There has been a mixed response to the announcement of Monster Hunter Frontier Online as its not clear whether the game will actually reach the US or Europe. While Monster Hunter is undoubtedly a big brand that has had a fair amount of success in the US and Europe on the Playstation 2, Wii and PSP systems, Monster Hunter Frontier Online was actually released back in 2007 exclusively to Japan on the PC and eventually spread to Hong Kong and Korea before becoming regarded as the weakest of the franchise.

This is clearly another shot from Microsoft at trying to ween more Japanese gamers onto the Xbox 360 which isn’t a bad decision but whether anyone will care about a PC port that will surely feel dated by today’s standards is yet to be seen. No doubt there will be many gamers in the US and Europe itching to get hold of this game if it does make its way outside of Asia, to these gamers i say, don’t get your hopes up. If Monster Hunter Frontier Online does make it out of Asia then lets hope its not left as an sub-standard PC port.

Check out some Monster Hunter Frontier Online gameplay footage below to see what all the hype is about.

When Age of Conan was released back in 2008 it didn’t do as well as it should have due to a buggy release, this was ironed out eventually however players who had stuck with the game through the bad times discovered a more pressing issue – a serious lack of high level content. Well if your a fan of Age of Conan and have been thirsting for some high end content to get stuck into then your prayers may have been answered as that’s just one of the issues being addressed by Funcom in the upcoming expansion pack ‘Rise of The Godslayer

Rise of The Godslayer will introduce a wealth of new content including new high end areas and quests, a new race (Khitai), new mounts and of course new feats and armor sets. The expansion pack has a clear orient vibe and looks stunning, Funcom have also announced that the new Empire of Khitai will be different from most existing areas in that players will be able to ally themselves with numerous factions vying for land and power. Full details below.

Features

• New playable race Khitan – Journey through the lands of Khitai and discover new monsters, quests, gear and a culture like nothing you’ve seen before in Age of Conan.
• Take your hero to a new level of power with access to new martial arts moves, magic, legendary weaponry and a brand new alternate advancement system to give you more choice and customization in how you play your hero.
• New high end content – Explore new high level areas ‘Kara Korum’ and ‘Chosain Province’ and delve into new high level dungeons like ‘Pillars of Heaven’.
• 100s of new quests – Follow the footsteps of the might Conan and discover the truth to his motives in the east.
• Unique new mount system – With the choice of tiger or wolf your mount will start as a defenseless companion advancing to a deadly ally and then to a powerful mount all handled through a unique quest system.

Well that’s about all we have for now, there’s no official release date as of yet so keep an eye out for future coverage as there’s sure to bu much more over the next few months.

The Screenshots

Searching for hidden Spartans?

New melee animations or finishing moves?

Covenant sure look nastier!

Hint, stealth missions, hint.

Civilian vehicles?

• Official Xbox Magazine – 9.5/10
• Edge Magazine 10/10
• PC Gamer – 90/100
• Games TM – 10/10
• GameAktuall (German) – 91%
• Xbox 360 Gamer – 9/10
• CD-Action (Polish) – 10/10
• Xbox 360 World – 90%

Now, that should put all your doubts to shame. Pre-order Mass Effect 2 now or miss out!

Hands on with the demo

The demo opens with a brief intro that’s a mixture of CGI and traditional animation which gives you some insight into Danes past as a Crusader, battling Saladin’s Saracen troops and possibly slaying innocents. As soon as the intro ends you are seamlessly thrown into combat with multiple enemies and the game takes the chance here to teach you the basics such as light/heavy attacks, blocking and dodging – pretty much the standard fare. After learning the basics and dispatching a couple of waves of enemies whilst avoiding incoming artillery fire from ships off shore, Dante is assassinated. This is where it gets interesting.

After the assassination of Dante you are immediately confronted by Death who damns you to hell for your sins as you would expect, however Dante has other plans and takes up his halberd against Death. This is the first real battle in Dante’s Inferno and where you get chance to really practice with the combat system. After a grueling battle with Death, Dante emerges the victor carrying his new trophy – Deaths scythe. Following the demise of Death you are shown another pre-rendered sequence of Dante repenting for his sins and returning home to find his wife Beatrice has been murdered.

