Jan 19, 2009

Gametap will be removing 97 games from it's free library on Thursday, making them available only to their subscribing members. As the current free library contains about 145 free games, this comes to a 67% reduction in size. Several of the notable titles in Gametap's lineup are included in this cut, including Tomb Raider Legend, Psychonauts and Deus Ex.

According to an email sent out by Square-Enix, the release date for Star Ocean: The Last Hope has been moved up from March 3rd to February 27th. The Japanese and European releases are remaining the same at February 19 and April 24, respectively.

It's been uncovered that Nintendo has patented a new gameplay methodology designed to squarely target non-gamers and bring them into the fold that 'hardcore' players have enjoyed for years. Made public today, the patent describes the new gameplay style as having a built-in hint system, enabling players to move past sections of a game that formerly proved difficult for them.

There is always an incredible amount of quality in the Independent Games Festival, and this year is no exception. Here are the indie games vying for the top prize this year:

Riding high on the success of their recent Street Fighter Tribute book, Udon Entertainment is teaming up with Capcom once again to do a new art book. Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, Udon and Capcom have decided to release a Darkstalkers Tribute in honor of this significant milestone. No further information is available at this time, the full announcement should come Thursday or Friday.