This week on the 3DS eShop: Mario and Donkey Kong, The Starship Damrey, and Crash City Mayhem

Games. Glorious games. Unique games. Notable games. The Nintendo 3DS eShop has quite the variety this week, make no mistake.

You've got a new game featuring everyone's favourite plumber and gorilla combo, something new from the studio behind the Professor Laytonseries, as well as some smaller, cheaper options.

In fact, it's a rather good week for the Nintendo 3DS all round. There's a reason for every single one of you 3DS owners to head down to your local eShop and throw some cash at the man behind the counter made of pixels.

Let's take a closer look at these games in their natural habitat.

European eShop releases



Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move leads the top releases this week. It's the fifth entry in the Mario vs Donkey Kong series.

You funnel robotic Marios around a series of puzzle boards, and try to guide them to the end. Think Pipe Mania, but with Mario. This costs £8.99 - expect a review soon.

The Starship Damrey is also potentially exciting. It's the first title in Level-5's Guild 02 trio, and it's an adventure horror game about working out what the heck is going on in a twisted world.

The quality of the Guild 01 titles ranged from great to not so great, so it's probably best to wait for a review on this. £7.19 if you can't wait.

Elsewhere, Bloody Vampire is a Metroidvania title that looks fairly stylish, and costs £4.49. And Reel Fishing 3D Paradise Mini is, as you'd expect, a fishing game. £3.59 for this one.

Crash City Mayhem is one to watch. It's all about driving around a city, causing as much carnage as you can behind the wheel of large tanks and zippy mopeds. Potentially great - £17.99 for that.

And there's even a new Virtual Console game this week. Wrecking Crewsees Mario and Luigi taking on roles as demolition experts in this NES classic, with a £3.59 price tag.

US eShop releases



Americans get Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move too this week, although they'll be paying $9.99 for it. Apparently they don't use pound sterling over there. Who knew!

And SpeedX 3D Hyper Edition takes the original Bronze Award-winningSpeedX 3D from last year, and throws a new coat of paint over it, as well as new music, improved controls, and faster gameplay.

That will cost you $2.99 if you're interesting. If it's similar to the original version, that can't be a bad purchase at all.

And that's your lot for this week - back again in seven days.

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The Animal Crossing: New Leaf Diaries - Day 1

Next month, Nintendo will launch Animal Crossing: New Leaf on the 3DS.

The Animal Crossing games have always had you live among a cosmopolitan microcosm of the animal kingdom, and used to leave you to lead a quiet life of luxury; plucking fruit, catching fish, and collecting furniture.

But that's all changed. In New Leaf, you're made mayor of the village as soon as you step off the train, and must take charge of your up and coming hamlet.

In this diary, then, you'll follow my rise from travelling vagabond to empire-building governor. You'll also be able to guide my journey, by suggesting tips in the comments below.

We'll have a full review later this month. But, for now, here's our daily diary of life in Kusanagi.

Day 1 - Thursday, May 9th

The long journey to my new home was already well under way. The click-clack of the railroad tracks hypnotically keeping the rhythm of my travels.

A charming blue chap by the name of Rover approached me, politely asked what the time was, where I was headed, and what my name was. So I readily handed over this information: I told him that my name is Xero, and my destination is the wonderful town of Kusanagi.

Kusanagi is a place I'd spent many glorious months in during previous years of my life, yet I hadn't visited for a long while and I thought it high time to rectify that.

If I had left Kusanagi due to an over familiarity with its environs - packing my bag and leaving to visit strange new lands filled with other adventures - then any fear of tedium setting in for this fleeting visit immediately vanished when I saw that the lie of the land had completely changed.

Or at least, that's how it appeared to me.

No sooner had I stepped off the train than I was greeted by a veritable parade of Kusanagi townsfolk, though no one I recognised. The welcoming committee gathered round me, and amidst the chatter, a yellow dog named Isabelle casually mentioned that they were excited to see their new mayor.



"I'm the mayor?" I thought, "but how can this be...? And just why does everything look different in Kusanagi from when I was last here?"

In hindsight I should have rejected the idea of taking on the daunting challenge of running a whole town, but in the confusion of my arrival something inside me compelled me to blurt out, "yes, I'll be your mayor!"

After being briefly shown the Town Hall it was off to Main Street - which is just past the train tracks I'd arrived on - and to meet Tom Nook.

Ah... Tom Nook... now there's a name I recognise. That man had nearly ruined me when I last lived in Kusanagi all those years ago, constantly tinkering with my home in exchange for cold hard Bells when I didn't ask for the renovations in the first place, and I certainly didn't have that kind of money.

Yet he didn't recognise me. Perhaps I really had been away from Kusanagi for too long.

So Nook and I went to find a piece of land to build my new residence upon, and when I had found the perfect spot - a peaceful and quiet area away from Main Street and by the tranquil ocean - he set up a tent for me to stay in for the night.

My day was far from over, even though I was getting extremely tired by this point. I needed my TPC (Town Pass Card) which acts as a form of ID for all the citizens of Kusanagi. I don't remember needing one of these last time I resided here, and it seemed a little authoritarian, but then the world was a very different place in 2006...

One last order of business before I could turn in for the night: the tree-planting ceremony in the Event Plaza. This I was told was to symbolise my arrival, and the new life I might breathe into Kusanagi - a sweet gesture, if ever there was one.

Completely pooped, I retired for the day.

Enjoying the journey? Got any tips for my stay in Kusanagi? Let me know by leaving a comment in the box below.

