Resident Evil Revelations 2 Gets PS Vita Release But No Plans For 3DS!

With Capcom already releasing the popular Resident Evil Revelations 2 on the major gaming platforms including: PC, Xbox One, PS3 and PS4, handheld gamers have been left wondering whether they too would be treated to some more Zombie-shooting action. Well, today the wait is finally over.

Capcom has indeed confirmed that Frima Studio will be responsible for porting Resident Evil Revelations 2 onto the PS Vita some time in Summer 2015, although no actual release date has yet been announced.

The game will feature all four episodes of Resident Evil and all DLC items released so far. Sony has also promised some interesting touchscreen and gyroscopic control features, which will play an important part within the game.

Nevertheless, the PS Vita release has sparked annoyance from some sections of the 3DS community who are wondering why Resident Evil Revelations 2 has not been adapted for use with the Nintendo handheld too, when the game was originally exclusively available in this format. Capcom has cited "Technical problems" as the main reason for why the game will not be returning to the Nintendo 3DS any time soon. A spokesperson from Capcom has said:

"It's partly a technical reason. We have our own custom engine called the MT Framework, and as the mobile and home console versions are quite different technically, given that we were taking the home console versions as a starting point, it just led somewhat naturally." [Sourced from: http://uk.ign.com/articles/2015/02/18/heres-why-resident-evil-revelations-2-isnt-coming-to-the-3ds]

The news has come as a big disappointment to fans of the original Resident Evil Revelations 3DS game, but for the time being at least, the idea of a Resident Evil Revelations 2 port for the New Nintendo 3DS console seems like little more than a pipe-dream.

Professor Layton VS. Phoenix Wright: New Plot Details, Teaser Trailer and Unlockable Bonus Content Revealed!

Nintendo has provided further information about the eagerly-awaited 3DS cross-franchise title Professor Layton VS. Phoenix Wright, which is due to be released in Europe on the 28th March 2014. 

So far, the exact plot details have been a little bit sketchy, but Mini Gamers can now reveal some more concrete facts about the game's storyline. The game first takes place in London, where both Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton - along with their trusty sidekicks - Maya Fey and Luke Triton, happen to mistakenly cross paths when they are both invited to meet a mysterious young woman called Espella Cantabella, whereby they suddenly find themselves transported to a strange, medieval world known as Labyrinthia.

Labyrinthia is ruled over by a shadowy figure called The Storyteller who has an apparent gift for prophecy, as every story penned by The Storyteller later seems to come true, sparking rumours about 'magic' and 'evil witches' amongst Labyrinthia's inhabitants.

It does not take long for the locals to point the finger of suspicion in the direction of Espella Cantabella, and a local witch hunt begins. Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright decide to combine their unique puzzle-solving and crime-fighting abilities to save Espella and clear her name of any wrongdoing.

Nintendo has now revealed exactly how these two giant franchises will combine together throughout the game. Firstly, Phoenix Wright, (best known from the Ace Attorney series of games), returns to the courtroom, determined to uncover the truth about the events happening in Labyrinthia and prove that Espella could not possibly be guilty of such crimes.

As in the traditional Ace Attorney games, Phoenix Wright will be required to examine evidence and question witnesses. However, Phoenix Wright will now be able to use Hint coins - a staple game mechanic of the Professor Layton series - in order to narrow down the options when presenting evidence, or as a way of gaining helpful information when cross-examining witnesses.

Furthermore, it has also been suggested that Professor Layton will occasionally be allowed to raise objections within the court room, not only for the defence, but also for the prosecution, where necessary.

Nintendo have also provided further details about the game's bonus unlockable content. This content such as twelve short new episodes for the game, as well as over sixty exclusive illustrations and all the main theme music from the game, will become available once players have completed the main story.

Nevertheless, how much of the content that players will be able to access will depend upon how many Picarats players have managed to accumulate throughout the puzzle-solving portions of the game. The faster a puzzle is solved, the more Picarats will be awarded, which is another staple of the Professor Layton series.

A new teaser trailer for the game has also been launched, showing some of the cutscene sequences from the game, along with the new pre-order information for the game. If you are having trouble viewing the trailer, then please CLICK HERE.

  

Level 5 inc. and Capcom have clearly put a lot of thought and hard work into producing a game that will appeal to fans of either franchise. Level 5 inc's involvement can clearly be seen in the inclusion of many Professor Layton game mechanics, whilst Capcom's essential Ace Attorney structure will be instantly recognisable to the game's many fans.

