Capcom’s Action-RPG seems to be going a bit under the radar–so much so that the publisher feels like this demo tie-in to a much bigger game is necessary–but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be paying attention to it.

As the trailer above communicates, the game’s terribly Japanese narrative sensibilities might not be its strong suit, but previous trailers have shown fluid, visceral combat unparalleled by the genre heavyweights. Dragon’s Dogma is also doing some pretty interesting stuff with NPC companions. This is a game that any RPG fan should be looking into.

Obviously, Capcom feels the same way. That’s why they’re packing in a Resident Evil 6 demo for those who purchase this lesser known, original IP. Xbox users will receive access to the demo starting July 3rd, while PlayStation owners will have to hold out a full two months until September 5th. There are no details yet on what exactly the demo will include or if it will eventually become available to the general, non-dragon-slaying public. What we do know is that Dragon’s Dogma owners will be able to download a zombie-dragon mount for use in RE6. Okay, so maybe that’s not true, but it sure sounds like a more effective marketing tool than plain old demos, no?

Dragon’s Dogma out in May, includes access to Resident Evil 6 demo

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There are a lot of numbers in that headline. But that’s not what I’m reporting on! No, instead, I’m glad to inform you that one of the PC’s best games of 2011 will finally be making its way to the 360 on April 17th, 2012. And it’s not just a simple port.

The Xbox 360 version of CD Projekt Red’s award-winning RPG is going to feature all of the DLC that’s been released for the PC version up to this point, amounting to roughly four hours of playable content and 30 minutes of cut-scenes. You’ll visit new locations, meet new characters, and hear new dialogue with this content.

Additionally, the 360 version features “a cleaner, more navigable inventory system, a new targeting system and an adrenaline meter that allows players to stylishly insta-kill multiple enemies at the tap of a button.” All of this fine-tuning for the console more than makes up for the graphical hit Assassins of Kings will take in my opinion. The developer has said that the 360 version’s graphics will be comparable to the PC version on medium settings.

But it doesn’t end there. CD Projekt Red level artist Marek Ziemak says that “We’re not going to stop our support of the game after launch. We’re launching the Xbox 360 version, but we’ll continue to work on both titles parallel, creating some extra stuff and trying to give some extra stuff to players. We never fire and forget; it’s against our philosophy.” So it sounds like both PC and 360 users can expect even more DLC in the future. No complaints here. I’ll just be quietly counting down to release day now…

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Now with panda support!

Lots of people like to refer to Microsoft’s next console as the Xbox 720. Me? Not so much. I’ve always been partial to “NeXtBox.” It just rolls off the tongue so nicely. But let’s put semantics aside and discuss the deluge of rumors that have been spewing out from all corners of the internet about what, exactly, the NeXtBox will contain.

First up we have some news on just how powerful the NeXtBox will be. According to IGN, “sources close to the project” say that it will have six times the processing power of the Xbox 360. The system’s GPU will be based off of the Radeon HD 6670 which supports fancy things like DirectX 11, multidisplay output, 3D and 1080p HD output. In addition to this graphical information, IGN has tossed out a release date of “late October or early November” of 2013.

Now here come the really crazy details. Kotaku cites “sources” (man, I really need to get me some of them) that say the next Xbox will contain a Blu-Ray drive. Not crazy, you say? Well, here’s the crazy: a “reliable industry source” tells Kotaku that the Xbox 720 will contain some sort of system to prevent the console from playing used games.

Now, let’s just step back for a second and analyze this situation. Who, exactly, would this system benefit? Certainly not consumers. Definitely not Microsoft. And not even publishers.

Consumers would lose a way to play the games they love cheaply; and both Microsoft and publishers would lose out on the very large portion of gamers who buy used games. This might work out in the publishers favor if they were able to get this anti-used games system implemented on all consoles. Then gamers would have no choice but to buy their games new. But they’d also hate the publishers who forced them to do it. So, really, this benefits nobody and is a terribly crazy idea. If this does come true, I could definitely see Sony dedicating a large part of their marketing budget for the Playstation 4 to showing how their system can play used games.

And, of course, the source cited “wasn’t sure how Microsoft intended to implement any anti-used game system in the new machine.”

Want some  more crazy? “I’m also hearing that Microsoft is interested in making a smaller controller for its new console.” What? Just… what? Why? The Xbox 360 controller is nearly perfect. There’s no need to change it. And there’s certainly no need for it to be smaller.

Anyway, here’s something we’ve all been assuming for a while that actually isn’t crazy: the next iteration of the Xbox will have the Kinect sensor built right into it. This would be a new Kinect sensor that features an on board processor that “would enable a new Kinect to more effectively detect users’ motions.”

My takeaway on all of this? We’ll see a new Xbox in Fall 2013 that has Kinect built-in.

The Xbox rumor train doesn’t stop there, folks. InsideMobileApps cites a “source” that says Microsoft will stop using its arbitrary Microsoft Points system and convert all transactions to cold, hard cash. This would affect Windows Phone, and the Zune Marketplace as well as Xbox Live. Any remaining balance at the time of the switch would be converted to your local currency. I’m all for the eradication of all space buck-like currencies, so here’s hoping this one comes true.

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Remember when Cody and I told you to go play Beyond Good and Evil HD and Outland? Well, if for some reason you were able to resist our compelling arguments and charming personalities, you now have a second chance.

Gamerzines reports that a listing on Play.com outs an Ubisoft “Triple Pack” that combines BG&E HD, Outland, and From Dust in a retail package for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Play.com has a pre-order price of £14.99, which equates to roughly $23. There’s been no official confirmation from Ubisoft, but if that price point is correct, this could be one of the snazziest deals around.

