Sorry for the downtime. Things should be back to normal now.

DeviantArt user Kirana cosplays Dragon Age’s Morrigan.

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nintendo has revealed new details about the storyline and single-player game play in Kid Icarus^™: Uprising, which will launch exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS^™ system on March 23. More than 25 years after the launch of the original Kid Icarus game for NES^™, Kid Icarus: Uprising brings the action and adventure of this beloved series to new heights.

• Introduction: The game’s story begins with the return of the dark goddess Medusa and her Underworld Army. With the help of Palutena, goddess of light and guardian of the human race, the heroic angel Pit must combat the forces of darkness as he battles Medusa and her minions by air and by land.
• Fiend’s Cauldron: The Fiend’s Cauldron is an incredible new system that allows players to customize their play experience by adjusting the intensity level. Intensity ranges from 0.0 – 9.0 for each individual Chapter. As the intensity increases, players will be able to earn more Hearts and more powerful weapon drops from defeated enemies. Hearts also can be used to purchase new weapons. The standard intensity setting is 2.0, but players can precisely adjust it by increments of 0.1. In order to increase the intensity, players must bet by placing an increasing number of Hearts into the Fiend’s Cauldron. If the player is defeated during the Chapter, some Hearts will be lost and the intensity will be lowered.
• Weapons: A wide variety of collectible weapons offers an extraordinary amount of replay value. With nine different categories of weapons, ranging from Bows to Claws, players can learn the unique characteristics of each weapon and determine which is best suited for each battle and their style of play.
• Vehicles: During certain parts of his adventure, Pit will have access to special vehicles such as the Exo Tank. Pit can use the tank’s powerful drift ability to boost over jumps or defeat enemies with the tank’s ramming horn.
• Stand: Kid Icarus: Uprising uses a control scheme designed to fit the game’s unique blend of flight, shooting and melee combat, and offers tremendous precision and depth for dedicated players. The left hand uses the Circle Pad while the right hand uses the stylus. Every copy of the game will come with a free stand that holds the Nintendo 3DS at an angle above any flat surface, providing players with a new kind of gaming experience.
• Circle Pad Pro: Kid Icarus: Uprising is compatible with the Circle Pad Pro accessory, offering an alternate control scheme for left-handed players. With the Circle Pad Pro, players hold the stylus in their left hand and use the Circle Pad with their right hand.

Additionally, consumers who pre-order at select retailers will receive a bonus download code for the 3D Classics: Kid Icarus^™ game, a re-mastered 3D version of the NES original. The download code will be delivered with the purchase of Kid Icarus: Uprising. A deposit may be required for pre-order. Kid Icarus: Uprising will carry a suggested retail price of $39.99 in the United States.

More details about Kid Icarus: Uprising will be revealed prior to its March 23 launch. For more information, please visit http://kidicarusuprising.nintendo.com.

• Top 10 bestselling games worldwide
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Let me clarify that this isn’t really the last day of the character in-game. I will continue to play her until I can get her crafting skills maxed, at which point I’ll probably succumb to the temptation of exploits. From experience level 30 is where things go out of control; the Banish enchantment becomes available and you’ll be swimming in money because of it. Maxed skills follow shortly.

So while my playthrough is exploit-free I’m going to declare this post the final day of the series. I’ve reached the point wherein I can comfortably say that I have a good grasp of how to play the game on Master (until the next dragon  rips me in half, of course). And when that so-called grasp fails there’s always the quicksave to load. Anyway, what follows are the things I learned during this experiment:

