Greetings and salutations everyone, this is Shane Bettenhausen from Ignition Entertainment. I've graciously been given the chance to hijack the PlayStation Blog to give you a quick heads-up about the long awaited release of The King of Fighters XII, due out this summer for the PlayStation 3 console.....
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PlayStation LifeStyle writes, "In just over a week, PlayStation LifeStyle will be reporting live from the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). We've been trying to get a handle on the plethora of PlayStation games that will be on display from June 2 through June 4, and it's quite astounding. If you weren't excited about the prospect of new announcements for the PlayStation brand, what if we told you there will be over 75 unique PlayStation games on display - that we know about?! While many are multiplatform titles (though the best still appear to be Sony-exclusive), it is a large increase from last year's showing."
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Ignition Entertainment have released several new videos portraying the characters that will be featured in the upcoming KING OF FIGHTERS XII.

The game hits street this July, but if you can't wait before that date Ignition has also announced a worldwide tournament that takes place May 30 in Hollywood, CA. Prizes include an imported King of Fighters XII arcade machine as well as exclusive PS3 and KOF merchandise.

The tournament is sponsored by SCEA, Ignition Entertainment, SNK Playmore, and the EVO Championship Series.

For more information on the tournament as well as the new character videos, hit the jump.

Remember, you can also win $1,000 by entering in the fan art contest, more on TripleChat.com.
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Ignition and SNK Playmore haven't been too forthcoming with details on their upcoming home versions of King of Fighters XII. Thankfully, a Japanese retailer came through with some valuable bits of info this past week.
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Have you ever been to an international championship tournament? Not yet? Well sit up and read cos this may very well be your first chance. Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) and EVO Championship Series have teamed with Ignition Entertainment to bring you The King of Fighters XII International Championship Tournament. And it's coming very soon, too, so get your game on.
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411mania gives a rundown on this week's game releases. Highlights include Avalon Code, Mana Khemia: Student Alliance, Samurai Shodown Anthology, and Docomodake BOING!

Avalon Code (DS)
Avalon Code is an action RPG created by Matrix Software, the developer of Alundra for the PS1 and, more recently, the co-developer of the Final Fantasy III and IV remakes for the DS. Like in many RPGs, the looming end of the world is what drives Avalon Code's story. What's different here is the fact that your mission isn't to stop the end from happening. Instead, you've been tasked with scanning all that is good in the world into The Book of Prophecies so that when the next world is created, only the things that are worthy are brought forth. Once something has been scanned, you can change its properties as you see fit by tinkering with its parameters. If there's a monster that you think is too strong, change its attributes to make it weak. Want to turn that regular sword into a flaming one? Add fire to its code. At the very least, this mechanic makes Avalon Code one of the most unique action RPGs on the DS and something to look out for if you're tired of all the remakes that the system has been seeing.

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Mana Khemia: Student Alliance (PSP)
This is a port of Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis, a turn-based RPG/school sim which was originally released last year for the PS2. It is considered the spiritual successor to the Atelier Iris series as it employs many of the conventions found in those games. Many of those who are familiar with the series consider Mana Khemia to be far superior to its predecessors in most respects save for the story (Atelier Iris 2 usually takes the cake in that department). The game was developed by Gust, a company that is well-known for its item-crafting systems and character development. I recently played through Ar tonelico II, so can attest to the company's ability to make item-crafting fun and ...
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411mania gives a rundown on this week's game releases. Highlights include Phantasy Star Portable, The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match, and Sukashishipanman DS: Shokotak Koto Nakagawa Shouko Produce!

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Phantasy Star Portable (PSP)
With Phantasy Star Portable, Sega basically took Phantasy Star Universe, fixed a lot of the problems people had with it, tweaked it to be more single-player friendly, and added more story elements. Some of those who hated PSU are actually saying that they like this version of the game. I find that hard to believe, but it's possible. If anything, this will at least give us something to do while waiting for Phantasy Star Zero.

Here is what you can expect from PSP:

- New story missions that take place between the original Phantasy Star Universe and Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus
In Phantasy Star Portable you will team up with a Cast named Vivienne as she investigates recent terrorist attacks on the colony as well as animal outbreaks on the surface of some of the planets. Space adventure and mayhem follow. I thought that PSU's story was ok; it wasn't groundbreaking or very memorable but it was still decent. So, if Sega was able to craft a story that is at least on par with the first game's, these missions could be worth plaything through at least once.

- Local as well as online play (with the help of a PS3 or your PC)
As expected, you can play with three other friends locally using the PSP's ad hoc mode. Those wishing to play over the Internet have two options - one that requires a PS3 and another that requires a computer. To use your PS3 you have to download the Ad-Hoc Party application from the Japanese PSN store and do a little tinkering. You can find instructions on how to do this at the PSO-World forums here. If you want to use your PC there's XLink Kai. Note that these two options work for the Japanese and English dem...
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PS3 Fanboy writes: "Good grief, where did all these games come from? There's a lot to choose from, especially if you're in the US or Europe. Despite the quantity, there's not a huge amount of overall quality. The only games in the list worth looking at are Overlord, Bourne and Battlefield. Don't be downhearted, Asians. You've finally got your hands on The Darkness. Only a year late, then. Here's the full release list:"

US Games

* Battlefield: Bad Company
* Top Spin 3
* Wall-E
* Hellboy: Science of Evil
* Overlord: Raising Hell
* Hail to the Chimp

EU Games

* Battlefield: Bad Company
* Beijing 2008: The Official Olympics Game
* The Bourne Conspiracy
* Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
* Kung Fu Panda
* NASCAR 09

Asian Games

* Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
* The Darkness
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PS3 Fanboy writes: "You've got to wonder exactly what these publishers are thinking. In America, particularly, there are a silly amount of games coming out this week. With Metal Gear Solid 4's imminent release next week, these titles may well suffer as a result. Still, at least the very small percentage of PS3 gamers who don't pick up MGS4 will have plenty to keep them busy. Weirdos. Here's the full release list:

US Games:

GRID
Kung Fu Panda
The Bourne Conspiracy
Lego Indiana Jones
Incredible Hulk

EU Games:

Lego Indiana Jones
Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit

Asian Games:

Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit
FIFA Street 3
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See what's coming in the week ahead for the PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP and DS. New hardware too: red God of War PSP and Metal Gear branded bluetooth headset.
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