New Games |
- Gamestop selling 3DS eShop games: It might be a big deal
- ScrewAttack uncovered a bizarre PSA from the early 90s
- Review: Ninja Gaiden 3
- Epic Mickey 2 spin off rumored for 3DS
- Win a Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 Xbox 360 at Best Buy
- Random lays down an emotional new Mega Man Zero cut
- Live show: Operation Raccoon City on Mash Tactics
- Review: Waveform
- Dragon's Lair is on another platform: Xbox 360
- Ten videogames that make me really hungry
- Team Fortress 2sdays: Burning, man!
- SAR - Search and Rescue on the way to the PSN
- Soul Reaver reboot reportedly in the works
- Review: Sine Mora
- Mega64 and Cliffy B 'honor' Warren Spector
- Review: Turtle Beach Ear Force M3 mobile gaming headset
- Braben: used games are killing single-player games
- Podtoid records today with guest Danny Baranowsky!
- Ninja Gaiden 3 online passes not working (Update)
| Gamestop selling 3DS eShop games: It might be a big deal Posted: 20 Mar 2012 02:00 PM PDT It looks like consumers can now purchase codes for eShop downloads online from Gamestop's website. It's a small start (just two games available at the moment, Super Mario Land 2 and Pushmo) but they're definitely trying. Gamestop is promoting the launch of this service by offering Rewards Card holders 250 additional points if you purchase both games before April 8th. You can even buy the games themselves with rewards points instead of using your hard earned cash. It will be interesting to see if the added exposure and additional sales methods provided by gaming's biggest retail outlet will help to get these two titles into people's hands. The success of this partnering is less important to me than the promise of where it might lead. The fact that Nintendo has essentially opened up their virtual storefront to another store owner is a big deal. As we have it now, Nintendo's eShop is the only place on the planet that provides digitally distrubted games to 3DS owners, as the Wii Shop is the only store for the Wii, PSN is for PS3/PSP/PS Vita, etc. For the consumer, that means if one of those storefronts chooses not to carry a digitally distributed game, they're essentially erasing that game from existence on that particular console. If it can't exist in their store, then it can't exist anywhere. That's too much power for a store owner to have. It's also more responsibility than they might want. From all reports, certain parties at Nintendo really wanted to get The Binding of Isaac on the eShop, but in the end, they didn't want the responsibility (and potential controversy) of carrying a "religious" game in their store. I wonder if Nintendo would be OK with Gamestop carrying that particular eShop title on their virtual shelves? |
| ScrewAttack uncovered a bizarre PSA from the early 90s Posted: 20 Mar 2012 01:00 PM PDT Hop into your time-traveling phone booth and go back to the early 90s, when pastels and neon were all the rage and Hulk Hogan was still a real American who fought for the rights of every man. The boys at ScrewAttack were doing just that when they stumbled upon a strange commercial on an old VHS recording of the Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style TV movie. It's got surfer lingo, keytars, and a gloriously anachronistic arcade treasure trove that holds a dark secret. Actually, it's just a skit with an all-star lineup that includes Craig and Chad of ScrewAttack, Nathan "Keith Apicary" Barnatt, Arin "Egoraptor" Hanson, and James "AVGN" Rolfe. I had a few laughs, but I guess you really had to be a part of that era to appreciate the over-the-top cheese of it all. Mad props to James, especially, for making me laugh by simply by standing around and acting like a stone-cold badass. This Weird VHS Tape We Found [ScrewAttack] |
| Posted: 20 Mar 2012 12:30 PM PDT Ninja Gaiden has always been about brutal difficulty, skillful combat, a ton of limbs flying in all directions, and a variety of increasingly ridiculous monsters to battle. With Team Ninja under new leadership, its flagship series has undergone a makeover, and the changes may prove controversial to fans. Dismemberment has been replaced with a more realistic "steel on bone" feeling, where enemies are slashed rather than physically mutilated. Ryu Hayabusa's world, while still relatively outlandish, has become more grounded, with a darker story that wishes to reveal a deeper side to the masked ninja. As for the combat ... well ... It's different. I'll give it that. Ninja Gaiden 3 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [reviewed]) Ninja Gaiden 3 wants Ryu to pay for what he's done. His previous outings have seen him mercilessly slaughter enough people to make even the world's most oppressive dictator look like a sleeping hedgehog. The overall theme of the Dragon Ninja's latest adventure is guilt, as well as the difference between a hero and a killer. At least that's what Ninja Gaiden 3 would like you to believe. On paper, it's a noble endeavor to want to add some narrative depth to a series so devoted to casual genocide. In practice, this enterprise amounts to Ryu muttering something about being a murderer once or twice, before being told by some random Japanese man that he isn't. In between, there are plenty of overwrought cutscenes in which Ryu looks slightly upset, and a camp British man in a mask warbles incoherently about how he and the ninja are "the same." For all its attempts to look philosophical, Team Ninja's story has the emotional depth of a damp sponge, which wouldn't be so bad if the action sequences weren't constantly broken up by these desperately cloying moments of exposition.
