We’ve all been anxiously awaiting the release of Diablo III here at GodisaGeek.com, some of us managed to get into the beta earlier in the year, some of us said that we’d rather wait, some of us have paid full price for the experience while others have gotten their free copy via the World of Warcraft annual pass. One thing is absolutely certain though, we’re all enjoying the game (when we’re not being confronted with the already infamous Error 37 issue) and pumping a great deal of time into it.

When I was able to log on for myself, the first character I gravitated towards was the Demon Hunter. I thought I’d give you all a look at my first fifteen minutes in the game with this new class.

Stay a while and listen (read: watch) as I take the Demon Hunter for a spin.

Diablo III is out now for PC and Mac, but you all already knew that.

Yet another game to cross of your most wanted list for 2012, as South Park joins BioShock Infinite and Tomb Raider in 2013.

Yesterday THQ revealed their financial results, the reported made for pretty dire reading all round, with the publisher losing $239.9 million. Buried amongst all the figures was the South Park RPG’s release window, which read as Q4 FY13. This means we can expect the game sometime between January 1st – March 31st 2013.

The game developed by Obsidian Entertainment had gone quite since its reveal, with speculation it had been canceled due to layoffs. The game got fans excited with its visual styling (being almost identical to the show) and the involvement of Matt and Trey, who are writing the script and overseeing development.

At least the game has not been cancelled, but it’s a shame to see another big title move from 2012 into next year. Was South Park a must buy for you this year, or are there other titles more worthy of your time?

A programmer has reportedly listed both Bad Company 3 and Mirror’s Edge 2 on their CV, but can we really expect to see these titles anytime soon, if indeed at all?

ComputerandVideogames first reported the leak, which comes from a programmer who claims to have worked on a number of Triple A titles. Can we really believe this information though? Well, we certainly can’t disregard it entirely. A few months ago composer Timothy Williams listed God of War 4 on his CV, and lo and behold last month God of War Ascension was revealed.

DICE have also confirmed a new Battlefield title will be made using the FrostBite 2.0 engine, and have previously hinted at the possibility of a Mirror’s Edge sequel. With Medal of Honor: Warfighter shaping up to be EA’s big shooter for 2012, it is unlikely a new Battlefield title would be released until at least 2013. As for Mirror’s Edge 2, it seems like this particular title could become industry legend like Beyond Good and Evil 2 and Bayonetta 2.

It is as ever important to note this is all speculation at this stage, but if these games do turn out to be real, would you pick them up?

Microsoft and 343i have decided to release some brand-new details regarding one of year’s most anticipated games, Halo 4.

In addition to the game’s main campaign, fans can look forward to Halo Infinity Multiplayer, which 343i say will innovate and redefine the way people think about storytelling and multiplayer experiences.

The central hub for all Halo 4′s multiplayer modes will be the UNSC Infinity, the largest ship in humanity’s fleet. It is from here players will be able to customise their Spartan-IV soldier and manager their progress across both competitive and co-op modes. The UNSC Infinity will merge the Halo fiction into the multiplayer experience like never before, a key focus for 343i in their first Halo title since taking over from Bungie.

Spartan Ops is the new mode detailed today, and at first glance it seems very exciting indeed. The story of the UNSC Infinity will intersect with the game’s main campaign, then continue on in a brand-new, story-driven experience. Spartan Ops seems like a genuinely innovative mode described as “immersive storytelling, high-quality cinematics, and action-packed gameplay that will deliver an unprecedented serialised experience.”

Through a weekly series of cinematic episodes on Xbox LIVE, Spartan Ops will tell the continuing story of the UNSC Infinity, following the events of Halo 4. These episodes will centre on the UNSC Infinity leaders and crew, and a new team of Spartans – Majestic Squad. The cinematic episodes will provide the backdrop for the weekly Spartan Ops gameplay missions. Playable in single-player or cooperatively, explore the corners of Requiem in these objective-based missions, and help uncover the secrets of the mysterious Forerunner world.

War Games is the name given to Halo 4′s competitive multiplayer modes, just like the campaign 343i aim to bring their own vision and ideas into the games multiplayer area, although they stress it will still feel distinctly “Halo”.

