PixelJunk Shooter 2 review: If it ain't broke, add multiplayer

Sequel design 101: Make your game bigger. Given one of the only complaints fans had with the original PixelJunk Shooter was its length, the explosion of content in the sequel makes sense. Over a year in the making, Shooter 2 has bigger bosses, bigger levels and a bigger feature set. But, bigger doesn't always equal better; while Shooter 2 will keep fans busy, it's one of the few "disappointments" from the studio's otherwise impeccable portfolio. The most significant addition to the Shooter formula is the new competitive multiplayer feature. I was skeptical at first, doubtful that PvP would be able to retain the game's unique charm. I was proven wrong with my first online battle. The subtle changes to the core mechanics make for an interesting game of cat-and-mouse. Just like in the main game, you must rescue survivors. But, in versus mode, there's someone else hellbent on rescuing more of them than you. Each of the maps offer different strategic options, taking advantage of the unique liquidity of the game's levels. Risk maneuvering through an active volcano to avoid enemy fire, for example. Or, try having a shootout in the water, to avoid heating up. Flashier players may even try to steal survivors from an enemy base.%Gallery-118677%

LA Noire interrogation, investigated on video

The second of Rockstar's "gameplay series" videos for LA Noire emphasizes, once again, that it'll take brains -- not necessarily brawn -- to crack open the various cases the game holds. See how investigations unfold and how to interrogate suspects in this brand new video.

PixelJunk Shooter 2

Angry Birds continues PSN domination in February

The PlayStation Store had some noteworthy releases in February: Explodemon, Stacking, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2. But none of these new releases managed to chart in PSN's monthly sales numbers. Instead, you'll see some familiar names on the top 5 list, including Angry Birds, which continues its second month of bestselling sales. Angry Birds Plants vs. Zombies Tetris Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Mortal Kombat II In addition to Angry Birds, the appearance of a PopCap game, a Tetris game, and a Pac-Man game tell us that casual games are key to making your way to the top of the PlayStation Network.

Bungie offshoot Moonshot Games sets off for the Fallen Frontier

There's good reason to pay attention to Moonshot Games. The operation, which spans two studios in Boston and Seattle, is helmed by some prolific ex-Bungie stars. Three members of the Moonshot crew have hand their hands on Microsoft's FPS: Managing Director Michel Bastien worked as a producer on the first three Halo games at Bungie, Director of Technology Damián Isla worked on developing AI for Halo 2 and 3 and Creative Director Rob Stokes was the Design Lead of Halo 3. The studio's first title, Fallen Frontier, will be making its debut at PAX East this week and it promises to "leverage the very best design principles" from the team's combined experience on the Halo franchise. The arcade action of the game's first trailer certainly makes it seem like "Halo in 2D." We'll find out more when we get our hands on the game this weekend.%Gallery-118558%

Fallen Frontier

Amy

Red Johnson's Chronicles

See Rochard's gravity gun play with a companion cube

Rochard, an upcoming PSN platformer, first reminded us of Dead Space -- but now, we're thinking "with Portals." This first gameplay trailer shows how Rochard can manipulate gravity, and how boxes are a man's best friend.

NCAA Football 12 cover athlete determined by fan vote

Cover athletes for EA Sports' NCAA Football series may not get the same attention as Madden's leading men -- but hey, at least they're not cursed. In fact, you can help the next young star get "lucky" by voting him onto the cover of NCAA Football 12.

Fifth Resident Evil movie in the works, scheduled for 2012

Like the zombies it's based off of, the Resident Evil movie franchise will not die. Although the fifth film has yet to be subtitled, it does have a date. "Resident Evil 5" will be in theaters -- in 3D, of course -- on September 14, 2012. There's good reason for the hastened production schedule for yet another sequel. According to Box Office Mojo, last year's Resident Evil film, Afterlife, was the highest grossing in the series, generating over $236 million, which is "about as much as the first three movies combined," the site notes. Afterlife enjoyed success in international markets and generated additional revenue through its 3D presentations. According to the report, about 80 percent of Afterlife's domestic revenue came from its extra-dimensional screenings. With the success of Resident Evil on the silver screen, it's no surprise Capcom and Sony Pictures are trying to strike gold again. In addition to Resident Evil, a Devil May Cry film is also in the works.