At its heart, the story serves only to justify Ryu's magical red arm, which supposedly contains the souls of the people he's murdered in past missions. What this ostensibly means is that when Ryu kills enough enemies, the arm will glow red and he can instantly kill even more enemies at the touch of a button. It seems quite a shame that for all the talk of Ninja Gaiden 3's thoughtful story, the sole result is that Ryu gets a special attack from a glow-in-the-dark bicep. This reductive approach to Ninja Gaiden 3's themes points to a larger problem overall with the game. While previous titles emphasized difficult battles against even low-level opponents, where blocking, countering, and varied attacks were crucial to victory, Ninja Gaiden 3 has streamlined its combat to the point of becoming a mindless hack-n'-slash game. Ryu's arsenal of exotic melee weapons has been reduced to a single sword (other weapons are coming later as free DLC, for some reason), while attacking simply consists of hammering buttons until everything's dead. Every now and then, players will be required to take out distant enemies with a bow that automatically locks onto targets, but these moments usually serve only to make players vulnerable to attack from short-range foes. Enemies are no longer the threat they once were, and Team Ninja has compensated by throwing a lot more of them at Ryu, to the point where the entire game becomes one long, repetitive brawl. Almost every single stage consists of walking down a linear path, entering a large arena, decimating tons of generic soldiers, and jogging along another path to repeat the process for seven more hours. There's no room for strategic battles anymore, as there are too many enemies on-screen to even see what's going on. I found that the most effective strategy was to hammer buttons until Ryu's health bar started to deplete, then switch to dodging around the room. Combat is too chaotic to really do anything else, especially thanks to a dynamic camera that frequently zooms in and out to try and provide a "cinematic" experience, and regularly allows unseen opponents to land cheap shots from off-screen. There's just no point trying to make sense of it. Merely attack until you receive some clue that Ryu's being hurt, dodge, and start over. That's the key to victory. Ultimately, Ninja Gaiden 3 is Dynasty Warriors with more aggressive enemies and sloppier presentation. As a fan of Omega Force's hack-n'-slash series, I don't think the combat is a universally dreadful thing. There is some base gratification to be had in mindlessly slaughtering soldiers before unleashing a vicious special move or magical ninpo attack. Still, I have Dynasty Warriors for such things already, and fans of Ninja Gaiden's more strategic challenge will be left quite unfulfilled by the vapid button mashing on offer. The formulaic level structure and predictable arenas, not to mention lack of weapon variety, make for a game that actually feels less engaging and more tiresome than anything produced by Koei's hack-n'-slash alternative. At least Dynasty Warriors has large maps and a sizable stable of playable characters. Ninja Gaiden 3 is one ninja, one sword, and an army of pointless mooks. To be fair, the flamboyant violence is quite a spectacle, and the streamlined gameplay is at least solid enough to be worth a few hours' entertainment. Even without the ability to cut off limbs, the brutal sword-slashes and buckets of blood still provide some sadistic amusement, and those moments of calm after a particularly vicious fight are made all the more pleasant by the sounds of the dying, who plead and whimper as they crawl around in the dirt. Every now and then, the pace really slows down as a lone soldier begs for his life, or Ryu's cursed arm completely takes him over. These sequences can prove rather engrossing, if a little irrelevant. The boss fights, while noticeably less challenging than encounters in previous games, are all quite thrilling in their shallow way. Ryu will face off against giant mechanical spiders, genetic monstrosities, and military helicopters during huge, delightfully ridiculous battles. While they all have fairly predictable patterns, each fight usually spans multiple locations and regularly involves some surprisingly effective quick-time events that actually feel engaging rather than alienating. The large battles lack depth, but Team Ninja has certainly done a magnificent job of creating the illusion of a more exciting game, which contributes toward making Ninja Gaiden 3 more fun than it otherwise would be. It's a shame, then, that for all its reliance on visual flair, Ninja Gaiden 3 isn't graphically impressive. The animations are bombastic and rousing, but the colors are washed out, character models lack any sense of diversity, and the textures -- especially in the environments -- are flat and featureless. The drab visuals make combat even more irritating, as it becomes far too easy to lose Ryu within the murky sea of enemies. There's also a rather bizarre bug that sees the game attempting to autosave to the hard-drive at moments when it's not supposed to (especially when saving is manually done at checkpoints). Rather than save anything, the entire thing just freezes and the console will need to be restarted. It happened only twice during my play-through, but more than once is an indication that there's an actual problem there. Team Ninja dabbles in Ninja Gaiden 3 with a new online component, Shadow of the World. In this mode, players take control of their own ninja, completing co-op or competitive games to level up, earn new costume pieces, and strengthen their prowess. While this could have provided some of the meatier content missing from the campaign, it really doesn't. The co-op offering is just a set of arena battles copied from the solo mode, the only difference being "contracts" that demand certain enemies be