Welcome to the Black List, our regular retrospective on the week in games.

On MONDAY, we reported that APB players will have to endure in-game audio advertisements unless they’re willing to pay additional fees.

On TUESDAY, we posted an image of a gorilla wearing a pair of night vision goggles. Apparently it has something to do with Mindjack.

On WEDNESDAY, we realised that Namco are preparing the worst possible birthday present for Pac-Man.

On THURSDAY, we oiled up for a good look at the Warriors: Legends of Troy trailer.

On FRIDAY, we covered the announcement of Journey, the ambitious successor to the award winning Flower.

Thanks for reading.

Erin Marcon

Editor

E3 Originals

The Black Panel profiles the new IPs announced at this year’s event.

NeverDead l Child of Eden l Devil’s Third l Mindjack l Journey

Sony has unveiled the latest project from thatgamecompany, the studio responsible for the critically acclaimed Flower. Like its predecessor, Journey is being pitched as a thoughtful and emotionally resonant work.

While its core gameplay remains something of a mystery, it has been established that we will explore a vast desert, collect items and, eventually, glide high above the dunes. As you travel, you will encounter other players. Perhaps you’ll work together for a time, if only to experience a measure of companionship.

Journey creative director Jenova Chen believes that, as a people, we have grown insular and obsessed by technology. By exposing us to the perils of the natural world, he aims to restore our sense of wonder and encourage us to interact with our fellow players. “Struggling against the dangerous nature together, somehow, makes us warm and powerful inside,” he says.

Journey will be a PlayStation Network exclusive. A release date is yet to be announced.

Tecmo Koei has announced a release date of November 2010 for the next game in the Dynasty Warriors series, Warriors: Legends of Troy. Available on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the Wii snubbing action game promises epic battles and a larger amount of graphic violence than previous instalments.

As suggested in the title the story revolves around the battle of Troy as described in The Iliad, with two unique storylines covering both the Greek and Trojan perspectives. Players can take on the roles of the Greek heroes Achilles or Odysseus, or the Trojan princes Hektor and Paris, with more heroes promised. And unlike the movie Troy from Wolfgang Peterson, it will also feature the Greek Gods and the monsters at their command. Actually, Troy is obviously a major influence, with a scene in the E3 trailer matching a scene from the movie almost word for word.

Judging from the trailer the game seems to promise a high amount of action, with the player hurling his sword at an enemy, bashing his shield into anyone stupid enough to get in his way, and even leaping 300 style into battle. And yes it looks pretty, but that is expected from trailer of cut scenes. Give us some more gameplay footage, please.

I’m a huge fan of this period of history and Greek mythology, so I can usually be counted on to buy any game to feature them but at the moment I’m in ‘wait and see mode’ for Tecmo Koei’s latest offering.