft has just released a new trailer for Ori and the Blind Forest, the gorgeous upcoming 2D action game from indie developer Moon Studios.
I know it may be hard to believe, but yes, the footage you see above is of actual gameplay. I may have a soft spot for artsy visual design, but I think anyone with a good set of eyeballs would have a difficult time criticizing Ori's presentation. The music is rock solid, too.
Well, it's not what I imagined, but I'd take what I could get. I can't believe how desperate that last sentence sounds. Is. That last sentence is desperate. Well it's not the last sentence anymore, because there was another one right after the desperate one. Maybe I should've gone with "was" instead? No, because the sentence is still there. It's not really past tense it's... wow, time to stop.
By modifying the source code to the original PSOne version of Final Fantasy VII, Japanese developer Rodensoft had been making the Final Fantasy VII sequel you see above. The game was set to be called Time Guardian. The studio has stopped the project, citing time and energy constraints.
Planned changes to the original systems:
Day & Night System with Random Weather - Enemies at night can be far more dangerous.
Upgraded PHS - Check the time anywhere with a calendar system made up of months and years.
NPC Schedules - NPCs will do different things depending on the time of day, offering more dynamic gameplay.
"Change" System - Change the party leader at any time. If youÄ‚Ë€â„Ëre bored with the current quest, you can freely change to another character within the PHS. Characters will remain where you last left them. If you switch between two characters in the same area, youÄ‚Ë€â„Ëll see the character you just left behind.
Time and the World - Shops and houses will open and close, and sounds and music will change, depending on the time of day. Time is calculated after battles and the world map.
Games - You can buy games like "G-Bike," "Snowboard," and "Torpedo Attack" for your PHS, which you can play to pass time in the game world.
Team System - Players will be able to form multiple parties, up to three teams of two or three characters. Your team members will follow you on the field.
Randomized Dungeons - Self-explanatory.
Open-World - An open-world spanning nine CDs, one for each character. The world features things like "well-used paths," which are a "slightly safer" way to travel the overworld.
Field Skills - Extract resources and blow up doors (Barrett), pick locks and ninja jump (Yuffie), levitate (Vincent), etc.
Not what I imagined, but it sounds cool enough that I have to admit I'd buy that shit. Nine discs, though, holy shit.
[Source: Rodensoft via Gematsu and PSLS]
We've got one hundred beta keys for Nexon America's Dirty Bomb, a team-based post-apocalyptic shooter that takes place in a lawless London. Instead of random grunts and super-armored super soldiers, you'll play as one of the bombastic mercenaries... who are all ready to play dirty.
At this point, it's no secret 343 Industries is making some significant changes to the formula of Microsoft's prized sci-fi franchise with Halo 5: Guardians. A public multiplayer beta ran through January, and the studio has been quite forthcoming on what to expect from its competitive offerings. I'm ashamed to admit I was late to the party, as it wasn't until this morning at PAX East that I finally got some hands-on time with the game at Microsoft's booth.
As cool as some of the armor in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate looks, it doesn't allow players to live out their fantasies as Link from The Legend of Zelda series. Capcom hopes to remedy that with DLC.
Blizzard held a panel at PAX East this morning and revealed some exciting new details about Overwatch, including the introduction of two new characters and a beta which launches later this year.
Bloodborne, the PS4 exclusive and spiritual successor of the FromSoftware's Souls series, has already earned the unsurprising reputation of being unforgiving. I watched player after player succumb to the horde within about ten minutes of the alpha demo showcased at the PlayStation booth on GDC 2015's show floor.
*Potential SPOILERS for Borderlands 2, Mass Effect, and Bioshock 2*
Anthony Burch is on his way to a new path of his gaming career, but he has most definitely left his mark on the Borderlands franchise, having worked as a writer on Borderlands 2 and its subsequent DLC. During his talk entitled "Plot Is Dumb, Character Is Cool: Writing for DLC" about writing for DLC he specifically discussed how the writing staff crafted each specific story and worked to make it fit into the Borderlands universe as well as lived up to fan expectations of what expanding on a game they already loved should be like.
Why do we write big posts about celebrity deaths? Because sometimes, the person in question deserved their recognition. Sometimes, in fact, you find one who was a heck of human being. Leonard Nimoy was one.
My apologies for the delay of this week's archive of Challenge Accepted, but now folks can watch me further explore the Tower of Latria in my no armor, no shields, no magic, no bows, great weapons only playthrough of Demon's Souls.
Iceberg Interactive and Amplitude Studios have announced at GDC 2015 the third free update pack, Eye on the Stars, for the fantastic 4X fantasy strategy title Endless Legend for release on March 18. In a private session, Amplitude Studios' COO and Creative Director Romain de Waubert de Genlis as well as Marketing & Communication Director Max von Knorring shared details of each component of this content-driven patch.
PAX East features plenty of big releases as our recent guide can attest to, but the event also puts the spotlight on smaller projects that are no less exciting. The lineup for PAX East 2015 looks particularly impressive.
It's been a long wait, but heists finally make their way to multiplayer in Grand Theft Auto V next week. In anticipation of the event, Rockstar has released a short teaser trailer and new screenshots.
The fine folks over at Sony and Kojima Productions have whipped up a very special piece of hardware for the Asian market. With Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain set to launch this September, PlayStation is honoring the occasion with a super-sleek limited edition PS4.
It's easier not to think of Fable Legends as having much to do with the Fable series at all apart from the name and the plot. That will make this free-to-play fantasy cooperative asymmetrical multiplayer title (that's a mouthful!) far more understandable, or else you may attempt to make comparisons to main Fable games and tumble into a pit of confusion. Available for demo at GDC 2015 between five players, with one cast as the dungeon-master villain and the other four as party characters, Fable Legends showed that it's well on its way for a polished release.
Monolith Productions' Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was awarded Game of the Year at the 17th annual Game Developers Choice Awards.
Other nominees include Platinum Games' Bayonetta 2, Bungie's shared-world shooter Destiny, Creative Assembly's Alien: Isolation, and Hearthstone from Blizzard.
Ori and the Blind Forest may not have the same kinds of excitement of extreme violence like heads exploding, but it is a gorgeous platformer:
Note: Story details available for Ori are vague. In some synopses it's implied Ori's bear-mother was taken by a malevolent being, but in the prologue video, Ori's adopted mother is clearly seen dying due to the destruction of the forest habitat, so the narration and video are a little at odds.
Microsoft corporate vice president Phil Harrison is reportedly resigning from the company after working there for three years.
This unconfirmed report comes by way of GamesIndustry, who claims several unnamed sources with inside information shared this news with the outlet at this year's Game Developers Conference. For those who don't know, Phil Harrison previously worked at other major gaming companies, including Atari, Gaikai, and Sony.
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For that high-resolution shine. 
*Potential SPOILERS for Borderlands 2, Mass Effect, and Bioshock 2*