defeated with certain attacks. The addition of a second player only makes the whole thing quicker -- there's no real "cooperation" to speak of. It's just two players temporarily sharing the same space. Versus mode brings four-on-four battles to the table, and they're about as messy as you'd expect. Each match seems to consist of players sliding around the arenas, hitting buttons and hoping they hit something. It's the same combat seen in the rest of the game, absolutely not designed for multiplayer purposes and fit only for confusing and frustrating the players who inflict it upon themselves. Gameplay wasn't altered at all to account for the human element, and with the game's imprecise targeting locks causing people to hit thin air more than enemies, the whole thing looks like an elaborate costumed dance as opposed to brutal ninja-on-ninja warfare. Character customization is fairly weak, boasting a meager handful of physical elements to tweak, like a game from five or six years ago. The leveling system is as straightforward as could possibly be, with costume pieces and expanded special moves tossed in at intermittent stages of progress. The character building seems to exist solely to obtain the most amount of replay "value" with the least amount of effort involved. All told, NG3's multiplayer mode is the very definition of a lazy online component, tacked on simply for the sake of existing. Ninja Gaiden 3 isn't wholly terrible, but it is a significant step down from previous titles, removing many elements that made the series stand out from the crowd and adding features we've seen in dozens of previous action titles. Ironically, Team Ninja's attempts to revamp the series and do new things have only led to it feeling more stale and mundane than ever before. Sporadically entertaining, yes, and seasoned with shallow-yet-satisfying moments of carnage, but ultimately nonessential and forgettable. Players desperate for traditional action gaming may glean some passing repletion from what is ultimately an inoffensive waste of time. However, the monotonous action long outstays its welcome and a series of this pedigree should be bringing so much more to the table. Instead, it does just enough to be a videogame available for purchase, and not a lot more than that. |
| Epic Mickey 2 spin off rumored for 3DS Posted: 20 Mar 2012 12:00 PM PDT According to Official Nintendo Magazine France, Mickey is making his way to 3DS. An announcement for Epic Mickey 2 on console is expected from Warren Spector next week, but until now, there'd been no word of a 3DS version. Entitled Epic Mickey 2: Power of Illusion, the game is likely a spin-off, and is said to include more of the 2D side scrolling aspects touched on briefly in the original. Be it handheld, console, or both, Disney France and Warren Spector are scheduled to reveal their "epic" project on March 27. Is Epic Mickey 2 coming to 3DS? [Official Nintendo Magazine UK] |
| Win a Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 Xbox 360 at Best Buy Posted: 20 Mar 2012 11:30 AM PDT EA Sports' Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 is the latest game to get the limited-edition Xbox 360 treatment, with a console featuring cover athletes Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler against the backdrop of a grayscale golf course. (You'd think there would be some green on the case -- this is a golf game, after all -- but I guess that would've clashed with Fowler's bright orange outfit.) Tiger Woods 13 might seem like an odd choice for a customized Xbox 360, but Microsoft is really pushing the game's Kinect integration. This particular prize, at least, is truly special -- there's only one console available, and you can only get it by winning the contest, which runs from March 27 through March 29. The package is a 250 GB Kinect bundle, although the Kinect sensor itself is not customized with the Tiger Woods 13 art. More prizes are available through a Tiger Woods 13 Facebook app, including a trip for two to the 2012 PGA Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. |
| Random lays down an emotional new Mega Man Zero cut Posted: 20 Mar 2012 11:00 AM PDT When Random announced that the Mega Ran journey was ending with Mega Ran 10, I was more than little disheartened. Oh, sure, I'm still following and enjoying his other projects, but like many, I was introduced to his music through the original Mega Ran album. It's sad to see an artist move on, but it's gotta happen. Of course, that doesn't mean he can't cut the sporadic Mega Man-inspired single now and then, right? Yesterday, Ran dropped "Awakening," a pay-whatever track which samples the ending theme from Mega Man Zero 2. If memory serves me, this is his third Zero rap, and it's always great to hear people show love to the phenomenal music of the Zero series. As Random seeks to grow as an artist, I can only wish him the best. He knows who his fans are and won't leave them in the dark forever. I await his next album, whatever it may be, and hope it'll turn heads just as much as his older material. Awakening [Bandcamp]
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| Live show: Operation Raccoon City on Mash Tactics Posted: 20 Mar 2012 10:30 AM PDT The T-Virus is spreading, and only Mash Tactics can fight it! King Foom is assembling his squad and doing the dirty work in Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City on the "New Release Showcase" today. Foom is planning about an hour of campaign exploration before jumping into the meaty online multiplayer. Tune in for a deeper look at the game, or jump on your Xbox 360 and join in the action. Mash Tactics airs Monday through Friday at 4p.m. Pacific on Destructoid's Twitch TV channel. Watch King Foom play a variety of games, each day with its own theme. With a heavy focus on community and viewer interaction, you can be as much a part of the show as anything else.
