Let’s start with the hardware. The new iPad with its quad core GPU is already capable of powering a display that is even higher in resolution than a full HD display. So it is safe to say that that the next version of Apple’s SoC, the A6, will be a fairly capable piece of silicon that should be able to deliver at least the same quality of games that the 7 year old Xbox 360 and 6 year old PS3 currently do. Apple is already using a cut-down version of the A5 CPU on Apple TV so upgrading to a full A6 SoC on the next version of ATV won’t be much of an issue.

The next thing Apple needs is a gaming controller which they obviously don’t have at the moment. However, one of the articles from Anandtech suggested that Apple is indeed working on a gaming controller for iOS. While many people might start thinking in the direction of an iPad or iPhone, remember Apple TV is also based on iOS. Apple can easily utilize Bluetooth for pairing up the controller to Apple TV- maybe even use the latest low powered 4.0 standard already present on the iPhone 4S.

Last and certainly not the least, you need a gaming ecosystem. Guess what? You already have that in the form of App Store- much like Microsoft has Xbox Live and Sony has SEN. Games like Infinity Blade and Epoch are pushing non-casual gaming on the iOS further and further and with studios like EA and Ubisoft, Apple already has support from the gaming industry. In fact, there are rumors of Blizzard entering the iOS market; and then a supposed visit by Tim Cook to Valve adds fuel to the fire, even though Gabe Newell denied it.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who can see all the pieces of the puzzle coming together. At $99, the Apple TV is even more affordable than a $160 Nintendo Wii and becomes an impulse purchase. Games on the App Store are also much cheaper than their console counterparts- yes, I know they are cut-down or alternate versions but last-year devices can play games like Max Payne so imagine what next year’s silicon will bring?

So don’t be surprised if Apple repositions the Apple TV as not just a multi-media player but also a full blown system capable of playing games that are as good as the current-gen consoles games.

Malicious is a 3D action game and a very Japanese one at that. It’s short, focused and extremely fun once you get the hang of it… or if you get the hang of it. Your character commands a ‘spirited vessel’, which is a humanoid model wearing a shapeshifting cape that doubles as everything from weapons to shields. Your mission is effectively to slay a series of guardians. You can access these guardians via an in-game stage select arena. As you defeat each of the guardians, you gain new weapons, powers and moves to help you along your way (a bit like the Mega Man system). Some weapons are more effective against some bosses so the order does matter, but essentially, with enough skill, any boss can be defeated at any given time in the game (barring the final boss of course).

Malicious’ battle system is largely hack‘n’slash but with a distinct edge. Your character can alternate between long-ranged projectiles and close-combat melee, neither of which are really effective without infusing the attack with aura. You can gain aura by defeating enemies, chaining combos or blocking an attack at just the right time. What enemies you say? Each boss arena is scattered with hundreds of enemies that respawn infinitely. This means, while battles are naturally more challenging since you are obscenely outnumbered, you always have a source of the all essential aura. There is also no health bar to speak of and so to monitor mortality, you’ll need to count your vessel’s limbs. Grim as that may sound, it is actually executed quite elegantly, supporting the premise of your character model being but a mere hollow vessel. If you are without arms and on one leg, then you know it’s time to heal…and how do you heal? You guessed it – aura.

As I’ve stated repeatedly in this review, Malicious is a lot of fun but it is often let down by a number technical issues and general inconsistencies. While the camera is always on cue to spoil the fun, the game’s lock-on system is truly the main culprit. It is easy enough locking-on and off in general, it’s an impossible task cycling between targets or even specifying targets. With anywhere between 10 to 100 enemies on the screen, there is no fool-proof way to specify targets. The system chooses the enemy closest to you by default and also prompts quick target swaps when certain enemies are about to attack but neither solution is convincing or helpful in dire situations. Even the camera behavior when locked-on to targets is far from optimal. For example, if you are locked-on to a fast moving or teleporting target then confusion is the best you can hope for, with an epileptic seizure being amongst the worst. I cannot say that camera and targeting frustrations have little impact on your experience, because they will test your patience. However, if you are willing to persist and adapt, you will find enough to appreciate and move on.

That said, Malicious is by no means a long game. Boss battles are timed at a maximum of 30 minutes and with 6 battles to boot, you are looking at a game that forces you to complete it in less than 3 hours. However, considering that it retails at a modest sum of around 37 AED, there is just about enough content to justify the price. Leaderboard enthusiasts will also try to up the style and hit crazy online score records, if the skills permit. Most of us however will not, settling for a casual night of mass eradication.

Malicious is not a perfect game but more deserving of attention than it currently gets. I suspect that has as much to do with lackluster buzz generation by the publishers than anything else. Perhaps it’ll get more attention when its Vita iteration launches, if online rumors are to be trusted. However this brings me to another point: Japanese game developers have come under a lot of criticism of late and while I maintain my belief that a lot of this criticism is unjust, I do believe some studios’ general lack of faith in their products appealing to western markets is hindering their reputation. As I stated already, Malicious is by no means perfect, but it is one of the most entertaining downloadable PS3 games I’ve played in a while.

