Bandai Namco and VSTG Project announced during this year's Anime Expo that the 3D open-space fighting game, Gundam Versus, will actually make its way westward later this year for PlayStation 4 gamers.

In fact, Polygon is reporting that during a live panel featuring Gundam Versus, Bandai Namco revealed that you'll be able to get your hands on the multiplayer fighting game starting September 29th, 2017 in North America for the PlayStation 4.

The game features one-on-one fights and two-on-two team battle modes for up to four players. There's even a three-on-three battle mode where six players will duke it out in the arenas using the mega-ton mechs.

According to the article, gamers will have up to 90 different mechs to choose from, spanning almost the entire catalog of Gundams dating back to the original in 1979. The whole Gundam franchise makes millions of dollars a year in manga, anime and video games, so it's unsurprising that Bandai would want to attempt to reach as many fans as possible by including as many different Gundams from different generations as possible.

In addition to simply having lots of Gundams to play as and various multiplayer modes to partake in, there are also some new features added to the game that weren't in previous Gundam outings, such as the new three-tier boost system, which was demonstrated in the original announcement trailer from earlier this spring. You can check it out below in case you missed it before.

The boost allows players to dash left and right, as well as dash a level upward to dodge attacks. However, Gundam Versus also allows players to dash downward with what's called a Boost Dive.

This is a pretty nifty trick when someone is firing at you and you quickly use the boost to dive downward to dodge incoming fire while you're flying around in the air.

Mechanics wise, the gameplay is extremely similar to Spike Chunsoft's Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series or CyberConnect 2's Naruto Shippuden games, where players will use lock-on targeting to focus on a single opponent and utilize both melee and projectile-based attacks in order to whittle down the life of opponents.

Each Gundam will have its own attacks and special moves to master, giving players plenty of opportunities to experiment and try new tactics while on the battlefield.

But wait, there's more!

There are also strikers that you can call in to help you out, not unlike the strikers in games like King of Fighters and Marvel vs Capcom. This helps even up the odds in case some players may lack the necessary arsenal to take home the win based on skill alone. Beyond that, there are survival modes, boss hunter modes, and co-op missions as well.

As mentioned at the top of the article, Gundam Versus is set to arrive on September 29th later this year for the PlayStation 4 in North America.

Namco Bandai confirmed today through Facebook that Dark Souls 2 will launch on the PC on April 25th. They've also announced that they're including a few features that were widely requested by PC gamers.

The first Dark Souls was restricted to 30 frames per second on PC. Players were forced to download an unofficial mod to get up to 60fps. Namco says that the Dark Souls 2 on PC will include an "enhanced frame rate" option so that players with high-end machines can experience smoother action.

Low resolutions were another complaint leveled at the PC version of Dark Souls. Again, players had to resort to a fan mod to fix the issue. Dark Souls 2 will fortunately feature increased texture resolution.

Maybe the boldest claim made by Namco Bandai is that they're going to "perfectly adapt the game for a mouse & keyboard combo." I have trouble believing that gamepads won't still be the superior option by a long shot. PC gamers insistent on not buying a controller should be happy to hear that their control scheme of choice is getting attention, though.

Dark Souls 2 on PC is available as a standard edition or collector's edition. Pre-ordering either bundle gives you access to the Black Armor Weapons Pack, which includes the following bonus items: Black Flamestone Dagger and Black Flamestone Parma – A dagger and shield encrusted in Black Flamestone both found in the Gutter at Black Gulch. Even though they are heavier than a normal dagger and shield, the Flamestone crystal’s unique properties make the dagger extremely sharp and give the shield high resistance to damage.

• Yellow Quartz Longsword and Yellow Quartz Shield – A straight sword and small shield hardened with yellow quartz both uncovered at the bottom of the Iron Keep. Even though these items can break easily due to their high level of corrosion, they are exceptionally light and their power to inflict damage has not declined.
• Bound Hand Axe and Bound Wooden Shield – A brutal hand axe and shield found in the Undead Purgatory. Both items are wrapped in chains and thorns to cause additional bleeding on enemies. Both the axe and shield have diminished in overall slashing power but their ability to deliver pain has been deliberately increased.
• Homunculus Mace and Homunculus Wooden Shield – A mace and shield with spherical protrusions found in Aldia’s Keep. Although heavier-than-normal maces and shields, the hard protrusions greatly increase the striking power of the mace as well as the shield’s defensive capabilities.
• Transgressor’s Staff and Transgressor’s Leather Shield – A staff and leather shield entwined with an unknown and seemingly lackluster element; these items are found in the Dark Chasm of Old. They have become a catalyst for sorcery and hex, and they cause an effect known as Darkness.

Gamers who pre-order through Steam, GameStop, Amazon, or ClubNamco are entitled to other digital extras as well, such as an artbook, comic book, and soundtrack.

Dark Souls 2 will debut on Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 11th. The first review published in the world says it's the hardest game yet.

Accompanying today's announcement are a batch of screenshots from the PC version of DS2. You can check them all out below.

A Dark Souls 2 contest held last year challenged players to design shields for the action RPG. Today two of those fan creations came to life in new screenshots released by From Software.

The first fan design was the "Guardian Shield" by Gabriel Verdon. This off-white shield has a picture of a hand with an eye in the middle embossed in the center. The bottom edge is covered in red and black hand prints. From Software renamed Verdon's creation to "Wicked Eye Greatshield."

"A greatshield with an unsettling design, covered in the pints of countless hands," reads the official description of the item. "The true origin of this shield is unknown. No amount of polishing can clear its face of the mysterious hand prints."

The other piece of fan armor was the "Great Shield of the Raven Goddess." The Raven Goddess shield, also designed by Verdon, is adorned with the silhouette of an enormous raven. The shield will be known as the "Rebel Greatshield" within Dark Souls 2. It once belonged to Raime, a valued servant of the king who later rose against his ruler.

Screenshots of the other shield design winners will be released next week. There were twelve winners in total, half chosen by fans and half chosen by the developers. Though both of the shields revealed today were tower shields, the other creations include both medium and small shields. You'll probably find a use for one of these shields regardless of what class you choose in Dark Souls 2.

Dark Souls 2, like its predecessor, is a difficult dungeon-crawler with multiplayer elements. Players can jump into one another's games to fight or work together. Many of the other signature features of Dark Souls will also make a return, like covenants and massive bosses. From Software says that DS2 will be more accessible to newcomers, though, and take place in a world twice the size of Dark Souls'.

DS2 will debut on Xbox 360 and PS3 in March. From Software previously announced a PC version as well but hasn't provided a date yet. They're using the extra time to make sure it's more polished than the PC port of Dark Souls.

The full Achievements/Trophies list for action RPG Dark Souls 2 leaked today. From Software's latest game will have 38 Achievements for you to earn.

You'll be sure to earn "This is Dark Souls" right away. This Achievement is given to you on your first death. Dark Souls 2, like its predecessors, is a game that requires a lot of trial-and-error. I'm surprised they don't give you an Achievement for dying a hundred times, because that's a very real possibility.

Many of the Achievements revolve around covenants. These factions provide exclusive rewards to members who follow their rules. Some covenants encourage helping other players while others are designed with PvP in mind. You'll get Achievements for simply finding these covenants so you can probably pick them all up in one play-through.

The Achievement/Trophy list (via ExoPhase) also mentions the names of a few bosses. If you want to go into the game completely fresh, you may want to avoid reading these:

• The Dark Soul (50G) - Earn all Achievements
• Self Recollection (10G) - Reclaim flesh and set out as an Undead
• King's Ring (20G) - Acquire the King's Ring
• Ancient Dragon (20G) - Acquire Ashen Mist Heart
• The Heir (100G) - See the ending
• Last Giant (10G) - Defeat the Last Giant
• Sinner's Bonfire (20G) - Light the primal bonfire in Sinner's Rise
• Iron Keep Bonfire (20G) - Light the primal bonfire in the Iron Keep
• Gulch Bonfire (20G) - Light the primal bonfire in the Black Gulch
• Brightstone Bonfire (20G) - Light the primal bonfire in Brightstone Cove Tseldora
• Giant Lord (20G) - Defeat Looking Glass Knight
• Vendrick (50G) - Defeat Vendrick
• Supreme Weapon (50G) - Reinforce a weapon to its limit
• Gesture Maestro (50G) - Learn all gestures
• Master of Sorcery (30G) - Learn all sorceries
• Master of Miracles (30G) - Learn all miracles
• Master of Pyromancy (30G) - Learn all pyromancies
• Master of Hexes (30G) - Learn all hexes
• Brilliant Covenant (10G) - Discover a most brilliant covenant
• Protector Covenant (10G) - Discover the covenant of the protectors
• Sanguinary Covenant (10G) - Discover the covenant of the bloodthirsty
• Covenant of the Meek (10G) - Discover the covenant of the meek
• Gnawing Covenant (10G) - Discover the covenant of rodents
• Clangorous Covenant (10G) - Discover the clangorous covenant
• Covenant of Ancients (10G) - Discover an ancient covenant
• Covenant of the Fittest (10G) - Discover the covenant of the fittest
• Abysmal Covenant (10G) - Discovery the abysmal covenant
• Selfless Giver (50G) - Max-out devotion to covenant
• Curious Map (30G) - Light all flames on the map in Majula
• Change of Clothes (30G) - Give Rosabeth of Melfia something to wear
• Gathering of Exiles (30G) - Increase the population of Majula
• Moonlight Greatsword (30G) - Inherit Benhart of Jugo's equipment
• Holder of the Fort (30G) - Inherit Captain Drummond's equipment
• Lucatiel (30G) - Inherit equipment from Lucatiel of Mirrah
• Smith for Life (30G) - Inherit Steady Hand McDuff's equipment
• Garrulous Miser (30G) - Inherit Laddersmith Gilligan's equipment
• Reflections on Disembodiment (30G) - Inherit equipment from the head of Vengarl
• This is Dark Souls (10G) - Die for the first time

Dark Souls 2 will launch on the Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 11th in the US and March 14th in PAL territories. The PC version is undated. From Software says there are no plans for a next-gen version yet.