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| Posted: 20 Mar 2012 10:00 AM PDT I don't get to play enough games like Waveform. For starters, it's an independent title that doesn't use 8- or 16-bit graphics and isn't painfully derivative which, unfortunately, describes much of the stuff I'm willing to shove in front of my eyeballs. Waveform knows what it wants to be and doesn't stray too far off course. It's also not unlike something you'd expect from Bit.Trip series developer Gaijin Games. If that doesn't get your ears to perk up, I don't know what will. Waveform (PC) Although Waveform will likely click with you in a matter of seconds, it manages to remain mostly interesting throughout its 100+ levels. Using nothing more than a mouse, you'll tinker with a wave's amplitude and wavelength to avoid obstacles and pick up light orbs. It's an uncomplicated premise, and the game is better off for it. While grasping the controls on a conceptual level isn't difficult at all, getting used to the system's intricacies is another matter entirely. Successfully coming into contact with these orbs and avoiding asteroids, aliens, mines, and more increasingly requires the player to have a mastery of subtle movements that often need to be made hastily. Knowing what you need to do is only half of the battle; you've then got to apply that knowledge to specific situations on the fly (and curse at your monitor for being slightly off target).
The first stage begins with just the basics described above. As you progress to later stages, you'll come across new mechanics that are nicely spread across the entirety of Waveform, constantly building upon one another and the game's minimalistic foundation. Prisms, for instance, can be used to change the color of orbs. This ends up being significant, since rings that account for your score multiplier are specific to one of three colors. Other elements that get introduced later on include mirrors your wave can bounce off of, clouds of gas that either speed you up or slow you down, and -- what else? -- portals. As stated above, there are quite a few levels, a number of which could have been consolidated. You can also play through remixed versions of them after completing the main game, but this will likely be overkill for most players outside of leaderboard junkies -- as will the endless, randomly generated Deep Space missions. That said, Waveform was largely able to keep my attention until the end. The music is an all-around great fit for the space theme, ranging from more relaxing ambient tracks to downright catchy tunes. Similarly, the art -- particularly when seen in motion -- was a step above what I was expecting from such a small number of people working on the game. I particularly like that Waveform speeds up (i.e., gets more difficult) the better you're playing. Reaching the end of any given level usually doesn't take a whole lot of effort, but achieving a perfect rating, on the other hand, can be an exercise in frustration; there's always an orb or two that narrowly escapes. Thankfully, perfection is not a requirement to unlock additional levels. Generally speaking, an okay-to-good performance most of the time will be sufficient. And, for those who think achievements are useless, they -- along with your individual level scores -- smartly help you gain access to gated-off courses. With a game like Waveform, I have to wonder if it would have been better served with more gameplay hooks, or, alternatively, less content overall. I'm inclined to lean toward the latter suggestion as someone who significantly values quality over quantity. Wave manipulation is a neat concept -- one I don't recall encountering in this form before -- but despite admirable attempts to introduce slight tweaks to the formula, it is eventually stretched to its limit. Even still, Waveform is a solid, highly polished game that's very much its own thing, and very much worth checking out. |
| Dragon's Lair is on another platform: Xbox 360 Posted: 20 Mar 2012 09:30 AM PDT In news that should surprise absolutely no one, Dragon's Lair is finally making the move to the Xbox 360 via the Live Arcade. On top of that, it will also have Kinect support, so you can fail with a control or by moving around without one. Pretty much everything else about the game seems to be unchanged (it's still pretty, and probably still brutally hard), so if you have it on any of the other 65 platforms it's been released on you may not want to get it again. Unless you really want to play it with the Kinect, though considering how exact your timing has to be while playing this title, I'm not sure that's a good idea. Dragon’s Lair for XBLA! With a Secret! [Play XBLA]
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| Ten videogames that make me really hungry Posted: 20 Mar 2012 09:00 AM PDT Hunger, a human affliction that occasionally has a virtual cause. I spend a lot of time with videogames, so getting hungry while playing is only natural. But what about the unnatural? When a love for food knows no realistic bounds? There are videogames out there with the potential to ruin entire diets. And dental plans. And lives. Here are ten games I can never, ever play on an empty stomach. Or a full stomach. Damn it, these games just make me hungry. The Sims 3 The Sims 3 is the only game to ever give me the strange urge to have shawarma and Key lime pie for breakfast (then put the plate on the floor and walk away). It only gets more delicious as your Sim's cooking skill goes up. I once got jealous of my Sim's Lobster Thermidor. Hey, I paid for that Atlantic Ocean semi-delicacy Missy, and your mood meter is doing little to assure me you're enjoying it as much as I would. The Sims 3 also stands as the best example of a game that makes me ravenous whether or not I'm actually hungry. My poorest of Sims still consistently eat better than I do -- at no point in my life have I had six rotating options for breakfast. I also lack the ability to carry a grocery store's worth of produce at all times. I daresay my Sim has her snacking game down better than Liz Lemon.
