New Games |
- So many buttons: SteelSeries' new PC Racing controller
- Torchlight II has a good excuse for slipping into 2012
- Capsized goes free for iPad in the new year
- Good Old Games to expand its library with newer titles
- The great Zelda musical tribute celebration! Day four!
- Super Meat Boy and indie friends throw a Steam sale
- New Serious Sam 3 trailer contains a lot of blood
- The Flash is coming to DC Universe Online
- Kojima cover story in OPM confirms Metal Gear Solid 5
- GameStop alone sells 600,000 Call of Duty Elite subs
- Grasshopper Manufacture helping students make Vita games
- Review: Cities XL 2012
- Trenched becomes Iron Brigade and hits Europe Nov 30
- Nintendo only wants DLC for 'complete' game experiences
- Contest: Win these Saints Row themed ASTRO A40 headsets!
- Nyko is having a huge accessory sale
- Live show: Ultimate Marvel on Mash Tactics, baby
- Review: Jimmie Johnson's Anything With An Engine
- Analysts: Xbox 720 will be a hybrid console
| So many buttons: SteelSeries' new PC Racing controller Posted: 17 Nov 2011 03:00 PM PST
If you're a fan of high-end PC racing simulations you probably scoff at us poor serfs with our DualShock controllers and Need for Speed: The Run. But maybe you're not too keen on a cumbersome steering wheel and foot petal setup on your desk. Well then, the Danish peripheral manufacturers at SteelSeries have something that's a little more up your alley: the SRW-S1 Steering Wheel. The SRW-S1 is a hybrid controller that aims to combine the functionality of a high-end wheel with the convenience of a gamepad. In addition to motion controlled turning, the SRW-S1 features a lot of other buttons. Come on, look at this thing. Among the intimidating configuration of dials and d-pads are throttle and brake paddles that apparently help create an authentic experience without the use of floor pedals. While it was specifically designed with Ignite Technology's Simraceway in mind, the device should be compatible with all major PC releases. And if they're not you'll just have to customize them until they do. So if you're interested just head over to the SteelSeries online store and fork over the $119.99 that this thing costs. Yeah, I think I'll just dig that old Sega Saturn wheel out of my closet and fire up a game of Daytona USA instead. |
| Torchlight II has a good excuse for slipping into 2012 Posted: 17 Nov 2011 02:30 PM PST Those of you in search of legendary loot will have to continue waiting patiently. Though Torchlight II was promised as coming out by the end of this year, Runic Games has confirmed this is no longer the case. Company co-founder Travis Baldree says that "getting a game of this scope up to the quality and polish level we want to achieve is going to take a little longer; especially since we want to run a small beta before release to ensure that our launch is smooth." "The amount of time we need to take it the rest of the way is relatively small. We feel pretty safe in saying that if you enjoyed Torchlight at all, this sequel is superior in every respect. Right now our job is to ensure that the quality level is consistent all the way to the end." Baldree then proceeded to list a bunch of recent games you're all probably obsessed with right now anyway. Fair enough! |
| Capsized goes free for iPad in the new year Posted: 17 Nov 2011 02:00 PM PST Over two years since it was announced -- and several months since it became available on Steam -- Alientrap's 2D shooter Capsized is coming soon to the AppStore, PlayStation Network, and Xbox Live Arcade. First things first: Capsized will hit XBLA next month for the now-standard $10, with the attendant campaign, Death Match, Time Trial, and Survival modes. According to today's press release, there's also an "Armless Fighting mode," whatever that is. How do you fight without arms? In stranger news the physics- and exploration-based game will be available for free on the iPad in January. The game's mechanics have been re-tooled to match the touch-screen interface, and all the fully-priced modes will make the jump. While the press release isn't explicit, Alientrap are introducing an in-game currency system to the iPad version, ostensibly "to make purchases and upgrades to weapons, skills, health and accessories." "In-game currency" sounds a lot like "in-app purchases" to my cynical ears. Given that "free to play" has garnered such pejorative connotations of late, I can't really blame Alientrap for trying to skirt that label. In any case, I love the look and feel of Capsized hostile alien mega-jungle, with the caveat that precise platforming and touch controls make uneasy bedfellows. XBLA for me! |
| Good Old Games to expand its library with newer titles Posted: 17 Nov 2011 01:30 PM PST "We have an audacious plan for the the next two years to continue GOG.com's success story, and that depends on three things," states managing director Guillaume Rambourg. Step one is pursuing newer games in 2012, while still continuing to build up a library of classics. |
| The great Zelda musical tribute celebration! Day four! Posted: 17 Nov 2011 01:00 PM PST Who wants some more Zelda musical tribute-y goodness? Trick question! You all do! Let's get pumped up with "I Fight Ganon" by I Fight Dragons. I don't know whether it's that lead-in that sounds like John Williams' Superman theme or the minute-long a cappella with just drums in the background, but once the guitars kick in, you feel like leaping off the ground and flying to the stars. Come back down to earth soon so you can check out a Zelda I & II medley as well as a little something we in the biz like to call the MUTHAF**KIN' SONG OF MUTHAF**KIN' STORMS!