What fans of the original Dark Souls want out of a sequel can be summed up in three simple words: More. Dark. Souls. And judging by the latest “Cursed” trailer showing off some of the places you’ll be visiting and the monsters you’ll be fighting, it looks like that’s exactly what Dark Souls II will deliver.

Giant fire demons, armored mummies, stone monsters and a creature that appears to be made up out of human corpses…Yep, this is definitely a Dark Souls game. From Software today released a brand new trailer for upcoming Dark Souls II, entitled “Cursed,” showing off the landscapes and creatures of the upcoming game, including a lot of big baddies, a glimpse at a bonfire and even a soldier waging war against an invading rival.

Dark Souls built on what made Demon’s Souls so popular back in 2010, a dark and engrossing world to explore, tough challenges and an insistence on learning patterns and playing with your brain. For gamers who have grown accustomed to charging into battle with sword a-swinging, this particular series of game likely feels nigh impossible to overcome. The Souls series rewards patience and strategy, encouraging players to keep their shield up, their weapons at the ready, and never leap before you look.

While everyone eagerly anticipates Dark Souls II’s March 11 arrival on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, however, it doesn’t look like a new-gen remake is necessarily in the cards. With Tomb Raider getting a face-lift for the PS4 and Xbox One, many have been left wondering what other games might receive the upgrade treatment. According to a recent interview between Edge and co-director Yui Tanimura, however, that doesn’t look to be the case for Dark Souls II.

“At the start of development, we felt there was still a lot of potential that remained unused in Dark Souls,” Tanimura told Edge. “…Our intention was to capitalize on the total potential of [seventh-generation] consoles and deliver the game to fans as soon as possible.”

Tanimura goes on to say that From Software has “not put any thought” into Dark Souls II for the PS4 or Xbox One, something that could disappoint new-gen gamers. However, given a growing focus on streaming previous-gen games on new consoles, there’s always a chance that Dark Souls II could be available in that form (or perhaps as a downloadable title) for XB1 and PS4. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Publishers have fallen in love with free-to-play and microtransactions over the past few years. It seems that every franchise has a chance at inspiring a new F2P game. In a new interview, Dark Souls 2 producer Takeshi Miyazoe discussed the possibility of a free-to-play Dark Souls game being released someday.

"Not yet, and not for a while I think," Miyazoe told Edge in an interview. "It’s one of our bigger IPs right now, but it’s a new IP, so I think it’s too young to go free-to-play. And with Dark Souls I think it would be hard to monetise in that way. Pay per death? That would be terrible. From Software especially don’t want to allow players to pay for an advantage."

It should also be noted that Miyazoe first laughed and said "Yeah, right!" when asked. That makes the odds of a free Dark Souls seem even longer.

Namco Bandai has shown a clear love for free-to-play. Just this year, they announced F2P incarnations of Soul Calibur, Ridge Racer and Tekken. Those are arguably the biggest franchises that the publisher has, it's not crazy for Edge to ask whether the publisher would embark on a similar strategy with Dark Souls.

Miyazoe says that F2P wouldn't work well with Dark Souls, though, because the team doesn't believe in microtransactions. They want everyone to have the same amount of the game.

"For Dark Souls 2, we don’t even expect any additional downloadable content because we want to deliver a full game, the full experience, to fans who purchase the package from day one. We did do additional content for Dark Souls, but generally downloadable content for Dark Souls II is not really being considered. Buy the package and you’ll get the full experience, and you’ll have as much fun as anybody else. Spending a couple dollars on certain items does not help the experience. So no free-to-play yet!"

I have trouble believing that Dark Souls would work as a free-to-play game, especially if that meant paying for convenience items or boosters. The series is known for its one-size-fits-all approach. Everyone gets thrown into the game with zero information and is expecting to die, die, die until they learn the ropes. The mere suggestion of accommodating players through, say, an Easy difficulty level, makes many fans lose their shit. Dark Souls isn't the series that holds your hand. It's the series that sticks your hand in fire and tells you not to burn.

Dark Souls 2 will launch in March on the Xbox 360 and PS3. The PC version is expected "shortly after" its console counterparts.

It seems like the PlayStation Vita is becoming the go-to platform for four-player 3D brawlers, with games like Soul Sacrifice and Ragnarok Odyssey already making waves on the console and Toukiden: The Age of Demons being one of the most highly anticipated portable games of 2014. Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z is the latest offering in this particular category, but can the series' trademark uuber-fast action and free movement translate into a fun multiplayer experience?

If you would have asked me this question following my first couple of missions within the game's meaty demo, which went live on the PlayStation Network yesterday afternoon, I would have told you that, yes, it absolutely delivers. Actually, given how excited I was by my initial experience with the game, I would have been more likely to shout my reply from the kitchen sink, where I was busily dying my hair blonde in order to pretend I was turning Super Saiyan.

Like many children of the 90's, I grew up on DBZ, excitedly tuning in every afternoon to see the latest adventures of Goku and company. Shortly after booting up War of Z on my Vita, my initial reaction was “Ermergerd, it feels like I'm playing the TV show!”

The game takes place in the open world with the Square and X buttons used to fly (ascend and descend respectively). That leaves only two main face buttons for the combat, with triangle being mashed repetitively to pull of combos and circle being used to shoot ki blasts.

As story events from the show unfold through fully-voiced, pop-up dialogue boxes, players are left to explore the massive environments in order to hunt down and fight enemies. You can also guard, which can be tapped in tangent with any of the face buttons in order to pull off one of your character's special moves. The touchscreen is also used for combat, with two regions dedicated to other special moves and a third region allowing you to easily target a teammate.

In multiplayer mode, or when you have an AI partner, targeting your opponent allows you to give them some energy when they're hurt or revive them when they've been KOed.

My problem with the game is that, while the freedom of movement is nice, the rest of the controls don't leave much room for creative combat. Imagine a street fighter game with two main fight buttons. One shoots a fireball and the other can be mashed rapidly to create an easy combo. All other buttons on the controller can be tapped to pull off the super moves you used to have to string combos together or know the correct input to achieve. It's invigorating at first but, after just a handful of levels, the “I LOVE DBZ” glasses had fallen off and I was left pretty board with my options.

Along the way, you'll collect cards and items that can be equipped to your characters to give them stat boosts (better defense, more range on a ki blast, etc). And while I had the opportunity to play as a handful of staple characters including Piccolo and Young Gohan, none of them controlled differently enough to make me feel like my growing reservations concerning the controls were unfounded. A shame, since it looks like the game has an absolutely massive roster.

Finally, as I said earlier, Battle of Z is all about being able to take your game online and play through the missions with up to three friends/strangers. I got into a lobby no problem, we each picked a fighter and we were good to go. Even the voice chat worked well, which more multiplayer games on the Vita could take a lesson from.

There were a few moments of lag online, but I can't very well fault a demo for something like that. What I can fault it for, though, is a lack of fun. Maybe things will change once players have gained more experience and strategize a bit but, from my handful of online missions, it quickly devolved into even less inspired combat than the single player. Everyone took off after their own enemy, beat them senseless, then made their way to the final fight. Rather than be a challenge, this portion of the game devolved into a case of “who can actually land a blow?” With four people trying to lay the smackdown on a single character, the enemy simply bounced around between us until he was beaten. Nifty “chase” sequences and the occasional well-timed volley made things more interesting, but not enough to make me itch for more.

The same goes for competitive fights. Thanks to an almost mandatory lock-on system and the lackluster combat, trying to fight actual human beings was less about any sort of skill and more about chasing each other around until someone got in a lucky blow and kept mashing on the button.

Again, maybe we're all just playing it wrong at this point and haven't discovered the game's depth just yet. Maybe Battle of Z absolutely sings with a group of friends who truly understand the game. After a couple of hours with the demo, though, I'm not feeling too hopeful.

I do have to give the developers kudos for offering up such an impressive demo, though. Anything you do in the demo transfers to the real game when it launches in late January. There are loads of unlocks to get your hands on already, a whole bunch of missions to dive into and the co-op and competitive modes are ready to go.

If you're a fan of the show and/or genre and you have a Vita lying around (it'll be coming to the PS3 and 360, too), there's no harm in taking Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z for a test drive. As for me, though, I'm not yet convinced that the full adventure is one I'll be willing to take.

Many gamers are focused on the upcoming next-gen consoles right now but Namco Bandai wants us to remember that Dark Souls 2 is on its way to current-gen systems. They've released a slew of screenshots focused on the multiplayer.

