New Games |
- Halo Waypoint getting a huge update for Halo Anniversary
- Hiko-Osu custom puzzle has OH WOW THAT'S MY FACE
- Watch someone run through Dark Souls in under 90 minutes
- Tips from the pros on how to make funny videogame films
- Shock and awe(some): Saints Row: The Third trailer
- Anyone gonna donate to make the AVGN movie a reality?
- The DTOID Show: Yell At Master Chief & Skyrim Impressions
- October 25 is PixelJunk SideScroller day in the US
- Introversion shelves Subversion, announces new project
- SimCity's $9.99 sale for Herman Cain’s tax 9-9-9 plan
- The Secret World dubs this Week of the Dragon
- Sega says 'all hope not lost' for Valkyria 3 US release
- The Iconoclasts blasts your ass with sass brass and class
- Sonic Generations getting a second demo October 25
- What is this strange Xbox 360 countdown timer for?
- DCUO: Diary of a Green Lantern Corps reservist
- EB Expo 2011: Mario Kart 7 hands-on
- After eight years, XIII is getting a new game!
- Review: Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken
| Halo Waypoint getting a huge update for Halo Anniversary Posted: 17 Oct 2011 04:30 PM PDT
With the release of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo Waypoint will be seeing a major overhaul in terms of its web interface and the Windows Phone version's usability and new features. The web version will see fixes to the layout of the site, how content is pushed up by the community and the forums getting fixed from community feedback. One new major feature is the ability to set "custom challenges" for any mode that you and your friends can gain Halo: Reach credits for achieving. Here's where it gets awesome. In conjunction with the Windows Phone Mango update, Halo Waypoint's Windows Phone version will also be getting the same treatment as the web version except for one major difference. By some voodoo magic it will be able to streamline information from your console and will be able to display a live top-down feed of where each of your teammates are and if they are in danger or already dead. It will be called the "Advanced Tactical Assault System," ATLAS for short, and will be available for all Halo: Reach maps and the new Anniversary maps as well. Speaking of the new Halo Anniversary maps, 343 sent over some screenshots of the newly announced High Noon map, which is a remake of arguably one of the best Halo: CE maps ever, Hang 'em High. You can check those out in the gallery below and while you're at it you can check out another video of the new big update coming to the Halo Waypoint website.
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| Hiko-Osu custom puzzle has OH WOW THAT'S MY FACE Posted: 17 Oct 2011 04:00 PM PDT I used to make an animated show where I talked to videogame characters about the big issues of the day, and a few people liked it. Apparently one of those people was Josh Thomas of The Bit Block. Josh made this custom level in the 3DS eShop title Hiko-Osu based on my pixel-animated face. I'm assuming Josh made it using a Japanese 3DS, as I don't think the game has hit other territories yet. As you can see, the game has a soothing, Catherine/IloMilo vibe to it, and should be worth the download for those of you who can appreciate the simple joys of puzzle platforming in glasses-free 3D. It's also by the creators of the Paper Mario games, so if you want to show those guys you love them, buying this game may do the trick. I'll be buying it just to make a level based on Josh Thomas' face. | |
| Watch someone run through Dark Souls in under 90 minutes Posted: 17 Oct 2011 03:30 PM PDT It didn't take long at all for a post-worthy run of Dark Souls to make the rounds. Yeah, you might just want to save this for later (perhaps much later) if you aren't very far into the game yourself. At least for me, the sense of exploration -- and, as a result, dread -- is what appeals most. That, and being able to tell stories about your in-game conquests. Even if that story is merely a tale about how you were an efficient hero interested in only killing the big demons. And since this is as good of place as any to ask, where are you in Dark Souls? I genuinely want to know! After about 37 hours, I think I'm ready to see what's up with Lost Izalith. Watch Dark Souls beaten in less than an hour-and-a-half [VG247 via @mrdurandpierre] | |
| Tips from the pros on how to make funny videogame films Posted: 17 Oct 2011 03:00 PM PDT See that video up there? It's got over 150K views so far, and it's been out for a little over a week. For the internet, that's not too bad. How does one go about getting a video like this produced, distributed, and that many views in that short of a time? Well, I'm still trying to figure that out myself. None of my series (Sundays with Sagat, Constructoid, Talking to Women about Videogames, or various event coverage videos) have ever done those kinds of numbers. If you're like me, and you'd like to know more about how to make a wildly popular internet video, read on for my Q&A with the creators of Mr. Kong. Are all the performers in your films SAG approved thespians? If not, how hard would it be to score a roll in your next feature? We don't think any of our actors are