Blood. Chaos and Blood.. Oh and lots of Cake for everyone.

Check out the plus-sized E3 trailer for this upcoming PlayStation Network game. Fat Princess, while marginally offensive to some, seems like (and pardon me for my cross platform comparison) the PS3 answer to The Behemoth’s Castle Crashers on the surface except its got a lot more of everything you’d expect.. more blood (if that’s possible), more mindless hack-n-slash action, and more princess.. markably more princess.

The game is scheduled for release later this month and looks like a lot of fun with its massive gory combat and support for up to 24 players online.

You can check out the E3 trailer which introduces the character classes and the game’s very basic premise after the jump.

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Video games are full of colorful characters from speedy blue hedgehogs to scientists who know their way around a rocket launcher. That doesn’t mean games are without their stereotypes though, and I’m not talking about the fact that every gritty shooter needs at least one black soldier ready to blast some hip-hop music at any given opportunity. No, I’m talking about the overweight individuals who packed on a few pounds and then decided that was reason enough to get in everyone’s way somehow. When it comes to those portly video game characters that aren’t plumbers sporting red overalls, most of them just tend to be plain old bastards. Here are six of the biggest fat bastards in gaming that I could think of.

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The next big controversial game to have special interest groups up in arms is none other than PSN title Fat Princess. It seems that some feminists have taken offense to the cute little capture-the-flag-style game and are vehemently condemning it.

Melissa McEwan sends a message to Sony on her the Shakesville blog, saying she’s “positively thrilled to see such unyielding dedication to creating a new generation of fat-hating, heteronormative [jerks].”

“Mighty Ponygirl” of The Feminist Gamers blog at least has a constructive suggestion for an alternative strategy to the game.

“Instead of running out into the forest to find cake to fatten up the princess with, why not go out and find gold (which is a lot heavier than cake) to stuff into a treasure chest. The more gold in the chest, the heavier it would be, and the harder it would be to carry.” She went on to say, “Oh, but that’s not as ‘cute’ as cake and fat chicks. Right.”

Not all females are taking extreme stances on Fat Princess. Abby McVay defends the game on the SlashGear technology blog arguing that the feminist bloggers are overreacting.

“It couldn’t possibly be that it’s just an innocent game and you women are just looking for the latest and greatest thing to [complain] about.”

Considering I have a house full of females at my disposal, I polled them to see if the idea behind Fat Princess got their knickers in a twist. Aside from my sister-in-law’s snickering, “My first thought was that they were fattening her up to eat her for dinner ala ‘To Serve Man’,” the general consensus is that it sounds like a fun little game. By the way, not one of them was shocked that eating too much cake could make you fat.

If you want to see for yourself what all the fuss is about check out the original Fat Princess article on Gaming Today.

via Finding Dulcinea

There are new screenshots available for upcoming PSN title Fat Princess from E3. This game offers both single player and online multiplayer tactical gameplay. The scenario is your kingdoms princess has been captured by your sworn enemy. You have control of five different types of troops to break down the opponents defenses and bring her royal highness back home.

You can switch between five different character classes literally at the drop of a hat: the fearless Warrior, the steadfast Archer, the mystical Mage, the tireless Worker, and the deadly Priest. In order to triumph, players must combine their skills and work together. The name of the game is cooperation, whether it’s helping another player drag a log back to your castle, manning a battering ram to smash through the enemy’s front gate, or building a human pyramid to scramble over the walls.

As the title suggests, part of your opposition’s nefarious plot is to fatten up your princess. Whether they want to give their own princess a better shot at a power marriage or they’re planning to try out a new recipe; your princess will be a lot harder to get back home than she was to kidnap.

For more information on Fat Princess, check out Sony’s Three Speech Blog.

Culdcept Saga
Developer: Namco Bandai
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: $39.99
Platform: Xbox 360
Category: Strategy
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes)
Release Date: February 5, 2008

For me, just being within earshot of the term “card battles” is enough to make me break out in a rash. That’s why I was even surprised in myself when I started to become interested in a game like Culdcept Saga. I never played its PS2 precursor, but the idea of card battles mixed with a board game intrigued me enough to try out the demo. Sadly, the demo only fueled my interest in this game, practically forcing me to seek out a copy — probably the only one within ten miles of my house, I might add. So does this game’s charm still hold up after several hours of card/board gaming action? Well, yes and no. My full impressions after the break.

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I came across an interesting eBay auction today where a parent was selling their son’s Guitar Hero III as a punishment for smoking pot. This is a great message for you teenagers out there. If you smoke pot, your parents might pawn your games. It’s definitely refreshing to read stories about parents who are actually parenting. The auction can be found HERE. I have posted the father’s explanation of the situation after the break. Guitar Hero may make you like a rock star, but you can’t live like one if you are still in your parent’s house.

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Ahh, the 80s arcade scene. There is nothing like it. The electronic symphony of Blips, Bleeps, and Woowoos serenading us from afar like the sirens’ call. The strobing 8-bit assault of electron ordinance bombarding our optical receptors. The clankity clank of change machines grinding someone’s hard earned paper into shiny golden metal octagonal tokens of delight. The thick layer of smog sourced from half-dozen burning cigarettes permeating the air.

Ok, well maybe that last detail isn’t so fondly remembered. Arcades certainly deserve to be more than just a footnote in history. There’s a bit of sadness garnered as we say goodbye to such a relic of the entertainment industry. I certainly owe a large chunk of my childhood to the 80’s arcade scene.