This is "Dozen Elf Death Gel [Unearthed Knife Volt]" by Armcannon. Read that one more time. These guys, man! They come up with the craziest song titles. This one, for instance, is an anagram of "The Legend of Zelda [The Adventure of Link]." Doesn't that just blow your mind? We've got two "Song of Storms" lined up. First on deck is "Song of Storms" by The Amazing BrandO. BrandO? Of Duane and BrandO? Yes indeed! He started doing his own thing, then he made this thing. Hope you enjoy the thing! Okay... okay... this is pretty cool! First, hit play on "Song of Storms (Cello Ensemble)" by Cam Wilkinson above. Not too bad, right? Now, after the song has been playing for about 40 seconds, open this site in a new window. The effect is... just... wow. Mad props to Dtoider flintmech for sharing this with me! That's it for tonight! See you, space cowboys! ["Octorawk" artwork by Glen Brogan] |
| Super Meat Boy and indie friends throw a Steam sale Posted: 17 Nov 2011 12:30 PM PST The games of the guest characters from Super Meat Boy's PC release are being discounted by 50 percent this week on Steam. That list includes such notable titles as Aquaria, Bit.Trip Beat, Bit.Trip Runner, Braid, Gish, Machinarium, VVVVVV, and World of Goo. When all of those games (plus Half-Life 2) are purchased as a bundle, the reduction in price jumps up to 75 percent off. That's $24.99 for a respectable library of modern favorites, in addition to the original soundtracks for Super Meat Boy, Braid, Machinarium, and the two Bit.Trips. Not bad. |
| New Serious Sam 3 trailer contains a lot of blood Posted: 17 Nov 2011 12:00 PM PST
Remember when Croteam's Serious Sam 3: BFE was hit with a delay? I know, we all cried a little inside at the fact that we wouldn't be able to rip out the eyes of Sam's enemies with nothing but our bear hands, or get to touch Sam's wide arsenal of weapons as soon as we had hoped. It's not all bad though, the developers let us know that they were going to make the most out of the delay to polish things up a bit, and maybe even find the time to squeeze in a few more enemy types. Another up-side to the delay is this new trailer, showing fans just how much blood and guts they can expect to be spilling when Serious Sam 3: BFE hits on November 22. |
| The Flash is coming to DC Universe Online Posted: 17 Nov 2011 11:30 AM PST DC Universe Online, which is now free-to-play, is doing well enough that Sony Online Entertainment is releasing more DLC, which will feature The Flash. The Lightning Strikes content will also have new costumes, characters, electrical powers and a new map of Central City. While the launch date is vaguely set for this year, but the price has been set for $9.99 for all but the Legendary players, who will get it for free. If you own a PS3 or PC capable of running this, there isn't much reason not to at least try DC Universe Online, considering that it won't cost you anything more than your time. As a bonus, if you enjoy the basic game and want to enjoy extra content, it won't cost you very much at all. |
| Kojima cover story in OPM confirms Metal Gear Solid 5 Posted: 17 Nov 2011 11:15 AM PST The latest issue of Official PlayStation Magazine is going to hit stands in the UK with all the force of a nuclear warhead delivered from any point on the globe using some kind of bi-pedal tank. Their cover story is none other than Hideo Kojima, who gives an interview containing thoughts on Metal Gear Solid: Rising as well as the future of the series in Metal Gear Solid 5. They also did a photoshoot which, for some inexplicable reason, I really want to see. I don't know when it was that we celebritized our game developers to the point where I am interested in a gallery of photos of a guy who sits behind a keyboard all day, but we're there, people. It's like the nerdy kids who wanted to be rock stars are seeing their dreams come true. Did I mention there's a Metal Gear Solid 5 thing going on? Yeah. I'm not even going to begin to speculate on that. Magazine hits stands November 29, but OPM UK will be dripping out information from the interview between then and now. Internet panties, twist thyself! |