Dark Souls 2 features an all-new story without direct connections to the previous game. However, the gameplay mechanics are very similar. Players will travel through an open-world littered with hazards and monsters. Death comes quickly and results in all enemies respawning. Slowly but surely, players will learn from their deaths and finally best the various dangers.

Like its predecessors Dark Souls and Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 2 can be played solo if you want. However, the game adds new layers if you go online. You won't necessarily see other players while you're connected to the game servers but you'll be constantly trading information with each other. The glowing text on the ground in the screenshots are messages left by other player - a mixture of helpful tips and trolling attempts. Bloodstains are a sort of message as well; by touching them, you'll see how a player died there.

Other players can also join your game to a limited extent. If you use White Sign Soapstone, you can summon another player (or two) to help you tackle the most challenging parts of the world. These helpful chaps are the white phantoms seen in a few screenshots. Not all players you'll encounter are friendly, though. Fellow adventurers can also invade your game and try to kill you. These invaders are shrouded in red in the screenshots.

Namco Bandai held four beta tests for Dark Souls 2 exclusively via PSN. The final two tests allowed players to test out all of the multiplayer features, including invasions and co-op. I hope you got to experience at least one of those betas because Namco doesn't seem to have any additional tests planned.

Dark Souls 2 will launch in North America on March 11th on PS3 and Xbox 360 here in North America. The Japanese and PAL launches will follow on the 13th and 14th respectively. The PC version is currently undated but Namco says it will be arriving "shortly after" its console counterparts.

The latest Dark Souls 2 beta test was supposed to be held through PSN this morning. However, Namco Bandai abruptly announced on Saturday night that North American and South American players would not be able to access it after all.

Namco added that everyone who had a spot in the weekend test will be able to access the rescheduled beta event. In the meantime, you can keep the beta client on your PS3. The client will still work with the new test, though you'll need to download a new patch.

This weekend's test was going to be the third for the action RPG. Like previous betas, it was designed to stress test the servers and allow players to try out multiplayer features like leaving messages for fellow dungeon-crawlers or seeing their ghosts. It was going to be far larger than previous betas; Namco Bandai said there would be 30,000 participants compared to 5,000 for the first two events. This beta was also going to let players summon friends into their games to help with difficult fights or invade another players' game in order to ambush them. Players will have to wait a bit longer to see how competitive/cooperative play has been refined, though.

The beta tests for Dark Souls 2 are exclusive to PS3. In order to be eligible for testing, you need to have a PSN account and an Internet-connected PS3. There's no actual application process. Instead, Namco sends out download codes to select players. The beta is closed to additional players once a set amount have signed up. The client is about 3.7GB.

Dark Souls 2 will hit the Xbox 360 and PS3 in March. Namco Bandai will be offering Black Armor and Collector's Editions of the game at launch.

One of the more underrated games of the seventh generation of gaming has officially launched on the most popular digital distribution portal on the market, Steam. Namco Bandai sent out word that the third-person, action-adventure title based on the Chinese folklore tale, re-envisioned for today's generation of gamer has gone live for PC gamers.

As noted in the press release...

Ninja Theory may have received a ton of flak for taking over the Devil May Cry series from Capcom, but no one can deny that they really did knock it out of the ballpark with Enslaved. The game received a lot of of critical praise when it originally released but unfortunately the sales just didn't match up. Likewise, many pegged this game as being one of those classic titles that will gain a strong following and audience as the years wear on.

The game itself is about Monkey and Trip, two unlikely heroes who have been captured and are trying to make their way to the west, away from their captors and toward freedom.

The game is a mix of platforming adventure and combat-oriented action. Players will command Monkey to do all the physical stuff and use Trip to handle to smartsy things like puzzles, hacking and getting out of tight binds where pure muscle may not do the trick.

Enslaved combines a lot of snazzy gameplay with gorgeous graphics and a breathtaking artstyle. It's such a shame this game wasn't released sooner for PC because maybe Namco could have recovered some of their sales by showcasing the visually superior PC version and maybe getting some benchmark enthusiasts and graphics whores to help promote the game, ala Crysis.

Anyway, the Premium Edition of Enslaved contains additional skins for Monkey and Trip, including a ninja outfit and a sexy outfit, and it also comes fully featured with the only DLC released for the game called Pigsy's Perfect 10.

You can grab the Premium Edition of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West right now from the Steam store for only $19.99. If you're not big on PC gaming or you don't have a PC up to snuff to handle this gorgeous adventure title, but you may have missed out on this game for home consoles, you can also grab the Premium Edition from the PlayStation Network right now for only $19.99 as well.

For more information feel free to visit the official store page.

It’s nearly time for an all-out battle and, thanks to the awesome processing power of modern game consoles, you won’t even need to spend the next three episodes charging up in order to be prepared for a throwdown in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, due out in early 2014.

Goku, Vegita, Picollo and the rest of the DBZ crew are ready to Jump (get it?!) back into action as yet another game based on the legendary manga/anime series is set to take fighting fans by storm with the impending release of Battle of Z for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and Xbox 360.

Now that Tokyo Game Show is underway, Namco Bandai has announced a couple of special details related to the game, including special bonuses for pre-order and day one buyers of the game.

It’s been kind of a big year for Dragon Ball Z as, out of nowhere, a brand new movie set within the popular universe popped up in theaters this year called Battle of Gods. While lots of familiar faces duke it out on the silver screen, the real fight won’t be underway until early next year when Battle of Z once again offers players the chance to choose from the series’ epic cast of characters to duke it out on levels pulled straight out of the anime.

If you feel like putting your money down a little early on this one, Namco Bandai is rewarding all pre-orders of the game with two special DLC characters that, according to a statement from the publisher, “will be available solely via pre-order.” Those characters include none other than Super Vegito and Goku’s own father, Super Saiyan Bardock.

While those two characters are only available through pre-order, a third DLC character will be available to anyone who gets the game on its release date. The day one character is a bit of a crossover surprise, giving players access to Goku wearing a Naruto Uzumaki Sage Mode Costume. In other words, he’ll have Goku’s moves, but the character will look like the star of one of Jump’s other uuber-popular IPs, Naruto.

You may recall that last year’s Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 gave players access to a Goku costume for Naruto to wear. Well, turn around is fair play, it seems, as now it is Goku’s turn to play dress up and strut around as someone else.

“Following our tradition of high quality manga adaptations, this game will please all Dragon Ball Z fans,” said Namco Bandai Senior VP Olivier Comte. “With this new Team Melee Action game and enhanced graphics, long hours of online/offline team-play and fun awaits players.”

As promised, Namco Bandai delivered some new Soul Calibur: Lost Swords details during Tokyo Game Show today, revealing this latest free-to-play fighter will be coming exclusively to the PlayStation 3 sometime this winter with fan-favorite Sophitia set to join the cast.

After rumors starting making the rounds across the internet, Soul Calibur: Lost Swords was confirmed to actually exist last week, though Namco Bandai revealed little else about the game save that Siegfried and Mitsurugi would be among the playable characters. This led to my speculating about what the game could actually be, resulting in some admittedly outlandish (though still decidedly awesome) possibilities. With Soul Calibur 2 HD Online already primed to launch, I thought it unlikely that Lost Swords would simply be a free-to-play fighting game in the same vein as the recently released Tekken Revolution. My money was on something more akin to a 3D beat-em-up, and I still hold that that type of a game set in the Soul Calibur universe would be fantastic news.

But it’s looking like my dream of mercilessly mowing down countless mobs of enemies as Nightmare will remain unfulfilled for the time being, as a new trailer for Lost Swords was recently launched during the ongoing Tokyo Game Show event.

“Choose from a legendary cast of characters spanning the Soul Calibur series and fight through life-or-death battles in an engaging and highly customizable solo gameplay fighting experience,” according to a statement from Namco Bandai.

So, in short, it looks like we’re getting something very similar to Tekken Revolution, only without online multiplayer. As I stated last week, I can’t very well understand omitting multiplayer from a free-to-play fighting game but, as details are still a bit on the scarce side, maybe the publisher has something creative planned in order to convince would-be brawlers to drop some extra cash on their gratis fighter.

The press release goes on to say that a brand new item discovery and forging system will be at play, offering elemental-based fighting mechanics to the series. It sounds a lot like a rock-paper-scissors mechanic has been bolted on to the regular gameplay with players encouraged to pick the proper opposite element to attach to their weapon before going into each battle. I’m guessing that those weapons and crafting items will also be available for purchase if you don’t want to grind through fights but, again, I can’t imagine that would be enough to encourage many people to start spending money.

Namco Bandai, though, seems to disagree.

“The Soul Calibur series has long been known for its substantial single player moes over the past 14 years,” said Senior VP Olivier Comte. “Soul Calibur: Lost Swords allows the development team to expand the solo-fighting game concept further than it has ever gone before with new loot-drop gameplay, elemental-based weapons and deep character customization options that the series is known for.”

March 11. That's the date Namco Bandai has invited the US to “go beyond death” with the release of the highly anticipated sequel, Dark Souls II. And for those who don't believe in the old saying “you can't take it with you,” there's even a spiffy Collector's Edition and Black Armor Pre-Order Edition up for grab.

This announcement was made official with the launch of a brand new trailer for Dark Souls II, seen above and arriving just in time to get everyone hyped during Tokyo Game Show.