So it gives me great pleasure to bring news that classic arcade Space Ace is coming to our homes, in High Definition no less. Digital Leisure, the remastering gurus responsible for bringing Dragon’s Lair, Dragon’s Lair 2: Time Warp, and Space Ace to DVD (and more recently Dragon’s Lair HD to PC DVD-ROM, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray), have just announced Space Ace HD for PC DVD-ROM.

Space Ace, of course, was a direct follow-up to Dragon’s Lair success some 23+ years ago. As the name implies, Space Ace was, in short, Dragon’s Lair retooled with a Sci-Fi story. By all regards, it was exactly the same clockwork button mashing and joystick pushing game as its predecessor. Replace Dirk the Daring with Dexter/Ace, Princess Daphne with Kimberly, and Singe the Dragon with Commander Borf, and you have basically the same game in a Sci-Fi setting. Muscle bound hero, good looking girlfriend, a balding yet powerful bad guy wanting to destroy the earth with an oversized laser beam…. sound familiar? It should. It’s the same formula the Flash Gordon movie of the same era used.

Where Space Ace sets itself apart from your typical swashbuckling Sci-Fi romp is the use of legendary Don Bluth’s animation talents (Secret of Nimh, Titan A.E., etc.) Ask anyone who lived in that era; it was Don Bluth’s animation that made the game. Well, let’s just say the animation made it more than just a game. Back in the day, you didn’t care about the actual gameplay of Dragon’s Lair or Space Ace, you just wanted to watch the story unfold. It was an ingenious tactic to get you to fork over lots of quarters - more quarters than the cost of an actual theater ticket.

With today’s technology, we can now pay the money upfront and enjoy the experience all within the comforts of our home. And being digitally remastered in HiDef with 5.1 surround certainly brings an opportunity that just wasn’t there 20+ years ago.

You can pre-order Space Ace HD for PC DVD-ROM via the Digital Leisure website for $49.95. Digital Leisure also provides download links to a Space Ace trailer in HD and non-HD flavors.

Also, don’t forget to check out William’s review of Dragon’s Lair on HD-DVD.

Images from the game and press release after the break.

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Everyone loves lists, and within this list is something everyone can love. Below you will find complied release dates for games coming out in October. The dates listed are as current as possible, so if a publisher changes the date we will try our best to update the list. We are well aware that September still has a couple of weeks left, give or take, but we just want to help plan your lives for the next month or two. Who loves you baby?

10/1/2007

Backyard Basketball 2007 —- GameCube
Field Ops —- PC
Heavy Rain (working title) —- PS3
Hot Shots Golf 5 —- PS3
MLB Power Pros —- PS2
Popx3 —- Wii
Race —- PC
RACE 07 - The WTCC Game — PC
The Chosen - Well of Souls —- PC
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass —– DS
Ultimate 3D Pinball —- PC, Wii

MORE AFTER THE BREAK

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Can’t get out to pick up a copy of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, try distracting yourself with some oldies but goodies courtesy of Nintendo. Whether you like RPG action or run and gun you’re bound to find something you like in this week’s Wii-kly update. The Wii Shop is offering three new classic titles as of this morning: Super C, Breath of Fire II, and an old favorite Ghouls’n Ghosts.
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Published by Square-Enix and developed by Tri-Ace, this classic style RPG follows in the footsteps of its predecessor Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth with state of the art graphics, compelling storylines, and fantastic controls with great gameplay. This game has been out for almost a year now for the PS2, and if you have not played it, I highly recommend Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria. This is a great sequel for fans of the franchise, but the addition of the dash move that you must master to succeed in combat drove me around the twist. Trying to handle direction and distance for your party is a bit difficult for such an component in battle. However, the rest of the game is almost perfect even with the weird dash move for combat, and being such a fun and aesthetically pleasing game, you get over it pretty quickly.

Odin the mightiest of the gods is facing a crisis of mortal proportions. After an incident ignited a conflict between Odin and the Valkyrie Silmeria he hastily reincarnates her spirit into Alicia, Princess of Dipan. However, the spirit of the battle maiden awakens within Alicia, still seeking vengeance.

As Alicia ages, her father, King Barbarossa of Dipan - believing her to be possessed, declares Alicia dead and exiles her to castle far far away…. Odin learns of Silmeria’s awakening and orders the Hrist Valkyrie to summon her spirit to Valhalla. Alicia —and Silmeria—while trying to escape Odin’s wrath embark on a journey where nothing is what it seems and no one can be trusted.

“Sacred treasures offering unimaginable power suggest hope for independence, but manipulation and intrigue fool those who fight fate into fulfilling more diabolical destinies. The battle rages through the realm of Midgard, over the bridge of Bifrost, into the heavens of Asgard, and beyond as the struggle for control—over Alicia’s fate and the fate of all existence—unfolds in unforeseeable dimensions.”

FEATURES:

• Puzzle-solving using the Photon Action System, an enhanced evolution of the popular crystal system—freeze enemies and swap positions to reach new heights!
• Simultaneous multi-character combat places the controls of four separate characters at your fingertips—perform advanced combos and tandem maneuvers with dazzling results.
• Classic VALKYRIE PROFILE gameplay is updated with a state-of-the-art 3D side-scrolling system that produces amazingly crafted environments that revitalize the franchise’s 2D roots.
• A gripping tale of abandonment, loneliness, and revenge crafted by the masterful storytellers at tri-Ace.
• Lush environments are bathed in a glorious lighting system, enabling a new level of brilliant visual effects.

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