| GameStop alone sells 600,000 Call of Duty Elite subs Posted: 17 Nov 2011 11:15 AM PST Damn. I knew that there would be the dedicated few to jump on board with Activision's Call of Duty Elite social program, but this is already bigger than I thought it would be. In an earnings call it was revealed that GameStop alone sold over 600,000 Call of Duty Elite subscriptions. "In the case of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, we worked closely with Activision, Sony and Microsoft to pre-order and deliver nearly 600,000 instances of the Modern Warfare Elite DLC to date," said GameStop president Tony Bartel. "This places the launch of Elite as one of our top 10 launches of the year so far." Top 10? This isn't even a physical product! GameStop says that their research shows that half the DLC they sell is to people that have never bought DLC before. If nothing else, these numbers show that a brick and mortar retailer can move into the digital world without worry. GameStop Sells 600K Call Of Duty Elite Memberships [Gamasutra] |
| Grasshopper Manufacture helping students make Vita games Posted: 17 Nov 2011 11:00 AM PST While they've yet to reveal any PlayStation Vita games of their own, the Shadows of the Damned developer will be helping students develop games for Sony's new portable. Rather than join other Japanese developers in prophesying the downfall of the Japanese game industry, it looks like Suda and his crew will be lending a hand to the next generation of eastern developers. Under the "Game Campus Festa" program Grasshopper Manufacture will be providing guidance to eight Japanese developmental schools. Best of all, the studio is considering helping the students publish their works as PlayStation Network downloads. It's hard not to like Grasshopper when they're supporting good causes like education and disaster relief. Hopefully something of the studio's bizarre personality will rub off on the students. I'm really interested in seeing what they can do on the Vita. Grasshopper throwing a 'Game Campus Festa' for student Vita games [Joystiq] |
| Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:45 AM PST It's been awhile since I have played a good city builder. I'll admit that it can be a hard genre to sell, and we don't see a whole lot of them today. Thankfully, Cities XL 2012 is out, and it's a great expansion to Cities XL 2011. If you already own 2011, you can pick up 2012 for just $14.99. This makes it more like an expansion for some, and if you are a newcomer to the series, it's still worth $39.99. Cities XL 2012 (PC) Cities XL 2012 is a captivating balancing act that is constantly pushing you forward. Residents will always need something. And anything that you add will always put things out of balance. People need jobs, jobs need resources, resources need more people, more people need retail and leisure activities to stay happy, and all of these things need even more people to stay running. It starts out very slow-paced and relaxed, and it can become a hectic numbers game very quickly. You'll never feel overwhelmed though, since you can pause the game at any time, or change the speed of time passing. There isn't a campaign really, but there are plenty of different maps that will present different opportunities to you. On a mountain map, it will be easiest to build a successful city by building a ski resort. On a map with open fertile plains, a farming community will be a good start. Some maps have beaches that will let you build a tourist's dream, while others are barren deserts that offer oil for the taking. Each map is based on a real-world location (well, the real world once the sea levels have risen a few thousand feet). It's easy to pick what type of map you want; you can filter by resources, land type, or difficulty rating. There is a tutorial that walks you through the basics of building and running a city. You ought to play at least some of it in order to understand the complicated parts of Cities XL. Once done with this, you can jump to the fun part: building your own city. There aren't exactly any particular goals, and you can't really win, but that doesn't make it any less fun. Obviously, the big goal is to make a good city. What defines a good city is up to you as the player, but basically you want happy citizens and enough income to keep things running smoothly. From a blank map at the start, you begin by building a road that connects to the edge of the map. This will let people come to your city. Next, you build a city hall, a basic utility building, and then you can start zoning out places for citizens to live. There are four different types of citizens. Unskilled, skilled, executives, and elite. Each one is needed to run different types of commercial or industrial buildings. You can't build houses directly, instead you zone out areas where people can live. You just have to hope that your town is enticing enough for people to want to move there. People need jobs, and unskilled people work at heavy industry places. You'll need to build these at a distance from people's homes to keep pollution down. Because many will be commuting, you'll need to build a good road structure to