in SAG. None of us are in any guilds of any kind, unless you count the blacksmiths...of which this video had eight dues paying members. And anyone can be in our internet videos. You just have to be extremely talented, willing to work for free pizza and live in New York City. (Also as a disclaimer - We aren't making a whole feature... just the trailer. Unless you know someone at 20th Century Fox.) What gave you the idea to take a more sympathetic look at Donkey Kong; a sexually semi-assaultive Gorilla-villain who throws barrels at anyone who dares to come near him? We wanted to put the DK character into the workplace comedy genre, so we decided to go with an Office Space style loser. Someone who toils away at an average job and then when he gets screwed over, snaps. I think everyone can identify with a shitty office job. We'd also like to give the question maker 10 points for using the word "semi-assaultive." Are there any other games from the "guys running around on scaffolding getting killed by falling objects" genre that you might turn into a live-action comedies? Burger Time perhaps? No games from the extremely specific genre you named BUT we would love to make more of these trailers based on classic video games. It's super fun and they seem to be well recieved. How long are you planning for the full length Mr Kong feature to be? Like I mentioned. We are not actually making the whole feature. Just the trailer. BUT if we did make it, it'd be close to 4 hours long and would have a lot of time travel involved. What's the hardest thing about making these sorts of films? The hardest thing about making these sorts of film projects is making sure we get all our information right. When parodying something like this, something that's loved by so many people for so long, we want to make sure we are doing it justice. There are so many little aspects and details to these games that everybody knows and loves, we got to make sure we include as much as we can, and correctly. We've got to be able to tear apart each detail down to the mustaches, and bring it to life. What's the best advice you could give to someone who's hoping to make their own successful short films and/or internet series? When making videos like this for an internet audience we always try to keep it short, keep it original, and keep it funny. Which can be hard if you want to make videos like this because of all the information you have to try and squeeze in there. But you want to make sure people aren't bored with your project. Try and surprise people with different things. Thats where you can find a lot of the humor as well. Any chance for a Tommy Wiseau cameo in the final feature? Maybe as Funky Kong? We would LOVE for a Tommy Wiseau cameo. In anything we do. Any chance we can work with Tommy Wiseau we would definitely take it. The fact that we haven't yet is TEARING US APART LISA! Anything you really want our readers to know about Mr Kong, or any of your other projects? Mr. Kong was a blast to make. Everyone we work with on these kind of projects, from the actors to the people that help us out behind the scenes, are all super talented, top notch people. It takes a solid team and network of people to keep the process of making these videos so fun. And as long as we got that, you can expect a whole lot more from Captain Hippo. (Check us out at www.captainhippo.com) | |
| Shock and awe(some): Saints Row: The Third trailer Posted: 17 Oct 2011 02:30 PM PDT
I see what you did there, Volition. Even if you don't regularly keep up on first-person shooters, most of the ones set in the present have developed a certain style when it comes to trailers. Leave it to Saints Row: The Third to step in and poke fun at the situation in such a way that many of us can enjoy. Particularly love the "actual game footage." I'm also interested in that sky fortress. The Mile High Club was one of my favorite parts of Just Cause 2 -- really glad to see more open-world games embrace vertical space. | |
| Anyone gonna donate to make the AVGN movie a reality? Posted: 17 Oct 2011 02:00 PM PDT In order to help raise some dough for the upcoming Angry Video Game Nerd movie, series creator James Rolfe has opened up... WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! Back up! An AVGN movie!? When did this happen? Actually, I tipped the news to Dtoid when it was originally announced last fall, but it never got posted. Now that the staff has foolishly given me greater posting privileges, I'm no longer restrained! How would a movie based on an Internet game review show even work, you may wonder? As James describes it, think of how Wayne's World was adapted for a feature length production. Of course, considering this is the Nerd we're talking about, a sh*tty videogame will play a major role. For such a momentous occasion, James will be tackling his most oft-requested subject -- E.T. for the Atari 2600. Still, I'm certain there are concerns that James is biting off way more than he can chew, most of these fears coming from people who only know him as the Nerd. In truth, he's a very accomplished filmmaker who has a large body of work outside of AVGN -- from horror shorts during his film school days to a