Player progression in Halo’s multiplayer has previously been limited to rank and aesthetic upgrades, but not so in Halo 4. Players will be able to unlock equipment and specialisations, allowing for a more tailored experience. Upgrades and unlocks will be universal across both competitive and co-op modes, meaning no matter what you do, you’ll always be improving your Spartan.

Along with all the new multiplayer information, Microsoft also revealed what fans can expect from the game’s limited edition. Unlike previous titles Halo 3 and Reach, there doesn’t seem to be a Legendary Edition, at least not at this point in time.

The limited edition version of Halo 4 is available to pre-order today and will include:

• War Games Map Pack Access – The Limited Edition includes access to nine maps – three future competitive multiplayer map packs, each including three locations, available for download post-launch on Xbox LIVE.

• Specializations – Receive early access to six Specialisations, to achieve higher ranks in your Spartan career.

• UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet, which includes an armour customisation schematic, a blueprint of the massive ship itself, and insight into what it means to be one of humanity’s finest warriors: the Spartan-IVs.

• Bonus digital content through Xbox LIVE. Unique in-game Spartan-IV armour skin, in-game weapon skin for the Assault Rifle, an exclusive in-game emblem, Xbox LIVE Avatar prop, and Avatar Spartan-IV armour set.

• Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Special Edition – An extended 90-minute version of the live-action digital series that will bring the Halo universe to life as you’ve never seen it, and provide an enthralling backstory leading up to the events of Halo 4.

So a lot of information there, what excites you most about Halo 4, will you be picking up the limited edition version of the game?

Halo 4 will hit Xbox 360 on November 6th, the limited edition version will cost £69.99/$100

A little while ago, we had the pleasure of taking a look at a near final version of PlayStation Move title, Sorcery. Today though, we’ve got a story trailer for you to enjoy.

Over the five minutes of this trailer, you get to see and hear exactly what lies in store for you if you choose to pick the game up later this month. Peter Akemann (President – The Workshop) will be your guide as you get to see some of the early story development, and meet Finn and Erline.

Brian Upton (Sorcery’s creative director) is also present to explain a bit of back story too, showing that Sorcery has had a rich lore created for it.

Word has it there’s some major ad campaigns coming up for Sorcery too, so Sony are definitely hoping you take a look at it.

Just in case you missed them before, we’ve also included some screenshots for you to take a look at. We think they look great, but what do you think?

Sorcery is set for release on May 23rd in Europe, May 22nd in North American and June 13th in Japan, exclusively for PlayStation 3 with Move.

Game: Akai Katana

Developer: Cave

Publisher: Rising Star Games

Available on: Xbox 360 Only

Rising Star Games, how I love thee. Much like 505 Games (latterly just 505) and Nippon Ishi have, at various times, been shining beacons where giving western gamers ports of Japanese games is concerned, Rising Star have been instrumental in giving us import geeks without an NTSC Xbox 360 the sorts of games we crave. Complex, swirling waves of bullets, insane beat-em-up combos and seizure-inducing visuals have all been served up by Rising Star in the past twelve months, and here they are again with a tremendous port of Cave’s wonderful 2010 horizontal scrolling shmup, Akai Katana.

My love of Cave permeated my previous look at one of their bullet-hell bangers, DoDonPachi Resurrection. They are a legendary firm whose commitment to providing a hardcore shooting experience has never diminished over time, even with the massive advances in technology and hardware that have been made during their existence. Although they are most famous for titles of the vertically scrolling variety, my favourite Cave accomplishment has always been the steampunk-influenced Capcom tie-in Progear No Arashii, which was their first try at a horizontal scroller. They have had another attempt at that style since, with the excellent Deathsmiles, yet Akai Katana most resembles the 2001 classic Progear No Arashii, which featured prominently on our recent Vault piece celebrating our love for all things horizontal.

Set in a steampunk approximation of historical Japan, Akai throws you straight into a maelstrom of projectiles, with a sense of mania that simply does not let up from the moment you fire the game up to the point where you reach the end credits. You travel from left to right, you shoot things, you have to be mindful of the hitbox around your craft (the small core at the centre of your plane) as you desperately try to survive against the odds. Like all of the classic hardcore shooters, it is relatively easy to complete the game, yet the replay value and the true worth of the title is from accumulating the highest possible score, using the incredible game mechanics to your advantage, and truly mastering these nuances to become the best you can possibly be.