Mini Gamers looks forward to bringing you our own full-review when the game launches next month.

Spot The (Not-So) Deliberate Mistake...Anyone???

It is not often in the world of handheld gaming that a simple cover design gives us such a big laugh, but that is definitely the case with Capcom's latest 3DS offering: Resident Evil Revelations, which has reportedly gone on sale with a certain spelling mistake clearly visable.

The mistake, which affects a proportion of the game sold in North America, clearly labels the game as "Resident Evil Revelaitons" (see above). The mistake has since been commented on by a Capcom representative.

Speaking to Eurogamer, the representative claimed: "We apologise for the mistake, which will be corrected for subsequent productions of the game. We are working on a solution to provide affected customers with the correct packaging. Please visit Capcom-Unity for updates." [sourced from: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-01-26-capcom-botches-resident-evil-revelations-packaging]

Furthermore, a recent  NA price-drop for the game has now been announced, although it is not clear whether this has anything to do with the packaging error, or whether Capcom has simply decided to make the game more affordable to its audience. Whatever the reason, the reduction from $49.99 to just $39.99 ought to appeal to many cash-strapped gamers out there.

Mini Gamers does not think that the spelling mistake will harm the sales of Resident Evil Revelations in any way. The game has a strong storyline and interesting gameplay, which should help keep those gamers who have been affected by the  minor packaging error happy for a long time to come, and who knows, maybe the misspelled version will become a highly-sought collector's item?

Meanwhile, those of you who are interested in Mini Gamers' impressions of the game, please read our recent review of Resident Evil Revelations by CLICKING HERE.

Professor Layton VS. Phoenix Wright TGS 2011 Trailer Revealed...

A new trailer for the 3DS Puzzle/Adventure collaboration, known simply as Professor Layton VS. Phoenix Wright, has recently surfaced on the Internet following its unveiling at the Tokyo Game Show 2011.

The game is the result a collaboration between Level 5 inc and Capcom and features characters from both game franchises. However, it had previously been suggested that the game might actually be a fabrication - hopefully this trailer will dispel any notions that this game might be a myth!

Japanese Official Trailer shown at TGS 2011

Very little is known about the game's main storyline so far, but from what we have seen, it would seem to centre around Witchcraft, Castles and Medieval Knights.  Phoenix Wright must defend his client (the blonde woman in the dock) against accusations that she is a practising witch.

No European release has been announced yet, but the game is scheduled for release in Japan some time in 2012. The game itself will be the first time that either franchise has appeared in 3D. As a result, the graphics will juxtapose the familiar 2D images with 3D ones.

Professor Layton VS. Phoenix Wright looks like a very interesting title. Mini Gamers hopes that a European release date will be confirmed some time in the next few months.

Resident Evil Mercenaries: 'One-Save' Feature Does Not Mean 'Play Once', Explains Capcom...

It has been a difficult week for the guys at Capcom. Since news about the perma-save/one save only feature included in their Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D game for the Nintendo 3DS became public knowledge, they have been busy trying to persuade the gaming community that the fact the game's save data cannot be reset does not affect the overall replay value of the game. Are they right?

 

Initial information gathered on Tuesday suggested that the perma-save function would also prevent the game from being reset back to the very beginning, meaning that the game could essentially only be played once.

However, Capcom have now begun to set the record straight on exactly how the one-save-only feature would work. According to them, the perma-save feature was added in order to give the game an intrinsically Arcade gaming feel.

According to Capcom sources, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is a time-based score attack game, akin to the old 80's-style Arcade games. Players must defeat zombie hoardes in order to rack up an overall high score before the timer runs out.

As such, the game does not feature a traditional campaign mode as offered by most modern shooter games.

However, when asked to comment about whether the fact that the game's data could not be reset or deleted also meant that the game could only be played once, Capcom were quick to offer this statement:

 

"This is not true. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is a non-linear experience where there is no set end to the game. It is a score attack game and progression is defined as improving upon previous high scores. Players can replay each mission as many times as they like to continually challenge themselves to improve."

[sourced from: http://www.capcom-unity.com/resident_evil/go/thread/view/7391/27944601/About_the_Save_Data_(Official)]

Capcom also responded to claims that the perma-save feature would affect trade-ins and used copies of the game by saying:

"Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D consists of 30 time-based missions, through which the player unlocks skill upgrades as they progress through the game. Anyone purchasing a copy of the game secondhand would have access to all the missions and skills that the original owner unlocked, in addition to the content that was available to the original user." [ibid.]

