Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days announced

IO Interactive announced today that Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PC in 2010. No doubt Jeff Gerstmann is delighted to hear that the game that cost him his job at Gamespot is getting a sequel.. IO Interactive, a part of Square Enix Europe (the result of a merger between the company and Eidos Interactive, who already owned the studio behind the Hitman series), describes the sequel as a brutal crime shooter set in the Shanghai’s dark and seedy underworld.

Promises this time around include a visual style and storytelling inspired by “by documentary filmmakers and the user-generated era,” more back-story on the two disturbed criminals that serve as the protagonists, and loads of action.

The good news for journalists is that Square Enix, unlike Eidos, doesn’t tend to go around trying to get people fired - not that they could get away with such antics this time around.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days will be released on the EIDOS games label and will be coming in 2010.

Mini Ninjas on the loose

Mini Ninjas, co-published in North America by Eidos and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is now in stores for the Wii, Nintendo DS, PS3, Xbox 360 and Games for Windows. Developed by IO Interactive, Mini Ninjas puts you in the tiny little shoes of Hiro and his friends as they go on a journey to feudal Japan to restore harmony to a world on the brink of chaos.

 The game is a third-person action adventure where players fight evil samurai, collect ingredients to make consumables and weapons, and discover the secrets the world has to offer. The game is a departure from IO’s other work, which as you well know involves a Hitman with a penchant for cold blooded murder.

Batman: Arkham Asylum now available

Batman: Arkham Asylum is finally in stores to the delight of Dark Knight fans across North America. Now those who have tried the demo on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network can really see what happens when they run headlong into that boss fight with Killer Crock. My opinion on the game (check out our freshly published Batman: Arkham Asylum Review), based on the demo is a big fat question mark. On the one hand you have an incredible cast doing the voice-over work for the game (Batman, Joker and Harley Quinn from the original animated series) stylized and context sensative content, cool bat gadgets and gameplay that is as smooth as silk; and on the other hand you have gameplay that feels like an overabundance of hand-holding and a bizarre art style that makes Harley Quinn look like she just jumped off the operating table after a boob job.

That aside, if you haven’t heard anything about Batman: Arkham Asylum, it was developed by Rocksteady Studios, based on DC Comics’ popular comic book license and co-published by Eidos and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game tells the tale of a harrowing night in Arkham Asylum after The Joker and Harley Quinn spring a trap on the Dark Knight. Trapped, Batman will have to face off against his most dangerous enemies and their henchmen to bring The Joker and everyone else to justice. That old saying “the lunatics are running the asylum” is apropos in this situation.

Players will have access to a special bat suit feature called Detective Mode, which provides real-time data on the environment and the people in it, as well as a targeting system to make melee attacks, grappling and gadget use easier to handle. As I mentioned, much of the combat in the game is situational; for example, Bats might use a great height to hit a target with a glide kick or to snipe with the batarang if he so chooses. He’ll need all the help he can get as he takes on The Joker and Gotham City’s most notorious villains, including Harley Quinn, Bane, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy and Scarecrow.

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Mini Ninjas demo this week

Along with the release of Shadow Complex on Wednesday, Xbox Live Arcade fans can take the demo of Eidos and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s cute action platformer Mini Ninjas for a dry run. The Mini Ninjas demo will also be made available for PC and PS3 if that’s your cup of tea.
The PC demo will be available for download from the official website www.minininjas.com at 1 am PST, August 19th. The Xbox 360 demo will be available on the same day via Xbox LIVE Marketplace and the PS3 demo will be available through PlayStation Network on Thursday, August 20th.

Mini Ninjas will be released from September 8th across North America, September 11th in the United Kingdom and PAL territories and October 9th in France and Germany. The game will be available on Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Games for Windows and PS3.

Mini Ninjas to be released this September in most regions

Eidos Interactive announced that IO Interactive’s new adventure Mini Ninjas will be released on September 8 in North America, September 11 in the United Kingdom and PAL territories and October 9 in France and Germany. The game will be available for Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Games for Windows and PlayStation 3. Sorry PSP owners. IO is better known for the Hitman seires and Kane & Lynch.

The game will be published in Europe and PAL territories by Eidos Interactive and co-published in North America by Eidos and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Learn more about Mini Ninjas at the official webpage

Batman: Arkham Asylum demo this week

The official Batman: Arkham Asylum Demo will be available on August 7th, according to word from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Eidos. the demo will be available on Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows later this week (Fans can visit www.batmanarkhamasylum.com for details on how to download the Games For Windows version).

The Batman: Arkham Asylum demo opens as the Batman and Commissioner Gordon return The Joker to Arkham Asylum - the Joker’s home away from home. But things soon fall apart as The Joker releases Arkham Asylum’s occupants upon Batman. The demo offers gamers a taste of the game’s FreeFlow combat system, the stealth gameplay provided by the Invisible Predator mechanic, and some adventure as players navigate Arkham Asylum’s Intensive Treatment facility.

Players can unlock character bios, as well as get a sneak peak at some of the other foes that Batman will encounter including Harley Quinn, Bane, Killer Croc and Poison Ivy, and the newly revealed Scarecrow, who have taken over the asylum.

The full game is set to ship in North America beginning August 25, and in Europe and Australia beginning August 28. The game is being co-published in North America by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Eidos.

Apple veteran joins Namco Networks

Namco Networks announced that Jonathan Kromrey has joined Namco as the general manager of Apple Games. In this role, he will focus on creating new franchise opportunities, overseeing research, managing design and production from internal teams and worldwide external partners, and developing and publishing new and original content for Apple devices including the iPhone and iPod touch.

Prior to joining Namco’s team, Kromrey was an iPod and iPhone games producer and designer at Apple where he was responsible for the research, design and development of products/applications on iPod, iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV platforms. Kromrey also managed the US production group at I-play, where he was responsible for creating wireless applications for BREW, J2ME and Symbian mobile platforms. Additionally, he served in various management and production roles at EIDOS Interactive, Namco Bandai Games, Mattel Interactive and Strategic Simulations.