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Cyberpunk RTS C-Wars passes sixth stretch goal, will come to PS Vita and 3DS

Do you remember that gritty, grid-based RTS game C-Wars that we found on Kickstarter a few weeks back?

If so, you'll be happy to read that C-Wars just passed the $65,535 threshold and will now be released for the PS Vita and 3DS, in addition to Android tablets.

Actually, it would have come out for the 3DS anyway as Onipunks recently said in an interview with 4CR - but the news of a Vita release is certainly encouraging for the Sony faithful.

To the moon

C-Wars has grown beyond its original scope following the success of its Kickstarter campaign.

In the new All-Star mode, for example, players will be able to recruit Esmy from Cryamore or Shovel Knight from, er, Shovel Knight into their ranks and use them in battle while the Survival mode will put a player's mastery of C-Wars' unique combat system to the test.

Unfortunately, with only three days of fundraising left it appears that the distant goals of a Wii U or iOS port will remain out of reach for C-Wars for the moment - but there's always a chance that they'll pop up later based on the reception of the Android, Vita, and 3DS versions (to say nothing of its PC, Mac, and Linux releases).

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Review: Super Little Acorns 3D Turbo for 3DS

Being a squirrel must be ace. You get to lounge around in the treetops all day, and every once in a while dig up a nut or two (if you can remember where you left them).

This particular squirrel, star of the ridiculously named SuperLittle Acorns 3D Turbo, has lost his nuts all over the place. Fortunately, grabbing them all makes for an entertaining platformer.

From acorns grow mighty stereoscopic 3D visuals

Super Little Acorns is all about dashing around a series of small levels, hunting down acorns and fruit, and bopping baddies on the head.

Only once you've grabbed all the acorns (and baby squirrels, if they are any) can you exit out of the door. It's all timed, as well, so you can't hang around.

The game is hugely stylish, from the gorgeously animated visuals to the bouncy soundtrack. At the end of each level, the acorns you collected are thrown into a giant tree pit together - it's such a simple yet lovely idea, and just one element that makes Super Little Acorns stand out so much.

There's plenty of content on offer, too, with multiple "years" to beat, boss battles, to overcome, enjoyable challenges to take on, costumes to collect, and achievements to unlock.

And that's without even mentioning the replay value. Each level has speedruns and medals to grab - essentially, it'll be quite a number of hours before you complete this game 100 percent.

Not so little

The action thrown your way is a little tepid to begin with, and takes a while to truly get going.

It's still enjoyable, but there isn't really much of a challenge - you can easily grab everything and beat the speed run time on your first go with many of the levels in the first hour of play.

Eventually, however, Super Little Acorns does ramp up the volume, and things get far more exciting, with perfect jumps required, and the clock ticking away to your potential failure.

It doesn't help that the controls feel rather floaty, mind. Numerous times I found myself overshooting a jump, or slipping off a platform, and cursing that damn squirrel for being just a tad too flimsy.

Should you grab Super Little Acorns 3D Turbo, then? Yes. It's entertaining, it's stylish, and above all else it's a damn fine Nintendo 3DS game.

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Dodge cops, plant bombs, and rescue hostages from May 9th in Crash City Mayhem for 3DS

Essex-based publisher Ghostlight has announced that its action-packed drive-'em-up Crash City Mayhem will smash onto the Nintendo 3DS eShop on May 9th.

Released in Japan as Runabout 3D: Drive Impossible, Crash City Mayhem is a high-octane driving game in which you earn rewards for causing as much destruction as humanly possible.

Your 'official' aim in this title, though, is to put an end to an evil terrorist syndicate that's hell-bent on causing carnage.

Tanks for the memories

You do this across a series of vehicle-based missions that involve you careering over rooftops and driving blindly through sewers.

Bored of games that are filled with generic shiny sports cars? Fear not: you can drive mopeds and even tanks in Crash City Mayhem.

If you want to download Crash City Mayhem, head on over to Nintendo's eShop on May 9th with £17.99.

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This week on the 3DS eShop: Picdun 2, BearShark, and a nice meaty discount

There are a bunch of neato discounts on downloadable Nintendo 3DS games this week.

And all you need do is visit the eShop to find them.

The Virtual Console has been given a real shot in the arm this week, too, with multiple new (old?) titles ready for your consumption.

Plus, there are some brand-new games to download. In fact, it's fair to say that the 3DS eShop has 'got game' this week. Or something.

European eShop releases



Picdun 2: Witch's Curse is a dungeon-crawling RPG featuring static images of women with disproportionately sized chests. Yes, you're right.

You get 60 levels to battle your way through, all for £4.49. Watch out for a review of this up on the site soon.

My Riding Stables 3D - Jumping for the Team is a horsey adventure game involving looking after stallions and making friends. For £34.99, you could probably buy a real horse, mind. Well, a hoof.

Onto the Virtual Console...

The classic game Balloon Fight is now available for £3.59, while Ice Climber is £4.49. Meanwhile, Mario & Yoshi is £4.49, and Super C - the sequel to Contra - is £4.49.

Ooooooo, Marvel Pinball 3D is on sale! It's usually priced £6.29, but you can grab it for £2.99 up until May 9th. Sweet.

US eShop releases



Americans! You can download a game this week called Gummy Bears Magical Medallion. It was originally a Wii game, and it looks awful. Avoid it like the plague.

You can also check out My Riding Stables 3D - Jumping for the Team, just like your European brethren. I'm sure it's delightful.