After finding his wife dead Dante is confronted by Lucifer who seduces Beatrice’s soul and takes her to a nearby chapel. Dante rushes to the chapel to confront death (hindered by a couple of battles on the way) only to stumble upon an intimate moment between his wife and Lucifer before gaining his second weapon the Holy Cross (effectively a ranged weapon) and descending into hell.

The rest of the demo takes you through part of the first level of hell, fighting scores of undead and demons alike. The combat in Dante’s Inferno is similar to God of War and Bayonetta but seemed to remind me more of Ninja Gaiden for the original Xbox, chaining combos together and being very mobile, all in all providing a very satisfying and fluid feel to the combat. The finishing moves in Dante’s Inferno are initiated by action commands similar to God of War but still manage to seem satisfying and not shallow, plus they are beautifully gruesome.

Towards the end of the demo you are introduced to a new weapon for Dante’s arsenal – magic. The magic spell that you learn in the demo is an ice dash move that isn’t that powerful but can work well when surrounded. This coupled with the range of combos and abilities that are available for Dante to learn as you progress through the game offer a great level of depth that allows you to customize Dante’s fighting style to your preference.

As mentioned earlier Dante’s primary weapon is Death’s scythe. Aside from being an effective weapon the scythe also grants Dante the ability to ‘punish’ or ‘absolve’ enemies, this has an effect on how Dante will progress as the points gained from either are tied to 1 of the 2 separate talent tress that determine which moves and spells Dante will be able to learn as you progress through the game.

Aside from the extremely satisfying combat, Dante’s Inferno is brimming with atmosphere. Dark and broody, Dante’s Inferno provides a very believable version of hell and in some places felt like classic Castlevania – full of atmosphere with a captivating orchestral score. On top of this the graphics are great, no texture pop, a very detailed environment, fantastic character design and moody lighting complete the full package that is Dante’s Inferno. Definitely one to watch.

Power restore:
Whenever you find yourself low on power, look for the nearest large body of water. It will restore your power.

Piranah plants:
The only way to eliminate these plants is to sneak up on them while
they’re sleeping, then bop them.

Bowser:
You will confront Bowser three times. Run behind him and grab his tail. While you are swinging him around to throw him, switch camera angles so you can see the spike bombs on the side of the arena. One hit on an exploding bombs will do him in, until the final confrontation, in which you must throw Bowser into a bomb three times.

First star:
To get the very first star, enter the doorway on the far left of the
castle (marked with a star). Give a hip smash to the post that Chomp is chained to, and when he breaks the fence he will release a star! You can now venture into any level with a “1″ on the door.

Flying level:
After you collect ten stars, stand on the sunburst in the Main Hallway and look up. You will be transported to a flying level. Activate the red switch to get the winged hat which lets Mario fly!

Clock stage:
On the clock stage, enter at 3, 6, or 9 o’clock for all the gears to stop working.

Sea world:
After completing most of the the Sea world, try coaxing the eel out of
his cave. He has a star attached to his tail.

Snow world:
When racing in the snow world, leap off the slide as soon as you start. if you can catch one of the lower slides, you will finish the slide ride ahead of the time limit. Also, look for a hidden area near the walls of this area.

Ice stage:
On the first ice stage, commence your slide, and on the first left turn, head for the line of coins. You’ll speed straight through into a hidden tunnel where two extra men are up for grabs.

Red sliding level:
Enter the red sliding level, and jump to the left just as you come out of the tunnel. If you time it correctly, you’ll land on a later part of the course, saving valuable seconds. Finish in less than 21 seconds for another star!

Mountain world:
After getting two stars in this level, go to the first tree. Climb up the tree and grab onto the owl that flies out. Let go when you see a star you can grab.