1. Huge open world

The world of Dragon’s Dogma, while not as expansive as Skyrim, offers plenty to explore. The vast terrain and variety in locations available presents great sense of exploration and adventuring. The same drive that had you striving to reach every area in Skyrim is similarly available here, and will play a key factor in how attached you become to the game.

2. Day/Night Cycles

Dragon’s Dogma’s world operates on a full 24-hour Day/Night cycle. This means that the game has an internal clock that changes and affects the world. The Day/Night shift is not for mere aesthetic purposes but it rather plays a huge part in the game’s system. It’s always recommended for you to accomplish your quests while the Sun is still up whenever possible. This is because when night time arrives things get real nasty. Different much more powerful creatures appear at night, ones that you will often have a very hard time fighting against. This cycle system creates an interesting spin on how you would manage your in-game time to accomplish your quests as efficiently as possible while avoiding the night.

3. The Pawn system

The Pawn system is something that is quite unique to Dragon’s Dogma. Pawns are basically servants that can be hired by the main character of the game to aid you throughout your adventures. Your main Pawn is the one you create yourself at first, tailoring him/her to your own liking from appearance to personality. While this may sound at first like a regular companion found in other Western RPGs, Pawns actually have their own personalities and often speak or give advice to you on your journey. To top that off, your main Pawn can be shared with other players online so that he/she can explore different areas and come back with stories and information that can aid you in the game. While Dragon’s Dogma is solely a single player game, the Pawn mechanism offers the ability to connect with different people in a unique and fresh method.

4. Mix of Strategic and fast paced combat

The combat in the game offers the best of both worlds. In other words, while the combat feels fluid and it also offers enough depth making sure what you do actually matters rather than it being mindless hack and slash. The combat feels similar to the one found in the Souls series, but is less punishing and much faster in terms of speed. Dragon’s Dogma also introduces the ability to actually jump on creatures you fight and hang on to them. For example, while fighting a Griffin in the demo I was able jump on its back while it was ascending to the air. This made the combat experience very different than regular ground fights as you were struggling to keep hanging on while trying to bring down the creature at the same time. All of these different elements shape Dragon’s Dogma idea to demonstrate its own take on how combat is supposed to be done in Action-RPGs.

5. Tons of content available

In order to finish the main game it’s going to take you 40-50 hours of playtime. While if you want to complete more side quests and explore the whole world of the game then you are looking at 100+ hours of playtime. This means that the game has a ton of content to offer and will keep you engaged for a long period of time.

The demo of Dragon’s Dogma is currently out on both XBL and PSN, while the final game comes out on May 22nd in NA and May 25th in EU. Be sure to check it out and tell us what you think in the comment section!

In an interview with IGN, Jaffe revealed that as far as he knows, Eat Sleep Play, the development team behind the gruesome racer, has no plans to release new downloadable content for the game.

“No one has asked me [about working on DLC],” he said. “I don’t know what Eat Sleep Play is working on other than I’m pretty sure they’re not working on DLC for Twisted Metal. My understanding is that there is no plan for DLC for Twisted Metal, and I don’t see that changing in the foreseeable future.”

He joked that players who are holding their breathe for a DLC aren’t making a “wise health choice.”

So, what about Twisted Metal, then? Should players just bin it and move on? Jaffe said a Kickstarter could be a choice but that’s unlikely to happen.

“I’m sure [co-director] Scott [Campbell] out in Utah would be more than open to hearing a proposal if Sony would, but I don’t see it happening,” he said.

Jaffe has since split up with Eat Sleep Play to work on other of his projects. He has yet to announce what they are though.

“We are concentrating 100% on making the PS3 version LittleBigPlanet Karting the very best it can be, wrote game designer William Ho on the PlayStation Blog. “We are not working on a Vita version at this time.”

Elsewhere, Ho stated that LittleBigPlanet Karting would support a variety of controls, and the company will be supporting the game post-launch with DLC. Check a new video below, featuring Ho himself with gameplay footage thrown in the mix.

The company outed the game and stuck an age-rating of 16, suggesting that the old school action-RPG would make its pass to Sony’s current platform. Square Enix didn’t announce a remake of Deus Ex, so the game will presumably show up on PSN as a downloadable PS2 classic.

The original Deus Ex was originally released for PlayStation 2 almost ten years ago, specifically in March 2002. It was a port of the popular PC game, but included additional features such as motion-captured character models, improved graphics as well as auto-aim.

The downloadable content will be a timed Xbox 360-exclusive and is scheduled to release this Summer. Bethesda has promised more details at E3.

A recent patch contained files that hinted at potential content in the upcoming DLC, such as crossbows, snow elves and a character or a pet called RF.