regular stint on Spike. In fact, the Nerd was initially a side gig while he pursued his true passion. No matter how this movie turns out, I guarantee quite a few folks will be surprised. But the movie can't happen without a little fan support... Undertaking such as massive project is never cheap, so James has opened a page on indie fundraising site IndieGoGo in order to reach a goal of $75,000. With over 100 days left until the deadline, fans have already pitched in 15 grand. There are also gifts for those who want to chip in a little extra, from a copy of the film's script for a $50 donation to an executive producer credit for an unfeasible 20k splurge! The most eye-catching gift is the one attached to a $1000 donation -- an invitation to be an extra when shooting begins in the spring. There have already been casting calls in several cities, so this option exists more for those who couldn't make an appearance to those events. It's not 20k, "Uncle Pennybags" outrageous, but it's not chump change either. Still, it might be cool to learn that a deep-pocketed Dtoider has made his or her way into the movie. Regardless of how you personally feel about the Nerd -- whether you love his videos or can't stand the guy -- you have to admire the commitment and ambition to take his skills to the next level. If this movie helps James to eventually get his foot in the Hollywood door, I'll gladly toss a couple of pesos his way. What about you guys? Does this news make you excited / concerned? Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie [IndieGoGo] | |
| The DTOID Show: Yell At Master Chief & Skyrim Impressions Posted: 17 Oct 2011 01:45 PM PDT
Today, we run down the week's releases, including Batman: Arkham City, the adorable new Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, and Dungeon Defenders. Tara discussed the new "shout stuff" feature in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. After that, I discussed some of the highlights of my time playing The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, and I implore you to go read my full preview here. As always, get at us on Twitter, Facebook, and the Tubes Of You. Let's do this again sometime. How's Wednesday night? | |
| October 25 is PixelJunk SideScroller day in the US Posted: 17 Oct 2011 01:30 PM PDT No, it's not PixelJunk Monsters 2, but that doesn't mean PixelJunk SideScroller isn't worth obsessing over. On the Q-Games Twitter feed, we're told this latest PJ title is set for a North American PlayStation Network release on Tuesday, October 25. Wouldn't be surprised to see a PlayStation Blog post telling us the dates for other regions fairly soon; at least, that's how it usually goes down. Stealth update: Europe gets the game on November 2, according to an interview by PSN Stores. I hope SideScroller doesn't get overlooked by the oncoming rush of retail games, but there seems to be a dedicated (and stable) fan base at this point. PixelJunk SideScroller moves right into PSN on Oct. 25 [Joystiq] | |
| Introversion shelves Subversion, announces new project Posted: 17 Oct 2011 01:00 PM PDT PC Gamers have been eagerly awaiting the next game from Introversion Software, makers of DEFCOM, Uplink, and Darwinia, for five years now. Titled "Subversion," the studio's next project was a heist game, where players controlled a team of specialists in trying to rob a target. Well it looks like we won't be seeing that game anytime soon, as Introversion has announced the postponement of Subversion. However, there is some good news as well; Introversion is submitting a game to the Independent Games Festival for 2012, a wholly new title which we don't have any info about. In the forum post, developer Chris Delay says that Subversion suffered from being tech-led and that "there was a gaping hole where you would see the 'core game.' We’d tried and tried to fill that hole with ambitious tech and experimental systems, but you couldn’t escape it." I have to salute the guys at Introversion, as they've taken a risk with putting Subversion to one side but it looks like they've been able to re-focus and make a game they're really happy with. Maybe some other developers can learn from their example; a game led solely by technology might not be a good idea. *cough* Rage *cough* New Introversion Project, Subversion Delayed [Rock, Paper, Shotgun] | |
| SimCity's $9.99 sale for Herman Cain’s tax 9-9-9 plan Posted: 17 Oct 2011 12:30 PM PDT What's this? Politics up in your gaming blog? Don't put that on me. It's all on EA. EA has announced a special price discount so all candidates can simulate the economic plan themselves. Cute, guys. They've discounted SimCity games on Origin "for the fiscally responsible price of $9.99, anyone can get real and see the future of economic growth." This discount takes all of the SimCity titles on Origin to half price. | |