For those unfamiliar with the series, the original Demon's Souls hit the PlayStation 3 a few years back, offering gamers a punishing difficulty and a risk/reward system that's second to none. With its light RPG elements, deviously designed levels and enemies and clever multiplayer implementation, Demon's Souls grew from cult status to an all-out hit. When its follow-up, Dark Souls, hit gaming machines a couple of years later, even more would-be masochists jumped on the bandwagon, building up the series' success.

Now Dark Souls II is primed to punish audiences for a third time, set to release on March 11 in the US.

“Offered in limited quantities and while supplies last, both the Collector's Edition and Black Armor Edition of Dark Souls II contain items that are sure to please fans of Dark Souls, a game that has been lauded by critics and fans to deliver one of the most challenging experience in video game history,” reads a statement from the publisher. You can expect the game on Xbox 360 and PS3 day one, with a PC launch to follow “shortly after.”

the Collector's Edition of the game will come with a Warrior Knight 12” figurine, as well as an exclusive hardbound art book, a full color fabric map and a metal case for storing your game and soundtrack. The Black Armor edition of the game features the same metal case with the game and soundtrack.

While you'll need to fork over a big extra for the Collector's Edition (still unspecified how much extra at this point), the Black Armor edition will be a free upgrade for all of the earliest pre-orders for the game, giving those who pre-order early an extra incentive to at least explore that option.

So, if you're ready to die over and over again come early 2014, now you know where you can put down your money to make that (decidedly dark) fantasy become a reality.

Namco Bandai has released new assets for Ace Combat Infinity, the free-to-play dog-fighting game announced earlier this summer. The new trailer provides a peek at the online cooperative multiplayer that Infinity will offer PS3 players.

Past Ace Combat games were set in the real world or in a fictional, sci-fi planet of Strangereal. Infinity splits the difference between these realistic and fantastical settings. It depicts an alternate history of Earth in which a meteor struck the world in 1999, causing heavy damage and transforming the geography of the world.

The game's single-player campaign begins in 2019 after the outbreak of a global war. The opposing forces in this conflict have very advanced technology at their disposal, including massive aerial fortresses and laser weapons. Stonehenge, the railgun network seen in Ace Combat 04, will also make a return.

Infinity's cooperative multiplayer has a competitive twist. Players will be sorted into two teams and tasked with attacking a common enemy. The mission seen in this trailer is called "Eternal Liberation" and pits players against both ground and air targets. A second mission, set over a mountain range, shows the teams battling a heavy command cruiser. The team that causes the most damage to the enemy over the course of the mission will be crowned the winner.

Players will have access to a range of aircraft. Fighter jets seen in this trailer include the F-16C Fighting Falcon, Su-32 Strike Flanker, and F-22A Raptor. The player can specify their aircraft's weapon loadout as well as upgrades to armor, gun damage and other attributes. They'll also be able to customize the appearance to some extent. Presumably there are some microtransactions at work here, with players able to spend real-world money to unlock new options for their planes.

Air Combat Infinity will be available exclusively on the PS3. Namco Bandai is planning a 2013 release for the game but has yet to specify a release date.

Todd McFarlane's most notorious creation, Spawn, and one of the world's greatest brawlers, Heihachi, will once again be joining the battle of the ages as playable characters in Soul Calibur II HD Online set to arrive on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade sometime later this fall.

Back when Soul Calibur II first launched, the different versions of the game offered a unique extra playable character for the three consoles. Over on the GameCube, Nintendo fans were treated to arguably the best of the lot, Link, of Legend of Zelda fame. For those gaming on the PlayStation 2, Tekken's Heihachi was available to dish out a beat-down on his weapon-wielding foes while, on the original Xbox, Spawn took a break from fighting angels and demons alike in order to go all medieval with a battleaxe.

Last month, Namco Bandai announced that Soul Calibur II, considered by many to be one of the best fighting games of all time, would be returning to the arena with an HD facelift and brand new online battling functionality. In a recent press release, the publisher said that the game will be arriving on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 “soon,” and that the “company is proud to please the fans of the series as the two legendary heroes, Spawn and Heihachi, originally exclusive characters for each platform, will be for the first time ever playable on both platforms.”

The press release goes on to state that, along with new HD graphics, Sould Calibur II HD Online will feature “all-new online modes” in celebration of its 10-year anniversary, so here's hoping for some of the usual options typically available in modern fighters, like spectator mode, multiplayer rooms, king of the hill battles and tag matches. None of those have been mentioned yet, but a boy can dream.

When Soul Calibur first launched, the series stood out for its diverse cast of characters, each wielding some sort of a weapon (typically with a blade or two). An endless battle of souls, the combatants would seek out the Soul Edge in order to achieve their various goals, a legendary sword said to grant untold power. At least I think that's how the story went. Everything's gotten convoluted over the years and, at this point, do we really need a story to give us a reason to beat the crap out of each other with an axe and a sword the size of VW bug?

When this latest version of Soul Calibur was announced, the first question series vets started spouting was whether or not the additional characters would be included in the game. It's a bummer that the chances of Link appearing on the PS3 and Xbox 360 are slim to none, but at least we now know that two-thirds of those additional pugilists will be up for grabs.

Dark Souls 2 won't be released until 2014 but a select group of gamers will be able to try out the game this fall. Today publisher Namco Bandai announced a closed beta that will be held exclusively on PS3.

"The depth of the DARK SOULS II Closed-Beta experience will truly test players’ skill, intestinal fortitude, and their sheer will to survive," Namco says. "The DARK SOULS II Closed-Beta will delve into one of the most treacherous areas of the DARK SOULS II world; players will not only get an opportunity to explore an entirely new area of the game, but also experience overwhelming enemy encounters, diabolical challenges, and the unrelenting difficulty that only the developers at FromSoftware can deliver."

No doubt a main objective of the beta is refining the multiplayer. Dark Souls 2 brings back many of the familiar online elements seen in the first Dark Souls and spiritual predecessor Demon's Souls. Players will be able to leave messages throughout the game world to help or trick each other. It's also possible for players to invade each other's games and attack them. Alternately, players can summon each other for help with the game's tougher fights.

In a change from series tradition, From Software will also be implementing dedicated multiplayer servers. That should result in less latency for all users. Hopefully it curbs some of the hacking seen in previous games as well. Hacks make it hard to enjoy the PvP side of the game.

Because the beta is closed, not every interested gamer is going to be able to get in. Namco didn't detail the process for signing up just yet. However, if you want the best chance at participating, watch the Dark Souls Facebook page. Namco will start providing details on the registration process starting Thursday, September 5th.

The closed beta will launch on October 5th for both North America and Europe. There's no word on when it will end. However, Dark Souls 2 won't launch until March 2014 so the test could potentially last a long while. Best of luck to everyone who registers for a beta key.

Namco Bandai games has announced the official release date for the extended version of Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 for home consoles, and for the first time ever, for PC. The game will be available beginning October 22nd for the Xbox 360 and PS3, and it will be made available shortly thereafter for PC.

As noted in the press release...

The game also recently received a promotional trailer after being announced as a port to PC, and more specifically, arriving on Valve's digital distribution portal. You can check out the promo video below, showcasing some of the differences between the two versions and how the PC Master Race will be receiving a healthy visual upgrade over the lowly console ports.

For those of you who already owned the original Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 for the Xbox 360 or PS3, you don't have to worry about buying a whole new game again (ala Capcom style). Instead, Namco Bandai will have a cheaper DLC upgrade option available so you can get ALL the new content, upgrades, characters and previously released DLC at a fraction of the price. I don't know about anyone else, but that's probably the proper way to handle re-releases.

For those of you getting the retail copy of Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst, you'll receive some extra goodies in the form of an art book with images and high-quality renders from Studio Pierrot as a pre-order bonus.

The game will feature all the standard-fare fast fighting, super-powered up action and anime-style encounters that fans loved from the TV show and movies, as well as previous games in the long running fighting game franchise.

The only thing that Namco Bandai needs to do now is get to cracking on a PC port of Tekken. Yes, the brand on consoles is renown and popular and established on consoles, but improved graphics, uncapped framerates and mods on PC would take Tekken to potential Skyrim or GTA IV heights when it comes to establishing a long-running modding community. Come on Namco, you've already dipped the toe in the water in Dark Souls and now you're teasing that leg in the water with Naruto... go ahead and step in full force with Tekken and your conversion to a supporter of the PC Master Race will be complete. You can do it!

For more info on Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst, be sure to pay a visit to the game's official website.

Fighting game fans and PC gamers are now one in harmony. Things have really picked it up for the FGC on the PC Master Race front because joining the likes of Street Fighter IV, Skullgirls, Injustice and King of Fighters XIII is Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst. The Namco Bandai fighter is scheduled to appear on Valve's digital distribution portal.

There's no official press release to go by, so unfortunately I have no idea what the good and bad will be with the game, but if you recall Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 for the Xbox 360 and PS3, it was a pretty radical game featuring some kick butt moves, revamped story mode, tons of playable characters and plenty of challenging modes to keep the replay values intact.

On the upside, the trailer reveals a ton of details about the Steam Edition, including 38 free pieces of DLC content. Can you believe that? 38 free pieces of DLC? That's enough to make up for a full Capcom game and maybe a Turbo Hyper Edition and maybe, maybe a Super Tournament Edition.

Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst Trailer

Pretty impressive, eh? The game is set to release this winter... as noted in the trailer.

