• The 9th annual Gran Turismo Awards at SEMA Show in Las Vegas on will be held on November 3 with Stone Temple Pilots headlining.
• Wondering which version of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations to get because there are so many? Rock, Paper, Shotgun has you covered with a nice infographic.
• News on the Dragon Quest X beta is coming next week.
• There’s a banging interview with Daniel Oberlerchner, senior brand manager for Deep Silver on Risen 2 over on Spong.
• SD Gundam G Generation 3D screenshots are through here.
• New Little King’s Story was a licensing deal and Konami is in charge of game direction, apparently.
• An interview on The King Of Fighters XIII is over on the PS Blog.
• Seth Killian has clarified Street Fighter x Tekken’s controversial Gem System.
• Professor Layton Royale is a social RPG where you can be a thief or a detective.

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Speaking in an interview with Strategy Informer, Oberlerchner said having the optimum experience across all platforms is what studios should strive for instead, due to what he feels is a “technology gap,” between PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

“Some studios say they are going to have the same quality across all platforms, which is to say you take the weakest platform – the Xbox 360 – and you have the same crappy textures for the Playstation 3 and the PC,” he said.

“It was just a couple of weeks ago there was a PC game that was… well, I don’t really want to go into details, but our decision is that we want to have a really hi-res experience on the PC. There is no reason why we should create hi-res textures, then just make them blurry for a console version, then put everything back on the PC again – it doesn’t make any sense.

“We want to make sure everything is maxed out on every platform – for example on the Playstation 3, it is a bit better in terms of Aliasing, but then extra memory is going to be better on the Xbox 360 because the PS3 doesn’t have direct memory – so it has to share everything. So it’s going to be different, but it’s going to be the same game, with the same features.”

Risen 2 launches for PC, PS, and Xbox 360 in 2012. Check out Stace’s impressions of the game here.

Thanks, EvilAvatar.

In the game, players will be able to switch easily between ranged guns over to melee weapons, which will hopefully help you find any weak spots to exploit in your favor.

One of the special attacks shown in the screens is of the character kicking a giant crab with really nasty teeth over on its back to render them helpless.

Risen 2: Dark Waters will be released on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Deep Silver hasn’t announced a release date just yet.

Known as Risen 2: Dark Waters, the game seems to be a pirate-themed fantasy RPG and might not have any connections with its predecessor.

Although, there’s absolutely nothing known about the game right now, the first screenshots of the game has also crept up and they do hint strongly that you’re going to be a pirate in the game.

Piranha Bytes have also put up an official website for the game and you can expect a formal announcement soon.

You can check out the screenshots below.

Thanks,Gamersmint.

Deep Silver’s apologised on its forums after running out of keys for Risen on Steam.

The RPG was half-price on Steam over the weekend for £9.99, down from £19.99. The offer is still on until 6.00pm GMT tonight.

But the sale turned out to be even too successful for Deep Silver, who ran out of keys for players to get for their copy. DS said it experienced an “unexpected ‘tsunami of orders’ which nobody could anticipate in such a magnitude.”

Deep Silver’s promised that more keys will be available today.

Thanks. BigDownload and D’Toid.

Deep Silver, the games label of Koch Media, announced today that it has cemented the North American publishing rights for the Xbox 360 version of Risen.

The Piranha Bytes-developed RPG features over 60 hours of exploration and adventuring in open-world medieval environments – in case you didn’t know already.

Originally released on PC last October, the game’s central story can be experienced in different ways, depending on the in-game decisions players make.

The game sailed to number one on the D2D charts during launch week, and you can still get the demo through the official website.

Game’s expected to be released sometime this month.

Piranha Bytes has released a hotfix for Risen.

The international patch fixes issues with the gray veil with Nvidia video cards series GeForce 6 and 7.

You can get the patch via FileFront, and The Patches Scrolls.

Direct2Drive’s latest Top 10 best selling PC games downloaded for week ending October 3 has Risen at the number one spot.

Fallen Earth rose to the number two spot, while Aion’s standard edition dropped to number three, and the collector’s edition to number five.

Five of the titles on the list were on sale for $5, so that should be taken into account as well.

Here’s the full thing, courtesy of BigDownload:

1. Risen
2. Fallen Earth
3. Aion
4. Mount and Blade ($5 Sale)
5. Aion Collector’s Edition
6. World of Goo ($5 Sale)
7. Champions Online
8. BioShock ($5 Sale)
9. Defense Grid: The Awakening ($5 Sale)
10. Civilization 4 ($5 Sale)

Deep Silver and Piranha Bytes released a demo for Risen today.

