The Kingdom Hearts franchise is going on ten-years with a number of games found on a variety of systems, but until recently, only two were the heart of the story.

Kingdom Hearts 3 was announced at this year's E3, but information on the story has been kept under wraps until recently.  In an interview with the LA Times, Tetsuya Nomura, Kingdom Hearts III's director, revealed what Kingdom Hearts III will do for the franchise.

"In ‘Kingdom Hearts 3,’ the battles that the characters have been fighting for the past 10 years will come to a conclusion," Nomura states.  "But the series will continue. Only the particular enemy they have been fighting the past 10 years will come to an end."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy reunite! (Square Enix)

When asked if the series would include Disney's newly acquired Marvel and Star Wars franchise, Nomura was silent, but he did reveal that fans interested in getting a feel for how Kingdom Hearts III will operate should grab a copy of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance for the Nintendo 3DS.  "We tried many experiments in that game that will be applied to ‘Kingdom Hearts 3,’ ” he said. “If you play ’3D,’ you will get some hint of ‘Kingdom Heart 3.’”

Kingdom Hearts 3 will be released on the Xbox One and the Playstation 4 at an unspecified date.  Until then, fans can look forward to the release of Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Remix on the Playstation 3.  The game includes a high-definition remake of Kingdom Hearts Remix and Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories as well as all the cinematics from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.  Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Remix will be released September 10, 2013.

                                       whohauntsneil.com

Best-selling macabre author Neil Gaiman is about to take computer (and tablet) gamers on a journey through his imagination with his first video game, Wayward Manor.

Set in the 1920's in an old, Victorian-era home, the game revolves around you, a ghost, woken rudely from his grave sleep by a slew of unwanted house guests.  With an arsenal of ghostly abilities, it is up to you to remove them, but in true Gaiman (and gaming) fashion, it is never as simple as it seems.  The queer cast of characters who have made Wayward Manor their own each hold a secret about your life, your death, and the fate of your after-life.

The game is still under development by The Odd Gentleman, an award winning, independent gaming studio responsible for the Indie showstopper The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom.

There is no release date yet for Wayward Manor, but the game's website has a variety of ways for you to pre-order, ranging from a $10 digital pre-order for PC and Mac to a $10,000 Dinner with Gaiman package.  

For more information on the game, head over to YouTube to listen to the creator himself tell you why you should be excited for his first gaming venture.

The concept of Scribblenauts is simple: you play Maxwell, a young boy with an impressive imagination and a magical notepad which he uses to solve puzzles and save the day.  Usually.  The game was first released in 2009 on the Nintendo DS and rose to success as a sleeper hit.  Four years and four games later, the Scribblenauts development team, 5th Cell, is ready to do it again.

Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure, will utilize the same gameplay as previous incarnations, but this time Maxwell has the ability to enlist the aid of almost 2,000 DC Universe heroes and villains.  From popular to obscure, this game will have nearly every DC comic character ever created. 

Can you name them all?

On top of the impressive list of characters, adjectives will also play an important role in bringing about new and surprising incarnations of beloved DC characters.  Zombie Batman?  Check.  Super Doomsday?  It's there and it is horrifying.  The possibilities are seemingly endless, making for a unique, puzzle-solving experience that will offer hours of gameplay for all ages and comic book fans alike.

I can only hope Guacamole Lantern will be a thing.

Scribblenauts Unmasked is set to release on September 24, 2013 and will be available on the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and PC.

I have a love/hate relationship with Capcom.  I love that I hate them and I hate that I love their old properties.  After twenty-four years, Capcom somehow managed to maintain the rights to Disney's DuckTales, an action platformer originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System.  Fortunately, that's all the credit I have to give them as the recently announced DuckTales Remastered is being developed by WayForward Technologies.

The premise of the game is simple: Scrooge McDuck is a rich old duck with nothing better to do but travel the world in search of more riches.  Naturally he brings his plucky nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, along for the ride in what I can only assume to be one of the most convoluted murder plots an anthropomorphic duck has ever schemed.

Players will visit all five familiar territories of the first game, crisply remade for your gaming pleasure.  From the Himalyans to Transylvania, you are armed with only a pogo-cane(TM), jacket, and top hat to battle a slew of mythological duck foes.  Because who needs pants when you're going on an adventure?

Comparison between the NES and HD version courtesy of IGN.

The original DuckTales has made it on numerous "Best of" lists for the NES, including #9 on IGN's Top 100 and #12 on GamesRadar Top 25, making it a prime candidate for a high-definition remake.  The only thing that could make it better would be to have the original voice cast return.  Oh wait, that's happening.  Get your nostalgia shoulder pads on because this game is going to blow you away.