The only thing they don't discuss in the trailer is whether or not the multiplayer will see any sort of changes whatsoever or if it's going to be the same 'ole, same 'ole?

In the case of SNK Playmore, they took the time with King of Fighters XIII to completely redo the netcode so that online play wouldn't be trash. Perhaps Namco will make the same effort?

Regardless, they really are reaching out, especially after the moderate success of Dark Souls on PC, where despite modders having to make the game thoroughly playable and enjoyable, it was still a notable gesture toward a community who petitioned for the game to appear in the territory of the PC Master Race.

With Naruto, I'm especially impressed that they're going all out with additional post processing effects and additional screen filters to help give the game an even more refreshed and invigorating look than how it appeared on the now ancient current-gen consoles.

With KoF, Mortal Kombat and now Naruto joining the ranks, I'm now absolutely curious to know if the next EVO will still run games on consoles or if PC may be included in the mix? We've actually reached that point... and I'm impressed.

Be sure to check out the page on Steam for Naruto before they take it down.

For those of you feeling the need for speed, or perhaps wanting to live the Air Force lifestyle without all of that beach volleyball and melodrama, Ace Combat Infinity is here to save the day as a free-to-play aerial combat game for the PlayStation 3.

I’m going to do my best to make it through the rest of this news post without further Top Gun references, but no promises.

Coming from the team at Namco Bandai, Ace Combat Infinity will be available for free download via the PlayStation Network with an expected release date of sometime later this year. The game will offer a brand new single player campaign, as well as competitive multiplayer.

According to Namco Bandai Games Europe Senior VP Olivier Comte, Infinity will be a big step in a bold new direction for the series.

“The Ace Combat franchise has evolved dramatically over the years, but never before have we been able to offer its amazing graphics and tactical action for free,” said Comte. “The team at Project Aces listens very carefully to its players and is bringing the best the series has to offer to Ace Combat Infinity, with plenty of new surprises, too.”

Ace Combat Infinity is the latest in a growing line of free-to-play games arriving on consoles, something that PlayStation really seems to be pushing for here at the end of the PlayStation 3’s life cycle and the beginning of the PlayStation 4. It will join games like DC Universe Online and Dust 514 on Sony’s current console in the pro bono category with the PS4 set to offer games like Blacklight: Retribution, Warframe and Planetside 2. All of these titles feature some sort of micro-transaction system with various degrees of content available right out of the gate at no charge. Some you can actually experience the full game with a price tag only attached to cosmetic items or the occasional boost to make individual play sessions more exciting.

No word yet on what the paid (if any) content for Ace Combat Infinity will be but, as of right now, Namco Bandai is making it sound like the single player and at least one mode of multiplayer will be available at no charge.

Set in the near future, Infinity will offer series staples like super weapons and slick visuals packed into a series of “perilous solo missions.” The multiplayer portion will divide players into two teams going after the same enemy. The team that dishes out the most damage will be victorious. No word of a free for all or direct team-verses-team mode, or even a one-on-one dogfight, so there’s a possibility that such offerings will either be available post-launch. This is all speculation, but that’s exactly the type of content these free-to-play games typically put a price tag on. Hard to complain when a chunk of the game is available at no charge, though.

Thankfully, we don’t have much longer to guess about what the final list of features, modes and possible for-pay content might be, as Ace Combat Infinity is due out sometime in 2013.

Namco Bandai revealed this weekend that they're going to re-release Soul Calibur 2 in honor of the fighting game's 10th anniversary. Soul Calibur 2 HD Online will be released on Xbox 360 and PS3 this year with a host of modern features.

“For more than a decade the Soul Calibur franchise has been one of the preeminent head-to-head fighting franchises for consoles,” said Chris Gilbert, the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Namco Bandai Games America “Soul Calibur II HD Online lets fans relive an important chapter of the series’ history with beautifully enhanced graphics and new online gameplay.”

Soul Calibur 2 is considered one of the best games in the series. It features the deep, weapon-based combat of the first Soul Calibur while adding new improvements like wall attacks, a clash system and Guard Break attacks. The Guard Impact system was revised to be more intuitive as well. SC2 might not be worshiped as heavily as the first game but it was still deemed a worthy sequel. It's a well-balanced fighter that's accessible to newbies while also deep enough to hold experts' attention.

You can probably guess SC2 HD Online's main features just from the title: online multiplayer and high-definition graphics. Project Soul is developing new netcode for use in the multiplayer and I guess that's...good? The game's said to ship with all the modes seen in the original edition, including Arcade, Survival, VS Battle, Time Attack, Survival, Team Battle, Practice and Weapon Master. "Extra" versions of these modes will allow you to use the Extra Weapons you've acquired for the characters.

The console versions of Soul Calibur 2 featured the mutant-like Necrid, a creation of comic book artist Todd McFarlane. Heihachi Mishima from Tekken, Link from Legend of Zelda and McFarlane comic book character Spawn were exclusive to the PS2, GameCube and Xbox versions respectively. Heihachi was seen in the announcement trailer so it wouldn't be a shock if the other console-exclusive characters were included as well. I don't think it's too much to ask for those characters in a 10th anniversary edition of a game.

Soul Calibur 2 HD Online Edition will be released in digital form through PSN and Xbox Live Arcade this fall.

Namco Bandai has announced a brand new Dragon Ball Z game called Battle of Z. It's a team-focused fighter that pits teams of four against each other in classic Dragon Ball Z action. Now you can recreate things like the Cell Games or the Earth Warriors versus Nappa and Vegeta from the first season of Dragon Ball Z.

No matter how you mix and match your teams, you'll be able to take full control of your fighters and lay waste to the opposition in local and online battle modes.

Chris Gilbert, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Namco Bandai Games America Inc commented about the new game, saying...

I've grown a bit tired of the Dragon Ball Z games. It seems like there were enough to fill out a nice palette within the fighting genre this current generation, and it didn't seem like there was much more to explore outside of what Ultimate Tenkaichi already achieved, which had a massive cast of characters, sported an improved physics engine for destruction and rocked a really, really amazing character creation studio and story mode. However, as a testament to their creativity or a willingness to cash in on a predictable crowd, Namco and Artdink (a replacement for the usual culprit of CyberConnect 2) have teamed up to bring gamers this team-based game.

Much like other recent titles in the Dragon Ball Z line, players will be able to dive into some destructible environments, fly around in semi-open battle arenas and utilize some of the most devastating attacks available to the Z warriors.

The above trailer looks pretty standard-fare as far as DBZ games go. I still think that Ultimate Tenkaichi should have been the final swan song of fighting titles from Namco Bandai's Dragon Ball cache for this current generation of gaming, as it would have been awesome to see them start working on a next-gen title for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Anyway, the co-op/competitive fighting game will launch this year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the Sony PlayStation Vita. If you're digging the new tag-team modes and you're liking what Namco is selling, then you can learn more about the upcoming title or you can keep up to date on all things Dragon Ball Z by paying a visit to the game's official website.

You know, if you want to rack up brownie points with the development community, with gamers, even with casuals who aren't part of the core community, the one thing you try to do is build up a good reputation with as many groups as humanly possible...that doesn't really seem to be in Microsoft's repertoire.

Gamers have been asking why the newly announced Tekken Revolution isn't on the Xbox 360? I mean, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was on the 360, so why not this newest title? Well, it's pretty simple and famed Tekken producer and director, Katsuhiro Harada, mentioned on Twitter that...

This is no surprise given that many free-to-play MMOs have been canned over the Xbox 360's generational lifespan. Free-to-play games usually run into a problem on Microsoft's console because there's no financial incentive forcing people to pay for the game or the console's services. Usually there's some sort of dispute involving the game's patching, cash shop and the Xbox Live Gold fees.

Nexon hit a brick wall as well with Mabinogi on the Xbox 360, which ran into some huge problems over Xbox Live service fees versus Mabinogi being free-to-play, as noted on This Is Game.

Anyway, I'm trying to figure out this policy because heading into this upcoming eighth generation of gaming there really isn't a reason, gaming wise, to stick with a console that charges you to play online, doesn't allow for a wide smorgasbord of free-to-play titles and has all those intrusive DRM policies in place, and that's not to mention the self-publishing restriction for independent developers. I mean, really?! Is this serious?

Microsoft better have something noteworthy to show off at E3 in just 15 hours because they're already looking like the weak link given the PlayStation 4's massive third-party line-up.

The fighting series Tekken is going free-to-play. Namco Bandai has announced Tekken Revolution, a F2P game coming exclusively to the PlayStation 3 on June 11th.

Revolution allows players to battle A.I. enemies in Arcade Mode, or seek out human opponents in ranked and unranked matches. The game is said to have "an initial cast" of eight characters. Presumably that means you can unlock other characters over time, perhaps by paying money.

The game also features an interesting, RPG-like progression. Players can shape their characters by boosting three attributes: Strength, Endurance and Vigor. This allows you to, for example, make a "glass cannon" character with high damage and low HP.

Tekken Revolution will have some serious competition in the F2P space. Earlier this week, Team Ninja announced that they're making a free version of Dead or Alive 5.

The first trailer for Revolution, via Eventhubs, is above.

From Software will be releasing Dark Souls 2 in March of next year. The release window was revealed by a new billboard that just went up in Los Angeles.