It contains some adventures on the island of Faranga and allows users to test how well the full version of Risen will run on their PCs.

The demo includes the introduction of the game where the nameless hero survives a shipwreck in a storm and lands on the shore of the Island of Faranga.

Risen is expected for release on PC tomorrow.

Piranha Bytes has announced that its RPG Risen has gone gold for PC and will be released on October 2, as expected.

However, its publisher Deep Silver has revealed that the Xbox 360 version has been moved to an early 2010 release.

No reason was given for the delay.

Via Shack.

Reaction to Risen being refused classification in Australia has caused the president of the Game Developers Association of Australia to describe the rating system as “awful”, “ridiculous” and “antiquated”.

“We are once again caught in this awful, ridiculous web of the antiquated classification system that we all have to endure,” Tom Crago stated in a radio interview. “Here in Australia the sooner that changes, the better; it is obviously a battle to ensure common sense prevails. We will get there eventually, but in the meantime as gamers in Australia we suffer, and to be honest we are embarrassed at how backward our government is.

“We are the butt of a lot of jokes. I travel; obviously a lot, talking to other developers and publishers and people cannot believe it that we still have this ridiculous system here in Australia, designed twenty or thirty years ago, and hasn’t changed since.”

Crago added that an R rating added to the mix would help matters, as all games must adhere to the requirements for an age 15 rating, further stating that “the law needs to evolve and move with the times”.

“The way I look at it, ultimately the war is won, we will get there in the end, and it’s just a case of counting the days until common sense prevails.”

Thanks, GI.biz.

Andy Serkis and John Rhys Davies head the cast for Piranha Bytes’ latest RPG, Risen.

Serkis takes the role of The Inquisitor, John Rhys Davies performs as Don Esteban, Lena Headey, (Sarah Connor Chronicles) takes the role of Patty.

Fincher is played by Burn Gorman, Brendan Coyle takes the role of Commandant Carlos, Damian O’Hare plays Olf, Simon Greenall plays Luis, Oscar is played by Donald McCorkindale and Stuart Organ plays Brogar.

The Archers actress, Louiza Patikas represents Sara and Timothy Watson from Eastenders and Casualty takes the role of Romanov.

“The quality of the voice casting reflects the quality of the game” stated Koch Meida’s Paul Nicholls. “With such an amazing lineup of talent from movies and TV, there is a voice everyone will recognize; we will attract a new generation of RPG players to the genre”.

Game’s out for PC and Xbox 360 October 2.

Full press release below.

Risen Voice Talent Cast Revealed

Deep Silver, the games label of Koch Media, a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products, today confirms the A-list voice talent featuring in forthcoming RPG Risen.

One of the busiest actors in the UK, Andy Serkis takes the role of The Inquisitor. Serkis, who has had a long and varied acting career, is best known for his CG character representations Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong in the movie of the same name. Veteran British actor, John Rhys Davies, who has starred in countless blockbuster movies such as Indiana Jones and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, performs as Don Esteban. Movie actress Lena Headey, who played Sarah Connor in Terminator TV spin-off Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles take the role of Patty. “The quality of the voice casting reflects the quality of the game” stated Paul Nicholls, Sales and Marketing Director, Koch Media UK “with such an amazing lineup of talent from movies and TV, there is a voice everyone will recognize; we will attract a new generation of RPG players to the genre”.

Serkis, Rhys-Davies and Headey are joined by a lineup of some of the most recognisable British TV actors; Fincher is played by Torchwood actor Burn Gorman, Larkrise to Candleford star Brendan Coyle takes the role of Commandant Carlos, Damian O’Hare who starred in medical drama The Royal plays Olf. I’m Alan Partridge regular and Star Stories narrator Simon Greenall plays Luis. Oscar is played by Grange Hill actor Donald McCorkindale while fellow Grange Hill actor and Secret Diaries of a Call Girl star Stuart Organ plays Brogar. The Archers actress, Louiza Patikas represents Sara and Timothy Watson who has starred in countless TV dramas from Eastenders to Casualty takes the role of Romanov

All the actors were cast and recorded by award winning London agency Side, with voice direction carried out by Andrew S Walsh.

Developed by Piranha Bytes and releasing on Xbox 360 and PC, this epic role playing game is set in a medieval world on a volcanic Mediterranean island. The “Risen” story unfolds over four chapters and will offer multiple ways to develop the story depending on the player’s actions and decisions. An innovative and intuitive user control interface will support both casual and hardcore gamers. With full world streaming support, Risen offers a seamless experience while playing in a fully simulated game world with authentic characters.