Now, onto the semi-real stuff. BearShark is an endless-runner about escaping from a bear, and a shark. It looks pretty funny, but it's perhaps best to wait for a review before diving in.

In the US Virtual Console realm this week, you can nab Balloon Fight. Warning: you cannot fly after attaching a balloon to your back in real life. Don't ask how I know this.

But enough about all that - there's a huge sale on. Up until May 9th, you see, you can grab a ton of Nintendo games on the cheap.

We're talking Pushmo, 3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure, Dillon's Rolling Western, Fluidity: Spin Cycle, and Tokyo Crash Mobs.

All of Shin'en's games are on offer until May 9th, too. So, yeh, Art of Balance TOUCH!, Fun! Fun! Minigolf TOUCH!, and Nano Assault EX. Don't bother with the mini-golf game, but do bother with the other two.

And, finally, Marvel Pinball 3D is cheap as chips until May 9th. Buy it - it's fun.

Back again next week.

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Review: Clash of Elementalists for 3DS

Image gallery >>

At its heart, Clash of Elementalists is an arena-based tank-combat game, with two opponents trying to blast each other to bits in a 3D arena.

In many ways it's similar to classics like Battlezone and Virtual On, except it replaces huge mechanised infantry with tiny anime girls.

The game is a simple fight to the death between two of the girls. In other games of the genre, the fun is in mastering intricate controls as you play cat and mouse with your opponent around the map.

Unfortunately, Clash of Elementalistsarenas are flatter than Norfolk, while the characters all move like hyperactive drunks.

Where did you go?

Just the simple act of turning in a desired direction is unnecessarily difficult, as it involves holding the A button and then tapping left or right to turn characters 45 degrees. It's impossible to react quickly or accurately to the action.

The only surefire way to get even a fleeting lock-on with your opponent is to jump, which automatically rotates fighters to face each other. But this fails to be a satisfactory workaround as, with the AI constantly strafing incoming attacks, the only way to stay on target is to constantly leap into the air like a deranged Jack in the Box.

Jumping also proves the only guaranteed way to find an opponent who has moved off-screen. When fighting in close proximity this often results in the camera swinging around wildly to try and track the action.

Being anime-inspired, much of Clash of Elementalists's focus seems to be on its childlike female fighters. Each is linked to an element - fire, water, wind, or earth - and possesses three ranged and close-quarters attack types.

I'm not sure I care

While powers do differ slightly depending on their characters' elemental affinity, their functions remain constant across the roster. It's a nice idea, but with only four selectable fighters there simply isn't enough diversity on offer.

The lacklustre offering of characters does nothing to help spice up the game modes included. Even on Hard, running through all four fights of the Arcade Mode only took about six minutes. While this is supplemented by Battle and Versus modes, playing AI and friends in single matches does little to pad out the package.

It's hard to say whether Clash of Elementalists's problems are rooted in its element concept, in the limitations of the hardware, or in its distinct lack of underlying ambition. While more characters and moves would have made a more substantial package, part of me is simply happy to have seen all the content so I could put it down.

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Beware of dropping bass, upcoming Sound Shapes DLC may feature dubstep

The Bronze Award-winning rhythm platformer Sound Shapes is ready to drop the bass and a whole lot of awesome on its fans with an upcoming DLC pack.

With a coy announcement on its Twitter, Queasy Games announced that the new DLC would arrive forSound Shapes on May 14 in North America and May 15 in Europe.

While Queasy was quiet on what the new DLC will feature, PSNstoresreports that it will bring an 80s music sound pack along with a Dubstep sound pack to the Vita music game.

Safety Dance

As for how PSNStores managed to confirm this, Joystiq reports that Queasy Games accidentally leaked trophies for the 80s and Dubstep sound packs in Asia when it released the March Sound Shapes DLC.

We don't have official confirmation on the price of the upcoming sound packs, but they should be in the neighborhood of 99c / 69p if they follow the previous pricing model.

As with other sound packs, we assume that you'll receive new Beat School levels to play through along with new sound samples to play with.

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Review: Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R for PS Vita

There's still no Fanny in this portable outing for the Guilty Gear fighting game series. This would have been the perfect time to bring the so-far Guilty Gear Petit-exclusive star out of retirement.

But, sadly, it isn't meant to be with Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R for the Vita. Shame, as it needs a hook.

Pronounced "gax-ac-par", GGXXACPR is the latest in a long line of revisions to Guilty Gear XX, the third entry in the main series. It's a superb, but stripped back, game that's as polished as it is pointless. It has almost no reason to exist, but its existence is a thing of beauty.

"Sol Badguy"
GGXXACPR is a tip-top brawler in its fundamentals, as you might expect from any premium fighting series. Only years of play will determine whether this release is better balanced for high-level players than the last, but each match I fought was interesting to play, and often went down to the last few points of health.

It's combo-heavy stuff, much like Arc System Works's other Vita releaseBlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend, and the fighting can get fairly frantic. As you might expect from a 2D fighter, it's special move-based, with quarter-turns aplenty. The down, down-forward, forward plus a button combinations are handled beautifully by the Vita's clicky D-Pad.

The art-style is pure anime: cataclysmic backgrounds, spiked hair, large-breasted women, and giant weapons, accompanied by a blues-influenced classic rock soundtrack. Strikes connect with a satisfying aural intensity, too - though this only serves to highlight how grainy the speech samples during conversations are.