avoid traffic jams. Every house has a place of work linked to it, and if too many people need to travel on the same road, you'll have issues with heavy traffic. Heavy traffic makes people mad, of course, just like in real life. As people move into your city, they'll need stores to buy things from. Retail zones need skilled people to run them, so you'll have to zone out places for skilled laborers to live at. If this is starting to sound complicated, don't worry, we're just getting started. You'll have to start building schools, police stations, fire stations, and places of leisure. All of these things will take more people to keep running. As your city grows, you'll be able to build three different density levels of every type of zone. For instance, a high-density residential zone would be a block of high-tower apartments, or a high-density commercial zone would be a mall. There are benefits to having more things in a smaller area, but this can increase crime and pollution, and it will lower citizens' living satisfaction. This means that you'll have to build bigger police stations, schools, and fire departments to handle the extra burden. More people in a small area will also lead to major traffic problems. You'll have to start mapping out one-way streets, building bus stations, planning bus routes, and adding highways to your city. Large cities need electricity, water, oil, and places to dump garbage. This continues the cycle of needing more people to keep the people you have. By now, you might have an excess of one type of resource, or you will need something that you can't provide for yourself. Thankfully, you can trade things with other cities. There are a few cities included for you to start trading with, but you can eventually trade with other cities that you have built. If you have too much trash, you can send it away. If you need more electricity, you can buy it from somewhere else. I built up a city to about half a million folks, and it was pretty intense at that point. I was tearing down old parts of my city that were not built as efficiently, and replacing them with shiny new structures and wider roadways. I can't imagine playing until filling the map. I kept restarting because I would always stumble upon a better way to plan my city. Even with a city this size, I was still only playing on less than a quarter of the map. I imagine that you could build a really huge city if you wanted to. There are quite a few ways to customize the way your city looks. You can build special themed buildings from different sets like beach, Chinatown, medieval, or mountain. There are landmarks you can unlock that give you special bonuses. You can build parks, change the style of road, changes the landscape, or add some different terrain to liven things up. You can also create custom building and import them into the game with an included mod kit. Achievements for things like reaching 75,000 citizens, having 80% satisfaction, or building 100 roads can be unlocked. These can help give you short-term goals, or you can shape your entire city around getting a certain achievement. The creativity is endless. For a city builder, it is certainly the deepest one that I have played. The only real drawback is its performance. My system is way above the minimum requirements, and everything was choppy and clunky. At first, this wasn't too bad, but by the time my hamlet had turned into a metropolis, I would have to wait a few seconds after clicking a button to see a response. Even turning everything down to the lowest setting didn't help it to run any smoother. This was bad enough to tarnish an otherwise enjoyable experience. The only other issue that I had with it was that you can't quit back to the city select menu. You have to quit the game, and then relaunch it in order to change cities. This really shouldn't cause to many problems, but the game does let me trade across my cities, so it should let me quickly change which city I am running. While a good game, the slow response time and ridiculously low FPS almost make Cities XL 2012 unplayable at times. Maybe on a higher rig if would be fine, but then the developers should up the minimum requirements to reflect that. The lack of a campaign with solid goals might also turn away some gamers who want to do more than play in a sandbox. Granted, it's a very fun sandbox, and if that's what you are looking for, then come on in. But I get to play with the truck. |