Gauntlet Commercial imagery has been telling us for years exactly what food should look like, even if it defies all logic. The drumstick, a Gauntlet staple, is a valuable part of this tradition. I can never decide if I love or resent the fairy godmother of animal flesh who keeps leaving these meaty power-ups behind. On one hand, a Valkyrie does need her protein. On the other, who would just abandon a delicious hunk of meat? Clearly, they're not aware of the item's universal visual appeal. I get hungry just looking at it.
Fallout: New Vegas The crafting recipes in Fallout: New Vegas consistently make me bemoan the lack of mutated livestock in this country. Cook-Cook's Fiend Stew, for instance, is made of beer, potatoes, jalapeno peppers, and Brahmin meat. While the majority of the recipes would require real life substitutions -- it's just so hard to find quality Mirelurk meat these days -- in some cases, I'd only want the originals. Grilled Mantis, made with wine and honey mesquite pod, sounds delicious! My love is not limited to the food: Wasteland Tequila, Cactus Water, Atomic Cocktails, and all the variations of Nuka Cola would all be welcome additions to my refrigerator.
Yoshi's Cookie Yoshi's Cookie's biggest flaw as a game was that the objective was to match the cookies in rows, at which point they would disappear. Bosh! Flimshaw! Everyone knows that cookies should multiply, not divide, especially ones as cute as these. They remind me of the Danish cookies I eat by the tinful during Christmas. If Nintendo ever made Yoshi's Cookies for real, there would be only one order to fill: mine. Not for lack of popularity, but because I'll go Wonka Bar all over that shit.
Costume Quest Costume Quest's Creepy Treats live up to the game's Halloween theme in every way. Some, like the Unicorn Pellets, are a dirty trick. Others, like Pizza Sundaes, Licorice Cables, or the less subtle Sugar Bucket, are all treat. I may be well into adulthood, but I'd gladly take my chances come All Saints' Eve for a stab at some Box Cake. If I got really lucky and hit the trick-or-treat jackpot, I could even make a meal of it. Chocolate Hamburger, Chocolate Carrots, Gummy Water, and Broccoli Wafers sound like a balanced dinner compared to the garbage I eat in real life.
Cooking Mama Under no circumstances should you play this game if you're hungry, and/or like Japanese food. You'll wake up in a corner dusted in panko breading with no memory of the week before. It's just not safe. Cooking Mama, with its myriad recipes spanning an impressive range of Japanese cuisine, will not only make you hungry but also force you to go on a massive spree at the local Japanese grocer. However, if you do find yourself locked in a hypnotic foodie trance, just pop over to the Spaghetti Neapolitan recipe (spaghetti noodles, ketchup, and ham). That should cure you right up.
BurgerTime As a precocious four-year-old, watching my mom play this game made me want a hamburger like Kel wants orange soda. Worse, she was obsessed with Atari, so there was no way she was getting up to do anything short of put out a kitchen fire. Come to think of it, I should have made those burgers myself ... BurgerTime may be crude by today's luscious visual standards, but c'mon, I was a kid. I was probably eating crayons in my off-time anyway. In fact, that may have contributed to my cravings for pixel burgers in the first place.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Yes, I'm aware that Cluckin' Bell does not actually exist. No, that does not prevent my stomach from growling during the constant fast food runs (take that as you will) during San Andreas, even though it's clearly a parody of Taco Bell, which is called "Taco Hell" for a reason. Even better, all I had to do to make sure CJ was still lookin' fit and fab in that gimp costume was make sure he hit the treadmill every once in awhile. Sure, his mom may be dead and his entire life in shambles, but I get the feeling CJ actually didn't have it so bad. At least he didn't have to pay those damn gym membership fees.
Pac-Man I'm a big fan of cherries, particularly of the videogame variety. Big, red, shiny, and always in a pair, they're the very image of temptation. Forget the rest of the Pac-Man fruit; I only have eyes for the cherries. In fact, if you told me that the fruit in the Garden of Eden had been cherries, I'd have believed you. They're just beautiful. Of course, in real life, all cherry items taste nasty, and fresh cherries are a bit of a gamble. However, I get the feeling that Pac-Man cherries don't come with pixel pits. This is one example where the virtual is better than the reality.