Nevertheless, this does not mean that trade-in prices of the game have not been affected since the news about the perma-save went public.

HMV has refused to accept trade-ins of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D when the game becomes available in the UK on Friday, over fears that customers will be disappointed with buying a game that already has all the content unlocked.

Meanwhile, in Japan, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D has been dramatically reduced in price in many stores in order to get customers to purchase the game dispite its apparent low resale value.

However, the Electronics Boutique (EB Games) store in Australia has gone one step further and has actually recalled all copies of the game from its stores in protest against the perma-save feature. Speaking to Joystiq.com recently, a representative of the EB Games Facebook Group said:

"We made the tough decision to remove [the game] from sale because we have everybody's best interests in mind, and don't feel its fair that you guys would be paying $60 for what is essentially a one use game."
[Sourced from: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/29/game-retailers-go-back-and-forth-on-resident-evil-mercenaries-3/]

So, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D CAN be played more than once, allbeit with any users' highscore data and previously unlocked bonuses and weapons undeletable, which is fantastic news for those gamers who wanted to purchase the game but were afraid that the game could not be replayed or would offer very little incentive to replay the game.

Nevertheless, the inclusion of the perma-save feature still has some members of the gaming community fuming.

One of the major causes of upset amongst Resident Evil 3DS fans at the moment is that Capcom has essentially removed the right to start the game over from scratch if players wish to, which could be said to deny gamers the feeling of personal ownership over the game.

It also means that any gamer who buys this game second hand will not be able to unlock any content for themselves and will also start the game with the previous owner's highscore in place (until they can beat it), which some gamers argue is very unfair and takes away some of the core enjoyment from the game.

The 'beat your high score' type of game is most definitely reminiscent of the 1980s Arcade games, which is what Capcom claims they are trying to achieve with this game.

Could Capcom's decision to include the perma-save function be seen as a gradualistic move away from the modern campaign mode games, which tend to offer gamers a wider choice within the game and  greater customisation options than Arcade-style games. If so, then what does this mean for the future of videogames as a whole?

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is set to debut in the UK from tomorrow.

HAVE YOUR SAY:

Is the use of a Perma-Save acceptable in videogames?

Would you buy this game?

Do you agree that not being able to unlock content in used copies of the game will make Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D less appealing to gamers in the future?

Please leave us a comment and let us know your thoughts on this subject.

UK Videogame Retailers Respond To Resident Evil Perma-Save Information

Yesterday, Mini Gamers brought you the devastating news that Capcom's new Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D [3DS] game has a "ONE SAVE ONLY"feature, which means essentially that game data cannot ever be reset to its original state once the game has been completed.

The perma-save feature means that any used copies of the game are essentially unplayable as there is no way to reset the game back to its original unplayed state at all.

This means that anyone who purchases the game second-hand is essentially buying a permanently used game, as there is no way to restore the game to its original default settings and start the game over from scratch.

Today UK videogame retailers have begun announcing their plans on whether to accept used copies of the game or not.

According to gaming website VG247, retail giant HMV has now refused to take any used copies of the game in the UK. A representative said that the discision to not accept used copies of the game is to:"avoid any potential customer disappointment for those purchasing a pre-owned version". [sourced from: http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/29/hmv-to-refuse-resident-evil-mercenaries-trade-ins-in-uk/]

It is not all bad news for those UK gamers who still wish to purchase the game though. Both GAME and Gamestation has confirmed to Eurogamer that they do intend to accept and trade-in all used versions of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D and sell the game as 'pre-owned' just as with other games.

In the USA, retail giant GameStop has controversially reversed its decision to not accept trade-ins. The store originally planned to refuse trade-ins of the game but have now said that they would resume trade-ins from today.

According to IGN, a representative of the store explained: "GameStop did ask the U.S. store base to stop accepting trades on Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D as we evaluated the save system for the game...Upon further review of the process with our publisher partner, Capcom, GameStop will resume taking trades on the game effective Wednesday, June 29th."

Meanwhile, in Australia, there has been no such turnaround from the Electronics Boutique (EB) stores, who have called for all stocks of the game to be recalled from their outlets.

The gaming community has so far reacted with shock and anger over Capcom's decision to include a permanent save feature into the game. It is unclear how this decision will effect the overall sales figures of the game, but we can guess that the figures are not going to be that great.

