DmC Devil May Cry will be released for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 on January 2013 along with a PC version of the game somewhere later in the same year. This new installment in this popular gaming franchise is developed by Cambridge-based developer Ninja Theory, working in collaboration with Capcom.

This game will detail protagonist Dante’s early years set against a familiar contemporary backdrop and at the same time, introducing a new character to the series, Kat. Here’s a bit of her background:

Kat is a former runaway that joined The Order very early in her life. She is a medium and a gifted psychic who can see into Limbo, the demon realm, but not directly interact with it in the way that Dante does. She is the right hand girl to the Leader of The Order and devotes her life to him, often putting herself in grave danger to gather intelligence from Limbo.

There is a sweet innocence about Kat’s world view and logic, but when it comes to her specialist subject, the demon realm, she is an undoubted expert. Kat is The Order’s ‘eyes and ears’ and is tasked with guiding Dante on his mission through Limbo.

While retaining the stylish action, fluid combat and self-assured protagonist that have defined the iconic series, DmC Devil May Cry injects a more brutal and visceral edge to the franchise.

DmC Devil May Cry will be fully localized with voice talent in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian and in addition, Polish, Dutch, Russian, and Brazilian Portuguese languages will be supported with localized text. DmC Devil May Cry will be one of Capcom’s featured titles at its E3 booth (#1047 South Hall)

The previously announced playable demo of Capcom’s forthcoming open world action–RPG, Dragon’s Dogma, will be available to download globally via Xbox LIVE Marketplace and the North American PlayStation Store from Tuesday, April 24 and on the European PlayStation Store the following day, Wednesday April 25.

With your party of three Pawns, the demo allows you to experience the different styles of two of the game’s character classes in two challenging encounters. A melee specialist skilled in both attacks and counterattacks, as the Fighter you will make your way through underground tunnels and chambers before taking on the deadly Chimerain a Prologue quest, set before the events of the main game.

Swift and nimble, the Strider’s weapons of choice are bow and daggers, use them well if you are to defeat the mighty Griffin in the open plains surrounding the capital of Gransys.

You can let your imagination run wild and design both your playable character and main Pawn using the game’s incredibly in-depth character creation tools before you take on the Griffin; purchasers of Dragon’s Dogma will then be able to export both these characters into the full game on its release.

Dragon’s Dogma is scheduled for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in North America on May 22 and across Europe on May 25.

Capcom has revealed new details of its upcoming titles revealed in last week’s Captivate event in Rome. Lost Planet 3, which is in full development and scheduled for release in early 2013 will place players in the role of Jim, a utility rig pilot who has left Earth to take on a hazardous but lucrative contract on E.D.N. III. Delivering a diverse range of gameplay, including third-person on-foot battles and intense first-person utility rig action, players will need to brave the uncharted terrain, hostile climate and threat of indigenous Akrid creatures.

Captivate represented the first opportunity for media to see the highly anticipated Resident Evil 6 in action, with the game’s development team showcasing one of Leon S. Kennedy’s missions. Full of tension, the action has Leon and partner Helena Harper searching for an escape route from the Ivy University campus, the site of the most recent bioterrorist outbreak and the zombies that now stalk its hallways and grounds.

Announced and showcased during Captivate was the Cross-Platform Play for the PS Vita system version of Street Fighter X Tekken which allows owners of the PS Vita system version to compete against owners of the PS3™ version anywhere in the world, via Wi-Fi or 3G. Other features confirmed for the PS Vita system version of Street Fighter X Tekken were the introduction of touch controls, local and Wi-Fi multiplayer plus Near functionality alongside all the content from the home console version.

For the first time since its announcement, Captivate attendees were able to play DmC Devil May Cry® and experience the fast-paced, stylish combat that is the signature of the series. In addition, the game’s development team, including members from Capcom Japan and Ninja Theory, presented a brand new level of the game. In this area, set at a carnival near the pier where he lives, Dante faces off with a Hunter Demon that has tracked down the Son of Sparda.

Steel Battalion™ Heavy Armor,acollaboration between Capcom and From Software and an Xbox 360 exclusive,introduced a brand new online four player Cooperative Multiplayer Mode available on the Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network when the title releases on June 19 in North America and from June 22 across Europe. Attending media were invited to work together, using the innovative mix of Kinect™ for Xbox 360 and regular controller play, and defeat the enemy’s Vertical Tanks.

Attendees were also able to experience new content for the forthcoming open world action-RPG title, Dragon’s Dogma™ and a debut hands on with the recently announced PlayStation®Move enabled Resident Evil®: Chronicles HD Collection.

Interesting question…how do you actually come up with a soundtrack to a zombie apocalypse? In scoring the upcoming game Lollipop Chainsaw, artist Jimmy Urine (of Mindless Self Indulgence) and Grasshopper Manufacture Sound Director Akira Yamaoka had to address these types of questions.