| The Secret World dubs this Week of the Dragon Posted: 17 Oct 2011 12:15 PM PDT If you don't know what The Secret World is, you probably aren't a regular to this site, but rest assured, we have information. Funcom has just announced Week of the Dragon, which will be all about one of the three factions in the game. The week kicks off with some flashy new screenshots, but more has been promised in the form of artwork, more detailed information on the class and a feature video. There will also be a special Q&A session on their official Facebook page. The Dragon faction is located in Seoul and try to create change through chaos. If the Dragons aren't your thing, the other two factions, the Illuminati and the Templars, will also be getting their own special weeks at some point. So what faction looks the most interesting to you? I'd probably go with the Illuminati, since I'm not a huge fan of chaos, and when I think of Templars I'm reminded of a different game. If you aren't sure who you want to side with, you could always sign up for the beta. Maybe after some time with the game you'll find a favorite. | |
| Sega says 'all hope not lost' for Valkyria 3 US release Posted: 17 Oct 2011 12:00 PM PDT Don't look so down, Selvaria! The fight isn't over yet! Just days after a Sega man supposedly confirmed the death of Valkyria Chronicles 3 as a potential US release, another Sega man has stated that "all hope is not lost" for the lovely little strategy game. Those words came from the lips of Sega community manager Aaron Webber at the New York Comic Convention, during an interview with the folks at DualShockers and members of the Gallian Liberation Front (a community group petitioning for the game) at the New York Comic Convention. While Webber couldn't make promises, he had this to add: "The best I can say right now is 'Don’t give up, keep trying,' to all those guys out there, keep growing the cause, and we’ll see what happens in the future” Check out this page for more on the classy things the GLF did to secure the words (including handing Webber physical copies of the 2000-odd signatures on the cause's online petition). Sega on Valkyria Chronicles 3 in the West: "All hope is not lost. It's very open-ended [DualShockers] | |
| The Iconoclasts blasts your ass with sass brass and class Posted: 17 Oct 2011 11:45 AM PDT It takes a lot of sass and brass to produce a classic "retail length", beautifully animated, pixel-based action/platformer/RPG on your own. Other than Daisuke "Pixel" Ayama (one-man creator of Cave Story), I can't think of any other developer that's pulled it off (feel free to educate me on that if I'm wrong). To put it bluntly, most human beings just don't have what it takes to make a game like this by themselves. That's probably why Konjak (creator of Noitu Love 2, this badass Zelda fan game, and many others) is having so much trouble getting The Iconoclasts finished (PC demo here). He's been working on the game forever, and it's far from complete. That said, his hard work hasn't been in vain. The game is looking really good, better than most comparable games from fully staffed studios. As much as I respect Konjak for trying to make this game on his own, I hope someone like WayForward or Nicalis sweeps in to help him get it finished. Better to get some help and complete a classic game than have a fantastic, half-game made that you did by yourself, right? | |
| Sonic Generations getting a second demo October 25 Posted: 17 Oct 2011 11:30 AM PDT SEGA has today announced that Sonic Generations will be getting a second demo on October 25. A while ago, a twenty-day demo was released for "Classic" Sonic's Green Hill Zone level. This time, Modern Sonic gets a turn and the Classic level will be available again. There will be no time limit for the second demo, so you can play it to your heart's content. Unfortunately, no demo for the PC version has been announced. So far, I have loved the 2D levels I've played, and been skeptical about the 3D stuff. For me, the ultimate success will lie in whether or not those 3D stages carry the same issues most recent Sonic games have, but since SEGA is using some of the best levels available, it may just work. Guess we'll find out November 1. | |
| What is this strange Xbox 360 countdown timer for? Posted: 17 Oct 2011 11:15 AM PDT Head over to xbox3601029.com and you'll find a countdown timer that has about 10 days left on it. There's wings and purple coloring, and all the 'o' letters are colored. You know that Microsoft puts Kinect games in purple boxes, right? Maybe the purple is a hint. "Coming soon," it says. What's coming soon? Any guesses? | |
| DCUO: Diary of a Green Lantern Corps reservist Posted: 17 Oct 2011 11:00 AM PDT DC Universe Online has been around for less than a year. Despite the initial hype and excitement, the superhero MMO started to hemorrhage players as soon as the first month was over. A counter-intuitive chat system and limited end game did not engender any love towards it. You could easily reach the level cap in a week and even casual players had no difficulty getting their hero or villain to 30 by the end of the month. Upon getting to max level, players were greeted by grinding -- lots of it. It was like all of the grinding we have come to expect from MMOs had been removed from the leveling experience entirely and dumped into the end game. But action has been taken to save this flagging MMO. The North American servers have been combined into two mega-servers (one for PvE and one for PvP), hard light powers