In a recent interview, Square Enix producer Yoshinori Kitase, talks on some of the specifics for the command systems of the three games that comprise Final Fantasy XIII. Now if you've been following news on the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, then most of what Kitase says will already be familiar to you, but let this serve as a refresher course. Fabula Nova Crystallis 101.

In Greek Mythology, when Jason sailed in the Argo to retrieve the Golden Fleece, only one female was among his warriors: Atalanta, the huntress. Atalanta also appears in Codemasters' rendition of the classic story in Rise of the Argonauts. Atalanta waits for you in the full article.

More Too Human goodness coming your way! Here's the third installment to the video diary series from Silicon Knights. This time around, Denis Dyack talks about the game's roots in Norse mythology, and talks more on the game's features, and RPG elements. Watch the video by following the "read more" link below!

Hell hath no fury like, well, Hel, daughter of the Norse god of mischief himself, Loki. In Viking: Battle for Asgard, Hel seeks to start Ragnarok, the final battle that will bring about the destruction of all the gods in Asgard. But is she as evil as she's cracked up to be? Or is she simply cracked? Check out the full article for Hel's story and also for some new screenshots.

Let's talk about mythology for a while and no, this is not going to be a lecture similar to the ones you get in your Literature classes. Let's talk about gods and goddesses in relation to video games and the World Wrestling Federation (WWE).

The full article awaits after the jump!

Greece-based Track7 Games, developer of the upcoming conspiracy-fantasy adventure set in Athens called Theseis, has just unveiled a new teaser trailer to show us one of Theseis' mystery-filled levels known as the Ruined House. By the looks of it, this promising video game for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and PC from Track7 Games doesn't need zombies or chainsaw-wielding maniacs to send some scares.

As an authentic Greek game in every sense, the Ruined House is just one of the locations that will give everyone a glimpse of what modern day Greece looks like. Track7 Games promised realistic environments, and from what we saw from Theseis' video, that's not far from the truth. Almost every nook and cranny seems full of detail, from dimly lit staircases to fully textured walls that show wear and tear.

Theseis puts players in the shoes of paranormal experts in their quest to reveal the mysteries of an ancient artifact that can potentially wipe out humans from the face of the planet. While the focus of the game is on solving puzzles and immersing the player in Greek mythology, we'll probably spend plenty of time just enjoying the view.

Of course, that won't happen 'til Theseis' release scheduled sometime in 2008. There should be more teaser trailers in the near future according to Track7 Games Product Manager Demetris Papadopoulos, so watch this space for any updates!

Admit it, playing as a pansy would suck even if it was the best video game ever made. That isn't to say having some random well-built guy with a deep voice on screen is enough to make a game fun. In fact, we've seen so many pitiful attempts of trying to make "cool" characters that it's not even funny anymore.

Fortunately, there's a handful of really manly video game dudes out there that aren't just made of testosterone and big muscles - they also have the history, personality, and attitude to be considered men among men. In this list are the most epic piles of manly turned video game characters. Are you man enough to take it?


10. Ryo Hazuki - Being manly doesn't mean you have to be some barbaric dude with an axe and a loud voice. As they say, the deep waters are more silent. Ryo Hazuki sounds and acts like your typical quiet guy, but fans of Shenmue know what lies beneath. He's not a womanizer or a jock. In fact, he ditched his cute lover, plays with kittens, and drives forklifts. What makes him so manly, then?

Even while facing potentially the strongest organized crime group in China, Ryo is deadset on facing Chiyoumen's leader, Lan Di, to avenge his father. Just like a man with strong convictions, this guy fresh out of high school has left worldy matters behind to do whatever it takes just to get closer to the fiend that killed his dad.

Click on for the rest of list, in which we ooze machismo and hose the decks down with testosterone. RAWR!

 

In his latest post, Henry Sterchi of Silicon Knights talked about "Teh Phat Lootz" of Too Human. Let's face it; we battle through hordes of minions and get into the game so much we forget to have dinner, the least it could do is drop an omega weapon or something. Well, that's what Sterchi, Director of Design of Too Human, discusses.

In Too Human, players will have access to a variety of weapons and armor, and rightly so. You can't have a story about cybernetically enhanced humans set in Norse Mythology and not have a kick ass arsenal.

The game will have swords, hammers, and staves - all of which will come in one or two-handed forms. Then there's the pistols, rifles and cannons which come with different ammunition types including slug, plasma and laser. There will be six pieces to make up armor in Too Human: helm, shoulders, gloves, chest plate, leggings and boots.

Too Human will employ a similar system to the materia-slots of FFVII weaponry and armor. Slots in the gear will accommodate Runes which give stat bonuses. There are over 100 types of Runes to maximize your gear. There's even a Rune to change the color of the item the Runes are fused into.

There's also Runic Charms which gives abilities to your weapons and armor. The effect of the charms range from freezing enemies to draining health points. Rune Charms require a task to be completed to be activated, but they can also be combined to form more elaborate forms.

That's it for this update, except for three new screenshots featuring robots with an attitude and a big ass laser cannon:

  

With exceptional visuals, brutal one-hit kill moves, and the rich world of Greek mythology to draw from, Codemasters' Rise of the Argonauts for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC is looking to be one of the best-looking (and best-playing) games coming out this year.

Today's update about this ambitious IP is an interview during E3 about the game's Dynamic Combat System which pretty much lets you customize King Jason as you see fit. In this video, we learn about how the game streamlines the RPG experience into something easier, faster and more gratifying.

For instance, levelling up Jason's different areas of expertise is as easy as dedicating your heroic exploits (rescuing people, killing monsters, that sort of malarkey) to the relevant god. We also get to find out that combat in Rise of the Argonauts will be quite the visceral experience. Rather than having your opponents take a set number of hits before finally going down, it's more of a single-hit kill affair.

Konami, via a press release, announced today the full voice cast of its upcoming multiplatform title Hellboy: The Science of Evil (360, PS3, PSP). We now know that Mr. Ron Perlman who portrayed Hellboy himself in the movie, will lend his voice acting once more for the video game adaptation.

Quite interestingly, it seems that there will be some sort of a movie reunion as Perlman is joined by actor Doug Jones and the beautiful Selma Blair. Needless to say, Blair will be acting out the role of Liz Sherman while Jones will perform as Abe Sapien. Konami VP of Product Development Brian Christian had this to say,

With voice acting from Ron Perlman, Selma Blair and Doug Jones, and creative guidance from director Guillermo del Toro and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, Hellboy: The Science of Evil is shaping up to be one of the most faithful video game adaptations of an entertainment property of all-time.

The video game Hellboy, much like the movie and the comic version, focuses on Hellboy's incredible supernatural powers as he battle to overcome a terrible Nazi scheme. Players will be able to wield the Right Hand of Doom and use it against the enemies and the game's destructible environment.

Christian added, "Drawing from the mythology of both the comic books and the motion picture, we are able to tell an original story featuring all the characters, settings and visceral gameplay that fans could ever ask for in a Hellboy game".