| Trenched becomes Iron Brigade and hits Europe Nov 30 Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:30 AM PST Double Fine announced today that their alternate-history mech shooter, Trenched, will officially be seeing its name changed to Iron Brigade on November 30th when it releases in Europe on Xbox Live Arcade. Finally. With a bunch of legal wrangling behind them, Europeans are going to get a chance to play a rather brilliant little action game. And don't forget, there's new content for those of us who have already had the pleasure as the name change also brings a new survival mode and new high-powered loot. Go get those tubes! |
| Nintendo only wants DLC for 'complete' game experiences Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:15 AM PST Nintendo will soon be allowing downloadable content sales on the 3DS via eShop microstransactions, but only to enhance games that are worth their original asking price. American boss Reggie Fils-Aime said his company is concerned about content being held back and sold to consumers at a later date. "When we sell a game, we want the consumer to feel that they've had a complete experience," he said. "We're unwilling to sell a piece of a game upfront and, if you will, force a consumer to buy more later. That's what [Nintendo representatives] don't want to do, and I completely agree. I think the consumer wants to get, for their money, a complete experience, and then we have opportunities to provide more on top of that." Reggie's words follow THQ releasing a shorter, streamlined Saints Row: The Third with three downloadable chapters already confirmed, and Batman: Arkham City locking its Catwoman levels behind an online pass. For once, Reggie's got a great attitude with this statement. Say what you will about Nintendo (I certainly have), but if there's one thing the company continues to do right, it's release games that feel finished and polished to a mirror sheen (Edit: Haha, yeah, with the exception of the still-great Mario 3D Land). Can't fault them for that, especially in an industry that's increasingly seeing games as merely the start of a "service" rather than as products in their own right. Nintendo: Making mobile games 'flies in the face of what we believe in' [Games.com] |
| Contest: Win these Saints Row themed ASTRO A40 headsets! Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:00 AM PST Saints Row: The Third is arriving November 15 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. For those of you just dying for the game, Voliation and THQ released the Initiation Station to everyone and it lets you create your character right now to give you a head start or just share it with the world. To enter our Saints Row/ASTRO A40 giveaway, you'll just need to go download the Initiation Station on your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, upload your creation to SaintsRow.com by linking your Gamertag/PSN ID to the website and then share a link AND embed the actual photo to your creation in the comments below. Your SaintsRow.com name needs to be the same as your username as it appears on Dtoid or must start with Dtoid*YourUserNameHere* (Like DtoidCTZ, for example) for your submission to count! The two best submissions will each win a special limited edition Saints Row: The Third themed ASTRO A40 headset (either the Saints Purple or Decker Blue), 4-pack Saints Flow Energy Drinks, full 8 set of Bobble Budds and a I <3 Rim Jobs t-shirt. Four runner-ups will each win a I <3 Rim Jobs t-shirt (either male or female sizes). Contest is open to anyone with a US based address that the prizes can be sent to. You have until November 20 at 11:59PM CDT to enter. Good luck! |
| Nyko is having a huge accessory sale Posted: 17 Nov 2011 09:45 AM PST There's some big discounts in Nyko's online pre-holiday blowout. Lots of good stuff has been marked down, with prices good from now through November 30. In the mix is a $5 HDMI cable, a $10 dual PS3 controller charger, an $8 penis-looking Wii QWERTY keyboard and much more. All orders over $15 get free shipping come with a free DSi Zoom case (use promo code freezoomcase). Head to Nyko's webpage to nab these deals. Hit the jump to see a list of the discounted items. · Action Pak (Wii Wand + Perfect Shot pistol grip) – $10 [regularly $35] · Type Pad Pro (QWERTY keyboard for Wii-mote) – $8 [regularly $30] · Gold Pack (Wing Wii classic controller + Perfect Shot pistol grip) – $10 [regularly $30] · Pure HD (HDMI Cable) – $5 [regularly $30] · Wand for Wii (various colors) – $15 [regularly $25] · Charge Base 2 (dual port PS3 charger) – $10 [regularly $30] · Wand Core Pak (Wand Wii remote + Kama nunchuk, various colors) – $20 [regularly $40] · Kama (wired nunchuck, various colors) – $10 [regularly $15] · Kama Wireless (white) – $12 [regularly $20] · HD Link PS3 – $5 [regularly $20] · HD Link 360 – $5 [regularly $20]