and new raids have been added thanks to the Fight For the Light DLC, and it's going free-to-play on the 19th of this very month. It also got a big update recently, adding a new Fortress of Solitude raid. So, because I secretly love Hal Jordan, I've decided to take another shot at DCUO. I'll be fighting crime and villainy, breaking hearts and, perhaps, changing minds, including my own. This is Zentarim: He's a space cowboy, not because he's an extra from Firefly, but because he wears a stetson (stetson's are cool) and his body is made of moon rock. He's also, apparently, a member of the Green Lantern Corps, specifically a reservist. I say "apparently" because nobody has told him that he's a Green Lantern. One morning, he just woke up in a pod on Braniac's ship, someone had dressed him a ludicrous costume and slipped a tacky, green ring on his finger. DCUO's character creator is bound to disappoint those weaned on City of Heroes and Champions Online, but it's still light years ahead of most conventional MMOs. The two new additions to the creator are the light powers and a greater range of body shapes. Finally you can make a skinny, tall, big-headed alien. The skins are limited and there's no option to customize features; you just select the skin and you're stuck with that face, although you can still fiddle with the colors of course. Costume pieces are fairly limited as well, but there's enough there so that you can put together a reasonable starter costume. Collecting new costume pieces is a fairly major part of DCUO, so your options expand drastically and quickly. Any new gear you find will unlock new styles for you to switch out on the fly. By hunting down various briefs, investigations, and collections, you can increase the content of your invisible wardrobe (or phone booth) significantly. Faced with fighting an army of robots alone, Zentarim quickly accepted the aid of Batman's chum, Oracle. She guided him through Braniac's ship and eventually led him to a showdown with the ship's controller. Johnny come lately, Superman, lent a hand destroying the last of Braniac's minions. Armed with his staff (probably a pipe ripped off a wall or something) and hard light claws, Zentarim was an unstoppable force of emerald destruction. Then, freedom! While I was probably expecting too much, I was a tad disappointed that the introduction and compulsory tutorial remained exactly the same as it was at launch. It would have been fantastic if the game had given me some context for my new hard light hero. But it didn't. At the start, there is no mention of the Green Lanterns -- you're just yet another schmuck who got some super powers from a doomed future after a time traveling Lex Luthor released exobytes into Earth's atmosphere so humanity could rise up and fight a bottle-loving robot. Then you got captured by Braniac. How mundane. Because spaceship destroying moon men are fairly handy in a fight, Zentarim gets conscripted by the Justice League and is tasked with protecting Metropolis. The district of Little Bohemia was in rather dire straits, with an army of intelligent gorillas rampaging through the streets, Braniac's minions capturing people and a whole bunch of other problems that only a well dressed rock could solve. But Zentarim isn't much of a thinker, so he solved most problems with an onslaught of hard light constructs. Even Bizarro, Superman's twisted clone, couldn't handle a strafing run from a jet construct. Evidently, Zentarim has been getting tips from Hal Jordan. No real additions have been added to the early game content. There have been tweaks and fixes thanks to patches, but these are the same missions you will have already done, possibly several times before, if you're a returning player. The missions still appeal more to DC fans than they will others. The storylines tend to be predictable but still classic comic book fare, with plenty of villains and heroes, both recognizable and more obscure. The new powers made things a lot more interesting, however. The Green Lantern abilities were never going to be easy to recreate in a video game. The constructs come from the ring user's willpower and imagination, that makes it hard to turn into a limited set of powers. DCUO created a mix of abilities, some iconic (like Hal's jet fighter or the mini-guns), and some nods to the camper side of DC (such as the weight and the fan), it's a diverse bag of tricks. The light power set is all about combos. The first two powers I selected were claws and mini-gun. When I activated claws I could string the attack four times or I could could hold the right mouse button to end with combo with a mini-gun attack. About half of the power tree (both support and damage variants) is made up of combo attacks. Some people might find it a bit too "clicky" for their tastes, but DCUO is like that regardless of your character's powers. I find it more visceral and immediate than other MMO combat mechanics, but it's not for everyone. After saving the Flash from Gorilla Grodd and thwarting the Hive's attempts to aid Braniac, Zentarim was finally invited up to the Watchtower, the base of the Justice League. The honor was just too much for him, his moon rock body