Kirby Super Star (Gourmet Race) The food: delectable. The objective: get as much as you can, as fast as you can. In America, I believe we call that a "buffet." We could all take a page from Kirby Super Star's Gourmet Race. If recreational eating was combined with foot racing more often, we could probably cure that American obesity crisis once and for all. ------------ What videogames make you insatiably hungry? |
| Team Fortress 2sdays: Burning, man! Posted: 20 Mar 2012 08:30 AM PDT Welcome to another exciting edition of Team Fortress 2sdays! Every Tuesday, a bunch of us Dtoiders hop online and play Team Fortress 2 on the official Destructoid server; you should join us! We've got Birthday Mode enabled for the duration of March to celebrate Dtoid's 6th Anniversary. Hop online to take part in the festivities! Here's tonight's schedule: Server Early Match Late Match Maplist If you have any suggestions for next week's match, sound off below! Also, we'd love to recap this week's events during next week's post, so take lots of screenshots and email them to andydixon[@]destructoid.com! Thanks to bbain, shadow2398, Swishiee and tekbunny for providing this week's pics! We'll see you online! |
| SAR - Search and Rescue on the way to the PSN Posted: 20 Mar 2012 08:00 AM PDT As part of SNK's new "Arcade Classics" program, old dog SAR - Search and Rescue is on it's way to the Playstation Network. Evidently, back in the day, SNK wasn't sure that people would know what SAR meant, so they included the explanation in the title. SAR will be a PSP/PS3 mini release, and unfortunately it looks like it's not Vita compatible at the moment. If you were in Japan however, none of this would matter, as you'd be able to pick up SNK Arcade Classics 0 for the PSP, which includes 19 other games. If you're thinking of biting, the best thing I can say about SAR is that I kind of sort of remember playing it once, and it vaguely reminds me of the ill-fated (yet personally enjoyable) NES X-Men game. But seriously folks, preserving ancient Arcade history is always a good thing in my books -- so long as someone unearths an HD Xbox Live/PSN remake of Revolution X -- the SNES port wasn't the same! |
| Soul Reaver reboot reportedly in the works Posted: 20 Mar 2012 07:30 AM PDT Does the Legacy live on? A source tells VG247 that Crystal Dynamics is preparing a "full reworking" of the Soul Reaver series, complete with a new art direction. At the moment details are scarce, but then so are Kain and Raziel these days. Both made an appearance as playable characters in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light DLC, but other than that (and Soul Reaver on PSN), we haven't seen our duo since Legacy of Kain: Defiance in 2003. It's unclear where this new game would fit in the series, but given that the last game and the Lara Croft DLC featured both Kain and Raziel as playable characters, I personally hope the next will, too. A reveal was previously expected at E3, but that appears to no longer be the case. When asked about the rumors, Square Enix issued a "no comment". Rumour: Crystal Dynamics on “Soul Reaver” reboot [VG24/7 via Game Informer] |
| Posted: 20 Mar 2012 07:00 AM PDT
The above text is taken from Sine Mora, one of the most aesthetically-pleasing, fun, and thought-provoking games to come out in some time. That it also contains the most brilliant, concise summary of a critic’s ethos is just the cherry on top. In the estimation of this critic, Sine Mora is eternal and most definitely essential.
Sine Mora (Xbox Live Arcade) As Dtoid’s shmup guy, I often gloss over story details in this genre. After all, it seems no one cares -- least of all the developer, in some cases. Do we really need to know why doll-piloted airships must destroy mechs modeled after schoolgirls in skirts? Not really. That and deciphering these games' stories is often near impossible without a press release attempting to make sense of the madness. Imagine my surprise then when I booted up Sine Mora and was floored by the story. It’s not just good; it’s not just great; it’s easily one of the strongest stories to ever grace this medium. The fantasy world built within this game is one of the richest I’ve ever encountered in any medium. It is filled with wonderful concepts that could be expanded into novels, but remain tiny details for the sake of story flow. It's smart sci-fi told with heart and soul. For instance, Sine Mora's fiction tells of an Eternal War -- a war that never ends because one side with innate time travel abilities constantly time-jumps to avoid extinction. What an awesome concept! I want an entire game just about that one single idea!
