Frame rates and gorgeous visuals aside, we learned plenty of hard facts, as well as heard some juicy new hints from Devil May Cry 4's developers at the company's recent London Gamers Day event. It was confirmed that Dante, the star of the three previous games, will be playable from halfway through the game right through to the end. It was also dropped in that the PlayStation 3 version of the game will have "a little something" for Sixaxis controllers and that the team is definitely hoping to release a demo for the game at some point in future.
Our session started at the beginning of the game, with the PlayStation 3 version running in 720p on a flat-screen TV. The game will open with a tutorial level where new playable character Nero is squaring off against Dante. During the intro, Nero is seen covering his arms to hide the obvious signs of his "devil bringer" powers. After throwing Dante a few times, Dante strikes back at Nero with his trademark sword, revealing Nero's arms. The battle continues with the two characters engaging in a sword fight and some stylish close-ups of the two crossing weapons.
In the final game, there will then be a tutorial to introduce players to the game and allow them to grasp the intricate combat system. In our demo, the developers jumped a few levels to mission three, where Nero was exploring an underground labyrinth. The main combat engine will be familiar to anyone who's played the previous games, although there is a new emphasis on charge shots, airborne battles, and Nero's devil bringer moves.
The sword attacks now have three levels of strength, with the level determined by the length of time the attack button is held down. In addition to ground-based swordplay, Nero has an airborne dash move that allows him to plunge his sword into enemies in midair. We saw the devil bringer powers at this stage too, and they are not only used to pick up enemies and slam them on the ground, but they also allow Nero to scale great heights by grabbing onto mysterious blue orbs around the level. The powers allow Nero to conjure up ghostlike allies to help double his attacking power as well. When Nero swings his sword, a spirit appears behind him to perform a follow-up attack, while gun attacks are complemented by blue stars that take the same path. 
After seeing all these moves in action in the underground setting, the level opened up above ground and onto a snow-topped mountain. The snow-storm setting reminded us visually of Capcom's other recent action game, Lost Planet, but we unfortunately didn't get to see too much of it before another cutscene began.
As Nero approaches a bridge leading up to a castle, the new character Gloria is revealed, launching herself down from the top of the castle above. She then proceeds to use a number of athletic moves to slay the enemies you didn't get a chance to slay while dodging their attacks, which gives Capcom an opportunity to show off what can only be described as the character's breast physics.
The final Nero level that we saw during our time in London was a jungle boss battle. The level starts with Nero riding a huge snakelike creature that's controlled by a female humanoid hiding within the head. Nero holds on as the creature weaves through the branches, but eventually he's forced to fight on foot against the huge monster. Occasionally, the woman at the head of the creature is exposed for you to fire bullets at, but the idea is to attack the creature's exposed underbelly when it goes into a spiderlike form. Once the underbelly is visible, Nero can go in and unleash his devil bringer to perform multiple attacks, as well as really inflict some damage to the creature.
As we previously mentioned, Dante will be playable halfway through the game, and we got to see one level featuring the series' stalwart. Series veterans will be pleased to hear that Dante remains pretty much unchanged in terms of control from previous games and lacks the new devil bringer powers that Nero uses. The character still uses four different attack styles: trickster, royal guard, gunslinger, and sword master. Also, he's still just as athletic as before. However, he will also have a couple of new tricks up his sleeve, including an uppercut that was described by the developers as a "shoryuken" or dragon punch move.
In addition to the conventional combat options, Dante has access to the coolest weapon in the game: Pandora's Box. Featuring a number of different attack modes, the weapon sums up the game's over-the-top style in seconds. Housed in a suitcase, Pandora's Box can transform into a huge airborne tank that rains down rockets on your enemies and open up into a superpowerful chaingun that will tear through anyone stupid enough to be in the vicinity. Finally, you can lay the suitcase on the ground and enemies will be consumed by its immense power.
Devil May Cry 4 is looking fantastic. There are some minor disappointments, particularly the fact that developers have completely ruled out a co-op two-player mode, but otherwise the game is shaping up to take the series to a whole new level of action. The game isn't slated for release until next year, so keep an eye out for more information on the game as we get it.
Once you're off and sailing, you can sit back and twiddle your thumbs if you like as Link travels to your next destination. You can make your ship hop up and down, as well as move the camera angle around in all directions, but otherwise it's steady as she goes. Luckily, you can stop your boat at any time to plot a new course from your current position, and we'd like to think you'll be able to kick back and do some fishing later on if you want. Speaking of aquatic life, we've seen some fish and other interesting creatures jumping out of the water as we've sailed around, so we figure that there will be certain areas of the sea you'll want to sail to for buried treasure and other points of interest, just like there were in The Wind Waker. 
Phantom Hourglass may have labored in development for quite a while, but so far, the results speak for themselves. This one has the trademark Zelda polish all over it, from the superb visuals to the endearing characters and devious puzzle design (from what we've seen so far). But we're most excited about the new control scheme, which we admittedly went in expecting to dislike. Quite the contrary, we already can't imagine playing the game in the traditional fashion and can't wait to go through the whole adventure in English when Zelda: Phantom Hourglass hits shelves in North America in the fourth quarter of this year.
If that makes Eternal Sonata sound sickeningly sweet, rest assured that it also possesses a good deal of maturity. We watch Chopin sleeping on his deathbed, as the clock slowly counts down to his last moment on earth. But the real story is in his mind, where he joins an alternate reality already in progress and multiple stories that eventually converge. His first friend is Polka, a loveable girl with awesome pigtails that can wield magic, but like other magic users in this world, she is destined to die young. Along the way, they are joined by other adventurers, such as street urchins Alegretto and Beat. They are also accompanied by goat herder Viola and the members of the rebel group Andantino, amongst others. Together, they unite against the rule of the evil Count Waltz, who is turning the populace of Forte into mindless slaves, thanks to an untaxed, addictive mineral powder.