There's an attempt at a larger story here, and while it has the potential to be engaging it squanders this with dialogue so overly dramatic that it borders on the childish. It's truly a pity, because the characters are wonderfully bizarre, with the lanky insanity that is Faust remaining one of the best creations in 2D scrap-'em-ups history.

I... no
The biggest problem GGXXACPR has is its uncertainty over who its target audience is. Which is to say that it doesn't really have one.

This is the fifth revision of the core GGXX game, and if you're not a top-level player it's doubtful the tweaks to character moves or minimal additional content will be worth the price of admission if you own a copy on another platform.

If you're totally new to the series, or to fighting games in general, then this isn't a good place to start. There's no tutorial, and the game doesn't bother to explain itself. If you don't already know what an Instant Kill is, you'll have real trouble on the very first stage of the Mission mode that requires you to beat your opponent using one. The learning curve is practically vertical from the off.

If you've been with the series since the beginning then you might be tempted, but here's a kicker for you: there's no online multiplayer - only local ad-hoc.

So who's left to buy it? If you're a Guilty Gear fan, or a very confident fighting game player, but you're yet to pick up a version of GGXX, and you want to play it on your Vita, then this is a great purchase.

All seven of you should go get it immediately.

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Flight Control meets an open fly, and the end result is the upcoming Men's Room Mayhem

A trip to a public men's room is far more involved than an outsider might think.

Once inside the tiled arena, a subtle and intricate dance begins - the steps aren't posted on the wall, and rare is the man who has the rules spelled out for him.

Instead, the dance is learned through observation and performed with unerring accuracy, and those in the room will know when a mistake has been made.

This is the world of Men's Room Mayhem, where it's never ok to make eye contact and you earn etiquette points for leaving a space between urinals.

Loo lunacy
Men's Room Mayhem is a time-management game similar to Flight Control- except that instead of landing planes, you'll be guiding full-bladdered gents to the closest available urinal or stall.

If you let a patron linger in torment for too long, however, he'll vent his… frustration… all over the floor, and it'll be your job as the men's room janitor to clean it up.

Worse still, fights can break out between visitors if you break the unwritten rules of men's room etiquette, so you'll need to keep the queue flowing efficiently if you hope to keep the pee.

Ahem. Peace.

The posting on the PlayStation Blog doesn't include a release date for the PS Vita version of Men's Room Mayhem, and Ripstone's page is similarly mum on when we can expect an iOS and Android release.

We'll keep you updated as soon as we have more information to report.

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Party like it's 1999 - Grand Theft Auto 1 and 2 rated by ESRB for PlayStation devices

Are you ready to relive the glory days of late-90s gaming?

If so, we have some good news for you: Rockstar's legendary crime-glorifying games Grand Theft Auto andGrand Theft Auto 2 recently received ratings by the ESRB for PlayStation devices, which strongly suggests that a release on the PlayStation Network should soon be in the cards.

Joystiq reports that the games have been rated for the PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and PSP, with Grand Theft Auto receiving a rating of "M" (Mature) for animated blood and strong language.

Grand Theft Auto 2 received a more mild rating of "T" (Teen) for suggestive themes, strong language, and violence.

Drive by
We don't know when to expect these games on the PlayStation Network just yet, but a release over the summer seems likely since the ratings have already been secured.

A search on the PEGI website showed no ratings for a PS Vita or PS3 version of either Grand Theft Auto game, but hopefully that will change in the weeks ahead.

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This week on the PS Vita Store: Soul Sacrifice, Zombie Tycoon 2, and Farming Simulator

This week on the PS Vita Store, there are some horrible human sacrifices, scream-inducing zombie uprisings, and gruesome harvestings.

Okay, so that last one is actually a reference to the act of harvesting on a farm, rather than, you know, harvesting bodies or what have you.

What I'm trying to say is, though, the PSN Store is a scary place to be right now. Don't let that put you off, mind, as there are some great new downloadable games available.

Let us delay no longer...

Full-price releases


HOW long have we been waiting for Soul Sacrifice, eh? It's been a while, certainly, but this bloody mess of a game is finally here.

I loved my time with this Monster Hunter-styled hack 'n' slasher. You probably will, too. It'll set you back £29.99 / $35.99.

Farming Simulator is finally on PS Vita. This popular German simulation game costs £6.49, and, well, you might want to wait for our review before you buy it. These sorts of games can be a bit hit and miss.

European PS Vita fans can download Machinarium this week. It's a lovely little adventure about a robot who most definitely can. Well worth the £4.79 asking price.

Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge is a rather interesting prospect. Here is a strategy game where you control the zombies rather than the survivors. £7.99 / $9.99, thank you.

(If you're a US PS Plus subscriber, by the way, you might want to scroll down before considering whether to buy Zombie Tycoon 2 or not.)

Oh, there's a hot, hot, hot sale on in the US Store, too.

Yep, our American cousins can pick up PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royalefor $24.99, Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection for $24.49, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time for $18.49, and LittleBigPlanet Vita for $24.99.

PlayStation Plus games and offers



Zombie Tycoon 2 is completely free to American PS Plus subscribers this week. Which is nice.

And you remember all those sales we mentioned, like, two paragraphs ago? On Metal Gear Solid, Sly Cooper, and whatnot.

Well, knock another few dollars off each of those prices if you're a PS Plus subscriber.

PlayStation Mobile releases


After the torrent of new PS Mobile titles last week, I'm left wondering if Sony accidentally let too many of them out of the gate at the same time.

