Sydney's landfill shortage reaches crisis point.

Existing Xbox 360 titles are unlikely to receive Natal compatibility patches, according to a report published on Destructoid. Older titles such as Burnout Paradise and Beautiful Katamari were used to showcase the gesture-based control system following its announcement at E3 earlier this year. However, Microsoft’s Kudo Tsunoda has now confirmed that the process required extensive customisation of the existing code.  He therefore concluded that a software update would not be as practical as a comprehensive re-releases of an older game.

This development follows Microsoft’s Tokyo Game Show announcement that several of the world’s leading publishers were planning to support Natal. Unsurprisingly, western publishers such as Activision, Electronic Arts and THQ were listed among the ‘early adopters’. Perhaps more intriguing, given the low profile of the Xbox 360 in Japan, was the inclusion of Konami, Namco Bandai and Square Enix.

Of course, the extent to which these publishers support the peripheral remains to be seen. If it is treated as an afterthought rather than a core aspect of game design, Natal is destined for failure. For this reason alone, I’m far from dismayed that compatibility patches are off the agenda. Of course, the same cannot be said for Sony’s new motion sensing controller, as we reported last week.

Sony have unveiled a new trailer for Team ICO’s highly anticipated The Last Guardian. Eager fans whetted their appetite for the game when the trailer was exhibited at the recent Tokyo Game Show.

For the uninitiated, The Last Guardian is the third release from Team ICO. The studio’s PlayStation 2 titles, ICO (2002) and Shadow of the Colossus (2005), became cult hits and showcased the talents of designer and director Fumito Ueda.

A PS3 exclusive, The Last Guardian, promises lush and immersive environments.

Ueda has proclaimed he wanted to create “a strange and fantastic world”. The attention to aesthetics is amazing from the blades of grass moving in the wind to the shifting of the clouds above. Coupled with a meticulous soundtrack of crackling fire, happily chirping birds and an evocative score, it will not take gamers long to be absorbed into Ueda’s world.

From the brief snippets you see here, The Last Guardian has a Never Ending Story feel, with a young boy encountering a strange birdlike creature. Befriending this unusual animal is integral to solving puzzles and progressing through the narrative. This does not happen automatically, mind you. The player must initially win the trust of the animal to receive any help. In the long term you are expected to care for your new friend by providing him with food and treating his wounds. That seems fair.

Ueda is excited about The Last Guardian and no doubt fans of Team ICO will be too. It’s due for release in 2010.

There's nothing quite so civilised as an afternoon nap.

BioWare has released a promotional video introducing Zevran, a lecherous elf set to appear in the studio’s forthcoming Dragon Age: Origins. Though seemingly aligned with a murderous guild known as the Antican Crows, it appears that the Zevran will instead offer his services to the player character.

Dragon Age is the latest sword and sorcery epic from the developer responsible for Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights… and I couldn’t be less interested. While the studio has delivered some truly enthralling RPGS in recent years, this appears to be BioWare at its least imaginative.

Judging by the material released thus far, we’re being offered a generic fantasy populated with the usual assortment of elves, dwarves, warriors and rogues. The female characters are draped in impractical costumes specifically designed to arouse the lonely and desperate. While some may tolerate (or even celebrate) the archetypes of the genre, I think the studio responsible for Mass Effect should continue to challenge both itself and its audience.

Having said that, BioWare is promising to deliver a genuinely divergent storyline in which players are forced to carefully weigh the consequences of their actions. Storytelling has long been the studio’s strength, so perhaps Dragon Age will surprise me yet.

Look for Dragon Age: Origins on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this November.

"I knight thee, Sir... Oh dear. Sorry about that."

Love your RPGs? Can’t get enough of those time eating puzzle games? Have we got some news for you? Square Enix has announced Gyromancer, a downloadable title for Steam and the Xbox Live Arcade. The Final Fantasy giants have joined forces with casual gaming experts PopCap Games to create what it describes as “an all new experience”.

Hold on, you say. There’s something strangely familiar about all this. You’re probably remembering Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. This RPG puzzle hybrid was developed by Australia’s own Infinite Interactive and first released in 2007 for the DS and PSP. Square Enix and PopCap games aren’t looking so ground breaking after all.

For those unfamiliar with this not so new genre, you traverse the world of an RPG whilst resolving conflicts in a puzzle arena. The puzzle elements in Gyromancer are heavily based on PopCap’s successful Bejewelled series. If only all conflict in life could be solved with a puzzle-off.

Thus far, there is no official release date for Gyromancer and no official understanding of what exactly a Gyromancer is by this author.