Miyamoto 'mortified' by Steel Battalion, has wanted to make similar game

"I always wanted to make a flight-simulation game," designer Shigeru Miyamoto confessed in a new edition of Nintendo's Iwata Asks column. The Nintendo president seemed confused by that admission, reminding Miyamoto that he had worked on Pilotwings. Apparently, Pilotwings wasn't the kind of flying game Miyamoto had in mind. "That game was about you enjoying the flying experiences," he said. "It's a bit different from the kind of flight-simulation game I wanted to make." Instead, the designer has wanted to create what gamers would consider a realistic or hardcore sim, not unlike Microsoft Flight Simulator. "The difficulty level is high with these simulators when we see them as video games, but that difficulty is one of the greatest charms for them," Miyamoto added. Although Nintendo's games typically appeal to the mass market, Miyamoto expressed his long-standing desire to make a complicated game. "I wanted to make some kind of simulator where you would control something huge, but they beat me to it," he said, referring to Capcom's Steel Battalion game on the original Xbox, which included a controller with about 40 buttons (pictured above). "I felt so mortified when that was released." Steel Diver may not be Miyamoto's long-desired flight simulation game, but it's a close approximation of his original vision. "Controlling a submarine is like a slower version of a flight-simulation game," he joked. The game may not include its own Steel Battalion-esque controller, but Nintendo can at least "put lots of dials" on the 3DS touch screen. [Photo credit: John Tregoning]

Dead Nation patch coming next week, adds voice chat and checkpoint saves

Dead Nation is terrific, but it has one shortcoming that many have considered a deal breaker: It lacks voice chat for online co-op play. That issue will be addressed in a new patch, to be deployed next Tuesday, March 7. The title update will not only add voice chat, but a few other features, including the abilities to save at checkpoints (which should make those challenging final levels a little easier) and to copy save files to back them up. In its post on PlayStation Blog, Housemarque teases "further surprises" will be included, as well.

MotorStorm Apocalypse (2/16)

NGP in development 'since the beginning of 2008,' first-party Suite games in the works

How long has the successor to PSP been in the works? According to Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida, "since the beginning of 2008." The timing coincides with the first rumors about the device, which (correctly) predicted the system's lack of a UMD drive, touch screen and dual analog support. Yoshida also explained that Worldwide Studios had been officially involved with NGP game development since then, too, which helps explain the dearth of first-party content for the original PSP beginning in 2008. According to Wikipedia, Sony has released only 16 first-party games for the PSP in the last two years -- about the same number of games it had ready for the system's launch. While Sony is working on delivering triple-A titles for the NGP launch, Yoshida noted that first-party teams are also working on "short form games" for PlayStation Suite, Sony's upcoming cross-platform service for NGP and Android. Given the last game we recall Sony ever developing for a non-PlayStation device was Wipeout 64, that's certainly an historic move.

EA 'figuring out' how to continue Mirror's Edge

Like the Gap and cargo shorts, EA is "trying to figure out how to bring Mirror's Edge back." EA Games label president Frank Gibeau told CVG that the Mirror's Edge franchise is unequivocally not dead. "I greenlight the games. I did not kill it -- as God is my witness," he swore. According to Gibeau, the publisher is looking for ways to bring back the franchise in "a way that fans will be excited," while still reaching a larger audience. "We need to go from version one to version two so that it sells two to three times as many, it finds a much bigger audience." DICE, developer of the first game, is currently working on Battlefield 3. According to earlier reports, EA requested that the developer focus exclusively on that game, instead of a Mirror's Edge sequel. A EA spokesperson later commented that Mirror's Edge is an "important franchise," but there was "nothing further to announce."

SOCOM 4 beta dated, PlayStation Plus members get early access

Everyone is invited to the SOCOM 4 beta starting April 5. But you'll have opportunities to get in earlier: March 15 - Private Beta. "We'll be contacting eligible players soon." March 22 - PlayStation Plus early access March 29 - Access included with Killzone 3 April 5 - Free public download on the PlayStation Store The beta will include all of the game's competitive multiplayer modes -- Suppression, Last Defense, Uplink and Bomb Squad -- playable on two maps: Port Authority and Assault & Battery. It's scheduled to conclude on April 13. Unfortunately, the beta won't give you a taste of the five-player co-op mode. You'll have to wait until April 19 to try that out.

Battle: Los Angeles

Konami seeking Metal Gear Solid fans for lengthy survey

How did you feel about the downloadable Vocaloid content for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker? When encountering an enemy, what tactics do you use? Would you be interested in a Metal Gear game on an Android phone? Konami is very, very curious about what fans think about its Metal Gear franchise. A "Survey Mission" on the company's Facebook page lets fans opine about nearly every intricate detail about the series, going all the way back to the MSX era. Who knows? Your votes may end up influencing the future of the franchise! But be warned: this is a very, very long survey. [Thanks, Kody]

Cubic Ninja is a 3DS game without 3D

Most 3DS games will give players the option to use the system's slider to adjust the depth of the display. Not Cubic Ninja. AQ Interactive's puzzle-platformer will not support a 3D display of any depth. A representative confirmed to us that there is "no stereoscopic 3D in [the] main game" because of Cubic Ninja's heavy reliance on another feature of the 3DS: the gyroscope. A report on Japanese site Inside Games notes that it would be difficult to read text in 3D if you were moving the 3DS around. Because the integrity of the handheld's 3D effect is reliant on viewing the screen from a fixed, dead-on position, it will be interesting to see if others developers, also keen on gyroscopic gameplay, might "turn off" the 3DS's big novelty.