The game is set to debut in the UK on Friday.

HAVE YOUR SAY...

What do you think? Is a game that you can only play once in its full state really worth owning even if trade-ins of the game are not affected? Please leave us a comment and let us know your thoughts.

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D: Bizzare 'One Save Only' Feature Makes Game Pointless

With only a few days to go until the UK release of Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, worrying news has begun to surface on the Internet that the game's 'Save' feature contains a one-save only function - this means that the game's save data cannot be reset at all.

Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D: The game you can only play once in full...

This may not seem like much of a problem until you consider that players may not be able to trade in their copy of the game as the old save data is completely undeletable, and that the game itself can only be played through once and cannot be reset back to its original state, meaning that all unlocked items, highscores, missions and weapons remain completed and cannot be rediscovered or unlocked once the game is completed.

This means that anyone wishing to start the game over from scratch is out of luck. It also means that anyone who purchased a used copy of this game will get diminished gameplay because they will not be able to start the game from its original unplayed state.

The news comes after details of the game's instruction manual became available on several gaming websites such as Tiny Cartridge, amongst others. The screenshot below clearly shows a warning at the bottom of the page, which reads: "Note: Saved data on this software cannot be reset."

The game is undergoing an international release starting this week with Japan and Australia. However, the countries are taking different steps in the wake of the one-save-only news becoming public.

For example, in Japan, gamers are being offered the game at a very low price because of the game's low resale value, whilst (according to Australian Website, Vooks,) EB Games, a popular Australian game retailer, is banning the game from their shelves as they claim that the one-save/perma-save feature will make the game less appealing to gamers in the future.

The game was released yesterday in Australia, but is now embroiled in controversy before it has even hit the shelves, which is likely to affect Capcom's sale figures.

It is very unclear why Capcom would deliberately release a game which can only ever be played through in its entirety once, although some websites are already speculating that this move was intended to slow down second-hand sales of the game.

However, In a recent statement issued to gaming website Giantbomb, Capcom insisted that it did not take the used-game market into account when choosing the one-save feature for the game.

According to Capcom: "Secondhand game sales were not a factor in this development decision, so we hope that all our consumers will be able to enjoy the entirety of the survival-action experiences that the game does offer." [Sourced from: http://www.giantbomb.com/news/capcom-used-games-not-a-factor-in-resident-evil-the-mercenaries-3d-lacking-data-reset/3430/]

It has to be argued however that Capcom might have proverbially shot themselves in the foot with this decision. The used-game market now accounts for a large proportion of all videogame sales, how is a game which can only be played in its original state one time going to survive against a mass of games which are available for second-hand trade?

The news is likely to anger the gaming community and have a negative impact on any future sales of the game.

Let's just hope that other videogame producers don't all decide to follow Capcom's example or else the thriving videogames market that we have today is unlikely to be around for much longer...

So, what do you think, is a game that you can only fully play once and may not be able to trade-in or swap with friends really worth owning? 

Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment in our 'Comments Box' today.

STORY UPDATE: Capcom explains the perma-save/one save only feature: http://worldofminigamers.blogspot.com/2011/06/resident-evil-mercenaries-one-save.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MiniGamers+%28Mini+Gamers%29

Japanese Game Publishers Face Economic Slump In Recent Crisis...

Japanese video game publishers face a big economic slump in the wake of the recent devastation caused by the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Crisis, which has affected the north-eastern (Tohoku) region of Japan.

Sega was by far the worst affected by the crisis so far. According to information from the Tokyo Stock Exchange, on Monday the 14th of March, Sega's stock had dropped by a massive 13.5 percent by the end of the day.

Sony and Nintendo also saw big stock losses too. Sony had a loss of 9.1 percent, whilst Nintendo suffered losses of 7.6 percent. Square Enix and Namco Bandai were amongst the least affected video games publishers with losses between 6.4 and 6.2 percent respectively.

Several video game  Japanese release dates have had to be rescheduled due to the economic downturn, including Sony's Motorstorm Apocalypse  and Sega's Disaster Report 4, which has now reportedly been cancelled altogether. Meanwhile, the upcoming European 3DS release has not been affected by the crisis and will go ahead next Friday as planned.

Dispite the economic slump, many video games companies have reportedly chosen to donate money to the victims of the Tsunami Crisis, including Sony, Namco Bandai  and Capcom, who each donated between 100 million and 300 million yen to relief efforts. Sony also donated over 3000 radios.