That's because this week there are absolutely no new PS Mobile games at all.

Ouch.

PSP and PSone Classics



Only one new PSP title this week, sir.

T.A.C. Heroes is its name. Old war strategy is its game. From what I've read online, it's not worth your time or your cash.

But, hey, if you really need some PSP gaming in your life this week,LittleBigPlanet PSP is on sale for $10.49 (or $7.34 if you're a PS Plus subscriber.)

Back again next week.

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Incoming! The most exciting 3DS and PS Vita games for May

The sun is peeping out from behind the clouds, and the rain has beaten a hasty retreat. Thankfully.

Yup, May is well and truly here.

Forget about the UK weather, though: there's a whole host of exciting Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita games heading your way over the next month.

So, get ready for some AAA big-shot releases, indie RPGs, classic Nintendo characters, long-awaited adventure games, and much more. If you're a handheld gamer, then May might just become your all-time favourite month.

Note that this isn't a comprehensive list of games coming out in May on 3DS and Vita. There are plenty of download-only games set to surprise us all each and every week on the eShop and PSN Stores.

The Denpa Men 2: Beyond the Waves
By Genius Sonority - coming to 3DS on May 2nd



In spite of its ridiculous name, The Denpa Men: They Came By Wave was a wonderful downloadable RPG. Cute and silly visuals were backed up by deep, demanding gameplay.

It's fair to say, then, that we're looking forward to seeing if The Denpa Men 2: Beyond the Waves follows in the footsteps of They Came By Wave.

Our only real criticism of the original game was that it became a little too samey after a while. Hopefully, Genius Sonority took heed.

Mario & Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move
By Nintendo - coming to 3DS on May 9th



The Mario & Donkey Kong: Minis series is one of those underrated franchises. You know, the games always earn rave reviews, yet they're rarely brought up in video game conversations.

Revealed just two weeks ago during the latest Nintendo Direct broadcast, the latest instalment in the series looks like a Mini Mario-infused version of Pipe Mania.

Okay, so there's considerably more to Minis on the Move than that, including all sorts of weird and wacky ideas, but the point still stands. Sort of.

Fast & Furious: Showdown
By Firebrand Games - coming to 3DS on May 21st



As a rule of thumb, be wary of video game film tie-ins. A lot of the time they are hugely average, due in part to the strict deadlines on development.

Fast & Furious: Showdown is a tie-in for upcoming nitrous-filled action movie Fast & Furious 6. PG production editor Rich tells me The Rock's in it. Which is nice.

The events of this game lead up to the sixth - yes, sixth! - instalment in this long-running movie franchise, which accelerates into UK cinemas on May 17th.

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
By Monster Games - coming to 3DS on May 24th



Donkey Kong Country Returns on Nintendo Wii was difficult. Actually, it was 'take this controller and throw it through every window in this house' difficult.

It's clear that Ninty is aware of this, for this 3DS port has been watered down to such a degree that it's possible to, you know, beat the damn thing.

With this in mind, I can't wait to get my hands on this, for hidden between the painfully tricky sections of the Wii version was a genuinely great platformer.

Machinarium
By Amanita Design - coming to PS Vita on May 1st



European PS Vita owners are finally getting this classic 2009 adventure game about the little robot (Josef) who could. Oh, and it's totally been worth the wait.

As you guide Josef out of the scrapheap and into the city, you'll uncover an underground gang that is planning some devious acts. Subsequently, you'll have to save your love interest.

It's all rather delightful, with gorgeous animations and wonderfully informative picture bubbles. If you haven't played this game before, download it the second it comes out on Vita.

Zombie Tycoon 2
By Frima Studio - coming to PS Vita on May 1st



We thoroughly enjoyed the original Zombie Tycoon, a real-time strategy game in which you control the zombie hordes, rather than fend them off.

This upcoming sequel is, in truth, more of the same, as you take the hordes onto the battlefield once again.

Saying that, Frima Studio does appear to be focusing even more on the comedy angle this time around.

Hopefully, we'll get a tad more variety this time around, too. There are only so many zombie games we can take before the genre eats its own brains.

Velocity Ultra
By FuturLab - coming to PS Vita on May 15th



The original Velocity on PS minis was essential download material. This is a fact.

Given that incontrovertible truth, the prospect of Velocity Ultra - an enhanced super-port of the minis version - is a ruddy exciting one.

With new art; a refined control system; and lots of little alterations to the original here and there, Velocity Ultra could well turn out to be the definitive Vita game. Let's hope so, eh.

Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery
By Lucid Games - coming to PS Vita in May



Although Lucid Games hasn't given us a set date for the maiden instalment in this episodic puzzler, we do know that the first episode will be available sometime in May.

Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery is a more casual title than the average PS Vita gamer will no doubt be used to. Here, you see, the focus is on building a gorgeous cartoony world.

But will it be much cop? We're hoping 'yes'. And we presume you are, too.

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The dead are coming and you're in control of them in Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge for PS Vita

The original Zombie Tycoon came out nearly four years ago on the PSP, and contained a squelchingly good control system and plenty of undead mayhem for RTS fans to get their teeth into.

It might have taken a while, then, but the sequel to Zombie Tycoon will finally be unleashed on the unsuspecting population of the world - and PSN - today.

What can we expect this time around, eh? Well, a tide of flesh-hungry beasts and some terrifying monsters, natch. All of which are at your beck and call.

