Retro Gaming Australia

Namco Bandai has announced on Twitter that Soulcalibur II HD Online will be headed to PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade on November 20. The game promises a tarted up version of one of the most popular fighting games of the PS2/Xbox/GameCube era, with online support and the first opportunity to fight guest characters Heihachi and Spawn against each other.

The price is set at $US20, €19 and about £15. No local price has been set, but it’s safe to assume that it’ll probably be $AU30.

With the high price and poor timing (the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launching either side of the game locally and in most Western territories) of the release, one has to wonder how much faith Namco has in the release. Perhaps a WiiU eShop release with Link would have drummed up some more interest.

Nintendo has put out a bunch of new information for the soon to be released HD re-release of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, along with a story trailer.

The company will be releasing a special edition of the game which features a rather neato Ganondorf figure. On top of that, there will also be a WiiU System Bundle which features a GamePad with a special Zelda themed decal, not unlike the 3DS console released alongside Ocarina of Time 3D.

Unfortunately, neither of these items will be released in Australia, so get your importing hats on.

This week Namco Bandai announced Soul Calibur II HD Online for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The games release is part of Soul Calibur II’s 10-year anniversary celebration.

Soul Calibur II HD Online will feature high-definition visuals and online multiplayer via PSN and Xbox Live, and includes all the original release’s game modes. Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions shall include the guest from the original PS2 version, Tekken‘s Heihachi, as a playable character once again. There is no word on whether Spawn from the original Xbox version of Soul Calibur II will also make an appearance, and the chances of The Legend of Zelda’s Link who appeared in the GameCube version is well… zip?

Soul Calibur II HD Online is set for a digital release later this year. Check out the trailer below.

Square Enix has released a new trailer for the upcoming HD remasters of Final Fantasy X and X-2.

The games will be released later this year – together on the PlayStation 3, but separately on the PlayStation Vita.

Regardless of which version you get, that horrible laughing scene still included, though.

Square Enix has released a new trailer for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix.

For those who can’t remember the tangled web that Kingdom Hearts has become (and nobody will blame you), this package contains a HD re-release of the original Kingdom Hearts, a HD re-release of the PS2 remake of the GBA release Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and HD cutscenes of the Nintendo DS game Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days

Expect to see the game on store shelves in September.

Microsoft and Lionhead have announced that Fable Anniversary, a HD re-release of the original Fable, will be coming to the Xbox 360 later this year.

Fable Anniversary will offer up all of the content of Fable: The Lost Chapters and boasts improvements such as 1080p high definition visuals, improved lighting, upgraded textures, models and animations, a new save system, “non-existent” loading, achievement support, leaderboards for the chicken kicking mini-game and Smartglass integration. Apparently Lionhead is also investigating post-release content for the game.

Fable Anniversary will be out in time for Christmas.

Yesterday, during the Tales of Festival, Hideo Baba announced that HD remasters of Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World are headed to the West in the form of Tales of Symphonia Chronicles (working title) for the PlayStation 3.

Tales of Symphonia, a favourite amongst Tales of fans, was originally released on the Nintendo GameCube back in 2004 (2003 in Japan) and marked the début of the series in PAL regions. Tales of Symphonia was followed up by Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World for the Nintendo Wii, a sequel which takes place a couple of years after the events of the first game.

Tales of Symphonia’s HD re-release will, however, be based on the Japanese exclusive PlayStation 2 version which included extra anime cut scenes, Mystic Artes for more characters, additional events and side-quests and a different theme song. The HD remasters will feature enhanced graphics and additional content including bonus Tales of the Abyss-themed costumes and new cut-ins for the Mystic Artes.

Tales of Symphonia Chronicles is set for release early next year (October 2013 for Japan). Here’s hoping we see a nice limited edition much like the one to be released in Japan which includes some figurines, a novel, and some really pretty packaging.

Capcom has announced that they will be releasing the two classic Dungeons & Dragons arcade beat ’em ups, Tower of Doom and Shadow over Mystara to Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, WiiU eShop and PCs in June.

The games will be released together in a pack called Chronicles of Mystara. Enhancements include the usual “HD” filters and drop-in/drop-out online multiplayer for up to four players. The pack has been developed by Iron Galaxies, who were responsible for Marvel vs. Capcom: Origins and Darkstalkers Resurrection.

Previously the only way to play these games at home was to track down the Japanese Saturn release, which could be a pricey endeavour.

Final Fantasy X-2, the sequel to Final Fantasy X, will be included in the Final Fantasy X HD release for the PlayStation 3.

News of the game’s inclusion comes via next week’s issue of Jump (scan below), which also indicates that PlayStation Vita versions of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 will be available separately. Further, both games are based on their respective international versions and are due for release sometime in 2013 – for Japan, anyway. (continue reading…)

Today, Square Enix announced the western release of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX. The collection includes HD re-releases of both Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, previously exclusive to Japan, and Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, previously not released in PAL regions. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX also features the Nintendo DS’s Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, in non-playable form, adapted into a cinematic retelling the story of the game over a span of 2 hours and 50 minutes.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX includes additional content, enhanced gameplay and trophy support. Expect to see Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX available for PlayStation 3 in North America, Europe and other PAL territories later this year.

Source: Square Enix