On the HD collection front, Naughty Dog has announced that the collection of the first three games in their pre-Nathan Drake series, Jak and Daxter, will be arriving on February 7th in North America and February 22nd in Europe. Three of last generation’s finest Action-Platformers rendered in 720p and featuring stereoscopic 3D can be had for the very reasonable price of $39.99, or £39.99 if you live in the more civilized regions of the world.

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Sounds like BioWare is focused on an ever-improving experience. I’m sure the game’s many, many fans will appreciate it.

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And it appears to be running with the action-oriented direction established by RE5. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing (even if I am craving a true Survival-Horror experience)–the action seems much more fluid than its predecessor. Melee looks like it’s going to play a much bigger and more bad ass role this time around and the cover system looks like it’s been improved. There also appears to be some sick-nasty shooting while sliding backward on the floor action, and zombies can reach their tentacles over cover to tear you out. Really, it looks much closer to Gears of War than traditional Resident Evil gameplay.

In that same vein, it looks like we’ll be playing as multiple protagonists as well. At today’s Resident Evil Anniversary Premier Party event, Capcom said that Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield, and a third mystery man “who’s told to save the world” (the mercenary in the trailer) will all be playable.

Leon’s story will take place in America with the help of Helena Harper, a member of the freshly zombified President’s security detail. Chris’ story starts in China with an unknown partner and progresses simultaneously with Leon’s. If I had to guess, I’d say that they’ll meet up at some point, possibly in a confrontation over Leon’s new partner, who claims she’s responsible for the outbreak.

Lastly, the big bad that chases after the mercenary in the trailer goes by the name of Javo and is said to have an “even greater impact than the zombies.” Presumably then, he is not a zombie in the traditional sense. Oh, and yes, the zombies seen in this video are in fact true zombies, not the Uroboros infected of the series’ past two entries.

All and all, I have to say that RE6 looks pretty exciting. I don’t really know if it can be classified as Horror anymore, in any sense of the word, but it looks fun. I’m sure we’ll see plenty more in the months to come, as bio-hazard is set to kick off this November 20th.

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Alas, we won’t get to spend anytime with Hawaiian-shirt Max for a couple of months longer than expected, but if the delay helps the game to play as awesome as it looks in that video, then I’m totally alright with it. I mean, everything I know about Rockstar tells me that they’ll find a way to screw the gameplay up, but that trailer just looks so slick, especially the environmental stuff.

Max Payne 3 delayed until May, Take-Two to report a net loss for the year [Joystiq]

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For those who are in the mood for a more domineering kind of relationship on Valentine’s Day. Well, at least if you download the Xbox 360 version and have Kinect. As you can see in the video above, most of the commands seem awkward, inefficient, and sort of silly. However, I will admit that the fluidity with which multiple orders can be issued in real time, in the heat of combat is impressive. I imagine that on the hardest difficulty setting, that sort of seamless tactical control could make for some really satisfying encounters.

But if you don’t have the pleasure of that $150 mic known as Kinect, then you’ll just have to settle for the the regular old demo, also available on the PS3 and PC. According to GameSpot, it will drop “gamers into the title’s opening sequence, allowing players to slog through the initial Reaper attack on Earth. Additionally, the game’s demo will give players a taste of the franchise’s new co-op multiplayer mode.”

That co-op portion unlocks on the 14th if you happen to have a Battlefield 3 online pass (that’s EA for you), but you’ll have to wait just a few days longer til the 17th if you’re lacking in that department.

Mass Effect 3 releases on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on March, 6th.

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Think of it as an internship for the friendly corporation you’ll be working for come February 21st. I don’t think they’ll blast that exciting music that the kids seem to like so much over all of your simplistic and shallow “mergers and acquisitions,” so maybe you’ll be able to get an objective feel for the game. Then again, the marketing department might realize that straight FPSs aren’t the most engaging games these days, so don’t be alarmed if some dubstep makes a surprise appearance. We’ll know the corporate culture for sure sometime toward “the end of January,” but only for “a limited time.”

Gather your cabal for Syndicate’s co-op demo, coming this month [Joystiq]

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This has something to do with video games, I swear!

Here’s how it is: game developers and publishers make games, and most of the time they like to release them too. That’s what this post is about if you couldn’t tell from the header image.

For instance, Konami likes to make Silent Hill games, and apparently they also like to release them all at the same time. As previously reported, the high definition remake of the second and third games in the series will be scaring you all over again on March 6th. If you’re more of a convicted felon type of person, then you’ll be interested in knowing that Silent Hill: Downpour protagonist, Murphy Pendelton will be coming to your PS3 or Xbox 360 on March 13th. But if you’re more of the literary persuasion, then the March 27th release of PS Vita exclusive Silent Hill: Book of Memories might be more up your alley. That features scary books and cooperative multiplayer, which will hopefully lead to a cooperative reading mini-game.

Like killing and racing more than running from evil nurses? Well then I’ve got some good news for you. If an errant tweet about a private meeting held by EA is to be believed, then we can all look forward to new Medal of Honor and Need for Speed games in this year of our lord two thousand and twelve.

But maybe you’re the kind of person that prefers some strategy mixed in with their shooting. Well then have I got some bad news for you. 2K Marin’s radical reboot of the XCOM series has been delayed to 2013. That’s quite a long time from now. Apparently 2K would rather relaunch the series with the Firaxis developed strategy title XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

Well folks, that’s how it is, and there’s not much we can do about it besides wait. Good luck and godspeed.

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