LAS VEGAS – Namco Bandai is bringing Level 5’s critically acclaimed RPG Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch to the U.S. The game was created in conjunction with Japanese anime giant Studio Ghibli and features breathtaking visuals straight out of a big budget movie. Akahiro Hino explains how his team is adapting the blockbuster hit for the North American gaming audience in this exclusive video interview below.

Throughout the history of video games, the oldest stereotype surrounding the industry has always been do violent video games affect player behavior and personality. It is a known fact that people who play games are exposed to more violence than the average consumer. From nuking entire civilization to obliterating players online, it’s has become more and more common now that games are more focus on squarely providing violent action. For this reason alone, parents have long held an underlining negative attitude towards the industry and those who stand by it, but is this criticism injustice or have developers gone to far? Should government step in?

LAS VEGAS – Namco Bandai and Paramount Pictures have released a new trailer and concept art from Digital Extremes’ Star Trek game. The award-winning game casts players for the first time ever as Kirk and Spock in an original co-op experience. Set in the new canon of director and producer J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009) reboot, players will be immersed in the game’s rich story and action-packed combat. Check out the trailer and concept art below.

The organizers of Classic Gaming Expo announced today that the 2012 Classic Gaming Expo will be held August 11 and 12 at the recently renovated Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The show’s historic ties with Las Vegas, and specifically the Plaza Hotel, made it the obvious choice to play host to this year’s convention.

I have to be honest, if a series feels like it’s sitting in a rut, going through the same motions over and over with hardly any evolution in gameplay, I actually cheer on the idea of revitalization.  And, boy, was Ridge Racer in need of that.  Ridge Racer V wasn’t a bad game in itself, and Ridge Racer 6 had its moments, but since that point, the series has sat in neutral with its over-drifting system and lack of anything fundamentally new.  Even Ridge Racer on the PlayStation Vita felt like a half-finished retread, despite its online capabilities.  But the second you pop in Bugbear’s Ridge Racer Unbounded, that mundane feeling fades away.  This isn’t the same old ride around the block.  It’s an entirely new beast.

There are games that require you to meet certain criteria to get the most out of them, and then there are “grind fests”, those gaming experiences where you have to toil away at a game, making certain adjustments and completing mission after mission until you get that proper tool that allows everything to click together, making the experience either worth it or leaving you wondering if it was worth the effort.  Armored Core V, the latest in From Software’s long-running mech series, easily fits in the latter category, and rather than being a mech game that provides the kind of mech action that a casual audience can get into, it instead directs its attention to the die-hards that live and breathe customization and working with others to trash the opposition.  There’s nothing entirely wrong with that, except it really limits the game’s appeal.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time with Capcom’s Street Fighter x Tekken, not only because I wanted to make sure to test out the online play and the additional PS3-exclusive fighters (y’know, “fat” Mega Man” and Cole McGrath from Infamous), but also because it’s not just another typical crossover fighter.  Yes, it combines characters from both Capcom and Namco’s respective fighting universes, but its controls are set up a little differently, rather than relying on the mechanics that worked so well in the Marvel vs. Capcom games.  That’s not a complaint by any means.  In fact, I can’t think of a hardcore fighting fan that wouldn’t dig into this thing like a treasure chest.  Casual fans, too.

Namco Bandai Games America has released a free update for SoulCalibur V on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The title update contains new online ranked game search optimization, gameplay tweaks, character balance adjustments for the entire roster based on player feedback. This updated version will be used in the SoulCalibur V Worldwide Finals taking place on April 10, 2012 at the Cosmopolitan hotel and casino in Las Vegas.

The Tekken series has been brawling for years now, but over the last few months, Namco Bandai has really been pushing the series hardcore.  Last year’s Tekken Hybrid turned out to be a cool little collection of stuff, including Tekken Tag Tournament HD and a demo for Tekken Tag Tournament 2; and this past week’s release of Street Fighter x Tekken has gone over moderately well with the hardcore crowd.  But let’s not forget the portable front, where Tekken 3D Prime Edition has left a little dent as well.

There really is no game series out there right now that’s like the Katamari Damacy series.  Originally started on the PlayStation 2 and literally rolling ever since, each game has pretty much been the same lunacy over and over, with the Prince of All Cosmos following his arrogant father’s commands and rolling up objects to turn into stars.  The concept hasn’t really changed, but at least each game has offered its fair share of lunacy between wacky presentation and simplistic ball-forming fun.  The PlayStation Vita version, Touch My Katamari, follows the same trend, though an interesting new shape-shifting feature is worth playing around with.

No Bones about it – ha, I made a funny – J.J. Abrams’ reboot of Star Trek in 2009 was quite the successful one, despite all the lens flare.  The movie reintegrated interest in the franchise, thanks to a great young cast and a story that actually made sense to fans.  And with a sequel on the way next year, we can only wonder what next great step is gonna happen within the video game realm.  Well, thanks to Namco Bandai games, we know.  Set phasers to stun-ning.

It's a novel idea that's really catching on in the App Store -- re-releasing old-school arcade games as part of a collection, then offering potential buyers the option to choose what games they want to keep.  Capcom's done it, Atari has done it, and Farsight is working on it with its Pinball Arcade (which we previewed).  But we're surprised that Namco has taken so long to warm up to the idea, especially with its countless Museum releases.  Well, it finally came through with Namco Arcade, a game that has the "try before you buy" method with a few of its offerings.  So why does it feel like it wasn't fully thought out?