Mario’s hats:
Mario will find three different switch markers that will lead to different hats. The first is the flying hat, activated by the red switch. The second hat, the chrome hat, is activated by the green switch. This hat lets you walk under water. The third hat, activated by the blue switch, makes Mario invincible. Now Mario can take on really tough enemies and walk through certain walls!

Wet-dry world:
The height of your jump into the picture will determine the water level. For example, If you jump high, the water level is high.

Secret room:
Go into the castle, look for toad, jump on head and watch what happens.

Tall tall mountain:
Jump to where the cloud is then go to the wall where the then go to the second square in the wall and jump in it at the end find the star.if you die in the stage then you will automatically go back to the stage.

Get extra coins:
Find a tree stump and run around it 5 times. Coins should pop out.

“Breathe” under water:
Go in the water and keep your feet out of the water. If done correctly, you should not lose energy.

Play as Steve Burnside in battle mode
Get the Gold Lugers from the basement office in Disc 2. The correct combination is red, green, blue, and brown. You can also unlock Steve Burnside by performing well with the original Chris in battle mode.

Play as Albert Wesker in battle mode
Perform well with Chris in battle mode.

Play as alternate Claire in battle mode
Perform well with the original Claire in battle mode.

Linear launcher in battle mode
Get an “A” ranking with Chris, Steve Burnside, Albert Wesker and both versions of Claire in battle mode to unlock the linear launcher. It will appear in your inventory during the next battle mode game.

Rocket launcher
Get an “A” ranking in the normal game by completing it without saving, no first aid sprays, and no retries. Additionally, save Steve from the Luger quickly, give the Medicine to Rodrigo, and complete the game with a time less than 4:30. The rocket launcher will appear in the first item box in the next new game.

Safe Bet On Roulette Game:
I recommend you practice the Roulette first before you go and blow all of you money. Start with small bets and work your way up to the bigger amounts of money. At the roulette table in the Zelbess Casino you can cause the pointer to land on north every single time by following the steps.

As the pointer is spinning PAUSE the game while the pointer is between the South and West positions on the wheel. Now press and hold the Action button and the pointer will land on North every single time

Treasure Chest Trick:
Throughout the game, especially in the Viper Manor, there are many decoy treasure chest which are actually enemies. When you encounter them they tell you, you only have “one chance” to attack the correct one to recieve the prize they have. All you have to do to ensure yourself the prize is to randomly attack one. If you do not choose the right one the first time, just “run away” and repeat. You can do this as many times as you want at no cost. Enjoy!

Easy way to beat Dario:
This is a very easy way to beat Dario and get Serge’s most powerful weapon. First you have to go battle the Black Dragon and use Fargo to steal the armor called the “Black Plate”. Next equip the black plate on Serge after having beat all of the other dragons except for the White Dragon. To be able to fight Dario you have to battle Peppor and Solt where Garai once was. After the battle they give you an item used to make Dario regain his memory. One you have the item (again make sure that you have the Black Plate on serge, and Riddle in your party) go to the tiny island to the northeast of the big island called the Forbidden Island. Go in the hut and then battle Dario. The battle should be semi-easy as all of Dario’s magic when cast at Serge will heal him. Once the battle is over you should receive the Masamune. Side Note: Dario has about 3800 hp.

New Game+ feature
Successfully complete the game, then load the saved game. This will give you a “New Game+” feature. This game allows access to your old level, elements, and summons.

Hints
Infinite money, Dragoon’s Glory’s, Viper’s LvL 7 Tech Skill
After Serge is reborn, visit Termina (Home World) with Viper in your party. Talk to the barmaid, go into the back room, and examine the flag on the back wall. Viper will talk briefly about the flag and then take his LvL 7 Tech Skill, “FlagBearer” and a Dragoon’s Glory. Exit the room and re-enter. Examine the back wall with Viper still in your party. Even though there is no flag, Viper will say the same thing that he said before and will take another “FlagBearer” and Dragoon’s Glory. Repeat this as many times as needed. Each Dragoon’s Glory can be sold for 4,000 gold. The stats for Dragoons’s Glory is Atk. +3, Hit% +3%, Mgc. +2. You can also disassemble them for 1 Denadorite, 2 Scale, 2 Fur, and 2 Fang.