Rather than ask you to focus on base building or resource gathering,Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge's creator would like you to guide your swarms of zombies into the heart of battle and watch as they tear chunks out of humans and opposing hordes of flesh eaters.



In multiplayer mode, you pit classic shambling zombies against speedy undead runners in a mass cartoon brawl to the death.

There are four giant beasts available for you to control: from an enormous angry badger called the Badgerker to a bizarre car / zombie hybrid known as the Skidmark.

For those of you who own a PS3, you'll be delighted to read that Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge supports Cross-Buy, Cross-Play, and Cross-Save, meaning you can pick up the fight on your PS Vita from where you left it at home.

Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge will go live later today on the PSN Store for the bargain price of £7.99.

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Review: Soul Sacrifice for PS Vita

It's looking more and more likely that 2013 is going to be extremely kind to the PS Vita - hordes of indie games are getting ready to march onto the device in the coming months.

This is all well and good, but there are plenty of gamers understandably crying out for some good old-fashioned triple-A action to go with that order of indie.

Soul Sacrifice more than provides, with a ridiculously deep spell-crafting system, clever presentation, and multiplayer that may keep you going for many weeks to come.

Baring your soul

You are a slave to the all-powerful, all-crazy sorcerer Magusar, and you've been picked for sacrifice. With your time running out, Magusar's magic journal appears before you and offers to help you beat him.

By reading through the journal, you're able to piece together Magusar's life, discover why he's such a psychopath, and learn enough tricks of the trade such that you'll be able to take him on and secure your freedom.

It's a fantastic setup, and one that is backed up with brilliant storytelling that you'll genuinely care about. Even the book itself is brimming with personality, jumping around and handing out hints via its ugly front-cover face every once in a while.

The gameplay is focused around casting spells on monsters in a series of arenas, building up your magic knowledge, and using it to battle even tougher bad guys.

The more stories you conclude, the more you'll level-up, and the more powerful you'll become. Brilliantly you can actually choose to fight Magusar any time you like, even from the very beginning - but you'll want to wait a good dozen hours or so before you even consider that.

What a monster

If you're looking for a deep Monster Hunter-style RPG, you've come to the right place.

Crafting junkies are going to be right in their element. There are hundreds of spells to find, fuse, and experiment with, and tons of different strategies required depending on the boss battle you're about to face.

You've got special Sigil powers to burn into your right arm, the Mind's Eye view which helps your determine important elements of your surroundings, and the quite-remarkable Dark Rites system, which provides you with ridiculous amounts of power - but at a cost.

There's also the hugely rewarding save versus sacrifice system. When you kill an enemy, you can choose to save his soul and gain life for yourself, or sacrifice him and become more powerful. These decisions can also alter the storyline at times, meaning there are plenty of variables to consider.

Let's put it this way - if I attempted to mention absolutely every interesting, well-balanced feature that Soul Sacrifice provides, this review would probably require its own separate website.

And all of this is possible both in single-player and multiplayer, the latter of which will eat away at your life if you have Vita friends.

False start

With all this content on offer, it's a shame that Soul Sacrifice starts off so awkwardly.

For the first few hours, you're put through a series of what are essentially linear tutorials. It's obvious that the idea is to guide you in slowly, but it ends up feeling like an awfully slow bottleneck.

The controls are also a sticking point. Switching between the two sets of available spells during the heat of battle with enemies all over you can prove confusing - particularly given that the 'sacrifice' button is the same as for swapping through spells.

Several times when I tried to sacrifice an enemy too quickly I accidentally swapped spell sets without realising, then later ruined a perfectly good run by activating the wrong spell.

It's also difficult to activate Mind's Eye during combat, as this involves reaching across with your right hand so that you can continue to dart around with your left. It would be nice if you could mess around with the controls in the options menu, but, alas, the only other layout is far worse.

Despite these quirks, Soul Sacrifice is going to complement the vast array of indie games for PS Vita to a tee, offering up Monster Hunter-like action that is fit for both solo artists and those looking to get some friends onboard.

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Dragon Fantasy Book I creators talk updated visuals on Vita, working with Sony, sequels, and Dr. Seuss

If you're a fan of old skool RPGs then you're no doubt excited about the imminent release of Dragon Fantasy Book I on Vita.

This indie darling has built a dedicated fanbase on mobiles, and it's looking likely to win over the Final Fantasy andDragon Quest crowd that are searching for a truly hardcore Vita RPG.

I got in touch with Muteki Corporation president and founder Bryan Sawler, as well as creative director Adam Rippon, to find out a bit more about the game.

They talked to me about classic RPGs, working with Sony, and the importance of comedy in games.

They also revealed their plans for a forthcoming sequel - news that fans of Earthbound and Chrono Trigger won't want to miss.



Dragon Fantasy Book I is out now in the US on Vita. Tell us a bit about the game.

Bryan Sawler: Dragon Fantasy Book I is a retro 8-bit style RPG for PlayStation 3 and PS Vita, out now in the US and we're currently working on the European release.

The game is broken up into three main chapters (with a fourth "non-canon" intermission as well) following the progression through 8-bit RPGs. Starting with just a single hero fighting single enemies, up through multiple enemies, multiple heroes, and monster capturing.

In Chapter 1, we were aiming straight for a "Nintendo Hard" RPG, an absolute throwback to the dawn of console role-playing. It's the classic tale of a lone warrior going against an army of darkness, but instead of being a young, fit 16-year old, our hero Ogden is a 46 year old retired former hero who really isn't fit for battle any more.