Now, about your weapon. Yes, it looks like a big, ugly hunk of plastic, but it's actually quite handy once you get used to it. First, notice the two analog sticks, which are used to control Captain Rush. You move with the left stick, and can look all around with the right stick. However, keep in mind that when the time comes to shell out lead, you can unleash anywhere on the screen simply by aiming and pulling the trigger. This is accomplished through two handy sensors that attach to the top of your television set and then track the motion... You know what, soldier? It doesn't matter how they work. All you need to do is point, shoot, and things die, okay?
As you gain the other crystals more jobs become available, and this is where the job system is not all that perfect – earlier jobs are simply not up to the task of defeating enemies because the better equipment is only usable by certain jobs. So, unless you grind, your options are more limited than they appear. (Note: grinding is the act of fighting hundreds of unnecessary battles to improve your stats.) Another problem with the jobs is that if I have, by simply playing and fighting many battles, got a character’s job to level 50 or so it becomes quite difficult for him to swap to another job without becoming severely weaker (unless the new job has superior equipment), so I found myself mostly sticking to certain jobs. Nevertheless, the job system adds some sorely-needed variety to the battles.
Thankfully Square-Enix has allowed us to save at any time on the overworld map, and have also made traveling that map not-so-tedious by supplying various forms of transport. Although it is not possible to save inside the dungeons and continue playing, you can save and quit which means you don’t have to fight your way out of a dungeon to be able to stop playing without losing your progress. Add to that the suspend ability of the DS and the “on-the-go” capabilities of the game are solid. I mean, what better way to spend those few minutes waiting for the kettle to boil than grinding?
The PlayStation 2 may have reached its twilight years, but there is no shortage of great games being released for it. Enter Persona 3, the latest in the Shin Megami Tensei series to reach American shores. Luckily, you won't need any previous experience with the Persona franchise to appreciate its uniquely dark sensibilities, though series fans will find plenty of familiar references in which to revel. This is a quality role-playing experience that weaves distinctive gameplay elements into a fascinating story that unfolds slowly but keeps you constantly guessing. It's also atypically mature, but then again, any game that features your party members repeatedly shooting themselves in the head isn't for the squeamish. Indeed, the game's signature mechanic is this: To summon your inner self--or persona--you point a pistol at your head and pull the trigger.
Saving humanity isn't a new concept, but you'd be wrong to assume that Persona 3 is limited to such a pat description. Instead, the gruesome nature of the dark hour is offset nicely by Persona 3's more traditional boarding school setup, in which your character attends classes, plays sports, and joins the student council. You have the opportunity to establish a good number of relationships with many of the inhabitants of the gameworld, from a love-struck classmate to the injured kendo team captain. Each of these inhabitants has a story of his or her own, and you will find yourself feeling involved with their struggles, no matter how seemingly insignificant. However, your school day meandering and extracurricular activities are more than just contrasting gameplay: How you spend your time here directly affects your combat performance during the dark hour.
This occurs in one of two ways. The more obvious way is to increase your stats by performing activities that directly affect them. For example, studying before bed or at the library will increase your academics, while watching chick flicks at the local theater increases your charm. The other aspect of your school day is your burgeoning relationships. The friendships and romances you build directly affect the personas that you summon in battle because each persona is strengthened by the associated social link. For example, a prospering friendship will earn you the blessing of the magician arcane, which means all personas associated with that arcana will benefit. But you have limited time each day to pursue those interests, so you need to spend your time wisely and concentrate on the activities that build a character that best suits your gameplay style.
Once you've finished tooling around school and town during the day, it's off to Tartarus for the dark hour, though you aren't forced to head there most nights, if you'd rather study or rest up instead. Tartarus is essentially a multistory skyscraper in which you climb from one floor to the next, defeating enemies as you gradually level up to handle the foes on floors above. You can take up to three other party members who have various strengths and weaknesses with you, yet unlike in most other role-playing games, you have no direct control over them. However, you can set up general tactics for each one if you like, such as support/healing. This may seem limiting at first, but as you earn more and more personas for your own character, you'll find that it's intimidating enough handling them all without adding three others to the mix.
Helmed by game director Motomu Toriyama, Revenant Wings is one of the many games that make up the so-called Ivalice Alliance, a series of games all set in the Final Fantasy world of Ivalice. It's also a sequel of sorts to 2006's Final Fantasy XII, and several of the characters from FFXII will find their way into Revenant Wings, including hero Vaan--who's upgraded from wannabe to full-fledged sky pirate in this game--and his pal Penelo.
Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2 A brand new tale arrives as Naruto faces different challenges to defend the Hidden Leaf Village and surrounding villages from the evil force trying to dominate it. An ancient organization, which was thought to have been disbanded, is alive and in search of orbs to resurrect a mechanical terror. It's now up to Naruto and all of the Hidden Leaf Genin to join forces with those of the Hidden Sand Village to stop this menace.
"Butter my butt and call me a biscuit," says a character in XSEED's new Wild ARMs 5. Well, calling him a character is a bit of a stretch--he's really one of the immobile town dwellers you see in every RPG who delivers a single line and nothing else, the gaming equivalent of a Hollywood extra. But in a way, that makes him emblematic of Wild ARMs 5--a game like every other Japanese RPG this side of Final Fantasy, with a few extremely weird differences.