Always win at roulette
The following trick allows you to win the roulette game every time in the casino on the Zelbess. When the pointer begins to spin and the red tip is in between the west and the south points of the roulette wheel, pause the game. Then, repeatedly press Circle and resume the game. It will land on north every time, giving you double the money you wagered.

Feed all 100 dragons
Note: A controller with a turbo feature is needed for this trick. When you meet the man who feeds dragons in a barn, you can earn prizes depending on how many dragons you feed for him. To feed all 100, set the turbo feature on X and use the D-pad to move back and forth.

Feel elements
Use a Feel element and then use an element that is opposite of the color of the Feel element to inflict more damage to an opponent. For example, use Feel Yellow and then use a Green Element.

Summon
The field effect in the upper right corner has to be all one color to use a summon. For example, to cast a Blue Summon like Frog, the field effect has to be solid blue.

Get Mojo
In the “Home World”, get the shark tooth from the fisherman. Then in “Present World”, show the shark tooth to the scarecrow (Mojo) and he will join your party.

Get Guile
In Termina, talk to the statue polishing man, then go to Korcha (boat man). Talk to him and he will tell you to get a person to help you to get to Viper Manor. Go to the bar and Guile will be the man next to the locked door. Ask him, or you can get Pierre or Nikki.

Get Kid
After you talk to Lenna, go to Cape Howl. When you are leaving, Karsh will walk up to you and Kid will appear.

Get Glenn and Macha
Say “No” to save Kid when she is poisoned and get Glenn and Macha (Korcha mother). Glenn and Serge have an attack together called “X strike”.

Get Lenna
Say “No” after Cape Howl when Kid asks to join you. Go back and ask.

Give Bellflower to Glenn
Go to the moutntain after Cape Howl and walk around where there is a brown monster. Avoid it and walk to the purple flowers. Get them, and when you get to Termina, go to where Glenn’s brother and father are buried. He will be there with General Viper’s daughter. He will walk up and ask you to give them for free.

Hydra Humour for Kid
Press Start on the world map and change to “Home World” from Opassa Beach. Go to Hydra Swamp (dwarves place) to find a Hydra Humour

How to get the Chrono Cross:
To get the Chrono Cross go to Dragon Falls (Another) and use the two blue crystals pieces. Its only purpose is to get you the best ending.

Get All Characters:
Once you’ve beaten the game, use new game+ and play through until you get the Chrono Cross again. Next, go to Spriggan’s home dimension using the portal in the Hidora Swamp and use the Chrono Cross as soon as you get there. You will get all your characters back from your previous saved games.

How to get the moon glass’s:
After getting Glenn into Termina, move him and another party member (I used Guile) to hermit’s hideaway, and there you’ll fight Harle. When the battle begins, hit her with every white element you have, “X strike” is nice here, but the point of the matter is to kill her before she use’s “Moon Beams”, if you do this, you get the Moon Glass’s when you defeat her. They half all physical damage.

How to beat Dario w/o any special equipment:
All you have to do is have enough IceBlast elements to equip on every slot of each characters element grid, then use whatever attack combo you prefer, then use your strongest available IceBlast. This causes Dario to use Weaken, which takes up his turn. You can just keep doing this until Dario is defeated, without having one HP taken away from any of your party members!

How to get Harle permanently:
To get Harle permanently without losing her… do the following: Beat the game three times getting each set of characters (Guile, Nikki and Pierre). Don’t forget to alternate in saving and not saving Kid. Remember to beat the game with Harle in your party. This means you have to beat the game before you lose her. The forth time you beat the game, use the Chrono Cross and you’ll get Harle back permanently!

Hint:
In Viper Manor, in the battle screen with LI’L BOXER. When you chose attack, a side box appears that describes your apponits stat’s. Also in this box are Male & Female sign’s, always attack the Female and you’ll get the prize everytime.

New Game:
Finish the game, save & load the game. You can acess level, element & summon that you had before.