|
| Live show: Ultimate Marvel on Mash Tactics, baby Posted: 17 Nov 2011 09:30 AM PST Today, the Mash Tactics crew is getting its hands dirty in Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. Back before the original Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 was out to the public, Jon Carnage boasted a 2nd place spot on the world leader board. An achievement that is constant disputed to this day. Come watch as Carnage defends his honor, and spams attacks against Wesley, live on Mash Tactics, today at 4pm Pacific. Mash Tactics airs Monday through Friday at 4pm Pacific. Watch Jon Carnage and Wesley Ruscher down energy drinks and freestyle rap about the human perineum on Destructoid's Twitch TV channel. Also, there are videogames being played. Join us for your chance to win prizes, talk to industry guests, and witness all of the glorious antics. |
| Review: Jimmie Johnson's Anything With An Engine Posted: 17 Nov 2011 09:00 AM PST When I received a review copy of Jimmie Johnson's Anything With An Engine, I laughed loudly. How could I not? The name alone sounds like the erotic memoirs of a man with a robot fetish, the front cover looks like something a child would draw when asked what his nightmares look like, and the conceit of a NASCAR driver inventing a kart game for himself to star in is almost embarrassing. The game itself is full of the same unintentional comedy, but there's a weirdly endearing element to the whole sordid affair. While Jimmie Johnson's Anything With An Engine is far from what could be considered good, it's still strangely likable. Perhaps it's a reviewer's form of Stockholm Syndrome, or perhaps even a crap game deserves a player's time now and then. Whatever the reason, I find it hard to hate this game, despite the likelihood of is deserving my contempt. Jimmie Johnson's Anything With An Engine (Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [reviewed]) In Jimmie Johnson's depraved and childlike world, a group of eccentric nincompoops have been able to turn a wide range of common objects into working race cars, that they may compete in all manner of wacky championships and prove which borderline offensive stereotype is the greatest. Their petty squabbles are looked upon with capricious amusement by the great and powerful Jimmie Johnson himself, NASCAR driver and sexual vulture. The opening moments of the game, in which a photograph of Jimmie Johnson rises grandly from behind a desk to chat with poorly drawn CG characters (who never move) sets the tone for Anything With An Engine. It's so dreadful that it almost verges on utter brilliance. This attitude permeates the entire kart racing experience -- it's such a poor game, but it's strangely entertaining nevertheless. With eight cups to compete in and a full-fledged online multiplayer mode (that nobody is playing), there's a surprising wealth of content to this humble budget racer. Players can choose from a variety of racers, each with their own unique vehicles -- Monster Trash drives around in a dumpster, Gotta Go San is a potentially racist portrayal of a sumo wrestler riding a toilet, and Kiss of Death is a New Orleans vampire in a motorized coffin. There are twelve drivers in all, including the great Jimmie himself, although some characters need to be unlocked by winning championships. As with all kart racers, Anything With An Engine eschews realism for high speed action and weaponized competitions. In a departure from your typical kart game, players don't randomly collect power-ups on the track. Instead, there are only four special powers -- missiles, mines, rams and nitro boosts -- which are unlocked and upgraded gradually be earning "votes" from the audience. Votes are earned by racing over special markers, damaging opponents, or performing powerslides. Although each character has a unique animation for each power-up, as well as varying statistics that govern their effectiveness, the abilities are mostly the same for every driver. The stated goal of removing random power-ups was to eliminate "rubber banding" and make for more dynamic races. It's ironic, then, that Jimmie Johnson's Anything With An Engine actually features some of the most egregious rubber banding I've seen in a racing game. At any moment, the game can decide to shunt a player from first to last place, and one can clearly see how certain racers always manage to stay in the most competitive positions. No matter how good a race the player has, one false move can make the difference between winning and falling behind everybody, because the game keeps CPU drivers so close behind. Interestingly, the same courtesy is not extended to the