DuckTales: Remastered will be released on Steam, the Nintendo eShop, and Playstation Network on August 13, 2013 for $14.99.  A retail version for the Playstation 3 will also be available same day for $19.99.  The game will also be released on the Xbox Marketplace September 11, 2013 for 1200 Microsoft Points.

Ubisoft has a plethora of new titles planned this year, and while I'm excited to get my hands on Assassin's Creed IV or South Park: The Stick of Truth (a former THQ title), nothing compares to the world that is Watch_Dogs.  

An upcoming franchise hopeful, Watch_Dogs puts you in the shoes of Aiden Pearce, a vigilante hacker with enough firepower and wits to take on all of Chicago.  The game is set in an alternate reality where technological devices are connected through supercomputers known as the CtOS (Central Operating System) and information warfare runs rampant.  The protagonist is one of the lucky few with the skills to overpower the security measures in place, giving players the ability to manipulate technology throughout the city.  Anyone in the city is a target, with varying degrees of information available for download and exploitation.  Short on cash?  Hijack the nearest ATM with a stranger's bank number.  Looking for a side-mission?  There are plenty of people with secrets to exploit, all it takes is the push of a button.  As the player, you choose just how much damage you want done.

Stealth in an open-world setting make for an exciting mesh of gameplay elements.  Many missions will require the utmost secrecy while others will need nothing more than a loaded gun.  There will also be a number of escort and driving missions available to complete throughout the game to give players a true tour of what the Windy City has become.  

A multiplayer element is also on the way, and though Ubisoft has said little about what to expect from it, they have stated that it will work hand-in-hand with the single-player storyline.

Interested in seeing it for yourself?  Check out this E3 2013 gameplay video:

Watch_Dogs will initially be released on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PC on November 19, 2013 (US).  An updated Playstation 4 and Xbox One version will be made available at a later date.

This blog will be changing more than Mario changes suits as I search out a suitable template.  Don't panic, it will all be over soon!

It's been a while since I last posted.  That's what happens when you're busy saving the world from evil (i.e. I've been lazy).  

To ensure I tackle the most with as little work as possible, I've decided to review a number of video games I have played since my last post in (mostly) one sentence.  You're welcome.

PLAYSTATION 3 GAMES

Assassin's Creed III - Daddy issues make for the best missions.
Bioshock Infinite - My favorite escort mission.
Borderlands 2 - This game would be great if I had friends.
Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut - NOPE.
Deadpool - If I had paid for this, I would have been disappointed.
Dishonored - If you hate generic storylines, you won't get more than twenty minutes in.
DmC: Devil May Cry - Capcom.  What r u doing?
Far Cry 3 - It's natural to side with the antagonist, right?
God of War: Ascension - The angriest, bloodiest prequel that ever was.  Also, boobs.
Injustice: Gods Among Us - Punch face, bro.
The Last of Us - Character Development: The Movie: The Game.
LEGO Lord of the Rings - Shut up and take my money.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - It's fucking magical.
Okami HD - The best way to win the argument for video games as an art form.
Persona 4 Arena - My love for Persona outweighs my inability to be good at fighters.
Playstation All-Stars: Battle Royale - A Playstation fans wet dream ripoff.
Resident Evil 6 - Capcom.  Stahp.
SimCity - Just kidding, no one plays this.
Sleeping Dogs - Massive environment interactivity is a lie.
Spec Ops: The Line - Remember when war games used to have a story? 2K remembers.
Tokyo Jungle - Don't fuck with Pomeranians.
Tomb Raider - Lara Croft just happens to be the name of our interchangeable protagonist.
The Walking Dead - Point-and-click the feels.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown - If you think Normal is relative, you're gonna have a bad time.

PLAYSTATION VITA GAMES

Assassin's Creed III: Liberation - You'll never hear about the events of this game in the main series.
Persona 4: Golden - The bear-y best BeaRPG. Case closed.  Let's get drunk.
Zero Escape: Virture's Last Reward - I really should have finished 999 first.

NINTENDO 3DS GAMES

Animal Crossing New Leaf - Friendship cocaine.
Harvest Moon: A New Beginning - Yaks and llamas?  It's a totally different game!
Kingdom Hearts 3D - No one really knows what's going on anymore so have some fluffy sidekicks.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - Why are these games not on a better system?
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers - Welcome back to the 90's.