In Machine Knight You Travel To Another World To Solve An Energy Crisis

Kemco, the main maker of retro JRPGs for smartphones, brought Machine Knight to iOS. The game starts with Frain in Dr. Shaft's lab traveling to about to travel to another world in search of a solution to his world's energy crisis after the sun is covered. Frain's trip through the gate reveals unsettling truths about his world, but hey there are two heroines that help Frain out. Later in the game you get to choose between Bell, a kind nun living in poverty, and Aulin, a spunky sorceress who wants to be savior of the land.

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Machine Knight is available now and it is being sold for $2.99 at launch.

Read more stories about iPhone & Machine Knight on Siliconera.

Splinter Cell Blacklist Gas Plant Gameplay Demo

Ubisoft has given gamers more than six minutes of Splinter Cell Blacklist action, presented in a commentated gameplay demo.

Zach Cooper, Splinter Cell community developer, shows off the final highlights of a mission during the Blacklist campaign. In the video, Cooper faces off against a terrorist unit called the Engineers.

Splinter Cell Blacklist launches on August 20 (August 22 in Europe) for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U and Windows PC.

commentary, Demo, Splinter Cell: Blacklist

level-5 's youkai are essentially like ghostly pok eacute;mon

Players can catch over 200 kinds of youkai, Japanese folklore spirits, In Youkai Watch. Nogappa pictured on the right creates mega waterfalls. Komasan fires spirit energy and Jinmen Inu (literally human faced dog)… lies on the floor. Youkai join players in battle and level up after fights. Similar to Pokémon, youkai can evolve.

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Each youkai has a different rank like the hungry Himoji starts at rank E, but can level up to a B rank youkai called Kuiiji. The mosquito-like Negatiboon can evolve into a C rank spirit. Some evolutions have special conditions. Jibanyan, a cat-like creature Level-5 revealed early on, can evolve into the suave Warunyan.

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When you're not catching youkai you can live a regular life with your friends. One of Youkai Watch's scenes has Keeta and Fumi watching fireworks from their school's roof.

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Youkai Watch also has an augmented reality camera app to play with. Mysterious Lens takes a photo and "reveals" unseen youkai. If you find a youkai you'll get an item to use in game.

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Youkai Watch is slated for release on July 11 for Nintendo 3DS.

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Read more stories about Nintendo 3DS & Youkai Watch on Siliconera.

Lens Flares Unite! Enlighten Engine Boasts Next-Gen Console Goods

Technology for the upcoming tidal wave of next-gen consoles has been swelling for quite some time.

The guts of new graphics engines were showcased during E3 2012 in June. Only a few months ago the curtains were lifted and the two bruisers of the console world were let loose. We now have come full circle and come right back to where we started.

The 'Enlighten' engine from Geomerics promises to shed light on some of gaming's most anticipated titles. Battlefield 4, Star Wars: Battlefront and Mirror's Edge are just a few that were demonstrated.

Many have argued that the use of lens flares have become a nuisance more than anything, however, it is often a reflection of the game's art style. With Geomerics also being an Unreal Engine 4 partner, we can expect more work with other respected titles.

Regardless of your stance, the engine looks to promise to get you lit.

playstation 4, Xbox One

Microsoft Backpedals on DRM Policy for Xbox One

Microsoft has apparently thrown its DRM policy for Xbox One in full reverse, removing the online check-in and all pre-owned game restrictions for Xbox One.

During E3, Microsoft earned the spite of many gamers when it confirmed a lot of the troubling DRM rumors surrounding its next Xbox. The prior rumors gave Sony a perfect chance to steer public interest toward its PlayStation 4 when the company announced during its press conference that the device will not have a DRM policy.

The public responded to the news was a complete shift in interest toward the PS4, as reported by multiple polls around the web.

Only about a week has passed since E3, and appears that during the time Microsoft has been reevaluating its DRM policy.