player. There are some races where it seems almost impossible to catch up to the opponent. Some of the characters are pretty poorly balanced, and those vehicles with bad acceleration or that swerve wildly are practically unusable. The only concession the game makes to trailing players is a special shortcut that opens up when it's feeling merciful. This is not to say the game is particularly difficult, but it does mean that victory and defeat often feel more random than skill based. Every vehicle has a damage meter and a limited amount of power-up ammo, both of which can be replenished at pit stops. Once in a pit stop, cars slow down and the player must hammer a button to fix any damage. The use of pit stops provides a slight tactical bent to the action, as players need to accurately judge when best to pull in and when best to shrug off damage in order to press the advantage. As well as regular races, there are all manner of exotic challenges lined up for each championship. Matador has two sets of drivers racing in opposite directions, while Endurance matches are long races that collect points based on a player's position in each lap. Elimination is a "last man standing" game with trailing players intermittently removed, and time trials have players racing a ghostly arrow to best its lap time. Each championship ends with a one-on-one race against THE Jimmie Johnson, who is a cheating bastard but tends to go down pretty easily once players get used to the track. The tracks themselves range from decently designed to utterly horrific. They are each filled with their own unique traps, obstacles and "wacky" aesthetics, and while some are quite fun to drive on, others are a mess of pitholes and ludicrous turns that very few cars can actually handle. If you get the wrong type of race on the wrong type of course, it can be a complete nightmare. Once again, it all comes down to luck. Engine's characters are surprisingly cool in terms of visual design, but the voice acting is absolutely dreadful. They're the kind of affected, over-the-top archetypes that you can hear while flicking over to Cartoon Network, from snooty rich kids to crazy rednecks. The limited pool of torturous, unfunny catchphrases only compounds how irritating these horrible creatures are and it won't be long before any sane player will plead for a mute button. Graphically, the game's certainly simplistic, but it's not altogether ugly. The colorful cartoon visuals certainly help. Jimmie Johnson's Anything With An Engine is not a good game, as I have attempted to stress. It is, however, perversely amusing and would actually make for a fun party distraction. It's one of those rare games that, no matter how poorly I may score it, still comes as a recommended purchase. It's a cheap little kart racer that will, at the very least, entertain via irony and still manages to be a competent -- if broken in several ways -- racer. Few videogames can claim to be "good in a bad way," but Anything With An Engine definitely comes close. |
| Analysts: Xbox 720 will be a hybrid console Posted: 17 Nov 2011 08:30 AM PST Analysts think that the next Microsoft console will be a hybrid, using both cloud-based and media-based delivery. We're not ready to take it all to the cloud yet, they say. I hope you have storage space for more discs. DFC Intelligence analyst David Cole says that half the fun is actually lining up to acquire disc-based media. He feels that physical media is still important. Cole told IndustryGamers, "I think that the Xbox 720 should definitely have some sort of access for physical media. The cloud stuff can open up new doors and Microsoft's strategy is all about delivering services via the box, basically it has been somewhat of a cloud strategy from the beginning." Colin Sebastian of RW Baird says that things will continue as is, with larger games coming on discs, and smaller coming via digital distribution: "I think any smart console manufacturer will want to offer a mix of distribution points for consumers - both in the cloud and at retail stores. There is such a broad spectrum of games that consumers are playing, and there is not a one-size fit all solution." EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich sees the next Microsoft system as a true hybrid. He feels that the industry "will continue to support physical media until the mass market has reached the tipping point of acceptance on digital." Let's hear some of your speculation, Destructoid. Are we ready for an all-cloud future? Or do we still need discs? |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Destructoid To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