• Sneaking is still very powerful. At level 30, 1/5 is enough to let you sneak up on enemies. You can save your points for the rest of perks in the tree.
• Muffled Movement is a must. Go get it. Footwear enchanted with the Muffle spell helps a lot too.
• Assassin’s Blade continues to overpower everything.
• Joining the Dark Brotherhood is a good idea if you like playing stealthy characters. Their armor provides useful buffs.
• Conjuration is still a very useful skill. Your summons have enough health and damage to deal with most threats they’ll face. They also act as excellent distractions when you need to get foes off your back.
• Illusion continues to be very fun to play. You’ll have to get a couple of perks to make it effective though.
• Flames was a handy spell during the early levels, but not powerful enough to convince me to spend points in Destruction.
• I still use Archery a lot, but since I was avoiding exploiting it was leveling slower than usual. With that said, I often had to chip away at the health of my foes. I did this by sneaking, aiming, shooting then backing away. Given the right distance most targets won’t be able to detect your presence immediately when they get hit. Once I was hidden again I’d repeat the process.
• Since I’m wearing light armor and don’t use shields, kiting, taking cover and using terrain have been my defensive options. If everything fails I drop a summon on my foes and run like hell. Live to fight another day, I say.

That’s all I can think of for now. It’s been an enjoyable ride so far. I think future playthroughs will be started under Master difficulty.

Shank 2 Uncut Gameplay Clip Jan 5 2012 from Jamie Cheng on Vimeo.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Award-winning independent game developer Klei Entertainment and EA Partners, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), today announced that the highly anticipated 2D action brawler, Shank™ 2, will be available on the PlayStation®Network and PC in North America on February 7, 2012 for $9.99 USD. The game will be available on the Xbox LIVE® Arcade and PlayStation®Network Europe on February 8, 2012 for 800 Microsoft Points or € 9.99.

Set in a pulp fiction world, Shank 2 puts players back in control of their favorite ex-mobster hitman, Shank. Klei has evolved the combat experience with precise controls, new weapons, smarter enemies, and more advanced combo techniques, all set to the backdrop of beautiful 2D art and animation. Players can put Shank’s trusty arsenal of handguns, chainsaws, grenades, plus all-new weapons to use in order to protect those close to him.

Introducing an all-new Survival Mode, gamers can team up with a friend online or locally, working together to take down hordes of goons in an action-packed, arcade-style brawl. Featuring stunning visuals from Klei’s veteran cartoon director, Jeff Agala, Shank 2 raises the bar even higher for 2D brawlers with art and animation that won Klei multiple awards and nominations, including IGF’s Excellence in Visual Arts nomination, and the Canadian Animator of the Year award for Klei’s lead animator, Aaron Bouthillier.

For more information on Shank 2, please visit www.shankgame.com and follow the development team at www.twitter.com/klei and at www.facebook.com/shankgame.

SAN MATEO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, is very proud to announce that Resident Evil® 6 is in full development and scheduled for release on the Xbox360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system on November 20, 2012 with a Windows PC version to follow. Blending action and survival horror, this latest instalment in the multi-million selling franchise, is the most ambitious, immersive and feature rich title of the series to date and promises to be the dramatic horror experience of the year.

Resident Evil 6 portrays a world where an escalation in bioterrorist attacks across the globe has led to widespread fear among the population. In an attempt to quell the panic and curb the bioterrorist activity the President of the United States has decided to speak to the nation but not before the very location of the address itself comes under attack. With the President’s safety compromised the situation for the rest of the world seems hopeless.

In a first for the franchise, Resident Evil 6 sees series favourites Leon S. Kennedy and Chris Redfield come together to face this unprecedented threat. They will be joined by new characters, each with their own unique perspective and involvement in this relentless dramatic horror experience enacted on a global scale.

Since the landmark release of Resident Evil in 1996, the franchise has firmly established itself as a truly worldwide entertainment brand and mainstay of contemporary culture with a series of live action movies, CG anime, manga, novels and numerous merchandising lines. To date the Resident Evil series of videogames has achieved global sales of over 47 million units, while the live action movies starring Milla Jovovich have grossed in excess of $525 million dollars at the box office.

To view the announcement trailer visit www.youtube.com/residentevil

For all assets please visit press.capcom.com

To keep up to date with all the latest information on Resident Evil, please visit: www.facebook.com/residentevil

www.twitter.com/re_games and follow the official hashtag #RE6