exploded into a million pieces, revealing a soft, cosmic center. He wasn't really sure if looking like a person-shaped slice of outer space was better than looking like a rock, but apparently sparkles are very "in" so he just went with the flow. This was the first time I got to check out the cash shop, which had been discussed when the game launched but didn't go live until June. It was pretty empty. I'm sure it will expand soon, what with the game going free-to-play in a couple of weeks. But right now, there isn't much to salivate over. There's the Joker from Arkham Asylum for use in Legends PvP, the Green Lantern DLC which everyone has at this point, a few cosmetic items, and some limited supplies. I had 600 points for some reason (most likely due to resubscribing), so I splashed out and got myself that ridiculous cosmic skin. I still have 200 left over and nothing to really spend it on. I suppose I will save it for later, but I hate it burning a hole in my pocket. While it's still a new feature and the game hasn't gone f2p yet, I still expected to see more. Not long ago, I went back to Champions Online to see what changes had been made since it went f2p. Even before then CO had a fairly robust shop with plenty of content and it's continued to increase. Alongside the archetypes (power sets) was a whole plethora of cosmetic items, some costume piece and some related to travel abilities. DCUO, on the other hand, barely has a shop at all. The handful of cosmetic items do look great, but there's nothing there to make me want to go back and spend money. I don't want items that screw up the balance, but I'd be happy to drop some cash for iconic costumes or more travel powers. Unless SOE adds more items soon, the only thing new players will want to get is the DLC, which is 1000 points ($10) for the whole thing. I have seen quite a few people with the cosmic skin, though. So that might be a hot seller, too. Bolstered by his new look, Zentarim accepted a call to battle from his new space buddy, the Martian Manhunter. He traveled to Area 51, currently under the management of Cadmus, and under siege by yet more Braniac minions. They were trying to steal kryptonite, but our cosmic hero and a gang of silent, yet colorful, compatriots saved the day. Swiftly and without being knocked out, I might add. The early Alerts feel as humdrum as they were at launch. They are a bit all over the place and nobody bothers communicating or working together because it's simply too much hassle. It's still much simpler just to shout at the useless bastards I call teammates. The crappy social features and chat system have been a massive problem since beta. While there have been some improvements like the addition of trade chat, it still needs a lot of work. The Alerts were easy, but later ones will likely tax light power users quite a bit. Most of the combos are melee, but at close range, Green Lantern reservists don't fare so well due to their squishyness. I'm looking forward to being kept on my toes more as I go through them. Looking out over the world, Zentarim saw that despite all of his efforts, his planet was still a right mess. Only sparkles and hard light could save the day and he had both in abundance. Next issue -- Zentarim fights more gorillas, goes to the moon and partakes in some Lantern on Lantern action. PvP too, if I'm lucky. | |
| EB Expo 2011: Mario Kart 7 hands-on Posted: 17 Oct 2011 10:45 AM PDT In the long history of the Mario Kart franchise, fans have been divided on which entry is the best. Many maintain that nothing will ever exceed the sheer fun of the original Super Mario Kart for the Super Nintendo, while others insist upon the DS version. Personally, I'm one of those strange folk who believes the series reached its pinnacle with Mario Kart: Double Dash!! for the GameCube. With that in mind, I sit down to play Nintendo's entry for the 3DS, Mario Kart 7. One of the main features I've been wanting to see is, of course, the 3D effect. However, I hold off until I get a feel for the controls. As I begin my race in Mario's signature red kart, I first get a sense of the course. The Nintendo rep at the booth tells me that, while it doesn't have a name yet, the track will be in the final game. A mixture of tropics, sand, and even underwater sections greet me as I use the circle pad to take corners. Almost immediately, I feel completely at ease steering in this manner. It feels smooth and natural while also giving me precise control of my handling. As I experience the speed of the demo, Bowser and Peach both speed past me as I fail to notice the bridge ahead. I'm suddenly underwater, where a section of the track continues. The water makes the kart feel floaty without sacrificing much control over my maneuverability. I turn the 3D slider all the way to max, and the track opens up in a way I did not expect. Platform sections become huge and engrossing, and the surrounding environments envelop the course. I have to be careful, as slight movement of the screen causes the 3D effect to ghost a little, causing me to lose concentration. As I cross the start line, series stalwart Lakitu appears on his cloud, holding up the checkered flag. While