When Juliet rips through a decaying zombie torso with her trusty chainsaw, would Sleigh Bells fit better than Sinatra? Or should it be an original composition? In this behind the scenes video, Jimmy and Akira discuss the various influences that go into scoring a game with such a strong visual and creative style and the aesthetic basis from which the soundtrack was compiled.

On top of the original music composed by Jimmy and Akira, there is a plethora of music licensed for the game as well. The full tracklist:

• Lollipop – The Chordettes
• Pac Man Fever – Buckner & Garcia
• Rock ‘N’ Roll (Will Take You To The Mountain) – Skrillex
• The Way of the Fist – Five Finger Death Punch
• Stop Reading, Start Doing Pushups – Destroy Rebuild Until God Comes
• Riot Rhythm – Sleigh Bells
• Turtle Crazy – Toy Dolls
• 1,000 Cigarettes – MSTRKRFT
• Heroes Of Our Time – Dragonforce
• Nemesis – Arch Enemy
• Needled 24/7 – Children of Bodom
• Mickey – Toni Basil
• You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) – Dead or Alive
• Empire State Human – The Human League
• Cherry Bomb – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
• Speed – Atari Teenage Riot

Available on June 15th in the UK, Lollipop Chainsaw is the ‘un-deadly’ story of sweet and killer zombie-hunter Juliet Starling and her quest to uncover the root of a colossal zombie outbreak. With her wickedly awesome chainsaw in hand, Juliet slices, dices and splits her way through hordes of the undead, but soon realizes the horde is only the opening act to a festival of zombie rock lords determined to kill the chainsaw-wielding cheerleader. The game will be available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Sometimes, some folks have nothing better to do then to carve two fictional video game characters into a mountain. I don’t know what do you guys think about this publicity stunt by Namco Bandai commemorating the launch of Soulcalibur V, but read on and sound off in the comments section.

To celebrate the release of the game for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Katana-wielding  Mitsurugi and sword-fighting Pyrrha have been engraved in granite on a mountain in Tanum, Sweden, where they will remain until the end of time. The game makers describe Soulcalibur V as tougher than anything that has gone before it – and have cut the two characters into the Earth to prove it.

“Everyone knows the Soulcalibur characters are among the hardest fighters in gaming – so we’ve decided to immortalise them in granite for thousands of years” says Lee Kirton, marketing director, Namco Bandai. “These characters have only ever existed digitally, so it’s brilliant to record them permanently in a format which remain visible until the end of time.”

Master Stone Engraver Göran Andersson from nearby Hunnebostrand performed the engraving. He is the last remaining stone engraver on the Swedish west coast who performs engravings out in nature and has done engravings for notabilities such as movie star Ingrid Berman and the kings of Norway and Sweden.

“This is the by far most complex and detailed engraving I have ever performed”, Göran Andersson. “But it was very fun to do.” Namco Bandai enlisted the help of SavedInStone, who have engraved the characters on their mountain close to a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with Bronze Age stone carvings.

Soulcalibur V is available for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 from tomorrow.

You read the title right, the following are video game bargains that are not to be missed this week, and this includes titles for the Nintendo Wii, DS, Sony PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. Click on the titles to find out more about each title:

Nintendo Wii

• Metroid: Other M (NTSC U/C) ~ USD 19.90
• Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars (NTSC U/C) ~ USD 26.90

Nintendo DS

• Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective ~ USD 28.69
• Chrono Trigger DS ~ USD 21.90

Xbox 360

• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (NTSC U/C) ~ USD 29.90
• Bayonetta (NTSC U/C) ~ USD 22.90

Sony PS3

• Mass Effect 2 ~ USD 24.90
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Classic Trilogy HD ~ USD 29.90

Looking to purchase Christmas presents for a gamer? Well, aside from our 2011 Christmas Gift Guide (here), the folks over at UTV Ignition Games have announced their holiday sale prices for two of their greatest hits this year, namely El Shaddai and Quarrel.

Currently in the running for Game Informer’s ‘Best Action Game of 2011,’ and nominated for G4 TV’s ‘Best Art Direction of 2011′ awards, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is one of the most critically-acclaimed titles of the year and is now available for just $29.99 (orig. $49.99).  Curiously it’s now available for USD 19.99 on Amazon, check it out here.

Deemed “ingenious” by IGN and “brilliant” by GamesRadar, Quarrel has been one of the highest-rated iPhone/iPad games of the year, and is now available on the Apple App Store for just $2.99 (orig. $4.99). In this Scrabble-meets-Risk word game, players must create the highest-scoring word possible from an eight-letter anagram in order to conquer their opponents land. Check it out over here.