Risen will be released for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and Windows® PC. More information about Risen at http://risen.deepsilver.com.

About Piranha Bytes
The Piranha Bytes development team, residing in the Ruhr Area, was established in 1997. Approximately 20 people have been a part of this team in its current form since 2002. Piranha Bytes has so far acquired fame even beyond German borders with its RPG successes „Gothic“ (2001), „Gothic II“ (2002), „Gothic – Night of the Raven“ (2003) and „Gothic 3“ (2006). www.piranha-bytes.com

About Deep Silver
Deep Silver develops and distributes interactive games for all platforms. The Deep Silver label means to captivate all gamers who have a passion for thrilling gameplay in exciting game worlds. Deep Silver works with its partners to achieve a maximum of success while maintaining the highest possible quality, always focusing on what the customer desires. Deep Silver products are designed to equally appeal to pros and beginners, children and adults.

Piranha Bytes’ newest RPG, Risen, has been refused classification in Australia and the game’s distributor has not decided whether it will appeal the decision or edit the game to get an MA15+ rating.

According to a spokesperson from Madman Interactive, the Classification Board felt the game contained “sexual activity and drug use related to incentives or rewards”.

Over on the North American side, the ESRB’s description of the game says it contains foul language, drug usage, and implied sexual activity at a brothel.

Here’s the description:

During the course of the game, players can interact with prostitutes (referred to as “whores” in the game) at a local brothel. Players can trigger a lengthy dialogue to engage in their services; sexual activity is strongly implied, but never depicted on screen. Many of the characters in the game smoke a fictional drug called “brugleweed.” The “wood reefer” plant is described as having a mild relaxing effect on users, and can be bought, sold, and used by players. Some profanity (e.g., “f*ck” and “sh*t”) can be heard in the dialogue.

Risen’s expected to land on PC and Xbox 360 come October 2.

More over on Kotaku Australia.

Risen is coming to PC and Xbox 360 on October 2, and to get you pumped for it, Piranha Bytes has released a new video for the game.

It shows off the environments, a bit of gameplay and has Nightwish jamming in the background.

Granted, the music seems to fit the theme of the trailer, until Emppu Vuorinen’s speed riffs kick-in.

Still, the game looks lovey so far.

Watch it after the break courtesy of Gamespot.

Piranha Bytes has announced that its latest RPG, Risen, will be released on October 2 for PC and Xbox 360.

The folks who brought you Gothic currently have the game in Beta, and are in the process of getting rid of those pesky bugs.

To make sure it’s ready to ship, three quality assurance teams are working on the game – one directly at Piranha Bytes, one at Deep Silver, plus an additional external studio.

Just in case you haven’t heard of it, Risen is set in a medieval world on a volcanic Mediterranean island, and offers multiple ways to develop the four-part story by your own actions and decisions.

Ancient temple ruins recently have risen from the ground, and bizarre creatures infest the island.

The screens for it look pretty, anyway.

Press release is through the break.

The RPG from the makers of Gothic has entered the Beta phase

Risen will make its international debut on October 02, 2009. The new RPG from the inventors of Gothic, Piranha Bytes, has already entered the Beta phase and is now being honed to perfection. Risen will be available for PC and Xbox 360®, the video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®.

“The release date for Risen enables us to introduce the game to the market in the best possible condition,” says Daniel Oberlerchner, Brand Manager at Deep Silver. “We have been in the Beta phase here for several weeks, and now our focus lies on eliminating the remaining bugs.”

The contents of Risen are already complete, and all dialogs have been recorded. A total of three quality assurance teams are working on the game – one directly at Piranha Bytes, one at Deep Silver, plus an additional external studio.

About Risen:
This epic role playing game is set in a medieval world on a volcanic Mediterranean island, The “Risen” story unfolds over four chapters and will offer multiple ways to develop the story by his own actions and decisions. An innovative and intuitive user control interface will support both casual and hardcore gamers. With full world streaming support, the player will have a seamless experience while playing in a fully simulated game world with authentic characters.

Risen will be released for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows® operating system. More information about Risen on http://risen.deepsilver.com

About Piranha Bytes
The Piranha Bytes development team, residing in the Ruhr Area, was established in 1997. Approximately 20 people have been a part of this team in its current form since 2002. Piranha Bytes has so far acquired fame even beyond German borders with its RPG successes „Gothic“ (2001), „Gothic II“ (2002), „Gothic – Night of the Raven“ (2003) and “Gothic 3“ (2006). www.piranha-bytes.com