The Sin City likeness comes from the game's dark noir tone and non-linear storytelling. Frequently throughout the game you see an event play out unexplained only to reappear in a new context later. There are so many amazing "A-ha!" moments that left my mouth agape. Once you get to the final levels that present an intricate web of characters at the same place at different times, it's enough to make your head spin. I found the story alone made replays much more enjoyable, since I discovered new nuances to the plot and characters. What I love about Sine Mora is that its characters aren’t heroes with paper-thin personalities. They have depth and flaws that make them interesting. For instance, the father bison character blackmails a rape victim with leukemia to fight with him because she is all he can get. Then there is another pilot, a woman incapable of giving birth, who dedicates her life to finding greatness in the deaths of others. The story is full of spectacular twists, non-linear jumps that don’t feel showy, and brilliantly written walls of text that separate the game’s chapters. The most amazing thing of all? You can ignore all of this and still have a fantastic time with Sine Mora! When I previewed the game at Tokyo Game Show last year, I found myself occupying the role of the hopeful skeptic. On one hand, Hungarian developer Digital Reality cited all the right influences (Einhander, Battle Geraga, R-Type). On the other, they’ve made almost nothing but complex PC military strategy games since they were founded in 1994! I liked what I saw in the TGS demo, but I had to wonder if these were the right guys to pull off this awfully ambitious shmup. Sine Mora has a couple different modes (Boss Training, Score Attack, Arcade), but the main draw is the Story Mode. This rather lengthy campaign (about three hours) is comparable to the recent Mortal Kombat in its lofty ambitions in creating storytelling and variety that aren’t usually associated to a niche genre. In Story Mode, you play across 16 or so levels with different pilots and planes. Each pilot has their own ability, ships have their own feel, and you also have a “Capsule” that lets you slow down time. The game's story is told through text screens and brief cutscenes, which can be fast-forwarded.
The most damaging part of the game’s design is its constant in-game cutscenes that will turn away hi-score chasers, despite the game having a great scoring system. You can fast-forward these scenes by holding down the left bumper, but it'd be much better if you could just skip them altogether in arcade replays. In trying to appeal to both casuals and hardcore shmup players, Sine Mora trips on some compromises made. Along with the above aspects, there are conventions that maybe shouldn’t have been adapted. Why do we need to start a stage with no power-ups when we would have had at least three if we played the game from the start? Why am I prompted to exit the game to the menu after beating a chapter? Why does restarting a chapter bring me to a previous chapter? These strange design choices and (maybe) glitches sour the player experience and may keep casuals from exploring further into the game, which would be a damn shame. Who knew a contemporary shmup would have so many worthy talking points? Did I mention this game is in Hungarian? Or that the soundtrack is by the composer of Silent Hill? How about the game’s unlockable alternative story that contains lengthy philosophical musings, informed by Nietzsche and Schopenhauer, on reality, purpose, and love? It's an odd thing but I found Sine Mora to be substantially more cerebral and moving than Journey, Dear Esther, and other celebrated "Art Games." Sine Mora isn’t only of the best shmups in years, it’s one of the boldest and most fascinating games of this generation, period. What it lacks in finesse, it more than makes up for in its original art direction and deep lore. It’s a shmup that not only offers replayability and strategic choice, but also a story that can be discussed, worshiped, and analyzed for months to come. Digital Reality and Grasshopper Manufacture have created an absolute revolution in contemporary game design that proves beautiful, original things can still be done beyond the realm of first- and third-person shooters. It’s just as brave and elegant as Journey, while being as accessible and fun as a cherished Irem classic. Even if you think this game isn’t for you based on genre, Sine Mora may unexpectedly surprise and delight you. I worry that there will never be another game like Sine Mora, when I should be happy there is at least one. This is that one. And, thankfully, it’s eternal. |
| Mega64 and Cliffy B 'honor' Warren Spector Posted: 20 Mar 2012 06:30 AM PDT
During GDC, developer Warren Spector was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award. To pay tribute to a man who has brought so much love and joy in the world, Mega64 teamed up with Cliff Bleszinski for a short video retrospective on Mr. Spector's illustrious career. Come marvel at all of Spector's magnificent accomplishments! Marvel at the stuff he didn't do, too! Why should the man merely be remembered for his own achievements? (And yes, I know the Rocky & Bullwinkle thing is real. I was talking about the other things Cliffy said.) |