Christmas has always been known as a time for giving and we would like to kickstart this year’s Nine Over Ten 9/10 Christmas 2011 Gift Guide with a question: why not gift a gift and do your bid for charity as well? The Humble Indie Bundle 4 is the perfect avenue for this. Not only can you purchase this bundle which consists of amazing indie games such as Gratuitous Space Battles, Super Meat Boy, Bit.Trip Runner and many more, as a gift, part of the purchase goes to American Red Cross and Child’s Play Charity. Check it out over here.

If you are feeling a little more generous, you can always head over to the nearest NGO or Charity out there and donate. Here are some organizations that are closer to home in my case:

• National Cancer Council of Malaysia: http://www.makna.org.my/
• National Council for the Blind: http://www.ncbm.org.my/
• National Kidney Foundation: http://www.nkf.org.my/

OK, with that charity bit out of the way here’s our annual gift guide for Christmas 2011, this time it has something for everyone, I think, ranging for the bookworms to tech heads (I’m actually adapting my Amazon wish list for this year’s Christmas guide):

Books

1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (Hardcover)
2. Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape: The Remarkable Life of Jacques Anquetil, the First Five-Times Winner of the Tour de France by Paul Howard (Paperback)

Electronic Devices and Gadgets

1. Apple iPad 2
2. Kindle Fire
3. Arduino UNO Board
4. Grado iGi In-Ear Headphones

Video Games

1. Nintendo 3DS
2. Batman Arkham City Collectors Edition
3. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Collectors Edition

Movies

1. Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) [Blu-ray]
2. Harry Potter: The Complete 8 Film Collection [Blu-ray]

Music

1. Torches (Music CD) by Foster the People
2. Pickin’ Up The Pieces (Music CD) by Fitz & the Tantrums.

If you need more gift ideas, check out our super popular guide articles:

• Ultimate Guide to Getting the PlayStation Vita (click here)
• Ultimate Guide to Nintendo 3DS Accessories (click here)
• Ultimate Guide to Nintendo DSi LL/XL Accessories (click here)
• Ultimate Guide to Sony PSP Go Accessories (click here)
• Nintendo DSi Accessories Guide (click here)

I’ve been involved in building customer relationship management software for the timeshare (the holiday kind of timeshare, not the computing kind) industry, and one of the key components for any client would be a loyalty program. So imagine my surprise when I found a press release in my inbox concerning GAMINSIDE.

Founded by Thomas Aigner and Leonhard Brunnhofer, GAMINSIDE has developed a now available white label system which allows flexible custom solutions for loyalty programs in online games. One of the first games providers set to use GAMINSIDE’s new system is Berlin-based publisher Frogster. All I can about that is “Why didn’t anyone think about that in the first place?”

The modular system is tailored to meet publisher needs and offers everything from purely technical solutions such as cross-game CRM, ‘Loyalty Wallet’ or stores to services such as sourcing of specials for customers or the production of loyalty cards and branded credit cards. GAMINSIDE offers their customers turnkey solutions, taking over the complete process chain from strategic consulting through design, balancing and management to implementation of special needs.

“Loyalty and status programs are extremely popular in the travel and traditional retail sectors. But very few games providers have given the subject any serious professional consideration until now,” explains GAMINSIDE CEO Thomas Aigner. “With acquisition costs for publishers on the increase, however, it is becoming more and more important to keep existing users happy beyond the pure game content, as well. Here a well-planned concept can not only provide a significant competitive advantage, but also generate more profit through targeted customer activation and increased customer loyalty.”

Berlin-based publisher Frogster, operators of amongst others the online role-playing game ‘Runes of Magic’, is one of the first games providers to integrate the new GAMINSIDE system into their offer.

“The acquisition of new customers is just one of the building blocks to success in the highly competitive Online Games market for MMO providers such as Frogster. With scopes of several million players, retention policies are also very important,” says Frogster Online Gaming GmbH Chief Marketing Officer Daniel Ullrich. “In this context, GAMINSIDE’s outstanding loyalty and customer retention program represents a new white-label solution able to make a sustainable positive impact on key performance indicators.”

EU region gamers who have been waiting patiently for Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls to be available on the European PlayStation Network need not wait any longer. With  30 years of history, Wizardry is one of gaming’s oldest franchises. The latest in the series, Labyrinth of Lost Souls was earlier released for the Japan and North American PlayStation Network, and as of today, it becomes available for the European PlayStation Network for a price of €9.99.

Published by the indie-minded publisher XSEED, the release of Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls will provide fans of the series as well as fans of old-school, retro RPGs with the opportunity to experience one of the classics that inspired the genre as we know it today. Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls, developed by ACQUIRE, is the latest entry in the long-standing Wizardry series and the first made available for Next-Gen consoles.

With its roots stretching all the way back to 1981, Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls brings classic RPG-style gameplay to an all-new generation of gamers, pairing definitive in-game mechanics with modern, hand-drawn graphics presented in gorgeous high definition.