only briefly flashing past, both him and his 'Final Lap' sign sit fully formed in the sky in surprisingly amazing three dimensions. The highlight of the demo is certainly the hang gliding section. In addition to being able to now customize your karts with upgrades, a hang glider attachment is now fitted for every racer. It automatically pops out at certain points in the track, and it is great fun. Floating past Peach to gain a third place victory is a fantastic feeling. It is regrettably a short demo, but in the end, I'm honestly shocked. I thought I was done with Mario Kart! I had been playing the series as far back as I can remember, and my interest had started to wane. If this demo of Mario Kart 7 is any indication, I'll be jumping back into it with a great deal of excitement when it is released in December. Every aspect seems effortless and injects new life into a potentially aging franchise. I can't wait to play more! | |
| After eight years, XIII is getting a new game! Posted: 17 Oct 2011 10:15 AM PDT One of my favorite shooters of the last generation, XIII, is getting a followup game after nearly eight years of complete silence. The comic-based conspiracy FPS turned many heads in 2003, but sales weren't spectacular and it seemed the game would end with the first. Seems that miracles do happen after all, however, with a teaser image for a new XIII appearing on Anuman Interactive's Facebook page. According to the French text, we'll see it in November and it'll hit iOS, PC and Mac. I am incredibly excited by this news. Despite getting mixed reactions, XIII remains one of the most absorbing first-person shooters I've ever played. While it's not going to be a major console release, I'm glad to see it return in some fashion! | |
| Review: Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken Posted: 17 Oct 2011 10:00 AM PDT Growing up playing side-scrolling action games like Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Another World has cemented my love of the genre, so any time I get the chance to play another title in that vein, I jump at the chance. Enter Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken. Hardboiled Chicken is a port of the original PC game, Rocketbirds: Revolution!, with some upgrades for the PlayStation 3, including new chapters, cutscenes and a co-op mode. The original game was quite the success, and now the team at Ratloop Asia has decided to try their hand at a different platform. Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken (PlayStation Network) Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken puts players in the shoes of Hardboiled, a rebel chicken out to overthrow the evil and tyrannical penguin army. The single-player campaign is of a decent length, with 15 chapters of action, platforming and puzzles that will probably take about six hours to complete. There is a co-op section that I, sadly, didn't get to try. If it's anything like the single-player portion however, it's a lot of fun. The campaign is entirely a 2D affair, though the environment has 3D elements and, as my above statements suggest, it is an action platformer with some puzzle bits. The controls are fairly straightforward and, considering this was originally a PC game, tight and easy to pick up. As a killer chicken, expect to do a lot of bird murdering with a variety of weapons, including guns and grenades. There are also some clever puzzles scattered throughout the levels, and not all of the solutions are obvious at a glance. One of the major mechanics of the title, brain bugs, will allow players to take control of penguins. Some of the puzzles are only solvable by controlling a penguin, which is rather amusing. Once control has switched over to a penguin, you are given freedom to explore without fear of dying. Unless you shoot another penguin, you can walk around unmolested, which is sometimes necessary. When the pressure to slaughter finally overwhelms you, fear not: until you complete a penguin-control section, a limitless supply of killable birds is provided, and once a mind-slave dies, the penguin army goes back to business as usual. The other major part of the game is flight. There are a few levels that will require flying with rockets (because Rocketbirds), and while these sections served to add diversity to the game, they were also my least favorite. They aren't terrible, and even though they were the least interesting bits of the game, they were still challenging. The whole point in these areas is to eliminate the flying guards, which include regular grunts and rocket-launcher-wielding penguins, in order to board dirigibles. All that is required of these levels is flying around and shooting, which sounds a bit easier than it actually was. The camera, which started off zoomed-out to give a view of the entire area, would eventually zoom in, which not only limited visibility, but made finding enemies tricky at times. During later flight sections, five or six enemies would come out at a time, and at least two were always RPG-equipped penguins. Between trying to kill the birds, avoiding enemy fire and running away from rockets, things could get pretty complicated and death happened more than once. One