Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment, an Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network game, is a great example of a tactical RPG, or may be described more accurately as a platform turn based strategy RPG. This game reminds me a lot of Final Fantasy Tactics how you can move your characters from one box to another. You are to use these characters you are given against a pre-determined amount of “baddies” on that particular level. In the training exercises that they have you do at the beginning of the game, you are Tobias, a young boy, who is, you guessed it, just learning about the ways of the sword, the bow, and magic. This does not mean that you are restricted to controlling only one character, you control everyone on the battle field unless there is a special character that assists you in that specific battle.

The game play aspect started out a little clunky and slow but once the game got going it really felt like you could get sucked in and keep playing this game for hours at a time. You are able to use different types of physical attacks such as a regular sword slashing attack and a long range attack that you can switch to, like a bow or another long range weapon and target your enemies from afar. There are also magic attacks like a regular damage attack used to hurt enemies directly, hexes that can slow down or hurt enemies over time like a snare or poison; your magic can also be used to help your characters like the heal spell that gives an ally of your choosing his/her health back, or cure that can take off poisons or snares. Even the technical aspect of this game is exceptional; for example, some regular attacks that you do can actually hurt allies standing next to you if you swing a huge weapon around. The same thing goes with magic, if a magic spell that you use has an area of effect damage to it, you will hurt any allies in the area. So be careful when you choose to unleash a huge magic spell around your allies, because your enemies may die but your allies probably will as well.

The graphics in this game were decent as far as the reactions to attacks and the magic spells that are cast for an arcade game. But as far as the surroundings you can tell that there wasn’t that much put into it and that they were more focused on the game play aspect instead of how the game looked. There were no problems with any of the sounds while attacks were being made, but the surrounding ambiance sounds were very plain.

This game is rated teen for blood, fantasy violence, and mild language. When playing the game, the blood was squirts of red bubbles coming up from a character or enemy that had been attacked, and a prolonged squirt when that character or enemy dies. As far as fantasy violence goes, the above fight sequences is as much violence that you are going to get from this game. If there is any language it is unnoticeable and not overly vulgar.

This relatively new XBLA/PSN game is developed by Hijinx Studios LLC (previously known as PhoenixSoft) and published by Konami Digital Entertainment Inc.

The Battlefield: Bad Company 2 console demo and PC beta will feature Port Valdez, a new vehicle focused map where up to 24 players (32 on PC) will compete against each other as either the US or Russian armies in the game’s Rush multiplayer mode. Players will have access to five land and three air vehicles where the Russian side can use everything in their arsenal including Main Battle Tanks as well as the fast-moving Quad Bikes and Mobile Armored AA. The fight will also be packed with plenty of infantry combat fought alongside the waterline towards a great oil industrial landscape in the Alaskan mountains.
Have you played the demo?  What did you think about it?  Leave a comment.

It’s not much, but it’s something to tide you crazy MM fans over until the game’s release. When is that, you ask? March 2010, my friends.

When Nintendo Power announced the upcoming Mega Man 10 for WiiWare, they neglected to mention that the retro 8-bit sequel will also grace Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Makes sense, given that it is a Nintendo publication.

Anyhoo, I just thought you XBL and PSN folks would like to know. If you’re hankering for more punishing old-school gameplay that makes Demon’s Souls look like a Disney game, but you don’t have a Wii, Capcom still has you covered. Capcom has plenty of Sheep Man to go around.

Sony’s new Comic Store addition to the PlayStation Store begins today. Fitting start date, given that Wednesday is the official new comics day in the U.S. The service goes live in the States at noon PST—that’s 3 PM for all the East Coast kids. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Ireland can get their comic bookin’ on starting at 5 PM GMT.

Marvel, IDW, 2000AD, and Disney will all have comics online and ready for download to your PSP or PSPgo. Strangely absent is DC Comics, who is working on a MMO with Sony as I type this. You can get your Spider-Man and Hulk fix, kids, but forget about Batman for the time being.

For future updates, be sure to keep track of the PlayStation Comic Store via Twitter. If any significant changes are made in the future—such as the addition of DC Comics—we’ll let you know.

Sony overlord Kaz Harai announced to attendees of a Sony press conference on Thursday that the company the PlayStation Network will become a two-tier service next year, adding a premium tier on top of what players already use on their PlayStation 3 consoles.

The new premium service won’t supersede the current format. Players will still be able to play multiplayer games with friends and family free of charge. The new premium subscription will simply add services. Harai did not elaborate on what kind of services a subscriber can expect.

This news might intrigue gamers that do not own a 360 and/or have a Xbox Live Gold subscription, but it doesn’t do much for me. I (and many of our readers) do the majority of my multiplayer gaming on XBL, so paying for additional services on top of something that works fine in its free state seems silly. Perhaps you folks disagree. If so, let us know.