Chapter 2 brings Prince Anders into the spotlight, and adds recruitable companions to help him on his journey while he discovers a bit of the backstory behind what set Chapter 1's events in motion.

Finally, Chapter 3 introduces Jerald and Ramona, two thieves attempting to escape from the eastern empire of Sandheim by fencing stolen goods - goods lifted from Prince Anders's ship.

Can fans of the series - who perhaps already own a copy of the game - expect to see exclusive content in this port to Sony's handheld?

Adam Rippon: The Sony release of the game is the first to feature a new "Special Edition"-style update. We've redrawn the artwork and re-created the music to make sort of a SNES-style Special Edition of what was originally made to be a NES-style game.

We feature Cross-Buy, so if you buy the game on PS3 you get it on PS Vita as well. And we implemented Cross-Save so that you can share your progress between the systems. The upcoming patch 1.10 will also allow players to "mix and match" the styles - 8-bit chiptune music and 16 bit graphics, or vice versa.

The game's title clearly suggests that several RPGs are an influence on Dragon Fantasy Book I. What is it about classic series like Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, and Ys that you feel has made them endure in people's memories for so long?

Adam Rippon: The Dragon Fantasy series is an exploration of what we've loved about three distinct eras in RPG history: 8-bit, 16-bit, and the more modern era.

For those early games, I loved (and hated) the fact that they simply weren't easy! Slogging your way through hundreds of monsters to fight the Dragonlord in the original Dragon Quest actually felt like I'd accomplished something, and we've very much tried to reproduce that feeling in Book I.

Likewise, the early Final Fantasy games did an excellent job telling a story within severe technological limitations, and I remember as a child filling in the gaps with things far more vivid than the actual games themselves.

Also, who could not love the bizarre mumbo jumbo of the time loop storyline with Chaos and Garland in FF1? It barely made sense, but it fuelled many schoolyard debates for me and my friends.



What was the reasoning behind breaking the game up not just into multiple "Books" but into individual chapters within them? Is the ultra long form epic narrative in RPGs a thing of the past?

Bryan Sawler: When we originally released Dragon Fantasy we never thought we'd be making updates and sequels. We expected it would come out and no one would really care and we could finally check "make the old skool retro RPG we tried making when we were 14-years-old" off our checklists and move on.

But then people started playing and loving the game! So we decided to add more content, and do it in bite-size portions. We thought it would help keep the game in the news and get us more sales. It didn't quite work out that way, but in the end it kept the fans happy so that’s something!

Also, I think having a set of connected shorter stories with defined starting and ending points actually works out really well for us as fans of the genre who rarely get the time to actually play all the way through a 60-hour RPG from start to finish.

There's a great deal of humour in the games: there's madcap stuff, as well as references to other games, and poking fun at the genre too. Why have you made a game with this sense of the jovial, when so often the genre is very deadpan?

Bryan Sawler: To quote my hands-down favorite author Theodore Geisel (perhaps better known as Dr. Seuss): "These things are fun, and fun is good".

Ultimately, video games are a form of entertainment and we want to entertain people. We have some seriousness to the game, but it's wrapped in fun and frivolity because, hey, there are enough people out there trying to make games WAY too serious.

The story actually gets fairly dark in a few places, and I think that having that contrast between drama and comedy helps to highlight each.

What's the process of working with Sony to get the game onto the PlayStation Store been like? We're hearing murmurs that it's been aggressively encouraging indie studios to bring games to the Vita platform

Adam Rippon: Sony has been fantastic.

It was a weird joint venture in working with them. Bryan had started talking with Sony about their PubFund a while ago. We originally thought maybe we’d release a small PSP game or something of the sort. Then things came up (as they always do) and that project was put on hold for a bit.

Fast-forward to GDC in 2012 and we talked to Sony again and oddly enough just prior to GDC at PAX East 2012 someone from Sony had wandered by our booth and talked to us.

So we all got together in a room, showed them Dragon Fantasy Book IIand what we were wanting to do with it, and they were (to our surprise) as excited about it as we were!



Onto future projects now: what can you tell me about Dragon Fantasy Book II? (note to readers: this answer contains significant spoilers for Book I)

Bryan Sawler: Storywise, Book II continues where Book I left off, with our heroes having left Sandheim on a boat for the Southlands.

Most of the heroes from Book I will be coming together within the first couple hours of the game, which is something we've all been looking forward to for a while.

The party is searching for the missing talisman that Anders found in Chapter 2, knowing that Jerald from Chapter 3 has it, but mistakenly believing him to be en route to the Southlands. In reality, only his young niece Ramona escaped from Sandheim, whom they know nothing about. By the time they discover all this, though, they'll be busy dealing with entirely new problems.

Just as Book 1 was modelled on older RPGs from the dawn of time (circa 1986), Book II is our take on mid-90s RPG design, such as Dragon Quest VI, Chrono Trigger, and Final Fantasy VI; we're going for a spatially-aware battle system with monsters on the maps, somewhat akin toChrono Trigger.

In addition, with the more modern design we're taking more liberties with play variation - like ship-to-ship combat, where you actually use Rock monsters as ammunition against your enemies. Also, our bosses inBook II are way bigger and more intimidating than in Book I - we've got numerous full screen and scripted bosses who have some severely devastating attacks.

And finally, since we just finished implementing this today, I definitely want to mention that we'll have "Smaaaash!!" attacks like in Earthbound- if you encounter an enemy that you are substantially more powerful than, you will destroy them in one automatic super-attack. No sense wasting your time with wimpy enemies!