Akai Katana has a few hooks that help you achieve this. You can decide whether to operate in Attack or Defence mode, depending on whether you hold down the fire button or tap it to use your weapon. Destroying enemies in each of these two different styles will affect which collectibles are dropped by the defeated foe. Repeated use of either of the two forms will yield increased power ups or score multipliers, and it is up to you whether to risk racking up combos or to use the best means of survival as you work your way through the increasingly punishing stages.

Your ship also has, in Defence mode, the ability to enter “Phantom” form, which amounts to summoning a sword-wielding baddass to crush your opposition. If you have enough of your energy bar filled, busting out this awesome sword dude is incredibly satisfying, the Phantom is highly effective in destroying much of what is onscreen, and will also help turn those baddies into gold coins which you can collect for a huge score boost.

There are three main game modes. Origin is a standard port of the original arcade game, with the original aspect ratio and the mechanics described above. There is also the excellent Xbox 360-only Slash mode, which adds another interesting element to gameplay, whilst presenting the action in full 16:9 format. In Slash mode, whilst your Phantom is summoned, enemies are converted to “Steel”, which allows you to fire metal projectiles back their way, as well as forging katana swords which can be used to punish the enemies. The last of the three game modes is Climax, which retains the full-screen view, ramps up the difficulty and intricacy of the bullet patterns, and is a true challenge that will take some time to truly master.

If all of this sounds complicated, that is because it is. This is no R-Type, or Gradius, methodical experiences that lead you into battle gently before increasing the difficulty later on; Akai Katana is mental. Luckily there is a brilliant tutorial which explains the game’s mechanics perfectly and will help newcomers get to grips with how to truly enjoy the game. There are also some sensibly-doled out achievements to unlock, which are extremely rewarding to work towards.

Cave have really gone to town in the aesthetic stakes, with the excellent steampunk planes (there are three characters to choose from) and imaginative backgrounds adding a refreshing change, and a true throwback to Progear No Arashii, after several shooters that have been based around anime-style fantasy characters. Sometimes all you want to do is pilot a really cool plane and shoot the crap out of other really cool planes. The hard-edged graphical style is also complemented perfectly by a stunning soundtrack, which punishes the ears with wailing guitar solos and superior bombast; poignant when you consider that the composer Umemoto-san, a veteran of some amazing scores from shooting games past, sadly passed away last year.

VERDICT: Yet another superb effort from Cave, this is soundly their finest horizontal scroller since they teamed up with Capcom back in the day, and one which comes with a completely brilliant sense of risk/reward thanks to the Attack/Defence modes and the use of the Phantom. The three different modes are all significantly different, and whilst the length of the game is short, the meat of it is in mastering what it has to offer, and attempting to get yourself up on the daunting online leaderboards, becoming a true ace of the skies. 2012 has already had one classic shooter in Sine Mora, and while this is a port of an older title, it is impossible not to put it on the same pedestal as the original IP I looked at recently.

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Take a look at how the game is getting on, as Junction Point release their first behind the scenes look at Epic Mickey 2.

Warren Spector and his crew talk through the design philosophy behind the game, and in particular the focus on co-op. The introduction of co-op will be a hugely welcome edition to the game, with players taking control of both Mickey and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

There are other improvement besides co-op, with Spector previously speaking about being able to dynamically tackle puzzles, with players seeing the consequences to their actions in-game.

Check out the video below to see the game in action. It’s certainly looking like a big step up from first game, which was released on Wii back in 2010.

Did you play the first Epic Mickey, is so what would do you want to see added to the sequel?

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two will be available on Wii and now also in HD on Xbox 360 and PS3 when it launches this fall.

If you just can’t resist dancing and exercising in front of your Kinect with Zumba Fitness Rush (which GIAG team member Colm certainly seems to enjoy), then it’s your lucky day! Today, Majesco Entertainment and 505 Games announced the release of 3 new tracks for you to groove yourself into shape with. With an exotic feel to exercise to, the 3  track ‘Bollywood Style Pack’ will set you back 480 Microsoft Points.

If that’s not enough for you, then you’re in luck- your Xbox LIVE Avatar can now base its looks on the game as well, with a new ten piece collection entitled ‘Zumba Wear’. Priced between 80 and 160 Microsoft Points, you can choose to kit out your virtual representative in all manner of clothes to exhibit its fitness.