Meanwhile, The Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami crisis continues to deepen. Many people have been left homeless since the disaster, and although exact figures are unknown at present, casualties are expected to run into tens of thousands over the next few weeks.

Mini Gamers extends its sincere condolences to the victims of this terrible tragedy. For more information on how to give donations, please visit the official Red Cross Japanese Tsunami Appeal website by clicking HERE now.











SOURCES:

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2011-03-14-japanese-stocks-hit-in-market-slump

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Sendai_earthquake_and_tsunami#Casualties

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_of_the_2011_Sendai_earthquake_and_tsunami_on_the_video_game_industry

3DS UK Release Date Now Official!!!

"This isn't the launch of a new gaming device - This is the launch of a new Entertaiment era..." [Sotoru Shibata]

The UK release date for Nintendo's 3DS console has been officially set for the 25th March 2011.

 Speaking at the 3DS preview event in Amsterdam this afternoon, Nintendo's Managing Director of Marketing and PR, Laurent Fischer, spoke about the 3DS console which will be released in two colours - Aqua Blue or Cosmos Black (nothing was shown or mentioned about the Red 3DS console originally shown at E3 2010).

Fischer went on to describe the 3DS' new wireless communication features SpotPass and StreetPass.

SpotPass will allow users to download fresh content for their console such as news from Eurosport, TV items from SKY 3D and even short films like Aardman Productions' Shaun the Sheep, which will all be presented in stunning autostereoscopic 3D without the need for 3D glasses.

Meanwhile, Streetpass will download game data, statistics and content from other 3DS users even if the console is in Sleep Mode. This feature has already been Incorporated into games like Super Street Fighter IV.

Capcom's producer of the Street Fighter series, Yoshinori Ono discussed how StreetPass will allow users to engage in battles with other 3DS users everywhere. He said: "Street Fighter battles have always been head-to-head but now battles can take place anytime, anywhere, with anyone, immediately..." 

Ono said that Super Street Fighter IV will have a line-up of 35 fighters (including classic characters,) and it will also feature a Channel Live mode, which will allow 3DS users to watch battles between other 3DS users.

Other developers that were featured at the Amsterdam event included Ubisoft, who said that they would have up to eight launch titles for the 3DS including Assassin’s Creed: Lost Legacy, Rayman 3D, Ghost Recon: Shadow Cell, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Battle of Giants and Driver Renagade.

Konami announced that they have developed Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 for the 3DS. PES' Producer Naoya Hatsumi spoke about how the 3D capabilities of the 3DS has allowed them to improve realism and express depth. Hatsumi said that a new camera angle called Player's View means that the camera is centred just behind the player and helps to immerse gamers in all the footballing action.

Team Ninja announced that they would be releasing a version of their popular Dead or Alive series for the 3DS. The Head of Productions, Yosuke Hayoshi said that:  "Dead or Alive: Dimensions [3DS] will be a kind of 'Best Of ' collection of highlights from the previous four Dead or Alive games" but he went on to say that it would feature some new content as well. He said that the new game would be: "A whole new dimension in 3D fighting games..."

Nintendo Europe's CEO and President, Satoru Shibata, spoke about the long-awaited PilotWings Resort and Nintendogs + Cats as well as the range of Pre-loaded Software that would be included in the console.

 The software will feature a Daily Activity Log which turns the 3DS into a useful pedometer, whilst the new 3D Motion Camera and Mii Studio will allow players to take a 3D photos of themselves and convert it into a recognisable Mii avatar for use in some games.

A new StreetPass game called Face Raiders will also be included in the console free of charge. The game will post pictures of players' Miis into a shooting gallery! The 3DS will also feature Augmented Reality software, which has recently been used in the PSP game, EyePet.

Furthermore, the 3DS will come with its own Internet Browser and E-shop which will allow players to access and download new Nintendo software more easily.

Shibata also gave details of the kinds of existing DS games that we could expect to see being developed for the 3DS over the coming months, including Animal Crossing, The Sims 3, Steel Diver, Paper Mario and many more...

Shibata claimed that there would be a "Launch window between 25th March and 30th of June 2011 where more than 25 games would become available to 3DS users..."

The preview event helped to answer several burning questions that fans had about the new 3DS and its capabilities. However, the end of March still seems a long way off. Nevertheless, the various games and features that have been developed so far have definitely piqued Mini Gamers interest.

Keep checking back with the Mini Gamers blogsite over the next few months for all the latest news concerning this revolutionary new console.