Sony’s upcoming 3.10 firmware update for the PlayStation 3 will add Facebook integration. Also included in the update: improved photo browsing via a new photo browser, and a cleaner friends list.

Update 3.00 drove some PS3 fans nuts due to the changes to the friend’s list. Sony seems to be addressing these complaints with a revised friend’s list that is similar to the current style but a bit more streamlined. Also, PSN users will be able to add a color that represents their personality.

Doesn’t sound like much, does it? Sony made no mention of the rumored cross-game chat option being included in the upcoming update. Maybe they’re holding out on purpose, trying to keep one secret close for a change? We’ll see.

PS3-only folks, tell us: do you really care enough about Facebook to rejoice at its inclusion in 3.10? Let us know!

Gearbox Software, developers of the shoot-and-loot “RPS” (that’s “role-playing shooter” for you slow folks) Borderlands, claims the game is flying off of store shelves so fast it’s nowhere to be found in many retail markets, but especially on the East Coast. GameSpot counters this claim, stating  that there are no shortage issues on the West Coast, as calls to area stores met with claims that Borderlands is still very much in stock—particularly the PlayStation 3 version.

Speaking of the PS3 version: co-op is apparently a bit jacked at the moment. Apparently, PS3 owners who bought Borderlands are unable to see who else is playing said game on their friend’s list due to a bug, making co-op sessions all but impossible to achieve. Gearbox promises a patch is coming soon to address this issue.

Did any of you pick up the PS3 version of Borderlands? If so, has the friend’s list issue affected your ability to get into a co-op session with your buddies? Gearbox claims the bug never surfaced during testing sessions, but I find that a little hard to believe given how widespread the issue is. I bought the Xbox 360 version, which thankfully doesn’t have this bug, so I can’t comment on how it affects players. PS3 owners, let us know about your experiences.

Time for another HCG Spotlight. Here we try to shine a light on games that may have slipped by your notice, or perhaps you are new to a certain platform and want to know what some of the goodies are that you need to catch up on.

So it’s been a little delayed, but here is the second part of PSN games you may want to check out when you’re not watching Blu-Ray discs and blasting Helghast into oblivion. Check out part one here.

Echochrome

Echochrome is a three dimensional puzzle game that requires you to move from point A to point B in order to progress through each level. The gimmick, if you want to call it that, is that each level resembles an M.C. Escher drawing where your perspective determines where you can move at any time. If a gap is blocking your passage, rotate the level so that the gap can’t be seen, and you can now continue on your merry way. If one platform appears to be above another, rotate the level so that they appear level, and you can move across with ease. It may take a while to wrap your brain around, but it’s impressive to see the level designs.

Echochrome also includes a level editor so that you can create your own puzzles, and the game seamlessly integrates user created levels into the game if you so wish. There are literally thousands of levels out there in addition to the ones included with the game, so it’s possible that you’ll be entertained for quite a while by this title.

Overall the game is a bit of an acquired taste. The spartan graphics and music make for what can only be described as a “dry” experience, much like reading a history book. Plenty of people like reading history though, so this game may be for you.

Super Stardust HD

Super Stardust HD is a twin stick shooter similar to Geometry Wars in that you fly a little ship with the left stick and fire in any direction with the right stick. The game takes place on various planets, and asteroids and enemy ships careen from the sky to ruin your day. Various powerups found in the falling asteroids and enemy ships increase the power of your weapons, boost your score, and give you new weapon types.

Graphically, the game is as colorful and bright at Geometry Wars, and the game looks great on a high definition screen. If, like me, you’re not the world’s best Geometry Wars player, you’ll probably have trouble with this game as well, but it’s still fun. I am incapable of getting past the first planet, but I still enjoy the spectacle of exploding rocks. It does feature local co-op for two players as well.

Flower

Perhaps one of the best games on the PlayStation Network, Flower is one of the most beautiful and relaxing game in the entire library of PS3 games. Using nothing but one button and the Sixaxis motion controls, players must use the wind to guide a flower petal through beautiful fields and canyons, awakening other flowers and eventually creating a vast cloud of flower petals floating through the air.

The game features probably the only truly great implementation of motion controls on the PS3, and after a minute or two of adjusting to them, I pretty much forgot about  holding the controller while playing. The game is great for putting on for a few minutes after work and just flying around. Pulling high into the air and then dive bombing into the grass is a genuinely exhilarating feeling. A sparse and open ended narrative weaves through each of the six levels, becoming progressively darker before a final explosion of color and light at the end. There are secrets to find and trophies to unlock, which increase the play time as well. A truly beautiful game to behold, I’d almost argue that it alone is worth buying a PS3 for.