We could have waited one more day, until the countdown expires on the Devil May Cry 4 website, but that's only in theory. In practice, the print media sometimes moves faster than the Internet (especially when it's printed in Japan), and thanks to those wondrous devices called scanners, fans of Capcom's action series can now get an early look at some of the upcoming sequel's features!

Four preview pages scanned from the Famitsu magazine have found their way on this certain blog here, and for those of us not skilled enough (or at all) with the Japanese language, they also provide a brief list of Devil May Cry 4 features drawn from that article. Here's a blatant rip-off of it:

- The game takes place after DMC 1, but before DMC 2.

- Nero (ed. - the new lead character) has devilish right arm. He can draw enemies toward himself and then throw them.
He starts to realise his powers in DMC4. DMC4 portraits Nero when he earns his powers and hereafter. (ed. - hence that introduction from the DMC4 website: "From that day forth... my arm changed... and a voice echoed... Power... Give me more power!")

- They chose Nero because Dante was overused (3 games) & they wanted to put the new users and the old fans in the same starting line for DMC4.

- Nero looks like Dante because the silver hair and red coat is more like a symbol to the DMC series

- "Dante is grim and he can't settle down. As story progresses the situation changes, how's that?" says Kobayashi meaning that Dante might be playable.

- They introduced the right arm draw-throw system because in DMC3 when you beat the enemies, combos brake. Besides expect the sword and weapons this system provides multiple choises and the fun expands, however depending on the enemy you can't draw and throw everyone of them.

- The combo system has as base the one from DMC3 & they are revising / reworking details according to the fans' comment-remarks.

- Nero's sword has a bar. The sword has somekind of a driving force in it. It's a new way / element to enjoy the sword handling.

- In TGS there will be real time footage.

So more on this tomorrow, hopefully, and afterwards at the Tokyo Games Show (September 22-24, right before X06). Of course, there are also some [blurry] screenshots to go with those scans, so be sure to check them out if you can't wait another day.

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The Xbox 360 is still a bit lacking in terms of hardcore (as in not-so-Arcade) driving simulators, but all that was supposed to change this holiday season, with the release of Microsoft's very own Forza Motorsport 2 sequel. That is, until their press conference at the recent Games Convention in Leipzig cast the first shadows of doubt over the project's progress. From the "Holiday 2006" release announced at E3, the game had suddenly been given a less promising "winter" launch timeframe, and this week Che Chou (Forza 2 community manager) confirms what many have feared.

Commenting on the NeoGAF forums, Che said that "Forza 2 will no longer ship in Holiday 2006", and that "a new date will be given at X06". He also made another comment shortly after, when confronted with a "March 2007" guessing from another poster. But I'll leave it to you to judge the seriousness of his reply:

"Isn't March like the new November anyways?"

Could it be that Microsoft is getting more confortable, now that Sony has delayed the European release of the PlayStation 3, from November 2006, to March 2007? But most importantly - is the game really that far behind schedule? I sure wouldn't be surprised if it were. After all, it took the first Forza no less than three major delays to finally come out last year on the Xbox.

On the other hand, Eurogamer is reporting that European retailers are still being told by Microsoft that Forza 2 is aimed at a December 8 release. So we'll just have to wait a few more weeks until X06 - an event which Microsoft will be hosting this year in Barcelona, on September 27 and 28. Plenty of announcements are expected to be made at the show, some about games we known, some about others we don't... yet... So keep close, as we approach X-Day!

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Remember the good old DOS command prompt? If not, or if you never even had the geekish pleasure of working in MS-DOS, here's your chance to practice a bit, and at the same time take part in the latest viral marketing campaign - this time centered around Valve's upcoming Portal game, which will be included in Half-Life 2: Episode Two (alongside Team Fortress 2).

It will only take a second of your time to head over to the recently opened Aperture Science website, but once there, be prepared to endure a long and creepy line of questioning, covering some rather bizarre topics, including picking a domesticated pet out of thousands of wild animals, or your favorite cake out of almost 100! What's that got to do with anything? Maybe nothing... Maybe everything... You never know with these viral campaigns.

To get you started, once you're on the Aperture Science website, type "LOGIN", choose any username you wish, type "PORTAL" as password, and then don't hesitate to ask for "HELP". Those of you familiar with DOS prompts will instantly run a "DIR" command, followed by the only program listed there: "APPLY". Then, comes the interrogation!

Spoiler or not, during your tedious interrogation you'll notice several blinking characters. And if you put them together, they spell "THECAKEISALIE". That's right, that's another command you can run at the DOS prompt, and once you do... well, you'd better see it for yourself.

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Yakuza 2 Screenshots Follow Confirmation And Website

Exactly one year after the original release of Yakuza (Ryu ga Gotoku) in Japan, from December 2005, SEGA is planning to follow up with a sequel to their crime game, whose story will incidentally take place "one year later" as well. Yakuza 2 has already been confirmed last week, and now we have the first screenshots, looking very much like the ones from the first part - which isn't really that surprising, given that Yakuza 2 will also be released on the PlayStation 2 and will probably be using the same graphics engine.

Despite the sequel being planned for release in Japan on December 7, the original game has yet to make its debut in the West. In fact, Yakuza will be released in the US tomorrow, and in Europe on September 15. SEGA will likely keep a close eye on the game's sales, and if they do well, English speaking gamers will also be entitled to the second part, at some point in 2007.

From what little information transpired through the Japanese magazine Famitsu last week, Yakuza 2 will once again take place in the underworld districts of Osaka and Kamurocho, among others, but with more locations and over 100 sub-scenarios announced. The Dragon of Dojima, Kazuma Kiryu, will be confronted with a grave new menace: that of the underworld of Osaka, and the terrible Dragon of the West, Ryuji Koda. SEGA also spoke about a "200% improved" combat system, trying to point out that this won't be just a dull, hasty sequel. After all, your character will even be able to play the role of a gigolo, when he gets bored of urban golfing and bowling.

The old Yakuza website is now hosting some details about the sequel (in Japanese), and you can view the Yakuza 2 screenshots locally.

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Wii Details And New Games To Be Revelead On September 14/15

Not much longer now until Nintendo will set things straight once and for all, regarding the launch and pricing of their upcoming Wii console. Through a pair of trade-only events to be held in Europe (on September 15) and North America (September 14), Nintendo will be announcing new titles and details for the Wii - among which a final release date and price point are highly likely to be revealed, at long last.

Sure enough, the Wii will be playable at the event, although participation will be strictly limited to top industry figures (oh well, I had better things to gank anyway). Along with saying that "Nintendo will be announcing new software at the event and there will be new announcements regarding the Wii console itself", a spokesman from Nintendo of Europe also denied last week's rumours about some supposed difficulties with manufacturing the "wiimote":

"The reports are entirely rumour and speculation. I can confirm that the Wii is very much on course for a Q4 release, as Nintendo originally stated."

Until we get a more precise launch interval for the European and North American territories, you might want to spend some time with IGN's Weekly Episode 23, in which they show plenty of first-hand Wii footage from the recent Leipzig Games Convention. And let me just say, those Wii games are surprisingly good looking!

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