Don Mattrick, president of interactive entertainment business at Microsoft, posted an article today explaining that Microsoft has removed its DRM policy:

Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.

For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe in the benefits of a connected, digital future.

Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One.

You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.

So, today I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. Here is what that means:

An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.

In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download games from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your games, you will be able to play them offline just like you do today. Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console ' there will be no regional restrictions.

These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.

We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.

Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year.

Here is the bullet list for you 'tl;dr' types:

An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One gamesTrade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do todayYou can download games from Xbox Live on day of releaseIf you download games on Day One, you will be able to play them offlineThere are no more regional restrictionsYou can share games with others simply by letting them borrow the disc (downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold)Playing the disc-based game requires the disc to be in the tray

Every so often, a company does listen to its fans. But if it was so easy for Microsoft to make the change, is it also just as easy to re-implement it?

Well, for now, let's pause a moment and take in the fact that Microsoft has apparently listened to its user base, and has made the changes that gamers have been demanding. Who is up for a re-poll?

backpedal, News, online drm, policy, reversal, Xbox One

Mind≒0 Gameplay Video Shows ZeroDiv's MIND Control RPG In Action

4Gamer has shared a 12-minute gameplay video of Acquire and ZeroDiv's latest Vita RPG. Kicking off the video is the opening movie with the song “Bousou Machine, Mind≒0 Ver.,” performed by yucat.

The story of Mind≒0 is centered around a group of teenagers who can summon familiars called MINDs. Using these familiars, they investigate a deranged spirit world. In the parallel world, you will come across monsters. MINDs are powerful and can defend your characters against these monsters, but if they take too much damage, they will break and leave you paralyzed.

You can fight without your MINDs, too, but your attacks are much weaker and you risk taking damage directly. For more details, check our previous article.

When you're back in the real world, you can boost your skills at an antique shop called Moment. Apart from that, this video also gives you a preview of two boss monsters and several ominous mystery characters.

Mind≒0 will be released for the PlayStation Vita on August 1.

Read more stories about Mind 0 & PlayStation Vita & Videos on Siliconera.

atelier 2014 may be brand new, dusk series won't end with escha ' logy

This week’s Dengeki PlayStaton magazine featured an interview with Gust’s director Yoshito Okamura, who hinted that they’ll be releasing a new Atelier game, that may not be related to the Dusk series. In addition, he also says that the Dusk series will continue and won’t end with Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky.

Previously, Okamura mentioned that there won’t be a plus version of Atelier Rorona. The other two games in the Arland trilogy got expanded ports for PlayStation Vita and were released as, Atelier Totori Plus and Atelier Meruru Plus. Okamura said that they’d like to make an expansion for it in the future that will show the reason why they saved it for last. According to the Dengeki PlayStation interview, we may be seeing a remake for Atelier Rorona before we see a completely new Atelier series.

“Since becoming part of Tecmo Koei, we now have the grounds to make big titles, while keeping true to Gust’s identity.” says Okamura in the interview. The director also reveals his intention to step down from the development of the Atelier series, with the reason being that when the same person continues developing a title, the game’s content will always be too similar to one another.

Here are some highlights from the interview:

There are no plans to end the Dusk series anytime soon, as there are still plenty left to do.

Gust’s next title may not be part of the Dusk series, although it’s not certain.

There will be a new Atelier game released next year, as they have no intention to break the pattern of releasing a new title per year so fans will have something to look forward to every year.

Since merging with Tecmo Koei, Gust now have the grounds to develop bigger titles and still keep true to their essence.

Gust are currently training their young developers so they can carry on with the future of the Atelier series, along with new IPs, all while changing the future of the company from within.

Director Yoshito Okamura feels that someone else must be entrusted with Atelier. Not because he dislikes making it, but because he feels that if the same person keeps working on it, the games will always be too similar.

This year is Gust’s 20th anniversary, as they’re looking forward to taking on greater challenges.
Read more stories about Atelier & Gust & PlayStation 3 & PlayStation Vita on Siliconera.