The billboard, spotted by a NeoGAF user, is located near the Los Angeles Convention Center. Next week, the LACC will be hosting this year's E3 event. Guess this billboard means that Dark Souls 2 will have a big presence at the show. That's not surprising, as publisher Namco Bandai says they're going to market the game like a triple-A release.

Namco is developing the game for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. A March 2014 release date means that the game will hit those consoles after their successors, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, are available in stores. That might seem peculiar but it's a prudent move. They'll be releasing the game on platforms owned by tens of millions of gamers, rather than entirely new platforms with an unknown amount of gamers. Sony made the same calculation with Gran Turismo 6, which will be launching on PS3 instead of PS4.

Could Dark Souls 2 be released on Xbox One and PS4 as well? Maybe. Many publishers announced next-gen versions of current-gen games, such as Battlefield 4 and Watch Dogs, as soon the PS4 and XB1 were revealed. However, I'd imagine some companies are waiting on this sort of news until E3.

Regardless of whether or not Namco announces a specific release date for the game or new platforms, E3 should be an exciting time for Dark Souls 2 fans. I assume we'll see more gameplay footage to build on last month's reveal.

Namco Bandai is planning to put all of its marketing muscle behind Dark Souls 2. Public relations director Lee Kirton said that they're trying to promote it like a "massive triple-A title."

"We're going to go guns-blazing with it, and hope to God that it works," Kirton told OXM UK "We're going after people who love and adore Dark Souls, while hopefully widening the net a little. I'm not saying that every Skyrim player's going to be jumping on Dark Souls, but it would be nice if some of them did. It's a different game, sure."

The publisher was more conservative in promoting Dark Souls, which went on to sell 2.3 million units. You can't really blame them for not expecting the game to perform like a blockbuster. It seemed destined for niche status due to its punishing difficulty. Still, the game found an audience and Namco now thinks that the sequel can do even better.

Whenever a publisher talks about widening a franchise's audience, though, there's bound to be some fan anxiety. You can see some of that in the comments section of this article. In the article, DS2 co-director Tomohiro Shibuya was quoted as saying that the game would be more "straightforward" and "understandable" than its predecessor. Some fans took that as a sign that the DS2 was going to be easy or streamlined - in other words, that it wouldn't be a true Souls experience.

It's entirely possible that Namco and From Software will muck with the series formula in an attempt to grow the game's potential audience. A larger marketing budget may put even more pressure on them to increase sales. Hopefully, though, the two companies remember what made Demon's Souls and Dark Souls so popular to begin with.

Dark Souls 2 is being developed for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. You can check out the first gameplay footage here.

Some companies have been going on a lamenting spree about their games: big titles that moved between 3 and 5 million units that still wasn't enough to post a profit for the publisher. Other companies actually understand what the video game business is about and have moderated expenses so that they actually profit.

Namco Bandai is a company that fits into the second category, with Tekken Tag Tournament having moved 1.5 million SKUs, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 moving a million SKUs even and Soul Calibur V moving 1.05 million SKUs, pushing Namco's revenue to an all new high. In fact, the company hasn't managed such positive numbers since March, 2008.

I'm sure a lot of the consumer slip-ups by arch-rivals like Capcom probably helped Namco out a lot, since their software sales is what was leading the company's profits while merchandise and arcade revenue was down.

According to GameIndustry.biz, Namco Bandai's full fiscal sales came out to ¥487.2 billion or $4.8 billion USD. The company managed to net an actual profit income of ¥32.4 billion or $320 million. Namco actually puts some other publishers to shame, who spend inordinate amounts of money in ridiculous sectors of their own business, such as $747 million dumped into marketing by the two time reigning champ as America's Worst Company.

Namco Bandai basically proves that you don't need to sell 5 million SKUs the first month out in order to stay profitable. What's more is that if you look at the Metacritic user scores between a company like Electronic Arts and Namco Bandai, you'll clearly see that unlike the biased, unreliable and wholly deplorable gaming media sector, the average user actually appreciates Namco Bandai products a lot more than they do EA's titles.

Dead Space 3 on Xbox 360 has a user rating of 6.2 where-as Tekken Tag Tournament 2 on Xbox 360 has a user rating of 7.6. Namco Bandai's Ridge Racer Unbounded also has a user rating of 7.7, where-as Need for Speed: Most Wanted has a user rating of 5.2.

Clearly, the people who actually pay for video games aren't entirely fond of EA's offerings. I would compare the Metacritic scores from major gaming media but that would be like trying to get an accurate gauge of how happy a monkey is after the zookeeper gives him a banana. The monkey's interest will always be dictated by the zookeeper.

Anyway, the only downside to this news is that Namco Bandai won't be besting their 2013 results for the 2014 fiscal year, as noted by GI.biz...

I'm definitely curious to see how Namco approaches and reacts to the next-generation of consoles, as well as if they have any plans to further establish their publishing influence on the PC market, beyond the odd port hear and there.

The official box art for Dark Souls 2 was released by Namco Bandai this weekend. Like the covers for Dark Souls and Demon's Souls, it's a very minimalist depiction of the game.

In the box art, a lone warrior is walking toward a fog gate. Fog gates are passable walls that separate different sections of the game. They also appear before boss fights. These walls can also prevent you from leaving if another player has invaded your game, forcing you to face them.

The hero depicted, a sword-wielding knight with fur-lined armor, should look familiar by now. He's also depicted in the CGI trailer and the first gameplay footage. The game allows players to create their own custom character, though, so your player won't necessarily look like that.

Dark Souls 2 is in development for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. From Software insists that the PC version will be a lot better this time around.

Dark Souls 2 director Yui Tanimura admitted in a new interview that the PC version of Dark Souls was lacking. They plan to do right by PC gamers with the sequel, though.

"A lot of it was not very well done, sort of half-assed," Tanimura told Shacknews.

Dark Souls was initially released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2011. However, a petition by fans led Namco to greenlight a PC port. The PC version, dubbed the Prepare To Die Edition of Dark Souls 2, arrived this past August. It was roundly criticized for low framerates, low resolutions and poor keyboard/mouse support.

Tanimura insisted that the Dark Souls 2 PC version will turn out better. From Software is working on the PC version alongside the console editions. In fact, the first gameplay footage from DS2 was from the PC edition. This simultaneous development, Tanimura said, ensures that "there will be more care put into PC development."

Dark Souls 2 will launch on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC at the same time. No word yet on when we can expect the game, though.

Namco Bandai revealed today that they're going to be offering a Collector's Edition of PS3 RPG Tales of Xillia in both North America and Europe. The centerpiece of the bundle is a limited edition figure of protagonist Milla Maxwell.

The CE also includes an artbook and soundtrack CD. The whole bundle ships in limited edition packaging. Namco notes that the artwork for the box hasn't been finalized yet, though.

In Tales of Xillia, the kingdom of Rashugal has been draining the world's supply of mana. This draining process is killing the world. Medical student Jude Mathis and Milla Maxwell, a woman with spirit-like companions, will team up to stop Rashugal and restore the land.

Players can experience the game as Jude or Milla. Regardless of your choice, the core of the game is real-time combat. The Double Raid Linear Motion Battle System allows characters to team up and unleash powerful cooperative attacks. It's up to the player, then, to figure out which characters work best together.

Tales of Xillia debuted in Japan in 2011. It will make its way to North America and Europe on August 6th and 9th, respectively. The Western version is said to be identical to the Japanese version, save for localized text and voice acting.

Namco Bandai has issued over a dozen in-game screenshots from action RPG Dark Souls 2. The screenshots depict scenes from the gameplay trailer that debuted yesterday.

Both developer From Software and publisher Namco Bandai have been pretty tight-lipped about the game's story thus far. All we know is that the game is that it continues the plotline of Dark Souls. Though the screenshots clearly show that the game's setting is medieval fantasy, it's not the same setting as Dark Souls. The series is leaving Lordran behind for now.

The series' penchant for killing players quickly is still present in DS2. You're just walking through a castle, minding your own business, when suddenly a chariot is trying to run you down. Or a dragon tries to maul you when you cross a bridge. This game world has character, and that character is a sadistic designer who wants to kill you.

Dark Souls 2 is in development for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. It probably won't be out this year, so it's going to have to compete against next-gen titles. It's a daunting task but I guess that's appropriate for a game built around daunting tasks.

As promised, From Software revealed the first in-game footage from Dark Souls 2 today. They confirm that, as usual, players are going to die a whole lot.

Dark Souls and predecessor Demon's Souls distinguished themselves with a high difficulty level. Players can die in a matter of seconds from booby traps or enemy attacks. If they die, they drop all of their souls (the in-game currency) and all the monsters respawn. Dark Souls 2 maintains those features, along with the bonfire rest points from Dark Souls.

The combat of Dark Souls 2 looks to be quite similar to Dark Souls. There are some small changes on display, though. Environmental damage seems to be more pronounced, with pillars and walls crumbling in the course of battle. Players can now carry torches to light up dark areas, but have to drop them in order to hold an off-hand item such as a shield.

The art direction hasn't changed dramatically either. This is still very much a dark fantasy game. The hero and enemies closely resemble the concept art from December.

Dark Souls 2 is in development for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. No release window has been announced yet, but From Software has indicated that the game probably won't arrive this year.

The first gameplay footage from Dark Souls 2 will debut tomorrow. For now, though, you can feast your eyes on the debut screenshot from the action RPG.