thing that helped was that the rockets follow Hardboiled. It's bad if you aren't paying attention, but useful if you can get the missiles to hit a penguin instead of you. There was no shortage of creativity in killing penguins. While there were a number of options on how to go about the gleeful slaughter, none of the gun choices really mattered. Although each weapon had a unique rate of fire and power output, there was never a need to mix it up, because once a penguin was hit, juggling them was easy. All the weapons achieved the same goal relatively easily. Once I found a gun that fit my play style, that was the only one I used for pretty much the entire game. Combat was not overly challenging. Unlike in some games, I never felt that death was a punishment. Whenever I died, it was because I had done something wrong and all that was needed was a new approach. My favorite part about combat was that enemies required a bit of strategy to beat -- not in weapons used, but in how the fight was handled. It wasn't simply a matter of run and gun. Riot police (complete with shield and baton) required a different approach than grunts, or elite penguins. Despite the lack of attention paid to weapons, there was enough variety in enemies that combat never felt stale or boring. While no motivation is needed for Hardboiled to kill penguins (do we ever really need a reason to shoot things in videogames?), he does have a back story, which is presented in cut scenes between chapters. There's no voice acting in these flashbacks, but the scenes do a fantastic job of conveying the story without words. Plus, if there was dialogue, it would be harder to hear the incredible music by indie band New World Revolution, and the music is much better than words. Tunes by N.W.R. are about the only music you'll hear in the game, but they fit well and there was never a need for lots of background music. As far as the story goes, while a history on our hero may not have been necessary, it is a nice touch that adds some weight to what Hardboiled is doing, and may be the only serious part of the entire game. Any other dialogue or interactions that take place within the story tend to be humorous and light. Penguins will occasionally have conversations, or think aloud, and the obvious angle is comedy. I stopped what I was doing more than once just to see what a penguin or rebel had to say. The game's bright art style adds to the feeling that this is meant to be a fun and lighthearted experience, despite the serious tone the story can take, and the levels are varied enough that they don't ever feel reused or overdone. There isn't a ton of exploration, and the gameplay is fairly linear, but different paths can be found that lead to the same goal. This gives some choice in not only the way you get where you're going, but how you defeat enemies (or sneak past them; the game offers a few stealthy routes). There are also little signs in each level, tucked into corners and out-of-the-way areas, which encourages not only exploration but retracing your steps. The only thing that was upsetting about the entire title was its length; Rocketbirds was so enjoyable that it was sort of a downer when the game ended -- which is more of a compliment to the developers than a legitimate complaint. It isn't at all too short for the price, and with the extra unlockables and co-op mode, there is plenty there if you're concerned about getting your money's worth. Perhaps I'm just being selfish, especially considering five extra levels were added for the PSN release, but I want more of this game. Despite my selfish demand for more Hardboiled Chicken, I am pleased with Rocketbirds overall and can't wait to see what Ratloop Asia does next. Making the jump from one platform to another can be tricky and doesn't always turn out well, but they did a fantastic job. Not only did they take their time making sure that the different controls worked properly and the game would look good, they added new content and gave fans a reason to pick up the game on the PSN. Rocketbirds does everything well: the story is solid, the combat is fairly balanced, the puzzles are never too hard and there is quite a bit of replayability. No one element makes this game great; instead, all of the various pieces are put together seamlessly enough that the entire package makes the experience enjoyable. It did feel as though Ratloop Asia was playing it safe (which is understandable and hard to blame them for); it would have been nice to see them try to bring something unique to the table. The game is incredibly polished, and all of the components fit very well together, but they are all components that other games have introduced with a slightly different twist. They have clearly mastered the action platformer, now I would like to see them take it further and try something new. That is not to say I did not enjoy playing it; far from it. It was an incredibly entertaining experience and I will be saddened greatly if there is no sequel, but because they did so well with this title, I will be expecting something even better next time. I have faith that they can pull it off. |
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