Thanks to Adam and Bryan for their time. Dragon Fantasy Book I is out now on the US PlayStation Store, and coming soon to European Vitas.

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Confirmed Sasquatch sighting on Vita in Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery

Update on April 29th, at 14:52: Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery will also be released on iPhone and iPad sometime in May.

Original story follows...

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Vita owners will soon be able to encounter Bigfoot on a small screen in Lucid's upcoming puzzle-adventure Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery.

In this game, you get to sport the badge-emblazoned sash of Jacob, a young boy scout who has just arrived at Camp Eagle.

Instead of spending his time playing with his fellow campmates, though, Jacob seeks solitude in the wilderness. It is there he stumbles upon old Sasquatch himself, the legendary man-beast Bigfoot.



Created by the folks over at Lucid, and built using the Unreal Engine 3,Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery is, at its heart, a puzzler.

As Jacob explores the forest surrounding him, he will stumble across mini-conundrums that he must solve in order to advance.

Though the dev hasn't revealed any of the puzzle mechanics in detail yet, the screenshot above centres on a tile-arranging logic problem.

We suspect that Jacob Jones and the Bigfoot Mystery will be FULL of micro-puzzles like this. Luckily, the team has promised to reveal more information about the game in the next couple of weeks.

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Capcom has 'no plans' for a Monster Hunter on PS Vita

Fans of the Monster Hunter series have long thought that the PS Vita was the perfect console for banding together with a group of friends, grabbing ridiculously large swords, and heading out to murder some indigenous creatures.

Thanks to its gorgeous screen, potential 3G connection, and slick PSN-powered online gaming setup, it should be the natural home for portable monster butchery.

Or so you'd think.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look as though Vita owners are going to get a taste of Capcom's multiplayer beast battler any time soon.



NeoGAF spotted the damning Monster Hunter evidence over at the Ask Capcom forum, where Capcom associate online / community specialist Yuri L. Araujo spelt out the bad news in no uncertain terms.

"Sorry we've got no plans for a PS Vita Monster Hunter at the moment," Araujo stated.

That's a real shame for Vita gamers, we must say. And while Araujo offered salve for the wound in the form of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite(a PSP port which is available for download from the PSN store), it's not quite the tailored, high-definition monster-hunting experience for which Vita fans are clamouring.

Monster Hunter Ultimate 3 hit the 3DS earlier in the year, and we labelled it "a substantial and extremely satisfying experience" in our review.

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Review: Dragon Fantasy Book I for PS Vita

Without wishing to be too reductive, Dragon Fantasy Book I is Dragon Quest in all but name.

Thankfully, this is exactly what Muteki Corporation was aiming for: a loving homage to the 8-bit adventures of old, with some modern references thrown in for good measure.

This affectionate retro effort captures the look and feel of the Dragon Quest era, but it also suffers from many of the problems that the RPG genre has since weeded out.

In other words, Dragon Fantasy Book I is an accurate replica of Dragon Quest, for better and for worse.

Joker

After five minutes of play, the game's heritage is clear. You womble slowly about in a large monster-filled overworld, visiting dungeons and getting into random battles with a variety of enemies. The iconic Slimes are replaced by small rocks with eyes on them, but they're all analogous with the monsters in the Toriyama classics.

Except, of course, that they're nowhere near as well-designed. There's an attempt at injecting personality into them, with combat screens informing you that Mr Lizard has "lost one too many limbs" (and has therefore died), but it doesn't compensate for the sheer aesthetic brilliance of a Dungeon Quest game.

The presentation is high class, though, and you can switch between a truly 8-bit style and an Enhanced mode which sports a few more colours and a multi-instrumental soundtrack.

Fighting is fast, and that's a godsend as there's a lot of it. You're attacked every ten seconds or so when you're in a dangerous area, and while you can force your way through areas with levelling and better equipment you'll also need to think about how to use your skills.

You can fight monsters with weapons, use magic, run away from battles you can't possibly win, and so on. Keeping track of your party's health and getting to know the strengths and weaknesses of the world's inhabitants is a must.

Nostalgia stands in your way
In the more compact towns you're given time and space to breathe, since you're safe from attack. Here you stock up on potions and other supplies, rest at inns to replenish HP and MP, and you save your progress at churches. It's all very reminiscent of, yes, Dragon Quest.

There are other games/geek culture references during the fantasy story, though the more modern day ones about Reddit feel at odds within its ancient pixel confines. There's an entire chapter of the game dedicated to Minecraft, too, but the humour lacks subtlety. For the most part, this is for fans of the early Dungeon Quest entries, and not really anyone else.

The game's main problems stem from its overzealous commitment to its own shtick. There's no journal reminding you where you should be off to next, and little direction as to your target location or character.

Combined with the significant number of random battles - often with enemies of much higher power, should you wander into the wrong area - this makes exploration a tedious, dangerous, and laborious process.

It's also comparatively basic in its approach to narrative: the epic here just isn't that grand, even if it is lengthy. The cheery but silly humour can fall flat, and the rest of the dialogue isn't engaging.

I don't want to sound like a broken record, but if you enjoyed Dragon Quest back on the early home consoles then you'll like Dragon Fantasy Book I, as it's a sterling recreation of what made those games great. If you've tired of traipsing around simple worlds with simpler stories, or you simply don't like Enix's flagship RPG, then this won't change your mind.

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