According to a tweet from IGN editor Casey Lynch, the website will air the first footage tomorrow at 12 PM PST. The reveal won't be a short one. Lynch says that they've got 12 minutes to share from the game.

The screenshot accompanying his tweet reveals that bonfires will be making a return in Dark Souls 2. Bonfires, introduced in Dark Souls, served as rest stops. If a player rested at a bonfire, they replenish their health, spells and flasks. The downside is that all common enemies will respawn.

Dark Souls 2 was announced at the Spike VGAs with a CGI trailer. Since then, all we've seen of the game are a few pieces of concept art. It's nice to finally get to see the game itself.

GameTrailers TV will also be featuring the game on Thursday's episode. Maybe they'll show off something other than what IGN is airing?

From Software will be showing off more of their action RPG Dark Souls 2 in the coming week. GameTrailers TV will be showcasing the highly anticipated sequel in their April 11th episode.

Dark Souls 2 has been the subject of much speculation since it was announced at last December. One of the new co-directors said that the game would be "more straightforward and more understandable". This led fans of Dark Souls and predecessor Demon's Souls to believe that the game might become easier or more streamlined. The high difficulty and steep learning curve are considered signature features of the series by fans.

The GameTrailers staff shares some of their own worries in the above video segment. They worry, among other things, that the game might have constant waypoints or difficulty settings, The overall message is that they're worried that the game will go mainstream and lose what made the series so special. Their upcoming preview of Dark Souls 2 will presumably address whether these are all legitimate concerns.

From Software is developing Dark Souls 2 for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Maybe they'll confirm on GTTV whether or not they plan on releasing the game this year. They previously seemed pessimistic about a 2013 release.

The latest trailer for PS3 RPG Tales Of Xillia is a bit different than the others. For the first time, it features English voice acting from the upcoming Western versions of the game.

Much of the footage here is from the combat. Tales of Xillia features a Dual Raid Linear Motion Battle System. It's driven by cooperation between characters. Two party members can attack in tandem to pull off powerful abilities. One character can also be used to protect the other from harm.

The voice acting sounds a little muted at times. They're being a little too conversational. You'd expect a bit more enthusiasm when someone's fighting for their lives, right? The schoolgirl-like celebrations between characters at the end sound appropriately joyous, though.

Xillia was released in Japan way back in September 2011. It'll finally hit Europe and North America later this year.

With SimCity and Tomb Raider currently burning up the news wires today it's easy to forget about a certain other game that has also been waiting in the wings to make a big splash on home consoles: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. The Namco Bandai fighter has launched for both the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Masashi Kishimoto, author of the NARUTO manga series commented about the game in the press release, saying...

Ahaha, well Kishimoto obviously isn't a diehard Naruto fanboy. I mean, I certainly wouldn't expect a fanboy to be that excited about a game.

For those of you out there who really love Naruto the show, the manga and the previous one hundred and one other games out there from Namco Bandai, you'll probably find the latest title for home entertainment consoles a good addition to your gaming library that's also probably filled to the brim with Dynasty Warriors games, Dragon Ball Z games and Orochi Warriors titles.

The game features the largest cast of characters from any other previous Naruto title and gamers are encouraged to beat the crap out of each other using a bunch of fancy ninja moves, special attacks and demon spirits.

The game is available right now at local retailers for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. You can grab a copy for only $59.99 or learn more by visiting the Official Website.

(Main image courtesy of SaiyanIsland.com)

Namco Bandai Games sent out two new trailers for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, the upcoming fighting game for the Xbox 360 and PS3, and presumably the last game in the Naruto series before Namco starts making next-gen games for the PS4 and NextBox/Xbox 720/NewBox. The two trailers feature ninja warriors Itachi and Nagato.

Gematsu managed to get hold of the trailers, which showcase both the ninja skills and abilities of the seemingly physically relative warriors. Both trailers feature the duo going against one another and detailing their moves, one of which is pretty cool that sees Nagato ripping the soul out of his opponent, Shang Tsung style. Check it out below.

The game has fans on the edge of their seats, but I imagine this will probably stay niche, very much like the Fist of the North Star and Dragon Ball Z games that are also out there flooding the market.

If Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 has your fancy tickled, feel free to learn more about the game over at the official website. The latest game based on Shonen Jump's popular anime is set for release this month for the Xbox 360 and PS3...just in case you forgot.

Namco Bandai announced today that they have a new entry in the long-running Armored Core franchise. The new game will focus mostly on a persistent multiplayer world where players will team up with others and battle it out to control territory. The game is also compatible with Armored Core V so you can import your old save games.

Carlson Choi, Vice President of Marketing for Namco Bandai Games America commented about the game, saying...

You can actually import your Core from AC V and deck out your mech with additional weapons and armor and skills.

Another neat thing is that Operator Mode is making a return for players, enabling them to take command of the Cores in a real-time strategy mode, where you'll play like your favorite PC RTS games. That's pretty cool for players who might be better at twitch-thinking than they are at twitch-shooting.

The news does seem a little tame compared to all the huge news coming out regarding the PlayStation 4, but at least gamers know that the Xbox 360 and PS3 will continue receiving plenty of support well into the next-generation.

You can look for Armored Core: Verdict Day to launch this summer. You can join in on the persistent, online action once E3 ends.

The retail release of Trion Worlds and Syfy's third-person, MMO action-shooter, Defiance, will be handled by none other than Namco Bandai, the famed publishers behind Tekken, Naruto and DragonBall Z. Namco will be in charge of the SKUs for the Xbox 360, PS3 and the endangered species known as retail PC. The game is scheduled to ship to a retailer near-you this spring, on April 2nd.

Carlson Choi, Vice President of Marketing at Namco Bandai Games America, commented about the game's retail distribution, saying...

Well it is promising that what happens in the game could affect the show and what happens in the show (based on what happens in the game) can affect what happens in the game. It's like a strange cycle, where you put ham on a sandwich with cheese or put cheese on a sandwich with ham and debate about whether you call it a ham and cheese sandwich, or a cheese and ham sandwich. Philosophical discussions of lunchtime gastronomy can be deep stuff...I know.

Anyway, Defiance takes place in an open-world, semi-apocalyptic setting. Players can venture around, engage in some PvE, engage in some PvP and/or witness other people doing it, completely and entirely interdependent from instances. I really like that concept but there's no telling how well it'll work out in the long run.

So far, word of mouth around the block is that this will be a better console-style MMO than it will be a PC MMO. There's nothing really wrong with that given the poor amount of console MMOs, but it will beg us all to question whether the game will have legs to stand on if the console ports are the definitive ports?

Anyway, you can learn more about the game and the television show by paying a visit to the official Defiance website.

A handful of new screenshots have surfaced for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, basically they show off a few of the characters being typical super-ninjas and using their mystical powers in some intense combative situations.

Namco Bandai's Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 brings back a lot of Shonen Jump's characters to participate in a brand new storyline, compete in some versus matches and showcase their skills with special moves, charge-up attacks and a brand new Awakening Mode for even more powerful super moves.

The game sports an amazing 80 playable characters, yes count 'em, 80 playable characters. This ranges from all the good guys, bad guys and all those forgettable characters in between. The cel-shaded visual art-style aims to mimic the anime's flair, and all your favorite moves and special abilities have been made available for your the characters you're find yourself most attached to.

Saiyan Island managed to get their hands on the new screenshots released from Namco, and you can check those out below.

If you're looking for some hard-hitting, ninja-fighting action, you can snag a copy from your local retailer on March 5th for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Namco Bandai has released the first making-of video for Star Trek's upcoming video game. In the video, Paramount senior vice president Brian Miller discusses how they've brought the reboot film series into a gaming series.

The development team wanted players to be able to directly control Spock and Kirk. A third-person co-op shooter accomplishes that. Players can control Kirk and approach conflicts with guns blazing. They can also take the subtle approach as Spock, investigating enemies with mind meld or taking them out silently with the Vulcan nerve pinch.

The game isn't just a shooter, though. Miller points out that the game will also have sky dive or "space dive" segments in which players must navigate past obstacles at high speed. In some situations, they'll also command the Enterprise in space battles.

While it's nice to see that the game will provide something other than shoot 'em up action, how are these other gameplay segments going to work with co-op? Will each player control separate sets of guns in the space battles? Or will one player drive and one player shoot? There are many questions that need to be answered in the two months before the game's launch.

For an additional look at the co-op shooter action, check out the trailer from Tuesday.

Namco Bandai sent out a ton of new screenshots for the upcoming One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2, the over-the-top thousand-pirate beat-e'm-up game that sees players taking control of the Straw Hat Pirates as they battle it out for booty and put all evil doers in their place.

Siliconera managed to get hold of lots and lots and lots of screenshots for Namco's upcoming title, which is a direct sequel to the smash hit that helped Namco Bandai take control of the market share in Japan during majority of the spring.

The screenshots are chock full of action, fighting, special attacks and lots of nosebleed-worthy large boobies. I didn't know Shonen Jump was into the fanservice thing, but some of the characters bring their assets to the fight in spades.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 has been picking up a lot of steam lately thanks to a steady stream of assets being released to the public leading up to the game's mid-year release this summer for the PlayStation 3.

The hilarity and novelty of the game's aesthetic and design should be enough to waive off the claims that this is just another musuo grinder like many other games from Namco or Koei. You can check out the new screenshots below or visit the Official Namco Bandai Website to learn more about Pirate Warriors 2.