| Review: Turtle Beach Ear Force M3 mobile gaming headset Posted: 20 Mar 2012 06:00 AM PDT There's plenty of gaming headsets out there, but most of them are made for sitting at home in front of a television or PC, and there aren't many that will work for the type of gamers that like to get out in the sunshine and fresh air. Turtle Beach swoops in to save the day for mobile gamers with their Ear Force M3 mobile gaming headset, which claims compatibility with all of your portable gaming systems as well as Apple and Android mobile devices. I stepped out of the office to put the Ear Force M3 through its paces using several different devices, including a PS Vita, 3DS, iPhone, iPod and iPad. Verdict? I came away impressed with this set's sound and features, especially for the $25-30 street price. The M3 is a compact headset, with cups that softly pad ears to fit to them, but won't cup over to cover them. There are respectable 40mm drivers behind those cushy pads, but they're on rotatable, foldable earpieces that let the whole unit fold up nicely to pack away in a bag, and they're small enough that they won't feel silly alongside your Vita or 3DS. They're also quite comfortable with their nice head band padding and light weight. This set sounds surprisingly nice for the asking price, with quality that proved to be pleasing for both music listening and gaming. There's a clean, clear sound quality for gaming that I appreciated while playing through Lumines: Electronic Symphony on the Vita and Resident Evil: Revelations for the 3DS, and nice low end response showed up trailers and video clips on my iPad. The built-in mic is situated on the in-line headset control unit, and it seemed to work well in test calls and chats; those on the other end of my calls said that I came in loud and clear. That in-line unit features multifunction button that changes use depending on the mobile device. On my iPhone I was able to play, pause, and skip music tracks, and during calls I could answer or hang up with a click. While I didn't have an Android device to test these with, users of these devices will be able to do much of the same tricks, and can even launch voice commands with some versions. As a nice bonus, the M3 comes with a PC adapter, letting you also use the set for PC gaming or chat; the adapter takes the 3.5mm, 4-pole plug and splits it to a dual set for mic input and headphone output. I tried it out with this adapter in a Skype session on my Macbook and had no complaints. If you're needing a portable, multipurpose gaming headset that sounds good and works with all your devices, the M3 Ear Force is a good choice. They retail for about $40, but if you shop around you can find a pair for as low as $25. |
| Braben: used games are killing single-player games Posted: 20 Mar 2012 05:30 AM PDT Frontier Developments boss David Braben has been attacking used games for years, and he's still going strong with his claims. Today, he has blamed the used game market for the death of single-player games, tragically missing the point that his own dramatic words end up making. "It's killing single player games in particular, because they will get preowned, and it means your day one sales are it, making them super high risk," he claimed to Gamasutra. "I mean, the idea of a game selling out used to be a good thing, but nowadays, those people who buy it on day one may well finish it and return it." He claims publishers are unwilling to greenlight story-driven single-player games. You know, games like L.A. Noire, Alan Wake, or Heavy Rain. All of which have been huge successes. His own game, The Outsider, is struggling to get made, and he blames it on secondhand games. What David fails to realize, however, is that this isn't the fault of used games at all. He names the cause of the problem himself -- hysterical publishers harboring melodramatic fears of the used game market. There are enough successful narrative games -- and enough failed online ones -- that demonstrate what a line of bullshit the whole, "We need online modes to sell stuff" thing really is. Just like DRM, some tacked-on online mode isn't going to make or break a damn thing about your game. It's a clueless attempt at doing "something" to feel better about the current state of play. The preowned market has become an excellent scapegoat for unsuccessful studios, especially since there are no definitive numbers backing up their claims. There's only speculation and assumption, which means they can point at something else to escape the many other factors that go into a game's ultimate retail performance. Meanwhile, publishers sell games at high prices, institute anti-consumer practices like online passes and sub-par DLC, then act hurt and confused when such activities weirdly don't harbor undying customer loyalty. Used games aren't killing single-player experiences. Short-sighted publishers are. |
| Podtoid records today with guest Danny Baranowsky! Posted: 20 Mar 2012 05:15 AM PDT The duo this week is joined by a very special guest -- music man Danny Baranowsky! You might know of his work on the soundtrack for Super Meat Boy, Canabalt, and The Binding of Isaac, among other projects. He's also a pretty kick ass guy. As usual, we're after your smelly questions, so get them in there! |
| Ninja Gaiden 3 online passes not working (Update) Posted: 20 Mar 2012 05:00 AM PDT [Update: I've been informed that the passes will go live for the PS3 version between 2pm and 5pm PT. Tecmo Koei is currently trying to hear back from Microsoft about the Xbox 360 version. Apparently they were supposed to be ready for validation yesterday, but obviously aren't.] All morning, I've been trying to redeem my online pass for Ninja Gaiden 3, only to be told the code is still invalid. It seems I'm not the only one, either. Fans who bought the game between midnight and now are unable to access the online portion of the game, as the online passes do not work. This is true on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, so it's not just a case of the PlayStation Store needing to update. Interestingly enough, you can buy a working code from the Xbox Live marketplace, which seems to indicate the ones packed in with the game are all broken. Fans have been pestering Tecmo Koei on its Facebook page and Tweeting about the issue, but the publisher has not addressed the situation yet. This is yet another reason why online passes are total bullshit. I don't trust publishers to be competent enough to handle them correctly. If you're going to lock paying customers out of content until they prove their loyalty with a stupid code, you should at least make sure that shit works as soon as you start selling the fucking thing. In any case, our review is going up as soon as the codes work. It's highly unlikely the lobbies are even populated while those who bought the game new wait for their damn codes to function. |
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