Ni No Kuni publisher Namco Bandai had two updates to share about the PS3 exclusive this weekend. The first bit of news: the game is receiving free downloadable content later in February.

Since its release in late January, Ni No Kuni has garnered strong reviews. The Metacritic rating currently stands at 87. Some have called it the best JRPG this generation.

Namco will release the Draggle Familiar DLC through the North American PlayStation Store on February 12th. The Draggle is a cute little dragon that will assist you on your journey. European PS3 owners already have access to this DLC.

The game stars a thirteen-year-old boy, Oliver, whose mother has died. A fairy gives him magical powers that let him enter the parallel world of "Ni No Kuni." Oliver travels to this new world in hopes of finding his mother there. Today's newest trailer, "The Adventures Of Oliver," provides a look at the story.

Dark Souls 2 publisher Namco Bandai recently visited the offices of Tokyo-based developer From Software. A couple of the snapshots they took of the studio provide a peek at the action RPG.

DS2, although a sequel, introduces an entirely new storyline. It still takes place in a medieval era, though. Today's images and the previous concept art show that the game has a dark, gritty look.

The game's world will be much larger than that of Dark Souls. From Software has twice as many employees working on constructing the environments this time around. The story's going to be much more clear in this game too, so you'll understand more of this world.

Dark Souls 2 is in development for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. The game might arrive next year but the release window is still up in the air.

Namco Bandai has recently announced that the crossover battle game featuring legendary characters, warriors, fighters and video game icons from the illustrious libraries of Sega, Namco and Capcom will butt heads in furious strategic action this summer for North American gamers, exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS.

Carlson Choi, VP of marketing at Namco Bandai Games America, commented in the press release about the North American release window, saying..

The tentatively named Project X Zone will give gamers a lot of what they had always hoped for over the years, the opportunity to control a non-child molester version of Mega Man and pair him with Toma and Cyrille, or you know, classic Virtua Fighter and Tekken characters working hand in hand to stop the spread of evil that has come through a rift in the fabric of time and space.

Project X Zone will mark yet another cool exclusive for the Nintendo 3DS, so if you haven't pledged allegiance to the Big 'N' yet, there's still time.

You can look for Project X Zone to launch this summer, presumably just after this year's bound-to-be-explosive E3, where heads will roll and pants, underwear and all things below the waist will be soiled for years to come. For more information on Project X Zone feel free to visit the Official Website.

Namco Bandai released new screenshots for Kamen Rider: Battride War following the initial announcement trailer and reveal screenshots. The latest batch of screens showcase a few of the heroes in action, doing what they do best and unleashing some massive kickbutt'ism on the bad guys using their other-worldly powers.

Kamen Rider is another one of those popular brands based on the spandex-wearing superheroes from cheap Japanese production studios. There was a short-lived, live-action TV show starring Matt Mullins over here in North America but it obviously didn't break ground the way it did over in Japan. The show was basically just another version of Power Rangers but potentially more serious, I guess.

In Kamen Rider: Battride War players will take control of the popular heroes/villains of the show and battle it out in thousand-army battles, typical to most other recent Namco and Tecmo Koei games based on other popular brands.

Graphically the game doesn't look half bad and if you're into the whole spandex-wearing warrior hero duking it out against other spandex-wearing warrior heroes, then you'll probably have a real tickled fancy for the upcoming Kamen Rider game.

Kamen Rider: Battride War is set for release exclusively on the PlayStation 3 starting May 23rd, later this year. You can check out the new screenshots of the game below, courtesy of Gematsu.

If you can't wait for Studio Ghibli and Level-5's Ni No Kuni to launch and you really, really, really want to get in on the action and see what the game is like for yourself, you can spoil the whole thing by watching the very first 30 minutes of gameplay courtesy of a new video that has been making the rounds.

Dealspwn managed to get their hands on the footage of the game, which isn't set for release until January 22nd, this upcoming Tuesday. But look, I don't need to waste a lot of time talking about stuff when you obviously came here to see the game in action. With animations handled by the same studio who put out great, epic films such as Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, lo and behold, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.

The game has already garnered very positive review scores, and it's unsurprising that gamers are already taking to Namco Bandai's PS3 exclusive given its fresh take on the JRPG genre and offers a nice alternative to all the samey-shooters that have been over-saturating the market as of late.

I doubt this game will move Call of Duty, Halo or Assassin's Creed numbers, but I suspect that we could be looking at another sleeper hit from Namco, which the company has been delivering in spades throughout this generation, including Dragon Ball Z titles, Naruto, One Piece and, of course, Dark Souls.

You can look for Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch to launch in North America in just a few day's time at your local retailer, exclusively for the PlayStation 3. You can grab a free demo of the game right now from the PlayStation Store.

Namco Bandai released some new screenshots and a teaser trailer for the upcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive thousand-army, beat 'em up game, Kamen Rider: Battride War. The new screenshots are just static snapshots of the game and the trailer itself is basically a CG-fest of sorts to help get fans of the popular TV show amped up and excited.

Kamen Rider: Battride War is based on the television show of a similar ilk, where masked riders are tasked with saving the world from mutant warriors who wear spandex. Just like in the TV show, gamers will be able to open up a can of karate-kick-butt and beat the living mutant out of the bad guys, just like in a bunch of other Namco Bandai or Tecmo Koei games. You can check it out in the teaser trailer below, courtesy of Gematsu.

The little bits of the gameplay showcased at the very end actually looks pretty good, visually. For a game made on a budget probably about as big as the budget of producing two episodes of the show it's based on, it looks surprisingly polished.

Then again, Namco Bandai has been recycling the thousand-army engine for years, so it's no big surprise there.

Anyway, you can check out the new screenshots for the game as well, which are below. Kamen Rider: Battride War is set for release on the PlayStation 3 in Japan beginning May 23rd, later this year. We'll keep you posted on any North American or European release windows.

Another trailer has been released for Namco Bandai and Tecmo Koei's upcoming thousand-army fighting game that sees the cast of Straw-Hat Pirates taking down all sorts of nasty bad guys. The trailer looks pretty good and contains a lot of recycled footage from the previous teaser and the full first trailer, but gamers get to see a few more specials on display and a few more bad guys getting their butts kicked.

So far Namco Bandai has been taking it easy with the promotion of the game, and to me it's always more interesting getting excited about a game when the PR is bombarding my e-mail every other day for an AAA title to puff its importance. A game like One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 is a lot more subdued in its media circulation and fans sort of have to hang on to small bits of info and content that leak out every once in a while as opposed to having it shoved in their face every too often. It makes each moment a bit more savory.

Anyway, you can check out the new trailer for One Piece below, courtesy of Dealspwn.

Last year One Piece managed to put Namco Bandai on the top of the market share charts throughout spring (surprising, I know) but the company has been aiming to provide their products and gear their services toward the core gamer, so it's easy for the word of mouth to spread and for sales saturation to take place over a longer period as opposed to some companies who bank on first week sales and this it's good game and goodbye.

You can look for One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 to launch for the PlayStation 3 later this year.

Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch released late last year in Japan and is due out at the end of this month for the PlayStation 3 here in North America. However, some reviewers from the UK and the US have already managed to get hands-on time with the game Ni No Kuni has already picked up a perfect 10/10 at some outlets.

I've been pretty excited for Ni No Kuni because it looks like a JRPG that takes the natural evolution of the genre and moves it forward with the appropriate respect and tact for the community and the industry. Made in collaboration with renown Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli, Ni No Kuni is a sort of coming-of-age story that mixes a lot of classic themes of good versus evil but with a hint of new-school character development, skills, real-time combat (with turn-based properties) and plenty of exploration.

PlayStation LifeStyle has an import review of the game and they've already marked it as a perfect game. It looked exceptional just based on the videos and demos, but don't think that's just an impression from public media assets...other sites are chiming in with the high scores as well, GameMasters UK also scored the game at 95/100 as reported by the Silent Chef. In my opinion, Ni No Kuni seems to be a real gamer's game and those who cherish the actual evolution of challenging game design will probably want to keep an eye on this title.

If you're curious whether the game is worth the hype, you can grab a free demo of Ni No Kuni from the PlayStation Network right now. Additionally, you can look for the game to release on January 22nd Stateside, exclusively for the PlayStation 3.

The official release date for Namco Bandai's upcoming action-fighting game based on Shonen Jump's popular anime, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 has its release date officially set in digital PR stone (or as close to it as you'll get) and you'll be able to get your hands on the game as soon as this spring.

The actual date is actually March 5th, which is just two months from now. The game itself brings all the ninja hack, hit, kick and slashing you would come to expect from the popular, long running series.

The story revolves around the Fourth Great Ninja War, as players will dive headfirst into the conflict that arose from the explosive combination of combustible personalities and deadly ninjas all vying for one thing or another.

Carlson Choi, VP of Marketing for Namco Bandai Games America commented in the press release about the upcoming title, saying...

The game is looking exceptionally well made and the combat is as fast and fluent as ever. I, personally, can't wait to see how Namco Bandai and CyberConnect2 address the transition into the next generation and what sort of creative ingenuity they'll bring with them the leap into the next-gen.

For now, you can pre-order Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 for either the Xbox 360 or PS3, and you can look for the game to launch come March 5th later this year for $59.99.